Page 66 of Lust

44

Ivory

“Have you seen him after Links?” Elle said softly, handing me a cup of cocoa. While we sat on her couch and I told her what had happened. Bell was always sitting with us but she was quiet.

I shake my head. And the look Kace gave me, before Links interrupted us flashed through my mind. It was as if I had broken him.

“Kace wouldn’t have known.” Her voice was low, and I turn to look at Bell. “Kace while bad. Is good.” She says a riddle. “He’s not one to hurt you on purpose. He would never disrespect any woman like that.” Her voice is so low, that Elle and I are struggling to hear her.

“He’s still a biker though.” Elle states a fact.

“No.” Bell says. “He’s a STG of ARMS.” She says that, like we are meant to know what that means. “He controls the chaos,” She explains. “He deals with punishments. He is who the club turns to when things are going wrong. When a member steps out of line.” She brings the hot chocolate to her lips. “He is who the club turns to.”

I didn’t know anything about how a motorcycle club worked. Wasn’t going to pretend like I did.

“Once,” She adds, and pauses. Then looks me in the eyes. “I saw Kace, lose control and deliver said punishment, and the person who got it. He raped a club woman. And while club women are fair game. If we say no. It’s no. Kace always protected the women.” Her hand shakes a little and she grips the hot chocolate with her other hand I notice it bandaged. “He always protected me.” She finally adds and her eyes drop. “When he could.”

Elle and I share a look. What Bell had been through, we couldn’t even imagine it. I place a hand on her thigh, seeing her getting upset.

“Thanks Bell.” I give her a smile. She is only confirming what I know and that is Kace has a good heart.

“Kace puts his life on the line for club women. A lot of the members hate it that he will enforce the rules when it comes to us.”

“You keep saying us. But you aren’t one of them anymore.” Elle picks up on Bell’s slip up and Bell’s eyes flash to Elle.

“I’ll always be a club woman. I’ll never be anything more.” And this was the first time since Bell came here, she was holding a conversation with us and I couldn’t believe how sad it was to hear what she was saying.

She pushes her shorts up showing the word Deuce. “He marked my body. I’m his property. I always will be, until I die.”

“Darling,” Elle says and leans forward. “We all cover up our mistakes. And that tattoo can easily be covered.” She smiles at Bell. “But the mental scars, they take time.” And Elle squeezes her other knee.

A lot of people don’t know that Elle was date raped. In fact only us siblings knew. Mom and Dad didn’t. We handled it between ourselves.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Bell mumbles.

“Oh. I think I do. More than I should.” Elle says and still keeps a small smile on her face. “Now we need to cheer the fuck up.” Elle says looking at Bell and me. “Kace will come back. You will tell him you love him. For him. Bell and I are going to eat our weight in chocolate and buy shit we don’t need online.” She then frowns. “Though come to think of it, Bell most likely needs everything.”

“I don’t have any money.” Bell is quick to say. “And I can’t pay you back.”

“Money…pfft.” Elle brushes it off. “Please I tipped the cab driver three hundred last night because I didn’t want to carry around the cash.” And Elle wasn’t even joking she was serious.

45

Kace

Storming the clubhouse, I scanned the members, drinking their afternoon away. Then my eyes landed on Prince.

“Oi cunt!” I shout at him, and he looks up—clearly panicked. “You and I have a mother fucking problem.” I walk towards him and other members know not to get involved when I’m in a ticking time bomb mood. When someone has pissed me, there is no calming down, till I’ve dealt the punishment.

I grip him by his shirt, ripping him from the stool. “You looking to check out or something?” I yell at him. Because him and I both know he must have a death wish for doing that stunt with Ivory.

He grips my shirt, trying to shove me off, but my grip is like a death grip. “You fucking think you can pull that shit with my woman!?”

“She isn’t yours!” He shouts, and tries to get away from me again. “She ain’t got your name. She ain’t even your property. She’s nothing to you.”

Hearing that, just throws gasoline on the fire called my rage.

“Boys!” Prez shouts, but he knows, and I know—I’m too worked up to calm down.

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