Whiskey: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 1)

by Chelsea Handcock

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Whiskey laughed. Whiskey knew it, too. He couldn’t drink the booze he was named after because he did go a little crazy or a lot crazy, depending on who you talked to or who had witnessed the phenomenon. He wasn’t a mean drunk, but one shot of his nemesis and all bets were off. It was like a match lighting a stick of dynamite in his blood.

  “How about just a beer?”

  “Now, that I can get yah.” As Blade made his way to the cooler, Talon came up and sat next to him.

  “How’s Addy?”

  “You don’t need to worry about Addison, Tal, I have her now, and that is all you need to know.” Whiskey felt a little sorry for his tone, but Talon had kept shit from him too, and he was still a little raw from finding that out.

  “Listen, I get that you're pissed, if I were in your situation, I’d be pissed too. Maybe I should have told you, but at the time I was sixteen years old and both my brothers had just up and left me. Link told me to keep my mouth shut and to continue with our plan. I didn’t agree with him, but damn, Whisk, he was the closest thing I had to a father until Tuck came along. I knew the shit he was saying about Addy wasn’t true, but I didn’t want to rock the boat, and truth be told, I was pissed at both of you.”

  “Yeah man, I get that, but shit, dude, she was pregnant with my kid, you could have said something.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, and I won’t beat a dead horse, but, shit man, would it have made a difference? You’re not the same person you were back then, you’ve changed.”

  Blade brought both of them a beer and for a long while they sat there not saying a thing. Tal was right. After he drank the rest of his beer, Talon stood up and clamped his hand on Whiskey’s shoulder.

  “For what it’s worth, I’m glad your back and are helping Addy out. You were so mad back then you never saw what the rest of us did. You and Addy are made for each other,” with those words, he walked away.

  Whiskey thought about his younger brother, man they had done him wrong. Left him with no family and hardly looked back or thought about what it might have done to him. Talon was a good brother, both in the Club and by blood, but if Whiskey had to think about it, this wasn’t the life for him. He was too soft-hearted, always had been. Talon never got off on the adrenaline high like him and Link. He was cautious and smart, or at least he had been as a kid. The truth was, Whiskey didn’t know much about the man.

  Talon kept his shit close to the vest. He couldn’t remember a time when they talked about anything more than superficial matters or Club business. Talon was the Clubs information specialist, he had more computers and programs then Whiskey had ever seen in his life, and he made those puppies purr. He was proud of him. Shit, had he ever once told him that? Damn, these come to Jesus moments were really getting on his nerves. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and get to work. Getting up, he slapped his hand on the bar to get Blades attention, nodding to the Old man in thanks.

  Walking down the hall, he stopped at Tuck's office and knocked. Tuck’s bellowed yeah came shortly after. Whiskey wasn’t surprised to find Link in the office with Tuck. This room was where they conducted most of their business outside of Church. Whiskey really didn’t want to deal with Link, but his brother needed to know what was going on and that Whiskey would no longer tolerate his treatment of Addison. Once a Brother claimed a woman as their Old Lady, she was to be respected, and Link better get on board, PDQ. Whiskey didn’t start with that, though, he had a few other things on his mind.

  “Any new information? Do we know who took Crank and Cathy?”

  “Yeah, it was the Vultures, Crank confirmed it before he passed out. He also confirmed that Addy was just a means to an end. They wanted the property because of its proximity to us and the caves. He overheard them talking, and someone had the place all mapped out,” Link growled.

  “Fuck man, how the hell did they even get them? Crank alone could take down an army, and Cathy’s dogs are trained, highly trained. I just don’t get it.

  “I don’t know about the dogs, but Crank and Cathy were celebrating their anniversary. They had thought that Peyton had sent them a bottle of champagne so they both drank it but it was drugged,” Link said.

  “Peyton would never do that, hell, she loves Cathy. She even left her business and her dogs in her care when she went to live with Bas. That does make any sense,” Whiskey argued.

  “Fuck, man, I know that, I’m just telling you what happened. After they drank the champagne, they both passed out. Crank woke up in the caves, but whatever they drugged him with made him slow. They had them all of one fucking day.”

  “What about the surveillance we set up around the property, why didn’t that pick anything up? Hell, man, we spent weeks locking that place down.”

  “Crank asked me to take it down he had something planned that he didn’t want to be caught on tape, I’m not going to get into it, but I had Jinx do it two days ago,” Tuck was the one that answered.

  “Shit, fuck, this whole thing sucks. How’s Cathy doing?”

  “Not great, she’s been in surgery now for a few hours, the fuckers messed her up. Crank is still in the infirmary; I had Doc knock his ass out, he’s in no shape to be running around right now. Brass and Tank are at the hospital waiting for any word on Cathy’s condition. I know we won’t be able to keep Crank down, so I’m sticking around until the big ape wakes up, and then I’ll take him to the hospital myself. I let the boys know the Club is open for a party, but a mild one, limited to Club people. I want the Vultures to think it’s business as usual until we find out where they’re holed up. Then we will take them down like the bitches they are.”

  Whiskey could see the pain in Tuck’s eyes, he and Crank were close, probably closer than any of the Brothers. Having this happen to him and his woman had to be weighing heavily on their Prez. The bitch of it was, Whiskey would only add to his problems.

  “Damn straight, Prez. I wanted to get an update and tell you I talked to Addison. She is on board and will talk to you in the morning.” Looking right at Link he said, “But I want to make one thing very clear, Addison is my Old Lady now, and that means she is to be treated as such. Any Brother that doesn’t, will have to abide by Club rules, got me?” Link wasn’t the one that answered, Tuck was.

  “No Brother in my Club would ever disrespect an Old Lady. I get that you two have some shit you need to work out, but get it under control. We are going to fucking war, and I can’t have you two fuckers at each other’s throats. Link, you are the VP of this Club, get on board or get the fuck out. I’m not going to say that shit, again. Addy is here to stay and is a part of our family, deal with it.”

  Link didn’t comment, just got up and walked out the door. Damn, looked like he was going to throw a temper tantrum just like he always did when he didn’t get his way. The fucker couldn’t handle it if he didn’t get his way. The thought caused a small smile to crease Whisk’s lips.

  “Listen up asshole, I don’t know what you did to convince Addy to follow through with this, and I won’t ask, but if you hurt her again, I won’t stand on the sidelines and let that shit fly this time. I need your head in the game, things are going to get bad. We have the Vultures, and that FBI prick breathing down our necks. I can’t have two Officers at each other’s throats over some stupid ass shit. Understand?”

  “Loud and clear, Prez. Just to let you know, I have no plans on hurting or letting Addy or this Club down, in any way.”

  “Glad to hear it. Be ready to ride in the morning. I want every patched member out and about to find where these fuckers are holed up. I don’t care how many rocks we have to turn over to find them.”

  “Understood, I’ll be ready.”

  Whiskey didn’t know what to do with himself. He could either go back to the bar and drink himself into oblivion or go upstairs and torture himself. Neither seemed like a good idea at the moment, so he made his way to the infirmary. His Brother was hurting, and his woman was in the ho
spital. Addison wasn’t directly to blame, but she had a part in everything that had happened, making it his responsibility. He thought nothing he could say or do would make what happened right, but he could support Crank.

  Chapter 12

  Addy was having the best dream, Whiskey was laid out before her like a smorgasbord, and she was running her tongue all over his delicious tattoos. She was hot and bothered, but determined to complete her task. The dips and curves of his muscles were calling her name, and she wanted to taste every inch.

  SMACK!

  Addy bolted awake, the sting on her backside enough to break her pleasant dream. When she looked up, she expected to see Whiskey there smirking at her knowing what she had been dreaming about, and that really pissed her off. But, when her eyes finally came into focus, it was to see someone she hadn’t seen in a very long time.

  “Cinny!! What the hell girl,” Addy said, rubbing her abused butt and trying to untangle herself from the blankets on the bed, so she could launch herself at her friend.

  “Heard you had fascinating couple of days, cut my trip back home short, so I could come back and see for myself what was going on.”

  Cinny was someone who had never met a person she didn’t know. She was friendly and beyond beautiful. Her Hispanic heritage added to her beauty in a way that few people could pull off. All that tan, smooth skin and dark, glossy hair only added to her appeal. If Addy swung the other way, Cinny would be on the top of her list to experiment with. She was also a genuinely nice person. The one thing that Addy liked best about the woman, she made no excuses for the way she lived her life. She was a Club Puppet just like Reagan, but unlike Reagan, she really owned her place in the Club.

  “You have no idea,” Addy laughed and hugged her friend.

  “Oh, I don’t know about all that. Rumor is, Whiskey claimed you, and now you’re an Old Lady.”

  “Yeah, that’s not all of it. Shit, Cinny, what am I going to do? I don’t even know where to start,” Addy bemoaned, the smile falling from her lips.

  “Well, how about we start with you getting yourself dressed? You have an appointment to see a very unhappy president. After that, we can catch up on everything else that has been going on.”

  Leave it to Cinny to cut to the chase. Addy knew what she had to do, but she had expected Whiskey to come back and talk to her sometime last night. She should have known better than to expect anything from him. He was a runner, and Addy doubted he would ever change. It also made her realize that she needed to stick with her plan, let this thing between them play out, but not let her heart into it.

  Cinny pushed some clothes into Addy’s hands and pointed her body toward the bathroom. With one quick smack to her bottom, she tried to send her on her way. Addy gasped, and Cinny laughed.

  “Hon, I’d get used to the love taps if you’re going to be Whiskey’s Old Lady, that man likes it kinky.” She said bobbing her eyebrows up and down.

  Addy looked to Cinny questioningly, did she really want to know if the two of them had been together or should she just let sleeping dogs lie? Thankfully Addy didn’t need to ponder the question further.

  “Nope, not going to do it, you know what I am, and what I do. If I had had that boy, it’s in the past; when a member of the Ruthless Bastards takes an Old Lady, they don’t mess around. That shit is for life. So, get those thoughts right out of your head. From what I heard, you agreed to this, so you need to get a thicker skin, babe, because if you’re sticking around, you’ll see things that will fry your brain. You have one duty and one duty alone, support your man and this Club. If you can’t do this, then don’t agree, your choice.” That was the other thing about Cinny, she was blunt as hell, an attribute Addy used to love about her, now she wasn’t so sure.

  Addy went into the bathroom and did her business, taking care of her personal needs, and then showering. She knew she needed to talk to Tuck, and she would give this thing with Whiskey a shot. In the end, if she needed to leave town to move on with her life, she would do it. But, right at the moment, being an Old Lady and acting like one was her only option.

  Drying off, she grabbed the clothes that Cinny had handed her; the bra and underwear were luxurious and her size, they also had tags on them, so Addy had no problem putting them on. She might love Cinny, but she didn’t want to share underwear with her. Once she put them on, she looked at herself in the mirror. The bruises Ogre and Blank gave her were still vivid, but the dark purple, satin and lace bra and panties were the bomb. They fit her like a glove and made her boobs do things Addy had never seen before. The panties made her feel even sexier, if that was possible, the lace highlighted the plumpness of her butt in a sexy way. They were French cut, high on the hips, there was lace on the outside that framed her ass, and the satin felt amazing on her skin.

  Addy got a little perverse joy in thinking about what Whiskey would do or say if he saw her right now. Maybe he would be the one to beg. She grabbed the black tank and stared at it. Damn, did Cinny buy the thing in the children’s department. It was so small she didn’t think she could get one of her boobs into it, let alone both. The only other option she had was the shirt she had worn yesterday, and that wasn’t an option at all considering she had already had to put it on twice. Forcing herself into the small garment, she gasped at her reflection in the mirror.

  The wondrous things the bra did to her boobs, the tank only emphasized more. Little pieces of purple lace peeked out giving whoever looked a small glimpse at what she was hiding underneath. Addy had never been a showy girl. Shit, she still wore dresses on Sunday just to feel kind of feminine; maybe she needed to go shopping with Cinny. At least, that was what she thought until she had to force her ass into the tightest shorts she had ever come into contact with in her life. Damn, these things put Daisy Dukes to shame, they wouldn’t work.

  Addy picked her jeans up off the floor and put them on instead. Those shorts were just too much change for one day. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Addy looked at herself in the mirror and hardly recognized herself; the thing was she liked what she saw. Her eyes had fire, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. As long as she could keep her heart to herself, Addy might find the women she was meant to be. If Whiskey gave her a few orgasms along the way, more power to her, right? When she walked out of the bathroom, Cinny was sitting on the bed and laughed.

  “I knew you wouldn’t wear those shorts. Damn, I tried, but shit sugar you look beautiful even without them. Come on let’s get this meeting with Tuck done, and then I’ll give you a crash course in Old Lady 101. I might not want to be one, but honey do I know some things.”

  Addy couldn’t help but laugh with her. When Cinny locked elbows with her and started for the door, Addy realized she missed this since Carri had left, she had isolated herself so much that she missed having a girlfriend. Talking on the phone wasn’t the same.

  Addy wondered what Cinny could teach her about being an Old Lady even though she wasn’t one, but she assumed that Cinny would know more about Club life than anyone. The one woman she could have gone to was hurt and at the hospital because of things Addy had set in motion. If she had just spoken up sooner or told Tuck what was going on, Cathy would have been the one to show her the ropes. Damn, she really hoped Cathy pulled through.

  Tuck was in his office, a place Addy had never seen before, and from the looks of it, the man needed an assistant. There were papers everywhere, she wondered how he found anything. She didn’t miss was the scowl on his face. Tuck was a friend, had been a friend for a long time, helping her when she was at her wits end and had nowhere else to turn. He stood by her when Sunshine died and did the same when her grandfather passed. The look on his face hurt Addy, she had let him down, and that was the last thing she had ever wanted to do.

  “Addy, have a seat.”

  She wanted to cringe at the formality she heard in his voice, but this was her fault, and she needed to own up to it. Taking a seat, she straight
ened her back and waited for what was to come.

  “I understand that Whiskey spoke to you, and you have accepted his claim.” He said nothing else, so Addy just nodded.

  “Not good enough, Addison, I needed the words. By accepting Whiskey’s claim, you are agreeing to be his woman and in the eyes of the Club, that is as close to being his wife as you can get without the preacher and the paper. Do you understand what I am getting at?”

  “Yes,” Addy answered

  “Okay then, I asked Cinnamon to give you the basics. Usually that would fall to Cathy, but as you know, she can’t do that right now. We also can’t bring in an Old Lady from another Chapter to show you the ropes, so you’re just going to have to deal with what’s available.”

  Addy swallowed the spit in her almost dry mouth and almost choked. She hated this tension between her and Tuck, but she didn’t know what to do to change it. She hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him what was happening and ask for help, and now he was as much caught up in this mess as she was. Addy also felt like she was lying to him, if not by deed, but by omission. For the time being she was Whiskey’s Old Lady, but she had no plans of making that a permanent title.

  “Okay, Cinnamon is waiting for you in the bar.”

  “Tuck…”

  “No, Addy, I can’t talk to you right now. I have two members of my Club in the hospital because of something you could have prevented. I asked you what was going on and you chose not to tell me and put yourself in front of this Club. That is your first lesson, the Club always comes first, before your man, before your kids, and before yourself. Learn that lesson well, Addison, your life might depend on it.”

  Addy wanted to say more, but Tuck wasn’t even looking at her anymore, he was glaring down at the papers on his desk. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn’t do it. He was right, she had caused some of this, and she would do what she needed to fix it. She just didn’t know what that was yet.