by Trejo, Erin
“What exactly is Ramirez after?” Mason asks. His tone is hard and pissed.
“Guns. The motherfucker wants in. I figured I could toss him to Ripley and let that shit just flow down from there,” I say.
Ripley is another gun runner that we’re in with. He can run anything, anywhere. Seems like a good place to shove Ramirez’s ass.
“And on the inside? Did you get any info?” Ink looks over the seat at me as he asks this.
“I got where Tom might be hidin’. I got information on those Brotherhood bastards. They’re an old MC. Recruitin’ anyone and everyone they can get to agree in there. Had to get in with a few of them to get Ramirez some goddamn information. I don’t think anyone suspected shit on my end, but right after that I heard I was gettin’ out, so I pulled back. Got stabbed three fuckin’ times for my effort.”
Ink shakes his head as anger crosses his face. I know this is one hell of a shit storm for the club, but it’s the best I could fucking do at the time.
“You said the club was in danger. What exactly did you mean by that?” Mason asks looking directly at me.
I turn my head to face him and say, “Not a lot. It’s all about this Brotherhood shit. They’re pullin’ from all over. They killed a few of Ramirez’s guys out in Texas. I was told that Tom was one of them. I want his ass, I just can’t end up back in there. If I do go back in I’m not ever comin’ back out brother. I made some shit decisions while I was in there.”
Mason nods his head as if he understands what I’m saying. I’m not so sure that he does. The people I infiltrated aren’t exactly easy to escape.
“Molly is at your house with Drake and Fin. She’s been stayin’ over there on the weekends. You wanna head over there?” Viking asks.
I nod my head and lean back again. I must have dozed off because the next thing I hear is my boy yelling for his dad. Forcing my eyes open I reach for the door handle. As soon as I step out of the truck Drake is in my arms. I hold him close and savor the little boy that I never even knew about.
“Hey, you’re gonna squeeze the air out of me,” I tease him.
“I’m glad you’re back. Mom has been freaking out about the doctor,” Drake says pulling out of my arms and falling to his feet.
“Doctor? What about the doctor?” I ask him.
He shrugs and then I see her. She’s standing there with those dark eyes that pull me into their depths. I move toward her slowly never pulling my gaze away from hers.
“Oh, they’re gonna kiss,” Drake giggles behind me.
I smile at Drake, but I need her in my arms. Now. As soon as I reach her I pull her into me and just inhale her scent. God I’ve missed her.
“You smell delicious,” I whisper while placing a light kiss on her neck. Molly moans and holds me tighter. That’s just the way I want her.
“We need to talk,” she whispers.
“I need to be inside you,” I counter back.
“It’s about Drake.”
“Okay, just give me some time, yeah? I’m worn the fuck out babe. I need a shower and some real food at least.” I pull back and look into her eyes. There’s worry and happiness all wrapped up into one beautiful package.
“Okay. I’ll make you something.”
“It’s good to see you brother,” Fin says as he moves toward us. I pull away from Molly long enough to pull him into a hug.
“Good to see you too man. Thanks for takin’ care of them.”
“Always Reaper. That’s what family does.”
“I’m going to cook something. You guys starving?” Molly interrupts. We all look to each other.
“I sure as hell ain’t turnin’ down food,” Mason says heading for the door. We all chuckle and head inside.
Damn.
I am so glad to be home.
15
Molly
Happiness comes with a price. It always has. It always will. I don’t see that changing any time soon either. I watch as all the guys filter out of the house. Roland and Drake sit on the couch talking and laughing. It makes my heart leap in my chest to see the two of them together.
“It’s getting late. Taz will be by early to pick you up Drake.”
The pout on his face makes Roland laugh.
“She’s right. I’m not goin’ anywhere son. Go get ready for bed. Your mom and I will be in there in just a minute,” Roland tells him. Drake leaps off the couch and heads down the hallway when Roland shoves up off the couch.
“The guys get you everything you needed for his room?”
His eyes travel over my body as he speaks. I can’t hide the blush that creeps over my cheeks. “Yeah, Fin has been amazing. Drake calls him Uncle Fin,” I laugh.
Roland nods his head before slowly walking toward me. His hands slip around my waist and he pulls me into him. “I’ve missed you. I’m sorry that shit has been so fucked up since-” before he can finish I kiss him.
As much as he’s missed me, I’ve missed him even more. His tongue slides into my mouth and he devours me until I’m a panting mess. When he pulls back his eyes are dancing with hunger.
“Let’s go tell our son goodnight,” he says as he grabs my hand in his and tugs me down the hallway. We stop outside Drake’s door as Roland takes a deep breath, I squeeze his hand. When he looks over at me I tell him, “Don’t be nervous. We’ve talked about you since you’ve been gone. He misses you. He wants to be with you.” Roland nods his head and pushes the door open. Drake is in his bed listening to the iPod that Fin gave him.
“Bed doesn’t mean music time,” Roland teases him. Drake smiles and pulls the earbuds out of his ears.
“Uncle Fin put a lot of music on here.” He holds it up to show his dad.
“Better be good music at least.”
“It is. He said it’s what you listen to,” Drake says excitedly.
“Well then, I guess it’s good. It’s time to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the mornin’.”
As I watch Roland lean in and hug him I wonder about the past. Would things have always been this sweet had we not been taken away from him? I also think about what the doctor told me and it makes this moment in time bittersweet. I’ve managed to hold my emotions together while everyone was here, but I feel myself slowly crumbling. Knowing that there will never be a lifetime of these moments is killing me inside. I’ve fought for so long and so hard to have it all just ripped away from me again.
A tear leaks down my cheek. Drake smiles my way and blows me a kiss like he always does before bed. Roland stands up, turns off the lamp, and walks toward me. His hand cups my cheek as he backs me out of the room. He pulls the door closed behind him, his lips claiming mine as he pushes me up against the wall in the hallway. His hands move to my hips.
“I need you,” he whispers against my lips.
I know we need to talk. I need to tell him, but I know that he needs this just as much as I do first. I nod my head and that’s all he needs. He lifts me in his arms, kisses me senseless, and walks toward the bedroom. As soon as we’re inside he kicks the door closed and sets me on my feet.
“Take all of it off.”
His gruff words send heat spiraling through me. I quickly pull all my clothes off as he does the same. When I look back up at his bare chest I gasp. Angry bruises, scars, and fresh cuts litter his skin. I look up and find his gaze still on mine.
“I’m fine. I had no choice in most of it.”
I walk toward him shaking my head. I let my fingers travel his skin. The more I touch the harder he breathes. When my fingers go lower, Roland moves. His hands grip my wrists and he holds them between us. I look up into his eyes and I’m lost in a sea of green.
“I had to do somethin’ in there. Things I really wished I didn’t. There’s gonna be blowback on the club, but I didn’t have any choice. Everything got all twisted up inside. I need to know that you can handle this. This isn’t gonna be the first or last time I come home lookin’ like this.”
He’s asking me to accept who he
is now. He’s asking me to overlook the pain that someone has caused him, and as much I love him and want to accept this, I’m not sure if I can. He can see the look in my eyes. Roland walks us backwards until I fall onto the bed, crawling on top of me he knees my legs apart. He reaches between us and grabs his dick then slams it into me. I arch my back. Everything else is forgotten. I just need to feel him inside me like this.
“I need to know Mols,” he whispers as he slowly moves in and out.
“I don’t know,” I moan softly. His hips move quickly then and thrust deeply.
“You have to know I can’t lose you again,” he groans. Another thrust comes, hard and rough, and he looks down at me.
“They hurt you,” I whisper.
“Not as much as losin’ you would hurt me. Tell me I can keep you Mols. I need you. I need both of you.”
“You have us.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth Roland snaps. All of his prior restraint is gone. He lifts my legs over his arms and slams into me. Everything in the world could fall apart right now, but I can’t lose him again.
As he increases his pace I feel myself tumbling. I break apart into a million pieces at the same time he does. His grunts and growls echo through the room as he finds his release. He kisses me softly before he pulls out of me and drops down next to me.
“Drake has Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma,” I blurt out. As soon as I do Roland jumps up.
“What the fuck? That’s what Crow had. How the hell does a kid get that?”
“I don’t know. The doctor said there isn’t much we can do.” The tears begin to fall from my eyes. Roland’s face is a mixture of both anger and pain.
“We’ll find another doctor,” he says looking down at me.
“Fin already did that. They all say the same thing.”
“Fuck them. I’ll find us more. Someone has to be able to do somethin’,” he roars. I reach for him, but he pushes me away and runs his hand through his hair. “No one thought they should tell me this?” He looks at me like I’m the devil himself.
“I wanted to, but the doctor said it was best to wait until you got home. That we shouldn’t add to what you were already dealing with,” I say softly.
“You knew about this and didn’t tell me? How the fuck could you do that? How many times are you gonna fuck me over Molly? Huh?”
His roar could be heard for miles. I’m about to respond, but I don’t know what to say. I don’t have the chance to think about it either. Roland shoves out of the bed, grabs his jeans, and pulls them on before he storms out of the room.
I regret everything.
16
Reaper
I’ve always wonder what would kill me. Would it be a bullet? A rival? I never thought I would have to think about what was going to kill my own child. That’s a pill I never even knew I would have to think about swallowing.
I’ve taken my anger out on Molly over the last few days. I know I shouldn’t, but at the same time she stole my child away and kept him from me and now he’s dying.
I don’t even know how long he has. Everything I’ve found on the internet says five years from the original diagnosis. Five fucking years? What am I supposed to do with five years? That isn’t enough time. I want more than that.
I even called the bastard doc that told her and he said it’s all unknown, that he could live fifty years. I don’t like surprises and waking up one day to my son being gone is not an option.
“You look like shit,” Mason says as he sits on the stool next to mine.
“I feel like it. There’s just too much shit goin’ on Mason.”
He nods his head as if he understands, but he doesn’t. None of them understand.
“She told me what she told you brother. I’m sorry Reaper,” Whitley’s voice comes from behind me. Her hand lands on my shoulder. I reach up and place mine over hers and give it a little squeeze.
“Thanks darlin’. It’ll be alright though.” She nods her head and pulls away from me and walks to the kitchen.
“You’ve called other doctors?” Mason asks. I nod and grab my beer.
“They all say the same shit. How the fuck do I just get him back only to lose him for good?”
“I dunno brother. Let’s not think like that though. He’s a strong kid. Hell, he’s your kid. If anyone can beat this shit it’s him.”
I nod my head because he’s right. My kid’s a fighter. He’s just like me.
“You ready to hit this run?” I ask him. Mason chugs down the rest of his beer before he faces me.
“Fuck yeah. I’m ready to see what your handy ass skills can do. That truck has been sittin’ since you’ve been gone. We’re as ready as ever to see that motherfucker in action,” he laughs.
I’ve always been handy with the welder. None of the trucks that I’ve added compartments to have even been checked. Once we saw how well they were working for us Ink had the idea of making a box truck. It makes sense. I welded fake walls into the motherfucker. No one will suspect a thing and since Viking wanted some new parts for the bikes up north this was the perfect opportunity to see how effective my work is.
“You’re pretty sure of it?” he asks.
I nod my head and reply, “You’re goddamn right I am. Have you motherfuckers been arrested with the trucks yet?” I ask fucking with him a little.
He chuckles and lights up a cigarette. “Hell no,” he says.
“Then shut the fuck up. I know what I’m doin’ brother. We’ve got this. Hell, even if we do get stopped, I’m runnin’,” I joke with him.
Mason shakes his head and Viking says, “You aren’t runnin’. You too goddamn old to run.”
I glance up at him and smile, “Yeah, that’s what it is. What’s up?”
“Not much. I’m itchin’ to get those parts down here. I wanna amp up the bikes up before the big ride,” he says as his voice drifts off in thought.
“I heard that. Don’t worry. Your parts will get here.”
“No doubt. You ready to head out?”
“Damn right I am. I’ve missed this shit,” I admit.
Viking nods while taking the cigarette from Mason and brings it up to his lips. “It wasn’t the same without you man. When you get back we need to call church. I want to know all there is to know about these Brotherhood motherfuckers. I want to know who, what, when, where, and how the fuck. Draven called me an hour ago and said they had some shady fucks lurkin’ around over there. Smokey keeps that compound locked the fuck up, so I don’t see any problems, but they still don’t know who they are.”
Fuck. That’s not what I wanted to hear before we go out on a run.
“They workin’ on that?” I ask.
“Of course, brother. Smokey is a tough son of a bitch. He isn’t lettin’ any shit go down over there. Hell, even Mayhem stuck his dick in the middle of it.”
“Mayhem becomin’ more and more like Ruger every goddamn day, yeah?” I ask. The guys just laugh.
“Fuck yeah, but when he starts stickin’ his dick in other guys I’m gone. That goes for you too,” Viking laughs while pointing at me.
“Fuck that. You don’t have shit to worry about there. I may like to do some fucked up shit to people, but Ruger passed me a long time ago.” Laughing with the guys is a rarity. We don’t get to do it often enough. It feels good as hell when we do get to do it though.
“Well, if shit goes down at the So Cal compound we may have to take a road trip,” Viking sighs.
“Heard that. I wouldn’t mind seein’ the boys,” I add.
“Me either,” Mason chimes in.
“Let’s just get this shit done. We’ll see what they come up with. You said Ramirez’s boys were hit in Texas, yeah?” I nod my head in reply. “Could be the same fuckers sneakin’ into Cali. That’s on their end though, so we can’t go gettin’ all excited about it. Not when we have our own shit happenin’ here.”
“Right. Let’s get this shit goin’,” I tell Mason. He nods and pushes up off of his stoo
l and walks toward the kitchen. I have no doubts that he’s going to tell his woman goodbye.
“How you holdin’ up? I haven’t seen Molly around in a few days?”
“Honestly, I don’t know any more Viking. I love that woman, but fuck. She just wants to give up on my kid. I can’t do that shit. I just got him back. How the fuck do I lose somethin’ that I just got?” I ask him seriously.
“You don’t. We’ll do whatever we have to and pay whoever we need to so that we can get him better. Fuck the doctors.”
“That’s just it brother. I’ve talked to every goddamn doctor around. They all tell me the same thing,” I tell him.
“Which is?”
“Enjoy the time he has.”
17
Molly
I wander around the clubhouse while Roland is gone. Taz has Drake as she’s homeschooling him today. Wandering down the hall I hear Fin’s voice, I’m not trying to be nosy, but I stop outside the door and listen in.
“The only thing that bastard wants is her back. If he gets her then everything else stops. The war with the Brotherhood and everything else ends,” Fin says.
“Fuck. And you think he’d really stop there? We’re not that fuckin’ stupid Fin. Reaper ain’t gonna let that shit slide anyway,” the voice I’ve come to know as Ink chimes in.
“I wasn’t gonna let that shit slide either. You think I’d hand Molly over to the asshole that stole her to begin with? Fuck that.”
My heart nearly stops beating. I hold my breath praying that they aren’t talking about me, but I know that they are. They have to be.
“What the fuck are we doin’ here then? We can’t go in guns blazin’. We don’t even know who the fuck we’re dealin’ with,” Viking says.