by Naomi West
“I heard something from Suntree,” she said. “He said that tonight they’re going to make their move.”
I felt my blood run cold.
“What do you mean,” I asked. “What do you mean ‘make their move’?”
“I mean that they’re going to pull the hit on Jay Jay.”
“What?” I shot out.
I’d almost managed to forget about the fact that Jay Jay was my father. The news had hardly begun to process since Mom had told me.
I did a quick inner debate about whether or not to tell Bonnie. After weighing the pros and cons as fast as could, I came down on the side of telling the truth. Everything else was coming out these days, might as well stick with it.
“I found something out about Jay Jay,” I said. “Something my mom told me.”
“What?” asked Bonnie. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s … my dad.”
More silence.
“This is a joke, right?”
“Not a joke,” I said.
I went into it, filling her in on the details. How he was my dad, how he’d been supporting me, how he’d maintained a distance in order to keep me safe.
“Holy freaking shit,” said Bonnie. “And you know this is true?”
“No reason to think my mom would lie about any of this,” I said. “And it explains why he got me from Dakota’s. Why else would be care?”
“Oh my God,” said Bonnie. “This is huge. I can’t believe it.”
“But now they’re going to kill him,” I said. “And there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Shit,” said Bonnie. “I’ve heard that Suntree’s been keeping Dakota close during the planning of this thing.”
“Then that means Dakota is behind the hit?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” said Bonnie. “I’ve only heard things in passing. Suntree doesn’t keep me in the loop on this stuff. He thinks it’s not women’s business to get involved in these things.”
“Well,” I said. “This woman is about to get involved. Very, very involved.”
“Wait a minute,” said Bonnie. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m going to find Dakota and talk to him,” I said. “Tell him everything and get him to call off the hit.”
“What?” shouted Bonnie. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious,” I said. “My dad and the father of my baby are about to fight and there’s a good chance one of them, or both of them might not be alive at the end of the day.”
Saying the words out loud like that made it dawn on me just how serious this all was. A cold chill ran up my spine.
“You … you are serious,” she said. “Okay. Then I’m going to help you.”
“No, Bonnie,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t need to get involved.”
“I do because I’m already involved, whether I like it or not. And you might need me to be there to talk Suntree down if things get out of control. Plus, there’s no way I’m letting some pregnant lady walk into the middle of a gang war on her own.”
I could sense by her tone that there wasn’t going to be any talking her out of this.
“Okay,” I said. “I guess I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
“Perfect,” said Bonnie. “I’ll talk to Suntree and see if I can find out where he is. And I’m coming to get you now.”
“Thanks, Bonnie.”
“Don’t sweat it,” she said. “Just be ready.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up, and I did my best to ready myself, like she’d said.
But I knew there would be no real way to prepare for what was to come.
22
Dakota
The scene didn’t look good. Suntree and I and the rest of the soldiers were posted across from the bar at one of our warehouses where we could watch the location without being spotted.
“I don’t like this, Dakota,” said Suntree, his eyes on the rows and rows of bikes in front of the bar.
“Yeah,” I said. “Me either. I figured he’d be there by himself, maybe with a few of his men.”
“This is more than a few,” said Suntree. “Looks like he’s there with his whole circle. Has to be two dozen men, at least.”
“No good,” I said. “The whole idea behind the plan was so we didn’t have a massive brawl. If he’s there with his men …”
“… It’ll be a fucking war,” he finished.
“What’s the call, boss?” asked one of Suntree’s lieutenants. “Because the boys and me are ready to storm that fucking place and paint the walls with his brains.”
Suntree held up his hand, his eyes still fixed on the bar.
“Give us some time,” said Suntree.
The lieutenant nodded before heading off to join the rest of the men.
“We need to think of something, Dakota,” he said. “And we need to think of it fast.”
I let my mind run, going through possible angle we could take. Suntree could still send the men in for a fight, but it’d be a bloody one. And I knew that if we tore ourselves apart in a civil war we’d be easy pickings for the Nine Hells or any other group that wanted to move in on our turf.
The Nine Hells …
As soon as the name of the crew popped into mind, I came up with an idea.
“Suntree,” I said. “You know that spot on the border between our territory and the Hells’? That place on the outskirts of town, near that highway that cuts through the woods?”
Suntree thought it over.
“Yeah,” he said. “With the big curve that you can’t see around. Secluded as all hell since everyone uses the interstate.”
“That’s the one,” I said. “Here’s what I’m thinking—the men move out, right fucking now. They post up beyond the curve, hiding in the woods around the highway. We tell Jay Jay that some of our boys hit some trouble with the Hells on the border, got into a scrap.”
Suntree nodded.
“We get him away from here,” he said. “And then we ambush.”
“That’s right,” I said. “We surprise him, move in from both flanks, and take him out. We might have to ice a couple of lieutenants, but maybe not. If we can do it fast, we can still pull off the plan like before—take out Jay Jay, get the rest of the men to surrender.”
“It’s risky,” said Suntree. “But it could work. And we could give the boys the fight they’re looking for.”
“The less bloodshed, the better,” I said. “Every man we lose makes us that much weaker.”
I was doing my best to get Suntree to understand that a massive battle wasn’t in the best interest of the Names. But, like the rest of the crew, he seemed to be itching for a fight.
“Okay,” he said with a grin. “I like this plan. Only thing we got to figure out is who’s going to get over there and tell Jay Jay about the fake ambush.”
“I’ll do it,” I said without hesitation. “And I can keep you guys posted on when to expect him.”
Suntree clapped his hand down hard on my back.
“Good man,” he said with a nod and a smile. “Then we’d better move out.”
“Right,” I said. “Send me a text when you’re in position. Then I’ll do the rest.”
“Good luck,” he said.
I nodded back to him as he turned to the men.
“You want a brawl, boys?” he called out to the crew.
Booming cheers sounded from the men.
“Then get on those fucking bikes and follow me!”
He didn’t need to tell them twice. The men followed Suntree out back where their bikes were parked, the roar of dozens of engines filling the air after they left. The engines faded as they left, and soon there was nothing but silence as I stood alone in the warehouse.
This was going to be rough—I could feel it in my bones. Jay Jay was a tough son of a bitch and wasn’t going to go down without a fight. And the old-timers that made up his inner circle were ride-or-die. I was hoping that they’d
see the light and not throw their lives away, but loyalty ran deep in the Names. There was a good chance that some of them would rather die than submit to Suntree.
The minutes ticked by. After about a half hour, I got the text from Suntree letting me know that he was in position.
Time to do this.
I gathered up my nerve and headed out of the warehouse. I was going to have to do a little acting, so I put on my best “panicked” face as I crossed the street. Moments later I was in front of the bar. With a deep breath, I opened the door and headed in.
Just like I’d thought, the place was full of Jay Jay’s men. I did a quick count as I entered, coming up with nearly thirty. It was just about every member of the old-timer crew, and I realized how right a call it had been to avoid a fight here—it would have been a bloodbath.
I spotted Jay Jay at the bar. He was seated alone, hunched over a beer. I made a beeline for him, some of the guys shooting me dirty looks, as if they wanted to know why the fuck a newbie like me thought he could just waltz up to the president of the entire MC.
But I had a reason. It was a lie, but a reason nonetheless.
“Jay Jay,” I said, doing my best to make my voice sound stressed.
He glanced up from his beer, calm as could be. With intelligent, clear eyes, he looked me up and down. Jay Jay had a noticeable demeanor about him, one that was both relaxed and focused at the same time.
“You’re Dakota, right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s me. And I’ve got important news.”
“Back the fuck off, kid,” spoke a booming voice from behind me. “You want to talk with the boss, you go through us first.”
Jay Jay continued to look me over.
“It’s important,” I said. “Ambush.”
Jay Jay nodded slowly and held up his hand towards his men. Without a word of protest, they backed off.
“Let’s hear it.”
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“It’s Suntree. He was out with his crew near Hells’ territory and they got jumped.”
Jay Jay narrowed his eyes.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“Got the call twenty minutes ago and came over here as fast as I could.”
“Fuck,” growled Jay Jay. “What’s happening?”
“They’re in a standoff right now,” I said. “But Suntree thinks it’s going to get bad any second. He needs backup, boss. They’re over at the territory border on the highway.”
Jay Jay nodded, getting up without a moment of hesitation.
“Boys!” he called out. “We got a situation!”
The men formed up.
“The young ’uns need our help. Pissants or not, they’re Names. And we back up our own. Got it?”
The men voiced their approval, and Jay Jay turned back to me.
“Let’s ride, kid,” he said.
“I’ll be right behind you,” I said.
He gave me a nod and the men filed out. And soon, just like at the warehouse, I was alone.
I took out my phone, typed up a text to Suntree, and fired it off.
And that was that.
I sat down at the bar, trying to collect my thoughts. A war was going to break out, and everything was going to change. I poured myself a glass of beer from Jay Jay’s pitcher and drained it.
Shit was going to get wild, and bodies would likely be piled up at day’s end.
Footsteps sounded through the bar from behind me. I whipped around in my chair and laid eyes on the last person I expected to see.
It was Hazel.
“Hey, Dakota,” she said. “We need to talk.”
23
Dakota
“Hazel! What the hell are you doing here?”
“I told you,” she said, her voice firm and even. “We need to talk.”
“We need to talk?” I said. “About what?”
I glanced over Hazel’s shoulder at the door she’d come in from. Bonnie was standing there, a frazzled expression forming on her face as she realized I’d noticed her.
“Um, I’ll give you two some time,” she said.
She stepped back through the door and was gone.
“Can I sit?” Hazel asked, gesturing to the stool next to mine.
“What?” I asked. “You blow me off for weeks and now you want to have a sit-down?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s important.”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing.
“This is ridiculous,” I said. “And I don’t have time to—”
“Dakota,” she said in that same serious tone. “It’s important. You have to believe me.”
I realized that there wasn’t going to be any talking her down.
“Fine,” I said. “Sit.”
She slid onto the stool, the scent of her body and hair rushing over me. I was mad, annoyed even, but I wasn’t going to pretend I wasn’t a little happy to see her.
Not like I was going to show it though.
I watched as she reached for the pitcher of beer before stopping and taking her hands away, as if she’d just remembered something important.
“Listen, Hazel,” I said. “Some serious shit is going down right now. This isn’t the best time to be talking about anything between you and me.”
“But it is,” she said. “It has everything to do with what’s going on.”
Tension built in my gut. I knew that each second that passed was a second closer to the showdown between Jay Jay and Suntree.
“Then what is it?” I asked. “What are you doing showing up here like this? What could possibly be so important that—”
“I’m pregnant,” she said. “And it’s yours.”
My eyes went wide and my back stiffened.
“… What?” I asked.
“Just what I said,” she said. “I’m pregnant, and the baby’s yours.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“You mean that one time we hooked up got your pregnant?” I asked. “But I—”
“I know,” she said. “We were careful, but not careful enough. That’s how this works, remember? Two people have sex, and that’s where babies come from.”
“I get it,” I said sardonically.
“And … that was my first time, too.”
Another piece of shocking news.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“I … I never would’ve guessed,” I said.
“What?” she asked. “I strike you as the kind of girl who gets around?”
“No,” I said. “Not that. Just that I never would’ve thought a girl who looks like you would have any trouble finding guys.”
A small smile played on her lips for a brief moment before she got rid of it.
“But that doesn’t matter,” she said. “What matters is I’m carrying your baby.”
“Holy shit,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “Ho-ly shit.”
“And … I almost … took care of it,” she said. “But then I didn’t.”
I nodded, not saying anything. I knew that a woman’s decision-making process about something like that was a grave as it got.
“So you’re pregnant now,” I said. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Don’t know any of that yet,” she said. “I just know that I’m pregnant with your baby.”
“This is … I don’t know what to say.”
“You could say that you’re here for me, and that you’re ready to help me raise this baby. But I know that this is major news, and you probably need some time to process it all.”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “I don’t need even a minute. If you’re pregnant and the kid’s mine then I’m ready to do what needs to be done. I’ll be the dad he needs. Or she needs.”
I flashed her a warm smile.
Despite Hazel’s attempt to be as serious as possible, she couldn’t help but match my smile with one of her own. She leaned over and th
rew her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she said softly into my ear.
I spoke when she let go.
“Listen,” I said. “I mean what I said, and I’m happy to talk about this with you more. But right now there’s something really, really pressing that I need to take care of.”
Hazel wrung her hands together and looked away. I could tell right at that moment that there was something more she needed to say.
“What is it?” I asked. “What else is there?”
“I … found something else out when I told my mom about the baby,” she said. “I found out who my dad is—the father I’ve never known.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You did?” I asked. “And … is it someone I know?”
“It’s someone you know,” she said. “It’s Jay Jay.”
Fuck.
I sat back on my stool, holding myself in place so that I didn’t fall backward on my ass.
“Jay Jay is your freaking dad?” I asked.
“Yep,” she said. “Turns out my mom and him dated a long while back. She got pregnant but didn’t want him to bring me into his world. Your world.”
I nodded, still in a state of mild shock.
“Makes some kind of sense,” I said.
“That’s what happened to me after I stayed over at your house. He found out that I was seeing—or whatever it was we were doing—someone in his MC. And he put a stop to it as fast as possible.”
“Fucking hell,” I said. “I’ve been seeing the president’s daughter.”
“And you’re about to be the father of the president’s daughter’s baby, too,” she said, reminding me as if I’d forgotten.
“This is … totally fucking insane,” I said. “And right now Suntree and his men are moving to take him out.”
She shook her head, tears in her eyes.
“You can’t let him do it,” said Hazel. “You have to do something to stop him.”
She was right. I jumped up from my seat and began pacing as I thought.
“Suntree and the men are ready—they’ve, we’ve been planning this for a long while.”