Chapter 53
“You cannot keepme in the house bubble for a moment longer,” I stated. “I have a billion-dollar company to run. I have to make an appearance in the office or everyone’s going to think I’m running scared.”
“Oliver has been calling you non-stop. You’re getting a lot of shit done from the couch.”
“But I can’t keep taking meetings from the couch,” I insisted. “It’s been three days. Three days of wasting away, eating through the food the Old Ladies brought me, and then you carrying me up to bed.”
“You like what I do to you after I carry you up there,” he pointed out. “Several times, in fact.”
I glared. “I’ve recovered. I need to get back to my life. I promised Doc I would do my witchy voodoo trick and find Cam the perfect dog. And a kitten for Lily. Besides, don’t you have to meet up with Colt?”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I do.”
“This’ll be good for both of us.” I handed him the car keys. “You can drive.”
“Damn right, I’m driving.”
We locked up the house and remotely set the alarm and then Bones was opening the car door for me.
He looked at me for a minute.
“What?” I asked.
He brushed my hairline. “I hate to even say it.”
“Say it.”
“I think you might have a scar.”
“Then I have a scar.” I shrugged. “Doc already warned me. I’m not worried about it.”
“Hmm. Still. There’s gonna be photographers at your mother’s party, right?”
“Yes.”
“You sure you want your stitches on display? It’ll invite questions. Questions you probably don’t want to answer about your health so soon after you taking over your father’s company.”
“My mother called you, didn’t she?”
“She called me,” he agreed with sigh.
“She wants me to cover it up.”
“Yeah. For your own protection.”
I sighed. “I’ll make a hair appointment. Looks like I’m getting bangs.”
After we stopped off at Spencer Pharmaceuticals so I could show my face, Bones drove us to the shelter and I walked the aisles until I found a white, wiry-haired terrier mix whose tail would not stop wagging.
“That one,” I said immediately. “That’s Cam’s dog.”
“If you say so,” Bones said. “Now let’s see if your superpowers work on kittens.”
An hour later, I was sitting with the dog on my lap and Bones had a grey kitten with tan splotches on her back nestled in his shirt.
“Are we sure this is Lily’s kitten?” Bones asked. “She’s purring.”
“I never would’ve believed it,” I said with a laugh. “You want to keep her, don’t you?”
The dog yipped when we started driving and Bones let out a hiss. “Cat got scared and clawed me. Fuck that. This is definitely Lily’s kitten.”
“Easy come, easy go,” I said.
We drove to Darcy’s. Boxer and Doc had temporarily moved in after discussing it and concluded that the kids had gone through enough upheaval. They needed to stay in their home for a short while until they could come to grips with their new reality.
“I don’t know if I could do it,” Bones said as he parked on the street out front of the house.
“Do what?” I asked as I unbuckled my seat belt and clipped the dog’s leash to his collar.
“Do what Boxer and Doc are doing.”
“What? Raising someone else’s children?”
He shook his head. “Not that. I meant living in Darcy and Gray’s house.”
“Yeah. Well, we’re here to make it better,” I said.
When Bones made no move to get out of the car, I looked at him. He was staring at me with a tender expression across his brow.
“What?” I asked.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“Your dad. I’m sorry I never got to meet him. But…”
“But?”
“I have a suspicion you got the best parts of him. You’ve got a good heart, Hayden. I’m glad I got to marry you.”
Emotion filled my throat.
“Hold onto that dog, he’s gonna get excited,” he said gruffly.
Nodding, I waited for Bones to open my door. The moment it opened, the dog shot out with such force I nearly dropped the leash. Luckily, I was able to cling to it as we headed to the front door.
I rang the bell. Boxer answered the door. “Hey guys,” he greeted, a cheery smile across his face. His gaze lowered. “That’s a dog. You guys got a dog?”
The dog yelped in excitement, its tail still wagging furiously.
I looked at Bones and then back to Boxer. Before I could reply, Doc and Boxer’s yellow lab showed up at the door. He immediately lowered his front legs and stuck his butt in the air, his tail flapping with enthusiasm.
“I feel like I’ve seen this before,” Bones said to me.
I laughed. “You mind if we let him off leash?”
“Have at it,” Boxer said, stepping back.
I unclipped the dog and he immediately ran after Monk into the house.
“Come on in,” Boxer said, waving us forward.
We stepped into the house and followed him through the hallway to the kitchen. Lily and Cam were sitting at the table, their sandwiches in different states of completion.
Monk chased the white-haired mutt around the kitchen table until the mutt got to Cam and then he jumped up onto Cam’s lap and immediately began eating the crust off his plate.
“Hey, that’s mine,” Cam said, trying to wrangle the food away from the dog.
“A little late, bud,” Boxer said with a laugh. “He devoured that in two bites.”
The mutt turned around and faced Cam. Cam stared at the dog for a moment and then the dog leaned forward and licked Cam’s nose.
“I guess it’s okay,” Cam said. He looked away for a moment, but not before I saw him swipe at his eye.
“How are you doing, Lily Burger?” Bones asked.
The seven-year-old looked up at him and shrugged.
“Where’s Doc?” I asked.
“Shower. She’ll be down in a second,” Boxer replied.
Lily pointed at Bones’ leather cut. “Somethings moving under your shirt.”
“Is it?” Bones asked, feigning innocence.
She nodded.
“It’s your present,” Bones said.
“Present? I get a present?” Lily asked, excitement replacing the somberness in her eyes.
A furry little head popped out from Bones’ shirt collar and let out a soft meow.
“I get a kitty?!” Lily screamed.
Monk lifted his head from his water bowl. Tongue hanging out of his mouth, he went to investigate the furry creature barely bigger than Bones’ fist.
Bones lifted the kitten out of his shirt and introduced them.
“You got her a kitten?” Boxer asked.
“Doc said it was okay,” I hastened to say. “She said Lily’s been wanting one.”
“Yeah, she has been,” Boxer said. “I just planned on surprising her with one myself. You’ve spoiled it.”
Bones handed the kitten to Lily, who cuddled it close.
“Sorry, brother,” Bones said. “I didn’t know.”
“Wait, if she gets a kitten, who’s dog is this?” Cam asked. “Is he yours?”
I shook my head. “Nope. He’s yours.”
“Hold on,” Boxer interjected. “No one said anything about another dog. Monk just ate a pair of Doc’s panties, I don’t need any more of that shi?—”
“I don’t see why that would upset you,” Doc said as she strode into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt.
“They were my favorite pair,” Boxer muttered under his breath.
“It was Hayden’s idea to get Cam a dog,” Doc said. “But I thought it was a good one.”
“A very good one,” Cam said. “Please, Boxer? I’ll take care of him. You know, when I can walk without crutches, I mean. I promise.”
“And I’m taking my kitten to school,” Lily announced. “She can hang out in my backpack.”
“Lily Burger,” Boxer began.
Bones stood up and ruffled Cam’s hair. “Well, it looks like our work here is done. Ready to go, Duchess?”
“Fuck you,” Boxer said. “You’re not running out of here after dropping those bombs.”
“Language,” Doc stated.
“Please.” Cam rolled his eyes. “We’ve heard worse.”
“Hell yeah, we have,” Lily said.
Doc groaned. “We’re epically failing.”
“Why don’t you take Boxer out to the car so he can help you with kitty stuff,” I said to Bones.
“Kitty stuff? What kitty stuff?” Boxer asked.
“We brought you all the things you’ll need,” I said. “Automatic feeder. Litter box. A bunch of toys.”
Boxer sighed. “There’s no way out of this, is there?”
“Nope,” Lily said. She held the kitten out to Boxer. “How can you say no to this face?”
“The kitten’s face or your face?” Boxer asked.
“Both.”
“Give in, brother,” Bones said. “It’ll be easier for you.”
Bones’ fingers trailed down my naked spine. I was sprawled across him, my cheek pressed to his inked chest. The candle flames bathed him in a warm glow, turning his skin the color of burnished honey.
I traced the tattoo along his pectoral. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
When I didn’t reply right away, he said, “This is the part where you ask your question.”
“I’m trying to form my words.”
“Did I render you speechless again. Like earlier?”
And by earlier, it was clear he was referring to when I had him in my mouth and he came down my throat. I shivered at the raw pleasure he’d taken from the act, but then had so generously reciprocated after he was done.
“Kind of hard to talk with your cock in my mouth,” I replied dryly.
“God, I love it when you’re crass.”
“This conversation is not going the direction I want it to go.” I sat up and dragged the sheet to conceal my breasts.
He raised his brows but otherwise said nothing.
“The night you came back covered in bruises…”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know how to ask what I want to ask without opening a can of worms and potentially getting someone in trouble.”
“Who would you be getting in trouble?”
I closed my mouth.
“Can’t answer the question if you don’t ask me, Duchess.” He lifted his arm and placed it underneath his head as he waited for me to continue.
“If I ask this, this has to stay between us,” I intoned. “I’m invoking the marriage card over the club card.”
His expression hardened. “You can’t play that card until I know what this is about.”
I shook my head. “That’s not how this works.” I made a move to get out of bed, but Bones’ hand shot out to gently clasp my wrist, forcing me to stop.
“All right,” he said. “Marriage card trumps club card. Now tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Have you been fighting in an illegal ring? You’ve come to me several times with raw knuckles and I want to know the truth.”
Bones’ expression didn’t change, nor did he let go of my wrist. “I’m guessing you’re asking that question because you found out about the illegal fighting ring. How?”
I bit my lip.
“Marriage card,” he reminded me.
“Charlie. Charlie told me about it.”
“How did she find out about it?” he asked. Understanding swept across his face. “Savage. Savage told her.”
“He went to her one night. She wouldn’t let him in until he told her the truth.”
“You didn’t ask any of the Old Ladies about this, did you?”
I tugged my wrist from his grasp. “No. I didn’t. I wanted to come to you first.”
He sat up and swiped a hand across his face. “If I tell you the truth, you can’t repeat it. You can’t ask them about it, you can’t say a word. Understand?”
“I understand.”
He paused for a moment and then he said, “There are some brothers who aren’t…content with the direction the club is going. We’re adrenaline junkies. We like danger. Since the club has changed course, some brothers are pissed off. They’re broke and bored, and went from dumping adrenaline and making tons of money to bookkeeping and standing around all day doing nothing. It’s not working for some of us.”
“Us? Are you bored?” When he didn’t reply right away, I sighed. “You’re bored.”
“Bored is the wrong word,” he said. “I’m restless.”
“That’s the same thing as bored.”
“Maybe,” he allowed.
“It’s my fault,” I stated. “I’m the reason you’re bored.”
“What the fuck? No. You’re the least boring thing in my life.” He placed his hand on my thigh. “But you gotta understand. To go from crazy shit with the club to a more stable existence, I’m still trying to find the rhythm of it. My entire life changed. A month ago, I was living in the clubhouse. Now I’m living with my wife. My wife.”
“So, it is about me, a little bit anyway.”
He ran a hand along his jaw, his whiskers rasping against the pad of his thumb. “I know what the club is about. I’ve been a Tarnished Angel for years. I know what that meant. I was committed, every step of the way, every direction. But you’re you, and you live a different life. And for the first time in a long time, I’m thinking it’s not such a bad idea to have a more stable existence.”
“I forget sometimes that we’ve only known each other for a little while,” I said quietly. “It feels like I’ve known you forever.”
I covered his hand with mine.
“I know about the illegal ring, but no, I’m not fighting in it.” He pinned me with a stare. “Something else is weighing on you.”
“You’re astute.”
“I watch you all the time. I’m learning your expressions.”
“Creepy,” I teased.
He grinned. “What else is going on, Duchess?”
“It’s about my stepfather.”
“What about him?”
“I want him to pay for what he’s done,” I stated baldly.
“I know.”
“I wish I had proof.” I shook my head. “He’s just going to get away with what he did to my father.”
“Okay, let’s say there was proof. You know how this would go? An exhausting trial with your entire family’s dirty laundry on display—not to mention the company’s dirty laundry on display. At best, he’d get convicted and probably strike a deal to go to some white-collar prison where he could play pool and watch TV. And it wouldn’t feel like a prison at all for him. And in a few years on good behavior, he’d be out again, because that’s the world we live in now. And you’d know he was still alive, even if day to day you could forget about him, you’d never forget that he was alive and your father is dead. Or, if you want real justice, I can give you real justice.”
His offer hung in the air between us.
“And you won’t lose sleep over it?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t regret it for a minute.”
“Do you have any regrets at all?”
“What’s the point of regrets, Duchess? Can you change the past? No. All you can do is move forward.”
“I wish I didn’t know,” I murmured. “I wish I didn’t know what he did to my father. Because that’s not something I’ll ever be able to rectify, even if Arnold pays for what he’s done.”
Bones pulled me into his arms, and I fell against his chest. I buried my head into the crook of his neck.
There wasn’t anything Bones wouldn’t do for me. The man would kill for me. He’d stain his soul in the name of justice.
Arnold’s death wouldn’t bring my father back. It wouldn’t replace the last three years. But maybe it would bring me peace. And that had to be enough.