Page 69 of Traitor

His booming laughter filled the back of the truck as he helped me back into my underwear. “No duh—I’ll get you back to yourcribbefore he decides thatyou’re all that and a bag of chips. Can’t have Old MacDonaldgetting’ jiggy wit’ it.”

Mike had just managed to work a lot of nineties references into one sentence. If I would’ve had more feeling in my arms, I could’ve hit him again.

“You know, Red? You’re pretty phat. P.H.A.T.”

I sighed.It was going to be a long three-hour ride home.

Chapter Eight

October 2015

I woke up in a sweat thanks to the gorgeous redhead sprawled across my body. Her hair fanned out across my chest as she breathed in deeply, clearly not affected by my movements.

We’d towed her car back to my place and then promptly fallen into bed again. I didn’t know if she would ever know what it did to me seeing her location move outside of town. I’d been convinced that the Sons had gotten her as I raced out of the office.

Location not availablehad filled my phone screen as I took a detour outside of Winters, so I’d been flying blindly when I drove up on her little mishap with the ‘rooster.’

I’d known that Sandra was a mistake before we’d even made it up to my hotel room, but I’d stupidly believed that I’d never see her again. In all honesty, I never thought I’d see Lauren again either.

Coming clean?

Yeah, that hadn’t ever been in the fucking cards. But that downpour had done more than just soak our clothes. It left me with a sense of heaviness in my chest at the lies I’d been feeding her from day one. So, maybe I’d been lying by omission, but it didn’t lessen the hurt she was feeling. I ran my thumb across the freckles on her shoulder, ready to thank whoever it was that controlled destiny.

She was mine.

The things I’d kept hidden for years were now all out in the open and for the first time, I felt like I could breathe easily. My girl had my back. In fact, she hadn’t seemed all that upset by my admissions.

Who knows? Maybe she’d suspected all along.

After the war between the clubs was over, I was going to get that ring from the gun safe and knock the dust off before asking her to marry me. Shit, maybe I’d give it to her after Katya’s case was wrapped up. We could take off and find some all-inclusive resort down in Mexico.

If that made me a pussy, so be it. I’d wear that like a badge of honor.Platinum Pussy, at your service.

Lauren had been forced to grow up at an early age, just like me. It was time for the two of us to make new memories and plans for a future that didn’t involve Silent Phoenix MC.

My phone lit up on the nightstand with a blocked number and I reached for it carefully, trying to ensure Lauren remained asleep. It was just after six, so whoever was on the other end of the line better have had something pretty fucking important to tell me.

“Hello?” I whispered.

“Mike? I need you to come outside. We got a problem.”

Next to hearing my father’s voice on the other end of the line, my least favorite thing was quickly becoming the phrase,‘We have a problem.’

They always had fucking problems. I briefly wondered if Lauren and I could get hired on at the all-inclusive resort and just stay down there permanently before dragging my ass out of bed.

She stirred briefly before rolling back over, her breathing evening back out within seconds. What we hadn’t used up in the backseat of my truck, had been spent when we got back to my place, so she was probably going to sleep most of the day away.

I pulled on a pair of sweats and met my old man out on the porch.

“I ain’t talkin’ to you inside when your bitch is over,” Comedian said by way of greeting as I shut the front door behind me.

“Good morning to you too, Dad. Always a pleasure.”

He cuffed me upside the head. “Don’t fuck with me right now, Junior. The club has been put in an ‘uncomfortable’ position thanks to you. I’d show a little more respect if I were in your shoes right now.”

Having left my patience upstairs in bed, I growled, “What is it this time? Did I not get my cookies to the club bake-off in time? Did Grey need his ass wiped and I wasn’t nearby? What? What did I not do to make your fucking club happy?”

My father’s jaw popped out as he forced through clenched teeth. “Your model rolled over, son. It’s all over the fucking news.” Seeing my expression, he laughed and tapped his nose. “I think that trail is going to lead right back to you. And, if it leads back to you, then it’s gonna lead back to the club. That just won’t do.”

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