Constance stared at the graveyard that contained her past. Last night with Vengeance at the clubhouse had been a revelation. Deanna had been one of the nicest and yet strongest women she had ever met. Deanna had pulled her to one side and told her all about her life with Demon, how she’d been taken by the club because of a debt. The story of her love for Demon was kind of inspiring and cool.

Deanna’s life had been totally the opposite of her own, and she was envious of her. Amy, Joker’s old lady, had been just like Deanna, but her own person as well. There had been a darkness in her gaze that only lifted when Joker came. All of the Soldiers’ women were strong in their own way. Deanna had told her that they didn’t have a choice. It was either be strong, or die.

The Soldiers of Wrath had a lot of enemies, and becoming part of Vengeance’s life wouldn’t come without its own set of problems.

She had watched him with his club, with his brothers. Of course she had loved and hated how he reacted when he saw her talking to another man. He’d been so damn possessive, and she had loved the way he’d taken her back to his room, and they had spent the rest of the night there. Her body still ached from the memory of his body on hers, inside her, fucking her.

Vengeance was a man of action. He wasn’t the kind of man who sat back and did nothing, and she loved that about him. Gripping the gate, she stared at all of the gravestones. Her heart no longer felt dead when she looked inside that plot of emptiness. Her parents would hate Vengeance. They’d have begged her to end things. Brando would have put it down to her acting out. Resting her head against the gate leading into her past, she closed her eyes.

Her body ached in all the right delicious ways. Why did she have to be back here? Vengeance wouldn’t be back for a couple of days. He told her that he had some business with an associate of the Soldiers.

She had wanted to go with him but Deanna had told her no one went with the Soldiers during business trips. The Prospects were there to protect them, and that was it. She didn’t have a Prospect, at least she hadn’t seen one.

Next time she would ask Vengeance about that.

“You’re back,” Craig said, making her jump.

She gasped and placed her hand on her chest. “Craig, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

Turning toward him, she recalled the strange feelings he’d filled her with the last time she saw him. “It’s okay. Are you wanting to go inside? It’s not open yet, but for you I’ll open early,” Constance said.

“I’m good. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Craig smiled at her as he spoke.

This was the strangest thing in the world, besides the other week when he came to her work. She smiled even though it felt forced.

“I’m doing great, Craig. How about you?”

“Yeah, I’m doing great.” He reached past her to open up the gate. “Are you coming inside?”

Not wanting to be rude, she nodded and entered the graveyard. For the first time since visiting, she felt a sudden chill at being alone. “I’m going to go and see my parents.”

She didn’t wait around to hear anymore from him. Moving toward her parents and ex-fiancé, she stared at the stones. Rubbing her arms once again, her body ached in all the right ways. She didn’t know if her parents would have liked Vengeance. Brando wouldn’t have. Her ex would have seen him as too much of a criminal. She liked to think that her parents would have been happy because she was.

Glancing up, she saw that Craig was still watching her. The way his gaze seemed to follow her really unnerved her. She smiled in his direction and then looked down at the stones of her past. She couldn’t keep this up, couldn’t let her life revolve around what had happened. Her life was not about what she had or didn’t have.

Vengeance was the life she wanted and what Deanna had told her about. That was the kind of life she wanted more than anything. If he would have her for more than just sex, she would have him.

* * *

“You’re not completely pussy-whipped then?” Joker asked.

“You mean like you? You’ve checked your cell phone thousands of times. Why don’t you just call Amy?” Vengeance asked, smirking as Joker looked down at his cell phone once again.

“He did,” Weasel said. “The moment we stopped, he was tap tapping away.”

They had made a stop at a diner and were all enjoying burgers and chili fries. The food wasn’t the best but it was better than nothing, and after a few hours of riding, he was fucking starving.

Vengeance laughed as Joker rolled his eyes.

“I’m pussy-whipped, okay? Get your own damn woman, and we’ll see how you will feel.”

“I’d say Vengeance has his own woman, but he’s pretending he doesn’t,” Weasel said.

“Deanna loved Constance,” Demon said. “She’s hoping she’ll be around the clubhouse more.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. I’m going to ask her when we get back if she’d like to be my old lady.”

“That’s fast,” Weasel said.

“I know what I feel, and she’s a good woman.” He took a bite of his burger and moaned. Even shit food could hit the right spot.

“She’s the right woman then?” Steel asked.

“Yep, and you should appreciate the lengths I’ll go to for my woman,” Vengeance said.

“You know, throwing a spanner in the works and all that, a few fucks don’t make a good woman,” Weasel said.

Silence rang through the diner, and Vengeance continued to chew his food at the same time he looked at Weasel, his friend.

“You really want to go fucking there?” he asked once he’d finished swallowing.

“I’m just saying. You’ve brought her around the club once. I know you like her and all, but this life isn’t just about being on the road, and fucking your way through random sluts until you find an old lady. She’s different, darker. You met her in a damn cemetery, but that doesn’t mean she’s old lady material.”

“Weasel, you’re crossing the fucking line,” Demon spoke up.

“Am I? Really? I’m not saying anything bad about your old ladies. Not got a problem with them. What I’m worried about is our club brother.” He looked at Vengeance. “You can hate me all you want. Your interest in her I get. She’s different. What I don’t get is after a few weeks, why you want to suddenly bring her into the club life. You’ve got to give it some time.”

When he saw his club brothers felt the same, Vengeance lost all appetite. “I’ll be outside.”

He didn’t linger. Going to his bike, he leaned against it and stared up at the sky. There was a chill in the air, and he wondered what Constance was doing. She had texted him earlier to say she was heading out, and he hadn’t called her yet. He wanted to, but again, he didn’t want to worry if she wasn’t at home.

“You okay?” Demon, his club Prez, asked.

“I’m… fine.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “You agree with that asshole?”

“Yeah, I do.”

He shook his head. “Not once did I stop any of you fuckers from picking your women, and now you’re going to be stopping me. Where is the fairness in that?”

“I didn’t say it was fair. I’ve got to ask you, do you really think she’s got what it takes to be an old lady, Vengeance? Not just you but the whole club has to rely on our women to know they would stand by us. How much do you know about her?”

“I know enough.”

“Do you know enough for her to lie to the fucking cops? Even Amy can do that, and she’s been fucked up in the head for a long time, and I know I can trust her.”

Vengeance gritted his teeth. He didn’t like that he couldn’t answer that. It was true; all of the old ladies would stand by their men without even blinking an eye. Constance, she had been dealt a raw hand, but that didn’t mean for a second she wouldn’t be willing to turn them over to the cops.

“Bring her ’round a lot more, Vengeance. Let the club get used to her, and then when you know for certain, make your move. Do not make a quick decision. You will live to regret it.”

With that, Demon left him alone to deal with his own thoughts.