I had to stop for gas, my red light was on and every time I turned the ignition it beeped at me. Signaling into the gas station he was on my tail pulling up beside me.
“I’ll fill up you pay”.
Getting out I grabbed my purse. “You need anything?”. I asked as the black SUV pulled in behind me.
My stomach dropped.
“Go pay for the gas Ava”. Blaze was aware of why I was hesitant. We both knew who that car belonged to. My eyes locked with Shane’s, his driver. Once he got out and started filling up, I relaxed a little. Nate wasn’t there. He gave me a nod before looking away.
“The fuck is he looking at?”.
“Blaze-…”.
“Go pay for the gas. I ain’t gonna do anything”. I wasn’t convinced. It didn’t help that he was always carrying.
“It’s not worth it remember”.
“Get in the car, I’ll pay”. Getting back in my car I locked the door. I couldn’t help but stare through my rear-view mirror.
Was Shane being here at the same time as us just a coincidence? Chewing the inside of my cheek I tapped my fingers off the steering wheel.
I didn’t like the feeling I had.
If anything happened Blaze would go back to jail, and I couldn’t handle that. I Jumped as he knocked on my window motioning for me to roll it down.
“Stay close and try not to lose me alright?”.
“Yeah”.
“Nothing to worry about darling”. The wink didn’t convince me that he wasn’t up to something, but I dismissed it and followed him back to the clubhouse.
…
Jared and Cage were waiting outside when we pulled into the lot. Both working on their bikes. I hope to god he wasn’t up to something. That was the last thing we needed. We didn’t need him going back to jail, he had a family to think about.
Unclipping my seatbelt, I grabbed my bag from the backseat before getting out. Ally must still be working if Cage was here without her. Poor girl never got a minute’s peace now she was pregnant. I left them to it as I made my way inside.
“Mommy”. She ran straight towards me, her little arms circling my legs. “I missed you mommy”. Lifting her into my arms I positioned her on my hip.
“I missed you too baby”. Kissing the top of her head I inhaled deeply. “Have you been good for gran and papa?”.
“She’s always good. Now give her to your mom I need to talk to you”.
“About?”. I frowned.
“Not here Ava”.
Glancing at my mom I placed Everleigh on her feet. “Go see gran, I need to go talk with papa”. Following my dad through to his office I closed the door behind me.
“You got something you wanna tell me?”. He lit a smoke before sitting in his chair. I had no idea what he was talking about.
“No”.
“The fuck is Nate sniffing around you again for?”.
“Really dad?”. I glared.
“I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere and the last thing I fucking need is Blaze out of control Ava”.
“What you getting at?”. Did he actually think something was going on between Nate and me?
“You know what I’m getting at”.
“Well, if your henchmen reported back correctly then you’d know exactly what happened”. Someone from the club must have seen us. It’s the only way he would know. Scraping my chair back I got to my feet.
“Hold on a damn minute”. He matched my movements, his chair falling to the ground. “What the fuck happened?”.
“Let’s just say I saw a different side of Nate today. He said some nasty things and well I slapped him”.
“He put hands on?”. My dad growled.
“No, he didn’t but he did make me feel a little uncomfortable”. That wasn’t a lie. I had never seen that side of Nate before.
“I’ll kill him”. My dad glared. “Fuck did he say to you?”.
“It doesn’t matter now sit down before you give yourself a heart attack”.
“I may be old darling”. He sat back in his chair finishing off his cigarette. “But I can still bury people”.
“Don’t be ridiculous, no one needs to die. I dealt with it on my own now can we just drop it?”.
“Gonna put this out there and say Blaze doesn’t know”.
“He doesn’t”. I sighed.
“Maybe best you keep it quiet just now. The last thing we need is him getting locked up”.
“Maybe you’re right”. Maybe telling him wasn’t the best idea. If he found out what Nate said to me, it was only going to end one way.
“You do what you think is best darling. You want me to pull him off the run?”. Never once has my dad asked me that. It was always he’s going regardless of what I say.
“No, it’s okay. I’m going to take Everleigh home and get settled for tonight”.
“Okay darling. You need me, you call me”.
“I know”. Leaving his office Blaze was sat with Jared and Cage. A beer in one hand and a smoke in the other. I couldn’t see Everleigh. Our eyes met a smirk playing on his lips as he winked at me.
Shaking my head I rolled my eyes before making my way over. “Where’s our-…”.
“Here Ava, can you fuck when pregnant?”. Cage asked, cutting me off.
“I’m not even going to humor you by answering that. Where’s our child?”. I turned my attention to Blaze.
“But Ava can it hurt the baby or not?”. Both Jared and Blaze burst out laughing. I’m sure that gave him the answer he was looking for.
“You’re both fucking dicks”. Cage got to his feet before storming off.
“You two need to lay off him”. They were always winding him up in some way and the poor bugger fell for it every time.
“He can take it”. Jared grinned while taking a sip of his beer.
“Should have seen what we did when he was a prospect”. Blaze smirked.
“I don’t even want to know. Where’s my baby?”.
“She’s at the store with your mom. Something about a new doll or some shit. I’m heading out earlier than I said. Jared will be there not long after I leave”.
Jared dropping by wasn’t necessary, I’m sure he had better things to do. Then again it would be good to get a catch up. A proper conversation and maybe I’d get some more details about Sasha. I hadn’t heard from her since the last time I was up at Markos.
I didn’t agree with them keeping her with Marko when she wanted to come home.
“And you’re definitely coming home?”. I needed him to drop Everleigh at preschool. I had to go to work early to make up for today.
“Aye babe I shouldn’t be that late”.
“Blaze get in here”. My dad roared from his office door. I took a seat next to Jared. I couldn’t wait to get my pjs on and chill out in front of the tv.
“So”. Jared nudged my shoulder.
“What?”. I smiled.
“How you doing?”.
“If you’re talking about earlier, I’m fine. No more cramp and he doesn’t need to know okay”. He was heading out tonight and the last thing he needed was to worry about me.
“Whatever you say darling”.
“How are you doing?”. As you know Jared wasn’t an open book. He kept everything buried inside.
“I’m fine Ava, you don’t need to worry about me”. I did worry about him though. He wasn’t having the best time of it. Sasha and the baby, him not being the dad. It shouldn’t matter because he loved her but to him and the club it did.
Family or not she betrayed him, she betrayed his trust and everything he stood for. I still didn’t agree with that either. All the shit Blaze put me through, and no one batted an eyelid.
“Can I ask you something?”.
“If it’s about Sasha then no”. He sighed, pulling out his smokes. “That’s a whole lotta shit I’m not getting into with you”.
“Rude”. I huffed. “Is she coming home anytime soon?”. I asked.
“Fuck if I know sweetheart”.
How could he not know?
“Mommy, mommy look”. Everleigh came bouncing through the door with a new LOL doll.
“Wow baby”. Her little smile could brighten anyone’s day. My mom came in behind her, Leighton following suit.
“Look Uncle Ared”. She was straight up in Jared’s lap showing him her new doll.
My little brother was the spitting image of our dad. Same eyes, same features and one hell of an attitude for someone who was turning 5.
“Hey little man”. I pulled him in for a hug squeezing him tight before pressing a kiss against his cheek. “You doing okay?”. I asked.
“Ava I’m too big for that”. Wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, he frowned at me. “I’m 5 not a baby”.
“Almost 5”. My mum added. “He’ll be lucky to see 6”. She whispered under her breath causing me to laugh. Leighton was proven to be a little difficult the older he got.
He was a big boy now.
“I’m dreading the day he hits puberty”. She sighed. “He’s almost 5 with the attitude of his father”. Yeah, that sounded about right. “I already know he’s going to be a handful”.
Following her through to the kitchen I took a seat at the table as she went about making us both a coffee. “I swear he’s old before his time Ava. He’s hanging round this clubhouse too much”.
“You want me to take him for the night?”. Regardless, we both knew he would become part of the club when he was of age.
It was in his blood.
“No baby it’s alright. You doing okay?”.
“Yeah”.
“What’s going on?”.
How did she know?
“You think I don’t know when something is wrong, come on A I’m your mom I know everything”.
“I bumped into Nate at the store”. I felt guilty for not telling him, but I was afraid of what he might do. “He doesn’t think Blaze is ready to take over”.
“What does that have to do with Nate?”. She frowned.
“Nothing”.
“What are you trying to tell me?”.
“Things he said, I-… well-…”.
“What did he say to you Ava?”. She asked.
“Yeah, babe what did he say to you?”….
My heart sank!
I could hear how tight his teeth were clenched through his words. My mouth went dry. This isn’t how I wanted to tell him.
“Give us a minute Aubrey”.
“Can we please not do this now”. I didn’t want to cause a scene with everyone here, I didn’t want Everleigh to hear her parents fighting.
She didn’t deserve that.
As he placed his hand on my shoulder I bit the inside of my cheek. My heart was beating so fast, I didn’t know what was coming.
“She doesn’t need the stress, Blaze. You want to talk to her then talk but you so much as raise your voice and it won’t be Franko putting a bullet in you”…
“I ain’t gonna give her no stress fuck”. As my mom disappeared out front Blaze took her seat. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”.
He was relatively calm, and I didn’t know what that meant. Usually, he would have blown up by now.
“You leaving me?”.
“What, no, god no. Why would you even think that?”.
“The fuck did he want then?”.
I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it there was no point. “He said you weren’t ready to take over the club. That you couldn’t support us, the club and me would have been his”. Balling his hands into fists he got up with so much force he knocked the chair over. I matched his movements.
“You go the fuck home, and you stay there”.
“Blaze please-….”.
“Get our daughter and take her home”. Kissing the side of my head I latched onto his wrist. Our eyes locked, he was furious. “This is on him Ava not you”.
“He’s not worth it please don’t do anything stupid”. My grip tightened; I couldn’t let him leave because I wasn’t sure I’d get him back.