Born to Ride_A Clubhouse Collection

chapter Five

A few seconds later, the front door opened and the young cookie-liking biker walked in, closely followed by Blue. I was shocked to see Blue was restraining a reluctant, dark, and handsome stranger.

“Blue?” I asked. Talon pulled me closer; both his arms wrapped around my waist.

Deanna stood up from the couch. “What’s going on now? I don't mind the entertainment, but it's startin' to get a bit much.” She turned her concerned eyes to me. I shook my head. This was as surprising to me as it was to her.

“Who the f*ck are you and why are you hounding around this house?” Talon asked the shocked-looking guy.

That said guy gasped, “Holy Mother Mary, I've hit the payload. No f*cking wonder he deserted me to come here. The bastard. Where is he? I'm going to cut off his penis.”

Blue shoved the guy hard, and he stumbled forward. It was obvious to everyone he wasn't a danger. Besides the fact that if he did—which I doubted—try anything, the house was already full of mean-looking people who’d take him down. But it was also a sense that he wouldn’t have the heart to hurt anyone.

He straightened, fixed his clothes on his lean body, turned to Blue, and glared. “Well, really. I like a bit of roughness, but only in bed, honey.”

Blue snapped, “F*ck off.”

I giggled; I couldn't help it. Blue turned a fierce glare on me, but my giggle also brought the attention of our guest.

“Well, spank me. You must be Zara.” He smiled.

My eyes widened. Talon stepped in front of me and said, “You do not speak to her or look at her, until you tell me who the f*ck you are.”

“Don't get you knickers in a bunch, love muffin.” He looked over Talon's shoulder to me. “He is lickably-‘licious, sweetheart.”

“I think I love this guy,” Deanna said.

He faced Deanna. “Thanks, doll, aren't you gorgeous too. I'm sure the feeling will be mutual.”

“F*ck.” Talon made a beeline for the guy, who started backing up quickly.

“Whoa, hold up, Hercules. I'm just making friends here.”

“Tell me who the f*ck you are or my fist—”

“Julian?” The room turned to see a startled Mattie.

Talon stopped his pursuit and stalked back to me. His arms wound around my middle again.

“Hell, I think I just soiled myself.” Julian sighed.

“What are you doing here?” Mattie asked.

“Who is he?” Talon glared at Mattie.

“A...a friend.”

“Seriously, dickface? You forgot the boy in front of that friend. Or is it because you've found your sister and a house full of Chippendales that I'm suddenly a memory?”

Mattie, with an outstretched hand, said, “No, no. It's nothing like that.”

“Whatever,” Julian harrumphed, crossed his arms over his chest, and ignored my brother’s gaze.

“Oh, this is exciting.” I smiled and wiggled my way out of Talon's hold; I walked over to Julian. “It's so nice to meet you.” I hugged him. “Mattie only got here last night. I had a little breakdown, but I'm sure if that hadn't happened he would have told me all about you.”

“Well, aren't you just beautiful? Thank you, precious, and I'm so sorry for your loss. I understand Mattie wanting to find you and tell you himself, but to leave me behind? Nope.” He shook his head. “That just doesn't jive with me.” He leaned in and whispered, “I think he was worried how you’d take to him being gay.” He stood straighter and smiled. “But you're handling it just fine and dandy. Now tell me, cupcake, how in God's name have you got a house full of orgasmic men?”

I grinned and pointed to Talon. “That one thinks he has some claim on me because he stuck his tongue in my mouth yesterday. He's their head honcho.”


“F*ck me.” Talon looked to the ceiling.

“I'll take you up on that, Iron Man,” Julian said with a flutter of his eyelashes.

“Julian!” Mattie gasped. “Sorry! He’s sorry, he didn’t mean it.”

“Christ, enough. What the hell am I thinkin'?” Talon asked.

I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “I certainly don't know. But, I can easily fix that and leave.”

“Say or think that one more time, I'll take you to bed and f*ck some sense into you.”

Julian squeaked beside me. “He sounds serious.”

I looked at Julian and rolled my eyes. “He probably is.”

“Everyone shut it. We need this shit sorted.”

“He's reeeeal bossy too,” I said to Julian.

“Kitten,” Talon growled.

“All right, jeepers.” I grabbed Julian's hand and led him over to the couch. The silently watching Violet and Warden moved to stand near Talon across from us.

Julian sat between Deanna and me, and Mattie breathed deeply and plopped himself on the edge of the couch.

“Hey, I'm Julian.” He held his hand out to Deanna.

“Deanna.” She gave him a chin lift.

“What's going down here?” Julian asked.

“Her P.P. man is waiting for an explanation on her past, and why she f*ckin' wants to up and leave ever since Mattie found her.”

Julian raised his hand yelling, “Oh, oh. I know why. 'Cause her crazy ex, right?”

Deanna nodded and went on. “So now, the idiot keeps getting in her pea brain head that it's best to just up and run to keep her and Maya safe as well as everyone else here.”

“Oh, shut up!” I glared. “You don't get it. No one does. If he finds me, someone will end up getting hurt. I'm—”

“Woman.” Everyone looked to Griz when he barked that one word. The other bikers who had been playing with their phones or quietly talking amongst themselves fell silent and stood straighter as if waiting for their queue. “That's why I left earlier. You may have a hard time coming to terms that you're Talon's woman, but once he claimed you, you became a part of Hawks. We take care of our own, and now, that means you. So don't f*ck around with thinkin' and worrying 'bout us. We live for this shit. We’ll protect you no matter what shit you dribble. Ain't that right, boys?”

A chorus of 'F*ck yeah', 'Damn straight', and wolf calls echoed through my tiny house, which brought tears to my eyes.

I held up one hand. “But—”

Griz interrupted and said, “Shut ya gob and go with it; nothing you say will change anything. Now get the f*ck back to work.”

I realized he wasn't talking to me when the bikers started to disappear out the front door. Only a few stayed: Griz, Blue and Pick.

“Kitten, it's finally f*ckin' time to sort this shit.”

Me being my stubborn self-shook my head. I thought if he didn't have the information, he couldn't go off halfcocked and get him and his boys hurt.

“Okay, if you ain't talkin', I will,” Deanna yelled.

“Don't. You. Dare,” I hissed.

Violet cleared her throat. “If she doesn't, I will. You need to stay safe. And against all my better judgment, I think my brother can do that.”

“How do you know her shit?” Deanna snapped.

Vi crinkled her nose, raising her upper lip. “Barbie, I'm a PI; of course I done a check on her.”

“You suck, just like your brother.” I glared, crossed my arms over my chest, and slouched down in the couch.

“Just for that comment, I'll tell your whole frigging history.”

“Violet!”

“Nope.” She shook her head.

“Someone just f*ckin' start talkin',” Talon sighed. “Give me the info I need to keep my woman safe.”

Whoops, guessed he'd had enough.

Vi took a breath and began, “Zara Edgingway was actually born Zara Alexander. She accidentally told me her last name when she came in, and I realized it was different from the one on her resumé. Zara grew up in Manly, NSW with her parents and her brother Matthew. She graduated high school. But then she met David Goodwill when she was working at Starbucks. He charmed her into believing he was a good, caring guy. They married young, but—”

I couldn't look at anyone. David had suckered me into his fairytale, and now my whole life was being aired like some leather-fetished grandma.

“—unbeknownst to Zara, David Goodwill dealt with the Mob on the side of his club business. He's also dabbled in drugs, selling women, and guns. He's one evil motherf*cker.”

Fruit basket! I knew he was bad, but not like that.

“Why'd you leave him, Zara?”

Oh, that hurt. No kitten, but Zara. I couldn't tell him the real reason. I was already Zara; if he really knew the truth, the filth, what would I become then? Nothing. So I shook my head and lied, “I found out what he did.”

“Zee,” Deanna uttered. I caught her gaze with my own pleading eyes. She sat back and said nothing.

Something shattered. I gasped and looked up to see that Talon had thrown a vase to the ground, one that had been near the television. “Don't f*ckin' lie to me!”

“Talon.” Blue barked.

“I'm not, and don’t throw my stuff around,” I said with my head held high.

“Two years I've waited for you to come to me. I've been waiting and watching, Zara. I know you; I know when you're angry, when you're sad, upset, worried, happy, horny, and f*ckin' lyin'. Tell me the truth. Why did you leave him?”

My bottom lip trembled. Goddamn him for saying that shit to me. The ass wasn’t allowed to say nice stuff. I was gonna have to ban it from the house.

This could work, though. If I told him, he'd move on. Let me go. It would hurt, but it'd be for the best.

Standing, I glared at him, my fists clenched at my sides and yelled, “You really wanna know? I'd had enough of his beatings—” The room was eerily quiet except from Julian's gasp, “—but what topped it off, what had me call Deanna in the middle of the night and escape, was when he came home drunk, beat me, and then raped me!” I pounded my chest.

Um, maybe I shouldn't have yelled. Talon's own hands were clenched; he was breathing deeply through his nose. A mountain of rage filled the room, and I was pretty sure I'd have witnessed lasers shoot out of his eyes if Griz didn't start ordering.

“F*ck! Deanna, take Zara to her room. Gay guys, PI's, go with them.” Blue and Griz ran across the room and grabbed Talon's arms. “Go now,” he growled.

Vi, Warden, and Mattie were already heading down the hall. Deanna grabbed my hand; Julian took the other one, and dragged me along with them. We'd gotten my door shut before a roar of fury filled the house. “I'm gonna f*cking kill that motherf*cker! Let. Me. Go.”

The boys must have let go because the next thing we heard was things being thrown around.

“Talon, get the f*ck outside,” Blue yelled.

We listened to the front door being snapped open, hitting the wall.

“Clean this shit; we'll calm him,” Griz said to someone.

Moments later, the rumble of Harleys started and took off down the street.

“Well, honey, pumpkin skin, I think I can honestly say I have never seen this much action in all my life. I love it here. Mattie, we're moving.” Julian smiled from where he sat next to me on the bed.

“That was f*ckin'...wow. I have never seen a man that...super angry before. Hot or what?” Deanna gleamed with excitement. She was sitting on the other side of me.

Still, Deanna and I both knew we’d seen others that angry before, but this was a totally different situation. We knew that no harm would come from said super angry person. It was actually funny how un-scared I was, especially with what my past had detailed. In fact, I was anything but scared; what I felt was nauseous and sad that I had upset Talon in any way.

“So hot I think I came in my pants. Sorry, honey,” Julian said. Mattie smiled and nodded in agreement, then patted Julian's leg.

“Hot-frigging-headed. He's always been like that,” Vi said, shaking her head. She and Warden were standing in front of the door.

“Maybe...maybe he'll leave me alone now,” I uttered.

“Oh, here the f*ck we go. Where is that mushed up brain of yours leading you?” Deanna asked.

“Now he knows.”

“What, Zara?” Mattie asked.

“He knows I'm not good for him. I'm filthy.”

“F*ck” Warden hissed, opened the door, and left.

“Too much girl talk for him, I'm guessin',” Julian smiled. “And Zara, my potato pie. From what I just witnessed and heard, Talon is far from done with you. You ain't filthy, girl; that pubic hair flossing ex of yours is as good as dead. You are much loved here, woman, and if it ain't you or Deanna or Talon doing the killing, you're going to have many others stepping forward to fulfill that job. That f*cktard should never have laid a harmful hand on you. He's gonna pay, poptart. No matter what you say. And Talon will be at your side through all this hell to come. Everyone can see the hard-on he has for you.”