“I’ll tell you as much as I can.”
“Good enough.” I started to remove my hand, but he caught it and brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
“I want you to remember this always, Half-Way. Your safety is my number one concern. I will keep you safe, even if you don’t like my actions.”
I didn’t much like that thought, but what could I do? I squeezed his hand but refrained from responding. He squeezed back, and for a second, our eyes met, and he smiled at me. I smiled back, taking the reassurance that everything would be okay.
“So I was thinking,” he said. He made a turn, and for the first time, I noticed he was heading toward the supermarket. “You know how you’ve been commenting that my kitchen has no food? If you’re up to it, we can get some shopping done. Or are you too tired and would rather go home and sleep?”
I was tired, but I could manage to stay on my feet for another couple of hours before I had to crash. “As long as we don’t stay out for long, I should be able to manage shopping with you.”
“Great.” He flipped open the glove compartment, rummaged inside, and threw a notepad and pen in my lap. “Write down the things we’re going to need.”
I groaned. “Daddy Grimm, you know you make a list before going to the supermarket, right?”
“Are you writing the list or what?”
“I’m on it.”
Chapter Twenty
Grimm
“Are you writing things on the list as you’re putting them in the cart?” I asked Jamie suspiciously as he scribbled on the notepad I’d tossed him.
He grinned at me sheepishly, looking a little less tired than when I’d picked him up from the hospital. What should have been a quick stop in and out of the supermarket had turned into a shopping expedition I didn’t completely hate. The domesticity of grocery shopping with him in the wee hours of the morning when very few people were around seemed somewhat significant. Like we were moving into new territory with our relationship.
“It’s your fault. You didn’t give me the time to make a proper list.”
I dubiously eyed the overflowing contents of the shopping cart I was pushing. When I’d suggested getting some things from the supermarket, I hadn’t expected us to buy groceries to last two people for a month.
“I guess you’ll be helping me to eat all this, right?”
Jamie’s eyes widened, and he dropped the notepad in the cart and grabbed the front of my shirt. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
His face held such eagerness I almost caved and told him yes. Almost. “Sure. As soon as you’ve patched things up with your dad.”
He groaned and swatted my chest. “Such a tease. You know we’re not on speaking terms, and you only made matters worse by installing those security cameras.”
“He hasn’t taken them down, though, so he sees my point.”
His lips pursed in a pout. “I don’t know why I can’t move in with you, Daddy Grimm. It’s a big house for just one man.”
I backed him up against the shelf, reached around him, and groped his pert backside. I ached to fuck him for the first time, popping that anal cherry of his and watching my spunk fill up his virgin ass. Then I’d ride his cock until he came inside my aching hole. I missed seeing my boy’s face of wonder and rapture when he was coming inside me.
Damn, it had been too long.
“Soon,” I promised him. “Just give it a little more time, and then you can move in with all your fussiness and frippery.”
That startled a laughter out of him. “Ooh, my biker Daddy uses fancy words. You’re turning me on.”
“Shut up.”
I swooped my head down and kissed him right there in the supermarket. Although it was nearly empty at this hour of the night, anyone who walked along our aisle could spot us. Smoky Vale wasn’t exactly a big city with an acceptance of alternative lifestyles. Although much had changed since I’d been a kid, Smoky Vale was still far from hosting its first pride parade.
Jamie moaned, pushing his hand beneath my shirt and massaging my bare chest. I tightened my hold on him, barely restraining myself from humping against him right there in the center aisle.
“Well, dammit, Grimm, I can’t recall seeing you leave yourself so vulnerable to your surroundings in a long while.”
At the familiar voice, I pulled away from Jamie and shoved him behind my back. I spun and faced Gunner, my hand automatically finding the hilt of my blade in its usual place at my back.
“Gunner.” I glared at him, standing a few feet away from me, grinning. Unlike me, he had two of his brothers with him, given the Bloodlet cuts they wore. “What are you doing this side of town?”
It had been plaguing me since I woke up that he was responsible for last night’s incident. Gunner never forgot a grudge, and his had gotten bigger since Crowe had shown me favoritism at our last gathering. Crowe and I had spoken a couple of times since returning to Smoky Vale, but we were far from being besties.
If Gunner somehow found out how important Jamie was to me, he wouldn’t come after me. He wouldn’t rest until he made my life a living nightmare by targeting Jamie although I hoped I was wrong. Maybe he still had some decency left or him knowing Jamie was Mason’s kid would protect Jamie.
“I thought you said Smoky Vale was big enough for both of us,” he answered, peering past my shoulder, and wolf-whistled. “You always liked ’em young and pretty, didn’t you, Grimm? Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new slut boy?”
“Fuck off, Gunner,” I snapped at him. “I don’t care if you have the entire Bloodlet brothers behind you, I’ll kick your ass if you so much as look too closely at him.”
“Now my curiosity is piqued,” Gunner remarked. “Come on out, boy. Let Uncle Gunner take a good look at you.”
My blade whistled through the air, passing close enough to Gunner’s face that had he turned just a little, he would have been hit. The knife lodged in a can of sauce behind him. Before he could so much as blink, I had another knife in my hand, ready to aim true this time if he made the wrong move.
For years I’d put up with Gunner because we had history, but when it came to Jamie, I’d gut him, then help to bury him and mourn days of old before I allowed him anywhere near my boy.
“You listen to me, Gunner,” I spat out at him, ignoring the trembling in Jamie’s body as he clung to my waist. “Any place. Any time, you name it, and I’ll be there. Just not here where cameras are around to catch me gutting you like the rat you are.”
“Relax, buddy,” he said, taking a step back. “I’m a one-percenter but not stupid. We’ll meet again. Until then, take care of that sweet young thing until I relieve you of him.”
“I mean it, Gunner!” I called after his retreating back, wishing I could do the dishonorable thing and lodge my knife in his skull. A coward attacked a man when his back was turned, however, and I would never have anyone claim Graeme Buckley to be a coward.
“Who was that?” Jamie asked, stepping out from behind me. “I feel like I should know him.”
“You don’t,” I snapped, and at Jamie’s indrawn breath, I took a long one of my own to calm down. “Look, I’ll explain when we get back to the compound. Right now, I don’t feel comfortable having you here, knowing the traitor’s close by. Here, take the shopping cart for a sec.”
He pushed the shopping cart as I sent a quick text message to Booker. He called back in less than ten seconds.
“We’re at the supermarket on Nomad Street,” I told him.
“Okay, we’re on our way. I’ll take Zak with me. The twins are still ghost hunting, but they reached out half an hour ago that they may have a lead.”
“Good. If Gunner’s behind this accident, whatever truce the police orchestrated between us is off. Him messing with me is one thing, but trying to hurt my boy is him expressing his death wish.”
“I’ll be there. Give us a few minutes.”
I hung up. How should I explain all this to Jamie withou
t freaking him out? This was the exact kind of mess I’d tried to shield him and Joel from when they were growing up. They weren’t cut out for this shit.
“What now?” he asked, surprising me by taking the lead on the conversation. “Should we cash out?”
“Not yet,” I answered and watched his expression carefully for even the slightest hint of regret. How could he not have second thoughts about us now? “My brothers are on their way. Let’s get the rest of the items you have on the list.”
He nodded and got the notepad from the cart while I took back the cart from him. When he walked off, I grabbed him by the wrist to stop him. He glanced up at me and licked his lips nervously.
“Please don’t ask me if I still want to be a part of this,” he said, his voice a mere whisper.
“I’d understand if you changed your mind,” I replied.
“No, I’m not going to change my mind, Grimm, because this is the only way for me to have you, and I’m not giving that up because some asshole wants to make threats.”
Taken aback by the ferocious gleam in his eyes, I stared down at my little Half-Way, who was spitting mad and not at me either.
“I mean, who the fuck does he think he is to interrupt our date night!” he continued to rant. “I’m telling you, Grimm, I’d completely look the other way had you done what you said you would because he was clearly begging for it!”
Despite the threat and the uncertainty of whether or not Gunner was lying in wait for us when we walked out of the supermarket, I smiled at his spirit. “You know the only way someone’s going to hurt you is if they’re walking on my grave, right? And even then, my brothers will protect you because they know how much you mean to me. That you’re an extension of who I am.”
“Shit, Daddy. Now’s hardly the time to make me get all sappy.”
I scowled at him, stalking over to the opposite shelf where I pulled my knife out of the can where it had lodged. “You know, we really need to do something about that potty mouth of yours.”
He glanced from the laundry detergent that was in the cart back to me.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I think we’ve passed the stage of whether or not I would. This would be round two. Joel knew enough after the first time to stop cussing, but you’re a bit slower on the uptake.”
He walked ahead while I pushed the cart after him. “But you cuss all the time. Plus, there’s the little thing of me not being your son.”
“The day you started calling me Daddy, Jamie, you handed me the rights to discipline you according to my discretion. Now stop arguing and let’s get the rest of this stuff before Booker and Zak get here.”
Our little banter had helped to ease the tension over Gunner, but not for long. At checkout, I heard the roar of motorcycles outside, which could be either of two things: Gunner and his brothers were waiting for us, or Booker and Zak had arrived.
I paid for the groceries and pushed the shopping cart outside to unload the bags in the truck. Booker, Zak, and the two prospects were lounging at the drink vending machines. I breathed a sigh of relief seeing them. The day I faced Gunner, I didn’t need Jamie caught in the middle of it.
“The guys patrolled the area,” Booker stated, prying a can of 7 Up open. “The coast is clear. Do you guys need help?”
“We’ve got it,” I answered Booker, tossing the keys to the truck at Jamie. “Get the door.”
“Hey, Booker!” Jamie called to the enforcer with a smile, then glared at Zak without acknowledging him. “Traitor,” he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear before strutting to the truck.
I unloaded the groceries into the back of the truck. While I put the last bags inside, Jamie grabbed the cart and pushed it back over to the cart return, intent on getting back his quarter.
“You can’t even buy anything with a quarter!” I yelled at him. “Jamie, get your ass back here.”
“I won’t be gone for long. Just a split second.”
A car drove along the main street, moving too slowly for my peace of mind. I wasn’t the only one who had picked out the car. Booker’s eyes were following the movement.
“Fuck!” Booker cried the second the glass wound down and the mouth of a pistol peeked out. Jamie was too far away for me to reach, completely oblivious to what was happening as he headed back toward me.
“Jamie, get down!” I shouted as a hail of lead hit the pavement, kicking up dirt and stone. Booker tackled Jamie to the ground, using his body as a shield. I dove inside the truck, bullets hitting the side as I felt beneath the driver’s seat and removed my Glock. One of my brothers must have had their piece on them because the hail of bullets was being returned. By the time I raised my head and squeezed off a few rounds, the car was already speeding away.
“Fuck!” I cried out my frustration, pulling myself out of the truck. “Zak—”
“I’m on it!” he replied before I could finish, cranking his motorcycle and speeding off to follow the car, the two prospects they had brought along right at his heels.
I ran toward Booker and Jamie, noticing blood on the pavement and a lack of movement.
Fuck. No. No. No.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jamie
“How is he?” Grimm asked as soon as I walked out of the medical room. He wasn’t the only one who waited in the corridor. Almost all the Reapers were lining the hall, waiting for word about one of their own who had been shot tonight.
Zak and the prospects hadn’t returned, the last I’d heard, but I hadn’t asked for an update. The important thing had been keeping Booker alive. He’d taken a bullet meant for me, and there was no way I could have let him die.
“We removed the bullet,” I answered, grateful for the doctor Grimm had procured to meet us at the clubhouse when we got there. I wasn’t positive I would have been able to handle the operation alone. I’d worked on Booker all the way to the clubhouse, where Grimm had insisted we had to take him.
“We have to take him to the hospital,” I tell Grimm, assessing all the blood Booker is losing quickly. “There’s no other way, Grimm.”
He places a hand on my shoulder and turns me to face him. “We can’t take him to the hospital, Jamie. It’s too risky. Booker would rather die than end up in a jail cell, but you’re going to keep him alive.”
“Grimm, please. I don’t know if I can on my own.”
“You won’t be on your own. I’ll have Mort meet us at the clubhouse with the club doctor we’ve been using. Just do what you can to keep him alive until we get there.”
I shook my head and stared down at the blood on my hands and my white coat. I should have taken it off before, but I had been too worried about Booker to think about that practicality. At least it was over now. The adrenaline rush that had kept me up as I worked on him with the other doctor was fading and my energy along with it.
“He’s in stable condition,” I continued, loud enough for everyone to hear. “The bullet didn’t hit anything vital, and we were just concerned about the blood he lost.”
“Does he need blood?” someone I didn’t know asked. “I’ll be willing to donate since I’m a universal giver.”
I smiled at the somber-looking face of a man in his late twenties who had offered. “I’ll keep that in mind. Right now, he doesn’t need a transfusion. We’re going to have to monitor him for infection and that the wound heals well. He’s up and talking, but I’d keep the visits to a minimum for now as he’s still groggy from the meds.”
Grimm placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “You did good, boy.”
I should bask in the praise, but I still felt numb. I couldn’t forget the weight of Booker’s body pressing me into the ground as he shielded me with his frame. I’d felt his body jerk, heard his grunt of pain when the bullet hit him.
“It’s not me,” I said, dropping my gaze to the floor. “It was all Dr. Crawford.”
“A false sense of modesty,” the man remarked from behind me as he walked out of the medical room
. He was still dressed in his pajamas and had clearly been pulled straight out of bed. “This young man is responsible for saving Booker’s life. The compression he made on the wound stopped your brother from bleeding out before he got here. That was the main concern.”
“I had to do it,” I stated with a frown. “He took a bullet meant for me. I couldn’t let him die.”
“You know, I was beginning to feel guilty for leaving,” Dr. Crawford said. “But you have an excellent doctor in the making. He can take over Booker’s care while I go back to bed.”
Grimm moved aside with the doctor, taking out his wallet. A hand landed on my arm. I jolted, and a shiver ran through my body.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Cass said. Other than talking to him that one time I’d had breakfast in the clubhouse, he’d pretty much stayed at a distance. Every time I tried to smile at him invitingly, he would turn away until I eventually stopped trying.
“It’s okay. I’m just tired.”
Grimm returned to my side. He rubbed my arm and dropped a kiss on top of my head.
“Cass, walk with him to the house, will you?” He cupped my face, tilting my head up so I had to look at him. “I’ll visit with Booker for a few minutes. Then I’ll be right there with you.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just take a shower, change, and then I’ll sit with Booker for the night in case he needs anything.”
“No, you’re exhausted,” he insisted. “You’ll be of no use to anyone if you don’t take care of yourself. I’ll have the guys take turns to sit with Booker. You better be in bed when I get there, Jamie.”
He probably meant it as a warning, but his tone was low and concerned, not with the sternness I was used to. Cass took my arm, which I was grateful for. My feet were like lead, and I wasn’t certain I would have made it to the house next door without his help. Although he was far from filled out, he was bigger than me and was able to shoulder my weight.
Biker Daddy (The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale Book 1) Page 17