Page 23

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“ A ngel,” he rasps, and ohhhh, the deep gravel in his tone shoots straight between my legs and I whimper.

Like actually whimper.

How embarrassing.

If he thinks my reaction is funny, he doesn’t show it, his dark eyes appearing almost drunk before he speaks.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

I can’t breathe, his close proximity seizing the air in my lungs.

Is this really happening?

Is he really going to kiss me without me having to ask pathetically?

And am I going to let him?

Oh, my… I really want to let him, and I don’t understand why.

Why does this man, like a real grown-arse man, not a boy like the idiots my age back in Fox Pines, but an actual man that belongs to a scary outlaw motorcycle club who is covered in tattoos and has a beard that I would normally think gross, yet ache to feel graze against my lips again, and who has a gun… why, oh why am I so drawn to him?

Maybe it’s because of how safe he makes me feel, even when I’m scared.

I have no idea if that makes sense. Nothing is making any sense right now, but all I can think about is feeling his lips on mine.

Finally, as if time slows, he closes the distance and—

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Stiffening right before our lips touch, Ringo pulls back and hurriedly searches for the source of the beeping.

A shuddering breath releases from me as the spell we were under slips away the moment he finds the source of the noise.

His phone.

“Fuck,” he mutters, quickly easing me from his lap a moment before a loud thump rattles the door of his room.

“Ringo!”

The voice belongs to JD, and I scurry to the corner of the couch as Ringo lurches up and opens the door.

“Have they checked in?” Ringo snaps and I notice JD’s eyes move past him to glance at me as he shakes his head.

“No, they aren’t answering.”

“Fuck. Where’s Lewy? I need to know if we have eyes,” Ringo snaps, turning back to the room and storming to the closet, where he shucks on his leather vest.

“Lewy is working on it now.” It’s Jols’ voice this time as she pushes past JD in the doorway and when her eyes meet mine, she offers me a warm smile .

“What’s going on?” I ask timidly, unsure if it’s any of my business.

“JD, make sure the men are ready to leave in three fucking minutes. We’ll take the tradie vans to avoid attention.”

JD nods before spinning on his heel and disappearing, and Ringo comes to me, lowering to one knee as he takes my hand.

“That noise you heard. That was an alert from one of our warehouses. It means something is wrong, and I need to go and check it out.”

“Wrong? What sort of wrong?” I grip his fingers tighter, suddenly not wanting to let him go.

“It’s happened a few times during lockdowns. Street gangs trying to break in to steal from us. It’s nothing to worry about.” Even as he says this, he drops my hand and pulls his gun out from the back waistband of his jeans and checks it for something. Maybe bullets? I didn’t even know he had a gun on him.

“If it’s nothing to worry about, why do you have that?” I ask, my tone kind of snappy.

Those dark eyes of his dart up to meet mine and a sinister smirk spreads his lips wider. “I have this, because whoever has dared to fuck with the Southern Sadists is about to be the ones to worry.”

Then he shoots me a wink before leaning forward and pressing his lips to my forehead.

Oh.

It’s not exactly the kiss I’d been hoping for, but it makes me feel just as cherished, in a non-sexual way, the simple act warming the inside of my chest, so much so that I’m reminded of how long it’s been since someone has truly cared for me in such a way .

Not that Ringo cares. Because he probably doesn’t. But the action is something I haven’t received from anyone since before everything went down with Daniel.

As he stands, I notice Jols watching on, a small grin lighting her face, which she hides the moment Ringo turns to face her.

“You got this?” he asks her and she nods.

“Always. You leaving the usual men behind?” Jols asks before another body fills the doorway.

“Sarg. Lewy can’t access the cameras at any of our warehouses.”

“Fuck,” Ringo barks as the man I know as Murf glances at me and nods.

“Hey, Charity.”

“H-hey,” I stutter, confused by everything that’s happening.

“Ringo!” The booming voice comes from out in the courtyard right before Murf shifts out of the way and Smitty, the President charges in. “Tell me you have a fucking plan.”

“The same as last time, only we take the tradie vans.”

Smitty growls. “I hate having to fucking hide like that.”

“It’s not hiding. It’s being smart while the lockdown is on. A group of guys riding motorcycles through the nearly dead streets will draw everyone’s attention right now. But plumbers are an essential service for emergency repairs. Even if the vans are seen, no one will think twice. Besides, the vans allow us to carry extra weapons.” Ringo smirks and slowly, the furious glare on the President’s face turns to a smirk.

“Let’s round ‘em up, Sarg.”

Smitty and Murf charge out the door at their President’s words like they are on a mission, leaving Ringo and Jols behind .

“The prospects will remain here, as will Stocky, Barts and Tucker,” Ringo tells Jols and she nods.

“Go. I’ll look after her.” Jols reassures him, and he nods before turning back to me.

“I’ll be as fast as I can. Stay out of my drawers.” He shoots me a pointed look and my cheeks flare to life at his silent dig at me finding his sex toy last time I snooped.

Then he smirks and leaves the room.

Standing, I follow Jols just outside the door to watch the hordes of men, all wearing black leather vests much like Ringo’s, carrying guns, some checking them over as they disappear through the door that leads to the underground garage.

“Should I be worried?” I ask Jols, and in my peripheral, she angles her head in my direction.

“I won’t lie. It’s always a worry when they have to go off and do business the way only they can. But they are good at what they do. Ringo is smart when it comes to this sort of thing. That’s why he’s the club’s Sergeant in Arms.”

I turn to face her now, my brows raised. “Sergeant in Arms?”

“Yeah. Everyone has a role to play in an MC. Some roles are more important than others. Like the President, for example.”

I nod, glancing back at the now vacant doorway to the garage. “What does the Sergeant in Arms role do?”

“Well, to put it simply, Ringo’s role in the MC is kind of like a law enforcer. There are rules, and his job is to make sure no one steps out of line.”

I turn back and study Jols’ face, those blue eyes of hers still so captivating. “And what happens if someone steps out of line?”

“They get punished.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“Punished how? ”

Her eyes squint a little as she looks at me now. “You sure you wanna know?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “I wanna know.”

Jols nods back as she gestures into the room, and I move in, taking a seat on the couch, watching as she closes the door and joins me.

“Just like normal laws, our punishments depend on the severity of the infraction. For something mild, like inappropriate behaviour, it could be as simple as a slap on the wrist and a fine.”

I scoff. “The club has rules about inappropriate behaviour?”

She grins. “Yeah. Shocking, I know.”

“What does an MC class as inappropriate behaviour?” I ask, truly intrigued.

“Well,” Jols sighs, relaxing back against the couch cushion that Ringo had been on only minutes before, “for example, Mex decided to piss on Roadie and Delilah while they were fucking one time without their consent. That’s pretty inappropriate. Ringo reprimanded him in a public scolding and fined him five grand.”

“What? Five thousand dollars?”

Jols nods. “Yep. He’s still paying it off. Taught the fucker a lesson, though. He’s been well behaved ever since.”

My brows are high on my forehead. “I guess peeing on someone is bloody horrid.”

Jols throws her head back laughing, her eyes bright as she watches me. “When these arseholes take a leak, it’s not peeing. It’s pissing. Trust me. They have zero class when it comes to needing to relieve themselves sometimes.”

Smirking, I feel my cheeks heat as I nod. “I’ve kind of picked up on that.”

“It’s hard to miss around these thugs.”

We smile at each other, and for a moment, it really does feel like I have Lexi here with me.

“So, what’s one of the worst infractions?” I ask, and Jols’ smile drops.

“There are a few.” Her blue gaze drops to her lap, and she seems to be studying her hands for a few beats before she sighs. “You sure you wanna know? It’s not nice.”

“Yeah, I do,” I admit, knowing I may regret it in a moment.

“Let’s see.” She taps her finger against her chin a few times before her eyes meet mine. “Ringo declared you as his. In our world, it’s not just a boyfriend declaration. His declaration makes you his property.”

My brows shoot high at that, and dread starts to mingle in the pit of my stomach.

“If one of the members disregards that and tries to do anything with or to you that dishonours Ringo’s declaration, the member will pay dearly.”

“How dearly?” I almost whisper, not even sure if I want to know anymore.

“There’s usually a trial of sorts, done behind the church doors where the members decide as a group how severe the punishment will be, but typically, in the book of by-laws, it states that the member must endure a physical beating until such time that the President grants mercy, or death takes him.”

I gasp, my hands flying to my lips in shock. “Couldn’t they just like, kick the member out or something?”

Jols shrugs. “I’ve only ever seen it happen twice. Smitty let one guy live. He was so broken and bloody he had to army crawl his way out the gates. I still don’t know what became of him. And well, there was the other time Smitty let a guy die, but I dare say it’s because his infraction was against my mum.”

“Your mum?” I ask, shocked, my hands falling to my lap again.

“Yeah. Smitty’s my stepdad. They met when she came begging him to help rescue me, and well, they fell in love or some shit.” She shrugs.

“But… I saw…” Frowning, I shake my head in confusion, and Jols smiles.

“She’s his wife. Not his old lady.”

“I’m still confused. He was with those women…”

“Like I said. She’s his wife, outside the club. Occasionally, he goes home to her, and I guess those are the times he’s just a regular man. But in the club, he’s the king. And in the life of an MC, the men can have both a wife, an old lady and also enjoy the Doxies, and no one bats an eyelid.”

Wendy’s words come back to me from our interaction in the laundry room.

“Don’t come crying to me when you marry him thinking you’ve nailed him down, only to find out that I’m his old lady. So while you might end up playing house with him, just remember when he comes to the club, he’ll be balls deep in my arse.”

The dread coursing through my gut feels too heavy, and anger bubbles in my veins at what that means.

But what does it matter to me? I’m here temporarily. What me and Ringo have is a ruse.

But he nearly kissed you, Abbey. He implied it wasn’t just a ruse .

Ugh.

“So they can fool around all they like and it’s not breaking their rules?” I ask, needing that confirmed once and for all.

“That’s right.” Jols nods.

“So what about the wife? Or the old lady? What happens if they fool around?”

Jols’ face falls as she deadpans. “They die. Both the guy they fooled around with and the wife or old lady, whichever it was. There’s usually a fair bit of torture involved, but otherwise, death is how it ends.”

I gulp.

It’s a ruse. It’s a ruse. It’s a ruse.

Shit.

We are lying to the club.

“What about deception to the club?” I ask quietly. “Like lying about a girl that’s been snuck in?”

Jols looks away then, sucking in a deep breath as she glances around Ringo’s room.

“Jols?” I ask, shifting forward on the couch. “What happens if the President finds out I’m not really Ringo’s… whatever, and that I was snuck in?”

Her bright blue eyes return to mine, and this time I can see the worry in them. She studies me, and I wonder if she’s going to lie and sugarcoat her response.

“It’s hard to say exactly. Smitty and Ringo have been tight since long before I’ve been around.”

“What if it was someone else? What if one of the other members snuck a girl in and lied about her being his?”

“There’d probably be a beating. A fine. And the girl would likely be reprimanded as well. ”

A huge lump forms in my throat as my heart starts to hammer in my chest.

“Reprimand? Like being told off?”

“Yeah, in the least.” Jols nods.

“So… there could be more?”

“Look, Ringo won’t let anything happen to yo—”

“I asked if there could be more.” I snap, and her brows shoot high.

“There could be. It depends if the girl snuck in is a mole for the cops or another MC or gang, then that would step it up to a physical punishment.”

“And me? I’m not a mole, so I won’t have to pay a price like that, right?”

For the longest moment, Jols’ eyes dance between mine, and I prepare for the lie I know she’s gearing up to tell me.

“You may be punished physically.” She admits, and as scared and as stunned as I am, I’m grateful for her honesty.

A memory comes back to me from the night I found out it was Lexi who ordered Ringo to kidnap me. He’d stepped outside his room to speak on the phone, and I opened the door to hear his words.

“She’ll need to be relocated after the snap lockdown. She’s not safe here.”

Is that what he meant? If the ruse gets discovered, am I going to be in danger?

Even as I ask myself that question, I already know the answer.

“Look, Ringo won’t let that happen. Trust me. He’ll protect you. ”

Tears threaten once again, but I force them to stay put. I’m so sick of crying. So sick of looking weak. So sick of not having control over my own life.

“I know.” I force a smile, lying to Jols, because I really don’t know her well enough to fully trust her.

Ringo… well, things have gotten a little blurry between us. The lockdown is nearly over, but what happens if someone finds out I’m not actually Ringo’s girl—his possession—while we are all locked in together and I can’t leave?

I hate the term “possession”. Why is it that men want to own women?

I guess it’s not all men. My dad never seemed that way. I feel like my mum wanted him to be that way with her, but he’s never been like that. She’s always been the assertive one. What she says goes. Maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess if I were more like her.

Harder. Tougher. Selfish.

But that’s not me. I know that’s not me.

Even as I think that, I remember the way I was with Daniel in the beginning. I fell hard for him. We quickly became inseparable, and I remember seeing the disappointment on Lexi’s face when she’d come to the courtyard at school for lunch, only to find me at the new ‘couple’s table’, already putting a rift between us.

Ugh, no wonder she didn’t tell me what was happening to her. I was too wrapped up in Daniel.

Maybe I am selfish.

Suddenly, a red light starts flashing in the room, and the ancient phone on the bedside table starts ringing, making Jols stiffen.

“Shit.” She hisses, leaping up, and I follow.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, glancing up to see the source of the red flashing light just above the door. “What’s happening?”

“Stay here.” Jols grips both of my arms, her eyes locking with mine and I see a hint of panic in them.

“What’s going on?” I ask again.

“That’s our warning system for the pigs.” She releases me and moves to the door, cracking it and glancing out.

“The pigs?”

“Cops.” She turns back to face me. “They are likely doing a lockdown compliance check, which means all the men that left are going to get into trouble for breaching lockdown rules. But you’ll be fine. Just stay in here out of the way. Maybe hide in the bathroom, just in case. I’ll come back for you once we get rid of them.”

I hear her words, but they sound so far away as the rush of my blood thunders past my ears.

The police are here, and Ringo isn’t.

I’ve already learned my lesson about the police. It was a bitter pill, that’s for sure, but when I went to them for help after the first… group attack… they made it very clear that they weren’t there for my protection.

No.

They are there to protect themselves and their families. And if they are here and know who I am, then no one can protect me.

Not even Ringo.