Chapter 26
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
Julie
The front door opens before we even get to it. Dad is dressed in his sleep clothes as he glares at Yak.
“Get away from my daughter.”
Yak stiffens but keeps his hand in mine as we make our way to the house. I don’t miss the way Dad looks down at our hands.
“Dad, we need to talk. Can we please come in?”
Dad’s jaw clenches. I can tell he is grinding his teeth. Finally, he steps aside and motions us in.
I lead Yak inside and turn right into the living room. I move to the couch and sit down, but Yak stays standing.
“Son, you better have a damn good reason to be touching my daughter right now,” Dad says, crossing his arms.
“I understand your concern, sir. I am not what you imagined for your daughter, but her safety is the number one priority right now. She needs to stay here with you.”
Dad glares at Yak. “What kind of trouble did you get her into?”
“Daddy,” I hiss.
“It’s a fair question, Angel.” Yak looks down at me.
“No. It’s not. He doesn’t know,” I whisper.
“I know all I need to know. Jameson Taylor. You were part of the Mountain River MC in Colorado before you switched it up and joined the Kings of Anarchy. You run drugs, guns, and who knows what else. We have been tracking your club for decades. Back before you became a King. Do I have any of my information wrong?” Dad asks.
“No, sir,” Yak responds, but I have something to say.
“He saved me,” I start, drawing both men’s eyes to me.
“Julie, don’t,” Yak tries to command me, but I ignore him, locking eyes on Dad.
“I went out with Liz and her boyfriend. His friend was a sleazeball, so I stepped outside to get some air. I was stupid. I didn’t realize how isolated I was until it was too late.”
“Jules.” Dad’s face drops.
“I know, Dad.” Tears fill my eyes.
“Did they touch her?” Dad asks Yak, unable to continue to look at me and see my pain.
“Briefly, but I ended it before it went too far.” Yak remains stoic.
“Where are they?” Dad asks.
Yak clears his throat. “Any confessions would be inadmissible in court?”
Dad hesitates, but then nods.
“They are dead,” Yak says bluntly.
Dad doesn’t look surprised. Instead, he looks relieved.
The room is silent for several minutes. I stand, moving into Yak. He drops my hand only to wrap his arm around me and pull me into his chest.
“While I am appreciative of you saving her,” Dad starts. “She deserves better than some criminal. Your life is dangerous. You can’t keep her safe.”
“I know,” Yak agrees. “It’s why she’s here. Shit is going down tonight. She needs to be far away from it.”
“Then leave her here, and I’ll take care of it,” Dad says. “But don’t come back. Stay far away from her.”
“No,” I cry out. “Come back. You promised me.” I look up into Yak’s eyes.
He looks down at me, conflict on his face.
“You’re doing this for me. Aragon is after me,” I try again.
“Aragon?” Dad asks. “He’s after you? Why?”
I look over my shoulder at him. “Because he wanted me, and I said no.”
Dad’s face turns to stone.
“Is this true? Is that why he was at her house?”
Yak runs his hand through my hair. “Yes, sir. He made bail and he has been keeping his distance, but he hasn’t been quiet about what he plans to do with her. Even with her as my old lady, he is going after her.”
“Excuse me? You are his old lady? Absolutely not. I will kill you myself,” Dad growls, stepping forward.
Yak moves me so that he is between my father and me.
“No, Dad. You can’t,” I beg, trying to get around Yak.
“I can. Baby, why would you hitch yourself to a man like him? He is bad news. Didn’t I raise you right?” Dad asks.
“Yes, but…”
“But nothing. What are you doing with your life? You are ruining it.”
“Dad…”
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. I knew that something was up with you, but I figured it was something innocent. Come to find out, you’re not only dating a fucking biker, but you’re practically married to one.”
“Dad,” I shout, making him look at me. “I love him.”
Dad’s face falls, all anger seeping away. Yak freezes, giving me the opportunity to step around him.
“Fuck,” he hisses.
“Language, sir. Your daughter doesn’t like to hear that kind of thing,” Yak adds, making me pinch his side.
Dad lets out a low chuckle. “No, she doesn’t.”
“I owe the jar at least two hundred by now,” Yak admits.
“Shit, I owe a couple grand,” Dad jokes.
“I look forward to getting there,” Yak says sincerely.
Dad looks him over once more before blowing out a breath.
“What’s going down tonight? I can handle it. You can stay with her.” Dad nods to me.
“No can do, sir. I would love to stay here and ensure her safety, but my brothers are out there, and I need to be there with them.”
Dad looks like he actually respects that response.
“Then I’ll go with you. I can help. If shit goes sideways, I can get backup there within minutes,” Dad says.
“What we are going to do is highly illegal, sir. I would never want to put you in that position,” Yak reminds him.
“Fuck that. I’m not a cop tonight. I’m her father, and I’m not letting you walk out this door by yourself. So give me the plan, and then let’s get going.”
Yak hesitates before saying, “My brothers are going to be pissed. Go get dressed. I’ll fill you in on the way. Will she be safe here?”
“This is the safest place for her. She can call Liz and have her come sit with her if she wants. No one will dare get her here. Especially since we will take her car and leave my truck.”
“Smart,” Yak reluctantly admits.
Dad leaves the room, leaving me alone with Yak. I move in front of him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Please be safe. Keep him safe. I don’t want to live without either one of you.”
He nods. “I know. I wish I could convince him to stay, but he wants to keep you safe. Like me.”
I let my forehead fall to his chest. “It went better than I thought. Hard launching our relationship to him in a crisis.”
He grabs my chin, forcing my face up. “He wants you to be happy. He doesn’t like me, but he will tolerate me because he sees what I can see.”
“What is that?” I ask.
“The love shining in your eyes. It’s such a blessing, but also a curse. It makes you a target, but after tonight, that will be no more. I’m going to show everyone what happens when they mess with what’s mine.”
I push up on my toes, pressing my lips to his. He deepens the kiss, his hand dropping to my ass. Things become more heated until a throat clears.
We pull apart, finding my dad standing there, looking ready for war.
“I’m going to forgive this for now, but I expect you to be more respectful in the future. She is still my daughter, and this is my house.”
Yak nods once. “Yes, sir.”
He drops another kiss on my lips before he steps away.
“I’ll be back soon, Angel.”
Dad takes his place, hugging me to him. “We will talk about this later. I love you. Make sure the alarms are on.”
I squeeze him tight. “Okay, Dad. Thank you.”
As I watch the love of my life and the first man to ever love me walk out the door, I have a feeling I won’t be seeing them ever again, and it scares me to death.
Yak
The car is silent as I drive us away from his house.
I don’t like that he is with me. He is a cop.
He could rat on all of us. For all I know, he has already sent up his little cop signal to catch us all, but I have to trust my gut, and my gut says I can trust him.
At least to not turn us in. I saw the way he looked at Julie. He won’t hurt her if he can help it.
Fuck, I can’t believe she said she loved me in front of him.
I know how important his approval is to her.
I thought we would ease in, but she went full send on him.
I’m surprised I’m not buried six feet deep right now.
I know if Julie was my daughter, I wouldn’t let a guy like me within fifty yards of her.
Which means I need to make him see that I love his daughter.
I clear my throat. “I know I’m not who you want for her, but she will never be loved harder than with me.”
He harrumphs. “Because bikers are known for being faithful.”
“Some aren’t, that’s true, but that’s not me. She is mine, and I will never stray.”
“Better not. Badge or not, I’ll kill you if you break her heart,” he huffs.
“You won’t have to. I’ll swallow a bullet before you have the chance,” I admit.
He grunts, but it sounds oddly content. Like he respects my answer.
“You know what we are walking into…you can’t use it against us. I might not be able to hurt you, but it doesn’t mean I’ll be able to stop my club from doing the same.”
He scoffs. “Do you think I brought my badge tonight? I could get fired for this shit. This is off the books. I’m helping you out because I saw the look in my little girl’s eyes tonight.
She is head over heels for you, and it is far too late for me to do a damn thing about it.
All I can do is back you up and bring you home to her, so I don’t have to see what she looks like with a broken heart.
So what are we walking into here? How am I going to be able to help you eliminate this threat?
Don’t worry about the illegal shit. I’ll look past it and come after your club another day in a more legal way.
What we need to do tonight is to erase the target on Julie’s back. ”
His honesty is refreshing. We have a sort of truce right now. I love his daughter, and he does too. Neither one of us wants to see her hurt. That commonality is what pushes us forward.
It has me loosening my lips and telling him everything he wants to know.
“Aragon is a legacy member. His father was a member. His grandfather was even president at some point. His bloodline goes back. When Yooper took over and patched the club to the Kings, he made some changes. Most of the club voted to implement them, but Aragon has pushed back the most. Lately, Yooper has had shipments come up short. We’ve been able to solve it before our suppliers get wind of the missing product, but it’s become a problem.
Someone is trying to sabotage the club. Yooper suspected Aragon, but he couldn’t get a read on him. Being the president has its downfall.”
“That’s where you came in,” Benjamin hums.
I nod. “I’m sure you know Yooper is my brother. We have kept our distance for our own reasons, but he needed someone he could trust. He didn’t know how far the poison had sunk into his club. So he called me.”
“I had wondered why you would leave Mountain River. They aren’t as rough as the Kings.”
I shake my head. “No. They aren’t. They are good people. The Kings are too, but there’s some civil unrest. Once we carve out the rotting flesh, the club will prosper.”
“With guns and drugs, right?”
I press my lips together, not answering him.
“I know what you guys do. We all do. I even know some of my guys are on your payroll, even if I cannot pinpoint who they are. I don’t like you. I probably never will, but I’m at a crossroads here.”
“That you are. I won’t let her go. She’s mine now. After all of this with Aragon is done, I plan to move her in with me. I’ll marry her one day, and she will have my kids.”
“You say that like it’s inevitable. You’ve been together what? A couple of weeks? Months maybe? She could change her mind.”
“You’re right, but you know as well as I do, she won’t.”
He sighs. “No, she won’t. Did you tell anyone I was coming?”
I snort. “They would scatter. We don’t like cops too much. You tend to fuck with us for the fun of it.”
“Or because we know you do illegal shit that is dangerous.”
I shrug. “Touché. Still, tonight is going to get bloody. Aragon has to die. If we allow him to live, he will hurt Julie. I don’t intend to leave him breathing.”
“If you don’t kill him, I’ll do it myself.”
“Good.” I nod once.
“So where are we going?” he asks.
“A warehouse east of town. It wasn’t on our radar, but it seems Aragon has bought the place under a shell company.
He has several pieces of product there as we speak.
We are going to confront him. Usually it takes a vote to end a brother, but these are extenuating circumstances.
After tonight, no one in the club will betray us.
All of those who have will be eradicated. ”
He pulls out his gun, checking the slide. “You’ll have to tell me which ones are the bad ones.”
“If they are shooting at us, we shoot back. Tonight there are no friendlies. It is survival.”
“Understood.”
“We will meet up with my brother first. He will have something to say about you, but you will get a general idea of who will be at our back. Just so you know, I plan to storm into the place first.”
“Then I’ll be through the door second. I’ve got your six, Jameson.”
I let his use of my real name slide.
“I appreciate that. If anything happens to me, you tell her I fought like hell to get back to her,” I say quietly.
“Nothing’s going to happen to you. I’ll make damn sure of it. I plan to be fighting with your ass for years to come.”
I pull up to the meeting spot and turn to him. “Thanksgiving is going to be fun.”
He snorts. “Wait until Christmas.”
With that, he gets out, and I follow him so he doesn’t get his ass shot.
I never imagined Julie’s dad would be walking into war with me, but here we are.
I only hope we both make it out alive.