by Erin Osborne
NeNe gets out and I grab her bags to take in the house. As soon as she steps foot inside, I can see the disgust written all over her face. Like I said, I picked out basic shit for her. I’m not going to give her any more than that.
“You actually expect me to live here?” she asks.
“Yep. You have furniture and food to eat. I’ll come by for your next appointment. But, before that, I’ll be here for the paternity test next week,” I answer, turning from her and leaving the house.
Axel is sitting outside on his bike. He won’t get near the house after her trying to fuck him. I let him know to call me if she tries to leave or get him to go inside. Or has anyone over. I’m not playing games with her ass. She’ll do what I say or she won’t even be in this house. I’ll put her in a fucking shelter or something to make sure she’s watched all the time.
Chapter Fourteen
Hollie
RAINE ASKED ME to go to the clubhouse with her today. Kelly just got back and Raine wanted to welcome her back and go over shit with her. Right now, Rose and Kelly are the only two house bunnies in the clubhouse and I’m not sure how they’re going to deal with all the men and everything else they have to do around there. At least until my sister gets more girls in there to help them out.
I’m meeting her there because I have to leave early to get some work done for Keira and some more of her covers. She’s definitely keeping me busy and I’m not going to complain one bit about it. Plus, if I want to leave before my sister, I can. I’m not one to hang around the clubhouse because of all the guys. It’s just uncomfortable for me to be in Capone’s space and not be with him.
I finish my work and check the house before leaving. I’ve missed having Axel here, but he has to help the other guys watch over NeNe and report back to Capone about what she’s doing. I’m alone at the house for the most part and I like it that way. Axel was the main one to come inside and keep me company. The other two, Shane and Steve, would if I made them come in and eat. It’s not the same, but I finally feel as if I’m truly being allowed to move on without constant babysitters.
Clay and I had our date. He’s nice, polite, wants to learn all about me, and he’s attentive. I’m just not sure he’s the guy for me. He’s not rugged and rough around the edges like Capone. Or a take charge kind of guy. He would rather sit back and let me make all the decisions. Our next date is only when I want it and it’s going to be where I want to go. The gesture is nice, but I want more. I want a man who will tell me where to meet him or randomly pick me up and take me out for a surprise date. Plus, I can’t help but compare him to Capone and I find he’s lacking in every way possible. It’s not right, or fair, but it’s what I’m doing. At least I’m honest enough to admit it.
We still talk through messages and things, but I want to be face-to-face when I tell him I think we’re better off being friends. I’ll probably talk to Raine about it first too. She can help me figure out how to let him down gently so we can still be friends. His perfect woman is out there, she’s just not me. I don’t like it, but at least I’m getting out of the house and trying to be social and meet new people.
I’m leaving the house after making sure it’s locked up tight when my phone goes off. I don’t bother looking at it because I’m sure it’s Raine asking where I’m at. I should’ve been there already, but I got sidetracked with work. It usually happens to me these days. I like getting lost in my work and forgetting about the outside world. At least for a while.
I head out and arrive at the clubhouse within minutes. It’s not like I’m that far away from there. I like being close to the clubhouse because if Raine’s there I know it won’t take me long to get to her. Or if I have a bad day and need to get to someone I trust, it’s a matter of minutes before I’m surrounded by people I know will have my back and make sure I’m protected.
There’s a lot of bikes parked in the parking lot. Raine’s SUV is parked in her designated spot as I park at the back of the lot where the rest of the cars are relegated to parking. Bikes are always at the forefront of the parking lot and most of the space is used for them to park in case another club shows up or random friends show up. Anyone with a car is expected to walk the distance to the clubhouse and no one usually bitches about it because they all want a chance to associate with the men of the club.
I lock my truck and make my way to the door of the clubhouse. There’s music and laughter coming from inside, so loud I can hear it through the thick outer door of the clubhouse. Raine never once told me there was going to be a party today. If she had, I probably wouldn’t be here. But, I want to see who this Kelly person is that she wants to introduce me to.
Bracing myself, I pull open the door and cautiously step inside the common room of the clubhouse. There’s men lounging around the room, drinks in hand. Capone and Wrath are playing a game of pool. Axel is standing behind the bar serving drinks. Raine is sitting with Satan at one of the tables. Rose and another woman are sitting with them. I head in their direction, not paying attention to anyone else around me. At least not until I hear the last person I thought I’d hear— NeNe.
“The fuck you think you’re doing here?” she asks cruelly.
I ignore the bitch and continue walking over to my sister. She’s glaring at NeNe but not saying a word to her. No one is. They all just let her do her thing and say what she wants to say. I’m thoroughly confused.
Axel brings me over a water and talks to me for a minute. He’s missed being at the house with me. I laugh when he talks about how bored he is when he’s watching over the she-bitch as he’s taken to calling her. My laughter is loud and everyone around the room looks over at me. Including Capone.
A feral look comes over his face as he takes in Axel leaning over me and talking. Axel’s got a smile on his face as we look at one another. To an outsider, I’m sure it looks as if we’re together, but I only see him as a friend or younger brother. Even though he’s almost a year older than me.
Capone goes to walk over to us, but NeNe stops him. She wraps her body around his and looks over at me. A smirk covers her face as she places her hand possessively on his chest. She’s trying to let me know to stay away from her man. I have no problem staying away from him if she’s who he wants. It’s not like I’ve seen or talked to him since he found out she’s pregnant anyway. He’s kept his distance and a part of me is sad we don’t even have a friendship any longer. All because she tricked him into getting pregnant.
Before I turn my eyes away from the vile bitch and Capone, he shrugs her off of him and leaves the pool game he was playing with Wrath. Instead of joining anyone else, he enters the staircase and heads upstairs. A scowl is on his face and I want to go to him and find out what’s wrong. I don’t. I remain seated and listen to the conversation between Satan and Raine. Kelly and Rose stay quiet for the most part, only talking a few times when either one of them are asked a question.
“Holls, what made you so late?” Raine asks.
“Oh, I was working. I lost track of time and got pulled into what I was doing,” I answer evasively.
“For . . . ” Raine starts asking.
“Yeah,” I reply in a rushed tone so no one knows what we’re talking about.
Raine just looks at me. She doesn’t understand my need to have this secret about making book covers and other graphics for authors. I don’t know she ever will. Until I’m ready to reveal what I’ve been doing, no one needs to know. Especially with the she-bitch here. My business is none of her concern.
Before we can have any more conversation, the she-bitch starts causing a horrific scene. All because Axel won’t serve her a drink without her paying for it. She’s not attached to the club, so she has to pay for everything. And she won’t be allowed to eat here either.
“Listen here, Prospect,” she screams out like he should be ashamed of his position in the club. “You get me a fucking drink. Right now!”
“Give me the money and I’ll get you a soda or water. You’re not drinkin�
� anythin’ but that,” Axel tells her.
“You have no right to tell me what I can and can’t drink. It’s your fucking job to serve the club. So, fucking serve me a damn drink,” she yells.
“And you’re no longer part of the fucking club,” I say. “You got kicked out when you chose to betray them. So, how about you get the fuck out and leave everyone here alone. In peace.”
“Bitch, you have no room to talk. You don’t belong here. I do. In case you forgot, I’m carrying the VP’s baby,” she taunts.
“Yeah. And you poked holes in the fucking condom to make it happen. Which means you also quit taking your birth control. So, you’re tied to a man who wants nothing to do with you. How’s that working out for ya?” I ask, tired of holding my tongue.
“It was working just great last night when he was fucking my brains out,” she taunts.
Yes, that hurts. Bad. But, I’m not going to let her see that. She’ll only use it against me in the future and she has enough ammunition already.
“I’m glad he fucked you that good. So, go home and get some rest. I’m sure it’s not easy being pregnant,” I tell her.
“Nope. I’m here with my man. I’m Capone’s ol’ lady, not you. I belong here and we’re gonna leave soon for an appointment,” NeNe says.
“Good, then why don’t you go clean yourself up for it,” I taunt her back. “You look a little scary with your hair all over the place and your clothes coming undone. I mean, unless you want everyone to know what a slut you are.”
“Satan, you better fucking control your sister-in-law. She doesn’t belong here,” the she-bitch tells him.
“NeNe, you’re gettin’ on my last fuckin’ nerve. I suggest you get out of my sight before I ban you from the clubhouse altogether. No one wants you here. Includin’ Capone. Get gone,” Satan answers.
NeNe realizes she has no one here on her side. Capone isn’t even down here defending her actions. Or making sure no one attacks her. Hell, if she really was his ol’ lady, he’d be by her side. I want to make another comment, but I’m not going to stoop to her level even more than I already have. It’s not my place or business.
So, I sit back and watch as she heads upstairs. Well, she tries to.
“NeNe, you’re not fuckin’ allowed up there,” Satan calls out, his voice has a deadly serious quality to it.
“I’m going to Capone’s room,” she tries to argue.
“No, you’re not. He didn’t take you up there with him and you don’t belong to the club anymore. Only members are allowed upstairs without a chaperone,” Satan says.
“My man is upstairs and I’m going to him,” she tries arguing.
“Not your fuckin’ man. I’m just the possible baby daddy. You don’t have a fuckin’ man in this club and no one wants you here. I sure as fuck don’t want you here. If I did, I wouldn’t have gotten you a house,” Capone says, walking down the stairs. “Now, stop actin’ like I’m with you, that I’ve touched you, or that I want to have anythin’ to do with you. You show up here again and you won’t be let in. Let’s go, we have to get the paternity test done.”
NeNe looks at Capone with murder in her eyes. He just fucking destroyed any standing she thought she had with the club. Or with me in regard to her having a claim on him. She can’t stand to be put in her place and I know she’s going to try to get back at him in one form or another. I just hope she doesn’t put that innocent baby at risk. The baby never asked to be conceived and has no clue what a bitch of a mother he or she will have.
Capone leaves the clubhouse without talking to anyone. He doesn’t look around or try to make eye contact with any of the men. Instead he storms out and lets the door slam behind him. NeNe follows him at a slower pace and I imagine she’s thinking of ways to piss him off so he loses his cool. That’s how she’s going to try to fuck with him, make someone think he lost his cool to the point he hurt her. Capone would never hurt a woman intentionally. And never physically.
As soon as the door shuts behind the she-bitch, everyone in the common room bursts out in laughter. I’m sure she can hear it outside, we’re all laughing so hard. There’s not a single person in here who likes her. We all feel for Capone and how he’s going to have to deal with her for the rest of his life. I wish his circumstances were different, but they’re not. He fucked her more than once and she took a chance by poking the holes in the condoms. She won.
“Well, Kelly, welcome back to the clubhouse. I’m glad to have met you,” I say, turning toward my sister. “I have more work to get done today. And I might go shopping or out to dinner. So, I’ll see you later.”
“You going out with Clay again?” my sister asks, causing the men around us to stop talking.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure when we’re going to go out again,” I say, shooting her a look.
These men gossip more than anyone I’ve ever been around in my life. If they hear something, it’s getting repeated between the men of the club. Especially if they’re bored and just sitting around. And with only two house bunnies, they’re bound to be bored as hell more often than not.
“Okay. Well, I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe bring the kids over to see you for a while. It will be in the afternoon because I have an appointment for a tattoo in the morning,” Raine tells me.
“Sounds good. Bye, everyone,” I say, standing up and going over to say goodbye to Axel.
We hug before I leave and he tells me he’ll stop over sometime this week. He wants to see more of my work. I tell him to let me know when and I’ll have dinner ready for him. After saying goodbye one more time to everyone, I leave the clubhouse and head home. I’m not going shopping or out to dinner. I have half of a sub left over from lunch and that’s what I plan to eat. I just don’t want to be here anymore.
Today showed me that NeNe is always going to get what she wants. No one wants her in the clubhouse, yet she’s still around. They don’t let her get away with her shit anymore, but she’s still always going to be around. She’s not someone I want to be around and it’s not because of Capone.
NeNe thinks she’s better than everyone around her and I’ll be damned if she treats me like shit just because she wants to. Because she thinks she has a claim on every single man in the Blazing Outlaws and the club itself. The way she acts, you’d think the club is hers and everyone is supposed to bend to her will. She’s learning it’s not going to happen, but she still tries like crazy. I have too much going on to deal with the likes of a bitter, skanky woman who has to lie about how she got pregnant. Scheming women are the worst.
Chapter Fifteen
Capone
TODAY IS THE day I’ve been waiting for. I’ll be getting the call to come in and get the results of the paternity test. NeNe will not be going with me either. I’m going to go alone and get the results. She just needs to know I’ll know the truth.
NeNe thinks once I realize the baby is mine, I’ll come around and make her my ol’ lady or marry her. I’m never going to do either thing with her. The only thing she’ll ever be is the woman who gave birth to my child. As soon as I have the results of the test, my plans can be put in place and I’ll get what I want while NeNe gets what she deserves— nothing.
I haven’t seen her since the day of the paternity test. The only time I’m going to be around her is when she has a doctor’s appointment. And then I’ll be gone once I drop her off back at the house. She’s trying all sorts of shit to lure me over to the house too. In the last week, she’s tried to have a party with a bunch of random people from who knows where. There was another night she tried to bring a man to the house. That didn’t work out so good for her. Then there was another time she tried to leave the house to go to a club. When that didn’t work, she said she was going to get dinner at the diner.
She’s getting pissed no one is allowed to be at the house and she can’t leave. I don’t know what to tell her. Maybe if she were acting like and adult instead of a spoiled child, she’d have more freedom than what she does
right now. Instead, she wants to be rash and try to play games using the child against me to get me to bend to her will. It’s not something I’m going to do and the sooner she learns it, the better off we’ll be.
I’m sitting in my room at the clubhouse when I get the call to go to the lab so I can have the results. Pulling on my boots, I make my way out of the clubhouse and head just out of town to grab the paper that has the power to change my life forever. Or to release me from the hell NeNe has been creating for the last several weeks.
My heart is racing the entire ride there. At the same time, my mind is going through every possible scenario, including if the baby is mine. If the baby is, then I’ll be making another trip before I go into work tonight. I’ve already been on the phone with my lawyer and all we’re waiting on is the results. Today is the day I put everything in place all based on one piece of paper.
Pulling up outside the building where the lab is, I sit on my bike for a minute. Before I can slide off my bike, I hear the rumble of pipes and look to see who’s coming up on me. It’s Satan. He pulls in next to me and shuts his bike down.
“Wasn’t gonna let you deal with this alone,” he says, getting off his bike and waiting for me to do the same.
“Thank you,” I tell him, finally finding the strength to get off my bike.
“No thanks needed, Capone. You’re my brother and one of my best friends. This is somethin’ you’re goin’ through and I got your back. No matter what,” Satan answers as we walk toward the building.
Going inside, I give the secretary my name and tell her I’m there to collect the results of a paternity test. She looks through the files sitting on her desk and opens one with NeNe’s name on it. Pulling out the sealed envelope, I sign the forms I need to in order to get the results. Before I can process it, she’s handing over the envelope and Satan is ushering me back through the door.