“But—”
“My crew’s there. Gonna get her home ASAP, got me? No reason to delay ‘er return so you fly all those fuckin’ hours to be there. She’ll be safe with ‘em.”
She glanced up at Dawg again, worry in her red-rimmed eyes.
“Yeah, baby girl, she’ll be safe. Promise.” He had enough confidence in D’s men to make her that guarantee.
She pressed shaky fingers to her lips. “Oh my God, she must be upset.”
D’s eyes flicked to Dawg’s, but he spoke to Emma. “Don’t know ‘bout the crash. Just that she’s comin’ home to you. Gonna leave that discussion to her mother. Got me?”
After a long pause, Emma whispered, “Yes.”
She pulled away from Dawg and walked across the room with one hand on her hip and the other pressed to her forehead, leaving a cushion of space between her and the rest of them.
Ivy gave Dawg a questioning look, and he answered her with a slight shake of his head. Emma might need the space to help her process. If she broke down, he’d let them go over and comfort her.
Emma turned on her heel and headed back in Dawg’s direction, the tears finally spilling over. “Oh Lord, I hated him for doing what he did... but I didn’t wish him dead!”
“Shit happens,” Diesel grumbled. “Ain’t your fault that the asshole don’t know how to drive in a foreign country.”
“But—”
“Ain’t your fault,” D repeated, cutting Emma off. “Get over it.”
Jewel let out a hiss. “Baby...”
D’s dark eyes landed on his ol’ lady, his face an angry mask. “Bastard stole her kid. Cheated on ‘er. Took the kid to another country with no plans on ever bringin’ her back. Fucker don’t deserve a drop of fuckin’ sympathy.” He turned his attention to Emma and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t deserve one fuckin’ tear either. Didn’t give a shit ‘bout your feelin’s. Didn’t give a shit ‘bout your daughter’s, either. Don’t you fuckin’ give a shit ‘bout ‘im. Give ‘im the same damn respect he gave you, got me?”
Emma’s gaping mouth snapped shut and she wiped a hand across her eyes, sweeping away any stray tears. Dawg could see her visibly brace herself, pull her emotions together, and give the club enforcer a sharp nod in answer.
Dawg agreed with everything D said, but Diesel could be a little cold on the delivery, even though it was truth that Emma needed to hear.
Emma shouldn’t shed one more fucking tear over her husband since he probably never shed one over her loss. And he probably didn’t care that she had shed bucket loads once her daughter was taken.
“What about the death certificate?” Dawg asked carefully, knowing once Emma had that, things were going to get a lot easier for her and Lily.
“Walker said the Embassy was notified, so that’ll be taken care of. Will make sure Kiki gets copies for the legal shit.”
“When will she be here?” Emma asked, moving back to Dawg and gripping onto his cut so tightly Dawg noticed her knuckles becoming white. He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and gave it a squeeze.
“Friday.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “What time? Where?”
“Will let you know when. Will have ‘em bring ‘er straight to the warehouse.”
“I’d rather be at the airport waiting!”
“No,” D grunted.
“But it’s my daughter!”
“An’ it’s my mission,” D barked. “Gonna do it my way, got me?”
Emma sucked in a breath, probably to give D hell, but Dawg squeezed her neck again, so she nodded instead. “Yes, okay. Sorry. I...”
“Nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout, Em,” Dawg assured her in a low, comforting voice. “Know you’re anxious. D knows you are, too. Right, D?”
Diesel grunted.
“He definitely knows,” Jewel spoke up. “He probably felt the same way when the fucking Warriors snatched me.”
“You have no clue,” Diamond muttered.
“He was a mental case,” Ivy agreed.
D slammed his hand on the bar again. He opened his mouth to probably bellow and deny everything the women just said, but he snapped his mouth shut, shook his head and headed toward the door with a pissed-off look on his face.
As he passed Dawg, he grumbled, “Will let you know.”
Dawg nodded. “Thanks.”
D grunted again and quickly ate up the real estate to the exit.
“Emma,” Jewel began as she came around the bar, heading in the direction of her ol’ man. “We’re all here if you need anything. It could be the smallest, most stupid thing ever, but if you need it, need us, we’ll help. I promise you that. We’re all here for you and Lily. We all do for each other. And you’re one of us now.”
“What Jewelee’s saying is one hundred percent true, Emma. Don’t hesitate to ask any one of us for anything. And not just the three of us. Kiki, Sophie, Jayde, Bella and even Kelsea. Any of us. We love Dawg, he’s family. And even though this MC is made up of men, they might not say it out loud, but us women are just as important. We’re the glue,” Diamond said.
“What the fuck,” Diesel muttered from across the room.
“He knows it’s true,” Jewel added with a smile. “He’ll just never admit it.”
“Whatever, woman. Let’s go!” D bellowed.
Jewel snorted. “He’s really a loveable teddy bear.”
D pushed outside with a grumble and once Jewel followed him out, he slammed the door shut.
Ivy and Diamond looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Somebody’s going to get one of her favorite ‘lessons,’” Diamond snickered.
“All right, I’ve got to get back to the pawn shop,” Ivy announced.
“Hold up,” Dawg said, lifting a palm. “Gotta know, Ivy, should I be putting a Benjamin down on you as next up?”
Ivy’s gaze landed pointedly on Diamond and then on Emma. “I don’t know. Should you?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Are you two at least tryin’?”
Ivy’s face fell flat at his question.
Oh fuck. He just stuck his boot in his fucking mouth.
“I gotta go,” she mumbled as she pushed past him and Emma to rush out of the door.
“Stay here,” he ordered Emma, then followed Ivy out into the early afternoon heat, making sure the back door was secure behind him. He caught up with her before she got into her Dodge.
“Hey,” he grabbed her arm and swung her to face him.
Damn. She was crying.
“Ivy,” he murmured. “Sorry. I fucked up. Was just teasin’.”
Ivy swiped at her face. “I know.”
He opened his arms and Ivy melted against him, shoving her damp face into his chest. “Didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Wanna talk ‘bout it?”
A muffled, “No,” came from between the flaps of his cut. She sniffled, then said, “We’ve been trying. Believe me. Jag didn’t buy a four-bedroom house for nothing. Yeah, we wanted an art studio for him to do his drawings, but we didn’t need a house that big for only that. I’m not sure why I’m not getting pregnant. Doctor said there’s nothing wrong with me or Jag. But I don’t want to disappoint him since he wants kids. Hell, I want kids with him.”
“Ain’t gonna disappoint him. He loves you, baby. So fuckin’ much. He wanted you forever. Fought for you. Even if you two never have any babies, he’d love you ‘til the day you die. Even after that. He’ll haunt your ass.”
Ivy did a combination sniffle-snort. “I know, but I want to give him this. He loves Zeke. He’s thrilled for D. And I know we’re not supposed to know yet, but Hawk and Kiki... It’s hard to watch everyone around getting knocked up but not us.”
Dawg brushed a tear off her cheek. “You’ve got time, baby. Just enjoy the process.”
Ivy pulled back and looked up at him, red nose and red eyes to match her red hair. “I’m happy for you, Dawg. I’m glad you finally
have someone. Emma’s great, and, even though she’s not from our world, I think she’s perfect for you.”
Dawg pressed his face into Ivy’s hair and nodded. “Love ‘er, Ivy. Know it’s crazy. Fell fast an’ hard. Never loved a woman before. But she smacked me right between the eyes.”
She patted his chest then curled her fingers into his T-shirt. “All you guys go down hard. But you only do it when you find the right one. Going down fast and hard just means Emma’s the right one.”
“Yeah,” he grunted.
“Heard what you’re doing. Giving up everything for her.”
He grimaced. “Not everything an’ not just for her...”
“Yeah, I know. Word’s out about your daughter.”
“Figured it wouldn’t take long.”
“Everybody loves you, Dawg. Seriously. Everybody’s rooting for you, too. If anyone will make it happen, it’s Kiki. She loves this club like she was born into it. She’ll fight long and hard for you. For your daughter.”
“Know it, Ivy. Diamond was right. You women are the glue to this club. D will deny it, though he knows it’s true. I won’t. Caitlin’s mother may not like me bein’ in an MC, but I want Caitlin to be ‘round all of you women. Know why? ‘Cause you’re all strong, capable women who have backbone an’ determination. You take shit from us an’ then turn ‘round an’ hand us our fuckin’ asses on a plate. You teach us to respect women. We might be hard on you all an’ bossy but it’s ‘cause we care an’ wanna protect you. You’re ours. All of you. An’ you know we’d lay down our fuckin’ lives for any of you.”
Ivy pulled back in his arms and reached to cup his face. “Emma’s a lucky woman.”
Dawg smiled. “I’m the lucky one.”
Ivy smiled back. “That, too.”
“Stop stressin’ ‘bout babies. They’ll come when the time’s right.”
She sighed, brushing her long hair out of her face. “I hope so.”
“Know so.” He released her and she moved to her car.
With her hand on the door handle, she said over her shoulder. “Can’t wait to meet your daughter.” Then she got into her Charger and the car roared to life.
As Dawg watched her drive away, he whispered, “Me, neither.”
Chapter Sixteen
Emma shoved open the passenger door to Dawg’s truck, slammed it, and ran to the back door of Diesel’s warehouse. She bounced up and down on her toes as she waited for Dawg to put his Chevy in park and shut off the ignition.
“Hurry!” she yelled across the parking lot. Why was the man taking so long? And why was he spending precious moments to turn his cut right side out? She didn’t understand the whole wearing the vest inside out while in a vehicle, or “cage” as he called it, right side out when not.
While she was sad that last night was the last time for a long while she’d spend with him in his bed, she was super excited to finally see her daughter. To not only see and talk to her, but hold her, make sure she was really home. That she was real.
If he didn’t hurry up she was going in without him and would scream her head off in the immense building until she found Lily.
“Dawson!” she screamed, wringing her hands together, her heart beating a mile a minute.
He lumbered across the parking lot, a smile on his face. “I get you’re excited, baby girl. But here you need to call me Dawg.”
Right. Right. A conversation they’ve had a million times, she needed to remember to call him Dawg in front of his buddies. Or brothers. Or anyone, really.
“Got it! Dawg, hurry the hell up!”
He chuckled and when he got to her, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, turning her toward him. “Hang on. Got somethin’ to say first.”
Now? “What?”
“Happy as hell that you’re gettin’ your girl back. Anythin’ you need, I got you, got me?”
She stopped bouncing and stared up at him. “Got you.”
“Love you. Here for you, no matter what, got me?”
She nodded, biting her bottom lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. She sucked in a shaky breath.
He cupped her face and brushed a thumb over her cheek. “No cryin’. Gotta stay strong for Lily. Might be a little confusin’ for her. Lots of fuckin’ shit went down.”
“Cursing, please,” she reminded him.
“Right.” He shook his head, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Lots of fudgy stuff went down.”
She shot him a smile. “God, I love you, Dawson,” she whispered. And that was so true.
“Know it. Will always do my best for you. Promise. Got me?”
This man. “Yes. I got you.” In a flash, she grabbed his hair, yanked his head down and planted a kiss on his lips. Before he could deepen it, she pulled away in her excitement. “Now let’s get Lily!”
He chuckled and grabbed the door handle, yanking it open and escorting her through.
They moved down a long, dark corridor and made a right at the end into another hallway, heading toward what she assumed was Diesel’s office. Dawg kept a hand on her arm, preventing her from sprinting forward.
Not that she had any idea where she was going. She grabbed his arm and yanked hard. “Come on! Walk faster.”
He just shook his head and kept his steady pace, but when he stopped in front of an open door, she rushed past him and stopped dead.
Jewel was sitting on the floor, her legs spread open, Lily settled between them leaning back against the woman as Emma’s daughter did something on what looked like a tablet. From the noises coming from it, it sounded like a game.
Emma lost her breath at seeing her daughter for the first time in over a year and a half. She had grown, her hair was longer, and it had been dyed a dark brown. Her hair was no longer the light blonde she’d been born with.
Her knees wobbled as she reached out to grab the door jamb for support. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. She was frozen in place.
Besides her hair color and her being a bit bigger in size, she looked healthy and fascinated by whatever game Jewel had her distracted with.
Dawg bumped her from behind with his chest, making her let go of the door jamb and step inside the room.
Lily looked up, blinked, and blinked again. Then a look of recognition crossed her face. “Momma!” she yelled, jumping to her feet and running over.
Overwhelmed, Emma didn’t know what to do. She wanted to cry, scream with relief and hug her daughter all at once.
So that’s what she did. She dropped to her knees and scooped her daughter into her arms and squeezed her tight. Lily’s arms wrapped around her neck and she shoved her face into Emma’s hair. Emma laughed with joy, while hot tears streamed down her face, and all she could do was murmur Lily’s name over and over.
After a few moments, Emma felt a hand on top of her head, and she glanced up through a blur of tears to see Dawg standing over them, a crooked smile on his face, his nostrils flaring. He gave her a quick nod, then moved across the room to where she realized two other men stood. One being Diesel, the other she didn’t recognize.
She shoved her face back into Lily’s hair and whispered, “I’ve missed you so much, lady bug. I was so sad not to see your pretty face every day.”
“Me, too, Momma!”
“You’ve grown so much...”
“I know. I’m seven now!” she exclaimed, lifting her hands and showing Emma seven fingers.
“Yes, you are. I’m so sorry I missed your birthday. I hope you got lots of cake and presents!”
Lily nodded, a smile on her face, then her smile turned upside down. “Momma?”
Emma sniffled. “Yeah, lady bug?”
“Daddy said you were gone forever.”
Emma closed her eyes and waited for the sharp sting to pass and the bitterness that bubbled up to settle. “Did he? He must have been mistaken.”
“You’re not going to go away again, right?”
Emma’s heart skipped a beat at her daughter’s question
. “I promise to never leave you.” And she hoped to never break that promise, but even with her husband dying in a car crash, she had no idea what his family was capable of.
She was sure they helped finance Todd and his girlfriend leaving the country with Lily. Why they would? She’d never know. And she didn’t care, she just knew she’d fight them to the ends of the earth. They were never getting Lily.
Never.
Her daughter was finally home with her and that’s where she was staying. With her.
And eventually with Dawson.
She needed to at least introduce them. Then they could take Lily back to their temporary home and get her settled in.
She had a feeling she wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. She might just camp out in Lily’s room and watch her sleep all night.
She held her hand out to the man who helped make this all happen. “Lily, I have someone important for you to meet.”
Dawg stared at Emma’s outstretched hand. He’d stepped away from the two of them because he was struggling not to break down like a fucking pussy in front of D, Mercy and Jewel.
But watching Emma and Lily had made his chest tight and his eyes sting. He had tightened his jaw and his fists to ward off any runaway emotions, which was working to a point, but he really needed to take a page from both Mercy and D’s book. They stood watching the reunion without even a slight change of expression.
Jewel, on the other hand, was bawling her eyes out, still sitting on the floor. Sobbing uncontrollably, like someone had run over her dog. But he didn’t blame her, if he could get away with it, he’d be down there joining her.
He steeled himself and moved closer to his woman and his future stepdaughter.
Emma pushed to her feet, holding Lily’s hand. She raised her other hand toward Dawg. “This is Dawson.”
Dawg grimaced at her use of his real name. His eyes flicked over to D, but like normal, his face was like granite. Not even a smirk. Though, Dawg was sure he’d hear about it later. Not everyone could have a cool name like Diesel from birth. Lucky fucker.
His gaze dropped back down to the little girl pinned to Emma’s side. Sky-blue eyes stared back up at him.
“Honey, you look just like your momma.” He brushed what was obviously dyed hair off her forehead, leaned over and placed a kiss on it. “Just like your momma,” he mumbled again.
Down & Dirty: Dawg (Dirty Angels MC Book 7) Page 20