19. Emery
Emery
The desert is perfectly cool today. A comfortable breeze stirs the sagebrush. The calming rustle of the desert is peaceful as I relax with Charlie rocking in my arms.
Beside me, Tempe bounces Ember on her knee, while Austin runs around the backyard. Ember is barely holding onto Tempe’s arm as she reaches for her brother running at a distance.
“She’s already sitting up so strong.”
“It’s wild, right? They grow up so fast.” Tempe smiles.
“I swear, just last week she was barely holding her head up. I told Jameson, the next thing we know, she’s going to be crawling around and getting into everything.
I still remember when it was Austin learning how to crawl, and now look at him. ”
“I’m not ready for any of that,” I admit. “I’m still getting used to Charlie smiling at me, and I’m pretty sure it’s gas, not real smiles.”
“It’s adorable either way.” Tempe smiles at Charlie, who blinks up at her. “She looks so much like Soul when she does that. Big dimples and all.”
“She has so many of his features.” I tickle Charlie’s cheek, and she offers me one of those dimples. “If she’s a charmer like him, I’m going to be in big trouble.”
“I think you’re in trouble either way.” Tempe laughs. “From what I’ve heard, Soul has barely been around the clubhouse lately.”
My cheeks heat as she glances at me.
It’s been a few days since our wedding night, and we still haven’t had sex, but he’s come home early every night and slept in the same bed. He holds me against him, and I’m desperate to cross that line, but I find myself hesitating.
Things have changed since the first time we were together. I’ve changed—my body has changed. I’m scared it’s going to hurt or that I won’t be what he remembers. It’s not like I walked into this with confidence or experience.
What if we cross this line, and we realize things weren’t what we thought they were?
Thankfully, Hayes hasn’t pushed it. He’s a perfect gentleman.
I doubt he usually has to wait for a woman to be ready to have sex with him, but if it bothers him, he doesn’t let it show.
He’s patient and understanding. Which is even more surprising after he admitted he hasn’t been with anyone else since we met.
He could have been lying, but I don’t think he was. It’s a relief and an added pressure. Because if that’s true, then he felt something too.
What if we mess it all up?
What if we have sex again, and he remembers it differently? What if he gets tired of me when there’s no more chase?
He’s a biker after all. His world is dripping in opportunity and sin. Can anyone be faithful when surrounded by this?
I glance at Tempe. She’s smiling as she types out a text, so it’s probably Steel on the other end. He doesn’t strike me as a man who would mess around on her. I haven’t gotten that impression that any of the guys here would.
Maybe I just need to have a little faith.
Tempe sets her phone down, smirking at me. “I still can’t believe you two ran off and got married.”
“That was all Hayes’s idea. He didn’t tell me where we were going.”
“And yet…” Her gaze falls to the ring on my finger. “You didn’t say no.”
“True.” I bite my lower lip. “He has this way of being very convincing.”
“And very spontaneous.”
“That too.” I smile. “He’s my opposite.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Tempe shrugs.
“We need someone who challenges us, or it would be boring. You should have seen Jameson when I met him. Stubborn. No life outside his club. He was so used to putting everyone else first that he forgot he mattered. A lot of the guys are like that. Their whole lives, it’s drilled into them that the club comes first, but they deserve happiness too.
If Soul found that with you, then I’m happy for you both. ”
“I heard Steel didn’t take the news about our wedding well.”
She frowns. “He didn’t, but not for the reasons you might think.
Jameson and Soul grew up together. They’ve been to hell and back, and lately there’s this wall between them.
Jameson isn’t a big fan of weddings, but I think it bothered him that Soul didn’t tell him about it.
They run this club together, but he kept something pretty important a secret.
All the guys have been struggling with outside pressures lately.
But the tensions between Jameson and Soul have stressed him out more than anything external. ”
“I didn’t mean to make things worse between them.” My shoulders sink.
“It’s not your fault, and deep down, Jameson knows it. Soul has always been a bit sporadic and reckless—”
“Do you think that Hayes marrying me was reckless?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. At least, not when it comes to you.
” Her nose scrunches. “In many ways, yes, Soul is reckless. He’s impossible to pin down.
But that’s how I know it’s different with you.
Soul doesn’t commit to anything outside the club.
Relationships or otherwise. He wouldn’t have proposed if he didn’t want to be married to you. This is different.”
Hearing her say that is a reassurance I didn’t know I needed.
“I just hope the two of you can be happy.” Her smile falters. “How is your uncle going to react when he finds out about the wedding?”
I frown. “He doesn’t react well to anything that he didn’t orchestrate, so… he won’t be happy.”
“That’s too bad for him.” Tempe reaches out, squeezing my hand. “You deserve happiness, Emery.”
“Hayes makes me happy.” It’s terrifying to admit out loud, but I get the impression Tempe won’t judge me.
“You make him happy too.” She smiles. “You and Charlie. She’s such a sweetheart.”
“Now only if she would sleep through the night.” I laugh, and it cuts through the tension in the conversation.
“Tell me about it.” Tempe rolls her eyes. “I always thought babies started sleeping through the night by this age, but Ember is still up at least once—sometimes twice. Thankfully, Jameson is a night owl, so he gets up with her when he’s home.”
“She’s just keeping you on your toes,” I say, and Tempe laughs. “Did Austin sleep better at her age?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.” She glances at Austin, who is still running around the yard. “My mom was still living in Texas at that time.”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“That Austin is my brother? It’s okay.” Tempe smiles. “He knows about our mom and that she’s gone now. It’s not a secret. We’ve been very open with him because he deserves the truth. Still, Jameson and I are raising him like he’s ours. We make our own families around here.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
The family.
The love.
When I lost my parents in the car accident, my uncle was there for me, but it was out of obligation. It wasn’t the same as how Tempe has been there for her brother. I was a tool my uncle used to make him look good to the press. Taking in his orphaned niece and giving her a place to live.
In truth, I was raised by his staff more than by him. While he lived in the city with my cousins, I stayed in one of his houses in the suburbs. It wasn’t until I got older and was finally an age that was useful to him that my uncle started bringing me into the city more frequently.
That’s where Eli came in. As the son of one of my uncle’s oldest friends, he rose quickly through his family’s ranks.
Everything Eli touches turns to gold. He’s a force to be reckoned with for all the wrong reasons.
My uncle was jealous, but even that wouldn’t stop him from using it to his advantage.
So he made a deal—me for a piece of everything Eli is building.
Money and power are all that really matter to men like him.
Part of me started to believe that was the purpose of family. That they’re meant to be used as stepping stones, nothing more. Until I had Charlie and couldn’t imagine using her when all I want is to give her the world.
And here, at the Twisted Kings compound, they seem to agree. Family is more than blood or obligation. It’s respect, loyalty. Most importantly, it’s love. In how they take care of their families and sacrifice it all for each other.
To the point where they took in the niece of the enemy because of their trust in Hayes. If anything, they should have turned me away at the gate. I’ll never be able to repay them for that kindness.
“Are you okay?” Tempe asks.
Tears pool in the corner of my eyes as emotion swells. “I’m fine. Just grateful. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
“Of course. You’re family.”
A tear slips free at that, and I wipe it away. But before I can say more, a loud crash comes from a distance. My attention snaps to the main gate of the compound—a pinprick in the distance. What’s clear is the plume of dirt as a caravan of cars barrels through.
“Who is that?” I jump to my feet, and Tempe does the same.
“Austin, inside now,” she yells for him, and he doesn’t question her.
He darts into the house.
“They’re not headed to the clubhouse,” Tempe says, watching the cars close the distance by the second. “And there’s only one group that drives cars like that.”
“Feds.”
She nods. “But if they’re not going to the clubhouse—"
“They’re here for me.” My throat closes, and my head swims.
It was too much to think my uncle would just let me go. That he wasn’t spending these weeks scheming how to get me back. Clearly, he pulled strings with his friends at the bureau to get it done.
“They’re not taking you anywhere.” Tempe shifts like she thinks they won’t just go straight through her, and I don’t have the heart to tell her that I’m not going to have a choice.
“Tempe, it’s okay. I need your help.”
She turns to me as I hold out Charlie.
“No.” Her head shakes.
“Please,” I urge, my heart breaking. “Please take her until Hayes can get here; otherwise, they will. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Please keep her safe.”
Tears well in my eyes as Tempe’s gloss over.
“Please,” I say again.
Tempe doesn’t resist this time. She makes room in her arms, balancing Ember on one hip to hold Charlie on her other shoulder.
“The guys will be here soon,” she says, but I can’t tell if she’s reassuring herself or me.
“Not soon enough.”
I’ve seen this before. I know how it goes. My uncle has a way of getting rid of people.
The cars are almost here now. Through the windshield, I spot their sunglasses-covered eyes, watching us as they surround the house.
“Tell Hayes I’m sorry.”
“Emery—”
“Just tell him.” I cut her off, knowing we’re running out of time. “Tell him that Charlie needs him no matter what happens to me. She’s all that matters.”
I can barely finish that sentence. The thought of never seeing Charlie again—of never seeing Hayes again—has bile rising in my throat. But it’s worth it if she’s safe. All of this is worth it if she gets the life she deserves.
Tempe steps forward as I start toward the closest car. “Emery, don’t. I hear motorcycles. They’ll be here any second.”
“And they’ll end up in cuffs if they try to stop this.”
Her shoulders sink because she knows I’m right.
Two Feds climb out of the car. Amusement ghosts their cheeks as they saunter toward us. The taller of the two pulls off his sunglasses at his approach. “Emery Zane?”
“Roman.” I angle my chin up, refusing to let them see me break. “It’s Emery Roman now.”
His eyes narrow. “We have reason to believe that you’re being held against your will. You need to come with us.”
“I’m here because I want to be. No one’s holding me against my will.”
“You can tell that to your uncle. Let’s go.”
The other agent grabs me a little too hard. His fingers pinch my skin, and I nearly trip as he tugs me toward the car. A third agent climbs out of a second car, but he walks straight past me.
“Where are you—”
“Hey!” I hear Tempe yell before I can finish my question.
I turn to see them ripping Charlie from her arms.
“No! You can’t.” I try to pull free, but the agent tightens his grip.
“Get the cuffs.”
“Please.” Tears swell in my eyes as Charlie starts crying. “Don’t do this. Take me. I’ll go with you. But leave her.”
Tempe tries to fight back, even with Ember on her hip. Until an agent steps between her and Charlie, resting his hand on his gun.
Charlie’s screams carry through the desert as I’m dragged to a different car, and when I try to kick free, they throw cuffs on my wrists.
“Where are you taking my daughter?” I demand, but they don’t answer. “You have no right to take her. We’re here by choice.”
An agent grins down at me with his yellow-stained teeth bared. “Like I said, tell that to your uncle.”
At that, he shoves me into the car and slams the door behind me.