The Biker's Baby (Royal Bastards MC: Charleston, WV 10)

“Karma, hey.” A hand jiggles my shoulder.

I mumble and lift my head up off the bar, drool crusted to the side of my face. I lick my chapped lips and sit up fully, rubbing my eyes. I blink a few times as Rosie comes into view. “Bender time is over. You need to get a shower. You smell awful and I need to get the bar open. Go on upstairs to the apartment. There’s a change of clothes on the bed for you.”

I stumble off the stool as my temples pound with the world’s worst migraine.

“Shit, woman.” Her gaze moves over me. “What the hell happened to you?”

I shrug but tell her about Gia and Archer. I leave out the bits about Carlos.

“Fucking for real? Did you leave them breathing?”

“Yeah. Fuck, Archer. I don’t give a shit really. Gia did me a favor.” And I realize it’s true. I’m still pissed about the Carlos shit, but Gia and Archer can have each other. Its whatever. I wasn’t exactly in love with the guy and he sure as hell has no love for me.

I do need to grab my shit from his house though. My favorite jeans are there.

“Good way to look at it.”

“I’m gonna grab a shower then I need to get my shit from Archer’s if he didn’t trash it.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“Don’t you have to open?”

“This takes priority. Mona will understand.”

“Cool. I won’t be long.” I hit the stairs to the upstairs apartment. No one stays here permanently it’s more of a crash pad for when one of us need it. The first thing I do is rip open a new toothbrush and scrub my teeth and tongue. After I do my business and grab a quick shower. I can wash my hair later, but I need to wash away all the ickiness of the past twenty-four hours. If only I could scrub the memory from my brain.

I gotta hand it to Rosie. She did me good. I swallow down the pain relievers with the bottled water she left next to my clothes. I tear the tags off the underwear and get dressed in the jeans and faded out Rolling Stones tee. Within minutes we ride out back to Archer’s. His truck is still in the driveway, none of the mess cleaned up from this morning.

“Damn. Is this your work?” Rosie stares at the truck as the glass crunches under our boots.

“I’ve got a temper.” I shrug.

I knock on the front door, and it swings open as if it wasn’t shut completely. I expect Archer’s angry face to appear but there’s no one waiting to tell me to go fuck myself.

“Archer. I just came to grab my shit then I’ll be out of your life,” I announce and step into the living room. Rosie enters behind me.

“Bitch, did you blow a hole through the Tv too?”

I turn at her question to the television under her scrutiny and stare at the shotgun sized whole in the middle of the screen but not only that the blood splattered on the wall. “That wasn’t me.”

“I think we need to get the fuck outta here and come back or better yet just tell Archer to drop your stuff when he comes in for his next shift.”

“I just have a few things. It won’t take me but a minute to grab what I need.” I start down the hallway then stop at the blood streaked down the walls along the length of the hallway. I gulp and know I should call the cops, but I know there’s drugs in the house and as mad as I am I don’t want to get Archer into some shit after what I’ve already been through to get his neck off the chopping block.

“Karma, girl. Please. I am begging. Let’s get the hell out of here. Something is bad wrong. What if there’s a killer in the house? Don’t you watch scary movies?”

“Just a second,” I hiss, edging closer to the bedroom, careful not to touch anything. Not that it would matter. My DNA is all over the house. “Archer. Gia,” I whisper shout but get no response.

I use my foot to push the bedroom door open, but it is hitting something. Fuck. I squeeze through the opening and that’s when I spot her. Gia sprawled on the floor face down partially in the bathroom with a knife in her lower back. It’s her legs the door was hitting.

Bile hits the back of my throat. Rosie taps my shoulder and I jump.

“God damn it, Rosie.”

“Sorry. You think they’re both dead?”

I look to the other side of the room where I observe Archer’s nearly headless body. His head has been blown almost completely off.

“Holy shit. Holy shit.” Rosie clutches my hand. “Who the fuck would do this?”

“I don’t know,” I tell her, but I have an inkling. I also don’t have an alibi unless Carlos wants to be generous. “I’ve gotta get out of here.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“No. I need to leave town. Who do you think will be suspect number one?”

“Shit. Mona is gonna freak.”

“Fuck Mona. I’m freaking out here. Carlos Sanchez wants me to be his mistress. Archer traded me as payment to a debt and Mona is stealing from him.”

“I knew that bitch was doing something shady. What a slimeball.”

I nod, not knowing if she means Archer or Carlos.

“You’re right. You gotta get gone. Go. I’ll call it in. Tell them I came by to ask if Archer could open the bar with me. Shit.” She swipes the tear that’s running down her face away.

“I owe you.”

She nods. “Don’t call me. If I don’t know where you are I can’t tell anyone anything. Not even Mona.” I give her a quick hug, trying not to cry. I know what this is costing her. Rosie is Mona’s half-sister. To keep a secret this big from her…Mona will kill her if she finds out.

I leave Rosie standing in the middle of a crime scene.

I climb on my sportster and ride out, not stopping until I am forced to for gas. I pay cash for everything, hoping I’m not on camera. Fuck my life.

Carlos did this as a way to make sure I don’t go back on our deal. After pumping my gas, I dial my brother from my burner phone I grabbed, hoping he’s not off on a run for the Royal Bastards.

“Yo.”