“One more thing. Mac is going to head over here after I leave. Don’t worry about his face. I didn’t hit him… that hard.”
“Dad! You hit him?”
“Darlin’, he knew he had it coming,” he said firmly. “I may be okay with you and him being together, but no dad wants to see what I did earlier.”
I could feel my face heating up. “Got it,” I mumbled, also hoping he never saw me and Mac having sex ever again.
I followed him out and hugged him around the middle before he left. His soft smile and look had me almost tearing up again. It was a nice feeling that I had both guys in my life. A life that was just beginning, and far better than I could have dreamed.
22
Mac
“She’s all yours, don’t fuck it up.” I heard Viking before I saw him come out of the clearing from Kate’s place.
“I don’t plan on fucking it up.” That was the truth. Now that she was mine and everyone knew, I had no plans on letting her go.
I tossed my beer bottle in the trash and told Wolf and Viking I would see them both tomorrow.
As I walked to Kate’s, I realized I needed her to understand this was it for me. We were together, and that meant something to me.
When I climbed up her porch, I could see her sitting on the couch through the living room window, the soft light of the lamp casting her in a beautiful glow. She looked like an angel, completely serene.
I walked in the door quietly, not wanting to disrupt her moment. When she heard the soft click of the door behind me, she looked up. The beautiful smile on her face nearly knocked me off my feet.
The moment I first saw her, I thought she was the most stunning woman I’d seen, but this smile, it made her beauty shine bright.
Then I looked at her eyes, and they were red-rimmed. I instantly went on alert. What the hell had Viking said to her?
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I kneeled in front of her.
“What?” She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong.”
She looked at me and gasped. “He said he didn’t hit you that hard!”
“What? Oh, this?” I pointed at my cheek and grinned. “Don’t worry about it, it’s all good. Now you wanna to tell me why you’re crying?”
She laughed and then wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “These are happy tears,” she said.
“Babe, care to explain?”
She proceeded to tell me about her conversation with Viking. She had finally come to terms with the fact that the man was completely genuine when it came to his long-lost daughter.
And for the first time, I felt confident that she was going to stay here. I’d been completely serious when I told her she was mine, but I wasn’t convinced I wouldn’t eventually be chasing her down somewhere. But now she finally seemed to believe she belonged here.
“That’s some good stuff, baby.” I leaned in and kissed her. As usual, there was nothing sweet or gentle about our kiss. But, before we got too hot and heavy, I needed to break the bad news to her.
I pulled back from our kiss, and she looked at me, her brows furrowed. “Even though I hate to mess up all the good shit going on right now, I need to tell you that a few of us are heading out soon. I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone. Hopefully, it won’t be more than a few days.”
“Oh.” I could see the happiness drain right out of her.
I hadn’t gone out of town since right after she moved to Las Vegas, and while a part of me was itching for a good long run with the guys, I didn’t want to leave her.
“Where are you going?”
“That’s club business.” She rolled her eyes at my explanation but didn’t say anything. Considering how things were going, the fewer people who knew what we were up to, the better.
“When do you leave?”
“On Wednesday.”
“That’s in two days!”
“Hey.” I lifted her chin with my finger. “The sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll be back here with you.”
She laughed. “Wow, Mac, that almost sounded romantic.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. I’m not a romantic guy, but I’m ready to get in that pussy.” I smiled as I pulled her up off the couch.
“There’s the Mac I know,” she said as she followed me to her bedroom.
Once in there, I lifted her up and tossed her on the bed, where I proceeded to show her just how much I would miss her while I was gone.
A loud chime woke me up. Kate and I must have passed out after our intense round of sex. I looked over to the nightstand where her phone was sitting. It went off again, and when it lit up, I saw a text from an unknown number. The preview had enough for me to figure out it was from that asshole, Jonathan.
Clearly, I needed to make another stop while I was in L.A. When I had found out our destination for our run, I decided I was going to stop at her uncle’s house. I planned on getting a few things she’d mentioned she hadn’t been able to get, like a box of photos, and having a word with her dipshit uncle.
Now, I needed to have a word with Jonathan as well.
Kate rolled over and snuggled into my chest. Making plans for handling the two assholes that had hurt my girl could wait. For now, I wanted to enjoy having her in my arms where she was safe. Tomorrow, I would tell Viking about my plans. I didn’t think he would have a problem with the extra stops. If I knew him at all, he would be standing right there beside me making sure our message was clear: No one would hurt Kate again.
23
Kate
The guys had left two days ago, and I was already missing Mac like crazy. It seemed impossible that I could have developed such strong feelings for him in such a short amount of time, but I knew what I was feeling was the real deal. And now that I had my dad’s approval, everything felt right.
“Happy looks good on you.”
I spun around and saw Evelyn standing in the doorway of the diner’s kitchen.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, but couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
“Oh, stop it. You’ve had the same look every day since we went out for your birthday. It wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain biker, would it?”
I couldn’t help it; I blurted out everything that had happened since that night. It was nice having a friend I could share things with.
“Oh, hun, I’m so happy for you. I could tell by the way Mac looked at you that he was crazy about you.”
“I’m crazy about him too,” I admitted.
“Well, why are you still here? Go see your man.”
“Actually, he’s out of town. I’m going to hang out with my brothers tonight instead,” I said as I took off my apron.
“That’s awesome. Sounds like things are working out for you here in Vegas.”
They really were, and I couldn’t have been happier.
I said goodbye to Evelyn and Pam and made my way to my car. As I opened my door, I heard my text alert go off. Hoping it was Mac, I quickly grabbed my phone and checked my messages.
My excitement turned to annoyance when I saw it was another text from Jonathan.
Jonathan: I need to see you. Stop ignoring me.
I’d blocked his number, but he must have gotten another one. I was going to have to block him again, but first I wanted to make it clear we had nothing to talk about. The more time I spent with the club, the more I saw the difference between a relationship where the person truly cared for you and what I had with Jonathan.
Me: There isn’t anything to discuss anymore. You need to stop contacting me.
Jonathan: This isn’t over! You can’t get rid of me that easily.
A shiver ran down my spine at his words. Why couldn’t he leave me alone? He was starting to scare me. Maybe it was time for me to change my number.
That was something I could figure out later. For now, I blocked his new number on my phone and hoped he would go away.
I checked the time and saw that it was hitting six already. I needed to get over to Meredith’s
to pick up Finn and Gunnar. I was excited to get a whole night with my brothers. Sure, they could be super annoying, just like any other teenagers, but I loved spending time with them. After twenty years as an only child, I welcomed every moment of hanging out with my brothers.
“Thank you so much for taking them tonight,” Meredith said as the four of us walked out of her house. “I hope you guys have a great time.”
“I’m sure we will. You enjoy your night out. You deserve it.”
I knew the time Viking spent out on the road was hard on her and the boys. In addition to that, she was responsible for keeping the shop running, taking care of her sons, and dealing with various events for the families of the club. She needed a chance to unwind.
We started to drive toward my house, the boys arguing about which movie we would watch first. I was wrapped up in the playful banter, I hadn’t noticed the truck behind me that was following entirely too close. We weren’t too far from my place, so I didn’t think too much about it until I felt the hard hit on the back driver’s side.
I could feel my car hit the gravel on the side of the road, and I tried to straighten back out, but I must have overcorrected because I started spinning. Before I knew it, we were headed straight toward a ditch. My car went headfirst into it, and I must have hit my head on impact because suddenly everything went black.
24
Mac
The drop we had traveled to L.A. for had gone as well as expected. We made arrangements with Miller for another party he was hosting in Vegas. We’d only been gone for two days, but I was itching to get back home. I’d never been desperate to get back to a chick before, and surprisingly, it didn’t bother me. Things were easy with Kate. We wanted to be together, so we were. There wasn’t any drama attached to it. It didn’t hurt that she had come to accept the club life.
As eager as I was to get home, we had two more stops to make. We needed to exact a little revenge on Kate’s jerk of an uncle, and a warning needed to be issued to the cocksucker who wouldn’t accept that Kate was never going to be his. I figured both stops would be quick; it was unlikely either of them would give us much trouble.
We pulled up to the first house, and Viking stated he was going to handle this one. He had a history with Stuart and had a few things he needed to get off his chest.
We walked up the door and Viking proceeded to knock harder than necessary, he barely had control of his fury.
It was early afternoon, but according to Kate, her uncle didn’t work. There was a car in the driveway, so we were sure he was home. We could hear some movement before the door swung open.
“What the fuck?” was the only thing Stu managed to say before Viking’s fist went flying, crashing into the asshole’s jaw.
Stu hit the doorframe hard and then fell to his ass in the entryway. A couple of guys came flying out of the kitchen, the shouting more than likely gaining their interests.
“I suggest you two stay out of this,” I warned as Viking dragged Stu up off the ground by the collar of his shirt.
“Why the fuck are you here?” Stu questioned while trying to spit the blood out of his mouth.
Viking pushed Stu up against the wall, his forearm against the struggling man’s throat.
“I’m Kate’s father, you asshole. You didn’t think to tell me I had a daughter?” Viking’s voice was low, and even I could feel the anger vibrating off of him.
Stu’s face went white, and I thought the guy might piss himself. “H-h-how did you find out?” He was so freaked out he couldn’t even get his words out.
“Karen wrote her a letter before she died. You should have told me years ago.”
“Well, now you know. Why the hell are you here?”
The guy must have had a death wish.
“We came to get something she left behind when your sorry ass kicked her out,” I announced, while Viper and Colt took off upstairs in search of the photos she had left behind.
“And who the hell do you think you are?” he asked me, with the same false bravado he used with Viking.
“I’m her man, that’s all you need to know.”
An evil sneer spread across his face when he heard that. “So, she’s not that different from her whore mother. Spreading her legs for anyone in a cut.”
I didn’t know if he was an idiot or knew he wasn’t going to get out of this unscathed, but he’d just said the stupidest thing he could, given the situation he was in.
I lunged forward, getting in a few punches to match the ones Viking was already raining down on the fucker.
It didn’t take long before he was on the ground, curled up in the fetal position, begging for mercy. After a few more kicks and punches, I felt someone pulling me off of the unmoving lump on the ground.
“Can’t let you go down for murder right now,” Viper mumbled as he pushed me toward the door.
I watched as Colt did the same with Viking. Once we were both almost out of the house, Colt turned to address the two guys who hadn’t made a single move to help their friend. Pussies.
“Do whatever you need here, but if you so much as mention the Desert Sinners, you’ll find we won’t be as nice next time.”
“Right, we didn’t see anything,” one of them agreed quickly as they moved to check on their friend.
Once we were outside, Viper tossed me the box he must’ve found in Kate’s room. I nodded my head in thanks and placed it in my saddlebag.
“One more stop?” Viking questioned as he got onto his bike.
“One more.” I nodded.
We drove a couple of miles to Jonathon’s house. Kate had shared enough information about him that it was easy to find where he lived. When we pulled up, I saw his car in the driveway as well. It looked like we were going to be two for two in finding the assholes that hurt my girl.
This time, I led the charge. I knocked on the door, noticing the welcome mat under my feet. Jonathan lived with his mom, and while I needed my message to be clear, I didn’t want to freak his mother out. From what Kate had said, his mom always treated her well.
“Hello, can I help you?” A small woman opened the door and looked quite surprised to see us standing on her porch.
“Is Jonathan here?” I tried to keep my voice calm. I didn’t need her going into protective mom mode and not be cooperative.
“No, he’s not. I’m his mother, Louise Souza,” she introduced herself. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“His car’s here.” I pointed over to the piece of crap sitting in the driveway.
“He just bought a new truck; he hasn’t sold his car yet.”
I had questioned enough people in my lifetime to know she was telling the truth.
“Any idea where he is?”
“I’m sorry, but what business do you have with Jonathan?”
It was obvious we were starting to scare her.
“I’m Kate’s father,” Viking jumped in. He was sensing the same thing I was, and I hoped the mention of Kate would encourage her to give us more information.
“Oh.” She seemed surprised, but then she squinted her eyes and really looked at Viking. “Wow, you look just like her. It’s the eyes.” She was smiling. This woman really did like Kate.
Viking smiled and then waited for her to share more about her son’s location.
“Well, he’s been in Vegas for a week. He left after Kate called him and told him how much she missed him. He said he was driving out to Las Vegas to bring her home. He hasn’t been himself since she left.”
That was bullshit. There was no way Kate had called him. She’d been ignoring his messages.
“Fuck! We need to get home now before he gets to her!” I yelled as I ran to my bike.
“Jonathan wouldn’t hurt her, he loves her,” his mom shouted at my back. When I looked at her, I could tell she didn’t quite believe her own words.
“Let’s go!”
The next two and a half hours were the longest of my life. We had called Wolf and told
him that Jonathan was on his way there, and to grab the asshole before he found Kate.
I’d never felt fear like that before.
25
Kate
“Rise and shine.”
I could hear a voice, but it sounded distant and a bit muffled. I tried to open my eyes, but the light shining from the bulb hanging from the ceiling was too bright.
“I’m sorry, is that better?” The same voice asked as the light was turned off. When I opened my eyes again, I could see a figure standing by the only window. It was too dark to make out any of the person’s features, but I instantly knew who was standing there.
“Jonathan?” I didn’t know why I said it like it was a question. There was no doubt in my mind it was him, and I also knew nothing good was going to come from this situation.
“Hello, Kate.” His voice didn’t sound like that of my old friend. It sounded cold and had an edge to it that scared the crap out of me.
“What happened? Where am I?” My body ached, and when I reached up to touch my head, I quickly pulled my fingers back. There was a large gash that hurt so much, even the tiniest bit of pressure had me seeing stars.
“Seems you had a little bit of an accident.”
“Oh my god, Finn and Gunnar! Are they okay?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Jonathan retorted. “I left those two brats in the car. I don’t give a shit about two dumbass kids.”
What if they were hurt...or worse?
My head was pounding as memories of the accident came flooding back. Nothing was making sense. I tried to put all the pieces together, but thinking made my head spin and my stomach lurch. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Not as sick as I was watching you with that criminal.” Jonathan started walking toward me, and for the first time since I’d I met him, I was fearful of him.
Mac (Desert Sinners MC Book 1) Page 12