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He sits up in bed, his back to me. "No, honey, I'm good. I'm going to head back to the clubhouse, have a shower, and then get somethin' there. You good to stay here alone?"
I blink back the tears. That's definitely a brush-off. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, Reap. I can take care of myself. If you want coffee before you go, the pot should be ready," I tell him as I get to my feet, grabbing my robe from the floor and quickly tying it around me. "I'll see you soon," I say with a bright, fake smile. I press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth and carry on moving toward the bathroom. I lock the door and turn on the water. Tears sting the backs of my eyes.
Damn, I'm so stupid. It was only supposed to be fun. I should never have gotten attached. Now look where we are. I'm on the verge of tears because it's over.
I strip out of my robe and climb into the shower. Never again. Not ever again will I let my heart be involved. I don't think I'm ready for anything. I'm not strong enough, not yet. I need to focus on me.
CHAPTER14
REAPER
Leaving Esme this morning was hard, but I needed to get to the clubhouse and see if Ace had spoken with Makenna and uncovered anything about the fucking Jacobson’s. The way she said goodbye, it sounded final. She's got another think coming if she believes we're done. Hell fucking no. Last night sealed her fate. She's mine. I'm goin' to have to take a leaf out of Wrath's book and bide my time, get so fucking deep that she doesn't even notice how close I am until it's too late.
"You good, brother?" Preach asks as I enter the clubhouse. He's holding Tyson in his arms, who's just as wide awake as his father.
"Yeah. What the fuck you doin' up at this time?" It's not even eight a.m. and my brother is wide awake. Preach usually doesn't see the fucking afternoon, let alone morning.
"Tyson had a bad night," he says through a yawn. "Didn't get much sleep. Then I heard your bike pull up. Everythin' good with Esme?"
I nod. "Yeah, brother, everythin' is good. Why don't you get some sleep. I'll take care of him for an hour or so," I say to him, knowing that if I don't take Ty, Preach isn’t getting any sleep today at all.
Preach's brows practically rise to his hairline. "You?"
I scoff, offended by the shock in his voice. "You don't want my help, that's fine. I got other shit to do."
He shakes his head. "No, you've offered. I'm takin' you up on that. I'll only sleep for an hour," he says. The big grin on his face as he hands me his son is enough to make me glare at him. That fucker is loving this. But Preach is my brother, my best friend. I would do anything to help him. And taking care of a baby isn't that hard. Right?
"Call me if you need me," Preach says as he walks toward the back of the clubhouse. "He's been fed and changed, so he should be good for a while."
"We'll be fine. Sleep, before you fall on your face. You're no fuckin' good to any of us like that." It's true. He'll get himself or someone else hurt by being so sleep deprived.
Tyson looks up at me. Thankfully, he looks nothing like his mom. But those gray eyes of his look so familiar and nothing at all like Preacher's. A cold chill chases down my spine. The fuck?
"Yo, you good?" Ace asks as he moves toward me, his brows knitted together as he watches me with Tyson. "Where's Preach?"
"He needed sleep," I tell him. "You got a sec?" I ask, knowing that I need to ask him about Makenna, but looking down at Tyson and those familiar eyes, I'm wondering if I should mention the weird gut feeling that I have.
I could kick myself. The kid is months old and I'm only noticing now that he looks nothing like Preacher. Fuck.
"Of course," he says, nodding his head in the direction of his office. "I'm taking it that you're here to find out if I've spoken to Makenna?"
"Yeah," I say as I cradle Tyson in my arms. "I just wanted to check in and see if you have any updates." I'm still beyond pissed that he had someone watching her, that he's trying to scare her into going back to him. That's not going to fucking happen.
"I did. I got back to the clubhouse and called her. She had an awful lot to say about Jacobson and none of it pleasant. The old man has been money laundering for the Albanians for years. He believes he's untouchable, that because he's tied to so many high-ranking officials, most of which are judges and politicians, he's able to get away with whatever the fuck he wants."
"Just 'cause he thinks he's untouchable, it doesn't mean he actually is," I say with a grin. "Look at that fucker, Judge Temple." The asshole realized what happens when you fuck with a Viper. He and his wife paid the price for going after Pyro's sister and niece. Although it was Wrath who ended the old man. We'll do whatever it takes to protect our women. The lengths we'll go to in order to protect those we hold close define who we are. No one targets an old lady and lives to tell the tale.
Ace nods in agreement, a smirk on his face. "That he fuckin' did. But this time, those fuckers have a lot of backin'. Not only do they have the cops and prosecutors, they also have the fuckin' Albanians. This could mean a fuckin' war."
I grin. "Then fuckin' bring it," I snarl. "That asshole isn't goin' to target Esme again, Prez. It’s not fuckin’ happenin'. I'll put a damn bullet in his head before he gets near her."
"You seem to be protective of her. You claimin' her, Reap?"
My smile tells him everything he needs to know. "She may not want it right now, but I'm not lettin' her go. Trust me, Prez, I'll take out anyone who fuckin' gets close."
"We've got your back. As I said yesterday, she's under the Viper's protection. No one touches what's ours. But you know that if we do this, and we get caught or leave any evidence behind, we're fucked and lookin' at servin’ hard time."
I nod. "I know, but she's had eight years of her life tainted by that fuckin' asshole. She's not havin' any more."
