by Jenika Snow
Her breath caught. His old lady? He might have told her how he felt, but he’d never said she was his old lady. That was a big deal, and she knew it growing up in the MC world.
“It makes me feel good, like I’m on top of the world.”
She smiled, feeling like this weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Really? You’re okay with it?”
He gave her this screwy look, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Baby, I’d visit hell and the devil himself if it made you smile at me like that again.” He pulled her in for a hug, and both of them rested back on the bed. They were silent for several minutes, but she didn’t mind. In fact she liked it. It was a comfortable silence, and having Jakob hold her, accepting anything she threw at him made her already believe in being with him, cemented fully.
“I’m in this for the long haul, Saya,” he said it softly, and pulled her impossibly closer to him. “I’ll make you see that eventually.”
She tilted her head back and looked into his face. “I do see that, and I feel the same way.”
And she did. This wasn’t about her being attracted to a bad boy. This was her being with the guy—Grizzly bear MC shifter or not—she was always meant to be with.
****
Saya’s belly was full, her heart was warm and filled with emotion, and as she sat in the Grizzly MC clubhouse, looking at the Patches, old ladies, and even club whores, she couldn’t help but see the strong familial bond. The jokes, stories, even gentleness at times came through in giant waves. She’d always lived the MC life, or as much as her father allowed, but meeting Jakob’s family was showing her a different side. These men had grown up together, been born into the club. They were tied together not just by loyalty, but blood, as well.
Jakob pulled her closer to his chest, and she rested her head on his shoulder, not caring who saw how close they were. She sat on his lap, feeling small amongst his sheer size.
“I scare you away yet?” he asked softly right by her ear.
She pulled back so she could look into his face, smiling. “I told you once, and I’ll tell you again.” She leaned in so she could whisper in his ear now. “I’m not running, not ever.”
He squeezed her side with his big hand, the pleasure clear on his face. She rested her head on his shoulder again and listened to one of the Original Grizzly Patches telling a story, the grisly details included. Yeah, this felt just like a family, and it was really nice.
Chapter Fifteen
One week later
She hated going to see her dad, not because she hated him, but because she despised the fact he was in here. But she loved her father so much, and as he’d said so many times before, it was them against the world. She’d always stand beside him, no matter what, and now she had Jakob to share this with.
They waited until the guard patted them down, and then they walked through the metal detector one at a time. They were led into one of the visiting rooms, and she was thankful this was one of the times she’d get to give him a hug. It wasn’t allowed every time, especially if there was an issue going on in the prison, or if her father got in trouble for fighting, which he did a few times. But maybe it was fate Jakob was meeting her dad, because this visit they’d get to see each other in the flesh, and not glass or Plexiglas separating them.
“Are you nervous?” Jakob asked, and she glanced over at him.
“Am I nervous?”
He nodded. “About me meeting your old man.”
“A little, but not because I don’t want you to meet him.”
Jakob smirked. “You’re worried he might tear into me?”
She smiled, but it was forced. “I’m not worried he might. He will.” She sighed.
“Good.”
She was surprised by his response.
“Good?”
He nodded again. “Yeah. If the roles were reversed and I was meeting who my daughter was with, I’d make sure to let him know not to fuck it up or I’d cut his balls off.”
Saya saw the way the guard glanced at Jakob, and she tried to hold in her smile.
They were led into the room that held four round tables, and was surrounded by windows so the guards could watch at all times. One would stay in the room, as well, but she’d never seen an inmate go crazy while here, thank goodness. They were too busy visiting with their families, and she was too focused on her dad and enjoying the small amount of time they had to care even if someone did go off the rails.
They sat down, and it only took a second for the sound of the buzzer that unlocked the doors to come through. Her heart started beating, and her excitement grew. It had been longer than normal since she’d last seen him, and given the fact she was visiting him weekly before she left this felt like it had been an eternity.
Jakob reached over and took her hand, and she smiled, loving that he was here with her. When she turned her focus back to the glass that surrounded them it was to see her father walking between two guards. Reaper was larger than the ones meant to keep him in line, outweighing them in muscle mass, too. When he reached the door to the room he was unshackled, and entered. She stood, not able to contain her smile.
“Hey, baby girl,” Reaper said and met her in the center of the room. He was over six feet tall, and with her only being five-foot in height he towered over her—the same as Jakob did. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, sweetheart.” He hugged her, and she was lifted off the ground slightly. But she felt him tense and knew he was looking at Jakob.
She was set back on the ground and turned to face her Grizzly. “Dad, this is Jakob.” Her father didn’t move for a suspended second, but he finally stepped forward, the same as Jakob, and both men clasped hands.
“So, you’re the Grizzly Patch that’s been seeing my little girl?” Reaper asked, but it was clear in his voice he wasn’t surprised.
“Yes, sir,” Jakob said in response, and looked at her to smile. He seemed cool, collected, and she was glad he wasn’t cowering in the face of her father. Any of the guys she’d introduced to her dad while dating had shown their fear, and her father had said every single one of them wasn’t good enough for her.
“If they can’t even have balls when meeting me, how are they going to protect you?”
Her father’s words from the past and whenever he’d met a guy she’d been interested in played through her head.
Jakob was only a couple inches shorter than her father’s towering height, but he was just as muscular, just as frightening, too. They sat back down, with her beside Jakob.
“You look good, Dad.”
He smiled at her, and she returned the gesture.
“So do you, sweetheart.” He then looked at Jakob again, and she knew he was “eyeing him up”, or so he’d said on more than one occasion. Reaper didn’t make a move, say anything for several seconds.
“You’re part of the Grizzly MC?”
Jakob nodded. “Yes, sir. My father is a member. It’s my life, my family, and I put my blood into it.”
Her father grunted, a sound he usually did when he found something interesting.
“Loyal to the core, but you’re a Death Bringer, so you know what that all means.”
“I do.” Reaper nodded. “How about we get right to the meat and potatoes of all of this, yeah?” her father said, and she started to get a little antsy, because she knew where this was going.
“Your call,” was all Jakob said.
She eyed Jakob, knowing this would have happened, but feeling slightly uneasy that her father wasn’t going easy on him, and getting right into it. The thing was, Jakob could take what her father gave, and that made her feel good, like he would stand up to the very devil himself, and walk through hell, if need be, to be with her.
“I just want to make one thing clear,” her father said.
Jakob straightened. “Yes, sir.”
“Dad…” she said, but her father lifted his hand to stop her.
“I think this boy and I will see eye-to-eye, baby girl. I
sn’t that right, Grizzly?”
“Yes, sir,” Jakob said again. He was being respectful, and she was happy about that, but she didn’t know if Jakob really understood how fierce her father could be.
He knows, because he’s just like Dad.
“Saya really likes you, or so I gather since she’s brought you here to meet me.” He leaned forward and stared Jakob right in the eyes. “She’s all I got in this world besides my club. She’s my life, and I am not afraid to kill for her.”
Oh, God. You knew this would happen, that this was coming.
“I won’t hesitate to have you fucked up, boy, if you break her heart or hurt her in any way.”
“Dad, do we have to do this right here, right now?”
Reaper looked at her. “We do, Saya, because if this Grizzly Patch wants you in his life he has to know what he’ll be up against if he fucks it up.” He looked at Jakob again. “So, you understand that even though I’m locked up I can still get to you?”
Jakob leaned in an inch, and she held her breath. “Yeah, I understand, and believe me, I’d rather fucking kill myself than hurt Saya. And if anyone thinks to hurt her, well, I’ll make sure they know what they’re up against.” Jakob placed his hand right on his Grizzly MC patch. “I don’t fuck around with what I hold dear, and Saya is what’s in my heart.”
Reaper didn’t say anything for a long while, but then he leaned back, the chair he was in creaking softly. He made a deep noise, and she felt herself breathe out. The noise was acceptance and affirmation. He approved of Jakob, and she could tell by the way he looked at him, and by the way this whole situation had gone.
Saya had thought she knew how this would have gone, and she’d hoped her father would have seen Jakob was right for her. But wanting something to be so didn’t mean it would, and there had been that fear her father would have hated Jakob. But he didn’t, and that’s what mattered.
She wanted Jakob in her life, knew this was the right thing, the perfect thing, and she could tell her father approved, even from this short exchange. Reaper would have no issues in calling Jakob out if he didn’t think he was a good match for Saya. She glanced at Jakob as he and her father talked, and loved that Jakob wasn’t backing down. It showed her he was serious about being with her. Saya knew this was exactly the man she wanted in her life, and cemented the fact this wasn’t another screw-up.
Chapter Sixteen
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Gabe asked. They were in Jakob’s SUV, staring at the nursing facility that Bodhi had said that motherfucker that had tried to rape Saya all those years ago was living in. Bodhi had gotten a shit-ton of info on the piece of shit that had tried to hurt Saya.
Matt Baxter.
Even thinking the prick’s name had rage filling Jakob.
“I need to make sure he got what he deserved.” Jakob said and stared straight ahead.
“Jakob, brother, I know you want to make sure your old lady is protected, even if this happened five years ago, but maybe you should have talked to her about this instead of doing it on the sly.” Bodhi was the one to speak, and Jakob looked at his brother.
“If this was your old lady, and the fucker in that building tried to take from her when she was unwilling, what the hell would you do?” The silence only stretched for a second before Bodhi nodded.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Bodhi said and was the first out of the SV.
Jakob and Gabe got out of the vehicle, too, and the three of them made their way into the building. Yeah, maybe he should have just asked Saya about this guy, but he didn’t want to have her hash up all this bad shit. He’d had Bodhi dig a little and find out the name of the prick that had hurt her. Doing the digging had come up with everything Saya had already told him about her father going after the guy, the prison time, all of it.
It had been a brutal situation, but Jakob couldn’t say he wasn’t glad Reaper had taken out the fucker, even if he was still alive.
“We’re here to see Matt Baxter.” Gabe was the one to ask the receptionist.
She eyed the three of them a little warily, her uneasiness coming through in a pungent smell reminiscent of turpentine. It was clear she wasn’t sure if they would start shit given they were dressed in leather, sporting cuts, and towering over everyone else.
“Distant friends,” Bodhi said after the receptionist stuttered a bit.
She nodded and looked him up, and when the three of them had his room number they made their way down the hall and to where Matt was.
“We’ll hang back here, Jakob,” Gabe said, and him and behind leaned against the wall opposite the door and crossed their arms.
Jakob pushed the door open, and the first thing he saw was a man in a wheelchair facing the window. Jakob inhaled, could smell an array of scents: antiseptic, shit, piss, and depression. He walked into the room and moved toward Matt. Rounding the wheelchair and looking into the face of the guy that had scarred Saya emotionally, Jakob couldn’t feel anything but rage, even though the guy was fucked up from Reaper. He was in a wheelchair, a trach in his neck, his head immobilized by some kind of brace, and it was clear he couldn’t use his legs.
Jakob got down on his haunches and stared at Matt in the eyes.
“You don’t know who I am,” Jakob said, not containing the grizzly coming out in his voice, or the flash of his animal on the surface of his face. “But I know you, Matt.”
The guy showed no emotion at first, but Jakob could sense his heart beating faster.
“You fucked with my woman, tried to take from her a long time ago, and your situation is the result of messing with the wrong people.”
Matt’s eyes widened slightly.
“Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.”
The guy clearly couldn’t talk, but Jakob didn’t need to hear him say anything. “I just wanted to see for myself that Reaper gave you what you deserved.”
The guy’s eyes widened again.
“Yeah, I bet you remember Reaper every day of your miserable life.”
Just then a nurse came in. “Matt, I have your medication…” She stopped in the doorway, eyeing Jakob.
Jakob stood, gave Matt a smile that was full of predatory promise, and inhaled deeply. The fucker was afraid. Good.
Maybe coming here hadn’t done anything but put Jakob face-to-face with Saya’s attacker, but he felt better after seeing the fucker, knowing Reaper had really done a number on him. He left, feeling good that the little shithead would forever remember what he tried to do. It wasn’t that he hadn’t believed Reaper, because he sure as fuck did. It was more because Jakob wanted to make sure this was truly complete, and that the person that hurt his old lady would forever be affected by his actions.
“Let’s go,” he said to Bodhi and Gabe. He wanted to go see Saya, to hold her, and tell her no one would ever hurt her. Jakob had no problem taking out a fucker that thought of touching his woman, and he’d make sure she knew that. She’d never have to worry about anything again.
Chapter Seventeen
The loose bitch was currently in the process of taking off her bikini top when the club front doors opened. Havoc swore internally when he saw it was Ava, Lucien’s eighteen-year-old daughter, Kink’s daughter, Livvy, and Stinger’s daughter, Lina, coming inside. But truth was he couldn’t exactly be pissed they’d shown up. It was the middle of the day and how were they to know some shady fucking was going on?
Havoc pushed the club whore away, and she stumbled.
“Put your damn top on. Lucien’s and Kink’s daughters are here.”
The woman adjusted her clothing.
“Get the fuck out of here.” Yeah, he was an asshole, and the girls shouldn’t be seeing this whorish activity. Young women didn’t need to see this bullshit, even if they were used to it. Although he’d become a Patch in the last year, basically walking away from his former life and the shit that always seemed to follow him, he’d known Lucien his whole life. He may have only seen Ava and the other young
women in passing, but he was protective of them. And the club, with all the nasty skanks around, was not a place for that kind of innocence.
He saw Gabe in the corner talking to one of the club whores, but Ava and Gabe’s brother, Maverick, noticed his sister right away. Havoc stayed back, watching as Maverick walked up to the three women. Livvy started saying something, her hands moving between Ava and Maverick. Livvy started tugging at the decorative scarf Ava wore, but Ava smacked her hand away, the scowl on her face clear.
Havoc took a step toward them, sensing something really fucking off. He kept his focus on Ava, and saw her pull Livvy away. It was clear the woman was pissed, and after a few moments Livvy tugged on Lina’s arm and the two girls left the club. Ava stood there for a second, speaking with Maverick now, but after a moment she shook her head and walked up to the bar. Maverick looked pissed, but he scrubbed a hand over his face and turned from where his sister was.
Havoc didn’t know what the hell to do. Should he see what was up with Ava, or leave it alone since it wasn’t his business? Although this club was his family and Lucien like a brother to him, he sure as hell didn’t want to get in the middle of the drama clearly transpiring.
But he found himself walking behind the bar and stopping right in front of her. She lifted her head, her dark hair and light blue eyes the same as her mother. For a second neither said anything, and then Havoc turned and grabbed a bottle of scotch from behind the bar, picked up two shot glasses, and faced her again. After he had the shot glasses in front of them and the scotch poured, he pushed one toward her.
She looked at him, her brows knitted, one of her hands on the scarf. “I’m underage.”
He picked up the shot glass. “I know.” He said and downed the liquor. “But you look like you need it, and no one in this club has any room to bitch about you having a shot at eighteen.” He stared right in her eyes. “And do you really give a fuck that you’re only three years off from being twenty-one?”