Chapter Five
John
Four golden gazes, scarily similar to mine, studied me, all of them wide-eyed.
It had taken twenty minutes to relay everything that had happened over the last thirty years. Not all of it was appropriate for me to tell my children, but every word dug in deep and carved a hole inside my heart.
It wasn’t just that I had to explain my relationship with their mother—which frankly was humiliating enough. What really gutted me was that by the time I’d finished telling them the truth, they knew what Elise had meant to me for all that time.
I hadn’t cheated on Adele, but it didn’t stop the bitter taste of guilt burning my throat as I told my kids how Elise and I were torn apart and the beautiful consequences of meeting Adele.
Namely, them.
They knew some of it already—hell, I’d used it to embarrass them enough over the years—but explaining the nuances of my relationship with their mother wasn’t easy. Not because I regretted my time with her, but in hindsight, it was clear that my insistence on marrying Adele had set off a chain of events that had affected three people’s lives, and not all for the better.
I rubbed my beard thoughtfully, studying the expressions on each face intently. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved your mother but not in the way you love your ol’ ladies,” my stare went to Freya, who was on FaceTime, “or ol’ men.”
“Clearly,” she clipped out.
My heart wrenched.
“You were together for over twenty years,” Kit pointed out. “How the fuck can you be with someone for that long and not love ‘em.”
“I did love her,” I protested.
He cocked his head and muttered, “Not in the right way. All that time, you were pining after someone else.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I countered. “I was content with my life. As far as I knew at the time, Elise had betrayed me. I wasn’t ever goin’ there with her.”
“Yeah, and you got that wrong, too,” Bowie scraped out.
“What a fuck up,” Cash clipped out, stare resting on me. “You know you just swung your ass way over the cliff edge for her? Henderson and his goons will be gunning for ya now.”
“Yeah,” I concurred. “Though it’s nothin’ Elise hasn’t been doin’ for me for the last thirty years. ‘Bout time someone had her back.”
Silence fell over the room while the kids digested everything.
I could understand their anger. In retrospect, I hadn’t dealt with things well, but at the time, all I could do was play the hand I was dealt the best way I knew.
My forehead furrowed as my thoughts went back to that time. “Do I wish I’d listened to my instincts back then and stayed in town to dig deeper into Elise and Henderson’s marriage? Of course I do. But I was twenty-two years old and took things at face value. On top of that, I’d been through some shit in the military myself and probably wasn’t in the best place mentally. Back then, the club was harder and more brutal. I’d been raised to dog anybody who betrayed us. Your mom was like a breath of fresh air and, at the time, exactly what and who I needed.”
“But were you what Mom needed?” Freya challenged.
I shrugged. “I’d like to think so. We had you, after all. I could never regret any of you kids. What happened to mine and your ma’s marriage was a natural progression. It screwed with me at the time ‘cause I thought us splitting meant losing you lot. You’ve always come before any woman in my life and always will. When your ma left, I wished her well, and I was happy she’d found Tim. Never wanted to hold her back, and she deserved to be loved the right way.”
“Remember wonderin’ at the time why you never fought for your marriage,” Bowie questioned.
“Promised your ma thirty years ago that I’d let her go if she ever found her one,” I told him. “You kids were older by then, and she needed to spread her wings. There was a lot about Adele I didn’t really understand—we’re like chalk and cheese—but I understood that need in her at least, and I’ll give your mom props; she always got my feelings for Elise.” I let out a quiet snort. “Probably better than I damned well did.”
“She’s always been that way,” Cash murmured. “Feels her way around things.”
I nodded my agreement. “Your mother’s somethin’ else. A good woman, one who deserves to find her happy.”
“She’s also pissed at you still,” Freya informed me. “Honestly, I’m shocked you even included me in this call. Last time I saw you in the flesh, you disowned me.”
My heart contracted painfully, but I sat forward and looked her straight in the eye. “Gotta lotta regrets, Freya, but sayin’ those things to you is probably my biggest one. You’re as much a part of this family as your brothers, and you deserve to know the truth. I apologize for bein’ a dick.”
My daughter’s eyes rounded. “Did the immovable John Stone just say sorry to me?”
Kit chuckled.
Cash let out a snort.
“Need you to do somethin’,” I asked softly. “Call your ma and tell her to answer the damned phone. I’ve tried to speak to her, but she won’t pick up.”
Freya’s lips pursed. She studied me for a moment, obviously thinking about her next move.
Our relationship had always been fraught. I’d wrapped my only daughter in cotton wool and treated her like spun gold because she was precious to me. I mostly kept her out of club business because I wanted her free and clear of the danger that came with it. My girl always thought I favored the boys, but she was wrong. From the first second I held her in my arms, I knew she was special.
And I was right.
Freya was beautiful, intelligent, and if she had a dick, would probably be runnin’ the club already. She was quick, super smart, and could wrap most people around her little finger.
My daughter’s eyes suddenly dipped, and she glanced at something to her left. “Umm—”
“Hi, John,” a Stevie Nicks-type voice sung from off-camera.
I cursed under my breath as I watched my ex-wife appear on the screen and sit next to Freya. “Christ.”
“He won’t help you,” Adele teased good-naturedly. “He gave up on you a long time ago.”
“Have you been listening in?” I demanded.
“Yep,” she confirmed. “You’re lucky I let Freya talk to you at all after the way you treated her the last time we saw you. If you’d have called from your cell phone instead of Kit’s, I would’ve made her ignore it.”
“Christ,” I muttered again, feeling suitably chastened.
Kit laughed. “How’s the doghouse? Is it cold in there?”
Bowie shook his head, smiling. “Poor bastard.”
“So, you and Elise finally got your shit together, huh?” Adele glanced at Freya. “Maybe now he’ll lighten up a bit instead of sucking all the joy out of the room. I swear his aura’s turned black lately, probably because of the shitty way he’s been treating people.”
I heaved out a frustrated sigh.
Adele was a good woman, but she was away with the damned fairies half the time. God knows how we lasted as long as we did. We had fuck all in common except the kids, though if anything was going to keep us together, our offspring would do it.
“Wouldn’t say we had our shit together, Dell, not yet anyway,” I explained. “We got shit to discuss, which is why I wanted this convo. Want everyone to know my intentions and hopefully get on board. No more secrets, no more lies, no more in-fightin’.”
“Well, maybe you should stop causing all the damned problems, then,” she retorted, turning to Freya. “At least now he’s extracted his head from his ass I won’t have to entice everybody to New York for Christmas.” Her face came back to study mine. “Tim told me to buy everyone plane tickets and rent a big Airbnb for us all. There was no way I would’ve come to the clubhouse while you were behaving like a miserable bastard.”
Kit let out a whistle.
“Oh shit,” Bowie muttered.
My gut stabbed painfully. “Christmas is mine.”
Adele waved her hand dismissively. “Codswallop.”
I reared my head back. “Huh?”
“It’s my word of the day,” she informed me. “It means bullshit.”
I couldn’t help grinning at my ex-wife. “You’re a nut.”
Adele’s stare softened. “You may have told me that before, once or twice.” Her bright blue eyes flicked between mine. “Have you gotten over your meltdown now?”
My lips quirked. “Yeah. Sorry, Dell.” My stare slid to Freya. “Sorry, Frey.”
“You have to apologize to Colt, too,” Freya said haughtily. “What you did to him was shitty, too, Dad.”
A sigh escaped me, and I ran a hand over my face. “I’ll accept him, Frey, because you’ve chosen him as your ol’ man, but he still lied to me, and you both sneaked around. Should I have gone as far as I did with the punishment? I guess that’s debatable, but I won’t apologize. He knew the consequences of bein’ with you, and he also knew the consequences of lyin’ and goin’ behind my back. The best I can offer is to draw a line under it and move forward.”
Freya’s eyes narrowed. “You’re so stubborn.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “You are, too. You get it from me, along with those gorgeous looks and sharp brains. People like us gotta have a flaw or two, Princess, or it wouldn’t be fair on the stupid, ugly ones like your brothers.”
Cash let out a chuckle.
Freya’s lips twitched. “Cut it out, Pop. I’m supposed to be mad at you.”
“Love you, Princess,” I murmured.
“Love you, too,” she said grudgingly. “But it’s gonna take some time for me to forgive you completely.”
“Fair enough.” I cocked my head. “How’s Virginia?”
“Eventful,” she replied. “The guys here make the Wyoming chapter look like choirboys. Women parade in and out like it’s a brothel, and the guys have so much pent-up energy that they’re always up to no good. I’ve stopped so many fights that I should get paid danger money.”
I raised a hand to rub my chin. “Ex-military boys have a lotta demons, Frey. If it gets too rough and tumble, I want you to stop hangin’ around ‘em.”
She nodded slowly. “Colt says the same thing, but they’re great guys. Our house is a few miles away from the club, and Colt’s mom and sisters are around to help out, too. I get a break if I need it, and anyways, I’m usually working, so I’m not around too much.”
“How’s the hospital goin’, Sis?” Cash asked.
“Amazing!” Freya beamed. “I love it there. I’m the only trauma intern, so I’m learning on the job and already doing minor surgeries. Sophie steered me well.” She shook her head disbelievingly. “I still can’t believe she’s my half-sister. I always felt a closeness to her; now I know why.”
“Glad you feel that way,” I murmured. “Think we all felt a connection to her in some way. Hell, Soph saved Bowie’s life a couple of years back. She had no idea it was her brother lying on the operating table.” I caught my ex-wife’s gaze lower, and my gut panged. “Sorry. Dell. This must be weird for you.”
“I was shocked at first,” she admitted. “But Sophie was born before we were together. And I got to thinking, it must’ve been difficult for Elise to watch us raise our babies when, all along, hers was taken. It must’ve broken her heart, John, especially when you’ve been such a great dad to our kids.” She shot me a sad smile. “Have you thought about what happens next?”
I held her gaze. “I try to make up for lost time.”
“With Sophie or Elise?” she asked gently.
“Both.”
Adele smiled. “Honestly, I thought you would’ve made a play for Elise after we got divorced. I’m shocked it’s taken you this long.”
My heart squeezed painfully.
When me and Adele got married, I told her I’d do my best to protect her and make her happy, but I’d never be in love with her. I had the feeling in the early years that she thought I’d fall, and I worried that she felt more for me than I did for her. Hurting her was never my intention because I loved her, but it wasn’t the kind of love she deserved, which was why she left.
“Dell—” I croaked, wanting to apologize—even try to explain—but she held up a hand to stop me.
“I didn’t divorce you so you’d be alone for the rest of your life, John. We made a deal more than thirty years ago, and I’m glad you stuck to it. I was happy for a long time. You gave me a nice life and beautiful babies, but Tim sets my soul on fire. I’ve got my one, now go get yours.”
My ex-wife’s words floored me. All this woman ever did was remind me of the reasons I married her.
“You’re a good woman, Dell.” A huge smile split my face, and I croaked, “Fuckin’ splendiferous, babe.”
She laughed, deep and throaty. “I know, and you’re a good man—” she paused and gave a slight grin, “—mostly.”
Freya chuckled.
I sighed, muttering, “Fuckin’ women, givin’ me constant lip.”
Cash laughed. “We wouldn’t have ‘em any other way.”
I opened my mouth to agree but was interrupted by a loud banging on the door. “It’s me and Abe, Prez,” Atlas’s voice boomed.
“Get in here!” I turned back to the screen. “Sorry. Gotta go. We good now?”
“I wouldn’t say good, but we’re better,” Adele assured me.
“Want you both to stay away until all the bullshit with the mayor and the Sinners has passed. Freya, I’m gonna call Drix and arrange a security detail while Colt’s here. Henderson’s out for blood, don’t want him spillin’ yours.”
“I’m not staying away from Kit’s wedding,” Adele warned.
My lips thinned. “If things get bad, you may have to.”
“John!” she snapped.
I breathed hard through my nose and shook my head. “Okay. Leave it with me; I’ll sort somethin’, okay?”
“You better,” she warned me.
Dipping my chin, I bade my ex-wife and daughter goodbye, sitting back as Breaker disconnected the call.
My elbows hit the table, and I rubbed at my temples.
Shit was getting real with the mayor and the Sinners. The club was on the brink of war, and I already had a gaggle of women and kids to worry about. The last thing I wanted was Adele, and especially Freya, amongst the danger, but what could I do? Dell had every right to see her son get married and Freya her brother.
Adele was happy with her dude, and I knew she’d be happy for me if I managed to get Elise back, but I didn't want Leesy to feel awkward. She’d been through enough, and I had to tread carefully. More than anything, I wanted her to be happy at the club, so I needed to ensure she felt comfortable.
Atlas looked at each of us around the table, his mouth set in a thin line of displeasure. “We need to meet with Elise, Colt, and Stafford. Seems my ma-in-law’s a lot more involved than we suspected.” He nodded toward the bar. “She’s out there now, running the show, which means she’s in more danger than we initially thought. She’s at the center of their investigation, their key witness. Henderson’ll be gunning for her.”
“Fuck!” I spat, scraping a hand down my face.
“She’ll be the first one he tries to take out,” Cash murmured thoughtfully.
All the good vibes I felt from the call seeped out of me and my body stiffened with the need to punch someone, namely Robert Henderson.
I’d kill him before I let him hurt her again.
Tamping down the fire razing my chest, I pulled air in through my nose and rasped, “Get ‘em in here.”
Atlas nodded, turned on his heel, and stalked through the door.
My boys all turned to me with expectant eyes.
“Not long ago, I thought about retirin’, takin’ my bike, and goin’ on a road trip,” I mused. “Wishful fuckin’ thinking.”
“You can’t go now,” Cash protested.
“I’ve got an even bigger reason to fuck off,” I retorted. “I’m too damned old for war. The Sinners are on Henderfuck’s payroll, and Hambleton’s about to turn into the Wild-fuckin-West.”
Abe got up to grab three chairs from a stack in the corner, setting them out. “You’re right. How ‘bout we take our women, get the fuck outta town, and leave these assholes to it? Always said club wars were for the young and stupid. I ain’t either of those things.”
“Paid my damned dues,” I muttered.
Abe hauled his ass back into his seat. “Same.”
“I had Thrash all tied up in a neat bow,” I declared. “Just our luck that he kicks the bucket and leaves us to deal with his lunatic devil spawn.”
Kit waved a nonchalant hand. “It’ll be fine. We’ll track Bear down, and I’ll blow him up.”
“Count me in on that,” Atlas said, appearing in the doorway and standing to one side to usher Elise, Stafford, and Colt into the room. He cleared his throat as he watched them sit on the chairs opposite us that Abe had brought through. “But let’s talk tactics when we don’t got Feds in the house.” He closed the door and made his way around to the table to take his seat.
My eyes fell on Elise, and green met gold.
My body hummed with a swell of emotion.
Leesy was as pretty as she was when she was eighteen, in fact, probably even more so. However, I could make out the lines of pain and exhaustion etched around her mouth. She’d been through hell and was still standing strong. Shame on Bandit for believing she couldn’t handle club life, and shame on me for listening to his bullshit.
“You okay, babe?” I asked gently. “You look tired.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “In other words, I look a mess.”
I leaned forward, hitching my elbows to the table to meet her eyes. “You couldn’t look a mess if you damned well tried, Leesy. You were beaten half to death a week ago by your fuckhead husband, then this morning had a confrontation with him. Anyone else would be on their knees. You wouldn’t look outta place strutting down a damned catwalk.”
Abe chuckled.
“Nice save, Pop,” Cash murmured from beside me.
Bowie held a fist to his mouth and coughed, “Suck up.”
I shot them a glare.
Elise’s gaze swept over us, and her lips twitched. “Are you men always like this? How do you get anything done?”
Kit busted out a laugh.
“It’s like dealin’ with village idiots.” I threw each of my boys a glare. “Now shut the fuck up, or it’ll be Thanksgiving by the time Elise gets to fill in the blanks.”
Bowie nodded toward Stafford. “Before we get into it, tell me somethin’. How the fuck are you involved?”
“I was recruited just out of law school,” Brett admitted. “I knew something wasn’t right with Robbie Junior back Layla got roofied years before. Something bad happened to her at that party; no way could she have passed out and forgotten hours of her life after a couple of beers. When it happened, Robbie covered his ass and insisted she’d slept with some guy from a different college, but I knew he was lying. I made inquiries with some contacts I’d made at law school, and The FBI made contact soon after.”
Bowie’s lip curled.
“The agency had already opened up their investigation and recruited me,” Elise explained. “We were getting nowhere fast. Robert took care not to involve me in his dirty dealings, but he did involve his son. Brett’s mission was to get close to Junior and then Robert. Without him, we’d still be going around in circles. Junior was in deep with the Sinners. He introduced them to Robert, and now they run protection when he transports the women.”
“He called the Sinners to transport Layla that time he took her. I was running interference and sent them on a wild-goose chase.”
“So all the asshole behavior’s been an act?” Cash asked.
Stafford shrugged. “I had to make them trust me so I could infiltrate. The most effective way to achieve that was to become one of them.”
“We’ve been trailin’ you for fucking months,” Atlas muttered accusingly. “Complete waste of time.”
“Actually,” Colt interjected. “It’s been good for us. Henderson thinks the club’s onto Stafford. It’s helped Brett gain his trust. The mayor’s on the verge of pulling him into the inner circle and giving him more responsibility, which, in turn, has enabled us to start building a case. All we need is proof of the cargo, where it’s shipped from, and where to, and we’ll have Henderson where we want him. The tricky part is that we want to take the Sinners down along with everyone else who’s had a hand in the operation. If we don’t, the second Henderson’s gone, they’ll just start up again from somewhere else, and we’ll be back to square one.”
“We need to pinpoint everyone who’s covered for the fuckhead,” I muttered.
“Bet you my last dime that the sheriff’s involved,” Cash retorted.
“You’d be right,” Elise confirmed. “Bear Rawlins is another big player. His club deals with transport and protection. They also pick the girls to order, abduct them, and get them to where they need to be.”
I turned to Brett. “What about your dad? He’s part of Henderson’s inner circle, isn’t he?”
“Dad’s always known something’s off but only recently discovered how dark it goes,” Stafford admitted. “He keeps the mayor sweet but doesn’t get involved in anything deep, mainly because Henderson hasn’t got anything he can blackmail him with. Officially, Dad announced his retirement so he could get away from Henderson. Unofficially, he’s still practicing law on the down-low in Florida. My dad’s not exactly pure as the driven snow, but he’s no sex trafficker.”
I sat forward, my stare holding his. “Pete Barrington?”
“Much like my dad,” Brett stated. “Problem is, he’s his own special brand of dick. It didn’t start that way, but over the years, he’s become richer off the backs of the townsfolk and become more entitled. We suspect Henderson’s got something on him, and he’s using that opportunity to launder dirty money through Barrington’s bank. Pete will be a problem if you give him the opportunity. He’s not exactly a criminal mastermind, but he’s got connections.”
Bowie turned his head to address me. “Been tryin’a think of a way to bring him down since he pulled that shit with Layla. I screwed with his daughter but never quite worked out how to screw with him.”
“There’s only one way to topple a banker, Son. You mess with his cash, and you take away his power.” I studied Colt, relaying the meaning behind my words. One look was all it took for my ex-brother’s lips to start twitching. “You feelin’ me?” I asked.
He smirked. “You wanna take everythin’?”
I rubbed my beard, deep in thought. “Need to bring down Henderson’s network, and the only way to do that is to leave him without one. Vulnerable men take stupid risks.”
He jerked a nod. “I’ll get on it as soon as we’ve finished here.”
Elise’s brow furrowed, and I marveled at just how fucking cute my woman looked. I studied the bruises on her face, and my jaw clenched just as my fingers involuntarily twitched with the need to ball into fists.
“You okay?” I asked.
The furrows on her brow deepened, and she turned to Colt. “Are you authorized to screw with Barrington’s money?”
“Not exactly, Duchess,” Colt replied gently. “But what Hannigan doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and if it helps us catch the bad guys, I’m all for it.”
She fell silent for a minute before cocking her head. “Don’t let this one,” she jerked her thumb toward me, “get you on the wrong side of Hannigan.”
My back stiffened.
Abe laughed softly.
“I like her,” Cash announced.
“Yeah,” I agreed, shooting Elise a meaningful stare. “Me too.”
She blinked, and her cheeks flushed.
I had to bite back a groan at the fact my dick took that opportunity to twitch like a motherfucker.
It had been a long time since I’d been with a woman, but I wasn’t a teenage boy, and I could control my urges just fine. Still, with Elise being so close, my control was being tested in ways I never thought possible.
Cash elbowed me and muttered, “Down, boy.”
“Fuck off,” I muttered back.
Atlas took the opportunity to raise his hand and point at Stafford. “What the fuck went on that night when you dumped the van containing those girls on the road leading from town? Who chased us, and who the fuck fired on our asses? Was it the Feds?”
Stafford glanced at Colt before his eyes slid to Atlas, then to me. “Case of mistaken identity. Those girls were bound for transport, so we made a plan to dump the van for our agents to pick up. We decided to tell Henderson I was ambushed and got away by the skin of my teeth. At first, my colleagues thought you were the Sinners. It was only when they got close to Bowie on his bike that they saw he was a Speed Demon and backed off.”
“They fuckin’ shot at us,” Atlas said accusingly.
Brett grinned. “Didn’t hit you though.”
The boys chuckled while I sat back in my chair, mind going over everything we’d learned.
Seemed the Feds were close to nabbing Henderson, but they still had a way to go before they gathered enough evidence to take his sick buddies down with him. The Sinners had already proven to be a problem, but with the added threat of being taken down, they’d step up their game, and the first people they’d come for were the Demons.
My club needed to be ready for out-and-out war, and that included our women and kids. The men we were dealing with were hardened criminals and had everything to lose. They wouldn’t go down without a fight.
My officers needed me to rally them, but I couldn’t do that effectively with the damned Feds listening in to our convo. Club business wasn’t their business.
“Need to talk to my boys,” I said pointedly, my stare going to Colt. “Can you get started on making Barrington’s cash disappear, and take Brett and Elise with ya?”
He nodded and got to his feet, followed by Stafford.
“You don’t have to send us out. We can all help each other,” Elise offered quietly. “ I can help you, John.”
“You already have, Leesy,” I replied, dipping my head to look her in the eye. “But what I’ve gotta say to my officers is private.”
“And there’s me actually starting to believe the club has changed,” she sassed.
My eyes narrowed at the snit in her voice. “It has. You’re a woman sittin’ in Church. We gotta gaggle of other women out there who can make grown men’s balls shrivel up inside their stomachs on the daily, and we love the bones of ‘em for it. You’re not bein’ dismissed ‘cause you’re a woman, Leesy; you’re bein’ dismissed ‘cause you’re working with the Feds. We’ll have another meet and dig deeper about Henderson, baby, but for now, my officers and I have to work out our next move.”
“Don’t call me baby,” Elise bit out angrily.
I grinned wide. “Stop bein’ so damned cute, and I’ll stop calling you baby.”
Elise’s mouth twisted. She let out a harrumph , then hauled to her feet and turned for the door, throwing me a withering look as she flounced out of Church, her fingers pressing on her busted ribs.
Colt touched a hand to her back to guide her out before turning to me and shooting his signature smirk.
My grin widened as the door closed behind them.
Atlas folded his arms across his chest and cocked a thick, black eyebrow. “Will you stop goddamned flirtin’ with my ma-in-law?” He sniffed disdainfully. “You already screwed her over once. I’ve had a little think and decided, as far as you’re concerned, she’s definitely off-limits.”
Abe cackled.
Cash barked a laugh
I leveled my SAA with a stare. “Continue on with this off-limits shit, and I’ll take ya patch.”
Atlas’s lip curled. “Keep your dirty dawg paws away from my ma while I discuss the sitch with my wife. Thirty years ago, you passed Elise over for another woman. I think my missus and I need a powwow. Frankly, Dag, not sure you’re worthy.”
My jaw clenched. “Elise married someone else. I came home from the military ready to wife her up, but Henderson had already got in there. It wasn’t her fault, I know that, but you gotta admit, any man would feel wounded to the core if the woman who professed to love him wed another dude just weeks after he supposedly got killed in action.”
He leaned forward, got in my face, and gritted out, “Pot, kettle, and black. It didn’t take you long to knock another woman up either, did it?”
Cash—the little fucker—nodded along. “I’m the livin’ proof of that, brother.”
I shot him a glare.
Abe twisted his lips. “I told him somethin’ was off back then, Atlas. He never listens.”
My head swiveled toward him, and I snapped, “Thanks, bud .”
Abe shrugged, his lips twitching. “Well, I did. I said she loved ya and not to lose sight of the facts,” he leaned forward to get in my face, “ver-fuckin’-batim.”
My elbows hit the table, and I rubbed my temples. “I know, Abe. You were right.”
“You snoozed,” Atlas pointed out. “So, it stands to goddamned reason that now you lose. Elise is my ma-in-law, so I need to speak to my ol’ lady, and we’ll decide together if you’re damned well worthy. If it’s a nay, you back off, no questions asked. You’re the one who deemed that bikers aren’t good enough for your kin when you smacked the shit outta Colt. Now you reap what you sow, Prez .”
I leaned toward him, eyes narrowing. “Your ol’ lady’s my daughter. I’m not sure I deem you worthy either.”
Atlas’s mouth stretched into a wide, toothy smile. “Too late... Dad.”
I grunted. “Fuckin’ fuckface.”
Atlas’s lips twitched. “That’s no way to speak to your new son-in-law, is it, Daddy?”
Laughter filled the room as Abe, Cash, Bo, and Kit all began busting a gut.
Atlas grinned. “It’s okay if I call you daddy, right? I mean, you are my father-in-law.”
My lips thinned as the guys' laughter got louder.
These fuckers loved busting my chops, but what could I do? I had to admit, this time, I deserved it. If I wanted Elise back, I’d have to jump through hoops. Atlas knew I’d make all my wrongdoings right, but along the way, he’d enjoy making me his bitch, too.
Tipping my head back, I looked toward the heavens again, cursing under my breath.
Atlas had me over a barrel, which meant the asshole was about to metaphorically grab me by the balls and squeeze hard and painfully.
God fuckin’ help me.