Unintentional cleavage is always better. It’s like the Holy fuckin’ Grail of tit gawking. Some women are showy like that, and some just aren’t. Some have no idea what kind of power they hold over you, and others, other women like Ivy? They know it. They’re all too keenly aware, and they exploit it.
“You got somethin’ else you wanna talk to me about, brother?” Prez asks, and Raine looks up and blushes when she realises I’m still here watching her. I’m kind of offended that she didn’t know I was in the room. I’m pretty fuckin’ hard to miss.
“Yeah, I do,” I say, and lean back in my chair. “You got another one of those muffins for me, Raine, darlin’?”
Raine’s eyes widen. She’s a sweet girl, but I don’t make a habit of talking to her. I don’t make a habit of talking to anyone around here much, except Prez, Kick and Ivy. “Uh … no. I’m sorry. I can head down the street and—”
“What does she look like, your fuckin’ slave?” Prez says, leaning forward in his seat and resting his hands on the table. I smirk, ’cause Raine’s adorable when she’s nervous—or, more nervous than usual—and I just like to mess with Prez, ’cause the dumb fucker is so far gone for this sweet little piece of arse that he don’t even realise he’s wearing that shit not just on his sleeve, but he’s got her tattooed all over his fuckin’ forehead. Dumbarse.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Prez catches her hand before she can turn away, and she glances down at his big oil-stained fingers encircling her wrist. “You ain’t gotta bring anyone those muffins but me, darlin’. You got that?”
She nods and scurries from the room. I turn and watch her arse as she leaves, and I’m met with a cold, hard threat from my Prez because of it. “You lookin’ to have those pretty baby blues of yours removed, Tank?”
I grin. “Nah. She’s a fucking peach, real ripe and juicy that one, but I like my eyes, and my balls where they are. Besides, I got enough shit to deal with since the junkie moved in.”
“How’s she doing?”
“You mean when she’s not trying to claw my face off, holding Killer at gunpoint and shooting him in the chest as she runs away? She’s a fuckin’ walking advert for schizophrenia, Prez.”
“You takin’ care of her right? Getting’ her clean? Meetin’ her other needs?”
“I got all her needs but the one for drugs met, Prez,” I say, and it’s my turn to lean forward, resting my arms on the table, and staring him down the way he’d stared at me. He doesn’t need to know that she and I ain’t havin’ sex. We’ll get there. Neither one of us are goin’ anywhere. “And that’s how it’s gonna stay.”
“Boys are gettin’ lonely, Tank. Missin’ their girl.”
“She’s never been their girl,” I snap. “I’m the one she came lookin’ for. I’m the only one that gets to call her that.”
Prez leans back in his chair and folds his arms behind his head. I don’t like the turn this conversation has taken. I don’t like the fuckin’ smirk on his face. If it were anyone else I’d wipe ’em fucking clean of it. Smarmy fuckin’ bastard.
“You were really fuckin’ serious, weren’t you?” he asks, and his cocky smile is an all-out grin now. “About claimin’ her for your woman?”
“As a fuckin’ heart attack. Bitch is mine,” I warn. “And I’ll risk my cut to defend her.”
“Alright, alright. Calm your fuckin’ farm, arsehole.” He smiles and then shakes his head, taking a sip from his coffee. “Guess I’m in the market for a new girl then.”
“Guess so.”
“This isn’t why you came to talk to me though.”
“No, it’s not,” I agree. “It is about Ivy, though.”
“Of course it is.” Prez says.
“I wanna know who the bastard is. I want a name, and I want a fuckin’ address.”
“Ah, shit.” He scrubs a hand over his beard. “I knew you were gonna make this complicated. Actually, I’m kinda surprised you didn’t come to me before now. I’m sorry, brother, but I can’t give you a name.”
“What do you mean you can’t give me a name?” I ask. He better start talkin’ real fuckin’ soon, because I’m about to lose my shit entirely. “You know who he is, right?”
Prez gives a solemn nod. “I know. Ivy came to me her very first day and struck herself a deal. I’d keep him away from her, give her a roof over her head, food, and the protection of my club if she’d take care of my men.”
My jaw ticks, and I find myself balling my fists together on the table. “She never told me that.”
“I’d bet my arse there’s a lot of shit she hasn’t told you, brother.”
“Looks like.”
“Don’t be too hard on the girl,” he says, taking a bite out of the muffin Raine left for him. “She didn’t want anyone to know. I don’t even think she told Kick all the shit about her old man—”
“I need to find him,” I say.
“Bad idea.”
“He’s a fucking animal, Prez. He deserves to be strung up and flayed open. This is Ivy we’re talkin’ about. She’s family and he fucked her up worse than any of the shit that fucker down at the café did to Raine. We’ve put people down for a lot less.”
“Listen, there’s nothing I’d love more than to give this fucker his just deserts, but it’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?” I seethe.
“He’s workin’ with the Russians.”
“Fuck,” I say, and shove away from the table. My chair clatters to the floor and I pace, runnin’ my hands through my hair. I grip the back of my head and let out a deep breath.
“Yeah, fuck is right. With this deal goin’ south with Ryzhanov, drawin’ any more attention to ourselves is fuckin’ suicide.”
“You mean you’ve known all along where this fucker is? You’ve known exactly what she’s been runnin’ from all these years, and you haven’t put a fuckin’ bullet in his head?”
“We can’t risk it.”
“And what about her, huh, Prez? What about Ivy and what she’s risking? What I’m risking by keeping her arse at the cabin? You think about that?”
He nods. “Yeah, I thought about that, arsehole. That girl may be every shade of fucked up, but she’s still family. Of course I fuckin’ thought about that. Why the fuck do you think she isn’t in Kick’s care right now?”
“Maybe ’cause he has some other bitch to contend with.”
“Yeah, she’s a problem, but not one he couldn’t handle. He’d take on both women if I told him he had to, but he ain’t what she needs right now.”
“And I am?”
He stares at me for a long time and nods. “Yeah, brother, you are. That girl ain’t got a single living soul in the world that’d see this through better than you can. You’re exactly what she needs. That cabin is exactly what she needs, and as long as you keep her there, she’ll be fine. No more fuckin’ field trips, you got me?”
“You’re watching me?”
Prez’s eyes are glitterin’ with rage when he says, “In all the years I’ve known you, have you ever needed to doubt my trust in you?”
“No.”
“I didn’t have you watched, motherfucker. Grim caught sight of the two of you leavin’ that fancy lingerie store as he was comin’ back from my place. Said the bitch was all over you like a gold-diggin’ whore on a carcass.” Prez smirks. “Ivy’s always been the kinda girl who wants what’s bad for her. Maybe it’s a condition of her upbringing, maybe it’s just fuckin’ stupid female logic. I don’t fuckin’ know. But either way, you want her on the back of your bike permanently? You gotta nail that bitch down. Show her that she’s yours and only yours. Right now, with you is the safest place she can be. When her old man is out of the picture with the Russians, we move in and take that fucker out. But he’s been there a long time, brother, probably as long as you been jonesing for his sweet daughter’s pussy, and I don’t see it changin’ anytime soon. For now, we don’t make a move until this Ryzhanov headfuck has blown over.”