Page 57 of Menace

Like before his prez wasn’t the only one waiting on him.

All the officers plus Lure, Magic and Bruiser were there. They looked pissed. Not good, not good at all. He had to explain, and do it fucking fast, before shit hit the fan.

“Prez, before you start, I fucked up. Tried to divert the slut’s attention, not that it worked. Did you listen to the recording I sent you?” He shook his head and held up a hand.

“Fuck, I forgot, it’s in Spanish and will need translatin’. I sent it to Byte I’m sure he’s on it already. We have to be ready, Prez, she’s plannin’ a lot of fucked up shit. She was talkin’ about havin’ me picked up and tortured for information, and about sellin’ our women. And I think they have someone high up in government who will keep the pigs off their backs while they destroy the club. We need to be ready for them, they’re goin’ to come at us and it’s goin’ to be soon.”

His prez wordlessly nodded then tipped his head towards a chair in front of his desk. Lucky sank into it, waiting for whatever was coming next.

“We’ll wait on that discussion until Byte sends me the translation. Let’s handle the other shit and get it out of the way. What happened at the studio was fucked up, Lucky. Ink wants to take your fuckin’ head off for disrespectin’ one of his people. There are some apologies due, brother.” His prez growled.

Lucky nodded, closed his eyes, opened them, and looked Maniac straight in the eyes. He had always been brutally honest with his president and he wasn’t about to start lying to him now. There was nothing to do but share with his president and his brothers.

He had been thinking as he drove back to the clubhouse. Thinking about Cape Town and what had happened there. His gut clenched and his heart raced as he relived their time together. Remembered how he had never used a condom with her. He had tried to work out how old the baby was but couldn’t because the kid had looked big to him. It confused him.

Was the baby his, or was it some other motherfucker’s child?

He couldn’t think about that. He had to focus on her, only her.

It was time for an explanation that might have his president and his brothers giving him some slack.

“You’re right, Prez, and I will apologise to Ink and to her. But first there’s somethin’ I need to tell you and the brothers.” He drew a deep breath in through his nose then slowly blew it out to settle his racing heart.

“Fuck, this is goin’ to suck.” He grumbled before he explained.

“I know her, I know who she is. We met when I was visitin’ with Remy and Pixie. We spent time together and I cut ties when I left.” He shrugged. “My life is here, hers was there.”

Everyone nodded. They understood, his prez and VP didn’t nod, they just watched him.

“From the minute she turned around in that studio and I realised who she was I’ve tried to work it out in my head. And I have more questions than answers. Why is she here? Why has she changed the way she looks? Is she hidin’ from someone? And if she is, who is she hidin’ from? And then there’s the other thing, the thing that makes all my questions almost irrelevant. I can’t get past this knowin’ feelin’ in my gut that she’s mine. But then there’s the baby. I have no idea if it’s mine or not. But there’s a possibility that thebébé(baby) might be mine.” He could no longer keep the Cajun from sneaking into his accent.

His eyes never left those of his prez and he saw the minute they narrowed, his stare going arctic cold, his eyes like lasers on him.

“You sayin’ this girl who arrived here a few weeks ago is someone you know? Someone who is important to you? Someone you’re thinkin’ of as yours and who might have had your child?”

“Oui, c’est vrai(Yes, that’s true).”

Weeks? She’s been here for weeks? What the fuck was going on?

He needed answers.

But, before he got those answers he had to explain what had happened in Cape Town. And then he was going to find out what the fuck was going on with Joney and fix it.

The only way to explain was to start at the beginning. At Remy’s wedding.

“I met her when I was in South Africa for Remy’s weddin’. I got to know her and she’s a fuckin’ amazin’ woman. We spent time together but eventually I had to come home and she had her life there. I cut ties, walked away. I told myself I didn’t want our enemies noticin’ her, which was a lie. A lie I told myself so I could leave her without lookin’ back. I walked away, came home, but I fuckin’ regretted my decision.”

There were a couple of nods and some grumbles in the room but he ignored them, kept his eyes on his prez.

“And then I walk into Ink’s shop, and there she is, right in front of me. I wasn’t expectin’ her, and seein’ her lookin’ nothin’ like she did before, it shook me. I’m not talkin’ about her havin’ had a baby, Prez. I’m talkin’ about how she’s changed everythin’ about herself, the pink hair, the purple contacts, the fuckin’ tattoos and piercin’s. She didn’t have all of those back then. Even her fuckin’ clothes are different. She changed everythin’ about herself and all I can think is that she’s hidin’, hidin’ from someone.”

He shook his head and dragged both hands over his face and through his hair.

“Why the fuck is my woman hidin’, Prez? And why is she hidin’ here, in my back yard, and I know nothin’ about it? And who do I have to kill to make her safe, to make her baby safe?”

Maniac never looked away from him, it felt like his eyes were burning holes in Lucky’s head.

“What I’m about to tell you stays here, between all of us, in this office. Do you get me?” Lucky nodded.

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