Axel’s face got hard and Linc was pretty sure he fucked up again.
He quickly raised a hand. “Not saying she’s just pussy. She ain’t. Got a lot of things going for her. And that’s why I suggested what I did. Just like you said, Axel, she doesn’t need to be tied down to a loser.”
“Ain’t a loser,” Z muttered, stepping between Linc and his real brother. He swung his head toward Axel. “He ain’t a loser. Got a good head on ‘im.”
“Well, he certainly didn’t use it if Jayde got pregnant.”
“We all fuck up, Ax. All of us. You fucked up not believin’ me ‘bout bein’ set up. Told you I was. Didn’t believe it. Believed Dad’s shit. Put a wedge between us. So, we all fuck up.”
Axel dropped his head and shook it. When he finally raised it, he said, “Z, you got a raw deal. I know it now. I don’t expect you to forgive me for that or to move past it. But we’re talking about Jayde here. Our little sister. We’re talking about her bringing a life into the world and her being responsible for it. She still lives with Mom and Dad, for fuck’s sake.”
“Probably not for long,” Crow mumbled as he moved away to get another cup of coffee.
“Crow’s right.” Z’s gaze landed on Linc. “Gotta step up. Do what’s right. We all fuck up, but we all gotta fix our fuck ups. An’ not the way you’re thinkin’.”
“Only want what’s best for her,” Linc stated one more time for those in the back who apparently weren’t listening.
Axel shouted, “Should’ve thought about what was best for her before you stuck your dick in her! Jesus Christ!”
“But he did. An’ it’s done. Gotta move on from that,” Crow muttered, then took another sip of coffee.
“Why the fuck are you still involved in this conversation?” Axel asked, both his eyes and arms wide.
Crow moved up to Linc and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “He’s my brother. Jayde’s a sister. Z’s my brother, too. You forgot Linc was the one that threw himself over Jayde when the Warriors shot up The Iron Horse. Was willin’ to take the hit instead of lettin’ her. That’s real fuckin’ family, right there. You forgot what the hell real family was for over ten years, Axel. Fuckin’ family sticks, got me?”
Axel threw up his hands, shook his head and then strode through the common room, shouting over his shoulder, “Figure it out, Z. Leaving it up to you to get this shit straightened out. And soon. Before Dad finds out.”
Z gave him a two-finger salute that Axel never saw because he slammed out of the back door without a glance behind him. “Aye fuckin’ aye, corporal.”
Then Z turned his attention to Linc. Crow approached them, handed Linc a fresh mug of coffee, and said, “Gonna leave you two to figure shit out.”
Linc watched as Crow went back upstairs and then he turned his full attention to his prez and began, “This club’s everything to me, Z. Everything. Got nothing else. You guys got blood. Real blood. I just got all of you. Don’t got shit to offer Jayde, this kid. Got my Harley and a fuckin’ room upstairs. Can’t haul a baby on a sled, can’t raise a family in a ten by ten room.”
Z didn’t answer, instead he moved behind the bar, grabbed a shot glass and a bottle of Jack, pouring himself a double. He threw it back, hissed, then slammed the empty glass on the wooden bar top. “Gotta say, Linc, you’re fucked.”
That was one fact he already knew. “No shit,” Linc muttered and approached the bar. “She’s fuckin’ pissed I suggested getting rid of the kid. Don’t know what else to do.”
“Be a man.”
“Being a man by not wanting this to fuck up her life, brother. She’s got goals. Dreams.”
“An’ you don’t got shit,” Z said before Linc could. “Keep sayin’ that an’ it’s not true. You say you only got this club. But this club’s fuckin’ everything. It’s all you need. We fuckin’ got your back. But...” Z shook his head. “Fuckin’ knockin’ up the prez’s sister ain’t smart.”
“Knocking up anyone’s sister ain’t smart,” Linc agreed.
“Yeah, well...” Z sighed, poured himself another double and knocked that back, too. “Should be worried ‘bout me. But I’m tellin’ you now, Mitch is gonna be fit to be tied. Know it’s hard for us to not think of her as a little girl any more. An’ she ain’t. Still... Mitch is never not thinkin’ of her in that way. An’ he already can’t stand me. Can’t stand this club. An’ you just fucked ‘im. Hard. Up the ass. Without lube.” Z lifted a finger. “When he didn’t want fucked.”
Linc tried not to smirk at that description. Instead he dropped his head and stared at his coffee mug that he’d placed on the bar. “Didn’t mean to fuck up. Was trying to stay away from her. Trying to keep the peace with you and your folks. Didn’t need the hassle.”
“But?”
“But that night at Hawk’s wedding... Not gonna get into details...”
“Right. Don’t wanna hear ‘em, either. You were here the day I got out of Fayette. You were here the night I fucked up with Sophie.”
Chapter Four
Linc stared at the DAMC president. He remembered that day. The day Zak finally got released from prison. And the night of his “welcome home” party. He’d never met the man until then, since Linc had become a prospect only months prior to Z’s release. But he’d heard about him. He’d heard a lot. How the man was progressive, how he’d wanted what was best for the club and his brothers. He’d also learned what had happened to him. What a fucked-up hand he’d been dealt. How his family deserted him, believing he was guilty since he was convicted.
Though he’d been set up, Axel and Mitch didn’t believe it. Maybe they didn’t even care. Everyone in the DAMC thought it had been the Shadow Warriors who set the prez up and the rival MC never claimed otherwise. That set-up got him arrested and sent to prison, effectively removing Z from the head of the table.
But it hadn’t been the Warriors.
Fuck no. The traitor had been deeply embedded in the club. Had even been considered “family.”
Those were two perfect examples of why you sometimes couldn’t trust family. And finding out Pierce was the culprit rocked Linc to the core. Especially after thinking he finally found a home with his new “family.” People who he could trust. Brothers for life.
Z kept talking, drawing Linc out of his thoughts. “An’ I fucked up good. An’, luckily, I fucked up real good. Best fuck up I ever did in my life. If I hadn’t mistaken Sophie for a stripper an’ dragged her ass upstairs...” Z shook his head and met Linc’s gaze head-on. “I fucked up, brother. So fuckin’ lucky I didn’t end up back in that concrete palace for rape. Am one lucky motherfucker. An’ can’t say that enough. Love Soph to the ends of the earth. Hell, she gave me my son. Will give me future sons. Made my life whole, complete, after gettin’ a raw fuckin’ deal. She was the fuckin’ light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Got out an’ knew my blood didn’t give a rat’s ass ‘bout me but had the DAMC. Had my real brothers. An’ you might not got a lotta shit besides your sled. Might not be rich scratch-wise. But you fuckin’ got us. Yeah, you fucked up. An’ you fucked up with your prez’s sister, which could be a major offense. Could we strip your colors? Fuck yeah, we could. D an’ Hawk don’t know yet. They may freak the fuck out, they may not.”
Linc snorted. D might just put him six feet under with one punch.
“But you ain’t a loser. That’s for fuckin’ sure. Been nothin’ but an asset to the club, to The Iron Horse. Fuckin’ loyal. Hard worker. Like Crow said, you protected my sister when shit went down at the Christmas party. You woulda taken the bullets instead of her. That shit all means somethin’ to me. To all of us.”
“So, you ain’t mad?” Linc asked carefully.
“Oh, I’m fuckin’ pissed. Nothin’ I can do ‘bout it now.” Z narrowed his eyes on Linc. “She ain’t gettin’ rid of it. Got what you were sayin’, how it’s gonna fuck up her life.” He tapped his temple. “Got it. An’ it’s gonna cause a lotta fuckin’ grief when it comes to Mitch. Think Axel wa
s bad?” Z shook his head and blew out a breath. “Fuck. Mitch... He don’t forgive or forget. Not even for his own fuckin’ son.”
Even after it came out that Pierce had set up Z, that Z never committed that crime, it hadn’t fixed the relationship between Z and his cop father. Mostly because Mitch didn’t know it was Pierce. Especially since the man mysteriously disappeared. No one wanted to try to explain that to a sergeant of the Shadow Valley Police Department. One who already had a hard-on for anything DAMC.
No matter what, Mitch still had issues with Z being part of the club. And he really had issues with Z sitting at the head of the table.
The man also had a serious problem with Baby Z being raised in the MC.
This whole situation could fuck Jayde up, not only with her career plans but with her father, for sure. Because if they did this, had this kid, there was no fucking way his kid was not being raised as an Angel. “What I gotta do to make this shit better?”
Z lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Gotta talk to Jayde.”
Linc had no idea if that meant he needed to talk to Jayde or Z did. “Won’t talk to me. Think she’s got me blocked.”
“Blame her when you wanted her to get a fuckin’ abortion?”
Linc rolled his eyes up to the ceiling for a moment. “No. Fucked up. Again.” That suggestion had been a knee-jerk reaction to shocking news. But that news had simmered in his noggin for the past couple days, seeped into his bones. And he was looking at things a bit more clearly now. Sort of, anyway. No matter how he looked at it, though, the whole situation wasn’t ideal.
Z whacked him on the back. “Yep. Probably gonna fuck up again, too. Loads more times. Dealin’ with a woman. They’re always thinkin’ we’ve fucked up.” Z’s lips curled slightly at the ends. He poured another double and downed it with a wince before slapping the shot glass back on the bar. “We’ll figure this shit out.”
Linc stared at Z. “How?”
Z wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, then down over the short whiskers that covered his chin. “Club’s got healthy coffers. Part of that’s because you’re good at managing The Iron Horse. Good at takin’ direction from Hawk. No matter what, you’re DAMC. Jayde is, too, whether Mitch wants to see it or not. If she’s Bear’s granddaughter an’ the prez’s sister, then she’s DAMC. Club can set you up in a place. You an’ her. Float you ‘til you figure shit out. But gotta want it. Gotta be serious ‘bout my sister. About this kid. Are you?”
Linc wasn’t sure about all that. He wasn’t ready to settle the hell down. Ol’ lady. A kid. A place more than the room above church. Life was easy right now. He woke up, rolled out of bed, headed downstairs for grub, booze, pussy, whatever. Hit the bar at night for work.
Shit was easy.
Shit was going to change.
He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. For actual responsibility. Other than managing The Iron Horse and making sure his sled was kept in top-notch running condition. He wasn’t ready to take on the responsibility of a fucking family.
And he wasn’t going to let Jayde’s being pregnant fuck up her chance at becoming an attorney. No fucking way. He wasn’t going to be the reason she ended up disappointed on where she landed in life.
He couldn’t do that to her. She didn’t deserve that.
Even though they originally spotted each other years ago, while in their early twenties—her not long out of college, him a wet-behind-the-ears prospect—both had matured since then. He watched Jayde while it happened. And he felt it in his own bones, too.
But still... Have they both grown enough to be responsible for another life? And was he ready to take Jayde on as his ol’ lady? Did he even want to?
And fuck... Was he going to be stuck in the middle of a shotgun wedding when those two shotguns were held by cops?
The blood rushed from his face and his head began to swim. Worse than when Axel punched him in the temple.
For fuck’s sake, he might be tied to Jayde for the rest of his fucking life! Tied to one fucking woman.
His heart thumped in his chest and his legs turned to jelly, forcing him to grab a nearby bar stool to lean against it.
“Had to fight for my ol’ lady. Convince her that she needed me. You ready to fight for Jayde?”
Holy fuck, was he?
No, he wasn’t. He wasn’t. Fuck no. Fuck. “Yeah,” got caught in his throat and he had to clear it. “Yeah.” Because what the hell else did you tell her brother who was his fucking president?
Z smiled. “Like I said, gonna figure this shit all out. No reason this kid should fuck up Jayde’s chances on becomin’ a lawyer. Plus, an extra club lawyer couldn’t hurt, that’s for fuckin’ sure. We keep Kiki way too fuckin’ busy, even in areas that ain’t her expertise.”
That was certainly true. Hawk’s woman ended up working on legal issues other than criminal defense. Shit she didn’t specialize in, but was needed. Whether it was for family law or business law. Whatever the club needed, she handled it. She really needed Jayde’s help.
Even though Linc thought Diesel might pound him six feet under, it could very well be Hawk. The VP wanted to relieve some of Kiki’s burden. Especially now that she just had Ashton, and who knew if they would have more kids down the road.
“So, when Mitch fuckin’ disowns her, the club will make sure her education’s paid for. Then she’ll work for the club. It’ll be an investment. No need for you to take on that financial burden.”
Oh, thank fuck.
“Gotta get you set up somewhere big enough for three. Me, Soph an’ Baby Z are startin’ to outgrow the apartment above the bakery. Now with Vi here, D an’ Jewelee are outgrowin’ the apartment over the pawn shop. Fuck, we should set up some sorta housin’ complex. Like that cul-de-sac of houses on Sister Wives.” A snort burst from him. “Fuckin’ Soph’s glued to the fuckin’ TV when that shit comes on. Told her if she wants a sister wife, I’m fine with it.”
Jesus, Linc didn’t want one fucking wife, forget two. Or more. “Ace said that’s what the cabins on the farm were originally for.”
“Yeah, that’s fuckin’ true. Annie got one, Allie got another. Diamond an’ Slade got another. D’s thinkin’ of movin’ into one a tenant just moved outta. But the rest are rented. Kinda far outta town, too. Real convenient livin’ over the bakery, ‘specially with Zeke. Sucks to hafta move.”
“Would be safer to have everyone close by, ‘specially on Ace’s farm.”
“Yeah,” Z breathed. “True.”
“’Specially when it comes to the kids.”
“That’s true, too.” Z tilted his head. “Gonna hafta think on that. Build some sort of compound, maybe. Bella an’ Axel need to stop rentin’, too. Maybe it’s time for the DAMC to get into real estate.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Whatever. Will talk about that shit at the next executive meetin’. For now, just find a fuckin’ place. You don’t got the scratch, then lemme know. Club will rent it. Need to do it before Mitch finds out, otherwise Jayde may find herself livin’ in that fuckin’ Camaro of hers. If he doesn’t take her cage back, too.”
Jesus. Linc never even considered that Mitch would go as far as taking back her car from her and leaving her without a ride.
Z continued, “He does that, Crash will hafta get her somethin’ to hold ‘er over.”
Thank fuck for this club.
“What about her not takin’ my calls and shit? Hard to talk to her, work shit out when she ain’t talkin’ to me.”
Z stared at him for a long minute, then pulled a cell phone out of his back pocket, stabbed at it a few times with his finger before putting it up to his ear. “Jayde. Yeah. No. Axel’s pissed. Yep. Fuck. Yep. Yep. Fuck. No. Fuck! Shut the fuck up for a second, will ya? Jesus.” Z sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Nope. Just Crow. Listen...” He sighed again, pulled the phone away from his head and made a face at it before putting it back to his ear. “Gonna listen? Jayde, listen. Fuckin’ listen. Jesus fuckin’ Christ!” He blew out a breath.
“Be at my apartment at eight, got me? After the bakery closes. Fuckin’ Jayde, just fuckin’ be there. Don’t give me lip, woman. Eight! Bakery!” He jabbed at his phone multiple times, his jaw tight and mumbling a curse, then shoved it back in his pocket. “Fuckin’ women! Motherfuckin’ Christ!” Z took a good look at Linc, then smirked. “Good fuckin’ luck with that one.”
Right.
“Be at my apartment. Eight. Got me?”
Right.
Linc’s fingers clawed at his throat. The invisible noose around his neck suddenly became extremely tight.
Chapter Five
Jayde swiped a cupcake off the tray on the counter. Raising it, her eyes landed on Sophie who was sitting on the floor playing with Zeke. Toys were strewn all over the carpet, turning their small living room into an obstacle course.
“Double chocolate with a mousse center,” Sophie answered Jayde’s unspoken question, while handing Baby Z another small dump truck, since he had quickly gotten bored with the thousands of trucks, cars and other toys he was previously playing with.
Jayde peeled the paper off the bottom of the cupcake and shoved half of it into her mouth. Her stomach felt like a bottomless pit lately.
Her older brother was standing at the windows along the back of the apartment that looked down onto the stone parking lot at the rear of the bakery. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. “Who are you waiting for, Z?”
She knew. She fucking knew. Son of a bitch.
“What did you do?” she whispered fiercely, setting the half-eaten cupcake onto the counter and moving up to Zak. She shoved his shoulder. “What did you do? I thought this was going to be a family meeting!”
Z turned toward her and the same blue eyes she saw every day in the mirror met hers. “Gonna be a family meetin’,” he muttered.
“Then you’re waiting for Axel, right?” she asked, hopeful. She turned from the windows to look at Bella, who sat on the couch, arms crossed over her chest, her long dark hair still up in a neat bun from working downstairs in the bakery all day. “Ax is coming, right?” she asked her brother’s fiancée.
Down & Dirty: Linc (Dirty Angels MC Book 9) Page 5