My best friend placed one of her hands on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Did he ask you to choose, yet again, between them and the club?”
“Yes but…it was more out of desperation than anything else.” I groaned and finally turned toward Gisela. “He wants me to come back but at the expense of Trey and I can’t do that. I know…I’m such a selfish bitch, thinking only about my own happiness and perhaps what’s best for everyone involved but I can’t leave him.”
“Afraid you might get caught up in a situation similar to Lacey?”
“Fuck, I’m already there,” I muttered. “Not that I’m pregnant because I’ve been very careful on that front. God knows I don’t want some sort of…accident to bring us together.”
“You mean like my situation with Cillian?” She laughed though the sound was tinged with a bittersweet melancholy only I would have noticed.
“No, not like that. You and Cillian—you’ve got history, sweetie. You two have been in love with forever, lost a kid together during your teenage years, and burned for each other. It’s not the same with Trey and I—”
“Wanna bet?” she interrupted me. “What? You think you two don’t have history just because you haven’t been lovers forever? You had a friendship and you two cared about one another. The only difference is he chose to pursue happiness with another woman and that went up in flames. You, on the other hand, buried your feelings with throwaway boy-toys who meant nothing to you. And yet, you still found your way back to each other. It’s beautiful, it’s unique—it’s your past—it’s you. Embrace it, don’t run away from it.”
I brushed my hair out of my face after tossing my cigarette to the ground. “Listen to us, like a pair of old ladies, talking about the good ole days.”
“Well, in case you failed to notice, we’re both in our thirties now. Although that’s hardly considered pushing up daisies, we’re not exactly spring chickens anymore either.”
We both laughed together though my heart thundered in my chest from nervous anxiety I couldn’t shake.
I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the secret my father accidentally disclosed to me and, truth was, I didn’t want to either. He didn’t deserve my loyalty, even if what he’d done ultimately caused his demise.
Still, I was torn. This was the club I was talking about, not just my dad. I didn’t know how much the other members knew about his decision. They probably didn’t know anything. Since he’d kicked me out, my father continually acted impulsive and foolish. I truly didn’t think he consulted anyone before he’d decided to make his deal with Aztecas Infierno.
“There’s something else.” I bit my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. “I mean, I need to tell you but I can’t have you spouting off to Cillian, at least not yet.”
“What is it?” Gisela’s amber eyes brightened. “We’re business partners first, Kyra. I wouldn’t tell Cillian anything you disclosed to me in confidence. It would be unethical and God knows I don’t need any additional issues with the Nevada Bar Association. They barely allowed me to continue practicing law. The next time I’m reported, they’ve stated, unequivocally, they’ll disbar me and prevent me from practicing in any other state, too. I couldn’t allow that to happen…ever. Law is my life.”
I could feel my pulse in my throat, throbbing through the veins in my forehead, forming a migraine I wouldn’t be able to handle for very long. “My dad…he told me about how he needed me to come back to the club so he could keep me safe.”
Gisela’s perfectly shaped eyebrows arched questionably. “What exactly does that mean? How can he keep you safe from Aztecas Infierno when they’ve obviously gone rogue?”
Uh-oh, here we go…
“Jonesy…my father…has been working with Emilio Navarro. Not on any sort of drug deal because he’s not interested in that but…he wants to bring the Saints to their knees. He’s assured Emilio, in so many words, he’d help him destroy the Saints if and when I was out of the way. Today was my out and I was supposed to say yes but I didn’t.”
“Holy Christ, Kyra!” She stood and began to pace. “You mean he’d go this far just to get you back? What the hell did Trey ever do to him?”
I stood too and stepped in front of Gisela to stop her from pacing. “It’s not about Trey—my dad’s beef is with Dizzy and it’s an old motherfuckin’ issue. Apparently, Maureen Cox has always enjoyed the company of men of ill repute. Emilio Navarro was not her first…he was the one she married. Before him, she had a relationship with my Uncle Llywelyn. My middle name is the female version of his. It didn’t end very well and…Dizzy murdered him.”
“Oh, God. No wonder your father is so pissed off.”
“Yeah, he’s got a right to be upset, but to do this? To make a deal with that monster and I’m supposed to forgive him and let bygones be bygones? Miranda is dead! I liked her…a lot. She was always sweet to me and never treated me with suspicion just because I was the daughter of the Bastards’ Prez. I can’t forgive him for that and pretend like it never happened. He’s my dad, I’ll always love him, but he’s lost my respect forever,” I explained softly. “It’s a shame to hear that.”
If it was possible to jump out of my skin, I would’ve, but the look on Gisela’s face was enough to send shivers down my spine.
I turned around and came face to face with Carlito. Flanked by his minions, he looked every bit the dime-store pimp he was. I couldn’t even summon the acting skills to glare at this man with anything other than disdain.
“Ladies,” he began in a suave voice. “Tell me, what kind of two-bit, punk ass club leaves their most valued possessions without anyone to protect them?”
Gisela laced her arms under her breasts and silenced him with a frosty look. “We don’t need men to protect us, or did you think we were stupid enough to come here unarmed? Birch Tree is our town and if you don’t want to end up in jail, you would do yourself a favor and get the fuck outta here.”
Carlito laughed out loud. “Tough talk comin’ from such a little lady. But then, I forgot…you don’t need Cillian’s name or protection…do you, Miss Jackson?”
“The last name is Jackson-Cox now. And no, I don’t. In fact, all I have to do is place a call to Daddy dearest and he’ll have members from his own organization, and the Abandonato family, down here so fast, it’ll make your head spin. So I suggest you take your little band of vatos locos and be on your way back to wherever the fuck roach motel you crawled your ass out of,” she said calmly and with conviction.
His blue eyes softened. “I came here to see the birth of my son into the world, Missus Jackson-Cox. I have no beef with you. Your old man and I—we can settle the differences between us some other day. I’m here for my fiancée and my child, nothing else. My men will not harm you, and we will not threaten you in any way, is that clear?”
“Fair enough.” Her arms dropped to her side while she continued to stare at him with cold, desolate eyes. “You do that…go see your ex-fiancée and your child. With your luck, you might not get much time. Cillian, Trey, Kink, and Cricket are on their way over right now so say your peace and get the hell out of here.”
Carlito walked past, his men in tow except for one who stood in his spot.
“By the way,” he said. “I meant we aren’t here after you, Gisela…but Kyra is considered cargo. Her father wants her back home and we do keep our promises.”
“What?” I cried indignantly. “I’m not going anywhere!”
He whistled to the guy who had yet to move. “Cheuy, escort Ms. Hughes back to her father’s home.”
The rest was a blur as the burly yet strong Latino grabbed and proceeded to drag me away from the hospital. I kicked and screamed while two men held Gisela back. If I was loaded into a vehicle and rushed off, everything would be over.
How could my father be so stupid? Did he really think these men would deliver me to him alive? I could see my whole life flash before my eyes, including all the memories I’d yet to make.
<
br /> The life I dreamt of living with Trey; not only as his beloved old lady, confidante, lover, and the mother of his children, but also his partner and life mate in every sense of the word. The twilight years when we were old and gray but still very much in love because we’d lived a lifetime of good times and bad together. This couldn’t be the end—I’d never allow my life to be snuffed out on these terms, ever.
The world seemed to move in slow motion, my arms pinned to my side, the screeching of tires as they came to an abrupt stop and the booted sound of steel-toed shitkickers hitting the pavement.
“Let her the fuck go or so help me God, I will motherfuckin’ end you right here, right now in public!”
The voice, distinctively Trey’s, allowed me to breathe again. My body was slowly let go and I stood again on my own two feet. I turned around and faced the man I loved, a semi-automatic in his hand as he pointed it at Cheuy, my would-be abductor.
Carlito took the opportunity to stroll into the hospital, flanked by his own personal security detail but my mind wasn’t on him now. The man in front of me had participated in the drive-by. I didn’t see much since my body was sheltered by Trey’s but I never forgot a face and he’d been in the first low-rider. Whether he was just a passenger or one of the gunmen didn’t matter. He’d been there and he was a direct reason why Miranda was dead.
I reached behind me and pulled a semi-automatic from the waistband of my low-rise jeans. It was a Ruger P89 nine-millimeter—a “chick” sized handgun—Trey had surprised me with the previous Christmas.
Somewhere in the background, I could hear sirens but they weren’t close enough for me to give a damn. I aimed at Cheuy’s head and pulled the trigger.
The world went silent for me after that. I didn’t know if it was the actual sound of the handgun going off in my hand or my own disorientation. It was an out of body experience that left me shaken to the core. I didn’t know what was going on until the world spun away and everything around me faded to black.
“Ms. Hughes? Can you hear me?”
The voice sounded like it was coming from the top of a deep, dark well and I was at the bottom.
I slowly came to and blinked several times before the world swam into focus again.
My head hurt and my mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. I certainly wasn’t having the best of days.
As I sat up, the room spun. Gisela quickly walked to my side and offered me a paper cup with water. “How are you, sweetie?”
“Not so hot,” I finally said after finishing the water.
“Ms. Hughes, I’m Doctor Camaron.” I glanced in the direction of the kind female voice. She smiled kindly, her ash blonde hair tucked in a neat bun while her blue-gray eyes looked into mine with empathy. “You were brought in last night after an incident outside. A man tried to abduct you and you shot him in self-defense.”
The night slowly started to come back to me. Cheuy or whatever his name was had let me go, Trey and the guys were there. I remembered the same guy from the drive-by and I’d shot him point blank in the back of the head as he faced Trey, not in self-defense.
I nodded my head. “Yes, now I remember.”
“You fainted in front of the hospital. We ran some blood work just to be on the safe side. You’re fine, physically, but we wouldn’t rule out Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Between the events you witnessed yesterday and the attempted abduction—most people would find it very hard to cope,” Dr. Camaron explained in an empathetic voice.
“So there’s nothing wrong with me?”
“Well, psychologically speaking, you’re not okay. Physically? You’re a perfectly healthy woman. Since you’re not expecting, we’ll start you on a regimen of Prozac and Xanax - both will be small doses. The Prozac is just to keep you at equilibrium and the Xanax is for anxiety issues. Often, PTSD patients will suffer from severe panic attacks. It will make them much easier to get through.” She wrote a few notes on my chart. “I have to make my rounds but if you need anything, please contact our nursing staff.”
“When can I go home?”
“I’m discharging you today. Your fiancé, Mr. Lennon, should be by shortly to pick you up.”
I waited until the doctor left before I stared at Gisela. “How long have I been out?”
“Long enough to miss all the goddamn drama.” She rolled her eyes as she sat a shopping bag on the bed. “Clean clothes I was able to pick up from your house.”
“Is the lockdown over?”
“For now, yes. All the men responsible for the drive-by are either in police custody or dead. This morning, the Feds had a surprise sting on the warehouse Aztecas Infierno uses in Long Beach. They’ve arrested Emilio and Fernando Navarro. Carlito is still on the run…he abducted both his fiancée and their child at gunpoint just an hour after she had the baby last night,” Gisela explained as she opened the curtains.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stood to my feet. “Do you think it’s safe to end the lockdown so soon?”
My best friend turned toward me. “Honey, there’s a worldwide manhunt for Carlito Navarro. Aztecas Infierno might survive this—they might not. It’s certainly possible for criminal organizations to be run by men behind bars. However, they don’t pose a threat to us entirely. The Saints are in the clear and the Knights are cooperating with the Feds to keep their members from doing any hard time for what happened over at O’Branaughs last year.”
That was a touchy subject in Birch Tree.
O’Branaughs, a family owned pub, had been shot up by the White Knights. People were murdered and injured during the attack. The incident was quietly handled by Sheriff Rawlins, Colm O’Branaugh, the owner of the pub, and Dizzy. The victims received retribution via Dizzy when the Saints shot up a clubhouse spot for Knights members in Black Oak and compensation from Nel Decker, who would have rather paid hush money than go to prison.
The pub—rebuilt and retrofitted with a nice outside deck for spring and summer months—had reopened for business and the place was still one of the best spots in town to get an authentic Irish meal and great local brews on tap.
“Okay…” I trailed off as my best friend grabbed her Samsung Note from her Hermès Birkin and read a text message.
“Trey’s here,” she said with a smile as her amber eyes met mine.
“You didn’t mention my dad or the Bastards,” I replied quietly.
“I didn’t say anything to anyone.” Gisela slid the smart phone back into her rose-colored crocodile handbag. “The Feds found some information…it linked the Bastards to Aztecas Infierno. The case falls under RICO. My father knows some of the best attorneys in the state. There’s a hot shit law firm from Las Vegas who are branching out and recently opened a second practice in Carson City. They’re handling your father’s case. We’ve been barred from having anything to do with the case in a professional manner.”
“Why?” I exclaimed in anger. “That’s my father—I should be able to defend him if he wants me to!”
Gisela walked over and gently placed her hands on my shoulders. “Sweetie, you’re considered a potential witness. The FBI, ATF, and DEA are acting on this one together…the likes of which I’ve never seen happen on a Federal level. There’s talk of the US Marshalls also coming in to handle certain aspects of the case since we’re talking about certain people who will probably be placed into Witsec before they even testify.
“They know about our involvement,” she continued. “I spoke to the head FBI investigator myself. She said she met with you briefly on another matter. Anyway, she knows you’re involved with Trey Lennon and are being protected by the Saints. It doesn’t matter that Jonesy’s your father. The government feels you wouldn’t be able to represent him to the best of your ability. Jonesy contacted my father and Angelo Abandonato. I don’t even know what’s going on, honey.”
My heart raced in my chest as I brushed strands of my hair behind my ear. “Do you remember the FBI investigator’s name?”
&
nbsp; “Of course,” Gisela replied flippantly. “Eve Kerrigan.”
I nodded my head and stood there, trying not to cry yet again.
“Sweetie, why don’t you get dressed and let’s get the hell out of here? I know everything is really tough right now. We have a club to think about though. Kink wants Miranda to be buried as soon as possible. The funeral’s on Wednesday, two days from now. He wanted to give her parents and siblings enough time to travel here so they could say goodbye to her. Chantal’s lost her best friend again and we don’t know whether Lacey is dead or alive. There’s a lot of shit that’s still so messed up but…life goes on and we make the best of what we’ve got.”
“What about Lacey’s baby?” I asked in a small voice.
“Oh, he was born via natural birth. Seven pounds, nine ounces, and perfectly healthy.” My best friend unpacked the clothes she brought me and put them on the bed. “Can you believe that? The woman drank like a fish during her pregnancy. Anyway, she named him Christian Brendan Henderson-Navarro. She wasn’t taken against her will, at least that’s what the nurse told the investigators from the FBI and the Sheriff’s Department.”
“And what about the crime I committed last night?” I shed the flimsy, hospital gown and slid on a pair of fitted jean capris and a coral, short-sleeved baby doll top. “I murdered a man in cold blood. What happens to me?”
Gisela glanced at me with cool amber eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I saw you shoot a man in self-defense and so did every other witness last night. He participated in the drive-by and tried to abduct you because he knew you’d seen him earlier that day. The Sheriff’s Department doesn’t plan to charge you and neither do the Feds. Let’s keep it that way, all right?”
“Okay.” I smiled at her as someone knocked on my door.
Trey walked in, followed by Cillian.
He strolled directly to me and swept me up in his arms with a warm embrace. “Babe, thank God you’re all right.”
Naked Dirty Love Page 18
