by Jenika Snow
Malice never let anyone talk to him like that, even a Brother, but this was the prez, and he respected the hell out of Lucien.
“Because you know unless a woman is an old lady, cooking, cleaning, or fucking, we don’t let pussy stay around here for nothin’.”
Malice let out a deep, hostile sound.
“Chill. I am not implying she should be club pussy, but those women out there chose to be here. They like this life, and even want it. You want Adrianna then, just say so and all of this will be settled, man. ”
Malice and leaned back in his chair. There was definite tension in the room still, but not just from him and Kink. The rest of the members were feeling it, too. They were a family, and when they started going after each other it wasn’t good for anyone. He looked at each of the men once more, his family, his brothers, and his club. He then thought about Adrianna and what he really wanted from her. Malice didn’t care that it had only been a couple of days since he found her and she had been in his life. He had experienced a hell of a lot with her in that short time. He looked at Kink, stared at the asshole that had pissed him off royally, and then looked at Lucien. “Yeah, I want her as my old lady.”
Lucien didn’t respond right away, but finally he nodded. “Okay, glad you owned up to it, brother. Now, let’s just move on from this.”
“Sounds good,” Malice said in a low voice.
Damn, he had just met her, but he had claimed her as his old lady in front of his club. That was some serious shit, and he hadn’t even talked to her about it. Claiming a woman as an old lady was major shit, and Malice had already been down that road with Molly. He never thought he would need or want another woman like that, but he also couldn’t deny that he felt something strong and real for Adrianna. It wasn’t like anything he had felt with Molly, and that was some hard-core scary shit given the life he led. “I want to bring another matter up. I want to talk about Adrianna working and staying in the house with the other women. I think she could help out, and it would allow her to get on her feet. But this would be temporary as I want to make sure things are settled for her before I even bring the old lady business up with her.” Lucien lifted his brow once again. “You want her working where the pussy for sale is at?”
Malice knew what Lucien was getting at.
“I don’t want her there to spread her legs. But we don’t have johns going to the cabin, and those women are all trying to heal, too.” He forced the words out and felt his jaw lock up as he clenched it hard. He reminded himself to calm down because this was his President, but just the thought of any other man touching Adrianna had this murderous rage moving through him.
Lucien held up his hands. “I’m just surprised that was where you wanted her to stay. I thought maybe you’d just put her up at your place or even at the motel.”
Malice shook his head before Lucien even finished. “No. I don’t want her at some motel, and I’m only ever home when I have Dakota. I want to make sure she is comfortable with me and this situation before I bring up her moving in with me. If she isn’t staying at the club, the next safest and most logical place for her to be is at the cabin.”
He placed a hand on the table and drummed his fingers on the wood. “This would have to be brought to the table for a vote as this would mean taking her on as an employee ... kind of”
Malice nodded. He had been with the Brothers for a long ass time, and although they had all been Nomads at one time before they created this charter and moved to River Run several months back, they were still a part of The Brothers of Menace MC. They made their living selling pussy. That wasn’t a secret, but the women that worked for them were consenting and had chosen this as the path they wanted to take with their lives. They offered them protection, made sure they got whatever they needed, and even had a large cabin built on secluded acres for them. Over the past several months they had taken on battered women that had sold themselves in Denver and had been beaten up by their pimp. They built a home for them so they could recoup and get on their feet, and taken the financial hit for having to do that. But for every violent and illegal thing The Brothers of Menace did they reciprocated that with something that could help someone else.
“I think it would be good for the other women to have her around, especially since she has experienced what they have.” Rock was the one to speak.
Everyone glanced at him.
He shrugged. “What? I can’t put an insightful comment in here?” He grinned. “We probably could have thought this situation out better, no arguments there, but what’s done is done.” No one said anything, and the tension eased.
“Okay, I’m ready to put this thing to bed, because everything has been laid out flat and things are looking like they are going where they need to.” Lucien glanced at Malice and then looked at Rock. “I for one can say I’m glad that piece of shit got what came to him. Hurting a woman is grounds for a broken neck in my books.”
There was a round of grunts as the members agreed. “The vote is for Malice’s woman to stay at the cabin and help out with whatever needs to be done at the cabin until she gets on her feet and heals.” He looked at Malice and nodded. “That about right?”
“Yeah.” But the thing was Malice didn’t know what would happen once she was healed and “on her feet”. Could he let her go? After the fear and worry he felt when they were back in Fairview … no, he wanted her, had already declared that, and he was going to have to show her that staying by his side was a hell of a lot better than being on her own.
“You know the drill. Yea or nay.” Lucien gave his yea vote and started with Malice. Of course his vote was yea. Then it went on down the line with Tuck, Ruin, Rock, and stopped on Kink. He stared at the other biker, and although they had gotten into it just moments before, they were still family, and things would eventually smooth out. There was clearly something going on with Kink, though.
“Yea.”
“Good, a unanimous vote.” Lucien tilted his chin toward him. “Malice, I want you, Tuck, and Ruin to finish this run by taking the girls over to the cabin tomorrow morning. Rock, stay here and make sure shit’s good with the Fairview charter. With everything that happened there I want to make sure they are holding up and don’t need extra muscle.”
Rock nodded.
“Hopefully things start to settle back to normal.” Lucien glanced around the table. “Any other business that needs discussed since we are all gathered?”
There was a collective grunt, and everyone murmured “no”. Once that was said everyone stood and left the room. Malice did the same and walked over to the bar and ordered himself a double shot. He glanced down at the scarred bar and saw some pamphlets. Once he had one opened it and scanned the interior his blood ran cold.
“Who the fuck brought these in here?” Malice yelled to be heard over the music and voices.
Pierce, a prospect, came over to him. “I did. They were shoved in the mailbox by the gate. Thought some of these fuckers could use some religion.”
Malice looked at the pamphlet again, saw that it was from The Church of the Good and Only in Fairview, Utah, and set it back on the bar. Had that cult followed them all the way from Utah? It seemed pretty fucking ridiculous, but the proof was right in front of him. “Well, shit.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and breathed out. It could be nothing at all, just a member from that fucked-up cult trying to scare them, but he’d make sure everyone was on alert. He got everyone’s attention, and relayed what he just found out. “It could just be one of them tying to fuck with us, but I want everyone to know so they can be on the lookout.”
Everyone murmured their agreement. The cult hadn’t done anything but be annoying in their picketing at Fairview, but Malice didn’t put anything past a group of people that were intent on making their twisted and warped beliefs a reality.
Everyone went back to doing what they were doing, and Malice leaned against the bar again. It was still light outside, but dusk would be approaching soon, and after the last coup
le of days he had been through a drink was in order. He threw the shot back, and glanced to his left and at the hallway. He could just barely see the room that he had set Adrianna up in. The other women were upstairs, and maybe it was foolish of him, but the room he had put Adrianna in was his. Bracing his elbows on the bar he closed his eyes, feeling his exhaustion finally take hold.
Someone clapped him on the shoulder, and he opened his eyes and turned to see Tuck standing beside him. “Shit, man, things got hot and heavy back there with you and Kink.”
Malice nodded, but didn’t look over his shoulder to see where he knew Kink was standing. “Yeah, not sure what is up his ass, but I didn’t have to get all pissed like that either.” He rubbed his eyes.
“I’m not sure what the hell is going on with him, but I do know he went over to see his ex-old lady and his daughter, and when he came back he was in a foul mood.”
Malice shook his head. Great, what the club needed was more drama. “Lucien talk to him?” He turned his head and glanced at Tuck. The light that came through the window slashed across his scar.
“Yeah, and it calmed his ass down a bit, but he has been drinking non-stop, and refuses to talk to anyone about whatever the issue is. But we all know that if there is an issue we are all here for him. It’s up to Kink if he wants to open up and unload his emotional baggage.”
Yeah, that was the good thing about being in the MC and having a permanent family. Tuck stayed for a few more minutes, tossed back a shot with him, and then headed toward the back of the club and to his room. Malice stayed there for another few minutes, and when he turned to head back and crash for another few hours in one of the extra rooms, Lucien moved over to him.
“You got a minute, brother?”
“Yeah, I was just going to get another hour or two of sleep since I didn’t get much.”
Lucien nodded. “I won’t take much of your time then.” He tilted his head toward the rear entrance. They moved toward it, and once they rounded the corner Malice stopped and looked at Lucien.
“What’s up?”
Lucien exhaled, ran his hand over the back of his neck, and looked out the back window. “I’ve talked to Kink, so me telling you this doesn’t go against his privacy, and besides, you need to know why he was all fucked-up back at the meeting. He doesn’t really care who knows, but he hasn’t said anything to the other members yet, and neither have I.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” Malice knitted his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. “You talking about that attitude shit that happened between us back there?”
Lucien nodded. “Yeah.” He shook his head, stopping Malice from responding. “Just hear me out.”
Malice gritted his teeth and nodded.
“Kink is in a bad place right now.”
“We all are, aren’t we?” Malice leaned against the wall and sighed. Fuck, he was tired of all the fucking drama that seemed to surround them on a daily basis.
“Yeah, and I’m not downplaying anyone else’s shit. But then my VP and enforcer are going at each other’s throat for stupid fucking shit, and I can’t have that.” Lucien shook his head, and a dark mask covered his face. “Not cool, and I’m not about to put up with that shit.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that, but no fucking way anyone will talk to me, or about Adrianna that way.” Malice felt this twisted confusion inside of him, one that made no sense, but that he didn’t want to ignore or end. He stared at Lucien, and the dark mask that had covered his President’s face was now gone, and there was almost an understanding on his expression.
“And I wouldn’t have put up with that shit either if I had an old lady.” Lucien exhaled. “Listen, I don’t have a woman, probably never will to be honest, so I can’t see having this possessive need to protect them like that. None of the guys seem to want to settle down either, but I’ve been with the MC a long fucking time, have seen the older members take on old ladies and love them like the world was ending.” Lucien leaned against the wall, too. “I mean my dad was the last person I would have thought would settle down.”
Malice smiled and nodded. “Yeah, he was one tough asshole.”
Lucien started laughing, and despite the tough exterior he always wore, Malice saw the slight pain cover his face. It was after Brandon “Ranger” Silver had passed away of a heart attack last year that Lucien had gotten in contact with other Nomads and started this charter up with the blessing from The Brothers of Menace. Lucien may have never really said why he had started this charter, but in the end it didn’t matter. It could have been a lot of different reasons: tired of always being alone, wanting that family circle back again, or just needing to have a purpose with his own MC. Whatever the reason was, they were here now, and things in that department were looking good.
“Tilly and your mom are doing well?” Malice asked about Lucien’s half-sister and his mom, who lived in Thornton.
He shrugged. “As good as can be I assume. Haven’t seen them really since we set up shop in River Run, but I know Tilly is busy with finishing up her degree, and my mom is doing fine. She and Marshall are adding an addition to the house so his grandkids can have a place to stay when they visit.”
Malice didn’t go into any more detail about Lucien’s mother’s husband. She may have been an old lady to Ranger at one time, but the MC life wasn’t for everyone.
“Anyway, back to why I wanted to talk to you.”
Malice didn’t miss the fact Lucien changed the subject. “Sarah is planning on moving to California with that dead-beat boyfriend she has, and taking Kink’s kid with her.”
“Shit.” Just the thought of some asshole trying to take his kid, would have had Malice on a murderous rampage. He might have had issues at first with Stinger, Molly’s now old man, but things had settled down, and he respected the Grizzly MC member. But that wasn’t to say that if Stinger tried to stop him from seeing Dakota, or God forbid take his kid away… Malice tightened his arms across his chest and forced himself to push those thoughts out of his head. They weren’t real, and he wasn’t going to let them make him even more pissed. “I can see why he is on edge.”
Lucien grunted. “Yeah, seems like all this shit is going down in a short amount of time, but maybe that means we are getting all the drama out early.”
Yeah, Malice really doubted that. “Listen, I am not in the best of moods either, but my issues are nothing compared to what Kink is going through. I should have kept my cool, but—”
“It’s done, brother,” Lucien said in a solid, straightforward tone. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lucien grinned. “But an old lady, huh?”
Malice shook his head. “Never thought I’d want another woman, hell not even after a few days, but I feel something for that girl. Pretty fucking crazy, huh?”
Lucian shook his head. “Nah. Look at the life we lead. We are surrounded by danger constantly, and it isn’t like doing all that immoral shit doesn’t weigh heavily on us.” He shrugged. “We are a different breed of male, Malice. We fight with our hearts, ride with pleasure because it is in our blood, and fuck with abandon.” There was no humor in Lucien’s words, because what he said was truer than most things. Lucien had this look on his face.
“What?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.” Lucien ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Well, that isn’t true. I’ve just never seen you this … enamored, not even when you were with Molly.”
“Enamored?” Malice grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use a word that big.”
Lucien flipped him off, but he cracked a smile. “Fuck you. Anyway, that was what I wanted to tell you. Give him space, let him work out his shit, and I know he’ll do the same with you.” Lucien took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, and then turned and went back to the main room.
Malice stood there for a few minutes replaying what Lucien said in his head. Yeah, he had known Adrianna was something different and special when he first looked into her fac
e. It wasn’t just about wanting to protect her, or wanting to fuck her in the worst kind of way like he was some kind of dirty bastard. He liked being around her, liked the things she made him feel even though she had no clue the effect she had on him.
“Fuck.” He pushed off the wall and made his way to one of the empty bedrooms. Maybe his head would be in the game with a few hours of sleep under his belt? If not, well, then he was going to have to deal with what he felt for Adrianna, and see where in the hell it took him.
Chapter Eleven
Malice sat on the opposite side of Adrianna, and watched as she smiled and thanked everyone who offered her a dish of food. Tatum, a woman who had once started out as a club whore but was now an employee of the MC, now cooked, cleaned, and did their laundry. She was older, and was now more of a den mother to everyone that hung around the club. But Tatum took care of them even though they lived like slobs and did a bunch of shit that would make their mothers slap their faces. He leaned back in his seat, already having had his fill of the meal, and couldn’t help but just watch Adrianna. She looked relaxed and comfortable, and he was glad because the last thing he wanted was for her to feel out of place amongst a bunch of roughened bikers. He glanced at Kink, and from the scrapes and bruises it was clear he had come from a fight. But if that’s how he eased the pain he felt, then it wasn’t anyone else’s business. He turned his focus back to Adrianna, and saw that she was speaking to Tatum.
“You’ve been here long?” Adrianna asked the other woman.
She shrugged. “This clubhouse has only been up and running for the last few months, but I’ve known all these guys for years. I used to hang around another charter until I hooked up with them.”
Tatum grabbed her glass of wine. For forty-eight she looked good for her age.
The sound around them intensified as laughter rang out, jokes were told, and the whole atmosphere of the clubhouse went from tense and heavy to light and joyous. It was these times that Malice lived for. He saw that Adrianna was fully immersed in a story that Tatum was telling her, and he couldn’t help but watch her. He got hard just watching her sit there, and what a creepy as hell thing to do. A fucking mundane act made his damn cock like steel. And her fucking mouth… He ran a hand over his jaw and stared at those lush, red lips. He hadn’t been able to not think about it since their kiss.