Royally Chosen Christmas (Royal Sons MC #7) - Elle Boon Page 0,10
when they’d said it. When he’d began getting tattoos, a few of his teammates had pretended to be outraged, joking that his Ken image was being ruined. He felt like the furthest thing from the sunny image in that moment.
Realizing his superior had spoken but he hadn’t been listening had him wincing.
“I’m sorry, Sir, can you repeat that?”
“I asked what your problem was, Haven.”
Shit, when the man goes from calling him Hollywood, to Haven, he knows he’s in trouble. Without pause, he explained about the accident, leaving out the gruesome details and his relationship with her.
“My condolences, Haven. I’ll get your paperwork handled on this end. I’m really sorry to hear about your sister. The team was set to leave in seventy-two hours but as things go, there’s been a development, so it’s actually been moved back. You’ve got a week, but if you need more, give me a call. However, if the mission gets the go ahead after the week is up, I’ll need you on the next flight. Understood?”
“Understood, Sir,” he agreed.
After disconnecting the call, he punched his code in and drove through the gates, parked back in the spot he’d occupied before as a heavy weight settled over him. At the sight of Gary’s Bentley, anger boiled in his veins. Motherfucker hadn’t picked up his phone or returned his half a dozen messages, but he was home?
He pushed his door open, waiting for the batwing door to lift up before he climbed out of the car. Every step he took made him even more pissed that Gary hadn’t showed up at the hospital or called.
The first place he checked was his dad’s old office, the space Gary had taken over and acted like he was king of the castle. Shockingly, he wasn’t there. He didn’t expect to find him outside with the girls, so he went upstairs, his hands balled into fists. The second story master suite’s door was closed, which normally he’d have been polite and knocked. Polite had left the motherfucking building when he had to identify Angela’s lifeless form. He slammed the door open, the crash as the heavy wood hit the wall fueled his anger.
“Scott, what’s the meaning of this?” Gary asked, his tone outraged.
He looked the older man up and down, noticing he had developed a belly in the last year or so. “Why the fuck haven’t you returned my call or picked up your fucking cellphone when I called?”
Gary jerked the robe that was lying on the end of the bed up, before answering. “I was driving, boy. It’s illegal to call or text in California. What did you need?”
The smooth way the other man spoke set his anger to a degree past boiling. He took a deep breath, knowing if he eliminated the space between them, he’d beat the shit out of the fucker, and then he’d probably go to jail. With short succinct words, he told him about Angela, watching Gary’s every reaction.
“Thank you for handling that, Scott. I’ll take care of the other details.” Gary turned away from him, his back straight.
Scott noticed the other man’s back was scored with fingernail marks just before the robe covered them. His mother didn’t have long, cat-like nails that would make grooves in a man’s back.
“What about my mother and sister?” he asked, wanting to hear the sadness a parent should feel knowing their child was gone. Hell, speaking about his own father still had the power to choke him up, images of Angela lying nearly brought him to his knees.
“If you’d like to break it to your mother you may but let her tell your sister. A woman is much better suited for those kinds of things. Don’t you think?” Gary moved to his closet, his voice getting fainter the farther he walked away.
Scott had heard enough. There wasn’t an ounce of sadness, or remorse, no inflection whatsoever in his stepfather’s tone. In fact, if he’d been asked how the other man sounded, he’d have said indifferent.
A quick glance around the room, made him clench his teeth together. As he stared around the space, all he saw was stark furniture and expense. He knew his mother had her own suite downstairs, the master she’d shared with his father, but he’d thought something of her would show in Gary’s space.
He turned away, heading down to the pool area. Telling his mother was going to break her heart all over again.
Chapter Two
TALENA HELD HER BROTHER’S hand during the funeral, wiping at her