Chapter 11
AISLYNN
“Won’t be long,” I called out to Scrap, throwing a smile his way.
“Not goin’ anywhere, babe,” he called out the window, shaking his head at me like I was a kid who forgot to pack her homework for school.
I was always leaving my phone places, but that night I hadn’t taken a purse out, so I left it on the bar with Pagan for safekeeping while I was dancing with the girls. Scrap and I were almost back at the clubhouse by the time I realized I’d left it behind.
Greeting the guys at the entrance, I waited for Bounty to hold the door open for me, shooting him an appreciative grin. I walked in and went to the bar, then, seeing it was empty, I did a quick scan of the place and stopped dead.
Pagan was walking across the room with Bootneck, and he had his arm around Candy, one of the strippers.
I watched, confused as Boot leaned down, grabbed her face, and kissed her. And then, my brain exploded as she leaned up and kissed Pagan on the mouth.
My breath caught in my throat.
What the fuck?
“It doesn’t mean anything, Ash,” a soft voice said from behind me.
I whirled around to see Roxanne standing there, her eyes glued on the scene.
“Where are they going?” I whispered, feeling all color drain from my face.
“Back office,” she informed me dryly. “That’s where they take all the girls when they wanna have their fun. Nox goes there with his side chicks, too—not that he’s aware that I know.”
I turned back to Pagan just in time to see Bootneck open a door at the far end of the club and gesture for the others to go through. As they passed him, he slapped Candy’s ass, making her giggle so loudly that I heard the high-pitched tinkle from across the room.
Hot tears burned the back of my throat, and with shaking knees, I reached out and grabbed the bar to steady myself.
“Oh, Ash,” Roxie murmured in her soft Southern accent. “Come on, honey. Let’s get you out of here.”
“It’s okay,” I blurted out, trying to keep the tears back. “Scrap’s outside waiting. I just need to get my phone.”
Luiz, the bartender, walked behind the bar. “Just spoke to Scrap; he said you were around somewhere. Here, I’ve got your cell phone.”
I took it from him silently, still dazed at what I witnessed, and a thought hit me.
In that very moment, Pagan was in a back office with Bootneck, fucking another woman.
Jesus Christ, I was going to throw up.
A hand took my elbow and tugged me toward the exit. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
My eyes lifted to stare at Roxie, incredulous. “Are you crazy? I’m gonna go in there and kick his fucking ass.”
She smiled but shook her head. “You don’t get it, Ash. It’s a different world with different rules than what you’re used to. The Kings of Anarchy men aren’t considered off-limits unless they put a ring on your finger or a patch on your back. Until that time comes, you have no say in what they do.”
“That’s fucking ridiculous,” I protested.
“In our world, it is. In their world, it’s normal, and you either put up and shut up, or you leave.
It’s just the way it is, honey, and believe me, I know it’s hard, but if you want Pagan, you don’t have a choice.
” She squeezed my fingers reassuringly. “The good news is that once he makes you his ol’ lady, it stops. You just have to hang in there.”
We hit the parking lot, and I pulled my arm away from her, whirling to face her. “No, I don’t, Rox. This is a hard line for me.” I glanced at her and noted the resignation on her face, and it hit me. “Does Nox do this to you?”
Her cheeks stained red.
“But you’re better than that, honey,” I murmured.
“Am I?” she questioned. “Maybe what you mean is, you’re better than that with your protective brothers, supportive mom, and your master’s degree in architecture.
I’m a twenty-six-year-old stripper who got pregnant at seventeen and now raises her daughter alone because her baby daddy went off with another woman.
Nox isn’t perfect, but he’s good to me and my kid, so before you judge me, just remember that not everybody got the same opportunities as you did. ”
“Bullshit,” I retorted.
Roxie’s eyebrows pulled together.
“You’re a fucking amazing dancer who’s clawed her way from nothing to earning big bucks.
While you did that, you raised a beautiful, amazing girl who adores you.
Your life isn’t shit, Rox, so why the hell are you accepting it from him?
I could take you to my brother’s bar tomorrow; I have no doubt in my mind you’d find a man who would treat you like the queen you are. ”
Her sharp intake of breath was audible. “D’ya think?”
“I know,” I said huskily, my throat burning to the point of pain.
“Jesus,” she breathed. “You’ve just seen Pagan’s bullshit, and you’re out here giving me a pep talk.”
My chest throbbed with anger. “If us girls can’t stick together, then we’re fucked, Rox.”
She nodded, turned, and walked to the car where Scrap was still waiting. I watched her lean down to the window and smile. “Honey, I’ll take Ash back to the clubhouse. She’s changed her mind and wants to stay for a drink.”
The prospect nodded and, without a word, he drove away.
Rox headed back toward me. “Have you got your car keys?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “But I can’t drive. I’ve been drinking.”
She smiled and raised one eyebrow. “I haven’t. Wanna stay at my place tonight, then you can head home in the morning?”
A thought hit me. “I need to get my stuff from the clubhouse.”
Roxanne grinned, “Leave that to me.” She fished in her purse for her cell, clicked a few buttons, and held it to her ear.
“Zara, babe. Are you at the clubhouse yet?” She paused, then her eyes lifted to mine.
“Perfect. I need you to do me a favor. Can you get into Pagan’s room and grab Aislynn’s stuff?
” She paused while Zara replied, then gave me a little wink.
“Bring it all to my place and grab a bottle of wine from the bar as you leave, babe. I think we’re gonna need it. ”
—————
The next day, I sat at the kitchen table with my mam and told her everything.
Anyone who knew Maureen O’Shea would tell you that she had an opinion about everything, and she never held back. As soon as I got to the part about Pagan disappearing with a stripper, her eyes darkened, and her cheeks flamed with emotion.
I had to give her props, though; she sat back and let me finish my story without interruption, even though it was clear she was fit to bursting at more than one point during the whole sordid tale.
When I finished, she sat back in her chair and sighed. “This is a test,” she declared.
“You think?” I asked. “Because at this point, Mam, it feels more like mental abuse. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but there was no reason for him to do this except to either hurt me or himself.”
“Daughter,” she breathed. “Mental abuse is all he knows because it’s all he’s ever had.”
“It’s no excuse,” I bandied back.
She patted my hand. “Aislynn, it’s not an excuse; it’s an explanation.”
My phone began to buzz again for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning, and I eyed it nervously.
“Is that him?” Mam asked.
I turned my phone over so I could see the caller ID on the screen, and I sighed. “Yeah.”
“You can’t ignore him forever, Aislynn, and we don’t bury our heads in the sand in this family.”
“I’m not ignoring him, Mam. I just don’t know what to say.” My thumb went to the keypad, and I rejected the call.
“Do you think he knows you’re onto him?” she asked.
“I’m not sure of anything; though, knowing Pagan, he’s got to the bottom of it for sure.
My car wasn’t there when he got back to the clubhouse because Zara drove us to Roxie’s in it last night.
Honestly, I thought he’d have looked for me then, but he didn’t.
Maybe he was at the club until this morning.
It wouldn’t be the first time he stayed there. ”
My heart panged as I recalled all the times when we spoke on the phone, when he told me he’d stayed at Vortex because he was up late doing paperwork. Now I knew what he was really doing there, and it made me want to puke.
Mam picked up the pot from the table and topped up her tea.
“I thought he would’ve been here by now.
” Her eyes darted to the gun resting beside her cup.
“I’m waiting all locked and loaded for the little fecker.
” Her voice turned low, and she mumbled, “Fuck around on my daughter, and you’ll find out. ”
Even though it felt like someone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart out, my lips twitched. My Irish mammy telling me she had her gun locked and loaded wasn’t on my bingo card that morning, but here we were.
Just another day in the life of Aislynn O’Shea.
My phone buzzed again with a notification.
“Ga’wan with ya,” Mam cut out, jerking her chin toward the phone. “Let’s see what the little bastard has to say for himself.”
I looked at the phone as if it were a rattlesnake.
“Aislynn,” Mam snapped. “See what the boy wants.”
With an audible sigh, I picked up the phone and clicked onto the latest of a long string of WhatsApp messages that had started coming through earlier. I clicked on the most recent one to see a picture still, with the play icon over it.
Glancing up, I told her, “It’s a video.”
“Scooch up,” Mam demanded, scraping her chair closer to mine.
I shifted my chair toward her so she could see my phone screen better and pressed the icon on the video, squinting at the grainy picture that began to play.
“That’s Vortex,” I murmured. “It’s a security video.”
“Is that Aiden?” Mam asked.
“Yeah.” My heart squeezed painfully as I watched the images start to play through.
He stared toward the stage while he spoke with Bootneck, but I couldn’t hear the words; there was no sound, just a video taken from strategically placed security cameras that had obviously been wired into the light fittings and up in the corners of the room.
Candy appeared on camera, her hips swaying, and stopped in front of the guys.