Page 26 of Unveiled Wounds

“Clara,” I said. “She has to be the third.”

“She is the third, but when did she have a baby? JR’s conception occurred the night of the taco bar, and they had already made the plan with the cartel.” Grace laid her head back against the couch.

“Clara might’ve been in her first trimester—or maybe not even pregnant—at my wedding,” I added, guessing out loud.

“No, she would have been showing when I saw them at the restaurant. I don’t think she was, or I missed it. They were sitting down.”

“If she was, how old is the baby?” I tried to work the math backwards, counting on my fingers.

“That doesn’t add up. Cyph said she was still dancing in mid-June. If she’d been pregnant, someone would’ve talked,” Count said, frowning like he didn’t quite buy his own logic. “The girls at the show would have made sure it got back to us. Unless it was something else Jig buried.”

“Maybe.” Sabre shrugged, no closer to figuring any of this out.

“Trust me, I spend enough time with them to know. They squeal if a lipstick goes missing. If there was a pregnant dancer, we would have known.”

“She had to have been newly pregnant when JR was born in July. If that’s the case, she’s just delivered.” Grace bent at the waist, putting her head between her legs. “What if Matt’s the father?”

Chapter 11

It's Just A Little Water

Grizz

“Want to bet how long it takes for the first fight to occur?” I asked Sabre, taking a slug from my beer. It was late, and the main room had cleared out, but there were still a few brothers hanging around. Sabre and I were sitting at the bar, nursing beers.

“At least a day or two.” He picked at the label on his bottle.

“It’s probably wishful thinking, but I hope they don’t get into it. As long as they’re getting along, they’ll work together, and it’ll keep them safer.”

“Yeah, that’s a pipe dream. They’re always going to butt heads. Truthfully, if they weren’t, I’d think something was wrong.” Sabre took a long pull from his bottle.

He was trying to be better, but if I pushed a little more, Sabre would take Grace’s side. I sighed. My elbow was on the bar, and I placed my cheek in my hand. I wasn’t angry, but I was tired of having these conversations where nothing ever changed. “That’s ironic. You threaten Pretty on the daily. What makes that any different from the girls?”

“Fuck you.” He took another pull before setting his empty bottle on the bar and ordering another one from the prospect. “I hate when you’re right. When did you become so logical? I preferred when you were ripping things to shreds.”

I laughed, but there was no humor behind it as the prospect cleared away our empties and sat another round in front of us.

Sabre chugged half of his. “If you think you’re leaving the club, I’ll kill you with my bare hands and bury you in the backyard. Problem solved, bitch.”

“You offered a new life to anyone who wanted it, with no retaliation. I’ve never known you to go back on your word.” I felt him analyze the side of my face, but I was serious. If I had to, I’d pack Meredith up, and we’d leave.

“I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to believe you’re sincere when I would do the same thing in your position. Give me tonight, and tomorrow I’ll be her biggest fan.” He laughed, chugging the rest of the beer.

“Don’t be a dick.” I laughed at him. Standing from my barstool, I slugged him in the shoulder for good measure. “I’m sleeping in tomorrow. You know, with mywife.” I wiggled my eyebrows, knowing he hadn’t used the ring he’d bought.

“Now who’s being a dick?” He laughed.

I slugged his arm again. “Sometimes, you just have to take what you want and fuck asking.”

“Your wife was unconscious, fucker.”

“She hasn’t asked for a divorce yet, and I’m still breathing. It’s going well.” I laughed as I headed towards the stairs. Taking two at once, I was ready to spend some quality time with my woman. She’d claimed she was heading to bed earlier, but it had been code for getting some solitude. I didn’t mind since she’d started hanging out in the main room more.

I rounded the top stair, still chuckling as I continued down the hallway towards my room. As vice president, I had the largestroom on this side of the second floor. Reaching my door, I turned the knob, not sure what I was going to walk into. The room was dark, and I stepped in quickly and closed the door. My eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness, but I still tried to search the room. She hadn’t turned down the bed. My heart rate spiked, fear pouring off my skin.Did she leave the clubhouse?It wasn’t until I caught the light underneath the ensuite door that I calmed down.

I heard the water slosh. I would have bet my life savings there was more water on the floor than in the tub. Meredith loved to soak, but she often forgot where she was, and the water would overflow.

I hung my club cut on the hook in the wall before I sat in the chair near the door. Unlacing my boots, I silently slid my feet out of them. I didn’t want her to know I was in the room, my mind wheeling with the possibilities. Meredith had a soaking tub in her condo that we used to fuck around in, and while the one in my bathroom wasn’t that large, I could think of a few things to try. I’d just told Sabre to take what he wanted, so why couldn’t I do the same thing?

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