Whiskey: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 1)

by Chelsea Handcock

  “Crystal, asshole, but let’s get something straight. I don’t go by Addison anymore. If I have to call you Aiden, then you have to call me Addy. Addison died the day I buried our daughter. I don’t want to be her, I don’t want the life she dreamed of with you, and I sure as fuck don’t want you anymore either, do you understand?”

  Mentioning their daughter was like a punch to his gut. He didn’t want to think about the baby they had created and then lost before he even had a chance to know her. It was wrong of him, and Whiskey knew it, but he needed to keep that little person to himself for a while before he dealt with all that with Addison. He still didn’t know the whole story, and he was sure when it all finally came out, he would become unhinged and kill more than a few people in his path. Too bad he couldn’t beat his own damn self to a bloody pulp because he was the biggest offender.

  “Oh, Addison,” he emphasized her name, feeling the slight flinch in her body when he said it, “I will call you whatever the fuck I want, and you will do exactly as you are told just like the good little girl you have always been, and then when the time is right, and you are begging me, I will take that sweet pussy and give you what I should have all those years ago.” He pulled her closer, crashing his lips down on hers. At first, she resisted him, but when he nipped her bottom lip, she gasped, opening for him a little, and he took full advantage.

  His tongue explored every nook and cranny of her mouth, something he had been craving to do for years, and Addison didn’t disappoint, she was still everything he remembered and more. It took a little while, but soon she was kissing him back with just as much heat and want as he had. Whiskey justified the act by thinking if Addison honestly hated him she wouldn’t have kissed him back like she was. When she relaxed in his arms and started to get into the kiss, he pulled back, first kissing her cheek then further down her neck. Once he had her right where he wanted her, he moved up to her ear and whispered.

  “So much pleasure you’ll be screaming my name for everyone to hear.” To add to it, Whiskey sucked her earlobe into his mouth and bit it, kissing away the sting. Pushing her back down on the bed, Addison sat speechlessly as he walked to his dresser like what had just happened didn’t affect him in the slightest, when all he wanted to do was push her back on the bed and take what he had been craving, over and over again.

  Grabbing some clothes, Whiskey dropped the towel and got dressed, giving Addison a full-on view of what she had waiting for her, all she had to do was ask, and from the look on her face, she wanted him. She might not like him, but she wanted his body, and he could deal with that, the rest could come later. Pulling up his jeans without fastening them, he shoved his feet into his boots not bending down to tie them. He needed to get the fuck out of this room before he did something he regretted. He had a plan now, and in order for him to get what he wanted, he needed to walk the fuck away.

  “Take a shower babe and get some rest. Tuck will want to talk to you first thing in the morning. You know what you have to say, we can talk more about it after you accept my claim. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, Addison, but I will push you to accept what we both know you want. But don’t think for a fucking second that I will accept anything but a yes as far as being my Old Lady is concerned. You owe me and this Club for the shit you pulled.”

  Yeah, he knew his next words would hurt his sweet girl, but she needed to do this, and Whiskey knew these words would get that point a crossed better than anything.

  “You owe Cathy this; if you had come to any of us sooner, none of this shit would have happened, and you know it. You chose this route, now you’ll have to pay that price, and that price is being with me.”

  Whiskey saw the tears gather in Addison’s eyes, and he felt like a major asshole for laying that shit on her, but she needed to understand what was at stake here. Cathy and Crank had already paid the price of whatever the hell was going on, he didn’t want Addison or someone else to be next. At least this way, he could protect her with full Club support. The alternative didn’t bode well for either of them; Whiskey was good, but he couldn’t fight an entire MC on his own.

  Shit, what the hell just happened? She had been furious with Aiden, and then she’d been kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Damn, she hated to admit it, but some of the things Whiskey had said were true; she was a selfish bitch, and she didn’t have the first clue who she was up against. Those men were awful, and the Club and Whiskey had been the lesser of two evils. But he had been right, she brought this to their doorstep and expected them to take care of it. Now Cathy was hurt and so was Crank because she thought she was smarter than the person trying so hard to pull her strings and get her to sign over the farm.

  For months, she had been hiding and sulking around buildings trying to avoid the RBMC members because she had always known what she would do if things had gotten too bad. She made arrangements with Carri to leave town and never look back, laying this shit right at the RBMC’s feet, but why? To punish them or to get payback for the pain and hurt she was feeling?

  Damn, it had been ten years and the pain of losing first Aiden then her daughter was still just as fresh today as it had been back then, she hadn’t even started to get over the loss. What did that make her? Shit, she really was the selfish bitch that Aiden had called her. Somewhere deep down, she blamed the MC and all the Brothers for what had happened, when they had nothing to do with it. If she should blame anyone, it was herself. She let Aiden take her in the back seat of his truck knowing he would leave. Thinking she could get him to change his mind. Thinking she was more important than any plans he had made. Who the hell was she? She also put the blame on the MC like it was their fault, they could have done something about the chain of events that had happened. Who the hell had she turned into?

  Over the last ten years, she had shut more people out than she let in. Only a select few got through her walls, and she thought she had wanted it that way, but that wasn’t the truth, she was holding a grudge. If Aiden hadn’t wanted in the MC, then he would have never gone into the service. If he had stayed, then he could have helped her with the farm and their daughter might still be alive, but none of that was true. Aiden would have never wanted to help her with the farm or all the shit that had gone on after he left. He wanted the life he had chosen, and she wasn’t on that list back then. She knew it, but again, wanted to remember things another way.

  The first time he came back to Defiance after basic, he went right to the Clubhouse. Addy had been waiting for him, wanting to talk to him about the baby and what she needed. She thought with one look at her he would instantly change everything he had planned and stay with her to work the farm and take care of Pop. She waiting for hours outside the Club until he arrived. When he did, a Club Puppet had been waiting with the rest of the guys on the porch; all he had to do was crook his finger, and she jumped right into his arms and kissed the hell out of him.

  Addy had stood on the side of the yard just watching, not believing what she was seeing until Aiden went inside with the woman wrapped around his waist, kissing her back. She had heard the other men talking about partying all night long and that the Puppet on the porch was just the beginning for their newest Prospect. Addy didn’t want to believe what she was seeing, but she couldn’t deny it. When Link walked up to her, she had already been crying, cradling her stomach where their child had laid and put the final nails in her and Aiden’s relationship once and for all. She still remembered his words.

  “He doesn’t want you. Hell, he didn’t even want you when he had you, he just wanted to make a point before he left town and he did. If you had any doubt over the last few months, this should have proved it to you. He came here for pussy instead of seeking you out. Do you understand Addison? He doesn’t want you or that kid you’re carrying.”

  Damn those words had hurt, but hell even back then Addy knew there was some truth to them. Aiden could be an ass, but he was an honest one. When they first gone out, their time was limited, but s
he thought she had some kind of superpowers and would change his mind. She had loved him so much, but she had been wrong, like every other teenager caught up in a dream.

  Link handing her the check sealed her and Aiden’s fate. The check was enough to cover all the debt her Pop owed and provided a little extra to get them through the months to come. It was the answer to pretty much everything she had been hoping for, all except Aiden. Link told her if she took the check, she needed to stay the hell away from Aiden. She couldn’t call him or try to contact him in any way. If she had the kid, she was on her own, if she didn’t that was her choice too. After seeing Aiden and that Puppet, Addy took the check and went back home, never looking back. Shit, she was just as bad as she made these men out to be.

  Now when the chips were down, she was trying to act all holier-than-thou and trying to put them all in place. It wasn’t right. Tuck, damn that man had done more for her through the years than her own family did, he made she had heat when money got tight, and helped her with Pop when his disease had eaten away so much of his brain he had to be placed in a nursing home. Shit, he had even found the nursing home and helped her to get the state to pay for it. Talon and Tank worked the farm right alongside her and Carri before they left to serve their country and never once asked for payment of any kind. There were others too along the way. Damn, how could her grief have caused her to be so blind to what she had been doing all this time?

  Addy had turned into a woman she didn’t like. Shit, she hadn’t even been with another man since Aiden and hadn’t wanted to. She let all this feaster and get out of control, and it was her fault. Whiskey was right if she would have come to the Club or even to Tuck after the first threatening letter, he would have taken care of everything and Cathy and Crank wouldn’t have been hurt. If she would have approached Whiskey when he first got back in town and talked to him maybe she could have put all this crap behind her. She would always mourn her daughter, but it was time to move on.

  Whiskey was still a total ass, but he was trying to help in his own way, so she would let him, to a certain extent, she would be his Old Lady as far as the Club was concerned. She would let him protect her, and she would play the part to the best of her ability, but she would also guard her heart. Aiden, no Whiskey, was trying to make up for the past. She could see how important it was to him, so she would let him, but once the danger was gone, she was leaving. The MC could keep the farm as her way of saying sorry for all the shit she had caused, but then she was going to finally live her life outside of the shadow of the past.

  Link, though, was another problem. Addy didn’t think the oldest Frost brother would go along with or like what Whiskey had planned. Link had always hated her, even when they were kids, he didn’t want her around his brother. Once she and Aiden got together in high school, he became worse, always telling her that Aiden was going to leave, not to get too attached, and that all she was to Aiden was a piece of ass. Damn, it might have been true, but Addy always wondered why he had to be such a jerk about it.

  After he and Aiden left, his taunts continued because he had made sure Val and everyone else in school knew she was nothing but a slut, Aiden Frost’s leftovers. Addy had heard it so often, she became immune to it. When she found out she was pregnant, Val and her tribe only made the rumors and Addy’s life worse. There wasn’t anywhere she could go to escape the vile woman's wrath. When Pop had gotten too sick to take care of the farm, Addy was almost relieved when she was forced to drop out of school to take care of things.

  Addy needed to look past all that background shit. She would never like Val and her bunch of bitches, but the others, well except Link, she owed all of them an apology, starting with Tuck. Yeah, she should probably start with Whiskey, but she needed more time and strength to deal with him. He still got to her, and what really bothered her was that she still wanted him just as badly as she had all those years ago.

  If she was going to do this, and she was, then she needed to protect herself because she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Whiskey would drop her once again, and she couldn’t go back to being that person again. She wanted more, she wanted a life with love and friendship, she didn’t want to continue to live in the shell she created to protect herself.

  Maybe if she approached this whole Old Lady thing as her coming out party, then she would be okay. No expectations, no demands, have fun while it lasted, and realize that it would end. She would have a good time while it lasted. She didn’t know if that was the right way to think of this, but she really couldn’t come up with anything else. Addy could let Whiskey in only so far because this time their relationship would be on her terms. She wouldn’t let feelings and thoughts of the future anywhere near what they were doing.

  First things first, she needed to get a hold of Carri. Those assholes had mentioned her and something about her car that scared Addy. When she talked to Tuck tomorrow, she would mention it, but right now she needed to talk to her dearest friend. Whiskey had left his phone on the dresser when he left the room. Dialing the number she knew by heart, she waited to Carri to pick up the phone.

  “Where the hell have you been? I have been trying to get a hold of you for two fucking days.”

  “Well, hello to you, Carri. Is that how Lexington’s brightest lawyer is supposed to answer the phone?”

  “Fuck you, Addy. What is going on? I’m out of town with a client and someone messed with my car. Then you don’t show up, and I can’t get a hold of you, only to have Tuck call to tell me you’re at the MC and not to worry about you. Well damn, the man isn’t too bright if he thinks he can say that, and I will instantly not worry. I’m stuck here, but if you need me, I can be on a plane in a matter of minutes.”

  “No, Chica, I am just fine right now. I’m at the Club. Some stuff went down, and I needed to come to them, but I wanted to make sure you were all right. These people who were after the farm mentioned you and your car. You need to watch yourself and keep safe. Tuck was right, though, don’t worry about me. Whiskey is taking care of me, and the Club is taking care of the farm.”

  “You don’t sound right, Addy. What’s really going on and what do you mean Whiskey is taking care of you?”

  “Damn, Carri, a lot has changed. Aiden knows about Sunshine and pretty much everything that happened back then, but this stuff and all that has made me realize some other things. I’m not all that happy with the way I have been acting. I’ve been blaming the Club and everyone else for what happened to me instead of looking at the real reason, Carri. I was just as much to blame as anyone else, probably more. I’ve been taking a real hard look at myself, and I don’t like what I am seeing.”

  “Oh, Addy, that’s not true. You needed to work through it all, you were so young, and everything happened so close together. Shit, I don’t think you have had a moment to take the time to think about all that happened. You and Aiden, the farm, and the baby, then Pop and Jamie. Dang honey, just a few of those things would have broken someone, but you made it through. Even my stuff back then added to the problems. You never got the chance to just live for you. Now you can do that, without worrying about anyone or anything else. Get through this stuff with the Club and Aiden, put it all behind you and then you can finally move on.”

  “Yeah, that is what I am hoping for, too. Stay safe, Carri, I don’t know if I would make it through if something happened to you. These people are bad news, please, just watch yourself.”

  “I know it won’t matter what I say, but don’t worry about me. I’m at a client’s estate, and trust me, this place is safer than Fort Knox. Take care of yourself and keep in touch.”

  “Will do, Carri, I love you.”

  “Love you too, honey. Stay safe.”

  With that out of the way, Addy felt a little better knowing Carri would be safe. She could focus on what was happening here, and what she was going to do going forward. That was just about as much self-reflection as she could take. Getting up, Addy made her way to the shower, the same shower she had watc
hed Whiskey jerk off. Well turn about was fair play. Addy needed a little tension reliever of her own because the next few days would be hell on her body.

  Chapter 11

  Whiskey made his way downstairs, the place was still deserted, but a couple of people had wandered back, and the booze was flowing. Blade was behind the bar, as usual, serving up the drinks and talking with the people at the bar. Blade was one of the old-timers in the Club having come down when Link took over as President.

  The old President, Stony, had decided that the Defiance chapter would be filled with young blood and that was why he voted Tuck into his position when he decided to step down. Blade decided that us young fucks needed a little guidance, so he stayed behind to help out, and truth be told, the man had become invaluable to them. He was the ear that always listened and the old soul that knew a thing or two, so he could offer just enough advice to help you make your own mind up. The man was like a father to all of them.

  Shit, Whiskey was getting all girly mushy. He was glad that the guys couldn’t hear the thoughts that had been going through his head in the last couple of day, they would never let him live it down. He was changing, and although he liked the changes, he was sure some of the guys would have problems with them, because the Club wouldn’t be his first and only responsibility anymore, Addison was going to take center stage. He just hoped he could keep her there.

  “What’s weighing on you so hard young blood,” Blade asked?

  “Ghosts from the past old man. What do you got behind that bar that will help with the exorcism?”

  “Damn son, from the looks of it, those ghosts won’t disappear with any spirits I have. Just remember to stay away from the drink you're named after, nobody needs the crazy that liquor causes in your brain,” Blade laughed