The bell rang, and the school buses started up on one side of the school, while the drivers in the parent pickup line started their cars just as students started coming out of the exits. The majority of the high school students drove or rode with friends, so there weren’t nearly as many pickups as there were at the other schools, which meant traffic wasn’t as bad as it would be across the street where the middle school was.
With only this week left for the seniors, and the following week the last one for all the other students before the summer break, everyone was starting to calm down a little for the first time since Ramirez had sent men to attack Nova. But I couldn’t relax until River and Nova were safely at home each day.
“There’s Nova,” Kingston said as he watched his cousin climb onto the back of her dad’s bike. Her blond hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she had her backpack slung over her shoulders. It took her a moment to get comfortable before she hugged her father’s waist and he merged into the line of traffic to leave the school property.
As Uncle Jet pulled onto the highway, she waved at us. Kingston blew her a kiss, and I waved back before returning my gaze to the exit River normally came out of. I’d dropped her off that morning instead of letting her drive herself. She hadn’t been getting much sleep lately, and I didn’t like her behind the wheel when she was sleep-deprived.
Between graduation, working at the shop and the store to get it ready, as well as worrying about the homeless person and still healing from her miscarriage and surgery, my girl was going nothing but fumes lately. But she couldn’t seem to turn off her brain at night to get some sleep. I was thinking about taking a week or two off from work so we could go on a vacation. Get her away from all the shit going on around us and making her soak up some sun down in Mexico.
It would be good for her.
And if we happened to come home married…
Well, then her dad would just have to suck it up and accept our relationship once and for all. He sure as fuck hadn’t accepted that we were dating. When I saw him at the clubhouse or at MC events, all he did was glare at me. If I tried to speak to him, all I got was cold silence. River spoke to him on the phone once or twice a week, but she’d been avoiding his calls more and more lately because he acted more and more like a dick every time they talked.
She’d have to see him on Saturday at her graduation, and I thought that was why she was dreading it so much.
Finally, the door opened, and River walked out with just her purse in her hand. As soon as she was close enough, I reached out and grabbed her hip with one hand, pulling her up against me and kissing her. She made a little mewling noise deep in her throat, kissing me back. She had a doctor’s appointment the next day, her second follow-up since her surgery, and I was praying we got the green light for sex.
But if we didn’t and she needed more time to heal, I would gladly suffer my aching blue balls until her doctor thought she was ready.
When I lifted my head, we were both struggling to breathe, and a tiny smile teased at her lips. “Hi,” she murmured, looking up at me through her lashes. “Long time no see, handsome.”
I stroked my thumb over her plump bottom lip. “You good?”
She lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. “Just tired.”
“Hey, little cousin.” Kingston drew her attention to him. “How was your last day of classes?”
“Boring,” she told him with a twist of her lips. “This entire week was pointless if you ask me. But attendance was mandatory if we want to walk at graduation the day after tomorrow.” She let me take her slight weight for a moment, as if she didn’t have the energy to hold herself up. “I really don’t even know why I want to walk.”
“Because it will make your parents happy,” Kingston told her. “It was the only reason I did it last year.”
“Yeah,” she muttered, her eyes darkening. “My parents.”
I tipped her chin up with my index finger so I could kiss her again. This one was slower, less demanding, to take her mind off her dad and pull her out of her head. When I lifted my head, she looked up at me dazedly. “Hi,” I said with a grin. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Definitely,” she breathed, then cleared her throat. “I have to stop by the store. I need to make sure the new assistant we hired is helping Mila get the displays set up correctly.”
“I can help with any heavy lifting,” Kingston offered.
“You just want to check out the new hire,” she said with a mock glare at her cousin.
“Guilty,” he said with a smirk. “But I’m free labor. Can you really afford to turn that down right now, sweetheart?”
“You got me there,” she grumbled. “Fine. I would really appreciate it. If you don’t mind?”
“You know I’d do anything for you,” he said with a wink.
As she climbed on behind me, I sent him a chin lift, thanking him for helping her. It also put me a little more at ease, knowing he would be at the store with her and Mila. Lyric was right next door, but if something were to happen, it could take my brother-in-law time to get to the girls should they need assistance in any way.
I’d been trying to stay with them when River went in right after school, but she knew my schedule too well and always made me go to work so I didn’t have to cancel on one of my clients. With the local college having released the week before, I wouldn’t be nearly as busy for the next few months after this weekend, which was why she didn’t want me to piss off any of the clientele and lose business.
River put on the helmet I gave her then got comfortable. She pressed the front of her body against mine, her arms going around my waist and her hands settling right above the bulge in my jeans, causing me to groan at how good she felt against me. I covered her hands, stroking my thumbs over her petal-soft skin for a moment before starting my bike. I felt her press her face to the center of my back as we pulled onto the road in the direction of her store.
While I drove, her hands teased lower, torturing me. I was in agony by the time I pulled into the parking lot behind the building. When I helped her off, she had a mischievous look on her face, and that sight alone was worth the ache in my balls. I was just thankful she didn’t have that haunted look in her eyes anymore.
Still holding her hand, I tugged her closer. “Be good. Don’t work too hard. I have appointments all evening, but if you need me, call.”
She took off her helmet and handed it to me. “I’ll be over as soon as I take care of a few things here.”
“Get Kingston to drive you home to get your car.” I swatted her on her ass with my hand, causing her to mewl and press even closer against me. I dropped a kiss on her lips when she pouted up at me. “Soon, baby,” I promised. “If we get the green light tomorrow…”
“Oh, we’re going to get the green light.” She touched her lips to my ear. “And then I’m going to ride you all night long.”
“Christ, woman,” I growled. “Go to work before I do something that might hurt you.”
Her eyes brightened. “Is my man at his breaking point?”
“Getting closer by the second,” I muttered, stealing another kiss. “I love you.”
“Love you,” she said as she stepped back reluctantly. “See you soon.”
She walked inside just as Kingston pulled up beside me. “I’ll keep her safe, man,” he said as he fist-bumped me. “You know I’ll protect that girl with my life.”
At work, I spent the next few hours doing ink. But as the evening wore on and I didn’t hear from River, I started getting anxious. She’d said she wasn’t going to be at the store all that long, and it was already past dinnertime. Muttering a curse when I checked my phone and found no missed calls or texts from River, my sister, or even Kingston, I was starting to call my girl when my phone rang.
Seeing it was Colt, a feeling of dread made my heart drop into my stomach, and I picked up before it finished ringing the first time. “Yeah?”
“I think I found your homeless
girl,” he said in a cold tone.
“Where?” I was already grabbing my keys and heading out the back door without even telling my dad, who was still working on his own client.
“Motel out by the interstate. After the staff noticed some things off the last few days, Ben got a call, and I was at the station. Told him I would check it out. The front desk guy said they think she might be sleeping in Room 119. Said the bathroom has been broken, so they had it out of commission, and it would have been easy for her to use it without anyone knowing. If there hadn’t been a few things going missing, they might not have noticed.”
“I’m on my way,” I told him as I swung my leg over my bike.
He didn’t answer, just hung up. Telling myself I was just glad that I could follow through on my promise to River, I headed for the highway. There was only one motel by the interstate, and the place wasn’t much to brag about. There were two different hotels in town that got steady business, but the motel was somewhere mostly used by truckers because it had a reputation for having a ready supply of hookers on call.
Not that Ben had ever been able to prove it. There was rarely any trouble from the place, so he didn’t try to shut it down.
When I got to the motel, I didn’t see Colt or his motorcycle. But I had the room number, so I parked right in front of 119 and headed inside. The door was unlocked, and I stepped into the darkened room, reaching for the light switch.
When nothing happened, I took a few steps inside and felt a sudden burning in my neck.
“The fuck?” I muttered, slapping at the spot where it felt like I’d been stung by a wasp. The burning feeling was spreading, and my entire body felt heavy. I blinked, then felt the world sway as complete darkness swallowed me whole.
Twenty
River
“I’m exhausted,” Mila said with a yawn as we finished putting the last of our inventory on the racks.
Between Avery, who was our new hire, Mila, and me, we’d gotten everything done with Kingston’s help doing the manual labor. I wiped the sweat off my brow and pulled my phone out of my back pocket, only to groan when I saw the time.
“Mav is probably worried,” I muttered, calling him. It rang and rang, and I swallowed a sigh, knowing he was going to be upset with me for not calling him. We’d been so busy that time had gotten away from me, and I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late. My plan had been to help out a little before going to the shop.
When my call went to voice mail, I figured he was just with a client, and I hurriedly told the others goodbye before running out the door with Kingston. He gave me a ride to the apartment, where I picked up my car, and I tried not to go over the speed limit on my way to the Ink Shoppe.
Pulling into the parking lot, I saw that Maverick’s bike wasn’t where it should have been. Frowning, I reached for the door, wondering if he’d gotten so worried, he’d gone looking for me. But I hadn’t seen him on the road…
My phone rang just as I was stepping out of my car. Seeing who the caller was, I quickly answered. “Hey, Elias.”
“You know the interstate motel?” he clipped out as a greeting.
I stopped with my hand still on the driver’s door. “Uh, yeah?”
“Get there. Now. Room 119. I’ll explain when you get here.” I heard the ice in his voice and knew it was bad. Elias didn’t do fire and ice; he was like a cuddly teddy bear. Until you pissed him off. Then he could get scary. The fire was for when he was about to beat the fuck out of someone. The ice…when he was trying to control the flames.
Without questioning him, I got back in my car and turned it in the direction of the interstate. But as I was driving, I got a text. Worried it was from Elias or Maverick, I picked up my phone from where I’d tossed it in the cupholder and glanced down at the screen really quick.
Only to do a double take.
“No,” I whispered, my foot slamming on the brake.
The text was from a number I didn’t recognize, but the picture was something I knew all too well. It was Maverick, completely naked, on a bed with two girls lying on either side of him. They were touching him, kissing his bare chest while one of them took the selfie.
I felt physically ill looking at the picture, but in my heart, I already knew it wasn’t what it appeared. Maverick would never cheat on me. I knew it all the way down to my soul. It didn’t matter that we hadn’t had sex in weeks. He would have gone without it for years if I wasn’t able to give it to him.
He loved me. Was loyal to me.
Yes, I might get jealous when he had a female client, but that wasn’t because I thought he would cheat on me. I was just possessive and hated the thought of him having to touch someone other than me.
In the picture, his eyes were only slits, barely open. I couldn’t even tell if he was even awake.
The longer I looked at it, the more and more pissed I got.
Tossing my phone into the passenger seat, I slammed my foot harder on the gas and left skid marks on the road as I blaze a trail in the direction of the run-down motel.
As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Elias standing by his bike, which was parked right beside Maverick’s. I slammed on my brakes and shifted into park, but I left the car running as I jumped out.
“Is he okay?” I demanded, running toward Room 119.
Elias clenched his jaw. “What you’re about to see isn’t what it looks like. I want you to understand that.”
I snorted. “I know that. Someone sent me a picture. Anonymously, of course.” But the dread in my gut was already telling me I knew who was behind all this. That it was Elias who had called me there only further confirmed it.
Reaching the door, I pushed it open, not surprised it wasn’t even locked. Inside, I found the two girls from the picture lying on either side of my naked man. They were both in only bras and panties, and they hadn’t even pulled the sheet up over Maverick to cover his dick.
Their heads snapped up as I barged into the room, their faces losing all color as I marched straight to the closest one. In a rage, I grabbed her by the hair and jerked her off the bed. Her scream filled the room, and Elias watched from the open door in gaped-mouth amazement.
Slinging the girl away, I reached across Maverick for the other, but she yelped and made a run for it. However, Elias was blocking the only exit, making it all too easy for me to grab her from behind and toss her over to where her partner in crime was sobbing on the floor because I’d pulled a huge chunk of her hair from her scalp.
From the bed, Maverick groaned as if he were in physical pain. “Babe?” he slurred, and I knew—fucking knew—he’d been drugged. “What’s all the…screaming ’bout?”
“Don’t worry, baby,” I murmured in a soothing voice, not wanting to worry him. “I’ll take care of this. You just sleep it off.”
“Love you, River,” he groaned.
“I love you too, baby,” I told him as I glared down at the two women huddled together on the floor.
“I’ve been following Uncle Colt like you asked,” Elias said from the doorway. “I was going to say to hell with it because I thought for sure you were worried for no reason. Fucking glad I didn’t listen to myself. Yesterday, he started acting shady, and I saw him come out here. He was in the registration office for over an hour, and then he went home. A few hours ago, he came back here and walked into this room. On his way out, I heard him talking to someone. I don’t know why, but I stuck around, making sure I stayed out of sight. Maverick showed up not long after…” He nodded his head. “Never saw these two. But I heard him mutter something then a crash and these two cursing about him weighing so much. I waited a little bit to see what they might do, but I knew it must be a setup.”
“I knew it was a setup as soon as I got the picture.” I crouched down in front of the girls. “Colt Hannigan set this up, right?” They both nodded hurriedly. And my dad got exactly what he wanted to accomplish with this shit.
My heart broke.
It shattered, right th
ere on the dirty floor of that disgusting motel room. Just as he’d hoped.
Only, he was the one to make it break. Not Maverick. Never ever Mav. He loved me too much to ever want to hurt me.
Dad was the one who killed a part of me then and there.
But I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let him get away with it.
“How much did he pay you?”
“Two grand,” the one who wasn’t crying said with a gulp. “A thousand each. Cash. A-all he wanted was for us to drug this guy, get him naked, and take those pictures. Th-that’s all, lady. We…we didn’t mean any harm. It was just about the money. Ya know?”
I gave her a grin, but it only made her cower back against her friend. “Yeah, I do know.” I straightened. “Get dressed. Your job isn’t over. You two are going to be earning every penny of that blood money he gave you.”
Thursday nights were church night. Always had been, for as long as I could remember.
It was just after nine when I pulled up outside Hannigans’ and parked. Getting out, I shut the door calmly and walked into the bar like I owned it. Technically, I would own a percentage of it one day.
If I didn’t burn the fucking thing down.
The idea was all too tempting, but my cousins loved this damn place, and I knew it was their future. As much as I hated my father right then, I couldn’t take it away from them.
As soon as I walked through the door, the entire bar went quiet, and all eyes turned to me. But mine zeroed in on Dad, and I walked toward him, keeping my expression neutral. He didn’t even flinch when our gazes met, and somehow, the pain in my chest only intensified.
After everything else he’d done that day, I’d thought he couldn’t hurt me more, but realizing he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse killed yet another part of me.
“River?” Uncle Bash stood. “Honey, is everything okay?”
“I thought this MC was about brotherhood,” I said, keeping my eyes on Dad. “I always loved that about this family. That it was so big, so loyal to one another. That even though I only had a few blood uncles, I had many, many more who were honorary. You all took care of one another. Protected one another.”
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