Stryker’s Fight by Erin Osborne
Chapter Fourteen
Stryker
ARRIVING AT THE clubhouse, I park my bike in my spot along the front of the building. The trip back from Sally’s apartment is a blur. Other than getting on my bike after walking down the stairs with Killer and Gwen, I don’t remember a single thing about my ride back here. With everything going on with Chrome and the Frozen Bastards, the last thing I need to be right now is distracted. Anything could have happened to me on the way back here instead of me getting here in one piece. However, thoughts I’m going to have a baby boy in a few short months won’t leave my mind.
Walking in the common room of the clubhouse, it’s filled with men, ol’ ladies, and house bunnies. As usual, the house bunnies are rushing up to any single man in the room in the hopes of spending the next few hours with him. The more time they spend with one of us, the more their hope of becoming an ol’ lady soars.
“Church in two minutes,” Slim bellows out, his voice echoing in the hall as he stands at the end of it.
Even though we’ve just been told there’s church, which everyone knows what it means, one of the house bunnies still attempts to make her way up to me so she can wrap herself around my body. These women never learn. If I wanted one of them to touch me, I’d let them know and we’d go from there. None of them are Sally and I don’t want them touching me.
“Can I help you?” I bark out at the house bunny.
“I thought we could spend some time together after your meeting,” she responds, running her hand down my chest until she’s almost to my cock.
“Did I say you could touch me?” I ask her, gripping her wrist before she touches me there.
“Stryker . . .,” she begins again as Gwen and Killer walk in the clubhouse.
“I said leave me the hell alone. I don’t want your hands or any other part of your body near me. If you can’t learn to listen, then you’re out on your ass the same as your friend. Tired of all you women thinkin’ you can touch someone who doesn’t want to be touched,” I grind out, walking past her toward our meeting room.
Gwen walks by with a smile on her face at me telling this house bunny off. As she takes her seat on the couch with her girls and the rest of the ol’ ladies, Killer and I make our way toward our meeting room. The house bunny stands in the middle of the common room. When I look back over my shoulder at the room, she’s pouting and about to throw a temper tantrum if the look on her face is anything to go by. It’s not as if I want to be an asshole to her, but these women don’t take no for an answer and will do everything in their power to make one of us theirs. I’m not single in my mind. Especially now. Sally and I are just beginning, and we’ll be together before long.
Walking up to the Prospect standing outside church, I hand over my gun, knife, and phone to him before entering the room. Taking my seat next to Slim, I notice we’re the last two to arrive. Everyone is already sitting and waiting on us as Killer and I sit on our asses for Slim to slam the gavel on the scarred table in front of him.
“We all know Chrome and the Frozen Bastards want our territory. They’ve moved from the abandoned house they were stayin’ in, and the only thing we managed to do was get Cammie’s boy back for her. The Prospects have made sure she has everythin’ they need to get by. I’m not lettin’ her go for now because there’s still a threat out against her as far as I’m concerned. I did get an interestin’ phone call this mornin’ from a man named Dagger. He’s in the Frozen Bastards. Not everyone wants Chrome to lead the club. He will not be takin’ them in a good direction as far as Dagger and some of the others are concerned. Chrome is into dealin’ drugs, takin’ shit that doesn’t belong to him, and tradin’ skin. Both as pimps and sellin’ women and girls to the highest bidder. It’s not good shit,” Slim fills us in on what he’s heard. “The threat also remains against Sally. She is on Chrome’s radar for some reason, and we don’t know what he plans to do once he has her. Other than veiled comments about needin’ an ol’ lady.”
“He’s not fuckin’ touchin’ her,” I roar out, my mind reeling with the possibility of someone hurting Sally and my unborn son. “You all need to know a new piece of information I just discovered today. Sally is carryin’ my son. She’s twenty-two weeks pregnant based on the ultrasound she had done this mornin’. Chrome will be gettin’ his hands on her over my dead body.
Congratulations sound around the room before Slim hits the table with the gavel to get everyone back under control. A smile is on his face though.
“We’ll do everythin’ in our power to make sure your son and woman are protected at all times. Rich is still on Sally and Natalia. We can put a full patch on the bakery at all times too when you guys get back from the run. Between all of the lookin’ for the assholes and you guys headin’ out, we don’t have the manpower to start it for the next few days. Not all of you know Sally has moved from Stryker’s home to the apartment over the bakery. Rich is stayin’ on the couch in there and will remain until the situation with Stryker and Sally change. I assume you guys are goin’ to figure your shit out?”
“Goin’ there tomorrow afternoon to talk about everythin’,” I answer him, sitting back in my chair.
“Actually, you’re gonna have to put that on hold. Need you, Playboy, Wood, and Valor to head out on a run,” Slim says. “Got a shipment from Jose that needs protection. It’s not somethin’ we can turn down. Not just because of the money but because of other circumstances. It will be our last one for a while though. You head out late tonight. Make sure you have what you need and call if anythin’ happens. Jose knows the situation with the Frozen Bastards and has put things in place on his end. It’s up to us to make sure nothin’ happens from the time you all leave here until you get to your destination. A route will be planned out with alternates routes put in place in case of emergency.”
“Do I have time to go talk to her before we head out?”
“Yeah. Need you to get rest too. You’ll be gone for three days at most,” Slim informs us. “Does anyone have anythin’ else?”
We’re all silent. Slim orders Fox to get on his computer to find out anything else he can about Chrome and the members of Frozen Bastards. We all know Fox has been working all hour’s day and night but has yet to find anything on them. Just like we haven’t been able to find out a damn thing about where they’ve moved on.
“Church adjourned!” Slim slams the gavel once again on the table in front of him before we all stand from our chairs.
I’m among the first out of our meeting room grabbing my phone, gun, and knife. As soon as I have my belongings, I’m striding out through the common room and to my bike. Starting the engine, I let it rumble under me while I put on my helmet after tying my bandana around my face. As soon as I’m ready to go, I make my way toward the bakery. Since I don’t want to put off this talk with Sally any longer than necessary, it needs to happen tonight. This is my priority until it’s time to head out on the run that’s been sprung on us. Jose sure likes to keep shit dramatic and to keep us on our toes. Though this is the first time he’s pulled a last-minute run with us like this.
Pulling up behind the bakery, I once again let my eyes roam the lot to make sure no one is hiding in the shadows. That’s one of the reasons I hate my girls living here. There are way too many places for an asshole like Chrome to hide and with the limited security on the building and in the apartment, Sally and Natalia aren’t as safe as I want them to be. Rich is only going to be able to do so much and there is no way in hell it’s good enough for my family. Sally is pregnant and needs to consider that too. Not just her and my Princess.
Shutting my bike down, I take off my helmet, hanging it on the handlebars. Taking off my bandana, I shove it in my back pocket on my way toward the stairs. As soon as I’m up to the door, I knock and wait for it to open. The curtain behind the couch twitches just before Rich opens the door. He’s got his hand behind him letting me know he was fully prepared to reach for his gun and protect the apartment. He will give his life for the women, kids, house bunnies, and brothers in the club.
“Everythin’ good Stryker?” he asks, looking behind him in the apartment.
“Yeah. Need to talk to Sally. Gotta head out tonight and needed to see her first. Her car is here, where is she?”
“She was gonna take a nap.”
“I’m gonna look in to see if she’s awake. This is important,” I tell him as Rich steps to the side and lets me walk in the apartment.
Walking toward the front of the building, I peek my head in the first bedroom to find Natty passed out in her bed. She’s got new bedding on it. From what I can see there are bikes on the bedding, and I want to look at it up close. Knowing my Princess the way I do, if I wake her up on accident, she’ll be a little hellion for the rest of the night. Natalia loves her sleep and doesn’t take too kindly to be woken up. I close her door until there’s barely an inch to look in the room.
Heading for the second bedroom, I open the door to find Sally laying in her bed with her head buried beneath pillows and blankets. There are no curtains or blinds on her window as the sun shines brightly in the room. Stepping in and closing the door behind me, I make my way silently over to the bed. Sally lifts her head just before I get close enough to touch her. Rolling over to face me, she blinks her eyes a few times.
“Stryker, why are you here?” she asks me, her voice low as if she was sleeping and just woke up.
“Need to talk to you before I head out of town,” I tell her as she pulls her legs up closer to her chest as I sit on her small bed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Look, Sally there is no way in hell I can compete with Killian’s ghost. He’s embedded in your heart and soul; I truly get it and know you don’t want to forget him. I don’t want you to forget him. Natalia needs to know what a good man he was and how he would have loved her with everythin’ in him. No one can be around that little girl without fallin’ in love with her. We’re havin’ a baby too. A son. I want to be at every single appointment with you and be there when he’s born. I already told you that.
“What you need to know is I want in. I want to be the man you lean on when you need someone to be there and to support you when no one else will. When you and Natty are hurtin’, I hurt. Everythin’ you feel, I want to be there and help you through it. I want you two back in my home; a home that didn’t feel that way until you and Natalia moved in. We can make a home for the four of us and any other children you bless me with. Sally, I want you to get to a point where you trust me and love me. I’m already fallin’ in love with you. That’s why I left,” I tell her honestly, giving her a piece of myself no one else has gotten.
“Stryker, this isn’t about Killian. Not anymore. When I went to Dander Falls, I said goodbye to Killian and finally let him go. I need to move on with my life the way he would want me to. There is no one else I want to be there for me when I need someone other than you. However, Killian was killed as a Prospect for the Wild Kings. You’re more than a damn Prospect; you’re the Sergeant at Arms for the Phantom Bastards. I’m scared every time there’s trouble with a rival or you go on a run. It’s your job to protect the club, whether it’s the ol’ ladies and kids or the guys. Your life is always on the line because of who you are. Stryker, I can’t lose you. I was devastated when I lost Killian. It would kill me to lose you,” she tells me, a few tears rolling down her face as she gives me her truth.
I take a minute to absorb what she’s told me. Honestly, there is no other way I know how to be than the protector of the club and everyone associated with it. If I weren’t in the club, I’d still be just as protective and want to make sure everyone surrounding me are taken care of. That’s just who I am and how I’ll always be.
“Sally, how can we move past this? There has to be a way for you to get past how I am and who I am as a man. Trustin’ me is the only way I know how to make that happen. Why can’t you trust me? I will always come home to you and be there when you need me there for you. Unless I’m on a run. Slim will let me stay home when it gets closer to time you’ll go into labor, but that’s the best I can do. I won’t leave the club because it’s more than that for me. The Phantom Bastards are my brothers and family. I have found a place with them when I didn’t have one for so long after gettin’ out of the service.”
“I’d never ask you to leave the club. I know how important it is to you. What I’m not sure of is if I can get past your job within the club. Stryker, you have come to mean so much to me and there’s no way in hell I want to let you go. I know why you can’t keep staying in the house with me when I won’t let you in. I’d have done the same thing if it were me in your position. I’m not even sure why you let me in to begin with. I know you have a past, and something has hurt you. Or someone. You have yet to tell me what happened. Admit it Stryker, we’re both holdin’ one another at arm’s length if we’re bein’ honest here.”
“You’re right, I haven’t told you what happened to me. It’s not somethin’ I want to relive or anythin’. For you, I’ll tell you all about it though. When I was eighteen, I graduated school and instead of goin’ to college, I enlisted in the service. It was the only way I could get away from my abusive father. Carrie and I met in high school, and she soon became everythin’ to me. We got our own place, and I was goin’ to send money home as soon as I started earnin’. Until then, I gave her everythin’ I had in my savin’ account. It was enough to keep her straight while she was workin’ durin’ the summer and then she would quit when she was in college so her focus could be on her studies.
“I came home after basic trainin’ to find Carrie in my bed with another man. Apparently, she didn’t know the meanin’ of bein’ faithful or bein’ loyal to me while I was gone. All she wanted was someone to be there for her and to keep her in the material possessions she wanted. Carrie became someone I didn’t know at all. Material possessions meant the world to her and all she wanted to do was ride cock. Gone was the studious, shy girl I knew from high school. I vowed then to never let someone in again. My heart was closed off and I didn’t want to have a relationship or kids.
“When you and Natalia decided to move to Benton Falls, I let you in my home. Yeah, I wanted your body and I wanted to know you were safe and protected after everythin’ you’ve been through. Then, you broke down my defenses and I started to fall for you. You gave me everythin’ except your heart and trust. I don’t know how to deal with that Sally. I’m not sure how to be here for you and remain locked away until you’re ready to make a decision about what you want and what you can handle. Sally, I know you. You’re strong enough to handle bein’ my ol’ lady and stand at my side. If anythin’ were to happen to me, you wouldn’t leave my side; you’d stay there as long as I needed you. I’m not goin’ to pretend my job isn’t dangerous and there aren’t times I’ll get shot, beat up, or worse. What I can promise you is I’ll always do my best to be the man you and our children need to have in their lives. Yeah, I fully think of Natty as my daughter. I’ll never replace her dad, but he can’t be here for her. I can. Now, the choice is yours to make. I’ll give you until I get back from my run in three days,” I tell her, my voice filled with emotion as everything circles to the forefront of my mind again.
Standing up, I lean over Sally on the bed and press a kiss against her full, soft lips. Without another word, I make my way to her bedroom door and give her one more look before walking through it and closing it behind me. I take a few deep breaths before walking out to the living room. Rich is sitting on the couch when I walk in the room. He mutes the TV to listen to any last-minute instructions I might have. With a nod of my head I warn him to protect my girls with his life and I’ll be back in a few days. If he needs some help, to call Slim and Killer. They’ll give him all the help he needs until I can get back to town.
Getting on my bike, I start the engine after putting my helmet back on. Revving the engine, I pull out of the parking lot and make my way back to the clubhouse. I’ll have just enough time to get some sleep before packing a bag and double checking my weapons. Then, I’ll be away from Shadowville for three days longer than I’d like. However, I’ve given Sally everything of me I can and now it’s up to her to make a decision about where she wants to go from here. All I know is I’m not going to give up. Sally is who I want in my life and I’ll do everything in my power to make it a reality.
