Wild: Tiger's Blood MC (46 page)

Thelma nodded. “They are just as close as blood relatives should be,” she said thoughtfully.

I got the sense Thelma was a woman who put a lot of stock into familial relationships. I wondered what she’d have to say about the fact that I’d basically grown up an orphan. Part of me felt guilty, but the other part of me knew it really wasn’t my fault. Still, looking at her and Mickey together, I couldn’t help but feel as though I’d missed out.

“I’m envious of the time you spent together as a family,” I admitted. “I never really had that, especially not growing up. I had a friend of the family who set me up rigging when he found out I wanted to go to medical school. I could barely take him up on the offer—that’s how determined and stubborn I was to do things on my own.”

Thelma nodded. “It’s good that you’re like that,” she told me seriously. “I wouldn’t want to see a daughter-in-law take advantage of my precious son like that,” she added. “Not that he wouldn’t want to take care of you. But it’s good that you know to pull your own weight.”

I swallowed. “Daughter-in-law?”

Thelma nodded decisively. “I could see that Mickey wants to make you his from the moment I laid eyes on you,” she told me. “I know the two of you will wind up together.”

I blushed hard. “I don’t know about that,” I admitted. “Part of me is still so nervous. This isn’t like anything that I’ve ever done before. I’m not good at having relationships.” I blinked at her and she nodded for me to continue. “I mean, I’ve only ever had
one
boyfriend before,” I told her softly. “And that was back in college, the first time, before I flunked out.”

Thelma looked at me sympathetically. “It’s a good age for you to settle down,” she said. “Especially because I want lots of grandkids.”

I blushed. “Oh, my god,” I said. “I don’t even think I’m ready to talk about that right now.”

Thelma gave me a serene smile and closed her eyes, leaning against the back of the couch. I knew she was enjoying the heat from the fire. I closed my eyes, too, and began to think of the future.

“Honey, I’m home!” Mickey called out. He stepped through the front door of our house with two bags of groceries in his arms.

“Baby!” I called. “I’m so glad to see you!” I bounced into the kitchen and jumped up on my tiptoes to kiss his rough cheek. Mickey had started working as a bodyguard for the rich and famous, and our lifestyle had skyrocketed. All in a few months, we’d moved to Los Angeles and bought a house. I’d gotten pregnant almost immediately. Looking back, it must have happened right when we met.

“You look great,” Mickey said. He wolf-whistled and trailed his hands down my big belly. “I can’t believe how sexy you look while pregnant.”

“Stop,” I said firmly, but I was giggling, too. Mickey ran his hands down my swollen belly. The heat from his skin felt good and I closed my eyes and moaned softly. “That feels good,” I admitted quietly.

Mickey flashed me a devilish grin. “I know,” he said. Plopping down in a chair, he pulled me down on his lap and pressed my lips to his. As I closed my eyes and slipped my tongue into his mouth, Mickey tangled his hands in my soft hair. After moving to LA, I’d cut it short and wore it in waves. Mickey said it made me look more feminine, but really I’d just wanted a change.

“I love you, Ella,” Mickey whispered in my ear. He smelled like spicy musk and tobacco—a far cry from the old days of engine grease and grime. Sometimes, I missed those days. Our rough trysts in shitty motels, our dates, our all-night bike rides. But now we were a family. We even had the matching rings to prove it.

“I love you, too,” I whispered as I pressed my forehead against Mickey’s. “I love you so much.”

Mickey squeezed me tightly in his arms until I yelped. “I can’t believe I found you,” he said softly. I knew he was thinking about the MC, and how everything had ended. While the guys hadn’t been thrilled to hear about Mickey’s departure, they respected his decision. We’d even asked Mason and Jimmy to be godparents. I didn’t want our kids growing up in the same circumstances that Mickey had, but I wanted them to know their past and their heritage.

I wasn’t rigging anymore. I’d put school on hold until after the baby, but now it was looking like I was going to be a stay-at-home mom. I loved keeping the house neat and clean for Mickey, and cooking for both of us. I knew that he loved providing for us just as much. It felt so…normal, and completely unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

“Do you regret it?” Mickey asked suddenly.

I shook my head. “Not at all,” I told him softly. “This is exactly what I’ve always wanted, a real family.”

“Let’s go visit Mom today,” Mickey said. Thelma was in a cancer clinic just over the Mexican border. She’d decided to stop taking chemo and radiation and just live out the rest of her life on fresh fruits and vegetables. Medically, the clinic couldn’t do much to help her, but she was feeling much better than she had when she’d still been taking treatment. I knew that her pain was minimal and the clinic did an excellent job with staying on top of her needs. Thelma didn’t have long—she wanted to see the birth of her first grandchild—but I knew that at least the rest of her time would be happy and comfortable.

“That’s a great idea,” I said. Mickey kissed me on the forehead and I slid off his lap. It was getting harder to walk. I was about six months along, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. At first, being pregnant had been fun. I’d loved the extra attention from Mickey and my breasts had swelled up to twice their size. I’d felt sexy and sensual and womanly. But now, I just felt ungainly and sweaty all the time. I couldn’t wait to meet our baby, but I wished the pregnancy would be over.

As Mickey and I stepped out towards the car, I closed my eyes and let the sun wash over my face. It felt hot on my pale skin and I sighed gratefully. I had everything I ever wanted, and I couldn’t believe that it had worked out the way that it did.

“Dear, are you okay?” Thelma’s voice broke me out of my reverie and I looked at her. There were tears in her eyes.

“I’m fine,” I said hurriedly. “What’s wrong, Thelma?”

She sighed. “I’m just worried,” she said.

I scooted over and wrapped her hand in mine. “Me, too,” I admitted. “Me, too.” Suddenly, my dream from a few minutes ago seemed farther away than ever. Thelma was old and frail and there was no way she’d live long enough to see the birth of her first grandchild. Mickey was in danger, and there was no way I could have gotten in touch with him. Everything was so scary and uncertain.

Please be okay
, I prayed, thinking of Mickey.
Please come back to me
.

Chapter Twenty Six

Mickey

Leaving Ella and Mom was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I couldn’t stand to see Ella upset, and when she cried it hurt me like a physical pain. Ella had rapidly become my world. I loved the guys, and I loved the MC, but it didn’t feel like home anymore. Ella and Mom felt like home. And I wanted to do everything I possibly could to protect them.

Mason and Jimmy let me know that they’d gotten a message from the crooked cops earlier in the day. They were supposed to sell The Irish some arms, and we were meeting by the lake. As soon as they told me, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“I don’t think they’d just plan a handover like this,” I said, looking at all of my guys. “This seems crooked to me, don’t you guys feel like that?”

Mason shrugged. “We’ve been buying guns from them the whole time you were gone,” he said drily. “I don’t understand how it would go down now.”

I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. “Because they know I’m back,” I hissed under my breath. “They were the ones who shot up the club the other night.”

Jimmy shrugged. “We don’t know that, bro,” he said. “It could have been another club. We’re in beef with a lot of dudes right now.”

“We have to fix this,” I said sternly, gritting my teeth. “I’m not losing any more guys. What happened at the clubhouse was my fault, and if we all get massacred today, that’s on me.”

“We’re meeting at Silver Lake,” Mason said. He tapped his wrist. “And we have to get going if we’re gonna be there on time. Come on guys, hustle.”

That was when I’d gone inside to tell Ella and Mom what was up. Except I hadn’t really told them. Seeing the fear on Ella’s face was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I knew that Mom still worried about me, but at least she was usually able to stay stoic. This time, she had smiled as if she’d
known
I’d be back. The thing was, I didn’t even know that myself. All I wanted was that secure knowledge, but it wasn’t there.

Ironically, this was one of the only times that I’d actually been afraid. The rest of my life, I didn’t have anyone to live for. Mom knew exactly what the life of an Irishman entailed, and I never thought twice about her hearing the news of my death. It would have devastated her, but as president of a volatile MC, it wouldn’t have been expected. Even though we’d mostly made our money in legal ventures, things still got messy from time to time. I got my fucks here and there, but I never thought about settling down with any of the snatch I enjoyed on a regular basis. Women were just objects to me, just pussies with legs. Sure, I loved going down on them until they screamed and I was coated in their juices, but it was just sex. It wasn’t anything else until I met Ella. That look in her warm brown eyes had been enough, right from the beginning, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to forget her for the rest of my life. Ella was beautiful, she was smart, and she was dedicated to her goals in life. That was more than I could say for most of the people I was surrounded with. Sure, the guys were loyal as anything. But a lot of that loyalty was blind, and I knew they’d do stupid things if they were encouraged. I knew that for the rest of my time with the MC, I’d have to be a good leader.

I climbed in the rig as the guys hopped on their bikes and revved the engines. I missed my bike, even though driving the rig made me feel powerful. I missed the wind in my hair and feeling the engine thrum below my ass. It made me feel strong, almost as strong as riding Ella made me feel. The mere thought of her conjured a sexy image in my mind: Ella, naked, spread-eagled on the bed and giving me a coy smile. My cock stiffened in my pants and I shifted on the bench seat of the rig.

Silver Lake was only about twenty miles away, but the ride seemed to take forever. I hadn’t been there since I was a little kid, but I was surprised at how much of the landscape I remembered. Mom and Dad had taken me fishing there one time on one of our trips to the cabin. We’d fished all day and caught nothing, but it was one of my favorite memories with my parents. When I was little, the lake had seemed huge. Now I thought it looked small and grubby. I was amazed by the change in perspective as I’d grown up.

Jimmy signaled for me to pull over to the side of the road.
Shit. Do I have a flat tire
? Hopping out of the rig, I walked around, carefully inspecting every angle. Everything looked fine. The guys pulled off the road and Mason walked up to me.

“We need to walk from here,” Mason said. “They’re gonna hear us coming.”

I frowned. “This is a meet up,” I said. “I thought they were expecting us.”

“They are,” Jimmy cut in. “But they ain’t expecting you, Mick.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Fine,” I snapped. “Let’s go.”

The guys took some time hiding their bikes in the underbrush. I couldn’t do much about the rig, so I taped a piece of paper to the driver’s side window. At least that way someone would think I’d broken down. I didn’t want anything to happen to Ella’s rig, but I might not be able to keep it safe. If it came down to the rig or Ella, I knew in a heartbeat which one I’d choose.

The guys and I didn’t talk as we made our way through the roads. Closer to the road, the woods were less dense. But as we went further in, it was almost dark in the woods. Little sunlight filtered through the trees and I felt a damp breeze tousle my hair. The cool air smelled earthy and refreshing and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Even though I was nervous as hell, I was jonesing to get this over with.

“Guys, shut the fuck up,” I whispered. We were approaching a park near the lake and I knew the cops couldn’t be far behind. “Stay down.” I motioned for the guys to stay in place. They all dropped to their hands and knees. I got down on my belly and wriggled forward, trying to peer through the brush and look at the park.

I heard voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. It looked like there was a gazebo in the middle of the park. The murky green-brown water of the lake was behind the park, and there were six unmarked black vans and two cop cars parked alongside the water line. I felt a rush of adrenaline and fear shoot through my body.
Six black vans? Two cop cars? That’s more men than we brought
, I thought to myself miserably. It would be a miracle if we were able to get out of this alive.

Crawling further forward, I squinted. A figure stood up and moved in the gazebo and I gasped out loud. It was one of the corrupt cops who’d tried cozying up to me after the accident. He was friends with Cain, the guy in the MC who had fucked me.
Fuck.
This is worse than I thought
.

Turning around, I crawled back to my buddies. “Guys, they’re here,” I said quietly when we were all gathered together. “They’re in the gazebo, waiting for us. They were talking about something but I couldn’t hear what it was.” 

Jimmy nodded. He looked nervous, and I reached out and clapped my hand on his shoulder. His heart was pounding through his thin frame and I knew that he had to be just as scared as I was, if not more so.

“I have an idea,” I said quietly. “You guys might not like it, but it’s the only way to let things happen.”

Jimmy and Mason looked at each other, then at me. “Whatever you say, boss,” Mason said quietly. He grinned at me and nodded. I felt a surge of relief. Whatever happened, at least my guys trusted me, at least they had my back.

I didn’t know if it had any chance of working, but I had to contact Ella. She was the only one who could help. I hated the idea of bring her into even more trouble than before, but I knew that if this worked, we’d all walk away alive. Hopefully we wouldn’t even have to have a confrontation, although I relished the idea of shooting the corrupt cops dead right in front of me. Those fucks had tried to banish the president of The Irish, the most powerful MC in California. They had no idea who they were up against.

As it always did before a big fight, adrenaline surged through my body. I felt as powerful as a god as I explained to the guys what I planned to do. They all agreed that it was a good idea, and I knew that they would have backed me through anything. I could have said, “Crawl on your stomachs and let them shoot you,” and the guys would do it. That was brotherhood, that was loyalty. Part of me couldn’t believe I was giving it up for the domestic life, but after this, I’d keep Ella safe for the rest of her life. I wasn’t going to risk staying in the club and having something happen to my family.

I closed my eyes and thought about her.
Ella. Ella Riley.
I imagined how she’d look on our wedding day, decked out in white and blushing like a schoolgirl. I couldn’t wait to stick my head under the dress and yank her garter off with my teeth. Maybe I’d even try to kiss her little pussy and see if she could keep quiet about it. I grinned to myself. I couldn’t believe I was excited about getting married, but there was something primal about finally making Ella
mine
. I knew that I’d want the pastor to say “man and wife.” That’s exactly what she’d be—my smart little doctor wife, all adorable and ready for a fucking at a moment’s notice.

“Well?” Mason looked at me. “Are you gonna do it?”

“Yeah,” I said darkly. “I’m ready.”

Looking around me, into the faces of my guys, I realized that this was the last mission we’d ever carry out together. After this, I was done. I was out of The Irish. I felt bittersweet; they’d been my family for so long, I knew they’d be hard to give up. But it was what was right, and I had to do right by my new family. Just like I’d always been loyal to the guys, now I had to be loyal to Ella and Mom. I wondered if Ella ever wanted to have kids. I’d never thought about it, but the thought of her surrounded by squawking pink infants was undeniably appealing. Plus, she’d look amazing with pregnancy curves. I loved Ella’s little body and her pert tits, but I couldn’t wait to see her rounded and flushed and carrying my child. I felt a surge of masculine pride that I’d never felt before.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Ella’s number. She wasn’t going to like this, but it was the only way.