Chapter 3 Jack
JACK
I pull the door shut behind me again and rest my back against it. Blowing out a breath, I manage to stop myself from repeatedly slamming my skull against the wood.
Fuuccckk.
Of all the girls who had to come here looking for help, it had to be that one.
No, she’s not a girl. She’s definitely a woman. I don’t know her exact age, but she must be in her early twenties by now. Even so, that makes me more than twenty years older than her, and besides the age difference, she’s also one of my daughter’s best friends.
Memories burst into my head. Camile in a dress that looks more like a handkerchief, barely clinging to her curves.
The way she had cornered me in my daughter’s house and made sure I knew exactly what she was looking for.
My unhinged reaction, and that moment when I’d let myself almost lose fucking control.
Ultimately, I’d wrestled back control of myself and sent her away that day, but she’s been on my mind ever since.
I’ve been playing those few minutes I spent with her repeatedly in my head, more often than not with my hand wrapped around my cock.
I felt like a filthy son of a bitch for doing it, too—what kind of person masturbates over his daughter’s friend?
—but it’s not like I’ve ever tried to pass myself off as a decent man.
“She okay?” Ace asks, bounding into view like a maniacal, overgrown puppy.
I snap my thoughts away from the past.
“Yeah, I think so. I’m going to get Shelley to look at her, just to be sure. She wants herbal tea, as well.”
I catch myself. What are we running, a fucking bed and breakfast?
“I’ll take the tea to her,” Ace offers, and he seems far too keen.
“No, you won’t. Shelley can do it. I need you on security.”
Pouting, Ace shrugs, but he knows better than to give me an argument.
“We’re going to kill the fucker who did that to her, aren’t we?” he asks, his tone jovial, like I’ve suggested we go hang out at a country fair for the day.
I growl. “I want to cut off his hands for touching her, his lips for kissing her, and then feed him each body part one by one.”
Ace bounces on his toes, a bundle of energy, and claps. “Sounds like a plan, Prez.”
“But,” I interject, “we have to play by the rules this time.”
“Whose rules? The college rules? Why? It didn’t happen on Verona Fall’s grounds, and she came to us for help.”
Me, I want to correct him. She came to me for help.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to cause trouble for her or my daughter. You know Ivani would fucking kill me if I did that.” I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of her reaction. “She loves that place, and she loves Camile, too. I don’t want to screw anything up for her.”
Ace stares at me expectantly, waiting for my next command.
“You can fuck off now, Ace,” I tell him.
He throws me a salute. “Yes, Prez.” And he turns and leaves.
My teeth worry inside of my lower lip. Would the guy who hurt Camile be stupid enough to go back to Verona Falls?
If so, my daughter is there. What if he knows Vani and Camile are friends and decides to use Vani to get revenge, or some other stupid shit like that?
He might even have seen Camile come into the compound.
Will he be expecting us to come find him?
I realize I don’t even know the fucker’s surname. These are all questions I should have asked Camile. I would have asked her, too, if my head was screwed on right.
First things first, though. The most important thing is to ensure my daughter is safe.
I take my cell phone from my pocket, scroll the screen, and hesitate over Vani’s name.
As much as I know my daughter can handle herself, if I tell her directly what’s happened, she’ll want to do something about it.
She’ll want to track down this asshole herself, or worse, will come to the compound to check on Camile.
I want her to stay home and well away from the man who hurt her friend.
There’s also a dark part of me that doesn’t want her coming here and taking Camile away.
Instead, my finger lands on the name of one of her three men, Lex.
I’m not happy about the fact my daughter is in a relationship with three men, but they all seem completely committed and to genuinely love one another.
I have the most in common with Zane, but since he’s mute, I can hardly call him.
Saint is Lex’s twin, and is bat-shit crazy half the time, though I never doubt his devotion to my daughter.
Lex is the most sensible one, so his is the number I swipe.
“Jack, hey, what’s up?” I hear his French accent and the caution in his tone.
He’s probably wondering why the fuck his father-in-law-to-be is calling.
If you can call their weird shit a proper engagement.
They swapped rings. Each of the men wears a big silver snake ring, and Vani a smaller one, but she can’t officially marry all of them, so I guess they’ll have to figure that out.
“Is Vani anywhere near?” I don’t want her to overhear.
“Err, no, she’s just gone down to the bar to meet Mackenzie and Ophelia for a drink. What’s going on?”
There’s a reassuring urgency to his voice, that shows me he isn’t fucking around when it comes to my daughter’s safety.
I explain to him what’s happened.
“Oh, merde,” he curses. “I know the guy. Well, I don’t know him, but I know of him. He’s not been at Verona Falls for long. He clearly doesn’t know the code of conduct. Is Camile okay?”
“A little shaken and bruised, but she’s okay. I’m keeping her here tonight to make sure she’s safe, and I want you to do the same for Vani and the other girls. Keep them safe, I mean.”
“Yeah, sure, Jack. No problem. I’ll let the others know, too. I’ll go bring Vani home now, and we won’t let her out of our sight. I know the other men will do the same for their women, too.”
“Thanks.”
They’ll be all right. Those guys are some of the toughest I’ve met outside of the motorcycle clubs, even if they are young. And they love their women. They won’t let anything happen to them.
Before walking away from the door, I gesture to a couple of my men who are loitering and position them outside Camile’s room.
I trust my club members with my life, and so I trust them with Camile’s, too.
None of them would be stupid enough to try anything on with her that she didn’t want, and besides, she’s under my protection, and I have everyone’s respect, or at least I assume I do.
No one has ever challenged me for the position of club president, not here or in the original chapter I left back home.
Even so, I find myself getting antsy at the thought of leaving Camile.
A part of me—a big part—wants to grab a chair and position it beside her bed and watch over her all night as she sleeps.
I want to make sure Shelley is tending to her wounds properly and not hurting her further, and that Camile gets the tea she asks for, and that when she sips it, it’s not too hot.
But I’m not the kind of man who goes running around after some girl, attending to her every need.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Instead, I head back into the clubhouse, needing a drink and a distraction.
I want to drive these thoughts out of my head, so I don’t obsess over my daughter’s best friend all night.
I’m relieved to step back into the noise and chaos of the clubhouse.
The music pounds through my ears, and the scent of cigarettes and sex fills my senses.
I spot one of my guys standing motionless in a darkened corner.
I only notice him because of the paleness of his skin.
Everyone calls him Ghost, but right now he’s reminding me more of a vampire.
We lock eyes briefly, and he gives me the faintest of nods, letting me know that everything is under control.
As the club enforcer, it’s Ghost’s job to police this place and the people in it.
He is third in line, officially, after me and Smokie Saul, but in reality, if Ghost, as our Sergeant at Arms, thinks Saul is out of line, he could discipline him, too.
His other role is as my bodyguard, but I don’t need one, so I mostly have Ghost making sure the club runs smoothly.
Most people don’t, but a couple of the guys can be dicks.
There’s Ace, who isn’t a dick but who does get carried away, and then there’s the Numbnuts.
They are a trio of men I inherited with the new club, and the only ones who I think might cause trouble.
Not because they are going to challenge my position in any way, but because they do stupid shit all the time, hence their nickname.
Ghost moves silently through the crowd, and I like the way they part for him. Even the biggest and burliest of bikers moves when the tall, silent man moves their way.
My mind drifts back to Camile. Kissing. She’d said they were kissing…
A low rumble emits from between my lips, and I hadn’t even realized I’d let out a growl until one of the nearby sweetbutts throws a surprised look in my direction. Christ, I must have been loud for her to hear me over the music.
I ignore her and head straight to the bar.
“You okay, Jack?” one of the barmaids asks.
Caroline is around my age and hasn’t been working here long, but she seems confident with the bikers, and they all like and respect her, which is important to me.
The women in my employment are the ones who get to draw the lines, but sometimes bikers forget where those lines are, and the women need to be strong enough to remind them.
I’m happy for people to fuck on the job, but only if everyone involved is one hundred percent willing.
There are things I won’t tolerate on my watch.
Sometimes, the girls behind the bar go topless, and a few have tonight since they get better tips, but Caroline has kept her tight black band t-shirt on, but she always does well for money anyway. She’s a sweetie, and the guys seem to like to chat with her.