by Leela Ash
“No, actually,” Lexi crossed her arms over her chest. “But I didn’t want an argument.”
“Where have you been?” she got to her feet.
“Why does it matter?”
“Because I’m your mother, and I need to know!” She was shouting now, the rage was building up behind her words.
“What do you care!?” Lexi screamed back. “I stayed at Tammy’s, and then I was at my new job! If you weren’t so wrapped up in douchebag Dereck, maybe I would have felt like telling you that Marv fired me!”
“What for?” she snarled.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lexi lowered her head and felt tears rising. She hated arguing with her mom, but it was all they seemed to do these days.
“And that fucking biker?” her mom spat.
“What?” Lexi shot her gaze up to meet hers.
“I hope you’re not going to be so stupid to get involved with them. I’ve told you your entire life to stay away from them! You better not defy me now!”
Lexi shook her head in disbelief and went to leave the room.“I am seeing one of them. His name’s King, and he’s the most sincere and loyal man I have ever met!”
Her mother’s face dropped, and she seemed lost for words.
“And not only that, but I’ve started working at The Bleeding Bullet… And guess what, there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me!”
She marched out of the kitchen and made her way to the stairs. Her mom ran after her, screaming her name until Lexi finally stopped and spun around to face her once more.
“If you want to fuck up your life, then you go ahead,” she spat, “but don’t come crying to me when your heart is broken and you’re out in the cold.”
“What are you even talking about?” Lexi shook her head, completely confused. “Since when has this ever been a topic of conversation?”
“Are you really so stupid?” her mom asked. “Have you really never figured out why I don’t want you anywhere near those men?”
Lexi shook her head, but the feeling of dread that was slowly crawling over her was clutching her tight.
“Your father!” her mom spat. “Your father was one of those goddam bikers, and I never saw him again after he knocked me up and ended up in jail!” She collapsed onto the floor and burst into tears. “Fucking Reid…”
Lexi eyed her furiously.
Could she be serious?
“Reid? Was that his name? You told me my father died,” Lexi said coldly. “You told me that you were going to get married and that he was a salesman from Scottsdale and that he was killed in a car accident before I was born.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Lexi,” her mom pleaded.
“Have you been lying to me my entire life?” She couldn’t believe what was happening, but the tears bursting out of her mother were telling her all she needed to know.
Without another word, Lexi stormed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. She pushed the chair up against it and frantically pulled her clothes out of her closet and threw them into bags.
She was done.
She was leaving.
She could hear her mother’s sobs echoing through the house, but she didn’t care. If she had only known that her father was still alive, she could have gotten to know him. She could have had a real parent, whether he was in jail or not. She cried as she zipped up her bags and opened her bedroom window before throwing them out onto the front yard. She hadn’t climbed out of her window since she was a teenager going out to meet boys, but she just couldn’t face seeing her mom’s face again. As she worked her way down the drainpipe, she bit back the tears, and when she jumped down onto the ground, she scooped up the bags and slung them over her shoulder.
There was only one place she wanted to be and that was with King. But first she was going to have to see Tammy at the diner.
10.
She burst through the door, and Tammy looked up, startled. Lexi sat down at a booth, shaking and wiping her eyes.
“Oh my god,” Tammy hissed as she ran over to her. “What’s happened? Did that biker hurt you?” she asked.
“No,” Lexi breathed. “My mother… She’s really done it this time.”
She filled Tammy in on everything that happened, from her night with King, to returning home and being delivered the biggest blow of her entire life. She sobbed and wiped her eyes while Tammy comforted her and told her that surely everything would be okay.
“She’s kept me away from them out of spite,” Lexi sniffed. “It had nothing to do with her being afraid for me or my safety… She was being selfish and cruel because he broke her heart…”
Tammy nodded and sighed. “I can’t believe she never told you… God, he could have been here this whole time.”
Lexi started to cry, and Tammy wrapped her arms around her.
“You have a name,” Tammy said reassuringly. “And you have King… He must know him or have at least heard of him?”
She had been so caught up in the revelation that it hadn’t even crossed her mind that maybe there was still a chance she could find her father. She looked up at Tammy and smiled.
“You’re a genius,” she said. “I can’t believe I didn’t even think of it.”
“Go back to my place and sort yourself out,” Tammy said as she handed her a key to her apartment. “I’ll be done here in the next couple of hours, and I’ll come over to the bar with you for your shift tonight. Let’s talk to King and see if he knows Reid.”
“Thank you so much,” Lexi smiled as she hugged her friend. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
***
After she had showered and revived herself she sat in Tammy’s front room as her mind raced over and over. No wonder she had such a wild side to her—her father was an outlaw and it was in her blood. She had always been so fascinated with the bikers, so drawn to them, but her mother had kept her terrified and held hostage with threats. Now she knew the truth, and she was determined to find out who Reid was.
She dressed for work and just as the sun began to set, she and Tammy got into the car and made their way over to The Bleeding Bullet. The cops were there again, swarming the streets like flies. With the knowledge she had now, this was the first time she hadn’t felt like an outsider venturing into this part of town. She knew they were her people and she welcomed it with all she had.
“Will King be there?” Tammy asked her as she pulled up at the side of the road, the only car in a sea of bikes and cop cars.
“He said he would be,” she whispered.
The girls got out of the car and walked towards the bar. Even though Lexi was nervous about asking King about Reid, she could also feel how tense Tammy was beside her.
When she pushed open the door, the music blared out at them and Tammy’s eyes grew wide with amazement as she watched the girls dancing on the bar and the men cheering them on.
“Wow,” she said. “Is this what you do?”
“One shift down, hopefully many more to go,” Lexi winked.
They moved through the crowd and approached the counter. Sasha was behind the bar serving, and she waved and winked at Lexi.
“Is King here?” she called, not wanting to delay another moment.
“The office,” Sasha shouted back.
Lexi smiled and thanked her before she grabbed hold of Tammy’s hand and led her further into the crowd. They passed around the back of the bar to where Lexi had seen King watching her the night before. They passed the leather couches and started down a dark corridor that was almost hidden out of view.
“I think it’s down here,” Lexi whispered.
As they moved swiftly down it, her heart began to race. For all she knew, Reid could be there at that very moment. She didn’t have time to pull all of her emotions together. She just had to find out if there was any truth to her mom’s tale and whether he was still around. They came to a door and Lexi leaned up and knocked on it. She didn’t know if she was in the right place, but she could hear m
en’s voices behind it, and it wasn’t long before the sound of locks being turned broke into the hallway. The door heaved open and Lynx peered out at them.
“Hey, Lex,” he exhaled a plume of smoke. “You after King?”
She nodded shyly before he disappeared back inside. The girls waited for him to reappear and when he did, he had King by his side.
Even though her mind was fraught with possibility, Lexi couldn’t help but notice the look Lynx was giving Tammy. He was staring at her in the exact same way King had looked at her the day they met, and she was surprised but happy to see that Tammy seemed quite taken with him, too.
King held onto her by the arm, instantly sensing something was wrong.
“Are you okay?” he said. He led her further down the hall, leaving Lynx and Tammy together.
“No,” she said, feeling the tears welling up again. “This is going to sound crazy but…” She didn’t even know how to begin.
“It’s okay, Babe,” King soothed her. “Come on, just tell me…”
“My mom,” she sobbed. “She went crazy when she found out I was seeing you, and then today I go home and she tells me it’s because my dad was part of the Forsaken Riders… She always told me he died before I was born… It’s so fucked up, I just don’t know what to do.”
King was looking at her in disbelief and he pulled her to him and hugged her.
“How the hell could she do that?” he asked her.
“I don’t know. But she gave me a name…” she said with trepidation. “And I want to know if you have any idea who he is.”
King led her further down the corridor and opened a door to a side room. Inside it was nothing more than a dark closet with a couple of chairs, but he pulled on the light and sat her down.
“I can see you’re in shock,” he whispered. “It’s okay, just calm down.”
Lexi began to cry again. She was so lucky to have found King amidst all of the bad experiences she had been through. It had been the craziest week of her life.
“Okay,” she exhaled once she had composed herself. “She gave me a name, but I don’t know if there’s anything in it… She said that she got pregnant and that he went to jail and then she never saw him again… After that, I was too angry so I stormed out, but she did give me a name.”
“Go on…” King said as he squeezed her hand tightly.
“Reid,” she exhaled. “She told me his name was Reid.”
11.
King’s hands shook as he held onto her.
“Reid…?” he asked her. “Are you sure?”
Lexi searched his face for answers. He clearly knew something, but he wasn’t giving her the information.
“I wouldn’t just pull that name out of thin air, King,” she said with irritation. “Do you know him or not?”
He scratched the back of his neck and nodded slowly.
“Yes, Lex, I do,” he said sadly. “He’s the old boy… The one we passed in bed this morning…”
In an instant, Lexi felt every single emotion she thought she could ever feel. She went from disbelief, to anger, to regret, to sadness… This man, her father, had been in Slate Springs all along, and now he was dying.
Tears welled up behind her eyes, and King pulled her to him.
“I don’t know what to do,” she confessed. “Should I tell him?”
King shrugged and kissed her on the forehead.
“Only you know what’s best,” he whispered.
***
When they left the side room, Lynx and Tammy were still by the office talking like they had known each other forever. King whistled down to them.
“I’m taking Lex over to the clubhouse,” he said. “Let Sasha know she won’t be on the bar tonight.”
He wrapped his hand with hers and kissed it.
“Will you be okay, Tammy?” Lexi called to her friend.
“Sure,” Tammy grinned. “I’m sure Lynx will look after me.”
He nodded and smiled at her, and Lexi and King made their way back down the hallway, straight out through the bar and into the night.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “You need some answers.”
He lifted her onto his bike and started the engine, and they flew out of the street to a whoop of men cheering and the blue daze of cop car lights. Lexi felt completely different from how she had only hours before when King was taking her back to their secret headquarters. Then she had been excited and full of curiosity, and now she was shaken and full of dread. What if her mom had made the whole thing up? Or what if Reid didn’t want to know?
As they flew down the highway and pulled off the main road and onto the dirt track, she kissed King on the back of the neck and whispered, “I’m so glad I found you.”
He turned his head to the side and said, “Babe, so am I…”
They pulled up at the house and a soft glow of lights came from most of the windows. It wasn’t late, and she could see movement inside.
“Before we go in,” she said to King. “Tell me about him…”
He smiled and pulled her to him.
“Reid was one of our founding members, and he’s more than well respected. If he’s your father, you’re from a family of legends. You’re outlaw royalty… No wonder I found you and can’t let you go.”
Lexi felt herself blush and ran her hands through his hair. She looked into his eyes and although she was scared to death, she knew that if she had him by her side, everything would work out okay.
They entered the house and made straight for the stairs. King held her hand as they climbed them two at a time and walked around the gallery to the doorway that was now empty, save for one of the other bikers who sat on a chair inside the room with Reid at his side.
Reid looked up and smiled.
“King,” he said. “Who’s this lovely little thing?”
Even though he was frail and clearly sick, his voice was still strong and boomed through the room. King smiled and looked down at Lexi who was now almost shaking. He let go of her hand and she moved into the room, searching Reid’s face for some flash of recognition.
She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him and stared at him deep in the eyes, and it was then that she saw it. The resemblance between them was definitely there. Their eyes were the same, their complexion. Reid was her father… She had found him.
She held the old man’s hand and felt the tears roll down her cheek. He nodded slowly and his lip trembled. He saw it too.
“She told me she got rid of you,” he whispered, the tears filling his own eyes. “If I’d have known… I would have found you.”
Lexi lunged forward and hugged him. In an instant, they both knew that they were father and daughter. Kept apart for a lifetime because of a poisonous woman.
There was so much to talk about and so much to learn. They laughed together and Reid told her how happy he was that she had found someone like King. A strong, lawless man after his own heart. When he began to tire, she and King went back upstairs and lay together in bed. She hadn’t wanted to leave her father’s side, but it had been so overwhelming and she needed a chance to digest it all. She had been on the biggest rollercoaster of her life, and as she looked back on the events of the past few days, she almost couldn’t believe it had all happened to her.
“I’m going to look after him from now on,” she said. “I’m so glad I found him…”
“You’re one of us,” King said as he held her tight and kissed her softly. “This is your house now, too. You don’t ever have to go back there.”
Lexi smiled and nuzzled into him. She had finally escaped her mother and Dereck, found her father who she had longed for her entire life, gotten herself a new job and found the man of her dreams.
“I guess miracles can happen,” she said as she looked up at King and he smiled.
“There’s so much more to come, Babe,” he said gently. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
THE END
Lynx
A Forsak
en Riders Standalone MC Romance
Book 2
Samantha Leal
Copyright ©2016 by Samantha Leal. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
1.
Tammy checked her rearview mirror as she started the engine and sighed. It was the time of day she hated more than anything, the beginning of her night shift, when she had to leave the comfort of her cute little home and get herself to work. The diner wasn’t exactly a hard place to earn a living, but she still resented having to be up late when the majority of people she knew were out having fun and being young, when Tammy was slaving over a hot stove and making small talk with truckers.
“Just eight hours to go,” she said to herself with a laugh as she backed out of her driveway and swung out into the street.
She turned on her lights and crawled along slowly, delaying the inevitable. She often thought about putting her foot down on the gas and just driving into the night. It was one of her favorite fantasies…
What if one day I just disappeared and never came back?
At the beginning of every night shift, the same thought crossed her mind. She imagined flying down the highway with her window open and the wind in her hair, the music turned up loud and her heart running free, but she knew it would never happen. Slate Springs was her home and always had been. Everyone she had ever known and loved was in that town, and she wasn’t about to desert them now, even if her future did seem pretty bleak without a significant other.
She drummed her nails on the edge of the steering wheel and accelerated.
“May as well get there and start earning those much needed tips,” she said as she clicked her tongue against her teeth.
