Strays (Red Kings #1) (24 page)

From his tone of voice, Jackie got the idea that he knew much more about the killing side of the club than he was letting on. It started to click in her head that the special bond she had seen between Dean and Jagger a few months ago was not just one of longtime friendship, but also something on a primal level that connected their inner animal.

She had yet to see any rage from the man in front of her. However, as she looked at him carefully, she began to notice little things about him – the clench of his hands when someone walked too close to their booth, the way he surveyed the room every few minutes for any sign of danger, the tension in his body even as they sat waiting for their food to arrive. All were habits she had seen in her Macon biker on a daily basis.

All were habits of a dangerous man.

Jagger snapped his fingers in front of her face as she continued to zone out in her seat. “Hello? Anybody in there?” He raised an eyebrow as she seemed to come back to earth, completely unaware that she'd been staring at him silently long enough to make him uncomfortable.

“That's part of it, yeah.” Jagger looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain further. “I don't know how much you heard, but the day I decided to leave, Dean beat the crap out of some guy in the middle of the garage parking lot over something stupid. And when he was done...” She lowered her voice, mindful of her surroundings. “He came over to me and yelled about how he killed people for a living. About how he enjoyed it. About how he could snap my neck without hesitation...”

Jagger sighed, internally debating how much he should say in regards to the illegal activities, but genuinely not wanting to see the woman in front of him suffer. “For starters, we never had this conversation, yeah?” She nodded quickly in agreement, hoping to get some sort of enlightenment on how her life had gotten so fucked up. “Good, now the thing you have to understand about guys like us is that... we sorta have two sides. There's the normal person and then there's the guy who kills people. And sometimes it's hard to keep them balanced and separated. If something comes in to throw off that balance, like a pretty chick for example, it can make the lines get a little blurry, make us start to question ourselves.” Jackie watched him intently, overwhelmed by the direction the conversation had taken. “Look, I'm not excusing what he did, but it sounds to me like he was feeling a bit... conflicted. Like his sides were kind of fighting against each other instead of working together like they're supposed to. It happens to the best of us.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jackie digesting the new information and Jagger inwardly groaning about the can of worms he'd just opened up. How had he even gotten dragged into this bullshit? Sitting almost nose to nose in some crappy vinyl booth in a crappy little restaurant in the middle of nowhere with a brokenhearted twenty-something talking about boys and feelings. Nash was a dead man next time they met.

“Can I ask you something?” Her voice was hesitant, not sure where the line would get crossed from helpful friendly advice to criminal club business.

Almost immediately regretting it, Jagger nodded his head, but added a warning just for good measure. “Remember, nobody ever finds out about this little heart to heart. Now, ask quick before I change my mind.”

“Why do you do it?”

The question seemed innocent enough at first. Once surrounded in the context of the conversation however, it took on a whole new definition.

“Why do I kill people?” He shrugged nonchalantly, but his quiet words were laced with meaning. “Because the club needs me to.” When he saw that his answer didn't clarify anything for her, he rolled his eyes and elaborated further. “It's not like I go around killing nuns and librarians just for shits and giggles. We kill people that pose a threat to the club, to our family. These guys are gangbangers and murderers and drug dealers. They've got blood on their hands too. Here, we're the only thing that keeps the drugs and crime out of Lakeside. We're the deterrent that keeps the town safe from the rest of the world. In Macon, it's a little different, but...” He could see his words weren't soaking in, so he changed directions. “You knew Dean way before the killer thing came out, right? You slept with him, you hung around the clubhouse, you let Tyler join in.”

“The first time I saw Dean, he was holding a knife to some guy's throat,” she said absently, recalling that night in great detail in her mind.

“Exactly. You knew he wasn't a saint, that the club was a dangerous thing to get mixed up in. But you did it anyways. And after awhile, you felt comfortable with them. Safe. Like nothing could touch you 'cause you had a group of bikers to watch your back.”

He had an excellent point with that one. She had never felt more safe or secure than when she was with Dean or at the clubhouse surrounded by the Macon Kings. And of course, she had vaguely known about their criminal activities; had heard the stories and rumors constantly at the diner. In hindsight, Dean being a killer really shouldn't have surprised her as much as it had. But still...

“I can't just ignore what I know.”

“That's part of club life. You take the good and the bad, and you roll with it.”

Good and bad, right. And where did a baby fit in with that?

Before he could say anything else, the young waitress came over with arms full of food. Jagger wondered absentmindedly how someone as small as Jackie could eat so much and not look like a cow. Although, now that he was thinking about it, she had been gaining some weight since she arrived in Lakeside. Her face had become more full and her breasts were delightfully larger in his opinion. Shaking his head to get rid of mental images that would certainly get him killed, he kept silent and began to eat. No way was he going to tell the woman she was starting to get fat. That was also likely to cost him his life. 

They ate quietly for the most part, with small talk limited to topics such as how the food was, the weather, and the drive they still had ahead of them. Any further discussion on Macon and Dean was kept at bay as they enjoyed their meal. Jackie had devoured most of her bacon cheeseburger before Jagger was half-way through his. She began working on his fries after she had finished her own, earning a glare from the man.

“Are you hungry?” he asked sarcastically as he looked at his dwindling pile of fries. “You act like you haven't eaten in days.”

Jackie looked up at him innocently before dropping the fries in her hand back onto his plate. “Sorry, I'm just really craving french fries.”

Rolling his eyes, Jagger shoved the plate forward, giving her permission to finish them. She smiled gleefully, but made sure to eat them slower than before.

“I spilled my guts to you. Now, you tell me the real reason you don't want to go back to Macon.” Jackie glared at him as she shoved the last of the fries in her mouth, attempting to brainstorm an answer he might believe. “I can see you trying to make something up. Don't you fucking lie to me.” He pointed his finger in her face for emphasis and stared her in the eyes. “C'mon, it can't be that bad. You're probably overreacting about something stupid.”

“I'm pregnant.”

The words came out a bit easier in front of Jagger, whereas she'd had to force them from her lips to confirm Bianca's suspicions.

He stared blankly at her for a few seconds before a scowl appeared on his face. “What the fuck did you just say?” he asked loudly, his body tensing in preparation for the answer.

“I. Am. Pregnant.” Jackie spoke slowly in response to his less-than-friendly tone. She supposed it was about time that somebody freaked out at the news.

“You've been fucking around with someone in Lakeside? Who is it? I swear to God if it's Max, I'll kill that little shithead.”

Well, this wasn't exactly what she thought he was going to say. She rolled her eyes at his completely off-track brain. “I'm not sleeping with anybody you moron. It's Dean's baby.”

This made the biker stare blankly once again as he processed the information. Apparently the idea hadn't crossed his mind. “Dean has a baby?”

“He will in five months, yeah.”

“That asshole never told me you were pregnant.” He pulled the phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, intent on calling his friend to complain about not being informed of this vitally important piece of news. However, before he could push any buttons, a small hand snatched the device from his grasp.

“Woah there, cowboy. He doesn't know. Nobody does. And I need you to promise not to go running your mouth to anyone about this baby.” Jackie closed the phone and placed it back on the table. This whole
“Surprise, I'm pregnant”
conversation was getting a little easier every time she had it.

“Wait a sec, how does he not know?”

Rolling her eyes, she heaved a large sigh and leveled him with a stare. “I'm really gonna have to spell this out for you, aren't I?” Jackie spent the next few minutes going over the story she had now told a total of three people, with Jagger trying to interrupt every chance he got.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he shouted, drawing the attention of the restaurant patrons. “You weren't thinking, that's what it was. Are you out of your damn mind? You can't just run away and pretend like nothing happened. He has the right to know he's got a kid.”

She shushed him as her eyes darted around the room, taking in the wary gazes of the other diners. “Would you keep it down? Jesus,” she exclaimed in a heated whisper. “I ran because I had just found out that my baby daddy killed people for a living. Besides, I saved him the trouble of kicking me out. Do you really think he wants a kid? Dean can barely take care of himself, much less an actual family.”

“That's cause he's never had to. Doesn't mean he can't.”

“Oh, please. All he does is drink, fuck, and ride around on his bike playing cops and robbers. How is he supposed to raise a child?” Jackie sighed and ran her hands through her long, dark hair. She tried to make her voice softer, not wanting to make their argument anymore public than it already was. “Look, I know this lifestyle is important to you guys, but it's no place for a kid.”

“What about Finn? Linc? They were raised into this club. Hell, Lincoln even has his own kid, another on the way.”

“Yeah, and Lana is afraid every time you guys go out that Lincoln won't come back. I can't live like that. I don't want my child to have to do that either.”

“So it's better for the kid to grow up never knowing its dad?”

“No, but it's better than me having to explain why daddy isn't coming home when he gets himself arrested, or worse, killed. Or trying to explain what daddy does for a living and why he comes home covered in blood.”

Jackie grabbed her sunglasses and keys from the table before getting up and storming out of the restaurant. Jagger moved to follow her, then cursed and doubled back. He threw down a few bills, picked up his own sunglasses, and left the building.

“You are not-” He was cut off as she got into the driver's seat and slammed the door closed. “...driving.” Growling, he sulked to the passenger door and entered the vehicle. She peeled out of the lot as soon as he was in and headed back to the interstate.

The ride out of Jacksonville was silent as both of the car's occupants refused to be the first one to speak. Jackie gripped the steering wheel tightly as Jagger's words set in. It wasn't like he was the only one to disagree with her plans, but he was definitely the most vocal. And she was trying not to let his comment about Finn and Lincoln change her opinion. Children didn't need to be raised in an environment filled with guns, sex, and breaking the law. Otherwise, they'd turn out to be criminals themselves.

Just like Finn and Lincoln.

Or worse, they become killers, just like Dean... and Jagger.

The man in question sighed loudly and thumped his head against the window. That probably wasn't exactly what Nash had in mind when he'd asked Jagger to have a talk with Jackie. It had started okay in his opinion. But then she had to go and drop a bombshell. Nash had neglected to mention that little tidbit. How was he supposed to react to that kind of news? And the secrecy and lying and running away – Jagger rolled his eyes at all the bullshit. It made him think of the possibility that he had more kids out there that he wasn't aware of. But did he really want to know about them? He loved the two he had, as much as a “See you next Christmas” dad could anyways. He looked at the young girl beside him out of the corner of his eye. Maybe she had a point in not telling Dean about this baby.