Page 58 of Forever Your Touch

There was another guy lounging against the building smoking a cigarette. What caught Mason’s attention was the MC cut he wore. The black leather looked worn and dusty, like he’d just stopped from a long ride. Becca’s brother, maybe?

The light wasn’t great out here, but Mason could make out short cropped brownish-blond hair. He was tall, well over six feet. Mason figured he was about Dimitri’s height. D was the tallest of the brothers. Hell, all of Mason’s brothers were bigger than he was. He was the runt of the litter. Sure, he worked out so he could eat like a horse, but he wasn’t as tall or nearly as broad as his brothers. Mason wasn’t short—he was six-two, himself—but he felt short in his family of muscled giants, something he’d learned not to let bother him over the years.

“Hey,” he greeted the guy when he got closer. “You Jackson?”

The man turned and studied him. He had eyes as blue as Becca’s. This had to be her brother.

“Who’s asking?”

“I’m Mason Kincaid, her brother-in-law.”

All the tension eased from his shoulders. He didn’t smile, but he did nod. “Yeah, I’m Jackson.”

“It’s good you’re here. At least you’ll get to see Ava in case…” He trailed off, unable to even say it. The kid would be okay.

“In case?” Jackson tilted his head, his blue eyes turning to ice.

“Didn’t anyone call you?” Mason frowned. Surely Dimitri or Becca would have at least texted Jackson?

“She called earlier today to say she was going into labor. I was already on my way, so I checked out of the hotel and hit the road. Just got in. Wanted a smoke before I went upstairs. Is something wrong with the baby?”

Mason explained about the twins and why Ava was in danger. Jackson got paler and paler as Mason talked.

“Shit. I need to go see Becca.” Jackson started to run a hand through his hair before realizing it was too short for that. Mason remembered Dimitri saying he’d just gotten out of jail. They must have made him keep it short while behind bars.

“I just came from there. She finally went to sleep, but I can take you up to the nursery to see Sasha. I’m not sure if you’re on the list to see Ava or not. NICU requirements. If you’re not, I’m sure Becca will add you when she wakes up.”

“Thanks.” Jackson took another hit off his cigarette. “I need to quit these damn things, but they help with the stress.”

“My Papa has lung cancer now because of those things, but you can’t keep them from him either. My brother caught him sneaking one last week.”

Jackson threw the butt end of the cigarette down and used his foot to snuff it out. “These things are as bad as alcohol, but I’m not about to quit that either. Let’s head up to the nursery, kid.”

Once they were back inside, Mason was able to see Jackson’s cut much better. Knights of Carnage. The emblem of a knight holding a reaper’s scythe with flames bursting out behind the knight took up most of the back of his cut. The front held his name, no other patches. Mason frowned. He knew for a fact Jackson held some kind of position with the MC. He’d asked Becca about it, but according to his cut, he was just a member.

“You staying long?” Mason hit the button in the elevator for the maternity ward.

“Yeah. I transferred up from Virginia so I could be near Becca. We have a charter in the same town she’s in.”

“Really? I’ve never seen any bikes cruising the streets.”

“That’s because most of us just got out. Last big sting the feds did took down over half the members in all our chapters. We all agreed to keep things quiet and out of sight.”

“If you’re gonna be around for a while, think you might help me with my bike?”

Jackson didn’t answer right away because the door sprang open, and Mason led him to the nursery window. “Sasha’s the third one in the front row.”

The biker finally cracked a smile when he saw Sasha. “She looks like a little old woman with all those wrinkles.”

“Mybabushkasays we come in this world the same as we go out, wrinkled and grouchy as hell.”

“What’s ababushka?”

“My grandmother.”

“She’s not wrong, then.” Jackson rotated his head, working some of the kinks out of his neck. “So, you like bikes?”

“Yeah. My parents aren’t any happier about that than me not wanting to join the respectable workplace either.”

---