The President's Wife (Snakes Henchmen MC 0.5)

Doesn’t change the fact I’m angry he went behind my back!

“You motherfuckin’ son-of-a-bitch!” My forearm is against his throat, cutting off the oxygen supply to his lungs. Every one of my men is silent, no one will question me, every one of them watches, confused.

I’m scaring the kids. I know I am, and some of the women, but I won’t stop now. Bastard should think himself lucky that there are kids here. I won’t kill him in front of them.

“I warned you what would happen. Didn’t I?!” His nods, eyes wide. I’ve seen this man kill with a fury that could bring down a mountain, a man just five years older than my son. A man no one should cross. Right now, he looks scared, and that's just how it fuckin’ should be.

“Please, Number two, please!” The fact Coral is crying so damn hard is bringing back terrible fuckin’ memories. Memories of the day she walked into my clubhouse looking for me. The day my half-brother raped her.

Eight and a half years ago

It had been an unusually hot day, nothing much going on with the club. My dad had organized a hog roast for later that day. All the kids were out back with some of the old ladies, swimming in the huge pool Apollo had built out there. It was more a hot tub that he didn’t turn on unless it was just us guys and the club whores.

Apollo would do anything to keep the kids cool in the blistering heat. He made sure the thing was always cleaned out and refilled for times like this.

Everyone had taken themselves out back to enjoy the day, to eat and drink, to listen to music, and to just have fun.

I was playing pool with Titus, and BlackJack inside the club. All the windows were open so the breeze could wash inside the place, not that there was much. Titus was winning the game, much like he always did. I swore the guy was a fuckin’ cheat. We should have been out back with everyone else, the inside of the clubhouse was empty. We’d got prospects operating the gate out front because we never slacked on security. However, the three of us were settling a bet we’d made.

BlackJack bet Titus and me that he’d beat us back to the clubhouse after we’d finished making our collection rounds. We bet him he couldn’t. He did, he won. Titus set up a game of pool, not wanting to hand over fifty bucks to Jack for beating us back here. Double or nothing is what he said.

The trouble is, double or nothing to Titus meant he’d win and both BlackJack and I would have to fork over fifty bucks each. However, it was all in the name of fun, just a typical thing with the three of us.

‘What's that?’ BlackJack seemed to notice something the rest of us didn’t. I was too busy taking my shot, while Titus was busy baiting me over said shot.

‘Veep!’ My head shot up. Roman was rushing toward me. Roman, BlackJack’s teenage nephew, a prospect with the club, soon-to-be-patched in, he was that good.

‘What is it? You look like you’ve got a rocket up your ass, boy.’

‘Sorry, it’s just…’

‘Shepard!’ What the fuck was she doing here? She knew not to come here.

Little Coral was running toward me. My pool cue hit the ground just in time for me to catch her. She was bloodied up, beaten, bruised, her clothes were torn across her body. ‘What the hell happened?’

‘He hurt me. He hurt me!’ She was mumbling against my chest, holding onto me tightly.

‘Who hurt you, princess?’ She shook her head against me. I couldn’t get her to look at me. I looked at my brothers, and each one knew without me asking what had happened.

I crouched down on my haunches and took her bruised and battered face in my hands. All I could think was, who the fuck could’ve done this to her, she was twelve-years-old! ‘Coral, could you tell me what happened? Tell me, sweetheart. Tell me, and I can make it all better.’

Tears streamed down her face, she wouldn’t look anywhere but at me. ‘He made me do it. I didn’t want to. I wanted him to stop!’

It tore me the fuck up to see her like that, so scared, so hurt. ‘What did he do, Sunflower?

Coral leaned into me and whispered, “He...” She swallowed so hard I felt it in my chest. ‘He... Raped me,’ My fucking heart sank to my feet. There are no words to describe the pain inside of me at that moment. She wasn’t even my child, but I felt it as though she was. ‘Help me.’ She sobbed quietly. Her pleas alone gave away just how much pain she was in, mentally and physically.

I got to my feet and lifted her into my arms. Probably a dumb thing to do when she’d need to be checked for DNA, but she was clinging to me, and I wasn’t going to let her down. “Get my dad and the others in here now. Call church. Blackjack, come with me, I’m taking her to the hospital. I’ll be back as soon as her parents arrive.”

‘Don’t leave me.’ She whispered in my ear. I held the back of her head against my shoulder, all the time trying to be a fuckin’ man and not cry. I challenge any man not to shed a tear in that situation. I fucking cried that night, alone in my room for that little girl. I cried like a damn baby.

‘Go, Veep, we’ll sort everything.’ I nodded at Roman. He was a good kid, even then.

‘We’ll find who did this, Shepard.’ Another nod at Titus, and we left.

I drove Coral to the hospital in the clubs truck, she shivered and cried in pain the whole way, blood dripping on the seat where she sat, and I knew she’d been badly hurt. I just didn’t know to what extent right then.

The police were called, but we all knew there was nothing they could do, they’d never find who did this because Coral would never give up his identity. We all knew that without asking her.

I will never forget the hell she went through at that hospital. All the prodding and poking, all the questions, everything she went through after that day, and the promise I made to her. ‘I will never let anybody hurt you like that again, Sunflower. Never again.’ And I fuckin’ meant it.

Present Day.

Please! I love him!” She loves him. She really does, I can see it in her eyes. Jesus Fuck! But doesn’t she deserve some love after everything she’s suffered?

“And you?! Do you love her? You dare fuckin’ tell me yes if you don’t mean it, boy, because I will fuckin’ kill you!” I let go of him enough for him to speak the truth.

He rubs his neck for a second, then tells me, “I love her, Prez. I didn’t mean to fall for her, dammit, but I did. You have no idea how hard I tried to stay away from her.” Not fuckin’ hard enough!

“I know why you’re so protective of her, she told me.” My eyes shoot to Coral. She told him? For her to have done that, she must really trust him. “I would never hurt her or let anybody hurt her like that. I swear to you, Prez. If you wanna beat the shit out of me, then go ahead, but you won’t beat what I feel for her out of me.”

“She worth losin’ you place with the club for?” That’s cunty of me to ask, but I want to know where he stands. You have no fucking idea how many men pick the club over the woman they love. As much as there’s no way out for any man who gives his life to this club, a real man will always pick his woman.

“She’s worth losing everything for, Prez, the club, my very life. This club is my family, my life. I have been nothing but loyal to each and every brother in this club,” True. He’s a good man, but I have to know that should I allow him to claim Coral, that she’ll be safe, that he’ll protect her, and treat her right. “If you tell me there’s no way you’ll let us be together, then you’ll have to kill me, because I won’t walk away from her, Prez. I can’t. Just as much as you can’t walk away from Lynette.” Son-of-a-bitch, using my wife against me!

“I love you, Number two,” I look at the pretty girl who once came running to me in tears because the big bad wolf had hurt her. She’s still there, looking at me with big pleading eyes. “Please don’t hurt me like this. I love him. I never thought I could love any man like this. Not after everything that happened to me, but I do love him, he’s so good to me, and I trust him with my life, my heart. Please?”

I look from Coral to Stryker. They’re looking at

each other, and I see the love in their eyes. Who the fuck am I to stand in the way of love? Fuck, I must be getting old, but I can’t hurt her like this. She of all people deserves to be happy, and if Stryker makes her happy, then that’s good enough for me. “You hurt her once, and I’ll personally cut your balls off.”

“I won’t, Prez, you have my word.”

Screeching is what I hear right now. Little arms around my neck. Coral. Beautiful Coral. “I love you, Number two. You will never know how much.”

“I love you, too, Sunflower.”

“Daddy!”

I practically drop Coral to the ground in shock. I’ve never heard Max scream like that in my life! He’s hysterical, crying, can’t catch his breath.

I rush over to him. He’s in Jett’s arms. Jett is trying to get him to tell him what’s wrong. His arms are out towards me, and I take him, holding him close. “Maxy, where are you hurt?” That’s the only thing I can think about, that he’s fallen and hurt himself. He’s a clumsy kid sometimes.

“Mamma! A man took Mamma!” My heart just froze. I push Max onto Taylor, I think it’s Taylor, and run to the front of the house. Lynette has to be here, no one took her, Max just got carried away. Lynette will be right outside.

Only she's not.

Chapter Sixteen