I placed my hand gently on Angel's back directing her out of the cafe and towards my Jeep, we had a lane booked and I didn't want to be late.
"Strike!" Angel jumped up and down excitedly.
I watched her closely noticing the outline of her pert tits through her tight blue t-shirt as she danced around showing her excitement.
"Are you letting mummy win?" Tommy asked frowning at me.
That was the funny thing, I wasn't letting her win I was just shit. I hated to lose and knew that I needed to step it up in order to have a chance of beating her but I was running out of time.
"Out of my way kids, I need to take a run up for this one." I quickly swung the ball and let it go watching it hopefully as it rolled down the wooden lane until it sharply veered left and went down the channel running alongside the deck.
I turned and must have shown true disappointment, "You can always borrow my metal frame to roll the ball down." Tommy said caringly referring to the guide the children used so that they could hit the pins.
I smiled at him and ruffled his hair, "Thanks little man but I'm fine." I walked over to the wooden seating area and sat next to Angel. My leg brushed hers and she glanced at me shyly through the tendrils that had come loose from her messy bun. I placed my arm along the back of the bench behind her so if she were to lean back I would in effect be cuddling her but she leant forward slightly, still a little on edge.
"Thank you Spike," she said not turning towards me so that she could still keep a watchful eye on the children.
"For what?" I asked confused. She was always thanking me and to be honest it should be me thanking her for allowing me to spend so much time with her and the kids.
"For bringing a smile to their faces and making me believe that one day my life may be normal."
She still hadn't turned around but I knew that she'd shed a tear as she brought her hand up to wipe her face.
"Mummy can you help me?" Tommy asked as Devon rolled her eyes and sat next to me on the bench where Angel had just vacated.
"You're not very tolerant of your brother," I said looking down at Devon.
"What's that mean?" she questioned looking confused.
"You don't give him a chance. If he can't do something, you as his older sister of...how many minutes?"
"Five!"
"Older sister of five minutes should help and guide him to be able to do those things. What do you think?"
She sat thoughtfully, "I'll try."
I noticed that the time we spent talking Devon was watching the interaction of the family in the next lane, paying special attention to the Dad and his daughter. They were holding hands and I saw Devon flexing her fingers as she glanced at them.
I ruffled her hair lightly, "Are you okay poppet?" I asked at her sad expression.
"Yeah, I just wish that..."
"We're all done, make sure you remove your shoes." Angel said as she bent to take off her bowling shoes.
I looked at Devon, "You wish what poppet?" I asked trying to encourage her to finish her sentence.
She shook her head and pouted, "Nothing, it's okay."
Angel shot me a look and I shrugged not understanding what that was about. Tommy and Devon quickly took off their bowling shoes using the sticky Velcro and ran to the counter to exchange them.
Angel collected the children's coats and we walked towards the counter to change our own footwear. I noticed that Tommy was struggling to put his trainers on and saw the simple exchange between them as Devon told him to sit on the floor so she could help him. She glanced in my direction, I smiled and gave her a wink as a huge smile of delight filled her face at the thought of pleasing me.
"Have we got everything?" I asked before we set off.
The kids nodded and Devon came over to my side as we walked through the reception area towards the exit. She gently placed her tiny hand in mine taking me by surprise but I didn't let her see my startled reaction. I glanced at her to see an unsure almost pleading expression of acceptance and gave her hand a little squeeze to let her know it was perfectly okay which she returned with the biggest smile I had ever seen. Devon skipped beside me swinging her arm as she held my hand tightly.
Angel caught my eye as she watched the interaction between us but I couldn't make out if she was pleased or annoyed by her expression.
The children happily got into the back of the Jeep and we fastened them in securely which made me smirk as anyone looking from afar would assume that we were a family on a day out.
It dawned on me at this very moment that this is what I had needed my whole adult life. I needed a family that I could love, cherish and protect to help get over my grief, my loss, my Helen.
We travelled in silence to the refuge and I assumed that was down to the fact that the children were exhausted from having fun and nearing their bedtime. Angel was equally as quiet but I didn't want to push her, she'd talk when she felt ready.
"Kids, can you do me a big favour and just wait by the door while I have a quick chat with Spike."
Devon and Tommy nodded sleepily, fatigue setting in. Devon quickly rubbed my skin head and I turned in time to give Tommy a high five before they left the vehicle.
I watched Angel unfasten her seatbelt and open the door as she shifted in the seat so that she could dangle one leg out of the vehicle. She fidgeted and rubbed her hands together clearly feeling uncomfortable, letting out a loud sigh she turned towards me, "I think we've been spending too much time together."
Whoa, where did that just come from? I thought that she was enjoying spending time with me? I didn't move as she was clearly uncomfortable and I respected her for mustering the courage to tell me although I was fucking breaking inside.
"I don't want to confuse the children anymore than I already have, they are obviously growing very fond of you."
I considered holding my tongue further but to hell with that, "And what about their mother, has she grown very fond of me too?" I asked turning so that I could see her reaction.
"Regardless of how their mother feels, her priority is that of her children. She has let them down far too much over the years, she needs to put them first." I could see her eyes well up as she looked at her children through the windscreen.
"And has she asked the children what they want?" Angel blinked and the tears that she was struggling to keep at bay trickled down her cheeks. "I don't want to play games. I know you've got a lot going on but I'm here to help not cause you more problems." I could feel myself slowly getting annoyed as I felt helpless but this wasn't the time to have a shit attack, I'd do that later behind closed doors. "Your little girl held my hand, I didn't force her she wanted to do it. I observed her watching the family beside us and that's what she wants babe, she wants to be a part of a loving family." The tears continued to trickle down her face as she listened to what I had to say but I could see the concern on the children's faces and knew that I needed to wrap up the conversation quickly. "I'm not trying to be their dad Angel. I just know what it's like to have a shit childhood and thought that if I could bring a smile to their faces it may...I don't know it's probably selfish reasons but I could probably cure some demons in my own fucking head as well." Angel took the hanky I had given her out of her pocket and dabbed her eyes, "I can back off if you want me too, it will fucking break my heart but I'll do it to make you happy."
I noticed the lady that managed the refuge looking out of the window disapprovingly. "The offer is still there for karaoke night on Thursday. If you still want to come give me a call, no strings and if you don't I'll totally understand. The ball is firmly in your court Angel, I can't say fairer than that."
She gave a small smile as she continued to wipe her tears. Angel slid from the seat out of the Jeep closing the door quietly behind her and ushered the children towards the refuge.
I waited for her to enter the building safely before driving off, in a fit of rage. I needed to go to the gym to work off some of my building aggression. What was I going to do
if she didn't want to see me again?
I accelerated down the road as I played the conversation over again in my head, when I was pulled from my thoughts at the sight of blue flashing lights in front of me and on closer inspection saw two police cars veer over to my side of the road to block me in.
"What the fuck!" I watched as four old bill got out of their cars and made their way towards my vehicle. I wasn't worried as the Jeep had recently been serviced and had an MOT so it was perfectly road legal which was one advantage of owning a garage.
The first officer to arrive at my vehicle lightly tapped on the window, "Would you mind stepping out of the vehicle sir?"
I turned the ignition off and looked at the young officer through the glass, "Yes I fucking do mind. Why are you stopping me?" I asked fucking annoyed that four police officers would stop me for no good reason.
He opened my door, "Please refrain from using such language and step out of the vehicle." He stepped back to give me some space as I rolled my eyes and got out of the Jeep. The other officers had now joined us and I saw the glint in O'Neil's eyes at the realisation that he'd pulled me over. He was a fucking arsehole, a dirty officer that could be bought easily but with a clear vendetta against the club.
"Get him up against the Jeep and search him." He stated to the officers as they spun me around and pushed me towards the vehicle. I was grateful that I hadn't brought any weapons out with me today and had only left them at home because I was out with the twins.
As they patted me down O'Neil leaned against the Jeep and stared at me, "Are things that desperate Connor that you have to hang around a refuge to find a date now?"
I knew what he was trying to do and although I was irate, I needed to keep my cool.
"Or are they easier to get into bed because their grateful you're not knocking them around."
Even the other officers were surprised by his comments and I closed my eyes tightly as the anger boiled inside. I wanted to fucking kill him but I knew that would come with life because he was an officer. Never had one man made me so angry, well there was Angel's husband but I was yet to meet him.
"I can see why you're interested though Connor, she's a hot little number with those little titties and surprisingly tight arse considering she's had two kids, I wonder if she'd like an officer? I bet she likes it rough though, that's probably all she's been used to..."
"You fucking son of a bitch, I'll make you pay for that comment you fucking cock sucking cunt!" The three officers held me back as I fought to get to O'Neil and if I did he would die by my hands and fuck the consequences. They eventually managed to get the cuffs on me but I continued to thrash around which forced them to throw me to the ground and hold me in a restraining position. The hand cuffs pinched and I knew not to struggle further as my efforts would be futile.
As they held me waiting for the meat wagon to arrive, it gave me time to think. How did O'Neil know that Angel had two children? She had entered the building by the time he'd arrived so he hadn't seen her. I was determined to keep an eye on him because alarm bells were now starting to ring.
"Book him when you get to the station. I need to go and talk to his lady friend to make sure she is okay."
There was no point wasting any more energy on him, he'd already achieved what he set out to do and now I would spend the best part of the night in a police cell.
Chapter 13
Hound
"So let me get this clear we're all in agreement that we should go ahead with the new club." Duke looked around the room and nodded his head as there were still no objections from the group.
I personally thought it was a great idea. The club in Waltham Abbey was doing great but at times it got so busy that it was hard to enjoy a nice drink and sometimes difficult to even see the girls dancing. It was also great for me on a personal level because if Paige was dancing there, I could always go to the other club in Epping instead.
The door opened and Spike walked in looking a little worse for wear. "Nice of you to join us Spike!" Diesel stated sarcastically to a roar of laughter.
"Prick!"
Spike sat down and took a sip of his coffee and looking at his attire must have come here straight from the police station this morning.
Duke composed himself from the interruption and continued, "Because the new club will be in Epping, it needs to be a little classier if you catch my drift."
We sniggered knowing full well what he meant. Epping was a more affluent area and needed to strike a chord with the public in order for it to be successful.
"Diesel and I have been thinking about names for the club and we have decided on..." Diesel banged the table to create the drum roll, "Resolute, which for those of you that are illiterate means admirably, purposeful, determined and unwavering, which we think is just perfect."
Again the guys around me nodded in approval and I was surprised at how easy they accepted change. I was now the longest serving club member and remembered just how difficult some of these meetings had been over the years because of clashes in personality and huge egos. It just showed what a great group of guys we now had in the club which was why it was so successful.
Now that it had all been agreed, I knew that Justice and I had our work cut out in order to sort everything out in time. We had a meeting with Sam next week to discuss legal implications and finance, and I was looking forward to seeing the different sites she was proposing.
"Are there any other issues you want to discuss?" Duke asked looking around the table.
I raised my hand and all eyes turned to me, "I want to talk to you about Cade." I said looking at their confused faces. "Cade is the young lad that's been hanging around lately. It turns out he knows his way around a car and I was wondering if there may be a job going for him."
Bear and Diesel automatically turned their heads towards Duke, asking him a silent question.
"We can't just take anyone off the street Hound, you know the rules. We need to know that we can trust him first." Duke crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair assessing me.
"What if I vouch for him?" I asked as my heart rate increased. I didn't know much about Cade but I wanted to give him a chance, an opportunity to turn his shit life into something meaningful. I'm sure he had reached out to me for this very reason and I wanted to help him.
"You'd do that?" he looked surprised.
I nodded my head, "Sometimes, you just need that one shot to prove your worth. I don't think this kid has ever had it and I'd like to help him out."
Duke smiled and I knew I had him. He looked at Diesel and Bear as he shrugged his shoulder, "What do you think, you'd have to work with this kid as well? Have we got enough work?"
"What with us expanding and taking on more legitimate businesses, you'll be too busy to work full time in the garage." I had already thought about what my response could be to different scenarios.
Duke laughed, "You've got it all figured out." He glanced around the table at the other guys, "Look I'm happy to give the kid a chance but if he causes any trouble it's all on you." Diesel and Bear nodded in agreement.
I breathed out a sigh of relief. I hadn't even asked Cade but I'm sure he would be up for the opportunity, that's why I think he'd been hanging around. I omitted to tell the guys that he was the person that broke into the garage, well he didn't technically break in because he had Duke's keys which it turns out he had pick pocketed when Duke was drunk. That could've had different repercussions for the club and himself, and although he took the keys, he chose not to do anything stupid with them he was just trying to prove a point.
"Good because he's coming along shortly!" I said smirking to the roar of laughter from the rest of the guys around the table at my boldness.
Duke shook his head and brought down the gavel indicating that the meeting was over.
I strolled out of the clubhouse and into the yard feeling the warn sun touch my face. I stretched as I walked towards the garage and noticed Cade sitting on one of the picnic benches.
I was pleased that he'd made the decision to turn up, he'd been hanging around for a while and I'm sure he'd made the decision to make contact with me first over the other guys. I don't know why? Maybe it's because I'm a soft touch and older than the others, all the same I'm pleased he did.
"Hey, how you doing?" I asked as I got closer, I couldn't see him at first as he had his back to me but as he turned it was clear that he'd been in a fight.
"What the fuck happened to you?" I asked sitting beside him.
He turned towards me fully and grimaced holding his side, "I'm okay, just had a run in with some bigger boys!" He said in jest but I could see that his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Is this Cade?" Duke asked as he joined us outside the garage. He let out a low whistle when he saw the state of him, "That looks sore. Go and get him sorted Hound, we can manage here for a couple of hours without you."
"You sure?" I asked as I stood.
"Yeah, now go before I change my mind."
I nodded as I directed Cade towards my ride, before grabbing a spare helmet from a box in the garage.
"What's he been up to?" Diesel asked nodding towards the kid.
"He's been sleeping rough. He usually carries a bag around with him but I can't see it, he may have had it stolen."
"Where you taking him?"
"Maggie loves a project." I stated with a smile as I walked towards Cade.
"Here put this on and I'll take you home." He looked at me with horror on his face, "I told you, I only like little boys on a weekend, so stop your fretting and get on the back."
I noticed that he preferred to hold onto the bars rather than me which was fine but I just hoped that his injuries weren't going to give him concussion and he could hold on for the journey home.
"This is going to sting so you need to brace yourself." Maggie was in her element caring for Cade. She had already cleaned and dressed his wounds on his hands and was now dealing with the lacerations on his face. It could probably do with a stitch but Doc and James were on a conference for a couple of days so he'd have to go without.
Spike (Aces MC Series Book 3) Page 14