I looked over at the bar and was relieved to see Kate still sitting there. Wolf was talking to her now, and she looked just as freaked out as she’d been while talking to me outside.
“Viking’s on his way. I didn’t tell him anything, just that we needed to talk to him ASAP. He wasn’t thrilled,” Wolf explained when we reached them.
I saw our visitor blanch at his words. I’m sure she was questioning her decision to step foot on this property.
“All right, sweetheart, what’s this all about?” Colt asked.
She glared at all of us then at Colt. “My name is Kate, not sweetheart.” She said the last part under her breath.
“Well, Kate, let’s head out to the backyard,” Colt said, lips twitching at her spunky attitude. “It’s quieter outside, and I know Viking won’t want an audience for this conversation.”
She went pale but asked, “Why do you keep calling him Viking?”
It was clear this chick knew nothing about our lifestyle. Based on her reaction, she’d lived a very sheltered life. I was all too familiar with girls like her and knew she wasn’t cut out to hang around guys like us.
“It’s a road name,” I answered. “Any other questions, I suggest you wait and ask him.”
I grabbed a couple of beers off the bar and led Kate outside. Wolf stayed inside to wait for Viking, but Colt silently followed behind us. He was a man of few words, but he took everything in. He probably already had a good read on this girl.
“I didn’t mean to make him angry. Maybe I should come back another time,” Kate said, sounding defeated as we stepped into the backyard.
“Now’s as good a time as any,” I said, sitting down on one of the chairs that surrounded the large fire pit. “Besides, he’d be more pissed if he came back here only to find you gone.”
I offered her a beer when she sat down next to me, but she declined, shaking her head. “Not of legal drinking age, remember?”
I laughed and glanced over at Colt, who was standing on the other side, grinning. “We’re not overly concerned with rules around these parts, sweetheart,” I informed her.
She rolled her eyes and settled back in her chair, pulling her hair up in a messy bun. We sat in silence for a bit, just listening to the crackle of the fire and feeling the chilly air shifting through the desert night. I eyed her, drinking my beer. The firelight made her lightly tanned skin more bronzed, and the blue of her eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. She was dressed conservatively, and the tight jeans and loose-fitting sweater shouldn’t have been a turn-on, but they were. I watched her face. The weariness and defeat in her posture, combined with the sadness and fear in her expression, spoke of someone who’d had a lot taken from her, but was still standing. Like she was still here, but not entirely sure why. I completely understood that, and it was strange relating to her on that level. I didn’t like it. It made me think about my own past I’d resolved years ago. Or so I thought.
“What?” she asked, suddenly. She nervously fidgeted with the locket around her neck.
I was staring and not hiding it. It was clear she had no idea just how gorgeous she was. I shook my head and glanced away only to find Colt’s questioning look. I downed my beer and tossed the empty bottle into the flames, the sound of the glass breaking making her jump a little. Colt gave a low, rumbling chuckle, but I cut him a look that just made him grin like the Cheshire Cat.
Then, we heard the rumble of a bike pulling up. Colt came to attention, and I stood up. “Looks like he’s here.”
If Kate had seemed freaked out before, that was nothing compared to how she looked now. She was physically shaking in her chair and looked like she was going to be sick.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered to herself. Her breaths were coming in and out quick, and she looked like she was either ready to run or pass out.
Before I realized what I was doing, I reached out and gently touched her shoulder. “He’s not going to hurt you.” I knew that much was true for a noncombatant. However, if anyone tried to harm his family and the club, all bets were off, no matter who you were.
“What the fuck is going on?” Viking boomed a couple of minutes later as he walked into the backyard with Wolf right behind him.
Viking could look scary as hell. Even at forty-nine years old, that guy was built like a brick shithouse. As soon as I saw him, I was hit with just how much Kate resembled him. They had the same blond hair, although he was starting to gray, and blue eyes, height, and facial features as well. It was almost eerie.
When no one answered him, he looked to me for an explanation.
“This is Kate.” I glanced over to where she sat, frozen in the wooden chair. I turned my gaze back to my president. Viking must not have seen her when he first walked out here because he looked stunned to see someone besides Colt and me. “She came here looking for you.”
“Why?” he asked, sounding marginally less angry than he had just a minute ago.
“I’ll let her answer that. We’ll head back in.”
I followed Colt and Wolf inside but looked over my shoulder before the door closed behind me. Viking had a look on his face I rarely saw: confusion at the fact that three of his officers were leaving him out there alone with some unknown girl.
6
Kate
I watched as the guys walked back into the building. I only knew Wolf’s name, which I assumed was another road name, whatever that meant, but he was the only one to introduce himself to me. The other one who had met me outside never told me his name, nor had the one from upstairs.
The man who apparently was my father stood staring down at me. His piercing gaze unnerved me, and I had no idea what was going on in his head. It was obvious he wasn’t expecting someone like me to be the reason he was called to come back over here tonight.
I had practiced what I was going to say to him during my drive to Las Vegas, but all of that left my head the moment I laid eyes on him. I could see the similarities between us and I wondered if he did, too.
After a few silent moments, he sat down in the chair across from me.
“Mind telling me what’s going on, darlin’?” he asked, his voice much softer than it had been when he came barreling into the backyard a few minutes ago.
His endearment caused tears to well in my eyes, even though I was sure it didn’t mean anything. He probably called every woman darlin’. Still, I had to blink back the tears before I could start explaining what I was doing here.
“Um...” I started. I didn’t know how to ease into a conversation like this, so I just blurted it out instead. “I think you’re my father.”
He went quiet again, looking at me so intensely I started to squirm a bit.
“Come again?”
"Well, my grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, and while I was going through her things, I found my birth certificate. It listed you as my father.”
“Okay...”
I could tell he was trying to comprehend what I was telling him, but I was nervous, so I rambled on anyway.
“My mom never told me about you, and recently I learned she never told you about me, either. I’m sorry to show up like this, but I guess I was…curious.”
More silence. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just sat there and let him take time to process what I’d just said.
“What’s your mom’s name?”
“Her name was Karen Nixon.”
A brief flash of recognition crossed his face before he asked, “Was?”
“Uh, yeah. She died when I was six.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he replied and, surprisingly, his words sounded sincere.
“I apologize again for showing up like this. I’m not even sure why I came here.” That was the truth, and now I was starting to feel awkward. I had zero expectations, and I knew not to get my hopes up about anything. If I did, I knew I’d end up being disappointed.
Besides, the craziness I saw in the club while I was waiting for him showed me my mother’s c
oncerns about telling him she was pregnant weren’t completely unfounded. It definitely wasn’t a place for a family. And yet, here I was. I didn’t know what else to say, and I started to let my insecurities get the better of me, so I decided it was time for me to leave.
“I think...maybe I should go,” I said, haltingly. “And...if you want to, we can talk tomorrow. Or later, or whenever…”
“Do you live nearby?” he asked as I stood to walk away.
“I’m staying in Vegas for the time being, but I don’t know if it’s a permanent move or not,” I answered.
Viking considered me for a long moment. I cleared my throat to move things along, since I didn’t want to be standing out here all night in the cold. “Sorry, you’ve got me at a loss, darlin’. I wasn’t expecting this when the guys called me.” He paused, standing up. “How ’bout you leave me your number and we meet up tomorrow or the next day to talk some more?”
He handed me his cell phone, and I programmed my number into it. That gesture filled me with a little hope, knowing he wasn’t rejecting me right off the bat.
“That sounds good,” I said as I started walking with him back to the clubhouse. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
He quickly ushered me through the building, both of us ignoring the curious stares thrown our way. When we reached my car, he opened the door for me. As I sat down, I looked up at him. The light coming off the building shined down on him, and I realized we looked even more alike than I had previously thought.
I think he noticed the same thing because I could see him studying me with a smile on his face. “It was nice meeting you, Kate. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“You too, Viking.” The name sounded odd to me, but his grin showed he was good with me calling him that. He closed my car door and went back inside.
I didn’t know what the future held, but I grabbed on to a small sliver of hope that maybe some sort of relationship could be formed with Viking. I had to believe that after what’d happened lately, I finally might get the happiness I’d always wanted.
It had been a couple of days since my visit to the clubhouse. Viking and I had texted back and forth a bit, and he invited me to breakfast this morning. He was heading out of town for a few days and wanted to meet up before getting on the road.
From the moment I woke up, I could feel the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Every man in my life, up to this point, had rejected me, verbally abused me, or just plain disappointed me. I wanted to believe, more than anything, that Viking was different, but I was afraid history would repeat itself. I told myself not to get my hopes up and expect anything different this time around.
After I dressed warmly, I headed to the restaurant thirty minutes earlier than our planned meeting, unable to sit around my dingy room any longer. I could only afford to stay at a rundown motel. It was pretty sketchy during the day and downright frightening at night. It was about fifteen minutes outside of Las Vegas, and Viking lived another twenty minutes further than that. Since I didn’t know the area very well, we were meeting at a retro diner in his neighborhood.
I glanced at the “Help Wanted” sign taped to the window as I walked in and was immediately greeted by a middle-aged woman wearing a blue dress with white pinstripes, a frilly apron, and matching headband. Her uniform looked like it was straight out of an old-school movie, but she had a kindness in her eyes that I was immediately drawn to.
“Table for one?” she asked with no judgment in her tone.
“Actually, I’m meeting someone. I can wait at the counter.”
“Don’t be silly. You can have that booth over there.” She motioned with the coffee pot she was holding.
I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a round booth and made my way over to it. The diner wasn’t too full. There was music playing softly above, and I had to stop myself from checking the time on my phone every few seconds. A few moments later, she came over and left a couple of menus in the center of the table.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
I glanced quickly at her nametag. “Coffee would be great. Thanks, Pam.”
My nerves hadn’t allowed me to sleep well last night and I was in desperate need of some caffeine. After another refill, I heard some motorcycles as they pulled into the parking lot. I looked out my window, squinting against a bright Nevada sun. Several men on bikes parked along the street, at a slight angle in a neat row. They moved in tandem, smoothly and almost gracefully, like they were in tune with each other. I recognized Viking and a couple of others. He’d mentioned a few guys from his club were leaving with him, but I was still surprised they were here, too.
I had been intimidated by them at the clubhouse, but based on what I’d seen so far, I knew if I wanted to see my father, I needed to get used to seeing them as well.
My mind flashed back to the guy who had come outside to question me when I first showed up at the clubhouse. I still didn’t know his name. I hadn’t realized they all had a patch with their name on it until Wolf had introduced himself. Once I saw the mystery guy again there was too much going on that I’d forgotten to look.
Even though I didn’t know his name, I couldn’t forget how attractive he was. I don’t recall ever meeting someone who looked like him before. He had light-brown hair and blue eyes that looked almost gray. Under his leather vest, he had worn a fitted T-shirt that showed off the various tattoos on his toned arms. He was almost too gorgeous, but he had a hard edge to him that both intrigued me and scared me a little. It was a heady combination, and I found myself thinking about him more than a few times over the last couple of days. I wasn’t sure if I was hoping he would be here this morning or not.
I shook my head, trying to clear it of all thoughts of the mystery man. I was here to get to know my father.
On cue, I heard the bell above the door ding and watched as Viking walked in, followed by Wolf, Mystery Guy, the guy who had been tending bar at the party, and another guy I didn’t recognize. Everybody in the restaurant paused what they were doing and glanced at the front door before going back to their food. It appeared they were regulars when they all said a friendly hello to Pam. Viking scanned the restaurant before noticing me in the back corner. The other guys moved to a table on the other side of the restaurant, and my father headed my way.
“Hey there.” Viking was a huge, scary-looking biker, but right now, he looked to be just as nervous as I was. “Do you mind if I sit there?” he asked while pointing to where I was sitting on the far side of the table with my back against the wall. “I like sitting where I can see everything,” he explained.
It seemed odd to me, but I went ahead and moved to the other side of the booth.
Once he was settled, Pam came to take our order. We both chose the biscuits and gravy, and I chuckled about us picking the same thing. It seemed silly, but I enjoyed knowing we liked the same food.
“Thanks for meeting like this. I don’t know how long this trip is going to take and I didn’t want you to think I was avoiding you.”
He was definitely perceptive because that’s exactly what I would’ve thought if I didn’t hear from him.
“I also wanted to invite you out to the house to meet Meredith and the boys. This trip is urgent, but we’ll make plans for you to come over as soon as I’m back,” he continued.
From our text messages, I knew Meredith was his wife, and he had twin sons, Finn and Gunnar, who had just turned thirteen.
“You want me to meet your family?” I wasn’t expecting that, and I was positive the uncertainty was evident in my voice.
“Of course. You’re my daughter. Why wouldn’t you meet them?”
It was a shock to me he actually believed what I was telling him. I knew I had no reason to lie, but he didn’t know that. Never would I have thought he’d accept my announcement, no questions asked.
“You’re not going to take a paternity test or anything to prove that I’m your daughter?” I had no idea why I was questioning
him. I should have been happy, but this seemed too good to be true.
“Do you have any reason to lie to me?”
“Well, no.”
“Kate, when you told me who your mother was I knew there was a possibility you were my daughter. You told me your birthday the other day, and it matches up with the dates I was with Karen. And if I needed any further proof, you look exactly like my younger sister, Anneliese. I noticed it the night we met, but I was too stunned to say anything.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. He believed me, and he wasn’t sending me away.
“I don’t know what you were expecting when you came looking for me, but I don’t turn my back on family,” he said, sounding genuine, and looking me right in the eyes as he spoke. “I’m happy to have you here, and when I get back, I plan on catching up.”
I couldn’t hold back the couple of tears that ran down my cheeks. “Thank you.” Those words were the only ones I could get out while wiping at my face.
I was sure I was making him uncomfortable with my emotional response, so I excused myself to the restroom, so I could freshen up.
As I walked across the restaurant, I had to pass the table where the other guys were sitting. I was a couple of tables away when I glanced up and my eyes locked with those belonging to Mr. Handsome. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning at me either. The way he was looking at me was like I was the only thing he saw in this whole place, and it made my face heat up. Self-conscious, I quickly looked down to avoid his gaze and noticed the patch telling me his name was Mac.
I took a few minutes in the bathroom to collect myself. Between the conversation with Viking and being distracted by Mac, I was a mess. I fixed my hair and touched up my makeup before I decided to head back out. I didn’t make eye contact with any of the Desert Sinners as I rushed past their table and back to my seat.
My food was waiting for me and eating helped fill in some of the awkward silence and glances. While Viking seemed more at ease than me, it was clear he was still trying to get used to the idea of me being his daughter. It made me less anxious knowing he was nervous, too.
Mac (Desert Sinners MC Book 1) Page 4
