Chapter 25
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
BamBam
“Are y’all ready for this?” Rio asks as we stand at the gates just before they open to let the rodeo attendees inside.
“Not really,” I mutter, my eyes constantly roaming the crowd. “I’m worried that Livy won’t be safe here after I promised I’d always keep her that way.”
Riptide, Rio’s cousin, is standing there and he decides to add his two cents to the conversation.
“Between all of y’all, my guys, and the brothers who made the trip from the other chapters, if anyone decides to start shit, we’ll end it, plain and simple.
Plus, while Icer is focused on Elodie and little man, he’s got a soft spot for kids, so if he knows your woman has a baby, he’ll be keeping an eye on them as well. ”
I hold back a slight shudder because Icer is what I’d call a loose cannon.
While I don’t know his whole backstory, I know his past fucked him up, even though he grew up around the compound since his grandfather was Paps’ enforcer.
Now, his father was a piece of shit, abusive as all get out, but he wasn’t a club brother, so outside of Icer’s grandpa keeping him around us as much as possible, he kept a wall up around himself.
Still, he’s a loyal brother that I don’t mind having my back.
Hearing that he’s got a protective streak when it comes to kids has me breathing easier.
Woe to the fucker who trips his switch, though, because they’ll find themselves on a one-way trip to Hell by the time he’s done.
“Good to know. I’ve shown Livy around, so she knows where the restrooms and stuff are, but she’s aware that I’ll be busy watching out for shit.”
As the enforcer, it’s one of my jobs and I take it seriously.
I’m positive that she’ll be fine; she’s currently with Issy at the clubhouse, but she’ll be sitting with the other women from Hope House.
Regardless, I know I’ll be touching bases with her frequently throughout the day because I honestly can’t stay away from her for too long without my body feeling as if it’s going through withdrawals.
I noticed this morning, when I went to pick her and Theo up, that she didn’t shy away from my closeness, although her cheeks pinkened adorably when I helped her up into the truck once Theo was safely ensconced in his carseat.
“We’ll keep an eye out for her, brother,” Abyss promises. Turning to Rio he asks, “Was Issy responsible for the most adorable little wranglers I’ve ever seen?”
Rio smirks and says, “Yeah, she bought an outfit for Van’s boy, too. Hopefully, it’s not a sign she’s getting baby fever. Not quite ready to add that to our lives, but if it happens, I’ll deal.”
I burst out laughing. “Brother, your woman moves to the beat of her own drum. I suspect she’ll hold off on adding to the chaos that is our lives, at least until she’s done barrel racing. Kinda hard to keep the equilibrium just right when you’re carrying a basketball.”
My words have the rest of the brothers chuckling as Rio shakes his head. “Okay, y’all, here we go,” he states, opening the gates so the attendees can enter.
I know today will be a money maker for the club based on the sheer amount of people walking through.
In addition to the rodeo events themselves, Issy put a lot of thought into the other attractions to keep everyone entertained.
For Gopher and myself, it’s a bit of a statistical nightmare.
As a club, we’ve got our own fair share of enemies, and with Riptide’s club dealing with the Onyx Dragons right now, something like this weekend’s event poses a lot of security issues.
“Let’s go grab something to eat,” I say to Livy since I’m on break from my shift and sought her out so I can spend some time with her.
“Oh! That sounds good, actually,” she replies, holding Theo out to me so she can walk down the bleachers where she and the other women from Hope House are sitting. I see Buddy is with them and give him a nod which he returns.
Once she’s next to me, I curl Theo against my chest and take her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. I hear her breath hitch and smile, knowing she’s as affected as I am at something as simple as a mere touch.
“What do you feel like eating?” I ask as we approach food alley.
It’s what I’m calling the various buildings and food trucks that applied for the right to sell everything from funnel cakes to frosty beers in a plastic cup.
I’m impressed at how organized and clean everything is, then smirk when I see not only our three prospects, Mongrel, Monkey, and Mutt hustling around emptying trash and cleaning off the picnic tables that are scattered about, but several from some of the other chapters who made the trip for Gage’s last ride.
I still hold quite a bit of resentment toward him; while he wasn’t a brother in the club, he was close enough to all of us who’ve been around for a long time, and the betrayal definitely stings.
He might have redeemed himself by throwing his body in front of Rio when the Mojave Devil fucker shot at him, but at the same time, his first loyalty should have been to Issy, not some sister he really didn’t know.
“What about an Italian sausage with onions and peppers?” she replies.
“Not a bad idea, that way if we both eat onions, it won’t matter when I kiss you later,” I tell her, smirking when her face turns a becoming shade of pearlescent pink. Leaning closer, I whisper, “It’s happening, Livy.”
“Uh, okay,” she stammers.
It’s kind of ironic that anyone wearing a cut or a support T-shirt like Livy’s wearing has their own line at the Sausage House, but it shows our pull in the community. After placing our order with the promise that someone will bring it to us, I head to a picnic table that’s somewhat in the shade.
“You’re turning a little bit pink,” I advise, running my index finger down her nose. “Maybe you should get a hat.”
“I don’t understand, either. My moisturizer has SPF in it, and I also put on some sunblock specifically made for the face,” she says.
“Sweetheart, it’s hotter than Hell out here. That probably burned off in an hour or so. The last thing I want is for you to be miserable later. We’ve still got Gage’s last ride which won’t happen until the end of the day.”
“I probably should stay in the shade as much as possible then,” she muses.
“We’ll grab a hat from one of the vendors before I take you back to the women. As a club, we’re sitting together because even though Gage wasn’t a brother per se, many of us grew up with him,” I say.
“That works for me.”
Our food is delivered, and Livy’s eyes widen in surprise at the amount of food on the plate.
“I will never eat all of this, but it smells ah-mazing so I will do my best,” she says as she takes a bite.
Then she moans as the flavors explode in her mouth and seeing the Italian sausage has my dick thickening behind my zipper.
I know she didn’t do it intentionally, but now I’m wondering if she’ll make the same noises when I’m filling her pussy or thrusting into her mouth.
“Good, babe?” I manage to ask through a throat that’s suspiciously tight. Every sense is heightened and I’m pretty sure it has less to do with the sheer number of people around us and everything to do with the woman sitting across from me.
“It’s delicious,” she mumbles around a full mouth, her cheeks poked out like a chipmunk’s. After she chews and swallows, she takes a drink of her Dr. Pepper and grins at me. “My mama would smack me if she saw what I just did. But it’s so good, I can’t help myself.”
Snickering, I continue to eat my own meal, grateful for a few minutes of down time.
While I’d prefer it if Livy was stuck to my side, I have responsibilities to my brothers to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of all those in attendance.
I’ve got a lot on my plate and every single brother here has gotten a picture of Jasper, so they know to be on the lookout for him and his ragtag buddies.
Because he’s been too quiet, and I don’t believe for a single second that he’s moved on.
No. He wants my woman. To him, she’s a possession, no more important than an object whose strings he can yank on, a thing to control and abuse.
However, that’s not her at all. She may have been temporarily trapped in his world of Hell, but she got out and it’s my job now to ensure she’s happy while she heals.
So far, I think I’m doing it right. I spend more time in town now than I ever have.
Before Livy, I went in to collect the money from the laundromat, allowing the prospects to pick up anything I needed.
Now? Well now, I’m there practically every single day, taking her out, bringing her food, watching movies with her while she makes dinner, or we eat takeout.
I’ve already gotten permission from Rio to build a house far enough out on the property that we’ll have privacy, but close to the clubhouse in case we’re needed.
During our many talks, I found out that Livy prefers old-fashioned farmhouses, so after an extensive search and a lot of shit talking from my brothers, I found the perfect design.
Ground has already been broken and because it’s Texas and basements aren’t really easy to put in because of the dirt in this region, I have a storm shelter going in at the same time.
I’ll also have a panic room on each floor.
While the likelihood that we’d ever need one is slim to none based on the fact we’re on Kings’ property, it’s not zero and I refuse to take any chances with my woman and son.
We continue to eat in companionable silence, broken only by Theo’s little squeals as he sees the bright balloons that several kids walking by are carrying. “Maybe we should get him one,” I say as we finish our lunch.
“I thought about getting his face painted but I’m worried the paint might bother his skin,” she replies. “So, maybe a balloon is a good compromise.”
“Then let’s go get him one and a hat for you. We’ve still got Gage’s ride.”