“I’m good,” I said, not that anyone listened to me.
“Okay, Daddy, let’s get you into bed,” Violet said once Orion left.
“I’m not fuckin’ goin’ to bed, Letti.”
She sighed. “Then you can relax on the sofa, but I swear to God, if you try to go back to the club, I’m going to maim you.”
“Baby girl, I’m good.”
She blinked back tears and shook her head. “Please don’t be a pain in the ass.”
I sighed. “I’ll plant myself in the den.”
“Thank you.”
I pulled her in for a hug and kissed her head. “I’m fine, sweetheart. It’ll take a hell of a lot more than this to kill me.”
“Well, that’s good to know, because if you die, I will do something nasty to your corpse.”
“We definitely wouldn’t want that.”
She gave me a squeeze, then ‘helped’ me into the den where I made a show of stretching out on the sofa. She narrowed her eyes and I waved my hands. “I’m lyin’ down, Letti, what more do you want?”
“It’d be more believable if you took your boots off.”
“Jesus,” I hissed, sitting up and removing my boots. “Happy?”
“For now,” she retorted before blowing me a kiss and closing the door behind her.
* * *
The low din of my kids’ voices penetrated my sleep-addled brain and I dragged my hands down my face and sat up.
“He’s losing his hair,” Letti said sadly and my heart broke.
“That happens with chemo,” Orion replied.
I hadn’t realized Ori was even here. Shaking the cobwebs out of my brain, I headed out of the den.
“But it doesn’t happen to our dad,” Letti continued.
“Whoa, what the hell? You okay, Letti?” Drake asked. It sounded like he’d just got home.
“Yes. Now, shush, Dad’s finally asleep,” she hissed.
“No, I’m not,” I said, walking into the kitchen. “What the fuck’s goin’ on? Why’s Letti cryin’?”
“Because you’re fucking dying,” she growled.
I laughed, pulling her into my arms. “I’m not dying. Not by a longshot.”
She squeezed me tight. “You better not be lying.”
“Baby girl, this is the easiest cancer to beat. It’s gonna suck for a few months, but I’m not worried,” I lied, hoping I sounded reassuring. “Don’t worry about the hair. It’s gonna grow back.”
“Okay.”
“You cookin’?” I asked Drake.
My middle kid was a phenomenal cook and I’d hoped he’d channel that into a career one day. He had other plans, ones that included law-enforcement, which I was not happy about, but his mother had made me promise our kids would have the choice not to join my club, and because I loved her beyond reason, I’d agreed.
“Yeah, I guess,” Drake said.
“What else do you have to do?”
“Oh, maybe seeing Alyssa,” he retorted.
“Still?” Orion asked. “Wow, that’s like a month.”
I grinned. Drake tended to fuck more than commit, so the fact he was still with Alyssa was a bit of a surprise. I liked Alyssa. She was nice. But I worried that she might be too nice and her hero worship for my son was a definite concern.
“Fuck you,” Drake retorted.
I chuckled. “You start cookin’. I’m gonna talk to Ori for a minute.”
“Are you eating?” Drake asked Orion. Valid question since Orion was spending more time with Raquel of late.
“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks,” Orion said, and I led him back to the den.
I closed the door and leaned against it. “So, it wasn’t Jaws.”
I’d called the president of the Apex Predators this morning, and he’d assured me he had nothing to do with burning our warehouse. It was looking like the Apex Predators’ were prepping for a coup, and although their current President, Jaws, was aware something was going down, he wasn’t sure what or when.
Orion shook his head. “Orca and Zilla.”
“Fuck me,” I said, flopping onto the sofa.
Jesus, I was exhausted. I did not need this shit.
Orion pulled one of his chairs to the edge of the sofa and sat down, stretching his legs out and setting his feet on a sofa cushion. “Zilla and I had a really nice conversation. He’s not gonna be able to jerk off for at least a month.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Probably not,” he admitted.
“How’s Raquel?” I asked.
“Hurtin’.”
“Jesus, we’re gonna need to nip this shit in the bud.”
“Agreed.” He dragged his hands down his face. “Sorry about the shit I said about Mom.”
To say my relationship with my oldest son was complicated was an understatement. He’d been hit the hardest by the death of my wife and I knew if I was going to pass my patch on to him, he needed to know the truth.
All the ugly, ugly, fuckin’ truth.
“About that,” I said, leaning forward and settling my elbows on my knees.
Orion studied me warily. “I don’t want to fight, Pops.”
“Me neither, but there’s something you need to know.” I met his eyes. “You think you can stay calm?”
“Jesus, what the fuck?”
I sat back again. “That’s a no.”
Orion leaned toward me. “Tell me.”
Jesus, fuck. How the hell did I tell my kid this?
“Your mom wasn’t killed by a drunk driver.”
He frowned. “The cops arrested a guy.”
“I know,” I said.
“Dad, spit it out. Jesus, you’ve come this far.”
“Your mom’s death was a hit. On me.”
I watched my kid war with his emotions and it almost broke me.
“Her car had a flat that morning, so she took my truck,” I rasped.
I closed my eyes, memories of making love to her then kissing her gently before she walked out of the house.
“Who?” Orion demanded.
“Kong.”
Kong used to be the Apex Predators’ president, before he ‘disappeared.’ Six days after he’d gone missing, his burned remains were found deep in the woods. Only, he wasn’t technically missing to me. I’d taken my time with him, focusing all my grief and anguish on making him hurt before I finally let him die.
Orion swallowed and asked, “How?”
“They followed her from the cabin, ran her off the road, and shot her.”
“They fuckin’ shot her?” he hissed.
“Yeah.” I’d gotten to the scene to find my truck up against the barrier and a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead. Her beautiful face otherwise unmarred and I’d pulled her into my arms and held her as we waited for the ambulance. I’d kept the knowledge of the gunshot from my kids, unwilling to let that mess with their heads. “There was no way in hell I was telling any of you that at the time. It was hard enough you lost your mom, I didn’t want that visual in your head.”
Orion shook his head. “But the news would have reported it.”
“We paid off a few people to keep it quiet.” I sighed. More than a few people, actually. “Not sure how much longer we can keep it buried, though. I have it on good authority the Predators are being investigated, and this may come out.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. “Who was the drunk guy at the scene?”
“Some homeless guy they picked up the morning of, drugged, then left in the driver seat of the beater car they had at one of their shops.”
“Kong?”
I knew what he was asking, so I gave it to him. “I made him hurt before I killed him.”
Orion pressed his palms to his eyes. “So, the warehouse is payback.”
“No. Jaws and I had an agreement. This is something different. I don’t think Jaws knew what Zilla and Orca were doin’. And with Sonja orchestrating this…it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever wanted to kill a woma
n.”
Sonja was a club whore who’d been gagging for Orion for years. He’d kicked her to the curb a while ago and she decided revenge was better left served hot.
“Fuck, seriously,” he said. “Stupid cunt.”
“No doubt,” I agreed.
“Coup?” he deduced.
“Yeah, that’s where I’m leaning.”
“God help anyone who gets in the middle,” he breathed out.
“Well, unfortunately, we’re in the middle.”
“Shit,” he said. “We are.”
“I called Hatch for backup. I was gonna fly out to Portland when he got back from London, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to fly.”
Hatch Wallace was the president of the Dogs of Fire MC in Portland, Oregon. He’d been a friend and an ally for several years now and had just recently been promoted from Sergeant at Arms to President, so he had street smarts and was a great conversationalist with his fists. He was a good friend, a brother to the core, and he was close enough to get here fast if we needed him.
Orion nodded. “I’ll go if you can’t.”
“You need to wrap Raquel in bubble wrap.” I sat back, once again worried about Orion’s woman. I knew she was someone who’d be around for a while. Probably forever, and I worried that she’d become a target like my wife had. “In fact, she should move into the cabin for a while.”
“She won’t leave Sierra,” Orion said.
Sierra was Raquel’s best friend and roommate and they were inseparable.
“Both of them, then,” I insisted.
“What about Letti and Drake?”
“They’re safe here. I’ve got a few guys on the house.”
“Who’s taking you to and from chemo if I’m not around?”
“Moses. He drops me off, then picks me up when I’m done.”
“You don’t want him to stay, huh?”
“No way in hell,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Letti’s okay with not being there?”
“Letti doesn’t have a fuckin’ choice. She’s in school and that takes priority.”
“I should take you.”
I shook my head. “Need you to watch your woman, Ori. If anything happened to her because of this shit and you weren’t there, it’d wreck you. Take it from me.”
“I got her, Dad,” he promised. “What a fuckin’ nightmare.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
Drake banged on the door and yelled, “Grub’s up!”
“I got this, Dad,” Orion promised. “I’m all in.”
“Fuckin’ finally!” I retorted. “Let’s eat.”
He nodded and followed me into the kitchen.
Wyatt
Present day…
I PULLED OPEN the door to Flick’s Beanery, almost falling flat on my face as the door gave way far too easily, obviously as it was pushed from the other side.
“Jesus,” the deep voice hissed. “Sorry.”
I looked up and stared into the beautiful face of Sundance Graves. Lordy, his hair had grown back, and he now sported the most beautiful beard I’d ever seen. He stepped back so I could walk inside.
He raised an eyebrow. “Wyatt?”
I forced a smile and tried to find my voice, but failed, so I bobbed my head up and down.
“You don’t recognize me.”
“I do, sorry,” I squeaked, then cleared my throat. “Mr. Graves… I mean, Sundance. Hey.”
He grinned and I just about fell over… again.
“How’s your dad?” he asked.
I forced the wave of sadness that washed over me into the pit of my stomach. “He passed. About six months ago.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
I shook my head. “How are you? You look good.”
“Holdin’ strong,” he said. “Won’t know if the cancer’s in remission for a bit, but so far, so good.”
I smiled. “I’m really glad.”
“You doin’ okay?”
“As well as I can, I guess. Daddy went downhill pretty quickly, so I think I’m just starting to process.” I bit my lip. “Sorry, that was a little too much information.”
“You’re good,” he said.
“Well, I should grab my coffee and get to the office. I’m already running a little late.”
He nodded. “You have a good one.”
“You too.” I settled my hand on his arm. God it was thick. “I’m really glad you’re doing so well.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
Then he walked away, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching him go. I licked my lips as he threw a long, muscular leg over his bike and started it.
“I could stare at that man all day,” a voice said, and I jumped a little, unsure if my internal blue tooth had flipped to speaker mode.
I was safe, however, as I discovered the voice came from the very swishy barista in his early twenties, sporting full makeup and wearing heels with his skinny jeans. His name tag said, ‘Mercedes.’
“Does he come here a lot?” I asked.
He shook his head, still staring out the window. “Second time.”
This was also only my second time. I had a new client on this side of town and had found Flick’s by accident, when my GPS went a little wacky. I’d loved it, so I decided to come back today before my meeting.
I’m very glad I did.
“What can I get you?” Mercedes asked once Sundance had ridden off.
“Ice,” I breathed out as I fanned my face with my hand.
“Ice?”
“Sorry,” I said, facing him. “An iced coffee to go, please.”
* * *
The next morning, I awoke with my thoughts swimming with all things Sundance. He’d been filling my head since I’d run into him the morning before, dreaming about him in my sleep, and I couldn’t seem to shake him. God, what the hell was my problem? He was a biker. I had no business mooning over a biker. Bikers weren’t good people.
But a girl could fantasize, right? I mean, Jax Teller was a very delicious fantasy. I’d just put Sundance in the same category. Pretend he was SOA and not real. Envision him only when utilizing my battery-operated boyfriend.
Which I’d have to wait to put into motion, since I had plans. I changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed my bag, and headed out to take my brother on a day trip. The news of the death of our dad hit him harder than that of our mother, so I’d been taking him somewhere new every week, and I really hoped today would cheer him up a little.
I walked into the facility to find Teddy pacing the foyer, wringing his hands, and counting out of order. I frowned. “Teddy Bear, you okay?”
“Riot!” he cried, running to me and pulling me in for a bear hug.
I couldn’t breathe, so I tickled his sides. “You’re crushing me, buddy.” Teddy released me, but kept his arm around my shoulders and I smiled up at his doctor.
The man was gorgeous. Tall with dark hair and deep brown eyes. He looked a bit like Henry Cavill in Mission Impossible. I often wondered why I couldn’t fall for someone like him. Not that he’d offered, but still, he would be a perfectly acceptable man to date.
He just didn’t excite my vagina.
“He’s been animated all night. He could barely sleep, so I let him come and wait here,” Dr. Hilliard said with a smile.
“Thank you.” I gave Teddy a squeeze. “Was he upset?”
“No. He’s been upbeat all week,” Dr. Hilliard said.
“That’s great.” I looked up at my brother. “How are you doing, Teddy Bear?”
He bobbed his head up and down. “Good, Riot. Skee-ball!”
I chuckled. “You bet. Skee-ball, here we come.”
He released me and clapped his hands, jumping up and down.
“I’ll have him back by curfew,” I promised.
“Have fun,” Dr. Hilliard said.
“Shotgun!” Teddy called and headed for the front doors.
I chuckled. “Yeah buddy, you get the best
seat.”
He called ‘shotgun’ whenever he was getting in a car, on a bus, in a boat (okay, he’d never been on a boat, but if he did, he’d probably call ‘shotgun’). Dad had told him that if he claimed his spot, he’d always get the best seat anywhere he went, so he rolled with it.
I guided Teddy out to my car and helped him get settled in the passenger seat, then made my way to the driver’s side. “You ready to have some fun?”
“Fun!” he bellowed, and I laughed.
“Okay, it’s gonna be a drive. Remember, it takes a little while to get to Denver.”
“I know, Riot.”
And he did. Once he went somewhere, he knew exactly how to get there again. He was like a GPS who kept your previous destinations stored forever.
“Okay, good. What do you want to listen to?”
He grinned at me. “Van Halen!”
“What?” I said in mock surprise. “I had no idea!”
He laughed. “You’re silly, Riot.”
“I’ve been told that before.” I pressed play on my iPod, having already cued up every album Van Halen had ever released, and then pulled out of the parking lot.
I drove into Denver, my brother singing loudly at the top of his lungs, and I couldn’t help but smile. Lordy, I loved my Teddy Bear. He made my life so full and I couldn’t wait to spend the day with him.
* * *
Sundance
Orion and I walked out of Monumental High East and made our way to our bikes. Moses and Rocky, my Sergeant and VP, respectively, had already headed outside to their Harleys, stowing product in their saddlebags.
Monumental High was the name of all of our cannabis stores in and around Denver. We’d separated each shop based on locations around the city. Orion and I managed Monumental East and West, Moses and Rock managed North and South, although, I was ultimately responsible for all of them.
Ten years ago, we’d started with our grow business, Full Moon Farms, then expanded into our own stores. We now had two in Monument, but the majority of our business was still in Denver. Both endeavors brought in a shit ton of money for the club and our own personal income wasn’t hurting either.
“Wings?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah,” Orion said with a grin. “Chuck’s Clucks?”
“Hell, yeah,” I mimicked, and he chuckled.
Jesus, it was good to be back on neutral footing with my kid. I had to give most of the credit to Raquel, because she’d pointed a few things out that neither of us were seeing. Once we pulled our heads out of our asses, things went back to normal, and I didn’t feel like we could fracture at any second.
Primal Need (Primal Howlers MC Book 2) Page 2