“I know, baby. But you have to trust that I’m going to do everything I can God damn do, to make sure he never comes near you.”
I placed my forehead softly against his, my fight slowly diminishing. I wanted to trust Kit. We were finally at a point where I realized he wasn’t in this for a short term conquest. But fear of being disappointed once again still hung in my mind.
“I need to know what’s going on,” I stated firmly, hoping that at least being in the know would make me feel better about trusting him to take control of the situation.
“I’ll try to do that, but there are just some things that you don’t need to know.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to halt me. “I’m not saying that to keep you out, I’m saying it to keep your peace of mind.”
I nodded, reluctantly, and tried to push past our little spat. “So, what happened with the cops then?”
Kit laughed. “Little prick didn’t get his way so he called the cops, saying some dodgy guys were hanging around with weapons. Think he thought a few of us might get arrested, take down some of our numbers.” He shook his head still smiling. “Almost worked too. I was looking at doing time if one of the prospects hadn’t thought quick and lifted my gun from the back of my jeans without me even noticing.”
“You didn’t notice someone take your gun?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Kid was like a freaking pickpocket or a magician. One second it was there, next thing I knew he was giving it to the cop and they were booking him for carrying a gun that wasn’t registered to him.”
“Saved your ass, huh?”
“Yeah baby, and owe him one. Think I’m gonna pay him back in the way of a full patch. Not even gonna put it to a vote. He’s proved himself time and time again, and laying his shit down for his president. That takes balls.”
I looked at him stunned. For a president not to ask for a vote at the table wasn’t unheard of, but was very rare. From what I knew about the Brothers by Blood, voting at the table was an important part of their bylaws – the rules they lived by. That being said, the president had enough power to rule on particular issues without having to call a vote.
“Wow, that’s huge. Did he get in trouble?”
“Little. Don’t think he’ll do time, but he may get some kind of probation or curfew type shit slapped on him for a few months, along with a fine.”
“And if he hadn’t done what he had?”
Kit frowned. “I could’ve been looking at up to five years.”
My heart sank and I suddenly felt in debt to this young man. I nuzzled my face in Kit’s neck. “Remind me to thank him.”
There was a hard knock on the door and I almost yelled at them to get lost, the urge to appreciate my man being here taking precedence over whoever the hell was there.
“Tuck your cock back in, the boys are rounding up for Church,” Tally called. I heard him laughing as his boots stomped off down the hall.
Kit hooked his hands under my knees and lifted me up as he stood. I squealed and quickly threw my arms around him as he turned and laid me back on the bed. He loomed over me, my legs still wrapped around his waist. I took the time to admire his stunning face, his prominent jaw and the dark few days’ growth that covered it. His dark, sparkly eyes that drew me in and threatened to never let me leave. I raised my hips, my now soaked center brushing against his barely covered length which began to harden by the second.
He dipped his head, licking at sucking at my neck. “I gotta go to Church,” he whispered. His voice was now quiet and husky and I knew that I was winning this battle. I ground my hips up a few more times before he finally began to throw his forward, meeting me halfway.
“You’re the president, you own the club. They’ll wait,” I told him breathlessly. “But right now I need you to own me.”
He pulled back and searched my eyes, my words apparently exactly what he needed to hear. “Fuck me,” he groaned and began to attack my body like a man starved.
“That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.”
After I dragged myself away from Harmony and her greedy little pussy, I finally made it to Church and began to hash out with my Brothers the details about what was going on for those who weren’t with me last night.
To say they were livid was an understatement. Brothers by Blood have some serious policies about protecting women and children. They were innocents, who didn’t deserve to get mixed up in messes that their men may have created. Selling woman against their will was a big fucking hell no. I knew that all my Brothers would have my back when I made sure that Daniel Ashley paid for his part in an enterprise that disgusted and sickened me to my core.
“I talked to a couple guys I know. One of them is actually engaged to this guy’s daughter,” Mix said as the room quietened down from its outrage. I nodded for him to continue. “My man’s name is Link. He runs a PI style business a couple states away, specializes in finding missing people. Found the daughter about three years after her dad sold her. She was living as one of his associate’s house toys. Got her out quick smart.”
“He sold his own fucking daughter,” Rifle exclaimed in utter shock.
“Dude is crazy dipped in deranged,” I groaned.
“But wait, there’s more!” Mix said in some weird game-show-host voice. I rolled my eyes, but he just grinned at me from across the table. “From what I gathered, Mr. Ashley was a big gambler. That was how he got messed up with this crowd in the first place. He used the daughter to pay his debt, but in their world, selling your family earns you a certain level of respect. It portrays them as ruthless and emotionally detached, the perfect kind of person to do the job he does.”
“So where do we go with this?” Tally asks to no one in particular.
“Seems our man didn’t stop gambling. Higher paying job, you’re no longer looking at poker games and horses. I think he’s in deep and the money he could get from Harmony is his bail out.” Mix leaned back in his chair, a cocky smirk on his face.
The kid knew his shit, he knew people, a lot of people. I don’t think there was any information that he couldn’t find out.
“You think he’s desperate?” I asked, leaning forward and resting my arms on the table.
“I think he’s more than desperate,” he confirmed, his voice laced with a darkness that Mix didn’t show very often.
“That’s why I’m worried. I don’t know what he’s going to do to get to her, but I know when crazy people get desperate, things usually get messy.” I twisted my hands together.
My Brothers all nodded and we moved on to cover other things, business reports, income, future runs.
Just as I was about to call the meeting to an end, the chapel doors swung open harshly, banging back against the walls and my pops stood between them, grinning like a fool.
With half the club’s hands on their guns ready to shoot at the intrusion, we all breathed a small sigh of relief.
“You fuckers are getting soft. I was expecting at least one of you bastards to shoot first, ask questions later.”
“Get your crazy ass out of my meeting, old man,” I laughed.
“Make me.”
My Brothers all chuckled as I slammed the gavel on the dark mahogany table, releasing them from their seats. They all embraced my father as they moved out the door, vows to meet him at the bar to celebrate his return echoing in the small space. I stayed seated, hefting my heavy boots onto the table and relaxing in my chair, knowing my pops would want to catch up before he headed out to see my Brothers. As expected he closed the doors behind him and came to sit beside me in Loose’s VP seat.
The strange arrangement didn’t go unnoticed by either of us as we eyed each other. We both laughed lightly. “It does me proud to see you in that chair, son.”
I nodded. “Still feels weird, but fucking good too.”
I’d been apprehensive about taking my father’s place as president. I feared leadership wouldn’t come as naturally to me as it did to him. Oz was born t
o be a leader, it didn’t matter what he did, where he was, he wasn’t afraid to take charge of a situation and own it.
“You were born into this club, Donovan.” My father was the only man that ever used my real name. He did it not to taunt or demean me, he did it because he was proud of the fact that we were family. He was proud to say that he’d given me life and named me. “The club is in your blood. Don’t ever second guess that.”
His Aussie twang always made me smile. Sometimes the boys had a hard time taking him seriously because of the terms he used and the way he pronounced words. But it only took one small laugh and he would show you why he was one of the most respected men within the MC community, by putting a bullet in your knee cap.
“How was your trip?”
“Pretty fucking amazing. Haven’t spent that much time inside your mother since the summer of ‘84.”
I frowned at him. “That shit’s nasty, pops. I’m gonna be having nightmares for weeks now.”
He laughed loudly, the sound resonating in the small room. “Heard you picked up a little something of your own while you were visiting with Optimus.”
I rolled my eyes. These men, fucking outlaws my ass, they gossiped like a bunch of old women at bingo night. “Yeah, think I found her.”
My father always taught me that women were to be respected. He told me that one day I would find one that would challenge me and push my limits. That was the one I needed to hold on to. In the type of business that we’re in, a man needs a woman who can not only stand up for him, but stand up to him. Any one of us can find a doormat, willing to lay down, spread her legs and follow orders. But it took a special girl with fire in her veins and passion in her heart to share how she feels but to stand beside you no matter what you do with her words.
“You have to drag her down here kicking and screaming?”
I smiled. “Basically.”
“Sounds like a keeper.”
“You and Mom gonna come meet her?”
My father smirked at me across the table. “Your mother beat you to it. We weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow, but as soon as Loose called saying you were throwing the term Old Lady around, your mom was throwing me off her and demanding we come back.”
I groaned. “Mom’s here?”
“Oh yeah, probably interrogating your woman as we speak.”
The need to protect my girl, even from my own mother, weighed heavily in my stomach. Bright Eyes wasn’t known for beating around the bush. She was beautiful and kind and caring to her family, but she could also be crass, upfront and very cunning. She had a way of getting the information she wanted from you without you even knowing you were giving it.
My father laughed and checked his watch as I rubbed a hand over my face. “Think your mom has had enough time to give your girl the what fors? Better go rescue her.”
“Bastard. You were running interference,” I accused with a pointed finger.
He held up both hands. “Hey, I take threats against my manhood very seriously.”
“You ever heard the saying bros before hoes?”
“Do the bros suck my cock?”
“Fuck my life, please just stop.” I flipped him off and I went in search of my woman and my mother, my father’s laughter booming behind me.
With my arm finally beginning to feel better, I was able to strum my guitar with it only causing a slight amount of discomfort. Not enough to deter me, and with Del checking the wound and explaining that there was no longer risk to the stitching, I was ready to get back to what I loved – music.
I lay my guitar across my lap, running my hand over the smooth varnished surface and smiling to myself. The need to play ached in my bones. Music was everything and anything I could see in my life. With music, I could get lost in a world full of chaos and crazy. I could feel the strength of the words in the songs that other people had written and use it. The songs, the lyrics, the beat, they all had a purpose. A part to play, and together they moved in harmony to make something so beautiful.
Music was more than just memories for me. Yes, I had grown up around music, having it as part of my life was a given. But music had forced its way through me and become part of my soul and my heart. It lifted me up and empowered me.
I took a breath, but before I could pluck a single string, my phone began to ring. I hung my head, telling myself I should just ignore it, but my mother’s ringtone blared loudly in the small room.
I placed my guitar on the bed, looking at it longingly before I reached for my cell and held it to my ear. “Hi, Mama.” I tried to sound upbeat, but my voice failed me.
“What’s wrong?” she quickly questioned, her voice strained.
“Nothing, Mom. How are you?” The line was silent for a minute. “Mom? Are you all right?”
“Yeah, honey. I’m okay.”
I laughed. “That was convincing.”
“Yeah. Just stressed I think…” she trailed off, her voice was a little shaky and alerted me immediately. My mother was never shaken, upset maybe, but she never sounded defeated.
“Mom…what’s going on?”
She cleared her throat. “I just had a weird phone call today. Nothing to worry about.”
“From who?” I heard her shuffling, she was nervous. There was a soft knock on my bedroom door. I muttered some profanities. “Mom, I have to go, but I’ll call you back. Okay?”
“Yeah baby, it’s fine. We’ll talk soon,” she said quickly like she was relieved that I’d given her an out.
“I’ll call you back, Mom,” I reiterated again, this time a little more sternly, indicating that she wasn’t going to get away with acting all weird and then not explaining herself.
There was another knock on my door and I tossed the phone onto the bed. I caught sight of my guitar again, its strings sparkling in the sunlight. I sighed, contemplating ignoring the persistent person behind the door and locking myself in Kit’s bathroom just so I could play.
Just one song.
I groaned loudly. “Damn it.”
I twisted the door handle and pulled it open, ready to tell whoever it was that I was busy. I was instead met with two of the most hypnotizing eyes I’d ever seen in my life. They were such a light shade of green that at first glance they almost seemed yellow. I couldn’t help but stare, my mind not even registering that I probably looked like an idiot, or that I was being extremely rude. When the woman blinked the colors seemed to swirl, the shade of them changing once again.
“Can I come in?” a soft voice asked. Shaking me from my haze and suddenly making me take notice of the woman standing right in front of me with a sweet smile on her face. Her hair was a brilliant burgundy with just a few gray strands sprinkled throughout. It hung over her shoulder in a thick plait and reached almost to her waist.
“Um, I’m sorry. Who are you?” I asked the woman as politely as I possibly could.
Her smile grew. “The boys call me Bright Eyes,” she offered, as though that would explain to me exactly who she was, but I was drawing a blank. “I’m Kit’s mother.”
My heart began to race and a flurry of curse words flew through my mind like they were on a high-speed conveyor belt.
“Oh…yes…c…come in,” I stammered. I quickly pushed the door open and gestured for her to enter.
“Thank you.”
She moved toward the bed, sitting on the edge as I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I managed to force out as I stood under her beautiful studying eyes. “I’m Harmony.”
“It’s nice to finally put a face to this name I’ve heard about.” She smiled kindly, her voice was soft and sweet, but I sensed an air of authority around her. “Tell me about yourself, Harmony.”
I moved over to Kit’s desk and leaned against it. “Um, I grew up in LA. Well, all over really, but that’s where I was born. Moved to Athens up north Alabama four or so years ago. I’m at the college there studying.” I wasn’t sure what else she wanted to
know, or what she already knew, so I kept things simple. She didn’t seem like the type who was afraid to ask questions.
“What is it that you’re studying?” she asked, tilting her head curiously.
“Um, music.” I gestured to my guitar which was laying just behind her.
Kit’s mom nodded as though this pleased her. I wasn’t sure why my nerves were going haywire around this woman. She was petite, beautiful, and her looks seemed completely unthreatening. But the need to please her was running rampant.
She crossed her legs. “You’re part of the Athen’s chapter of the club?”
I cringed. “I suppose you could say that.” Her eyebrows lifted as if prompting me to explain what I meant by my answer. I sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid it. “I was a club girl, yes.”
Her face showed no surprise, no shock, no utter horror at my confession. Relief flooded my body and I sagged a little. She let out a light musical laugh that seemed to make the room a little brighter.
“You were expecting me to react differently to that little bit of information?”
She observed correctly.
“Yes, I guess I was.”
She shrugged, a small smile still playing on her lips. “We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of –”
“I never said I wasn’t proud of it,” I said firmly, the words leaving my mouth without a thought. “Everyone who is in the club has a part to play, whether it be small or large. I have no shame in what I do for the club…or did, I suppose.” I firmly believed every word of what I’d said. I loved the club. They had supported me, given me a family away from home and, for the most part, held me with a certain amount of respect.
Bright Eye’s smile grew larger, her perfectly white teeth now showing as she stared at me. “That’s exactly the answer I needed to hear.”
“Excuse me?”
She stood from the bed and walked toward me. “Harmony, I don’t care if you were a club whore. Just like you said, club girls serve a purpose. They keep the men happy – in more ways than one.” She tucked a strand of hair behind my ear in a motherly gesture. “Kit is president now, he needs a woman who is proud of her allegiance to the club and isn’t afraid to stand up and say that the Brothers are her family.”
Harmony (The Club Girl Diaries Book 1) Page 15