by Addy Archer
He gives my shoulder a little push and says, “Go lie down, Peyton.” A chuckle slips past his lips when I give up and do as he says. “Yes, Raven. She’s right here, but she’s not feeling all too well. I brought her with me to the clubhouse to look after your friend, ’cause any friend of yours is one of mine, right? When I call you tomorrow morning, I’ll let you talk to her, okay? Yes, we’re having a sleepover.” Another chuckle. “No, we didn’t plan this, but I’m happy you’re happy about it.”
What in the hell are they talking about? I rise and snatch the phone away from Hunt’s hand. “Give me that,” I snap and then soften my voice to talk to Raven. “Hey, Dead Skunk, how’s my favorite muffin eater?”
I saw Raven yesterday at school. The school is now closed for vacation, and I have to say it’s perfect timing, though I miss Raven already. Keeping the promise I gave my mother is not a hard thing to do since she’s really a cute little girl who I consider a friend.
I have a part-time job at the school working with kids who have trouble learning or who just need a little support or guidance. So, I’m around when Raven is waiting to be picked up by her dad. That’s when I slip into the background and avoid. But with the vacation time coming up, I knew I wasn’t going to see my little friend for a few weeks. Hence the reason I baked muffins, because I know how much she loves them.
“They don’t have muffins,” Raven sighs dramatically over the phone. “And I’m stuck here for daaaaaaays.”
“Oh no,” I gasp in the same overdramatic tone. “You’re like me. I’m stuck here with your daddy for days too.”
“Well, obvs, we didn’t plan this very well.” Raven sighs. “I bet it’s Daddy’s fault. He always messes things up.”
I risk a glance at Hunt. He has his thick, inked-up arms crossed in front of his chest and is watching me with such intent.
“At least he’s great at trying, right?” I reply, saying the same thing I always do when Raven complains about waiting or if her daddy forgets to pack lunch or adds the wrong things into her lunchbox or buys her clothes that aren’t her size at all.
“Yes.” Raven laughs. “He’s the best at trying,” she says, always offering me the same reply in return.
“All right, you two,” Hunt grumbles and takes the phone back from me. “I’m going to call you later, Raven. Be nice to Grandma and Grandpa.” There are some sweet words mumbled after that I don’t catch before he hangs up.
He’s back to staring at me with his arms crossed over of his massive chest. “So, that’s where she gets the whole ‘He messes up but he’s the best at trying’ statement from, huh?”
I shrug, then let my head find his pillow and take a deep breath. Bad thing to do because all I’m doing is inhaling his scent. It’s another reminder I shouldn’t be here, because his scent is addictive. It’s the baby. The smell is giving him or her comfort; that must be it.
Dammit, I hate being needy and dependent on others, most definitely when it concerns this man. It’s for this reason I refuse to answer him and just close my eyes and shut him—and the whole word around me—out.
“Fine, ignore me. At least you’re finally listening to me and lying down,” Hunt mutters.
“Annoying asshole,” I grumble in return. “I’m not listening to you. I’m simply doing what my body is asking me to do.”
I hear him snicker, but he doesn’t give me any words in return. I can feel myself drift off.
A jolt flashes through me, ripping me from sleep, and I flash up. Swinging my head around, I try to focus and slowly become aware I’m not in my own bedroom.
“Calm down,” a voice rumbles from my left.
Shit. Hunt. I’m in his room. “Yes, if you could just hold on to the pile of trouble surrounding me, I’ll do just that,” I grumble and roll my eyes just for the hell of it.
“We’re handling it. All I want you to fuss about is yourself and our kid growing inside your belly.”
“I’ll damn well fuss over everything I want. And me being pregnant is one of the least things on my long list. The kid basically grows itself, not much for me to do. Now all those other things on the endless list? My sister? My father? The cartel? You? Those are the things running havoc on my life, and my sister is the highest priority. I want to see and hold her so damn bad.”
Hunt glances at his watch. “Linc is going to visit her in about twenty-three minutes. We can watch on the cameras he installed to keep an eye on her. He’s going to show her the pictures of you and your brother to see if it will draw out a reaction.”
“Twenty-three minutes?” I ask and check the time. A smile spreads across my face. “She still has the same creepy timing when it comes to dinner? She thrives on schedules you know.”
Hunt snorts. “Linc screwed up the first week when she was finally able to hold in food and was clear of all the drugs Romero pumped into her. Then Linc noticed she kept glancing at the clock and made sure to come visit her at set times. She really perked up after that.”
“Harper needs a schedule. That’s how we also noticed she was missing, because she used to call my mother at seven each night. When she didn’t call, I headed over to her house, but she was just gone. Her purse, keys, phone, everything was there except for her. I called Stone and asked if he knew where Harper could be, but he didn’t. He told me he’d ask our father, and about an hour later, he called back to say the club was going to handle it. I was told not to say anything to the cops. Dad came to visit my mother, something he would only do when there was no other choice. They—” I swallow the rest of the words. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”
“You should,” Hunt simply says. “You’re my old lady. What’s discussed between us stays between us.”
I close the distance between us and jab my finger against his chest where the vice president patch is stitched on his cut. “This right here? It means nothing will ever stay between us. It means the club is above everything. You said it yourself, I was raised as an MC princess. I know what it all entails, Hunt. I’ve seen it up close. When my mother asked me to keep an eye on your daughter, I knew it was because she damn well knew how screwed up the club life is for women. You want this between us to be real? Fine, here goes. My father beat my mother into obedience. He fucked around on her right in front of us. He hated having only one son and two daughters because he wanted three sons. Stone is his pride and joy, or at least he was, maybe not so much now since he’s holding back information. Anyway, me and Harper? He never liked or cared about us. Our mother was allowed to step out of the MC life, and she made sure to take her daughters with her. You know how? Because our father fucked up years ago with the mother chapter and they let him relocate, but he had to honor my mother’s request. Because my mother was the daughter of the founding president. They forced my father to break ties while handing him free range here in Nevada. Happy now? All excited to have an old lady you can screw over with all the whores hanging around all the time? Because when you say I was raised in an MC, I also know all the dirty shit there is to know and how bikers behave. My father was the worst example I had. My brother is good, so I know good guys are out there, but don’t believe for one damn second I trust a biker blindly.”
“You done?” Hunt snaps.
He’s back to standing in his menacing pose with his massive inked-up arms crossed in front of his inked-up chest. Suddenly, I wonder if he’s inked all over. I know for a fact he is muscled all over. I felt and experienced all of it when he took me in the garage the day we conceived a child. Shit. Way to slip off into the gutter.
He pinches my chin and brings me back into the discussion when his face leans in close. “Main shit is the same in every club, but not all. I can tell you right fuckin’ now I will commit to you and won’t shove my cock into another cunt if you want this between us to be real. If you don’t want nothing from me except to be there for our kid, fine. But you and I are linked for life with the tiny human growing inside you. And if you need my answer first? Yes. I want
all of it. When you left my bed the day after we met, I was ordered to stay away from you. I was fuckin’ thrilled when I received your text because it gave me the reason to get you and make you mine. Raven adores you. You felt fuckin’ good around my cock, and my seed took root at first shot. Now all of that means something and it lands you in my bed cunt-first as my old lady.”
“Such a romantic,” I huff. “Half of your ramblings went in one ear and out the other. Your word means shit until I’ve seen and experienced it. Till then, we’re….” I think of a way to describe it but come up empty. I rip my head away from his grip. “Whatever.”
“Whatever,” Hunt growls. “Woman, you blabbering that shit about your mother makes it very clear to me you don’t want a what-fuckin’-ever between us. And I can tell you right now, no damn part of my body will be used to cause you pain, you understand me?”
His eyes pin me in place. The venom swirling inside is all fierce and make his words hit harder. Damn hormones make my eyes sting, and a tear escapes, making a trail down my cheek.
“Fine,” I croak.
“I do have one thing I demand in return for everything I will give you. And this one thing is a rule breaker because I will drop you like a hot potato and will find a way to still be there for our kid without your interference.”
I tilt my head. “Like a hot potato?” I snort, but then it hits me. “PeyPey Potato, the road name your daughter gave me. You’re talking about Raven, aren’t you? If you think I’d ever hurt your little girl or use her against you, then you need a damn straitjacket. She’s my little friend, you asshole.”
“Okay, first, woman. Stop. Calling. Me. An asshole,” Hunt towers over me, but if he thinks I should be impressed by his fierce impression and growling, he’s dead wrong.
So, I simply shrug, “If the shoe fits. I mean, I remember very vividly not too long ago how you went from giving me bright pleasure one moment to throwing me in a dark hole the next. All in the blink of an eye. Kinda reminds me of split-personality issues. Wait, I’m carrying your kid. You don’t have bad genes, do you?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Hunt grumbles. “It was club business, Peyton. I had to follow my president’s orders. I’m the damn VP.”
“Ah, and we’re right back to where we started this discussion, eh? The club comes first.” My voice is thin and filled with defeat. I might have slept for a bit, but I’m still drained. “Never mind, okay? Can I get a shower? I could really use one before Linc visits my sister. I have a few minutes left, should be enough to hop in and out of the shower.”
Anything to get some space between us. I don’t have the fight in me to go head-to-head with Hunt. Suddenly, doubts fill my veins about if this whole old lady thing is something good or the worst mistake ever. I won’t stand between him and our unborn child, but I also don’t know if we can make things work between us and make a future together as a family.
Even if I adore his daughter, I don’t know anything about this man. All I’ve known is how my father’s MC life is and how bad it turned out. How bad? Dammit, with what happened to my sister? How he threw my life in the balance too without me or my brother realizing it? Yes, becoming someone’s old lady sure has a nice ring to it, right?
C H A P T E R S E V E N
~ H U N T ~
Minutes tick by, and I’m eating myself up inside. I managed to keep my cool when she mentioned that shit about her parents. Then I kept my distance while she showered and again when she was watching the feed of the camera showing Linc and her sister.
Of course, Harper didn’t recognize the people in the picture Linc showed her. I saw the hurt in Peyton’s eyes and the haunting look sliding in right after. All of it is eating away at her.
Like I said, minutes are ticking by as I watch over her—sleeping in my bed—and take over the worry that was pulling at her. My phone indicates I have an incoming message. Pulling it out of my pocket, I notice it’s Alaric requesting a meeting. Knowing Peyton is fast asleep, I let my president know I’ll be right there. Softly closing the door behind me, I find my way into church where Alaric is sitting along with Linc.
“Sit,” Alaric says as he leans back in his chair. “I’ve asked Linc to be here too because he’s responsible for Apple.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “We’re sticking with Apple? Even when we now know her name is Harper?”
“It’s Apple unless she wants to be called something else,” Linc snaps.
I can feel my eyebrows hitting my hairline, and when I shoot a glance at Alaric, I see he’s wearing the same expression.
“Tone it down, prospect,” Alaric snaps back. “I understand you’re protective of the girl, but keep in mind who the fuck you’re talking to. Now, tell Hunt what you told me.”
“Sorry, Pres. She’s become a friend over the past few weeks.” Linc connects his gaze with mine. “It might sound weird, and I’m not sure the camera showed it, but I saw recognition in her eyes when I showed her the pictures of her brother and sister. I saw it. She intentionally acted as if she didn’t know shit. As if she’s deliberately pushing away that part of her life.”
I give Linc a nod. “Sounds to me like Apple is protecting herself. Hiding bad memories and everything connected to it to save herself from the pain that comes along with it. You saw the scars that tell a gruesome story all by themselves. Just the mere thought of what she went through is enough to make chills run up and down my fucking back. Who knows what other scars are branded into her brain along with it.”
“That’s why I don’t want them anywhere near her,” Linc says, or rather demands.
I decide to ignore his words and slide into another conversation, one I don’t mind Linc sitting in on. Even if the fucker is a prospect, he’s been with us for a long damn time and has earned his place fair and square. The only reason he’s not a full member yet is because Linc said he wanted to wait till he was twenty-one. The fucker’s birthday was a month ago, but yet he’s still a prospect—one who we respect and trust more than the other prospects.
“What I’m about to say stays between us, because I gave my old lady my word, okay?” I wait till they both nod.
And why the fuck does this feel like I’m about to betray Peyton? Damn that promise and her jab about the club comes first. I know it, and she knows it. But the things she mentioned are important and connected to the danger surrounding her, and they need to know.
“To make a long story short, Raven’s teacher was the daughter of the president who founded Trigger Pull MC. Shit happened between the MC and my old lady’s father. And, because of her mother’s family ties, her father was allowed to become president of the Nevada chapter. The fucker, who gladly promised his daughters to the cartel, only wanted to have sons who could follow in his footsteps instead of useless daughters. The deal he received to become president of the Nevada chapter meant letting his old lady and daughters live their own lives without his interference. Hence the reason they live here. He kept them close, and yet there was distance in between. I had a feeling his old lady’s death was connected somehow; that’s why I asked how she died. We have to be careful. These cartel fuckers aren’t shy about killing women or even worse. I don’t need to remind you of Apple and the hell she’s still going through, right?” I can tell from the way he’s staring at me that Alaric is experiencing the same anger I have boiling inside me.
“That fucker only lives for himself. He’s damn lucky he’s still breathing, and I can only guess it’s because of his old lady. With her being the daughter of the president of the founding chapter and all, I bet she struck the deal to relocate him and by doing so she created an escape for herself.”
“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact a man used his own damn blood to forge a deal. I can’t imagine trading Raven for something else.” A shudder runs through me at the thought. “I’d rather expel my last breath than let any harm come to her. And dammit, I even feel the same way about the little one growing inside my old lady. Hell, I feel pro
tective of Peyton too, even if she says she hates my guts. It doesn’t matter. Rebel Rage MC never does the kind of shit Trigger Pull MC is wrapped in.”
“That’s right, brother,” Alaric agrees. “Well, with Stone’s reaction and the things you just mentioned about how Stone’s mother made a deal to get her and her two daughters out, it’s safe to say the president of the Nevada chapter acted alone. Or at least not with the support of his VP and others. This gives us an advantage to turn shit around. If this fucker indeed screwed up with the mother chapter, I can reach out to see if they are willing to help or at least give the all clear for us to back Stone up and handle shit. I mean, Hunt here gave us some kind of backup, link, whatever, by knocking up the granddaughter.”
“Great.” I sigh. “Now you make me feel as if I knocked her up for the benefit of the club.”
Linc and Alaric both laugh their ass off.
Alaric knocks his knuckles on the table in front of me. “I get it, brother. I have an old lady, and I also realized for the first fucking time our enemies now have something to bring us to our knees. Something we didn’t have before. You have your girl and an old lady now too. Linc here doesn’t even have an old lady, but he’s protective as shit over his little girly friend. Am I right?”
“Yes,” Linc snaps through gritted teeth. “No one comes near her or so much as points a finger in her direction. She’s been through enough.”
The corner of Alaric’s mouth twitches. “Best decision ever made to have you take care of the girl. She’s lucky to have you. And I’m also relieved to know who she is and where she comes from. The load of shit she went through aside, it’s good to have a background story. And with what you said? Suspecting she deep down knows very well who she is but ignores it so she doesn’t have to be reminded of the pain she went through? It’s also her choice to stay here and be protected. In the middle of the bad shit, for her it’s a good thing, you know?”
