Hawk (Reckless Kings MC #2) - Harley Wylde Page 0,15
it down, but didn’t know what the hell to tell him. He looked into my car, frowning when he saw it was loaded down.
“What’s going on, Hayley?” he asked.
“I, um… my dad kicked me out.”
He opened and shut his mouth before shaking his head. “The chief threw you out? What the hell did you do? Rob a bank?”
“Uh, no. I’m pregnant.”
His expression blanked and he stood up straight. I saw him tug his phone from his pocket and heard the low murmur of his voice. I didn’t know what he was saying, or who he’d called, but if it gave me a place to sit for an hour or two while I tried to figure things out, I didn’t much care. When he leaned down by my window again, there was compassion in his eyes.
“The VP said to stop by his house. Mariah is fixing you some tea.” He eyed Cuddles in the back seat. “I didn’t mention your pet, so we’ll just let that be a surprise. Pretend I didn’t see him.”
I smiled and nodded. “I can do that, and thanks, Will.”
He let me through, and I followed the road to Mariah’s house. I pulled to a stop in the driveway and shut off the engine. Cuddles chittered in the back seat and I grabbed his harness and leash. I got out of the car and opened the back door, opening Cuddles’ crate and putting the harness on him before letting him out. He waddled around the yard, and I made sure he used the bathroom before I knocked on Mariah’s door.
Her dad, Venom, answered, his eyebrows shooting up when he saw Cuddles.
“My dad threw me out,” I said. “And Cuddles too.”
He stepped back and waved for me to enter the house, his gaze narrowing on Cuddles. “That thing better be housebroken.”
“He is.” Mostly. I wasn’t sure what he’d do without a litter box available. I’d just have to watch him and make sure he went outside if I was still here in an hour. The last thing I needed was him using the VP’s floor as a toilet. I certainly wouldn’t be allowed back if that happened.
I found Mariah in the kitchen and I sat at the table. She handed me a cup of hot tea and knelt to pet Cuddles.
“So, the chief is being a jerk,” she said.
“Yeah. Although, to be fair, I don’t think he believed I’d actually leave.”
She took the seat next to me. “What happened, Hayley?”
I sighed and started at the beginning. Well, sort of. I skipped over my night with Hawk and started with telling my dad I was pregnant. When I mentioned my dad knocking everything off his desk that day, or what he’d said today, Venom growled from where he was leaning against the doorway. He’d stayed to listen, but he’d remained quiet so far. Mariah had too, just listening to everything I had to say.
“And so now I don’t have a job, or a place to live. I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I refuse to give in to him.”
Venom came closer, yanking out a chair by hooking it with his booted foot, and took a seat. “As a father, I understand where your dad is coming from. We don’t always realize just how headstrong our daughters are, but I think his heart was in the right place. He wanted to protect you, but you won’t let him. By withholding the name of the guy responsible, he feels like you’re giving this guy your loyalty.”
“Why won’t you just tell him?” Mariah asked.
Venom leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “It’s someone he wouldn’t approve of, right?”
I nodded. It was a little odd to have this conversation with the feared VP of the Dixie Reapers. Even though his hair and beard were going silver, he still had an air of authority. He definitely hadn’t gone soft around the middle either. I’d heard women from my age to senior citizens giggle whenever he was walking around Main Street. Then again, they did that with pretty much all the bikers, even if the town didn’t necessarily trust them.
Mariah’s eyes narrowed, making her look a little like her dad. She shifted her gaze to Cuddles, staring a moment before looking at me again. There was a question in her eyes, one I wasn’t about to answer. She knew my raccoon had a tendency to wander into the compound when we went for walks, if he got off his leash.