Page 29 of Skye
Shit.
The ice pick buried in my heart digs a little deeper until I feel like I’m suffocating.
I wasn’t keen on the idea of being a father—truthfully, I’m still not sure I am—but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let the mother of my kid go into a situation where she might get hurt, or worse, dead.
I don’t know why the fuck I kissed her back in that room, but it had felt like the right thing to do in that moment. The way she felt in my grasp was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced with another woman, and that scares me even as it thrills me. I don’t know what I want from her. I’m so conflicted. Every time I feel like I’m coming around to the idea of being a father, something happens that derails me and gives me a dose of reality.
Whether I like it or not, Skye is the enemy. She may not have blood on her hands or be involved in her father’s empire, but her name is a problem. She is a Richardson, and nothing can change that. The club doesn’t trust her, and I don’t know how to fix that so we can be a family here.
“We ain’t giving her back.” I snap out the words, ready to fight if I need to. As confused as I am, I’m sure of that. She’s mine to protect—her and that baby.
“No, we’re not,” Howler agrees, which helps to alleviate some of the stress I’m feeling. “She’s having your baby, Rage. She doesn’t leave your side.”
I try not to let my relief show, even though it thrums through every cell in my body. “Then what’s the plan?”
“Right now, we watch and we see. We didn’t take her, so there’s not going to be evidence of that. Richardson might suspect our involvement, but without proof, he ain’t gonna do shit.”
I don’t like this plan. I would rather take out the Pioneers and remove the threat to Skye completely, but that ain’t possible. We’ve been fighting the Pioneers for so long now, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of their forces, even with Trick’s killing sprees. It’s going to take a hell of a battle to put them down and a lot of casualties. No one wants more deaths.
“The question I have is why has Richardson done this at all,” Blackjack says. “It makes him look weak to admit his daughter’s been taken, so there has to be a good reason for him to do that.”
There does, and I can’t come up with a single one that isn’t bad for Skye.
“Skye killed two people in her attempt to escape. She said her father would want her punished for that,” I explain.
“Or he’s simply a worried father,” Howler counters. “I’m trying to imagine the scene from his point of view. He thinks his daughter is safe at home, then he finds out her guard and another member of the household are dead and she’s gone. I don’t know that he’s going to see foul play here.”
“So, he thinks she’s out there alone, running?” I question.
“I don’t know. Maybe. He’s put this shit out to some of the lowest scum walking the streets. He clearly thinks she’s in a position where she’s having to stay in questionable places that they might see her in.”
“He’s left her wide open to danger,” I growl. “They’re gonna do whatever it takes to collect that reward money. Doesn’t he see that?”
“Unless he doesn’t care about getting her back in one piece.”
Howler’s matter-of-fact statement turns my stomach.
“You think her own father would risk her life like that?”
“I think Richardson is a piece of shit,” Howler says. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Does he suspect we have her?”
“I don’t think so.” Howler scratches at his cheek as he leans back in his seat. He seems relaxed, which eases some of my own tension. “If he knew, he’d be here knocking on the door in force.”
That’s a good point, and one I can’t argue, but it doesn’t solve the issue. “So, what do we do?”
“Nothing. We keep our heads down and keep Skye hidden. Coming at us directly is a risk, and I don’t know he’s going to be willing to take it without proof. At the moment, his beef is with us and partly Birmingham, but none of the other UK chapters are involved. He won’t want to rock that boat.”
The risk to the club is monumental. I don’t want to be out there alone trying to protect us both, but I can’t put all these lives in danger either. “We’ll leave. We’ll go into hiding.”
“No,” Howler says.
“Us staying here puts everyone in this club in a difficult situation.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, “it does, but you’re part of this club too, Rage. You’re one of my men, and I don’t turn my back on my family when they need me. No one else in this chapter is gonna do that either.”
My throat is tight as I take in his emphatic statement. I didn’t think anyone fucking liked me here let alone would be willing to stand beside me. “It would be the best and safest way.”