Zipper

by Harley Wylde

  “Babe, it means you’re mine. My woman. My old lady.”

  “Old lady?” I looked down at myself. “I’m twenty-two.”

  Mason choked back his laughter. “Uh, yeah. It’s a term in the MC. Kind of like a wife but without the priest. Although, if you want to get married, one of the guys is an ordained minister. You’ll be inked as Property of Zipper and get a cut with a property patch on it. It’s forever, Delphine.”

  “Forever?” I asked softly looking up at him. “You want me forever?”

  He placed a hand on my belly. “Did my best to knock you up the last few days. Yeah, I want you permanently in my life. I’m sorry I walked away and never contacted you again. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to say no if you came onto me again. And I really didn’t want to go to jail. Your dad might have liked me, but if he’d found out I fucked his sixteen-year-old daughter? I’d have been lucky if he didn’t bury me in a shallow grave. I knew back then I wasn’t good enough for you, that your family wouldn’t approve of us. But I don’t give a shit anymore. Even if your dad were still alive, I’d still claim you.”

  “What do you mean they wouldn’t approve?” I asked. “Besides the age difference, why would you think my dad would have had an issue with us being together? He loved you like a son.”

  “You family has always…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m white, Delphine. I didn’t think I had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting your dad’s approval to be with you. Not as more than a friend.”

  “Are you calling my dad a racist?” I asked.

  “No! Fuck, no! I just… I figured your family was more traditional? Is that the right word? Look, I know your dad and your mom were both Korean, and your grandparents and their parents were Korean. I thought he’d want the same for you.”

  I tried not to smile. “Mason, my great-grandparents and grandparents had arranged marriages. But my parents? It was just luck they were both Korean. They met and fell in love. Dad’s second wife is white. Although, now that I think about it, she’s not a stellar example of your race.”

  “You let me worry about that piece of shit stepmom of yours. You said she has kids? How old?” he asked.

  “The eldest is a year younger than me, the other two are still in high school. They’re not bad, compared to their mom. I actually get along with them. The only reason she even has custody is because their dad went to prison. Vehicular manslaughter while under the influence. It wasn’t his first offense, though, so he got put away for quite a while.”

  “How the hell did your dad end up with that woman?” Mason asked. “From what I heard, he was going to love your mom forever and never look at another woman, even if he died a lonely old man.”

  “Guess he got a little too lonely. Or maybe she conned him. She seems the type.”

  “I’m going to introduce you to the rest of the club, and there’s one guy in particular I want you to meet. His name is Wire and he’s a hacker. If there’s any dirt to be found on your stepmom, he’ll find it. But I need to know how far you want me to take this, Delphine. I can bury her six feet under and never think twice about it, but you said she has kids still in high school. I don’t know what will happen to them if I make her disappear.”

  “Disappear?” I asked. “You would kill her? Seriously? As in… murder?”

  I could feel my heart racing and my hands began to tremble. I’d known the club wasn’t necessarily law-abiding, but I’d never once thought they went around killing people. Did I not really know Mason at all? Had I let a killer take me to bed the past few days?

  “Easy, baby. I would never hurt an innocent. Man, woman, or child. Your stepmom isn’t innocent. She’s trying to kill you. If she has a soul, it’s probably pitch-black. I’d be doing the world a favor by getting rid of her. It’s not something we do often, but when the need arises? Yeah, we get our hands dirty, and we don’t lose sleep over it. Bull’s woman was nearly gang-raped. We handled it. Venom’s old lady, who happens to be Bull’s daughter, was almost sold, and we took down a sex-trafficking ring. We only go after the people who deserve a bullet between their eyes.”

  “And the rest of the time?” I asked.

  “We do a few arms deals, never local. In the past we’ve dealt some of the lighter drugs, but never to kids. A few of the guys take out the trash for a price on occasion. And sometimes we’re just the mules. We run shipments we don’t ask too many questions about, from one state to another. We never deal in women or kids, though, and we do our best not to get involved in stuff that will harm innocent people. At least, things we know for sure would harm innocents.”

  “And you have a tattoo parlor?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Slinging Ink opened a few years ago. I still do the club tattoos here, mostly. Well, at the clubhouse. I have a room set up there. I don’t charge for property ink or anything club related. The guys want extra shit, they pay for that, though. I have a decent clientele at the shop and do okay, plus I get money from the deals the club handles.”

  “And this Wire person? He’s a hacker? Like the illegal kind?”

  Mason bit his lip as his eyes flashed with amusement. “Do you know another kind? He’s the best in the world, as far as I know. And he’s on our side. I’m going to call my Pres and get him to set up Church in a bit. Women usually don’t attend, so I’m going to leave you in the main part of the clubhouse with a drink while we handle business. I’ll get them up to speed on your situation, and then you and I will meet with Wire.”

  “Clubhouse?” I blanched, remembering my first night here.

  “Easy, baby. During the day, the place is pretty empty. And the old ladies and kids are in there all the time, unless we’re partying. And now that I have an old lady of my own, I won’t be doing that very much.”

  My breath caught. “Very much? But you’ll still go? Where all those naked women are…”

  “Hey. Calm down, Delphine. I won’t touch another woman, not ever. You’re mine and you’re the only one I want. Fuck, I barely touched them before. All these years, it’s only been you I wanted, as fucked-up as that was.”

  My heart slowed and I could breathe a little easier.

  “I’m going to make my calls. You sit here and relax. After we get things figured out a bit more, I’ll send one of the Prospects to clean out your place.”

  “Clean out… um, why are you cleaning out my apartment?” I asked, briefly wondering if Mason would get angry all over again when he found out where I lived. It wasn’t exactly in the best part of town. And what the hell would I do about my dad’s shop? If Mason locked me behind these gates, who would oversee the shop?

  “Did you miss the part of you’re mine forever? I’m having your things moved in here. If you want to keep your furniture, we’ll find room for it. Or toss out some of mine and use yours.”

  “My stuff can be donated,” I said. “The furniture and kitchen stuff. I’ll want the rest.”

  He nodded. “Then let me get started on some stuff. The TV is yours to command until it’s time for us to head to the clubhouse.”

  I watched him walk out of the room. Everything felt a little surreal. Had Mason just decided to keep me forever, move me into his home, knock me up with his kid, and arrange my stepmother’s demise? What the hell rabbit hole had I fallen down?

  By the time he’d finished his calls, I was a nervous wreck about meeting the others. The hours seemed to fly past, and soon I found myself on the back of his bike, my arms around his waist, as he drove us over to the clubhouse. When we walked inside, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The place looked nearly deserted except for a guy behind the bar, two more at a nearby table, and some women who didn’t look like the skanky ones from my first night here.

  Mason led me over to the table of women and I tried to pull back, not sure I was ready to just dive right into meeting his people. But he was relentless and dragged me over to the table. The women looked to be around my age. One held a baby in her arms, a boy if the blue clothes were a
ny indication. The other two were childless, or at least didn’t have any with them.

  “Delphine, this is Kalani, Isabella, and Darian. Kalani is Tex’s old lady and wife, Isabella is Torch’s old lady and wife, and Darian…”

  “Belongs to Bull,” Darian said with a smile. “Sit down and join us.”

  Mason pulled out an empty chair and I sat. He brushed a kiss on my cheek and whispered in my ear that he’d be back soon. As he walked off, my stomach fluttered with nerves. The other women were smiling, but I’d never been very good at making friends, and I knew these women were important to Mason.

  “So, how do you know Zipper?” Darian asked. “I’ve hardly ever seen him with a woman in the roughly two years I’ve been here.”

  Isabella nudged Darian with her arm and gave her a stern look. “What she means to say is that you must be important to Zipper, so we’re curious about you. He never talks about having someone special in his life, but he brought you here so…”

  I felt like a bug under a microscope. Or maybe one of those butterflies pinned to a board. “Well, he used to work for my dad,” I said.

  “Who’s your dad?” Kalani asked. “Does he work with the club?”

  “He was a tattoo artist, owned his own shop. He passed away about six months ago. It’s kind of why I’m here. I needed some help and…” I hated using his club name, but I didn’t know if anyone here knew Mason the way I did. “Zipper was the only one I think of.”

  “Why do you grimace when you say his name?” Darian asked.

  “Because of how he got it,” I muttered. “His pants unzipped easily when it came to the opposite sex.”

  Isabella watched me thoughtfully. “That’s not the man I’ve come to know. He seldom hooks up with any of the club sluts, never dates that I know of, and he’s always had this haunted look in his eyes. Like there was something in his past he regretted. I’m thinking that might have been you, but you would have had to be a kid back then.”

  “I threw myself at him,” I admitted with my cheeks feeling like they were on fire. “He ran and never came back. I was sixteen and he was in his thirties. I didn’t care, but I’d never considered that he might face jail time if we hooked up.”

  “And now you’re here. As what exactly?” Isabella asked.

  “Isabella is the Pres’s old lady,” Darian said. “It’s kind of her job to help look out for the club, so what she’s asking is whether or not you’re trouble.”

  “I’m not trouble, but it’s following me.”

  Isabella nodded. “Well, I’m sure it’s nothing our men can’t handle. Won’t be the first time they’ve rescued a damsel in distress.”

  “Or the last,” Kalani said. “Too many of them are still single for this to be the last time. The Dixie Reapers only seem to claim women who need them. Not that I’m complaining. Tex dragging me out of the asylum was the best thing that ever happened to me, and now I have this little guy and an awesome stepdaughter.”

  “Asylum?” I asked, feeling like there was an interesting story there. Kalani’s eyes darkened and she looked away.

  “Not good memories,” Darian said. “She will probably tell you some of it when she’s ready. So, not to sound like an idiot or anything, but are you Chinese?”

  “Korean.”

  Darian nodded. “Didn’t mean any offense.”

  “None taken.” And I was being honest. People always guessed wrong so I was used to it.

  “So who is after you?” Kalani asked. “My dad wanted me dead, Isabella had the cartel after her, Darian was running from a group of guys, and I’ve heard the others were in trouble too.”

  “Well,” Isabella said. “Technically, Kayla wasn’t in trouble until after Preacher knocked her up. Not from what she’s told us anyway. Unless you count Johnny being mad that she was in the clubhouse when she shouldn’t have been. But I know he helped her run that same night, so maybe there’s some stuff they aren’t saying.”

  “How many, um, old ladies are there?” I asked, still trying to get used to the club terms. It still didn’t make any sense to me since none of us were old.

  “Well, you haven’t met Kayla, and like I said, she’s Preacher’s woman. Then there’s Ridley -- she belongs to Venom. And Mara belongs to Rocky. Of course, there’s Laken, but she’s not really a Dixie Reapers old lady. Her brother Flicker is a Reaper, but she’s the old lady to another club. They have a representative who stays here. I’m sure you’ll meet everyone later,” Isabella said.

  Flicker’s sister? As in the guy who tried to get me to have sex with him that first night? I wasn’t sure how that meeting would go. For that matter, I wasn’t anxious to see Flicker anytime soon. He had to be mad that I’d turned him down.

  “Is Zipper in there claiming you as his old lady?” Kalani asked. “I’ve heard it’s supposed to go through a vote, but I don’t think they always follow the rules.”

  “Are you kidding?” Isabella asked. “We were only too happy for Tex to keep you. If Wire hadn’t suggested a marriage of convenience, then I’m sure Torch would have pushed him to mark you anyway. And they were right to push Tex in your direction because you’re perfect for each other.”

  Kalani smiled and looked genuinely happy.

  “I think he’s telling them about the trouble I’m in,” I said. “But he did tell me he wants to claim me as his old lady. He offered to marry me if that’s what I wanted. I’m still not sure I understand the old lady thing, though. Do you just live with them forever and… what?”

  “Some of the guys don’t believe in marriage, so they have old ladies and never get married. Then there are guys like Torch who wanted me to have his name. So he married me, and I think he believed it’s what would make me happy.” Isabella smiled. “I love that man like crazy. I’d have been glad to be his without a ring, but outside this compound, it’s hard to explain the old lady concept to others. So women sometimes think the men with old ladies are still up for grabs, just because no one is wearing a ring. It’s nuts.”

  “Why do you think Ridley sends her kids out with Venom as often as she can when he goes into town without her?” Darian asked. “Although, I think that kind of backfires because a lot of women dig the single dad thing, and since he isn’t wearing a ring, I’ve heard he gets hit on a lot. Bull isn’t too happy about it because it makes his daughter upset.”

  My brow furrowed. “So, you’re Bull’s old lady, and Ridley is his daughter, but she’s with Venom?”

  Darian nodded.

  “So your stepdaughter is close to your age?” I asked, trying to wrap my mind around it.

  Isabella snickered. “Darian’s younger than Ridley. And Ridley has given Bull hell about it, but she’s happy that her dad has someone to love.”

  Darian reached over and patted my arm. “Don’t worry. You’ll eventually figure everything out. This place can be a little confusing at first, but you’ll have a lot of friends and built-in babysitters when you start having kids. I think you’ll like being here, and Zipper’s a great guy.”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “He really is. I’ve missed him, but it’s my fault he left.”

  A door banged open and booted feet came around the corner. I looked over my shoulder and saw Mason walk into the room with several other guys. Darian got up and ran toward a tall man with long blond hair. He caught her as she went airborne, his wide smile a flash of white in his dark beard. I assumed he was Bull the way she wrapped herself around him.

  Mason came closer, an older man standing next to him with a head of silver hair and a full silver beard. Mason helped me stand as the other men gathered around the table. A tall man with a dark beard placed his hand on Kalani’s shoulder.

  “Delphine, these are my brothers, the Dixie Reapers. This is Torch,” he said, motioning to the silver-haired man. “He’s the President, which means his word is law.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, then glanced around at the others. “All of you.”

  “Do you think you hav
e what it takes to be a Dixie Reapers old lady?” one of the men asked.

  “Um, I’m still not completely clear on what an old lady is, but I would do anything for Mason.” My cheeks warmed. “I mean Zipper.”

  Isabella sounded like she was choking in an effort not to laugh.

  “What’s so damn funny, woman?” Torch asked her.

  “She hates his road name,” Isabella said. “Every time she says it, it looks like she’s chewing glass. Then again, I guess any woman who was going to be his woman wouldn’t care for it.”

  Zipper rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks stained red as he gazed down at me. “I never really thought about how it would make you feel. I haven’t been that guy in a long time, Delphine, but it’s the name my club gave me.”

  “It’s fine,” I assured him. “I don’t want to change you, Mas… I mean, Zipper. Might take me some time to adjust to calling you that.”

  “Wire is waiting to meet you, Delphine,” Torch said. “You have the support of this club, and Zipper’s request to make you his old lady has been approved. We protect our own, so don’t worry about your stepmom. She won’t be a problem for long.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s go talk to Wire,” Zipper said, leading me through the crowd of his brothers. I saw Flicker as we passed and he winked at me. Something inside me loosened a little, since it didn’t seem he was as mad at me as I’d thought he would be.

  We walked down the hall and stopped at the last room on the right. When the doors were pushed open, I saw a bank of computer monitors, and a ginger-haired man was kicked back in a chair, obviously waiting for us. He smiled and stood, holding his hand out to me.

  “Nice to meet you, Delphine. I’m Wire.”

  “Hi,” I said, shaking his hand.

  “Why don’t you give me some background on your stepmom, and I’ll see what dirt I can dig up on her. With some luck, I can make her disappear in a slightly more legal way by letting the police handle her. If not, we’ll take care of her,” he said.