Chapter Ten
One Week Later
Dinah laughed, and she tried to fight off Road, but he was impossibly strong, and she was no real match for his strength. She didn’t know what he did during the day when she went to work. He had not told her if he went back to the club or not, but every time she came home, he was here. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it. She loved coming home to Road and a hot, cooked meal.
What scared her was how her feelings about him were changing. At first, he was this annoying gu y— a man she didn’t trust because he attempted to kill her. Then, they became friends, and now it was like they were friends with benefits, but she was pretty sure he was practically living with her. Again, she hadn’t talked to him about it. Why bother?
They were having fun. A couple of the women at the salon had been asking her about him, but she kept avoiding the topic. Talking about her personal life wasn’t something she wanted to do. There was a lot she and Road didn’t talk about, but they had found happiness, and she didn’t want to spoil it.
“Stop, please stop,” she said.
“You know the magic words. Come on, Dinah, I told you I would get you to say them by the end of the day.”
She squealed. “This is cheating, and not fair,” she growled out. She was trying to find a way to get free of his teasing fingers, but there was no end in sight, so she had no choice. “Road, you have the best and biggest cock in the whole world, please let me have it.”
He had warned her that before the end of the day, she would be the one screaming about his cock. She honestly didn’t think he would get what he wanted via cheating. That, to her, seemed unfair. Either way, she couldn’t stop laughing, but all too soon, Road had stopped tickling her, and now he kissed her.
She couldn’t help but melt against him. She truly believed she was becoming addicted to his kisses. She found herself at odd hours during the day just thinking about his kisses, his lips.
The hands at her waist traveled up, until he cupped her breasts and she released a moan, loving when he touched her. He’d slid beneath her shirt, and now there was only a sports bra between him touching her naked breasts. Nothing was getting between him and her body as he slid his hands beneath the bra, and started to touch her. The unbearable excitement of just a moment ago changed, and she moaned his name as he began to play with her body.
He pressed his face against her neck, and she felt him breathe her in, then he nipped at her tender flesh. Just as she was about to start removing his shirt, she heard the soft, subtle ring of his cell phone, which made her stop.
“Road, someone is calling you,” she said.
He pulled away with a frown. In all the time he’d been coming around to her, not once had she heard him get a call. This was unusual.
Road slid his hands out from beneath her shirt, and leaned over to where he’d put his cell phone.
“Road,” he said, answering it, still with that stern look on his face.
She couldn’t quite make out what the other person was saying, but Road nodded his head. “I’ll be there.”
He ended the call.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, everything is okay, but I’ve got to go.”
“Oh,” Dinah said. He was already pulling away, and Dinah pushed her shirt down, then got to her feet, following him as he reached for his leather jacket. “I’ll see you later?”
She didn’t want to seem like a problem, or pester him, but knowing where he was going would have been nice.
Road frowned as he looked up at her. She tried to offer him a smile.
“Would you like to come?”
“Do I get to know where I’m being invited?” she asked, a little confused by Road’s ever-changing mood.
“The hospital. My … boss, his wife is having his kid, and I’ve got to be there,” Road said.
“You do?”
“Most of the club is there, and with all the shit going on, it’s important that I be there.”
“I’d love to,” Dinah said.
She grabbed her jacket, and without another word, they stepped out into the evening light.
“Uh, how about we drive in my car?” she said, looking at his death trap of a machine. She’d never ridden on the back of a bike before and tonight didn’t seem like the ideal place to start practicing.
“Nah, we’ll take my bike. Don’t worry, I’ll get you there in one piece,” he said, sliding his leg across the seat as he began to straddle his machine.
She had no doubt he would get there in one piece, but what about her? He didn’t have any helmets, and all she could do was try to trust him. I can do this.
It didn’t even seem like hard work. All she had to do was slide her leg across, and then sit on the back seat and hold onto Road’s waist. She’d watched enough movies where it was happening.
She took a deep breath and then followed her own simple directions, letting out a little gasp as he suddenly grasped her hands and pulled them around his waist.
“You’ve got to hold on tight to me. You don’t want to risk falling off.”
“You’re not exactly helping me with wanting to come.”
He turned over the ignition of his bike and started to bring it to life. The machine purred beneath her legs, and she couldn’t help but let out a gasp at the sheer power of the bike.
She continued to hold onto him, a little fearful about what letting go would mean, and then they were off on the road. Dinah tried to keep her eyes open and watch everything that was happening, but she still couldn’t help being a little fearful.
Road wasn’t slowing down, and she held onto him even tighter. It did feel good, the wind flowing through her hair, surrounding her. She couldn’t help but feel a little free as she let the motions take her.
Road was an expert on his machine, but she didn’t expect anything less from him. During the time they had gotten to know one another, she had come to see there were parts of his personality she understood. Whenever Road set out to do anything, he did it to the best of his ability, no questions asked. He excelled at everything he did, from cooking to riding a bike. She had no doubt all challenges would be met and conquered. He’d been determined to make her forget the pain of her first time, and he was insistent that every time they had sex, she experience an orgasm.
She knew these were just silly things that didn’t really matter. They were not necessary in living a life, but they were part of who Road was. She also came to realize that his past within the Golubev Bratva had fucked with his head, and so had the scars he’d gotten just by being part of it.
Road was a complex man. There was nothing simple about him. But she found herself being utterly charmed by him.
They arrived at the hospital. She wasn’t sure how long it had taken them, and she wasn’t about to start complaining.
He parked his bike, along with what felt like a sea of other bikes, and she looked around, amazed at the sheer volume of them. Anyone coming to the hospital might be a little intimidated by what they were seeing. Not her.
Dinah climbed off the bike, and it took every ounce of practice to not fall on her butt as her legs did feel a little wobbly. She was pretty sure she was still feeling the vibration of the bike traveling through her body.
Road climbed off and didn’t say a word as he grabbed her hand, and then they headed into the hospital. He didn’t ask for directions, just looked up at the signs, and they walked all the way to the maternity ward.
Dinah kept up with him, and they finally arrived to where she saw several other people waiting, as well as a crowd of men wearing the same leather jacket Road wore.
“Didn’t think you were going to make it.” The guy who came to her house along with Road that night, stood up.
“Wouldn’t miss it. What happened?” Road asked.
The man glanced toward her.
“Uh, Sarge, you remember Dinah. Dinah, this is Sarge.”
She reached out, shook his hand, and couldn’t help but wonder if she seemed a little … silly. Sarge shook her hand.
“I don’t know what happened. I know there was a bit of a panic, and then—”
“Faith collapsed. Not long after she did, her water broke.” Another guy approached, this one had ink on one side of his face.
“Nikolai, this is Dinah.”
He then started to point around the room, where he began to name people. Stan, Maxim, Tank, Krill, Hail, Vlad. There were so many, that all the names started to merge into one. It was going to take her some time to learn them all.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll, uh, remember them eventually.”
“Shit, right, yeah, I didn’t even think of that. Fuck me. Has the doctor been out? Brute?”
“All we really know is she went into labor, and we’ve been sitting around waiting. That’s it.”
She wasn’t quite sure who said this, could have been Krill or another guy named Igor, but again, she didn’t know. What she did see, though, was a family, all here for a guy named Brute and a woman called Faith.
Dinah looked around at the group, and she couldn’t help but be charmed. This was a family, an odd one, but still a family.
****
Road knew the guys were curious about Dinah. She hadn’t changed out of her sweatpants and shirt, and her hair wasn’t put together. She looked a million miles from any of the club pussy, and he’d brought her with him.
They sat in the waiting room, and he didn’t like this. He’d not been around a lot of pregnant women to know that the longer it took in the emergency room, the more bad news they would hear. He wasn’t a big fan of Faith, and he’d been more than happy to trade the woman for Tank, one of their own.
There was no way he was going to turn his back on her either. Faith had given Brute a new lease on life, and it had made the other brother fight harder. Road saw it now, he understood it because he knew that’s what Dinah was making him do.
She continued to sit beside him, hold his hand, and just be there. There were no complaints about being bored or anything like that. Dinah was just happy to be with him.
He ran a hand down his face, and for the first time in awhile, he remembered his scars. Several nurses had passed through the room, and a couple of them had looked in his direction. Around Dinah, he’d forgotten all about the scars. Now, he was remembering them again.
“Would you all like some coffee?” Dinah asked. She got to her feet and pulled her hand out of his.
“Coffee?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how long everyone has been here, and I think it’s only fair I go and grab some.” She pulled away, and several of the guys held their hands up. “I’ll be right back.”
Road didn’t want her out of his sight but as Dinah left, he tensed up as another man entered the waiting room. It had been a long time since he had seen Nikki Golubev. He should have known that little fucker would arrive at some point, but he had hoped he wouldn’t be the one to see him.
All the guys tensed. They were all aware of who Nikki Golubev was. He was their main fucking spy within the group of men, and he wanted to kill him.
Road had a lot of issues with Nikki, like the fact he’d been the one to tell them all to back down. They were not his puppets and it pissed him off to think he even thought he stood a chance against them. Anger traveled down his spine, and he wanted to kill the bastard right then and there, but he held himself in check.
When he killed Nikki, and there was going to come a point that he did, there would not be witnesses. He was pleased that Dinah had chosen to leave. He needed to keep her safe, and he didn’t know if any of the Golubev men even remembered the orders they had given. Knowing the kind of man Golubev was, he wouldn’t remember Dinah’s mother.
He stared across at Nikki, and he felt this hatred just at the sight of him,. He didn’t know why Brute continued to put up with him. It was good to have a man on the inside, but with Nikki, it always came with a risk.
Road knew it was only a matter of time before Nikki stabbed them in the back, and when that time came, he was going to be ready for them.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Road asked.
“My daughter is giving birth. Brute made me aware of the special occasion, and I found time to come and see.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m aware of where I should and shouldn’t be, Road. I don’t need you to enlighten me of my whereabouts.”
He wanted to kick his ass. His hatred for this man was bone-deep.
Nikki had been fucking nothing while Road had been there, and completely intact. He knew Nikki had despised him. There had been a time when his father had trusted him over his own son. He knew in some way Nikki was responsible for the scars on his face. For his father turning his back on Road.
His hatred for him knew no bounds, but he kept his calm. In that moment, he knew he shouldn’t have brought Dinah, but he wasn’t going to back down, nor was he going to show this man anything other than contempt.
Road stood his ground, and waited for Nikki to step on through and take a seat. He wasn’t disillusioned by the bastard. Nikki was an evil fucker. He didn’t know how Faith seemed to inspire all the men who were close to her.
He watched and waited, and when Dinah arrived, she kept a smile on her face. Road wanted to grab her and take her back to her home where he knew she would be safe.
She carried a tray laden with disposable plastic coffee mugs.
“Want one?” she asked.
He took one, not because of the taste, but so Nikki didn’t get a chance to take one.
She walked around all the guys in leather jackets, until there was only one coffee remaining.
“I’ll take that one,” Nikki said, getting to his feet.
Dinah frowned, glancing up and down at Nikki.
Road took a step closer to her, offering her his strength and protection against Nikki.
“That’s hers,” Road said.
“It’s fine. I will go and grab myself another cup. Enjoy it.”
“I’m Nikki, by the way,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Dinah.” She didn’t give her last name but Road stopped her from taking hold of Nikki’s hand.
“Let’s go and get you that coffee.”
Dinah nodded, and then they walked out of the waiting area and headed back down to the cafeteria.
“Do you know him?” Dinah asked.
“Yes.”
“He’s Golubev, isn’t he?”
“He’s Sergey’s son.”
Dinah wrapped her arms around her body.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I think I’ve seen him before, but … I can’t remember. I don’t know if he came in for a haircut a few years ago. He asked about my mom, I think. I don’t know. I recognize him, that’s all I can tell you.” She leaned over and put her head on his arm even as they continued to walk.
Once inside the cafeteria, Dinah went up to the counter, and he took a sip of the coffee in his hand. It was crap, no doubt about it. He knew he could have offered Dinah his drink, but he also wanted to get her as far away from Golubev as possible.
Nikki didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. He fucking hated him, and the sooner he could kill that son of a bitch, the better he would feel.
Dinah got her coffee, and together they walked down the long corridor, heading toward the maternity ward again.
“He hurt you, didn’t he?” she asked.
Road took a deep breath.
“The scars on your face, are they his handiwork?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “Right.”
“Some of them are his handiwork,” he said.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m fine. I don’t like him coming around.”
“Why is he?” Dinah asked.
Road rubbed at his temple. “He’s Faith’s biological dad. Trust me, I don’t get why he keeps coming around seeing as he spent most of Faith’s life ignoring her, but now that she’s got Brute’s kid, he seems to be turning up more often.”
“You don’t trust him?”
“No, I don’t. I also don’t like him.”
She giggled. “Fair enough.”
They arrived back at the waiting area, and Road didn’t want her to go inside.
“You no longer want me here, do you?” she asked.
“It’s not about you, I promise.”
Dinah sighed. “It’s fine, but I have no way of getting home. I can go and wait in the cafeteria for you. See, this is why you should have totally listened to me and allowed me to take my car. I’m not calling a cab.”
Road cupped her face and pressed his head to hers.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said, and with that, they walked back into the waiting area.