“Our baby?” Rabbit asked in a hushed tone. I turned to him then, seeing his eyes on my stomach as his hands reached for me. “You know that’s what I want, right?” He asked.
“Is it really what you want, or just what you think is best right now?” I had to ask. Questions never even occurred to be with Blaze. I wasn’t traveling down that same path with someone else who thought they had a responsibility for me.
“You have your own life handled, Myra. If I didn’t want you, both of you, we’d have put you up in another room and taken care of you without the need for us to be this close all the time. I both want and need you in my life because I’ve never met anyone who fit so perfectly into the vision I have of my future. Besides, you can obviously handle my ass at my worst.”
“That’s true,” I admitted before winking at him and putting my hands overtop of where his rested on my protruding stomach.
“You know-” Rabbit didn’t get to finish whatever he’d been about to say because there was a very abrupt knock at the door.
Chapter 24 - Rabbit
The knock at my room door was the most unwelcome sound I’d ever heard. Myra was opening up and it finally seemed as though we were going to move forward into becoming an actual couple. At least, I hoped that was what it meant when her hands were splayed overtop of my own that were holding her belly. Her son. Maybe, our son.
“What?” I yelled at the door without moving, wanting to just live in that moment for as long as possible. Myra’s eyes sparkled with the slight moisture there. I just grinned to reassure her as a voice called out to me through the door.
“Rabbit, you have company downstairs.”
“Be there in a sec,” I called back before turning my head back in Myra’s direction. “I’ll be right back by your side shortly.”
I stood and moved to the door and once it was thrown open, I glared at the prospect who had been the bearer of bad timing and news as I’d been having a moment with my woman. “Who the hell is it?” I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Some broad,” he managed to get out before I yanked his arm to stop him from moving further away from me.
“Some broad?”
“I didn’t see her. I was on the stairs, heading up, when they told me to go get you.”
Fucking useless prospect. Those motherfuckers were always nosy little shits until you needed them to be, then suddenly they knew nothing. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who was there to see me. At first, I thought it was Cherry standing there wringing her hands and looking worried. That was right up until I turned to see Cherry and Charlie standing at the bar a little further away looking completely pissed off. Fuck. My. Life.
“What the hell did I get called down here for?” I asked the room because it couldn’t have been my ex – the one who ran out on me – who thought she had the power to summon me at will. Nah, that definitely couldn’t be.
“Rabbit,” Chastity called my name in what would have been a reverent whisper, if only the sound would have projected to me. Instead, she had to increase her own volume so I would hear her, and it killed whatever affect she thought it might have on me.
I turned my glare on her and snapped. “What?”
“I stopped by our old place, but they said you didn’t live there anymore and the house you were building for us was empty. It’s so beautiful, Rabbit.”
“Get to the point, and make it quick,” I told her as coolly as possible.
“I need, I um, I’m back for you,” she managed to fumble the words out, not quite knowing how to phrase whatever she was asking in order to get the best reaction out of me. It’s funny, because thanks to hindsight, I was able to see her manipulations for what they were now. She’d played me before because I was a little bit desperate for a different life, and therefore easily fooled. That was no longer the case. Instead of falling all over her, like she apparently thought would happen, I laughed.
“No, you’re not back for me. Let’s get this over with and tell me what you really want,” I demanded.
Before she could answer, something caught Chastity’s attention, making her eyes narrow on something over my shoulder. I turned to see Myra gliding down the steps with a grace and beauty that belonged on a movie set. Once my woman hit that last step, I threw my arm out in invitation.
“Come here, babe,” I called to her and waited until she was tucked securely into my arm, by my side. I noticed that Chastity had taken a step closer to me before she realized I hadn’t been talking to her.
“Myra?” She questioned. There was no shock at seeing the girl there, instead, she seemed resigned to the fact that she was in the clubhouse. Interesting. That meant she had to already know that Myra had been around. That was not necessarily good news considering the women came from the same town on the Oregon coast.
“Chastity,” Myra called back by way of greeting as she wrapped her arm around my waist and held on. The only thing that gave away her discomfort with the situation was the fact that her fingers dug into my side with a bit more pressure than was necessary. Myra and I hadn’t even mapped out our relationship with one another yet, let alone dabbled in public displays of affection with one another, outside of our one kiss at the club that night. It felt effortless with her anyway, as though she needed the contact to ground her just as much as I did. Thank fuck too. I’d never get back with Chastity after what she did to me, but it sure did help keep her at bay to be able to wrap my arms around someone else. More importantly, Myra just felt right standing there in my arms. She had been the one who belonged there all along.
Chastity sneered at me as her eyes shifted between Myra and me. “I see it didn’t take you long to move on.”
“You already moved on before you left me, so what does it matter to you?”
“I came back for you. Settling down scared me, and I fucked up because of it. I realize that now.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate for you then,” I told her with little emotion in my voice. “What do you really want?” I thought my question might bear repeating because I wasn’t fooled one bit that she was here for me out of anything other than some whacked out sort of convenience to her.
“I need protection,” she finally answered. There it is. The real reason she was back. It had nothing to do with me. Chastity just thought she’d get what she needed quicker if she played my emotions first.
“You should ask your sister then,” I informed her as I pointed to a very unamused Cherry over by the bar.
“I’m your old lady,” she challenged, her eyes staring daggers at Myra who never once flinched under the bitch’s scrutiny.
“You were. You would have been, if you’d stuck around. The minute you pulled out of here with another man, you gave up any claim to me or this club.” I turned my back on her, ready to go upstairs and eat dinner with my woman.
“Wait!” She shouted. “Please! I beg you! He’s coming! He’s here in town and he’ll kill me if he sees me here.”
“Who is here, and why would he kill you?”
“Phoenix. He’s here.” She didn’t say that in answer to my question. Chastity was staring at Myra as she spoke those words instead.
“Why would Phoenix want you dead?” I asked.
“That’s not your business,” Chastity spat out, obviously not knowing what was good for her.
“You’re right. Nothing about you is my business anymore. Good luck with Phoenix.”
“He’ll be after your precious little girlfriend too. He’s determined to wipe out the whole Stoneridge Raiders MC, that includes the missing princess.” She snarled. “If you don’t help me, I’ll tell him where she is.”
“I would have asked for help on your behalf, right up until you made that threat against Myra. What kind of awful person does that?” Cherry spoke up, asking her sister a question I didn’t think was possible to answer. There was no way Chastity saw herself as a piece of shit human being. She was just looking out for numb
er one, as usual.
“I’m sorry,” Chastity wailed in response, changing tactics once again. “I’m just desperate. You don’t understand.”
“Phoenix already knows where Myra is anyway. That would have never been a valid threat against her. But thanks! Once again, you’ve shown your true colors. Those little reminders help whenever I start to forget and think you might actually be a little bit human.”
“You knew he would come here and no one told me?” Chastity accused.
“First, it’s not like you left a forwarding address or phone number. Second, how the hell would I know you have a beef with an MC in Oregon, or this person in specific?”
“I didn’t even know that,” Cherry added. “What have you been up to and how is it going to blow back on me this time?”
“Oh, that’s rich! Blame the ‘evil twin’ again, Cherry.”
“You wear the shoe so well,” her sister fired back.
“Well, maybe I’ll leave it behind so Prince Phoenix has someone else to aim his sites on,” the stupid bitch yelled at her sister without thinking.”
“You’re using again,” Cherry accused. “It’s the only time you willingly try to throw me under the bus like that.”
Chastity just stood there with a bland look on her face. “If you won’t help me, I’ll help myself.”
“We’re well aware of how you operate.” Chastity looked shocked when I spoke up and said what everyone in the room was thinking. Then she decided to try to punish me for it.
“Oh, look how perfect. Two goodie-two-shoes assholes who couldn’t keep their significant others satisfied. How pathetic. Oh, and Myra? How was your ex in bed? Did he learn anything from all those lessons I gave him in high school?”
“Actually, he was a shit lay, so I guess like student, like teacher,” Myra flung back, causing Chastity to charge her. Shameless and a prospect snatched her up before she could get far. “I already knew about his dalliances, you’re not telling me anything new.” My woman informed Chastity while inspecting her own nails, as if they were more concerning than anything the bitch had to say.
“He’s dead and Phoenix killed him,” my ex shot out then, thinking that would be news to us. She stared at us, waiting for a reaction that she wasn’t going to get. “You already knew,” she whispered into the air.
“I think the question here is how did you know?” Shameless asked.
“I was with Blaze, bringing him out here to find her,” she pointed an accusatory finger at Myra. “Phoenix killed Blaze and didn’t realize I was there too until it was too late. I ran, he tried to track me down, but then got a phone call and left.”
“So, you witnessed a man being murdered and you came here for protection against his killer?”
“Yes!” Chastity huffed.
“That makes it too bad that you pissed off anyone who might have cared,” Shameless told her just as there was a knock on the exterior security door. One look at the monitor showed that it was Phoenix who was standing there.
“Men with murder on their minds don’t usually knock first,” Shameless told me as he continued to hold fast to Chastity. I went to answer the door, but Rage stopped me.
“Let me handle this. You hang tight with your woman, just in case.”
For once, I saw no point in arguing. Rage took a while to unarm the man before he was allowed inside. Once Phoenix got in, his eyes glanced right over everyone else until they found and settled on Myra. She shook visibly, obviously not knowing what to expect at that point.
“Are you okay?” Phoenix asked her and there was no mistaking the concern in his words. Myra nodded in answer and he smiled, the tension easing in his stance. “I had to check. We got word that she was headed here,” he stated while swapping his attention to Chastity. The woman no longer appeared frightened. She just seemed pissed.
“You were never going to be enough for her,” Phoenix spoke while watching Chastity’s expression. I knew he was talking to me though. “You were too far down the totem pole of power for her taste.” That had me interested. “Blaze was set to become President of the Stoneridge Raiders, Oregon Chapter. That was why the families wanted Myra and Blaze together so badly. They knew she would always have club protection even after her father was gone.” He glanced at Myra and gave her a sad look when he spoke. “This one,” he continued, tipping his head in Chastity’s direction, “was on her home turf while fishing for Blaze. You guys took care of her last problem in order to save her twin, so she would have ruled the town she was initially shunned from if she could get him on board.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chastity spat at him.
“Her plan didn’t work too well because Blaze was hell-bent on finding Myra and bringing her back.” He turned from me back to Chastity. “You came with him so you could convince him what a horrible idea it was.” Chastity said nothing so Phoenix continued. “A culling was about to happen and I couldn’t let Myra be dragged back. She was the only truly innocent one there. She deserves a chance at a happy life.”
“You killed Blaze to keep him from finding me?” Myra asked, her voice shaking as she did.
“I killed him because he was going to die either way. You don’t need to know why. Doing it before he got to you was just an added bonus.” The delighted twinkle in Phoenix’s eyes made him seem a little more than just slightly unhinged. “Does this one have club protection?” He asked while pointing his thumb back toward Chastity.
“She does,” Spinner spoke up. As his old lady’s sister, it was his right of claim to make for Cherry.
“Pity,” Phoenix stated. “I suggest you all watch your backs around her then. Treachery will know no bounds with her. I’m sure you’re all soon to find out more about that though,” he tacked on cryptically, making me wonder what Chastity had been up to in the time she’d been gone.
“Did you harm them? The rest of them, I mean?” Myra asked when Phoenix turned to go.
“Your family, by blood, is intact. The rest, they suffered what they deserved.”
Myra only nodded her head in response. It was clear she didn’t understand why this was happening.
“Be happy, Myra.” Phoenix told her and then he glanced down to her belly. “Keep him happy too. You two are the only family I have left.” The man turned and walked out of the clubhouse then, just as quietly as he had entered, despite all the chaos he managed to stir up in his wake.
When my attention shifted back to the rest of the room, it was to find Chastity throwing herself – quite literally – into my brother’s arms. “Thank you! I knew I could count on you to love me.”
I smirked at my brother. Her crazy was his to deal with now. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it because your sister would have had a hard time with your death.”
“Still,” she cooed as she attempted to wrap her body around Spinner.
“Get. The. Fuck. Off. My. Husband!” Cherry hissed each word out before yanking her twin off of Spinner by her hair. “You have two hours to get yourself together and get gone.”
“W-what?” Chastity shouted while staring with wild eyes at her sister.
“You heard me. I’ve had enough of your trouble to last a lifetime. I won’t tolerate you being disruptive to my new family any longer. Phoenix will have a two hour head start getting out of town. It should give you ample time to pick a destination in the opposite direction.”
“You’re throwing me out? Abandoning me?”
“You bet your sneaky little ass that I am,” Cherry ground out through clenched teeth.
When Chastity’s eyes found mine again, begging for me to save her, I simply shook my head and turned to take Myra back up to our room.
“You can’t possibly want her over me!”
“Every single day of the week. I would take a used-up two dollar coke whore over you. Luckily, I don’t have to do that because the perfect woman nearly ran me over one night, put up with my naked ass on the front seat of her truck, and made me realize t
hat like her – I am worth far more than being shackled to someone like you for the rest of my life. I suggest you find a place far from here to settle, and don’t come back.”
“But my sister is here,” she attempted to argue, as if we hadn’t just heard how her sister felt about her.
“Your sister and her man can go to you, if they decide they want to visit you.”
Myra and I both silently slipped away after that, ignoring Chastity’s ravings as we did so. “She will continue to be a problem, no matter what,” Myra told me as soon as we got back inside our room.
“I’m sure she will. That’s for Spinner and Cherry to sort through.”
“I grew up with them. Trust me when I say, Chastity will do everything she can to draw you in and make you deal with her. She doesn’t do rejection well.”
“Will having her issues lingering around be a problem for us?”
“Us?” She asked, her eyes not meeting mine.
“You know there’s an us by now.”
“You claimed me to offer protection. I didn’t expect-”
I cut her off by sealing my lips to hers. She opened for me to slide my tongue in and that’s just what I did. I showed Myra how much I needed her to be mine.
“Wow!” Myra gushed out when our lips parted. “That was so different.”
“You were told to love him,” I managed to get out, knowing exactly what she meant. Blaze had been the only man she’d ever known. Myra didn’t know what passion felt like, or chemistry, because she had been told to love the man and he had taken her out of obligation. “What we have is undeniable chemistry. Welcome to the next level.” I winked as I added that last bit. I knew teasing her would help lighten the mood.
The Restart and the Remedy (Aces High MC - Dakotas Book 3) Page 16