Page 82 of Mischief Mayhem
“Gabriella Caputi sold my sister to the Hell’s Knights for information. She made our women watch while she shot our brothers in cold blood. Do you want your sister to share that same fate?” Bear raised his eyebrows, waiting for Doc to respond. When he didn’t, the acting president straightened and glanced around to the rest of the room. “I have spent my entire life in this war. I’ve killed for it. I’ve bled for it. I’ve lost family for it.” He cleared his throat when he got choked up at the mention of his mother and our fallen brothers. “I’m tired.”
“You’ve had time to speak your mind,” Thor said, glancing around at our brothers. “This isn’t a dictatorship, but it’s also not a fucking democracy. This is what we’re doing. If you can’t live with it, see me about removing the patch from your cut.”
At that, the tension in the club eased. They wouldn’t risk being cast out over this, and even if they were wary, they trusted Bear’s opinion. They trusted my opinion and Thor’s.
“All right then,” Bear said, turning to Leo.
“Thank you, Bear,” Leo said, putting both hands on top of his cane as he rested it in front of him and looked out over the group of gathered bikers, his former enemies turned unwilling allies. “Gentlemen, let’s get to work.”
EPILOGUE
VERONA
Ten years later
“But Daddy,” came the soft voice from around the corner, “I’m scawed you won’t come home.”
“I’ll always come home to you, bug,” Hollywood cooed in the same soothing voice he used to calm me. “I love you to the moon and back.”
“You pwomise?” Edie asked. At four years old, she still had trouble with her Rs.
I turned the corner and paused to take in the sight of my husband lying in the miniature bed with our daughter wrapped around him. Her bed of curly brown hair matched her father’s, but she looked up at him with eyes a shade bluer than mine. Even still, with that adorable pout on her lips, there could be no denying she was his daughter through and through.
“I promise.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead before glancing up to see me standing in the door. “Grandpa’s here to watch you, but no ice cream before bed.”
If there was one person our little Edie loved more than her father, it was mine. Hollywood long forgotten, she jumped out of bed and shouted a joyful “Yay!” as she ran past me to the living room.
Crow had come by to spend time with her so we could have a night to ourselves, something long forgotten in the early days of parenting.
“Well, I guess I’m chopped liver,” Hollywood said, crossing his arms under his head on the tiny twin mattress.
“Welcome to the club.” I smiled and walked to the space between his legs as he sat up to run his hands over the backs of my thighs, resting his forehead on my sternum, just under my scar. “I guess there’s always next time.”
“Next time?” He looked up at me, raising his eyebrows in quiet question. “You mean?—”
I nodded and held up the sonogram showing our new little bean brewing in my uterus.
“Woooooo!” He let out a howl, causing two identical giggles to echo from down the hall, one much deeper than the other. “Fuck yeah. I knew I’d knocked you up again. It was only a matter of time.”
I snorted and sighed, recalling the times we’d tried for a second and fallen short. “This one’s further along. It’s strong.”
Hollywood bit his bottom lip and blinked against reddened eyes, clearing his throat as he glanced back up at me. “It’s a boy.”
“We don’t know that,” I said, cupping his jaw so I could tilt his face toward me and plant a soft kiss on his lips. “Right now, it’s a fetus.”
“If it’s a boy, I want to name him after my brother.”
“Hmm.” I liked the sound of that. Trojan’s real name had been Troy. “Troy Montgomery-Hudson.”
“Trojan Montgomery-Hudson.” He laughed, kissing the disgruntled scrunch off my nose before moving to my lips. “When do you want to tell everyone?”
“Let’s wait until I’m showing.” We’d made the mistake of telling people too soon before, and it had only ended in heartache.
“Deal.” Hollywood pushed to his feet and wrapped an arm over my shoulder, leaning in close to me so he could whisper against my ear. “Are you ready for tonight?”
“Pfft. I was born ready.” I glanced up at him, knowing he was responsible for the other end of this show. “Are you ready?”
“Fuck yeah.” He bit my earlobe, sending a shiver down the right side of my body, but I caught sight of his chain underneath his shirt, telling me he’d been ready since he got up this morning.