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  I raise my head to glance over to the bar where I saw Jace, but when I notice Dani, I can tell those two haven’t been able to talk shit through like me and Ry did.

  Ry follows my line of sight and releases a deep sigh. “Dani can hold a grudge. But I don’t blame her. Lala wasn’t exactly nice, and she lashed out to cut deep. Not to mention Dani has a few regrets herself along with it. When she came to live in this town, she went by the clubhouse but didn’t go in because of the half-naked chicks she saw strolling inside. I’m guessing Lala’s comments added to Dani blaming herself. And Jace’s response only fueled her anger of all of it clashing together.”

  “He won’t let her walk away, even if she stays mad at him for the rest of his life. The fucker was unbearable for all those months he lost her. Seriously, Jace told me how Daniela could fuck a guy in front of him and he would kill the man and get in her face to tell her she’s his. Shit, maybe he said those exact words to her as well, by the look on her face.” I can’t help but wince. “I hope those two manage to talk it out.”

  “I’d better go talk to her,” Ry muses.

  I cup her face and pull her into a lingering kiss. Her eyes are still closed when I break our kiss, and I savor the way her face is covered with a dreamy look.

  Fuck, this woman is gorgeous. And so fucking mine.

  “Yeah,” I croak. “You should.”

  She steps away, and I can’t help myself when I pat her ass, earning me a grin she throws over her shoulder while she makes her way toward the bar. I stay in place and watch how Jace shoots Ry a look as if he’s begging for help. She gives him a slight nod and takes a seat beside her friend as Jace pushes himself away from the bar and heads for me.

  Turning on my heels, I open the door to church and wait for Jace to stalk through before closing it behind me. There’s a large window showing the bar where our old ladies are sitting, and that’s where Jace’s eyes are locked.

  “How the fuck did you make good with your woman while I’m still in the fucking doghouse?” he growls and smacks his flat hand on the table in front of him. “Dammit, every word out of my mouth is a deathtrap.”

  “You’re not the man to have a compliant woman, VP. Daniela is a dynamite type chick, but from the look on your face, she’s worth every blast she gives you,” I tell him while I stare at Ry. “Those two are right for us the same way they can handle our world. I know this now.”

  Jace groans. “Let’s talk business, Pres, before I get up and drag that woman off the damn barstool and fuck some sense into her while all the brothers are watching.”

  My eyes are set on the couch as I remember Ry straddling me.

  “Motherfucker,” Jace mutters. “That’s what you did, right? Fuck sense into her? I should have done that instead of taking her to my room to talk.”

  I give him a sly smile and confess, “Actually, she was the one who fucked sense into me while I was apologizing to her. She couldn’t bear it and jumped my cock. She took matters into her own hands, and I’ve come to realize I’ll go down willingly when it comes to her. She’s worth it.”

  “They both are,” Jace agrees. “I should have apologized.”

  My gaze swings to his. “Say what?”

  “I kinda focused our discussion on not having her around and needing the relief because I couldn’t get her out of my head.”

  His confession makes me wince, and so does he.

  “Fuck.” Jace rubs a hand over his face. “I handled it all wrong. Why the hell isn’t there some kind of manual for this shit?”

  I smack his shoulder. “Grovel later. Let her complain to my old lady first.”

  “Yeah, make me look even fucking worse compared to you,” he grumbles.

  I snort and shake my head, my eyes finding my woman again. She glances right at me, and I mouth, “He fucked up big-time. He needs all the help he can get.”

  The corner of her mouth twitches as she nods and turns her attention back to Daniela.

  “From bad to worse and to hell and back, brother. But knowing you have something worth fighting for? There isn’t anything we can’t face or handle,” I tell him.

  He nods at my words. “We need to get a handle on those fuckers who are causing trouble. I bet it’s the same bunch our bouncers have thrown out of the Shaken Titster. Didn’t Dreamer mention he saw Benny and his two brothers get thrown out of the bar Carlisle owns?”

  “Yeah.” I rub my jaw. “He didn’t take it too well when he was fired when Carlisle took over the factory he worked at.”

  “His own fault. We both know the fucker never took that job serious, and neither did either of his brothers. They’d be at the strip joint every night till early morning. Sometimes those fuckers would even show up for work drunk off their asses. But that shit piling up easily makes an enemy out of some drunken idiots.”

  Jace’s words hold truth. The factory belonged to Bellick’s father, and we knew he had to sell at some point, seeing his health was failing him. We don’t have enough money to buy out everyone who wants to sell to Carlisle in an effort to stop him from taking over the town. And we need the money to at least buy the junkyard.

  Though everything is moot now with Ry being my old lady and knowing Carlisle has a different interest in this town than we first thought. After he learned about Ry being the only family member he has left, he wanted to make a home for himself here to be near her.

  That’s why we stopped interfering and let Carlisle buy whatever property he wants. The meeting I had with him where we talked about Ry and everything else happening in this place also made it clear that he wants what’s best for the town, and shifts in personnel and leadership are necessary in the business aspect.

  He also mentioned he was raised in a foster home with nothing but the clothes on his back and an empty bowl in front of him. He swore to have more as an adult. I guess the fucker doesn’t know when to quit and enjoys what he’s obtained, considering he has more money than he can ever spend.

  Of course, I’m not complaining anymore about him pumping money into this town now that we’re aware of his motivation to make things better. Even if it’s with a rough and harsh business hand that many around here don’t appreciate.

  “Good thing no one knows Ry is his niece. We need to keep it that way for now,” I tell Jace as he gives me a tight nod.

  “He changed his mind, thinking she would run away from him if he just up and told her he was his uncle. I’m guessing he wanted to give her an option, to let her know he could keep her safe too. You think she’ll go to him?”

  I rub my sternum at the sudden jab hitting my heart at the thought of Ry leaving. “I fucking hope not. But I also won’t stop her from getting to know the only family she has left. Though hell will freeze over before the fucker can take her from me.”

  C H A P T E R N I N E

  – R Y L E E –

  “How can we live in the same building and not see each other for two whole days?” I ask Dani, who’s sitting in the booth across from me at the diner where we’re having lunch.

  She shoots me a wicked grin. “That’s because Jace held me hostage in his room while he kept apologizing over and over to every inch of my body until I finally gave in and forgave him. Well, mainly I forgave myself, because I was pissed off at the whole situation. Whatever. Multiple orgasms were involved, and no body parts were injured during these events.”

  I grab my strawberry milkshake and tell her, “That’s too much information.” I close my eyes the second the icy strawberry goodness hits my tongue.

  “Mm-hm,” Dani grumbles. “We were in the main room every night, but a certain couple was upstairs getting wet and wild each time we showed our faces in an effort to mingle, so don’t judge because you bunnies were at it too.”

  My eyes fly open. “I didn’t judge.”

  “I know.” She shoots me a knowing grin. “I do judge the whole stripper joint thing, though.”

  I glance over my shoulder to said strip club across the street.r />
  “From the way both our guys went at it for the last few days, you could say their dicks are sore enough that they wouldn’t even twitch at a naked nipple. Meaning their minds are on business, not on all those swinging tits and booties in there. Right?” Dani questions.

  “They’d better be,” I grumble and place my milkshake back on the table, my appetite long forgotten. “Maybe we should check. Not that I don’t trust them, but I’ve seen Lala and those others hanging around the clubhouse not being shy about rubbing their breasts against someone to get some attention.”

  “Where’s Bellick?” Dani asks, and I glance around the diner.

  There are a few people scattered all over enjoying their lunch, but nothing seems out of place. Ram is sitting on his bike in front of the diner, but he has his forearms on his gas tank and is facing the strip joint with his back to us.

  Stone told me it’s just precaution to have one biker outside and Bellick on the inside, but I have a creepy feeling that something’s up. I can’t put my finger on it, but Bellick tried hard not to leave us the last time. And I know Stone reprimanded him about leaving us too.

  Ignoring my gut feeling, I try to see reason and tell Dani, “He must’ve gone to the bathroom.”

  The bell above the door chimes, and my gaze slides to the person who enters the diner.

  “Ugh, don’t look,” I start, but sure enough, Dani whips her head around to see Lala heading straight toward us.

  Lala eyes my milkshake and gives me a judgmental look. “Your ass wasn’t fat enough? Thought you could add to it?”

  She throws her nose into the air, spins on her heels, and heads for the back.

  “I’m going to show her a fat ass and bounce it on her fake tits hard enough for them to fucking pop,” Dani growls and jumps up to head after Lala.

  “No, no, no, don’t,” I squeak and rush after her.

  Where is that freaking prospect when we need him? races through my mind when I enter the bathroom Dani just slipped into.

  Lala is standing there on her high heels, her fake tits aimed right at us. You could say with Dani and I standing shoulder to shoulder we outnumber her, right? Wrong. At least that’s what the gun pointed right at us is screaming.

  Lala adds a smirk and hoists the handbag she pulled the gun from back over her shoulder. The door opens behind us, and I’m about to warn the person entering, but another gun flashes in front of my face.

  “What the hell is with all the guns?” I grumble.

  Dani grabs my hand and squeezes, as if to warn me to keep my mouth shut.

  “Listen up. We’re going out the back, and you cunts are going to shut your trap and obey, or I’m going to kill the both of you, understood?” The guy presses the cold steel against my temple and gives a little push as if he needs to drill the words into my head.

  “Why does my happy bubble always need to pop?” I mutter to myself, ignoring the asshole calling us cunts as I tell Dani, “And how clichéd are you? Running after the bad guy, bitch, whatever… getting us into trouble? Stone is going to be pissed. But I’m going to make sure Jace will spank your ass purple and won’t let you out of his room for at least two weeks instead of the freaking two days he kept you locked up earlier.”

  “Shut. Up,” a voice growls from my right before pain bursts from my neck and everything turns black.

  When I come to, I hear groaning, and it takes a breath or two before I realize it’s not coming from me. Though I’m lucky enough to still have my hearing aids in, yet not so lucky with a monstrous headache and seeing Dani tied up next to me.

  My toes are barely reaching the floor, and my arms are up in the air, my wrists bound together and connected to a hook in the ceiling. Dani seems to be hanging and bound the same way as me as she struggles against the binds on her wrists.

  “But you promised me, Benny. I can’t have those fat cows show up at the club. They’ll ruin everything again,” Lala whines. “I don’t care what our brothers want with them. When I told you what my friend overheard them saying about her, you said it would benefit the both of us if she didn’t exist anymore. You promised to make them disappear to have some payback for the both of us. Come on, Benny. You’re my favorite brother.”

  “Shut up,” the guy she called Benny snaps and smacks her in the face. “You don’t get a say in this. Menny, Lenny, and I made plans. These two are our next fat paycheck. We’re going to use them as ransom first. Once we get the cash, they can have them back for all I care. Easy as shit instead of burying their bodies. But we haven’t got the cash in our hands to leave this fucking town yet, so stop nagging, Lala.”

  Benny, Menny, and Lenny? Are they triplets, or did their mother try to rhyme her sons’ names together?

  Lala rubs her cheek and glares at us as if I was the one who smacked her.

  Seriously? What the hell?

  I should sympathize, knowing what it means to have a fucked-up family, but come on, what kind of idiocy is going on with that bunch? Benny’s pupils are wide as if he’s on drugs. Lala doesn’t seem to notice or is used to it and the way they treat her.

  The sound of her high heels clicking on the floor is annoying as she comes to a halt in front of me. “You’re ugly,” she sneers and smacks my face.

  I have endured a lot worse, and this woman is out of her damn mind if she thinks she can frighten or insult me. Everything inside me screams to give a giant “Fuck you” to the universe, so instead of shrinking away, I act the complete opposite.

  “Thank you.” I beam as if she just gave me one hell of a compliment.

  This only angers her, and Lala strikes again, this time knocking out one of my hearing aids. She watches the little device crash to the floor and deliberately stomps on it, giving me a vindictive smile.

  “I can’t believe the president of an entire MC would want a stupid deaf chick.” Lala stomps her high heel down on the crushed device again to add more drama to her words.

  This time I ignore her completely, though Dani snickers and says, “The president of an entire MC? Sweetheart, you called him the pres. That already indicates he runs the MC. Adding the entire MC before it makes you sound like the stupid one.”

  Lala is ready to lash out again, but Benny steps in to grab her wrist. “You need to go to the strip joint like we agreed. I’m about to send a text to demand the ransom, and I need eyes in there to let me know how they respond. Then I’ll make a call so they can hear these chicks scream to let them know we mean business.”

  Lala gives me another glare and turns to head out. I can’t help but kick her in the cunt with my words when I tell her, “Good luck getting anywhere near our men, because I can tell you right now that they will never let you walk back into any place the MC owns. You’re fucked, but not in the way you’re used to.”

  She smirks and says, “None of those guys have been able to refuse me before. With the two of you out of the picture, everything will go back to normal.”

  “Dream on, skank,” Dani snaps.

  “Skank,” I echo in an appreciative tone. “Nice.”

  “Thank you.” Dani beams.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Benny bellows, visibly annoyed by the fact that both Dani and I aren’t impressed by them, even if they do have us bound to the ceiling.

  He reaches behind him and takes out his gun. Benny points it at Dani’s left leg, and before I can take my next breath, the asshole pulls the trigger. The room fills with our mingled screams while Benny wears a sinister smile and Lala sways her skanky ass up the stairs as if nothing happened and her brother didn’t just shoot a bullet through my best friend’s leg.

  “Make no mistake, I couldn’t care less about you two cunts. One of you represents a stack of cash, but the other is useless to me. And if your asshole uncle doesn’t pay up, I’ll shoot you in the head and leave your body on the doorstep of his shitty factory. Or… maybe I’ll be pissed off and I’ll kill you even after I get the cash. Suits him right for firing me. Who the fuck does he think he is,
coming to this town, throwing around cash, thinking he can own the fucking place? He takes from us, so we take from him. That fucking simple.” Benny waves the gun around until he shoves his hand into his pocket, takes out a vial, and taps some white powder onto the back of his hand. He leans forward and snorts up the powder, then screams, “Hot damn.”

  Tucking away the vial, he rolls his shoulders and shakes his hand, making the gun go off again.

  “Dammit,” I gasp, and try to brace myself to deal with the pain bursting through my abdomen.

  “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. Did I shoot you? Oh fuck,” Benny rambles while he keeps staring at my stomach.

  “Nooooo,” Dani screams. She kicks her leg out in an effort to hit Benny. “Look what you did! Call a fucking ambulance, asshole. Now, dammit! Stay with me, Ry. Ry, come on. Look at me. Ry!”

  “What?” I snap, dragging my gaze away from the spreading red dot.

  “Don’t you dare die on me,” she growls. “Cut me loose.” Benny doesn’t move. “Get me down, asshole. I’m a doctor. I can help,” Dani tries, but Benny seems stuck in his own mind loop.

  He suddenly spins around and heads up the stairs, leaving us alone in the room.

  “Ry? How are you doing? Talk to me.” Dani’s voice wavers.

  “How the hell do you think I’m doing?” I snap in frustration and pain. “He shot me! He shot you! I think you and I both know how this is going to end, don’t you think?”

  “That’s not going to happen, Ry—” she starts, but I cut her off.

  “Stop saying my damn name, Dani. I’m not an idiot. I know you’re doing it to keep my head in the here and now, but it’s annoying. I’m in serious pain here, and I’ve read enough books and watched enough TV to know that a gut shot is one of the worst. Well, except for a head shot. That’s even worse, but that kinda speaks for itself. You, on the other hand, have a leg shot. Looks like no artery was hit. Be sure to tell Stone thanks for the most perfect soap bubble known to mankind. I was just starting to enjoy life, and now it ends after a few freaking weeks. I’d say that’s some world record shit right there.” My throat clogs up, preventing me from saying more.