Page 19 of Next Level (Royal Bastards MC: Oakland Chapter #1)

THE STORY

S itting out on my porch, I let the early morning sun hit my face while I drink my coffee.

The quiet sound of birds chirping is calming to me.

After dinner last night, I called it a night.

Dawg wanted details on Cherry, but I told everyone I was exhausted and went up to the house to crash.

Being home, knowing Sammie’s safe, and having a quiet house, it just hit me, and I was out like a light.

I didn’t even make it to the shower. I texted Cherry to let her know I was exhausted and asked if we could have a rain check on our FaceTime fucking.

She replied saying she was with her parents, so it all worked out.

I slept like a rock and feel great today. Now, I need to handle business.

“Morning,” Dawg says, yawning.

I see my best friend coming out the front door with his own cup of coffee.

“Morning,” I reply, taking a sip of coffee.

“You sleep well?” he asks, sitting in the lounger next to me.

“Hell yeah. Missed my Blossom sprawled out over me, but otherwise, I slept like a rock.”

He stares at me. “ Your blossom. Seriously?” he drawls.

I chuckle.

Dawg continues, “Damn, brother. You got it bad for this chick.”

“I think so.”

He leans his head back, letting the sunshine hit his face. “Well fuck. I can’t wait to meet her. When’s she coming?”

I place my head back and close my eyes as well, allowing the sun to warm me up. “Friday.”

Dawg tilts his head to glance at me, opening one eye. “You have to wait two more days? That’s a long time for you. You gonna be able to hold out?”

“Jesus, I’m not that bad. I don’t need sex every damn day.”

Dawg huffs, “Almost motherfucker. I’m just shocked.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes, and I slowly sip my coffee.

“So, how’s it going with Sunshine?” I change the subject, turning the focus to him.

He’s grinning from ear to ear. “Ah-maz-ing.” I crack up at his answer. “She had to go out of town, but she’ll be back this weekend,” Dawg replies.

I throw his own words back at him. “That’s a long time for you. You gonna be able to hold out?”

“Fuck you.”

We trail off in silence again.

Breaking the quietness, Dawg says in a matter-of-fact tone, “I think I’m going to try this relationship thing too.”

With the sun in my eyes, I squint at him. “I think it’s going to be a good thing for both of us. We ain’t getting any younger.”

We lift our cups of coffee and clink them together.

Changing the subject and sounding serious, Dawg asks, “So you’re going to talk to your mom today?”

Setting my cup down, I lean back on the lounger.

Sighing loudly, I reply, “Yeah, she’s up at her house. I’ll walk up there in a bit and have a chat with her. Hopefully, she’s calmed down from yesterday.”

“You want me to go with you?” he asks.

“Nah, I’ll go alone.”

“Okay.”

We sit in silence for a while until the sun becomes too hot.

“Time to go have a chat,” I state, getting up and grabbing my empty coffee cup. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here,” Dawg says, saluting me as I walk away.

Ten minutes later, I’m knocking on my ma’s door.

Instead of driving, I walked up the hill to the old cottage-style house, getting more fresh air and clearing my head.

She hardly stays here anymore now that she has her boyfriend.

I used to just walk in, but now that she’s got a man, I don’t because I don’t want to see something I can’t unsee.

I knock again. This time I hear her yell, “Come in.”

I open the door and see Ma in her robe, coming out of the kitchen and holding a cup of coffee.

“Good morning,” I say, closing the door.

“Morning, son. You want some coffee?” she asks before sitting in her recliner.

“Nah, I’ve had two already.” I take a seat on the couch. “Ma, I need to ask you some stuff. I don’t want you to be upset, but it’s about Dad,” I say gently.

Speaking about my father gets her upset. She misses him and still struggles to talk about him. Even though she has a boyfriend, she still loves my father.

When she doesn’t say anything, I begin, “Ma, do you recognize the name George or Letti Casso?”

My ma’s face drops, looking shocked.

Before she can reply, I say, “Your face tells me you do. I need to know everything about them.”

She sits up and puts her coffee on the side table. “Why?”

I get irritated. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Who are they?”

She doesn’t say anything.

“Ma?” I demand.

She sighs. “Your father and George had a beef in high school. They never got over it.”

When I don’t say anything, she continues, “George and I had a brief fling, and your dad was with Letti before me. But then your father and I got together. It was a big fiasco back in the day. While we were dating, your father was unfaithful a couple of times with Letti. She was with George during that time, so there was always bad blood between the men.”

Confused, I ask, “So let me get this straight. You were with George first, and Dad was with Letti. Then the two of you met and got together, dumping the two of them. They hookup and later Dad fucks around with Letti, cheating on you with her?”

Her face is tight with anguish. “Yes, a couple of times. We were fighting at the time, but that isn’t an excuse.

Letti loved your father and always yearned for him to return.

George hated your dad for it. When I became pregnant with you, your father told me he chose me and he wanted to get married. ”

I sit back on the couch, speechless.

Ma wrings her hands together. “George and Letti got married when she was pregnant, which was a few years after you were born. Things were good between your father and me. We heard Letti got pregnant again, but we didn’t know the details.

Then, soon after her second child was born, they were all in a car accident.

Letti was killed, and the kids were hospitalized. Your father went crazy.”

Holy shit.

“We never spoke of her or them after that. Your father shut down. I know he loved her in his way, but I never questioned it because he chose us.”

“Christ, Ma. How come I’ve never heard about this before?”

“Like I said, when Letti died, you were young. He shut down, and when George went to jail, we never spoke about it again.”

I sit there silently.

Ma continues, sounding irritated. “Son, don’t act like your father was a saint. I knew about his friendly hookups on the road. He promised me he wouldn’t fuck around here at the clubhouse or around me. He said he would never disrespect me in that way. He loved me, but he also liked to party.”

I don’t say anything. I knew he had a piece of ass here and there, but he would never flaunt it in front of me. Always said he wanted to get his dick wet from time to time, but it meant nothing.

Christ. Will I be like him? Never settling down. Will I cheat on Cherry?

I rub my face, trying to take it all in.

“Son, why are you asking me about this?” Ma asks, sounding worried.

Looking up at her, I say, “George’s two kids took Sammie.”

“What?” she gasps.

“Mm-hmm. It’s true.”

“I don’t understand.” She starts rambling to herself. “His kids were taken from him. He’s been in jail. How? Why?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know, Ma. That’s why I’m asking you.

We have no connection to these boys except through you two.

I don’t understand why they would take Sammie.

I don’t even know if George was involved, but we do know he’s out of prison, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he shows up right when Sammie was taken. ”

Ma sits back, both of us silent, trying to work out the whys in our heads.

When I still don’t come up with anything, I stand up. “I need to go talk to the guys. We need to find George.”

She shoots up from her chair, demanding, “I need to speak to George. When you find him, you bring him to me.”

I don’t say anything. I just stare at her.

“Marco! I will be the one speaking to him. Do you understand me?!” Ma practically yells at me.

“Okay, Ma. Okay.”