AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s a future I couldn’t handle. As much as I love this child growing inside of me, I need to do what my father is asking of me. Besides, maybe he’s better off with someone else. I know I would’ve been.
Chapter Two
Knight
Present Day
‘Visiting family. I’ll be back soon.’That note was left six weeks ago. Six weeks and two days, to be exact. I should be patient. Oakley had talked about going back to Amarillo to visit her father, and she even texted me when she got there. There’s no reason for me to run off and chase her. She owes me nothing. My prerogative was to help her until her baby daddy and his men were taken care of. That was finished months ago. She has no reason to stay.
“Where you at, man?” Axel is on the other line. He’s the last person I thought I’d hear from. We’re not that close, but it’s a big day for the lodge, and I’m sure Tex or Diesel put him up to the call.
“Ah, I’ll be back in a few days. Everything alright there?”
“Not really.” His tone is gruff, though it always is. “Diesel’s pissed. He needs all hands-on deck for tomorrow, so you better get your ass back here.”
Turning back now isn’t an option. I’ve been holding watch for the last twenty-four hours. My bike is surrounded by peanut shells and piss. There’s no way I’m leaving until I get a glimpse of her. One smile and I’ll know she’s okay. That’s all I need.
Wide open pastures sprawl out with dried-up creek beds winding through. Brambles and bushes of wild berries and rows of fencing hold back livestock. Mostly cattle and horses, but there look to be a few pig pens in the far distance, closer to the barn.
I lift my binoculars and stare out at the scene. From here, I can see clearly through three back windows of the house. Lucky for me, out here in the middle of nowhere, no one has bothered with curtains or shades. The living room has been vacant for days, though the house is big enough that I’d bet there were a few rooms for living. The other two rooms available to my sightline should garner me some luck. The kitchen and an upstairs hallway. Yet, twenty-four hours have passed, and I’ve seen a woman who looks to be a house hand and a large man whom I assume is her father. Still, I haven’t seen Oakley.
Maybe she’s not here. It has been six weeks. She could’ve moved on, gotten a job somewhere in town,found a boyfriend. The thought of another man touching her sends a crackle up my spine. Again, it shouldn’t. She has no ties to me. I’m just a guy who helped her out in a time of need. That’s a creed the MC uphold, and it’s nothing new. Besides that, we didn’t get much time to talk with everything going on at the lodge, though that doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about her.
“Bro… care to finish this conversation?” Axel’s tone is irritated. I don’t blame him. He and the guys are going to have to pick up my slack when the furniture is delivered tomorrow, and it’s a big delivery.
“Sorry, man. I need to finish up a few things here. I’ll be back in town as soon as I can.”
“No.” His tone is harsh, and it’s annoying the fuck out of me. “You need to come back now. I know you’re in Texas. We can’t be out there. That’s Death Ranger territory, or did you forget how all this works?”
“I said I’ll be back when I—” The back door opens, and Oakley walks out. One hand covers her face, the other on her expanded stomach as she lowers herself to the ground.
I disconnect the line and tuck my phone into my back pocket, twisting the knob on the binoculars to clear my focus.
The large man I’ve seen multiple times this week follows her out the door. I can tell he’s yelling by the way he waves his arms and grips her up from the ground. He’s harsh and heavy with his movements and I have every right to aim this pistol right now and put him out of his misery.
A wave of disgust flickers through me as I try to be patient. I assume this man is Oakley’s father. There’s a code I have to follow to protect her, but the more I focus the binoculars, the more tears I see streaming down her face. The more tears I see, the angrier I get. The angrier I get, the less I’m able to stand still.
I need to get to Oakley, and I need to get to her now.
Chapter Three
Oakley
Roosters peck at the bits of grass poking through the dusty earth in the yard and the clop of horses’ hooves sound behind the squeaky back gate. My father’s farmhouse sits on an ungodly number of acres in North Texas. The rocking chairs on the front porch lead folks to believe the ranch is welcoming.
It’s not.
Wind blows and I tip back on the rocking chair, following the line of ants that make their way across the stairs and back onto the grass. I’ve always envied ants. I watched this documentary once where this little ant family worked together like a tribe. One would fall and the others would go for him. They worked together for a common cause and, for the most part, they did it without drama. I’m not sure I know a single person who could make that happen.
The back screen door swings open and closes with a thump. My father is behind me. I feel his heavy boots weigh on the wood boards as he steps closer. My heart rate jumps at least ten beats. He’s always had this effect on me—immediate panic.
“Quit your sulking.” His tone is low and there’s frustration buried in his throat. We had another argument earlier. Well, he was arguing with me. I was trying to get away.
“I need the fresh air. I’ll be in soon.” My stomach turns as I speak in slow whispers that seem to soften him in a way I don’t expect. Most folks would think he was trying to be nice, but I know better. This is manipulation at its highest form.Care.
His heavy body bends down next to mine and his arm anchors over my shoulder without permission. He smells like cigars and hay from the field. He shouldn’t. I can’t remember the last time he was working in the field, but I suppose you can’t yell at the help without getting close to the source. “You know, Oak, this baby is better off with that family next door. What do you know about being a mother, anyway?”
I pinch my lips together in a soft hum and slide away, but my father squeezes my shoulder tighter, holding me in place. I hate this man. I hate him with a loathing that’s beyond words, but I don’t know what to do or where to go. After things went south with my first and last boyfriend, I’m not trusting myself a hundred percent in the decision-making category. That’s on me. Anxiety has me believing that familiarity is comfort. It’s funny what your brain tells you when you’re in survival mode.
