Steal Vows

Chapter 14 ~ I Will Not Falter

~~At the Club~~

Word stretched across the club like a bunch of gossiping teenage girls… Knox not only set her up outside the club. He was staying with her and requested things be sent in the morning; more than one prospect knew of his requests and how things were getting handled since Tess’s arrival, and the questions were growing.

Who was she? That was the question, and how were they supposed to respond? Does this mean he’s going soft... over a woman???

The clubhouse buzzed with speculation by morning. Prospects leaned against the bar, mechanics stopped working wrench in hand, and even the old guard men who’ve been with Nightmare for decades exchanged knowing glances over their coffee.

Knox brought a woman to “his” property. Not the clubhouse. His private land.

And he was still there.

Reaper spread the word while loading supplies: “Tess is an older woman, independent, rode a motorcycle cross-country alone. Not a club bunny. Not some desperate girl looking for protection. She survived a warehouse raid that should’ve killed her, and Knox decided she was worth keeping around. Don’t misjudge her or his choices; neither are weak.”

Reaper’s attempt to clear up speculation backfired by noon; theories spiraled. She’s a fed. She is leverage. She’s… Reaper finally cut through the noise, leaning back in his chair with a dark laugh. “She’s his ol’lady. Has to be. Why else would he stay?”

The room went quiet. No one argued.

“No s**t, but just who the f**k is she some of the enforcers asked in unison… what are we supposed to do with this?”

Reaper drummed his knuckles on the table; in his mouth, he chewed on a toothpick like it was going to solve problems for him. The enforcers, Brick, Holt, and Chase. Waited for direction; their patience was wearing thin. No one moved without orders from Knox, but Knox wasn’t here to give them.

“She’s a counselor. She does drug and alcohol work. Online s**t from Washington state.” He shifted his weight, uncomfortable delivering half truths. “Boss wants her doing sessions with club members. On a voluntary basis. She earns respect through competence, not because she’s... attached to him.”

Brick let out a low whistle. “So we’re supposed to trust some random woman with our business?”

“Not trust her. Use her. There’s a difference.” Reaper didn’t want to say that, but it was the only way to get through these knuckle-brained gearheads.

The room settled into an uneasy acceptance. Knox’s decisions didn’t get questioned… They just got followed. But the uncertainty hung heavy. She was an unknown variable in a world built on predictable outcomes, control, and brutality.

Reaper remembered Knox’s early text about the meeting: “Oh, and besides. Knox called a meeting tonight. I’m sure he will set everything straight then. Now let’s get to work; we have a lot to do today.”

The men who were present went about their business, and Reaper headed to the office to deal with the mountains of paperwork that Knox had left for him, as he thought this was going to be good. He shook his head and shut the door.

~~Back at the Trailer~~

Knox stepped back into the living room and sat on the couch to put his boots on. While Tessa was brushing her hair in the bathroom.

“You about ready? Meeting is in about an hour.”

“Yeah. About as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m actually a bit nervous. I don’t want to appear as a know-it-all, but I don’t want to be thought of as stupid or useless. It is a fine line to carry.” She said with a nervous laugh as she walked out to meet him;

“Don’t worry about it, you’ve got this; they are just a bunch of overgrown children, and you’re a mother and a very competent counselor. I’m sure you can handle them just fine.” He kissed the top of her head and then said, “Let’s go.”

They walked out to the truck and drove in silence. They arrived about twenty minutes later at a club that was in full meeting mode. The tense look upon everyone’s face was palpable. Tessa took a deep breath and looked at Knox, now in full President mode.

He looked at her and said, “It’ll be fine; I’m here with you,” and he kissed her hand. “Let’s do this.” She only nodded and reached for the handle, but before she could open the door, a prospect was already opening the door for her.

She nodded in thanks and reached out for Knox’s hand; she needed to make the clear statement that she was his, and that was the only way she could think of how. They entered the club hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, a united front for all the club to see.

~~The Meeting~~

Knox and Tess strolled through the meeting room toward the front where Reaper and his ol’lady are waiting. As they sat, the crowd looked on with questioning faces. Reaper banged the gavel as the doors shut, barring entry into the meeting room until the meeting was over.

The meeting hall was lined with wooden tables filled with beer, blood, and cigarette burns embedded in them. Scars of ancient meetings and parties past. The head enforcer Brick crossed his big tattooed arms over his chest, an indication of displeasure.

Knox cleared his throat. “You all have been asked here to be privy to some private information. Since it will affect the club, you have the right to know it. But do not confuse that right with the right to refute my decision; this is a private choice, not a club choice.”

Chase snickered with contempt; he had been around since his father’s reign, and he had a rough way of looking at things. Women in particular, they were tools, nothing more. Knox caught sight of him and glared right back.

“This is Tessa Marlowe; she is now my ol’lady. From this day forth you shall treat her better than you treat me. If anyone disrespects her, you will have me to deal with. She is to be protected above all, and she will also be staying out at the Moss Lake property with me. I will no longer be on site at night.”

Tess whipped her head toward Knox; they hadn’t stated that he was moving in. That was news to her. But then she thought, well, that makes sense, I suppose. He continued.

“The time has come to have more support within our ranks as well, and Tessa has volunteered to use her skills as a drug and alcohol counselor exclusively for the club in this state. She does have other clients in Washington, as you may have heard already. Her resume will be posted on the clubhouse wall. She has an extensive career in this, not some poster child, so treat that respect as well. That is all we are disclosing at this time”

He looked at Tess as he gave her the floor. She stood to address them.

“Hello, all. I am Tess, and I am not here to undermine anything, although I am sure that change will happen; that is inevitable when a change in the power structure happens. However, I am not here to make waves, only to support you all; that is my role as the house mother to all of you, not just his ol’lady. I have a responsibility to each and every one of you, as you do me, and I take that responsibility seriously. I will not falter.”

And just like that, no fancy words, no standing above, or putting the club down. She said what she needed to and nothing else.

...a hush came over the crowd. Someone said in the crowd. “A mother… a club mother… f**k yeah!!!” And they started clapping. This was what the club lacked: a soul, and they all knew it and knew they would have one. One by one, they all started to stand, including Reaper and his ol’lady; in fact, she had the biggest grin on her face that it made Tess blush to look at.

Tess and Knox stayed at the club for a few hours, just hanging out and having a few beers. Knox excused himself to use the restroom before they headed out. Reaper’s ol’lady sat down next to Tess and said,

“Thank god you’re cool! I’ve needed the help for years, and I have twins at home; being here sometimes to support the club is just impossible. And they really need it; these gear-heads get stupid ideas sometimes.” She laughed

“Well, I hope I don’t f**k it up.” Tess laughed with her right as Knox came out of the restroom. Seeing her like that with his second’s ol’lady did something to warm his heart. The glow was something new for him. He walked up to her and said, “My lady, are you ready to go home?”

Tess nodded as she stood and thanked everyone; they quickly left. Knox was grinning like a fool as she asked. “What’s up with you?” He just shook his head and said, “Nothing, your chariot, my dear,” and she rolled her eyes at his foolishness.

The drive was quiet, but as soon as they got out of the car, he swooped her up into his arms and said, “You were amazing in there.” He carried her as if she weighed nothing, and carried her through the door, ducking his head as he entered, all the way to the bedroom. He set her down on her feet and said, “And I’m going to show you just how much I mean that.” his voice dropped to that low, possessive tone that made her pulse quicken.

“Oh yeah. Mr. Cross, show me what you got…”

Adrian carried her through the hallway, kicking the bedroom door open with his boot. The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the rumpled sheets from earlier.

“You want to see what I’ve got?” His voice was rough velvet, each word a promise and a threat. He leaned over her, caging her body with his forearms, his dark blue eyes burning with intensity. His hand moved to her shirt; fingers traced the exposed skin of her collarbone.

“Then hold on, bitch.”

She giggled as she tried to scoot back to the other side of the bed playfully. He stood to remove his pants and hers. Just as he pulled her center towards his face, someone knocked on the door. More like pounded than a normal knock. Adrian went rigid. His body tense to the intrusion, a string of curses hissed through his teeth as he pulled back, leaving Tess suspended between desire and frustration.

“f**k”

He grabbed his pants, yanking them up with sharp, aggressive movement that was undeniably full of understated rage. The knock came again, more insistent this time.

“Stay here,” he warned; his voice was low and lethal. He didn’t bother with his shirt and stormed toward the door. As he pulled it open, he saw a worried Marcus standing there, face carefully attempting to be neutral but failing. Uncomfortable with interrupting whatever was happening in there.

“This better be life or death, prospect.”

Marcus swallowed hard, eyes deliberately fixed on Adrian’s face and not the trailer behind him. “Boss, we’ve got a situation at the north perimeter. Rival scouts spotted two miles out. Reaper needs you at the clubhouse now.”