Chapter 6

Emma

“I s this our home now Mommy?” Ash’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and when I turned, she wore a quizzical expression that held neither hope nor expectation.

“No, sweetheart. It’s not.” I smiled and rubbed my hand over her impossible to tame curls. “This was a little vacation, we’re going home today, okay?” Home, I hated the thought of going back there, but for the sake of appearances we had to, that’s what Diesel had told me last night, that if I wanted to keep the police from getting suspicious then I had to carry on like nothing was wrong. Maybe in six months I could put the house up for sale, say I couldn’t afford the mortgage repayments or whatever. But for now…

“But Daddy Alex is going to be angry,” Ash’s voice was laced with worry.

“Daddy Alex has gone away for a few days,” I said. The more I said it the more I was starting to believe it myself. That was what I’d told the police. I’d worn a scarf around my neck so they couldn’t see the bruises, but I’d told them we’d had an argument and that he’d stormed out. That was what usually happened, Alex would bully and threaten me then he’d storm out locking me in the house while he went off to Vegas to burn off his anger in the casinos with his brother.

“Okay, Mommy. Are we going away again?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? I went straight to a hotel the night Diesel and Slate showed up because the idea of staying at the house—at all—just wasn’t an option. I’d been trying to get away for so long that the urge to run away was strong. But now I didn’t have to run, at least not far. Alex was no longer a threat, which meant home could stay home, even if it looked a little different. “No Ash, I don’t think we’re going away again. Do you want to go away?”

She shook her head, a worried expression on her face. “Away from Daddy Alex. He’s mean.” She leaned close. “I don’t like him, Mommy.”

My heart cracked down the middle and then fractured into a million pieces. I was still trying to keep it all together, but no matter what I did, the silent accusation of you’re a murderer kept spiraling around in my head. I had to be strong for my daughter.

Then if that wasn’t enough, seeing Asher again for the first time in six years shocked me to the core. When I found out I was pregnant I’d gone back to that bar a couple of times hoping to see him, but there was no sign. I don’t think he even recognized me, which made me wonder if he’d slept with so many women all their faces became a blur.

I knew I had to tell him about his daughter, but first things first, I had to get me and Ash through this, before I could decide my daughter’s future.

I let out a sigh, wishing with everything I had, that I could go back to yesterday morning before all this happened. I’d take Ash out grocery shopping and we’d get on the bus and get the hell out of Steel City. Seeing my daughter’s worried face, and realizing she was waiting for my response, I said, “We won’t see Daddy Alex anymore, he’s gone away,” I assured her with more confidence than I ever had because now I knew for certain he wouldn’t find us.

A knock sounded on the hotel room door and we both gasped and jumped off the bed. “Mommy?” Ash’s voice was small and scared.

I put my hand on her shoulder and pulled her close. “It’s not him,” I assured her even while my heart thundered in my chest.

“Promise?” Her hand instinctively went to her cheek, and it brought home to me what could have happened last night if I hadn’t stopped him when I did.

I pulled my daughter into a hug, “Yep, I promise.”

“Okay,” she said with a shrug before she turned her attention to the door and a second knock.

“I’ll get it,” she offered excitedly.

“ I’ll get it,” I replied with a gentle smile as I crossed the room and peered through the peephole, it was Slate, ignoring the anxiety in my belly about keeping things from him I gripped the door handle and opened it. His smile was too bright and there was a wariness in his eyes that instantly put me on edge. “Slate. What are you doing here?”

He stared at me for a long time as if he was studying me and trying to figure me out. Did he remember me? I’d changed over the years, but he had too. He’d filled out, his shoulders were so broad they blocked the view of everything behind him, he had a beard now, which framed his kissable lips perfectly, and his hair was longer. He was still a gorgeous man with a panty-melting bad boy smile that was—still—completely irresistible. “I’m here to take you girls back home, but first we’re going out to lunch.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. I would’ve remembered if we’d made plans, mostly because there was no way I’d agree to any alone time that would give him a chance to figure out who I was—who Ashlyn was—until I was ready to tell him. “We didn’t have plans for lunch.”

“No, we didn’t.”

Relief surged through me, and I shook my head. “I can’t. I just reported my husband missing and it’ll look bad.”

“There’s nothing for you to look or be guilty of,” he paused, and his lips curled into a grin, “Yet.” His eyes sparkled beautifully when he was being playful and immediately my mind went back to that night six years ago. Dammit. “Come on.”

I hesitated because I didn’t want to go with him. The more time we spent together the more likely it was that he would figure out my secret. But we never went to restaurants or diners, and it would be good for Ash to get out. It would probably be good for us both. “Okay. Fine.”

His smile brightened and triumph lit his gaze. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

I appreciated that he didn’t gloat, so different from the man I planned to forget as soon as I could. Ash and I dressed quickly, and I grabbed our bags. As we left the hotel, she rushed down the stairs towards Slate.

“Where’s your bike, Mr. Slate?”

I heard his deep chuckle as I came down the stairs to join them. He was standing beside a silver Chevy, “It’s just Slate, and my bike isn’t big enough to fit you and your mom.”

She giggled and the sound was so welcome that I tripped on the last step. There hadn’t been many reasons for Ash to smile in the past few years. Sure, she had a bedroom of her own and her basic needs were met but Alex hadn’t let her make friends or hang out with other kids. Just thinking of it broke my heart all over again.

***

Fifteen minutes later we pulled up to a group of buildings behind a ten-foot-tall chain-link fence. “Where are we?”

“This is our clubhouse,” Slate said with a smile. Looking proud of the nondescript building.

“Like a tree house clubhouse,” Ash asked.

“Something like that but without the tree house. Our club requires membership too.”

“Cool,” she said, her voice full of awe.

Inside there were at least a dozen people, possibly more. They’d all turned to greet Slate and offer kind smiles to the unknown visitors. The room looked like a gigantic bar complete with pool tables, dart boards, and a literal bar stocked with floor to ceiling bottles of alcohol. “Wow.”

“Right?” Slate bumped my shoulder before he nodded. “Follow me.”

“Hey Uncle Slate, who’s this?” An adorable boy with messy blond hair smiled.

“This is Ash and her mom Emma. They’re gonna hang out with us for a while, you think you and Chopper can show Ash around?”

“Yeah, sure. Chopper, come here boy!” He patted his thigh and let out a sharp whistle and a large bulldog came trotting over. “You’ll love him. He loves hugs and scratches, but he farts a lot.”

She looked to me for confirmation, and I gave her a quick nod, which sent Ash dropping to her knees and wrapping her whole body around the dog.

When it became clear that Ash was safe and within my sight, I followed Slate to a table, feeling nervous under his watchful gaze. “A lot more women and kids than I expected.”

“We’re a normal family, like anyone else. Except we ride really cool bikes.”

“I’ll give you the part about the bikes but the normal part? Somehow, I doubt that.” Slate was many things, but the man couldn’t be normal if he tried.

His gaze darkened and I squirmed in my seat.

“Look,” I sighed and folded my hands on top of the table. “I’m not a bad person and I didn’t do any of this on purpose.”

“I know.”

His confident statement threw me off guard. It didn’t make sense that he knew that when I wasn’t completely convinced myself. “How?”

“Do you know what my role in the MC is?” He pointed to the patch on his chest that said the words tech captain.

“What are you, the biker IT guy?”

He flashed another of those amazing smiles that made a girl forget all her troubles. “Sort of, except way cooler. And hotter. But really my role is to use my computer skills in any way the MC needs. I can access cameras, bank accounts, police… well, let’s just say I have a far reach.”

I shook my head as his words settled into my brain. “You’re a hacker?”

“Among many other things, yes.” There was no shame in his voice, if anything he was proud.

It was a lot to unpack with the weight of his gaze on my face. Who knew that biker gangs needed hackers? “What does that mean?”

He let his gaze bounce around the room before it settled on my face once again. His expression grew serious, “It means that I tapped into the Greater Metro Hospital along with Steel City Medical and Vegas Urgent Care.”

I felt all the blood rush from my face, leaving me cold and ashamed. I looked away, not able to meet his eyes.

“You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about, Emma. Not one fucking thing.” His jaw clenched angrily and though I shrank back, I realized he was angry for me.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, so I shrugged it off. Literally. “Yeah, so you know he used me as a punching bag. Big deal. I couldn’t go to SCM because he worked there and Urgent Care takes too long.” There’d been plenty of times that Alex left injuries that required medical treatment, which he refused to give.

“There are lots of x-rays showing bruises and fractures over the years.”

“Yep,” I answered and kept my gaze on the bottle shaped like a skull on the top shelf behind the bar.

“I guess the thought of going back home isn’t so appealing, that place can’t hold good memories for you.”

I looked down at my feet, “Honestly? I really want to just run away, I tried before but Alex stopped me. But this time I can’t. He’s not here and he won’t come after us but still I can’t run.”

“He’d have the right to come after you if you took Ash.”

I shook my head, ignoring that hint of something in his voice. “Ash isn’t his daughter. I met him just before she turned two.” I held my breath and waited for more questions, but he didn’t ask anymore.

“The sheriff is going to question you tomorrow. Unofficially, but it’s going to happen.”

“What? Why?” My heart raced like a sports car in my chest and every worst-case scenario I could think of played in my head. “Why? How do you even know that?” I had about fifty other questions, but I kept them to myself while I waited for answers.

“Sometimes we have common enemies, those who threaten the well-being of the town, which we’re both committed to keeping it just how it is. We have a friendly sort of relationship.”

“Odd, but okay.”

He gifted me with another smile that I felt all the way down to my toes. “Just tell Sheriff Cross exactly what you told me, about the abuse and your failed attempts to leave. Stick as close to the truth as possible.”

“Minus the whole killing him part?”

He shook his head, “Don’t go there. He left you after the argument. Right now there’s no reason for Cross to suspect anything other than a man who’s gone off-grid. Vegas is just up the street and he’s not the first husband to let the lure of the girls and gambling erase memories of his other obligations.”

A heavy breath rushed out of me. “You have a knack for making the most unreasonable things seem completely reasonable.” It wasn’t that easy and if he really was trying to help me, he needed to know the truth. “There’s more.”