and I could rebuild it like a champ.
Ma must have heard Sting’s rumble because she ran out of the house with a broad smile across her beautiful face. As she embraced me, I felt whole.
Harlow, the Princess. Fuck me. I’ve heard about her since I became a Prospect two years ago. She was all any of the brothers could think about for the longest time. They were sick to death that she had to spend time in the joint. There was nothing the lawyer could do. The bitch involved really used her head and had an air-tight case against Princess, claiming she was blackmailing the mayor because he came to the studio, threatening to tell the town. Like she’d fucking say a word about shit like that. I’ve known her for a few hours and can see the way she was with the guys. She’d do anything for them… and them for her.
Pops and G.T. were beside themselves those first few months she was in lockdown. They were chomping at the bit, to find out if she was okay. I was just a Prospect at the time and wasn’t privileged to know everything, at first. I just watched, and you’d be amazed at what one could see.
I know life in the joint was rough, and when you have a MC like Ravage at your back, shit gets a little more difficult. All it took was one disgruntled woman who’s pissed we offed her man to make Princess’s life a living hell.
Diamond and Pops pulled some serious strings and mega cash to make sure she was safe inside. She doesn’t know what they had to do fully, but I knew they’d do it again in a heartbeat. Looking at her hugging her mom, I could totally see why.
She was everything I never knew I wanted in a woman. She was strong, fierce, smart-assed, loving. And I got all that in the course of a couple hours. When the hell did I turn into a fucking pussy?
“I’ll hang out on the porch.” I was here to guard and protect. That’s exactly, what I planned on doing.
“You want a beer?” Ma asked. We all called her Ma. She was the official mother of the club. She doesn’t take shit and tells people like it is, but she knows her place in the club and we respect her for that. Her daughter has learned a lot from her. I could tell, by the way, she was with Diamond.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Damn you, Cruz. Don’t call me that. Makes me feel old.” She smiled. She was anything but old. She was blonde, with long legs, and had a hot body. At forty-three, she was smokin’. It was no wonder Pops never strayed.
“Sorry,” Respect. It’s all about respect, and it ran both ways. I had the utmost for Ma. She grabbed me a beer, and I made myself comfortable in the chair. It was unbelievably peaceful out here. Not too many cars drove by, and those that did, knew who lived here and that it was off limits. Everyone knew in this town that we were not to be fucked with.
The Ravage MC has been in order since 1953, thanks to Pops’s dad, Striker. Striker was the president and had a real knack for business. He began branching out and taking on new chapters right away. Now, we have a strong name and presence with many other chapters across the country. People don’t mess with us. We kill first and think about it later. If you’re a threat, you were treated as such. Our threats became more numerous as others wanted what we had. Money. It all boiled down to money. But for the most part, we all stayed to ourselves.
Our runs were becoming longer, and more frequent. But the cash flow was nice, keeping us all very comfortable. We always made sure to do our charitable runs, too. We love our community and protect it with everything we have. That’s why most people who live here leave us be and stay out of our business. They get our protection and their happy lives, and we get ours. Win… win.
For me, getting into the club was my lifeline. After spending too much time overseas in a shithole fighting for this country, I came back to a very sick mom who only lasted about a month. Breast cancer. It spread like wild fire, and