Nomad's Bride (Death Skulls MC Book 2)

by Rachel Cade

  Max buried his face in his side, and he could feel a little drool. Noa adjusted him, looking down at the curious little guy. “Ignore the f-bomb alright?”

  “You know how Aztecs roll. We just gotta remind ‘em why we’re Death Skulls.”

  Noa smirked a bit.

  They bumped fists before Chaos left them.

  *

  The smell of coffee woke Lyndie.

  Had she fallen asleep at work?

  It took her a second to take in her surroundings. For a moment, she had no idea where she was. Then she remembered everything.

  The bed was empty.

  She got up and opened the small door, recalling the tank with the scorpion that had been to on the left the previous night.

  “Good morning.” Noa was in the kitchen with his back to her. She’d barely made a sound, so how did he know she was up? “I wanted you to stay in bed.”

  “I didn-” Her voice cracked, forcing her to clear her throat. “I didn’t know where everyone was.”

  “We’re having guy time.”

  “I see. So no women allowed?”

  “The woman is supposed to stay in bed and wait for breakfast to be brought in.”

  He turned around and those electric eyes landed squarely on hers. It might as well have been the first time she saw them.

  She darted her eyes to the living room as her heart fluttered. Her son was in his carrier, watching cartoons.

  “He usually cries around this time for breakfast.”

  “You had a bottle in the bag, I kept it in the fridge and he got changed. So Big Man is content and clean. Head back to bed.”

  Lyndie pursed her lips. Not sure what to say and realizing it was for the best, she quietly followed orders.

  About ten minutes later, Noa entered the room with a tray in one hand and a baby in the other.

  Lyndie raised her brows as he balanced it without spilling the juice, or her baby, when he set it on her lap.

  “I’ve been waiting to do this.” He turned his head, lightly kissing her mouth before standing back upright.

  Her palms pressed together in front of her lips. “This is so sweet. Thank you.”

  “I had an assistant.”

  Lyndie nodded. “Thank you both.”

  Max made a high-pitched noise and reached his hand out to her. “Morning, munchkin.” She took his small fingers in hers.

  He started to lean, so Noa moved the baby toward her so she could kiss his cheek and raised a hand to his belly.

  Pancakes, eggs and donuts were on the plate and a glass of orange juice.

  “I need to get some more food. I was surprised I had that, but it’s all fresh.”

  “Noa, it’s…” She looked over at him as he held her son and smiled wide. “It’s perfect.”

  *

  “Dad, I just want you to know I’m here.”

  So tired of the white room he was in, Ashley placed a hand over her father's. She missed seeing him in his colorful home.

  A home that wasn’t even livable right now. Everything had gone to hell. She didn’t know if she was coming or going. Will was getting more distant. She bounced between worrying about her father and worrying about him.

  He was keeping something from her.

  Damn.

  The only thing she wanted was for her life to be perfect.

  “Daddy, I’m trying to be strong okay. So you have to be too.”

  She thought about what would happen to Amber Falls if something happened to him. Would Craig get everything? She’d never been allowed to see the will.

  “I know how important family is. How important it is to maintain what we have and grow it so it can be passed down, and that Amber Falls is our legacy.” She leaned forward, whispering. “I’m going to keep working on getting pregnant; I don’t care what any doctor says. You’re going to have a grandchild.”

  The first thing she saw was a set of gray eyes.

  Tired but clear.

  “Dad?” Ashley leaned toward his bed. “Dad. You’re awake!”

  “The fire.” She could barely hear him.

  “Yes, Dad, there was a fire. You were hurt and had smoke inhalation.”

  He tried to move, but winced in pain.

  “Nurse!” she cried out.

  *

  Lyndie only had her diner uniform to put back on. She was lucky she didn’t have to work until afternoon today. After bringing Max to work, she knew showing up late would just put her in deeper trouble.

  Noa stared at her from his bedroom door. She was still wearing his t-shirt.

  “I need to get you a bug-out bag,” he said.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s for emergencies. If something happens and you need to get out of your house quick with the baby, you’ll have what you need.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. “Um … that sounds nice. Thank you.”

  Noa chuckled. “I have a pair of shorts that might fit you.”

  Lyndie sat on the bed as he went through the bag. “Do you think I’m stupid for working at the diner?”

  Noa looked up as he pulled out a pair of gray shorts. “Why would you ask me that?”

  Lyndie touched the uniform. She’d worn it just about every day for years. “Because I work so hard just to barely get by. Because my boss is a drug dealer and still pays me crap.” She laughed, shaking her head. “I’ve just been trying so hard to survive. Now I just feel like everything’s crazy. Even the few things I was sure of-” She stopped.

  What was she sure of?

  Max was her top priority. Keeping him safe and away from Will. Outside of that, she didn’t really think about herself. She hadn’t thought about herself for a long time.

  Lyndie only thought about what she needed to do.

  But what she wanted, that was different.

  She was still quietly reeling from what Noa had told her last night about his life.

  He lost just about everyone he loved and then became lost himself.

  “Being in your MC means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”

  Noa came over and stood near her. He was pretty much naked except for the dark shorts. “Yeah, but we’re talking about you here.”

  “I don’t want to be there forever,” she admitted. “I just…” She sighed because the words were so hard to find.

  “Come here.” Noa reached for her hand, pulling her up.

  “You worked to take care of yourself and your kid. Don’t be ashamed of that.”

  She leaned into him and felt his arms wrap around her back.

  He smelled like he always did to her, and she wanted to bury her face into his neck.

  Her pretend husband was a million times more real than the man she’d had an actual relationship with.

  “You want me to take you on a tour?” he asked.

  When Lyndie opened her mouth, only a shaky breath escaped.

  “That sounds great,” she answered finally.

  **

  Hugh was sitting up in the hospital bed. He’d demanded it after his exam.

  His voice was still a little hoarse, but he was determined to use it. “How much time was I out?” he asked.

  “It’s been close to a week,” one of the doctors answered.

  Hugh grimaced.

  “Dad, you had surgery for your skin in addition to the smoke inhalation. You’ve been through a lot.”

  “Where’s Craig and Scott? Scott was in the house.”

  “They’re fine. I already called them. They’re on their way to the hospital.”

  “You should have let them stay put. I won’t be here much longer.”

  “Mr. Langley-”

  Her father looked up at the doctor, who promptly shut his mouth. “I’ll hire a few people to take care of me in Amber Falls. The house, Ashley, the condition?”

  “There was a portion that was badly damaged, Dad…”

  “I want to see it myself.”

  “You can stay with me and Will at our place.”


  Hugh nodded. “Of course, if need be.” He winced when he tried to move his arm.

  “Daddy, don’t try to do too much.”

  “Get me the paperwork. I want to sign myself out.” He glanced up at the doctor. “Isn’t that how it works? If it doesn’t, then it does now.”

  The grizzled group of guys were busy, but Max seemed to get a lot of attention, and maybe she was too.

  “Morning, Mrs. C.”

  “Morning,” she answered to a man that quickly walked by.

  “It’s okay for us to walk around?” Lyndie asked, remembering the look on Tin’s face when she arrived with Chaos.

  Noa had decided to wear his usual dark jeans and no shirt. The wind caught on his hair often and she wasn’t complaining, but she had to take extra caution as she stepped with the distraction.

  The land they bought from Langley was huge and they seemed to be putting a lot of it to use.

  “The man called Bleed.” He was coming out of the clubhouse carrying a huge box on his shoulder. A cigarette was hanging out of his mouth. For the first time, Lyndie could see him in daylight, and the lines in his face were serious and sharp. There was a long scar beneath his cheek that seemed to have faded over time. His eyes were deep set, but the color was hard to make out.

  “Morning, Mrs. C. I see you brought the prospect.” His razor stubbled chin jutted in Max’s direction.

  “Prospect?” Lyndie asked. “What’s that? And good morning.”

  Noa sighed in Bleed’s direction. “The proper term is ‘prospective club member.’”

  Lyndie’s brows raised. “You’re talking about my baby?” She looked at Max, who looked back her and her laugh rang out.

  Next, Noa brought her to the warehouse. It was cool inside and busy as the men worked, but she still couldn’t help remembering the last time she was there.

  Some of the cars were different, and a lot of them were still the latest models.

  Lyndie stayed quiet, not asking any questions. There was no way these cars were sitting around to be fixed.

  Noa stared at her while he spoke, and she quickly lost track of what he was saying. They weren’t alone, but it was clear in his eyes he was thinking about what they’d done here too.

  “And this is the Chaos Corner,” he said when they were around the back of the clubhouse.

  “Me casa es su casa.” He offered them a mini salute as he stood up from a bike he was fixing.

  Lyndie smiled. “My favorite driver.” She glanced around. “You have a lot of stuff out here.”

  “Yeah, I’m kind of a pack rat, but I’ll use it all eventually.”

  She noticed the direction of his eyes and his small wave at Max and decided to ask, “Would you like to hold him?”

  Chaos’s brows raised and he glanced at Noa.

  “Sure,” he answered after a minute.

  Lyndie offered him the baby. Max shifted his legs in the transfer.

  “Hi, Big Man,” Chaos said to him. Max stared with an open mouth, swaying forward until he mimicked Chaos’s smile.

  Lyndie covered her mouth as Noa laughed, shaking his head.

  “Cops are pulling up!” a harsh voice cut through the moment.

  The voices rang out and they all stared at each other.

  Noa’s expression flattened. “Take them back to the trailer, quick.”

  Lyndie held her breath as Chaos rushed to keep her out of sight.

  “Just try and stay quiet, okay?” Chaos handed her Max at the door.

  She nodded quickly as he closed her in.

  Then she was there with her son in silence. She was glad to be out of the way, but at the same time, she wanted to know what was happening.

  What were they doing here?

  Chapter Seven:

  I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

  “Will… Will? Are you alright?”

  Will blinked. Henry’s voice took a second to sink in.

  It was early and he was at the station in his office.

  Well, his body was there, but his mind wasn’t.

  Morning sunshine filtered over his desk. In the center was that silver pen.

  Married.

  She’d married him.

  Legally.

  He’d looked up the license.

  It was fucking real.

  Just when he began to feel like he was trying to pull things together. It all got snatched from him.

  Had he been too cocky? Was it really impossible to keep his eye on everything?

  It was a while before he left her place; walking around in the dark, he wondered if Callas had been there. And he thought about how good she had been at lying to him and hiding everything.

  He walked through the house, holding that dress before going into his son’s room and touching the crib.

  “Will?” Henry hit the desk.

  Will blinked hard. “Yeah, I’m here,” he answered.

  “Now that it’s all done, can it be over for a while?” his deputy asked. He looked at him straight on.

  Will lowered his brows and cleared his throat. “Yeah. We need to get back on track. Any news on the Langley fire?”

  “Not yet.”

  “It’s fine, let them work.” He stood up. “Why don’t we pay a little visit to our new bike-riding residents?”

  Henry put a hand on his hip. “I was wondering when we would get around to that. Especially after that dickhead popped by here the other day.”

  “Round up the guys.”

  Henry smiled and quickly left the room.

  Thirty minutes later, they were on the property, which now had an iron gate in front of the entrance.

  Will stepped out of his car.

  Several squad cars were parked alongside his.

  She was here.

  He knew it.

  Callas was one of the first to come up to the gate.

  Shirtless, he looked just like the wild animal that he was. This was the version the townsfolk should have been there to see.

  He didn’t look happy to see them, and that made Will smile.

  “The fuck do you want?”

  “Good morning, officers,” the old man cut Callas off, standing close to the gate but not opening it.

  “Mr. Jeffries, president of the Tallahassee Death Skulls chapter, good morning to you.” Will kept his voice smooth.

  In his peripheral, he noticed Callas had two nipple piercings. Nipple piercings.

  She married him.

  Will was thankful for his shades. If looks could kill, Noa Callas would be six feet under.

  There was a time and place for everything.

  “We’d like to search the premises.”

  “Fuck that.” Callas stepped forward.

  “On what grounds?” Jeffries folded his arms.

  “We heard about some suspicious activity last night.” Will stepped closer to the gate. “A tip from some of our concerned citizens. It shouldn’t be a problem if we take a look around, right? At the town meeting, you made it clear the residents had nothing to fear from you.”

  “Hm.” Jeffries mouth ticked up a bit at the callback. “You’d need a warrant, Sherriff, just the same as if you wanted access to anyone else’s property.”

  Will nodded. “Correct, Mr. Jeffries. You are well versed in the law.” He reached into his back pocket. “Luckily I got a judge to draw this up for me.”

  The sight of the paper wasn’t liked by the grizzled crew. Will opened it wide and displayed it at the bars to show the official document.

  “From some fucking suspicious activity you heard last night, you got a warrant to search our place?” Callas didn’t hide the anger or disbelief from his voice.

  Tattoos on the side of his neck.

  What the hell did Lyndie see in this guy? He should have been watching her more closely; he had too many fires going at once and left her unattended. Now he was going to have to deal with this. It would have never been an issue if he hadn’t cut things the way he did for Ashle
y.

  Regardless of what was going on, he should have been clear; her and Max belonged to him no matter what. They were connected and nothing could change that, not Ashley and not this fucking bum.

  “Open the gate.”

  Several sets a teeth sucked from their side along with some murmuring in the background.

  Tin snatched the paper from him and read it.

  His mouth tightened. As he let out a breath looking up, he lifted his hand.

  A moment later, the gate opened electronically.

  Will kept his expression neutral as he walked across the threshold with his men in tow.

  He still couldn’t believe Langley had allowed this trash to infest Amber Falls. And now Lyndie and his son were involved. That old bastard would have his arms tucked in a casket soon enough, then he could run Amber Falls the way it was meant to be.

  He raised a brow. “You don’t have to follow us.”

  “The hell we don’t,” Callas snapped.

  They’d been busy. Two fully constructed buildings were on the property and a third had a foundation. Being in construction was probably the only thing they weren’t lying about.

  “The warehouse.” He pointed at it. “Let’s start there.”

  The large double doors to the massive building were opened and Will whistled as he walked inside. “Fast and furious.” He glanced at Callas on the last word.

  “I wonder what happens when we run the serial numbers on these?” He made his way over to a showroom-ready Porsche. “I have a secret. Some recent hijackings on the state line helped me get that warrant.”

  “Feel free to run them,” Tin said. “Like I said, we’re law-abiding men in a motorcycle club. We run two legitimate businesses and we have better things to do than steal cars.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Will answered Tin but he wouldn’t take his eyes off Callas.

  “Yeah, I know I’m pretty,” he said evenly.

  Curling his lip, Will offered more attention to their inventory.

  To test their honesty, Will arranged his men to check each of the serial numbers then and there, running them to see if any were tagged as stolen.

  “Suspicious activity comes straight to us, huh?” As Will emerged from the warehouse back into the sun, Callas’s words followed him.