by Brook Wilder
Even though there was nothing concrete between us. That was still up in the air.
“All this was for Noah?” I asked, turning to Cassie.
“And you,” Cassie laughed and squeezed my arm. She was just a little bit drunk. “You said you needed to get out of the house for a bit. Diesel was more than happy to keep an eye on Hunter. I gotta say, that man goes all soft over that boy.”
I grunted and sipped at my beer. It had been a while since I had any beer and it tasted off.
“As long as that’s all he’s doing, I’m fine with that.” I muttered.
“What do you think he’s going to do? Kidnap him? Offer him up as a sacrifice?”
“Cassie, we don’t know who framed Noah and betrayed his trust. What if it was Diesel?”
That thought had been wandering around in my mind for a while. Someone in the club had gone after Noah for malicious reasons and it could have been anyone. I’d entertained the idea it had been Diesel before, seeing as he was a close friend of Noah’s, but I had dismissed it. Diesel was loyal, that much I knew. However, the thoughts were still there, niggling away.
Cassie was staring at me like I had been beamed down with ET.
“I don’t believe that,” she cried. “Diesel’s as honest as they come.”
That had me bursting out laughing. “These guys are bikers. Since when have they been honest?”
“You know what I mean. Diesel would die before he hurt anyone related to us. And Hunter’s a little boy. Diesel’s not like that; everyone here is very protective of Hunter, with Diesel at the top of the list.”
I had to concede that. Diesel may have declared he didn’t want children, but he adored kids, especially Hunter. I couldn’t fault him for that.
Cassie was giving me a thoughtful look. Even drunk, she was still managing to look relatively sober.
“You’re still unsure about leaving him with Diesel, aren’t you?”
“Cassie, I’m barely out of his sight.” I took another hefty swig. The taste was getting better. “It’s not easy, trying to let go, despite my claims I needed a break.”
Cassie laughed.
“That’s why I suggested it. Come on, get that down you and play a game of pool. The guys have been lining up to play you, thinking they can get their own back. From what they say, you used to wipe the floor with them.”
Pool. I hadn’t played that for a while. It was difficult trying to play when there was a baby around. And I had been one amazing hustler at the pool table. It was how I had reeled Noah in the first time we met.
It had been something that could relax me. That should be fun. I needed something to loosen the tension.
“Sounds like a plan.” I declared, downing the rest of my beer.
Chapter 20
Noah
I sat at the bar and watched Liz play the guys at pool like a master. She had been incredible when we’d first met, knowing her way around the table and doing all the trick shots, and it looked like she hadn’t lost her touch. I made a mental note to get a pool table set up in the safe house. Maybe that could be something we could bond over again, when Hunter was napping.
She was enjoying herself now. I could see the woman I loved before coming back, laughing and joking with the lads. They were passing her money across by the handful as she wiped the floor with them. Liz’s smile got wider and wider. It was hilarious and sweet to see.
“Noah!” Mason appeared at my elbow, holding up another beer. “Another one?”
“No, thanks. I’m using my bike to get back. I need to be relatively sober.”
Mason barked out a laugh.
“Nonsense. This is for you.” He shoved the beer into my hand. “I don’t want to see you with any empties.”
I couldn’t really argue with Mason. But I was buzzing from the two beers he had already made me drink. If I had another one, I would be a danger on the bike. As Mason guzzled his beer down, I placed mine on the bar behind me. Kieran, who was manning the bar that evening, swiped it for me with a knowing look.
“Liz hasn’t lost her touch.” Mason pointed at Liz as she pocketed two in a fluke, which resulted in groans around the table. “I haven’t seen her play in a while.”
I smiled. “I remember that’s how we first met. She kicked my ass and I had to cover her bar tab.”
“Course, she also didn’t tell you she can drink like a fish.”
“Well, she was in my bed later that night.”
“And look at you now.” Mason gestured at me with the beer. “You’ve got a kid.”
“Yeah.” I made a face. “And it’s still bittersweet.”
“Really? I thought you loved Hunter.”
“I do. He’s adorable. Liz has done an amazing job with him. But I missed a lot. Things I would love to have been there for.” I rubbed my chest. “It hurts right there knowing I missed so much.”
Then I saw Mason looking at me strangely. I wondered if he’d had a bit too much to drink and was zoning out, but then he threw his head back and bellowed out a laugh.
“My God. Noah Calder is going soft. I never thought I’d live to see that.”
“Not a chance,” I snorted. “After my stint inside, I can hardly go soft. That would have got me killed.” The room was starting to get very hot. I pushed off the bar and wiped the sweat off my forehead. “I’m going to get some air. Be back in a moment.”
I could hear Mason calling after me, but I hurried out into the street. It was only then that I could breathe again. It wasn’t a reaction I’d ever expected having in the club. The place had always felt like home to me, even more than the home I grew up in. But there was something about being in a confined space with lots of people that reminded me of prison. When we had been allowed out of our cells, the communal areas were almost full to bursting. I had felt cramped, my size pushed into a space it shouldn’t have been in. That had frightened me then and it was bringing back a lot of memories now.
I collapsed onto the curb and buried my head in my hands. Things were colliding in my brain and it felt like it was about to explode. Mason and Cassie had done this for me but now I was wishing I was at home, snug inside Liz before holding her as she fell asleep, cuddling Hunter if he woke up from a nightmare, enjoying the quiet.
Either prison had left me with trauma I couldn’t handle, or I was getting old. I wasn’t entirely sure which one it was.
“Noah?”
Someone touched my shoulder. I looked up and saw Liz standing beside me. She wasn’t smiling anymore, giving me a concerned look. I sat up.
“Liz.”
“You okay? I saw you had gone and I got worried.”
“I’m fine.” I stared at the establishment across the street, feeling the cooling air on my face. “I just needed a breather. It was getting a little too squashed in there.”
“I see.” Liz stepped off the curb and sat down, shuffling close to me until our thighs touched. She looped her arms around her knees and gave me a gentle nudge with her shoulder. “Anything you want to talk about?”
Before, I could talk to Liz about anything. Why couldn’t I now? I knew the reason. But Liz wasn’t the one who set me up. I was certain of that. She was the person I turned to when I needed to vent. My comfort zone, where I could take my guard down. Now it was fully up.
That wasn’t what I wanted at all. I sighed heavily, rubbing at my eyes. They were feeling very sore.
“I don’t know. I guess… looking at you tonight, with everyone else… it’s making me realize how much I’ve missed you.” I gave her a small smile. “Missed what we had.”
Liz blinked up at me, clearly startled. She sighed and leant her head on my shoulder. It was natural for me to put me arm around her.
“I know.” Liz’s voice was soft. “I missed it, too. You can’t imagine how difficult it was, going through my pregnancy without you.”
“You had your family.”
Liz snorted.
“Mom didn’t know until I was starting to show
at six months. She turned up at my place unannounced when I was wearing clothes that showed it off. She was furious that I hadn’t told her.”
“You never told your mother and sister?”
That did surprise me. Liz complained about how much the two women drove her mad, but I’d have thought she would have said something about it.
“Not at the start. I was sure they would pressure me into having an abortion.”
I felt the knot in my gut. My arm tightened around Liz’s shoulders.
“They wanted to…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
“Yes. Because he was yours. However, as soon as he was born, they fell in love with him.” She sighed heavily. “But now Mom’s eager to have Hunter as her son, not her grandson. They wish he wasn’t yours and you were still in prison, out of his life.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” I looked down at her. “What about you?”
Liz looked up at me, her eyes clear. She suddenly looked sad.
“I wish you had been there. It would have been easier standing up to them.” She bit her lip and hugged me, resting her head on my shoulder again. “But I had to hide the pregnancy. I refused any help in terms of money at the start, until my pride had to be swallowed. Mason has been good to me. They all have. I…” Her voice caught. “I couldn’t believe I had such good friends. But with your family, mine… because I didn’t have the family I wanted in my heart, I couldn’t bring myself to reach out.”
I hadn’t realized it had been that hard. Liz had been under a lot of pressure, trying to hide it when she didn’t need to. But she had gone through with it alone with very little support at the start. And all she’d wanted was to have me with her. I wanted all she’d wanted during that time.
I wanted to turn back time. I wished I could have been there. I put my arms around her and held her close, kissing her head as I fought back the lump in my throat.
“I’m so sorry, Liz.”
“It’s wasn’t your fault.” Liz sniffed. She sounded like she was crying silent tears. “You didn’t ask to get set up.”
“But I wish I had fought a little harder.” I put my fingers under her chin and lifted her face to mine. “For you and for Hunter. If I had known…”
“It wouldn’t have done anything.” Liz gave me a smile, her eyes shining with tears. One escaped down her cheek and I wiped it away. “You can do that now. We’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
It certainly did. And I was going to make the most of it. Hunter and his mother were far too precious to throw away.
Chapter 21
Liz
I tried to keep an eye on the time, but it wasn’t easy. I didn’t realize how late it was until a few of the regular members started drifting off, very drunk and with several girls draped over them. Then I saw the time—it was well after one in the morning. In a few hours, Hunter was going to be awake and jumping on the bed.
I was glad I didn’t drink as much as I normally did. That would have meant a hangover to struggle with along with a baby. I tapped Noah on the chest as we sat in a booth with Mason—Cassie had already retired to bed—and pointed at the clock.
“I think we’d better call it a night. We’re going to need to get some shut eye before Hunter wakes up.”
Noah groaned, his arm tightening around me.
“Aw, come on! He’ll sleep in. Think of how long it took to get him to fall asleep earlier.”
“Not in this heat. He’ll be up at five.” I stood and tugged Noah to his feet. I hadn’t seen him touch anything other than water and club soda since coming back inside but he still swayed. “If he’s up before seven, you’re dealing with him.”
“Hey, that’s not fair!”
“You’re the one who said we should stay here until after midnight. Your fault, not mine.” I turned to Mason. “Not that the company wasn’t great but we’re parents now. And Diesel is there; we do need to relieve the babysitter.”
Mason chuckled. He had an array of bottles on the table in front of him.
“I’m not offended.” He picked up his current bottle and pointed with it at the door. “Go on, Noah, do as your lady says. Life will be easier. You’d better get to bed and be ready for daddy duty in the morning.”
Noah nodded. I had to laugh at it; his expression looked so much like Hunter when he was sulking. Definitely father and son.
“Is this what it’s going to be like now?” he complained even as he looped his arm around me and walked us towards the door.
“Noah, kids are not toys. You can’t turn them off and on when you want them.” I giggled. “Although I wish I could with Hunter when he starts getting up at stupid times.”
Noah laughed. I had missed that laugh. The old Noah I remembered from before was starting to come back. It wasn’t difficult to fall in love with that old Noah again. But I needed to hold myself back. Things could change in the blink of an eye and I didn’t want my heart to be broken all over again just because I threw myself into it all again.
It wouldn’t do me any good and certainly not Hunter if he saw his mother broken.
Noah’s bike was parked outside the club. He was walking steadily so I wasn’t uncomfortable about him taking us back to the safe house. But I was still a little wobbly and I had to lean on Noah so I didn’t fall over. I must have drunk more than I’d realized; the world was tilting a little.
Then I heard someone calling my name and I saw a car rolling up, loud Latino music pounding out of the windows. I stopped short and stared. My heart sank. I knew that car and I could see the man in the passenger seat, leaning out the window and leering at me. His eyes travelled over me and I found myself wanting to run away. But my feet wouldn’t move.
Noah saw the car as well and pushed me behind him, nudging me towards the annex.
“Get back inside, Liz. Now!”
I wasn’t going to argue with him. I almost tripped over my own feet as I ran back. Mason appeared in the doorway and I ran into him. He tucked me behind him and then I saw he was carrying a pump shotgun.
“Stay here, Liz,” he growled. “Don’t come outside until they’ve gone.”
I would gladly do that. I was aware of the annex going silent as they realized something was going on. Several of the men piled out after Mason, who strode across to stand beside Noah. Two of the women huddled near me, looking ready to fight. One of them was wearing brass knuckles.
I didn’t want to look but I couldn’t stop myself. I looked around the doorframe and saw a nose crooked from having been broken so many times that plastic surgery couldn’t fix it.
Ruiz.
He sneered up at Mason. “Having a party, Mason? Where’s our invite?”
“Must have slipped my mind.”
I could hear Mason over the loud music. The music was making my ears ring.
“I don’t know. I like a good party, amigo.” He looked at Noah and smirked. “Enjoying your freedom now, Calder? Must feel like bliss after years of being locked up. Finally get some pussy instead of cocks up your ass.”
“Get the fuck out of here.” Noah growled.
Ruiz’s companions laughed. One leant out the back window, a gun in his hand which he tapped against the door. Mason pumped the shotgun. Ruiz opened the door and climbed out. He had all the grace of a snake.
“I think we’ll stay here. Looks like a good party.” He paused. “I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot better now.”
Then I realized he had seen me and was looking right at me. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t pull away and hide. Even now, he had that effect I wished he didn’t have on me.
I hated him with all my being. But I couldn’t run. Noah seemed to realize what Ruiz was doing and stepped in front of him, squaring up to the shorter man.
“Back off.”
Ruiz threw back his head and laughed.
“You still protecting her, pendejo?” Then Ruiz shouted at me over Noah’s shoulder. “Hey, gorgeous. Looking good still. Is that pu
ssy still as tight as before?”
Noah snarled and shoved Ruiz in the chest, knocking him back against the car.
“I’ll kill you!”
“Tranquilo, amigo. Tranquilo.” Ruiz straightened up and brushed down his jacket. “You don’t think she was loyal to you the whole time you were in prison, did you? She could have been off fucking anyone.” He openly licked his lips at me. “Can you really trust her, Noah? Because I’m pretty sure Liz has some secrets that you’d love to know about.”
