Page 218 of Misrule
Words,women, came so easily to him. And, yet, the only woman who’d ever blinded him to reality was Kendall. In his bones, he felt Emily was playing him. That’s why he needed to know, once and for all. He’d known and loved Christopher his entire life. Christopher had taught Johnnie so much. Especially fairness. In their world, fairness made the difference between life and death.
Emily glanced at him through her lashes. “We can always skip this part of our night.”
Not answering, Johnnie winked at her, then turned and opened the door. He stepped aside so Emily could walk in ahead of him. Once inside, he closed the door. Laughter and conversation floated to him. The smell of fried chicken and other savory foods scented the air.
Grabbing Emily’s hand, he headed to the family room, pausing in the doorway and forcing Emily to stop. The usual scene greeted him. The men around the bar with drinks and cigarettes. The women seated on the sofa, love seat, and chairs.
Knox stood next to Mortician, in deep conversation. After arriving from Boston with Grant, Knox had settled himself at the clubhouse, happy to go along with Mortician’s rules. At first, Grant stuck to his father’s side when he wasn’t in school, not even wanting to visit Knox’s parents. Usually, Grant returned to the clubhouse from school and went to Knox’s room. On the rare days he was at work and couldn’t pick Grant up himself, Knox always called to check on the kid. Gradually, Roxanne coaxed the boy out of the room in the evenings to help her cook. As the school year drew to a close, and Knox continued to learn how to ride, Grant acclimated himself to his new normal. The bikers and their sons embraced him, while the old ladies offered him the maternal love he needed.
Johnnie had overheard Roxanne explain to Grant that no one would ever take the place of his mother. For the first time, he’d understood Kendall’s adoration of the woman. She might’ve been interfering, but she was also wise and kind-hearted. Eventually, Grant moved into the second bedroom in Roxanne’s quarters.
Johnnie thought Knox would’ve decided to return to her place, too. Instead, he’d stayed at the clubhouse, getting to know the bikers, discussing bikes, tattoos, and alcohol, and reminding Johnnie what true love meant.
Megan walked through the door on the other side of the room, breaking into Johnnie’s ruminations. She froze, narrowed her eyes, and pressed her swollen hands against her rounded belly.
He really didn’t think she was so far along that she should have such a noticeable bump.
“John Boy, what the fuck you got her here with you, motherfucker?” Christopher demanded, following the direction of Megan’s gaze.
Conversation screeched to a halt and everyone stared in Johnnie and Emily’s direction.
“Good evening, everyone.” Johnnie nodded to the room at large but kept his focus on Megan. “This is Emily. My date for the evening. We’re stopping in for a drink before we go on our date.”
“Your children are here,” Roxanne said with disapproval. “Why bring another woman around them when you’re still married to their mother?”
Megan cocked her head to the side. “Emily?” she said, ignoring Roxanne’s comment. “Emily?” Megan repeated again, glancing between him and Emily before sidling a glare at Christopher.
“What the fuck, baby? Why the fuck you look at my fuckin’ ass like that? I ain’t told this motherfucker to bring no new bitch here.”
“That’s Emily,” Megan snapped.
Emily stepped up. “Is there something wrong with my name?” she asked with a slight edge to her voice.
Folding her arms, Megan glowered at Christopher again, before meeting Emily’s gaze. “It can’t be a coincidence that your name is Emily and you look so much like me. I’ve heard about Emily Riser for years now and if my guess is correct, you are her.”
“Wait?” Roxanne got to her feet. “You mean the bitch who gave Kendall such a rough fucking time? That Emily?”
“One and the same,” Emily confirmed.
“Oh, my fucking God, asshole,” Zoann spat, staring at Johnnie. “Kendall needs to grow a fucking brain, but it seems as if you need to as well.”
“Johnnie, that’s low,” Fee said in disapproval.
Johnnie tuned all of them out. Taking Emily’s hand again, he led her to where Megan stood. Anger washed over Megan’s face, turned her blue eyes to ice.
She’d changed since her kidnapping, but he supposed the psychological effects of such a violation was unavoidable.
Side-by-side, he saw that Emily was slightly taller and had a fuller figure than Megan. Comparison seemed inevitable. For so many years, Emily had haunted Kendall and poisoned her interaction with Megan because of their resemblance.
Still, Emily’s hair was a darker blonde, her skin paler, her eyes duller and slightly smaller. She had a bigger nose than Megan, a rounder face. More than that, though, Emily wasn’t Megan. And Megan wasn’t Kendall.
He no longer fantasized about making love to Megan. Now he knew, he’d never feel even an inkling of passion for Emily. Looking at Megan, Johnnie realized he could forgive her anything. She was his sister-in-law, and his friend. Emily was nothing to him. He’d never forget her years of abusing Kendall. He’d never get over his mistrust that she’d somehow been brought in specifically to fuck with Kendall. It didn’t matter whether Christopher confessed or not. Or if he’d truly hired Emily.
Johnnie couldn’t betray Kendall in such a manner. He loved her, and he preferred a lifetime of loneliness than to get involved with a woman who’d been so detrimental to her peace of mind.
“How did you even meet this woman?” Zoann demanded.
“Hold on,” Knox called. The shock of his ex-wife’s death had affected him for days.
