Jagger Read online

  After my fight the prior evening, the guys had brought me back to the clubhouse instead of dropping me off at my dismal apartment all by myself. They knew I’d have a problem with what I’d done, even though it hadn’t been intentional. Still, to kill by accident was much worse than when it was done on purpose.

  Tripp and Ryder had joined me while I’d drowned myself in alcohol. Stone on the other hand had to get back home to Adelaide and their new baby, Riley. I viewed the VP of my new family like a brother, even more so than the other men. We had a special bond. Maybe it was because we were both skilled fighters, or maybe it was because Stone had taken me under his wing when I’d first become part of the club, looking out for me when things went a little off the rails.

  The cushion near my feet dipped, the weight of someone who I’d yet to identify taking up some of my personal space. Shoving at my legs, a rough voice vibrated through the air, and even though my eyes were still shielded, I knew exactly who it was.

  My fellow drinking buddy. Ryder.

  Thankfully, he’d stuck to beer; otherwise last night would have had a much more dire outcome. Ryder didn’t do well with hard alcohol and we all knew it.

  “You gettin’ up anytime soon, prospect? It’s just after two. You’ve slept the majority of your day away,” he chided. Kicking at him only made him laugh, punching my leg before slouching back on the couch.

  So much for losing myself to slumber for the rest of the day.

  Before long, other voices filled the room, rousing me from my half sleep once and for all. Sitting upright, my hands instantly cradled my head, the intense pounding threatening to stay with me for hours.

  “Wow, buddy, you look like shit.”

  When I spread my fingers to look and see who’d given the compliment, I saw it was Hawke. The wide grin he sported soon disappeared when his crazy woman, Edana, walked up behind him. She mumbled under her breath before shoving past him, heading toward his room at the back of the club, her wild auburn hair flowing behind her while she strode off with purpose. The pissed-off look on her face was telling. Those two had such an explosive relationship; I had no idea why he kept her around. “Great pussy” was something I’d heard him say before, but ain’t no pussy worth putting up with that much shit on a daily basis. The fact that Hawke never kept his dick in his pants just added fuel to that out-of-control fire. But to each their own.

  Hawke’s eyes darkened before he dropped his head and followed Edana, probably gearing up for another all-out brawl from the look on his face.

  Slowly rising from the couch, I walked toward the kitchen in search of food. I needed something to settle my stomach, and I’d found that greasy food always did the trick. Although I doubted I’d come across something already made and waiting for me to snatch up.

  My head was buried in the refrigerator when I heard someone enter. Paying no attention to who it was, I continued to scour the shelves, hoping there was something edible for me to digest. Rooting through the choices, I decided to grab one of the small cardboard containers from the bottom shelf—leftover Chinese food of some sort. I opened the lid and gave it a whiff before deciding it was still good enough to eat. Someone was gonna be pissed I ate the rest of their chicken and broccoli, but I was too hungover to care.

  Closing the fridge door, I turned around to find a fork when I came face-to-face with Sully. Her sweet smile calmed me some, my headache becoming a dull annoyance more than anything. For some inexplicable reason, any anxiety I’d carried around on a daily basis was lessened whenever she was near. I didn’t understand it, and I stopped trying to months ago. It started when Marek summoned me to watch over her while he was away on club business with Stone after she had first come to stay with us. I’d thoroughly enjoyed our time together, loving that I’d been able to bring her out of her shell a bit by making her laugh. Normally, I was pretty reserved, but every now and again I could shoot the breeze with the best of them, coming up with witty banter just like everyone else.

  Our budding friendship had been cut short, however, when Marek got it into his head that I had feelings for his new wife.

  Was he right?

  Sort of.

  To myself, I would admit I found Sully very attractive, and while she was thinner than what I normally went for, she had a great body. Come on, I’m a young, red-blooded male after all. I noticed. What can I say? I won’t apologize for it, although I would never make my appreciation known out loud for fear of retaliation from my president. I valued the club—and my life—way too much to do something so stupid.

  But it was more than Sully’s physicality that drew me in. It was something inside her which spoke to me, an inexplicable pull. Maybe it was the way I truly let my guard down in the presence of a female for once, not second-guessing whether she wanted to get into my pants or simply use me as a stepping stone to gain some kind of status within the club.

  Maybe it was the short role of protector I was forced into while I watched over her for those few days. I’d seen how broken she was when she’d come to be with us, and even though she seemed much stronger and happier with each passing day, I’d discovered some of the things she’d had to endure at the hands of her club. Mainly her father and Vex. Thankfully, Vex was dead; if Marek hadn’t already disposed of him, I probably would have.

  I’d also been at the club the day the leader of the Los Zappas cartel visited, along with his right-hand man, Rico Yanez. Apparently, Yanez had raped Sully before Marek had stolen her, a situation which played heavily on our leader’s mind day in and day out—anyone with eyes could see it. He’d changed over the time she’d come into his life. There were times he seemed lighter, but as soon as he’d found out what had happened to her, finding himself face-to-face with one of the men who’d violated her, something inside him had turned off—or on, depending on how you looked at it.

  The need for vengeance and blood was strong with him, and I couldn’t say I blamed him. I just hoped when the time came he would allow me to assist in the demise of that worthless piece of shit.

  “Hi, Jagger,” Sully’s soft voice greeted me, looking toward the door to see if anyone else was going to enter. For the time being, we were alone, which probably wasn’t the safest thing. If Marek walked in and saw us together, he’d flip out. And although his demeanor around me wasn’t as aggressive as it had been initially when all the shit went down about my new friendship with his wife, the tension between us still bristled whenever we were near each other. I just didn’t want to do or say anything which would shove me back into “I’m gonna fuck you up” status.

  “Hey.” I gave her a tight smile before moving past her, continuing to look for a fork. “How are you?” I asked, keeping my eyes diverted just in case someone did interrupt us. At least they couldn’t say we were engaged in anything inappropriate.

  “I’m good.” She hesitated before speaking again, and I had a good idea why. It was obvious she knew what had happened at the fight, and was deciding whether or not she should ask me about it. Leaning against the counter, I shoved food into my mouth while I waited for her to say something, daring to finally look at her.

  Worry laced the faint lines of her expression and I wanted nothing more than to comfort her. To tell her I was okay . . . or at least I would be. I was a survivor. If my bastard of a father had taught me anything, it was how to throw up walls to protect myself from the harshness of the world. Most of the time it worked, but there were instances—like with my interactions with Sully—where the walls started to crack.

  “I heard about last night,” she confessed, taking a few steps closer until she reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder—an action which was definitely appreciated, but not necessary. I didn’t want anyone’s pity, most of all hers.

  Shrugging away from her touch, I gave her another tight smile before nodding. Continuing to eat was the distraction I needed, and thankfully Sully picked up on the vibe I’d thrown out. She probably thought I was scared to talk to her, but that was only pa
rtly true. While I could hold my own with Marek—and when I say hold my own, I mean letting him treat me any way he saw fit without retaliation—the last thing I wanted to do was cause Sully more heartache by creating an argument between them. She had enough to deal with, and I didn’t want to add to it.

  “No big deal,” I lied. “Part of the risk we all take when we step into the ring.”

  Her lips parted to respond when someone barreled through the kitchen door, locking eyes on me as soon as I came into view.

  “Yo,” Breck interrupted. “Prez wants to see ya.” He glanced quickly to Sully, then back to me before exiting the room.

  “Fuck,” I cursed, slamming the container of food on the nearby counter. Marek either wanted to see me because I was alone with his wife, or for the previous night. And seeing as how no one knew we were alone in the kitchen, my bets were on the latter.

  “I’ll go talk to Cole before he sees you,” Sully offered, turning toward the door before she allowed me to respond.

  Quickly walking past her, I reached for her arm to stop her. “No,” I gritted. “I’ll deal with it. Besides, I doubt it has anything to do with you.”

  Choosing not to utter another word, I pushed the door open and walked into the common room. I was halfway toward Chambers when I heard Marek shout, “Where the fuck is he?”

  Great! Nothing like walking into the lion’s den, and apparently he was hungry.

  Blowing out a frustrated exhale, I breached the threshold of the room where we held all our meetings.

  This should be fuckin’ good.

  Jagger

  As soon as I stepped inside Chambers, I noticed that almost everyone was present, with the exception of Cutter and Trigger. I hadn’t even seen the majority of the members milling around the club, but then again, I was too busy trying to function with a raging hangover.

  To say Marek was beside himself was quite the understatement. He looked ready to rip someone apart. Sections of his dark hair stuck up, his hands gripping his head in frustration as he paced in front of everyone present.

  His blue eyes darkened as soon as he saw me, halting his anxious stride before making a beeline in my direction. I didn’t flinch, even though the furious look on his face unnerved me. An unkempt beard covered his face, his eyes red and haggard-looking. He wasn’t getting any fucking sleep and his body paid the price. I knew he was biding his time until he could make Yanez pay for what he did to his wife once and for all. And if I’d overheard Stone correctly, his wish was gonna come true any day now.

  Grabbing my cut, he drew me close. Ominous silence stretched between us while he prepared the words he wished to spew at me. His brow furrowed and the muscle in his jaw ticked, but still I showed no fear. To show weakness was detrimental, not only in the club but in life in general. That much I knew.

  I could have shrugged Marek off me but I didn’t dare, and the reason boiled down to one thing and one thing only.

  Respect.

  “Why the hell didn’t you tell us the Reapers were hangin’ around your fights?” He shoved me before giving me a chance to explain, and I was oddly thankful for the space he’d offered. Straightening my vest, I steeled my resolve and stood up straight, looking him in the eyes the entire time.

  Words zipped through my brain at warp speed, and while I tried to nail down enough of them to form a coherent sentence, Marek shouted, “Answer me, goddamnit!”

  His spike in temper forced me to speak right away.

  “I didn’t know any of those bastards were there until last night. I swear. I never pay attention to anyone other than who I’m fighting. Never get distracted by the noise,” I said, turning to the VP of the Knights for affirmation. “Right, Stone?” I asked, hopeful he would back me up right then.

  Stone gave me a simple nod, followed by a quick smirk.

  Slamming his hand down on the table, Marek shot daggers toward all of us before speaking. “You need to be on guard every fucking second of the day. You need to make sure you know who is around you at all times. Do I need to remind any of you what’s at stake?” Silence followed his outburst. “Do I?!” he roared, the vein in his temple threatening to burst if he didn’t calm the hell down.

  “No,” everyone collectively answered, including me.

  “Those bastards still haven’t made a move for my wife, and every day that passes puts me even more on edge, just waiting for what they’re gonna try to force me into. Force all of us into,” he corrected. Plopping down in his chair, he expelled a breath and leaned forward, his fisted hands resting on top of the oblong table. “Get your heads right, fucking pay attention and be ready for anything.”

  No one broke the intensified silence, instead nodding and waiting for direction. And Marek gave it with a slam of the gavel, the boom ringing out and dismissing all in attendance.

  As we headed toward the door, Marek’s harsh tone stopped a few of us. “Stone, Jagger and Tripp, stay behind.”

  Once everyone else had left, the three of us turned all our focus toward the man who commanded our attention.

  “I want you guys at every one of his fights,” he said, pointing at me. “If there are Reapers showing up, we need to make our presence known. Stay in the background, though. Watch. Listen. We need as much information as we can get to make sure we’re prepared for whatever they’re planning. And trust me, they’re planning something. Psych Brooks won’t leave his daughter alone much longer.” Gripping his chest, he affirmed, “I can feel it.”

  We each nodded our understanding before he dismissed us.

  “You got off lucky,” Tripp mused, slapping my back hard before shoving past me toward the common room. The nomad was quickly becoming a friend, even though he gave me shit all the time. Whenever he saw me sparring in the ring we’d constructed in the corner of the lot of the clubhouse, he teased that he could take me down, telling me I hit like a little girl. Yet he hadn’t made good on his threat, still hadn’t stepped up to show me what he was made of. Don’t get me wrong; the guy was huge, standing at six-four and easily weighing in at two-twenty. But although he was a great match for me, he didn’t intimidate me. I may have been a bit smaller, but I was quicker, a trait I used to my advantage every time an opportunity arose.

  Taking a right, I walked toward the exit, needing some air to help soothe everything tumbling around inside my head. I was still unnerved about what had happened the night before. I’d tried to forget by losing myself to the bottle, but all that did was give me a wicked headache. No, I needed to do something else, but I wasn’t sure what that was right then.

  This fuckin’ sucks.

  “Yo, Jagger,” Stone shouted from behind me. “Wait up.”

  Turning on my heel, I watched him slowly jog toward me, a pensive look on his face the closer he came.

  “Sup?” I mumbled, just wanting to leave. I needed to take a ride, but where I was gonna go I had no idea.

  “You okay? You don’t look so great,” he acknowledged.

  “I’ll be fine. It’s just. . . .” I cut myself off because I didn’t want to verbalize what was bothering me. I was sure Stone knew what the problem was, so there was no need for me to elaborate.

  “I get it, man,” he consoled, grabbing my shoulder for a quick show of support. Stone’s friendship rattled me sometimes, but in a good way. I wasn’t completely used to having someone show a genuine interest in my well-being.

  “Did you want to talk to me about something?” I asked, gripping the back of my neck to help assuage the knotted muscles.

  “When’s your next fight?” Without even saying it, I knew having to accompany me to each of my upcoming bouts was the last thing Stone wanted to do, even though he enjoyed a good show. He had a new family waiting for him at home, a situation I very much wanted for myself. Well, maybe not the baby part, but definitely a woman. I was lonely, plain and simple. Sure, I had chicks throwing themselves at me all the time, but I was tired of pump-and-dumping every woman who spread her legs for me. I was looking
for something more—which I was sure sounded odd coming from a twenty-two-year-old guy, but there it was. I knew enough not to verbalize that to anyone, however. If I did, I’d never hear the end of what a pussy I was, or whatever other clever names they’d come up with.

  No, I’ll keep my thoughts to myself.

  “Two days.”

  “That’s kind of soon, isn’t it?” he asked, a confused look distorting his expression.

  “It is, but ever since . . . well, what went down, I’m apparently a hot ticket. The purse has nearly tripled, and while I don’t want to fight again so soon, I just can’t pass up the opportunity at that kind of money.” Looking sheepish for a second, I added, “I don’t have the financial security you guys do. Just trying to make my way and all.”

  Stone nodded. “I get it.” He swung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “I do, but don’t do it for the money. Not if you’re not right in here,” he said, tapping the side of my head with his finger.

  “Easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “You don’t have to worry about money.” I shoved him away, the annoyance with my situation propelling my anger further. “I don’t want to keep living like this, Stone.”

  “Like what?”

  “I live in a shithole. My president can’t stand me. Hell, I’m surprised he hasn’t kicked me out of the club by now. I ain’t got no woman,” I exclaimed, throwing my hands out to the sides. “I fight ’cause it’s my escape, but if I kill again, in the ring, I won’t even have that anymore.” Clutching my chest, a sharp pain shot through me. I knew it was just nerves, though. Anxiety. “And if I can’t fight, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  Baring my soul to someone was new to me, and had it been in front of anyone else, I would’ve kept my mouth shut. But I knew Stone wouldn’t give me shit like the others would.

  Sympathy washed over him while he stared at me, trying to think of a retort to my mini outburst. “First, if you don’t like your place, fucking move. Second, Marek doesn’t hate you.” I cocked my head to the side in disbelief. “Well, you’re not his favorite person, but he acts better toward you than he did. He knows you’re loyal to the club, that you would do anything for your brothers. Plus, you bring in a nice chunk of change.” Stone grinned, but his smirk was fast replaced with a solemn look.