Page 6 of Spider (Hades Abyss MC #1)

Spider

I stared at the men around the table, knowing I could trust them to keep Luciana and Violeta safe.

They were good men, even if they didn’t always walk on the right side of the law.

Then again, neither did I. As their President, I got my hands dirty long before they did.

I never asked anything of them that I wasn’t willing to do myself.

I had Casper VanHorne and Torch on speaker, my phone in the center of the table so everyone could hear.

“All right, Casper. I know you aren’t really trying to keep peace with Mateo Gomez, so what the fuck is going on?” I asked. “Because Luciana came here thinking she was going whore for me and the club, and her sister was scared shitless thinking she would be raped by my men.”

“I have a man inside Gomez’ circle who was watching him.

When he was offered Violeta, he started digging deeper.

The news he gave me wasn’t good, and I knew I needed to act.

I can’t work on dethroning Gomez with his daughters present, so I got them out of Colombia and put them somewhere safe. With two of the four clubs I trust.”

“Why not Devil’s Fury or Devil’s Boneyard?” I asked. “Why put two of them here?”

“Devil’s Boneyard has already dealt with more than their fair share of victims from the Colombian cartel.

Devil’s Fury took in some of those women as well.

Torch, I asked you to place Sofia with Saint for a reason.

I’m not ready to explain just yet, but know that she suffered more than the other two,” Casper said.

I started cursing because after hearing, and seeing, what had been done to Luciana I couldn’t fathom Sofia’s fate being even worse.

I glanced at Rocket and saw that he looked both sick and furious.

The way he’d gently handled Violeta, and the tenderness I’d seen in his eyes, told me that he already felt a connection to her.

She was likely a reminder of the sister he’d lost, and I had no doubt he’d protect her with his life.

“So you’re trying to take down Gomez,” Torch said. “What do you need from us?”

“For now?” Casper asked. “Just keep the girls safe. If I need assistance with Gomez, I’ll ask.”

“Does Saint need to be concerned about Sofia?” Torch asked.

“She won’t hurt his daughter if that’s what you mean,” Casper said. “It’s part of why I requested she be placed with you. Sofia loves children and responds well to them. Animals too. It’s adults she has an issue with, and for good reason. Anything unusual happen with the girls yet?”

“You mean aside from Luciana stripping off her clothes and telling me I could do whatever I wanted to her?” I snorted. “Or the fact she’s covered in scars and told me a story that might give me nightmares for a while?”

“I know,” Casper said. “My guy was there one of the days Luciana was tortured. It sickened him to see what they did, but if he’d interfered he’d have died and those girls would still be trapped.

When they’d strapped Violeta down, he’d been expected to participate and he couldn’t do it.

Thankfully, he gave them an excuse they accepted and they don’t seem suspicious just yet.

He’s on borrowed time before they figure out he’s not a heartless creature like them. ”

Fangs, Bear, and Fox were eyeing me closely.

“What, motherfuckers?” I snapped.

Fox arched a brow. Being my VP, not much fazed him, not even my temper.

“Something we need to know, Pres?” Fox asked.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Bear smirked. “You had a taste of the little Colombian princess, didn’t you?”

Casper growled over the phone. “Spider, I swear to Christ. Did you fuck that girl already? I thought you had more damn sense and decency than that.”

“I didn’t fucking rape her, assholes.” I speared them all with a glare, even the damn phone, though I knew Casper couldn’t see me. “If I had consensual sex with her, it’s no one else’s fucking business, you cocksucking motherfuckers.”

Marauder lifted a brow. “Wow. That’s a lot of fucks even for you. And for the record, I’d rather eat pussy than suck a dick, but maybe the others are into that.”

I flipped him off, my silent fuck you making Shooter and Knox chuckle.

Surge tipped his head and gave Marauder a contemplative look. “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.”

I hadn’t seen that one coming. I stared at Surge for a moment, but he just grinned.

Guess his door swung both ways, since I’d seen him balls-deep in club pussy more often than I’d have preferred.

Not that I gave a shit where he put his dick, as long as it didn’t blow back on the club in a bad way, but that could happen with bitches just as easily as with another man.

Slider gave him a wink, and I decided I wasn’t even going down that rabbit hole. Not right now anyway. If the guys wanted to fuck each other, I wasn’t going to stand in their way. I preferred a hot, wet pussy over some dude’s hairy ass, but to each his own.

“Can none of you be serious for two seconds?” Casper asked. “How are the girls? Spider, don’t toy with Luciana. You have enough club pussy around there to occupy you. Leave the girl alone unless you’re serious.”

I stared at the table a moment, tracing the wood grain with my finger.

I needed to reel Casper in, remind him who he was fucking talking to, but he’d given me the perfect opportunity.

Luciana’s words still played in my mind.

I wanted her to feel safe, to be secure in the knowledge she didn’t have to return to Colombia.

“Luciana asked me to claim her.” I looked at my men, watching for their reaction. “I told her she should think it over and not make a rash decision. She doesn’t have just herself to consider. She’s pregnant.”

“You’re considering it?” Fox asked, his brow furrowed. “You always said you’d never settle down. After the shit with Ryker’s mom, you said bitches were only good for fucking, not keeping.”

“I’m considering it,” I admitted. “I just think she’s making a mistake that she’ll come to regret, and once I ink her, that’s it until I draw my last breath. Even after I’m gone, I’d expect you fuckers to take care of her and treat her like a damn queen.”

No one said a word about my demise, but they knew better than most that I walked a fine line when it came to staying alive.

Some of the shit I handled could easily end with my body being tossed into a shallow grave.

It was a risk I was willing to take, and I knew every man at this table felt the same.

Torch’s club might be a bit more law-abiding these days, not getting their hands quite as dirty, but then most seemed to be settling down and starting families.

The majority of my club were still bachelors, and I didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

“And the kid she’s carrying?” Bear asked. “You didn’t want kids after Ryker. That’s why you got snipped.”

“That ball’s in her court. If she wants to keep it, then I’ll do what I need to. If she decides to give it up, I’ll help her with that too. Even if we aren’t together, I’m not going to leave her defenseless. I’m an asshole but not a total bastard.”

“If Luciana trusted you enough to ask for sex, then maybe you really should claim her,” Casper said.

“She acts braver than her sisters but deep down she’s terrified of men.

Showing you a different side? That’s a huge step for her.

If she’s letting you in and giving you a glimpse of how vulnerable she is, then she’s dead serious about being yours. ”

I was afraid he’d say something like that.

I didn’t like it. Luciana seemed sweet, and I was furious over what she’d been through, but I wasn’t the settling-down type.

Ryker’s mom had lived with me, so that my boy could be under my roof without a fight, but I’d never really made her mine.

I hadn’t patched her or inked her, hadn’t married her, and I damn sure hadn’t let her put any sort of claim on me other than being the father of her son.

Ryker had been a mistake when I was seventeen, but he was the best damn one I’d ever made.

His mom had resented me for all I’d withheld from her and the club pussy I’d screwed even while she lived with me.

She’d cursed me when she’d died. Women were too much damn trouble.

But there was something about Luciana that gave me pause.

She wasn’t like the other women I’d been with, and I’d seen the pain in her eyes when she’d thought about me claiming her but fucking other women.

When Ryker’s mom had pulled that shit, it hadn’t bothered me.

But the idea of making Luciana cry or doubt herself?

That shit fucking hurt. Only under my roof for two hours and already she had me by the balls.

Maybe I was getting too old for this shit.

The doors to Church cracked open and Luciana peered inside, her wide gaze skirting around the room before landing on me. I should reprimand her, but there was something in the way she gripped the door that made me pause. Her knuckles were white, and there was tension bracketing her mouth.

“What’s wrong, Luciana?” I asked.

“I… Violeta and I were wondering if you’d be finished soon?”

“Do you interrupt your father’s meetings?” Fox asked her, his tone sounding almost bored.

Luciana paled and slowly shook her head before lowering her gaze, no doubt remembering exactly what happened when she disobeyed Mateo Gomez.

I growled at Fox, but he winked at me. What the fuck was he up to now?

“Think you should come apologize to your man for breaking the rules?” Fox asked. “Beg his forgiveness and hope he lets you stay?”

“My…” Her head jerked up. “My man?”

“You wanted him to claim you, right?” Fox asked.