Page 2 of Comp's Chance

“But you did abandon her, Jason. You left me on my own at eighteen with a baby. You haven’t even met her more than twice. You will not take my daughter from me. She doesn’t even know who you are,” I tell him, wanting to reach through the phone and slit his throat.

How can this be happening to me? I was a teen mom who got pregnant by a man I thought was the love of my life. How wrong I was. He finally convinced me to sleep with him, then the next day, he ghosted me. He wouldn’t talk to me for days, and I didn’t know what I had done. I finally walked to his house to see him.When I got there, though, I saw him fucking a cheerleader in his driveway. He laughed and told me he was only in it for one thing, and I had been dumb enough to fall for it. I found out I was pregnant weeks later, and it’s been Paisley and me ever since.

Jason has seen her twice, but not on purpose. Both times were in the grocery store or passing. He had his parents try to pay me off to keep my mouth shut, to never admit who the baby’s real father was. I refused to accept the money, but I ensured no one ever knew who the father was. His name isn’t even on her birth certificate. What the hell has changed now, and why does he want to take her from me suddenly? If he thinks his little bid for mayor changes anything, he is more delusional than I thought.

“So you want to do this the hard way? Alright, I’ll have my lawyer and the police at your door within the next hour,” he tells me before hanging up. I fall to the floor in tears and shaking before Milani grabs me and holds me in her arms.

“He has this whole town on his side. What am I supposed to do, Milani? He’ll take her, and I’ll never be able to get her back,” I say, falling apart in her arms. My daughter is my entire world. If he takes her, he might as well kill me, too.

“I have somewhere for you to go, but you have to leave now and never look back,” Milani tells me, cryptic as hell.

“Where can I go?” I ask, wiping my eyes. This has been my home all my life. I’ve never even left the state.

“Do you trust me?” she asks.

“Of course I do,” I answer immediately.

“Leave your cell. Get Paisley, get in my car, and follow my instructions to a T. Only pack what you can grab within the next ten minutes. If there is anything you leave behind you absolutely need, I will send it to you when it’s safe. Other than that, I will move all your stuff to my place,” she explains.

I look at her in wonder. Who is this girl? And how does she know how to hide me from my ex? She barks at me to hurry and pack my stuff when I sit there staring at her.

“Paisley should get off the bus in three minutes. Meet her at the bus stop and then take off,” Milani tells me, and I nod, trying not to hyperventilate. This is just too much. My whole life and world are being destroyed by a mistake I made when I was seventeen. It’s all too much.

“Listen to me, Sunny. The men I am sending you to will protect you. They will keep you safe. I promise. Just find a man named Loki and tell him I sent you. They are a rough-looking motorcycle group, but noble men… mostly. Just trust me,” she says when I whimper from trying to keep the sob in, and she pulls me into a tight hug. When she pulls back, I see the fire and determination in her eyes. I know she will do everything in her power to protect me, and I have no choice but to trust these men.

But how can I trust another man with my safety when the last one I trusted broke me into a million pieces? Last time, at least, I got the greatest gift imaginable out of the situation, but if I trust these men with mine and my daughter’s safety, will I lose her either way?

Now, I have no choice but to trust my best friend and the men she’s guiding me to.

Two

COMP

“Uncle Comp, can’t we stay a little longer? I was just about to whoop some major a…” Rome starts, but I cut him off with a look.

“Watch it, little man,” I say, raising a brow. It takes everything in me not to laugh my ass off when Rome and Rae talk shit like the brothers in the club.

“Sorry, but I really wanted to finish this quest,” Rome pouts. He’s come such a long way since coming to live here, and I’m proud as hell to be his godfather. But that also means making sure he grows up to be the best version of himself. I definitely don’t let him slack. I push him, as does everyone else in this club. He’s going to be a hell of a member one day.

“Sorry, little man, I have to do some work for a bit. Swift will kick my ass if I keep slacking off with you and your sister all day,” I tell him, rubbing the top of his head.

“Alright, but can I come back later?” he asks, setting down the controller and making his way to my office door.

“Do you really even have to ask?” I ask him, smiling. He smiles back before waving and heading out of the room.

I shake my head, smiling at the twins. They might be hell on wheels, but they both have hearts of gold. I was worried aboutshowing my face around either of them. With the scars running up and down the whole right side, I knew they would yell and scream or run away in terror. But they did neither. They didn’t blink twice at my face and genuinely wanted to spend time around me, talking, gaming, and whatnot. That’s something even most adults won’t do because of my face.

I shake off the somber feeling and where those particular thoughts send me. I can ignore it most of the time, but then there are some days when I think maybe I should have succumbed to the pain. Maybe I shouldn’t have fought so hard to stay alive just to live with a face like this. To have to be alone for the rest of my life because no one wants to be stuck with someone with a face like this. Ah, well, nothing I can do about it now. I sit at my desk, ready to work on the information we’ve been looking for on the Devil's Cross MC, when I hear a commotion from the common room.

“Well, who the fuck is it?” Swift yells, and I can hear it all the way down the hall and into my office.

I look at my computer and then the door, knowing I probably need to go see what’s going on just in case they need me for something. You never know. I take a deep breath before rising out of my seat and heading down the hall. Grim comes out of his room as well, hearing the yelling and heading toward the common room. We make it there just as he hangs up the phone.

“What’s going on, Prez?” I ask, watching Halle and Loki come up from the basement, fixing their clothing as usual. I roll my eyes. I swear those two are like crazy, obsessed rabbits. They always have to find a place to sneak away to fuck at least twice a day.

“Someone’s at the gate insisting on talking to us. She won’t leave until she does,” Swift grumbles, looking at Piper, who just walked in with Izzy.

“Stay here with the kids. I don’t want to take any chances. This could be some shit to do with Devil’s Cross MC, and I don’t want you anywhere near it,” he says to them. They both nod, even though I can tell Piper wants to argue. “I’d say you need to stay here as well, but I’m guessing you won’t let that one pass, huh?” he asks Halle. She smiles that ever-terrifying smile before slowly shaking her head no.

---