Mace’s Madonna (Pagan Souls of Cherokee MC #5)

Mace Chapter 5

The last week has been the longest of my life. No matter how I tried to concentrate on work and pretend Jessamy didn’t exist, I couldn’t. I even tried to put her in the category I held the other old ladies as pseudo sisters. Nope. It wasn’t possible. A week had only made me more confused and deeper under whatever spell she had on me.

The problem was that I wasn’t the only one under a spell. It seemed my other single brothers and the prospects were under it, too. Everyone was always smiling and laughing with Jessamy. The idea of avoiding each other in the common room at night didn’t work. The others were insistent that she spend time with us. She’d been absorbed seamlessly into our club life. A part of me loved that she had, and the other was worried.

I worried that one of the others would make her their old lady. Who could blame them if they did? She was incredible. Jessamy was gorgeous, funny, smart, helped others, and always seemed to have a smile or kind words for everyone, well, everyone except me. When we couldn’t avoid interaction, she’d give me one or two-word answers, and her expression was bland.

The others noticed and commented about it to me, especially Agony. I told him I tried apologizing, but she wouldn’t listen and wanted me to convince him to let her return to Arizona. He stated that wasn’t happening. I agreed with him. The toughest thing for me was how much Wire seemed to hang with her. They’d often be talking alone and laughing. I had to hold myself back so I wouldn’t go over there and plant my fist in his face. Almost all of us worked during the day. Wire mainly worked at the compound. There was no telling what they did when the rest of us weren’t around.

Images of them together would enter my head at random times. My anger would ignite. I had to fight not to go after him. I knew what to do, but I wasn’t sure I was there. How were my married brothers so sure of their old ladies when I hesitated? Did that mean Jessamy wasn’t the one for me? The mere thought she wasn’t made me want to scream. I wanted to stand in the middle of the common room and shout that Jessamy was off-limits.

My sleep was crap. When I did fall asleep, my dreams were of her. They were hot, sexual dreams that woke me up hard and needy. I’d jerk myself off to get relief so I could fall asleep and do it all over again. Something had to give soon.

Wire wasn’t getting anywhere on the two guys Jessamy gave him information on. Neither of them, it seemed, had done anything suspicious to indicate they had anything to do with her kidnapping. There was a missing person report out on her in Arizona. Her school had filed it when she didn’t show up for the first day of work.

He said that she seemed private. Besides having work friendships, she wasn’t close to anyone outside of school and rarely went out. Her time was spent with her students or helping others. Wire had told us this at church last Thursday.

“The woman is selfless, Pres. She works with her kids and does other activities with them. When she isn’t, she volunteers at a homeless shelter. She doesn’t party or go out. Hell, her last boyfriend was two years ago. As far as I can tell, she hasn’t seen anyone since then. Sweet Jessamy needs to get a life and have fun,” Wire said.

“Goddamn right, she does. Pres, please say we’re not going to do as she asked and send her back to Arizona,” Hulk piped up to plead. More mutterings were voicing the same thing.

Agony wore his serious face as he answered him. “No, Hulk, we don’t want to send her back. However, if she becomes insistent, I might not have a choice. She’s an adult and free to make her own choices. She’s been quiet lately, so I’m letting it ride. If she gets adamant, we’ll have to figure out how to protect her. I don’t think the cops will be able to do anything. Going back there puts her right back in danger. I’ve had Eliana reinforcing that.”

“Zari has been doing the same,” Twisted added.

“Same with Joli,” Dare said.

“Yep, Natalya is telling her this is the best place for her,” Knight confirmed.

“Well, we’ve got the women doing their part. What about the rest of you?” Agony asked.

There were murmurs of agreement and head nods. When that died down, Agony turned to Wire.

“Brother, anything else you want to add?”

“I’m almost positive the two men she told me about, one being her last boyfriend and the other a bus driver at the school who kept asking her out, aren’t involved in her kidnapping. I can’t rule out she was targeted, but if she was, I’m ninety-five percent sure it wasn’t by either of them.”

This news got grumbles from around the table.

“So it seems we have a mystery person or persons we need to discover. My gut keeps telling me she wasn’t random,” Dare said.

Church ended not long after we finished talking about Jessamy. I hadn’t heard if Wire had anything new since then. It wasn’t huge if he did, or Agony would’ve had us back in church to tell us.

I was working to keep my mind on what I had to do. It was Monday. The garage was packed, which we loved. We almost had the whole week totally booked. Dare and I split the office work, so neither of us got stuck with all of it. We’d prefer to be turning a wrench or doing other things to a vehicle or bike rather than paperwork, but those were necessary, so we divided that load. Today, all six mechanics were working, including Dare and me. The other four who weren’t part of the club were Ollie, Owen, Jimbo, and Ahuli.

Manning the front desk, was our receptionist slash secretary, and whatever we needed to keep the customers happy and the work moving. Bobbi Jo was unflappable. She handled it calmly and professionally, no matter how upset someone might be or how busy we got. She was a gem and Ollie’s wife. If anyone got too out of line, he’d set them straight if Dare or I weren’t there. But I would’ve personally punched some people.

I was working on the timing gear of the bike I was finishing up. The damn thing, for some reason, was giving me fits. Usually, this was easy for me to get, but not today. It was loud in the garage. The guys were talking back and forth to each other, and the radio was playing music. It wasn’t blaring or anything, but all of it, combined with the timing gear, got to me.

“Fucking thing!” I shouted as I stood up and threw a wrench on the floor. I walked away from the bike. I walked over to a window and stared outside. I had both hands on top of my head. Hell, if I got grease in it.

“Hey, Mace, what’s got you all pissy today?” Owen asked.

“That damn timing gear,” I muttered.

“You’re getting that upset over a gear? You can do those in your sleep,” Jimbo said.

“Well, I can’t today. This bitch won’t stop fighting me,” I told him.

“Want me to take a run at it?” Ollie asked.

I turned to face them, shaking my head. “No, I’ll get it. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“If you change your mind, let me know,” Ollie said.

“Brother, why don’t you take a break away from it for a few minutes? Come into the office with me. I’ve got something else to focus your mind on,” Dare said. He was standing at the far end of the garage.

I didn’t want to go back to the gear yet, so I agreed. I walked over and followed him to our shared office. I shut the door. He was already in the mini-fridge in the corner, getting us a cold Coke. Opening mine, I chugged a third of it. God, I hadn’t known how thirsty I was. I let out a loud belch, then leaned back in my chair. I was feeling better already. Dare was seated next to me.

“I needed that. How’s your work been going today?” I asked.

“Mine has been all good. It’s just flowing along. You’re the one who’s having difficulties.”

“It’s just that one gear. The rest has been good. I’ll get it.” I dismissed it before taking another drink.

“It’s not the gear causing you the trouble, Mace.”

“Yeah, it is. It’s stubborn. But it’s not beating me,” I assured him.

“The only bullheaded thing in this garage is you,” he replied.

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

“It’s not the timing gear you’re frustrated with. It’s Jessamy and her situation. More specifically, the one at the clubhouse. It’s eating at you.”

“Of course, I’m worried about us keeping her safe when we don’t know who took her or why.”

“Come on, stop lying to yourself, at least. Sure, a small part is that, but your biggest worry is how the other single brothers treat her. They all sure seem to like her.”

“So what? She’s likable. Would you rather they ignored her?” I punted back. I wasn’t comfortable with this conversation. I didn’t want to talk about Jessamy.

“No, I don’t want them to ignore her, but I think you’d like it, especially if Wire would stay away from her.” He gave me a probing stare.

I had to get him off this topic. I waved my hand dismissively. “I couldn’t care less what Wire and Jessamy do,” I lied. I hoped I did it convincingly. He studied me a minute, then smiled.

“I’m glad. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle her becoming someone important to one of your brothers. Whew, thank God, we don’t have to worry about you losing your shit over the two of them going out tonight. That wouldn’t be good,” he chuckled.

I didn’t know how I held in my roar until he stopped speaking, but somehow I did. I came to my feet. I slammed the Coke can down on the desk.

“What the fuck do you mean she’s going out tonight with Wire? Do you mean on a date? Where? Why?” I barked.

A smirk spread across his face. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “That’s what I thought.”

“You thought what? You’re speaking in riddles,” I accused him.

“No, I’m not. It’s like we told you that night when she came. You’re reacting to Jessamy like a man would his old lady. You’re possessive. The fact your brothers are paying attention to her is driving you crazy. That’s why you can’t get shit at work to do what it’s supposed to. Tell me you don’t want to threaten Wire to stay away from her. That you don’t wonder what they do during the day while they’re at the compound, virtually alone, and you’re here,” he taunted.

“Shut up,” I snarled. My anger rose because Dare activated those thoughts and images in my head.

“No. You need to accept and own it. Why are you fighting it, Mace? Don’t you want an old lady, a family? Is there something about Jessamy you don’t like?”

“There’s nothing wrong with her! Shit. I, goddamn it! I don’t know what’s holding me back. I want her. It kills me to see her laugh and spend time with the others. I hate Wire hanging around her all the time. I want to smash his face in. I want her to rely on me and only need me. But I fucked up that first day. She wants nothing to do with me. How do I counter that? I can’t kidnap her and force her to be with me. Clearly, Wire is the kind of man she desires. So I’m staying out of their way,” I finished dejectedly. I sat back down in my chair.

Dare’s fist hitting the table made me jump. “You won’t know unless you try. Sitting back and doing nothing isn’t the way. Remember what I had to go through to win Joli back after that fucking craziness with Ciandra? I was scared to death I’d never get her back, and my kid would grow up without me. If you want her, then show her. Afterward, if she chooses someone else, you’ll know you did everything possible, and it wasn’t meant to be.”

I sat there thinking over what he said. After a few minutes, I answered him.

“If she goes for Wire or any of our brothers after I make my play, I don’t know how I’d handle it. I barely contain my desire to take command and see if she’ll give me everything I want and need. I need to be able to meet all of hers. I’ll be possessive and overprotective. I know it. What if she can’t deal with that?”

“The worst thing you can do is hide who you are. She has to see it all. If she doesn’t like or want it, you’ll find a way to deal with it. I’ll be honest. I don’t see her ending up with any of our other brothers, not even Wire. Mace, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I can’t begin to express how much having Joli and Bran in my life means. They give it so much fucking meaning.”

Dare was right. I’d never know unless I tried. I stood. “You’re right. Tonight, I’m going to get Jessamy to talk to me. From there, we’ll see where it goes.”

Dare stood and gave me a fist bump. “That’s the Pagan spirit. Now, get your ass out there and finish that bike.” He grinned.

“I’ll show her who I am,” I said as I grabbed what was left of my drink, strolled to the door, and then out. I returned to work and kept my mind on my job for the rest of the day. There’d be plenty of time to think about her. I was just busting ass until quitting time.

???

By the time I made it home, cleaned up, and had dinner, it was after seven. I lectured myself the whole time not to be too forceful with her. I didn’t want to scare her. When I entered the clubhouse, the common room was almost full. Only a few people were missing. Before I had a chance to find Jessamy, Cara grabbed my attention. She came running to me with her ever-present dog, Vixen, right beside her.

That dog never left her side unless she was at school, which I knew made Knight very happy. While she played with Cara, Vixen’s primary duty was to be a guard dog for his family. However, even though Vixen was guarding Cara, she kept glancing back to keep an eye on Natalya. She was seated at a table, talking, and rubbing her pregnant belly. She had just over two months to go. Her companion was Jessamy. They both looked my way when Cara yelled.

“Mace, come here. I want to show you something,” she yelled.

When she reached me, I crouched down so that I could hug her and pick her up. She wrapped her little arm around my neck and squeezed. She was strong for her age and size. As I stood, I teased her.

“Watch that arm. You might choke someone out.”

She rolled her blue eyes. “Uncle Mace, that’s not how you choke someone out.”

“Oh really, then how do you do it?” I should’ve known better than to ask.

“Put me down, and I’ll show you,” she said confidently.

I set her down. I stayed crouched while she walked behind me, wrapped an arm around my neck, and used the other to grab it. She demonstrated a perfect sleeper hold. Only she wasn’t strong enough to put me to sleep.

“Here, let me try,” I heard Knight say.

Before I could move, she let go, and he had me in one. That bastard could and would do it. I immediately tapped out. I wasn’t in the mood to be lying on the floor tonight. We’d do this some other night and in the appropriate place.

“Chicken,” Knight whispered as he let go.

“No, just got shit to do,” I countered.

He chuckled and let me stand. Cara was standing there waiting expectantly.

“Daddy, I need Uncle Mace.” She pouted.

“You can have him, Buttercup. Just be gentle with him,” Knight teased.

I made sure Cara wasn’t looking when I gave him the middle finger. He just laughed and walked back to the bar. I let Cara lead me to where she wanted to go. To my great pleasure, she went straight to the table where Natalya and Jessamy sat. Natalya smiled at me. Jessamy was more reserved. She glanced up at me and then looked down. I hated it when she did that. It was my fault, I knew. I’d have to change that. There were several pictures from a coloring book before an empty chair. On the other side of it was another empty seat.

“Sit,” Cara demanded.

I did. Then, I sat there for about five minutes as she showed me all the ones she’d colored. When she was done, I picked the one I liked the most, and she handed it to me.

“You can have it.”

“Thank you, honey. I’ll put it on the refrigerator so everyone can see it when they come to my house,” I promised her as I folded it and stuck it in my cut.

“Good. Will you color with me?” Cara asked.

“I’ll color one, but then you have to let me stop after that,” I told her. I knew if I didn’t, she’d have me coloring forever.

She was happy with my answer. She chose the picture for me, and then we colored it together. Her idle chatter made me smile and, at times, chuckle. She was telling me about her preschool. Eventually, she got to what I found exciting news.

“Ms. Kay is super nice, but she’s leaving soon. I hope we get someone as nice as her.”

From what Jessamy told us, I knew she taught preschoolers. My ears perked up at this news. I glanced over at Jessamy. Cara had gotten her attention, too, with her talk of school.

“What is your favorite thing to do at school, Cara?” she asked.

Cara took her time thinking about it before she answered. She was taking it seriously.

“I like to color and draw and to learn how to write my name and other things. I can’t wait to read a book by myself,” she said excitedly.

“Reading is a favorite of mine, too. Did you know I’m a teacher like Ms. Kay?” Jessamy asked.

Cara’s eyes widened, and excitedly, she burst out, “You can take Ms. Kay’s job! Oh, that would be nice. Will you do it?” she begged.

Natalya laughed and tried to calm her down. “Honey, Jessamy doesn’t usually live here. She can’t exactly work at your school when she lives far away.”

I wanted to interject and say Jessamy would be able to do it after she began her new life here in Cherokee. It took work to hold back.

Cara seemed crestfallen. Jessamy perked her up. “While I’m here, I can help you with all that stuff at home. Think how surprised your teacher, whoever it is, will be at how much you know.” This idea seemed to appeal to Cara because she smiled and nodded.

“I hate to interrupt, but I need to steal away my family for a bit,” Knight told Jessamy as he came to stand next to us.

“You go right ahead,” she replied.

As Natalya and Cara got up, said goodbye, and followed Knight, Jessamy moved restlessly in her chair. I knew in another few seconds, she’d be up and moving away from me. I wasn’t about to let it happen.

“You look like you could use a drink. I know I could. What can I get you, Jessamy?” I asked.

She appeared startled by my offer. Was I that much of an asshole to her? Yeah, I guess I had been.

“Oh, it’s not necessary, Mace. I can get it.”

She started to rise, but I placed my hand on her arm. She froze. “I know you can, but I’m getting one, so let me get yours. What do you want? If you don’t tell me, I’ll bring you a Dr. Pepper,” I teased.

Her face screwed up, and she made a gagging face. I knew she didn’t like it. I’d overheard her telling someone she hated the taste of it.

“God, anything but that. Yuck!”

I chuckled. “Then name your poison, or that’s what you’ll get.”

“You’re mean. Okay, uhm, how about a root beer if they have it? If not, I’ll take a Coke. Honestly, anything other than a Dr. Piss is fine.”

I stood. “I’ll be back, and you’ll get to see what I bring,” I told her, winking as I walked off to the bar.

It didn’t take long to get what I wanted from Rune. I kept an eye on her to make sure she didn’t run for it. I was happy to see she didn’t. Different ones stopped to speak with her, but no one stayed. I hid the drinks behind my back as I approached our table. She raised a brow at me.

“Am I going to have to hurt you and then go get my own, Mace?” Jessamy asked.

“I don’t know. Are you?” I asked as I sat down a Dr. Pepper. She stuck out her tongue. Laughing, I quickly sat down the other one. It was a root beer. She snatched it up before I could sit.

“Here, let me open it,” I said, reaching for hers.

She slowly handed it over. I think she thought I might take it back. I opened it and then handed it to her before dealing with mine. I didn’t mind Dr. Pepper, so I could drink it. The look on her face had been worth it.

She watched me and shuddered. “How can you stand the taste?”

“It’s not my favorite, but I don’t mind.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“I’m a ginger ale guy.”

“Really? I can’t picture you as someone who would like that. Hmm.”

“Yep. I’m full of mystery. So you’ve been here barely a week. Tell me what you think of it.”

“Think of what?” she asked.

“The club, our compound, Cherokee?” I knew she’d been out a little during the day with the old ladies.

“Oh, well, I love the club. Everyone is so nice and willing to help. I’ve laughed more than I can remember laughing. The compound is huge and great. It makes you feel safe. And what little I’ve seen of the town, it’s a sweet, peaceful place to live.”

“How does it rate with Cottonwood?”

She thought briefly before answering me, “It’s much smaller here. We’re not a huge city, but there are almost ten times the people there. I can’t get over how green it is here, with all the trees. We have trees in clumps, but not like they are here. We have hills and the red rock forms you think of as being in the desert but not mountains like you do. It’s more laid-back here, or it’s the feeling I get. No one seems to be in a terrible rush.”

“Do you like the laid-back vibe and the size, or is it too remote?”

“Mace, why are you asking me this?”

“Well, you never know. By the time we wrap this up and it’s safe for you to go home, you might not want to go. How could you go if there were more here for you than there? You heard Cara. There’s a job opening up. You could apply for it, and I bet you’d have a good chance of getting it.”

We knew the main woman who ran the preschool. If the Pagans endorsed someone, the preschool’s owner would hire them.

“I couldn’t leave there,” she protested.

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve lived there my whole life.”

“But if you find more here, how could you return?”

I saw I’d given her something to think about. Not wanting to push too far, I left it and went on to other topics. At first, she was slow to answer, but then she relaxed and grew more animated. Soon, we were having lively debates. Others would join us briefly, but we were mainly left to talk alone. I felt good when she was ready to call it a night. It was a beginning. Now, just to keep it up until she was mine. Wire was nowhere in sight. I didn’t know where he was, but I was happy. I escorted Jessamy to her room. It took restraint not to kiss her at her door, but I didn’t. Baby steps, that was what I was taking, even if it killed me.