Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set (49 page)

Matty laughed. “Oohhhkkkaayy. Good.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call last night. Sammy’s game ran late. Did you get my texts?”

“I didn’t!” I pulled my phone away from my ear and frowned at the screen before putting it back. “But I didn’t look either.” I hesitated, not sure if I should tell him. Biting my lip, I decided to be honest. “Rocker kept me awake most of the night, and I didn’t even think about checking my messages. Sorry!” The silence that answered me made me think he’d driven into a dead zone. “Hello?”

“Sorry, it sounded like you said Rocker kept you up all night.”

I nodded to my empty room. “Most of it, yeah.”

“Doing what?” The voice was cold and agitated and held none of the warmth it had only minutes ago.

The memory of me sitting on Rob’s lap, snuggled against him, flittered through my mind. At the time it had been purely innocent, one friend wanting to comfort another. But if someone had seen us, would it have looked that way? I swore under my breath.

"Joes?"

The tone of his voice sent shivers up my spine. This was scary Matt.

“Not like that, jeez!" I snapped, irritated. "We were up talking.”

He waited a few seconds for me to continue, but I stayed silent.

“About?” he finally bit out.

“The Bastards.” I took a deep breath, trying not to read too much into his silence. “He told me about his childhood, about Hannah and Ali, and how the club got started.”

He swore. “That’s a lot of fuckin’ information to take in at once. How you holdin’ up?”

I didn’t know what I thought he’d say, but it wasn’t that. I smiled, loving him even more. “I’m fine.” I shrugged. “I haven’t had a chance to process it all yet. I was more worried about him than anything.”

“You don’t need to worry about him, babe. He’s been dealing with that shit for a long time.”

I could hear him take a sip of his drink. I smiled, picturing him with his Dunkin Donuts coffee.

“I wanted to tell you all of that shit, Joes, but I wanted to do it in person. There hasn’t been time.” He sighed. “That mind of yours must be running at full speed. I have about fifteen minutes before I get to my appointment, if you want to ask me anything.”

I smiled. He knew me so well. I had so many questions I didn’t even know where to start. Rob had told me a lot, but one thing worried me more than anything else, and I had focused on that most of the night. “The things you don’t want to tell me…” I swallowed, not sure how to continue. “I don’t need to know whatever it is. I love you. I trust you.”
I can’t handle the thought of you breaking down the way Rob did.
“But is it always gonna be like this? Will I ever know what’s going on?”

“Jesus, Joes, I want to be looking at you when we talk about this.” He sighed. “There are some things I’ll never be able to tell you. Club business is for members only.”

“Okay. How do I become a member?”

“You don’t.”

“Why not?”

He snorted as if my question was absurd.

I was instantly pissed. “Answer me, Matty! Why can’t I be a member?”

“Because you can’t. Women aren’t members. Let’s talk about it when we’re together, okay?”

I ignored his last question, hating that he was trying to pacify me. “That’s archaic and sexist!” He didn’t argue, irritating me even more. “Fine,” I seethed. “Then what exactly is a woman’s role?”

“Well,” he started slowly, and I couldn’t tell if it was amusement or worry in his voice, “there are a few different ones.”

I waited patiently, expecting him to continue. He didn’t.

“So what you’re saying is that the women who hang around the Bastards are either club whores or old ladies. All those women who were here Saturday are one or the other?”

I didn’t buy that for one minute. I’d seen how they looked at him, how they were dressed. There was no way a woman who was attached to another man would even think about sending Matty the glances they did. And there was no chance the club had that many “whores,” right?

I cringed at the thought, disgusted. “I don’t fit into either category, so what, I don’t have a role?”

“That’s not what I’m sayin’.” His voice was calm but hard. “There are those women, yes, but there are others too. Like the women who work for us and th—”

“As in prostitutes and strippers?” I interrupted angrily. “I know I’m pretty clueless about this whole MC thing, but I’m not an idiot. I’ve seen
Sons of Anarchy
. I watched it with you after you got snipped, remember? So unless I decide to swallow my pride and become a whore or take my clothes off for money, there isn’t a place for me in your stupid club?”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna fuckin’ happen, so don’t even fuckin’ think about it. The only man seein’ you naked is me. And no more HBO for you.”

If I hadn’t been so pissed, I would have laughed.

“The Bastards don’t own a strip club, even though I can see how that might be a great idea.” He laughed when I growled. “And we’re not pimps. What I meant was the girls like Jessie, who work for one of the businesses. Some moms of kids we’ve helped come over and clean, or help us organize charity runs. There are friends who enjoy hanging around. And there are sisters, like Cris.”

I mmhhmm’d, not sure I was going to accept his explanation.

“Ah, fuck, babe. You kill me. The Bastards aren’t your typical MC. We like to do things a little differently. But you’re right. There are club whores and ol’ ladies too. Nothin’ to worry about though. Jessie’s tight with those women, and they’ll love you.”

“You don’t get it!” I snapped. “Cris and Jessie, they have these cool names, just like the rest of you, and they know all about the club and what to expect when you go on a ride. Jessie called me a civilian, as if she’s a member of some super-secret cool club. Which apparently she’s not. Because she’s a woman!”

The jackass laughed hysterically.

“Really? I’m glad you find this so fucking amusing! I like your friends—well, most of them,” I corrected myself quietly, “but I… goddammit, I hate the fact that I have no fucking place in your life! Okay?” I threw a pillow across the room in anger.

“You’re mine, Joes. That’s your place.”

I groaned. “I’m not your property, Matty. We haven’t even decided if we’re going to try to make us work.”

“You wanted to know your role, Joes, and I’m tellin’ you that’s your role in my life and in my club. You. Are. Mine.” He enunciated each word. “That’s all you need to worry about. Everyone else knows it too.” I started to snap back, but he interrupted. “I’m here, Joey. We’ll finish this tonight, okay?”

I scowled. It wasn’t okay. I wanted answers, but I knew he had to go. “Fine. I’m going to the gym with Cris today and need to get ready anyway. Call me later?”

“Absolutely. I love you like crazy, even if you are a giant pain in the ass.”

I smiled, all my irritation gone. “Love you too.”
 

Chapter 16

Jo

“Am I dressed well enough?”

Cris grabbed her gym bag from the back and slammed the door of her Jeep Wrangler before coming around to my side and sweeping her eyes over my light gray yoga pants, unzipped Nike sweatshirt, and black exercise tank that proclaimed “Sweat is Fat Crying,” in bold letters over my boobs. With a sassy smile that mirrored one I’d seen from her brother at least a thousand times, she nodded. “It’s a gym, Joey. How else should you be dressed?”

I rolled my eyes as we turned toward the building. “Well, considering the vehicles I see in the parking lot, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t underdressed.” There were two Jags, a Mercedes S Class, and a Porsche mixed in with another wrangler and Volvo.

Cris snorted as she swiped a card in front of the door. Looking down at her miniscule sports bra and boxing shorts, she smirked. “If anyone’s underdressed, it’s me.” She held open the door for me, dropping her voice. “They’re a bunch of nerds who made their millions and now they need to come here to keep their trophy wives happy. Trust me. You’re fine.”

The beginners’ class was exactly how it sounded. A group of eight men, all dressed in baggy T-shirts and shorts, were concentrating on learning stances and footwork. Muay Thai, we were told, was the art of eight limbs. It had an eight-point fighting system and used every part of the body. Unlike traditional kickboxing, we could use our fists, feet, knees, and elbows to hit our opponent. First though, we had to learn how to control our bodies and work on core strength.

Cris was teaching the class and standing with her back to a wall of mirrors that reminded me of a dance studio so that we could see ourselves and watch her at the same time. The school’s co-owner, Nick, walked around while Cris yelled, helping us move our bodies into a new pose and offering suggestions. My fat was most definitely crying—I was sweating buckets.

The class ended with us watching a sparring match between Cris and the other instructor. She was tiny compared to him, even with her headgear and boxing gloves. He was a few inches taller, maybe 6’1”, and had a good fifty pounds of pure muscle on her. They were obviously not trying to hurt each other, explaining each move as they went, laughing and taunting each other. Someone could do serious damage with this method of fighting though. I was impressed.

After she climbed out of the ring and pulled off her gear, she dragged Nick over to meet me.

His dark brown eyes sparkled at me. “When Cris told me she was bringing her friend Jo today, I assumed he’d fit right in with the rest of the class.” He shot her a dirty look. “Jesus, Cris, thanks for warning me! I’da shaved.” He ran his hands over the dark hair on his chin.

I gave him a small smile, not sure what to say. He winked in reply, a beaming smile splitting his cheeks. He was every woman’s fantasy. Dressed only in red boxing shorts, his tanned, toned body was glistening from the workout, and that only emphasized his bulging muscles. He wasn't as tattooed as Matty, but he had plenty of ink running along his arms, and a giant minotaur dressed as a boxer ready to pounce took up his entire back. I could tell by the way he held himself that he was proud of his body.

“So whatdidya think?” He tipped his head toward the studio part of the building, where class had been held. “You comin’ back?”

I nodded. “I had so much fun! I may never get to the sparring level, but I’d like to know more.”

Nick nodded. “Good.” He leaned his upper body toward me, eyebrows waggling friskily. “If not, I’d have to beg ya not to leave until you’d given me your number.”

Cris groaned, playfully annoyed. “Jesus, you're an idiot! This is Joey.” She pointed at me.

Nick didn’t take his eyes off me.

“As in Joes.” Her tone turned snappy.

Nick raised his eyebrows, still not understanding.

“As in Mateo’s girl.”

Nick’s eyes widened, and he jerked back. “Oh!” He met my eyes, shrugging. “Sorry. Didn’t realize.” It was like flipping a switch as he went from flirtatious to polite and accommodating before my eyes.

I turned to Cris, raising an eyebrow, sure I was missing something.

She just smirked and nodded at him. "Jo, meet Neo. Matty's brothah."

I scowled, confused for a split second. Matty didn't have a brother, unless you considered the club. Then it all made sense—Nick was a Bastard.

After chatting for a few more minutes, I explained what I really wanted to learn. Nick took me back to the studio to show me a few easy moves to use to ward off would-be attackers while Cris went up to her office to deal with paperwork. He promised that the next few classes of Muay Thai would help, but he spent the good part of an hour teaching me how to punch.

“No.” He laughed when I showed him how I would make a fist. Opening my hand, he pulled out my thumb then closed my fingers. “If you keep your thumb on the inside, you’ll break it.”

It took a few tries, but I was finally able to line my knuckles up the way he wanted and put my thumb in the safest place.

Next, we worked on wrist alignment and where I should aim.

“You’re a little thing,” he said, laughing when I gave him a glower. “It’s not a bad thing. It just means that you’re going to have fewer targets than most. Aim for the throat. The nose, if the guy is short or sitting. But the throat any other time.”

He was in the middle of showing me how important follow-through was (“it’s the most important thing when you’re punching someone,” he said) when Cris came in, freshly showered and looking fantastic in tight jeans and a tank.

“I’m sorry to cut your session short, but we have to go, Jo.”

I dropped my arms, turning to her. “Everything okay?”

She only shook her head before hauling Nick up to the office.

Five minutes later, we were in her Jeep.

“Do you have time to drop me off at the house first?” I asked.

She zoomed through a yellow light as she shook her head. “No. Unfortunately, we’ve both been summoned to Bury.”

“Summoned? By who?”

She gave me a sideways glace. “Who do you think?”

I scowled. Rocker. I wondered what was so important that he needed us in the middle of the day and couldn’t wait until tonight. I watched out the window, trying to keep my bearings as I wondered if we were going to his office. Cris headed toward South Boston, but then turned again toward Roxbury.