MC Biker Romance

Daddy Biker

Chapter 1

“Look out, Jake!”

Jake dodged out of the way just in time to avoid the bullet heading for him. He could feel the air graze past his face. Jake rolled on the ground and searched for the shooter, grateful that despite being in his early forties, his body was still as fit as it had been when he was a teenager. The only change had been the density of his muscles. Now that they were broader and had filled out with age, women liked to tell him how handsome he was. It never hurt his ego to hear that.

“Fuck, that was close. You all right?”

Jake had been distracted by the vibration of his cell phone in the breast pocket of his vest. It had nearly cost his life. A flash of worry flooded him: it could be about his kids. However, he didn’t have time to answer Tommy’s question or the phone. Jake suddenly saw the man with the gun. He was dressed in black and took off across the docks, heading for a speedboat.

“Get him!” Jake growled, launching himself toward the man. Tommy had no choice but to follow, and the two of them sped across the shipyard after the man.

The shooter was too preoccupied with escape to shoot the gun again. It would be foolish to draw more attention to himself in broad daylight. Jake pulled his own gun from its holster, and shot a look at Tommy. Tommy nodded and followed suit.

“Stop before we pump you full of lead!” Tommy shouted. Jake cringed. Just because they were part of an MC, Tommy liked to pretend he was the greatest gangster of them all. He took all of his one-liners from old mob movies, and frankly it got on Jake’s nerves.

The shooter froze and glanced over his shoulder, only to find that he was outnumbered.

“Stay the hell away from me or I’m throwing the bag into the water!” the man shouted.

Jake frowned, unperturbed by the man’s threat, and signaled for Tommy to fire. Tommy did so gleefully, and the man fell forward onto his face, dropping the bag onto the wooden planks of the dock.

“Get that, will you?” Jake asked, pulling his cell phone from the vest. His heart leapt when he saw that it was his house number. He dialed it quickly. It rang a few too many times for Jake’s comfort before a small, soft voice answered.

“Hello?” Jake demanded.

“Hi daddy,” Jake’s five-year-old daughter answered. “JJ has a boo-boo!”

Jake’s stomach dropped. He knew he shouldn’t have left his kids home alone, even just for a few hours. He had a horrible feeling about it.

“Where is JJ now, Mary?”

“He’s crying on the ground.”

“On the ground?!”

“He fell out of the treehouse!”

“I told you guys not to go up there while I was gone!” Jake exclaimed.

“JJ forgot something and wanted to show me!”

“I need you to stay right there, all right honey? Daddy’s going to call 911. I want you to show them where JJ is, all right?”

“Sure, daddy!” Mary said cheerfully.

“Thank you honey, I’ll be home soon,” Jake said, hanging up the phone and turning to Tommy. “I need you to get me home. Now.”

Tommy seemed to sense the panic in Jake’s voice and ran toward the car as Jake dialed the rescue squad. Tommy didn’t bother to adhere to the speed limits as they drove through town toward Jake’s house. Jake was the vice president of the Motorcycle Club. Everybody knew better than to get on their case. They were outside the law, for the most part. The MC was powerful.

Tommy was the last person he wanted to be with in a crisis. All Tommy did was talk to hear himself talk, and he seemed to talk even more when things were tense. “So how about that Michelle chick, eh?” Tommy asked, glancing at Jake with a lewd smile on his face. “Is she something or what?”

“She’s half our age, Tommy,” Jake sighed. But the truth was that he had noticed Michelle- on many occasions. Her legs went on for miles, and her face was the perfect combination of sexy and sweet. She hadn’t been hardened yet, like the rest of the people Jake spent his time with. And those eyes! He would kill to have a few moments alone with her, just to ask her what she was thinking about that made her eyes glitter the way they did.

“Still, man! She’s like movie-star hot!”

“Whether she is or not, she’s Kent’s daughter. What would he do to you if he knew you were talking about her like that?”

Tommy sobered at the thought of the MC’s president finding out what he was saying, and Jake couldn’t help but smile grimly.

“I won’t tell, Tommy,” he promised.

They finally reached the street where Jake’s house was and his heart hammered in his chest. Red lights were flashing and there were several cars parked outside. It looked like the whole goddamn neighborhood was there. Was his son all right?

“Shit, what happened here, Jakey?” Tommy said. He let out a low whistle as an ambulance and a police car sped away, and two police cars stayed behind.

“Are you the parent for this household?” the first officer asked when the men got out of the car. “What’s your name?”

“If you don’t mind, this is Jake fuckin’ Desmond, all right?! Vice president of the Pythons. Or haven’t you heard? And he’d really like to go and see if his son is all right,” Tommy said, stepping a little too close to the officer.

“Gentlemen, that will be enough,” the second officer said, stepping between Tommy and the cop. “There was a little trouble here and it just seems that under most circumstances, negligence like this could lead to some serious issues. These are both really young kids, you know. We just don’t want to see anything happen to them.”

Jake felt sick. If his wife were still alive, none of this would be happening. Or maybe if his hours at the MC weren’t so god damn demanding and unpredictable. Either way, something had to change. He had known it for a while now. But what?

“I understand officer, and thank you for the concern,” Jake said, mustering as much of his calmness as he could. He hated the cops of Henderson county, but he was grateful that somebody had been able to be there to comfort his kids until he arrived. “Where is Mary?”

“She’s in the ambulance with her brother. They were both pretty excited about the ride. One of the paramedics is looking after her.”

“Thanks,” Jake grumbled. “I’d like to head to the hospital now.”

“All right,” the officer said, sticking his notebook back in his pocket. “But I just want you to know that if this were anybody else, you’d have some reckless endangerment charges on your hands. We’re going to let you off with a warning though. Go be with your kids. And hire a babysitter or something next time, would you?”

Jake glowered, but he couldn’t say anything. The officer wasn’t wrong. He had been being a bad parent. He was going to need to have a talk with his boss about this. He nodded at the officer and Tommy took him by the arm back to the car. Nobody in the MC could stand the do-gooder cops here, but it was even worse when they had a point.

Jake and Tommy headed to the hospital and Jake stared out the window darkly. Something had to give. He just had to figure out how.

Chapter 2

“Michelle, I need you to bring us some coffee.”

Kent, the President of the Python MC and Michelle’s father, poked his head out of his office to look her sternly in the eye.

“Fine,” Michelle sighed.

One would think that being the daughter of the MC’s president would be an enviable position, but the reality was that she hated waiting on bikers left and right. She couldn’t see herself ever enjoying the company of such brutish men, and it made her miserable to feel obligated to serve them just because she was the president’s daughter.

She felt trapped there and longed for better things, like a college education and a smart, sophisticated boyfriend. But her father always had a way of driving away her dreams and getting her to do his bidding. She couldn’t help but do as he asked, because she loved him deeply. Dealing with the MC was the only way she ever got to spend any time with him.

Outside the MC, her father never had time for her. When he did, it was just to ask her to do things for him. But she was almost 22. Wasn’t it time for her to pave her own way? What would she do for the rest of her life? Serve coffee and beer to angry bikers?

Michelle grabbed a few cups and put them on a tray with a full coffee pot. She didn’t know how many people were in the office this time. Her father was a very popular man.

“It’s just that my kids need someone there with them and I can’t always find someone on such short notice!”

Michelle stopped in her tracks. She would know that voice anywhere. It was Jacob Desmond, her father’s second in command. He had been around since she was a kid. She remembered really liking him the first time she saw him, but she lost interest after seeing his temper rear its ugly head. Jake was a scary man- the epitome of everything she hated about the Motorcycle Club.

To make matters worse, she was pretty sure he was involved in some hard drug pushing. Everyone swore that Jake had nothing to do with it, but Jake’s wife overdosed on heroin and died just a few years ago. It had worn Jake down, you could tell by his eyes, but he was still just as rowdy as ever. But now he came and went, and Michelle’s father was often complaining about how unreliable Jake had become. It made perfect sense to Michelle though, if Jake was a heroin addict like his wife had been.

“Here’s your coffee,” Michelle said loudly before walking into the room. She locked eyes with Jake and glowered. It had never done her any good to pretend to be nice to the men at the MC. They just took it as a come-on. He held her gaze for a moment, electricity crackling between them.

“Thanks, sug,” her father said. “Mind pouring us a glass?”

“I can’t keep working like this,” Jake continued as if Michelle wasn’t even there. “It’s not good for my kids, and it’s not good for the MC. I need to figure something out. Either give me steady hours, or I don’t know. I can’t keep doing this.”

Kent was quiet for a moment. “I have an idea.”

Michelle glanced up at her father and sat the coffee pot down. There was no way he was just going to let Jake take more time off from the MC. It was the busiest it had been all year and his father had a lot of plans in the works.

“Well hell,” Jake exclaimed. “I’m open to all suggestions. But I can’t put work before my kids anymore. JJ broke his fucking elbow yesterday because you had me run after that bag of weed the Raptors stole. My kids are still just fucking kids, you know. I can’t let anything like that happen again.”

It was surprising to Michelle to hear Jake speak so fervently about his children. He never mentioned them much before- at least, not when she was around. What kind of biker liked to keep a picture of his kids in his wallet? Not the kind her father employed, that was for sure. Emotion made you weak.

“No, I think I have the perfect solution for you. What if we got you kind of like a live-in housekeeper. Or someone from the MC who knew exactly what was going on and when to leave so your kids wouldn’t be alone ever again.”

“How would we ever possibly arrange that?” Jake grumbled. “You think I want a bunch of wily bikers watching my fuckin’ kids? Really?”

“Well what if it wasn’t a wily biker? What if it was Michelle?”

“What?!” Michelle exclaimed. “What makes you think I’d be any good with kids?”

“Oh please, honey. I’ve seen you with your little cousins. You’re a natural. You’d be willing to help Jake out here, wouldn’t you? What do you think Jake? Would you trust my kid with yours?”

Jake was quiet for a moment, staring darkly at the coffee pot in front of Michelle. She felt heat rise to her cheeks. She couldn’t imagine herself in this man’s house, let alone near his children. What the hell was her father thinking?

“I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do,” Jake said, not answering whether or not he trusted Michelle. It was a relief to hear him say it, but it didn’t make the situation any better. She knew her father would keep pressing her until she caved. If she ever defied him, there would be no way he’d help her pay for college. If she tried to leave on her own, he would just send his men to bring her back. She was as good as his prisoner.

“No,” Michelle said carefully. She had to watch herself around her father. He didn’t become president of the MC for no reason. He could be incredibly ruthless. “I guess we can try it. I couldn’t do a worse job than Janie when she was high.”

Jake’s face flashed in pain and Michelle clamped her mouth shut. No matter how frustrating her situation was, she shouldn’t have let her inner bitch out like that. Especially by mentioning Jake’s late wife. It was a sore spot, not only for Jake but for the whole MC. They tried not to get involved in the heroin trade unless times were tight, and Janie had betrayed them by going behind their backs and dealing with the Raptors. It was a mistake that had killed her and nearly lost Jake his position as the vice president. As far as Michelle was concerned, her father should have gotten rid of Jake when he had the chance.

“Sorry,” Michelle mumbled.

“No, you’re right,” Jake said, glowering. “I’m sure you’ll do a better job.”

“Maybe. If nothing else we could just spend all day at the park, right?” Michelle said, recoiling at the thought of sharing Jake’s personal space. Although he seemed well-groomed enough for a biker, that was no indication of what his home would be like. Hopefully he wouldn’t start expecting her to act like a housekeeper on top of keeping an eye on his kids, too.

“I think that’s a great idea. Thanks, honey. So it’s settled then?”

Jake looked up at Kent, his eyes flashing. He nodded but said nothing.

“All right. I’ll tell Michelle to head over to your place before I even call you. How’s that? Then there won’t be any time at all that your kids are left to their own devices. We can expect to have a lot less broken bones that way. Shake on it?”

Michelle thought her father was going to shake hands with Jake, but Kent raised his eyebrows at her meaningfully. Jake proffered his hand, and the Michelle was surprised by the electric charge of Jake’s strong fingers gripping her hand. She pulled her hand away quickly after a single pump in the air, and turned away. She could feel the men’s eyes on her as she left the room. She sighed inwardly. This was going to be interesting.

Chapter 3

“Yeah?”

Jake gripped the phone, keeping an eye on Mary, who was carefully pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

“We need you down at the docks. Code blue.”

“Now?” Jake asked, trying to hide his irritation at the sound of Kent’s voice. As much as he loved his job, there were days he just wished he could stay at home with his kids. Like today.

“Yes, now! Michelle should be there any second.”

“Okay,” Jake said, hanging the phone up.

“Oh no!” Mary exclaimed.

Jake turned around to see Mary’s little face beet red, and a puddle of milk spilling all over the counter and dripping onto the floor. She met Jake’s eyes timidly, her big blue eyes as sincere as the day she was born and filling with tears.

“I’m sorry, daddy!”

“It’s all right, honey,” Jake said, lifting her from the stool she had been perching on. “We’ll clean it up.”

The doorbell rang suddenly and Jake cursed under his breath. He jogged to open it and greeted Michelle, who was standing awkwardly on the stoop.

“Hi, can you just give me a minute? We had a little accident and-“

“I spilled the milk!” Mary wailed, tears streaming down her face.

“I told you it’s all right, honey,” Jake said, anxiety mounting in his chest. A code blue was urgent. If anything happened because he wasn’t on the way faster, he might lose his rank in the MC. It had been hard enough to keep it after what happened with his wife.

“You spilled the milk?” Michelle asked, her face serious but her voice soft and soothing.

Mary’s lip quivered and she nodded, holding Michelle’s gaze.

“Well I know a secret to cleaning up messes, do you wanna see?”

Mary nodded eagerly and reached out to Michelle.

Jake was shocked when Michelle lifted his daughter and headed toward the kitchen, soothing her gently.

“Do you mind if I teach you my trick while your daddy goes to work?”

“No! Bye daddy!”

“Bye,” Jake said, feeling a mixture of relief and jealousy as Michelle easily won her way into Mary’s heart. Mary had always been a daddy’s girl. She had never gone to other people when she was a baby, and rarely did so even now. The fact that she had so quickly accepted Michelle was frankly bizarre.

But he would have to think more about it later. His job was to get to the docks as quickly as he could. A group of Raptors had been spotted, and if the merchandise and his fellow bikers were going to stay safe, they would need back up.

“Later JJ!” Jake shouted up the stairs. “Remember I told you about Michelle? She’s here now if you need anything.”

“Okay!” JJ shouted back. “Bye!”

His son’s elbow was in a cast now, so it had been very difficult for him over the past few days. Jake could only imagine what it felt like to have independence taken away from you. He had been shot in the shoulder before, so he had some idea, but for a kid as energetic and curious as JJ was, it seemed like it would be a prison sentence. He had been moody and irritable, but Jake couldn’t blame him. Who wasn’t when they were in pain?

It was strange to think that he didn’t have to fight to arrange somebody to watch the kids for him, and Jake mounted his motorcycle, tearing out of the driveway and toward the docks. Maybe this arrangement was going to work out all right after all.

***
“I’m back!” Jake bellowed, limping into the foyer of his house. The Raptors had put up quite a fight, and it had nearly lost them a good man. Thankfully Jake had arrived just in time to take out the guy who had the advantage, and they brawled a good one until finally the other man couldn’t move any longer.

He was hurt but it was nothing serious. It wasn’t as if he had broken a rib or anything. Thank Christ for small miracles.

“Kids?”

“Quiet!” Mary shouted from the living room. “Michelle’s telling us a story!”

Jake raised his eyebrow and moved slowly to the living room, leaning against the doorway to watch as Mary, who was snuggled in Michelle’s lap, turned the pages of a book Jake had bought ages ago that the kids hadn’t shown even the slightest interest in.

Michelle glanced up at Jake, her voice wavering self-consciously from being watched. It was kind of cute, really, how she turned her eyes away from him and started reading faster, hoping to get the painful process over with sooner.

“Don’t mind me,” he said, hoping to put her at ease. “I’m going to have some coffee. Come meet me when you’re done, I’ll pay you.”

He retreated from the room and sat down gingerly in one of his comfortable kitchen chairs. A few minutes later, Michelle walked in. He couldn’t help but notice that she smelled nice, kind of fresh, almost like the beach or something. It was his favorite place to ride.

“You know you don’t have to pay me, my father said – you’re hurt!”

Jake smiled wryly at her and shook his head.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said. “And I don’t care what your father said. I’m going to pay you what your time is worth. You can put it away somewhere safe.”

Jake grunted in pain as he dug his wallet from the snug back pocket of his jeans.

“Really, don’t trouble yourself,” Michelle said awkwardly. “I had fun with them.”

“And apparently, they had fun with you, too,” Jake said with a low laugh. “How was JJ? He’s been kind of a pain since he hurt his elbow. Can’t blame the kid though. Did that go all right?”

“Yeah, he was perfect. I showed him some fun things he can do with one hand. I had to wear a cast when I was a kid, too. I fell off my dad’s bike.”

“Yeah, he told me about that,” Jake said, grinning.

“It’s not funny!” Michelle exclaimed, her cheeks flushed a deep red. Jake gazed at her for a moment. Even when she was angry she was sexy.

“Well, maybe if the story was about somebody else you would think it was,” Jake pointed out. “You know kids do some stupid shit sometimes.”

“Well anyway, your son was fine. And your daughter doesn’t want me to go.”

Jake raised his eyebrow. “You sure won her over fast.”

“She’s a sweetheart,” Michelle said, genuine adoration in her voice. Jake’s heart hammered, and he had to tear his eyes away from her and fish out the money from his wallet before he was caught staring.

“Here,” he said. “Don’t have to tell your dad about it if you don’t want to. I’m sure there are things you’d like to do that he’s not involved in. Kids deserve some privacy.”

Michelle gaped at the money in her hand. “This is too much!”

“No, not for the relief you gave me. And look, the milk is cleaned up. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, your daughter was really upset about it…”

Jake smiled gently at her, and they held each other’s gaze for a little bit longer than he had meant to. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” Michelle said, a little too cheerfully. “It’s my job, I guess.”

She forced herself to smile at him before heading out the door.

Jake stared after her, willing his eyes to do anything but roam the sensual curves of her body – her ass was snug in those jeans. But he couldn’t help himself, he was a man after all and Michelle had been on his mind for weeks now.

He would have to do his best to keep himself in check. She was the president’s daughter, after all. There would be nothing more taboo than getting involved with her like that. The rest of the Pythons would kick his ass.

Chapter 4

“You’re babysitting for Jake Desmond?!” Callie exclaimed, bouncing beside Michelle on her bed. Michelle rolled her eyes. Why did everybody think that Jake was such hot stuff? Just because he was big and brutal didn’t mean that he was automatically breeding material. Her friends had such low standards.

“It’s really no big deal,” Michelle said, pursing her lips. “It’s not like I see him that much or anything. I just watch his kids when he has stuff to do for my dad.”

“Still, that’s kind of romantic, right? You get to spend time in his house, with his children…”

“Dude, you’re grossing me out,” Michelle said, frowning down at the bed. “He’s just some guy. Besides, he’s old enough to be my dad. Or your dad!”

“That’s still sexy,” Callie said. “I like older men.”

“Well I have my own ideas about how I want to spend my future,” Michelle said, glowering. “And it’s not as Jake Desmond’s housewife. That’s for sure.”

“Whatever,” Callie said with a giggle. “I know you’re into him!”

A deep flush reddened Michelle’s cheeks. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve seen the way you look at him! Whether you like it or not you’ve got it bad!”

“Oh my god,” Michelle said, shaking her head. But there was nothing to do but laugh about it. “You’re too obsessed with boys. That’s all you see. What if I’m just zoning out thinking about when I’ll be able to get the hell out of the Pythons and start my own life? Did you ever think of that?”

“Why would you want out of the MC?” Callie asked, her face puzzled. “It’s great here.”

“It’s great if you’re not the president’s daughter,” Michelle grumbled. “The only quality time I get with my dad is listening to how many people he’s had killed that week. It kind of puts a damper on things.”

“Oh come on, power is a good thing,” Callie said, nudging Michelle playfully. “Especially in the bedroom.”

“Please stop!” Michelle exclaimed. “Before I make you stop!”

“Is that a threat?” Callie said, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

“You know I could take you in a second,” Michelle said, shoving Callie’s shoulder. Callie laughed.

“See? Power can be good.”

“If you say so…”

Callie grinned and buried her nose back in her phone. Michelle gazed out the window. What would give Callie the impression that she liked Jake? There was nothing good about the bikers. She knew it. She would never let herself fall for a guy like her dad. Would she?

Michelle shivered as the memory of the gentle smile Jake had given her the night he came home wounded from the docks. Was it possible there was more to him than met the eye?

“Oh my god!” Callie exclaimed. “Jake just beat the shit out of Horace!”

“What? Why?” Violence between the bikers wasn’t uncommon, but it was still surprising. The Vice President usually wasn’t one to get violent with members of his own club.

“He was talking shit about Janie,” Callie said, a huge grin on her face. “That’s hilarious.”

Michelle cringed at the memory of Jake’s eyes narrowing in pain when she had thrown his wife’s name out carelessly. He hadn’t defended her, exactly, but it was clear that the wound was still deep.

“It’s immature,” Michelle said. “How could I ever like a biker? They’re just little kids who never grow up.”

Callie shrugged and Michelle sighed to herself. Her friend had somehow gotten the wrong impression. But that didn’t matter. She would never love a man like Jake.

Chapter 5

“I don’t know why you bother getting involved, Jake,” Kent said sternly.

Jake glowered. “He was talking about Janie.”

“Everybody talks about Janie, Jake! She was a traitor! It’s not your place to get involved. Especially when you know you’re going to win the fight. Everybody knows it. That’s why you have to be the bigger man and let shit go!”

“If everybody knows that I’m going to win the fight then they should watch their fucking mouths when they talk about my wife. Yeah, she made a mistake. Some big mistakes, in fact. But you know what? They say that addiction is a disease. It’s not like she meant to hurt anybody but herself.”

Kent’s face remained hard. He wasn’t the type to forgive any mistakes. In fact, it had crossed Jake’s mind when he was going crazy with grief that Kent had set up the overdose himself, just to teach her a lesson for going behind his back and giving money to the Raptors.

“I don’t like this side of you, Jake. It’s weak. You’re letting your emotions take control of your logic. Your skin is way too thin. Do you want someone else to sit in the vice president’s chair? Or do you want to take my advice into consideration and come back when you’ve cooled down a bit?”

Jake gritted his teeth. He knew that there was no way Kent would see reason about this.

“You know I want to keep my chair, Kent. I just never took disrespect like that lying down. It’s an old habit. I’m used to defending my wife.”

“I understand,” Kent said, false sympathy dripping in his voice. “Old habits die hard. But that’s exactly where your traitor wife is right now. She’s dead. And that’s got to be the end of it with you. Unless you’d rather VP for the Raptors?”

“Why would you even say that?” Jake growled. “I hate those bastards more than I’ve ever hated anyone on this earth!”

“And that’s exactly why you’re still the vice president. Now start acting like one before I change my mind about that.”

“You got it, boss,” Jake said, still prickling. He stormed out of Kent’s office and mounted his bike. There was nothing left for him to do there. He might as well be at home when his kids got back from school. They were the best thing he and his wife had ever done together, and nothing sounded better than seeing their faces. Especially after being lectured for defending the woman all of them mourned privately and deeply every single day.

***
“Michelle?”

Jake stopped his motorcycle and squinted at the porch where Michelle was standing awkwardly. He turned the loud rumble of his engine off and headed toward her.

“My father told me to come. I hope you don’t mind…”

“He did, huh? Well all he wanted to do was tell me off for beating up one of the MC slime balls. I can take it from here.”

“Oh,” Michelle said, casting her eyes to the porch. Something was wrong.

“What’s the matter?” Jake asked.

“I just don’t have a ride back. The bus doesn’t run this way again for another twenty minutes.”

“You have to take the bus out here?” Jake asked incredulously. “Can’t you drive?”

“Nah,” Michelle said, her beautiful, clear eyes boring into Jake’s. He was lost in them for a moment and nearly forgot his own question. “My dad’s afraid if I drive I will take off.”

“Why would he think that?” Jake asked, still stunned by the way she made him feel.

“Because I would do it in a heartbeat,” Michelle said, fixing a steady, sexy look on him.

“Um…do you want to come inside? I would offer to drive you back myself but the kids are about to get home.”

“Oh, sure,” Michelle said. “It’s kind of hot out here.”

Jake was certainly feeling the heat.

They walked inside together, Jake purposely avoiding Michelle. He hadn’t been able to resist drinking in the delicious image of her curves the last time and if he let himself do it again, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. She was just a kid after all. Kent’s kid.

“Mary will be glad to see you,” Jake said, pouring Michelle a cool glass of lemonade. “I appreciate you waiting for the kids like that, were you here long?”

“About two hours,” Michelle said.

“Two hours?! Fuck!”

Jake ran a rag under cool water and pressed it gently against Michelle’s forehead. “Without any water in this kind of heat? Are you all right?”

His gaze must have been more intense than he meant for it to be, because Michelle averted her eyes and her pink cheeks grew red.

“I’m fine,” she said, holding the cloth in place on her forehead so that Jake could let go. “Thanks.”

“That isn’t right. Hey, can you stay with the kids for about half an hour when they get off the bus?”

“Yeah, but why? You said my dad doesn’t need you.”

“This is just personal matters. I won’t be long, I promise.”

Michelle shrugged, and as if on cue, the kids burst through the door, laughing together and shouting about a kid on the bus who was being gross.

“Michelle!” Mary gasped, running toward her and embracing Michelle’s legs. “Hi!”

“Hi Mary!” Michelle said.

Jake was mesmerized by the sight. Michelle was almost like another person when she spoke to his kids. In a way, her nurturing tendencies were kind of sexy.

Fuck. That was not what he should be thinking right now.

“All right, guys. I’m going to go for a little bit, but Michelle will take good care of you, okay?”

Jake was a little bit relieved to hear his children protest his leaving. He was almost afraid they were starting to prefer Michelle. Even JJ had been a lot less whiny and more active since Michelle had been coming over.

“Are you going to be okay?” Jake asked Michelle. “Too much sun can be serious.”

“I’m really okay, but thank you,” Michelle said with a tired smile.

“Listen guys,” Jake said, using his serious voice. His children listened with wide eyes. “Michelle got too much sun, okay, so if she starts to feel sick you know what to do right?”

“Call you and call 911!” the kids shouted in unison.

Michelle smiled at them and Jake felt a small surge of pride. “That’s right. Now give me a hug. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay!”

Jake could feel Michelle’s eyes on him as he walked out the door, and he sighed to himself. The poor girl had to go far out of her way to get out here. Maybe he should tell Kent not to bother with her anymore. It wasn’t worth it if she was going to suffer like this.

Still, he knew it would break his children’s hearts if he let Michelle off the hook. He would just try to make it worth her while somehow. And all he would have to do was behave himself.

Chapter 6

The kids were extremely hyper after coming home from school and Michelle had a hard time keeping up with their rapid conversation. It was cute in a way, and a little overwhelming. She really wasn’t feeling great. Usually her father was able to arrange for her to get a ride with one of the guys coming out toward the docks. But when he couldn’t, she had to leave early and take public transit.

Not only was it cramped, smelly, and hot on the bus, but waiting out on the porch until somebody arrived wasn’t a huge joy either. She just had to try to hold it together until Jake came back. Maybe then she would be able to take a nap. What kind of guy just disappeared when his babysitter was clearly getting heat stroke? Apparently just Jake. Callie was right. What a charmer.

“Back!” Jake’s masculine voice rang through the house and Michelle felt a thrill despite herself. Yeah, he was attractive, but he was still an ass.

“Great,” Michelle said, struggling to stand up from the table.

“Listen, I feel terrible about this. I had no idea. From now on, why don’t you take a taxi here, okay? I’ll give you extra for it before you leave every night. That’s fucked up. And I got you this.”

Jake held out his fist and looked sincerely at Michelle, and her heart hammered as his long fingers brushed the palm of her hand as he dropped something into it.

“What…?”

“It’s a house key,” Jake said, looking away a little bit awkwardly. “You can use it to let yourself in if nobody’s home. Or if you need to get in and the door’s locked.”

“You really shouldn’t –“

“What, trust you?” Jake asked, grinning at her. Michelle looked down at the ground, her cheeks burning. “I know what your dad would do if you fucked up and betrayed our trust. So don’t worry. I’m just going to go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“How sweet,” Michelle said sarcastically. Jake’s handsome face lit up with a smile- possibly the first genuine smile she had ever seen come from the guy. It was a little bit unsettling, and she turned her back on him. It was just too weird.

“Well I think it’s sweet that you nearly got sun stroke to take care of my kids. Maybe we should get you looked at before you head back.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m really all right,” Michelle said. And it was true. The worst of the nausea had passed and she was beginning to feel a lot better. Thankfully it had just been a close call and Jake got home just in time. Having the key would definitely be useful in the future.

“All right,” Jake said. “Well be careful getting home. Take a cab and if you feel sick, have the driver take you to the hospital. Nobody wants to see anything bad happen to you.”

Michelle didn’t answer, or even acknowledge Jake’s words. She had to put up a wall of ice if she was going to make it out of this situation with her dignity intact.

“Bye, guys!” she said brightly to Mary and JJ.

“Bye!” they exclaimed.

“Sorry you’re not feeling good!” Mary said, running into the living room and suddenly re-appearing with a little piece of paper folded in half. “I made you a get well soon card!”

It was adorable and Michelle’s wall of ice immediately melted. “Thank you, sweetheart!”

Mary beamed and Michelle could feel Jake draw nearer to examine his daughter’s work. “Looks good, Mary! Keep up the good work!”

The low rumble of Jake’s voice so near to Michelle sent a shiver down her spine. But she wouldn’t let him know that. It was just an involuntary physical response to somebody else. It happened all the time. That didn’t mean it meant anything.

“Anyway, here’s what I owe you, for your time and for the fare back to the MC and back here tomorrow, or whenever. Don’t you dare refuse it.”

Michelle pursed her lips and looked defiantly into Jake’s eyes. Her father wouldn’t want her to take the money. She could use it as a trump card against Jake, who was just a vice president on some shaky turf. But the look in his eyes made her hesitate. He was serious, concerned for her. And the truth was that she liked having money to use independently. She could save it and put it toward going to college if she ever found a way out of the Pythons.

“All right,” she said finally, letting Jake slip the money into her hands. “Thanks.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Jake said, his eyes flashing with an emotion that Michelle couldn’t quite pinpoint. He was so close to her that it was nearly intimate. She tore herself away from his gaze and the heat of his body and walked toward the front door.

“See you guys later!” Michelle said, doing her best to sound cheerful. But the reality was that she now felt more stuck than ever before. How was she going to get through this?

Chapter 7

Jake was busy as hell over the next few weeks. It felt like every time he stepped through the door of his house, Kent was on the phone telling him that he was needed elsewhere. And it made a lot of sense. The MC had some of its most important shipments coming in, and everybody knew it: the MC itself, the cops, and worst of all, the Raptors.

The police generally left the MC alone. They were outside the law and often compensated curious officers generously for their ignorance. If the cop was persistent though, then they had to resort to threats. There was no other way to do it. The stuff the Pythons dealt in was less than legal, but they accumulated a lot of power and resources because of it. It was like a protective family. in a way. What happened in the MC stayed in the MC, and any outsiders who tried sticking their noses where they didn’t belong would get what they had coming to them.

“We need you at the docks again,” Kent said for the billionth time that week.

“I just came from the docks,” Jake said. He was tired as fuck. All he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and sleep for a few hours. He hadn’t been doing much of that lately. Kent relied on him too much. He was pure force and never let anybody get away with doing his MC family wrong. But with conviction like that came too much responsibility.

“I know you did, but there’s a situation happening.”

“You look tired.”

Jake froze, surprised by the gentle concern in Michelle’s statement. She had come into the kitchen quietly, and Jake hadn’t noticed her. But now that he knew she was there, his whole body became tense.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Jake said, hanging up the phone.

“If you’re too tired just tell him!” Michelle exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you rest since Tuesday!”

“Honey, this isn’t the kind of job where you rest when you want to,” Jake sighed. “I’ll be all right.”

“My dad is such a-“ Michelle cut herself off, probably thinking that Jake would tattle on her for being frustrated with her dick of a father. “I’ll tell him myself then. He’s working you too hard! What if you get hurt?”

“It’s all part of the job,” Jake said, standing from his seat and yawning. “I’ve got to get out of here. Sorry you’re stuck here for longer than you were expecting.”

“No…it’s all right. I just put the kids to bed anyway, they won’t know the difference.”

Jake smiled. She was so good with his children. It made her unassuming beauty almost unbearable for him.

“Well I know that they’re in good hands. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah…”

He could feel Michelle’s gaze burning a hole in his back as he left, but what was he supposed to do? If he didn’t do what Kent asked of him, he would be putting himself and his family at risk. As far as Kent was concerned, Jake was on probation because of his wife’s actions. If he lost the MC, he could lose much more than just a title. Kent was a vengeful man. There was no telling how far he would go.

“I thought you’d never show!”

Jake whipped around just in time to see the fist coming at his face. He dodged out of the way, but pain tore into his cheek. At least it had missed his nose.

“Come on, Leon! Haven’t you done enough damage?!”

Leon sneered and Jake’s chest filled with fury. Leon was the man that had supplied his wife with heroin. He was celebrated as a hero among the Raptors, but Jake considered him to be his absolute worst enemy.

“Well I had to come and see the fruit of my efforts! And besides, you know what? I’ve been hearing something pretty funny lately and I had to check for myself to see if it was true.”

“What’s that, Leon?” Jake said, landing a blow on Leon’s shoulder. Leon grinned and brought his fists down on top of Jake’s head, hard. His reflexes were sluggish tonight. Michelle had probably been right to be worried.

“You know, Kent’s been asking around about the heroin trade. He’s considering taking it on himself. But that’s our turf, Jake. You know that. What would Janie say?”

Rage quaked Jake’s body and he lunged at Leon. Leon’s eyes widened briefly in surprise, but he quickly retaliated. A sudden piercing pain sliced through Jake’s abdomen- a knife blade.

“Looks like Kent’s going to get his way. The goody-goody little puppy here won’t be in his way much longer.”

Leon laughed and withdrew the blade from Jake’s side. Jake slumped to the ground and writhed in agony as Leon walked down the docks cackling. He could hear the rest of the men fighting, securing their goods from the other Raptors. Technically their mission had been accomplished, but for some reason Jake felt like the biggest failure in the world.

***
It was a relief for Jake to finally see his little house in the distance. He was bleeding badly and the shirt he had tied around his torso hadn’t been tight enough to keep him from feeling light-headed from the loss of blood. He wouldn’t be welcomed at the hospital- they had a policy of turning away gang-related wounds and victims of crimes that the motorcycle clubs were responsible for. He would just have to fend for himself.

He practically fell off his bike trying to dismount it and staggered to the doorway, cursing when he realized that it was locked. Jake’s hands shook as he tried to fish his keys out of his pocket. They were sticky with blood, and he had a hard time putting them into the lock properly.

“Jake!” Michelle exclaimed, her beautiful eyes wide with shock. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Oh, not much,” Jake said, glancing around for his kids. “Just got stabbed.”

Michelle’s face whitened and she rushed forward, supporting Jake’s shoulders as he lifted his shirt up to show her. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she touched the area around the stab wound gingerly.

“Follow me,” she said, pursing her lips. “I’ve seen worse. I can help you.”

Jake was surprised, but he probably shouldn’t have been. Kent kept his daughter around all sorts of violence. It stood to reason that she would take care of some of the surly bikers who were wounded. What a hell of a way to live.

“Sit down.”

Jake obeyed, secretly enjoying the sight of Michelle taking control. She knew just what to do and began rummaging through his medicine cabinets. Thankfully they were fully stocked. Not only was he always worried about hurting himself on the job, but he had his children to look out for. Once JJ had been born, he had taken great lengths to make sure he would have as many medical supplies as possible at his disposal. Having another life to look after had made him a little bit paranoid in a way, and he wanted to make sure that he was always able to provide the best for his kids, in good situations and in bad ones.

“Jesus, it’s like a nursing station in here,” Michelle said, holding an armful of supplies and crouching down beside Jake. “Take your shirt off.”

Jake raised his eyebrow and Michelle rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’re bleeding to death and you’re giving me that look?”

Jake shrugged, unable to hide his amusement, and remained quiet as Michelle worked on him. He hissed in pain when she put pressure on the wound, but she caught his eye and smiled reassuringly. The sight of her face was enough to calm his nerves and he found himself wishing that he could keep her at his side like this indefinitely.

But no, that was wrong. She was just a kid. And not only that, but she was the daughter of the president. That spelled trouble. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in that kind of bullshit.

Still, with her body so near to his, Jake was driven to distraction. Her long, dark hair would occasionally brush against his bare chest. If he wasn’t in so much pain, it would have made him hard. Of course, it didn’t help that with her being so close, he could perfectly smell her perfume- a light, modest scent that had taken to driving him crazy. Between the low threshold he was fighting from the stab wound and the irresistible nearness of her body, Jake was having a hard time biting his tongue. If she wasn’t done bandaging him up soon, he couldn’t be held accountable for what happened next.

“There,” Michelle said, her soft, beautiful voice like a balm over his wounds. “That should do it.”

Thank merciful Christ. Jake got up abruptly and groaned in pain. Little flashes of light began to bubble in front of his eyes and he sat back down heavily, nauseated and dizzy.

“Easy!” Michelle exclaimed. “You’re not invincible, as much as you biker jerks like to think you are. Do yourself a favor and just rest a minute.”

Michelle disappeared from the bathroom for a few moments, leaving Jake alone as he contemplated the severity of his wounds. If he died, who would take care of his children? He had a living will – it would be irresponsible not to in his line of work – but he hadn’t updated it since his wife had died. The person he had chosen as their guardian was Janie’s sister, but she probably couldn’t be trusted any more than Janie could. The two of them did everything together, after all. If he survived this, he would have to make a change to his will pronto.

“Drink this.”

Michelle’s gentle voice snapped him from his thoughts and without even thinking twice, he looked pleadingly into her eyes.

“If anything happens to me, take care of my kids,” he said.

Michelle looked startled, and he immediately regretted letting the words slip from his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m not feeling very well. You don’t…”

“It’s all right,” Michelle said, sitting beside him. “I’ll do what I can.”

She put her arm around Jake’s shoulders and stood, helping him to his feet.

“You need some rest, all right? Let’s get you to bed.”

Jake nodded helplessly as Michelle guided him to his bedroom. She was incredible. His heart panged painfully in his chest when her clear, mesmerizing eyes locked onto his and she smiled sweetly at him. She helped him onto the bed and hesitated.

“I think I’m going to spend the night here just to make sure you’re all right. If anything happened, I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

Jake watched Michelle walk out of the room, glancing over her shoulder to check on him one last time. She closed the door behind herself and he knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he wanted her to be his.

Chapter 8

Michelle sat stiffly on the couch, staring down the dark hallway that led to Jake’s room. She had known that Jake was too tired to fight, and look what happened! The stupid alpha males of the MC didn’t seem to realize that they had human limitations. If something would have happened to Jake, what would she tell his children? Her father had been busy lately. Would she apologize that her daddy had practically killed theirs? They would never be able to understand. And the loss would be devastating. They would be orphans.

If anything happens to me, take care of my kids.

Michelle shivered at the memory of Jake’s pained expression, the pure love that he had for his children. They were everything to him. She had never seen a man who was so loving and caring toward a child before. She hadn’t thought it was possible for such a brute biker to have any kind of a soft spot. In fact, she had pegged him as a particularly heartless man, for the most part.

And yet he continued to surprise her. First by the pure, unadulterated feeling that he still seemed to have for his wife and now the way he was with his children. Michelle’s father would have died before showing her that sort of affection. Her mother had died when she was young, far too young to remember, and it had just been Michelle and her father. Or more like, her father and the MC, where she was forced to find a place or suffer not seeing her father for weeks at a time.

What must it be like to have a man like Jake in your life, being young and scared and helpless? He seemed so capable, so strong and fierce. It was sure to be a comforting thing to a young child. And he was so handsome…

Michelle shook the thought away and sighed. There was no reason for her to be thinking this way. So a biker happened to be a good dad. Stranger things had happened. She would just see him through the night and go back to her life as if nothing happened.

“Fuck!”

Jake’s voice barked suddenly and echoed down the hallway, making Michelle’s heart hammer hard in her chest. She launched herself off the couch and ran down the hallway, half convinced that she would find Jake drowning in a pool of blood.

“Jake, are you-“

Michelle burst through the door and stopped suddenly, heat rising to her cheeks. Jake was standing in the middle of his bedroom floor in his boxers, trying to step through the pantleg of his pajamas. He glared up at her, embarrassed, before relaxing his gaze.

“Sorry, not used to visitors when I’m in my underwear,” he said, and then hesitated. “Okay, that’s not quite true. When you have kids they tend to pop in whenever they feel like it.”

“Are you okay?” Michelle asked, trying to keep her voice even and her eyes above Jake’s navel. The boxers were snug, and the sudden sight of the bulge of Jake’s manhood had been electrifying. She still wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself, although her instincts were torn between running away and walking closer to him.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “Sorry to alarm you. I just didn’t want to sleep in those damn dirty jeans, you know…it’s uncomfortable enough to wear them all day. Don’t need them in my bed, too.”

Michelle was surprised that a man like Jake even considered whether or not his clothes were dirty. Apparently there was a lot about him that she didn’t know. But she was beginning to want to find out.

“Well do you need any help?” she asked reluctantly.

“Thanks but no,” Jake said, attempting to bend over to pick up the waistband of his pajama pants. He hissed in pain and Michelle rushed to his side, her thoughts no longer anywhere close to the alarming sexual tension she had been starting to experience.

“Here, I’ll support you,” she said quietly, holding Jake’s shoulders in place so he could relax against her and reach the ground.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, his voice so near her ear that she could feel his hot breath against her skin. It gave her goosebumps and she closed her eyes, trying to fight the strange heat that was beginning to move its way through her.

“Sure,” Michelle said, clearing her throat. “You good now? Think you can relax for once in your life and get some rest?”

“Yeah, no problem doc,” Jake said with a wink. “Thanks. Good night.”

Michelle hesitated before heading to the doorway. For some reason, she was reluctant to leave his side. Was it because she was worried about him or was it something else?

But she couldn’t even begin to try and sort that out for herself right now. She couldn’t just invite herself to hang out in a man’s bedroom. He was twice her age!

“Good night,” Michelle said quietly. She left the door partly open, just in case he called out in the middle of the night.

She headed back to the couch and sank heavily down on it. The kids would wonder what she was still doing there in the morning. But it would turn out all right. As long as her dad didn’t think anything was strange about her staying all night at the vice president’s house. Her father’s suspicion was the last thing in the world that she needed. It would be best to try and sneak back as early as possible so that he didn’t know she had been out all night.

Michelle laid back on the couch, her eyes heavy with sleep. It was really pathetic that at her age, she still had to worry about what her dad thought. Maybe, someday, she would find a way out of that mess.

Chapter 9

Jake spent the next few days recuperating from his stab wound. He had a feeling that Michelle had something to do with the sudden break he was allowed to have, because he hadn’t told Kent anything about his injury. Michelle, however, had come over faithfully every day to cook and clean the house and make sure that the kids were staying out of Jake’s hair. It was nice, really, and he had allowed himself to enjoy the domesticity of the routine.

The truth was that he hadn’t felt much like having a woman around since his wife had passed away. But with Michelle, it seemed as if everything was as it should be. Maybe that was because he didn’t have to worry about his kids. Or maybe it was for some other reason. Perhaps Michelle had opened him up to the possibility of moving on from the death of his wife. A man couldn’t grieve forever, after all. Especially not when a little flame like Michelle was flickering in front of him, day in and day out.

“Looks like you’re starting to feel better,” Michelle said, clearing the table and smiling at Jake.

“Can I have more orange juice?” Mary asked.

“Of course, honey,” Michelle said absently, pouring juice with one hand and holding a stack of dirty plates in the other.

She smiled brightly at Mary and pushed the juice to Jake’s daughter, who beamed and exclaimed, “Thank you!”

“Yeah, I’ve felt worse. I got lucky. The stab wound was shallow and it missed anything vital. I have a feeling that son of a –“ Jake cut himself off, remembering that his children were within earshot. They were used to him swearing, but that didn’t mean he liked them to think he was just a huge potty mouth. “I think that he was just trying to hurt me. Why would they want to keep me alive?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re planning something,” Michelle said with a shrug. “You know how the Raptors can be.”

“Yeah,” Jake said. That was exactly what he was afraid of. The Raptors knew just how thin the ice was that Jake was treading in the MC. It would be easy to set him up for failure. Kent didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him, and it meant that it would take nothing for his suspicion to cost Jake his position in the MC.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Michelle said. Jake looked into her eyes and couldn’t help but relax. There was something so serene about the oceanic color of Michelle’s eyes, and the sweet way she smiled. “I’m sure you just got lucky this time. But keep an eye out. And if you need some rest, just rest. All right?”

“No can do, hon,” Jake said, rising from the table and stretching. He was still sore where the knife had sliced through his skin, but it felt good to be able to raise his arms over his head again. He had always been a fast healer. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. Now that I’m feeling better, I think I ought to pay your father a visit.”

“What do you want to see him for?” Michelle asked darkly. “He about got you killed.”

“He’s still my boss,” Jake said. “And listen, maybe not so much shop talk at the table, huh?”

He glanced meaningfully at his kids, who were chewing slowly and staring at the adults with wide eyes. Michelle got the point and clamped her mouth shut.

“Right,” she said, heading to the sink to wash the dishes. The room grew very quiet, all but the sound of running water and the clank of dishes, until Michelle turned toward the kids and smiled. “I was thinking we could go to the movies today, if it’s okay with your dad.”

The kids gasped and turned to Jake with hopeful eyes. They hadn’t been to the movies since long before their mother had passed away. How could Jake refuse them? It was a weekend, after all.

“Of course it’s all right with me. How much do you need for it?”

“Oh, it’s my treat, Mr. Desmond,” Michelle said.

Jake frowned. The way she said his name seemed oddly formal. It’s not like they said each other’s names that frequently, but after all this time, wouldn’t it be all right to call him Jake?

“Nobody calls me Mr. Desmond but the banker,” Jake said, raising his eyebrow at her. “And I can’t let you do that with your own money, though it’s mighty sweet of you to offer. Why don’t you take this and go take them out to eat afterward. Movies are pretty long these days.”

Jake fished a $100 bill from his wallet and offered it to Michelle.

“Please, don’t. I can afford it. You’ve been giving me way more than enough.”

“That’s because you need something that’s just yours,” Jake said, looking at her seriously. “If you were my daughter, I’d let you have that.”

Michelle gazed at him, an attractive pink flush coloring her cheeks. She looked away quickly.

“Thank you,” she said, moving forward and taking the money. “So what do you guys want to go see?”

Jake smiled to himself as his children chattered excitedly, listing all of the movies their friends at school had gone to see. It could be hard not to have a mother around and Jake never seemed to have any time to do anything fun with the kids. They needed that kind of thing, though. And it seemed that Michelle was just the person to give his family exactly what they needed, and right when they needed it.

“All right guys,” Jake said, smiling at his kids. They quieted down and ran to hug him. They knew he was leaving without him having to actually say so. It was kind of heart-breaking in a way. But he was a single parent now. That’s just the way it was going to be from now on. At least he made more money working with the MC than he ever would at a regular nine-to-five job. That was some consolation, right? Even if the hours were unpredictable and dangerous.

“I hope things go well,” Michelle said with quiet meaning in her voice. Jake was starting to get the feeling that things between Michelle and her father weren’t quite as great as they appeared to be on the outside. What kind of man would have a daughter like Michelle and neglect to take care of her? It didn’t seem fair. In fact, it made his blood boil to think about it.

“Thanks,” Jake said, smiling warmly at Michelle. “They’ll go as good as they can.”

***
“Jake! Glad to see you’re feeling better,” Kent said. “I hadn’t heard much from you in the past few days and I’ve been working you kind of hard so I thought I’d give you some time off. Michelle told me about your stab wound. How is that doing? You manage to avoid infection?”

“Yeah, thanks to Michelle. I didn’t know she was a good nurse,” Jake said.

“Well, you don’t get hurt very often so you wouldn’t, would you?” Kent said with a jovial grin. “You’re pretty solid. But the green guys in the club get pretty familiar with her.”

“I’m sure they do,” Jake said. What was that feeling? Jealousy? But that was ridiculous. What kind of father made his own daughter’s accomplishment sound so lewd? Jake could only pray he would turn out to be a better father than Kent was.

“Well anyway, are you up for a job today?”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Jake said, grinning. As much as he loved being at home with his kids, he always got an itch to get out of the house and get involved in MC affairs. He was the vice president, after all. The club was his passion.

“Great,” Kent said. “There’s something I need you to do that nobody else can. I want you to go undercover.”

“Undercover?” Jake asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you think it’s possible that we could stage a fight between the two of us so you can go to the Raptors and vow to take vengeance on me?”

“Vengeance? I don’t think they’d buy it, Kent. I can’t stand any of them and they all know it. They would see right through me.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Kent said thoughtfully. “Well in that case, maybe you should go out on a run to the docks and supervise some of the new kids. They don’t have the hang of the gig quite yet. I think you would be able to give them some valuable insights.”

“That’s kind of light work,” Jake growled. “You don’t fuckin’ trust me to do anything better than that?”

“Calm down,” Kent said, raising an eyebrow. “Michelle told me I need to take it easy on you until you feel better. And what kind of father would I be if I didn’t listen to my only child? At least once in a while.”

Kent snorted and Jake relaxed his hackles. He needed to relax a bit. Kent was just trying to look out for him. Jake was just being paranoid. That type of thing wouldn’t get him very far. All of the tension about his wife had really been getting to him lately. Kent said he forgave him. He would just have to try to believe that and do his best to work hard for the MC.

Not only that, but apparently Michelle was looking out for him when he wasn’t around. Jake felt so unbelievably lucky to have her in his life. She had made everything go from bleak and difficult to almost pleasurable. There hadn’t been one day since his wife passed away that he actually looked forward to getting out of bed in the morning. At least, not until Michelle started coming over. She was really something.

“So how has my daughter been working out for you?” Kent asked, almost as if he could read Jake’s mind.

“It’s going great. The kids love her. You made a good call, boss. Thanks.”

“She’s been coming and going in a taxi,” Kent said, his eyes hardening. “Was that your doing?”

“Yeah, I arranged for that. I pay the drivers.”

“Ah, I see,” Kent said, relaxing. “For a moment I was worried that Michelle had some other way of getting money. That wouldn’t be very good, would it?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Jake asked, genuinely confused. If his daughter showed initiative and found a job, he would be proud of her.

“Well you know young women. They go out and make bad choices. You have a daughter, you must understand.”

“Sure,” Jake lied. To him, it just sounded like Kent was being a controlling asshole who was afraid of his daughter showing any independence. He felt more powerful if everybody needed him. That was probably how he had managed to make it to the top of the MC. Ruthless, controlling men like Kent were the kind of guys who got shit done in the organized crime world, right?

“I thought so,” Kent said, grinning widely. “She’s a good girl. She’s never even had a boyfriend.”

This thought startled Jake. A woman as beautiful as Michelle never dated? What was stopping her?

But when he looked again at the self-satisfied smirk on Kent’s face, Jake knew exactly what was going on there. Of course Michelle had dated. She just hadn’t let her father in on the men she had chosen. And why would she? He would obviously shit all over her relationship and probably end it before it had a chance to begin. The poor girl. If she was his…

His what? His daughter? His lover? Whichever, he would treat her better. That was a fact.

“The guys are heading out in about half an hour. Maybe you should go along with them and give them some pointers before they go in there and fuck everything up. It’s not super important stuff, but it’s still important that things get done right.”

“Of course,” Jake said, nodding at Kent in parting. “Thanks again, though, for letting me borrow Michelle.”

Kent grinned again, another cocky, self-satisfied smile that made Jake glower inwardly. They were talking about her like she was property, to be on loan whenever it suited them best. She deserved better than that. But for now, he was going to have to play along. If Kent had any suspicion of the way Jake was starting to feel about his daughter, then all hell was going to break loose. And hell was exactly what Jake was trying to escape from right now.

Chapter 10

“Do you guys want popcorn?” Michelle asked.

“Yeah!” JJ exclaimed. Mary bounced up and down, gripping Michelle’s leg excitedly.

“And pop!” she cried.

“Of course,” Michelle said, laughing. After hours of debate, they decided to go see one of the movies that were based off a show she had enjoyed watching herself when she was a kid. All three of them were happy with the choice, and they walked into the dark theater together, Michelle balancing the snacks in one hand gripping Mary’s hand with the other. They both followed JJ as he bounded up the steps to find good seats.

“Here!” JJ shouted.

“Shh!” someone in the audience hissed. JJ’s face fell.

“The movie isn’t even playing yet, dipshit!” Michelle growled into the darkness. A few people laughed and she stalked up the stairs after JJ, who had an adorable, crooked smile on his face.

“That was funny,” he said.

“That’ll teach them,” she whispered to him, bopping his shoulder with her fist.

JJ nodded and they settled into the theater. Soon, the movie was playing and Michelle was sitting in between Jake’s kids, because both of them wanted to be beside her.

But she was having a hard time concentrating on the movie. As hard as she tried, it was difficult to focus. Her mind kept returning to the intimate moments she had shared with Jake as she tended to his wounds. His body was unbelievable for a man who was a little over 40 years old. And the way he was with his kids was sweet, really. Touching. Maybe he wasn’t the monster she had always thought he was.

Michelle really hoped not, because it was becoming more and more clear to her that Callie just might have been right. Jake was unbelievably handsome and her attraction to him had reached the point that she couldn’t deny it anymore. Even if she didn’t want to feel it, it was there. Whether she liked it or not, Jake was on her mind constantly.

Whether that was because she was at his house all the time or because he was really worth the space in her mind that he occupied, she had yet to find out. But one thing was undeniable: her body ached for him late in the night after she left his home. Whenever he looked at her or smiled that sweet, kind smile of his that he normally reserved for his own kids, she felt her chest tighten and a dull, provocative heat awaken deep inside her.

It seemed like no time before the movie was over. She was embarrassed to find she had spent the entire time the lights were dimmed fantasizing about Jake. If someone asked her to talk about the plot of the movie, she would have been in trouble.

“That was a good movie!” Mary exclaimed.

“Yeah!” JJ agreed.

“I’m really glad you two liked it!” Michelle said, smiling at them.

“That makes one of us.”

Michelle froze as a man strode toward them. She recognized the man’s jacket immediately. He was a Raptor.

“What do you want?” Michelle asked. She would get nowhere by showing her fear with a man like that.

“I just wanted to tell you that you were being pretty rude, before,” he said, scowling at Michelle. “The kid shouldn’t be fucking yelling at the movies.”

“And you shouldn’t be yelling at kids! Or watching a kid’s movie like a pervert, for that matter. Is this the only one with a title you could read or something?”

“Oh, you best watch yourself, little girl,” the guy said, his dark eyes flashing with fury. “You’re going to regret that.”

He glanced around at the crowd in the theater, his fists clenched. Many people had stopped to watch the confrontation, and she knew by the look on some of the faces of the men there that she had nothing to worry about. If he tried to attack, he would be stopped. Besides, she could handle herself well enough.

“Bye!” Michelle said, cheerfully. Clearly that guy didn’t recognize her as the daughter of president of the most powerful MC in the area. Which was for the best. She kept her Python medallion hidden beneath her shirt.

“Fuck off,” he muttered, his back already turned on them.

“Wow,” JJ breathed, looking up at Michelle with wide eyes. “You’re not afraid of anything, are you?!”

Michelle smiled down at him confidently. “I’ll take good care of you guys, don’t worry.”

But on the inside, she was cold with terror. If the Raptors were going to go after her, she was going to have to be a lot more careful from then on. She just hoped that the guy she had mouthed off to didn’t have a lot of power in the group, or she was fucked. Even with her dad as the MC, she would have to watch her back.

***
“Dad, did you know Michelle is really tough?!” JJ shouted as soon as they walked in the door and saw Jake standing in front of them.

“Is she?” he asked, flashing a curious look at Michelle that seemed to burn right through her. She looked down at the floor and scoffed.

“Your son exaggerates,” she said.

“No, my kids are perfect angels who never stretch the truth even a little bit,” Jake said with a twinkle in his eye. “So what makes Michelle really tough, JJ?”

“She told off a guy who yelled at me in the theater!” JJ said. “Even when he came up to us afterward and tried to pick a fight!”

“He tried to pick a fight?” Jake said, his eyes growing hard. They flashed to Michelle, and he seemed to be able to read the tension she was feeling from the event. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah! Michelle is so cool!” JJ said, laughing. “I can’t wait to tell my friends.”

Jake opened his mouth to protest, but JJ was already running upstairs, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Michelle is cool!” Mary repeated, following her brother upstairs.

“What happened?”

The humor was gone from Jake’s voice and he strode powerfully to Michelle, anger emanating from him.

“I don’t know. Some guy in the dark was being an asshole, so I told him to shut up. Turns out it was a fucking Raptor and now he has it in for me, apparently.”

“Does he know who you are?” Jake asked, his voice urgent. “Did he follow you?”

“I don’t know if he knows me but I made sure nobody was tailing me when we left. I do know a thing or two from being the president’s daughter.”

“Good,” Jake said, walking to the window and peering out suspiciously. “Maybe you should lie low for a bit. Tensions are really high between the gangs right now and I would feel responsible if anything were to happen to you.”

“I’m not a little girl!” Michelle exclaimed. “And I don’t regret telling that guy off, either. He was a total asshole. Who yells at a little kid?”

“Unstable fucks like the Raptors, that’s who. He was probably drugged out and sitting in the movies to try and ride out his high. They have turf not far from the theater. I totally forgot about that. I’m so stupid!”

Michelle jumped when Jake punched the wall hard, leaving a deep indent in it. Normally, this type of brutal tough-guy behavior made her feel annoyed, but for the first time, it sent warmth through her body. He was angry like this because he cared about her. Or about his kids, anyway. It was a mistake to think that he cared more for her than he did, wasn’t it? She would be better off keeping her strange feelings to herself. Just because he was upset didn’t mean her attraction to him was reciprocated. Jake probably saw her as nothing but a child.

“It’s really my fault,” Michelle stammered. “I shouldn’t have taken them to the movies today. Or maybe I could have found one closer to the MC, where our guys are around most of the time.”

“Blaming yourself for everything is a bad habit,” Jake said. “My kids are going to grow up knowing that. And even if they make mistakes, they will forgive themselves and do their best to fix them.”

Michelle reddened. Was he implying something? “At least nothing happened. I can keep an eye out. My dad taught me a few tricks to take care of myself.”

“Somehow I doubt he taught you enough,” Jake said darkly. “Come here early tomorrow, will you? I’m going to give you a few lessons. That way I’ll know you can handle yourself if those assholes show up again. Understood?”

Michelle’s heart thudded in her chest as Jake held her gaze.

“All right,” she said, the heat that had been teasing her all throughout the movie returned in full force. What had she gotten herself into?

Chapter 11

“Good morning,” Michelle said, avoiding Jake’s gaze.

“Hey,” Jake said, rubbing his eyes and smiling.

He had just woken up from a nap after sending the kids to school, and hadn’t had a chance to change out of his pajamas yet. He let Michelle inside, his longing for her unfiltered with his return to wakefulness. She snuck a glance at his pajama pants and he grinned at her. “I’m sure you like the duckies. Mary picked them out for Father’s day a few years ago.”

“They’re very masculine,” Michelle said with a laugh. But her laughter was strained. Like him, she had probably had little sleep thinking about the repercussions of the altercation the night before. He was glad she had kept her word and showed up early.

“I thought so, too,” Jake said. “Come down here with me, would you?”

The musty smell of the basement struck him wrong when he walked into the kitchen and opened the door, and he hesitated. “Want some coffee first?”

“Definitely,” Michelle said. “Thanks.”

They sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee without speaking.

“It’s not usually this quiet around here,” Michelle said, her beautiful eyes lowered onto her coffee mug.

“Nah,” Jake said, tearing his eyes away from her. He was really asking for trouble here.

They fell quiet again, but it was an unusually comfortable silence. Both of them were a little bit tired, and Jake simply enjoyed her company, whether they were speaking or not. The way her lips puckered up around her glass made him feel a little crazy though, so he had to keep his eyes to himself. What kind of woman could look this good even when she was exhausted and yawning? His wife hadn’t been blessed with that gift.

“All right,” Jake said, standing abruptly and setting his coffee cup down. “I think I can function now. What do you think?”

“Yeah,” Michelle said. “I’d like to do something about my little problem.”

“Well you’re not going to be able to handle yourself in a fight overnight, so make sure you get some fuckin’ practice in, all right? It’s important. I don’t give a god damn if your friends are phone tagging you about prom and puppies and boys – practice every day! And if you ever have any questions or want to spar, you just tell me and I’ll drop everything.”

Michelle smiled shyly at the ground and Jake turned away, alarmed by the steady mounting of desire that was building in him. Maybe having Michelle over for a self-defense lesson was a bad idea.

When he turned around to face her again, he started. She was pulling her shirt off, and his eyes remained glued to the curves of her body as she pulled her shirt over her head to reveal a tight white tank top. Yes, this had definitely been a bad idea. That, or a very good one.

“What?” Michelle asked, freeing her head from the shirt and setting it down on the steps. What could Jake say? She was driving him crazy.

“Nothing. What do you know about Krav Maga?” he said. He couldn’t give into his temptation. Not with such a young girl. He was nothing but a dirty old man.

“Not much,” Michelle admitted.

“Right,” Jake said. “Well if I came at you and put my hands like this, what would you do?”

Jake came toward Michelle, trying to ignore the fire in his groin as he touched her silky soft skin for the first time. Michelle closed her eyes and gasped slightly, whether in pleasure or surprise Jake couldn’t tell. It didn’t help his situation.

“I don’t know,” she breathed. Jake was close to her face, their bodies creating a charge he couldn’t ignore. It would be so easy to just dip down right then and taste the sweetness of her lips.

But Michelle opened her eyes and stared hard at him, without struggling against his light grip on her neck. Suddenly, he felt that she saw his struggle to hold back. The need in his eyes must have been too apparent. Her cheeks were flushed now and she locked her gaze on him steadily. This girl had some guts, that was for sure. Did she know how fucking sexy it was?

“I don’t really feel like hurting you,” she said.

The idea that Michelle could hurt him made Jake laugh out loud. “You think you could if you felt like it?”

“Sure,” she said, looking at him evenly. “I could tell you that you’re too old for me. That this could never work.”

Shit. Jake tried to play dumb, but she had caught on to the game. He cringed, suddenly feeling really embarrassed. He had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and his deep desire to put that forbidden cookie in his mouth had been the end of him.

“But,” Michelle said, putting her hand on his shoulder, her cheeks still flushed. She looked nervous, but the look in her eyes was serious and more sure than anything he had ever seen. This girl was the type with conviction. “I said I don’t feel like hurting you.”

Michelle looked at him meaningfully and a seemingly magnetic force closed the space between their bodies. Suddenly, her breasts were pressed against him and his lips had dipped down to sample her, briefly, timidly, before devouring her with all the passion he had been trying to hold back. Jake’s body was electrified as Michelle gripped his strong arms and pulled away from him, gasping for breath.

“It’s wrong, right?” she whispered, her beautiful face contorted with an inner struggle he knew all too well.

“Definitely,” Jake said. He grabbed Michelle by the waist and pulled her close to him again, and she moaned softly as his lips grazed the nape of her neck. Desire coursed through his body and he could feel the blood rushing to his cock, making him suddenly and urgently hard. There was no stopping now.

Chapter 12

Michelle closed her eyes in rapture as Jake planted kisses up and down the nape of her neck. Her body shivered involuntarily as his strong hands caressed her, sending deep thrills throughout her body. She could feel the firm mound of his manhood pressed urgently against her thigh, and she sighed in pleasure as slowly, carefully, he began to push off his pajama pants.

When he pulled his shirt off, Michelle allowed herself to take in his dazzling body, shocked that she had been able to resist its temptations for so long. She ran her hand down his broad chest, and Jake grinned at her.

“You’re not like, a virgin, are you?”

Heat filled Michelle’s face and she shook her head slightly. “I had a boyfriend in secret a few years ago, but we only…it only happened once. He wasn’t right for me.”

Jake nodded. “I figured something like that. Come on. Daddy’ll show you how to do it right.”

Longing flooded Michelle’s body as Jake lifted her by the waist and carried her up the basement stairs. She was shocked by how strong he was, even after just recently suffering a stab wound. Why had she always thought so low of the bikers at the MC? Jake was turning out to be nothing but an incredible gentleman. It was shocking, really. Who would have guessed that such a rough-and-tumble crowd could have such courteous men hidden underneath all the muscles and swearing?

Jake’s eyes twinkled down at her and she shivered.

“Are you all right?” he asked, kicking the door to his bedroom open. Michelle nodded.

“I just never thought this would happen,” she admitted. Jake let out a short laugh.

“That makes two of us. You think we should stop?”

Michelle raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled deeply.

“Me either,” he said, laying her down on the bed and climbing over her body. He carefully stripped her, caressing and kissing every inch of skin that he revealed as he peeled her clothing off. She cried out softly when a jolt of fire engulfed her body as his lips found the soft mound of her nipple and tugged it gently.

He seemed to like the way she responded, because he continued lapping slowly at it, filling her with a burning fire that could only be taken care of with one thing. As if he could sense exactly what she wanted, he gently stripped her from the waist down without moving his lips. Michelle trembled beneath him as his strong hands brushed over her middle and rested there for a moment, stoking the fire inside of her.

“You all right, there, darlin’?” Jake asked. He seemed amused by her body’s response to his touch, and seemed keen on drawing everything out as long as he possibly could, even though it was clear by the feeling of his massive erection that he was just as eager to taste the forbidden fruit as she was.

Michelle nodded. “I…it didn’t feel like this the first time.”

Jake grinned. “That’s because you’re with a real man now. And daddy’s going to teach you how to move.”

All the thoughts flew out of her head as Michelle’s body was suddenly overcome by the sensation of Jake’s cock pressed gently against her middle, massaging her most sensitive area until waves of pleasure were crashing all around her. Those waves quickly turned to a tsunami as Jake began to penetrate her body, pushing firmly so that the hardness of its head was just dipping inside of her.

Michelle groaned deeply at the feeling of being pleasantly torn in half, and Jake’s handsome face hovered above hers. His eyes were flashing, and he began to gyrate his hips above her and push deeper and deeper inside, slowly, steadily, holding back all of his power just to make sure she was comfortable. He was treating her kind of like a princess, she realized suddenly. The way she had always seen other girls being treated, whether by their fathers or their boyfriends. Michelle hadn’t ever been treated as something precious. Just something useful. It nearly moved her to tears.

But before she could get too choked up, Jake buried his mouth against her neck and began to kiss up and down her body. She writhed beneath him as the pleasure filled her up nearly to the point of bursting. He seemed to be able to tell exactly what she was feeling, because he looked up at her and grinned before finally plunging himself all the way inside of her for the first time.

Michelle cried out as her body trembled with pleasure, engulfed by a fire that was only made hotter with every thrust from Jake’s powerful hips. She held onto his shoulders tightly, gripping them until her nails were pressing into his skin. Rather than hurting him, it seemed to ignite Jake’s desire and he amped up his game, roaming and caressing her body and sending sensuous tendrils of pleasure coursing throughout her.

With every thrust she came closer and closer to a huge and powerful feeling that was mounting, bubbling deep in her abdomen. She had experienced a quick little orgasm before, just once, and it was nothing like what she was feeling now. Jake really was going to teach her things about her body that she hadn’t known before. And she was more than ready for it.

Jake grunted in pleasure as Michelle’s orgasm began to erupt, and her body began to squeeze his cock and contract powerfully around it. She could feel every inch of him as he massaged her inside. Suddenly, Michelle’s back arched and an explosion of ecstasy flooded her, causing every part of her body to tingle with rapture as Jake’s cock tensed up inside of her. He was about to pull out of her but Michelle shook her head. She was on the pill, even though she didn’t have sex regularly. Her father had insisted on it.

Jake’s eyes grew dark and he unleashed a torrent of thrusting that electrified her body. Michelle’s climax was brought to new heights as a powerful explosion of heat erupted from Jake’s cock and filled her from the inside out. He grunted as he emptied himself inside of her, the physical manifestation of his lust sending shivers of pleasure all throughout Michelle’s body.

Finally, he pulled out and gathered her up in his arms, holding her close and dropping tender kisses on her forehead and face. Michelle was completely exhausted, weakened from the huge explosion of energy that her orgasm took out of her.

“Wow,” she breathed.

Jake grinned, his handsome face lighting up. “Next time I won’t go easy on you.”

That was easy? Michelle’s eyes widened and Jake laughed softly.

“Just kidding around, sweetheart. We’ll play it by ear. I always do.”

Michelle grinned at him and closed her eyes. She didn’t regret what had happened at all, but now there was a new stress deep in her mind. If her father found out about this, they would both be in serious trouble.

Chapter 12

The next few days were strange around the house and Jake tried his best to focus more on his kids than he did on Michelle. He couldn’t help but feel horrible about what they had done together. Not only was it a betrayal to Kent and his confidence, but it was also a little weird to be sleeping with a girl who could easily have been his own daughter.

Michelle seemed to sense his feelings and didn’t speak much to him. She kept things professional and smooth, coming only when her father sent her and leaving without too many words minced between them. Although he missed the relationship they had been beginning to share, he just couldn’t get over the fact that what they had done together was wrong.

“Daddy, can we go to the movies with Michelle again?” Mary asked one morning before Michelle was due to arrive.

“No honey, I don’t think so.”

Mary’s blue eyes filled with tears and her little lip jutted out defiantly. “But it was so fun! And Michelle was cool!”

How to explain to a five year old the dangers that lay around every corner without making her terrified of the world? It was a horrible balance to try to strike and Jake picked his daughter up and shocked her into laughter by planting a raspberry on her belly.

“Remember that mean guy who was at the movies before? Well daddy doesn’t want you and JJ to see him again. Because if he gets mean with Michelle and he has meaner friends, she won’t be able to protect you guys by herself.”

Jake’s mind involuntarily flickered to the incident he and Michelle had shared after beginning to try to teach her Krav Maga. After their tryst, they had returned to the basement, and he had given her a two-hour lesson on defending herself. Although she was a natural, and moved her body seamlessly in a way that had been keeping him up at night, she still wasn’t well-equipped to handle the Raptors. And when he told her so, her face had fallen and they’d called it a day. She hadn’t asked for a lesson since, and he had been reluctant to offer. Not after what had happened the last time.

“But she’s tough!” Mary protested. “Girls can fight just as good as boys can!”

Jake laughed, proud of his daughter’s gusto.

“That’s a fact!” Jake said. “Wanna come down to the basement and learn some moves with daddy?”

“Oh, I like doing that!”

Jake grinned. “I know.”

“What about JJ?” Mary asked. There was really nothing cuter than seeing his two kids sparring and learning more and more about how to handle themselves in a physical altercation. Although every once in a while it resulted in accidents that left one or the other of them bawling, it was always worthwhile.

“JJ!” Jake shouted. “Wanna spar?”

JJ walked slowly down the stairs, a deep frown on his face. “But I only have the one arm!”

“That’s great then! We can work on what to do if you have a handicap during a fight.”

JJ grinned. “Cool!”

Jake ushered his kids down to the basement, where all of his workout equipment was stored. He had made it into a nice little home gym for himself. It would be good to get back down there after what had happened with Michelle. He hadn’t been able to bear it on his own. At least now with his kids, his mind would be off his mistake.

They were deep into practice, Mary kicking at JJ and laughing as he blocked her with his good arm, when Jake was startled by the pure sound of Michelle’s voice.

“Looks like you have a couple of naturals on your hands,” Michelle said, smiling kindly at him.

“Michelle! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”

He turned to greet her, hating himself for the immediate desire that filled him when she moved toward him. Why couldn’t he just let it go? It was too wrong. He was going to get them into serious trouble if he pursued his interest in her.

“I came a little bit early. I’m trying to save some money so I took the bus this time.”

“Oh, all right,” Jake said, wondering what she might need the extra money for. Maybe he should pay her more. “Do you want to join us? I have a little time before I’m due at the MC. It would be good to keep your skills honed in case of an emergency.”

“Yeah!” Mary exclaimed. “I want to go back to the movies someday! So learn how to fight good!”

“Good idea!” Michelle said, smiling brightly at Jake’s daughter. The easy connection between them never ceased to surprise and impress Jake. He was so used to Mary clinging to his side, and his side only. The only other person she seemed to like to talk to was her brother. And now, somehow, Michelle.

“All right, then you stand over here. We’re going to practice what to do if somebody throws a punch at you. Right, kids?”

“Right!” their little voices shouted back to Jake. He grinned proudly. He couldn’t love those two more if his life depended on it.

“Who wants to be Michelle’s partner?” Jake asked.

“You should, daddy!” Mary said. “I’m already JJ’s partner!”

Jake and Michelle exchanged a secret glance. They both knew that being near each other physically was a dangerous thing. And surely they both understood the implications of being caught with their highly inappropriate relationship. Sure, the kids might not care. But with Kent in control of the MC, it could mean the end of the line for both of them. Jake wouldn’t put it past him to call a hit on his own daughter. The more he got to know Kent, the less he liked him.

“Well that makes sense,” Jake said, smiling awkwardly at Michelle.

“Yeah, you guys are both really tall,” JJ said. “It wouldn’t be fair to try and hit Michelle anyway, she’s a girl! You don’t hit girls!”

JJ threw a punch at his sister and tapped her on the shoulder, and Mary furrowed her little eyebrows. “I’m a girl, too!” she cried, hitting him back.

“Okay, you two. Knock it off,” Jake said. He caught Michelle’s eye. Both of them were trying hard not to laugh. It was clear they both loved those kids deeply. “Let’s get to work!”

They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing self-defense together. By the time Jake had to go, everybody was smiling and having fun. It was strange, he thought, just how much like a family it felt with Michelle there. Often times, with just Jake and the kids, it felt like something was missing. Because something was missing. The kids didn’t have a mother.

But Michelle was quickly making them all forget that, and, despite being barely an adult herself, she felt like the missing piece of the puzzle. He left the house reluctantly, not wanting to stop enjoying the time he was able to spend with his family. As wrong as everybody else might think it was, the truth was becoming more and more clear to him. Michelle was meant to be his, and his alone. And if they were going to be able to keep it that way, then he would have to challenge Kent once and for all.

Chapter 13

“Bye Michelle!” Mary and JJ chorused as Michelle stepped out the front door. She cast a longing look at Jake, whose handsome face was serious and withdrawn. It was the opposite of the way it had been when he’d left them sparring in the basement to go to work. Had something happened?

“Bye guys,” Michelle said, blowing them kisses. She hesitated before blowing a third one, though nobody would notice she had assigned it for Jake. It was a silly, childish thing to do, but he took such good care of her. If she couldn’t kiss him good bye for real in front of his kids, she could have her secret kiss.

The taxi was waiting outside at the curb, just as it always was, and the outside world was muted when she shut the door to the backseat.

“Where to?” a deep, gravelly voice asked her from the driver’s seat.

“Python’s Square,” she said. She had been taught to throw her weight around in a sense, letting everyone in town know that she was associated with the powerful Python MC.

“Of course,” the voice said. She didn’t like the guy’s tone, and tried to get a handle on his face. But it was dark and she couldn’t see into the front seat. She would just have to try and keep a safe distance.

The taxi drove slowly through the rural streets until it reached the highway and sped up. Michelle gazed out the window of the cab, her eyes flickering on all of the lights of the tall city buildings in the distance. Jake had found himself a nice little place pretty far from the real dangers of the city. Had he done that for his kids? He was such a protective man.

Michelle closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. She was tired from having to wake up early to catch the bus. She hadn’t wanted to use the taxi that morning, because she was thinking about buying something for the kids that she knew they would love even more than going to the movies.

“Here we are,” the taxi said.

Michelle opened her eyes and her heart lurched. She wasn’t at Python’s Square at all. The man had driven her to the docks, and standing outside were several Raptors, waiting with terrible smiles on their faces. What had she done?

***
“That’s the one,” an unpleasantly familiar voice said. “Remember me, girlie?”

Michelle felt cold with panic as the five men at the docks began to close in on her. The Raptor from the theater was in the middle of the group, grinning at her with malice in his eyes.

“If you lay a hand on me, you’re going to regret it!”

“What, because your daddy is the president of the Pythons?” the man sneered. “I don’t think so.”

Actually, Michelle had been thinking that if anything happened to her, Jake would fight them to the death. But she didn’t want to say too much. What she had to do was figure a way out of this mess. Jake couldn’t save her now. She was as good as alone, on the Raptor’s turf. Why had she let herself doze off in the cab like that? How stupid could she be?

“Hey, what’s going on over there?”

Hope flooded Michelle’s breast as the flashlight of a small security crew from the docks shone on the men in front of her. The leader squinted, peering out at the light in confusion. It was just the chance she needed to get herself out of this shitty situation and find her way home.

While the man was distracted, Michelle elbowed him in the throat and ducked under his arm, pushing past him and running toward the man with the light.

“Fuck!” the Raptor growled. “Get her!”

The rest of the group hesitated, unsure of whether or not the security team would catch them before bolting after Michelle. Thankfully, Michelle knew this place like the back of her hand. She had grown up playing at the docks as her father worked to secure shipments and make deals with the overlords of the seedy underbelly of the city. She dodged inside one of the warehouses and snaked her way through the clutter, finding the secret hole in the back that she used to enter as a kid.

She ran as hard as she could, shouting when she nearly collided with Tommy.

“Hey kid, what the hell are you doing out here?” he shouted. “You almost knocked me into the water!”

“Sorry,” Michelle breathed, doubling over in an attempt to catch her breath.

“Hey, are you all right?”

Michelle shook her head. “The Raptors…they…”

“Fuck,” Tommy said, draping his arm heavily over her shoulder and ushering her to his car. “I got you.”

They drove off toward the MC before the Raptors had any idea where she had gone and Michelle sank down in the seat in relief. Everything was going to be fine.

***
“So what’s a pretty little thing like you doing at the docks this time of night?” Tommy asked, turning to Michelle with a sickening grin on his face. Was he seriously flirting with her right now?

“I wasn’t here on purpose,” Michelle said. She was too tired to try to explain what had happened. She wasn’t even sure what she would tell her father. If he knew that the Raptors had kidnapped her right from Jake’s house, then he probably wouldn’t let her go back.

Or maybe he would surprise her and turn over a whole new asshole type leaf and let her go back anyway, because it was still more important to keep Jake on the team than it was to make sure that his daughter was safe. Why couldn’t all fathers be more like Jake?

“Well I feel like it’s my good luck to run into you tonight,” Tommy said. “It was getting mighty boring out there. What were the Raptors up to anyway? You were in their turf, you had to expect some trouble. Especially looking like you do.”

Tommy took a sideways look at her, smirking to himself as his eyes roamed Michelle’s body.

“Fuck off,” Michelle said. “Just take me to my dad. And don’t say another word or you’ll be really fucking sorry you opened your mouth.”

The grin faded from Tommy’s face.

“All right, all right. No need to turn into such a tight ass about it. Just trying to make conversation.”

“Like a pig,” Michelle grumbled. “I appreciate you helping me and all but that doesn’t mean I owe you anything. Are we clear on that?”

“Sure, sure,” Tommy said, raising his hands innocently in the air. “You ain’t going to hear anything else from me. I get that you had a hard night. Probably just need to get some rest. Ol’ Tommy will get you home safe and sound. You can count on me.”

Michelle rolled her eyes and sank back in the seat.

If the Raptors knew that she had been hanging out at Jake’s house to babysit, then that meant they knew where Jake and his kids lived too. That spelled trouble. She had to tell him what happened before it was too late.

Chapter 14

“Are you sure?”

Jake’s stomach dropped. Michelle had just been attacked. If he hadn’t just shown her how to defend herself, then who knows what might have happened? She was worried about the Raptors knowing where Jake and the kids lived, but Jake didn’t care about that. They had always known. What he cared about was knowing that the guys from the theater seriously had it in for her, and they were already making their moves. And fast.

“I’m going to kill them,” Jake growled darkly into the phone.

“Daddy…”

Jake pursed his lips, guilt flooding him when he caught the scared look on Mary’s face. She had come downstairs for a glass of water and was gripping her teddy bear tightly and staring up at him with her big blue eyes.

“Listen, I’ve got to go. Don’t go anywhere. Stay at the MC. We’re going to figure this out.”

“All right,” Michelle’s soft voice said from the other line. She sounded tired. Almost as if she had been crying. “Are the kids going to be okay? This is all my fault.”

“They’re going to be fine!” Jake exclaimed. “They’ve been fine the whole time I was vice president of the Pythons and they’ll be fine now. Hey Mary, do you want to say hi to Michelle?”

“Yeah!”

The fear evaporated from her eyes and Jake lifted her with one arm and handed her the phone.

“Hi Michelle! Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, bye!”

Jake took the phone back and grinned.

“That was fast.”

“She’s so funny,” Michelle agreed, laughing softly.

The sound filled Jake with a protective feeling he had only ever felt toward his kids.

“I’m going to take care of you,” he said seriously into the phone. “Don’t worry.”

Michelle sighed. “Just don’t do anything stupid. It’s not worth it.”

“You’re worth it,” Jake said. “Trust me.”

“…okay. Bye.”

Michelle hung up the phone and Jake stared at his for a moment before Mary tugged on his shirt.

“Daddy, can I have juice?”

“But you already brushed your teeth!”

“Just a little?”

Jake studied his daughter’s face. She looked more and more like her mother every day. His hatred for the Raptors only grew. And if the Leon, the man he had confronted at the docks, was telling the truth, his hatred for Kent was going to become more justified than ever. The Pythons were better than petty heroin peddlers, weren’t they? At least they should be. If they were going to strike out at Jake for falling for Kent’s daughter, he might as well get to work on a plan to usurp the presidency before the Pythons were ran into the ground once and for all.

“All right,” Jake said, trying to sigh away the heaviness of the thoughts that were pestering his mind. “Let’s get you a glass of juice. A small one though!”

“Yay!” Mary exclaimed.

Jake kissed her forehead and carried her into the kitchen. He would do whatever it took to protect his children, and, he would do anything to keep Michelle safe from the clutches of the men who were responsible for taking the life of the first woman he had ever loved. He would get his revenge. There was no mistake about that.

***
“Kent?” Jake asked, shocked to hear Kent’s voice on the phone with him just seconds after he had hung up with Kent’s daughter. Had he been listening in on their conversation? Was he in trouble?

“Jake, Michelle told me what happened today. I think it would be best for you and the kids to come stay at the MC for a few nights until all of this starts to blow over. I don’t want anything bad happening to you or the little ones. They are innocents in all of this.”

Jake was silent for a moment as he considered the proposal. “I don’t want to run away from these fuckers like that with my tail between my legs. This is my home!”

Kent’s voice was patient through the phone, so patient it almost sounded false.

“I know what you must be feeling right now, and I sympathize, I really do. But you must understand my position here. The MC can keep everybody safe without sending Michelle out into the dangerous world to watch your kids spur of the moment.”

“They’re never going to stop harassing her now that they’ve started,” Jake said darkly. “You know that. The best way to deal with this is to go head on.”

“Head on, Jake? Are you nuts? We fight with them and fight with them, but it’s small scale. What you’re suggesting is straight out war.”

“Well why not go to war with these bastards? They have it in for your daughter, Kent. That’s your flesh and blood! She won’t be safe until the Raptors are out of this city for good.”

“Well I’m afraid that just isn’t possible. We’re as at peace with the Raptors as we can possibly be. There’s no way we would be able to oust them permanently. We just have to lie low until the threat blows over. You know those boys. They’re hot-tempered as fuck but when it comes down to it, they’re easily distracted. They’ll forget their grudge in no time.”

“I don’t believe that,” Jake said. “Why is it such a bad idea to try to get rid of those monsters? We could clean up the city once and for all. Get the heroin off the streets and keep more people from dying the way Janie did.”

Kent’s voice lowered into a growl. “I don’t like hearing that name from you, Jake. And it’s supply and demand! People want the drugs so they go out and find the drugs. If the Raptors aren’t doing it then somebody else will just have to monopolize the market and take their place. It’s a constant battle! Nobody would win.”

“I’m just saying maybe it’s worth a try. Otherwise your daughter will never be able to walk freely on these streets again. They know who she is and she pissed them off mightily because she knows how to fend for herself. They’ll see it as a way to get to you by taking her out.”

“Well then they would be mistaken,” Kent said with a laugh. “I’m a man of logic, not emotions. I would just have more reason to give them hell, that’s all.”

Jake’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He was glad that he wasn’t speaking to Kent in person when he heard that, otherwise the fist balled at his side would have gone through Kent’s jaw, and he would have about 50 burly bikers coming in to fight him. The last thing he needed was to be on the other end of more scandal. He was already treading the line too closely as it was.

“Listen,” Kent continued. “Michelle is worried sick about the kids. It would make her a lot more useful if she didn’t have to worry about them being out there at your house alone should duty call. Can you just think about it? For her sake?”

Jake was quiet for a moment. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

He hung up the phone quickly, eager to be rid of Kent’s droll voice in his ear. What kind of man would throw his own daughter under the bus like that? And clearly Kent didn’t care whether or not the streets were cleaned of heroin. What had changed in the years that Jake had known him?

Once, Kent had been passionately anti-opiate, crusading to show the city that although his MC was harsh as fuck, they didn’t deal in dark matter. Now, he seemed to be shrugging his shoulders at it. The only reason the Pythons were outside the law was because they did more to keep the streets safe than the police were able to do, and the brute force they used to enforce their values and trade were unbelievably powerful. But if Kent was just going to succumb to the same greed for money and power as everybody else did, then what was there to be proud of about his MC?

“Come on, honey,” Jake said, carrying Mary upstairs to her bedroom. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Mary nodded sleepily and Jake frowned. If Michelle was really that worried about the kids, then maybe he should take Kent’s advice. It really did make sense, whether he wanted to abandon his home or not. It would just be for a couple of days. Besides, it would give him the time he needed to snoop around the MC and find out what Kent was really up to.

The thought was exciting enough that Jake made up his mind then and there. They would leave for the MC in the morning and he would make sure Michelle was all right. If nothing else, he would do it for his kids.

Chapter 15

“Michelle!”

“Mary! JJ!” Michelle grinned, her heart filled with relief as the children ran toward her. She scooped them up into a big hug, and grinned over JJ’s shoulder at Jake, who was standing in the doorway of the reception area for her father’s office.

“I’m so glad you came,” Michelle said, kissing each child on the top of the head and standing up to speak to Jake. “I didn’t know if it would be all right to leave the kids at home. They were involved…”

“I know, I thought about it and decided it was worth your peace of mind.”

Jake’s handsome face parted in a gentle smile and her heart soared. However, it was cut short when her father’s voice barked from his desk. “Jake! What took you?”

Jake winked at Michelle, bringing a hot flush to her cheeks, and strode into her father’s office and closed the door subtly behind himself.

What was a man like Jake doing working for her father?

“I love it here!” JJ exclaimed, his eyes bright as he looked around at all the bike memorabilia lining the walls of the reception room where Michelle spent most of her time working as her father’s secretary. For no pay.

“It does look cool,” Michelle agreed, though she wasn’t able to reciprocate JJ’s enthusiasm. She had really begun to hate everything about the MC, at least with her father in charge. More and more shady men had been frequenting the halls as of late, and her father had been a very busy man, arranging meetings in different places and being very secretive about all of it. It made Michelle wonder just what he was up to.

“Can we play secretary?” Mary asked. “I want to sit in that chair with the phone.”

Michelle pursed her lips. “I’m not sure that the president would like that very much. Maybe we can just play with these for a little while.”

Michelle walked to the desk and rummaged through it until she retrieved a small collection of pristine motorcycle models. Her father gifted them to her every once in a while, though she had little interest in them. She had begun shoving them into the desk without removing them from the boxes and was glad they now had a purpose other than collecting dust and taking up space.

“Cool!” Mary exclaimed. Michelle grinned as the kids tore into the boxes, and soon they were occupying themselves on the floor of the reception room, waiting patiently for their father to come back out of the office.

It seemed to take an oddly long time before Jake finally arrived, and Michelle’s heart palpitated involuntarily when Jake appeared in the doorway, looking as handsome and confident as she had ever seen him. Her father, on the other hand, looked irate, but said nothing as Jake closed the door behind himself.

“What were you talking to the president for?” JJ asked, speeding down a row of chairs with a flashy red bike searing across the cushions.

“Yeah!” Mary exclaimed, following with a smaller, purple motorcycle.

“Just business stuff,” Jake said. “It’s boring.”

“Oh,” JJ said, not looking up from his toy.

“I’m going to have to get to work soon. Your father said you would show us where to stay.”

“Is that all he said?” Michelle asked, raising an eyebrow. Jake grinned at her and desire electrified her body. It was strange in a way how much she wanted him.

“And then some,” Jake said, his grin turning into an outright smile. “I’m starved though. Maybe you can show us where we’ll be hanging out for the next few days.”

Jake reached outside the reception hall and lifted a big duffel bag onto his broad shoulder. It was packed to the brim and looked really heavy, but he was strong enough that he made it look light as a feather. Michelle remembered how he had lifted her in much the same way, and another pulse of longing surged through her body.

“Right. We should put you in the more quiet area, away from the bikers. They’re a bit rowdy at night. I don’t want it to keep the kids awake.”

“That makes sense,” Jake agreed, following behind Michelle. “Come on, kids.”

“You can bring the toys with you,” Michelle called over her shoulder. Most adults would have told them to be careful, but those were guilt gifts from her dad. She didn’t care if they dropped them off the roof of the building, so long as someone had fun with them.

“Yay!” The kids cheered as Michelle led them down the long, winding hallway and up a flight of stairs. What Jake didn’t know was that she was taking them to the private quarters that had been reserved for Michelle. She wondered if Jake would protest if he knew. And although she had been honest about keeping the kids in a quiet, peaceful area, the truth was that she wanted Jake closer to her. He was the only person in the world who had ever made her feel safe.

“Here we are,” Michelle said, unlocking the door and stepping inside. It was a huge apartment, with a loft upstairs and two bedrooms on the bottom. It came equipped with a full kitchen and bathroom. Michelle supposed most people would feel lucky to be the president’s daughter, with such a nice space to call her own. But the truth was that she had always hated it. Still, it was a comfortable place to call home. That was all that mattered.

“This is huge,” Jake exclaimed. “I didn’t even know this was here.”

“It takes up the whole fifth floor,” Michelle said. “My dad let me soundproof the place so I wouldn’t have to listen to the asshole bikers when they get drunk.”

Jake looked hard at her and she blushed down at the ground. She had almost forgotten that he, too, was a rowdy asshole biker with a strong penchant toward alcohol. Or at least, he had been before he had his kids. Who knew how much partying he did now?

“Sounds like the least he could do,” Jake finally said, letting her off the hook. She sighed in relief.

“What do you guys think?” Michelle asked, turning to the kids. “Big enough for a slumber party for a few days?”

“Yeah!” the kids exclaimed. Michelle smiled and walked into the kitchen to prepare them all something to eat.

Jake stood awkwardly, looking down the hall at the two bedrooms.

“Which one should we…?”

“Oh, you can use both. I sleep in the loft on the other side.”

Jake held her gaze for a moment, the electricity crackling between them. He finally turned away with a grin and a nod, making her heart thud hard in her chest. God, she wanted him. The first time had only whetted her appetite for his body. Did he have any idea how many times she had laid in that loft and mulled over every detail of the way he had touched and pleasured her? She would have given anything to have him in her bed with her on those nights. Now that he was actually there, in her apartment, she didn’t know what she would do.

And so, she did the only thing she could do, and worked on making Jake and his kids some lunch.

Chapter 16

Jake fingered the key to Michelle’s apartment as he walked slowly up the steps of the MC. It was funny that she had been hidden away up there, all this time. He had almost let himself believe that Kent had his own home somewhere away from the huge building he had bought for the Python’s base. It was kind of surprising knowing that Michelle and her father lived separately, though in the same building. Maybe they just couldn’t stand each other. The thought wasn’t too hard to believe.

He hesitated before pushing the key into the lock and letting himself inside. The room was dark, all but a golden glow coming from behind the curtains of Michelle’s loft, and a light left on over the stove and in the bathroom for the kids in case they needed it in the night.

“You’re back,” Michelle said quietly. Jake’s heart thudded in surprise and he whipped around to face her. It was strange having her so close to him after so long. His desire for her had consumed him again and again at the most inconvenient times of the day. He only hoped that he would be able to behave himself. The last thing his kids needed would be to find him screwing the babysitter.

“Yup,” Jake replied, swallowing hard. “I’m back.”

He stared at her helplessly. She was dressed in a satin nightgown that was clinging to her in all the right places. It was surprisingly short, showing off her long, beautifully shaped legs. She looked down shyly as his eyes studied her from bottom to top, against his will, until finally he made it to her beautiful, pure face. Why was it that young women always looked so goddamn innocent? And what kind of a person did it make him to want her all the more because of it?

“Did everything go okay?” Michelle asked quietly.

“Yes, of course. Always does,” Jake said. “As long as I’m still breathing by the time I get home.”

“I know you probably didn’t want to stay here. I’m sorry I had my dad push you into this,” Michelle said, running her hand through her hair. The worry on her face made Jake want to kiss it right off of her. “It’s just…”

“Hey, you don’t need to explain yourself, sweetheart,” Jake said, gripping her arm and pulling it away from her face. He held it and stared seriously at her. “You care about the kids. And we care about you, too. So don’t think anything of it, all right? I’m glad to be here with you.”

He could feel her body surrendering to his touch, and he tightened his grip around her arm and grabbed her around the waist. He had told himself that he wouldn’t do this. Not now…not with the kids right in the other room. But how could he help himself?

Michelle parted her lips, an invitation he took up immediately. His body was filled with warmth as he pressed her against it, soaking up every tickle of her hair on his skin and the heat of her curves against his abdomen. He was hard the second her tongue touched his, and he devoured her sweet lips, letting his hands roam the inviting thinness of her satin nightgown.

She tensed up against him and gasped softly as his hand roamed over her ass, and she laid her head against his shoulder as she felt his cock press hard against her middle.

“It’s okay,” Jake whispered, slowly unzipping his jeans and releasing his beast from its confines. “Daddy’s got you.”

He slipped his hand between Michelle’s thighs, pleasantly surprised to find that she wasn’t wearing anything beneath the nightgown. The idea that she had been waiting for him, for this, brought a rush of blood to his cock, and it swelled nearly to the point of bursting. He lifted the nightgown gently up so that his swollen head could take refuge in her welcoming heat.

Without thinking twice, he lifted her easily onto the island separating Michelle’s kitchen from her living room, and bliss overpowered him as he slipped gently inside of her, his cock massaged by every fold of her most intimate space. She shuddered against him as pleasure seemed to sweep through her body, and her soft hands gripped his biceps as her mouth searched for his in the darkness.

He allowed her to find it, kissing her tenderly as he began to rock his hips back and forth, allowing his cock to disappear deeper into the trenches of heat inside Michelle’s body. Tendrils of pleasure made their way up his shaft and to his abdomen, where the heat he felt for Michelle grew into a passionate, uncontrollable fire that he couldn’t extinguish.

She gasped softly against his broad chest, her nipples hard and scraping against his abdomen as she took him in fully. They had both been wanting, waiting, and denying themselves for so long. And for what? Why deny what felt so fucking right?

Jake’s cock pulsed inside of Michelle, and his hips began to pick up the pace. He wouldn’t deny himself any longer. And it seemed cruel to leave Michelle writhing and wanting when he knew he could deliver more power, more heat to her body.

Michelle threw her head back in ecstasy as Jake began moving himself in earnest, an urgent, desperate longing to cum hard inside this sexy young girl driving him to the brink of his self-control. Nothing mattered now but the feeling of her body enveloping him, pleasuring him beyond anything he had ever allowed himself to experience before. He had never before felt such a need.

A low groan escaped Michelle’s lips, and he buried his mouth over hers to stifle her sounds. He wouldn’t stop now. They couldn’t wake the kids. This was their time.

He could feel the hot searing tingle building in his abdomen as his cock was tested again and again to hold back. He wouldn’t release until he felt Michelle giving in to her desires. Only then would he show her what it felt like to truly be taken care of by a man.

“Fuck,” Michelle whispered, her self-control waning. Jake buried himself hard inside of her, and she gasped again, her breasts bobbing to the rhythm of Jake’s thrusting. He gripped her nipple in his teeth through the silk of her nightgown and she hissed in pleasure. He felt her opening for him, the contractions of her orgasm just beginning to squeeze the ever-loving Christ out of his cock.

“That’s right,” Jake growled into her ear. “Daddy’s going to take good care of you now.”

Michelle cried out in shock as Jake unleashed his full power, thrusting hard again and again as her body began to tremble and quake beneath his touch. He grunted as he began to erupt inside of her, a hot, sudden explosion that left both of them gasping for mercy as Jake worked his body hard until they had both received every last bit of pleasure they possibly could have.

Jake slowly pulled out of her and kissed her lightly on the lips. Michelle closed her eyes and hugged him tightly to her. The poor thing had been through so much. All she really needed was somebody to take care of her.

“Don’t worry,” Jake whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head over and over again. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Michelle looked up at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“I know,” she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. “Good night.”

He watched as she climbed into her loft and the curtains fell behind her, leaving the silhouette of her body outlined and still in the golden light.

Chapter 17

The apartment had never felt more alive than it did with Jake and his kids there. Jake was always coming and going, and Michelle was under the impression that her father really loved having him living at the MC. JJ and Mary were enjoying their time away from school, though Jake had been diligent about going to retrieve their homework assignments so they wouldn’t get behind in their work.

“Michelle is really smart!” Mary said one afternoon when her father strode inside.

Jake’s handsome eyes flickered onto Michelle and a small, private smile creased his lips and warmed her heart. How was it that he always managed to make her feel so beautiful and so desired?

“You don’t say!” Jake said, winking at Michelle.

“Hey!” Michelle said.

The kids giggled and Jake put on an expression of mock surprise. “What?”

“She knows everything about reading!” Mary continued, ignoring her father’s theatrical shrug. She found it very important to inform him of Michelle’s intelligence.

“Is that right?” Jake asked.

“Yeah!” Mary exclaimed. “I want her to be my teacher!”

“I thought you liked Mr. Farkas!” JJ said. “He was my teacher, too!”

“No. I like Michelle more. I want her to teach me everything!”

Jake gazed at Michelle for a moment, and she felt her heart thud hard. If she and Jake were able to make their relationship official, maybe she would be able to teach Mary all kinds of things. But it was better not to let her mind go there. Still, the look on Jake’s face was compelling. Were they both thinking the same thing?

“Well, you’re going to have to go back to school eventually,” Jake said carefully. “I’m sure there are lots of other things Michelle can show you. And once in a while she could help you with your homework, too.”

Mary seemed satisfied with this, and ran to the bedroom she was sharing with her brother to continue playing with JJ, who had taken her motorcycle collection under his wing. Michelle never would have guessed that having bunkbeds in there would be so handy. The last thing she had ever expected was to be hosting a biker with two kids in her apartment.

The bunk beds had been in there already for bikers who needed to stay at the MC to sleep off a buzz, but still had never been used by the time Michelle got her hands on the apartment. Letting her live there was the one good thing her father had ever done for her. And now she was able to do something good by keeping Jake and his family out of the trouble she had caused. Well, the kids anyway. She had a feeling Jake had other plans up his sleeve.

“What have you been up to all day?” Michelle asked. Jake had been disappearing for longer and longer periods of time since he had arrived, every once in a while surprising her with an erotic tryst when she least expected it before retiring to his bedroom to sleep and then wake up to begin the whole cycle over again. “I hope you’re not getting into any trouble.”

“Trust me, nothing I can’t handle,” Jake said with a wink.

But Michelle wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know what that means, but I really hope that you won’t do anything rash. I know you hate the Raptors, but I heard my dad talking about your plan to wage full out war with them. I just want you to know that I think it’s a stupid idea. And without my father’s approval, it will never work.”

Jake darkened for a moment and then looked seriously at her.

“I need your help,” he said suddenly.

Michelle was shocked. She had never expected to hear a man like Jake ask someone like her, of all people, for help. Except maybe with his kids.

“Why? Doing what?”

She could tell by the look on his face that it was serious and she suddenly felt nervous.

Jake glanced around the room nervously before coming close to Michelle.

“There’s something fucked up going on around here and I think your father is behind it.”

“Well there’s a shocker,” Michelle said sarcastically.

Jake looked surprised. “Why? What do you know?”

“Nothing much,” Michelle said thoughtfully. “But he’s been being really secretive lately. Coming and going at all hours. There are lots of weird people here, too. Not bikers exactly, but they’re shady. They give off a really bad vibe. And they bring in suitcases and leave without them. I don’t like it.”

“Shit,” Jake whispered. “All right. I need you to tell me right away the next time your dad leaves on one of those random trips, okay? I have to see what he’s doing. Because if it’s what I think it is, it won’t be good. And we could end up in even more danger than we started off with.”

Michelle furrowed her eyebrows. What was Jake talking about? What did he suspect?

But he clearly didn’t feel comfortable saying anything more, so all she could do was nod.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll tell you.”

“Good,” Jake said, stealing a kiss before rushing toward the front door. “I’m going to get some work done now. You guys have a good afternoon.”

“Sure,” Michelle said. But by the time the word had fully left her lips, Jake was already gone.

Chapter 17

Jake climbed to the top of the warehouse, his eyes sharp on the man he had seen leaving the Python’s MC. There was no mistaking him as a Raptor, though he wasn’t wearing anything that spoke loudly of his alliance. Not that Jake could see, anyway.

He had tried to stay out of sight when he caught Kent speaking jovially with the guy, using his best schmoozing voice outside the MC and patting the guy on the back. He was posing as a new recruit, and Kent, who had the best eye for people that Jake had ever seen, should have known that it was a set up.

That, or they were in on it together. Jake didn’t want to jump to conclusions in case Leon had just been trying to mess with his head, but there were a lot of things going on that just didn’t add up. At least, not to anything that Jake liked.

“Killer! How did it go?”

Jake’s hackles raised at the sight of Leon and a few other Raptors. Killer, the man who had apparently just found his way into a brand new Python membership, grinned.

“It’s all going according to plan.”

“Was that sucker vice president there to see it?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure word will travel fast. There’s no telling what he’ll do. It’s going to be awesome!”

“I can’t wait to see the look on his face,” Leon said, laughing until he began to hack and cough. “That stupid son of a bitch. He’s blind! He didn’t even know Janie was hooked on heroin until it took her out.”

“What a fucking chump!”

Jake’s heart hammered in rage. It took all he had not to take his gun out and snipe them all from the roof of the warehouse. He was sick and tired of people talking about Janie like she was just some worthless junkie. Sure, she had an addiction and it had been her downfall. But there was no reason to degrade her like that. And he didn’t take too kindly to being ripped on by useless Raptors either.

But he had to play his hand close to his chest. If the Raptors found out that he was there, all hell would break loose. He had to find out anything he could about the meeting with Kent. If he didn’t figure out what was really going on soon, he was afraid of what he might do. If he acted too rashly, it could cost him his life. Or worse, the lives of his children. Knowing the pain of loss was hard enough with his wife, it would be unbearable if anything happened to JJ or Mary.

“He’s going to be pretty surprised when the shit hits the fan.”

“Yeah, and his fucking nanny too. What the hell was she thinking, going off on Sin like that? The pair of them seriously have it coming!”

“Hey, do you think they’re shacking up?” one of the guys asked. Everybody laughed.

“Gross! He’s like seventy!”

“Yeah but she’s too fuckin’ fine. I’d hit that in a heartbeat!”

“She wouldn’t have you, Skunk.”

Jake glowered. She wouldn’t have any of them. Especially not when she had a real man to take care of her.

But somehow, ever since she had been coming around, he had been taking fewer risks lately. Maybe being stabbed had been sobering. Either way, it seemed that with Michelle in his life, he was a little more reluctant to throw himself into meaningless violence. It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal in the years he was grieving his wife. Honestly, it was the only thing that kept him going. It was nice to get out of the house without having to think for a while and dish it out to the Raptors. Still, he hadn’t gotten to Leon yet, the self-proclaimed leader of the group, but from the looks of things, he was going to get his chance sooner than he thought.

The group walked off laughing and joking about Michelle’s body, and it took every ounce of self-restraint Jake had to keep from ending those thugs once and for all.

But it wouldn’t be worth it to put himself and his kids at risk. Not yet. He would play his cards right and stick to the plan. That way, he would be able to get those fuckers off the streets. Whether Kent liked it or not.

***
When Jake returned to the MC, he was surprised when his cell phone rang and he picked it up to hear Michelle’s voice. No matter what she was saying, when he heard her through the phone’s speakers, she sent a pulse of desire through his body.

“He’s gone,” she hissed. “It’s four in the fucking morning. What is he doing? You better go now.”

“Right,” Jake said, hanging up immediately and running up the four flights of stairs to Kent’s office. All of the lights were off, but when he tried the door, it was unlocked. He had a feeling he would be able to thank Michelle for that.

Jake crept inside, his heart pounding hard in his chest as he moved slowly through the receptionist’s area. He hesitated at the doorway for Kent’s office, half convinced that it was a trap of some kind. But he was going to have to learn to trust someone eventually, and he wanted that person to be Michelle more than anything in the world.

He closed his eyes and held his breath as he pushed the office door open. To his relief, nobody shouted at him, guns didn’t fire, and Kent wasn’t sitting there glaring with members of the Raptors ready to take him out. The office was completely empty.

Jake got straight to work, fumbling through the papers in Kent’s office, and opening and closing drawers, doing his best to keep things basically the way he had found them, despite his panic. It was difficult, but he managed and continued his search.

At first, he was disappointed to find nothing, until out of the corner of his eye, he saw a plant that hadn’t been there before. It was one of the mourning plants that Jake had been giving away to everybody after Janie’s funeral. Kent hadn’t wanted a thing to do with it. But now, suddenly, it was in his office.

Jake walked closer to investigate and saw that the pot was much bigger than it had to be. In fact, it was two pots stacked on top of each other.

He picked the plant up with a surprised grunt – it was heavier than it looked, and sat it down on the floor. Jake gasped. Inside was a brick of brown powder. Heroin. Janie’s killer.

Jake fumbled to get his cell phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture, his heart racing. Something bad was happening. And he had to protect his MC at all costs, before Kent drove it into the ground and left them all vulnerable to the law. With shaking hands, he replaced the plant back on the windowsill, keeping the heroin right where he found it.

Jake fumed as he left the office. He had been hoping that Leon was wrong. That maybe he had just been trying to get a rise out of Jake to cause issues within the MC. But if everybody else knew what Jake knew, they would be just as eager as he was to oust Kent and restore the Pythons to their natural order. He was sure of it.

Chapter 18

“Jake?”

Michelle had woken up in the middle of the night. She had done her best to stay awake until Jake got back, but the kids had thoroughly exhausted her. Thankfully they went to bed pretty early and she’d gotten a few moments alone to herself before falling asleep.

Jake didn’t say anything. He was sitting alone in the dark of the living room, a lit cigarette in his mouth.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Michelle said, sitting down tentatively beside him on the couch.

“I quit when Mary was born,” Jake said. “Every once in a while though…”

“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked. She had never seen Jake acting like this.

“It’s bad, Michelle. And I was too blind to see it for so long.”

“What?”

Jake was being really cryptic and it was starting to make her really nervous. He hadn’t told her what was going on or why he had to spy on her father, but it had to be serious. Michelle hoped he would let her in on his thoughts soon.

“Your father’s been working with them all along,” Jake said. “Probably even before Janie was killed. In fact, I have half a mind to think she got her last lethal overdose right here at the MC. I was so confused about how she would have gotten her hands on it. I had put her in recovery. I was watching her like a hawk. Your father said he would help me keep an eye on her when I was working…but now…”

Michelle felt sick. “You mean my father was behind your wife’s death?”

Jake gritted his teeth. “I can blame anybody I want to, but she is the one who made the first bad choice. She decided to put that shit in her body for the first time, knowing she had two kids. She had me…”

Jake trailed off and Michelle could sense the pain in his voice. Nothing had ever been more heartbreaking in her life, and she scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around Jake’s shoulder.

“Some people just have demons they can’t fight, no matter who tries to help them. I’m sure your wife is just one of those people. It’s not like she chose drugs over her family. But there were probably things in her life that drove her to feeling like she needed an escape.”

“She did have it rough,” Jake agreed. “Still, I can’t help but feel abandoned. Or like I should have done something more to save her.”

“No, Jake,” Michelle said, stroking his broad jaw. “You can’t blame yourself.”

It was dark, but she could feel the intensity of Jake’s gaze as he turned his head toward her.

“There’s a lot I blame myself for. Like, what kind of man am I really?”

“A good man!” Michelle exclaimed. “The kind of man I would spend the rest of my life with!”

The words hung in the air and Michelle felt her face grow hot. Why had she said that? Whether it was true or not, wouldn’t it just scare him away? Especially when he was feeling vulnerable and mourning his wife. She should have just kept her mouth shut!

She was worried that she had overstepped her bounds, and so it was shocking when Jake gripped her hand tightly and her mouth was suddenly overcome by the feeling of his lips. He hadn’t shaved since he had been staying in her apartment, and his stubble seared her cheeks as they urgently kissed, his hands roaming her, desperate for contact with her body.

Jake’s passion was unquenchable, and soon she felt herself being lifted from the couch. She laughed in surprise when he slung her over his shoulder so that he could climb the loft. They had gone up there a few times before, but mostly they had disappeared for random trysts in the bathroom or hidden in other secret areas. Jake seemed reluctant to intrude upon her privacy.

But tonight, they went into the intimate little space, where Jake’s big, muscular body filled up much of the room as he hovered over Michelle, his eyes dark with desire. She surrendered to Jake’s capable hands as he stripped them both and she closed her eyes as the fire inside of her awakened at his touch.

Michelle gasped as their bodies touched in the dark and Jake’s cock was hard against her thighs. He kissed her passionately, their bodies tense with anticipation. Her body was electrified when he plunged suddenly inside of her with a deep grunt, and the friction of their bodies rubbing against each other nearly made her climax right then.

But Jake wasn’t anywhere near done with her. Michelle moaned softly as he began to quicken his pace. It seemed every time she opened her body to him, he showed her more and more glimpses of his true raw power. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to handle him at his most unbridled, but there was a small part of her that was longing to find out.

Jake gently rolled Michelle onto her stomach and propped her waist up in the air so that her ass was facing him, and she groaned softly as he knelt behind her and pushed himself in deeply, thrilling her body and causing her to quake beneath him. She gripped the blankets of the bed as Jake began to rock his powerful hips against her, careful at first, but soon quickening with more speed and power and pushing her bodies to its limits.

She gasped as he massaged her inside, hitting her most sensitive bundle of nerves again and again so that every slight movement felt like an explosion of bliss in her body.

Soon she was gritting her teeth in an effort not to make sounds that could wake the children as Jake continued his assault on her senses, refusing to show her any mercy despite her mounting fervor. Michelle’s abdomen was tense as she tried to hold back, but Jake seemed determined to bring her to her limits, and again and again she could feel his powerful muscle tearing her blissfully in half.

Jake gripped her waist and a grunt escaped his lips that thrilled Michelle deeply. The dam she had put up to hold back her climax burst open, and soon she was flooded by wave after wave of ecstasy. Jake tensed up behind her and she closed her eyes in rapture as he unleashed a torrent of his hot, liquid desire. He drew out her orgasm as long as he could, until she grew limp beneath his body.

Jake’s broad body settled down beside her in the bed and she turned toward him. His face was still brooding. “I know you’re not going to like this, but I have to bring down this whole operation.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t like that?” Michelle said with a soft laugh, lacing her fingers through Jake’s. “I’ve never liked being stuck here at the MC. As long as my father’s in charge, I can’t do anything except what he tells me to do.”

Jake’s eyes flashed and he looked seriously at Michelle, stroking the hair away from her face. “Some people don’t know how to treat a precious thing. But don’t worry. I’ve got you now.”

Michelle was drawn close to Jake’s warm body and she felt deeply comforted by his nearness.

“I’m going to figure this out. And when I do, you and I are going to rule this place. And you’ll be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Your father be damned.”

Michelle jumped slightly at the growl in Jake’s voice, but at the same time she found it comforting. Jake was a serious man, with serious plans. And if she could trust anybody to rescue her from the clutches of her father’s MC, it would be him.

Chapter 19

Jake frowned. Something in the air didn’t feel quite right. He had been prowling throughout the MC, hoping he could get information from the other Pythons, but all anybody could seem to talk about was Kent’s plan to improve the MC. Nobody was talking about the Raptors or the danger that was threatening Michelle.

“Yeah, he said when everything gets rolling, we’re going to be able to buy a building downtown and set up shop there! We’ll even have our own garage!” Jake overheard one of the Pythons saying to his buddy at the bar.

“How is he planning on getting all the money for that?” the guy’s friend asked, taking a sip of beer.

“He said he’s got a plan, and once everything is set up and ready then we’ll just have to do what he says and we’ll have everything we ever wanted. We’ll rule the whole city and then some!”

“We already rule the city!” the man exclaimed.

“Yeah, but without competition!”

“Oh,” the guy said nodding. “Kent’s a smart guy.”

Jake’s stomach dropped. Was it possible that Kent was planning on teaming up with the Raptors? If the two groups were assimilated into one giant gang, that would mean Kent would receive the profits from the heroin trade. Is that what he and Leon had been discussing?

Jake was startled by the sudden ringing of his cell phone and he answered quickly.

“What?”

“Get up here, Jake. We have a mission for you. It’s important.”

Jake’s chest burned in fury at the sound of Kent’s voice, and he had to do everything he could to keep from letting his anger come through in his voice.

“Why? What’s going on?” he asked, doing his best to sound as calm as possible.

“Trouble with the Raptors,” Kent said. “I’ll tell you more when you get up here.”

“All right,” Jake said, biting back his growl.

He hung up the phone and walked briskly up the steps, his anger mounting the closer he got to Kent’s door. But now wasn’t the time. He still had work to do.

“About time,” Kent said, waving Jake toward the seat in front of his desk. Jake sat down, glancing at the window where he had seen the mourning plant from his wife’s funeral the night before. To his surprise, the space in the window was empty. “I think the man who had been trailing my daughter is showing inappropriate interest in our warehouse. I need you to quench that at once.”

“Of course, sir.”

Jake rose.

“And one more thing. There’s a document he may be carrying. It’s imperative that I get my hands on it. I want you to do whatever you can to get it from him. It will tell us what is in the next Raptor shipment. I am planning a raid. It will bring our MC quite a lot of wealth if we succeed.”

“Right,” Jake said, pushing through the heavy door. He was surprised to find Michelle and his kids walking into the reception area.

“Hey,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Daddy!” Mary exclaimed, running to hug him. He lifted her up into his arms and grinned at her.

“Hey there, sweetheart. What are you guys up to?”

He directed the question at Michelle. He wanted his kids as far away from Kent as possible, but there was no way he could say that to her out loud. Not with him right there in his office.

“My father asked me to get some work done for him. Apparently there’s a big shipment set for the Raptors and we’re going to intercept it.”

“I heard about that,” Jake said, glancing over his shoulder at Kent’s doorway. “I’m about to get to work.”

“Oh, all right,” Michelle said. “You kids mind hanging out in the office with me?”

“Sure!”

Jake glowered, but he didn’t have time to protest. From the sound of it, he was going to have a chance to get more information at the docks. He would just have to trust Michelle to keep his kids safe from Kent. If he showed too much suspicion, who knew what would happen? It would have to be an ambush on his part and the whole MC would have to be in on it. It would take some planning and he might not succeed. Still, it was worth a try. He would do anything to keep Kent from corrupting the very streets his children were going to grow up on.

“All right, gotta go,” Jake said, kissing Mary on the cheek and setting her down. He ruffled JJ’s hair and looked longingly at Michelle. He couldn’t kiss her goodbye like he was longing to do. It was still bizarre for a man his age to be interested in such a young woman, and he couldn’t bring himself to be open in his attraction to her, even in front of his kids. But she seemed to understand the meaning of his gaze and smiled privately at him.

“Come back soon,” she said.

Jake gazed, mystified by the beauty of her face, and then smiled back. “Of course. See you later.”

Jake turned away, his mission clear in his head. He would go to the docks and learn all he could about the Raptors and their plans with Kent. And then, if he wasn’t killed in the process, he would take the information back to the MC and deal with Kent himself.

Chapter 20

Michelle’s eyes narrowed as she looked through the documents that her father had demanded she enter into the computer. If Jake was right about what her father was doing, then that meant things were a lot further along than he thought. According to his records, he was planning on having a mysterious stream of cash coming in from an unnamed source. It didn’t take much to guess what that source was going to be now. Especially not after seeing the picture that Jake had taken in Kent’s office.

Michelle frowned when she found a piece of paper that stood out from the others. It was on a different type of stationary that had an almost imperceptible R stamped at the header. It didn’t look like it belonged in the folder of documents where she had found it. In fact, it was stuck between two pages of a specific report.

As she read through the document, cold fear began to course through her body. The letter was on Raptor’s stationary. It was talking about replacing Jake as vice president with Leon of the Raptors. How could her father do that to him?

“Michelle, I have more information for you to enter,” Kent called on the loudspeaker.

Michelle stood, casting a glance at the kids. She was reluctant to leave them, but her father clearly meant for her to come in and get the documents herself. It was silly to worry about going into his office for just a few moments, right?

She inhaled deeply and stepped into the office, looking darkly at her father. The more she learned about him, the more she hated him. How could he have betrayed Jake so deeply? Even to the point of having his wife killed? What had Jake done to him? It was ruthless.

“What?” Kent asked, apparently able to sense the bitterness in her mood.

“I just wish you would tell me more, I guess. Everything is such a big dark secret around here, and I still feel like you treat me like a little girl who can’t handle anything.”

Kent chuckled deeply and leaned back in his chair.

“Just what do you want me to trust you with, princess? You haven’t done too much to move up around here. I was under the impression you hated the MC business.”

He had her there, but Michelle smiled. “I hate a lot of it, yeah, like how it used to keep you from spending time with me.”

“We spend time together all the time, sugar!” Kent exclaimed. “You work right next door to me.”

“Yeah…” Michelle sighed. Kent raised an eyebrow.

“Look, there are just some things it’s better people don’t know, all right? And it doesn’t matter how you feel about it.”

“Like nobody should know that you’re going to get rid of Jake and replace him with Leon from the Raptors?”

Kent’s face paled and he looked at Michelle in disbelief. “Where did you hear a thing like that?”

“In a letter stuffed in between one of those documents you wanted me to enter. What the hell is going on?”

Kent’s eyes grew dark and Michelle froze. She knew that look. She had crossed the line. Why had she opened her mouth about it? She was just so angry. How could her father really be such a horrible person?

“Oh, princess, you’re going to regret laying eyes on that,” Kent said.

“What, you didn’t want me to enter it into the database?” Michelle asked, her voice quavering. “Was that a mistake?”

Kent rose from his seat. “Sit down.”

Michelle stared at her father defiantly, anger bubbling in her chest. “No.”

Kent took in her defiance and nodded, a strange grin on his face.

“All right. Kids, get in here!” Kent shouted.

“No!”

But before Michelle’s warning could reach them, the door opened and Mary and JJ walked in laughing, gripping the motorcycles in their little hands. JJ’s eyes widened when he saw Kent standing up, and Michelle gasped as her father pulled out his gun.

“Hi kids! Welcome to my office. We have some talking to do.”

“Leave them out of this!”

“No! It concerns their worthless family, too! They should know what scum they’re spawned from.”

“Don’t listen to him, kids,” Michelle said as gently as she could. She smiled kindly at them. “Cover your ears.”

They whimpered and obeyed, and Michelle looked hard at her father.

“Answer me. Are you responsible for killing Jake’s wife? The mother of those poor children?”

“That weak-willed little shit killed herself,” Kent said. “Where and how she got her fix doesn’t matter. It was her choice to leave those kids and her choice alone. Jake has always been after the president’s position. He didn’t give a shit about anything but kicking me out of my own MC!”

“That’s not true!” Michelle exclaimed. Never had she considered Jake to be power hungry like that. What was wrong with her father?

“I had to take him down a peg or two. That’s why I got the heroin for Janie. That’s why!”

Michelle tried her best to cover the kid’s ears and shield their faces with her body.

“Stop! Just shut the hell up, you son of a –“

But Kent’s expression had gone slack, and his eyes were wild with an expression that chilled Michelle to the bone. What were they going to do?

Chapter 21

It took no time at all for Jake to locate the Raptor Kent had instructed him to find. He was poking around in Kent’s warehouse, taking notes and making stock of the weapons that the MC had stored there.

“Find anything interesting?” Jake asked. The Raptor jumped, startled from his task, but soon, a sly grin crept across his face.

“I have now,” he said.

Jake braced himself for the hit when the Raptor lunged at him and soon they were brawling. Jake knocked the kid across the room and into one of the storage containers, and he hit hard, shouting out in pain.

Jake covered the distance between himself and the Raptor quickly, punching him square in the face and knocking him unconscious. He quickly searched the man’s pockets, easily finding the documents that Kent had promised would be in the Raptor’s possession.

He unfolded them quickly, eager to discover what it was that Kent had found to be so important.

“I know you were in my office. Joke’s on you.”

Jake furrowed his brow and read the message over again, flipping it over. Suddenly, he heard a cackle, and Leon and a huge group of Raptors were coming out of hiding from behind the crates in the warehouse.

“Kent set me up,” Jake said, the realization dawning on him. Normally, he would have been hurt, betrayed, and horrified. But the truth was that he was relieved. Because he had anticipated a bigger fight than what Kent had suggested, and he had his own band of Pythons outside just waiting for his signal.

“Well what took you so long to figure that out?” Leon asked, walking slowly toward Jake, balling his fists. They were both ready for a good fight.

“I knew it!” Jake shouted, loud enough for Tommy and the rest of the boys to hear.

A righteous roar of fury coming from just outside the warehouse wiped the smug grins off the faces of the Raptors, and soon the space was flooded with angry Pythons. The anger and betrayal on their faces was impossible to ignore, and they went after the Raptors with a vengeance. Tommy started toward Leon and Jake gripped his arm.

“That one is mine,” he said darkly. Tommy nodded, taking off into the crowd after a different Raptor.

Leon and Jake stared off, Jake’s fists clenched as he walked toward that piece of shit man. He had spent endless hours of his life imagining the sweet vengeance he would inflict on Leon when he got the chance, but Kent had always told him that it would be better to keep his anger at bay. Leon was the leader of the Raptors after all. Why bark up the wrong tree, right?

But now, there was nothing to keep him from going after Leon. Jake threw his fist at the man’s face, relishing in the satisfaction of landing the blow. He had waited far too long to do this. It felt good to finally get his revenge. Leon stumbled backward, he was a much smaller man than Jake and it almost seemed unfair to take all his rage out at once. Still, it felt too good to stop.

He went into a blind rage, his fists connecting with flesh until finally Tommy’s hands were on his shoulders and pulling him up.

“It’s done now, man,” Tommy said. “Time to go.”

Jake blinked hard and looked down at Leon’s face. It was a bloody heap and he was struggling to breathe. If his buddies didn’t take care of him, he wasn’t going to make it through the night. And good riddance.

Jake stood, glancing around the room at the carnage. The Pythons had done their damage, leaving injured and passed out bodies of Raptors everywhere. Most of the Pythons had scattered back to the MC for victory drinks. Jake had made it clear that he would take care of Kent himself if he was right about the betrayal. And now that he was, there was nothing he wanted more than to give that slimy piece of shit the beating of his life.

***
Jake headed immediately up to Kent’s office, not bothering to check on Michelle and the kids first. He burst through the door, and froze mid-step.

“Easy there, Jake,” Kent said, turning the gun on him. “Wouldn’t want anything funny to happen.”

Michelle’s eyes were wide, and she shook her head slightly. That’s when Jake noticed JJ and Mary, cowering behind her, silent tears streaming down their faces.

“What the fuck is going on here? Have you lost your mind?” Jake demanded.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Kent said, waving his gun in the air. “I don’t think you’re in any position to try talking tough.”

Jake considered this. If anything happened to Michelle or the kids on account of him, he would never forgive himself. But he had to do something.

“You know, my daughter has this obnoxious tendency to try to guilt trip me into second-guessing my strategies. You’d think she was the one who wanted to run the MC or something. But that’s ridiculous isn’t it.”

“You keep your filthy fucking hands off of her,” Jake warned. “And get away from my kids before you regret it.”

“Still talking tough, huh?” Kent said, tsking and shaking his head. “You’d think losing your worthless wife would have wised you up a bit.”

“Oh, you know meatheads like me,” Jake said, walking slowly toward Kent. “It takes a lot to get that kind of thing through our heads.”

Kent opened his mouth to reply but Jake dodged out of the sight of the gun and tackled Kent around his waist. Kent cried out in surprise and flailed, waving the gun in the air. Jake gripped Kent’s wrist. He was tired of looking like a timid little puppy dog. Michelle may have brought out his softer side, but that didn’t mean he had to be neutered.

“Get the kids out of here,” Jake yelled. “Now!”

Michelle didn’t think twice before ushering the kids in front of her, using her body as a shield to protect them from her father. The sight filled Jake with conflicting emotions. Tenderness toward a woman who would give her life for his children, and hatred for the man who would make his own daughter make that choice.

“You’re going to regret ever coming near my family,” Jake growled into Kent’s face. “And the way you’ve treated your daughter.”

“What do you know about my daughter?” Kent sneered. Jake headbutted him hard, wiping the grin off his face.

“I know a hell of a lot more than you do. More than you ever will or deserve to know. And when I get rid of your slimy ass, I’m going to marry that woman. I’m going to make this our MC once and for all!”

Kent’s face filled with rage and he shouted out in fury, shoving Jake back with surprising strength. It caught him off guard, and Kent landed a blow on his face that sent Jake staggering backwards. He aimed his gun at Jake and fired.

Jake cried out in agony as the bullet tore through the flesh of his shoulder and gripped it. Kent laughed.

“You think you’re going to marry my daughter without my blessing?” Kent exclaimed, his hand shaking. He thought he had the upper hand, and seemed to be waiting for Jake to fall to his knees. He aimed the gun at Jake again, ready to fire.

Jake rolled out of the way just in time and reached into the holster inside his vest. He aimed at Kent and fired once, and Kent fell to the ground without a sound. Jake got to his feet and looked down at the bloody mess on the ground. It was a shame things couldn’t have ended better. But at least Michelle and his children were safe.

Still, breaking the news to Michelle would be difficult. Whether he was a twisted son of a bitch or not, he was still her father.

Jake heaved a heavy sigh and put his gun away in its holster. He wanted nothing more than to hold Michelle and his kids close and tell them that he would always be there for them, no matter what happened.

Chapter 22

Michelle rocked Mary gently as JJ squeezed her hand. They had heard the gunshots fire, and all of them were terrified about what the sounds might mean. Michelle knew that all of them were worried about the same thing: Jake.

She had retrieved her pistol after she rushed the kids into her apartment and locked the doors, unable to bring herself to leave the MC completely without knowing that Jake was okay. She hoped that her father wouldn’t have it in him to harm innocent children, but when he had held them hostage in his office, the only thing that seemed to matter was that they were Jake’s children.

Jake, her father claimed, had always been after the president’s position from the beginning. It had quickly become clear that her father had been going mad with paranoia, and Jake had been the target of all his madness. The kids had heard far too much and yet they seemed too shocked to cry now. All they could do was cling to Michelle and wait, hoping that their father and not Kent would come through the apartment door.