Mace (Untamed Sons MC: Birmingham Chapter #1)

12. Mace

TWELVE

MACE

I stare up at the ceiling of my shitty apartment, the pillow under my head too soft, but my thoughts are racing.

And all those thoughts are locked on one person.

Maylie Fernsby.

My little doe.

I’ve never had such an immediate connection with anyone in my life before. It’s the only explanation I have for why I’ve spent the past fortnight camped out in a strip club every shift she works. Her attack had nearly pushed me over the edge, and I’d considered firing her then, but she’d go somewhere else, somewhere I can’t keep her close.

That ain’t happening. I want Maylie where I can find her, where I can take care of her.

And now I know she’s looking to dance on stage, there’s no way I’m letting her leave. Another manager would let her strip. They’d be stupid not to. The woman is stunning. With curves in the perfect places, a pretty face, and a smile that spears my chest every time it’s directed at me, she’d make a fortune.

The thought of another man seeing her half-naked sends a barrage of white-hot fury blazing through me.

It’s crazy.

She’s not mine, and yet…

The protective urges I feel towards her are unreal. I want to smother her in bubble wrap and never let her out of my sight.

It’s only because she takes care of you.

I want to believe that is the reason, but there’s more to it than that. For years, I have existed in a state of defensiveness. I did everything in my power to push away people who wanted to get close, because in my experience, that never ended well. And yet, this girl is completely under my skin in such a short time.

As I lie back, I can’t stop her face from dancing in front of mine. There is no doubt she’s fucking beautiful. Every inch of her radiates purity, kindness, and something so innocent that I have no right to dirty her, but I can’t help it. I’m drawn to her, and that ain’t good for either of us.

I need to take the edge off. My whole body is twitchy, filled with pent-up need.

The dance she did for me in the office had almost sent me over the edge. Every part of my body had craved to take her, had wanted to despite knowing it would be a bad idea. I had to wait five minutes before I left the office because my cock was solid behind my zip.

She isn’t a good dancer, not by a long shot. I’ve seen these girls swing around that pole with fluid hips and movements that ooze sex appeal.

Maylie had been awkward, her movements barely what could be classed as sexy, and yet, when her hand had rubbed between her legs, I nearly came in my jeans like a fifteen-year-old boy.

I didn’t lie when I said she’s a wet dream. I wanted more than anything to dip my head and take her mouth, but I can’t.

What the hell trouble is she in that she needs to switch from working the bar to dancing on stage?

There are so many unknowns about this woman that are starting to annoy me.

What the fuck are you doing, Mace?

I shake myself mentally.

This is insanity, and I can’t afford to be distracted by a pretty girl. There is so much shit happening in my club that my focus should be there, but from the moment I laid eyes on her, she has consumed my every thought.

I shove my hand into my boxers to palm my cock, freeing it from the material. I’m already hard, and as I rub my thumb over the tip, my body trembles as pleasure runs through me.

This is going to be over fast. Pre-cum already beads around the slit as I twist my hand up my shaft. Her face dances in my vision, and I wish she was in front of me, my hand wrapped in her hair as I take her from behind.

My balls feel heavy as I keep working my cock. My breath catches in the back of my throat as pleasure stirs deep in my pelvis. I close my eyes and see Maylie’s face as I pick up the rhythm.

Her smile.

That little dimple she has on one side.

The tumble of brown hair when she’s not wearing that stupid wig .

The smoothness of her skin in those tiny shorts.

The way her cheeks pink when I talk to her.

And the heat in her eyes that I know I’m not imagining.

I envision holding her hips as I drive into her sweet cunt.

Her wetness covering my cock as I slide back and forth.

My fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her head back to create that delicious curve in her back.

The softness of her flesh beneath my fingers.

And her moans of pleasure as I spill my cum into her waiting pussy.

Dizziness swamps me as my release spurts over my hand and up my belly. I let out a guttural groan as my balls empty with the final tugs of my shaft, and my head throbs in time with my galloping pulse.

Fuck. Me.

I’m seeing stars.

My breath rasps out of me as I try to drag air into my starved lungs. I’m a piece of shit. I’ve never felt dirtier than I do in this moment. Maylie ain’t the girl you wank over like she’s a cheap whore, but fuck, I’ve never come that hard in my life.

It takes a while for the dark spots to clear from my vision and for my breath to return to normal. When it does, I carefully twist and grab a packet of tissues from the bedside table drawer, wiping myself down so I’m able to stand.

I take a nearly cold shower, hoping it will displace thoughts of Maylie from my mind, but she is still front and centre as I step out the cubicle and wrap a towel around my waist .

As I step back into my bedroom, my phone begins to ring.

Nicky’s name flashes on the screen, so I answer the call.

“Hey, pal. How’s it going?”

“I need you at the clubhouse.” No hello, no small talk, which has all my senses on alert.

Shit has been quiet since our chapter and Manchester took down the Dudley Pioneers, but I can feel things are ramping up again… this time from within our own chapter. Every day, it feels like we’re standing on a knife’s edge, waiting for something to happen.

Nicky will be at the centre of it all. His DNA is sewn into the fabric of the Sons. It’s more than just a club to him—it’s life, and it’s been his life since he was born. Whatever happens, I’ll stand at my best friend’s side. I owe Nicky everything.

Sandwiching the phone between my ear and shoulder, I snag a pair of boxers from the drawer and tug them up.

“What’s going on?”

He blows out a breath. “Sandy is here.”

I settle the waistband in place before straightening my spine. Fuck. There is nothing good that comes from her turning up at the clubhouse, even though I fucking understand why she wants to be there.

Crank has driven a wedge between her and her daughter, but this ain’t the way to get Chloe back, and she knows it.

“I’ll be there in ten.”

“Make it five.” The line goes dead.

Shit . I dress in record speed, throwing on a clean pair of jeans and a shirt before slinging my kutte over the top. Once my boots are in place, I grab my keys and wallet, pocket my phone, and head out to my bike.

I’m pretty sure they can handle Sandy without me being there, but the woman is unpredictable when it comes to her daughter. Not that I blame her—I wouldn’t want Crank slopping over my twenty-year-old kid either.

The ride over feels like it takes an eternity, even though I do it in six minutes. Luckily, although the traffic is busy through the city centre, I’m able to lane split, meaning I miss the worst of it.

By the time I pull into the industrial estate where the clubhouse is located, every part of me is on edge. There are days I wonder if it would just be easier to put a bullet in Crank’s head. I don’t know how Ravage can allow this fucking scumbag to remain leading our chapter.

The only reason Manchester ended up dragged into the shit with the Pioneers, the reason Trick lost his wife, and the reason we buried so many brothers, was because of Crank’s inaction.

If he’d been more proactive, none of that shit would have ever happened.

I park my bike, kicking down the stand, and I remove my helmet as I’m rushing into the clubhouse.

I pass it to one of the prospects on the door, who gives me a look as yelling reaches my ears. Fucking great. This is going to be messy.

Pushing through the doors, I’m not sure anything could have prepared me for what I see.

Sandy is on her knees in the middle of the room, her head bleeding. Nicky is standing in front of her, squaring up to Crank, who is holding a piece of wood in his hand.

Chloe is the one doing the yelling, even though Blade’s strong arms are wrapped around her, holding her tight against his chest. Her thrashing against him is futile, but she keeps attacking as if she can match his huge bulk.

I can’t understand what she’s screaming about, her words are so hysterical, but I’m guessing it might have something to do with her mother bleeding on the floor.

I ignore all the chaos around me, heading straight for Nicky and Crank. My priority will always be my best friend, and as I sidle up next to him, I can tell the moment he realises I’m with him. His shoulders relax a little, his stance growing a little taller. The only brothers in the room are ones we suspect to be loyal to Crank, which makes it seem like Nicky is at a disadvantage.

“What are you gonna do, Nicky?” Crank demands, smirking.

Smug fucker. He knows Nicky is never going to disrespect his status as President, but fuck, I can’t wait for the day we can drag him off the throne he’s built for himself.

“You wanna see what I’m gonna do?”

My best friend’s words are calmly delivered, but the bite of anger in his tone is unmistakable. “What’s going on?” I ask, my eyes bouncing between them.

“What’s going on is that my Sergeant at Arms has forgotten who he’s supposed to be protecting, and it sure as fuck isn’t former club pussy.” He glances around Nicky as he says this, spitting the words in Sandy’s direction.

Fucking asshole.

Sandy might have been a club bunny back in the day, but she was still club, and her kid is potentially the daughter of one of our brothers.

“I ain’t forgotten shit. You have. Clearly states in the bylaws that we don’t hurt women or children. Even if it didn’t, takes a low man to strike a woman,” Nicky says.

Crank’s jaw twitches, his mouth pulling up into a snarl. “Careful, Phoenix. Remember who you’re talking to.”

“Nicky’s right. We don’t attack unarmed women, Crank,” I say.

“She wasn’t unarmed. She came at me with this.” He lifts the piece of wood in his hand, a thick piece of two-by-four.

“So, you clobbered her back with it?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. This prick’s sense of survival is unmatched. He would leave every single brother in this clubhouse to die if it meant saving his own hide.

“I defended myself,” he counters. “And I don’t answer to you, Mace.”

I saw so much violence over the years against the women in my life that I can’t bear it. My mother was always getting knocked around by guys she used for drink and drugs. In foster care, I saw even more violence despite only being in the system for a short time. It shouldn’t have been that way, but sometimes, the system is worse than being out there alone. Sometimes, it’s worse than living with my mother.

“Take your fuckin’ hands off Chloe,” I growl at Blade.

His eyes bounce to Crank, and I grit my teeth. I don’t trust him, and I trust Crank even less. “Okay, but what happens next is on you.”

He releases his hold on her, and Chloe flies at her mother, shrieking like she’s fucking possessed. Sandy barely gets her hands up as the first few blows land.

What the fuck ?

I snag the girl around the waist, tugging her back against my body as her arms and legs flail. Fucking feral bitch.

Nicky scratches his temple, his jaw tight as our eyes meet over Chloe’s.

I did not sign up for this shit. “Calm the fuck down,” I hiss at her, trying in vain to control her outburst. Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t. She just continues to scream and attack me, the air, anything close enough to her.

“Chloe.” Crank’s hard voice seems to penetrate through the fog of rage she’s buried in, and she instantly relaxes in my arms. It’s as if someone turned the power off, and the change in motion makes me stumble.

“The fuck,” I mutter.

Blade gives me a smug glare. “I tried to tell you.”

I pin him with a savage look of my own, clinging to the suddenly motionless woman in my arms.

“Go to the room,” Crank orders.

I’m hesitant to let go of her, but when I do, she doesn’t attack her mother. “Don’t you dare come here again and try to ruin my life. Haven’t you done enough?”

Sandy peers up at her, and I see the hurt in her eyes. “I don’t know what spell he has you under, Chlo, but you’re my daughter, and I’m never giving up on you. I love you.”

Chloe scoffs. “If you loved me, you’d stay away. This is my family, my life. You’re just the bitch who birthed me.” She twists her head to look at me. “Let me go.”

“Are you going to behave yourself?” I ask.

She gives a sharp nod, and hesitantly, I release her, ready to grab her again if she tries to attack her mother. But she does as Crank says, striding towards him and taking his face in her hands before kissing him senseless .

“That’s why I had hold of her,” Blade mutters. “She’s a fuckin’ nut.”

Sandy glances away, pain rippling across her face. But her daughter doesn’t seem to care that she is stabbing a lance into her chest, and Crank is equally unbothered by the fact he is driving a wedge between mother and daughter.

His hands come to her bottom, squeezing the globes of her arse before she steps aside and walks towards her room.

For a moment, the air is charged, the tension growing to suffocating levels. “I don’t know how you’ve convinced my daughter to hate me,” Sandy says, climbing to her feet. I reach out to steady her when she wobbles, but she brushes me away. “But until I get her back, I’m going to make your life a misery.”

“Careful. I might decide you’re a problem, and you are very aware of how this club deals with problems.”

I have to hand it to her. Sandy doesn’t so much as flinch at the threat. “She is not yours to keep.”

“She has Sons’ blood in her veins, Sandy. She is exactly where she belongs.”

“She is half your age and barely an adult. She doesn’t understand how your world works, but I do. I’ve been one of your club girls. You want her now, but when that changes and you freeze her out, you’re going to destroy her. I won’t allow that to happen.”

Crank’s mouth twists into a macabre grin, one I recognise all too well. It’s the look of a man who thinks he’s untouchable.

You’ll have your day, you fucking prick.

“Let me walk you out,” I say to Sandy .

There’s no point arguing with Crank. He’s a fucking narcissist who cares about no one but himself.

Sandy looks as though she wants to rile back, but I gently take her bicep, steering her towards the door.

Diesel is leaning against the wall near it, a booted foot pressed against the plaster, watching, as he always does.

“Thanks for the help,” I mutter at him.

His eyes slide towards me, but that’s the only acknowledgement he gives me as I pass him.

I usher Sandy out of there. Her shoulders remain tight until we’re through the door and out into the parking area. Only then does she let them slump. She lets out a scream of frustration that I feel in my bones. “He can’t have her, Mace. She’s my child, not his whore.”

“What do you want to happen here, Sandy?”

“I want my daughter to come home. I know what he’s like. I know he fucks her in front of the whole club as if she’s trash. I know he uses her for his own pleasure, and I know that in the right mind, my daughter would not want this.”

I feel for her, I truly do, and maybe Chloe is someone we can save in this whole shitty situation, but I doubt it. She doesn’t think she needs saving.

“She ain’t gonna leave him.”

Sandy tears her hand through her hair, wincing as she touches the spot where Crank hit her. Her fingers are tinged with blood when she pulls them away.

“Fuck. He’s an animal, Mace. What’s he doing to my child?”

I get her anguish. None of us like it. “It ain’t smart for you to keep coming here,” I say .

“What do you expect me to do? Leave Chlo in the hands of that man? I can’t do it. I won’t do it.”

I understand that. I wouldn’t leave my kid either. “You got any idea who her daddy is?”

If we can figure that out, Chloe might have more protection.

She blows out a breath. “I’ve already been through this a hundred times. It was nonstop partying back then. The brothers would move from girl to girl without a single care. I’m not proud of my behaviour, but it was a different time, and I was a different person. I’ve slept with all the brothers who were here during that period, multiple times. It could be any of them, and I don’t see a single one consenting to a DNA test, do you?”

She ain’t wrong about that. No brother is ever going to willingly put their DNA on file. It’s too risky. It could link them back to crimes they committed years ago.

Which means there are several people it could be—Grub, King, Diesel, and probably most of the original London members who set up this chapter, including Nicky’s dad.

Even Hawk.

He may have gone to the Manchester chapter, but before that, he was a member of Birmingham. He’d been young when Chlo was born, but around the right age.

“Besides, do you think any one of her potential fathers is going to step up and defend her against Crank?” she questions. “They don’t even want to know if she’s theirs.”

She’s right. Everyone knows Chloe exists and that they could be her parent, and not one of those brothers has decided to do shit about it. I’d want to know if she was mine. There is no way in fuck I would be able to sit by and let my kid make these kinds of fucking monumental errors.

But that ain’t the situation we’re in.

“Chloe’s just lost, Sandy. She’s searching for a sense of belonging. She ain’t ever gonna give that up, and she feels powerful bein’ in Crank’s bed. Maybe it’s time you stopped coming here. Let us handle this.”

She scoffs. “Am I supposed to trust you with my daughter’s life? Because no offence, Mace, but I don’t. I don’t trust this club at all.”

I can’t blame her for that, and she doesn’t even know about the movements behind the scenes. Crank’s days are numbered in this club, and as soon as he falls, Chloe will come back to her.

“I know I’m asking a lot, but I need you to be patient. I’ll get her back to you, trust me on that.”

Her throat bobs as her gaze cuts away from me before pinning me. “I know I’m not exactly winning prizes for mother of the year, but I love my kid. I raised her alone and gave her every piece of me. I’m not going to watch her destroy herself for that fucking bastard. I don’t want to step off, and I don’t want to trust you, but I’m running out of options here, so I’m holding you to that promise, Mace. You get me my daughter back, do you hear me?”

I wish I could tell her that Crank won’t be here forever, but I have to play the game. I have to give loyalty to a man who does not deserve it until Ravage and the other presidents are ready to make their move.

That is becoming increasingly difficult to do. It’s hard to stand in front of a man I can’t stomach and give him my loyalty… or at least pretend to.

Nicky walks out, joining us in the parking area with a prospect. “Reg’ll take you home,” he says to her, and Sandy nods before giving me a pointed look and following the prospect to one of the pool cars.

We watch until they pull out of the compound.

“Fuck,” I mutter. “Crank’s lucky Sandy hasn’t put a fucking bullet in his brain. She’s getting desperate, Nicky, and I can’t say I blame her. It ain’t easy to watch that fucker paw all over your only kid.”

“We got bigger fucking problems than Chloe and Crank.” My ears prick up at that even as my stomach becomes heavy. “Smaller gangs are moving into the city, plugging those holes left behind by Richardson’s crew. They see the club as a soft touch. Crank needs to get a grip of our territory and the Pioneer assets we seized before shit gets ropey.”

Fuck. We only just got out of one war without starting another. I’m done fucking fighting, and the longer we are taking on external forces, the less chance we have of unseating Crank.

“Does he know?”

“What do you think?”

Of course, he fucking knows. He knows, and he doesn’t give a shit, which is the worst part of all this. Crank is a coward. To lead a chapter, you have to be willing to do things others wouldn’t.

“Does Rav know?” I ask.

Ravage has zero love for Crank. He sees him exactly for what he is—a liability, a weak link in the chain. For us to be solid as a club, every chapter has a part to play.

“Yeah, I let him know.”

I see the unease that ripples across my best friend’s face. Nicky is one of the most loyal men I have ever met, and I know standing against Crank like this will affect him.

But if the club is at risk, I don’t know that either me or Nicky will be able to stand by and do nothing. Not this time. We made that mistake already, and unlike others, I fucking learned from my past.

“You know, whatever happens, I have your back, right?” I ask him. “You and me, we stick together. Nate too. The others… I ain’t sure who’s on our side, but I don’t reckon half the brothers in that building support the shit Crank is doing.”

“Neither do I, but one wrong move here, Mace, and we end up dead. We’ve got to tread carefully.”

That, I completely agree with.

Crank may be useless, but he still has support.