Rhino bumped fists with Sledge. “Because when we took out the Rolling Devils, the police had no idea who the hell we were. We became the Kings of Vengeance because the Rolling Devils fucked with Kimber and Quinn.”
Kaye tipped her head to the side. “I feel I might need a little catching up on somethings.”
Quinn laughed. “There’s a whole lot to tell, darlin’.”
I nudged Kaye and shot her a wink. “I’ll get you caught up later, babe.”
“You mean you’re not going to tell me it’s club business?” Kaye laughed.
I shrugged. “I said I would catch you up; I didn’t say I was going to tell you everything.”
A roar of laughter went up from the guys, but Kaye crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.
“Not funny,” she hissed.
“She’s going to fit in just fine with the other girls,” Point replied. “They’re not a fan of club business, either.”
Quinn’s phone dinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Kimber says dinner is here.”
Kaye’s stomach rumbled loudly, and she laid a hand over it. “I told Jax I was hungry two hours ago, but he told me I had to wait,” she complained.
Quinn slammed his hand on the table. “We’re done for today. We halt dealing with the Devil’s Rebels for the time being and focus on getting the strip club done.” Quinn glanced at Kaye. “That’s not gonna get us arrested, is it?” he chuckled.
Kaye shook her head. “You’re all good on that.”
Quinn nodded and everyone moved out of the room.
Kaye grabbed my hand and leaned toward me. “You have no idea how happy I am but also so worried at the same time.”
I pressed a kiss to her lips. “Leave the worrying for another day, babe. Right now, it’s just you and me.”
She smiled wide. “You think we can add a plate of nachos and a beer into that?”
“Anything for you, Kaye.”
Anything at all.
*
Chapter Eighteen
Always changing…
Kaye
Damn if life could change in the blink of an eye. I should have learned that five years ago when Jax was ripped away from me, but I was experiencing it all over again.
Never in a million years would I have pictured myself without a job and being the happiest I had ever been in my life, but here I was.
Three weeks ago, I was a member of the Whitmore PD, and now, I was unemployed and madly in love.
Life sure was a crazy ride.
“Can I have another one?” Fancy called.
Queenie rolled her eyes. “You do know I only have two hands, right?” she called.
“Wow,” Kimber laughed. “Is that what I’m going to sound like after I pop this kid out?”
“A mom?” Queenie asked. “Yes, my tone comes naturally to me now, and sometimes, I scare myself with the things that come out of my mouth.” Queenie handed Lynn, Deedra, and Petra a wine cooler. “And you should have told me you wanted another one before I went back inside.”
Fancy stuck her tongue out at Queenie. “Yes, Mother. I’ll ask before next time.”
Queenie shook her head and reached into the large pocket on the front of her hoodie. “Also, part of being a mom is knowing to be prepared for anything.” She pulled out a wine cooler and tossed it Fancy.
“Can I ask why we need to be sitting out here in the cold when we could be inside?” Petra snuggled under the blanket we were sharing.
Deedra raised her hand. “I will take blame for this,” she laughed. “Point kept telling me we should wait until spring to buy furniture for the back since it’s November, and it’s going to be colder than a witch’s tit for the next five months.” Deedra took a sip of her drink. “I didn’t listen because what fun would that be? I told him a little cold isn’t going to keep us from coming outside.”
Kimber’s teeth chattered, and she held her hand to her mouth to keep it from moving. “It’s not even cold out,” she stammered.
“Maybe we should find some warm drinks to drink out here,” I suggested. “Though all I can think of is hot chocolate.” I wasn’t cold, but a warm drink would be nice.
“Girl,” Robyn called. “Put some cinnamon liquor in it and that will be heaven in a cup.”
Deedra pointed at Robyn. “You’re in charge of drinks for the next patio session. And by in charge I mean you need to text me what I need to buy, and make sure you are specific.”
“Are we really going to have to do this again before spring?” Kimber chattered.
“It’s the principle,” Fancy and Deedra shouted in unison.
“We can’t let these guys think that they are in control,” Deedra stressed. “Next thing you know, they’re gonna tell us everything is club business and we’re not going to know anything.”
“Well, I totally get it, but the next time we take a stand because of principle, do you think we could do it someplace warmer?” Lynn laughed. “I’m pretty sure I just saw a snowflake.”
“I did, too,” Queenie gasped. She lifted her hand in the air and tried to catch the flake. “I can’t wait for Gunner to be big enough to play in the snow.”
“I think you’re gonna have to wait until next winter,” Petra replied. “Though that doesn’t mean we can’t buy him cute snow pants and little hats now.”
Kimber jumped up from her chair. “That’s it! I can’t do this any longer. I’m pretty sure my tits are about to freeze off, and I need my tits if I’m going to feed my baby.”
“You could bottle feed,” Fancy suggested. “That way I could feed the heir to give you a break.”
“Heir?” Robyn laughed. “What in the hell are you guys talking about?”
Lynn patted Robyn on the arm. “Kimber thinks her baby is the heir to Whitmore.”
Robyn pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side. “You do know that we live in America, right? We don’t do the whole King and Queen thing here.”
Kimber flitted her hand. “I know, I know. I’ve come to realize he’s just going to be the heir to the Kings of Vengeance, and that’s pretty bad ass, too.”
“I bet things are really interesting inside your head, huh?” Robyn asked Kimber. “Like, really interesting.”
Kimber shrugged. “I mean, I don’t get bored easily.” She draped her blanket over her shoulders and wrapped it around her body. “I’m going in. I’ll be inside but just know I’m out here in spirit.” Kimber shuffled across the patio and into the clubhouse.
“How much longer do we have to stay out here?” Lynn asked. “I’m all for taking a stand, but I can’t feel my toes.”
“Fine,” Deedra shouted. “We can go inside, but next time, I am giving you guys notice that we are going to be outside on the patio, and you better dress accordingly,” she advised.
We gathered our blankets and bottles and filed back into the clubhouse.
“I win!” Rhino shouted. “I said they wouldn’t be out there for more than twenty minutes, and it has been eighteen minutes and seventeen seconds.”
“Nope!” Dyno protested. “I said no more than nineteen minutes, so that means I am the winner.” Dyno bumped his fists with Quinn and puffed out his chest. “You chicks ain’t made for the cold weather.”
Fancy wadded up her blanket and tossed it in Dyno’s face. “You know, I have to say that your handsome face has saved you from many fights with me. I’m going to need you to put that blanket over your face, so I have an easier time yelling at you later.”
“What?” Dyno called. “I didn’t say anything bad. And I don’t think you really struggle with yelling and being mad at me.”
Fancy rolled her eyes. “I can’t with you sometimes,” she muttered.
“Hey.” Jax moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You cold?”
I surprisingly wasn’t. I could have sat out there longer, but I didn’t want to be the one to make everyone sit out there. I shook my head. “I’m pretty toasty.”
&nbs
p; Jax pressed a kiss to my neck and whispered, “Come with me.” He grabbed my hand and led me back out the patio door. “Sit here and I’ll be right back.” He pointed to the chair closest to the patio door.
“You bring me out here and then you leave me?” I laughed. I plopped down in the chair and draped my blanket over my lap.
“I promise this will all make sense soon.” Jax slipped back into the clubhouse and closed the door behind him.
I tipped my head back and looked into the sky. Light flurries were gently falling, and the moon was full. The sky was filled with stars, and the night was calm if eight women weren’t out here drinking wine coolers and having a good time.
Five minutes later, Jax walked back out with a tray in his hands and a smile on his lips. “I hope I wasn’t gone too long.” He set the tray on the patio table and sat next to me.
“What’s on the tray?” I asked.
“I thought we could fire up the gas fireplace and have some dessert.”
“Oh really,” I laughed. Now that sounded like an amazing way to end the night. “Good thing I saved room.”
Jax worked on starting the fireplace, and I moved closer to the tray he had set down. “S’mores?” I draped my blanket around my shoulders and glanced over at him.
Jax nodded and lit the fireplace. “I know it’s not exactly ideal, but we had everything in the kitchen.”
I grabbed a marshmallow from the bag and popped it into my mouth. I was more than okay with an ooey gooey s’more to eat while I enjoyed the first flurries of winter.
“You think the snow will stick?” I mused.
Jax grabbed two chairs and moved them close to the fire. He held out his hand to me, and I put my hand in his. He pulled me to his chest and pressed a kiss to my lips. “You taste like marshmallow,” he whispered.
I smiled coyly. “I might have gotten hungry while you worked on the fire.”
“It took me thirty seconds to light the fire,” Jax laughed.
“Too long.”
He pressed another kiss to my lips. “Just one more thing. Stay right here.”
“At least you’re leaving me with food if you’re gone too long.”
Jax chuckled and moved back to the table. He pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped a couple of times. “You remember there was a song I heard in prison that reminded me of you?” he asked.
I tipped my head to the side. “Was that the night I arrested you for stalking Steph?”
Jac chuckled. “That would be the night in question.”
“Are you going to play the song?” I asked.
Jax nodded. “I sure am.”
Two seconds later, soft music played from the table. He turned it up a bit and then started the song again.
He walked back over to me and held out his hand. “Will you dance with me?”
“The shit brick house wants to dance?” I laughed. Jax was never going to escape that hilarious misspoken description. I placed my hand in Jax’s, and he stepped toward me.
“Only with you, babe.” Jax swayed back and forth and turned us in a slow circle.
I listened to the lyrics of the song and sighed. “This song made you think of me?” I asked.
Jax pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “Every time I heard it. I told myself if I ever got the chance to be back here with you, I would play it for you.”
I had never heard the song before, but it was saying everything I knew that Jax felt. “What song is this?” I whispered.
“‘Sorry’ by Art of Dying.”
The song talked about being sorry for leaving and how things would never be the same. It hit so close to home.
“It’s true we can’t change it, Jax.” I tipped my head back, and my eyes connected with his. “But I don’t want to. I don’t want anything to change with us.”
“I would take back the past five years in an instant, Kaye. I hurt you so much, and it was all for nothing in the end.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You did it to save your brother. You gave him the gift of starting a new life.”
Jax’s eyes dropped to the ground, and we continued to slowly dance. “Things didn’t work out as well as you think, Kaye.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
He sighed. “This was supposed to be a romantic moment and then you have to bring up Dom.”
I laughed. “Well, I have to assume that you loved your brother since you gave up so much for him.”
Jax nodded. “I did love him.” He blew out a breath and frowned. “About two years into my sentence I got word that Dom died.”
“No,” I gasped. “How?”
“Well, with that new start I gave him, he moved to West Virginia and just kept making shit decisions. His last one was to drink an eighteen pack of beer and drive his truck into a ditch and die.”
“Holy crap,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry, Jax.” I couldn’t even wrap my head about what Jax felt then or was feeling now. He gave five years of his life for his brother to start over, and he still wound up dying.
“Nothing to be sorry about, babe. But you can see why I would take back covering for my brother with all his bullshit. It didn’t help in the long run.”
I reached up and caressed his cheek. “You can’t look at it that way, Jax. You did the thing you thought was right, and I know even though you would know how it would end, you would do it again.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips. “You know me better than I know myself, Kaye.”
I smiled softly. “I can say the same thing about you. You know what I’m feeling and thinking before even I do.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing we found each other again, huh?”
“Looking back now, I waited for you, Jax. Deep down, I knew that there wasn’t anyone else meant for me besides you. I loved you then, and I still love you now.”
“Never stopped?” he asked.
I held up my finger and thumb an inch apart from each other. “I mean, I might have taken a hiatus for a brief moment, but in the end, I knew it was going to be you or no one.”
“I’ll take that,” he whispered. “I took a hiatus from loving me, too. I tortured myself for days upon days by telling myself I was stupid and deserved everything I got.”
“Let’s change this up a little bit.” I didn’t want to live in the past and stew in the memories of hate and anger. “What was one thing that you thought about that wasn’t me?” I had to say not me because I knew I was going to be the first thing he said.
“Blacktop freedom, babe. I missed being able to just get on bike and drive anywhere for however long I wanted. I missed that almost as much as I missed you.”
I smiled softly. “I missed that, too. I love riding on the back of your bike more than riding in a car.”
“Same.”
“Too bad it’s November and we’re going to have to wait until Spring to go for another ride.”
Jax shook his head. “We’re not gonna have to wait that long. If there isn’t snow or ice on the roads and it’s above freezing, we can sneak in a few more rides this year.”
“And freeze our asses off?” I laughed. I did truly love riding on the back of Jax’s bike, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to get frost bite. “I think I might need to invest in some of those heating pads and a good pair of chaps.”
“I’ll order them as soon as we get back to my room,” he promised.
“Oh, my God, you have stuff for s’mores!”
Jax grunted and lifted his head. “I told Quinn that we had the patio.”
“Ha!” Kimber called. “I’m a pregnant woman who has the nose of a bloodhound when it comes to chocolate.”
All the girls piled back onto the patio and even some of the guys followed.
“Well,” Jax laughed. “There goes my romantic evening.”
I rocked up on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “It was romantic while it lasted.”
“I love you, Kaye. I never stopped.”
; I closed my eyes and sighed. “And neither did I, Jax. It was always you.”
He wrapped his arms tightly around me, but someone bumped me from behind.
“Whoops, sorry girl. Mama needs a s’more, stat,” Kimber laughed. She sidestepped over to the fireplace and held her stick with two marshmallows on the end over the flame. “Can you get me a graham cracker and two hunks of chocolate?” she asked.
“We have the rest of our lives to be romantic,” I reminded Jax. I pulled out of his arms, but he threaded his fingers through mine and dragged me back in for a quick kiss.
“I won’t accept anything less than forever, Kaye.”
My eyes connected with his. “You had me for forever five years ago, Jax, and that’s still true today.”
“Blacktop freedom and you were all I wanted, Kaye, and that is exactly what I got,” Jax confessed.
“And no one is ever going to take them away from you again. I’m yours.”
*
Chapter Nineteen
Betrayal…
Brick
“When I find him, I’m gonna fucking kill him,” Dyno boomed.
“What in the hell is going on?” I asked. I had just walked into the strip club to help with painting, and Dyno was on a tear about something. It really wasn’t that much different than most days, though.
“Fucking Core is what is going on,” Dyno screamed.
“Did he forget to charge the screw gun again?” Sledge joked.
“It’s worse than that,” Dyno confessed. “I asked him to lock up the fucking front door when he left and when I came in today the fucking thing was wide open.”
“Oh fuck,” I groaned.
“That’s not even all of it,” Dyno grunted. “I don’t even know if he charged the screw gun because all of the fucking power tools are gone. Not a single motherfucking one is here.” Dyno screamed and threw his phone against the wall. “It’s all gone!”
Zephyr jogged down the steps and shook his head. “Nothing up there.”
“Not a damn thing down here,” Rhino called from the basement. Rhino climbed the basement stairs and stood next to me. “It is fucking all gone,” he whispered. “All of it,” he repeated.
Blacktop Freedom (Kings of Vengeance MC Book 7) Page 13