by Debra Kayn
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chief talked on the phone in the bedroom. Johanna buttoned her top in the bathroom and added a pair of silver hoop earrings to her outfit. It'd been seven days since Chief came home from prison and the first time he needed to leave the house.
She spritzed perfume on the back of her neck and returned to the bedroom. While prepared for him to re-enter his role as president of Brikken, she still wasn't ready to share him.
At home, she could keep him safe, keep him with her, keep him happy.
He lowered the phone from his ear and looked at her. "Beautiful, bug."
She swished her hips as she walked and burst into laughter when she reached him. "I'm trying to tempt you back into bed and to forget about going to the clubhouse."
He tilted his head and looked at the ceiling, and muttered, "What the hell have I created?"
She amused him, and she liked that.
"I could show you." She cupped the front of his jeans. "I'm a fast learner."
Her confidence in herself and in having sex knew no bounds with him. She remained hungry for experience. This week had been the best time in her life with Chief, and she wasn't embarrassed to admit it to him.
He kissed her deeply and removed her hand from his hardening cock. "I've got a meeting with the officers."
She smoothed his beard. "I could braid this for you."
"Bullshit."
"Really." She planted her hands on her hips. "I could braid it when you go out, and you could leave it loose at home."
He frowned, raising her chin with his finger. "Bug, only you're going to be touching my beard. It's always been yours."
Her face warmed. Jealousy wasn't new to her. She'd experienced the ugly emotion the first time Chief visited Nene when she was eight years old. At that young age, she couldn't understand why he'd go in Nene's bedroom when he came to spend time with her.
Because she understood why he'd kept Nene and Karla around and also spent time with the women who slept with every available biker who lived at the clubhouse, she wanted to protect what was hers.
"Still...it'd be a good look for you." She shut her mouth when his gaze intensified.
"I'm yours. Take it, Johanna. I'm not giving it to anyone else." He slapped her butt. "Let's get your ass on the Harley and go to the clubhouse."
Fifteen minutes later, she slid off the seat of the motorcycle and handed Chief her helmet. Slipping her hand into his, she walked to the clubhouse with him greedily spending every possible second with him before he met with the men.
At the door to the clubhouse, Chief kissed her and reached for the door handle. She pulled her hair behind her shoulder and looked up when the door remained closed, and found him completely locked up.
Gaze boring into her.
Shoulder muscles bunched.
Lips set in a flat line.
Her back straightened. Alarm shot straight through her. "What's wrong?"
"Why aren't you wearing your necklace?' he asked, gruffly.
She covered her chest with her hand. "I lost it."
That was the truth. She no longer had the necklace.
"When?"
"About four months ago," she said, telling another truth.
"Where?"
Peppered with questions, she could only hope that someone would walk out of the clubhouse and remind Chief he had a meeting to lead. She swallowed and lowered her hand. "I-I think here, at the clubhouse. I was wearing it all the time when I left the house like you asked me to."
"Did you ask everyone to look around for it?"
She shook her head. His hand dropped from the door, and he tilted her face up. She couldn't tell him the truth now. He'd just got home. She couldn't have him angered or going after Skidd, only to be sent back to prison.
"I'm sorry," she answered too quickly, guilt piling on her at a speed she couldn't deflect.
He studied her without saying a word. She stared at his beard as his shoulders seemed to broaden before her and the seams of his shirt pulled against the strain. His head moved slowly from side to side. She could never hide anything from him, but unless the words came out of her mouth, he could only guess how she lost the necklace. She'd rather have him believe she was careless. Anything other than him losing it and going after Skidd and risking his freedom.
He turned from her and walked into the clubhouse, still holding her hand. A dozen members milled around in the main room.
"Keeffe, order another tag necklace for Johanna." Chief continued walking through the room, pulling her with him. "Chano, have all the rooms searched for my tag. Jett—get your ass in the office."
The men jumped to do what he ordered. Johanna clung to him, trying to keep up with his longer strides.
In the hallway, Chief stopped outside the door to the meeting room and bellowed, "Shore."
The prospect came running around the corner. "Yeah, Chief?"
"Watch over Johanna. She's not to leave the property." He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth.
Already off-center from his questions over the lost necklace, he completely knocked her on her ass bossing her around. She barely got a hand on his chest to slow him down when he walked into the room and slammed the door behind him, shutting her out.
After seven fabulous days of having him to herself, with no conflict between them, she was at a loss on what to do. She knew Chief's moods. They'd been directed at her many times over her life.
Each one warranted.
Shore waited in the hallway for her to move. She walked back to the main room and poured two glasses of ice water, handing one to the prospect. "Sit and relax. I'm not going anywhere."
Ignoring Shore's skepticism, she walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Lindsay and Ashley had texted her at least a hundred times over the last week, knowing she wouldn't answer while she spent the time with Chief. But, she wanted them to text if anything exciting happened without her.
She scrolled through hot man alerts, guess who cheated on who, and Ashley's extreme bitching session about a guy she dated on occasion which she caught going out with someone who used to go to school with them. Basically, nothing new or worthy of a text. She smiled as she replied to each girl and mentioned she was at BC—Brikken Clubhouse, and she'd be here tomorrow night, too, for the party, welcoming Chief home.
"You're happy."
She looked up from her phone, found Nene standing a few feet from the couch, and lost her smile. "I am. Chief's home."
Lowering her head, she pulled up her emails. She'd never go out of her way to antagonize Nene. For four years she'd lived comfortably, if not lonely, at Nene's house. Being shuffled around as a child, she could appreciate and respect Nene's hospitality. But, she had no desire to have a conversation with her.
It wasn't until Chief moved her in with Karla that she realized how a loving mother should act and how she should've been treated by Nene.
"He's the reason I'm here." Nene sat down on the couch across from Johanna. "I’m going to meet with him after he finishes the meeting with the men."
Shit.
She refused to look up from the screen of her cell. The day Chief got arrested, he cut off his long-time commitment with Nene. She stared blankly at the phone. God, she hoped he still felt that way.
There's no way she'd tolerate him being with another woman. That was his usual lifestyle. Most of the members of Brikken slept with whoever was willing and available. She'd witnessed the non-emotional hook-ups for a long time, and while she hadn't judged other people, she positively knew that it wasn't for her nor would she want the man she loved involved with anyone else.
"What's your mom think about you living with Chief?" asked Nene.
Johanna shrugged and glanced up. "Karla's made her own life away from Brikken, except to come around to see her sons. She has no say in how I choose to live."
Nene hummed a non-response. Johanna set her phone on her thigh and looked up. "What's that
supposed to mean?"
"I wasn't talking about Karla." Nene cocked her eyebrow. "You're an adult now, I figured Chief would've told you how to find your real mom."
Caught staring at Nene, Johanna grabbed her phone and stood. "Excuse me."
She walked across the room and pushed her way out the door. Taken off-guard over talk of her mom, she turned around planning on going back inside and sitting somewhere else and ran into Shore.
She grabbed his arms, steadying herself. "Sorry."
"My fault," mumbled Shore stepping away from her.
Rattled, she walked in the opposite direction. Sensing Shore following her, she turned around and stopped him. "I'm going to sit on Chief's motorcycle out in the sunshine. You can stand next to the clubhouse in the shade. If I decide to walk somewhere else, I'll whistle and wave you to follow. Got it?"
Shore nodded.
She walked away and sat on Chief's Harley. Red hot pain scorched her ass, and she slid off the seat, pissed at herself for forgetting the leather got hot in the sunshine. Standing between the sun and the bike to shade the seat, she refused to look to see if Shore witnessed her stupidity.
If she'd been prepared for Nene's question about her mom, she would've stayed in the room to prove that Nene couldn't upset her. But, no one ever talked about her past before Chief took her.
Where had the question come from?
Why would Nene want to know?
Her irritation was more about why Chief contacted Nene to meet with her after the officer's meeting than it was about having her mom's memory dragged back up.
Chief was mad at her for losing the necklace. She was just trying to hold on to Chief and not lose him to the changes coming to both of them. Neither one of them were in a good place at the moment, she couldn't spend the energy on wondering what was behind Nene's motives.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nene stood at the table in the meeting room. Chief leaned back in the chair, refusing to let her sit. He had no patience to rehash their talk from before he went to prison.
"I can be there for you when you need me if you let me stay in the house, and you will need me. You've always had multiple women." Nene held on to the back of the empty chair. "It's what we do. It's the same agreement Rollo had with me."
"Rollo let it go on too long." He quieted his voice. "He never touched you when he was with my mom. You made him feel pity for you. That's how I ended up with you."
"That's cruel," she whispered, near tears.
"You can stay in the house, but I expect you to pay rent on the first of each month. Continue to do what you do best with any member in Brikken, but I’m not paying for you to fuck everyone else. Our agreement is over. You're on your own." He pointed to the door. "That's the last time I'm going to discuss this with you. You heard me the first time, and I told you again out of courtesy of the years you've been there for me. Now, get out."
Nene stepped toward the door, stopped, squared her shoulders, and walked out. He continued to sit at the table by himself. She'd be fine. It wasn't her first lost job, but he wasn't going to make Rollo's mistake and believe his past wouldn't catch up to him.
He scooted the chair back from the table and walked to the end of the room. The wall-length of glass showcased the shelves displaying the history of Brikken Motorcycle Club. The loyalty signage of the original members—now, all buried in the ground. Pictures of past flipovers. Photos over the years of Family Day. The cup full of dirt from when Rollo broke ground building the clubhouse. It was all there to document what Rollo built, and what Chief had grown.
He put his hand on the glass in front of Rollo's picture.
He'd respected his old man. Through the years, he learned through his father's examples. The good, the bad, and worked out ways to achieve what others hadn't been able to do in a lifetime.
"I'm on my third run," he whispered. "Fuck if I don't feel the end near."
His life paralleled Rollo's, except he served one more prison sentence to his father's one. Times were different. The law was around every corner. His men profiled and watched. Loyalty tested again and again. He bled for Brikken. Someday, Jett would take over.
A knock interrupted his musings.
"Yeah?" He turned toward the door and watched it open.
Thorn walked into the room and grinned at him. "Got a sec?"
"Come in, son." He walked to his youngest and embraced him, picking his boots off the floor. "Fucking missed you."
"Missed you, too, Chief." Thorn stepped back.
He ran his hand through his son's hair. During his time away, his youngest had filled out, probably gained a good twenty pounds of muscle.
"You doing good?" He took in Thorn's whiskered jawline, the prominent Adam's apple, the broader shoulders. He'd missed a lot.
"Yeah." Thorn latched his fingers in his vest pockets. "I wanted to check in with you and see if now is a good time for me to lay my Harley up for a couple of days."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It needs a new voltage regular, and I've been putting it off," said Thorn.
"Why?"
Thorn looked around the room. "You were gone, and I wanted to be ready to ride out if Jett and Olin needed me."
His chest expanded. He reached out and hooked his son's neck, bringing him forward, and thumping him on the back. "Good call, son. Go ahead. I'll watch over your brothers."
"Thanks." Thorn walked to the door.
"Thorn?" he said, stopping him.
His son turned around. Chief leaned his ass against the table. "How's your mother?"
"She's got a job."
"Yeah?"
Thorn scratched the back of his head, messing up his hair. "Making appointments for some dentist office on Sixteenth and Brahma."
"Does she need anything?" He'd always take care of Karla. As the mother of his sons, he'd never see her going without.
"Want me to ask?"
He nodded. "Drop a conversation on her soon. She had you underfoot for years, and now she's alone. Don't let her be lonely."
"I hear you." Thorn raised his hand. "Catch you later."
"Later, son."
Thorn opened the door. Chief spotted Johanna out in the hallway and motioned her in. Needing to check in with the men and visually get updated on the size of the next shipment, he put a call into Keeffe to meet him at the garage.
"Done?" asked Johanna.
"I need to go out to the garage. Give me a half hour, and we'll head out of here." He stayed sitting on the table.
"Are you mad at me?" Johanna stayed by the door.
"Do I have a reason to be mad?"
"I lost the necklace." Her eyes teared, and she blinked the moisture away. "I don't know what more to tell you. It hurt me that I don't have it anymore."
"You'll get another." He crooked his finger and motioned her to him. "Give me a kiss."
She came to him, leaned close, and kissed his lips softly. "I'm sorry."
"That it?"
She kissed him deeper, opening her mouth and giving him her tongue. He hooked her neck, holding her in place as he satisfied himself and she gave him her soft moan.
"I need to meet Keeffe." He stood from the table and looked down at her. "Your cheeks are pink."
She pressed her hands to her face. "I sat in the sun while you were in the meeting. And, when you met with Nene."
He ignored her curiosity about what he discussed with Nene. "Stay inside until I come and get you."
Opening the door, he waited until she ducked underneath his arm to leave the room, and then he slapped her ass, walking out with her. She slipped her hand into his. He already wanted to go home and get between her legs. He had a lot of time to make up for.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Brikken members paid homage to Chief in the center of the main room of the clubhouse at his first party in a long time. Johanna picked up a margarita from Chano tending the bar and turned to take in everything that represented Chief.
H
e'd thrust himself back into running the MC, and the members hadn't held back bringing problems to him that kept him pre-occupied and away from her. She'd faded into the background, giving him that time with his men. She understood that he needed those moments to cement himself into what made him Chief.
She lifted the glass to her mouth and drank, licking the salt from her lips. The mouthwatering tingle on her tongue caused her stomach to flutter. Or, maybe it was watching Chief in his element.
He was her everything. His strong presence and persuasive personality that led hundreds of men and had every single one looking to him for protection was the same quality that had her clinging to him for a lifetime commitment and trusting him.
The bond they shared went deeper than him giving her security in a fragile existence. There was something about him, some indescribable confidence he had in her that no one else could see. He'd given her that self-assurance and made her the woman that was with him today.
Chief lifted his arm as he talked, probably giving orders. Her body flushed with warmth. God, he was sexy. A beast in bed — that man could do things to her that exceeded her imagination. In the next moment, he could hold her so tenderly it brought tears to her eyes.
He understood her desires before she voiced them. It was almost scary how dependent she'd become on him. Even his absence over the last four years never diminished her love.
Broken, lonely, and scared, she'd grown and reached for him, coming away more desperately in love with him than she ever thought possible.
He'd taken care of her from afar, keeping her from checking out of living. He'd given her a home, a family, and kept many eyes on her—and for how much she hated members following her, checking up on her at the house, and coming up with fake excuses to get her to the clubhouse, it hit her hard that Chief was behind it all.
He'd orchestrated the life she craved from inside the prison walls and never once let her know what it felt like to be without his presence.