Strays (Red Kings #1) (15 page)

“Oh, by the way.” Dean turned around to face her, but continued a backwards trek, a wicked grin on his face that she didn't recognize. “That man you saw me almost kill? He was shot to death in his lake cabin a few days ago.” It didn't take Jackie long to figure out the connection between his statement and his disappearance that same day. Dean only seemed to laugh at her obvious shock, but entered the clubhouse before anyone could say a word.

Jackie stared after him, completely stunned by his outburst. One half of her brain tried to play it off as his anger towards the customer, but the other half knew that had only been the start of it. Dean had used it as an outlet to say things he had been holding back. He had meant every word that he said.

He was a murderer. A killer.

A monster.

All this time, she had been in bed with someone that could have ended her life in a heartbeat. How could she not have seen it? She cursed herself for being blind to all of the obvious signs. She should never have gotten involved with him in the first place, should have listened to all the warnings.

She certainly wasn't telling him about the baby now. She could never subject a baby to that kind of man.

Her tears finally fell as it hit her that whatever was between them had just well and truly ended. All of her happiness had been shattered to pieces. Jackie leaned back against her truck and covered her face with her hands as reality set in.

She was pregnant with a monster's child.

19

May 29
th

Nash stood in the parking lot watching Jackie crumble from a distance. When he looked at her, he no longer saw the sweet and innocent artist. He saw a young girl that was in way over her head.

She was a wreck.

He felt sorry for her. Until now, he had thought that Jackie was good for Dean, as she had made him calmer and more in control of himself. He had thought that the biker was good for her too – he looked out for her, treated her right, gave her the confidence she was previously lacking. But at that moment, Nash realized there was a lot of work to be done if those two were to ever have a solid relationship.

The girl was leaning against her truck, wet tears cascading down her cheeks. Nash just stood and looked at her for a few minutes, waiting for her to pull herself together. When that didn’t happen, he sighed and made his way to the truck. Taking her by the arm, he helped her stand up and steered her to the driver’s side door. She looked at him with watery eyes, blinking slowly.

“Can you drive?” Her stare was blank, and he was sure that she hadn’t heard a word that he said. He repeated himself a second time and when that didn’t garner a response, he took her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Jackie, can you drive?”

Focusing on him, Jackie tried to clear her mind and nodded her head. “Yeah, I can drive.”

“Good. Go home.” In an attempt to reassure her in her frazzled state, he gently added, “I’ll be right behind you.”

Another nod from her and she was slowly climbing into the truck and starting the engine. Nash shut her door and jogged to his bike, pulling out of the lot after her. He’d take her home, make sure she got in okay, then get back to the clubhouse. He needed a drink.

Thankfully, the drive to her apartment was short and uneventful. He was glad that she was trying to keep her cool, at least for a while. The last thing Nash needed was for the woman to cause a car accident.

Parking his bike, he waited impatiently for her to get out and enter the building. When she hadn't moved a few minutes later, he sighed once again and got off of his bike, then crossed the lot to where the truck sat. Jackie was staring straight ahead, lost in thought, so he knocked on the window and watched as she jumped in surprise. Realizing Nash was waiting for her to get out, she unbuckled herself and opened the door.

She allowed the biker to lead her up the front steps and into the apartment complex. She was still out of it, the events of the day repeating themselves in her head. She saw Dean swinging at the customer, saw Mack and Taco carrying the bloodied body away, heard Dean’s words loud and clear. He was a killer. More importantly, he
liked
it.

Unlocking her door, Jackie walked in and threw her keys on the kitchen table. Nash stopped just shy of entering the apartment and leaned against the door frame, watching the young woman carefully as she turned on the light by the couch and sat down. She put her head in her hands and shut her eyes tightly, letting out a breath. What was she going to do? There was no way she was telling Dean about the baby, not after what had happened. It was better if he didn’t know, better for him, better for her, and most importantly, better for the baby.

She sat there and suddenly became aware of Nash’s gaze on her. He had been a stable figure in her life lately, even though he wasn't always aware he was helping her. He was the sensible voice of reason, her silent supporter. And here he was now in her apartment, trying to figure out if it was safe to leave her alone. For all the time she had spent in the clubhouse and around the bikers, Nash was the one that she couldn’t entirely figure out. He was quiet, never saying more than a few words at a time, and his presence was a bit menacing. He was one imposing figure, stocky and gruff, and he wasn’t one she wished to have as an enemy. And somehow, he tolerated her, maybe even actually liked her.

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the tired sigh that came from the biker. She didn’t see him rubbing a hand over his head, looking at her with all the sympathy in the world. She did, however, hear him clear his throat. From the corner of her eye, she saw him shifting, looking over his shoulder and then back at her. It was obvious that he was getting ready to leave.

"Do you need anything?" he asked her quietly, casting another glance over his shoulder.

She shook her head, continuing to stare at the wall in front of her. Nash nodded his head slightly and turned to leave, not making it two steps before hearing her speak.

“I’m pregnant.”

Her words stopped him in his tracks and he turned around slowly to look at her. She was pregnant? That sure as hell complicated things. He reentered the apartment carefully and sat down next to her, not quite sure what to think. Was she going to cry again? What was he supposed to say?

Nash took a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his jeans and lit one, staring absentmindedly ahead. For a long time, neither of them spoke, both at a loss for words. In the end, Nash was the one who broke the silence, his words a failed attempt at lightening the situation.

“I always thought Murphy would be the first to knock some chick up.”

Jackie looked at him and cracked a small strained smile. She looked more pained than before and the smile was soon replaced by her tears. She didn’t want to cry and Nash sure as hell didn’t want her to cry, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, trying to provide her some kind of comfort.

“Have you told Dean?”

She shook her head adamantly. “I was about to when…” She trailed off and Nash understood what she was trying to say.

“Okay.” Taking another drag of his cigarette he exhaled. “When are you telling him then?”

She took in a sharp breath and her expression became determined. “I’m not.” When Nash’s eyebrows rose in surprise, she hastened to add, “and neither are you.”

“You can’t keep it from him, Jackie.”

"I have to." The hesitation was clear in her eyes. She thought she was doing the right thing, but she was far from sure of her actions. "You saw him today, Nash. I don't want him around this baby when I know that he won't love it. He doesn't want a child. And I won't raise a baby around that kind of environment, with a father who kills people. Dean can't know."

Nash sighed, wondering how in the hell he had gotten dragged into this shit. Relationship advice was not his area of expertise, but here he was. “You know Dean. Despite what he said, he's a good guy. He'll do right by you and the kid.”

“I don't know a damn thing about Dean,” she replied vehemently, her eyes hardening as she recalled his words saying that exact thing to her. 

“What are you going to do then?”

She looked ahead and didn’t answer his question for a few minutes, thinking. What
was
she going to do? She was going to keep the baby, that’s for sure. And she wasn’t telling Dean. That was as far as she’d gotten in figuring things out. He was bound to find out, as she was going to gain weight and start to show in a few months. And as hard as it was for her to admit it, there was only one solution to the problem. Looking back up at Nash, she fixed him with a resolved stare.

“I’m leaving.”

***

Dean entered the clubhouse even more enraged than he had been in the lot. The beast inside of him was unleashed and even after the events of the previous twenty minutes, it still wasn’t satisfied, it still wanted blood. The biker’s wild eyes roamed around the clubhouse and he grabbed the first thing they had focused on, a chair, and threw it across the room. It smashed against the opposite wall, pieces flying everywhere. The biker then grabbed a nearby table, turning it over without even sparing a thought to the bottles on top of it . The room, which had contained a few occupants moments ago, was now completely empty. No one wanted to be caught in his path.

The room was a mess by the time he was finished, the only survivors being the pool table and a few upholstered pieces of furniture that didn't smash well. He stood in the middle of the carnage, looking around and breathing heavily. He felt spent, tired.

Dean hoped that driving Jackie away was the right thing to do. He hadn't meant to do it, but the unplanned fight had led to an opportunity to safely get her away before things got worse around here. He was more than certain that he’d made her hate him, made her fear him, and he didn't regret losing his temper one bit. It was better this way.

A sudden thought entered his mind, a solution to his current problems. The girl cared for him, he was sure, but there was one man in her life that she loved even more.

Tyler.

Deciding he had to follow through with the plan that had formulated in his head, Dean went to find Luke. He marched out of the clubhouse, finding the president sitting at one of the picnic tables smoking a cigarette. The lot was almost empty, a few mechanics working in the garage and no sign of Jackie or her truck. Dean made his way to Luke, sitting down next to him silently.

“You done destroying my clubhouse?” Dean nodded slowly, staring at the row of bikes across from him. “Good. You know you're helping the prospects clean that shit up, right?”

Dean snorted at the response and turned his head to stare at Luke. “Speaking of prospects, I want to send Tyler to Lakeside.”

Luke’s eyebrows rose at that. “Oh?” His voice was full of curiosity. “And why’s that?”

“You know Jackie will go wherever he goes.” He wasn’t one for bullshitting. For him, straightforward was the best way to do things. So he didn’t make this out to be anything other than what it was. “I want her gone.” He realized that the man in front of him wasn't the one that needed convincing.

Luke was momentarily speechless at this sudden turn of events. This was completely worth a trashed clubhouse. “It’s done then.” Dean nodded and moved to rise from the bench when the president’s voice stopped him. “Why Lakeside?”

The biker shrugged in response, not making eye contact. “Heard they’re in need of a new prospect.”

“Mhm.” Luke was mulling over his response. “Call Vic and set it up.”

Dean nodded and watched as Luke got up from the table and headed towards the clubhouse. It was true, Dean knew the Lakeside charter didn’t have a prospect, but there was another reason behind his decision. One that he didn’t deem necessary to tell Luke.

Jagger was in Lakeside. He’d keep an eye on Jackie for him, make sure she was safe.

He pulled his phone out, punching in Vic’s number and listening to it ring as he waited for the Lakeside charter president to pick up. He’d set things up right away, so Tyler and Jackie could be gone as soon as possible.

“Yeah?” The gruff voice that came from the other end was hard to hear. It was obvious that there was a party going on in Florida. They’d started early.

“Vic, I need a favor.” Soon after the words were said, the music and the voices from the other side of the line became muffled.

“Whatever you need, brother.”

“I’m sending you a new prospect. Heard you guys were hiring.” Dean tried to use a little humor to mask the tension in his voice.

“You’re sending us someone to do all the dirty work around here? How’s that a favor to you?” Vic had little problem with that. 

“I’m getting to that part. I need your queen to find me an apartment there.” He paused for a second. “The prospect has… baggage.”

“Is this baggage gonna cause me any trouble?” The last thing his charter needed was another source of drama.