Coyote, all I ask is you love Cody with all your heart and give him what I couldn’t. And let him know that I love him more than anything in this world and only did this to protect him.
Milley
P.S. Tinsley has paperwork to fill out for Cody’s birth certificate. I didn’t want to give him my last name. No reason for my brother to be able to get him.
I end up reading the letter several times over before lifting my gaze to meet Tinsley’s. “Where is she?”
There was no way after reading this that I couldn’t go after her.
“Well, umm, she discharged herself after I left with Cody,” Tears filled the woman’s eyes as she looked at Grigory.
“I got word from one of my men I’d sent to pick her up from her brother. I’m sorry to say this but she was beaten to death.”
His words are a blow I didn’t expect to receive. One night. That’s all I had with her and I didn’t even know her name. Now we have a child and I’ll never see her again.
Fuck.
Chapter Four
Coyote
It’s been a month since the day I found out I had a son and the woman who carried him died. I couldn’t help but blame myself for the fact if I’d simply asked for her name, Milley would still be here.
What ifs continue to roll through my head.
A lot of people would have told me I was nuts for taking Cody without a DNA test, but I don’t need one. He has the family birthmark right behind his ear, exactly where mine is. Weird as it may be, but every man in my family was born with an oval looking mark behind the ear.
Breaking the news to Rachel had felt like another punch to the gut. Granted she’s never said it, but I’m sure she blames me for Milley’s death. Stoney promised her and I both we’d go after the motherfuckers who took my son's mom.
Having to raise a kid isn’t a joke. Those who have to do it completely on their own deserve a hell of a lot of credit. If it wasn’t for the fact I not only had all the help here with my brothers and their ol’ ladies, I don’t know what I’d do.
Hell, I don't know what I’m doing period.
Each night after I get Cody to sleep, I end up finding a couple of clubwhores and lose myself in them. I refuse to drink, knowing I have him to take care of so that leaves the only other reprieve I have.
Doesn’t help that a certain blond has stuck around because she wasn’t able to go back home. If she did Milley’s brother would probably get to her and she didn’t want to go home with Grigory.
We’d told him Tinsley could stay here in town and since she’d helped save Cody, we got her situated in an apartment on the other side of town. Whenever she’s around, I avoid her at all cost. I don’t know what it is about the woman, maybe she reminds me of Milley.
Or the fact that every time I see her my dick reacts in a way it didn’t even do that one night I had with Milley. Either way I’m not about to go that route. Clubwhores are all I’ll allow myself to have.
“Hey, brother, you good?” Shadow asks as he sits on the couch next to me.
Clearing my throat, I glance up at him from where I’d been staring at Cody as I held the bottle to his mouth. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” I nod my head not wanting to admit how fucked up my head is right now.
“Look, I’m just gonna say it because you're my brother. I know you’re not fuckin’ okay. Who would be after finding out not only do you have a kid, but the mom was beaten to death after going back to her brother rather than trying to escape him. But, Coyote, you need to get your head back on right. This fuckin’ the clubwhores isn’t helping you,” Shadow says.
“You don’t know what’s in my head,” I mutter.
“I do know, man. I know what you're feeling more than anyone else around here. That’s why I’ve made a call.” Narrowing my gaze on him I wait for him to explain that last part; however, before he can the front door bursts open and I want to groan at the sight of my best friend’s little sister, Izzy. Twister follows directly on her tail, not looking too happy.
Fuck.
“Cody,” she calls out my name as she storms across the room when her eyes land on me.
“Hey, Iz. Twister,” I grumble.
“Don’t you Iz me, Cody. You have some explaining to do. Now give me my nephew,” she demands using my first name rather than my road name, while leaning down to take Cody out of my arms.
Sighing, I explain to her everything that I could. Izzy already knew Milley was the woman who helped Rachel leave here and go back home into a trap. Guilt seems to take over even more as I see the hurt form on Izzy’s face.
“So, where’s this Tinsley chick. I owe her a thank you for helping save Cody here,” Izzy says.
“Why the hell do you need to thank her?”
“Duh, because if not for her neither you nor I would be holding this baby right now. I mean think about it. If Milley didn’t meet her at the hospital he wouldn’t be here. Tinsley wasn’t obligated to do jack shit for anyone, but she did.” I want to ring this woman’s neck, as much as I love Izzy, she can be a pain in the ass.
“Izzy, love ya but no offense there’s no reason for you to meet this woman. Sure, she brought Cody up here. But she could have found a way to help Milley as well,” I argue.
“Do you hear yourself?” she sasses. “Listen right now, mister. There was nothing that woman could do for Milley when she already had it in her head there wasn’t any way to save herself. She knew what she was doing and as much as I hate to say this, from the letter she wrote you to her sending Cody to you. That was her suicide note and she allowed her brother or whoever to be the ones to handle the rest.”
Blinking in astonishment as I take in Izzy’s deduction of everything, it all makes sense.
Motherfuckin’ hell.
“Coyote, Izzy’s right,” Rachel speaks up. Fuck I hadn’t even noticed her approach us. “Milley was my best friend and I know what she did to me was wrong. But she was right about one thing, she was nothing but a pawn in her brother’s game of chess and this was her way of saying checkmate.”
Leaning forward, I brace my hands on my knees and tilt my head down to pinch the bridge of my nose. What a fuckin’ mess.
However, they’re both right. Milley knew what she was doing and, in the end, did what she thought was right for our son.
That’s why I will make sure to make her brother pay for what he caused her to do and when I do, it won’t be pretty. I’ll tear into him like the savage animal I was named after.
Chapter Five
Tinsley
The report comes through over the radio at the ER nurses’ station and it’s all hands on deck. Several patients coming in, all at once, from a car accident that left one fatality.
Not how I wanted to start my shift tonight.
Having moved to a new town I’d been lucky to get this job, what with the way I’d up and left the hospital in Greenville.
“Tins, are you ready for this?” Mike, one of the nurses that I work with asks.
It’s been a month since I’d first encountered Cody’s dad, Coyote. Talk about gorgeous. I mean who doesn’t love a man with a beard and tattoos and muscles galore. Then again who am I to ogle, even if it is in my head. I haven’t seen Coyote the entire time I’ve been here. Well I haven’t seen his face that is. The moment I step into the clubhouse to visit with the other women who are there he leaves the room. Sometimes taking Cody with him. Other times he lets Momma B watch him.