Chapter Eight

Geek

W ALKING INTO THE clubhouse , the first thing I see is Alana beating the shit out of Liz. The stupid bitch doesn’t even try to defend herself as our girl lands one hit after another without using her broken hand. Blood covers Liz and I can already see the bruises forming on her face from a broken nose. Vault, Valor, and Ghost are simply sitting on their stools, watching Alana beat the shit out of the girl underneath her. With a nod from Vault, Ghost finally pulls Alana off and takes her a few feet away, whispering something in her ear I can’t hear from just inside the door. I’m desperate to know what’s going on and what my best friend is saying to Alana. If I had to guess, I’d say our girl just claimed us and put Liz in her place as I look to see more of the Phantom girls standing or sitting in the common room, staring at what just happened to Liz.

“No one’s gonna talk shit about Geek or get close to either one of you,” Alana states, her body trembling as I keep my eyes locked on her while Ghost looks over at me where I’m still standing just inside the door of the clubhouse. “I’m gonna go back in the kitchen. You might want to have one of the Prospects take out the trash so it doesn’t stink the clubhouse up.”

I walk over to Ghost as Alana disappears into the kitchen. Deegan walks over and takes Liz away. She’s whimpering and trying to get away from the Prospect who doesn’t release his hold on her arm. I know he’s not hurting her, but he won’t let her remain in the common room either.

“What the hell did I walk in on?” I finally ask as Ghost and I take seats at the bar with Valor and Vault.

“Our girl just claimed us and stood up for herself. Defended you to Liz when she thought it was okay to talk shit. I’d say no one's gonna have anythin’ to say about either one of us and it should keep the vultures at bay for now,” Ghost answers me, a smile on his face as he looks at me while Kian continues to work behind the bar.

“Good. I have to admit that was sexy as fuck and I think I wanna take her upstairs and show her,” I tell him, adjusting myself in my jeans as Ghost does the same thing with a smirk on his face.

“There will be plenty of time for that. We’ll discuss Liz in church. I’m so fuckin’ sick of these skanks thinkin’ they have any sort of claim on us when they don’t. Every fuckin’ time a new girl comes in the clubhouse, they wanna act like pieces of shit and think they can do whatever the hell they want,” Vault states, his voice hard and cold as he looks at the girls behind us.

All the girls move from his line of sight and pretend to actually be doing something when the reality is none of them do a fucking thing around here.

“Vault, why don’t you call everyone in so we can have church before dinner. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to head home after we eat and dinner smells fuckin’ amazin’,” Valor suggests to his brother as I watch our President pull out his phone and send out a mass text to the members of the club.

“It’s done. As soon as they get here, we’ll go in. I’m gonna talk to Annabell so she can have a meetin’ with the girls. Again. I know my ol’ lady is just as sick of this shit as we are. I get the single men here are dwindlin’ down to nothin’, but that doesn’t give them the right to try to stake claims that aren’t valid or talk shit about the women and members of the club because their plans aren’t workin’ out. Stupid fuckin’ skanks!” Vault says, getting off his stool after draining his beer and heading to the kitchen, his steps loud in the common room as he stomps away from us.

“So, how long before you claim Alana?” Valor asks us when it’s just the three of us at the bar.

“The second she’s ready. We know where she stands and she knows what we want. We’ve already got Cage’s blessin’. I still wanna talk to Joker and Pops though. Those men are her world and it’s important that we get their blessin’ along with Cage’s,” I answer as Ghost nods in agreement with me. “We’ll worry about her brothers when the time comes to talk to them, but it’s those three men I’m most worried about.”

“Yeah. I have a feelin’ they’ll all be comin’ down to make sure Alana is good and to bring the rest of her stuff. She brought most of it, but I know there’s still things back in Clifton Falls she couldn’t fit in her vehicle,” Ghost adds as we turn when the clubhouse door opens to show a few men walking in, talking amongst themselves.

“I already know the answer, but are you sure it’s gonna be worth it with Alana? You know who her family members are and it’s gonna be hard as fuck to keep Cage off you if he thinks you hurt his baby girl,” Valor questions us, a thoughtful look on his face as he looks between the two of us.

“Alana is fuckin’ worth everythin’. I don’t give a fuck who we have to go through or what we have to do to gain the blessin’ and approval of every male member of her family. No one will ever compare to her and she’s been it for us for as long as we can remember,” I state firmly, looking at Valor to see him smiling at my response.

“Yeah. There has never been anyone else we’d ever make our ol’ lady from the time we understood the full meanin’ of what it means. The only reason we haven’t claimed her before now is because we wanted her to actually live her life and not have any regrets when we stake our claim on her. No one will ever get the two of us the way she does and that’s just a fact. Seein’ her claim us today with one of the Phantom girls just cemented our decision. I’ve never heard anyone defend Geek the way she did and no one ever will again. Not anyone who isn’t a member or one of his blood family members,” Ghost adds, his voice soft and gentle as he thinks of our girl with a smile on his face.

“Good answers. Like I said, I already knew what you were gonna say,” he says, his own smile covering his face as he turns back to face forward and takes a sip of his beer while more guys enter the clubhouse.

W e’re all sitting in church as Vault enters with Annabell following him. He takes his seat and pulls his wife down on his lap before slamming the gavel on the table in front of him. We all know the only reason Annabell is here in this meeting is because it has to do with the Phantom girls and she wants to take our words and decisions directly to them before just handing out punishments. It’s not conventional, but this is how Vault is choosing to do this and we’ll follow his lead.

“Meetin’ in session,” he declares, looking around the room. “This isn’t a normal church session. Tonight, Liz thought she was gonna try to stake a claim on Ghost now that Alana’s here. Not only did she try to stake her claim on him, but she decided to talk shit about Geek. Alana, who was in the hospital for two weeks and had the shit beat out of her by her ex while also bein’ stabbed and havin’ surgery to remove her spleen put her in her place. Their girl claimed them, defended Geek, and then beat the fuck outta Liz. Broke her nose for sure. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m sick and fuckin’ tired of these skanks tryin’ to push up on us and stake a claim on us when they have none.

“Not only that, but they don’t do a fuckin’ thing around here. None of them clean, help prepare meals, or do anythin’ but sit on their fuckin’ asses all day long. The only time they get up is when it’s time to party and they think they’re about to get laid. If I say anythin’ to them, I’ll kick all their asses to the fuckin’ curb. None of them are good enough to fuckin’ be here if you ask me,” Vault states, looking from one member to the next as he speaks.

“I’ve got a suggestion,” I speak up, looking around the table as Vault gives me a nod to continue. “There’s an empty lot for sale just down the road from here. I say we look into buyin’ it and buildin’ an apartment complex. We can open it up to any woman and child in need while also movin’ the Phantom girls into them. They’ll have to get a job and pay rent, but we’ll keep it low and somethin’ they can actually afford while bein’ able to have money for the rest of their bills and other expenses to maintain their bodies or whatever. They aren’t allowed in the clubhouse before a certain time each day and have to be out at a certain time each mornin’. On the weekends they aren’t allowed to stay over either.

“In the meantime, if they don’t want to cook, clean, and help out around here, they don’t get an apartment and will no longer have access to the club or any of the club’s businesses. They’ll be out bad and none of us will ever look at them again. If they want to continue tryin’ to stake their claim, they don’t get put on probation or any of the other shit we’ve been doin’, they’re simply out.”

No one says anything for a few minutes before Annabell looks around the table. She wants to say something, but won’t just speak up because technically she’s not a member and can’t vote on this matter or anything. She’s simply here so she knows where things are gonna go moving forward so everyone is on the same page.

“What’s up?” Vault asks his wife as he holds her close to his body. “You’re free to speak your mind in here. You can’t vote, but you can give us your opinion.”

“I love the idea of putting the Phantom girls in an apartment complex away from the clubhouse. We don’t need them here, taking up space and doing nothing. However, I think we need to keep the probation aspect in place. Instead of just kicking them out, we’ll use it to our advantage. They’ll be made to clean and cook without help from anyone else. If they choose not to do it, then they’re out without hesitation and there will be no second chances for any of them. Until they get in the apartments, all of them will be on probation and won’t be allowed to fuck any of the guys unless one of you single men ask for them specifically. The ones who decide they don’t want to follow the rules will be out and not get a place to live and have to go on their way without a second chance,” Annabell says, giving us something to think about.

“I like her idea,” Ghost finally speaks up as he looks around the table. “They’ve all been actin’ like bitches and don’t deserve to get laid when they can’t follow the few rules we have in place for them. I say they’re all on probation and have to do nothin’ more than cook and clean the clubhouse. None of them should be allowed on the second floor where our rooms are and the offices need to remain locked at all times so they can’t get in any of them. I don’t trust these skanks for any reason after all the shit they’ve pulled.”

“All in favor?” Vault asks, looking around the table as everyone here puts the vote through. “Valor, get with the realtor and find out how much they want for the property and how it’s zoned. We’ll need somethin’ we can actually put an apartment complex on and it won’t work if the property isn’t zoned properly. Baby, I need you to have a meetin’ tomorrow with the girls. I want every single ol’ lady there. Especially Alana. She might not officially be claimed yet, but it’s just a matter of time and she’ll always have more standin’ here than any of them. We should also have Doc in to make sure none of them are pregnant and there’s no STIs. I can’t say that none of them haven’t been with men outside the clubhouse.”

“I’m on it. I’ll call Doc tonight and see if he can come in tomorrow. As we finish up dinner, I’ll talk to the girls about being there for the meeting,” she responds, getting off her husband’s lap and giving him a quick kiss before leaving church.

“Alright, I want to know what we have on Terrence. Has Cage and the Wild Kings been able to find the fucker?” Vault says as soon as the door is closed.

“Nothin’ new. I haven’t talked to him as I said earlier and I know Geek hasn’t either,” Ghost says, as I nod in response before he continues. “I know Fox is lookin’ into him along with King, Techy, and anyone else they can think of. Every member is callin’ in favors their owed for any information on Terrence and where he’s hidin’. No one can find him.”

“We also can’t find any information with the name Terrence. I’m thinkin’ this isn’t his first time pullin’ this shit and he knows how to cover his tracks. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn he’s a wanted man and Alana is just one woman in a long line of women he’s used and abused until he moves on to the next one,” King speaks up, exhaustion showing on his face from being a new dad and still trying to work on this for the club and Alana.

“I hate to say it, but we might need to bring in Alana to learn everythin’ she knows about the dead man walkin’,” Devil speaks up as Ghost and I look at one another with glares as we turn back to Devil.

“Not fuckin’ happenin’. She has nightmares every fuckin’ night about what he’s done to her. Wakes up screamin’ and covered in sweat as she gets tangled in the blankets because she’s fightin’ him off while she’s sleepin’. She’s got wounds still healin’ on her body and mentally, I’m not sure she’s ready to talk about him out in the open in a room full of men. Yes, she might know us from growin’ up around the club, but it doesn’t mean she’ll be comfortable discussin’ that part of her life with everyone,” Ghost says, his voice hard and cold as his eyes remain locked on Devil.

“Not to mention it’s taken her until yesterday to be able to look in the mirror at her injuries. I refuse to put her through any more shit than she’s already been through because no one can find him. Yes, I know she might know somethin’ that can help and that means she won’t look over her shoulder every fuckin’ day until we get our hands on him. However, none of you have seen her the way we have. I say no,” I tell them as I push my chair back from the table a little bit.

“Why don’t we let her get a few sessions in with her counselor and see how she’s doin’ once she has started to talk about the situation and processin’ what she’s been through?” Valor asks, not trying to be an ass but wanting to be realistic about the possible need to have her talk to us about Terrence.

“That’s the only way we’ll even consider this,” Ghost finally gives in, the edge still in his voice.

“You’re both all in with her?” Jinx asks, looking at us from his seat at the table.

“Yes. She knows how we feel and that’s all that matters. The only reason she’s not our ol’ lady right now is because we’re not tryin’ to rush her,” I state as Vault sees Ghost and I reaching our limit about our girl.

“Okay. Valor you know what to do. Let’s get the fuck outta here,” Vault says, slamming the gavel in front of him as we all stand and leave our meeting room.

By the time we enter the common room again, the ol’ ladies are bringin’ out our dinner and laying it out across the top of the bar. With us all here, it’s too much to remain in the kitchen to eat and serve ourselves. Plus, it’s kind of easier to set everything up out here so it’s not all packed onto the island and overlapping. Alana stands back out of the way because she can’t carry in the heavier dishes with only having the use of one hand. Ghost and I make our way over to her and wrap our arms around her. I place my arm around her waist while Ghost puts his over her shoulders. Alana looks up between the two of us with a smile as Annabell lets everyone know to dig in. We all get in line and make our plates, Ghost carrying our girl’s plate as I pile food on it. Alana chooses the table Ghost typically sits at and we eat in relative silence. The food is amazing as always and honestly, I’m only thinking of getting her up to her room so Ghost and I can have our way with her.