The Cut by Carol Lynne: Kings of Bedlam MC Series, Book One (26 page)

“Where’s Santana?” Gypsy asked.

“At the salon. Rain’s treating her to a bunch of beauty treatments. It’s total bullshit, she’s already gorgeous, but it’s Rain’s wedding present to her, so it’s not like I could say no.”

Gypsy ran his hands over his short dark hair. “That worthless husband of Rain’s isn’t coming, is he?”

Stake shook his head. “He’s on the road.” He’d only met Manny Silva once and that had been more than enough. Worthless was an apt description for the asshole. A long-haul trucker, Manny was only home one week a month, and according to Santana, Rain wasn’t allowed to go anywhere or talk on the phone when he was in town. The one occasion Stake had met the fucker was right after Rain and Santana had become friends after talking at the Bikes, Blues and Barbeque rally. Manny had been in town that weekend and had made a complete ass out of himself when he’d shown up at Rain’s jewelry booth soon after the altercation between Stake and Top. Stake would have sworn fear flashed through Rain’s pale green eyes when Manny had demanded to know how much money she’d made.

A few days later, Santana mentioned that when she’d met Rain for lunch, she’d noticed bruises on the thin woman’s wrists. It was something Stake had promised to keep an eye on. He liked Rain and was happy that Santana had found a girlfriend so easily, but putting Santana in danger wasn’t an option.

A white compact car pulled into the driveway, prompting a smile from Stake. He walked over and opened the passenger door, pleased to see the hairdresser had left Santana’s dark hair down.

“Hey. Hey. Hey,” Tiny scolded pushing Stake back. “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

“We fucked all morning, and the day’s been perfect so far,” Stake growled.

Santana laughed. “Give me another hour, and I’ll be all yours.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running inside the house with Rain.

“Well, fuck.” Stake stared at Tiny. “I thought you were her maid-of-honor, not her goddamn bodyguard.”

“I am all things,” Tiny replied. “Now, I’m going to crack open a beer and take my place on the porch so I can direct traffic once people start arriving.”

Stake turned away from the lunatic and noticed the rage on Gypsy’s face. “What?”

Gypsy pointed to the house. “You didn’t see her?”

“That gorgeous woman who’ll be my wife? Yeah, I saw her.”

“Not Santana. Rain.” Gypsy narrowed his eyes and climbed the porch steps, disappearing into the house before explaining himself.

“I’m surrounded by a bunch of crazy people,” Stake mumbled as he walked back to the site of the ceremony.

* * * *

Santana shared a smile with Stake as she danced with Digger, the club’s Prez. Digger was an incredibly handsome man of around forty-five with short, salt and pepper hair. She didn’t know his history, but she knew he wasn’t married because he’d come to the wedding alone.

“Stake told me about the baby. Congratulations,” Digger said. Despite his smile, she felt sadness radiate from him.

“Thank you.” She leaned close enough to speak into his ear. “And thank you for accepting us.”

“Don’t thank me. Stake’s a godsend with the girls. I had no idea what a difference one person could make, but profits are way up.” He shrugged. “They’re happy.” He shook his head. “Hookers are never happy.”

“Despite their situation, kindness and respect go a long way in helping a person feel good about themselves.” She knew firsthand. “Stake understands that.”

She felt a solid body press against her back and glanced up and over her shoulder. “Hey.”

Stake grinned at her before turning his attention to Digger. “You’re getting a little close to my wife.”

Digger chuckled. “Jealous?”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Stake asked, wrapping a proprietary arm around Santana’s waist.

An expression of despair crossed Digger’s handsome face. “Yeah.” He took a step back before lifting Santana’s hand to his mouth. After placing a soft kiss on her hand, he smiled. “Thanks for the dance.”

“You’re welcome.” She watched him go before turning to drape her arms over Stake’s shoulders. “I thought you said you didn’t dance.”

“I don’t, but it seems I’m going to have to get over it unless I want to share you with every man here,” he whispered in her ear, taking a moment to suck her lobe into his mouth.

“They’re just being nice,” she scolded. “I like them.” She scraped her teeth across his shadowed jaw before asking the question on the tip of her tongue. “Why’s Digger so sad?”

Stake drew her even closer and bent to bury his face against her neck. He placed soft kisses on her heated skin before moving to her ear. “He lost his wife about eight years ago. They’d only been married for a couple years when she got pregnant.”

Her stomach flipped when she realized where the conversation was headed. “He lost them both,” she said.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “But that’s not gonna happen with us. Got that? So I don’t want you to worry.”

She wouldn’t, but something told her he would. She pressed her cheek against Stake’s chest and watched Digger refill his cup of beer. God. Her heart broke for him.

“I need to go,” Rain said, touching Santana’s shoulder.

Santana stopped dancing and looked at her friend. Rain was quickly becoming the best girlfriend she’d ever had, and she didn’t like the distress she saw from the pretty woman. “What’s up?”

Rain opened her mouth to speak, but Gypsy barged onto the dance floor and grabbed her upper arm. “We’re not done talking,” Gypsy growled.

“Yes. We. Are.” Rain pulled out of Gypsy grasp. She turned her attention back to Santana. “I didn’t want to leave before I told you congratulations, and to remind you to call me as soon as the two of you come up for air in the next day or so.”

Santana wasn’t sure what had come over Gypsy. He was one of the gentlest men she’d ever known. When he started to reach for Rain again, Santana slapped his arm. “What’re you doing?”

Gypsy glowered at Rain but spoke to Santana. “Did you even ask her how she got the cut on her lip?”

“Yeah,” Santana answered. “She said she smacked it on the corner of the bathroom sink when she bent over to pick up her hairbrush.”

“She told me she did it in the kitchen,” Gypsy accused.

“Stop,” Rain said, holding up her hand. “This is none of your business.”

“The hell it isn’t,” Gypsy argued. “That sonofabitch put his hands on you, didn’t he?”

“Stake, would you please walk me to my car?” Rain asked.

Stake released his hold on Santana and raked his fingers through his hair. He narrowed his eyes and darted a glance between Rain and Gypsy. “Sure.” He pointed at Gypsy. “You stay here with Santana.”

When Santana noticed Gypsy’s hand curl into a fist, she quickly wrapped it in her hands, getting his attention. “Not today,” she warned. “We’ll figure it out, but this isn’t the place.”

Gypsy’s jaws twitched several times before he nodded.

Santana leaned over to give Rain a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you.”

Rain nodded. She gave Gypsy one last pleading look before walking away with Stake right behind her.

Santana pulled Gypsy off the dance floor and to a quieter spot where they could talk without yelling. It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed signs of abuse, but every time she tried to talk to Rain about it, her friend completely shut down.

“How can you just let her go back to that?” Gypsy asked.

“Manny’s not even in town, so pushing her isn’t the way to go.” She knew from her own experience how humiliating it was to have other people witness the signs of a beating. “She’s embarrassed, and we have to tread lightly, or she’ll push us away.”

Although his breathing was still ragged, Gypsy reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. The bruises had faded and the cut had barely left a mark, but he obviously remembered. “I don’t understand a man who can hurt a woman.”

“Neither do I,” she agreed. “Rain told me you dated in high school.” The information had floored her at the time, but it was plain to see how much Gypsy still cared for Rain.

“Yeah. Before I moved away for a year when we were seventeen. When I came back, she was with Manny,” Gypsy explained. “I told her then that he was no good, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Santana wondered if Rain was the reason Gypsy never got emotionally involved with women. She wouldn’t ask, of course, because it wasn’t her business, but she couldn’t stand to see two of the people she cared about most in pain. “Let me talk to her again and see if she’ll open up. You barging in and scaring her isn’t the way. Trust me on this, okay?”

“I want to kill him,” Gypsy confessed. “Even knowing I’d probably get fingered for the job, I want to do it.”

“And that’s exactly the reason why you’re going to let me handle this,” she warned. She moved in to hug him. “For the first time in my life, I’m surrounded by people who care about me, and I’m not about to give that up without a fight.”

He returned her embrace and kissed the top of her head. “Just promise that you’ll do it quick before that asshole touches her again.”

“I’ll try.” She wasn’t sure how to make Rain understand that she didn’t deserve to live a life afraid of someone who was supposed to love and protect her, but she’d find a way.

“Seriously, brother, I’ve already put a ring on it,” Stake growled, pulling her away from Gypsy.

She sank back against her husband’s chest as his hands settled on her still-flat stomach. His jealousy still didn’t make sense to her, but she reveled in it each time he beat his chest and proclaimed to the world that she was his. Some might see the world she lived in as imperfect and often times dangerous, but she couldn’t imagine any other life. She had everything she’d ever wished for. Her hands drifted down to cover his. And some things she’d never known she’d needed.

About the Author

An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. While writing her first novel, Branded by Gold, Carol fell in love with the M/M genre. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. With over one hundred releases, one thing is certain, Carol loves to keep busy. Although series books are her passion, Carol enjoys the occasional stand-alone title.

As an organizer of the annual GayRomLit Retreat, Carol has little free time, but enjoys trips to the lake with her family when she has the rare weekend off.

Carol loves to hear from her readers. You can email her at 
[email protected]
. She also has two websites 
Carol Lynne
 and 
Cattle Valley

Email: [email protected]

Also Available from Stiff Rain Press

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