Page 78 of Deadliest Throne

His eyes widen. “Well, shit. Go, Mom! I take that last part back, though.”

“Oh, fuck off, you little shit.” I grab the nearest thing I can get my hands on and toss it at him.

He ducks, cackling his ass off. “Love you too, Dad. Or should I say Daddy,” he moans the last part before disappearing out of the room.

I sigh heavily, leaning back in my chair. That kid is a mix between me and his uncle Hunter. Of all the kids, him and his twin sister, Mila, have been the most challenging. Mila is a mix of me and her mother. The two of them together, pure mayhem. We’re honestly a little scared of them sometimes.

Cleaning up, I head out to the main part of the warehouse. Even twenty years later, Black Venom Crew is going strong. Our connections have stretched, taking over a good chunk of the west coast.

I’m nowhere near retiring, but when I do, I know the kid twins will take over. While all the kids accept the kind of life we live, they're the only ones who actively want to be part of it. And Andrew, of course. Without him, those two would be unstoppable, and not in a good way. I learned with Quinton, there’s always a need for a level-headed person to make the hard decisions with logic, not emotions. Not that that has ever stopped me. Not when it comes to my family.

“You need to have a talk with him,” I tell Andrew as I join him at the bar. He looks over at me, lowering his drink to the bar top. He looks so much like Quinton. If we didn’t know any better, I’d say he was Q’s biological son.

“What’s he done now?” Andrew sighs.

“Beating junior high kids up.”

Andrew nods. “Want me to tell him to stop?” He raises a brow, a small smirk playing on his lips, knowing damn well that won’t do shit. Zayden does what he wants, everyone else be damned.

“Fuck no,” I scoff. “The little fucker was messing with Clarke. I just want to make sure he knows to cover his ass.”

Andrew’s eyes darken. “Why won’t people just leave Clarke alone,” he growls.

Of all the kids, Clarke is the most different. He stays away from our lifestyle and hasn’t stepped foot inside the clubhouse since he was ten. We had the same conversation we had with all his other siblings when they were ten. He accepted what we did, but wants no part of it.

And we supported his decision. He doesn’t judge, loves us all the same, just wants no part in it, and we respect that.

While his siblings are more like his mother, uncles, and myself, Clarke is more on the softer side. He likes manga, anime, comics, and drawing.

But in a town like Black Ridge, that stands out, and is considered weird to the little shit stains of this place.

As much as I would like to have everyone in this fucking town fear me and my family, there's always someone who has a big mouth. For the most part, once they get into high school, they learn who’s in charge.

“Tell Zayden to tell the little fucker he has one more chance before I pay a visit to his parents. Trust me, no one wants that.”

I’m not as trigger-happy as I used to be, but people still know not to fuck with me and not to get on my bad side. I might not kill without reason anymore, but that doesn’t make me any less deadly than I was back in the day.

With each damn kid, I think I’ve gotten softer.

Doesn’t matter. They’re my world and I wouldn’t trade them, my Little Bird, or my brothers for anything.

Raven

“CLARKE, BABY, COULD you go grab me the tray of cupcakes?”

He looks up at me from his book and pushes his black rimmed glasses up his nose. “Yeah, of course.” He smiles.

“Thanks, baby.” I lean down and kiss the top of his head.

He looks so much like his father, Taylor. He’s the spitting image of him.

Twenty years later and our little family is complete.

It’s Fiona’s seventeenth birthday today, and we’re having a barbecue in the backyard. All the moms are here, as well as Dynika, her men, and their daughter who’s Clarke’s age, fifteen.

My eyes find the birthday girl and I can't help but smile. She's talking to one of her friends, her cheeks pink as she tucks her hair behind her ears. She hasn't come out to us yet, but I see things. She likes girls, and that's okay. I just want her to know that all we care about is if she's happy.

I’ve noticed more and more over the past few months everything with her has been all about her best friend, Amy. Amy’s a good kid, and all I can do is hope she doesn’t break my baby girl’s heart.

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