Abuela turns and her wrinkled eyes shine when smiles with appreciation. I heard her and the message has been delivered.
Tami
A night I will remember for the rest of my life, no doubt. My whole world stands right here in this yard. Every single person here, in our unconventional way, has gathered to become a family.
Never in my life had I pictured that I would be in the position that I am, but here I am living my best life. Pawn, I know, will never be that man that society considers to be normal. But he’s special in his own way.
Even from my spot I feel him just yards away from me. Watching me and the desire is same I have for him. The draw pulling us back together and always will. I’ve let go of the past, I’ll never forget it, but there is no room for it here.
I chance a look and turn to my left and there he sits with the softness and comfort behind those blue eyes that have the extra wrinkles that I find sexy and endearing. Somewhere along the way the brokenness started healing. A braver person inside came forward, and she grew wings.
I can hear the girls around me chatting, but the draw is too great to hold my attention any longer. Like a magnet, I’m drawn to him and his arms and sit on his lap. My arms wrapping around his neck, I hold him close to me.
“You need me, angel?” he whispers softly into my hair.
“Always, Eric.” I haven’t called him by his first name in so long, but I feel like he is so much more than Pawn. To me, he is him, but also the man of my babies, Eric.
He tenses at first, from the shock, but then those soothing hands pull me in even tighter to him. “I missed that, don’t ever stop calling me that.” His voice holds promises that hold true, his heart. “We are buying you a ring tomorrow.”
“Just for me and you.” Pulling myself away just a little, I kiss the corner of those eyes and whisper, “I find these so hot. My baby daddy is sexy.”
Pawn growls low, “I think it’s time we get out of here.”
Before I let him move, I kiss the other one and then his forehead. When I get up, I catch Abuela watching us intently and I see the sorrow written in her reflection. I don’t know much about what happened to her husband, but the love there has never died.
I can’t help myself and I give her a big hug telling her how much I love her.
“Buena suerte, Cariño. Good luck, sweetheart.”
Pawn has a sleepy Cash in his arms when I return and together, we tell everyone our goodbyes. I ask Vegas where Jazzy is, and she states that she left as soon as Spider showed up, and not to worry about saying goodbye. I feel for the woman. It’s never comfortable to feel vulnerable, and whatever has happened has shaken her down to her core.
Life is messy, and I put it out in the universe to keep my good luck running. I’m grateful for all that I have been given and the man at my side. A night that will be remembered and treasured my entire life.
Chapter 31
Pawn
Stepping out from Church I exhale, releasing the pent-up frustration. We only have a few leads on who could have been following us around, but nothing quite adds up to why. I’ve called in every guy I know that could owe me a favor, nothing. Still, it doesn’t sit right with me. My skin crawls, the feeling running deep in me that we are, or I am, missing something.
Deciding that answers won’t be found this minute, I head out into the garage and get to work. I crank the volume up on high and let the radio drown out the doubt. Checking the task list, I start on the bikes first and breeze through the maintenance within a few hours. Tank doesn’t even try to keep up with me. Lazy fucker spots my determination early on and sets a steady pace allowing me to lead.
After the trucks are done, I head outside to the back of the property. The prospects took good care of the greenhouse while I was gone and decided to turn it over to them completely. Standing in here reminds me of one of my last days here when Solo and I had our fight. Moments that choke me up every single time when I think about them. Today, I wish I could ask him what he thinks about what is going on and what we should do.
Shaking my thoughts away, I examine the plants and soil. Every so often I stop in to make sure everything is running smoothly. It is perfect, just as every time before I’ve come out here. Today, I think will be my last day. I wouldn’t say that I’m letting go but more of moving forward.
It’s been hours that pass by in a blink of an eye and it’s time to wrap up the day. Before I leave, I grab my cut from the garage threading my arms through. Tank and the other guys already left, and I find them in the bar with beers in hand. The party just starting to warm up as brothers start to filter in. The club girls give me their best smiles on my way through. Not them, or the promise of drugs, hold my interest anymore.
But I do grab a lit joint and take a hit before I pass it back to one of the brothers. I may not want to get ripped anymore, but I’m no saint either. A hit here and there isn’t going to hurt. I’m on a mission to get home to my woman anyway and blow out the bud on my way. I stomp past with a stone-cold face and shut down any hopeful glances with the pissed off straight face I give in return. The Prez is a smart man. No one wants to hang out with a moody bastard.
The ride on my bike home is relaxing until I pull up onto my street and find a car, I have never seen, parked there. Instead of pulling in the driveway I immediately pull over, parking on the street. Terror spikes in my blood and I run around to the side of the house. I can’t seem to shake off the tremor of fear that overtakes every single muscle in my body. I grip the handle on my revolver and flick the safety off with my thumb. Slowly, I creep around looking into the windows of the living room, making my way around to the front.
The front door swings open and I take aim. My finger slightly tightens with pressure on the trigger. Dark hair with purple fills my vision and my body tightens. Coming through the door, she shrieks and hits the porch. My lungs deflate and I drop my gun to my side.
“Fuck, Jazz, I almost blew your head off. Whose blacked-out mobster ride are you driving these days?”
She let’s go of the grip she has tight around her head with her fingers locked together behind her head. Jazzy peeks up from her spot on the porch as I get closer.
“Have you been arrested before?” I reach down and help her up to her feet.
“Um, arrested? A few times. Why the hell were you pointing a gun at my head?” She huffs while brushing her clothes off.
“Like I said, your ride, whose is it?” I grumble, trying to work the edge off my tone I roll my shoulders back.
“I had to borrow it. Mine’s in the shop. I just swung by to tell Tami I was headed out of town.”
A rumble of a bike sounds off in the distance and Jazzy’s face turns white before she hauls ass off the porch and down the sidewalk. She turns the engine on, the tires screeching when she floors it out of the driveway. The car is almost up on two wheels, she takes the first left so hard.
“What the hell is going on?” I know Tami has been watching from the doorway the entire time.
“She’s hiding out from Spider. I’m guessing that is him heading this way.”
The bike in question comes to a halt with a very pissed off Spider on it. He tosses his helmet in the grass and stomps towards us. “Is she here?” he demands.
“No,” Tami says flatly.
Spider’s evil gleam looks her over, not convinced, “She was here?”
“A bit ago, yeah.”
“And?” He presses for information, irritated at having to ask.
“You know, Spider, when you leave town, you say goodbye to the people important to you.” Tami has an unusual bite and pointedly glares back at him. “Jazzy’s not here. She drove away in a car. I don’t know where.”
“She isn’t driving her car. The GPS says it’s still in California.” He fumes, not understanding.
“Maybe try calling her then. When you’re alone.” Tami smarts, then shuts the door behind her.
“Fucking women,” Spider barks at me. “If y
ou see her.” He stabs my chest with a finger, “Call me.” He whips his body around and quickly leaves, snatching the left helmet up from the grass.
“Why did Tami say ‘alone’?’” I holler after his retreating back.
“Don’t fucking worry about it.” He slams his helmet on his head and takes off on the bike much like Jazz just did and peels out of here.
Hearing the front door squeak open I confirm, “I don’t want to know, do I?”
“Nope,” Tami answers walking out with Cash. “Let’s grab dinner. I’ve been working in my office all day and I need to get out of here.”
Not arguing with my woman, I just load them all up in the car and drive them downtown to find a place to eat. Tami fills me in on her morning sickness, “It’s been bad. In the mornings, I swear if I don’t run and get cracking first thing, my day is screwed. It almost makes me feel diabetic. If there isn’t food constantly crammed in my mouth, I’m sick all day.”
“I wonder if it’s a boy then. I could eat all day.”
“I’m going to get fat,” she whines.
I laugh at her and she scowls, “Just big titties baby, I can’t wait.”
“Did you smoke today, Pawn?” She glances at me suspiciously. When I don’t answer she swats at my chest, “You’re an ass, call me baby again and you’ll find your ass walking.”
Capturing her hand, I plant a kiss and entwine our fingers together, resting them in my lap. “You’re an ass and you knew this. One hit, that’s it. Angel, I don’t care what size you are as long as I get-”
“I get it,” Tami stops me. “Cash doesn’t need to hear that.” Shaking her head, she finishes her day by telling me the new words he is learning, but what she says next has my full attention.
“What did you just say?” I ask stopping her rant of updates.
“I said next month my first book, Hiding Our Hearts, will publish. I’m ready to release it into the world.” Tami beams with pride and happiness, “I’m not telling anyone though, not yet.”
“Why not? You’ve worked your ass off to do it.”
Tami looks out the window, “It’s been all mine. No one really knows what I’ve been up to, and it has just felt great to have something for me. I’ll share eventually, but it was my escape when I was alone. Another world I could live in that was better than my own.”
Her words hit me in the heart. I didn’t know what she did after Solo died and how she got through it. “Tami,” I start and pause because these words are all new for me and I struggle for a moment. “You can always talk to me about any of that. I want to be the man that brings heaven to you when you’re living through hell.”
The smile on her face when she turns towards me is pure gold, “I know that I can, and I will. I’m just being a little selfish with it for a while.”
“When you do, they will be so proud of you. Good job, that’s freaking amazing.” It blows my mind the hoops she’s had to jump through to get to this point and am so proud that she finished it. “Send me the link to my phone. I want to be able to look at it.” But also, I have an idea.
We find a small diner and as soon as we get Cash in the highchair the whining begins. He’s crabby and clings to Tami. “I wonder if he’s getting sick.” She rubs his head and takes him out holding him close. I ask the waitress to box our dinners and we agree to take him home.
Tami sits with him in the back seat of her car not willing to leave him alone. As soon as we hit the freeway, he’s fast asleep and Tami asks if I can stop at the store to buy medicine for him. When I don’t respond, she looks up at me but I’m too focused to explain what I am focused on. I could be wrong but doubt it.
There was a blacked-out car parked at the restaurant I noticed when we first parked. It speeds up behind me now, and my heart rate picks up. Wondering if we are being followed. I keep watch from the rearview mirror and turn on the blinker to get off the freeway and the car does the same.
Fuck. Across the intersection there’s an on ramp from the one I’m getting off. As I approach, I gun it across the intersection the car engine revs from the change.
“Pawn, what are you doing?” Tami is shouting, startled she has no idea how much trouble we have gotten into. She is being tossed around in the backseat and holds onto Cash.
“Hold on, we are being followed.” I bite out the words barely escaping my clenched teeth. Swearing to myself when the car behind us swerves around the intersection and races to catch up to us. Another car joins the chase, and that’s when I know, I’m fucked. They are after me and I’m alone without my brothers for backup.
Tami is busy placing a bawling Cash in his car seat and trying to calm him down. She then puts her belt on and frantically fishes her phone out of her bag. I swerve to miss a car in front of me that cut me off and her phone flies out of her hand when I swerve to miss the collision. “Shit.” She is out of her seat in seconds and hurriedly looking for her phone on the floor.
“Fuck, Tami, call Blade and tell him we are being followed.” Barking the orders at her, I regret, but I can’t stop the stress from taking over. Tami pops back up with her cell phone. I glance quickly at her and back to the road. The fear in her eyes seizes my heart with the same. With her phone in hand, she dials and waits for him to pick up. The seconds feeling like minutes.
“Blade, we are being followed.” Tami explains where we are and what happened. The worry lacing her voice as she gives him the licenses plate number and the car’s description.
Is it another set up, more dirty cops coming back for revenge? I try to breathe around the panic that’s setting in. My chest heaves and my grip on the steering wheel is choking. It’s an unmarked cop car, so why aren’t the sirens on? Clearing my head, I keep my focus on the road and not who it could be but trying to think of a way out of this alive.
“Blade said it isn’t a cop car, the plates are fake.” Tami keeps an eye on the car behind us. Her breathing is labored, and you can hear the slight tremble in her voice while answering all of Blade’s questions. “He said to stay on the road as long as you can. They are coming.”
I don’t have that long. He said that more for her benefit than my own. I speed ahead when more cars move out of the way. Fuck, I will be pulled over for reckless driving any minute. So much could go wrong within seconds. It’s not only me in this car, I am terrified that I can’t protect them.
The car’s engine behind us roars jolting forward and rams into us from behind. The impact jolting us forward, startling her and she reaches over and places an arm over Cash’s car seat she ducks her head and shields him as best as she can. The little car violently sways from side to side, I hold the steering wheel as tight as I can. But the car goes for it again and again. The hair on the back of my neck raises. Tami’s small car is no match for the souped-up one trying to push us into an accident. Other cars on the freeway slow down and get out of our way. My shoulders tighten and I glance around scanning for a way out.
The cops are going to be called and I’m in a trap. If I stay on the road, I could be busted for this and they could be seriously hurt. With them in the backseat I have no choice. For their safety, I get off on the next exit, jerking the steering wheel. The tires are screeching, barely keeping their traction on the road. Sweat is beading on my forehead and my muscles tense from my neck down to my feet. Cash is screaming his heart out and Tami clings to him repeatedly reassuring him and trying to calm him down.
I have no faith that this car can take another hit and they won’t be harmed. The car behind us engine revs up again. I stomp on the gas petal, but the red engine light comes on and there is no hope for us in this car. This time, the hit is harder, and the back tire is blown out on Tami’s side. Even with her seat belt on the force flinging her body like a rag doll.
If they want me, they can have me.
Yanking the car to the right, I pull over to an empty parking lot and the car follows us. Ripping into a screeching halt just behind us. The other is whipping around and blocks the front
, boxing us in. Hastily, I demand to Tami, “Be strong for the kids.” Because I may not make it. If this is it, I had it perfect for a while and worth every damn second.
She begs me to not go, but I have to. For them, they can’t touch my family. Whatever I have done, I will pay for to keep them alive. I can only have faith my brothers get here in time to protect them. With a few deep breaths I ready myself for what could happen next. A few seconds is all I could have left and turn around to give her a kiss. “It will all be okay.” I kiss her forehead and then Cash’s. He tugs at my arms wanting me to pick him up and protect him. I swallow hard, the loss and anguish choking me being lodged in my throat. My boy needs me to hold him and I can’t.
The speaker picks up from the car and the man demands that I get out, with my hands up. “Tami, try to get out of here.” I plead with her, our eyes catching and silently, I say goodbye. I can’t look away because it will all change. I need her and the sadness is greater than the fear. The words that I love her are buried deep inside, she can’t hear my doubt, it will crush her.
Turning around, I steel my nerves and determination takes over. The need to protect them against these dicks turns me into the man I hate. The vengeful fighter. Kicking the door open, I hold my hands up and stand then shut the door. One by one they get out of the cars and draw their guns at me. The car at my back, fires off two rounds, and I whip around to see they have blown out the front tires of Tami’s car.
She screams from the noise and scrambles to get Cash out his seat. My boy is hysterical and there isn’t shit I can do for them now. My jaw is clenching as the anger is flushed through my body. Tami clutches him to her and his little hands hold onto her for comfort. The void hits me that I can’t stop this. I’m failing to protect them. That’s not acceptable, they belong to me and they can’t do this to them.
Loving You Forever (Battle Born MC Book 7) Page 16