Deuce yanked me to a stop. "Needed you for that?" He hissed. "Do you have any idea how f.u.c.ked that sounds?"

"Yes!" I shot back. "But I loved him! I wanted to help him!"

"You're sick babe." He started walking again, dragging me with him. "Frankie made you sick."

"Yeah," I yelled, "I know!"

"What do you f.u.c.kin' know?"

"I know I'm f.u.c.ked up. I know I've been f.u.c.ked up for a long time. I know I don't know the first thing about a normal relationship because f.u.c.ked up is all I've ever known but I have been trying so hard to make us work! I also know that I am sick of your bulls.h.i.t! You made me promises and I left my entire life for you and you bring me to the middle of nowhere and dump me in a house with your kids and expect me to be your old lady when you knew, you f.u.c.king knew, that was the last thing I wanted. So I let you treat me like a piece of f.u.c.king furniture who'd be right where you left me every time you decided to grace me with your presence because I promised you I wouldn't run. But I can't do it anymore!

"c.o.x!" He bellowed, making me jump. A heartbeat later c.o.x appeared at the end of the hall.

Deuce shoved me forward. "Get her the f.u.c.k outta here. Make sure she gets home and stays there."

c.o.x didn't move. "Sorry Prez. I'm not draggin' an angry pregnant b.i.t.c.h that just caught her man slammin' a wh.o.r.e anywhere. I like my f.u.c.kin' b.a.l.l.s where they are."

I swiveled on Deuce. "Don't worry about it. I'm leaving. You have wh.o.r.es to attend to and I have f.u.c.king life I'd like to start living!"

I whirled on c.o.x and he took a step back.

"And you! I don't give a s.h.i.t how you treat your wife, I don't care if you want to f.u.c.k every man, woman and dog on the planet, but you keep f.u.c.king with my girl and I will end it! You a.s.sholes love to spout off about brotherhood and the code of the road but you never think about the trail of women you're leaving behind you and I'll be f.u.c.king dammed if one of those women is going to be Kami!"

"Jesus, Eva," He whispered, "What the f.u.c.k did I ever do to you?"

"Not me," I hissed. "Kami. She is not club a.s.s and I won't let you treat her like it!"

"GET THE f.u.c.k OUT!" Deuce bellowed.

"I'M GOING!" I screamed.

I made it two steps outside the door when blinding hot pain shot through my lower back. More pain followed, my vision swam as my belly tightened painfully, and sharp stabbing sensations p.r.i.c.kled across my mid section. My hands flew to my stomach. "No!" I cried. "Please G.o.d no!"

"b.i.t.c.h caught you with your c.o.c.k in Miranda and didn't even flinch."

Deuce glared across the bar at c.o.x. "Whose f.u.c.kin' fault is that?"

c.o.x glared right back. "Prez, she already knew what you were doin'. b.i.t.c.h had your number before she even got here. b.i.t.c.h has everyone's number. I'm startin' to think she knows us better than we know ourselves."

Blue threw back a shot and cleared his throat. "Course Foxy's got us tagged. She's a biker brat who grew up in a club full of brother's who f.u.c.kin' love her more than they love their old ladies."

"That's the f.u.c.kin' problem," He muttered. "b.i.t.c.h doesn't know her place cuz Preacher's a f.u.c.kin' idiot."

Blue shook his head. "Son, you are a f.u.c.kin' moron. You wanna know what I see? I see a girl who isn't just a girl but a f.u.c.kin' prize and why the f.u.c.k she chose an a.s.shole like you to give that f.u.c.kin' prize to I haven't a f.u.c.kin' clue. Stupid if you ask me.

"But you're throwin' it all away cuz you can't stop f.u.c.kin' wh.o.r.es and cuz you're refusing to give her a piece of the club. Not a lot to ask if you ask me but since you ain't askin' I'll shut the f.u.c.k up and let you be a f.u.c.kin' moron."

He glared at Blue. If the b.a.s.t.a.r.d wasn't so d.a.m.n old he would be in a world of hurt right now.

"You need to start bein' straight with yourself, " Mick said quietly, speaking up for the first time. "You're not really mad at her, you're f.u.c.kin' jealous."

He looked around the bar at his somber faced boys. "What the f.u.c.k!" He yelled. "Why are you all gangin' up on me?"

Mick shook his head. "Just givin' to you straight Prez. You need to man up and admit it. You're jealous of Frankie for gettin' her for all those years, for gettin' to marry her, for her undyin', misplaced loyalty to his crazy a.s.s. You're jealous of Chase just cuz he got a taste and she liked what he was givin' and you're jealous of that f.u.c.kin' baby inside her cuz you're thinkin' it might not be yours and you want that kid so bad to be yours cuz you want so bad to own that b.i.t.c.h that you ain't seein' s.h.i.t straight.

"You've had a hard on for Eva Fox for a long time now and you're so used to either f.u.c.kin' her or fightin' with her or losin' her that you don't even realize you finally got her. That b.i.t.c.h loves you, has for a long time now. You're not the only one who's known her for a grip. I saw the way she was lookin' at you way back when in Chicago. She was just a kid then but f.u.c.k me if she didn't think the world of ya."

Tap nodded. "He's right Prez. Don't think you're gonna be gettin' another chance this time. She looks tired as h.e.l.l, can see it on her face. I'm bettin' Frankie wore her down somethin' fierce with his bulls.h.i.t. Only so much bein' s.h.i.t on a woman can take before they just can't take it no more. Look at me. Tara left, split to Atlanta. Now she's shacked up with some computer programmer, who my baby girl is tellin' me is big, fat, dork, her words not mine. But I'm guessin' he couldn't fight a fly if he had to. But Tara wants him and not me cuz I didn't treat her right and he treats her like a G.o.dd.a.m.n queen."

He didn't know how to respond to that -mostly because it was all true- so he tossed back another shot instead. Mick smirked at him. f.u.c.king a.s.shole.

He wasn't doing right by Eva, he knew that. His old habits were dying hard. But he couldn't afford to go soft, get weak and Eva made him soft and weak. Spending too much time with her and he'd end up gluing her to his side. He needed the s.p.a.ce. He needed a clear head. Didn't want to drop the ball.

s.h.i.t.

He didn't know what to do. Half of him wanted her to go home and the other half stopped breathing at the thought.

"PREZ!" Hands and arms covered in blood, ZZ came barreling across the room.

"Eva!" He said breathlessly. "She's not talkin'...eyes are closed...so much f.u.c.kin' blood...called an ambulance..."

He didn't hear the rest because he was running out the door.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:.

Deuce sat in the hospital waiting room in the same position he'd been in for four days, elbows propped on his knees, face in his hands.

He'd f.u.c.ked up a lot in his life but he'd never f.u.c.ked up this bad.

He'd gotten Eva so f.u.c.king upset she'd gone into labor six weeks early and nearly bled out doing it. Doctor's had done an emergency c-section and now there was a tiny baby girl in an incubator with tubes up her nose because she couldn't f.u.c.king breathe on her own and a woman, his woman, who was refusing to speak to him because he was a f.u.c.ked up a.s.shole who was out f.u.c.king other women when he'd had the one he wanted in his house, in his bed, hanging with his kids.

"Prez?" Jase nudged him with his elbow.

"What?" He muttered.

"Kami's here."

He looked up and found a miniature c.o.x smiling at him. He smiled at Devin and looked higher. Devin's crazy mother was scowling at him. He scowled.

"Chase is dead," She bit out angrily.

He blinked. Okay. Well...that wasn't exactly bad news.

"So what?" He said. "Save's me the time."

Kami drew her brows together, looking less angry and more confused. "It wasn't you?" She said.

He jumped up and got in her face. "b.i.t.c.h, you crazy? You don't f.u.c.king talk about that s.h.i.t in public! Fact, you don't talk about that s.h.i.t ever!"

"I'm sorry!" She yelled. "You'll have to forgive me! I tend not to think clearly when I find out my best friend almost lost her baby and her life and not five minutes later I have the NYPD at my door informing me that my husband was tortured for hours then gutted! f.u.c.k, Deuce, they said his insides were strung around his Christmas tree! He was so mutilated they wouldn't even let me see his body!"

His blood ran cold. Turned into mother f.u.c.king ice.

"Ripper!" He barked.

Ripper was already on his feet, pulling out his cell phone. "On it Prez," He said, heading for the exit.

"What's going on?" Kami demanded.

"Daddy!" Devin squealed and took off running.

"s.h.i.t," Tap muttered, nodding toward the hospital entrance. "Anna's with him."

Jase shrugged. "His own fault. Havin' babies all over the world."

"He's still with his wife?" Kami hissed.

It took c.o.x a millisecond to realize what he had just walked in on. Deuce watched him have a millisecond of a freak-out before dropping down on one knee. He caught Devin as the kid launched himself at him.

"Hey little man," He said gruffly, squeezing him tight.

"What the h.e.l.l!" Anna shrieked.

Still holding Devin, c.o.x shot to his feet. "Not in front of my f.u.c.kin' kid, b.i.t.c.h."

Kami was crossing the room. She held out her arms to c.o.x. "I can see you still have things to take care of," She sneered. "So give me Devin while you do that."

Nostrils flaring, c.o.x handed him over.

"Go sit down over there, baby," She whispered, pointing to a chair across the room. Devin scurried off.

"You f.u.c.ked this skinny, blonde b.i.t.c.h?" Anna screeched. "You had a G.o.d d.a.m.n kid with her?"

c.o.x closed his eyes. "Jesus Anna, get a f.u.c.kin' grip, we're in a hospital."

"Yeah!" She screamed. "And I just found out you are still f.u.c.king around on me!"

"Did you seriously just call me a b.i.t.c.h, you f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h!" Kami shrieked.

Before this s.h.i.t went full blown soap opera, he grabbed c.o.x and pulled him aside. "Chase is dead. His insides strung around a Christmas tree. Three f.u.c.kin' guesses who did it. Get one of your b.i.t.c.hes out of here before there's a f.u.c.kin' cat fight in the hospital my f.u.c.kin' woman almost died in and I'm just suggestin' that it might be Anna you wanna get rid of seein' as Kami's Eva's girl and the only way you'll get her outta here is a lot of kickin' and screamin' which will upset my f.u.c.kin' woman and if you upset my woman that's gonna end bad for you."

Sighing, c.o.x turned away. "On it, Prez," He muttered.

"Tap."

"Prez?"

"Call all the boys. I want round the clock guard on Eva and my girls. Cage too. Best make that discreet though."

"On it."

Ripper rejoined the group. One look at his boy's face he knew the news wasn't good.

"Frankie?" He asked.

Ripper nodded. "Killed three inmates last week, was gettin' transferred upstate because of it. During transport he killed all four guards and from what I heard, the way he did 'em in, s.h.i.t wasn't pretty. A real f.u.c.kin' gore fest. He's been tagged for the Henderson hit, too. Law's gunnin' for him. He's runnin' scared. Or knowin' Frankie he's runnin' happy. And no doubt he's gunnin' for Eva."

Kami's eyes went saucer wide and she threw herself at Ripper. "He's going to kill my Evie!" She cried.

"No baby, not gonna happen," Ripper whispered soothingly, rubbing her back while he grinned over her head at c.o.x. c.o.x, who had since escorted his hysterical wife outside and returned alone, froze when he saw this.

"Keep f.u.c.kin' touchin' her a.s.shole and you ain't gonna have hands!"

"f.u.c.k off," Kami hissed. "Since you're still f.u.c.king your wife and probably half the state of Montana, I've decided I'm going to f.u.c.k Ripper!"

Ripper, who could care less that c.o.x was two seconds from snapping his neck, kept rubbing Kami and grinning like a fool.

"You really want make him jealous, Kami," Jase said, "You could give me a try."

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he left the group of idiots in the waiting area and headed for Eva's room.

Danny met him at the door. She was wearing her pink sweat suit from three days ago and looked d.a.m.n exhausted.

"No, daddy. Bad idea."

He took a deep breath. "Bad s.h.i.t goin' down baby girl. I know she's hatin' me right now but I gotta talk to her. 'Sides, you need to take a shower and get some sleep. Call your brother and go home."

Reluctantly she stepped aside and he entered the room, closing the door behind him. The dark curtains were drawn tightly, the room dark and shadowed. Eva was lying in bed on her side. She looked pale and weak, had dark circles around her eyes and an IV in her arm. When she saw him, she turned away.

"Go away," She whispered hoa.r.s.ely.

His chest tightened. "Baby, I can't. We gotta talk."

He rounded her hospital bed so he could see her face and she immediately rolled to her other side.

"No, we don't. Go away."

Okay, different tactic.

"Eva. Chase is dead."