Dice (A Righteous Outlaws Novel #3) (9 page)

Kade rested his hand on Sienna’s shoulder, his signal for her to rein it back a little, but as usual that only annoyed her farther.

“You promised me you weren’t going to sleep with her.”

Allison’s body went stiff beneath my hand. I’m sure she wasn’t expecting her sex life to be aired out at dinner tonight, or she never would have come.

“Awkward,” Aubree mumbled, forking a piece of chicken.

“Why don’t we eat and talk later?” Kade said.

“Why don’t we talk now?” Sienna insisted.

Kade held his hands up and rested into the back of his seat. “I tried.”

“I appreciate it, brother, but I know how my sister can be.”

“Oh, no,” Sienna said, waving her finger. “Don’t pull the sister shit right now. You promised.”

“And shit happens. You of all people should understand that.” After all, she was the one who got knocked up after what was supposed to be a one drunken night thing with Kade. Best thing that ever happened to her, if you asked me, but that wasn’t the point right now.

Sienna’s eyes darkened and, if we weren’t in Cash and Aubree’s home, she probably would have sunk her hand in the mac and cheese and tossed it at my head.

“How long has this been going on? Are you off fucking when you should be watching my son?”

“Never!” Allison said, her cheeks a new shade of red. “If you must know, it happened once and not when I was working.” She dropped her eyes to the table, and now I wanted to sink my hand into the mac and cheese and throw it at Sienna for making Allison feel ashamed.

“We’re two consenting adults and, quite frankly, S, it’s none of your fucking business.”

Her eyes locked with mine in an intense stare down. Silence filled the air like everyone around us was afraid to talk or move.

The door flew open, slicing into the silence. A blood curdling scream erupted from Martha, and we all jumped to our feet drawing our guns.

Allison’s eyes widened in fear.

Byrd carried Stumpy in, blood spreading across his shirt and dripping on the floor. We all withdrew our guns.

“My nephew!” Martha cried. “What happened? What happened?”

“Can someone calm her down?” Cash asked. He nodded to Braxton and Hudson. “Go.” Then, he walked over to the prospects. “What the fuck happened?” he demanded.

“Some guys rolled up on us and opened up,” Byrd explained. Stumpy moaned and groaned, his head hanging limply from Byrd’s arms.

“Why the fuck did you bring him here?”

“I didn’t know what to do?”

“You’re getting blood on my floor.”

Sienna came over with towels, and wiped up the blood before laying a few down. I went to her, taking a few from her and helping her out.

“Place him here. How bad is the wound?” Sienna had always been the one to take charge in situations. Even before she was a mom, she always had that in her.

“Not sure. It happened, and I came straight here,” Byrd said.

“Hey Stumpy, you hang in there,” she said as she lifted his shirt. “Beast, get over here.”

Beast came over to us, his plate still in hand. He took a bite of ham and nodded his head. “Flesh wound. Nothing serious. Got to clean the wound and sew him up.”

“Do you got it?” I asked. None of us knew where Beast came from, except that he spent some time in the Marines right out of high school. He never spoke about it, and we never asked.

He mumbled something before finishing the food on his plate and placing it on the table. He had this under control, so I went to go back to my own dinner when my eyes landed on Allison. She was frozen in place, just staring at the scene in front of her.

I went to her, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “He’s going to be fine.”

She pushed her fingers through her hair and stood. “I need some fresh air,” she said, and took off out the front door.

I ran after her. We didn’t have many answers right now, but, if Stumpy was shot, that meant we were being targeted. It wasn’t safe for her to be outside.

“Al,” I called out to her as she ran across the driveway. She stopped, resting her hands on her thighs.

“Is this normal?” she blurted. “Someone getting shot? Because, other than Martha and me, nobody seemed to be freaking out. You all acted like it wasn’t a big deal.”

“It’s not. It’s a flesh wound. It’ll leave a scar, but he’ll have a story to tell.”

“Is that how you look at all your scars? Just as a story to tell?”

“What am I supposed to do? Look at them as some burden in my life? Every bad choice I’ve ever made? Every asshole my mother decided to subject me to? I won’t do that. Every mark on my body is what made me who I am today, and I wear them with pride.”

She straightened and walked toward me until I could see the anger and fear darkening her eyes. “I can’t do this,” she said. “I was only supposed to be here for a few days. Then, I wound up with a job and an apartment. This wasn’t what I had planned.”

“Did you ever think you can’t plan everything? Some things are just meant to happen.”

Her blue eyes blinked up at me and she took a deep breath. I wanted to take her in my arms and wash away the last hour. I promised to protect her, but I didn’t. She saw things she couldn’t unsee. For me and the rest of the club, it was just another day, but for Allison, it just showed her how dangerous I really was.

Unable to keep my distance, I reached out to her, but she crossed her arms and stepped back. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

She took off before I could stop her.

S
leep didn’t come
easy for me, and I wished that I had the day off, but Sienna had work to do at the office. After last night, seeing what I did, I didn’t understand why I was still here. I should have taken off and left without a trace. I doubted any of them would come looking for me and, if they did, they wouldn’t have been able to find me. Years of moving around with Mom meant I knew how to stay under the radar. But, despite my head telling me to take off, my heart wouldn’t let me.

For years, all I had was Mom, and now I had a chance at a family. Even if they were completely fucked up, and involved in stuff I didn’t think I’d ever understand, they were still a family. Something I always wanted. And then there was Dice. If anyone had ever been more wrong for me, it was him, but there was something about him and I couldn’t let go. He was complicated and dangerous, yet I could see past it all to the lost boy inside. The boy who suffered at the hands of his mother’s boyfriends… the boy who, like me, only wanted a family. A place to belong. I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried, find fault in that.

I showered, wishing I could wash away the memories of last night, but knowing all the soap in the world wouldn’t help. Those memories: Martha screaming and Stumpy bleeding all over the floor, would stay with me forever.

Outside, the sun shone brightly which I was finding to be a rarity around these parts. It seemed it was either overcast or drizzling. It made me miss the gorgeous California weather.

Mr. Rollins peered out his front window and, when I gave him a polite wave, he wrinkled his nose and yanked the curtains shut. He was delightful that one. But I wouldn’t give up on him. One day, he would wave back.

Ten minutes later, I pulled my Prius into Sienna and Kade’s driveway. Dice’s bike wasn’t here and a part of me was relieved, but the other part was disappointed, just like when he didn’t show up at the apartment the night before. Not that I expected him to, but that unreasonable part of me held out hope.

I knocked on the door and Kade opened it, holding DC in his arms.

“Good morning.” I turned to DC, grabbing his cute little foot. “And good morning to you, too.”

DC responded with a smile and a wave of his arm.

“Hey, come on in,” Kade said, stepping aside.

The word brother sat on my tongue, begging for me to let it out. It was a single word, and I couldn’t say it. And, as more time passed, I was afraid he would be furious with me for withholding the truth. Trust seemed to be a big deal in this family and, by not telling him, I was betraying that.

I took a deep breath. It was now or never. I needed to just get it out there. Let him know, and then let him make the next move.

“Kade, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I said, and his hazel eyes turned to me, causing a massive lump to grow in my throat.

“What’s up?”

“Kade, do you know where my keys are?” Sienna rushed into the room in a cloud of coconut, searching under papers and pillows.

“How the fuck am I supposed to know?”

“Can you stop cursing in front of him? He’s at that age where he’s going to start repeating everything, and I don’t want the f word to be one of his first words.”

“I think it would be a great first word.”

Sienna spun with a death glare, but her eyes landed on me and softened. “I’m sorry, Allison, I didn’t even see you there. Good morning. How are you doing today?”

“I’m good.”

“Last night was a little crazy.”

I laughed. “Just a bit. Not exactly how my Friday nights usually go. I’m more of a stay in and watch a movie kind of girl.”

Sienna stopped searching and came over to me, resting her hand on my arm. “Trust me, it’s usually not like that. I’m sorry you had to see that. Aubs and I are getting drinks later this week if you want to join us. She’s going to be talking wedding shit.”

“How is shit better than fu…” Kade halted his words when Sienna swung her gaze to him. He held his hand up and backed away, but neither of them could keep the smiles off their faces.

“As I was saying. She’s going to be talking about wedding STUFF, and I could really use a buffer.”

“Absolutely, as long as my boss gives me the night off. She’s pretty cool, though, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“I heard she’s a total bitch, but I’ll take care of it,” Sienna said with a wink. She went back to flipping over couch cushions, and I took DC while Kade helped her in her search.

Finally, after ten minutes, she pulled her hand out of the toy box holding up the keys. “How the fu…fudge did these get in here? I don’t have time to figure it out. I have to go. His diaper has just been changed. He’s been fed, and I should be home by five. Hopefully.”

She kissed DC on the head and Kade followed, grabbing his own keys. “Lead the way, sweetheart,” he said, pulling his leather vest on. He came to a stop and looked at me. “What did you want to tell me?”

I waved my hand “I don’t even remember. It was probably nothing.”

“Okay, then. We’re heading out. I’ll put the car seat in your car first.”

“That’d be great. It’s open. It’s a beautiful day, and I don’t want to waste it.”

“I figured as much.”

He smacked Sienna’s ass as they made their way to the door and I shook my head, turning my attention back to DC. “Your parents are silly,” I said, and received an adorable giggle in agreement.

“I’m breaking you out of here, kid. What do you say we go to the park?”

Another giggle that made me smile.

“Let’s get a bag together, little man.” I grabbed a bottle, a change of clothes, a few toys, diapers, wipes and some sunscreen and tossed it all into the grey baby bag with a black lightning bolt going down the middle.

I buckled DC into his car seat, and made our way to the grocery store to pick up a few snacks. It was the perfect day for a picnic in the park. Music pumped out of the speakers, and I sang along while DC added his Gibberish.

We passed Aubree’s store, and I made a mental note to stop in there one day. I didn’t know her well, but she seemed like someone I could really get along with. I was actually looking forward to a girl’s night since most of my time consisted of baby drool and dirty diapers. It would be nice to get out of the apartment, too.

“Come on, big boy,” I said to DC, as I lifted him out of the car seat and positioned him on my hip. “Are you going to ride in the shopping cart?” My voice went up about five octaves, making me sound like a hyena, but at least DC appreciated it.

Inside, we walked down the aisle to grab Puffs, his favorite snack, when I overheard two women speaking in hushed tones a few feet away.

“Willie said that he overheard some of those hooligans talking, and they’re planning on starting some sort of war,” a woman with a blonde bob said. Her pink cardigan sat over a white collared button up shirt, and matched her pink capris perfectly. She looked like a middle aged Stepford wife who loved nothing more than to gossip.

I normally turned a blind eye to people like her, but this time I was as curious as the brunette across from her. I knew who she was talking about.

“A war?” the brunette exclaimed. “Oh my.” She placed her hand over her glossed lips. “They will be putting this whole town in danger.”

“That’s what Willie said. And
I’ve
been saying they were bad news since the day they drove into this town. Nobody listened to me. They all thought they were some kind of leather gods who would protect them. I always knew what they really were: criminals.”

DC let out a high-pitched scream and the women turned to us with startled expressions.

“What a cute baby,” the blonde said. “What’s his name?” she asked, and I wanted to tell her none of her damn business. Everything she said only added to my fears, reminding me I needed to get out of town, but it still bothered me how she gossiped.

“DC.”

“What an adorable name,” the brunette said. “What does it stand for?”

“I can’t take the credit, he’s not mine. But his full name is Dominic Cash. He was named after his grandfather, Nick Jacobs. Did you know him?” The woman looked like they might wet themselves, and I stifled a laugh. “Or Cash Logan? He drives a motorcycle. Really great guy.”

The blonde’s eyes widened before she turned her nose up. “I’m sorry, but we were just leaving. Have a nice day.” She linked her arm through the brunette’s, and steered her far away from poor DC and me.

Once the women were out of sight, I rested my hand on DC’s chubby leg. A war. That sounded beyond dangerous. It sounded downright terrifying. Was the shooting last night the beginning of this supposed war? Had it already started? My timing always sucked, but this was taking it to a new level.

“What the heck is your daddy involved in?” I asked DC, as I steered the shopping cart to the front of the store, trying to forget about last night’s bleeding interruption and the war those women spoke of.

* * *

I
t was
a gorgeous day at the park, with the sun shining and kids laughing. Dogs were playing and people were walking. I hated to leave, but I had to get DC back to his mommy. We arrived at the house at the same time Sienna did.

She parked her bike and greeted us with a smile. “There’s my little man.” She tapped on the window and waved. DC threw his arms up, and squealed uncontrollably, until he was in Sienna’s arms. “Did you have fun today?”

“We went to the park and we had a picnic. And he went in the swing.”

Sienna sucked in an excited breath. “You went to the park?” DC waved his block in response, and Sienna kissed his cheeks. “I wish I could’ve come.”

“How was the office today?”

Her eyes dropped, and her shoulders slumped slightly. “A mess. I’ll figure it out eventually. Come inside for a minute. I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

I had nowhere else to go other than back to the apartment and, for once in my life, I was actually getting bored of crocheting. “Sounds great,” I said, and followed her inside. She placed DC on the floor with his toys and headed to the kitchen. While she started the coffee, I took down two mugs.

The conversation I overheard this morning floated back into my head. I wasn’t sure how Sienna would react to me asking questions, but I needed answers. I wanted to know what those women meant by a war.

“I stopped at the grocery store before we went to the park this morning, and I overheard these two women talking. They said something about a war. It was almost obvious who they were talking about.”

Sienna’s back went rigid for a moment, and then she finished setting up the coffee before turning to face me. “The thing about small towns is, people talk a lot of shit. And, most of the time, they have no idea what they’re talking about.”

“They seemed scared. Concerned.”

“The outlaws protect this town, and they would never do anything to put the town or the people in jeopardy. I can assure you that.”

“What did they mean by war?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“I want to believe you. I do. But I’m not going to lie and say that overhearing them didn’t scare me, too. I’m with your son every day and, if he’s in danger for whatever reason, I need to know.”

Sienna smirked and toyed with the hem of her Harley tank top. She blinked up her blue eyes, bright and fearless. “We’re always in danger. It’s the life we live. But I also know nine guys who would do everything in their power to protect us. So, I’m not worried and you shouldn’t be either. If it’ll make you feel better, and give you peace of mind, I can get you a gun. Something small just to keep on you.”

A gun? Was she out of her mind? I wouldn’t even know the first thing to do with a gun. They scared me. No. They absolutely terrified me. I’ve caught a glimpse of all of theirs at one time or another, and it always made my blood run cold. Sent chills running down my spine. “Do you think I need one?”

Sienna lifted her pant leg revealing hers. “It never hurts to have one. An extra piece of security.”

“I’ve never shot a gun before. I don’t think I even could.”

“I can teach you. Or Dice can,” Siena said, as she poured coffee into my mug.

The thought of Dice wrapping his arms around me and teaching me how to hold a gun, warmed me from head to toe. Talk about a seriously dangerous combination.

“Can’t I just get like pepper spray?”

Sienna laughed. “I think I can arrange that. Though Dice might be disappointed he can’t teach you.” She arched an eyebrow and stared at me.

“What?” My cheeks warmed, and I knew I was blushing like a schoolgirl with a crush.

“I told him to stay away from you.”

“I know. You let that all out at dinner last night. I didn’t know. And I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just…”

“Did.”

“Yeah.”

“Trust me, I know how that is. Probably better than anyone. And I also know that you can’t always walk away, even if it’s what your head is telling you. So don’t tell Dice I said this, I’d rather he suffer a little longer, but I’m okay with it.”

I took a sip of coffee, and placed the mug back on the counter. “Are you giving me your blessing?”

“I guess I am.” She smiled, but then her blue eyes darkened. “However, if you hurt him, I will kill you.”