by Sam Crescent
“Yep, really fucking ugly, but I’m hopeful. You know? I don’t know what to expect and Tabitha has been known to surprise us.”
“I remember that day so clearly. Never have I wanted to hold that girl so much,” Lexie said.
“Tell me about it. I think we all have a love for that girl. She’s tough. A fighter. She’s everything Simon needs, especially now.” Devil chuckled. “I’ve gone from wanting their silly crush to be over with to hoping she’ll give him another chance.”
Lexie stood up and walked into the kitchen, cleaning up her cup. “Do you think he’s ever going to find out the truth?” She put the cup on the draining board and turned to look back at Devil.
“You mean the part where I found the results that showed Simon wasn’t in any way the father to Nathan?” Devil asked.
He saw his wife’s eyes fill with tears.
“How I wiped all the evidence of the system with Anthony’s help in order to keep that shit private and so the Monster Dogs don’t try to take him?” Devil asked. He took his wife in his arms. “No, my lips are sealed. So are Anthony’s. We’re the only two who know the true answer.”
Lexie slumped against him. “I don’t know how you can be so calm.”
He held her close. “There’s so much at stake I’ve got no choice but to be the calm one. Look at you, you’re not helping.”
She let out a giggle and he loved the sound. “We’ve just got him back.”
“And nothing we do is going to change that. Simon is here to stay. There’s no reason for you to be stressing about any of this. Trust me.”
“I do, trust you, I mean. It’s just, ugh, it’s … I don’t know. I felt like they both need a lucky break, you know?”
“They’ll get it and we’re here to help them. We’ve got Thanksgiving coming up. Christmas. The New Year. We can make this work.”
“Did you see the way they were looking at him?” Lexie asked, pouting, referring to his brothers and sisters.
“Stop it. Of course, they’re going to look at him like that. For now, he’s the crazy big brother on a tight leash. Give them all time. They haven’t seen Simon like this. He was their goofy big brother. Now he’s a man and regardless of how much we protect them, they know he killed someone. Probably a lot of people. We’ve just got to be strong, keep it together, and move forward.”
“There you go again, being the perfect model citizen.”
“Clearly, all of your life lessons are rubbing off on me. In fact, I think I need a brand-new rub.” He lifted Lexie up into his arms.
“You’re crazy.”
“I’m crazy in love with you and that, baby, is never, ever going to change.”
Chapter Thirteen
“You mean after all that, you didn’t kick his ass?” Daisy asked.
Tabitha laughed. It was so good to hear her friend’s voice again. She’d missed her. “No, I didn’t. We did a lot of other stuff instead, and no, I’m not going into the details.”
“Please don’t. I just can’t believe it. In a weird way, it’s a little romantic, don’t you think?”
“You think being kidnapped by my husband is a good thing?”
“No, not a good thing, but he was willing to do whatever it took to win you. Don’t you think that has merit?” Daisy asked.
“I think we’re both on the wrong page about all of this. Let me be clear. He left me for five years.”
“Noted.”
“Yes, we’re still clear. Then he tells me that he’s going to get his shit together. He’s just killed someone.”
“And in his defense, the bastard had to go,” Daisy said. “He gets points for that.”
“We need to deduct him points for how he did it.”
“If you feel that is absolutely necessary?”
“Yes, I do. Completely necessary. He needs deducting points.”
Daisy laughed. “I’ll keep a score. Does a tally chart sound appealing?”
“Stop being sarcastic.”
“Okay, okay, so he left for killing someone. Move on. What else?”
“And he is supposed to be making himself a man worthy of me, but instead, all he actually does is kill more people. He becomes an underground fighter. How is that finding himself?”
“I don’t know his reasoning. I haven’t spoken to him in years, Tabs, but I’d say, seeing as he is back, and has claimed you once again and Nathan, that whatever he needed to go and find, he found it.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Your side and we both know you’re looking for any excuse to hate him, and if that’s what you want, I’m good with that. I honestly don’t mind. I love you, and you know I’ll help but, but we both know for you, Simon is it. He has been since we were kids. The guys in high school, you shot them all down. Even Luke and Niles said so as well. He asked about you.”
“He did?”
“Yep. I said you moved out of town.”
“He wasn’t so bad.” Tabitha sighed, leaning back against the wall. She’d dropped Nathan at the school with Simon right beside her. Afterward, he’d dropped her off at work so he could go to the clubhouse. It was all very domestic. Kind of scary at how easy it was for them to fall into a sense of a routine. It was her lunch break and she sat outside in the freezing cold, curled up in Simon’s jacket that he’d given her. She wondered how his prospecting was going. Simon was due back at the clubhouse today, but the rest of the guys were there on Monday. She wondered how they would all fit into Chaos Bleeds.
The clubs were constantly expanding. They were all just one big happy family.
“Wasn’t so bad?” Daisy asked. “You got into a fight.”
“Miles said the same thing.”
“Oh, get this, Constance is back in town and oh my, she is stunning.”
“She is? She was always gorgeous.”
“Yeah, but you should have seen Miles and half the male population. The other half is The Skulls and don’t care about any other than the one by their side.”
Tabitha listened as Daisy caught her up to speed on Constance’s sudden appearance, how beautiful and curvy she looked. They’d all been close out of high school, but Constance had been the one to get out of town, all with Miles’s and The Skulls’ help.
Now, she was back, after traveling.
“So, Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks. Have you talked to your mom?” Daisy asked, changing topics.
“No. I’ve got to phone her after you. Between us, I’m hoping to stay on the phone with you so I don’t have to deal with her. She just makes things kind of difficult.” She sighed. “Is it going to be one of The Skulls’ big get-togethers?”
“You got it. Angel is already organizing everything. She’s in the kitchen baking all the time. The guys are constantly being sent on errands.” Daisy giggled. “Anthony brought back the wrong chocolate chips four times. It was so funny.”
“I bet.”
“You’re moody.”
“I’m not moody. I … they’re going to be having a big club get-together here. All the family, and well, you’re my family, but if I come there, Simon will follow.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yeah, and that whole the-Dogs-want-to-kill-him thing. Fuck, I hate that club.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re having fun and I’m being a downer.”
“For good reason. I didn’t even think about the Dogs and Simon.”
“It’s been a long time without him. Why would you think of him?”
“He’s still your husband.”
Tabitha rubbed at her temples, feeling the start of a headache. “I think it might be best if I stay here this Thanksgiving. It’ll be good for Nathan and Simon.”
“How did he handle that? We’ve talked about everything but that.”
“He’s … he’s amazing with him. Simon is a fantastic father. Nathan is so lucky.”
“But you sound so unhappy.”
“My head is a mess right now. I’ve just got a lot to figure out.”
>
Daisy was silent on the other end.
“I’ve known you most of my life and your silences mean you disagree. Spill it.”
“Okay, to be clear, you don’t have a whole lot to figure out. Break it down. You love Simon or you don’t. You either stay with him or leave. You come back home, or you stay there, or you move elsewhere. It’s not complicated. You don’t want to make the wrong decision and regret it. I get that.”
“You’ve broken it down to make it sound simpler. It’s not. You forget to add that family get-togethers from now on will have to be in Piston County. Do you think Simon is going to let me come to Fort Wills with the Dogs so close?”
“Do you think he even gets to have a say in what you do?”
She opened her mouth, closed it.
“I’ve surprised you?”
“Yes, no, I don’t know. Maybe. I guess I’ve been giving him a lot more credit. Wow, I just totally had a man in control there, didn’t I?” she asked.
Daisy laughed. “It’s fine. You’ve been through a lot.”
“In all honesty, I don’t know if I want to make this work,” she said.
“Oh.”
She covered her face with her hand, knowing the tears were close. Crying wasn’t something she enjoyed doing but seemed to be something that happened so often just lately. “We … er, damn it, Daisy, we had unprotected sex.”
“Ouch.”
“It’s not an ouch thing. Not really.”
“Are you happy about it?” Daisy asked.
“That I could be pregnant again when I’m twenty-three?”
“If it makes you feel any better, you’ll be giving birth when you’re twenty-four and there’s nothing wrong with your age. Women are having kids all the time. Teenagers, older women.”
“You’re not pregnant.”
“Let’s not talk about me.”
“Yes, let’s. Let’s talk about your love life with Anthony.”
“Not going to happen,” Daisy said. “Besides, we’re talking about your little confession and how you’re not sure if you want to make things work with Simon. I hate to be the one to put a reality check on you, but that’s a big deal.”
Tabitha dropped her hand and checked the time. “I’ve got to go.”
“This isn’t fair.”
“I’ve got to go. Talk soon.” She hung up before Daisy could say another word. Guilt swamped her.
Pushing everything to the back of her mind, she made her way inside to find Dean sitting at one of the tables. Simon’s best friend appeared to be perusing the menu.
Great, just what she needed.
She went to the staff room, put her cell phone in her bag, and made her way out.
Complete with a pen and notepad, she looked at him, waiting. “What can I do for you?” she asked.
He put the menu down. “Coffee, burger, and fries.”
She wrote it down. This is what she loved about working in this coffee shop, everyone had to order a coffee with their meal.
“And while you’re at it, I’d like to know if you’re going to put my boy through shit.”
She paused in writing and glanced up at him. “None of your business.”
“It is. I’m the one who’s been taking care of him. Not you.”
“You got a little crush on him, Dean? It piss you off that the first person he comes to is me?”
“Not at all. I’ve got his best interests at heart.”
She dropped the notepad to the table and glared at him. “You do? You’ve got his best interests at heart. Let’s be clear on something here, rich boy. You don’t have the first fucking clue on what you’re dealing with here. While you were getting fed with your silver spoon and having your ass wiped by nannies, me and Simon, we got a real hard look at the world. Take it from me, it’s not pretty. We got shot at. We witnessed death. Life coming and going. People passing through intending to do harm. Believe me, you don’t have the first clue what you’re dealing with. What you’ve seen doesn’t even scratch the surface. What goes on between Simon and me, it’ll stay that way. You don’t get a say in this. Not ever. Now, you can have your food and leave me the fuck alone, or you get the hell out.”
“You going to tell Simon about our talk?” Dean asked.
“No, he doesn’t need to know, but I will tell you this. I do respect you for coming to me. No matter what goes on between us, he needs someone to have his back. Just don’t ever take your eyes off it. Got me?”
“I got you.” Dean leaned back. “I will have that burger. I knew there was a reason I liked you, Tabby.”
“Don’t call me that. Only Simon calls me that.” She turned on her heel and went to get his order.
Taking a deep breath, she felt her hands shaking, her body coming alive. What was it about standing up for herself, or keeping it real, that just made her feel awake for the first time in years?
You’re not weak. You fight. You don’t take shit from anyone. It’s time you realized it. What you’re getting now is your goddamn wake-up call, and you need it.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back toward the tables, coffee in hand. She could do this.
****
Simon got a warm welcome back at the club. He expected it. The guys embraced him with open arms, applause, and it was like time hadn’t moved. He was still Devil’s son. The golden boy. The prince to them.
Of course, the moment he put on the prospect cut, he was someone to be tested, tried, and fuck it, he loved it. Even as he was forced to clean toilets or run errands on that first day. He was alive.
By the end of the day, he was ready to call it a night. He hadn’t talked to Tabby, but he’d called Lexie and asked her to get Tabby from work. He got the call from his mom that his wife and kid were back at the apartment.
Judi, his older stepsister, sat at the bar. She had a soda and was waiting for Ripper. They weren’t close, like friends. Devil and Lexie had taken her under their wing. She’d been a forced child prostitute. Devil had saved her, and together, his parents had adopted her.
“You okay?” he asked.
Judi looked up. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just tired. It’s been a long couple of days. Lexie’s planning this big Thanksgiving feast in your honor.”
“You hate that?”
“Not at all. It hasn’t been the same without you and everyone has been so worried.” Judi sipped at her drink. “How are you?”
“Me, I’m good.”
“Really, I mean? I know that it takes something out of you, doing what you did.”
Simon pressed his lips together, blowing out a breath. “I … I’m fine. I was fine. I thought I’d feel guilt over what I’d done.” He laughed. “I didn’t feel anything and that scared the shit out of me.”
“Nothing at all?”
“The prick hurt my woman. I can’t justify keeping him alive. Do I wish I had done it differently? Fuck yeah. I made a big, messed-up mistake, but it was my mess to make. Can’t change it now.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Now, I’ve got to make it right with Tabby.”
“Tabby,” Judi said with a smile. “Damn, that is so cute but it did stick, didn’t it?”
“She’s mine and I’m hers. It’s the way it will always be.”
“I heard she wants to have a divorce.”
He tensed up.
“What will you do if she does, Simon?”
“I’m not going to think about that. I know I’m good for Tabby. I’ve got to hope she sees it as well.”
Judi nodded as the doors to Devil’s office opened. She finished her soda. “That’s my cue to leave. It’s good to have you back, Simon, and between us, I’m rooting for you.”
He winked at her, waved at Ripper, and got back to work, wiping down the counters.
Dean came and perched on a barstool. He puffed out his chest, showing off his patched member badge.
“I can still kick your ass.”
“I don’t blame you. Went by to see Tabby today.”
“Don
’t call her that.”
“Funny, she said the same thing.”
Simon finished wiping a glass and turned his full attention to his friend. “Now tell me why you would go to my woman at her place of work.”
“Because I’m a good friend and I like to interfere.”
“Don’t.”
“Someone needs to watch your back.”
Simon put the glass away and shook his head. “What I need is to be the one to make things right with Tabby. Not you. Not my parents. Me.”
“I was on the road with you. I got to see a lot of you up close and personal and some of it is scary as fucking hell. I get it. You haven’t had a good lot of luck of late. I’m going to watch your back. Your woman is certainly a fucking queen. You’re not wrong about her.”
“Do I even want to know why you went to her?”
“Probably not.” Dean winked at him. “What I will tell you is you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“Simon, you can head out now,” Devil said.
He stood at the bar and looked at his dad. “I can?”
“Yeah.”
“Exactly where would I be heading to?” he asked.
“You don’t know where Tabs lives?” Devil asked. He was typing something onto his cell phone. Seeing his dad with any kind of technology was fucking weird, at least to him it was.
“It’s not something I’ve asked about, no. I didn’t take her from her apartment.” He hadn’t told anyone about the two men Dean had disposed of.
“Oh, guess what I found out,” Dean said. “Eddie, he’s becoming like the preppy boy of kissing ass.”
“That preppy boy of kissing ass has turned into a moral beacon for the whole of the town. Don’t start anything with him,” Devil said. “I reached out to him when you were gone but his parents have their claws in him. He does whatever they say.”
“I haven’t seen Eddie.”
“Believe me, you don’t want to.”
Eddie was always the one to follow his parents’ orders. He’d been too scared of being cut off not to be. The kid had grown up with money and hated the thought of going without.
“Have you seen your parents?” Simon asked.
Dean shook his head. “It makes me want to go to the country club and stir shit up. That would be fun.”