Outlaw Virtue (Rough Jesters MC Book 7)

by Brook Wilder

  “You gonna scrub my back for me?”

  She snorted, pushing out of my arms. “You wish. Come in. I will show you the pictures.”

  It wasn’t her forgiving me by any means, but at least she wasn’t forcing me to go. I stepped inside and closed the door, the smells of Leigh’s home calming me a bit. What a fucking bad day. First Mac slipped through my fingers and then I pissed off Leigh, missing a very important appointment for our kid.

  I was striking out everywhere.

  Dropping the food on her table, I wandered over to where she was, looking over her shoulder as she pulled out the small black squares. “See?” she said softly, pointing to the small white image in the middle. “That’s our child.”

  I wrapped an arm around her waist, my hand resting on her belly. A range of emotions flowed through me as I stared at the image, not believing what I was seeing.

  That was my kid. “Damn,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her shoulder. “You are amazing, Leigh.”

  She laughed. “I think we both are, Jonathan.”

  I pulled her against me, her backside fitting snugly against my cock. She amazed me in so many ways that I couldn’t even begin to compete.

  A sudden shattering sound behind us had me covering her with my body, pushing her into the kitchen before pulling out my gun. “Get down,” I growled, inching toward the doorway. No, this could not be happening.

  Not here.

  Raising my gun, I slid around the corner, seeing no one in the living room. The TV was still on, the light illuminating the culprit of the near-heart attack for both of us. “Jonathan?”

  Turning, I lowered my gun, seeing Leigh’s pale face. “It’s okay. Someone threw a brick through your window. That’s all.”

  She gasped, her eyes trained on the broken window. “Why would anyone do that to me?”

  I hated to tell her. It wasn’t because of her. It was because of me. “I don’t know, darling, but I guarantee it’s not for you.”

  She swallowed hard. “I’ll get the broom.”

  I watched as she disappeared into the kitchen again, my entire body on alert. They knew.

  More importantly, Mac knew. There was not a bone in my body that doubted for one minute that Mac wasn’t behind this. He was giving me a warning, letting me know that he knew how to hurt me.

  Shit.

  Chapter 12

  Leigh

  A few weeks later, I put a load of clothes in the washer and turned it on, humming to myself. It was a nice day outside and I had spent the morning doing my lesson plans on the patio, a cup of coffee next to me.

  Decaf, that is.

  Now I was cleaning house, taking full advantage of a Saturday off to do so. I felt great, my nausea all gone and replaced with this happiness I was finding hard to contain. The initial shock of me being pregnant was gone and now I was learning what it meant to carry a living being in my body. Every morning something different took place, whether it was my body adjusting to the intrusion or the faint flutter of movement.

  Some mornings, I laid in bed and just held my belly, talking to the child inside. I wanted him or her to feel loved, to have heard my voice and understand that we would figure it out together.

  Jonathan also liked to talk to my belly and whenever he was over, I allowed him to do so before he left for the night. Occasionally he would stay, but only because he was exhausted and would fall asleep in the bed, holding me tightly.

  I tried not to think about anything outside of the bed when he did so, but something was off with him. He was worried about something and I would bet my paycheck that it had something to do with the brick that had come flying through my window a month ago.

  He was worried and if he was worried, I was worried.

  But nothing else had happened since then. Jonathan had gotten my window repaired, refusing to let me pay for it, and we hadn’t talked about the incident again.

  Maybe that was best.

  My doorbell chimed and I walked to the door, opening it to find Nathan on my doorstep. “Um, hey,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ears. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was in the neighborhood,” Nathan said, an easy grin on his face. “So, I thought I would check up on you. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine,” I said, feeling a bit uneasy that he had just shown up on my doorstep when he had just seen me yesterday.

  His eyes traveled down my body and his smile slowly disappeared. “Are you pregnant?”

  I drew in a breath, realizing I was wearing a T-shirt that stretched tight over my stomach. I hadn’t told anyone at the school about my pregnancy, trying to find the right time to do so. The only ones that knew were the high school and I had worn baggy shirts to hide my stomach from prying eyes, not wanting to answer any questions.

  Especially from him. “Why yes,” I said, lifting my chin. “I am pregnant.”

  He opened his mouth, shutting it just as quickly, his eyes narrowed. “I can’t believe it. I just thought you were battling a stomach bug or something you couldn’t shake. Who is the father?”

  His voice was laced with disgust and I wanted him to leave. “That’s none of your business, Nathan. Goodbye.”

  He stuck his foot in the doorway as I tried to shut the door, forcing it back open. “You’re right. I’m just trying to be a friend, Leigh. Is it someone that abandoned you?”

  “Again,” I said angrily, wanting to kick at his foot so I could shut the door. “It’s none of your business, Nathan. I will see you Monday.” I couldn’t wait to leave this job and him.

  “You’re upset with me.”

  “Yes,” I replied tightly. “I am. You have no right to ask me personal questions.”

  Nathan’s gaze was reminiscent of a wounded puppy, but I refused to let my guard down.

  Just then, Jonathan’s front door opened, and I looked over, watching him walk out and turn toward my house. His steps slowed as he saw Nathan there and the rage on his face was clear and apparent.

  Nathan noticed him as well, removing his foot from the doorway with a short laugh. “Really, Leigh?” he said softly as Jonathan started across the yard. “You are fucking a criminal? I thought that you would be better than that.”

  “You are horrible,” I shot back. “Get off my property before I call the cops.”

  Nathan wasn’t listening to me though, drawing up to full height as Jonathan stepped in front of him, an evil grin on his face. “Is he bothering you?” he growled, his eyes on Nathan.

  “He was just leaving,” I offered, willing Nathan to take the way out and leave. He had no idea who he was messing with.

  “I was asking her why she would sleep with the likes of you,” Nathan said, a hint of disdain in his voice.

  Jonathan shook his head. “You have a death wish, son?”

  “Bring it.”

  Oh God.

  Jonathan’s grin slipped and a deadly gleam shone in his eyes as he grabbed Nathan’s shirt with his fist, hauling him off the ground. “Yeah, you have a death wish, and I think I will enjoy killing you.”

  I hurried toward them, my heart racing in my chest. This could not be happening. He couldn’t harm Nathan. Nathan was a smart guy and I knew he would use this to ruin Jonathan.

  I couldn’t have that happen. Reaching them, I laid a hand on Jonathan’s bulging arm. “Put him down. He’s not worth it.”

  “He’s an asshole,” Jonathan growled. “A loud-mouthed asshole.”

  “Do it,” Nathan taunted, a grin on his face. “Do it and you will pay.”

  “Please,” I begged, gripping his arm. “Please put him down.”

  Jonathan looked at me and I felt a shiver of fear slide down my spine as I found myself not even recognizing the man before me.

  He scared me. “Please, Jonathan.”

  Reluctantly, he lowered Nathan to the ground and let his shirt go, stepping back to put some distance between them. “Get the hell out of here before I put a bullet in your fucking head.”


  Instead of being scared, Nathan grinned, shaking a finger at Jonathan. “You are going to regret you ever touched me, biker. You aren’t fit to raise Leigh’s child.”

  “That’s my fucking kid,” Jonathan growled. “And if you come anywhere near Leigh or my kid again, I will fucking kill you.”

  Nathan looked at me. “This is the guy you want to raise your child? Trust me, this will backfire, and I will be there to pick up the pieces. See you, Leigh.”

  Dumbfounded, I watched as he walked down the driveway, whistling. There was something seriously wrong with Nathan.

  “Are you all right?”

  Turning back to Jonathan, I gave him a jerky nod. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  Jonathan cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry I lost it when I saw him on your doorstep. Thank you for stopping me from killing him.”

  “He’s not worth it,” I answered as Nathan drove away. “A few more months and I won’t even have to see him.” All I had to do was get through the school year and then I would leave for the high school and never look back.

  “If he bothers you again, I will kill him.”

  Jonathan’s quiet words did nothing but make me worry more. Surely he would have restraint, knowing that he had a lot to lose if he did do something to land him in jail.

  I hoped he was smart enough to remember that fact.

  “Why don’t you come over to the house when you are done?” he offered, some of the tension leaving his body. “We can spend a lazy afternoon watching movies.”

  I swallowed all my concern, giving him a faint smile. “Give me thirty minutes and I will be there.”

  It wasn’t until Jonathan had gone back to his house and I to mine that I let out the breath I had been holding. Today was a good realization for me that I really didn’t know Jonathan the biker.

  The scary biker.

  If he had hit Nathan today, there was no doubt that he could have killed him with that hit. The look on his face was pure murder, something I hadn’t witnessed. I had only seen the kind Jonathan, the one who was going out of his way to make me happy and comfortable.

  Not this Jonathan. It reminded me far too much of Brad and how I hadn’t known about his other side until it was too late.

  Shaking my head, I forced the thoughts from my mind. Jonathan wasn’t Brad, not by a long shot. He would never hurt me purposely and what he did for the club, well, it was clear he had only wanted to protect me from a threat.

  Maybe that was what he did for the club; protected people. I couldn’t let this bother me. We had something far more important happening in our lives to let this bother me.

  But as I walked to my bedroom, I couldn’t help shake the feeling that what had happened would try to come back to haunt us somehow.

  Chapter 13

  Two Tone

  I tucked Leigh under my arm as we watched the movie, feeling both worried and relieved that she had come over tonight. When I had stepped out of my house earlier and seen that asshole on her front step, I had seen red. It was evident that he was frightening her, and my blood boiled to know that she was being scared on her own front lawn in the first place.

  He was fucking lucky I didn’t shoot him right where he stood. No one was going to intimidate Leigh again, at least not in my presence.

  But I would be an idiot not to address the conversation I had had with him. He had called me a criminal.

  Hell, I was a criminal. I had a rap sheet. I was involved with a biker gang that was well known to the cops, the FBI, and the ATF. Likely we were on someone’s most wanted list.

  He was right. I shouldn’t have ever touched her to begin with.

  I had though, and now she was mine. That kid was mine. I was going to do whatever I could to protect them both.

  My doorbell rang and I looked at the clock on the wall, frowning. It was after eight, too late for a courtesy call.

  “Who’s that?” Leigh asked sleepily.

  I reluctantly removed my arm from around her. “I don’t know. Hang tight.”

  She shifted so I could stand, pulling the blanket around herself as I walked to the door, picking up my gun as I did so. While I didn’t think Mac would ring my fucking doorbell, I wasn’t about to take any chances.

  Throwing the locks, I opened the door, surprised to see Alisha standing on my doorstep, a frown on her face. “Two Tone.”

  Placing the gun on the entry table, I gave her a slight grin. “Alisha. I didn’t know you made house calls.”

  “I do when it happens to be about a Jester and nearly killing a teacher.”

  Shit. “You here to arrest me?”

  “Can I come in?” she asked instead.

  Opening the door wider, I allowed her to come inside. Alisha Owens was the chief of police for Castillo, a former ATF agent who had come home after a few years and ended up finding that her long-lost love hadn’t quit loving her after all that time.

  Who happened to be a former Jester. Chuckler was now out of the club by choice, standing by his wife’s work and not wanting to have anyone question her loyalty.

  Her making a house call tonight showed that I was in some deep shit.

  Leigh was already standing, smoothing her hair with her hand. “Who’s this?” she asked.

  “Alisha Owens,” Alisha said, extending her hand. “I’m the chief of police, Ms. Greene.”

  “Leigh, please,” she said, her eyes nervously meeting mine. “Is something wrong?”

  “I’m checking up on a complaint made by a citizen from earlier today,” Alisha said, shaking Leigh’s hand. “He had some pretty strong accusations against Two Tone here.”

  “Two Tone?” she asked.

  I swore under my breath as Alisha shot me a look. Of course, I hadn’t shared my club name with Leigh. There was no reason for her to know. Besides, I wanted her to know Jonathan, not the ruthless biker that Alisha was used to. “That is what they call me at the Jesters’ house.”

  “Oh,” Leigh said. “How does the chief of police know you by that name?”

  Alisha gave her a kind smile, though there was a steely gaze in her eyes. “Two Tone and I go way back, Ms. Greene. I was at one time part of the Jesters.”

  Something shifted in Leigh’s expression and I was immediately on alert because of it. “Alisha’s husband was part of the council,” I added hastily, hoping that she would see the connection was more than just Alisha. “He’s retired.”

  “Semi-retired,” Alisha laughed. “I can’t keep him still for too long. Chains still calls from time to time. I think they go play golf or something.”

  More like shooting guns, but I imagined she was dumbing it down so that Leigh wouldn’t freak out.

  That and I figured she had a ton of questions about why I was with Brad Walker’s ex-girlfriend.

  “So,” Alisha said after a moment, pulling out a small notepad from her shirt pocket. “I’m afraid I need to speak to you, Ms. Greene, without Mr. Kilmore present.”

  “I’ll go outside,” I offered, shoving my hands in my jeans pockets.

  Alisha nodded and I stepped outside, shutting the door behind me. Dammit. I didn’t want this kind of trouble between me and Leigh. That asshole. I should have decked him at least. If he was going to file charges on me for wrinkling his shirt, I should have made it worth my while.

  The problem was, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop once I started hitting him. He had scared Leigh. That, I couldn’t forgive.

  Blowing out a breath, I looked up at the sky, no stars visible because of the threat of rain later on tonight. I liked Alisha. She was fair and impartial, running her department with an iron fist. Wherever she could help the Jesters, she did, though if it was outside of the law, she held the club accountable.

  So far, we had stayed out of her hair, not calling attention to anything we did on this side of the border so that she didn’t have to get involved.

  Until now.

  I couldn’t go to jail now. First the brick, now thi
s asshole who was in love with Leigh. She needed my support, my protection, and I couldn’t very well do it from the other side of a jail cell.

  The door opened and Alisha stepped out, shutting the door behind her. “Nice night. I hope it rains.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I offered up, knowing she was trying to lessen the blow with small talk.

  “Relax. I’m not taking you in.”

  I’m not gonna lie, the pressure in my chest lessened just a little bit. “Thanks.”