The Bad Boy's Biggest Mistake(5)

She nodded at a few of the locals then made her way toward Stefan Jackson’s home. The house was large, one of the largest in Law Castle. His home needed to be large as he held a lot of parties, and several of the Law Castle Bad Boys stayed over at night. She was like his housekeeper-cum-cleaner and assistant.

Opening the gate she bolted either end into the ground. If anyone turned up they could drive or walk straight to the front door. Stefan liked his home open. He loved Law Castle and his gang of sorts.

Stefan was talking with his sister, Chloe, as she made her way inside the house. They stopped talking to look at her.

“Hi, Vicki,” Chloe said. The pity in the other woman’s voice saddened her. She didn’t want pity or any other kind of emotion. No amount of pity would bring her baby back.

“Morning,” Vicki said. She placed her bag next to the coat hanging on the wall. Stefan promised nothing would happen to her stuff when she was with him.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Stefan said, dismissing his sister.

Noah and Drew walked down the stairs with Cheryl. The three were in a relationship together. Both men doted on Cheryl, and in Law Castle they accepted the relationship. What happened in Law Castle stayed in Law Castle, apparently. No one judged the other, and apart from the shoot-out last year everything was always peaceful and calm. For the most part Vicki couldn’t complain. She loved Law Castle, and leaving the town would hurt, but she needed to protect her heart.

They nodded in her direction and then left. Zoe was coming around to have a girly night with her. The older woman still worked at The Dugout. Tonight Zoe was spending the evening with her even though her three men didn’t like Zoe being out of their sight.

In no time at all she was alone with Stefan. The other man stared at her. His arms were covered in tattoos. From the prints on his arms Vicki was reminded of the tattoos decorating Tristan’s arms.

“What do you need from me?” Vicki asked.

“I had a party last night. Several of the guys are still sleeping.”

“When they wake up I’ll change the sheets.” She usually went around with a rubber glove on in case of any used condoms.

Stefan moved closer until she was trapped between his body and the wall. “I know what you do, Vicki. How can working for me picking up used condoms and spending time in this place be any better than The Dugout?” Stefan asked.

She liked Stefan. He was huge, but she’d seen kindness inside him. When it came to his sister he was very protective. Vicki liked his protectiveness, and it also made it hard for her to lie to him about her thoughts. Also, he was good friends with her father as they were in the same club.

“I lost my baby at The Dugout, Stefan. You know this.”

“It’s not the only reason. I know you’re a strong woman. What else makes you work for me?” he asked.

He rubbed her arms, and tears filled her eyes.

“When I’m here Tristan won’t come here. He doesn’t like you, and I need the peace I get here,” she said.

Anger flashed across his face to be instantly replaced by sympathy. Stefan pulled her into his arms. “Baby, this place is open for you whenever you need it,” he said.

She wrapped her arms around him and wished she felt something more than brotherly love for him. Stefan was like a big brother to her even though they were not related.

“You’re a special woman, Vicki. Tristan is an asshole for not seeing it.”

No one knew about his marital status. She’d slept with him and hadn’t known he was taken. Tristan would never be hers. He was taken by another woman. A woman she’d never met and didn’t ever want to.

“Thank you, Stefan. It means a lot.”

He dropped a kiss to her head and then moved away. “You’re like a sister to me. I don’t like to see you hurt.”

Nodding, Vicki made her way upstairs. The first room she came to was immaculate. There was no mess, and she knew Cheryl was responsible for this room. She walked into the room, opened the window, and gathered up the washing left in the laundry basket.

She worked her way through the house while also taking phone calls for Stefan, who’d popped out for the day.

Several of the club members greeted her in passing. She ignored them, but when she walked into the game room she could no longer ignore their raw masculinity as their conversation played around her. Letting out a sigh, she emptied the bins and moved around the room. They paid attention to her, smacking her ass as she passed. She didn’t hate it. All of her life she’d grown up with it. They didn’t mean anything bad by their attention. They were men who were used to getting what they wanted. Tristan was more like them than he liked to admit.