Shadow's Dilemma (Wild Kings MC: Dander Falls Book 4)

by Erin Osborne

  Chapter Eight

  Shadow

  TODAY HAS STARTED OUT LIKE ANY OTHER. Renee and I once again miss one another as she has an early shift. Dylan will be with the club girls that take turns watching the kids. It’s nice to be able to have the kids at the clubhouse during the day. We’re all in and out so we can make sure everything is okay and no one is going to get to them here. Climbing out of bed after stretching, I let out a string of curses with the pain from the stab wound. It might be a few days old, but the placement of it causes pain whenever I try to stretch my upper body.

  I quickly shower and get dressed so I can get to the job sight. We’re almost finished with another house and I’ve talked to Rage about hiring another crew to help out. That way the guys I work with aren’t so burnt out. I can go back and forth between job sites like Rage does to make sure the work is getting done the right way. He agreed that I needed to hire more guys so that’s what I’m doing part of this morning. I have six guys, including Killian, coming in for interviews at the current job site.

  Killian is a surprise. Since riding my bike back, the night of the fight, he’s hung around. Gage gave him permission to stay at the clubhouse since he was helping out. It didn’t hurt that he knows Killer from the Phantom Bastards and he vouched for the guy to stay here. The two men fought together, and Killian’s been lost ever since. He’s trying to find a home and I hope that he decides to hang around. I’ve spent a little time with him at the clubhouse and he seems like a solid guy. One that would make a good addition to the Wild Kings.

  Making my way out to my bike, I take a deep breath of fresh air before straddling my girl, so I can make the short trip to work. The day is bright and cool with a hint of the cold weather we’re about to get in the air. It might not snow much here, but when we get a storm, it’s usually a bad one. Pretty soon, we’re gonna have to put our bikes up for a few months and ride in cages. It’s not the highlight of the year, but it’s what we gotta do. Today isn’t one of those days though. I love riding in the cool air.

  As soon as I pull up to the site, I see the guys standing outside waiting for me to unlock the doors. I really need to give Steel a key if he gets here before I do. Walking up to them, I quickly open the door and go over everything that needs to be done today before sending them out to work on the house that we completely gutted and have been rebuilding to accommodate a disabled child. The family was in a car accident and the son is now in a wheelchair. We’re going to make the house the best thing he’s ever seen with a brand-new room on the first floor that has everything a little boy could want.

  I sit at my temporary desk and begin pulling out the applications that I’ll need for today’s interviews. Sitting on top of my desk, I notice a manila envelope that isn’t addressed or anything. But, you can tell that it’s stuffed with something. Picking it up cautiously, I open the flap and tip it upside down. The contents fall out and scatter over the top of my deck. Picking one of the pictures up, I see Dylan playing outside of the clubhouse with Sally and Darcy’s kids. Another picture shows Renee walking out of work next to Mike. Every single picture is of the two people my world revolves around. There are over fifty pictures lying on my desktop and I grab the garbage can losing the contents of my stomach.

  Once I’m done, I set the garbage can away from me and begin picking the pictures up until I see two things. The first is a picture of Renee and I kissing outside of the clubhouse as she heads to work. Secondly, I see a folded-up piece of paper. Picking it up after setting the stack of photos in my hand down, I unfold and read the words typed out.

  I’ve been watching, and I will get my family back. It’s just a matter of time before I rip your world apart biker trash. She’s better than you and I’ll remind her where she comes from! I’ll enjoy breaking her.

  Rushing outside, I know that the person that took every single one of those photos is Trenton. He thinks he’s going to take Dylan and Renee away from me, and it’s not going to happen. I pull my phone out and call the one person I know will have Renee’s back no matter what.

  “Shadow, I’m gettin’ ready to head to you now,” Killian says, answering the phone.

  “Change of plans. I need you to head to the hospital and help Mike watch over Renee. Can you do that for me?” I ask, standing on the deck of the makeshift office we set-up at every job site while scanning the area surrounding us.

  “Got it. I’ll be there as soon as possible. Dylan’s good at the clubhouse?” he asks, wanting to make sure that the little guy is going to be safe enough there.

  “Yeah. I’m gonna call Gage and have him up the guys there. I might have Steel head over there too. Let me know when you get there,” I say as I hang up and continue searching the area for any signs of someone watching my reaction.

  At the same time, I call Gage and let him know what I just found. He agrees to have Steel and two other guys go back to the clubhouse to make sure the kids are secured for the day. I’m going to have to talk to Renee about taking a leave or something until we can get her ex away from her. She’s going to spend her entire time at work worrying about our son and I know that it won’t help matters. Fuck!

  Trenton

  Standing in the shadows, I watch as the trash that Renee decided was better than me scans the area. His eyes stay locked in my direction for a few minutes and I wonder if he can actually tell that I’m standing here, hiding right in front of him. Just as quickly as he comes out of his little ‘office’ he walks back inside.

  I’m close enough that I watched him make two phone calls. It doesn’t matter what he does. He won’t stop me from getting Renee and my son back. It is amusing to watch the look of determination cover his face, covering up the panic of the threat I sent. The asshole now knows that no matter what precautions he takes, I can still get close enough to take pictures. If I can get that close for that, I can get close enough to snatch Renee and the bastard she claims is mine. They’ll both suffer for the hell that I’ve had to pay when she walked away.

  Deciding that I can’t do anything more here, I got what I wanted, I head to the cheap as fuck motel I’ve been staying at. Just so happens the room next to me is a girl that fucks good enough to hold me over until Renee comes back. She doesn’t like the violence I dish out when I’m fucking her, but she squeals like a pig about the Wild Kings. They kicked her ass to the curb and she blames Renee for that. So, I get off using her body and she tells me what I want to know in the hope that I’ll stop beating on her. Weak ass girl can’t hardly get my dick hard with the groans and screams leaving her as I take what I want.

  Today she’s going to tell me how I get in the clubhouse without being detected. Then I’ll go watch Renee and the pussy that’s ‘protecting’ her. She’s probably fucking him too. I never knew she was such a slut. Guess my plans for her are going to be good after all. I win all the way around as soon as I get my hands on her.

  Renee

  I was surprised when Killian showed up at work today. He said that Shadow sent him over and didn’t give any other information. I’m just going to go with it. Shadow will tell me what I need to know when I need to know it. My main concern is Dylan, but Killian said that he was going to have Steel and a few other guys go to the clubhouse. That makes me feel a little bit better about the situation.

  It’s been a crazy day and I know that I have to leave soon, but I know that they could use me here too. There’s a three-car accident coming in and I’m debating right now if I want to go or stay. Before I can debate too much, my phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and see that it’s a number I don’t know right now.

  “Hello?” I ask, not knowing if I should be answering the phone right now or not.

  “Is this Renee?” a scared female voice asks.

  “This is. Who is this?” I ask, getting more and more confused by the second.

  “It’s Jennifer. I got your number from one of the guys in the Phantom Bastards. I need help for my son. I can’t go to a hospital because I don’t h
ave insurance and I’m worried,” she says, her voice growing more concerned and frantic as she talks to me.

  “Okay. Give me your address and I’ll be right there,” I tell her, knowing that I have to go help her out. If I remember correctly, Wood, Steel, and Boy Scout helped this girl get off the streets and she’s in one of the houses.

  “I’ll text it to you if that’s okay?” she asks, her voice still wavering.

  “It’s going to be okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I tell her, reassuring her that I’ll be there for her and her young son.

  As I wait for the message to come through, I grab my bag, car keys, and the medical bag I brought in to restock. Once I have everything, I rush out to meet Mike and Killian. They’re leery about going somewhere that Shadow doesn’t know about. Unfortunately, I don’t give a shit about what anyone of them say. Someone needs my help and I’m going to be there for Jennifer and her son. I refuse to let her down as I fear a lot of people in her past have done to her.

  The three of us run out to the SUV and bikes. Once I get in the seat and start to pull out of the parking lot, I watch as Killian pulls in front of me. Jennifer gave me the address on our way out and I let them know where we were going. My hope was that they would be more accepting if they knew. The house Jennifer got placed in is near the clubhouse and it belongs to the club. If anything feels off or something happens, one call will have the guys there in a few minutes.

  As soon as I pull in the driveway of the small house, I rush to the door as it opens. There’s a young girl standing there with a baby in her arms. She’s scared to death if the look on her face is anything to go by. I’ve been there with Dylan, so I’ll do whatever I can to help alleviate her fears. Following her inside, I hear the baby let out a horrendous cough. Instantly I have a feeling I know what’s wrong with him.

  “You must be Jennifer. I’m Renee. Now, who’s the little guy here?” I ask, using the most soothing voice I have as we walk in the living room and sit down on the couch. While I talk, I notice that her son is lethargic and very red in the face.

  “I’m Jennifer. This is Wade,” she answers, cuddling her baby boy to her chest.

  “I’m just going to exam him real quick if you don’t mind,” I say, just as he lets out a loud, barking cough again that turns his little face a bright red.

  “Please, I don’t know what’s wrong. He was fine and then all of a sudden, he got this cough. I can’t stop it and Tylenol isn’t helping at all,” she says, tears spilling over her at the predicament her son is in.

  Grabbing my stethoscope, I listen to Wade’s little lungs. He sounds horrible. But I believe he only has a case of croup. It’s common in babies and I know how to treat him, but it’s going to be hard for Jennifer to get to handle the next few days while her son is sick. There’s really nothing as far as antibiotics that will help the little guy out. So, I call Mike in to make a run to the store.

  “Okay, there’s nothing I can really do for him. He’s got croup. I’m going to send Mike to get a humidifier and some Pedialyte. Is he allergic to anything?” I ask, needing to know if there’s anything he can’t have.

  “N-no,” she answers, looking up at me while holding her son close to her chest.

  I give Mike instructions of what I need him to pick up before giving him some money. Jennifer goes to object until I hold my hand up to let her know I’m not going to budge on this. Turning back to the young mother, I ask her to lead me into the bathroom. For right now, we’re going to sit in the bathroom with the hot water running. I’ve never done this, but I know that my mom said she used to do this for Melissa and me when we got croup.

  “You’re going to have to run a humidifier in his room. While he’s sleeping, you need to keep him upright as much as possible. And, even if he doesn’t want to drink, you have to try to push the liquid as much as possible. Can you do that?” I ask, turning the water on as hot as it will go before turning the shower on. “The next few days are going to be rough, but as long as you do what I say you’ll be through this in no time.”

  Jennifer sits down on the toilet with Wade in her arms. “I can do all of that. I’ll do anything I have to in order to make sure that he’s okay. Would it be better if I put him in my room? It’s bigger and I have more pillows that he can lay on. And it’s not like I’ll be sleeping much anyway if he’s in another room.”

  “That’s fine,” I answer, knowing that she’s going to need that more than anything until her son is feeling better. “I’ll stop by every single day to check on him and make sure there’s been no change. If you notice anything different, call me immediately and I’ll come right back.”

  “Thank you so much,” she says, sitting up straighter as her son begins to move around a bit more in her arms. “I can’t pay you.”

  “I don’t need any payment,” I tell her, not wanting anything in return for helping her out. This is more than a job for me. I’d rather help someone out like Jennifer than be treated like shit by some patients that think we’re their servants and no one else is more important than them.

  We sit in the bathroom with the steam pouring all around us. I’m sweating my ass off, but I’m not going anywhere until I know that Mike is back with what I asked him to get and that Jennifer is feeling a little bit better about the situation. She’s still scared, I can see it in her eyes, but there’s also relief. Her entire body has sagged in relief as the cough Wade has doesn’t sound quite as bad as a few minutes ago.

  By the time the hot water is running out, I hear a knock on the front door. Looking at Jennifer, I make my way to the door to find Mike back with the items I requested. He brings box and bags in asking me where to put them. After asking Jennifer where her bed room is, I lead Mike there so that we can set everything up. Jennifer may not have much, but her house is tidy, and I can tell that she’s doing her best to make it a home for Wade and her.

  It doesn’t take any time at all to set the humidifier up and getting it going. Jennifer walks in, lying him in the middle of the bed. I watch as she carefully puts a thicker pillow under his head before surrounding his tiny body with even more pillows. Wade doesn’t make a move as she slowly moves away from the bed to walk us out. At the door, she thanks me again before closing the door and locking it. Wayne is sitting on the porch talking to Killian as I stop and tell them I’m ready to go. Wayne is on guard duty, so he stays put while we head back to the clubhouse.

  As soon as I walk in, I see Shadow and Dylan sitting at a table eating their dinner. Making my way over to them, I lean down to kiss them both before sitting in an empty chair next to my son. For the next few minutes, I calm myself by watching him eat and listening to Shadow tell me about his day. It was busy and uneventful until he got the call and came back to stay with Dylan, so I could help Jennifer out.

  “Is everythin’ okay with her son?” Shadow asks, putting his fork down as Sally sets a plate down in front of me.

  “Yeah. He has croup so it’s going to be a rough few days. But I told her I’d go over every day to make sure he was doing better. I’ve never seen a mother so scared,” I tell him, taking a bite of the spaghetti and meatballs.

  “I’m glad you could help her. She’s had a hard time adjusting. I think it’s because she connected more with Wood and Boy Scout and they aren’t here now. She hasn’t said anythin’ about goin’ to them, but I know that at least one of them calls her daily,” he says, sliding back as Dylan tries to climb up on his lap.

  “I’ll talk to her and see if I can find anything out. Maybe you should call them and tell them that Wade’s sick?” I suggest, knowing that if she feels close to them, it might help to hear a friendly voice.

  Shadow nods his head at my suggestion. We spend the rest of the night hanging out with Dylan. As soon as I’m done eating, I put him in the tub while Shadow makes the call to Wood. Once bath time is over, I get my son dressed and lay down on the air mattress at the side of our bed. I’m reading him a story when my man walks back in the room to tak
e his own shower. I climb up in bed and pass out without even changing out of my scrubs.

  Chapter Nine

  Renee

  IT’S BEEN A HORRIBLE FEW DAYS. BETWEEN working as much as possible, checking in on Jennifer, and being on lockdown with the threats that keep coming in we’ve all been going crazy. The girls and I have decided that we need a night out. Now, we just need to decide how to get the guys to agree to it.

  I walk in the room we’re staying in and find Shadow sitting on the bed staring at his phone. I’m not sure exactly what he’s doing, but he doesn’t seem to be in the middle of a conversation. So, I walk up to him and step between his legs. Shadow hides his phone real quick and looks up at me.

  “So, we’re all going a little stir-crazy being on lockdown. I know the girls aren’t here as much as I am, but we need a night out. I’m not asking for one, I’m telling you that we need one,” I tell him, trying not to be a bitch about it, but letting him know that I’m not going to bend on this. “I completely understand the threat is against me, but I can only take so much of being in here when I’m not working.”

  He looks at me for a few minutes before smiling at me. I’m not sure what the hell is going through his mind right now, but I’m patient and can wait for him to answer me. Thankfully, it doesn’t take very long for him to let me know what’s so funny.

  “We were just talkin’ about how long it was gonna take before you girls went crazy,” he says, pulling my body into his. “I called Slim this mornin’ and he’s willin’ to send a few guys with Mike and Killian so that you can have a night out.”