Lucifer’s Fury (A Motorcycle Club Romance) (13 page)

The crowd cheered across the lot as Scarface charged in, fists flying, face flaming red with anger. He was sure of himself, cocky, even. I knew what he was thinking without knowing the guy. He saw a small woman, a tiny face, a small frame, an inability to get within his reach without submitting to him.

I also remembered Lola describing Cherry Pie to me, saying something like dynamite in a small package was always underestimated.

Above the din of the crowd, I could just make out Cherry Pie’s voice. She still sounded sweet but the sound of her voice didn’t quite match the feral snarl on her face or the look in her eyes. “Come on, honey. Can’t you take me down and show me what a big strong fucker you are? Come on, now. Teach me a lesson. I’m dying to be put in my place.”

She finished by blowing him a kiss and clutching her hand to her heart like she was in love or some shit. The other Gypsy Riders laughed hysterically. My guys were silent and deathly still as they took this all in.

Scarface jumped forward, slamming a fist into Cherry Pie’s mouth, knocking her head back and to the side, blood spraying from her mouth. She laughed and licked her lips, shaking it off and smiling a bloody smile at Scarface, which only pissed him off even more.

“You got this, Cherry Pie,” Pandora shouted from beside me. “Take him down!”

On the other side of the parking lot, Scarface’s men were hooting and hollering, his attention straying from his opponent for just a second. That was all she needed.

Cherry took off at a full run, jumped on Scarface’s back, and wrapped her tiny little arms around his neck, her legs wrapping around his thick waist, locking at the ankles so he couldn’t toss her to the ground. He was done before he knew what hit him and she never once threw a single punch. Scarface’s eyes went wide as her wrists pressed snugly against his throat, cutting off his air. He fought to get her off of him but it was no use. Cherry Pie was locked in for the long haul.

Beside me, Pandora and Siren had shit-eating grins on their faces. My men were as shocked as I was. “I can’t believe this,” I said, stunned. “Damn.”

Scarface fell to his knees. Cherry Pie kept a good hold on him still, her feet planted firmly on the ground. After a few more seconds passed, she finally let go of the big beast of a man, letting his large frame fall forward onto the ground.

He laid face-first in the dirt as Cherry Pie stepped onto his back, raising her arms in the air.

And it was done.

Finished.

With a smile on her face, she sauntered our way, blood dribbling from her mouth, sweeping her tongue across her split lip.

“Big fucker hit hard. Thought I was a goner for a minute there,” she quipped.

Pandora frowned. “Did you really?”

Hands on her hips and smirk on her lips, Cherry Pie simply said, “You’re kidding me, right? The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And he forgot the most important rule in a fight – never turn your back on anyone.”

Chapter 15: Pandora

I’ve been super lazy lately, and for good reason. My monthly visitor wasn’t just late. It was flat-out missing in action. So, yeah, it seemed that Jasper had knocked me up.

I wasn’t complaining about it. I was there when it happened and my sex-addled brain just didn’t let me think rationally about the consequences of our actions.

Was I happy about this little surprise? Sure I was. But I was also a little freaked out. I was questioning everything, second guessing myself. It was exhausting as all hell. Was it the right time for such a huge change in our lives? I didn’t know. Maybe it was. We were screwed by my father a decade ago and, luckily, life brought us right back into each other’s arms. So I was trying to look at this new situation as a sign we were meant to be together forever.

But it was happening. We were going to have a baby, whether we liked it or not. To be quite honest, my life had never been so good. I just prayed Jasper felt the same way.

Stretching, I forced myself to climb out of the comfort of the bed and stumbled to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face, hoping it was enough to jump-start my day since coffee wasn’t an option for me.

I knew I was a hot mess before my eyes ever hit the bathroom mirror, but when they did, I couldn’t miss the permanent smile on my face. It’s not that I was an unhappy person before reuniting with Jasper again. I had been happy; just not utterly and completely fulfilled like I was now.

Sweeping my long black hair into a messy bun, I caught a glimpse of the time and quickly brushed my teeth, then used the facilities before my guests arrived.

Back in the bedroom, I threw on a pair of Jasper’s boxers and a tank top, then plopped down on the bed. No sooner than I got comfortable and that ‘I don’t ever want to move again’ feeling started to sink into my bones, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!” I shouted, praying the door was unlocked so I didn’t have to move a muscle. The door swung in and all of my girls flooded into the room. Cherry Pie ran and jumped onto the bed, her foot catching the edge of the mattress, quickly dumping her face-first in the middle of the bed. Everyone laughed. She was always doing something to get a laugh out of us, but she was also super-protective, too. God! I loved the hell out of these girls.

“So this is it. Our final meeting alone,” Siren said, scanning the framed photographs on Jasper’s dresser. All of them were decades old, moments frozen in time. Leaning back against the headboard, I watched as she picked up a picture and raises an eyebrow as she checked it out. “What happened to this ring? It’s gorgeous.”

Everyone quieted down and looked back and forth between us, waiting for my response. We were all naturally curious and they could all sniff out secrets and lies like a drug dog sniffing out illegal substances. With a sigh, I looked down at my hands, whispering my response.

“I wasn’t able to keep it because of my father. Jasper held onto it for safe keeping, so I don’t know what happened to it.”

Trixie leaned over and placed her hand over mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Haven’t the two of you talked about it? Your past and what happened? I mean surely he kept the ring. He’s been pining for you for years. I bet it’s tucked away somewhere in this room.”

There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes and I knew if I didn’t hurry and change the subject the girls would soon start digging through his things, searching for the ring. As much as I wanted to see that ring again, I just couldn’t allow anyone, myself included, to dig through his things like that.

All eyes were on me. I could feel their curious gazes burning my skin. “We have. We talked about things and decided to leave it in the past. Our love was real then and it’s real now. All we want to do it move forward.”

I pulled Jasper’s pillow into my lap and gave it a squeeze. I honestly hadn’t thought about the ring, but now that the girls had brought it up, I was curious. What
did
he do with it? Did he sell it? Pawn it? All good questions.

Siren climbed onto the bed and laid the picture down. Within seconds, the others were checking out the beautiful ring on my finger and the smiles on our faces as we gazed lovingly at one another. I remembered that day perfectly. Jasper snuck me away and we spent the day at the lake. He proposed and I accepted without hesitation. It was a perfect day until the sun went down and I had to slip the ring off and have him hold it for safe keeping.

Trixie held the picture in her hands, her finger tapping the glass with a long pink fingernail. “He’s going to ask you again. Mark my words. I just have a feeling it’s coming. Be prepared, Pandora. He’s so in love with you. It’s beautiful how close and real the two of you are.”

Nodding, I rubbed at my stomach without thinking. I hadn’t told a soul about the positive pregnancy test or the doctor’s appointment I had scheduled for the following day. My emotions were crazy lately; hormones I guess. If I didn’t change the subject, and soon, they’d be able to tell something was going on.

“I guess we should get down to business,” I said as we all huddled up on the bed. It had to be a funny sight. Eleven female soldiers/biker chicks, sans the leather and weapons, piled up in bed together.

Weeks ago, Cherry Pie had taken on Scarface, the President of the Twisted Bastard MC and won. So far, we hadn’t heard so much as a peep from them. Days went by, then weeks, and still nothing. It seemed that the deal Siren had struck for the fight was holding firm. And everyone was pleased as punch about that.

Life was moving forward and all was well.

The insurance company had finally sent a check for the loss of the clubhouse in Gun Barrel, so now the only thing to do was have a sit down with all the Gypsy Riders and make a decision about what the future had in store for us. Did we want to fold the two clubs together? It was a tough question to answer. And it wasn’t my choice alone. We’d all been through so much together and the Gypsy Riders MC had saved each of us. In different ways, but saved none the less.

So that’s why I was sitting here with my girls in mine and Jasper’s bedroom. Most of the guys were rambling about the clubhouse, drinking and getting their freak on with the sweet butts, while others were handling the usual club business. We needed a quiet spot to huddle together and touch base, and if anyone got emotional, no men would be around to see it go down.

“So, girls, the check finally cleared the bank,” I said. “We’ve gotten close with the Lucifer’s Fury MC members, some of us more than others. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but now we need to decide what we as a group want to do. I have history here with this club, and as much as I’ve always wanted to be a part of it, I don’t want to be the reason that what we built disappears. So what is it each of you wants to see happen?”

Cherry Pie and Siren didn’t waste any time giving their opinion.

“I’m thinking that we should stay right where we are,” Siren said. “Of course that’s assuming the guys are amiable to us continuing to put an end to human trafficking and such in the surrounding areas. Their support would go a long way in making a difference. From what I’ve seen of Shooter’s Hollow, it’s a great little town. I like it here.”

“I agree with Siren. Having a large group of men to help watch our backs is more than we had before,” Cherry Pie stated with her usual flare and smile. “If we had had them before, Juju might still be with us. This is the best move for all of us. Safety in numbers… and the clubhouse is killer nice. The guys are all great, too. Nice eye candy during workouts. I know there will always be danger but we’re less likely to be harmed with the power of Lucifer’s Fury at our backs. So I say we merge.”

“Trixie, what about you?” I asked. “What are your thoughts on this change?”

“Juju always told me that change is a good thing. She said it should be embraced, not feared. I feel safe here, and Iceman is really helping me. No matter what you girls decide, I’ll be asking Jasper to let me stay on here. I can’t go back to what we were. Having to ride through that damn gate every day and remember what happened would kill me a little more every day. I just can’t do it. Juju wouldn’t want that for me… or any of us,” Trixie whispered the last bit before glancing at each of her sisters.

She hadn’t cried in weeks and she was returning to her usual glowing happy self. That was all thanks to Iceman and his continued friendship… or whatever was going on between them. He had helped her to open up and move forward in a way that we couldn’t and I was so damn thankful to him for that.

After listening to Trixie, the rest of the girls just quickly said they agreed that the merge was the smart move. There was no need to continue talking so we just flat-out decided to vote. It was an unanimous decision to stay and merge the clubs.

The girls had started to hop off the bed and head for the door when a thought hit me.

“Wait!”

They all spun around.

“You realize that the cuts you’re wearing will change, right? Our club will be gone and we’ll be starting over as something new. Your current rank could change, too. Are you okay with that?”

“Yep,” they all said in unison, smiling.

“Okay I’ll have a sit down with Jasper and his officers and we’ll come up with a way to fold us into the mix. When I know more, you’ll know more.”

I pushed off the bed, tossing the pillow down, and headed for the bathroom. My stomach was already beginning to flip-flop like crazy and I rushed inside the bathroom, falling to my knees and spilling what little there was in my stomach. I flushed the toilet and quickly stood up. After rinsing my mouth and washing my face for the second time, I glanced at the doorway. Shit. Ten sets of eyes stared daggers at me.

 “You going to tell us your secret or do we have to wait for the official announcement?” Siren asked. “I mean we’re sisters for fuck’s sake.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give us that shit, Pandora,” Cherry Pie said. “You haven’t been drinking lately and we’ve all noticed. Now you’re throwing up and holding your stomach like your protecting something… and just so you know, you’re not very good at hiding it. Well, maybe from the men.” She laughed. “So are you going to tell us?”

“Fine. Okay, I’m pregnant… but I haven’t told Jasper yet,” I said softly. “I’m freaked out about how he’ll react to the news and I haven’t even confirmed it with the doctor yet. I didn’t want to jump the gun. What if the test is wrong?”

My voice betrayed my fears. Everything had been great but I still had that fear. We still hadn’t labeled what we were and that scared me to death. Tears stung the back of my eyes as my emotions got the better of me. I was feeling out of control and just flat-out confused.

“Sweetie, that man loves the hell out of you,” Cherry Pie chirped happily. “He’ll be happy as a clam. Go to the doctor and get the confirmation, but then you need to tell him. Hell, we’ll go with you if you want… but you can’t keep something like this a secret forever. I mean, pretty soon he’s going to notice the changes in your body, and before that, he’ll notice that you aren’t drinking anymore.”

The girls giggled, nodding their agreement with her. I was beginning to feel like a damn child. Because, to be honest, that’s how stupid I was acting. Just hearing their words of encouragement and support, though, gave me strength.