Chaos Chapter 12
It was Saturday night. After a great ride with Dare and Joli earlier, made possible by Betty and the two old ladies, who took Bran and Marcus and insisted we get away, we’d returned to have dinner together and then head over to the clubhouse to hang out.
In a club, most of our personal time was spent together in the clubhouse. That didn’t mean no one ever went out solo or in groups elsewhere, but we liked to spend time together. We were friends and family. There wasn’t much need to hang out at other places, or at least not without the club.
Joli and Bianca had been getting along beautifully. When Bianca was distracted by the kids, Joli had told me how much she liked her and that I’d better not fuck things up with Bianca. My cousin said Bianca was a total keeper. I agreed.
At first, the kids had been in the common room with us. They were allowed to toddle around with all of us keeping an eye on them. Bran took Dora under his wing and watched over her like he did Marcus. It was so cute to see.
When they got cranky and it was bedtime, Betty and Rage offered to take them to their house and keep them.
Dare and Joli said it wasn’t necessary, but they insisted.
They had a room set up for Dora and their grandson, Branton, who belonged to Betty’s daughter, Braelyn, and Loki, a member of the Archangel’s Warriors in Hunters Creek, Tennessee.
Xander, who was Loki’s son from a relationship with a bunny, was fourteen.
He had his own room when he came to stay with them.
The younger kids’ room was childproofed and could hold more than one child. My cousin and Dare’s thanks were waved away. Without a doubt, Betty and Rage were the club’s grandparents, no matter who the kids belonged to. Rage talked about how long he waited to have some. Betty had been the same.
With the kiddies safely asleep, we were all drinking and having a good time.
We played pool, and the music played, which had Jalisa, Joli, Bianca, and Cambria on the floor dancing.
I sure kept my eyes on my woman, shaking her body up there.
And so were the other old men with their ladies.
I was relieved that Mishap hadn’t made an appearance.
His bad mood would only bring the rest of ours down. And I wanted nothing to upset Bianca.
When the bunnies arrived, they were alone for once.
The hangers must be running behind. There was no way none of them wouldn’t come on a Saturday night.
As soon as the bunnies entered the common room, I saw Bianca break away and go over to AnnMarie.
I sat up straighter, but they spoke with smiles, though AnnMarie had been tense at first. The next thing I knew, Joli joined them.
“What’s going on with that bunny?” Dare asked.
“That’s AnnMarie, the one Mishap thinks I slept with, and we’re lying to Bianca about it.” I’d shared that story with him and my cousin.
“Ahh. Well, it seems Bianca is fine with her being here. Not usually the case with old ladies. Not that I blame them. I would hate having anyone my old lady was with before in my face all the time.”
“Tell me about it. If I had Bianca’s ex-husband in front of me, I’d beat him more stupid. What man in his right mind cheats on a woman like her? But I guess I should be thankful he did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have her. Still, it’s not enough not to want to inflict some pain on the fucker.”
Dare laughed and agreed. He and I went back to playing darts.
Our women had been at a nearby table watching and talking until the bunnies’ arrival.
I kept an eye on the conversation between Bianca, AnnMarie, and Joli.
It lasted a while. And I wasn’t the only one watching.
I saw the way the other bunnies stared. And after the hangers arrived, some of them did, too.
They were puzzled or, in some cases, upset.
I got back up to speed in the game. The next time I looked to see where Bianca was, she and Joli were coming up to us. I smiled and held out my arm. My woman slipped under it, and I brought her against my side.
“Hey, Binx, how did your talk with AnnMarie go?” I asked.
“Not the greatest,” she muttered darkly.
“What do you mean? You didn’t seem upset with her,” I observed.
“I’m not upset with her. I’m pissed about her circumstance.
I asked how her dad was. She didn’t want to say, but we pushed.
God, Chaos, it’s terrible how much she’s carrying.
And that her only way of having a roof over her head all the time is to be a bunny.
She has to find a job and place to live.
She’s too sweet and generous to be here. ”
I heard the sympathy, and maybe some pain, in her voice.
“And her damn brothers deserve to have their asses kicked,” Joli growled.
“What did they do now? Or is it more of the same?” I asked.
“Both. They not only don’t lift a finger to care for their dad, financially, emotionally, or physically, but they had the nerve to ask AnnMarie to give them money.
They want to know where she goes on her days off and what work she’s doing.
She refuses to tell them, but they’ll find out, she said.
She’s scared of what’ll happen when they do,” Bianca explained.
“Babe, I’ll talk to her. She needs to know that if her brothers try anything, she has the club behind her. As for her finding a new place and work, I’m thinking on it, I swear. I agree she’s too nice to be doing what she is.”
“Good. I’ll think about it, too. Sorry, didn’t mean to bring down the mood, but I feel terrible for her,” Bianca said.
“You didn’t bring down the mood. So, are you going back to gossip or dance more?” I teased.
She poked me in the side with her elbow. “I think for that remark, Joli and I should challenge you two to a game of darts. We’ll show you how to play to win.”
That remark made Dare laugh. And just like that, we were pairing up to battle it out with darts.
We were about halfway through the game, with the women hanging right there with us, when a rise in the surrounding murmuring caught our attention.
When I glanced around to see what was up, I saw that Mishap had arrived.
I had no clue how long ago. But he was living up to his recent behavior.
He had AnnMarie cornered. She shook her head no and tried to get away from him, but he blocked her in.
Without waiting to see anything else, I was on the move.
Dare came with me. Other brothers were moving in their direction as well, but I was closer.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Mishap glared at me. “Nothing that’s your business.”
“It is my business if you have a woman cornered and she’s clearly scared of you. Let AnnMarie go,” I ordered.
Mishap’s face contorted in anger. “Fuck you, Chaos! You aren’t the boss of me. As for her, well, she’s a whore for the club. All I’m doing is asking her to do her job. I want to see what all the fuss is about. You had her. Why shouldn’t I?”
His words were hateful and, honestly, not ones I would’ve ever thought one of my brothers would say. Mishap had completely changed into someone I didn’t know or like. AnnMarie was crying.
“Move, now,” Bianca snapped as she pushed past me to face her cousin.
“Stay out of this, Bianca. This is between your man and me,” he sneered.
“Get the hell away from her,” Ryder demanded.
Other members shouted at Mishap, but that wasn’t what made him move so that AnnMarie could slip away.
It was my woman. She moved from one blink to the next.
I saw the blur, then I heard the impact.
And then silence descended. Astonishment bled across Mishap’s face as it registered that Bianca had punched him in the jaw.
Not a slap, a punch, and it had force behind it.
“How fucking dare you act this way toward someone! AnnMarie hasn’t done shit to deserve this. I don’t know what your goddamn problem is, Rawley, but you better snap out of it before you fuck up your life,” Bianca snarled.
“My name is Mishap. And don’t you dare touch me again,” he snapped.
“You don’t deserve to use a road name. That is a sign of respect, something you don’t have in my book right now. Since when do you bully people, especially women? AnnMarie, come to me,” Bianca said, holding out her hand.
As AnnMarie slid past Mishap, he shifted as if to block her. That’s when I stepped into his personal space.
“Touch her, and you’ll get more than a punch to the jaw. You need to leave. Go home. Cool off. Pull your head out of your ass, but go away,” I ordered.
“You can’t tell me what to do!” Mishap snarled.
“Oh, yes, he can. He’s a club officer. But if you want a more official order, then here it is.
You will stay away from AnnMarie. If you approach her again for any reason, you’ll be dealt with in a way you won’t like.
As for your ongoing attitude and behavior, you have a week to get yourself under control and make amends for what you’ve been doing.
If you don’t, you’ll leave us no choice but to reconsider your patch,” Wrath told him icily.
I watched the color drain from Mishap’s face. The only color in his face was from the red mark Bianca’s punch left behind. His gaze darted around, finding no face encouraging him. Everyone was disgusted or pissed off. Finally, he spoke.
“Fine. It was lame in here anyway. It makes me sick to watch these two.” He gestured to Bianca and me.
Then, without another word, Mishap turned on his heel and stomped out of the clubhouse.
AnnMarie was being held by Chains, who was whispering in her ear.
As the crowd began to break up and go back to whatever they had been doing, my gut remained in a knot.
I knew that Mishap wasn’t done, and I detested the idea that he was ruining his life and signing his own removal from the club. The reason was stupid.