Page 3

King

My ass was on the bench of an old, painted red bench.

My back was leaned back against the matching picnic table.

A worn, but usable, red umbrella shielding me from the burning sun above my head.

I had a beer on the table beside me, but I’d long since forgotten about it.

My mind was busy, and it was in places it probably shouldn’t be.

Gabriella.

I smiled as I thought of that name. It fits her much better than the shortened version everyone calls her.

She’s too complicated for a simple name.

I knew that from the first moment I met her.

Of course, back then, after hearing T talk about her, I thought all that complication was bad—down to the core.

Getting to know Gabby, I see it differently now.

I’m no expert when it comes to people, but I’ve lived inside hell enough to know one thing.

Everyone on the face of God’s green earth has a blackness inside of them.

A substance so dark that light can’t enter.

You can feed this monster inside you or starve it until it slowly wastes away.

That’s it. That’s what I know. One more thing that I’ve learned just recently—and pretty brutally—is that the most beautiful person on the outside can hide that darkness in her smile and in her words.

It's a hell of a lesson to take away from a short marriage, but it’s there just the same.

In some ways, Gabby and I are a lot alike.

Both of us were desperate for a life that, for our own reasons, we didn’t think we deserved.

The only difference is Gabby allowed that desperation to turn her into someone she didn’t like—that no one liked.

Me? I didn’t go that far, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I let Shelby push me until I made changes I didn’t like—offers I didn’t want to make.

Hell, I was willing to change my lifestyle and leave the club.

Luckily, she threw that offer in my face.

I guess having an old man in a uniform trumped having a grease monkey working at a garage.

Fuck, most days I walk around in a haze trying to figure out how she fooled me so completely.

More and more, I find myself just damned glad that I escaped.

“I thought you were going back to North Carolina or Virginia? I can’t keep up.”

I look up at Dragon and shrug. “Diesel said you were grilling out tonight. Thought I’d try my chances. See if you are going to poison me or not.”

“Asshole.”

“It’s my blood,” I say dryly.

Dragon throws his head back with laughter, shaking his head. “You’ve been around Ford too long.”

“He’s a good man.”

“He is, but if you tell him I said that I’ll deny everything.”

“You’re safe,” I respond once he cuts the laughter and sits down on the table, looking down at me.

“Going to tell me the real reason you’re here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter. “I can leave if you don’t want me here.”

“Don’t be an asshole. I’d give my left nut to see your ass in a Savage MC cut—even if it is the wrong chapter.”

“For fuck’s sake, never talk to me about your nuts.”

Dragon flips me off and shakes his head. “I can’t pretend I understand,” he says with a sigh after a few moments of silence.

“What do you mean?”

“Somehow, all three of my boys seem to have been drawn to Gabby. I don’t get it. She’s pretty, but what kind of power does that woman have that draws men to her?”

Immediately, my body tightens. “Shut up, Dragon. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Tell me you’re not staying around to talk to her.”

“Can’t. That’d be a lie.”

“Then explain this to me.”

“Did I miss the part of the program where I owed you any explanation about what I do with my time?” I snap and the bastard just shrugs.

“I’m genuinely interested,” he asks, and for some reason, I find myself wanting to talk to him.

“She’s been through hell at a time when my world wasn’t exactly roses.

We understand one another. I’ll tell you right now, who she became after everything went down with the Feral Kings is not the same person who was with T and Dom.

Regardless of what she’s done in her past, the woman needs a little grace right now. ”

“Got to tell you, King. It’s weird as fuck knowing you sound just like my old lady, knowing she might not be your mother but wishing with everything in me she would have been.”

“Whatever,” I laugh, although there’s no humor in that laugh.

“I mean it. I’m not the only one who wishes that, by the way. Or do you think it’s a coincidence that Nicole busts her ass to send you care packages to whatever address you seem to be at these days?”

I frown. It’s true, Nicole has sent me about three packages.

They’re full of homemade treats, sometimes a T-shirt, sometimes gift cards for takeout.

Why she thinks she needs to do it is beyond me.

I always text her thank you, and she’ll text back.

It’s cordial. I’ve started looking forward to it, to be honest. There are things I don’t tell her.

Like the fact I look forward to her handwritten letter over anything she sends.

There’s never a lot in the letter. She talks about the grandkids or Kayden, Dom, or T.

She goes on about Dragon. I enjoy it—to the point I ignore when she refers to Dragon as your father .

Then again, that might be a lie. Nicole makes these peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel bars that are the shit.

I might share some of the stuff with whatever brother I’m with at the time, but those bars? Fuck, no. Those I keep for myself.

“Gabby is pregnant,” I respond.

“I know. Pretty sure everyone but her family knows that.”

“If she hasn’t told them, it’s because they don’t deserve to know,” I half growl.

“Not arguing with you there. I’m going to have to go knock some sense into Skull’s head. He’s dealing with so much grief, he’s letting it drown him. It’s blinding him to the fact he’s putting his own guilt on his daughter’s head.”

“Come again?” I ask, confused.

“He’s laying his son’s death on Gabby being kidnapped.

It’s bullshit. That motherfucker has always been by my side with his nose in my business from day one.

Even if his daughter wasn’t involved, he would have been right there.

He’s blaming himself because he volunteered his two boys to do shit and one of those boys is no longer breathing.

Instead of dealing with that, he’s carrying a weight so big that it’s sliding over to his daughter’s shoulders.

I’ve given him time. I’ll give him a little more, but if he doesn’t figure it out by the time Gabby heads to Denver, I’m going to knock sense into him. ”

“Gabby’s moving to Denver?” I ask. The question bitter on my tongue because a pregnant woman shouldn’t be moving cross country alone. “Is that where the father lives?”

“The father?” Dragon asks, shock clear on his face.

“Yeah, she’s pregnant, though not showing a lot.

Is it someone here?” I don’t know why it upsets me that Gabby is pregnant.

It’s good she didn’t let what happened to her scar her too deeply.

It does bother me, though. I don’t understand it, but it’s the truth.

Maybe it’s because a huge part of me feels she’s pushing herself too soon.

I still remember the broken woman who cried in my arms until the sunlight began filtering through the window.

It just seems too soon for her to be in a relationship.

I shake myself from my thoughts, realizing that Dragon hadn’t responded to my question.

“What?” I ask, when he just continues to stare at me.

“I guess that answers my question,” he says quietly.

“Your question?”

“Nicole told me I was wrong. She wouldn’t give me any answers, though. I honestly thought you might be the father.”

“You thought … me ?”

He shrugs, and for a second, I think I see embarrassment on his face. I doubt that’s something that ever happens to Dragon. I scrub the side of my face. “It’s not me,” I finally answer. “I’m not even sure why you would think that.”

“Well, Gabby has a certain track record when it comes to my boys—of which you are one.”

“Don’t be an asshole. Your boys were involved, too.

Plus, quite frankly, T knew she had feelings for Dom—and Dom?

His head was so far up his ass you should have pulled it out before it got that deep.

Even so, he knew how his brother felt. They both should have grown a pair and talked to one another. ”

I expected him to be pissed off, but I watch as his lips jerk as if he’s fighting a smile. “Do I get to jerk your head out of your ass when the occasion calls for it?” he asks, losing the battle and smiling a shit-eating-grin that I have the strongest urge to slap off his face.

“If I ever tell a woman I love her, promise to claim her as mine, and then proceed to make that woman feel the burn as I lose interest, then I hope to God someone would help me get a fucking clue,” I snap.

“Gabby wasn’t exactly blameless. You’ve heard about the shit she’s pulled.”

“I do. I also know she never would have had the chance to do part of that shit if he had just cut her fucking loose. She’s not blameless, but neither are Dom and T.

Although, T mostly should have just had it out with Dom and quit letting a woman lead him around by his dick.

Lucky for him, he’s got a woman now that is perfect for him and that won’t be an issue. ”

“Dom seems to have found that, too,” Dragon points out.

“I’m sure angels are doing cartwheels in heaven right now because Dom’s walking upright and he is breathing air that isn’t covered in shit from being in his ass.”

“So, using that logic, I guess you need a good woman now.”

“I think it’s pretty evident that life is not for me. Tried that and believe it or not, I gave my best shot at keeping it. That didn’t work out and I don’t have the energy or the inclination to try again. I’m good.”

“King—”

“I’m good.”

“The right woman can change?—”

“ I said , I’m good,” I growl.

Dragon studies me, shakes his head, but lets the subject drop. “Fair enough.”

“So, you don’t know who the father is?”

“No clue. Nic and Dani do, but she said Gabby would only tell them if they promised not to let anyone know. The boys said she stayed in your room the night?—”

“She laid on the bed and cried, Dragon. Gabby made some seriously warped decisions. She regrets them. They were desperate decisions that never should have entered her mind, but she’s not a monster. She’s just human.”

“Now, you sound like my old lady again. It’s weird as fuck, but makes me happy.”

“Whatever you say, asshole. Do you know when Gabby will be back?”

“Lottie left about ten minutes ago muttering she was late to pick Gabby up. Rory lit into her because apparently she was supposed to get her an hour ago.”

Anger flares inside me. “A pregnant woman should not be out in this heat for an hour after working on her feet in a damn diner!”

“That’s close to what Rory told Lottie, but I don’t think Lottie paid much attention. Anyway, it’s not that far into town. They should be back soon. Why do you ask?”

“Well, he’s not here with her, or you wouldn’t have suspected me. That means I’m going to find out who the father is. Then I’m going to hunt him down and see if he needs his head removed from his ass, too.”

“Now, this is a mission I can get behind. Maybe while we’re at it, we’ll swing up to Skull’s club and knock some sense into his damned head. I swear it must be thick as a damn rock.”

“I’m definitely down for that. Gabby is going to need support.”

Dragon nods and before he responds, a car comes sliding into the parking lot of the old hotel that the club is renting out as a temporary base. Gravel flies everywhere because the driver is going way too fast.

What the actual fuck?