Page 32 of Peaks and Promises

“Thank you,” she said. “That would be a relief. But we can sleep out here. You don’t need to give up your room.”

“It’s fine.”

“But—”

“Summer.” My tone was firm but gentle. “There’s only space for one out here. Take my room.”

She nodded. “All right. Maybe if we stay hidden long enough, Axel will give up and go home.”

“Maybe.”

I couldn’t tell if she believed that. I certainly didn’t. If we made it difficult enough, he might give up eventually. I had a feeling it would take more than hiding them for the night to get rid of him, though.

But at least they were safe. For now.

Axel

Eyeing me like he thought I might pull a gun and demand all his cash, the bartender slid my beer across the bar. I ignored his suspicion, taking a long pull from the bottle, and turned around.

The run-down bar was busy, the hum of conversation drowning out the music playing in the background. A handful of guys played pool, and a middle-aged waitress in a miniskirt brought out drinks on a round tray.

I put my arm around the girl next to me. She leaned in, looking up at me through thick eyeliner and fake lashes. Nice tits, though. I took a long look at her perky cleavage spilling out of her low-cut shirt.

Buzz sat at a nearby table with a girl in his lap. Hammer sat on a stool on my other side, his back to the bar. He’d been in a shitty mood since we got there.

I was, too. Fucking Summer.

I’d taken the fall—did my duty for the club, even though it meant time behind bars. Now that I was walking free again, I could begin securing my dynasty.

Mayhem had done me a solid, keeping track of her. Stryker’s old lady had enough influence over him for that.

And the kid was mine. She couldn’t keep him from me.

Keeping my arm around the girl, I took another swig. The more I thought about it, the more pissed I got.

“That bitch,” I snarled. “Wouldn’t even let me see him.”

Hammer grunted in acknowledgment and took a drink of his beer.

“Wouldn’t let you see who?” the girl asked.

I ignored her. “She needs to remember, I’m the kid’s father.”

“You have a kid?” the girl asked. “I love kids. How old is he?”

“Ten,” I said, although I wasn’t positive. “Or something.”

“His mom won’t let you see him? That’s not right. You’re his father. She should know better.”

Although I agreed, I went back to ignoring her. I hadn’t bought her a drink for the conversation. “She ain’t raising him right.”

“Nope,” Hammer said.

“He needs to learn to be a man.” I let out a frustrated breath. “Stryker should have taken care of that while I was locked up.”

“Why would Stryker give a shit about some kid?”

“Nate’s his old lady’s grandson.”