Page 1

Rex

“Where the hell is the Hudson work order? Reeves! Reeves!” I shout in frustration.

I’m tired, hungry, and irritated to hell. The last few months have taken their toll on my mind, body, patience, and ability to give a flying fuck about much. I’ve spent more hours in this chair in front of these computer screens than I have anywhere else, and I’m barely hanging on to the end of my rope today.

“Reeves!” I shout again, only louder this time.

“Calm the fuck down, brother,” Reeves shouts back.

I push out of my chair with only one thought circling my brain. How do I want to end Reeves’ miserable existence? As I’m deciding, I exit my office, grab a baseball bat that’s sitting next to Pigeon’s door, and walk with determination through Reeves’ door. Guess it wasn’t a hard decision to make after all. Raising the bat, I advance toward the dumbass who’s too dense to realize that his life is in peril.

“Sorry, Rex. Can’t let you do that,” Pigeon says from behind me as he jerks the bat from my hand.

Whirling to face Pigeon, my temper only flares more when I see his grin.

“Yes, you can,” I bark while reaching for the bat.

“Wish I could, but no. My wife wouldn’t be happy if I came home with blood on my clothes again,” Pigeon answers in his most reasonable tone.

“For fuck’s sake, Pigeon. Your wife has a fucking name. It’s Ivy. Say it with me. Iiiivvvvvyyy. If you call her Ivy, I promise even Horse is smart enough to know you’re talking about your wife,” Reeves states while giving me a side-eyed look. Raising his eyebrows, he asks, “Are you pissed at me for something?”

I can actually feel a twitch in the muscle right below my left eye. When it doesn’t stop, I close both eyes, breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth while interlocking my fingers behind my head.

“Rex, are—” Reeves starts to say but is interrupted by Pigeon.

“Shut it, Reeves. I’ve seen this before with Trigger. Oh, and Bailey. Lots of times with Bailey. My wife calls it a calming technique. Means our very own brother Rex wants to disassemble you, but he knows it’s only Friday, not Murdering Monday. Am I right, Rex? Nailed it, didn’t I?”

When my face quits twitching, I walk back out the door without another word. Back in my office, I rummage through a cabinet until I find a bottle of Tums. Ripping the top off, I tip my head back and shake several into my mouth. I’m still chewing when Gunner stops in the doorway.

“What?” I mumble around the half-chewed, chalky mess of heartburn relief in my mouth.

“You look like shit,” Gunner states with a small grin, but I notice his eyes are studying me carefully.

“Thanks, Prez. You always know just what to say,” I answer, then swallow and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “Please tell me you’re here to make some personnel changes.”

“Actually, I am,” my MC club President says.

I sit up a little straighter and start to grin when the bastard says words I can never unhear.

“Horse will be starting here on Monday. It’s a permanent position this time and not temporary like when he was here before. At least he has some knowledge already. Sorry, and good luck.”

“What the fuck, Prez? Seriously? Why’s the security company the dumping ground for the simple ones? Why am I suddenly the club babysitter of all things stupid?” I shout while jumping to my feet and beginning to pace my office.

Gunner doesn’t answer, but I wasn’t really expecting one. He’s laughing too hard to speak anyway. I wait, annoyed, until he can respond, but it’s not his voice I hear next.

“I resent that comment, Rex! I’m not stupid or simple. I’m annoying and frustrating, yes, but don’t lump me in with Horse and Reeves,” Pigeon insists as he pushes past a still-laughing Gunner.

“I’m none of the above. I’m just too fucking adorable, and it rubs you the wrong way,” Reeves states as he follows Pigeon into the room.

“No, Rex was right about you. You are stupid,” Pigeon declares.

“Am not!” Reeves shouts.

“How long did you date that Carlson girl? Enough said. You’re stupid, through and through,” Pigeon insists with a taunting grin.

“I didn’t know she was my cousin! I explained that to you fuckers then!” Reeves angrily defends.

“Meeting her at a family reunion should have been your first hint,” Gunner adds, only fueling the flames.

“Did you fuck her? You filthy animal! My wife would be so disappointed in you,” Pigeon says, then ducks the fist Reeves aims for his head.

“This is my life now and you want to saddle me with Horse too?” I ask Gunner while praying he takes pity on me.

“Saddle and Horse! Two words that scare the shit out of him!” Pigeon barks, then starts laughing like the asshole he truly is.

“Nobody is saddling this Horse! What the fuck is going on here?” Horse asks from where he’s now standing next to Gunner.

“I just broke the news to Rex that you’re starting work here on Monday. He’s happy to have the extra help and excited to start training his newest recruit. Don’t fuck it up,” Gunner answers before flipping me off and walking away.

“Hey! Thanks, Rex! Happy to work with you guys,” Horse says enthusiastically while watching the wrestling match now taking place on my office floor.

“Yeah. Whatever. First job for you to do is to get these two jackholes out of my office,” I order.

“Yeah, sorry, boss. I don’t start until Monday. What’s their problem?” Horse asks.

“Loser has to train you,” I state before reaching for my bottle of Tums again.

I wake up with a jerk, and it takes a moment to get my bearings. I finally made it home tonight, but only as far as my couch, it seems. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I rub my face with both hands. Glancing around, I absently note the absolute wreck my condo is in and realize I’m not faring any better.

After a few moments, I make my way to the master bathroom and strip. I shower quickly, dry off and walk into my bedroom with eyes still blurry from lack of sleep. Walking to my king-size bed, I faceplant across it. Sleep hits me within seconds.

Somewhere in the distance, I hear my phone beeping, but I don’t have any desire to retrieve it. As much as I love all things techy, I’m equally sick of them right now. I’ve recently begun to hate how easy it is for everyone to reach me, day or night. After a few more moments of feeling sorry for myself, I push out of bed, pull on a pair of sweatpants, and make my way to the kitchen.

“Higgins, brew coffee,” I order my automated system. “And order Nespresso pods.”

Opening the fridge, I grimace. There’s nothing to eat except some questionable sliced ham and what looks to be cottage cheese only it’s in the milk container. Grabbing the trash bin, I empty my fridge contents into it. Opening the nearest cabinet, I stare in dismay at the empty shelves. I’m still staring at nothing when my phone gets an alert, and Higgins announces that someone is approaching my security gate.

Opening my front door, I feel a huge smile hit my face as I view the most beautiful sight I’ll see today. Candy is standing on my step, arms full of groceries, twelve pack of beer dangling from a few fingertips. I realize I’m standing in her way when she speaks.

“You want to give me a hand, Princess? Shit’s getting heavy.”

I take the beer and two bags from her and follow her to the kitchen.

“I have a few more things in the car. Be right back,” she states before walking out.

My smile only grows when I see how well Candy has taken care of me. I’m putting the groceries away when she returns with a cooler. Curious, I take it from her, sit it on the counter, and lift the lid. Candy gains my undying loyalty when I see the food containers she’s carefully packed for me. Twelve in all, and each is done in either compartmental trays or bowls with lids, each a full meal, only needing a microwave or oven. I turn to Candy, wrap both arms around her, and hug the hell out of her. She tenses at first, then relaxes, then finally hugs me back. I don’t let go, though, until she starts muttering to herself about men.

“You even remembered toilet paper,” I say with a snort.

“Bringing you food. Food goes in and then out, so I figured eventually you’d need toilet paper too. Not that big a deal. No! Don’t hug me for toilet paper! That would just be weird,” Candy says while stepping away from me. “Each of the meals have instructions taped to the lid. I’m not a gourmet chef. I’m not even close to having Ava’s skill, but having a hot meal ready to eat can be a lifesaver sometimes.”

“How did you know how much I needed this, Candy?” I ask quietly.

“I pay attention to details. I’m not good at a lot of stuff, but I do pay attention. You work too much and always look tired. Tired people get a few minutes they sleep, not shop. I have to shop for myself, so getting some extra things for you isn’t a problem. I cook for myself, so I just made extra and froze it for you,” Candy answers.

“Thank you. How much did this cost you? I want to pay—”

“No. I don’t want any money, Rex. Just wanted to do something nice for you, kind of like a thank you. You brought Chubs home to Lucy. Lucy loves you, and Lucy’s important to me. That’s worth more than money anyway. Oh shit. You’re going to hug me again, aren’t you?” Candy asks in a resigned tone.

“Yeah, and you’re going to let me,” I answer before doing exactly that.

Before Candy left my condo, she whipped us up a couple of omelets, toast, and teased the hell out of me about me still being on Ava’s shit list. She also gave me some sound advice for getting off that list and back into the good graces of our President’s wife.

With that thought in mind, I text Axel to get the number to his flower guru. Ordering an expensive bouquet to have delivered to Ava’s bakery on Monday, I’m starting to feel a little more like myself again.

Axel: Who’d you piss off?

Me: Horse. It’s a surprise though.

I wait patiently because I know I’ll be receiving another text soon. Everyone knows Axel can’t keep a secret. He’s the club’s biggest gossip.

Horse: Flowers? Really? Send money instead.

Me: Thought Gunner took your texting privileges away?

Horse: Only when I’m drinking. Speaking of, want to hit the town tonight?

Me: Yeah, sounds good. 8pm meet at the clubhouse?

Horse: Yep

I set my phone down and get to work cleaning the condo. Laundry is next on the list and then I’ll be able to enjoy a few beers tonight. It’s not too long into my to-do list, though, before my phone chirps again. I set the dust rag down and pick up my phone.

“Yeah,” I say after tapping the screen on my phone.

“What’s up?” Chubs asks.

“Cleaning this pig pen I call a home,” I mutter.

“That sucks balls. Hey, I got a short list of names I was wondering if you could do some digging on and give me whatever info you find. No hurry. Just when you have time, if you don’t mind,” Chubs says.

“Yeah, no problem. I’m not even going near the security office until Monday, though,” I inform him.

“That’s cool. I’ll get you the list before then.”

“How’s things going with Lucy? Back to where they were before?” I ask.

“Things are good. She’s giving me more than I deserve. I know her feelings for me never stopped but complete trust is harder for her now. I earned that mistrust, but she’s a fair person, and I’m a patient man. Things will work out,” Chubs answers in a quiet but confident voice.

“Loving you was never the problem. But you’re right. She’s a fair person, and you’ll re-earn her trust. Got faith in both of you,” I reply before telling him about Candy’s visit today.

“She’s good people. I’m not sure how to repay her for all she did for Lucy while I was gone,” Chubs says.

“A lot of us owe her a debt. She really stepped up for the club and the women while you were gone. Let’s catch Gunner and talk to him about her. Maybe he’ll have some ideas,” I suggest.

“Count me in. Catch ya later,” Chubs answers before disconnecting.

After finishing my housework, I make a quick meal and hit the shower. Walking into my garage, I sling a leg over my metallic silver Harley Breakout 117 and fire it up. I make the ride to the clubhouse and enter to find several club members hanging around, a few with their women. I take a seat at the bar next to Horse and wait for James to set a beer in front of me. When he does, I don’t hesitate to take a long pull.

“What’s new in the world of Rex?” James asks.

“Not a damn thing. How come you’re behind the bar and not a prospect?” I ask.

“No prospects left. Bella hasn’t started yet, and Toes got the boot,” James responds.

“What happened to Cam and that other guy?”

“Where have you been? They left quite a while ago. One due to a job in another state and the other over a family illness or something like that. I don’t know for sure, but I know we currently have no prospects to tend bar,” James answers with a grin.

“You need to look up from the computer sometimes,” Horse states with a laugh.

Looking around the room, I realize that Horse is right. I need to find a way to balance my duties as a club member, my job, and my personal life better than I’ve been doing. I’ve always allowed myself to get buried in a project and ignore the world around me. Time to turn over a new leaf.

I glance toward the main door when it opens and grin when I see Lucy, Chubs, his brother and sister enter. Laughing loudly at something Lucy just said, the four take seats at a nearby table. The door flies open again and Lisa, Lucy’s crazy ass sister, busts through it but beelines toward the bar instead of joining them. Sliding between Horse and I, she plops both elbows on the bar.

“Hi, James. Can I get a beer, please?”

“Hey, Lisa. Sure can. Do you know what the others want?” James asks as he’s opening a beer and setting it before Lisa.

“What they want is to have snuck out without me tonight, but joke’s on them. Lucy should know better than to leave her unlocked phone sitting in the same room as me if she’s trying to keep me out of the loop. Oh, hey, Rex, glad you’re here. Lucy will be needing your help resetting her passcode. I took a page out of my little friend Craig’s book and changed it on her. Might want to make it two beers, James,” Lisa explains in nearly one long breath. “Being annoying is thirsty business.”

“Damn, girl,” James mutters as he grabs another beer.

“I’m curious about what a person would have to do to piss off both Lucy and Chubs. Didn’t even know that was possible,” Horse says while clinking beer bottles with Lisa.

“Being a loving, protective older sister is grounds enough, apparently,” Lisa says with an exaggerated eye roll. “And Chubs isn’t actually mad at me. He’s just wise enough to know he needs to take Lucy’s side if he wants to sleep indoors tonight.”

“Still haven’t forgiven him, have you?” I ask.

“Kind of, yeah. Mostly, anyway. But I haven’t forgotten, and I’m still keeping my eye on him,” Lisa answers honestly.

“That’s totally fair, Lisa. Trigger hasn’t completely come around yet either,” James says.

“Nor Axel,” I add.

“Lucy got hurt. I got mad. She loves him, and things will work out perfectly for them, just like we all knew it would eventually. Doesn’t mean I’m not still a little pissed, though. Candy even lectured me yesterday about anger management techniques,” Lisa admits with a grin. “Those classes must have really helped her a lot.”

“I think the part that helped her the most was kicking Axel and Pooh’s ass every day,” James states with a laugh.

“Maybe you should make Chubs get in the ring with you, Lisa,” Horse suggests with a wicked grin.

Lisa’s whole body perks up for a few beats before her shoulders slump.

“He’d just stand there and let me hit him. I couldn’t do that to him,” Lisa says with a sigh.

“That wouldn’t stop Candy,” James says, and we all laugh at the beautiful memories of Axel and Pooh getting stomped.

“Those were good times,” I add.

“Hey, guys. Brother James, can I get some drinks from you?” Chubs asks when he leans against the bar on my other side.

“Nice chatting, guys. I must go annoy my little sister some more,” Lisa states before strolling off, beer in each hand.

“What are you guys up to tonight?” Chubs asks while waiting for James and his drinks.

“Not sure yet. Definitely a few beers and most likely some questionable decisions,” Horse replies with a grin.

“All your decisions are questionable, Horse,” I state.

“Heard you’re going to work at the security office, Horse. Who’s left to work with Freddy at the strip club?” James asks.

“Freddy is pretty much it. Vex told him he’s cutting his hours back now that he’s a dad. Wants to spend more time at home spoiling his daughter,” Horse answers while ignoring my comment.

“Vex might be worse than Axel when it comes to their daughters,” I mutter before taking another long pull of beer.

“Might be time to let the strip club go and let Freddy retire,” Chubs says thoughtfully.

“With the security company doing as well as it is, the club can afford to do that now,” I reply while considering his idea.

“Bring it up at Church, Chubs,” Horse suggests.

“Yeah, maybe I will. Enough work talk. Let’s go see what the town has in store for us,” Chubs suggests.

I tip my beer bottle back and finish it off before Horse and I follow Chubs to the table to make plans.

I really should have stayed at the bar, chatting with James. Life would have stayed simpler.

“If you don’t move right the fuck now, there’s going to be bloodshed, and it’s going to be yours,” a voice growls low next to my ear at the same time I hear my name being yelled from a distance.

“What the hell?” I ask in confusion.

“Rex!” Axel yells again from a closer proximity.

“Fucking drunks,” is said at the same time I sense movement nearby.

Opening my eyes and instantly regretting it, I see Candy moving fast out my door. Realization dawns on me that I’m severely hungover, and I’m in my room at the clubhouse. There’s a good possibility that I’m still drunk. As those facts congeal in my pickled brain, I notice the female body sprawled next to mine. Surprise hits me at the same time as Axel meets Candy in front of my open door.

“Hey, Candy. Is Rex…” Axel starts to ask, but the next sound is a whoosh of air leaving his lungs.

Looking in their direction, my mouth drops open as Candy reaches out, grabs Axel by a wrist at the same time she drops her shoulder into his abs. In one smooth move, she power lifts him over her shoulder and walks out of sight.

“Put me down!” Axel bellows in indignation.

“Ooookay,” Candy responds. At the same time, I hear a loud crash and a pitiful moan. “Happy now, Princess?”

“Whoop his ass!” Mac screeches, and I can actually feel that screech cut through my head.

Ignoring the laughing, commotion, and comments coming from the main room, I turn back to the female still sleeping in my bed. I try running the night before through my muddled thoughts but come up empty. Laying on her stomach, all I can identify is long, lush, chocolate-colored hair splayed across the pillow. Climbing out of bed, I realize I’m naked, and a feeling of dread swamps me. I grab a pair of sweats off my dresser and pull them on as the body starts to move.

“Who’s making all the noise?” mumbles the female, and I recognize the voice.

A sense of panic tries to take over, but I push it down. What the hell was I thinking last night? This is bad. It’s very, very bad. I rush to the door and shut it then turn the lock. Turning back to the bed, I see Chubs’ sister, Aria, push up to a sitting position. Holding the sheet to her chest with one hand, she pushes her hair out of her face with the other. Eyes meeting mine, she quirks an eyebrow. I continue to stand, silently staring at her, words eluding me.

“Rex? What’s going on?” Aria asks in a sleep-riddled husky voice.

My brain is still not connecting all the dots of last night, but the fact that my club brother’s sister is naked in my bed connects some. Holy hell, what did I do? How did I go from a few drinks to waking up next to Aria? Chubs will kill me dead, very dead. Painfully dead.

A quiet knock on the door startles me out of my frozen state. Opening the door a small crack, I block the view into my room. When I spot Craig standing in the hall, I frown in confusion.

“Candy has her car parked close and said to get them out the window, and she’ll take it from there,” Craig says quietly.

“Them?” I ask in confusion.

“Yes, get them both out the window,” he repeats but says the words slower, as if talking to a mentally challenged person. Rolling his eyes in disgust, he continues, “Check your bathroom and get moving before shit really goes sideways.”

Craig turns and calmly walks down the hall. I shut the door and turned in time to see Aria, wrapped in my sheet, tossing the scattered clothes on the floor in every direction. Grabbing a few items out of the mess, she stalks to the bathroom and closes the door behind her. I rush to the window, look outside, and see Candy standing by her car door, looking impatient. When I hear a muffled scream come from my bathroom, I whirl around to face the door with trepidation.

I have no idea what I expected when the door opens again, but what I see is not something I could have ever imagined. Aria sails through the door, dressed and pulling a still-dressing Lisa behind her. My mouth drops to the floor as they barely look my way but hustle straight to the window. Throwing it open, Aria sticks her head outside before turning to Lisa.

“Only Candy is out there. Move fast and I’ll follow,” Aria states before half-lifting Lisa to the windowsill.

Lisa’s obviously still as impaired as me because she basically falls out the window with a thump, a low moan, and then I see her half-walk, half-crawl across the lawn. I’m pretty sure her jeans are on backwards, too. Aria turns back to look at me for a long moment before slightly more gracefully follows Lisa’s path to Candy’s car. When the car pulls away, I find myself still standing in the middle of my room, confused as all hell. Finally, I pull myself together enough to grab clean clothes and walk into the bathroom, desperately needing a shower.

I drop my clean clothes on the vanity, push off my sweatpants, brush my teeth, then turn and reach past the shower curtain and turn on the spray. The surprised and angry bellow that follows scares the fuck out of me, causing me to bolt backwards, slamming my bare ass into the vanity. Not knowing what or who to expect, I gingerly reach forward and, with one finger, slide the curtain back. A very wet, naked Reeves lays sprawled in my tub, water cascading over him. With a glare sent in my direction, he struggles to a sitting position, then crawls over the edge of the tub and drops face down on the bathmat.

“What the fuck was that for?” Reeves mumbles to the floor.

“What the fuck are you doing in my tub?” I shout but do so while looking around the room, hoping I don’t see someone else. Somehow, my room has become like the clown car at a circus, and people just keep appearing out of nowhere.

“Your tub?” Reeves asks, but the words are quickly followed by a loud snore.

I give up on talking to him and step over his prone body and into the shower. Several minutes later, I shut off the water, wrap a towel around my waist, and again step over him. Walking back into the bedroom, I groan and hold my head with both hands when someone starts pounding on my door and shouting my name.

Jerking the door open, I order quietly, “Stop with the noise. Please, for the love of God, stop.”

Hearing a snort then laughter, Pigeon shoves past me and into my room. Pausing, he looks around the disaster that is now my bedroom, then turns back to me.

“Holy shit, Rex! Did a bomb go off in here? After seeing this, you can never bitch at me again about keeping my office neater, you hypocritical bastard,” Pigeon declares.

“Why are you here?” I ask while totally ignoring his statement.

“Church. You remember that thing we do as a club? Prez said to get your ass there before he comes himself. You don’t want Prez to have to retrieve you for Church, brother.”

“Fuck. Yeah, okay. I’ll be there as soon as I…” I start to say but go silent when a still naked, bleary-eyed Reeves walks out of the bathroom, through my bedroom, and out the door, one hand scratching his chest as the other hand scratches things south of it.

Silence is all I hear. Dead silence. I drop my head in defeat, knowing what’s coming next. Pigeon is nothing if not predictable. When he doesn’t start crowing loudly or shouting questions at me, I lift my head and look at his shocked face.

Without a word, Pigeon crosses to the door and walks through it. Turning back to face me, I brace, knowing his loud ways are going to hurt my head. Again, Pigeon surprises me.

“I didn’t know it was that way between you two, brother. I’m not judging, and I won’t tolerate any of the others doing it either. You have my support and my silence. It’s not my admission to make. It’s yours and only if you choose to,” Pigeon says in a quiet but firm tone before striding down the hallway, leaving me in stunned silence.

I shut the door, turn, and lean my back against it. Pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, I sigh. What a clusterfuck today has become, and I haven’t even left my room yet.