Page 52 of Triple the Danger

“Couldn’t stay inside with the sausage-fest,” she replied with a shrug. “They’re all being hard-headed asses that can’t seem to understand that women don’t need to be protected. Or at the very least, should be acknowledged, instead of yelled at for helping.”

Karissa and Glitch both nodded. “It’s a problem around here for sure,” Karissa agreed grimly. “Makes you rethink staying, right?”

Saylor sighed. “Kinda, yeah. I’m around men all the time who think they always know better, or have to be the ones in charge. It’s exhausting, and I don’t relish dealing with it long-term if I decide to stay with Jax.”

“Don’t worry, babe, you can come and stay with me,” Taz told her with a wink. “I’m better than him. In every way.”

“Something tells me you wouldn’t be any better about being bossy,” Saylor drawled drily.

“On the contrary,” Taz argued. “Well, I’m bossy where it counts,” he countered.

Saylor rolled her eyes. “I’m not about to leave one bossy man for another. Besides, if I leave, I’m going back home.”

“I might go with you,” Karissa huffed. “I’m getting sick and tired of the way things are around here.”

“I’m tired of being accused of trying to interfere in club business when I do no such thing,” Glitch agreed. The twins stayed quiet, but Saylor could see the discontent on their faces.

“You guys know if you’re unhappy, you can always come back with us,” Taz reminded them. “You always have a place, and you know you’re treated as equals there.”

“Are we?” Glitch asked, glaring at him. “Or was that not you assholes who forgot to include us earlier?”

Taz winced. “Honestly, I really thought they told you, but you’re right; I should have said something when I realized you weren’t in the room. All of us should have said something. My only excuse is I was so caught up in what was going on that I wasn’t thinking. I will never allow it to happen again. I promise.” He said it so sincerely that Saylor had to figure he meant it. It was clear to her that he was very close to these two.

“I’ll offer my apologies, as well,” Ursa added quietly, drawing their gaze. “You’re right. You both are a part of our team, and we should have treated you that way. We should have stood up for you, because that’s what we would want you to do for us. But I’m going to add something, and I want you all to think about it, and not bite my head off. You’re complaining about how you don’t feel respected or treated equally, but all of you are forgetting what the men in the club have done to help you get where you are.”

“You’re saying we should just be grateful for their help and stay silent out of gratitude?” Karissa asked coldly, eyes flashing dangerously.

“No,” Ursa continued calmly. “What I’m saying is that while I understand you’re angry, and I also get why you think the way you do coming from a team like ours, you need to remember that them being as protective as they are has helped you. And, you need to be patient; you’re not going to change decades-old ways of thinking in just a few months. Both of you came from our team where you were treated as equals. We fought with you, and we didn’t baby you. But that isn’t the norm, and the two of you seem to forget that a lot. I’m not saying you’re wrong that things need to change, but you need to remember who you’re dealing with and where you are.

“This is an MC. For a long time, the women of the club would have been subservient. Decades ago, if you pulled half the shit you do now, you’d have been beaten, raped, or worse. The men back then didn’t do equality, and there are still some clubs that run that way. Now, you have a group of men here who figured they would never have women of their own. They’re an MC with women at their disposal all day, every day, if they want it. But here they are, their entire lives changing because of the women they’ve fallen for and decided to bring into the club life. The problem is, they picked strong women that aren’t afraid to speak up, and aren’t afraid to get down and dirty when a fight comes to them. But for this kind of club, that’s like drop-kicking them out of the fifties and straight into the twenty-first century.”

Taz snickered. “I’d love to see you both in some frilly aprons,” he joked. “Really give in to that little woman life.” Karissa and Glitch glared at him while the twins rolled their eyes. Saylor continued to stare at Ursa. She was starting to see his point, even if she didn’t want to.

“Look,” Ursa sighed. “You don’t like it, but you both fell for men in a traditional MC, and with that, there are going to be outdated views you aren’t going to like. Should they be changed? I think so, but that doesn’t happen because you demand it. You also need to give them some leeway in how they handle things. They’re not used to women voicing their opinions on club matters. From what I’ve seen, Royal, Harlow, Esme, and Scarlett tow the line, but stay out of it until their men choose otherwise. You two barrel in, expecting to have a role or at least give your opinion, and that’s not going to happen here. You can either accept it and work on changing things gradually, or you can give up, leave your men, and come back with us, knowing full well you are leaving behind the men you love and are committed to through thick and thin. Not to mention, they have been very accommodating about your men spending more time with us at our clubhouse than before, when they have duties and responsibilities here with their own club.”

“That doesn’t excuse the fact that they use us when it works for them but can’t respect us enough to involve us so we know what we’re up against,” Glitch argued.

“You’re really telling me you wouldn’t protect the women and kids because you’re butt hurt they aren’t including you in the main fight?” Ursa demanded. “Would you be okay with leaving them defenceless if someone got past them? You might see it as an insult, but they see it as trusting you with the people who mean the most in the world to them. The people they would die for. They’re not trusting Prospects with that job. They’re trusting you. I think you need to get off your high horses and start waking the hell up. Do I think that they need to make that clear to you? Yes. Do I think that they need to apologize for taking advantage of you when it suits them? Yes. Do I think that they need to remember you’re highly trained, highly skilled, lethal weapons in your own rights? Fuck yes. But you need to meet them halfway and remember that when you are here, you are an Old Lady, and you are one of those people they would die for. When you’re with us, you can freely be the badasses you are. But you can’t be pissed they treat you both ways when that’s exactly what you signed up for with them.”

“He has a point,” Taz agreed softly. “And really, do you want to be badasses all the time?” He looked at the twins. “You two have your whole lives ahead of you to be badasses, and let’s face it, you had a lot of your childhood stolen from you. Now is the time for you to be enjoying your life before you have to truly become adults. And that includes learning to forgive someone when they fuck up. Especially someone in an intense situation where he thought someone he was supposed to be protecting was going to die.” Wren winced and looked away guiltily. Then Taz looked at Saylor. “And you, you’re at the point where you need to decide what the hell you’ll do. You don’t strike me as the kind to throw in the towel when shit gets tough. Jax is a good man, and if you give him a chance to show you that, he will; but unless you’re willing to give it your all, then it might be best for you to keep on going. That includes accepting that sometimes, things are not going to go the way you want them, but you might find that you don’t hate it completely. And if things really don’t turn out the way you hoped, then you have the option to leave.”

They stood silent, each of them weighing their words. Finally, Saylor sighed and said, “I hear what you’re saying, and the point you’re making. I need to think about whether this life is what I want for myself, or even if putting myself into it is worth the risk. I’ve been here two days, and in those two days, I’ve found a man who makes me want things I’ve never had before. I’ve had people try to kill me multiple times, and I’m realizing I might not want to go home, when that’s been my plan all along.”

“Just think of the stories you’ll tell your grandchildren one day,” Taz joked. “Though, make sure to put me in an extra sexy light.” He gave her a saucy wink, and she just rolled her eyes, even as her lips twitched.

Wren sighed. “I’ll apologize to Tom for yelling at him,” she said. “I shouldn’t have taken what he said to heart. And I know I shouldn’t have put myself in that kind of danger, but I don’t regret it. I never will, so I won’t apologize for saving him.”

“As you shouldn’t,” Karissa agreed. “And I suppose you’re right that we need to remember we can’t change things as fast as we want, if at all. I’m not happy about it, but I also know that I don’t want to leave Razor. I need to figure out how I’m going to make the two worlds co-exist so that I can live in both without resentment bubbling up.”

Glitch nodded. “Me too. I am struggling. I love Code, but I’m not used to taking a backseat. And it pisses me off when I’m left out of things that I need to know. We need to talk to Savage and find a way for us to be included that he can live with when he wants our help, because I don’t know I can keep doing what we’re doing. Going from being a valued, respected part of a team to being just a woman…it’s not easy for me. Not when I know I can help.”

“I don’t know what I need to do or apologize for, but I’ll say that I will,” Win joked. “Well, I guess I could apologize to Tom for threatening him if he hurt Wren again.”

Wren looked at her in surprise. “You threatened him?”

Win shrugged. “He hurt your feelings, and I don’t take kindly to that. But I probably should have stayed out of it. Or at least said it when Rogue wasn’t there to hear.” She winced. “Yeah, he wasn’t very happy. We’re going to have to talk to him too, and I don’t want to really do that right now.”

“Scarlett won’t let that happen until you’re ready,” Karissa assured her. Then she looked at Saylor. “I know that all of this probably hasn’t helped you make your decision, but if it’s worth anything, we’d like for you to stick around. We need more strong women around to keep the men in line, even if it’s not in obvious ways. I also think that Jax needs you. He’s always been the jokester, someone who loves to have a good time. You seem to ground him, and he watches you like you’re a goddess come to life.”

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