Owned by the Outlaw (18 page)

“So, you think she is going to stay?”

Malice looked at Tuck then. “I don’t know, but I
think she will. If nothing else she is a good mother and knows that bringing
Dakota here to be closer to me is a step in the right direction.” Malice
grabbed a pack of smokes out of the inside of his cut and grabbed a lighter
from inside his pocket. He lit the end and inhaled deeply. “I need to quit
these things.”

Tuck grunted from beside him.

“But she also has a good heart, and I know she wants
to help those women. You saw how dedicated she was when Lucien called her and
she came to the warehouse. She dropped everything to help, and then has been
staying up here, too.” He shrugged. “She’s a good woman.”

“That you still love?”

Malice rolled that question around in his head.
“I’ll always love her. She’s the mother of my son, but in love with her?” He
looked at Tuck. “Nah, that ship sailed a long time ago, I was just too much of
a stubborn asshole to realize that wanting something was not the same thing has
loving it.”

“Man, we all get like that.”

Malice inhaled once more but grew sick from the
taste of the cigarette.

“I thought I was in love with a woman one time, but
turns out I was just hard-up for her.” Tuck started laughing, and then Malice
chuckled. “She liked playing hard to get, and when we finally did fuck the
ending was pretty anticlimactic.”

“How so?”
Not that Malice liked to be involved in other people’s business, but Tuck was
offering it up, and he was genuinely curious.

“We just both realized that sex was the only thing
going for us. Pussy does that to a man.”

Yeah, Malice could relate, but this wasn’t about
sex. He’d fucked plenty of women after Molly broke it off, and their
relationship had been going downhill well before they finally called it quits.
“I think I just can’t stand knowing that something isn’t mine, even when it
hasn’t really been mine for a long fucking time.”

Tuck clapped him on the back. “Brother, believe me,
I know.” They stood there in silence for several minutes, and finally
Tuck
spoke again. “
Wanna
come in
for a
drink,
help get your mind together?”

Malice turned his whole body so he could face him
fully. “My mind is pretty straight, man, believe it or not.” Malice grinned,
actually feeling good after he had come to the realization that things were the
way they were. “But I will join you for a drink.”

Tuck grinned in return and nodded. They both headed
inside, and for the first time in his life Malice felt like an asshole for all
the shit he had started with Stinger, and the annoyance he put Molly through.
Over time he hoped he could make it up to them, because he liked seeing her
happy, and Stinger was the man to put that smile on her face. He also trusted the
Grizzly, and knew he would treat Dakota well. Yeah, life wasn’t always how
someone perceived it to be, but in the end when the veil was lifted things just
happened to fall right into place.

****

Three
weeks later

Molly looked around the house that she and Dakota
now called home. It was small, only two bedrooms, but it was theirs. It also
wasn’t in River Run like Lucien had wanted. The home was in Steel Corner, but
right inside city limits. The trees surrounded them, and the fresh air filled
her lungs. It was certainly different from the busy streets of Brighton where
there seemed to be buildings popping up on every inch of land.

She pulled open the sliding glass door and stepped
onto the deck. Her backdrop looked like it should be in a tourists’ guide
trying to get people to visit this town. Massive dark green trees could be seen
for as far as the eye could see, and the Rocky Mountains looked close enough
that she imagined she could reach out and touch them. The property that
surrounded her home was untouched land, owned by the man that had sold her the
home and acre, but there were no other buildings around her. It was very
freeing and open. The sound of heavy footsteps behind her told of Stinger’s
approach, and when she felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her
into the comfort of his body, she melted into him. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

He buried his nose in her hair, inhaled deeply, and
hummed in approval. “Yeah, it really is.”

She nudged him in the hard, ripped abdomen, and couldn’t
help but smile. “I hope I made the right decision.” Before she knew what he was
doing Stinger had
her
turned and had his hands braced
on the banister on either side of her. She was caged in by this bear, and his
pupils dilated as his animal made
itself
known. But
she liked that his beast was so protective of her, and loved that he wasn’t
afraid to make her know that she wasn’t anyone’s but his.

“What do you feel here?” He placed a hand on her
chest, right over her heart.

She stared into his green eyes. “It feels right,” Molly
whispered.

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.
“Yeah, it really fucking does. When all else fails you trust your heart on what
to do, because that will always give you the honest reaction.” Stinger’s words
were simple, yet held a lot of meaning.

“No kissing.” Dakota’s little voice sounded
disgusted, and that had Molly laughing.

Stinger pulled away from her and turned, but got
down on his haunches in front of Dakota. “No kissing Mommy, huh?”

Dakota scrunched his nose and shook his head.
“That’s gross.”

Stinger chuckled deeply. “Someday you’ll like to
kiss girls you know.”

Dakota shook his head.
“No way.
Let’s play trucks.” He held his toy up and grinned, and just like that there
was no more talk about kissing. The wonder of a child and the fact they could
adapt so easily always amazed Molly.

Stinger stood, but Dakota grabbed his hand and led
him back in the house. He looked over his shoulder, smiled and winked at her,
and then her son and the man she was falling hard for left her alone. Dakota
loved the country, loved that he saw Malice nearly every day, and was growing
more comfortable with having Stinger in their lives. And that meant a lot to
her, because if Dakota hadn’t felt comfortable with Stinger that was a no-go
for Molly. Her son meant everything to her, and Dakota would have to be around
Stinger, too. But the two of them got along, and she was grateful. It was one
day at a time, but so far things were looking good, and felt right. She turned
back to the view, and placed her hand over her heart. The beat was strong,
steady, and she couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, her heart had known what it
wanted all along, and that was this town, the bear shifting biker that had
consumed her from the very beginning, and led her to where she needed to be … right
here.

Epilogue

Two
years later

Molly took the potato salad out to the back property
of the Grizzly clubhouse and made her way over to the long tables to the side
that held all the food. Over the past two years a lot had changed. After moving
from Brighton to Steel Corner, she had been helping The Brothers of Menace, as
well as The Grizzlies, with medical care, and also with helping the women that
were former prostitutes who had been staying in the cabin they had erected
nearly two years ago. It wasn’t just about tending to their wounds, but also
about talking to them, helping them if they decided to do other work besides
selling themselves. But the women they had brought up from Denver two years ago
had since found work, or gone back to prostitution. The thing with The Brothers
was, they were hardcore and got violent when the time came, but despite all of
that they did care. They were now keeping different women at the cabin,
rescuing them from their abusive pimps whenever they were called upon, and
despite the illegality of all of this, Molly couldn’t be prouder of the work
she did, or of being involved with The Brothers. But it wasn’t just about
working with them in a “back alley” type of situation. Yes, what she was doing
wasn’t legal under her license, but it didn’t matter because she was helping
save lives.

She turned around and stared at everyone that
mingled. The garage that the Grizzlies used to fix their cars and bikes, and
also to be used as a second safe house if need be, was open, and for the party
had been converted into a lounge area. Some of the younger children stayed out
of the sun as they played with their toys, and other adults mingled inside. The
music was on, but not loud enough that she couldn’t hear herself think.
 
Old ladies laughed and talked with each other,
Nomads from around the country talked “shop” with patched in members, and children
giggled and ran around chancing each other. The Grizzly clubhouse wasn’t really
set up for a family party such as the one they were currently having, but with
everyone around, good natured attitudes and the love a family filling the air,
it didn’t really matter where they were, just as long as they were together.

Since accepting Lucien’s offer to be the nurse for
The Brothers of Menace, and also the “Den Mother” and resident nurse for the
women she had helped heal two years ago, Molly had fallen right into the role
she knew she was supposed to have always followed. The house and shed on the
property The Brothers had purchased had been renovated and up and running this
whole time now. A few of the women that had been selling their bodies now worked
at one of the strip clubs in River Run. It wasn’t something Molly would do, per
se, but she supposed dancing for money was better than spreading their legs for
it. But, like she told herself, it was their lives, and if they were happy and
safe who was she to judge?

The little girl inside of her belly decided to kick
hard right in her ribs, and Molly placed a hand on her extended belly. She was
eight months pregnant, and the fact it was June and hot as hell, had Molly
miserable enough that she was tempted to stay inside the air conditioned
clubhouse. But she wasn’t the only woman expecting and suffering through this
heat. She looked over at where Jagger and Sonya were seated. The Grizzly MC
President and his old lady were expecting twins a few months after Molly was
due, but Sonya was already larger in the belly department than she was. Molly
supposed that was to be expected since Sonya had two little bear shifting boys
rolling around inside of her.

Diesel and Maggie’s son ran around, but he fell most
of the time. He smiled each time though, and Molly had seen enough to know what
a tough little toddler he was. Diesel and Maggie had gotten married shortly
after she had found out they were pregnant, but those two were so perfect for
each other she was glad things were working out for them. In fact she was glad
things had worked out for everyone in the end. And then there was The Brothers
of Menace. They had come to join in the festivities, and although they were
close with the Grizzlies, talked and helped them out whenever asked, there was still
this strange aura that surrounded them. Maybe it was because they were
loners—at least to others not in their club—or maybe they just liked looking
uncomfortable in public settings.

“You doing okay, baby?”
Stinger came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her abdomen, and rubbed her
belly. Instantly their little girl stilled, and Molly smiled.

“I’m fat, hot, and sweaty.”

Stinger chuckled behind her, and the sound soothed
her. “You’re not fat, and I actually like you sweaty.” He leaned down and
kissed the side of her neck. “I like that you’re big with my child. You’re
healthy, and once this little girl is out we can try for a boy.”

Molly scoffed and looked over his shoulder at her.
“Maybe if you were the one that had to be pregnant during the summer months you
might be more sympathetic?”

He continued to smooth his hands over her belly.
“You’re right, baby.” He kissed her on the shell of the ear. “I just like
giving you a hard time. Besides, I like seeing you riled. It turns me on.” He
started chuckling when she elbowed him.

She felt him smile against her, and that in turn had
her grinning. She looked around the yard, took in Brick holding Darra in a
protective embrace, and smiled when she saw the big scarred biker run his
finger along their baby girl’s forehead. The little girl had a thatch of dark
black hair like her father, and Molly was glad they had finally started a
family. A lot of the club members, and their old ladies had been through some
horrendous shit in the lives, but they were happy now, and in the end that was
all that mattered. She saw Court and Lily laughing with each other, saw their
little boy tugging on her skirt until she picked him up, and smiled when she
saw Dallas rushing a lock of hair off of Hope’s cheek. Hope was also pregnant,
but she wasn’t due until winter and was barely showing. But the look on
Dallas’s face as he rested his hand on her abdomen, and rubbed it back and
forth, could have made Molly cry right then and there. Turning away from Dallas
and Hope’s private moment, she saw that Malice was over by the playground set
the Grizzlies had built for the kids. Dakota grinned and squealed each time
Malice pushed him, and she was so thankful that Malice and their son were able
to see each other all the time now. After a few minutes of watching Malice ad
Dakota, her son came running up to them.