“You fucking cocksucker. I’m about to collect a big ass amount for kicking a Brothers of Menace member.”

  Malice ran the back of his hand over his mouth, saw the blood smeared across it, and saw the proverbial red. “I hope you enjoyed that hit, because it is the only one you’re going to get.” He charged forward, saw the fighter’s eyes widen before he tackled him to the floor, and slammed his fist into the side of his face repeatedly. Malice could have easily kept going, but he wasn’t fighting to kill—that happened during the shifter fights. The guy lay passed out beneath him, and Malice moved off of him. He spit to the side, heard the crowd roar out, exchange money, and make bets on the next fight.

  “Fuck, man.” Sticks came up beside him and handed Malice a towel and bottle of water. “Killer fight.”

  Malice took the towel and water. “Thanks.” He watched as Sticks reached into his jacket and grabbed a white envelope stuffed full of cash. Malice took it from the bookie, and then Sticks was moving into the crowd and collecting money for the next fight. This might not be the best way to make a living, but it sure as shit was one to release a lot of pent-up aggression. He quickly dressed and moved over to the other members of The Brothers of Menace that stood off to the side. Tuck and Rock were talking to each other, and Kink and Lucien were talking to Ruin who was getting ready to fight next. Yeah, this was just another day in the life of an outlaw biker, but what a fucking life it was.

  Chapter Three

  Molly parked her car by the line of Harleys and turned off the engine. She had gotten out of work later than expected, and had tried to call Malice to let him know. When she couldn’t get a hold of him she had just driven to Steel Corner. The sun had set an hour ago. Dakota had fallen asleep in the backseat, and she had been forced to drive to The Brothers’ clubhouse so she could drop her son off. After leaving a few messages, and even texting Malice, but not getting a response, she had made the decision to just come up. She planned on checking on the women at The Brothers other house, but she didn’t know where it was for sure. She had only been there once, and it had been dark.

  The sound of a truck pulling up beside her had her looking out her window and watching as Tuck, one of The Brothers of Menace members, cut the engine and climbed out. He was no different from the other MC crew with his massively large build and fierce look. She opened the door and called out, “Tuck.”

  The biker stopped and turned to look at her. He had grown a beard since the last time she’d seen him a week ago, and although it had only been seven days and was short, the facial hair covered his lower face, and seemed to make him look even meaner. A smile broke out across his face. Despite how hard these guys were, there was always a soft spot inside of them. Tuck turned all the way around and made his way toward them. “Hey, girl.” He braced a thickly muscled arm on the hood of her car and leaned in slightly.

  “Have you seen Malice?” No way in hell was Molly bringing Dakota into the clubhouse, especially when she could hear the loud music coming through the closed doors.

  Tuck shook his head. “His bike is here, but I just got here.”

  Molly knew he was inside, and if she asked Tuck to go in there it could be a while, or Tuck would get distracted by all the half-naked or fully nude chicks walking around. “You mind staying here since Dakota is sleeping? I’ll just run in and search him out. I tried to call, but he hasn’t answered.” If Malice was even the slightest bit drunk or high he could kiss his weekend with his son goodbye. But she knew if he planned on being with Dakota he’d refrain from anything that could impair his judgment. At least she hoped. Their last conversation hadn’t been very positive, not when Malice had gotten all asshole-ish. She shook her head. She didn’t need this shit right now, especially from him.

  “You sure you don’t want me to go in there?”

  Molly didn’t need to ask what Tuck meant, because she knew he was implying there would be some crazy shit probably going on inside of that clubhouse. It might have been smarter, but not faster, and right now she was going for the quickest way. Molly climbed out of the car and smiled. “There isn’t anything in there that I haven’t seen already.”

  The five years she had been with Malice had opened up her world to a whole slew of crazy debauchery. But being with a biker tended to do that, and when said biker belonged to The Brothers of Menace, well then she saw some really insane stuff. Lucien might have recruited Nomads from The Brothers club, and his crew might have started their own charter and moved to River Run, but the men that Lucien had handpicked were the roughest of the rough. Lucien had come from the Arizona chapter, Malice from Colorado, a few from Utah, and even some Nevada bred members. It was a mix of Nomads that had wanted to stay Brothers, but have their own rules and regulations.

  Tuck nodded and took a step back. She shut the car door quietly and started heading toward the front of the clubhouse. Being with Malice, who had been a Nomad for The Brothers, meant he was gone most of the time. Would things have been different if he hadn’t been a fully patched in member? In the end, she thought, probably not. They were just two very different people, and toward the end it had been their son that had kept her trudging on in the relationship.

  She reached the front door and grabbed the handle. Before opening it she looked over her shoulder and saw Tuck leaning against her car lighting a cigarette. She faced forward again and pulled the door open. The interior of the clubhouse was smoky, and the scent of cigarettes, cigars, and marijuana filled the air. It took her vision a moment to adjust to the hazy atmosphere, but when it finally did she saw several of The Brothers in various places. The clubhouse was a massive cabin up on Sterling Hill in River Run. It might have been a wealthy man’s retreat at one time, but since Lucien and the club had purchased it, they’d built a massive wall around the property. It was now a house full of sex, drugs, and violence. But it also held dangerous, controlled men, ones that were tactical, intelligent, and didn’t let anyone fuck with them. She sighed, rubbed her eyes to get the grit from being inside away, and searched out Lucien. She didn’t see Malice, but the President would know where he was.

  When she spotted him it was to see him all but screwing a club whore against the wall. His pants were still on, but the woman’s skirt was pushed up to her waist, and the rocking motion Lucien was doing left little to the imagination. Okay, maybe he wasn’t the best person to ask, but all the other guys were in pretty much the same situations. She glanced over at the bar and saw Ruin sitting at the counter looking already drunk. These men may have been Nomads in different states, but after years with Malice she had met many of the Brothers patched in. The ones Lucien had chosen, though, were ones she had seen the most frequently over the years, and had grown close with as they were genuinely good-hearted men with honest intentions … well, for the most part.

  No one even blinked an eye her way, not when they were most likely drunk, high, and about to get laid. She stopped beside Ruin, who was polishing off a shot and then grabbed his full glass of beer to drink half of it while she stood there.

  “You’re a long way from home, Molls.” Ruin set his beer down and turned just his head to look at her. His eyes were glossy and red-rimmed, and the scent of alcohol was so strong she could have gotten drunk from the fumes alone.

  “I’m looking for Malice.” She had to shout to be heard over the music.

  Ruin didn’t say anything for several seconds. He had his arm on the bar’s counter, and she could see that he was holding himself up. “I don’t think you want to see him.” Ruin’s words were slurred, and then he grinned. His dark hair was longer, brushing his chin, but looking like he had been running his hands through it over and over again. She had heard some of the other members tease him because he was the “pretty boy” of the group. She could see why Ruin had gotten that name. He certainly looked more clean-cut than the other rugged members. But right now he looked no different from every other intoxicated guy in this clubhouse.

  “I want to see him. He hasn’t answered my calls, and we were supposed to meet so he could get Dakota.”

  Ruin grabbed his beer and finished it off before setting the mug back on the table. “He isn’t here.”

  “You’re lying. His bike is here. Just tell me where he is.” She didn’t have time for this, and although she knew Malice was probably fucking some cheap female, she was going to confront his ass on being a shitty father and choosing some club whore over his own son. Gritting her teeth and staring at Ruin, she waited for him to finally just spit it out.

  He shrugged and pointed over his shoulder. “Last room down the hallway on the right. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Ruin lifted his hand for the prospect manning the bar to give him something else to drink.

  For whatever reason, or maybe because Malice was telling them that she was still his old lady, all of The Brothers seemed to think that they were together. She moved past Ruin, away from all the nastiness going on around her, and headed down the hallway. When she got to the last door on the right she could hear the moaning coming through the wood. She wasn’t jealous, didn’t care how many women Malice screwed. What pissed her off was the fact he hadn’t returned her calls, and knew he was supposed to be spending time with his son this weekend. She brought her knuckles down on the door hard enough that it stung, and took a step back. There was a few seconds where she stood there still listening to the moaning from a very rambunctious club whore. Molly slammed her hand on the door again three more times.

  “Whoever is on the other side of that fucking door better turn the fuck around and leave.” Malice’s deep voice came through.

  Molly became even more pissed off. She slammed her hand on the door again and didn’t stop until she heard Malice cursing and his heavy footsteps coming closer to her.

  “This better be fucking good, or I’m going to beat someone’s ass—” Malice stopped mid-sentence as soon as he had the door open and saw it was her. His pants were still up, but his condom covered cock was pulled out through the fly.

  “Seriously?” Molly was furious with him, and when she looked over his shoulder and saw the woman who couldn’t have been more than eighteen, her anger grew. “This is what you’d rather be doing than spending time with your son?”

  He knitted his brows. “What the fuck are you talking about? I tried to call you yesterday and earlier today.” He shoved himself back in his pants, and her stomach clenched with disgust that he didn’t care who he had sex with as long as he got off. “You never returned my call, Molly. And after the argument we had I just thought you had changed your mind and were giving me a big fuck you because you were pissed.”

  Her mouth opened on its own from outrage and shock. “Is that seriously the excuse you are giving me?” She didn’t give him a chance to speak. “I tried calling you, Malice, even sent texts. You knew I was coming up here to check on those women, but you thought I would be petty enough to not allow you to see Dakota because I was pissed at you?” Never had she done something that was detrimental to their son, or refused to let Malice see Dakota. She pointed to the young girl that was pulling down her skirt. “Is she even legal?”

  “Of course she is fucking legal. What do you take me for, some kind of fucked up pedophile?” Malice’s voice was rough from his anger.

  No, she didn’t think that, but she was pissed because their son was sleeping in the back of her car. He had been so excited to see Malice this weekend. She closed her eyes and breathed out.

  He stalked over to the dresser, reached into his cut that was draped over it, and cursed loudly. “My fucking phone must have turned off after I called you today. I’ve been at the clubhouse all day, Molly, waiting for you to tell me when and where to meet you.” He slammed his phone on the dresser and then stalked back toward her. The woman he had been screwing slipped past both of them, and the scent of her cheap perfume and the sex that surrounded her was nauseating. “Clearly there was a miscommunication,” he gritted out and ran his hands through his hair.

  “Yeah, clearly. I’m getting a motel room in Steel Corner. It’s closer to the cabin where I can check on the girls. If you want you can just pick up Dakota in the morning.” She went to leave, but he reached out and took her hand, stopping her. She pulled her hand free and turned to face him. “What, Malice?”

  “I haven’t had one drink or one smoke today because I was going to spend time with my kid. I want him tonight. I have my SUV here, and I know he was looking forward to spending some time with me.”

  She sighed again and rubbed her eyes. It wasn’t even eight in the evening, and she was already tired. She might have interrupted Malice and his little fuckfest, but she could tell he was sober, and she knew him well enough to know that he would never be intoxicated if he thought he’d be seeing Dakota.

  “You know me, Molly. I screwed up, okay? I thought you were pissed and just staying in Brighton.” He ran his hands through his hair again and cursed. “I’m sorry it’s been a trying week, and I have been stressed out. It isn’t an excuse, but it is the truth.”

  She had been stressed out too, what with work and dealing with the girls the club had taken charge of. “Yeah, it’s been a bad week for me, too.” They stared at each other for a moment. “Get your stuff. Dakota’s in the car sleeping.”

  Malice grabbed his shirt and cut from the dresser and put them on, and then they were moving through the club. She ignored the moans, the curses, and the shouts for Malice to party with them from the drunken men all around her. Once outside she headed toward her car where Tuck was still standing. He pushed off her car when he saw them approach, and then he and Malice did that half hug thing men do, and spoke softly with each other. She opened the back door, and the sound and motion had Dakota slowly waking.

  “Momma, we here?” Dakota rubbed his eyes. He blinked up at her with grey eyes just like his father’s and smiled.

  “Yeah, baby, we’re here.” After getting him out of the car seat and grabbing his bag, she walked over to Malice.

  “Hey, buddy.” Malice took him and gave him a hug. Dakota was the spitting image of Malice, and although he was only three, he was big for his age. “You think you’ll be able to stay up and watch that Disney movie we talked about?”

  For the next couple of minutes Dakota and Malice had this child-like conversation where Dakota became more alert and filled with energy at the thought of spending time with his dad.

  “Okay, I’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon probably.” She leaned in and kissed Dakota on the forehead. “You be good, okay?”

  “Of course, Momma.”

  Malice lifted his phone up and showed her that it was turned on. “We good?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, we’re good. I can take him home with me tomorrow—”

  “Can I stay two nights with, Daddy, Momma?” Dakota gave her this big grey-eyed doe look, one that she was certain Malice had shown him.

  “Your dad might have plans, buddy.”

  “I’d like to keep him a couple of days. I can bring him back to Brighton.”

  “If you’re sure?”

  Malice nodded and looked at Dakota. “I’m sure. Hey, we can watch one of those scary movies your mom never lets you watch.” Malice wagged his eyebrows, and Dakota chuckled.

  “No scary movies.” She ran her hand over Dakota’s hair. “Okay. I’ll call tomorrow just to check in.”

  Malice nodded again, and then she stood there and watched him walk over to his SUV and put Dakota in the backseat before walking around to the driver’s side and climbing in.

  “You know he still sees you as his old lady,” Tuck said from beside her.

  “No, he sees me as the mother of his kid, and to Malice that doesn’t mean an old lady, but a possession.” Maybe to these men those two things were one and the same, but they both knew Malice wasn’t in love with her. He just wanted to know he had someone at home. He would never admit it, but she knew that he just didn’t want to be alone.

  “Maybe.”

  She looked over at Tuck.

  “Take care, sweetie.” He grinned and headed toward the front of the clubhouse.

  She didn’t stick around any longer. She was going to Steel Corner, staying at the motel all night, and then in the morning she’d see how the women were doing. Molly climbed in her car and sat there for a second. She might not ever admit it to anyone but herself, too, but she hated being alone. It was an emptiness that slowly ate away at a person until all that filled them was this void.

  Chapter Four

  Stinger increased his speed and took the corner of the road tight and fast. He had needed to get out of the clubhouse, and there was nothing more freeing or that cleared the mind more than the tires of his Harley eating up the road and the cold air hitting him in the face. He increased his speed even more, saw the blur of the trees out of the corner of his eyes, and couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as endorphins rushed through his veins. He had gone out of Steel Corner, but after a couple hours of driving he had turned around and was heading home. He just needed a good night’s sleep. After all the shit that had been happening with the Grizzlies, their old ladies, and helping out The Brothers, Stinger was worn the fuck out. The green sign that let him know he was five miles outside of Steel Corner flashed when his headlight hit it, but it was the sight of someone walking on the side of the road that had him slowing. The sun had already set hours ago, and this was a long ass stretch of deserted road at this time of night. But it was the flash of red hair, unbound, that had his heart racing and his bear suddenly coming alert.