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Chapter 28

Static

The next morning, we watched as two men parked next to our bikes. Cynic moved forward and exchanged back-slapping hugs with one of the men and then fist bumped the second. I grinned while watching them. I imagined that Toxic was exactly like Cynic at his age. They both had that outgoing, open nature that pulled people in. Only Toxic mostly used it now to pull in women and booze.

”Everyone, this is Ruck, the president of the Saint”s Outlaws MC in Phoenix, and Kilo. He”s the road captain for the club,” Cynic announced as they approached. He went through and introduced every one of us by name as well.

Lock and Ruck shook hands. ”Thanks for coming down,” Lock told him.

”I”m always open to meeting new people. Especially military brothers,” Ruck replied with a grin.

”Why don”t we head inside,” Lock said, giving Rip the motion to lead the way. ”We have a lot to go over.”

Not everyone was going to be a part of this meeting. There was no way to cram everyone into the meeting room anyway. It was mostly going to be Lock, Cypher, their VPs Rip and Scythe, Hush, and Cynic. That was fine by me. I had better things to do than talk about John Fremont.

Most of the women were out with the kids on the playground we”d set up in the grassy area behind the clubhouse. It was growing by the day to keep up with the demands of how many kids we had here now. My eyes narrowed when I saw Sean and Grace, but no sign of Gwen. My eyes shifted and caught Jordan”s gaze. She gave me a sad smile and shook her head. It wasn”t a good day for my girl.

Giving her a nod of gratitude, I went inside and up the stairs. I knew, over the past year, that she was struggling, but I”d had no idea how hard until she let me in. It fucking killed me that she”d been dealing with all this alone. I knew for a fact she wasn”t talking to her brother, or her friends, about any of this. At least not before a week or so ago.

She was still dealing with her own nightmares and trauma from her ex. Add in all the shit that the club was dealing with, and I had no doubt it was adding to her stress as well. It was no wonder she was struggling to keep up with all the changes. I opened the door to her apartment, and then gave a light rap on it when I saw her sitting, staring out the window.

Her head snapped in my direction, but she smiled as I came in. The light of her smile didn”t fully reach her gorgeous blue eyes. The skin beneath her eyes had a faint blue tinge to it. She didn”t wake up screaming last night—always a plus—but she hadn”t slept well either.

Going over, I sat next to her and dropped my arm over her shoulders. ”Want to talk about it?”

Her laugh was soft. ”Nothing to talk about.”

”Sugar,” I said, her name a warning.

”Really. I”m just tired. I can”t do anything about the dreams.” She gave me a soothing smile and then laid her head on my shoulder.

”What are they?”

She shook her head without lifting it. ”You don”t want to hear that.”

”I do. And maybe it”ll help. But only if you want to talk about them. You don”t have to.” I wasn”t a therapist. I didn”t know how the hell to help her through any of this other than to be there to protect her.

”It”s just more of the same,” she sighed. ”Trent attacking me. Attacking my kids. Going after pretty much everyone I love.”

”Who”d he attack last night?”

She tensed under me, but she answered. ”You.”

My grin was feral and I pulled her onto my lap. She was straddling me. ”You know that if he was still alive and made that mistake he wouldn”t be breathing for long, right?”

She gave a soft laugh. ”I know that.” Her face fell a little.

”But?”

”It”s not like that in my dreams. I can”t use logic or reason. I know Trent wouldn”t stand a chance against you, or my brother, or any of these men, but in my dreams he always plays dirty. I”m always terrified.”

I smoothed my hand over her silky hair, trying to give her comfort. ”That”s understandable. You lived it. Your brain is just making you relive it with every person you love.”

”I feel so helpless,” she admits, her eyes pinned firmly on the couch cushion beside my head.

Grasping her chin, I forced her to meet my eyes. ”You”re not helpless,” I told her. ”Even that night you weren”t helpless. You fought hard against a man who weighed twice what you did.”

”I had to protect my babies,” she said with a shrug. ”But I should have fought harder.”

”Gwen. I saw that fucking frying pan you clocked him with,” I told her. ”You put a dent in that useless skull of his for sure. He snuck up on you. Broke into your house.” It was taking everything in me to keep my voice calm and not to cuss. I didn”t want to startle her, or make her somehow feel as though I was angry with her in any way. In reality, I was damn near shaking in my fury. For a year, I”d had my own damn dreams and sometimes we got to that house in time, and sometimes we didn”t. I never went back to sleep on the nights we didn”t.

I knew for a fact my shit wasn”t nearly as bad as what she was going through. I only had a tiny taste of it, yet I still woke up in a cold sweat. One night I even got up and sat outside her apartment door, holding vigil all night long. Lock had woken me up early the next morning. He didn”t say a damn word, but I could read the respect and worry in his gaze.

”What do you want to do?” I asked. ”What will help?”

She curled closer and buried her face in my chest. ”Just give me a minute,” she mumbled. ”You smell so good.”

I chuckled. ”We can take as long as you want, Sugar.”

”I meant to go downstairs already,” she said, turning her face and resting her cheek on my shirt.

”The last thing I want is to force you to do anything,” I told her. ”I”m just trying to find out what helps you in these situations.”

”Going down and being around the others always helps.”

”Damn. I was hoping you were going to say orgasms.” I grinned down at her. ”I could make you come over and over and-”

She pressed her fingers to my lips with a wry smile. ”You already did that last night.”

I tilted my head, then nipped her fingertips. ”That was last night. Don”t live in the past.”

She laughed and shook her head. ”You”re incorrigible.”

”True.” I waited a beat. ”So where did we land on the orgasms?”

Laughing, she smacked my chest. ”Maybe later.”

”You”re already sick of me?” I asked, giving her a playful wounded look.

”No, I just don”t want my children walking in.”

”That”s what the lock is for,” I replied. Moving her hair aside, I brushed my lips over her neck.

”Static,” she groaned.

”Fine, fine,” I said, curling my arms under her knees and her back, I stood with her in my arms. ”No orgasms.”

Her laughter rang out as I carried her out of her apartment and down the stairs.

”Will you put me down!”

”No. I like this,” I told her.

”Hey guys, oh!” Sylvia ran up as she came in from outside. Worry clouded her face. ”Are you hurt, Sweetie?”

”No,” Gwen told her, reaching out to squeeze Syl”s hand. ”This jerk just won”t put me down.”

I jostled Gwen in my arms. ”She”s fun to carry around.”

A smile spread over Sylvia”s face. ”Well, I”d put her down before you go outside or you”re going to have all of them fighting to get to her first.”

Sadness filled Gwen”s expression even as Sylvia told us she”d be back and ran upstairs. I looked down at the woman in my arms. ”What”s wrong?”

”It”s nothing.”

”Bottling things up isn”t helpful,” I told her. When she raised her brows, I shrugged. She squeaked at the movement and put her hands on my chest to steady herself. As if I”d ever drop her. ”Or so I”ve heard.”

”I just feel bad that everyone is always so worried about me,” she admitted, looking up at me.

My chest tightened at the look on her beautiful face. ”We care about you.”

”I know. I don”t want to be the little wounded bird,” she muttered. ”I just can”t seem to work past it, you know?”

”That”s understandable. We certainly don”t mean to treat you like glass.”

She shook her head as if shaking off the sadness. ”I”ll just have to stop feeling sorry for myself and stop acting like everyone needs to treat me that way.”

I chuckled. ”I”m pretty sure no one thinks you act that way. We all just want to help and don”t know how to. But,” I told her, giving her a wicked smile. ”I know how to do my part.”

She narrowed her eyes on me. ”How?”

Juggling her in my arms, I flipped her until she was draped over one of my shoulders. ”I”m going to make sure not to treat you like a little glass bird.” I rolled my shoulder, bouncing her on it.

”Static!”

I strode out the door with her ass next to my face and her fists pounding my back. ”This is much better,” I said, tone completely serious. ”No more sweet rides in my arms for you.”

Her laughter floated through the air, and I saw all the women and men looking our way. Their smiles were as wide as my own. Then I noticed something that didn”t bode well at all. Turning, I strode over to where Toxic was sitting on a motorcycle, revving the engine. ”Looks like you got it running.”

”Put me down!”

I set Gwen on her feet, my hand on her hip until she was steady and stared as Toxic revved the engine again on the bike he”d been fixing up in his spare time. It was an older, smaller bike, but it looked almost new now and was purring like a kitten. Toxic grinned, never a good sign. All the kids, and some of the guys, were circled around. Toxic got off the bike and lifted Taylor onto it. The little girl gave a happy squeal and revved the engine.

”Yeah,” Toxic answered. ”Just in time.

I frowned. ”What does that mean? In time for what?”

Warrant had his arms folded over his chest and was glaring at Toxic. ”How much?”

The price Toxic said made even my brows shoot up.

”That”s fucking extortion,” Warrant growled at him.

”And you”re fucking desperate,” Toxic replied with a shrug and a grin.

”Come on, that”s the price you”re going to give to an old friend?” Warrant added.

”That”s a good point,” Toxic said after thinking about it for a minute. Then he upped the price by another few hundred bucks.

Warrant”s jaw dropped. ”You”re a dick,” he replied, but couldn”t stop the laughter.

”What are you doing exactly?” Gwen asked, her eyes flicking from the men to Taylor, who looked happy—and smug—as a clam sitting on the bike.

”Warrant lost a game of high stakes Candy Land,” Butcher grumbled. ”He”s paying up.”

”High stakes-” Gwen started to ask.

”Candy Land?” I finished. I looked around at the men”s faces. ”What does that even mean?”

Butcher just shrugged. ”Can”t blame us when you assholes leave us all here bored.”

I honestly wasn”t sure if the ”us” was the men, or the children, or somehow a combination of both.

Taylor squealed and clapped her hands together. ”Can I ride my bike now?”

”What?” We all looked over our shoulders as Priest walked up. ”Did she just say her bike?”

”I haven”t agreed to buy it yet,” Warrant muttered. He glared at Priest. ”I”m pretty sure your daughter is a cheater.”

Taylor stuck her tongue out at him.

Priest chuckled. ”I can”t believe you haven”t figured that out before now.” He looked over at Butcher and Toxic.

”You can”t just give a motorcycle to a seven-year-old,” Gwen added.

”You can when she wins it,” Butcher told her. His tone was matter of fact, and he watched Warrant as he spoke. The other man looked a little too hopeful once everyone started questioning Taylor getting this bike. ”Fair and square.”

”Why would you honor that kind of agreement?” I asked.

Butcher glares at him. ”I honor all my bets.”

”But-” I broke off when he drilled a finger into my chest.

”All. My. Bets. So does he.”

I rubbed the spot and shook my head. Looking over at Priest, I saw the defeat in his eyes. He was going to let Taylor keep this bike. And Warrant was going to pay out the ass for it. ”Hopefully Lock finishes that damn meeting before these girls fleece anyone else.”

”She”s going to end up being a professional poker player in Vegas,” Gwen predicted with a huge grin on her face.

We all laughed, though Priest looked a little pained, as we watched Taylor and her sisters examine her new motorcycle.

”That”s going into a shed until you”re twenty-one,” Priest told her.

The other girls” jaws dropped with dismay, but I caught the twinkle in Taylor”s eyes. I was willing to bet she”d wear her father down and end up with it a lot sooner than that.

I turned to Butcher. ”What did you wager?”

He leaned in and whispered, ”Someone has to sneak her out and teach her to ride when Priest ain”t looking.”

Wrapping my arms around Gwen from behind, I watched as our family argued and fought and a slow grin crept over my face. This was what I was fighting for. This was the reason we were going up against Fremont. And this was the reason we were going to win. We had too much to lose. He had only money. We had all of this.

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