Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Zoey

WALKING OUT OF church, my heart is beating in my chest. That asshole fucking followed me here. Knowing that the cop that’s been harassing me is now in Clinton City makes me want to run and hide far away. I don’t want Jameson or anyone here getting in trouble because of shit that’s following me. Yes, I know that’s not how things are handled in a club. The men will handle the situation, but my question is how many of them will end up hurt, in jail, or worse before this stupid little bitch finally gets stopped. I don’t honestly know how much more of his shit I can take. It was one thing when he was following me around Benton Falls because I always had Kingston with me and I knew that’s where the asshole worked. I could expect him to pop up when I least expected it to happen. Now, he’s somehow here and I don’t know what to expect or think about the situation. All I know is one way or another he’ll get stopped and never found again if Jameson or my family get their hands on him.

Instead of heading over to Reagan and Alex, I make my way in the kitchen and start looking through everything to see what I can make to eat. Or what I can bake. When I get stressed out, that’s one of the things I do to help calm myself. There’s just something about playing music and getting lost in creating something that will take care of those I care about that soothes the anxiety and worry filling me. Looking in the freezer, I find everything I’ll need to make ribs and pulled pork for dinner. Grabbing the meat, I put it in the sink after filling it with water to start thawing. Heading to the pantry, I grab what I need to make rolls, my barbeque sauce, and a cake for dessert. Since we all grew up with Skylar, I know how to make everything from scratch instead of buying the boxed, jarred, or canned shit. There’s also corn on the cob in the freezer. After putting everything else on the counter, I pull that out and let it sit on the counter for now. Getting to work after turning on one of my playlists, I force all thoughts of the cop out of my head.

“Hey,” Reagan says, coming in the kitchen with Xavier on her hip. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. That cop followed me here, Reagan. He’s here now and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want anyone here dealing with his shit or being threatened because I’m not doing what he wants. The man is so damn fucked-up and I can’t get away from him no matter what I do. You should’ve heard what he said to me before your brother walked up to the SUV the day we left to come here,” I tell my best friend honestly as tears fill my eyes.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” she says, walking up and wrapping her free arm around me while pulling my body in close to hers. “Jameson will deal with him. You let him worry about this shit. He’s not gonna get hurt or anything. He knows how to take care of himself. He’s been doing it for a long time now. The rest of the guys will have his back and they won’t let him go off the rails. My brother will do whatever it takes to protect you and I think you’re starting to see that. It’s why you’re so fucking scared for him.”

“I know he will. That’s the problem, Reagan. Jameson doesn’t know when to stop or back off. He’ll keep going until he ends up behind bars. There’s so much you don’t know and jail or prison is the last place I want him to end up. If I call my dad, gramps, or uncle, you know they’ll show up and steamroll everyone to make sure they’re the ones to deal with the stupid asshole. I don’t want that either. I’ve already thought about disappearing so he can’t find me and will leave Clinton City. But, we’ve been taught our entire lives that’s not how we handle shit. We let the guys deal with it and listen to them when they tell us to do something that’s for our safety,” I say, my voice wavering as I try to hold back the tears from falling.

“Everything will work out. Trax won’t let Jameson do anything stupid. He’ll keep him in check. I’m gonna go see what needs to be done and go from there. If you need me, I’m here,” she says before giving me one last squeeze and leaving me alone in the kitchen once again.

Hearing a commotion in the common room, I know church is over. The guys all head in various directions. Their booted footsteps echo off the walls because they don’t give a shit who hears them walking and moving around in their sanctuary. Shaking my head, I put my entire focus back on what I’m doing. The recipe I’m using for the barbeque sauce is one I got from Skylar and the guys back home love it. I’m hoping everyone here likes it too.

No one comes in to see or talk to me so I keep working. I’m getting lost in the task at hand while dancing on my own to the music playing through my speakers in here that I’ve connected my phone to. The second the barbeque sauce is ready for the meat, I put it in the refrigerator until I’m ready for it. It’s later in the day than I’d like to be starting this shit, but I can still make it work. Before I get started on the mixture for the rolls, I clear off the island so it’s clean of everything when I roll the dough out. I hate making these rolls, but they’re so good and go amazing with the pulled pork. It’s just a pain in the ass and I’ve worked for years to perfect my recipe based on one Skylar taught me to make. Hopefully everyone here likes it all when I’m done.

“I see you finally learned your place at the club,” a woman’s voice sounds as I look up to find the bitch who threw herself at Jameson standing on the opposite side of the island I’m working at right now.

The dough for the roll is sitting on the counter behind me, the meat is almost thawed to the point I can put it all in the crockpots to start cooking with the sauce before finishing it off in the oven. Now, I’m mixing up cake batter so I can get them in the oven before moving on to make the frosting I’ll cover them in. We’re gonna have five different cakes because I don’t know what everyone here likes. If I learned one thing over the years it’s to always have a variety of food and make sure you prepare enough to feed an army because these men can fucking eat.

“Excuse me?” I question the bitch, setting the spoon down in the bowl in front of me and turning my complete attention toward the skank. “I don’t think you know who the fuck you’re talking to right now.”

“Oh, I know exactly who the fuck I’m talking to. The skank who thinks Savage is hers when he’s my man. I’ve had him since he came here and you’re not gonna fucking take him from me. He might be fucking you right now, but he always comes back to me no matter who’s around. You’d be smart to learn your fucking place here real quick,” she says, a smirk covering her face because she doesn’t believe I’m gonna defend myself without Jameson having my back.

“Really? I distinctly remember him saying the day we got here that he’s never fucked you. You’ve given him a blowjob that couldn”t even get him off. He doesn’t want anything to do with you and will have you thrown out on your ass the second he can. Savage, as you call him, is in bed with me every fucking night. I’m the one wrapped up in his arms as he holds me close after fucking me hard enough I can’t walk. Shit you’ll never experience because you’re nothing more than a slut who spreads her legs for every man that offers her a second of attention. So, you’re not just a slut, you’re an attention whore. And on top of that, you’re fucking desperate. Do you think any man wants a woman who’s desperate? No, they don’t. They want a woman who they know won’t be fucking everyone behind their back. A woman who isn’t a manipulative bitch and one who will do everything in her power to support him when he needs it the most. Everything you’ll never be,” I tell her, keeping the island between us because I have no doubt this bitch is ready to fight and I’m gonna protect our baby with everything I am.

“You know nothing about me, bitch,” she retorts as I start laughing in her face to piss her off even more.

“I know you without knowing a thing about you personally. I grew up in a club. I’ve seen plenty of you over the years. You’re honestly all the same. I can say the one girl in this club that’s not an ol’ lady who deserves the respect she gets is Rebel. The girl knows how to do her job, doesn’t fuck the men with a woman, and doesn’t start shit. Again, everything you’re not. You want Savage because he’s an officer of the club. He wasn’t a blip on your radar until the day he got that flash. In case you don’t know what that means, it’s the patch he wears proclaiming him as the Sergeant at Arms of the club. So, you are a dime a dozen and there are twenty more girls ready to take your place here. Unlike Rebel and the ol’ ladies, you’re replaceable. No one here will remember you the second you’re kicked out either. You also don’t know what it takes to be an ol’ lady of the club despite having two amazing women who would take you under their wing if you weren’t a raging bitch,” I say, thinking about all the woman like this one I’ve seen over the years in the Wild Kings and Phantom Bastards clubhouses. They truly have no clue about anything if it doesn’t directly concern themselves.

“You think you’re so much better than everyone here. Yet, you’re the one bringing trouble to the club right now. Do you honestly think Savage is gonna put up with that shit for long? I can tell you he won’t,” she tries another approach to get me to leave here and stay away from Jameson.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. Jameson has been protecting me for as long as I can remember. While you’ve known him since you got here, I’ve known him my entire life. From the time I was a baby, Jameson has been in my life. I’ve got twenty years with him while you’ve got a handful. We’re not even in the same league because he’ll always choose those he cares about over some skank like you. And no, I don’t think I’m better than anyone in this clubhouse. With the exception of you that is. I know I’m better than you. I can actually count on one hand the number of men I’ve been with and still have most of my fingers left over. Can you say the same?” I taunt her, needing her to make a move because it’s honestly the only way the vote is going to go in favor of kicking her out of the club for good and not just putting her on probation or something like that. If they even have that shit here. I’ll have to ask Alex.

“Fucking bitch!” she screams, racing around the island and going to attack me as I kick out and land a solid hit to her stomach.

The bitch drops to the floor at my feet with a solid thud as she starts screaming and holding her stomach in pain. Yeah, I put some force behind the kick as I held onto the island in front of me so I didn’t fall if she managed to grab onto my leg.

“I might be a bitch in your eyes, but right now I’d prepare myself for getting kicked the fuck outta here when Jameson hears about you trying to attack me physically. See, no one here knows yet but I’m pregnant with his baby. If you hurt me, you have the potential to hurt his baby. Now, how do you think he’s gonna react to that knowledge?” I question her, watching as all color drains from her face and fear fills her features. For the first time she realizes how much shit she’s actually in. “And you can’t get the fuck out of it this time, skank. There’s cameras all over the clubhouse and most of them have audio with them. So, not only will he be able to see you go to attack me, but he’ll hear your words. I’d say it was nice knowing you, but we both know that’s not the case. Fucking skank,” I tell her, not getting any closer as I hear movement from behind me.

Turning to look, I find Trax standing in the doorway. He’s got an evil grin on his face as he looks down at the skank on the ground.

“How did you know there are cameras in here? It’s not like you can see them,” he questions, never taking his gaze off the slut on the floor as she tries to play off that she’s more hurt than the reality of the situation.

“It’s common sense. You know I grew up in the Wild Kings. It’s what they’d do and have done. So, there’s no way you guys don’t have hidden cameras all over this place. I mean, it’s common sense if you actually pay attention to things around you and aren’t only worried about fucking and sucking cock,” I answer him as he bursts out laughing.

“That’s true. I’m gonna lock her in one of the rooms. Savage and the rest of the guys are gonna hear about this shit when we head back to church in a minute. I’ll make sure Hawk pulls up the feed and shows everyone what happened so we can get this bitch outta here for good,” Trax informs me as he makes his way over to grab the bitch on the floor.

“You can’t let them do this to me, Trax. Please! You know I have nowhere else to go. Savage is supposed to be my man. I want him and I always get what I want,” she pleads with Reagan’s husband as he practically drags her from the room.

“By the way, congratulations, Zoey. Your secret is safe with me. I won’t even tell Reagan until you’re ready to let her know. And Nails, you’ve been warned constantly about your shit. If you didn’t want to get kicked the fuck out, you would’ve left Savage alone the first time he told you to fuck off. He’s not even been nice about the shit he says to you,” Trax says as he leaves with the skank screaming and yelling for anyone to come to her rescue.

Shaking my head, I go back to mixing the cake batter so I can get them in the oven to bake before I switch the meat over. It takes a few minutes, but it finally quiets down in the clubhouse once again. Trax must have gotten her into a room that locks before heading to church. I’m glad I don’t have to go in there again. I’m much more comfortable in the safety of the kitchen where I’ll have to face down a skank or two instead of facing all those men at the same time. They’re large, intimidating, and kind of scary looking because they were all pissed when I was talking. Right now, the less I know and hear, the better I’ll feel.

I finally finish the cake batters and put them in the pans when strong arms warp around me from behind. I lean back into Jameson’s body as his scent washes over me.

“You know you’re mine, yeah?” he asks me, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck causing my body to shake in his arms as heat shoots straight to my core. I moan in response to his words and the feeling of his lips on my sensitive skin.

“You’re out of church already?” I question him, my voice shaking as he continues to pepper kisses along my sensitive skin while one arm is wrapped around my stomach with his hand resting over where our baby grows and his other hand on my neck. Jameson appears to be a fan of hand necklaces and I’m not gonna complain for a second about it.

“Yeah. Hawk needs to pull up more information on the dead man walkin’. And Trax let us all know what he walked in on before church. We watched the video. Proud of you, kitten. Wish you hadn’t kicked her, but I get what you were doin’. The vote went our way tonight. In about a second I’m sure you’ll hear her loud ass screamin’ the place down as Trax and Titan boot her ass. They’ll take her to the bus stop and buy her a ticket out of town. Because of everythin’, she’s not allowed to take a fuckin’ thing with her like we’ve done in the past. If she comes back, I’m callin’ Summer to get one of her girls down here to deal with the bitch,” Jameson tells me, his words filling me with happiness with the knowledge that we won’t have to deal with her dumb ass again. “It smells fuckin’ good in here, kitten. Do you need help?”

“I’m ready to put the cakes in the oven if you want to help with that. Then I just have to wait for them to be done so I can get the ribs and pulled pork finished. I’ll bake the rolls last so they’re hot and ready when it’s time for dinner. Gonna make mashed potatoes and corn on the cob to go with dinner too. I’m actually hungry and this is what I wanted to eat,” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders as I realize that I’m tired from everything I’ve already done.

Right on cue, the screaming and commotion comes from the hallway letting us know the guys are now removing the skank from the clubhouse. She’s not happy and is cursing all over the place. I’m pretty sure she’s even making up a few new words as I try to keep a straight face with how loud the bitch is. If this is how she pretends to be when she’s having sex, I feel truly sorry for any of the men here that have been with her. The shit is annoying as fuck.

Jameson helps me put the cakes in the oven as we try to ignore what’s going on outside this room. Before he can pull me back into his arms completely, Reagan and Alex make their way in and stop while staring at us. They both give us a smile as Jameson leans forward enough to give me a kiss before leaving me alone with the two women. Reagan tells me to sit down and let them do some work as they start peeling the potatoes and boiling the water for the corn. I take a minute to sit on my ass before I’m up and getting the ribs and pulled pork ready to finish so we can have dinner. The three of us talk and laugh after I turn down my music. It’s a lot of fun working in the kitchen with Alex and Reagan. Alex even offers me a job at her dance studio, Rhythm and Grace. I’m excited to have a job knowing I was hoping to find something here because there’s no way in fuck I’m not going to work. Even though I have a healthy savings account, I haven’t ever not had a job doing something. It’s just not in me to sit at home without having something to do on a regular basis.