Lucky's Choice
Page 75
“I want my perfume back. It’s been missing since the day I moved in, and I smell it on you.”
She stormed out the kitchen door, still yelling her angry volleys over her shoulder as she headed toward the front door. She was going to get The Last Riders under control, and if not for good, then it would at least be until her and Lucky’s house was built.
* * *
The kitchen was silent as they all listened to Willa’s shouts from the other room as she left.
Lucky saw Moon open his mouth to reply when he heard Willa yell at him to get his boots picked up off the floor.
“Don’t say anything. She might come back,” Winter whispered.
Moon closed his mouth, flinching at the sound of his boot hitting a wall, which had them all staring at each other in trepidation that she would come storming back into the kitchen. The slam of the front door had more than one member giving a sigh of relief.
Raci went to stand by the back door. “Do you think she’s really gone, and she’s not faking us out?”
After several seconds, Viper opened the kitchen door, looking into the other room. “She’s gone.”
“Thank fuck.” Jewell sat down shakily at the kitchen table. “I thought she was going to kick my ass.”
“Mine, too.” Winter’s hand was trembling as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips.
The tension in the room didn’t dissipate with Willa leaving, though.
“Bliss, that’s the last time you hurt a member.” Viper’s cold voice was directed at the cause of the unexpected showdown which Willa had won.
“Willa’s not a member.” Bliss’s defiance had disappeared when Willa’s rant had begun. Now she stood in the middle of the members who had gathered in a circle around her.
“I wasn’t talking about Willa. I was talking about Lucky. She’s his wife, so anything you do to hurt her hurts him.”
Lucky saw Bliss’s eyes move in his direction. Coldly, he stared back as Viper began stripping Bliss of her rights as a Last Rider.
“A member has to have eight out of eight votes from the original members to be voted out. When you mouthed off to Lily, you had six out of eight. Two members voted to give you another chance—Lucky and Rider. I’m taking another vote.” Viper glanced at Shade. “Call Knox and get his vote.”
Viper continued talking as Shade moved to the side, making the call.
“I vote out.” Viper looked at Razer. “In or out?
Razer didn’t hesitate. “Out.”
“Train?”
“Out.”
“Lucky?”
Bliss’s tears didn’t affect his vote.
“Out.”
“Shade?”
“Out and Knox votes out.” Shade placed his cell phone back in his pocket.
“Cash?”
“Out.”
All eyes in the room were on Rider when Viper called his name.
“Rider?”
Rider, who had saved Bliss from expulsion three times before, was Bliss’s final hope.
“Please don’t, Rider. I promise—”
“Out.” Rider’s curt vote sealed Bliss’s fate.
Bliss’s shoulders began shaking while she stood as an outcast among them, but Viper showed her no mercy.
“Since I know you don’t have a place to go, you have until the end of the month to get your shit packed and find somewhere else to live, preferably not in Treepoint. You could go back to Ohio.”
“If I don’t belong to The Last Riders, I don’t have anything to go back to there.”
“You don’t belong to The Last Riders anymore, so there’s nothing waiting for you there,” Viper agreed harshly.
Bliss wiped away her tears with the back of her hands, walking through the room of angry members to leave.
None of the members were happy Bliss was being forced to leave. They all knew her feelings for Shade were hard for her to get over. They had all hoped the woman would be able to move past her love for him.
Lucky glared at Shade. “You brought Willa inside the clubhouse without me?”
“She wanted to know what was wrong with you. I told you to tell her about your PTSD before you were married.”
“I was going to tell her.”
Shade crossed his arms over his chest. “I saved you the trouble.”
Lucky’s hands clenched into fists. “When did you take her downstairs?”
“The night she came to borrow Lily’s cookbook.”
“That was a Friday night.”
“Yes, it was.” Shade’s cavalier attitude pissed him off even further.
“What did you tell her?”
“All of it.” Shade gave a laconic shrug. “I showed her all those fancy medals of yours, told her how Kale died, and how you nearly got your ass killed—all of it.”
“I was—”
“I know, you were going to tell her. I saved you the trouble. Plus, she gave me a kiss for saving your sorry ass.” Shade pointed to his cheek. “Right here.”
“Let me show you my gratitude.” Lucky punched Shade’s smug face, making him stumble backward into the counter, knocking the platter of omelets to the floor.
“Watch the food!” Rider yelled.
Shade gave him a triumphant look before swinging his fist back and nailing him in the stomach. Lucky launched himself at Shade and both of them barreled into the kitchen table, crashing it to the floor and sending Winter and Jewell scrambling to get out of the way.
Moon pulled Lucky to his feet while Viper and Train yanked Shade back.
Lucky struggled against Moon’s grip.
“Take it easy, brother.”
Lucky knocked him back with an elbow to his face.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“I saw you looking at Willa’s tits when she was sweeping up the cookie jar.”
Moon gave him a shit-eating grin. “Can you blame a brother?”
“When I get finished with you, you’ll be riding back to Ohio in a hearse.” Lucky picked up one of the kitchen chairs, throwing it at Moon who ducked out of the way. It hit one of the crockpots sitting on the counter, tumbling it off the edge and sending oatmeal oozing onto the floor.
“I said to watch the food.” Rider pushed Lucky back before he could attack Moon again.
Moon was pissed off enough to shove Train when he tried to keep Moon from attacking Lucky. Train’s mercurial temper rose and he struck Moon in the eye, sending the two men into a fist fight while Lucky went at Rider.
“Why in the fuck are you hitting me?”
“Leave my fucking cookies alone.”
Rider began hitting him back in defense, the two barreling into Viper who was still trying to contain Shade.
“What in the fuck is going on in here?” Knox barked out, coming into the room and then tossing the brothers apart.
Lucky managed to catch himself on the kitchen counter, holding his jaw that Rider had managed to land a blow on. Straightening, he angrily started at Knox then stopped. He hadn’t lost what sense he had left to go for him.
She stormed out the kitchen door, still yelling her angry volleys over her shoulder as she headed toward the front door. She was going to get The Last Riders under control, and if not for good, then it would at least be until her and Lucky’s house was built.
* * *
The kitchen was silent as they all listened to Willa’s shouts from the other room as she left.
Lucky saw Moon open his mouth to reply when he heard Willa yell at him to get his boots picked up off the floor.
“Don’t say anything. She might come back,” Winter whispered.
Moon closed his mouth, flinching at the sound of his boot hitting a wall, which had them all staring at each other in trepidation that she would come storming back into the kitchen. The slam of the front door had more than one member giving a sigh of relief.
Raci went to stand by the back door. “Do you think she’s really gone, and she’s not faking us out?”
After several seconds, Viper opened the kitchen door, looking into the other room. “She’s gone.”
“Thank fuck.” Jewell sat down shakily at the kitchen table. “I thought she was going to kick my ass.”
“Mine, too.” Winter’s hand was trembling as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips.
The tension in the room didn’t dissipate with Willa leaving, though.
“Bliss, that’s the last time you hurt a member.” Viper’s cold voice was directed at the cause of the unexpected showdown which Willa had won.
“Willa’s not a member.” Bliss’s defiance had disappeared when Willa’s rant had begun. Now she stood in the middle of the members who had gathered in a circle around her.
“I wasn’t talking about Willa. I was talking about Lucky. She’s his wife, so anything you do to hurt her hurts him.”
Lucky saw Bliss’s eyes move in his direction. Coldly, he stared back as Viper began stripping Bliss of her rights as a Last Rider.
“A member has to have eight out of eight votes from the original members to be voted out. When you mouthed off to Lily, you had six out of eight. Two members voted to give you another chance—Lucky and Rider. I’m taking another vote.” Viper glanced at Shade. “Call Knox and get his vote.”
Viper continued talking as Shade moved to the side, making the call.
“I vote out.” Viper looked at Razer. “In or out?
Razer didn’t hesitate. “Out.”
“Train?”
“Out.”
“Lucky?”
Bliss’s tears didn’t affect his vote.
“Out.”
“Shade?”
“Out and Knox votes out.” Shade placed his cell phone back in his pocket.
“Cash?”
“Out.”
All eyes in the room were on Rider when Viper called his name.
“Rider?”
Rider, who had saved Bliss from expulsion three times before, was Bliss’s final hope.
“Please don’t, Rider. I promise—”
“Out.” Rider’s curt vote sealed Bliss’s fate.
Bliss’s shoulders began shaking while she stood as an outcast among them, but Viper showed her no mercy.
“Since I know you don’t have a place to go, you have until the end of the month to get your shit packed and find somewhere else to live, preferably not in Treepoint. You could go back to Ohio.”
“If I don’t belong to The Last Riders, I don’t have anything to go back to there.”
“You don’t belong to The Last Riders anymore, so there’s nothing waiting for you there,” Viper agreed harshly.
Bliss wiped away her tears with the back of her hands, walking through the room of angry members to leave.
None of the members were happy Bliss was being forced to leave. They all knew her feelings for Shade were hard for her to get over. They had all hoped the woman would be able to move past her love for him.
Lucky glared at Shade. “You brought Willa inside the clubhouse without me?”
“She wanted to know what was wrong with you. I told you to tell her about your PTSD before you were married.”
“I was going to tell her.”
Shade crossed his arms over his chest. “I saved you the trouble.”
Lucky’s hands clenched into fists. “When did you take her downstairs?”
“The night she came to borrow Lily’s cookbook.”
“That was a Friday night.”
“Yes, it was.” Shade’s cavalier attitude pissed him off even further.
“What did you tell her?”
“All of it.” Shade gave a laconic shrug. “I showed her all those fancy medals of yours, told her how Kale died, and how you nearly got your ass killed—all of it.”
“I was—”
“I know, you were going to tell her. I saved you the trouble. Plus, she gave me a kiss for saving your sorry ass.” Shade pointed to his cheek. “Right here.”
“Let me show you my gratitude.” Lucky punched Shade’s smug face, making him stumble backward into the counter, knocking the platter of omelets to the floor.
“Watch the food!” Rider yelled.
Shade gave him a triumphant look before swinging his fist back and nailing him in the stomach. Lucky launched himself at Shade and both of them barreled into the kitchen table, crashing it to the floor and sending Winter and Jewell scrambling to get out of the way.
Moon pulled Lucky to his feet while Viper and Train yanked Shade back.
Lucky struggled against Moon’s grip.
“Take it easy, brother.”
Lucky knocked him back with an elbow to his face.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“I saw you looking at Willa’s tits when she was sweeping up the cookie jar.”
Moon gave him a shit-eating grin. “Can you blame a brother?”
“When I get finished with you, you’ll be riding back to Ohio in a hearse.” Lucky picked up one of the kitchen chairs, throwing it at Moon who ducked out of the way. It hit one of the crockpots sitting on the counter, tumbling it off the edge and sending oatmeal oozing onto the floor.
“I said to watch the food.” Rider pushed Lucky back before he could attack Moon again.
Moon was pissed off enough to shove Train when he tried to keep Moon from attacking Lucky. Train’s mercurial temper rose and he struck Moon in the eye, sending the two men into a fist fight while Lucky went at Rider.
“Why in the fuck are you hitting me?”
“Leave my fucking cookies alone.”
Rider began hitting him back in defense, the two barreling into Viper who was still trying to contain Shade.
“What in the fuck is going on in here?” Knox barked out, coming into the room and then tossing the brothers apart.
Lucky managed to catch himself on the kitchen counter, holding his jaw that Rider had managed to land a blow on. Straightening, he angrily started at Knox then stopped. He hadn’t lost what sense he had left to go for him.
