by Harley Wylde
“I think younger than me. Not the same one that brought us here, though. He was different.”
Spider nodded. “Teller. He was probably as scared of you as you were of him. Kid has a traumatic past, but he’s got a good soul. Raised in the system until he went to juvie. I found him on the streets and brought him here.”
“System?” I asked, not understanding what he meant.
“When a kid in this country doesn’t have parents or a legal guardian, they’re placed in something called foster care and passed around to people who get paid to take care of them. In Teller’s case, they didn’t do such a great job. Hurt him pretty bad. He got caught stealing cars and went to juvie, which is jail for someone underage,” Spider explained. “No one ever gave him a fair shot. I decided to change that. He’s been here for a little over a year. Dropped out of high school and we helped him disappear until he was too old for the state to shove him back into another home.”
I looked up at what I figured had to be kindest man I’d ever met. He thought he was bad, but he wasn’t. Even if he did break the law, it didn’t make him evil, not like my father and the other men I’d known. Spider was a caretaker, even if he didn’t realize it. A protector. I’d even go so far as to call him a hero, though I had no doubt he’d scoff and say he was no such thing. But to me, and likely to Teller, that’s what he was.
“You’re a good man, Spider.”
“Call me Trent. At least when the club isn’t around. If it’s just you and me, you don’t have to use the name Spider.”
“Trent?” It didn’t seem to quite fit him, but if he wanted me to use his given name, then I would.
“Trent Storme.” He smiled a little. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Luciana Gomez.”
I dropped my gaze, hating that name. I didn’t want a single tie to my father. Spider lifted my chin and gazed down at me with worry in his eyes.
“What did I say?” he asked.
“It’s nothing.”
His lips twitched like he was fighting back a smile. “Honey, I’ve been around long enough to know that when a woman says ‘it’s nothing,’ then it’s definitely something. I’m old. Not dumb.”
I snorted. “You’re not old. And it’s just that I hate my name.”
“Luciana?”
“I guess my first name is fine. But I don’t like being a Gomez. I don’t want a tie to my father. It’s bad enough I’m of his blood, but sharing his name seems wrong. I would completely erase him from my life if I were able.”
Spider held me, but didn’t say anything for a while. The water started to cool and he shut it off, then wrapped me in a fluffy towel. He used brisk strokes to dry me, then gave me a nudge out of the room while he dried himself. I looked around, realizing for the first time that I’d been in his bathroom. My surroundings hadn’t really been in focus until now. The episode I’d had must have been worse than I’d thought.
I started to leave, to go back to the room he’d given me, but he gripped my arm. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make me stop. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me. I turned to look at him and could tell he was still worried about me. He wasn’t the only one. I’d never had that sort of reaction before. I’d always just dealt with what happened to me, accepted it. It seemed my mind was starting to fight the abuse in a different way now. Or maybe I’d done this before and hadn’t even realized it.
“I’m moving your things down here,” he said. “I’m not letting you sleep alone. If you had a nightmare, I wouldn’t be able to hear you.”
“You didn’t seem concerned about that before, when you had me placed upstairs.”
He pulled me closer. “When I went to pick you up, I thought I was getting some spoiled, entitled little brat. I expected a diva, an overindulged princess. It never occurred to me that your father wouldn’t have kept you safe. Men are supposed to protect their children, not abuse them.”
“And because I’m damaged that makes you care more?” I asked, feeling a spark of… something. Irritation? Anger? Maybe a bit of both. “Even if I had been spoiled and coddled, I wouldn’t have deserved to be brushed off and treated like a nuisance.”
“You’re right,” he said. “And I’m sorry. I only thought about the inconvenience to myself and my club. I didn’t think about how you or your sisters were feeling. You were uprooted from your home, your country, and even if you had been kept safe all these years, it still would have been traumatic for you.”
I felt the anger drain from me. I couldn’t really be mad at him. Spider had to think of what was best for his club, and I’d been an unknown to him. The moment he’d realized I was in trouble he’d vowed to help me. He was keeping me safe. Violeta and I had to hope that Sofia was as well. I didn’t know why she’d been given to another club, but if the man guarding her was anything like Spider, then she was better off than she’d been back home.
“You know how you said you’re old but not dumb?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“You were wrong. You are most certainly dumb when it comes to women.”
He chuckled and held me against him. “You’re right, but then, I think most men are rather stupid when it comes to the fairer sex. You don’t exactly come with a set of instructions.”
“If we did, would you bother to read them?”
His body shook, and then he burst out with a deep laugh that had me looking up and smiling at him. He looked younger, carefree, and really happy in that moment. Not that I thought he was old. He might have thought that, but I certainly didn’t. Age was just a number, and if he brought it up one more time I’d find a way to get even. He was pissing me off with that nonsense.
“I’m going to assume this means you aren’t scared of me,” he said, humor shining in his eyes.
His words startled me a moment. I’d never spoken to a man like that before, never teased one or let my temper show. Maybe he was right. I knew he made me feel safe, but perhaps while I was under Spider’s roof I would start to heal. I didn’t think I’d be so bold with anyone else, but I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Even though we were still essentially strangers, there was goodness in him. We’d been intimate, but I knew that there was much I didn’t know about Spider or his club. Still, if he were going to hurt me surely he’d have done it by now.
“I’m not scared of you,” I said, “but I don’t think I’m ready to be quite so bold with anyone else just yet.”
“Take your time. Everyone heals in their own unique way and at their own pace. It’s not a race, Luciana.” He frowned. “You don’t like your name.”
“The Luciana part doesn’t really bother me,” I assured him.
“Would you like to have your last name legally changed?” he asked.
“Is that possible? I don’t care what it is as long as it’s not Gomez,” I said.
“I’ll have Surge work on it. He’s fairly new to the club and came highly recommended by Wire over at the Dixie Reapers. The man’s a computer genius so you won’t even have to leave the compound to have your name changed.”
I looked around his room. “You really want me to move in here? You don’t want your space?”
“I really want you here. I’m going to get dressed, then I’ll bring your bag down. I’ll ask a few of the guys to come with us into town. You need clothes, shoes, and whatever other crap women can’t live without.”
I fingered my wet hair. “Conditioner would be nice.”
“Then you’ll have it.” He winked and brushed a kiss against my cheek.
I held the towel around me as I watched him quickly pull on some clothes. He left and I heard his tread on the stairs. I could have easily gone up after my clothes, but I was learning to like having someone do nice things for me. If my father ever offered to do something or gift me a trinket I’d wanted, then it came with strings attached. That didn’t seem to be the case with Spider.
He returned, my bag clutched in his hand, and he passed it to me. While I dressed, he finished getting re
ady. I cast my gaze his way a few times, watching as he put something in his hair and beard. He combed his beard with a small wooden comb, then put on cologne. Spider came back into the bedroom and slipped on his cut. By then I’d finished dressing and had my hair pulled up in a messy knot. I really wanted to get it cut. My father had never permitted me to do such a thing, saying it devalued me.
Spider looked down at my shoes and shook his head. I stared at the flats but didn’t see anything wrong with them. I lifted my gaze to his.
“When you’re not pregnant and able to ride on a bike, you’ll need boots. For now, we’ll just find you some things that will be comfortable during your pregnancy.”
My hand went to my belly and my heartbeat stalled a moment. He’d mentioned that keeping the baby was my decision, but that was before he’d claimed me. What if he didn’t want the child? I could understand if that was the case. He’d purposely removed any chance he had of creating life again. If his son was older than me, would he want to start over?
“Luciana,” he said softly.
I looked up.
“What’s going through your mind right now?” he asked.
“You claimed me.”
He nodded.
“But the baby…”
Spider took three steps and pulled me into his arms. “The baby is yours, and since you’re mine, that makes the kid mine too. Doesn’t matter if I created him or not.”
“Could be a girl,” I said.
“Then I’ll buy more guns and ammo.”
I snuggled against him. “You said you didn’t want more kids.”
“I didn’t. And at my age, I figured those days were behind me, even if I hadn’t gotten a vasectomy. Luciana, just because you and I didn’t make the baby together, doesn’t mean I will treat it different. I’m the only dad that kid will ever know, and as far as I’m concerned, you never have to tell him, or her, that I’m not their biological father. I’ll leave that decision up to you.”
“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve someone like you,” I murmured, holding him tighter.
“I’m no prize.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Come on. We’ll take the club SUV for now. I’ll have to get a vehicle that’s just for you and the baby, but this one will work for now.”
I stumbled as he tugged me toward the front of the house. A vehicle for us? Was he going to hire a driver too? I’d never driven anywhere in my life, hadn’t been permitted to do something like that. Looking back, I had to admit it was most likely because my father feared I’d have a better chance at escaping. It hadn’t occurred to me when I was younger, and I’d have never left my sisters behind.
I’d tell him later. If he brought up buying a car again, I’d tell him that I didn’t know how to drive. There was no point in buying a vehicle for me. Even if I were able to learn, I wouldn’t want to try it while I was pregnant, and after I’d have the baby to think about.
Spider helped me into the SUV before climbing into the driver’s seat. He stopped in front of the clubhouse and reached out to pat my thigh.
“Wait here, sweetheart. Just going to round up a few of the guys to come with us. I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”
I nodded and watched as he got out and disappeared into the building. The minutes ticked by and he didn’t return. A tap on the window startled me, my hand going to my throat as I jumped. I looked over at the Prospect who had scared Violeta so badly even though he hadn’t done anything other than stare. My hand shook as I pressed the button to open the window a little. Not enough he could reach me, but so I could hear him.
“The Pres said I scared you earlier. I wanted to apologize.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step back. “Name’s Teller. You need anything, let me know. Promise I’m not going to hurt you or your sister.”
I gave him a slight nod and watched as he backed up even more before turning and walking off. My heart was hammering in my chest when Spider came back. One of the men who had been at the airstrip was with them. His cut had Fangs stitched on it. The others I didn’t recognize, but then I hadn’t been focused on them when I’d interrupted the meeting before. Spider got into the car, and the other men climbed onto their motorcycles.
“I’m bringing Fangs, Shooter, and Knox with me,” he said. “I asked the Prospects to stay behind this time. They’re all younger and I didn’t want them causing a panic attack. I’ll introduce you to everyone later.”
“What about Violeta? She’ll need things,” I reminded him.
“Rocket already has it handled. She wanted to buy her stuff online and have it overnighted. Also spoke to Surge about the issue of your last name. He assured me it would be handled by tonight, although I’m not entirely sure I trust the look in his eyes when he said it. Don’t be surprised if you end up with some God-awful name like Sparkles or something.”
I blinked at him. He was joking, wasn’t he? The look he cast my way told me no, he clearly wasn’t joking. Not even a little. Well, I had said that anything other than Gomez was perfectly fine. Looked like I’d be tested on that whenever I found out my new name.
“He’s arranging for an ID as well, so while we’re out I need to send him a picture of you. Just a headshot, and he said he can alter it as needed.”
“An ID? Don’t I need to go somewhere for that? Have papers that prove I’m permitted in this country?”
Spider shifted in his seat.
“About that… You technically don’t have permission to be here. Casper brought you into the country illegally, but he’s working on obtaining the proper paperwork. He has Surge, Wire, and Shade all helping make you, Violeta, and Sofia one hundred percent legal. But as of this very moment? The fewer people know about you the better.”
I nodded, a heavy weight settling in my stomach. If his government came for me, wanted to return me to Colombia and my father, there wasn’t a single thing Spider could do to stop it from happening. Maybe leaving the compound wasn’t such a good idea, but it was too late. Spider pulled into a parking space in front of a long line of stores and shut off the engine.
“This is where we’re shopping?” I asked. The shop in front of us had a window display of women’s clothing, but I could tell they were well-made and likely not on the cheaper side. I didn’t know how much money Spider had, but he’d admitted he wasn’t as rich as my father. I didn’t want him spending a fortune on clothes.
“Did you notice the sign?” he asked, pointing to the top of the store.
Little Momma. A maternity shop? I looked at the window display again and realized the mannequins did have baby bumps. I was barely showing right now, but with less stress in my life and regular meals? It was a good possibility that I would get bigger a lot faster now. I didn’t know for certain how far along I was, but my guess was about four months.
Spider led the way inside, the other men following. Fangs came into the store with us, and the other two remained outside, keeping watch. The woman working the counter and the other helping a customer both stopped and stared, their jaws dropping a little. I looked at Spider, letting my gaze trail from his head to his boots. I didn’t know what those women saw when they looked at him, but I was starting to feel that familiar tingle that meant I wanted him. Only Spider had ever made me feel like that.
“May I be of assistance?” the older blonde lady asked, smiling at Spider. She looked old enough to be my mother, and I didn’t like the look in her eyes. She wanted him. “Something for your… daughter?”
Spider opened his mouth to answer when Fangs’ phone and his both dinged with a message. They looked at their phones, and my stomach clenched, hoping it wasn’t bad news. Spider’s eyebrow arched and he shared a look with the other man.
“His wife,” Fangs said, looking about two seconds from laughing his ass off.
Wife? I stared at Spider until he showed me his phone.
Congrats. You’re married and
she’s now Luciana Storme. You asked for a name change, so you got one. And since I had to work my ass off to make it all legit, that means she’s a legal US citizen too.
The message was from Surge.
“He can do that?” I asked.
“My money is on Wire planting the idea,” Fangs said. “But yes, he can and he did. So congrats, mamacita. You’re married to this asshole.”
“Wife?” the blonde lady asked, her head swinging from Spider to me and back again.
“Yep. My wife,” he said, pulling me against his side and curving his arm around my waist. If he was pissed that were married in the eyes of his government, he wasn’t showing it. “She needs some maternity clothes. If you have a problem with that, we’ll take our business elsewhere.”
The woman opened and shut her mouth several times. The younger one from behind the counter hurried over, stepping in front of the blonde lady.
“I apologize for Diane. My name’s Tawny and I’ll be happy to help your wife find some new outfits.” The woman smiled at me. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”
“Something comfortable,” I said. I’d worn enough dresses in my life that I didn’t care if I never saw another one.
She nodded. “Well, you look to be a size medium.” She stopped and eyed my breasts, which had gotten bigger with my pregnancy. “Or maybe a large. Let’s see what we have available. You can try on anything you like.”
I followed after her and looked over my shoulder, seeing a scowl on Spider’s face as he glared at the older woman. If she had any sense, she’d make herself scarce. I certainly wouldn’t want to offend the gruff biker, and I’d seen the softer side of him. After a moment she moved on, but I noticed her watching me, a look of hostility on her face with her pinched lips and flashing eyes.
“Ignore her,” Tawny whispered. “She’s seen the club around town and has been drooling over your husband since she got here about six months ago. She’s just pissed he’s taken and by someone way prettier and younger than her. Way to go, by the way.”
“Way to go?” I asked.
She nodded. “Older men are so hot. Think you could hook me up with the hottie who came in with you? He’s not a silver fox like your husband, but he has potential.”