by E. C. Land
“Justin has Mackenzie,” Lex snarls harshly.
“Fuck,” one of the men standing near my brother and his friends snaps. I remember seeing him at the clubhouse where Lex took Mackenzie to be seen by Connors. I think he’s the President of their club. “Alright, do we know where he would go with her?”
“I haven’t found any house or anything with his or any of his men’s names on it,” another man mutters.
“What about my name?” I croak, speaking up from behind my brother as I remember my uncle having me sign a bunch of paperwork for him, he said he had needed it from me.
“Belly?” My stomach drops at the sound of that voice as I slowly turn enough to meet those vibrant glittery eyes of the man stepping toward me.
Oh no.
“Dylan?” I whisper, saying his name for the first time aloud in months.
“Fuck, what are you doing here?” he demands, his gaze narrowing on me.
“She’s my sister,” my brother says, coming to my rescue.
“What the fuck? How come we didn’t know you had a brother?” Dylan demands, his voice taking on a tone of its own. I haven’t seen him since the funeral. I’ve avoided him as much as possible, because I carry the burden of Derick’s death with me just as much as I do his child.
“Derick knew about my brother,” I utter the painful words and lift my gaze to meet Lex’s. “Lex, this is Derick’s brother, Dylan.”
“Oh fuck, does he know?” Lex asks, blurting out a question I wish he’d kept to himself.
“Know what?” Dylan tenses.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and open my eyes to meet Dylan’s, placing my hands at the small bump I’m sporting. “I’m pregnant.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why didn’t you tell me before now?” he growls, closing the space as much as my brother allows him to.
“Umm, I . . . I don’t know,” I whisper quietly, slumping my shoulders in defeat.
“Look, we’ll get back to this later. Anabelle, sit down and tell me what you mean by asking if Gadget checked your name,” Lex commands, keeping his voice calm as he can.
I nod and take a seat, because I’m getting lightheaded. Alexis comes to my side and takes my hand in hers.
“Uncle Justin had asked me to sign papers. Said the properties were given to me by Mom and Dad. I didn’t think to ask you about it. I figured he’d already talked to you. That’s what he’d told me at least,” I inform them. “W–Why would he take Mackenzie?”
Almost immediately after I ask the question, the answer hits me clear as day, and I feel sick to my stomach at how much of an idiot I am. “It was him, wasn’t it? The one who hurt her.”
“Yeah, Anabelle, it was him. Later on, we’ll talk about it. For now, I need you to try and relax so we can find Mackenzie. Can you do that for me?”
I don’t give Lex a verbal response. Instead, I nod and move my eyes to meet Dylan’s anger filled ones. It’s a look that communicates we would be speaking later about this. Once Mackenzie is back, safe and sound.
Groaning through the contraction, I fight the need to demand getting an epidural. I refuse to get it. This is my punishment for everything I’ve done. It’s also a blessing to the life I’m bringing into the world.
Dylan stands next to me. Since he’d found out I was pregnant with his brother’s child, the man has been with me every step of the way the past two months. Not that he’s doing it for me. Nope. He’s made sure I know where I stand with him. He doesn’t want anything to do with me other than to be able to help raise my son.
My guilt holds too deeply to argue with him. I wouldn’t have denied him seeing his nephew, but I don’t need help. I can do this on my own. I have to.
“Anabelle, it’s time to start pushing,” my doctor announces and starts instructing me on what to do.
Dylan moves to take my hand, but I pull it away. I don’t deserve his comfort or anything else from him. I don’t deserve anything, but his hatred. This doesn’t stop Dylan from reaching out and taking my hand to hold it firmly in his.
For the next God knows how long, I push until finally there’s a baby’s welcoming cries. Tears fill my eyes, and I look to see the doctor place my son on my chest. I tilt my head back to see Dylan is staring at the little boy on my chest in wonder.
I might have Dylan’s hatred, but my son has his heart. That’s worth being around my son’s uncle and taking his heated words. Because now we both have a part of Derick in our lives again.
Derick’s son.
Chapter One
K-9
Present Day
“Big brother, there’s no way anyone can keep from wanting Anabelle, including you. She’s amazing like that, and you know it.” My brother’s amused voice wakes me from a dead sleep. I sit up, breathing raggedly. Sweat drips down my face.
Glancing around the darkened room, I get control of my breathing. Throwing the blanket off my waist, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, placing my feet on the floor. I lean into them and scrub my face with both hands.
Fuck me.
I haven’t had a dream about Derick in years. Those dreams were mixed with those from when I was on active duty. Derick had died nearly four years ago when some asshole shot him in the middle of a robbery. His girlfriend, Anabelle, would have been killed if it weren’t for my brother being a hero and stepping in front of her.
“She’s my best friend, Dy. I would do anything for her.” Derick said those words to me not days before when we were talking about Anabelle, and he had told me that as much as he loved her, she wasn’t the one for him, and he wasn’t the one for her. The two of them would always be best friends, no matter what.
Only days later, that all changed, and he was gone, then so was Anabelle. She all but disappeared from my family’s life for six months. The day I saw her again, I found out a secret she was keeping from my parents and me. Anabelle, at the time, had been pregnant with my brother’s kid. It pissed me off on more levels than one.
My brothers from the club, along with the ones from the Army, know me as a jokester. They also know I take my family seriously. There’s a time for fun and games, then there’s time for not fuckin’ around.
It’s why Anabelle’s deceit in keeping the fact she was carrying my nephew from me left a bitter taste in my mouth. I can hold a grudge, and I’ve been doing so for years now.
Every time I see the woman, she feels my anger toward her. If it weren’t for the fact, she’s a good mom, I would hate her. It’s almost like since losing Derick, she’s lost her backbone. I can spew hateful words in her direction, and she doesn’t fight back. It’s how I ended up being in the delivery room the night Derick Alexander Jackson came into this world. Since then, I’ve been a fixture in my little buddy’s life.
I didn’t expect Anabelle to give her son my brother’s name, but she did. During the first few months of little D’s life, I spent a hell of a lot of time at the house she lives in with her brother and the rest of his band. Lex, Chaz, Hunter, and Tanner are all members of the band Demons Among Us. They all live in the same house, more like a mansion. They each have their own wing with their women and families. The guys are also members of the club after the whole ordeal with Lex’s Uncle.
After about six months, I started taking my nephew with me for a day or two at a time. Anabelle keeps him on a schedule she likes to stick to. It’s something I respect, and I figure she’ll ask me if she wants me to take him any other time. Her brother tells us all at the club she’s stubborn, refusing any help besides one of them watching little D while she was in class. Any other time she does everything on her own.
Glancing at the time, I decide to get up. Derick would be up soon, ready for a day of fun. It’s supposed to be a good day for going to the beach. A few of my brothers are joining me down there at the house our VP, Horse, and his ol’ lady Kenny own.
I stand, walk to the bathroom and handle business. I get in the shower, letting the water go from cold to hot while raining do
wn on my body. When it warms, I tilt my head back and let the water run down my face. With my eyes closed, I can’t stop myself from seeing the images that I hate more than anything from coming forward.
Images of a night that shouldn’t have happened.
Anabelle on her back, me over her. My cock sliding inside her wet entrance with an ease like no other. Fuckin’ gorgeous. And the way she’d pant for me, moaning my name beautifully. I spent the night deep inside her sheath.
Come morning, I left her bed before she woke up. I shouldn’t have done what I did that night with her. But what the fuck could I do when I barged into her room one night after Derick was asleep. There Anabelle had been, stretched out on her bed wearing only a small little nightie, no panties, legs spread, and she was fucking herself with a toy. The sounds coming from her mouth were more than I could handle. I pounced, taking full advantage of her.
I wrap a hand around my hard cock and let the images take over. I jerk myself off. Opening my eyes, I watch as my cum goes down the drain as it spurts from the tip of my cock.
Fuck me.
Why the hell do I do this to myself?
As much as I want to hate Anabelle, blame her for everything, I can’t stop my cock or my heart from wanting her.
Finishing up my shower, I get out, dry off, and dress for the day. I’ve already got little D’s and my stuff ready to go when he wakes up.
I need to put thoughts of Anabelle out of my mind. The only thing I need or want from her is my time with my nephew.
Hell, my own parents have been trying to mend the rift between Anabelle and me for years. Nothing is going to change the way things are, and I’m not complaining either. She deserves my anger and hatred. She’s the reason my brother’s dead and I don’t intend to let her forget it any time soon.
My phone buzzes on the counter heading into the kitchen. This morning after getting my nephew up and ready, I loaded him up and got on the road. Horse, my VP, gave Badger, Red, Fist, and myself the beach house for the weekend. This is much needed, and I all but told Anabelle, Derick was coming with me this weekend. Of course, she didn’t tell me no.
By the time we got to the beach house, Badger’s little boy, Nico, and Derick were all but ready to be out of vehicles and playing. Which is what the two of them are doing now in the living room space of the open floor plan of Horse and Kenny’s place. Nico and Derick are tight with each other. Nico is a little over a year older than Derick, but they’re best friends regardless.
Picking up my phone, I look at the screen and notice it’s Whip calling. Whip isn’t just one of my brothers from the club. He’s also one of the men I’d served in the Army with. Whip and Venom both are members of the Originals charter while I’m with the Franklin Charter along with Red. The four of us had all decided to get out after our last tour overseas.
“Jordan, do you mind watching Little D for a moment?” I ask, answering the phone and putting it to my ear.
“Yeah, of course. He’s fine with Nico,” she says sweetly. All the ol’ ladies at the clubhouse are cool and shit, but Jordan somehow was able to get through to me when I first moved back. The reason being one night Badger and I were sitting drinking. More or less, I was getting shit-faced while my brother drank a hell of a lot slower. Jordan had showed at the wrong time, I flipped my ship for some reason, and she’d gotten in my face. I know her story, and it ain’t pretty. Shit, it’s a nightmare what she went through. Same with the other ol’ ladies of the club.
“Thanks, Jordan,” I say, turning my attention to the phone at my ear. “Brother, what the fuck you doing calling me tonight?” I ask, fucking with him. Thanks to traffic, we all didn’t get to the beach house until dinner time.
“Sorry, K-9, I know you’re busy dealing with family shit but gotta ask you something,” Whip rumbles. I go alert at the tone in his voice.
“What is it?” I walk out of the kitchen and onto the balcony facing the beach. I look out at the ocean to see the calming waves breaking the shoreline.
“Do you remember much about the night of the charity event I helped you guys with two months ago?” he asks.
Fuck yeah, I do. That night I’d ended up in a three-way with two hot as fuck chicks. I also remember who Whip had hooked up with.
Harper Wilde. A buddy of ours sister.
“Yeah, you and Harper Wilde were all over each other,” I grunt.
“You know Harper?” Whip voice grows even tenser.
“Naw, don’t know her, but I know her brother. So do you,” I state. I’m surprised he doesn’t remember. Hart talked about his little sister and how proud of her he is all the fuckin’ time. “Why are you asking this shit?”
“Need you to tell me if you remember me drinking out of Harper’s glass.”
What the fuck?
I think back on it. Scanning through my memories of that night. “Yep. The two bitches she was with talked shit about Harper finally going to fuck someone.” I remember that shit cause those two are the very same bitches I’d fucked that night.
Whip finishes our phone call, and the two of us hang up. I shove my phone back in my pocket, but don’t move otherwise. My mind is roaming through memories of that very night.
We were all drinking and having a fuckin’ blast after the charity concert. Anabelle was there that night to support her brother and the band. My parents were watching Derick for her so she could be there. I’d been pissed to see her and made sure she knew it. I also made sure she saw me fuckin’ those two bitches.
The fucked up part was when I saw the hurt and anguish on her face. It fucked even more with my head. But I’m not about to let my anger toward the woman go.
Chapter Two
Anabelle
“You can’t seriously be wanting to move out,” Kenzie huffs sarcastically.
I shrug off her sarcasm and continue packing up my room. I’d already finished packing my son’s room. “It’s time for me to do this, Kenzie.”
“How can it be time? I mean, seriously, Anabelle, can’t you just stay here while you work? Here you have help with Derick,” my best friend argues.
Of course, I know I have help here. But that’s not the point. I need to move out. To be away from everyone while I be a parent to my son. I owe it to Derick to raise him the way he should be, even if it’s without a dad. He at least has two grandparents, two uncles, and an aunt who love him. This isn’t including all the other people in his life who love him.
However, none of them are his mother. I need to do this for him. Raise him to know his mom doesn’t need to rely on everyone else to help me bring him up. Plus, I want to finally start my own life. One where I can finally be happy and not constantly see Dylan.
The man hates me, and I don’t blame him no matter how much his hatred hurts me.
Turning away from my best friend, I squeeze my eyes shut to block out the memories of Dylan’s eyes the night he’d allowed himself to have sex with me. The one night, I had made an error in judgment.
Nope. Don’t go there, Anabelle. Don’t let yourself think of the night you let the man who you’re in love with fuck you and then leave you.
Dylan fucks anything with a vag in between their legs. I had first-hand knowledge of this, considering I’d walked in on him and two skanks in a hot tub not that long ago. He’d been in the throes of pleasure when I came upon them. He didn’t even see me. So I know he had missed the hurt and pain that it caused for me to see him with those women.
“I’ll have help with Derick. It’s not like I’m moving to another country or state. I’m only moving across town,” I respond, opening my eyes and shoving the last of my things into the box, pushing all thoughts of Dylan from my mind. I want to get this move done and over with before I go get Derick from his uncle.
Lex and the rest of the guys are just waiting for me to let them know I’m ready to load up and head out. I’m sure Lex had sent my best friend in here to talk me out of moving. To say my brother has become overly protective is an understat
ement. He doesn’t like for me to go anywhere without him knowing where, not since what our uncle had put him and Mackenzie through for years.
Wanting to get this over with, I look over my shoulder to my best friend, “Look, Kenzie, I’m moving on with my life. I finally finished school, have enough money saved up, and can afford to do this for not only myself but my son. I need to do this, and you of all people should understand why.”
“I do understand. That doesn’t mean I like it,” McKenzie huffs.
“I know you don’t. After I get everything straightened out at the new house, why don’t you and I have a girl’s night?” I suggest.
McKenzie rolls her eyes, a smile forming on her lips. “Fine, since it seems I won’t be able to change your mind about moving, I’ll settle for a weekly girl’s night.”
I give McKenzie a smile of my own. Time for me to start moving on and to hopefully find a small amount of happiness for myself. No one can replace the man who holds my heart. That doesn’t mean I can’t at least try to discover something new in my life to shroud the loneliness taking over my bleak life.
My brother places the last box down on the floor in my new living room and straightens to look at me. “I don’t like this,” he grumbles.
“I know you don’t, but it’s my life, Lex, and I need to do this,” I say, waving a hand in the air nonchalantly.
“Anabelle, do you even realize what neighborhood you’ve moved to?” he demands.
“If you’re asking whether or not I know my neighbors, then no. The area might not seem the greatest, but the house is perfect for Derick and me. Please just don’t argue with me on this, big brother. This is happening. You just brought the last box inside for me.” I close the distance between my brother and me. Circling my arms around his waist, I hug him to me. “I promise I’ll be safe living on my own.”
