by Ryan Michele
Mom worked her ass off, working two jobs as a waitress, one at a diner, the other at a bar to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. When I was old enough, I busted my ass mowing grass, cleaning shit, and just about anything else I could come up with to make money. It killed me seeing her come home every night to pass out on the couch from exhaustion. She’d usually take a small nap, then get right back up, and switch into mom mode, making sure homework was done, and dinner was made. She always did the best she could.
As soon as I turned eighteen, I joined the Marines, trying to make to something of my life. Working my ass off to take care of mom was really all I knew. I thought joining would give her a little reprieve from busting her ass so hard. I could send her money without being another burden, and maybe I could go to school later. The school part was lost in the wind when I held my mom in my arms.
My anger got the best of me after mom passed. I went back into fight mode from being overseas to being pissed all the time, which got me locked up for a bit. I was out soon enough, only six months for aggravated assault. The bastard deserved it though. Fucker tried to cheat me out of some cash. I bet he never pulls that shit again… at least not on me.
I had a buddy, Steeler, who was a hang-around to the Ravage MC and didn’t think much of it at the time. I was too lost, and really my only salvation was riding. When Steeler talked to me about coming and hanging out with them, I scoffed at the idea. But as I hung around with him, I got to know the guys, and got further in. What I liked best was that these men didn’t take shit from anyone. They followed their own rules and had their own way of life. They answered to no one. That was exactly how I felt at the time. With the pussy, always around, it was an extra fucking bonus. Prospecting was fucking hell. Cleaning the guys shit up, cleaning their barf after parties… trust me, it wasn’t glamorous. But I did my time. And when they voted to patch me in, I was on fucking cloud nine. I couldn’t imagine my life without the club.
I wondered how much Princess knew about what happens in the club. I was sure she knew more than any of the other women around, considering the shit we all voted on for her to help out with while in the joint. The one bitch we had her take care of went through my personal shit after I fucked her and passed out. Apparently she found my book. It’s where I keep important information about the club. There wasn’t much documentation, just mostly numbers. When I found out she had the info, she was already locked up on drug charges.
That’s where Princess stepped in. She did it quietly, and everyone inside turned a blind eye.
I can’t say our first meeting was pleasant. I could sense by her stance in the garage that she was planning on taking my gun from me, but the fact her arm stopped so abruptly when she saw my rag, was astonishing. Respect. She totally had it.
Then her fucking ass challenges me to the ring. I don’t hit women, not my style. I’ve heard stories from the guys of Princess completely holding her own in the ring, even banging up Dagger pretty good, and I do admit I’d love to see her kicking ass in there. Just thinking about it makes my dick hard.
When she climbed on her bike and fucked it in front of all of us brothers, I almost came in my damn pants. That was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen, her long dark hair cascading around her curvy body. I knew her tits had to be real, by the way; they hung in her shirt, heavy and full. Those damn ripped jeans leaving little to the imagination, and her tight Harley shirt showed off a small bit of ink through the sleeve. I knew then that I had to be inside her. She threw out some bullshit excuse about not sleeping with brothers, but that wasn’t going to deter me in the slightest. Truth be told; I liked the fact my brothers hadn’t had her.
She would truly be mine. And she would be underneath me.
Those lips of hers are unbelievably soft. I could still taste that fucking berry shit from her lips on my tongue. The way her tongue dueled mine had me wanting to throw her up on the bar and fuck her raw. I couldn’t wait to get between her legs. When she came on her bike, she was so damn quiet. Not when I’m done with her. She’ll be screaming my fucking name.
Pop… pop… pop… Gunfire rang out as a black cage drove past with its side door wide open. Grabbing my gun, I fired back in quick reaction and dropped behind the porch post. The front door flew open as Princess stormed out, gun pointed and firing with great aim, hitting the cage repeatedly. The shots kept coming, and Princess didn’t flinch or shy away. She ducked a few times, but kept moving.
We were both in a dead sprint to our bikes firing them up and taking off after the cage. Weaving in and out of traffic, we kept on its tail, firing shots back and forth. I couldn’t help the hard-on I got watching Princess shoot while still maneuvering her bike effortlessly. Not the time for that shit.
Pulling up besides the cage, I began shooting rapidly, hitting one of the guys. Princess’s shots hit another who fell out, causing her to stop her bike abruptly, unable to swerve out of the way. Shooting again, I aimed for the tires, but fucking missed as it spun off. There was no way I was leaving her alone out here.
Turning back around, I reached Princess, who was down on the ground checking out the shooter. “Dead?”
“Yeah…” Grabbing my phone, I called Dagger giving him our current location and advising clean up. I knew it would only take about five minutes before the cavalry came in.
“You all right?” Looking at her, I could see she seemed fine, no blood anywhere, but being a woman you never know how they react to this shit.
“I’m good.” She smiled. “Home, sweet home. You know this guy?”
“Looks like one of Rabbit’s crew.” Damn it. Rabbit’s known for running drugs throughout the state and we have dealings with him. This can’t be good.
“I take it he’s one of the everyone that Diamond wants me to be careful of, huh?” She looked as if she was studying the body before her, lifting up the shirt, taking in all the ink and marks on it totally unfazed she was looking at a dead body.
“Somethin’ like that.” The roar of bikes in the distance snapped me into action. “Get your ass on your bike and go back to Ma’s house. I’ll send some guys over.”
If looks could kill, I’d be lying dead next to the man on the road. “I’m just as much a part of this as you are,” she growled out. It was sexy as hell, but her trying to control shit was gonna stop quick.
“I’m not gonna say it again. Fucking go. Now.” I ordered.
“If you remember, it was my fucking shot that killed the bastard.” She stood up heading towards her bike. I could see in her face it was killing her to have to leave the scene, but she listened and headed back the way we came. I held in my chuckle. Damn woman.
“Pops and G.T. are at the house. What the fuck happened?” Dagger clipped, looking at the dead body at my feet.
“Drive-by. Black cage. Four guys inside. Two in the back were shot; this one fell out. Cage drove off.” I relayed.
“Shit. It’s one of Rabbit’s guys,” Zed said, kneeling down to see where the wounds were. “She shot him, didn’t she?” He eyed me suspiciously.
“Yeah. She came out guns blazing, and I didn’t have time to fight with her about staying back. She got him; I got the other.” I pressed my hands deep in my pockets.
“I’m sure you got the other,” Rhys said, laughing. Fuck. I didn’t need this shit.
“You got this? I wanna make sure the house is all right.”
“Go. We got this.” As Dagger, Guns, Zed, and Tug began their work, I rode quickly to the house.
“They fucking shot her, Pops!” Princess’s voice was enraged, the anger dripping off every word coming out of her mouth. I noticed a splattering of blood on one of the walls, as I walked into the house. Ma was holding her shoulder and appeared to be in a tremendous amount of pain, but didn’t utter a complaint. “Get Doc here now!” she barked out.
Princess began ripping away the clothes on Ma’s body, finding the entrance of the bullet. Turning her softly, she also appeared to find the exit w
ound.
“I’ll find them. Don’t you fucking worry about that,” G.T. ground out, rushing out of the room.
“What do you need?” I asked, since standing there watching was not helping anyone.
“I need towels and duct tape,” Princess ordered.
“Here.” G.T. was one step ahead, handing both items to her. Watching Princess work like a well-oiled machine was beautiful. She didn’t shy away from the blood or do that prissy shit that most women do. She dug in and got the job done. I was in a bit of awe. Every fucking move this woman made, made me want to stick my dick in her. Shit.
Pops stopped my admiration. “Cruz, you get Princess and Ma back to the clubhouse. Call Breaker and Buzz to bring the cage. Call Doc and get him to the clubhouse now.” I nodded as he turned to G.T. “You and me ride.”
The clubhouse was buzzing while Doc worked on Ma. She appeared to be just fine, but one woman was not. Princess hadn’t stopped pacing since Doc started working on Ma. Every so often she paused to have a shot of Jack and then continued to pace.
Everyone left her alone not wanting to be on the end of her rage, I assumed, but I couldn’t care less if I pissed her off. Walking up in front of her, I gently grabbed her shoulders.
“Don’t,” she barked at me.
“Come on.” She looked at her Ma laying on the pool table getting stitched up and shook her head. “It’ll just take a minute. Trust me.” She looked up into my eyes as if she was battling some inner turmoil then sighed.
She nodded, “All right. A few minutes, then I gotta get back.”
Smiling, I led her outside the clubhouse to the back gym. I’d been in her shoes before, seeing someone I love shot and not being able to do a damn thing about it. When Steeler was shot outside of the club, I didn’t know what the fuck to do. The brothers swooped in and took care of it, and at that exact moment, I knew this life was for me.
“The ring?” she questioned, looking at the large square in the center of the gym, her eyes wide.
“Yep. Get taped up.”
She smiled. “You wanna fight me?” I could see her wheels turning.
“I’m not going to fight you. You’re just gonna get some of your frustration out.” There was no way I wanted to hit this woman, whether she accepted it or not, I’d protect her till my dying breath. God, I knew this fucking woman a day, and she was already so fucking far under my damn skin.
“Oh, come on. You’re just going to let me hit you like some pansy ass bitch, huh?” The devil gleaming in her eyes had me utterly intrigued.
“I’ll tape up, but I’m not swinging.”
“Pussy.”
After helping each other tape up and removing our boots, we climbed into the ring. She pulled her hair into some kind of bun thing on her head as she moved her neck from side to side. Hearing stories about Princess’ ability in the ring, I admit I was intrigued. The guys supposedly taught her to fight, and she always held her head up high even if she ended up bloody, or so I was told. Now I’d get a personal view.
As we squared off, my pulse began to pick up. I dodged swing after swing until she nailed me right in the mouth, sending blood flying. Wiping it from my face, we began a fighting dance. I never once swung, only blocked.
“Come on. Fight me damn it!” she growled at me, swinging hard, kicking me in the gut.
“No,” I said as I regained my composure, standing tall. I didn’t hear the door to the gym open, only the whoops and hollers of all my brothers and Ma coming into the gym. Shit.
“Hey, boys. This pussy here won’t fight back,” she goaded me. I knew what I had to do. I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to. No fucking way I’d let the brothers see me not fight back.
She blocked several of my swings, but I made contact with the right hook to her cheek and she stumbled back. I stopped what I was doing and rushed to her. She smiled giving me a right hook of her own sending me staggering back a bit.
This went on for what seemed like forever. Blood was gushing down both of our faces. The bell on the side started going off as Dagger banged on it, hard. We knew it was over. Fuck if this bitch didn’t have the biggest balls I’ve ever seen.
I stalked towards her, and her eyes widened. I’m not sure what my face looked like, but all I could feel was my throbbing dick needing a home and fast. Grabbing her, I slammed my lips to hers; just taking everything I possibly could from her. As her body melted into mine, I kept going, not giving two shits about the crowd below us. Tasting the sweat and blood throughout my mouth spurred me on.
Princess pulled away, wincing. As I looked at her lip, I could see it was split wide open. “Doc still here?” I called out.
“In the clubhouse!” Rhys called out.
“Get checked out,” I said, staring at her lip, not believing I just did that to her, a bit ashamed with myself, in fact.
“I’m fine,” she uttered and patted her lip with her hand.
“I didn’t ask. Go,” I ordered. Getting right in her face, “Get your fucking ass in there and get checked out. Now.” My voice was dead calm and utterly serious, and when her eyes flashed acceptance, I knew I’d gotten her.
Princess took off out of the ring, and I climbed out. “You sure you want that, Brother?” Dagger asked. He’s always in protection mode. I didn’t think he had any other switch.
“Hell yeah,” I said, wiping the blood from my face with a towel.
G.T. stepped in front of me. “You fucking hurt her; I’ll put a bullet in your fucking head.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” And I wouldn’t. She’s his blood. You protect blood and family at all costs. I respected that about G.T.
“I’m fucking serious. She’s not free pussy.” The anger radiating off my brother was tangible. I understood it, but it was fucking pissing me off.
Going toe-to-toe with G.T, I never thought I would want to rip someone’s head off so much. “You don’t think I fucking know that?”
“I’m starting to wonder. You forget I see the pussy coming out of your room.”
“And I see what comes out of yours,” I fire back knowing he didn’t want his business being known by his sister.
“Just don’t fuck her over.” G.T. shoulder-checked me, blowing past me towards the clubhouse. Fuck that shit. As I walked towards him to show him what I thought with my fists, Dagger’s words stopped me in my tracks.
“Cruz. You need to get your kid here. We’re on lockdown.” Fuck. Those words sent everything spiraling. I knew if Cooper came here, his bitch of a mother would make it a point to come, too. Shit if this wasn’t gonna be fucked up.
4
Harlow
The shots of Jack helped numb the pain coursing through my body. I didn’t know how Cruz knew what I needed, but damn he did. Feeling lost and broken wasn’t easy. I wanted to rip those assholes apart for shooting at Ma. Throwing blow for blow was such a relief, and I didn’t know if he knew, but he brought back some awesome memories. I learned so much in that very ring, mostly from G.T., but the other brothers, as well.
Casey left earlier in the day and was due back any time. With us now on lockdown, everyone who was involved with the club was making his or her way inside. Casey went to our place to grab our stuff, and I desperately wanted her to get back here.
Pops was nice enough to let me crash in his room for a bit after the fight. I needed to rest, and being on lockdown, I didn’t want to be out in the main part of the clubhouse or in the bunks with all the kids running around. I needed a bit of peace.
Taking another swig of Jack from the bottle, I placed it on the small nightstand by the bed. Falling down, I spread out on the blood-red comforter and pillows that I’m sure Ma picked out ‘cause Pops could give two shits what the place looked like. My face was hurting like a bitch, and I bet it looked just as bad.
After the Doc patched me up, I showered and called Casey giving her a list of the stuff I wanted. Lord knows how long we’d be on lockdown. No one was saying shit about the guy who sho
t Ma. When I asked, I was told it was club business.
Bang… Bang… Bang… I jumped up feeling a horrible head rush from moving way too fast. I hoped I didn’t have a concussion from the hard ass blow Cruz gave me. “Hang on,” I groaned pulling myself out of bed. Opening the door, Casey stood there. Her beautiful smile instantly fell at the sight of me. “Looks that bad, huh?” I laughed.
“Holy shit, girl. You weren’t kidding about the fight.” Casey took in my face as she stepped in, locking the door behind her. When she reached to touch it, I shied away, heading back over to the bottle of Jack, taking another deep swig.
“That shit helping at all?” she asked throwing our bags in the corner. If we were on lockdown, she was on lockdown, too. Her dad, Bam, died three years ago during a run. We never got the details, but Bam was all that Casey had. Her whore of a mom left her when she was a baby. Bam raised her here, in this world. She was tough, but not a fighter, like me. She was more inclined to use her brains to get what she wanted instead of her fists. But since she was the kid of a patched member, even though passed, she was protected, too.
“A little.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, I sighed.
“What’s up?” she asked, sitting next to me and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
“Case, I haven’t been home twenty-four hours yet, and I’ve kicked a shop guy’s ass, got shot at, patched up my Ma, and got into a knock down drag out fight with a brother.”
“Welcome home,” she said smiling.
Laughing, “Yeah, welcome home.” I paused, thinking. “I haven’t had shit going on for two years. I missed this.”
“I missed you,” she said, squeezing me. “Come on. This is your party. Let’s get out there and enjoy it.”
After Casey worked her magic on fixing my face, we headed out to the bar. She wasn’t shitting when she said the place was packed. There was wall to wall people, and I had no idea where they would all sleep, and why I cared I had no idea. I guessed the bunks. I couldn’t remember the last time I was part of a lockdown.