Renegade Reject (23 page)

Every time I think about seeing Daisy, I imagine her with a black eye or busted lip.  She may say I didn’t hit her, but Lula says the opposite.  Lula may be a lying bitch, but what if this is the one time she’s telling the truth.  I can’t do to her what he did to us. 

I walk toward Kidd’s office, listening to their footsteps as they follow me.  My heart is pounding so hard, it feels like it’s gonna jump out my chest.  For the first time in years, I feel true fear.  I’m not a pussy.  I can take a beating, but the thought of losing my brothers and Daisy at the same time scares the hell out of me. 

I’m the first one through the door.  Reese is the last, slamming it as he walks in.  He looks at me, eyes narrowed.  “What the fuck do you need to talk to us about?  Cause I got to tell you, man.  Right now, I don’t really want to hear anything you got to say.”

I ignore him and make my way to the back wall.  I lean my head back against it and close my eyes.  I knew the boys were getting tired of my shit, but my guess would be that they’ve now had enough of it.  “I fucked up, fucked up bad.”

I feel the tension in the air before Kidd starts to speak.  “What the hell are you talking about?”

Ignoring the warning in my head, I press on.  “I think I may have hit Daisy.”

“You fuckin’ bastard,” Timber shouts, storming toward me.  “How could you do that shit?”

“I don’t know, man.  To be honest, I don’t even remember it.  If it wasn’t for Lula, I would’ve never known.”

Timber doesn’t seem to hear me. He’s too consumed with rage.  Before I can even blink, his fist is flying toward my face.  The force nearly sends me crashing to the floor.  The second punch does.  I don’t even get a chance to defend myself before Reese is pulling Timber away.  “Calm the fuck down.”

“He hit Daisy.  He fuckin’ hit her.  She’s half his damn size.  One punch could have killed her,” he shouts, trying to break free of Reese’s hold. 

“You need to listen, man.  He didn’t say he hit her.  He said he thinks he did,” Reese says, struggling for control. 

Timber looks at me, pure hate flashing through his eyes.  “You better fuckin’ hope you didn’t.  If I find out you did, I’ll put a bullet in your damn head.”

I don’t respond because there isn’t anything I can say.  If I hurt her, I deserve whatever the hell happens to me.  I push myself off the floor and do my best to prepare for what’s coming.  Instead of another punch, Kidd steps in between us. 

“Nobody is dying just yet.  Let’s figure out what happened first,” he growls out, his own anger obvious.

Timber ignores him.  “You stay the fuck away from Daisy.  From this moment on, she’s mine.  I’m claiming her.”

His words hit me like a kick to the chest.  Before I can reply, Reese starts to laugh.  “Brother, there’s no way you can claim Daisy.  You told me yourself that she was a hot piece, but you weren’t going there because you still think of her as that gap toothed little kid that used to run around in pig-tails.”

Timber sneers at me.  “I figure that as soon as I get between her legs, all thoughts of those pig-tails will fade away.”

“Motherfucker!” I shout out as I rush past Kidd and send my fist into Timber’s face. 

This time, Kidd and Reese let us go at it.  I’m not sure how long we trade punches, but by the time we are done, both of us are covered in blood.  “I’ll stay away from her if that’s what you all want, but I don’t want you claiming her, not just to protect her from me.  Daisy deserves someone that really loves her.”

Kidd steps toward us, shaking his head.  “Before you start saying shit you don’t mean, why don’t we figure out what the fuck is going on.”

I shrug.  “I told you, man.  I don’t know what went down.  If it wasn’t for Lula, I would’ve never known I’d even seen her that night.  That’s why I’m coming to you.  I got to know the truth.  This wondering is fuckin’ killing me.”

“What did that bitch say happened?” Kidd asks, sounding confused as hell.

Running my hand through my hair, I replay my conversation with Holt and Wayne and what they said Lula told them.  Then, I let him know about the shit she said to me.  I also tell him Daisy’s claims of an accident, but her words sound weak coming from my lips.

“Why the fuck didn’t you come to me?” he shouts.

I lean forward, placing my head in my hands.  “The Renegade Sons is my life.  I couldn’t lose the club.  We all know how you feel about shit like this.  If Lula’s telling the truth, I’ll be an outcast.”

“You wouldn’t have lost the club, dumbass.  Sure, you would’ve taken a beating, but you would still be a Renegade Son when it was over.  If it happened again, you wouldn’t have just lost your cut; you would have lost your life.”

I jerk my eyes up to Kidd, shocked at his words.  “You told me any violence against a woman meant losing my cut.”

He nods.  “I meant it when I said it.  If I had seen you do it, or Daisy had come to me, I would’ve took your cut away, not even called for a vote, but neither of those things happened.”

“We need to find out what did happen.  If you hit her, I’m gonna call a vote my damn self.  Kidd may be the Pres, but the brothers have the right to decide if it’s a beating or your cut.  Daisy’s not just someone off the street.  She’s a Renegade by blood,” Reese says.

Kidd’s eyes jerk toward him  “That’s not your call.”

Reese places his palm over his VP patch.  “When you gave me this, you made it my call.  You told me it’s my duty to not only keep the boys in line, but your ass too.  This isn’t a decision for you to make on your own.  You owe it to the brothers, especially Daisy’s family, to help decide his fate.” 

Kidd’s eyes narrow, his body growing taut.  “You saying I’m not doing right by my brothers?”

Reese shakes his head.  “I’m not saying shit, other than this should be a club decision.”

“All this talk is for shit, unless we find out what really happened.  As much as I hate the bastard right now, I don’t feel right calling a vote until we know the truth.  If this is another one of Lula’s lies, then Preach didn’t do shit for us to even be discussing,” Timber interrupts, surprisingly still having my back.

“Well, what the fuck are you waiting for then?  Get your ass out there and find out the fuckin’ truth.  After that, we’ll decide on what has to be done,” Kidd barks out after shooting another glare in Reese’s direction.

Chapter Seventeen

DAISY

I move the picture a little to the left and look back to Ice. “How’s it look?”

“I think it’s straight.”

“Good,” I say, climbing down from the stepladder.  “Just a few more and we’re done.”

“Yeah, we’re almost ready,” She says, looking around the diner with a smile on her face. 

It’s crazy how much things can change in just a few weeks.  The same day I found out how bad Preach’s drinking really was, Ice told me that she was opening a diner.  She and I have been working like crazy ever since to make sure it is ready to open on time.  Its hard work, but I love it.

I still can’t believe she made me her assistant manager.  Being pregnant means she doesn’t want me working at The Kitty Kat any longer.  To say I’m glad about that would be an understatement.  Sure, I loved the feeling of being on stage, but I hated the way I felt as soon as I walked off.  It was like I left part of myself on the stage, part of my soul.  I know Grams is a good woman, and life as a club whore suits her, but it’s not for me, and neither is stripping. 

“Have you told Preach yet?” Ice asks, stepping closer to me.

She asks me the same thing every day, and every day I tell her no.  It’s not like I haven’t tried.  I’ve tried more times than I can count, but he ignores my phone calls and is never around when I go to the clubhouse.  I’m gonna have to make him listen soon.  If not, he’s going to find out on his own, and that would not be good. 

“No, not yet. I’ve tried, but every time I go to tell him, he’s got some slut hanging all over him.” That’s not exactly true, but for some reason, I don’t want to tell her about finding Preach lying in his own filth. 

“You need to tell him before you start showing.  Everyone’s going to know soon.  If he finds out on his own, it’ll just make it worse,” she says, voicing my own thoughts. 

“I plan on telling him tonight.  I don’t care if he’s with someone or not.”

She nods.  “I’m glad.  Who knows?  Maybe things will work out for the two of you.”

“Nope. I gave up on that idea when I saw him with Leah only a few hours after he left my bed.  After I say what I got to say to him, I’m done.  I’ll let him see his child anytime he wants, but there will be no him and me.  After how he’s treated me, I’m over his ass.”  I want my words to be true.  I want to be strong, but I’m not sure I can turn away from him.  If he needs me, I’m going to be there.  Part of it’s already a lie.  I’ve been in his bed since I caught him with Leah.  When we were at the cabin, I never even thought about getting Leah’s sloppy seconds.  Getting Preach inside me was the only thing on my mind.  God, why am I so weak?

She grabs my hand, giving me a sympathetic smile.  “I’ll be with you, you know, when everyone finds out.  I know him well enough to know he’s not gonna let you just walk away, so if he says something fuckin’ stupid, I’ll make sure the girls don’t touch him.  His dick will wither away before he gets another piece of club pussy.”

I know she’s trying to make me laugh, but I don’t feel like laughing right now. I haven’t felt like laughing in a long damn time.  “I wish he could be more like Kidd.”

She lets out a nearly silent laugh and says, “You’ll find your Kidd someday.”

I shrug.  “Maybe.”

Wanting to change the subject, I grab another picture and walk toward one of the few bare spots on the wall.  “Do you think this will look good here?”

She nods, and we go back to work.  Just as we finish hanging the last picture, I hear the bell on the door ding and turn my head in time to see Kidd walk into the diner. 

“Hey, babe. I got a house to look at today. You got time?” he says, walking straight to Ice. 

“Sorry, Kidd.  We’ve got to get the rest of this shit done, and then we have the health inspector coming in at one.”

“Daisy can be here to talk to the guy.  She’s supposed to be the manager, so let her manage.”

Oh shit!  I’m pretty sure I’m about to watch another Kidd and Ice blow out. 

She places her hands on her hips and says, “She’s only the assistant manager, and I want to be here to talk to the health inspector.”

Kidd’s eyes narrow before he replies.  “Like I said, let Daisy handle it.”

Wanting to avoid the argument that I know is coming, I step forward and smile at Ice.  “Go ahead. I’ll call you if there’re any problems.”

She grumbles as he pulls her toward his bike, but she doesn’t fight when he stops to kiss her.  In fact, it looks like she is melting into him, the two of them becoming one.  That is what I want but I’m used to not getting what I want. 

They’ve barely left when I hear the ding of the door opening.  Turning toward the sound, I see a familiar looking man walking into the diner.  It takes a second for me to place him.  He’s the cop who stopped in front of the clubhouse on the night I saw Leah and Preach together.  A second later, I notice something that I didn’t notice that night.  This man is unbelievable hot. 

He has blonde hair that’s nearly gold, cut close on the sides and a little long on top.  He has beautiful hazel eyes that remind me of leaves on the old oak tree in my Granny Jean’s back yard.  His body is amazing.  He’s tall and broad, with muscles that show through his button down shirt.  One word keeps running through my mind; wow!

A slow smile spreads across his face.  “Hello.”

I have to stop myself from drooling before I’m able to reply.  “Hi.”

For some reason, the word comes out like a purr, the same purr that I once mocked Leah for using. When his smile grows even wider, I realize just how much of an idiot I’m making of myself.  “I’m sorry, but we’re not open yet.”

“I know you’re not opened yet.  I just stopped in to see if you’d mind if I looked around.” He sticks his hand out for me to shake as he looks around the room.  “My name’s Rick Wells.  My grandma used to run this place when I was just a boy.  I wanted to see how much it had changed.”

“Uhm... I don’t know.” I’m not sure what to say.  I don’t really think the club would want a police officer snooping around, even though the diner is completely legit, but they also wouldn’t want me to piss this guy off.  Growing up around the Renegades, I have learned a few things.  One of the most important is to never make an enemy of the cops.  “My boss should be back this afternoon.  You should really talk to her.”

He hesitates before replying.  “I can do that.”

We both go quiet, just staring at each other.  For some reason, I can’t take my eyes of this guy.  Finally, he breaks the silence.  “For some reason, I feel like we’ve met before.  Do I know you from somewhere?”

“Kinda.”

“Don’t tell me that I gave a pretty girl like you a ticket.  I’m not sure, but I would say something like that would be against the rules.  Surely it’s in some handbook or something.  Never give a ticket to the most beautiful woman you’ve ever laid eyes on.”

I can feel heat climbing my cheeks as I respond.  “No, you didn’t.  I was walking home, and you just stopped to make sure I was okay.”

I can see the light shift in his eyes when he realizes exactly where we have met.  His smile completely fades away as he asks, “Are you one of the Renegade girls?”

I can hear the disgust in his voice, even though he’s trying like hell to hide it.  My walls go up in an instant, and I go on the defense. “No, but my father and grandfather are both members.  But if I was, it wouldn’t be any of your damn business.”

He raises a hand and takes a small step back.  “I didn’t mean anything by that.  I swear.  My father has had ties with the club for years.  I don’t have a problem with Renegades.  I just didn’t think you looked like one of their girls.”

Yeah right. “Who’s your Dad?”

“Kaleb Wells.”

“Homer’s your dad?” I’m sure he can hear the shock in my voice.  No way. There is no way in hell that this guy is related to Chief Homer.  He’s been the police chief in town for years.  He’s a nice guy and a friend of the club, but he looks like he got beaten a few too many times with the ugly stick.  How could he have produced someone that looks like God’s gift to woman?