Two hours later I socialise, drink, fuck, then when I’ve tired myself out, go to bed. Just a normal Sunday night on the compound. I switch off completely. With no thoughts lingering to disturb my rest, I sleep soundly until morning. Then I rise and get ready to start my week.
“Mace. That bitch is coming in again today. Vi’s going to start working on that property tat.”
Lizard’s talking about Shayla. With Vanna here, she’d been put right out of my head. Now I remember the good-looking woman who’d interested me last week. I raise my cup of coffee toward Lizard. “Cad find anything more out?”
“Nah. No one’s heard of any other Majors, not in an MC anyway. He’s asked our other chapters and the Wretched Soulz. He’s widening his search, got his contacts on the dark web looking.”
Of course, he has. The way Cad gets his info is a mystery to me. “You going to try to speak to her?”
“Vi is. She’s going to probe who this Major fucker is. Demon’s happy we cover the tat, but if there’s anything she can tell us, he wants to know. Just in case.”
I smirk. “Want me to have a word?”
Lizard chuckles. “Not sure we need your enforcer skills just yet. But you’re welcome to hang around if you want to try out your charm on her.”
“What fuckin’ charm?” I bark a laugh.
“The charm you were using on that bitch this weekend.” His eyes narrow. “What’s she to you, Mace?”
“She’s the wife of an old friend.” I don’t even have to think about my explanation. Little does he know it, but it was the truth that came from my lips. “That’s all, Liz. She’s not for me.”
“Yeah.” He stares off into the distance for a moment. “Noticed she still wears her ring. Faithful to a man who’s gone.”
“She is,” I confirm.
“He die in service?”
I might be happy stretching the truth, but I can’t outright lie to my brother. Seeing Pyro, I avoid answering, calling out instead, “Wait up a minute, Ro!”
The man I’ve called, turns. I pat Liz’s shoulder then leave him and join the man who, today, is not only my MC brother but my boss, the auto-shop manager.
“What’s up, Brother?”
“That girl we spoke about in church. The bitch with the property tat. Vi’s starting work on her today.”
“You need to be there?”
Again, I can’t tell an untruth. “Not really, but if you can spare me…”
Pyro taps his fingers together, his brow creasing. “Ink and the others will probably be enough for today. And put it this way, Mace, if this is going to cause trouble for us, Demon would have my hide if I could have done anything to prevent it. Yeah, you go talk to the bitch. You never know, your newly discovered charm might get more out of her than even Vi.”
He laughs at the scowl on my face. Second person today to mention the word charm in connection with me. Not a good rep for an enforcer.
“Hey, Ro?” I shout to his back. When he pauses his pace, I make an exaggerated pout and follow it up with, “I’ll show you my fuckin’ charms later.” When he laughs loudly and resumes walking to the door, I show my middle finger even though he can’t see it. Shame that fuckin’ gym’s not up and running yet. I could demonstrate my charisma in the ring, starting with rearranging the face of any fucker who thinks I’ve become charming.
I stomp off toward the kitchen, my annoyance fading when I see Mel unpacking tubs of what I know will be confectionary perfection, she’s clearly just brought in. First, I turn and look behind me.
“What’s up?”
“Just saw Pyro walking off in the other direction.”
Mel laughs. “He ate so much at home, I’ve sent him away. I threatened to make him get on the scales.”
I love Mel for my brother. He’s been so much happier and more settled since she’s been in his life, as though he’d found a part of him that had been missing. Mind you, anyone would be lucky to have Mel for a wife. If I had someone who’d cook such delicacies for me, I’d never want to leave home. Just sit, eat, get fatter and fatter, until my time came, and they’d have to take apart the door to get me out of the house.
“Mace?” Mel’s standing with her head to one side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, darlin’. Just thinking about women who can cook, and where I might find one.”
“Thought you weren’t a one-woman man,” she chides, opening a tub of cinnamon buns and waving them in front of my nose.
Taking one, I agree. “Perhaps one who can cook, one who can clean, one who can f—”
She places her fingers over my mouth. “Keep that thought to yourself, please.” She rolls her eyes. “Hey, what’s with your friend, Vanna? You really just ‘friends’?” She puts the word in air quotes.
“Sure are,” I confirm, the words slightly muffled, spoken as they are around crumbs.
“I noticed something odd about that son of hers.”
“Yeah?” I take another bite.
“Is he related to Lizard by any chance? He looks like him.”
Crumbs fly out of my mouth as I choke. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. When Mel finishes slapping my back, admonishing me for stuffing too much in my mouth, I respond as nonchalantly as I can, “Nah, must be coincidence,” adding, “Poor fucker.”
“Poor, why?”
I wink. “Well, if you think he looks anything like Liz’s ugly mug.”
She bats my arm.
“How’s the pregnancy going?” I distract her with her favourite topic.
Like expectant moms do, my words cause her to hold her hands to her stomach, pulling her top tight over it to emphasise the still small, yet obvious, baby bump she has going on. “I felt her move last night.”
“Really? You know it’s a girl?”
“No. We decided we don’t want to know. But this is so different to last time, I think it will be.”
I think of starting a book, especially as it appears, I have inside knowledge. Out loud I reassure her, “Everything’s different this time, Mel.” I catch her eyes and hold them. “You’ve got a good fuckin’ man by your side.”
She doesn’t have to say a word to let me know she’s in total agreement.
In the end, I consume three cinnamon rolls and two muffins before getting on my bike. While the sugary taste has lifted my mood, Mel’s words about Cas cause me to worry. Yeah, he very much resembles his dad. I wonder whether anyone else has noticed? Lizard hasn’t, or, at least, he hasn’t remarked on it.
Chapter Ten
Mace
When I arrive at the tattoo parlour, it’s just before eleven. Vi and Liz are out of sight, presumably working with clients, and Jonah’s manning the reception desk. He looks up and raises his chin as I enter, then addresses the woman who’s sitting stiffly waiting on a chair.
“Violet will be with you soon. She’s just running a couple of minutes late.”
The woman is Shayla. I notice again what a pretty face she’s got, won’t be any hardship to keep her company for a few. I take a seat opposite, avoiding sitting next to her as I don’t want to spook her. Sitting back though, when I stretch out my long legs, there’s not much space and my feet touch hers. She jumps and quickly pulls back feet, which look half the size of mine, tucking them under her chair.