Mark Of A Scarred Warrior (Iron Dogz MC Book 5)

by René Van Dalen

  When he made the ‘call me’ sign I gave him finger guns, with both hands, accompanied by ‘pew-pew’ sounds and a wink. I only realised what I had done when the girls burst out laughing. Oops.

  “What the fuck?” Scar snapped as he took my arm and turned me to face him. He pointed a finger at the door behind us as he dipped his head, his nose almost touching mine. “What the fuck was that?”

  All I could do was give him wide eyes and shrug.

  “Baby, don’t stand there and look at me with those big brown eyes trying to look innocent. He gave you his number?”

  Again I shrugged, pulled my shoulders up and gave him some more big eyes. He knew damn well the man had given me his number.

  “You’re never going to use it so you might as well tear it up and dump it in the bin over there.” He said with a head tilt towards the big blue refuse bin.

  I rolled my eyes again. “I know I’m never going to use it but I’m keeping it. It’s going into my scrapbook with the photos and all the other stuff I collected.”

  “There are fucking photos of this shit?” Beast suddenly snarled.

  I think all of us rolled our eyes at that one.

  “Duh. Of course we took photos. It was a ladies night out on the town and we needed evidence that it did in fact happen.” Tori snipped. “And ladies, let me say, we are definitely doing this again. I haven’t had this much fun in forever.”

  “I’m done. Let’s get out of here.” Hawk suddenly snarled, grabbed DC’s hand and dragged her off to where the SUV’s were parked.

  “Fuck, who are the designated drivers?” Kahn asked as he frowned at his drunk and giggling wife.

  “We are.” River and Leo said almost at the same time.

  There was no more talking as we were loaded into the SUV’s and sent on our way home.

  And it suddenly hit me.

  I’d had a night out with friends and now we were on our way home.

  I had a home, a real home with real friends.

  My grin stayed in place all the way home and didn’t disappear for hours and hours.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Scar

  He woke up to the sound of a deep voice and the clatter of shit in the kitchen and was about to storm down the stairs when it hit him. Jagger. It was Jagger. He had been asleep on the couch when they eventually got back to the cottage last night. The bastard woke up and laughed while watching Scar trying to persuade a drunken Liah to go to bed and not climb onto the couch with Jagger.

  Eventually between the two of them they had convinced her to go to bed. Both of them quickly retreated out of her bedroom when she started flinging her clothes off.

  Scar had waited until he was certain she was in bed before he took a bottle of water and two pain pills to her. She was out. She had crawled under the duvet and was curled up around a cushion fast asleep. Leaving the water and pills on her bedside table he turned the lights out and quietly left the room. He didn’t close her door because it allowed Brutus to move freely between the bedroom and the rest of the cottage.

  Jagger was leaning back against the couch cushions and gave a huge yawn when he walked back into the living area.

  “Why don’t you stay on the couch tonight, Jag? When we drove past the clubhouse the party was still going full steam and was noisy as fuck.”

  “Shit. I’m not up to walking in there and fighting my way through to my room.”

  “I know where she keeps extra blankets and pillows. Let me get them for you, brother.”

  After giving his brother a blanket and a cushion he took from the kist in Chris’s room he went into the bathroom, did his business, washed up and brushed his teeth. He got undressed, dropped his socks, jeans and tee in the hamper and walked out in his underwear. She was curled up on her side with the duvet pulled up almost over her head, he stood there looking at her for a few seconds, sighed, walked out and went upstairs to bed.

  And now he was awake. And listening to another man making food in his woman’s kitchen.

  Shaking his head he drew in a deep breath and warned himself, again.

  She was his pretend woman. It was his pretend woman’s kitchen.

  Getting out of bed he stretched wincing as his back gave him a few very painful moments before settling down to a dull ache. Like an asshole he had ridden out without his back brace last night and today he could feel it. He needed to get some time in the pool today and a work out. Not that it was going to be easy with the damned family braai later.

  Grabbing some clean clothes from his bag he went downstairs and quietly slipped into the bathroom. It sucked that there was only one bathroom and that it was in her bedroom. After last night he needed some space but it wasn’t going to happen. They had the family braai with Hotdog and the guys later and on Sunday they had the ride out to Zeffers. To keep up the appearance that they were together he would have to hang out with her and have her on the back of his bike. Having her on the back of his bike had him seriously thinking about not going on the ride. Riding with a passenger was easy but not when his fucking back ached like it did today and not when the woman who would be riding against his back had him tied up in knots.

  Standing under the hot water he gave it some serious thought and made a decision. They would not be going on the ride. Riding out to Harties and back would be too much for his back at this stage. His specialist told him to take it easy, to not overdo it and the way his back was feeling he knew he needed to take it easy for the next couple of days. Going on the ride to Harties could push his recovery back and that was something he couldn’t afford to happen. His club needed him on his bike supporting his brothers, and right now he couldn’t.

  Decision made he finished in the bathroom and quietly walked out into the bedroom. Chris was still asleep but sometime during the night she must have woken up and taken the pills and drunk the water he had left her. It would help with her hangover when she woke. Feeling like a stalker he left her to sleep it off.

  Jagger stood watching him with narrowed eyes and a slight frown as he walked in.

  “You’re hurting this morning. Why?”

  Scar sighed, slid one of the mugs standing ready on the counter over and poured some coffee then fixed it the way he liked it and took a sip.

  “I fucked up last night. I rode without the back brace and now I’m paying for it. I’m not going to be able to ride for the next couple of days, brother.” He hated having to say the words but knew he had to. Not being able to ride was a sentence worse than death.

  “Shit. What can I do to help? You need to get to the specialist for a check up?”

  “No, I just have to do some of the physical therapy exercises today and maybe swim a few laps. I’ll call Tori later to see if she has time today. If not I’ll just do some stretches and exercises I can do on my own.”

  While they had been chatting Jagger had been cooking. He had bacon going in one pan while he scrambled eggs in another. Under a clean dishcloth he had a pile of toast already waiting.

  “I can help if she’s not available, Scar.” A quiet voice had both of them turning.

  Liah stood there in an oversized club tee, her hair in a tangled mess and make up smeared around her eyes. The tee came to mid-thigh leaving those long toned legs on display.

  Jagger chuckled. “How’re you feeling this morning, princess? You were in quite the happy mood last night.”

  She wrinkled her nose and pulled at the bottom of the t-shirt. “I’m sorry I was such a pest. Apparently I’m overly friendly when I’ve had a bit too much to drink.”

  Grabbing a mug she poured coffee and took a big sip and sighed with pleasure.

  “Whoever left the water and pain pills next to my bed saved my life. I woke up sometime during the night, took the pills and drank the water and now I’m feeling almost human.”

  Scar grinned at her over his coffee mug and winked.

  “I’ve got breakfast ready, babe. Go do whatever you hav
e to while we set the table and dish up. We need to get some food in that belly to make you feel fully human.” Jagger teased as he turned the heat off under the pans.

  She disappeared back into her room and between them Scar and Jagger found the shit to set the table.

  “You should take her up on her offer to help you. She was on the university’s swim team and was being considered for the South African team when she dropped out. I would bet she’s been through some physical therapy a time or two.”

  Scar narrowed his eyes as he glanced back at the closed bedroom door and back at Jagger. “She was a competitive swimmer? Why did she give it up if she was that good?”

  “I don’t want to talk behind my girl’s back but I will say this. Shitty parents. Ask her about it.”

  Considering his own parents weren’t a shining example of good parenting he wondered what hers had been like. And how come he didn’t know she had been to university and dropped out? Better question, why did she drop out? And why the fuck was she a club girl when she could be in university making something of herself? Then he remembered her sitting with a pile of books in front of her in the clubhouse a few weeks ago. Was she still studying?

  This girl was so much more than it seemed. And now he was curious to find out all about her.

  Shit.

  After breakfast and doing dishes he walked out with Jagger and stood on the small deck watching him ride away. He knew he wouldn’t be riding today. Pulling his phone he called the prospects to bring his cage over.

  Going back inside he saw the bedroom door was closed and he could hear the shower. Pouring himself another mug of coffee he walked outside and sat down slowly. Pulling some of the extra fucking pillows she had on the couch over he wedged them between his back and the back of the couch and tried to relax. Not easy.

  He was stretched out when she walked out. She had washed her hair and had it pulled back in a short braid and was dressed in a pair of workout pants and an oversized Iron Dogz support t-shirt.

  She didn’t give him a chance to speak.

  “Do you have your swim things here?”

  “No, baby, but the prospects should be here with my damned cage shortly. I’ve got all my shit in the back.”

  She nodded. “Okay, that’s good. There won’t be anybody around this early after last night’s party. We’ll be able to get a few laps in before Owen cleans it for the family braai. According to the weather report it’s going to be a nice hot day.”

  Flopping down on the couch next to him she looked over as if expecting him to disagree with her.

  “I don’t give a shit about the braai.” Scar gave her the truth. “I’d rather stay the hell away but I won’t disrespect my prez like that. I’m not looking forward to spending time with people who didn’t have my back when I needed them.”

  Tilting her head to the side she frowned slightly. “Are you saying Hotdog didn’t do his job?”

  He shook his head. “No, not him. He’s a good man and tried his best and so did Growler and Claw. But they lost the vote, so had to do what the club decided.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yip, it does. But enough about me.” For some reason he decided not to let on what Jagger had told him. “Are you a good swimmer?”

  She lifted her shoulders and waggled her hand from side to side. “I’m an okay swimmer. I promise I won’t drown or anything like that.”

  His grin had her cheeks turning a pale pink.

  “No worries about you drowning, baby. I’ll be there to save you.” He said with a broad wink.

  Rolling her eyes she dropped her hand onto Brutus’s head and stroked over his head and neck. “He doesn’t like it when I’m in the water but he’s slowly getting used to me swimming. When I first took him with me he lay on the side of the pool and whined the entire time I was in the water. Now he just lies there and watches me. I’m sure if he thinks I’m in trouble he’ll come right in and pull me out.”

  Looking at the love in the eyes of her big brute of a dog he had to agree. The animal would do anything for her and give his life to keep her safe. She had saved him and he would forever be loyal to her.

  After his swim he sat on the side of the pool next to Brutus and watched her cut through the water like a guided missile. During the time he had watched her he had always arrived when she got out the pool and this was a revelation. She was fast and her form was fucking perfect. The way she swam, any team would have jumped to have her. She shouldn’t be here, she should be out there with a coach getting ready to take on the world.

  When she swam up and lifted herself out of the water to hang on the side of the pool he asked the question that had been bugging him.

  “Why the hell are you here? You are good enough to compete internationally.”

  Resting her chin on her hands she rolled her head to look up at him and then she laid it out. All of it. She didn’t even try to gloss over any of it.

  “When I was seven my father realised I swam well for my age. I was immediately enrolled in a swim programme and trained with a coach. I wanted to play with my friends but instead I had to train for hours. I swam competitively at primary school and high school and I made the SA Juniors team.” Sighing she dipped her head and stared at the paving beneath her hands.

  “I thought once I went to university I’d get away from it. But it didn’t happen. I was on the university swim coach’s radar. He recruited me for the team and I was such a wuss I caved under the pressure from my father. Between my studies and swimming I had no free time. I didn’t have time to enjoy the so called university experience and I hated studying law. I never wanted to be a lawyer but my father was paying the bills so I had to do what he wanted. I was expected to join his law firm after I graduated. My holidays consisted of training, swim meets and working at the firm.”

  She gave a small shrug. “And then one day I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was tired, so damned tired. I dropped out of law, enrolled for a degree in business and withdrew from the swim team. When I told my father he cut me off and kicked me out. I was living in res at the time and it had luckily been paid up to the end of the semester but I had to find a job and a place to stay or I’d be on the street. I met Grietjie, she brought me here and Hawk gave me a job.”

  She shrugged. “And that’s why I’m here and not on the SA swim team. I don’t want to swim competitively. I don’t want that life. I want the life I’m living right now. I work at the bar and I’m studying through Unisa. When I’m done I’ll decide on the next step.”

  He had to ask because the question burned in his head. “Why would you agree to become a club girl? You have so much going for you. Why would you throw it away on a bunch of bikers?”

  Biting her bottom lip she glanced up at him through her wet lashes. “I had nowhere else to go it’s as simple as that. They scared me at first. A lot. Hawk said he would give me time to get used to them. I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do. And, I don’t know, the guys were good to me, treated me with respect, especially Dizzy. He became a really good friend.”

  Nodding he rubbed a hand over Brutus’s back and sighed. “I get it. This place became your home, that I get. What I don’t get is why you would whore yourself out for them?”

  He was getting pissed off for some reason. She gave a mirthless laugh.

  “Wow, that’s harsh. For your information, I didn’t whore myself out to anyone. Dizzy and I…we were together for a while until we both realised we were better friends than lovers. And then I made the colossal mistake of falling for Beast. You know what happened with that mess. I’m still trying to crawl out from under that mistake but it’s getting better every day.”

  “You have feelings for him?” He asked through tight lips.

  “No, not anymore. He’s a difficult person to like and at the time I was sure I was in love with him but I was wrong.” She shrugged. “I was very impressionable, he gave me the attention I craved and I mistook
it for something else. Now I know better.”

  “Why do you know better?”

  “Because I saw the way he is with Tori.”

  Scar could only nod because there was nothing he could say but agree with her.

  “Let’s get you out of the water and get back to the cottage. We need to get ready for this fucking side-show of a family braai.”

  Standing he leant down and held a hand out to her, but she gave him a dark look and shook her head before she slipped back into the pool.

  “One more lap then I’ll get out.” Slipping under the water she kicked off from the wall and shot away under the water. He watched until she popped up almost in the middle of the pool and swam fast to the opposite wall. On the return lap she angled towards the steps and climbed out without his help.

  Maybe it was a good thing because pulling her from the pool would have put strain on his already aching back.

  Two hours later he drove through the main gates of the compound and pulled into one of the family designated parking spots. A text from Ice had instructed him not to use the back gate when they came over for the braai. The club didn’t want to advertise the fact that they had installed a gate at the back of the compound.

  “Don’t move.” He instructed as he opened his door, got out and walked around the front of the cage to open her door and help her out. She looked damned good. Dressed in faded blue jeans with fake slashes across the thighs and a leather belt with a big silver buckle. She had paired it with a tight white t-shirt with the Iron Dogz logo on the back and her silver and leather jewellery. Today she was wearing a lot of rings and earrings. He hadn’t noticed that she had more than one ear piercing. He did notice that she had changed her septum ring to a more ornate one. She was wearing make-up but it was done to look almost natural. Her hair was in loose curls around her head and hung to the top of her shoulders. He liked the way the sun drew a reddish tint from the chestnut brown.

  “Such a gentleman.” She teased while she slung the strap of her small bag over her head so it hung across her body and pulled her hair from under the strap with a flip of her hand. Grinning at her he opened the back door to let Brutus out.