Page 57 of Parrish

He nods and for some reason, his unwavering support makes me feel guilty. He may not always agree with me but the man standing in front of me, has proved time and time again he will ride to the death with me.

Without question.

Without any regard for himself.

All I have to do is tell him what I feel, what I think is right, and he nods his head and straddles his bike. He jumps into the line of fire and fucks the law at my command. Sure, there are times when he tries to shake the crazy out of me but for the most part, he’s just as much my maker’s puppet as I am. The only difference is, I have no control over it and he voluntarily will entertain it.

Over and over again, he chooses me before himself.

Before my daughter.

Before everything.

Even that unborn child of his.

All this time, I’ve been telling myself I’ve groomed him to take over the club when in reality, I’ve created a monster.

I’ve created the second coming of Jack Parrish.

“Well, then we go with your gut,” he says. “Whether it’s you and me alone or with an army behind us, we follow your instinct. It’s the only lead we got.”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, running my fingers through my hair as the realization slams into me. I’ve fucked Blackie harder than any drug.

“What?”

“And what if my gut is wrong? Wolf is right, Blackie. We can’t afford—”

“Your gut has got us through a lot of shit, Jack. It’s saved our asses more times than I can count.”

“It only takes one time,” I hiss, lifting my index finger between us. “One fucking time and look what happens. I shouldn’t have set up that meeting with Javier. You know it and so do I. If we’re being honest with each other, you knew my mind was all over the place and that it was a bad idea from the get go. The thing is, reservations and all, you stood next to me in the paper factory and when the bullets started flying, you threw your body in front of mine like a human shield knowing very well I was off my meds.”

“What are you getting at?”

“When does it stop, Blackie? When do you become like the rest of them? When do you start to question if it’s my gut that’s leading us into hell or my fucking mind?”

I watch as he thoughtfully shoves his hands into his pockets and diverts his eyes to the tips of his worn boots. After a beat, he jerks his head and shakes the hair away from his eyes. His gaze meets mine.

“I don’t know how to be anything other than what I am and I’m the man who stands tall at your right.”

“You don’t stand with me anymore, Blackie. You stand with Wolf. Maybe not at his right, but you still stand behind him.”

“Not today,” he deadpans, removing his hands from his pockets. I watch him glance at the clock hanging over the nurse’s station and release a strangled breath before looking back to me once more.

“I need you to do something for me.”

“What’s that?”

Before he can respond the double doors behind him swing open and all hell breaks loose. My eyes lock with Ritzer’s and my gut clenches as he flashes me a smug smile. The motherfucker has come to take me away. Well, he and his posse are going to have to drag me out of here bleeding because I’m not leaving Reina. Balling my fists, I lift my head and that’s when I spot my daughter on his tail. Her exhausted features are laced with fear as her gaze bounces between me and Blackie.

“You’re not taking my father in,” she shouts as she rounds Ritzer, placing herself between me and the arrogant district attorney.

“Lace,” Blackie calls softly. He steps behind her, running his hands down her bare arms before gently ushering her to the side.

“Blackie, do something!”

My eyes lock with the piece of shit lawyer hired by the fucking state as Blackie turns to Lacey.

“It’s going to be okay, girl,” he assures her.

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