Chapter Eight.
Rooster
A s Mac stomped into the kitchen, Rooster held a finger up and listened to what Lance was saying.
“Yeah, get them on it, if you don’t mind,” Rooster said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Charge me.”
Rooster hung up, and before Mac could start ranting, he spoke. “We need to move Kenny now, like literally. The feed’s been hacked, and someone’s watching us right now. At the same time, they’re looping a different feed, which shows nobody here. Kenny’s in fuckin’ danger.”
Mac spun on his heel and raced for the stairs. Rooster grabbed the boys and ordered them into the car.
“Stop! What’s the rush?” Kenny hissed as Mac literally dragged her downstairs.
“Somebody’s hacked into the feed. They’re watching you. Get your ass in the cage,” Mac retorted. Kenny tensed before leaving.
“Take what Kenny’s packed for now. I’m gonna call for an escort. If they have ears, they know her destination. Tomorrow I’ll get some brothers to accompany the old ladies, and they can pack the rest of her shit. Kenny goes nowhere without someone; you get me?” Mac demanded.
“Don’t worry about Kenny. Hellfire will protect her like she’s our own,” Rooster replied. “And leave the case here; we don’t know if it’s bugged.” “Fuck, never thought of that.”
“I’ll get the old ladies to fetch her some clothes. Thalia loves an excuse to hit the shops,” Rooster replied.
They left the house, locked up, and headed for their vehicles.
“Drive to Rage. Drake will organise an escort,” Mac stated, glancing at his phone.
Rooster nodded in reply. He climbed behind the wheel of the car and saw the boys safely belted in. Kenny sat in the passenger seat, holding herself rigid. Rooster reached out and squeezed her leg.
“Shit’s gonna be okay, babe. Trust me.”
“You I trust, Roo. It’s the unknown that I fear,” Kenny murmured.
“And that’s wise. But don’t let that rule you,” Rooster said as he backed out. Mac fell in behind them, and they drove to Rage. The entire trip was tense, even though Rooster tried to ease it by talking shit. But he sensed Kenny was terrified something would happen to the boys. She kept glancing one way and then another, and at crossings, she tensed up, almost expecting a car to hit her.
Once on Rage, Kenny relaxed as the escort was arranged, and then they departed. An hour later, she collapsed in Rooster’s spare bedroom with a headache. Rooster wasn’t surprised, considering the stress she’d put herself under. He and Rage kept a close lookout for tails but found none.
Chance was waiting for him when he’d settled Kenny.
“Come to the clubhouse when you can. Need to talk,” Chance said. “For now, we got family with us.”
Gunner, Rock, Apache, Ezra, and Lowrider had accompanied Mac. If the car had been forced off the road, they all had a person to grab and ride to safety. Ezra had been Kenny’s, and the kids had been divided between the others.
Rooster left the boys with Clio and Chey, who’d arrived at his house moments after Kenny had hit the sack. They agreed to call Rooster if he was needed but ushered him out.
Bemused as it was his home after all, Rooster headed for the clubhouse, where Rage was having a drink. All of Hellfire, including the prospects, were present.
“What’s going on?” Chance asked.
Rooster and Mac both took turns explaining what had happened.
“If Worm’s worried, we should be. Everyone knows Worm is just as good as Nigel and Leila. Worm said he’s not seen anyone bypass his system before. Doesn’t mean this is the same person, though. The first attempt tried to kill her, the second was invasion of her privacy, and the third was another murderous attempt. Today, the table was laid for two. There was even a vase for flowers. It looked like it had been set for a date,” Rooster explained.
“Two people then,” Chance murmured.
“What tipped them, though?” Mac asked.
“Let’s say Kendara pissed off a client’s ex. He makes a move to harm or kill her but fails. This jolts the second person, who was quite likely happy in the wings, watching Kendara. Someone just threatened the object of his obsession, and he nearly lost her. So now he makes a move. It’s like a chess game. However, the ultimate prize is Kendara. I don’t think we want either of these fucks to get her. Neither of them means well for Kenny,” Chatter spoke.
Chatter rarely had much to say, so when he did speak, the brothers listened.
“You think that’s it?” Shee asked, frowning. “Chatter’s scenario makes sense.”
“We might be dealing with a stalker with split personalities. One side isn’t aware of what the other is doing,” Lowrider suggested.
“How likely is that?” Bear demanded.
“About as likely as Chatters, but we’ve got something like this happening to Kendara,” Celt said.
“Could be the same person, a love-hate relationship. He wants Kenny but also hates her. His obsession has become twisted,” Chance added .
“Worm is going to dig deeper, but he says it’s doubtful he’ll be able to trace them. The guy is that good. For now, Kendara will stay here, where she’s safer. He can probably hack our cameras, but Worm is coming out to ensure that doesn’t happen. And Lance suggested we turn on the motion sensors and other security we have,” Rooster said.
Luckily for Hellfire, they didn’t just depend on their CCTV. After being blown sky-high, they’d learned a hard lesson. Now, they utilised other defences to ensure their families stayed safe.
“You sure Kenny’s okay staying here?” Mac demanded of Chance.
“Yes. Kendara’s one of yours, which makes her ours,” Chance replied.
“Thanks, Prez,” Mac said, grasping Chance’s forearm.
“No worries, brother. If Lance is all over this, I won’t contact Hawthorne. If Lance and Fallen Warriors can’t discover shit, then it’s doubtful Leila and Nigel will. But we’ll keep them in our back pocket.”
“And everyone keeps your damn eyes open,” Bear warned.
“Goes without saying Veep,” Tiny replied.
Kendara
I woke up with a warm body tucked against me and opened my eyes to find Brax had snuck in yet again. This time, though, he was sleeping. I smiled at the angelic vision and then wondered what mayhem the mischievous child was dreaming up.
The bedroom door opened, and Clio poked her head in.
“Sorry, I tried to keep him out, but he got away. When I found him, he was already asleep, so I thought I’d leave you both alone,” she whispered.
“No worries,” I replied, easing myself carefully out of his grasp. Brax rolled over and snuggled deeper into the duvet, and a soft smile crossed my face.
I tiptoed across the carpet, wincing at my stiff ribs, and slunk out of the door.
“I need to brush my teeth,” I said, frowning.
“There’s a half cloak through there, and we bought you some stuff because you had to leave everything behind,” Clio explained, pointing. Chey poked her head around the corner and handed me a bag with a wink.
“The others are still shopping, but we brought toiletries,” Chey announced and disappeared.
After I’d freshened up and slid the bag inside my bedroom, I headed down to the kitchen where the two women were.
“Thanks so much for that!”
“You’re welcome. How are you feeling? Rooster said you are due some medication,” Chey responded as she held a bottle of pills up.
“I’ve a headache again, and my ribs are sore,” I admitted .
“Here,” Chey replied, shaking out the bottle and handing me some tablets.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, surprised at how quiet it was.
“Kit, Finn, and Troy are playing in the yard. Brax was with you, and Rooster is at a club meeting. No doubt they’re all beating their chests and deciding what their next step will be,” Clio answered cheekily.
My jaw dropped open at the total lack of respect in her tone.
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. This is where their alphaassholeness shows up. They think we’re too delicate to handle shit, so try to resolve the problem without worrying us. It’s fine, we let them do it. But we keep them in place when we need to,” Clio said.
“I’m not sure if I’m hearing a good or bad thing here,” I replied, grabbing a bar stool and joining them at the island.
“They’re alphas. Someone they care about is threatened, they rattle the bars, beat their chests, and generally go into uber-protective role. That’s fine, I can respect that. What I don’t respect is their need to keep us in the dark. Chance has learnt his lesson on that, but the others… cavemen,” Clio explained.
“Celt’s getting better, although he growls a lot. They’re still on a learning curve. Expect Rooster to come home, pat you on the head, offer dinner, and then tell you everything is okay and you don’t need to worry about it.” Chey giggled.
“Rooster wouldn’t dare!” I exclaimed .
“Oh, he will. See, now he has been around his brothers, Rooster’s souped-up on testosterone,” Chey replied.
“And he’ll come back all puffed up. Usually, we let them think they’re in control and then we have a meeting and decide how to proceed ourselves,” Clio explained.
“Does Rage work like that?” I asked curiously. I’d never seen it, but I didn’t spend much time there.
“Yeah. Don’t worry, Kenny, us ladies know how to hold our own. We’ve got plenty of practise and will give you lots of tips on how to handle Roo,” Chey said, winking.
“Sex works with Chance,” Clio stated baldly, and I choked on thin air.
“No, you’ve got the wrong idea. Rooster and I are… friends, I suppose,” I replied.
“Yeah, Rooster has no intention of being your mate. If you are in his house, with his kids, the most precious thing in his life, mind you, then you’re no friend. He’d have dumped you in a bunk at the clubhouse or in a guest trailer,” Chey said.
The front door opened, and a gaggle of women fell inside. I saw Tati and Thalia, and while I recognised faces for the others, I didn’t know names.
“I fucking hate shopping with these! Give me that bag of booze, I need a margarita,” a woman demanded with chestnut-coloured hair and pink, blue, and purple highlights in it.
“Bunny,” Clio said and laughed.
Bunny offered her a dour look .
“You’re always whining,” a blonde woman stated, and Thalia giggled.
“Shut it, Alice,” Bunny retorted.
My eyes widened, and I wondered if they were about to throw down.
A second blonde began laughing. “Makes a change from you moaning, Alice,” she shot back, and Alice looked outraged.
“I’ll take you down, Sallie-Anne,” Alice warned.
“They’re cousins. Don’t worry about them,” Clio muttered.
“The three of them?” I asked.
“No, just Alice and Sallie-Anne. Although Bunny is loosely family as she works at the bar, which Alice’s adoptive father owns,” Thalia explained.
“Okay,” I drawled.
“I’m Madisen, Levi’s old lady,” another woman said with a friendly smile. She was dressed in an old-fashioned style that I recognised from the 1920s.
“Hi,” I replied lamely.
“Tati is Big Al’s woman, Thalia is with Bear. Alice is with Diesel, and Sallie-Anne is Banshee’s girl. Bunny is Pyro’s, and Chey is with Celt. Obviously, I’m with Chance,” Clio explained, and I knew that would go in one ear and out the other.
I still had trouble keeping all of Rage straight and forget the kids. I didn’t stand a chance of remembering who belonged to whom.
“So Kendara, Rooster?” Tati said, sidling closer.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Well, spill the beans, girl. We need the gossip,” Bunny demanded.
“Oh, you think Roo and I are together? No, we’re friends,” I explained, suddenly seeing what they were getting at.
Eight derisive snorts met my words. Wow! They didn’t hold back here.
“Bullshit,” Tati said.
“No, it’s true. Rooster’s helping me out because someone is after me,” I continued.
“We had this conversation, and I told her that no fucking way had Rooster moved her in here if they were just friends. Rooster doesn’t let anyone around his boys unless they are family,” Chey informed the others.
Laughter arose at Chey’s words.
“Kendara, Rooster doesn’t let any bitch around his kids unless he’s one hundred and ten per cent certain that they’re going to be here for a lifetime. Rooster refuses to let women come and go in the boy’s lives, and I don’t blame him. It took weeks for some of us to meet the boys and usually because our old man forced it,” Alice added.
“Yeah, so whatever Rooster is feeling for you, it isn’t friendship,” Sallie-Anne agreed.
“He’s never shown me any signs of interest, and that Sadie has certainly done a number on him,” I replied.
“Sadie’s heading for a beat-down as soon as she’s given birth. Until then, we won’t touch her. We don’t harm the innocent or pregnant, but she’ll get her come-uppance for what she said to Rooster.” Clio scowled. “He is one of the best men around. ”
“Rooster’s one of a kind,” I agreed and found myself under intense scrutiny.
“You like Rooster!” Sallie-Anne exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
“What’s not to like?” I tried to act casual, but all those gazes made me squirm.
“Rooster’s locked up tight after what Bitch-Face did to him. We need to plan,” Bunny suggested, and I looked horrified.
“No! Everything is fine!” I interrupted.
“Are you going to make a move?” Chey demanded.
I recoiled in horror.
“Sorry, girls, we may be in the twenty-first century, but in my life, a man makes the first move. Call me old-fashioned, I don’t, but that’s how I feel,” I replied.
Several of the women pulled faces, but Tati grinned. “Good girl. You make Rooster chase your ass. At least you’re aware of your value. And you can all shut up. Apart from Clio, your men chased your asses, too.”
“Hey!” Clio exclaimed indignantly.
“Honey, we all knew you spied on Chance long before he confronted you. But you did right, piqued his interest and reeled him in,” Tati said.
“I hate you! You make it sound so clinical,” Clio complained as the others teased her.
“Can you cook?” Thalia questioned.
“Yes?”
“Good. Roo loves his food; he taught himself when Kit was born because he wanted to ensure his kids ate right,” Tati explained.
“Do you have jeans? Tight ones? Rooster loves tits and asses,” Alice inquired.
“How do you know that?” Sallie-Anne demanded.
“Because I asked him. The more junk in the trunk, the happier Rooster is,” Alice retorted.
“You’re all lunatics,” I exclaimed, worried about my health.
“Yes, and we own that shit.” Madisen grinned.
“Skinny jeans, and have you got any low-cut tops? And while I love your make-up, it’s subtle, your eyes are gorgeous and need to pop,” Thalia asked, tilting her head.
“Yeah, they make me want to eat her,” Bunny said.
“I beg your pardon?” I exclaimed, my mind going somewhere dirty.
“Oh no! I meant they are like liquid chocolate, and now I wanna lick you to see if you taste like it,” Bunny explained as everybody fell into fits of laughter.
Bunny didn’t look abashed at all by her words. I pointedly got up and moved seats, keeping a sharp eye on her as everyone around me started chuckling.
“I’ll get a lick one day. And I like vanilla and coconut, too,” Bunny murmured, her eyes watching me.
“That’s why you keep sniffing me, and you did lick me the other day!” Sallie-Anne exclaimed.
“I plead the fifth,” Bunny retorted.
“No wonder Pyro sometimes smells of vanilla and coconut. I bet you drop to your knees, you dirty whore,” Tati teased.
Bunny laughed. “Oh, sister, you have no idea!”
“What smell does Rooster like?” Madisen wondered.
“Bacon, but I don’t think they do a spray with a bacon scent,” Chey answered.
The others looked intrigued and horrified. I pondered what on earth was going through their minds.
“If we spray Kendara with bacon, she’ll be on her back for the rest of her life or running. It will bring every single man out of the closet hunting her,” Alice said.
The images that ran through my mind as a line of faceless men lined up for sex made me shiver and squeal a denial. “No!”
“Yeah, that is not a good idea, Clio,” Chey decided, shaking her head.
“How about we let things develop naturally?” I suggested.
“But that is so boring.” Sallie-Anne sighed.
“We want Rooster and the boys to be happy,” Bunny interjected.
“And he’s put you up in his house, which means he is interested,” Tati added.
“Well, Kendara’s doing something right. Maybe we should just let her forge her own path?” Thalia asked.
I nodded vigorously as the other women groaned or shook their heads at Thalia in disgust.
“You stick to Bear and popping out kids. It’s a good thing you are pretty,” Tati said .
“Hey, she’s my quad twin,” Clio stated, insulted.
“Exactly. You sit in the corner and look like you’re doing something,” Tati retorted. “We’ll make the plans.”
Before I understood what was happening, all the ladies were squabbling and throwing good-natured insults around. These women were certifiable, and I knew one thing for certain. In a court of law defending one of them, I’d win every time.
Rooster
Rooster swapped gazes with Bear and Chance, who were both smiling hugely and tilted his head to the front door. They quietly backed up the hallway and let themselves out. Rooster rubbed a hand over his face before turning to his brothers.
“Who the hell let them off their leashes?” he demanded.
Chance shrugged as Bear grinned.
“They’re going to be busy, so that’s fantastic,” Bear mumbled.
“When is them meddling in my life ever beneficial?” Rooster asked, incredulous.
“Well, by the time they’ve finished with Kendara, you’ll be onto a sure thing,” Chance answered.
Rooster glowered at him. “Watch your mouth concerning Kenny, she’s not a one-night stand!”
“Glad to see you recognise that brother. I’ve been watching you dance around her since you pulled her from that wreck. Now admit to yourself you like her and make your move. If you haven’t noticed, you have single brothers!” Bear reminded him.
Rooster glowered darkly at his VP.
Chance smirked. “Yeah, you are a goner. You just haven’t admitted it.”
“You’re becoming Drake,” Rooster hissed in disgust.
“I’d say my cousin’s matchmaking skills are unsurpassed as all but two of Rage are in relationships, and only three prospects are single. Hellfire will be so lucky,” Chance shot back.
“We aren’t as big as Rage,” Bear stated.
“We were strengthening the other MCs. This is our time now. We deal with Fury and the Venomous Fangs and live the good life. We’ve had our shit and paid the piper. Without Fury, everything will be roses. We’ll eat, drink, ride, and fuck our way to an old joyful life,” Chance said.
“I’d die a happy man to go while inside Thalia,” Bear announced.
“Yeah, I don’t think Thalia would be pleased to have your dead dick in her,” Rooster replied and felt a surge of triumph as Chance and Bear blanched. Score!
“I can’t believe you just shit on my dream,” Bear complained as he scrubbed his temples.
“That’s payback for not sticking up for me,” Rooster stated.
“Wanting to see you happy is not, not having your back,” Chance said .
“Yeah, but my happiness resides in making your lives a living misery,” Rooster retorted with a grin and stomped away.
He had no guilt at leaving Kendara in the old lady’s hands or in ruining Bear’s fantasy, although it was decidedly nasty for Thalia. Now, if Bear had mentioned dropping dead after a blowjob, yeah, the perfect way to go.