As I climb the steps, my phone rings. I pull it out and see Smoke flash across the screen. I stop in my tracks and plop down on the top step, slide my thumb across the screen, and put it to my ear.
My eyes are trained on the door, expecting it to open any second as I say, “Yo.”
“I need you to do me a favor, son,” Dad says without bothering with a hello.
“Anything,” I reply, meaning exactly what I said.
I would do anything for my dad, any fucking thing, especially right now. He’s hurting in a way that I can’t even comprehend and won’t be able to until the day he is buried under six feet of dirt. Considering the fact my insides feel like they’re on fire every time I think of Grandpa being gone, I don’t even want to imagine the day Dad joins him.
“I need you to stop by and check on Lisa.” Before I get the chance to tell him I’m doing just that, he adds, “I know she said she didn’t want anyone coming by, but we would feel better if someone did. We’re still four hours away from home. By the time we get there, she’ll already be asleep.”
Dad and Mom had to take Marley to tour the University of Kentucky today. My sister threw a fucking fit, saying she wasn’t gonna tour a college the day after her grandfather’s funeral. She shut up really quick when Grandma reminded her how proud Grandpa was that she was going to college. She was also really quick to remind Marley that Grandpa was even prouder that she was considering wearing blue and white for the next four years since he was a lifelong Wildcat fan.
“I’m already here, Dad,” I say, finally looking away from the door.
I can hear Dad’s relieved breath before he asks, “How is she?”
I’m sure she’s the same as she has been for the last five days. Not sleeping, not eating, and just barely holding her shit together. Being part of the Grim Bastards, I have seen a lot of shit in my life. Death and the MC go hand in hand. More than a few old ladies have lost their old men over the years. Still, I’ve never seen pain as bad as the pain I see every time I look in my grandma’s eyes.
“I haven’t gone inside yet. I’ll call you as soon as I leave,” I say, pushing myself off the step. “I’ll probably stay a while, maybe even order a pizza and try to push a slice or two down her throat, so don’t expect to be hearing from me for a while.”
“That’d be good. I don’t think she ate a bite at all yesterday,” he says, sounding worn the fuck out. “No need to rush, just call when you leave.”
I can hear Mom and Marley both talking to him before he says, “Your mom says to make sure you order from Gino’s. It’s Lisa’s favorite.”
After all the times she’s taken me there, it’s my favorite, too. “I’ll do that.”
Some more mumbling fills my ears before Dad says, “Marley says to get her a small veggie. She’s hungry, even though we just stopped to eat a half-hour ago.”
“Want me to pick you and Mom up something, and what about the kids?” I ask, glad to have my mind on something other than the death of the man that taught me to ride a bike when I was six and again at sixteen.
“Nah, the boys already put in an order for KFC,” he replies, pulling in a quick breath. “I guess Colonel Sanders does it different than anyone else.”
I have to wonder how the hell they can want chicken after the last five days, even if it does come from KFC. I swear, every fucking woman in town has dropped off their own version of fried chicken. The fridge at the clubhouse, my parents’, and here is full of the shit.
“Okay, bud. It’s time for me to get my eyes back on the road. Love you, son,” he says, ending the call the same way he always does.
“Love you, too,” I reply before swiping my thumb across the screen and sliding it back into my pocket.
I head straight to the door and knock. Waiting a minute, I knock again. Each time my fist hits the door, the sound gets louder and louder. A minute or two in, I give up and pull my keys out of my pocket. I fish out the right one and put it in the door.
As soon as I open the door, the first thing I notice is the temperature. Even though it’s mid-October, it was in the low seventies yesterday. The temperature has been dropping all day. It bottomed out at fifty-six degrees a few hours ago, but the central heat hasn’t kicked on. Walking across the room, I reach for the thermostat and see the problem. I click it from air to heat and kick it up to seventy-two.
As the furnace kicks on, I realize just how silent the house is. The entire place is so quiet, you could hear a fucking pin drop. The silence has me setting a quick pace to the bedroom. I’m surprised to find the door closed. For some reason, I have to force my hand to knock. I know, just fucking know, I don’t want to see whatever is on the other side of the door.
Hearing no response, I grab the knob and slowly open the door. My eyes scan the room before I even take a step inside. When they land on Grandma lying in the center of the bed, my heart starts to pound against my chest in a frantic beat.
Looking closer, I see she is wearing one of Grandpa’s tees. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the one he was wearing at the clubhouse the night before he died. As I step to the end of the bed, I notice her arms are wrapped tightly around a pillow that I can only assume belonged to Grandpa.
“Grandma,” I say, my voice coming out sounding more like a kid of twelve than a grown man.
Bile rises up into my throat when I get no response. My eyes sting, and I reach down to touch her foot. The tears start to fall when I feel how cold it is. Even through the sheet, her foot feels icy and stiff.
Unable to keep my legs under me, I drop to my knees. Never letting go of her foot, I rest my forehead against the end of the bed. My mouth opens and a scream pours out, letting out only a small portion of the pain I am feeling.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I mutter, wondering how in the hell God could do this to us so soon.
Haven’t we been through enough? Wasn’t the pain of losing Grandpa bad enough? How in the hell can we handle losing Grandma, too? It’s not fucking possible; we’ll all fall apart.
Just as the thought passes my mind, I hear a sound to my left. Jerking my head up, I look around the room. Instead of seeing someone, my eyes land on a picture of Grandma and Grandpa from back in the day. He’s sitting on his bike as she stands by his legs. One of his arms is wrapped around her while she leans her head on his shoulder. They both are smiling huge at the camera, looking as if they were the happiest people in the world. When they were together, they always were.
Looking back at the bed, I realize they are together once again. “I’m gonna miss you so fucking much, Grandma.”
Wiping away the tears falling down my face, I pull my shit together and pull the phone out of my pocket. I’ve got some calls to make, then I’m heading to my parents’ house to tell my dad he lost a woman that may not have given birth to him, but who loved him every bit as much as if she had. Then I get to watch as everyone falls apart for the second time in less than a week.
As soon as that’s done, I’m gonna crawl in my old bed in the only house I’ve ever called home and do some falling apart of my own.
THE END
DIRTY BASTARD
Grim Bastards MC Book One
She's a biker chick with an edge.
Daughter of an MC President, Trix Slade is used to living on the wild side, but nothing prepares her for being kidnapped by the Grim Bastards MC. Hell bent on getting back home, Trix will do anything to get away from her captors—anything. There’s only one problem. Boz is as sexy as he is wild—a tempting combination for a woman like Trix.
He's a bastard with a soul.
The Bastards’ president, Boz Creed, wants to bring Trix’s father down and knows the best way to get to him is by using his precious daughter. Determined to get the revenge he seeks, Boz is willing to do anything to get what he wants—anything. There’s only one problem. Trix is as sexy as she is stubborn—a deadly combination for a man like Boz.
Can love between two rival c
lubs survive without someone taking the ultimate fall?
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FILTHY BASTARD
Grim Bastards MC Book Two
She's a poor little rich girl.
With a vindictive mother and an obsessed brother-in-law, all Adyson Sloan wants is a little freedom for her and her sister. She dreams of having a little room to breathe and making her own choices. But when she's kidnapped by the Grim Bastards MC, freedom comes at a much higher price. Terrified, but determined to get back to her sister, Addy’s plans are ruined when she falls for a bastard with a chip on his shoulder.
He's a bastard without a heart.
Sergeant at Arms Brew Decker plays by his own rules. To him, nothing is sacred but the brotherhood. He lives and dies by the club and would do anything for them, even kidnap an innocent woman. After all, she's merely a pawn in the bigger game. But everything changes when he meets Addy. Suddenly, he'd do anything for his captive.
Can love between a rich girl and a bastard survive without someone losing it all?
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GUILTY BASTARD
Grim Bastards MC Book Three
A Grim Bastards Novella
She's a club whore, not looking for love.
Lisa Higgins has been part of the Grim Bastards MC since she was seventeen years old. She’s always accepted her place in the club, until Round steals her heart.
He's a bastard, full of guilt.
Carter Roundtree has never forgiven himself for not loving his old lady the way he should have. That guilt is made worse when Lisa works her way into his heart.
Can a bastard and a whore find love in each other’s arms?
CHAPTER ONE
Lisa
Walking down the hall, I see one of the brothers and a club whore coming out of one of the back rooms. They’re both disheveled, hair mussed and clothes barely on. I look closely, trying to place the brother. A smile spreads across my face as soon as I realize who it is. Rocky’s home, finally fucking home. He’s been inside for nearly six years, serving time for his part in a drug run that went bad. His homecoming explains the extra kegs I saw delivered this morning. There will be one hell of a party tonight.
The club whore says something to him, but he’s ignoring her as his fingers button his jeans. When she tries pulling on his arms, he says something that has her taking a step back. Still, she tries to get his attention for a minute more before finally giving up and walking away. A laugh bubbles up in my throat as a look of relief washes over Rocky’s face.
Shaking my head, I state the obvious. “You’re home.”
His eyes jerk to me, and a smile spreads across his lips. He opens his arms, motioning for me to come closer. “I sure am.”
It only takes a second for me to reach him, and a second later, his arms are wrapped around me. “I see you’re still leaving a trail of broken hearts behind you.”
He looks to the retreating form of the club whore and laughs. “Nothing broken there but her pride. She honestly thought I’d be so relieved to get a taste of pussy that I’d keep her around for a while. She was wrong.”
“She’s new. She thinks every brother that takes her to bed is going to claim her.” I pull out of his arms, taking a step back. “The bitch is gagging to be an old lady.”
“The whores always want a cut,” he says, reaching up to cup my face. “The good ones, they refuse when one is offered to them.”
Before he went to prison, he had me half-convinced to wear his cut. The only thing that stopped me was my feelings for Round. At the time, I knew nothing could happen between him and me. Still, it wasn’t fair to pledge myself to Rocky while I was so infatuated with Round. I was afraid of what would happen if he and his old lady split up. Lucky for me, I held my ground. If not, I wouldn’t have been sharing my life with Round for the last few years. Instead, I would have been sitting around waiting for my man to get out of prison.
This time, I take another step back, seeing the same look in his eyes that I saw years ago. “That’s not true. You’ll find a good woman one of these days.”
“Only one woman I’ve ever wanted to claim, and she didn’t want me back,” he says, his voice dropping low as he looks into my eyes. “Now, I hear that she’s gone and shackled herself to a man that refuses to claim her.”
Fuck! I should have known this was coming. Rocky knew about my feelings for Round, long before Round had any idea. He didn’t like it then, said that it would lead to nothing but heartache for me, and it sounds like he likes it even less now. It doesn’t matter, though; this is between Round and me. Rocky doesn’t get an opinion.
I shake my head, avoiding his stare. “That’s none of your business.”
“Fuck that,” he growls, glaring at me. “You’re my friend. I don’t like seeing my friend hurting. You can lie all you want, but it’s gotta sting that you’re still not wearing his cut.”
If it was anyone else saying this shit, I would be pissed. They would probably be feeling the back of my hand by now. But from Rocky, it’s coming from a good place. It’s just a place I’m not comfortable visiting right now.
Taking in a deep breath, I try to explain. “I never asked him to claim me.”
“You shouldn’t have to ask, Lisa. The fucker should be begging you to be his,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I heard about Lauren, and I know he’s out of excuses. He shouldn’t be treating you like a bed warmer. You are worth more than that. You know you are.”
His words are like a slap in the face, reminding me of my place in Round’s life. I should say, my lack of a true place in his life. For the first few years I was in his bed, I understood his reluctance to make anything official. At least, I tried to pretend to understand. He had an old lady and refused to leave her, even though they never shared a bed. Hell, they hardly even talked.
He said he didn’t want to put his kids through a divorce. It didn’t seem to matter that his kids were grown, and his old lady spent most of her time with her lover. Even as time passed, he never mentioned cutting Lauren loose. Nothing mattered but pretending all was good between the two of them.
When his daughter died, he gave up all pretense of a relationship with Lauren. He hardly ever went home, never even bothered checking in with her. Instead, he started talking about telling his other kids his marriage was over. Even though he never came right out and said it, I assumed he meant to take me as his old lady after cutting Lauren loose.
Then, before that could happened, his wife was in a car accident. She died instantly, and he quit talking about making me his old lady. I didn’t expect him to claim me right away; no way would he trash her memory like that. When he moved me in with him, I figured he would claim me soon after, but I was wrong. He never even mentioned it. Even after all these years, I am no closer to being his than I was the first time we made love.
“Please don’t, Rocky,” I whisper, trying to hide the pain from my voice. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. Just let me enjoy having my friend home.”
He’s quiet for a second, before nodding his head. “Okay, sweet thing. Let’s go grab a beer and catch up.”
I paste on a smile and wrap my arm around his waist. “Let’s skip the beer and grab a bottle of Jack instead.”
As soon as I turn around, my eyes land on Round’s son walking toward us. Smoke is staring at Rocky, a look I can’t quite name on his face. He stops a few feet from us, looking from Rocky to me then back again.
Rocky slings an arm over my shoulders and says, “Hey, VP. My friend and I are gonna go grab a drink. Wanna join us?”
Smoke shakes his head, his dark eyes resting on me. “No, I gotta talk to Dad.”
Feeling the weight of Rocky’s arm, guilt swamps me. I jerk away and mumble, “We were just catching up.”
The words have barely left my mouth, when Smoke’s eyes soften. “I know you were.”
A
minute ago, having a drink alone with Rocky seemed completely innocent. Now, it feels totally wrong. It almost seems like I’m betraying Round in some way, like I would be cheating on him. It doesn’t matter that it will be nothing more than two friends catching up; it could look like two old lovers reconnecting.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?” I ask, chewing on my bottom lip. “Surely, you have time for a drink.”
“Maybe later.” Smoke shakes his head and smiles. “Go have some fun. You deserve it. When I get done with my shit, I may join you.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, still worrying my lip.
“I’m sure, Lisa.” With that, he walks away.
Before I can even process his words, Rocky grabs my arm and leads me down the hall. “You heard the VP. It’s time to have some fun.”
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NASTY BASTARD
Grim Bastards MC Book Four
She's the daughter of a club traitor, trying to start over.
Daughter of the man that betrayed the Grim Bastards, Gidget Etheridge doesn’t want anything to do with the club. She grew up being ignored by her father, but found solace in the arms of the boy she loved. Everything changed the day he turned his back on her. When she and her son are rescued by Smoke, she has to decide if the boy who broke her heart is worth a second chance.
He's a bastard, living life by his own rules.
Vice President Smoke Roundtree grew up knowing he would be a Grim Bastard, just like his father and grandfather. When he became a prospect, he made a choice between the club and the girl he loved. Even all these years later, he still wonders if he made the right decision. When he saves Gidget and her son, he finally has a chance to fix the mistakes of his past.
Can a bastard heal the heart he shattered thirteen years ago?
Death Of A Bastard Page 4