Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Hannibal
I head out into the hallway where Nevaeh and Havoc are making out like teenagers.
The sound of the door has them pulling apart.
“She should see her OB-GYN.”
“Not sure that’s an option right now. I could force her, but I don’t think that’s the way to go here.”
I sigh, wiping a hand over my face.
“Probably not.”
“How is she? Is the baby okay?” Nevaeh asks.
I look at her, then at Havoc, letting him know he’s a lucky bastard.
She’s a good one. Not many women would give a damn about their man’s ex and her unborn kid.
He’d better not fuck it up.
Like he can read my mind, he gives me a nod.
“We’re lucky we have an ultrasound machine.”
“Why do we have an ultrasound machine, anyway?” Nevaeh asks with a frown.
“One of the old-timers lost a bet, which resulted in them stealing one. Don’t ask,” I tell her, shaking my head.
“Baby looks good. Obstetrics isn’t my area of expertise, but by all accounts, he looks healthy, if a little small for his gestation.”
“He?”
“Oh yeah, it’s a boy. Lola already knows, apparently, but she hasn’t told Driller and wants it kept that way.”
“And Lola?”
I look at Nevaeh.
“She was more than happy for me to check on the baby, but she wouldn’t let me give her a full exam. From what I could see, there are more bruises, both old and new, on her arms and chest, including what looked like a bite mark. She shut down anything that wasn’t baby-related. But if you’re asking me if I think Driller has made her his current punching bag, then the answer is yes.”
Havoc rubs a hand over his face.
“She came here to give us a warning. Told me that Khan and Driller are planning something.”
“Nothing we didn’t already know,” I say.
“Midas asked me if she’s been sent here as a spy.”
“What do you think?”
He looks at the door to the exam room and shrugs.
“She’s done a lot of shit I wouldn’t have thought her capable of.”
“You think she took a beating so it would make us more sympathetic to her and let her through the gate?” Nevaeh gasps.
“Nothing would surprise me anymore. But Driller wouldn’t have given her a choice either way if that was the plan he and Khan had devised.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “She cares about the baby. That much was obvious, and it’s not an act.” I think about the way she held her stomach and the look in her eyes when she saw his image on the screen.
“I don’t think there’s much she wouldn’t do to protect him.”
“Like stab us all in the back,” Havoc growls.
“Not sure, given her current state, she feels any loyalty to anyone in Raven Souls, but I’m with Hannibal. I don’t think she’d put her baby in danger if she could help it,” Nevaeh says.
Havoc huffs. “She’s in danger just being with Driller.”
“And would he let her go if she ran?” she asks.
He doesn’t have an answer for that.
But when he looks at me, I can see the question in his eyes.
Jesus, am I going to do this?
I picture her delicate hands on her bump and curse.
I really am insane.
“Fuck. Fine, I accept.”
“Accept what?” Nevaeh looks between us.
I ignore her, focusing on Havoc.
“I’ll do it. But I’ll take her back with me and make her my old lady. Call it fucking spoils of war for all I care, but I might need her in the long run if I can’t get shit sorted out with Millie.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and stares at me.
“She’ll be protected with me from any of the club members.”
He doesn’t say anything.
He watches me, waiting for more.
Damned if I know what, though.
I let out a breath and throw my hands up in frustration.
“I won’t hurt her either. Happy?”
“Ecstatic.”
“She can stay with me until this is over. I’ll make sure she doesn’t say shit.”
“I’ll let you break the news then.”
Watching them leave, I crack my neck and think about what to say.
I push the door open and catch her staring at the image of her son on the ultrasound monitor.
I take her in while she’s distracted.
She’s slight, and even though she’s heavily pregnant, you can’t tell from behind.
I remember hearing that she used to be a cheerleader.
It fits her, especially now, with the blonde hair and big blue eyes that give her a doll-like look.
I’ve seen her before dressed like a biker babe, but dressed down in jeans, a sweatshirt, and a ball cap, she looks like she should still be in high school and far away from a psycho like me.
She turns and jumps when she sees me standing there watching her.
“I didn’t realize you were back.”
When I don’t say anything, she starts fidgeting.
“I need to go now, before anyone notices I’m missing. Thank you for checking on Nugget.”
“Nugget?”
Her hand moves to her stomach.
“The first time I saw him on the screen, the nurse told me he was the size of a chicken nugget. It kinda stuck.”
I walk toward her and watch her freeze, but she doesn’t back away.
“There’s been a change of plans.”
“Um...okay. What plan?”
“The one where you go back to Driller.”
“I don’t understand,” she says, frowning slightly.
I close the distance between us.
“It’s simple. Driller’s not your man anymore. I am.”
I wait for her reaction.
For the tears, the begging and pleading.
The fear. But instead, she gets angry.
“I’m not a fucking toy to be passed from brother to brother.”
I pull her hat off and cup her jaw, my thumb brushing lightly over her cheekbone.
“Good. Because I don’t share. I take what I want—and I keep it.”
“And when you get bored?”
“You really don’t want me to answer that, Lola.”
“I don’t know what’s going on here. Is this some sick game or something? Havoc said if I let you check me out, I could leave. So I’m leaving.”
She shoves past me, but I catch her wrist, stopping her.
“If you try to walk out that door, I’ll strip you naked and tie you to the bed. Hell, I’m a medic. I’ll insert a catheter if I need to.” I bend down, letting my lips skim her ear.
“Try me, Lola. I dare you.”
She yanks her arm free but doesn’t move.
Instead, she glares at me with angry tears in her eyes.
“You’re going to get me killed.”
“No one’ll touch you now. You’re mine.”
“Yeah? And who’s going to keep me safe from you?” she snaps.
I don’t answer, because we both know I probably will hurt her—one way or another.
Sliding my hand into her hair to hold her in place, I press my lips to her swollen cheek.
“I can promise you that I’ll never do shit like this to you.”
“And what, I’m just supposed to believe you? The last time I put my trust in someone, I ended up in my own personal hell. Why would you be any different?”
“I’m not. I’m worse. But Driller probably has a tracker on your car. He’ll know you’re here and will be waiting for you when you get back.”
“I’m never going to be free, am I?” she says, her voice raw and broken, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
“No,” I tell her honestly.
“Truth is, Driller and Khan got mixed up with some really fucked-up people. With Driller gone, they’re gonna come looking to collect. And far as they’re concerned, the only thing he’s got that’s worth anything is you and your kid. If you run, they’ll hunt you down, and they won’t stop until they find you. Trust me when I say the last place you wanna be is in their hands. Without Driller, you’ve got no protection.”
“I don’t have protection with him,” she snaps.
“And you don’t have to remind me that the club doesn’t give a shit about what happens to me, Hannibal. I know. They’ve never hidden how they feel about me.”
“Well, that’ll change too. With Khan gone, someone has to take over—and that someone’s me.”
Her mouth drops open.
“You’re taking over as president?”
“Yeah. Might as well.”
She rubs her hands over her face, wincing when she rubs her tender eye.
“You’re not doing yourself any favors tying yourself to me.”
“If the club has a problem with you, they’ve got a problem with me. I don’t give a fuck.”
“Why me? And don’t say it’s because of this.” She points to her eye.
“You couldn’t care less that Driller hurt me. You probably even think I deserve it.”
I place a hand on each of her shoulders and squeeze lightly.
“Did I say that? No, so don’t put words in my mouth. You wanna know the two reasons it has to be you? One, I’ve got a teenage daughter. Her mother’s dying, so she’ll be coming to live with us. I don’t know shit about teenage girls, and you…well, you used to be one, so you should be able to speak her language. And two, I wanna fuck you.”
“I’m not a whore. That’s what the club girls are for.”
“If I want you to be a whore for me, then you’ll be a whore for me. If I tell you to get down on your knees and bark like a dog, then you better get down on your fucking knees and bark.”
This time, she lets her tears fall freely.
“You want me to bark? Fine, I’ll bark. You want me to play the dutiful old lady? I can do that too—if you promise to keep my son safe. For him, there’s nothing I won’t do.”
“Is that right?” My cock thickens as I picture her on her knees, looking up at me with tears running down her face.
Right now, her expression’s blank.
“I don’t care what happens to me. None of it matters anymore. I just want my baby to be safe, and if that means getting down on my knees for you, then so be it.”
“And if I told you to suck me off?”
Before I can stop her, she kneels on the unforgiving floor with a grimace.
When she reaches for my jeans, I let her—curious to see how far she’ll go.
She slides her hand into my boxers and pulls my hard cock free.
Leaning forward, she licks the tip with her hot, wet tongue.
I groan—fuck, that feels good but then my brain kicks in.
She’s pregnant and banged up.
The last thing she needs is to be on her knees on the cold tile.
I reach down and pick her up, holding her until she’s steady on her feet before letting go and tucking myself back into my pants.
She looks at me blankly.
No fear, no embarrassment—no nothing.
And fuck if that doesn’t make me want her even more.
Coming from someone who’s not very good at processing emotion, I’m very aware of how easily people can manipulate them, especially if they think their life depends on it.
“There are some here that think you’re a spy,” I say as I circle her.
“Then they’re idiots.”
“You’re not exactly known for your loyalty.”
“You’re not known for your sanity.”
“In my case, it’s true.”
“If you say so.”
I let out a dry laugh.
“Oh, Lola, if you think you’re gonna be the one to fix me, you’ll be very disappointed.”
A startled laugh bursts from her, making me pause.
She never reacts how I expect.
“I don’t want to fix you. I can’t even fix myself. And honestly, if you think I’m a spy, well, there’s not much I can say about that. You’ll believe what you want, whether I protest my innocence or not, so what’s the point of saying anything? The club will decide my guilt, and like always, it will have nothing to do with the truth.”
I want to push her, sensing there’s a whole lot more to what she’s saying, but now’s not the time or place.
“You’ll be staying with me.”
“Okay.”
“You’re not gonna fight me on it?”
“Would it make any difference?”
“No.”
“Then no, I won’t fight you. It’s exhausting waiting for broken bones to heal.”
“I don’t need to break bones to get you to do what I want.”
She covers her stomach again protectively, and it makes me wonder how often Driller uses threats against the baby to keep her under his control.
“No matter what goes down between us, the kids are off-limits. You’ll never use them as pawns, and I’ll never use them as weapons,” I tell her.
“You’ll say anything to get me to do what you want.”
“No. I wouldn’t waste my breath. I could just force you to do what I want—you know that.”
“Then why bother with pretty lies?”
“Because they aren’t lies. If you’re my old lady, then that’s the way it’ll stay until one of us dies. We’ll be building something together, something I think you desperately want.”
She blinks back tears.
“What could you possibly give me, Hannibal?”
“A family.”