by Sam Crescent
“Oh, shit. I’m Matthew, Duke’s kid from The Trojans.” He held his hand out.
Normally she wouldn’t take any other boy or man’s hand, but this guy seemed completely non-threatening.
“Tabitha, Eva and Tiny’s kid from The Skulls.” She shook his hand, making sure he knew she wasn’t any pushover.
She wasn’t a fool. Her mother had told her there would come a time she’d be part of the club, that it wouldn’t always be only men. She also knew The Skulls. She’d be either an old lady or for the rest of her life known as Tiny’s daughter.
Neither of them appealed to her, but that was the way it was.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Really?”
“Believe it or not, we’re not all here to cause conflict.”
She glanced over at the men, who were acting like a bunch of children. “Could have fooled me.”
She sipped at her orange soda as Matthew stood beside her. He was a lot taller than she was, muscular as well, reminding her of Drew. Thinking about him reminded her once again of home.
“Do you think they’ve done this to laugh at us all?” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“The fancy house, the large garden, the entire mansion that proves they’ve got wealth. The kind that we’ll never have.”
“I don’t know. I think the Billionaires are on a mission, and it’s not to look down on anyone.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t trust them?” Matthew asked.
“If you were really a Prez’s son, you shouldn’t either.”
“You’re a little young to be this … pessimistic.”
Tabitha thought about the beating she’d gotten years ago. She’d been just a kid then as well, and she’d experienced many hospital trips herself all because of some rift or another. “When you grow up in The Skulls, you’ve got to learn to take care of yourself. There are always enemies lurking around to take their place. Don’t think for just a second that because this is peaceful that it will remain so.” She grabbed a grape soda. “Excuse me.”
She made her way across the garden, aware of Simon’s eyes on her. He was always watching her, and she loved it. Glancing over at him, she saw the jealousy in his eyes, and rolled hers.
Taking a seat beside Daisy, she handed her a soda.
“Who was the hottie you were speaking to?”
“You saw that.”
“Simon was foaming at the mouth.”
Tabitha smiled. “Matthew. Trojans’ boy. Seemed kind of nice.”
“I wish someone would look at me the way Simon does you. Whenever he’s around, he’s always following you.”
Tabitha looked toward Anthony. Her friend was playing it cool, but she was more than aware of who he was watching. “You’d be surprised.”
Chapter Two
“I am really sorry about this,” Angel said.
“Don’t worry about it. They’ll do this. Stand up to one another and then get over it,” Holly said. The men were each walking around the large garden, trying their hardest not to break each other’s necks.
“It’s kind of hot,” Mary said.
Holly turned to her best friend and laughed. “Hot?”
“Yeah, all these hot, sexy men. Don’t you see it? I know Pike is going to be pretty impressive later tonight.”
“Can I just say that I totally love your blog,” Angel said. “I have tried your pumpkin pie recipe, and oh my, it was so good. I’m not really a fan of pumpkin, but that is the bomb.”
Holly loved hearing about the success of her and Mary’s food blog. “Thank you. How many times did that recipe take to perfect?”
“Fifteen. The guys were stuffed on the pie at thanksgiving,” Mary said.
“I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. You love to cook?” Holly asked.
“I do. I find it rather relaxing, and if ever there’s a problem at home, some cooking helps.”
“Problem?” Holly asked.
“Of the emotional kind. You know, relationships. I like to think I’ve helped a couple of the guys find their women, or at least win them over.”
“Oh.” Holly took a sip of her water, glancing around.
“Holly, you’re a Trojans woman. The Prez’s old lady. I’m Lash’s, and he’s The Skulls Prez.”
“I know this.”
“I want to attempt to make this visit as peaceful as possible for all clubs, but let’s be real. We’ll never have the chance to be real friends. Don’t for a second think that I will feed you secrets about my club. It’s not in my nature.”
Holly was surprised at the woman. She’d heard a lot of rumors about Angel, about how sweet, kind, and vulnerable she was.
Holly’s club had always been the Trojans MC. No matter what her parental makeup said, her father had been Russ, the Prez before Duke took over. She would do whatever it took to protect her family and her club.
Angel had seemed like an easy target of getting information. Staring at the woman now, she saw there was a strength within her that at first look, no one would see. She was a good match for Lash. Holly saw it now.
“I apologize.”
“I accept. If you’ll excuse me.” Angel got to her feet and moved on.
Holly sat back.
“Wow, that was a little tense,” Mary said. “Why did you have to go and do that? She seemed nice.”
“I know. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You were protecting the club,” Zoe said, speaking up. “Nothing wrong in that. This is not about building bridges. We’ve got to be on the top of our game.”
Holly didn’t like how miserable that sounded. “Duke’s worried that they’re planning a takeover of each club.”
“Nah, that’s not going to happen,” Zoe said. “They’re not going to take over.”
“What do you think it’s about, smarty pants?” Molly spoke up.
“I think this is more about trying to find a mutual agreement.” Zoe picked up a couple of nuts and began chewing them. “They’re into that whole trafficking gig, right?”
Holly nodded. Their men had all told them what the Billionaire Bikers were about. It was no secret what the men did, at least not within the Trojans. Glancing around the garden, she checked out the women that had arrived. Not all of them were old ladies, but that was okay. She was used to the club whores back at home.
“So, I think they’re trying to get men who help them with that,” Zoe said. “It seems the most possible solution.”
“You putting your college education into that answer?” Mary asked.
“Whatever, but all of these men, they know what they want, and you can see it. Question is, will Duke sign up to help or tell them all to go and get fucked.” Zoe finished off her nuts, and Holly glanced over at her man.
She didn’t know what Duke would do.
It would be his decision either way.
****
“We shouldn’t be here,” Rage said.
Saint was more than aware of that. He glanced around the garden and couldn’t help but be a little … disappointed. For the longest time he’d been tempted to cancel this trip, but his old lady, Natasha, had told him to stop burning bridges and to actually build some, which he found impossible.
“Stop being a spoilsport,” Natasha said. She held his hand, and Saint looked down into her smiling face. “Come on, you promised you’d be better than he was. Your father wouldn’t have been here.”
“If Saint’s dad had been here, everyone would have been dead, kids included,” Vanilla said.
Saint glared at Vanilla.
“What? I’m right though, aren’t I? Your father was a monster of the highest order. You can’t be pissed at me for speaking the truth.”
“You’re not helping,” Natasha said.
“Just keeping it real.”
He felt Natasha tense at his side.
“Come on, let’s go and mingle.” She tugged on his arm, and Saint couldn’
t help but look back, seeing his men laughing at him.
Ever since he’d married Natasha, he’d become more amenable to doing certain things. Normally, he liked to shoot first and ask questions later. Of course, that didn’t always get results. He had a lot of blood on his hands, and he wasn’t ashamed of it, not anymore. He’d done a great deal in his time, but the one thing he could be completely proud of was his club and what they’d achieved together.
“Why do you have to do this?” he asked.
“Because it’s good for you. It’s good for all of us,” Natasha said. “You yourself said that you were interested about what was going to happen. The only way to do that is to get to know other people while we do.”
“I don’t trust this, Natasha.”
“You won’t know until you try, and I refuse to let you ignore all of this. If you decide against whatever they want, then I get it, I do. You’re the boss.”
He rolled his eyes, not really feeling like the boss right now.
With Natasha on his arm, he could do this though.
They came to a stop in front of a dark-haired man with a brown-haired woman on his arm. He knew instantly it was Russ Wyatt, Prez and one of the reasons why he was here.
“I’m so pleased you could make it, Saint.”
“Yeah, well, it certainly seems like a family event, but I’ve got to know what this is all about.” He didn’t allow any of his men to bring their kids. Their old ladies, sure, to show they weren’t entirely hostile, but all of their kids were back home. He wouldn’t run the risk of bringing all of his family here.
“Yes, your lack of trust has been noted,” Russ said.
“Enough,” Anna said. “You could have brought your families. We wanted this to be a family event, not just for adults.”
He’d seen the bouncy castle, and he was shocked to see the other clubs had indeed brought their families. It did allow him to breathe easier though. They were not a club known for shooting up little kids.
“Why don’t you tell me what all this is about?” Saint asked.
“I will. There’s going to be a meeting later. As the day wears on, I’m hoping you will learn to relax, and then we’ll all sit down for a meeting.”
Russ held out his hand, and Saint was a second away from ignoring it until Natasha gave him a reminder in his ribs.
After shaking Russ’s hand, they moved on.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because you’re trying to be nice and right now you’re not showing it.”
They came to a stop in front of Devil. Saint didn’t need an introduction, and he stared at the older man.
“Saint,” Devil said, nodding his head.
“Devil.”
“Wow, you’d think they had a stick up their ass. I’m Natasha.” She held her hand out to Lexie, Devil’s wife.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Soon they’ll all get along like good little boys,” Lexie said.
He didn’t avert his gaze from Devil. Saint wasn’t stupid. Devil would gladly kill him, the kids’ presence be damned.
“Let’s go and get a drink,” Lexie said, taking Natasha away from him. He wanted to stop his woman, but it seemed their old ladies had completely other ideas.
“You didn’t bring any of your family,” Devil said.
“You’re a fool to have brought yours.”
“Or you’re just too fucking stubborn. Wow, that stick really does stay firmly up your ass. Can you even twitch or does Daddy say you can’t?”
Saint took a step toward Devil. “You want to throw one down with me, old man?”
“You think because you puff out your chest, and keep your kids safe, it makes you a better leader, a better Prez, than everyone here, guess again, hotshot. It makes you a fucking fool,” Devil said.
Saint chuckled. “I’m protecting what’s mine. This shit turns bad, I’m not going to have to worry about much of a body count.”
“I’ve stared death in the face more times than you’ve taken a shit, boy,” Devil said. “You may be a good Prez in the Saints, but out in the big world, you need to learn to read between the lines.”
Saint wasn’t liking this conversation.
“You can rule with an iron fist, but there will come a point when that iron gets worn. The Billionaires reached out to us not to kill, but to negotiate. You think not bringing your family makes you look tough, but it doesn’t. It just goes to prove that like your father, you can’t read between the fucking lines.” Devil stared him up and down. “I had a run-in with your dad a long time ago. He thought he was so tough.”
“Oh, yeah, you faced my father and still lived to tell the tale? Stop your lies, old man.”
Devil smiled. “You’re not the first piece of shit to think they’re better than they are. I saw your father, and he had that same cocky-as-fuck look to him. Thought he could take on the entire world. He tried. Bless him, did he try, but in the end, I showed him what a useless piece of waste he was. Mind your manners, boy. I’ve been dealing with bastards like you since you were in diapers.”
****
“What about him?” Lindsey asked.
Pie rolled his eyes as she pointed out yet another Dirty Fucker. “Not happening.”
“Come on. I mean, seriously, Pie, you’re totally ruining whatever kind of buzz this was supposed to be. They have a bouncy castle, and there’s lots of food. There’s kids running around, and you’re acting like someone is going to hold a gun to your head or something.”
“Or something.” He wasn’t having her looking at any of the other MC men.
“Then why bring me here? We’re supposed to be hunting for Mr. and Ms. Right. How can we do that if we can’t even look?”
“This is not for you to have a social call. I’m sorry, Lindsey. I brought you here so that we could have some fun. Not to continually go on dates, or talk about screwing around with other MCs.”
She sighed. “Admit it, you just love spending time with me.” She winked at him, and he sighed.
Lindsey was a lot of fun and not like any of the women he’d known before in his life. She was so full of energy, always bubbly, and even when he was pissed, she had this way about her that stopped him from being angry.
“Look, this is a serious thing, okay? At any point shit can go south.”
She pushed some hair off her face. “Maybe if all you boys learned to play nice, it wouldn’t have to be that way.”
“Babe, we’re all in different MC clubs. We struggle to play nice with each other in the fucking same club, so how is that going to work?”
“Simple. You go up and start talking.”
Pie knew he was going to regret this. “Okay, babe, show me and all of us how it’s done.”
She giggled, clapping her hands. “Excellent. Come on, now. Let’s go and have some fun.”
Before he could stop her, she had hold of his hand and was rushing him across the large yard. He glanced back at Duke, hoping his Prez would help him. No such luck there. His club was staring at him as Lindsey pulled him into the hunting ground. He wasn’t afraid of any of these motherfuckers, and never would be. They were all going down as far as he as concerned. All it had to take was one of them to say anything out of line, and he’d end them.
When they came to the middle of the group of Dirty Fuckers MC, Lindsey stopped, placing his hands on her waist as she smiled up at the large men. She’d done this many times, especially when she didn’t want them to think she was an easy target. To Lindsey, if he held her, that meant he had responsibility for her, and in a way, she was right.
She was such a beautiful, sweet thing. Lindsey loved to party, all right, and to have a lot of fun, but beneath all that was a very talkative, sweet, caring woman. He adored her, if the truth was to come out. While some of the brothers found her to be a little on the irritating side, he actually found her refreshing.
Unlike the club whores, she never sank down to her knees and begged to take his cock. She merely gave him this cute look
that always made him laugh.
Stop your fucking thinking!
“Hi, everyone.”
They all just stared at her.
Pie stood waiting to see what the hell would happen. If any of them thought to make his woman cry, he’d have it with them all.
Not that she was his woman in that way.
“Don’t you think it’s all a little strange right now? I mean, it’s like my old high school. A bunch of us were all from different schools, and they forced us all to come together. Put us in different classes, and before we knew what was happening, we’re all good friends.”
Again, they all stared at her.
Lindsey was that kind of force to be reckoned with.
When it came to dangerous situations, she was fearless. It was one of the many things he adored about her, her inability to be scared about what could happen or would happen.
“I’m Kitty,” the woman in the middle of the group said. “It’s nice to meet you. This here is our Prez, James. His wife is over there. Then you’ve got Damon, Sean, Dane, Leo and Paul, who kind of come together as one, and then Pixie.”
Lindsey stepped up to them and shook each of their hands. “I’ve got a curious mind. My mom once said that my curiosity will get me killed. My thought is, you won’t know if you don’t ask. So, why are you two like one?” She looked at the two men standing close together.
“We do everything together,” Leo said.
“And we share one woman. Skylar is over there.”
“Oh, that is so fantastic. Pie, I think I need that,” Lindsey said. “Do you think we can find men to be, like, my days of the week? Monday through Saturday. Sunday can always be your special day.”
All of the men were looking at him. “I’m the guy that’s helping her find her Mr. Right.”
“You’ve got your hands full there,” James said.
“You got that right.”
“I just love your nails,” Lindsey said, now in conversation with Kitty.