Undeniable (Undeniable, #1)(59)
Danny moved to stand in front of Cage and took a protective stance. “Yeah, Daddy.”
He had to take several deep breaths so he didn’t end up saying something he didn’t mean. Done breathing, he turned and left the room.
? ? ?
Deuce entered the kitchen shortly after I did. He walked right by me without as much as a glance my way and headed for the refrigerator. I bit my tongue. I had been biting my tongue a lot lately, but I couldn’t fathom anything good coming out of a heart-to-heart when he just got into a fight with his kids.
Instead, I tried to think of something to talk to him about and kept coming up empty. I didn’t have a clue what he’d been doing lately—not for work, not with his boys, nothing.
“I got served,” I blurted out.
Empty-handed, he closed the refrigerator and turned around. “What?”
“Served,” I repeated. “Chase wants a paternity test, and he’s court-ordered me to have it done.”
He blinked.
“When did that f*ckin’ * doctor say the conception date was?”
I took a step backward. “Deuce, why are—”
“When, Eva? Fuckin’ when?”
“The end of June,” I whispered. “But it’s not always accurate.”
“Really?” he sneered. “Is it not accurate ’cause it was the beginnin’ of f*ckin’ June when we f*cked?”
I stared up at him, speechless.
“Jumped from my f*ckin’ bed straight into Frankie’s, jumped from Frankie’s right back into mine, and then from mine straight to f*ckin’ Chase’s bed! That f*ckin’ kid could be Frankie’s, couldn’t it?”
“Stop!” I cried. “You know it wasn’t like that! You showed up, and you had Frankie locked up, and I was a wreck, and you were you, and I have never been able to be rational around you. I just wanted to be with you one more time! Chase was a mistake! I was trying to help Frankie, but then I was trying to hurt Frankie, and then I just wanted to hurt myself, and I was so f*cked-up in the head. And I don’t know, Deuce! I just don’t know!”
“No, you never f*ckin’ did know shit, did ya? Didn’t know your old man had cameras in his f*ckin’ stairwell. Didn’t know Frankie wasn’t just crazy but a f*ckin’ homicidal maniac. Didn’t know Chase f*ckin’ loved you, didn’t know he was hole-punchin’ the f*ckin’ condoms so he could knock you up and keep you! Don’t even f*ckin’ know who put that f*ckin’ bastard inside you!”
Chase was what? Oh my God. OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod…
“Yeah,” Deuce sneered. “Now you get it. Now when it’s too f*ckin’ late. That’s his f*ckin’ kid in you, and then he’s gonna play that f*ckin’ card. And I f*ckin’ know you, shit starts to get hard, you get upset, you’re gonna run.”
“Where am I going to run to?” I demanded. “Since you know everything, you tell me where I am going to run to!”
“Back to Daddy,” he said darkly. “Back to the f*ckin’ club. Back to where it’s safe, and you don’t gotta deal with your f*ckin’ life ’cause you got a whole shitload of men who’ll deal with it for ya. And then you can keep tryin’ to save Frankie ’cause that’s all you’ve ever done with yourself, and you don’t have a f*ckin’ clue what to do when you’re not tryin’ to save him. And you and Chase can get back to beatin’ each other senseless, f*ckin’ each other in public and gettin’ off on it, ’cause you both f*ckin’ hate yourselves and your f*cked-up lives.”
I felt my face get hot. I was angry, but I was also embarrassed. Deuce had just aired my dirty laundry in a house with an open floor plan. I had no doubt Danny and Cage had heard everything.
“Shoulda never f*ckin’ laid a hand on you,” he spat.
My heart seized. “What?” I whispered.
“You heard me, bitch. I wish I never f*ckin’ touched you. Never f*ckin’ met you. You’ve done nothin’ but f*ck with my life.”
As if he’d slapped me, I staggered backward, reaching for the countertop to steady myself.
“Deuce,” I whispered. “Please take that back.”
He didn’t. He didn’t say anything at all. Just turned away from me and left.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I stormed into the clubhouse on a mission. Deuce hadn’t been home in over a week. He wouldn’t answer his cell phone, and his boys were covering for him.
I made it to the back hall when Cox was suddenly in front of me, pushing me back.
“I’ll get him for you, babe, just hold tight.”
“Fuck off,” I hissed, shoving him back. “I’m not stupid. I know what he’s doing back there!”
Cox grimaced. “I let you in there, he’ll kill me.”
“Then write out your will because nothing short of a bullet is going to stop me from going in there.”
“Foxy,” he said quietly, “I can’t let you back there.”
I glared up at him. “Are you shitting me?”
“No, babe. He will take my cut if I let you back there.”
“Fine, Cox, you wanna play with me? Things are going pretty good with you and Kami so far, right? Been going back and forth and seeing Devin, getting to know him? Been lying to his mother, telling her you left your wife and all sorts of other bullshit just so you can keep f*cking her, right?”