One Step Too Close - Coffin Nails MC Louisiana (Gay Biker Stepbrother Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 6) (41 page)

“The baby will get
stressed,” Dana tried, but her voice betrayed that she knew it was a losing
battle.

Toro frowned at her, the
smile dying on his handsome lips. “Don’t milk it, beautiful. I might still
change my mind.”

Ryder swallowed hard,
and a shudder went through his stomach as he watched Dana’s body stiffen when
Toro reached into a drawer in the coffee table. “Manolo, get me some vodka,” he
demanded, and his man rushed to the stash of bottles on a table by the
fireplace, quickly returning with what was requested.

Dana poured herself a
shot and sat down on the couch with a dead expression. Her eyes were
half-lidded, her lips pursed. She wasn’t calling Jed a homo anymore.

Toro poured some of the
vodka over her left hand, then over a metal tool that reminded Ryder of a
nutcracker. A chill went down his spine. Was Toro about to just crunch the finger
of a woman who he was fucking? He couldn’t imagine himself doing that to any
woman, no matter how angry he got with her. He knew they were dealing with a
ruthless man, but this was much more than he expected.

Dana held on to a
pillow, but when the
crunching
sound came, her whole body tensed up, and
it had to be pride that helped her not to scream out. She was biting down on
her lip instead, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

It took Ryder several
seconds to realize there were tiny droplets of blood on Toro’s formerly
pristine shirt, and as he watched two of the goons take Dana away while she was
still dribbling blood on the marble floor, he almost felt sorry for her.
Almost. For what she did to Jed, she could never receive any of their
forgiveness, but Ryder still looked at Jed for confirmation.

“Was that fair?” he
asked, even though he knew that nothing could possibly make up for the months
of torment Jed had endured. After all, the witch almost drove him to suicide.

Jed nodded. “I just
never want to see her again.”

Toro got up and clapped
his hands together. “So, this has been an interesting evening,” he said and
kicked something away.

Ryder’s throat closed
when he realized it was probably the finger, but he wouldn’t comment on it and
instead smiled, though he might have been a bit pale. “That’s true. It’s always
good to talk to a man who honors debts.”

“I will see you and the
weapons in two weeks. If you acquire anything else you think could draw my
attention, I will be happy to have a look at it.” Toro held out his hand to
Ryder.

Ryder straightened up
and walked closer, accepting the gesture with a smile worthy of someone with
much less of a conscience than he had. It was all for the club.

Jed

There wasn’t much
conversation going on after they left the mansion, but the long ride to the
motel where Wolver waited had Jed mulling over what had happened. Mikey joined
them without any exchange of words, so he still didn’t know the truth about
Jed, but at least Ryder’s presence at Jed’s side was so far keeping open
hostility at bay. Somewhere under his skin, the thoughts of coming out kept
simmering, ready to boil and burst into his face at any moment. It would be
better if the news came from him, but he couldn’t think of a good way to tell
his dad that he was gay.

The sun was already
rising when they all arrived at the motel, and Jed was dying for a cigarette.
As he got off the bike, he noticed that Ryder still had some blood on the tip
of his boot. Ryder had done what was necessary. Like he always did. Unlike Jed,
who couldn’t stop feeling guilty over coming out when he said he wouldn’t. Did
he deserve Ryder’s love? He didn’t know, but he would no longer question it.
He’d just try to be more worthy of it.

The other guys were
awfully quiet, and whenever Jed as much as sensed a gaze settle on him, the
moment he looked back, everyone looked in another direction. They left their
bikes in front of the building and strolled across the parking lot in the first
orange rays of the sun.

One of the rooms they
occupied opened into the street, and Wolver leaned against the doorframe.
“Where’s the bitch?”

Ryder pushed forward and
gave him a light pat on the shoulder as he entered. “Learnt her lesson.”

Jed nodded. “It’s done.
And Ryder secured a new deal with Toro.” He smiled and looked up at Ryder.
There was no one better than him. No one more courageous, or understanding, or
loving. No one.

“And it’s really funny
with that video blackmail, because Jed turns out to be a fag after all.” Dark
laughed and patted Jed on the back, making him completely still.

Ryder’s jaw twitched,
and he looked at Dark as if the man just murdered his whole family. Axe stuffed
his hands down his pockets and for once stayed silent.

Wolver frowned slightly,
and looked between them before settling his piercing gaze on Jed. “What’s that
supposed to mean?”

Jed swallowed, catching
Mikey’s shocked expression in the corner of his eye. This was it. He had to
tell Dad, and it was nothing like what he imagined it would be. “I— things
happened, and…”
Just tell him
, he screamed in his mind, but anxiety was
choking the breath out of him and keeping him captive.

“Can we just all talk
about the damn deal Toro wants to strike with us? We’ve been up all night, and
I don’t know about you, but I just want to give the prez a report and sleep,”
said Ryder.

Dark spread his arms.
“I’m just saying no wonder Dana was such a bitch if she never got any dick.”

“Fuck you, Dark,” Jed
hissed, and pushed at Dark’s chest. He wanted to add another bruise to the
kaleidoscope of them on his face.

Dark only laughed. “Is
that a threat? You got a crush on me?”

“Maybe
you
want a
crushed nose? It’s not your goddamn business,” hissed Ryder, immediately
getting into Dark’s face.

“Whoa, ladies!” Axe
grabbed Dark by the arms and pulled him back.

Jed felt like a cornered
animal with Dad’s silent glare constantly on his back. And fucking Dark
wouldn’t stop laughing, as if Jed’s life was one big joke.

“I can handle him,” Jed
said and pulled Ryder back.

Dark nodded. “He knows
how to handle men after all.” The shame of his words wouldn’t be washed away,
no matter how nice it felt to be in Ryder’s bed. Jed was paralyzed, as if he
suddenly awoke naked on a stage, and he was being crushed by the laughter
directed at him

Ryder spat into Dark’s
face, and Axe flew at the wall when Dark broke free and charged Ryder, tackling
him to the floor.

“Fuck!” Mikey grabbed
Dark by the hair and pulled, but to no effect as Ryder and Dark locked in a
tangle of arms and legs.

“Enough of this
bullshit!” Wolver yelled, and actually got their attention. “I will deal with
whatever this is separately!” He walked up to Ryder and grabbed his arms. “I
want to know what happened. Everyone else, go to sleep or do whatever the fuck
you want. Me and my VP are going to have a talk.”

Ryder froze, but
eventually got to his feet, still frantically breathing as his eyes caught
Jed’s, instilling even more guilt in Jed’s already bruised heart. It was always
Ryder dealing with Jed’s mess. Never the other way around.

“I am not sleeping with
him in the room,” hissed Dark and burst through the door.

Jed took a long breath,
watching his own boots engulfed in orange light. He kept telling himself that
it would all be fine, but he didn’t know what to do with himself as the other
men dispersed, clearly unwilling to take part in what was going to happen. Jed
pressed his lips together, wondering what his place was now, because as
cowardly as it might seem, he didn’t want to confront the guys alone. He was
about to turn around and figure something out on his own when Wolver grabbed
his arm.

“You’re coming with us.”

Ryder’s eyes were dark,
and he slouched, not even trying to fight Dad’s decision. “Come with us,” he
repeated, stalking away from the building, into the orange glow of a
streetlight. It was physically painful to see him so upset, especially right
after he was forced to kill a random guy. Jed knew Ryder enough to understand
how much it must have distressed him. And yet, the fight wasn’t over for Ryder,
he still had to stand up for his selfish lover. All Jed wanted was to hug him
now, and ask for forgiveness once again, but what good could it do at this
point? He’d gone against Ryder’s wishes. He’d screwed up.

The three of them walked
all the way down the motel building in complete silence. Jed could sense the
prickling of Wolver’s gaze on his nape, and the noose around his neck seemed to
tighten with each step. They walked on through a patch of grass until a wire
fence blocked their way. The world stood still until Wolver bolted forward to stand
between Jed and Ryder.

“What the fuck is going
on here? What is Dark on about? This better be some stupid joke,” Wolver
hissed, his eyes promising Jed a painful death with so much intensity that the
tiny flame of hope was dying in Jed’s heart.

Ryder folded his arms across
his chest and stood close to Jed, his body in full battle mode, as Jed had
frequently seen it before.

Jed’s mouth was so dry
he barely swallowed. “I’m gay. It sort of came out.” He wished for his voice to
sound more confident, but it was no use. He could hardly breathe.

Wolver took a step back
and grabbed the wire of the fence. “What the fuck? I know you’ve been with
women. I’ve
seen
you with women, so stop fucking about,” he growled.

“I tried, Dad.” Jed’s
body was burning up, and he dared to look up again. How was he to explain all
that he was feeling to a man who simply found men having sex disgusting? “It
just never worked with them…”

“I don’t want to hear
this bullshit!” hissed Wolver, and the moment he leaned forward, Ryder stepped
closer to Jed.

“Dad, he can’t help it,
and it’s not like it’s ever hurt his loyalty.”

“You say that shit, but
I clearly see that it’s not helping our men get along! I’m not gonna be
politically fucking correct here,” growled Wolver.

“I’ve been struggling
with this—” Jed tried, but Wolver’s eyes were only getting wider by the second.

“You’re gonna fucking
struggle if you continue talking about this kind of shit. I will not be hearing
about this again. Am I making myself clear, or do I have to hire you some
pussy?” Wolver turned toward Ryder, his eyes narrowing. “And you? You should be
the one keeping him in check. You knew about this? That your brother sucks
dick? And you’re allowing this to happen behind my back?”

“I have no problem with it,”
said Ryder, moving to stand between Jed and Wolver, as if he expected one of
them to lose his shit. “He’s family. And it’s Dark who’s a cunt about it.”

Wolver’s face went dark
as he bit Jed with his gaze above Ryder’s shoulder. “Didn’t come with my
blood.”

For a moment, Jed just
stared, unable to utter a word at the rejection from the man he considered his
father. His feet became lead. “At least you have one
normal
son,” Jed
said through clenched teeth, and turned around without waiting for an answer.
The words stung and only hurt more with every second. He started walking back
to the parking lot, not even listening if there was an answer from Wolver, his
brain a throbbing mass. His eyes itched, and he was not about to let Wolver
win. He wouldn't cry over this.

But as he took a step
forward, Ryder grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him right back into the
conversation. “So now you can pick and choose who you call family? That’s the
worst bullshit I’ve ever heard. Is it Alzheimer’s? Already?” he asked Wolver,
his voice low but oddly loud.

All Jed wanted was to
hug Ryder as the feelings toward him as a big brother, and him as a lover
combined into one weird mixture.

Wolver crossed his arms.
“I don’t recall you being such a fag-lover. This needs to stop. I don’t even
wanna know if you’ve been doing something about this… perversion.”

Ryder laughed, still
holding Jed. “Now I know better. See, being young has its advantages. For
example, your brain isn’t yet calcified and you can actually change your opinion
about stuff.”

Jed couldn’t help but
smile , warmth spreading all over his chest at the viciousness with which Ryder
protected him.

“You can call me old,
but when I was young, this kind of modern gay stuff was not around. A man was a
man.”

Those words were the
first to not just make Jed feel bad, but actually angry. “Do I look like a
chick to you? Just because I figured out I like dick doesn’t make me any less
of a man. I’ll still take on any guy in a fight, ride my bike, and go down for
the club if needed. I don’t need your approval!” And for the first time, he
actually meant it.

Wolver held his gaze for
the longest time, but he eventually shook his head. “This is not gonna stand.
You won’t have any authority if men don’t want to listen to you,” he said to
Ryder, and just from the twitch of the hand on his shoulder, Jed knew Wolver
struck the right cord.

“I’ll work on that,”
said Ryder somewhat stiffly.

“It’s not the fucking
fifties anymore.” Jed shook his head and was so riled up, all he could think of
was getting a drink. The stress of this conversation probably decreased his
lifespan by five years. “We’ll see how things go. You coming?” Jed asked Ryder,
though he didn’t yet know where he wanted to go. All he knew was that he wanted
to be on the road, wanted to be free, and for once, he was taking steps to
actually grab what he wanted.

Ryder nodded and looked
back at Wolver. “Sleep on it. And if you’d rather get your intel from that cunt
Dark, be my guest,” he said and walked off, following Jed to the bikes. The
sound of his boots on the asphalt was just as good as an embrace at this point.

It was only when Jed sat
on the Harley and looked up at Ryder that any of them spoke. “So that went
well.” Jed laughed nervously, searching for help in his eyes, and Ryder was
right there offering an
It’ll be okay
in the warm rays of morning
sunshine.

Ryder’s face was
somewhat tense, but he smiled and mounted his bike right next to Jed. “I need a
drink.”

“You leading? My head
isn’t exactly all there.” Jed’s brain was infested by a thousand thoughts, a
million questions about what the future would bring, but he’d never felt more
free. No matter how many issues would come up, he’d shed the biggest one. There
was still the fact that he was in love with his stepbrother, but that would
always stay between them only. Oh, and Axe.

Ryder nodded and raised
his hand toward the lonely figure in the middle of the parking lot, but Wolver
didn’t wave back. Ryder just pulled on his helmet and rode off into the
awakening day.

Jed followed.