Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books

by Kathryn C. Kelly

  “Lucky me.”

  She held onto her tears. “I’m not doing this right now, Bryce,” she said, his given name slipping out before she caught herself.

  He didn’t give her a chance to apologize, before he backhanded her. She landed on the bed and clutched her jaw, scrambling away when he lunged for her again. “I’m leaving.” By sheer will, she kept her tears at bay. Still, her voice trembled. “I won’t ask you for anything. I’ll leave it up to you the extent you want to be in your baby’s life.”

  Once she arrived at Meggie’s, she’d announce her pregnancy and they’d all congratulate her. They’d give her the support Trader was refusing to offer. Holding on to that thought, she got to her feet, uneasy with Trader so close, just staring in her direction, following her every move.

  “I’m sorry for using your name.” He had quite the hang up about that. Why, she wasn’t sure. At this point, she wasn’t interested in finding out.

  He didn’t respond, so she inched past him. She didn’t need her belongings right now.

  “Don’t walk away from me.”

  “We can talk when you calm down,” she answered as she headed out of the room, not wanting to inflame his temper by giving him the silent treatment.

  “Think you’re bringing your ass to Megan Caldwell?”

  Pausing at the door, she glanced over her shoulder. “Yes.”

  “Not if you walk away before I allow you to go.”

  She huffed. “Trader—“

  He smirked at her. “Remembered my name rule, huh, cunt?”

  Her lips tightened into a straight line. If she walked away, he’d pursue her and really hit her hard. Besides, he was right. She owed it to him to listen to what he had to say. He’d fathered the baby she carried, so he should get his feelings out in the open. She raised her chin, preparing herself for any cruel words he might throw at her. “I’m listening to whatever you have to say, then, please, let me go to Meggie’s. They need my help.”

  “You think?”

  Shifting her weight, she glanced away. She wouldn’t let Trader’s meanness affect what she knew were genuine friendships on Roxy and Meggie’s parts.

  “Come here.”

  Already knowing what he had to say, she leaned against the door. “I never meant to get pregnant. I must’ve forgotten my pill at some point.” His look darkened. Any other words she might’ve said died on her lips. “I’m sorry,” she finished, cutting her conversation short.

  “It’s done now.”

  If not for his coldness and the fury lighting his eyes, his statement might’ve given her hope.

  “I’m having you barred from the club.”

  “What? You can’t—“

  “Why not?” He laid his finger against his jaw, one of his favorite gestures when he was being a full-blown asshole. “Oh, I know! You’re good friends with Outlaw’s cunt.”

  Oh, she wished she was recording this, so she could let Outlaw hear Trader calling Meggie a cunt. She frowned. On second thought…did she really want nothing left of him? Outlaw would obliterate Trader.

  “You’re at my fucking club because of me, not her. You’re not her equal. Outlaw married that bitch. I’m never marrying you. You’re not good enough to have my name.” He stalked closer and thrust his face into hers, his favorite intimidation tactic. “You work for that little bitch. Otherwise, you’re nothing.”

  She opened her mouth to defend herself and Meggie.

  “You know I’m telling the truth,” he cut in. “Outlaw protects her to the point of obsession. If we’re over, you’re out.”

  “You’d do that to me? Make Outlaw bar me and cut me off from the only income I have?”

  Could he do that? In this case, who’d have more weight? Outlaw didn’t allow his boys to abuse women, but there was also a no-interference policy in place for all other matters between the brothers and their women.

  She gave Trader an imploring look. “I don’t care if you’re with other women.” He fucked around, whether she cared or not. “You can even drop me, but, please…Please, keep our breakup between us. Meggie’s my friend and—“

  “Meggie’s your employer.”

  Technically, she was, although Outlaw signed her pay checks. But Meggie had never treated Bunny as only an employee. They were friends. Not that Trader wanted to hear that. At the moment, he didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. She’d never get Trader to listen to her reasoning while he was in his current frame of mind. “We’ll discuss this tomorrow. I know the pregnancy is a shock. We’ll work this out. I don’t want our baby to live in a hostile environment.” She didn’t want to live in such an environment any longer.

  Wrapping his hand around her hair, he jerked her head back and stared into her eyes. In his gaze, nothing reflected back. Not love, hate, or compassion.

  The first blow to her stomach trapped her breath in her lungs and she gasped, too shocked to feel initial pain. The second punch caved her body in. Trader released her hair and she crumpled to the ground. He kicked her and a scream finally escaped her. She attempted to curl into a ball but he dropped to his knees and gripped her thighs.

  Instinctively, she fought through her agony, attempting to protect her stomach and the fragile new life inside her. But it was too late. Already, wetness seeped between her legs and cramps assailed her.

  Trader yanked her to her feet and punched her stomach again, administering three additional blows in quick succession. Silent tears streaked her face and the pain immobilized her. She was losing her baby. She should’ve left when she’d had the chance. If she’d gone by what a sonofabitch Trader was, she wouldn’t have stopped.

  “Now, sweetness,” he huffed out, “clean yourself up. If I haven’t taken care of the problem, I will when I get back. Everything will be back to normal between us, so you’re welcome to stay with me. Oh, yeah,” he added, “if you have the ability to walk after your well-deserved ass beating, head on over to Outlaw’s house.” He snickered. “Personally, I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere, anytime soon.”

  Through her haze of tears, Bunny watcher Trader saunter out of the room, whistling a cheerful ditty. As if he hadn’t just taken from her the one thing she’d wanted most.

  Christopher swigged from his bottle of tequila, waiting for his shot at the pool table. So far John Boy was pocketing those motherfucking balls without fail. Glaring at Johnnie’s increasing smugness, Mort wrapped his hands around his cue stick and rested his chin, until Bailey stood on the other side of the man cave, a recreation of the main room at the club. The girls were there after finishing last-minute shit for Bailey’s baby shower tomorrow morning.

  Suddenly, Mort didn’t look so fucking outraged at Johnnie’s luck. He straightened, leering at Bailey’s exposed skin. Taking another swig and looking over his shoulder, Christopher snickered and thumped Mort’s shoulder.

  “Hey, pervert,” Val called. “The action over here.”

  “No, the action with Bailey and all her pretty skin she showing off.”

  “She’s showing off her belly, not her skin,” Johnnie came back, indicating the pocket he was aiming for. He had one fucking more to go before the eight ball.

  Kendall threw a kiss at Johnnie and he pretended to catch it. Winking at her, he placed a hand over his heart. She blushed.

  An idea formed in Christopher’s head. Something to stop Johnnie’s winning streak. Motherfucker was decent at pool, but this shit was ridiculous. Out of all of them, Val and Arrow were the best players, hands fucking down. Arrow and Cash seeing to the Bobs left Val to shine at pool. Motherfucker hadn’t even gotten a shot since Johnnie broke the goddamn balls.

  “Watch this, Val,” Christopher said under his breath. He cleared his throat, as Johnnie positioned himself. “Fuck, I think Kendall ain’t happy. Just look at that bitch all sad and frowny.”

  As expected, Johnnie turned as he pushed his cue stick. Distracted, he didn’t take such care aligning himself. The shot went wide. Unfazed, he set the
stick aside and headed for Kendall.

  Mort clapped Christopher’s hand with his. “That’s some low-down ass shit, Prez.”

  “Who gives a fuck?” Val crowed, while Christopher powdered the cue’s tip. “It fucking worked.”

  Keeping a watch on Megan out of the corner of his eye, Christopher indicated the far right pocket. Megan laughed at something Johnnie told her and it took all his concentration to make the shot. Payback was a motherfucker.

  “I’m over here, Johnnie,” Kendall called.

  Val groaned. He leaned against the banister that separated the pool table from the rest of the room. “We shouldn’t have invited the girls, Outlaw.”

  “You been noticing a change in Red?” Mort asked, swiveling his head between the women and the pool table. “She been reverting back to the pre-separation days.”

  “Don’t make me any more fuckin’ sorry I ain’t finished chokin’ the fuck outta her when I had the fuckin’ chance,” Christopher grumbled, setting up his eight-ball shot.

  “Puff told me Kendall stopped her meds.”

  Mort’s mouth dropped open. “Why the fuck Red did that?”

  “That’s what I say,” Val responded. “But Puff didn’t know. She believe Kendall got a reason, though. She been working on some big case with Brooks and she said the anti-depressants take the edge off everything. She not as aggressive in the courtroom either and that’s fucking with her.”

  “Prez, uh, you okay with that?” Mort asked. “I mean I hear where Red coming from. If it calm her down, it’s reasonable to say it affects all areas of her life.”

  Christopher pocketed the eight ball. “As long as it don’t affect Megan, I’m leavin’ that bitch alone.”

  Megan went behind the bar to the refrigerator. When she returned to the tables where the girls sat, she placed a bottle of sparkling cider and wine on the table, then headed to them, holding Mort’s pint of Skittles-infused vodka.

  “Thanks, Meggie girl. Nobody blend it as perfectly as you do.”

  She rolled her eyes and giggled. “Whatever.” Turning to Christopher, she braced her hands on his chest to balance herself, then stood on tiptoe. “Hey, you,” she whispered.

  “Hey baby,” he told her, bending and kissing her. “Soon as Ghost and Arrow get the fuck here and we have our meetin’, I’m gonna fuck you.”

  “I can’t wait for you to come.” She gave him a saucy wink at her play on words.

  “Wicked brat.”

  “Bad biker.”

  She spun away, giggling as he slapped her ass.

  “Thanks for getting the glasses, Bailey,” she said, her voice floating to Christopher after she returned to the tables.

  “Damn my woman fine,” Mort commented, guzzling from his vodka.

  Johnnie returned with a glass of Scotch. “Not finer than my woman.”

  The door opened and CJ stepped in, dragging a red-faced Rebel behind him. Never letting CJ too far out of her sight, Harley toddled in their wake, as fast as her little legs could carry her.

  “MegAnn!” CJ yelled. “Ant Woxy say bwing Webel. Her falled.”

  “Hey, boy,” Christopher called before Megan spoke. She was already out of her chair and heading for CJ and Rebel. “Get the fuck over here, CJ.”

  Megan lifted their girl into her arms. Christopher marveled at how much the two of them resembled each other. Same golden hair and bright, blue eyes. It was fucking scary. He had images of Rebel growing up and falling for some old motherfucker who Christopher had already decided to kill.

  Now that Megan had Rebel, their girl began to cry. CJ still hadn’t moved, so Megan interrupted whatever she told Rebel to talk to CJ.

  Stepping beside him, Mort studied Harley, who’d taken CJ’s hand now that he didn’t hold his little sister’s.

  “Prez, you think we gonna be in-laws in the future?”

  CJ giggled at whatever Megan said, and Harley imitated him, laughing around the binky in her mouth.

  “Fuck, Mort, I ain’t sure.”

  “You two do realize they’re children? Babies?” Lifting his glass to drain it, Johnnie joined Christopher and Mort. “Thirty-one months and sixteen months, respectively. Their attachment doesn’t mean shit.”

  “You no fun, John Boy,” Val complained, his eyes lighting up when Ryan crawled in. He paused in the doorway and didn’t continue forward until his twelve-month-old brother, Devon, caught up to him. Ryan had taken it upon himself to teach the kid that crawling trumped walking any day. Since Devon had just started walking, Christopher understood that crawling, to Ryan, was a faster mode of getting from point A to point B.

  “Um’mon, Dev. Like this,” he instructed, darting toward Zoann.

  Behind Devon, Christopher’s other son and Rebel’s twin, Rule, toddled in, with Rory tottering behind him.

  Kendall clapped. “The king has arrived!” she cried. Rory threw her a gummy grin, obviously enjoying those words.

  Instead of taking offense, Christopher decided it was some type of game they played.

  “Yo, Megan, you ever lettin’ my boy get his ass here? He fuckin’ know better than to call you MegAnn.”

  “MegAnn my mommie, ‘Law.”

  He shared an amused, knowing look with Megan. “That’s my wife, boy.”

  Just like Kendall calling Rory a fucking king, this conversation between him and CJ was their thing.

  Adjusting his mini cut, CJ rushed to Christopher, climbing onto his boots and lifting his arms. He hadn’t encouraged the boot climbing to pick his boy up. Initially, it had been so CJ could reach the handle on the clubhouse door. Standing on Christopher’s boot gave him the extra height to reach it.

  “Up, ‘Law,” he whined, wiggling his fingers. He looked tired. It was past CJ’s bedtime, but Megan had allowed the kids to stay up since their cousins were visiting, although the seven kids acted more like siblings.

  Obliging his boy, Christopher grinned at the feel of his son’s little arms around his neck.

  “MegAnn mine,” he said, leaning back to stare into Christopher’s eyes.

  “She mine first,” he countered. “She my beautiful angel.”

  “MegAnn ‘Law angel?”

  He nodded.

  “MegAnn my mommie and ‘Law angel.”

  “How fuckin’ generous.”

  Carrying Rebel, Megan guided Rule by the hand to where Christopher and CJ stood. On her tiptoes, she kissed CJ’s shoulder. “I’m your mommie and Daddy’s wife. Remember?”

  “Uh-huh,” his boy answered, nodding his head with exaggeration.

  She raised her hand. “High-five.”

  “High-five,” CJ echoed happily, slapping his hand against Megan’s.

  Turning her attention to Christopher, she frowned, worry creasing her brow. “I still can’t reach Bunny.”

  “Maybe, she got fuckin’ tied up with Trader, baby.”

  “She would’ve called.”

  “Want Bun-Bun,” CJ blurted.

  Sighing, Christopher set his boy down. CJ promptly went to Mort, who now held Harley and was making a fucking ass out of himself for her laughs. Binky still in her mouth, she gripped his dreads and concentrated on him with adoration.

  Megan handed Rebel to Christopher, then lifted Rule, the quietest of all the kids. He was an observer and a thinker. CJ was a doer.

  Christopher kissed Rebel’s forehead. She was a cross between both of her brothers, and Christopher hadn’t decided if that was good or bad. Once she touched his cheeks and chin, she laid her head on his chest, content to be with her daddy.

  Meanwhile, Christopher didn’t like Megan’s worry. “Listen up, baby. If she not here or you ain’t talk to her by the time these motherfuckers leave, I’ll send Arrow or Cash to their fuckin’ place.”

  “I’m so worried. A few weeks ago, her arms were all bruised. I think Trader’s mean to her.”

  Weeks ago, Megan had said something similar and Christopher had pulled Trader aside, warning the motherfucker to leave Bunny the fuck
alone if he was doing her something. Even fucking with her head by flaunting other bitches to her. A couple days later, Megan mentioned she’d found Bunny in tears in the guestroom she sometimes used. Exercising more fucking patience than he was used to, Christopher had gone back to Trader and told the motherfucker how much Megan cared about Bunny. Unless Trader was a completely moronic motherfucker, he should’ve taken Christopher’s second conversation as a warning. This bullshit was upsetting Megan, so it upset Christopher. But it was also working on his fucking ass.

  Grabbing her jaw, he pulled her to him and kissed her. He never got enough of her kisses. “I know how much Bunny mean to you. Ima check into shit.”

  “Okay.”

  He bent closer to her ear, intending to fuck with her, but he couldn’t resist licking the shell and biting her lobe. She shivered and gasped. “Gimme a hour then I’m tearin’ your pussy up.”

  Her eyes brightened and she flushed. “Can I suck you off first?” she breathed.

  “Megan, c’mon, baby. You really gotta ask to suck my cock?”

  Shaking her head, she kissed his chest.

  “Harway!” CJ whined as Bailey took Harley, although Mort didn’t look pleased.

  “We have a big day tomorrow, sweetheart,” Bailey explained to CJ. She released Harley and crouched to eye-level with his boy.

  “Fuck, Bailey, stand up.”

  Ignoring Mort, Bailey smiled at CJ. “We’re having a party for the new baby. Help Mommie with your brother and sister, then sleep so you can be nice and fresh to watch over Harley for me tomorrow.”

  “Okay, Ant Bail.” CJ threw his arms around Harley, who hugged him back. “Night-night, Harway.”

  She babbled to him.

  “Omigod, we so have to get photos of them together tomorrow,” Megan said happily as Bailey got to her feet.

  “We do,” she agreed, turning to Mort and plastering her mouth to his before saying, “We’ll be at the house, Lucas.”

  “We just got some business to finish here, pretty girl.”

  “Let’s see if Momma has any King Cake stashed away.”