“Nope, so don’t make a habit of it,” Wilder says mildly. “I have to think about mine. There have been some stupid fuckers over the years. What’s yours, Lore?”
“You’re asking someone who kills people with a hammer,” I sputter. “Honestly, Wilder.”
“I mean, you’re not wrong,” Lore admits. “I shot one of the first prospects we ever had for touching a waitress inappropriately. The girl looked like she was fucking twelve, and the idiot grabbed her ass. I yanked him back by the scruff of his neck, drove him out a little ways while he struggled and screamed over my lap, and then I threw him off the bike and shot him in the face. The owner of the restaurant was that girl’s mother. She asked me if he’d be back, and I told her the dead can’t visit.”
Marie shivers at the story, but not because she’s scared. It’s more so as a reminder of what we’re capable of, and the code each of us have for what we won’t stand for.
“He deserved it,” she says softly.
“Okay, mine now,” Wilder says. “It was fairly recent too. Brent Lyle was part of your Dad’s old guard, Lore.”
“He finally did something to make you decide to kill him?” Lore snorts.
“Devon had already greenlighted the murders, but I heard him talking about Marie’s ass,” Wilder grunts.
“Is that why you turned his body into Swiss Cheese?” I ask.
“What about my ass?” Marie asks over me, wide eyed.
“I’d rather you not know,” Wilder grumbles. “It was disgusting and vile. Devon has been fighting with them about not turning the clubhouse into a brothel. If they want to pay for it, the club owns places for them to do that.”
“He failed to mention that,” Marie says.
“It’s not legal, but the women are there because they want to be,” I say hurriedly. “They negotiate their limits, and there are women who only dance and don’t do the extras. Either way, no one gets a free pass. Women are paid for their time.”
“Which is why the old guard wanted more sweetbutts at the clubhouse,” Lore groans. “This is such a tired conversation, and one that never failed to come up for Devon during church. Anything those bastards had to say about Marie’s body would have been a reason to die.”
Lore loads up a cracker with goat cheese and some prosciutto, and offers it to Marie. Apparently, her alphas will be hand feeding her for the near future. I personally think it’s adorable. My omega smirks and opens her mouth for him, accepting the food.
“Lore, it’s your turn,” I tell him, watching as Marie sighs happily.
“If you could take a trip anywhere together, where would it be? I was thinking about this while we were in the Black Hills,” he explains.
“It would be cool to ride up the California coastline through Big Sur. Good food, beautiful scenery, maybe go when it’s warm and I catch our girl in a bikini for lazy days,” I murmur.
Marie glances at me with heat and happiness in her eyes, and I can’t help but fucking melt. She’s this blonde goddess, and it’s difficult to believe fate chose her for me. Fuck yes, I’d happily enjoy some time at the beach with her, especially if it’ll lead to licking the salt off her skin.
“Down boy,” Wilder chuckles. “I think we can all agree that massaging suntan lotion on Marie’s skin and watching her walk around in a bikini is a good idea. I’d love to head to New Orleans and rent a place to listen to good music. That’s a great question, Lore.”
“I haven’t really been anywhere,” Marie admits. “My mom lives just outside of Chicago, and I never thought about leaving Illinois since Tommy was there and whatever job I was at.”
“Well that’s going to need to change,” Storm snorts. “I want to show you the whole fucking world now, Kitty.”
“Maybe not at once,” she teases, finding a piece of cheese to snack on.
“I’d love to ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway with you while the leaves are changing,” Wilder muses. “During the day though. I won’t fuck with the Appalachian Mountains after dark. No, thank you.”
“I see spooky shit even when it doesn’t exist,” Storm laughs. “Ain’t no way I’m following you into those mountains at night!”
I can’t help but chuckle at his antics. Storm showed me how the security cameras he had mounted around the house have color night vision. He also mounted a floodlight on the front steps after Lore broke into the house so people can’t get away with sneaky shit.
Storm is seriously paranoid, but I can’t fault him for it if this keeps us safe.
“Is there anywhere you want to go, Marie?” I ask her.
“The national parks here are supposed to be beautiful, but I haven’t had time to visit. It would be nice to walk through one before it snows,” she admits. “Riding through the Black Hills made me realize how well nature quiets my mind. Sometimes, I need that.”
“We’ll plan a walk this week,” I say with a nod.
