I woke up early the next morning. My mouth tasted like peat and I briefly thought about Barrett’s choice of drink. It lingered on the tongue. I was giving my teeth a vigorous brushing when Colt pushed open the bathroom door. He came in to stand behind me, dropping a morning kiss on my bare shoulder.
We didn’t say anything as we brushed our teeth in companionable silence. Colt was just rinsing his mouth when his cell phone rang. He grabbed a hand towel and wiped his face as he strode from the bathroom.
I heard him answer the call and speak to someone on the other end. When he hung up, he came back, leaned against the bathroom doorjamb, and watched me.
“Yes?” I taunted. “Like something you see?”
“Whole lotta something,” he admitted with a sensual grin.
I was wearing a white lace camisole and a pair of clean underwear Colt had thoughtfully packed in a small bag, as if he’d known all along we’d be staying overnight. It was odd to be with a man who planned, had it all figured out, even a spare change of clothes.
I’d gone to bed with last night’s makeup on my face and I tended to the destruction now. I threw my hair into a messy bun and turned on the faucet.
“Who was on the phone?”
“Boxer. Everyone is already at the clubhouse for the lockdown.”
“Good. I guess.”
Colt raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Freedom restricted, everyone on top of one another, barely any privacy. It will get old fast. Joni and I were already going nuts, staying at the clubhouse.” I sighed and reached for a bottle of high-end facial cleanser. “I miss our home.”
“Our home, huh?”
“Our home,” I repeated.
“I need you to be patient, just a bit longer, okay?”
“I know,” I muttered. I splashed warm water onto my face and then grabbed a clean hand towel and patted my skin dry. “It’s just—well, I feel like I’m just along for the ride, you know? I don’t do anything. I just sit and wait and let you protect me. I need to do something, Colt.”
He ran his hands through his disheveled hair, making the muscles of his chest dance. The ink of my name across his pectoral rippled and my heart felt heavy with emotion.
“I’m talking to Sanchez today. That will dictate everything that happens from here on out.”
“Sanchez might not come through, you know.”
He smiled. “He will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You’ve met Barrett.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“If Sanchez isn’t convinced, I’ll get Barrett to intervene. She’ll step up to bat for us.”
“Why would she?” I asked. “I mean, I know you and Flynn are friends, of a sort. But why would they help us unless they will benefit directly?”
“That’s just it,” he said with a dry smile. “They would benefit.”
“I don’t get it. Maybe it’s the scotch I had last night, but I don’t understand.”
He rubbed a thumb across his jaw, the noise of stubble against skin sounding like sandpaper against wood. “Barrett talked about her business partnership with Sanchez, yeah?”
I nodded.
“Flynn and Barrett own a scotch distillery in Dornoch, where they live. They make bottles of scotch, pack Sanchez’s product in the boxes, and have them distributed.”
I blinked. “They’re drug mules?”
Colt shrugged. “Among other things.”
“But, why?”
Colt mulled his words over for a moment before saying, “They have certain political affiliations they’d prefer to keep close to the vest. But let’s just say they belong to the Scottish version of the IRA.”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. Damn, now I really want to know how Barrett and Flynn met.”
“It’s a damn good story,” Colt admitted. He finally pushed away from the doorjamb. “You ready to get out of here? Head back to Waco? I’ve got more shit to handle than just Sanchez.”
I nodded, swallowing. “Are you—what are you going to do about Knight?”
Colt cracked his knuckles. “Have a talk with him. Man to man.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. On top of Sanchez, the Iron Horsemen, and a hell of a lot of cocaine, Colt was going to have to go face-to-face with another Blue Angel president, a man we needed to show our strength in Waco. A man whose club we needed for back up.
I prayed like hell it didn’t turn into a blood bath of Blue Angel against Blue Angel. Colt couldn’t afford this to get personal, but Knight was hiding something.
Colt pulled on a pair of jeans and reached for his cell, reading the screen. “Zip just texted. He’s gonna get Joni moving. They’ll meet us back in Waco, along with everyone else. You almost ready to get out of here?”
“What about saying goodbye to Barrett and Flynn?”
He grinned. “Darlin’, they’re already on their private jet bound for Scotland.”
A few hours later, Colt and I walked into madness.
“Thank God you’re here!” Darcy said, throwing her arms around me.
I removed my leather jacket. “Let me change and then put me to work.”
Darcy nodded and let out a sigh. She looked at Colt and glared. “Next time, a little more warning would be nice. I’m trying to get the guest rooms cleaned and ready for all the new faces around here. Right now Knight and the boys are out back. I told them to get out of my hair and let me work.”
Colt grinned and kissed her cheek. “You’re the best.”
Someone barreled into my legs and wrapped small, thin arms around them. Lily looked up at me and grinned, showing the loss of one of her front teeth.
“Hi!” she exclaimed.
“You lost something,” I said, poking the hole with my pointer finger and making her giggle.
“Mama says the Tooth Fairy is gonna come visit me tonight,” Lily stated in excitement. “Do you think I’ll get to meet her?”
“Er,” I began, “I don’t think it works that way. The Tooth Fairy is all about mystery.”
Thank you, Darcy mouthed.
After I changed clothes, I went back to the kitchen to help Darcy. Rachel and Allison were already there.
“The kids keep interrupting,” Darcy said in a harassed voice. “Do you mind going to entertain them while we finish getting the meal together?”
“Sure thing.”
I waved to the men having beers and sitting at the picnic tables while the kids ran in circles around the yard. After spending a few minutes with them, I realized I was no match for their zeal and energy. How the hell did Darcy do it?
Knight sat on one of the picnic tabletops, drinking from his bottle of beer, watching me. I saw Colt out of the corner of my eye, his face darkening when he realized that Knight was studying me.
I swallowed, wondering when it would come to a head. Colt had enough on his plate. He didn’t need the Knight thing weighing on him, and in my state of inebriation the night before, I’d blurted out my thoughts to Colt. If I had it to do over, I would’ve waited.
Not that I would’ve handled Knight myself. I didn’t know him. I didn’t know his personality. I was comfortable with my Blue Angels, but that did not extend to other brothers outside the Waco chapter.
I frowned when I realized how I was thinking about my new family.
Chosen, not born.
Strong. Loyal. Fierce.
What would they do if Knight was a threat to me?
Darcy came out the back to announce that dinner was ready. We were eating relatively early, but there would be leftovers to munch on through the rest of the night. Everyone flocked to the food and formed a line leading into the house and kitchen—the kids went first.
Colt joined me at the back fence as I waited for the line to clear out. “You okay, babe?” he asked, sliding his arm around my waist. “Is it Knight? I promise I’ll talk to him.”
“It’s not Knight,” I lied. And then because I wanted to distract him, I blurted out, “Can we please not have kids for a while?”
He looked down at me and smiled. “Sure, darlin’. Whatever you want.”
I held up my finger and pointed it at him. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?” he asked with sham innocence.
“Don’t pretend to give in to what I’m asking and then make plans behind my back.”
He laughed. “I promise I won’t knock you up until you give me the green light. Happy?”
“Happy.”
“But I gotta tell ya.” His mouth drew closer. “It’s all I can think about.”
“You’re insane.” I teasingly pushed against his chest. I looked around the backyard and frowned. “Where’s Joni?” I hadn’t seen her since we’d gotten back from Dallas.
“Probably in her room sleeping off her hangover,” Colt said dryly.
“I’ll tell her dinner’s ready and ask if she wants me to bring her a plate.” I kissed him quickly and then eased away from him.
I wormed my way around the bodies waiting in line for food so I could take the backstairs up to the third floor. As I turned the corner, I saw Zip had Joni pressed against the closed door of her bedroom. There was no space between their bodies and his fingers were in her hair, his lips on hers. Her hands gripped his leather cut like she was afraid if she didn’t hold onto him, she’d fall down.
I cleared my throat.
Zip tore his mouth from Joni’s and whipped his head toward me. His pupils were dilated with lust and his face morphed into a mask of shock at being caught.
“Dinner’s ready,” I said lamely.
Zip pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward me. “Don’t say anything to Colt.”
“Zip.” Joni’s tone was a warning but it sounded tired.
“I won’t say anything,” I said. It was Joni who I addressed yet I didn’t take my eyes off Zip. His gaze searched my face and finally he whispered, “Thank you.”
Zip didn’t look at Joni as he headed down the stairs.
When I was sure he was gone, I said to Joni, “You’re certainly playing a dangerous game. Out in the open like that.”
“Do you want to come in?” she asked, turning the knob on her door.
“Hell yeah I want to come in,” I said, still trying to wrap my brain around what I’d just seen. “When did he—how did you—and he—”
“Last night. Well, actually, early this morning.” She smiled slightly. “He saw me on stage and came to my hotel room. And then he—ah—”
“I didn’t interrupt you guys just now, did I?”
She shook her head. “We were saying goodbye.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t look like goodbye from where I was standing. You guys are playing with fire. Sneaking around in the clubhouse? Just be glad it was me who saw you guys and not someone else. Like Boxer.”
Joni sobered.
I nodded. “Yeah. Boxer is totally aware that there’s something between you and Zip. It’s obvious to anyone with two eyes. You have to tell Colt.”
“I can’t,” she pleaded. “Not yet.”
“Is this Zip talking, or you? Is this because he doesn’t want a relationship?”
She shook her head. “Listen to what you just said. You’re already calling it a relationship. I need time—we need time—to figure out what all this is without the pressure of telling my brother.”
“I’m in the middle now,” I said softly.
Her eyes were contrite. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
“No. Don’t be. We’re friends, and I’ll keep your secret. Even if—when—all this blows up.”
“I just have to make sure this is real, you know? Before I go messing with everyone’s lives.”
“What does Zip want?”
“To tell Colt.”
“That’s surprising. If he wanted you only for a one night stand, would he even bother wanting to tell Colt?”
“I don’t know.” Her brow furrowed. “They have weird rules about getting involved with sisters. Like a code of honor or something. So Zip might want to tell Colt for the sake of brotherhood and respect, regardless if he has real feelings for me or not.”
“This is a clusterfuck,” I muttered.
“And I hate that I even have to say this, but please don’t tell Darcy or the others.”
“I won’t. If you divulge one thing.”
“What?”
I grinned. “How hot was the sex?”
Joni and I came down the stairs and grabbed ourselves plates of food to take outside. The boys had lit a bonfire and torches to keep the bugs away. The cool beer went down far too easily.
After the sun set, Darcy ushered the kids inside and plopped them in front of the TV in the entertainment room down in the basement. Little ears had a tendency to hear things they weren’t supposed to hear, so it was club policy to keep them on another floor entirely.
Colt spent most of the night with his arm around my shoulder and every time I tried to leave, he’d ask where I was going. Clearly he didn’t feel comfortable leaving me alone because of what I’d said about Knight.
But Knight wasn’t even paying attention to me, or if he was, I was somehow not seeing it.
“Sorry we couldn’t offer you a rowdier party,” Boxer said to Bishop, Knight’s VP.
“Plenty of time for pussy later,” Bishop said. “Anyone need another beer? I’m headed to the cooler.”
We shook our heads and then Bishop wandered off in search of another brew.
I let out a laugh. “You guys sure are fond of that word.”
“It might be my favorite word,” Boxer said with a wry grin. “I wouldn’t mind seeing your friend Shelly’s pretty pink—”
“That’s enough. You’re done. She’s engaged, dude.”
“I can take her fiancé.”
“He’s trained in Krav Maga and carries a pistol.”
“No shit!”
I nodded.
“Then I guess I need to woo her with the promise of my huge—”
I flicked his forehead, lightly, but just enough to get him to stop talking.
“Ow.”
“That didn’t hurt.” I rolled my eyes.
“It could’ve hurt,” Boxer protested.
“You’re a weenie.”
“You just called me a—Prez, your woman just called me a weenie.”
“She’s not wrong.” An easy smile slid across Colt’s lips. It transformed the planes and angles of his face. If it weren’t for the bonfire’s flames, he would’ve looked downright boyish, which wasn’t a word I’d ever thought to call Colt. But all men had the ability to look young and carefree, impish and up to no good when they were happy.
It was one of those moments where my breath caught and I thought about a time when Colt would have a son of his own and the same expression would be stamped across his face.
Colt stared down at me and I could see the flames from the fire flickering in his eyes. I wanted to tell him what I’d just felt, about the emotions tearing through me with such promise I could almost taste the sweetness of joy on my tongue. But we weren’t alone and now wasn’t the time.
“Prez,” Zip said, sliding out from the shadows and coming to stand next to Colt, pulling his attention. “It’s time.”
Colt nodded to his VP. He leaned down to my ear. “I’m about to talk to Sanchez. I’d feel better if you went to our room.”
“I’ll be okay,” I assured him. “I’ll hang with the girls. Safety in numbers.”
He kissed me quickly and then with a nod at Zip, the two of them left the bonfire, heading for the shed that was built just off the clubhouse where the boys held church.
“Another beer?” Boxer asked me.
“Hmm?” I was only listening with half an ear; my gaze caught Knight’s, who was still sitting on a picnic table top, not appearing as though he’d moved. Not even to get another beer. He looked lost in thought. Looked lost in general.
His eyes pinged to mine.
I suddenly didn’t want to talk to the girls.
“What’s Knight drinking?” I asked Boxer.
He shot me a look. “Why?”
“Because he needs a refill.”
“You gonna take it to him?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Stop asking me why,” I snapped. “But if you want to know, I think I owe it to Colt to get to know Knight. I’m the president’s Old Lady, right? It’s my job to make outsiders feel welcome.”
“Knight’s not an outsider. He’s a Blue Angel.”
“Semantics. And you know what I meant.”
“Look at you, fitting in with your new family.” Boxer wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me to his chest so he could plop a kiss on top of my head. “Proud of ya, Mia.”
His words weren’t condescending and they felt like a warm breeze on my skin. I smiled up at him. “You’re okay, you know that?”
“Just okay?” He puffed out his chest. “Tell everyone I’m amazing.”
I pushed against him and he released me. With a laugh I headed toward a picnic table that was covered in full booze bottles, plastic red cups, and a tin bucket full of ice that was rapidly melting in the heat from the nearby fire. I swiped a bottle of Jack and headed toward Knight. He watched me approach with an unwavering, intense gaze.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey.” His tone was wary, like he didn’t trust or understand why I was standing in front of him.
“Thought you could use another drink.” I held out the bottle of bourbon to him.
His eyes dropped from me to stare at the bottle. His fingers gripped the neck and he took it from me. “Why’d you bring this to me?”
I shrugged. “You look lonely over here. Thought I’d come say hi. We didn’t really get a chance to talk at The Rex.”
“I was busy with other shit.” He nodded and unscrewed the lid. “Thanks.” He took a swig and then limply let his hand drop so the bottle almost touched the bench.
“So you’re from Coeur d’Alene,” I said.
“Yeah.”
Knight clearly hadn’t perfected the art of conversation. I thought about leaving him to his own devices, but then he lifted the bottle of Jack to me.
A silent offering of friendship.
“Thanks.” I took the bottle and drank.
A ghost of a grin flittered across Knight’s mouth. Half his face was concealed in shadow, but what I could see was covered in a beard. But he had a nice smile.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the spot next to him.
“Okay.” I scrambled up to the table’s top and plunked down next to him, far enough away that should our knees fall to the sides, we wouldn’t touch.
I stared at the fire when I asked my question. “What was that? Back at The Rex?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When you saw me. You looked—I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“Are you always like this?” he asked.
“Like what?’
“Blunt.”
“What do I have to lose by being blunt?” I asked.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Neither did you.”
He took the bottle of Jack back and downed a few swallows.
“How old are you,” he asked suddenly.
I frowned. “Why does it matter?”
“Please?” His tone was low, but I heard the plea just the same.
“Twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five,” he murmured.
Icy fear slithered down my spine. I didn’t know why Knight was asking about my age. His expression gave nothing away. He just continued to drink and I sat there next to him, feeling like an idiot.
I made a move to get up off the table.
His hand shot out to grip my knee.
I froze.
Before I knew what was happening, a blur sailed through the air and tackled Knight. The bottle of Jack dropped from Knight’s hand and his back hit the table.
“What the hell!” I yelled, clambering to get out of the way of the fight.
“I saw you touch her, fucker,” Boxer growled. “You touched Colt’s woman.”
Boxer didn’t give Knight time to defend himself because he punched the older man right in the face. Knight was no slouch, though. He let Boxer get in one good hit, but then he quickly rebounded, using his legs to launch Boxer off him.
Boxer hit the ground with a thud, but before he made a move to get back up, Knight was climbing off the table. The corner of his lip was bloody, but otherwise didn’t look like he’d taken a punch or been winded at all.
“It’s not what you think,” Knight began.
“Fuck you and fuck your shit,” Boxer said, rising. “You don’t fucking touch another brother’s woman. You’re a brother! You know this!”
Sounds of conversation had ceased. Old Ladies and Blue Angels had crowded closer, trying to piece together what had just gone down.
Knight didn’t look at Boxer—instead he stared at me. “Your mother…her name was Scarlett O’Banion.”
My eyes widened. “How did you—”
“Because,” Knight’s eyes were grim. “I’m your father.”
