Chapter 11 Rock
ROCK
Diesel had been on the other end of the line rattling off about how he’d just gone to see Brewer and that he figured I should go talk to him.
I had no idea what the fuck that meant, but it didn’t sound good.
And I figured I could use the time to talk with my best friend about the shit show I’d just discovered about my own fucking life.
So, I told Diesel I’d be over there as soon as I fucking could.
Piper did do a great job on my bike. The dents were smoothed over and the engine ran like a fucking charm.
The handles were still a little bent and the outside needed a fresh coat of paint, but the thing still ran as if I’d never crashed it.
That had been one of her allures. Watching that thick ass of hers jut out from underneath the hood of a fucking car always got my engines roaring.
One of the hottest encounters I’d ever had with her was pulling her fucking pants down right there in the damn garage and sliding it in while the guys went out for fucking lunch.
Shit. I felt my cock throbbing just thinking about it.
I rode down the highway, trying to center my mind as much as I could.
As I was riding, Brewer called me about some shit he had on his mind, and I told him I was already on my way to see him.
Plus, I knew Diesel would be calling church anytime now, so technically I hadn’t lied to Piper.
But the last thing I wanted her to do was ask about Brewer and how he was doing.
Because then I wouldn’t be able to cover up the real shit we’d gotten ourselves into.
She had a point about my ability to keep her safe.
I knew I fucking could, but I knew it would also be hard and disrupt her and Gavin’s life.
I knew the life I led wasn’t for a family.
It wasn’t for a son. It didn’t give me the type of freedom Piper got with her job.
I got it. I understood it. But that shit wasn’t keeping me away from my fucking son.
I had a son. A family I’d created. And I’d be damned if I was going to let them go another fucking second without being taken care of in any which way they needed.
It was obvious Gavin craved that kind of male bonding attention, and I was the only one suited to give that to him.
Me.
His fucking father.
I revved my engine as I roared down the road, heading straight for Brewer’s. Hopefully Makenna and Ana would be gone. Because I would need the time with my friend to vent my frustrations and dig through the meat of this situation.
Holy shit. I had a son.
I couldn't believe it. I had a kid. A child. After ragging on the guys all the damn time about getting their women pregnant, I was the fucking first one to do it. And I didn’t even know it!
Now more than ever, I wanted to make things right with Piper and I.
My heart wanted to show her I was capable of protecting her and my soul wanted to show her I was capable of being the father Gavin needed in his life.
But there were many points she made I couldn't refute.
Like my life being dangerous. And it being no place for her and Gavin.
I agreed with that shit. I got behind that shit.
Which meant I had to figure out all the shit with my club before I stood a fucking chance.
I didn’t want to put them in danger. Especially after I’d been run off the road in front of their damn house. That was intentional. I knew it was. Someone tried to kill me that night and it was blatantly obvious who it was. The Black Saddles were out for blood. Any blood they could take.
Which meant if they knew Gavin and Piper were associated with me, then their blood was just as acceptable.
My hands gripped the bent handlebars as I turned into Brewer’s neighborhood.
He was the only one of us who lived in a decent fucking house.
We always used to tease him about it. How he was selling himself off to suburbia and soon he’d be wearing those fucking sweaters tied around his damn neck.
But the place was cozy and did have a lot of greenery around it despite the deserted dust of the town of Redding.
I came to a stop at a stop sign and took a second to breathe.
My head still hurt and my body still ached, but not to the extent it had.
Driving farther away made me miss them. Made me miss Gavin’s giggle and Piper’s smile.
The look on her face when I told her I was still associated with my gang made me sick.
She used to adore me for that quality. It turned her on when we were younger to know I was a part of a crew somewhere.
A gang of men that kicked up shit and took care of their own with whatever means necessary.
Piper looked the same, but she had changed fundamentally.
Which meant I had to get to know the new Piper because she’d never consider letting me back in.
I pulled away from the stop sign and took a left as I ventured toward Brewer’s house.
Well, Makenna’s. But still. I had a feeling the two of them would be combining houses soon anyway.
And knowing Makenna’s powerful attitude--and the shit that went down at Brewer’s--she would be making him move in with her.
Which made sense. I guess. If people were into that kind of thing.
I found myself wondering if I could be into that kind of thing.
I pulled into Makenna’s driveway and looked over at Brewer’s house.
Flashes of that night came back. Flashes that forced me to side with Piper more than I wanted to.
The blood that coated the carpets. The two dead bodies I stepped over to try and find Brewer that night.
The way his eyes were unfocused and wide as he came stumbling down the stairs.
The way he gurgled on his own fucking blood before passing out against me.
That was no life for a beautiful woman and a little boy.
I shut off my bike and kicked down the stand, but I didn’t go to the front door.
I needed to take a second to breath. I closed my eyes and replayed the crash, trying to pull as much information on the thing as I could.
I came around the corner and was met face-to-face with the damn thing.
The lights blinded me and caused me to move out of the way, but it followed me.
Those headlights stayed with me. And it had been dark.
Not pitch black, but dark enough for the shadows to conceal the color of the car.
I flinched as the crunch of metal sounded in my mind, but there were two details I pulled from my vision.
The vehicle was dark green and it was a car. Not something raised up on some bullshit tires or something.
I opened my eyes and looked down at the front of my bike.
Piper had done a great job cleaning it as well, but there were still some flecks of the green paint tucked inside the dented grooves of my handlebars.
Perfect. It was a place to start. I swung my leg over my bike and started for the porch, but the second I got up there the door swung open.
“I was wondering when you’d stop meditating long enough to get the fuck up here,” Brewer said with a grin.
I eyed him carefully as I leaned onto the porch railing to step up.
“Are Makenna and Ana here?”
“Nope they headed out to a birthday party. One of the kids in Ana’s class.”
“Good,” I grunted as I stepped inside.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
My eyes dropped to his arm in the sling before I rose my eyes to his gaze.
“Someone tried to run me off the road,” I said.
“What? The fuck are you talking about? When?”
“And I have a son.”
Brewer’s lips parted in shock as his eyes widened.
I wasn’t sure he believed me, honestly. The look on his face was utter disbelief.
And I got it. I knew why. With my reputation in the group and the way I discarded women quicker than condoms. They were nothing more than a body to keep me warm at night.
Especially once Piper left and never came back.
But now that I knew why she didn’t come back, the only thing I could think about was figuring out a way to fucking keep her here.
In Redding.
So, we could all be a family.
“I’ll go get us some beers,” Brewer said as he stepped off to the side.
“Get me a shot with one of them, too,” I said.
“Trust me. I was.”