Magnum (Rugged Skulls MC Book 1)

by Amy Davies

  A loud meow snaps me back to the present, and I smile when I see Suki come trotting into the room. The boys around the clubhouse have been amazing with her, giving her attention. Slide even went and got her a Rugged Skulls MC bandana. I bend over and lift her into my lap, scratching her under her chin, which she loves.

  “Just good? From the noises that comes from the tower, I would think you are more than good, Kara. What’s got that look of worry in your eyes?”

  Sighing, I snuggle Suki to my chest. Using her as a shield maybe? Licking my lips, I answer him. Maybe he can help sort the NASCAR speed of thoughts racing around my head.

  “I’m not some insecure little girl anymore, Edge. I have no filter and I don’t take shit—but this thing with Magnum has my head spinning. I mean, why me? He knew me years ago, knew full well that I had a crush on him, but he did nothing. I know there’s eight years between us, but honestly, I saw him fucking girls that were only a year older than me in high school.”

  “Babe, he was a horny guy back then. Hell, we all were, especially when we came home from deployment. Going months with no sex, except for fucking our hands, we all kind of went a little crazy.”

  “I get that. Fuck, I don’t know. I’ve dated over the years, had sex, but every time it came down to it, they weren’t Joey. Now all of a sudden, after not seeing me for a few years, he calls fucking ‘dibs’. I mean, what the hell is that about?”

  Edge laughs, and I swear if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m in love with Magnum, this man would make me swoon with that noise alone. Hell, I bet he does with the ladies around here.

  “Can we please not talk about you fucking other men? Hell, it’s bad enough hearing you with Magnum.” He shivers jokingly. “As for the ‘dibs’ thing, years ago, like as in Colt and Crude times, one of the members was after a woman, but she wasn’t having any of it. She thought she was nothing but a shiny new toy. So, when she did finally come to a club party, the brother shouted ‘dibs’, like we did when we were in kindergarten and junior high. It was childish and pissed the woman off, but she also saw the romantic side of it. They got together not long after. I believe they’re still married.”

  Okay, that does sound kinda fun but romantic at the same time.

  “Stick with it, Kara. I do believe the Pres wants to keep you. Keep being you. He loves that shit.”

  Nodding, I give Suki some attention before she scurries off my lap and heads for Edge, who picks her up and makes a fuss.

  “She is cute, kinda like a baby,” he says, getting lost in thought again. Touching his knee to get his attention, he brings his eyes to meet mine.

  “I just poured my heart out to you, dude. Talk to me, Edge. You’re like my best friend here. What’s your real name anyway?”

  Speaking of best friends, I think of Lani. Once we settled in Magnum’s room, he told me everything. Marvin and his goons followed her home from work and beat her up, so badly that she needed to be admitted to the hospital overnight with a concussion. Dealings with the family are not going well. Marvin refuses to let me go, saying that I will always be his, one way or another. Whatever that means.

  I’ve spoken to Lani on the phone, and she doesn’t blame me for anything that’s happened. She called Marvin every derogatory name under the sun. She’s been given a job working bar at the Phoenix clubhouse so the brothers can keep an eye on her, and from what I’ve heard, she is getting awfully cozy with Tank. He only stayed for two days before he flew back to Phoenix, but it was amazing to see him and enough to make me miss home a little.

  A loud sigh breaks my thoughts, and I look at Edge. He gives me a smile and explains.

  “My name is Ledley Best. I got my road name because when we were in the army, I always lived on the edge, never hiding away from things, because over there your life can end in a split second.”

  I shiver at the thought of the boys in a war zone. Magnum has a scar on his ribs, where he was hit with a piece of shrapnel while in Afghanistan.

  “Thank you for your service,” I tell him sincerely. He gives me a nod.

  “The club knows this, Kara, but I want to tell you too, because I think that in the very near future, I’m going to need you at my back. I know that you’ve heard the boys mention the name Synclare.” I nod. “She’s my old lady, but she doesn’t know it yet. Syn is ten years younger than me and is known in the club. Her dad and brother own ‘Logan’s Ridez’, and she owns it with them, but she went away to college to get a business degree to expand the business when she gets home.” He takes a deep breath before adding, “I hurt her.”

  I can see the remorse in his eyes, and he looks away from my assessing pair. Nudging his knee with mine, I nod.

  “Go on,” I urge.

  “I needed to hurt her because she would have stayed and gone to community college to be close to me. I needed her to live her life before coming home and having me claiming her.”

  “You mean calling ‘dibs’?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him, and he laughs. I laugh with him, but then he lets out a huge sigh before continuing.

  “Yeah, well, I called ‘dibs’ years ago, that’s why none of the boys have touched her, but would protect her if needed. I still talk to her father, Jed, and her brother, River, all the time. They give me updates on her school, but nothing else. I don’t want to know about her dating or fucking other guys.” His voice takes a deathly tone, and if I didn’t know him any better, I would be scared.

  “But you fuck other women, Edge. Why can’t she?” Hell fucking no if he thinks he can pull this shit on this girl.

  “I know I do, but they’re a means to an end until she gets home. I would never control her life; I just don’t want to hear about it.”

  “Does she come home?”

  Nodding, he answers, “Yeah, but she stays clear of me, and I stay away from the store. She is fucking beautiful, Risk; long jet-black hair, piercing silver eyes and skin like porcelain. Tattoos that just add to her sexiness. Attitude for fucking days. And she knows how to bring a man to his knees; literally. She knows Judo,” he tells me with a dreamy smile on his face. Fuck, he really does love this girl.

  “My kind of girl. Can’t wait to meet her,” I tell him. His smile falls.

  “It will be hard to get her to forgive me, and to let me explain what I did and why. I—”

  Slapping him on his arm, I frown at him and climb to my knees.

  “What did you do, Ledley?” He looks away, not giving me his eyes. Fuck.

  A million different reasons as to why it will be hard to win her back are racing through my mind. Holding my breath, I wait for him to explain. Bringing his gaze back to mine, he speaks.

  “Made sure that she saw me fucking a Reg, then I went on to tell her that a little girl wouldn’t do it for me, that my cock only gets hard for grown women.”

  I gasp in shock, but then my sisterhood anger boils over. Slapping his arm again, I then take my baby Suki off him, holding her to my chest, away from the nasty man. Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

  “Oh, Edge, how could you? I bet that shattered her heart. I should know, it was bad enough to see Magnum with the other girls, but you doing it intentionally to hurt her and push her away… I thought better of you.”

  “I know, K,” he sighs, moving to sit straight on the sofa before scrubbing his hand over his face. “It gutted me seeing her face. The tears about killed me, but I had to do it. I needed her to live, to find herself before I chained her to me and the club.”

  “And what makes you think she wants anything to do with the club, or you, for that matter?”

  “I don’t.” He shrugs.

  “You are a fucking dipshit, Ledley Best. Wasn’t there a better way of pushing her away?”

  “Maybe, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I was fucked up back then. Dealing with shit with my brother—hell, still am.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  Sighing again, he pulls his ph
one out of his pocket. Unlocking it, his fingers move deftly over the screen, clearly looking for something to show me. Taking a deep breath, he turns the phone around to face me.

  Staring back at me is a beautiful little baby boy. He has black hair, as dark as night, and bright grey eyes and chubby cheeks that are to die for. I coo and aww and take the phone off him.

  “Who is this handsome boy?”

  “My nephew, Hendrix. He’s twelve months old and has fetal alcohol syndrome because his cunt-whore of a mother refused to stop drinking or taking drugs when she was pregnant. Drix is small for his age, and you can see his eyes are different. That’s a result of the syndrome. Plus, he has some kidney issues.” He sighs next to me, before continuing his explanation.

  “My brother bolted when he found out she was pregnant. I went over there to see how she was after he was born, and she was drugged out and Drix was screaming the house down. That day I took him and never looked back. She even sent me papers to sign for me to adopt him.”

  “Wow, Edge, fucking wow.” I’m shocked to shit, but so fucking happy that this beautiful, generous man stepped up to take care of this baby.

  “Synclare doesn’t know. I made sure everyone who does know, knows that she isn’t to know yet. I’ll fill her in on all the details when she comes home. This will be a lot to deal with on top of dealing with her emotions for me.”

  Taking in everything he has just told me, I think my issues with Magnum are pretty small compared to Edge’s, but I have faith that he will sort everything out when Synclare comes home and gives him a chance to explain. If she gives him a chance.

  Climbing to my feet, I look down at Edge one more time before walking away, muttering about stupid ass men and their stupid way of thinking about things. No wonder men can’t do piss all without a woman in their life to pull them back in line.

  A strong woman builds a strong man.

  Thirteen

  Magnum

  Kara has been here for almost three weeks, and so far, things have been fucking amazing. Yeah, we fight about stupid shit because she is one headstrong woman, but I like that about her. She never backs down from a fight.

  I tried getting her to move into my room, but she told me no, that we weren’t there yet. Hell, she doesn’t even know I own a house at the back of the property, I’ll tell her when the time is right. Risky is still a little wigged out about us. She doesn’t let it show publicly, but when we are alone, I can sense her keeping distance.

  I know she’s wary of things with us, despite the fact I’ve claimed her publicly. She thinks I was so quick to stop whoring around that I can quickly slip back into it.

  But she’s wrong.

  Feelings for her that I had buried over the years came rushing back when I saw her step out of the car. Corny or not, that’s how it was. Even though we have busted his balls, I have always related to how Edge felt about Synclare; not wanting to touch what he couldn’t have, but the craving is there nonetheless.

  Tightening the nut on the wheel of the bike I’m fixing, I look around the garage, seeing my brothers all working on cars and bikes, keeping Rugged Repairs running.

  Opal and Sarge are working on old lady Gibbons’ old Ford. Her husband bought it for her years ago, and since he passed away, she has taken over the care of it. The car should be scrapped for parts, but when you hear her taking about the memories that car holds, you can’t help but make sure that it is completely roadworthy and more.

  She sits on the benches that we have for customers to wait it out for their cars or bikes to be fixed. Hell, some even pop into the clubhouse bar. But Mrs. Gibbons likes to bust the boys’ balls from time to time.

  “Hey, Magnum,” she calls over to me. Here we go again.

  “Yeah, Mrs. G?” I call back, cleaning the oil off my hands with a cloth. Climbing to my feet, I walk over to her. She’s around eighty years old, and I think her filter broke before I was born.

  “When are you going to settle down and make an honest woman out of me, huh? I ain’t getting any younger, you know, but damn, I could take you for the ride of your life.”

  I laugh as I close the distance between us. This has been going on for years. She always tells me that she would ride my cock into the world beyond and back again, if only her hip could take it.

  “Oh, you are way too much for me to handle, Mrs. G, and how do you know I haven’t settled down, huh? You haven’t been here in two months. A lot can happen in two months.”

  Scoffing, she looks over to the boys, checking them and her car out. They give her a thumbs up, and as she brings her gaze back to me, she smiles.

  “Well, have you? What skanky bitch Reg do I need to bury in my garden?” she asks, still knitting. She says she knits because it keeps her hands busy and stops them from seizing up.

  “No Reg will tie me down, sweetheart, you know that. But yeah, I have found mine,” is all I say, crossing my arms over my chest and spreading my legs, widening my stance.

  “Well, don’t just stand there looking all sexy, badass biker, my boy, give me the deets, for cripes sake,” she scolds me, but I can’t help but laugh at her.

  Shaking my head, I take a seat next to her and whistle, yeah whistle. Suki responds to whistles, like a fucking dog. It is fucking crazy.

  “Watch this?” I tell her.

  “Oh, fuck off, Pres. You know she fucking hates me and tries to chew the laces on my boots,” Sarge spits out, climbing up onto the workbench. The garage erupts with laughter at seeing this mean, grumpy-ass biker scared to death of a kitten. Suki looks like a fucking badass tiger prowling toward us.

  She peeks into the garage like she’s hunting Sarge, who’s hiding behind one of the cars. Fucking pussy.

  Suki meows as she strides over to me and Mrs. G, like a tiger in the wild. She isn’t wearing any clothes today. I had to put a stop to that shit, as cute as some of her outfits were. She’s a fucking cat; an animal.

  “Oh, my goodness, look at that. Who’s is she?” Mrs. G gushes as I bend down to pick up Suki and scratch under her chin. I swear she thinks she’s a fucking dog at times. Her eyes close slowly, then she lets out a sigh. I smile down at her.

  “Mrs. G, meet Suki, my old lady’s cat. Well, you could say my pet now, too, I guess.” I hand over the cat to the old lady and they bond with baby talk and soft meows.

  I watch as the animal pleases this lady without even knowing it, adding a bit of extra love in her day.

  “Old lady, you say?” I nod and smile.

  “Her name is Kara, but we call her Risky. She’s fucking beautiful, full of fire. Takes my shit and throws it back at me.” I smile, looking out at the yard, thinking of how I woke up Kara this morning. Her hair fanned out across my pillow, her scent lingering on me and my bedding.

  “You seem smitten.” The statement pulls me from my thoughts. Nodding, I look back at her.

  “Yeah, I think I am. We’ve known each other for years; she’s eight years younger than me. She had the whole teenage crush going on, but I was a prospect and a prick back then. Hell, still am.” I laugh, calling for a prospect and ordering a beer and an iced tea for Mrs. G.

  “Carry on; I sense more. Come on, Joey, you can talk to me. You know this.” I do know this; Mrs. G has been like a grandmother to all of us misfits.

  “As she got older, I noticed her more, but I couldn’t act on it. Her uncle would have ripped my balls from my body. She was going through a lot of shit back then; losing her parents at a young age, acting out, being risky.” I grin at her and she now gets the nickname.

  “You stayed away?” she enquires.

  “Yeah, I did. Fucked anything that came onto me. Avoided Kara as much as I could. But she was a club brat like me, so she was there at club events. I had to stand back and watch her navigate through life, adjusting to losing her parents, and I couldn’t do fuck all about it because I knew my feelings would take over and I would claim her. But I also knew that I wasn’t in the best place for that.”

 
“You did the right thing, Joey. It could have gone tits up if you made a move with you being that young and in different places in your lives. I remember when my Roger pursued me. I had just lost my mother and I was hell to be around. I pushed him away, and then I heard not long after that he joined the army, and do you know what?” I shake my head and she continues.

  “It made me miss him and want him more. The thought of losing him at war broke my heart. He came home and we got married within three days. Over the years, we had four kids. Two boys and two girls. We had a happy and fulfilled life together, right until his last day. We all travel our paths in different ways, Joey, but as long as we get to our final destination with happiness and love at the end, we win.”

  Her words hit home, sounding like the perfect way to explain what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. We sit in silence as the words sink in, helping me sift through everything that has happened with Kara.

  Mrs. G strokes Suki while we sit enjoying the sun and the sounds of the garage around us, neither of us speaking again, just enjoying the beer and iced tea the prospect brought us. I’m happy that she had that many years with Roger. He seemed like an awesome man. It was a bitch that I couldn’t meet him.

  I need to make sure Kara knows where I stand with us, and how I felt years ago. A heavy talk is needed.

  Seeing Kara all those years ago, going through what no child should have to, was hard, real fucking hard. Colt and Crude took care of everything and then some. Kara will want for nothing. Her parents left her with a pretty hefty sum of money to last her most of her life, but I know that Crude and his old lady, invested some of her money before she turned eighteen, and some of the money was released to her.

  She has a good head on her shoulders. She may be young and reckless, but she is a good solid person. Perfect old lady material. I know she will stand beside me through everything, no matter how hard it gets.