The old man seems more than satisfied with my answer. He takes a step to me.
“Then it seems we have a fight on our hands, Shaft. May the best man win,” he says.
Motherfucker. I can’t beat him like I normally would, Bree would never forgive me. I can’t exactly let him have a cakewalk though. That’s the one thought I have before a fist slams me in the face, and I swear I can hear Torch and Skull laughing. Assholes. I can’t worry about them though, because Tucker’s already hitting me again.
Shit this is gonna hurt.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Bree
“He’s going to be okay? Right?” I ask Beth for the hundredth time.
“He’s fine, Bree. If he wasn’t, Skull would have told me.
“Then why are they demanding Beast drive us to Pops? Why couldn’t we just see them when they got home?” I question again. I can’t keep the panic out of my voice.
“That, I’m not real sure about,” Beth admits, and I can see the way she’s wringing her hands. She’s worried.
“Maybe Pops found out you gave your cherry to a man old enough to be your father?” Katie adds helpfully blowing a bubble with her chewing gum. “And he’s got Shaft waiting there for you in pieces?”
“Katie!” Beth cries.
“What? It’s a distinct possibility.” She shrugs.
“Pops wouldn’t kill Jax,” I tell them wistfully.
“Oh honey,” Beth whispers.
“He wouldn’t. At least not until he talked to me first. And besides Aunt Katie, Jax is not that old.”
“He’s old enough to have been your sperm donor.” She snorts.
“Oh, stop it.”
“Hey, I’m not judging, I’m just saying. But, it kind of works if you think about it.”
“What are you talking about,” Beth asks.
“Well, technically he is donating his sperm to her and damn, the whole club heard her calling him Daddy.”
Beth laughs, and I hold my head down feeling the color red bloom all over my face. Shit.
“They did not!” I argue, but I do it rather weakly because chances are they did. I may not have much experience, but any woman could tell Jax has a magical tongue, even if they were nuns.
“I’ve been so bad Daddy. Lower Daddy, lower,” she moans, imitating my voice, or at least attempting it.
“Shut up,” I growl.
Katie eyes me. “No! You shut up,” she says. “That shit’s gross.”
“Oh please. Like you and Torch don’t tip the scales over in the kink department.”
“Shut up, Beth,” Katie grumbles, and I think I can almost see a blush on her face.
“I’ll pay good money if all three of you shut up,” Beast grumbles.
“Sorry,” all three of us answer from the backseats.
“There’s some things a man doesn’t need to know about the men he hangs out with,” he says as he comes to a stop at the gate to Pop’s place.
It just takes a minute before the gate is rolled back, and we pull through. My nerves are shot, and in my head I’m imagining the most horrible scenarios that I can come up with. The one thing they all have in common is Shaft being hurt…or dead.
“Beast?”
He looks at Beth through the rearview mirror when she calls his name. The look on his face pulls my attention away from all my worries. He’s broken. I’ve known it forever, and after that day at the picnic he seemed to get worse. Yet, right now he looks so different. It takes me a minute to realize why. He’s not wearing his club cut.
“Beth,” he answers.
“You know we love you, right?”
“You better get out, your old man will be wondering where you are.”
She nods in agreement, but the car is filled with sadness. We get out, and I stop by his door.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” I ask him.
“I don’t belong here anymore,” his voice is rough as he speaks, but resolute.
“Where do you belong?”
“Nowhere and that’s the problem. Be good ladybug. Make sure Shaft treats you good.”
“Will I see you again?” I ask, not bothering to hide the tremble in my voice.
“I don’t know,” he says, and he rolls up his window.
End of conversation. I send up a prayer for him. If ever a man needs peace, it’s Beast. I catch up with Beth and Katie at the door. They each grab one of my hands and we walk inside.
Please let Jax be okay…
Chapter Fifty-Six
Jax
“Was all this necessary? The damn place was fine before!” Pops growls.
“It is if I’m going to be President of the club,” I growl back. “And keep your voice down old man, my head is killing me.”