It was all he was going to give me in response to what I’d said, but it was enough for me. I was slowly learning that Havoc rarely spoke of his feelings; he expressed them through touch.
Kissing me slowly, he pulled back and said, “Thank you for still being here.”
I wouldn’t be anywhere else.
His lips returned to mine and he pulled me back into the motel room.
To our sanctuary.
To the place where we’d begun to strip back our layers of hurt and rejection and damage.
The place where we’d finally shown each other our need for love and acceptance.
19
Havoc
“Fuck!”
I eyed Jackson as he processed the information King and I had just shared with him. Discovering the cousin you’d always supported and looked out for was robbing you couldn’t be easy.
He slammed his hand down onto the office desk in between us. “I’ll fucking kill both of them!”
“So where does Storm stand now with that delivery?” King asked.
Jackson’s furious gaze landed on him. “That’s the last thing on my mind!”
King snarled. “Well, you need to move that up on your list of priorities. I need that delivery and I need it fucking fast.”
“I couldn’t give a shit about your delivery.”
King’s carefully controlled anger erupted and he finally lost his shit. I’d been waiting for it and had been surprised as hell when he'd treaded with care over this problem with Jackson. But I figured he had his reasons. King always did.
With one swift movement, he cleared Jackson’s table of all its contents before jumping up onto the desk. Bending, he reached for Jackson’s throat and wrapped his hand around it, squeezing tight until Jackson’s face was red and he was struggling for breath.
As Jackson desperately fought King off, King bellowed, “I’ve been playing nice with you, motherfucker, trying to keep peace on the street, but I’ve come to the end of my patience. You will make that delivery to us this week or else I will make you regret that decision deeply.” He squeezed Jackson’s throat again. “And when I say deeply, I mean from deep in the fucking ground.” He let Jackson go and planted his boot against his chest so he could shove him backwards onto the floor. Jumping off the desk, he squatted next to him. “And if you think I don’t have the ability to take you on, you’d be seriously underestimating me.”
Jackson glared at King before finally nodding. “I’ll make the delivery,” he spat out. “Now get the fuck off my property.”
King’s lips spread out into an evil grin that matched his crazy eyes. Standing, he said, “It’d be my fucking pleasure.” With that, he turned and jerked his chin at me. “Looks like today’s gonna be a good fucking day after all, Havoc.”
As I followed him out to our bikes, I said, “Not really sure why you bothered asking for my help. Seems to me you’ve got a handle on things without me.”
He turned to me with another grin. “Never can be sure when I’ll need help. Besides, you were the one who worked out Davey was stealing from him. That was what saved us, brother.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t need that information, King. Although I’m still not sure why you held back from taking Jackson on yourself. That bullshit about keeping peace on the streets doesn’t even sound like something you’d say.”
“Yeah well, let’s just say that Storm doesn’t need any complications at the moment. Lotta shit going down and we need to keep as many people on our side as possible. You coming back to the clubhouse or are you heading out of Sydney now this shit is dealt with?”
I grinned. “I’ll see you next time I’m in town. I’ve got shit to do now.”
He returned my grin. “You’ve got a woman? That’s the kind of look a man gets on his face when he’s thinking about pussy.”
Reaching my bike, I replied, “Let’s just say that if you call me today, don’t expect an answer.”
He raised his chin at me. “Go and eat, my friend. I’ll see you next time we need you.”
Five minutes later, I was on my way back to the motel. I planned to shut the world out for the next twenty-four hours and have Carla every fucking way possible.
* * *
I stared down at the text that had just hit my phone.
Yvette: Dad’s not doing well. You need to come home ASAP.
Me: Has he had another heart attack?
Yvette: The doctors aren’t sure yet. Come home, Havoc.
Me: I’ll be there.
“Is everything okay?” Carla asked, dragging my attention back to her.
I’d arrived back at the motel three hours ago and my focus had been on her ever since. She’d wanted coffee so I’d headed out to the café to get some and had just returned when the text arrived.
“We’ve gotta go home, darlin’. My dad’s not well.”
She moved off the bed, her beautiful face lined with worry. “What’s wrong with him?”
I passed her the coffee. “It’s his heart. He’s had problems with it for years and may have just had another heart attack.”