And fuck me, she giggles. It’s the first actual sound I’ve heard from her.
“You sure about this, Mace?” Dirt sounds anxious.
“Yeah, Prez has already said you could bring him around. I’ll let Beef know so he can manage Max.” Max, Steph’s guide dog, has been known to object to canine interlopers in the clubhouse, but on that occasion, it was a sniffer dog accompanying cops who were ripping the clubhouse apart. I suspect he’d picked up a vibe from us.
Dirt and Nails were both injured when their Army jeep hit an IED. Bagel had been in the truck with them, and only the three survived. They’d formed a strong bond between them. I knew Dirt was worried about bringing his dog to the club, but I thought as Esme enjoyed drawing animals, it was a fair bet she liked them, and having one with her when she entered a strange place full of men might ease her mind.
Dirt holds out the looped end of the leash. “Want to hold on to him, sweetie?”
Esme’s wide eyes suggest she very well might. Being a well-trained ex-Army dog, I suspect he doesn’t need much controlling.
Chapter Thirteen
Lizard
I’m not sure whether my brother might have grown a vagina. Just this weekend he was being supportive to a kid and his mom that he said he was no more than friends with, and today he’s taken Shayla and Esme under his wing. I’ll give credit where credit’s due though, getting Dirt to bring his three-legged dog was a stroke of genius. The girl had seemed entranced from the moment she’d met him.
On our bikes, Mace and I arrive back at the compound shortly before Dirt, following more slowly in the truck. We find Prez has already summoned the brothers in, most of whom were already in church awaiting our arrival. When I see Prez hovering in the clubroom, I suspect he’s got the rest out of the way, so Shayla and Esme aren’t overwhelmed at the start.
“They’re coming then?”
At his question, I cup my hand to my ear, hearing a sound of an engine and then it cutting out. “That’s them pulling up now.”
The three of us turn to look expectantly at the entrance. Dirt opens the door, then steps aside so Shayla can enter. She looks nervous, even scared, but Vi is right beside her, an encouraging touch on her arm. Bagel, seeing Nails coming out from behind the bar, steps forward, bringing Esme along with him at the other end of his leash.
Prez waits where he is, allowing Shayla to come inside at her own speed.
“This is it.” Vi flourishes her arms around her. “It might not be much, but it’s home.”
Shayla turns to her. “The gates shut behind us.” She sounds almost accusing.
“Gates keep people out as well as people in,” Demon’s voice booms. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to, or free to leave at any time.” He steps forward, but before he closes the gap between him and the newcomers, he pulls Vi into his arms, lowering his head and taking her lips, as one hand moves protectively over her belly making me wonder whether they’ve got news they haven’t yet shared. “You okay?” he asks, quietly, when he ends their demonstrative kiss.
“I’m good,” she replies. Then turns to the females behind her. “Ladies,” she includes Esme in her description, “this is my husband, Demon. He’s the prez of the Satan’s Devils.”
I notice Shayla relaxes slightly at Demon’s evident care for the woman at his side, an almost envious look crossing her face as she bears witness to their obvious love for each other. More tension fades when a shrill voice screeches, “Mommy!” and little Theo comes into sight, barrelling toward Vi.
Intercepting him, Demon swings him up into his arms and the big stern MC prez tickles his son, making him scream and laugh. When he wriggles, he puts him down.
“Max! Max!” an annoyed female voice sounds.
I swing to see Max galloping across the clubroom, screeching to a halt just in front of the strange dog.
“Max!” Steph shouts again, but for once, her dog ignores her.
“I’m sorry.” Nails moves up beside her.
“My fault,” calls Mace. “I told them they could bring Bagel here. To help settle Esme.”
“Bagel? Esme?” Steph sounds completely confused.
“Long story,” says Vi. “But Max and Bagel seem to be getting along.”
Well, I suppose if dogs mutually sniffing rear ends while moving around in a circle is anything to go by, they are. At least no hackles are raised and there’s no growling.
Vi walks over to Steph and takes her arm, then glances back to Shayla and Esme, the latter seeming entranced by the two dogs who seem fast on the way to becoming friends. “Come with us. The women will be in the kitchen. It’s our own private space.” Once the two start to follow her, I hear her grumble, “I keep on at D to build us a proper place out back, a living room, TV area just for ourselves but their gym takes precedence for now. But he’ll get around to it one day.” Her voice fades as she reaches her destination.
“Will he?” Mace asks, a smirk on his face as he regards Prez.
“Probably,” Demon responds, fondly looking in the direction his woman disappeared in and gives a resigned shake of his head. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting.”
The conversation dies down quickly as we enter our meeting room, brothers all dying from curiosity, wanting to know why we’ve yet more strangers on the compound, female ones at that.
Thunder looks across the table at Mace. “You got a new habit of picking up strays?”
“First one wasn’t interested, Brother. See how soon he’s moved on to the next?” Pyro thinks he’s a barrel of laughs.
“Alright, zip it.” Demon bangs the gavel. “Who’s going to start? Liz or Mace.”
Pressing my fingers to my forehead, I let Mace carry on. I’ve got another of my fuckin’ tension headaches that’s starting to build. Knowing the punchline, I concentrate on fighting back the pain, content to let him bring everyone up to speed.
“Liz?”
When I look up, it seems like it’s not the first time someone’s been trying to get my attention.
“Headache?” asks Mace, his voice carrying both concern and sympathy.
“Here.” Paladin shoots a packet of Advil down the table. Gratefully, I swallow a couple dry.
“What d’you need?” I say at last, hoping the tablets work quickly.
“We were talking about Esme’s tat, whether at her age, it’s better to get laser treatment to remove it.” Prez’s words are spoken tightly, and I glance around, noting all my brothers’ faces look thunderous. Though I’d zoned out of the discussion, I take it they’re as fucking upset by the situation as I am.
When I place my head into my hands this time, it’s not just to ease the ache, it’s because I’m thinking. Finally, I respond. “That shit will take multiple treatments, and the tats coloured as fuck. The writing is black, so they’ll be able to get rid of that, but the likelihood is they’ll only be able to fade the rest, and something of it will remain. It’s best done by a professional, someone who knows what they’re doing. Removal is not without pain and can easily get infected. I don’t know if she’d be able to look after it well enough, even with Shayla’s help.” My hands clench as I think of the bastard who’s the reason we’re discussing removing a tat from an underaged and mentally challenged girl. “I’d prefer to cover it.”