Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Striker

I was holding Autumn in my arms, feeling her finally drift back to sleep. She laid silent in my arms for the past hour, just lying there. I'm thinking she just wanted me to believe she was asleep, but I knew better. Instead of calling her out on it, I let her be. I was still tired myself.

It's barely five in the morning, and I need some more shut-eye after her crying out, screaming in her sleep. She caught me off guard when I shouldn't have been. But I guess it's the degree of how severe the dreams were for her that got to me. My chest was still tight at the panic I felt rolling off her. The way she was pleading for her sister's life.

No joke, it was like I felt it right alongside her. The pain of it, and I fucking hate it. This woman in my arms, she's reliving what happened every night in her dreams. It's haunting her, and she's not moving on from what happened.

I'm willing to bet her kidnapping didn't help matters, either.

Drawing her tighter in my arms, I hold tight, not wanting to let her go.

Last night hearing the stories Tony shared, I wanted to be pissed he knew her back then. That he'd gotten to witness those times with her. For that matter, I know it was him who took her virginity. He didn't have to say it to confirm. It was a given the way he talked, giving up details about the past.

And the past is just that—the past. I'm Autumn's present and future.

I didn't lie to her when I told I'd seen her, and I'd be lying to myself if I hadn't said she piqued my interest. I didn't know it until I finally decided to do something about it. Sitting on it that week, I took time to think of what I was going to do and how I would go about it with Autumn. With all the bullshit she's been through, I couldn't just say fuck it and make her mine.

Though right about now, I'm ready to say fuck it, fuck the talk, and just make her mine. Tell her how it is, how it's going to be. I'm not playing games where she's concerned, and that's what I need to get across to her.

If I didn't know she was so damn exhausted, I'd have finished our conversation and been done with it once and for all. I mean, how fucking hard is it for the two of us to have a talk and not be interrupted. The other night was thanks to me being called away to the clubhouse. Then Lila invites everyone over to my house for dinner. I didn't mind ‘cause it gave me insight into a few things.

Like the fact there's more to Tony, Rolland, and Jason being in town. Not that they're trouble, but they're known for finding it, and that's not something I want around Autumn.

Tomorrow, while Autumn's back at the café, I'll have to get up with them and find out exactly what's going down and what they're in town for. It's not just some job or for Tony to play catch up with Autumn.

Today, I intend for her to relax, talk to me, get to know who I am, and that I'm not fucking around. She's going to sleep, eat, and chill out, then later, she's going to join me over at the clubhouse for the barbeque the ol' ladies organized for the day.

For now, though, I'm going to try catching a couple more hours of sleep and hope like hell she doesn't have another nightmare.

"Can't believe you managed to get her here." Brass chuckles from his seat on the picnic table next to me, eyes locked on where his woman is talking with Autumn. "I'm betting she fought you on coming here."

"Fought isn't the word I'd use to explain her determination not to come to the cookout." I grunt as my brother laughs.

By the time Autumn woke up again, it was pretty much time to go. We had just enough time to go by the apartment for her to shower and change. While she was taking her shower, I'd taken it upon myself to pack a bag for her. The visual of the lace in her panties drawer has embedded itself in my brain. I made sure to pack plenty of the different colors along with the matching bras. She even had some sinfully sexy nightgowns. They shouldn't have been hot, but that's exactly what they were.

Last night, I'd left Autumn in her shirt but pulled her jeans off without her waking. That was a pretty sight, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her in those gowns.

I also packed her some T-shirts, including the Devil's Nirvana one, a couple of pairs of jeans, socks, shorts, and another pair of sneakers. I also included a pair of heels I saw on the floor of her closet that I wouldn't mind seeing her. Hell, the thought of her wearing ‘em, digging in my back while I drilled into her is fantasy that I look forward to seeing happen.

Once I finished packing her bag, I shot off a text to Brass and told him to take it by my place before heading over to the clubhouse.

"Wanna explain?" Brass asks, having finished laughing. "She know you packed a bag for her?"

"Nope, I didn't tell her." Figure it is best if she finds out when I don't take her home.

"Why not?" Brass grins and cocks a brow as Red and K-9 both join us at the table.

"What's Brass grinning about?" Red asks, looking curious.

"Striker packed a bag for Autumn and didn't tell her she was staying at his place again tonight, and he's not wanting to talk about how he got her to come to the clubhouse for the cookout," Brass explains and starts laughing again. Red and K-9 both look confused. "You'd have had to been at Striker's last night to understand. I'm still having a hard time believing it myself."

"Right." K-9 smirks and looks at me. "So, why ain't you explainin'?"

"There's nothing to explain," I mutter and lift my beer to my lips. I still hadn't had the talk with Autumn like I'd wanted to, considering we'd slept so late, but she needed it, and I wasn't going to complain.

"Way your actin', there is." Red snorts. "Remember, we know you. Might as well tell us before we get the rest of the brothers involved."

Sighing, I shake my head and look past them to where Autumn's laughing at something Kenny is saying to her. I hope it doesn't have to do with them pulling out bows and arrows. There's been plenty of times where Kenny has, and now, some of the other ol' ladies have gotten in on the act. For that matter, Kenny and Horse's daughter gets in on it now, and she's damn good. So good, she's signed up for competitions where she competes against other kids her age.

"Let's just say she threw a pillow at me when I told her she was coming to the clubhouse with me," I tell them, and Brass bursts out laughing.

"‘Least it was a pillow and not a lamp," he says once he stops laughing.

"Yeah, well, she added a few choice words in the mix. Told me I could stop telling her what she was going to do. Said I needed to learn that she wasn't going to let me walk all over her." Now, all three men start chuckling, and it should piss me off, but it doesn't.

When it comes to Autumn and that damn if that backbone of hers doesn't make me hard. I had to force myself not to throw her to the bed and tear her clothes off.

"Do we have any other news?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Red answers. "One of the reasons I came over here. Twister's callin' church tomorrow at noon."

"Great," I mutter, thinking of what I need to get done tomorrow at Devil's Nirvana.

Brass and I had decided in the week it took me to get my shit sorted to start making my play for Autumn that we needed a manager. The club was doing well, better than either of us expected. Most likely because we've got some damn good talent and don't skimp on the security. We haven't been open long, but we're completely in the black and nowhere near seeing red. This was the reason I'd been able to take the last few nights away from work except for when Brass had gone in to handle things when I needed him too.

Still, I need to go in and handle things as well. I can't put shit off on Brass or the new manager. Brass has the shit he does, and we might share some things, but that doesn't mean there are not things that are his alone, and I have mine that I do myself. I'll have to find time tomorrow to go in and see to it. Even if it means going in after Autumn gets off and I take her with me. She won't like it, but I'm not letting her have the chance to go to that apartment of hers and me not being with her.

Getting up off the table, I toss the empty beer bottle in the nearest trash bin and plan to get another one, but I catch movement out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Striker," Neely purrs, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing herself into my side. "I haven't seen you lately."

"Been busy," I grunt and peel her away from me. "What are you doing out here? You know the rules, it's family time."

"I know, but I just wanted to catch you. Maybe we can go to your room and have a private party," she suggests, getting back in my space.

"Not gonna happen," I tell her and turn to leave, but Neely, being Neely, doesn't take the hint.

"Come on, Striker, it's been weeks since I've had your big cock inside me." She pouts, plastering herself to my side and reaching up to brush her lips against my neck ‘cause she can't reach any higher. "I know you haven't been with any of the girls either, and you don't fuck the strippers, so . . ."

"Who I fuck ain't your business, Neely," I snap, shoving her away. "Now, get the fuck away from me before you piss me off more than you're working your way to doing now."

Neely goes to say something else, but I ignore her with the intention of going to my woman and seeing if she needs anything. However, when I look at where I'd last seen her, she's gone. The ol' ladies are still standing there, though each of them have different varieties of pissed-off expressions in place.

Great.

Just what I need, a bunch of pissed-off women. All because of one clubwhore who decided to make an appearance when she knew the fucking rules.

Crossing the span between them and me, I stop only when I've joined them. "Where'd Autumn go?"

"Why should we tell you?" Emerson demands, planting her hands on either side of her hips.

"Because she's not with you guys, and I want to clear whatever you all think you just witnessed ‘cause it sure as shit wasn't anything," I tell them, hating that I'm even explaining to them when I shouldn't have to. These women know me. They know I'm not a fuckwad to do something shady and dirty to a woman like Autumn.

"She didn't want to listen when we told her to wait," Izzy mutters. "We know those skanky bitches have no problem trying things and testing their place."

"Where'd she go?" I bite out.

"Lila was running to the store to pick something up for me," Kenny says. "Autumn caught a ride with her."

Great .

Pulling my phone out, I don't bother saying another word to anyone, and I find my sister's number while making my way toward my bike. They aren't that far ahead of me. At most a minute, two tops.

"Yes," Lila answers, sounding slightly peeved.

"Where you headin'?" I demand.

"I'm going to Food Lion, then taking Autumn home." There's no missing the snarky attitude.

"Loose the attitude, Lila, when you drop her off, drop her at our house, not her apartment. Do you understand me?"

"Why should I do that?" That attitude of my sister's is going to get her in a hell of a lot of trouble if she doesn't knock it off.

"Because I fuckin' told you to." I snap and take a breath to explain so she'd understand. "I've got to talk to her and her apartment isn't safe, Lila. I'll be at the house when you get there."

Lila doesn't say anything for a long moment. If I didn't hear the car radio in the background, I'd swear she hung up. "Fine. But I'm warning you . . ."

"Don't try threatening me, Lila Alvarado. Remember you're still grounded, but tonight you're staying with Kenny and Horse."

"What? Why?" She seems surprised. Though she likes going and sleeping over there, their kids are younger than her, but she's still got a connection to Horse's daughter, Kayla.

"Because I said so." Hanging up on her, I straddle my bike and head for home.

It's time the two of us have that fucking talk, and though I intended to do it one way, I'm changing the way I'm doing it. She's about to learn a lesson in being my woman and what that means to me.