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Chapter 1
Eve
“I never intended for any of this to happen. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well. I had nothing but good intentions, and I'm in hell right now, torn between an angel and a devil. And I hardly know which is which anymore. All I know is that I've been given a second chance, a chance to have everything I want, or at least everything I wanted. I have a chance to turn back the clock. All I have to do is take the advice I should’ve taken in the beginning of this whole mess. Well, you remember, I was here talking to you…”
It all started when I was late, really late, like I don't know how I missed that I was late last month, late. But my periods came like the wind. They were never regular. The fact had never mattered before in my life, in all my twenty-one years, not before I met Hallow and lost my virginity to the bastard.
I was allowed to call him that because technically he was a bastard, a member of the Royal Bastards MC, a biker club in Nashville, Tennessee. I tried not to think about how my deflowering happened, under threat of the biker’s President. That fact hadn’t bothered me at the time because I’d wanted Hallow so desperately. Come to think of it, any dick for that matter.
And I’d boned him habitually since.
Therefore, in all actuality I was on my second month of being late.
I was over the fucking moon.
Like I mentioned, Hallow and I had been at it like rabbits. We were already engaged, planning a wedding even though he had wanted to tie the knot right away. I wanted to wait. I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to have the wedding of my dreams. That took planning. I never planned on being pregnant during it.
I asked my best friend, Donette, “What do you think? You think I should tell him?”
Donette didn’t answer since she was six feet under. Sitting by her gravestone in the lush greenness of Spring Hills Cemetery, a breeze tousled my hair, reminding me I survived what Donette did not.
I went on, “I know you really shouldn't tell anybody until you’ve given it some time. I’d hate for it not to stick. Will I be jinxing myself?”
Staring at the sky, I could only imagine what Donette would say. I was sure she’d tell me to wait to tell Hallow I was pregnant. If I actually was. She’d tell me to take a goddamn test already. And to not get my hopes up. That was something I didn’t want to hear, Donette’s specialty, telling me the truth. And, she’d be correct, as always. I shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch.
Most importantly, my best friend would be happy for me because I was finally living life. I’d made her that promise as she was put in this very ground. I’d always live to the fullest for her sake.
Sadness overtook me. I cried for a moment over the life Donette didn't get to live. As I arranged the fresh flowers I’d brought for her grave, I let her know, “I’ve been doing it, singing at Royal Road. Not all the way, but I’m working on it. For you.” I’d promised her that too, that I would no longer be a chicken shit, as she would call me, when it came to singing for a crowd.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” I chirped as I got up and dusted off my pants. “Dylan’s in jail. Drugs, I’ve heard.” I snickered about her ex. “From whom? You won’t believe it, but his brother’s a prospect with the Royal Bastards MC named Bull. Dylan wanted to prospect, too, but next thing I heard he was in jail. You really dodged a bullet,” I added and instantly cried again because Donette had been shot.
I smiled sideways too. Donette would get a kick out of me sticking my foot in my mouth.
In tears, I hurried back to Fran’s orange, El Camino. With Gran gone to the nursing home back in Flippin, Arkansas, I should’ve thought of the car as mine already, but I didn’t. And I’d much rather be on the back of Hallow’s Harley. As it was, I had an appointment at Royal Road.
The President of the Royal Bastards MC was bound and determined to help me earn my keep. In this world of bikers and outlaws and all manner of bad men, Kingpin was king. Though I had intimate knowledge that our Prez was the lesser of evils when it came to bad men in Nashville, like the men who killed my friend. Therefore, when Kingpin insisted I sing at Royal Road, that he could help me get over my stage fright, I felt obliged to agree.
Furthermore, I was keeping my promise to Donette.
Since Hallow had healed from the gunshot wounds that saved my life, my man, my biker was busy earning his keep. A paycheck with the Royal Bastards MC meant he was often gone on a run for the club. His absence left me with nothing but time on my hands. Originally, I'd come to Nashville from Arkansas to be a singer. Hit it big. Singing at the Honky Tonks on Broadway felt out of the question now. Especially since Noah Fond, the man who was responsible for not only Donette’s death, but my old boss and others, basically ran Broadway. When the Royal Bastards bested him, he put a target on my back. Not to mention the Asphalt Gods thought I was a trader now. The only safe choice was for me to sing at Royal Road.
Hallow had said so himself.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad choice. The biker’s life centered around this club, after all, and I agreed to be his wife. Though most of the Ol’ Ladies steered clear of Royal Road, preferring the Eagles’ Nest, where all the families stayed, settled safely away from trouble. But I made the best of it. I even tolerated Kingpin and his training.
Amazingly enough, his unorthodox methods were working. I sang more at Royal Road than I ever did at Bootsies. There was just something about the biker president that pissed me off to no end. I wasn't about to let him see me fail.
As usual, when I made it to the clubhouse, I avoided the first building that held the main attractions, the casino, stage, and bar. It was way too early for anyone to be there, anyhow. I strolled past the pile of ash that used to occupy Hallow’s time only a week ago. Construction on the arena would begin soon, I knew from overhearing Kingpin’s conversations. When it was up and running, Hallow could fight again, and I’d see more of him. That gave me some comfort as I missed him terribly.
Meeting Kingpin over at the Big House, the name of his grandiose private estate at Royal Road, I had a key to let myself in. Unlocking the door, I went straight for the staircase. Downstairs was set up like a hotel with an indoor pool, hot tub, and bar. To me it might as well have been a seedy bathhouse. I’d never partake in the biker’s parties, not in a month of Sundays. Not even if Hallow begged me.
I’d been to one of their orgies and that was enough.
Speaking of orgies, waving, I smiled a greeting to Kingpin’s two women who were coming down the steps. Two yawning zombies, Memphis and Junebug trudged down the stairs, practically ignoring my presence as usual. It’s not just that the whores didn’t like me, my coming over was second hat. They were all too used to seeing me bright and early. Not to mention upset at having to be long gone at this hour as Kingpin demanded.
As to why I wasn’t their favorite, I glanced at the very reasonable engagement ring on my finger. I was practically Hallow’s Ol’ Lady. And Ol’ Ladies didn’t come to Royal Road, heaven forbid. Not as often as I did. They came for scheduled events, but they didn’t work there. They wouldn’t be caught dead performing as I did, alongside the strippers. The lot that married into this bunch of bikers had too much pride for that. The women at the Eagles' Nest thought they were tough and righteous, but most of them were kept women in my eyes. Mostly kept away from Royal Road. Never planning to be a kept woman, I intended to contribute to my marriage.
Junebug didn’t want things to change around Royal Road, ever, so my presence at the Big House jarred her. Memphis managed the sweetbutts, so didn’t know how to treat the likes of me, someone who wasn’t a whore for all the biker’s pleasure. A woman valued by a member, by the president. A woman at Royal Road who had to be respected. One she couldn’t rule around the clubhouse on a daily basis.
