When I blinked, she exhaled in a rush, and the voices and noises around us resumed.
“They all have rooms here for those nights when they party a little too hard,” Gwen huffed with a laugh. “Boys.”
The girls all chuckled, including Avery. Her eyes sought mine one last time, and I raised my chin to her that it was okay to go with the girls. She grabbed the bag to sling over her shoulder, but Nova took it from her.
“You get the little cutie-pie; let me carry this,” Avery gave her a grateful smile, and with one last glance my way, she followed the chattering women.
“You sure you’re only roommates?” Truth asked with a smirk. Slice tried to hide his grin, and Radar quickly lifted his beer to his lips.
“Fuck you,” I said, because I truly didn’t have an answer for him at that moment. Everything seemed a little off-kilter. Avoiding the issue, I walked over, grabbed a beer, and came back.
“Where’s Cale?” I asked as I looked around for the young kid we’d taken in as an unofficial hang around. Cale was Check’s little brother. After Check’s incident, he’d started to crumble, and we’d promised their mom we’d do our best to keep him out of trouble. It surprised me that she wanted him mixed up with us considering her only other son wasn’t here because of our club. Then again, it wasn’t common knowledge that it was tied to the club.
“He’s coming. Shannon needed him to help her move some stuff, since Gary’s back has been bad this week,” Smoke said. Shannon and Gary were Cale and Check’s parents. “Before he gets here, and while the women are inside, I need to discuss some things with y’all.”
A car pulled up, and we waved back to Clay’s ol’ lady, Monica. “I’m gonna help her with her stuff and bring her in to see the baby.” Clay walked away with a barely noticeable limp, thanks to his prosthetics.
“What’s up?” asked Styx as he crossed his arms. His hair was all braided back, and with his shaved sides, it made him look more like a Viking than they accused me of being.
“Have a seat.” He motioned for us to sit. Styx, Lock, and Truth took one side of the table. Me, Slice, and Radar took the other. He and Straight stood at the end and met each of our eyes.
“Hacker found out that Viper is still stirring shit from prison,” Smoke announced.
“Goddamn it,” Lock muttered. Viper was the president of the Demon Runners in Omaha, and Presley’s mom’s ex. Of course, none of us had known that at the time. It didn’t come out until Viper got a hold of Lock with the help of Raiven’s ex when he was on his way down here from Iowa. It was a clusterfuck of coincidences. My mind still spun trying to figure it all out.
“Don’t,” Smoke said as he pointed at Lock. “This isn’t on you. It’s on Viper’s piece of shit ass. He’s got a grudge that he’s too psycho to let go. You can’t help that now any more than you could back when Letty pulled her shit.”
Lock winced, because even though he found out Letty had been using him at first, she was still Presley’s mother and he’d loved her. It was hard for him to reconcile his old feelings with his new reality. I got it.
“Don’t we have any contacts in there that could deal with his ass once and for all?” Radar bit out as the side of his fist hit the table. His eyes flashed angrily.
“I do,” Slice said softly. Every head at the table whipped in his direction. His chin-length dark hair hung down over one eye as he looked up at us with his head lowered.
“Slice,” Smoke said in warning. There was obviously something Smoke knew that we didn’t.
“What? I’m sick of that motherfucker causing trouble for us. If he wasn’t in prison, I’d do it myself.” He muttered something in Spanish and clenched his hands where they rested on the table.
Speculation was on everyone’s faces except Radar’s and Straight’s as they looked from Slice to Smoke and back. Obviously, they knew something we didn’t.
Truth had been quiet but spoke up in the midst of the uneasy silence. “What is he doing or trying to do?”
“Word on the street is that he has put a hit out on every one of us.” Smoke sighed with frustration.
A chorus of “What the fuck” rang out at the table.
“Enough!” Smoke glared at all of us.
“How in the actual hell does he think he’s gonna pull that off? His club has no authority down here.” Styx finally spoke after being quiet even through everyone else’s outrage. He slowly rolled a bottle cap across the wood.
“What Hacker uncovered was that he’s been talking to the Scorpions down in Houston.” No one had anything to say about that. We all knew that was bad. The Scorpions were unhinged at best.
“Why the fuck haven’t the Bastards chased them out of Texas?” Lock asked.
“Because it’s not that easy. Even though they and their support clubs outnumber the Scorpions, it’s an uneasy truce they have down there. The Scorpions keep to their own side of town for now. They also wouldn’t hesitate to bring in reinforcements and play dirty. No one wants civilian casualties, because that shines a big, ugly spotlight on all of us.” Smoke was always the voice of reason, and I appreciated that about him. It was what made him a good president.
“Well, if they’re going to step up to do Viper’s and the Demon Runners’ dirty work, then they’re crossing a line. Our families could be part of those casualties. My little brother just got picked up by the Austin Amurs. I don’t want him gettin’ pulled into this shit,” Truth added as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Truth’s right,” Lock said. “He’s already shown that he doesn’t give two shits about keeping families out of his pissing matches.”
“There’s one more thing.” Smoke looked like he dreaded saying whatever was coming next. We all sat silent, waiting to see what else could possibly be added to the crap sandwich we were looking at. His gaze settled on Styx, and dread churned in my guts. “The conversation Hacker somehow intercepted mentioned you, Styx.”
“Me?” Incredulous, he splayed his hands on the tabletop as he leaned in.
“We don’t know exactly how it’s tied to you, just that your name was cryptically mentioned,” Smoke quietly said. His attention moved past our table, and we all looked to see the women coming back out. “We’ll discuss this more at church Wednesday night. If I hear back from Hacker or anyone else, I’ll call an emergency church. Fair enough?”
We all nodded.
The women approached. Styx went from scowling to smiling at his woman in the blink of an eye. “Hey, baby.”
Gwen dropped a kiss to his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hello, handsome.”
Avery was patting Tristan’s back as she and Nova walked slower than the rest. Though she spoke with Nova, her eyes were on me the entire way.
Breathing became a chore. My heart beat irregularly.
Something told me my life was on the cusp of some serious changes.
And it wasn’t only becoming a dad.
“Cradle of Love”—Billy Idol
Walking toward the table of testosterone, my feet were heavy yet floating. As soon as I’d walked out the door of their clubhouse, my eyes met his brilliant blue ones. No matter how hard I tried to pull my attention from him to listen to what Nova was saying, it was impossible.
“You’ve got it bad, girl.” Nova chuckled. Those words broke the spell Gunny had over me as I froze in place and turned toward her.
“What are you talking about?” My eyes wide, I stared at her. Tristan wiggled against me, and I secured my hold on him.
“I’ve seen that look before. Does he know you have feelings for him?” Nova asked.
I sputtered, then told her, “You’re crazy! I can barely stand him. He’s an ass.” Except my argument was weak, because he’d been incredibly thoughtful since Tristan had been born.
“He may be, but he’s easy on the eyes, and he’s sure going out of his way to take care of you and that beautiful baby boy. There are worse men out there. Trust me.” Her full lips curled up at the corner
s. She may’ve been older than me, but she was beautiful and such a sweet person. I knew she’d been behind Smoke and Straight eating at the diner and leaving stupidly large tips for me.
“Oh, I’m aware of that. But honestly, he’s only doing it because it’s his kid. It has nothing to with me,” I argued as I held Tristan a little tighter. She gently clutched my arm.
“You keep telling yourself that. But he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since we stepped out that door.” Her observation had me glancing at him. When I did, my eyes locked with his. He gave me a look that asked if everything was okay. I gave him a reassuring smile.
“See?” Nova chuckled as we started walking again.
“It’s only been a few days,” I added to my argument.
“Well, a few months down the road, you get back to me about all of this. Then we’ll see who’s right.” She winked at me before we closed in on the guys and she wrapped her arms around her husband and squeezed.
“Hey, babe. Everything go okay? Anything else you need, Avery?” He placed his hands over hers as he waited for me to answer.
God, I wanted that. Someday. Love, family, belonging. How strange would it be to experience that?
“No, it was fine, Thank you.”
“Thank your man, it was his room.” He chuckled, and mortification settled in my chest. It had me worrying that they thought we were a couple. Damn, that might be enough to piss him off, if he thought I’d been implying we were together like that. Then again, fuck it. If he got that pissed over something trivial that I didn’t do, then I could find my own place. Maybe not my old house; but maybe a smaller, nicer apartment.
“Chow’s ready!” the man at the grill shouted. If I remembered correctly, his name was Drew.
“Here, let me take him so you can go make a plate for yourself. Ladies and kiddos first.” Gunny stood from the table and reached for Tristan. As Gunny snuggled him in the crook of his intricately inked arm, I relaxed and flexed my arms and hands. For a newborn, he got heavy after a while.
“I could’ve put him in his seat,” I offered.
“I’ve got him,” he said firmly. The uncertainty that flashed in his eyes was quickly replaced by stoic regard.
“You look surprisingly good with a baby in your arms.” Truth grinned as he also stood from the table. Gunny rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the grin that teased at his lips. Looking down at the infant in his arms, he stroked his cheek lovingly, and a huge smile split his face.
He really did. He looked sexy as hell.
“He always did,” offered Lock, but he wasn’t laughing. He made me a little uneasy as he studied me. Not in a way that scared me, but definitely like he didn’t trust me.
I’m terribly sorry your brother has super sperm.
“Maybe now you’ll give up that off-shore job and be around more,” said Smoke with a smirk.
“Mmm” was all he said as he tucked his lips between his teeth.
Not sticking around to listen to their ribbing, I followed the women and Mattie over to where the food was set up. A lanky man rode up on a beat-up-looking bike, and everyone turned to watch him park and get off.
“You got it running!” I heard one of the guys shout out to him. Once he’d pulled off his helmet and hung it on the handlebars, I saw that he seemed lanky because he was young. He was handsome though, and I couldn’t help but notice Mattie’s cheeks flame before she ducked her head and hurried to the food tables.
Catching up to Nova, Gwen, and Mattie, I saw Clay’s wife, Monica, coming out of the clubhouse with two foil trays of buns and two bags of flour tortillas hanging from between her clenched fingers.
“Here, let me get one.” It looked like the top one might slide off, so I quickly grabbed it.
“Thank you, doll. I didn’t realize we’d forgotten all of these when we came out after you fed your boy.” She gave me a kind smile and motioned for me to set it next to the burgers and brats, placing hers next to mine. “Get you a plate. Gotta keep your strength up for that youngin. He’ll be growing like a weed soon enough, and you’ll barely be able to keep up. Best get ahead while you can.”
After we made our plates, I went back to the tables, set mine down, and gathered Tristan so Gunny could eat. I settled Tristan in his car seat. Gunny gave me an indecipherable look before joining his brothers in the line. While Tristan was happily sucking on his pacifier, I started to eat. With each bite, I kept one eye on my heavy-eyed baby boy.
“So are you going to keep working at the diner?” Gwen asked me. She took a bite of her burger as she waited for my answer. She was direct, yet sweet, and I already liked her. Even if I was a little jealous of her beautiful strawberry-blonde hair. I’d always thought my dark locks were rather boring.
While swallowing, I nodded. “Yes, I’ll still have day care and living expenses. At least I’m in my last semester though. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a job soon after graduation.”
“What are you going to school for?” Monica asked. A strand of her graying hair fell in her eyes, and she brushed it back.
“Social work. I’d like to work for CPS and the foster care system,” I said. I noticed Tristan’s pacifier had fallen out of his mouth, but I decided to leave it in his lap since he was dozing peacefully.
“Noble profession for thankless pay,” murmured Nova before she took a bite of her tortilla-wrapped sausage.
“True, but if I can help children like I was, then it will be worth it.” The pang in my chest at my lack of childhood had me hoping I could make a difference. Realistically, I knew it was a broken system. But I’d try to fix it one child at a time.
“You were in foster care?” Gwen asked. My hackles rose until I saw she was genuinely curious, not casting judgement or sympathy. Both were something I despised.
“Yes. From the time I was six until I aged out.”
“Did your parents die?” Mattie asked quietly from the end of the table next to Nova. When I glanced her way, it was to see pain flash across her face. Nova rested a comforting hand on her forearm where it rested on the table.
I sighed, trying to decide how to word my response. “No. My mother was, uh, not a very nice person and a worse mom.”
“I’m so sorry. What about your dad?” Mattie asked again. Nova gave her a look.
“Maybe she doesn’t want to discuss this. After all, she really just met everyone.” Nova cast an apologetic glance my way.
“It’s okay, Nova. I never knew my dad. Other than the things my mother told me, which weren’t very nice. All I know is he didn’t want me. Probably couldn’t believe… well, it doesn’t matter.” I swallowed hard as I dropped my attention to my plate. There were things a teenage girl didn’t need to hear.
“So you’ll be working with kiddos. Gwen is a teacher,” Nova offered, changing the subject. I raised my gaze to Gwen, who gave a half smile and nodded.
“Yes, I teach middle school math,” she offered. “A little different than what you’re looking at doing, but I’ve had kids in my classes before who were in foster care. Some had great families, others not so much. It was sad.” Her face flushed bright pink, and I was pretty sure she was wondering which category I fell in.
Laughter drew my attention to where the guys were all standing around the grill eating and talking. It was impossible not to search for Gunny in the small group. They were all good-looking men, but Gunny seemed to be the most striking of them all. His dark blond hair, reddish-blond beard, and tattoos paired with his massive size made me think of a Viking. If his hair had been long and braided like Styx’s, he really would look like one.
As if sensing my eyes on him, his brilliant blue gaze locked with mine. Something in my stomach fluttered, and I inhaled a slow, deep breath.
“Just roommates, huh?” Nova said quietly with a soft curve to her lips. When I opened my mouth to argue, nothing came out. All the women were looking at me speculatively. Then they looked in Gunny’s direction, and he quickly averted his gaze.
&nbs
p; “Mm-hm,” Gwen murmured with a good-natured smirk.
Mattie giggled, but I’d expect that from a teenage girl. All I could do was shake my head and laugh at the women. Maybe if I played it off like they were exaggerating, I could believe it myself. Because it was going to be the longest three weeks of my life.
The next week was a blur of meeting Gunny’s parents. Bizarre. Going back to school. Exhausting. And closing out the utilities and everything on my rental. We’d gone to pick up the last of my things, stopped by for my second Sunday family day at the clubhouse, then headed home.
So weird to think of Gunny and me sharing a home.
“You seemed to get along with the ol’ ladies,” Gunny observed when we returned to the house. It was almost funny to watch the tatted-up biker carry the infant carrier in the house. He had helped me down from the truck, then helped with Tristan.
He brought the infant seat to my room, then set him on the floor by my bed. The entire way, I’d watched his dark tattoos ripple across his skin. He was ridiculously sexy, and it was driving me crazy.
“They are really nice, but then I’ve always liked Nova. I’d hoped to meet your sister-in-law this time.” Except now Presley was sick, so she didn’t make it. I tried not to meet his eyes and busied myself with unbuckling Tristan. It was getting hard not to allow that night nine months ago to replay in my mind when I looked at him. Especially when we were alone. It was easier to tell myself he was a dickhead.
The problem was, he wasn’t acting like one. It was killing me.
When he didn’t say anything, I turned to see if he was still in the room. His expression read anger and heartache. I didn’t understand it, because everyone spoke highly of her, but maybe he didn’t like her. Finally, he grunted, then offered, “If you need help changing him, I can get him ready for bed. You’ll have to walk me through it, though.”
Jax and Jokers: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel Page 11
