Lethal Temptations (Tempted #5) (43 page)

“I’ve known for a long time,” she admitted. “Every breakdown my father has had made it easy for me to diagnose myself.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’ve got your own demons, Blackie. You don’t need mine,” she murmured.

“Yeah, babe, we both got demons we can’t stand, but you took mine and when I get out of here you’re going to give me yours,” I told her. “I don’t know when that will be so you’ve got to promise me you’re going to stay strong and do what you got to do to keep it quiet up there,” I said, motioning to her head with my chin.

“I’m in therapy,” she informed me. “And…,” she paused and took a deep breath, working through her confession. “I’m on lithium.”

“That’s good, Lace. Hey, look at me,” I said, waiting for eyes to reach mine. “It’s a good thing.”

“It is?” she laughed.

“Yeah, it means you’re not ignoring it and you’re not waiting for it to consume you. It takes a strong person to admit there’s something wrong and an even stronger person to follow through with treatment,” I said. “I’m proud of you, real proud, Lace.”

“So you don’t think I’m crazy?”

“Not that crazy but yeah, you got to have a little crazy in you to fall for a guy like me,” I said. I bit the inside of my cheek and watched the smirk play on her mouth.

I missed her mouth.

“What about you?”

“I’m fucking certifiable,” I admitted with a laugh.

“That’s not what I meant,” she insisted. “What about the drugs? Are you getting help?” She glanced around the room. “Is that even an option here?”

“I’m working it out,” I said, glancing over my shoulder to take in the positions of the guards. I kept my eyes on them as they were engrossed in a conversation and moved my hands across the table and covered hers.

The simplest touch was all I needed to remind me of how she felt in my arms.

I tore my eyes from the guards and stared at her as she looked at our hands, intertwining our fingers together.

“Did you ever think something as simple as holding hands would mean so much?” She lifted her eyes to mine. “When did that happen?”

“The day you forced me to drink a milkshake and reminded me I could still smile,” I answered.  “Promise me something?”

She nodded her head.

“Don’t miss me too much,” I whispered, as my thumb stroked hers. “Keep on with your therapy, take your medicine, and finish school.”

Her hand closed over mine, squeezing it as she held on for dear life.

“Another stolen moment,” she murmured. “Is that all we will ever have?”

“Can’t promise you the world, no matter how much I want to, not while I’m in here.”

“And when you’re out? What happens then?”

“Hey, Petra, no touching!” The guard shouted from across the room. “You got two minutes to wrap it up.”

I gave her hand a squeeze before pulling mine back.

“Then, I claim my queen,” I said, pushing back my chair and drawing in a deep breath before I stood. “I love you, don’t forget that okay?”

“Never,” she promised as the tears fell from her eyes again. “I hate this,” she admitted.

“Me too,” I said as I took three steps backward, not ready to turn around and walk away from her.

“Blackie, wait,” she said, standing on her feet. “I didn’t get to thank you.”

“Thank me for what?”

“That night, for what you did. You saved me again.”

“Just returning the favor, Lace.”

“What?”

“You saved me first,” I said, turning my back before I couldn’t. Every second I stared at her face made it harder and harder to walk away. I took another two steps but stopped because I didn’t know when I would get to see her again. I turned around and looked at her one more time.

Let them throw me in the hole.

Take away my phone call privileges.

Ban my visitors.

It would be worth it.

I never played by the rules and today wouldn’t be the day that changed.

I closed the distance between us with every officer’s pair of eyes burning a hole into my back I walked straight up to my girl.

“C’mere, girl,” I whispered, reaching for face and cupped her cheeks with my palms before I pressed my lips to her forehead.

“Petra!”

“No more maker,” I told her. “Just you and me… Leather and Lace,” I said against her skin.

My hands fell from her face as the C.O. grabbed me from behind and pulled me back.

So fucking worth it.

Chapter Thirty-six

Another month passed, thirty days without word from Jack or any of my brothers other than a deposit into my commissary account. After Lacey’s visits they suspended my phone privileges and banned any visitors other than my lawyer for sixty days. They could’ve sent word through the suit but all I’ve been granted is radio silence. It’s one thing to leave me here because Jack’s thinks I stabbed him in the back, but that doesn’t change my place within the club. I didn’t dishonor my brothers or my patch and as the fucking vice president of the Satan’s Knights I deserve the respect of knowing where my club stands.

I went away with two wars beating the fence, one with the Chinese and the other with the Corrupt Bastards. I can’t sit here and think that shit is just staying idle while I’m locked up. Boots made a move, pinning that kid on Lacey, he’s decided what it is he wants and he’ll make his demands if he hasn’t already. Then there’s Sun Wu, that motherfucker’s vendetta didn’t die and after we fucked with his shipment he’s probably out for blood. No holds barred.

Tomorrow I’m scheduled to meet with my lawyer so he can tell me all about the deal he’s been trying to iron out with the district attorney. According to him, there is no way around doing time, and I should take the deal since the kid still hasn’t woken up and the doctors are trying to convince his parents to pull the plug.

I got nothing.

No remorse whatsoever.

Which makes me wonder about the type of person I am. When I found out those two kids’ died I felt something. I felt a shit ton of grief and regret. I sat in the back of the funeral home and wished I could give each one of those mother’s back their sons.

This was different, there was foul play, and it was on Lacey.

Kid deserved what he got.

If it makes me a heartless motherfucker so be it.

And the father’s just as much of a dick because he threw his son into the line of fire trying to save his own ass.

Don’t have kids if you aren’t willing to lay it all on the line. Don’t bring another life into the world if you’re not willing to trade yours for theirs. I’m no one’s father, so what do I know? But give me a kid, give me a precious life, one I helped create, and tell me to protect that kid—you better believe I’m giving that kid everything I am and everything I ever wanted to be.

I think that’s the biggest rewrite a person gets in life.

Making a new life and making good on all the wrongs you did in life by giving your kid all the chances you never got.

Kids.

Never thought much about them, been too wrapped up in wanting nothing to dream about having everything.

But having a little girl call me daddy, who looked like Lacey and maybe a little bit like me, was one of the things that made me hope Brandon woke up from the coma I put him in. 

The dream was ripped from me when I heard the cell door squeak open and the C.O. step inside.

“Got yourself a cell mate Petra,” he crooned, crossing his arms against his chest as he looked over his shoulder. “Try to play nice, will you?” He added, before stepping outside the cell and allowing the man about to invade my small space step inside.

My eyes narrowed as Stryker walked into the cell, holding his linens under his arm.

“Good luck,” muttered the C.O. before he slammed the bars close and strut his ass down the cell block. I stood from my cot, walked over to the bars and looked out to see where the guards were before turning around and narrowing my eyes at him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Stryker threw his linens on the top bunk before turning around and facing me.

“I heard the bologna was top notch,” he said sarcastically before glancing around the cell. “This blows, huh?” He shook his head and diverted his eyes back to mine. “Do you snore?”

“Stryker,” I seethed, clenching my fists as I took one step, making us almost nose to nose. “What are you doing here?”

“Drug charge, nothing crazy just possession,” he stated.

“And it’s a coincidence that you’re my cellmate?” I questioned.

“Nope, not a coincidence at all. I come bearing news and instructions,” he said, pointedly. “But I should warn you, none of it is good.”

“Christ,” I hissed, running my fingers roughly through my hair before I lifted my eyes to his. “Lacey?”

“She’s fine,” he paused, cocking his head to the side as he peered at me. “You fucked the Bulldog with that one.”

“Yeah, well, he needs to get over it. It’s not like I don’t have good intentions when it comes to her but, he wouldn’t know that because he’s too busy being a bitch.”

“He’s too busy fighting a war to even consider what kind of man you’ll be to his daughter,” he argued. “But he’s decided that your life matters, whether it’s to him or her, I don’t know but that’s one reason I’m here,” he paused, ran his hand over his head before continuing. “The Dragons came after us,” he informed me.

“How bad?”

He blew out a breath, rolling up his sleeves and glanced down at the ink that covered his arms before he lifted his eyes back to mine.

“Stryker, how fucking bad?”

“We lost Bones,” he muttered.

I stared at him in shock as I dropped onto my cot and processed his words. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a fallen brother. You start to think your club is invincible and nothing will ever get you down. Then something like this happens, you lose one of your own, and you realize everybody bleeds. We all die and none of us are ever safe.

“They attacked us at the compound, got us good, Pipe was expecting a shipment of automotive parts and when the truck pulled into the gates we thought it was the delivery. They opened fire, Riggs’s baby mama was there…”

“Oh God,” I groaned.

“She was hit and would’ve been again but Bones stepped in front of the second shooter and took the bullet for her,” Stryker continued. “Bones didn’t make it out of surgery, they delivered the baby, kid was born three pounds and was put a respirator.”

“And Lauren?”

“Took her awhile to come back to the land of the living but she finally got to meet her boy,” he said, taking a seat on the john across from the bunk.

“Jesus,” I muttered. “How did Riggs not lose his fucking mind?”

“Man, I don’t know but, shit, he stepped up. He didn’t leave that hospital for a second, if he wasn’t sitting with his woman then he was holding his baby—telling him stories about the mom he didn’t meet yet and the uncle he never would.”      

I brought my hands up to cover my face, processing what he said and thought about Bones and Riggs’ friendship. We all talk about brotherhood, call one another brothers by choice but those two, they were tight, they were a younger version of the old Jack and the old me.

“Tell me we got them. Tell me we made that motherfucker pay,” I growled, dropping my hands back to my sides.

“It’s taken care of,” he confirmed.

“How?”

“We waited because Jack wanted to give Riggs the respect—Sun Wu nearly took out his whole family, it seemed only fair he’s the one who put Wu in his grave. We hit his club as planned but Riggs had a different plan, one he concocted with Bianci. They took out Wu personally.”

“Shit,” I ground out.

“Yeah, it’s been fun.”

“What about the Corrupt Bastards?”

“Riggs went up to see them, that guy Boots met with him and for a hot minute we thought he struck a deal with them but then all this happened and Boots never reached out which leads Jack to believe he was never going to take the offer to begin with,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “So that’s still a live wire we have to kill.”

Boots wouldn’t take a deal. I offered him a sweet one. If he agreed to something with Riggs it was only because the prick knew he made a mistake using Lacey as a pawn in his game. That motherfucker is trying to back pedal his way out of the shit he put himself in. He probably heard the news about what went down with the Chinese and thinks Jack is too preoccupied to make a move on him, and with me doing a bid that fuck thinks he’s safe.

Wrong.

“Going to ask you one more time and this time you better answer me. What are you doing here?”

“Got a message for you,” he revealed.

“Yeah, I bet you do. Give it to me,” I ordered, watching as he walked towards the bar and checked to see if the coast was clear before turning back to me.

“You need to get yourself transferred to Otisville. As long as that kid you fucked up is half dead there isn’t anything Jack can do. Lacey gave her testimony to the cops but that douche bag Brantley squashed it. There’s only one way out but in order for that to happen, you need to be in Otisville with Vic Pastore, that’s where the connections are.”