All of us pour into church, taking our assigned seats and wait for the moment he slams the gavel down onto the wood. “I wish I had better news, but I don’t. Our fight is far from over, even with Connor’s death. Grizzly has been stirring shit up and he’s back to making threats.”
“What kind of threats can he possibly make? He has nothing,” Zane says.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Grizzly has information that I wasn’t aware he had. Machk, forgive me for airing your personal business to everyone but I can’t keep your past hidden. Grizzly has made threats against your son, Austin. He knows we grabbed Connor and since he hasn’t heard from him, he’s offering a trade, an eye for an eye.”
“What do you mean he has Austin?” Machk asks my father. Austin is the first born child between Cora and Machk, Ivy’s older brother, but I’m not sure that everyone else knows that.
“Wait. Can someone fill me in here? Since when has Machk had a son named Austin?” Bull asks the room, focusing his eyes in on Machk. My dad could answer, but it’ll be a hell of a lot easier if Machk does.
Machk looks around the room focusing in on every single one of us. It’s as if he’s trying to find the right words to say, but the moment he tells everyone this, they’re automatically going to assume he’s Ivy’s biological father. At this point, I firmly believe he is, but the club will accept it once he admits he’s had a child with Cora before.
“When I was a kid, Cora and I were in a relationship. She got pregnant really young and we decided to put the baby up for adoption. That child is Austin, our son. It was an open adoption so we met him numerous times and have had somewhat of a relationship with him, but he’s never been involved in this lifestyle.”
Zane crosses his arms. “So, the rumors about you being Ivy’s dad aren’t bullshit?”
Machk shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders. “No, they’re not. Ivy could be my daughter but I have no way of knowing for another week or so.” I ended up getting my dad a few strands of Ivy’s hair, so he must’ve spoken to Machk and took the strands for analysis at a local lab.
“What’s happening in a week?” Blackjack asks.
“Fist organized a DNA test. Should have the results back in a week, maybe a little longer,” Machk responds back. Looks like my hunch was correct.
“Now that we’ve gone over that, here’s your proof,” Dad says, sliding his cell phone across the table and Machk picks it up as soon as its within reach. Looking over the screen his expression grows worrisome. “We obviously can’t trade Connor,” Machk says.
Dad chuckles like a smartass. “No shit. It’s why we need to come up with a plan, here and now. We’re going to get Austin back from Grizzly without a hair harmed on his head. The only problem is we’re gonna need a dummy to stand in for Connor. I need someone who’s around the same build and frame.”
My dad looks around the room and his eyes land on both Zane and I. “He’s only a little smaller than the two of you are. Either one of you up to the task?”
Zane and I share a look, “Neither of us have blonde hair,” I tell him.
“No, and I can’t say that I’m gonna put a damn bag over your head. Whichever of the two of you decides to do this, will need to bleach your hair. I figure I’ll have you kneeling on the ground with your face down when we meet for the trade.”
“I’ll do it,” I volunteer myself, knowing far too well that there’s no way Zane will ever do jack shit with his hair. I figure if I get out of this alive, I can dye it purple or blue afterward like I’ve always wanted.
Dad narrows his eyes in on me. “You sure you’re up to the task, son?”
“I think I’m most qualified to bring shit down like this. Grizzly has fucked with my woman and I plan on getting some vengeance. It’s about high time this fucker comes down. Now, please tell me that we’re going to ax the entire Bears MC while we do this shit.”
“That’s the plan, but how often does anything ever go according to plan?”
“Hardly ever,” Zorro responds for the group of us.
“Exactly, which means every single one of us here need to be prepared for shit hitting the fan. Bull, I have the meet scheduled for tomorrow night. I want you, Axel, Grim, and Zorro to stay here and defend the homefront. I highly doubt they’ll try to come down this far and fuck with our club, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“You got it, Prez.” Bull nods, accepting his job.
“What’s happened to his parents, they live on the farm together, correct?” Machk asks in the direction of my father.
A bleak expression spreads across his face, telling us all that whatever happened isn’t good. “They’re both dead. Along with that photograph, I was sent a video of both of them being shot in the back of the head execution style. Austin had to watch the entire thing happen.”
“Those slimy sons of bitches!” Blackjack roars out, rising from his chair, his anger getting the best of him.
“Austin only lives a few towns over, about thirty miles east of here. We’re supposed to meet Grizzly at sunset tomorrow on Austin’s family farm. I’m gonna tell all of you to pack heavy, but don’t look like you are. Hide extra glocks under your jackets, pack holsters on your body wherever you can conceal them, and make sure you have a good knife or two. If my gut is right, we’re going to get a good bit of blood on our hands.”
“About damn time,” Zane says to the group of brothers who grumble out in agreement with him. It just goes to show me that he’s fit to lead, and more importantly, it makes me feel like I’m right in deciding that it’s time I should leave.
I know Ivy thought the baby might change my mind, but it doesn’t. The baby gives us both more of a reason to go down to Las Vegas and start a new life for the two of us. We’ll need a fresh start after all the bullshit we’ve both been through, especially her. A new city with some strange faces might be just what we need.
I look out onto the group of brothers in the room with me and say what I know they must be thinking, “Nothing ever happens easy, and I doubt that this will. Something is bound to go wrong, and we all know it. Shit never goes smoothly for us when it comes to our enemies.”
“Kade is right. We must expect the unexpected. Dawn is coming early, so everyone get to bed. I expect everyone to be awake and alert at four am. Meet me in the clubhouse living area and we’ll go over the plan before we head out.” Dad tosses me a box of something just as he finishes talking. “Kade, you might want to have your sister help you bleach your hair. The last thing I want is for Ivy to get sick from the fumes. I don’t even know if pregnant chicks can be around that shit anyway.”
A series of gasps breaks out and I swear I’m filled in a room with women. “Ivy’s pregnant?” Bull chuckles, slapping me on the back with all his might.
“Yeah, she sure is,” I confirm.
“Ivy is my daughter-in-law, and we’ll make sure that we’re treating her with the respect she deserves. I already apologized to her for treating her the way I was. I thought I was doing the right thing by being standoff-ish with her and doubting her every move, but I was being a fuckin’ tool. No part of the way I was actin’ was right, and I expect those of you who were following my lead to straighten up as well.”
Agreements come out across the room. “Now, get some shut-eye before your asses are cranky as fuck in the morning.”
I glance down at the bottle of bleach in my hand and know I’ll be asking my sister for help in just a few minutes.
The group of us pour out of church and break off, doing whatever needs to be done before we head out in the morning. For the most part, everyone is headed straight for bed. Within a couple hours, I should be getting some shut-eye as well, hopefully.
I decide to go back to my and Ivy’s bedroom and let her know what’s going on. I’d hate it if she woke up in the morning, saw me gone and freaked out. Opening the door, the glimmer of light from the hallway illuminates the bed. Just enough that she shields her eyes from the rays, “Oh goodness, s
hut the door!”
Following her orders, I get inside our room and shut the door behind me. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“You didn’t, this child is. You want to know how many times I’ve thrown up in the last hour?”
“No, not really,” I admit, chuckling. I can’t see her for shit since our bedroom is basically a cave. This is why her nickname is Vampy after all.
“I’m going to tell you anyway since you did this to me. Seven. I’ve vomited my guts out seven times and I smell and I’m tired. Oh, am I so freaking tired!”
“I hate to tell you, but I’m not the only one who took part in creating our little nugget, babe.”
“You’re not supposed to be mean, you’re supposed to take my crap and agree with me!” Her voice starts out strong but in the middle of her sentence she chokes on her words and I can tell she’s about five seconds from crying. I’ve learned a lot about hormones over the last few days and my most important lesson is this— everything can change in a split second. You just have to roll with the punches.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. That was very insensitive of me,” I tell her, knowing that if I don’t say this shit, she’ll have my balls on a platter sooner or later. “I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow. I’ll be gone really early in the morning.”
“Okay, what for?” I was hoping she wouldn’t ask, because I have no doubt that all she’ll do is worry the entire time we’re gone.
“Grizzly is making threats, he has . . .” I try to think of the easiest way to explain who Austin is, but there’s no getting around it. “He has your mom and Machk’s son. Apparently, Machk knocked her up when she was a teenager and they gave the baby up for adoption. Grizzly found out and threatened us, saying he wants an eye for an eye. He’s expecting to get Connor back.”
“But that’s impossible. Connor is dead,” Ivy points out.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that. Ashley is going to bleach my hair blonde so they won’t be able to tell from afar and I’ll play the dummy.”
“Uh. . . I don’t like that. I don’t think it’s a very good idea.” Ivy is right to be concerned, but most of the club will be there. I’ll be perfectly fine.
“You have nothing to worry about. This will be handled.”
“Does this mean Machk is really my father? I know assumptions were made . . . but this changes things.”
“We won’t know for a few more days. I might have taken a couple strands of hair from your brush. Dad had a DNA test conducted between you and Machk, but we won’t know for a little while longer.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Why the hell didn’t you tell me you did that?” she hollers at me. I bet if the lights were on, her hands would already be thrown up in the air.
“Because I didn’t want to stress you out,” I say truthfully.
“Whatever. I’m tired and I’m going back to bed before this baby makes me vomit again.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too,” she mumbles in response.
I’m quick to get out of the room and shut the door behind me before she complains about the light coming in, and head down into the living area. My thought is right and the one person I expected to be there is standing, waiting on me. “Looks like you’re making a special visit to Ashley’s Mane.” She giggles and I roll my eyes at my sister's ridiculous humor.
It’s go time.
20
The chains that hold you back most are the ones you place on yourself.
~Unknown
Kade
The atrocious sound of my alarm going off in loud beep beep beeps jolts me straight from my dead sleep. I toss my legs over the side of the bed and stretch, knowing if I don’t, I’ll end up falling straight back asleep. I’m not much of a morning person. Reluctantly, I stand and grab what I believe is a shirt off the floor, pick my holster and cell phone up from my bedside table, and escape out of our bedroom before I wake Ivy.
Sliding on my shirt with my holster hanging between my teeth, I walk down the hall and see almost everyone is ready in the club. My alarm was set to go off at three-fifty-five. I cut it a little close, but I don’t need to be awake for an hour to be alert. I’ll be fine and dandy when we get down to shit.
“Ah, there’s our baby bear.” My dad chuckles, causing a few of the boys to laugh with him.
“Say it again and I’ll shove my fist up your ass,” I hiss, needing him to realize he can’t fuck with me when it comes to those choice words. Connor said that to us before dad shot him, and boy did they sting. I’m just so relieved that the baby is mine and that Ivy and I are going to start our family.
He stalks toward me with purpose. “You might want to think who the fuck it is that you’re talkin’ to.”
“I know who I’m talkin’ to, but be careful with your words, Pops.” I can tell it registers in his mind when his irises expand and go back to their normal size.
“It’s snowing again, so we need to be careful when we leave,” he announces to the entire room, “We’re going to leave a bit early and see if we can grab any advantage points. From what Grizzly has sent to me, they’re held up in the farmhouse Austin grew up in and they’ll be waiting for us inside. He doesn’t want us to come inside with guns.”
“You’re not really thinking of us walking into an ambush, are you?” Cracker asks, looking at Dad.
“Fuck, have you lost your mind in your old age? Hell no! As I said a few hours ago, we’re packin’ heavy and concealing as much as possible. I don’t want the Bears to know what hit them when we roll up. As you know, our first priority is getting Austin, and our second is killing every Bear we see in our sights. Anyone have questions?”
The room is silent, signifying that we all understand what to do. We’ve been preparing for this for so long, knowing that it would come down to a fight like the one we’re about to have. I can’t explain it, but that eerie feeling sits heavy in my stomach and I’m going to be on guard more than I usually am.
“Alright, let’s roll out and make shit happen. This could be the day that we finally put an end to the Bears, boys!”
A round of cheering comes from almost everyone’s mouths. The only man remaining silent is none other than Machk. “You and I should ride together,” I suggest, wanting to take the opportunity to speak to him on the way out.
The group of us all head for the front door, exit the club, and get into separate trucks or SUVs. I start my engine, letting the truck warm up for a couple of minutes before Machk and I head out. Dad texted us all the address of Austin’s farm last night, so we all know where to go. Dad always wants us to come in from different angles, he’s particular that none of us even dared to ask him if he wanted us to do it this time, ‘cause we damn well know at this point.
“Why weren’t you hooting and hollering with everyone else back at the club?” I ask Machk as we get on the state road. It’s barely paved, making me thank fuck for the inventions of chains. It makes snow driving that much easier.
“Do I really look like the type of man who hoots or hollers?” He raises a brow, snickering at the end.
“You’ve made your point. Call it a gut feeling, but something tells me you know something won’t go as planned.” I don’t feel the need to hide shit from Machk, so I don’t. I shoot it straight like I would with any other brother.
“The great spirit guides me through many phases of life, Kade. He speaks to me when I need him most and warns me of the troubles that this world will bring forth. I received a warning about our venture today, one which came to me in a dream. We must be careful, for whatever we’re walking into is not as it seems. I have doubts about what Grizzly has said to Fist. I believe that this may be an ambush in its entirety.”
I’m having a hard time believing that Machk’s God-like great spirit actually spoke to him and warned him that this is all a trap, but I’ve never been a man of faith. In fact, I’m the type of man who has very little of it. “I’ll be honest, it’s a littl
e hard for me to process that he came to you and said that.” I focus on the road and see the mile marker, indicating that we have another twenty miles before we’re going to be at the farm.
Machk smiles. “You don’t have to understand the way of my people, Kade, but you must respect it. If we discover that Ivy is my daughter, I will introduce her to the rest of my family and my tribe. She will be exposed to the culture she should’ve always been involved in, and more importantly, she will know the people who already have her in their heart.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“In my tribe, we hold our people in our heart regardless if they are born with us or come to us later. We respect them, appreciate them, and thank the great spirit for allowing us to cross paths with them. You see, Kade, our culture is dying, and it is my job as chief to make sure that this doesn’t happen. Only by educating others can I do this, and so I shall educate Ivy if she is my daughter just as I’ve educated my other children, including Austin. He has even come to powwows, and I hope that Ivy might do the same if the test proves she is my daughter.”
“I think you and I know that she already is,” I say. To our knowledge, there was no one else in Cora’s life besides Machk. There is nothing that gives any of us the impression that someone else could be her father.
“We won’t know until the tests are back,” he states, and I can’t help but push his buttons.
“Has your great spirit not come to you and given you an answer?”
“He does not work that way, coming to us all when we ask. He understands our struggles and offers us guidance when the time is right. Much like your God, he does not answer at every beck and call.”
I glance down at my phone and see we’re a few miles out, choosing not to continue talking about this and focus in on the road. As we venture out the snow is getting thicker, proving that this morning isn’t going to go as easily as we thought.
My cell rings just as we approach the lane that leads back down to the farm. “Hey,” I answer, not bothering to look and see who’s on the other line.
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