Sweet Revenge (Sinners MC Book 1), page 9
“Any word on Nick?”
Bear shook his head and pulled his phone from his pocket. I listened while he made the call to Luke but very few words were spoken. He ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket. “He wants to meet.”
“Where?”
“Hanks is booked today for a private party. Said he’ll come here later tonight.”
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“None of this shit is a good idea, brother.” He squinted his eyes in the sun and stared out at the road. “But we’re in it, and we need to end it.”
“I’ll round up the boys.” I pulled my phone from the pocket of my dirt-covered jeans.
“Make sure Race is here.”
“You telling him about Becs?”
“All the boys need to know. I need eyes on her. The Widows are too close.”
“I’ll make the calls.”
He slapped a hand against the back of my shoulder. “I’ll let Becs know.”
I nodded and stared across the lot. “They need shut down.”
Bear took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before speaking. “There’s only way to make sure they stay down.”
“Cut off the head,” I stated, knowing he was talking about my father. His reign needed to end. Hell, it needed to end years ago, but he’s stayed untouched.
“Would that bother you?”
I thought of my father and swallowed back the vile taste in my mouth. There was only one answer to that question.
“Only if I’m not the one to do it.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MAGGIE
A knock on the door pulled me from the romance novel I was reading on my Kindle, and my head snapped up. I looked at the time in the corner, saw 7:09 P.M., and frowned. It was Saturday night, and I was about halfway through a story that I really wanted to finish. I was learning a lot from reading romance. Some of it I knew was fiction, but I figured some of it had to be written from personal experience. This particular book was one written by Grace Monroe, a friend of Becs who also happened to be Luke’s sister, and it was definitely my favorite so far.
I put the Kindle down and stood from the bed, before making my way to the door. Pulling it open, I smiled at Becs who stood on the other side.
“Hey, Becs.”
She smiled, but it wasn’t her typical smile. “Can I come in?”
I backed up so she could move past me and then closed the door behind her. She walked over and stood by the bed, looking down at the Kindle. “What are you reading?”
“Entangled.”
She nodded and smiled. “That’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too,” I agreed. I ran my hand over my ponytail and took a step closer. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No.”
I reached out and laid my hand against her arm, the same way she had done with me over the months I’d been here. It had been comforting to me, and I wanted to offer her the same kindness. “What happened?”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before her eyes found mine. “I’m pregnant.”
My eyes widened. “Pregnant.” I thought of having a baby and couldn’t help the smile. “That’s amazing.”
Her shoulders dropped, and some of the tension drained from her face. “You’re the only one who thinks so.”
I was surprised by that. “Bear’s not happy?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. He’s worried.”
“He loves you.” I pointed out what was obvious to everyone, or at least I thought so.
“Yeah.” She plopped down onto the edge of my bed and laid the palms of her hands on her forehead. “He’s telling the boys tonight. That’s why it’s so loud downstairs. They’re all here.”
“Why is he telling everyone?”
“Because a few Widows members showed up earlier today, and he wants the boys watching out for me.”
I stiffened at the idea of the Widows being so close. “Why were they here?”
She snorted and looked up. “Said they were looking for Snake and you.”
I let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. “So they don’t know I’m here?”
She shook her head. “Bear doesn’t think so, but he’s worried because they just drove up like they could.”
“They’re not afraid,” I shared quietly. “They think nothing will ever touch them, like they can go wherever they want and no one can stop them.” I moved to sit beside Becs and reached out my hand to lay on her knee. “Becs, they do seem untouchable. Maybe Bear’s right to be worried about you.”
“I know he is.” She sighed. “But telling the boys means telling Race.”
I knew Race. Well, I knew of Race. He was quiet the few times I’d been around him. It wasn’t often, and it was never more than a few minutes while he talked to whoever I was with, but he seemed okay. “Why don’t you want him to know?”
She groaned and laid back on the bed, throwing her arm over her forehead. “I’ve had feelings for Race since I met him a few years ago.”
“Does he know?”
Her eyes popped open. “God, no. I act like I don’t like him. He doesn’t like me; I know that, so we fight whenever we’re near each other.”
“Why didn’t you tell him how you feel?”
“Have you ever loved someone, Maggie, who thinks very little of you?”
My eyes dropped, and she sat up, throwing her arm around my shoulder. “Oh, god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think.”
“It’s okay.” I shrugged. “I didn’t love Snake. I’ve never loved anyone. I mean I loved my mom, but I’ve never loved a man.” I turned my head to face her. “Do you love him?”
She huffed. “Stupid, huh?” She pointed at her stomach. “And now I’m knocked up by another man. Maybe he’s right; maybe I am immature and flaky.”
My eyebrows shot up. “He said that?”
She nodded sadly. “Yep. Not long after he joined the club, I overheard him saying that to Bull.” She dropped her arm and put her hands in her lap. “After that, anytime I was around him, those damn words played on repeat in my mind, and I would be mean. It wasn’t long before we just fell into a pattern of being mean to each other.” She looked across the room as if she was hearing those words while we talked. “And now he’s going to know I’m pregnant by a guy who doesn’t want me or the baby.”
I wrapped my hand around hers and squeezed. “Oh, Becs, I’m sorry.”
“Can I ask you to do me a favor?”
I nodded. Becs could ask me for anything. She’d been the only friend I’d had here, the only friend I’d ever had. Until Gunner, at least. But he didn’t feel like just a friend anymore, and I was smart enough to know the way he’d been looking at me wasn’t only friendly.
“Will you come downstairs with me?” When I widened my eyes, she hurried on. “Please. You don’t have to stay long, but just until everyone knows. It’ll be nice to have someone who is there for me.”
How could I say no? She’d done so much for me. I let my eyes scan her sad features, and I hated that she was sad. Becs was always happy and outgoing. She had almost convinced me to try to be the same. I took a deep breath, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake, and smiled softly. “Okay.”
She sprang up from her place beside me. “Really?”
I stood slowly, not as excited as she seemed. Actually, I was not excited at all. “Yes, really.”
“Okay, then let’s get you ready.”
“Ready?” I looked down at my pajama pants and hoodie. “Oh yeah, guess I can’t wear this.”
She grinned. “Maybe not.”
Becs walked across the small room to the closet and pulled it open. Over the last months, she’d brought me a lot of clothes. Most of them I’d never worn, not because they weren’t nice but because I didn’t have anywhere to wear them. She pulled a pair of jeans down from the top shelf and grabbed a fuzzy, black short-sleeved sweater before she turned and handed them to me.
“This?” I asked, staring at the folded clothes in my hand.
“Trust me,” she said. “You’ll blend in better in something like this.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Changing quickly, I only stopped to look in the mirror when I was finished, and I had to admit the outfit Becs picked out was pretty. The sweater was soft and would be warm, considering the guys kept the A/C cranked up downstairs, so no matter how warm the summer months had been outside, the inside of this place was always cold. I liked that I was gaining weight, and I noticed my pale skin was no longer dull, but recently had a new pink hue. I guess it was from eating every day and eating really good food. I grabbed my hairbrush and pulled out my ponytail. I’d noticed my hair had grown longer and was definitely shinier than it had ever been. Again, I was attributing all of it to a better diet. I ran the brush through the blond strands and decided to just let it down. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done that. After a few months with Snake, I’d started wearing it in a braid. When I wore it down, he would grab it by the handfuls. I thought if I kept it braided, he couldn’t get to it as easily. Sometimes it worked.
I walked out and smiled slowly when Becs whistled. “Look at you, girl. Gunner’s gonna have a stroke when he sees you with your hair down.”
I grinned, but somewhere deep down, I hoped he would like it. I hoped he would stand with me and maybe even hold my hand again. Becs wrapped her hand around my forearm and dragged me across the room toward the door.
“Let’s get this over with.”
I followed her from the room and down the hall, only pausing at the top of the stairs when I heard the voices, but I kept moving forward. For Becs. She needed me, and I could do this. Everyone had been nice to me. I was safe. I repeated those words as I made my way down the stairs behind Becs.
She moved to the side when we reached the bottom, and the room quieted down. “Look who I finally dragged out of her room.”
My name was called out amongst a series of whistles, and I smiled, ignoring the blush working its way up my neck. I glanced around the room until my eyes landed on Bear coming toward us and smiled when he lifted his chin and smirked at me.
“Hey, beautiful.” He spoke quietly when he stood before us.
“Hi, Bear.”
His smile grew when I answered, and he turned toward Becs. “You ready?”
She nodded. “Not really, but I guess we have to.”
“It’ll be better to just do it while everyone’s here.” He leaned in close. “For both of us.”
“I know.” She sighed, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Her eyes kept skipping around the room, and I knew she was looking for Race.
I was watching Becs so closely that I didn’t notice when Gunner came to stand beside me. Until I felt him. His arm brushed against mine, and my eyes snapped up as a flush worked its way through my body, making me feel hot. That had been happening a lot lately, especially during my driving lessons when he sat so close to me.
He moved his body until he was right in front of me and leaned down until his lips almost touched my ear. His warm breath caused a shiver to shake my body. “I’m glad you came down.”
I swallowed hard before I answered just as quietly. “Me too.”
He slid his hand down my arm and wrapped his hand around my much smaller one before he stepped back. His eyes stared into mine until they skimmed down over my face and landed on my lips. I slowly licked my suddenly dry lips and watched while his heated gaze slid back up to meet mine. He jerked his head back like he was snapping himself out of the moment and looked over at Bear who turned at the same time and nodded.
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but at that moment, I wanted his attention back, and that was something I’d never wanted from any man before.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
GUNNER
Fuck, she looked amazing. I didn’t ever remember seeing her hair down; she always wore it up or braided, but tonight, for some reason, she left it hanging in soft blond waves down her back. I was assuming Becs had both bought and picked out the clothes she was wearing, and I’d have to thank her later. I’d also noticed over the past few weeks that she was finally gaining some weight, which made me really fucking happy. She no longer looked like she’d break if I touched her.
I jerked my attention from her when Bear cleared his throat, but it took me a minute after I saw her lick her lips. I nodded when I read the intent in his expression and stepped back, but I didn’t drop Maggie’s hand. I had no intention of doing that. It was as close as I could get, and I wasn’t giving it up.
Bear steered Becs to the bar and handed her a water before tossing one my way, which I handed to Maggie. She thanked me softly and tucked herself in tight against my side when Bull called out.
“Bear, man, what’s going?”
“Everyone got a drink?” Bear called out and was answered by cheers. “We’re celebrating something tonight.”
All heads snapped my way, and I felt Maggie push in even tighter, squeezing my hand when she did so. I knew they thought it was me and Maggie. I wasn’t exactly being subtle about my feelings or intentions, but I didn’t think she realized why they were looking our way. I shook my head at the group who all shifted their attention back to Bear.
“We’re celebrating Becs’s news.”
“What news, honey?” Pop called out.
I smiled when I saw he was here with us tonight. He was by far the oldest member of our club and never wanted to hold a position other than chaplain. His wife died almost a year ago, and he hadn’t been coming around as much, but lately, that seemed to be changing. It was good to see the old bastard taking an interest again.
Becs looked at Bear who grinned and held up his beer bottle. “My baby sister is having a baby!”
Cheers broke out instantly with catcalls and whistles echoing in the room. Becs smiled, but her eyes scanned the crowd. I knew as well as Bear did who she was looking for, and I also knew as soon as Bear finished saying what he needed to say, Race would take off.
“We need to keep an eye out.” Pop announced when the cheers died down.
“That’s why I called you all here, and why I wanted Becs and Maggie here too since it involves both of them.” Bear set his bottle back on the bar top and put his hands on his hips. “We had a visit today from the Widows.”
“What the fuck?” Ritz said angrily.
“Showed up while we were in the garage.” I added.
“What the fuck did they want?” Bull called out.
“Asked if we knew where Snake and Maggie were.”
Ritz scoffed. “You think it’s a ploy?”
Bear shook his head. “Could be, but I didn’t get that feeling.” He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath of frustration. “I told them this was the only time they were allowed on the property, but I want all of you on alert.”
“They’re watching us.” I gestured back and forth between Bear and myself. “They think we have Snake.”
“If we had Snake, he’d no longer be breathing. They have to fucking know that,” Bull growled.
Maggie squeezed my hand but stayed tight against my side. “I don’t know what their game is, but it was obvious they have no fucking clue where he is either.”
“We planted the seed that Maggie is with him.” Bear shared.
“They buy it?” Pop asked.
“Doubt it,” Bear answered honestly. “They know more than they’re letting on. I just don’t know how much more.” He gestured to the room at large. “We need to be vigilant. Don’t engage with any of the fuckers unless you have to. I’d like us all to come out on the other side of this shit alive.”
A lot of murmurs of agreement flooded the room. This club had been run for years by a president who ran it very much like the Widows ran theirs until that president and his VP were killed, and Bear was voted in. The younger guys wanted a better club, an honest club—a place to hang out, be free, and ride whenever they hell they wanted to. Most of the guys didn’t have families and didn’t have roots. A lot were military, but all of them were looking for a place to belong. That was what Bear brought to this club.
We’d all agreed we wanted to be a part of a club where we’re not always watching our backs, staying out of the cops’ line of sight, and keeping our asses out of jail or, worse, out of the ground. We want what we’d made in this club, but sometimes even the most peaceful clubs needed to defend and we all agreed to step up when the Widows moved to town and started their shit.
“Race!” Bear called, and Race stepped out from the shadows in the back of the room.
“Yeah?” He grunted.
“I’m putting you on Becs.”
Her head snapped toward her brother, and I tried to control my reaction. What the hell was he doing? Forcing those two together was going to blow up harder than the shit with the Widows.
“No.” Becs hissed under her breath.
“Not your choice, Becs.” Bear shook his head. “I need to keep you and that baby safe.”
“Bear,” she hissed, but he kept his eyes locked on Race until he nodded.
“Whatever you need.” Race called out.
“Good. The three of us will meet tomorrow and work out the details. If me or Race can’t be with her, I’ll be pulling you guys in. We also need to keep all eyes out for Snake. The faster we find that bastard, the faster this all ends.”
There were grunts of agreement, and a solemnness overtook the group until Race spoke up again.
“We done here?”
Bear nodded in his direction, and he slammed his bottle on the bar before leaving through the back door.
“Fuck.” I ran my hand through my hair. “That went about as well as we expected.”
Bear frowned. “Yeah.” He raised his voice slightly over the now hushed crowd. “Have fun tonight, boys. Tomorrow, we move hard on this shit.”
Again, murmurs of agreement floated through the room. I looked down to see Maggie was watching Becs whose face was pale. I reached out with my free hand and squeezed her shoulder. “We need to keep you safe.” I dropped my hand and gestured toward her still mostly flat belly. “And our future Sinner you’re carrying around.”
