Unruly Defender

by Schmidt, Esther E.

  I grab some underwear and my thoughts slide to Eddie again. Why can’t I ban him from my mind? Sliding the purple lace panties on—along with the matching bra—I dress quickly and decide to leave my hair down. I glance at my makeup and I don’t want to fuss too much and only apply some mascara along with some lip gloss.

  Ready to take on a new day and dead set not to think about Eddie, I stroll into the living room to find Maggie, but she’s not here. The sliding doors are open and I know she likes to drink her tea on the patio, so I head out and see her sitting in her favorite chair while glancing at the beach.

  “I’m ready, do you have your list of errands for me?” I question and her eyes land on me.

  “Eddie has the list, he’s outside waiting for you,” she simply says and I swear I can feel my eyes widen and my jaw drop.

  I start to sputter but she just shakes her head while wearing a smile, freaking mischief dancing in her eyes. “Just hear him out, sweetheart. Remember what I told you.”

  “I remember what you told me, but I feel like a freaking marionette. Everyone is trying to pull my strings their way and I have no other choice but to ride the waves others create while I can’t seem to get my own life on track. And I am trying with Eddie but the whole being betrayed thing? That’s not a knife in the back leaving a scar, it’s one huge gaping wound that asshole Rush is rubbing salt in and it’s still wide open, unable to heal. He doesn’t trust anyone, and even the slightest turn makes him doubt stuff.” The words leave my mouth and they ring hard in my own ears and it makes me come to a conclusion. “You’re right. He needs me. He needs a friend, and I like him.”

  Maggie stands and closes the distance between us. She places her hands on my shoulders and softly says, “He does need you. I know he might be difficult to be around at times, believe me, I married his father, remember? But he’s loyal and honest. You need him as much as he needs you.” Her hands tighten on my shoulders and she pulls me into a hug. “You’re young and free, sweetheart. Do what feels right.”

  My throat closes up, and in this moment, I miss my mother even more but I’m thankful to have Maggie in my life. Her kind words and loving arms are just the thing I need to see through the obstacles in my life. Even if she’s biased with Eddie being her son, she’s also there for me.

  She pulls back and gives me a smile and it makes me mutter, “It’s a good thing my mascara is waterproof.”

  The both of us snicker and Maggie gives me a little push. “Go on, he’s waiting outside.”

  I tell her goodbye and give Finn a quick hug before I grab my purse and head out. Eddie is on his phone and is right next to Yates. The both of them are sitting on their bikes. My heart skips a beat by the way Eddie looks, wearing a leather cut with patches on it.

  Eyeing one of the patches as I walk closer, I can tell there are two skulls merged into one, a human one and a bull one. A rose sits slightly behind the skulls on each side, and everything is held together by two daggers.

  “I almost didn’t recognize you there,” Eddie quips right after he ends the call. “All dressed up as my old lady.”

  Yates chuckles and slaps him on the back. “Nice touch, man. Very smooth way to claim your woman.”

  Old lady? Claim your woman? I’m about to question him but my phone starts to ring inside my purse. Digging deep, I grab hold and see it’s Clemente calling.

  “Hey, Clemente. I’m in the middle of something, can I call you back?” I ask.

  Clemente didn’t even seem to have heard one word I told him. His voice barks in anger, “Is it true? You’re his old lady? I thought I told you yesterday to be careful and not get involved with him, Gracy.”

  There’s that term again, old lady.

  “Clemente,” I sigh. “I have no clue what you’re talking about. And I absolutely don’t appreciate receiving a call from you where you’re throwing words at me in anger, so either explain in a normal way or I’m hanging up.”

  Eddie is standing in front of me and leans in to whisper words on a hot breath right next to my ear, making goose bumps erupt to run wild across my skin. “You were right, darlin’. And I’m taking that step, even if the future is unsure. The whole craving part was what hit me. And since I’m taking back what belongs to me, I’m also taking what should belong to me. You. My old lady.”

  “Did you hear a word I just said?” Clemente says, suddenly sounding very tired.

  “Sorry. Someone was distracting me. But to answer your question...yes, I’m Eddie’s old lady.”

  Whatever that might entail because I’m not completely sure what comes with this title. I’ve seen movies, series, read books, and the old lady term did swing by as the name they give the girlfriend, wife, married biker style, whatever. Besides, when you get thrown into stormy waters and someone throws you a lifeline that makes you feel safe and gives you something solid to hold onto...you grab hold and rail that sucker in. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

  “Walk away, Gracy. I’m sending a car over and you’re moving in with me or I’ll get you an apartment. I want you out of there. Now,” Clemente growls.

  My eyes widen slightly and I see Eddie reach for my phone. Still standing close to me, I’m positive he heard what Clemente just said. But I’m the one he threw those words at and I’m beyond pissed.

  “Look, Clemente. Yesterday was the first time I saw you in almost nine months. You seemed to have known for a while now that I am your half-sister. I just found out. I’m not holding a grudge because you didn’t tell me the second you knew. Well, maybe, but my point is...don’t act like you’re my big brother and I suddenly need to be protected. And I most certainly won’t move into your house or live in an apartment you supply. I have a fat bank account myself and don’t need anything from anyone.”

  “You don’t understand,” Clemente says, his tone now filled with concern.

  “No, Clemente, you don’t understand.” I take a deep breath and tell him, “Family is supposed to have your back no matter what decision you make. You of all people should understand the value of making your own decision, with the restrictions and obligations of the familia. And even if you think a person is making a mistake, it’s still theirs to make and find out for themselves they’ve fucked-up.”

  “Okay, Gracy,” Clemente groans. “I have a feeling there’s little I can refuse you, so I’ll have your back. But remember I’m your family now and I’m here no matter what. Tell Eddie I’ll get it done. And you call me when you need me.”

  We exchange our goodbyes and I end the call but keep staring at my phone. I’ve always liked Clemente and as he mentioned with the not being able to refuse me anything...he always did say he had a soft spot when it came to me. But I thought it was because his father was a good friend of my mother. I release an unfeminine snort at the thought of the head of a mafia family having a soft spot for me.

  “Everything okay?” Eddie murmurs and places his finger underneath my chin to make sure I connect my gaze with his.

  “Everything is overwhelming and now you add this whole old lady thing to it too. What does it all entail? This old lady thing? Are we a thing? And why am I mentioning to you that Clemente said he’ll get it done?”

  “It’s something between me and Clemente, nothing you have to be worried about. And you being my old lady means I claimed you, you’re mine. You could say we’re a thing but being my old lady has a lot more weight to it than two people being a thing. I’ll explain later, for now we need to go. I’m heading to the clubhouse and I need for you to come with me, okay?”

  “Why do I feel like you’re not giving me a choice? Are you getting bossy already? Is that how things are going to be between us?” I grumble, wondering what exactly I signed myself up for by agreeing to be his old lady.

  “Darlin’,” he drawls in a husky tone. “You haven’t seen me bossy yet. And I’ll show you later today exactly how things are going to be between us. When we’re alone, and naked.”

  I can feel my whole face heat
up. Did he really just imply having sex and voice it hard enough for Yates to hear?

  I clear my throat and decide to ignore his last statement. “Let’s go, did you want me to drive behind you guys?”

  “No, your ass needs to be on the back of my bike,” Eddie says and guides me to his bike.

  Good thing I opted for jeans and boots instead of a summer dress. He grabs a helmet and puts it on my head himself. Yates watches the both of us closely. I should question why Eddie suddenly decided to be with me while this morning he thought he couldn’t because of everything that was going on. Maybe it is as simple as him taking my advice about what I said to him this morning.

  Except the words Clemente made me mention to Eddie strike me as odd and it makes me feel as if there’s more going on than I’m aware of. But for now, I wrap my arms around Eddie’s waist and relish in the way I feel when I hug him close as the bike roars to life underneath us.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  — EDDIE —

  She feels so fucking good and I feel so damn bad for doing this. I should be completely honest and yet, deep down I am, but I really would have wanted to do this differently. Namely without the implying ulterior motives that can make it seem I made this move for a whole different reason. Still, in the end, the result is the same but the reasons and the way it all went down is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

  Luckily, she only knows what’s important; the fact she’s mine. My old lady and I intend to keep her safe and do exactly what she said I should do. My life, my future, and I’m damn well going to live like I own it all.

  My phone rings and I fish it out of my jeans. I see it’s Chance calling and even if I’m seconds away from handling something that can’t wait, I decide to take his call. “Chance, I’m about to head into a meeting, can I call you back in an hour or so?”

  “You could, or we could have a drink later today if the offer still stands and you have room for us,” Chance says.

  I glance down at Gracy, because if anyone knows if there’s room at the estate, it’s her. “Hang on, Chance, let me check.” I hold the phone slightly away from my mouth and ask, “Do you know if we have a bungalow available for the weekend?”

  Her eyebrows scrunch up for a moment before she nods. “Yes, I think there are two available. Shall I call Travis and have him book one? What name?”

  I give her a smile and handle the phone call first. “Chance, everything is set. Feel free to bring Pixy along with you. What time will you be at the estate? Good. I’ll swing by later tonight.”

  I disconnect the line and tell Gracy, “Chance Bateman and his girl, Aubrey Bloom. Can you give Travis a heads-up?”

  Gracy grabs her phone and within a few seconds everything is set and it leaves me to focus on what’s in front of me. I’m both nervous and thrilled to be walking into the clubhouse.

  Yates and I have been planning this and when Gracy mentioned the possibility of Rush trying to set me up again, I made sure to have something up my sleeve. That little something was just confirmed by Gracy when she mentioned Clemente was going to pull through for me.

  “Are you ready, Prez?” Yates quips as he smacks my back.

  I slide my arm around Gracy’s waist and tuck her against me. I take a deep breath and gain strength from the woman who sneaks her arm around me to slide her fingers casually into the back pocket of my jeans as if we’ve been together for years.

  Hardening my tone, I tell Yates, “You know as well as I that I was born to lead this MC.”

  “So very fucking true, brother,” Yates replies, his voice laced with respect.

  Yates opens the door and steps through to hold it open for us. There are a lot of bikers in the main room of the clubhouse and they’re making a lot of noise until all eyes land on us. Well, mainly on me because clearly none of them were expecting me to step inside this clubhouse.

  Girly sounds of excitement unleash from my right. This club always had women visit for a good time, making it easy for the brothers to have some entertainment when they’re in the mood. I need to end it before it starts, but obviously I’m too late when Nikki, Rush’s sister, tries to wrap her arms around my neck and with it pushes Gracy away from me. Motherfucker.

  I rip her arms away from me and give a hard shove. She stumbles back and lands on her ass. A hint of satisfaction slides through me when I see her shocked face but it quickly turns to disgust. I might have let her distract me a time or two but never again. Not to mention she’s Rush’s sister and I know for a fact she helped him to set me up.

  “Don’t fucking disrespect me,” I spit my words at her and reach for Gracy, who is observing all of it in silence. I’m thankful she lets me pull her against me. “I would say it’s good to be back but I guess all of you need to work at giving me a warm welcome, eh?”

  Snickers flow through the room as Nikki pushes herself up and stalks through the room to stand next to her brother. Rush is spitting fire at me. The fucker obviously wasn’t expecting me to walk in here. I shoot him a vicious grin and let my eyes trail to the clock on the wall. Just a few more minutes if all goes well...in other words; if Clemente pulls through like he said he would.

  “I’ve heard you’re not doing a good job leading my MC, asshole. Good thing I’m out early to take back my place and push you and every rotten seed out of my MC, before you drag this club down with you.” There are only a handful of bikers swinging their gaze from me to Rush after I spilled this little detail.

  Yates told over half our brothers what was going down today. Well, only the fact I was returning and he only told those he trusted and knew they were against Rush, and sick of his dictatorship. That left only a handful of bikers in the middle and those are now confused.

  The three guys standing next to Rush who are also spitting fire at me? I don’t recognize any of those guys, but Yates told me about them. They are on Rush’s side; he considers them his trusted men.

  “A lot of things changed while you were on the inside, brother,” Rush rumbles. “Times have changed and I’ve led this club into a profitable direction. I’d say you need to earn the right to come back, to see if you still have what it takes.”

  “Have what it fucking takes?” I snap, anger flowing freely through my veins. “My father founded this club. I’ve walked in his footsteps and I damn well bled for this club and helped it succeed. Hell, the building your filthy ass is standing in is in my fucking name, I practically am Unruly Defenders MC.” I snicker and shake my head. “Have what it takes. Motherfucker. How do you even find the nerve to question my abilities while it was you who jammed a knife in my back and left me to rot in a jail cell so you could steal what belonged to me and my family? And look what you fucking did with it. Dragging the club’s name into the dirt and tainting it with your need for drugs and money, only to want more and more. Unless you wanted all of us to rot in a fucking jail cell, then you’re doing a damn fine job with the heat you’re bringing upon everyone in here. Because that’s the only place your leadership takes you and everyone else.”

  Rush stomps forward at the same time sirens faintly start to blare. I shove Gracy behind me because I knew this confrontation was coming. Yates has my back. We talked this through since I needed to make sure no harm would come to her.

  I don’t think twice and in two steps I’m close enough to whip my arm back and take a swing at Rush. A right hook connects with his jaw and right after I jab my other fist underneath his chin. He stumbles back and shakes his head in an effort to clear it enough to fight back.

  Useless, because the entire time I was in prison all I did was make sure I kept pushing my body into shape. Easy enough to do when your focus is on getting out and having your revenge. But I’ve always been training and fighting, even before I ended up behind steel bars. This club has a ring on the back of the property where we have fights every Saturday night for entertainment and to blow off some steam when needed.

  A harmless bet between brothers or to fight out your differences. The ring i
s used for a lot of reasons and it also keeps us on our toes and in shape. But it seems Rush didn’t keep the tradition going because his effort to swing his fist in the direction of my head is useless. It gives me the opportunity to jab him in the gut, making him double over.

  The sirens are becoming louder and it’s clear they’re coming from right outside the clubhouse. Satisfaction flows freely through me and I can’t help the big grin sliding over my face. Payback, motherfucker.

  My father and I have worked with Clemente’s uncle a lot of times in the past. When you need something done or have issues or anything, you don’t go to the authorities, you go to the head of the family that runs the underworld. They have all the connections—and the information—along with the possibilities to get shit done.

  In the previous meeting I had with Clemente, I asked him to get me all the information and background about Rush. But I was surprised to hear Rush already had drawn the unwanted attention of the underworld as well as the law.

  This was also the reason Clemente advised me not to interfere, because the DEA recently linked Rush with a shipment of drugs and was waiting for him to meet with the dealer and the one who financed it, so they could roll up the complete network.

  Now, I’m not one to be patient, and with Rush dragging the club down with it, I felt I had no other choice but to interfere. Gracy being Clemente’s half-sister and the way he stood up for her in my presence made me aware he would do anything for her. I know damn well how unfair it is to twist faith a bit to speed things up.

  In my talk with Yates he suggested we use Gracy’s connection and make Clemente help us so he could get the DEA to act now and arrest Rush. Needless to say, with the screaming sirens, our plan worked. Though, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to use Gracy this way.