Reclaimed (2 page)

I rolled my eyes, because it was either make this a joke or cry all over the poor biker. “She’s tired. School has been rough this week with midterms and all that crap that goes with them.”

“If that’s the case, then you have nothing to worry about.” Raider took the beer Hawk sat in front of him and lifted it to his lips. “You aced them all, Flick. You’re too damn smart not to have.”

He was right. I was confident in the grades I’d gotten on all the exams that week. I’d studied hard and even though I’d felt sick through most of the tests, I hadn’t stumbled through a single one. School had always come easy for me. It was real life that I seemed to fail at.

“Shouldn’t you four be doing something? Like running this place?” At the harsh snap we all lifted our heads to find Jet standing right behind me.

Without thinking about it, I put up my walls again, and instantly heard three males mutter something under their breaths when they saw my ‘dead eyes’. Jet didn’t look at me though as he glared from one sibling to the next. Some of the bite left his eyes when they skimmed briefly over Raven, though. It was to be expected, I guess. He’d basically raised his baby sister. Raven had considered him her paternal influence long before her father had died.

“I don’t know,” Hawk growled at his older brother. “Shouldn’t you be doing the same? Or would you rather Bubbles sat on your dick all night while we run this fucking place?”

Jet clenched his jaw for a few seconds before an evil smirk lifted at the left side of his mouth. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Get back to work.”

“Fuck you,” Hawk snarled.

“Nah, I’ll let Bubbles do that, but you can have my sloppy seconds, brother.”

Colt stood. “How about we stop with all the language. Flick doesn’t need to hear that shit.”

My heart clenched at how protective Colt was. He’d always been the thoughtful one of the four brothers. He was as hard as Jet, but he had a softer side too. Why couldn’t I have fallen for him?

“Flick shouldn’t even be in here,” Jet told his youngest brother, the fire in his eyes rising as he glared down at him from the inch-and-a-half height difference. “She’s not twenty-one yet. She has no business being in here.”

“Hey, what the fuck is your problem?” Hawk demanded, stepping around the bar to face Jet. “She’s not drinking, so there isn’t a problem. Back off. She’s not hurting anyone. You never used to have a problem with her coming in here.”

I saw the way Hawk’s eyes narrowed on his brother and quickly got to my feet. I didn’t want to be the reason the two oldest Hannigans came to blows. “I was about to leave anyway. See you guys later.”

Colt took my elbow. “Wait. I’ll walk you to your car. It’s dark out.”

I felt the temperature drop about ten degrees around me as Jet pushed his brother’s hand off my arm. When he replaced Colt’s hand with his own, it didn’t matter that the temperature around me had dropped from the coldness of Jet’s glare. My body instantly heated, feeling as if he were literally scalding my flesh where he touched me. “Get your lazy ass back to work, little brother. I’ll make sure Flick gets to her car.”

My first thought was to refuse. I didn’t want to be alone with Jet when he was coldly angry. Then I realized he was the reason I’d left my mother’s house tonight. If I didn’t talk to him now, I might never talk to him again. I almost preferred it that way, but knew that Jet needed to know he was going to be a father.

Raven was suddenly in front of me. Her green eyes lingered on my face for a moment before she stepped forward and hugged me. Surprised, I hugged her back. “Are you okay?” she whispered at my ear so only I would hear her.

“I’m fine, Rave. Honest.” I kissed her cheek and stepped back, letting Jet pull me out of his bar.

Neither of us spoke as he practically dragged me to my Jeep at the back of the parking lot. To his every one step I had to take three. I’d been lucky to find that empty spot when I’d arrived, the place had been so crowded.  As soon as we reached my Jeep he turned to face me. The look on his face had me taking several steps back, only stopping when I felt someone else’s car at my back.

Jet followed until there was only an inch separating us. I could feel his breath on my cheek and see his eyes clearly from the glow of all the lights in the parking lot. Those green depths were at war with a mixture of emotions: rage, lust, disgust. It was the disgust that felt like a punch to the ribs. Was he disgusted at himself…or me? I was pretty disgusted with myself, so I would have understood if he was disgusted with me too. I didn’t want to chase after this stupid biker, and I wasn’t. As soon as I told him what needed telling, I was gone. He wouldn’t have to acknowledge me if he didn’t want to. I was done with him.

The need to run away—far, far away—from this fucked-up life that I’d been born into was growing stronger. Did I really want my baby to grow up like I had? Sure I knew it would be loved by its uncles and aunt, but what about Jet? Would he even want our baby? Or would he tell me to get rid of it? Would my child grow up not knowing its father like I had?

I didn’t know the answers to those questions, but I was about to get them.

“What do you want, Flick?” Jet muttered as he continued to look down at me with those three emotions still swirling around in his eyes. “I know you came to see me, what I don’t know is why.”

I swallowed, trying to get my dry tongue to work. Why did he have to smell so good? Even under the scent of smoke and booze, I could still identify his unique scent. Something a little spicy mixed with citrus. Maybe it was from my new awareness of scents because of my pregnancy, but I doubted it. I’d always been able to pick out Jet’s scent. This close to him, with his scent filling my nose with each breath I took, my body was reacting in ways that disturbed me. After everything he’d put me through in the last few weeks, I couldn’t understand my ever growing need for this man.

“I needed to talk to you,” I finally got out after a few seconds of trying to get moisture back into my mouth.

He moved half an inch closer, lowering his head until all I could see were his irises. “So talk.”

Easy for him to say. I’d been working out in my head for days now just how to tell him. From the second I’d found out I was pregnant I’d been trying to figure out how, or even if I should tell Jet he was going to be a daddy in a few short months. Everything I’d come up with had sounded stupid and lame. How exactly did you tell the man who only wanted you for a few quick fucks that he was about to be tied to you for at least eighteen years?

Blowing out a long breath, I just blurted it out. “I’m pregnant.”

For a long moment it seemed as if he hadn’t heard me. He didn’t react, not even so much as blinking. I knew the instant what I’d said really sunk in. His face paled and his eyes widened ever so slightly. He took a step back, his eyes going straight to my not-so-flat stomach. I’d always struggled with my weight, but I’d actually lost five pounds in the last week. Morning sickness was the best diet seeing as all you did was vomit and tried to stay hydrated throughout the day.

“Are you joking?” he demanded in a rough voice, as if he couldn’t believe what I’d told him. Or he didn’t want to believe it.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” I snapped, unable to keep my contempt in check any longer. Did he think I had planned this shit? That I honestly wanted to be tied to him for life by an innocent little baby? “I’m pregnant, asshole. There, you know. Do what you want with the info, I don’t give a damn anymore.”

I pushed at his chest and he went willingly. Free, I stepped around him and unlocked my Jeep. Jet didn’t move again until I was sitting in the driver’s seat and had the engine started. Seeing him standing there, frowning down at me like that, I rolled down my window and waited for him to speak.

“Have you seen a doctor?” he demanded in that same rough tone. “Are you okay?”

The first question didn’t surprise me, but the second hit me in the heart. Was he concerned for me or the baby? Did it matter? “I saw him two days ago. Everything is fine. I go next week for a scan to determine my exact due date.”

Jet nodded, as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. “When? Where?” I told him the time and that I had to go to the hospital for the scan. He nodded again and stepped back. “Okay.”

That was all he said before he turned and walked back toward the bar. Okay. Not ‘I’ll see you there’ or even ‘go fuck yourself, Flick’. Just okay. Feeling defeated—because what had I really been expecting from him anyway? —I put the Jeep in gear and headed home.

J
ET

Pregnant.

She was fucking pregnant.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or punch a hole through the wall. I’d spent the last week doing both. One minute I was laughing—the kind of laugh you expect a lunatic to have right before he tortured some helpless bastard to death. Then the laugh would turn into a genuine one, because in all honesty I was kind of happy about Flick being pregnant. It gave me that tie to her that I’d been fighting myself over for so many damn years it was ridiculous. I wasn’t proud of myself for having wanted my baby sister’s best friend since she’d turned sixteen. I’d nearly beaten a man to death when he’d told me he’d felt the same way about my sister. How did that make me any better?

Thinking of Bash Reid only pissed me off. I didn’t know if I was angrier with myself, or Bash, who had left town as soon as he could. Myself. Yeah, myself. Bash had his demons to face, I knew that. He wouldn’t have just left my sister without a good reason. The fucker had taken the beating like a man, making me respect the motherfucker for it. It had shown me just how much he loved Raven. No, he wouldn’t have left without a good reason.

I was pissed off at myself because I hadn’t had the balls to tell Flick that I loved her. Every time I thought of what a pussy I’d been, pushing her away to avoid my own feelings, I put my fist through a wall. It was keeping Uncle Chaz and his construction boys in business, constantly having to patch up the holes I was making at home, work, even the damn clubhouse. No one gave me shit about it though. I figured they knew better than to ask why I was putting my fist through a solid wall. No doubt they realized that I wouldn’t think twice about putting that same bruised and bloodied fist through the back of their heads.

Flick’s appointment had been the day before, and I hadn’t gone. No. That was a lie. I’d gone. Sat in the hospital parking lot and watched as Flick had walked inside for her scan. I’d stayed in my car as I waited for her to come out forty-seven minutes later and hadn’t moved until I’d seen her drive away. Even from where I’d been parked, well away from Flick so she wouldn’t see me practically stalking her, I’d seen the smile on her beautiful face as she’d stared down at a shiny piece of paper.

Was that a picture of our baby? Was that bittersweet smile for our kid? Did she love it already?

Muttering a curse as those same questions drifted through my head yet again, I picked up a bottle of Jameson from behind the bar and opened it as I took a seat on one of the stools in front of the bar top. The place was empty and would stay that way for a few more hours. My brothers and Raven wouldn’t even be in for another two hours to get the place ready for Church that night. I figured I’d be good and drunk by then and wouldn’t be tempted to put my fist through another wall before then.

I was a third of the way through the bottle when I heard the door behind me open. Turning, I found Uncle Jack, Razor, and Uncle Chaz entering the bar with my best friend and VP, Westcliffe. I didn’t want company—especially Westcliffe’s—right then. He was the one who had told me I should end it with Flick in the first place. He’d gotten into my head, made me think that I was no good for her.

It was probably the truth, but fucking hell, I didn’t want it to be.

With a good buzz going right then, I wanted to put my fist through his face. What the fuck had I been thinking, letting Flick go in the first place. I loved that female. Fucking loved her. Shit, I was a pussy. I needed to tell her that I loved her…

Uncle Jack grabbed my bottle of Jameson and headed back to the Originals’ booth in the back. The others followed him and after a few minutes of sitting there, mentally screaming at myself for not telling Flick I loved her, I finally stood and went back to see what the old fuckers wanted. Jack, Chaz, and Razor didn’t just show up without a reason. Not when there would be Church to attend in a few hours.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled a chair from a nearby table and took my place with them. Four pairs of eyes narrowed on me, but no one spoke a word, waiting for me to do the talking. I dragged a hand over my face, feeling the scruff of a week’s worth of beard on my jaw.

“I knocked Flick up,” I muttered, admitting my sin.

There was a long pause from the three old men, as if they were sizing me up for the first time since I’d stepped into my father’s shoes as the Angel’s Halo MC president. Westcliffe sat up a little straighter, his narrowed eyes turning colder. What the fuck was his deal anyway? I was getting sick and tired of his shit where Flick was concerned lately. He was the only one who had even known that I was sneaking around with Flick. I’d thought I could trust him with that, but he’d done nothing but bust my balls and give me shit over it from the second I’d told him.

Ignoring the VP, I turned my gaze to Uncle Jack. He’d been like a second father to me all my life. My father’s best friend and the Club’s VP up until Mad Max Hannigan had met the Angel of Death. He should have been the one to take the president’s spot, but he’d wanted a younger generation to take over the running of the Club.

Uncle Jack’s whiskey-brown eyes were a mixture of disapproval and amusement. A strange combination to see in anyone’s eyes, anyone but Uncle Jack’s. “So wife her.”

“Yeah, fuckhead. Wife that female.” Razor picked up the bottle of Jameson and chugged it long and deep before slamming the bottle back on the table. “Or I’m gonna fuck you up. Clear?”

I blinked, not sure if I was hearing him right with my buzz still going strong. Marry Flick? I hadn’t thought of that. Marriage had been the furthest thing from my mind. Sure, I loved that female, but did I really want to get married? I could make her my ol’ lady without making her my wife, damn it.