Duke: Fallen MC #1 (9 page)

The brothers also created a barrier between her and the club sluts. After sleeping in Duke’s bed for a full week they tried making her life hell. They attempted to turn the brothers against her by talking shit and made any task she was given twice as hard by messing it up. Helen once slipped onto Kings’ knee while he was eating and tasted his food. After she declared it disgusting, she was shoved from his lap and all the club sluts were banned from eating the clubs’ food, unless it was a party. Nicole had wanted to cheer with pom-poms after seeing everyone agree, having her back while Helen was left red-faced and snarling.

The odd nights Duke was away on club business she still slept in his bed trying hard to fall asleep. Sleeping without Duke had become more and more difficult. He claimed the same thing with her. Once he swept her up into her arms when he got back from an overnight run and pounded his way up the stairs to his apartment. She got excited and so wet at the prospect of being thrown down on his bed and sexed into oblivion. He stripped her quickly before collapsing beside her. He wound himself around her and pulled up the covers. She remembered being totally confused until he buried his nose in her neck and drew in a long breath.

“Fuck, baby. I couldn’t get a fucking minute of sleep without you under me. I’m good for fuck all right now.” Two minutes later he was lightly snoring. She giggled to herself before settling down and taking a nap that she needed too, luxuriating in his warmth and smell.

He’d started to open up more to her about his life before the club. Razor and Duke were raised in foster care and group homes until Duke was eighteen and left, taking Razor with him. He hated his mother who had abandoned them.

“Out mother was a total bitch. Why she ever had kids is a mystery to me. She made it damn clear to me and Razor that she wished we’d never been born – it was her version of good morning. I hardened to it pretty quickly but I always knew it got yo Razor more than he let on. Nights when she didn’t come back, he’d worry where I’d be just fucking grateful.”

He talked briefly about all the men who she paraded through their house and allowed to beat on him and Razor. As he spoke she clung tighter to him. He never seemed weak or vulnerable while he was talking, she did it for her comfort more than his. He never gave more details than he wanted to and she never pressed him for them. The rare times he spoke of his mother was in a monotone voice. Her abandonment of him and his brother had definitely left its mark.

He built up quite a reputation as a thug in his time in foster care and as soon as he was released he starting working for a gang as an enforcer. He described his job as “breaking bones and collecting debts.” He did this for three years until the gang made a deal with Fallen MC.

“I was at the meeting. I can’t remember what shit it was over but Prod, the gang boss, pulled me and all the other enforcers in to add to his protection. Fallen had a fucking ruthless reputation and everyone knew sure as shit not to mess with them. Prod always acted invincible but I was excited to see what could rattle the bastard. In walked Prez, followed by only three other brothers. One was Hollywood, the other two are old-timers now and aren’t round much. There was eleven of us standing round and in Fallen walked, just four brothers and they totally dominated the meeting. You could just see the bond between them. There was no doubt about who’d have their back or if they were about to be screwed over. They were solid and I was drawn to it. I wanted that too. Two days after the meeting me and Razor approached Reaper, who was VP at the time, about being recruited and the rest is history. Prod tried to have me taken out but my brothers took care of it, just like I’d do for any of them.”

Nicole knew that Duke saw Fallen as his family now, a family without the hassle and heartbreak a ‘traditional’ family can bring. From starting as a prospect right up to being voted VP, he gave everything to the club and never let anything interfere with that. Nicole didn’t know anything about living as a traditional family either but she wouldn’t mind finding out. She wanted to belong to someone too and in her heart she knew she wanted it to be Duke. She’d never had the stability that he treasured so much. She could see why he’d do anything to hold on to it.

She started to spend more of her free time with the brothers, Shel and Jewel. Not just at meals. She really liked them all and they treated her well. Even Prez had thawed towards her. Shel and Jewel liked to tease that she was going to be the next old lady yet Duke had never mentioned anything like that. It chipped away at her that maybe he never thought of her the way she thought of him. She tried not to let it show or affect her but when she was alone she felt sad to her bones. She loved her life now. She never imagined living in an MC. she’d even vowed to herself years ago to escape any kind of life like this but now she wanted it more than anything.

She’d ended up telling Shel and Jewel her life story one night during a drunken pity party, leaving all three of them tear stained and sharing a gallon of ice cream that they had hidden away. Then Jewel, in her drunken haze, had tried to jump on Hollywood from behind for a hug. She somehow missed his massive body and landed a few feet from where he was standing. So, the rest of the night was spent in hysterics on the floor.

She dreaded her Dad finishing his business with Fallen MC as her time with them and Duke would be up. She knew in every corner of her soul that she didn’t want to leave. Duke never made any mention of her staying at all and she dreaded having to separate from him. Nicole thought about bringing it up. She just didn’t have the nerve. She was afraid it would push him away and she didn’t want to be without him sooner than she had to, so, she never bought it up in conversation. Not that it’s easy to slip into such a discussion casually.

Nicole loved it when she was able to get him to smile or laugh. She loved how possessive he was of her and how he never tried to hide it, he’d grab and kiss her at every opportunity and didn’t take kindly to any comments coming her way from his brothers. She loved his loyalty to his club and the little bubble he and she had when they were on their own. Sure, he was a moody son of a bitch at times, rude, cantankerous and hot headed but she loved those things about him as well. She just plain and simple loved him and wished she knew how he felt about her. A massive part of her was afraid to find out and happy to live in blissful ignorance. She’d heard from more than one source that Duke had always stated that he never wanted to settle down.

She was dreading next week when Duke and most of the brothers would be away for five days to a week and to make matters worse, Shel and Jewel were going on the run with them. She had no idea where exactly they were going or what they were doing. It was club business and it wasn’t for her to know. She accepted that. Nicole had a feeling she’d be spending most of her time in Duke’s apartment watching movies with Slam, who thankfully wasn’t going along. Shel said she thought she could have easily talked Prez around into letting her ride with Duke. However, if anyone from Riot MC saw her with them it could start a war they weren’t ready for. The last thing she wanted was to put anyone in danger.

It was coming up to the fifth night that they’d all been gone. Nicole hadn’t been able to speak to Duke because she still wasn’t allowed a phone no matter how much she’d begged and pleaded. She was thoroughly pissed off. She’d spent her morning with Slam watching Bad Boys after waking up feeling nauseous and achy. She’d had yet another shit sleep. Slam had been doing his best to keep her up beat. He was what she imagined having a big brother would be like. He was protective when brothers were around that she didn’t know very well, he never checked her out and while he made her laugh, he could annoy the piss out of her sometimes as well. She was sure she would have gone crazy if he wasn’t here. He gave her a brief update of how things were going with the run but never any specifics. She just wanted to know how Duke was, damn it!

Nicole always thought she wanted a quiet, simple life, now she knew she wanted this. The chaos, the close friends, the constant comings and goings of brothers in and out of the compound. The sound of tail pipes growling was comforting to her now. With everyone gone, especially Duke, she felt like she was missing a limb and the quiet was driving her mad. She didn’t feel whole. She was so excited for them all to come back.

It was late evening and she was cleaning up the kitchen, it was in shambles since the brothers left. Cereal bowls, unwashed plates and cups covered nearly every surface. She hadn’t been doing her regular meals as much, she still cooked and left it for the few brothers and prospects that were there. The problem was they ate and left, leaving a garbage dump in their wake. She tackled the dishes and then the stove top which was coated in a layer of burnt food. It seemed the brothers lacked the basic skill of reheating food without it going everywhere.

While scrubbing the first cast iron burner she heard a throat clear behind her. She turned to find Helen and four other club sluts glaring at her. They were all regulars around the compound and she had seen them servicing the brothers in the bar or out in the yard from time to time. Not many brothers felt the need for privacy to get their rocks off. Some even seemed to prefer an audience. She couldn’t remember their names as she didn’t spend any time with them, but she knew Helen. She was always trying to sniff around Duke, not that he paid her any attention. She always had a bitchy insult or comment for her when no one was listening. Today though was not the day to mess with her. She missed Duke, felt like crap and just wanted to curl up in bed but the kitchen needed her attention first.

“You five sluts gonna help like you should be doing, or just stand there?” Yes she could have asked nicely, why should she though when they’d never extended the same courtesy to her? Was it petty?….yes. Did she give a damn?…..no.

“You seem to think you’re queen bitch here. Your nothing but a fat skank who Duke’ll scrape of his shoe when you gotta leave. You’re nothing, you’re a quick fuck and a novelty to him. As soon as you’re out the door he’ll come right back to me, like he always does.” Helen looked pleased with her little speech.

“Is that so?” Nicole arched one eyebrow. All the bitches started to nod their heads.

“That’s so! But now we’re sick of waiting, so we’re here to speed things up a bit.” No one else was speaking so she focused on Helen.

“Nice being Duke’s fall back is it? Always sloppy seconds to someone else? You must feel so special and proud.” Helen’s teeth bared in anger. “And just how do you plan on making me leave?” Nicole laughed in their faces, they had no power in this club. Neither did she but at least she wasn’t delusional.

The bitches all looked at each other and a silent message seemed to pass between them. An ominous feeling spread through her. They started quickly towards her. Shit, her heart started to pound the closer they got. She had no where to go. Why hadn’t she kept her fucking mouth shut? Way to go, Nicole! She backed up until she felt something at her back, stopping her from going any farther. She frantically looked at the sides for a stray knife or anything to use as a weapon. Why did she have to clean up so well?! A menacing vibe twisted around her as she faced the approaching group.

“I’d prefer you leave in a body bag but I’ll settle for a stretcher.” Helen’s voice was barely recognisable, distorted by her fury into a feral growl. For the first time Nicole could see the club sluts as the predators they were always trying to be. She kept her gaze solely on Helen. That was her mistake.

Before Nicole could even process what Helen had snarled, she was hit on the side of the head with what felt like a rolling pin. She cried out as her vision swam and she fell to the floor. Nicole couldn’t believe they’d actually attacked her. She was in shock. She rolled her body towards the kitchen cupboards as all five bitches started to pummel her back, legs and head. Nicole’s front was all that was protected by the cupboards that she desperately pressed herself to. The all out fear she felt in her childhood returned ten fold. All the air left her lungs and pain enveloped her entire body as blow after blow rained down on her. She could feel blood running from her head into her eyes, her nose popped and her lip split as fists smashed into the side of her face. She could feel herself weakening, her body overwhelmed with pain and injury started to feel foreign to her. The insults and taunts being yelled were fading away as a loud buzzing filled her head. Nicole pulled Duke’s smiling face from her memory and tried to focus on it. With one more kick to her head, she blacked out.

Nicole was roused by faint voices, she wanted to reach for them but couldn’t respond or move at all. Fire swept through her already excruciating body as her arms were wrenched up. Several hands painfully dug in and locked on different parts of her body. Nails pierced her flesh as she was being dragged to only god knows where. This was it. Her body was going to be dumped and left to rot. She couldn’t fight what was happening to her, her body wouldn’t let her and all her mind did was play one horrific scenario after another, weakening her resolve to hold on.

“Hurry! Throw her in there and lock it. I’ll call Duke and tell him we need to speak as soon as he gets back. Hopefully she’ll be almost dead by then. Ain’t so pretty now is she!” a cackle any witch would be proud of sounded out. She heard Helen say more but couldn’t distinguish what it was, her voice was getting farther away. A loud slam of a door being closed and the click of a lock were the last things Nicole heard before silence engulfed her.

Her body had been dropped on a cold hard floor. It felt like cement, she wasn’t sure. She tried to move into a more comfortable position off her side and onto her front but her body wasn’t cooperating. The pain was debilitating and whatever injuries she had seared into her attempted calm and left nothing but a pathetic, weeping woman behind. She could feel the cold penetrating her skin and travelling into the depths of her body, wracking her with shivers. She was going to die here. There was no one to find her. No one even looking. No hope. Tears leaked from her eyes that she couldn’t fully open and her body convulsed as she suddenly vomited. The clench of her muscles forced a weak scream from her throat. She wished she could hold Duke one last time and tell him she loved him. Beg for him to love her in return. Nicole knew it was too late. It felt like forever…..but eventually the darkness took her again.