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Beast
Beast stood back and admired the job he had just finished. This morning he had left his babies with Genna at Bulldog’s place before coming in to install the ballet barre. He had worked on it in his workshop behind the garages over the weekend and did the last couple of things yesterday. DC had wanted it done by Monday but with all the shit he had to handle for the club and spending time with his girls he had to put it off until today.
He nodded at the prospect waiting with the handheld vac to clean up the dust and bits and pieces left behind by the installation. They were both walking around in their socks because Beast didn’t want to scratch the floor before DC had even used it.
“Boss?” Will’s voice was filled with questions. Beast lifted his eyebrows and waited to hear what they were.
“Why does DC need a ballet studio to work out in? She works out in the gym so why does she need this place? I just don’t get it.”
Beast shook his head. “She’s a female, prospect. They fucking hardly ever make any sense to us males.”
The prospect nodded his head as if he understood. “Pack up my shit and put it back in my workshop. I have to get to church.”
Beast didn’t wait for an answer he just walked to the fancy fucking doors DC had had installed, slipped his feet into his waiting boots and walked out. He stopped at the steps leading up onto the veranda at the front of the clubhouse to tie his laces. He had just finished when Ice rode into the compound and backed his bike into place next Hawk’s. The prospects were washing bikes and Ice threw them his keys for when they needed to move his bike over to the washing area. There was a drain in the cement floor that was connected to a tank from which they watered the grass around the compound. Jagger had made sure they all knew they had to use eco-friendly products only. It fucking cost a pretty penny but judging by the green grass around the clubhouse it was worth it.
The Iron Dogz MC’s property was outside the council’s sewer system so they had septic tanks and grey water systems at each of the properties. All Jagger’s work. He had started his campaign to go green during Bounty’s reign as president and he wasn’t done yet. He had plans to make them completely self-sufficient and Beast agreed with all of his plans.
They would be untouchable if they ran totally off the grid. It was safer for them and their families.
“Morning, brother. How are your girls doing?” Ice asked as he came up to him
“Better every day, man. They’re talking more and laughing more. Only thing still bugging them are those fucking nightmares. Thank fuck they don’t happen as often as they used to.” Beast growled as they made their way inside.
“Good to hear, man.” Ice murmured then slanted a glance Beast’s way when he saw Chris staring at them. “You going to get that shit sorted out?”
Fuck. “I thought I did. I made it clear I was done and I didn’t do it gently at all. Don’t know what else I can do to get her to back the fuck off.” He was so done with this shit.
Ice nodded. “No worries, brother. I’ll have a word and set her straight.”
Beast nodded and walked past the bar without looking at Chris. He was going to be avoiding the fucking common room for the foreseeable future. He’s had enough of bitches to last him a fucking lifetime.
Sinking into his chair next to Kid he nodded at his brothers around the table and leaned back into his chair. Then he looked at Hawk and his back turned to steel. Something was up. He glanced at Ice but saw he looked at their prez the same way.
Wolf closed and locked the door and Hawk waited until he sat down in his chair against the wall before he opened the meeting.
Their prez looked around the room at all the brothers and nodded as if he had made a decision.
“For some weeks now we have been keeping someone safe for Dominick Maingarde. He called me before church to warn me that the threat against her has escalated. And it’s because the threat has escalated that I decided to bring all of you in on it. We need every single fucking one of you to be aware and keeping your eyes open.”
Hawk tapped on the table and all of them knew not to say a word. “She has survived two attempts on her life by the Maingarde Organisation. The first time she was beaten to within an inch of her life before she escaped and made her way to Dom. He took her to one of his safe houses not knowing that he had a rat. The house was attacked and he lost two of his soldiers and four were severely wounded. They were searching for her when Dom and his team arrived and took them out.”
He looked around the table and the room. “He brought her here because it’s the one place he knew she would be safe. It has taken her weeks to recover from the beating and she’s still seeing a specialist for the injuries to her leg.”
Again he looked around the room. “She’s the reason DC had the studio built. And she’s the reason why we now owe the Devil’s Spawn MC in the US a marker. They are keeping an eye on her family out there.”
“What the fuck, prez?” Bulldog erupted. “You can’t do that shit without asking all of us if we’re okay with owing such a fucking dangerous MC a marker.”
Hawk held his hands up and the rumbles subsided. “It’s a marker with very specific conditions, Bulldog, and they accepted it. I have a feeling they need us for something and it’s something they can’t do themselves. I’m not worried about it at all. What I am worried about is Tori’s safety.”
The name hit like a hot knife sliding into Beast’s gut. It couldn’t be her. She was in the US, dancing with the fucker she had been about to marry a few years back. He breathed through his nose, in and out, in and out, to calm his racing heart.
“That’s a weird name.” Dizzy said from where he sat against the wall.
“It’s a nickname.” Kid was the one who answered and Beast remembered that he had been the one to carry her up to her room when she arrived. Seems like his brother had become something more with the bitch.
“So, who is she?” Boots asked quietly.
Hawk stayed silent for a long time before he spoke.
“Everything you hear in this fucking room stays in this room. You don’t talk to anyone about what you’re about to hear. If I find out one of you talked there’s going to be hell to pay. This woman is in serious fucking danger and we promised Dominick Maingarde that we would keep her safe. Her best friends are Pixie Maingarde and my old lady. And we all know what will happen if you piss off my old lady.”
There were nods around the room and Hawk strangely looked at Kid before he continued. Looking at his brother sitting next to him he saw that his teeth were clenched and the muscles in his jaw was working furiously. His brother wasn’t happy about this. Not at all.
“Her name is Victoria Keating.”
The name rang like a bell in his head and it felt as if a fucking bomb had exploded in his chest. Beast surged up and out of his chair. His chair went flying as he leant over the table towards his prez.
“What the fuck? She’s supposed to be in the US with that Russian fucker. Why is she back? Why the fuck is she here?”
Beast couldn’t stop the words even if he wanted to, and he didn’t want to. Before anyone could answer or stop him he was at the door, had it unlocked and thrown open. He raced down the passage and up the stairs, rage like he had never felt before boiling in his blood. Reason had left when the rage took over, all he knew was that he had to get to her.
Nothing and no one was going to stop him from getting to the bitch. He was finally about to have some peace and she has to come and fuck it all up. She was destroying his peace of mind and he was going to fucking destroy her.
He flung the door to the guest room open and somewhere in the back of his mind he was proud of their prospect. He had his weapon out and trained on Beast’s chest. He shouldn’t have dropped it though. Should have kept it on him until he was sure his charge wasn’t being threatened.
And that’s when he saw her and everything changed. It fucking changed. The blind rage drew back to become a faint simmer in his blood. Now he was only pissed off. She came out of the bathroom in a tiny pair of stretchy shorts and a clinging tank top. And she was fucking limping. Jesus. There were scars on her leg. Fucking scars. Someone had broken his little red Ladybug.
Her red hair was pulled into one of those bun things at the back of her head he remembered her wearing when she was rehearsing or working out. She had put on some weight but in all the right places. Her tits were a bit bigger, not that she had ever had more than a tiny handful, and her ass was more rounded. His eyes drank her in as he stalked towards her. Her big green eyes flashed at him but he ignored it. Ignored it all because he was still too fucking pissed. He stopped right in front of her, leant over and snarled in her face.
“What did I say when I saw you last? Do you fucking remember?”
She shrugged, she fucking shrugged at him. The little shit.
“I warned you what would happen if I saw you again. I fucking warned you.”
She snorted and then she fucking nearly broke his black unbreakable heart.
“I’m not worried. Been there, done that, got the damned t-shirt and the fucked up leg to prove it.”
Jesus. Fuck. Fuck. But he could not let this go. He had to make her leave. She had to leave because if she didn’t he was going to do something she would not like. Not at all.
“Go back to your fucking Russian and let the bastard keep you fucking safe, bitch. Don’t drag my club into your shit.”
Her eyes glistened and Beast almost backed off. Almost.
“I would go back to him in a fucking heartbeat if he was still alive, you fucking asshole. I’m no bitch, the only bitches around here are those hanging on your bar and riding your tiny little dick. And I didn’t drag your stupid club into anything. Dominick did.”
All he heard was that the Russian was dead. She wasn’t married. It changed everything. Every-fucking-thing.
“He’s dead? When? How did he die?”
She swallowed before she snapped out her answer. “It’s none of your freaking business but if it gets you to leave I’ll tell you. Two years ago a truck hit our tour bus. He died.”
Beast knew there was more to it than that but for now it was enough.
“You shouldn’t have come back, Tori.” He whispered as he stepped into her, forcing her to back up against the wall. Her little hands were suddenly on his pecs trying to push him away, her head tipped all the way back as she stared angrily up at him, and Beast gave her an evil look.
“When I make a threat, baby, I fucking mean it. You stepped foot on Iron Dogz property after I warned you not to. It means you now belong to me. You’re mine.”
She gave a little snort and Beast almost grinned but he bit it back. She was so fucking cute when she was pissed. And fucking fearless.
“In your dreams you freaking Neanderthal asshole bastard. I don’t belong to you, remember, you threw me away.”
Beast felt his brothers filling the room behind him but he ignored them and focused on his woman. Because that’s who she was. His woman. His old lady, since she was sixteen years old. She had always been his and now he had her right where he had always wanted her. On his turf and soon in his house and his bed. Where she should have been all these years.
As he lifted his hand his Prez shifted in close beside him. “What the fuck are you doing, Beast?”
Beast glanced at Hawk and frowned. “Talking to my old lady, Prez. You guys want to leave and give us some space to fucking sort this shit out?”
There was a shocked silence and he heard Wolf ask ‘His old lady? What the fuck?’
“I’m not fucking going anywhere.” Kid snarled from his other side. “And she’s not your fucking old lady, Beast. I’ve claimed her as my family, you touch her and I will fucking take you down.”
Beast sighed and shook his head. “Not going to hurt her, Kid. She’s been hurt enough already. We have some shit to discuss and we’re not doing it with all you fuckers in the room. You need to leave.”
Kid was about to say something but their Prez got there first. “I’ll give you five minutes then I’m back in this fucking room and you had better have a fucking good explanation for this shit. You need us you give a shout, little red.”
Beast waited with his arms crossed over his chest while his brothers left the room, his eyes focused on the little redhead whose green eyes were snapping with rage. The door closed behind the last to leave and finally they were alone in the room.
She jumped in before he could say a word.
“I know I’m not supposed to be here. I know you never wanted to see me again and coming here was not my choice. Dominick brought me here and I only realised where we were when I saw your club’s name on the front gate.” She spat out angrily.
Then she sighed and before his eyes she seemed to shrink into herself. “I know you hate me and want me gone but I have nowhere else to go where I would be safe.”
He had heard enough. Stepping closer he picked her up and he hated her frightened little gasp. Sinking down on the bed he settled her in his lap. Shit, he had forgotten how fucking tiny she was. She struggled to get off his lap but he quickly subdued her.
“Sit still, you don’t want to get my dick any harder than it already is.” Beast hid his smile when she froze and sat rigidly in his lap, trying to keep that little butt of hers away from his dick.
Dipping his face into hers he spoke quietly. “Now. Tell me how you came to be here, and baby, don’t leave anything out.”
He knew she didn’t want to tell him but he squeezed her and she gave an angry grunt but she started talking.
The more he heard the more his temper climbed and by the time she was done Beast was ready to fucking explode. His girl had been through hell and back. He would never tell her but he wasn’t sorry the Russian had died. His death brought her to South Africa and back into his life.
One thing he knew for sure was that death would be stalking the fucking Maingarde Organisation from this day forward. He was going to be the fucking reaper of their fucked up souls. They tried to kill what belonged to him and he won’t ever forgive or forget. Not until he had them all planted deep in the ground.
Lifting her chin with his thumb he looked down into her tear filled eyes and his heart clenched in his chest. Close to her like this he could see the very faint discolouration still there under her skin and it fuelled the fire already burning in his veins. Clasping her face in his hands he gently swept the tears away with his thumbs but they kept on coming and ran down her cheeks.
“Ah, baby, you have to stop crying. I can’t handle it when you cry.”
That had her sniffing and swiping at the tears angrily. “Bullshit. You threatened me and stood there looking at me as if I was a piece of shit while I cried over you. Never going to cry over you ever again. You threw me out. So you can’t walk in here and tell everyone that I belong to you because I don’t. I don’t belong to you. Whatever we had was over years ago, now it is done, so very, very done.”
Beast laughed softly and swept a hand over her back, pulled her into his chest and hugged her. “You and I, baby, we will never be done. I claimed you when you were sixteen years old, it’s done. You are mine and I’m never letting you go ever again.”
She shook her head angrily. “I’m not. You have a life here that I’m not a part of and you have children. Jesus. You have children.” She ended on a whisper and Beast’s heart ached at the hurt in her voice.
He remembered her lying in his arms on a blanket on the beach as she talked about having children with him. He had shut her up and coldly told her he was never going to give her children because he didn’t want any. And now he’d had children with someone else. No matter how it came about, it hurt her. If it had been the other way around he would have been fucking beside himself with rage, and all his ladybug felt was hurt. God, he had hurt her so much by trying to do the right thing.
He had to give her the truth, make her understand why he did what he did. So he tried to explain.
“Baby, I had to make you leave. Things were fucked up in Cape Town and there were threats made against the women in the club. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone found out about us, even with how careful I had been to keep you away from the club. That’s why I ended it with you. I knew about the invitation to dance in London but I was scared you would come back. I had to make sure you didn’t.”
She gave a slight nod and moved away from him but he didn’t want her to, he wanted to keep her tight against him. He gave her some space, not enough for her to get off his lap, but enough to put a little bit of distance between them. And what she said next hurt so much he wasn’t sure how he survived.
“You broke me. I was broken for a very long time and all I had was my dancing. I worked and worked and worked and then I met Ilya. He was so different from you. Everyone warned me that he was only after one thing but I didn’t care. I wanted to dance with him because not only was he the best but he seemed to fly when he danced. From our very first rehearsal we just clicked and when he asked me to have coffee with him I went. He was a total gentleman. Asked me why I was so sad all the time. He was the first person I told about you. He knew everything and he helped me put my broken heart back together again.”
She gave a little gulp as she swallowed back her tears and Beast kept a grip on the urge to start swearing. Another man had fixed his ladybug after he had broken her. He should be grateful for it but he wasn’t. He was too fucking jealous of a dead man.
“It’s been almost two years and I still miss him so much. Something happens and I want to pick up my phone and call him only to realise he’s no longer here.”
Fuck. Beast had no idea what he was supposed to say. He was jealous as hell but at the same time he felt her sorrow as if it was his own. His Ladybug had been through some fucking heart breaking shit.
“How can you not miss him, Ladybug? He healed the heart I had broken and he loved you.” It killed him to say the words but he did. He gave them to her and she went solid then slowly turned her head and looked up at him and changed the subject.
“I’ve heard you’ve got two daughters with your ex-wife.”
That’s all she said but Beast heard it in her voice. It pissed her off but she was hurt as well.
“We both had lives after we split, Ladybug.” He shrugged. “It is what it is. I love my baby girls and they mean the fucking world to me. I regret marrying the bitch but not my girls, never my girls.”
He watched as she shuddered and pulled a face.
“I don’t know what you want from me, Beast. I’m not in a good place right now. I need to make a new life for myself now I can no longer dance. I’m not going to be here very long. I have to get back to Cape Town to start my ballet school. I want to teach others what I had learned and I want to dance as much as I’m able.”
No way was he letting her go. She was in his territory now and she wouldn’t be leaving.
“Why can’t you do it up here? There are children up here who want to learn how to dance.”
She shook her head and frowned heavily but avoided his eyes.
“There are children everywhere who want to learn to dance. I want to start a school for underprivileged children in the city where I was given my chance. There are so many lost children on the Cape Flats who need something to take them away from their daily suffering. I’m going to give it to them. I’m going to give them dance.”
Right then he knew he had a fight on his hands. The naïve little girl he had kicked out of his life had become a woman with a backbone of steel. A woman he would have to get to know all over again because he no longer knew her and she didn’t know him either. They had both changed so much over the years. Changes brought on by the lives they had lived and the circumstances surrounding those lives.
He hadn’t been a good man when he had met her and he hadn’t yet fully submerged himself in the darkness that he lived in now. He was his club’s enforcer and killed without giving it a second thought. Not that long ago he had stood next to the Crow and had been about to torture a woman who had almost killed his brother’s woman. And he had felt nothing, absolutely nothing. His heart had shrivelled up and became black after he lost his Ladybug. His girls brought some light into the darkness but not enough to dispel the constant darkness he lived in.
Now here she was, sitting in his lap and telling him he was going to lose her again.
Not fucking happening. Not this time. Not ever again.
He wasn’t letting her go, no matter how many times she tried to leave he would always bring her back to where she belonged. Right here in his arms.
“We can scout out some locations for you up here. I’m not letting you out of my sight, baby. The fucking Maingarde bitch is out for your blood and she’s not getting another single drop. Not fucking ever. You’ll be fucking vulnerable in Cape Town because Dom won’t be able to protect you from her. He tried, he failed.”
Her spine went rigid and her head swung around so she could glare up at him. Beast was hard pressed to not grin at the angry flames virtually shooting out of her green eyes.
“Don’t you try and arrange my life to suit your stupid agenda. I’ve been looking after myself for freaking years and I’m not about to stop now. I planned the school for Cape Town and that’s where it’s going to be. And she’ll get over her snit and go back to ignoring me. I didn’t go to the cops or anything stupid like that.”
Beast bent closer and whispered. “No, you did something worse, you told Dominick.”
That shut her up immediately and Beast saw the worry in her face as she digested his words.
“She’s not sure of Dominick’s loyalty, is she? And he tried to hide me from her as a favour for Pixie. Oh shit, is he in danger? If that old bitch touches him Pixie is going to have a shit fit and it will be my fault. I should have listened to her. She warned me not to ask Dominick to help with the ballet school but I wouldn’t listen. I was so stupid. I told her the old bitch couldn’t be that bad. I was so freaking wrong about that.” She sighed and her shoulders slumped.
“Yes, you were.” Beast agreed. “But it’s because you haven’t lived in this country for years and didn’t know how things had changed since you left.”
Beast cupped her face and turned her head towards him, lifting it slightly until she looked him in the eyes.
“You are safe here with us, baby. Give the club a chance to fix this problem for you. And give the two of us a chance to get to know each other again.”
He waited for her answer with his pulse pounding and his palms sweating.
She had to say yes. She just had to.
If she refused he would change her mind.
