“Is Allegra hurt?” Shotgun ordered, sitting up in bed, worried. Pain raced through him, and he regretted the movement.
“No. Allegra’s fine as far as I know.” Rain still avoided his eyes. Shotgun felt a sinking feeling. Whatever Rain was hiding was bad.
“Spit it out,” he ordered.
“I went home to grab some clothes when the call came in. In the bathroom were three…”
“What? Rain, what?”
He let out a breath… “Pregnancy tests. All positive.”
Shotgun paled and stared at Rain. “Allegra was telling the truth?”
“Yeah. There was a letter. Allegra’s gone. She basically states that you prioritised Hellfire over her and the child. That you didn’t believe her when she told the facts. Allegra says she won’t accept being second best to Hellfire MC. Shotgun, Allegrathinks you’d put the club before the baby, too. She stated… we’re finished.”
“Fuck!” Shotgun cursed and tried to get up.
Rain pushed him back down. “Stay in bed.”
“Rain, we need to find her.”
“It’s too late. We’ve no idea where Allegra’s gone,” Rain said.
“We’ll get people searching,” Shotgun replied.
“Allegra flew out privately, and from Italy, we’ve lost her completely. She’s off the grid, and the family won’t say where she is either. The entire family has warned us to stay away. They’re not interested in explanations,” Rain said, lowering his head to rub his neck.
“It’s not fuckin’ excuses.”
“Nana claimed we didn’t put Allegra first. That you had to play hero, and I backed you up. They’ve made it very clear: any goodwill we had is gone. They’ll protect Allegra until the day they die.”
Shotgun closed his eyes. Guilt raced through him. Allegra hadn’t lied. She’d told the truth, and he’d accused her of trying to manipulate him. He’d belittled her, and even when she’d sworn she was being honest, Shotgun had called Allegra a liar.
He’d badly fucked up.
“I’ll fix this,” he promised Rain. Rain held his gaze. There was so much hurt in them that it cut Shotgun deeply. Shotgun would find Allegra, bring her home, and make her realise she was the most important thing in their lives.
Part Two.
Chapter Seven.
Shotgun – February 2025
It was time. It had been a couple of years since the war, and he was tired of sneaking around. Fuck whatever drama was happening in the club. He and Rain had been together for six years and had no more secrets between them. He stared out of the window of Rain’s house as the snow fell in thick sheets. Twenty-four months had nearly gone by since they’d last seen Allegra. They remained unaware of Allegra’s location or whether she was safe. They’d no idea if they had a son or a daughter.
The Spaldings had cut them dead, involving lawyers when Shotgun kept pushing. Nigel and Leila Gibson had found no sign of her. Wherever Allegra was, she was way beyond their reach.
Shotgun refused to let life stand still anymore. As much as it pained them both, it was time to move forward.
He’d tried speaking to Chance last night while Rain stayed late at work, but the clubhouse had been packed, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Finally, he’d texted the inner circle and requested a get-together. Chance had replied they’d meet at midday. Shotgun was nervous; he’d no idea how the brothers would take this, and it was almost making him sick.
By the time the meeting rolled around, he’d hardly slept and was a wreck. As Shotgun entered the church, he realised the others were already there. Shotgun shut the door and grabbed a seat.
With the table between them, it felt as if two sides had been taken.
“What’s up, brother?” Chance asked as Shotgun’s mouth dried up. He took a swallow of water and steeled himself.
“I’m bisexual,” he stated and waited for the eruption. Seconds ticked by, and Shotgun realised it wasn’t going to happen.
