“Sorry, bitch, ATM is closed for good. I suggest you get that husband of yours to get off his ass and deal with your addictions,” I retort.
“You know what I’ll do if you don’t?” she snaps.
“Horse is a big boy and can handle himself. Try fuckin’ with him and see what happens. He’s not gonna put up with your shit. Don’t call me again. You do and you’ll regret it.” I don’t bother waiting for a response before I hang up.
And just like that, I’m reminded no bitch outside our family can be trusted. They are all the same— conniving, every single last one of them. Only out to get what they want and nothing more.
Chapter Ten
Boss
It’s been over a month and Halloween is only a few days away. I’m not the type of chick who typically enjoys the holidays, but my crew here at the Iron Vex always loves to make the best of any time we can all spend together. With our schedules, it’s not very often we get to all be in the same room at once, but tonight we do.
Iris, Faith, and Gold decorated the shit out of the club. Orange and black banners hang from every doorway with creepy fake cobwebs and spiders. The thing that threw me off the most is how they converted the rooftop into some crazy, creepy ass carnival shit. I’m just glad I had the common sense to sneak up here for a smoke break earlier so I wouldn’t shit myself later. It reminds me of a place that was shut down because people got murdered or something. Meanwhile, the bar looks like it was turned into a haunted house.
The party doesn’t start for another couple hours, but that hasn’t stopped Ricochet. He’s been waltzing around in an old-fashioned suit with a top hat and cane that looks like it was dipped in chalk. The smug bastard has been talking in this Eastern European accent too, which is driving me crazy.
I’m sitting at the end of the bar, staring at all the photos on the wall, looking at every memory we’ve had here over the last fifty-something years. Hell, back when I was a kid, I didn’t understand why my mom’s father wanted to take photographs so much, but now that I’m Prez, I get it. At any given moment, someone could be taken away from you and it’s better to not risk it, to spend as many moments as you can with the ones you love. Take the smiling photo with your friends and display it for everyone to see.
“Have you decided what you’re going to dress up as?” Iris, who’s now a sexy pirate, asks me. She has her hair pinned back in these pigtail-like braids, making her look like she walked off Jack Sparrow’s ship in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Shaking my head, I answer her. “No, I’m not even sure I’ll come tonight. I have a lot on my mind.” What I say to Iris is the biggest understatement of my life. Three days ago, I discovered something that will change . . . well, everything in every way.
“No, Boss! You have to come. The party wouldn’t be the same without our fearless leader,” Iris tells me, and while I’m sure it’s a bit different, my presence isn’t mandatory.
Faith walks behind the bar, raising a brow. “Are you seriously thinking of not coming tonight? What’re you gonna do instead, go eat Chinese alone in your room again?”
I hold up my finger. “First of all, it’s Filipino food, and secondly, don’t diss my mechado. It’s delicious and sometimes I just prefer to eat it in silence.”
Faith puts her hands up in the air in a surrendering way and giggles. “Sorry. I’m only being blunt. This party is going to be the best one we’ve thrown yet. You never skip out on parties. What’s wrong?” I know Faith is only trying to help, but what I’ve learned is something I don’t yet feel comfortable sharing. At least, not until I figure it out first, because everyone will be looking to me for answers. Every single person in the club will be anxious about it and I have to know the next step before they do.
“Nothing’s wrong, Faith. I’m just tired. It’s been a long week, but if you’re so adamant I attend tonight, I’m gonna run upstairs and take a nap for an hour. I’ll see you at eight,” I swiftly respond, rising from my barstool. I head up the stairs and go to my bedroom, shutting the door and locking it behind me.
I walk to the small armchair in the corner of my room and pop a squat, picking up the small white stick I’ve kept on my bedside the last couple days. I don’t know why I keep it here. Maybe it’s because the more I stare at the word ‘pregnant’, the more the reality will start sinking in. Or maybe I subconsciously think the wording will change to ‘not pregnant’ and I’m actually crazy.
At first, I thought I’d misread it, or my eyes were deceiving me, so I waited a few more days and tested again, which leads me to the test on my bedside table. There’s only one person I’ve had sex with in the last month.
Stoney.
I shut my eyes, realizing he’s the father of the boy or girl that’s growing in my uterus right now. We haven’t spoken since that day and have had our VPs discussing things just so we can avoid having to talk to one another. The way it all went down . . . it just got so heated, and if there’s one thing we have in common, it’s our bullheadedness.
I don’t want to be with Stoney in any way. He’s a great romp in the sack, but outside of that there aren’t really any appealing qualities about him. Well, okay, I lied. He ages like fine wine, so there’s that too, but once he opens his mouth, his attractiveness level shoots down dramatically.
There’s one man I’d love to be with, but I know it’ll never happen. He lives in another country and there’s just no way it would ever work out. One of us would have to give something important up to make it work and I’m sure as hell never going to give up being Prez just to be with a man.
Fuck, my life is a mess right now, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s that this baby is going to come into the most loving, supportive family it could ever dream of— the Iron Vex MC. I only hope the streak of bad luck my family has had over the years doesn’t continue. I crave one thing, just a small semblance of normalcy.
I just don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep this secret to myself. I may have only known about this baby for a few days, but I won’t ever let its father take it from my arms, and knowing what I do about Stoney, that’s exactly what he’ll do.
He’ll want it all to himself, because if we have a girl, he won’t want her turning out like the slut he’s said I am.
Stoney’s Property
Devil’s Riot MC Originals
For those who have felt the pain of being burned by someone who proclaims their love.
Don’t forget your worth, your strength, and, most of all, you can keep going.
The people around you don’t make you who you are, but you as a person choose what hurts you or not.
Acknowledgments
My Family – I’ll always be thankful toward my husband as he continues to show his support in my writing. No matter how annoying I become, he lets me ramble on and on with the different things I come up with. Even sends me music when I need encouragement. My kids now are a huge part of this as I show them you can follow your dreams and shoot for the moon if you put your mind to it.