Conquering (Vipers Creed MC#2)

by Ryan Michele

  “WHAT DO YOU wanna do with her?” Spook asked, looking between Xander and me.

  My mother had woken up and spoken to us, not providing us with any good information. She knew the first name of the supplier and Gonzo, saying she had a prepaid phone, but she had nothing on her.

  I turned to Xander. “Know she’s a bitch and a piece of shit, but we can lock her up here.”

  Xander looked at me like I’d grown three heads, and I felt that way. “What, let her wither away under lock and key?”

  I shrugged. “It’d be better than what they’ll do to her.”

  This decision was all about Xander, but I wouldn’t tell him that. I’d put it on me and carry that load. I’d carried it for years and had no intention of stopping where he was concerned.

  My brother was a tough man, strong man, but he’d always loved her, always wanted her to be a mom. I fucking hated the woman and knew that ship had sailed, but if I could lessen the pain that he would feel, I’d do it. I’d suck up my anger and lock her up, feed her, and keep her safe, even though I’d said I wouldn’t.

  “She’s not gonna get clean,” Xander concluded, looking over at our mother, who sat on the picnic table, fuming.

  “Didn’t say she would, even though we won’t supply her with drugs. But if we lock her up, she can’t come back on us and bite us in the ass. No tellin’ what she’d do to save her own ass. Could be a number of things, and having her here eliminates that threat. And we”—I used the term “we” here yet specifically put it on me—“won’t find out her fate.”

  Xander shook his head, pinched the bridge of his nose, and held it. I waited, letting him process it.

  “Yeah,” he finally said softly.

  I turned to Spook. “Can we lock her in the safe room? Get Needles to come in and help get her off the ice?” I had no fucking clue if that was even possible. Drugs weren’t my thing, so I didn’t know the first step about getting rid of the shit. She’d been on drugs for as long as I could remember, but I would do this for my brother—try one last goddamned time.

  “Done,” Spook said, nodding to Hooch.

  We had a small room in the basement that was padded and only had a mattress and toilet. Back when Spook’s father had been in charge, he had put in a room to hold those who had done us wrong. It normally didn’t get used now, but it would be good for my mom.

  “Wait … What’s goin’ on?” my mother questioned as Hooch grabbed her small frame. She kicked and screamed to be let down.

  I turned to my brother, whose brow was tight as he watched our mother get carried away.

  “Xander,” I called, grabbing his attention. “Never made a promise to you I couldn’t keep, so you gotta know I can’t here. But this is the only option other than handin’ her over to Gonzo. Don’t know if it’ll do a damn thing, but it’ll be better than what he’d do.”

  He lifted his chin, and that was done. Spook would set it up to have someone bring our mother food and such, and Needles would have his people do what they had to do.

  I didn’t want to think about the fact that I had just let the one woman I despised the most into the only place I had felt safe. The woman who never allowed me that feeling while growing up, yet I was allowing her to stay here, invading my sanctuary.

  I closed my eyes, sucked in a breath, then grabbed my smokes and lit one up.

  Spook came up next to me.

  When he said nothing, only stared at the same green grass as me, I said, “Chelsea wants to take Jenn to her mom’s and go back to work. You think we can trust Gonzo?”

  “We trust no one but our own.”

  While this had rung true to me for many years, I now wanted to include Chelsea in that circle.

  “How can we do that for her and keep her safe?” I asked.

  “Where’s she gonna sleep?” he countered.

  I smiled. “My bed, of course.”

  Spook chuckled. “We can set up cameras in the diner and get a tail on her. Workin’ this important to her?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

  “Alright, brother, we’ll make it work.” He slapped my shoulder, gave it a squeeze, then left.

  Xander’s boots came into my line of vision, and I raised my head.

  “Don’t know what’s gotten into you, brother. Don’t really know how I feel about all this. But, man, who the fuck needs Superman? You’ve always been a fierce protector. Some things never change.”

  “You think that?”

  “Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”

  I inhaled my smoke, letting it penetrate in deep.

  “Brother, it’s in your blood, in your soul. You protect. Just like you’d protect that woman of yours from a damn hangnail if she had one.”

  His words were like a knee to the balls, knocking the wind out of me. Then I thought about it—her being hurt and me having a way to fix it. I would do it in a heartbeat and not bat an eye.

  I only nodded.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze, and then he walked off.

  I looked up at the sky, having no fucking clue if I’d done the right thing or if I had fucked us all.

  “YEAH, MOM, IT’D be great for you to come by.” I held my cell to my ear, thankful one of Stiff’s boys had gone to Charlie’s and gotten it for me.

  “Grams and I will be there in a bit,” Mom replied, and I was happy they’d decided to come.

  Stiff had texted me, saying he had to work at the shop, and that was four hours ago. With what I had seen of his mother, though, I wanted him to come back now. I needed to make sure he was okay, and keeping myself from texting or calling him was hard.

  I’d even plugged in a movie for Jenn and me to watch, but all I’d done was curl up on the couch while my sister sat in the recliner. I didn’t ever remember actually watching a single minute of it, too worried about Stiff.

  “Sounds good, Mom. See you then.”

  “Bye.” After she clicked off the phone, I tossed mine to the couch beside me.

  “Sounds like they’re coming to visit,” Jenn said, her head tilted toward me without pain etched in her features. I liked that.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet. Hell, since you came back from wherever you went, you’ve been off. Talk to me,” Jenn ordered.

  I let it all out, not holding a single thing back, even telling her how twisted in knots I felt from not knowing if he was okay.

  Jenn kept quiet, listening to every single word. She always did. I could count on her for anything, and this was no exception.

  “Damn, Chels.” Damn was right. “So, let’s see here. You got yourself a man, which I have to say is wonderful. Don’t know him well, but he’s been awesome with me, so he gets lots of points in my book. And his brother is hot.”

  “He has a girl.”

  She lifted a brow. “I know that. I can still look at him. I may have bruises and some rib issues, but I’m not dead, Chelsea. Hell, half the men here are hot.”

  I chuckled, something I didn’t think I’d be able to do with my mood being the way it was. “Very true.”

  “Anyway.” She paused. “You really like this guy?” Her tone came off hesitant.

  I sat up from the couch and rested my back against the soft cushion, looking at my sister. “Yeah.”

  “Okay, yeah isn’t gonna cut it here, and I know he’s good in bed. I can hear you with the television on and the door shut.”

  A blush crept into my cheeks, but I powered on. “Yes, he is, but there’s more to him than that.”

  My sister got a glint in her eye, a spark that I’d missed. “Keep goin’!” she all but yelled at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s … We’re a lot alike in a lot of ways.” My sister stared at me, waiting. Shit. “He’s very protective of the ones he cares about. He’s a hard worker and didn’t give me shit for having a house decorated as the beach.” Jenn laughed, and I smiled. “He also didn’t knock down my goals, and he doesn’t think
less of me because I work at Charlie’s.”

  “Wait a minute.” My sister’s hand went up, index finger extended. “Less of you? Why the hell would anyone think less of you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t have a fancy degree like you will, and I’ve been doing the same thing for years. Not really any room to move up with employment opportunities. Don’t get me wrong; I love it there, love Charlie.”

  “Then you shouldn’t give a shit what anyone thinks.”

  I shook my head. “You don’t get it. I don’t give a shit what others think. I give a shit about what Stiff thinks.”

  The light bulb dawned on my sister. “I get it.”

  I knew she would. She always got me.

  “What are your thoughts on school?” I asked hesitantly. She’d only used Stiff’s laptop once to log into her portal at school to make sure her classes were there.

  She sucked in deep then winced. I hated that for her, and my stomach cringed.

  “My professors are good this semester; told me I can do all my work online. They all record their lectures, so those will be available to me, too.”

  “That’s good. There’s only a couple of months left of the semester.”

  “Yep. Once I get going, I’ll get busy. I’ll finish.”

  One thing still scared me. “You have summer classes and another semester to go, Jenn,” I reminded her. “What do you plan on doing?”

  “I don’t know,” she murmured softly. “When I called my boss, I had to take time off. He was a dick and let me go, saying he needed to fill the spot. So, as of right now, I have nothing. I’m not going back to the apartment, though.”

  Barbed wire wrapped around my heart and squeezed. Those assholes had taken more away from my sister than just her health. I hated that, hated them. Hated my damn father.

  “It’s only a half-hour to forty-five minutes’ drive depending on traffic. You could live here and commute. And for work, I’m sure Charlie would hire you.”

  She sighed heavily, like everything was weighing her down. “Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

  “The apartment is month to month, Jenn. If you want, I’ll go up, get your stuff, and work out everything with your landlord.”

  Jenn stayed quiet for a while before speaking. “I love you. You know that?”

  “Yeah, little girl. I know that.”

  “We’re Millers, and we make things work, but Chels, it’s already the middle of the month, so I’ll have to pay for next month, and I won’t even be there.”

  Damn, this would take a bite out of my money and probably set me back a few months from getting my own place, but my trailer had been my home for so long I didn’t give a shit. I’d do anything for Jenn.

  “I’ll get it taken care of.” I rose, walked over to my sister, then leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “Everything will work out.”

  WHILE MOM AND Grams were visiting with Jenn, Xander stopped by, saying he had to check up on me. Once he saw my family there, he joined in, and I ended up laughing so hard my stomach hurt, tears running down my face. I hadn’t laughed that hard in my life.

  I’d needed this. I’d needed my family around me to make everything disappear just for a little while, to put life back to normal, or at least our normal, for a time. However, then the door burst open and Stiff prowled through, his face an empty mask. The laughter died, and all eyes went to him.

  “Hey,” he grunted, and I wanted to take the emptiness away.

  Even with the doubts, I felt the pull between us, and I couldn’t fight it, so I followed my instincts. I rose, walking right over to him, wrapping him in my arms, and holding on tight. It took a few beats before he did the same then rested his cheek on the top of my head. I felt his body relax from its tautness, and that made me relax a little for him.

  The room was silent, but I knew they were there, watching, waiting. Still, I didn’t want to let him go quite yet. Therefore, I stayed planted on the spot, holding him and inhaling the smell of tobacco and leather. I’d never been into anyone who smoked, but with Stiff, it was him, so I liked it.

  His cheek moved away from my head as he spoke. “You two gonna be around for a while?”

  “If you need us to. I have the day off,” my mother replied as I pulled back to look up at Stiff, wondering why he’d asked that.

  “Need to go out for a while. Want Chelsea to come with me. You good with stayin’?”

  I drew my brows together in confusion as to where he would want to take me, but I kept quiet, not wanting him to get wound tight again.

  “Sure,” my mother replied.

  It was Grams who asked the question I wanted the answer to. “Where are you taking her, young man?”

  To that, he gave a sexy grin, his arms still securely around me, flexing. “Need to go for a ride. Want her on the back of my bike.”

  “Really?” I asked breathy. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”

  “Then it’s about time we get you there,” he replied, looking down at my shorts and tank. “Need you to change into jeans, boots, shirt, and jacket. If you don’t have one, there’s one in my closet.”

  I thought about what little I’d brought with me and realized something. “I don’t have boots. I only have my tennis shoes.”

  “Those’ll do. We’ll get ya some boots later.”

  I nodded, and he gave me a squeeze then released me, giving me a sign to get a move on. So I got a move on.

  After glancing at my family then moving quickly to the bedroom, I changed, pulled my hair into a low ponytail, and headed back out to the living room. Stiff looked as if he hadn’t moved an inch, but he now had on a leather jacket. Me, I had to wear one of his, and all of them were huge on me. I found the smallest and went with it. I hoped it wasn’t too hot outside for all of this, or I’d sweat my ass off.

  Even though I thought of this, excitement bubbled in me. My first bike ride, and I was lucky enough to be on the back of Stiff’s. No fear came through, only happiness.

  “Let’s go,” he ordered after looking me up and down, seeing my shoes, and shaking his head.

  I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t like it was a shock. I’d already told him what I had. Whatever.

  I kissed Jenn and Grams on the cheek then Mom, telling her exactly where everything was located, and left with Stiff.

  Stiff grabbed my hand, walking out to the large row of bikes parked in the lot. This gesture was simple, yet to me, it meant so much more. The warmth flowed as my heart squeezed.

  He sidled up to a black and silver bike. It had a huge windshield and a small skull emblem by the engine. The bike had a seat on the back and bags that hung off the sides. It was hot.

  “Swing your leg over and get behind me,” he said casually.

  With as much grace as I could muster, I threw my leg over, wiggled my ass in the seat, and got comfortable.

  Looking down on either side, I noticed he had these little pegs for my feet to go on, so I placed them there.

  “Wrap your arms around me,” he ordered.

  This I did without any hesitation. Stiff was rock solid, and I loved having him pressed against me.

  Stiff took off like a shot, the large metal doors of the compound opening as we neared. He lifted his hand to the guys, and we were off.

  The moment the wind drifted through my hair, I fell in love with being on the back of Stiff’s bike. I’d thought I’d love it just from being close to him. I was wrong, so very wrong.

  As the wind came from every different direction, tangling my hair and hitting my cheeks, freedom hit me like a physical force, almost knocking me off the bike. I felt as if I were flying high above hell, soaring.

  With each mile that passed and the sun shining down on us, I fell deeply in love … with the bike, of course.

  I squeezed Stiff, and he squeezed my hand. It was sweet—him acknowledging me and giving me this part of him.

  I noticed a few things while riding. One, Stiff held his arm out to those on motorcycle
s, but only to the ones on Harleys. For the ones who flew by us on those motorized crotch rocket things, he never lifted his hand. I made a mental note to ask him why later.

  Also, when we were on the highway, he was so focused on who or what was around us, but then, when he turned on the back roads, his body visibly relaxed. I assumed it was because of all the cars, but I didn’t know for sure. Another thing to ask him.

  We rode for a really long time, and I enjoyed every second of it, living life. It was amazing. I didn’t clock how long we were out. I was so thrilled to be exactly where I was that it didn’t matter. Therefore, when we pulled up to an older cabin that had a lake behind it, I was floored by our location. Living in Dyersburg my whole life, I’d never been here—hell, hadn’t known it existed until this very moment.

  The old cabin was exactly that—old. The wooden planks covering the outside were discolored from years of weather. The roof had peeled up shingles, and the window screens had so many holes in them I wondered why the owner didn’t just take them out. The porch knocked me on my ass, though. It wrapped around the entire structure made of very wide, rounded logs. It was gorgeous.

  Stiff stopped the bike then cut the engine. “Hop off, Fire,” he said, and I listened, swinging my leg up and off.

  My body felt stiff from the ride. When my feet hit the ground, I felt the need to brace on to something, as they felt like Jell-O. I bent my knees and straightened them, even lifted my arms to stretch them out. I never knew being on a bike could make your muscles ache.

  Stiff put the kickstand down and got off, his dark shades covering his eyes. Then he reached out and took my hand.

  “Come on. Wanna show you somethin’,” he said, pulling my hand.

  We stopped as I took in the view. Trees lined the area except straight in front of us where the blue lake shined from the sun. Every once in a while, I could hear the water moving just a touch. The other side of the lake had vibrant green trees, and the side we were on had been mowed down so the grass wasn’t that tall. Out from the land and into the water was an old dock that looked rickety. I hoped Stiff didn’t think we were going out there on that.