Broken but Breathing (Jinx Tattoos Book 2) (14 page)

“No, I want to know what you’re going to tell her first,” Snake insisted.

“That we’ll be having new friends over to visit. We’ll leave it up to you to reveal the true origins when you deem appropriate,” Mr. Miles said.

Cowards.

“My client is fine with that. We’ll expect your proposal for visitation in the next twenty-four hours for something no more than a week from now. The client will begin a partial living situation within the next six months.”

“Absolutely not,” Mrs. Miles roared.

“Listen, bitch, it’s this or I’ll come and take her right now and all that money you have won’t help you. Trust me when I say my patience is running thin, and you won’t like me when I stop being nice.”

Mrs. Miles began to sob.

“Can we keep this civil please?” Mr. Miles roared.

“That’s completely up to you, Mr. Miles. My client is doing you a favor by not reporting your illegal adoption and going through legal venues. We understand this is a trying time, so we’ll forgive your transgressions. But this will be the only time that happens,” Arbuckle said.

“Understood,” George replied.

“We’ll be in touch,” Arbuckle said, hanging up.

“Who the fuck do they think they are trying to keep me from my daughter?” Snake practically bellowed, pounding his chest.

“We’re going to get it together, but you have to be patient. If you fly off the handle and go after them, they’ll have the law on their side and you won’t see Jocelyn in your house,” Arbuckle stated.

“Just hold on a little while longer, Snake,” Es said, the gentle voice of reason.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded.

“You listen to her. She’s got her head on straight. I’m counting on you to keep him walking the straight and narrow.”

“I will.” The determination in her voice made him smile. She had a lot of bite for a little thing.

“I’ll contact you tomorrow once I receive the papers from their lawyer. If you don’t find the terms agreeable, we can negotiate. For now, I think you should go cool down, and remember, you need to lay low until this is taken care of.”

“Understood,” Snake said, eager to leave the office and blow off steam. The room began to shrink around them. He rose and hurried from the office, desperate for fresh air and distraction.

“Are you okay?” Es asked as they stood by his bike.

“Hard to swallow all the things I want to say, but I’ll do whatever it takes to get my little girl back.”

“I know you will, love.” She ran her hand down his arm. “What can I do?”

“Just be here with me, like you are. You up for a long ride?”

“Let’s go.”

§

Two hours later, he pulled up in front of a large grey stone building that resembled a castle. Ravenwood Castle had always intrigued him. It was a throwback to his childhood when he wanted to be a knight.

“Did you bring me to a castle?” she asked as he dismounted the bike.

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess I did. I figured it’d be impossible to stay pissed at a castle. This has been on my bucket list for a long time now. Let’s hope they have a room available.”

“Seeing how it’s a Wednesday night, I think we’ve got a good shot at it.”

He offered his arm, and they made their way inside.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” a tall brunette in her mid-thirties with a bright white smile and kind brown eyes asked.

He glanced at her name tag.
Christine.

“Hi Christine. My lady and I happened by and we thought we’d see if you have any rooms available. I’ve been eyeing this place for years.”

“You’re in luck, we have a few. Did you have a preference of where you’d like to stay?” Christine asked.

“If you have a room in the castle that would be great.”

She smiled. “We have two actually. The Empress Matilda Suite, and The Duke’s Dungeon.”

“What’s the difference between the two?” he asked, holding Es to his side.

“Well, the Duke’s Dungeon is more masculine with tans, beige, and brown décor. The Empress has feminine touches with a turquoise color scheme. They both have balconies and fireplaces, perfect for a cozy night in.”

The mention of the color turquoise made him smile. “We’ll take the Empress.”

“Excellent choice. How long will you be staying?”

“Just tonight.”

Christine typed in her computer. “I do want to tell you guys about breakfast from eight-thirty to ten in the Great Hall. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss out on.”

“We’ll be sure to take that in,” Snake said.

“It’s going to be one sixty-nine with tax.”

He dug out his wallet, better for the long ride and the new experience. There was a lot to be said for a change of scenery.

“You’re full of surprises, you know that?” Es asked as they were led to their room.

“I have to keep you on your toes, don’t I?”

“You do that without trying.”

“I’ll hand you the key. If you need anything, I’ll be down in the lobby until eleven,” Christine said.

“We’re alone now. Are you going to let me ravish you in the castle?” Snake asked, nipping at her neck as they walked inside the room.

“This is your role play, sir. I’m just here to fulfill your fantasies.”

He closed the door and buried his fingers in her hair. “You know what I really want?” he asked.

“No.” Her voice shook and her lips parted.

“You living in my house.”

“You don’t have to do that to get Jocelyn—”

“This is for Daddy’s happiness,” he replied, nipping at her bottom lip.

She moaned. “It’s not too soon?”

“I wanted you there from the minute I signed on the dotted line.”

He traced her lips, and she hummed. He wasn’t above a little convincing. He kissed his way down her neck, palming her ass. “We could do this whenever we wanted. No more back and forth.” He rubbed her against his bulge.

“So persuasive.”

“I know what I want.” He popped the button of her jeans and pushed them down. “Turn around and put your hands on the door. Holy shit, these are hot,” he murmured, running his finger over the skeleton hands that appeared to cup her ass on her black underwear. “You can leave these on. Spread your legs.”

He unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and shoved them down. Pinning her to the wall, he rubbed his throbbing cock between her thighs, nudging her clit with his head. She undulated her hips, giving him breathy gasps that had him leaking pre-come. When he paused, she moaned her protest.

“Don’t you worry, sweet girl. I’m going to give you exactly what you need.” He slid her panties to the side and thrust into her slick sheath in one powerful movement. She cried out. He moved his hand to cover hers, pinning her frame to the door as he fucked her fast and hard. She pushed up on her tiptoes to give him the perfect angle. He was relentless, pounding her pussy to make sure she knew who she belonged to.

The ragged sound of her breathing mingled with the slap of their flesh worked as an aphrodisiac. Rock hard, and aching, he gritted his teeth to maintain control. Her walls flexed around him, and he slowed his speed.

“Not just yet,” he groaned, circling his hips.

“No.” Her forlorn cry had him ready to fuck her until she came.

Not yet.
He needed the words he’d been dreaming about for weeks.

“You ready to move in with me?” he asked, countering every word with a thrust. She shoved her ass back at him, trying to force him back into their frenzied pace.

“Yes,” she said gutturally.

He slammed into her, and she yowled. Her walls quivered, and she clamped down, yielding her sweet heat. He pulled out, spraying all over the panties he coveted.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Snake

“Brother, we need to talk,” Mike said.

“What’s going on, man? I’m kind of in the middle of a moving process,” Snake said, watching the prospects load up a small U-Haul.

“That’s what the prospects are for. I need you come to the club, we have some shit we need to get right.”

His stern tone made Snake’s spine stiffen.
Shit, he’s pissed.
“All right, I’m headed out now.”

The dial tone was the only response he got.
What the hell could I have done in the past twenty-four hours that has his boxers in a bunch?

“I expect this shit to be done by the end of the day, understood?” Snake asked.

A round of, “Yes V.P.,” echoed around him.

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Es asked, coming out of the bedroom in a pair overalls and a head scarf that kept her honey locks away from her face.

“Yeah, I need to go see Mike at the Clubhouse. Don’t worry, they won’t bite. They’ll do whatever you ask them to, and you couldn’t be safer.”

She shifted her weight to one side. “Okay.”

“Isn’t Jole coming over, too?” he asked.

“Yeah in another hour.”

“There you go. Once your ride or die gets here, you won’t notice I’m gone.”

“Not after we crack open a bottle of wine.”

He laughed. “I’d feel slighted, but it’s funny as hell to watch you two once you hit the booze.”

“It’s wine, not booze. You make it sound like we’re sipping out of a flask.”

“Ha, after you both split a bottle, I think it’s a similar effect,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “Call if you need something, all right?”

She nodded and offered up the sweet smile that made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. She’d softened him in some ways, but he saw it as a bridge to fatherhood. Before her influence, he was a hard motherfucker. She got him back in touch with the man he’d been with Jade. The shit worked out like it was a designed plan. It made him rethink his outlook on God. He’d been through the mud, but the sun was peeking out over the horizon.

Leaving, he made the fifteen-minute drive and pulled up to the empty Clubhouse. Most of his brothers were at work right now or still sleeping. Eleven o’clock was “morning” for some. Parking his bike, he climbed off and prepared to get his ass chewed. By now he could tell when his President was in snit. He stepped inside the club house and scanned the desolate area before he continued down the hall to Mike’s office. His friend sat in his chair looking pensive.

“Come on in and close the door,” Mike said.

Snake did as he requested and took a seat. “What’s going on, brother? It sounded serious.”

“It is. Listen, brother, you got a lot of shit on your plate right now. I get that. This shit with your daughter came out of left field and you’re handling it as fast as you can without completely making her lose her shit. I can appreciate that fact as a man who raised Kali as if she was his daughter once our parents passed. But as a President, you need to get your shit together. Finish up your business with your kid, get your old lady in place to be there when you’re needed for the Club, and get your head back in the game. The family is uneasy when its Vice President is away more than here and not doing Club shit.”

The words were a sucker punch to the solar plexus. He understood Mike’s angle, but the shit still stung.

“Business wise, I can understand where you’re coming from. But this shit was sprung on me and I’m scrambling to assimilate and get it all into place. You have to give me time. I put in a lot of years with you. I’m loyal and I’m steady. My shit’s all over the place at the moment, but I’m working on honing that in.”

“I need to know you remember where your priorities lie,” Mike said.

“I do. I take my promises to this Club seriously. I meant every word when I patched then. I follow the rules down to the letter. What the fuck, Mike?”

“I can’t have our people doubting the status of this Club. There’s whispers. That’s how Clubs go downhill.”

“Look, you want me around more, I will be. You think we need to boost morale, we’ll throw some parties and do some runs. We have the patch over coming up in a week. Things will look different. It’s been quiet. That always makes the boys antsy. I’m working on getting my shit straight, but you have to be patient.”

“Just make it right, so none of us have to make hard decisions.”

Snake gave a curt nod, locking his jaw to keep from voicing his opinions. “Is that all?” he managed to ask.

“For now,” Mike said.

Snake stood stiffly and walked away, fighting the urge to slam a door. He owed his President respect, but he was out of line. Usually, Snake would tell him to get his head of out his ass, but it was too close to home. Pressed in on all sides by duty, he left the Club, determined to make things happen.

§

The car was silent as they made the drive from Cincinnati to Lexington. He stared out the window at the passing scenery, barely registering anything.

“Your destination will be on the left in three point five miles,” the robotic female stated.

“How’re you doing right now?” Es asked softly.

“I’m nervous as hell. What if she doesn’t like me? Hell, what if she’s scared of me? Who I am, what I do, and how I look are the opposite of the world she’s been brought up in.” He’d never regretted any of his tattoos or the life he lived with his brothers until this moment.

“Hey, you’re her father. Half her DNA is yours. It might be awkward at first, but some part of her is going to recognize that. You had for her four years before she was taken. Those memories are still rolling around in her subconscious.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I remember things from when I was four and five,” Es said.

He reached across the center console and squeezed her hand. She’d been his pillar over the past week as she moved in and soothed the beast constantly threatening to break free from his cage. He was on edge, moody, and stretched too thin. Mike had been riding his ass hard. He shifted his weight, cracking his neck and his knuckles to relieve the tension running through his body. They’d agreed to meet at a local brunch restaurant that had an outside garden. If things went well, they could step out and continue their visit. The ride came to an end. Stepping out of the car, he took a deep breath. The place was swank.

He worried about her adjustment to a slower pace of life. She’d been raised with a silver spoon in her mouth. His life would pale in comparison.

“Stop thinking so much and enjoy this moment. You’re about to see your baby for the first time since she was four. That’s incredible. A few months ago she was lost to you. You didn’t rediscover her again to have things fall through.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Because I—”

When she paused, he turned to look at her.

“I have faith,” she whispered.

His eyebrows lifted. “You do?” he asked skeptically.

She sighed. “I spent a lot of time angry at God. I didn’t understand his motives, so I tried to ignore his existence. I told myself I could do this alone. We both see just how well that went,” she said softly.

“What happened?”

“I made my peace, and in turn I found a harmony with myself and my past. I’m still a work in progress, but that anger and bitterness have faded away. I don’t wake up every day feeling as if the world is going to fall down around my ears. You played a massive role in that. He didn’t bring us together to be each other’s support and torture us. He’s healing us, piece by piece.”

Her words were a warm feeling counteracting the nerves that tangled his insides like a ball of yarn. She entwined their fingers, and he drew strength from her. He could handle being shot at, stabbed, beat within an inch of his life, and left for dead. But his daughter brought him to his knees. She was too important to fuck up with. Es began to walk toward the entrance and he followed her, amazed at the strength that flowed through her petite frame. Nothing humbled you like emotions.

It was one thing none of his brothers could help him with.
Maybe she was right. Maybe the man upstairs did bring us together.
They walked inside and he took in the marble flooring, ornate dark wood with decorative carvings, and frosted glass that obscured the view of the people dining. The hostess took him in, and her smile turned into a frown. Es stepped forward, drawing the hostess’s attention.

“Good afternoon, we’re here to meet the Miles. They may have arrived before us.”

“Oh certainty,” the young blonde said, clearly relieved to be dealing with Es.

He smirked.
Serves her right for being so superficial.
He wasn’t even wearing his colors today. Dressed in a pair of nice jeans, a white T-shirt, and a button up navy blue shirt he was more dressed up than usual.

“If you’d follow me this way, please.” She led them to the dining area, where the tables were covered with white linen tablecloths and matching napkins, folded in the shape of a swan. The heavy looking silverware had ornate decorations on the handle and glasses were placed in front of the white plates. It wasn’t a place for a child, in his mind. Children were meant to enjoy their time as little people. Life, rules, etiquette, and PC bullshit would kick in soon enough.

They wound their way around tables until they reached a large table in the corner. Lined up in front of a row of windows the spot had a beautiful view of the gardens and offered them privacy. He studied the faces of the Miles. They were an older couple in their late forties, who had an air of aloofness that made him worry about Jocelyn. Dressed in designer clothes they were groomed within an inch of their lives. He looked down the table and saw Jocelyn. She had on a pink ruffled dress. Her brownish-blonde wild curls were tamed and held back by a pink hair band. Her corkscrew spirals tumbled down her back. She stole his breath. There was so much of her mother visible.

The silence that engulfed them was the calm before a bad storm.

“Mr. and Mrs. Miles, thank you so much for having us,” Es greeted, stepping forward to shake their hands. The ice shattered between them as it broke. Mr. Miles remained guarded, but Mrs. Miles offered a shaky smile.

“Thank you for coming,” Mrs. Miles said in a cultured voice which reminded him of the wealthy people he saw in movies.

“Jocelyn, these are Mother and Father’s associates, Ms. Noll and Mr. Kolton,” Mr. Miles introduced.

Mother and Father? Who has their children call them that?

“You can call me X. My real name is Xavier, and all my closest friends’ call me X.”

Mr. Miles opened his mouth to protest, and Snake stared him down. There was no way he’d have his daughter calling him mister anything. “This is my girlfriend, Estelle.”

“Like in
Great Expectations
?” Jocelyn asked.

He’d never seen such old eyes in someone so young. He wanted to take her away, get her in the mud and sand, and let her run wild.

“Yes, that’s where my mother got the name. Do you know the classics?” Es asked.

“Oh yes, my mother likes to read them to me. My nanny, Elizabeth, does too. She’s from England,” Jocelyn replied.

Es laughed. “So are my parents.”

“Oh, you don’t have an accent,” Jocelyn said.

“No, I was born and raised here, so other than a few words and customs, I’m afraid I’ve been Americanized.” Es gave an exaggerated sigh that made Jocelyn giggle.

“Is it okay if we sit across from you, Jocelyn?” Snake asked.

She nodded, and he breathed a sigh of relief. They took their seats. It felt like sleeping with the enemy being seated across from the couple clearly judging him. He put a stranglehold on his anger.

“Since we’re all here now, we should order,” Mr. Miles said.

They placed their orders, and Es worked overtime to keep the conversation flowing. Their breakfast was placed in front of them and he picked at his perfectly executed Belgian waffles with cream and fresh blueberries, smoked bacon, and scrambled eggs. The meal tasted like saw dust. He tried not to stare openly at Jocelyn. Her voice was fairy-like; soft, light, and enchanting. She was well-spoken with impeccable manners, but he didn’t feel like he caught a glimpse of who she was. She was too buttoned up. It made him angry at the Miles.

Had they wanted a living doll instead of a child? She cut her pancakes just so and took small, delicate bites. It was unreal.

“What do you like to do, Joc?” he asked.

Concern flashed across her face, and she glanced down to her mother. Her mother forced a smile.
Did they not do nicknames either?

“I like to dance and paint. Sometimes we ride horses at the stables, which is really fun.” Animation entered her voice, and he saw the adult-like child melt away as joy took over.

“Wow, I’ve never ridden a horse before. I think I’d be too scared,” Snake said.

Her eyes grew round. “You would?” Jocelyn asked.

“Oh yeah, they’re way bigger than I am, you know?”

She laughed. “I know, but they’re really nice Mr. — X.”

“Hmm. I think I’ll take your word for it,” he said lightly.