Colt Book 2
Autor
Simone Elise
Lecturas
485K
CapĂtulos
30
Summer's life is a whirlwind of danger and passion as she navigates a tumultuous divorce, a new love with Colt, and the dark underworld of motorcycle clubs. When her past collides with her present, secrets unravel, and alliances are tested. As Summer and Colt face threats from rival gangs and internal betrayals, they must decide who to trust and how far they are willing to go to protect their love and their lives.
Child of the Devil
Summer
You canât fix the past or predict the future, but we all have the ability to change what our future might hold. As I sat next to my divorce lawyer, that was exactly what I was doing.
The room was freezing. I crossed my arms, trying to warm myself up, and accidentally locked eyes with Elliot. The one I thought I knew so well just a few months ago. The one whoâd turned my life into a nightmare and who was now trying to make sure I had nothing but scars and memories to show for it.
âMy client rejects the terms of the divorce,â said Elliotâs lawyer. âDue to Mrs. Whiteâs infidelity.â
âSurely, someone as educated as your client knows how a prenup works?â my lawyer rebutted. âHe and Mrs. White donât have one. That means my client is allowed fifty percent of the assets. Given Mr. WhiteâsâŠhistory, Iâd say thatâs a fair deal.â
I smiled at my lawyer. It took someone strong to go up against Elliot.
âThen, weâre going to trial,â Elliotâs lawyer said from across the table. âTrials are being scheduled six months ahead these days and the assets will be frozen until then.â
My eyes widened. I turned to my lawyer.
âCan they do that?â I whispered, but he silenced me, his eyes telling me not to worry.
Elliotâs lawyer continued, âThere is, however, one condition that might persuade my client to renegotiate: the childâs paternity.â
My hands automatically moved to cover the small bump. If I were a smarter woman, I might have thought to lie. I wanted to be rid of Elliot once and for all, though. No matter the cost.
âElliotâs not the father.â
âThen weâll see you in court.â Elliotâs lawyer smiled.
My lawyer stood, his chair scratching the floor. I followed him, walking around the table.
âThe seed of a devil is cursed from the start,â Elliot sang. I stopped. âThat was your last chance, babe.â
And when I looked back at him, I was immediately filled with regret. Because there was something evil in his eyesâsomething promising. Like he could see what was about to come and knew that I was right to feel the fear in my bones.
***
The rain fell harder than Iâd seen in a while. It seemed endless, the way it poured down from the sky, punctuated by the crack of thunder again and again. I couldnât look away.
âSummer.â
It kept falling and I kept staring.
My whole body shook like I was standing outside in the grass, soaked to my bones.
But I was inside.
Dry.
Iâd been back in town six days now. Surely, that was enough time to get over the past few monthsâthe kidnapping, being taken overseas. And some days it was. Yesterday had been a good day; Iâd gone outside by myself. But today⊠Today was hard.
âSummer. Summer.â I finally turned away from the window, meeting Scarlettâs concerned eyes. âDid you hear anything I said?â
I took in her softness, the way her raven hair fell over her shoulders in gentle waves. She smiled at me, reassuring. Waiting. Scarlett had been born into the MC life thanks to her dad. He was vice president of the Devilâs Henchmen. She could be trusted, Colt had assured me when I got back.
âDid you sleep last night?â
âMmm,â was all I could muster.
âIf you wanna take something to help you...â Scarlett trailed off, already knowing my answer.
âI donâtââ
âYou donât want to jeopardize the baby,â she interrupted, finishing my sentence. âYou know, I wouldnât tell you itâs safe if it wasnât.â
âI know.â
âI am a nurse.â
âI know.â
My eyes went back to the window.
âI lost you again,â Scarlett said.
âIâm sorry,â I started, looking down at the floor and watching my toes crinkle beneath me. âItâs the rain. It reminds meâŠâ
âYou donât have to talk about it.â
I couldnât shake the memory from my mind. âThere was so much rain. When I was over there. It was likeâŠIâd wonder if Iâd ever be able to look up at the sky and just see the sky without there being water pouring down on my face. Or if Iâd ever be able to look at wet earth again without seeing all the redâŠall the blood mixed in.â
âYouâre safe now, Summer. Youâre back home.â
Home. This wasnât home. Not really. But neither was the vacant mansion on the other side of town that smelled of cigar smoke and Elliotâs cologne.
At least, living at Scorpâs, I was surrounded by familiarity and people who worried about me.
Everything looked the same. It was like Iâd never left; like nothing had happened to me. But everythingâŠeverything felt so different.
I sat down, suddenly overcome with the sense of a new beginning. Now, there was a glimmer of hope in the pocket of my belly where a baby was growing. Our baby.
I saw Coltâs eyes flash through my mindâthe eyes that made my heart race and my palms sweat.
It was a new beginning.
Our beginning.
And even if I hadnât seen him for longer than five seconds since I got back, since heâd scooped me into his arms outside the police station, and even if he and Scorp were busy building the new club from the ground up and proving themselves, I wouldnât change it.
My old lifeâit was done now. No more Elliot, no more playing pretend.
I took a sip of the scalding tea, liking the way it burned the roof of my mouth.
My blood was pumping excitement through my veins. This was the life I had been born to lead, with people who cared about me.
For the first time in a long time, I felt alive.
Colt
Cigarette smoke clouded the room. The table was fullâor, as full as a Lord of Chaos meeting could be. It was a tight club, but every one of the eight of us was in it âtil the end. There was only one rule: So long as their hearts were beating, their blood belonged to me. Even the new prospectâthe kid with the long, greasy hairâwas foaming at the fuckinâ mouth to get in on some real LC action.
Scorp sat to my left, and I could feel his knee twitching. We hadnât had a good adrenaline rush in too long. Sure, thereâd been an assload of grunt work setting this club up, but it was time the doors opened for business.
With the Vipers now disbanded and all Viper ink covered, I could take back what had always been mine.
Only problem was, other clubs and wannabe criminals had leaked into Lords of Chaos territory while the Vipers were trafficking women.
Those bastards were about to learn whose land theyâd been squatting on.
âTonightâs the night,â I said, raising my glass. âItâs time we show them who we are.â
The other glasses flew up, the men muttering, âFuck yeah,â and, âAbout fuckinâ time,â before we drank.
âIt should be an easy patch-over. They canât survive without us. Simple as that.â
âNo one can say no to us,â the prospect laughed, pouring himself another whiskey. I stared at his ugly face, watching as he swigged the drink back.
What was his goddamn name? Heder? Hoder? Something like that.
He reached for the bottle again.
âHeder, put the whiskey down,â I ordered.
âHunter.â
âWhat?â
âMy nameâs Hunter.â
Huh. Didnât fuckinâ look like one.
âI donât give a shit what your name is.â And again, I saw his nerves betray him. âShut the fuck up and listen to your instructions.â My eyes flicked to Scorp. âThat goes for all of ya.â
Summer
you coming over tn?
Colt
Canât. Patch-over
Summer
oh
Summer
okay
Colt
everything ok??
I hesitated, looking at the phone in my hand as the guys exited the meeting room. Then, I turned to Scorp.
âIs Scarlett staying with Summer tonight?â
âNo. She has a shift. I was thinkinâ of sitting this one out to be with her.â
âNo, you go. Iâll stay with Summer.â
âNo.â
âIâm serious. Go.â
Scorp gave me an unsure eye. He was dying to do business, but he gave more shits about Summer than Iâd ever see him give about anything in his life combined.
âI got it, Scorp.â He finally nodded.
âDonât kill the prospect when youâre out there tonight,â I said, walking through the door.
âNo promises.â
***
For fuckâs sake, what was with the rain? I banged on the closed door again and Summer opened it. I swear I lost my breath.
Fuck. Her white top clung to her porcelain skin and her long hair covered her shoulders.
âHi,â she said.
Before she could say anything else, I lifted her up and carried her inside, pushing the door shut with my back.
âWhat about the patch-over?â
âThey have it.â
I found her lips with mine and tasted her, reminding me all over that I was addicted. âYou can go if you wantâŠif you need toâŠâ
âThree months without you was harder than those thirteen years locked up. Iâm not leaving your side again, kitten.â
Her eyes went wide. And then she grabbed my face with the softest fucking hands Iâve ever felt and we kissed again.
âIâm happy youâre here.â
âIâm sorry it wasnât sooner. The club businessââ
âItâs okay,â she interrupted. âIâm just happy youâre here now.â
I carried her into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. She looked so breakable. She was trying to hide her pain, but I saw through it. Iâd seen that look in the eyes of brothers. The ones who came back from trips they shouldnât have returned home from.
âYou need some sleep. Come on.â I lay back and shifted her weight onto me, letting her arms drape across my chest. I watched them rise and fall with my breath. It was crazy how feeling her warmth calmed me like nothing else.
***
When I woke up, my handâthe one under herâfelt wet with something warm.
What the hell?
I didnât want to wake her.
I tried to turn the lamp on quietly, but it was pointless.
The second the light lit up the room, Summerâs eyes flashed open.
We both saw the blood at the same time.
