The atmosphere in the room chilled instantly when Dive explained. “The brother they’re goin’ to try and bury today is our VP’s youngest son.” He pointed a thumb at himself and then at me. “And he’s our blood brother. Our brother will not be buried here, he’ll be comin’ home to his family and no-fuckin’-body is goin’ to stop us.”
Shock was clear on all their faces as Dive explained our relationship to Reid.
“Fuck man, I’m fuckin’ sorry for your loss. We didn’t know he was one of yours, which by extension means he’s one of ours too.” One of the others, Archer according to his patch, said while shaking his head sadly.
“Reid never patched into our club but he was a brother all the same. He was fucked up while he served in Afghanistan and it changed him. Our Mama and Leo were the only ones he ever talked to and not too often either. They hadn’t heard from him in months and we decided to come lookin’. Maniac and Grave called us a few minutes ago to give us the fuckin’ news.”
Slipping my hand into Dive’s I held on tight as I felt tears burning my eyes again. I fought hard not to let them fall.
“Fuck, brother.” Reaper said softly and then his eyes turned to me and the compassion in those eyes almost had me bawling again.
“We’ll ride with you to the funeral. Sad fact is we fuckin’ know where to go as we’ve been there before.” The one called Hunter said quietly.
“Thanks, brothers.” Lure took one look at my face and pulled me into his side. I let go of Dive’s hand and hid my face in Lure’s wide chest throwing my arms around his waist and holding on tight as I let the tears escape.
“She gonna be okay to ride?” A rough as hell voice asked.
“Yeah, she’s strong, she’ll get through this. And we’ll be there to help her get through it. Reid and her were as close as fuckin’ twins.” Lure explained as he stroked his hand over the top of my head.
Pushing away from Lure’s warm comforting chest I wiped the palms of my hands over my eyes, sniffed and looked up at the men watching me.
“I need to get ready. I’m not going to say goodbye to my brother looking like this.” I didn’t give them a chance to say a word as I swung around to my still open bag sitting on my bed.
I started emptying my bag onto the bed, setting my riding leathers to the side along with my boots, a club tank, a bandanna and finally my kutte.
Yes, I have a kutte, not like the ones the brothers wore or like the one the old ladies were given when they got their old mans’ patch. Mine was different.
I started working for the Devil’s Spawn MC at twenty two, right after getting my business degree. Maniac warned me that I was on probation for as long as it took. I didn’t ask why, just nodded my agreement and went to work. They wouldn’t have told me anyway. A year later I found out why when I was presented with a kutte declaring me club property. I was confused but content to wait for them to explain, but Reid wasn’t, he had been freaking livid. He thought I was going to be working for the club on my back.
As if!
He had only calmed down after dad had punched him in the gut and then explained it was to make it crystal clear that I was off limits. They wanted to keep me safe from brothers and visiting members who thought I was available pussy.
I worked my way up from the very bottom and was now the general manager of their strip clubs plus two of their bars and I was in the development phase for an upmarket bar/restaurant. I would never be anything more than a general manager for the club’s businesses, but I had plans. Big plans.
Plans to branch out on my own. Not in the skin or booze business because that would put me in direct opposition to the club.
And that would not be good.
The shit rolling around my brain served to take my attention from the sorrow swamping me. Picking up the clothes I retreated to the bathroom. I undressed and redressed quickly. Dragging my big toiletries bag over I extracted my make-up bag and got busy. I applied make-up sparingly, mostly just a light base with mascara and black eyeliner. My hair took longer because I did the thin braids Reid always used to do for me after I fell in love with the way Mel Gibson rocked them in that William Wallace movie. I had loved those braids. Over the years I have stepped the braids up, weaving in silver charms, glass beads, tiny silver bells and thin leather cords. Sometimes even feathers. I wore four braids on either side and they were long enough to almost reach my waist.
The charms I wove into my hair all meant something to me. They were gifts from Reid and my family and friends. The eight very thin dark red leather cords I wove into my hair had white feathers and tiny silver bells attached to the ends and were interspersed with silver beads and blue glass beads. I had attached the charms I usually wove into my hair to the thin cords. There was the eagle charm Reid had given me, a gun charm from my friend Evie, a silly charm of the twins from Dive. Renegade had given me a Harley charm he’d had specially made. Maniac had given me a charm that was the replica of the sword with the wolf’s head from Game of Thrones. Lure and Bruiser had given me a charm of a stripper on a pole, and heaven knows where they found it. Sherri and Lori had given me a little angel charm for my last birthday. And the last silver charm, and my favourite, was a red heart with wings from Mama and Daddy. All the silver beads and blue glass beads were given to me by Sherri. She loved to weave the beads into my hair because according to her she found it relaxing.
The braids served a dual purpose. Number one they kept my hair out of my eyes and number two they looked damned pretty and totally hot and badass.
The final touch was retying the black strip on my left bicep. When I got home I was going to have it tattooed on my skin, in that exact same position, adding in his name and the dates in remembrance of my brother.
Giving myself one last look in the mirror I nodded, drew in a deep breath and stepped back into the room. Someone had ordered room service while I was in the bathroom and the smell of coffee hung heavy in the air. Looking at Dive I saw he was furiously typing on his phone, a heavy frown on his face.
My attention was drawn away from him when I felt the eyes of the new guys on me when I sat down on the side of the bed to pull on my socks and my boots. Actually their eyes were on my boobs, not on me. I was cursed or blessed, whichever way you wanted to see it, with a pair of double D’s. I learned a long time ago to accept that eyes would always zone in on them and I ignored it for the most part. Today I ignored them.
I was about to bend over to tie my boots when Dive threw his phone on the bed, knelt down in front of me, picked up my foot, set it on his thigh and tied my laces. Something he used to do when I was a little girl. I bit my lips and swallowed hard as I looked at my big badass of a brother kneeling before me and tying my shoes. Tapping my foot he set it on the floor, picked up the other, tied the laces and again tapped my foot then set it down, grabbed his phone and rose fluidly. Not saying a word. We both knew why he had done it, on the one hand it was because of our childhood, and on the other he didn’t want anyone staring at my boobs. My hero.
Lure handed me a cup of coffee and I nodded gratefully before I sipped. It was perfect.
The door opened and Magic walked into the room, it was only then that I noticed he had been missing.
“The bikes are here as arranged, Dive.”
Dive checked me out from top to toe and nodded. “You okay to ride, baby sister?”
I nodded firmly. “Yes, I am.”
“Good. Grab your shit and let’s hit the road.”
Turning back to my bag I quickly unzipped one of the inside pockets, drew out my jewellery pouch and dug inside until I found what I was looking for. I slid on chunky silver rings, several bracelets and my favourite necklace before grabbing the rest of my stuff. My phone went into one of the inside pockets of my kutte, my credit card, room key card, some local currency and lip gloss into the other. The last thing to go into my inside pocket was a small photo I always carried with me. A photo of Lori and I the day she was born.
Yes, I had
pockets sewn into the lining of my kutte. I’m a girl and I need pockets for my shit. I would have loved to have a wallet on a chain but it just wasn’t practical and I didn’t like the way it made my ass look lopsided. It was big enough as it was, thank you very much, no need to bring any more attention to it. The bastards around me thought I didn’t notice but I did. I saw those little snickery smiles they all had as they watched me settle my stuff in my pockets.
Slipping my sunglasses into the neck of my top I shrugged into my leather jacket, pulling my hair out from where it was caught inside the jacket I drew it into a tail over my shoulder then drew on my kutte. Shaking my head I smiled at the tinkling of the little bells as I ran my fingers through my hair and settled it against my back, for now. Before we rode out I would braid it loosely and pull it inside my jacket so it didn’t blow around in the wind and become a knotted mess. The last thing I did was tie my club bandanna around my neck like a choker. I didn’t like it when it flapped in the wind, that’s why I rolled it and tied it around my neck.
I followed Dive out of the room and into the elevator. We were silent as we rode down to the parking garage. We all knew shit was going to go down the minute we walked into that funeral.
And we were ready for it.
I stood waiting quietly as the brothers from Portland went off to collect their bikes. Lure handed me a black full face helmet and I hung it on the handlebars of the Harley I would be riding. Thank heavens it was a low rider. I was not blessed with long legs or height. All my life I’ve wished to be tall like the rest of my family but it never happened. I took after my biological mom, apparently she had been short and curvy and so am I.
Slinging my leg over the bike I settled in the seat, quickly braided my hair and tucked the braid into the back of my jacket then reached for the helmet, pulled it on and fastened the straps. Pulling my gloves on I waited for my brother to give us the signal to ride.
A few minutes later we were on the road and on the way to what felt like my worst nightmare.
My brother’s funeral. A brother who for all intents and purposes was my twin. A funeral without a single one his fucking blood family present right now.
Not going to fucking happen.
They can have their damned service but once it was done we would be taking Reid home to his real family, to Mama and Daddy, and the Wraiths. He would not be buried in this country far from home and everyone who loved him.
He was going home.
Even if I had to go up against his club, I didn’t care.
I was taking my brother home.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Leo
The service had already started when we arrived at the church and met a sight I had seen a time or two back in the States. There were bikes and cages everywhere and brothers standing outside the church because there obviously weren’t enough space for everyone inside.
We found parking at the far end of the parking lot and with me shuffled into the centre of the group started the walk to the church. We instantly came to the notice of some of the men standing at the back of the group. They watched with narrowed eyes as we walked up to them and that was when some of those eyes widened when they saw our kuttes.
It was clear that Dive and the others had planned our approach to the church while I was getting ready.
Reaper and Crash were in front with Dive and Magic behind them. Lure and Breaker with me sandwiched in between followed after them. And bringing up the rear was Hunter and Archer. As we came closer a wide path to the door opened as if by magic. Reaper didn’t hesitate as he stalked up the steps to the door. A buzz of voices followed behind us as we walked through the open doors.
The church was big with a wide aisle down the middle and rows of benches on either side. A big balcony overhung almost a third of the back benches. There were short wings on either side with more rows of benches. And they were all tightly packed with people who had come to pay their last respects to my brother.
I couldn’t see the front of the church where the pastor sounded as if he was nearing the end of his sermon because of the men in front of me. They filled the damned aisle not allowing me a single peek at the front. When we started walking down the aisle Lure and Breaker fell back slightly, allowing me to walk just ahead of them. A wave of whispers accompanied us as we made our way down an aisle that seemed to carry on forever. I kept my face expressionless and hard, holding all emotions inside.
And then I could finally see because we had reached the end of the aisle and the front of the church. Reaper and Crash had moved to either side of the aisle allowing Dive and Magic to move to the front.
They ignored the shocked sounding pastor and a gap opened up between them as they walked up to the dais.
I couldn’t stop the gasp or the tears when I finally saw my brother through that gap.
But not him, not really, it was his shiny black coffin, the lid closed with a spray of white and red roses and some sort of shield on top. Reid hadn’t been a roses kind of man, he had always given Sherri daisies.
I saw nothing but that awful black coffin. A small dark place that held my beloved brother.
Without any hesitation I rushed forward, stepped up onto the dais and reverently put my hands on the shiny box that held him. Gliding my hands over the curved sides of the lid I slowly made my way to the head of the coffin and dropped my head, resting my forehead against it. Right where I knew his head would be. Stroking my hands over the shiny wood I quietly cried turning my head until my cheek lay against the wood.
“I’m here.” I whispered. “You’re no longer alone. I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.”
Dive and Lure stood on either side of me and their arms came around me as I wept with my head resting on Reid’s coffin. When I sniffed and lifted my head they slowly let me go and while still standing on either side of me they laid their hands on the coffin. Breaker and Magic did the same on the other side. Their heads were bowed as they silently said their goodbyes.
Wiping the tears from my cheeks with the palms of my hands I took the tissues Lure held out to me and dabbed at my eyes trying to not smear my eyeliner all over my face. Taking a deep breath I withdrew the photo of Lori and me from the pocket in my kutte and laid it in between the roses next to the small shield made out of black and white cow hide with two short spears crossed behind it. I whispered my final words to him over the damned black box he was lying in.
“She’s so beautiful, Reid. I wish you could have had a chance to see her, to spend time with her because you can’t help but love her. I promise she will know about you. I’ll share my memories with her and love her enough for both of us. You rest easy now and ride free brother mine. I love you.”
I kissed the wood enclosing my brother. I could not kiss his forehead or cheeks like I would have wanted to but this would have to do.
It was the angry female shriek intruding on our private moment that had me lifting my head and start to pay attention to what was going on around me.
There was a buzz of voices along with the shrieking female who was being held back by a very big guy in an Iron Dogz kutte. Reaper and his brothers had formed a wall between us and the angry men who were now gathered below the dais.
Dive silently pulled me away from the coffin and into his side then walked over to where the pastor stood watching us with wide eyes. Dive silently asked to speak nodding towards the lectern with the microphone and the pastor stepped back with a nod. He held me to his side as we stepped up to the lectern and Dive cleared his throat.
And that fucking bitch started with the damned screeching again.
“Get them away from my son! Who are they? Get them away from my son!”
Narrowing my eyes to throw her a killing look I had a bad feeling I knew who she was. It had to be the bitch who had abandoned my brother after he was born, his egg donor. What was she doing here? Why the hell was she even allowed to be anywhere near Reid?
Dive turned into a stone statue beside me a feral sounding g
rowl rumbling from deep inside his chest. I looked up at him and after that one look I slung my arms around his waist and held on tight. My brother was ready to explode and that would not be good. Not good at all.
This was Reid’s funeral and we couldn’t cause a scene in front of the brothers of his damned club.
Dive took me with him as he bent so he was closer to the microphone. His voice boomed through the silence that had suddenly descended over the church.
“I’m Dive Jordan and the man lyin’ in that fuckin’ box is my little brother, Reid. There’s one thing I need to make very fuckin’ clear to all y’all.” He threw his arm out and pointed at the crazy bitch. “That bitch is not his mother. She’s nothin’ but a graspin’ crazy fuckin’ assed imposter. Our parents are Grave and Vivienne Jordan of the Shadow Wraiths MC in Savannah, Georgia.”
There was a stunned silence then it seemed as if everyone started talking at once, a buzz running through the church. That is until a big blonde guy stepped up onto the dais and raised his hands. Silence immediately descended, silence from the people in the benches but not the bitch. She kept on screeching and threatening us with eviction, lawyers and more shit than I wanted to pay attention to.
“Silence!” He shouted at the bitch.
I was impressed when she immediately shut up and nervously looked at him then at the men who were now surrounding her. While she had been having her little temper tantrum all her escape routes had been cut off. She was trapped and she suddenly realised it as her head whipped around frantically, her dark eyes wide and scared.
The big blonde turned to us and I felt a little chill as I met his golden eyes, eyes that obviously gave him the road name on his kutte. He was Hawk, President of the Iron Dogz MC, South Africa. And apparently Reid’s president.
Vengeance Of A Black Knight (Iron Dogz MC, #4) Page 9