“They’ll be leaving you alone?”
“If they’re smart they will.”
“Is this what MCs do? Fight amongst themselves over property and kidnap each other’s women?”
“No, darlin’, not all of them. We don’t fight unless we’re protecting ourselves. Our members have legitimate businesses and do very little outside the law anymore. And we certainly don’t kidnap women.”
I had a feeling that there was more to it, but decided to be content with what Vince would give me. Maybe there were some things that I didn’t want to know, like what they did outside the law. I yawned, exhausted over the events of the day, the stress of worry, and Vince’s hard loving.
“Get some sleep, baby. I’ll be ready for round two soon.”
I grinned at that, closing my eyes.
Something to look forward to.
Chapter 25
Vince
I woke to an empty bed and the scent of Iris on my sheets. Clean, fresh, mildly sweet and spicy, coupled with the lingering smell of the sex we’d had. Round two had turned into rounds three and four, until I finally dropped off into a deep, satisfying sleep. Having Iris next to me was a comforting balm that not only soothed my turmoil, but repaired my soul. I didn’t like waking to an empty bed after a night of fucking her.
A night of loving her.
Fuck.
I got out of bed and walked naked to the bathroom for a quick shower. Five minutes later I dried off and slipped into clean jeans and a Mad Dogs tee, and then went out into the main room for coffee and some breakfast. My gaze automatically scanned the room for Iris, finding her at a table with some of my brothers, their old ladies, and Penny. Our gazes locked from across the room, and I watched her face light up with a smile. I made my way toward her, barely noticing the disorder surrounding me.
“Good morning!” Her smile warmed me.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
She shrugged. “You looked like you needed the sleep. I think I wore you out.”
I wasn’t expecting her to say something like that in front of the others. Laughter and jokes erupted from my brothers, who never missed an opportunity to break my balls. Even some of the old ladies were joining in.
“Whoa! She got you good, Prez!” Whip snorted.
“You let a little thing like Iris wear you out?” Odie joked.
“I can’t believe you said that, Iris!” Angel laughed.
I held my hand out, indicating for Iris to join me. She got up, came around the table, and took it without question. I led her to the kitchen, where it was less noisy, and pulled her into my arms. “Good morning, darlin’.” I lowered my mouth to hers to give her a proper good morning.
She sank into me, and it was all I could do not to take her right there in the kitchen against the counter. We were alone, but I knew that wouldn’t last for very long. Anyone could have walked in on us, so I contented myself with kissing the hell out of her, tasting the minty flavor of her toothpaste and the coffee she’d already consumed. The feel of her full tits against my chest had my dick rearing its head for some more of her pussy. Fuck. Was I ever going to get enough of her?
“That’s some good morning kiss,” she said when I pulled back.
“So you think you wore me out, huh?” God, she was fucking cute when she blushed. “How can a woman that I spent half the night inside of still blush at something I say?” I tucked her loose hair behind her ear. “Have you had breakfast?”
“I had a bite with Penny and the others. Are you hungry?”
I had a raging hard-on, and thrust my hips against her. “That answer your question?”
“You’re terrible!” she laughed. “Don’t you ever get enough?”
“I went without for eighteen months. Have a lot to make up for.”
Just like that her expression changed. “What did you do, Vince, to end up in prison?”
If she’d done her research like she said then she already knew that I’d been in for battery, but she didn’t know the truth. Maybe she sensed that there was more to the story. I released her and went to the coffee maker to fix me a cup. That was club business, and I doubted I’d be doing her or Penny any favors by telling them.
“Club business?”
I swung around and leaned against the counter, taking a sip of coffee. All I could do was nod and hope that she understood. I waited for her to react, staring straight into her questioning eyes. Then she surprised me by asking, “Who else in the club knows?”
“My brothers know. Any time it’s club business, baby, it doesn’t go beyond the doors where we hold church. We take a vote. This is a man’s club. If any of my brothers share information with their old ladies, then they trust their women to keep their mouths shut.”
I could tell that Iris didn’t like what she was hearing. She was processing it, so I waited, ready for the fallout.
“That all seems kind of sexist.”
The calm before the storm.
“That’s the way it’s always been, darlin’. The way most MCs run. We take care of and protect our women, but they don’t attend church, they aren’t involved in any decisions.” Fuck, I felt like I was digging myself in deeper. “It’s not a big thing, Iris. Most of the women here were raised in or around motorcycle clubs and know the score. It’s a culture they accept.”
“And those who weren’t?” She crossed her arms, her expression stoic.
I thought carefully about my response, deciding that honesty was the best policy. She needed to know, anyway, and I’d told her that I’d answer her questions. “Most brothers try to stay away from serious relationships with civilians. Makes life easier for everyone.” I could almost see her mind working out what I’d just said.
“I’m a civilian. So are you saying that I’m okay to fuck around with but there will be nothing, ah, permanent between us?” There was hurt as well as growing anger in her tone.
“I’m not most brothers, baby. And what I’m saying is that any woman I let into my life, permanently, will need to adapt to my life around the club. There will be things I can tell her and things I won’t. All she needs to know is that I will take care of her and protect her.”
“Penny was a civilian,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, and it worked out between her and Dickie because she made the decision not to be ingrained into the club way of life. Dickie did everything in his fucking power to honor her wishes and protect her in spite of it.”
“He loved her.”
“Yeah.”
“Considering what’s happened lately--” She hesitated, as if afraid to put her thoughts into words. “Is there killing−”
“I’m not going to answer that.”
We locked eyes for a solid minute. I knew Iris wasn’t stupid. With the recent violence she’d witnessed she had to know that people got hurt, and probably worse. She’d been there the night Rory had been brought in, beaten all to fuck. Ending the Slayers had been necessary. Finding Trick and Mud and ending them were going to happen. We did what we had to do to protect the club, always. We may have had a dry spell where everything had been peaceful, but that could change in a fucking heartbeat. A new MC trying to prove themselves, old enemies with a grudge, an old club just wanting more territory, you never knew when trouble would come knocking at our door.
“Don’t over think it, baby.” I could tell that she was struggling. “What we have is fucking good.” I was talking about me and her.
“Can it be more?” she questioned softly.
Fuck, I wanted it to be more, but I could see that she had doubts. She wasn’t sure she had what it took, and I wasn’t going to force her. It would fucking gut me if she decided to walk away, but I would let her.
“It can if you want it to be, darlin’. Can you accept all that?”
“I’m not sure,” she said with some hesitation, but then quickly added, “I want to though.”
Fuck, tears filled her eyes. I put my cup down and held out my arms, which she walke
d into without wavering.
“After what happened to Penny . . . I’m not sure. I’m scared, Vince. She could have been killed. I need time to digest everything.”
There was nothing I could say to that. I hugged Iris against me tightly, not sorry that I had dragged her into my life, because I was a selfish bastard. If our time together were to end, at least I’d had her for a little while. It had begun with chemistry, a carnal hunger that I hadn’t been able to resist, or had even wanted to resist, and had developed into something more. Even now my dick was hard against her. She did that to me every time, and it didn’t matter if she were in the room with me or not. Just thinking about her made me hard.
“You know I want you, baby. Where this ends is up to you. I’m not going to change. I’m the president of Mad Dogs, and for me and my brothers the club comes first.” She stiffened, but I kept on. “Being part of Mad Dogs is what made us the men we are today. Not just hard-core bikers, but successful business men, husbands, and fathers. The women we choose accept that lifestyle because they trust their men to love and protect them.”
She nodded, but remained silent.
“Spend time with the old ladies, talk to them if you want a better idea of how they feel.”
“Are we still on lockdown?”
“Yeah. We just have a little business to finish up before everyone can go home. You okay with that?”
“Yes.” She pulled back to look into my eyes. “I know Penny feels safer here, too.”
I smiled. “Good.” The door opened and Whip walked in. “What’s up?”
“Church.”
Shit, I’d forgotten. I gave him a chin lift and he backed out, closing the door behind him. “Gotta go, darlin’. I’ll look for you when we get done.”
“I’ll be here,” she smiled lightly.
I didn’t want to walk away from her, we were discussing some serious shit, but there’d be time for talking again later. Besides, she could use the time to digest everything I’d said. I wanted Iris, and I was pretty damned sure that the feelings were reciprocated. I fucking hoped that they were strong enough to sway her into staying put. She’d never mentioned when she was going back to Georgia, but with Dickie gone now, I knew that it was coming.
I walked into church, which was packed with brothers. It wasn’t often that I was late, but no one dared question it. Someone had set a beer in front of my spot, and I made my way there, eager to begin. I pulled out my chair and sank down into it, looking directly at Corky.
“What’s the news on Shooter?”
“Hanging in there, Prez. I talked to a Doctor Bouchard, he said they were cautiously optimistic and that he seems to be improving. Still in a coma and intensive care, though.”
“Yeah, he will be for a while.” I glanced at Odie and his bandaged head. “How about you, brother?”
“I’m here, Prez. Just sorry those fuckers got the drop on us.”
“Yeah, how did they get the drop on you?” Roland questioned in a hard voice. “Kind of hard to do when there’s only one way onto the property.”
I couldn’t blame him for sounding suspicious. I’d questioned that myself, but until that moment there hadn’t been a chance to grill Odie. The old man didn’t look nervous, but I could tell that he was stalling. He ran his hand over his lower mouth and beard and released a long breath.
“Well, Shooter went inside to use the bathroom.”
“Piss behind a fucking bush,” Demon snapped with a frown.
“He didn’t have to take a leak.” That was all Odie had to say, and the snickers from the table revealed that everyone knew what he’d left out.
“What about you, old man?”
“Bout the time Shooter disappeared inside the house, I thought I saw movement down back of the house. In the field. Wasn’t sure, but I thought it was Iris. She was pretty far away and I’d walked about a quarter of the way in when I heard the sound of motorcycles. The rest you know.”
“Got good eyes for an old coot.”
Odie shot Dobie a sharp look. “That’s what my contacts are for, asshole.”
I grinned behind my hand before pulling myself together. “Let’s talk about last night. Heard anything from your contacts?” Negative head shakes all around. Shit. “Those club whores we let go, I want eyes on them for a while to make sure they don’t talk.”
“I can put prospects on them.”
My gaze snapped to Jerry. “You make damned sure they know what to do if anyone heads for the police station. Have the girls brought here and we’ll decide how to deal with them then.” He gave me a chin lift in understanding.
“Let’s move on to Trick and Mud. We need to find them. Any ideas where they could be hiding out?”
“Well, it ain’t their bar, warehouse, or clubhouse,” Whip joked, drawing some snorts.
My glare didn’t faze him. “This is fucking serious. We crippled their club, but they can still do some damage. And we don’t know how many members they still have out there. I want to know if they’re still in the area before we send our families home.”
“If they’re smart they’ll disappear for good.”
“Since when have any of the Slayers been smart?”
“Enough!” Silence followed, and all eyes angled my way. “You know what you have to do. Get in touch with any contacts you have and put the word out that we’ll reward anyone who helps dig out Trick and Mud. We find them so we can end them. Church is over.”
Chapter 26
Iris
I knew that I still had a lot to learn about Mad Dogs, but from what Vince had told me so far, I felt that I had a good idea of what went on and what to expect. There was violence. There was danger. But there was also loyalty, friendship, and love. In just one day of being in lockdown with the other members’ families it was clear that the club was one big, happy family. Everyone, from what I had observed, seemed to look out for one another. They got along. And though I still had some doubts remaining, I decided that I was right where I wanted to be.
I wanted Vince, and as in any relationship, both parties had to adapt to what the other one brought to the table. I just had never thought it would involve abduction and shootouts. I recalled my short relationship with Dan. He’d had a lot of extra baggage with an ex-wife and three young children. With Lenny it had been his strict, overbearing mother who’d looked down her nose at me because she’d felt that I hadn’t been good enough for him. I supposed that any man that was interested in me would have to adapt to my awful singing, which I tried to limit to the shower, and the occasional talking in my sleep.
I didn’t feel like going back out to the main room where everyone had gathered. I knew that Penny would be okay, she was comfortable around the women we’d had over to the house, and they seemed to have taken her under their wing. When we’d met them for breakfast she’d been at ease around them, quiet in the beginning, but had eventually joined in the conversation. It’d been the first time that I’d truly realized the importance of being precisely where we were.
I felt like going for a walk, but knew that that wasn’t going to happen. Besides, the last one hadn’t exactly turned out great. Lockdown meant that no one came in or out, but I supposed I could walk outside within the immediate area. Would that be allowed? I’d never been in a position like this before. I didn’t want to think of it as prison, but lockdown certainly limited my freedom. Maybe I should do what Vince suggested and spend some time with the ‘old ladies’. That term always made me smile.
I picked through the clothes Della had been kind enough to find for me, pulling out jeans and a blouse. Both were a size too small, but I managed to wiggle into the jeans and do up the buttons to the white blouse, which hung off my shoulders in a subtle, sexy way. I decided to leave my hair down, slipped into my shoes, and left the room in search of Penny.
As I walked down the hallway toward the main room, I saw Lana coming from the opposite direction. Her attire of jeans and a tee surprised me, because she was usually sho
wing a lot more skin. She was wearing hooker heels, had on way too much makeup, and her teased hair, which I’m sure she thought made her look sexy, was piled on top of her head in something that resembled a bird’s nest. As we moved closer I decided to be cordial to her by offering a smile. That was a mistake.
Some folks you just couldn’t be nice to.
“Go ahead and smile, bitch,” she said, stopping directly in front of me. “You think because you’ve got VD’s interest right now that he’s yours? Well, I have news for you--who do you think he’s been with all those days and nights when he wasn’t sniffing around you?”
I’m not sure how, but I managed to keep the smile from dropping off my face. I didn’t believe her. Sure, he hadn’t been around much, but I figured he’d been busy with the club, or at the very least tied up with issues getting his bar rebuilt. Soon after arriving at the club I’d heard talk about his decision to rebuild, and I knew that meant that he’d be busy dealing with construction, electricians, and plumbing contractors, as well as possibly design and supply vendors.
I wasn’t going to let Lana get to me.
“I’m glad that he wasn’t alone during all this−” I searched for the right words to describe what had been going on. “Club drama.” I meant to walk around her, but she side-stepped her way into my view.
Her laugh was more of an unladylike snort. “You’re lying if you think I believe that. Any woman who has VD in her bed wouldn’t want to share him.”
I looked Lana dead in the eye. “I’m not going to have this conversation with you, please let me by.”
“You think you’re too good to talk to me?” she snarled. “Maybe you are. VD likes dirty sex. Maybe that’s why he comes to me to satisfy his filthy needs. I know how he likes his cock sucked, how he likes taking me in the ass. You’re too vanilla for him.”
What woman wanted a visual of her man with another woman? I took a breath, but it did nothing to calm my suddenly racing nerves. Lana was determined to get to me and I was determined not to let her, but I couldn’t deny that her ass comment was making me think. Doubts returned, but I quickly brushed them aside. I will not let her get to me. Vince and I had a good thing going, and I trusted him. Maybe they’d done those things when they were together, but he was mine now.
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