Chapter 5

MAY 14 – SUNDAY 2:30 AM

N ash

Following my father around was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but he'd been more secretive than normal. He'd also left a couple of his guards down near Neil's cell, so I couldn't get to it without him finding out. There was no need to have them stationed there. That man wasn't going anywhere, so why? The only answer I could come up with was to keep me out.

I'd stayed far back from the glowing dot on my screen and parked around the corner from where his car had stopped. I knew this area well. It was the same street that Mya and her family had lived on. Getting out of my car, I wandered down the road and pulled my hood up. I hung out under the tree away from the streetlights and spied my father's car about six spots ahead. I'd avoided this entire neighborhood after the night my father had Mya killed. She'd become my weakness, and he stabbed me through the heart with a blade of my making.

He looked around as he got out of his car and walked up to the door of a house. I had no idea who lived there, and I came from the wrong direction to get any closer. He rang the doorbell, which was odd all on its own. My father didn't ring doorbells. He had other people do it, or he killed whoever inconvenienced him. Interest piqued, I slipped around the tree to try and get a better angle, but the person who opened the door stayed in the shadows, and I couldn't tell who the hell it was. Feminine arms wrapped around his neck, and the door closed behind him. So, my father had a secret lover in a middle-class area who he seemed affectionate with? What the fuck? And who the fuck?

More burning questions to be answered later because I had a meeting with a guy by the name of Merlin. Which I was sure was going to be a magical experience. I smirked at my own stupid joke. Walking back to my car, I got in and made note of the day and time my father had come here. It could be nothing more than some girl he was paying to fuck, but everything could be something.

Starting the car, I turned around and drove out of the subdivision the same way I arrived. It only took me twenty minutes to get to my new building at this time in the morning, and I pulled around back to wait.

"Jesus, fuck!" I jumped when someone tapped on my window. Shutting off the car, I got out and wanted to hit Liam. "You just scared the fucking shit out of me."

"What are you doing here," he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," I countered. Liam smirked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I was inside doing more demo when I heard you pull in. Now, your turn."

Leaning against my car, I crossed my arms and pretended not to smell the cigarette smoke on Liam. He thought I didn't know he still had the odd smoke, but I knew. I just chose to keep it to myself until I needed leverage.

"I'm waiting for a local biker. It's the MC that took over Hammer's club."

"Why the hell are you getting involved with that turf war?"

"I'm not," I said and shrugged, but I didn't get to explain further as the roar of a motorcycle pierced the night before the single headlight pulled into the driveway.

The stranger pulled up close enough that I had to shield my eyes from the light. Prick. The rumble rattling the windows in the building behind me ceased as the guy turned off his ride and plunged us into silence. He climbed off the bike like all bikers did with an air of fuck you, and my balls are bigger than yours, bullshit.

"You Nash," the guy asked.

"Depends on who's asking," I answered, and his brow furrowed together into a mean scowl. Despite features that could land him on the cover of GQ, he looked like he ate bullets for breakfast.

"Name's Merlin."

"Yes, I'm Nash, and this is Liam."

"You needed a babysitter? How sweet," he mocked and pulled a cigarette out from behind his ear and lit it up. I ground my teeth, wanting to say something sarcastic back, but that wasn't a good way to start a business arrangement. "Are you going to negotiate all on your own? I mean, you barely look old enough to be out of diapers, let alone brokering a gun deal."

I took a step closer to Merlin and let him see the insanity that lived within me. The beast that simmered under the surface and was always filled with a toxic rage.

"I am. Do you have a problem with that?"

His lip twitched up, and he pulled the smoke from his mouth and blew it up in the air. "Alright, enough wasting time. What's the deal?"

"I hear you need guns and ammo at a discount," I said, and Merlin nodded. "Well, I need safe passage through your MC's territory starting next month."

"Passage for what?" He crossed his arms.

"A tour bus. I've decided to get into the tourism industry, and I don't want my paying customers to get hurt as it brings them through your side of town."

"Tourism?" He laughed hard, the sound loud in the deserted parking lot. "That's fucking good, kid. No offense, but you don't look like the type that has seen a hard day, let alone ballsy enough to run an operation of this size. Do you even know how to use a gun, or are your hands too delicate to do the dirty work?"

I stepped into Merlin's personal space. "Don't call me kid or spew shit you know nothing about. I've lived a hell you can't even fathom, and I'd bet everything I have that I've had to get my hands dirty more than your motorcycle riding ass ever has," I snarled.

Merlin stepped up so we were nose to nose, and I glared into his eyes as we sized one another up. He finally smirked.

"You have balls, Nash. I'll give you that." He dropped the rest of the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his boot. "What discount do we get?"

"Any gun, fifteen percent off, and ammo, twenty percent."

"How often do you want your ‘tour bus' to pass through our area?"

I rubbed my bottom lip as I thought. "Once a week, max."

"Make it twenty percent off of the guns and twenty-five on the ammo, and you have yourself a deal."

"You have the authority to make that happen," I asked, the jab hitting the way it was meant to as he glared at me.

He eventually smiled and pointed as he laughed. "I might have underestimated you."

"Most do, but those people don't tend to live very long," I said.

Merlin turned his back on me and wandered toward his bike, the large reaper head on the back of his cut reminding me that I needed to take a breath. The Lost Souls were not known for their humor, and their new Prez had the reputation of ripping heads off and hanging them like Halloween decorations.

"I'll take the info back to Prez, but I was already given the order to make the deal if it made sense for us. I see the benefit. You got a name for this tour you want to drag through the shit-ass side of town?"

"Four Knights Touring Company," I said, and Merlin shook his head at me.

"I'll be in touch so we can hammer down days and quantity of product. Be sure you can fulfill our orders, or we may not see your bus driving by that week." Smirking, he fired up his motorcycle and wheeled out of the parking lot.

"You trust that guy," Liam asked as the sound of the bike faded in the distance. I shook my head.

"About as much as I trust my father."

"Isn't this the life," Liam drawled, but he wasn't wrong. I also didn't have a fucking clue what a normal life looked like anymore.

MAY 14 – SUNDAY 8:05 AM

Ren

Phase one of my plan to seduce Myles and Blake was fully underway. We'd crashed hard when we went to bed last night, and I was asleep within seconds, wrapped up in their arms. But today was a new day. The sun was shining, the guys were still sleeping, and I was out of bed and in the shower with the bathroom door wide open. My plan was simple. I would make myself irresistible until they caved, and the glass shower door was a good start.

Turning around, I tilted my head back under the spray and closed my eyes but kept them open just enough to see any movement outside the door. I thought I saw them standing there, but when I glanced over, they were gone. Not that I expected them to join me today, but before we left here to go back to Wayward, I wanted to take the next step in our relationship.

I turned off the taps and opened the door to grab the two towels I'd set out, quickly twisting my hair up in one and wrapping the second one around my body. Wandering out to the bedroom, I fully intended to give them another show. The bed was not only empty but made. What the fuck?

Myles kept saying that I wasn't ready and that it was too soon after my attack. I couldn't seem to get through to him that I didn't associate anyone else with Axel's actions. Maybe if it had happened differently or if I had a different personality. But I wasn't scared of Myles or Blake. I was still interested in having sex and it being a fun and loving experience.

Fuming, I stomped into the closet and got changed before rubbing out more of the water from my hair and heading downstairs. I could hear faint chatter and sucked up my disappointment at them snubbing me again, and walked in to see Blake and Ivy drinking coffee while Theo made pancakes. I didn't even know he could cook.

"Where is Myles?"

Blake pointed out the sliding glass door. "On the phone."

Wandering over to the large stack that Theo had piled high, I made to grab for one of the golden discs of goodness, but he smacked my hand with the spatula.

"Ouch."

"No stealing before I'm done. I didn't stand here slaving to make a nice breakfast for you to grab one and roll it up like a burrito. Don't think I haven't seen you do that disgusting habit at school."

"Geez, grouchy this morning. Fine, I'll get plates."

"We already have them," Ivy chimed. This felt strange.

"This is the last batch, and then we can eat," Theo said as Blake strolled over, stretching like a cat getting up from a long nap. He kissed my forehead and then poured a cup of coffee and handed it to me.

"Come sit down. Theo hates anyone in the kitchen with him when he's cooking. He's seriously anal about it."

"I am not," Theo argued.

"Oh yeah? Don't touch my spices. They're lined up the way I like them. You're cooking that too fast. Those mashed potatoes aren't smooth enough. Get out of the way so I can fix them. The gravy is too runny. Don't you dare touch the oven. If you make my souffle fall, I'll have to kill you," Blake mocked, and we all laughed at the perfect imitation of his brother. "Face it, you're a tyrant in the kitchen. Mom won't even cook with you. That says it all."

"Whatever." He unplugged the griddle, walked over with the leaning tower of pancakes, and plopped them down on the table.

"Where did you even get the ingredients for all this? Anything in the cupboards would be old by now."

"I threw all that out," Theo said, sitting down. "Then I booked a ride and went shopping all before any of your eyes were even open."

"Well, thank you. This looks fabulous…oh my god, is that strawberry puree and fresh whipped cream?"

"Of course, how else are you supposed to eat pancakes," Theo said, offering me the maple syrup. If it had been anyone else to say that, I would've said they were being facetious, but this was Theo, and I knew he genuinely felt that way.

"Good morning, Snowflake," Myles said as cheerily as the sunny day when he walked inside. He kissed me as he sat down, and his hand gripped my thigh, setting off little fireworks in my body.

"Good morning," I whispered against his lips.

"Ugh, you two are seriously too much. Nash is right," Theo complained.

"Don't tell me yer as jealous as Nash, now," Myles said, and Theo rolled his eyes as he stabbed a piece of pancake. I was positive he was thinking of using the fork on Myles instead.

I took two of the pancakes off the plate for myself and held the pile out to Myles. As soon as everyone was busy eating, I ran my finger through the whipped cream and looked at Myles as I sucked my finger into my mouth. He stopped chewing, his eyes trained on my mouth and finger as he licked his lips.

Picking up some more, I caught Blake's eye and repeated the process until they were both sitting, not eating, and only staring at me. See, two could play that game…well, technically three, but the meaning of the saying still held.

"Please stop that before I lay ya out on the table and eat you for breakfast instead," Myles growled, and everyone looked at us.

"For the love of God. You're not ruining my breakfast. Do I need to separate the three of you?" Theo fumed.

"Okay, Mom, we'll stop," Blake mocked.

Before the fight could get going, Ivy's phone rang. "It's my dad," she said, and we all fell silent as she answered and walked away from the table.

"What do you think Morrison wants," Blake asked, and we all shrugged.

"She didn't even see him before we left, so I have no clue," I whispered.

We quietly ate and caught little bits of the conversation, but Ivy was talking so softly it made it hard to hear her without making it obvious that we were trying to eavesdrop. She hung up and leaned against the counter.

"What's going on," I asked, standing up, ready to rush to her if she needed me.

"My dad's gone into rehab. He just called to say he would be out of service for the next six weeks, and he didn't want me to worry. He says he's going to get clean and that he is sorry for being such a shitty dad. I…I…I don't know what to say." Her eyes filled with tears. "He's never even attempted before." She wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek.

Neither did any of us as we looked at one another. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? It was hard to tell with someone who was all cozy with Lawrence, but my bigger concern was if this was good for Ivy. If he stopped treating her like dirt, then it had to be a good thing.

Theo shocked me as he walked over to her and guided her back to the table. "Eat. We can worry about the why later." He gave her a genuinely warm smile, and I could see a glimpse of what I saw last night under the hard shell. Theo might be a dick, but under it, he was as sweet and considerate as his brother. For some unknown reason, he didn't want anyone to know.