“I have a kid, you know that, right?” I say to him. “These games you want to keep playing, I can’t do anymore. I have a child to think about. So this…” I wave my finger between us, “… needs to stop. If you want me, you want my child, Blaze. We come as a pair. Did you think about that? I’m not a one-way deal,” I say while shaking my head. “But yes, I will take my job back. And no, I don’t need you to make sure I get home safely every day. I can do that myself.” I put the helmet on and walk to the bike.
Blaze stands there watching me, no more words leave his mouth as he stares. With an infinitesimal shake of his head, he gets on and waits for me to climb behind him, and then he takes off.
My hands grip onto him, but I don’t cling to him as I would usually do. When we get back to mine, I pass him the helmet and turn, walking away.
“They will need you tomorrow night.”
I wave back at him, not looking, and head inside.
“Wowser! You look like you were just fucked.” Rochelle reaches for my hair, brushing it down. My hair is probably a mess, thanks to the helmet. Well, I hope it’s from the helmet. “Mitchell’s still inside.”
“Did Annabelle wake?”
“Nope. And thank you so much for this. I loved it.” She hugs me as Marcus walks out and goes straight for his car. I turn to see Mitchell waiting for me at the front door, his jacket in hand.
“I’m biting my tongue because I’m still getting my grip on all this. But Kat, should I be worried?”
“About what?” I ask him, my voice sharp and defensive.
“Of this…” He waves his hands around. “You. Him. Him wanting you, and you wanting him.”
“No. I’ve been looking out for myself for a long time, Mitchell. I will continue to do so.”
He nods. “I have no reason to doubt you.”
“I hope not,” I say as he heads for his car, leaving me on my front porch wondering where I am now. While contemplating this thing called life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Blaze
Katarina turns up the next night, as I expected. Steve calls me with updates every hour to let me know things are running smoothly and going back to the way they should be.
“Look, I have to go. So, if you want more updates, you will have to get them another way, okay, boss,” Steve says.
“Is her car there?”
“Yes, and Fred will walk her out as he always does.”
“Good.” I hang up on him.
Snow sits next to me, slapping my leg. “You look lost.” I feel it. “You realize you love her yet?”
“She has a kid,” I tell him. “I don’t do kids.”
Snow starts to laugh, and when I sit there not saying a word, just watching him, he hits his leg. “That’s a good one. I mean… you have met your brother, right?” he asks with a smile so big I fight the urge to punch him fair and square in the face. “That is one man we never thought would like kids, let alone have one. From what you two say, he took the brunt of it for you growing up. If Marcus can do it, you sure as shit can.”
He’s right, I didn’t think of it like that, and I sure as shit am not going to tell him that either.
“Have you even tried to get to know her child? Or have you just been planning to fuck her?”
“Well…” I shrug. “I like the way she tastes.”
“You like the way she tastes. Fuck me.” He shakes his head. “Now, that’s a great starter for a relationship. ‘Oh, how did you fall in love?’” he asks with air quotes. “I liked the way she tasted.” He stands while chuckling. “I just can’t with you. Honestly, you suck at this love thing.”
“Fuck you,” I spit at him.
“Hold on, if I fuck you, will you like the way I taste and lose your mind, too?” he teases.
“Pres…” One of the prospects comes up to me. “Wretched MC boys just crossed over.”
“Oh, fuck!” Snow walks off and comes back not long after, my gun in his hand. He passes it to me. “I had a feeling they wouldn’t care for your warning,” Snow says, shaking his head.
“Let’s go.”
“He also said they have just stopped at the club.”
My hands squeeze the gun tight.
No fucking way.
No. Fucking. Way.
“Now,” I scream, running to my bike.
They all follow closely behind, and soon we’re screaming down the roads until we reach the club. It’s late, and it’s closed. We find Fred knocked out cold on the ground, and Kat’s car left where it was parked. Running to the door while Snow tries to revive Fred, I see it’s locked, and no one is inside.
“Blaze,” Snow yells, turning back.
Fred’s sitting up, and he’s rubbing the back of his head.
“I didn’t even see them,” he says, looking up to me. “Heard her scream, and then I was hit. That’s all I can remember.”
“Fuck,” I scream. Calling Marcus, he picks up on the first ring. “Wretched just took Kat. Get your ass to the clubhouse, now.” He doesn’t speak, just hangs up.
We wait for Marcus to arrive. He’s on good terms with them, so if anyone should know where they are, if they aren’t at their clubhouse, he will. We fucking hope.
Marcus gets out of the car, walks over, looks to Fred, then to me. “He has a house not far from here. It’s where he has his daughter when he has her.”
“You know this how?”
“People like to talk,” he says with a shrug.
“Are you coming?” I ask him.
Marcus nods, then goes straight back to his car and leads the way. When we pull up at the house it’s black, there’s no lights anywhere. I stop the bike as Marcus gets out of his car and walks straight up to the house and knocks.
He fucking knocks.
“Ummm… okay,” Snow says next to me. “He really did just knock, right? Does he think they will open for milk and cookies?”
“Shut up!” I hiss at him.
Marcus knocks again, then when he doesn’t get an answer turns to look at me. I get off, walk over as he stands to the side, and kick the fucking door in. It breaks easily and I step straight in, flicking a light on.
I turn back to my men. “Do you have the daughter yet?”
“No,” the prospect yells back. “They say she isn’t at any of the places you gave them.”
“Try the boyfriend,” Snow yells, smiling.
“She doesn’t have one.”
“Oh, but she does. She wouldn’t want daddy to know.” He shakes his head.
“Try for a girl’s name. Someone she calls and texts a lot, because that’s what my sister used to do,” the prospect relays that to one of the guys on the phone.
“He said he’s found an address and is going to check that out. Give him five minutes, it’s close.”
Looking through the place, I see no evidence Kat was here.
“Do you plan to kill him?” Snow asks, more in a hushed voice as we walk out. “I ask because if you do, that could mean war.”