Gage (Heartlands Motorcycle Club Book 6)

by Hope Ford

  I remember last night when Randy made a big to-do of saying bye to Roxy when we were leaving. Could he be the father?

  I look for him, but he’s not standing at the bar. I turn to the room and scan the tables and the pool tables, finally spotting him on the dance floor holding some woman in his arms. I want to go and demand to know if he’s the father or not. But I know Roxy wouldn’t appreciate that. I’ve already upset her and made her mad, so me going around the room and demanding to know who the father is won’t go over well with her. No, she’d probably never talk to me again. Plus, I know she wouldn’t appreciate the fact that I’m the one telling her business. She may not even want people to know she’s pregnant.

  I sit and drink my beer, watching. I figure if I sit here long enough, I’ll see something. I lean my back against the bar so I’m facing the crowd, looking out at all the faces. There’s a bunch of regulars but there’s also a bunch I’ve never seen before too. With the bike rally in town, it’s understandable. We’re the closest bar and business always picks up during these things. The events bring out weekend warriors, independents, citizens and one percenters alike. As I watch more people coming in, I can’t help but feel on edge. These events usually bring out a brawl or two. I’ve always worried about Roxy anyway during these things, but now even more so. She’s pregnant; this is no place for her. Especially knowing how handsy some of these guys are.

  I had planned on going into town, but maybe I’ll just stay right here. Keep an eye out for Roxy. I catch her scent as she walks by me and I inhale deeply before shaking my head. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’ve made it my mission to keep Roxy at arm’s length, to treat her like a family member, but lately all I can do is think things that I definitely shouldn’t be thinking of her. She flips her hair as she walks past me, answering my question that yes, she’s still mad at me.

  That’s fine as fuck. She can be as mad as she wants. I’m still going to sit here. I’m still going to make sure nothing gets out of hand. I’m still going to make sure she’s safe. But the one thing I’m not going to do is think thoughts that I shouldn’t be thinking. Like her lips on mine. Or her hands on me. I definitely won’t be thinking about my hands gripping her waist. Damn. I adjust myself in my jeans. I can’t even get her off my mind.

  As she walks by me, I see men staring at her and I want to fight them all. I turn my back on them and lean over the bar top, thankful that she works behind the bar instead of waitressing the tables. If she did, I know I wouldn’t make it through the night without my fist connecting with someone’s face. Man, I’m fucked.

  6

  Roxy

  Even though I don’t want to talk to Gage, I’m glad he’s stuck around since the mix in the crowd of customers is bound to stir up a few fights.

  I can barely do my job right because I can feel his gaze on me since he planted himself at the bar. I know he’s upset. He thinks of me like a child instead of the twenty-three-year-old woman I am. I pull my shoulders back. To heck with him, he’s going to have to get over it. I haven’t even really begun to process everything, but I know I want this baby. I rub my hand across my stomach as I pour a drink with the other one. When I set the bottle down, I look at Gage and he’s staring at my hand. I drop it and his eyes snap up to mine. His eyes are almost hooded as he looks at me, so I can’t read his expression, but I know I’ll melt under his gaze. Just one look from him has my insides twitching. I jerk my gaze from his and get back to work.

  Ranger brought in a few girls to help serve drinks for the week and two of them quit before their third hour on the clock was finished. Whitney, one of the new hires, is serving drinks to the tables and pool tables and is having a rough go of it, but I admire her tenacity for sticking with it.

  I go out on the floor and let Cat and Stella make the drinks behind the bar. I know I’m going to get felt up, but that’s part of waitressing in a biker bar. Of course, I’ve got more grit than most women and the guys who get out of hand will get put in their place.

  The first table I go to is a bunch of rowdy men that look like they just got a hall pass for the weekend. Wannabe bikers. We get them from time to time, but when there is a motorcycle show or rally in town, they seem to come out of the woodwork. Usually, they’re fine and don’t cause too many problems. These guys may be different, though. I can already tell they are verging on too much to drink. “So can I get you anything to eat?” I ask them instead of offering them a drink. I glance over toward the door where Bulldog is usually standing, but I see him across the room dealing with another commotion. Man, what a night.

  The man closest to me stands up and moves toward me until he’s pressed against my front. I stiffen my back, knowing that I can’t let him or anyone else know that they get to me. He leers at me. “I know exactly what I want to eat.”

  Normally I would have a quick retort and put the man in his place, but his breath reeks and I cover my face with my hand, unable to keep myself from gagging. I barely have time to pull myself together before I feel myself lifted and moved to the side. “Stay here,” Gage demands.

  I want to argue with him, to tell him exactly what I think of his demands, but the look in his eye right now tells me to leave it alone. Plus, my stomach is a little queasy so I decide that right now is not my time to argue with anyone, let alone Gage. When I finally nod my head at him, he turns back to the men.

  I should just get back to work, but instead I stand there and watch him. He always handles these situations really well. Sometimes he talks them down. Sometimes he’s been known to break up a fight by buying a round of drinks. So when I see his arm come backwards and he punches the man right in the face, I know that Gage is under a lot of pressure. And I don’t think it’s just all the issues with the Outlaws. No, there’s more to it than that. He’s throwing punches left and right and even when the guy’s buddies jump in and try to help, they don’t even have a chance. He takes them out too. I’m standing there with my mouth wide open when Bulldog shows up and helps Gage take them outside.

  Gage no sooner walks out the front door of the bar than he’s back again, standing in front of me. “It’s already out of hand here. I think you need to take the rest of the night off.”

  Stunned, I answer him quickly. “No,” I tell him and turn away.

  I don’t get far before he grabs on to my arm and stops me. He doesn’t let go of me, even when I turn back to him. “Please, Roxy. I’m asking you.”

  First, I’m shocked. Gage doesn’t ask anything. He just tells people what to do. Second, the look on his face tells me how important this is to him. But I’m not going to give in. This is just him looking out for me like he always does. I’m going to have to show him that I can handle this, all of this, on my own. “No. Ranger’s already short-handed. He only has one of the three waitresses left. I’m not leaving.”

  I untangle my hand from his and he corners me against the wall, a hand on each side of the wall beside me, caging me in. My heart is beating double-time. I try to ignore it, but just being this close to him is too much. And when the clean musky scent of him hits my nose, I fight the urge to bury my nose in his neck. It brings back that night in full force and I try to hide the effect he has on me by dropping my chin and looking anywhere I can but at him.

  He tips his hand under my chin and lifts my head up. “Behind the bar. I want you behind the bar the rest of the night.”

  For one brief second, I think he’s going to kiss me. He’s staring at my lips, his nostrils are flared, and he’s taking quick little breaths. I almost lean in. I want his lips on mine so bad, I can already taste him. But the look on his face disappears almost as quickly as it showed up. He steps back from me, dropping his hands.

  I put my hand on his chest. I tell myself it’s to push him away, but I think it’s more to hold myself back. If he had kissed me, I would have promised him anything. I wouldn’t have been able to refuse him a thing. But that’s not the case. I straighten myself up away from the wall. “I’m working, G
age. You can’t tell me what to do,” I tell him right before I walk away. I don’t look at him when I say it, because I wonder what strength I really have. It wouldn’t take much from him to sway me, and that scares me more than anything.

  7

  Gage

  I watch as she walks away and it takes everything in me not to storm after her. I want to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here. I’m used to her independence, but it’s getting harder and harder to deal with seeing men eye her or even worse, put their hands on her. I know I went overboard with the wannabe biker, but I walked up just in time for him to insinuate what he wanted to do to Roxy. I already feel like I’m hanging on by a thread, and it went all through me. I couldn’t control the beat-down I handed him, and even now I don’t regret it. I’m hoping he thinks twice before he says something like that to another woman.

  I look around the bar. Ranger must be in his office or somewhere else, but not within earshot. I know that Roxy is definitely not going to listen to me now, so I go to T-Bone, the line cook. All the women at the bar respect him because he’s good at looking out for them. If Roxy’s not going to listen to me, maybe she’ll listen to him.

  “I need you to pull Roxy off the floor. Put her behind the bar,” I tell him as I walk through the door to the kitchen.

  He holds his spatula up in a wave. “I heard you had your panties in a wad about something. So it’s Roxy, huh?”

  I ignore his “panty” comment and try to explain my concern for Roxy. “She’s pregnant,” I say, like that explains it all and he should do what I tell him.

  He shrugs his shoulders as if to say, “and?”

  I throw my hands up in the air. “She’s pregnant and it’s crazy out there.”

  T-Bone rolls his eyes. “Do you even know that woman? If I rolled up out there right now and told her to get behind the bar she’d kick me in the nuts. No doubt about it. No way, Gage. You’re on your own with that one.”

  I storm through the kitchen and head to Ranger’s office. He’s sitting behind the desk, watching the monitors. As soon as I walk in, he holds his fist up to me.

  I fist bump him. “What’s that for?”

  He nods his head to the monitor that he’s been watching. “I saw you.” He does some jabs into the air in front of him. “I saw you take out the trash after he got handsy with Roxy.”

  I rub my hand across the back of my neck. The stress of today is getting to me and I feel like it’s never going to end. All I want to do is get Roxy the fuck out of here. I feel almost manic. I have no control right now, and it’s killing me. “Yeah, that’s actually what I want to talk to you about.”

  He points to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

  I sit down and lean forward with my hands on my knees. “I need you to take Roxy off the floor.”

  He leans back in his chair, tilting his head to the side, and stares at me. The longer he stares at me, the more ridiculous I know I sound. He smirks at me. “So, uh, I’m assuming you’ve already talked to Roxy about this?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “She said no.”

  He starts to laugh then. He laughs so hard he’s holding his stomach. When he finally stops, I’m standing up about to walk out the door. But he stops me. “Wait, wait. Gage, c’mon man, I’ve seen you kill a man. You’re the vice president of the Heartlands MC. You can’t get one little woman to do what you want?”

  “Whatever, man. Ruby’s got you by the balls so I don’t even want to hear it. Look, Roxy’s pregnant, she don’t need to be out there on the floor,” I tell him. Roxy may not like me telling her boss that she’s pregnant, but I don’t give two shits right now. If him knowing gets her home, then I’m all for it.

  Ranger doesn’t look surprised. He must have already heard it through the Ride or Die grapevine. Man, news spreads fast. “She won’t quit. I’m pretty sure this is all she has. The best advice I can give you”—he turns the monitor toward me and points to the screen—“is to join Saint at the bar. Cat wouldn’t quit either, so he sits there all night staring down men who get too close.”

  “It’s not like that, Ranger. I’m just looking out for her,” I tell him. But even as I say it, I’m scanning the monitor to see where she’s at. When I don’t spot her, I walk out of the office without another word. This woman is going to be the death of me.

  Walking out to the bar, I ask Cat, “Have you seen Roxy?”

  She’s busy serving drinks and motions toward the front door. Oh hell.

  Roxy

  When the one percenter got up with his eyes on Whitney, I know shit is about to go down, and none of the guys are around. I look around the filled bar and can’t even find Gage. I stand there with my empty tray and watch as the man takes her by the arm, speaks into her ear and then steers her right out the front door.

  I blow a hard breath out. Fuck. I know I can’t leave her. I don’t know her that well, but the girl is working in the Ride or Die and that means she’s under Heartlands’ protection while she is on the clock. Besides, I like what I do know about the woman.

  I make eye contact with Cat before walking out the door. At least someone knows where I’m at.

  As soon as I get outside I have to run to catch up with the asshole dragging Whitney around the side of the building. Over the loud music from inside, no one is going to hear her. Or me, for that matter. When the man sees me coming, he drops Whitney to the ground and starts coming for me. Thank goodness I’ve taken a few self defense classes, so I’m able to block his attack with the tray I’m still holding from the bar. I kick him between the legs, dropping him to his knees.

  Keeping an eye on the man groaning on the ground, I help Whitney to her feet. She looks like she’s had her bell rung and is dizzy when she stands up. She starts to sway, but I hold on to her. “You okay?” I ask her.

  She nods her head and I have to release her when I see the man stand up. He’s big and he’s pissed. He pulls out a knife, wielding it at me. “I’m going to make you so ugly that not even a guy on death row will fuck you.”

  I try to find Whitney out of the corner of my eye, to tell her to get back in the bar, but the girl is getting into her car, and seconds later she peels out of the parking lot.

  Nice.

  8

  Gage

  I’ve never been so angry, scared and turned on by a woman all at once. Coming out to find Roxy blocking knife attacks with a fucking tray which she uses to bloody the fucker’s nose causes me to pause in surprise before the rage catches up to me. She already has it taken care of. The man is bent over, groaning in pain, screaming about his nose, but that doesn’t stop me.

  He tried to hurt Roxy. My Roxy. He tried to put his hands on her, fucking tried to cut her with a knife that he’s still holding in his hand. Roxy is still standing on guard, not realizing I’m behind her.

  I charge the guy, grabbing on to his hand, forcing him to drop the knife and breaking his fingers in the process. I can feel the bones crush under my fingers and I get a little bit of satisfaction from that before I use my other hand and punch him in his already bleeding face.

  One glance at Roxy’s face puts me into a rage. She’s tough. I know she is, but right now she’s scared, her face is almost pure white and I’m pretty sure she’s going to pass out at any minute. I pummel the guy then. I beat him and keep beating him until he’s unconscious. Only when I hear Roxy saying my name over and over do I step away from him, leaving him on the ground. Giving him a good kick before I walk away, I stride over to Roxy, trying to control my anger.

  When Bulldog comes out the door, I motion him over. “Take care of that,” I tell him, pointing to the man on the ground.

  I don’t give him any more direction. I trust Bulldog and I know that whether he finishes him off or just takes him off property and leaves him in a ditch somewhere, there will be no connection back to the Heartlands.

  “You got it, boss.” He looks determined as he walks over to the man on the ground.r />
  I grab Roxy by the arm and pull her toward the bar. She comes willingly, until she sees that we’ve passed the entrance. She tries to stop, but I get beside her, wrapping my arm around her and guiding her to the other side of the building away from the almost lifeless man we left with Bulldog. I walk her to the other side of the building, trying my best not to hold her too hard. The rage is flowing through my veins and I am barely able to contain myself. If something had happened to her or the baby, I don’t know what I would do. The fact that I care just as much for her unborn child doesn’t go unnoticed. She may not want to tell me who the father is, which is fine. I’ll give her time. But I’m going to take care of her. I’m going to make sure they’re both okay. I roll my head side to side, bones cracking as I try to take deep breaths to calm myself. I don’t want her afraid of me. When we stop and I turn to face her, she has her arms crossed on her chest and I don’t know whether to shake her or kiss the stubborn look off her face.

  Roxy

  “Thanks for the backup,” I tell Gage, trying to figure out why he still looks mad. It’s almost like he’s mad at me, and I sure as hell didn’t do anything to deserve his attitude.

  His chest raises and falls as he takes a deep breath. His gaze is penetrating. “What the hell were you thinking coming outside with that guy when you’re pregnant?”

  With one hand on my hip, I point to the other side of the building where we left the man. “That asshole dragged Whitney outside and I’ll be damned if anyone is going to fuck with the Heartlands family on my watch.”

  His face softens a little, but he still looks pissed off. “Who the fuck is Whitney?”