AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He does have a way with the ladies,” I reply as Lucy makes her way over to us.
“Is that what you call it?” she asks. Lucy reaches her hand to Ozzy. “Hi, I’m Lucy.” Ozzy shakes it. “Your brother is a pig.”
Ozzy laughs and nods his head. “Tell me something I don’t know, sweetheart.” He releases her grasp and turns toward the clubhouse. “Come on in. Let’s get you girls settled.”
Charlie is quiet as she walks to the clubhouse, taking in the building and the few brothers mingling around.
“You okay, Charlie bug?”
She and Lucy give me a surprised and slightly disgusted look.
“That one might be worse than the last two you tried,” Charlie says.
“Did you just call her a bug?” Lucy asks.
“I’ve been trying out nicknames,” I say with a smile.
“And failing miserably,” Charlie adds when we walk through the door.
As soon as I enter, Stacia runs up to me and throws her arms around my neck.
“I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve missed you, baby,” she croons.
Charlie rips her hand from my grasp, and Stacia catches the movement.
“I heard you were bringing a couple stragglers back,” Stacia says as she looks Charlie over in a not-so-friendly manner.
“I’m Stacia. Linc’s... friend.” The way she says ‘friend’ with her hand sliding over my stomach leaves no room for misinterpretation. Unfortunately for Stacia, she seems to be the one who’s misinterpreted what she is to me.
Charlie plasters a fake smile on her face. “I’m Charlie, and this is Lucy,” she says, waving in her friend’s direction.
Stacia ignores the introduction and rises on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “I’m so glad you’re finally back. It’s been so boring here without you.”
I grasp Stacia’s biceps and firmly pull her arms from around me, causing her to take a step back.
“Stacia, why don’t you show Charlie and Lucy to a room? Then grab a couple of the other girls and see about scrounging up some dinner. We’re all starved.” I look at Charlie, who’s wearing a blank expression. “I need to talk to Ozzy and the other brothers, but I’ll come find you when we’re done.”
The tight smile I get in return tells me all I need to know about her reaction to Stacia’s wandering hands.
“Come on, Carly and Lisa.” Stacia turns on her too-high heels with a huff. “I’m sure we can find you somewhere to get cleaned up,” she says, looking at the girls with her nose scrunched as though she smells something foul.
“It’s Charlie and Lucy,” Charlie grits out, staring daggers at an obviously jealous woman.
“Oops. My mistake,” Stacia replies with a snotty tone.
Fuck me, this is going to be another problem we don’t need right now.
After the girls follow Stacia, I go in search of Ozzy. He’s back in his office going over some paperwork when I knock on the doorframe.
“Girls find a room?”
“Yup, I have Stacia showing them one now.”
“Great. Church starts in five. You can grab a beer and meet us in there. I wanna know everything that went down.”
Going back to the main room, I belly up to the bar. The prospect manning it slides me a bottle, and I nod in thanks. Goddamn, I’m tired as hell and want nothing more than my bed and a full eight hours of sleep, but the club needs to know what’s going on, and I’d rather only tell the story once.
Inhaling a deep breath, I head toward the back of the building where we hold church. My brothers are already seated at the large wooden table with the Black Roses insignia carved in the center. I take my chair next to Jude, and Ozzy bangs the gavel on the wood signaling for us all to shut up.
