by V. Theia
Zara. Not Rider. That stung his little boy feelings for fucks sake. It was like he’d lost his best friend. And in a way he had, all of the Souls.
Snake had been good to him, even took him in last Christmas with his girl and brothers.
“It wasn’t planned. I got that email from Lawless and rode home.”
“So she’s important to you?”
“Would you leave anyone, even a friend you haven’t seen in years, to the likes of the Diablos?”
“Still can’t get over the balls on Axel, you should have told him to go fuck himself.”
“It’s done now.”
“Yeah, and now you own a petite thing who’s staying in town and sleeping in your bed.” Smirked Snake. “My Winter is gonna get a kick out of this. She laps up those filthy romance books.”
It was then Texas glared a warning. “You’re not gossiping about this, you bastard.”
Snake laughed. Jesus, he was so going to gossip about this to everyone.
“I need to get home to my boys and wife, but before I do, let me ask you, Tex… can I wear white to your wedding?”
Texas laughed and thought about splattering his friend with paint. “Oh, fuck off.”
“Listen, asshole, if that shit can happen for me with my snow queen, most perfect woman on this fucking planet, she pushed two perfect kids out for me,” He hadn’t shut up about his twin boys, Cash and Bowie, since the moment he stormed through the door to accuse Texas of being back in town and not going by his house. In truth, Texas had thought about it, but wasn’t sure of his welcome. You don’t get to stay friends with the men you betrayed, no matter what the justifiable reason was. Shit didn’t work that way with a MC. There were rules to follow and he’d broken them. “That means it can happen for you.”
“Nope…”
“Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on the ginger chick. Man, you gotta get your head out of your ass with that one, she’s got bad news in her vicious veins.”
Yeah, Snake knew about Addison.
Texas didn’t get a chance to answer him though, because his eyes tracked across the room and saw a surprised face, Poppy paused in the doorway.
Looking shocked like he’d just done some nasty shit with her grandma.
NINE
“That final curtain is about to come down.” - Rider
The Renegade Souls didn’t hold a table meeting in church every day.
It wasn’t needed. Only for the important shit.
The day to day running of the club pretty much took care of itself, with each of his men knowing their role.
But on days like today, important shit to deal with, the large double doors were closed and every inner circle member were around the table.
Save for Hawk who chose to stand against the back wall with his arms folded across his chest.
Rider brought the meeting to start with a thump of the ancient gavel on the table.
All eyes cut to him.
“Snake,” he turned to the bodyguard and all around joking pain in everyone’s asses down the other end. “You wanna relay what you brought to me?”
Crossing his tattooed fingers, the guy leaned forward.
Each of his men were wearing identical leather cuts with their own insignia patch on the front, depending on their club role.
They were a brotherhood of loyalty and connection.
And this year, and the last one before that had been the toughest fights of their lives in a good while.
Mostly they had their heads above water, but there was still an outstanding irritant that needed dealing with for good.
They’d faced off and won with one enemy not so long ago and replaced it with two more little fuckers.
One just a pissant nuisance and his uncle Rex would get his one of these days, for now, that issue was being dealt with, what with having Juicy on the inside who was relaying all of Rex’s half-baked plans back to Rider.
The other being the bigger conglomerate of the Russian bratva.
As fast as Rider and his men were plugging up Grigori’s avenues, a fresh one opened up almost every week.
And now …finally… he was in a position to get rid of him for good.
Lawless for the past year had quietly siphoned off Grigori’s profits from every illegal avenue. It was funny to watch the man lose everything as quick as he earned it.
With a few choice whispers in the right ear, namely Charlie Timmon’s the local sheriff, that Grigori was having special meetings with the crooked mayor, soon meant that partnership was null and void.
“There’s a warehouse being erected over by the old distillery, on that abandoned lot near Gambel road.”
Rider heard this already and he was no less pissed off hours later. He’d left Zara at home with false labor pains just to hold this meeting.
“Turns out, our good friend the Russian asswipe, has started his own porn business right here on our fucking turf. Making pussy his business of choice this week.” Snake got the boys all riled up.
Rider waited out their noise.
Eyes turned to him.
“This right, Prez?”
“I haven’t confirmed it myself, but we will within the hour, I sent two prospects over.”
“How’d we not know about this?”
That was the question.
Rider had feelers out all over Armado and beyond.
One thing he couldn’t stand was anything to do with peddling sex.
He wouldn’t even allow strip clubs in his town, so a fucking porn production was just spitting in his goddamn eye.
Men who sold sex were the lowest of the low and he’d dealt with many of them before. Bested all of them.
While Rider’s moral compass wasn’t always pointing the right way, he only had to think about the shit his old lady endured to put bile sloshing in his gut.
“Who knew about this first?” Arson posed the question.
The guy was sitting in the middle of the table between Preacher and Tag.
He didn’t match their bigger size; it could be comical him being sidled up with two fighters but Rider knew the guy always held his own.
Even if he looked like week old shit sitting there.
He noted the shaking fingers Arson clasped together and the dots of sweat on his forehead and upper lip.
Rider hadn’t seen him drinking for a while, at least a week when he thought about it.
They held that party the other night for Jed’s birthday and Arson had taken off after fucking two of the groupies outside. He’d never seen the brother turn away empty pussy, ever. Usually he was the man at the front with two bottles of whiskey in his hands, the life of the party.
“Texas.” Snake answered and brought the table to silence.
“He told Snake he was running out that way.”
“More like talking to his cop brother, giving him more ammo to put another MC behind bars.” That hissed accusation came from Capone.
The brother who probably hated disloyalty more than Rider himself did.
It was disloyalty which got Capone’s whole family massacred by Miami’s kingpin. He didn’t have forgiveness in his heart for what Texas had done indirectly to the Souls.
“Far as I know, brother, he was just running,” Snake input. “He saw Grigori’s rides, took a gander around and found the whole set up.”
“We’re gonna trust Texas’ word on this? He’s probably setting us up for that cunt cop.” When Capone got mad, he went all in and Rider set his eyes across to that part of the table. Capone’s almost black eyes were downcast, his hands clasped together in front of him.
“We’re not trusting anyone yet,” Rider informed. “Not until we get the confirmation.”
“Wonder if he’s holding auditions,” Lawless said suddenly knocking his knuckles on the table. His enforcer was sprawled in the chair to the right. The black coat folded in around his knees, his head newly shaved almost down to the skin which made the black ink work turtle-necked around his throat all the more sin
ister.
He’d had a busy few months had Lawless.
Not only with dispensing of every bull of Grigori’s, that was run of the mill fun for him and Hawk. But his enforcer also had his own stuff to deal with. Stuff he didn’t divulge to anyone, not even Rider, but he noticed all his men and what they were up to and as long trouble didn’t touch his club then Rider didn’t pry. But Lawless’ absences for days at a time didn’t go unnoticed.
“Didn’t know we had any porn stars in town,” joked Preacher, “the former porn addict over there,” the road captain pointed a ring finger at Snake who only smirked back, “is out of the loop now he’s married to a good girl and doesn’t indulge in his hobbies anymore.”
The brothers laughed.
“Who said I don’t watch porn?”
“You saying it’s a date night, you and the librarian?”
Snake smirked and folded his lips inwards. “I don’t kiss and tell, man.”
More laughs and then there was a knock at the door.
Hawk came out of the shadows and shifted his bulk to pull it open and they all saw Dix and Cooper on the other side, they talked quietly to Hawk and then his VP shut the door on the prospects without ceremony.
“It’s true.” His rust filled voice spoke. He took up position near Rider’s shoulder again. “The kids scoped out the place, saw a ton of vehicles, and people going inside. They hung around and got a gander at a chick taking three dicks in all her holes while another guy filmed it.”
“Man,” whistled Tag. Prince Charming was grinning. For once his face wasn’t busted up because he hadn’t had a fight in the cage in weeks. “Bet Dix about lost his spunk right there.”
The brothers took their chuckles before the serious talk would get underway.
Rider shared a silent look with his VP, they were on the same wavelength about what needed to be done, that he was sure he was seeing Hawk’s skin pulsate.
He always got a sinister glow about him when he wanted to put the hurt on someone.
Now he was married to Rider’s sister, and they had a kid, Hawk had reasons to keep their streets clean of scum. Even if it meant murdering every person in town.
His VP would see it done.
“Should I tell Texas anything?” Snake broke through Rider’s thoughts.
If Texas caused this by accident, then he was grateful, but he was no longer a brother.
“Club business,” Rider said and Snake nodded in understanding.
Such a fucking shame too, he liked Texas, he was a good man and he’d been an asset to the club. No one liked handling the money the way he did and he needed to give the treasurer patch to someone sooner or later or he’d go mad doing the figures.
But as Rider knew, loyalty was above everything for him.
He knocked his knuckles on the table to stop the rabble from flapping their gums.
They had a plan to put in place.
One that if it worked, would blow a hole in the ozone layer that was the bratva.
Enough.
Was.
Enough.
TEN
“Rum and the truth.” - Texas
After Poppy turned tail and took off without saying a word, Texas absolutely punked out and stayed in the bottom apartment long after Snake went home to his family.
He didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing and when he climbed the stairs, tired and in need of a drink after a long hot shower, he never expected to find her on the couch, drunk off her ass, cradling a bottle of his Morgan Spiced Rum like a newborn baby.
Being around drunk women a lot at the club, this was not his first rodeo, but having one sprawled on his couch was.
He remembered this one time, the first year Z-girl was part of the club, how she got wasted at the bar with Jed, giggling with the old man and all the boys standing at a distance just watching it go down, too afraid to get near, because Rider was weird about that shit. Can’t blame him, every biker gets a little OTT for his old lady.
Rider had been alerted by someone and he’d stormed in like a hurricane and carried her home.
An urge in him festered low in his gut to carry Poppy off somewhere.
To the bedroom.
Or the bathroom if she was going to ralph. He was definitely not cleaning up sick. If he were still treasurer he would have called one of the prospects over to do it. Guess he was the fucking prospect now if she did go exorcist in his living room.
“You eaten?”
“Nope,” she said, cradling the glass to her lips. The bottle was full this morning. She was definitely going to ralph.
“I’ll grab a shower and order dinner, what do you fancy?”
“Got my dinner right here, you eat though.” Her words all slurred together. So the little girl couldn’t handle her liquor. So noted.
“Poppy, you wanna go easy on the booze, we’re at altitude.”
“Is that meant to mean something to me?”
“Yeah, it means you're not used to the altitude, so take it easy guzzling on adult pop.”
“Oh, whatever. I’m tired of dumb men telling me what I can and can’t do.”
“Fine. But you puke on my floor and you clean it up yourself.”
“I’m the guest, that’s your job.” She huffed.
Poppy hadn’t looked at him yet—and though it had only been a few days, he was used to her watchful gaze on him.
Strange that he’d become accustomed to her presence in just a few days.
Stranger still that he wasn’t a man who fell into addictions but the compulsion to fall into her goodness was strong.
He liked her around, watching her clean up the kitchen and stack their shoes by the door. He liked smelling the shampoo in the bathroom and seeing the folded towels she left for him.
He scowled on the way to the bathroom and all through his rushed shower, he didn’t even stop for any hand to dick relaxation because he figured the longer Poppy was alone, the more she’d drink.
Coming back in twenty, dressed in fresh sweatpants, he put an order in for Korean food then went to find what state she was in.
He parked it three seats away from her, but the way she was sprawled in the corner, her left foot touched his thigh. He reached down and curled his fingers around her delicate ankle.
That got her looking at him.
But no smile.
He liked her smiles. They always reached her eyes, making her incredibly prettier.
“What’s with the drinking?”
“Celebrating.”
“The new job?”
“Yeah, let’s go with that, to me and my new job, the first one I’ve ever been allowed to have, yay me.” She said way too loudly and lifted the drink in the air as a toast.
Man, she really was white girl wasted, more than evident a girl her size couldn’t hold her liquor. There was no way her daddy would let her drink, that was a fact.
He knew that life, how the females were treated differently to the boys.
He had half a mind to let her go on, live some rebellion, but he circled back to the puke he’d have to clean up and he didn’t fancy that, so he moved the half empty bottle out of reach and heard her grumbling under her breath.
Sprawled out the way she was, all her hair fanned across her shoulders and her eyes unfocused yet still pissed off, it was easy for Texas to picture the little girl she used to be.
He even remembered the first day he saw her at his house. She’d come over with her parents and nanny. She might have been around six, because he’d just celebrated his tenth birthday not long before.
For years she would light up when she saw him and come charging toward him.
She was exuberant back then to say the least so while he thought she was a nice kid; he wasn’t all that excited for her shadowing him. Especially when Mal started to tease him about it, which only started Addison’s catty remarks.
Now Texas was seeing her adolescence with whole new eyes.
“Come on, little girl, you need
food to soak up all that booze,” he told her and was in time to watch her eyes roll as she scoffed. “Not hungry. I want more rum.” She tried to push herself off the couch to reach for the bottle and he stopped her with his hand pressed to her bare arm.
Heat went right up to his elbow like a jolt of static electricity.
“I think you’ve had enough.”
“It’s not fair,” she muttered under her breath, falling back on the cushions. Before he could ask her what, she scowled across at him like he’d eaten her last twinkie and said, “this sucks.”
“Yeah, well, you puking all over like the exorcist would suck more, little girl. No more booze for you.”
She was half cut and cute.
“Thank you for taking me in, Tait. No one has ever been so nice to me, ever.” His heart squeezed at her sincerity. If she truly meant that, then her life must have been shit. “Thank you for buying me. I’ll try to be good, won’t get in your way.”
Fucking hell.
There was no time to process, suddenly Texas had a warm woman straddled over his lap and her mouth slammed down over his.
The shock hit him in the solar plexus and when Poppy went to town on his mouth, moving left and then right, he almost…fucking almost opened for her until clarity rained down on him and he took the top of her arms to push her back. “Whoa. Hold up, Poppy.”
“You used to have a great smile. Why don’t you smile anymore, Tait? Let me taste your smile.”
She went for his mouth again, a tiny assassin, and fuck him, he didn’t even try to stop her.
Not when he still felt her on his lips. The taste of rum and something else, much sweeter and warmer. It lingered and infiltrated his mouth. So when she went at him again, though his fingers grasped around her skinny arms, he let her go at him. Just for a second. It had been a while since he’d enjoyed a kiss.
Heat swirled around his belly, and other body parts that shouldn’t be reacting to her at all started to growl and demand attention too.
She was like a sexy octopus. Hands everywhere. In his hair especially, driving her fingers in and out, making his scalp tingle and when he groaned, she groaned in return and that’s when he dropped her arms, desire punching him with a one-two combination and he took hold of the back of her head to direct her into opening her mouth with slow licks on her bottom lip.