Page 39 of Dark Seduction

“You don’t know what’s best for anyone,” Burnt says, his voice hardening. “You’re just scared. You fear being responsible for someone else, of not being able to run away when things get tough. But you can’t run away from this. You can’t run away from your own child.”

“Watch me,” I growl. I push forward again on the bike, and this time he moves. I pull out onto the highway. Not looking back once.

With no destination, I just ride. I feel a sense of freedom wash over me. The open road is my sanctuary, my escape from this mess. Any other time, I’d be out there riding with no destination in mind, enjoying the thrill of the wind whipping through my hair. But now, my mind is clouded. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be a father again, not after what happened last time. The memory of my son’s face still haunts me. Not after losing Braden.

From the moment he was born, I felt like my life had truly began. He gave me purpose. A reason to keep walking up every day. The chapter I patched into were nothing like mother chapter. The president was more concerned about his dick than our brotherhood. Drugs and trafficking were prominently scattered throughout the clubhouse. No one gave a shit about it. You could snort cocaine off a slut’s ass, and they’d cheer you on for it. If the officer wanted your old lady, they just took her, which is why I never took Brittany around the club. No one there or here knew about her for her own safety, and the safety of my son, Braden.

Brittany and I weren’t traditionally what you’d call a happy couple. She needed a safe place to stay, and I wanted a woman who didn’t get shared around like a buffet. Our arrangement worked perfectly until she found out she was pregnant. We were young, too young to be parents, but she didn’t want to end the pregnancy. I’d vowed to her to help raise our baby the best I could. The risks from the club are even greater with a child, but for them, I’d try.

We tried. Brittany having taken the brunt of the work. I came by as much as I could to not raise suspicions about my club. One of the few nights I could count on being able to get away was party nights. The guys would be too fucked to notice I was gone or assumed I’d found a woman and took her somewhere to fuck. It was one of those nights that changed me forever.

“V!” Brittany screams. After the party at the clubhouse last night, my mind is still foggy. Brittany’s screams just get louder and louder until they break through. “He’s not breathing!”

My eyes snap open to the tiny little boy in my arms. To the little boy who I picked up out of his cradle when I’d gotten home to soothe him back to sleep and give Brittany a break. Fuck, I must have passed out with him in my arms.

“Do something!” Brittany screams.

“Call 9-1-1!” I yell back. Brittany scrambles for her home on the nightstand. Her hands trembling as she punches in the numbers.

I stare at him. His small body is so still and lifeless. His lips Panic wells up inside me as I struggle to remember the CPR I’d learned back in high school.

I lay him on the ground and start compressions, counting the beats in my head. One, two, three, four...I work furiously, my hands pumping on his tiny chest.

Brittany hovers nearby, sobbing uncontrollably as I work. I can feel the weight of her fear, her desperation, bearing down on me.

“You’ve killed him,” she screams. “You’ve killed my baby!”

I push the thought away and focus on Braden. After what seems like hours, the paramedics arrive and take over. The moment they whisk Braden away from me, I feel like I’m going to collapse. All the fear, all the anger, all the anxiety I’ve been feeling for the past few days comes crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

I slump down against the wall and let out a howl of despair. The sound that comes from the deepest, darkest part of you. The sound of a man who’s lost everything.

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind of the memory. I’m not ready for this kind of responsibility, for this kind of commitment. I can barely take care of myself, let alone a child. But no matter how hard I try to push the thought away, it keeps coming back, nagging at me like a persistent ache.

Mack needs me.

I know I can’t keep running forever, but I need time to process, to figure out what I want. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, but I know I can’t just ignore it. This child needs a father, and I know, deep down, that I want to be there for them. I just need to figure out how to do it without losing myself.

As I ride, the wind whipping through my hair; I decide. I will not run away from this, but I need time to figure things out. I need to talk to Mack, to figure out what she wants, what she needs from me. I need to be there for her, for our child, but I also need to take care of myself.

For now, I’ll keep riding, keep. But when the time comes, I’ll be ready to face this head-on. I’ll be the father my child deserves, the partner that Mack needs. I’ll figure it out, one step at a time.

I turn around and ride back to the one place I should have never left.

BURNT

The apartment is shroudedin a heavy silence, broken only by the distant sounds of the city outside. Hours have passed since V’s abrupt departure, leaving Mack and me alone to grapple with the weight of the revelation that has reshaped our lives. As I sit on the couch, my thoughts churn like a tempestuous sea, but I know I can’t remain lost in the tumult of my mind.

Mack, who’s been sitting in the dimly lit living room, her expression a mix of worry and sadness, finally breaks the silence. “Burnt, do you think he’s okay? I mean, he was really upset when he left.”

I turn to look at her, my heart heavy with concern for both her and V. “He’ll be alright. V just... he processes things differently, you know? He’s a complex guy, and sometimes he needs space to sort through his feelings.”

Mack sighs, running a hand through her long dark hair, her eyes filled with unease. “I know, but it just seemed so sudden. I thought he’d want to be a part of this, too.”

I reach out and gently take her hand, offering her a reassuring smile. “ He just needs time to wrap his head around it. But I promise you, he’ll be back. He cares about you, about us. This... this is just a lot to take in.”

She nods, her gaze dropping to her lap as she absorbs my words. The bond between Mack, V, and me is undeniably strong, but it’s also a complicated web of emotions and desires. And while I’m certain that V’s initial reaction was driven by shock, I believe he’ll eventually come around to the idea of being a father.

I continue, my voice soft and steady. “Give him some time. When he’s ready, he’ll come back, and we’ll figure this out together. We’re in this together, no matter what.”

---