Property of Slay (Kings of Anarchy MC: N. California #2)

Prologue

Slay

“Is he actually going to change a diaper all by himself?” I asked, my mind blown as I watched El Jefe carry the baby out of the dining room.

“I think he’s better than me. He does all the nighttime diaper changes.” Silvia twisted her lips like she was thinking. “Actually, he does most of the daytime diaper changes, too.”

“Prez is a rockstar dad.” Damn, I’d been so busy I hadn’t noticed how active Prez had become in his new role as a dad.

“He is the best dad.” Silvia brightened and the love she felt for Jefe was palpable.

Made me envious, if I was honest.

I nodded at her, then returned to eating so I could get back to work.

Two weeks ago, our club changed with the birth of El Jefe’s baby. A son. Having the innocent life under our roof made my MC brothers and I more protective than ever. The shit with Miguel Avila, Silvia’s older brother, was still fresh in all our minds.

Miguel was dead.

But threats were everywhere. Such was life for a one-percent motorcycle club.

I found myself staying closer to home now that baby Chance had arrived. The little guy was adorable and seeing my Prez gush over his son made me want to be sure nothing bad ever came close to the clubhouse.

The fact that right now father and son were in another room while Prez changed Chance’s diaper made me speechless. It shocked the hell out of me. But I admired and respected my president even more for it.

As KOAMC Enforcer, my top priority was upping my game with the safety and security of the club. They’d always been high on my list, but I’d gotten a little too comfortable over the years. We all had until Chance was born.

So, I’d been upgrading the security systems for weeks. Assigned prospects to patrol the perimeter of our compound. I had a two-story guard shack built behind the main building to place a twenty-four-hour armed guard team in.

Prez thought I was being too extra and overprotective, but he hadn’t told me to stop. His wife and child meant everything to him, and he’d do anything to keep them safe.

Not that I would have stopped until I was satisfied, and I believed Jefe knew that. We’d been friends for a long time, and he wanted me to be Chance’s Niňo. I’d never been someone’s godfather before. I was fucking honored to be asked and I’d be the best Niňo any child ever had.

As I devoured my food from Tequila’s Taqueria, I wondered if I’d ever have a kid of my own. I turned thirty a few years ago and wasn’t getting any younger.

Men weren’t like women who had a maternal clock ticking. We could have kids well past fifty if we wanted. Hell, Al Pacino was into his eighties. I had plenty of time to be a father, but my one worry was how active would I be?

I wanted to be young enough to do all-the-things with my kid. Not just creating and admiring them from afar.

Yeah, good on Al for showing us we could still fuck into our eighties but what about being present during his kid’s childhood?

The dude wasn’t going to live forever. Unless he had a magic pill or some shit like that, and I wanted to know where to get it.

The kid would be lucky if they made it into their teens before their dad passed.

Thinking about it made me sad for all the kids with elderly parents.

I supposed I could teach my godson, Chance, all-the-things I’d teach my own kid.

“I’m home,” Mama Virgie called. “And I brought a friend.”

I perked up in my seat as I took a large bite of my burrito and cut my gaze at Silvia. Did she know what friend Mama Virgie was talking about? Usually, I was in the know about visitors. But apparently, not today.

“Look who I brought.” Mama Virgie smiled when Cassandra Erickson appeared beside her.

It took everything in me not to leap to my feet and offer Cass my chair. No, I played it cool, while my heart hammered in my chest.

This woman had been my obsession since high school. Nearly two decades ago, and she’d been way too young for me, almost four years too young. Not that I’d let it keep me from being with her. Hell, no.

Back then, age made a difference to our parents and other adults. But now? She wasn’t too young at all.

Sometimes a dude couldn’t get over his first love, no matter how many times she rejected him. After all this time, her rejections still stung.

But had I given up on Cass?

Fuck no.

San Diablo was a small town in Northern California. Our paths crossed weekly. We were friendly. Her younger brother was my friend, and her older brother had been my best friend before he passed. Our lives were intertwined, which made it impossible to stop loving her.

“Hi, Silvia. Slay.” Cass waved at us. “I have a gift for baby Chance.” She handed a bag to Silvia. “Now he can have his own library.”

“Aww, how sweet. Thank you.” Silvia peered into the bag. “Jefe is changing the baby’s diaper, but they should be back soon for you to see him.”

Cass looked gorgeous as always, and wearing a black sundress with think straps.

Black was her favorite color and had been since she was a teenager.

She’d done well for herself, owning Cass’s Vibes.

She’d managed to put her three favorite things in one building, baked goods, coffee, and books.

She had the trifecta, and I was damn proud of her.

When we were young, and still now, Cass was obsessed with Starbucks.

Even though she owned a small café, I saw her multiple times a week with a Starbucks cup in hand and a book.

That image of her hadn’t changed since she was a teeny bopper.

Starbucks, books, and baking had made Cass the happiest, and me for a while…

We stared at each other, but neither of us said a word. The awkward silence, the unsaid words, and a sense of wanting between was how we rolled.

My phone chimed on the table in front of me, and the text notification jolted us out of our haze. I picked up my device, but I couldn’t read the message until the connection with Cass was broken. I wasn’t about to be the one to end our staring match and waited for her to do it.

“So, is motherhood everything you imagined it would be?” Cass asked, turning her attention to Silvia.

Instantly, cold and darkness returned to my soul.

Dramatic much, Slay?

Yes, I wasn’t embarrassed or too cool to admit my feelings.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, which was probably a good thing. We have a lot of sleepless nights,” Silvia replied.

“Slay, did you get the alert?” Prez hollered.

“Yes.” I stood from the table and opened the message, forcing myself to focus on club business instead of Cassandra.

“What’s going on?” Silvia asked.

“Nothing,” I said, a bit harshly. Fuck, this was bad.

“Come on. I know something is going on.” Silvia hiked her brow. Since being pregnant, she’d gotten to be more stubborn and nosey. She was still sweet, but motherhood changed her, and she didn’t take hearing no very well.

Cass’s hazel eyes cut to mine, and I could tell she was also interested in my message but naturally, neither of the women could know anything about it.

“Club business, Silvi. You know the drill.” I tried to hide my unease. But this was so fucking bad.

“Isn’t that your buddy, Steve? We better get to the bottom of this before Cass hears about it.” Jefe froze at the entrance to the dining room with the baby cradled in his arms.

“Son of a bitch, boss,” I hissed through gritted teeth.

“Before I hear what? Has something happened to my brother?” Cass asked.

“Oh, shit,” Jefe said. “Sorry. Didn’t know she was here.”

“Will somebody tell me what’s going on?” Cass shouted.