Page 13 of Unruly Defender
– HENLEY –
S he feels so fucking good and I feel so damn bad for doing this.
I should be completely honest and yet, deep down I am, but I really would have wanted to do this differently.
Namely without the implying ulterior motives that can make it seem I made this move for a whole different reason.
Still, in the end, the result is the same but the reasons and the way it all went down is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Luckily, she only knows what’s important; the fact she’s mine. My old lady and I intend to keep her safe and do exactly what she said I should do. My life, my future, and I’m damn well going to live like I own it all.
My phone rings and I fish it out of my jeans. I see it’s Beck calling and even if I’m seconds away from handling something that can’t wait, I decide to take his call. “Beck, I’m about to head into a meeting, can I call you back in an hour or so?”
“You could, or we could have a drink later today if the offer still stands and you have room for us,” Beck says.
I glance down at Gracy, because if anyone knows if there’s room at the estate, it’s her. “Hang on, Beck, let me check.” I hold the phone slightly away from my mouth and ask, “Do you know if we have a bungalow available for the weekend?”
Her eyebrows scrunch up for a moment before she nods. “Yes, I think there are two available. Shall I call Travis and have him book one? What name?”
I give her a smile and handle the phone call first. “Beck, everything is set. Feel free to bring Oink along with you. What time will you be at the estate? Good. I’ll swing by later tonight.”
I disconnect the line and tell Gracy, “Beck Roman and his girl, Flora Elroy. Can you give Travis a heads-up?”
Gracy grabs her phone and within a few seconds everything is set and it leaves me to focus on what’s in front of me. I’m both nervous and thrilled to be walking into the clubhouse.
Yates and I have been planning this and when Gracy mentioned the possibility of Rush trying to set me up again, I made sure to have something up my sleeve. That little something was just confirmed by Gracy when she mentioned Clemente was going to pull through for me.
“Are you ready, Pres?” Yates asks as he smacks my back.
I slide my arm around Gracy’s waist and tuck her against me. I take a deep breath and gain strength from the woman who sneaks her arm around me to slide her fingers casually into the back pocket of my jeans as if we’ve been together for years.
Hardening my tone, I tell Yates, “You know as well as I that I was born to lead this MC.”
“So very fucking true, brother,” Yates replies, his voice laced with respect.
Yates opens the door and steps through to hold it open for us. There are a lot of bikers in the main room of the clubhouse and they’re making a lot of noise until all eyes land on us. Well, mainly on me because clearly none of them were expecting me to step inside this clubhouse.
Girly sounds of excitement unleash from my right.
This club always had women visit for a good time, making it easy for the brothers to have some entertainment when they’re in the mood.
I need to end it before it starts, but obviously I’m too late when Nikki, Rush’s sister, tries to wrap her arms around my neck and with it pushes Gracy away from me. Motherfucker.
I rip her arms away from me and give a hard shove.
She stumbles back and lands on her ass. A hint of satisfaction slides through me when I see her shocked face but it quickly turns to disgust. I might have let her distract me a time or two but never again.
Not to mention she’s Rush’s sister and I know for a fact she helped him to set me up.
“Don’t fucking disrespect me,” I spit my words at her and reach for Gracy, who is observing all of it in silence. I’m thankful she lets me pull her against me. “I would say it’s good to be back but I guess all of you need to work at giving me a warm welcome, eh?”
Snickers flow through the room as Nikki pushes herself up and stalks through the room to stand next to her brother.
Rush is spitting fire at me. The fucker obviously wasn’t expecting me to walk in here.
I shoot him a vicious grin and let my eyes trail to the clock on the wall.
Just a few more minutes if all goes well.
..in other words; if Clemente pulls through like he said he would.
“I’ve heard you’re not doing a good job leading my MC, asshole.
Good thing I’m out early to take back my place and push you and every rotten seed out of my MC, before you drag this club down with you.
” There are only a handful of bikers swinging their gaze from me to Rush after I spilled this little detail.
Yates told over half our brothers what was going down today. Well, only the fact I was returning and he only told those he trusted and knew they were against Rush, and sick of his dictatorship. That left only a handful of bikers in the middle and those are now confused.
The three guys standing next to Rush who are also spitting fire at me? I don’t recognize any of those guys, but Yates told me about them. They are on Rush’s side; he considers them his trusted men.
“A lot of things changed while you were on the inside, brother,” Rush rumbles. “Times have changed and I’ve led this club into a profitable direction. I’d say you need to earn the right to come back, to see if you still have what it takes.”
“Have what it fucking takes?” I snap, anger flowing freely through my veins.
“My father founded this club. I’ve walked in his footsteps and I damn well bled for this club and helped it succeed.
Hell, the building your filthy ass is standing in is in my fucking name, I practically am Unruly Defenders MC.
” I snicker and shake my head. “Have what it takes. Motherfucker. How do you even find the nerve to question my abilities while it was you who jammed a knife in my back and left me to rot in a jail cell so you could steal what belonged to me and my family? And look what you fucking did with it. Dragging the club’s name into the dirt and tainting it with your need for drugs and money, only to want more and more.
Unless you wanted all of us to rot in a fucking jail cell, then you’re doing a damn fine job with the heat you’re bringing upon everyone in here.
Because that’s the only place your leadership takes you and everyone else. ”
Rush stomps forward at the same time sirens faintly start to blare. I shove Gracy behind me because I knew this confrontation was coming. Yates has my back. We talked this through since I needed to make sure no harm would come to her.
I don’t think twice and in two steps I’m close enough to whip my arm back and take a swing at Rush. A right hook connects with his jaw and right after I jab my other fist underneath his chin. He stumbles back and shakes his head in an effort to clear it enough to fight back.
Useless, because the entire time I was in prison all I did was make sure I kept pushing my body into shape.
Easy enough to do when your focus is on getting out and having your revenge.
But I’ve always been training and fighting, even before I ended up behind steel bars.
This club has a ring on the back of the property where we have fights every Saturday night for entertainment and to blow off some steam when needed.
A harmless bet between brothers or to fight out your differences.
The ring is used for a lot of reasons and it also keeps us on our toes and in shape.
But it seems Rush didn’t keep the tradition going because his effort to swing his fist in the direction of my head is useless.
It gives me the opportunity to jab him in the gut, making him double over.
The sirens are becoming louder and it’s clear they’re coming from right outside the clubhouse. Satisfaction flows freely through me and I can’t help the big grin sliding over my face. Payback, motherfucker.
My father and I have worked with Clemente’s uncle a lot of times in the past. When you need something done or have issues or anything, you don’t go to the authorities, you go to the head of the family that runs the underworld.
They have all the connections—and the information—along with the possibilities to get shit done.
In the previous meeting I had with Clemente, I asked him to get me all the information and background about Rush. But I was surprised to hear Rush already had drawn the unwanted attention of the underworld as well as the law.
This was also the reason Clemente advised me not to interfere, because the DEA recently linked Rush with a shipment of drugs and was waiting for him to meet with the dealer and the one who financed it, so they could roll up the complete network.
Now, I’m not one to be patient, and with Rush dragging the club down with it, I felt I had no other choice but to interfere.
Gracy being Clemente’s half-sister and the way he stood up for her in my presence made me aware he would do anything for her.
I know damn well how unfair it is to twist faith a bit to speed things up.
In my talk with Yates he suggested we use Gracy’s connection and make Clemente help us so he could get the DEA to act now and arrest Rush. Needless to say, with the screaming sirens, our plan worked. Though, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to use Gracy this way.
Me and her would have happened along the way anyhow because the talk she gave me this morning made me see things clearly. I should take everything I want, and damn well live my life to the fullest or I wouldn’t be alive at all. That’s why I set things in motion with getting my club and my girl.