Daddy Protector: MC Romance (Pythons MC)

by Sadie Savage

  “Thanks,” Michelle said, avoiding Blade’s eyes as he helped her off the bike. His strong hand engulfed her own entirely and she had to fight another forbidden sensation of longing away. It was absurd. She had never felt this strongly toward anybody before. Not even her own husband. It was probably just the grief getting to her. She shouldn’t pay those feelings any mind.

  They walked silently to the docks, where the sun was just beginning to set off in the horizon. It was absolutely beautiful and both were lost in their own thoughts for a few moments as they watched the sky begin to change colors, from light blue to vibrant pinks and oranges. It would be like this for about another half an hour, and then they would be left in the dark.

  “Want to sit down?” Blade asked, leading Michelle to a makeshift bench at the end of the dock. It was all so familiar. She remembered when the wood had been new. Now it was aged and had suffered the elements. It looked all the more charming for it, really.

  “Thank you,” Michelle said, sitting down quietly. It was nice to have a few moments of peace, without the hum of conversation in the air, or the prospect of Alan coming home angry hovering over her shoulders. Sure, he would be angry when she went back that night. There was no avoiding it. He hadn’t wanted her to pay her respects to her father. Michelle had been wrong about him. The other half of her tooth had been knocked out of place when she had insisted she go and she was afraid of what might happen when she finally returned to a husband who had been defied.

  “So are you going to tell me what happened to that pretty face of yours or are you going to make me guess?” Blade finally asked, sitting down on the bench beside her.

  Michelle closed her eyes, trying to ignore the hot tears that were welling up inside of them once again. It was odd; it was her father’s funeral, but she felt like she was crying just as much about the idea of going back home to her husband after having one more intoxicating taste of the life she used to have.

  “It’s just hard to talk about,” Michelle said, her voice hushed. In truth, she had never spoken of Alan’s abuse in depth. Not once in their six years of marriage, especially after the way the people at the police station had received her.

  “My husband,” Michelle finally whispered. “He hurts me.”

  It had started out innocently enough, with apologies and vows to be a better man, but as time wore on, he forgot that he was the one doing wrong and blamed every little problem in his life on Michelle. She wasn’t sure where she could turn.

  “That son of a bitch!” Blade growled, getting to his feet immediately. “I’ll tear his dick off!”

  “Please,” Michelle said, reaching out to touch Blade’s arm. Every muscle in it was flexed as if he were ready to go in for the kill. It was touching in a way. And sexy. “That’s not helping.”

  “Not yet,” Blade growled. But he sat back down beside Michelle and grew quiet, allowing her to speak once again.

  “It’s happened for a long time,” Michelle said. “I tried to file a report about it but the police just think I’m Alan’s crazy wife. They either don’t believe a word out of my mouth or they just don’t care. They look out for themselves and each other. Like it’s some kind of club, and not a group of men trusted to protect and serve those who are wronged.”

  “Sick little fucks,” Blade grumbled, shaking his head in disgust. “They don’t know what real power is, so they make it up for themselves. Haven’t you tried to leave? The guy just isn’t worth it!”

  “I tried to run away once,“ Michelle admitted. “But Alan found me right away. He’s everywhere. He probably knows exactly what I’m doing right now. I don’t know what all he’s got bugged. The only reason he’s not here right now is because he knows the MC is dangerous. He needs to make sure he’s safe and protected, you know?”

  Blade scoffed, but nodded. “I get you, kid. So you’re stuck.”

  “I’m very stuck,” Michelle said, taking in another wavering breath. She had thought it would be torturous to speak about Alan’s abuse. It had been nearly impossible with the men at the police station, but sitting on the dock in the peaceful twilight with Blade, it actually felt good to get it off her chest. Comforting.

  “Why did you ever marry a prick like that in the first place?” Blade asked, chuckling humorlessly. “Did he put on a good show?”

  “Yeah,” Michelle said, a little smile on her lips. Alan had been so charming at first. He appeared to be everything she had ever wanted in a partner. He was driven and dedicated and generous…but it had all been an act to lure her in.

  “Well you’ve got to be careful with guys, Michie. Go for the ones who don’t beat around the bush. Who refuse to bullshit. To an honorable man, that’s a fuckin’ philosophy! They’d rather die than lie to a woman, let alone put hands on her! Leave that piece of shit and find someone who always tells the truth.”

  “Like you?” Michelle asked, half-teasing. “I know it takes a huge python tattoo like yours down the arm to inform me that I’ve picked a winner.”

  The tattoo was actually pretty sexy though and she wished she hadn’t brought attention to it. Blade’s sparkling blue eyes caught hers and he grinned, but said nothing.

  “I wish I’d never married him,” Michelle admitted suddenly. “I’m afraid to go home.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Blade said decidedly, standing up and offering Michelle his hand.

  “What do you mean?” Michelle asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion and taking Blade’s hand.

  “Like hell I’m going to take you home after everything you told me!”

  “Well where are we going then?” Michelle asked, her heart filling with fear. If she didn’t return back to Alan, she would be in serious trouble.

  “You’re coming with me. Back to the MC. It was your home once and it will be your home again.”

  Michelle’s eyes widened. The MC! Alan would never step foot there. They were the only men strong enough, with a tense enough history with the police department that Michelle would be safe with. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?

  “Unless…you have a problem with that?” Blade said, his face sparkling. She knew that even if she did have a problem with that, Blade would get his way sooner or later. It would save them both some time to just submit now.

  “No,” Michelle said, relief flooding her breast for the first time in years. “It’s no problem at all.”

  Chapter 4

  When Blade burst through the doorway of the MC, all chatter died down and all eyes turned to Michelle, who walked meekly in behind him.

  “Everybody, Michelle’s had a hard break and she’s going to be staying with us for a while. No fuckin’ funny stuff with her, I swear to God or you’ll pay! This is Zeke’s little girl, you got it?!”

  The room was suddenly alive with activity as the bikers lounging about the bar raised their glasses and cheered, shouting welcomes to Michelle, who acknowledged them wearily.

  “Come on, kid. I’ll show you to your room.”

  Michelle seemed relieved to hear this and followed Blade up a long, winding staircase that Michelle remembered fondly and down a long hallway to the door in the back.

  “Snake and his old lady moved out of here ages ago, so we have a room vacant. The rest of the guys have their own places. It was just your dad and me who lived up here at the end. I’m going to miss him.”

  Blade cleared his throat. It was hard to be emotional about a thing like this, but he and Zeke had known each other since they were shithead teenagers, causing trouble down in town. It had been awe-inspiring for them to meet Snake, 15 years older than them and goal-oriented. The man was downright organized and it took no time at all for the three of them to get the most well-respected MC in the area started: The Pythons.

  “I’m going to miss him, too.”

  “You know, he talked about you all the time. You were his pride and joy,” Blade said, remembering his conversations with Zeke fondly. It made him feel a little
bit misty-eyed though and he cleared his throat quickly. “When you’re ready, I’ll have you go through his things. His room is the same one it’s always been. Everything in Snake’s old room should be fresh and clean but I’ll bring in new sheets just in case. You never know with these fuckin’ animals.”

  Michelle blushed and looked down at the ground and Blade cringed. He always managed to say too much. But to his surprise, Michelle laughed.

  “I appreciate it,” she said, finally looking back up at him. Blade was caught in her eyes, she looked neither like her father nor her mother. She was completely unique. Her eyes were a dazzling emerald, with flecks of gold that seemed to dance when she smiled, and her auburn hair cascaded in waves down her back as if she were some kind of supermodel or something. It was ridiculous.

  “Well, whatever we can do for you, we’re going to do it. Not just for you, but for Zeke. It’s what he would have wanted.”

  Michelle looked down at the ground again. This time Blade knew he’d struck a nerve. Maybe he should just let the poor girl get settled in before trying to run his damn mouth at her.

  “Blade?”

  Blade paused as he turned away from her and looked over his shoulder just in time to catch her eye.

  “Yeah, kid?”

  “Thank you,” she said, her beautiful gaze boring into his and making him feel frozen in place, right there in the fuckin’ hallway. “I really appreciate everything you’re doing.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he managed to say and walked briskly down the hall.

  ***

  That night, Blade laid awake, anger burning in his chest. What kind of good for nothing so-called man laid his hands on a woman? Let alone a beautiful, delicate little rose like Michie? He had half a mind to leave right then and there to take care of the piece of shit once and for all.

  But he wasn’t safe outside of MC turf. The relationship that the bikers had with the local police department was a rocky one and if either was caught outside of their turf, everybody knew what would happen. The pigs would get slaughtered, and the bikers would get tazed, cuffed, and thrown in the slammer without any real charges to file against them. Needless to say, there was a lot of tension between the two organizations.

  The MC did its best to operate outside the law but that could only happen if both groups respected the line in the sand. Speeding into suburbia to pummel a rogue, woman-beating cop would definitely get him into some hot water. He was going to have to play it smart, especially if he wanted to stick around long enough to make sure that Michelle got back on her feet. He owed it to her, for her father’s sake.

  When Blade finally managed to fall asleep that night, his dreams were haunted by images of Zeke, telling him to keep his daughter safe. Those dreams ended eventually and paved the way for dreams that he would rather die than to let into his mind. Dreams of Michelle lying beside him in his own bed, half naked and grinning at him; her perfect body just barely revealed to him beneath the satiny sheets.

  Blade woke up in a cold sweat, furious at himself.

  “Get a fuckin’ life, you pervert!” he hissed to himself in the mirror when he got up to relieve himself. The past few days had been unbelievable. He was probably just coping with his grief in a shitty way.

  “Blade, what are you doing up?” Jackal asked, drying one of the big beer glasses from behind the bar. Many of the men in the MC had left and gone home for the night, leaving only a few stragglers too drunk to make the trip back home.

  “Couldn’t sleep,” Blade grunted, sitting heavily at one of the bar stools. “Give me the hardest thing we’ve got.”

  “Of course,” Jackal said, sliding Blade a shot.

  Blade took it quickly and felt the warmth of the liquor work its way inside of him. He couldn’t let himself get carried away. Michelle was vulnerable. She’d just lost her father. Having dirty old man thoughts right now was the last thing he should be doing. She was in trouble. She needed their help- Blade’s protection. How would he be able to perform properly if all he could think about was how sexy she was? Besides that, she was practically just a kid. It was wrong, pure and simple.

  “I couldn’t sleep either,” Michelle said softly from behind him. Blade nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice, soft and almost sensual near his ear.

  He turned to Michelle and raised an eyebrow. She had changed clothes, he noticed, and was wearing a black t-shirt with the Python’s logo on it. It was way too big on her and the way it dwarfed her body, falling lightly over her perfect breasts was maddening.

  “Where’d you get the shirt?” Blade asked, tearing his eyes away and demanding another drink from Jackal.

  “I found it in the room. It’s clean. I’m tired of wearing that dress.”

  Blade nodded. He had never understood women’s fashion. What was the point in being uncomfortable all day just to look good? Still, he had never complained about seeing a good-looking woman flaunting her body.

  “Don’t blame you for that,” Blade said, avoiding her eyes to take another shot. “Dresses never fit me right.”

  Michelle was quiet for a moment before bursting out in a beautiful pale of laughter and Blade grinned at her. It was nice to see her smile. Really nice, actually. Her entire beautiful face was lit up brightly like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

  “I’m sure you’d look better in a dress than I ever could,” Michelle said as her laughter died down. “I swear…”

  “I doubt it,” Blade said darkly, uncomfortable about the way he was once again forced to remember the girl’s body. Was it really possible Michelle had no idea how attractive she was? It seemed like a sin.

  “Listen,” Michelle said, sitting up in the bar stool beside Blade and sighing deeply.

  “Uh oh,” Blade mumbled. “That’s a lecture breath.”

  Michelle laughed again and slapped his shoulder playfully. “Stop it! I’m trying to be serious.”

  Blade raised his eyebrow and gestured for her to continue, and Michelle rolled her eyes at him. Why was it so much fun speaking to this girl? Shouldn’t they both be in their own rooms right now, stuck in an endless cycle of grief? It would almost make him feel better to be crying over Zeke right now as opposed to practically flirting with his best friend’s child. It was wrong.

  “I just kept listening for you to get up and, I don’t know, go teach Alan a lesson or something,” Michelle finally said miserably. She had washed all her makeup off sometime during the night, so her face, no matter how radiant, still looked battered. Just hearing Alan’s name made him furious all over again.

  “What’s wrong with teaching that piece of shit a lesson?” Blake growled.

  “I just don’t think I could live with myself if anything happened to you…on my account,” Michelle said quietly. “It was keeping me up all night, worrying that you were going to do something rash that might ruin your life or affect the MC.”

  “Trust me, sweetheart, I wouldn’t do anything to negatively impact the MC. Not even on your account.”

  Michelle seemed both relieved and maybe a little offended, and sighed. “Good. I don’t want you to confront Alan about this. He’s the chief of police, you know? It could go down badly for you if you tried to say or do anything.”

  “That stupid bastard is the chief?” Blade exclaimed. “What the hell?”

  Michelle laughed again and shook her head. “I know. It’s fucked up.”

  “It’s a little more than fucked up, kid. The more you tell me the harder it is for me to stay put!”

  When Blade saw Michelle’s face fall, he sighed heavily. “But don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything rash. I’m not as stupid as I look.”

  “You don’t look stupid,” Michelle said, her intoxicating eyes serious upon him.

  “That’s beside the point,” Blade laughed, trying to shake off the intensity of his attraction toward her. She was a young woman. Married to the chief of the pigs, no less. And his best friend’s daughter. How much more trouble co
uld he ask for? He couldn’t find more if he was looking for it!

  “I’m serious though,” Michelle said. “I’m worried about you. I don’t think I could handle it if I lost another person in my life…except maybe Alan.”

  “Don’t worry about a thing, sweetheart. You just stay put here and nobody would dare touch you. Even if Alan knew right where you were, you know those chicken shit police aren’t going to do anything about it. They mind their own affairs and we keep to ourselves. It’s the way it is.”

  “I don’t know,” Michelle sighed. “I just have a bad feeling about this.”

  Blade put his hand over Michelle’s and smiled as soothingly as he could muster.

  “Nothing is going to happen to you, Michie. Not while I’m around.”

  Michelle searched his eyes and he grinned again. It would be easier to make her laugh than it would to acknowledge that she cared for him, even if it was just leftover care from childhood. In fact, that kind of made it worse. It reminded him that he could just as easily be her dad. This feeling he had was sick, really. He would have to be careful with it.

  Michelle shook her head and smiled.

  “All right,” she finally said. “I trust you.”

  Blade smiled painfully at her, secretly watching her as she got up from the stool and headed back upstairs to sleep. She trusted him. That meant that no matter what, he wouldn’t take advantage of that trust. He would treat her with nothing but the utmost respect and that would be the end of it.

  Chapter 5

  “Breakfast!”

  Michelle sat up groggily, her heart lurching. Had she overslept? Alan liked to have his breakfast at 5am sharp, before he left for work.

  But when she opened her eyes, the unfamiliar interior of what used to be Snake’s room jogged her memory. She hadn’t slept at home with Alan that night. She had stayed overnight at the MC, too terrified to go back home and face what would ultimately be the beating of her life.