He put his hand over his chest, the ache a constant reminder of her loss.
“What happened to her—them?” Jinx asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“I was in law school at Harvard. Nancy and Sarah, that was my daughter’s name, both lived with me in an on-campus apartment. While I was swamped with work and classes, I did everything I could to be a good father and husband. Nancy hated living on the East Coast, but she wouldn’t leave me there alone because she didn’t trust me to not fuck around on her. Mind you, I’d never given her the slightest reason to think she couldn’t trust me. It was exhausting, but I put up with her bullshit for Sarah. Finally, we had a nice break at Christmas, so we flew back home. Fuck, I thought it would be good for all of us to rest and see our families. Honestly, I should’ve seen the signs, but—but I guess I didn’twant to. Anyway, she stayed the night at her parents’ with Sarah, while I decided to stay at my mom and dad’s. I’d planned to pick them both up the next morning since it was Christmas Eve, but she called and said she was going to go into town and shop with her mom.” Viking got up, needing something to drink as his throat went dry.
He pulled out a bottle of water, looking toward Jinx to see if she wanted one. She nodded, so he grabbed a second bottle, handing it to her across the island. Viking stayed standing, leaning against the cabinets behind him. He crossed his feet at the ankles and took a deep breath. “That day, she didn’t go into town with her mother. She went looking for a fix, and she found it. Nancy got so fucking high, and then she got behind the wheel of her mother’s little SUV. It started snowing, but Nancy didn’t put the vehicle in four-wheel drive. Even if she did, she was so fucked up it probably wouldn’t have helped. She drove too fast and crashed, veering off the road and rolling down a ravine. My baby girl died on impact. The coroner said,” he choked out.
“Oh, Bekkett.” Jinx stood before him, her arms wrapped around his waist, holding onto his shaking form.
Chapter Sixteen
Jinx let her tears fall as she held Bekkett. His pain and loss hurt her like it was she who’d lost a child. She couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him to live without a piece of himself.
“Don’t cry, Jinx. It’s in the past. I’m doing better.”
She sniffed. “I’m not crying.”
He wiped his eyes and smiled. She could see the strain in his face. “Nancy was still alive when they found them. I hated her. I refused to see her. My mom helped me plan Sarah’s funeral. She...she looked perfect. A broken neck. That’s what...why she didn’t survive. Nancy was beaten all to hell and back. Her mother came to the funeral, begging me to visit her daughter. She said that Nancy was suffering and needed me to tell her it was okay. I told her to tell Nancy to go to Hell. Fuck, I meant it. I still hope she’s burning for all eternity. She died a week after I buried my daughter. My mother came to me and asked if Nancy could be buried next to her daughter. Fuck. I was so pissed. My family knew she’d killed Sarah, and they were asking me to allow hermurderer to rest beside her. And then, they informed me they’d said yes. I had no say. They owned the plot and gave it to Nancy’s family. I packed my shit and returned to Harvard. I met Hollywood, that’s one of my brothers in the MC. He offered me a place to stay in California after I graduated, so I took it. He had connections and hooked me up with the Royal MC. It was easy to hide in plain sight when you have men like King and Duke Royal. They’re the President and VP of the Royal Bastards Santa Clarita Chapter. That’s my home chapter.”
“So, that was like five, six years ago?” she asked, doing the math in her head.
“Yeah. I kept my distance for a few years until my dad had a minor heart attack. Every year, I came back and visited Sarah’s grave, but I didn’t go home. I’d come up, spend a few hours at the cemetery, and then head out. I still do, but now I go home to see my parents. My relationship with Samson is the only strained one. He blames me for our dad’s heart issue. I told him it’s his fault because he doesn’t take on enough of the workload. He’s too much of a pussy. You know, normal sibling bullshit.”
She let him change the subject, knowing he needed the respite. A question popped into her mind. “Where are her parents now?”
He stiffened. “They moved down to Florida to be near Nancy’s grandparents.”
She kissed his bare chest. “Thank you for sharing. I’m sorry for your loss. It seems such a weak thing to say, but truly, I’m sorry.”
Viking palmed the back of her head and rocked them side-to-side. “Thank you.”
They stood in the center of her kitchen, letting the silence be their background while their hearts beat a rhythm. She closed her eyes, memorizing the moment she capitulated that she’d fallen completely and totally in love with Bekkett Larsen.
On the counter behind her, a buzz interrupted the quiet. She groaned, unwilling to leave his embrace. When the buzz stopped, she sighed, and then it went off again.
“Are you expecting a call?” he asked, leaning back slightly to stare down at her.
“No, not usually. Maybe it’s the tow guy about my truck.”
He turned her around, keeping his hands on her hips. “Better answer it. It would suck if he said he couldn’t get to your rig, or if he fucked it up. I’d hate to have to kill someone while I’m visiting my family.”
She peered over her shoulder, wondering why he sounded as if he were being honest. As if killing someone was something he’d done on more than one occasion.
Jinx swiped up her cell phone just as it began ringing again. “Hello?”
“Jinx? Thank god you're safe. Where are you?” Fred yelled.
She pulled the phone back from her ear. “Calm down, Fred. Why are you hysterical? I’m home. Where else would I be?”
Jinx stepped away from Viking, pacing a path in front of her long counter while her best friend spoke to someone in the background.
“The bar was on fire, and your truck is in the back. We thought you were inside,” he muttered.
“Wait, what? When? How bad is it? Fuck. I’m on my way. Is your dad aware? Shit, is Jordan with you? Are you both okay?” She hurried toward thestairs, intent on getting her purse and heading to the bar. “Shit,” she cursed, turned, and slammed into Viking.
“Easy, Vakker. I got you.”
“Whoa. Who’s there with you?” Fred asked.
