Hot Mess (An Iron Tornadoes MC Romance Book 5)

I
slip
my arms beneath her and pick her up, moving her up to the head of the bed properly. Being picked up so easily draws a breathy moan from her, and the moment I'm between her legs again, I can feel her radiant heat against me.

My name is Hatcher.

They call me Everest ‘cause I’m a mountain of man who wants it all.

I refuse to choose. Not between my bike, my club and my badge, and not between the women in my bed.

Why did this Hot Mess of a girl have to fall onto my laps?

M
y old man
knows it's his last Labor Day weekend. It could also be his last big bash as President of the Iron Tornadoes MC. Even if he's still around for Christmas, he'll be too far gone to wear his crown by then.

So Cracker went all out for his party. The crowd is huge. Looking around, I recognize members of the Iron Tornadoes chapters from other states that I haven't seen in ages.

“Ernest, you didn’t tell me it was gonna be such a big bash," my mother says, looking around. She hands me the helmet I forced her to wear to ride here.

I shrug. I should have guessed. The old lion is failing in body and in spirit, but he's not going down without a fight. Only a few month ago, he admitted he was losing it. That's when he started writing notes and making to-do lists, but soon enough forgot to look at them.

Fuck, losing one's mind sucks.

My mother squeezes my arm as we get closer to the main table where Cracker is holding court, one Sweet Butt on his knees. She's a pretty little thing who can't be more than a day over eighteen. Cracker almost pushes her away when he spots us. If not for Ice sitting next to him the kid would have fallen to the ground.

Cracker should know better. He can't be caught groping young chicks if he wants to move back in with his Old Lady. But then again, my mother knows he's a cheating bastard. She's told me she'll take care of him until the end. If he asks. No one could blame the woman if she decided to make him beg a little for this.

My mother has been in love with this heartless man whore for more than thirty years now. Despite everything he did to her, she never divorced him. So, yeah, it's no surprise to me that she'll take care of him until the end.

I sure hope she makes him grovel a bit.

And now Lisa's glaring at Ice because the Sweet Butt thinks it's okay to linger on his lap. Oh man, my brother's in so much trouble! Cracker notices and a naughty smile spreads on his face. It vanishes as Lisa gets up and walks away.

My father's always loved a good cat fight. I know he's disappointed Lisa won't play his game. It's a good thing too, 'cause Lisa must be double the weight of the tiny creature. She would have crushed her. Even if Lisa's not the violent type, it wouldn't have been a fair fight.

My money's on Cracker. He'll find another way to make trouble. He thinks creating drama makes for a livelier party. He'll want to start one nice fight; one that will be remembered after he's gone.

A few seconds before we get to the table, Mom gets cold feet and lets go of my arm. "Ernest, I'll catch up with you later," she says, turning toward a group of Old Ladies waving at her.

The club is a big family. The other women are still here for my mother as she's there for them. They don't hold a grudge against her for keeping her distance from the MC. Hey, for all I know, when their men aren't around, they see each other or talk on the phone much more than we imagine.

"Hey, bro!"

Ice gently but firmly pushes the Sweet Butt away and hugs me. "Your ma's looking good," he says.

"Yeah, she is." I smile proudly. My mother's awesome. She's raised Juliya and me by herself. In hindsight, I see that it's probably just as well. Cracker had no clue on how to behave as a father for longer than a few hours at a time. Of course, he'd jump into a fire to save Juliya. He adores her, and in his twisted ways, he also cares for Ice and me.

"Juliya okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, Ma spoke to her yesterday. She's got a good dorm room and she's fine."

He shakes his head and Cracker mumbles something about what a shame it is that she couldn't be here today. I bite my tongue. No use reminding him he was supposed to book her flight and forgot so she had to get an earlier flight out.

"She'll be back for Thanksgiving," I say.

He looks away without answering.

Cracker won't say a word, but I know he's wondering if he'll still be with us then.

Juliya's been wondering the same, and she almost decided to postpone her last year of college. But for once, we all agreed. This was not an option. Ma, Cracker, Ice, and I ganged up on her. She was going back no matter what. Even Prince - the Category Five Knight who has been getting too close for our taste - was onboard with her going away. That was a surprise to me. It made me wonder about the guy.

Anyway, I want her to finish college so she can have more choices in her life. Ma also wants her to graduate, and for once, she and Cracker are on the same page. They're worried about her falling hard for Prince. My mother doesn't have anything personal against Prince or the Category Five Knights for that matter. As far as she's concerned, her daughter should have nothing to do with anyone related to an MC, period.

And Cracker, well, he can't come to terms with the idea that his daughter is now old enough to have a sex life. Sooner rather than later, he's going to get a reality check. Unless the crab that's eating him finishes him first.

Before I get a chance to sit, I notice Brains and Earplugs coming our way. It's hard to remember that Brains is the same age as Cracker. These days he looks twenty years younger.

Brains could teach a thing or two to Cracker about looking the other way when a daughter gets of age to fool around.

Brains has three daughters with wife number one, the veterinary assistant. They're around my sister's age. Birdy, Kitty, and Bunny. Three hot little numbers. It's probably for the best she didn't give him a son, poor kid would have been Ducky or something just as impossible to live with!

Without bothering with any greeting, Brains says, "We need to talk A.S.A.P."

Ice's eyebrows shoot up in surprise while Cracker frowns.

"Drug runners again?" he asks. When it comes to serious MC matters, his memory seems to kick in more readily.

Brains nods and Earplugs says, "I have one in the oven, but I think we need your special touch to make this little bird sing."

"Fine, let's do this now and get it over with," Cracker says and then looks at me. "How do you stand on this one, Officer Hatcher?"

Brains tries to get me off the hook. "He doesn't have to pick a side on this one Cracker. The police don't want that crap on our streets either."

My father shrugs. "At one point you're gonna have to choose, son."

I ignore his comment.

My choice was made a long time ago.

I choose not to.

I will not pick a side. I'm a cop and an Iron Tornado and that's the way it will be. That means I'll never be the prez, but I'm fine with it. My brother Ice is a fine leader. He'll do the job well.

As we walk toward the clubhouse, Earplugs tells the others about their
citizen's arrest.

"It was so strange," he says. "We've been watching this house for a week. We've seen two people do a drop, but so far no one has come and picked up the delivery..."

I tune out Earplugs’s voice, he's a chatty guy. Instead of listening to him, I think of a few question I'd like to ask the guy they locked up. The new product on the streets of Point Lookout has already killed one kid and put two others in the hospital.

Down south, around Miami, they call it the Biker's Dream ‘cause when those who took it and lived to tell others, they claim riding under its influence is the greatest high ever.

It's decimated the population of the wild ride racers, but despite the high body count, the lethal nature of the stuff doesn't seem to register with them.

Brains is absolutely right. I'm not torn by any conflict of interest when it comes to drugs. I won't even bat an eye if things get a little rough.

Or so I think, until I get in the room ...

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