Chapter 148
King
When Alyssa suggested we have a family fun day. I never expected we’d end up at a goddamn petting zoo.
A few months ago, I didn’t even like children. Hell, I still don’t–except for the ones that are mine. And I sure as shit don’t care for animals. They’re filthy, loud, and unpredictable. Paying money to touch something that belongs on my dinner plate? Hard pass.
“King, look at this piglet Niko grins, holding the squirming animal up like he’s about to start singing one of those stupid fucking songs from the movies Alyssa forces us to watch.
Alyssa stands beside him, helping Zuri feed a goat. Her laugh rings out like sunshine cutting through the storm cloud in my head. She snaps a picture of Niko with her phone, her eyes glowing with a soft happiness that rugs at my chest.
“Aww, I think he likes you,” she teases.
ko nuzzles the pigler “Oh my god. I’m in love with him. We’re taking him home.”
The fuck we are.
We’ve got enough shit to deal with. The last thing we need is to add an overgrown farm rat to the mix
“You good!” Mason asks quietly, leaning against the wooden fence. His arms are crossed, observing the scene with that ever–watchful gaze.
I clench my jaw, my eyes scanning the area. “We fucked up with Gray”
Mason exhales through his nose. “I was ne
was necessary”
“I know, but now we’ve got a paranoid, pissed–off president who doesn’t trust us. I saw the hurt and betrayal on his face. He won’t forgive us easily. And now that he knows Christine lied to him too, he’s gotta be in a fucked–up headspace”
Mason’s fingers flex at his sides, his expression unreadable.
“That means the club’s vulnerable,” I continue, my voice low. “If we don’t get ahead of this, someone else will. And if our enemies catch wind that our president is off his game-”
“They’ll sink their teeth in and tear us apart from the inside,” Mason finishes grimly. His voice is even, but I catch the flicker of unease in his eyes
My teeth grind together. “We need to step up. Make sure he doesn’t spiral. Make sure the club doesn’t, either.”
Mason shifts slightly, his gaze flickering to Alyssa and Zuri. “As long as they’re protected, we can handle anything else.”
1 nod in agreement. We’ll have to spend more time at the clubhouse, reinforce our authority. Whatever it takes to keep this shit from crumbling.
Alyssa skips over, hands on her hips. “King. Mason. Come join us.”
Mason rubs the back of his head. “Yeah honestly, little warrior, I think I’m good
over here”
Her eyes narrow. “I said family fun day. Not you and King brooding in the comer while the rest of us have fun.
I smirk. “What if I don’t want to have fun!”
She leans in, dropping her voice so only we can hear. “Then, you can forget abour touching me tonight,”
I trail a finger down her cheek, watching the way she shivers under my touch. That’s adorable, kitten, thinking you have control over that. You’re mine. I touch you whenever I want.”
It’s not like she would fight it.
She exhales shakily, but I don’t let her recover.
My voice dips lower. “But if you’re forbidding me and Mason from touching you, we could always just touch each other and leave you out.”
Mason chokes on air, but I keep my gaze firmly locked on our kitten. Her chest heaves, her pupils blown wide with need.
She doesn’t blink, doesn’t move, her lips slightly parted like she wants to protest–but we all know she loves this game as much as we do
Niko’s laughter cuts through the tension as he strolls up beside us, Zuri propped on his hip. “Hey, I didn’t agree to that”
Suddenly, Zuri’s tiny hands reach out–towards me.
1/3
Chapter 148
“Darker
My breath hals. My chest tightens like I just took a bullet point–blank.
Did she just call me Dada?
The world tibs slightly as I reach out, lifting her into my grasp. She clings to my beard, her fingers tangling in it like she’s making sure I know she’s claimed a piece of me
Yeah, I think that train left the station a long time ago. I think she’s had a hold on me since the very day I picked her up and she pissed on me.
I stare down at her, my throat suddenly dry.
same easy connection she has with Mason either. But she just
I’m not Niko, 1 don’t have that effortless, natural warmth he does, I don’t have the sam called me Dada. And I can’t even fucking explain how much that wrecks me.
I tighten my hold on her, my voice rough. Tve got you, kid. Forever”
Niko smirks, watching me like he knows this moment is unraveling something in me I can’t stop. Worse than when she took her first steps yesterday. “If you start crying right now, I won’t judge you,” he teases.
“I’m already there,” Alyssa says, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes.
1 flip Niko off, but smile down at my daughter. “C’mon, Zuri. Dada will play with the animals with you.”
But if one of these little fuckers tries to bite her, we’re going to have a problem.
Mason smirks, shaking his head. “Well, I guess that’s one way to make us join in”
For the next hour, we wander the petting zoo, feeding the animals and watching Zuri giggle and squeal with each one. Alyssa even takes a picture of Mason holding a damn kitten, his jaw clenched tight as the tiny thing purrs and nuzzles against him.
Niko’s eyes gleam with amusement, “Be honest, Mace. You wanna take it home, don’t you?”
Mason scowls, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Not at all.”
He smirks. “Liar”
Alyssa Jeans against me, her warmth pressing into my side as she tilts her head up to look at me. “Finally having fun, Daddy?”
I grunt but I don’t deny it–this isn’t as bad as I thought. Watching Zuri light up, watching Alyssa and the boys relax after what happened this morning, it hits differently. It even gives me an idea for Zuri’s first birthday later this month.
my
we make
our way back to the car, Alyssa’s steps slow, exhaustion setting in. Before she can protest, I scoop her into my arms, holding her against chest. She pouts. “I could’ve made it.”
I smirk, kissing her temple. “Now you don’t have to.”
Zuri’s already dozing off in Niko’s arms, which probably means she’ll be up all night. But it’s okay–it just means more time with her. More time with my entire family.
The thought settles deep inside me. I’m her Dada.
I mean, after hearing “Nee–koo‘ and ‘Ma‘ a thousand times a day, it just feels..good. I definitely feel some more hair growing on my chest.
Suddenly, a small, frail woman stumbles in front of us, tripping over her own feet and hitting the pavement hard.
Mason reacts first, stepping forward and crouching down. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
I stop in my fucking tracks, Alyssa still cradled against my chest.
I don’t say a single word, don’t even breathe. But something in my chest locks up as the woman slowly lifts her head.
Amber eyes. Hollowed out Rimuned with shadows, the kind that come from years of addiction. Bloodshot and dull, like the life had been drained out of them long ago.
But still too goddamn familiar.
My stomach turns to stone.
Mason grips her elbow, helping her up.
