by Harley Wylde
“Hayley, sweetheart, can we not teach Freya to beat on people?” Hawk asked, striding toward his woman. He hooked her around the waist and hauled her back against his chest.
Shit. Where were the kids? I looked around and saw Jacey in the corner with the two little girls, as well as Atlas and Langston. She didn’t seem concerned by what was happening. If anything, she looked bored.
I made my way over to Danica and tried to pry her off Letty. “Dani!”
She stopped and glared at me. “Don’t you ‘Dani’ me right now! I’m pissed at you. And this stupid slut.”
She slammed Letty’s head into the bar again, and the woman groaned before slumping to the floor. “What the hell is going on?”
Minnie scurried over from another corner of the room, her face pale as she stared at the other club whores. “It’s not her fault.”
Well, now, this was an unusual turn of events. Usually the club whores were catty and hated the old ladies. Not Minnie. She was defending Danica? “Come again?”
“Letty found out Danica is your old lady. She started mouthing off about…” Her cheeks flushed as she looked over at the kids and dropped her voice to a near whisper. “About how you like your cock sucked, among other things. Then the others chimed in about Beast and Hawk.”
“But not you?” I asked.
She shook her head so hard I thought her neck might crack. “No! I respect your old ladies. I know I’m here to be of service to anyone who wants me, but I’d never try to go after anyone who has a woman at home.”
“So these three were causing trouble?” Hawk asked, nodding to the club whores who’d taken a beating.
Minnie nodded. “I tried to tell them to stop.”
“She stayed out of the way,” Lyssa said. “Minnie can remain. These other three? I want them gone. I don’t give a shit if you’re pissed I’m talking to any of you like this right now. Either those three go, or the three of us do.”
Beast yanked her against him and glowered down at her. “We’ve talked about this.”
Lyssa sagged against him. “You don’t understand. I can handle all this. Hayley is getting used to it too, but Danica hasn’t had one of these bitches try to get between her and Ranger before. You didn’t see the look on her face. I couldn’t stand around and do nothing, then they started mouthing off about you and Hawk.”
Beast tipped her chin up. “What did they say?”
“She said the next time you were here drinking with your brothers, she’d make sure she accidentally fell on your cock with her pussy. She said it would remind you I’m not the only woman in the world, and I’d be out on my ass before long.” Lyssa sighed. “I know you’d never do that, but I couldn’t let her get away with that shit.”
Beast pressed his lips to hers. “They’re gone. All but Minnie. We’ll find new club whores, somewhere. Maybe some of the girls at the strip club would like to come party.”
I pulled Danica into my arms and held her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere near these women, Dani. Nothing they say or do could ever tempt me away from you.”
She buried her face in my chest, and the tension in her body told me how hard she was fighting not to fall apart in front of everyone. I scooped her into my arms and carried her down the hallway. I kicked open the bathroom door, then shut it behind us, setting her on the counter.
“Dani girl, I know we’re new, and I have no problem with you putting club whores in their place, but you have nothing to worry about.” I caressed her cheek and wiped away her tears as they started to fall.
“I’m sorry. I should have more faith in you. In us.”
“You’re my girl. My old lady. And if you want to be, my wife. We can get married the old-fashioned way, or let Wire work his magic. I don’t care. I want you to be mine in every way possible. No more doubts, Dani. You’re it for me.”
She nodded and snuggled into me. “I’d love to be your wife, and I don’t care how it’s done.”
“I’ll let Wire and Shield know. By tonight, you’ll be Danica Saeed.” I cupped her cheek, tipping her face up. “Just be prepared. Small towns and small minds. Some people will hear your new last name and give you shit about it.”
“Did that happen to you? Before you only went by Ranger?” she asked.
“Yeah. A lot. Especially in school. Not too many kids in my county who had a parent from the Middle East. Most of the kids were white. A handful were African American or Hispanic, but not many. Where I lived, the population was about eighty-five percent white.”
“It shouldn’t matter,” she said.
“No, it shouldn’t, but it did. I was different. Not to mention, some had family members who fought in Operation Desert Storm. A few came back not quite whole, either physically or mentally. Didn’t matter I wasn’t from Iraq, or that my family had nothing to do with the war. They saw the color of my skin, heard my last name, and made me public enemy number one.”
“I will be proud to be Danica Saeed. I don’t care what anyone says.” She pressed her lips to mine. “But just to be clear. If you’re planning on buying a wedding ring, I don’t want anything fancy or big. A plain band is more than enough. Anything else could get in the way when I’m with the horses.”
“I can do that.” I smiled. “As long as everyone knows you’re mine, that’s all that matters. I’d rather be at home with you than cooling my heels in the county jail for knocking a few heads together.”
“Um, Parks. No one’s ever really hit on me. Not in a way that would require you to start a fight. I think you’re safe.”
I kissed her again. Longer. Deeper. “Then they were idiots.”
“As much as I’d love to continue down this path, we brought food. If you’re hungry, you’d better go get something before your brothers eat it all. Or the Dixie Reapers. Grimm is known for eating his weight in brownies.”
I helped her off the counter and walked back out to the main room with her hand in mine. I saw Cowboy and Jacey at a table, waving us over. Leading Danica over to them, I noticed there were extra drinks and plates. It seemed they’d made sure we were taken care of after we disappeared down the hall.
“Sit and eat,” Jacey said. “Wire and Shield grabbed plates and went back into Church to keep working. Lavender went to get her laptop and said she’d stay and help for a little while.”
“What about the kids?” I asked.
“Atlas can stay with us. He and Langston are joined at the hip anyway.” Jacey took a sip of her soda. “I’m not sure how long Lyssa and Hayley will stay at the house, but their girls aren’t any trouble. We put a gate across the sunroom doorway earlier and left them to play.”
“Do what you need to,” Danica said. “We’ll be okay. Mom will stay with me even if Lyssa and Hayley need to go home.”
“We found a lot on Lewis.” I glanced at Cowboy, and he gave a slight nod. “One of the women he’s hurt is Hatchet’s daughter. He thought his girlfriend had an abortion. Turns out he has a twenty-year-old daughter. She’s in a psychiatric hospital in Missouri, but Spider was sending someone to get her. They’ll watch over her until Hatchet can get to her.”
Danica leaned back in her chair and sighed. “You’re going to kill him, aren’t you? Lewis. Hatchet won’t allow him to live after what he did to his daughter.”
“Don’t worry about it, Dani girl. Whatever happens, we won’t get caught,” I assured her. “You don’t need to hear the details.”
Cowboy snorted. “We don’t even know the details yet. Just know that Wire and Lavender can cover up just about anything. None of us are going to jail, if that’s your concern.”
“Good to know,” Danica muttered.
“Guess we need to hold off on asking Shield or Wire to help us out,” I told her, taking her hand in mine.
“Help you?” Jacey asked. “With something other than Lewis Stevens?”
I nodded and looked at my soon-to-be wife. I didn’t know if she wanted me to tell them now, or if
she wanted to wait. Since it was her family, I’d let her take the lead.
“I want one of them to marry us,” Danica said. “The way Wire’s done for a lot of others. I don’t need a ceremony or anything.”
Cowboy frowned as he stared at his daughter. “So I don’t get to walk you down the aisle?”
Well, shit. I hadn’t thought of that. Was it something Danica would want too? I tried to read her expression. I had no problem waiting and having a preacher or judge marry us. All right, maybe not a judge. Not sure I wanted to stand up in front of one of those anytime soon.
“You want to walk me down the aisle?” Danica asked her dad. “I didn’t think you’d be into that sort of thing.”
“Of course, I do!” He set his beer bottle down. “But what do you want?”
She chewed her bottom lip and looked at me. I knew right then what she wanted and needed. And I’d give it to her. Whatever it took. I looked around the room. Prospero would probably be up for what I had in mind. I caught his attention and waved him over.
“What’s up, Ranger?” he asked.
“How do you feel about becoming an ordained minister? One of those online things that would allow you to marry someone in less than a week?” I asked.
“Uh.” He looked from me to the others at the table and back again. “You want to get married?”
“Danica wants a real wedding where her dad can walk her down the aisle. We don’t exactly have an aisle here, but we could fix up the clubhouse for the occasion. Push the tables aside. Hang some lanterns or something. Will you do it?” I asked.
“Absolutely. I’ll use my phone to look it up now. I’ve heard there are online places where you can be ordained same day.” Prospero winked at Danica. “Congrats, Danica. And welcome to the Reckless Kings family.”
He walked off and I pulled up my phone, searching for a local bridal shop. Before I called, I needed some information from Danica.
“What size do you usually wear in dresses?” I asked her.
“A twelve,” she said. “Why?”
“Preferred wedding dress style?” Her brow furrowed as she stared at me. I waited and she finally just shrugged. “All right. I’ll ask for one of everything.”
I called the shop and spoke to the manager. She promised to send someone by with six dresses for Danica to peruse and choose from. I offered to pay in cash for whatever she picked out, which thrilled the woman. She said someone would be by within the hour.
It occurred to me everyone would wonder why I was rushing to marry Danica. Knowing she could have been taken from me, that Lewis could have raped or killed her if she hadn’t come here, made an icy chill skate down my spine. She’d already agreed to be my old lady. Now I wanted her to be mine in every way possible. I wanted my ring on her finger. More importantly, I needed the world to know she belonged to me and was under my protection, as my wife.
I stood and went to Jacey, quietly getting Danica’s ring size, then went to find Logan. I’d send him for wedding bands, lanterns, and anything else we needed to give her a wedding she’d remember fondly. With some luck, we’d even get it done before anyone had to leave to handle Lewis and the others.
Chapter Eleven
Danica
I couldn’t believe he was putting together a wedding. After taking a break for lunch, the men had gone back into Church and all the ladies had returned to my house. Prospero had sent a text to Lyssa letting her know he’d been ordained online and could perform the ceremony whenever we were ready. It seemed one of the Prospects was off buying supplies to transform the clubhouse. When Ranger had said he wanted to marry me right away, I hadn’t realized he meant immediately. Minnie had offered to stay and help decorate, which I’d found sweet, if a bit strange. I didn’t know why it had to be done right now. It would take time to find a dress and anything we needed before getting married.
“If it makes you feel better, Minnie and Ranger never hooked up,” Lyssa said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Because she has a thing for Satyr, but he’s never going to settle down. She always waits for him at the parties. Once he’s had his fill, she usually clings to Brick.” Lyssa shook her head. “Brick doesn’t do anything but let her sit on his lap while he drinks and plays cards, or whatever else he gets into at the parties. She’s a one-man woman, and Beast lets it slide.”
“But he just booted the others. Won’t she have to… you know?” I asked.
Lyssa smiled. “Whore herself out to anyone in the club who snaps their fingers at her? Typically, yes. With Minnie, I think Beast will make an exception. Everyone knows she has it bad for Satyr, except Satyr. He’s fucking clueless.”
“Have you ever heard of a brother keeping a club whore as an old lady?” Hayley asked. “Hawk made it seem like something none of them would ever do.”
“I haven’t. Doesn’t mean it never happens,” Lyssa said. “For Minnie’s sake, I hope Satyr gives her a chance. She’s a sweetheart.”
I twirled in front of my mom, Lyssa, and Hayley. “What about this one?”
They eyed the wedding dress I’d tried on. Dress number three. They were all beautiful, but none of them felt right. I was starting to think maybe I wasn’t the type to wear a dress like these. I’d been comfortable in my boots and jeans all my life. Seldom did I ever put on a dress of any sort.
“Show us the other ones,” Hayley said, eyeing me.
The woman from the bridal shop unzipped three other bags. None of those were any better than what I’d tried on already.
“I have one more in my trunk,” she said. “It’s not your traditional wedding dress. Not these days. I picked it up from an estate sale. The woman who’d worn it stayed with her husband for thirty years before he was taken from her. She lived the rest of her life alone, because he’d been her only love. It’s been laundered and I was taking it back to the shop to put on the rack.”
“I want to see it,” I said.
My mom frowned. “Are you sure, Danica? You don’t want a new dress? One no one’s ever worn before?”
I shook my head. “These are all beautiful, but they aren’t me. Maybe I’m looking at dresses from the wrong decade.”
“I’ll bring it in,” the lady said, hurrying out to her car. She returned a moment later with a garment bag. When she unzipped it, I knew it was the dress I was meant to wear. I only hoped it fit.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. The material was an eggshell with tiny yellow roses stitched into the fabric. The neckline would rest along my collarbones, and it had capped sleeves. The skirt belled out and looked like it would stop just below my knees.
The lady handed the dress to me, and Mom followed me to the bedroom. She helped me out of the dress I had on currently, and into the new one. The moment I put it on, I knew it was the right one. It fit as if it were made for me.
“I don’t have shoes for it,” I told Mom.
“Let’s see what she brought. She mentioned bringing a few pairs, just in case. Ranger didn’t tell her you needed shoes, but she planned ahead.”
Good thing too, or I’d be wearing this pretty dress with cowboy boots. I wore the dress into the living room to show Hayley and Lyssa. Their jaws dropped, and the bridal shop assistant clapped her hands.
“It’s perfect,” the woman gushed. “I think I have just the right shoes for it, too.”
She rummaged through the shoe boxes she’d brought with her and handed me a pair of sling-back eggshell shoes with kitten heels. They were peep toes, which meant I’d need to give myself a pedicure. I hoped Mom had remembered to pack the few bottles of nail polish I owned. Or even better, her massive collection. Since she’d hooked up with Dad, she’d started doing manicures and pedicures with the other old ladies once a month.
“We’ll take the dress and shoes,” Mom said.
“Ranger said he’d be paying cash,” the woman said. “For both the dress and shoes, it will be five hundred plus tax.”
“I’ve got it,” Ly
ssa said, pulling out an envelope. “He left this with me to cover whatever you bought.”
While Lyssa took care of the bill, I changed out of the dress and shoes. Mom took the dress and put it back into the garment bag and the shoes back into the box. I didn’t want Ranger to see them until the wedding. I hung the bag at the very back of the closet and hoped he wouldn’t be nosy.
“I can’t believe my baby is getting married,” Mom said, tears gathering in her eyes.
“Just think. You have two more to marry off. Assuming Jackson stops chasing the next win long enough to actually find someone.”
“I won’t hold my breath. Langston will probably settle down before Jackson, and he’s not even ten!” Mom smiled. “But Jackson’s day will come. Some girl will come along and knock him on his ass when he least expects it.”
“When do you think we’ll have the ceremony?” I asked.
“As soon as possible. That boy wants you to be his in every way possible. I can tell by looking at him.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s hardly a boy.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not much younger than me. The fact he’s about to be my son-in-law means I get to call him a boy.”
“Fine. You do that.” I looked down at my feet. “I don’t suppose you packed any pedicure stuff? Pumice stone? Polish? Anything to make my feet more presentable in those shoes?”
Mom laughed. “I did. Maybe not the right polish, though. We can see if Hayley or Lyssa has a color that would work. I think a pale pink would look nice.”
“I have a feeling I’m about to have a spa day, aren’t I?” I asked. She knew I hated those. I’d let her do it when I was younger, knowing she needed the break from everything else going on.
“You have something better to do?” she asked.
“Nope.” I sighed. “Let’s see if the others want to join in. The more the merrier, right?”
I spent the next two hours letting my mom give me a mani-pedi, and thankfully Hayley had the perfect polish color. By the time we were finished, I’d started to feel antsy. No one had heard anything from Ranger or the others. As far as we knew, they were still in Church. Had they come up with a plan? Or were they still working on it?