AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not a skank as you call the club girls. What I am is the first lady of the club. I’m the President’s ol’ lady and there’s nothing that doesn’t happen with the women here I don’t know about. So, tell me who the fuck you are and what you plan on taking from a clubhouse you don’t belong at,” Hartley demands, stepping up closer to the girl in questions while making sure she still can’t get past her.
“You’re not Lash’s ol’ lady. Every report says he doesn’t have one,” the girl stammers, her voice wavering as nerves get the better of her.
“I am his ol’ lady. Not only his ol’ lady but his wife. I’m the mother of his children and I rule this club at his side. Everything that happens with the Rebels and other ol’ ladies here is my business. So, again, tell me who the fuck you are and what you’re doing here.”
“My name is Precious. I want to become a Rebel and don’t understand how to go about that. As far as me taking something from the clubhouse, that’s not what I was getting at exactly. I’m here for my man. Shank and I are meant to be together and I’m here for him. He promised me we’d be together and now I find out he’s married this skank. I don’t know why he is, but I do know it’s in name only. The two of them don’t even share a room. So, I’m here for my man and I’m not gonna let a bitch like her take my place at his side,” the woman says, determination filling her voice as it still wavers.
I don’t believe a word she’s saying right now. Even from my position behind her, I can see her eyes darting all over the place as if she’s looking for a quick exit. She has a plan she’s supposed to be following and if I can see that, I’m sure Hartley can too. I just don’t know what the fuck she plans to do about it.
Hartley looks at the woman from head to toe and back again. I watch them interact and wait to see what’s going to happen next between the two of them. Just looking at Hartley I can tell how pissed off she is. Her entire body is rigid and tight with tension.
“I don’t think we’re in the business of taking on more Rebels right now. Why don’t you leave me your name and number and I’ll give you a call if we decide we need someone else to join us,” Hartley finally says, her voice giving nothing away along with her face. She’s wearing a blank mask I don’t think I could ever pull off.
“You mean I can’t stay here now?” Precious questions, her voice now showing her disbelief.
“No, you can’t. I have to talk to my husband and make sure there’s room for another whore to enter the clubhouse. Right now, I would say no but it’s not just up to me. I run all major decisions past my man since this is his club. I will tell you now that we won’t take any of your shit and if you even think of starting shit here, I will boot your ass faster than you can blink. We don’t play games in the Knight’s Rebellion clubhouse. That includes you trying to take Shank from his wife. They are legally married and it was his decision to make. So, I’m not sure if you’ll be the right fit for this clubhouse. I’m sure you can find another one though,” Hartley informs the woman who is dressed like one of the Rebels already.
Precious is wearing a pair of shorts so small that her ass cheeks are hanging out and I’m sure it doesn’t do much to cover her lady bits either. The top she’s wearing is a crop top leaving more skin exposed than it actually covers. The heels on her feet would make me break my neck if I tried to walk in them. At the end of the day, she looks the part of a Rebel from what I’ve seen here at the clubhouse. Maybe she’s telling the truth about her reasons for being here, but my gut tells me it’s a lie and she’s here for far more sinister motives than anything else.
Hartley hands over a piece of paper and pen she pulled from somewhere and Precious writes down her information before releasing a deep sigh. She stomps her way out of the kitchen with Hartley following closely behind her. As she exits the kitchen, Hartley looks back at me and I’m not sure what she sees on my face, but I’m given a sympathetic smile by her before she disappears from sight. Taking a deep breath, I go back to making the cookie dough before mixing in the chocolate chips. Once it’s ready, I put the dough on cookie sheets and place them in the oven.
Moving on, I start making the brownie batter. It’s been a long time since I’ve made brownies from scratch. It’s something my mom used to do with me and every time I make them now, I think of her and the time we spent together in the kitchen. It was always filled with love and her smiling and making it fun as hell because she let me help even when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. More often than not, I’d make mistakes and we’d have to start all over again. Still, my mom never once raised her voice or made me feel horrible for doing something wrong. That was what my father was there for.
As I mix the batter for the brownies, I can’t get Precious’ words out of my head. She’s here for Shank. He promised himself to her and there’s nothing she’s not going to do to get him back. We were apart for a long time and I would never have expected him to remain alone or a monk. It wouldn’t surprise me to know he had a woman at his side. One he made promises to and loved when I betrayed him. This is the price I knew I was paying when I left him without a word or trace.
“Calla, don’t let her get to you. I’ve been around these women long enough to know when their lies aren’t adding up. She isn’t here for Shank. I guarantee you he doesn’t even know who the fuck that bitch is. Don’t do anything rash until you talk to him and find out what his take on the situation is,” Hartley says, her voice soft and gentle as we look at one another.
“I’m sure he had a life before he spotted me at the hospital. It wouldn’t surprise me to know that he has a woman out there of his own. I’m just here because of our son. He wants to make sure I don’t take him away from him again. Hartley, you have to know I did what I thought was best in the situation I was in at the time. My father was such an evil man and made me believe that he’d do everything in his power to take my son and make sure Billy paid at the same time. I’d be left alone to live alone and know both of the guys in my life were paying for my sins. All because I chose to love a man my father didn’t approve of,” I tell the first lady of the Knight’s Rebellion with tears rolling down my face.
“I’ve been here for a few years now, Calla. I can assure you that he doesn’t have a woman he’s had at his side or anything. Was he a monk? No, he wasn’t. None of the men here are. However, I know for a fact he wouldn’t just leave a woman on her own because you came back into his life. He’d find some way to keep his son in his life and remain with the woman if he truly loved her. Or wanted to be with her. Calla, that woman is not someone I’ve ever even seen in town,” Hartley informs me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as she tries to comfort me.
“She wasn’t wrong. We aren’t sharing a bed or room. Our marriage is in name only. I want to make sure Billy has an escape clause and can get away from me when he realizes I’m not truly who he wants. Our marriage was a response to Zane being kidnapped and him wanting to keep him close. I would never take him away from Billy, Hartley. Our son already loves his daddy so much and I’ve already kept them apart for longer than I should have. I should have told Billy from the second I found out I was pregnant and let him make the decision to help me out of my situation or walk away with our son. I took all of his decisions away. This isn’t one I’ll take from him. I want him to know I’ll always walk away if that’s what he wants from me. I’m not going to keep him tied to me because it’s what I want,” I state, the tears freely flowing down my face now and I don’t bother trying to stop them as I forget about the batter in front of me.
“You did the best you could in the situation you were in, Calla. I can’t tell you I’d have made any different decisions than what you did given what you were going through. These men don’t do anything they don’t want to and that’s something you have to understand, Calla. If Shank married you the way he did, then it’s because he wanted to marry you. Though, I’m not gonna sit here and say that the fear he was feeling about your son being kidnapped didn’t play a small role in the decision he made. Talk to him and don’t let this woman get in your head to the point you leave him behind again,” she tells me before leaving me alone in the kitchen once again.
I pull the cookies out of the oven and place them on a cooling rack before placing the next ones in the oven. Despite the conversation with Hartley, I pulled them out right on time so none of them are burnt. Going back to the batter in front of me, I make quick work of mixing everything together before pouring it into two pans. I made a double batch because I want to do one that’s plain and one with peanut butter in it. Zane and I really love the peanut butter ones. It’s his go to dessert when he asks for something. I love them too. I’m just not sure anyone else will enjoy them.
Once the cookies and brownies are done, I don’t know what else to do with myself. So, I clean up the mess I made baking and find something to make for dinner. The Rebels don’t always make food that’s edible and I want my son to have a good meal for once. I don’t know how long we’ll be here before we’re allowed to go home. So, I’m going to make sure I take care of him as I always do. At the same time, there’s no reason for me to leave everyone else out when I’m already in here cooking. So, that’s what I put my focus on while my son spends the day with his Dad.
Chapter Twelve
ZANE AND I spent the entire day outside today. The only time we went back in the clubhouse is when one of us had to go to the bathroom or to get lunch. Calla was in the kitchen when we got our subs she made and had some chips to go with them. I don’t know what the hell she did to the subs, but it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. Anyway, I showed Zane all over the compound. He was really excited to see everything. And he listened when I told him the areas he could and couldn’t go in without an adult. I don’t want him outside alone because there’s no telling if something’s been done to the fence and I’m not gonna lose him again because of something so stupid. I’m pretty sure Zane’s favorite part of today was seeing all of the bikes parked in the garage at the end of the clubhouse. He takes after me when it comes to bikes and I’m proud to say that.
Making my way in the clubhouse with Zane after spending most of the day outside with him, I’m stopped in the back hallway by Hartley. She doesn’t look happy and I’m not sure what the hell happened while we were outside to put that look on her face. All I know is when Hartley’s pissed, we all know about it.
“We need to talk, Shank. Something happened while you were outside with Zane and I think you need to know about it because I don’t know that Calla will tell you about it,” she says, looking down at my son in a way to tell me he doesn’t need to hear this conversation.
“Buddy, why don’t you go see if your Mommy’s still in the kitchen? She told us she was baking your favorite dessert when we came in for lunch. Maybe you can get some of it before we have dinner,” I tell Zane as he looks up at me.
Zane nods his head and leaves us in the hall. I watch him as he disappears toward the kitchen. Listening to his voice when he excitedly starts telling his mom all about what we did after seeing her for lunch. Knowing he’s safe with Calla in the clubhouse, I turn my attention back to Hartley to find out what the hell is going on now.
“Shank, I’ve been here for a few years now and I’ve never seen you serious with a woman before. You’ve been with the Rebels a time or two or found a piece of strange in town when you went out. Am I wrong in that assessment?” she questions me, a warning tone to her voice.
“No, I’ve never been serious with anyone. For me, the end game has always been Calla. I never stopped lookin’ for her and now that she’s back in my life, I’m not about to give her up for any reason. I wasn’t a monk by any means, Hartley. When I needed some relief, I used the Rebels or found someone to spend a few hours with. It never meant anythin’ to me and Calla knows this. Or she assumes it,” I answer her honestly.
“Then why the fuck did some bitch come in here today and make it seem as if you promised her the fucking world and were gonna make her your ol’ lady and wife? Went on and on about the shit you told her and couldn’t understand why you’d marry a skank like Calla. Wants to start as a Rebel until you bring her to your side and make her yours. Calla listened to all that shit and I’m pretty sure it’s been playing on a loop in her mind ever since she heard it. I don’t know what was said to her before I entered the kitchen, but what I heard was that this bitch is after something here at the clubhouse and she’s not gonna give up until she gets it. You were just an excuse, but her words hit the mark she intended them to fucking hit,” I’m informed by the first lady of our club. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed your wife, but I have. She’s losing weight and doesn’t look good, Shank. Something is going on with her and it needs to be fixed.”
Hartley’s face is red as hell and her body is shaking from the anger coursing through her. This woman really pissed her the fuck off and I don’t know what to do about it because I wasn’t in here. I don’t know what really happened. Not that I don’t believe Hartley, because I do. Without the full story, I don’t know what to do from here. If Calla doesn’t want to talk to me about something, she won’t. She’s proven that already. And no, I’m not holding it against her because I’m still angry about it. I’m just stating facts. Calla holds things close to her and doesn’t always talk about shit when she should. This is going to be one more of those times for her.
