“Linc—”
“Once it’s done and over, you’ll agree it was the best decision.”
Her stomach rolled and her chest felt like it collapsed. He still wanted her to terminate the pregnancy? After that?
Oh, that’s right, it was just sex.
A burn bubbled up from the pit of her stomach. She straightened and pulled out of his arms, scrambling off him to shove the passenger door open and scream, “Get the fuck out of my car!”
He blinked. “What?”
She pointed outside the door. “I didn’t fucking stutter. Get the fuck out of my car!”
“Jayde...”
“No. Get the fuck out. I’ll do this shit on my own. Without you. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone who the father is. You’re fucking safe.”
“Jayde.” He reached out to grab her arm, but she yanked it away.
Leaning naked over the passenger seat, she grabbed his clothes. Once she had them all gathered, she whipped them into his chest. “Get your shit and... GET. GONE!”
“Jayde!”
“No, Linc. Fuck you...”
Chapter Three
“No, Linc. Fuck you... I’ll take care of everything and not in the way you want me to. You won’t owe me shit. You won’t owe this baby shit. This will be my child, not yours, since you don’t want it. Do you hear me? Mine. Now... Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. Car!”
Jayde’s words, full of hurt and anger, still rang in his ears. He stared down at the half-empty coffee mug in his hand, hoping it would give him some answers. It didn’t.
He had gotten out of her car and put his clothes on as she drove away in a rage, still completely naked. She had squealed the tires as she drove out of the lot, leaving his ass in the dust. He’d walked the two long fucking miles back to The Iron Horse. He’d stupidly left his cell phone behind the bar when he dragged Jayde out of there three nights ago, so didn’t have any way to call for a ride.
He hadn’t heard from her since.
Now she was the one ignoring his texts and phone calls. She probably blocked his number. And he certainly wasn’t going to her parents’ house to knock on their fucking door.
The back door to church crashing open made Linc glance up. His grip tightened on his coffee mug as he took a step back before he could stop himself. But with his brain spinning, he braced.
Axel Jamison grabbed him by the throat, knocked his Harley mug to the ground making it shatter and hot coffee splash everywhere. Then his fist made direct contact with Linc’s cheek.
Linc grunted at the impact as his head whipped back and his brain shook violently. His hands came up, one grabbing Axel’s wrist and the other blocking the next blow, since Jayde’s brother was holding him tight enough that Linc couldn’t duck.
Even though they were about the same size, the fucker was stronger than he looked.
“What the fuck!” Linc yelled as he blocked one right hook, but couldn’t block the next one.
With the direct impact to his sternum, he dropped to his knees, gasping for air, his hands going to his face and stomach as Jayde’s cop brother released him.
Then a finger jabbed directly in his face. “You motherfucker!”
Linc glanced up at the man whose face was almost purple, his blue eyes narrowed, his jaw tight, and his nostrils flaring.
“You... You motherfucker!”
The man wasn’t in uniform. He was wearing jeans and a tee. But that didn’t mean Linc wouldn’t be arrested for defending himself.
Linc grabbed a nearby bar stool and pulled himself to his feet, his eyes not leaving Axel, whose chest continued to heave.
Linc gathered the breath he lost with the uppercut. “I’ll let you have those two. But you fuckin’ hit me again and it’s on,” he growled as he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. He studied the red blood that spread across his skin. The fucker had made him bleed.
“You shut the fuck up. I’m going to be the one doing the talking!” Axel roared in Linc’s face.
“Got nothin’ to say to you, pig,” Linc roared back. When Axel took a step forward, Linc pushed his chest out and straightened his shoulders. He curled his fingers into loose fists and raised them slightly, ready to block and jab, if needed. “Ready for you now. Do your fuckin’ best.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Linc saw Crow running down the steps, as well as the back door open again and someone else rushing in.
Zak yelled across the room as he approached them. “What the fuck’s goin’ on?”
Axel jabbed a finger in Linc’s direction, his eyes narrowed. “This motherfucker...”
Z stepped between them, facing Axel. “What about ‘im?”
Axel’s chest was still heaving as his gaze went from his older brother to Linc, who had enough sense now that his prez was there to stay quiet until he knew what the fuck was going on.
Unfortunately, he had a good idea what Axel’s fury was about.
Axel shook a finger at Linc again. “This motherfucker...”
“What the fuck, Axel? Use your fuckin’ words!” Z yelled, hands on his hips.
Axel stared at the floor, shook his head, then glared up at Z. “Jayde’s pregnant.”
Crow, who had moved behind Linc, made a low noise and Z’s mouth dropped open. Then it snapped shut, his eyes now as hard as Axel’s as they slid between his brother and Linc.
“What the fuck?” Zak muttered. “An’ she said it was his?”
Axel shook his dark head again, blowing out a breath. “Fuck no. She wouldn’t say whose it was. Just came to Bella and me, asking if we’d be interested in adopting the baby.”
What?
“What?” Z echoed Linc’s thought.
“Said she’s just checking out her options. Hasn’t told Mom or Dad yet. Said she won’t until she figures out what she’s doing first.”
“What?” Z asked again, his gaze landing on Linc. “This true?”
Fuck.
He could be smart and play dumb, since Jayde never told Axel he was the father. Or he could man up. Which right now could be dumb, since he would have two pissed off brothers on his hands. He might get thumped within an inch of his life.
And he doubted Crow would take his back right now. The ink slinger wasn’t stupid, either. Plus, he’d been a part of the club even longer than Z. Not to mention, he was super protective of the women. Linc was pretty sure that the man wasn’t happy with Axel’s news.
So, yeah, Crow wasn’t going to help Linc’s ass get out of this jam.
Z moved closer, leaning toward Linc. “You knock up my fuckin’ sister?”
Ah, fuck. This was not going to be good. But lying would only make things worse.
“Says it’s mine,” Linc muttered.
Z jerked back and then spun away from him, shaking his head. He walked halfway through the common area, then spun back, his fingers raking through his shoulder-length hair. “That night. The night we couldn’t find you two. Hawk’s weddin’...”
Axel’s gaze sliced to his older brother. “I knew shit was going down between them! I told you.”
“An’ I helped you fuckin’ search, Ax, so calm your fuckin’ tits,” Z growled.
“How the hell can I calm my tits, when this asshole,” Axel jabbed a finger in Linc’s direction again, “one of your brothers, took advantage of Jayde.”
“She...” Nope. Just fucking nope. Linc wasn’t going to say it. Jayde had wanted it as much as him, if not more, but he was not going to throw her under the bus. He needed to drop his balls, be a man and take responsibility for this fuck-up. This major, life-changing fuck-up. “She say that?” Linc asked Axel’s back, since the cop had turned away from him and was now staring a hole into who-knows-what he was glaring at.
“Doesn’t fucking matter what she said. She’s just a girl.” Axel’s growl that sounded just like his older brother’s, along with his tight shoulders said it all.
Jayde could do no wrong.
“Jesus, Axel. She’s fuckin’ twe
nty-eight,” Crow finally spoke up, stepping beside Linc. “Pissed as I am right now, gotta see reason. Jayde ain’t a little girl anymore. She’s responsible for her own actions.”
Axel spun on his heels, that glare now pointed at Crow. “You have no say in this, Crow. It’s family shit.”
Crow’s eyelids shuttered over his dark eyes and his jaw got tight. “Jayde’s DAMC. She’s family.”
“She is not DAMC.”
“It runs in her veins. Her granddad was a founder. Her brother is prez. An’ now...” Crow glanced at Linc. “Now she’s carrying one of the fourth generation.”
“Holy fuck,” Axel groaned, scrubbing a hand over his head. “Dad’s going to have a coronary.” His blue eyes landed on Linc. “He’s going to kill you.” He glanced at Z. “Dad’s going to end up in prison for murder. Telling you now, Z. He’s going to go ballistic.”
“Yep,” was all Z said, his brows furrowed as he stared at his boots, his arms crossed over his chest.
Yep?
“We fucked up,” Linc finally admitted now that the coloring in Axel’s face was more a normal shade.
“We?” Axel barked. “A real man would have made sure his woman was protected.”
Fuck.
He opened his mouth to correct Axel and tell the cop that his sister wasn’t his “woman.” But that might make the man’s face turn purple all over again. And Linc’s sternum and cheek already hurt like fuck. The man seemed to be half-decent with his fists. Pig or not.
“I fucked up,” he corrected.
“Jayde ain’t his woman,” Z said to Axel. “Or wasn’t.” He turned to Linc. “Is she? Have you two been goin’ behind everyone’s back?”
“No.” Linc needed to handle this carefully. While he didn’t want to throw Jayde under the bus, he also needed to explain shit to his prez. Fuck Axel. He didn’t need to explain anything to that pig. But Z? Yeah. Z was his president and could get Linc’s colors stripped off his back faster than he could say “positive pee stick.”
“So you just used her?” Axel asked. His dark head spun toward Z. “Fuck Dad going to jail. I’m going to kill the fucker.”
Z raised a palm. “Fuckin’ calm the fuck down, Axel. Jesus Fuckin’ Christ. We’ve tolerated a lotta shit from you ‘cause of Bella. You don’t belong here in church. Weren’t invited. So, you’re an outsider an’ only here due to my graciousness.”
Oh fuck, that wasn’t going to help Axel’s temper.
The cop scowled at Z. “Jayde’s my baby sister.”
“Mine, too. An’ Linc’s my brother. So I’ll deal with it.”
Axel’s head jerked back. “What? How the fuck are you going to deal with it?”
Z shrugged. “Dunno yet. Gotta talk to Jayde. Talk to Linc. Fuckin’ figure this shit out.”
Fuck.
“Did you not hear the part where I said she came to us and asked if we’d be interested in adopting the baby?”
“Fuck yeah,” Z mumbled. “Heard it. Linc’s got a say in this shit, too. His kid.”
Axel’s jaw dropped, then he snapped it shut. “Let me tell you something. Hearing that affected Bella. Hearing that someone didn’t want their kid totaled her. I understand and appreciate what Jayde was trying to do, but it sent Bella into a tailspin that I,” he slapped his palm against his own chest, “had to deal with.”
“She okay?” Crow asked.
Axel’s head twisted toward the ink slinger. “Now, yeah. Luckily.”
“I offered...” Linc let that drift off. Now would not be a good time to let her brothers know just what he offered Jayde. Not if he wanted to keep breathing.
“What? What did you offer? To marry her? To move her into your room upstairs? To throw a baby seat onto the back of your bike? What? What do you possibly have to offer her?” Axel yelled, his arms flinging wide. He spun on Z. “She has two years left in law school, Z. Law school. Having a kid’s going to fuck that all up. She’s going to be tied to a fucking biker for the rest of her life through this kid. A kid she’s in no way prepared to have.”
“You don’t give her enough credit,” Crow muttered, then moved over to the commercial coffeemaker in the corner, grabbing his mug and filling it. He moved behind the bar and leaned against the back counter, taking a sip of his coffee as he contemplated the rest of them.
Linc needed to keep his eyes on Axel. The cop was the immediate threat, not Crow. That man didn’t have a quick temper, but then Jayde wasn’t his sister.
Axel snarled at Crow, “You think she’s ready for what having this kid’s going to bring down on her? You think it’s easy with Bella and me? You think our father’s just going to welcome that... that... one with open fucking arms? Welcome him into the family? Congratulate him with a fucking pat on the back?”
“Think you got a problem with it, too,” Crow said softly.
Axel’s spine snapped straight. “Yeah, I do. She could be successful. She’s college educated, she has a decent job in Kiki’s firm, even though Keeks is a defense attorney. And she was aspiring to follow in Keeks’ footsteps. She was going to have a good career, a good future. Now what? She’s going to be saddled with some loser’s kid.”
Linc’s nostrils flared and his fingers curled into fists.
Axel wasn’t done yet. “All because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
“Or a wrap on it,” Crow muttered nearby.
Jesus fuck, Linc didn’t need that kind of help from Crow.
“It’s a mistake that’ll get fixed,” Linc said, shaking his head and moving to find a new mug and get more coffee. He definitely needed more caffeine. He’d have to get one of the sweet butts to clean up his shattered favorite mug, as well as the coffee off the floor later.
“That’ll get fixed?” Axel echoed in a shout from behind Linc. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Linc sighed, since his answer wasn’t going to make anyone in that room happy. As he reached for a clean mug, something hit him from the back and knocked him to the floor.
“Oh shit,” Zak grumbled from somewhere other than the floor Linc found himself on.
The first blow struck Linc in the temple, scrambling his brain matter. He gathered his wits, or tried to, and twisted under Axel, but the cop straddled Linc as he was lying face-down on the concrete. He planted his palms on the floor and with all his strength bowed his body up, tossing Axel off him. Linc was on his knees, then on his feet, as fast as Axel was.
“Fuck you, pig. Gotta take those fuckin’ cheap shots.” Linc raised his fists and spread his feet in a solid stance, even though his right ear was ringing. Linc blocked the next jab and delivered one of his own, striking Axel squarely in the nose. Blood spurted, but Axel ignored it. Linc dug deep, remembering everything Slade taught him when it came to boxing and self-defense.
Linc dodged Axel’s next swing and landed a hook into the man’s ribs. Axel doubled over with a pained grunt, but quickly recovered and rushed Linc with his head-down. Jayde’s brother caught Linc in the chest, shoving him backwards straight into the table that held the coffeemaker.
Linc wrapped his hands around Axel’s head and shoved him away just far enough to land an uppercut to his jaw. Axel’s head flew up and back and he landed on his ass. Quickly scrambling to his knees, Axel fell forward, wrapping his arms around Linc’s legs and taking him down to the ground once more.
Before he could roll out from underneath Axel, the man was gone and Z was hauling Linc up by his armpits. “You fuckers had enough, yet?”
Crow was holding Axel in a bear hug, and the cop was wincing at the tight hold. Good. Linc hoped he broke a couple ribs with that right hook.
“No!” Axel shouted, trying to pull from Crow’s arms, blood trickling from his nose, over his mouth and down his chin. “I want to know what the fucker meant by fixing it.”
“You ain’t the only one,” Z muttered.
Linc pushed at Z’s arms, trying to get free. “Believe it or not, asshole, I want what’s best for her, too.
We— Fuck!” He scraped a hand over his hair. “I fucked up. I fucked up. I’ll take the fuckin’ blame. But I don’t want her life fucked up, either. You’re fuckin’ right. She deserves a whole lot fuckin’ better than me. Just like you said, a fuckin’ loser. Don’t got shit to offer her. Told her that. Told her she got a good life and not to let this fuck it up. She doesn’t listen.”
Z grunted behind him. “No shit.”
The club prez finally released him and Linc braced himself as Crow let Axel go. But Axel just swiped a hand over his bloody lower face and stared at Linc. Axel sucked in a loud, long breath, then blew it out.
Crow moved back behind the bar, grabbed a wad of paper towels and offered it to Z’s brother, who accepted it grudgingly.
“He’s gonna be family, Axel. Can’t be beatin’ the shit outta each other,” Crow said.
“Bullshit,” Axel muttered, then he eyeballed Linc. “So you wanted her to have an abortion. That’s what you’re saying? Using the excuse that her life will be screwed up, even though terminating the pregnancy would save your ass?”
“Not saying I’m ready for a kid, ‘cause I ain’t. Not saying I don’t wanna be with Jayde, either, but don’t want to deal with your family. Wanna respect my prez—”
“Musta forgot that part when you stuck your dick in my sister,” Z grumbled. “Didn’t even ask me if you could see her on the regular. Definitely didn’t ask if you could knock her the fuck up.”
“Not seeing her on the regular—”
“Right, she’s too good for you,” Axel scoffed, shaking his head.
“Right. Don’t wanna deal with,” Linc waved his arm around, “this kinda shit. There’s a lotta pussy where I ain’t taking my life in my own hands. That’s for fuckin’ sure.”
Down & Dirty: Linc (Dirty Angels MC Book 9) Page 4