Temper

by Chantal Fernando

  “Oversharing is a thing,” I say to him.

  “Don’t you have Temper’s name saved in your phone as Daddy Temper?” Skylar reminds me, laughing out loud.

  Crow winks. “See, hot.”

  “Thanks for that, Skylar,” I say, trying to keep a straight face. “No, really, thank you.”

  “What are friends for?” she replies, smirking. “But seriously, though, I don’t think Grayson’s someone you want on your bad side—he’s clearly a master liar and actor. I like to think I’m a good judge of character, and he had me fooled. That being said, just because he lied to me doesn’t mean I have anything against the guy. He never treated me badly and I don’t really see how him lying to me all these years really hurt me in the long run. I just think you should be careful.”

  “Yeah,” I say, and I can tell Skylar sees the trepidation in my eyes.

  “If it makes you feel better, I saw the way he looked at you, and I think he truly does care about you.”

  I nod. “I don’t feel like he has ill intentions toward me. I don’t think he’ll intentionally harm me.”

  “Then give him a real chance,” she suggests, tapping her index finger on her chin. “I think you’ll gain something from him. He’s not ideal father material, but hey, who are we to judge?”

  I smile and duck my head, because she’s right.

  At the end of the day, he’s still my father, and that means something to me.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Why the hell is there a million packages here?” I ask, stepping around them as I get home from my first shift at the Grapevine.

  “The girls’ online shopping orders arrived,” Chains says, studying the boxes. “What the hell did they buy? An entire store?”

  “It sure looks that way,” I say, walking to the kitchen. “Where’s Temper?”

  “He got a call and left,” Chains says, following me.

  “How was work?” Crow asks when he spots me. “You finished early?”

  “Yeah, we were overstaffed, so they said I could leave early,” I explain, jumping up on the countertop. “I saw your girlfriend there again tonight, too.”

  “Who?” Chains asks, smirking at Crow. “You have a girlfriend?”

  “She’s being sarcastic. It’s just some chick who thinks I have beer-flavored come or something. I don’t know, she’s been trying to sleep with me ever since I was dating Aisha, and it’s her friend.”

  “She’s a Stage Five clinger,” I admit to Chains. “How about you? How’s your love life going these days?”

  After spending more time with Chains, he’s started opening up a bit. He’s a very blunt, forward person, and he doesn’t really follow social cues like a normal person would. Once you get to know him, though, he’s actually a good guy. He just hides it well.

  “Nonexistent. I like sex, but I don’t know if it’s worth the pillow talk and hugging they want from me afterward,” he says, shrugging.

  “Savage,” I whisper, wrinkling my nose. “My sister Ivy is coming for a visit next week. Neither of you look at her, please and thank you.”

  “Why would you do that?” Crow asks, shaking his head and groaning, tapping his hand to his forehead. “Did you just make her forbidden?”

  “No.”

  “Yes, you did. You told me to stay away from her, which made her forbidden, which made me interested,” the bastard says.

  I pick up an apple from the fruit bowl and throw it at him, but he ducks. “I’ll kill you. Are you saying if I didn’t warn you off her then you wouldn’t have been interested? Because she’s a stunning girl, way prettier than me.”

  “I don’t know, maybe, but the fact that you made her forbidden...” He makes a growling sound.

  I throw a banana at him, and it hits him in the face.

  “I won’t be the only one getting a banana in my face soon—”

  I throw a pineapple at him this time, and I aim lower.

  His scream is so worth it.

  “Say forbidden one more time and next time it’s going to be a watermelon,” I threaten.

  “I didn’t realize you were so violent,” he says from the floor, cupping his nuts.

  “Really? She shot Georgia in the foot,” Chains reminds him, then picks up the banana from the floor and starts eating it.

  “Hey,” I say when Temper appears. “Where did you go?”

  “Your father just called,” he admits, coming to the counter and standing between my legs.

  “Why would he call you?” I ask, frowning. “Is he okay? Did something happen?”

  “No, nothing happened, to him anyway. He asked me to open the gate to let him in.”

  “He’s here?” I ask, brow furrowing. He lifts me off the table and I follow him to the front door.

  “Yeah, said he has something to tell us.”

  I’m confused, but curious. Temper said nothing is wrong, but it’s not like Grayson just drops into the clubhouse to have coffee.

  I stand at the open door while Temper opens the gate, Grayson’s BMW parking amongst the Knights’ motorcycles and cars. When he gets out, he looks so out of place here, dressed in a sharp black suit.

  “Hey,” I say as he approaches. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  “A place I never thought I’d be,” he admits. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

  I nod, and lead him through the house and out the back door, Temper close behind us. As we all sit outside, I ask him if he wants a beer.

  “No thank you,” he replies, eyes softening. “I was wondering if you could tell Skylar to come here, because she needs to be here to hear this.”

  “Of course,” I say, and send her a quick message. As far as I know, she’s here and in her room, but a text is still the quickest way to contact anyone in this place. She replies that she will be out in a second.

  If Skylar needs to be here, I can think of only one person who ties us all together.

  “Is this about Georgia? Did she say something else about me? Is she going to come into work and fly kick me or something?”

  “There will be no fly kicking,” he replies in low, serious tone.

  Skylar opens the sliding door and sticks her head outside. “Hey, is everything okay?” Her eyes widen when she sees Grayson sitting there. “Hello, there’s a face I didn’t expect to see.”

  “Hello, Skylar,” Grayson replies.

  I pull out the chair next to me, and she drops into it, a concerned expression on her face. “Okay, you guys are scaring me now. What has happened?”

  “It’s your mom,” he says before clearing his throat. “She’s dead.”

  Everything and everyone goes silent.

  Skylar wraps her arms around herself, brows drawing together. “How?”

  I’m wondering the exact same thing. I look at Temper, whose expression is blank, his eyes already on me, watching me.

  Grayson said he would take care of things for me.

  He wouldn’t have, would he?

  “Car crash,” Grayson says, reaching out and touching Skylar’s shoulder. “They found her body this morning near her hotel. She must have been driving home from somewhere.”

  I don’t know what to say right now. I mean, I’m not sad by any means. This woman was a threat to everything that I love.

  “Are you okay?” I ask Skylar, wrapping my arm around her and offering my support. I can’t imagine how she’s feeling.

  “I will be,” she replies with a sad smile.

  I’m still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, and Georgia isn’t even my mother. This woman was quite the enigma, and nobody could bring her down because of who she was, but now she simply dies in a car crash?

  “I don’t even know what to say.” She sighs, rubbing her face. “Was it really an accident?”

  She’s as
king Grayson what I want to know but didn’t want to ask in front of her.

  Grayson nods, but I notice that he doesn’t look at her. “The cops said there was something wrong with her brakes.”

  “I see. I think I’m in shock,” she whispers, rubbing her eyes, and takes a deep breath. Her hands are shaking a little, and I hate to see her like this. I send Saint a message to tell him what’s happened and that Skylar needs him right now.

  “I know she was horrible to me,” she continues, as if she feels like she has to explain her grief. Her eyes start to tear up, but she blinks away the pain, composing herself.

  “You’re allowed to feel however you want,” I assure her, stroking her back. “You don’t have to justify anything, Skylar. We’re here for you, and there’s no judgment there, okay? We love you. And we will all help you get through this.”

  She nods and gives me a small, grateful smile. Her eyes are full of pain, confusion and regret. Even in her death, Georgia messes with her daughter’s head. “I know. Thank you for coming here and telling me, Neville. I mean...Grayson.”

  “Of course,” he replies, sounding defeated.

  Georgia was evil, cruel and psychotic, but she raised a compassionate, strong daughter, and for that the world can be thankful. And at the end of the day Skylar only had one mother, and even if she didn’t turn out how anyone had wished, I think she’ll always mourn the loss of her.

  “At least we don’t have to worry anymore,” Skylar says, smiling sadly. “Everyone I love is safer now, and I’m so sorry you all had to deal with everything she put us through.”

  “You never did anything wrong,” Grayson says. “You have nothing to apologize for. If anything I should be saying sorry to you, for not stepping in earlier.”

  Skylar ducks her head. “You were always kind to me. No one could save me from her. She was my mother.”

  “I should have tried,” Grayson whispers, looking away.

  Swallowing hard, I take a deep breath and reach for Skylar’s hand. “You’re going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay now.”

  Saint arrives, swooping in and taking Skylar away. I know that she’s going to need his comfort, and we can’t imagine how difficult and confusing this moment must be for her. No one cares that Georgia’s dead, but we care about Skylar, and what she’s feeling right now. But we’re going to be here for her, like we always have, like her mother never was.

  Some families are made from blood, and some are created by loyalty.

  Some of us are lucky enough to have both, and if you do, then you’re truly blessed.

  * * *

  “It’s weird having you in here,” I admit to my father, giving him a hug. A few beers later, and we’re all sitting around still discussing everything that has happened. “How are you feeling?”

  It has to be a bittersweet feeling for him. He was married to this woman, and loved her, even if it was in some twisted way.

  And now, because of me, he could have had his hand in killing her.

  He sighs before answering. “I’m okay, don’t you worry about me. At least I know that you’re safe now.”

  There’s pain in his eyes, and he can’t hide that from me.

  “I’m sorry,” I say quietly, so that the others can’t hear. He’s putting me first, like a father should do, and I’m grateful for that. I still don’t like seeing him hurt, though.

  “So what really happened?” I ask, not buying the whole faulty brakes thing.

  “Her car crashed into a tree,” Grayson says, giving nothing away in those familiar eyes. “She was the only passenger. The hotel manager found her and called the cops. She must have been speeding, or drunk or something.”

  “Okay,” I say with narrowed eyes, not sure what to believe. “So she’s really gone, huh?”

  Grayson nods, glances up at the sky, and then takes a deep drink of his beer.

  The witch is dead.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  “So, I’m throwing a poker fund-raiser for the children’s hospital, and you’re invited,” I say to Grayson, over our usual weekly coffee. Our relationship has been growing. We started seeing each other sporadically, but after getting to know him more, I realized that he’s a genuinely fascinating guy. So we began to make weekly coffee dates where he’d tell me something about himself and I’d tell him about something from my life. Something he missed out on. And now I’m at the point where I feel comfortable enough to allow him to be more involved in my life than just over a cappuccino.

  “I’ll be there,” he says, studying me. “You starting to run the place, huh?”

  “I’m not running anything,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “But as Temper’s girlfriend, I don’t want to be sitting there and doing nothing. I have a role and things I can be doing to help the club. I want to give back to the community, and maybe change some people’s minds about us.”

  It’s hard being the newest to the group and standing next to their leader and being his old lady, but I’m trying my best. I think the fund-raiser will be a success, and slowly I can start doing more and more things for the club and taking on that role.

  “If anyone can do that, it’s you,” he says, smiling, amber eyes on me.

  I never asked him what hand he played with Georgia’s death, and he’s never brought it up. But I have to wonder if...no, I won’t let myself go there.

  All I know is that without her around, I feel safer, and less on edge, and even Skylar seems like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

  Three Months After That

  “How was your first day?” Temper asks me, standing by his bike, looking sexy as hell in light jeans and a dark top. Everyone on campus is looking at us, not that I care, but this man always knows how to make an entrance.

  “It was great, even better now that you’re here,” I say, kiss him and climb on the back of his bike.

  Words can’t express how happy I am to be back on track with following my dreams. I’ve taken on fewer shifts at the Grapevine so I can concentrate on my studies, spend time with Temper and the MC, and also get to know my father.

  I’ve decided I want to be the best lawyer in the city. I can picture it now. Me in a white suit, Temper at my side, dressed in black leather, opposites, somehow balancing each other out. The Knights breaking the law and me protecting them. I laugh to myself at the thought.

  Instead of riding straight home, Temper takes me to a restaurant near the beach and tells me he has a surprise for me.

  Always with the surprises.

  After we finish our meal, we take a walk down to the sand. “You want to go skinny dipping or something, don’t you?”

  “Something like that.” He laughs, taking my hand.

  I stop walking when I see what’s in front of me. On the beach, just before the sand meets the water, is the whole MC, standing in a row.

  Grayson is there, too.

  And Ivy.

  And even my mom.

  “What’s going on?” I ask Temper, who leads me down to them, down a path on the sand marked by a trail of sunflowers.

  When he gets down on one knee, my hand flies to my mouth, shock and happiness hitting me.

  “Abigail Redmond, I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. You are my soul mate, my true love, and you make me a better person just by being around you. You are the light to my dark, you bring laughter and happiness to my soul and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, of course I will,” I say, tears dropping from my eyes.

  He slides a beautiful pear-shaped diamond on my finger, while everyone cheers and claps for us.

  “It’s stunning,” I say, kissing him, and wipe my tears. “I love you so much.”

  He cups my face with his hands and rests his forehead against mine. “Just me and you, against t
he world, forever.”

  And the rest of the MC, of course.

  Forever.

  * * *

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  For more information on books by Chantal Fernando, please visit her website at www.authorchantalfernando.com.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Renegade by Chantal Fernando.

  Acknowledgments

  A big thank-you to Carina Press for working with me on the Knights of Fury MC series!

  Thank you to Kimberly Brower, my amazing agent, for having my back in all things. We make a great team, always have and always will.

  Natalie Ram—I miss you, bestie! It’s hard doing life without you, but I know you are just a call away. I love you. Thank you for always reading my work and supporting me, even though I know how busy you are.

  Amo Jones—Thank you for always being there when I need someone to talk to, for the badass writing sprints and for encouraging me to be the best writer I can be. You just get me, and finding someone that does that is so rare. I love you, wifey.

  Brenda Travers—Thank you so much for all that you do to help promote me. I am so grateful. You go above and beyond and I appreciate you so much.

  Ari—You are one of the best souls I have ever met. You are kind, generous and I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you for always caring about me. I love you!

  Tenielle—Baby sister, I don’t know where I’d be without you. Thanks for all you do for me and the boys; we all adore you and appreciate you. I might be older, but you inspire me every day. When I grow up, I want to be like you.

  Christian—Thank you for always being there for me, and for accepting me just the way I am. I always tell you how lucky you are to have me in your life, but the truth is I’m pretty damn lucky myself. I appreciate all you do for me and the boys. I love you.