My body shook with silent sobs. Would I ever be able to live my life without Octavius hanging over my head? What else could there be? By threatening the love of my life and his family, he stole my life from me, held me prisoner, and made me give him a son, not to mention the other loss I solely blamed him for, my sweet, innocent baby girl.
“Hey, it’s not all bad. I was upset at first, really fucking upset, but it turned out to be a good thing. Before we get to that part, let’s start with something easy, yeah?” I nodded my agreement. That sounded like a great idea to me. “Okay, is Nathan really Octavius’s son, Nivan?”
I choked on a sob. “Yes, but not like you think and you can’t tell him, Nathan, I mean. He doesn’t know. He was too young to remember much. He thinks his dad was a Marine who died in combat.” My rambling stopped abruptly when I realized what I’d said.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
I had almost convinced myself that story was the truth and it rolled off my tongue easily.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter what you told him and he doesn’t have to know if you don’t want him to. I’m not here to disrupt his life. What did you mean by ‘not like you think’?”
A large part of me really wanted to tell him this and another part of me was utterly embarrassed. Bracing myself for his reaction, I heaved in a breath and blurted, “Nathan is Octavius’s biological son, but he wasn’t conceived in the way nature intended.” There, that wasn’t so bad.
Phoenix cocked his head to the side. “I’m not following you, sweetheart.”
“I didn’t have sex with Octavius to conceive Nathan. I agreed to give him a son, I did not agree to give him myself, so Nathan was conceived by in vitro fertilization. I’m sorry, but I refuse to refer to my son by that other ridiculous name. I would appreciate it if you did the same.”
Phoenix had the biggest smile on his face. “I can do that. Nathan it is.”
I shook my head. “You’re such a man. Unpuff your chest, you big bastard.”
Phoenix threw his head back and laughed. “I won’t apologize for being happy about that,” he said through his laughter.
I giggled. “Yeah, I was quite proud of myself for figuring out a way around it. Octavius was a stickler for deals and agreements. He had this hang-up about being true to your word. Once I pointed out the technicality, he didn’t argue with me. He only cared about having a son to inherit the...oh, is that why you’re here?”
Phoenix sat up straighter. “No. That is not why I am here. I am here for you.” He turned his body toward me. “You don’t know what it has been like for me. I came back and you were gone. I looked everywhere for you. I’ve never stopped looking for you. It was like one day there was an Annabelle Burnett and the next day there wasn’t. The best private investigators in the country couldn’t find you. Hell, I even had Luke trying to find you.”
“I can explain that. When Kathleen asked Luke to help me, he told her he didn’t want to know my real name. She drove me to the hospital and I was admitted as Jane Doe. Your doctor friend helped me sneak out the back of the hospital where an SUV was waiting. I got in, was flown across the country, and given a new identity. Luke never knew who I was,” I told him.
“You just saved him from one hell of an ass-kicking,” he said, completely serious.
“What about Nathan? I have a report for a Johnny Doe saying he arrived with you and was later found dead in his hospital bed.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “That must have been something Luke did to help cover our tracks. Kathleen carried Nathan into the hospital and held him in her lap like he was her son while I was admitted. Since she supposedly didn’t know me, there was no reason for her to stay with me. She left the hospital with Nathan and handed him over to an agent who was waiting down the road. Once he had Nathan, he drove to the back of the hospital and waited for me to be brought out.”
Phoenix nodded. “Yeah, it sounds like Luke did a pretty good job of covering your tracks. I did find a death certificate for Nivan in Octavius’s files, but it’s obviously fake. From what I could tell, he was never able to prove Johnny Doe was actually Nivan. Sorry, Nathan.”
“So, if Octavius is dead and everyone thought Nathan died years ago, who did inherit the farm?” I asked hesitantly. I didn’t think Octavius had any other living relatives and I was suddenly afraid that he did. Would I need to hide from them for the rest of my life, too?
Phoenix’s face fell and his posture went from relaxed to rigid. He gritted out, “I did.”
“What?” I shrieked, leaping off the bed.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “I recently found out my mother was married to Octavius’s father, Zayne, before she was married to the man I thought was my father. So, yeah, I’m actually Zayne’s firstborn son, the rightful inheritor of the dairy farm.”
“You’re Octavius’s brother?” I asked in disbelief.
“Half-brother biologically, but I don’t claim him or anyone in that family. I am a Black through and through.”
“Wait. You said the farm was raided and all operations were shut down. How did you inherit it if it was shut down?” I asked. I was so confused. It seemed like there was too much for my brain to keep up with.
“I should have said the illegal operations were shut down. The dairy farm itself was legit, but Octavius was using the land and other facilities on the property for numerous illegal activities. Gun running, drug distribution, loan sharking, kidnapping, human trafficking, the list goes on and on. I had no part in it and completely cooperated with the police during the investigation. Since I didn’t even know I had rights to the property, let alone what was going on out there, the property was deemed mine once the investigation was wrapped up,” he explained.
“I had no idea he was doing all of those things! I knew about the loan sharking, of course, because that’s how I ended up there, but I didn’t know anything about all of the other stuff.” A thought suddenly occurred to me. “Oh, Phoenix, were Kathleen and her husband arrested?”
He shook his head and softly smiled. “No, they were and still are legit employees of the dairy farm.”
That was good to hear. If it weren’t for Kathleen, the last 13 years of my life would have been hell. She would forever hold a special place in my heart for what she did for me and my son.
A sharp knock on my door startled me. Before I could ask who it was, the door flew open revealing Token. “Taylor, we need you out front right now!” Token shouted. That could only mean one thing.
I think my feet hit the ground once between my bed and the hallway. I ran as fast as I could to the front doors, which were luckily being held open for me. Skidding to a halt in the forecourt, I found exactly what I expected to find. My son had another young man pinned to the ground.
Nathan’s fury was palpable, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. Walking closer to my son, I softly said, “Nathan, let him go.”
His nostrils flared and he tightened the hand around the guy’s throat. “Not happening,” he grunted.
I moved a step or two closer, “Let him go, sweetheart. Token will hold him while you tell us what happened.”
“Not this time, Mom. This one is mine this time.”
I wasn’t surprised that my usual methods weren’t working. Nothing about the day had been typical. Why not end it with my son killing what looked to be one of Wave’s newer prospects?
“Give me one good reason why I should let you continue kicking this kid’s ass,” I demanded.
Nathan’s face reddened even more and I swear steam shot out of his nose. “He called you a muffler bunny and said I was nothing but a biker bastard still attached to your tit.”
Out of nowhere, Phoenix’s booted foot slammed into the side of the kid’s head, effectively knocking him out. Nathan looked up at Phoenix, his mouth agape. “Sorry to steal your thunder, kid, but nobody talks about your mother that way and gets away with it.”
“Damn straight! Strip
his cut and put his punk ass on the curb!” Wave shouted, pushing his way through the crowd.
I placed my hands on Nathan’s shoulders. “Come on, baby, let’s go back inside and let them handle this.”
He reluctantly moved off of the unconscious man-child and let me lead him inside. I guided him back to my room. Once inside, I pulled him in for a hug. He’d been bigger than me for a long time, but he was still my baby. “Are you okay, son?”
He huffed. “I’m fine. I was fine, but the little fucker just wouldn’t shut up.”
“Language,” I admonished with a smile.
Phoenix and Wave came through the door, without knocking I might add. Nathan turned to Phoenix and held out his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
Phoenix grinned. “My pleasure. Nice job taking him down.”
My sweet Nathan’s cheeks flushed. Wave clapped him on the shoulder. “Our Nathan here has been working his ass off the last few years and, as of today, he is officially the newest member of the MMA team for the Northwest division of the United States Fighting League.”
“No shit? Congratulations, kid! That’s quite an accomplishment. I’m surprised you aren’t out celebrating,” Phoenix said sincerely.
“I wouldn’t have made it to where I am if it weren’t for my mom and the Knights. There’s nowhere else I would rather be celebrating tonight,” Nathan replied.
Phoenix directed his attention to me. “I’m going to head back to the hotel I’m staying at, let you and your boy celebrate your good news. We can catch up more tomorrow?”
I really, really wanted him to stay, but he was right. This was a huge moment for Nathan and I had done nothing but monopolize it. “Yes, tomorrow sounds good.”
Phoenix leaned closer, his deep voice awakening every nerve ending located in an erogenous zone, “You gonna make it easy on me and give me your number or are you going to make me hunt your fine ass down again?”
I managed to sputter out my phone number when all I wanted to do was kick everyone out, throw myself on the floor, and beg him to have his wicked way with me.
Phoenix stepped closer and pulled me into a hug. Well, what I thought was going to be a hug. He turned his body so he was shielding me from the other eyes in the room. His hand slid down to cup my ass while his lips latched onto my earlobe. He growled just low enough for me to hear, “I’m coming back for you in the morning. You best be ready for me.” He squeezed my ass cheek hard, placed a kiss on my temple, and left the room.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Phoenix
When I got back to my hotel room, I didn’t know whether to punch a hole in the wall or jack off until my dick was raw. Never before had I experienced such a mixture of emotions. One thing was certain though, I wanted Annabelle and I was going to make damn sure I had her.
I was still in the middle of my internal debate as to the best way to release some of my pent-up frustration when my phone rang, Dash’s name appearing on the screen. “Dash, what’s up?”
“Hey, Prez. How’s your trip going?” he asked.
“Did my daughter put you up to this?”
He chuckled. “No, but I fully expected her to. Thought I would put myself one step ahead of her and call while she’s asleep.”
“Why is she asleep? She doesn’t usually go to bed this early.”
“She came home from work early today and said she didn’t feel good. She went on to say she thought she was just overly exhausted and needed to get some sleep.”
“If she’s not feeling better in the morning, you call Patch and have him check her over, no matter what she says,” I ordered.
“I’m one step ahead of you, too,” he chuckled. “I already called him and asked him to stop by the house or her office tomorrow and check in on her.”
“You think she’s coming down with something?”
“Honestly, I think it’s stress. She won’t stop fussing over Coal. Now, you’re gone on a solo run and she knows that’s bullshit no matter what anyone tells her. Add in everything that just went down with Reese and Duke, it’s not surprising she’s worrying herself sick.”
“Let me know what Patch says tomorrow, yeah?” Fuck, I hoped there wasn't anything wrong with my baby girl. My plate was full, I couldn't handle anything else, especially if that something involved one of my kids. It was a small comfort to know they were both being looked after, but I still wished I could be in both places at the same time.
“Will do, Prez. You okay, man?” he asked.
I sighed and dropped my ass to the bed. “I found her.”
“Yeah? You talk to her?”
I gave him the short version of my encounter with Annabelle, leaving out any and all information about Nathan. I trusted him, but my daughter was a clever woman. If he knew something he wasn't telling her, she would pick up on it and do everything she could to find out what it was. She needed to hear about Nathan from me or her mother. Of course, that would have to be after her mother heard about her, and her brother.
I finished up with Dash and fell into bed. I tossed and turned all night. Every time I drifted off to sleep, my dreams were filled with the nightmares of my past, some real and others imagined.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Annabelle
Phoenix arrived at the clubhouse around lunchtime the next day. He looked like he hardly slept. I probably looked very much the same. I don’t think I slept more than two hours. I couldn’t stop thinking about Phoenix and all the things I needed to tell him, and wondering what things he had to tell me.
We made small talk with Wave and Token before heading out for lunch. Nathan had already left to meet with his new team at the gym and would be gone all day. I didn’t usually work on the weekends, so I had the entire day free to spend with Phoenix.
We stopped for lunch at a little cafe along the Pacific Coast Highway. After we placed our order, I asked a question I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. “How did you become the president of your great-uncle’s club?”
“When Uncle Talon died of a heart attack in 2002, his son, Hawk, became the president. A few years later, Hawk and his wife, Goldie, were hit when they were out for a ride. Both were killed on impact. Copper and Bronze were too young to take over the role as president, so it was offered to me. I was already a patched member, but I wasn’t around much because I was still on active duty. It just so happened that their deaths occurred around the time I was up for reenlistment. Instead of reenlisting like I had originally planned, I chose to accept the offer and became the president of Blackwings.”
“So, do you live in Devil Springs or Croftridge?” I asked, completely confused.
He chuckled. “I lived in Devil Springs when I first took over the club. I was president for less than a year when Gram and Pop told me they were moving to Florida and turning over the house and property to me. After discussing it with Pop and then the club, I made the decision to move the club to Croftridge, which is where I live now.”
I was afraid to ask after learning so many of his family members had died over the years, but I had to know. “Your grandparents? Are they—”
He cut me off and I was thankful for the interruption. “They are alive and well, enjoying their retirement on the Floridian coast.”
I exhaled in relief. Phoenix’s grandparents had a very special place in my heart and it would have pained me greatly to know they were no longer a part of this world.
“What about Copper and Bronze? Are they members of the club?”
“Yes, they are. They recently started their own chapter of Blackwings in Devil Springs. Copper is the president and Bronze is the VP. Their chapter is still new, but they’re strong. Copper has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the club over the last year and a half, but those are stories for a different time.”
After lunch, we rode to a somewhat secluded beach. It was a little difficult to reach, but it was well worth the trek once you got there. When we reached the sand, we both kicked off our shoes. Phoenix silently t
ook my hand and started walking along the shore. We walked a good half mile before either one of us said a word.
“As much as I’m enjoying just being with you, we do have some important things to talk about,” Phoenix said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
“You’re right, we do,” I agreed. I brought my hand to my mouth and started nibbling at my fingernail. It was a disgusting habit, but I was nervous as hell, so there was no point in trying to stop myself.
I had something huge to tell Phoenix and I didn’t know how he was going to take it. It was the main thing that kept me awake the night before. My news would be extremely painful for him to hear and for me to tell.
“This is hard for me to say,” I said at the same time he asked, “Do you want to sit for this?”
I shook my head. “No, I need to keep walking to share this with you.”
“Okay, let’s keep going,” he said, tightening his grip on my hand.
“I’m guessing you know how I ended up at the farm,” I surmised.
He nodded. “Your parents.”
“Right.” My parents were useless beings who did nothing but destroy my life because of their own selfish needs. “Octavius had been loaning money to my parents for months, all of which they gambled away or spent on alcohol and cigarettes. A few weeks after you left for the Marines, Octavius came to collect his money. Since they couldn’t pay, he took them to the farm to start working off their debt, and I had to go with them.”
“At first, it wasn’t so bad. I was separated from my parents and placed in a room much nicer than anything I ever had growing up. Then, Octavius started coming around more, asking me to go on a date with him. I repeatedly told him no, but he kept asking. He started bringing gifts with him when he came to see me, nice gifts, but I refused to accept any of them. Finally, he gave up on asking and started trying to use my parents as bargaining chips, saying he would reduce the amount they owed him if I would date him.” I scoffed. “He had no idea how much I loathed my parents. I finally told him I was in love with you and there was nothing he could do to change that.”
Phoenix (Blackwings MC Book 3) Page 7
