Ripper (Salvation's Bane MC 11)

Ripper (Salvation's Bane MC 11)
Marteeka Karland
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Copyright ©2022 Marteeka Karland

Ripper

August in Florida was damned miserable. The party at Salvation’s Bane had migrated outside the second the sun started to set, and I just wanted to be inside where I could fucking breathe. I’d only followed everyone away from the paradise that is blessed air conditioning because I was on first watch tonight -- eight PM to midnight. My job was to monitor the party and make sure it didn’t get too out of hand. There were several visitors, and while everyone was there to have a good time, sometimes newbies couldn’t handle their alcohol. Or whatever drug they’d chosen to imbibe. As such, I had to stay sober and babysit. Which meant no women for me, either.

Honestly, I didn’t mind that last bit. The club girls, while a pleasant distraction, weren’t my thing anymore. Sure, I fucked one occasionally, but it had been so long since I’d had a good time doing it, I just didn’t bother much. If I needed relief, well. One of my legs might have been left back in Afghanistan, but I had two perfectly good hands.

Nursing the Coke in my hand, I looked out over the party. Everyone was having a great time and generally behaving themselves. The club girls only had one altercation over a guy but that had been settled when the guy in question had fucked both of them. Problem solved.

“Ripper, we got a problem.” The voice came from behind me. I turned to see one of the prospects, Slash, approaching me, concern on his face. “You’re needed at the front gate.”

“Ain’t Dazz on guard duty?”

“He is, but he says this needs a patched member, and you’re in charge of the party.”

“That ain’t part of the party.”

“Dude, you’re the ranking member here. Everyone else is either deployed or gone to the Black Reign thing with El Segador’s woman. Takin’ all the kids to Disney World.”

“Shit. I forgot about that.” With a sigh, I drained the last of my Coke. “Stay here,” I said. “Keep an eye on things. Text me if there’s a problem.”

Slash nodded and leaned against the wall, his eyes automatically sweeping the area. Confident everything was under control here, I hopped on my bike and headed to the front gate.

The property was fenced off, the acreage growing every year. We’d started building a small community inside the fence, offering housing outside the main clubhouse for the members with families. Currently, we were four houses ahead with room for several more. Which was good because all the brothers with ol’ ladies had started having or expanding their families.

The ride wasn’t long, but I welcomed even short spurts on the bike. Besides, it was urgent or Dazz wouldn’t have sent Slash for me. When I approached the gate, I wasn’t certain what I was seeing.

A small woman, obviously pregnant, was arguing with Dazz. It wasn’t a violent argument or even a loud one. She just seemed to be trying to get her point across. I couldn’t hear what was going on until I shut down the bike.

“I just want to talk to Devan and maybe get a bottle of water,” she said. “It’s not like I’m going to hurt anyone. If you want payment for the water, I can’t right now, but I’m good for it. I’ll pay you back once I get a job. Or look around the water fountain in town. There’s always change in city fountains.” Spoken like a girl who’d gone looking in those public fountains a time or two.

Dazz just looked at her, his arms crossed, not saying a word. A muscle in his jaw ticked like he was pissed off in the extreme and trying not to take it out on the poor girl.

“What’s going on?” I asked, walking over to stand by Dazz. The woman, who obviously just wanted a bottle of water and to talk to Devan -- whoever that was -- looked like a vagabond. She was clean… ish… but her clothes looked like they were falling apart and were stretched over her belly where she’d obviously outgrown them and hadn’t bought maternity clothing. And she was heartbreakingly beautiful. A mane of nut-brown hair, pale skin slightly burned from the sun, and a delicate frame were only a few of the things that drew me to her. I got the feeling she was way more than she appeared, yet there was no artifice about her.

“Nothing,” the woman said, backing away, her eyes going wide as I approached. “I -- I was just leaving.” She looked disgruntled but afraid. I couldn’t blame her. Both me and Dazz were big men and I was scarred, my face sporting the remnants of burns and shrapnel on one side. A woman alone in obviously advanced pregnancy would never have been in our presence unless she knew us. This one didn’t look like she was in much shape to fight us. She looked like she was fucking dead on her feet.

When she started to leave, Dazz barked out, “Stop.” She froze, a little whimper escaping her. “Found her sitting next to the fence,” Dazz said. “Says the Devan she wants to talk to is a member here.” He glanced back at the girl before back to me. “If she’s tellin’ the truth, and the man she’s lookin’ for is a brother here, there’s gonna be hell to pay. Why I bothered you instead of just lettin’ her in.”

“You got a last name on your Devan, girl?”

She looked down at her feet before shaking her head slightly. “Pretty dumb, huh?”

“You sure he belongs to this club?” I wasn’t addressing her embarrassment. At least not yet.

She shrugged. “I’m just going on what he told me. He mentioned Salvation’s Bane a lot. Said he worked as a bouncer at Salvation’s Angels. I went there, but they wouldn’t let me in.” She indicated her state of dress before putting her chin up proudly. “Apparently, I’m not dressed appropriately to visit a strip club.” The girl was an enigma. She obviously lived on the streets, but she spoke like someone who had money.

“This Devan your baby daddy?”

Keeping her head high, she seemed to dig deep for every ounce of courage she possessed. “He is. So, if you’re telling me he’s not here, I’ll just be on my way.”

“Girl, do you even have anywhere to go?” I was rapidly losing my patience. The more I looked at her, the more I saw the woman underneath the guise she presented. I was certain she was homeless, and that she hadn’t been that way long. She was adjusting, but she was still trying to pretend she wasn’t homeless. And I was drawn to her so strongly it hurt my fucking heart.