He ignores me. “We both need to go to the Marriage License office to get the license. You’ll just need your birth certificate; if you haven’t brought with you, I’ll go get it from your house. Then we’ll get married immediately. We’ll go down today. No point in wasting time.”
“You’re not listening to me,” I growl.
“No.” Once again his hand makes that slashing through the air gesture. “You’re the one not listening. We’re getting married, Vi. I’m giving you my name, my protection. That makes Theo safe. I’m doing everything I can to stop Angel getting his hands on the kid.”
I erupt. My hands push him roughly. If he hadn’t let me, I wouldn’t have had the chance of pushing him away, but he steps back.
“I am not marrying you!”
His voice is icily cold as he asks, “You really want to risk Angel getting custody of Theo? Cause that’s what he’s going after, Vi. He won’t be satisfied with visitation or joint parenting. He wants everything. He wants to break you, Vi. He wants Theo with no strings attached. You’ll be cut right out of the picture. Do you want to risk that? Even if Angel died, don’t you think his family would move Heaven and Earth to get hold of his son? Don Lucio is quite clearly backing him. And you—if you died, there would be no one in his way.”
Deep down I think I’d known it, but it’s not something you want to admit. A brief recollection of my conversation outside with Thunder. A bullet, my death, and, if Angelino insists on a paternity test, there’ll be nothing to stop him taking my son. Even if I’m alive, he’ll probably get his way. With his access to the hospital records, he’ll twist the truth and make out I’m unfit to look after my son. That’s why I took the drastic actions I had. My few days in this oasis are over; it’s time to face reality again and remember I’ll do anything, anything, to protect my son.
I turn around, resting my forehead against the door. Demon and his bikers would protect me. If I left, I’d be alone. Could I really hide? Where could I run? What reach do the Silvestri have? How does one go about getting a new identity? It would certainly cost money, something I don’t possess. I couldn’t even start without Demon’s help. If I did manage to get somewhere safe, every day for the next eighteen years I’d be looking over my shoulder, viewing each stranger with suspicion, panicking each time I heard an Italian accent.
Just days ago, I was going to take the drastic action of handing my son over to strangers to keep him out of Angelino’s hands. I’d already decided I would then have nothing to live for.
Is what Demon is offering really worse than what I had planned?
Chapter Fourteen
Demon
I wait with bated breath for her answer, hoping for acquiescence, expecting another refusal. I don’t know what else I can say to persuade her; I’ve already used every argument that I can think of. Giving her my name and protection is the only way I can see of fulfilling my promise to Nathan. His blood runs through Theo. I’ll happily bring up his nephew as if he were my own.
I’ve never wanted kids.
Seems like I’m about to acquire one. If she says ‘yes’.
If she says ‘no’, I can’t force her.
Christ. Standing so close to her, my cock’s been hard to keep under control. When she’s riled her chest heaves, and it’s hard to stop my eyes from focusing on those breasts which she keeps unintentionally bringing to my attention. She’s small, petite, but well-rounded. Fuck, there’s part of me that would definitely enjoy consummating the marriage. Knowing she was mine for the taking whenever I wanted? Wouldn’t be any hardship in that. Something suggests that once I’ve had a taste of that pussy, I could forego all others.
Can’t go there. She’s Nathan’s sister. He’d turn in his grave if I took advantage. As for Vi? She’d be horrified at the direction of my thoughts. I have to keep my dick with a mind of its own behaving. Christ, she’s already been through a rape, she doesn’t need more pressure on her. Nah, until Angel’s finally out of the picture I’m going to have to get super-friendly with my hand. This marriage isn’t about getting my dick wet, though I suspect at times I’m going to find that fact one hell of a challenge to remember.
Though I keep telling myself that’s all she is, it’s getting harder and harder to think of her as a sister. My cock’s never swelled around Kennedy, thank fuck. But Vi? Around her, my dick has a mind of its own. Thank fuck here in the compound we won’t need to pretend and can keep to our separate rooms. If I was to have to sleep in the same bed as her, I don’t know how I could keep my hands off her. Would try every trick in the book to persuade her.
I close my eyes, roll my head back, and try to think of another line of reasoning I can use to convince her. Anything to get my mind off the throbbing in my groin. I realise she’s gone silent. Wondering why she’s given up arguing, I glance back down to see her shoulders are slumped. It dawns on me that all the fight’s gone out of her. Thanks to me. Fuck, I hate I’ve done that. That look on her face? I never again want to see her so defeated. I vow there and then, while I’ll never be a husband to her in the true sense of the word, I’ll do everything I can to make her happy and content, to give her the security to bring her boy, our son, up right.
“Babe.” I place my fingers under her chin and turn her face up to mine. “I promise I’ll give you a good life. Within reason, everything you could ask for. I’ll be a dad to Theo. Neither of you will want for anything.”
Her eyes close briefly. Hopefully, from her position I’m painting a picture of a utopia. What more could she want? I suspect I’d go to the ends of the earth to give her anything that she desires. That’s what Nathan would have done.
She’s quiet, then shakes her head sadly. “What if I want more children, D?”
Oh, fuck, no. She had to go there. The one place I couldn’t follow her. My head moves sharply side-to-side; that’s one thing I’ll have to deny her, confident she doesn’t mean with me. While we’re married, she’ll only have access to my cock. As it’s the last one she’d want, it’s not going to happen. She’s struck me speechless, she takes it that I need persuasion. Nothing she could say will change my mind.
“I didn’t have a say when Angelino raped me.” Her voice is monotone. “And now I’ve apparently no say in who I’ll get married to. Angelino wants my son. What makes you different? You’re saying you want him too, want to co-parent. You don’t want to go through the fucking, the pregnancy, the birth of your own children—you just want what is mine.”
“Hey, Vi. How the hell did you come up with that? Just thought it would be easier if I was there with you, sharing the burden.” As her mouth opens to protest, I quickly add, “And the joy. But if you want, I won’t interfere at all. Leave his care all down to you. You can make all the decisions on your own. I can be his dad in name only if that makes you feel better. Never, ever, compare me to that asshole again.”
“You even like kids?” she remarks scathingly.
“From what I’ve seen, I like Theo,” I admit, cautiously. “I’ve not been around others.” And that’s the truth. “Say yes, Vi. Let me help you. Please.”
I think it’s my pleading that diminishes the sudden burst of anger. “You said you told Angelino. How did he react?”
At last, an easy question to answer. “I think saying he was angry would be an understatement.”
She nods and adds a little smile of satisfaction. “To see another man bringing up his kid? That will hurt him.”
I take advantage. “He took something from you, Vi. Take something back.”
She pushes me away and starts to pace, her teeth biting her lip as she thinks. Then she lets me into her thoughts.
“If he insists on a DNA test, he’ll still have rights.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Yeah, Vi, he might. But if Theo has a stable homelife with me and you, the worst will be parental rights and visitation, and I’ll be right there beside you making sure Theo is safe. And don’t forget, a court has to insist on a DNA test. I’l
l get the fuckin’ best lawyer I can. See if we can convince them there’s no doubt I’m the father so they won’t order it in the first place.”
She huffs. “A court decided he wasn’t a rapist. I’ve no faith in the law.”
“See? The court made an unexpected decision that time. There must be some way to sway them to your side. Angel blackened your character, but with the right lawyer, we can disclose the truth about him.” I’ll get Cad digging, see if there’s a trail of evidence to child trafficking. Angel wouldn’t have a cat’s chance in hell with that on his record. Or, if something comes to light, he wouldn’t want that business to come up in court. Yeah, there are things I know to do that she wouldn’t have dreamed of, or have been able to do by herself.
I haven’t much faith in the law, though. Show me a biker who has. If it starts to look like she’s no chance of winning, then whatever the repercussions, Angel will be close to breathing his last breath.
I press, now that she’s listening. “I’ve fuck-all idea why Angel is so set on getting the child, Vi. At the end of the day, he might realise he’s losing the battle, and his interest will fade. You have more chances of success with me beside you. Sweetheart, I know you think I’m forcing you, but you do have the choice. Can’t do anything without you saying ‘yes’.”
If she insists on doing it herself, I’ll help her. I’m not such a bastard as to throw her to the wolves, or even use that as a threat. If she refuses, so be it. I’ll get her the best fucking fake identity money can buy. Set up an allowance so she’s well-supported. Send her to where we have another chapter to keep an eye on her. But that’s the last resort. I want her close so I can personally protect her, so I’m going to do my damnedest to persuade her.
Of course, if she insisted on moving away, that would mean I’d have some backpedalling to do with the Silvestri, some explaining, some made-up fight that meant we hadn’t made it to the courthouse, and that she ran off instead. But I’ll come up with something; that’s the least of my worries.
“The way I see it,” her voice has gentled, “is that you’re making more sacrifices than you’re expecting me to. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking or forcing me to do anything I don’t want.”
Would I have made the offer if I was a different person? If the man who raised me hadn’t taken on another man’s son? At least he killed my mother’s rapist. That’s what I’ll do in the end, though I can’t admit that to her. Angel signed his death warrant when he first laid his fingers on Vi. We’ll both have our freedom when the motherfucker has drawn his last breath. But it needs to be done carefully, any suggestion the Devils were involved and Vi stands to lose more than her kid. It would end in a bloodbath, the likes of which Pueblo has never seen.
The Silvestri wouldn’t take kindly to us killing one of their own, and now I’ve stepped up, unless it can be done without fingers pointing in our direction, we’d be the first culprits in line. The loss of his son and heir? Lucio might decide to take us out just to make a point, even if there was no evidence found.
Revenge, as someone at church had said, in this case is best eaten cold and with very careful forethought and planning.
She’s crossed back to the bed and is sitting with her head in her hands. If she was any other woman I’d be there with her. Pushing her back down, using my mouth and my cock to persuade her, to show her what pleasures I could bring her if she’d just agree to take me as her man. If she was anyone else, I wouldn’t be in this situation.
Instead I go over, sitting beside her, careful to keep my body from touching hers, just reaching out my hand and giving a brotherly squeeze to her shoulder. I can’t think of more words I could use to convince her. To me, this is her only sensible option. Here she has support and friends; anywhere else she’d be on her own, trying to maintain a fabrication of a past so nothing could fall back on her, not knowing who to trust. I don’t want that for her.
She’s deciding the fate of the next weeks, months, years of her life, I’ll give her time. While I’ve no intention of keeping her tied to me longer than necessary, to present the right front we have to make outsiders believe this is for real with no expiration date. Am I prepared to make that commitment?
Nathan gave his life; what’s being asked of me is nothing compared to that sacrifice.
When someone knocks, she startles. I go to open the door, not surprised to see it’s Cad. He hands me her purse.
“Went through it, Prez. Took a bit longer than I’d expected, there was a lot of shit to go through. But, yeah. I found it. That’s how he knew where she was. Dropped a fuckin’ tiny tracker in there. She probably wouldn’t have noticed in amongst the other junk.”
“Did you find my car keys?” A little voice comes from behind me.
Cad raises his brow. He wouldn’t have found those, they’re in my custody. I nod and dismiss him. That’s one mystery solved.
“I have your keys, Vi,” I admit, when I’ve closed the door behind him. “From when the prospect drove you here.”
She shrugs as though it’s of no importance. “At least we know, now. Angelino knew every step I took.”
“He did.” Thank fuck I hadn’t come back and accused all and sundry. I stand, unsure whether to go back and sit beside her, torn between giving her more time and pressing her to give me the answer I want to hear, wary of leaving her alone to overthink it. “I’ll never hurt you, Vi.”
“Know that. It just proves it, doesn’t it?”
She’s lost me. “What proves what?”
Her hand waves toward the closed door. “Angelino putting a tracker in my bag. I wouldn’t have dreamed of looking for it. I wouldn’t survive in your world. In his world. Not without someone who knew how to protect me.”
Cad’s news seems to have changed her opinion. I hardly dare breathe, hoping this is going where I want it to go.
“You say you won’t hurt me, D, but I don’t care about me. You must promise never, ever to hurt Theo. Never to raise your hand to him whatever he does. Never raise your voice without good reason. If you’re going to be a father to him, you must never make him believe he’s any less than your son. If we change the birth certificate, you’ll be all the father he’ll ever know.”
If I hadn’t had a similar upbringing, I might have hesitated. But how can I when that was exactly what Hell had done for me? “You ever think Hell treated me badly, Vi?” She doesn’t know my story, not yet. One day she will. If she becomes my wife, there’ll be no secrets between us.
“Of course not.”
“He’s my role model, Vi. I had a good one. From the moment you say ‘yes’, Theo’s my son. I’ll be the same father as Hell was to me.” One day, soon, she’ll realise the significance of my words. But not now. She has enough to think about without me laying my troubles at her door on top of everything else.
“Then…” she pauses. “Christ, D, I thought this would be a bit more romantic, dreamed of having a man go down on one knee. But in the circumstances, you’re offering more than I could have hoped for. So, yes, D. I’ll marry you.”
My gut churns at the thought of what she’s missing out on. A man declaring his undying affection for her, a ring, a proposal done properly. I’ve a sudden impulse to take her into my arms and kiss her, our tongues entwining, her taste becoming mine. But that’s not how this marriage is going to be.
I lean in and my lips touch her cheek briefly. “I do love you, Vi. Always have.”
Her face turns toward me. She shakes her head and bites her lip. “I love you too, D.”
I nod, accepting her declaration. She means like a brother. She’d be horrified to think there was any other interpretation to my words.
I squash the burst of elation inside me. She’s mine. Or at least, very soon she will be.
A wail from the hallway gets Violet moving and running to the door. When she pulls it open, Jayden’s outside, a bawling Theo in her arms. She shrugs apologetically; Vi’s quick to take her s
on. That smile on her face speaks volumes, love emanating from her, the kind of look part of me wishes she’d give to me. Not going there. Remember Nathan.
She thanks Jay, brushes off her apology, and brings the wriggling bundle into the room. There’s an unpleasant aroma accompanying it.
“Sorry, D. I need to change him.” She takes him to the changing mat.
I’m the president of an outlaw MC. There’s not much I’ve not been able to handle. I’m going to be a father; how hard can it be?
Going over, I put my hands around her waist and ease her to one side. “If I’m signing up for this, I better start as I mean to continue,” I say softly, while popping the studs on the all-in-one thingy Theo’s wearing. “You’re a stinky one, aren’t you?” I say, gruffly.
My deep voice catches Theo’s attention; his cries ease away as he stares intently at me.
“D, do you know what you’re doing?”
“I can work it out.”
She stands back, a look half-concerned, half-amused on her face, her arms held as though ready to step in and take over.
Fuck, the stench! But I soldier on.
I pull off the dirty diaper, wishing I didn’t have to see what was inside, and fold it. She’s there, a bag ready, held open for me. Have to remember to get prepared in the future. Taking the handful of wipes she’s holding out, it’s natural to try to catch hold of the legs that are kicking and, eventually successful at that, wipe his ass.
Theo starts giggling when he manages to get one leg free. I wonder whether he always does this, or he’s testing me. Whatever, I have him handled.
“Gotcha, little man,” I grin, catching the flailing leg while just about managing to keep hold of the other.
“D, watch…”
Quickly I grab the tissues she’s now passing over. “You trying to piss on your old man, son?” I try it out and hear a gasp at my side.
Managing to keep myself dry, I clean him up again. She hands me some sort of lotion. Competently, or so I hope, I rub it on in the right places. The fresh diaper? Well, I’ve never passed up a challenge in my life. It takes me a while, but at last it’s on.
Satan's Devils MC Colorado Boxset 1 Books 1 - 3 Page 53
