Payne (The Soldiers of Wrath MC: Grit Chapter Book 3) Read Free Page B

Clara. I just want to know what’s going on in her head to get up and leave without a fucking word.”
    “It’s Vicky’s way. She doesn’t do things normally.”
    Payne paused, suddenly overcome with loss. She’d been out of his life for too long, and he was struggling to cope. He didn’t want to sleep without her. Life was just … life. He hated it.
    “I’m not going to give up. I love her. Her place is right here, by my side.”
    Clara nodded. “I’ll let her know.”
    There was nothing more he could do, not yet.

5
    V icky stared at the lopsided picture across from her, a Western theme painting on canvas. The place she stayed at was a rent by the week kind of thing. It was outdated, not clean enough for her, but until she knew what she was actually going to do, she had nowhere else to go.
    I can’t run forever.
    That same phrase had been playing over and over again in her head since she had left, but she pushed it back. She didn’t need doubt right now.
    When she left she didn’t know if it was for good, just to clear her head, or if she was trying to figure out if not telling Payne was the best idea.
    Truth was she felt like shit for running out on Payne. He deserved to be a father, to know what was going on. If he said no to this life than she’d have her confirmation. She’d have the proof that he didn’t want her, or this baby.
    She placed her hand on her belly, feeling the world on her shoulders.
    But if I don’t go back, if I don’t tell him what’s going on, I’ll never truly know.
    It shouldn’t have been such a hard decision, but it was. It was so damn hard.
    She looked at the new cell phone she’d purchased earlier, wanting to call him, wanting to hear his voice. She missed him, so damn much, but it was scary. The rejection, the very thought of him turning her away, scared the shit out of her. Clara could have been exaggerating about how Payne was acting, but Vicky didn’t want to tread on that thin line.
    Leaning back on the bed, she stared at the stained celling. She needed to decide what she was going to do. Vicky didn’t want to live with the guilt of just running off and not telling him. She also didn’t want to wonder about the “what if.”

    * * *
    T wo weeks later
    Payne tossed back another shot. It had been two fucking weeks, and although he had men working on finding Vicky, they hadn’t come up with shit. She was hiding, and doing a real good job of it.
    “Give me another,” he barked out to the prospect serving drinks. “And when you’re done go clean out the fucking toilets.” Yeah, he was being an asshole right now, and the kid wasn’t doing shit to deserve it. But Payne was in a shitty mood, pissed off, and was getting drunk. That was not a good combination.
    “Easy, man,” Smalls, one of the patches, said. He asked for a beer and looked at Payne.
    “Fuck off,” Payne said, hearing his voice slur.
    “You’re being a prick.” Smalls kept staring at Payne.
    “What the fuck you looking at?” Payne tossed back the shot.
    “Man, you either need to get your dick wet, or get the stick out of your ass.”
    The only pussy Payne wanted was Vicky’s.
    “I got two sweet honeys waiting for me in my room. We can tag team that shit if you want.”
    Payne shook his head. “Dude, I can’t get hard for any woman that isn’t Vicky.” Yeah, he’d just said that out loud.
    “That right?” Smalls asked.
    Payne didn’t bother answering.
    “Well, if that’s the case you got it bad, and you better get your ass off the barstool and go find your old lady.” Smalls took his beer.
    Yeah, Smalls was right.
    Payne looked at the empty shot glass and knew he needed to get his shit together if he was going to find his woman … his old lady.

6
    F our months later
    Vicky smiled at her elderly patient, not even afraid anymore as the older woman reached out to touch her stomach. It had taken her a long time to get used to people touching her belly. Her nerves were justified.