Razor
* * *
Duke texted me to come to his office when I got to the clubhouse, before I went looking for Matty. I didn’t see the text until I got my phone from the control room, so I went straight to his office from there.
“You should’ve let me know Matty’s so afraid of Dozer.”
My blood froze in fear. “What happened? Is he okay? Where is he?”
“He’s fine. Playing games with Dawg in the conference room.” He told me about their conversation, and I sat in one of his guest chairs.
“I didn’t know the extent of it until recently. I told him to give it three months. If he’s still on edge, I’ll give him permission to stay away. I don’t know how else to handle it.”
“Let’s see how things go. Maybe Dozer’s had a change of heart.”
“Or maybe he’s more pissed than ever,” I countered. “He hasn’t said a single word to me since he returned. He lost his colors for three months, didn’t even have access to his house, and still doesn’t have his center patch. I don’t think his three-month vacation chilled him out. In his eyes, I think he sees it as all my fault.” I rubbed and pulled at my beard. “Or worse — Matty’s.”
“Club rules say it’s been handled and put behind us,” said Duke. “If you act otherwise, you’ll be in danger of fines, or worse. Dozer’s smart, so make sure he doesn’t put you in a corner you can’t get out of.” He shrugged. “He’ll have to do something to prove his allegiance to the club, or to prove he’s learned his lesson, before I’ll open a vote to give him the full patch back. He lost his seniority, but we didn’t bump him back to prospect, so he’s still a full member.”
“He’s also been here a lot longer than me. Seniority or not, there’s more history.”
“Yeah, there is, but he was in the wrong and he felt the consequences.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Calm your boy down. He stank of fear when Dawg brought him to me. It’s an insult, that he thinks we won’t protect him.”
Chapter 27
Matty
* * *
Text flashed across our game. “Unlock door for Razor.”
Dawg paused the game, walked across the room, and opened the door as Daddy approached.
Daddy glanced at the screen and asked Dawg, “Are ya’ll in the middle of something, or can I have my boy for a while?”
“Nothing we can’t pick up later. I should get back across the street.”
Dawg turned and put his arm around me again. “It’ll be okay, Matty.”
“Thanks for trying to help,” I told Dawg.
Razor crossed his arms and glared at me, but waited until Dawg was gone to speak.
“What happens when little boys are drama queens?”
I shook my head and put my hands on my hips. “You knew I was scared, and you ordered me here anyway! It isn’t my fault they can smell my fear! I didn’t say a word until they insisted I explain!”
He lowered his voice to a growl. “This is my club. My brothers. I want my boy with me. End of story. Grow the fuck up and deal with it. You can race without smelling of fear, and Duke thinks it’s an insult you can’t walk into the clubhouse without smelling terrified. If you don’t trust me to keep you safe, leave.”
“There’s all kinds of safe,” I told him. “I trust you to keep me physically safe when you’re by my side, but you’re doing a shit job of providing a safe emotional place.”
He sighed and uncrossed his arms. “As much as I want to tan your hide for your attitude, I see the truth in your face. I need a shower. Let me think while I get clean.”
He lifted me, tossed me over his shoulder, and walked through the clubhouse to the back door, through the hallways, and finally dumped me on his bed. I rolled over and watched him take his clothes off, and damned if my dick didn’t spring to life and make me feel the cock-ring even more. It isn’t tight enough to restrict flow, just enough so I’m reminded it’s there, but fuck. Daddy’s so fucking sexy, it almost isn’t fair.
“Strip and lube yourself. You can relax while I shower, but I want you bent over the bed, ready to be fucked when I come into the room.”
Matty
* * *
I know the wolves had to be able to smell the fact we’d just had sex when we entered the front room of the clubhouse, but no one said anything.
Angelica and Bash were playing pool with Dawg, but she was the only ol’lady in a sea of bikers. I didn’t see Dozer, and my insides relaxed a little.
Daddy pulled me to the bar. “Get me a beer. Figure out what you’re drinking tonight and get started.” He raised his voice. “I’m gonna throw some steaks on the grill. Anyone else want one?”
I think most people think the biker life is full of excitement, and while that’s the case sometimes, most of the time it’s just hanging out at the clubhouse — eating, drinking, and playing games. There wasn’t a party planned for tonight, so while some sweetbutts would probably get fucked in the main room, it’d still just be hanging out, doing not much of anything.
Daddy put twenty-seven steaks on the grill, and a few people came out to help him watch over them. I got them beers as they needed them, and made myself yet another giant margarita as soon as I downed the one I was working on. I didn’t make them especially strong, but I’d probably had five or six by the time we finished our steaks and fries — Daddy had ordered four buckets of fries from across the street, to go with the steaks. I ate a few of his fries, but the steak was enough for me now that I wasn’t training so intensively.
Gen and Bethany never showed up, and when I asked Duke where they were, he looked angry. “They went to Bethany’s house. Cassie’s there, too.”
Ah, more Dozer fallout. Jonathan had planned to come with Bethany, but something must’ve come up. No one had come out and said it, but I didn’t think Bethany was allowed around the RTMC anymore unless one of her men was with her.
I probably should’ve let it drop, but I looked at Daddy and said, “I miss them. Can I ask Gen if I can hang out with them one night? Please?”
Daddy looked at Duke before he told me, “No, I want you with me. Duke told me to get control of you, but it looks like he can’t keep his own house in order. Just because he can’t keep his woman close to him doesn’t mean I can’t have my boy close.”
“The hell I can’t!” Duke stood, Daddy stood, and I wished I’d kept my mouth closed.
“Then why hasn’t Gen been here all week? In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen her around on the weekends in weeks! Even before Dozer returned!”
“Isaac won’t let Cassie come anymore,” said Angelica, “and Bethany can’t come unless she brings one of her men. Gen and Bethany go way back. She never agreed to give up time with her friend when she married Duke.”
And of course, Dozer chose this moment to walk into the clubhouse. I looked down, but I could sense the rest of the room looking at him, and I had a feeling it wasn’t friendly. Fear gripped me again, and I knew the wolves would smell it but there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it. It wasn’t that I was afraid Dozer would physically hurt me, but that he’d say something, or do something. I was afraid of the confrontation, and the fact it would probably only be verbal didn’t do anything to lessen my fear.
“So much for consequences paid and the slate wiped clean.” Dozer stood with his back to the door, as if he was unsure of whether to come in or storm out.
“Bad timing, brother,” said Viper. “You walked in on…” He sighed. “Gen’s staying away because Bethany and Cassie can’t hang out here like they used to. Fallout from your actions. The slate may be wiped clean, but the consequences of what you did haven’t gone away.”
I was still pissed about Daddy and Duke being mad because I was scared, and I said what I was thinking before I thought it through. “Sophia never hung out here much, but she and Viv can’t come without one of Aaron’s people. It isn’t just Cassie and Bethany. Word’s gone out the MC doesn’t follow th
rough on their promises of protection.”
I know I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but Spence had told me about it, and I felt like the bikers should know. Or, maybe I was being a passive aggressive bitch by holding onto the knowledge until then. Either way, I wasn’t sorry.
“Is that why Eric didn’t ride with us to the rally?” Dawg asked. “I invited him, and it’s the kind of thing he’d usually enjoy, but he said he had a deadline.”
“I don’t understand the problem,” said Dozer. “The little faggot protected them. Ya’ll treat him like he’s one of us, he should have some duties, shouldn’t he?”
“He’s part of the family, but he isn’t a brother,” said Duke. “He’s someone we protect. You weigh three times what he does.” Duke looked around before finishing. “And you’re a fucking wolf. He’s human, and he might have some self-defense skills, but the club rules say you protect the people important to us. Are you telling me you don’t intend to follow the rules?”
Dozer didn’t say anything, and I took a step forward and looked at Duke. I’d dreaded a confrontation, but now that it was here, I wasn’t backing down. “No, he’s telling you he’s such a pussy, he can’t handle the fact a faggot did his job for him. Also, he can’t take responsibility for the fact he fucked up. I thought his time away was supposed to teach him something? From where I’m standing, he’s in total denial. Ya’ll say you can protect me?” I looked back at Dozer, saw wolf eyes looking out of his human face, just as Duke’s had earlier. “I don’t feel safe, and if that pisses anyone off, I’m sorry.” I looked at Daddy. “I want to go home.”
Daddy took three steps towards Dozer, but Bash stepped between them. “It’s my job to handle it, Razor. Back off.”
“Then fucking handle it.”
“All brothers into the conference room,” said Bash. “Now.”
“Downstairs, not the conference room,” Duke practically growled. He ordered two prospects to relieve Paco in the control room, and stormed off with the rest of the members.
The room practically emptied, and Angelica asked, “You okay?”
“No. I know it’ll piss him off, but I’m going home.”
“Give me a sec.” She grabbed her phone and made a call. “Is it okay if Matty and I crash your little party?” A few seconds pause and, “Thanks. See you soon.”
“Give me your keys,” said Angelica. “You’re in no shape to drive.”
She was right, but I’d been going to risk it. Anything to get away so I wasn’t here when Daddy and Dozer came out.
Angelica wrote a note and put it on the door.
* * *
Matty and I need some space. Don’t look for us.
* * *
She signed it and put her phone on the bar. I did the same thing, but told her, “I’m pretty sure there’s a tracker on my bike.”
“Of course there is, but I know where it is.”
She dug through a drawer, pulled some pliers and electrical tape out, and I followed her to my bike. She squatted beside it, worked the pliers in a little crevice, and pulled a small button-shaped object out, along with the wires. It only took her a few seconds to disconnect the wires and wrap tape around the raw ends.
I figured the prospects in the control room had notified the guys in the meeting by now that we were in the lot about to leave, so I climbed on behind her as soon as she was on. Seconds later, we roared out of the parking lot. Our helmet microphones weren’t set up on the same channel, so conversation wasn’t possible. That was okay — we were being naughty, Angelica was flying through the city, and I was exhilarated. Daddy would be pissed, but I wouldn’t be there to see it.
Razor
* * *
Any electronic device taken into the downstairs meeting room will be fried when it crosses the threshold, which gives us a safe space to talk, but means we’re cut off from the rest of the world. By the time one of the prospects in the control room made it downstairs to knock on the door and let us know what Angelica was up to in the parking lot, Matty and Angelica were gone.
And the club had voted that Dozer was back in good standing — though still without his center patch — and Duke and I were responsible for bringing our ol’ladies under control.
With Duke not making Gen come, it was going to be harder to push the issue with Matty. I could already hear him arguing he’d spent most of his time with Gen and Bethany before, so that’s what he’d do now — just not at the clubhouse.
Bash was standing by the bar, staring at Angelica’s phone. I pocketed Matty’s phone and told him, “Glad she’s with him. I’d worry if he was alone.”
“She didn’t want to come tonight, either. I told her it was important to me she came, so she did, but she was clear she’d have rather gone with Gen, Bethany, and Cassie.” Bash looked at Dozer. “You’re my brother, and you may be in good standing with your brothers, but you’re in the shit with our ol’ladies. Fix it.”
He shrugged. “I tried to transfer to Atlanta. Bud refused me.”
“Bud likes Matty,” I told him. “You pissed him off. He doesn’t want your kind down there.”
“My kind?”
“Full of hate and prejudice. Narrowminded. Intolerant of those different than you. Fuck, Dozer. The biker lifestyle is about rejecting society’s bullshit rules, and you’re more straight-laced than the tightest assed church lady. Get a fucking grip.”
Dozer took a few steps towards me like he was gonna hit me, but Bash stepped between us again.
“Raise a fist and I’ll put you through the wall. Every word he said was true and you have no cause to start a fight.”
Dozer may be bigger than Bash, but Bash is fucking scary when he’s pissed. I’ve heard the stories of how calmly he kills people who harm those he loves, and I’d seen it after the crash. I never want him on my bad side.
Dozer stopped in his tracks, looked around the room, spun on his heel, and walked out.
Everyone looked to Duke, who said, “Ya’ll are the ones who just voted to let him know he’s a member in good standing and everything’s fucking fine! If someone feels like one of us should assure him everything’s still fine, march your happy ass out the door and do it!”
No one moved. The monitor switched views to show the parking lot, and we watched him don his helmet and roar out of the parking lot.
“We need Brain,” said Bash.
“We do,” Duke agreed, “but he isn’t going to leave Harmony for a while. I promised him time.”
“Since Brain’s about to bring her home, what if we assign Dozer to Harmony so Brain can come back? Forty hours a week down there, another forty in the restaurant, and he won’t have much time to spend in the clubhouse with us,” said Paco.
Duke shook his head. “Might’ve worked before tonight’s blowup, but now I think the ball is in Dozer’s court. Let’s see what he does with it.”
“If he goes to wherever Matty is, I’ll kill him, and I’ll make him hurt first.” I meant every word, and Bash said, “I’ll go. We can’t all show up at Bethany’s without causing problems with her men.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Duke. “My woman’s there, I have a reason to go.”
Bash shook his head. “Gen’s pissed at you. Might be better if you stay here. I can handle Dozer.”
“And if you can’t, Gen will shoot him,” said Duke. “Yeah, I think I should go.”
Bash shook his head, but didn’t argue. “She might shoot you if you aren’t careful. That woman has a fucking scary temper, but it’s your balls.”
I wanted to offer to go, but logic told me the situation would be easier to defuse without me there. Still, I wanted to be there for my boy.
But he’d left without his phone, and without the tracker on his bike. He wanted time away from me, so I’d give it to him.
I walked out the door, into the wooded area in the compound, and shifted to my raven. I’d practiced until I could fly out of my clothes as they dropped, and within seconds I was across
the wall and flying over the city. Ravens don’t usually fly at night, and I was in danger of being hurt by any great horned owls in the area, but I hadn’t encountered any downtown, so I wasn’t too worried.
I flew around town a while and ended up in the yard of the house I’d rented on Missionary Ridge. It wasn’t the human’s anymore, but it was familiar to the bird. I roosted in the top of one of the trees, and slept.
I woke with the sun Saturday morning, and spent the day flying, resting, and exploring in my raven’s body. I didn’t have any obligations, so I was free to spend the day as I chose.
I ended up at home shortly before sundown, and I changed in the backyard. Thank goodness for the digital lock, so I could get in without my keys.
Matty wasn’t home, and I hadn’t seen Micca’s car. I didn’t know where they were, but Matty would come home when he was ready to stop hiding from me. I fixed four steaks, thawed a frozen key lime pie, and drank every beer in the refrigerator before I finally fell into bed.
Chapter 28
Matty
* * *
We hadn’t been at Bethany’s long when Bash rang the doorbell. Bethany answered, and Angelica didn’t move from her spot on the sofa.
“Not here to break anything up,” said Bash. “We had a little blowup and Dozer stormed out. I’ll sit on the front porch and keep guard. Make sure you keep the back doors locked.”
He stepped away from the door, and Gen yelled, “I’d love for him to show up and come in the back door! It’ll give me an excuse to shoot the big jerk!”
We were all rip-roaringly drunk an hour later. Well, everyone except Angelica, who could only stay drunk five or ten minutes at a time, and only after mainlining shots of tequila.
Razor: Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, Book 11 Page 23