***Ramrod***

 

Not right now. Fucking hell, she really said that as a reply when I uttered the words fuck me. Remember when I mentioned that I’d be a helping hand, nothing more, nothing less? Yeah, fuck that. Faith. She is the one…she’s mine. When the longing of having an ol’lady came to mind I would always say to myself ‘gotta have some faith’. I don’t care what anyone else might think…to me, her name being Faith, that’s way beyond a damn coincidence. Time to get to know her some more because I’m not ready to let her go.

I place a cup of coffee in front of her. “Is there anyone you’d like to contact, Faith?”

Her lip turns into a curl of disgust. “The guy who took me made me text my friends. The text said I was going to have fun for a few days with a guy I met outside the bathroom of the bar and that I’ll tell them all about it when I got back.”

“And your friends fucking believed you?” I growl.

She sighs and shrugs. “The whole point of this vacation was to let go and have fun. I can’t really blame them for not questioning me.”

“Do you need to tell them what really happened? Your friends should know, or you might need their support,” I tell her and try like hell to keep the anger out of my voice. “And just for the record…none of my brothers or friends would believe that shit if I texted a message like that to them.”

Fear flashes across her face. “No. I don’t want to drag my friends into this.”

“Into what, sugar? You think he’s coming for you?” It doesn’t matter how gentle I ask this question.

Truth is, I don’t even have to ask it as a question because it’s written all over her face. She’s afraid he’s going to take her again. I was still standing next to the couch but with the look of fear edged all over her face, I plant my ass right next to her and throw my arm around her shoulder and pull her close. She inhales deep a few times and I can feel the tension slipping from her body as if my scent can calm her nerves.

“Shall I bottle it up for you?” I chuckle when she nuzzles even closer and takes another whiff.

“Yes, please,” she mutters, making me laugh.

“Not shy to say what you want, huh,” I tell her instead of asking. And in all fairness, I like that in a woman.

“To be honest…and I owe you that much…I know he will be coming for me,” Doll tells me before she adds, “But I can’t tell you anything more. I won’t risk it. That’s also the reason I will leave.”

“No, you won’t. And believe me when I say that you can tell me anything. I’m not only your best shot to stay safe…I’m the perfect man who can end the guy, clearing up this matter so you can live your life without looking over your shoulder ever again.” Fuck. I’ve already said too much, but she needed to hear it.

I can’t hardly say, hey, I’m Broken Deeds, our MC handles, lives, and stands above the law. That stuff isn’t for anyone’s ears. It’s club business, and she isn’t even an ol’lady. Although she might qualify to be mine in the near future. If she doesn’t run off that is.

She frowns and pushes away from me. “End the guy? You mean kill? And you can’t keep me here, you know.”

“See? That’s my fucking point when I said do you need to call your friends, because for all you know you’re trading one fucker with another one.” I growl at her messed up safety net. “How the fuck can you be so careless about yourself?”

She’s off the couch in a flash. “I’m trying to save you guys, and my friends, you…I can’t be near anyone. And yes, maybe that makes me careless, but I’m trying to survive here.”

There’s fire shooting from her eyes and it makes the corner of my mouth twitch. I’m loving the feistiness and it seems we’re finally getting somewhere. Maybe if I ruffle her feathers some more, it will loosen her tongue and she’ll throw out everything there is to know about what the fuck is happening in her life.

Except…there’s a knock on the door. I check my watch and curse. “Doll, how good are you with kids?” I ask her.

Doll. Yes, I’ve decided I’m sticking to the name I gave her. I like it and since she’s not spilling every detail from before she stepped into my life, I’m going with the name that fits her perfectly in my opinion, even though I love the sound of Faith.

“Kids?” Her eyes are about to pop out. “You have a kid? A wife, a girlfriend? Oh, God.”  

“Nah,” I answer and stroll to the door. “I babysit on a regular basis for my brother’s kids.”

I swing the door open and Diamond stands there holding her son, Arrow. She walks in  pushing the stroller my Prez and his ol’lady Lips’ daughter, Esmee, is sleeping in. She reaches for a bag she’s got slung over her shoulder and hands it to me.

“Hey, Ramrod. Here are the supplies and Arrow should be hungry in about an hour and then you can put him down for his nap. Esmee is already out and a prospect will pick her up later because…”

“Yeah, Diamond, I know. He sent me a message that he’ll be at the clubhouse later and as soon as he’s there, he’ll pick him up or have him brought there,” I tell her and she smiles at me before she kisses her son and hands him to me.

“Okay, gotta run.” Diamond waves at her little boy and closes the door behind her.

Diamond was so busy with me and the kids that she didn’t even notice Doll standing in my living room. Not that she would expect it, but still.

“You’re the babysitter?” Doll gasps as if she’s just been told the most unrealistic thing in the world.

I’m holding Arrow with one arm while I put the stroller in the corner so Esmee can keep sleeping in there.

“Yeah, I look after them if the ol’ladies have something else to do,” I tell her.

She still looks shocked, but when Arrow holds out his tiny hands, Doll automatically takes the kid and gives him a stunning smile before she glances back at me. “You’ve mentioned brothers and said ol’ladies, and clubhouse just now…and you own a bike. You’re part of a motorcycle club?”

“Broken Deeds MC. What do you know about motorcycle clubs?” I ask out of curiosity.

She shrugs and turns her attention back to Arrow who’s fascinated with her necklace. And with that, I now notice a Tiki pendant that’s dangling on a leather string. “To be honest, absolutely nothing. Other than the term motorcycle club, that those who are in it call each other brothers, the girlfriends are named ol’ladies, boyfriends an ol’man, and they all have a bike.”

I snort and can’t help the smile that tugs my lips. “Well, that narrows it down to the basics then.”

“Yup,” she states and eyes me. “And that they’re big on family, as in one huge one where they all have each other’s backs.”

“All true,” I state.

“Is that the reason you mentioned you could help me? That this Broken Deeds, all of you will help me if I asked you?” Her voice wavers.

I give her a firm nod. “That’s exactly it, sugar. So you think about it, and let me know when you’re ready.”

She wants to say something but Arrow steals her attention from me. Now that the little dude is in good hands, I make my way over to the kitchen to get us some fruit and make sure we have some more coffee.

“Can he walk? Or take a few steps, or crawl for that matter? I’ve known some who were walking before they were even a year old, but I’ve heard of another client of mine that her son was ten months old before he barely started crawling. It’s so different for each kid,” Doll asks me as she sits down on the living room floor, inspecting the bag Arrow took with him.

My interest is spiked because she said client. “He’s somewhere in the middle. Isn’t that right, Arrow? You took some steps and can manage when you’re holding on, huh buddy?” I squat down to their level, forgetting what I was doing in the kitchen for a moment. “Can I ask what you do for a living, Doll?”

Her head whips to me, her eyes light up, and I need to brace myself with my hand on the floor. Fuck, she’s stunning like that. Not to mention the fact that she responds to Doll, not minding at all that I’m still using it while knowing very well her name is Faith.

“I’ve got my own company set up now. I quit my regular job three weeks ago because I was finally making a living on just my website. Isn’t that amazing? No more nine to five, only doing what I love.” Her whole face is glowing when she talks. She grabs Arrow’s bear off the floor and holds it up. “I make these, bears.”

“Bears?” I question, totally caught off guard because I never met someone who does that for a living. “You make toys?”

She shakes her head and laughs, playfully tapping my nose with Arrow’s toy. “No silly. Well, in a way you could say they are toys, and some of my clients have ordered one for their kids, but most of my bears end up on a shelf or on their bed. You could say it’s some kind of decoration. But there’s something about a custom, handmade bear. I can make them however they want. I do get weird requests though.”

I’m still baffled. “And that would be?”

“Oh, you know, BDSM versions and such. On occasion I make a dog for a movie set so it looks like it got run over, or they use it to throw out of a window or something…like a stunt double. Oh, one time a client wanted a bear with its head cut off holding it in his own paws. That’s weird, right?” She tilts her head waiting for my answer.

I swallow and shake my head. “Sugar, weird doesn’t cover that shit. But I guess everybody’s got their own kink and I’m happy to hear you can provide them and for yourself, for that matter. But that’s cool though, the movie shit, never really thought about it when you watch a movie and see a dog get run over or being flown out of a window. They look very real for those handful of seconds.”

“Thank you,” she says honestly, and with that the beautiful woman that she is shines through, instead of the hurt and lost woman she was when I found her.

My heart tugs and I’m caught by the feeling that I want to see, and know, more about this lady.