Shaking my head at the chuckle she pulled out of me with her sass, I inhaled deeply before letting it blow heavily out. “Well, make up your mind, because someone needs to see the elephants.”
“Ewephants!” Hearing what she wanted, Presley spun around and ran at me, throwing herself at my legs.
Running my fingers through the fine, silky curls on my daughter’s head, my heart nearly burst with love. Pushing the maddening woman out of my thoughts, I refocused on her. “Yeah, little Elvis, we’re gonna see the elephants.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bend over and toss her suitcase on the stand she’d opened. The girl was no wimp, and the flex of her toned muscles under the ink on her biceps didn’t go unnoticed.
I opened my mouth to tell her I would’ve done that for her, but then snapped it shut because I knew she’d have been stubborn about it. We’d have wasted precious time arguing.
Funny thing was, the thought of arguing with her was stimulating.
Scooping my little girl up, I kissed her. “You want your hair braided?”
“Pwease, Daddy?”
Our motions were practiced. I quickly and deftly brushed, separated, and braided her silky hair. The entire time, I watched as Raiven pulled out a pair of old-school Chucks and slipped them on after putting on a short pair of socks.
She left the dress on. It was hot as hell on her, and I had to shake my head to clear it.
“Okay, let’s go.” I called up an Uber on my app so we didn’t have to drive the truck and have it sitting in the zoo parking lot with our stuff in it. Not that there was anything in the back that couldn’t be replaced.
The photo album and baby book Letty had made for us were in the cab.
Raiven stayed quiet as Presley chattered the entire way to our destination.
The zoo wasn’t too busy, since it was still early in the season and the middle of the week.
“Have you been here before?” Raiven asked. I knew she didn’t mean anything by her question, but it sent a knife to my heart.
“Yeah.” I’d brought Presley here in the fall. The last time before that was with Letty. She’d wanted to bring Presley even though she was only a baby. I remembered telling her Presley wouldn’t even know what the hell we were doing and that it was more for her. She’d only looked uncomfortable and shrugged before flashing a big smile.
“She seems to love it here,” Raiven observed as we watched Presley clap and laugh as the elephants sprayed water with their trunks.
“The elephants are her favorite but she likes the monkeys too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she grew up to be a zoologist.” I had no idea why I was sharing so much with her, I hadn’t even wanted her along, but now I was all mixed-up inside.
“Pwincess Waiben! Wook! Wook at hims twunk!” Stray hairs had escaped her braid and blew haphazardly across her face. She shoved them back.
Raiven crouched down by her, placing a hand on her back as she watched from my daughter’s vantage point with her. When she pulled something from her hair and pinned Presley’s stray strands back, I knew where the random bobby pin I’d found in her hair earlier had come from.
Seeing that did weird shit to my insides.
It made me wonder if Letty would’ve done that. Then it hurt my chest again, because I’d never know, and Presley would never know her mom. It also made me wonder if I was enough. She was getting to the point where she needed a female influence in her life. And I’d taken her from my mom and every female she knew.
Scrubbing my hands over my face, I exhaled roughly. “You girls ready to move on?”
“We see duh monkeys now?” Presley’s eyes were wide with excitement.
“Sure, kiddo. Let’s go see the stinky old monkeys.” She clasped my hand and began to tug me forward. Then she suddenly stopped and looked up to Raiven. When she reached for Raiven’s hand, my breath caught.
“Dey not stinky, Pwincess Waiven. Dey so vewy cute!”
Bright blue eyes found mine, and I knew she was seeing the connecting link that my daughter was between us. As if we were a family walking hand in hand.
Bizarre as it may seem, the thought didn’t make me want to snatch up my daughter and run for the hills. I had no fucking clue what was going on in my head.
The rest of the afternoon lasted longer than I anticipated. I really thought Presley would fade quickly, but it was like the zoo had energized her. By the time we were getting in the Uber to return to the hotel, my phone was ringing.
“Yo,” I answered after seeing the caller ID.
“Hey bro, we’re at the hotel waiting on you. You guys eat yet?” Gunny asked.
“No, we were thinking about ordering a pizza and having it delivered.”
“I’m good with that. We can swing over to the gas station and get drinks. Text me what you want.”
“Cool. Thanks. See you there.”
Presley fell asleep on the way back to the hotel. No surprise there. I hated that she wasn’t in a car seat, but it was a short trip so I kept my fingers crossed.
Raiven was quiet on the way back. She mostly stared out the window while she absently ran her finger back and forth over the little hand that rested on her thigh.
We unloaded at the hotel, and the guys pulled up at the same time.
I waited for them to park. As they reached me, they held the bags they’d pulled from their saddle bags in one hand and gave me one-armed hugs.
Raiven was unusually quiet as she stood back.
“Hey bro, how was the trip?” I asked Soap and my brother.
“Fucking awesome. I could ride the back roads anytime.” Soap grinned, and I couldn’t help but bristle as his eyes trailed Raiven from head to toe.
“Since this fucker is a rude bastard, I’m his big brother. They call me Gunny.” My brother reached out a meaty hand that engulfed Raiven’s as she tentatively shook it.
“Hi. Raiven.” A bright grin spread over her face. It irked the fuck out of me that she was smiling like that for my brother when I got sass and attitude.
Soap slickly slid in and shook her hand next. “Hey, I’m Soap.”
Holding her hand longer than necessary, he stared into her eyes and grinned his pretty-boy smile. Little fucker gave Hollywood a run for his money with his GQ looks.
“Nice to meet you, Soap.” She smirked. “Did your mom not like you or were you just a dirty boy?”
“Oh, I’m dirty all right.” His grin turned mischievous as he leaned closer to her.
My blood boiled, and I intentionally stepped between them as I walked toward the elevator instead of going around. “Let’s go, she’s getting heavy.”
I was being a rude fucker, and I knew it.
“Getting weak in your old age? I could’ve carried her up for you if she’s too much for you.” Soap snickered, and I wanted to punch him between the eyes.
“Fuck off.”
The guys dropped their bags off in the room they’d snagged next door to us.
I carried my sleeping daughter into our room and laid her on the bed.
“Umm, I’m gonna grab a quick shower and change, if that’s okay.” She tried to look aloof as she grabbed some things from her bag.
“Sure,” I said as I pulled up a pizza place on my phone. “Anything special you want on your pizza?”
“I’m kind of picky. I only like pepperoni.” She bit that lip, and my fucking jeans got tight in the crotch. Things were getting ridiculous. Turning away, I nodded and placed the order. When I heard the bathroom door close and the shower start up, I adjusted my junk.
The thought of her less than twenty feet away, wet and naked, was driving me crazy, and it pissed me the fuck off. Hell, I’d had plenty of opportunities over the past year.
The thing was, until this chick, I hadn’t given a single fuck about sex.
After Gunny and Soap got their shit straight, they came next door. Raiven was still in the shower.
“Lock, we need to talk. Shit is getting real, bro. The fuckin
g Demons Runners sent a package to the clubhouse right before we left.” Gunny spoke softly as he glanced at the bathroom door and at my sleeping daughter.
“What kind of package?” My eyes narrowed, and I cocked my head slightly.
Soap, who was usually pretty happy-go-lucky, sobered quickly. His jaw clenched, and he gripped the back of his neck.
“It had DJ’s dog in it. He was dead. Shot between the eyes. DJ lost his shit.” Soap swallowed hard. “But that wasn’t the worst part.”
“Christ almighty, spit it the fuck out. It’s not like we have a lot of time.” I tipped my head toward the bathroom, where the water was shutting off.
Gunny stepped closer and placed a firm hand over my shoulder. His blue eyes mirrored mine as he held my gaze. “There was a note in there that said you and Presley were next.”
Fury raced through my veins. Not at the threat to myself. I couldn’t give a shit less if they threatened me every day all day. But bringing my kid into it was signing their death warrants. Club, brothers, cops be fucking damned.
No one threatened my baby girl.
“They are dead. I will kill every fucking one of them if I have to,” I ground out through gritted teeth.
“You need to think clearly, bro. We’ll talk more after we eat. Soap will sit in the lobby to keep an eye out. I’ll take turns swapping out with him every few hours throughout the night.”
“I told you I don’t need a fucking babysitter.” I was fuming.
“Yeah, well that little girl is pretty fucking special to me too. She may not be my daughter, but she’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to having one. If you think I’m not going to do everything in my power to keep her safe, you’re out of your fucking mind.” Gunny spoke low and as forcefully as I had.
“We’ll talk after everyone eats.” I was done talking about it, and I wasn’t discussing club business and my personal business in front of Raiven.
Raiven stepped out of the bathroom fluffing her hair with a towel right as the pizza was arriving. Both Gunny and Soap were damn near drooling at her tatted legs and perky tits in the little tiny running shorts and tank top she’d put on. Pushing past them, I paid for the pizza and closed the door.
“You better hurry up and eat so you can get downstairs,” I barked at Soap.
Gunny’s eyes flickered from me to Soap to Raiven before a shit-eating grin spread across his face. “Oh, so it’s like that.”
“No. It’s not fucking like that. Let’s eat.”
Gunny woke Presley with a little kiss to her cheek. “Hey, little Elvis. Pizza’s here.”
Sleepily, she blinked as she tried to wake up. When it settled into her sleep-addled brain who was waking her, she shot upright in bed. “Unka Gunny!”
“Hey, little Elvis. How was the zoo?” Gunny lifted my daughter into his arms, and she rubbed her eyes before hugging him tightly around the neck.
“It was ’mazing!” My little girl’s smile was infectious, and everyone was smiling at her exuberance.
“Let’s eat!” said Soap as he rubbed his hands together.
“Raiven?” I glanced her way, trying not to stare or let my eyes roam where they had no business going. “Food’s here.”
“Thanks, I kinda figured that.” Her eyes followed my brother’s, and I realized Soap was loading up a plate.
“Yo, you better get some before I get seconds.” Soap took a big bite out of his top piece and grinned at Raiven as he paused in eating.
Gunny had Presley telling him everything about the zoo as she chewed. Rolling my eyes, I chided, “Presley, don’t talk with your mouth full.”
It didn’t take long to polish off the food. Gunny caught my eye and made a motion with his head for us to go next door.
“Let me give Presley a bath and then I’ll be able to go.” The guys headed to their room.
I stepped closer to Raiven to speak quietly. “Hey, if I bathe her and get her ready for bed, would you mind sitting here with her for about an hour? We have business to discuss.”
“Is everything okay?” She seemed really nervous.
“It’s all good. Just some club business.”
“Club business?” Obviously, even though her uncle had been a member of the Demented Sons from the beginning, it wasn’t a life she was familiar with personally.
“Yeah.” I didn’t elaborate.
“If you’re okay with it, I can bathe her so you can go now,” she offered.
I hesitated because I really didn’t know her and it was my little girl. She was Pops’s niece, and she hadn’t done anything crazy all day. I would be right next door, just steps away, but when it comes to your kid, you question everyone.
“Umm, I—” Before I could finish my answer, the little munchkin in question piped in.
“Pwincess Waiven giff me a baff!” Clapping and jumping, she squealed with excitement.
Sighing, I told myself I was generally a good judge of character and I hadn’t gotten any weird vibes off her all day. “Okay. But I’ll only be next door if you need anything.”
By the smirk on her face, I knew she also caught my meaning that I wouldn’t be far away.
“Yes, sir.” She gave me a cocky salute that caused her tits to jiggle, and I had to tear my gaze away. The throaty chuckle that followed me as I got Presley’s clean pajamas and shit told me she’d caught me. It also had me wanting to turn around and push her against the wall. Not to hurt her, but to taste her and touch her until I showed her who ran shit.
If my daughter hadn’t been there, I think I might have. Except she was a complication I neither needed nor wanted in my life.
“Daddy will be back in a bit. You listen to Princess Raiven.” Fuck, there I was referring to her as a goddamn princess.
“Otay, Daddy!” my daughter exclaimed before she hugged me and gave me a big kiss.
I cast one last glance at the woman who was fucking with my head.
This was going to be a long fucking trip.
“Highway to Hell”—AC/DC
“Daddy giff me a Mohawk wiff da bubbows. You do it,” the little girl instructed me as I shampooed her silky, fine blonde hair. At first, I wasn’t sure how to go about bathing a kid. Then I figured it couldn’t be much different than bathing myself.
“Oh he does, does he?” The corner of my lips tipped up at the image I had of the tatted-up biker dude making soap Mohawks in his kid’s hair.
“Yep.” Her sage nod had me full-on grinning. Though her language skills were muddled with her inability to say R’s or L’s well, she was quite an old soul. I wondered if it was simply who she was or if it was a direct reflection of being raised by a big, burly man like Matlock.
Working up a good lather, I sculpted her hair into a big, soapy mohawk.
“There. How’s that?” I helped her stand in the tub so she didn’t slip and she could see in the mirror. Her giggle told me I’d done an acceptable job.
I rinsed her hair, conditioned it, then let her play for a little bit. Once I noticed her fingers pruning up, I told her it was time to get out. I expected her to throw a fit. That’s what I figured kids did.
Instead, she shocked me by hopping up and raising her arms as I drained the water. I wrapped a bright white towel around her and plucked her out of the tub. I hated to admit I was getting the hang of this kid stuff pretty easily.
“Do you need my help getting dressed or can you do it yourself?” Her dad had all her stuff setting on the bed.
“I do it mysewf.” There was a bottle of baby lotion that smelled like lavender, and I wasn’t sure if she could do that part.
“How about if I put the lotion on you to make you smell like a pretty princess, then you get yourself dressed?” I tried to make it sound like an exciting idea. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I was doing any of this right. I should’ve gotten more instruction from Matlock before he left.
The little girl’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then she grinned. “Otay,” she conceded.
Slat
hering the lotion on her arms and legs, I decided that was good enough. People were weird these days. I didn’t want Matlock thinking I’d done anything wrong. He’d trusted me to take care of his daughter. I had a feeling that was big.
A glance at the clock in the room told me my aunt and uncle would still be up. I hadn’t talked to them all day and I wanted to check on them. Chewing on my lip, I debated whether it would be safe to turn my phone on for a brief period. It would only be a couple of minutes, I rationalized.
Grabbing my phone from my purse, I supervised as the little girl pulled on a pair of underwear that looked kind of like a diaper, then a pair of pink pajamas with unicorns riding motorcycles. Go figure. I snickered then looked at my phone in indecision.
Surely if I kept the phone on for less than a minute, Stefano wouldn’t be able to find me? He couldn’t have someone watching for it every second. They were probably only checking every hour or something. Powering it up, I sent a quick text to my aunt. Relief filled me when she replied all was well.
“You read to me?” Presley pulled a book out of a little backpack and handed it to me as she barreled into my legs. I almost fell over so I dropped my phone back in my purse and scooped her up.
I settled her under the covers and began to read. About halfway through the book, the lock clicked on the door and Matlock entered.
At his grin, I furrowed my brow in question.
He raised a brow and nodded to my side.
When I glanced down, I noticed my charge was fast asleep and I’d been reading to myself.
“Oh,” I whispered.
“She’s had a long day. Thanks for taking care of her.” He grabbed a few things out of his bag. “You mind if I shower?”
“Of course not.”
Without another word, he closed himself in the bathroom. The water turned on, and I heard the shower curtain slide open, then closed.
Images bombarded my brain of him naked in the hot water. In my mind, I saw water trail down over his pecs and down to his….
I shook my head to clear the visual. It stuck there.
Getting up, I wandered around the room, straightening this and that. When there was nothing left to clean up, I sat in the chair by the window and pulled the curtain to the side to peek out into the night. Two more motorcycles pulled up, and I wondered if they were friends of Matlock and his brothers or if they were random guys looking for a place to sleep.
Lock and Load: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel Page 6
