CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ky
The irrational anger I felt when I saw Sera and my brother Ink together in the common room was still roiling inside of me. Seeing her wearing jeans that were almost obscenely tight, showing off that round, peachy ass I loved so much, did me in entirely. I was almost certain Ink didn’t tell her the room she was using was mine, because if she knew that, she would’ve demanded another room.
I’d also seen the look of jealousy on her face when she’d seen me walk in with my arm around Mariah.
I had to do it, for appearances’ sake.
I couldn’t risk her discovering what I was up to.
I force a deep, calming breath through my nostrils as I sit down. I need to focus on the business at hand, because I was so close in uncovering what that bitch Mariah was playing at. Pulling out the plastic baggy from the pocket of my cut, I slid it across to my dad.
“I found that in the trash while the bitch was in the shower,” I tell my brothers around the table.
My old man picks it up, studying the empty pill bottle. His jaw ticking in anger. He stands, and we silently watch him open the door to Church, and motion for someone. Moments later, Everleigh appears, looking tired and worn out, but most of all worried. She’d had her appointment today with the oncologist, and the biopsy she had showed that she had breast cancer. My pops was, of course, devastated, but trying to be strong for her, and we’ve all been rallying around her, but she’s been a pillar of strength, even though she looks like a slight wind would blow her over.
“What’s up?” she asks, standing nervously on the threshold.
“Come in and close the door, butterfly,” my dad instructs, and he guides her over to his chair, sits down, placing her on his lap and wrapping his arms around her. “Tell me about this?” he says, showing her the bottle, and she freezes.
“Where did you get that?” she demands.
“From the trash at home,” I supply. “I’ve had a feeling Mariah has been drugging me from almost day one since she returned. I couldn’t prove it until now. I want a blood test. Will it show up?”
Everleigh gasps, bringing her hand over her mouth, a look of horror on her face. “That’s just heinous. Yes, it should. I’ll get the ball rolling right away. Come to the clinic tomorrow and we’ll draw some blood.”
“Thanks. I also need a paternity test done,” I continue, taking out another baggie with a sample of hair from Finn’s brush. “Is it gonna be a problem for you, or do I have to go somewhere else to get it done?” I ask her. I didn’t want to overload her with work when she was focusing her attention on getting well again.
“Of course I’ll do it. I’ll get it done ASAP,” she promises, and I give her a slight smile.
“Thank you, baby. Where are the rest of the women?” my old man asks, kissing her tenderly, striding to the door, carrying the hair sample and empty pill bottle; she stops, looking back at her ol’man with love shining from her emerald green eyes.
“They’ve taken Sera shopping to get her and Willow kitted out with some new clothes since they lost everything in the fire.”
The mention of Sera and her little girl causes pain near my heart. I’d only been with her twice in four years, but at the thought of her having kids with someone other than me, it was hard to come to terms with.
I’d known for a fact we’d be together right now if Mariah hadn’t turned up claiming Finn was my kid. Which I accepted as fact and pushed Sera away. Now, seeing her get closer and closer with my brother, Ink, was doing my head in. On the one hand, I wanted to pound him into the dirt for taking my woman, but on the other, I wanted to shake his hand and say, well done, you’ve bested me.
Do I really have anything to be mad about since I’ve fucked Mariah countless times since she’s been here? I grunt, pushing all thoughts of Sera and Ink to the back of my mind, focusing on the meeting.
“…Kon’s arriving tomorrow.” My father’s voice infiltrates through my thoughts, finally bringing me back to the present.
“What?!” I demand. “Why the fuck is Kon coming here?”
Kick gives me a dark look. “Maybe you should fuckin’ pay attention when church is in session, asshole,” he growls, and Ink snorts. It’s all I can do not to lunge across the table at him.
Taking a deep breath, my father pierces me with a hard stare. “Kon is coming because he says he has some more info on the Bianchi motherfucker.” He looks around the room before continuing. “Since you’re the new Treasurer, how are the businesses tracking along?”
A slow smile spreads across my face, reaching my eyes. Now, this I can do. For the next half an hour, I go through every business we hold, including the gym, Riggs’ club, Ink’s tattoo parlor and Angel’s motor mechanic shop. We’ve been in the black since I took over the Treasurer’s position from our former brother and traitor Bear, who offed himself rather than face the music of what he did.
Once I’d completed the rounds, pops bangs his gavel and announced Church was over. I stood, but the look on his face told me he wanted me to stay. Sitting back down in my seat, and once the room had emptied, I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for him to begin.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growls, and I can’t stop the frown marring my face.
“What have I done now?”
“You’ve been off lately. Now spill.”
I take a deep breath and think how I’m going to broach the subject. How do you tell your father you’ve fucked up with a girl you’ve had the hots for, for years? But now she’s your brother’s girl.
“It’s nothing. Forget it.” I get to my feet.
“Sit down! I can see it’s not nothing. Is it the girl Sera?”
I forced a blank expression, trying to appear unconcerned, but my dad could see the turmoil beneath the surface.
He chuckles. “You know she’s with Ink, right? Plus, you’ve been sticking your dick in your baby mama.”
I wince at the description his words evoke.
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was lying.” I scoff.
Four years ago, I was pissed when I thought Sera was married to Angelo Bianchi after one of the best nights of my life. But knowing what I know now—that she was just his stepsister, and he was most likely her abuser.
Thinking about it now, something just didn’t sit right about the whole thing. I knew Bianchi was a mafia thug who’d killed his stepfather just to get the top job. I just couldn’t see how a woman like Sera, who seemed good and pure at the time we met, could be married to someone like Angelo Bianchi.
“Well, let’s see what Kon has to say tomorrow. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. Soon, Everleigh should have the results of the paternity test. Go home, spend some time with your boy. From what I hear, Mariah didn’t go with the girls. As soon as Everleigh has the test results, then you can throw the bitch out on her ass. Or kill her, for all I care.” My father says.
I grin at my dad as I swing the door open, a fresh wave of determination surging through me about Sera. A commotion in the common room has us both rushing out to see what was going on. As the women return from their shopping spree, the lack of Sera and her daughter's cheerful chatter sends a shiver down my spine, and a knot of unease tightens in my stomach. Panic floods my mind, an icy dread spreading through me as I as thoughts of what could’ve happened to them run through my mind.
Kick strides over to Lexie and the others, his voice sharp and commanding, leaving no room for argument.
“What the fuck’s going on, where’s Sera and the kid?” he demands.
“They’re gone,” Lexie replies, her arms out and shaking her head. I was shocked to see her eyes filled with unshed tears.
“What do you mean, they’re gone?” I ground out. Lexie’s silver-gray eyes turn to me.
“Exactly what I said. One minute, she was trying on clothes, the next, they both disappeared.”
“How the fuck does that even happen?” I roar, uncaring if I was causing a scene.
Just then, a text comes through on all the brothers’ phones from Styx manning the gate.
A subtle tension tightened my face as I narrow my eyes, scrutinizing the text. Trying to focus on one thing at a time, but my mind was constantly on the fact that Sera and Willow had most likely been taken.
Styx: The chief of the fire department is here, wanting to speak to Kick.
I watch my dad type out a message and seconds later; it appears on screen.
Pops: Let em in.
“What about Sera and Willow?” I demand.
The man looking back at me right now isn’t my father, but Kick, the President of the Devil’s Carnage MC
“One thing at a time, kid,” He warns me. “We first find out what the chief is here for,”
I want to argue further, but I can see by the look on his face that it would be an exercise in futility.
We’ve had the fire chief in our pockets since the days when Gunner was president, and it’s been a very lucrative arrangement thus far. The chief’s car appears out front, and my dad goes to greet him.
“Come on in, Tom. We’re busy right now, so if you could make this quick.”
The chief’s eyes take in all of us standing around.
“Okay, yeah, sure. I just got some information I thought you could use. I heard Sera Paxton was staying here, I don’t s’pose I could speak to her?”
“Sorry, but she’s in her room resting,” my dad tells the other man without missing a beat. “But I’ll make sure to let her know you were here. Is it about the fire?”
“Yes, we have information that shows the fire at her house was deliberately lit. Accelerant was used to start it,” he informs us, and I freeze. But my dad's face remains a mask of indifference.
“Care to tell me why an unassuming person such as she is would have any enemies?” The fire chief asks.
“No, I can’t. But thanks for letting us know. I’ll tell her you stopped by,” Kick replies tightly, corralling the other man toward the front doors. The chief tries to protest, but dad’s not having a bar of it shutting the door firmly in his face.
“Church! Now!” he says to the room, striding back into the room we’d just vacated. “And get Knox. We’re gonna need him.”