Page 14 of Embracing the Consequences

Johnny paused, slightly off guard, but nodded. “Thanks.” He shook his hand. “I’m actually glad you called.”

Marcos eyed him, the mistrust evident in his dark eyes. “You are?”

“I know shit is fucked up right now,” Johnny said with a sigh.

Marcos nodded warily and motioned toward the booth. They each took a seat, and Marcos shook his head. “I know you have no reason to trust me right now. Not after the shady shit with Buckley and Carmichael and your father.” He sighed. “But I want you to know, I had nothing to do with it.”

Johnny met Marcos’s dark gaze with his own steely blue eyes. “I wouldn’t be here if I thought otherwise,” Johnny stated plainly.

Marcos nodded once. “Buckley’s getting more unstable,” he offered. “He’s taken on five new prospects that no one’s vouched for. He’s going full-blown dictatorship. He tried to cover his ass when called out on it, but he doesn’t really give a fuck.”

Johnny leaned back in the booth and sighed. “That’s not good news, brother.”

Marcos jerked his head at the moniker, his dark eyes flashing with an emotion Johnny couldn’t read. As quickly as it was there, it was gone. His VP mask was pulled back into place, a mask that Johnny was all too familiar with after being with Kara.

“And how is my sister?” Marcos asked, as if reading Johnny’s mind.

Johnny smirked slowly. “She’s great.” He nodded slowly and rubbed a hand over his hat covered hair. “She’s…uh…well she hasn’t been feeling the greatest lately, but she’s doing well. I’d expect a call to dinner one day.” Johnny alluded to as much as he could. He knew Kara wanted to speak to her brother on her own.He and Marcos still had unfinished business between them, but he recognized his girl wanted to reconcile with her brother.

A hint of a smile tugged at Marcos’s lips. “I see you made things official.” He rubbed a finger on his own neck, indicating Johnny’s new ink.

Johnny grinned broadly. “Yep.” He nodded once. “Derrick and Kevin too.” He nodded toward his brothers.

Marcos looked over to see the fresh ink on Derrick’s neck, but Kevin’s was hidden by a shirt. The vein in Marcos’s jaw throbbed as he ground his teeth. Whether he was angry or annoyed, Johnny didn’t know or care. “Kara wants this?” Marcos asked.

Johnny chuckled deeply. “You’re already in hot water with your sister. You really want to ask me that?”

“Fuck.” Marcos swore and shook his head. He ran a hand over his skull trimmed black hair and sighed. “Fucking hell.”

Johnny nodded and motioned for the server. An older woman walked over with a pot of coffee and two menus. The men placed their orders quickly and flipped their coffee mugs for the woman to fill.

“I never wanted this life for my sister,” Marcos said, pouring an obscene amount of creamer into the coffee.

Johnny eyed him amusedly; seeing the similarities between him and Kara was unnerving. “I wouldn’t want this life for either of my sisters,” Johnny placated the man. “Truth is, I tried to push her away. I knew she was too good for this life and had too much to lose, but at the end of the day, she fought for us as much as we fought for her. For some reason I can’t fathom, she wants the three of us bastards, and we’d do anything to protect her. We love her, man,” Johnny explained.

Marcos gave him a wry smile and shrugged. “She always did whatever the hell she wanted.”

Johnny smirked. “I know that all too well.”

After the initial posturing, things calmed down between him and Marcos. They ate their breakfast and discussed how to best take out Buckley. Marcos would first need to figure out who was loyal to him, but after, Johnny would take the matter to his club for a vote. If all went well, the Knights would assist in the removal of Buckley and gain retribution for not only Mac Taylor but Rachet as well.

When it was time to leave, both men stood up and grinned as they shook hands. “If all goes well, I’ll be seeing you for dinner soon.” Johnny nodded at the guy.

Marcos laughed. “Yeah, tell my sister not to poison me, will ya?”

Johnny laughed. “No worries there—I’ll grill.”

“In all seriousness,” Marcos said, pausing before they headed toward their brothers, “I’m trusting you to take care of her. Keep her safe.”

Johnny clapped a hand on Marcos’s shoulder. “Trust me,brother,” he stressed the last word, watching that flare of emotion cross Marcos’s dark gaze again, “Kara will be under constant surveillance and kept as safe and sound as we can possibly make her.”

Marcos nodded slowly, his mask falling back into place. “I’ll hold you to that.”

After breakfast with Marcos, Johnny headed across town to the Carmichael and Associates building. They had to pull over to remove their cuts and put them away in the saddlebags of their bikes before they arrived to the Carmichael building, but it wasworth it to be able to see their girl back in her element. Taylor Construction was still working on the remodel of the building. His crew had made headway, his foremen taking over during his own absence.

Kara had started back at work that Monday, and while she said she loved being home with them, he could see how much she loved being back in the office. And Johnny loved watching her slip into her work clothes and don the air of Bad Bitch in Charge. It was hotter than hell, especially when he knew he could get her to drop to her knees and submit to him with just a word.

It was a powerful, heady feeling knowing that his woman trusted him that much; it made his heart sing. He would have to show her how much he loved her later that evening.

---