misunderstoodebook (40 page)

After removing the trash can and spraying Christopher’s closet—and fucking coming up with an excuse for the fresh Lysol scent—Johnnie walked into the club, not knowing what he’d find, although what he
did
find shouldn’t have surprised him. Little Man in one of Christopher’s arms, a bottle of tequila in the other, socializing with some of the brothers. It was crowded, more so than Johnnie had ever seen it. The last lockdown, right after Logan’s exile, hadn’t been as bad. There’d been about fifty members at the time. Since then, though, the mother chapter had doubled in membership and, since Megs’s arrival, that membership openly had old ladies. Megs, their own personal Aphrodite and Isis, had brought in a new era of dick dwelling.

They put them in old ladies and procreated as much as they put them in random women and fucked.

Johnnie glanced around and found Kendall sitting at a table, her hands tightly together. She was holding up well, considering everything, and admiration for her resiliency hit him. He couldn’t wait to introduce her to Megs. In Megs, Kendall had a kindred spirit. They were both pregnant and they were both survivors.

He glanced at Christopher again and followed his gaze. No matter who Outlaw was talking to, he
always
kept one eye on Megs. Sure enough, Johnnie found her thanks to Christopher’s not-so-subtle recon of her. Zigzagging through the press of people, Johnnie walked up to her where she was talking to a few women he didn’t know, smiling her pretty smile.

“Megs,” he greeted.

She glanced up at him but nodded, not making a move toward him as she usually did. “Johnnie.”

She returned to her conversation, dismissing him. He heaved in a breath, trying to fathom her coldness.

“I need to talk to you,” he said. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Her blue eyes narrowed. “If you’re talking about the woman who attended Christopher’s bachelor party, we’ve already met.”

Fuck. How the fuck had she found…his thoughts slammed to a halt and he glanced over his shoulder. Kendall stared in his direction, hurt and angry. Obviously, Megan was furious, too.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “She told you that?”

Megs popped to her now-shoeless feet. She jabbed a finger in his chest and pushed him back. “What do you think?”

“What the fuck going on?”

Johnnie gritted his teeth at Christopher’s question. The noise, the press of people, the entire situation, worked Johnnie’s last nerve. Outlaw needed to stand back for once and allow Megan the freedom to talk to other men without hovering.

“I need to talk to your wife.”

Coldness crept into Christopher’s green eyes and he tipped his tequila bottle back. “Talk, motherfucker. Any-fuckin-thin you gotta say to
her,
you can fuckin’ say to me.”

“He wants to introduce me to his new girlfriend,” she said sullenly, trying to reach for Little Man.

Christopher tightened his hold on his son, who, for once, seemed content in someone else’s arms, even with his mother right there. “Not fuckin’ happenin’, Megan. You tired like a motherfucker and my boy heavy. When you sit your ass down and stay sittin’ the fuck down, I’ll give him to you.”

She scowled at him but relented. Christopher smirked at her. “The power of good dick and a strong fucking tongue.”

“Shut. Up,” she said, her face reddening. She glanced at Johnnie.

Christopher shrugged. “Didn’t you say assfuck got a bit…girl, baby?”

Instead of responding, she studied the floor.

“He know what I’m talking about, so you don’t have to look so embarrassed.”

She glared between the two of them. “Why didn’t you tell me the girl who was at your bachelor party is Johnnie’s girlfriend?”

The smile on Christopher’s face faded away. “What fuckin’ girl?”

“
That
girl. The one who was all over you.”

“The fuck you say,” he snarled, swiveling his head and searching the room. He shoved Little Man to Johnnie and stalked toward Kendall, calling, “You. Redheaded fuckin’ pussy grinder.”

The noise screeched to a halt and everyone focused on Kendall, who seemed mortified. Johnnie headed off Christopher’s advance, intercepting him before he reach Kendall. “Back the fuck away, Christopher. I need to explain.”

“Don’t fuckin’ want to hear a motherfuckin’ thing, Johnnie,” he snarled, withholding the violence in his eyes because Johnnie was holding Little Man. “I want this fuckin’ bitch outta here.”

“We’re on lockdown,” he growled. “She’s with me, so she can stay right the fuck where she is.” He rounded on Megan, angry she insisted on telling Christopher
everything
. “You’re so fucking spoiled, Megan. Crying to Christopher about everything.”

Megan placed herself between Christopher and Johnnie. Perhaps, a good thing, considering the murderous anger in Christopher’s eyes promising dire consequences. Digger and Stretch were on either side of Outlaw.

“Get the fuck away, Megan,” Christopher snarled. “Take my son, go to our room, and stay there until after I fuckin’ murder this motherfucker for hurtin’ your feelins.”

Johnnie squeezed the bridge of his nose, unable to make the hurt in Megan’s eyes disappear.

Instead of listening to Christopher, she stared at Johnnie, the air shifting between them. The friendship she’d felt for him—the fascination—flickered out.

“At least I know how you really feel,” she said quietly, tears lurking in her eyes.

“Megs—“

“Don’t call me that. Don’t
ever
call me that again. Before you jumped on me, you should’ve gotten the facts straight. I didn’t know who she was until
she
told me. She
wanted
me to know what she’d done.” She took Little Man from him and stepped back, her tears finally spilling over.

“Megs…Megan…” He reached for her but she shoved him back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. She didn’t respond, just turned an evil glare to Kendall, and walked away, leaving all of them in silence. He could blame many things on his fucked up reaction to Megan confronting Christopher. And, yet,
her
reaction appeased the memory of their time together because…”She really cared about me.”

Digger rolled his eyes. Christopher didn’t answer. He stared at Johnnie a moment longer, balled his fist and planted it right in Johnnie’s eye, grabbing him by the cut and delivering another one to his mouth before releasing him and allowing Johnnie to fall flat on his ass in a dazed stupor. He thought he heard Kendall’s scream but wasn’t sure thanks to the pain careening through him and the buzzing in his head.

“Now, fuckhead, you ever fuckin’ talk to Megan like that, I’m cuttin’ your fuckin’ tongue out.” Christopher signaled someone who came rushing over with another bottle of tequila. “You got to be a stupid motherfucker to hurt her like that
and
in fuckin’ front of me. You also got to be a
blind
motherfucker if you couldn’t see how much Megan cared about you.” He swigged from his bottle then nodded toward Kendall. “See, you, bitch? Your fuckin’ ass can stay cuz you fuckin’ managed to do in one afternoon what the fuck I haven’t been able to do in two fuckin’ years. Turn Megan against Johnnie.” He drank again and smiled, although it wasn’t a nice smile. “You got a fuckin’ choice to make. Make amends with my wife or take this motherfucker—“ He indicated Johnnie with his bottle—“and get the fuck off the premises of this fuckin’ club. He can leave you some-fuckin-where and come back or he can stay with you and keep fuckin’ goin’.”

Stunned into silence, Johnnie staggered to his feet. Christopher didn’t flinch at the disbelief and discomfort swirling around the room.

“Prez, c’mon now,” Digger began. “Kendall John Boy’s girl. You misunderstanding this entire situation. There’s a lot fucking more to it.”

Christopher slid his bottle on a nearby table and lit a cigarette, taking a pull on it before continuing. “I ain’t misunderstood fuck-all, Digger,” he growled. “Not what this bitch told my wife and not what this motherfucker screamed at her.”

“But—“

“No bitches gonna get along all the time,” Christopher went on. “I can fuckin’ deal with that. Bitch looked at Megan and didn’t like the color of her fuckin’ hair? Or what the fuck
ever,
that’s bitch shit. Let
them
deal with it as long as it didn’t get too fuckin’ out of hand. Bitch come in here and tell Megan she did a uninvited pussy grind on me and that’s
my
fuckin’ business. No matter how much I love Megan, she don’t want to hear about no bitch givin’ me a fuckin’ dick rise. And, bitch, you fuck with Megan, you fuckin’ with your life.” Without another word, Christopher grabbed his bottle and stalked off, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.

Kendall threw her arms around Johnnie before he had a chance to say anything. “Are you okay? I heard that gunshot and I thought something had happened to you. Now, look at your face.”

She skimmed her fingers over Johnnie’s swollen eyes and he grabbed her wrists. “Did you do what Megan said, Kendall?” he rasped, hoping she said no, that Megan had heard it somewhere else and confronted Kendall herself. “Did you?”

“Yes!” she cried.

He released her as if her skin had turned to hot coal. “What in fuck’s name possessed you—“ He thrust his hands through his hair, ignoring his throbbing face and picturing Megan’s hurt. Christopher’s fury. Situations always cropped up that made Johnnie choose between Christopher and whoever or whatever. With their grandfather, it had been either Christopher or Logan. With Megan, it had either been Christopher’s happiness or Johnnie’s. And, now, with Kendall, it might be loyalty to Christopher and the club or respect for Kendall and their baby.

He’d already sacrificed his club for one woman and that hadn’t worked out. He couldn’t imagine turning his back on his club or his brother, a man with a skewered view on
everything
but with more integrity in his pinky than Logan had had in his entire body.

Drawing in a deep sigh, Johnnie walked to the bar and sat, hanging his head into his hands, slanting a glance to Kendall when she paused beside him. He cared about her. A lot. Even before she’d told him about the baby. Something drew Johnnie to her. He wanted to see where their relationship could go. Whether they made it to the altar or not, they’d always be linked thanks to Baby Biker.

He smiled, then grimaced at the pain the movement caused his split lip.

“Johnnie?” she said, the hesitation in her tone allowing her to get under his skin a little more.

“Why did you tell Megan, Kendall?”

She looked at the ceiling, then over his shoulder, dullness settling into her eyes. “She came in. S-so perfect. S-so
young
. She doesn’t know what pain is. Just like you said, she has Outlaw to run to and he’ll fix all her problems.”

“You don’t wear bitterness or jealousy well,” he snapped, not liking this side of her. “Megan’s never done anything to you.”

“Except have a hold on
you
.”

“Is that your fucking problem? You need to clue the fuck in, Kendall.
You’re
having my baby, not Megan. Thanks to your insecurities, I snapped her head off simply because you couldn’t shut the fuck up and act your fucking age.”

Kendall bristled, her eyes darkening. “Act my age?” she snarled, on the verge of coming unhinged. “My mother blew her brains out in front of me. My little sister is dead. I’m a single mother-to-be. I’m—“

Johnnie shot to his feet and grabbed her. “Shut up, Kendall. We all have a fucking story.
Life’s
a story, baby, that you help to fucking write. Some things we can’t control, but we sure the fuck can control our reactions. Write that fucking story where we act with fucking dignity and respect. To ourselves and others. I’m sorry about your mother and your sister. But that’s not Megan’s fault. Instead of coming at her with claws fucking out, you should’ve gotten to know her. Listen to what the fuck she’s been through.”

“I have no wish to hear about how many nails she broke when she tried to change her son’s diaper.”

At wit’s end, Johnnie brushed past her. “Jesus, but, you’re a judgmental, mean spirited bitch when you want to be.”

He didn’t want to hear anymore, so he headed outside and went to the meat shack. He hoped, once he finished with Logan, he’d finally bury the hold his grandfather had had over him since the day he’d been born.

Chapter 29

Kendall remained in Johnnie’s room for half the next day, not wanting a repeat of the ugly stares she’d gotten after the scene in the main room, last night. Though she felt justified in her actions, she’d find a way to apologize to Megan. If only for Johnnie.

She’d expected him to punish her with a random hookup from Club Ass, but he’d surprised her. After he’d disappeared for almost two hours, he’d returned, eaten dinner the women had prepared and laughed and joked with Stretch and Digger. Kendall wondered where Val and Mortician was, but since no one was talking to her, she didn’t ask.

Isolated and ignored, Kendall had sat at her corner table, waiting for someone to direct her to her sleeping quarters, so it surprised her when Johnnie told her it was bedtime and led her to his room. He hadn’t made love to her, hadn’t even spoken to her, but he had laid next to her.