Bronze (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 5)

by Teagan Brooks

  He shook his head. “We’ll have to pass. We haven’t had a chance to go swimming before now, so I haven’t gotten her a swim diaper yet.”

  “Does she need one? I mean, a little bit of baby pee in this giant pool isn’t going to bother me,” I told him and lowered my voice. “Do you think she’s gonna poop anytime soon?”

  He chuckled. “If I knew when that was going to happen, I would’ve saved myself a shitload of trouble, literally.”

  “Seriously, get in. The water feels great. I’ll be right back,” I said and hoisted myself out of the pool on the side near the pool house. A few minutes later, I returned with a float my mother bought for one of my baby cousins a few years ago. “Do you think she would like this?”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” With that, he stripped down to his boxer-briefs and proceeded to undress Blue. “I just put a clean diaper on her, so she should be good for a little while.”

  He carried her into the pool slowly, dipping her feet in first to see how she responded. “She loves bath time, so I doubt this will be any different.”

  He was right. Blue loved the water. Once he got her situated in the float, she flashed us a big, gummy grin. Every once in a while, she would randomly smack both hands on top of the water and laugh when she made it splash.

  At some point, while I was pushing her float around the pool and watching her enjoy herself, Bronze moved behind me and slipped his arm around my waist. “You’re good with babies,” he rumbled.

  “Thanks,” I squeaked and cleared my throat. “I love kids. I want to have a houseful someday,” I told him, not realizing I was nonchalantly sharing my future hopes and dreams with him.

  “I knew I wanted to have kids one day, but never gave it much thought until Blue was born.” He snorted. “I still haven’t given it much thought, but right now, I’m focusing on the one I’ve got.”

  “You’ve got a good one,” I said wistfully.

  “That I do,” he agreed and kissed my cheek.

  24

  Since Sloane previously agreed to skip the events for the first two days of the convention, we planned to load up and drive to the “undisclosed” location where Tatum made arrangements for us to stay. Even though Tatum forbade it, I debated on telling Sloane we were headed to Croftridge anyway. Because I knew she would be pissed if she didn’t have time to adequately make herself a nervous wreck and change clothes fifteen times before she met the rest of my family. I understood it was how she dealt with her nerves because my mom was the same way anytime she was meeting a group of new people.

  While I trusted Sloane, and I knew Sloane trusted Frankie, I didn’t know Frankie well enough to trust her; therefore, I couldn’t risk putting us all in danger if it turned out Frankie wasn’t trustworthy or sucked at keeping secrets. However, in the best interest of my own ass, I found a way to skirt the rules.

  “When you’re packing and getting ready to leave, pretend like it’s the first time I brought you to the clubhouse for the cookout.”

  She whirled around with a look of confusion on her face. “What? Why would I do that?”

  “Trust me, Sweet Sloane,” I said cryptically and covered her lips with mine before she could argue. “I’ll be back in a few hours to pick up you and Frankie.”

  “And Brat,” she helpfully reminded me.

  I rolled my eyes. “How could I forget?”

  “Please be careful,” she said, ignoring my disdain for the swine. And then she stole my heart when she smoothed her hand over Blue’s hair and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’ll miss you, but I’ll see you soon, Baby Blue.”

  With a soft smile, she closed the door and returned to my window, trying and failing to stealthily blink away the tears in her eyes. Like the smart man I was, I dutifully ignored them and kissed her goodbye.

  While I drove to meet Copper and Layla halfway between Cherryfield and Devil Springs with Blue, Sloane and Frankie finished packing for the trip. When I returned a few hours later, we loaded up and headed to Croftridge.

  “Why won’t you tell us where we’re going?” she asked. Again. “You obviously know.”

  Frankie sighed. “It’s because he doesn’t trust me. He doesn’t want to upset you by telling you that, so he’s been hemming and hawing trying to keep the peace. Am I right?”

  “So right it almost hurts,” I acknowledged.

  Sloane gasped and playfully slapped my arm. “Are you serious? If Frankie wasn’t trustworthy, we’d know by now. Because we all know that Tatum ran a background check on her that’s more invasive than a colonoscopy.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I never thought Frankie was a bad person. If I did, I wouldn’t have had my kid around her. But,” I paused and cringed, hoping she would understand, “Some people aren’t very good at keeping secrets, and I didn’t know if Frankie was one of them. It would only take a small slip of the tongue to put both of you in danger,” I explained.

  “For the record,” Frankie interjected, “I agree with him. He doesn’t know me and shouldn’t trust me just because you do.”

  “Fine,” she huffed. “I get that, but why can’t you tell me now? There’s no way for her to tell anyone.”

  “You’re kind of a bra—”

  “Don’t say it!” Frankie shouted, cutting me off. “You have got to pick a new word. Any word, but that word. Or any word that includes that word.”

  “What word?” I teased.

  “Br—” Sloane started.

  “Damn it,” Frankie cursed.

  “This wouldn’t happen if you would’ve named him Nacho,” Sloane teased.

  “You didn’t win the bet, so you didn’t get to choose the name,” Frankie snapped.

  “Ladies,” I shouted to get their attention. “We’re here. Finish your argument before you get out, would ya?” I said and didn’t bother to hide my sarcasm as I got out and closed the door.

  “They ain’t gonna do that shit the whole time they’re here, are they?” Ranger asked from his perch on his front porch.

  “No, they usually behave in front of company,” I joked and moved to shake his hand. “Thanks for letting us crash here.”

  He clasped my hand in his and pulled me in for a hug. “No need to thank me. Aside from the club, you pissed on me the day you were born. That makes us family in my book.”

  The sound of two car doors opening and closing had me glancing over my shoulder with a grin. Sloane was making her way toward us while Frankie was rounding the back. I cleared my throat and asked, “Tatum did mention Frankie was bringing her pet, right?”

  “She said two pretty ladies and a fat pig,” he said and paused as it sank in. “Motherfucker! I knew something was off. She never talks about people like that. Damn it! Well, that thing ain’t staying in my house.”

  “Loooook at the cute little piggy!” Gabby squealed as she darted across the yard to the pig leashed and harnessed by Frankie’s side. “Can I touch it?” she giggled and excitedly bounced on her feet.

  “Does it bite?” Ranger asked.

  “No,” Frankie replied confidently. “He never has, and it would be a shock to me if he ever did.”

  “Can I touch his nose? Pleeeeaaasssse,” she begged. “It looks so cute and squishy.”

  “How about we let Frankie get him inside and settled into his new home away from home? Then, after he’s had some time to rest and something to eat, we can introduce you properly,” Ranger replied.

  “Come with me. I’ll show you where your room is, and then I’ll make a special bed for the prince piggy for his royal slumber. I’ll bring my princess blanket too. Can I sleep with, um, what’s his name?”

  “Bratwurst, but we call him Brat.”

  “Oh, I’m not supposed to say that word. Can I just call him Prince Piggy?”

  “You can say that word if you’re saying the pig’s name,” Ranger told her.

  “Okay, Papa, I promise to only call the pig a brat.”

  Ranger slapped his hand
over his face. “Fuck,” he grumbled. “Keegan just got her to stop asking for a pet pig a month or two ago. I’m sending her to you when she’s looking for someone to yell at.”

  “Trust me,” Frankie said and lowered her voice. “She won’t want a pet pig after spending a little time with this one. Go ahead and let her have a sleepover with the prince. Just make sure whatever she uses to make the bed is something you don’t care about getting back.”

  Ranger opened his mouth like he was going to tell Frankie and her pig to take a hike, but he paused and cocked his head to the side. “I think I see where you’re going with this. I’ll allow it. But I draw the line at shitting in the house.”

  “He’s litter box trained. Does that count?”

  “That pig is litter box trained? You serious?” he asked and started to laugh.

  “He is. And if you want to hang around his crate after he eats, you’ll get a free demonstration.”

  Ranger wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  With that, Gabby led Frankie and Brat to their guest room, while Ranger showed Sloane and I to ours. “You gonna introduce me to your woman, or were you trying to be an asshole on purpose?”

  “Fuck,” I cursed. “Ranger, this is Sloane O’Shea. Sloane, this is Ranger. He was the youngest of the original club members when my grandfather started the club.”

  “And still the best looking one in the whole bunch,” he said with a wide, charming smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sloane. Let me show you where you’ll be staying for the next two nights,” he said and started down the hallway.

  “Make yourselves comfortable,” he said as he opened the door to our room. “The bathroom’s through that door over there,” he pointed out and turned to leave. “Oh, I ordered a couple of pizzas for you. They should be here in about fifteen minutes. Holler if you need something. I’m going to go make sure Gabby isn’t trying to put a tutu on your friend’s litter-box-using pig.”

  “You gonna be able to keep her from telling everyone that we’re here?” I asked, only half kidding.

  “According to Tatum, I only have to keep her quiet until Sunday morning, which won’t be a problem because we’re leaving to go fishing first thing in the morning. We’ll be back long before you’re finished with the event, but she always falls asleep early after a day on the water. Come Sunday morning, she’s going to want to call her sister and tell her all about the fish she caught, and all about the new pig she made friends with. This is your only warning.” With that, he closed the door and went to check on Gabby.

  “If she puts a tutu on Brat, I want a picture first,” Sloane joked and headed for the bathroom. “I’m going to change and wash my face before dinner gets here.”

  I called to check on Blue while she was changing, not at all surprised when Layla said she had gone down for the night. She usually did after a long ride in the car. And I couldn’t blame her. After all the driving I’d done, I was exhausted.

  Sloane emerged from the bathroom around the time Gabby ran down the hall announcing that the pizzas had arrived. Everyone else must’ve been as tired as I was because we practically ate in silence before we said goodnight and went our separate ways.

  Once in our room, Sloane flopped onto the bed and yawned. “I don’t know why I’m so tired. Would it be rude if I went to sleep now?”

  “Fuck no,” I said and shed my clothes. “Because I’m about to do the same.” With my arm wrapped around her waist, I pulled her against me and did just that.

  25

  When we arrived at the event venue, I was taken aback by the size of the convention center as well as the amount of people waiting in line to enter. “How many people do you think are going to be here today?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “A couple hundred, I’d guess.”

  “You don’t go anywhere without me. Not even to the bathroom,” I reiterated the main point of our safety plan.

  “Yes, caveman biker. Your grunted order has been received.”

  “Sloane,” I warned.

  “Yeah, yeah. I won’t run off or try to lose you, but you’re responsible for keeping up with me.”

  “Not a problem,” I replied confidently.

  Frankie laughed. “Oh, you have no idea.”

  Ten minutes later, I was ready to pull my hair out. “Sloane!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs, garnering the entire room’s attention.

  “Over here!” she replied cheerfully and waved her fingers in the air to help me find her, which was surprisingly at the table to the left of the one she was assigned to.

  “Bronze, this is Sophia,” she introduced and pointed to something on the floor I couldn’t see until I was closer. “And this is her dog, Freya.”

  I peeked over the table to see a beautiful boxer with watchful eyes at Sophia’s side. “Nice to meet you,” I said and started to extend my hand to her when I looked up to see the biker approaching us. Suddenly, I remembered the text I got from Phoenix mentioning a patched member of the Northern Grizzlies MC would be in attendance.

  “Excuse me one sec,” I said and turned to the man.

  Sloane and Sophia laughed. “That’s my Old Man,” Sophia pointed out.

  “Chains,” he said and extended his hand.

  “Bronze,” I shared and returned his shake. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” he started but was interrupted by a series of overhead announcements.

  “Come on,” Sloane said excitedly. “It’s about to begin.”

  With that, we returned to our table moments before the ticketholders were allowed to enter.

  We were three hours into the signing when I noticed the same two women from the previous signing, Jennifer and Ginger, hovering at the end of Sloane’s aisle. I thought maybe they were nervous, but after ten minutes I became suspicious. Rising to my feet, I started to walk toward them when they disappeared around the corner. Unwilling to leave Sloane, I continuously scanned the area but didn’t spot them anywhere.

  I was just about to mention it to Frankie when I saw Jennifer practically running toward the table. She skidded to a halt and barely avoided crashing into me. She did, however, grab my shirt with both hands and pulled me toward her. “I have to talk to you. Right now!”

  “What is it?” I demanded, instantly on alert.

  We took a few steps away from the table, and she motioned for me to lean down. When I did, she whispered, “I overheard a woman in the bathroom saying she was going through with her plan to put an end to Sloane! I ran out of there as fast as I could when I heard something that sounded like a gun being chambered. You have to get Sloane out of here!”

  “Do you know who it was?” I demanded.

  She shook her head. “No. She was in the bathroom stall so I couldn’t see her. Please do something!”

  Even though I wasn’t sure I believed Jennifer, I thought it would be best to move Sloane out of public view and discuss our next move. “Sloane,” I called out and returned to her side.

  The tone of my voice had her immediately turning to me with concern in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to—fuck!” I shouted when my eyes landed on a woman walking in our direction with purpose. She noticed me at the same time I noticed her.

  The next few seconds were a blur of activity. I pulled Sloane against my chest as the woman raised a gun far too large for her petite frame and pointed it at us.

  I responded instinctively, my gun appearing in my hands seconds before I aimed and fired. Sloane screamed in pain and her body flinched in my arms, while a sharp pain tore through my shoulder. I briefly thought the shot sounded much louder than it should have as Sloane and I fell backward to the floor.

  “Fuck!” I cursed when my body hit the hard concrete. With my arms wrapped around Sloane, there was nothing I could do to brace our fall.

  People were screaming, and I could see dozens of feet running by us just on the other side of the table.

  Suddenly, I felt so
meone trying to pull Sloane away from me. Tightening my hold, I shifted her so I could use my other arm to push myself up.

  Sloane’s author friend, Sophia, from the table beside us appeared in my line of sight. "I was a medic in the Army. I can help her.”

  Reluctantly, I relinquished my hold on Sloane. As soon as I did, Chains extended his hand to help me up. “Shooter’s down,” he said and nodded to my shoulder. “Looks like she got both of you with one shot.”

  “Sloane,” I breathed and moved to her side. I faltered for a brief second when I saw the amount of blood on and around her upper body. “How can I help?” I asked, desperate for something to do with my hands.

  “Keep her talking and keep your hands out of my way. I’ll let you know if I need any help,” Sophia said reassuringly.

  Cupping Sloane’s cheeks, I met her eyes and told her what I’d wanted to say for some time. “I love you, Sloane O’Shea.”

  “I love you, Bronze Black, and your little Blue, too,” she said as her eyes started to close. They suddenly popped back open, and she gasped when her eyes landed on my shoulder. “You’re hurt!”

  “I’m fine,” I reassured her. “Trust me. I’ve been blown up, stabbed, and almost hit by a car. This little flesh wound is nothing.”

  “Sloane,” Sophia interrupted. “You’re bleeding. A lot. Are you taking any kind of blood-thinning medication?”

  “No, but I’ve always been a bleeder, and I bruise easily,” she explained.

  “I’m afraid this is more than that,” Sophia said worriedly.

  “Why do you say that?” I asked right as the paramedics arrived.

  A familiar voice caught my attention before she could answer. “No one touch anything while I’m with my family. You’ve fucked up enough as it is!” Tatum fumed as she stormed to me and Sloane.

  She dropped damn near all of her weight on me when she bent her knees to hug me. “I knew you were okay, but I had to see for myself!”

  “You're killing me, Tatum," I groaned and let go of Sloane to hold my aching shoulder.