Page 24 of Slayin Villain (Royal Bastards MC: Nashville, TN #11)

Villain

I’d faced down rival clubs, crooked cops, and the barrel of more than one shotgun.

But nothing made my palms sweat like walking up to my own front door, knowing Rachel and Ember might both be behind it.

Not together, of course. That’d be too easy.

Rachel had agreed to meet. Ember said she was “already coming over.” That’s what she did now, showed up like she had every right. Like she wasn’t already crawling under my skin every damn night.

My patch weighed heavier on my shoulders than ever as I shoved open the door.

Rachel sat on the worn leather couch, legs crossed, fire-engine red hair coiled up like a warning sign. She wore that deep burgundy tank top, the one that hugged every inch of her ample breasts and reminded me why I couldn’t ever stay away for long.

Her eyes narrowed the second she saw me.

“You texted me like it was urgent,” she said, arms folded.

I didn’t get to answer.

Because Ember was already in the hallway.

Tight jeans. Soft black tee knotted at the waist. Her curls pulled into a high bun, a little sweat at her collarbone like she’d ran here. She stopped cold when she saw Rachel.

“Seriously?” Ember’s voice cut like a blade. “What is she doing here?”

Rachel stood. “You invited both of us?” Her tone dropped an octave, hurt surfacing beneath the rage.

I shut the door hard behind me. “You think I wanted this? The club. Kingpin, he made me.”

They both froze.

“What the hell does that mean?” Rachel asked.

“It means I had Church this morning,” I said, my voice gravel. “All the officers. They know. About everything.”

Ember's lips parted. “Even about…”

“Yes,” I cut in. “Even about the babies.”

Rachel’s breath caught.

I raked a hand through my hair. “Both mine. Maybe. Probably. Doesn’t matter now. What matters is what comes next.”

“You mean who you choose,” Ember said, bitter heat behind every word.

But I shook my head. “No. This ain’t about choosing.”

“Then what the hell is it about?” Rachel snapped. “You don’t get to sit us down like we’re signing up for some damn harem fantasy and play daddy to both sides.”

“Don’t twist it,” I growled. “This ain’t some fantasy. It’s my fuckin’ reality. I messed up. I admit that. I should’ve been straight with both of you. But now? I’ve got a club to protect. A rep to salvage. And two women I care about who are carrying my blood.”

Rachel’s face twisted. “Don’t you dare say you care…”

“I do!” I stepped closer, voice breaking. “I care about you both. And that’s the goddamn problem.”

Ember looked away, arms wrapped around her belly like she was already guarding something precious. “What did the club say?”

I exhaled. “They said I take care of both of you. Doesn’t mean marry both, not officially. Doesn’t mean lie anymore. It means show up. Pay for what’s mine. Be a father. Respect you both. Or lose my patch.”

Silence stretched like a fuse ready to blow.

Rachel blinked hard, swallowing emotion I knew she’d never show me fully. “So, this is about the club. Not us.”

“I’m trying to do right by everyone.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re trying to keep one foot in each world. In each bed.”

“I didn’t ask for two babies,” I snapped.

“Neither did we,” Ember whispered.

That cracked something in me. I looked between them, two women who deserved better. Better than a bastard who couldn’t stop chasing the ghosts between their legs.

“Do you even want us?” Rachel asked, tears finally threatening to fall. “Or is this just guilt?”

“I don’t know what I want,” I admitted. “I ride to outrun it. I drink to drown it. And when I’m with you, Rachel… I feel safe. Like I can breathe.”

She blinked but didn’t smile.

I turned to Ember. “And you? You make me burn. You make me forget who I’m supposed to be and just feel. You’re fire, and I keep sticking my hand in.”

Ember stepped back. “Then stop blaming the fire for getting burned.”

“You both lit me up,” I whispered. “And now I’m scorched clean through.”

Nobody spoke.

Rachel shook her head. “I won’t raise my baby in this mess. You get one shot to prove you’re a man worth keeping in their life. And if you don’t show me that… I walk. For good.”

Then she turned and walked out the door.

I didn’t follow.

Ember didn’t speak.

She sat down, slowly, on the edge of the couch. The moment was soft and electric at once.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

She looked at me like I was already too far gone.

“Leave,” she said.

“Em…”

“I can’t be the girl in the middle anymore.”

“This is my place.”

“Leave,” she screamed.

I nodded.

And walked out.

Only this time, I didn’t slam the door.