“What?” I asked.
Slam smirked. “The first time I saw his dick. We were on this cliff. Matteo dared him to jump, naked. So King did it. He dropped his jeans and boxers and took off his shirt like it was nothing. Never ashamed. Never afraid. Jumped right off the cliff into the water. Swam around and then climbed out. Walked right back up the cliff, his dong slapping back and forth like a big clock pendulum.”
Knox laughed. “He’s crazy.”
“Remember when he tripped that cop?” Matteo asked. “Then he convinced the cop that he didn’t do anything? I have no idea how he talked out of half the shit he did. All the time. Running wild. Living free.”
“His brother though…,” Slam said.
“Fuck Tito,” Knox said. “Never good from the day I met him. You’re stronger than that, King. So wake up and take care of business.”
“He beat the shit out of my ex,” I said. “The night he found me. I guess when he got out of prison. My ex hit me.”
“No shit,” Slam said.
“Yeah,” I said. “He took him down… and I…”
Knox slipped an arm around me. “He’ll be good. He’s a fighter. He’s not going to give up. Because of a bullet? Fuck that. It’s going to take more than a bullet to take down the King.”
“The King,” I whispered.
“And you’re his queen,” Matteo said.
“And you’ve got his prince or princess inside you,” Slam said.
I started to cry again. I lowered my head.
Damn you, Kingston. You fucker. You weren’t supposed to do this to me. We were supposed to get out of this town together. You and me riding the open road to wherever. It didn’t matter to me, King. I wanted you and only you. You have to wake up. You have to hold me. You have to take care of me and this baby.
“You fucker,” I whispered.
“What?” Knox asked.
I looked up at Knox. “Nothing. I’m just…”
“Hey!” Matteo yelled. “He moved!”
I looked at the bed.
King’s right hand twitched. I hurried to push by all the huge bikers and race around the bed. I grabbed his hand.
“King,” I said. “I’m right here.”
I felt King’s hand squeeze mine.
“Do that again,” I said. “Right now, King.”
He did it again!
Knox, Slam, and Matteo all cheered.
“Wake up, brother!” Knox said.
Right before our eyes, King came back to us. His eyes fluttered and opened. He looked left, right, left, right again. He stopped and looked at me. He started to smile.
“Holy shit,” Slam said. “Let me go get a doctor.”
Slam and Matteo charged out of the room.
I reached for King’s face. I touched his face. I leaned down to him.
Our eyes were locked.
“Say something,” I whispered. “Please say something.”
His mouth moved. He stretched his jaw. Then he said one word. “Queen…”
I pressed my lips to his. I couldn't help but kiss him.
I broke the kiss to whisper one thing back.
“King…”
That’s what he was.
Me forever his… and he forever my King.
43
(King) *MONTHS LATER*
SLAM KICKED OPENED the door and had a big ass box on his shoulder. “What the hell did she buy?”
“It’s the changing table, bro,” I said. “Go upstairs with it.”
“It’s your kid,” Slam said.
“And you’re the one helping me,” I said.
Behind Slam was Knox.
We finally settled on a house. Well, Linds did. This was her project, not mine. I would give her the world. With her new job she was able to get a mortgage. With my work ethic I had earned enough fast enough to put a nice chunk of payment on the house.
All the jail shit?
It was pretty simple.
The story stuck.
Ted was the guy Uncle Jakey told me to call. The card he gave me. Uncle Jakey bought the damn warehouse as a way to conduct some side business. He set the entire thing up without telling any of us what was going to happen. I was shot for two reasons. First, to clarify the story to keep my ass out of prison and second, to give me punishment for all the dumb shit I did.
I didn’t question a thing because it was all worked out.
Anderson shot me and Ted shot Anderson. Ted had the means to paperwork and some judges to keep things moving. It took all of a month to settle everything. Just like that, I was a free man… mostly. I had a world of shit trouble to deal with but it would pass with time.
Speaking of passing time…
Linds came walking into the house. Her belly was growing, pushing against her shirt. I hugged her, touched her belly, and kissed her.
We were just a couple weeks away of being able to find out what we were having.
“What do you think of your castle?” I asked.
“It’s perfect.”
“Motherfucker!” Slam’s voice bellowed from upstairs. “What the fuck are you doing, Knox? Put the fucking thing down.”
I smiled and cupped my hands over Linds’s belly. “Sorry about that. I’m trying to cover the baby’s ears.”
“And they’re going to help you build the nursery?”
“Yes they are. My best friends and brothers.”
“That’s going to be a nursery laced with cursing, huh?”
“Yeah. But would you want it any other way?” I asked.