14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
I slept hard, but only for a couple of hours. I’d spent most of the night making fantasies come true for Jemma and myself. I woke with her soft body curled to my side. I didn’t want to move unless it was to enter her once more with the throbbing cock that I sported every morning. I ignored that need because she was sleeping peacefully, and I feared she was sore from screwing during the previous hours. I worried I’d harmed her since she was so small.
There was also the fact that Jackson was in the house. I needed to shower and dress before he got up. He had given his full trust to me.
He expected me to be guarding Jemma and him. I had guarded Jemma. I hadn’t left her alone for even a minute, but that wasn’t what Jackson would see as guarding. I certainly hadn’t given him much thought all night. I’d fallen down on my promise.
Angry with myself, I rose as quietly as I could so I didn’t disturb Jemma. I grabbed my clothes off the floor and headed for the shower. I was determined to be in the kitchen when Jackson woke up. I would never tell him how I’d spent the night and hoped that Jemma would keep our actions to herself as well. If this went any further, then we could have a talk with the kid. But for now, I wasn’t even sure if the night had been a one-time thing for Jemma or more. I knew what I wanted, but she had a mind of her own as she’d proven by greeting me in a skimpy towel and asking me to take her.
I was still in shock that she’d been so daring. I’d known for a while that there was a sexual tension between us, but I never believed for one second that she’d allow anything to happen. I wasn’t going to complain though. She’d rocked my world in a whole lot of ways. I doubted I’d ever find satisfaction in having sex with the women who hung around the club again. There was no emotion involved in that. Now that I knew emotion made such a difference I wasn’t about to settle for less.
I blew her sleeping form a kiss as I left the bedroom for the safety of the kitchen. Thankfully, there was no sign of Jackson. It didn’t make me happy to see that the cop was no longer out front. His shift had ended, and no one had replaced him. I was going to have to ask Prime for another night off even though I already knew he wouldn’t be able to accommodate it. He’d given me more leeway than I ever thought he would.
I started a pot of coffee and placed the call.
“I know I’m waking you up, Prime, but I need to ask you a question. I have a problem that requires a resolution long before tonight,” I began.
“I wasn’t a sleep. We had some trouble last night. Some fucker broke into Colt’s gym and trashed it. The punching bags were cut open. The glass walls of the private classrooms were shattered, and the sparring ring was destroyed. The alarm went off, but the damage was done in the few minutes it took for us and the cops to arrive. It had to have been more than one person,” Prime explained.
“And you think the damn cartel had something to do with it, don’t you? The bastards are challenging us. Why didn’t you fucking call me? This kind of shit is my job.”
“Jemma and the kid were your job last night. But I can’t spare your ass again. I know that’s why you’re calling. The cops won’t watch over her anymore. They’re leaving the gym to us, too. The cartel is shitting on their parade, too. The assholes are becoming bold, and that’s what’s going to trip them up. Breaking into the gym wasn’t about money or drugs. They were baiting us, letting us know they’re aware of our legit businesses. They seem to think they’ll take us out by attacking us that way,” Prime replied.
“Then, they’re stupid. We’re more diversified than they know. This is going to end up in a physical battle. Some throats are gonna have to get cut, and some bodies will disappear. Until then, we’ve got to hold them out of our territory,” I stated.
“Which means I have to pull you back in. I realize you’re torn, and Jemma needs protection. Ask her to come into the club every night after she gets off work and the kid gets out of school. We can watch over them here. Someone can entertain the kid in our private lounge while Jemma spends time with you. It’s the best I can offer,” Prime said.
“I’ll ask, but she may blow me off. She’s barely gotten used to me. Sticking her into the whole MC environment may be a bad idea. She’ll run scared.”
“It’s your only choice,” Prime reminded me.
“I know,” I admitted before hanging up. I pinched the part of my nose between my eyes to ease the headache that was brewing. My life was becoming complicated at a really bad time. The club was my family and had been for years. I wouldn’t let them down. But I also kept promises, and I’d made them to both Jackson and Jemma.
“The cop’s gone,” Jemma said quietly from behind me.
“I know,” I replied. “You might be safe, but I can’t promise that. Prime says I have to work tonight. There’s been trouble two nights in a row, and I’m needed. I’m the enforcer, Jemma. I can’t just disappear from the club.”
“I get that. We’ll be fine.” Her face showed determination, yet I saw the fear she was trying to hide.
“Prime says you and Jackson are welcome at the bar every night. I can watch over you there. There are others who can watch, too,” I explained.
“I can’t take a twelve-year-old to a bar,” she argued.
“He wouldn’t be in the actual bar. We have a lounge in the back where only our MC is allowed. There’s a television, video games, and a pool table. He can hang out there. Flame, our best bartender, has the night off. She likes kids and gets along with them. I can ask her to stay with him. They can play cards and video games. It’ll be fine,” I promised.
“I’m not as opposed to that deal as I’d thought I’d be. It might be fun to watch you work, and Jackson has definitely been exposed to things far worse than the game room at the back of a bar. But I see more concern in your face than what you should have over giving me this choice. The trouble must be worse than your usual. You can talk to me, Sweet.”
“I know you don’t understand how an MC works, or what we do every day. Someday I may explain it all, but right now I like your ignorance over it. I can tell you that we control a certain amount of territory, which I’m sure doesn’t exactly make sense to you. It’s kind of like each cop precinct has a certain allotted area to take care of, and they don’t cross over the line unless there’s a chase or something. The thing is we’re way more pissed when someone pisses across our line. Anyway, our territory is being challenged. Last night they broke into Colt’s gym and destroyed a lot of expensive shit just to make us mad.”
“Oh no! Is Colt all right? Was he there?” she frantically asked.
“No one was there. Colt’s fine. He’s probably pissed and ready to kick some ass, and I don’t blame him. He’s insured so it’ll all be fixed or replaced, but that’s not the point. It’s more personal than that. For now, it’s a disaster, so your lessons will have to be put on hold. I’m sorry about that. Maybe we can find somewhere else to practice.”
“Don’t worry about it. Jackson and I can wait. You’re needed elsewhere right now. Can I help clean up the gym? I wouldn’t mind,” Jemma stated.
I rubbed the back of my neck to ease the ache there. Jemma was too good for a man like me, and her offer just made me more aware of it. I was sucking her into a world that was wrong for her, dangerous and illegal, but I couldn’t seem to stop. I needed her to balance out my life. She gave me a way to stay focused on the fact that there were people outside of the club worth fighting for. We all needed that to keep us from going too deep into the darkness like Aguilar was doing.
“It’s blocked off by police tape at the moment. They’ll remove it later today. Colt will probably hire a crew to clear out the junk while he orders replacements. Thanks for the offer, though. I’ll let Colt know about it just in case. Are you going to take me up on the offer and come to the club tonight, so I don’t have to worry about you and Jackson?”
“What if the ones who tore up Colt’s become braver and attack the bar?” she asked.
“They won’t. There’s no way they’d win a fight in a place full of MC members, ours and others. If they dared to be that stupid I’d never let anything happen to you or Jackson. I’d protect you both with my life as would the rest of the Serpent Sinners. You’re under our protection when you’re in our place.”
I reassured Jemma though her question got me to thinking. What if the cartel decided to set a bomb at the bar or our headquarters? Aguilar wasn’t above killing innocents just to get the territory he craved. I’d have to mention the idea to Prime. Searching for bombs was going to add another stressful issue to his already sleep deprived day.