Josie
Holy hell! Jackal had kept me up all night and well into the morning when we’d gone on our date. When his cock hadn’t been in my pussy or my ass, his head had been between my legs, and that talented tongue of his had me screaming his name. I was sore, but in a way that had a permanent smile on my face. Yeah, I looked thoroughly fucked even three days later. Tank said I was glowing, and I was convinced that nothing would burst my bubble of happiness. But you know what they say about tempting fate…
Jackal was in the living room playing with Allegra, and Tank was in the kitchen sucking down coffee like it was the elixir of life, when a knock sounded at the front door. I went to open it, thinking it was a Reaper looking for Tank. And came to face to face with a man I didn’t know, but I recognized his eyes. Because I saw them every morning when I looked in the mirror. He had the same dark hair as Tank, though.
His gaze scanned over me before he looked me in the eye. “You’ve grown up, Josie. Not going to give your old man a hug?”
My heart hammered in my chest and I gripped the door tight. “Why the fuck should I give you a hug? You’re just a sperm donor.”
He rocked back on his heels and nodded. “Guess I deserve that.”
I raked my gaze over him again, stopping at the cut he wore. He’d been a Nomad, or that’s what Tank had told me when I’d asked about our father. A drifter who didn’t belong to a chapter, wandering from place to place. But he’d never once said which club our dad belonged to, just that he wasn’t a Reaper. I stared at the patch and his name. Demonic Reign -- Abraxas. I’d heard of them before. Everyone had. They brought terror and chaos everywhere they went. And my father was one of them? No wonder Tank had kept that little tidbit to himself.
“Tank!” I yelled out.
I heard the scrape of his chair and his booted steps as he came closer. He pulled the door loose from my iron grip, and then I heard him growl.
“Told you not to come here anymore,” Tank said.
I looked up and his gaze was narrowed. His lips were firm as he glowered at our father. Or maybe father wasn’t the right term. He’d fucked our moms and ridden off into the sunset, leaving a piece of himself behind and not much else except broken hearts. I’d wanted to meet him when I was little, but then Tank had found me and I’d settled for having a big brother. Now I was glad I’d never met the man before. A chill went down my spine at the cold look in his eyes as he stared at Tank.
“Son,” our father said.
“I don’t know why you’re here, but you can turn the fuck around and leave,” Tank said, trying to slam the door, but our dad caught it.
“Now is that any way to treat family?” our dad asked.
“You’re not family,” Tank said.
Jackal came up behind me, our daughter in his arms. “Everything okay?”
“Our sperm donor was just leaving,” I said. “Right?”
Our dad looked at my daughter, then his gaze landed on Jackal’s cut and that’s when everything went to shit.
“A fucking Devil is in your house?” our father said through clenched teeth. “And holding what? My granddaughter?”
“Uh, no,” I said. “You will never be considered her grandfather. Not even if hell froze over.”
“Over my dead body will I let you hook up with a Devil,” my father said. “He leaves. Now.”
I folded my arms over my chest and pressed a little closer to Tank, trying to block our dad from coming inside. “You don’t get a say in who stays and who goes. This isn’t your house. Not your town. Not your club. Get the fuck out and stay gone. You’re not wanted.”
“You’re my daughter. Since you’re not attached to a Reaper, that makes you Demonic Reign property.” My father gave me a cold smile. “And I don’t agree to you being with him.”
“Are you fucking serious right now?” I asked. “I’ve never laid eyes on you before today. If I’m property of any club, it’s the Reapers. They’ve been my family for years. I’ve lived here at the compound for over two years. What is it they say? Possession is nine tenths of the law? Guess that makes me a Reaper. Until I marry Jackal. Then I’ll be a Devil.”
“And you condone this?” our dad asked Tank.
“She seems to like him, and he’s good with their daughter. Besides, Devils and Reapers are family, but Josie is right. You aren’t. You’ve never been a father to either of us, and all the other siblings that we have out there. You’re just a piece of shit drifter who can’t keep his pants zipped.” Tank leaned in closer to our dad “Now get the fuck off my property. I’m calling the gate and if you aren’t out of here in the next three minutes, I’ll have your carcass put on display as a warning to any who want to fuck with my family.”
Our dad’s face flushed red, and I would be willing to bet he would pop a blood vessel if he didn’t calm down. Not that I cared. Let him stroke out on our porch and drop dead. Wouldn’t bother me any. Or Tank. Like I’d said. Abraxas was no family of mine. Never would be. Seemed Tank felt the same way since he’d just threatened the man.
“This isn’t over,” our dad said. “She’s my kid and I don’t agree to her being with a fucking Devil.”
Tank shrugged. “Don’t care. It’s never been up to you what any of us did.”
He stepped back, pulled me with him, and slammed the door in our dad’s face. Then he twisted the lock into place.
“Any of us?” I asked. “Do you know something?”
“Yeah. There are others, but they aren’t very pleasant. Dad had a total of twelve kids. Nine of us are still alive. And out of those nine, you and me are the most well-adjusted of the group. We have a brother in Devil’s Fury, two other brothers in clubs out west, two more brothers in prison, and our sisters are part of the world’s oldest profession.”
My eyes went wide. “How do you know all that?”
“Had Wire do some digging a while back. When I found out about you, made me wonder who else might be out there. What I found out about them made me take a step back. I didn’t want any of those little shits coming to your doorstep.”
“I’ve asked several times and made comments about Dad having more kids. You should have told me,” I said.
“Now you know,” Tank said.
We moved to the living room and looked out the front window. Dad was standing by his bike, phone to his ear, and casting hateful looks at the house. I had a feeling that things were going to get really bad. I looked over at Jackal and he seemed just as concerned, our daughter held tight against his chest.
“Maybe you should call your brothers?” I asked. “I don’t know what he’s planning, but it can’t be good.”
“I’ll talk to Torch. We may have to ask Ryker to bring in some Hades Abyss too,” Tank said. “I’m not taking any chances with you, Allegra, or the other women and children here. Dad can be a mean bastard, and he’s cold as ice. Won’t hesitate to kill a woman or kid.”
“How do you know that?” I asked. “You’ve always said you didn’t have much contact with him.”
“Dad did some time. Rape and attempted murder. His lawyer eventually got him an appeal and he got out on a technicality. There’s a reason I’ve kept the two of you apart. He came here about five years ago, but that was the last I’d seen of him. For a while, he stopped by once a year. Then nothing for two years until that last visit. I’d forgotten that he was given the okay to be inside the compound or I’d have revoked that right when you moved in with me,” Tank said. “I’ll take care of that now.”
Tank hesitated, then kissed my cheek and brushed his fingers through Allegra’s hair.
“I’ll keep them safe,” Jackal said.
“I know you will,” Tank said. “And so will everyone else inside the compound. Hopefully, we’ll have reinforcements by nightfall.”
Jackal handed our daughter to me and pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call in some brothers now. I know that Cinder will give the okay. Josie and Allegra will be the first old lady and kid to live with the Devils, and he will give everything he can to keep them safe.”
Tank nodded, then headed out of the room. Jackal gave me a kiss, then left as well. Allegra and I watched as my dad got on his bike and left, then we settled down to watch her favorite cartoon. She didn’t seem upset by what had happened, and I was grateful she was too small to really understand. All she’d likely picked up was the anger in everyone’s voices.
I tried to keep Allegra occupied while Tank and Jackal worked on keeping us safe. Something was bothering me, though. Why did our dad show up now, after all this time? Had he wanted something in particular, or had he just been passing through and it was rotten luck that he’d seen Jackal and my daughter? Something told me there was more going on than we realized, and that scared the shit out of me.
I dug my phone out of my pocket and stared at it. Did I dare make the call that could save us? Or would it only destroy us? Tank didn’t know about the friends I’d made while I was living with Mom or during my year of college. Well, friends was using a bit too broad of a term. I’d dated a few guys and had kept in touch with them until Allegra was born. Not because I had feelings for them, but because I’d thought they might be able to help me at some point. I’d kept Tank in the dark on purpose, knowing it wouldn’t go over well. But if there was ever a time to call in a favor, it was now, right?
I looked up the one number I knew would piss my brother the fuck off, and likely the rest of the club too.
“Agent Becker,” said a deep voice.
“Drey, I need help,” I said.
There was a pause. “Josie?”
“Yeah. I know I stopped returning your calls and texts, but I’m in trouble. And so is my daughter,” I said.
“Daughter? So you’re married now?” he asked.
“Um, engaged. There’s more. It’s… my fiancé is part of Devil’s Boneyard, and my brother is a Dixie Reaper. It’s part of why I kept things casual with us.”
He cursed. “Josie, what the hell do you want? I can’t step foot inside that compound and you know it.”
“Look, Drey, my dad showed up. The one I’d never met? Well, he’s part of Demonic Reign MC. I think I’m in some serious trouble. He got really pissed when he saw Jackal and found out we’re together.”
“What’s your dad’s name?” Drey asked.
“Abraxas.”
The silence on the line scared me more than anything else had this morning.
“Josie, you’re in more shit than you realize. Talk to your club. I need permission for me and Logan to come by. You know we’ll always have your back.”
“Thanks, Drey.”
I hung up and gathered my courage, then went to find Tank. My brother was staring out the kitchen window, his shoulders tense and his back stiff.
“Tank, I need to talk to Torch,” I said.
Allegra squirmed and I set her down. She toddled over to Tank and pulled on his leg. He smiled down at her and picked her up before facing me.
“Why do you need Torch?” he asked.
“Because I called in my own reinforcements. And they need permission to enter the compound.” I swallowed hard. Knowing what his next question would be, I tried to brace myself for his reaction.
“Who did you call?” he asked.
“Agent Drey Becker. He wants to come here, with Agent Logan Pierce.”
I could feel the temperature dropping in the room.
“You want to bring two DEA agents inside the compound?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm. “How do you even know them?”
“We dated for a short time when I was in college. It only lasted a few weeks, and nothing happened between us, but we stayed friends. Until I got pregnant with Allegra. I cut off contact at that point.”
Tank kissed Allegra’s cheek but kept staring at me.
“I’ll talk to Torch. If you think those men can keep you and Allegra safe, then have them come to the gates in two hours. We’ll talk to them and decide if we’re letting them inside. But, Josie, we’re going to talk later. You shouldn’t have kept that from me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. They’re part of my past, Tank. Once I moved in here with you, I made sure I never said or did anything that would harm the club. You know I love all the Reapers. I’d never do anything to bring trouble to your door. Not on purpose anyway.”
He nodded, then handed Allegra back to me. “You need to tell Jackal.”
I sighed, knowing that wasn’t going to go over well. “I’ll tell him.”
“Call your friends back. Two hours, Josie. If they’re a minute late, then they won’t be coming inside. And they will be patted down, relieved of all weapons, and searched for wires.”
“Fine,” I said.
I went back to the living room with Allegra, then called and relayed the information to Drey. Then I sat and waited, hoping my entire world wasn’t about to implode. I had no idea how Jackal was going to handle this, but hopefully he would listen and not lose his shit. Dating DEA agents was a big no-no in the world Jackal and my brother lived in. I’d never live it down once they found out I’d dated the guys at the same time.
I just hoped Drey and Logan had learned to keep their mouths shut over the years, but I doubted it. No doubt fists were going to fly.