Warped (Dueling Devils Book 4) (14 page)

“You
were so fucking prickly, and it hurt to see you suffering and struggling and know
I was the source of all your pain. I tried to bring you out of it and show you
a good time whenever I could. But it was like you resented it.”

“I
resented you feeling like you had to throw me a bone. The fire didn’t damage my
brain or make me weak. It changed the things I wanted and valued in life.
You’re still in playboy mode and I wanted more.”

“And
you found that now, I suppose?”

“Yeah,
I did.” Monster exhaled. “I asked Symone to marry me and she said yes.”

“Of
course she did.” Pan threw his hands up in the air. “Now you two can couple
down, shit out a few kids, and leave me in the dust.”

“Did
I say I was going to do that?” Monster barked.

“Everything
okay here, boys?”

Monster
turned to see a narrow-eyed Lefty standing a few feet away.

“Yeah,
we’re cool.”

“I
came to relieve you for the day,” Lefty said.

Monster
nodded his thanks.

“I
suggest you take this shit outside and lower your volume. Demon will have your
head if you cause a scene right now.”

“Understood,”
Pan said.

Monster
stalked to the stairwell with his brother on his heels.

“We
can’t keep this shit up. It’s going to cause drama within the club,” Pan said.

“Seems
like you’re the one with all the issues. I accepted our lives for what they
were a long time ago and now, I’m finally happy. I can’t force myself to get
over your betrayal. That has to happen in time. I’m not going to cut you out of
my life. We’re not high school girls.”

“So…what?
I sit around and wait for your blessing to come down?” Pan spat.

“Yeah,
you do…” Monster paused at the start of the next floor. “And maybe you can find
out who you are without the guilt eating you up. This freed us both, brother.
It’s time we figured out who Hayes and Hartley are again. For too long, this
shit has overshadowed most of our lives.”

“I
don’t understand what you want from me,” Pan said, running his hands through
his hair.

“Nothing.
I want you to be happy. I’m not mad. I’m hurt. There’s a difference.” Monster
rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder and met his gaze. “You don’t have to
make up anything to me, Hartley. You live for you now, understand?”

Pan
gave a short nod of understanding. His eyes grew glossy.

“In
time, we’ll be fine. Hell, you’ll be standing up beside me soon while I get
married and be the godfather of my children. This is just a wake-up call to
shit that’s been fucked between us for a while now.”

“How
can you forgive me so easily? I ruined your life!”

“No.
Dad did that.” Monster squeezed his brother’s shoulder and released. “You
didn’t force him to put that bottle to his lips every day, or raise his hands
to Mom or us. He did that all on his own. You were young and trying to help. I
get that. I say it's time you forgive yourself because I don’t hold a damn
thing against you. I just wish you’d trusted me to help you shoulder the
burden.”

“I
didn’t want you to know. I was too—ashamed,” Pan choked out the words.

The
pain visible in his eyes created a dull ache in Monster’s chest. This entire
time, the life of the party had been bleeding out on the inside. “Nothing to be
ashamed about, but I do think we should keep this between us.”

“Understood.”
Pan nodded and cleared his throat. “I think I’m going to take a knee and get
ghost for the weekend. I’m glad you and Symone are solid.”

“Thank
you. If you need me, I’m a call away.”

“Yeah.”
Pan nodded and headed down the stairwell.

He
squashed down the urge to go after him. Some journeys had to be traveled alone.
Only Pan could figure out what he needed. Concerned, but determined not to fall
back into the same pattern, he brought his thoughts back to Symone, who was
having her own judgment day. He’d texted earlier and found she was meeting up
with Gia. Determined to let her sort her shit, he headed for the club to play a
few rounds of pool and chill with his brothers. That’s the best part about
having the club. It was a giant family with someone always available to stave
off boredom and loneliness. Despite the unexpected admission by Pan, he felt
better than he had in years. He only hoped Pan would come to discover the same
peace.

Epilogue

“H
e
didn’t waste any time, did he?” Gia teased as she arranged the Noah’s ark
themed paper plates and cups.

“Pot,
meet Kettle,” Symone said, rubbing her belly. In five more months, they’d be
welcoming a new member into the Sumner family.

Gia
grinned. She had seven more months to go with her and Lefty’s first born.

“God,
you two are going to make me throw up,” Chase snapped.

Symone
chuckled. “Don’t worry. You can’t catch pregnancy in the water.”

“Yeah,
I’m not so sure.” Chase pulled her shirt up over her mouth. “Just breathing the
air too close to you two makes me antsy.” She walked backward away from them
and returned to the opposite side of the room where Monster and Pan were hanging
decorations.

The
two women laughed as they watched her.

“I’m
glad he came,” Gia said.

“Me
too. I went over to the clubhouse and asked him personally.” Symone sighed. Pan
hadn’t fared well over the past six months. He’d taken to drinking too much and
keeping his distance from Monster. It was sad. Monster tried to patch the
bridge, but everything he said went in one ear and out the other.

“It’s
sad to see him go down like this. He’s like sad clown now.” Gia shook her head.
“Do you know what happened?”

“I
don’t know. I think Monster sort of moving in a different direction made him
feel abandoned,” Symone suggested.

“I
can see that. I hope he snaps out of it soon,” Gia said.

“You
and me both, he’s the baby’s godfather.”

“Hey,
good people,” Demon called.

Symone
smiled and waddled over to greet them.

“Welcome,
guys, thank you for coming.”

“We
wouldn’t miss it, Sy,” Demon greeted as he walked in, carrying Ara Lee in her
polka dot baby carrier.

Rocket
and Harley trailed behind them as they stepped inside. Ardy looked radiant. The
baby had given her body womanly curves. The sparkle in her eyes and easy smile
on her lips showed her passion for her new role. It had inspired Symone, and
turned her fear at being a mother-to-be into a wondrous experience. Where she
came from, kids were a curse, an inconvenience you didn’t want to happen to
you. But here, among these people, she’d learned differently.

As
the club members piled into the community room of the condo, she continued to
mingle with Monster at her side. Somehow, she’d found her place here among
these rough riders and the brave women who loved them. It wasn’t always easy,
loving a man who had to leave at a moment’s notice. He couldn’t tell her where
he was going, what he’d be doing, or when he’d be coming back. But the women
banded together and had each other’s backs. It was a situation she understood
well, after growing up in a compound with all women.

“Who’s
ready for dessert?” Monster yelled.

A
cheer rippled through the room. They’d been closed-lipped about the sex of
their baby until now. She left Gia and walked over to stand beside Monster by
the cake. They both grabbed the knife.

“Alright,
everyone who’s been betting here, you’ll learn if you’re paying up or receiving
cash,” Monster said.

They
sliced into the cake, revealing the light blue.

“It’s
a boy!”

The
pride in her husband’s voice made her laugh. The boisterous cries made her
beam. After all this time, she was a part of family and beginning a new branch
of her own. She leaned back and closed her eyes as Monster devoured her lips.

“That’s
how you guys got here in the first place!” A voice teased.

She
moaned her agreement into her husband’s mouth and allowed herself to get lost
in the love her marred man showed her every chance he got. Apart, they were
warped, but together—they were beautifully flawed and completely functional.

The End

Author
Note:

Thank
you for joining me for another chapter in the Dueling Devils series. Look for
the free story featuring the birth of Ardy and Demon’s newest little bundle.

Author Bio

Shyla Colt
grew up in Cincinnati,
Ohio, but has lived a variety of different places thanks to her wanderlust,
interesting careers and marriage to a United States Marine. She's always loved
books and wrote her very first novel at the age of fifteen. She keeps a copy of
her first submission letter on her desk for inspiration.

After
a lifetime of traveling, she settled down and knew her time had come to write.
Diving into her new career like she does everything else, with enthusiasm,
research and a lot of prayers, she had her first book published in June of
2011. As a full-time writer, stay at home mother and wife, there's never a dull
moment in her household.

She
weaves her tales in spare moments and the evenings with a cup of coffee or tea
at her side and the characters in her head for company. A self-professed rebel
with a pen. Her goal is to diversify romance as she continues to genre hop and offer
up strong female characters.

You
can interact with Shyla Colt online via her website

www.shylacolt.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/authorshyla.colt

Twitter:
@shylacolt