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Reagan

Bea is still asleep when I wake up, so I hurry downstairs to get ready for the day. Jesse wanted to have a moment to talk to her about me staying before she walked in on me in his bedroom, and I respect that. I want them both to feel comfortable before we make any changes, and I just hope Bea accepts me being with her father.

By the time I’m stepping out of the shower, Jesse drops into the bathroom to let me know his conversation with Bea went well and he’s leaving to deal with something for the club. Which is when a small stampede of excitement starts barreling down the hallway.

Bea’s footsteps stop right outside my bedroom door as she starts knocking.

“Yes?” I swing it open, and Bea throws herself at my legs.

“You’re staying. ”

“I am.” I brush my hand down the back of her head, barely able to contain the emotion clogging my throat.

“I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t leave me, Reagan.”

Her words spear me in the chest. I drop to my knees and hug her harder. This girl stole my heart the moment I met her, and to know that I get to be a part of her life is indescribable.

I don’t want to replace her mother, but I’ll play whatever role she’ll let me. And if Sera ever wants to be a part of her life, I’ll make sure there’s room for both of us.

I meant it when I said love doesn’t need to be rationed or divided. We can both love her with everything we have, just like she deserves.

“I promise I’ll be here for you always.” Tears sting my eyes.

“I know.” She tilts her chin up to face me. “I told Austin my daddy crushed you. Just like Uncle Marcus crushed Auntie Luna. Except Daddy crushed you even more. Daddy said he loves you.”

Even if Jesse said as much last night, it means something different to know he shared that with Bea. Letting people close doesn’t come easy to him, especially where his daughter is concerned. But if he said that, then he’s holding true to his promise to bring me into his heart and his life, which makes the words ring even more true in the light of morning.

“I love you both.”

Bea jumps at me again, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I love you too, Reagan. ”

I clear my throat when she pulls back. “You ready to leave for school?”

“I need my butterfly hair clip.” She frowns. “I can’t find it.”

“Go grab your bag and say goodbye to Margaret. I’ll check the upstairs bathrooms while you do that.”

Bea darts off to do what I ask, and I’m relieved her spirits are better this morning. I’m sure she’s still processing what happened at the store, but like I’ve told Jesse multiple times, she’s not naive to what comes with her father’s lifestyle either.

Jesse and I are going to have to figure out a way to protect her from the realities of his club while not hiding the truth from her as she gets older. From what Jesse has said, Steel and Tempe are already pretty open about the club in front of Austin, and with them being so close, Bea hears things. We will need to find that balance ourselves and decide together what conversations to involve her in.

Jesse said he wants me to be a part of all of it—for Bea and our future kids.

My stomach spins at that thought.

Or maybe it’s that my stomach is still unsettled this morning.

The test was negative, but I’ve felt off for days. So when I reach the top of the stairs, I consider taking another one to be sure.

Jesse and I have never used protection, and up until last night, he’s avoided the conversation of birth control entirely. Now that I know it’s because he secretly wanted the same things I did, I can’t help the fresh sense of disappointment that sweeps through me knowing we aren’t there yet.

Taking a turn into Bea’s bathroom, I consider more kids in this house.

More laughs.

More mini Jesse Kings running around.

I consider creating the family I’ve always wanted.

That thought rattles around as I make another stop before going back downstairs. I take one more test, just to be sure.

Jesse is still busy with Havoc when it’s time to take Bea and Austin to school, so he sends Venom to drive us.

Tempe and I trade off, and today is my day. Usually, Steel goes with her, and Jesse goes with me, but on rare occasions when they’re both busy, other members or prospects fill in. I’ve tried to explain I’m more than capable of getting the kids there myself, but after everything that’s happened in the past few weeks, I know he won’t let us leave the compound unprotected.

The ride with Venom is quiet. I’ve seen him around the clubhouse, but we’ve never spoken. And from the way he avoids so much as looking at me except when he said hello, I get the feeling Jesse told him to keep his distance.

But if I’m going to be part of Jesse’s life, I need to get familiar with his club and the members, so I refuse to sit here in awkward silence .

“How long have you been with the club?” I ask, trying to find anything to talk about.

Bea and Austin are busy flipping through a book about dinosaurs in the backseat, so they aren’t paying attention.

Venom leans back, one hand gripping the steering wheel. “Almost a year.”

“So you didn’t grow up with the club like Je—Legacy,” I correct myself.

He shakes his head. “Nah. Came to Vegas looking for a fresh start, and the Twisted Kings gave me one.”

I glance at the skull patched on the front of his cut. “You’re not a prospect anymore then? That’s how it works, right? You get that patch once you’re officially in?”

“Yeah, that’s how it works.” He grins, but it doesn’t feel mocking, even if I’m still embarrassed that I’m trying to figure out the details of how Jesse’s club works. “I patched in a few months ago.”

Right around the time that Jesse was shot.

“That’s good.” I look out the window as we make the final turn toward the school.

“So I hear you’re sticking around,” Venom says as he pulls to a stop.

“I am.”

“Glad to hear it.” He looks at me for the first time since we got in the truck together. “Legacy’s a good one.”

“He is.” In ways Venom couldn’t possibly know. The club gets one side of him, but I get all the others. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here. ”

The kids grab their backpacks, and I hold the door while they climb out. Bea is practically skipping up the steps to the school, while Austin walks beside her. It’s a busy morning at drop-off, but no one says anything about Venom idling at the curb in front of a No Parking sign.

It’s the same spot Steel and Jesse also use, and I get the impression the school has an understanding with the Twisted Kings that lets them get away with things others might not.

When we walk into the school, we reach Austin’s classroom first. Bea’s is at the end of the hallway, and I barely have time to give her a hug before she disappears into the room. They’re working on their art projects today, and she spent all night thinking about glitter and confetti, so she’s anxious to get to work.

I turn to leave but find Principal Grandy in my path.

“Ms. Brady?”

“Yes.” I straighten my spine, my intuition prickling.

After that one date with Lincoln—and what inevitably followed—I can’t shake that principals now make me uncomfortable.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Bea’s father isn’t here today.”

“He’s not the one I was hoping to speak with. Let’s discuss it in my office.”

I open my mouth to say I’m busy, but he turns before I get the words out, leading the way. The last thing I want to do is irritate Bea’s principal, so I follow.

Pulling out my phone, I text Venom, thankful that Jesse put the number in it .

Reagan : The school needs to talk to me for a minute; I’ll be right out.

Venom : Need me to come in?

Reagan : It’ll be quick.

Venom : Let me know if you need me.

“I hear you used to work for a school.” Principal Grandy glances at my phone, and I tuck it away.

“I worked in the front office at an elementary school back in Glendale.”

“You must have been good at your job,” he says, although I can’t figure out how he’d know that. “Have you considered looking for a similar position since moving to Vegas?”

“I wasn’t initially planning on staying.”

“And now?”

Now I am, but that doesn’t mean I’ve figured out what that looks like.

Jesse made it clear he wants me to stay—and not as Bea’s nanny—but we haven’t talked about if that means he wants me to get another job or if I’ll continue doing the things I already am. What I’ve done around his house hasn’t felt like work in weeks. It just feels like taking care of my family, and I’m happy to do it.

I was never here for money and refused to accept a cent since it was a favor to Margaret. Which is a good thing, or it would have gotten murky when Jesse and I started sleeping together.

Now that we’re becoming something more official, we should probably define our roles better, but I don’t want things to change so long as he doesn’t. Bea needs stability, and Jesse’s club requires so much of him. I’d like to be at the house to help lighten his load there, even if now it’s for a different reason than the one that brought me here.

“I’m focusing on other things,” I decide, knowing Jesse and I still need to talk about it. “What is it you want to talk to me about?”

“A job, actually.”

“Here?”

“No, it seems you’re already indispensable.”

My face pinches in confusion as he leads me into his office, and the moment I step inside, it all becomes clear.

Lincoln stands beside the desk, fixing his gaze on me as I freeze in the doorway. His salt and pepper hair is longer than it was the last time I saw him, and he’s a bit thinner, but he still wears a confident grin on his chiseled face. His charming mask is magnetic, which is how he lured me into a date before I knew better.

“Lincoln.” His name is a whisper.

“Reagan, finally.” He smiles, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I’ve been worried sick since you didn’t show up to start the school year with the rest of us.”

“Why are you—”

“You need to come back to Glendale. It’s not the same without you.”

I don’t miss that he isn’t saying the school isn’t the same. Because this has nothing to do with the school. His sick obsession has drawn him to Vegas, and he’s using Bea’s school as a way to get close to me.

Principal Grandy steps forward as tension thickens in the air. “Like I was saying… I see you’re already in dispensable. I assured Lincoln we wouldn’t stand in the way of him trying to get you to come back, but he was insistent on pleading the case to you himself.”

Of course he did. It’s one more way he’s manipulating the situation.

How did I not see this side of him when we first met?

It was uneventful in a way that I didn’t think anything of it. We caught gazes from across the store and then conveniently found ourselves picking out coffee creamer at the same time. He casually mentioned working for a school when I said I was in the middle of a job hunt. He said he could look for openings, and I thought he was being friendly.

I should have known better. I should have questioned when he got insistent to the point of being almost pushy. I should have seen through his lies when he said we were meeting coworkers, but then no one else showed up, and it turned into a date.

It wasn’t until he tried to force a second date that I sensed something deeper was wrong. His mask started to slip, and he began to threaten me if I refused to go out with him again. He spread rumors at school to isolate me from the people I was beginning to call friends. He showed up uninvited at my house and left gifts on my doorstep.

Once I saw what was happening, it had already gone too far to stop it. I should have known coming to Vegas wouldn’t solve the problem.

“I’m not interested in going back.”

“Reagan, please— ”

“Thank you for your time, Principal Grandy. I need to get going.” I spin on my heels and hurry out of the office.

The bell rang a few minutes ago so the halls are already empty, which makes the echo of Lincoln’s footsteps clear behind me. I pull my phone out of my pocket, fumbling for Venom’s phone number, but a hand snatches it from me before I have a chance to make the call.

“Don’t.” Lincoln throws my phone in a trash can beside us, slamming a hand over my mouth as he drags me to a deserted hall. “Your biker boyfriend isn’t here today, Reagan. It’s just you and me.”

He releases my mouth, and I’m breathing hard through my panic.

“It’s never been you and me,” I whisper.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Reagan. It was only ever going to be us.”

My eyebrows pinch. “It was one date.”

“One date?” His smile is unnerving as he brushes a hand down my cheek. “Is that what you tell yourself?”

“That’s what it was.” I swallow hard, the hair on the back of my neck standing tall.

“You don’t remember?” His question makes my stomach plummet because I have no idea what he’s talking about.

“Remember what?”

“When we met.” He brushes his fingers down my cheek again, trailing an icy path down my neck and collarbone. “It was a blur for me, too, so I shouldn’t blame you. I didn’t see you coming either. But then you were there, crashing into my life quite literally when your father introduced us at that retreat, and I couldn’t see anything else.”

My eyebrows pinch in confusion.

What does this have to do with my father?

He died when I was seventeen.

“No wonder you’ve been running from me. You don’t remember. This must all feel so sudden for you. So fresh. So new.” Lincoln presses closer, his tone sending a chill down my spine. “You can’t see how long we’ve been heading to this exact moment.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The retreat.” His tone has bite to it now. “You and your sister were helping tie ribbons when you bumped me. Your father apologized for your mistake when I should have been thanking him for bringing you into my life instead.”

The ribbons?

I dig through the archives in my mind to try and piece together what Lincoln is talking about. If my father was there then it had to have involved him. But my father brought his family to hundreds of events when I was younger. He loved parading us around like we were his personal trophy collection.

I think back until I remember a time that involved ribbons.

A few months before Dad died, we joined him at his company’s weekend retreat, and they needed help with the table decorations for the night auction. Dad said it would make him look good if Livie and I helped, so we tied ribbons until our fingers hurt.

When I was arranging one of the centerpieces, I leaned a little too far and spilled a glass of water on one of the men sitting at the table. He jumped up, and I bumped into him.

I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Dad apologized on my behalf and berated me for the rest of the weekend for my mistake.

Was that man Lincoln?

I didn’t spare the man a second glance, but clearly, he did.

“I see you’re remembering now.” Lincoln brushes my cheek again, and my stomach coils.

“But you’re a principal.” I shake my head. “My dad was in finance.”

“His company made a number of large donations to our music program. I was there with the choir that night to thank them for their generosity.”

The choir.

The music.

Slowly, that night floods back to me.

I can still feel the tickle of the breeze on my legs. I can hear the violin in the air. I can feel the tension of my tight dress around my ribs.

“You were lovely then but too young. Too inexperienced.” Lincoln says it like he’s praising himself for not acting on his sick thoughts when I was a minor. “But I was willing to wait for you. I even let you grieve when your father passed so you wouldn’t be confused about us. But then you smiled at me in that store, and I knew our time had come. ”

“You’ve been watching me since I was a teenager.”

“You make it sound gross.” There’s an angry pitch to his tone like he’s not willing to accept the truth. “I waited for you until you were older because I loved you. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“This isn’t love.” My words are nearly a whisper.

“Yes, it is.” His fist pounds the wall beside my head, and I jump. “I’ve given you time, but I’ve been patient enough. And I refuse to hand you over to that biker. He doesn’t even know you like I do.”

Lincoln doesn’t know me at all. This is a delusion. He’s made up an entire relationship in his head.

It should terrify me. But as I look up at him, I don’t focus on the fear. I dig deeper.

I’m not the weak, simpleminded girl Lincoln met at that retreat. I’m not the moldable girl my father tried to make me. I have a backbone now. I’m stronger than I’ve been raised to believe.

And Jesse is the one who helped me see it.

Tipping my chin up, I face off with Lincoln. “I’m not your possession to decide what you do with. And if you’re not careful, you’ll find out how not yours I am when Jesse gets his hands on you.”

Lincoln grabs my arms, shoving my back against the wall. “You think you’re tough because you spread your legs for a biker? He’s not here, Reagan. I am. Like always. Because I’m the one who actually cares.”

“Fuck. You.” I try to wrestle free, but it only makes him grab me tighter .

Lincoln’s eyes are dark with rage, but just as he opens his mouth to say something more, a commotion behind him stops him short. One second, Lincoln is standing in front of me, grinning, and the next, he crumples to my feet with blood dripping from his side where a blade sticks out of him.

For a second, I think it’s Venom. Or stupidly, I think somehow Jesse sensed Lincoln was here and came to find me. But when I look back up, I’m met with a different gaze. This biker is also wearing a cut, but the patch has a skull with devil horns.

A logo I’m familiar with because I saw it at the store.

If I thought Lincoln cornering me was bad, then this just got a hundred times worse.

“Well, hello there, beautiful.” He grabs my chin, smearing blood on me. “You’re prettier than they said. You’re going to make us a pretty penny when you spread your legs.”