Page 10 of Biker

Damn him.

CHAPTER 5

BRONCO

I’m sitting in church waiting for the last of my brothers to enter our meeting room, my gaze on the large Devil’s Saints emblem etched into the middle of the table even though I’m not really seeing it. Instead, my mind is wandering to McKenzie and how, sometimes, fate steps in at just the right time.

I can’t wait to see her in just a few hours. The anticipation of seeing her is something I’ve been experiencing for almost two weeks now, ever since the first night I met her. I’ve taken her out on the back of my bike, and we’ve had dates, but the best time I spend with her is in the darkness of the night when my arms are wrapped around her, and I know she’s safe.

My brothers have noticed that I haven’t been spending quite as much time around the clubhouse over the last two weeks, but no one knows why. Well, no one except for Nero and while some of the brothers here are bigger gossips than any woman I’ve ever known, he isn’t one of them. He’ll keep it to himself until I decide to say something.

Which is part of the reason I made sure to be at church early. It’s going to be a big day for me. I want to make sure my claim is clear before the party tonight. There’s no way I can have her here with all my brothers meeting her before I make it very clear she’s mine and off limits. I’d rather not beat the shit out of one of my brothers, but I will if anyone is stupid enough to put their hands on her.

We also have a vote today about Beau being patched in. He’s earned his patch over the last year, and I don’t doubt that everyone will vote him in. He hasn’t complained once and has done all the work he’s been given. The party tonight is for him, he just doesn’t know it yet.

When I walked in not long ago, it was clear my brothers weren’t the only ones who noticed my absence. Cherry saw me and her eyes lit up, making me want to turn around and run in the other direction. I couldn’t even grab a beer since I’ll be going to pick up my woman for the party after church. There’s no way I was going to have her meet me here the first time she’s coming to the clubhouse.

She’s strong and confident enough to do it, she even offered, but the burning need I have in my soul to take care of her wouldn’t allow it. I want to make a statement to everyone from the start.

When Cherry reached out her perfectly painted red nails to touch my bicep, I immediately stepped back, and she frowned. “What’s going on, Bronco? Where have you been?”

I scoffed because she sure as fuck didn’t have a right to ask about my whereabouts. “I’ve been around,” I kept my answer vague, not wanting to give her any information. My actions are going to speak loud and fucking clear.

“There’s some time before church,” she purred. “How about we go up to your room and I can ease some of your,” her greedy as fuck eyes moved down and up my body, “tension?”

I stiffened and took another step back from her because she tried to close the distance between us and touch me again. “No,” I barked, and she blanched. “Do not touch me. You need to remember who you are, Cherry. I’m not inviting your advances and you need to realize it right fucking now.”

I wasn’t going to allow any of my shit or my past touch my woman. Being firm with Cherry was the only way, knowing the other club angels—Brianna, Tiff, and Abrielle—were watching as well and would, hopefully, take the hint.

I watched as tears welled up in Cherry’s eyes, but I could tell right away they were only a last-ditch effort to gain sympathy. It wasn’t going to work.

When she scurried away, I took a deep breath and threw a challenging look at the other angels who were staring at me with surprise written all over their faces. I walked to the bar and asked Sam for a bottle of water.

Monk leaned against the bar next to me, his voice curious but with an edge of censure to it, “That was a little harsh brother.”

Monk is a quiet man, and he doesn’t take what any of the angels offer. Ever. Hell, the man could be a virgin for all I know. He’s a few years younger than me and started prospecting for his patch ten years ago. Some harsh shit went down which earned him his patch faster than anyone else in the history of the DSMC.

The man walked through hellfire, and he earned his patch. It was unanimous around the table.

The experience changed him. It broke him and I know it still taunts him. He lost his sister in the worst way and the man never recovered. He wasn’t necessarily approachable before everything went down, but afterwards he reinforced the walls around himself and became even more guarded. I’m not sure there’s a woman out there who can bash through his defenses.

I hope there is though because he deserves to be happy. I can still see the shadows of pain and loss in his eyes.

He might not touch the angels, but he’s protective of them and all women. It’s understandable because his sister was horrifically stolen from him.

“I’m not trying to be harsh, but she has to know the score.” I looked into Monk’s eyes. “I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings on this.”

I saw the moment he recognized the underlying meaning of my words. He was with me in New Orleans and saw a club angel try some shit with Prodigal and Wrenley. He slapped my back and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

“Can’t wait to meet her,” he muttered quietly.

That was that. Like I said, Monk’s a man of few words. He doesn’t need to talk to get his point across. The man is massive, and things usually go his way. It’s one of the reasons he’s an enforcer for the club. He’s bathed in blood more than once and he’s a good man to have watching your back.

The door swings open and the majority of my brothers stream into the room. A few look surprised to find me sitting in my chair already. I’m not even sure how long Monk and I have been waiting, the quiet settling between us. I was more than happy to get lost in thoughts of my woman, so I’m not complaining.

I give a chin lift to Penance and Rites, both of them were on the trip to NOLA. We went down there to get some insight into working with some highly connected crime families since their chapter has a close relationship to the Guidice family. There’s new Bratva leadership in Seattle and the Volkov brothers want us to help them with security for some of their product.

Thank fuck they’re not peddling skin like the family they took down, the Morozov family, who didn’t have those same scruples. We wouldn’t get involved in that, no matter how much we were paid. Talk about fucking disgusting. Our souls might be tainted, and we’ve been coated in blood, but there are lines we will never cross.

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