“Not yet, baby girl.” I kiss her on the nose before sitting back and answering the phone. “Dad.”
“Alessandra! What's going on?” Dad snaps. “Are you all right? Dario just showed up shouting nonsense about you being kidnapped by a bunch of bikers. He's rounding up a force right now to come get you.”
Shit. “Kidnapped?”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t say. He found the apartment and I'm fine. I promise, but I'm moving to a different place to keep away from him.” Even to me the story sounds thin, but what choice do I have?
“Where? I'll send my men to—”
“Please, trust me for now. It's better that you don't know.”
“I can't protect you if you don't tell me,” he shouts. “The Fabbris are powerful, but they’ve gone too far. We shouldn’t have coddled that brat for so long.”
“I know, Dad, but the people I’m with will keep me protected. Us. Me and Izzy. I'll let you know when I can, okay?”
“Who? Who will keep you protected? Was Dario right about the bikers? What's going on?” He's furious now. It's rare it comes out around me, so it's difficult sometimes to remember how dangerous he can be, but he didn't become a high ranking officer in the Family by being kind and gentle.
The walls around the clubhouse loom ahead of us. A knot forms in my stomach at the memory of the last time I was inside. This time won't be nearly as much fun. “Dad, I have to go. I'll contact you with more info as soon as I can. Okay? Mom's watching over me.” He'd always tell me that, especially right after she died.
“Piccola mia…”
“Love you.” I hang up. The phone rings again almost immediately, but I turn off the ringer.
“You okay?” Snark glances at me in the rear view mirror as we pull through the open gates. They're expecting us.
“I don't know yet. Ask me tomorrow.” I've just left behind everything that makes me… well, me. My apartment, my classes, my best friend. My family. Now it's just me and Izzy, and a compound full of bikers who have every reason to hate me as much as the Family would hate them.
Next to the huge warehouse that is the main clubhouse, there's a massive garage that Snark drives straight into. A moment later, the guys' van parks next to us.
While I'm unbuckling Izzy, Snark comes around and opens my door. He smiles broadly, his handsome features reminding me of how I got myself into this situation to begin with. He bows and gestures like a doorman with a sweep of his palm. “Welcome to your new home.”
15
VIKING
“What the fuck is going on?” Eagle-eye glares at us with his good eye, his already dark expression souring further with every new detail he takes in. He crosses his arms, flexing the kind of muscles you wouldn’t expect on a man twenty years his junior, let alone one in his early fifties. Jupiter, his boxer pup who hasn’t quite figured out he isn’t tiny anymore, weaves between his legs, sensing the excitement. “Who the hell is she? And why is there a fucking baby in the club?”
Of course he had to stop us right in the common room in front of everyone. Over in the corner, Chef's got a hand up Alexis's shirt, but he's watching curiously. King, Wild Child, Hero and Emily are taking up one of the couches, their conversation paused as they look over. Emily's started to show, the shirt she's borrowed from Wild Child bulging. Quickshot, Blade and Ripper were playing cards, but they put them down. Even Miranda, Emily's mom and Eagle-eye's side piece—even if neither of them will admit it—is coming down the stairs from the upstairs quarters.
Fucking fantastic.
“Something you’ve forgotten to tell me, Viking?” he asks with deceptive calm.
As one of Eagle-eye's officers, this is definitely the kind of thing I should be keeping him aware of, but I knew he'd fucking react like this, and I figured Alessa would be safe where she was for a bit longer. It’s not like we have to keep him informed of every slut that passes through, but this is different. Usually we're not talking about a baby. And definitely not a Giordano.
I draw a breath, noticing that none of the other guys have offered to jump in and take the heat. Cowardly fuckers.
“This is Alessa. She's caught some heat and we're protecting her for a while.”
“Protecting her. From who?” Eagle-eye obviously understands there's more to the story and he's not going to let me get away without telling all of it. “And whose baby is that.”
“Ours.”
“Yours? All of you?” He raises a skeptical eyebrow.
“Yeah.”
He glances over at King, Wild Child, Hero and Emily. Wild Child shrugs back.
“Jesus fucking Christ. Not again. Isn't there anyone around in this damn club who fucks their sluts one on one anymore?”