Chapter 3—Cruz
Harlow, the Princess. F*ck me. I’ve heard about her since I became a Prospect two years ago. She was all any of the brothers could think about for the longest time. They were sick to death that she had to spend time in the joint. There was nothing the lawyer could do. The bitch involved really used her head and had an air-tight case against Princess, claiming she was blackmailing the mayor because he came to the studio, threatening to tell the town. Like she’d f*cking say a word about shit like that. I’ve known her for a few hours and can see the way she was with the guys. She’d do anything for them… and them for her.
Pops and G.T. were beside themselves those first few months she was in lockdown. They were chomping at the bit, to find out if she was okay. I was just a Prospect at the time and wasn’t privileged to know everything, at first. I just watched, and you’d be amazed at what one could see.
I know life in the joint was rough, and when you have a MC like Ravage at your back, shit gets a little more difficult. All it took was one disgruntled woman who’s pissed we offed her man to make Princess’s life a living hell.
Diamond and Pops pulled some serious strings and mega cash to make sure she was safe inside. She doesn’t know what they had to do fully, but I knew they’d do it again in a heartbeat. Looking at her hugging her mom, I could totally see why.
She was everything I never knew I wanted in a woman. She was strong, fierce, smart-assed, loving. And I got all that in the course of a couple hours. When the hell did I turn into a f*cking p-ssy?
“I’ll hang out on the porch.” I was here to guard and protect. That’s exactly, what I planned on doing.
“You want a beer?” Ma asked. We all called her Ma. She was the official mother of the club. She doesn’t take shit and tells people like it is, but she knows her place in the club and we respect her for that. Her daughter has learned a lot from her. I could tell, by the way, she was with Diamond.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Damn you, Cruz. Don’t call me that. Makes me feel old.” She smiled. She was anything but old. She was blonde, with long legs, and had a hot body. At forty-three, she was smokin’. It was no wonder Pops never strayed.
“Sorry,” Respect. It’s all about respect, and it ran both ways. I had the utmost for Ma. She grabbed me a beer, and I made myself comfortable in the chair. It was unbelievably peaceful out here. Not too many cars drove by, and those that did, knew who lived here and that it was off limits. Everyone knew in this town that we were not to be f*cked with.
The Ravage MC has been in order since 1953, thanks to Pops’s dad, Striker. Striker was the president and had a real knack for business. He began branching out and taking on new chapters right away. Now, we have a strong name and presence with many other chapters across the country. People don’t mess with us. We kill first and think about it later. If you’re a threat, you were treated as such. Our threats became more numerous as others wanted what we had. Money. It all boiled down to money. But for the most part, we all stayed to ourselves.
Our runs were becoming longer, and more frequent. But the cash flow was nice, keeping us all very comfortable. We always made sure to do our charitable runs, too. We love our community and protect it with everything we have. That’s why most people who live here leave us be and stay out of our business. They get our protection and their happy lives, and we get ours. Win… win.
For me, getting into the club was my lifeline. After spending too much time overseas in a shithole fighting for this country, I came back to a very sick mom who only lasted about a month. Breast cancer. It spread like wild fire, and there was no treatment that could help her. Unfortunately, she didn’t have medical insurance, and instead of spending the money, she waited… way too long. This was one of the reasons I opted for early release from the military. I loved every minute I spent with her, but her death tore me up inside. As the once beautiful Clara Cruz died in my arms, part of me died right along with her.
My old man left when I was a kid, never to be seen from or heard from again. I couldn’t even tell you what the hell he looked like. Mom said he looked a lot like me, but I hope she’s wrong. I didn’t want to be anything like him. Supposedly, he had a piece on the side that he left Mom and me for. It gutted Mom to the bone, but she was always so strong never letting it get her down.
Mom worked her ass off, working two jobs as a waitress, one at a diner, the other at a bar to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. When I was old enough, I busted my ass mowing grass, cleaning shit, and just about anything else I could come up with to make money. It killed me seeing her come home every night to pass out on the couch from exhaustion. She’d usually take a small nap, then get right back up, and switch into mom mode, making sure homework was done, and dinner was made. She always did the best she could.
As soon as I turned eighteen, I joined the Marines, trying to make to something of my life. Working my ass off to take care of mom was really all I knew. I thought joining would give her a little reprieve from busting her ass so hard. I could send her money without being another burden, and maybe I could go to school later. The school part was lost in the wind when I held my mom in my arms.
My anger got the best of me after mom passed. I went back into fight mode from being overseas to being pissed all the time, which got me locked up for a bit. I was out soon enough, only six months for aggravated assault. The bastard deserved it though. F*cker tried to cheat me out of some cash. I bet he never pulls that shit again… at least not on me.
I had a buddy, Steeler, who was a hang-around to the Ravage MC and didn’t think much of it at the time. I was too lost, and really my only salvation was riding. When Steeler talked to me about coming and hanging out with them, I scoffed at the idea. But as I hung around with him, I got to know the guys, and got further in. What I liked best was that these men didn’t take shit from anyone. They followed their own rules and had their own way of life. They answered to no one. That was exactly how I felt at the time. With the p-ssy, always around, it was an extra f*cking bonus. Prospecting was f*cking hell. Cleaning the guys shit up, cleaning their barf after parties… trust me, it wasn’t glamorous. But I did my time. And when they voted to patch me in, I was on f*cking cloud nine. I couldn’t imagine my life without the club.
I wondered how much Princess knew about what happens in the club. I was sure she knew more than any of the other woman around, considering the shit we all voted on for her to help out with while in the joint. The one bitch we had her take care of went through my personal shit after I f*cked her and passed out. Apparently she found my book. It’s where I keep important information about the club. There wasn’t much documentation, just mostly numbers. When I found out she had the info, she was already locked up on drug charges.
That’s where Princess stepped in. She did it quietly, and everyone inside turned a blind eye.
I can’t say our first meeting was pleasant. I could sense by her stance in the garage that she was planning on taking my gun from me, but the fact her arm stopped so abruptly when she saw my rag, was astonishing. Respect. She totally had it.
Then her f*cking ass challenges me to the ring. I don’t hit women, not my style. I’ve heard stories from the guys of Princess completely holding her own in the ring, even banging up Dagger pretty good, and I do admit I’d love to see her kicking ass in there. Just thinking about it makes my dick hard.
When she climbed on her bike and f*cked it in front of all of us brothers, I almost came in my damn pants. That was the hottest f*cking thing I’d ever seen, her long dark hair cascading around her curvy body. I knew her tits had to be real, by the way; they hung in her shirt, heavy and full. Those damn ripped jeans leaving little to the imagination, and her tight Harley shirt showed off a small bit of ink through the sleeve. I knew then that I had to be inside her. She threw out some bullshit excuse about not sleeping with brothers, but that wasn’t going to deter me in the slightest. Truth be told; I liked the fact my brothers hadn’t had her.
She would truly be mine. And she would be underneath me.
Those lips of hers are unbelievably soft. I could still taste that f*cking berry shit from her lips on my tongue. The way her tongue dueled mine had me wanting to throw her up on the bar and f*ck her raw. I couldn’t wait to get between her legs. When she came on her bike, she was so damn quiet. Not when I’m done with her. She’ll be screaming my f*cking name.
Pop… pop… pop… Gunfire rang out as a black cage drove past with its side door wide open. Grabbing my gun, I fired back in quick reaction and dropped behind the porch post. The front door flew open as Princess stormed out, gun pointed and firing with great aim, hitting the cage repeatedly. The shots kept coming, and Princess didn’t flinch or shy away. She ducked a few times, but kept moving.
We were both in a dead sprint to our bikes firing them up and taking off after the cage. Weaving in and out of traffic, we kept on its tail, firing shots back and forth. I couldn’t help the hard-on I got watching Princess shoot while still maneuvering her bike effortlessly. Not the time for that shit.
Pulling up besides the cage, I began shooting rapidly, hitting one of the guys. Princess’s shots hit another who fell out, causing her to stop her bike abruptly, unable to swerve out of the way. Shooting again, I aimed for the tires, but f*cking missed as it spun off. There was no way I was leaving her alone out here.
Turning back around, I reached Princess, who was down on the ground checking out the shooter. “Dead?”
“Yeah…” Grabbing my phone, I called Dagger giving him our current location and advising clean up. I knew it would only take about five minutes before the cavalry came in.
“You all right?” Looking at her, I could see she seemed fine, no blood anywhere, but being a woman you never know how they react to this shit.
“I’m good.” She smiled. “Home, sweet home. You know this guy?”
“Looks like one of Rabbit’s crew.” Damn it. Rabbit’s known for running drugs throughout the state and we have dealings with him. This can’t be good.
“I take it he’s one of the everyone that Diamond wants me to be careful of, huh?” She looked as if she was studying the body before her, lifting up the shirt, taking in all the ink and marks on it totally unfazed she was looking at a dead body.
“Somethin’ like that.” The roar of bikes in the distance snapped me into action. “Get your ass on your bike and go back to Ma’s house. I’ll send some guys over.”
If looks could kill, I’d be lying dead next to the man on the road. “I’m just as much a part of this as you are,” she growled out. It was sexy as hell, but her trying to control shit was gonna stop quick.
“I’m not gonna say it again. F*cking go. Now.” I ordered.
“If you remember, it was my f*cking shot that killed the bastard.” She stood up heading towards her bike. I could see in her face it was killing her to have to leave the scene, but she listened and headed back the way we came. I held in my chuckle. Damn woman.
“Pops and G.T. are at the house. What the f*ck happened?” Dagger clipped, looking at the dead body at my feet.
“Drive-by. Black cage. Four guys inside. Two in the back were shot; this one fell out. Cage drove off.” I relayed.
“Shit. It’s one of Rabbit’s guys,” Zed said, kneeling down to see where the wounds were. “She shot him, didn’t she?” He eyed me suspiciously.
“Yeah. She came out guns blazing, and I didn’t have time to fight with her about staying back. She got him; I got the other.” I pressed my hands deep in my pockets.
“I’m sure you got the other,” Rhys said, laughing. F*ck. I didn’t need this shit.
“You got this? I wanna make sure the house is all right.”
“Go. We got this.” As Dagger, Guns, Zed, and Tug began their work, I rode quickly to the house.
“They f*cking shot her, Pops!” Princess’s voice was enraged, the anger dripping off every word coming out of her mouth. I noticed a splattering of blood on one of the walls, as I walked into the house. Ma was holding her shoulder and appeared to be in a tremendous amount of pain, but didn’t utter a complaint. “Get Doc here now!” she barked out.
Princess began ripping away the clothes on Ma’s body, finding the entrance of the bullet. Turning her softly, she also appeared to find the exit wound.
“I’ll find them. Don’t you f*cking worry about that,” G.T. ground out, rushing out of the room.
“What do you need?” I asked, since standing there watching was not helping anyone.
“I need towels and duct tape,” Princess ordered.
“Here.” G.T. was one step ahead, handing both items to her. Watching Princess work like a well-oiled machine was beautiful. She didn’t shy away from the blood or do that prissy shit that most women do. She dug in and got the job done. I was in a bit of awe. Every f*cking move this woman made, made me want to stick my dick in her. Shit.
Pops stopped my admiration. “Cruz, you get Princess and Ma back to the clubhouse. Call Breaker and Buzz to bring the cage. Call Doc and get him to the clubhouse now.” I nodded as he turned to G.T. “You and me ride.”
The clubhouse was buzzing while Doc worked on Ma. She appeared to be just fine, but one woman was not. Princess hadn’t stopped pacing since Doc started working on Ma. Every so often she paused to have a shot of Jack and then continued to pace.
Everyone left her alone not wanting to be on the end of her rage, I assumed, but I couldn’t care less if I pissed her off. Walking up in front of her, I gently grabbed her shoulders.
“Don’t,” she barked at me.
“Come on.” She looked at her Ma laying on the pool table getting stitched up and shook her head. “It’ll just take a minute. Trust me.” She looked up into my eyes as if she was battling some inner turmoil then sighed.
She nodded, “All right. A few minutes, then I gotta get back.”
Smiling, I led her outside the clubhouse to the back gym. I’d been in her shoes before, seeing someone I love shot and not being able to do a damn thing about it. When Steeler was shot outside of the club, I didn’t know what the f*ck to do. The brothers swooped in and took care of it, and at that exact moment, I knew this life was for me.
“The ring?” she questioned, looking at the large square in the center of the gym, her eyes wide.
“Yep. Get taped up.”
She smiled. “You wanna fight me?” I could see her wheels turning.
“I’m not going to fight you. You’re just gonna get some of your frustration out.” There was no way I wanted to hit this woman, whether she accepted it or not, I’d protect her till my dying breath. God, I knew this f*cking woman a day, and she was already so f*cking far under my damn skin.
“Oh, come on. You’re just going to let me hit you like some pansy ass bitch, huh?” The devil gleaming in her eyes had me utterly intrigued.
“I’ll tape up, but I’m not swinging.”
“p-ssy.”
After helping each other tape up and removing our boots, we climbed into the ring. She pulled her hair into some kind of bun thing on her head as she moved her neck from side to side. Hearing stories about Princess’ ability in the ring, I admit I was intrigued. The guys supposedly taught her to fight, and she always held her head up high even if she ended up bloody, or so I was told. Now I’d get a personal view.
As we squared off, my pulse began to pick up. I dodged swing after swing until she nailed me right in the mouth, sending blood flying. Wiping it from my face, we began a fighting dance. I never once swung, only blocked.
“Come on. Fight me damn it!” she growled at me, swinging hard, kicking me in the gut.
“No,” I said as I regained my composure, standing tall. I didn’t hear the door to the gym open, only the whoops and hollers of all my brothers and Ma coming into the gym. Shit.
“Hey, boys. This p-ssy here won’t fight back,” she goaded me. I knew what I had to do. I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to. No f*cking way I’d let the brothers see me not fight back.
She blocked several of my swings, but I made contact with the right hook to her cheek and she stumbled back. I stopped what I was doing and rushed to her. She smiled giving me a right hook of her own sending me staggering back a bit.
This went on for what seemed like forever. Blood was gushing down both of our faces. The bell on the side started going off as Dagger banged on it, hard. We knew it was over. F*ck if this bitch didn’t have the biggest balls I’ve ever seen.
I stalked towards her, and her eyes widened. I’m not sure what my face looked like, but all I could feel was my throbbing dick needing a home and fast. Grabbing her, I slammed my lips to hers; just taking everything I possibly could from her. As her body melted into mine, I kept going, not giving two shits about the crowd below us. Tasting the sweat and blood throughout my mouth spurred me on.
Princess pulled away, wincing. As I looked at her lip, I could see it was split wide open. “Doc still here?” I called out.
“In the clubhouse!” Rhys called out.
“Get checked out,” I said, staring at her lip, not believing I just did that to her, a bit ashamed with myself, in fact.
“I’m fine,” she uttered and patted her lip with her hand.
“I didn’t ask. Go,” I ordered. Getting right in her face, “Get your f*cking ass in there and get checked out. Now.” My voice was dead calm and utterly serious, and when her eyes flashed acceptance, I knew I’d gotten her.
Princess took off out of the ring, and I climbed out. “You sure you want that, Brother?” Dagger asked. He’s always in protection mode. I didn’t think he had any other switch.
“Hell yeah,” I said, wiping the blood from my face with a towel.
G.T. stepped in front of me. “You f*cking hurt her; I’ll put a bullet in your f*cking head.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” And I wouldn’t. She’s his blood. You protect blood and family at all costs. I respected that about G.T.
“I’m f*cking serious. She’s not free p-ssy.” The anger radiating off my brother was tangible. I understood it, but it was f*cking pissing me off.
Going toe-to-toe with G.T, I never thought I would want to rip someone’s head off so much. “You don’t think I f*cking know that?”
“I’m starting to wonder. You forget I see the p-ssy coming out of your room.”
“And I see what comes out of yours,” I fire back knowing he didn’t want his business being known by his sister.
“Just don’t f*ck her over.” G.T. shoulder-checked me, blowing past me towards the clubhouse. F*ck that shit. As I walked towards him to show him what I thought with my fists, Dagger’s words stopped me in my tracks.
“Cruz. You need to get your kid here. We’re on lockdown.” F*ck. Those words sent everything spiraling. I knew if Cooper came here, his bitch of a mother would make it a point to come, too. Shit if this wasn’t gonna be f*cked up.