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“What the fuck happened?” Grim demanded as I pushed my way through the door and into the common room, ignoring my pres as worry for Tawni took precedence.
She should have awakened by now, but she was still unconscious. Carefully, I placed her on the soft leather couch and bent down, my fingers gently probing the back of her head as I found a lump on her skull.
Motherfucker who hit her was going to wish he never entered Nevada when I finished with him.
“Where are the two assholes from the motel?” I growled, barely speaking in a discernable tone.
“Downstairs,” Jigsaw answered, staring at a spot over my shoulder as if he didn’t want to make eye contact. He seemed even more odd than usual as he cleared his throat and ticked his head toward the hall.
Brushing a strand of hair off Tawni’s face, I leaned back, slowly rising to my feet. There was a commotion as I heard raised voices, and then a tall, lanky kid bolted around the corner, looking pissed off and ready to kick ass.
“What did you do to my mom, asshole!?”
Blinking, I couldn’t move as he rushed toward me, smacking his hands into my chest. Caught off guard, I moved back a step involuntarily. His gaze locked on mine as he sneered, assuming I was the reason she was lying on the leather sofa. My entire body stilled as I lifted my hands and gripped his shoulders, fucking afraid that if I let go, this moment would cease to be real.
Hazel eyes stared back, holding me prisoner as the shock of the moment refused to sink in. Hazel eyes. Just like my father and grandfather. Hazel eyes just like mine.
Just. Like. Mine.
I shuddered, my chest rising and falling fast as my heart hammered out a beat that was far too fast to be normal. One hand slid upward to cup the back of his neck, and I finally took a shallow breath, hoping to fuck that I wouldn’t pass out.
“What’s your name, kid?”
He scoffed. “Did you hurt my mom?”
“No,” I answered honestly.
“Zane,” he blurted with attitude.
Zane.My son’s name was Zane.
This moment was fucking surreal. I didn’t know what to say or do. Nothing prepared me for such a revelation. Tawni wasn’t awake. There was no way to know what she told him about his father.
Did he know that I existed? That I would have fucking been so happy to know she was pregnant? That I would have wanted and loved him from the moment I knew he was conceived?
Shit. My gut churned, and I swallowed hard. I was a father and never even knew it. A part of me was devastated with that knowledge. I missed every single moment of his life and never even had a choice to become involved.
How the hell did I tell Zane the truth?
My greedy gaze roamed over him, and I was sure it was fucking creepy, but I couldn’t help it. He was my goddamn clone. Looked just like me when I was young. Same dark hair and broad shoulders. Same dimple in his cheek. The height and attitude. Kid couldn’t be more than fifteen, maybe sixteen years old. Didn’t even have chin pubes yet. I nearly laughed at the thought until I realized that I was with Tawni seventeen years ago on Halloween, which meant he was probably sixteen. One night was all we had together and my son was born from the love we shared. Something beautiful created despite the ugliness that followed.
Zane was staring at me like I was some kind of loon.
Dammit. The first time I meet my son and I fuck it up.
“Your mom is gonna be fine. I promise.”
His brows furrowed and it was like staring in the fucking mirror. The only difference was that I was older with a beard and long hair. Not to mention all the tattoos.
“Did those guys at the motel hurt her?” he asked, breaking from my hold and rushing to her side, sitting on the edge of the sofa as he picked up her hand and held it.
My heart did a funny stutter as I watched the two of them. Something clicked in my brain, and I knew I would fucking kill anyone who ever tried to harm them. Tawni and Zane were mine to protect. Didn’t matter what reason we separated for the last seventeen years. I would figure out a way to make this work.
Now that I had them this close, there was no way I would let my family leave the Crossroads. Not until every enemy outside these gates was taken down and destroyed. I couldn’t lose Tawni twice. No fucking way. And now I had Zane too.
“Where’s Patriot?” I asked, turning to my pres who was staring at me with a discerning eye. He never missed the important shit. That was why Grim was the president of the club and the first Reaper.
“We’ll get him,” he answered softly, turning to Jigsaw. “Go.”
