For so long, my mother has been just a fading memory, a handful of photographs, and my father's rare, pained mentions. But this—this is real.
And Havoc gave this to me. The complicated, intimidating man who makes me feel things I shouldn't has just handed me the most precious gift—a piece of my family. My mother's beloved companion, now mine.
For the first time since Dad died, I feel like maybe I'm not completely alone after all.
8
HAVOC
It’s a muggy night, and sweat slides down the side of my neck, dampening my collar. My bike’s hot between my thighs, making it worse. Irritated, I adjust the red demon mask that covers my face. No patches tonight—we’re staying as anonymous as we can.
We’re waiting for the truck carrying our weapons, and my mind should be on the job at hand. Instead, it keeps going somewhere it shouldn’t. To how Sasha felt wrapped around me on the back of my bike. To how she reacted to being pressed against me as the engine rumbled between her legs. The look on her face when I pulled off her helmet—flushed cheeks, blown pupils.
Don’t know what turns me on more, how fucking mortified she was or the fact that she’s perfect for me. My innocent little princess, getting off from riding a bike.
Fuck.
Now I’m fucking hard when bullets are about to fly.
“You with us, Prez?” Diesel murmurs from my side.
“Yeah,” I grunt, shifting in my seat. The bike’s engine ticks as it cools.
“Hey, is that a new Desert Eagle in your pants or are you happy to be here with us?” he continues, his voice forcefully casual. Ace and Ryder snicker in formation behind us.
“Shut up,” I grumble.
Diesel sighs. After a minute of silence, just as I think he’s dropped it, he opens his mouth again. “Just do it, man.”
“Do what?” I say through clenched teeth.
“Make the kid your old lady. Everyone sees there’s something between you two.”
“I haven’t touched her,” I say, defending myself automatically.
“But if you had,” Ace says quietly, butting into the conversation, “it’d be okay with us, you know? She’s legal. She’s family.”
I turn my head to see Ryder nodding along, though there’s a tension in the set of his shoulders.
“Tank and Bone’ll kill me,” I say simply. “She’s Vike’s daughter, and I’m twenty-six years older than her, for fuck’s sake. Cradle robbin’.”
Diesel shakes his head, the demon mask shifting grotesquely in the shadows. “She’s not gonna be some sweetbutt passed around. You’re different with her.”
I check my phone, the screen blinding me in the darkness.
Where’s the damn truck?
“We’re not here for a therapy session,” I say decisively, putting an end to the topic. Or so I thought.
“Wonder if she’s a virgin,” Ryder muses quietly.
For a moment, I freeze, thinking I must have misheard. Then I realize the dumb shit actually said what he said and turn around as much as I can on my bike.
“What the fuck?” I roar, my breath hot where it’s trapped inside the mask. “Shut your fucking mouth about her!”
Ryder brings his hands up. “I’m just saying… She has thatuntouchedlook, you know? So innocent.”
I’m halfway off my bike, seeing red, when Diesel grabs me. “Kill him later, brother. It’s showtime.”
