Avenged (Angel's Halo MC 7)

“Someone’s in my room,” Raider told him. “Whoever is in there pushed something against the door.”

“Maybe it’s Kelli. Colt is looking for her.”

“Damn it,” Raider sighed heavily. “I guess I’ll let her stay in there for a little longer. Quinn will cut off my balls if I mess with her right now. She told me what happened to Kelli’s mom.”

What happened to Kelli’s mom?

I was clueless as to what was going on outside the bedroom walls that were currently my prison cell. Spider didn’t keep me up to date on what was happening in the rest of the clubhouse, and Raven was so busy she didn’t have time to gossip with me about the affairs of everyone else. And since no one other than Raven and my husband knew about my pregnancy so far, the others assumed I had something contagious and steered clear of my room.

Raider stomped off down the hall, and Raven came back into the bedroom with Spider. “What happened to Kelli’s mom?” I asked them as soon as the door was closed behind them.

Raven glanced at Lexa for a moment before replying. “She passed away yesterday.”

My heart clenched in pain for the other woman as the memory of losing my own mother brought tears to my eyes. Damn it. I had absolutely no control over my own emotions these days, and I hated it.

As it always did, seeing my tears made Spider a little insane. “Babe, what’s wrong?” His voice was like gravel as he sat on the edge of the bed beside me and pulled me into his arms. “Why are you crying?”

“Just thinking of my own mom,” I explained, and his arms tightened around me.

“Babe,” he groaned, kissing my forehead gently. “How are you feeling? Any dizziness?”

“James, I’m fine.” I wiped my damp cheeks on his shirt under his cut. “Please relax. You have other things to worry about without adding me to the list.”

His huge hands cupped each side of my face, making me feel small and cherished. “You’re at the top of my list every day. You and those brats in there need to stay healthy, and then I’ll relax. Deal?”

Even when he was being all pushy and tender, I wanted to roll my eyes at him. Doing so got me a wink from him. Kissing my lips sweetly, he stood. “I’ve got to go out again, baby. If you need anything, tell Raven. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Again? When did you leave the first time?” I pouted.

“Had to go down to Jenks’s office earlier. Brought back a new friend.” Christ, I was missing everything. Now there were strangers in the clubhouse? I didn’t like the idea of that, not after what happened to Tanner and Warden. “Don’t worry, Willa. They won’t be staying long. But I think we can trust these guys.”

Knowing he trusted whoever the newcomers were helped me relax a little. “Just be careful wherever you’re going.” I touched a hand to my stomach. “You got me into this mess, you better stick around and help me out of it.”

The lines around his eyes softened. “I’ll always be beside you, baby.”

Chapter 23

Kelli

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there against the door before my phone started vibrating. It felt like hours had passed since Raider tried to get in. A glance at the clock on my phone’s screen told me it was after eight in the evening, so more than a few hours had gone by.

The number flashing on my screen was familiar to me. Though I was prepared for the backlash of what I’d done earlier, I didn’t know if I was ready to speak to Calvin now. My emotions were too close to the surface. Staying calm and rational wasn’t something I had faith in my ability to accomplish. Not with that man.

Closing my eyes, I swiped my thumb over the screen and lifted it to my

ear, praying for patience and the strength I needed to do this without giving him what he wanted. “What?”

“Come out of your little hiding hole, you fucking whore.”

“You didn’t honestly think I would let you do that to Mom and allow you walk away unscathed, did you?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, wishing for a few Excedrin for the throbbing tension headache that was on its way to turning into a migraine. “You should have just taken me out and never even thought about Mom. The norm for you, you gutless motherfucker.”

“You’ve destroyed everything I’ve worked for my entire life, you little bitch. Everything! I have to resign now. There is no coming back from this.” He sounded menacingly hysterical, and despite everything else swarming around in my head, his distress brought a genuine smile to my lips.

His suffering pleased me to the point that it was almost exhilarating. Almost. I could imagine his gold-digger wife packing her bags even now. On the phone with her divorce attorney, discussing how much alimony she could get now that the world had proof he cheated and their prenuptial agreement was null and void.

“Good. I hope you have plenty of money in all those offshore accounts. Venessa is probably already cleaning out your legit bank accounts. Enjoy the rest of your pathetic new life, Calvin.” I hung up to his cursing violently in my ear.

Seconds later, it rang again. I sent it straight to voice mail, but it only started ringing again. Five more times, I sent it to voice mail. Five more times, he called back. It was easy to see where I got my stubbornness from.