Page 9 of Blood & Ash

Means a fuckuva lot that they made the drive.

“Daisy, make sure they have whatever they need. Rooms, food, pussy.” The job would normally fall to Momma Tee, but who knows where her head is at?

I can hear my old man’s voice in my head telling me, “Atta boy.”The prick.

I want to hate him, but I can’t.

Before I can give them a proper welcome, I spot Shelby hanging around the front door as Goose walks through it. He ignores her as he should. Bitch is as dead to me as my father’s ashes, but I don’t want her to cause a scene. I shoot him a chin left toward the bar so he can properly greet our guests.

“Outside,” I growl, grabbing her by her bony elbow. Dragging her across the parking lot, I get her out of earshot of anyone at the clubhouse. I release my grip, not wanting to touch her any longer than necessary. “What the fuck are you doing here? Made it pretty goddamn clear you’re no longer welcome here.”

“I wanted to…” she trails off, her bottom lip quivering as the sun beats down on us.

“You wanted to what? Apologize for fucking or murdering my Pops? Which is it?”

“I didn’t know the drugs were laced.”

“You ready to tell me who sold to you?” Bitch is lucky that despite all this bullshit, there’s still some piece of her rooted in me. Anyone else, I’d already tortured the information out of them. Peeled off their fingernails. Busted their kneecaps. Gouged an eye. Not Shelby, though. I couldn’t fucking physically hurt her. I don’t beat women, but for the first time in my life, I want to.

I want to carve out her fucking heart.

If my Pops were still here, I’d make him watch.

That should scare me that I’m becoming everything I swore I wouldn’t. A cruel and heartless bastard.

“I can’t. We both know you’d be reckless and kill them. Then where would the club be? I know you hate me, and you should. But I’m not sorry I fell in love with your father. I’m only sorry that I didn’t tell you. Your father loved me, too. I’m having his baby.”

I snort. “And I’m what? Supposed to be grateful that you’re doing all this to protect me and the club out of love and loyalty. Cut the shit, Shelby. You’re worried about your meal ticket and what you now see as your child’s inheritance. Let me clue you in and save you the suspense. I don’t give a fuck if that kid comes out looking like a clone of my old man. You’ll never see a dime.”

“He left it all to me. That’s what I came here to tell you, but I don’t want you to worry. The clubhouse is yours.”

“Bitch, I don’t know what you’ve been smoking, snorting, or shooting, but whatever he promised you.” I shake my head. “I’ll kill you first.”

“I’m not the enemy, Blood. We could get married, and nothing would have to change. I wouldn’t expect a real marriage, but you could help me raise this baby.”

“Fuck you. I’d burn this whole town to the ground before I ever put a ring on your finger or give you or that bastard in your belly a dime. I mean it, you fucking whore. You need to get gone before I permanently erase you.”

“You don’t mean that.” She stares at me with those gorgeous blue eyes I used to drown in the depths of they are so deep. Now when I look at her, the only sensation that engulfs me is disgust. “You need time.”

I grab her under the chin, squeezing tight. “So help me, Shelby. If you don’t get out of my face and off club property, I’ll drive you out to the middle of nowhere and bury you alive. This is your final warning. Keep the fuck away from me. The sooner you get gone, the better your chances are at living. I’m notfucking around. I’ll slit your throat from ear to ear if you say one more word about the club or my father.”

Chapter Five

“Goose, you’re with me. Gotti, hold down the fort. I’ll be back before the wake.”

“What’s up?” Goose asks as we get on our bikes.

“Shelby and a bunch of bullshit,” I tell him, and we ride out to pay my old man’s lawyer a visit.

This is the last thing I want to do right now, but there’s no way Pop left everything to Shelby, of all people. I have to know that he didn’t fuck me and the club over.

We roll past the strip of motels and palm trees and further into town, away from the touristy coastline.

“What are we doing here?” Goose stares at the front of the fancy ass law office, looking every bit as confused as I feel.

My head is racing a hundred miles a minute with thoughts of what if. My heart is going to beat out of my damn chest. Nothing makes sense.

“You have no idea, man. Everything is sideways.”

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