Daredevil Chapter 5

I had to work not to be distracted as I prepared to give Moose his satisfaction. My relief over him seeming to be open to me pursuing Shain wouldn't be dampened by the fact the weasel Laz was furiously whispering in her ear and based on their expressions it wasn't anything good. I wanted to march over and tear him away from her. She was mine now and I'd be damned if he or anyone else would take her away. If he wanted her, he should've done something about it before I met her. As far as I was concerned we were a done deal. Whatever I had to do to win her heart I'd do it.

"Get your head in the fight or he'll fuck you up," Dragon growled. He was in my corner at the moment.

"What the hell is that jackass saying to her?"

"You concentrate on Moose. I'll make sure he leaves her alone. I'll send V over to run his ass off. He already doesn't like the looks of him."

I grinned. Vicious came by his name honestly and he could scare the hell out of anyone I was convinced. I gave Dragon a fist bump in gratitude. He jumped out of the ring and went over to Vicious. I pushed thoughts of Laz away to concentrate on Moose. With his shirt off I swear the bastard looked even bigger. I wasn't a small guy by any means but he was bigger than me. What I didn't have in bulk I'd have to make up for in skill and possibly sneakiness.

The referee for our match was Executioner. He often was the one since he was our enforcer slash sergeant-at-arms. In Moose's corner was Fender. The other Regulators were standing along the ropes on his side. I had several of my brothers doing the same on my side. There was a lot of joking and smack talk between the two clubs about who would win but it was all in good fun. The ladies who came to watch and a few of the guys were seated on the chairs not far from the ring. Watching sparring matches was a common thing around here.

"The rules are to keep it cleanish. No junk shots or moves meant to seriously hurt or kill. Otherwise feel free to go at it. Remember you're friends not enemies and if you hurt the other too much, a certain woman will be waiting to tear one of you a new asshole. I don't recommend you make her do it. Take it from a married man. It's not pretty."

It was hilarious to watch a big, tough Executioner shudder and cast a frightened look at a foot shorter Skye. We knew he wasn't truly scared of her but he made both of us burst out laughing, which made him grin and wink then he moved out of the way. I was recalling Boomer's match with Vicious and how it got out of hand unintentionally. Hope to God it didn't happen to us. I liked my nuts right where they were.

"Good luck," I told Moose.

"I don't need it, but you might," he replied with a smirk.

We weren't using boxing gloves but we did have our hands taped up. It allowed me to give him the finger. He just chuckled. The ringing of the bell signaled the start. The bout went on for what felt like an hour. We were pretty evenly matched and when kicks and punches landed they had power behind them and they hurt like a motherfucker. By the time we mutually held up our hands to signal the end, we were dog-assed tired and hurting but it was a fantastic match. We hugged and beat each other on the back. I was a sweaty mess. I turned when I felt a towel on the back of my neck. I was surprised to see Shain holding it. She tossed one to Moose.

"Did you two Neanderthals get whatever that was out of your system, or do I need to kick both your asses and teach you a lesson in front of everyone?"

"Hey, shorty, don't get too froggy," he teased her as he pulled her to him.

She shoved on his chest as she wrinkled up her nose. "You stink! And you're all sweaty. Yuck."

"That's good ole man musk. Women dig it," he ribbed her.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that and see if you ever get a woman. Now, Daredevil smells much better." As she moved closer to me, she winked.

"Hey, do I need to beat his ass for real and withhold my blessing? I took it easy on him for you, brat."

"Like hell you did. You were winded and slowing down at the end, asshole. And it's too late to withdraw anything. I did what you wanted. Now it's time to show Shain why I'm the best man for her," I told him.

As I smiled at her, I heard, "Fuck that," uttered behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Laz standing not too far away. He was listening to every word we said. His eyes were shooting daggers at me.

I smirked at him. "You have something you wanna say?" I prodded.

"I do. She's making a mistake. You'll break her heart. When he does, come see me, Shain. I think it's best if I go. See you at work," he grunted out before turning his back on us and storming away. I checked to see how she was handling what he said. She appeared puzzled.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Asshole," Moose muttered.

"I am, although I don't know what's gotten into him. He's never acted this way. And he's never said a word about being interested in me as anything other than a coworker and friend. How did I miss it?"

"I don't know. I've suspected it for a long time, but when he never did anything, I assumed I was imagining it. Guess not. Don't worry. He'll get over it," Moose told her as he gently patted her back.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked, outraged.

"Because if he didn't speak up, it wasn't a big deal. I thought it meant he wasn't serious. If he was, why didn't he say something? You've worked with him for over a year. He's had plenty of chances. It's not like Daredevil is the first guy to show interest in you in all this time."

"Oh really? Tell me more. Whose ass do I need to go kick in Nebraska? I already warned everyone here," I popped in to say.

She gave me an astonished look. Did the woman have no concept of how beautiful and desirable she was? Maybe it was a good thing she didn't.

"You warned who? Why would you do that? There's no need to go to Nebraska. Anyone who may've asked me out or whatever isn't an issue." I heard the warning in her voice but it wouldn't deter me. It was vital I figure out how to spend time there with her. Moose definitely needed to help me with the plan. I had an idea. I just needed him to get an okay from Carnage and I'd get it from Sin and Rampage.

"Every single guy left in the club. And I disagree with the guys back there not needing a warning. Let me go get cleaned up, and we can talk more about how this is gonna work with us."

"Fine, I need to go see if the ladies need anything anyway. The food should be ready to serve soon. I'll meet you in the common room."

"Sounds good," I said.

Before she turned away, I tugged her to me and kissed her. She'd have to get used to me doing it a lot. In my book, it was a must anytime we left or came back to each other. She responded beautifully but I had to keep it short. Not a good idea to get a boner in front of her cousin. She had a dazed look as she walked off.

"You just have to rub it in, don't ya?" he grumbled.

I followed him to the locker room, I guess you'd call it. We had set it up with a toilet and a couple of showers. I brought clean clothes with me when I came, knowing I'd probably have to change. It seemed he had, too. Without a thought, I began to strip. I was used to other men seeing me naked. My time in the military, along with my three brothers, knocked any shyness out of me. He was doing the same.

Turning on the water to get warm, I addressed my burning need with him. "I need to be in Nebraska, especially with Laz being there and those others you mentioned. Do you think you could see if Carnage is alright with me coming up and spending time at your shop? I could help out with jobs and even teach others if you have a need for someone."

He stepped into his shower, and I did the same. We could still hear each other. We'd just have to yell.

"I can see what he thinks. It might be ideal. We have newer guys who aren't as experienced and they could do with some mentoring. I'll ask. What about Sin and Rampage? Can they spare you? How long are we talking about?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I'd like it to be awhile. I'll have to see how long they can spare me. I don't think they'll say no to me going for at least a couple of weeks. They know what it's like when you find your woman."

"Christ, I can't believe you're talking about claiming my cousin, and I'm not killing you. What the fuck? I should kill you and bury your body, then take her home," he mused aloud.

"It's because you know I'm not gonna screw her over and I wouldn't be doing all this for a fuck."

"You'd better not hurt her or I will hurt you back tenfold. She's had enough heartache in her life. She deserves happiness. You'd better treat her like she's a treasure and protect her."

The warning was clear and I didn't blame him. "I will worship her like the goddess she is."

All I got back was a grunt. We finished up, then got out to dry off and dress. It wasn't until we were done dressing that he spoke again. "I'll call Carnage when we get back to the others and see. You find out if your guys are good with it. Once we know, then we can make arrangements to go. Since Laz ran off, I think taking a vehicle back is still the right move. Do you have one you can borrow to do it?"

"I have one and I'll see if I can have one of the prospects drive it up so I can take my bike. It's still warm enough to ride up there isn't it? As long as it's thirty or above I'm good."

"We're not there yet, so you're safe. Let's get this show on the road. Although you know, if you come back with us, you could disappear. It's treacherous up there," he said with an evil smirk.

"I'll take my chances. I'm hard to kill."

He laughed and slapped me on the back. Bastard almost made me stumble. We headed back to the others. I had to find Sin and Rampage ASAP and get this approved. No way could I stand for her to leave on Monday without me.

???

I sat back and felt content. My stomach was full of excellent food. My club was around me and we were all having a good time. My woman was beside me and I had gotten approval from my president and my technical boss to go to Nebraska. They understood just as I knew they would. We agreed to two weeks but I might be able to extend it. We'd play it by ear. I could live with it. When I told Shain earlier I was coming back with them, she'd been astonished. Recalling it made me still smile.

"Shain, I'm going back with you guys on Monday. Just thought you should know."

Her mouth dropped open. "You are? But how? Why? For how long?"

"I am. For at least two weeks, maybe longer. Why? Because I want to spend time with you. It's how this relationship thing works. Don't you want me there?"

"Of course I would love to spend more time with you. I simply didn't think you could be gone. You have your work here."

"I do but they can spare me. I'll be working for the Regulators at their shop helping out and mentoring some of the newer employees."

"I'm surprised but excited. I can't wait to show you so much." There was excitement in her tone. We talked a tad longer about the trip until we were called to join the others.

Now we were relaxing. It was late, so most of the kids and ladies had retired to their homes. A few were still here, namely Sara, Jackie, Piper, Londyn, and Bella. They didn't have kids or at least not ones who'd been born, which was the case with Piper and Londyn. Their men were with them.

I was at the pool tables going at it with Moose. We had a group watching and cheering us on. As Moose sank the last ball and won, I had to take the jeering of the Regulators. We played best two out of three. I was good but he was better.

"Ha, ha, take that, asshole," he taunted me.

"Hey, you barely beat me. Next time."

"Yeah, yeah, if that's what you have to tell yourself to live with the loss," he teased.

"Why don't you and I play, Moose? It's been a while," Shain added with a snicker.

The expression on Moose's face told me he didn't want to do it, but he wouldn't back down from a challenge, and there was no doubt this was a challenge.

Before he could answer she added, "In fact, why don't you pick a partner and we'll play teams. Daredevil can be mine."

His club groaned. Hmm, it seemed my girl just might be a pool shark. I wanted to see her in action. "Mon rêve, I'll gladly play with you."

"Mon Rêve, what does that mean?" she asked. This was the first time I tried out the nickname I'd given her in my head.

"It means my dream," Omen told her as he joined the crowd.

"It's French. I'm not as Cajun as this one here, but growing up in Louisiana, you learn a lot of Cajun French and it helps that my mom is part Cajun. At home, we spoke a mix of English, Spanish, and French. Omen just does the accent more to impress. It's how he got Jackie," I joked.

"Fucker, I didn't need anything but my natural self to win my woman. Maybe you should throw in more accent to make you more desirable if you wanna get this one," he immediately jibed.

"I'll take my chances."

"Okay, we gonna do this or what?" Moose grumbled. I saw he had Flint standing next to him with a cue stick in his hands.

"Let's do it," I replied.

"You can break," she told them with a smile.

They both glared at her. Flint was the one to break and he got one ball in the far-left corner pocket. It was a solid ball. When he missed the next shot, Shain indicated I could go first for us. I was able to sink two balls before it was back to them. When it was our turn again, I watched as she ended up sinking three. We only needed two more and the eight-ball to win. They needed four. This was shaping up to be a short game. I figured we'd play best out of three like before. More of the gang came over to watch. We were the center of attention.

Flint went again and sank one. It was back to me and I sank one. I would've gotten two but my arm was bumped. I glanced around and found Fender wasn't far away. He gave me an innocent look. Hmm, if they wanted to play dirty, we could. I saw Shain eyeing him too.

Moose went next and sank two. The game was ours as long as Shain got the last one and the eight-ball. As she set up her shot, I watched Fender. He slithered up behind her. I was about to call him out when she thrust the cue back hard catching him in the gut. He groaned and doubled over. While he was incapacitated, she made her shot. The last ball and the eight went in one right after the other. Game one was ours. I gave her a kiss.

Round two saw more blatant cheating moves made against us but we reciprocated in kind. The crowd was cheering and egging us on. They barely beat us. Round three had to be won. As we started it, the cheating increased even more. Bumped table, jarred arms, pokes to the ribs even hands over eyes. They weren't hiding it anymore and neither were we. Hell, my brothers were even doing it now. There were a ton of outcries and shouts but those made it more fun. By the time the last ball went in, we were more into fucking with each other than the game, but in the end, Shain and I won. I swung her around before giving her another kiss.

"Christ, enough of the kissing. You're making me sick to my stomach," Moose bitched.

"You're just jealous no woman wants your kisses," Shain teased him.

"Cuz, plenty of women want my kisses and more," he grabbed his junk when he said it.

"Please, don't make me puke," she pretended to gag.

He came around the table and got her in a headlock and he rubbed the top of her head. She gave him a punch to the ribs which made him stop. It was no love tap. "I hate when you do that, asshole. You've been doing those since I was five," she snapped.

"I know you do. That's why I do it. How else can I keep your ass in line?"

I listened as they bantered back and forth. It was apparent even though they swore and threatened they loved each other. It made me anxious to have my birth family meet her. I knew they'd love her although my brothers would no doubt have shit to say. It was the way they were.

When we finally called it a night, I walked her to her trailer. It was hard to leave it at a kiss but I knew she wasn't ready for more. After saying goodnight I went to mine and handled my boner myself. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as being with her but it would have to do. I tried to picture what her body looked like underneath her clothes and imagined peeling them off her to reveal all of her. It didn't take long for me to come. After I cleaned up, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

???

We were off. I was riding my bike. It ended up we weren't taking a prospect with us. She assured me she could drive so she was driving my personal truck since it would stay with us. I was hoping when it was time to return she'd be coming with me. If not, I could haul my bike back. I loved my Ram 2500 truck. It was four-wheel drive and had all the bells and whistles such as an integrated navigation system, adaptive cruise control, a fantastic sound system and more. I paid a pretty penny for it but it was worth it. Having the second row of seats was ideal sometimes. It was a ten-hour drive so I wanted her to be comfortable. Factoring in stops to gas up and grab drinks or food it would be closer to twelve, which was why we set out at six in the morning.

Flint, X-Ray, and Fender rode ahead of her. Moose and I brought up the rear. We were enjoying the ride but we still kept alert. You could never truly relax. Offensive riding and driving was key no matter what you were in or on. We were more alert in the cities and more populated areas. The number of vehicles was insane and a lot of their drivers didn't pay attention. Most needed to stay off their goddamn phones while they drove. I wanted to smash out their windows and grab those phones out of their hands and toss ‘em.

We stopped at noon not only to gas up but to grab something to eat. There was a small diner which had a bunch of cars outside of it. We hoped this meant it had good food. We lucked out and it did. After an enjoyable meal we got back on the road. We pulled into the Regulators' compound at five-thirty. Based on the number of bikes in the parking lot, it seemed like most if not all the club was there. I wondered what push back or comments I'd get from the others about me and Shain. I could handle them, I was only curious. As long as none of them upset her or made her reconsider being with me, it was fine.

I admit I was a little stiff getting off my bike. These longer rides weren't done enough. I had a great seat on my bike but it still got to you. I hurried over to my truck to get her door and help her out. She gave me the sweetest smile before she initiated the kiss this time. I gladly gave her my mouth. I was savoring her taste when I heard a shout.

"What the fuck is this!?"

Reluctantly I broke our kiss then turned to see who said it. I found the Regulators standing in a semi-circle around my truck. They were all staring at us. Carnage and the ones with us in Tenillo had calm expressions. The others varied from puzzled to upset. I guess Carnage and Moose hadn't prepared the club for the change in circumstances. I had to wonder if any of the upset ones had secret desires to be with Shain. If so, too bad, they were out of luck.

"What does it look like?" I asked Stinger, their sergeant-at-arms.

"It looks as if we're gonna have to kill an Infidel. Moose, you gonna let him do that to our Shain? Why the fuck is he here?" was his response.

"I mean I thought about killing him and it may still happen if he fucks her over, but unless he does, I guess I have to let him live. She seems to like the bastard so far and she could do worse, I guess," was Moose's glowing endorsement. I wondered if he killed me would that go on my tombstone.

"What the hell happened in Tenillo?" Knox muttered.

"We can talk about this inside. Let them at least sit down," Carnage yelled out.

I gave him a thank you look. He nodded. Shutting the door on my truck, I hooked an arm around her waist and walked her into the clubhouse. Eyes were on us the entire way. Once we were inside, she took me to get a drink. There weren't any prospects manning the bar at the moment. When we had ours we sat. We were joined by everyone. Expectant gazes drilled into me. To mess with them, I took my time drinking.

"For Christ's sake, tell us, or we'll just kill you and be done with it," Crash barked.

"Impatient bastards aren't you? First let me say, do you really think Moose would bring me here or let me touch her hand if I wasn't serious about her? Come on, he would've already killed me. What you need to know is we're officially in a relationship. I'm here so we can spend more time together and get to know each other better. Carnage was nice enough to allow me to come and to help out at your shop. I'm a machinist. My club was great and spared me so I could come."

"You knew about this, and you didn't tell us?" Rowdy said accusingly to Carnage. As VP, he could get away with it if anyone could.

"I did. I thought it would be fun to see how you'd all react and how he handles himself. I'm reserving judgment."

"Don't worry, we'll be watching his ass like a hawk," Stinger stated.

"Watch away. Now, can we talk about where you want me and what time I need to be at the shop in the morning? Oh, and an address might be good too."

This did divert them and they filled me in on where and when. I would have a room at the clubhouse which I expected. Too much to wish I was staying with her but I planned to spend as much time with her as possible. She was due to go back to work by the weekend. I wasn't thrilled about it. She assured me she'd be fine but the thought of her hurting and working or even running into a fire worried the fuck out of me. I knew I'd have to get over what she did because she loved it and wouldn't stop.

We spent the next few hours talking and hanging out. I had to put up with more comments and threats but I took those in stride. She was telling them to stop but I told her it was alright. It showed how much they cared for her. As it got late, I could tell she was tired.

"Babe, why don't you head home? You need sleep. Where's your car?"

"I left it at home."

"Okay, why don't you say good night, and I'll take you home?"

"Are you sure? I can get one of the prospects to drop me off. It's not far."

"You're my woman. I'll take you home."

She smiled and winked at me. After a quick round of goodbyes and hugs, I took her out to my truck. It was warmed up for her thanks to the handy remote start feature on my phone. When she got in and felt the heat she commented.

"I could get used to this. Too bad this isn't in my car. It would be great in the winter. I warn you, it gets cold up here."

"I know it does, and this is the first one I've ever had the heated seats on, and I love it. It takes a lot to get me cold, but when it does, I love a warm truck. Put in your address, baby."

She did and she was right. It was a quick drive, no more than ten minutes. Although for me I would've preferred her to be at the compound. When she moved to Tenillo, she'd be behind the fence with the other old ladies and kids. I had to be content with that knowledge for now.