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CHAPTER ONE

TARGET

Laughter fills the front yard of the clubhouse, the Arizona sun beating down on my bare back as I am polishing my baby, while watching my actual human babies run around chasing a prospect.

Emmi and Rex are my twins, they are ten going on eighty, especially Emmi. She is full of fire and sass. Rex is more like me, ready to take on the world and smile doing it.

“Dad, look, I can catch Reid,” Rex shouts, as he clings like a spider monkey to the prospect’s leg.

The young man, who is barely twenty-one, grins down at my kids. He has only been here for about six months and he has made a good impression on the other members, and my kids have taken to him.

The club’s president, Racer, took over from Tank a year ago after a small bout with illness. He runs a tight ship and that includes bringing in prospects who he thinks will actually fit with the club.

“I can see, kiddo.” I smile.

Those kids are my fucking world, outside of the club.

When they came into the world screaming, me and their mom fell in love with them. Ruth and I only stayed married for another year after they were born, then things started to change. It was like we just grew apart, sex became a rare occasion, and we just became distant.

We sat and talked it out, because I knew that we still loved each other although it was a different level of love.

It was not an easy decision but we decided to divorce.

If we are being honest with ourselves, it was the best thing we ever did besides having the twins. We became our old selves again.

Ruth is one of my best friends— we get along better now than we ever did— she remarried a man who is also a good friend, and they have a baby who I adore.

There will always be a connection between the three of us but that is for another time.

An SUV pulls through the club gates, and I squint, shielding my eyes with my hand to see who it is.

I see out of the corner of my eye as the prospect steps in front of my kids, and I grin. He adores my babies, and I know from seeing him with them that he would lay his life down for them both, and that is what shows me that he will be a good brother in the future.

My dogs, who I paid a small fortune for, stand to attention. My boys, Zeus and Ares, stand in front of the prospect, but Charm, my girl, goes between my kids as they stop playing to see who just arrived.

They may be dogs, but they are like four-legged bodyguards.

Climbing to my feet, I pull the cloth from the back of my jeans to clean my hands. Collecting my cut from the hook on the wall, I slip it on over my bare shoulders, walking toward the SUV.

The doors swing open and I smile seeing who just exited.

“Well, if it isn’t the woman I wanted but was stolen from me.” I grin widely at Lilith with my hand over my heart in mock heartbreak.

“Oh, hush you.” She smiles brightly at me then steps into my arms.

“If I didn’t trust my woman, I would snap your fucking arms for touching her,” Jack calls out, although he is grinning at me.

I am so fucking glad that he pulled his head out of his ass and claimed his woman. For years he pined over her, and her him, but because of Jack’s son Dom, Lilith kept her distance then she almost married some dickless guy who the club had to deal with.

“She loves me, really. And how is that kid of yours?” I ask, keeping Lilith tucked to my side, smirking at seeing Jack scowl.

“He is good. Gearing up for another competition on his board. Scares the shit out of his mom.” He nods to Lilith.

Dom was more than happy to call Lilith his mother, after he own birth-bitch being exactly that, a bitch who tried extorting money from the club.

“Get inside, it is hotter than Satan’s balls out here,” Racer calls out.

We all turn to look at Pres, who is standing at the door that leads into the club.

“Come on, let’s go and fill Racer in on the reason Logan needed to come here,” Jack speaks up.

“Emmi, Rex, let’s go.”

They screech and run toward us, the prospect right on their heels, as my dogs form a barrier around them, keeping them in line for me.

Emmi’s light blonde hair flaps in the wind behind her, matching her mother’s coloring, while Rex has dark hair that matches mine.

Just as they reach us, at their top speed, I see the second that Emmi trips over her own feet, and starts to fall forward. I rush forward, but Logan, Jack’s implant prospect catches her by the waist, holding her to him as she screams.

“Hey, I got you. You’re safe,” the blond guy murmurs, soothing my daughter.

She nods to him, then looks to me, reaching out with her hands.

I take her, nodding my thanks to the new guy. Charm looks up to him assessing him, then she huffs, stopping at my legs.

“Come on, I bet Tracie or Louise has some ice cream for you.”

“Louise always has ice cream for us,” Rex confesses.

“Oh, does she now?” I call after him and he nods while running inside.

The cool air hits us from the air conditioning, making us shiver.

“Are you okay to go now?” I hold Emmi to me, and she nods.

I set her on her feet then she splits, running to the kitchen where the only two Ol’ Ladies the club has are. Tracie belongs to Bolt and Louise belongs to Ice, the club’s medic.

Looking around, I see Racer is at the bar with one of the club girls, Jasmine, his go to girl.

Our club was given a full makeover a few years ago; Tank wanted it to be updated for the new generation of Rugged Skulls coming through the club, so we added wooden flooring, dark grey walls and some brass light fixtures.

There is half a motorcycle on the wall, that was made by a local artist. Plus we have some other motorcycle memorabilia around the room along with club memories, tables, chairs, and couches.

It fits the club, not that is stays this clean after a party but hey, we are bikers and like to work hard and play hard.

In the back corner in a little nook, a pool table sits and believe me that pool table has seen some shit.

“So this is our new prospect?” Racer calls as we stop by him.

“It is. Thanks for letting him transfer. He is a good addition and we are sorry to lose him; I know my girl will miss him more.” He hugs Lilith tighter.

“However, he needs to be here for some chick who has gotten herself in some shit. Her brother is in jail, leaving her to deal with his fallout. Logan wants to be here to help her out— they have history.” I see the smirk that crosses Jack’s face.

“History? What kind of history as we talking?” Racer asks the kid.

Logan steps forward, offering his hand to Pres.

“Thank you for letting me transfer.” Race looks at his hand, then to Jack, who shrugs.

“He is a polite motherfucker, I give him that.”

“Jack,” Lilith scolds him, making him pull his woman close, kissing her lips.

“I was born and raised in California, but when I was eleven my folks moved us here, and I met Valarie and her brother.

They came from a shitty family, but much like me they also have a love for cars and bikes, so we clicked.

We got into street racing, cars, trucks, bikes; you name it, we would race it.

“We made good money, plus I am good all-around mechanic. Give me a vehicle and I can fix it.”

“Someone is overly cocky,” Forge calls out when he enters the room, wearing just some boxer briefs.

“Oh, good lord,” Lilith murmurs, looking away.

“Fuckface, my woman does not need to see your tiny dick; go and chuck some clothes on,” Jack expresses.

He waves the man off, stepping closer. “Lil loves my body, don’t ya, baby.” He winks at the redhaired woman.

She cocks a brow at him, snuggling closer to her man.

“The only body I love is my man’s. Sorry, but you do not hold a light to him.”

The guys hanging around cheer, and murmur ‘burn’ at our brother, who just smirks.

“I know I am irresistible, the ladies love me.” He waves his hands down the front of his body.

“Fuck off over there, we are having an adult conversation.” I grin at the fucker.

“We are adults, fuck you very much,” Forge’s identical twin, Flame says, entering the room.

Flame and Forge got their names because they can forge any weapon out of any material strong enough. They even built a massive forge out of the back of the clubhouse.

“At least this twin is dressed,” Jack states.

“Jack, my man, how are things? Dom still boarding?”

“Yeah. Getting really good too,” Jack replies to Flame.

“Good, good.” Then he clocks Logan. “Who is this pretty boy?” I see Logan tense, but he keeps his mouth shut.

Leaning my elbow on the bar, I observe what is about to play out.

Flame and Forge are little shits when they want to be, great brothers, but fuck me it is like wrangling toddlers with them sometimes. Until they turn dark, then you had better fucking run as far as you can go.

“Logan here is transferring to us from Fort Lauderdale. Got some girl shit going on, so he needs to play Disney hero and help her out,” Racer fills them in. Sniggers go up around the room.

Savage is behind the bar, a new patched member, who can fuck like a porn star. Believe me, I have sampled him, with me being bisexual and all.

Being gay or bisexual or any other preferred identity in the Rugged Skulls MC is welcomed and accepted. If not, then you hand in your cut and fuck off.

When I ventured into my sexuality, Ruth was right there with me and offered support when needed. She never made snarky comments, or felt threatened when we brought a man into our bed; hell, she enjoyed the attention she got from two men.

“I have to agree on the pretty boy thing.” He winks at Logan, who doesn’t show any emotion.

“Nothing you can say will make me blush or uncomfortable, I have just spent the last year around Slide, Luna, and Maverick. Nothing surprises me anymore,” is what the new prospect says.

“We’ll see,” Savage replies, winking again.