by Nikki Riker
Well, now I'm just as lost as the others. "Phone? She called you?"
Doc looks like he wishes he just kept his mouth shut, the way he always has. "She called earlier asking me to confirm something she'd been told."
I snort. Still delicately dancing around the subject as usual. "Spit it out, Harman. She asked you if you really did pull a cover-up after Cruz shot Trinity."
Cruz laughs, like he's just realized he's on the receiving end of a bad joke. There's a hysterical note to it, and it echoes around the clubhouse, bouncing back to him. He falls silent when no one else laughs.
"That's complete... you're... that's a lie. My father never-"
"He didn't intend to kill her," Doc Harman's quiet voice cuts off Cruz's attempts at reasoned rambling. "When he and Trent went to the house, he only intended to wound Calamity. He never meant for it to happen. She was just supposed to hear him out."
Brooklyn raises a trembling hand to her mouth, shining tears sliding down her face. She's a smart girl. She can probably guess where this is going.
Cruz looks like someone's just slid a knife into his gut and twisted it. "You're lying. That's not true."
"Your father and I fell in love with the same woman," I say, continuing the story where Doc Harman was too spineless to go on. "And he hated it when she chose me. One night he entered my house drunk with a gun and tried to shoot me. The shot went wide and would have killed Brooklyn if Trinity hadn't gotten in the way."
A muffled sound of grief escapes Brooklyn, and Kase drops his horrified gaze to hers and hugs her closer to his side, though he looks as if all he wants to do is throw up.
"You should have grown up with a single mother and a deadbeat dad in jail," I finish bitterly. "But Rocco, Harman, and Trent all agreed to lie for him."
"Why?" Ryker asks quietly, piping up for the first time since I came in. "Why the fuck would they do that?"
"Greed, I suspect. I had quite a few lucrative ideas back in the day. It's lined their pockets nicely."
Harman finally turns to look at me, though his glare is a weak, watery thing. "That's not fair. It was more complicated than that."
"Bullshit. Rocco and Trent wanted the money. You were just too much of a chickenshit to oppose them. So you let them take everything from me. Home. Family. Club. All of it gone because of your lies."
"Oh my God," Brooklyn whimpers. "Oh, my God. The glove...you never take it off. I thought maybe a scar or a bad tattoo. But it's...you were..."
I smile gently. "You always were a smart girl."
"Don't condescend to her, you asshole," Kase snarls. "What's she talking about?"
"Daddy never took off his glove. Not around Malick, not when he slept, not even around me. I always wondered what he didn't want me to see. It's a tattoo. It's the tattoo," she whispers. "Because you were a Spade, weren't you? You and mom both."
"Bullshit," Cruz says, though his voice lacks volume now. He backs up and leans heavily against a stool. "Not possible."
I remove my glove once more and brandish it with a flourish, relishing the expression on every face but my daughter's. Shock. Anger. Disbelief. More anger.
"You just got that," Cruz accuses, falling back on the only defense he has left.
"Does this look like new ink to you, kid? I haven't had this touched up in decades. I wasn't just a Spade, I was the Spade. I came up with the charter. I recruited members. I created the Black Spade Casino. And all you ungrateful shits ever did was throw me under the bus. So yes, I tried to kill your father. I shed not a fucking tear when he finally got what was coming to him. But all this waffling bullshit you're doing? It's endangering Penelope's life. Believe me or don't, but the fact is, I don't have enough men left to rescue her on my own, or I'd have done it already. So either stop pussyfooting around and finish what your father started or help me. Up to you."
Cruz's fingers flex around the gun, weighing the decision seriously.
"Why?" he asks finally. "Why do you want to save her?"
It brings me up short. I can't blurt out the truth.
Because I'm falling in love.
Instead, I shrug. "My reasons are my own. I'll need to call the last of the men loyal to me and have them cross the boundary line. If we merge our forces, it may be enough."
Cruz nods absently, but it's a minute more before he speaks. "Fine. We'll do this. But I have one condition."
"Name it."
"When she's back, you leave her the fuck alone. You disappear into the woodwork and never show your face again, and I'll let those men over the boundary line."
The words fly out of my mouth without a second of hesitation. "Done."
I've already disappeared once. It's a small price to pay for one life. And maybe it's ultimately better this way.
Cruz smiles grimly. "All right, then. I guess we have a deal."
19
Penelope
Kase calls Marcus at half-past two, arranging the details on where they'll be meeting to do the swap. Marcus acts like he's merely an informant, here to help my brothers and concerned for me. I sit yards away with Kylie dragging a gag between my teeth to keep me from screaming at them.
They ultimately decide to meet at a warehouse in the Kings' territory. I know from experience that nothing good ever happens in warehouses. Marcus will turn on my brothers first chance and shoot them in the back.
The closer we get to the ambush point, the more excited Avis gets. I drag the cloth from my mouth when Marcus hangs up the phone and shoot her a poisonous glare.
"Can you at least act like you're not jacking off to this?" I hiss.
Avis smiles sweetly down at me. "Afraid not. You see, I'm looking forward to this part."
To the part where she took Marcus out and assumed total control of the Hellions. I can only imagine just how ruthless they'll become with her at the head. I have to stop this somehow.
Marcus' cargo van jerks to a stop outside of the warehouse district, and the pair of men from before each seize one of my arms and wrestle me from its interior. I struggle as hard as I can, but between the debilitating pain, lack of good sleep, and the sheer emotional gauntlet I've been forced to run in the last twenty-four hours, my resistance is pitiful.
Two familiar bikes have been pulled to a stop outside the heavy wooden doors. Cruz's Eagle and Ryker's Iron 883 are so distinctive I could pick them out from a crowd of other bikes with ease. Cruz is pacing the length of the warehouse like an agitated dog, ready to be sicced on the first threat he sees. He stutters to a stop when he spots us approaching from the south.
Ryker appears to have gotten even bigger than when I saw him last. He holds the case that presumably holds all the cash from the bogus ransom demand the Hellions made. I can't believe Cruz and Ryker are acting this stupid. They have to know that the Hellions don't intend to let any of us leave alive. I can't see Ryker's face well enough to read his expression. He's got the hood of his sweatshirt pulled tight, so his face is swimming in shadow.
"Ah, Cruz, it's good to see you!" Marcus says jovially, approaching my brother with open arms.
Cruz looks unsurprised to see Marcus approaching with the enemy, and that makes me feel marginally better. Hard for Marcus to get the drop on him when he sensed the other shoe was about to slam down.
Cruz fixes Marcus with an unpleasant smile. "I knew I should have ripped your balls off when I had the chance. You never deserved Penny."
Preach, brother, I champion him silently.
Marcus feigns hurt. "Come on, Cruz. We could still be friends, you and I. We're not unreasonable. We could come to some sort of truce. This doesn't need to devolve into bloodshed."
Marcus never fucking pays attention to the glaringly obvious, because he takes Cruz's quirked brow as interest, not incredulity.
"Uh-huh?" my brother grunts. "Is that so? What the fuck do you have to offer me? You beat and kidnapped my sister. I don't play around with people who fuck with my family."
"I can get you revenge. We found her like
this, Cruz. That fucker Calamity Gardel beat her, and he raped her. Even we don't condone that sort of behavior. All we propose is a brief truce. Just long enough to end the Kings. Then we can go back to hating each other. Sound good?"
Cruz glances sideways at Ryker, seeming to consider it. "What do you think of that offer?"
Ryker reaches up a gloved hand to tug his hood down to reveal...that it's not Ryker beneath the hood.
Calamity Gardel stares back at Cruz, a wolfish grin on his face. His blonde hair is damp, his pale eyes glacial with dislike, even as he smiles. The sight of him standing so near makes my stomach do a little flip, and it has nothing to do with nerves. He's here. He came for me. And if Cruz is standing so near him, he has to know the truth or is at least putting aside his hate for my sake. It almost brings tears to my eyes.
"I think they just made my point quite nicely," Calamity says coldly. "You made the same offer to me only last month, I believe. Shows how much stock I should put in the word of the Hellions, doesn't it?"
Marcus' skin has lost all color, his eyes bug with horror, and he backs a step away from the two men before him.
"This isn't fucking happening," he mumbled. "You...you two hate each other!"
"We hate you more," Cruz says, reaching to unholster his piece. "One-time alliance only, right, Gardel?"
"Right," Calamity says with a firm nod.
"There's still only two of you!" Marcus pants. "There is thirty of us! You're still dead!"
Calamity only smirks. "Want to know something, Marcus? I've found something strange in all my years in this game. No one ever looks up."
Which drags every gaze, including mine, to the warehouse rooftops. A dozen winking red lights dot the skyline. Holy fuck. Does he have guys with sniper rifles on the roof? I can practically hear Marcus shitting his pants from where I stand. That must be why he draws down suddenly, whipping the gun around in my direction, finger shoved into the trigger guard.
Calamity moves faster, even with the delayed reaction time. He has his Glock in position in a nanosecond, sights his target and fires. Marcus reels back from the force of the shot, staring dumbfounded at the hole in his chest. Red blossoms across his nice shirt, and he mouths something before collapsing.
That's when all hell breaks loose. Bodies emerge from every corner of the warehouse district. Ours and theirs. Kings, Hellions, and Spades all rush into a senseless melee, and I can barely keep track of who's who. Avis seizes my arm in a pincer-like grip and drags me in the opposite direction of the fighting. No glorious coup going on tonight, but I think she figures if she can keep me as a hostage, she'll at least be able to barter her freedom.
I stagger into her to knock her loose. We both topple to the damn pavement, her on top.
"I should just kill you," she hisses. "You ruined everything. We almost had him, you know."
I shake my head. "You would never have had him, Avis. He's a better man than that, even as a monster."
Her eyes narrow on me. "You're a fool. He's going to disappoint you. It won't end well, no matter how things go."
"Maybe, maybe not. But tonight is not going to end well for you, no matter how you slice things. So why don't you just cut your losses, Avis? I don't think you're evil. Not truly. Just hurting. So run. Live and take your chance to be better."
I think she might spit on me for a second. Then she pulls herself upright, stands, and sprints off, leaving me prone on the pavement. I lay there for a few minutes, head spinning. Gunshots are a percussive beat in the background. The cries of pain and fear are distant and almost unreal. I can feel my pulse through my entire body. It would be so easy to fall asleep.
Eventually, someone finds me. A huge, hulking shape fills my field of vision, and Calamity's beautifully sculpted face swims into view. Concern sponges away the intense anger, leaving the lines of his face looking softer.
"Calamity," I croak. "You came..."
His smile is bleak. "Of course I did. You're mine, remember? No one steals what's mine. This shouldn't have happened in the first place. I should have been better at protecting you."
I press my finger to his lips. I don't want him to talk and ruin the moment. I'm sure I will black out before too much longer, and I want answers before I do.
"How'd you get Cruz to come?"
"I told the truth. He doesn't believe me, but he was willing to put the fight aside to save you. That was part of our agreement."
"So...where'd you get the snipers? I didn't know you had those."
He chuckled. "I don't. That was a last-minute idea of mine. They had the advantage of numbers, even after we joined forces. So we bought a dozen laser pointers and had several non-combative club members stand on the rooftops."
A bubbling laugh scrapes its way up my throat and bursts from me. He'd had what, twenty or thirty minutes to think of a plan? He is brilliant. It is a wonder he hasn’t crushed us all flat in the years leading up to this.
"I fucking love you, you know that?"
Calamity eases his hands beneath me and lifts me from the pavement. He cradles me to his chest and kisses my forehead reverently. I shut my eyes, and tears squeeze out of the corners as he walks us back toward the van. I'm so glad he's here.
"Go to sleep, Penelope."
"Kiss me goodnight," I counter.
He rumbles out a laugh, though there's a bitter undercurrent to it. He's careful of my split lip and injured jaw, barely brushing his lips along mine. It's tender and sweet and over in seconds. Then we are back where it all began. At least a dozen Hellions are dead. The rest have scattered. Cruz is waiting with the real Ryker, who doffs Calamity's jacket quickly like he's just been waiting to get rid of it.
Cruz's eyes fix on me. "Is she hurt?"
He steps forward, arms going out in a wordless command that Calamity surrender me to him. I curl closer to Calamity. I'm not ready to let go yet.
"Split lip. Bruises and maybe a dislocated jaw."
"Knocked a tooth loose," I add with a grunt of pain as Calamity lowers me to Cruz's outstretched arms. I don't want to let go.
He has to pry me loose. Cruz's arms tighten like iron bands around me as soon as I'm secure in his arms.
"Our deal, Gardel," Cruz mutters.
"I know. Consider me gone."
And, with one last wistful look over his shoulder, Calamity strides toward the Fat Boy waiting for him in an alleyway. He slings a leg over the seat, twists the keys into the ignition, and takes off down the long, slick stretch of pavement, ready to start a new life.
Without me.
20
Calamity
"I don't understand how you can live with him," I hiss. "He's a fucking slob."
Brooklyn giggles and continues to stir the boiling pot. Spaghetti again, mostly because it's cheap, and it's one of the few things that her morning sickness will allow her to eat with little trouble. She's a lot like her mother that way. Sick most of the way through the pregnancy.
"I can't blame him. His hours stink, and neither of us really feel like cleaning when we're both home."
Which was why I clean the studio apartment while trying desperately to sort out the shambles that my life has become. It's dizzying to go from the king of an empire to a glorified janitor in only a few short weeks. Living with Kase Cruz and my daughter in an apartment with the dimensions of a sardine can is not my idea of a good time. Now that I've gained some work, I intend to get the hell out of dodge when I can.
It's hard to stay annoyed when I'm with Brooklyn, though. She's reveling in her new domestic bliss. Kase Cruz may not be good enough for my little girl, but he makes her happy. So I'll overlook his slovenly ways for now. But when I have enough money, I'm hiring them a maid. This is just fucking ridiculous.
It's almost the weekend, and she'll be kicking me out soon on the pretext of getting her a mango smoothie from an all-night juice bar. The journey is about a half-hour there and back on foot, and it's her go-to excuse to get me out of the house when Kase gets home. She
's trying to be sneaky, as though I don't know that she plans to use the hour to fuck her husband when I'm not forced to be in the same room.
When she glances hopefully at the clock again, I take the hint and retrieve a jacket from the apartment's only closet.
"I think I'll head out."
"You don't have to do that, daddy. At least stay for supper."
"I'll grab something on the way back," I assure her. "Enjoy the evening, sweetie."
It will be better than sitting at a rickety card table as my daughter undresses Kase Cruz with her eyes. She shrugs, giving up after only a few seconds. Though she and I both enjoy seeing each other again, I'm a hiccup in the otherwise smooth operation of her life.
I'm out the door in under a minute and out of the building in three, nodding to security as I pass. The night is still, and it's a rare day without rain. The sounds of the city are a dull buzz in the back of my head, and, as always, when I'm alone for more than a few minutes, my mind drifts back to Penelope.
Brooklyn keeps me updated on what's going on with her, knowing without having to be told that it's of vital interest. Penelope recovered well from the fight, with only one dental surgery to contend with to replace her missing molar. She's taken time off of work and is recovering while Cruz sweeps the rest of the city for the Hellions.
Our ambush wiped out their main fighting force, leaving them at a disadvantage. Bolstered by my men, they shouldn't be too hard to handle any longer. Cruz is having a hard time controlling them, though, which is why my daughter keeps dropping subtle hints I should return. I won't break my promise to Cruz. Penelope is safe. That's all that matters.
In another half-hour, I've gotten Brooklyn's usual and give her a little extra time. I've been a newlywed before, and I don't begrudge her the desire, just her choice of husband. A Cruz. Fuck, fate had a sense of humor.
