Misalliance (Death Dwellers MC #4.5) (2 page)

Unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket, he flung it over the back of his desk chair. She’d moved to the bed and sat. Her head hung. Loose strands of her pinned-up red hair slipped just past her shoulders. Once, it had been a gorgeous, cascade of fire, before Spoon had cut it off, to humiliate her during the torture he inflicted on her.

Rage and resentment slid into Johnnie. He should’ve kept Spoon alive for a year or two, to terrorize him. His death had been too quick, his injuries too ordinary.

However, Kendall…

Johnnie had sworn to Kendall that Spoon would be taken care of within a day after he’d kidnapped her and taken her to his house in Long Beach. Yes, Johnnie had given her a timeframe that he hadn’t kept. Twenty-four hours had turned into another and another and another. So much shit had come up. Her discovery of her sister’s suicide, K-P’s death, and Johnnie’s shooting. Christopher’s house being blown up.

The war Kendall had waged with Megan from the moment they’d met.

Weeks later, on the day Spoon’s clubhouse had finally been blown up, Kendall had played right the fuck into the man’s hands and
went
in search of a bullshit flash drive.

Why couldn’t she have believed in him? The club whores under the Dwellers’ protection had more faith in him, than Kendall ever had.

Worse, he could
talk
to any of them, instead of bottling this shit up, because he feared Kendall’s reactions. Jealousy over Megan. Accusations of desertion and a lack of compassion.

She pushed hair behind her ear, drawing his attention. He still found her to be one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Red splotches of distress marred her creamy, freckle-less skin. She wore an ankle-length burgundy colored dress that only added to her mystery and allure. Her pregnancy made her look ripe and sexy, though he could never express the thought. Not with her self-image issues.

She scraped her fingers over her head.

“Your hair grows fast,” he murmured before he could stop himself.

She glanced up. His head hurt at seeing her tear-stained face, and reddened nose and eyes. Sniffling, she nodded. “What about the baby?” she whispered, not commenting on his observation, still too focused on their relationship.

Clenching his jaw, he shrugged in a display of nonchalance, when, in reality, he couldn’t wait to meet their child. “I’ll always be its father.”

Covering her face, she released another sob. Without being told, he knew his words devastated her. He sighed, his anger wavering, for the moment. “Christopher gave me your address, phone number, everything. He even had a false marriage certificate, so I could keep tabs on your progress. I was more than willing to use it and fight to get you back. I spoke to your doctor once.” He gave her a half-smile. “Did he ever tell you? Probably not,” he said before she responded. “His words were, ‘
Brooks warned me you’d try something underhanded, but, let me tell you, Mr. Donovan, she’s better off without you. She walked away from you for a reason. If you love her, don’t pressure her into reconciliation
.”

He glared at her, searching for the blazing fury inside of himself, that he’d lived with for so many months. Not wanting to give an inch, he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You knew I’d look for you and I’d be desperate to get you back. But you had your escape well planned.”

She’d gone pale and hatred seethed in him. If only he knew who he hated more at the moment. Her or himself.

They stared at each other for the longest time.

She broke first and whispered, “What are you talking about?”

“You told Brooks that bullshit and Stanton was only too fucking glad to repeat it to me,” he snarled with a bitter scowl.

“I didn’t,” she cried. “I swear. I didn’t know you’d called.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“I’ve never lied to you,” she said around sobs, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes of the tears overflowing from them.

Johnnie paused at her words, then shook himself. “I loved you enough, at the time, to follow that motherfucker’s orders,” he spat, his anger increasing at the depths of his belief for her words. She hadn’t ever lied to him. She just hadn’t believed in him. “The more I thought about it, the more fucked off I became. How the fuck he knew if I was better off without you, unless
you
said it?”
“Oh God!” she cried, her features lined with so much pain and horror that Johnnie growled and turned away from her for a moment to regain his composure.

He fucking
hated
seeing her so devastated.

His nostrils flared. “I’d intended to confront Christopher and demand to know why he’d send me after you when you didn’t want to fucking see me.”

She drew in deep breaths. Johnnie knew it was to calm herself. This was a technique she’d adopted months ago. He’d always taken her in his arms and held her tightly, reassuring her that he was right there for her. He’d whisper to her until she found a semblance of peace again.

Now, he wanted to hug her and love her. But he also wanted to shake the fuck out of her. Near or far, she tormented him.

“I didn’t tell Brooks
or
Stanton to say any of that to you,” she swore in a desperate, tear-thickened voice. “Even if I had, how would Christopher know that?”

“
Christopher
got Riley to find you,” he shouted. “He had all the bullshit I needed to be your “husband”.” He used air quotations to emphasize his point. “I know Riley’s MO. He must’ve kept tabs on you for a few days before he reported to Christopher.”

Christopher was fucking ruthless. If only Kendall knew exactly who the fuck Stanton was, she’d be crushed. After talking to Brooks, Johnnie knew the man hadn’t meant for things to go down as he had. Once Johnnie got the full story, Brooks had been caught between Christopher’s
and
Johnnie’s promises. Where Christopher would’ve fucked him up quickly, Johnnie would’ve tortured the fuck out of Brooks first.

So while Christopher had paid off Brooks, who in turned had paid off his fucking brother-in-law—Dr. fucking Stanton—to find out shit about Kendall, Johnnie had sworn a brutal death to Brooks if he released one more tidbit about Kendall to Riley.

Once Johnnie described to Brooks exactly how he intended to torture and kill him, Kendall’s records were sealed to Riley, and, thus, Christopher. It just boded ill for Brooks that Christopher had already given Kendall’s information to Johnnie. If he’d confronted Christopher and accused him of sending Johnnie after Kendall to separate them once and for all, Brooks still would’ve been a dead man.

“Before I confronted Christopher about what I believed were his motives, I went to Brooks first. Turns out, Brooks did tell his friend that, but he didn’t think Christopher would get involved, and search for you or get illegal documents on my behalf. Imagine what would’ve happened had I confronted my brother? He would’ve killed Brooks.”

She blinked and some of her sadness cleared away. “Christopher searched for me?”

Cocking his head to the side, Johnnie studied her a moment, then lifted a brow, curious at her breathless surprise.

Sniffling again, she flushed and averted her gaze.

“Not for the reasons you’re thinking.”

“What would that be?”

Deciding to sit next to her, he thumbed the wetness on her cheeks. Her skin was as soft as he remembered, her scent as addictive as ever. Of all the scenarios he’d anticipated, it wasn’t Kendall’s attraction to Christopher. He gave her a thin smile. “You think he looked for you to fuck you.”

She averted her eyes. “I do not.”

“The very least you can be is honest,” he told her tiredly. “What happened between the two of you in Hawaii? When I got there…” His voice trailed off.

“What do you mean?” Discomfort settled into her features and she squirmed. “You think Christopher hit on me?”

“I know he took a bullet for you.”

“Yes,” she answered carefully. “He saved my life.”

“He did. But he also despises you. Just how deeply his hatred goes only dawned on me after you walked away. Until then…I hoped he’d overcome his dislike someday. After Hawaii, I noticed something different. As if he wouldn’t tolerate you, not even for me, although he said he would. So what happened? What did you do?”

Her eyes narrowed and she bristled. “What makes you think I did anything? He fucks everything he sees, so how am I suddenly to blame if something, in fact, happened between us?”

Her words underscored one of their biggest problems—an inability to openly communicate. Based on her reactions, there was sexual tension towards Christopher from Kendall.

She needed to talk to Johnnie, not hesitate to share anything or everything. Maybe, though, she argued every point because of her profession. He grinned at her. “Defense Attorney Miller.”

The annoyance creasing her brow smoothed into pleasure. She offered him a shy smile, although she still looked so sad. Then, again, he couldn’t remember a time when he’d made her truly happy. No matter how he tried, she’d found fault.

“Why would he search for me after I left?”

“To kill you.” Christopher hadn’t said that and, at the time, Johnnie had been too relieved to dwell on just why Christopher would have Riley, the PI on the club’s payroll search for Kendall. As the days went on, though, it came to Johnnie because he knew his brother so well.

Kendall had dropped completely out of sight and it would’ve been the perfect time to get rid of the woman he held solely responsible for Megan losing their son, Patrick. Johnnie knew, too, Megan had stayed his hand. Perhaps not in reality, although Johnnie couldn’t be certain. Christopher didn’t hide much from Megan, who expected better of Christopher, than to kill just for the hell of it.

It didn’t matter if the thought of her disapproval, or her actual disapproval, kept Christopher from his plans. Megan was still responsible because of how much he loved her.

“Have you ever been in love, Kendall?”

She blinked at his question, as surprised seemingly as him that he’d asked it. But he’d never known the answer. They’d never taken the time to really get to know each other, when they’d had a chance. The club had been going wild with Logan’s reappearance and Christopher’s marriage.

“With you.”

“Besides me? Before me,” he clarified and scowled at her smirk.

“Suppose it’s been since you?” she goaded.

Suppose it had been? “I’d be pissed the fuck off,” he told her.

She licked her lips and beamed a smile at him. Despite the red splotches and the lingering tears, her face lit up. “Then you do still care.”

“You walked away from me. You severed all ties with me,” he reminded her again. “If you’ve fallen in love while you’re still carrying my child, then your reasons for walking away went deeper than getting yourself together, as you claimed.”

“The answer is no to both questions. I’ve only ever loved you.” She shifted and straightened her back, grunting, starting to scoot back then thinking better of it. “What does that have to do with anything?”

He swept her with a look, noticing her stiff posture. With the little person she carried inside her, she needed to be in a more comfortable position. “Is your back hurting?”

“Yes. So are my feet and ankles.”

“You shouldn’t have worn heels.” He got to his feet again, then kneeled down and removed her shoes. He massaged each foot and she wiggled her toes.

“Curl up and rest, Kendall.”

“Okay,” she responded with a contented sigh.

Too contented.

Fuck him.

He shot to his feet.

No, fuck
her
.

He stiffened. “I need to get to the reception. I have a date waiting for me.”

Her eyes widened and whatever sparkle that had lit in them in the last few minutes flickered out.

“A date? Or someone you’ve been dating?”

Once again, he wavered at the hurt and defeat returning to her face, but he steeled his resolve and shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“I propositioned Christopher,” she blurted. “In Hawaii, I wanted to have sex with him.”

Be careful what you wish for, fuckhead
.

He’d wanted brutal honesty from her and she’d given it to him.

To do something with his hands instead of ramming his fists through the wall, he grabbed his tuxedo jacket and put it on again. Before he did something fucking stupid, he needed to get the fuck away.

“Are you attracted to him?” he asked. As much as he hated to hear her confession, it didn’t really surprise him. It did make him happy to have it out in the open, and even happier she’d admitted the truth.

She must’ve seen his displeasure, so she attempted to turn the tables around. “Aren’t you attracted to Meggie?”

“At one time,” he gritted without hesitation, not bringing up the fact that his fascination had gone deeper than that. It irritated the fuck out of him she remained fixated on him and Megan, when they needed to work on their issues. “Now, we’re friends, Kendall,” he repeated for the millionth time.