Curse's Claim (Chaos Bleeds) (9 page)

“Dale’s dead, isn’t he?”

“You’re not surprised by that?”

She shook her head. “He was going to hurt me, really hurt me.”

“Babe, I hate to break this to you, but you’re not exactly looking all with it right now. The fucker did hurt you.”

Mia winced at the memory of Dale’s hands on her. “I was an idiot. I let my guard down once
, and he was there ready to pounce.”

Tears fell from her eyes. She felt them run down her cheeks dropping into the water.

“What were you thinking?” Pussy asked.

She stared at him. He wasn’t looking at her body but at her face. There was nothing sexual in his look. Pussy looked freaked out about something.

“What’s going on?”

“Curse has encountered some problems. The club is handling it
, but I want you to answer some of my questions to see if you’re worthy of our trust.” Mia wanted to argue but chose to remain silent. After everything she’d been through, she wasn’t in the mood to fight with anyone, least of all Curse’s friend. “If you knew how dangerous Dale was, why did you continue to work for him?”

“I needed the money.”

“Curse would have given it to you.”

“Stop!” She sobbed the word out, glaring at him. “I’m sleeping with Curse. To the outside world we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. I’m not going to be like the club whores who take from him for sex. I will not be the same. I can earn my keep and take care of me and my mom. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” She wiped
at her eyes and tried her hardest to keep her emotions together. “I want to be different when it comes to Curse. So many other women have taken from him. I want to be the one who he doesn’t have to pay.”

During the time they’d been together Curse had invaded her heart
, and now she was trapped with her feelings. She’d fallen for him, and Mia wanted to mean more to him than a quick fuck.

He saved me.

Blowing out a breath, she turned her gaze back to Pussy.

“You’re in love with him.”

She didn’t dispute his words.

“Does he even know how you feel?”

“No, he doesn’t know, and he doesn’t need to know yet. This is a bit of fun to him. I was a challenge because I didn’t fall at his feet.” Pussy was a good looking man. He had long hair tied at the back. His body was thick, tight, coiled muscles. She saw why Ashley liked him. “When this is all over he’s going to want to leave. I’m not going to be everything he needs. He’ll realize the truth very soon.”

“You’re wrong. You’ve got no idea what he’s done to protect you and the club.”

The sound of the front door opening filled the room.

“Ashley’s back. I’m going to leave you to your wash. Get cleaned up and spend the rest of the day relaxing. I’ll drop by to see your mother.”

He was at the door when she told him to stop.

“I needed the money for my mom. Her medical bills have never stopped. She needs to be taken care of
, and that’s what I do and what I pay for. I don’t spend the money elsewhere. It all goes on my mom.” She chanced a look at him.

His expression was closed off.

“I’ll take care of everything.” Pussy nodded at her and left the bathroom. Keeping hold of her legs, she heard Ashley enter. Her friend looked pale, and as she reached for the soap her hands were shaking.

“Hey, honey. You’re going to end up all wrinkly if
you stay in the water too long.” Ashley kept talking.

“What’s going on?” Mia asked.

“Nothing is going on. Just be glad you’re here and not at Dale’s. I promise you, everything will be fine. Jerry is in his office dealing with some stuff. I’ve just been with him and Devil talking a few things through. You don’t need to worry about a thing. I’m taking care of you. We’re going to have a girly day here. I think some movies, ice-cream.” Her words went on and on about what they could do with the remainder of the day.

Mia ignored her suggestions, knowing in her heart something bad had happened. Closing her eyes, she let Ashley wash her body
, and when it was time to get out, she wrapped her body in a towel.

“I’m going to let you get dressed. I’ll grab a first aid kit.”

A knock sounded, and Mia called for whoever it was to enter, hoping it was Curse.

Disappointment swamped her as Jerry stood on the other side. “I brought this for you.” He held a red first aid box.

“Thank you, I was going to go and get one.” Ashley took the box and handed it to her.

Mia took it keeping her eyes on Jerry.

“Ashley, will you go and get me a drink? I could really use a chocolate or coffee.” She smiled at her friend, trying to get rid of her.

“Don’t you need me with you?” Ashley asked.

“No, I can mend up my cuts and bruises.”

She waited for the other woman to leave before focusing on Jerry. “Tell me what’s going on, please? Pussy has been by
, and I’ve seen how Ashley looks. What’s going on?”

“What makes you think I’m going to let you know the details of everything happening?” Jerry asked, entering the bathroom.

Her body was covered by a large white robe.

“You
respect me and know I can handle whatever is going on.” She faced him without flinching.

He rested his hands on his hips, staring at her.

“Curse killed the man who attacked you. Dale Worthington has been wanted by a man I know. He’s not a very nice man, and Curse has taken the satisfaction out of killing him. He’s also fucked up a very important business deal for this man. Dale was the icing on top of the cake, so to speak.  His death was supposed to be the gift that Frederick gave to this man. Dale is dead now, and my boss can’t offer his friend the gift. Do you get my meaning?” She got it. Dale was supposed to die, but only in the way that the other person chose. She listened to Jerry, knowing this wasn’t going to be the last she heard of it.

“So, Curse is in danger.”

“We’re waiting for one of his men to come and clean up the mess. It will be up to Frederick what he does with Curse and the Chaos Bleeds crew afterward.”

“They’re not nice people,” she asked, feeling childish.

“No, they’re not nice people, and Curse will do well to keep his head down for the time being.”

She stared at the box in her hands.
“Will they hurt him?”

“Devil won’t let them hurt him. Chaos Bleeds are a crew
, and they stick by each other. Whatever Frederick wants, he’ll get within reason. Just try to keep Curse out of danger. That man will do anything to protect you, and he’s more than happy to kill for you.”

“We’re only dating,” she said.

“Then you’re a fool. That man is in love with you. Open your eyes before you do something you’ll regret and do get him killed.”

Jerry left her alone. Staring at the closed door, her heart was pounding after his words. Curse loved her? Surely not, there was no way he could love her. They hadn’t been together all that long.

You’re in love with him.

Closing her eyes, she tried to stop herself from feeling the pain that the knowledge filled her with.

Chapter Nine

Curse stood in the room as the man came in. He was wearing a business suit as he looked at the body. Alfred, his name was, and the man didn’t give either him or Death the time of day. He looked over the body, pulled his cell phone out and made a call.

“Hey, boss, yeah, this fucker is dead. No, it wasn’t an easy death. Dale died slow and painfully.” Alfred looked at them. “Are you sure? Okay I’ll handle it.”

The cell phone was pocketed, and Curse faced the man, waiting to see what the outcome was.

“My boss is not happy. Frederick likes to get his own way
, and he had a certain torture planned for this man. However, I see you hurt him, and my boss is prepared to let this infraction slide for now.”

“That’s good,” Death said, looking happy.

“He wants to meet with Devil and the rest of Chaos Bleeds.”

There was
a noise at the door, and Curse turned to see three people enter wearing all over white protective equipment. Alfred gave them instructions in a foreign language, one that Curse didn’t recognize.

“We need you to strip down. We’ll wash you, remove all evidence
, and there are clothes waiting for you out in the hallway,” Alfred said.

“What does your boss want with us?” Curse asked, removing his clothes. He’d never been shy about his body
, and getting naked in front of a bunch of strangers didn’t bother him.

“Consider it business, son. Do as you’re told
, and everything will go fine.” Alfred spoke to the people. The moment he was naked, Curse closed his eyes as he was washed of all evidence of this.

When he was finished, he was shoved out of the door. Death stood
there, holding his clothes.

“I suggest we get dressed and get the fuck out of here,” Death said. “You can go and see Mia
, but Devil wants you back at the clubhouse for a meeting. Shit is going to hit the fan with what happened.”

Putting the clothes on, he heard a saw going to work along with the sound of crunching bone.

“Fuck me, let’s get out of here.” Together they made it out of the front door. His bike was parked up, and he straddled the machine. He didn’t ride for long before he parked the bike back up outside of Jerry’s place. There was no car in the driveway, and he looked back at Death.

“He’s at the clubhouse.
It’s a business meeting for all of us.”

Nodding, Curse entered the front door. Ashley appeared first
, poking her head around the door frame.

“Hey,” she said.

“Where is she?” Curse asked.

“I’m here.” Mia stepped around her friend. Seeing her filled him with relief.

Opening up his arms, she stepped inside them. He held onto her tightly. The bruises on her face and neck made him angry, but the man was dead. Curse knew he couldn’t kill the same man twice.

“I was so worried,” she said.

“I’ve got you.”

“I can’t believe you came for me.” She sobbed the words against his neck. “I didn’t expect you to come for me. I thought I was going to die yesterday.”

Jerking back, he stroked her cheek. “Baby, I’d never leave you like that.”

She wrapped her arms around him, holding on.

Closing his eyes, he did something he’d never done, he sent up a prayer to whoever was willing to listen to him. He didn’t know what he would have done if he’d not gotten there in time. The very thought left him feeling sick and hollow inside.

“We’ll talk more when I get back. I just needed to see you before I went to the clubhouse.”

Ashley gave them privacy walking back into the sitting room. Curse watched her leave before turning back to Mia.

“I’m fine. She’s keeping me company. I don’t want to go home. Too many questions and my mom knows when I’m lying.”

“When I get back from this meeting, we’ve got to talk. There’s stuff you need to know.”

She nodded. “I guessed as much.
”

“Stay here. Don’t answer the door to anyone
, and whoever keeps ringing the door, call us and we’ll be here as quickly as possible,” he said.

“I will.”

He dropped a kiss to her lips. “Take care.”

Leaving the house, he made sure the door was locked before heading back to his bike.

“Fuck me, you are in love,” Death said.

“Shut your fucking mouth. You don’t know shit.” Straddling his bike,
Curse turned the key and headed toward the clubhouse. Death was right behind him. He kept a steady pace and climbed off the bike. Several of the women were standing outside of the building, smoking. He stared at them in their short skirts or shorts. None of them held any appeal to him, and it made him laugh at how much he’d loved fucking them.

“They’re all for me now,” Death said. “Everyone is falling in love. I tell you, The Skulls are fucking cursed. I’m staying well away from them whenever they’re in town.”

Laughing, Curse entered the clubhouse to find all of the club members waiting for them. They were not in the privacy of the office. Devil was talking to all of them, and Jerry was there also.

“Frederick has called. He’s going to be here by Friday,” Devil said. “He wants to see all of us
, including you and Mia.”

“What does he want with Mia?” Curse asked.

“He wants to see the woman responsible for killing Dale and losing him a shitload of money. Frederick has a deal in place with a transport firm. They transport the coke, girls, and guns that Frederick sells as part of his business. Only, Dale had raped this man’s girl, and seeing as Frederick owned him, it was a gift from one business man to another. Now, Dale is dead, and Frederick doesn’t have anyone to do his transport for him. Curse fucked up a deal as Frederick’s not going to make any money as he can’t get the product from one state to another.” Devil glared at him.

“Do we have any reason to believe that he poses a threat to all of us?”
Ripper asked. “After everything that’s happened to Judi, I don’t want her hurt anymore.”

“No, she won’t be hurt. This is between the club and Frederick.”

“Then why does he want to meet Mia?” Curse asked, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.

“Judi’s not the one responsible for killing a wanted man
,” Devil snapped, shouting out the words.

“Frederick is not the kind of man to cross. He’s the shark in a pond full of fish. In comparison, we’re all the fish,” Jerry said.

“Did you have any idea she was cleaning for that prick?” Curse asked. He was looking for anyone to blame other than himself. She shouldn’t have been alone in a strange man’s home.

“No, I didn’t have the first fucking clue. In case you didn’t notice I run a business and have a wife of my own.” Jerry folded his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, you’re so fucking busy that you suggest my woman become a call girl and happen to be a fucking lapdog for a man you consider a fucking danger to all of us.” Curse shouted, letting all of his aggression out into the words.

“I can do what the fuck I like
, and if I want to work for Frederick, then I’ll work for him. I’ve been working for and with him the last fifteen years. You want to fuck with me then go ahead, Curse. You and the club will not last ten minutes alone with him. I’m doing you all a favor letting you know what you’re in for.” Jerry shook his head. “Fuck this. I got a wife to keep happy and shit to deal with. I’ll see you all on Friday. I advise you don’t start organizing a party anytime soon.”

Jerry left the clubhouse. The echo of the door slamming closed behind him filled the main room.

“Keep your shit together, Curse. I don’t know who the fuck this man is, but whoever he is has Jerry scared. We keep to ourselves, and you better stay the fuck out of trouble until Friday. I don’t give a fuck what you have to do, but stay out of the way.” Devil stood, looking around the clubhouse. “Clean this shit up. We settled down to live a good life. None of you are giving us a chance to have such a life.”

“What about The Skulls?” Death asked. “Should we call them?”

“No, we shouldn’t. They’ve got their own set of problems. We can handle this shit. I’m going home to my wife. Stay out of the fucking way of trouble.”

Curse
watched his president leave. Regretting his words, he followed Devil outside.

“I’m sorry,” Curse said.

Devil turned to look at him. “The moment we agreed to settle down in Piston County, we all agreed to keep our heads locked firmly on. We’re vulnerable when we stay in one place, but we’re also stronger than ever before.”

“I know.”

“Shut your fucking mouth. I got no problem with you killing that man. He was hurting your woman, would have raped her if given the chance.” Devil ran a hand down his face. “No, what I hate is knowing what’s going to happen if this fucker chooses, and you know what that could mean.”

Curse knew that they could end up as Frederick’s
lap dogs if he chose.

“I know.”

“Good. Go to your woman, Curse. Let her know what’s going to happen and then be here Friday. If everything goes well, we’ll be lucky and can call it a day.” Devil waved his hand in the air as if pushing their troubles aside.

Curse
watched as he climbed on the back of his bike and headed out of the compound.

“Devil’s worried,” Pussy said from behind him.

Turning toward his friend, Curse nodded. “Yeah, I know, and it’s all my fault.”

“No, it’s not. Mia needed you
, and you lost it. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Pussy slapped him on the back. “You were right. Mia is something special. She’s got a lot of love inside her and a lot of pain as well.”

Nodding, he moved toward his bike. “I’ll be back on Friday. Take care of everything for me.”

“Okay.”

He headed toward Jerry’s house. The other man’s car was parked
, and he parked his bike up, walking up the steps to knock on the door.

Mia answered his knock. She looked relieved to see him. “Thank
God. I was so worried that I wouldn’t see you again.”

“Where’s Ashley?” Curse asked.

“I’m here.” The other woman stood behind Mia.

“Do you want a ride to the clubhouse?” Curse looked at the other woman, wondering what was going on in her mind. She looked scared of him. He didn’t blame her. She’d seen the damage he’d done to Dale.

“No, I’m going to stay here with Jerry. He’ll give me a lift back to the clubhouse when it’s needed.”

Handing Mia a helmet,
Curse climbed on his bike and waited for her. He watched as she hugged her friend then got on the back of his bike.

“
Thank you for waiting for me,” she said, whispering against his ear.

Not responding, he pulled out of the house and headed for the open road. No one was staying at th
e house out on the beaten track. Curse wanted to have a few hours to call his own before their problems caught up to them.

****

When Jerry entered the house and started drinking, Ashley had looked concerned. Leaving Ashley behind, Mia hoped to feel secure, but the way Curse was acting left her feeling scared. Mia stared at Curse and knew something bad was about to happen to all of them. Dale Worthington had started all this. His touch had repulsed her, and yet they were all about to be a in a lot of trouble for Dale’s death.

“He was a wanted man. Some guy called Frederick was waiting for the right opportunity to come and claim him. Mafia shit or something like one of those movies,” Curse said.

“I used to watch gangster movies. Is everything they say on them true?” She took a seat, lowering herself into the chair.

“Yes
, and it can be worse.” He ran fingers through his hair. She caught sight of the cuts on his knuckles. “On Friday we’re to go and meet him at the clubhouse. He’s going to want to know why we killed him and what we got out of it.”

“Okay.” What more could she say? This sounded serious, even dangerous to her.

“There’s more.”

He turned away from her to look outside
the window. She gazed at the length of his back. The tension inside him caught at her heart. Mia had caused this because of her stupid fucking pride. If only she’d accepted the money from him, she wouldn’t have continued working for Dale and causing problems.

“To the club, you’re now my old lady.”

“What does that mean?” She’d heard Ashley refer to some of the women as old ladies. The respect in Ashley’s voice was hard to ignore when she heard about them.

“It means you’re my woman
, and when we get the time, we’re going to get married.”

As far as proposals went, this one sucked.

She locked her fingers together and stared at him, waiting for whatever else he had to say.

“If I didn’t agree to have you as my woman then you’d be taken care of. The club would have to get rid of you as you were a liability.”