Текст книги "Ravage Me"

Автор книги: Ryan Michele

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

Diamond cut in. “We’re gonna go on soft lockdown for everyone except for Ma and Princess. They must stay here unless escorted by a brother.”

“She’s gonna be pissed,” G.T. said, rubbing his face up and down.

“Yep. But she’s a good woman. She’ll do what’s right.” Diamond eyed me. “She your girl?”

“Yes, sir,” I said not skipping a beat. But G.T had more to say.

“She ain’t your fucking girl!” G.T. jumped up from his seat sending it flying to the floor behind him.

Standing from my seat, I met him stare for stare, his outrage dripping off his body. I’ve never wanted to punch my brother more than this moment. I wanted to beat the living shit out of him. “Shut the fuck up!”

“Stop it, now!” Diamond’s stern voice had us both sitting back in our seats. “Then… you keep her here. If she goes out, you make sure someone is with her. She’s your responsibility.” He smiled as the rest of the room chuckled. Damn, I knew I had my work cut out for me, and I sure as shit didn’t need any lip from my brothers.

“She ain’t gonna let you five feet in front of her. Good fucking luck!” Irritation seeped through my pores, but I knew it wouldn’t help a damn thing right now to react. And I knew I had my work cut out for me. G.T. was probably right, not that I’d let that stop me.

Ma banged on the church doors in a panic screaming, “Pops get out here, now! Princess!”

Jumping out of my seat, I rushed to the clubhouse taking in the scene, in front of me. Princess swung a pool stick at a blonde-haired woman’s face, hitting her hard against her nose sending blood flying everywhere as she screamed. Danny, a patch member from the Clayton chapter, was getting ready to charge Princess when my voice boomed. “Danny, stop!”

Danny looked at me, “You gonna let this bitch beat up my ol’ lady?”

Narrowing my eyes, I thundered, “This bitch is my ol’ lady. There must be a fucking reason she wants to rip your girl’s head off right now.” Moving closer to her I called out, “Princess, you okay?”

“I’m fucking fine. And I’m not your fucking ol’ lady. ” Her voice was cold, icy, and detached, not really something I enjoyed.

“Danny back off!” Pops boomed. “Princess, what’s going on out here?” His voice calmed as he talked to her, the gentleness of a father taking over.

“You remember that whole two year in jail thing,” she said sarcastically, gripping the pole in her hand so tight you could see the wood bend. “Well, this bitch here… is part of Babs’s, crew. She was part of it.”

“Shit,” was heard collectively throughout the room.

“Brother, I suggest you get her out of here if you want her whole,” Pops clipped to Danny.

“Oh, Pops,” Princess’s sarcasm coming back, “I think this bitch needs a lesson before she goes.”

“Not here. Not under this roof,” Pops growled as Princess turned to him, her hands clenched into fists. Nodding her head, she backed away from them, throwing down the pole crashing it to the floor, but the fury was emanating off of her body.

“Brother, she doesn’t hang out with her anymore. Babs is part of Rabbit’s crew.” Shit. Damn Danny, you just couldn’t keep your fucking mouth shut.

Princess stopped in her tracks, coming around to stand beside me, not quite making it to Pops. “What?” she asked, covering her mouth as if she didn’t mean to say the words aloud.

“Mindy’s not part of Babs’s crew anymore. Babs is Rabbit’s ol’ lady.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Princess growled under her breath walking over to Pops. “That’s who shot Ma. I’m the reason why.” Damn this girl was smart and caught on way too quick for her own good. And dammit, it made my dick hard as steel.

Pops rested his hands on her shoulders, “Princess, the club will handle it.”

From the stiffness in Princess’s body, I knew she wanted to argue, but all she did was nod and walk away. She didn’t stop to look at me. She brushed past me as quick as she could, heading towards the hallway. Shit.

Chapter 6—Harlow

Shit. Shit. Shit. What the fuck was I thinking going out to the main room. Not only was that bitch Mindy there, but fucking Cruz. Why in the hell does he have this magnetic force about him that just pulls me to him, making him hard to resist.

I couldn’t have him. It’d just turn into the same shit I’ve seen a thousand times over and over again in here. A brother starts seeing a woman, fucks her a thousand ways to Sunday, gets tired of her, and then passes her on to the brothers. I won’t be that girl. I may spread my legs, but not to these guys… at least until Cruz. What the fuck was I thinking?

I knew… I was horny. Plain and fucking simple. Why does he have to be… well, Cruz? Power just emanates off of him, beckoning me, engulfing me. I swear that man short circuits every brain cell in my head just by his smell. Then, being in the same fucking room with him, my body throbbed craving his. This didn’t happen with the brothers, never. It had to be just because of my two year dry spell.

If it weren’t for this fucking lockdown, I’d get the hell out of here and wipe my memories of Cruz… or at least I would try to.

Fuck. Throwing open the door to Pops’ room; I found Casey sitting on the bed. “Where the fuck have you been?” I barked. She didn’t look at me but fidgeted with her hands.

“I slept in the spare room downstairs.” Casey turned towards me. “So one night and you’re someone’s ol’ lady. What the hell happened?”

Sitting on the bed, I explained, “I’m not…” Running my fingers through my long dark hair, I shook my head. The last day had been a rollercoaster ride. I knew coming back to this life would make things interesting; I just didn’t realize how much.

“Thought we didn’t fuck brothers,” she said twirling her hands in her lap.

“I know. He’s just so damn overwhelming, and I couldn’t say no, I didn’t want to say no.”

“Is this an ‘I needed a dick thing,’ or is it real?” she asked, puzzled.

“For me… a dick thing. He says it’s the real thing, but he’s a brother. I’m not stupid. Anyway, even if I thought it was real, and it didn’t work out; I’d be fucked.” Knowing if I left him, I’d be out, out of the club, out of the life, yet another reason to be scared shitless about him. It didn’t matter that I was the VPs daughter or a sister to a member. Once I was an ol’ lady, my status with the club would change forever, and there’d be nothing I could do about it. Club rules. This has been my family, my entire life. I was not ready to give it up.

“I think Cruz is a good fit for you.” Her voice was low but serious.

I stared at her as if she grew three heads, not recognizing the woman sitting next to me. Of all the people, I would have never thought those words would come from her. We’ve always talked about the women of the club and how each had their places. And one of those places was the club momma. These women get passed around from brother to brother as free pussy, and for some reason they loved it. It’s the one role that we vowed always to steer clear of.

And more recently, there were reasons that Casey, nor anyone, for that matter, knew. They were reasons that I locked down deep, and they would fucking stay there.

“What?”

“Cruz is a good guy for the most part,” she said, smiling. We all knew that none of these men were angels, far from it. “He’s great with his kid. That bitch of a baby momma is a pain in the ass, from what I hear, but other than that, he doesn’t have a lot of drama.” She turned facing me. “And he can hold his own against you.” She smiled, and I returned it, shaking my head.

“I can’t. I won’t be a whore around here, who the brothers think they can pass around. I can’t. I won’t.” Casey flinched.

“No one’s saying that.”

“Why the hell are you all the sudden okay with me fucking a brother? Wasn’t it you that sat there and made a pact that we never would. Even doing that stupid cut your finger open blood shit.” She laughed her beautiful laugh.

“Yeah. I was there. We were also thirteen. Things change,” she said blowing out a huff of air.

Breathing in deep, I stared at Casey. She’s been my best friend for so long. If I could talk to anyone about this, it’d be her. “There’s something there. I’ve seen more guys in and out of this damn place than I can count. Not one has done what Cruz has. He sparks something inside of me, something I haven’t felt before. But it was one night, and it will be the last.”

“You don’t have to rush into shit.”

A knock on the door stopped her thoughts. Opening the door, I was surprised to see Diamond standing there. “Yes?”

“Need a minute.” His arms crossed over his chest as if power didn’t already radiate off of him.

“I’ll go,” Casey, knowing protocol, called as I stepped aside letting her out. Whenever the President wanted to talk, we knew the others needed to leave immediately.

“What’s going on?” I asked trying to be calm, but inside my nerves were a bit on edge from this impromptu visit.

Diamond eyed me intently. “We’re going on soft lockdown, except for you and Ma. You two are not to leave this clubhouse. If there’s somewhere you have to be, you take a brother. No discussions…” My anger began boiling over. This was all because of Babs and fuck if I didn’t want to kill the bitch. But I locked my lips as he kept going. “I know you’re pissed Princess, but this is a club decision. It’s what’s best for the club. You want what’s best for us, right?”

Hanging my head, “Of course.” In all my years, in this club, I’d always wanted to make the brothers proud, now would be no exception, even if I hated it.

“Look, Princess, we have dealings with Rabbit and his crew. We need to keep those in mind while we deal with this situation.”

Swallowing my pride, “I understand.”

“Good.”

“I need to go to Studio X and check on shit.”

“Then you take a brother with you… and your gun,” he said as he walked out of the room not looking back.

* * *

Cruz followed right beside me the entire way to X. After arguing about who was riding with me, Cruz won the pissing contest when Diamond stepped in, again, ordering him to go. I wasn’t happy, but it was what it was. Ma said she’d watch Cooper, so I’m sure he’s getting spoiled rotten.

Pulling up to X, I was happy to see that the building looked exactly the same as I left it two years ago. The blackened bulletproof windows had the sun’s light reflecting off them. The large X hung above the door, but with it being closed, the bright red light wasn’t shining. Parking my bike near the back entrance, Cruz followed closely. I kept my eyes out but didn’t see a damn thing.

Walking in, the place was eerily quiet. The black walls had red drapery that hung all around the room. There was a large bar on one end and the stage with poles on the other. The black tables and chairs were placed exactly where they should be, filling me with pride. I began this place to help the club bring in clean money, and it has profited greatly.

“Harlow?” Liv called from the office as she ran towards me smiling. “Oh, my God!” She squealed. Liv had been running the place for me this entire time, and from the looks of things, she was doing a kick ass job.

Her arms wrapped around me. “Hey, girl. How’s it going?”

She pulled away, “Great. We’ve tripled our profits, and I brought in five new girls. You’ll love them; they’re hot.” She eyed Cruz up and down, and her sharp intake of breath told me she liked the assessment. “Hey, Cruz.” She gave him a very seductive smile, and damn if it didn’t piss me off, not that I had any right to that feeling.

“You two know each other?” I didn’t want to know the answer, but I loved punishing myself, and if I couldn’t be with him, may as well put salt in the wound.

Liv stepped closer to him running her hands up his chest. It took every bit of strength in my body to keep still in one spot. “Cruz and I…” her words trailed off as Cruz cut in.

“I fucked her a couple of times.” His voice was completely unapologetic.

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a sound escaping my lips even though my stomach fell to my feet, and the air rushed out of my body. I didn’t want to feel this way, but fuck if him screwing Liv didn’t make me want to rip her eyes out. Shit. He’s not yours, Harlow.

“Wait a minute. Am I missing something?” Liv turned to me, questioning.

Eyeing Cruz, I turned back to Liv. “Nah, we’re good.”

Cruz came up wrapping his arms around my waist as I tried to push away from him. “She’s my ol’ lady. Doesn’t want to claim it yet, so I’m claiming it for her.”

Liv’s eyes grew wide. “I thought you didn’t date brothers? And you’ve only been out for what… a day?”

“I don’t, and I’m not his ol’ lady. And yeah, a day. Let’s get down to business. Let me see the profit and loss sheets and the files on the new girls,” I said, pulling out of Cruz’s grasp as he chuckled.

After going over the paperwork and hugging the girls as they came in, we headed back to the club. I didn’t want to stay all night, and Cruz needed to get back to Cooper.

The clubhouse was pretty quiet, but after last night that was understandable. The guys were drinking at the bar, and Ma was playing with Cooper coloring at the table. A couple of women sat on the far couches but didn’t say a word. The club mommas. I rolled my eyes ignoring them.

“There she is!” Dagger yelled, running up to me wrapping his arms around me.

“Here I am… what’s up?” I walked up close to him breathing in the booze and cigarettes, his familiar scent.

“Things have gotten more interesting with you back, Babe.” His words made me laugh.

“Yeah. I’m sure you had enough going on without me interfering in it.”

Zed came up kissing my cheek. “Princess, this is the most fun we’ve had in a while.”

“What? Watching me beat shit up?” I said rolling my eyes.

They laughed. “Something like that.”

Cruz strolled in. “Get you’re fucking hands off of her.” I didn’t move. He had no rights to me, and he needed to fucking learn that quickly.

“Dude, calm the fuck down. We’ve known her since she was a kid.” Part of me was a little giddy at the whole alpha thing Cruz had going on. I’d really never had that before with a man. Damn these fucking feelings. I. Don’t. Want. Him.

“Pin… ess!” Cooper screamed from across the room. My eyes smiled at the little man running towards me and jumping into my arms.

“You have fun with Ma?” I asked, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Yep. Me’s got cookies.” I began to tickle his belly as he laughed uncontrollably.

“Where’s mine?” He pointed to his tummy. Lifting his little body up, I began to pretend to eat his tummy, making weird eating noises as he laughed and laughed.

Looking up at Cruz, he had a puzzled look on his face. “What?” I asked.

He lit his cigarette and shook his head. “It just amazes me that the woman who met me blow for blow can turn it off and be what I just saw.”

“What is that?”

“A loving, caring mom.” His words made me freeze, making it difficult to breathe. I slowly walked Cooper over to Ma handing him off, not ready to hear this shit coming out of his mouth and wanting to get away from the audience in the room.

“I’ve gotta go lay down.” Turning, I didn’t stop when my name was repeated over and over; instead I locked myself in Pops’ room. Climbing into my roll on the floor, I laid my head on the scruff pillow as my mind tried to take on the tornado of thoughts bombarding me.

Mom. Are you fucking kidding me? I’ve known this man all of a day, and now he’s talking about me being a mom to his kid? I didn’t know the first fucking thing about kids. Never thought I’d have any. Why does the damn thought excite me? Why does being with Cruz ignite me?

Emotions, I fucking hated them. They always turned me into a blubbering idiot, which was exactly why I’ve stayed away from any type of relationship. Made my head feel heavy and crazy. I’d much rather stick to my hard shell and not feel.

A hard knock on the door had me covering my head with the blankets, trying to escape from everything and everyone, but its persistence made me get my sorry, ass up. Opening the door, the oxygen left my body at the sight of Cruz standing in front of me. His tight black shirt fit his body like a glove, showing off every curve of his muscles. His hair was its normal disheveled self, and his eyes were on fire with lust.

My pulse picked up as blood began racing through my body. My heart was about ready to burst out of my chest as the air around us became electrified. Remembering the night before, and the intensity that came from Cruz, I knew I needed him. Dammit.

The sexy smirk gracing his face told me he knew exactly what I was thinking. Shaking myself out, “Whatcha need?” My tone had a small bit of its punch back. When G.T. found us together, I didn’t know what happened to me. I knew I sounded like a sullen child, but in a way, I was. I embarrassed myself, and I didn’t like that feeling. Too many memories started flooding my mind that I wanted to keep locked up, and I needed to get away from him. Time to snap my shit back.

“Talk,” was the only word he uttered, confusing me. I raised my eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.

“About?” The defiance came back fully.

“Stop the fucking bullshit. What the hell was that this morning?” His sexy voice washed over me, remembering the words he grunted in my ears over the course of the night while he thought I was sleeping. That voice alone can cause a woman’s panties to fly, so forceful, deep and sexy.

“Nothing to talk about. It was a mistake.” Normally, men would be happy with a one night fuck and leave me the hell alone. But not Cruz for some fucking reason.

“The fuck it was a mistake. You didn’t feel that way when my dick was pushing in and out of that tight pussy of yours.” Wetness seeped out of me from his gruff words. I couldn’t help but get hot as hell when he talked this way. It made every part of me tingle something no man has ever fully done before.

“I’m not one of those women out on the couch. I can’t be.” I steeled my voice, not letting the vulnerability come through. I’d already given him enough of that shit this morning.

“Why the fuck you are so hung up on this shit I don’t know. But you need to deal with it and get the fuck over it. Now. Do you want me to treat you like a whore? I can arrange that. But I don’t fucking want to. That’s the damn difference.”

“What happens when you’re done? I know the rules. I’ll be banned. This is the only life I’ve ever known.” Damn if this man didn’t bring out all my weaknesses even when I tried to hide it. Family. I didn’t want to lose my family.

“First, I ain’t gonna be done. Second, any of these men touch you, I’ll pound their asses down.” He stepped closer closing the door behind him. The room instantly became electrified with a current so strong it was pulling me under. “Third, I didn’t say you were my momma. I said you were my girl, my woman, my ol’ lady. End of discussion.” He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to him. I didn’t want to resist. My body was in such a tornado it was making my head spin.

“You don’t even know me.”

Looking up into his blue eyes, they warmed me, and my insides melted. Dammit. “Let’s go over what I know. You’re strong; you met me blow for blow, stood up to me when no other female would even dare, you’ve got balls of fucking steel, and know how to take care of yourself. And you’re good with my kid, who’s already taking quite a liking to you. Fast. Yeah. But that’s how I live my life. I see it. I take it. I’m taking you.”

Uncertainty ran though me, but my body was craving this man’s touch, craving those magical lips to send me over the edge. Everything around me was swirling out of control. Why the hell was this happening? I’m so damn sure of myself all the damn time, one day with this man, and I’m questioning everything.

Fuck it.

Gripping Cruz’s shirt, I pulled him hard down to my lips as I took what I needed from him, and he gave, punishing me in return. “I’m glad you see things my way,” he murmured, before cupping my ass and lifting me up as I wrapped my legs around his body and my back crashed against the door. Our lips and hands attacked each other in a frenzy of lust.

Everything happened so damn fast that before I could process what was going on, my pants were removed; Cruz was sleeved and balls deep inside of me. His body hammering into mine so hard and so fast that I forgot where I was, much less… who I was. My body became one huge nerve ending that was on the verge of imploding.

Cruz’s name escaped my lips as he gasped my name giving two more thrusts and slowly stilling as we came together. Our breathing was unbelievably labored, and I rested my head on his shoulder trying to regain myself.

I shook my head at the realization that this would happen. If for nothing else, his dick was becoming a drug, and I wanted more. Hopefully, he’d prove to be worth the risk.

Two days later

My legs spread wide as I gathered myself in my stance. It’d been so long since I’ve done this, practice. I was damn well gonna hit that fucking target over and over.

Raising my arms, I cupped my girl in my hands, loving the weight of her. As I squeezed the trigger over and over, the familiar lulling sound of each shot going off made me smile. Keeping my eye on the target, I kept firing.

As I pushed the button that brought my target close, I was ecstatic to see that I’d hit my mark repeatedly. Bitch has still got it.

“Great shot,” Cruz’s smooth voice came from behind me. Turning, I smiled and stared into those gorgeous blue eyes of his. These past two days have been a whirlwind. Not only was I trying to learn the ins and outs since being locked up, I was learning about this strong man behind me. And damn if he didn’t send my entire life into a spiral, good or bad was still up for debate.

“Look,” I pulled down my target sheet handing it to him as I added another.

“You killed him; that’s for sure.”

“Her…”

“What?” Cruz eyed me as if he heard wrong.

“You said I killed him… when it’s actually, I killed her.”

“Babs?” I nodded, pushing the button to send my target back through the chute.

“I’m firing!” I yelled out seconds before I began blasting the target again, thinking of Babs bleeding on the ground, gurgling her last breath. It only fueled me up as I kept shooting, adding another clip, going for it again, not stopping until the paper was dangling off the grip.

Placing my gun in my holster, I turned around to see Cruz staring at me. “What?”

“I know the brothers taught you to shoot, but damn babe.” His body moved closer to mine as his hands filtered through my hair, pulling it, so his eyes met mine. “Fucking hot.”

His lips smothered mine in his signature, sexy way as my body instantly reacted. Over the last couple of days, my body had tuned itself with Cruz’s, wanting him more than I ever thought possible. Not that I would tell him that, but my body couldn’t lie.

The clearing of a throat brought our deep kiss to a stop as we looked over to see Rocky standing at the doorway to the range.

“What’s up man?” Cruz asked as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“Came to shoot,” Rocky’s voice was so quiet, I felt like if I could squint my ears to hear better I would. But what got me was his voice. There was something about it. Something familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

“You done?” Cruz asked, looking down at me while I smiled, nodding. “All yours man.”

“Thanks…” Cruz slapped Rocky’s shoulder as he walked by. When he breezed past me, my body went on alert, full-blown red alert. Something. I didn’t know what the hell it was, but something with him was setting me off, and not in a good way.

Turning, I stared at him. His long hair, beard, and lanky body were nothing that I’d ever seen before. Racking my brain, I tried to place him, but came up blank. As we walked out of the range, Cruz must have sensed something off. “What’s wrong?”

Not one to shy away, I said, “Rocky. Was he around before I went in prison?”

“No, why?”

“I don’t know. I get the sense I’ve met him before.”

“Like where?” he questioned, seeming interested.

“Not sure. I could be totally full of shit.”

“Far as I know, he’s never been near the club. But I’ll have it checked out.” Cruz pulled me close, “Let’s go for a ride.” I smiled up at him, nodding my head.

* * *

Being on the back of Cruz’s bike was an exhilarating experience. I’ve always loved riding, but something about my thighs pressed against this rock hard man was making this one of the best rides ever. His smell of leather and testosterone combined with the roar of the bike was making my body pulsate, throb, and ache. Pressing my pussy as close to his ass as I could, I began slightly rubbing just to give myself a small amount of friction to go along with the rumble of the bike.

Cruz’s hand squeezed my thigh as if he knew what I was doing, before placing it back on the throttle. As he revved the bike, I got just enough friction that my body shuddered. It wasn’t an all-consuming orgasm by any means, but it felt good and briefly cured the ache.

As my hands released the clutching grip I seemed to have placed on Cruz’s abs, his body began to move as if he was chuckling. With my body very relaxed, I held on, enjoying my first ride with him.

Cruz pulled the bike into a small diner, Sam’s, just outside of Sumner. I’d missed this place while being inside. The smell of grease and fries surged into my nostrils as my stomach took notice and growled. They had the best burgers and fries, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth in them.

After getting off his bike, Cruz wrapped his arms around my body pulling me flush to his. “You owe me,” he whispered onto my lips.

“What?” I said; my breath barely leaving my body.

He shook his head slowly. “Getting yourself off and not letting me watch. Not. Happening. Again.” His lips crashed down on mine, and I felt lost in all that was Cruz. It amazed me how this man seemed to have some sort of spell that mesmerized my body instantly.

Pulling away, “I might let you watch next time.” I smirked patting his broad chest as I turned to the door.

It didn’t take, but a minute for Cruz to be seen in the diner. Many guys coming up to him, shaking his hand and doing that man hug thing. He didn’t introduce me, which either meant he didn’t want anyone to know who I was, or I was insignificant. I was hoping it wasn’t the latter.

Instead of Cruz taking his seat across from me in the booth, he pulled himself right in beside me, pushing me all the way against the wall with his broad body. “You know you can sit on the other side,” I said, wiggling to make room.

“Then I couldn’t do this…” Cruz leaned down placing the sweetest, softest kiss on my lips causing my insides to flutter.

“What can I getcha?” I heard the waitress’s voice, but couldn’t pull myself out of the shock of the gentleness that I just witnessed. This rough man, who has shown me this hard, demanding side of him, has an unbelievably soft side, too, who’d have known.

A sharp squeeze of my hand sent pain through my arm causing me to snap out of it. “What?”

Cruz chuckled, “What do you want to eat, Baby?”

Shit. Shaking my head, I smiled at the waitress, but it instantly fell. Her eyes were totally focused on Cruz sending a surge of fire throughout me. As if sensing it, Cruz’s hand came up under my chin, pulling me towards his face. My eyes locked on his just as he placed another kiss on my lips.

“Order what ya want.” He winked.

Without looking back at her, I ordered, as did Cruz, sending her away. “You don’t like her looking at me, Babe?”

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer, because I didn’t fully understand it myself. “So, you were in the Marines?”

His body stiffened, “Yep.”

“You don’t like talking about it?” I asked as the waitress placed our drinks on the table, and I reached for mine.

“Nah…”

I knew better than anyone about not wanting to talk about shit. So I changed the subject. “Why’d you join Ravage?”

A smirk claimed the corner of his mouth. “I realized this is where I belong. This is my family.”

His answer was utterly diplomatic and really didn’t give me a lot to go on, but deep down I understood. The brotherhood wasn’t something that most men talked about. Even if I grew up here and knew the life, he steered away.

“Do you have a family outside of Ravage?”

“Nah, Mom died when I got out of the service. She was all I had.”

“Didn’t know your dad?” I instantly regretted the question when his voice spoke.

“He left when I was young. Loved some other woman; crushed my mom. It wasn’t pretty.”

My insides churned for this man. I couldn’t imagine Pops ever leaving me, abandoning me. He’s taught me so much throughout the years. Reaching over, I clasped his hand and squeezed as his eyes locked on mine. As I tried to release him, he held tighter, and I began to relax into him. He absently began rubbing circles with this thumb, sending shocks throughout my body with each swipe. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s who I am, but enough about me. What about you?” I didn’t know what to say. These past two years, all I did was survive. What do I say to that question? He must have sensed my apprehension. “Growing up.”

“This has been my life. Hanging out at the clubhouse, and the brothers are really all I’ve known. They’ve taught me how to be me.”

“Must have been weird growing up around all those guys.”

“No. Not actually. They were all Pops’ brothers, and they treated me very well. I always respected them, and they did me.” Not saying they didn’t try to fuck me as I got older, but I thought I’d leave that part out.

“You ever want to get away from here?”

His question caught me off guard, but I answered immediately. “No. This is my home. You wanna tell me about Mel?” I asked, really not wanting to know, but thinking I should.

“No. She’s inconsequential.” There were questions there, but I could tell the subject was closed. “You wanna tell me about your time inside?”

No. I didn’t, but I would. “Boring. Same shit different day. I kept to myself as much as possible. My only goal was to get out alive.”

“Understandable. Heard you had your own space.”

“Yeah. Pops and Diamond worked something out, and I owe them.” I did. I knew it. That’s why when they asked me to take care of a couple of things for them I didn’t balk one bit.