Ashes Chapter 4

Today was the day. The one-week pact I made with Vicious and Dragon was up. It was time to talk with them, then Micaela. We'd agreed a few days ago to meet in my trailer after we all got home from work. We'd reveal to each other whether we were planning to pursue her or not. None of us said a word about whether we saw the potential for her to be the one for us. We all spent lots of time with her the whole week, so it was hard to tell.

After the wedding, I was itching to spend more time at her side. That dance and having her in my arms and up against me had driven me mad with desire. I had to make sure she didn't feel or see the hard-on I was sporting. Our discussion about what she wanted in a man, while not privately between the two of us, had been enlightening. I felt I could give her all those things and more.

I was more than a tiny bit upset when I noticed Crash sniffing around her. After he danced with her, I kept an eye on him and any of those other Regulator bastards. I may like them as friends and allies, but they needed to find women in their territory, not come poaching in ours. In this, the three of us agreed, so we worked together to keep them away from her until they left late the next day. However, two of the prior single Regulators were out of circulation since we last saw them a few months ago. It was quite the story when you heard it. At least that made two less who might find Micaela to their liking. I saw Crash and Vicious giving each other scowls. I was curious to know if V had said something to his cousin.

There had been times when I had to share her time with Dragon and Vicious. There was no way around it without causing a scene, and that was the last thing I wanted. I was playing it cool, but the gloves would be off after tonight. I hoped my brothers had decided she wasn't for them, but if they hadn't, then I prayed she'd pick me.

I knew there was a physical attraction on her side. I could see it in the way she reacted and spoke to me. On top of the physical, we enjoyed each other's company and found lots of things to talk and laugh about. She was intelligent, funny, and interested in so many topics. She listened when you spoke, even if it was about something she had no clue about. She would ask questions to learn more and show her interest.

It was tough to stay away when she was with one of the others. We weren't total assholes who horned in on the other all the time. We had to be fair and let her get a good taste of all of us. However, after tonight, it was every man for himself. If she didn't pick me, I wasn't sure I'd be able not to try to change her mind. I wouldn't do it in an ugly way or anything by force. Hurting her, even emotionally, wasn't in my plan. It was just that I saw her as the one for me. Never had a woman brought out a tenth of the feelings she did.

As soon as I got home, I saw they weren't here yet, so I went to my trailer and jumped in the shower. You got hot, sweaty, and dirty welding all day, and it had been a full one. I didn't take a lunch break so I would be sure to leave on time. When I was done, I put on a nice shirt, newer jeans, and a dab of cologne. I'd worn it one evening, and she'd remarked on how nice it smelled. I added a bit of product to my hair so I could slick the top back the way I preferred.

When I was done, I had nothing to do, so I paced for a little while and then made myself sit. I took out my phone and checked it. There were no missed texts from them, nothing. Sighing, I opened a solitaire app I occasionally played. You know, when you're at the doctor's office or DMV waiting, you keep your mind on the game rather than the fact you were wasting time, sitting on your ass. I wasn't the most patient person in those situations.

I'd been playing the game and watching the clock for close to a half hour before there was a knock at my door. Even though I was expecting it, I was still startled. I exited the game and dropped my phone on the side table as I yelled for them to enter. It wasn't locked. There was no need inside the compound.

Vicious was the first through the door with Dragon on his heels. Both wore solemn expressions. I noted they'd cleaned up, too. Did that mean they wanted her, too, or did they merely want to look decent when they saw her? But should they talk to her at all if they didn't want her? Grunts were all we exchanged. They knew the drill. They went to the fridge to grab drinks. You made yourself comfortable at my place. I didn't wait on you. When they came to the living room, I was handed one. A chin lift was the only acknowledgment I gave them in thanks as they sat. There was dead silence as we eyed each other. After a solid minute or more of this, Vicious broke it.

"Well, are you gonna talk or sit here all damn night looking stupid? I got better things to do than hang with you two."

"Oh yeah, well, so do I. I didn't see you talking as soon as you came through the door. No need to wait or beat around the bush. We know why we're here. It's been a week. We should know by now if any of us feel Micaela is the woman for us, and if so, she'll be told tonight when we're done here. Since neither of you seems ready to talk, I will. Without a doubt, I want to see if she'll let me court her," Dragon said firmly.

My heart sank hearing him say that. Damn it. There was one. Come on, say no, Vicious . I opened my mouth to drop the bomb. I wanted to do the same, but Vicious beat me to it. He was scowling.

"There's no question. Micaela Torres is the woman I want to have a long-term relationship with."

A knot formed in my stomach with his yes vote. Fuck, it was a three-way battle for her heart. This wasn't gonna be good for two of us. Dragon and V were glaring at each other. "Make it three. I want her too."

This made them erupt. We began arguing with each other. Our attempts to be heard were drowned out by us talking, or I should say, us shouting over each other. We were on our feet and up close in no time. Hands were waving, fingers were pointed, and at times, teeth were bared. Tension and tempers were rising. We were so into what we were doing that none of us realized at first that we were no longer alone. It wasn't until my shoulder was grabbed in a firm grip and I was yanked back that I knew.

At the same time, I noticed Executioner was doing the same to Vicious and Dragon. I wondered who had a hold of me, so I quickly glanced behind me. There stood Sin. Christ, this wasn't good. Why were they here? We became voiceless as we stared at them. Two of the top officers in the club were frowning at us. They weren't happy. It was Sin who broke the stillness.

"What the fuck is going on with you three? We could hear you arguing in the garage. Have you lost your minds? I've never seen any of you act this way. I want to know what's gotten into you right now," he snapped.

We looked at each other. None of us wanted to go first. "Well?" Ex asked gruffly. He had his enforcer face on.

"For Christ's sake, I'll go. We were discussing Micaela, and things got heated," Vicious told them abruptly.

"Micaela? As in Daredevil's Micaela?" Sin asked. I knew he was clarifying that we were talking about the person he knew, although I didn't know another. We nodded. "What about her?" he asked, frowning.

"Our week is up, and we made our decisions. None of us liked the others' vote," I added.

"Week? Vote? Jesus, am I speaking another language? I have no goddamn clue what you're talking about," Sin growled.

"I think we should sit so they can explain," Executioner suggested.

"I think so too. You got anything to drink around here, Ashes? I've got a feeling I'm gonna need it," Pres said wearily.

While they found a place to sit, I went to get them both a beer. Handing the bottles to them moments later, I retook my seat. They were both studying us closely. I wondered if this was what a bug felt like before being stepped on.

"Dragon, why don't you start? We haven't heard a word from you. Tell us what this ‘week' reference is about," Ex prodded.

"Sure, Ex. The three of us agreed we'd take a week to get to know Micaela. At the end of the week, which is today, we'd get together and let the other two know our decision."

"Decision about what?" Sin asked.

"If we wanted something to happen between us."

"Damn it, don't tell me you all want to sleep with Daredevil's sister! He'll kill you if any of you make a move on her. We've seen you've been paying a lot of attention to her. He wasn't happy, especially at his wedding. Do you have a death wish? Family is sacred," he reminded us gruffly.

"It's not just for a hookup! We're not crazy. It was to see if any of us were convinced she was the one for us. If so, we agreed to tell her tonight. It's serious, not just for a fuck or two," Vicious said snarkily.

"Don't get snarly with me. How the hell was I to know? So, let me be sure I have this straight. All three of you are attracted to her. You decided to spend a week getting to know her so you could hopefully figure out if she were the woman you wanted as your potential future old lady. The week is up, and you plan to tell her but are pissed there's competition. Am I right?" Sin asked.

"That's it in a nutshell. We were meeting, and that's what you heard. When we were done with our discussion, the ones wanting a chance would see if we could get her to talk to us in private. The other part of the pact was whoever was interested—if there were more than one—we'd go together to tell her. She would then have to decide," I explained further.

"You're planning to just drop this on her? No warning, and then she's supposed to decide whether she wants a relationship with one of you on the spot? Wow, if she doesn't run, I'll be amazed. Did any of you think about telling her what you were doing and why so she could evaluate you at the same time this whole week?" Ex asked.

We exchanged glances and then dropped our heads. Why the fuck didn't we think to do that?

"Man, the blind leading the blind. What if Micaela has zero attraction for all of you? You spent a week making a decision you might not need to have made. Or, if she is interested, you might turn her off because of how you went about it. I know I'm gonna regret this, but who decided to see if they can make her their old lady? Show of hands," Sin demanded. Our hands shot up in the air like rockets. His eyes widened, and he looked at Ex and then back at us.

"Are you fucking kidding me? All three of you want her? Ex, get ready. There's gonna be bloodshed. We'll have to get more prospects to fill the ranks. How do you idiots think Daredevil is gonna react to this? He'll go homicidal. You better have your speeches ready and pray you can convince not only her but him that you're legitimately after an old lady and not a fuck buddy while she's here. At least you waited until her other brothers and dad went home."

"It wasn't intentional. Maybe you're right, and we should've said something to her at the beginning, but it's too late," I told them.

"It is. Have you talked or even thought about what it means if she chooses one of you? Are the other two of you going to cause trouble? I don't want brothers fighting brothers. That's how you tear a club apart," Sin warned us.

"We haven't. I won't lie. I expect it would cause some hard feelings, but I'd never do anything to tear this club apart. I'd have to learn to live with it," Vicious muttered. He was the one with the biggest scowl on his face.

"Same," Dragon said softly. I nodded.

"What a fucking shitshow. Well, all I can say is be prepared. Let me know when your talk is over. Be on standby for Daredevil to come looking for answers. You'd better be ready with the right ones. He'll be upset you even thought about her, but if she chooses one of you, he'll have to ensure you're right for her. It's a brother thing," Sin reminded us as if we didn't know it. We may not have sisters, but we knew the way it went.

Without another word, they got up and showed themselves out. We sat there thinking. Now that the time was here, what did I want to say to her?