I kept an eye on Jagger rather than Tricky. His father, Madden, and Rock’s mom, Ginger, were the masterminds behind killing Trigger and helping Joker take control of the Little Memphis Motorcycle Club.
If Ryder was the reason for the Void’s interest in this town, he could have easily gone after the people who fucked over his dad—Madden, Ginger, and Joker. Even Ford and Pax made sense. Ryder was either too stupid to come up with a solid plan or he didn’t have the balls to hit the right people.
“Hey, Jagger,” Elle said as he walked over. “Write a name idea for my son on my belly.”
Though I considered smacking the marker out of his hand, I got distracted by Tricky’s approach.
“Be cool,” Jagger told his president after scribbling something on Elle’s stomach.
“Oh, I’m cool,” Tricky muttered, ignoring me and frowning at Elle. “You need to learn to hold your liquor.”
“Just for that, I don’t want your stupid name idea on my belly,” she snapped before smiling at Jagger. “You should have joined the Crimson Guard and hung out with the cool kids.”
Jagger gave a quick glance at Tricky as if he agreed with Elle. Of course, he didn’t admit that shit and instead shrugged. “Joker and Madden rode together for years. It was only right for their sons to do the same.”
Tricky liked that answer and smiled. Finally, he let himself acknowledge me.
“I’ve got your number.”
“Go away!” Elle screamed at him. “Stop harassing me! It’s bad for the baby!”
Tricky barely had a chance to react before Clint and Rowdy ran over and tackled him. Elle winked at Jagger and hurried away to her girlfriends, who pretended to believe her hysterics.
I stood over the men holding down Tricky while he fought to break free. Jagger did nothing to help his president. I got the impression he regretted where his loyalties ended up.
Or maybe I was reading him wrong. Elle made Jagger seem like a smart guy who got saddled with the impulsive Tricky. Her view of the situation had clearly clouded mine.
Ditching the wrestling match, I followed Elle to where a basketball half-court was installed. Sabrina and Xandy stopped shooting hoops long enough to write name suggestions.
“Rutger Reed,” Sabrina said and nodded. “Admit it. You love the name.”
Frowning, I reminded her, “The kid will have my last name.”
“Well, that’s a whole lot of bullshit.”
“I think we’ll give him the middle name Reed,” Elle explained and took the basketball. “Rutger Hauer was a cool actor. I’ll consider the name.”
Hidden by her messy reddish hair, Xandy said, “I think you should go with something zodiac themed. You’re due in January, right?”
“Yes, but I’m not naming him Capricorn.”
“Scorpio is sexy,” Moe said as she joined her girlfriends. “Or Gemini.”
“If we go based on when the baby was conceived, we could name him Aries.”
The women looked to me for a response. I considered sharing the name I had picked but decided to hold off until Elle was in the right mood.
Shrugging, I told Sabrina, “I’ll consider those names.”
“He’s such a killjoy,” Sabrina muttered to her girlfriends.
Elle bounced the ball toward me. I sank the shot, winning applause from the women. We took turns at the basketball hoop until Elle got tired and decided she wanted to stretch out on a couch.
For the next hour, while the party went on outside, Elle and I relaxed in the main living room on one of the pastel couches. While she used my lap as her pillow, I told her about my plan to find a house in the next few months. We talked around what the future might look like between us.
The next day, we went to the ultrasound. My son was growing well. His little face looked weird on the screen. I had never wanted a kid. The idea still freaked me out from time to time. But I also felt a great sense of pride over his existence.
Leaving Little Memphis this time tore me apart in a new way. I already missed Elle. I wanted to know my boy was close. I was curious about what Sutter was learning. Each mile between them and me cut deeper until I felt broken in a way no negligent parent or cruel foster home had ever managed. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t ignore the pain.
