He nodded slowly and leaned back in his chair, releasing a sigh.
“Nobody blames you for loving Ayda, Drew,” a brother named Stones said from the far end of the table. Stones was a man I’d never gotten too close to, but one whose loyalty was as apparent as his biting sarcasm toward his MC.
“We’ve all fallen for her,” Moose interjected.
“And the kid’s all right, too,” Ben, who barely ever fucking spoke, piped up. I wasn’t even aware he registered half the shit going on unless he was being told to fix up a motor, help on a repo, or work on a bike.
“The Hanagans brought something to the club that was always missing, Drew,” Moose said in his deep, slow, almost-haunting voice. “Before them, we only had Autumn and the women out in that bar for female company. Autumn rarely came here, and those women… well, we ain’t exactly treated them with the respect they deserved, have we? Ayda coming here with a young brother in tow taught us how to respect women again. She reminded us how important it is to have someone like her around to keep us in line. She brought heart to the place.”
“She also reminded us which sex is really in-fucking-charge,” Jedd laughed.
“Amen, amen,” a few of the guys joined in, their rough laughter making me wish Harry was here to see it.
My smile rose as I studied each of them. “I was going to apologize for making her my only focus, and letting you guys fall behind again, just like I did when I decided to go inside for five years. But, I can tell from the way you’re all looking at me like goofy little pricks that you’ve all made her your focus, too.”
“We just don’t get the added extras you do.” Jedd chuckled, and he dodged quickly as I lashed out an arm in an attempt to hit him.
The whole table came to life, and I pointed a finger at each and every one of them. “And none of you ever will. Is that crystal fucking clear, ass wipes?”
A few jokes passed through the room, and I almost allowed myself to get lost in the comfort of it. Suddenly, my nerves were gone, and being at the head of the table seemed like the most natural thing on earth. The only one not to speak yet had been my father.
I turned to him when the noise faded away again.
“We have many things to discuss today. One thing I need to talk to you all about openly is the return of my father.”
Eric’s eyes shot up to mine, a look of worry etched on his face.
“When he first came back, I didn’t trust him,” I told them with honesty.
Slater shifted uncomfortable, the clearing of his throat his giveaway. Kenny scratched his etched-up eyebrow, and Jedd’s jaw tensed when I glanced around at them all.
“Every single one of you here already knows I didn’t trust him. You also know that the last thing I ever like admitting to is being wrong. So, get your cameras out, boys, and record this shit if you need to because here it comes.” I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes on my father. “Eric, I was wrong. I was wrong to think you wanted to hurt the club rather than save us. I was wrong to be angry with you for running away when I did the same thing after Pete. I’ve been wrong for a lot of things when it comes to you, and even though I still think you’ve got a million skeletons in your closet that will someday come back to haunt us both… as far as I’m concerned, you’re a part of this MC and this table now.”
“Hell, yeah.” Kenny nodded.
Eric blinked twice and swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving mine until I broke contact and glanced around the room again.
“Any objections?” I asked my fellow brothers.
And though some still looked uncertain, no verbal objections came, and I brought the gavel down on the table for the first time in a long time, enjoying the vibrations of power it sent up my arm.
“Next on the list… Road Captain.”
I put it to the guys that, if he was willing to accept it, Deeks was the man I wanted to take over the role of Harry Rogers. He was the man I trusted to lead the club out on the road, and the only man that could ever try to wear the same boots Harry once had.
The vote was unanimous, and the hollering and cheering that came forth, along with the hands being banged on against the table, made my smile grow too big as I lost myself in a moment of temporary happiness with my brothers.
Tell them about the baby.
Tell them about the baby.
Tell them about…
But somehow, I held it back.
We discussed Sinclair openly for the first time, each of us staring deep into the other’s eyes as we spoke honestly about the betrayal we’d felt knowing one of our own had been against us. We discussed the possibility of it happening again, and the consequences that would bring about. We discussed putting each other first more, communicating, loyalties, and the way we saw the future of the club going should we manage to drag it into a perfect world. We spoke of the training room and how we could rebuild it, with old ghosts buried and bad memories burned to the ground. We assigned new roles for the pawnshop since Harry had left a gaping hole in that business, too. Kenny and Slater were taking over security, stepping it up by doing regular sweeps of all our buildings, fitting more cameras to the entrances of the yard and the land surrounding it.
And finally, we discussed the code.
The code of what would happen if, in the not so unlikely event, one of us got taken in for more questioning by the ATF. After all, the body count surrounding our world over the last few months was higher than it had ever been.
The Emps, including Cortez, Hernandez, and Ramirez.
Maisey fucking Sutton.
Jacob Hove.
Jon Taylor.
Clint.
Owen Sinclair.
And Harry.
Despite the recent plans laid in place by Eric and Jedd, nothing in this life was certain—especially not the happy ever after we now dreamed of. The only thing we could guarantee was trouble. It was up to us how we handled that, and for us to decide who we wanted to be once this hell was over.
If it ever would be.
Tell them about the baby.
Tell them about the baby.
Tell them…
My lips had parted to speak when the door to the room was flung open in a hurry, and there stood Ayda with nothing but uncertainty in her eyes and her hand resting over her stomach as she tried to draw in a breath.
Chapter Eighteen
AYDA
Deeks had grumbled under his breath all the way back to The Hut. Autumn sat up front with him—a calming presence when he was agitated like this. I knew that a lot of his heightened emotions came from the memories of what had happened the last time Autumn and I had been that close to a Nav, and I couldn’t blame him for reacting that way. They weren’t my idea of fun either.
I wasn’t sure what this meant for Libby after seeing her with Rosie. All I’d managed to obtain had been that Rosie had been snuggled up to a Nav, and she’d looked more than comfortable.
Talk about a shitstorm.
We’d been halfway between Waco and Babylon when I’d noticed the flash of chrome behind us. From the flicker of Deeks’ eyes in the rearview, he’d noticed it, too. I’d felt the subtle shift in our speed, the growing tension in his shoulders and his glances at both Autumn and I as he assessed how much he could do to save us if the shit hit the fan.
We were being followed.
Whoever Rosie had been with, he hadn’t been there alone. I guess the thought should have occurred to me the moment we’d seen them together in the cafe, but I’d been too shocked by what was going on in front of me to really think about anything but the implications that her association with the Navs had. I’d also been stupid enough to not take in my surroundings outside of Deeks, Autumn, and the van. From the appearance of the bike tailing us about three cars back, I had to assume that this guy had been paying attention and, he’d not only noticed us but recognized us, too.
I wasn’t scared like I probably should have been. I knew Deeks would never let him get close to the van, and as w
e passed into the Babylon border, I could have kissed him for it.
The moment we pulled into the yard of The Hut, I was on my feet and yanking the door of the van open, forcing a bark of surprise from Deeks as the vehicle came to a stop, and I slipped out at a dead run, hefting the door closed in my momentum.
The Hut was pretty much empty when I entered, blinking away the dots caused by the bright light from the sunny day. There were a few of the girls lounging around sleepily, and Tate was behind the bar, a beer halfway to his mouth and his wide eyes on me. I glanced around, noting the door to the war room was closed. I barreled toward it, not even bothering to announce myself as I pushed into the sanctity of the room.
The moment the door was out of the way, all eyes were on me. This wasn’t normally my style of entry to any room, and the moment I met Drew’s eyes, the words formed without a cohesive thought about the reaction they would get.
“Navs were in Waco. One of them followed us back,” I breathed out, hand on my stomach as I tried to suck in air.
Drew’s eyes landed on my stomach, the small V of worry forming between his brows before he finally looked up at my face. He was out of his chair in a second, the sharp scrape of the heavy wood against the floor making me wince. “Fuck, are you okay?” he ground out as he came closer, his hands finding the tops of my arms.
“Winded.” I took a breath and spared a glance at the other guys who were in varying states of shock—some half out of their seats as they waited for more intel. “We were heading to another store when I glanced in a coffee shop and saw one of them—a Nav—in there cozying up with Rosie Sullivan. Remember… that Hound Whore I told you about? But I didn’t think to look closer and see if the Nav had backup. We just headed straight back to tell you. That’s when we caught him on our tail.”
Drew glanced up at the men, each of them focused on him—awaiting his instruction. I didn’t know what passed between them all, but between one blink and the next, Drew’s jaw had tensed and he’d given a curt nod that made Slater, Kenny, and Moose move while the others stayed in place.
The three men marched past me, making their way through the bar to the yard.
“Ayda?” Drew said my name softly, drawing my attention back to him. “I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath for me, okay, darlin’?”
The sound of his voice helped my brain catch up with the rest of me. I’d been so determined to get in here and tell them what was going on that everything else had been pushed to the side, including basic bodily functions. I drew in a long breath through my nose, held it for a second and released again, calming my panting breaths enough to find a normal pattern. Hiding my grimace, I met Drew’s eyes and nodded with more confidence.
“I’m good.”
“Good. That’s good. Now, can you tell me where Deeks is?” he asked, and I knew he was trying to control his anger at me for being there alone.
“He was still trying to park when I jumped out of the van,” I said sheepishly. “He’s probably on his way in now.”
I didn’t want him to be upset with Deeks who had been pretty amazing, considering the white knuckle ride we’d just made back here in record time without being pulled over by a State Trooper or Nav.
Drew stepped back, his eyes widening. “You did what out of the what now? Because I know I didn’t just hear you say you jumped out of a moving van.”
“Moving was an extreme exaggeration. It was more of a smooth rolling stop really.” I put my hand on his chest and ignored the other half dozen sets of eyes trained on me. “I landed on both feet just fine,” I whispered.
I watched as he stepped back from me, dropping one hand to his hip while he pushed his other fist to his mouth and tried to keep whatever he had to say inside him. His eyes were sure to set fire to me he was glaring that intensely until he finally let his eyelids drop for just a moment before he looked back up at Jedd who was still standing over his seat at the table.
“So help me God, this woman will be the death of me,” he mumbled behind his fist.
I didn’t want to antagonize the situation more than I’d already done, but I also didn’t appreciate the kid gloves returning. I wasn’t made of glass.
“I’m fine. I knew what I was doing, and I wasn’t at risk. I saw a risk in Waco and I made my way back here. I did everything you asked of me.”
His gaze drifted down to my stomach, nostrils flaring before he let out a sigh and refused to make eye contact.
“Fine.” Drew looked back at Jedd and was just about to open his mouth to say something when Kenny’s voice rang out through The Hut.
“Pres! Get out here!” he called.
“Shit,” Jedd groaned.
In the blink of an eye, the rest of them were moving through The Hut with urgency.
I stayed where I was, waiting for Drew to make the first move. I didn’t want to hide this time. I didn’t want to stand behind Drew and peek out to see the threat like I had done during his first confrontation with Chester Cortez, but I also wasn’t going to put him in a situation that could make matter worse.
“Give me a gun, just don’t make me stay in here,” I whispered.
He stared at me, his jaw ticking and anger rising. Kenny’s voice called out to him again, and Drew shook his head before he began to move in the same direction as the men.
“I’d never ask you to stay if you didn’t want to, but you can find a gun yourself, Ayda. If that’s what you want to do out there, fine, but don’t ask me to put one in your hand and plant you and my baby into the middle of a fight now. It isn’t just about you and me anymore. It’s about that child. The last thing I want is our baby standing in the midst of this, but it’s your body and your mind. Do whatever your gut is telling you to do. I’d never ask anything else of you. How can I now? This is so far beyond my realm of expertise, I haven’t got a fucking clue anymore.”
“No gun then,” I said as agreeably as I could, my hands palm up as I sensed his disapproval. I’d thought it was a fair compromise. Something that would set his mind at ease, not agitate him further. With the tension already rising, it was a stupid inclination. “I don’t want to be in any kind of fight. Not with this baby inside of me. I promise you. I will leave long before any of that even becomes a concern. If something should happen—if that asshole out there tries to start something, all I ask is that you look after yourself, okay? I will be long gone protecting the two of us.”
I put my hand on my stomach so he would understand.
“I haven’t died yet, have I?” He managed to smirk, despite his irritation.
“Keep up the good work. We need you.” I let my eyes flicker to the yard and back again.
“Pres!” Kenny called, just as Deeks came stumbling toward the war room.
“I gotta go,” Drew said quietly.
I nodded my head in the direction of the door and gave him a small smile, reassuring him. We had no idea what was waiting for us out there, but I’d meant every word of my promise. The first sign of real trouble and I would flee.
Drew gave me one last lingering look before tugging his cut down and heading to the door.
I followed him, stopping just as the light ate him up and chased the last of the darkness from my vision. I was outside, but only just, my back against the wall next to the door, ready to make an escape should it be necessary.
Chapter Nineteen
DREW
My boots hit the loose stones at the bottom of the porch, kicking up dust after I’d jumped down the steps in one. When I looked up, my men were standing by the gate of the yard, their circle formed, and the confusion on their faces clear.
Ayda lingered somewhere behind me. I was aware of that. Right now, I had to be the president of the MC. Family life had to be put on hold when the enemy was currently riding up and down the street your home was built upon, revving his engine for the whole of Babylon to hear.
Slater and Jedd flanked either side of the opened gate, their guns aimed high and their bodies followin
g the direction of the single bike that seemed to be taking great pleasure in riding back and forth for the joy of taunting us.
Shrugging my shoulders in my cut, my footsteps fell heavier the closer I got, and soon Kenny was beside me, his words rushing out.
“He just keeps riding up and down the street this way, Drew. He’s taunting us, playing some kind of game. Moose can’t see anything or anyone else on all the surveillance cameras, and Slater wants us all to stay behind the gates until we know if anyone else is out there. He thinks it could be a trap to lure us out there into open space.”
I chucked my chin to acknowledge him, my strides determined until I was among my men. They parted for me, letting me through to the front. When I walked past Slater and Jedd, I heard their cries and ignored them anyway.
“Tucker!” Jedd called out.
“Get the fuck back here, Drew,” Slater cried.
The men grumbled behind them, but I never looked back as I stepped out into the middle of the road, watching as the bike holding the Nav in question spun around to face me. When he saw me standing there, he twisted the throttle over and over, making noise and waiting for me to cower. My response was simple: he was in my town. These were my streets. I wasn’t going anywhere.
Standing with my legs apart, I carefully folded my hands over my chest and waited.
Slater and the guys were muttering among themselves, while I stared at the Nav in front of me.
He set forward at once, the slow build of his engine gathering power, making the town around us vibrate with his attempt at intimidation. He was aiming straight for me, no other direction in mind, his speed growing while my feet remained planted on the asphalt.
The Nav was getting closer, closer, his path set to go straight through me if he had to.
I held my position, not moving an inch.
If I could have seen his eyes behind his glasses or hear the words falling free from his moving lips, I’m sure I would have known for sure that he thought I was a crazy bastard.
Without Forever: Babylon MC Book 5 Page 13