Chapter Four
Slow and steady won the race. That was Petal’s new mantra. It was what she kept telling herself when the dark thoughts she tried to keep at bay threatened to spill over.
Life was not a race. She had a feeling there were people who would completely disagree with her, but she wasn’t in a race with anyone else.
Nursing her beer, she looked around the party at the clubhouse, and she felt numb. There were a lot of people, but Rosalie had told her there were always a lot of members of the Satan’s Death Riders MC. The club wasn’t limited to those that stayed at the clubhouse, although there were a lot. There were members always on the road. Some of the club couldn’t stand to be in one place and used it as a stopping point. Whenever Warden called, they would come through.
Like tonight. A party. Even though it was close to zero outside, people were still coming. Spring wouldn’t be long, and then summer. She considered herself a winter kind of girl, but this year she was looking forward to the warmth of the summer.
Taking a sip of her beer, she wrinkled her nose. The taste was okay. She’d never been much of a beer drinker. Kim had given it to her the moment she arrived. Rosalie had also stopped by, hugged her, and Colt dragged his wife away.
Petal didn’t blame him. If he allowed the two of them to get talking, he wouldn’t have any time for his wife. She missed her best friend, but at least they got to see each other every day at work.
After everything Rosalie had been through, she deserved happiness—a whole lot of it. Petal was happy that out of a nightmare, her best friend had found love. Rosalie was in love.
Putting the full beer bottle on the counter, she walked over to the bar. She believed the guy behind the counter was called Rooster.
“Hey, can I get an orange vodka, or something fruity?”
Rooster chuckled. “Coming right up.”
She watched as he poured a shot of vodka into a glass, turned to the fridge, and took out a bottle of tropical juice.
“Be careful. I call them the ice breaker.”
He put a little straw inside and handed it to her.
Petal took a sip and knew why. “I’ll be careful.”
It was sweet and fruity, a perfect combination. So easy for a woman to lose herself, and it certainly would break any ice. A couple of these and a woman or man would forget everything, including why they were naked and shouldn’t be.
She smiled at Rooster and then turned back toward the bar. There were a lot of people, several women as well. A couple of women were naked and loving the men’s attention. Taking a tiny sip of her drink, she found a small table toward a corner of the room and took a seat.
This is not having fun.
This is being boring.
Stop moping.
Go out there and dance.
She refused to listen to that voice and instead sat her ass down and watched. Some people might think she was pissed off with Rosalie for abandoning her. She wasn’t. This was fine. She was happy being on her own.
The drink was so tempting, so she covered the top and lowered the drink down, watching people.
Her thoughts wandered. Not to Dirty. Not to that day. Before that day, when she was excited about going to an MC party with Rosalie and was doing everything in her power to get her friend to agree to go and have a good time, Rosalie refused.
It didn’t take long for the blanks to be filled in. Petal had been looking for some fun. She’d been a fool. There was no way she would go back to that man.
This party was not what she imagined all those weeks and months ago. No, she imagined men, beer, loud music, fun, and something so different. This wasn’t it. Although, she knew there was nothing wrong with this.
Glancing around the room, she sighed. The women looked so happy. One woman she did recognize was Raine, the bitch that tried to cause trouble for Rosalie and Colt. Now, she was wrapped around another club brother, completely naked, as a second man was at her back.
She looked at Raine, and Petal saw the power the woman thought she had. Raine clearly thought she was in control. The irony was, if Kim came, snapped her fingers, and told the men to step away, they would do it.
Raine had no power. Sure, the men would crave her and wish they got the chance to be with her, but that was where it ended. If Warden decided he had enough of Raine’s games, she’d be gone.
Petal didn’t even know why she was thinking about it. But then, she caught sight of Dirty. He was on the opposite side of the room, nursing a beer. She quickly averted her gaze because she was not about to fall down that rabbit hole. She had done so too many times already. This was not about stepping into the past. This was about moving into the future.
“You all right?”
She turned to see Myth standing in front of her, just a little to the left. “Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
She nodded and smiled.
“This seat taken?”
he asked, pointing to the spot beside her.
“No, it’s not. You can sit, by all means.”
She forced a smile to her lips, and then glanced down at her drink before glancing up. Dirty caught her attention, but she didn’t linger to see if he was looking directly at her. Instead, she turned toward Myth. “You’re not joining in on the action?”
“Nah.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I’m just here for a presence, and waiting for the right time when I can go to bed.”
Petal chuckled.
“You?” he asked.
“Kim invited me and kind of threatened that if I didn’t turn up, she was going to come and get me.”
“You don’t want to enjoy the dance floor?”
“Not tonight, it’s looking a little too crowded.”
Myth chuckled. He leaned in close. “Tell me, is that the cock or pussy on display?”
His question took her completely by surprise, and she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. Nothing. I just, I guess I didn’t expect you to point out the obvious, you know?”
He shrugged. “There’s no point in denying it, and I mean, what is the point? There’s tits, and oh, look, you even get to see Raine sinking down to her knees and taking a dick into her mouth.”
Petal didn’t mean to turn to look, but the last time she looked at the other woman, she’d been dancing, and now she was sucking dick.
“Okay, wow, I was not expecting that.”
She glanced down at her drink. The whole atmosphere in the club had taken a sexual turn. “I think this is my cue to kind of leave.”
There was no “kind of”
about it. It was time for her to leave. She stood and made her way over to the bar, leaving her drink on the counter.
Rooster took the drink from her with a wink, but immediately went back to his conversation. Petal didn’t know how she managed, but she made it out of the clubhouse without bumping into any other kind of X-rated scene, or even being caught up in one.
Once outside in the cold, she sent a text to both Rosalie and Kim, letting them know she was heading home. She was tempted to call a cab, but she didn’t want to wait.
“You want a ride home?”
Petal turned, a little taken aback to see Myth had followed her outside.
“You startled me.”
He held his hands up. “Sorry. I figured with you scampering, you’d need a ride. Cabs are expensive, and they take too long to get here. You’ll be frozen by the time one turns up, also, Kim wouldn’t expect me to let you walk home or wait.”
“But, you were drinking?”
“I had one beer. I was not in the mood for a true drink, so I can take you home. If it makes you feel any better, I can go and get Warden, have him confirm that I’m a good guy, and that he trusts me with his wife.”
“I’ve already seen that.”
“I’m no rapist or axe murderer. I have no desire to kill or hurt you. Also, I rather like having my dick and balls attached.”
This made her frown. “I have no idea why you would say that.”
She shrugged.
“I can imagine if I allowed anything to happen to you, Kim would have my dick and balls, and it wouldn’t be pretty, and I don’t want to live without them.”
Petal was so shocked by his admission, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, if that is the case, then I wouldn’t want to be responsible for your lack of a dick and balls, so I guess, sure, I’ll take a ride home.”
“I’ve got my bike.”
She wrinkled her nose. She’d ridden on Dirty’s bike. He told her to never ride on another man’s bike. Not a club brother’s. This was not Myth staking a claim on her or anything. This was him being a gentleman.
“Sure. Why not?”
She was already in jeans.
“I don’t have a helmet, but I will go slow.”
Petal rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about being slow for me. You can take your time.”
He winked at her. “I knew there was going to be a reason I liked you.”
They walked to his bike, and she waited as he climbed on. He looked like the master of his machine, much like Dirty was of his. Most of the men at the clubhouse were the same when it came to their motorcycles. She took a deep breath and tried not to panic as he gave her a look. With Dirty, it had been intimate. This wasn’t intimate. This was … a ride.
She climbed on the bike and had no choice but to hold onto him. She didn’t know where to put her hands. Myth tutted and then grabbed her hands and placed them around his waist.
“Hold on tight,” he said.
The bike purred to life, and she couldn’t help but feel her heart race. She always loved riding with Dirty. There was something freeing about being with him.
They pulled out of the clubhouse, and then they were on the road, riding toward her home. At first, it had felt so terrifying, but now it felt so … freeing.
It was the strangest thing. It was like the ride was freeing her from all her troubles, and she didn’t want it to stop. Closing her eyes, she couldn’t help but lean back.
“You okay back there?”
She smiled and held on tighter. “Go faster.”
He laughed, and she felt the vibration through his back.
Myth went faster, but she knew he held back. This bike could get up to speeds that would take her breath away. He didn’t go too fast, but he went fast enough to make her heart race. She loved every second of it and didn’t want him to stop.
However, all good things must come to an end, and it wasn’t long before they were parked outside her home.
Petal didn’t want to get off, but she refused to make this any more awkward than it needed to be. She climbed off the bike, and then glanced back at her home, before looking back at Myth. The temptation to offer him a cup of coffee was there, but she also knew that to some, that meant something else. She wasn’t looking for anything else.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Pleasure. I’ll see you around, Petal.”
He winked at her.
Petal watched him go with a frown. Myth was a nice guy. He had to have been nice for him to get the job of protecting Kim. That was all he was, though—a nice guy.
****
“You okay, Bro?”
Dirty looked up to see Colt walking into the kitchen. He was nursing a coffee. After last night’s party, he needed to get the caffeine into his veins. He held his mug up and nodded. “The good shit.”
Colt laughed. He took another long sip of his drink and wrinkled his nose.
“You all right?”
Colt asked.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
He’d been close to Petal last night, but that was about as good as it got. Petal hadn’t stayed too long and it pissed him off. He hated that Myth had been the one to take her home. Fucking sucked, big time.
This was a new feeling for him. He wasn’t used to being jealous over a woman. Not over anyone.
“You sure?”
Colt asked, heading toward the coffeepot.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“You don’t look it.”
Dirty laughed. “I’m fine.”
He and Colt were good friends. Since shit had gone down, they didn’t have a lot of time to hang out with each other.
“What are you doing today?”
Colt asked.
“I’m on protection detail. Warden has added the diner to the patrol, so today is my time.”
“At least you get a good lunch out of it.”
Dirty nodded. “It was not a problem. Petal never served him anyway. You? What are your plans for today?”
Colt winced. “Rosalie and I are heading to the doctor’s today.”
Dirty frowned and glanced over at his friend. “What’s wrong?”
Colt ran fingers through his hair and reached into the cupboard above his head. Dirty watched as he grabbed a bag of crackers.
“She’s been getting sick in the morning. Just … bad vomiting, and after she has eaten something dry, and then a drink of tea. Shit, fuck, tea. I can’t have coffee.”
Colt actually pouted and then moved toward the stove where the other kettle was waiting to be heated. “We think she might be pregnant.”
“Are we happy about this? Sad?”
Colt paused and as Dirty looked at him, it appeared as if the other brother had stopped breathing.
“I don’t fucking know what to think. I mean, it’s got to be a good thing, right? Pregnancy. My woman having my kid. I mean, we tried enough times and fucking failed, and now, as we’re just getting to really know and understand each other, a kid. It’s that fucking law, right, God’s law.”
Dirty smiled. He was happy for his friend, but at the same time he wasn’t happy. “Who figured it out?”
“My mom,”
Colt said.
“Kim knows?”
“She thinks that’s what it is, and I don’t want to upset her or anything.”
Colt blew out a breath. “It can’t be anything else. There is no bug out there that allows a woman to throw up in the morning and for the rest of the day be fine. I mean, that kind of shit doesn’t happen, right?”
“Yeah, right.”
He thought about Petal. Colt seemed to have his shit together a lot better than he did.
“What do you think?”
Dirty asked.
“About?”
“You know, Rosalie being pregnant?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
Colt burst out laughing. “I mean, I’m going to be a dad, and that is one scary and exciting thought.”
He laughed again. It was verging on the hysterical, but he looked happy about it.
“You’re nervous?”
“Fuck, yeah. I mean, I’ve got a dad and he’s great, but I don’t know if I’m going to be as good as the Warden. I mean, look at me. I’m not like him. I … Hannah,” he said.
“Don’t,”
Dirty said, and he got to his feet, ready to be there for his brother. “You can’t think that way.”
“I … I don’t know what to think right now. I mean, I let Hannah die.”
“You didn’t let her die.”
He walked over to Colt and grabbed the brother’s neck and pulled him close so their foreheads were together. “Don’t let that shit in. You didn’t let her die. There was nothing you could have done.”
And this is why he would never stop hunting the Evil Fuckers MC. Even when he was freezing his balls off outside, he’d be there riding, stalking, hunting. Prepared to do what needed to be done to hurt anyone who dared take on the club.
They had taken so much from the club, including Colt’s little sister, Warden and Kim’s only daughter. None of the club had been able to save her.
He knew he had immense guilt at not being there that day, but it didn’t matter what they did or didn’t do, he would have guilt. Hannah had been a little sweetheart, loved and adored by the whole club. Her loss had been felt. Dirty missed her.
“You’re going to be a good dad. One hell of a father, and any kid that gets you, they should count themselves lucky. Anyone that gives you shit, tell them to come and answer to me. I’ll take care of them.”
Colt laughed. “You’re a good friend, man. Thanks.”
Dirty nodded.
Colt didn’t know what happened between him and Petal. The brother knew he’d kept her occupied, just as he was asked to do. Colt had needed Petal out of the way, and Dirty had done that. The consequences of that, Colt did not know.
“I better go.”
Colt finished making tea for himself and Rosalie, and he also had the box of crackers.
A simple head nod his way, and Dirty watched him leave.
Colt was doing this the right way. Dirty handled shit the wrong way.
Finishing off his shit coffee, he grabbed his keys and headed out into the cold. He went straight to his bike and couldn’t help but notice Myth’s bike was missing.
There was nothing going on with Myth and Petal. The brother had returned home last night, which was good. Dirty didn’t know if he’d have been able to leave that shit alone.
Shaking his head, he pushed all the bad thoughts out of his mind and instead focused on the now, on getting his job done.
Myth could leave the clubhouse whenever he wanted. He didn’t need him to give him permission. Riding out of the clubhouse, he made his way along the dirt road, heading toward the diner. On the first ride, he passed the main diner, but he was aware of Myth’s bike in the parking lot, along with Petal’s car. There were a few other cars as well.
Ever since Rosalie and Petal had taken over, the diner had become a beacon for customers. There were still times when families didn’t want the MC there, but the food and new owners seemed to have calmed their fears. It also helped that Burto was a much better cook than Al had been.
From what he could tell, according to Warden, it had been a good investment for the club. Dirty didn’t much care what kind of investment it was, or if it was good for the club. It kept Petal close.
He revved the engine of his bike a little more, trying to rid those feelings from his body. He didn’t know when he went from not giving a fuck to suddenly caring. There was nothing he could do about it, even though he tried.
The patrol lasted for a good two hours. He parked at secluded zones and kept an eye on traffic. Not only did he pay attention to the type of vehicles coming and going, but his surroundings.
Everything was telling them the Evil Fuckers MC was gone. Kaput. There was no sign of them.
Everything in his gut was telling him something wasn’t right. There were not enough bodies and the only way to be safe from the Evil Fuckers MC, was to have them all six feet under.
After another hour of patrolling, the call of hunger was too great, and he made his way back toward the diner. He was too hungry to head to the clubhouse, and besides, until the end of the shift, he was on protection detail.
Parking his bike, he paused as he caught sight of Myth’s bike still in the main fucking parking lot. Now he was pissed. Didn’t the club brother have something more important to do?
They had fucked up once before, letting one of the men who beat the shit out of Rosalie just walk outside the fucking door. Dirty was not going to make that mistake again.
Gritting his teeth, he climbed off his bike and made his way inside, taking note of the people. He immediately caught sight of Petal. She was standing beside Myth’s table, and he didn’t like what he saw. Something Myth said had made her laugh, and it wasn’t one of those forced laughs the club pussy used either. This was a full-on smile, and it grated on his nerves. Petal hadn’t smiled at him like that since she had told him she was pregnant.
So many mistakes.
Rather than pull his head out of his ass, he stormed over to the table and watched the smile disappear from Petal’s lips.
Myth was still chuckling and he frowned as he looked from him to Petal.
“Hey, man, you okay?”
“I’m hungry,” he said.
Petal glanced toward the main counter and then sighed and pulled out her notebook.
“What do you want?”
she asked.
She wasn’t rude, but she avoided his gaze and stared down at her notebook.
Forgiveness. For you to look at me. For you to remember how good we were.
“Double cheeseburger, extra cheese, bacon, fried onions, the works, and cheesy fries,” he said.
He watched as she wrote it down and then disappeared. Dirty couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
“What’s up, man?”
Myth asked.
Turning back to his club brother he glared at him. “You could start by telling me what the fuck you’re doing here?”
Myth frowned. “Club orders. I’m not on Kim detail as Warden’s by her side, so I’ve been asked by Kim and Warden to keep an eye on the diner. So here I am. You?”
“Protection detail.”
“And you’re only just turning up?”
Myth asked with a smirk.
“I’ve been patrolling, fuckwad. You may think the Evil Fuckers are gone, but I promise you they’re not.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I know they’re not gone.”
Dirty got tense. He was so pissed that Myth was here with Petal, making her laugh and putting that sparkle back in her eyes. That Myth was the one to make her laugh. None of that mattered, because he knew, no matter what, Myth would have his back. They were club and that meant no woman interfered.
“What do you know?”
“I know it seems too easy. Daemon goes on a rampage killing a few, some of whom I’ve never seen, and they miraculously disappear without a trace. They allow their clubhouse to be bought, ransacked, and torn down. None of it makes sense. Daemon wasn’t the only sick fuck there. They were all sick fucks and all were complicit with him. Something doesn’t add up.”
Dirty nodded. He didn’t need anyone to confirm his suspicions as he knew he was right from the start.
“Good,” he said.
“You want to tell me why you’re pissed that I’m having fun with Petal?”
“Don’t fucking hurt her or touch her,”
Dirty said.
Myth blew out a breath. “Stop. It’s not like that.”
“You think I don’t know how gorgeous she is?”
Dirty asked. “Don’t try and pretend you don’t see it.”
He was not going to be taken for a fool. Petal was a gorgeous woman, all that blonde hair, her sparkling blue eyes, and when she was actually eating, the curves on her were made for a man to fantasize about.
Of course, he noticed her uniform getting bigger and it pissed him off, big time. He didn’t want to see her suffering.
“Nothing is going on between Petal and me,”
Myth said. “Not like that. I like her. She’s nice and she’s easy to talk to, but that’s it.”
Dirty looked at him and didn’t know if he believed him or not.
There was no point in trying to pry, because within seconds, Petal brought him some food, and he was too distracted in watching her to care about it.