Going Home (Deranged Drifters MC #19)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Griffin’s Beach Colt

"L ex, are you okay?" Colt Nichols asks his blonde, curly-haired wife as she walks inside the Griffin's Beach clubhouse after stepping out to take a phone call.

Alexis Nichols looks up, her face pale, making her blue eyes almost glow, and Colt feels his stomach drop. They're supposed to head out to pick up their kids and drive back home to Summerville. The place they call home after leaving Griffin's Beach because Lex needed a fresh start. The look on her face tells him she's either ill or something is seriously wrong. Knowing his wife the way he does, he's betting on the latter.

"I-I don't know," Lex says and blinks rapidly as she looks at him. No, she doesn't look at him. Through him is more accurate. Her surefire sign that she's trying to process something.

"What's going on?"

Swallowing, she peers up and remembers she's in a room full of bikers. She looks into his eyes and shakes her head slightly as though trying to brush away something from her mind. "I can't... There's... I don't know enough yet."

That sounds more than a little ominous, but he opts to stay calm. The unease she exudes almost vibrates against him because he's so in tune with her. If they were any more in sync with one another, he'd be able to read her mind. "That's okay, baby. It's okay. Ready to go get the kids and make our way home?"

"Um... no."

"No?"

"I think... I think we might need to stay in Griffin's Beach for a while, Colt."

The room falls silent, and he stares at her for more explanation, but she doesn't seem willing to offer up anything further. Whoever called her dropped one hell of a bomb on his wife because she looks almost lost. This isn't Lex. Lex always knows what to do in any situation. She's the brains of the operation. Hell, she's the only person in this room of fifty or so bikers who can truly think on her feet some days.

"That's fine, baby. We can stay here. Do you know how long?" he asks, trying to be supportive without letting on he's dying to know what that call was. What could possibly create such a conflict behind her beautiful blue eyes?

Chest heaving, she looks as though she’s struggling to keep her mind in check. Colt glances over at her father, Nash "VP" Dalton, but he looks just as lost as Colt feels. "I... We... It might need to be permanent."

All breath leaves him. Moving to Summerville has been a blessing for the two of them. Not only has she had a chance to heal from the pain Griffin's Beach has caused her over the course of her life, she's finally thriving. Coming into her own and becoming the Lex he first fell in love with again.

In Summerville, she doesn't have the same expectations and responsibilities thrust upon her like she does here. No one turns to her and expects her to have the answers or a plan. She's not the one everyone turns to in order to solve the toughest problems. As much as Colt misses their hometown and families, it feels too soon to come back. He can't help the overwhelming fear that coming back now will only push them backwards and out of the good place they've finally settled into. That his wife won't be happy anymore.

"What now?" he asks, hoping—no praying—he heard her wrong.

"We... This... I don't know enough yet, and I was asked not to say anything. But I need you to trust me," Lex says.

Dax Hart, the Summerville President, shakes his head while his newly found wife, Dani, grips onto his arm in fear. He just got Dani back after thinking she was dead for almost three years, and Lex has helped her cope as best as any untrained person could.

"No, you can't transfer back. No," Dax says. He continues shaking his head, and his dark hair with streaks of gray fall into his eyes. "No."

The feeling is pretty mutual. Colt remembers how reckless Dax was when he thought Dani was dead. It was the reason the Drifters patched over the Hellraisers a year ago. And of course, it was Lex who stumbled upon Dani. And it was Lex who found a way to get Dani to trust her enough to walk out of that basement she was chained in. Dani's had small breakthroughs since she came to stay with Lex, and Colt not only feels but understands Dax's panic. There's nothing like the fear of losing your wife.

"If Lex says they need to come back, it must be important," Diesel Short says. The surrogate father to both of them looks at Lex with worried eyes. "Talk to us, sweetheart."

"I can't yet," she says and looks up at Diesel. "I'm sorry. I know this doesn't make much sense, but I don't really understand yet, either. But I need you to trust me. Please."

Laughing, Colt shakes his head. "Baby, I trust you enough to let you walk me off a fucking cliff. I just don't understand why you can't let me in."

"I was asked not to. And I don't know enough to even try and put it into words. As soon as I can explain it, I will."

Shaking his head again, Dax holds up a hand. "No!"

"If it's about being short too many men, I'll stay in Summerville," Venom offers, his eyes looking at Lex with the same concern, if not more, than the others.

The man has become the most recent stray Colt's wife has taken in, and Colt suspects Lex was drawn to him because of the similarities between Venom and Psycho. He's the man they call upon to do the things no one else can stomach, but the truth is, he didn't fit in Summerville. Lex saw that, and she gave him a place to belong before asking for a favor to get him transferred to Griffin's Beach.

If there was ever a question about how Venom feels about Lex, it's been answered and settled now. Venom wants away from Summerville because of his failed sort-of relationship with Marnie Banks. He hated to ask Lex to call in the favor, which shows how much he wants to get away from the woman who broke his heart. His willingness to put his own discomfort aside for Lex speaks louder than anything else he could have said.

"The hell you will," Snake says.

No others in the club besides Lex and Colt know the true nature of what happened between Snake's daughter and Venom; nevertheless, Colt can't help but think Snake has a hell of a lot of nerve to say anything, especially standing in the Griffin's Beach clubhouse, after he let his anger get the better of him. Smacking any woman, but especially Lex, puts him on more shit lists than he realizes.

"You don't get a say in anything for the foreseeable future, motherfucker," Dax snaps back at him. "And it's not about losing too many men. Lex, I need you in Summerville."

"Be careful, Dax. That's how we lost her here," Diesel says.

The way Lex doesn't react and just stares at nothing has Colt skirting the edges of panic. "Lex?"

"No, I'm just starting to get Dani back, and Lex is the reason for that. Not just getting her physically back but comfortable enough to touch me. To let me touch her. Even though I was an ass about it, I can't lose you, Lex. I can't lose either of you," Dax says.

Jennings Molloy shakes his long, dark hair that has grayed even more at the temples than Colt remembers. "From one President to another, you can't make a decision like this out of selfishness."

Lex and Jennings haven't gotten along or seen eye to eye in quite a while. Things seem to have improved since their last visit for Grayson Tate and Ashley Short's wedding, but it hasn't been that long. The space and time away have been what his wife needed. Room to finally breathe.

"Jennings—"

"It's poor leadership," he interrupts Dax. "The truth is, it's not your decision, and it's not mine, either. If Lex and Colt need to move, it's theirs to decide. We're both going to sign off on any request they have."

Shutting his mouth, Dax looks less than pleased. In fact, he looks the perfect mix of annoyed and terrified. Colt almost feels bad for him, and he smirks as Dax perks up and offers, "What if we kick Snake out of the club? Will that make you stay?"

"Hey!" Snake shouts, jumping up from his seat.

"You knocked her to the ground because you got your ass handed to you by a woman, so sit the fuck down," Venom growls.

"Or what?"

Jumping in Snake's face, Venom forces him back until he falls over a chair while multiple men grab Venom to keep him from pouncing on the fallen man. "Or I'll make sitting down a permanent issue for you, motherfucker!"

Psycho walks over to crouch next to Snake, and he gives him a deadly smile. The type of smile Colt's only ever seen before he takes another man's life. "It's in your best interest to keep your mouth shut and stay out of my sight because I'm about three minutes away from teaming up with my crazy counterpart and making it so no one ever sees you again. Got that, motherfucker?"

To his credit, Snake actually looks terrified. He just nods while Psycho stands and moves to put Venom into a loose chokehold, pulling him backwards as he glares in pure hatred at Snake. They stand beside Lex in a scary show of solidarity, and Snake remains where he is.

Yes, Colt would definitely die for both of these men because he knows they would jump in front of a train for Lex without a second thought. They may be her strays, but they're loyal to a fault. Regardless of their past issues, Psycho and Lex have always been willing to go to the mat for the other, and Colt knows it would be the same between Lex and Venom.

"Lex, are you sure about this?" Colt asks, pulling the conversation back where it needs to be before he decides to jump on the bandwagon to kill Snake. "Are you ready to come back?"

"I don't think I have a choice," Lex says, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t know for certain whether we'll need to stay or not, but I think there's more of a possibility than not."

His hands cup her face. "Whatever we need to do here in Griffin's Beach can be done while we stay in Summerville. It's not that far of a drive, and we have many places to stay out here."

"Colt—"

"We've been doing so good out there. I don't want to come back here if you're not ready."

Her eyes lock with his, and he sees the determination behind them. "I'm okay, Colt."

"I don't want you to be okay . I want you to be happy. Amazing. Loving life like you have been."

The way she looks at him tells him that whatever the situation is that's going on is not going to be happy or amazing. In fact, if he put money on anything, he'd bet it's going to put her through the wringer. What sucks the most is that there is not much Colt can do about it. Not until she tells him what's happening.

"It'll be fine," she whispers before kissing him gently. Turning to look at his father, TK, she asks, "Can we stay with you tonight?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Klaire will be thrilled to see you both."

The mention of his little sister fills Colt with dread. She's a teenage hormone bomb with the attitude of their mother. "Oh, goodie."

He's rewarded with a small smile from Lex, and he just prays that whatever it is she got the call about isn't as dire as it sounds. That they can stay in Summerville instead of moving. No matter how much he misses the familiarity of their hometown, he likes the life they’ve been living even more. A happy wife makes a happy life, but he also knows the universe will do whatever the hell it wants. There's little that can be negotiated there.