Valen (Henchmen MC Next Generation 6)

Lost on one hand.

Hope on the other.

Lost hope.

Interesting coming from a guy eating a child’s treat first thing in the morning.

“And you, pretty lady, are the first gorgeous woman to walk in this club who isn’t someone’s girlfriend or a princess since I’ve been here,” he told me. “Which means you aren’t off-limits,” he added.

“Except I am a prospect,” I reminded him.

“I mean, they might call it a gross abuse of my authoritative power, but it isn’t strictly forbidden. Being that all former prospects have been dudes,” he added.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, reaching into the box to snag a donut hole because, well, I’d had a shitty night of sleep and therefore was craving crap. “So, where is everyone?” I asked as I dropped down on the couch.

“Hm. Well, half the guys are asleep. The others are likely with their chicks or at the gym. The latter meaning your fellow prospects.”

“Lo’s gym?” I asked.

“Nah.”

“The Mallick gym?” I asked, tensing. “Shane Mallick’s gym?” I added.

Jase’s dad.

You know… the guy I’d left to get with Valen.

He was allowed in that place?

The Jase I’d once known was the kind of guy to hold a grudge. He was perfectly suited to follow in the footsteps of his father and join the family business.

It was that cocky, fearless attitude that had him asking me out in the first place. He was the only guy in town brave enough to show up at my father’s doorstep.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Voss is there on the regular. Valen tags along sometimes. Me too,” he added, patting his stomach. “Zaddy is gonna get me a six-pack.”

“Zaddy?” I asked, brows pinching. “Is that somebody’s road name?”

“No. But it should be. Older guy. Silver fox. You saw him here last night. That’s Zaddy. Cary. Don’t go drooling all over him. Seems like he’s about to be taken.”

“Noted. Though I don’t plan on fucking anyone here,” I informed him.

“Christ,” another voice joined us, and I turned to see Fallon coming into the common room, still pulling a shirt on. “It’s too early to walk in on a conversation about you fucking anyone here, Lu.”

“I was saying I don’t plan on doing it, if that makes it any better,” I told him.

“It’s true, boss man,” Dezi confirmed. “I offered her all of this,” he said, waving a hand down at his body. “And she turned me down.”

“Imagine that,” Fallon said, smirking. “How are you settling in?” he asked, looking at me.

“Did you ask Valen and Voss that?” I shot back, making it clear I didn’t want special treatment.

“He probably did,” a female voice said, coming out behind him, wearing nothing but what looked like one of Fallon’s shirts. “He’s a decent guy like that,” she added, shooting him a disgusted look that he rewarded by slapping her ass so hard she jumped forward a step.

“This is Danny. She’s my pain in the ass.”

“I know, I’m a lucky lucky woman. I get to keep all this charm for myself,” Danny drawled, getting a chuckle out of Fallon. “You don’t need to worry about him giving you special treatment though,” she added, giving me a look that she said she understood why I’d been worried about it.

A woman who’d clearly found herself in some sort of male-dominated world at some point, and had to fight to prove herself.

“Danny here was the president of a rival MC to ours,” Dezi informed me. “Had Daddy Reign kidnapped once,” he added.

“So I get it,” Danny said, nodding at me. “You’ll get fair treatment here. No more or less than the guys. If for no other reason than that Brooks is a fucking stickler for shit being fair,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“I got that vibe from him,” I agreed, recalling his thoughts on legacies not pulling their weight. “Any idea where I can find him? I’m going to need an assignment,” I reminded them.

“You’re asking for work?” Fallon asked, snorting at me. “Rookie move, Lu. Rookie move.”

With that, he and his woman moved off into the kitchen to, presumably, grab some coffee.

“Do you cook?” Dezi asked when we were once again alone.

“I mean… it probably wouldn’t be the best thing you’ve ever eaten, but yeah, I know some cooking basics.” Even though I hadn’t had much experience using those skills in years.

“And you said you were looking for something to do?” he went on, a light in his eyes.

“Aren’t your donut holes enough?”

“You’d think… but no,” he said, smirking at me.

“Fine. But you don’t get to choose what you’re getting,” I told him, getting up off the couch and going into the kitchen as Fallon and Danny made their way out.

The next several hours involved cooking breakfast not only for Dezi, but the rest of the club—sans Valen and Voss who had yet to reappear—and then cleaning up after cooking. As well as giving the whole kitchen a hard scrubbing for good measure.