AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shadow picks that moment to come back out, skin glistening and still only wearing his boxer briefs. “So you sent him an email and he just claimed to be your father?”
“The fucker’s worth hundreds of millions, if not more. No fucking way,” Outlaw says dismissively. “I bet he’s used to bitches claiming their kids are his.”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Lightning growls.
I shake my head. “It’s probably true. We wrote back and forth a couple times before I asked if he knew of anyone that could be my father. He was the one that arranged for me to do a swab kit. A week later, the doctors were planning Mom’s new treatments and he was arranging for me to come out here to meet him once she was out of the woods.”
Shadow looks disgusted. “Life doesn’t mean shit unless it’s worth cold, hard cash, apparently.”
“Wait. If your mom’s still recovering, how long have you been here?”
“A little over a week I guess?”
“So you’ve known this fucker for months, max. Only met him in person a fucking week ago and you were walking down the aisle with some random asshole he wanted you to marry? What the ever-loving fuck is that about?” Thunder spits out. “This is some daytime TV level shit.”
“I know! Why do you think I asked you to take me with you?” I throw my arms in the air, forgetting that I’m not wearing a bra, and then slap my arms back over my chest. But not before they all get a good look at my girls swinging free with the headlights clearly visible under the thin silk. They pretend it didn’t happen, but Lightning’s really bad at hiding his smirk. “Look, I came out here thinking my father was just some rich business guy. Real estate, investments, I don’t know and so long as it paid for Mom’s treatments and the fancy rehab place, I didn’t ask questions. The day after I got here he introduced me to Devin as his second-in-command or whatever, and then the next thing I knew, he was talking about how it would be so much easier to make sure Mom and I were taken care of if he could move money around. I’m not a lawyer, but he made it sound like if Devin was family, then they could do taxes differently, or… I have no idea.”
“That sounds shady as fuck,” Thunder growls, so deeply I can feel the vibrations through the bed. “He's using you, Harper.”
It’s both hard and a little gratifying to hear someone else say what I’ve been feeling. “But he's my father, right? He said it would only be for two years and it would just be for show. He saved my mother! Even if he’s a horrible person, isn’t putting my life on hold for a couple years still worth it?”
“That's fucked up.” Thunder slips out of bed to pull on his clothes. It's like watching a mostly naked mountain move. He barely seems real, and there are two of them! Lightning isn't any less impressive.
“I know…”
“I get it, though,” Shadow says softly. “My mother raised me by herself, and if she’d been fucking dying? I’d do a lot worse to keep her breathing.”
Outlaw stands. His build is leaner than the others, but nobody would call him weak. His tattoos ripple and sway as his muscles move, and they're everywhere. Almost everywhere below his chin has something inked on it, different colors, different styles, different everything, like a living patchwork. And studs through his nipples, I realize when he turns my way before pulling on his shirt. I'll freely admit it's really hard not to stare at so much masculine perfection, each mouthwatering in their own way.
“This is all touching and shit, but we’ve gotta move.”
“You’re coming back, right?” I know we can’t stay together forever, but the idea of being alone and having to decide what to do terrifies me.
Shadow and Thunder exchange a serious look and Shadow shakes his head slightly. “We have to get out of town, Harper. Your asshole father won’t cooperate too much with the cops, but we still did a lot of fucking damage yesterday and our pictures are probably all over the fucking place. The longer we’re away from the club, the more dangerous it is for us.” His tone is gentle, but crushing.
“Right. Of course.” They’re in a club, or a gang or whatever. They have somewhere to go that will protect them. People waiting for them.
“Look, nobody knows you're here,” Lightning says. “You can take time to think and figure your shit out. Just go back and be with your mom maybe. She’s already getting better, right? What’s Mesner going to do?”
Thunder sends a smile my way. “Unless you want to come with us? Find yourself a good biker or two and settle down.”
