by K. J. Dahlen
“So you don’t need me then?” Dusty let a tear fall.
“Oh sweet boy, I’ll always need you. Always. But it’s like the nightmares I have, those are mine alone and I don’t want you to see the bad in them either. I’ll need you to hold me after I have them. I’ll need you more then. Can you understand what I’m saying?”
“I think so.” He hung his head. “Will Raine be with you?”
Cricket nodded. “These are his babies too.”
Dusty lifted his head and walked over to where Raine was standing. “You’d better take care of my Cricket and those sweet babies or you’ll answer to me. Understand?”
Raine nodded. Slowly. “I do understand.”
A nurse came to the door just then and announced, “The Moore family is here.”
Raine nodded at her then squatted down to look at Dusty. “I promise you I’ll take care of your Cricket and those babies. But I need you to go sit with your grandma, grandpa and dad and all your uncles ok, buddy?”
“Okay, I can do that.”
Raine got to his feet and walked him over to the nurse. “Can you take him out to my family?’
“Sure.” She smiled. She took his hand.
The moment he was out the door, Raine turned back to Cricket. He grasped her hand and held on while she grimaced in pain. From her grip, he knew the pain was overwhelming her. Brushing the hair away from her face, he assured her, “Babe, you’re doing fine.”
She looked him in the eyes as another pain hit. She closed her eyes but didn’t let her pain show. Then she felt something tear at her gut and she moaned. Half lifting her body she felt another push and then a tiny wail was heard.
Raine snapped his head around and watched at Dr. Peters held up a tiny little baby in the air. Peters was smiling as he announced. “It’s a boy.”
“His name is Caden James,” Cricket called out. She thought maybe the second one would wait but she groaned as yet another pain hit. “Oh, my god,” she called out as she curled up in pain again. She pushed the other baby from her body and she closed her eyes when she heard him wail.
Dr. Peters smiled again. “Another son,” he announced.
“This one’s name is Daniel Orrin Christopher.” She laid back weary of the whole process. It hadn’t taken her very long to give birth to her sons but it was long enough.
Just as she thought she was done there was another pain ripping through her body. She screamed and called out, “Raine, what’s happening? Something is wrong.”
Raine held her close and looked down to where Peters was checking things out.
“We got a hider.” He called out.
“What is going on doc?” Raine called out. “What the hell is a hider?”
“It means there’s another baby in there waiting to be born.”
Cricket lifted herself up higher than before as she felt the urge to push. This time, she couldn’t hold back the scream of pain. “Ahhh,” she called out as she felt something rush out of her body. Another baby’s cry sounded and suddenly Doctor Peters laughed out loud. “You have a little girl.”
Raine looked at Cricket and smiled. “We have a baby girl sweetness. Two boys and a little baby girl!”
Cricket smiled. “Her name is Molly Grace.” She closed her eyes for a moment then snuggled into his shoulder. “Oh, my god… I’m tired.”
“I gotta know something babe,” he asked her. “Why did you name the babies after our parents and who the heck is Caden?”
“My dad did the best he could raising me and Cordy. He wasn’t much but all I had. Your dad raised you and your brothers and he did a fine job. You told me once that you hated the name Christopher and I didn’t want to give your son a name you didn’t like but I still wanted him to have your name. I named our girl after her grandmothers in order to give her someone she could look up to.”
“And Caden?”
“Caden was someone who would come to me when I was caught in my own nightmares. I knew he wasn’t real but he guided me out of the maze in my mind. He became my alter ego, I could talk to him when no one else would listen. By naming our son after him, I am honoring a small piece of me that no one else knows about. Now my Caden is real and I no longer need the one that hides in my heart. He’s free to go to another little girl who needs his help.” She paused then asked, “Does that make sense to you?”
Raine smiled. “Yeah baby, that makes perfect sense. Thank you for giving me my family.”
Cricket chuckled. “I just thought of something. We’re gonna need another crib and some pink clothes.”
Raine smiled. “I’ll get right on that. I’m sure Ma will love picking out little girl clothes.”
Just then, the nurse wheeled in a bassinet with three tiny babies inside.
Raine and Cricket looked at their family.
Raine lifted one of the boys up to his mother.
Cricket knew him immediately. “Caden James. Oh, aren’t you the handsome boy?”
He lifted his second son up to his mother.
“Daniel Orrin Christopher. You are beautiful.” She smiled.
Then he picked up his daughter and held her up to her mother.
“Molly Grace. I love you baby girl.” Cricket looked at her tiny family and smiled. “I will never be alone again will I?”
“Nope not as long as I’m alive. And now you and I will live on through them.”
“Can you bring the rest of your family in to see the babies?”
“They are your family too, you know,” Raine reminded her.
“Can you bring the rest of our family in to see the babies?”
“I can do that.” Raine smiled.
Three days later, Raine brought his family home. While the rest of his family toured the house, he took Cricket to the one place he wanted her to see the most. The master bedroom.
When he opened the door, he turned to her to see the look on her face. She was truly stunned by what she saw. The room was big and as beautiful as she ever imagined it could be but what stood out the most to her mind was the skylight he had installed. Half the ceiling was glass and she would be able to lie in bed and watch the heavens all night long if she wanted to.
She turned to stare at the one man she loved more than life itself. “What did you do, you crazy man?” Tears rolled down her face as she saw the love in his eyes. Love for her and only her.
“You needed a place, a special place to watch the stars. I wanted to share that place with you and I couldn’t think of a more special place than our bedroom. Now we can watch the stars together and make our plans for the future.” He wrapped his arms around her body hugging her close to him. “I love you Cricket, yesterday, today and forever.”
Cricket felt something inside her grow. A warmth she never felt before. “I love you so much, Raine. I loved you yesterday, I love you today and I will love you forever,” she vowed softly.
* * *
This is not the end of their story but merely the beginning. Raine and Cricket will be back.
Freebie from K.J. Dahlen
FREE>>> The Prequel to Deke and Cassies’ Story
Prequel: Ghosts From The Past
Spawn & Spitfire
Satan’s Spawn MC, Volume 1
K.J. Dahlen
Spawn & Spitfire
When Cassie comes to Troy, New York, looking for her best friend Peaches, she meets Deke Tory and her world is never going to be the same. He is formidable, magnetic and not like anyone she has ever met. Deke is president of the Satan’s Spawn MC and while he lives by a certain set of rules, Cassie grew up differently. She grew up on the streets from the age of ten and the only rule there…was the rule of survival.
Deke finds himself drawn to the Spitfire girl who appeared out of nowhere. Can he break down the walls she has built up to protect herself? When Cassie and Peaches are reunited, their past comes back to haunt them. Someone from their past wants them dead to hide a terrible secret.
Can Deke protect her—can he even hold on to
her?
They have to find a way to survive and Cassie has to find a way to keep a promise she made to her friend, Peaches when they were ten. She has to find Peaches’ family and reunite them. Will they both survive long enough or will their past swallow them and keep its secret for a little while longer?
I would like to dedicate this book to all those women and children who have been caught up in desperate situations. I may not know your pain but I hope you are able to find a place like Redemption House to rebuild your lives. You have the strength deep down inside you to take that first step. I pray that you can find it within yourself to take that step and better your life.
1
When she walked into the Dirty Dancing club, Cassie didn’t really know what she would find. The place was clean at least. As she looked around, she could see the bar and tables. She could also see the stage and the runway area. All she knew for sure was she needed to find her.
Smoke filled the room with its hazy scent and she wrinkled her nose a bit. Making her way through the tables to the bar, Cassie sat down and ordered a drink. When the bartender placed the glass in front of her, she turned slightly and watched the dancers for a moment. She grabbed the glass, brought it to her lips and asked, “Do you have a dancer here named Peaches?”
The bartender, a big man with tattoos up and down his arms narrowed his eyes at her question, then shrugged. “I’m here to serve drinks, not to answers dumb questions.”
Cassie narrowed her own eyes then taking her drink, she began to wander around the club. She watched everything without seeming to notice anything. Slowly making her way toward the back hall, she saw one of the dancers enter the Ladies room. Placing her glass on the table, she headed that way herself. Pushing open the door, she saw the dancer checking her makeup. “Hi.” She nodded at the dancer.
“Hey.” The dancer nodded back.
“I was wondering if you could help me.”
The dancer stopped what she was doing and stared at her through the mirror. “Whatcha looking for?”
Cassie held up her hands. “I just need some information on one of your dancers.”
The woman frowned. “Sorry no can do, sister. We don’t give out info on each other. We protect ourselves and the club.”
“I can relate to that. I’m not asking for anything but if you have a dancer here named Peaches. I really need to find her. To make sure she’s okay. I’m not here to hurt anyone, but I do need to find her.”
“Sorry honey can’t help you, club rules.” The dancer moved toward the door.
Cassie moved aside to let her pass. “She’s my friend and I need to know she’s all right,” she whispered. “I swear, that’s all I want to know.”
The woman paused. “If Deke finds out I told you anything, I’ll be in so much trouble.”
Cassie shook her head. “He won’t find out from me. If you see her, tell her to call me at the Star Bright motel, room 104. Just get the message to her. Nobody has to know we even spoke. Please?”
The dancer nodded then left and the door closed slowly behind her.
For the first time since this nightmare began, Cassie let a deep hopeful breath.
A few minutes later, she walked out of the rest room and to the main door of the dance hall.
She didn’t see the three men that followed her to the parking lot and watched as she got into her jeep and drove away.
One of the men lit a cigarette and as the smoke cleared he said, “Deke might want to know about this.” He turned and walked back into the club. As he made his way to the back room where the offices were, he nodded to the bartender.
At the big oak door of Deke’s office, the man paused briefly and knocked. When Deke called out, he opened the door and came inside. The office was neat and tidy. The large oak desk in front of him was littered with papers and a laptop but he paid them no mind. As his eyes met the man’s behind the desk, Wiley swallowed hard.
Deke was a big man, six foot six inches, and at least three hundred fifty pounds of raw muscle. His short black hair was brushed back away from his face and his eyes were the color of ice. His hands were just as big as the rest of him and could easily break a man in half. “What’s up, Wiley?”
“We have someone sniffing around, asking questions about one of the dancers.”
Deke sat back in his chair. His fingers steepled while his steely gaze met his Sergeant at Arms. “Now who would be foolish enough to do that?”
Wiley shrugged. “It was a young woman. She first asked Hal about her but when Hal wouldn’t give her any answers, she went into the ladies room after Candy. I don’t think Candy would talk, but you never know what chicks are gonna say.”
“Bring Candy in here,” Deke ordered as he got up and moved from behind his desk.
A few minutes later, Wiley escorted Candy into the office.
She took one look at the big man’s face and began to tremble.
“I understand we had someone asking about Peaches.”
Candy groaned. “She asked but I didn’t answer.”
“What did she want to know?”
“She said she was a friend and just wanted to know if Peaches was okay,” Candy answered truthfully. “She told me to have Peaches call her.”
“Call her where?”
“She’s at the Star Bright, room 104. I swear boss that’s all she said.”
Deke stared at the woman for a moment then nodded. “It’s okay, you aren’t in trouble, but the next time someone asks anything, you better be the one to bring it to my attention, not Hal or Wiley. I run a good place here and give you girls the protection you need to feel safe. I need you to look out for each other as well.”
Candy almost wilted in relief. “I understand boss. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you first thing.”
Deke watched as she turned and left. Then he looked over at Wiley. “Maybe you and a couple of the boys should go find this woman and bring her to me. I need to know what she wants with Peaches.”
“Sure thing Prez.” Wiley grinned as he turned to leave.
“Don’t hurt her man,” Deke called out, “Just bring her in.”
Wiley nodded at two other men and they all made their way to the parking lot. Mounting their bikes, they roared off.
A few minutes later, they parked near the Star Bright Motel, just down a few spots from the Jeep he’d seen the woman drive away in. Wiley glanced around the parking lot. No one else was around and he didn’t want trouble.
Dismounting their rides, they all made their way to the door of room 104. He knocked and waited for an answer. When it didn’t come right away, he pounded on the door.
A moment later, it was thrown open and a young girl stood there. “What the hell do you want?” she growled.
Wiley took a moment to look at her.
Dressed in a white motel robe she was a small woman, her long, red, wet hair fell to her waist in tiny ringlets. Her green eyes snapped with impatience.
Wiley was both impressed and puzzled with the fact that she didn’t seem to fear them. “The boss wants to see you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “Well maybe, I don’t want to see your boss. Did you ever think about that?”
Wiley’s brow rose as he stared at her in astonishment. “When Deke says come lady, you come.” He reached out to grab her.
She backed a step away. “I’m warning you, I don’t like to be touched. And this Deke joker can go fuck himself. Who the hell does he think he is?”
Wiley growled and stepped forward to grab hold of her. “He’s the fucking President of the Satan’s Spawn MC, that’s who the fuck he is!”
“I told you I don’t like to be touched.” She seethed as she took another step back.
“I don’t really give a shit what you like or don’t like. You’re coming with us.”
As soon as he grabbed her arm, she went postal. Her knee met his groin and before he even fell, she roundhoused his jaw and laid him out on the floor.
The other two men with him were stunned for a moment then charged at her.
She kicked one of them in the stomach and grabbed the other by his balls. Squeezing them viciously, she dropped him to the floor while giving the first one a hit to the eye.
He dropped beside Wiley and all three men laid there while they groaned.
She stepped away and headed for the bathroom. Closing the door, she got dressed and a couple of minutes later, rejoined the three men.
They were just starting to pick themselves up from the floor.
“I warned you not to touch me.” She moved over to the bed, picked up her purse, and stood at the door. “Let’s go see this boss man of yours. I have some questions I need answers to and since he’s THE PRESIDENT,” she emphasized the words with sarcasm in her voice. “He should have all the answers I need.”
Wiley ran his hand along his jaw and felt the bruise she’d given him. His eyes sparkled with fury. “You’re riding with one of us.”
“Like hell I am,” she snapped as she made her way out the door. “I have my own vehicle and I’ll meet you there.” She walked over to her jeep and got inside.
Wiley and the others got on their bikes and revved the engines. When they tore out of the parking lot, she followed them back to the club. They were waiting for her to get out of her jeep and then they followed her inside.
Hal, the bartender gaped at them.
Wiley and Jared had bruises on their faces and Jack was holding his belly. Jack and Jared made their limping, groaning way to the bar while Wiley motioned for her to go down the hall to the back of the club. Two other men fell in behind her but they were far enough behind her to not bother her much it seemed.