Straight Up Badass: Reapers MC: Nomads, #1

NOTE TO READERS

Straight Up Badass is the first book in the Reapers MC: Nomads series. This story takes place after the Ellsberg, Conroe, Shasta, and Pema books.

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The Road to Nomads

There was once a great man who founded a motorcycle club, the Reapers, and built up a town, Ellsberg, for his young bride (Sunday Morning).

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One of the club members was an enforcer named Vaughn Majors (Damaged and the Outlaw). Years ago, he saved a young woman named Harlow who then fell in love with an assassin called Saint (Damaged and the Saint).

Vaughn’s three youngest children refer to themselves as the Bliss Triad. Cavalry is their leader. For a decade, he’s been in love with Nadine Ramsey. When the daughter of Harlow and Saint (Rafael) returns to Ellsberg, Cavalry sees his chance to claim her heart.

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This is Cavalry’s story.

CHARACTER LIST

TO AVOID SPOILERS, THIS LIST ONLY INCLUDES CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS BOOKS

(Beast) Cooper Johansson – Reapers club president, oldest son of Kirk Johansson (Reapers MC founder), wife: Farah, children: Lily, Miranda (MJ), Colton, Audrey

(Outlaw) Vaughn Majors – Ellsberg chapter enforcer, wife: Raven, children: River, Savannah, Avery, Maverick, Nevaeh, Cavalry, Denver, Sylvie

(Saint) Rafael Ramsey – owner of Ramsey Security, wife: Harlow, children: Xavier, Nadine, Quentin

Winnie Todds Campbell – sister: Harlow, husband: Dylan, children: Shelby, Shane

Toni and Tad Todds – Harlow’s parents

Rae Morel – caretaker at Jodi Johansson’s property, daughter: Kori, best friend: Stella Shields (Promise Me Heaven)

Jace Todds — Reapers’ member, wife: Sawyer Johansson, parents: Toni and Tad Todds, siblings: Harlow, Winnie, and Beckett

Beckett Todds – Reapers’ member/preacher, parents: Toni and Tad Todds, siblings: Harlow, Winnie, Jace

THE CHAPTER WHERE THE STORY BEGINS

NADINE RAMSEY, AKA THE AMAZON

They call me the Amazon. I’m a fierce, curvy warrior. I look like I ought to be a guy’s trophy bitch, not his security escort. But that’s my gimmick.

In the right outfit, I scream bimbo. I can play a guy’s paid whore or a chick’s ditzy gal pal. Few people pay me any attention except to admire my round ass and ample tits. I’m the threat standing in plain sight.

For six years, I worked on field assignments organized by my father’s business, Ramsey Security. My last job was for a painfully stupid woman named Franja Seim. Her slimy husband liked to scam scary people. Sometimes, those offended assholes wanted payback, but old Stig was always dripping in armed escorts. So, the assassins came looking to pick on harmless, moronic Franja.

Stig initially hired me to follow him around. However, once he realized my employment description didn’t include blowjobs, he pitched me in the direction of his much younger wife.

For nearly a year, I followed Franja around the globe. We were in Morocco when I took a bullet for her. I healed up in Malta while she basked in the sun and asked me for the billionth fucking time if I thought Stig missed her.

Of course, I lied. We weren’t friends. All my life, I’ve viewed only a few people as more than an acquaintance.

My time with Franja ended after I drank too many rum cocktails while finishing up my antibiotic for the gunshot. I ended up grinding genitals with the recently hired temporary security guy—a sexy, humorless man named Duarte. A month later, I realized his condom promises were bullshit.

Duarte treated me like a thing. Often, he aggressively moved me aside when he felt Franja was in danger. I endured his crap, thinking his position was temporary until I got healed up. Yet, after the positive pregnancy test, I knew this man could enter my life and refuse to leave it. Duarte might realize I was carrying a kid created by our one-night stand. Many men would be relieved by my disinterest, but I sensed he would demand control of the baby and me.

I imagined him aggressively grabbing my child or yelling insults when the boy made a mistake. Though my father isn’t a soft man, he loves fiercely. Duarte was full of resentments, biases, and rage.

One day, as we walked along a cliff far from prying eyes, he tried to make me give him another round. A blowjob would suffice, he claimed. Right then, I saw the man with his barely contained violence through the eyes of our future child.

Pushing Duarte off that cliff was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.

Quitting my job with Franja wasn’t as simple. I liked her lifestyle, and I knew where I stood with her.

Except, no matter how stupid and annoying she could be, Franja deserved a security detail willing to take a bullet for her. Months earlier, I’d been that person.

Now, I had a child to protect. Hell, I was more likely to use Franja as a human shield to defend my baby than to take a bullet for her. Knowing my limitations, I gave her my exit date and helped her hire new security. She cried the day I left, calling me one of her dearest friends. I nearly teared up when I realized she was the best gal pal I’d had in years, and I could barely tolerate her.

My life desperately needed a change, and this baby offered me a chance to grow.

That’s why I didn’t return to my hometown, where I’d fall into old habits.

Instead, I spent the first part of my pregnancy on vacation. First, I traveled to Hong Kong and spent time with my older brother, Xavier. During his days off from his security job, we traveled to Vietnam and Singapore. He and I hadn’t bonded so much since we attended college in New York City.

But Xavier was often busy, and my presence put a damper on his love life.

So, I joined my younger brother, Quentin, in Argentina. We ate fabulously, explored, and talked in a way we never did before. For the first time, I viewed him as a man rather than my kid brother.

During his vacation time, Quentin and I took a trip to Quebec. While there, I visited an OB for a regular checkup. I learned I was suffering from high blood pressure. Weeks later, even with a less decadent diet, the doctor in Buenos Aires warned I needed to be on bed rest.

You know what that means, Quentin said cryptically.

Well, not necessarily. I could get a place here and hire someone to baby me.

Why pay for a service Mom will gladly do for free?

Though Quentin had a point, he also understood how going home wasn’t an easy choice. The strong relationship I shared with my parents got muddled when I was nine years old. We aren’t estranged, of course. I join them on their yearly summer trips back to Mom’s hometown. But the idea of being trapped in their house for months felt like a punishment. On the other hand, I couldn’t risk my health or my son’s.

My very reasonable plan was to rent an apartment near my parents’ super secure home. All my prep work fell apart as soon as I arrived in Houston to my doting parents. By the time they suggested I stay with them, I’d fallen deeply in love with the idea of family time.

For four months, we were in our honeymoon phase. Mom and Dad revolved their lives around my needs. We spent our evenings together, watching old movies. Mom cooked my favorite foods in the healthiest ways possible. All day, every day, we were at our best.

But all good things must come to an end.

Remaining in Houston was never an option. I hate the Nadine I am in this place. I can’t breathe right when I’m here, and I need to be my best for Emilio.

Though his father might have been a violent train wreck, and his mom can go bonkers on occasion, my son deserves a great life. I hope to give him one in a beach town called Arcadia.

After a few months in denial, my father finally accepted I wouldn’t settle down in Houston. Soon, Rafael located me a plum job providing security for a well-behaved crime boss. The relatively safe position offers plenty of perks in a swanky locale.

Ronan Byrne met with me at an airport restaurant during his stopover in Houston. The businessman’s attempt to seem warm and relatable was a con. Men like him didn’t get to where they were by being anyone’s buddy. The tall, dark-haired hottie would likely be a jerk boss, but I couldn’t deny the job came with too many perks to dismiss out of hand.

Ronan claimed his current security manager was taking her sweet time walking away from the long-time position.

There’s zero hurry for you to move to Arcadia, he said in a hint of an Irish accent held over from his youth abroad. If you need weeks or even months, I won’t be put out.

To be frank, I’m surprised my predecessor is also a woman.

I prefer them, to be honest, he said, wiping imaginary lint from his pristine black slacks. My most trusted advisors are women.

I couldn’t help wondering if my position came with sexual expectations. Byrne wouldn’t be the first man to make assumptions regarding a female security operative.

However, Ronan and I lacked chemistry. Though my heart has only beaten faster for a single man, I’m well-versed in lust. Even when thousands of miles exist between us, I can flush blazing hot simply by thinking of Cavalry Majors.

In contrast, I felt nothing for the handsome crime boss.

Possibly sensing my wariness or even intimidated by the disinterested bitch stare I perfected years ago, Byrne added, My mother is an honest-to-goodness saint, while your father is called Saint. Seems as if we’re a fated match.

And there it was. The real reason why I was offered this plum job. Not my exotic looks or stellar resume. No, Ronan Byrne wasn’t hiring Nadine as much as Saint’s daughter.

I should have been offended. But my father knew what he was doing by pushing me toward this job. The position came with a huge company house, a car, an allowance, a flexible work schedule, an A-list benefits package, and even live-in help. I would be set up for Emilio’s childhood. There’s even a private school with automatic admission for Byrne Industries employees. My father found me the juiciest of plum jobs.

I accepted the position with the caveat that I couldn’t be in Arcadia until autumn when Emilio will be nearly six months old.

Before starting my new life, I need to go on my parents’ yearly summer visit to her hometown of Ellsberg, Kentucky.

Those thousands of miles between Cavalry Majors and me will be erased. I’ll face the gorgeous country boy of my dreams. Every summer for years, I’ve gone to Ellsberg, and he’s flirted with me. I’ve always claimed he was too young. And I wasn’t wrong. His first attempt to win my heart was when he was twelve, and I was eighteen!

But Cavalry is no longer a boy, and I’ve spent years fantasizing about gaining access to the most handsome of the Majors sons.

As a trained killer, mother, and part-time cold-hearted bitch, I shouldn’t sweat a damn thing. But I’m terrified to blow my big chance with Cavalry.

There are so many reasons we shouldn’t work. He’s too young. I’m the mother of another man’s baby. He’s still finding his way. My life is planned out. He comes with a pack. I’m a lone wolf.

Mostly, I worry reality won’t live up to our long-nursed fantasies.

But despite all my concerns, I can’t deny my heart the chance to enjoy Cavalry Majors.

CAVALRY MAJORS, AKA THE STONER

I grew up surrounded by dudes tripping over their dicks trying to live up to their fathers’ cred. Even my older brothers suffer from the affliction. Not that I blame them.

Our dads are endlessly cool—tatted bikers living outside of the law, riding rumbling beasts, kicking ass, winning the hearts of hot chicks, and sharing a bond few people can claim. The Reapers’ men can’t help seeming most excellent to their kids. So, of course, their sons want to grow up to be similarly badass.

But in my mind, my brothers and friends will always be chasing a dream. No one can be Vaughn Majors. He lived a very specific and often painful life, leading him to become such an admired man. When he started a family, the last thing Vaughn wanted was for his eight kids to suffer what he did. We grew up in a big farmhouse on a quiet piece of land with loving, cool parents in a town where our badass father terrifies the wannabe tough guys. How can my brothers or I become Vaughn when our lives have been so much easier?

Since I couldn’t be my dad, I’ve never even tried. My stoner-bro persona has disappointed a great many people around Ellsberg. As if my choice not to ride with the Reapers has personally offended their worldview.

Well, maybe I do smoke too much pot because I can’t muster up a single fuck for those people.

Vaughn and Raven raised me to embrace my choices and the consequences. Not that they won’t race in to save my ass if necessary. But they never assigned roles to their kids.

Yet, like the other sons, my older brothers rushed to be like the men they admired growing up. Firstborn River is now president of the Reapers’ Shasta chapter. Shane Campbell—his best friend and the son of another member of the Reapers—is his VP. Colton Johansson followed in the footsteps of his dad and grandfather. He runs the Pema chapter, where my second-born brother, Maverick, is the VP. Colton’s cousin, Bubba, is the president of the Conroe chapter, while his other cousin, Jack, is the VP.

Cooper Johansson runs the whole Reapers’ operation from our hometown of Ellsberg. This is where his dad came to start fresh with his young bride. The college town doesn’t seem like the ideal center of a motorcycle club’s empire, but it’s where I’ve spent most of my life.

And I’ll need to say goodbye to this town if I hope to win the heart of the only woman I’ve ever loved.

Hope. That’s what Nadine’s name means. I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember. And Nadine doesn’t care if I ride with the Reapers.

Of course, I can’t prove this last fact. During Nadine’s visits to Ellsberg, she wears protective armor around herself. I’m not sure why. We’re not really friends. I’ve known her all my life, yet we only see each other for a few weeks each summer. But I don’t need to know her secrets to be sure she’s mine.

For ten years, I’ve hidden none of my interest. Nadine’s always known I wanted her. Back when I first shared my feelings, I was a scrawny kid. Nadine was a foxy woman with a siren’s body and a face belonging to a fancy painting in a museum. She was also eighteen and headed to college.

Well, I’m no longer scrawny, yet Nadine still keeps me at a distance. But I have faith our hearts belong to each other.

My baby sister—and the youngest member of the Bliss Triad—isn’t as big a fan of Nadine as I am.

She’s a septic tank on two legs, Sylvie announces when we sit in a small coffee shop, eating cookies and discussing Nadine’s upcoming trip to Ellsberg.

As a bright star in a murky world, Sylvie cherishes me with all her big heart can tolerate. That’s why she speaks lies about Nadine. In Sylvie’s mind, my dream woman ought to bow to my will immediately.

I suspect my sister worries I’ll never win Nadine’s heart. Each year, I get hopeful like I do right now. Then, Nadine always leaves Ellsberg. Will my heart grow darker from disappointment? How many years, no, decades will I wait before realizing what seems obvious to everyone else?

Except her worry isn’t mine. I know Nadine Ramsey is my bae and the only woman I’ll ever love. Of course, she’ll open her heart to me eventually. How could she not?

Though Sylvie’s worry over my potential heartache is silly, I can’t deny one of her fears will come true. After all, the Bliss Triad sticks together, always and no exceptions. With Nadine living in non-Ellsberg, I’ll move to be with her eventually. Meaning, Sylvie will need to leave home. Something she’s sworn to never do.

We made promises, she reminds me when I mention how psyched I am to see Nadine.

Mom and Dad want us to be happy, I reply and snap up her half-uneaten cookie. They need our hearts to be full.

Speaking the truth, brah, Denver says before fist-bumping me.

My younger brother and I are probably too much alike. But that’s a most excellent fact. I’m a super fan of Denver. Why wouldn’t I want to be like him?

Though Denver and I don’t ride with the Reapers, we work for the club. I run their pot business out of a house I call White Castle. Denver and I also do odd jobs—some of a violent nature—for the club. But we won’t wear the Reapers patch.

Too many people claim they can’t tell Denver and me apart. We do look a lot alike, especially before I cut my shoulder-length hair. All my siblings look similar—blond, green-eyed, and naturally hot—because Vaughn and Raven make good-looking babies.

My brother is far more open to leaving Ellsberg than Sylvie. His heart is open to change, fearlessly facing a possibly aggressive world.

We always talked about building our own club and riding the roads together, Denver reminds Sylvie.

Sure, dude, but promises have been made. We’re just too awesome to break our mom’s heart.

Sylvie used to be wilder and more independent. But then, our siblings started moving away, and Ellsberg felt less like our backyard. Now, she clings to our mom, who doesn’t help by being addictively most excellent. I don’t particularly want to leave my parents and Ellsberg, either. But Nadine owns my heart.

She got knocked up by a guy she probably loves, Sylvie lies, hoping to protect me from Nadine’s rejection. She’s pining for garbage while ignoring the best man ever.

I don’t know about best, Denver adds softly. No offense, brah, but Dad exists.

No offense taken, bro. I’m a young buck with much to prove. Dad is an old fella with a lifetime of awesome. I can’t compete.

Sylvie shakes out her wild blonde hair and shrugs. Mom saw how great Dad was because she’s the GOAT. What does that say about Nadine when she can’t spot your vibrant excellence?

The problem is no more complicated than Nadine remains blinded by our past. When she was smoking up the world with her hotness, I was a boy, still learning to find my footing. Once I wipe away those old memories, I can replace them with better ones where I’m the man she needs.

Respect, dude, Denver says while Sylvie shakes her head.

Do you fear Nadine will steal me from Ellsberg, and you’ll lose out on my most excellent presence? I ask my sister.

No.

If I win her heart, I’m moving with her to this new place where she has a job lined up.

Whatever.

Don’t be sad, Baby Raven, I say, using her favorite pet name.

Love me more than anyone else! she cries, startling the waitress and other customers. I promise to love you more than any other man.

Well, except there’s Dad, Denver says and sips his coffee. And me, right?

Yes, bro, she mumbles and scoots closer. I want us to stay together. No new people.

You wanted to add Nev to our group.

She’s our sister. It’s cool to add family, like when Mom or Dad join us. No new outsiders.

But I plan to win Nadine’s heart, dude, I announce with complete certainty. I don’t know when or how, but nothing can stop fate. You’ll need to open your heart to make room for my beautiful badass bae.

Gnarly plan, she snarls and waves her hand dismissively. I rebel against it.

Sylvie is all talk. The Bliss Triad ride on the same wavelength. We breathe as one. Our lives will always be intertwined, even when she finds the perfect man she deserves.

And I belong with Nadine. Sure, she made a baby with another guy. However, I know he didn’t move to Houston with her. He also isn’t visiting Ellsberg this summer. No one even knows his name, and I’m most definitely up to date with my Nadine gossip.

But, of course, her baby daddy isn’t part of her life. Nadine’s mine, so no other guy can ever win her heart. That’s just how the rules work. It’s why I never dated. I got plenty of just-fuck offers, too. Lots of local girls want to sleep with each of the Majors boys. Collect all four is how they put it.

However, why waste time with my second choice or an easy lay when I know my one-and-only exists in the world?

Soon, Nadine will return to Ellsberg. I wholeheartedly believe magic is about to happen. No amount of reason or sisterly warnings can ruin what I know is my destiny.

THE CHAPTER WHERE TOMORROW TURNS INTO NOW

THE AMAZON

My parents use one of Ramsey Security’s small planes to fly from Houston to Ellsberg. The tiny college town has its own little airport. Nothing suspicious about such a setup in a location run by a motorcycle club.

The upside is my family never needs to land in a larger city and drive to Ellsberg. With a baby in tow this time, I’m especially appreciative of the convenience.

My two brothers usually come along on these summer visits. However, Quentin is currently in Santiago on assignment while Xavier is chasing tail in Hong Kong.

Following in our father’s footsteps, my siblings and I worked high-level security details and occasionally low-key assassination jobs. Until now, no nine-to-five job could satisfy.

The allure of traveling kept me away except for Christmases and these summer breaks. I couldn’t miss my parents’ favorite holiday or time around a particularly studly blond.

My mind is on Cavalry when the plane leaves Texas. I think of him often. He’s long had a crush on me. Being a fearlessly handsome kid, he never hid his interest. I was eighteen when he said I was beautiful and owned his heart. His words were the sweetest shit a guy’s ever told me.

Except he was twelve. Hell, his voice hadn’t even dropped yet! He wore his older brother’s hand-me-downs and a mouthful of braces.