Page 20 of Judge (Devil’s Rose MC #7)

Judge

“ I s it just me, or are things a little too quiet at the moment?” Rider asks, from his position on the recliner. Apparently shot asses and nipples deserve the best chair in the house.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dex asks, from his position on the floor.

We’re all hanging out in the living room of the farmhouse, which we’re treating as a common room at this point.

Since we made the decision to relocate the club here, we’ve been busy trying to reorganise the spaces.

There are cabins being built on the property, close to the original Tombs ones, and there are also changes to the inside of the house.

Church is in the dining room and chilling out is in here, with Pops’ obscenely large TV.

The wall between this room and the empty room next door will be pulled down to make a common room large enough to hold a growing club.

Unfortunately, we still haven’t gotten all the furniture delivered to make this room more comfortable, so the soft chairs and couches have already been taken.

And if, like Dex, you don’t want to stand, you have to sit on the floor.

“I’m just saying it’s been weeks since we got rid of the last cartel member,” Rider’s eyes dart toward Sniper who stonewalls him completely, knowing full well that his brother is still alive in the new Rev Room, “and nothing. Not a whiff of trouble, which is weird because Judge has a kinda woman and they usually bring trouble.”

We all stare at him. “What?”

“What?” he asks, confused that we’re even questioning him.

“So, there were two big statements there, brother,” Rhodie starts. “First off, you’re whining because there isn’t any trouble happening in our world, and second, you’re accusing our women of bringing trouble with them.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Well, we’re not one percenters, so it really doesn’t make any sense that we should have trouble on our doorstep every damned week anyway,” Wire points out.

“And yet, we do. Most of it is tied to the women,” Rider replies.”Well, except Kaia, but she hasn’t been here long enough to bring drama,”

“I dunno brother, I would say turning up with two fully grown twins was pretty dramatic,” Tank snorts.

“You leave my woman out of this!” I growl.

“You can’t say that if you haven’t claimed her yet.” Pops says, rolling his eyes.

“I have a plan. I just have to take my time. She’s skittish. Wary, like a rescue cat. If I come on too strong she’ll run.”

“After scratching your face up and shitting in your shoes,” Savage snorts.

Rider looks thoughtful, tipping his beer bottle back, taking a large gulp. “Maybe she’s skittish because she’s going to drop a big ol’ problem on our doorstep.”

I scowl at him. Rider is a good brother, but he loves stirring shit. “She’s not. She’s just a normal woman. Nothing dangerous about her.”

“Ah, I thought the same thing about Mira, dude. And that woman was being sent body parts,” Tank shudders.

Tav snorts so hard he almost chokes. “Brother, there is nothing normal about Mira. You met her in a jail cell.”

“That was a misunderstanding!” Tank jabs a finger in Tav’s direction, “Besides, your woman ain’t normal, either.”

“Don’t I know it,” Tav grins. “She still has the highest kill rate of all the women.” He looks all moony eyed and for not the first time I worry about his family’s mental health.

“Yeah, I admit it, that was impressive as fuck watching her take out that cult.” Dex lifts his chin at Tav.

“Look, I agree, the women we seem to attract do, more often than not, either bring trouble, or end up in trouble, but I can’t be the only one who is enjoying the peace for a change,” Gus says.

“We haven’t had to shoot or maim anyone the past few weeks,” Marx adds. “It’s quite nice.”

When I finished my time in the marines I figured I’d come home and lead a quiet life.

I’d heard about the MC when I served a stint with Rhodie and it sounded just like what I needed to ease back into civilian life.

We’re not one percenters, so the lifestyle I was sold was we work together during the week and ride as brothers the rest of the time.

It worked well until Chewy turned up. Since then it’s been non-stop drama and assholes coming at us left, right and center.

So I’m with Marx, it is nice to not be on guard.

It’s also nice that I’ve gotten to know Kaia and the kids.

OK, it wasn’t ideal at the start, locking them down, but we’ve been working on getting to know each other and it amazes me how only a few short weeks ago I never thought about my life outside of the MC, and now I have a woman and kids that I cannot picture my life without.

The thought that Kaia could be in trouble, or bring trouble,makes my chest tighten.

I’ve seen the look on her face when she thinks I’m not watching her, the shadows in her eyes sometimes.

I know it’s a conversation we should have, but I’m just not sure now is the right time.

I meant what I said, she’s skittish as fuck.

Comes across as badass, but it wouldn’t take much to push her too hard, making her run again.

“Want me to do some digging, brother?” Wire dips his head toward mine, murmuring as the rest of my brothers argue over whose woman is the biggest pain in the ass.

I turn to stare at him, amazed that he never did in the first place. “Wait, didn’t you check her before I brought her here?”

“Oh yeah, I did that. Not a deep dive though, just the stuff a quick search could throw up. She seemed mad enough as it was, I didn’t want to make her even more stabby.”

“Appreciate it, brother,” I nod. “But I think if she’s got anything going on in the background, I’d like to hear it from her lips.”

He nods once, giving me a smile and then turning to rib Nitro about having the least problematic partner.

“Yeah, we all know I’m a total catch,” Fox laughs. “But I’m with the Pres, I’m loving this quieter way of life. No trouble, no drama. Shit, the most drama we’ve had the past few weeks was that cat fight the women got into this morning,” Fox snorts. “Did you see Chewy punch that woman in the tit?”

“Leave my woman out of this! She’s a goddamned angel,” Rhodie growls as the rest of us piss ourselves laughing.

“What the fuck is so funny?” Pops asks, equally as put out.

“Brothers, the fact that neither of you can see that Chewy is the queen of the crazies is beyond me,” Rider shakes his head at his friend.

The girl gang’s hooting and hollering drifts through the open window. There’s popping noises and yahoos and I try not to laugh at the looks on my brothers’ faces.

“Can anyone tell me, why the hell the women are out there with guns, living it up and we’re all sitting around the living room like little old ladies?” Dom asks, looking from Vic and Chris to the rest of us.

We sit quietly for a beat. Then two. “Fuck it, you’re right. I’m going out there,” Marx growls, the rest of us following after.

We stomp along the porch in single file, looking like we’re on a mission, but all we’re going to do is gatecrash girls night. They’re all crammed inside Chewy’s house, and with the open door it doesn’t take much for us to walk right in.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Kaia

I jump at the sound of Leo’s voice and crumple to the ground.

“Fuck, are you OK?” Leo’s hands run over my body, and my alcohol fuelled brain wishes I was naked while he’s doing it. Actually, no it doesn’t, it wants to know why Leo ruined my trick shot.

I sit up, closing my eyes for a moment as I wait for things to focus. I have no idea what the hell Chewy put in the drinks, but those things are st-rong! Leo is still patting me down, feeling me up, whatever you want to call it and I slap his hands out of the way.

“Get off! I was working on my shot trick.” I frown at my words. “I mean, tricksnot.”

“Wow, she is wasted, ” someone chuckles. It’s deep, so it could be any one of the hot giant men standing in front of me.

There’s twelve of them. No, maybe fifteen. That sounds like a lot. I try to count them but the bastards keep dancing around. “Stop moving! I’m trying to cunt you. I mean count you,” I giggle, tipping sideways dangerously.

“OK, well, let’s get the gun out of her hands for starters,” Switch yells way too loud, causing me to jump again.

“Why is it so loud? What did you put in the drinks, Chewy?” I loll my head to look at her. Or where I think she is, because she’s dancing around a little as well. “Why is everyone dancing?”

“Chewy,” a low growl sounds out, “what was in the drinks?”

Looking around I notice my friends are all in varying positions.

Ana, somehow is upright, looking completely normal.

So is Blanche who is playing darts, getting bullseyes over and over.

Mira has a goofy smile on her face, Nat is passed out on the couch, and Vi is salsa dancing, trying to lure Jules into her hip swivelling web.

It’s working, because he’s looking all frisky and smiley and I ain’t never seen that man smile.

“What makes you think it was me that did anything to the drinks?” Chewy asks innocently.

“Pops was with us,” Mad Dog points out.

“The whole time?” Chewy asks, brow raised.

The men all turn to glare at Pops who shrugs like his life isn’t on the line. “It was a team effort.”

Mira raises her hand, “He’s right. We were all allowed to put one ingredient in the little drinky container.”

“And what did you put in there, baby?” Tank asks gently.

“I put in the secret ingredient,” she says in a loud voice and not the whisper she was going for.

“And what was that?” Marx asks, holding a goofy smiling Lovely upright.

“The stuff in the vial,” Mira giggles, then her head rolls back and a loud snore comes out of her.

“Wait, what stuff in the vial?” Pops and Chewy ask in unison. It’s so creepy funny that a giggle bursts out of me.

“Huh?” Mira asks, lids half closed.

“Baby,” Tank says gently, “what vial?”

“Oohh that pretty green one, so vibrant,” she whispers, patting her boobs, most likely looking for her pad and pen.

Chewy and Pops share a look and the room is silent save for Blanche’s darts hitting the dart board.

“Chewy, what was in the pretty green stuff?” Marx growls so low I edge closer to Leo, so I’m not collateral damage when he blows.

“Oh, it was just absinthe,” she says at the same time Pops says, “Just a bit of herbal ecstasy”.

Blanche’s rhythmic darts throwing stops and everyone stares at each other before Chewy yells “Run!” and for some reason, the whole girl gang follow her lead and we bolt.

Well, some of us do. Chewy clambers over the couch only to be caught midair by Rhodie.

Lovely looked like she was going to run, but given that Marx is holding her up I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Nat is still asleep on the couch, Vi has shimmied her way straight to Jules and Ana ran right out the back door with Gus hot on her heels.

“I do not run.” Mira slurs, as she power walks out the door with Tank shaking his head, following her at his normal pace.

“What you gonna do, Little Mama?” Leo growls down at me, a glint in his eye.

I purse my lips and think about it. Can I outrun him? No. Do I have a primal kink? I’m not sure, but I guess I could find out.

“What the hell is a primal kink?” Sniper mutters and my eyes grow wide.

“Yes, Kai, you said that all out loud,” Leo says, arms folded across his big, poofy chest, lips twitching.

“Shit,” I whisper, then I take off as fast as my legs can go. Which isn’t that fast given that I’m short and stubby and haven’t run since high school.

I dodge the brothers that don’t have women to chase, and I take their laughter and cheering to mean that I am totally winning. Totally. Until I’m horizontal, my legs still running but I’m in the air.

“Come on, let’s get you sobered up and into bed. You’re gonna feel it tomorrow, baby,” Leo’s voice is light and apparently so am I as he carries me like a misbehaving toddler into the trailer me and kids called home not long ago.

“Oh, I miss you trailer. I miss you ugly greige couch. I miss you - oomph,” I glare at Leo as I hit the bed.

He stomps out of the room, returning quickly with a huge glass of water and some Tylenol. “Swallow. Drink. Then sleep, in that order.”

“Huh, funny, Usually it’s drink, swallow-” I give him my most seductive look and a bleary wink, “then sleep.”

Leo snorts, grips my hand, and wraps it around the water glass, tipping it to my lips slightly. I exhale loudly, then guzzle it down in one go, just to be sassy.

“Good girl,” Leo murmurs, pressing a kiss to my forehead and essentially making me melt into a puddle on the bed. “Come on, let’s get you into bed so you can get some sleep.”

He pulls back the covers, then kneels at my feet, gently removing my shoes one by one, then my socks.

He grins at my pink toenails, then moves to stand, gently maneuvering me into bed, my head hitting the soft pillow as he tucks me in.

Tears prick my eyes at the care he is giving me.

It’s been a long time since anyone treated me this gently.

He presses a kiss to my temple, running a hand over my hair.

He straightens and moves to turn, but I stop him by grabbing his hand. “Stay with me. Please?” My voice comes out smaller than I want it to, but it doesn’t matter. Leo would still know how I was feeling just from one look.

“If I get in that bed, you’re mine. I mean it, Kai, you’re mine. All of you.” His green eyes bore into mine in the low light, and I can’t think of anything I want more, than to be his.

My voice doesn’t work, probably because I’m busy gaping at him, so instead, I nod.

The tension he was holding leaves his body, his shoulders dropping, a smile playing on his lips.

He doesn’t say another word, just moves to the other side of the bed, and undresses until he’s in his boxer briefs.

I stare in awe that this man, this fine specimen, wants me.

His skin is decorated in black tattoos, his chest, ribs, arms and stomach all inked artfully.

He has muscles on muscles, and just the right amount of chest hair.

“Holy shit, I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I whisper.

The bed dips where he joins me, rolling me to face away from him as he curls his larger body around mine. “No baby, it’s me that is in heaven.”