Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hannibal
W e walk to the car in silence, my mind on Millie and Lola and how the fuck I’m supposed to have two women to care for when I’ve never cared for a damn thing in my life, baring the club.
“Can I be frank, Mr. Hannibal?”
“Just Hannibal. Say what you’ve gotta say. I’m not easy to offend.”
“I used to date a biker back when I was young. I know there's a stigma surrounding MCs, but I’ve experienced how tight-knit of a family they can be and how protective they are of their own. I’m taking a chance on you because that’s what Millie needs. I will, however, admit I’ve had reservations. This club has rumors circling it, nasty ones at that. But none that, from what I’ve seen, have been found to be proven.”
“I won’t lie. We heard the same rumors and did some digging ourselves.”
“We?”
“I’m originally from the mother chapter. We don’t let shit like that slide without investigating.”
“And did you find anything I should be concerned about?”
I smirk, liking the balls on this lady. Not that I’d tell her. “Let’s just say our digging ended up leading us to discover something else, which is why there's now a new president. Me.”
“Ah. Well, then, I’m hopeful that all those rumors will be quickly squashed.”
“I aim to improve the relationships between Raven Souls and the locals, but it will take time.”
“Lucky for you then, Mr. Hannibal, I’m not going anywhere. I wish you luck.”
I watch as she climbs into the car, waves at me, and then pulls out and heads around the bend to the main entrance. Turning back to the house, I stare at the door as my cell phone rings.
It’s Byte. As he knows Millie’s arriving today, he wouldn’t call unless it was something important. Fuck.
I look around to make sure I’m alone, then answer. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Hopefully. Seems we got a gift in the mail today.”
“A gift? What kind of gift?”
“The kind that could unravel everything with the missing girls.”
“Explain,” I bark.
“Someone mailed us a ledger. It’s all in code, so I’ve sent a copy to G. But why bother with a code….
“If they had nothing to hide,” I finish for him.
“Someone wants us to know something.”
“I just wish we knew who and what. See what you can figure out. It might just be the break we’re looking for.”
“I’m on it. The kid there yet?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, good luck with that.” He disconnects. Asshole.
Trying to decide what to do next, I stare at the house. Should I leave them alone to talk or do I go back inside and try to figure out what the fuck it is I’m supposed to say and do?
With a sigh, I walk back, heading inside and closing the door behind me. I listen closely and hear the murmur of voices coming from upstairs. Not wanting to intrude, I make my way to the kitchen and rummage through the freshly stocked fridge and cupboards, deciding to focus on making some food instead. Having no clue what Millie will eat, I throw together a stir fry, figuring I can always make her something else if she doesn’t like it.
I look up when I see movement out of the corner of my eye and pause carrot chopping as Lola comes into view.
“She okay?”
“She cried for a bit, but I stayed outside her door until she settled. I wanted to go in and hug her or something, but I didn’t think that was the right move. She’s wary of us, but that’s to be expected, right?”
“She’s living with strangers. We might share blood, but she doesn’t know me. I’d be more concerned if she weren’t wary.”
When she doesn’t reply, I look at her and notice her gaze on my hands.
“What?”
“You’re cooking?”
“We’ve gotta eat, right?”
She steps closer. “I can cook for us. I was just showing Millie to her room.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got this.”
She sits at the island and watches me slicing the rest of the vegetables. “You’re good at that,” she comments at the uniform slices laid out before me.
“What can I say? I’m good with a knife.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a man cook for me before.”
I pause. “Driller’s a dick, but surely Havoc cooked you a meal or two?”
Her face flushes as she shakes her head. “The club kept him pretty busy.” I hear the hint of loneliness in her voice and wonder if Havoc inadvertently pushed Lola into his brother’s arms.
“Well, I’m the fucking president. I’ll make time to cook, and the others can wait for me to be done.”
She looks at me in surprise before dipping her head, a shy smile on her face. I’m stuck dumb for a second at just how fucking gorgeous this woman is when she lets down her guard.
I keep an eye on her when I cook, finding myself wanting to punch Havoc in the face. I don’t claim to be an expert on relationships, not by a long shot, but there has to be give and take on both sides. I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look like Lola did all the giving while Havoc happily took. What the fuck did he give back to her?
“I got a question for you.”
“Okay.” She looks over at me warily as I throw the veg into a large, hot pan and stir it around a little.
“What did you want to be when you grew up?”
She bites her lip as she thinks before sighing. “You’re going to think it’s dumb.”
“Nothing about you is dumb, Lola.”
She swallows. “I wanted to be a mom. I wanted to be a wife. I grew up with all the advantages that other kids didn’t have. I could have gone to college on my parents’ dime, maybe worked with kids or animals, or something else equally fulfilling. And maybe if things had been different, I would have.”
“Different how? Your parents didn’t approve of teachers or vets?” I joke.
“My mom disapproved of Havoc. She gave me an ultimatum, and I chose him. She would be so smug right now if she knew how things turned out.”
“She sounds like a fucking delight.”
“I guess looking back as an adult, I can understand where she was coming from. Imagine Millie coming to you and telling you she was in love with a biker and was going to marry him one day.”
I freeze at her words. The prospect of Millie dating never even crossed my mind. She’s just a fucking kid.
“Of course, nobody can reason with a teenage girl in love. Havoc was my everything, and like hell was I going to listen to my mom, of all people, talk to me about love. Not when my parents’ relationship had been as fucked-up as it was. But if I knew then what I know now, I’d have listened. I’d have cried my heartbreak into my pillow and moved on like most teenagers do.”
“That’s harsh for both of you. I get it didn’t end the way you wanted, but you had to have good times too, right? Regrets are overrated, Lola. You wouldn’t be you if you hadn’t loved Havoc.”
She shakes her head. “This version of me is a mess, Hannibal. You didn’t meet the me I was before—” She breathes before continuing. “Before Havoc. Now I’m just a poor man’s version of the girl I used to be.”
I turn the heat off and stalk around the island toward her. Once I’m in touching distance, I slide my hand into her hair and tip her head back before I lean over her, our noses touching. I keep my voice low, conscious that we’re not alone.
“I wouldn’t have looked twice at the girl you were before. Okay, that’s a lie. I would’ve been happy to bend you over the nearest flat surface and fuck you blind. But that would've been all I’d been willing to give you—a cumshot and cab fare home. I don’t want the girl who had stars in her eyes. I want one with shadows that haunt her.”
I lean down and kiss her lips softly before pulling back. “I’m not an easy man to love. A girl with stars in her eyes would've run?—”
She covers my lips with her fingers. “She’d have stayed until the stars dimmed.” She slides her hand to cup my cheek. “Maybe that was always my destiny—to be someone’s plaything to be toyed with and then disgraced.”
“Maybe you needed Havoc to break you so I could rearrange your parts and put you back together in a way that fits my fucked-up ideal. My perfectly imperfect old lady.”
I kiss her again, only this time, she’s the one sliding her hands into my hair and gripping me tightly. It’s only the sound of footsteps on the stairs that has me pulling away. I kiss the tip of her nose, making her smile.
“And so the cockblocking begins,” I grumble and move back around the island to hide my rock-hard dick. I’d rather not traumatize my kid any more than she has been.
I return to the pan of food and turn the heat back on before throwing in some extra ingredients.
“Hey, hungry?” Lola asks.
I lift my head, my eyes clashing with ones just like mine as I take in the daughter I never wanted. I wait for some cosmic feeling to hit me, some instinct to kick in, but I’m still as fucked-up as I was five minutes ago.
“Um…sure,” she answers Lola softly, hesitating for a moment before she walks to the island and takes one of the empty seats, leaving a space between them.
“Anything you don’t eat? I don’t want to kill you when I only just got you,” I grunt.
Her eyes widen in surprise. I hear Lola sigh but keep my eyes on Millie.
“What Hannibal's trying to ask you is if you’re allergic to any kind of food. I’d like to say his social skills improve the more time you spend with him, but I don’t want to lie to you.”
I turn to glare at Lola. “There's nothing wrong with my social skills.”
“Of course, there isn’t.” She smiles sweetly. I narrow my eyes at her.
“I’m the president of the Raven Souls MC. People like me. I’m friendly—” I groan and shake my head. “Lola’s right. Lying is bad. Don’t do that,” I tell Millie, who I can see is fighting a smile. When she sees me looking, she wipes her expression clean.
“I’m an asshole,” I tell her. Now, she looks uncomfortable, but I push on. She needs to know exactly who I am. “I didn’t stay away from you because of anything you did. I stayed away because I didn’t want to fuck you up. Shit, I probably shouldn’t swear in front of you. Balls. Anyway, I’m never going to be the cool, fun dad. I have zero fucking clue what I’m doing.”
“Obviously,” Millie mutters.
“I’m not asking for miracles. I know I’ll never be half the parent your mom was. If I could bring her back for you, Millie, I would. But life’s one big fucking rollercoaster that won’t stop just so we can get off when it gets too fucking much for us. What I can promise is that I’ll keep you safe. I’ll kill anyone who even thinks about laying a finger on you.”
“What about a boyfriend?”
“I stand by what I said. Besides, you’re too young to date. Don’t you have to be thirty or something?”
I look at Lola, who shakes her head. “I’m not even thirty, Hannibal, and I’m pregnant.”
“Exactly. Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re you, and you’re—” I look at Millie “—you.”
“What does that even mean?” Millie huffs.
I stand up straight and point the spatula at her. “It means if a boy touches you with his fingers, I’ll cut them off. If he touches you with his dick. I’ll?—”
“Cut it off?” she says sarcastically.
“No. I’ll cut off his head— because if anyone even thinks about putting their dick inside you, they’re dead anyway.”
Lola bangs her head against the table as Millie stares at me with her mouth hanging open. “You can’t say that. If my boyfriend dies, this whole conversation will make it premeditated.” She folds her arms over her chest.
I point to the badge on my chest “This says I’m president. That means I’m smart enough to not get caught.”
“I’m going to die a virgin.”
“That’s the plan.” I grin before grabbing three bowls and dishing up the food.
Maybe this parenting thing won’t be so hard after all.