Chapter 4

King

I never thought Alyssa Bennett would reach out to me.

For her to be that desperate, I guess she finally got tired of her piece-of-s**t husband.

It's been a while since I've driven anything other than my bike, but when she called, I pulled my truck from its resting place in the garage.

Now, I park behind the red car on the side of the road, the sun starting to dip behind the horizon.

I watch as Alyssa jumps out of the driver’s seat and rushes to the rear.

First, she grabs a diaper bag.

Then—a car seat.

I squint, making sure I’m seeing this right.

Yeah.

It's a f*****g car seat.

Stepping out of my truck, I walk over, offering to grab her bag. She ignores me, securing the car seat into my backseat with the practiced ease of someone who’s done this a million times before.

I didn't know what to expect when she called me. But a real baby—dressed in a pink onesie and making weird little noises—wasn't it.

Maybe she’s babysitting this kid or something, I wonder silently.

It's been three years since I last saw Alyssa, and she's changed.

I'm not sure if it's for the better or worse.

She looks worn the f**k out—like she's been fighting for her life.

And I have a gut feeling she has been.

She's wearing a black hoodie and jeans, her dark curls pulled into a messy bun, strands escaping to frame her face. Dark circles linger beneath her hazel eyes.

And if I weren’t the observant son of a b***h I am, I wouldn’t have noticed the poorly concealed bruises on her cheeks—makeup barely covering the purple blotches underneath.

The sight boils my blood.

I shouldn’t have listened to Gray.

We could’ve saved her a long time ago.

I don’t give a f**k if she didn’t come willingly—I would’ve killed that motherfucker and brought her back home.

Alyssa jumps into the front seat and quickly buckles herself in. Her knee bounces nervously, and she gnaws on her lip as I climb back into my seat.

"Can we leave already?" she asks, her voice tight with tension.

I eye her car one more time.

"Any reason we're abandoning your car on the side of the road?" I ask, arching a brow.

If I push just enough, will she be honest about what the f**k is going on?

I mean, we could always make a pit stop by her house and deal with the problem.

Been a few days since I've had my fill of violence anyway.

"It's dead," she answers, but there's a hint of anxiety in her tone that I don't miss.

"I’ve got some jumper cables in the back-”

"The engine is dead, not the battery," she interrupts, her words rushed.

Yeah, she's lying her ass off.

"Want me to call a tow truck?" I ask, watching her carefully.

"N-No, it's okay. Isaac says he’ll pick it up when he gets back home," she stammers.

"Wanna call him and make sure?"

"No.”

Her desperation is becoming obvious now, but she’s trying to keep her calm demeanor.

I smirk at the effort.

"Have somewhere to be, Kitten?"

She doesn't answer, just looks at me with those pleading hazel eyes.

Usually, I’d milk this moment for all it’s worth—I’ve always enjoyed f*****g with her—but I’ll save it for later.

When she’s safely in my home.

Pulling back onto the highway, I glance at her before my eyes flick to the car seat in the back.

I clear my throat. "So, who's the kid?"

"Zuri," she murmurs.

"And she's-"

"My daughter."

Interesting.

I don't recall Gray ever mentioning she had a kid.

Actually, I don’t think he’s spoken to her in months. Even before that, they barely talked—once a month, maybe, and she was always ready to get off the phone after five minutes.

Gray, you dumb f**k.

That should've been the biggest f*****g red flag he needed right there.

"How old is she?"

"Seven months."

I hate little crotch goblins—never imagined myself having one—but jealousy and anger still boil under the surface.

Isaac Carter was the first man to f**k her, to breed her.

Lucky motherfucker.

That was supposed to be me.

But Niko and I made a pact years ago: since we both liked her, neither of us could have her.

"She looks like you. Got your curls."

Alyssa smiles weakly. "Yeah, she does."

As we drive, I notice how her eyes keep flickering to the side mirrors, scanning for any signs of her husband following us.

The tension in her shoulders eases slightly the farther we get from her abandoned car.

Finally, she shifts her gaze to me—where it belongs.

"So, where's Gray? I'm surprised he hasn't called me back yet."

I grunt. "Haven't seen him much lately. But you know how it is with the club—always something going on. I'm sure he'll call you back soon."

Right now, my brother has his own s**t going on. But when he texts me to go handle someone, I do it without question.

That's my job, and I enjoy the f**k out of it.

Alyssa snorts. "I think you mispronounced 'gang'. Let's be for real, it's a gang."

I pick up on the disdain in her tone, but she has no f*****g idea why we do what we do.

Gray wanted to keep her a clueless little kitten.

And I never had the time or f*****g energy to argue with him about it.

Until now.

As a matter of fact, I think the topic will be coming up real soon.

"Can we actually stop at Target really quick? I need a few things," Alyssa asks, that nervousness creeping back into her voice.

"Sure."

I pull into the nearest Target, parking halfway down the lot since it's always so goddamn packed.

Alyssa quickly hops out, but before she can close the door, I call out, "I think you forgot something."

She furrows her brows. "What?"

I point to the car seat, my gut twisting with unease.

"You're leaving the kid here?"

"Yeah, Zuri's asleep.”

I stare at her.

“You’re really leaving the kid here?”

"I'll be quick. You'd be surprised how long she can sleep through things.”

I watch as she rushes inside, leaving me alone with the crotch goblin I have no f*****g idea what to do with.

Barely five minutes pass before Zuri starts crying.

f**k.

Maybe she’ll cry herself back to sleep.

But the cries quickly become louder, more demanding.

Goddammit. Fine.

I reach into the back, struggling with the straps before awkwardly pulling her out.

The moment she’s in my arms, she stops crying.

God, I hate this.

Why didn't she just take her with her?

I glance down at the kid. Hazel eyes. Same as Alyssa’s.

Unfortunately, there’s some of Isaac's DNA mixed in there too.

Her tiny fingers grab my shirt, and I feel a pang of something in my chest.

Maybe it's that big ass burger I ate earlier clogging my arteries.

Whatever it is, I shove it right the f**k down and scan the lot for any immediate danger.

A coo grabs my attention again, and I frown down at her. "Look, kid. We can be cool, but don't get in my way. Me and your mother have unfinished business to take care of tonight.”

She babbles.

"Good. Glad we understand each other."