Toxic (Satan's Death Riders MC Book 1), page 2
She walked to Warden, touched his cheek, making the bangles on her wrist clink as she did so. Next, she came to him and kissed his cheek before leaving the office.
“Prez, come on, what’s the deal here?” Colt asked.
While his mother was in Warden’s presence, he was Dad. When they were alone with other members of the club, he was back to being the boss.
His dad nodded at Ox, Crow, and Pirate, clicked his fingers, and without a word, they left. Warden stepped back, resting against the front of his desk. For the longest time, he didn’t speak. Colt waited, wondering what he wasn’t saying.
“I know this is not an ideal situation, Colt, but you are my only son. I’ve met with Daemon and we both have felt loss.”
“We didn’t kill his daughter,” Colt said.
“I know and I know Nancy’s death on you is hard to bear.”
Hard to bear? Colt had been there. They’d been in the park, he’d been the one watching her, and then, out of nowhere, bullets flew at them. He’d acted too late. Nancy had been shot. He’d held her as she died, as she begged and pleaded with him to make her stay.
That would stay with him forever. There was no way he’d ever forgive any Evil Fuckers MC.
“But, I need us to come to an arrangement with them this time, Colt. We need them on our side.”
He stared at his father and hearing him say that, he knew something else was going on. “What is it?”
Warden shook his head. “I don’t expect you to like her, but you will need to marry her, and you will … need to have children.”
“I’ve got to fuck her as well?” Colt gritted his teeth.
“Yes. This is not a joke marriage, Colt. I expect you to act accordingly. Your mother would expect nothing less from you.”
Colt ran a hand down his face. At nearly thirty years old, he hated that his father was still making him jump through all the hoops, not that he wanted any leeway. Being his father’s son, guys at the club had assumed life would be easy for him, but it hadn’t. He’d had to fight and claw his way to where he was right now, a fully patched member of the club.
No one would take his patch and if his dad needed a dick to marry this woman, then that was exactly what Colt would be.
“Fine,” Colt said.
“You may go. Daemon will arrive in ten minutes. Tell the club to be on alert.”
Colt nodded, left his father’s office, and headed out. Several of the club looked toward him and he lifted his finger in the air, spinning it around, a signal they all knew, and would pass along the message better than any text.
They never knew who was reading their messages, so only necessary texts were sent, nothing that would point the finger at any wrongdoing. Heading toward the bar, he slapped his hand on the counter. Rooster was serving tonight. Normally they had a couple of prospects but they’d been sent away for the day and now he knew why.
Their prospects were viewed as weak and it was up to the club to make them strong. Until they got inside their heads and tested their very fucking being, they were not to be trusted. They had to prove themselves time and time again. It wasn’t easy.
Colt had been there, sometimes close to shitting himself, but he’d never backed down. He’d always done what needed to be done.
“You look fucking cheery,” Rooster said.
He picked up the shot of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. It was the only thing that would keep him sane for the next few hours.
“Another.”
“What the man asked for.” Rooster was about to pour another shot when Kim’s hand came over the glass.
“Enough.”
“Mom, come on.”
“You’re not going to meet this woman drunk and be an embarrassment to me or the club. You can drown your sorrows after they leave, not before.”
Rooster left him alone and he turned to his mother.
Kim was a force to be reckoned with. Life at the club hadn’t always been easy. He knew that. She fought hard for where she was right now and she was finally happy. His parents were both happy. Their life hadn’t been easy. Colt knew this.
“I’m surprised you’re happy with this.”
“Colt, I mean it. Enough.”
There was a sudden whistle, alerting them to the approaching Evil Fuckers MC.
“I guess it’s showtime.”
Kim looked at him and shook her head.
Colt watched as his father came out of his office and for a split second, he was pretty sure he saw rage in his eyes. There was no time to ask questions. Following behind his father and mother, he and several of the men walked out. A show of force.
They waited.
It was dark out and they had put on the lights to illuminate the parking lot.
He spotted Daemon up front, but there was no one with him. Colt adjusted to the darkness and then he heard the feminine grunt and saw as a mass of brown hair seemed to land on the floor, to which she gave a wince.
“Get up,” Daemon said.
The woman, whoever she was, flicked her hair back and glared up at him, but then stood.
Okay, this was a surprise.
The woman wore … dungarees. She looked like she had stepped right out of the nineties. Dungarees as well as shirt underneath that went all the way around her neck. Not what he was expecting. She also wore a pair of glasses, which she pushed up her nose.
No one offered to help her up, nor did she ask for help. She got up and then winced as Daemon grabbed her arm. As he brought her closer, Colt saw her lip had swollen, and there was a little blood in the corner.
“Daemon,” Warden said.
“Warden, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Gabrielle Barlowe.”
The woman in front of them shook her head. “My name’s Rosalie,” she said. “Gabrielle is my mother.”
Interesting.
Did she even realize in correcting Daemon, she had made him look like a fool? Colt saw the slight tilt of her lips, and he imagined she did realize what she was doing and enjoyed it. There was no love between father and daughter, unless it was a trick.
“Are we conducting business outside, or do you want to continue insulting us, Warden?” Daemon asked.
“By all means, come through to my office.”
Colt watched as Daemon grabbed Rosalie’s arm. She let out a gasp but he saw her hand clench and her teeth grit.
“If this doesn’t go well, he’ll kill her,” one of the Evil Fuckers MC said.
Colt didn’t know who it was, but he waited for people to keep moving. Seeing as he was the groom in this scenario, he should be the first one at the office, but he wanted to hear what people had to say.
“She didn’t wear what he sent. She was supposed to be in a miniskirt and a top that showed her tits off.”
How interesting. He’d heard enough and made his way toward his father’s office, which was now crowded. He noticed his mother had gone to Rosalie’s side and wrapped an arm around her, almost protecting her. Why?
One look at the room and they were surrounded by men. On closer inspection, Colt also saw that she was shaking a little. Was she nervous? Angry? Or was it just an act? He didn’t trust her, so he wasn’t going to believe anything he saw. It was probably all lies anyway.
Warden cleared his throat.
“As we’re all clear, I take it we can confirm this as an agreement. My son and your daughter will marry and align our clubs.”
“Yes. We will become allies. Your enemies become mine and mine become yours,” Daemon said.
Colt didn’t like this. This wasn’t going to end well. He wondered if he could just kill his forced bride and then everything would go smoothly.
“The finer details need to be dealt with,” Warden said. “The wedding needs to take place as soon as possible.”
“We can have the wedding tomorrow if you’re ready,” Daemon said.
“It needs to be in a church,” Rosalie said, speaking up.
Daemon spun around and glared at her.
Rosalie glared right back. Colt had a feeling he’d have hit her again if it wasn’t for his mother standing by her side.
“A church?” Kim asked.
“My mother has always wanted to see me get married in a church. Seeing as all her other wishes are being squashed, the least I can do is give her the church.”
“Then a church is where it will be,” Kim said. “We can make that arrangement. I would love the opportunity to speak with your mother. We can work together to have this wedding in, say, a few months.”
“No,” Warden and Daemon said at the same time.
“A couple of weeks,” Daemon said. “That’s the longest it can be.”
Rosalie averted her gaze from her father.
“A couple of weeks,” Warden said.
“Perfect. I’m sure Rosalie’s mother and I can handle it.” Kim stood and smiled. “Now, don’t you think we should let the happy couple have a few moments with each other?”
Chapter Two
Rosalie’s mouth hurt. Like really fucking hurt.
Never in all her twenty years had she been hit. Arriving at her father’s clubhouse dressed like this had enraged him. She had seen what he wanted her to wear, and there was no way in hell she was going to wear it. Not happening. A miniskirt that was so indecent it showed off her underwear. The top had been a death trap and would have probably choked her half to death, it had been that tight. Nope. Hell, no. Never.
She’d expected his anger, but not his open palm. If one of his men hadn’t stepped forward, she was sure she’d have felt his fists. So, not only had she been taken away from her home and hit, she’d been dumped on the back of a bike and expected to just ride without a helmet as well. On top of that, she had stepped into enemy territory, and the hostility was so bad, it could be cut with a freaking knife.
They were all enemies, no doubt about it. Most of them had their hands poised on what she could only imagine were guns. This was not good. And Petal, her best friend, wanted to come and party here. She would have to find a way to get her friend to avoid MCs altogether.
Now, she watched as everyone left the room. Her father gave her one last lingering glare. Oh, he was going to beat the shit out of her when they left. Not good. So not good. She did get a thrill from not following his orders. Daemon clearly wasn’t used to people not doing as they were told. She couldn’t be blamed for that, not really.
Glancing across the room, there was only one guy remaining, and he didn’t look happy. Great, this guy was meant to be her husband. He looked terrifying.
He was tall, of course. Muscular, that seemed to go without saying. Even her own father was heavily muscled. From what she saw of his hands, they were inked and she had no doubt his whole body was covered in ink. He had short brown hair and his face appeared clear of stubble. When he turned to look at her, she saw he possessed green eyes, but they were cold. This man hated her. He was young, and the harshness of life had already gripped him.
She looked away. Fear traveled down her spine and she felt so freaking sick. She’d been unable to eat before this meeting. In fact, the last time she ate was last night. Her mother had freaked out and when Gabrielle’s nerves got wound too tightly, she baked. Their house was filled with a gazillion cupcakes. It was either bake or sew but it seemed her mother’s desires had run to baked goods last night.
Her fiancé didn’t say anything and there was no way she was going to talk. Married? Why?
Whenever her father came around it was always to torment her mother, never to see her. There had been a few times in the beginning when she was a kid that she’d been curious about him. It didn’t take her long to figure out he used her to control her mother.
Rosalie couldn’t recall exactly when her hatred of him started, only that it had grown and manifested into what it was now. She hated him with a passion. There was nothing that would douse the flame. It was there, cemented between them. Regardless of how many times he hit her, she’d take more pleasure in irritating him. She couldn’t get even with him, at least not yet.
“Cut the fucking act.”
She turned her head to look at the man who’d spoken. He sounded so vicious. Ah, another man who didn’t like her—Colt, she believe they’d called him. That was her soon-to-be husband, unless she found some miraculous way out of it.
“What act?” Rosalie asked.
Colt stepped toward her. Everything about him was threatening. His whole demeanor as he approached seemed to vibrate. She had no doubt that if given the order, he’d kill her.
“You can fool my mom, but you won’t fool me.”
Rosalie didn’t like the way he stood over her, threatening and in control. She pushed herself to her feet and glared at him. “This is not an act. Do you think I want to be here?”
“Please, women would kill to marry me.”
She couldn’t help it. The laughter bubbled up in her chest and threatened to explode out of her. “You’re kidding me, right? You actually think I want to marry you? That I want anything to do with any of this?”
As if she had a choice in the matter. Daemon had threatened her mother. Simple as that. She had fought him on the way out to the bikes and he’d grabbed her, hard.
“If you don’t get on that fucking bike and do as you’re told, I’ll make your mother pay. She will scream and I’ll make you listen as I hurt her. It will be your fault.”
There was no way she’d ever hear her mom scream again, not on her watch. It was why she always tried to stay home at night, and to be at the house when she was. When she was younger, she recalled hearing her mom scream. Just thinking about that memory sickened her. She wasn’t a child anymore. A man coming downstairs, doing up his belt, her mother’s screams, not to mention her struggling to walk the next few days, spoke for itself.
Now she stood in another MC’s clubhouse, in the office, staring at the man that was going to be her husband.
Colt closed the distance between them and then wrapped his fingers around her neck.
“If you think I’m going to be fooled so easily, you’re mistaken.” He pulled her in close, his fingers tight. “And if you put this club or my family in danger, I’m going to ruin you, do you understand me?”
He tightened his grip and Rosalie struggled against him. She understood. This man was exactly like her father.
There was a knock at the door and Colt let her go. She took a deep breath, and turned her head away as whoever it was stuck their head around the door and asked if it was okay.
All Rosalie wanted to do was go home to her mom. Hold her. She could pretend for a few hours that everything was fine.
“How’s everything going?” Kim asked.
“It’s fine,” Rosalie said. Her voice sounded a little scratchy and her throat tickled. She ignored the sensation and instead brushed past him. “We’re done.”
Stepping out of the office, Rosalie hated what she saw. There were so many men and a lot of women in different states of undress. She looked across the room and sure enough, her father was drinking with that bastard’s dad.
“Why don’t you stay?” Kim asked, grabbing her arm as she tried to get away.
Rosalie shrugged out of her hold. “I’m fine. I’d like to go home.” Colt stepped up behind her and she quickly moved toward Daemon.
Stepping in front of him, he went from her boots up to her head.
“Move,” Daemon said.
“I want to go home.”
“Can’t you see I’m enjoying myself? Fuck off.”
She nodded. Fine. Without waiting for further instruction and seeing as he gave the order to fuck off, Rosalie was more than happy to do so. She left the main clubhouse and headed straight toward the gate. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a cab.
“You know you don’t have to leave.”
Kim had followed her out. Rosalie spun toward the woman. She seemed kind but then so did Daemon until he struck.
“Yeah, I do.”
“This would give you the perfect opportunity to mingle, get to know your new family. It would be good for you.”
Clenching her hands into fists, she took a deep breath and turned toward the other woman.
“No, thank you,” she said. “I’m going home.”
She shoved her hands into her dungaree pockets and waited. They were made by her mother a few years ago. They’d gone shopping for some new clothes, and Rosalie had struggled to find a pair that fit her comfortably, so her mother, working in a fabric shop, had offered to make her a pair. She loved them, they were so comfortable.
Her mother was very gifted. The plan for Gabrielle had always been to go to fashion school. Rosalie wasn’t clear if her mother wanted to be a designer or a pattern creator. Her mother was good at both. She’d seen some of the sketches she’d produced. She was amazingly talented.
Unfortunately, none of that had happened.
“I understand this was probably not the path you wanted—”
“You don’t have to do this,” Rosalie said.
“Do what?”
“Pretend. You don’t have to. This is a business deal. I get that. To unite your two clubs or whatever. I don’t need or want to know any of it. What you saw today, right now, that’s the most time I’ve spent with Daemon throughout my life. It’s taken twenty years for me to be useful enough for him to want anything to do with me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’d have rather spent the rest of my life being useless to him. I’m not marrying your son because I want to, nor do I want to impress him. I’m marrying him so Daemon will leave me and my family the fuck alone.”
The cab drove up to the club. Rosalie didn’t see a reason to say goodbye, so she climbed into the back of the cab. She gave the driver her address and sat back, feeling relieved. This was going to be a nightmare.
“Are you okay, Miss?” the driver asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for picking me up.”
“Ah, it’s no trouble.”
