by Khloe Wren
Scout
By the time I walked through the front door of the clubhouse, I was spoiling for a fight. Or something. Anything to take the edge off. My woman, the other half of my fucking soul, was stuck in a hospital bed, and the girl I’d adopted and promised to take care of had run away from home. Away from me. Fuck, it felt like I’d failed Sarah all over again, along with Marie and Ariel.
Tiny was sitting with Mac at the bar when I came in so I headed over to them to get a status report from Tiny on our guest.
“Hey, prez, Ariel doing okay?”
“Yeah. She heard my side of our conversation and got it in her head I’d forgotten about her, so she took off. We found her at the cemetery, at Sarah’s grave.”
The big man winced. “Fuck. Poor kid.”
“Pretty much. So, I need to get this shit dealt with so I can get back to her and Marie.”
Bash was behind the bar and he set a drink in front of me that I tossed back in one gulp.
“Thanks, man. Okay, Mac, Tiny, let’s get this shit done and over with.”
With a rap of my knuckles on the bar, I turned and marched toward the back of the clubhouse where the hidden stairs were, confident Mac and Tiny were on my heels. The second I cracked the door I could hear Rumble hollering from his cell.
“Shit. You weren’t kidding, were you?”
“Nope. He ain’t stopped since he worked out his buddy died.”
No wonder they’d been at the bar drinking. No one liked listening to a man suffering like this. Clearly, Rumble and Tank had been close. On days like this it sucked to be president. I knew what had to be done. Knew the decision I had to make. But I hated having to take a life. It was so fucking unnecessary. All these two clowns had to do was fucking come straight to me to ask for an audience. They didn’t even need to come down here. Their fucking dipshit of a president should have picked up his damn phone and called me first. Not fucking declare war on us like this. Really, these two poor bastards were just following orders. But this was MC life. There were consequences for actions. Especially when you came after our women. They were innocent and should be left out of club business.
Rolling my neck, I climbed down the stairs behind Tiny, who had the key for the cells. I was just beginning to consider shoving my fingers in my ears when we got to the door and Tiny had the thing open. He moved back and I stepped past him, into the cell.
“Shut the fuck up already.”
Rumble was looking worse for wear. The boys had given him some water over his stay down here, but that was it. And it looked like they’d taken a few shots at him too, if the bruising on his torso was any indication. His face was red and blotchy from his screaming and crying over his fallen brother.
“He’s dead!”
“Yeah, well, he did take a baseball bat the head. Not sure what kinda women your club has, but our old ladies are nearly as tough as us men. As you and your buddy have seen, thinking our women are our weak link was a big, fucking mistake.” I pointed to the body lying on the floor across the cell. “That, right there, was done by a woman. Call yourselves fucking enforcers. Neither of you were watching your backs, were you? Tell me, Rumble, did you even notice our woman come up behind Tank before she landed her blow?”
There was fury behind the man’s eyes. I knew rubbing in the fact they were taken down by a woman would work in getting him riled up. Dent the fucker’s ego and pride some before we killed him. I might not like having to take a man’s life, but if the fucker was stupid enough to come after my woman—risk her, my fucking unborn son along with two brothers’ old ladies—well, he was going to go down hard.
“There was no rear door to the cafe, how the fuck were we supposed to know there’s some secret fucking door back there that couldn’t be seen from the outside.”
I took a step closer. “There is no way. And anyone who’s had any fucking training at all would have known that there’s no way to know the interior layout from the outside and would have kept an eye on their six. But you wanna know the best part? You know who alerted our own little Harley Quinn to the fact she needed to come in swinging? A five-year-old girl. You can go to your fucking grave knowing you got taken down because a five-year-old girl stepped up. Didn’t see her either, did you? My kid’s good. She not only snuck out the back, but grabbed the baby who was there and took her too. You’re a fucking disgrace.”
He tried to pull from the chair, to stand and lunge at me.
“You fucking bastard. You said if I answered you, I’d walk outta here.”
I shook my head. “No, I said there was more than one way to kill a man. Never said you’d live through this. You fucking took three of our women hostage, causing harm to all three of them, sent my old lady into early labor, risking my fucking son. You think we’re just gonna fucking stand back and let you walk after that?”
He stilled and his eyes went hard. “My club will come for us. They will come and wreak havoc on every single Charon they can find.”
I leaned in, getting my face right in front of his, but far enough away he couldn’t head butt me. Not that he was smart enough to think of trying that.
“Not if we go after them first. Gonna end your whole fucking club for this stunt. The Ice Riders MC will be nothing but a memory and a lesson on why you don’t fuck with the Charon MC by the end of the month. I promise you, we will end this war you started.”
I pulled back as Mac took Rumble’s head in his hands and twisted, snapping his neck.
“Enjoy hell, fucking bastard.” I turned my attention to Mac. “Where’d his cut go?”
“Taz took it off to fix his shoulder. We stripped off Tank’s after he died. We figured you’d want them. They’re locked up in the safe, out of sight.”
I nodded and glanced between the two dead men. “Guess we better get to disposing of these two fuckers.”
We didn’t kill people very often thankfully, but we did it often enough we had a system in place. It was fairly simple. And really, if you thought about it, it truly was way too easy to make a body disappear. A friend of the club, Ted, had a large ranch not far outside of town. He had a large manure piles that grew each day when the stalls were mucked. So we just added a little more organic material to the piles. We’d borrow his tractor, push the shit back, dig a shallow grave for the body, dump it and pull the manure back over it. Within two to three weeks there was nothing left. The first few times we tried it, we went back out there to check if it had worked, and it had, so thankfully we didn’t have to check anymore. And ol’ Ted knew if we’d shifted his manure into a new pile, he needed to leave it the fuck alone for a month, just to be sure.
Along with Tiny and Mac, I headed upstairs to get changed. Disposing of bodies got messy and damn smelly, so you didn’t want to wear anything that you wanted to wear again when you did it. We’d all burn any of our clothes that got anything on them when we got back from dealing with the bodies. It simply wasn’t worth the risk to keep them. Although, I doubted anyone was going to miss those two, at least, not once we’d dealt with their club. Which got me thinking—I hadn’t heard anything about what happened to whatever transport they had brought down with them, assuming they didn’t fly and rent something. I hoped they hadn’t. That paper trail would take a little more effort to cover up.
When I got back downstairs, Tiny and Mac were both there, changed and ready to go.
“Did we locate their rides?”
“Yeah, looks like they rode down. The bikes were taken to the shop and the boys have already started stripping them down.”
I nodded to Mac, relieved it had been handled. Having a well-functioning club to back you up was a beautiful thing.
“Excellent. Right, let’s move out and get this shit done.”
Chapter 8
Marie
The days following Ariel’s little adventure were thankfully peaceful. Scout had come back that afternoon, and as promised, he’d taken Ariel out shopping for flowers before taking her back to visit Sarah�
�s grave. Over the next few days he’d brought Ariel in as usual, but unlike the previous times, he now stayed with us. I’d asked him if he needed to go deal with club stuff that first day, and he’d told me it could all wait. That Ariel and I were more important. My man continued to melt my heart. I hated that we’d wasted so many years, that we could have had this decades ago. Although, maybe if we had gotten together in our twenties, we wouldn’t have been ready for it. Life would have happened, and we might not have been together now. I mentally pushed the thoughts away. Everything happened when it was meant to and I needed to focus on what we had now, not what might have been.
That had me remembering yesterday with a smile. Zara had come in with Cleo for a visit, and they’d taken Ariel down to the cafeteria to eat, and Scout had taken full advantage. He’d flipped that lock and was on me at lightning speed. I squirmed in the bed at the memory, wishing he was here now to relive it with me. Then, in a flash, all my arousal fled and I blew out a breath when a tightness set in across my lower belly. Not again.
A light knock on the door had me looking that way as I continued to clutch my belly. It was early morning, and the nurse was right on time for her rounds.
“Are you okay?”
“Something’s happening.”
I didn’t know how to explain what was happening, but thankfully the nurse didn’t seem to mind my vagueness.
“Let’s get the doctor paged.”
She came over and pressed the call button, telling the nurse who came rushing in a moment later to go find my doctor. Then she turned her full attention on me and her expression was so serious I was instantly scared something was wrong. It had been seven days since they’d stopped my labor. The doctor had said he wanted to try to hold off for at least a week to let the drugs work their magic. And I’d followed orders. Despite not wanting to be stuck here in hospital, I’d sucked it up, stayed in bed and barely moved all week. I’d done everything they’d told me, yet it seemed like I still managed to fail my boy.
“How about you give that man of yours a call? Get him in here.”
Guilt and fear swirled in my mind and with tears pricking my eyes, I snatched up my mobile as she started doing tests, checking the baby’s heartbeat and other stuff.
“Hey, beautiful lady, what’s up?”
“I think I just had a contraction. The doctor isn’t here yet—”
“I’m on my way.”
“Please hurry.”
“Be there before you know it, baby. Love you and you’re going to be fine. So’s our boy.”
“Love you too, Charlie.”
I hung up just as the doctor came rushing in.
“You have excellent timing, Marie. I was already on the floor for my morning rounds, so was close by. Right, let’s see what’s going on here, shall we?”
Before he even touched me, I felt a wet warmth between my legs.
“I think my water just broke!”
Panic quickly set in, speeding up my breathing. This was happening. My baby boy was coming and I wasn’t ready. Scout wasn’t here. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to get more air in my lungs.
“Marie, look at me. It’s going to be fine, but you need to take some deep breaths for me.” I focused on the nurse and forced myself to concentrate on my breathing. “We need you calm so we can focus on bringing this baby of yours into the world.”
I nodded but kept my gaze locked on her, refusing to even look at what the doctor or the other nurse were doing as I continued to focus on my breathing and remaining calm. For my son.
Scout
The second I hung up from Marie I was out of bed and reaching for my jeans. Stumbling as I rushed to dress, I made my way out into the hallway and down to Ariel’s room. She was still sleeping so I let her be, continuing on my way to the kitchen where I sat to put my boots on. I called Mac, putting the phone between my shoulder and ear so I could do up my laces while it rang.
“What’s wrong?”
Yeah, it was a bit early to be calling if everything was right in the world.
“Marie just called. She’s in labor so I need to get to the hospital asap, but Ariel’s still sleeping. Can you send Zara over to stay with her? Bring her in later for me?”
I’d sorted out with Mac that I’d drop Ariel off with him and Zara when Marie went into labor, but I really didn’t want to wake her up if I didn’t have to.
“Sure thing. I’ll send her over now and I’ll come over with Cleo in a bit. We’ll bring Ariel in the minute you let us know we can.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Hanging up, I finished with my boots before jogging back up to my room where I’d left my wallet and keys. When I passed Ariel’s room on my way back, I glanced inside and saw she was rubbing her eyes. Not wanting a repeat of earlier in the week, I went in and kneeled beside her bed.
“Hey, angel, I need to tell you something.” I waited for her to roll over and face me. “Mommy just called, and it looks like your brother is gonna be born soon. I have to go to the hospital to help her, but unfortunately you can’t go with me. So Zara is going to come over and look after you until the doctor tells me you’re allowed to come visit. Okay?”
I was twisting the truth a little, but the last thing Ariel needed to see was childbirth in all its gory detail. I also knew if I didn’t explain it right, she’d get it in her head that I was abandoning her again. I didn’t want that for her.
“Okay, Papa.”
“That’s my girl. Love you, Ariel, and I promise, I’ll call Zara to bring you in the moment it’s possible.”
I gave her a kiss on her temple then I was up and out of her room, rushing to the front door where Zara was now knocking. I grabbed my helmet and opened the door.
“Hey, Zara, thanks for this. Ariel’s just waking up now. I’ve told her what’s happening so hopefully she’ll stay calm for you.” And not run away again.
“I’m sure we’ll be just fine. You go help Marie bring your baby into the world safely and we’ll see you later.”
I gave her a quick hug and she kissed my cheek before, with a nod, I left her to go to Ariel as I headed to my bike. I got my helmet on and the beast started in record time, despite the fact my hands were trembling. The ride over to the hospital was a blur, and before I knew it, I was racing through the halls to Marie’s room.
“Mr. Dalton!”
I barely heard the nurse as I skidded into Marie’s room. My heart nearly stopped when I took in the empty space. Throwing out an arm, I braced myself against the door frame. She had to be all right.
“Mr. Dalton!”
I turned toward the woman calling out to me.
“Where is she? What’s happened?”
“The baby was showing signs of distress so the doctor has her in an operating room, prepping her for an emergency c-section. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to her. We should be able to get you there in time for the birth.”
With a nod, I followed her down the hall. I wanted to run, to sprint, to get to my woman’s side and make sure I was there in time. But since I didn’t know where the fuck she was, I was forced to walk beside the nurse. At least the woman was walking quickly.
A mix of excitement, fear and nerves churned inside me as I followed her directions to wash up and then donned the smock thing she handed me. When she passed me what looked like two shower caps, I raised an eyebrow at her.
“The operating room is a sterile environment. For your baby’s protection you’ll need to cover your beard and your hair. This one is designed to go over your beard. I know it’s not exactly the height of fashion, but it’s for Marie and the baby’s safety.”
That’s all I needed to know. I’d do anything to keep them safe, even look like a fool. As quickly as possible I put them both on, then, finally, she led me into the operating room. Marie was set up on the operating table, a blue drape hanging from a stand above her, down to her boobs, blocking her view of what they were going to do to her belly. Her face was pale and
her eyes wide. My heart clenched at how scared my poor woman looked, lying there helpless.
The second I came in, she looked to me and bit her lip as she struggled to get her hand out from under the covers. I lunged forward and took her hand in mine before she could bump something she probably shouldn’t. I stroked my other palm over her face, wiping her tears away while being careful to not mess with the oxygen tube fitted under her nose.
“Hey, darlin’.”
I stalled out after that. The beard cover covered my mouth and muffled my words some. On top of that, I had no fucking clue what to say to take away the fear that shone in her eyes. Despite wanting to assure her everything was going to be fine, I didn’t know if it would be and I refused to lie to her and give her empty promises. Thankfully the doctor saved me from my dilemma.
“Excellent. Perfect timing! We’ve just finished getting the epidural sorted and are ready to start. Take a seat and let’s bring this boy into the world. Tell me, have you chosen a name yet?”
The anesthetist rolled a stool closer to me and I sat down, before stroking Marie’s face again.
“Joey. We’re naming him Joey Ronald Dalton.”
Even though she couldn’t see it, I grinned. When we’d discussed names, Marie had wanted our boy to have her foster father’s name as his middle one. I agreed, Ronald had raised Marie, despite her not being his biological daughter. And he’d gone above and beyond to keep her safe when she’d fucked up with the Iron Hammers, even though she’d aged out of the system and he didn’t have to. He sadly wasn’t with us anymore, but he deserved this honor Marie wanted to give him. Joey had been a name she’d always loved, and I couldn’t come up with anything better so Joey it is. My woman was way too sweet for the likes of me. I was still quite certain I didn’t deserve her, but fuck it all, she was mine and I was keeping her forever.