Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Fuck my life.
Neva drives off, and Tawny shoves at me. “Are you even listening to me?”
“I can’t do this right now.” I need to go after Neva and explain that it doesn’t matter. We can still be together. “Is it even mine?”
“Oh, you asshole.” Tawny takes a swing at me, and I duck.
“If it’s mine, I’ll pay child support. Split custody. Whatever. But this doesn’t change anything, Tawny. I don’t want to be with you.”
“That’s great, Justice. You think I want to raise a baby on my own? You’re going to do the right thing. I told Devil.”
“You did what?” I growl.
“He’s thrilled for us.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I wanted him to know that I wouldn’t try to get between you and the club.”
“There is no us.” Fuck.
“Him and Daddy are already working out the details. You know Devil’s been trying to do business with him, and Daddy agreed if you marry me.”
“I’m not marrying you. You’re fuckin’ crazy.”
“We’ll see.”
Devil has been trying to get her old man to sell one of his businesses to him to use to wash the club’s money.
I need to talk to Neva.
Make her understand that I can get Devil what he wants and marry Tawny, but that doesn’t mean I have to be her husband on anything but paper.
We could still be together. This doesn’t have to change anything, but Devil…
he’d kill me if I made his daughter the other woman.
My piece on the side. Not that it’d be that way, but that’s how it would look.
“You’ve fucked up my life.”
“You’ll come around. Once the baby is born, you’ll see.”
“I’m never going to love you.”
I’ll talk to Devil. Find another way to make this deal happen.
“We’ve got all the time in the world. You’ll forget all about Neva.”
“Fuck you.”
“Is that any way to talk to the mother of your child and wife to be?”
“You’re delusional.”
“They’ve already started on the paperwork, hubby.”
This can’t be happening.
I was so close to everything I’ve ever really wanted.
I’m going to kill her, but first I’m going to be sick.
I walk to the edge of my driveway. Tawny is running her mouth behind me.
All I want is to rewind time. To go back to Deadeye Motel, where I had Neva in my arms. When I was inside her and my world finally felt complete.
I look back at Tawny, and all I feel for her is raw hatred. She’s ruined my life. She’s taken Neva from me. Forever. I know it. I’ve lost her for good.
I need to think, and I can’t do it while this bitch runs her cocksucker.
Damn her. Damn it all.
I need to go after Neva before she hears this shit from Devil.
My bike is at the clubhouse.
“I need your car.”
“What?”
“I’ll bring it back. Stay here.” I don’t wait for permission. I jump into the driver’s side of Tawny’s car and l leave her standing there throwing her hands up in the air.
It doesn’t take me long to find Neva. She’s pulled off the road not far from Devil’s driveway. Why though? I pull over behind her and pray she will hear me out. I never meant for any of this to happen. She’s all I want. She knows that. She has to know that I would never hurt her. Not like this.
I rush up to the driver’s side, finding it empty. I spin, looking around. “Neva?” She’s gone. I see her tracks in the snow, leading back to the house. Then I notice the flat tire.
Didn’t Devil say he just got these? Maybe I ran over a nail or something, and it was a slow leak. I shake my head. I’ll figure it out after I talk to her. I get back in Tawny’s car and start down Devil’s driveway when I see them. Jenny Lynn and Tom. They’ve got Neva at gunpoint. What the fuck?
I reach for my gun, but remember I left it back at my place. It’s on the fucking kitchen counter.
They haven’t spotted me yet, and they can’t get past Tawny’s car if I leave it parked here. If I could sneak back to my place…but there’s not enough time. Devil has guns stashed all over his house, if I can get them to go inside without Tom shooting one of us first.
I pull out my cell phone to fire off a text to Storm and hope he’s not off on a bender somewhere.
Damn it, no service.
I tuck my phone back in my pocket. I need a weapon. Fuck me. I check Tawny’s glove box. Bingo. The gun her father gifted her last year for Christmas. Guess I should be thankful she didn’t shoot my ass. I check to see if it’s even loaded.
Thank God for small favors, she’s got a full clip.
I ease out of the car, but all their heads snap to me when I slam the door shut. “A party and I didn’t get an invite,” I call out. Tom points his gun at me, and his eyes are off Neva. Good. That’s what I wanted.
“Don’t come any closer,” he shouts.
“It’s cool, man. I just want to talk.”
I try to shoot a look at Neva. I need her to run.
As soon as she’s clear, I’m taking my shot.
She looks at me and nods, then makes her move. Everything happens fast.
Neva elbows Jenny Lynn in the gut. She doubles over and Neva runs. I fire a shot, and so does Tom. Mine strikes him in the left shoulder. His hits the windshield of Tawny’s car. I fire again and miss. The third time I get his gut.
Jenny Lynn goes for his gun, but I fire another round into the air, and she drops down to his side instead.
Neva stands on the porch, cuddling her damn cat, but the sight warms me.
“Go call Thad Stevens,” I tell Neva as I walk up on Jenny Lynn and Tom. I could burn them in their car at one of the old strip mines, but I’m not involving Neva in something like that.
Tawny comes rushing across the field between my house and Devil’s.
“I heard the shots. Are you okay?”
Jenny Lynn cries over her piece of shit pervert husband.
He’s breathing, but barely.
Tawny is throwing a tantrum about her car, but all I care about is Neva.
“Keep an eye on them.” I hand Tawny her gun and trust she’s not going to shoot me. Not yet anyway.
I walk into the house and find Neva sitting by the fireplace with Mr. Tinkles, staring at the flames.
I drop to my knees in front of her. “Fuck, Neva. Thought I’d lost you.”
I cradle her warm face between my chilly hands.
She tries to pull away from me.
“But you have. You’re having a baby with Tawny. I can’t get between that. I won’t. I won’t be the other woman. Not even for you. I love you, Justice, but it hurts too bad. I—”
Her pain crashes through me like thunder cracking across the sky in a storm.
“I won’t give you up, baby. I can’t. You’re in my veins. You could cut them open and bleed me dry, but you’d still be in my bones. You belong to me, Bean. I’m yours. All fucking yours.”
She shakes her head. Tears stream down her cheeks. “If you love me, you’ll let me go.”
“You’re my whole heart. My whole goddamned stupid fucking heart. I love you, Neva, with every fiber in me. We can’t be over. I just got you. You’re mine.”
“Please, just go. I can’t look at you.” She closes her eyes, and I kiss her sugary lips. “No.” She lets the cat go and shoves me on my ass. “Just go, please.”
“Bean…”
“Don’t. I need to be alone right now.”
“Fine, but this isn’t over. We’re going to talk about this.”
She nods, biting back her tears, still not looking at me, and it kills me.
I’ve done the one thing I swore I wouldn’t. I’ve broken her heart and my own.
I walk back outside just as Thad and two of his deputies pull up, followed by Devil.