Page 53 of Single Mom for the Bikers

“What happened?”

“You know.”

“Tell me what happened,” I bite out through clenched teeth.

Snark puts a hand on Phoenix’s arm. He throws it off. Both Sledge and Havoc look conflicted, but they're letting us talk it out. I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not. If they knew part of this, the fact that they have been letting me fall in love with them—no,makingme fall in love with them, and nobody told me, feels like a slap to the face.

“I remember breaking their door in, and seeing this older couple on the couch watching TV. The guy told the woman to run, and Dodger started screaming. I wish I could tell you what he was saying, but there were eight or nine of us and it was pure fucking chaos. We started smashing shit up, but I had a bad fucking feeling about it right from the start. I’d learned to listen to my instincts by then. I went to check on the woman, make sure nobody was fucking with her, and then some idiot started shooting. As soon as I heard that, I knew we had to get the fuck out of there.”

“Do you know who it was?”

He shakes his head, looking me in the eyes like he knows what I’m really asking. Did Mia’s father kill Dan? “If I knew? I’d tell you. All I know is it wasn’t me. I didn’t have my iron out. Could’ve been Dodger. Could’ve been Grinder who—motherfucker!”

The fact that Dodger might have been the one who killed my step-dad isn’t a new idea to me, but in some ways I’m glad I might never know for sure. “Who’s Grinder?”

“Your fucking neighbor. Another one of Dodger’s old buddies and the asshole who ran me off the road and I was too stupid to even realize when he told me.”

“What?” Sledge looks confused. “Why would he tell you?”

“He didn't fucking mean to, but he saw me checking his truck and came out all pissed off. We recognized each other and got into an argument. I told him someone had taken a shot at me and he straight out said that he didn't run me off the road. I was so fucking pissed at him that it didn't fucking register. Goddamn, I'm a fucking idiot. Even if it wasn’t that truck that hitme, I bet he’s got a second car, or he fucking knows exactly what happened.”

Havoc's brows furrow. “But the Sons took credit, didn’t they? And it's not like he woulda fucking known you were gonna be there. Running you off the road had to be an impulse, not something planned.”

Sledge looks at me, his beautiful hazel eyes hard like gemstones and his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Starting to be an awful lot of things centering around you, honey, and I don't fucking believe in coincidences. Not this many.”

“Want one more coincidence?” Snark asks. “Do any of you recognize this guy? Because the cameras caught him walking away from the Roost right before things started going boom.”

We all turn back to the screen, where Ginger is walking in slow motion back to her car. She waits there for a minute before a motorcycle drives up next to her. She rolls down her window and nods. They talk for a moment before both leave.

“Matt?” Why would—”Is that Grinder?”

Phoenix’s gaze is locked on the screen. He nods.

I feel a little sick. He knows where I live. He’s talked to me and Mia. He was flirting with me. “He’s been watching us, hasn’t he?”

The guys look at each other and then at me. Havoc shakes his head. “Honestly, no fucking idea.”

I shake my head. “None of this makes sense. Dodger is dead. Nobody cares about us anymore. Heck, he didn’t even really care when he was alive. He didn’t love me, or Mia. He just hated thatwhen people found out I ran away with her. It made him look weak.”

Sledge glances over at Snark, who’s making an admirable effort looking like he’s deeply focused on security footage and not on our drama. “How about we get outta here. Unless you need more?”

Snark shakes his head. “Nah. I’ve gotta take this to Eagle-eye.”

Outside Snark’s office, Sledge puts his arm around me. I shrink back and he steps away, looking a little hurt. “Are you okay?”

“No, not really. We promised to be honest with each other, right?”

He nods.

“Then honestly?” I look at all three of them, my emotions in a jumble I’m not quite ready to sort out yet. “I need to go take Alessa up on her offer to sleep there tonight. Maybe in the morning we can talk, but if any of you push me right now I will pack our bags and I’m going to take my chances on my own.”

29

SHELBY

I spentthe night curled tight around my daughter. She humored me, but it hurt my heart a little that the baby who wanted to be attached to my side for so long kept fidgeting until I gave her some space. Now I’m the one watching Alessa’s two older kids for a change, along with Emily’s oldest, seven year old Liam. It's the least I can do after all the times Alessa has kept an eye on Mia the past couple days.

I sip my coffee and watch Izzy showing them all something gross in the mud. It rained last night. I already know I'm going to be laundering things, so I let them keep having fun. It's not like we're going anywhere. Just as well. I need to think.

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