Chapter 14 Righteous
So much has been going on since Jariyah and I began our whirlwind relationship.
I picked Jariyah up from work two hours ago, and we came right to our date location.
Jariyah has done a great job at integrating into my world, but I haven’t done the same.
While my feelings for Jariyah have been doing cartwheels in the chambers of my heart, I also have to remember to incorporate one of the golden rules of male-female bonding: dates.
How can I show Jariyah that her place in my life is secure if I haven’t taken the time to wine and dine her?
Tonight I’m going to fix my fuck up in a way that’s fitting for a man like me.
Jariyah and I have been around my brothers and outside people with every encounter we’ve had up to this point.
But I have neglected to ensure that she’s capable of handling her own in every situation.
I have been making up for lost time by teaching Jariyah how to shoot every day for the last three days.
“Hold your hand steady before you fuck around and shoot yourself, Navae.” I stand behind Jariyah and wrap my hands around her shaky ones.
Most people would dispute and even frown on my labeling this a date.
But I don’t give two fucks about how people think about my definition of a date.
Jariyah has been around people who have shown her nothing but the proper way to walk and talk.
But since I already know I’m not letting Jariyah leave me, she must get more than thrills and frills with me.
She might have sought me out to spice up her boring life.
I’ll be damned if I don’t provide her with the basic lessons on self-defense.
Thoughts of what could have happened had the Midnight Eagles gotten their hands on her have nearly kept me up.
“Okay, babe.” Jariyah straightens her posture with her legs spread apart and her eyes on the target in front of us.
Pride bursts in my chest as I release my hold on her hands, which are now steady, allowing me to take a step back.
She got this shit.
When the gun sounds a second later and hits the intended target center mass, I pump my fist in the air.
“Oh my God! I did it. I did it.” Jariyah jumps up and down, grinning.
“Watch what you’re doing, Navae. Shooting me wouldn’t be a good look so early in our relationship.” I smirk.
“Oops. Sorry, babe. I want to try again.”
The light in her green eyes is reminiscent of emeralds, and all I can do is nod to keep from responding to the twitches my dick is doing.
“Okay. Get in position and let me see if you can do this without instruction.”
Jariyah nods before she gets into the proper stance without guidance from me. When she ups the gun and fires a second later, I know that she’s ready for whatever.
“Yeah. That’s the money shot. Damn, that just made my dick hard.” I smirk when my eyes stare at the hole in the middle of the makeshift head on the fake target.
“Ooh. That’s what I’m talking about.” The stars in Jariyah’s eyes when she looks at me let me know that my woman is far from a damsel in distress. It also confirms that she’s just right for a man like me.
“You’re lucky beds don’t belong in this setting, or I would help both of us release some pressure.”
“In that case, lesson over. I’m ready to go. Is there more we need to do tonight?”
A loud burst of laughter falls from my mouth and echoes around the hidden and woodsy private property owned by Baxtown Iron. Thankfully, only Satan and whatever wild animals in the vicinity can hear my laughter or our conversation.
“Damn. Let me find out I’m turning your little ass into a nympho, Navae.”
Jariyah shrugs, and I walk over to take the gun from her hands. Then I lean down and connect our lips in a kiss that could start a fire as sparks invade my chest.
We’re back in the vehicle and on our way back toward the city.
“Can I ask you a question?” Jariyah’s inquisitive voice snaps me out of my thoughts as my eyes momentarily return to her.
“You can ask me anything you want.”
“Do you think your club brothers will ever accept me as your woman? I want to be with you without so much pushback from them. It makes me uncomfortable to feel like I have to walk on eggshells whenever I’m in their presence.
” Jariyah’s voice is lower than it was seconds ago, and it makes me white-knuckle the steering wheel.
“What if they don’t? Will it cause you to run from me?”
My eyes shift to Jariyah to see that she’s already watching me, and a frown forms as her body angles to face me.
“Why would that make me leave you?”
“That’s my point. No matter what happens with my brothers, they will never be important enough to shake what’s between us. Do you need me to beat those niggas’ asses to prove my loyalty or something?”
A cute giggle falls from her lips, and her eyes sparkle like new grass after a fresh cut. My heart skips several beats, and peace surges throughout my body.
“Can I be honest with you?”
“You haven’t been up to this point?” Only the requirement to return to the road forces me to look away from Jariyah after that question.
“Always.”
I nod as I wait for whatever will come now that we have that out of the way. Thankfully, Jariyah doesn’t leave me waiting long. The words that leave her mouth increase my heart rate when I register them in their full extent.
“I love you, and I know it hasn’t been that long, but I can’t help it.”
A cheesy grin slides into place because while Jariyah has mentioned loving me, this is the first time she’s admitted to falling in love with me. I feel like a man who just picked the winning lottery numbers.
“Being with you, despite the opposition we’ve faced, feels like my world has gotten bigger. Before you, I’ve been dealing with small-minded men who—”
“Who doesn’t matter. Since we’re laying ourselves bare, you should know that I’m in love with you.
What’s wild is that you haven’t figured that out yet.
It’s been in my eye contact while stroking your pussy because I don’t need years to know that I’m not coming off you.
Ready or not, you’re stuck with me,” I say after cutting Jariyah’s attempt at going down an unnecessary memory lane.
“Aw, Righteous.”
“Aw, my ass. You better start jogging to catch up. This thing between us doesn’t allow for moments of regret.”
Before either of us can reply or add further information to the discussion, my phone vibrates in the cupholder.
I frown when Deacon’s name flashes on the screen, and I hit ignore before I set the phone back down.
But it vibrates again, and I shake my head because it’s obvious my cousin is about to be persistent until I answer.
With that thought in mind, I connect the call.
“Didn’t I let it be known that I would be with my woman for the remainder of the day? You’re a rude motha—”
“Shut the fuck up, Chayse.” Deacon’s words sound like steel.
My blood freezes immediately from the hard and serious tone of Deacon’s voice. The fact that he hasn’t called me by my first name since I became a member of Baxtown Iron also raises my antennas.
“What happened?”
“They got Nicole,” Deacon says, and those three words cause me to momentarily lose control of the SUV as it swerves to the right.
“Whoa,” Jariyah says.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I bark into the receiver without addressing Jariyah.
My heart beats erratically as I grip the steering wheel before Deacon speaks again.
“According to someone familiar with our club, a group of guys snatched Nicole before she could enter Sizzling and Grubbing.”
“Fuck!”
In my effort to ensure Jariyah’s safety, I neglected to do the same with my sister. I have done a great job at keeping Nicole out of club business and activities. So I’m unsure how Midnight Eagles are aware of her connection to me.
“Come to the clubhouse so we can get some shit set up.” Deacon disconnects the call without another word.
“What’s wrong?” Jariyah’s shaky voice causes my jaw to clench because I know I need to tell her what’s going on, but it’s also gonna taste like acid when it leaves my mouth.
“They took Nicole.”
Jariyah’s gasp causes my foot to mash down on the gas as a sense of urgency fills my body.
My chest feels like it’s sinking with every tree that passes on the route to Baxtown Iron.
When Jariyah’s soft hands land on my thigh, my throat tightens as a hollow weight settles in my stomach.
I can kick my own ass for not foreseeing this and doing something to prevent it.
Nicole is innocent, and it kills me to know what she’s possibly going through as a result of being my sister.
Before long, we arrive at the clubhouse, and the sea of motorcycles lets me know that this isn’t a dream.
“It’s going to be alright. I know someone who might be able to help,” Jariyah says.
Words fail me, and all I can do is nod before I exit the vehicle and swiftly move to her side to assist her out.
The names and faces of the few men on the door are lost on me, as my mind whirls with thoughts of Nicole’s despair.
All conversation ceases the minute Jariyah and I enter the room with all eyes on us.
“I have a connection who can assist with gathering intel on Nicole’s whereabouts,” Jariyah says before anyone can speak or address the elephant in the room.
“We don’t want the—”
“Now isn’t the time.” I grit my tight teeth as I squeeze Jariyah’s hand and nod subtly to allow her to finish her train of thought.
“I know I’m an outsider, and you all believe I’m out of place. But I promise my person will help us, and they’re not connected to my mother,” Jariyah adds.
“Do your thing, cuz. We trust you,” Deacon says.
Jariyah releases my hand and walks away while she pulls her phone out of her purse.
My eyes peer intently into her back as she paces while speaking in a low tone.
With the knowledge of Nicole’s kidnapping, I can’t afford to let Jariyah out of my sight.
I already failed Nicole and will never forgive myself for it.
Jariyah won’t suffer the same fate. The sight of Jariyah’s dainty hand pumping in the air causes my head to tilt as she turns toward me with a wide grin.
“Looks like we might have to make room for another woman on our roster.” The sound of Diesel’s voice behind me almost causes a smile to form. But I’m too anxious to hear what Jariyah has to say to acknowledge it when she walks back toward me.
“One thing I love is men who don’t have the sense the good Lord provided to them. Now, I have some information, but I’ll only tell you if you allow me to join the rescue.”
“Hell no!” I say before anyone can respond to Jariyah’s words.
“Why not? Something tells me she might be useful for more than intel.” Shadow interjects.
I shake my head repeatedly because there’s no way I’m about to put Jariyah in the line of fire. I don’t give a fuck what her motives are for suggesting such a condition.
“Hear me out, Righteous.” Jariyah’s open palms, along with the plea in her eyes, do little to sway me from changing my mind.
“Nah. I ain’t going for that shit. I can’t fucking worry about you and Nicole. Tell us what’s good and then sit your pretty ass down until I get back.”
My damn blood pressure already has pain bouncing like a basketball in my head from Nicole’s kidnapping.
There’s no way I’m about to try to extract Nicole from the Midnight Eagles with Jariyah’s little ass in tow.
Fuck that. Jariyah can either tell me the information she knows, or I’ll fuck it out of her.
Then I’ll leave her asleep in my bed in the back of this clubhouse.