Chapter 15

15

Sniper – Two Days Later

I grunt as I hit the bag in the clubhouse basement.

Normally, Tech is in here, but it's been me for the past two days while he's been with his wife, Brook, and their baby, Alexander.

How in the fuck did I go from being asked to officiate my friend's fucking wedding to my wife locking me out of the apartment.

Left, right, kick….

I can feel the sweat dripping off my head, but I ignore it, letting my anger out on the bag, my woman on my mind.

Fuck, she won't even speak to me. She'll let me pick Autumn up and spend time with her, but then ask for Crystal, fucking Crystal , to do the exchange, all while my little girl cries, not understanding why daddy isn't home at night.

Left, right, kick….

"You lied to me!" she shouts, trying to slam the door into my face, but I hold it open.

"And yet you're the one on missing person posters in New York, so why don't we talk about that, Firecracker," I accuse.

I'm not the only one lying here, and she knows it.

Her face goes white, fear in her eyes, and I have to force myself not to pull her into my arms.

She shakes her head, her anger taking over. "I don't care. My past is just that, Theo, something I have expressed, several times, I'm not ready to speak to you about…. Dammit, I see a counselor, for Christ's sake! I've not told you what I've gone through, what you did was blatantly lie to me and manipulate me!"

My eyes widen, and I rasp, "What the fuck happened to you, Rory, and who in the hell do I kill?"

Her tears fall. "It doesn't matter anymore. If you'd just told me the truth, maybe I could have come around, but now I don't feel like I can't trust you or your words anymore. It's just lie after lie after lie."

Fury blazes through me, and I snap, "I never lied to you about anything else, Rory…."

Shit… instantly I regret my words knowing I have, and she confirms it when she rasps, "Oh, so you didn't swap my birth control for vitamins, you didn't screw your brother's girlfriend or fuck buddy or whatever she was to him?"

Ah, shit. I knew I should have thrown her birth control case away….

Scoffing, she slams the door, shouting, "I want that divorce, Theo!" making me groan, and bang my forehead against the wood.

I'm fucked….

Left, right, kick….

That was the last time she spoke to me, and this morning, she had the fucking balls to send me the divorce papers.

My dad had to hold me down while Momma cried, and Crystal apologized for opening her mouth, which really wasn't her fault. She didn't know I hadn't told Aurora, only saw how loved up we were while out and about; no one knew about my fuck up except a few people.

Fuck, I miss my girl.

I growl, hitting the bag harder, feeling my knuckles tear as a voice states, "Your wife is going to kick your ass if she sees your knuckles busted, and fuck me does it still sound weird calling someone your wife."

I scoff and grunt. "Wife? You mean the woman who sent me divorce papers this morning expecting me to accept them?"

Pitbull, my best friend and who will be taking over as the club secretary within the next few months so I can focus on being road captain, groans. "Fuck's sake, I never should have stopped to help her with her car." He's silent for a moment, then barks, "No, actually, you should have forced her to accept a fucking new one!"

I chuckle, grabbing the bag, looking his way. "I've been trying for the past year, brother, fuck, I've been trying to get her to move into my home, but to do that…."

I trail off and he finishes, "You needed to tell her who you were." I nod, and he asks, "Why didn't you? I mean, when you first met, you obviously weren't wearing a cut, and honestly, I'm pissed I didn't know. I'm your best friend."

I huff, grabbing my towel, wiping my face, and walking to the edge of the ring, where I sit down.

"I was on a coffee run. Sarah begged, and I didn't want to fucking deal with an angry customer after the delivery guy scratched his car to shit," I admit, and Pitbull winces. I sigh. "Autumn, who I adopted on my wedding day, my little girl, was two at the time, and had thrown milkshake at the side of my face." He laughs, and I smile. "I was hooked as soon as we made eye contact with her."

He nods. "So why not tell Aurora?"

I shrug. "Every woman I've met has wanted the patch and what comes with it. I wanted to ensure she wanted me for me, but when I brought the MC up, she shut me the fuck down, admitting she doesn't like them. From then on, I made sure she fell for me, which she did, but in my heart, I knew I needed her tied to me in every way, so she didn't leave me."

Pitbull groans. "You married her and, let me guess, messed with her birth control?"

I wince but nod. "Not my best idea, but I can't say I'm sorry about it. I got the woman I love, a daughter I adore, and a baby on the way. I got everything I've never wanted but suddenly needed. But now my woman won't talk to me. I know this is all my fault, I know it, but fuck, I didn't expect her to threaten divorce and actually send me the fucking papers."

I run a frustrated hand through my sweaty hair, and he sighs and walks my way, leaning against the ring. "You're plotting, aren't you?" he asks, reading me like a book.

I give him a smirk. The fucker knows me well, that's for sure. Growing up, we were fucking inseparable, along with Snake, and Cannon, my blood cousin.

I nod. "And you're going to help me, since, you know, you and Crystal let the secret out before I had a chance."

He groans, dropping his head, and I laugh.

I know I hurt her by lying, but she needs to understand that I did what I had to so I didn't lose her. I was waiting for her to open up to me so we could have a heart to heart but times up now.

It's time to bring my family home and have words with Tech.

A few hours later, I'm showered and have made sure the house was ready for my girls. I drive to the apartment with Pitbull in the passenger seat of my truck.

"This is a bad idea," he mutters.

I turn to him and ask, "And if this was Faye?"

He's quiet for a moment, wondering what it would be like if his old lady, who he has been with since third fucking grade—no lie—wanted out.

"Never mind, this is the best fucking idea."

I chuckle at his words, and pull up outside the apartment building. I curse when I see my girl dragging three suitcases toward her shit box.

Pitbull laughs and states, "I fucking like her…."

I snort, shaking my head, and utter, "You grab Autumn, and I'll tackle my girl."

He grins. "Think of it this way, brother. She's basically already packed."

I laugh and get out of the truck because the fucker is not wrong. I slam the door shut just as Autumn shouts, "Daddy!" and runs toward me.

I catch her, holding her tight as her arms go around my neck, and my eyes go to my woman's. I raise a brow, and she sighs, dropping her chin to her chest, knowing she's busted.

Fucking woman!

Pitbull murmurs, "Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to lose this," making me half smile.

"I missed you, Daddy," Autumn whispers, and I smile, replying, "I missed you, too, Princess." I kiss her head, and I say, "Do me a favor and go to Uncle Pitbull for me, yeah? He'll put you in the truck."

She nods and I hand her over to my brother, and whisper, "Click her in, then grab the bags. I'll come back later to see what she's left."

He nods and asks, "Her car?"

I smirk. "Can stay. She has a new Honda at home."

He chuckles, murmuring, "Protect your fucking balls, brother." After that, he does as I ask while I walk over to my wife, praying she likes my balls too much to injure them.

She raises a brow, her eyes looking over my cut, and comments, "See you're not hiding who you are now, huh?"

I wince. "I never wanted to hide it, Firecracker. The first few months, I just needed to be sure you wanted me for me, but when you said you hated MCs, I panicked. You're the love of my life, and don't act like you haven't kept things from me because you know you have."

She shakes her head, not noticing Pitbull grab her bags. I smirk, which soon wipes off with her next words.

"It's not the same, Theo," she snaps. "I needed time to talk about what I went through, things that, to this day, I struggle to deal with; that's why I see someone. What you did was lie about who you are; you hid a whole identity from me, a family…. I-I want that divorce, Theo. Our marriage is a lie."

Anger hits.

"If you think I'd allow you to leave me, take my daughter and unborn child away from me, take yourself from me, then you have another think coming." I point at her, her eyes narrowing on my finger, not at all intimidated by me. I continue, "I won't lose you. You're my heart, and it's time you fucking came home."

With that said, I storm over to her and lift her bridal style, making her gasp, and I walk her to my truck, knowing once she's inside she won't cause a scene around our girl.

She squeals, hitting my chest, and I grab her hand, not wanting her to hurt herself.

She narrows her eyes and growls, "Put me down, Theo, and what the hell happened to your knuckles?" Pitbull's chuckle echoes behind us along with his, "Told you so."

I glare at him, then put my girl in the back seat, where I may have put the child lock on, and clicked her in.

She glares at me and demands, "What happened to your hands, Theo?"

I chuckle, gently wiping a tear from her gorgeous eyes, and whisper, "For someone willing to divorce me, you sure do care."

She looks at me, making eye contact, and admits, "My feelings don't just stop. Theo…. Please, what happened?"

I look at Pitbull, who has sorrow in his eyes, before I look at my girl and admit, "I beat the shit outta the punching bag at the club because I couldn't deal with the thought of losing you and our kids."

More tears fall down her cheeks, and I wipe them away as Autumn repeats, "Shit!"

I groan, dropping my head to my woman's shoulder as Pitbull chokes. We look at him to see he has water all over him and my dashboard, making me snort.

Aurora shakes her head. "A year later and you've still not learned your lesson."

I snort and look at her. "Maybe so, but I have plenty more time to get it right, because you're not leaving me. I love you, and you know you love me. We're meant to be, Rory."

She sniffles "You were the club manwhore…."

I wince but nod, admitting, "I was until you, until Autumn. You're my family."

With that said, I kiss her forehead before shutting the door. I hear her try to open it again, and I smirk when I look in the window to see her glaring, before I climb into the passenger seat.

Pitbull raises a wary brow at me, and I chuckle. "She won't make a scene with Autumn around."

He nods in approval while my girl mutters under her breath, all while I take a deep breath, knowing I'm going to have to lock her in our room, and it's going to take me fucking months to get out of the doghouse for this one. But I don't fucking have a choice. My phone has buzzed twice, which means someone is in the outhouse, an underground bunker where we take people to torture and kill, and I need to be there.

It takes us fifteen minutes to get to my house. Aurora gasps, seeing it for the first time, and pride hits, knowing she likes it.

Swallowing hard, I rasp, "Pitbull, can you stay with Autumn for a moment?"

He nods, and I climb out, opening Aurora's door. She raises a brow, but I smile a little and unbuckle her, taking her into my arms bridal style.

Taking the steps to the door, I swallow back the emotion—she's here, at my home… our home.

I open the front door, juggling her in my arms so I don't fucking drop her, and enter the living room, a dark brown couch with a throw over the back coming in view. Aurora gasps again, and I look at her taking everything in, from the wood burning stove to the open plan kitchen, and the play corner off to the left in a conservatory-type room I added for Autumn.

Smiling, I walk up the wooden stairs, bypass several rooms, before getting to the master at the end of the hallway. I walk inside, and she gasps again.

This room is different from the rest of the house. It's light and airy, with skylights that can be covered by an automatic blind. There's a massive king-sized bed in the middle of the room, a rug at the foot of the bed, and a fireplace. To the left of us are two doors: one to an ensuite bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and walk-in shower, and the other to a his-and-hers walk-in closet that I had redone, ready for her arrival.

I've slowly been bringing her clothes and belongings here over the past year—how she hasn't noticed yet, I will never fucking know, but that just proves how tired she is with school and her internship.

I blink. Fuck, Brook is going to kill me when she realizes everything about Aurora. They've become best fucking friends….

Fuck.

Swallowing hard, I lay Aurora on the bed, her eyes going to the bedside table, a picture of us, one of Autumn, and one of the early scans we got of our baby sitting there.

I bite my lip and rasp, "I've been called out on club business. Autumn will be with my mother, so you can take a bath and relax a little bit. Some of your clothes are in the closet." I clear my throat, and admit, "As well as your property cut." She looks my way quickly, glaring, and I wince, admitting, "I'll be back shortly so we can talk. I love you, Firecracker."

Gently, I kiss her forehead, feeling her tense, before I stand and leave the room. Regrettably, I lock the door behind me, knowing she's going to be pissed.

I hear her screech as I get to the front door, and I sigh, walking to my truck. Pitbull gives me a sad smile, and I rasp, "I'm going to take her to Momma's. You take off, and thank you, brother."

He grins. "What are best friends for?"

I chuckle and give him a man hug, before climbing into the driver's seat of my truck. I look at Autumn, who smiles wide and asks, "I get to go to Granny's?"

I grin and nod, causing her to celebrate. She met Momma and Dad yesterday, and instantly loved them, which is good because I think I'm going to need all the help I can get right now.

Sighing, I drive a few houses down to my mother's large bungalow-style home. Momma instantly steps out her front door.

I grimace, climb out of the truck, and state, "I've locked Aurora in our room after she tried to send me divorce papers. Snake's messaged. Can you watch Autumn until we're done?"

Momma's eyes widen as I help Autumn out of the truck, and she runs to her, shouting, "Granny!"

Momma instantly picks her up, holding her tight, before looking back at me and asks, "Are you sure locking her up is a good idea, son? I saw how much pain she was in at the family day. She loves you…."

I shrug. "Probably not, but I won't lose my family, Momma."

She nods, her eyes teary, and murmurs, "I'll help any way I can, even if you did get married without me there, just like your brother."

I chuckle, and admit, "I was planning on redoing it for family, or throwing a big party to celebrate the manwhore settling down."

She grins, her eyes lighting up. "I'd like that."

I send her a smile, blowing a kiss to Autumn, who giggles and catches it, before going back to my truck, knowing I'm late.

Pure panic hits when I realize I may lose my girl.

Fuck, I really shouldn't have locked that door….

Five minutes later, I burst into the outhouse, out of breath. I suck in a gulp of air, then admit, "Fuck, brothers, I really messed up…."

Everyone looks at me, but my eyes go to Tech's momma, who is covered in blood, then to the lighter in her hand, before looking at a burning, screaming Nina, Tech's high school ex. My eyes go to the floor, seeing all the cut-off body parts, and I take a step back in horror.

Fuck me, Tats had it easy having her watch him when he was a kid—and she was a bitch then.

"Fuck, Tech, remind me never to piss off your momma," I rasp, and everyone nods.

She hated Tats growing up, and now we all know it was because her old man was a dick and cheated on her in front of her as punishment, and here she is, sticking up for her son and his old lady who was taken by the bitch. Nina took Brook and forced her into premature labor, then took the baby, who was lucky to survive.

Nina finally gets her karma, and yeah, this is definitely karma…. Fuck, even I'm scared shitless.

Tech snaps me out of my head by firmly asking, "What the fuck did you do, Sniper?"

I wince, knowing things are about to blow the fuck up with my girl.

Fuck, I hope I don't lose her over this….