Page 19 of Property of Stone (Kings of Anarchy MC: Pennsylvania #1)

Chapter Eleven

“It sounds like the Kings are serious about protecting what’s theirs. But from what I’m hearing, the women are considered club property. Does that include the sweet butts?”

“Yeah. Kids, too.” This woman asked a lot of damn questions, but at least it showed she was interested. Her questions so far were pretty generic so he could answer them, but if she started asking about actual club business, he might have to shut that shit down.

“Are there valid threats against the club?”

That question bordered on what she couldn’t know so he answered that one carefully. “Threats can come out of nowhere, as you should know. When it comes to club property—ol’ ladies, kids, sweet butts—we got their back if anyone fucks with ‘em for any reason. Just like I got yours.”

“Besides protection and getting the privilege to ‘serve and service’ you and your brothers, why else do these sweet butts stay?”

“Don’t think our dicks are enough? ”

“I’ll take a highly educated guess and say no. Do they get any other benefits that don’t have to do with sex or violence?”

Stone snorted. “Get loads of benefits if they follow the rules.”

“What rules?”

“We give ‘em scratch every month to get tested.”

“I’m assuming you’re not testing their IQ but for sexually transmitted diseases.”

Even better, the woman had a sense of humor. He liked that. “Yeah. Gotta keep their shit clean.” By shit, he meant slit.

“That’s it?”

“They don’t suck or fuck anyone but fully-patched members. No prospects. No hang-arounds. Nobody outside the club. They do, they’re out.”

“Okay, so your brotherhood can share them but nobody else. And?”

He kept waiting for one of his answers to send her into a feminist freakout. But so far, she’d been rolling with it all. “They’re available at all fuckin’ times.”

“No exceptions?”

“Some exceptions. We ain’t tyrants.”

She rolled her blue eyes. “What else?”

“Can’t be causin’ drama all the fuckin’ time.”

“Is that common?”

“If we let it get outta control. That’s why we got rules.” Everybody had rules. Members, prospects, ol’ ladies, and sweet butts. But they weren’t all the same. The club’s bylaws covered most of the rules, but not all.

“What would they cause drama about?”

“Woman, askin’ too many fuckin’ questions.”

“I’m curious. I want to learn more about this lifestyle since it now touches me and Wren. ”

He had to give her that. She had a son to worry about. “Ol’ ladies like to give the sweet butts shit if their ol’ man’s stickin’ their dick in them.”

“I’d imagine that could cause some drama.”

“But we don’t wanna hear it. Don’t wanna see it. Ol’ ladies and the club wh— girls know the deal. And if they don’t, they learn real fuckin’ fast if they wanna keep that cut on their back.”

“It sounds like if they follow the rules and don’t get into cat fights, they”—she lifted one finger—“get money to get tested for STDs and they”—she lifted a second finger—“can only have sex with club members.” She dropped her hand and shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like a fair deal.”

“Ain’t all they get. They get a wad of scratch every month for whatever the fuck they need.

Food, clothes, for their kids, whatever.

They need wheels, they get wheels. They need their wheels worked on, we take care of it.

They get fed. They get a roof over their heads without payin’ a fuckin’ dime. No rent, no utilities, no nothin’.”

“Basically, they get transportation, room and board,” she summarized, “in exchange for serving and servicing your brotherhood.”

His chin jerked back into his neck. “That ain’t enough?”

Taryn shrugged. “I can’t speak for them.”

But she could speak for herself. “What about for you? You now got room and board, too, at no cost to you.”

“I can’t say there isn’t a cost…”

“Ain’t even takin’ my dick.” But that could easily be changed. All she had to do was say the word. He’d have his fucking jeans down around his ankles in a flash. He’d have no problem looking past that get-up she wore when she worked.

“We already negotiated a deal.”

“Might need to renegotiate. ”

She made a noise that didn’t sound like she agreed with him.

They stopped in front of one of the converted classrooms on the opposite side of the building from the cafeteria.

The pane of glass in any of the old classroom doors that remained had been blacked-out for privacy, but he didn’t need to see inside to know his girl was in there fuming.

It was obvious from the blare of the television easily heard through the thick wood door.

Yeah, her teenage years were going to be a fucking blast. “This one’s mine.”

The door better not be locked. If it was, he was taking Sunny’s phone out to the pavement and running it over with his fucking truck.

He was relieved when the knob turned easily. She must have learned her lesson the last time she locked him out during one of her preteen tantrums. He had grabbed his tools and removed her bedroom door.

Problem fucking solved.

She didn’t get her door back for a month since, at the time, she had been only staying with him on the weekends.

The officers all got corner rooms since they had more windows.

Unlike the other former classrooms, they had two stretches of windows instead of one.

Having a shitload of windows allowed him to open them all up and air out his room when it started to smell too much like tobacco, pot, and pussy. Not to mention dirty clothes.

The view was pretty damn good, too.

But of course, Sunny had all of the blinds pulled shut and the room was dark as fuck. The only light came from the glow of the television. He swore the volume had to be up around level fifty.

He got no response from his girl when he grabbed the remote off the couch cushion, shut off the TV, and tossed the remote out of reach.

He stopped in front of Sunny where she was curled up on the couch.

“Done mopin’?”

His girl frowned up at him. “Can I have my phone back?”

“Nope.”

“Then nope.”

He sighed. “Taryn’s here to take you home.”

“I don’t want to go with her.”

“Actin’ like you got a choice. Here’s a clue…you don’t. When you’re my age, you can have a say. ’Til then?” He shook his head.

Movement had him glancing up to see Taryn wandering around, checking out his room.

Like the cafeteria, he tried to see it through her eyes as he went over to the blinds and began to open them. At least enough that it wasn’t as dark as a fucking coffin. Though it did kind of smell like a rotting corpse.

Yeah, he couldn’t imagine she’d be impressed. The room worked for him, but probably not for her.

Clothes were in a pile on the floor next to the unmade bed.

The couch Sunny tried to disappear into was old and had cigarette burns, tears, and scratches all over the fake black leather.

He had a mini-fridge in one corner full of beer.

Dirty dishes and empty beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays pretty much made up the decor.

Yeah, he’d have a talk with Slick. Showing Taryn around was making it painfully obvious that the sweet butts were slacking in their duties.

Taryn moved back to the center of the room and turned in a circle. “No bathroom? ”

“Down the hall. Too much scratch to put plumbin’ in every room.”

“Showers?”

“Locker rooms off the old gymnasium. Stay here normally unless I got pissy pants over there.” He tipped his head toward the couch.

“The house is nicer.”

“Got two eyes in my own head. But when you’re shitfaced, all you need’s a bed and a place to piss.”

She wrinkled her nose. “The way it smells in here makes me wonder if you even get out of bed to use the restroom.”

He’d have to make it to his bed first.

“Get your shit and get ready to go,” he told Sunny. His daughter grumbled something under her breath but he let it go. He needed to start picking his battles with her.

When Stone heard a sharp intake of breath, his gaze sliced from his daughter to her. Her face was pale as she read something on her phone.

Within three long strides he was next to her. “What’s wrong?”

She handed him the phone without a word since she didn’t need to say shit, her trembling fingers said it all.

He quickly scanned the email generated from the Victim Notification System.

For fuck’s sake , looked like her asshole ex was getting his freedom soon.

After the kids went to bed, they went outside to discuss the shit with her ex.

Stone was sprawled in one of the chairs with his knees bent and his boots spread wide, a cold beer next to his foot and a joint between his fingers while Taryn wore a path in the deck by pacing back and forth from one end to the other.

She had one hand plastered to her forehead, the other planted on her hip.

He took another long drag on the joint, then held it deep before pushing the smoke out of his nostrils. The next time she passed him, he held it out to her. “Maybe some of this shit would help.”

She paused to stare at what he was offering. She bugged her eyes out at him. “The kids are just upstairs.”

“They ain’t asleep?”

“Wren is. I’m not sure about Sunny. I didn’t check in on her since I’m sure she has her room booby-trapped.” She flapped her hand around. “Anyway, only one thing will help in this situation.”

“What’s that?”

She didn’t answer but he already knew what it was. She just didn’t want to say it out loud. He didn’t blame her. Despite that fucker kicking her ass, she didn’t want to off the father of her son.

Though, that would be the best solution to keep her safe.

He held out the joint again. “Sure you don’t want a hit?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Someone needs to stay sober for the kids.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “Think I can’t function after smokin’ a little dope?”

“I don’t know, can you?”

“It’s pot. Ain’t heroin. One makes you chill, the other makes you useless. If anyone needs to fuckin’ chill right now, it’s you.”

“I can’t help it that I’m worried. The day I’ve been dreading is almost here. ”