Wrapped in Chains (Kings Reapers MC Book 3)

by Nicola Jane

  “Your mum came to see me,” says Ryan. “She told me everything.”

  I glare at my mum and she shrugs. “Anna told me. She’s worried about you doing this alone when you really don’t need to. It’s the scan—he can’t miss it,” she says and my eyes widen further.

  Before I have a chance to explain, the door opens and I’m called in. Mum and Ryan follow me and take a seat by the bed. I haul myself up on it and lie down as instructed by the nurse. She squirts my tummy with a cold gel and then a screen beside me flickers to life. A grainy image appears and the nurse begins to point out the heartbeat. The room fills with the sound of the rapid beating and I find myself smiling. Despite me being so unsure, I’m relieved to hear the life inside me.

  When it’s all over, the nurse hands me some pictures and we head out of the room. Mum kisses my cheek. “I’ll let you two talk,” she says and smiles.

  “Coffee?” Ryan asks and I nod. Costa Coffee sounds like heaven right now.

  Once I’m settled into the hospital’s Costa restaurant, I smile at Ryan. “It’s not yours,” I say, deciding that blunt is the best way.

  “I know,” he says easily and he takes a sip of his coffee.

  “If you know, then why are you here?”

  “To help. I figured when your mum told me, you hadn’t told your brother because he would have booted my door down and probably tried to kill me.” I laugh. “I know it’s weird, but I like you, Leia. I always have. I’m happy to pretend this baby is ours. I’ll support you and look after you. I’ll even stand up to your brother.”

  I stare open-mouthed in shock. “You’d do that?” I whisper and he nods. He’s saying everything I wanted Chains to say the day he left. “I can’t let you. It’s so sweet and beyond amazing that you’d want to help me like that, but I can’t let you.”

  He grabs my hand. “Of course, you can. We’d be great parents. No one would need to know. I’ll give you the world if you let me.” I stare at our joined hands. The offer is crazy, but the thought of security makes me consider it. He sees me wavering. “Leia, I can make you happy if you just let me try. We can start again and take one day at a time. I’m guessing whoever got you in this way isn’t stepping up, or maybe your brother wouldn’t approve, but he has nothing against me. I can make him see that I’m right for you. Just say you’ll give us a try.”

  “I don’t know . . . ”

  “One day at a time. No pressure, and if you decide it’s not working, then I’ll walk away. I promise.”

  “We take it slow,” I mutter and he nods eagerly. “And we’ll have a trial of a month. I don’t want anyone to know yet. No big announcements.”

  He nods again and grabs my face, placing a wet kiss on my head. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”

  CHAINS

  I groan as Raven drags me around another furniture shop. I’m all for decorating, but she’s changing the whole damn house. “Last one, I promise.”

  “You said that three stores ago.”

  She’s obsessed with replacing the bed. I told her no one ever slept in it apart from me and her, but since we got back to London a few weeks ago, she’s making her stamp on my place. I guess it needed a woman’s touch after years of neglect from me.

  My phone buzzes. It’s Riggs. I glance at Raven, who’s chatting happily to the sales person.

  “Hold on,” I say to him as I head out the shop. “Everything okay?”

  “When you coming back to the club, brother? I need my enforcer back,” he mutters.

  “Cree told me weeks ago you were gonna call me, Pres, and I heard nothing. Now you call me out the blue and tell me you need me back. What’s happened?”

  “I didn’t end that motherfucker. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him live on the condition he left the club and stayed away from London.”

  “We’re talking about Cobra?” I clarify.

  “He’s in London. One of the guys spotted him today. I can’t send Blu after him, I don’t know if Blu’s loyalties are still with him, so I’m asking you.”

  “You know I’m in London, don’t ya?” I say because why else would he call me.

  “Chains, your part of my club. Did ya think I could just let you go off radar? You know men don’t walk away from this club like that. I knew you were in London the second you crossed the border. If you’re leaving my club, then we need to meet, but if you’re not, then the break is over, brother. It’s time for you to get back to work.”

  “Right, okay. I’ll check out some local haunts and see if anyone’s seen him around. You think he’s here to cause trouble for the club or is he looking for me?”

  “I don’t know brother. When I told him to leave, he seemed fine. Accepted that the club was out of hand. He told me he had family up north and he was heading there.”

  “So, you want me to just chase him outta London?” I ask.

  “Yeah. He ain’t welcome here.”

  Raven steps out of the shop smiling as I disconnect the call. “I got the perfect bed,” she smiles. “You okay?”

  “I gotta do some shit for Riggs. You go home and I’ll be there soon,” I say, kissing her on the head. “And don’t answer the door to anyone.”

  I flag down a cab and Raven gets in. “Call me when you’re heading back and I’ll order us some food,” she says. I close the door and as I head off, I feel a slight panic setting in that Raven and I are becoming serious naturally with neither of us acknowledging it and it bothers me.

  I head to Bill’s. He’s a tattooist on the high street and he knows everyone’s business. If people are talking, then Bill will know. He greets me with a strong handshake. “Long time no see. You in for some ink?” he asks. I shake my head and he turns to the young guy behind the desk. “Take a break, Tommy.” The guy leaves and I take his seat.

  “There’s a guy in town that we don’t want here. Goes by the name Cobra. Manchester accent. Big, tattoos,” I say.

  “Not heard anything, Chains. I’ll keep my ear to the ground and call you if he surfaces here. Have you tried Anita’s café? It was full of bikers when I passed an hour ago.”

  I head there next, but it’s empty, and Anita doesn’t remember seeing anyone fitting Cobra’s description. I order a coffee and sit by the window, making calls to see if anyone’s spotted him.

  After an hour of asking around, I call Raven. I’m gonna be home late if this motherfucker doesn’t appear soon. She doesn’t answer and it pisses me off. She never answers her damn phone the first time, so I try again and leave her a voicemail telling her I’ll be late. Then I head back out and try my luck in the local bars.

  Chapter Eleven

  Leia

  Diesel snarls as Blu passes us and Gia laughs. She’s hiding out here to avoid going to dinner with her family to meet her new potential husband. She pats Diesel on the head. “Good boy,” she praises and Blu scowls at her.

  “So,” I say, tucking my feet under me. “How mad will Vinn be?”

  She pretends to think about it, tapping her chin. “I’d say about as mad as Riggs will be when he finds out about you know what,” she says, pointing to my stomach.

  “I’ve decided to move to another country so he never has to know,” I say and she laughs.

  “Then take me with you and I’ll never have to marry this arrogant ass who’s been chosen for me.”

  “He might be hot,” I say and shrug.

  “He might not be. I’m not risking it.”

  “Maybe we can convince Vinn to let you marry Blu.” I grin, wiggling my brows. We stare over at where Blu sits at the bar, glaring into a half-drunk beer.

  “No way. He’s too moody. Does he even talk, like in sentences?” whispers Gia.

  “I can fuckin’ hear you,” he growls without turning to look at us.

  “I guess you do talk in sentences. Well done,” says Gia sarcastically.

  The door swings open and Vinn fills the doorway. “Oh shit,” I mutter. I’ve never seen him look so mad. “Is it too
late to hide?”

  “Let’s go, Gia,” he says in a tone that says he’s not to be argued with.

  “I should have found a better hiding spot,” she says to me.

  “If you don’t wanna go, don’t,” says Blu. Gia’s eyes bug outta her head. Clearly, Blu doesn’t know who Vinn is.

  “Gia!” yells Vinn and she moves faster towards the door.

  Blu snatches her hand in his as she passes. “Do you wanna go with him?” he asks.

  “I . . . erm . . . I . . . ” She looks back at me for help.

  “Blu, let her go. Vinn’s her brother,” I say.

  “I don’t give a fuck who the hell he is,” he growls and I notice he hasn’t looked in Vinn’s direction once. If he had, he would have seen the pulsating vein about to burst in Vinn’s neck or the way his stance tells me he’s ready to blow Blu’s head off. I rush towards Blu.

  “No, seriously, let her go,” I warn.

  Blu takes no notice of my pleading tone. His blue eyes are fixed on Gia, who stares back like she’s forgotten what she's supposed to be doing. The click of the gun gets her attention. “I’m not in the mood to deal with idiots today. Let my sister go now!” shouts Vinn.

  “Fuck,” I hiss, moving to Vinn. “Put that away. There’s kids around here,” I snap. At the same time, Blu is up off his chair with his own gun pointed at Vinn. “Jesus,” I groan.

  “She ain’t gotta go with you, and who the fuck do you think you are comin’ into our club and pulling a gun?” yells Blu. It’s the most I’ve heard him speak since he arrived.

  Cree and Riggs rush into the room. They must have seen the chaos unfold from the office. “Put your guns down,” orders Riggs, but neither of the men listen. Diesel picks up on the tension and begins to bark, putting himself between me and Vinn.

  “You’d better get your monkeys under control, Riggs,” snaps Vinn.

  Blu moves forwards, yelling about not being anyone’s monkey, and Vinn sweeps his arm to move me from in front of him. I trip over Diesel and lose my balance, tumbling towards the ground and hitting my head on a table as I fall. “Shit, Leia,” screams Gia, but as she rushes towards me, she goes fuzzy and then everything goes black.

  My head hurts. I groan and the voices around me stop. “Leia,” whispers Gia.

  “Did anyone get shot?” I croak.

  “I’m not entirely sure. Riggs kicked them out. He’s really mad,” she whispers. “I need to warn you that—”

  “Is she awake?” yells Riggs.

  “Too late,” adds Gia.

  I push myself to sit up on the couch. Diesel is by my feet, and as Riggs approaches, he snarls. “Do something with that fuckin’ dog. He’s growling at me in my own damn club!” he yells.

  “Stop yelling and he won’t growl,” I huff, patting Diesel and reassuring him that everything is fine.

  “Pregnant!” snaps Riggs, his eyes wide.

  “Sorry, I blurted it out when you fell,” mutters Gia and I groan again.

  “Get talking,” snaps Riggs, pacing.

  “I had sex. I got pregnant,” I say and he glares at me.

  “You think this is funny, Leia? All the money I’ve put into your education to get you where you want to be. For what? So you can sit here and make stupid statements like that!”

  “What do you want me to say, Riggs? Shit happens. It happened to Anna.”

  “Anna planned that, we both know it,” he snaps bitterly and I hear a gasp from across the room. Riggs closes his eyes for the briefest of seconds and then turns to Anna. “Sorry. I’m mad. I didn’t mean that.” Anna stomps out of the room without another word, slamming the door as she leaves. “Fuckin’ great,” he hisses.

  Mum rushes in, dropping her shopping bags on the ground and making her way to me. “Are you okay?”

  “It’s a little bump,” I say as she examines the throbbing lump on my head. “Riggs knows,” I add.

  “You already knew!” yells Riggs and Mum rolls her eyes.

  “I guessed. Why are you yelling?”

  “Jeez, I don’t know, Mum. Maybe I’m pissed that everyone seems to know that Leia’s screwed her life up except me.”

  I stand, gripping my mum’s shoulder for a second because of the dizziness. “Not everyone resents kids like you, Riggs. Some of us are grown up enough to see it as a blessing. And for the record,” I snap. “We are not in the eighteen hundreds. Women have babies and they work. They don’t need assholes to pay their way. I will still be an amazing nurse and a fantastic mother.” I head for my bedroom before he can reply.

  CHAINS

  There’s no sign of Cobra anywhere. No one’s seen him. No one's heard of him. As I head home, I try to call Riggs but get no answer. Every fucker is ignoring my calls today. As I pull my house keys out, I look up and notice the front door is slightly open. Frowning, I pull out my gun to be on the safe side and carefully push the door open wide enough for me to get through.

  Inside, the place is a mess. Things are strewn all over the living room. My heavy boots crunch on broken glass as I carefully step over objects and make my way to the kitchen. I flick the light on and the sight before me takes my breath away. Raven is on the floor with her back to me. Her long hair is stained a deeper red with blood. It’s splayed out around her head in a sticky matter. I stare at her lifeless body for a second before my brain kicks into gear and I rush over, dropping to my knees and carefully rolling her onto her back. “Raven,” I whisper. I gently shake her shoulders. She feels cold to touch and her skin is deathly pale, but I can feel a faint pulse. “Raven,” I mutter, stroking a hand over her hair. I use my other hand to pull out my phone and call for an ambulance.

  The days blur into each other. The beeping of the machines that keep Raven alive are my only source of comfort. I watch the nurse as she moves around Raven silently, doing her routine observations and making notes. “She doing good?” I mutter.

  “She’s doing just fine. The doctor will be in later to let you know the next steps,” she says and smiles.

  The door opens and Riggs enters. He’s been in every day since I called him. We shake hands and wait for the nurse to leave. “How is she?”

  “Same.” I sigh, rubbing my tired eyes. “Just waiting on the doc.”

  “The cops have put it down as a house robbery gone wrong,” says Riggs. It’s what we wanted. Now, we can go after the person responsible ourselves and give out the justice that Cobra deserves.

  “Let me see the note again,” I mutter, holding out my hand.

  Riggs gives me the crumbled piece of paper that I found in Raven’s hand just before the ambulance arrived. ‘Now we’re even. You fucked my life up and now I’ve fucked yours.’

  “Did the pregnancy and STD results come back?” asks Riggs.

  I nod. “All clear, but they want to repeat them in another week or so,” I say bitterly. I only hope to God that Raven was passed out at that point because she doesn’t need any more of those kinds of images plaguing her head after her dark past.

  “I’ve got men out looking. So has Vinn.”

  “Vinn,” I repeat.

  “He owes me after what happened with Leia,” he mutters. He sees me frown in confusion. “He knocked her by mistake last week and she got hurt. Hit her head on a table.”

  “She okay?” I ask, hating that I know nothing about what goes on at the club anymore.

  “I don’t know. She moved out and won’t see me. I thought you might have seen her on shift here actually,” he says. “Provided she’s still working, that is. Fuck knows what’s going on with her, man. She’s suddenly become this adult who doesn’t listen to anything I gotta say.”

  “She moved out? What the fuck, Riggs?”

  “Things are a little crazy right now.” He sighs. “But you have enough to worry about. I’ll call if we find him.”

  Riggs leaves and I take Raven’s small hand in my own. “Come on, baby. Come back to me,” I whisper.

  I hit the side of the coffee machine and it
springs to life. The coffee tastes like shit here, but it’s all that's keeping me going. The nurses tried to get me to go home earlier to take a shower, but I need to be here when Raven wakes up. I’ll never leave her again.

  “There’s a Costa downstairs. It’s expensive but worth it.” I close my eyes as Leia’s voice washes over me. It’s been months since I heard it and my body reacts just the same. I turn to find her leaning against the wall. The little blue uniform suits her, even though she’s wearing a baggy jumper that would probably fit me. “You look like shit. Go home and shower.”

  “Your nurse friends send you here to tell me that?” I ask, taking a sip of the hot liquid and wincing at the bitter taste.

  “You’re no good to anyone looking like that. Security might think you’re homeless and kick you out.” She smirks.

  “You look good.” The words tumble out before I register what I’m saying and I instantly feel bad on Raven for looking at Leia in that way.

  “It’s just something I threw on,” she jokes, looking down at her nurse’s uniform.

  “Riggs said you hit your head?”

  Leia lifts her hair from her face and I see the remnants of a yellow bruise. “It’s not that bad. A little concussion and a headache. I’ve survived worse pain,” she says and then bites on her lip like that information slipped out.

  “I gotta get back to Raven,” I mutter.

  She smiles awkwardly and pushes off the wall. “Think about taking that shower. See ya round.”

  Another day passes and I’m starting to get impatient. Why won’t she wake up? The door opens and Leia pops her head in. She holds up a Costa cup and steps into the room. It feels wrong having the woman I love and the woman I care for in the same room. All these months apart and I still love Leia. “Thanks,” I mutter, taking it from her.

  “Leave it to cool. I have a surprise,” she whispers, taking my hand. I stare at her fingers entwined with mine. She touches me like it’s the most natural thing in the world, even after everything I did to her. I let her lead me from the room and down a flight of stairs. She glances around the corridor before opening a door with her nurse’s badge and leading me in. We’re in a bedroom. “I only have ten minutes and I have to get back,” she whispers, and I frown. What the hell is she thinking? When she sees my expression, she giggles and passes me a white towel. “The shower is through there.” She points to a door and I smile gratefully. “There’s some clothes in there too. I had Cree bring them over from the clubhouse.”