by Addy Archer
“Come give your brother a hug, princess,” Stone says, holding out his arms.
I swallow hard and rush toward him. We haven’t been in contact except for the one text he sent me. With everything going on, Hunt told me we shouldn’t risk anything and only reach out in a life-or-death situation.
“Are you really okay?” Stone whispers next to my ear.
“Yes. You?” I fire back.
He’s the one in the line of fire, so to say, with being the VP and the stuff my father did. Dammit. I hug him tighter just to lock this moment into my brain as a solid memory.
“Minutes are ticking by. Minutes I could have put to better use,” Hunt grumbles.
“Dude,” Stone snaps. “You might be her old man, and I for fucking sure ain’t a prude, but I’m her damn brother, and in my mind, my sister doesn’t have sex.”
“She’s pregnant. That’s all the evidence you need to see to know she in fact has sex.” Hunt snickers.
“It was the one and only time I had sex.” I sigh in frustration.
And when I glance around, I know I slipped up. Did I really blurt it out instead of keeping it inside my head? I can feel my cheeks heat from embarrassment, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me. I really hate this needy, “walking on the edge of hormonal imbalance,” pregnant me. And dare I mention I’m still freaking hungry?
Hunt’s arm circles my waist. “We have a meeting to attend.”
“Yes, we do,” Stone replies, switching topics and direction to escape this awkward situation.
The main room of the clubhouse is filled with bikers, and all their heads are turned into the direction of church. The door is open, and Alaric is pacing back and forth with his ear glued to his phone. All of us watch for a few more breaths before he grumbles some words and hangs up. His head swings into our direction.
“All of you, get in here. Now,” he bellows. “Prospects, keep your eyes open and stay focused on security, so I don’t have to worry about that shit while we’re in a meeting. Linc, I need you in here too.”
Hunt laces his fingers with mine and brings me with him inside church. He takes a seat right next to the head of the table where Alaric sits down. I barely manage not to squeak when Hunt easily lifts me and places me on his lap. Talk about awkward with my brother standing on the other side of the table behind the row of chairs occupied by bikers of Rebel Rage MC.
His eyes betray him, though. There’s relief in them, and he gives me a smile and a slight nod. Whenever I would do something that made him proud of me, he would do this. Seeing him give me this now makes me feel emotional.
I have his blessing, even if I got knocked up by this biker from another MC. Maybe this whole thing with my father is worse than I thought, because I never expected my brother to be happy that I’m now Hunt’s old lady. Dammit, I don’t even have time to be slightly happy about something without worry and despair hitting me full force.
And I’m sure my emotional state isn’t linked to hormones, but it has everything to do with the fucked-up MC life. Come on, I’ve been brought up in this. Solutions, it’s what you work for and grab hold of in these types of situations.
I have to admit, my father didn’t care about me and my sister while he made my brother breathe the MC life. We were always around, and with my eyes and ears open, I’ve learned to breathe it all in and out too. But I’ve never been allowed to take part in a meeting, like how this MC embraces my presence, though.
“I just got off the phone with Bruno. He’s kind enough to inform me that the law is breathing down the cartel’s neck. Which means this puts a fucking spotlight on us as well as Trigger Pull MC,” Alaric states.
The room is dead silent. I can hear my heartbeat pounding away inside my chest. This is bad. Really—as in everyone could end up in jail—bad. My mind throws all kind of options at me while everyone else is sitting in silence.
Without thinking things through, I start to ramble. “This could be a good thing if we handle it the correct way. What if we work with the law for once? Then you guys would all be safe because they would be grateful for your help and the cartel will be dealt with.”
Snickers ring out around the table. Condescending sounds. Did I imagine someone muttered, “This is the reason we don’t allow brainless cunts in church.”
Hunt’s fingers dig into my waist as his angry growl fills the air. “Who the fuck disrespected my old lady?” Silence is the only answer he gets.
“I don’t have the time to handle teenage shit, so listen close, dumb fuck,” Alaric snaps. “You’re right. We don’t allow brainless cunts in church. We do however allow old ladies in here from time to time when they have either vital input or when they are connected with shit and need to hear what’s been said. And you didn’t just disrespect this woman right here but you disrespected your VP along with it. That being said, Peyton’s suggestion might sound insane, but the way this cartel chopped up Lexi shows that they aren’t right in the head either. I say it calls for something no one will expect.”
“Agreed,” Stone says. “But I don’t want any interference from them when I kill my president.”
My head whips his way, and my eyes slam into my brother’s as shock burns through my body, making my belly flip. Hunt gently slides his hand up and down my back.
His mouth is right next to my ear. “Deep breaths, baby. Calm down. You get nauseous when you’re too worked up, remember?”
“I freaking remember because I am,” I hiss underneath my breath.
His lips touch my ear, leaving a soft kiss. “Like I said, calm down. You want to be in here and hear everything, not hovering over a toilet.”
I close my eyes for a moment and take Hunt’s advice, letting my chest rise and fall to calm down. When I open them, I notice everyone is staring at me. Shit. Way to give a girl confidence. Now I’m the unstable cunt who can’t handle being in church.
“I’m pregnant, okay? My damn body gets ready to puke when I get worked up about stuff. It has nothing to do with being weak or the fact my brother just mentioned he needs to kill our father. Well, maybe a little bit.” I shrug. “But I also know there’s no other way around this. Do I want him to stay alive? Maybe. But if he’s thrown in jail, there’s a risk he’ll do what he did before—”
“Peyton,” Stone snaps.
“What does it matter at this point, Stone? It benefits them to know. Hell, I’m pretty sure you’ll get Granddaddy’s help too if he knew what Dad did this time. I might have ignored and pretended not to know what a vicious animal my father really is, but this is about my sister, me, my unborn child, you, and the life I want to have. And he’s messing with our damn future.” A future he can’t be a part of anymore I now realize.
And when I think about everything he’s done… why the hell is he still a president and why should my brother stay loyal to his secrets?
I need for Stone to know. “This has nothing to do with the club or how it reflects on you, Stone. Everyone in this room will understand.”
Hunt gives my side a gentle squeeze in support, and his lips touch the skin of my neck in a sweet kiss, as if to say thanks. Shit. Now my heart rate picks up for different reasons. Deep breath in, deep one out.
C H A P T E R N I N E
~ H U N T ~
“We’re in this together, Stone,” I state, grabbing his attention. “The kid growing inside my woman connects us by blood.”
“The same thing could be said at one point in time about a traitorous whore who used to fuck our father for information.” Stone shares. “Once he knew the whore was the one who was leaking information, did he stop? No, getting his cock wet was more important. Until he realized she put him at risk. Him—not the club or any of his brothers, but him. He killed her and gave her a shallow grave. So fucking shallow, it brought heat to the club because the whore was pregnant. He knew it was his. He didn’t care. Our mother was devastated when she found out because these things have a way of bubbling to the surface. We were all lucky
the cops couldn’t prove shit. Our father should have stopped breathing back then, but our grandfather gave him a second chance because of our mother. His last and only chance. One that involved not coming near his daughters or his old lady. He didn’t care. He rode by their house from time to time and demanded they come to barbeques once every other month, and yet he couldn’t care less about my sisters. I was given a choice, though it wasn’t a hard one to make. If I stayed with him, I could make sure he wouldn’t hurt Harper and Peyton. Great fuckin’ job I did, huh? The asshole slipped right by me and got the both of them involved anyway.”
Stone looked at his sister. “And I know damn well this information will help all of us, Peyton, but it’s also family shit no one needs to know. He’s a fuck-up, but he’s not alone this time. About half of the members have his back. I want nothing more than to slice his throat myself, but they’re keeping watch, as if they know I’m biding my chance to kill him.”
“Why the fuck was he given a second chance?” Alaric snaps. “For sure as shit I wouldn’t have, even if a daughter I don’t fucking have had asked me. No. No fucking way. I’m wondering why your grandfather would put his daughter’s wish before the club.”
“He had money,” Payton says with her eyes on her lap where she’s twisting her hands. I cover them with my own to give her silent support.
My lips are right next to her ear as I whisper, “There is no fucking room for shame. Not now, not ever. Your past is your past, and blood or no blood, no other human defines you. They have to live with their own sins; they are most definitely not yours to carry.”
She clears her throat, and her eyes meet Stone’s. “Our dad was loaded, and when he put the eyes of the law on Trigger Pull MC, they had to stop all illegal activities.”
Stone nods and continues. “Buying his way out was part of the deal and why they let him set up his own chapter.”
“Now that, that makes more sense.” Alaric sighs and holds up his hands. “No offense to you, your mother, or your grandfather for that matter, but fuck, you need more than one reason for an asshole like that to keep breathing.”
Stone nods. “It also made a huge dent in his savings. With building up the new chapter, he soon ran out of cash, and it’s also the reason why he reached out to Romero, setting up a link to the cartel. First through Romero and later he went straight to Alejandro, the local drug lord.” Stone’s voice turns to ice when he adds, “And the one who asked for the president’s daughter to take as his wife as a show of good faith and to forge our families together. It seems he ran a background check, and that’s where Alejandro found the information about our family. Ripped apart or not, the asshole didn’t care. Dane, one of the brothers I trust, is being kept in the loop by my father. The whole damn club is divided by this shit. The old ones only see the quick cash flow, while us young guys see the risks we have to take, and the black future that fucked-up white stuff will give us.”
Alaric clears his throat. “Yeah, I’ve heard enough. Do you have a phone number where I can reach out to your grandfather? Is he still the president?”
Stone stares at Alaric, and I can see he’s contemplating by the way he’s chewing the inside of his cheek. His attention slides to Peyton.
“Are you serious about this guy?” Anger spills through my veins as soon as Stone’s question is out in the open.
Who the fuck does this asshole think he is? We’re discussing business, not relationships. Besides, she’s been my old lady for three fucking days. Three days where we haven’t had the chance to get to know each other because of all the shit that’s happening.
Peyton, however, doesn’t miss a beat and answers him immediately. “I’m pregnant with his baby, and this thing between us might be new and not start out as your basic love story, but what the both of us want is real, and we’re in it together. Right, Hunt?”
She doesn’t turn to see my reply but keeps her eyes pinned on Stone. Suddenly, I have a fucking truckload of respect for her standing up for herself, for our kid, and for me while radiating loyalty.
My lips find the curve where her neck meets her shoulder. I feather a kiss here and there and finally give her the words instead of worrying what the fuck her brother thinks, because I couldn’t care less. She is the one rocking my world in this moment.
“Yeah, babe. We’re in it together.”
Her fingers slide into my hair, and she keeps my head pinned to her neck.
“For fuck’s sake, stop with the fooling around, or I’m gonna puke, and I don’t need to be pregnant for that.” Dog makes fake gag noises, and I’m happy to see Beecher smacks him on the back of his head to shut him up.
Now I do meet Stone’s gaze, and he nods before turning to face Alaric. “My grandfather reached out to me weeks ago before all of this started. Needless to say, he’s an old fart but a tough one. He wants to retire. My grandfather, along with the rest of the founding chapter, wants me to step up and take the gavel.”
“You’re moving back home?” Peyton squeaks. But when she notices all eyes on her, she swallows and waves her hand. “Of course you’re moving back home. You should take it. Do it. Hey, can you take some of the good guys with you? Kinda leave the bad ones behind so the cops or the cartel will handle those bastards.”
Alaric snickers. “Your old lady is filled with good ideas.”
I give her thigh a squeeze and let some of the pride I’m feeling shimmer through my voice. “She sure is perfect, and I’m liking the idea. Maybe Bruno can organize a meet with his contact. We can cooperate since the both of us have a mutual goal.”
Bruno is Alaric’s brother, and you can say he’s a top dog in the mafia world and has contacts everywhere. He also works with the law from time to time, anything to benefit him. Alaric and his brother aren’t a tight family, though they do stay in contact.
Alaric nods and turns his attention to the rest of the guys. “All in favor of reaching out to the law and trying to have this shit with the cartel dealt with by using them to take ’em out.”
Agreements ring out, and it’s enough for Alaric to continue. “Stone, reach out to your grandfather. He needs to know what’s going on, and I assume you’re taking him up on his offer?” Stone nods. “Good for you. I’m going to call Bruno and see if we can get things set. Stone, I’ll let Peyton text you just to avoid questions about why me or Hunt would contact you. Then it’s all set. Let’s dive into action and see if we can end this shit sooner rather than later, okay?”
Hands slap on the table as agreements ring through the air. Alaric ends the meeting, and I grab Peyton’s waist to lift her off my lap. The first few bikers head out the door, and my eyes catch the prospect I texted and sent out to get something for me.
I stalk forward and take the two bags. “Thanks, man.”
“No probs, VP,” the prospect says and dashes off toward the bar.
I spin around and scan church for Peyton and notice her standing on the side talking to her brother. I leave them be for a few minutes before I head in her direction.
“No, I mean it, Stone. I was just surprised, that’s all,” Peyton says. “I’m happy for you and proud. Grandpa is gonna be thrilled to hear you’re doing all of this and taking him up on his offer.”
I lean in close to her and whisper, “Here you go, babe.”
Peyton glances at the bags and takes them from me. Confusion spreads across her face until she glances inside and squeals fucking loud. Her hands are around my neck the next instant.
“I’m so not hating you in this moment,” she announces loudly.
“Here’s to making the moment last a lifetime,” I mutter and can’t help but chuckle when she pulls back and smacks my chest with one of the bags.
Dammit, the one with the ice cream made the impact harder than I thought. Doesn’t take away the satisfaction rooted in my chest from seeing her face light up. And the way she moans when she takes a bite from the crunchy lemon donut I ordered special for her is more than worth it.
&nbs
p; “Such a goner.” Stone snickers and smacks my shoulder. “She has you all wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?”
If the fucker thinks that’s a bad thing, then he never experienced a good woman, that’s for fucking sure.
“You come to me when you’ve finally found a woman special enough to make her your old lady, and we’ll talk about who has who wrapped around her finger. Believe me, buddy, worth everything doesn’t begin to describe that shit.”
“I’m too twisted,” Stone grumbles. “You make sure both my sisters are protected at all times, yeah?”
“That goes without saying. They’re my family now too, Stone. You just worry about your own ass. In here, I know all my brothers have my back. We recently had a brother who turned his back when a whore stole from us, how all this shit started. That kinda betrayal is one thing, but I can’t imagine what you have to deal with. Time to handle it once and for all.”
Stone nods. “Once and for all.”
Alaric signals for Stone, and those two throw some words around while I watch how Peyton devours another crunchy lemon donut. Good thing my daughter knows her friend’s favorite food; it helped me to get her what she needs. I can’t wait for things to quiet down and be safe again so I can pick up Raven. Not to mention tell her she’s going to be a big sister.
Maybe we should wait until we’ve gone to an appointment to see if everything is okay with the baby. Or did she already have the appointment? Shit. A lot of things to deal with. We also have to figure out where we are going to be living.
It’s something I need to ask her because I own a house near the club. It’s big enough for all of us, but I am very aware she has a nice home too. Damn. Talk about complications. First things first. Handle this thing with the cartel, along with her father’s MC. Both are a straight hit connected to her.
When Stone stalks out of the clubhouse and Alaric has locked himself in his room to call Bruno and get things rolling, it’s time for me to drag Peyton back to my room—our room.
