by E. C. Land
I didn’t have a fancy phone with all the bells and whistles. No, I had a simple phone I’d gotten from the store because I didn’t want to spend money on anything unnecessary. I work off of my computer and this makes it easy for me to be able to take care of Lincoln and not send him to daycare. It also allows me in moments like this to leave without delay.
I park my car and turn the engine off. I let out a sigh of relief at the thought of getting out of the car for the remainder of the evening. A part of me wants to keep going, there’s only so far left to go. Turning in my seat, I notice Lincoln is passed out.
Great. I hate to have to wake him up.
If you keep going you could go ahead and get the rest of it over with. Find a motel there, sleep and then go see him.
Or you could show up at Whip’s tonight in the hopes of him being home and help you find Isaac tonight.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.
What am I doing?
I don’t even know if it’s the right thing or not.
I wrote Isaac multiple letters when he’d been deployed, all of them letting him know about his son. He didn’t even respond to them. Isaac has to know he has a son.
Right?
Holding the pen in my mouth, I think of what to tell Isaac. I’ve been sending him a letter each week to tell him how things are going with the progress of Emilia’s pregnancy. How she seems to be taking to the whole thought of being a mother.
You would think she’s expecting Isaac to come home from deployment all happy to be a dad. But when I ask her if she’s spoken to him or written to him, she shakes her head in denial. A flash of something in her eyes tells me she’s lying. Either way, I’m not sure. All I know is if I write him, I at least know he’ll be aware of his child.
Lincoln was born nearly a month ago and Emilia has been in a depressive state, but I’ve heard this is normal.
Glancing down at the paper, I decide to just tell him the truth and let this be the last letter I send him. It’s clear he doesn’t want to be a part of Lincoln’s life but I’ll know I tried.
Isaac,
I hope this finds you well. I’m sorry about all the letters over the past months. I wanted to make sure you knew of the child Emilia carried. He was born the other week and he’s the most beautiful little boy there is.
His name is Lincoln Isaac Dawson. Yes, she’s given him your last name. Said it was only suiting, whatever that means.
Anyway, I won’t bother you anymore after this. It’s clear you don’t want anything to do with any of us. I’m sorry I’ve bothered you with all the letters. I couldn’t not tell you though. You deserve to know about Lincoln, same as you deserve happiness.
Emilia might not have been the one for you and I get it. She’s a wild child needing to spread her wings. I guess you could say. You need someone who’s always going to be there for you and I give you my word now, I’ll keep Lincoln safe.
Good luck in life, Isaac.
With all my love,
Amaya
Putting the pen down, I grab the pictures and fold the letter before I decide to rip it up and start over. I put everything in the envelope and seal it. I address it the same as I have each time and head to the post office. I need to get this done and over with before I change my mind.
That day was the last time I reached out to Isaac. Over the years, I’ve thought I should have tried harder. I don’t know but now we’re so close.
Opening my eyes I make the decision. We can’t stop here.
Not when we’re so close to him. I need to make it the rest of the way without waiting. When I get there, I can decide on waiting until tomorrow or going tonight.
If I were smart, I’d run but I can’t. This is about Lincoln and Isaac deserves to have his son with him.
Chapter Four
Venom
It’s been one fuckin’ long ass day.
By the time we pull up at the clubhouse, it’s dark. I back the truck up to the garage doors to where we keep our shit stored. Putting the gears in park, I shut the engine off and hop out. The prospects can unload the shit and store it for us.
I need a fuckin’ beer and to find one of the clubwhores to suck my dick or something.
Last night I’d been haunted by dreams of not only Terson’s face, after getting the news about him, but also of a dark-haired beauty who always tried to stick to the background. Why, after years of not thinking about her, am I conjuring her in my dreams? I barely ever talked to the woman, but yet there she was popping in where she wasn’t wanted.
This all has to do with the fuckin’ phone calls I keep getting. They’re getting out of hand. First, she’d been calling once every two weeks then it escalated to weekly now it’s fuckin’ daily. I need to get Nerd to block the bitch’s number.
“You good, brother?” Whip asks, joining me as I walk toward the clubhouse. Between him and Coyote, we’d all gone on this run. Coyote hightailed it home to his boys and woman after we’d gotten back to town, knowing we’d be good when we got closer to the clubhouse.
After the shit with Chigger going down, things seem to settle slightly, but we know it’s not over. Not by a long shot.
With the men who Chigger called the Elite, we don’t know who they are, but from what Nerd found, they’re not call the Elite, as the asshole said. No, these men are far more powerful. The information Nerd found with the help of Gadget, Keys, and Cy, the four of them found out those men were actually called the Supreme Masters. There’re no names mentioned in the files they were able to find, but with the help of Whip’s sister, they were able to confirm one thing. These are the men and women that are the backbone to what that Rivas bitch has been doing.
Right now, there’s not much we can do about it.
“I’m good,” I mutter and open the door to the clubhouse.
Music is playing but not too loudly. In the corner, some of the ol’ ladies are sitting amongst themselves. Harley sees me and lifts her hands and waves. Since claiming her as my little sister, she’s helped thaw out a part of my heart that had been hardened.
With a grin, I give her a chin lift and head to the bar. Aries places a beer on the bar top for me before I even sit down. He’d been wounded when we’d been ambushed and he’s finally getting back to his old self along with Cyprus.
I grab the beer and lift it to my lips. I turn around and face the room finding Lips eying me with her bottom lip pulled in between her teeth. I normally steer clear of her since she’s one to try and cling to me, but I gotta admit she didn’t get her name for nothing. She’s good with those lips of hers. However, tonight I don’t give a fuck.
I motion for her to come to me and when she does, I grab her hand and take her down one of the hallways, I’m not about to take her to my room. Fuck that and with Harley here, I’m not about to let her suck my dick in the main room.
Leaning against the wall, I sip my beer and signal for Lips to get on her knees. I pull my dick out and she immediately latches on to it. I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of the warmth of her mouth suckin’ me off. With my free hand I grip her hair and start to fuck her mouth. The quicker I get my rocks off the faster I can get out of here.
I can feel myself getting there when all of a sudden Amaya pops into my head. No longer is it Lips sucking my dick into her mouth, it’s the shy, sweet woman who I shouldn’t be thinking of.
Fuck.
I open my eyes and stare down seeing it’s Lips’ mouth. Cum spurts out the tip of my dick and I’m done.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Pulling myself out of Lips’ mouth, I shove my now somewhat sated dick away. I’m not about to fuck the woman like she wants me to.
“Appreciated,” I grunt and at least help her up off the floor. I’m not a complete asshole. Releasing my grasp around her arm, I step away.
“Aren’t you going to take me to your room?” Lips purrs.
“Nope, got what I needed,” I mutter.
“But, Venom, I’m al
l wet from having your dick in my mouth,” she whines.
“Not gonna happen, go find someone else to fuck you,” I say and walk away, not giving her a chance to utter another word.
Heading for the door, I decide to go home, take a shower, and crash for the night.
Making it home, I head straight to my room and shower. Whip and I decided we’d rent this place rather than buy our own places, so when we found this house we both agreed it was what we needed. The house was three bedrooms and two of them were master size with their own bathroom.
Stripping out of my clothes, I step into the shower and turn the water on. The coldness of it doesn’t bother me when it first hits. I stand under the spray allowing the water to rain down on my skin as it heats up.
The ringing of my phone distracts me but I ignore it. I’ll check to see who it is when I get out.
I take my time and try to block out thoughts of everything needing a break from it all.
Sighing, I shut the water off, reach out, and grab a towel. I dry off and step out of the shower. I grab my phone off the counter and head to my room. I light up the screen to find I’d missed a call from my sergeant.
Shit.
He must be calling with details on the funeral for Terson.
Touching the call symbol, I put the phone to my ear while I grab a pair of sweatpants out of my dresser.
“Dawson,” he says soon as he answers.
“Sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to miss your call. Everything okay?” I say, showing the man the respect he deserves.
“I wish it were, Dawson,” he mutters. “I’m sorry to have to call you and tell you but there’s been another murder. Lanston was found dead in his bed this morning.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Jennings goes on to tell me the details of what the police have informed him of. According to them he’d been found in the same position as Terson. They still needed to check for anything in his system but he’d gone out last night to a bar. They said he’d been approached by several women and a man had even sat near him and chatted for a minute. Due to the grainy security feed, they couldn’t make out the description of any of the women or the man he’d spoken to.
Lanston left alone and they’d found forced entry into his apartment. Whoever killed him left a bloody handprint behind on the sheets next to him. The killer had to have been on top of him from the position of the print.
At this point, the detective has asked that anyone in the unit be on the lookout. With it being two of the men who’d been killed they wanted us all to take caution.
I agree with the sergeant and let him know I’ll inform the rest of the men here. My head is swirling with this news. What the hell is going on?
First, Terson, who’d lost his wife in a car accident, now Lanston. This shit is fucked. Someone needs to call his ex-girlfriend and let her know. She deserves to know even if they’d broken up. They’d been together since high school. Last time I spoke to him he’d been devastated over the fact she’d broken up with him the night he intended to propose. Claimed he’d cheated on her and had the proof of him screwing another woman.
Shaking my head, I shoot a text to Whip telling him to get his ass home and then I call K-9. I’ll inform him of the news and let him break it down for the others.
This shit needs to end.
Chapter Five
Venom
Leaving my room after calling K-9 to inform him of what Jennings had told me, I head into the kitchen. I reach into the cabinet and grab a bottle of Jack and another of Jim. Whip’s gonna need it. I’ll give him the choice and then take the other one.
With bottles in hand, I make my way to the living room and throw myself onto the couch. This room here is another reason the two of us were sold on this place so much. The living room is big enough we could fit a big enough sectional for us both to be comfortable. I lean forward and put the liquor bottles on the coffee table and sit back and wait for him to get here.
Whip responded immediately to the text I’d sent him. Doesn’t take long to get here from the clubhouse. It’s only about a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive.
I close my eyes and listen to the silence of the room, trying not to let the shit from tonight get to me. It’s bad enough I dream about the shit at night, I don’t need it to happen now.
The roar of Whip’s Harley can be heard as he turns on our road. I wait until I hear him pull into the driveway and then the silence. Opening my eyes, I sit forward and grab both bottles between the fingers of one hand and hold them in the air for when he comes in through the door.
“What’s going on?” he demands, entering the living room.
“Pick one,” I mutter.
Whip steps forward and grabs the bottle of Jim. Figured as much.
“Gotta tell you something,” I announce while opening the bottle in my own hand.
I wait for Whip to chug a good amount of the liquor down and then inform him of what Jennings called to tell me about Lanston. I go over the details of the information.
“Who the fuck could have killed both him and Terson?” Whip snarls. “Do they even have any leads?”
“I don’t know, brother,” I mutter, taking a gulp of Jack.
The two of us sit together in silence, letting it sink in we’ve lost yet another brother.
My question is why?
Why them? They had family. Lanston wanted to find a way to fix shit with his girlfriend. Terson loved his wife and never turned his eye away from her. They were together for years. Same as Lanston. I don’t understand how someone could come in and destroy the happiness that those two shared with their women.
Something’s not adding up here and I want to know what it is.
Whip sighs, leans forward, and puts his bottle down on the coffee table. “We can’t sit here and get shit-faced.”
“I know.” I nod in agreement.
“You call K-9 and Red?” he asks me.
“Called K-9,” I mutter and lift the bottle to my mouth for one last swig of the whiskey. Normally, I’m a bourbon man. “He said he’d tell everyone else.”
“I’m thinking we should start a collection for Terson’s little girl. Lanston didn’t have kids but Terson’s daughter doesn’t have anyone,” Whip grumbles.
“She’s got her grandparents,” I state.
“You know it’s not the same, brother, yeah her grandparents love her but they’re not her parents. They won’t be able to help her do the things her parents did. They’re a lot older and can’t get around as easily as most people.” I can see where he’s going with this and he’s right.
“We’ll talk to Stoney tomorrow. See if we can’t do something. Maybe see if the other charters could contribute to the collection,” I mutter in agreement.
“Yeah.” He nods and lifts his bottle up off the coffee table. Whip lifts it in the air, “To Terson and Lanston,” he mutters and takes a long sip.
I lift my own bottle in the air. “To Terson and Lanston.” I follow suit.
Whip clears his throat and meets my gaze. “Changing the subject, you wanna tell me what you did to Lips to piss her off.”
Grinning, I shake my head. “She’s pissed I wouldn’t fuck her after I had her suck me off in the hallway.”
“Fucker. She’d been pissed when you left. Evidently, she’d told a few of the other clubwhores she intended to get you to fuck her throughout the rest of the night,” Whip chuckles.
“Bitch was definitely wrong about that. I fucked her mouth then dipped out of there. Fuckin’ exhausted and didn’t feel like dealing with bitches trying to get in my room,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. I’m glad for the change in topic but the air in the room is still filled with the tension of what we’re both feeling right now, at the loss of not just one brother but two.
“I don’t blame you. I’d been about to take Brandy back to my room for a quick fuck when I got your text. Guess you saved me from having to kick her ass out of my bed,” he mutters and shakes his head.
&
nbsp; “You’re welcome?” I grunt in question rather than response.
Whip goes to say something when there’s a knock at the door. My phone rings at the same time. Pulling out my phone from my pocket, I glance at the screen and shake my head, hitting the ignore button. She won’t fuckin’ quit.
“I’ll get it,” I say, standing to my feet.
Nodding, Whip grabs the remote for the TV and hits the button to turn the thing on. Immediately the room is filled with the sounds of the movie it was playing. Walking to the front door, I don’t bother looking out the side window to see who it is. I open the door and come face to face with the woman who I envisioned not even two hours ago giving me head.
Amaya.
The kicker of it all is she’s holding the hand of a little boy who is the spitting image of myself when I was a kid.
Oh fuck.
Chapter Six
Amaya
After deciding to drive the rest of the way to the town Isaac lives in, I figure I might as well go straight to Whip’s to see if he can help me find Isaac. The entire time the last bit of the journey, I gave myself a pep talk.
I can do this.
I can face the man I haven’t seen in years.
I can inform him of his son who I think he should know.
I can even speak to him without feeling like a bumbling idiot.
Hopefully, I can do all of this without him freaking out on me.
I’m not ashamed of being scared out of my mind right about now.
This is Isaac we’re talking about. The very man I’ve only been in love with since the first time I saw him come into a bar Emilia and I were at.