When I got back to my hotel room, I didn’t know whether to punch a hole in the wall or jack off until my dick was raw. Never before had I experienced such a mixture of emotions. One thing was certain though, I wanted Annabelle and I was going to make damn sure I had her.
I was still in the middle of my internal debate as to the best way to release some of my pent-up frustration when my phone rang, Dash’s name appearing on the screen. “Dash, what’s up?”
“Hey, Prez. How’s your trip going?” he asked.
“Did my daughter put you up to this?”
He chuckled. “No, but I fully expected her to. Thought I would put myself one step ahead of her and call while she’s asleep.”
“Why is she asleep? She doesn’t usually go to bed this early.”
“She came home from work early today and said she didn’t feel good. She went on to say she thought she was just overly exhausted and needed to get some sleep.”
“If she’s not feeling better in the morning, you call Patch and have him check her over, no matter what she says,” I ordered.
“I’m one step ahead of you, too,” he chuckled. “I already called him and asked him to stop by the house or her office tomorrow and check in on her.”
“You think she’s coming down with something?”
“Honestly, I think it’s stress. She won’t stop fussing over Coal. Now, you’re gone on a solo run and she knows that’s bullshit no matter what anyone tells her. Add in everything that just went down with Reese and Duke, it’s not surprising she’s worrying herself sick.”
“Let me know what Patch says tomorrow, yeah?” Fuck, I hoped there wasn't anything wrong with my baby girl. My plate was full, I couldn't handle anything else, especially if that something involved one of my kids. It was a small comfort to know they were both being looked after, but I still wished I could be in both places at the same time.
“Will do, Prez. You okay, man?” he asked.
I sighed and dropped my ass to the bed. “I found her.”
“Yeah? You talk to her?”
I gave him the short version of my encounter with Annabelle, leaving out any and all information about Nathan. I trusted him, but my daughter was a clever woman. If he knew something he wasn't telling her, she would pick up on it and do everything she could to find out what it was. She needed to hear about Nathan from me or her mother. Of course, that would have to be after her mother heard about her, and her brother.
I finished up with Dash and fell into bed. I tossed and turned all night. Every time I drifted off to sleep, my dreams were filled with the nightmares of my past, some real and others imagined.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Annabelle
Phoenix arrived at the clubhouse around lunchtime the next day. He looked like he hardly slept. I probably looked very much the same. I don’t think I slept more than two hours. I couldn’t stop thinking about Phoenix and all the things I needed to tell him, and wondering what things he had to tell me.
We made small talk with Wave and Token before heading out for lunch. Nathan had already left to meet with his new team at the gym and would be gone all day. I didn’t usually work on the weekends, so I had the entire day free to spend with Phoenix.
We stopped for lunch at a little cafe along the Pacific Coast Highway. After we placed our order, I asked a question I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. “How did you become the president of your great-uncle’s club?”
“When Uncle Talon died of a heart attack in 2002, his son, Hawk, became the president. A few years later, Hawk and his wife, Goldie, were hit when they were out for a ride. Both were killed on impact. Copper and Bronze were too young to take over the role as president, so it was offered to me. I was already a patched member, but I wasn’t around much because I was still on active duty. It just so happened that their deaths occurred around the time I was up for reenlistment. Instead of reenlisting like I had originally planned, I chose to accept the offer and became the president of Blackwings.”
“So, do you live in Devil Springs or Croftridge?” I asked, completely confused.
He chuckled. “I lived in Devil Springs when I first took over the club. I was president for less than a year when Gram and Pop told me they were moving to Florida and turning over the house and property to me. After discussing it with Pop and then the club, I made the decision to move the club to Croftridge, which is where I live now.”
I was afraid to ask after learning so many of his family members had died over the years, but I had to know. “Your grandparents? Are they—”
He cut me off and I was thankful for the interruption. “They are alive and well, enjoying their retirement on the Floridian coast.”
I exhaled in relief. Phoenix’s grandparents had a very special place in my heart and it would have pained me greatly to know they were no longer a part of this world.
“What about Copper and Bronze? Are they members of the club?”
“Yes, they are. They recently started their own chapter of Blackwings in Devil Springs. Copper is the president and Bronze is the VP. Their chapter is still new, but they’re strong. Copper has proven himself to be an invaluable asset to the club over the last year and a half, but those are stories for a different time.”
