Call Me...Vengeance: Book 1 in the Vengeance MC Series (16 page)

I have to admit she did have a point there. Bella had indeed made him soup and fetched his ice packs for just over a week after he whined like a baby his mouth was killing him. All-in-all she had looked after him so well Jay ended up having to kick her out of his apartment. Driving him insane with all the fussing she did over him, and albeit he brought it on himself, Bella was taking her newfound caregiving role very seriously. It got so bad in the end that he refused to answer the door when she came knocking. In saying that, what Jay said was true too. Sadly.

The last bar-fight Bella started was because her knee connected with some out-of-towner’s junk while he was leering at her old college roommate in what Bella described as a ‘creepy way’. In truth, the poor bastard had only smiled at her. What ensued was a clusterfuck Jay had to sort out with his fists, and apparently he still holds a grudge over it.

The guy Bella kneed fell sideways into someone else, which say the new guy coldcocking him, sending him flying into a guy playing pool. The pool player wasn’t altogether happy the first asshole messed up his shot, so it was then on for one and all. Jay did the right thing by stepping in to end it, but for his troubles he took a pool cue to the face, breaking two teeth in the process.

Let’s just say, Jay finished it alright. The guy who decided it was a good idea to take a piece of wood to his face walked away, but not without a broken jaw for his efforts. In the end, his jaw to be wired shut for six weeks, and the guy had to eat through a straw for two months. Jay wasn’t repentant, though. Nursing his own injuries made him incapable of feeling any remorse. Not that I blamed him. If I were in his position, I would’ve felt the same way.

“Now, B,” I coax gently. “You need to mind your brother and behave, because if you don’t, I’m finally going to follow through with finding someone who’s willing to tan your ass red.”

The little shit fluttered her fucking lashes at me, smirking,

“Oh, Boss, that isn’t really a deterrent now is it? I may just have to go find myself trouble if that’s what you’re promising.”

Beside me, I heard Dirty’s deep rumble offering to volunteer for the job, which had me biting back a curse. Fuck no. The woman would eat the poor bastard alive, and albeit he’d probably love that, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.

“You’re going to be the death of me, and him,” I add gesturing to her brother. I’ll admit, I had trouble hiding my smirk, though. She really was entertaining on the rare occasion.

Bella, bored with the conversation, crooked her finger at Gage, taking his hand when he got close enough to pull herself up. Heading to the dance floor, she smiled leaning into him, and I could feel the malice rolling off Dirty the instant she did.

This wasn’t unusual or even rare, Gage always danced with her. It was their thing. Nothing had ever happened between them and it never would, of that I was positive. You’d have to be blind to see there wasn’t any attraction between them, but that aside, Gage is Bella’s best friend. Neither of them would do
anything
to risk that. It was ironic that one of the hardest men I knew was also one of the most caring. Especially where Bella was concerned.

As much as I wanted to pull Beth up to dance, something I never did, I knew there was no way I could control myself long enough if I pulled her into my arms. My cock was barely behaving now, so I didn’t want to imagine what the poor bastard would have to suffer through if I let her grind her perfect ass all over me. No, I’d have to wrangle some self-control before danced with my girl.

Fuck me, I hiss inaudibly. Where did that come from? My girl? I can’t say I’m shocked my brain made the leap, I’d been mulling over what it would be like having a woman like Beth in my life for a while. But seeing her like that already, without touching her or kissing her yet, not having learned what makes her smile, or
if
I could even make her happy isn’t fucking normal.

But that said, nothing about how I feel about Beth is normal, so it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise. But I’m fucking oblivious sometimes, and this was one of those time. I didn’t get time to finish that thought, and truthfully? I didn’t want to. But somewhere between considering fucking Beth and making her mine, all hell broke loose, which meant I got a free pass. For now, at least.

Nix, Hells Rider’s President, stalked through the door to Hounds, flanked on either side by his VP, Worm, and someone I despised equally if not more than Nix, his Enforcer, Ripper.

The motherfucker was a dirty fighter. Savage. Brutal. Cruel in the way he sought retribution. He wasn’t an Enforcer. The man was a sadist, pure and simple. We’d heard rumors of the shit he did, the way he carved people up who’d apparently fucked HR’s over like Halloween pumpkins. He wasn’t quiet about his payback. He didn’t feel remorse. I doubted he had a conscience.

Their presence wasn’t what shot everything to hell, however. It was the woman being dragged in behind him that turned what could have been a good night, no, a great night to shit. She was struggling, fighting to free her arm from his punishing grip, but she wasn’t getting anywhere.

We’d known Cami was involved with Hells Riders, by default, as long as Diesel had been involved with her. I make it my business to know about the women who had anything to do with my club without exception. Beth was up next. I’d be running the same checks on her I did with Cami, whether that was considered an invasion of privacy or not. There was too much shit swirling around in our world to risk not having reliable intel behind us, and even if the woman were someone who radiated goodness and light, I wouldn’t take a chance on her if I couldn’t confirm that.

Cami’s screeching had my head snapping in their direction. Me and every man in here.

“Stop. Just stop you freaking asshole. Let go of me. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but you’re not going to get the reaction you’re looking for.”

Nix wasn’t listening to her, he didn’t care to. Backhanding her, hard, before she can go on, he hisses,

“Shut up bitch. I told you, you take up with these motherfuckers you’ll wish I ended you. You brought this shit on yourself, Camille.”

I heard her sharp intake of breath, saw her eyes widened in shock, but I didn’t make a move because I didn’t have to. Diesel was up and over the table, landing on his feet beside Beth before anyone had taken stock of the situation.

Placing my hands on her hips, moving her out of the booth and then deeper into it, I stood commanding,

“Do
not
move. No matter what happens, I want you to stay right here. You feel unsafe, get under the table.” Nodding her head rapidly, conveying she gets me, I demand. “I need the words, Sweetheart. Give them to me, yeah?”

“I’ll stay here and won’t move no matter what. You have my word,” Beth promises.

Giving her what I hope is a reassuring smile, I jab a finger in my brother’s direction.

“Boys up. Don’t move in unless I tell you to, but close ranks. Gage, put a call into the clubhouse and get whoever’s sober enough to ride here five minutes ago.”

Diesel’s rage could be felt from across the room, it didn’t take a genius to see he was a second off killing the men who had dared to lay hands on his woman. But, he needed to get his shit under control. HR’s were a wild card on the best of days. Whether this was all for show or a display simply to rattle our cages is anyone’s guess. I just had to hope they knew what they were doing, because facing off with Diesel wasn’t high on anybody’s list of a good time.

I was bellowing at my VP’s side, my hand landing his shoulder, jerking him back before he could lunge at her. That didn’t stop him, though. He shrugged me off with ease and kept prowling toward them.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off my fucking woman now, and walk the fuck away.” Flicking his eyes toward me, not moving another muscle, all of which are strung tight, he growls, “Don’t touch me, brother. Not now. If you wanna help, you can get his filthy hands off my girl before I end him with two hundred people watching, though.”

Make no mistake, Diesel may sound reasonable, but he’s far from it.

Rising to my full height I assess where Cami’s at, and note she looks angrier than she does frightened. Good. I can work with an angry female. A terrified one, not so much.

“Hey, darlin’,” I soothe. “You doing okay? You’re not hurt, other than what we just saw go down?”

She shook her head no, but continued glaring at her brother as she said,

“No, but this asshole,” she spits jerking her thumb toward Nix, “is in desperate need of an education. I told him, at least, fifty times on the way over here to politely to go and die in a hole, but he won’t listen. So, here we are. Obviously, you guys are as fascinated as I am to hear what he has to say, but I’m hoping he’ll just spit it out so I can go home and forget this ever happened.”

I wouldn’t usually recommend disrespecting any member of an MC on principle, but definitely not its President. Regardless of whether Cami’s his sister or not, Nix isn’t a man you fuck with. In this case, Cami’s just damn lucky Diesel would die before he let the asshole touch her again. Although knowing Nix the way I do, I’m not willing to place bets that little detail will stop him.

Not addressing any of us in particular, Nix grunts,

“I’ve told this stupid bitch a million times to stay the fuck away from your pussy MC, but she never listens. Why is that you think?”

Feeling Diesel’s fury ratchet up another notch, I caution,

“You’ve got a choice here, brother. You can get you shit together, calm the fuck down and we can sort this. Or, you can let me and the boys handle this. You don’t take the former and lose your shit on him, then I’m going to have to force the latter. And you don’t want that, D. I know you don’t.”

He doesn’t get a chance to make the right choice before his girl takes matters into her own hands.

“Listen, because I’m only going to repeat this once more for you. Who I sleep with is none of your business. As many times as you’ve tried to tell me, tried to convince me in a multitude of ways that are not only fucked up but wrong, for the last time; I. Do. Not. Belong. To. Your. Club!” Cami spits venomously. “I don’t belong to anyone. Do you hear me, Nix? In front of all these people, I’m being as clear as I can with you. I belong to me. No one else. Me.”

“Babe,” Diesel murmurs gently. “Stop, yeah? We’ll talk later. Just you and me. But I need you to calm down for a minute and let us sort this out. Can you do that for me, baby?” Reluctantly, Cami nods, but not without continuing to throw death glares Nix’s way.

“Nix, you’ve made your play. It didn’t work. So what I wanna know is what you’re still doing here?” Diesel bites out.

Sneering at him, Nix takes a step forward, both men at his sides doing the same.

“I don’t know why you thought I’d be okay with you touching my sister, and I know you knew she was family, but it stops right fucking now. She’s club property, and she claimed. End of. I promised her to Ripper years ago, so as far as she’s concerned she’s got an old man. You keep that in mind and we’re good. You don’t, and we’re gonna have problems you and me.”

“You want to repeat that?” Diesel asks, his body going still.

Nix grins evilly, not answering. A grin which is wiped off his face in the blink of an eye. Landing a nasty right hook, Bella shrieks,

“Cami is a person, not a thing you sick fuck. She’s not a gift to be given unless she is the one giving it.”

I’ve got no idea where she came from but thank fuck Jay is there to get a hold of her. Clamping his arms around her middle, Bella tried kicking herself free before sagging into him deflated all of a sudden, I would have said her fight just evaporated, but that was only until I see Dirty has a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Bella might have stopped struggling physically, but the distraught tone of her voice tells me she’s not done fighting.

“She’s your sister,” she murmurs. “You don’t hit your sister or any woman. You don’t call her nasty names. And you do not trade her or gift her to your friends like she’s nothing more than a piece of meat. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and her own person. You treat her like the treasure she is. You protect her. You watch out for her. If you can’t do that, you let a man who is willing to do all that and more be there for her and take her back.”

“Shut your mouth, bitch. You’re right, she is my sister, but you’re not. I don’t share blood or bond with you. I’m showing respect not dropping you on your ass right here, right now. But if you keep running your mouth I’ll see to it you won’t be talking for a while.”