Digger sat up and drew his knees up, hanging his head. His fingers trembling, he pulled out his phone and dialed.
A moment later, Outlaw answered. “Callin’ to fuckin’ tell me where the fuck you want your fuckin’ body pieces, assfuck?” he growled.
“I’m here. Turning myself in,” Digger responded in a stoic voice. “Mort right next to me. I’m going to meet him at his motel room.” He rattled off the address. “He think I’m setting him up.”
“Givin’ me the fuckin’ address gonna prove fuckin’ what? Cuz I’m hundreds of fuckin’ miles away. You plannin’ to get the drop on Mort, you got the fuckin’ advantage. Mortician?”
“Prez?”
“Anyway for you to fuck him up without meetin’ him?”
“I been following him, Outlaw,” Digger admitted. “That’s why I’m here. I could’ve taken him out days ago.”
“Your call, Mortician. I ain’t trustin’ you for fuck, Digger.” With that, Outlaw disconnected.
Digger lifted his gaze to Mortician.
“Come with me,” he ordered, having an idea. He led Digger through the hallways until he found a door that led to a stairwell. The moment the door closed, he grabbed Digger by the throat and shoved his gun against his temple.
He felt as if his whole world was collapsing. Just a few days ago, he’d been agonizing over Outlaw’s orders. He’d even pushed aside the fact that Digger had taken Bailey. Maybe, if she wasn’t laid up in the hospital, clinging to life, he wouldn’t be so on edge. His need to avenge her wouldn’t have been overwhelming him.
“I’m sorry, Luke,” Digger got out, his words hitting Mortician right in the heart.
I’m sorry, Luke. He sounded like his little brother, the one Mortician had protected from everything.
“Shut the fuck up,” he warned, low.
“You always been my big brother. I’d never do anything to hurt you. I don’t know Bailey, so I had quick decisions to make and I just went with who I knew. And Meggie, I like her, but she not my blood. I didn’t think she’d live to identify me.”
“And Bailey? My wife? The mother of my unborn daughter? What the fuck about her?”
“I don’t know her,” he reiterated. “I know you, though. I love you. I was just trying to protect you.”
Mortician breathed in and out, remembering their childhood when it was just the two of them. Before Outlaw and Big Joe and K-P. Before Bailey and Meggie, Red and Chester. He remembered the quiet, skinny boy his brother had been, who’d convinced Mortician to sponsor him so they could be close again.
If he didn’t kill Digger to avenge Bailey, he was required to kill him on behalf of Meggie. Just because Prez had been betrayed too many times to count. He wanted to know Mortician was 100% loyal to him and the Dwellers.
Growling in frustration, he yanked his gun away. He was trembling with anger, misery, and the weight of the betrayal he was about to commit. “Go,” he ordered, low. “Bring my son for me to see, tomorrow, then go.” He backed away. “You dead to me. After tomorrow, I don’t ever want to see you again. You had fucking choices. Just like I’m choosing to let you walk the fuck away, betray a man more loyal to me than my brother, you could’ve chosen to tell me. Or Outlaw.” His heart was beating hard and fast. “This better not come back to bite me in the ass because I swear to God, I’ll fucking bury you.”
Digger held his hands out in supplication. “Mort—”
“Go,” he roared. “Before I change my mind.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes, shoving his gun back into his cut as his brother brushed past him and hurried out the door.
Chapter Thirty: A Knock from the Past
The first sound Bailey heard when she awakened was the beeping of the monitors.
“Bailey?”
The second sound was the relieved whisper of Lucas. She tried to lift her head to make sure he was really there.
“No, fuck. Bailey. Keep fucking still.”
“You’re here.” She drew her brows together. “You won your bet, I take it.”
“Don’t think about a fucking bet right now,” Lucas ordered, guiding her back. “You had me fucking scared. Don’t ever do that shit to me again.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“What the fuck happened to you? All I saw when I got there was you on the ground and…fuck, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas,” she whispered, rubbing her hands over the bulge of her stomach. “The baby is okay?”
“She fine. Just tell me—”
“I have a fairly common condition,” she interrupted, wanting to take away the panic in his eyes. “Mitral Valve Prolapse. It affects mainly women. But I have some leakage with it and I have unstable blood pressure and—”
“And you didn’t fucking think I needed to know about this?”
“You didn’t want to hear about anything else,” she said quietly. “Mom said not to worry about it. That she had it and it hadn’t caused her any complications.”
“First of all, you not your bitch ass momma.”
Bailey gasped. “Did you just call my mother a bitch?”
“Don’t even fucking start. She don’t have nothing good to say about me and the feeling fucking mutual, so let’s just leave it at that.”
Drawing in a deep breath and closing her eyes, Bailey groaned, remembering her mother had answered the texts Lucas had sent to her. At the time, it hadn’t mattered to her. Now, she realized she must’ve said something to get on Lucas’s bad side.
“Bailey, baby, you okay?”
Lucas’s panicked voice made her open her eyes.
“I’m fine.”
“Look, don’t worry about me and your mom. We’re going to work through shit. Just don’t get all worked up and make yourself sick.”
“All right, what have you done with the Lucas I know?”
He leaned over and kissed her. “He right here and he need you well. He’ll do anything to get you well,” he said quietly.
Bailey caressed his face. “I’m fine,” she swore.
“Let me get the nurse, so she can check you out.” He kissed her again. “Don’t ever do this shit to me again. You scared the fuck out of me.”
Before Bailey could respond, he was walking out of the room.
After three days in the hospital, Bailey was released with strict orders of bed rest. She had a referral for a new, high risk OB as well as a cardiologist in New Orleans. Bailey made an appointment for the beginning of the following week. More than that, though, she needed to figure out a way to earn money.
She could stay with her mother as long as necessary, but it didn’t feel the same. Her room felt like a memory rather than a reality. It no longer belonged to her, although she kept that to herself, not wanting to hurt her mom’s feelings. For months, though, she’d been the woman of her house and it was hard returning to her mother’s rules, which included Lucas sleeping in a separate room. While Bailey had no intention of sleeping with him again, she wanted the decision to be hers and not because her mom’s rules dictated it.
She was a married woman, expecting a baby. Roxy should’ve taken that into consideration, especially the pregnancy. The baby was already made, so Lucas sleeping in another room as a precaution was unnecessary.
Now, as the sun gleamed into her room, Bailey rubbed a hand over her stomach, smiling when Harley moved.
A knock came on her door.
“Come in,” she called, whispering to her daughter.
Lucas sauntered in and Bailey bit down on her lip, telling herself to ignore how sexy he looked, wearing his cut, white T-shirt and black jeans. He’d allowed his dreads to hang loose, so his diamond studs were covered. Yet, nothing could take away from his handsome face. Not his stubble that he sported more often than not or his overly long lashes. They just accentuated his eyes. At different angles, they appeared to be different colors. One way, they looked to be a deep, chocolate brown. When he shifted, they were hazel, gray, green and brown.
She leaned back against her pillows. “Very much. As gorgeous and as hot as you are, who wouldn’t?”
Bleakness filled her. She hadn’t meant to touch upon the subject of other women. That hurt her as much as his callous behavior towards her.
He sat next to her. “I haven’t touched another woman.”
She glanced toward her window, which showed the backyard. A swing set was there, just a few years old, purchased when their FEMA trailer was still on the property after the hurricane. “You did.”
He threw her an irritated glance. “Other than the bitch who sucked me off once.”
The image his words conjured made Bailey’s nostrils flare. She absolutely didn’t want to focus on that for too long.
“When do you think you’ll be able to leave? I don’t think you should get on my bike, so I wanted to make airline reservations for you.”
Bowing her head, Bailey combed her fingers through her hair. “I have absolutely no hard feelings, Lucas,” she swore. “I love you. So very much. Whenever you want to see the baby, you’re more than welcome.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m ready to get back to the club.”
“I know,” she responded softly.
“So—”
“So I’m not going back with you.” She forced the words out of her mouth. But she couldn’t do it anymore. Loving someone who didn’t love her as much hurt too much. It drained her. “I can’t. We’re o-over.” She couldn’t stop the small sob or the stumble over the words.
His eyes widened and the shock on his face surprised her.
She looked at her hands and smiled, the thought that she’d never had a wedding ring so bittersweet. She wouldn’t have that symbol to remind her of what she’d lost, but she hadn’t had it to brag about who she’d loved.
“Bailey, I love you.”
His whispered words made her start.
“If it’s about the bet—”
“It is a little,” she admitted, leaning toward him to touch his face. “I understand your need to win and…” She twirled a piece of his hair, arranging her thoughts to effectively explain how she felt. “I stuck with you, but you kept me on the outside. If you would’ve included me some kind of way. Made me feel as if it was us against them, it might’ve chafed a little. I-I mean the bet was your swearing you’d never fall for or get hooked on someone young.”
“On young pussy,” he gritted through clenched teeth.
“Considering I’m the young pussy in question, your attitude hurt me. You were callous.” Fresh tears rushed to her eyes. “I can’t…I love you. You were callous, Lucas. It’s unrealistic to think you would act towards me in public, the way you treated me in private all of the time, but once or twice would’ve been nice.” Unable to help it, she held up her bare hand. “I didn’t even have a ring.”
Anger twisting his mouth, he narrowed his eyes. “I’m not divorcing you. Harley is having my last name. She’s being born to her mom and her dad. Her married mom and dad.”
“You’ve sworn to me a couple of times that things would get better. They do for as long as it takes for us to make love and then you’re back to keeping me at arm’s length. My vagina isn’t thinking for me anymore where you’re concerned.”
“Your pussy better not be thinking about another motherfucker, Bailey,” he growled. “Not if your pussy don’t want to be responsible for getting another motherfucker fucked up.”
Bailey widened her eyes, almost believing his jealousy. He got to his feet and peeked out her window.
“I love you. I know it’s hard for you to believe, but, fuck—”
“You’ve never lied to me. You’ve just stretched the truth and twisted the way situations were going to be to fit what you knew I wanted to hear,” she interrupted, “so I do believe you when you say you love me.”
“You’ve got to give me a chance.”
“I was willing to pay the bet for you,” she said, bunching the bedcovers up. “With money Dad left for just this reason. You turned me down.” That’s when she’d known and enough had been enough.
“Bailey, baby, I don’t give a fuck about the bet. I haven’t even collected the money yet.”
“But you will?”
“Fuck. I won the shit, fair and square. Of course, I will.”
Why should that be a problem? Because he was right. It had been six months of games and playing with Bailey’s feelings. He’d won it fair and square. “I’m so sorry.” She brought the comforter to her cheeks to wipe away her tears. “I can’t be there for you to love at your convenience. I need you to love me at all times.”
“Fuck, like Prez do Meggie?”
Bailey shrugged. “No, like Lucas loves Bailey. I don’t want their relationship,” she snapped. “I want our relationship. Besides, this isn’t some type of competition, this is about our lives and our hearts. I adore them but I don’t care how they love each other. I only care about how we love each other.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“There’s nothing to do anymore.”
“Bailey, fuck. Come back to Washington with me. Please? I won’t touch you until you’re ready. I’ll even give you my room—”
“My condo—”
“Had four dead motherfuckers in it. Even if it didn’t, you can’t stay there, unprotected.”
“I’m here and nothing has happened to me.”
“Don’t get too much of a sense of security,” Lucas warned grimly. Even though his lips were tight with distaste, they were still succulent. “Sharper a motherfucker, still looking for those fucking letters.” He pulled at his dreads, as he did whenever he was frustrated. “You can’t stay here and I’m way there. Pl—”
Something went off in his eyes and he stiffened. He started for the door, but, then stopped and faced her, blowing out a harsh breath. “I loved Charlemagne,” he said quietly. “All I can remember is begging her. Begging her to love me back. Begging her to take me back. Begging her to let me marry her. Claim my son. See my son.” The sadness he tried so hard to mask darkened his features. “I’m sorry for hurting you, Bailey. I love you. More than I ever loved Char.” He balled his fists at his sides and looked so desolate and alone, certainly not the arrogant and proud man she knew. “Us motherfuckers only got each other to learn from, so, yeah, I see how Prez love Meggie and Johnnie love Kendall. One love without conditions and the other one loves with them. Meggie Prez queen. I know this a hard thing for you to swallow and you have no reason to believe me. You’re my queen. Come back to Washington with me, so I can prove it.” He heaved in a breath and met her gaze. “Please,” he added, before walking out of her room and leaving her alone to burst into tears.
An hour later, Bailey remained in her room, her head filled with images of her husband, standing in there and laying his soul out to her. Not long afterwards, she’d heard his bike speeding away.
She hoped Roxy returned home before Lucas did. She had no idea where he’d gone, but, after he’d said please when she knew that must’ve been the hardest word in the world for him, what else had there been to say?
How many chances should she give to him? Was one more chance acceptable? Was it for his benefit? Her own? Harley’s? This was the rest of her life, so she needed to decide with her head. Not her heart and certainly not her hormones.
After all he’d told her, though, it was hard not to respond with her heart. Maybe, she could be smart about it. Maybe, they could…date…did bikers date?
They needed some way for Bailey to give Lucas a chance to prove himself.
Her phone beeped and Bailey leaned over to get it from the nightstand.
Bailey?
She smiled at Meggie’s simple message. Hey. How are u?
Thinking of fifty ways to knock Christopher out. I’m so frigging bored.
Bailey giggled, sympathizing with Meggie’s plight. What’s up other than contemplating an assault?
Nothing much. Have you heard from Kendall?
No. I’m worried about her.
Me, too. Even Zoann has called her four times. Val got angry and said she and Kendall didn’t get along, so why the concern now? She told him to go suck a donkey’s dick because she could change her mind about anything at any time. Classic Zoann.
We all can as much as we want to. It’s our lives and we shouldn’t have to answer to anyone about it.
Bailey frowned and reread the words she texted Meggie. She’d written them, but was she willing to change her mind a final time? Was this just another example of her accepting situations? She hadn’t given much consideration to the reasons she’d always blindly gone back to Lucas. Love, yes. But was it also…apathy? Marching to the beat of the drummer because she didn’t want to exert her own will?
Was she accepting or was she plain weak? She’d lived so long with her mother’s explosive personality and saw the trouble it had caused on more than one occasion. In her effort to be more reasonable, she’d gone to the other extreme.
Another text came through.
Are you coming back? How’s Mortician? He has been really torn up over you being so sick.
He has been right at my side the entire time. I don’t remember much.
He found you. You scared him. I just found out after you were discharged. As in right before I texted you.
Christopher didn’t want you to worry.
You’re my friend. He should’ve told me.
I understand, but I’m fine now.
The doorbell rang and Bailey groaned. This was a high-traffic house and not because they were dealing drugs but because they all had a bunch of friends and her mother was at the nucleus of the family. She scrambled out of bed, phone in hand, and headed for the door, not in the mood for company. It wasn’t Lucas since she hadn’t heard the roar of his bike.
Her mind made up about going back with him, she had to lay down her conditions, but she needed to get them together in her head. Especially the one about no sex for a while. She pursed her lips, disliking that one the most, and opened the door, gasping when her ex-boyfriend, Ulner Hayfield, smiled at her.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 204