“Kipling, do you wish to say anything?” Kalli asks, looking extremely put together for a woman who just went to talk to her dead husband’s body.
“No, mother,” Kip says, shaking his head.
“I’ve already called your father’s attorney and he’ll come to the house first thing in the morning. You’ll be there Sloane, darling?” she asks, turning to Sloane.
I don’t miss the looks of shock around the room at learning Sloane’s name. Then I realize that these people probably have no clue how well-bred and well off Sloane is. He’s always just been Soar to them.
“Yeah. Imogen and I will be there.”
“Imogen?” I hear Teeny whisper.
Sloane and I are frauds, complete and total frauds. Nobody knows who we are in Shasta, and that’s exactly the way Sloane wanted it.
Now there are going to be questions, and I know the women will turn to me to find out answers. Maybe it’s bitchy, but I don’t want to give anybody anything. I’m fucking tired.
I watch was Kalli and Kip walk through the throng of bikers and their Old Ladies like they don’t even exist. Well, Kalli does. Kip is looking around kind of in awe at all these huge men that take up the entire space.
MadDog walks up to me and his eyes narrow on my cheek. “The fuck happened to your face?” he barks roughly.
“Someone didn’t like the fact that I didn’t want to date him anymore,” I shrug.
His eyes flick up to Sloane and then back down to me. He cocks an eyebrow in question, and I shake my head.
“Not Soar,” I admit. He bends down and gives me a big bear hug. “You look good, sweetheart. A little thin, but good,” he murmurs against my ear before he kisses the side of my head.
I can do nothing but stand in shock at his actions. I’ve known MadDog since I was eighteen years old, and not once has he ever embraced me, let alone kissed me.
“We’re stayin’ at a hotel here in town for a few days to help out with funeral shit,” MadDog announces before he turns and walks away.
Sloane presses his hand against my lower back, pushing me forward. Together, along with the rest of his club, we make our way out of the hospital.
“I have several extra bedrooms if anybody wants to stay with me,” I offer.
MadDog’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but he shakes his head.
“We got the kids with us. They’re a little wild. Wouldn’t want to mess up your place,” he murmurs.
I get what he’s saying. I don’t have children, I’m a little bitchy, and obviously self-centered. He’s being kind, but I can tell he doesn’t want to ruffle my feathers, mainly because he’s seen how I can react to things.
Like the time I walked into a party and some whore had her naked body pressed against, Sloane’s. I started throwing beer bottles at them, hoping to hit Sloane but hitting her a few times as well. I gave not one fuck. She ended up having to go to the hospital, and two brothers had to restrain me before Sloane could drag me to his room to deal with me.
“Okay,” I murmur, looking up and giving him a fake smile.
I turn toward my car and try to hurry away from the group, feeling like I’m seconds away from bursting into tears. Today has been too much, too fucking much. Now Sloane’s father is gone, and I feel like I can’t breathe.
I watch her run off, and as much as I want to chase after her, I don’t. I have to talk to my brothers first. I turn to MadDog, who is also watching Imogen intently. He turns to me with a furrowed brow. “Not how I expected to see her again. You’re gonna need to explain some shit, brother,” he murmurs.
“She was dating some prick. She tried to break it off, he got physical. That’s the extent of the story,” I shrug.
“It’s not, but I’ll let that rest. She’s sickly thin,” he announces.
I don’t bother responding because it isn’t his business, and I can see it with my own eyes. Imogen is thin, but once I get her pregnant, that shit will surely change.
“You haven’t fixed your shit with her, either.”
“Anything else you want to point out that I already fuckin’ know?” I ask, getting irritated.
“You have to meet with your probation officer tomorrow,” he grins, being a smartass. “And you’re really fuckin’ rich, aren’t you?”
“I do have to meet with him; and yeah, Genny and I both are. I told you this.”
“No wonder she was a snotty, pissed off little thing when you brought her to Shasta. I woulda been, too,” he clucks. “But she looks like she’s about to shatter into a million pieces, brother. Worse off than the day she left the clubhouse three years ago. How you plannin’ on fixin’ that?”
I shrug. “Doesn’t matter. She’s pissed at me. I threw some shit in her face that wasn’t nice.”
“Bitches?” he guesses correctly. I nod.
“If I learned anything from my first marriage, I know that living with guilt and regret isn’t an easy thing. You need to make shit right. If you keep going the way you’re going with her, it’s going to ruin both of you,” he murmurs.
“Yeah,” I grunt.
“We’ll see you tomorrow. Give me a call when you’re up and moving. Go get your woman, and I’m sorry as fuck about your dad,” he rumbles.
“Wish I could be sorry about him, too, but thanks,” I state before I quickly walk toward my bike.
I put on my helmet and start my engine. There’s only one place I want to be right now, and that’s with Imogen. She may not want me, but she’s my home. After losing my father and not feeling sad like I probably should, I need to feel something, and Imogen always makes me feel.
I’m not more than ten miles down the road when I get pulled over by a highway patrol cop. With a curse, I pull my bike over to the side of the freeway and close my eyes, waiting for what will assuredly be a pain in the fucking ass.
I hear his boots crunching behind me on the dirt and I wait. “Notorious Devils, huh?” he asks as he draws closer to me. I don’t bother answering him, my cut says it all. He asks me to get off my bike and then requests my license and information.
“I’m on probation,” I offer. His eyebrow lifts.
He walks away from me for a few minutes and then comes back with a grin on his face. “Well, now I never expected to pull you over. We’re going to need to run some drug screens on you,” he laughs.
Unable to protest, because the state of California has me by the balls, I follow him. I spend the next few hours being poked, prodded, and eventually released. I’m not drunk or high, and I didn’t violate any fucking laws. He pulled me over claiming I didn’t signal as I merged onto the freeway. Which was complete bullshit.
“Watch yourself, Huntington,” he murmurs before he releases me. I don’t think anything into it, my only focus on getting to Genny.
Her house is dark when I pull into her driveway, and I hurry up her steps. I lift my hand to knock, but her door opens and she’s standing in front of me. Her face is bare, and she’s wearing a sexy little silk nightie with a robe.
Silently, she holds out her hand, offering it to me, and I slip mine inside, my fingers tangle with hers as I step over the threshold. I close the door behind me, flipping the locks before we silently head upstairs to her bedroom. All thoughts of me being pulled over, and all the bullshit I just went through are gone with one simple touch from her.
I strip off my clothes while she drops her robe to the floor. Still without speaking, she pulls her nightgown up and over her head, dropping it beside her robe before she crawls beneath her sheets. I watch her before I finish disrobing, and then I join her.
“Please, stop hurting me,” she whispers as I gather her in my arms.
“I don’t know how,” I admit as I close my eyes and hold onto her tightly.
I wake to an empty bed and a note on the pillow next to me. Sloane’s note explains that he had to leave to meet his probation officer. I stretch before getting up and dressed for the day. Today, we’re also supposed to be meeting with the Huntin
gton’s attorney. Then there’s the club that are all apparently staying here in town.
Just thinking about all of them being around makes me sick with nerves. I’m not the woman I was, and yet, I still am just that person. I don’t know how to completely change. I don’t know what Sloane and I are. We slept together last night, naked, but only slept.
I waited for him to take things further, knowing that after the evening he had, he probably needed it, but he didn’t even try. He just held me. I wish I could read his thoughts. I wish that I knew what he wanted, and I wish I knew if he really loves me. If I knew he didn’t, walking away would be so much easier. God, I wish I were some kick ass alpha woman.
I slip on a maxi wrap dress. It’s navy with big, light pink and cream flowers on it and long sleeves. Then I slide my feet into nude high heels and finish my makeup before I apply serum to my hair to make it sleek and straight. My front doorbell interrupts my last-minute examination of myself, or rather my cleavage examination, to ensure that it’s not too much for a meeting with attorneys.
Glancing through the peephole, what I see causes me to groan, but I open the door to find MadDog, Mary-Anne, Torch and Cleo on the other side. They’re looking at me with questions, and I know they’re going to bombard me as soon as I let them inside. It’s been three years since I’ve seen any of them, and I was never particularly friendly toward any of them.
“Come on inside,” I murmur as I stand aside and hold the door open. I might as well get this over with.
“Holy shit woman, this is a really great place,” Mary-Anne says as soon as she takes in my living area, kitchen, and breakfast room. I watch as a trail of children run behind her. “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” she groans. “I thought they would stay in the car.”
“It’s okay,” I smile as I watch them. Walking over to the television, I turn on one of the cartoon channels. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”
They all politely decline but make their way into my living space, the women sitting, with the kids, and the men standing, still taking in my expensive San Francisco home. It’s worth at least five times what our home in Shasta was, maybe even more. I wait for them to speak, knowing that they aren’t here for just a friendly little chat.
“How you doin’?” MadDog finally asks.
“I’m fine,” I admit on a nod.
“You left three years ago and never came back. We walk into the hospital room, your face is bruised, and the tension between you and Soar is thick enough to cut with a knife. Then we find out you’re like an heiress. None of us knew, not even Colleen, and she’s known you since you were eighteen,” Mary-Anne says, cutting to the chase.
“Sloane didn’t want anybody to know. He doesn’t like his family. They’ve had issues, except for his little brother Kipling. He’s the only reason Sloane even has contact with his parents. I just found out that Sloane’s childhood was rough. He refuses to talk to me about it,” I say, spilling everything to these people—these people that I know love Sloane whole heartedly and without reservation.
“What about you?” MadDog asks.
“My family was angry when I ran away with Sloane. I was eighteen when we were married. I had just graduated high school and was head-over-heels in love. I didn’t know anything about the club life. As time went on, I realized what he was doing, his involvement, it wasn’t just a rebellious thing. He was the rebel, the bad boy, and I thought he’d change and want to take over his father’s company eventually. As the years went on, I realized, that wasn’t what happened, or that it was ever going to happen,” I explain as I walk over to the windows, unable to look at these people, these genuine people that I’d been lying to for fifteen years.
“Then the women,” Cleo guesses. I nod as I try not to cry.
“He admitted yesterday that he’d been with other women since the beginning. The fifteen-year-old girl inside of me just broke. It’s stupid of me,” I choke.
“What is?” MadDog asks, his voice thick. If I look at him, knowing he’s gazing at me with pity in his eyes, I’ll surely break down.
“Loving him the way I do, the way I always have. Allowing him to continue to screw around on me like that. Wanting a baby, knowing the man I love doesn’t want to give me that. I mean, he’s just offered it to me, his concessions for getting me back for whatever reason. But he doesn’t want it, not really. The man who hit me, he offered me that, a family. Sloane came barreling back into my life, and I broke up with the other guy. He got angry,” I shrug.
“No matter how angry, he shouldn’t have hurt you,” Torch growls.
“I know. Sloane or no Sloane, I wasn’t going to marry Graham. But his offer of a family, at my age, it was tempting, even though I’m not attracted to him,” I admit, watching a few cars pass by my back street. “I’m stupid to complain. Look at all that I have,” I say, waving my hand around before I turn to face them. “I have anything I could ever want. Money is no object.”
“Money doesn’t buy happiness,” Mary-Anne says, her voice soft and quiet.
She was with a successful businessman hoping for security before she met MadDog, and she knows firsthand that money indeed does not buy happiness. A lesson that is sometimes never learned, and other times is a hard lesson to learn.
“I know,” I murmur.
“So what happens now? With his father’s company?” Torch asks, thankfully switching the topic.
“The lawyer will tell us what his will says. I doubt Kalli, his wife, knows what the will says. These men, they’re all very secretive,” I laugh softly. “The plan was that Kipling would take over, after he finished school at Harvard and probably worked for him a while. My guess is that the vice president will take over until Kipling is ready, but who knows.”
“No matter what happens, we want you to know, Genny, that we’re here for you. You’re still family, no matter what,” Mary-Anne says, giving me a sad smile.
“I appreciate that,” I murmur. “I don’t know when the funeral will be, but I should know by the end of today. I can let you all know,” I offer.
“Okay, sounds good, darlin’,” MadDog says solemnly.
“Sure wish you’d come home,” Mary-Anne whispers as she envelopes me in a hug.
“Thank you,” I mutter.
The group leaves a few minutes later, after the men are assured that I’m not too emotional to drive on my own. I feel stupid for spilling everything that I just did to them. It was as if the words just flowed and I couldn’t stop myself. Once everything was out, though, it felt relieving.
Now they know pretty much everything, there’s nothing else to hide anymore from them. I really do like them. I don’t know Torch well, but MadDog is not the man he was when I met him. Mary-Anne has grounded him, and he’s become a wonderful husband and father, proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I wish I could have faith that Sloane could truly change, but I don’t think it’s possible.
Sliding into the front seat of my car, I start my engine. After opening the garage door, I head toward the Huntington manor. The lawyer should arrive within the hour, and I want to make sure that both Kalli and Kip are okay.
I haven’t heard a word from Sloane, so as much as I want to believe that he’ll be here for his mother and brother, I’m not planning on holding my breath. I’m going to be there for my mother and brother-in-law, but at this point, I think I need to let Sloane go. I’ll never be what he needs. After twenty years, that is painfully obvious.
“Imogen?” Kip’s voice calls out as he knocks on my car window, making me jump. I didn’t realize I was already here, driving the last few miles in a complete fog.
“Sorry,” I call out.
I wipe the tears from beneath my eyes and gather my purse as Kip opens my door for me, ever the gentleman.
He looks to the seat next to me and I watch his shoulders deflate, “Sloane didn’t come with you?”
“He had to meet with his probation officer this morning,” I explain. Kip nods as he slides his
arm around my shoulders. I, in turn, slide my own arm around his waist.
“How was last night?”
“Mom drank until she passed out while she cried,” he admits. It kills me.
“Anytime you want to come over to my place, you just come right on over,” I say, resting my head on his shoulder.
“It’s funny. Sure, he was my dad, but he wasn’t really around much. I mean, he was around more for me than Sloane I think, but it still wasn’t often. It doesn’t seem real yet,” he murmurs as we climb the steps.
“It will when you pick up the phone to call him, excited to tell him something. It’ll hit you then,” I whisper. He makes a noise in the back of his throat before he clears it.
“Yeah.”
Once we’re inside of the house, we separate, and I walk straight to the kitchen to make something for Kalli to eat and drink. Today is going to be another long day, and she’s no doubt hungover as shit.
“You will be tested each time you’re scheduled to come to me. And I will come to you randomly to check on you. I don’t want to hear of you getting pulled over again,” Randall Lundorff, my parole officer, rambles, sounding bored as fuck with his speech. It’s the same speech he gives all of us, just leaving one set of shackles for another.
“Do I have to stay in the county?” I ask.
“You have to stay in the state, and I would prefer if you stay in the county. Where else would you go?” he asks warily, his eyes narrowed on me, though he hasn’t asked me why I wasn’t in my county last night when I was pulled over.
“My wife and I are separated and currently living apart. We’re trying to work things out. She lives in Frisco,” I state. He nods.
“I’ll give you permission to go from her place to yours, but I want all of her information,” he murmurs, shoving a piece of paper and pen at me.
I write down Imogen’s name, address, and phone number. I also give him the information for my mother’s place.
“Who’s this?” he asks after I give him the paper back.
Rough & Rich (Notorious Devils Book 6) Page 10