Renegade Lady (16 page)

“No!” I say in near shout.  No one is getting Jenna. “Reese has a damn woman.  He doesn’t need Ice too.”

Chipper laughs out loud.  “Reese has a she-bitch from hell, and he’d be willing to kick her to the curb if you even hinted that he could have Jenna.”

That isn’t exactly true.  He wouldn’t be kicking Roxy anywhere. He’d be burying her ass out back. I slap my hand onto my desk, causing everything on it to shake.  “I said no.”

“Fine,” he snaps. “Don’t give her to Reese, but you need to step the fuck up before something happens to her.”

“I’m not ready, brother.  I’m just not ready to take on an old lady yet,” I say the words, even though they’re not entirely true.  I would take Jenna in a heartbeat. It’s just easier to lie than to admit that the one woman I want to spend the rest of my life with doesn’t want shit to do with me, even though I know it’s all  my fault. 

“Kidd, you’ve been ready since the day you laid eyes on her.  You’re just too fucking afraid.” He looks at me.  “Jenna is not Sarah, man.  She’s not gonna turn into a raving bitch.  She’s strong as hell. She won’t break under the pressure of being the Pres’ old lady. She’ll be good for you and good for the club.  She’ll be by your side every step of the way.”

I hate to even hear Sarah’s name.  The guilt from her death is finally starting to fade, but the guilt for the things I said after she died is still fresh in my mind.  “That ain’t what this is about.”

“You can’t lie to me, man.  I know what happened after Sarah died. It damn near tore your ass to pieces, but Jenna needs you by her side.  She’s been part of this club for years.  She’s had control of the girls for nearly six.  She can handle being your old lady.  You’ll just have to give her a little time to get used to it.”

His words bring back memories of Sarah begging me to claim her as mine, but I couldn’t do it.  Everyone knew Sarah was just there to keep my bitch seat warm until Jenna got old enough to take her place; everyone but Jenna that is.  “Things change when a bitch becomes an old lady.  Ice is used to making her own calls.  Once I claim her, she won’t have the freedom she does now.  It could break her.”

I keep trying to make excuses, hoping to shut him up, before my mind starts imagining Jenna being mine. 

He chuckles.  “Ain’t shit that could break Jenna, and you know it.  My girl is hard as nails.  Ain’t never met anyone like her. Strongest person I know.”

I have to nod at that, because he’s right.  No one here has been through what Jenna has.  Losing her mother, being raped, then losing the woman that was the mother of her heart. Most people would have given up a long time ago if they had to put up with half the shit she has.  I finally blow out a frustrated breath then stand up.  “Fine, I’ll talk to her.”

I don’t wait for him to respond before walking out of my office.  I head straight to club bar.  Jenna’s sitting on a stool, talking to the prospect tending bar.  Her head is tilted, and her long midnight black hair is covering her face from view.  She has her hands wrapped around a fifth of Jack.  It only takes a glance to see that she’s fucked up.  “Yo, Ice.”

Her bloodshot, coffee colored eyes narrow as she jerks her head towards me. The fast movement nearly causes her to lose her seat.  “Yeah.  What the hell do you want?”

My brows go up at her bitchy tone.  I should be used to it by now. She’ been given me the same shit for years.  None of the other girls would even consider talking to me like that. Only she has balls big enough to go head to head with a member, especially me. “Just saying hi, baby girl’.”

“Yeah, which is something we don’t do. We don’t talk, remember?  Like I said, what the hell do you want?”  She says, turning back to her whiskey and chugging it back. “Say what you gotta say, then leave me the fuck alone.”

Looking at her sends fear through me.  Chipper’s right; she’s killing herself.   There’re dark circles under each of her beautiful eyes.  Her cheek bones are sharp, proving that she hasn’t been eating.  Even the hair I love so much has lost its shine.  No matter what, no matter how pissed off she’s gets-- it’s time I step in.

“I’ve decided that I’ve left you alone long enough.  I’ll be telling you all about that soon, but right now I wanted to tell you that you’re done with the whiskey,” I say firmly, grabbing the bottle from the bar.

“What the fuck?” She screams, trying to take the bottle from my hand. 

“I don’t want you drinking all the fuckin’ time.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you want.  You can’t tell me what to do.”

I step closer to her. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re mine now, and you can’t do shit without my permission.”

“I’m not yours!” she yells, her voice full of panic.

“Yeah, you are.  From this moment on, you are mine and mine only.  Don’t fuckin’ fight me on this, or you’ll be done with the Renegade Sons. Do you get what I’m saying?” I growl out, letting her hear my anger. I would never hurt her, but she doesn’t need to know that.

She swallows nervously. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“Just sit around and look pretty, but you’re going to lay off the booze from now on,” I say, pasting a fake ass smile on my face. “I’ve decided it’s time that I claim you, and I don’t want an old lady that’s plastered all the fucking time.”

“Hell no! I’ll never be your old lady. I’ll never be anyone’s old lady. We tried that once, and it only worked until you busted your nut.  Plus, I don’t even fucking like you,” she shouts, her words slurred. 

I hate to hear her say shit like that.  It’s hard to believe that after all this time, she still thinks I just used her for her pussy. “Don’t have to fuckin’ like me, baby girl, just gotta be there for me and only me. You step out, you’re done.”

I’m not sure why I added those last words.  I know Jenna, and she would never fuck around on her old man.  Club girl or not, she’s loyal to the bone.  The only thing is making sure that she accepts me as her old man. 

Jenna keeps shouting, but I ignore her and look around the room.  “Listen up, boys.  Ice is mine.  You touch her, you deal with me.”

I spot Preach lounging on the couch with one of the club whores grinding on his lap.  I point towards him.  “You, take Ice to her room.  She’s to stay there until I say different.”

I start to walk away, but turn back to Preach.  “Do what you have to do to keep her in her room, but don’t hurt her.  She’s my old lady now, so make sure you show her the respect she deserves.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I hear Jenna screech at the top of her lungs.  I can’t help but chuckle.  She’s gonna take me on one hell of a ride, but making her mine is going to be worth it. 

Jenna

I watch Kidd walk away and have to fight the urge to wiggle in my seat. Even through my alcohol induced haze, he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. His hair is the color of melted butterscotch and his eyes remind me of a cloudless sky.   His face isn’t what most women would consider classically handsome; it's too rugged, and too harsh.  He always sports a five o’clock shadow, and I've often thought back to what it felt like against my skin.  

His body, well I don't think a person could find the right words to do it justice.  He's temptation walking around in a pair of faded Levi's.  He's not as big as some of the other brothers, barely reaching six foot and probably weighing around 200 pounds, but he carries himself in a way that makes him appear to be the biggest and baddest of them all. Kidd is one of those men that makes you wet just by looking at him.  Too bad he's such a self- righteous prick. 

He is such a damn tool.  We haven’t talked in nearly six years, and now he says I’m going to be his old lady. What the fuck is he thinking?  Me as his old lady? No damn way.  Been there, done that, and not going there again. If he thinks he can just walk in here and tell me what to do, he’s got another thing coming. I’m not going to be his old lady. I’ll never be anyone’s old lady. I’m not going down that path again, especially not with Kidd. 

Chipper keeps telling me to get over my issues with Kidd, but I can’t forget everything that happened between us.  I opened myself up to him, only to get ground under his boot heel.  I don’t care what he’s saying now, he doesn’t really want me.  He didn’t want me six years ago, and nothing has changed.

“Another,” I shout to Rum, the prospect manning the bar.

Rum shakes his head.  “I can’t give you anymore, Ice.  You heard the Pres.  Preach has got to take you to your room.”

“I’m not going any fucking where!” I shout, banging my empty glass onto the bar. 

“You got to do what Kidd says, and so do I.  I have no choice but to take you to your room and you know it, so make this easy on both of us and don’t fight me,” Preach says as he walks towards me.

I shoot him a glare.  “If you ever want to get your dick sucked again, you better not touch me.  You know my girls listen to me.  I’ll tell every single one of them to cut your ass off.”

Preach’s face goes pale, because he knows what I say is true.  I run the girls, and they listen to me.  If I say so, his ass will never get another piece of club pussy again.  “Oh shit!  Come on, Ice.  That’s not fair. You know this shit isn’t my fault.  I have to do what the Pres' says, or I’ll catch seven kinds of hell.”

I start to respond, but am cut off by the sound of people walking into the room.  I turn and see Reese walking towards me with a sexy smile beaming on his gorgeous face.

Thank God it’s him; my best friend and occasional fuck buddy. He’s the only man I’m close to other than Timber.  That’s not really true.  I’m close to Chipper too. I’m only alive today because of him, but Chipper and I have been on the outs for a while.  He wants me to clean up my act, yet he refuses to understand that I’m as clean as I am ever going to be. 

“Tough mornin’, sweetheart?” he says, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on my neck.

“Yeah, you could say that. You’ll never believe what Kidd just did,” I say in a near shout. 

He chuckles at me.  “I wouldn’t put much past him, especially where you’re concerned.”

“He came in here and took my whiskey away,” I say, showing him my empty glass.  “He said I couldn’t have any more.”

“Well, that’s not such a bad thing.  You have been spending a lot of time at the bottom of a bottle lately.”

“Whatever, that’s not even the worst of it.”

He cocks a brow.  “What else?”

“He said I’m gonna be his old lady. He didn’t even ask. He just told me I was his, but I’m never going to be anyone’s old lady, especially not his.  You know how he treated me.  How the hell can he even think I’d take him as my old man after all that shit?” I finish with a shout.

A flash of pain crosses Reese’s face.  “Old Lady? Are you sure he said that?”

“Hell yeah, I’m sure.  I may be half drunk, but I’m not deaf.”

Reese places his hand on my arm and gives it a tight squeeze.  “What did you say to him?”

“I told him hell no!”

“You know you should accept it. Either that or leave the club,” he says quietly. “You know if it wasn’t for Roxy, I would’ve made you my old lady a long fucking time ago, but it’s too late now,” he says, mumbling something under his breath about Kidd and not wanting to give his girl to anyone.

I snort. “Leaving the club will never happen.  This is my home.”

He shrugs.  “Then you’re going to have to be his old lady.” 

“Right, you know my thoughts on that, Reese.  I’m not gonna be anyone’s old lady. I’m not going to have an old man that’ll be telling me what to do while he’s out fucking around. Kidd is the fucking Pres. He already thinks he’s God.  Plus, he has a different woman in his bed every damn night, so monogamy would never happen with him. You know how much it bothers me to share.”

“I think Kidd will be true to you. Not all of the brothers fuck around. You’re the only woman I touch. Shit!  I haven’t even fucked my old lady in years,” he says in a quiet voice. 

If I didn’t know Reese as well as I do, I wouldn’t believe that shit, but it’s true. Reese is loyal, very loyal, just not to his old lady.  Roxy doesn’t deserve his loyalty, though.  She’s a raving bitch; a fucking loon through and through. 

“You know that I’m not old lady material. I just can’t do it.”

His eyes go soft.  “Don’t do this, Ice.  I don’t want to lose your friendship.  If you fight Kidd, you’ll be tossed out.”

I decide it’s time to change the subject, so I stand up and wrap my arms around Reese’s waist. 
“Let’s go to my room,” I whisper, putting my mouth to his.

He doesn’t say anything, just pulls from my grasp and grabs my hand.  We barely reach the hall before Preach steps in front of us.  “Sorry, Reese.  Pres told me to take Ice to her room.  I can’t let her go anywhere alone with you, man.”

“Fine, walk with us,” Reese says, pushing past him and leading me down the hall. 

I’m the only woman with a room at the club. All the other unclaimed girls have apartments in town. The building is owned by the club, of course.  I have an apartment there too, although I’ve never even spent the night in it.  Chipper wanted me to stay with him, but his house just hasn’t felt the same since Mindy died.  It’s still my home, and always will be, but it’s just different without her there.  It’s been years since I slept anywhere but the club.  I feel safe here, and here is where I plan to stay.