Page 29 of Deception (Deranged Drifters MC #22)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Griffin’s Beach Colt

C olt walks out of the Chapel, and he’s greeted with the view of Lex standing on top of the bar as she hangs up decorations for his birthday. He leans against the doorway and admires her ass.

“Like the view?” Lex asks, never looking at him as she reaches to hook the banner.

“Always,” he says and moves to help her down. “For someone who hates birthdays, you really go all out for them.”

Her lips tap his nose, and she smiles. “I don’t hate all birthdays. Just mine. Besides, you’re the President. We have to celebrate you with a big party.”

“We didn’t do this last year.”

“Well, it’s this year, isn’t it?” she asks and smirks. “Now, if you’ll kindly release me, I need to finish setting everything up for tonight’s party.”

Hands on her ass, he squeezes and thrusts against her. “See, I don’t really want to let you go. Not unless you’re naked.”

“Well, you just ruined your birthday present. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“How about we head into the Chapel and make better memories for my—”

“Turn on the TV,” Grayson shouts as he runs into the clubhouse with Ashley right behind him. “Right now. Any news channel.”

Brock walks out of the Chapel and grabs the remote to turn on the TV behind the bar. On the screen, they see pictures of Julian and Travis with the caption POLICE DEPARTMENT SHAKE UP.

“Turn up the volume,” Colt says.

“ It was confirmed earlier today that officials have terminated Julian Black as Chief of Police and Travis Hall as Police Captain for corrupt and criminal behavior. The specifics and whether or not they will be formally charged for any crimes have yet to be provided. At this time, no one has been named to replace them.”

“How’d you do this?” Grayson asks, his eyes locked on Lex.

She leans back against the bar top. “What makes you think I did this?”

“Come on,” Ashley says. “This has Lex written all over it. How’d you do it?”

Looking at his wife, Colt waits for Lex to deny it further, but she just smirks. “Baby? What’d you do?”

“Happy birthday?” she offers with a shrug.

“Did you pull information we have from Ramsey to give to her?” he asks Brock.

He shakes his head. “I had no part in this.”

“How?” Grayson asks. “What’d you do?”

“Well, first, I filed a restraining order against Julian. Then, I may have provided video of an altercation to the right people to show the unbalanced and volatile man they had in charge of protecting the city.”

“You filed a restraining order against the Chief of Police?” Ashley asks. “That takes some balls.”

Lex snorts. “Well, I did, but it never got filed. Which the powers that be learned when they looked into my claims. And then, when it was proven, I may have, you know, threatened to take the video I showed them to the various media outlets if nothing was done about him.”

“What video?” Colt asks.

Pulling her phone from her back pocket, she hands it to Brock. “Are you able to cast this to the TV?”

He takes the phone and nods. “I should. One second.”

A video from the outside of Colt’s house appears on the screen, and Lex stands with Julian on the porch. He gets far too close to Lex for Colt’s comfort, and his blatant threats to take what he’s owed from his wife pisses him off.

“I am the law! I am the law, and you can do whatever you want. It won’t do a damn bit of good because it’ll go nowhere. I’ll make sure your claim never sees the light of day. Keep pushing me, and maybe you’ll never see the light of day again.”

“Damn, Lex,” Brock says with a chuckle. “You knew he’d show up at your place, didn’t you?”

“Karmen and I set the stage, and it’s really not difficult to anticipate his every move. The cameras you suggested we install were worth it. I did edit the video a bit before I showed it to the officials, though. There isn’t anything that could be used against us later.”

Shaking his head, Colt looks at the others around him as more men run inside the clubhouse as news about Julian and Travis spreads. “I don’t like you making yourself a target.”

“Without the badge, he has nothing backing him up,” she says.

“Without the badge, he has nothing keeping him in check,” Grayson says. “If he wants to get revenge, he will. You just put a giant bullseye on your back.”

“The badge didn’t keep him in check, so let’s not pretend he’s any more dangerous now than he was before, okay? Besides, I’m a daughter of the club, and I’m married to the President. Hello, born with a target on me that’s only grown.”

“Wait, you did this?” Ky asks. “You got them out?”

“The bullshit raids are over?” Jennings asks.

As much as Colt doesn’t like how it happened, he can’t stop the pride filling him. His wife pulled this off. She had an idea, and she executed it better than any man in this room ever could. The second plan in weeks she’s pulled off flawlessly.

He just hopes that the new heads of the department will be willing to work with them. Or leave them alone. Either will work.

“Second best birthday present you could give me, baby,” he says. “But we’re going to keep an eye on you. Julian likely wants blood.”

“Does that mean you’ll stick to me like glue?” she asks with a cheeky smile. “Because I’m really not opposed to it.”

“I think that would be safest,” he says, kissing her neck. “Now, about that time together in the Chapel…”

Griffin’s Beach Lucas

S tanding against the wall, Lucas watches the party going on around them. He has an envelope with Colt’s present in it, but he wonders if maybe giving it to him in a room full of people isn’t the best idea.

A large shadow falls on him, and he looks up, startled. Undertaker stands beside him with a smile. “Hey, kid. You look nervous.”

“I am.”

“Why?”

A shaky breath comes from him, and he hates how noticeable it is. He looks at the ground and says, “I have a present for Colt, but I don’t know if it was a good idea now.”

Laughing, Undertaker places a large paw on Lucas’s shoulder. “Kid, you could color him a picture out of Calla’s coloring book, and he’d think it was the greatest gift ever.”

“You really think so?”

“I do. Look, I know where you came from, and I know what it’s like to live in some pretty terrible places.”

He looks up in shock. “You do?”

“I was in foster care. It’s not a great place to be, and you see a lot of things you never want to unless you’re an exceptional case. I wasn’t. And those things you see can never be unseen. It can be pretty scary.”

“I wasn’t in foster care, but it might have been better. Mom chose drugs over me. And my stepdad… well…”

“Oh, I know all about your stepdad,” Undertaker says. “He’s a real peach. I made him piss himself, so that was pretty fantastic.”

This makes Lucas a little happy, and he laughs. “I wish I could’ve seen that. Although I’m pretty sure he does it regularly. He gets so drunk he forgets how to stand.”

“Why are you so nervous about giving this gift to Colt?”

“I just feel like it’s not enough after everything he and Lex have done for me.”

“Coming from a shitty place, I get it. It’s hard to accept that when something good comes along that it’ll stick around. Guys like us are used to good things disappearing on us, and when you get it, you almost feel guilty. Undeserving. And then you feel like you owe something in return.”

It’s comforting to know someone else understands.

He’s never been able to form his feelings into words before, and Hailey doesn’t quite feel the same way he does.

His sister is tougher by nature than Lucas is.

It still amazes him how alone he can feel in a room like this, filled with people.

He worries he’ll never feel like he fully fits.

“They’ve been really good to me.”

“You lucked out with them,” he says. “You got a phone on you?”

Pulling it out of his pocket—another gift from his adoptive parents—he hands it to Undertaker. “Here.”

“I’m putting my number in here. If you ever need someone to talk to who understands a little bit what you’re going through, give me a call. You’re not alone, kid. Call me anytime.”

“Thanks, Undertaker. I might do that.”

“Just rip the bandage off. It’ll be okay,” he says and guides him away from the wall.

Lucas takes a deep breath and continues towards the table where Lex sits on Colt’s lap, both laughing at something Ky said.

“Colt?”

“Hey, buddy. Having fun?”

He forces a smile. “Yeah. I, um, I have a present for you.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Yeah, I did. Here,” he says and shoves the envelope at him. “It’s not much, but…”

Looking at Lex, he narrows his eyes, but she shrugs and shakes her head. It’s kind of nice to be able to surprise them, and Lucas just prays they don’t find it silly.

“What is this?” Colt asks, and Lex gasps as she reads the document with him. “Wait—”

“I’m changed my name,” Lucas says. “I thought about it, and I realize I should represent both of my fathers. I’m now Lucas Lawrence-Nichols.”

Lex’s hand rests on her chest, and she stands to hug him. When she kisses his temple, his anxiety fades. They like the present.

“Luke, you didn’t have to do this,” Colt says. “Regardless of your name, you’re a Nichols. You’re a major part of this family.”

“I know,” he says and smiles. “I just want to make sure everyone else knows, too.”

Standing, he pulls him into a big hug. “This is the best gift I’ve gotten. Thank you.”

“No, thank you… Dad.”

“You’re a good kid, you know that?”

“He’s going to be a lawyer,” Lily says.

Lucas’s stomach drops. This wasn’t how he planned to tell them about his plans. In fact, he wasn’t sure he wanted to tell them until he graduated high school. Which he’s on track to do early.

“Yeah?” Colt asks. “Gonna take over for Lily when she gets old and retires?”

“Hey!” she calls out. “That’s a dick thing to say. I’m a spring chicken, Colton Nichols. But, yeah, kinda.”

“You’re not mad?” Lucas asks, his eyes wide.

Instead of anger, Colt laughs. “Are you kidding me? You guys hear that? My kid’s gonna be a lawyer!”

He locks eyes with Lex, and she gives him a knowing look. Wrapping his arms around Colt again, he sighs in relief. The last thing he ever wants to do in life is disappoint them. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. It’s going to be hard. At least you’re smart.”

The tears appear against his will, and he hates it. Looking down, he tries to hide them, but Colt catches on.

Pulling him to the side, he keeps Lucas shielded from the crowd. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“My dad would have really liked you.”

“Your dad would be proud of you, Lucas. Just like I am.”

It doesn’t feel real. This life Lucas lives feels more like a dream than reality, and he decides in that moment that he is going to cherish it. If it disappears tomorrow, so be it. At least he can be happy now.

Maybe Undertaker knows a trick or two to help me stop dreading the possible terrible things that may never happen. I don’t know how to stop it.