Seeking Shadows (Royal Bastards MC Tampa Chapter Book 3)

by K E Osborn

  He rolls his eyes. “Gimmie some credit. I just wanna talk. We need some time to unwind a little after, well… everything.”

  I take his hand in mine and glance over at Scarlett. She bobs her head, and I mouth ‘thank you,’ then take off with Dash to the break room. We enter, and the second we’re alone, he spins me, pressing my body against the wall, his lips pressed to mine again, much gentler this time as his tongue dances in my mouth. My hands slide around his neck, my fingers threading through his hair, pulling his head closer to me, just needing him a little more.

  A deep growl emanates from his chest, the sound sexy as hell as he grinds his cock into me. My clit throbbing with unbridled desire, but regrettably, he pulls his lips from me, panting heavily as he looks into my eyes, pressing his forehead against mine. “If I don’t stop kissing you now, I’m not going to be able to… and we need to talk.”

  Licking my lips, I catch my breath as he pulls away from me, taking my hand, leading me over to the small table and chairs. We sit next to each other, our knees rubbing as he slides his palm along my thigh. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so fucking long.”

  “Me, too. But Dash, this is complicated.”

  A serious look crosses his face. “I know, and I understand. We’re acquainted with each other, but there’s so much we don’t know.”

  Like the fact I have a four-year-old son.

  “Exactly. There’s no denying we have chemistry, but you’re a biker, Dash. I mean, I’m pretty sure you’re a 1%er too. I realize what that means, and I don’t know if I’m okay with it.”

  His expression falls. “We’re Royal Bastards. We don’t claim to be good guys. We do bad shit but generally to vile people. We protect those who need protecting, Shadow.”

  “But see, that’s the problem. I’ve known men like you before… not like you personally, but like the club…” She pauses. “It didn’t turn out so well for me.”

  He narrows his eyes on me, his interest now piqued. “Tell me?”

  Sinking into my seat, I exhale. “My ex, he was in this club, some exclusive brotherhood they called it, but it wasn’t bikers. It stemmed from college. Some exclusive society called the Order of Abaddon. I wasn’t even supposed to know he was in it, but he was doing weird shit all the time. Things that didn’t add up. Actually, I thought he was cheating, which he was, but that’s beside the point. I went snooping and found all this hideous documentation hidden around the house. That’s when I knew I had to leave.”

  He sits closer, his eyes narrowing on me. “First of all, he’s a damn dick for cheating on you. Secondly, this Order of Abaddon, they ever show themselves to you?”

  My hand instinctively moves to my stomach, touching the scar hiding beneath my shirt. “No,” I lie. “I got out of there before shit got too fucking weird.”

  Tilting his head, he exhales. “Weird, how?”

  “I don’t even know. All I do know is that, Tyler and I…” I widen my eyes in shock that I said his name out loud. Shit, I’m normally so careful. Honestly, I can’t even comprehend why I’m telling Dash any of this.

  I need to shut the hell up—and now.

  His hand clenches on my thigh. “Hey, you don’t have to be scared with me, Shadow. I know you got your strength from somewhere. I’m guessing this has something to do with it. If you’re not ready to tell me about Tyler and what happened, I’m okay with that. But just know, whatever he did to you, I’m not going to.”

  My hand rushes to my stomach again as my mind flashes back four years ago…

  With my hands tied down on the kitchen table, I cried so fucking hard I could hardly breathe. My son almost ready to come into this world. It would be any day now, but I had no clue what the hell Tyler was doing. He’d lost his damn mind. I knew he was doing more and more with the Order. He kept going on and on about making it higher in the ranks. It’s all he cared about, getting the big promotion that was coming to him. And somehow, I was his meal ticket.

  He stepped into the kitchen with the giant butcher’s knife in hand. Tears ran down my face as I struggled with the restraints on the table. “Tyler, what the hell are you doing?”

  He stood over me, the basinet next to him, towels at the ready as he shook his head. “I need this, Nova, I thank you for your sacrifice.”

  Then he pressed the tip of the blade to my stomach. I screamed out in pain feeling the tip slide into my flesh. But just as I screamed, the rear door of the kitchen flew open, and our next-door neighbor came running in with a gun. My eyes widened as she fired off two rounds into Tyler, and he fell to the floor with a massive thud. Blood poured out of him from every wound. I peered over my shoulder at the old woman with a gray and purple tinge to her hair. “T-thank y-you.”

  She shook her head. Moving over, she undid the restraints on my wrists as I slowly got up from the table. “Is h-he d-dead?” I asked.

  The woman kneeled to him feeling for his pulse. “He’s alive, dear. Tell me what you want to do?”

  I looked at her with tears in my eyes. The wound on my stomach was only superficial, nothing a quick patch-up wouldn’t fix. “I have to leave. I have to go. He’s just going to keep coming after me… after our baby.”

  The woman peered over to her house. “Do you have anywhere to go? Anyone to take you?”

  I shook my head, a fat tear falling down my cheek. “No one.”

  “I’m not leaving you out there alone. You’re a pregnant seventeen-year-old. I have no one. No kids, no husband. Nothing tying me down. Let me take you wherever you need to go. Plus, I figure when he recovers, your man here will be after me too.”

  I’d seen her a few times. Talked to her over the fence. She was always so nice to me. Right then, she was all I had in the world.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Florence, but we’re gonna have to change that. And yours, too. Go pack, we leave in ten.”

  “Shadow, where did you go just now?” Dash asks, breaking me out of my memory.

  Blinking rapidly to rid the thoughts, I fake a smile. “Sorry, I must be more tired than I thought.”

  He narrows his eyes on me. “Something happened… with Tyler?”

  Tensing all over, I straighten my body defensively. “I don’t want to talk about it, Dash.”

  He raises his hands in surrender. “Okay. I get it. I’ll let it go. Just know when you are ready to talk about it… I’m here.”

  “Your brothers at the club, are they respectful?”

  “Fuck no.” I swallow, disheartened, and he immediately senses my mood shift. “But toward a brother’s woman, fuck yes. Sorry, I should have been clearer.”

  I’m still not sure this is the right path for me. “Dash, I’m gonna be honest. It’s obvious I like you, but with full transparency, I’m scared about the club. You’re just a prospect now. What happens when they promote you? Changing rank is big, and to get a higher rank, what if they make you do things?”

  He scrunches up his face. “What things? You earn your patch… they don’t make you do shit. You have to prove yourself.”

  “What if to prove yourself you have to do things to people you don’t want to do?”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Just promise me you’ll be careful with the club.”

  “This isn’t a choose you or the club thing, is it?”

  Do I want to make him do that?

  Do I think what we have is strong enough for that kind of influence?

  Do I want to be that kind of woman? The kind that will make Dash give up what he’s been working toward for ages?

  No—I don’t.

  “I’m not saying that. I just… want you to be careful. I’ve seen men go down dark and dangerous paths. The road to higher ranks can corrupt even the best of minds.”

  “I hear you.”

  “Anyway, this chat got fucking serious.”

  Dash smiles, but I can tell it’s forced. He’s hiding the fact he’s thinking hard underneath that façade. “So, where do we
go from here?”

  Swallowing hard, I bite my bottom lip. “You still owe me a date.”

  This time, his lips stretch wide, and it isn’t forced. “And nothing will keep me from this one. I promise.”

  Tilting my head, I let out a harrumph. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  He sighs. “I deserve that, but I swear, Shadow, I’m gonna make this up to you.”

  I should tell him about Cruz, I just don’t know how he’s going to take it. I also don’t know how he is with kids, and honestly, Dash is the kind of guy who will want to meet him early on, and I’m not sure if I am okay with that just yet. I want to get to know Dash myself first before I introduce Cruz because the last thing I want is for Cruz to start to depend on someone if that someone is just going to fuck off in the long run.

  I need to protect my son.

  I have to.

  Chapter Eleven

  DASH

  A Few Days Later

  Sitting in my room at my desk, I’m googling shit to do on first dates. The café was good when we weren’t sure what we were, but I know now, and Shadow deserves something better than lunch. I have to do something great to win her trust in me back. The problem is, I have no fucking clue what the hell that something is going to be. The one person I could ask about shit like this is the one person I definitely don’t want to talk to.

  Ivy and I used to be so close, even just as friends before I had to go and develop feelings for her and ruined everything. Now, shit is weird between us. When she enters the room, I tend to walk the other way. It’s a natural reaction. She probably believes it’s because I’m pining for her. I’m not, not at all, but I feel fucking awkward because I had a crush. Now, I don’t know how to tell her it was nothing more than that, and I’m moving on. I don’t want to hurt her by telling her it was all just some infatuation, that honestly, now I’ve had time to process everything, she’s batshit crazy, and there is no way we ever could have worked.

  Don’t get me wrong, she’s a top chick, just not the right woman for me, not now since I have seen the possibility of the woman I could have. Even if Shadow is not fully on board with the club, which is an issue, I will admit because getting my patch is everything I’ve wanted, not only for myself but for the protection of my family. My father’s death is still something I treat as suspicious. There’s no way he would have shot himself in our garage. And quite frankly, the angles don’t make sense. The police ruled it a suicide, but to me, it looked like he was shot in the head at point-blank range. I don’t care what the cops say. Add to the facts my father didn’t own a gun. Yeah, it’s all a little shady.

  All I can do is to hope it doesn’t come down to the club being a deal-breaker for Shadow because I don’t know what I would do. I have no fucking clue where this thing is going with her. I don’t know her well enough, but I really fucking want to. She makes me feel like I’m the king of the fucking world when I am around her. No woman has ever made me feel like that.

  I click on a link to ‘Best Attractions in Tampa’ as my bedroom door flies open. Ominous and Whiskey barge into my room. “Get the fuck up, now!” Whiskey, the club’s Sergeant-At-Arms, demands gruffly.

  I close the lid of my laptop and stand as Ominous grabs my cut, yanking me toward the door so aggressively, I barely keep my footing. “What the hell?”

  “Shut up! Nycto wants a word, and you better not say shit until he’s done reaming you a new one!” Ominous grits through his teeth.

  Anxiety runs through my veins as Ominous shoves me down the hall. I stumble over my feet as Whiskey manhandles me too. “What in the fucking hell did I do this time?”

  “What did we say about shutting the fuck up, prospect?” Whiskey grabs me, yanking me around the bend into the main room where the entire club is standing, including Ivy, wearing her prospect cut, all looking forlorn as Nycto and Void stand with a chair in the middle of the room like they’re waiting for me.

  “Sit!” Nycto calls out.

  Whiskey shoves me again as everyone stares at me.

  What the ever-loving-fuck?

  Cautiously, I approach the seat, then sit down, my back to my president and VP. My eyes meet Ivy, a slight smirk appearing on her lips.

  What the fuck?

  “Dash, you’ve done a hell of a lot for this club, wouldn’t you say?” Nycto asks.

  “I’ve done what any prospect would do,” I reply cautiously.

  Nycto chuckles. “You’ve been shot while protecting another chapter’s woman, you’ve singlehandedly rescued the VP from a raging inferno, you had the foresight to call for help from our ‘allies’ to get help to save Toxin from the Farm, and you went into battle to save the woman you love, even though she belongs to someone else.”

  Loved? No!

  Infatuation.

  Crush.

  Obsessiveness.

  Past tense, whatever it was.

  But I can’t bring that up in front of everyone and embarrass Ivy.

  I’m not really sure what to say, so I declare, “You’re welcome?”

  Everyone chuckles.

  What in the hell is this all about?

  Nycto rests his hand on my shoulder.I turn to look at it and freeze. Suddenly, it all starts clicking into place. My eyes widen as Void steps in front of me with a wide smile on his face. “Dash, you and me, we haven’t had the best track record. You needed a unanimous vote to get your patch… and someone to mentor you.”

  Well, shit! A unanimous vote.

  There’s no fucking way Void would have agreed to let me into the club.

  They’re here to tell me I’m out.

  Maybe this is a good thing?

  Maybe this will help me with Shadow?

  “I get it. I’ve done a few good things, but I’ve also been an asshole. I understand why you voted me out. I’ll pack my shit and leave.” I go to stand, but Void glowers at me, shoving me back into the seat.

  I raise my brow at him as Nycto hands Void something.

  Void exhales, shaking his head. “You need a mentor, there’s no question about it, so I put my hand up, and I voted yes. Dash… you saved my ass. I might not like you much, but you deserve this.” He opens his hand showing me the club patches, and I widen my eyes seeing my road name for the first time.

  Mixed emotions run through me as everyone cheers. Ivy claps the loudest.

  Void hands them to me. “Dash, you will now be known as Justice. You’re always the one putting yourself in danger for others. Always putting yourself before others. The one fighting for justice in everything you do… it just seems right.”

  This is what I have been working toward.

  Being a part of the club.

  Knowing all these fuckers here have my back and my family’s back.

  But why do I feel like this is a double-edged sword?

  Why do I think this might be the nail in the coffin on my relationship with Shadow?

  I glance up trying to appear happy as a pig in shit. I don’t want to seem ungrateful. I’m not. Just torn. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this, guys!”

  Nycto yanks me up by my cut and spins me around. “Welcome to the club, brother.” He slaps my hand, pulling me into a back-slapping man hug, and I finally feel like maybe I can be accepted here. “Now go and sew on those fucking patches!”

  Everyone cheers as my brothers all give me a slap on the back, one after the other in congratulations. I have to admit, it feels fucking good. The high of it starting to hit me more than the low. I smile as I walk over to the bar. The party starting around me as Stacey slides a small sewing kit across for me, and I dip my head at her. “Thanks, Stace.”

  She beams. “You’re welcome… Justice.”

  That’s gonna take some getting used to.

  “Stace, grab me a beer, will ya?”

  “Sure thing.”

  I get to work on my patches, sewing them all on one by one. I have to admit, it looks fucking good. I slide my cut on with my road name resting ove
r my left pec. Yeah, this feels right. Picking up my beer, I take a drink, then think about Shadow. I just hope she sees the good this will bring to my family. I need to tell her. I just don’t know how, without possibly losing her. The thought sending a deep frown across my face.

  Suddenly, Ivy—or Toxin as she now goes by—slides into the barstool beside me, throwing her arm over my shoulders, pulling me to her in an embrace. “Justice, I’m so fucking proud of you.”

  My eyes shift to her. “Yeah. This patch is all I’ve ever wanted.” My tone is flat as I turn back to my beer.

  Sighing, she drops her arm, signaling to Stacey to bring her a drink. “You okay? Like really okay?”

  I roll my shoulders, not looking at her. “I’ve been spending most of my time at this bar across town to pass the time.” I don’t want to tell Toxin about Shadow so I change tactics. “It’s difficult seeing you with him.” Shit. Difficult wasn’t the right word, I meant awkward, but I can’t change it now that it’s out there.

  She looks like I’ve just killed her puppy. I bet she’s thinking the wrong thing, just because I said the wrong damn word! “I’m sorry, Justice, but I love Void.”

  Fuck it, let’s just roll with this. “I know, anyone can see it. He loves you, too. You’re perfect for each other.” There, now am I off the hook?

  “You’ll find someone, someone who’s much better suited to you than me.”

  My mind rushes to Shadow, and I can’t fight the smile lighting my lips. “Maybe… until then, I’ll keep going to the bar.” To see Shadow, I think the unspoken words.

  Toxin rests her hand over mine. “Don’t drink and drive.”

  “I’m a Royal Bastard, Toxin, it’s what we do.”

  “Be safe, Justice, that’s all I’m asking.”

  She has no say in what I fucking do. You lost that right when you played me for a fucking fool. I stand, downing the rest of my beer. “I’ll catch ya later, Toxin.” I turn, heading for the door to get on my bike. I should be spending the night with my brothers, but all I want is to see Shadow. Jumping on my ride, I pull out of the clubhouse, not caring about speed, helmets, or alcohol limits, and I take off for The Drunken Lime.