Page 24 of Hades

My knees nearly buckled. I couldn’t bear to hear her cry like that.

“Hold on, Mia,” I said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, all right?”

“Okay,” she whispered.

As I started toward the door, Ironside gripped my elbow, pulling me to a stop.

“You’re in no fit state to ride,” he said.

As my Vice President, he outranked me. I had to follow his orders, no objections and no questions asked. But if he put me in that position, I was going to be breaking rules left and right for my daughter, and damn the consequences.

“I’m not sitting here on my ass, doing nothing, while my baby girl is in fucking tears,” I said.

Ironside turned to the bar with a nod. Bruiser tossed him the keys to the club’s cage.

“I’ll drive. Let’s go.”

Thirty seconds later, Ironside, Bruiser, and I were in The Reckless Order’s van, heading to Jenny’s house as fast as the old wheezing engine would allow. I guzzled the protein shake Bruiser had given me, wrestling to gain some semblance of sobriety before we pulled into Jenny’s driveway.

I was barely out of the van when Mia came flying across the lawn toward me, tears streaming down her face. I gathered her into my arms, clutching her tightly against my chest.

“I’ve got you, sweetie. I’m here. Talk to me. Tell me what happened?”

Before Mia could reply, the front door opened, spilling a golden shaft of light through the shadows of late evening. I recognized Jenny’s figure right away. But the masculine silhouette standing next to her was new, unfamiliar.

This must be Greyson.

My gaze roved over him, taking in the expensive suit tailored to fit him like a glove. His neatly combed golden blonde hair. The possessive hand he placed at the small of Jenny’s back.

“It’s Mama’s new boyfriend,” Mia mumbled. “I don’t like him.”

My hackles went up and I gritted my teeth. Jenny said something to Greyson that I couldn’t make out. Then she stepped onto the porch.

“It’s just a misunderstanding, Simon,” she said. “Mia needs to come back inside. Everything is fine.”

Mia whimpered and tightened her arms around my neck.

“No! I don’t want to.”

Behind me, I heard Ironside and Bruiser emerge from the van. But they didn’t come any closer, waiting for my signal in case I needed their help. I couldn’t help noticing the tricky position I was currently in, caught between my family in front of me and my club at my back.

Jenny sighed and marched closer, lowering her voice.

“I told her not to call you. There was a…slight confrontation. That’s all. We’re working it out.”

“A slight confrontation?” I echoed. “Bullshit. Don’t sugarcoat it, Jenny. What the hell is going on?”

She hesitated and rubbed her forehead.

“I called Greyson to thank him for the flowers. He asked to meet the kids, so I invited him over for dinner. Mia showed up to the table wearing the cut you made for her.”

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, adjusting Mia in my arms.

Traditionally, Old Ladies of club members wore cuts with their man’s name on the back to show they were taken. No one was allowed to lay a finger on them.

Mia begged for a cut of her own, but it didn’t feel right for her to display Property of Hades when that term belonged to wives and girlfriends. Instead, I settled on Protected by Hades, indicating that my little girl was still safeguarded by a club member. And she got to wear her Daddy’s road name with pride.

“Greyson expressed concern that it wasn’t appropriate for a young girl,” Jenny added.