As promised,Marty showed his ass on site again late afternoon. But with Vanessa’s help, we got the girls out of sight and out of the way. When she came inside to say she’d found Freckles, the relief was instant—a part of me worried Jenna had gone and done what I said: left. Then Highway came up with the smart idea that sending them over to Ness’s house for a little fucking conflict resolution might be the thing we needed to keep them out of the firing line. The women didn’t need to witness how we deal with unwanted visitors—law and all. To them, we’re still the good guys, and we need it to stay that way if anyone wants a hope at them healing from their experiences.
All our little stunt bought us was an extra day. Twenty-four hours to come up with a legal reason to bar the sheriff access to them or submit.
Chaos needs to work his magic if he wants to keep Marty from interfering in his plans.
My gaze drifts to where Molly sits in the backseat of the club truck, squeezed between two adults. Loki sits to her left, Jenna on her right. I don’t know what the women got up to at Vanessa’s, only that they came back looking different. I hesitateto say “better”—just… different. Kathy wore a dress I’ve seen Vanessa in a handful of times, Darla a pair of jeans and jacket that gave her an edgier look, and Jenna?
She arrived in a long skirt slit to the knee, Chucks on her feet, and a fitted T-shirt beneath an oversized, fashionably torn sweater. On anyone else, it’d look messy. Unkempt. On her, she fucking radiates cool confidence.
Even if her eyes say otherwise.
I jerk my attention back to the road, hands fisted around the thin, vinyl wheel. After that bullshit with Reno, I wanted to do something to lift Molly’s mood, and the idea struck the moment I laid eyes on what was for dinner. The prospects try their best, but damn, some nights I struggle to identify what meat they have in the dish, let alone if I should be eating it. I don’t know how to cook for shit, so there was only one option: burgers.
Now, here we are, five of us crammed in the club truck on our way into town to get a meal. It started as Molly and I, until I realized I couldn’t keep an eye on Jenna if I weren’t near her. And then when Darko caught wind, he invited himself along, making the mistake of announcing it in front of Loki, who then took the last seat. Three Kings, a child, and the enemy. Cozy.
I grip the steering wheel a little tighter and relish the stretch of my skin across my knuckles. Darko got to the vehicle first and parked his ass in the front, which means Loki happily slid in the back with Jenna—Molly the only thing separating them. I glance in the rearview and make eye contact with my brother in arms.Asshole.He looks away first, casting his gaze over Jenna with a wary frown. He said he has no interest in herthatway, but he also has no interest in leaving her be, which pisses me off the most. Why get involved and make things harder for me? Does he not trust me to do the job right? Does he think I can’t keep her from causing more trouble for the club? From jeopardizing what we hope to achieve?
Has he been fucking watching me?
“You missed the turnoff,” Darko says drolly, eyes on his phone.
How he’d fucking know…But the guy’s right. I did miss the damn street we need. I take the next right a little fast, sending everyone in the back sliding to their left.
“I’d like to die with a full stomach, thanks.” Loki shoves the back of my seat.
And I’d like to kick you out on the side of the road.“Why. It’d make your meal a waste of money.”
He sighs. Darko smirks.
Jenna continues to stare out the window.
I don’t miss the way Molly watches her, glancing at Jenna’s hands every so often. Also don’t miss the way my daughter gently nudges Jenna when we pull up outside the burger joint and whispers, “We’re here.”
The Breed brat looks down at my kid. “Thanks.”
Despite preferring to be alone, Jenna hasn’t once told my daughter to go away when Molly’s incessantly pestered her with simple conversation. For that, I have to be grateful.
I kill the engine, gaze unfocused on the dash. There’s a weird mix of feelings I can’t make heads or tails of, knotted up around my insides. My pride wishes I didn’t have to deal with this—any of it. Not tumbling headfirst for the deceitful daughter of the enemy, nor my own daughter’s unreliable mother. But there’s another part of me—the piece I can’t name—that knows I’d hate it if they were to both vanish tomorrow, no longer my problem.
You’re a goner.I shove the door open and step out onto the street to draw a deep breath. Until now, I’ve never cared about anything this much in my life. Even when I tangled with the Amish girl, there was a certain numbness that accompanied the fallout. I laughed it off—that’s what I do. I fucking laugh it off before conflict has a chance to get its hooks in me and I walkthe fuck away to find something or someone else to fuck around with.
All I seem to do these past few days is walk right into the heart of the fire. For no other reason than to see myself suffer.
A fool would call that love.
“Ready?” Loki says to my daughter, offering his hand to help her out of the truck.
She takes it willingly, hopping off the running board and hitting the ground with a small slap of her sneakers.
I shut my door and promptly snatch her hand from his. He glares at me as though I’ve lost my mind.
Maybe I have.
“We ready to eat?”
I’m met with the enthusiasm of retirees watching their fourth off-key rendition of Christmas carols from the local school. Darko crosses the street without saying a word, Jenna following close behind. Loki rolls his eyes and trails the duo, leaving me to lead the only person in our group who gives a damn about the burgers.
“Can I get a milkshake, too?” Molly skips along beside me to keep up with my long strides.
