Page 24 of Ruckus

“So what's the problem?” I laugh.

“The problem is, I haven’t told any of Griller’s family about that perfect little baby yet, and I’m not sure I want to.” Shelooks at me for a reaction. “You can say what you're thinking, it’s selfish of me.”

“That’s not what I’m thinking at all. You're that baby's momma, it’s your body, your baby. You have every right to feel protective. It’s your job.” I never really thought much about having kids myself. It would have never been an option while I was with Drew.

“You're right, but they deserve to know. A woman lost her son. Greaser lost his brother, and me, keeping this baby secret from them, seems so cruel. I’m just scared. I’m scared of everything these days,” she admits with a half attempt of a laugh.

“Hey.” We both look up and see Vike walking toward us from the clubhouse.

“You left without showing me the mugshot.” He pulls his keys out of his cut when he stops in front of us.

“I didn’t know if you’d be interested.” Alicia smiles as she takes the sonogram picture out of her purse and hands it over to him.

“Would ya look at that? He’s got his daddy's bald head.” He chuckles to himself before handing it back.

“I don’t know if it’s a boy for sure yet,” Alicia informs me. “And most babies are born with hair, right?” She bites down on her bottom lip.

“I’m sure your baby will be beautiful.” Vike winks at her before disappearing through the arch and starting up his bike. He’s another of the members who hasn’t changed much since I’ve been gone. He’s still handsome in that rugged, Norse god kind of way, and I’m figuring by the way Alicia watches him so dreamily that she’s noticed too.

“You okay there?” I laugh at her when she makes a long, dramatic sigh.

“Me? I’m fine, I was just… It’s the hormones.” She blushes pink.

“I’m sure it is, and I’m sure you’re going to find a solution to your problem, you just need a little longer to think about it. Give yourself that time.” I stand up and dust the back of someone else's jeans off. “Now who do I talk to about borrowing a set of wheels?” I look around the yard expecting to see more members.

“I can drive you somewhere, where do you need to go?” Alicia stands up herself, then pulls her car keys from her purse.

“I have to go back to the showground,” I tell her confidently, even though I’m not feeling very confident at all.

“You wanna go back?” Her voice lifts a few decimals.

“I need to get my stuff and I want to say goodbye to some people,” I explain. I’m not going to spend my time here wearing other women's clothes when I have a wardrobe full of my own.

“I get that, but we can’t go there alone. What if… Didn’t your boyfriend do that to you?” She points to my face as if I need reminding.

“He did, but I don’t have any reason to be scared of him anymore. I don’t belong to him or that show.” I keep my head held high.

“You're right about that, but your brother would skin me alive if I took you there without backup. I don’t know what the rules used to be but?—”

“Alright, you make a valid point. We’ll get some back up… Yo, Vike…” I call out his name, interrupting the conversation he’s having with Rocco. I’ll give the kid his dues, persistence must have paid off in the end. He’s a prospect now, and I can’t help wondering how Finn and Davy would feel about that. Vike looks back up at me and frowns. I’m surprised at how easy it was to just slip back into princess mode. When my dad was president, I was used to having these bad assed men jump through hoops on my demand. But my dad ain’t president anymore… he’s a traitor.

“How would you like to help out two damsels in distress?” I grab Alicia's hand and drag her into the parking lot. She’sresistant at first but being closer to Vike soon has her all gooey again.

“What’s the problem?” He looks intrigued as he drags his hand through his impressive sandy colored beard.

“I need to pick up some things from the trailer I was living in back at the showground and Alicia, here, thinks it’s best we take a strong, reliable man like yourself for protection.” I blow some smoke to ensure I get what I want

“I didn’t specify that it had to be you,” Alicia leans forward to add, while looking at me like she wants to kill me.

“And you cleared this with Wrath?” he checks, looking reluctant to believe me.

“Of course, I did.” I speak up before Alicia can rat me out. I don’t want any more fighting. I just want to grab my stuff, say goodbye to Magna and Josh, and come back. Drew should be in the hospital after the beating Ruckus gave him. There’s no way he would dare lay a finger on me now. Even after such a short time away from him, I feel so stupid for giving him my fear. I’ve known the man for five years and I’ve never seen him beat on anyone except for me and his brother. Being back here around these men makes me realize what a pussy Drew really is.

“Keys.” Vike holds his hand out to Alicia.

“Oh, you're driving?” She bats her lashes as she drops them into his palm.

“Of course I’m driving, and Rocco, if you happen to see those damsels in distress, tell ‘em I got sidetracked…Damsels.” He shakes his head and laughs as he makes his way over to Alicia's car and adjusts the driver's seat so he can get in.

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