Page 3

– LYNN –

I step foot inside the clubhouse and a hint of my stress fades. This place has been my home for decades, even since Archer took over as president, when we moved to Ryckerdan to somewhat retire. Having a king as a son-in-law who has a private jet is very convenient when it comes to hopping on it and visiting whenever and wherever I want.

Not just to see my kids, or grandkids for that matter, but also for some peace of mind whenever I feel the need to be nostalgic and come home. Family doesn’t tie us when it comes to blood. Any member of Broken Deeds, and their offspring, is considered family. I worry just as much about them as my own flesh and blood.

Not just Broken Deeds, because I was born as the daughter of the Areion Fury MC president who founded the club. I still consider myself part of that MC. My bestie, Blue, and my brother, Zack, are still together and their twin sons, Heath and Hayden, recently took over as co-presidents. One big happy family…when we’re not butting heads.

My most recent worry child has been Lyla. She’s the daughter of Sico and Everleigh, of Areion Fury MC. The shit Lyla had endured these past few months sucks. I know life can be a bitch at times, and I like to help out whenever, and however I can. Though, I heard my son did me proud by recently interfering with Lyla’s life.

Archer and Lee, Lyla’s brother, made an appointment for Pax, a member of Broken Deeds MC, to let Lyla pierce his cock. I grin at the reminder. Yeah, I definitely raised my kids right… making one of the brothers take one for the team by getting his cock pierced. Of course, they only did it because Pax showed an interest in Lyla.

He’s a good guy who deserves a good girl. Even if Lyla considers herself a badass, she is currently crawling into a shell and blocking people out. She needs something good in life and we all think it’s Pax. Dammit. This morning my only concern was about my fucking clothes and scrolling through the latest tea. Tea as in drinking a cup while chatting so it basically means reading all the gossip.

Now my mind is going in overdrive about all the possibilities of a doppelganger while my gut tells me it’s not as simple.

Clearing my throat, I glance around and put a little flare into my voice when I state, “I’m baaaaack.”

Bee steps forward and gives me a hug right before my amazing grandkids come barging out of the playroom. I remember vividly holding them in my arms as babies, lifting them as toddlers, while now they are big enough to give me a hug without me bending over. Dammit, I’m getting too damn old while everything else around me is a fountain of youth.

Other kids come running and I know I have to brace myself for impact.

“Hold your horses, kiddos,” my son, Archer, rumbles and I feel his hand on my elbow. “Let’s give Grandma Lips a little breathing space. She’ll stay for a few days and every single one of you will get the chance to snuggle and talk to her.”

Voices of protest are soft, but the smiles stay on their cute faces as they wave and go back to the playroom. It’s a space we introduced decades ago for our kids, and they might have built this clubhouse back up, renovated it, and still the playroom holds strong. It’s a space for every age with video games, a large TV, a table with coloring stuff, shit like that.

“Come on, Ma, we need to talk,” Archer states and leads me to his office.

Deeds dumps our bags in one of the rooms down the hall before he joins us.

Archer holds up a bottle of tequila. “Need some?”

I used to drink that shit right from under his nose and switch it with water to fuck with his head. Now? I replace it with water to let him think I can still drink without any effort. Truth is…nowadays it burns a hole through my damn stomach.

Holding my hand up, I tell him, “We all need to keep a clear head until we know how the hell I got myself a lookalike walking this fucked-up earth.”

“Not so much a lookalike,” Archer chuckles. “This chick is twenty-six, and–”

I raise one of my eyebrows in a challenge to let him finish his sentence.

He’s smart enough to shut his foodhole so I continue, “This planet is too small to have two of me walkin’ it. So, I know we’re not looking for a lookalike, it’s a doppelganger we need to find.”

Frowning, I realize, “Wait. You said twenty-six. You know who she is?”

Archer walks around his desk and takes a seat. My old man takes a seat across from our son, but I’m too anxious to sit.

“Well,” I snap. “Spit it out.”

My son leans forward and places his forearms on the desk. “Elowyn Livingstone. She goes by Livi and is a bit of a rebel inside the FBI. Livi is currently preparing to go undercover as Livi Stone. She’s a part of a task force who are gathering evidence to take down the mother chapter of Wisely Dicey MC.”

“Elowyn Livingstone,” I muse. “Did you find a connection to me? Zack? Our parents?”

“Nope,” Archer grunts. “No ties whatsoever to us, our grandparents, or anything. Her birth certificate shows her mother was Eve Livingstone, and her grandparents were Lowyn and Betty Livingstone.”

My stomach drops because Lowyn Livingstone does ring a fucking bell loud enough to give me an instant migraine.

“I need to make a phone call,” I grunt and am about to step out of the room except Deeds blocks my escape.

He doesn’t need to give me words; the look he gives me says everything. After spending decades together, you know a person inside out. There’s not one piece of my life Deeds doesn’t know about and vice versa.

“Fine,” I huff. “I’ll make the call here.”

Archer looks confused and I give him a few details while I take out my phone and tap the screen to call my brother. “You should have had an aunt, but she died right after she was born. A rival MC attacked the hospital the day she came into this world…there was a fire. My dad always told us he’d grieve her forever, but was thankful mom was saved that day. I don’t think she was saved, or at least her body was…her state-of-mind? Not so much. Even after Zack and I were born there was still a void in her heart…just like the empty grave at the cemetery because the fire was too hot, and the explosions made it difficult...to…yeah…fucked-up.”

The room falls silent until I hear the voice of my brother. Strangely, there’s a lump in my throat and I can’t seem to make my voice work. Fucking emotions.