Chapter 25 #2
Lacy looked like she was going to be sick. Kristie no longer looked nervous, but confused. But it was aimed at Jeannie, not me.
Daisy hissed. “That’s enough, Jeannie.”
Looking around at the men in their vests, it started to click.
Mama Hen wore one sometimes. Daisy, Lacy, Shiv, and Kristie had worn one.
But Sugar had never worn one. Jeannie never had worn one.
All the other bunnies walking around the clubhouse never had one.
Only the ones that were officially paired up, married or not.
My chest rose and fell with deep breaths as heat climbed up my throat.
Jeannie stood, grabbing her bottle. “I’m going, I’m going.”
They all went out the front door, leaving me and Klara alone. Klara pulled out her phone and typed something. “Oh.”
“Let me see.”
My eyes scanned over the explanation of what a patch was for a woman in a motorcycle club. My face burned as I read.
“She’s a bitch,” Klara said. “I don’t like her.”
Looking across the room, I glared at Hawk. But his men were all around. My fist balled.
“Katya, are you alright?” Klara asked.
“No.” I stood, grabbing my glass tumbler. Looking down, I decided against that, but drank the remaining vodka and slammed the glass.
Klara was right behind me as I stormed outside. The sun was melting behind the tree line but still giving plenty of light. The women were having a heated discussion as I approached. Kristie saw me coming first and mouthed, “Oh shit,” then poked at Daisy.
Daisy crossed her arms and stepped back. Lacy turned around, putting her hands up. “Katya, just go back inside.”
Klara said, “You may want to move, darling.”
Jeannie walked around Lacy and held her arms out. “I was just waiting. C’mon then.”
When I was within arm’s reach, she swung her beer at me, but I ducked and kicked her feet out from under her. Then I stood, looking down at her.
She laughed, the bottle rolling away. Kristie picked it up, moving away from us again.
Daisy held Lacy’s shoulders as Jeannie stood, knocking dirt off of her. I waited, watching as she decided if she wanted to really try me.
Kristie finally said, “Jeannie, I think you should go.”
Jeannie scoffed. “Wow.” She looked back at Daisy and Lacy. Daisy just pulled Lacy closer, giving Jeannie a tight-lipped glare.
Jeannie pointed. “You too, Lacy? You want me to leave?”
I heard the door behind me, but I didn’t look back.
“Hey,” Mama Hen called out. Once she was beside me, she asked, “What the fuck is this?”
Jeannie brushed more dust off her. “Nothing, Mama Hen.”
Without looking at Mama Hen I answered, “She insulted me.”
Jeannie laughed and said, “Hey, I’m not the president. I’m not sure you’re aiming that anger at the right person.”
“Jeannie, maybe go cool off at home,” Mama Hen said.
Jeannie sucked in a breath, and her mouth formed an o briefly. Then she clenched her jaw. She looked around and shook her head before she walked toward the garage.
Mama Hen squeezed me to her side and said, “C’mon. Let’s get you a drink and some food.”
But as we approached the clubhouse, Hawk was coming out. The other women walked past us, heading inside, but Mama Hen stayed by me, her hands falling from my waist.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
I gritted my teeth and pushed him with all my might, sending him back a few steps.
“What the fuck?” he asked, more shock in his tone than anger.
“No, you what the fuck.” The accent was back and I didn’t care. “You say all those empty words to me and let me be humiliated all this time. Fuck you.”
Niko peeked out the door then rushed over. Instead of coming to my side, he stood with Hawk. “Katya, this is not how we handle private matters.”
“Fuck you, too, brother.” Looking at Mama Hen, I said, “I’m sorry. I need some space. Klara, come.”
I started to walk to the house with Klara, but Hawk stopped me, turning me to face him. “I haven’t humiliated you. What the fuck just happened?”
Breaking his grasp on my shoulders, I wrapped my arms around his, gripping his arms and stopping just short of breaking them, or at the least pulling them out of socket.
“Fucking hell, Kat!” Hawk shouted.
“Katya!” Niko shouted.
Pushing his arms down, I shoved him again. “Where’s my patch, Hawk?”
He stopped his forward progress and didn’t say anything. His jaw ticked as his blue eyes turned to slits.
“That’s what I thought. Just leave me alone.”
I hustled to the house, arm and arm with Klara, practically dragging her.
“I can’t believe that bitch just ruined our night. I have to leave soon and haven’t even entertained one of these bikers,” Klara said as I started punching in the code. “Hawk is an idiot man.”
I was so mad that my eyes filled with tears of rage so I had to try the code again.
A woman’s voice called out, “Katya, are you okay?”
Looking back, it was Daisy. Lacy and Kristie were right behind her.
Kristie held up a beer. “I grabbed this, but told Sugar to bring you whatever you had when she gets a minute.”
My shoulders relaxed as I looked at them, all in their airbrushed shirts that matched mine. “I thought you would be upset with me.”
They all rushed closer. “What? Jeannie was acting like an ass. She’s never been this way,” Daisy said.
“Never,” Lacy agreed. “But to be fair, we’ve only been around a few months. What she did was so rude. I’m sorry, Katya.”
I grabbed her hand. “You did nothing. Come on inside.”
They all looked at each other with their brows at their hairline.
“Oh for God sake,” I swiped away the stray tear that fell down my cheek. “It’s my house now, too, and I am inviting you in. Now come.” I waved them in.
I finally got the code to work and we all filed inside.
“Have a seat. There’s not much food, but we do have some liquor in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, kicking myself for not letting out my frustration on Jeannie.
I’d deal with Hawk later, but she purposely pushed my buttons.
Just like she purposely sought him out, knowing I’d see them speaking.
I was married to him, so I still had to have it out with him, but I wouldn’t give in easily. But her, I owed her nothing.
After blotting my face with the hand towel hanging up, I went to join the ladies in the living room and took a seat in the chair.
There was a strange knock on the door, so Klara said, “I got it.”
She opened it and Mama Hen came in with a platter of food. Sugar was behind her with a small cooler and a tall glass with clear liquid and a lemon peel.
Sugar put the cooler down and handed me the drink. “It’s your drink, just more of it since you’re here. I gotta get back.”
I sipped it. “Delicious. Thank you, Sugar.”
Mama Hen grabbed a beer from the cooler after she set the tray on the coffee table. “You good?”
I nodded. “Thank you for supporting me.”
“You’re my daughter-in-law. Of course I took your side. And you will be the First Lady.”
The women all paused. She just said the thing out loud. Sighing, I took a long sip of my drink and said, “Just not today, apparently.”
Daisy took a long draw from her beer as the silence settled at that statement. But after a few beats, she leaned up and asked, “Why didn’t you just kick her ass?”
Sighing, I took a sip then answered honestly, “I could kill her with my bare hands. But I was taught to disarm and defend. You only go for the kill if your life is in danger and there is no other way. I wanted to confront her, and maybe I should have done more once she was down, but it’s hard to break years of training.
Plus, you all were there, and I thought you’d be mad.
” I took another long sip of my drink, then said, “I kind of wish I had, though.”
Kristie said, “You did the honorable thing.”
Daisy scoffed. “So I wasn’t honorable when I got into it with Sugar?”
Mama Hen rolled her eyes. “Nobody is saying Sugar didn’t deserve what she got, cool it.”
Daisy shrugged. “Well, I don’t think I could kill her with my bare hands, anyway. Just fuck up her face a bit.”
“I need to hear this story,” I laughed. “Sugar has been so pleasant to me. I need to know what happened. I want us all to get along. Is that naive?”
Mama Hen shook her head. “That’s not naive.
It’s what has to be for this all to work.
And sometimes, having it out gets you over that hump.
” She turned her bottle up, then set it on the table.
“Girls, I think it’s time you told her your stories.
Let’s put her mind at ease. And in a bit, I’ll tell you all mine. ”