Page 115 of Property of Rattler

Before Pippa can continue, I get in first. “I want you to stay, Ames. I want this marriage to be real. I want you as my ol’ lady.” If I was able I’d go down on one knee and propose, even though given our status that’s unnecessary. But immobile, grand gestures are beyond me, and I just have to keep to words. I use the strongest ones I have in my arsenal. “I love you, Ames.”

A chorus of awws go around the table.

She swallows. Her voice sounds shaky when she starts, but soon firms up. “I know you’ll all think me crazy, but,” she smiles toward me, “I love Rattler, and I want to make my life with him.” She squeezes my hand.

“Right then, Ames is officially Rat’s,” Prez announces as I pull Ames closer and give her a kiss. “Pippa, when the lovebirds are ready, I suggest you begin.”

“Hold on,” Ames asks, “Do I have to sign a non-disclosure agreement?” She pauses, then adds, with a quirk to her mouth, “Maybe in blood?”

Pippa snorts, “You’re one of us now.” She shifts position on the VP’s lap, and I can see his grimace. From the way she’s sitting, she’s right on top of his cock. I suspect he’s got ideas for a better use of his time. “Okay, so here it is.” Pippa draws a deep breath in. “I was a Secret Service agent. I got in a bad spot, was blamed for something that wasn’t my fault. I was run off the road and almost killed.” She pauses only to glance behind her, and gets a nod from Saint. “Saint rescued me, which was right out of character.” She pauses for the chuckles and laughter, and only continues when it dies down. “Not only did he bring me here, but the club swung into action and made it appear as if I was dead.”

Ames frowns. “That’s not so easy…”

Pippa interrupts. “No it was not. Words happened to have a Jane Doe in a freezer at the funeral home. Genie…” I notice she doesn’t mention Ace’s part in it. “Altered my government dental records and DNA so it matched the body Words had. I was declared dead. I was free, able to live my life as I want to.” She presses her lips together. “It’s been, what, ten months now?” She glances behind her to Saint who nods to show he agrees with her calculation. “I’m still cautious about going out in case I’m recognised, I don’t want rumours about a dead woman walking. But that was down to my death being publicised. And in case you are wondering, I wouldn’t ever go back to my old life. I’ve got Saint, I work with the Kings, and to top it all off, I’ve got Jade.”

“We,” Saint corrects with a smile. “We’ve got Jade.”

“I’ll remind you of that next time she’s filled her diaper.” Pippa’s comment in an over-sweet tone makes us all chuckle. Even Ames smiles. She gets back on track. “You might wonder why I’m telling you this, but your brother made an offer to the Bratva which was accepted. They want to honour that. They want to get their hands on your inheritance by way of marrying you off to one of them. Probably Volkov if he’s come back into the fold, maybe someone else.”

Ames jaw drops. “What the…”

Prez holds up his hand to quiet her. “The thing is, they want you for your money.” Pressing his fingers into his temples, he lets her know the implications. “The Russians don’t know your’re married to Rat, but if they find out, the solution would be simple. Rat would just be someone to be got out of the way.”

Ames flinches, her hand has hold of mine in a death grip, and her voice is hoarse. “He’ll come after Flynn to get to me.” Then, to my surprise, slowly she starts to relax. Sitting up straighter, she speaks in a more normal tone. “You wouldn’t have gone through with the vote to make me an old lady if you were going to throw either me or Flynn to the wolves. You’ve got a plan. I want to hear it.”

Prez jerks his head toward Words, who clears his throat loudly, then sits forward. “The thing is, Ames, I’ve got a body on ice…”

“Satin,” she breathes out, showing she’s certainly not slow on the uptake.

“Yeah,” Words picks it up again. “Satin, who’s not unlike you in colouring.”

“She’s got bigger tits,” Ames points out. Then her jaw drops and her eyes open wide. For a moment, her eyes land on Pippa, and obviously realises the VP’s old lady’s story had relevance to her own situation. “You’re suggesting that you’re going to make it look as if I died instead of her?” She stops talking and looks around. Everyone, including me, is anxiously looking her way. I don’t think any of us expect her to slap her hand on the table and announce, “That’s fucking genius.” She even adds a strangled laugh. “Satin always said she was protecting me, then she turned and betrayed me. It’s poetic if in death she does what she couldn’t in life.”

It seems like everyone’s taking a sharp intake of breath, and letting it out as a sigh of relief.

Then Ames grimaces. “If I’m dead, then Flynn gets my money. Won’t that paint a target on him?” She turns and gives me a look full of concern.

“I’ll, hopefully, get the insurance money from the policy Pippa concocted for your brother. If the Bratva insist on you paying his debt, we’ll have that in our back pocket,” I tell her. “As for your inheritance, Ames, I got no use for that kind of money. I make a decent living here at the club. Of course, I’d like to renovate my house or we can build one here on the compound instead. What I’m saying is, whether or not it’s got my name on it, the money’s always going to be yours to do with what you want.”

“Except for the club’s cut,” Stalker butts in with a wink.

“Babe…” I wait for her to face me. “I don’t think you’d have the same problems as Pippa. The Russians have never met you, and all Volkov had was a picture. You could dye your hair, that’s probably enough to throw him off. If he gets the money, he’s got no reason to come looking for you. And you could do what you want, you could even enroll for your studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson.” I raise my eyebrow at Saint’s old lady, fully convinced now she can work fucking miracles.

And she doesn’t disappoint me as Pippa again leans forward. “Easy peasy to concoct a whole new identity for you. You tell me the credits you got, and your new persona will have them too.”

Ames’s eyes widen at Pippa’s confidence in her abilities. I squeeze her hand. “Pippa can do that,” I confirm.

“I’m not sure if I want to go back to my studies,” she says, thoughtfully. “I mean, I saw my future in helping law enforcement solve crimes. But how would that jell if I was here at the club? I could be working to take the club down.”

“She could be our cleaner! Bitches can be useful at times.” Lancelot chooses that moment to make his first contribution at church.

I start laughing, and once I begin, I can’t stop. I swallow my own saliva and begin to choke, Ames helpfully slapping my back. When I can control myself, I see everyone’s looking my way. I let them in on the joke. “Sounds like me when I first found my feet.”

“Fuck, we’ve redeemed one asshole, now we’ve got another?” Tempest shakes his head.

Lancelot holds up his hands, giving a puzzled,what the fuck have I saidlook.

Prez lets his fist hit the table. “What you do with your life doesn’t need to be decided right now. Go to college, or don’t, that’s between you and Rat. Working with law enforcement could be a conflict for the club, but it could have its good points. It’s something to discuss. The real question is, are you ready to be dead? To take on a new identity and leave Ames Stone behind.”