Page 14 of Diary of a Biker Queen

Mom:

I don’t even know what to say to all of that, other than I’m at home, safe, and I guess I won’t be going to work tomorrow. What the hell were you all thinking?

I could practically hear the disappointed tone. Nyah’s and Luca’s shoulders both slumped a little as they read over my shoulder.

Mom was right. She was going to have to quit. Guilt plagued me over the thought, because I knew that job at the Guerras’ was supporting both her and my father. But she wasn’t safe there now. All I could do was hope she’d understand what I’d done, who I’d chosen to stand by, and that I had never meant for any of it to blow back on her.

I’d pay for whatever they needed. I’d sell my place, hell, I’d sell the whole damn shop if that’s what I had to do to keep her from going back there.

Shame I wouldn’t be seeing any of the money Carlos had promised me. I could have used it now more than ever.

Mom:

We’ll talk at a reasonable time when your father isn’t trying to sleep.

I tucked my phone away, relieved at least she wasn’t anywhere near the Guerra mansion.

“Dax,” War called from the front of the van. “We taking you somewhere, or are you coming to the clubhouse as well?”

There was nowhere for me to go, other than to wherever Nyah was. Everything else would have to wait until we’d slept. “Clubhouse. Please.”

War gave me a nod in the rearview mirror, like that was exactly what he’d expected me to say.

I threaded my fingers through Nyah’s and stroked the back of her hand until we arrived in Saint View. War took the winding cliff road that led deep into the woods where the imposing gates of the Slayers’ clubhouse loomed. A reaper holding a scythe glared back at me from the center of the wrought-iron gates before they slowly opened.

It was a short trip from the gates to the clubhouse parking lot, and War stopped the van behind a row of Harleys and choppers.

I went to open the door and found I couldn’t. “Uh…”

Hawk glanced back over his shoulder at me. “You didn’t think we’d just let known Guerra associates out to wander around our clubhouse, did you?”

I widened my eyes at him. I knew most of the guys in the club. Had done tattoo work for them or had talked to them when they’d come in to check out where Reaper had been spending his time. It hadn’t occurred to me I should be nervous over being in the belly of an outlaw motorcycle club headquarters.

Hawk sniggered. “I’m fucking with you, Dax. We all have kids now, and most of us have used this van to shuffle them around from sports or school. The child locks are on.”

“Oh.” I relaxed a bit, feeling stupid. “Right.”

Reaper clapped me on the shoulder from behind. “Ignore Hawk. Everyone knows he’s an asshole. You’re always welcome here. Especially if this is where your girl is. Mine will have my head if we let anything happen to her.” He eyed our interlaced fingers. “Or if anything happens to you, because by the look of it, you’ve picked up right where you left off.”

Luca groaned in annoyance, unclicking his seat belt so it slid back into place with a snap that seemed to match his mood. “Can we get out of the fucking childproof car, please? I don’t need to hear about how in love Dax and Nyah are.”

His words were sharp and cold, but I was sure I wasn’t the only one who heard something more in them.

Without letting go of mine, Nyah silently reached out for his hand.

He yanked it away from her. “Don’t. I just want to see my sister.”

War unlocked the doors, and Luca pushed his way past me and Nyah, expensive Italian leather shoes landing on the gravel driveway before I could even get my seat belt off.

Nyah shoved the hand Luca had rejected into her pocket and stared down at the floor.

“He’ll get over it,” I murmured to her, not exactly understanding why she even cared.

Nobody had made Luca say the baby was his. I was grateful to him, because I was sure that was the only reason we had all managed to walk out of that castle alive, but no one had forced him. As far as I could see, he’d blown up things with his father long before all of this. Luca and Carlos had been on tenterhooks ever since Carlos had dragged him back here.

Luca stomped off toward the clubhouse, but I wasn’t going to worry about him. All I cared about was Nyah. I held her hand as we followed War and Hawk to the door, with Reaper and Lynx bringing up the rear.

“Prewarning,” War called out. “I don’t know what’s going on in here tonight. Could be a Monopoly game. Could be a full-on sex show.”