Reckless Temptations (The Tempted Series Book 4) (20 page)

A more vicious man emerged from the ashes.

Now, he was the Bulldog.

Heaven help us all.

“Bulldog…” I started, mesmerized by the transformation. “Jack, man, come on, don’t go there,” I said, gripping his shoulders and twisting his body around so we’d be eye to eye. “You can’t lose it, not now,” I reprimanded.

We needed a leader.

He brushed my hands from his shoulders and shoved me out of the way.

“Get your hands off me,” he bellowed, stalking out of the room.

I ran after him, fucking man was pushing forty but he was a goddamn machine. I needed to lay off the cigarettes…and the pot.

“Stop him!” I shouted, running down the stairs behind him. “Pipe! Wolf!”

“Get out of my way,” he demanded, as they barricaded the staircase.

Thank Christ.

“Jimmy sent the video,” I explained in a huff, trying to catch my fucking breath as I handed the phone to Pipe. Bianci switched places with Pipe, blocking Jack from making a move so Pipe could watch the video. The second Jimmy’s voice sounded, Jack lurched for the phone and I grabbed the back of his cut as Bianci leaned his weight on Jack and we held him back.

How’s that for teamwork?

“Jesus Christ,” Pipe said, as Jimmy’s voice sounded over the phone stating his demands and threats, a quarter of a million dollars in heroin or they die.

Ever see a bunch of bikers go into panic mode? Shit, ain’t pretty.

Thankfully, Pipe was able to hold his shit together and forced us to pull our heads out of our asses and drag them into the Chapel.

“We have twenty-four hours to give him what he wants,” Pipe informed everyone.

“We can’t get the drugs,” Jack hissed.

“I don’t follow, you just told us that was the plan from the beginning. You were going to supply him with the drugs and set him up. What’s the fucking problem?”

And there went Pipe, cracking at the seams. He was doing such a good job at holding it together…until this.

“The problem is that Blackie had the connection to the drugs with a club up north. He’s been controlling the deal with them. There isn’t enough time to go on a run, and even if there was, what are we supposed to carry the product in, our saddlebags?” Jack retorted.

There was no time.

No time and no drugs.

We were fucked.

Then I remembered my extracurricular activities and uncovering the Red Dragons’ stash house. Those naked bitches were cutting mounds of heroin. There was an easy three mill in product over there, if not more.

The fucking place was wired with surveillance.

Thanks to me.

Good job, Riggs.

I could probably cut the feed but that would take time and with all this back and forth at the table it seemed like we were stretching these twenty-four hours thin. We still needed to grab the dealers and get Jimmy away from wherever he was keeping Blackie and Reina. And then, there were the guns. The plan was go to Pops and dip into the shipment we were preparing for Wu.

Poor guy, had no idea how hard we were going to fuck him up the ass.

“That leaves the drugs,” Wolf said, and the room grew quiet again.

“I know where we can get the drugs,” I said, breaking the silence and locking eyes with my president. “But if we do this, we might as well sign our own death certificates,” I added, shoving the dildo up the Red Dragons’ ass with my words.

How’s that feel Wu?

“I’d rather sign my own death certificate than either of theirs,” Jack replied.

The words signed to the doctrine, contracting us to fucking kill the truce with the Red Dragons.

A creed of bloodshed.

A creed signed by yours truly.

Love, Riggs.

“Here, have a shot,” Nikki offered, taking a seat next to me and placing a shot glass in front of me. She’s been drinking and smoking since we arrived at the Dog Pound, taking the fact that we were on lockdown, in stride.

I want to be her when I grow up.

“A couple of these bad boys and I promise you’ll be rapping like Biggie Smalls’, “It was all a dream,”” she winked at me, filling the shot glass.

“She’s not drinking,” Adrianna said, shoving back the glass her sister put in front of me. “She took a vow to stay sober with me,” my sister-in-law added.

“She’s a better sister than me,” Nikki replied, taking back the shot and downing the both of them.

“Yeah, she’s a keeper,” Adrianna said.

I mouthed a “thank you” to Adrianna, and she winked back at me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her the last two weeks. Since I found out I was pregnant she has been lending me her shoulder, and in true Adrianna form, she’s making me realize I only have one choice.

I want my baby.

She’s restored my faith in myself.

I am going to turn this around.

Because I can.

Because I want to.

Because I’m going to be a mother now and this heart of mine beats for two.

Now, if I could just find the guts to tell Riggs.

I’ve decided I will give him the benefit of the doubt even though he doesn’t deserve it. I will let him know I’m having this child with or without him and he can either step up or step down—either way, I’ve got this.

My mother sighed as she scrubbed down the wooden bar, throwing the rag down in disgust and turning to Grace.

“What do we do?” She asked, causing Grace to raise an eyebrow in response. “Do we just sit here and wait for them to come back? This is all you sister, my husband walked out and never returned but you, you’re the only one experienced in this kind of situation.” She explained.

“Victor wasn’t a biker, I have no idea what they do or what we’re supposed to do,” she replied.

“You used to cook a lot,” Adrianna reminded her.

“Yes, they should have a meal waiting for them,” Grace agreed.

“We’re going to cook for these scoundrels?” Maria huffed and Lacey fixed her with a look.

“Those scoundrels are my family,” she warned.

“What about the girl, and what’s his name…” Grace started.

“Blackie,” Lacey supplied.

“God only knows the last time they ate. We should cook for them,” Grace offered.

“Fine, but try to find something in that refrigerator that isn’t expired,” Maria countered.

“Make a list of what you need and we’ll send a prospect to the supermarket,” Lacey said, looking between the two matriarchs. They may have had two decades on her but it was clear Lacey was the lady of the clubhouse.

The mention of food had my stomach turning, and I excused myself hurrying my ass to the bathroom before I emptied the contents of my stomach on top of the bar my mother had spent two hours scrubbing down.

I don’t know how long I stayed in the bathroom, with my head in the toilet but by the time I was finished all I wanted to do was sleep. Another joy of pregnancy, when I wasn’t throwing up, I was sleeping. I’ll spare you the horrific truth of how a woman
’s breasts react to pregnancy.

I threw my hair up in a ponytail and stared at my pale complexion in the mirror. I tried splashing water on my face to hide the fact I looked like I was dying. I’d have to ask Nikki to do something with me because I was a mess.

I made my way out of the bathroom and Adrianna immediately walked up beside me.

“Are you okay?” She whispered.

“I’m fine…but why do they call it morning sickness if it happens all damn day?” I asked through clenched teeth while meeting her worried gaze.

I took in my surroundings and noticed the sternos that lined the bar and the tablecloth draped over the pool table.

“Jesus, what are they doing?”

“Please,” Adrianna cringed. “Just go along with it.”

I looked around the clubhouse, noting the prospects that guarded the door with their rifles strapped to their backs and Wolf’s three boys who seemed unfazed by it all. I wondered if our situation was different, if me and Riggs were an actual couple, would this be our life. Reina was Jack’s girlfriend, old lady, whatever you call it and Jimmy had taken her. What would stop someone from taking me?

Then there was Lacey who had declared these men her family. It was clear she feared for their safety and not just her father’s but all of these men. I don’t know if I could live like that. I glanced over at Grace who carried a tray of antipasto to the pool table and couldn’t picture being that woman.

I turned to Adrianna.

“How did you do it for all those years?”

“How’d I do what?” She asked.

“Stand by while he risked his life doing God knows what?”

“It’s not easy, Lauren,” she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders, dragging me against her side. “But these men, whether they are in the mob or this motorcycle club, were just little boys once. I might be the wrong person to ask, but as a mother of a little boy, if my son lost his way, and found purpose on the other side of the law, I’d still hope there was someone who loved him despite his flaws, despite his bad choices,” she explained, pausing for a second as she looked around the clubhouse. “They’re not bad men,” she concurred. “Just good guys who lost their way and sometimes do bad things to protect their interests and the people they love. They’re flawed and some of them are scarred but they have loyalty. I dare you to find one of them that doesn’t look out for what is his. They have respect and honor, something half the law-abiding men in this world don’t know the first thing about,” she added.

“What’re you talking about?” Nikki asked, as she joined us.

“Loving a bad boy,” Adrianna said with a laugh.

“Isn’t it fun?” Nikki asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

Yeah, loads.
      
They returned to the clubhouse an hour later but aside from Jack who took a few minutes to talk to his daughter, the rest of them were off doing whatever it was badass bikers do when on a mission.

“Lauren? Are you still finding yourself?” My mother asked as she took a sip of…was that whiskey?

“Uh, yeah, mom. It’s kind of a process,” I said.

She nodded.

“Do your mom a favor and don’t join the ranks of Griselda Blanca. One career criminal in the family is enough,” she said, throwing back the rest of her drink.

“Maria, the manicotti is done,” Grace called.

“I’m coming,” she shouted over her shoulder before mumbling under her breath. “Cooking Christmas dinner for a bunch of criminals wasn’t how I saw this day going.”

My mother was drunk.

This should be fun.

The door opened, the one some of the men had disappeared behind, and Riggs emerged strapping on a bullet-proof vest.

“Goddamn!” Nikki hissed. “I’m making Mikey buy a motorcycle.”

Two weeks ago I would have had the same reaction but now, after knowing I was having his baby, all I felt was a huge lump in my throat.

What if he doesn’t make it back?

He’ll never know…

My feet made my decision as they walked straight toward him.

“Ink’s dry, brother,” Riggs told Jack, handing him a vest. “We gotta move,” he added.

It’s now or possibly never.

“Riggs, can I talk to you?” I asked, stepping in front of him.

“Can it wait?” He snapped, his eyes cold and uninviting, a side of him I had never seen before. “Don’t really have much time to fight with you people on whether it’s called sauce or gravy and I’m not in the mood to argue about my life choices, the ones you mob folk seem to love to criticize. So, no Lauren, not now,” he said, fitting his helmet to his head and turning toward Jack. “I’ll be outside,” he stated, before walking out the door.

I didn’t find my voice until the engines roared to life outside.

“No problem, just wanted to tell you to be careful because you’re going to be a father,” I said to no one.

“What did you say?”

Shit.

“Lauren?”

I slowly turned around and through my tears I stared into my mother’s shocked eyes.

“I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

Keep moving.

It was what we kept telling ourselves as we raced against the clock to get Reina and Blackie back. There was no time to think, when one of your own is at risk, you don’t think anyway, you just act. We were high on adrenaline and the promise we would destroy Jimmy Gold.