Bash, Volume III (10 page)

Angelica

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“He was going to find out, probably sooner rather than later. Figured it’s best if he hears it from me.”

“There’s something else,” Dawg said, his eyes appraising Bash.

Bash looked at him, and Dawg said, “Brain figured out there’s something between Girly and me. She told him she hadn’t fucked me, and it came off not smelling like a lie, but he knows there’s something goin’ on, and there were a handful of people in the front room when he figured it out.”

Bash snugged me a little closer to him and sighed. “May as well get all the bad news over with at once, and just tell him everything when he gets here. Then we can all stop
changing
so frequently to hide the scents.”

“Maybe ya’ll should be gone when he gets here,” I told them, “so I can talk to him.”

“No, Princess.” He kissed the top of my head. “You’re mine now, and your dad’s going to have to deal with it. We’ll get it worked out.”

“Fine, then I’m going to
change
so my ass doesn’t hurt anymore, and then go shopping. If you hurt my dad, I’ll never forgive you, and I’m texting him the same — that if he hurts you or anyone else I care about, I’ll never forgive him, either.”

I went to sit up, but he held me.

I didn’t fight him, but didn’t relax back into him, either. I kept my voice calm as I told him, “I let you spank me because I was sorry I hurt you. You told me it’s over and we’re good. Let me the fuck up.”

“This isn’t about that. I’m not happy about you shopping by yourself.”

“I have to go outside by myself at some point. Maybe I’ve been relying too much on you and the MC to keep me safe. I’ll have my gun, and I’ll be more aware of my surroundings than I was before. I will
not
, however, stay here and watch you and my dad try to kill each other.”

“Let her go, Bash.”

I felt Bash turn his head to look at Dawg, who explained, “You can’t win this one. If you try to force her to stay, there might not be a relationship to fight her dad over by the time he gets here. She submitted to your belt, but listen to her when she says it was because she was trying to make up for hurting you. She isn’t going to just do whatever the fuck you tell her to do because she’s afraid you’ll spank her if she doesn’t.”

I reached for the waistband of my jeans, worked the button and zipper, and moved to stand again. He let me, but probably only because I was taking my clothes off. Didn’t matter, though.

I stripped and
changed
, and then jumped up on the bed and snarled at Bash. I jumped down, went to Dawg, and rubbed against his leg. His hand stroked the top of my head, down the side of my neck, and he ran his fingers into the scruff at the base of my neck. I rubbed the side of my face against his leg again, and then walked to the bathroom and used my nose and then the top of my head to push the door closed. I lay in front of it, so no one could easily come in, put my head on my paws, and just let my mind go blank as I enjoyed being a wolf for a little while.

Bash

I’d had to let her go. When she came out of the bathroom human and got dressed again, she said goodbye to me and warned me again she’d never forgive me if I hurt her dad, kissed Dawg on the cheek and told him to be safe, and left.

I believed Dawg when he told me this was a bigger deal than I realized, though, so I let her go. We’d have to work through everything once I worked it out with her dad.

I didn’t know until later, but Gen and Harmony had been upstairs when she left, and the three of them had decided to go shopping together.

Dawg and I stepped out into the parking lot when Bud pulled in. If we were going to fight, better to do it out here. Some of the prospects closed the gate to the compound, to make sure no cameras picked anything up, and we all moved to the wooded area before we started talking, for more concealment.

“Where’s my daughter?”

“She told me she’d never forgive me if I hurt you, and then she went shopping with Gen and Harmony.”

“You let her leave? With people after her?”

“I can’t
make
her do anything, Bud. You did good with her — she doesn’t take shit off anyone, including me.”

He crossed his arms. “Tell me what happened.”

“I didn’t know about her telepathic connection to Brain until she used it while we were talking to Marlin.”

His face clouded over and he nodded for me to go on.

“She won’t do a binding with me, says she won’t even consider it for a year.”

“She has every right not to.”

I sighed. “Maybe, but you have to understand, knowing she has that relationship with someone else and not me isn’t sitting too well.”

“Your problem. Still haven’t heard what happened today.”

“She told Brain specifics about her time with Pickering that I didn’t know about. Details about his dungeon. She had a face-off with Pickering today, and I was blindsided by it when Brain threw it in the bastard’s face.”

“And that gave you the right to fucking
humiliate
her in front of the MC, in the goddamned clubhouse?”

His words hit home. I’d humiliated her, and she’d submitted to it. She knew she’d hurt me, so she let me fucking humiliate her.

Bud saw when I got it, saw me realize what I’d done, and he relaxed his arms and shoulders. I didn’t go off my guard, though. I’d seen Bud sucker punch people, and I didn’t trust the stance, just yet.

“I should’ve handled it privately.
Fuck
.”

“You need to deal with your own fucked up baggage, and
then
deal with the fact she has a connection to Brain but she loves you enough to let you fucking beat her with a goddamned
belt
and make her cry in front of people.”

I saw his fist coming but there wasn’t time to block it or move out of the way, and he didn’t just hit me once — he hit me with a combination that had me reeling before I got my first punch in. I pride myself on the fact I haven’t lost a fight since I was still in single digits, but Bud pounded the shit out of me and I didn’t land anywhere near enough hits on him.

In retrospect, I should’ve expected it. Bud wanted to humiliate me as I’d done to his daughter, and once I realized I’d fucked up, my heart wasn’t truly in it. That being said, I was a bloody mess when he finally backed off. Under other circumstances I’d have attacked again, gotten the upper hand and hurt him… but he’d been right, and I deserved to get my ass kicked.

So instead of popping up and jumping him, instead of pummeling him into the ground, I told him, “There’s something else you need to know but I’d rather talk about it when we don’t have an audience.”

“If you don’t already know what he’s talking about, go in the clubhouse,” Brain ordered. I heard people walking, heard Brain encourage a few more people to go on inside, and I scooted until I was leaned against a tree, my legs out straight in front of me. My left eye was almost swollen shut, the right one fared only slightly better, and most of my face hurt, but I ignored the pain.

Bud sat and leaned against another tree, and I noted I’d gotten more strikes in than I realized. Bud’s nose was clearly broken, and his eyes were in the same shape mine were. He moved his mouth, testing his jaw, and his reaction made me pretty sure I’d fractured it.

I sighed and began my explanation, though. He wasn’t sorry for hitting me, so I couldn’t be sorry for having to fight him back.

“She saw a bunch of threesomes and foursomes growing up. It was a fantasy she never had the nerve to ask for until we got together, and then I helped make it happen. She’s mine, and I’ll only ever allow one other person to touch her intimately.” I shrugged. “Wolves smell every-fucking-thing, so you’ll find out eventually even if it’s just from the damned gossip, and I want you to hear it from me.”

His body tightened, prepared to spring up and tear into me again, and I told him, “I was in the wrong before, I’m not now. I won’t let you beat the shit out of me again.”

“Tell me you didn’t let Gonzo lay a hand on my Angel.”

“No,” Dawg said, stepping forward. “She came to me before she talked to Bash about it. She’d seen the two of us working someone over together, before she and Bash hooked up. Long story, and you probably aren’t interested in the details, but she instigated it. We did it to fulfill her fantasy.”

“I fucked up, today,” I told Bud, “and I’ll have to find some way to make it up to her. Still, she’s
mine
, and always will be. I suck at relationships because I haven’t really been in one since I grew up. I’ve already told her I’m going to mess up, and I’ve asked Dawg to mediate for us more than once, when I knew I was going to screw up.” I looked at Dawg. “You held her down for me. Why didn’t you tell me I was fucking up?”

“You didn’t ask.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he said, “I’m not part of your relationship with her. Not sayin’ I’ll always take your side, but in this? You were pissed and hurt, and weren’t going to listen to reason. You asked for my input once before, and I reminded you there’s more than one way to let your wolf assert himself.”

We were all silent a moment as I considered how much I’d fucked up, and what I could possibly do to make it up to her, when Bud said, “Should hit you again for saying you let me beat you.”

I shrugged. “We both need to
change
before she gets back. She’s gonna be pissed as hell if she sees us.”

“No shit. Got a text from her earlier. You sure she’s safe with just Gen and Harmony?”

I shook my head. “All three of them have guns and know what they’re doin’. They’ll keep their guard up. Harmony’s sharp, and can smell trouble coming from a mile away despite being human. Not sure they’re safe, but your little Angel wasn’t about to let me stop her.”

He looked up at Dawg. “Sit the fuck down. You care about her?”

“Not romantically, but we’re closer than just friends. She belongs to Bash.” He leaned against his own tree, slid down it so he was on the same level as us, but he was obviously on alert for Bud to jump him. “You’re taking this way too calm. What’s up?”

Bud shook his head. “She’s my baby, but I raised her around the MC. If this is her fantasy it’s probably my fault. Not prepared to bitch at her about it because she’ll just throw all the times she’s caught me with more than one woman at a time in my face.” He looked at Dawg a few seconds, then back to me. “I find out you’re sharing her willy nilly, we’ll have a problem, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. I know you love her, and I get that you’re an idiot and fucked up today. Keep doing it, though, and I’ll give you more than a beating.”

Angelica

When we returned from our rather extensive shopping trip, the guys were sitting around the clubhouse watching cage fights. My dad saw me and stood, walked towards me, and pulled me into a hug.

I looked around him at Bash, and his nod told me he was good, so I relaxed and hugged my dad, and then let him lead me outside.

“Let’s go to your apartment and talk, kiddo.”

Uh-oh. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d called me kiddo. “Daddy? I’m not a kid anymore.”

“
Hellfire
, Angel, don’t I know it. But as much as I’d like to pretend you’re still a virgin, I know you’re a woman and I have to deal with it. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to check in with you when I think you need it, though, and I’d rather do it at your apartment than here.”

I already knew there was no way around this, so I merely nodded and got on the back of his bike. All of my purchases were in my car, but they’d be okay until later. I was sure I’d be coming back here after my dad said whatever the hell he needed to say.

He walked through my entire apartment, looking, listening, and smelling, and then sat on my sofa. I sat in my reading chair as he told me, “I can hear most listening devices, even in human form. It’s subtle, and I have to actively try to hear them, but…” He shrugged. “You’re clean. Now, first things first, Bash tells me you’re scared to sleep here, scared to come home. I want to be clear you don’t have to rely on the Chattanooga club for protection. I have a man who needs to stay out of Atlanta for a while, and he’s been spending time at other chapters. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to hang out on your sofa and keep an eye on you. I don’t think you’re staying with Bash for the safety he provides, but if you are…”

I shook my head. “I love him, Daddy.”

He nodded. “Okay, just had to be sure. Second, I’m not going to lie to you — Bash and I tore each other up pretty good, but we
changed
so you wouldn’t have to deal with it. I have no idea why you agreed to let him take a belt to you in the clubhouse, but I don’t want you agreeing to it again. I’m pretty sure he’ll choose to do that kind of thing in private from here on out, but if he suggests doing it in public, you are
not
to agree to it. If it happens again where’s there’s an audience I’ll do a whole
helluva
lot more than fight him over it.”

I was about to express my surprise he’d be okay with it, even privately, when he added, “Don’t like the idea of it happening at all, but I also know I raised you to be headstrong and not take shit off anyone, and I know you and Bash are going to butt heads. Don’t you
dare
let him abuse you, though. You screw up and it’s what you have to do to make things right? Use your best judgment, but if you disagree with his reasons? You’d best not bend your ass over, Angel.”

I put my head in my hands, and he chuckled. “Tough shit if you’re embarrassed. I didn’t raise a wallflower. What’s up?”

“Girls aren’t supposed to talk to their
dad
about this shit!”

“And if your mom was here, we’d both be spared. She isn’t, so you’re stuck with me.”

My eyes filled with tears and he motioned me to him. I moved to the sofa and sat beside him, my head resting on his chest. “Are you ever going to get serious with someone else? I know you can’t replace her, but I want you to be happy.”

“Haven’t met anyone else who can hold a candle to your mom, Angel. For years, I said I wouldn’t. Now? It’ll take a helluva woman, but I’m not saying
never
, anymore.”

While my head was buried and there was no eye contact I asked, “You know about Dawg?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry you saw threesomes, growing up. Makes me feel like I failed you.”

“You aren’t pissed?”

“Not thrilled with the idea, but they said you approached them, and it was a fantasy you’d never felt safe exploring before. Glad you didn’t take risks, glad Bash loves you enough to give it to you. Not sure I could’ve, with your mom.”

“How did you survive? When she died, how did you not just lay down and die, too?”

“If it hadn’t been for you, I’m not sure I would’ve had the strength to go on, to be honest. The drunk driver pled guilty to first degree homicide by vehicle, and went straight to prison in hopes of staying alive, because the cops told him they could protect him in there but he was on his own if he had to wait for a trial. As you probably figured out, we got someone to him seven weeks after he went in, and he died a slow and painful death. Still, it robbed me of doing it myself.”

I knew the guy had died in prison, and assumed my dad had arranged it, but this was the first he’d admitted it. He was quiet several moments and said, “Your mom was my life, Angel. Still miss her every damned day, but life goes on.”

“What if I give myself so completely to Bash, and lose him?”

“I’d rather have had the time I had with her, and then deal with the crippling pain of losing her, than to’ve never had the wonderful privilege of having her — and you — in my life. If you love him, then invite him into your life and treasure every day, kiddo.”