“You with Viper, Evie? Is it true?” His gaze traveled down her body, taking in her outfit, and he scowled. “That where you’re going tonight? You’re meeting the fucking president of the fucking Black Jacks?”
Evie closed the door, taking a minute to compose herself before she whirled around. “Not that it’s any of your damn business, but yes.”
“Jesus Christ.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “All those bastards we saved you from in high school, and you’ve still going for the most dangerous fucking scum of the earth. Except Viper’s not just dangerous. He’s lethal. He’ll fucking chew you up and spit you out if he doesn’t kill you first.”
“Don’t patronize me, Jagger.” She folded her arms and leaned against the door, her cheeks heating in anger, only vaguely aware of Connie in the hallway behind her. “I’m a grown woman now and I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. I know who Viper is and he’s never been anything but kind to me.”
“Kind?” Jagger’s lips curled in disgust. “Kind is not in Viper’s vocabulary. Zane’s gonna go out of his fucking mind when he finds out that Black Jack bitch wasn’t lying.” He pulled out his phone but before he could type out his text, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open in a manner unbecoming an outlaw biker president. “Holy. Fucking. Shit.”
Evie didn’t need to turn around to know the reason for his outburst, and it was too late to undo what had been done. Damn. She wasn’t ready for this. The timing was off. She hadn’t prepared or even thought about what to say. And really, Zane should have been the first to know.
“Hell, Evie. Tell me he isn’t—”
“He is.” She held out her hand to her son. “Ty. This is mom’s friend, Jagger. And Jagger, this is Ty.”
“Jesus Christ.” Jagger ran a hand through his hair. “He looks just like him.”
“He swears,” Ty said with delight. “Just like a real biker.” He ran to the kitchen and returned with the glass jar Evie had designated as their swear jar to curb the bad language Ty was learning at school. “You owe four quarters. Or does Jesus Christ count as two swears?”
“Ty!”
“I was just saying what he said.”
“Hey, Ty. How about we go find that board game so mom and her friend can talk.” Connie took the jar from Ty and led him down the hallway to the bedroom.
Jagger let out a long breath and then sat heavily on the couch, taking up the bulk of the space with the vast spread of his long legs. “Zane doesn’t know, does he?”
“He left Stanton before I even knew I was pregnant.” Evie sagged against the wall. “He told me he would come for me. And when I found out about the baby, I tried to find him. I didn’t believe he killed my dad like everyone said. I waited, kept trying to find him, but after a while I lost faith. He’s still wanted by the police, Jagger. There’s a warrant out for his arrest.”
Jagger leaned forward on the couch, dropping his hands between his legs. “I know about the warrant. He told me about it when he joined the club because he was worried it would come back on the MC. He had changed his last name, got fake ID, grew his hair. I didn’t give a damn. I know Zane and I didn’t need the details. Neither did the brothers. The club protects him now.”
Evie sighed and twisted a loose strand of hair around her finger. “No wonder I couldn’t find him. I tried everything, even got child services involved on the basis he wasn’t paying child support just because I thought they’d have more resources to track him down. Then my mom died and I was so alone. I had to sell the house to cover the debts. I was struggling, and I had to accept that Zane wasn’t coming back. Then I bumped into Mark.”
She didn’t tell him the rest—Mark’s insecurities and controlling behavior, the drinking, the affairs, the money problems, and the night she finally had enough—not just because she knew it would anger Jagger, but because she was embarrassed that she’d stayed so long.
Jagger shifted on the couch. “You have to tell him, Evie.”
Her mouth opened then closed again. Yes, she had to tell him, and if Ty got hurt, she would help him through it and they would move on. But now that she’d spent more time with Zane, she wondered if that was really a concern. He’d been outraged at the thought Mark hadn’t been there for his son …
“Evie.” Jagger’s deep voice echoed in the small space.
“Yes, of course. I just … I want it to be right. I’ve been worried Zane wouldn’t want to be involved and I don’t want Ty to get hurt.”
“You think he wouldn’t want to be involved? That’s his son.” Jagger stood and paced the room. “All these years he’s been talking about a woman who betrayed him, a woman who broke his heart—although he never said it in so many words. I never imagined it was you. I never even thought you and he … I thought we were all just friends.”