Jailbait (Southern Rebels MC Book 1) Read online

  “How about you leave the boy alone?” Hank grumbled, patting her ample rear. “We’ve got some stuff to discuss.” Mary slapped at his hand, frowning. “You want to mother someone,” he gestured to me. “There you go.” His words brought her attention back to me and I knew when she caught sight of the bruises. Her mouth tightened and she lifted the little girl a little higher.

  Creed leaned toward me, his hand brushing my waist. “She’s all bark, no bite. She’ll take care of you.” I nodded, clenching my hands into fists so I wouldn’t reach for him as he moved away, following the other men toward a door marked OFFICE.

  “Don’t you worry. They’ll make the right decision,” Mary assured me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder, and I noticed she was taller than I’d thought. Surrounded by larger than normal men had skewed my perception. “You are skin and bones. A good wind will take off with you,” she clucked, one hand steering the stroller as the other one steered me. “We need to get some food into you.”

  “Fatten her up,” one of the guys called, leering.

  “Thomas O’Brien, don’t think I won’t call Sylvia,” Mary replied tartly and he blanched before offering hurried apologies. She glanced around with a militant gleam. “Don’t you boys have places to be? It’s a Thursday morning and I expect you all have work to do.” There was a shuffle as the men stood, nodding as they eased by her. She shook her head, mouth pursed until they’d all left. “Like they don’t all know better. Honestly, a bunch of rowdy boys.”

  I was afraid to say anything in case she deemed me a rowdy girl, but she didn’t seem to need a response as she headed for a door behind the bar. She used the stroller to push open the swinging door and loud singing greeted us. A shirtless guy with a familiar tattoo stood at a stove, an apron looped over his neck as he sang.

  He spun around at Mary’s entrance, a wide grin splitting his face when he saw her. He rushed her, scooping her up and swinging her around as she protested.

  “Miss Mary, quite contrary, it’s been too long since I’ve seen your beautiful face. What brings you here?” He winked at her. “Missed my gorgeous body?”

  “Oh, shush, you,” she cooed, her cheeks pink as I watched in bemusement. The barrel chested man patted her blushing cheek and then seemed to notice me standing there.

  “What do we have here?” He studied me carefully. “Are you Creed’s?” I wasn’t sure what he meant by that so I kept quiet.

  “Creed brought her. The poor girl was in an accident and her mother,” Mary shook her head, not finishing the comment, her eyes gleaming with concern. “Anyway, the club is having a vote. Shouldn’t you be in there?”

  The man shook his head, turning away from me. “No, I already told Johnny I voted with Creed on this.” He went back to the stove, scooping something onto plates. “He asked me to cook breakfast,” he continued, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder. “I see why now.”

  He set a plate in front of me, an omelet covering half the plate with bacon and potatoes covering the other half. “Eat all of it,” he commanded, tapping the plate.

  I nodded, eager to dig in until I remembered what Creed had said. “Are you Clutch?” I asked, trying to decide if I’d remembered the name correctly. A laugh rolled from him at my question but he finally nodded.

  “I am.” He gave me a faint smile. “Glad to see Creed warned you.” He pointed to my cheek. “Car accident do that to you?”

  I hesitated, tempted to go along with the idea, but Creed’s desire to stay honest wouldn’t leave me. I shook my head and said, “No, someone.” He tipped his head, a glint in his eye that told me I’d made the right decision.

  “It won’t happen again,” he promised, knuckles cracking as he went back to the stove. “Miss Mary, will you be wanting some breakfast this morning?”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet of you to ask, but I ate before Hank came storming in this morning.” She let out a sigh as she jiggled the stroller. “He had his dander up at Johnny’s pig headedness.”

  “Well, he wouldn’t be Johnny if he wasn’t a stubborn SOB,” Clutch mentioned and Mary gave him a warning glance.

  “Don’t think I won’t wash your mouth out with soap, young man.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he replied quickly. “My apologies.”

  She accepted his apology with a gracious nod. “You are right though and if there’s anyone who can match him in stubbornness, it’s Creed.”

  “I was surprised,” Clutch said, his gaze darting to me as I shoveled food in my mouth.

  “So was I,” Mary hummed, not bothering to hide her stare. “He doesn’t usually buck Johnny over something like this.”

  “He’s insistent,” Clutch murmured, sitting down with a plate. “I told him I’d go with whatever he wanted.”

  “He has to know I’ll take her home and keep her safe,” Mary mentioned, their stares leaving no doubt who they were talking about. I didn’t quite know what to make of the conversation, their words or the fact they were talking about me like I wasn’t even there.

  “I can hear, you know,” I finally muttered, shoving the last bite of food in my mouth.

  “I didn’t actually think you’d eat it all,” Clutch said in wonder. “Figured you were one of those girls that wanted to be skinny.”

  “I don’t not want to be skinny,” I complained. “But I was also hungry. Can’t a girl have it all?”

  He raised his hands defensively, “You can have whatever you want.” He smirked, shooting a glance at Mary. “Creed has no idea what he’s gotten into.”

  “What are they voting on?” I asked, already suspecting.

  “You, little girl,” Clutch answered with a cocky smile. “It’s all about you.”

  I narrowed my gaze on him. “And you already decided to go along with whatever Creed wants?” I accused. “Without even meeting me.”

  His smile lost some of its cockiness as he considered me more carefully. “I grew up with him. Some things don’t need asking.”

  “They’re good men,” Mary broke in. “Not sure why Creed is so insistent you be a part of the club though.”

  I glanced at her, my forehead wrinkling as I absorbed her words. She suddenly stood up, startling me. “I need to go to the little girl’s room. Keep an eye on Kara for me?” I nodded automatically and she ran out of the room.

  Clutch caught my puzzled expression and smiled. “Weak bladder,” he explained, turning back to the stove to cover the enormous amount of food he’d cooked. He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve got to go open the shop. They’ll be out in a while, point them to the food, and they’ll love you, okay?”

  I nodded automatically as he peeled off the apron, revealing even more ink across his chest. He shrugged into a stained shirt and I spotted the logo for a garage stitched next to his name.

  “Is your name really Clutch?” I asked and he gave me a lopsided grin.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s your name about as much as Jailbait is mine,” I grumbled to his amusement.

  He nodded, a smile playing around his mouth. “Yep, you’re going to keep things interesting,” he said cryptically, escaping out the door before I could question him. A whimper from the stroller reminded me I was supposed to be watching the baby, and when I leaned over, little arms reached up to me.

  I lifted her out of the stroller, afraid she might cry when she didn’t recognize me, but she only patted my face with her chubby little fingers.

  “Hey,” Creed slowed when he caught sight of me holding the baby. “They wanted to talk to you before we made the vote.”

  “What exactly are you voting on?” I questioned as I prevented Kara from pulling my hair.

  “If you can stay here.” He pointed to the floor. “As in here. At the club. I mean you could stay with Mary and Hank, but you wouldn’t really be welcome to club events and stuff since you’re not an old lady or a,” he paused, trying to come up with a nice way to say club whore.

  “Whore,” I finished for
him and he winced.

  “They’re not whores,” he attempted to explain and I waved him off.

  “I know they’re not, but they hang around and have sex with whoever until they become an old lady, am I right?”

  “Generally, yeah,” he admitted grudgingly. “But that’s not the case with you.”

  “What’s special about me?”

  He shuffled his feet, his thumbs hooked in his belt loop. “I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to leave you there and you don’t seem like the type to take charity.” His jaw locked as he met my eyes. “That guy who was after you, he seemed like he might be powerful. Hard to escape. Figured you’d want a place to lie low.”

  “And you think that place is here. With you,” I verified as I studied him.

  He nodded, those long eyelashes hiding his eyes from me. “We’ll keep you safe.”

  “And what if I bring danger to you?” I cupped Kara’s head. “To her?”

  “We take care of our own, Sloan,” he rumbled and a spurt of pleasure went through me when he used my name. “This vote makes you one of ours.” He tipped his head, a faint smile on his face as he added, “Jailbait.”

  “I don’t really like that nickname,” I informed him.

  “A reminder,” he replied, his eyes hooded. “A necessary reminder.” I lowered my eyes, not wanting to give away what his words did to me, but at the sound of his hand thumping against his leg, I thought maybe I already had.

  “You’ll come talk to them?” It was a question, and I knew he was giving me the choice. If I didn’t go, then I’d probably be shuffled to Mary, given room and board until I was eighteen and then on with my life. I glanced up through my eyelashes, hiding my inspection of him by ducking my head next to Kara’s soft cheek. He waited patiently, everything about him screaming rough and tumble, from the heavy black boots, sagging jeans, white t-shirt and black leather kutte declaring him a one percenter.

  They were outlaws and everything my mother had tried to protect me from since the day my dad died. Except, it hadn’t done her any good. The upstanding citizen she’d found had tried to rape me after I’d gotten home from school and only the fact that she’d come home early had saved me. When he’d threatened us, we’d run and it had cost her life. I knew I didn’t want mine to be next.

  “I’ll talk to them.”

  Chapter Three

  Creed

  I didn’t allow the relief that suddenly flowed through me to show. I wasn’t sure what I had planned to do if she refused to talk to the other guys. Camp out at Mary and Hank’s, I guessed.

  “Come on, they’re waiting.” I gestured for her to follow me and she did, holding baby Kara. A quick glance told me Mary was nowhere around and I only hoped the baby in her arms helped our case.

  “You wanted to talk to her, here she is,” I announced to the room, holding the door as she came in behind me. Hank’s lips twitched when he spotted Kara, but he didn’t offer to take her. Surprise flickered across Johnny’s face but it only lasted for a second.

  “Right now, the vote is split evenly and I won’t allow your presence without a majority vote, so tell us why we should allow you here.”

  She eyed the table, everyone wearing their club jackets and said, “Who voted against me?” I caught the calculating gleam in her eye and hid my smile.

  When no one moved, she arched her eyebrow and demanded, “I should know who I need to convince.”

  Johnny tilted his head as he raised his hand and the others followed suit. She nodded sharply. “What are your objections to my presence?”

  “You’re a distraction for one.” Johnny slammed his hands on the table. “And two, I can’t guarantee your loyalty.”

  “You have other women around,” Sloan said bravely. “You don’t question their loyalty.”

  “They earn their keep.”

  “And so will I,” she declared and a salacious chuckle went around the table. I leaned forward, ready to put a stop to it, but she shook her head softly. “Not the same way they do,” she told them. “It sounds like you have plenty of that.”

  “New pussy is always better,” Weasel mumbled and she popped the back of his head.

  “Ow, what’d you do that for?”

  “I’m not pussy. Let’s make that clear right now,” she told him sharply, glaring at the table. She bounced baby Kara, her implication clear as she said, “You need to stop assuming anything with tits and a vagina is pussy and therefore only good for one thing.” She pointed to Johnny. “And you, questioning my loyalty. You haven’t even given me a chance to declare my loyalty.” She shifted Kara to her other side and gestured to me. “He saved my life. He didn’t have to. He could have left me anywhere along the way. But he didn’t. I owe him my life, so he has my loyalty,” she declared, and something deep in my chest locked into place. She wasn’t through though. “You’re his family. Your loyalty should be unquestionable. But when he comes to his family asking for sanctuary for me, you bring it to a vote?” The sneer in her voice was unmistakable and a few of the naysayers shifted uncomfortably.

  Johnny’s jaw worked but he didn’t say anything as she glanced at each man at the table. Half met her eyes unflinchingly while others ducked theirs in shame.

  “I count eight men at this table including Creed. You said the vote was split evenly?” She gazed inquiringly at Johnny and he nodded grudgingly. “Then that means you’ve forgotten to take into account a vote.”

  “I don’t think so,” Johnny growled, glaring at her. She didn’t flinch, shaking her hair back as she tilted her chin up.

  “Then you must be including Clutch’s vote.”

  His face froze and I chuckled, as a choking rumble erupted next to me. She’d snared Johnny neatly. I knew it might come back and bite us on the ass later, but she’d read the situation correctly. The club was family and we supported our family.

  Weasel raised his hand, saying, “Can I change my vote?”

  Johnny huffed but banged his hand on the table as he brought it to a vote again, “All in favor of allowing Jailbait to remain?”

  Seven hands raised and as Johnny stared at her, he lifted a finger making the vote unanimous. “She stays,” he declared flatly. “With the full protection of the club and her name isn’t a joke, gentlemen. She is underage and you will act accordingly.”

  “Oh my, what did I miss?” Mary bustled in, her hands fluttering and the faintest smile flickered across Sloan’s face.

  “Nothing. You didn’t miss a thing.” Her eyes caught mine and I nodded. I wouldn’t forget how she defended me or that she’d declared her loyalty to me and not the club. She tried to hand Kara back to Mary, but Kara was having none of that, clinging to Sloan and I smiled at the sight of her holding the baby.

  “There’s food in the kitchen,” she mentioned offhandedly. “If you’re finished in here.”

  That got everyone’s attention and Johnny rolled his eyes, slamming the gavel down. “Meeting adjourned. Go stuff your damn faces.” No one needed to be told twice as everyone scrambled for the door. Hank leaned down to give Mary a kiss and I slid my arm around Sloan.

  “Thanks for that,” I motioned behind me. “It means a lot.”

  “I just spoke the truth,” she answered, ducking her head shyly as we squeezed through the door. “You went out on a limb for me.” Her eyes flickered to mine. “Not sure if I should thank you for that or not.”

  A grin tugged at my lips. “You should,” I told her confidently. “Now, let’s grab food before it’s all gone.”

  “Oh, I already ate,” she assured me. “Clutch fixed me a plate before he had to leave.”

  “Yeah, he was already late opening the garage,” I answered, rubbing my jaw. “He stuck around to get a peek at you.”

  “I hope it was worth it.” She bopped Kara on the nose and she chortled, grabbing her hair.

  “You’re good with her,” I murmured roughly.

  “Babysat a lot. To earn a little cash.” She shrugge
d nonchalantly but I caught a glimpse of pain in those expressive eyes before she hid them.

  “That’s good. I know Mary will be glad if you could help her out.” She nodded, not saying anything and I struggled to fill the silence. “She can take you shopping today. Or I can.”

  That got a response as she shot me a sideways glance. “You,” she pointed at my chest and then her own. “Take me shopping.”

  “Yeah, I can.” I nodded, straightening a little. “I will.”

  “I believe you would,” she mused, her eyes brightening at the idea before dimming. “But it’s not necessary. I have a few clothes.”

  I didn’t like seeing the light go out of those gorgeous eyes and I grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. She refused to meet my gaze so I ducked my head, forcing her to look at me. “Hey, you heard the same thing I did in there. You’re club, which means you’re family. We take care of our family. Clothes, food, all that stuff. Don’t be ashamed.”

  She twisted away, her lips pressed together, and I shook my head, releasing her arm. “Look, you have to talk to me. Otherwise, I don’t know what you’re thinking.” Her eyes flickered up to mine, startled, and I sighed. “I want you to be comfortable here. Tell me what you need.”

  “I don’t want to be bought,” she burst out, those huge green eyes searching mine. “I don’t want to feel like I owe you anything.” Her chin firmed and I bit my lip to hide my smile. I had a feeling laughing at her right now wouldn’t win me any favors.

  “Jailbait, I think it’ll take more than a few clothes to afford you,” I replied, shuffling my feet as I shoved my hands in my pockets. A spark lit her expression and I hurried to make my point. “You need to get that idea out of your head right now. Nobody’s keeping a tally, alright?” She didn’t look like she believed me, but she finally gave a short nod and I sighed in relief. “Now, can I go eat?”

  “I wasn’t stopping you,” she snapped and I held my hands out, not willing to engage. “Here,” she thrust Kara in my arms and I accepted her automatically. “I have to go to the bathroom.” She stood there for a second, looking around. “Where is a bathroom?”