Bad Boy's Baby: Wicked Angels MC (6 page)

Tristan

I stalked away from Jenny’s little ramshackle house in anger and climbed on my bike, gunning it into a high gear and driving out of Centreville. I had to be alone, I had to think. I was so angry that I could have spat, so I turned up music loudly and stuffed headphones in my ears. I just wanted to ride and ride until all of the adrenaline and anger had subsided.
That’ll take a billion fuckin’ years
, I thought to myself in anger.
Fuck!

She had a son! My son! He had to be my son. There was no way he was anyone else’s. He was the spitting image of myself at that age. I had to close my eyes and count backwards. She’d called him Phin. He had to be at least eight. It had been over eight years since I’d last seen Jenny. That set me off all over again. I couldn’t believe that she’d had my son and not said a goddamn word! Who did that woman think she was! Just because we had a past together didn’t seem like a good reason to punish that poor kid. Shaking my head, I sped up and navigated around a turn.

I’d grown up without a dad. While it hadn’t been my mom’s fault, I’d always wished that I could have had a father. My old man had been a biker, too, but in a different club. A bad club, a club that was more like a gang. He got killed while my mom was still pregnant. At first, she’d vowed to make a better life for me but that was damn near impossible. She’d never even finished high school. I remembered her trying hard when I was a little kid but by the time I started school, she had started to flounder. Mom had always had drug problems and she started using again by the time I was in second or third grade. I’d come home and find her passed out, no food in the house, the TV sold for more junk. After a while, I resented that she’d never cared enough to quit for me. I mean, I was her only kid. I was supposed to be the only thing in her life, right?

My mind flashed back to Jenny’s cramped little house. Even though she obviously didn’t have much money, I could tell how much she loved her son. The living room had been covered with framed pictures he’d obviously drawn, and there had been a giant pile of his crayons on the kitchen table. Hell, even the room where I’d dragged Jenny was filled with his toys. Against my will, that brought a smile to my face.

I shook my head. No, I didn’t feel good about Jenny right now. I was angrier than anything that she’d never contacted me. After all, she was the one who had left
me!
She’d never talked to me again! Not after that fateful night.

“No,” I said aloud. I couldn’t let myself get dragged back into the memories. That was only dangerous, and something that was guaranteed to bring me more pain for now. I had to stop thinking about Jenny. I had to do something to take my mind off of her.

Jenny’s parents had never thought I was good enough for her. Even back then, even when I was actually trying. Nothing I did was good enough. I thought it was something that I’d managed to move past, but I apparently hadn’t. Now, the pain and the wound felt as fresh as they had the day that I knew it had all been over.

My phone buzzed in my pants.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Tristan, dude.” I heard the voice of one of my fellow Wicked Angels, Rod. He was my best friend and my second-in-command. Without him, I wouldn’t have gotten to the top. Without him, I probably would have died six times over.

“Hey, man,” I greeted him. His gruff voice was a welcome distraction from the turmoil raging in my brain. “What can I do for you?”

“I got some bad news,” Rod said. He let out a deep sigh. “You remember Darius?”

“Oh man, do I,” I said slowly. Darius had been my best friend growing up. We’d been from the same wrong side of the tracks, and we’d gotten into a lot of trouble together. When I met Jenny, Darius had always been jealous. Not because I had a girlfriend, just because it was a sign that I was doing better. Darius never would have treated a girl like a gentleman, he would have abused her and scared her off. But because I was able to date some high class girl, he couldn’t stand it. He accused me of being a sellout. I was too loyal to Jenny to even want to reconsider mending things. Ever since then, we’d drifted apart. Now, he was in a rival MC, the Iron Fangs. They were dirty—into guns and drugs—and they resented the Wicked Angels. After all, we’d had a hold on Centreville for a long time. They didn’t have a chance to get close.

“Well, Darius and his boys were involved in some kinda shootout on the outskirts of town. I think a lot of people were shot or injured, or something.” Rod paused and I heard the click of a lighter. “They were selling guns to the Russians, outside of town, and it must have gone bad.”

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “Just what we fuckin’ need right now.”

“I know,” Rod said. “I know, man.”

We were silent for a moment and I knew he was thinking of the implications of this. Even though the Wicked Angels were usually in good with the cops, no one liked a bloody shootout. Especially not the local law enforcement.

“Any word about the cops?”

Rod sighed again. “Yeah, man, they’re gonna look into us,” he said after a pause. “You want me to tell the other guys?”

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of it. I’m headed to the clubhouse now.”

“Listen,” Rod said. “You and Darius used to be tight, right? You used to be close?”

“Not for a long time,” I said bitterly. “Try almost ten years ago. He hates me now. He wants me dead.”

“All the same,” Rod said. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. “You should probably go talk to him. Maybe he’ll listen to you, who knows. But either way, we can’t have these kinds of attacks, you know? I mean, the cops are gonna crack down on us a lot tighter if shit like this keeps happening.”

“Right,” I said. “Fine. I got it. I’ll go see him.”

“Man, don’t be pissed. You know I wouldn’t willingly ask you to take care of this, okay?”

“It’s fine,” I said, trying to relax. “I’ve just had one hell of a day.”

“I bet,” Rod said drily.

I had to chuckle at that. Rod was used to tales of my white-knighting and seduction, to the point where he would just start making stories up to counter which outrageous claim I’d come up with next. I got in to the clubhouse one morning after spending it with a couple of beer models and Rod was already making up stories about the orgy he’d attended the night before. It was a sign of our friendship. But this time, he had no idea just how crazy shit had gotten. He didn’t even
know
about Jenny. None of the Wicked Angels did. It was easier that way.

“Alright, I’ll see you later, man,” I said, shoving my phone in my pocket after I’d hung up.

I let out a long sigh. Darius still lived on the wrong side of the tracks. His house was actually pretty damn close to where Jenny lived. The idea of heading back over there didn’t exactly fill me with happiness, but I knew it had to be done.

The sky was an inky black over my head as I rode my hog through the streets of town. I pointed my bike towards Darius’s place. His house was a ramshackle wooden building that had definitely seen better days. At least the yard and hedges outside of Jenny’s place had been well-manicured, but Darius’s house looked like a shack.

He must have heard my bike rumbling because he’d stepped out onto the porch before I could even climb off the bike. Darius was tall but squat. All of his features looked too large for his body, including his giant face and chest. His pec muscles were well-defined, even through the loose cotton shirt that he was wearing. And his biceps were bigger than his head—which was a feat, considering he practically had no neck. He grinned at me. It was a nasty, yellowing smile. Behind him, inside the house, I heard the fierce barking of hungry dogs.

“Hey there,” I said in a guarded voice. “I need to talk to you, man.”

“Oh, now you wanna come crawling back?” Darius gave me another nasty grin.

I rolled my eyes. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working. I mean, come the fuck on. Shooting up those Russians? What the fuck did you think was going to happen?”

There was an evil gleam in Darius’s eyes. “You’re one to talk, asshole. You think you’re too good for the rest of us but you’re biker trash just like me. Just wait, you’re one gun away from turning into an Iron Fang.”

I shook my head. “No way, man,” I said, trying to stay calm. Being around Darius was making me angry. I could feel my hands balling up into fists at my sides. “You don’t fuckin’ know anything, Darius. You don’t know how this town works.”

“I know how you work,” Darius said. He winked at me and I felt rage boil through my body. “And I know you saved that pretty little librarian from a bad fate.”

My mouth went dry but I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “But I’ll make you pay if you don’t stop this shit. Stop being such a goddamn jackass, Darius.”

Darius worked his lips into a slow grin. “She’ll have to watch her little back in the future,” he said. “And boy, does she have a nice back.” He held his hand up and squeezed the air.

“Fuck you,” I snarled. “You stay away from her.”

Darius only chuckled. It was only when I climbed on my bike that I’d realized my mistake. By acknowledging that I’d known who he was talking about, I’d only put Jenny directly into the face of danger.

Jenny

All I could think about that night was Tristan and how we’d ended, and how angry he’d been with me. I shuddered. Part of me never wanted to see him again. After all, he’d left all those years ago. He’d left and never come back. Not even a fucking note, and then he had the nerve to show up and try to “rescue” me.

I barely got a wink of sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tristan’s face floating in my mind. It was torturing me.
Things are never going to be that good again,
I thought to myself.
And you know that. The sooner you understand that, the better
.

Unfortunately, the morning came even though I didn’t want it anywhere near me. As I was getting Phin ready for school, he seemed more solemn than usual. He was a serious kid, but still, he was usually pretty goofy in the mornings.

“Mommy, who was that man?” Phin looked into my eyes and I could tell that he was worried. I crushed him against my chest and buried my face in his hair, smelling his sweet scent. In a few years, he was going to be a heartbreaker. But for now, he was still my little boy.

“I’m so sorry that happened, sweetie,” I said, pulling back. I put my hands on Phin’s shoulders and looked into his innocent face. “He won’t be coming back again, I promise.”

Phin bit his lip and for a moment, it looked like he was going to cry. The resemblance to Tristan was so astounding that I couldn’t believe I’d never thought of it before. Phin had the same blue eyes, the same chiseled jaw. His hair was lighter in color than Tristan’s but I could tell that it would darken with time into those same messy waves I loved.

“Who is he?” Phin looked at me again and I felt a tug on my heartstrings. “How do you know him?”

I didn’t answer. Turning around, I stood up. I was still only half-dressed, and I had to be back at the library before ten. After the bus picked up Phin, I’d have to call a cab. It wasn’t cheap, but I didn’t have a choice as the library was fifteen miles away. I couldn’t walk.
Damn you, Tristan.
If it wasn’t for you, I’d still have my car.

If it wasn’t for you, I might be dead,
I realized. If Tristan hadn’t shown up when he did, those thugs would have surely done worse. I shivered, remembering the feel of their greasy, chubby fingers sliding over my body.

“Who is he?” Phin repeated when I was almost out of the room. “What did he want?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” I said. Phin frowned. Even though he was only eight, I could tell he didn’t believe me. “I mean, Mommy knew him a long time ago. That’s all. I don’t know who he is anymore.”

Phin laughed. I was glad for a break in his serious temperament. Sometimes I hated being a single mother. I wished that he could have had a father in his life. For his benefit and mine. But when Tristan left, I didn’t think he wanted anything to do with me, or with Phin. He hadn’t known I was pregnant when we split, and I’d never found it in my heart to tell him. If someone already wanted to be gone, it wasn’t going to do much good trying to con them into staying.

I’d seen the same thing happen to one of my friends, Colleen, in college. She’d been dating this guy, James, for years. They were in love, they
lived
together. Unlike me and Tristan, they actually had an adult relationship. They were open about their love and affection for each other. But when she got pregnant, everything changed. James promised he’d stick around but he never did. She came home one day and he was gone, just like that. His clothes were out of the closet and their books had been carefully packed and separated. She never even knew what happened to him. When it had first happened, she’d tried convincing me that he’d been abducted. But Phin was a toddler by then, and I knew better. Still, Colleen had never wanted to hear the truth. She would have rather thought the father of her child was dead than gone away from her.

“Mommy, tell me,” Phin insisted. I looked down at his sweet face and saw the same anger and confusion. “He can’t be a different person!” His voice was raising to a hysterical pitch and I feared a crying fit was coming soon. “People don’t change, Mommy!”

“Unfortunately, sweetie, they do sometimes,” I told Phin as calmly as I could. Phin crawled into my arms and I felt his sobs on my neck. I tried to hold him and calm him down as best I could, but my efforts only went so far. Phin was a nervous kid, always upset about something. He’d always been sensitive, and now that he was in elementary school, I worried about him being bullied. His teachers had always told me that he was well-behaved, but quiet. I just looked forward to the day where he’d stop asking me about a daddy.

I had wanted to raise Phin in a family, but at the outset, I’d known how impossible that would be. After all, kids did better with a mother and a father figure. Science said so, everyone said so. But I hadn’t ever met anyone who would have been a good father figure for Phin. I couldn’t ask someone to do that and risk it not working out. That wouldn’t be fair to my kid, to introduce someone and have him call them Daddy, only for them to disappear. I didn’t want Phin to have to watch me go through heartbreak again and again. I’d promised myself that when he was just a little older, I could start dating. Maybe find a nice, boring, single dad and link up our families. But right now, it was just impossible.

“I promise, I’m never going to change,” I told Phin in a soothing voice. “I’ll always love you. I’ll always be your mommy.”

Phin’s crying stopped after a few seconds. He leapt out of my arms and grinned at me. The tense moment had apparently been forgotten, and I was relieved. Still, now that I knew he was back, part of my mind was glued to Tristan.
Or maybe he never left
, I thought sadly.
He just left you.

After Phin had boarded the bus, I called for a cab. Every few seconds, I checked the window. I knew it was stupid, but I was still worried about Randy and Steve popping up out of nowhere again. I didn’t think they would have known where I lived, but then again, how did they find out where I worked? They must have been watching me. There were dozens of times over the past few weeks where I’d been outside, playing with Phin or working in the garden. It would have been easy for a bike to cruise by, snap a photo, then drive off. I shuddered. The whole situation was making me uncomfortable. Even though Tristan had threatened both of those assholes, I had a feeling I hadn’t seen the last of them. Guys like that didn’t usually listen to reason, especially not when it came from another biker.

I need to get out of this town
, I thought to myself. It was so stupid that I’d stayed. After all, my parents didn’t know about Phin. I could have moved before he was born, but I chose to stay. In case they ever came around, or in case Tristan ever came back. Thinking about Tristan made my mouth set into a line. Damn him. There was no way he’d ever get close to me or Phin ever again.

When the cab came, I waited until it was in the driveway before leaving the house. The street looked quiet—a typical weekday morning—but now that I was suspicious, it was alarmingly clear just how easy it would have been to spy on me all that time.

“The library, please,” I told the cabbie.

He caught my eye in the rearview mirror and winked. “Going to do a little studying?”

I shuddered. Gross. “No, I work there,” I said calmly. “I’m a librarian.”

The cabbie chuckled. “I bet you are,” he said before turning on the radio and tunelessly singing along.

The ride was a short one, but it still came to more money than I would have liked. I counted out some worn bills and passed them over. The cab ride, plus tip, would mean Phin and I would be eating pancakes at least one night this week. I felt frustrated and angry inside; even though I’d worked hard to bring us above this, I hated just scraping by. Phin didn’t notice now because he was too young. If he’d been older, I would have felt ashamed.

As the cabbie slowed to a stop in front of the library, I blinked. “Thank you,” I said automatically. For a moment, I thought I’d seen…no, it couldn’t be. I’d told him to stay away! I’d threatened him!

Tristan approached me as soon as I’d climbed out of the cab. Swallowing hard, I started walking towards the entrance to the library.

“Jenny, wait,” Tristan called out. “I need to talk to you.”