“But, Marcum, I don’t have anything, man. If I did, I wouldn’t—”
“I’m taking your daughter,” he says and I shake my head back and forth in denial, which just makes Marcum smile. It’s a smile I don’t like.
“Load up, boys,” Marcum says, grabbing my hand and pulling me along behind him. “Remember, Weasel. If you don’t pay me back, there won’t be a rock big enough for you to hide under.”
I try to pull away from Marcum, but his grip on my wrist is like iron. No matter how hard I pull, I can’t get away. I glance off to the side, looking for help. There’s none to be found. The guy who carried me earlier has my bag thrown over his shoulder and he actually winks at me. I stop walking abruptly when I slide into Marcum’s back. He gets on his bike and looks up at me expectantly. It’s only then I realize he’s let go of my hand. I start to turn and run, but the man with my bag is standing right in front of me, not letting me move.
“Sorry, honey,” the guy says, and my gaze slowly raises to his smiling face.
“Hop on, Dragonfly, time to go to your new home,” Marcum says, and I want to scream no. Instead, I stand there looking at him and then I get on his bike.
I don’t have a choice.4Marcum“You get our guest locked in her room?”
“Yeah, and put Ghost guarding the door,” Moth answers.
“Good enough.” I nod, taking a drink of my Scotch.
“What are you doing taking her? That’s not something we usually do, man.”
I rub the side of my face, scratching my skin through my beard. I think over it all and I still don’t have an answer. Moth is right. I hadn’t planned on taking the girl. I still can’t figure out why I did. I bring my hands down to my lap and twist the insignia ring there, still thinking things over.
“There was something in her eyes,” I mutter, being honest. That’s still not all of it. Fuck if I know what it is about her that made me want to take her. She’s going to be trouble. Usually you bring a girl into the club for one reason and one reason only. That means the boys are going to want to sample the goods and I can’t let that happen.
“You know the men—”
“She’s off limits.”
“Are you claiming her? Because that’s the only way they’ll listen. We’re not fucking boy scouts here, Marcum.”
“Fuck you,” I grumble, rubbing the back of my neck. I’m feeling older than the damn hills.
“Seriously, man…” Moth starts, before stopping and looking at me for direction. The problem is I don’t know what to tell him, because I have no fucking idea what I’m doing with the girl.
“I’m not claiming her … but she is under my protection.”
“That’s not going to go over well.”
“I don’t really give a fuck. Something tells me that girl has a story to tell. I find I want to hear it,” I tell him, and I’m pretty sure I’m being mostly honest.
“That’s going to be kind of hard since the bitch can’t say a word,” Moth laughs.
“That just makes it more interesting,” I smirk, taking my drink and getting up. The boys are in a partying mood and I haven’t been that way since Cherry left. I may not have loved her, but I was settled. I thought she was okay with my life and my club. Then she had to go throw a shit-fit because of the way I handled Jenna. For some reason she wanted to go all moral on me over that crap.
People aren’t left breathing when they fuck with me and mine. They fuck with my kids that’s even more true. Did it bother me that Jenna was a woman? She knew the score. She bought her fucking ticket. Cherry couldn’t accept that and I got tired of her bitching and moaning.
I walk back to my room nursing my drink and taking a bottle with me. It’s a sad day when a bottle of Scotch is more comforting than a woman’s body.
What the fuck has happened to me?5Toi“Moth says you refuse to try and communicate with any of us,” Marcum says. He strides through the door like a king on a throne—which I guess here, that’s what he is. I turn to look at him, and I doubt I keep the anger out of my face. I resent being here. I probably got fired from my job. This makes the third day I’ve been here at the Saints club and that’s three days I’ve not reported to work. Marcum probably doesn’t understand how hard it is to find a job in this small town. I doubt he has any idea how hard it is for someone who doesn’t speak, and I doubt he’s ever worried about money in his life. Still, he’s cost me a lot by holding me here. I didn’t like him or his club before, now I really don’t like him. He tosses me a pad of paper and a pen.