Demon, page 21
Stretch didn't want to respond. I could tell by looking at him that he didn't like the helpless situation he’d suddenly found himself in, but he knew that he had no option but to comply. And we both knew that once the word left his mouth, it was as good as being written in stone. A man’s word was everything in our world.
"Yeah."
That was fucking good enough for me.
I gave Toothpick a knowing look. He let go of Freak and pushed him toward Stretch. The kid stumbled in his hurry to reach his brother.
"What about his bike?" Stretch asked. "And the bikes belonging to the others?"
I snorted with humor. "Keeping them for the cost of having two slugs removed from my body." The "others" that he was talking about were dead. They wouldn't be needing their bikes.
"Are we done here?" Stretch asked as Freak climbed on behind him.
I gave him a chin lift. "We'll follow you out." No fucking way I wanted to be shot in the back. We'd come to an agreement, but it had been a reluctant one, and it would take time for me to completely trust anything to do with the Knights.
"Think he'll take the kid back to his mother?" There was a smirk on LD's face as he watched them ride away.
I took a deep breath, watching the Knights leave. "Hope so, brother."
"Seemed a little too easy."
"Time will tell." I started my bike. He and Toothpick did the same. "Let's get home."
I was hoping to hear from Samson any time now. Colton, Junior, Reid, and Loco had made the gun run to Texas without mishap, arriving there and dropping off their load early this morning. Had to give Junior credit for mapping out a good route. Keeping it mum hadn't hurt. Colton had texted me earlier saying that all was good and that they'd be home Monday. Finally we might get some useful information about the attack on the clubhouse that we could work with.
I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out who the traitor was. I'd scrutinized my brothers carefully, but other than the usual bullshit and complaining, nothing stood out. Oz was still working on the GPS issues on Reid’s bike. Since all the club vehicles had tracking devices he was looking at them, too, checking records to see if any had been where they shouldn't have been. Even if he found something suspicious, it wouldn't point to who the driver had been at the time. But at least we'd know.
So far, he hadn't found anything.
We had the Vegas Watchdogs looking for the mercenaries, but we weren’t expecting much. Mercenaries moved around, but we wouldn’t let anyone who had played a part in the destruction of our old clubhouse off the hook. I wanted all of the fuckers who'd been involved, and I wouldn't rest until we got them. Since we'd taken care of the assholes back at Rachel, word had gotten out that if you were wearing a Devil's Soldiers cut, Desert Rebels was coming after you. Not surprising that there'd been no more sightings.
What was surprising was that there hadn't been any more attacks on the clubhouse.
And that worried the fuck out of me.
Not that I wanted another attack, but it felt as if we were in the eye of the storm.
We arrived back at the clubhouse around noon. Most of my brothers were working. LD issued an order for Toothpick to wash our bikes, and we headed inside for a drink. Joker was behind the bar. As soon as he saw us walk inside he jumped and began wiping down bottles as if he'd been doing that all along.
"Whiskeys," I ordered just as we were sitting down. I glanced around, not realizing that I was looking for Bobbie until I saw her. She was with Bull. Lately they'd been spending a lot of time together. I knew that he wouldn't touch her, he knew the score, but the fucking green-eyed monster still reared its ugly head. She was giving Bull too much of herself. He must have said something to her about my gaze, because she turned my way, acknowledged me with a tiny smile, and then turned back to Bull.
I clenched my teeth and took the drink Joker set down in front of me. I tossed it down in one gulp, slowly simmering inside. LD's snort drew my eyes to him. The fucker had a knowing grin on his face, but he refused to make eye contact, instead staring at his reflection in the mirror. Joker refilled my glass without being asked.
"Leave the fucking bottle," I grumbled as he was about to leave. "And get us a couple sandwiches from the kitchen."
Once Joker had returned with the sandwiches, LD took his and began to unwrap it. "You think Samson will call today?"
"He fucking better. I'm hoping it's a lead on the fucking traitor."
LD waited until Joker was of earshot before asking, "You have any idea who it is?"
I shrugged and took a bite out of the roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwich. "After what you and Bobbie overheard, it could be Junior," I said around the food in my mouth. "Seems too obvious, though."
LD grunted, but remained silent.
"What do you think?"
A good minute passed while he chewed and then swallowed. "You're not going to like it."
I halted abruptly, narrowing my eyes and waiting for him to continue.
He took a breath. "I have a gut feeling, brother. I don't think we're looking for just one traitor."
"Fuck." Not what I’d been expecting to hear.
LD shrugged in response, and I went back to eating my sandwich, thinking about what he’d said as I watched Bobbie and Bull in the mirror across from the bar where we were sitting. I hadn't noticed before, but they were eating, too, and just finishing up. Something Bull said caused her to laugh, the husky sound teasing my dick. I shook my head to get thoughts of Bobbie out of it, needing to get back to what LD and I had been discussing. But shit, when she and Bull got up, my eyes followed her like a fucking hawk.
Where the fuck were they going?
"Those two are spending a lot of time together." LD's gaze was following them, too, as they walked toward the door. "Aren't you worried something will develop between them?"
"Not worried, brother. Bobbie and I have a kind of understanding. She's just pissed about something right now." I watched her sweet ass disappear.
"I'd say she's playing it safe, afraid of getting hurt again."
I frowned, searching my VP's weathered face for a sign of what the fuck he was talking about. "Explain," I growled.
"I saw the way Bobbie looked when she saw Polly rubbing up all over you last week."
I'd guessed as much. "Can't help when a bitch decides to rub her tits and pussy all over me, brother. I didn't invite her."
"You didn't push her away either."
I grinned. "Since when have you ever known me to push a pretty woman off my lap? The club whores do that kind of shit all the time, it doesn't mean anything."
"It means something to Bobbie," he said, finishing his drink. He turned on his stool to face me. "You gotta know when a woman sees her man with another woman that she worries you're gonna stray, or that you already have."
"I haven't claimed Bobbie," I said, as if that alone made it alright.
LD shrugged. "Yet you warned all of us away from her."
Hell, he was right.
"If you're not careful, Prez, you're going to fuck up a good thing. Bobbie's a good woman, and she cares for you." He hesitated, as if deciding if he should say anything else. "She left once before because of you."
My brows shot up at that comment. "The fuck?"
He hesitated, clearly reluctant to say more. LD had already done more talking in the last ten minutes than I'd heard him do all year. Actions usually did his talking for him.
"You going to explain, or do I have to beat it out of you?"
A semi-smile-snort escaped him. Threatening to beat anything out of LD would have been like threatening to face off with a rabid, one-ton bull. He knew it, too. I could probably hold my own, but it would take everything I had. I'd never seen another brother with the lethal skills that he had in a fight.
"Bobbie cares about you."
"You said that already." I cared for her, too, but I wasn't about to admit it.
"She left the first time right after you fucked Cherry up against the bar."
Shit, that was nothing. I'd fucked Cherry up against a lot of things over the years. But the last time I'd fucked her had been about eight months ago, while Bobbie had still been there. I thought back to that day, recalling that Bobbie had been there and I’d wanted her so fucking badly that I'd taken Cherry instead. The whole time that I'd been sinking my dick into Cherry I'd been looking at Bobbie, and she'd been watching me. I'd gotten off pretending that it was her cunt I was fucking. Not my proudest moment, and, come to think of it, Bobbie had disappeared right after that day.
"Fuck, brother. I wanted Bobbie even back then, but I avoided her and took advantage of the club sluts walking around instead. I let the brothers have Bobbie and denied her for myself. That's all kinds of messed up."
"Yep." He looked me dead in the eye. "And not a one of us touched her."
What.
The.
Fuck?
I knew he wasn't lying. LD didn't lie.
I was an even bigger asshole than I’d thought.
Chapter 25
Bobbie
I'd driven into Boulder City to meet Holly and Raven for some shopping. We had plans to hit the spa as well, and then top the day off with dinner and drinks. Thankful to get away from the clubhouse and the tension that existed between me and Demon, I'd said goodbye to Bull after lunch and hit the road. He was the only one who knew where I was heading, only because it had come up during lunch, and not because I'd felt that I had to tell him.
We'd met at Holly's apartment so we could all go in one vehicle. Right now we were at the Boulder City Antique Market and Auction House because JoJo loved antiques, and with her baby shower coming up we'd decided to look for something for her nursery there. This was why we hadn’t included JoJo or Ellie today, so that we could get in some shopping for both of them.
To save time we had split up, and were texting our finds.
Raven: found an old baby buggie
Holly: whats that
Me: baby carriage
I was thumbing through some old Victorian postcards, pulling out a few with cute little cherubs on them. I thought they would look cute matted and framed or done in a collage.
Holly: what about an old tricycle
Me: how old
Holly: early 1900s
Raven: send a pic
I waited for it to come through. It was in surprisingly good shape, the age and patina making it look very rustic and boyish. It would look cute in a corner of the nursery.
Me: cool
Holly: I like it
Me: me 2
Raven: ok done then
Me: that was 2 easy
I glanced down at the postcard I'd just pulled out of the stack to see an image of a little boy sitting on a tricycle. From the clothing he was wearing, I guessed that it was early nineteen hundreds. I did a quick calculation in my head of how long I had before the baby shower, and decided that I had enough time to get it matted and framed. It would be perfect with the bike.
Holly: meet at the register
I flashed the postcard as I turned the corner to see Holly and Raven already there.
"That's so cute!" Raven gushed, taking the card from me and examining it closer. "It'll go perfect with the tricycle."
"I thought so. I'm going to have it framed."
"Should we look around for something for Ellie while we're here?" Raven pulled the envelope of money they'd collected for the gifts out of her purse.
I met Holly's eyes questioningly because she knew Ellie better than I did. She scrunched up her nose and shook her head.
"She's having a girl. She wants soft and frilly."
We all laughed.
Raven paid for the tricycle and postcard, and we headed out to the SUV.
“She's going to love this," Holly quipped putting it in the back.
"So, where are we going for Ellie's gift?" Raven asked once the trunk was closed.
"There's a new little baby store that opened down on the parkway, they're supposed to sell everything from maternity clothes to baby furniture and toys. Let's try there."
As we walked to the doors, Holly gave Snake a wave to make sure that he was paying attention and knew that we were leaving. As usual, one of the prospects had been ordered to follow us around and keep us safe. I kind of felt sorry for them. It had to be boring tailing a bunch of women wherever they went, and then sitting and waiting for them to finish up what they were doing. Snake didn't appear to mind, though. He kept his eyes down on his phone most of the time.
"So, any ideas of what we're looking for?" Raven asked once we were driving. "Something personal?"
"We can't get Ellie something personal after buying JoJo something for the nursery," Holly pointed out.
"Yeah, but the tricycle isn't really either," I chimed in from my spot in the back seat. "It's more for decoration."
"She's right," Holly agreed.
It grew quiet for a minute. "What about a rocking chair?" Raven suggested.
Holly was quick to reply. "She already has one."
"No, I mean a little one. Something cute and girly, about the size of the tricycle."
"That's a good idea," I said, picturing a small rocker painted white with maybe flowers or kittens on it.
We agreed that it was a place to start. The store was bigger than we expected, and once again we split up and kept in touch by texting. They carried rocking chairs, but before we saw the first one Holly had discovered a beautiful castle of pink and white tucked away in a corner. It was about three feet tall and would serve no purpose but for decoration, but it was the perfect addition to a nursery for a little princess.
"I can't believe how cute the castle is!" Raven's tone was high with excitement.
All three of us had wanted to play with it when we’d first seen it. It wasn't a toy, but there was something magical about it, something that drew you to want to study every peaked tower, arched doorway, and stain-glassed window.
"Ellie is going to love it!" Holly laughed. "I want one for myself!"
"Me, too!" Raven giggled.
Laughing, we put it in the trunk next to the tricycle. Snake glanced over at us long enough to smirk and shake his head with amusement at our silliness, and then he finished doing something with his phone before pocketing it.
"We're heading to the spa now," Holly told him on her way to the driver's side door.
He responded with a thumb up.
"I feel a little guilty going to the spa without the others." Raven closed her door and buckled up.
"Tell me again why Annie and JoJo couldn't make it?" I slipped off my shoes and wiggled my toes.
"JoJo had some things to take care of for the club. Annie said she's been feeling under the weather," Holly replied as she pulled out onto the main road. "Was afraid she'd pass something off to us."
"Wouldn't it be funny if she turned out to be pregnant, too?"
"The same thing crossed my mind," Holly said in response to Raven's comment. They exchanged smiles.
I knew that Holly was happy for the women that were expecting, but I also knew that it had to bother her on some level. I couldn't help wondering if Sax realized how much she was affected by being surrounded by pregnant old ladies. Holly hid a lot of how she felt from him, but that was going to take a toll on her eventually.
"What about you and Cole? Are you guys planning on having children?"
"We've talked about it, but right now we're just happy being us."
I nodded, even though Raven couldn't see me from my spot in the back seat. "That makes sense. You haven't really been together that long."
"How's your mom, honey?" Holly's eyes darted to Raven. "Does she still have the cast on?"
"Yeah, but she's doing okay. I was there just at the beginning until she got used to walking around in it. With both my sisters in college she needed someone there with her during the day but she's good in the evenings as long as one of them stay home with her."
"Oh! Oh!" Holly laughed. "We lost Snake at the light." She was looking in her rearview mirror. "Demon will have a fit when he hears that Snake didn't run the red light to stay on our tail."
"He'll catch up." I slipped my shoes back on when the spa came into view. "I'm looking forward to my Pedi. The waxing? Not so much."
"Same here. I think I'll get a trim, too, if there's time."
Raven had long, thick hair like me. She wouldn't get much cut off because she'd told me that Cole loved her hair. If he was anything like Demon was in bed, then I knew why he liked it long. It was a turn-on for the men to twist around their fists during sex. My scalp still ached from the night before. So did my pussy, for that matter. Demon turned into a beast when he was fucking me.
I can't say that I didn't like it.
Shit. I had to stop thinking of him, because it was making me wet.
I quickly pushed thoughts of him from my mind, angry with myself for being in the situation that I’d found myself with him. Ever since the night that I'd watched him with Polly, I'd purposely kept my distance when we weren't in his apartment fucking our brains out. It wasn't exactly the relationship I wanted with him, and I'd convinced myself that as long as he wasn't fucking any of the club women I could put up with watching them climbing all over him.
Yeah, I was lying to myself.
Thank God I hadn't seen him with anyone else lately, but I knew that it was just a matter of time before I did. The club sluts knew to leave him alone, but the parties on the weekends brought in hang arounds that went after any unclaimed biker. Some of them even went after the men who they knew had old ladies. It didn't matter to them. All they were after were bragging rights that they'd had sex with a bad boy.
Holly pulled the vehicle into the spa parking lot and parked. Snake was right behind us.
"You caught up," I grinned, closing my door.
He parked right besides us. "Hurried up so I could park and wait two hours while you old ladies get all waxed up and shit."
