by Erin Osborne
“Of course. What are we having?” she asks.
We head to the kitchen and I make us some pizza and garlic bread. Everything is homemade and I had it for dinner last night. There’s extra cheese, mushroom, sausage, and olives on the pizza— our favorite. The garlic bread is something I put together at the last second with a loaf of Italian bread and garlic spread. I sprinkle mozzarella cheese on it just before I pull it out of the oven to melt. It’s amazing. Wrath ate more than I thought he would and I almost didn’t have leftovers at all. Raine and I finish it up so it’s one less thing in my refrigerator.
Once she heads back to be with the kids since they were left with Satan at the clubhouse, I head back to my office. I’m glad she didn’t want to see anything I’ve been working on in there. The paperwork for the club is all over the place. It’s so bad I have to watch my step because paper even fills the floor only leaving a small path. But, I’m going to make sure the new ledgers are accurate and then separate the receipts by month and then by business. It should take less boxes than what I brought home with me.
I went out and bought new manila envelopes just for their paperwork and I’ll put them in the boxes and re-label them as I begin to fill each one up. On each envelop I’m going to write the business name and the dates of the receipts so if this happens again, we can just pull the envelop out and look at the paperwork inside. It will make things a hell of a lot easier.
I’ll also be able to put several years in one box instead of having so many boxes to put in storage. Hopefully Satan and the guys don’t mind what I’m doing here. Tags is supposed to come over later on and I want most of the papers picked up and in the new system before he gets here. He’s less intimidating than Satan is and Satan’s my brother-in-law.
Before I can get back into work to the point I block everything else out, I text Clay back.
Me: I will go out with you tomorrow. Where would you like me to meet you?
Just because I’m agreeing to see Clay doesn’t mean I want him to know where I live just yet. I’d rather get to know the man he is before I invite him into my home. I could just be being paranoid or I could be using my experience with the men who kidnapped me as an excuse not to let him in. Either way, I’ll make sure he knows I’m cautious and it’s going to be some time before I let him in all the way. If I do at all.
My phone alerts me to an incoming message and I pick it up to read it before picking up more paperwork.
Clay: We can go to the diner again. I can pick you up, I don’t mind.
Me: No thanks. I might have to work late so it will be easier to just meet you there. Does six work for you?
Clay: Six sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Setting my phone back down, I begin working on the paperwork some more. I’ve almost got the books for Outlaw Den done when Tags shows up. He follows me into the office and looks around in shock at the paperwork littering every available surface. Including the floor. Tags carefully walks to the other chair in the room.
“So what you got goin’ on here?” Tags asks.
“I bought all new ledgers and I’m redoing them. I’ve highlighted the old ones where I’m seeing any discrepancies and making other notes. All the paperwork is separated by the business, then the week, and then the month of the year. I’m going back two years for now. I can go back longer than that if you guys want me to,” I tell him. “Then I got new envelopes to put all the paperwork in. It gives me more room to combine the boxes so there’s not so many to go back to storage. Is that okay?”
Tags takes in everything I’ve said and looks in the one box I’ve already started putting the envelopes in. He looks impressed with what I’ve done so far. I’m happy as hell he likes it. I didn’t make a mistake by following my gut with the ledgers and what I’m doing with the paperwork.
“You’ve already gotten a lot accomplished. Have you only worked on Outlaw Den so far?” he asks.
“Yeah. I thought it would be easier if I do it business by business. That way I’m not trying to go back and forth,” I answer.
“Makes sense. Tell me what you need me to do,” he says.
“Well, there’s another box in the living room if you want to start separating that. I’ll get all this picked up and organized on the desk so it’s not in the way.”
“Okay.”
Tags goes to grab the box while I begin to pick up the papers on the floor. I put them in piles on my desk based on the business they belong to. Once they’re all together, I put a large rubber band around them to keep them in order while I finish working on Outlaw Den. I think there’s only a few months left to go for it and some of the papers I need are in the last box.
We work together for a few hours and I manage to get the first ledger done. He takes it with him when he leaves and lets me know Satan, Capone, or him will be here every day until I’m done to help me with this. I’m not looking forward to working with Capone right now, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
When Tags leaves, I decide to be done for the night. I’ve been working for almost twelve hours on this today and I’m tired. I walk through the house to make sure everything is locked up and then make my way to the bedroom. Once I’m stripped down to one of Capone’s old shirts and a pair of panties, I climb into bed and almost immediately drift off to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Capone
NENE HAS BEEN driving me bat shit crazy. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. She’s wanted food that wasn’t gotten for her when Axel and Rose went shopping. Hell, they even made her give them a shopping list for them to get. Supposedly she doesn’t want any of that now. It all makes her sick or something like that.
Whenever I’m at the clubhouse, NeNe has to be up my ass. She’s always trying to act like we’re together and I’m going to make her my ol’ lady any day now. It’s not going to happen, but nothing I say or do will make her realize she’s living in a fantasy world. I talk to her about the baby when I have to and that’s it.
We went to the doctor and she’s definitely pregnant. They did another piss test and it came back positive. When the doctor came into the room, she put a thing on NeNe’s stomach and we were told she’s at least six to eight weeks pregnant since we could hear the heartbeat. They’ll do an ultrasound soon so we know for sure how far along she is.
I asked the doctor about doing a paternity test. We can actually do one while she’s still pregnant. All they need is a swab from me and some blood from NeNe. Something about fetal DNA being in the mother’s blood stream. And then we’d have the results back in about a week or so.
NeNe was pissed as fuck I’m serious about the whole paternity test. I’m not taking her damn word for it though. So, it’s either we get it done now or she’ll be getting it done as soon as the baby’s born. I’d rather know now so it’s not hanging in the air as an unknown. NeNe will realize I’m not fucking kidding around when I take her to the lab to have it done. And I’m paying for it so there’s nothing for her to bitch about.
“Capone,” NeNe whines. “Where are you going? You should be here with me.”
“Why the hell would I stay here with you?” I ask, hating that Satan and Raine have decided to let her out of the room.
“Because it’s your job to make sure I’m happy, comfortable, and fed,” she says, her voice grating on my nerves.
“No, it’s not. It’s not my job to do anythin’ for you. It’s your job to do all that shit yourself. And if I find out you’re not takin’ care of the baby, you won’t fuckin’ like me. Or what I do to you,” I tell her, heading up to my room so I can lock her the fuck away from me.
“You won’t hurt me. You can touch me all you want, but I know you won’t hurt me,” she taunts.
“You’re right, I won’t. But that doesn’t mean you bein’ restrained to a bed will be hurtin’ you. Or bein’ force fed and made to shower daily. Not playin’ your fuckin’ games,” I tell her, disappearing up the stairs before she can say another word.
I’ve been staying away as much as I can. I spend most of my time at Blazing Babes. Hell, I sleep there most nights if I’m completely honest. It’s the only way I can avoid NeNe at the clubhouse. She acts like she’s the Queen of the clubhouse and no one can touch her. It’s not remotely true, but that’s how she’s acting. And I can’t do a fucking thing about it.
Yesterday, Satan and I were talking about me going to help Hollie with the paperwork and the new ledgers. NeNe threw a bitch fit and told me if she finds out I go to Hollie’s house, she’ll leave with the baby and I won’t ever find her again. Satan was pissed on my behalf, but he didn’t say a word about it. He knows this is my business and I’ll handle it the way I see fit. Right now, I don’t know what to do about it.
No matter what I do, she threatens me with the baby. It’s either she’s going to have an abortion or she’s going to disappear with the baby. I can’t see Hollie, I’m not supposed to spend as much time at Blazing Babes working, and I can’t go out with the guys to the bar. I definitely go out with the guys when they go and I’m at Blazing Babes more than anywhere else.
Hollie’s is the one place I’ve given up going. That doesn’t mean I don’t drive by there on a daily basis because I do. I haven’t seen her since the last day she was in the clubhouse and heard the house bunnies talking about NeNe being pregnant. And no one will talk about her in the clubhouse. They don’t want to hear the snide comments from NeNe. Everyone is getting sick and tired of her and the shit she spews.
Most days I’m at the clubhouse, I feel ostracized by the other men. We shouldn’t have something tearing us apart like this, but NeNe seems determined to do just that. I feel separated from my brothers and that’s the quickest way to get someone hurt or worse when we’re on a run. Or if a rival club attacks us. My brothers will always have my back, but at this point, I’m not sure they think I’ll have theirs.
So, I pull up the classifieds on my phone and see what I can find for two-bedroom apartments. There’s not a lot in Willow Creek and it’s going to spread the Prospects even thinner because someone will have to watch her around the clock. I don’t trust NeNe not to do something stupid as fuck. Something to make me pay for some sin she decides I’ve committed.
Finally pulling up the picture for a two-bedroom, I take in all the details. It’s close to the clubhouse, a single-family home, and in a good neighborhood. I call the number on the listing and talk to the landlord. It’s actually the same woman who owns the house Hollie lives in. She’s known the club since the very beginning and I trust her and her homes.
I set up an appointment to check the place out and leave my room. If I take it, I’m going to have to make sure there’s enough stuff in there for her. I’ll outfit the entire place if she’ll be out of the clubhouse and away from my family. No one wants her there. She’s nothing more than a reminder of the betrayal she committed against the Blazing Outlaws MC. Something we don’t ever forget— or forgive.
I put the money down on the house. I’ve paid for the next ten months. My goal is to keep NeNe here for as long as possible. At least until our child is here. If I have my way, I won’t be dealing with her for very long once my child is brought into the world. But, there’s a whole lot I have to do in order to put my plan into place.
Once I’m done at the house, I head to the furniture store. I buy all the furniture NeNe will need in the house and I don’t give a fuck what she thinks of what I’ve picked. I’m not buying things to make her more comfortable or look good. She’s getting the bare necessities and that’s it.
After picking all the furniture, I make a run to the box store and get her groceries to last a month and bedding and towels for the bathroom. Anything else, she’s going to have to figure out herself. I’m already taking care of her rent and making sure she’s got food to eat. I’ll pay for the medical bills and then make sure she has any medicine needed for the baby. The last thing I’m paying for is the paternity test to see if the baby is mine or not.
I’ve spent more money today on a bitch I hate than I have in the past on anyone else. It’s money well spent if I can get her ass out of the clubhouse and have things go back to the way they were before. That’s what we all want anyway. I don’t like the tension always surrounding us and I hate all the bullshit going on there. NeNe being gone is the only way to get past this. Then I’ll be the only one who has to deal with NeNe and the bullshit she brings.
I drop everything off at the house and wait for the delivery men to arrive with the furniture before I go get NeNe’s ass and bring her here. It takes over an hour to put the groceries away and by the time I’m done, the guys are here with the furniture. They set everything up and I leave to go get NeNe and bring her ass here.
Walking into the clubhouse, everyone comes to a dead stop. They all quit talking and they don’t move an inch as I make my way through the door. There’s been a lot of this going on lately and it makes me feel horrible. Like I’m the one who’s in the wrong here. And I know I am.
Ignoring everyone in the room, I head straight for NeNe’s room. She’s in the hallway, trying to fuck Axel. He’s gently pushing her away from him and I stand back to watch and see what’s going to happen.
“Axel, no one has to know. Come on, you know you want me,” NeNe says, lowering her voice, trying to be seductive.
“I don’t want you. I’ve been tellin’ you that for weeks now. You’re carryin’ Capone’s baby and you’re not part of the club anymore. I wouldn’t touch you with a fuckin’ ten-foot pole and another man’s cock. Back the fuck off, NeNe,” he growls out.
“NeNe, you’re not supposed to be out of the fuckin’ room. And you’re not fuckin’ any of the men here. They won’t touch you and you know that, so I suggest you stop fuckin’ tryin’,” I growl out.
“Capone!” she gasps “What are you doing here?”
“I belong here. Unlike you. You don’t belong anywhere in the fuckin’ clubhouse anymore. You betrayed the club, the officers, the other house bunnies, Raine, and Hollie. You’re nothin’ more than a skank who spreads her legs for anyone,” I tell her. “And next week, we’re doin’ the fuckin’ paternity test. You can count on that. Now, pack your fuckin’ shit. You’re leavin’ here. For good.”
“W-w-what are you talking about?” NeNe asks.
“You’re leavin’ the clubhouse. I’m sick of all the shit you pull here and no one wants your ass here anymore. You’ve got fifteen minutes to pack your shit or it doesn’t go with you,” I tell her, turning and walking away from her.
“Capone!” she yells after me.
Ignoring her, I go to the office to see if Satan’s here. I need to know we can put a Prospect on the bitch since she’ll be away from the clubhouse. If we can’t do this, then I don’t know what I’m going to do about it. I’ll have to move into the second bedroom or something. And that’s not something I want to do. At all. Living with NeNe is the last thing I want to do.
“Come in,” Satan calls out when I knock on the door.
“Need a minute,” I say, sitting down in the chair across from his desk.
“What’s goin’ on?” he asks.
“I got a house for NeNe. It’s close to the clubhouse and it gets her out of our damn hair around here. Can we put a Prospect on her? I don’t want to leave her alone,” I tell him.
“Yeah. We can make it work. It’s gonna leave a man on Hollie short, but we can figure it out. Maybe bring in more Prospects. Oh, Kelly should be here tomorrow too,” he says.
“Thank you. I’m sure the guys will like her bein’ back,” I reply.
“You’re not gonna hit it?” he asks.
“Nope.”
“Damn,” he says.
“Yeah. Well, I’m gonna get the bitch out of here and try to get back without her wantin’ to threaten me some more. Just caught her tryin’ to get Axel to fuck her,” I tell him.
“It happens every day. Not just with the Prosp
ects either. She tries to get everyone to fuck her,” Satan tells me.
“Well, no one has to worry about it anymore. It’s my problem to deal with.”
“What are you gonna do about her?” he asks.
“When I know, I’ll let you know,” I tell him, leaving the office.
Heading back toward the room NeNe’s in, I see her sitting on her bed and not doing a damn thing. She hasn’t packed a single thing of hers. What the fuck is wrong with this bitch?
“You don’t know how to listen?” I ask, slamming her door open.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” she says, looking down at her nails.
“The fuck I can’t. You’re movin’ out of here and that’s it,” I tell her.
NeNe perks up at the news. She must think I got us a house together. No way in fucking hell. She gets up and starts packing her belongings. Quickly. By the time she’s done, I’m ready to pull her out by her arm. But, I don’t. I lead her from the room and through the common room.
“Bye, fuckers,” she calls out like anyone wants to talk to her. “I’d say it was nice knowing you, but it really isn’t.”
“The fuck?” I ask.
I put her in the SUV the club uses and leave. She’s talking a mile a minute and I don’t pay attention to a single word she’s saying. I’m too busy concentrating on not calling in a woman to beat the fuck out of her. And the only thing stopping me is her being pregnant. If she weren’t none of this would be happening right now.
Pulling up to the house, NeNe shuts up for a minute.
“What are we doing here?” she asks, turning her nose up in disgust.
“This is where you’re gonna live from now on. I’m done with your shit at the clubhouse. It’s your own fuckin’ fault so remember that,” I tell her.
“I’m not staying here,” she says.
“Yes, you are. And someone will be watchin’ over you every second of the day. So, you try somethin’ and I’ll know about it. Get the fuck out,” I tell her, turning off the SUV and getting out myself.