Chapter Four

RUGER BLOCKED KATRINA'S path. "Let's head home."

"No." Katrina folded her arms across her chest. "I haven't had a chance to talk with Cora—"

"She's on her fucking honeymoon. She's probably going somewhere," said her dad.

Behind him, Cora rushed into the clubhouse, scanning the entire room until she spotted Katrina and her dad. She waved, getting her aunt's attention. Perfect timing.

"Jesus," mumbled Ruger. "Let me know when you're done."

Katrina uncrossed her arms, happy to have her dad's attention off her and Jagger. "You don't want to stay and visit with your baby sister?"

Her dad grunted and walked away from her. Katrina relaxed. She'd successfully avoided a collision between her dad and Jagger.

He passed Cora without even acknowledging her and went back out the door. Katrina looked behind her and found Jagger pouring coffee and staring her way. She raised her eyebrows in success.

"Katrina." Cora walked faster. "Hey, I'm so glad I caught you. I was afraid you'd take off before we woke up." Her aunt stopped in front of her. "Do you want to walk down the street to the coffee shop and get a drink? We can hang out there, or we can stay here. Whatever you want."

Not wanting to leave the clubhouse and Jagger, she pointed to a table. "I'll get us a coffee."

She hurried over to where Jagger stood. She moved beside him as she grabbed two mugs out of the cabinet.

"What are you up to?" he whispered.

"Getting to know my aunt." She filled up both cups. "And I wanted to see you."

"No."

"I'm already here, so you have to see me."

"I told you to stay away from me." He walked away from her.

She looped her fingers through the handles of the mugs and grabbed the sugar container, not knowing what Cora would need for her drink. At the table, she sat across from her aunt.

"I suggested the coffee shop because that's where I work." Cora reached for a mug.

"Then, this coffee will suck to you." She sipped, wincing at the scalding heat against the tip of her tongue. "Bikers are notorious for buying bad coffee for the clubhouse."

"That's probably why the majority of them walk down to the end of the block and buy coffee at the shop throughout the day." Cora smiled. "So...tell me about yourself. I've been dying to know more about you since Ruger told me he had a daughter."

She shrugged. "Not much to say. I work as the bartender at the mother chapter of Havlin."

"So, you live with your dad?"

"No." She set the mug down. "You know my Dad's only been out of prison for two years, right?"

Cora nodded. "I don't know too much about what happened. Was it for a long time?"

"Yeah. You can say that." She rolled the bracelet on her wrist. "Pretty much my whole life."

Cora whispered, "Can I ask who raised—?"

"No reason to whisper. I'm not ashamed of my past. Dad loved me despite being locked up." Seeing the hurt reflected in Cora's eyes, Katrina leaned back in the chair. "He cared for me the best he could by having his biker family look after me while he was gone."

"Who raised you?"

"Mama Sue." Saying the name softened her. "She's the best."

"Is Ruger still involved with your mom?"

Katrina's spine snapped to attention. Her father had told her throughout the years how he'd split after his parents found out he'd gotten his girlfriend pregnant. He never told her in words, but she assumed her grandparents hadn't wanted an illegitimate child in their family—as if that mattered nowadays.

"He never told you?" she asked.

Cora shook her head.

"My mom ran out of the hospital after giving birth to me. Dad raised me until he went to prison when I was four. Since then, I've lived with Jagger's mom, Mama Sue."

Cora slumped in her chair. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"Nothing to be sorry for. I'm happy with my life." She took another drink.

The last thing she wanted was pity. She also wasn't ready to sing kumbaya around a burning barrel, passing a whiskey bottle back and forth with her newfound aunt. She wasn't sure what knowing her background would do for her aunt, but she wasn't ashamed about who she was.

Yes, her dad was a murderer. But he loved her.

"It's so crazy to think all that happened before I was born." Cora shook her head. "I wish I had known. My parents—they never told me everything that happened."

She sat straighter. "Yeah, they don't sound like people I'd want to know."

"They're dead."

Shit.

What was she supposed to say now? Good riddance?

"Listen. I know there was bad blood between Ruger and my parents, but I don't want that to stop us from being a family now." Cora reached out.

Katrina leaned back, avoiding her aunt's touch, and crossed her arms. She did not like strangers to touch her. Especially by a girl that had no clue how she lived her life. She wasn't here to change anything.

"Look." Katrina exhaled loudly. "I was curious to know what you looked like. That's it. I'm not looking to recruit anyone into my family."

"But I am your family." Cora's chin came up. "If you don't want to know me...fine. But that doesn't mean we're not family. You only know what your dad has told you. I'm not my parents." Her aunt stood. "If you don't want to know more about me, that's on you. Just know that I live in Seaglass Cove." She reached into her purse, grabbed a receipt and a pen, and wrote on the back. "If you ever want to know more, you know where to find me."

Cora put the receipt with her address in front of Katrina and walked out of the clubhouse. Katrina watched her storm out. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed.

She despised weak women. It was nice to see Cora had some balls under that dress. Maybe all Albright women had a wild temper.

Going by the sundress and flip flops and the way Cora wore her hair up in a messy bun, she surprised Katrina. Maybe there was more to her aunt than she figured from her first impression.

Katrina scoffed, losing sight of her aunt. She had bigger things to deal with than an aunt trying to turn her and her dad into one big, cozy family.

She finished the rest of the coffee and regained the strength she'd lost after encountering Jagger that morning. She came to see Cora only because it gave her an excuse to see Jagger.

The last time they'd been together, he swore he was done with her. He'd told her to go on with her life and forget about him. Then, he'd left, giving her no choice but to lose him—after he'd spent years telling her he'd never leave.

It was impossible to stop loving him. He was everything to her. Every memory and significant moment in her life revolved around him. Just because Jagger refused to go against the bylaws which said something stupid like he couldn't touch a member's wife, sister, or daughter since her dad gained his freedom didn't mean she could stop wanting him.

Her dad was out of prison, but he wasn't exactly back in her life. She still lived with Mama Sue.

She continued to stay with Mama Sue because she held up hope that Jagger would ride to Beaverton for the yearly rally. But no one from Seaglass Cove attended the last two years because they were busy setting up the new chapter.

She put her cup in the sink and went outside. Men loitered around, going about their business. She scanned the line of bikes, going to the position closest to the door, knowing if Jagger was still around, his Harley would be parked there.

It was.

She walked faster, going to her car. Now that she'd met Cora, nothing kept her in Seaglass Cove. But she wasn't leaving until she was ready.

Right now, all she wanted to do was take a shower, change out of the clothes she'd worn yesterday, and get another chance at seeing Jagger.

She opened the back door of her Dodge Charger and grabbed her overlarge bag. Not knowing what would happen when she arrived, she'd packed enough clothes for a week. Her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket as she shut the door. She pulled out her cell and read the screen.

It was Mama Sue.

Warmth filled her, and she connected the call. "Did you miss me?"

"Child, I always miss you." Mama Sue clicked her tongue. "How was your trip?"

That wasn't the real reason Mama Sue called. If there was one person in the world who supported her one hundred percent and had stood beside her through every visit with her dad in prison, every fight at school, and every heartbreak with Jagger, it was Mama Sue.

Mama Sue had dried Katrina's tears, calmed her anger, and gave her the love and affection she needed, even when she protested.

She owed the woman everything.

"It was a good trip. There wasn't much traffic since I started late, but I made it here in time for the marriage celebration." She looked around at the men. "I met Cora."

"I'm so happy for you. You finally have someone you can call family."

"You're my family." She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat.

"You can't have too many." Mama Sue paused. "Speaking of family. Have you seen my son?"

"Of course, I've seen him. I've already made him angry at me." She wasn't ready to analyze what their encounter met that morning.

"He's never angry at you. He's mad at himself, child," said Mama Sue.

Half the time, she believed Jagger hated her for loving him. Other times, she wanted to believe he fought with her because he believed he wasn't good enough for her. She would never care what he'd done in his past or what he'd do in the future as the president of Havlin Motorcycle Club.

All she wanted to do was be with him and love him.

"He hasn't answered my call in two days. Can you pass the phone to him, honey?"

She couldn't hide the smile that erupted on her face. If she didn't know any better, she would think Mama Sue was giving her an excuse to get close to Jagger again.

"Sure. Let me go look for him." She held the phone to her ear and carried her bag with the other hand. "How's everything at home?"

"Quiet with you gone," said Mama Sue.

Katrina laughed. "I bet you like that."

"Hell, no." Mama Sue sniffed. "I miss you like crazy."

One of the bikers noticed her head toward the back of the building with her hands full and jumped to open the door. She winked, thanking him.

Once inside, she dropped her bag and blinked to adjust her vision to the darkness in the room. The clubhouse had no windows and relied on overhead fluorescent lights on the high ceilings.

The moment her eyes adapted, she spotted Jagger at the head of the table, concentrating on a stack of papers. Beside him, sitting to his left was her dad.

"Uh oh," she murmured.

"What's wrong?"

"Dad's with Jagger." She lowered her voice. "Get ready to hear us fight."

"If he starts anything, tell him he'll have to face me when he gets home," said Mama Sue.

She smiled at the warning. Mama Sue was barely a hundred and twenty pounds and only five foot four inches tall. Nothing was intimidating about her, except she was married to the past president of Havoc-Lincoln Motorcycle Club and knew every in and out of the club. Katrina had seen grown men run away from Mama Sue.

"Okay, I'm going over." She made it to the end of the table before her dad spotted her.

Ruger stood and pointed toward the door. "Get out."

"I can't leave." She held out her arm with the phone in her hand. "Mama Sue wants to talk to Jagger."

Ruger's mouth tightened. Even he was afraid of getting on Mama Sue's bad side.

She walked around the table and handed the phone to Jagger. "Keep the phone. I'm going to take a shower. I'll find you when I'm done and pick it up from you."

Jagger ran his hand down his beard and whispered, "Doors unlocked. Use mine. You'll have privacy."

She cocked her eyebrow, surprised he'd offer with her dad sitting eight feet away.

"It's the only one you're guaranteed not to have a member walk in on you," he said loud enough for her dad to hear.

Not wanting to start a war between the two men, she walked away to gather her bag and then slipped into the hallway.

Her dad wouldn't check up on her to see where she went because he had Jagger in sight. She slipped into Jagger's room.

Finding a way to spend time with Jagger with her dad hanging around the clubhouse was proving difficult. But she planned to stay another night, and her dad had to sleep.