Megan chewed on a toy as Kristie stared into space, rage filling her. She gently removed the toy from Megan’s mouth and tried to flow the anger through her and out. But even as Kristie got ready to put Megan to bed, she couldn’t help but be furious at her mom’s meddling.
Chapter Twelve
Grant was on his bike, not wearing a helmet because he thought it gave him extra street cred. Gray wasn’t stupid enough to take that risk however and slipped his own helmet over his head.
“Okay, guys, remember. It is the normal course,” Dern told them. “The first one through the finish line wins. Whoever it is will be the new leader of the club. Anything goes.”
Both men nodded. Gray could feel blood rushing to his head. He glanced at Grant, who seemed so sure of himself. I have to win this. The last time the gang did a street race, Armand had crashed the car and killed an innocent man. The last thing Gray needed was something similar. He took a deep breath as Dern nodded at both of them.
“Ready? Set? Go!”
The bike came to life under Gray’s hands as the two men took off out of the parking lot. Grant took the lead quickly as he cut Gray off but Gray knew better. Better not to be reckless than blow it all at the start of the race. They made a sharp right turn onto a side road and roared down it. The trees and street lights passed by in a blur. All it would take is one cop deciding not to follow the main street tonight for it to end in an arrest. It won’t be mine.
They made another sharp turn down an even smaller street. Their bikes almost touched. Grant was focused on the road ahead and was still in the lead. But Gray was gaining on him. He knew the streets better than Grant did. Grant had only moved here a couple years ago. Gray had been here his whole life.
When the first car appeared, Grant shifted to the lane of opposing traffic, deciding to risk a collision if someone pulled out unexpectedly. Gray did no such thing. The driver looking rightfully alarmed at two bikers flanking him. Gray turned sharply, and his bike drove on top of the sidewalk instead.
Down the sidewalk Gray roared until he moved past the car, quickly turning back onto the road. The back of his bike narrowly missed clipping the car, which honked loudly. But Gray was in the lead. The next turn was ahead, Gray turned sharply. He was too close to the ground – so close that he could reach out and touch the pavement if he decided to. Grant swerved as well, almost knocking into Gray and overtaking the lead.
Grant looked behind him as they righted themselves and sped down the road. He grinned at Gray, a cocky grin that Gray wanted to punch right off of Grant’s face. We’re nowhere near done yet.
***
“Where is he?” Kristie mumbled, dialing Gray’s number again.
Kristie normally hated calling him nonstop. Originally, she had only wanted to complain about her mother and what she had done with John. But Gray hadn’t replied to her texts or her calls. It was past ten at night now, and Kristie felt worried.
His behavior the past week had been odd and evasive. Kristie was paranoid he was planning something reckless with the gangs. Rick was to come home from the hospital tomorrow, and she wanted her husband in one piece to go get him. The last thing Kristie needed was to be picking up her son and visiting her husband in the same place.
His phone went to voicemail, and Kristie heaved a sigh, pacing. She was still upset with her mom and was trying to decide how she would bring it up to her. Kristie was weary of her mom not attempting to accept her relationship with Gray. It was just more stress she didn’t need.
The front door opened and her mom came in. Kristie could always tell when it was her mom by the sigh she made whenever she got home from work. She was never thrilled with her job at the casino but it paid better than most other places.
Kristie crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her mom was putting down her purse on the dining room table when she saw her. “You’re still up?”
“I had an interesting call today,” Kristie said, unable to help herself.
“What was that? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, Mom. Except for you conniving with John to woo me while I am still married.”
Her mother at least had the good sense to look abashed, although Kristie didn’t know if that was only because she was caught red handed. “Did he tell you? Oh, Kristie, hear me out before you freak out on me.”
“Hear you out? Mom, it’s going to be the same stuff you’ve been saying since Gray and I got married. Why can’t you just drop it?”
“How am I supposed to just drop it? You deserve better than Gray.”
“He is the father of your grandchildren, Mom. And John and I didn’t even work out the first time around. He’s an ass.”
“He doesn’t seem that way at all, Kristie,” her mom replied, her voice stern.
Kristie threw her arms up in the air. “Oh and you would know, right? You dated him?”
“Do not take that tone with me, young lady.”
“No, Mom. You need know that I am no longer a child. I make my own decisions. If I make any mistakes, they are mine to make and I will live with it. Please realize that Gray and I are together now. Either you accept us…or things are going to change between us... for the worse.”
Her mom’s mouth opened and then closed, like a fish gulping for air. Kristie, her heart hammering in her chest, stormed back upstairs.
***
The first red light shone up ahead. Gray hoped it would turn green in time. But as they approached it, he realized he was going to have to run it. He held his breath for good luck, and ran through the intersection.
Loud honking came from two cars that were about to pass. One skidded suddenly, almost hitting Grant, who turned sharply. This connected his bike with Gray’s, who gripped it harder and tried to regain control. His front tire wobbled and for a second Gray thought he was going to wipe out.
At the last second, he gained control of the bike and maneuvered sharply to the right instead of going straight. The way to the destination didn’t matter so much as long as the goal was hit. Gray wasn’t stupid enough to stay on the current path. They already pissed off three drivers. There was no way the cops weren’t going to be called. Best to avoid that area.
Grant didn’t follow Gray, not expecting him to turn so suddenly. Gray hoped that Grant would have to deal with the cops. Maybe he’ll get a real stroke of luck and Grant will get pulled over for speeding.
But as Gray headed into another intersection, something flashed out of the corner of his eye. As if time slowed down, he turned his head to the left to see Grant barreling toward him. Apparently Grant had decided to cut him off instead of going on ahead. He was going to slam right into Gray at the risk of injuring himself.
Gray slammed on the brakes. His only hope was to stop the bike before Grant could hit him and he would drive past him instead. Time slowed down to a crawl. Grant approached rapidly, a sadistic grin on his face. Gray’s own bike was stopping so hard that he gripped the handlebars hard, hoping he didn’t get thrown off.
He lurched forward, and Grant zoomed past him, an inch from hitting him. Gray took off again straight ahead.
It didn’t take long for him to see the back lights of Grant’s bike ahead of him. Gray made another sharp right turn, taking him even further away from the finish line. Grant went straight ahead, seemingly pleased he had shaken Gray off course.
Gray cursed out loud and turned around to make a U-turn. He sped back onto the street, still behind Grant. At this rate, Grant was going to win, because he didn’t care what it took. He’d risked crashing his own bike to take Gray out. I want this more than you.
Flashing lights got Gray’s attention. Gray glanced behind him. A cop car was speeding after them now, determined to take them down.
***
“Kristie!” Her mom was outside her door now. “We need to talk. You need to let me in and not be silly.”
Megan made a noise in her crib. Her mom was going to wake her up if she didn’t leave. Kristie cursed
and finally opened her bedroom door, feeling as if she had no choice. Megan had been rioting lately whenever she had to go to sleep. The last thing Kristie felt like doing was trying to get her to settle down again.
“Mom!” she hissed once she was out in the hallway. “You’re going to wake Megan up!”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I don’t want to wake up the baby. But you can’t leave after…after you threaten something like that.”
Kristie sighed. “It wasn’t a threat, Mom. I’m sorry. I just got emotional. You have to understand what it looks like to me though. I’m with Gray and my own mom is trying to set me up with a past boyfriend. I know your reasons for not liking Gray. I completely understand them. But he is still my husband and the father of my children. At least respect my choices.”
Her mom looked as if she was going to cry. For a second, Kristie was fearful that she would.
“I’m just so afraid for you. And for the kids. I know Gray, deep down, is a good guy but there is so much strife around you. And you were shot and now the break-in…”
“Gray is fixing everything,” Kristie replied with an assurance she did not actually feel. “It’ll be okay.”
Her mom looked at her, doubtful, but didn’t say anything. Instead she simply nodded and pulled Kristie in for a hug. It wasn’t much, but it was something that Kristie knew they could build on.
***
They were nearing the finish line now. Grant seemingly had no qualms about ignoring the police and getting arrested after they hit the finish line. But Gray couldn’t get arrested. He had managed to keep his nose legally clean the past couple of years and wasn’t going to ruin it now.
Gray made a sharp right turn down a small side street. The cop car went after Grant instead of him, probably getting ready to call for back up. Gray turned off his lights and slowed his pace down considerably, looking for a spot to hide. He needed to think fast. Hiding would shake the cops but with Grant still barreling toward the finish line, Gray couldn’t wait forever.
Gray turned his bike down between two vacant houses. The crime rate in this area was high, and there were a lot of empty houses due to foreclosures. Gray held his breath. He heard a new pair of sirens growing louder with each passing second. The car drove down the street. Gray held his breath, hoping they would think he had just passed through.
They did. The police car drove by and turned back onto the main street. Gray watched it go. They must think I’ll be meeting up with Grant. He turned his bike back on and went back the way he came.
They would be flanking Grant by now, but he would still be heading toward the finish line. His only hope was that Grant would be pulled over. Gray knew there was a distinct chance that he would lose tonight. The cops complicated things.
He stuck to side streets, avoiding anywhere where he knew cops liked to frequent. It was taking longer, but he hoped it would pay off by not getting arrested. Gray turned back down on the main street where the finish line crossed just ahead – the entrance to a fishing wharf.
Gray’s foot was itching to smash the pedal but he stopped himself. He was about to tell himself that he lost when the flashing police lights appeared ahead. There was nowhere to turn. He cursed out loud and fell back to the speed limit.
That was when Gray realized the lights weren’t moving. The two police cars were off to the side of the road. Grant was fighting with them, like an idiot. The two cops were trying to restrain Grant. Gray tore his eyes away from the scene. With Grant distracting them, they might not notice him drive by.
Luckily for Gray, that was when Grant decided to throw a punch. Gray turned away from the scene, his heart pounding in his chest as he turned into the entrance of the wharf. The gang was hiding in the shadows, obviously having seen the police cars nearby. As he drove across the invisible finish line, Gray smiled, exalted. He had done it.
Chapter Thirteen
“If we weren’t about to bring our son home, I would be screaming at you for a solid five hours,” Kristie hissed through clenched teeth as Megan wiggled in her car seat in the back.
Gray ran his fingers through his hair, looking abashed. “Kristie, you don’t need to yell at me. I know what I did.”
“And you tell me this now? You could have died last night!”
She was fuming. After not hearing from Gray all night, he had come by this morning. Rick was to be released from the hospital today. Kristie’s nerves were already frayed just thinking about bringing her son home. Then Gray told her about how he had challenged that brute, Grant, for the leadership of the Devil’s Advocates and her heart nearly exploded.
“But I didn’t die. And now I’m firmly back in control of the group. I know who the rat is, too. Now that I have a firm control on the group, Ben won’t want to hang on to Armand for long. Not when what I’m offering him is worth more than Armand.”
Kristie looked up at the hospital and shut her eyes. She had been lecturing Gray the entire ride over. She wanted to scream at him but refused to do something like that in front of little Megan. Today was supposed to be a happy day. Even though she had been lecturing him, Gray was beaming. He was clearly thrilled with his victory on top of getting to take Rick home.
He could have gotten himself killed or arrested. She tried to control her breathing. And now he looks so pleased with himself. Gray had been swearing up and down the entire drive that the mess was almost finished. Kristie didn’t dare believe him yet. It was almost too much to hope for.
“Listen, I’ll say it again,” Gray said. “I feel like the only reason Ben was holding off on giving Armand up was because of Grant. I’ve taken care of him. He’s still in custody and can’t even afford bail.”
“So now you think that Ben is going to stop hiding Armand?”
“I do. He knows that he will get what I promised him now that I have a firm grip on the group again.”
At this, Megan began to fuss in the backseat. Kristie decided she’d deal with Gray later. They were going to get their newborn son. She was running on almost no sleep. Worried about Gray and hopeful about a new leaf with her mother, Kristie had been getting the guest room ready for Megan and spent a laborious time making sure her own bedroom was clean and as sterile as she could get it for Rick.
They went up to the neonatal unit. This time, they were taken to a small waiting room off to the side. Kristie pushed the stroller with Megan, who was currently furious at being locked in. Any moment Megan couldn’t spend free as a bird to walk or explore around the house displeased her.
After waiting for fifteen minutes, they were called back to another room. Kristie’s heart hammered in her chest as the doctor came inside, wheeling Rick in a small crib. She ran over to him, looking at how small and tiny he was. His eyes were open and grey. He had a little knitted cap on his head and was looking around the room in awe.
“Is it okay to hold him?” she asked the doctor, restraining herself just long enough for the doctor to say yes.
When she took Rick in her arms, her entire world swirled around her. He was bundled up like a burrito for warmth. Gray moved next to her and Kristie felt tears spring up in her eyes. Megan looked up at them from her stroller. This is my family, she thought as she held him close. Gray looked at her, smiling. At that moment, she couldn’t have been any happier.
***
Gray was almost afraid to hold Rick. He was so small. Gray was afraid he’d hurt him if he held him wrong. He looked down at Rick in his crib, already fast asleep. They had even managed to get Megan down for a nap in the guest room down the hall. Kristie was looking at Rick as well, pure joy radiating from her face.
Gray felt over the moon as well. His entire family was together. No, it was not yet perfect. Kristie was still going to stay at her mother’s house until Gray had everything worked out. But he was so close. He could feel it in his bones. Ben would hear about the turn of the events, most likely through Armand, since Jonathan was still spying on the group.
His fingers itched to grab his p
hone and call Ben himself, but he held off. Ben wasn’t stupid. With Gray firmly back in control of the Devil’s Advocates, he wouldn’t want to miss the chance to take control of the group and get all that turf.
Gray’s phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. His heart skipped a beat. He looked down and saw that it was Ben. He stepped out of the bedroom, knowing Kristie was wondering what he was doing, and answered.
“I heard about Grant.”
“Yeah, what a real shame,” Gray replied. “Heard he can’t make bail.”
“I heard something else today that might interest you as well.”
“What’s that?”
“Armand was taken in for police questioning about ten minutes ago. Not sure how it’ll go for the lad.”
Devil's Advocate: A BBW MC New Adult Romance Series - Book 4 (Devil's Advocate BBW MC New Adult Romance Series) Page 8
