The Other Half of Me: (Dragon Skulls MC)

by Rose Briner

“I was laughing to myself, but you remind so much of a mother who takes care of your family, that’s all,” I smile at her shyly. I glance wearily over at Drag, but he’s too busy glaring at his wife.

  “You are a member of our family, Natalie. Anything you need from us you just ask. We don’t have any kids, so you and Parker are our children as far as we are concerned. Want to go shopping for clothes next week? You must be short on clothing to wear, and I’ve been dying to shower someone with some gifts,” she states enthusiastically, and I can’t help but smile back at her when Drag throws me a pleading glance. Clearly Drag is over Dorothy smacking him.

  “I would love to Dorothy,” I tell her shyly.

  I watch her face fall, and she looks down at her plate.

  “I was kind of hoping you might call me mom. Everyone else does since Roman here is club president and all.”

  “Don’t push her so hard, dear. She’s had a long couple of days, give her some time.”

  I feel his hand pat my knee gingerly before he resumes eating his meal.

  I take a large bite of mashed potatoes to occupy myself with something to do so the sudden quietness at the table doesn’t turn awkward.

  “So, Natalie, where are you going to be staying?” she asks suddenly.

  I almost choke on my mouthful of potatoes. I wasn’t expecting that question so soon, although the thought has crossed my mind. I hadn’t even considered that. Shit, what am I supposed to say to that?

  I feel Parker reach for my hand under the table and he squeezes it gently. “Don’t worry Mom; she’s staying with me. We need her on the compound so we can keep her safe. Anywhere else and she’ll be vulnerable to anyone who tries to nab her.”

  I see the concern flash in Dorothy’s eyes before she clears her throat and its gone once more. “Very good, you take care of her son, you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand,” he squeezes my hand one final time before he lets go and finishes the rest of his food.

  After we finish helping to clean up, Parker grabs me by the hand and drags me over to the couch where Dorothy and Drag are sitting together, “We’re going take off. I want to get her settled as soon as possible so she can meet the others in the morning. Plus, I have some things I need to discuss with her.” Great, he wants to play babysitter. Maybe that’s why he invited me into his bed.

  “Take her to the house son, not inside the clubhouse, she doesn’t need to deal with the men today,” I wonder what that’s about.

  “You didn’t take out the trash yet?” he asks Dorothy.

  “Garbage pickup isn’t until the end of next week,” she smiles at Parker solemnly. That’s not a happy smile.

  “Let’s go,” he grunts as he drags me behind him.

  “I wanted to hang out with Dorothy; I like being around her,” I tell him sadly.

  “I need you more than they do,” he says as he tosses me my helmet. Guess I can’t argue with that, now can I? Guess he’s not my babysitter. That thought makes me smile.

  Less than five minutes after we take off, we are pulling up to a large property with a steel fence blocking the view inside.

  A flashlight greets us right in the face when we pull up to the gate.

  “Who is there?” snarls a gruff voice.

  “Open the gate dickweed. How dare you question who I am, where’s Tim at?”

  “Sorry VP, his first day,” says another man as he emerges from the shadows. “That’s Jack,” he gestures to the man beside him. He looks him over before he snorts and looks back over at Tim expectantly.

  He opens the gate, and we pass through.

  “Damn prospects,” he grumbles as he pulls up his bike to where the others are lined up.

  He seems to be in a real hurry as he dismounts and starts throwing bags over his shoulder and takes off. I put my helmet down and take off after him. I can barely keep up with him as he practically takes off running down the property.

  “Slow down, Parker. I can’t keep up with you,” I practically shout at him, he immediately slows his pace.

  “Sorry, I want to get you settled so we can talk about some things before tomorrow morning.”

  He stops in front of a beautiful single-story home and starts to fumble with the key. I look around in the semi-darkness and find we are the only house back this far on the property. I wonder if that was intentional.

  I shrug as he throws open the door and turns on the light. He looks around in disbelief and then laughs. “Guess they were right for me not to worry about getting this place set up.”

  I slowly enter the house and shut the door behind me. The place isn’t huge, but to the right, there is a living room, to the left is a kitchen and dining room combo, and straight down the middle is a hallway leading to bedrooms. The place has all brand-new furniture and appliances. No one has lived here before us.

  “Let’s go put the bags in the master bedroom, and then we’ll sit down to talk,” he suggests as he picks up the bags and heads off down the long hallway.

  I get the feeling based off of his abruptness that this isn’t going to be a conversation I will enjoy having.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Parker

  I just want to sink balls deep into my girl, but I can’t do that without telling her what I need to say first. If I don’t tell her now, I might not get the chance. I have this tendency to get wrapped up in her, and then I forget everything I was supposed to be doing.

  I walk into the room we will be sharing here and set the bags down on the floor next to the bed. I reach for mine, not wanting to leave it on the floor and knowing the rest of the bags can wait until later. I dump my items out on the bed and put my gun and pocket knife in the top drawer on my side of the bed. Natalie is watching me out of the corner of her eye, but she doesn’t say anything about the gun. I’m sure she knows that’s for our protection. You never know who might show up on the property.

  “Come on,” I grunt as I pull Natalie out of the room and back out to the couch. I start the electric fireplace and settle her onto my lap so she can stay warm.

  “What is it, Parker?” she asks hesitantly when I don’t say anything for a while after that.

  He rubs his hands down his face and over the top of his hair before grabbing my hands, “Remember how I told you I don’t have a girlfriend or a wife?”

  I feel her stiffen, great she thinks I’m going to tell her that I lied.

  “I don’t have either one if that’s what you are thinking. There’s a girl that hangs out around here; we call her a club whore, although she’s fucked with men all over this state, she mostly hangs out around here. There are several club whores here, but that particular one thinks I’m going to put a ring on it or something.”

  “Are you going to?” she asks cautiously. I can tell she doesn’t like the direction this conversation is taking.

  “I don’t ever plan to put a ring on any finger,” I reply curtly, and she flinches slightly at my tone. Great, I just officially ruined this moment. “What I mean is that I don’t plan to put a ring on anyone’s finger until I am sure I’ve found the right girl. I only plan to marry once and have one Old Lady, make sense?”

  She shrugs, but don’t offer any verbal response.

  “Well, I told her to get lost before we left, but apparently she’s still here hanging around. I just wanted to let you know so you can avoid her. Her name is Daisy; she’s about your height, blonde pixie cut, and giant fake boobs.”

  I tickle her when she snorts loudly, “I’ve got to see this girl for myself. You sure you don’t want to put a ring on one of those fake tits? A piercing or two would do the trick.”

  I stop laughing, and she follows when she sees I’m trying to be serious, “No but seriously, that woman is dangerous, especially since she thinks she has some claim to me. Avoid being alone with her; she might try to kill you; she’s tried that before. She’s driven lots of women out of here, and when she finds out I belong to you, she’s going to flip.”

  “Oka
y, I understand,” she replies, all traces of humor gone from her voice.

  “There’s one other thing. The reason this house is setup the way it is and unlived in is that my ex-girlfriend, Allison, can’t fulfill her duties anymore, so we will have an extra person living here with us.”

  “Your ex is coming here to live with us? Don’t you think that would be uncomfortable for the both of us?” I almost laugh at the look of bewilderment on her face.

  “No silly, she’s not coming to stay here. I didn’t realize Allison was a club whore until it was too late. She didn’t sleep around with the men here but at other clubs. It is a well-known fact that I don’t tolerate my women sleeping around with members of this or any other club,” I throw her a pointed look.

  “Seriously asshole? How dare you suggest I would ever do something like that,” I fight against her as she struggles to stand from my lap. “Let me go before I make your balls my personal punching bag.” I quickly release her and watch as she goes to sit in the armchair on the other side of the room.

  I sigh as I realize she’s not going to be coming back, “That’s not what I meant, I just wanted you to understand that I don’t play these games that some of these women like to play.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not like these other stupid women, and if you ever imply that I am again, I’ll walk off this compound, and you can explain to Drag why I’m not here anymore.” I’ve got to remember to be careful what I say around this one as she crosses her arms defensively over her chest.

  “Anyway, back to my point,” I need to get this out before I lose my nerve to tell her one of my secrets. Better I tell her than Daisy. “Allison ended up getting pregnant, and I have a six-year-old son. She can no longer care for him and wants more money from me, so I’m going to petition for full custody at the end of next week,” she doesn’t say anything as she stares towards the fire. “Is that going to be an issue for you?” This could decide whether this relationship is going to have a future or not.

  “That’s not my place to say anything about it, Parker. You do what you’ve got to do, but are you sure that’s your kid?” She’s dead serious; she doesn’t smile or look in my direction once the words have left her mouth.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I growl at her menacingly at her before I can catch myself.

  “You said she was a club whore, who says that’s your kid, that’s all,” she shrugs like saying that is nothing and I watch as she stands and walks away without another word or a backward glance in my direction.

  She could be right, but I don’t have the time or the luxury of questioning if that’s my kid. I must strike while the iron is hot if I have any hope of getting my kid back in my life. But she does have a point as much as I don’t want to admit it to myself. I hate that she has me even exploring the possibility that Brandon is not my kid.

  I pull out my phone and dial my lawyer, not caring that it's already after eight at night. I must get this done as soon as possible.

  “This is Andrews,” answers an annoyed voice on the other end of the line. Clearly he doesn’t realize he’s talking to me, or he wouldn’t answer like that. With the amount of money we pay him, he doesn’t have the right to speak to me like that.

  “Andrews, this is Parker Martinez, I need a DNA test done immediately on Brandon. You should have that sample of my hair I sent you still, correct?”

  “Yes, Mister Martinez, I have the vile here in the drawer still,” he replies in a much calmer voice.

  “Good, please do it first thing in the morning, this is urgent,” I tell him before I disconnect the call. God, I hope that is my kid because that was my one shot at having a family. I don’t plan to have another kid, ever. With my past, the last thing I need is to bring another child into this world.

  I set my phone down on the counter and move about the house doing a security check and arming the alarm system before I pull off my shirt and head into the room to see what Natalie is doing.

  She’s putting her things away, ignoring me as she doesn’t turn to face me when I enter the room. The way she stiffens, I know she knows I’m in here with her.

  I watch her for a while, but finally walk over to where she is and whirl her gently around to face me. I pry the shirt from her hands and force her face up to meet my gaze. “I’m sorry I was so short with you, I’m just frustrated that Allison put me in this situation, and I just want a little bit of support, okay? I requested a DNA test be done tomorrow morning so that I can put my fears to rest. You’re right I need to find out if that’s my kid. I’ve been paying child support for six years, and now she wants even more money than I already give her.”

  She looks up at me; something has changed it her eyes as she stares up at me.

  “I’m tired, I just want to go to sleep,” she says as she reaches around me and picks up the shirt I took from her. As I watch her fold and put a few more of her things away, that’s the first time I see how tired she really, truly looks and suddenly I feel terrible for putting my problems before her.

  I reach down next to her and pull her other bag up from the floor to search for her pills.

  I look down at the bottle with a weird name and scratch my head. I’ve never heard of these pills; I’m going to have to go to the store and get her something else to take for tomorrow. I open the bottle and shake two pills into my hand and force her around to face me. She won’t look up at me, and I’m not sure if the reason is because of what happened between us or because of these damn pills she’s been taking.

  “Here,” I encourage her to open her hand so I can drop the pills into it and give her the bottle of water. I stand there and watch as she makes a face at the pills and then pops them into her mouth and swallows them dry. She shoves the bottled water back at me and turns to get into the bed. She doesn’t speak a word as she snuggles into the blankets and closes her eyes.

  I try to think of something to say to her, but what is there to say right now? All she would do is stare back at me blankly and blink up at me with those blue eyes that seem to have lost some of the light they had just hours ago.

  I exit the room and slowly close the door behind me after I click the light off.

  I stand there with my back against the door trying to decide what to do. I could just go to sleep in one of the other rooms, or I can go and try to find out what the fuck Fig gave her. I look down at my phone and see her smiling back at me from my phone, and that makes my decision for me. I grab my keys and walk out the door. I look back at the house one last time before I shove my hands deep in my pockets and walk off towards the compound gate.

  “Tim!” I shout as I look around in the darkness. No one comes out, so I start yelling like a mad person, “Prospect where the fuck are you? Tim if you don’t bring your fucking ass out here right now, there will be hell to pay tomorrow!”

  They don’t call me Thunder for nothing; I’m one loud ass motherfucker when I want to be.

  “Coming, VP!” shouts Tim as he comes running from the distance. Jack is trailing behind him like he doesn’t have a care in the world. That one better learn quickly, or he won’t last another week here.

  “What’s up with that one?” I ask, nodding my head in the direction of Jack who doesn’t even bother to come over. Instead, he stands there scowling at me from a distance.

  “He’s new Thunder; he’ll learn one way or the other, give him a break for tonight. Hopefully, the dumbass will wake up tomorrow with some sense in that empty head of his,” he rolls his eyes pointedly.

  “Who brought him here?” I ask as I cross my arms over my chest and tower over Tim. I like Tim; he’s been here for a long time, I might just have to ask Drag if his time is up yet so we can patch him in.

  “Dean did.”

  Damn, Dean. That James Dean loving motherfucker. He’s our Sergeant at Arms; he must see something in Jack, or he wouldn’t have brought him here. Dean doesn’t just let anyone on the property.

  “Very good,” I mumble q
uietly.

  “You called me for a reason, VP?” he asks slowly. To this day, Tim is still scared of me for some reason. I bet if I lunged at him, he’d take off running. I shake my head to clear the thought. See there goes some of that darkness. That’s not something I would ever do.

  “I need to run to the store after I’m out and the gate is secured, can you go watch the perimeter of the house? Natalie is asleep, and I want someone there in case she wakes up.”

  He nods once as I take off in the direction of my bike. I sit on it for a few minutes watching as Tim walks over to Jack and pushes him, before putting a finger in his face and shaking it. Tim is going to make one hell of a brother someday. I continue to laugh as he gestures to the gate and Jack walks off to the corner.

  A commotion from inside the open clubhouse doors draws my attention in that direction. I dismount from my bike and walk over to the open doorway to peek inside. A couple of the members are arm wrestling at one of the tables, and both Satch and Fig both have whores sucking them off. I focus my attention on Fig’s face as he stares down at the girl strangely like he’s not sure how she got there. He’s either high or drunk right now.

  Not caring about which state he’s currently in right now, I stroll over to him and push his shoulders to grab his attention; he leans his head back, and his eyes widen. “Candy, get lost,” he orders as he pushes the girl away.

  “You can stay, Candy,” I tell the young girl as she starts to get to her feet. Fig pushes her head back in the direction of his cock, and I force myself to swallow the bile that rises in my throat. I don’t know how these guys do this day in and day out. These girls move from one man to the next, hoping one of them might decide to keep her around. What they don’t realize, is that the more they fuck around with these guys, the less likely they are to get any man in the entire city. Sad reality.

  “Looking for a good time, stud?” asks some girl who comes up behind me. I turn to look behind me and find a topless woman who has to be at least forty and her boobs are heavily sagging.