Page 11 of Puma's Pride

“And I was right.” I tell her, turning to Elina. “How many bowls of ice cream have you had today?”

Elina grins at me and glances slyly at Showtime. “Only two.”

Corinne laughs as I shake my head. “Honestly, Corinne. The only thing you need to worry about regarding Mal is how much they’ll spoil him.”

“Puma said you needed help from a couple of prospects.” Showtime says. “Mad Max is getting the SUV. Between the two of us, we’ll have you packed and back here before they’re done with Church.”

“I take it Church isn’t what I’m thinking, is it?” Corinne asks as Max drives through the gate with Trouble riding behind us.

“If you’re thinking a priest is in there giving a sermon, then no, that’s not what Church means.” I tell her. “It’s what they call their club meetings.”

Corinne nods. “That makes more sense. I guess I have much to learn about the biker lifestyle.”

“If you have questions, just ask.” I tell her. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks, so I don’t know everything about the lifestyle. Even though I was married to a biker.”

“Elina’s father was a biker?” Corinne asks.

“No. He was in the military and died overseas before Elina’s first birthday. She doesn’t remember him.” I say. My heart breaks a little, knowing Matteo will never see his little girl grow up.

“So, who was the biker?” Corinne asks before her eyes go large. “Oh my god, did he die, too? I’m so sorry.”

I smile and shake my head. “No, his name is Scar. He’s still alive. Our marriage wasn’t real.” I sigh because I can’t really explain about Scar without giving her the background about Juan. “This is a long story, but I’ll try to give you the short version. When I was married to Matteo, Elina’s father, a very dangerous man, decided he wanted me. When Matteo died, he went to my father to make a deal that included marriage to me. My father stalled him and helped convince Scar to marry me, to protect Elina and me. Scar was Matteo’s and my best friend, so he agreed. The two of us are like brother and sister, so it was a marriage in name only.”

“You said was. So, you’re no longer married?” Corinne asks.

“We had an agreement. If one of us found somebody, we’d annul the marriage.” I tell her.

“You found Puma?”

I laugh. “No. Well, yes, but no. Scar found someone. Her name is Caitlin, and she’s the sweetest person you could ever meet. He adores her. Puma invited me to come to Vegas to keep me off Juan’s radar. I’m grateful that he’s given me a place to hide.”

“Aren’t you two together?” Corinne asks.

Not knowing how to answer, I shrug. “I don’t really know how to describe our relationship.” I say, then shoot a dirty look at Showtime when she snorts. “What?”

“Sorry, girl. I love you, but you’re an idiot if you don’t think Puma has claimed you.” She says. “You and Elina are even more important to him than the club.”

I frown, because that can’t be true. “I admit Puma cares about us, but…”

“No buts.” Showtime insists. “Why do you think he’s mimicking Dante and moving the club further away from the grey area?” She glances at Corinne. “Now that he knows about Mal, my guess is he’ll move faster.”

“Showtime.” Max protests, sending her a disapproving look. “You can’t discuss club business.”

Showtime waves her hand at him. “No details. I’m just saying that Puma is always thinking about you and how to protect you. Especially from Sal’s whacked out son. He’ll be working harder now that he has Mal. Especially since Juan knows about Mal.”

Corinne frowns, and I realize she missed the connection. “Juan was the man who forced his way into your apartment. He’s the one that made you call Puma.”

Corinne’s eyes grow wide as she takes in my words. “Does that mean Juan knows you’re here in Vegas under Puma’s protection?”

I nod. “I think so, either that, or he thought he could use Puma to find me. Juan knows about the Demon Dawgs. He was working for my father under an assumed name. When my uncle kidnapped my father, Juan got us out of Yuma and took us to Scar in San Diego.”

“Why did he do that?” Showtime asks. “I’m surprised he didn’t use the opportunity to kidnap you.”

I nod slowly because I’ve been wondering about that as well. “At the time, I was married to Scar. Juan may be a violent sociopath, but he’s also a devout Catholic. He may have been waiting for an opportunity to kill Scar and leave me a widow, like he did with Matteo.”

“Wait. Juan killed your husband?” Corinne asks and I nod.

“He died overseas, but I know Juan set him up. I don’t know how, but Matteo’s squad, including Scar, believes someone manipulated the situation to ensure Matteo’s death. The only person who has the connections to make it happen is Juan.”

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