Lick: Devil's Fury Book 2

by Torrie Robles

  “Thou shalt not use the Lord’s name in vein,” my father roars. The veins on his neck begin to pump. I’ve never seen my father so angry. Micah approaches him, grasping for his arm only to be pushed off.

  “You know nothing of me or of my daughter,” my father fumes.

  “I sure as fuck know your daughter. In every sense of the word,” Tylan growls back.

  “No, you only see through lustful eyes and know nothing of how empty her soul is.” He paces, spit flying from his mouth as he continues to ramble. “You’re guided by your devil, and only see what’s in front of you, in your temptation and nothing more. Look at the sin of the flesh that surrounds you.” He points behind Savannah and Sin to where Lily and Bianca have joined us, both wearing their Fury gear. Scarlet, Twist and Poppy, along with Heather stand near the opening that leads to the back supply room.

  “You’ve lost your fucking mind,” Lick growls.

  My father ignores him as he continues his rant. “Sinful. Disgusting. This is the work of the devil and I can no longer allow a child of mine to partake in this type of wicked debauchery. It is those who are uneducated in the word of the Lord who speak of things they know nothing about. Sarah Jennifer Hoyt, your time here is done. It is now up to God to forgive you for your trespasses. Your fate is now in His hands, and the sooner we get you back home and start on your redemption the better off you’ll be.”

  Lick’s eye twitches while he listens to my father’s words. “Over my dead body, you piece of shit psychopath.”

  My father turns to Micah, who has gone pale. “You’re a good man, Micah,” placing a hand on his shoulder, “for agreeing to take on the likes of my daughter. Especially now, knowing the filth she’s been cavorting with over these past few months. If I had only known, I would have come sooner. I’m sorry, son, that you are tied to the likes of my daughter.”

  “Sir, there’s no need to apologize to me.” Micah scans the area, seeing more than what my father sees. My father has never felt that he’s had to watch his back, not coming from the town in which we have. But here he’s the enemy, and he’s attacking the people who have come to mean more to me than what my own flesh and blood ever did. “I think we need to go, sir. It’s clear we’re not wanted and as you can see, Sarah, I mean, Jenni isn’t willing to go.”

  “Willing?” my father spits back. “Oh, my boy…” He shakes his head, chuckling under his breath. “She is not willing because she has no free will. She will do as I say. She will obey and bend at my mercy until she becomes your wife, then she shall bend to yours. Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.”

  “I’ve heard enough,” Cut booms from behind my father, who turns around at the sound of his voice. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you’re in my clubhouse, spouting your shit to my people.”

  “I’m of no concern to you or your…people,” he says with disdain. Turning back around to face me, his face is void of emotion. “Come now, Sarah. We leave tonight.”

  “Hold the fuck up!” Cut commands.

  “No!” Standing, I let my voice finally be heard. I shake my head, “No, father. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “There is no choice here,” he says with no emotion.

  I laugh a little at how closed minded my father is. “That’s the thing, there is. You’re simply unable to comprehend that I am making mine.”

  “Your family needs you. Micah has been promised your hand, and I am not willing to break my promise.”

  I press my lips together. “That’s not your promise to make.”

  “Your church—everything that we stand for rests on you and your brother. It’s the way it was prophesied.”

  I square my shoulders. “There’s no prophecy. They’re delusions within your mind–”

  “Silence!” he yells. “Do not disrespect your father, your pastor, or your future husband with this talk.”

  Taking a deep breath, I calm the anger and frustration that’s starting to intensify. “I’m staying here.”

  “No!”

  “Goddamn it, Father!” I scream, slamming my hand on the wood of the table.

  “How dare you!”

  “How dare I?” I stalk towards him, no longer needing the comfort of Tylan or the security of the table. “How dare you,” I growl. “My entire life I have felt beneath and belittled by you. Time after time I’ve tried to get you to see me, but it never happened. Under the roof of your church and on that path you intended for me to walk I never once felt love. Not from you, not from my brother, Jacob and only from my mother when she knew you weren’t looking.”

  “It saddens me that you are so selfish to see what matters. We live to fall to our knees and worship our Lord, not our children. You are not entitled to that kind of devotion.”

  “But I am entitled, no, deserving of that type of love. It took me leaving the confines of your home, my childhood home to finally find love and family. I am home. Here, I am who I was meant to be. I’m cared for here. I’m wanted. Here I am needed.” Striding over to Tylan, I take his hand in mine. “Now I am,” I repeat myself. “I’m part of something that I never want to give up. That I will never give up. I’ll never walk away from this place and these people because you don’t leave your family behind. That’s what these people are.”

  I turn towards my father. He seems small as the curtain of men stands behind him. Tylan’s right. He is a weak man.

  “Foolishness,” my father declares.

  “No, not foolishness. It’s a different belief than your own and that’s why you can’t open your mind to it. Or to me, for that matter. I love you, Father. No matter what, you will always hold a special place in my heart. It saddens me that I’ve never been your precious daughter, but that’s okay. You are who you are, and no one can change that, but you aren’t able to change who I am either. I will never be devout to you. I will not take a seat in one of your pews again. Those days of forced worship are over.”

  “You will not denounce me or your future.” He shakes his head. “Never will I allow that. Not while there is breath in my body.”

  “It’s not up to you,” I say.

  “But it is. You are my child.”

  Tylan takes my hand. “And soon she’s going to be my wife.” Tearing my eyes from my father, I’m met with a smile on Tylan’s face. I swallow down my emotions, tears spring to my eyes. “I’d be a damn fool not to make her my wife so I can spend the rest of my days worshiping her and her body.” He gives me a wink, making me smile.

  “Sir…”

  Micah’s voice has me turning my head. My father is red-faced, his eyes narrowed at me, and his lips in a thin line.

  “Is what he says true?” he asks me.

  “Yes,” I say with confidence. “Tylan is going to become my husband. I love him, and I love my life here.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re such a disappointment.”

  “Daniel,” Micah breaks in. “It’s time to go. We’re not wanted here.”

  “Fuck yeah you’re not,” Hawk yells from behind him. Then I hear the others telling my father to leave, to get outta of here, to move tail.

  I continue to stare at my father, realizing he’s nothing more than a stranger to me. It’s such a loss, on both our parts, but nothing either of us can do will change the fact that we will never be a true father and daughter. Genetics doesn’t make family.

  Feeling his arms wrap around my waist, Tylan pulls me into his body. “You good?” His voice is soft.

  “Yeah,” I say, wiping the fresh tears from my eyes. I look into his eyes, I hear the slam of the metal door over the murmur of the voices around and I know that my father’s gone. “Are we really gonna do this?” I ask.

  “Fuck yeah we are, Sugar Tits.” He bends down, placing a kiss upon my lips, “Fuck yeah we are.”

  “You ready for this?” Cut asks me when he walks into my old room at the clubhouse. He’s wearing his cut, just as I am, over a long sleeve button dow
n shirt. His shoulder-length hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and dark denim jeans cover his legs along with his black boots.

  Three days ago, Jenni’s father showed up at our house, no, our home and tried to take her back to Texas. I’d never felt more threatened in my life. She doesn’t know this, but my heart pounded in my chest the entire time in that clubhouse. The idea of her leaving, of never seeing her again, is unimaginable. She is a constant for me. Without her, I can’t breathe. She is the better part of me, and I wouldn’t have been able to continue living if she had chosen to leave me.

  I knew she cared for me. I knew she told me the words that should have solidified her feelings, but when you grow up knowing that love can be hollow, worthless, destructive, the true meaning of it can be hard to grasp. She could have easily conformed to what her father wanted and left with him. She could have realized that her place was by that fucker’s side and left without a second thought. But she didn’t. She chose me, the kids, and this club over the man who helped give her life. We are so alike in that aspect.

  For almost a year, I’ve watched her. I’ve waited for her to prove to me that she wasn’t so different from the rest of the women, but she’s proven me wrong. Jenni has taught me so much about myself. She’s opened my heart up to love, a task I never thought would happen and I’ll be damned, but I’m fucking glad she did.

  “I’m ready, man,” I tell Cut.

  He’s going to marry us, in the clubhouse, among my brothers, Bianca, the kids, Savannah, and The Fallen. In the state of New Mexico, they recognize online ordained ministers, and Cut was eager to become registered. There’s no waiting periods for wedding licenses, so I thought it best to get this shit done and finalized before Jenni changes her mind.

  I called Maggie to let her know that we were committing to each other and our family, and she was pleased with our news and wished us the best of luck. I didn’t ask her how this would deter the douchebag dad’s petition for custody. I knew that it was something we would have to tackle, just not now.

  Taking a seat next to me on my bed, Cut rests his elbows on his knees. “Life is a fickle bitch, you know?” He looks at me, but I don’t answer. He knows I agree. “Growing up, I saw my parents and the way they loved each other, but club life puts strain on a marriage.”

  “I’m aware,” I tell him.

  “It’s not for everyone. Even a love as strong as my parents. It’s a rough life to live, and only the strong survive it. Did you know that my parents almost didn’t?”

  “Had no clue.” I shake my head.

  “There was a time before Sienna was born, when violence became the norm for the club and my mother couldn’t take it anymore. I was still young, Sin was a tiny baby, when my mother decided, love or not, she couldn’t continue the lifestyle. So she took us. We left the state and went up north to live with an aunt and uncle of hers. But we weren’t gone long before my father came after us. He told her that if he had to choose, it would always be her. The money, drugs, guns, or territory meant nothing to him. She was his everything.”

  He smiled. “I’m sure my father would have left the club life if that’s what my mother had chosen. But she loved him too, and how can you ask someone to cut off a part of who they are? She knew who he was when she met him. She might have been young, but she wasn’t blind to who my father was, and she loved him anyway. My mother is still madly in love with him, even if it’s with his ghost.”

  “Not to tarnish your stroll down memory lane, but why the fuck are you telling me this?”

  He chuckles. “I’m telling you this because I see Jenni accepting you for you, and I’m sure she’ll never ask you to cut off a part of who you are. But it doesn’t make you weak to choose to leave this life behind in order to make sure your family has a good future. Club life is easy when you’re single, only needing to look out for yourself, but bringing another into this life, the kids… Man, it’s something that you need to think long and hard about. I’m telling you now, if you need to walk away from Devil’s Fury to secure the future of your family, I’m okay with it. You were lost when you found yourself on the steps of the club, but you’re not lost anymore, Lick. You’ve come full circle. You’ve found you.”

  “You’re right, I have. I’ve found me, and who I am is this club and this life. I’m evolving.” I laugh at the realization. “And, Jenni, those kids and this club will all evolve with me. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve had enough of my family turn their backs on me. I’m not about to do the same. Blood or not, you, the guys, even the bitches are my family, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  He slaps his hand on my shoulder. “That’s good to hear because there isn’t anyone like you, and it would be my loss if you chose to leave. You’ve been my best friend for years, and I’m not looking to find another.” Standing up, he strides to the doors. He turns around, he eyes me.

  “Let’s get you married. It’s fucking time.”

  “Are you ready?” Savannah pops her head into the room. “Honey, you look beautiful.” She enters the room, closing the door behind me. “The beading is beautiful.”

  She’s right, it is beautiful. Bianca wanted me to wear the dress she wore when she married Devin. It’s an off white, lace and beaded gown. The lace and beads stretch across my chest and upper arms, leaving my shoulders bare, and the fabric hugs my hips before falling down my legs, barely dusting the floor. Because we’re both short and curvy, she knew it would fit me. Lily has gathered my curls on the top of my head, leaving a few to cascade down my neck.

  “Thank you,” I tell her as I admire myself in the full-length mirror.

  “Everyone’s set. Let’s get you hitched.”

  Nodding my head, I take a deep breath, calming my nerves. My heart races, my hands shake. Butterflies swirl in the pit of my stomach. When I close my eyes, I see Lick’s face. He’s my anchor in the storm we call our life. He’s steadfast. His loyalty to the kids and me is unwavering. His dedication to the club is unfaltering. He will make a fine husband, and I know I’ll never doubt his love for me. I’m the one he’s chosen for then, for now, and for forever. Me.

  “I’m ready,” I tell her.

  She nods before spinning on her heel, leaving me to my nerves.

  The words I now pronounce you man and wife continue to run through my head as I play with the gold band on my left finger. The entire experience was surreal. How handsome Lick looked standing at the end of the aisle with the guys at his side.

  The normally drab biker bar had been converted into an intimate room fixed with fresh flowers and candlelight. The Fallen insisted on decorating so I didn’t have to worry about it. Now, with round tables covered with white linen cloths, the dining room has been transformed into a small reception area. Music plays in the background, Lily and Bianca manning the food while the guys stand around drinking beers and laughing. Savannah has Grace on her lap with Roxy at her side, both playing with the baby.

  “What are you thinking?” Lick places a kiss on my shoulder. He hasn’t left my side the entire night.

  “Nothing. Just looking at everyone.”

  He takes my hand into his, bringing it to his lips. I love the feel of his lips on my body, even if it’s on my hand. “Are you happy?”

  “Yes,” I tell him. “The happiest I’ve ever been.”

  “Me too, baby.” He places another kiss on my temple.

  Cut enters the room, his brows pinched together. The happy go lucky man that he’s been today is replaced with his Prez persona. When he approaches the guys, they all fall silent and listen. His hands fly as he continues to talk. When they begin to nod, he turns and comes towards us.

  “Hey,” he says when he approaches. “Don’t mean to interrupt, but it looks like we’re headed to Vegas tonight. We got a lead, and we need to take it. This is the shit we’ve been waiting for. The location’s been locked down. We go in, grab and come home. New York has already been contacted, and they’re in route to pick up their belongings.”

 
; “Okay,” Lick confirms. “Not sure why you’re telling me this, though. You’ve kept me in the dark pretty much the entire time.”

  Cut’s eyes bounce from me to Lick. “Look, I need you to come with us. I know this is shitty timing, but I told you if I felt that I needed you, I would tell you. And well, I’m telling you. I don’t feel comfortable going in there without you by my side. You were right when you said this is a big haul, and I’d be stupid if I didn’t have the best with me.”

  “Who’s staying behind?”

  “A few guys, a couple prospects and Bubba because he’s still on probation.”

  “Can you give us a minute?” Lick asks.

  “Yeah, of course. The guys are gonna gather the shit we need and start packing up the trucks.”

  When Cut leaves, Lick’s hand come under my chin, bringing my face to meet his. I swallow back my words that I want to tell him. I want him to stay, but I’d never make him pick between the club and me.

  “Go.” I nod.

  “Fuck, baby, I don’t have to. They have nearly the entire MC going. One less body isn’t gonna make a difference.”

  “No, I want you to go. You’ve been pissed that you haven’t been involved in what’s been happening. You’ve wanted in on this, so go. You need to do this. I’m not going to hold you back.”

  “You’re not holding me back.”

  “I know.” I give him a smile. “Because you’re going.”

  Standing he holds out his hand. “Let’s go home.”

  I look around and see that the guys have already left. “Why?”

  “Because I’m going to fuck my wife before I leave.”

  “I swear to Christ, if you don’t help me, I will rip this dress from its seams.” His voice is husky against my lips.

  His hands pull at the backing of my dress again, and I step away. He stands there, breathing heavy, eyes dilated. Reaching back I gently pull the zipper down, loosening the dress until it falls from my body, puddling at the floor.