She picked up her bag and headed back over to where Malice was kneeling in front of Dakota.

  “Don’t tell Mommy,” Malice said, and winked at his son. He stood and turned to face her. “I’ll call you when I know the exact time I’ll be there to get him.”

  She nodded, and there was this that uncomfortable silence that stretched between them again. “I hope things can calm down between us, Malice.”

  “Buddy, why don’t you hope in Mommy’s car? She’ll buckle you in.”

  Dakota ran over to her car, but one of the prospects was there to open the door for him.

  “How is the rebuilding going?” She wanted to talk about something safe and non-confrontational. She glanced at Dakota and Pierce, who was helping him into the back of the car. Asking about how the construction on the house for the women was going seemed like a good idea.

  “Good. They started tearing everything down. Leveling and getting the foundation down will happen in the next couple of days.”

  “You think it’ll be done by the end of the month?” She hadn’t really “talked” to Malice, at least about things that didn’t concern them or Dakota.

  “Yeah. We got the Grizzlies helping with building, and Lucien called up a few other guys to help, so it won’t take long at all.”

  She nodded and clasped her hands in front of her. The sound of Dakota laughing broke up some of the sudden silence. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, but didn’t know how to really go about doing it—”

  “What does Lucien have planned for the women? Especially since he is dumping a load of money into this without seeing much in return?”

  She swallowed, and then nodded. “Yeah. I know the club doesn’t do things for free, well, at least not to this magnitude.”

  He watched her with this calculating expression before speaking. “Lucien isn’t going to force any of them to sell their pussy for the club as payback if that is what you’re getting at. Just because that is the main monetary revenue for The Brothers, we aren’t savages. Besides, the club got a hefty amount when we picked up the girls in Denver as a sort of down payment for helping out from their Denver contact. That will cover a lot of the cost for the building.”

  Molly nodded. “That’s good at least. I just was wondering what his plans were when the women were healed and felt safe enough to leave.”

  “You know that’s club business.”

  “Malice, I’m not some club whore that gets passed around by you and the other members. I have known you and the guys for years, earned your trust, and would have hoped that just because we are not together anymore you would still confide in certain things with me, especially concerning the welfare of these women that The Brothers asked me to look after.” She wasn’t his old lady anymore, and even when she had been that didn’t mean she was privy to club business. Molly didn’t even want to know the majority of the shit that went down with the club, but this wasn’t about running guns or selling drugs, but about the battered women in the cabin behind her. She wanted to make sure they would be taken care of when she was back in Brighton. “I just want to make sure that Lucien doesn’t expect anything from them that they won’t be able to give him.” Lucien wasn’t an evil man, but he also put his club and any business associated with the MC first. He had helped these women because he was a genuinely decent man, but he also was forking over a lot of money to buy that property and renovate the land. Molly wasn’t saying he’d force them into his little selling pussy on the side business, but she did want to know what his intentions were.

  “Listen, it really isn’t my place to open my mouth, but I will say that Lucien has been talking about speaking with you.”

  That caught her off guard. “About what?”

  Malice cleared his throat, but his gaze was unwavering. “Concerning the women. He was going to call you later, set something up for the next time you’re in Steel Corner, but I’ll let him know you’re staying one more day. I think you should talk to him tonight or at least tomorrow before you head out.”

  Molly was a little unsure about what was going on, or why Lucien wanted to talk to her. If he was just concerned about how the women were doing he didn’t need to have a meeting with her. He could have easily talked with his crew and gotten feedback from them since she updated the ones that were at the house when she was there. No, this was something very different, and although she knew she had nothing to fear from The Brothers of Menace MC, Molly would be lying if she said she was not a little apprehensive. Before she could say anything in response to that, Malice was speaking again.

  “Listen, he’ll give you a call later and set something up. But you and I,” he gestured between them, “we’re good, Molly. I’ve just got my own shit to deal with, and it’s hard to keep it from reflecting on how I act.” He held her gaze, and for a moment she watched this dark mask cover his face. “But if he hurts you in any way, I don’t even care if he yells at you for some shit, you fucking tell me right away, okay?”

  Pushing away her hesitation over what Lucien could possibly want to talk to her about, she smiled. She didn’t bother telling Malice that if Stinger hurt her, she’d make sure to hurt him back. She didn’t know how much damage she could actually do to a shifter biker, but she’d go down fighting. “I will, but it isn’t like that. Stinger isn’t like that.”

  “And you know this after, what, a week?”

  Now it was her turn to clench her teeth.

  “Never mind. You’re an adult, and this is your life. I’ll call you later.” He lifted his hand in a wave, but before she could reciprocate the act or say anything he was striding to his SUV. She watched him leave, but didn’t think about Malice or his hang-ups anymore. After getting Dakota buckled in, she got in her car and headed back to the motel. It was hours before Malice would be back to pick up Dakota, but that was okay because she’d use that time to spend with her son, and to think about how far she really wanted to go with Stinger.

  Chapter Nine

  The barn was filled to capacity. There were more guys wanting to watch violence than there had been before, but that was because these underground fights weren’t just about shifters anymore, at least not for the time being. Lucien’s guys were going to do a little bare-knuckle fighting, too. They had recruited some thugs looking for some easy cash from Denver and a few other surrounding cities in Colorado, and they would go up against Lucien’s men. Although The Brothers were bad motherfuckers, the guys Sticks had called in weren’t these scrawny drug peddling assholes on the street corners. They were seasoned back alley fighters, big and mean, and ready to tear someone up. This should be one hell of a night, but what Stinger was looking forward to was getting into the center himself. His bear had been pacing, scratching and clawing, and wanting to hurt something or someone since getting into it with Malice at the motel room. It also hadn’t helped that the guys at the clubhouse had gotten on him about the fact he was about to shift. The only way to tame the beast and let out the violence churning inside of him was to exact his own violence and destruction.

  Two shifters took the center of the barn, both without any clothing on, and their animals nearly ready to tear each other apart. They shifted, and were now tiger against snow leopard. Teeth snapped, claws tore into the other shifter’s body, and blood sprayed along the ground. The crowd went wild, and money was being held in the air as some kind of incentive for more pain. And then as if a cool draft filled the room, but one only meant for Stinger to feel, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his flesh tightened. He turned around and stared at the front of the barn, and stepping through the double doors was Malice leading three of Lucien’s men. But Malice had his eyes trained right on Stinger, and this very sadistic smirk curved his mouth. But he stopped before he reached the Grizzlies, and the rest of The Brothers moved past him when he gestured them around. Malice grinned, and at that moment his name fit the vibes coming off of him perfectly. They stared at each other for what seemed like long minutes, and the more time Stinger spent staring at the biker, the more pissed off he got. The images that slammed through his head were ones of Malice touching Molly, kissing her, and wanting what was no longer his. Stinger wanted to go over there right now and fight Malice human-to-human. He didn’t need to shift to kick the guy’s ass, even if his bear wanted out too damn badly. He wanted to do this man-to-man, wanted Malice to feel his knuckles slamming into his body, and wanted him to hear the words that Molly was his.

  Stinger took a step forward, and then another, and another, He stopped in front of the other man, stared him down, and curled his upper lip in disgust. “We need to talk,” Stinger said when Malice was only a few feet from him.

  Malice lifted a dark eyebrow, and the scent of his amusement filled Stinger’s nose. “Talk?” Malice looked away, like he was trying to grapple with his own issues, and then looked at Stinger again. “Man, I want to do more than just talk.” The amusement faded from Malice, and he lifted his hands up and cracked his knuckles. “I’d like to beat your ass just because, but I’m going to be the better man and walk away.”

  “Because you’re a pussy?” Stinger’s animal was the one that had spoken, and had gotten balls of steel when he should have shut the fuck up and left things alone.

  Malice had been turning to head back to the rear rooms, but he stopped, and his whole body tensed. When he turned around the anger that came from him made it clear that Malice had never wanted to let the fight go. He had just kept it buried under the surface of his skin.

  “I was going to take the high road because Molly doesn’t need to see us fighting, but it is clear neither of us is sated.”

  Stinger tried to force his bear down, but he was a feral creature, and never had he wanted to taste blood as much as he wanted Malice’s. “You want to fight over who has the right to claim Molly?” Stinger hadn’t done shit like that since he was a kid, but this wasn’t about who had the right to fuck her from this moment on. What Stinger wanted was something more permanent, and if Malice was going to get in the way then they needed to clear this shit up right now.

  “No, I am done fighting over who can have Molly. I just want to fight so I can beat your fucking ass. This isn’t high school, Grizzly, and I am not afraid to go up against a shifter.” Malice grinned, but it was far from humorous. “You want Molly, fine, she’s yours.”

  Stinger inhaled deeply and could sense that Malice was being honest, but that confused the fuck out of him. Stinger rolled his head back and forth on his neck. He was itching to go a few rounds with the biker, too.

  Malice took a menacing step forward.

  Stinger sensed Court and Dallas move up behind him, but he held his hand up to stop them. “If you want a good old fashioned fight, human, I am more than willing to deliver on it.” Stinger felt his nails lengthen into claws and felt his incisors push down as his bear moved forward. His body was getting bigger, his muscles more pronounced. He wasn’t going to let his bear out, but he was going to let Malice know who and what he was up against if he wanted this to progress.

  Malice chuckled, but it was the least humor filled sound Stinger had ever heard. “You think I’ll piss my pants because you’re whipping your dick out?” He lifted his dark eyebrow again. “Hardly. I’ve dealt with motherfuckers like you before, shifters that think flashing your inner animal is supposed to scare the shit out of people.” He slowly shook his head, and a hard mask covered his face.

  “You are one stupid bastard.” Stinger grinned, but he knew it looked sadistic, too. “I’m done bullshitting about this. You want a piece of me, and I want a piece of you.” He took a step forward until his chest just about brushed along Malice’s.

  “Boys, if you want to do this I’m not about to stop you, but take it outside. No free shows here.” There was an easygoing attitude in Sticks’s voice, the coordinator of these underground fights, but he also wasn’t fucking around. He may be in business with The Grizzlies, and now Lucien and his crew, but this was his show, and he was running it.

  “Stinger, come on, man. How about we get you in the center with another bear? You can beat the shit out of him and not hold back fighting a human,” Court, the voice of reason, said beside him.

  Malice bared his teeth at Court and then looked at Stinger. “If you’re too afraid to fight me like a man…”

  Stinger pushed past him, feeling like fire licked along his flesh as he stepped into the cool, fresh air. Harleys, trucks, and a few POS cars were parked around the cleared out land. Stinger moved over to the tree line where there was an opening a few feet from the barn. If this was going to happen, so be it. He stepped into the clearing and turned to watch as Malice, a few of The Brothers, and Court and Dallas followed suit. Malice stopped a few feet from him. They both removed their cuts, and the instinct to shift rode him hard. But he’d kick the shit out of this fucker with his bare hands, and he’d make it known that he was strong enough to take care of and protect Molly and everything that was under her care.

  “You still think I’m doing this because I want Molly?” Malice handed his cut over to one of The Brothers. Malice rolled his head around his neck and grinned. “I’m not going against you to get to her. But she’s the mother of my kid, and I’ll always care about her and look after her.”

  “And what? You think fighting me is going to make you look like a man that can accomplish that?” Stinger had already handed his cut over to Dallas and removed his shirt. No sense in getting Malice’s blood on it. That had him grinning and had a surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

  Malice shook his head slowly and cracked his knuckles again. “At first maybe. But also because I was going to make it known that I am going to be the only father to my son.”

  That had Stinger stilling. “What?” He stared at Malice, and then looked at Dallas before looking back at Molly’s ex. “You think I want to be a father to your son?” Even in the dark Stinger could see the red hue that took over Malice’s face and scented the rage that came from him like a sledgehammer barreling through the air. “I’m not trying to be anyone’s father. Dakota has a dad … you. Molly is mine. I’ve claimed her, and everything she cares about is under my protection. I’d treat Dakota like he was my own flesh and blood, but he isn’t mine like that, and no way in hell would I step on another man’s toes concerning his kid.”

  Malice stood flexing his muscles at that, and the two of them stared at each other for several seconds. Did he still want to fight the biker? Fuck yeah, because Malice had started this shit back in the motel room. There was too much dangerous energy moving through both of them, and a good fight would relieve it.

  “Listen, man, I have no reason to lie to you, or to try and take something like your kid. Me claiming Molly has nothing to do with being a father to your kid. Will I protect him like he was my own? Yeah, with my last fucking breath, but he’s yours.”

  Malice looked down, saw him knit his brows, and watched as he clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides. “I’m still going to kick your fucking ass.” Malice said the words low, steady, but there wasn’t as much animosity in his voice as there had been.

  “Bring it on, man.” But even though Stinger’s human side had calmed over the fact Malice had been acting like an enraged father, protecting what he thought would be taken away in a sense, his bear was still thirsty for blood. Stinger stood right where he was, didn’t move a muscle, and watched in anticipation as Malice’s muscles contracted a millisecond before he charged forward. This was about two guys having built up rage over the last week, and needing to relieve it in a primal, bare-knuckle fight that would cause a shitload of pain.

  Malice charged forward, and Stinger let his grin of excitement cover his face. The biker slammed into him. He might be human, but he was a big fucker, tall and just as muscular as Stinger. The punches started getting thrown left and right, and Stinger caught one to his left kidney. He grunted and counteracted with a right hook to Malice’s cheek. The scent of blood instantly filled the air, and his animal growled out in joy. He slammed his fist into Malice’s gut, and the other man stumbled back. He turned his head and spit out a mouthful of the metallic flavored stuff, and looked at Stinger and grinned. His teeth looked dark from the blood that covered them. But he didn’t say anything, just charged forward again.

  Left hook. Right undercut. Punch to the right kidney. Head-butt.

  They attacked each other like they were machines, and Stinger fucking loved it. He tasted his own blood fill his mouth, felt it slide down the back of his throat, and felt the soreness of the pain settle into his muscles and bones. He’d be bruised up no doubt, but he loved it. The pain was a reminder of life, helped relieve his angry beast, and eased his emotions. Twenty minutes passed with them going at it. The guys stood around watching, no one saying anything, but their energy ramped up from the fight. Malice stumbled backward, blood spilling from his nose and mouth, but there was clear sadistic gleam coming from the man.

  “You’re one tough asshole.” Malice spit out another mouthful of blood.

  Stinger sucked in a lungful of air and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking down at it he saw the blood that covered his skin. His chest was covered in it as well, but it was a mixture of both of their blood. “You’ve got one badass right hook.”

  Malice started chuckling, and Stinger glanced up at him. “My old man taught me a lot of things, but defending myself against him was the one I could count on daily.” They stared at each other for several seconds, and then Malice exhaled. “Look, I’ve done a lot of thinking, most of it after we knocked heads earlier in the day, but it was a realization that had been long in coming.” He turned his head and spit again before continuing. “I know you care for Molly. I can see it in the way you want to defend her. And that’s really fucking good, because Molly’s is a wonderful woman, and she deserves a man that will treat her like the treasure she is.”