“Marcus must be loaded.”
I press the intercom, leaning in.
“Hello?” a feminine voice says.
“Hi, we’re here to see Marcus.”
Silence.
“And you are?”
“Friends of his. I’m Mack’s, um, girlfriend.”
“Oh,” she squeals happily, making me leap backwards. “Buzzing you in.”
Suddenly the big gate slides open. Santana shoots me a look, and I shrug. We all walk in, up the large driveway that circles a huge water fountain, and up to the front door. We don’t even get the chance to knock before one of the most stunning women I’ve ever seen appears. Her eyes are bright, she’s got a massive smile on her face, and I can’t help but feel that she’s friendly.
She’s got the most dazzling green eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re as deep and beautiful as emeralds. Her skin is a gorgeous olive, and her hair is silky, blond and thick, flowing around her waist. She’s tiny, though, like a little fairy. She bounces up and down as she takes us in, her face happy. “I’m Katia, Marcus’s wife.”
Damn, Marcus picked a gorgeous woman. Not that that surprises me, considering he’s a freaking stunner himself.
“Hey Katia,” I say first. “I’m Jaylah. This is Santana and Ash.”
She waves, flashing that beautiful smile again.
“Come in. Marcus is on the phone, but I’ll get him for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I get you a drink?”
“I’d love one,” Santana says.
“Me too, please. Being pregnant is a bitch,” Ash adds.
Katia laughs. “Well, you’re beautiful pregnant women.”
We all grin and follow her through the house. It’s a big, beautiful house. Damn, she has it good. She steps into a large kitchen and works the coffee machine like a pro. She gives us all cold water while the coffee brews. Then she turns and says in a soft, friendly voice, “I’ll get Marcus.”
“Thank you.”
She disappears, and I turn to the girls. “She’s so pretty!”
“Oh my God, right?” Ash grumbles. “Damn, she’s making me feel like a budda.”
We all laugh.
“You’re gorgeous,” I say.
“Like you can talk,” Santana says to Ash, rubbing her belly. “If you’re a budda, what am I?”
We’re all giggling when Katia enters the room again. “He won’t be long.”
I smile at her, and she continues with her coffee.
“So,” she says. “Tell me what it’s like being a biker babe?”
Santana giggles. “Biker babe?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen those guys. You girls get to ride around on their bikes and give them the nasty, too. Right?”
The nasty. At that I burst out laughing. I like Katia. She’s my kind of girl.
“The nasty?” Ash giggles.
“You know.” Katia leans in close. “Spank the bacon.”
Now we all laugh so hard we double over.
“Not sure I’d call it spanking the bacon, but it is great.” I giggle hysterically.
“Katia.”
We hear Marcus’s voice, and all of us straighten and turn. Holy mother of hotness, I swear that man gets better each time I see him. His eyes flick to his wife, and there’s something in them, something I can’t quite read. He steps closer, and I watch as she stares up at him, love and admiration in her face. She adores him. I turn my gaze back to him, and his face is dark, closed off and so very . . . dangerous.
He doesn’t look at her the same way she looks at him, and it makes me wonder what this is all really about.
It’s certainly not normal.
“Hi Marcus,” I say, my voice slightly shaky. He has that effect; he’s so powerful and dominating. “I know it’s taken a while, but I wanted to come by and, ah, thank you for what you did.”
His eyes flash to me. Oh, boy.
“No need to do that.”
“Of course there was,” I protest. “You saved my life.”
His eyes hold mine, dangerous. “No problem.”
He turns to Katia. “My office, ten.”
Then he’s gone.
Damn, that was intense.
“Sorry about him. He can be slightly, ah, broody.”
Santana grins. “I bet he likes to spank the bacon?”
Katia’s face lights up. “He most certainly does.”
We all laugh again.
That girl is definitely our people.
~*~*~*~
MACK
“You went to visit Marcus?” I murmur, running my tongue up Jaylah’s neck.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Marcus.”
She giggles. “Yes.”
“Marcus . . .”
Her giggles turn into laughter. “I know he’s a bit, ah, stiff, but he saved my life.”
“Stiff,” I grunt. “He’s a fuckin’ asshole.”
“No he isn’t.” She grins.
“Baby, he is.”
“Do you know what the deal is with him and Katia?”
“No fuckin’ clue, but whatever it is, it’s dodgy.”
“You think he loves her?”
“With Marcus, no.”
“She’s a really good girl.”
“No doubt, baby.”
She pouts. “If he’s using her, I’ll take him down to Chinatown!”
I burst out laughing and tuck her into my side. “I’m sure you will, honey.”
“So, why did you come home early?”
“Got a surprise for you.”
She stares up at me. “You do?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Is it awesome?”
I grin down at her, pressing my lips to hers. “Pretty fuckin’ awesome, babe.”
“Of course it is; it’s from you.”
I press my lips to her cheek, breathing her in. Fuckin’ beautiful.
“We’re waitin’ on the others,” I murmur against her skin.
“Why?” she gasps.
“Because they need to see it, too.”
“O-o-okay.”
I run my lips down her neck.
“Do we have much time before they come?” she breathes.
“Enough time for me to put your sweet cunt on my lips and make you come.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Maybe enough for you to get on your knees and suck my cock.”
“That works.”
I grin and lift her, throwing her onto the couch. “Better concentrate, baby. This one is going to blow your mind.”
She laughs softly. “Miakoda, there is never a time you don’t blow my mind.”
She’s fuckin’ right about that.
EPILOGUE
TWO HOURS LATER
JAYLAH
“What’s he doing?” Santana asks as the guys all disappear outside.
I bounce Diesel on my lap. “I don’t know.”
“Ohhh! He’s so secretive. I think he looooves you.” Ash giggles.
“Come over here, cutie.” Pippa, who is here too, smiles and stretches her hands out to Diesel.
I put him on the floor. “Show Aunty Pippa how you roll, handsome man.”
He giggles and reaches for his foot, putting it into his mouth.
“Such a charmer.” Santana laughs.
He hears her voice and lets his foot go, then with what seems like great effort, he rolls towards her.
“Oh my God!” she cries happily. “Come here, baby boy.”
He half rolls, then plops back down. He tries again and gets it. We all coo over him, clapping and praising as he rolls towards her. Santana lifts him into her arms, kissing his cheeks, and then she hands him to Pippa, who does the same. He’s a very loved boy.
“He’ll never lack for women.” Ash grins.
“Not like his daddy,” I snort.
Santana laughs. “Mack finally found the one. I’m happy for him.”
“The second one.” I laugh. “Bu
t what is it they say? First is the worst, second is the best . . .”
Santana snorts, Ash laughs, and Pippa giggles.
“You know,” Santana says, “I never knew about Ingrid when I met Mack.”
“You didn’t?” I gasp.
She shakes her head. “Nope. I met him when I was in a bad way five years ago. He was away more than he was there, but the months I was first around, he spent a lot of time with me. After six months, he was back and forth. I only even saw him with a few women, but I had no idea the love of his life was at home with another man.”
“So he slept around while he was with her?” I whisper.
“My guess,” Ash says. “He was hurting. I mean, she wouldn’t leave her husband; she surely couldn’t ask him to be faithful.”
“You’re right about that.” I nod.
“I don’t know if he was with her at those times, but it wasn’t often he was with women.”
“Poor Mack,” Pippa says softly.
“Yeah,” I say. “But he’s coming good now.”
“You know he saved me?” Santana says, her eyes going soft.
“He did?” I ask.
“Yep. I was in a bad way when Maddox saved me.” Her eyes go to Pippa’s and they share a soft look. “It had been three months and I wasn’t moving from the bed, just wallowing. He came in, and he offered to shoot me.”
We all gasp.
She laughs. “I know, it sounds bad, but I wanted to die. I thought Pippa was dead, and I didn’t think I could go on. He made me get out of the bed, and he held the gun up. He said he’d shoot me, if that were really what I wanted. He said other things, things about Pippa and letting her down. It scared him; it scared me, but he snapped my brain into a good place. He saved me.”
“Do you think he would have shot you?” I whisper.
“If I really, truly wanted to die? Yes.”
“Oh my God,” Pippa breathes.
Santana reaches over and takes her hand. “But the thing was, I didn’t really want to die and he knew it. From that day forward, things picked up for me.”
We all grin, and tears well up in my eyes. I have a good one. He might be hard, occasionally stubborn, but he’s got an amazing heart.
“I think I love him even more,” I breathe.
“Oh, honey.” Santana laughs. “That’s totally not possible! He’s made it all the way.”
~*~*~*~
Mack’s fingers run down my cheek as he pulls me closer. “You ready, honey?”
I nod, staring at him, blinking back my tears even though I don’t know what he’s done. He gives me his soft, melted chocolate eyes and I want to fold into him. He glances at everyone who is watching, then turns his eyes back to me while pulling out some papers he had tucked in his jeans.
“You know how much I want you in my life, Lah.” He grins, and I giggle softly. “You’re sassy, you’re crazy, and you drive me nuts. Through all that, you love my son like he’s your own, and you give me the family I never had. I’ve been fightin’ for it my entire life, even with Ingrid, but I could never reach it. Now, I’ve reached it.”
He hands the papers to me and I stare at them, confused. “What are these?”
“These are kind of adoption papers.”
My heart goes to liquid and I suck in a breath.
“Diesel is my son, but he needs a momma, and the best one he can have is you. You sign these, baby, and you become that.”
I choke back a sob as I stare down at the legal papers that will make me one of Diesel’s legal guardians. Tears burn under my eyelids as I stare at them.
“We need you,” Mack says into my ear. “He needs you.”
He needs me. They need me. Oh, God. He wants me to be Diesel’s mother. I turn and stare at the gorgeous baby that’s in Maddox’s arms and I know, I’ve known from the minute I met him that he’s meant to be with me. I love him like he’s my own, and nothing, nothing in this entire world would make me happier than making that real.
I turn back to Mack, and the tears flow over, pouring down my cheeks. “You want me to be his momma?”
He smiles, stroking my cheek. “Fuckin’ hell yes I do.”
“And you want us to be a family?”
He steps closer, wrapping his hand behind my neck. “Never had somethin’ that was all mine and real. You’re real, and you’re all mine. Diesel is ours, and he’s our fuckin’ glue. I want it all, and I don’t wanna wait a second more. Marriage, that binds us, but this . . .this binds us all. This makes us one. This makes us a family.”
I cry happy tears as I lean down, taking the pen from his hand and signing the forms. A loud, happy cry leaves my lips when I’m done, and I turn to Maddox. He hands Diesel to me and I pull him into my arms. “I’m your momma now, little man. I swear I’ll do the best I can, and we’ll always be together.”
Mack wraps his arms around me, burying his face into my neck and breathing me in. I hear Santana sob, but I don’t turn to look at her. I look at my family, and my heart swells. Diesel, Mack and I. Just the three of us, all from difficult situations, all of us needing someone. Together, we’ve given each other exactly what we each need. I reach up, cupping Mack’s jaw, and whisper, “I love you, Miakoda.”
He grins down at me. “Same here, baby, right from the depths of my soul.”
“Shit,” Ash croaks. “I’m going to lose it.”
“Suck it in, woman,” Krypt whispers.
At that, I burst out laughing, and turn to face the rest of my family.
“Does this mean I’m an Old Lady?”
Mack grins, Maddox winks, and Krypt crosses his arms, smiling.
“Fuck yeah it does,” Mack growls, wrapping an arm around me. I stare up at him, smiling, happier then I’ve ever been in my life. He dips his head low, and murmurs in a husky, sexy voice, “Welcome to the Joker’s Wrath Motorcycle Club, honey.”
That’s what I call home.
THE END
Thank you all so much for reading Anguish. I hope you liked it. If you’re curious about Marcus and Katia, you’ll be happy to know their book is coming up next, and is available for pre-order for only 99c! Check it out and see more of your favorite Joker’s Wrath characters! And don’t stress, this series isn’t quite finished! You will find out more in ‘Til Death – Marcus & Katia’s story. Enjoy.
Bella Jewel, Anguish
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