Ryder's Last Run (Dueling Dragons MC Series)

by Rose Dewallvin

  Now to deal with his mother; in private and out of his earshot.

  “Marko, get over here for a few.” He gets up and walks over to me, eying Ransom up and down.

  “Unc, is he what I think he is?” He’s shocked.

  I smile and I am proud to say it. “Yep, this is my son, Ransom. Ran, meet your big cousin, Marko. He’s gonna sit here and play some football with you while I go talk with your mom about setting up some time for you to come see me again. Marko, play football with your cos and play games or some shit.” I smile when I say that shit. That was so dad-like.

  I know this shit is gonna piss me off, but I have to speak to mommy dearest about setting up visitation and child support. I stand up and turn to face the ice queen. She’s sure turned into a bigger bitch since I last laid eyes on her.

  I am at the point that I don’t give a shit about much, except for Ransom, and Faith. If Faith is even in the picture now. I get the feeling that she’s no longer waiting for me. I’ve left several messages to call me over the past few days since my return back the club and nothing.

  I nod my head at Bambi and motion her to the Prez’s office, which apparently is soon to be mine. I still haven’t dealt with her and her role in Prez’s murder. I am not sure about the claim that Deacon was going to kill my kid if she didn’t help. Something doesn’t add up.

  Bambi gets up and sashays her ass into the office. I have to admit, she still has a fine ass on her, but I will be damned if I am touching it. I walk behind her and shut the door for privacy. I motion to her to take a seat on the small couch in the office. She shudders as she looks over at the chair behind the mahogany desk. That makes me wonder if it’s guilt, or hatred for her involvement.

  Zig and Tank need to get back soon so we can hold church to make some decisions about the club and certain members being promoted over others. Flem no longer has the trust. I will deal with him later. Right now, it’s time to talk visitation with my boy.

  “Bam, shut your fucking legs and pull your dress down.” She rolls those fucking eyes again. “Bitch, you need to check your fucking attitude at the door. I am not the bad guy here. You’re the one that fucked this situation up and I am here to remedy it right now.” She purses her lips together and she looks as if she’s gearing up for war with me. I certainly remember her temper and it was never pleasant. “Look, Bam, we share a son together so I am going to be the fucking adult here and lay it out for you. I want to see him as much as I possibly can and get to know him. I want to make up for seven years of being shut out of his life by you, his mother. I won’t take no shit off you about it. If you proceed to play games with me, I will hire a lawyer and sue your ass for full custody. Feel me, baby?”

  I see the redness sneaking up her neck to her face. “Ryder, no, I don’t feel you, baby. He is my son first and foremost. I have sacrificed to raise him, alone. I never asked you for a fucking dime. I will not roll over and let you think you are taking over raising him. Your petty little threats of a lawyer don’t scare me at all. What judge would grant you custody? You’re a fucking biker who was arrested for running drugs and guns. Some role model you’d make. You feel me, baby?”

  I tamp down my rising anger. I don’t need a repeat of choking the living shit out of her. “Charges were dropped, bitch. They went away.” I give her a smirk and she sneers at me.

  She stands up and begins to pace the room as I lean up against the desk. “Ryder, we can come to an agreement. I will let you see Ransom on the condition that you pay me child support. My kid’s time don’t come cheap to you, either. I also don’t want your ‘girlfriend’ around him when he’s with you. If you agree to pay me $2500.00 a month in child support, I will let you have him on weekends. Friday nights until Sunday afternoon. I think that’s a fair price.” Fucking bitch. Using my kid as leverage to get money from me on a regular basis.

  I take a deep breath. “Bam, I’ll pay support for him because he deserves it. We can let the state of Arizona decide how much. That’s my final offer to you before I pick this phone and call my lawyer,” I say as I pick up the office phone. “So what’s it gonna be? You wanna play nice or do I trump your ass right here and now?”

  She turns so quick, I don’t see her charging at me. “Ryder, you stupid motherfucking asshole. I won’t let you see my son unless you fucking pay up. I raised him alone, by myself, without your sorry ass. You fucking abandoned us. The state of motherfucking Arizona ain’t got shit to tell me about what you owe me.”

  I grab her by the wrists and shake her a little. Mostly to get her attention and keep her from screaming like a wild banshee. “Bambi, take your ass for a walk and go cool the fuck down. I won’t talk to you when you’re screaming and cryin’ like a bitch.”

  She huffs out a breath. As soon as I release her wrists, she stands straight, brushes her dress down, turns, and walks out the door. Crazy bitch.

  After a few minutes, I hear her heels clicking toward the door. I had hoped she would have taken at least thirty minutes or so to cool off. I take in a deep breath to clear myself and center my emotions. Dealing with her on an emotional level is too much.

  I see the door open and Bambi is standing in the doorway, with a big smile on her face. What the hell is she up to now? I look up just as she moves away from the door and I see Faith. What the fuck is she doing in Arizona, and with that bitch Peggy Sue? Now I’m confused. Last that I spoke to Faith, Peggy was still her worst enemy. What the hell is going on? I feel like I am standing in a house of cards and it is on the verge of collapsing on me.

  Just as I lock eyes with Faith, the ice queen decides to let the door slam closed. She walks over to me and wraps herself around my body. My only thought. FUCK. ME.

  Chapter 13 -

  Faith

  Four Days Later

  “The next time I think it is a bright idea to drive across three states with a newborn baby, just shoot me in my head,” I say to Tank as I get out of my car in front of the Dueling Dragons clubhouse… I mean, home…

  “The next time anything happens, if that bitch is involved, don’t ask me to do shit. Cause, Faith, I love you and everything, but I could give two shits about that blond bitch,” Tank snarls as he gets off his bike. I shake my head at him just as Pegs gets out of the backseat of my car.

  I decided that, since we’re going back to Kentucky at some point after we pick up Ryder, I wanted to bring my car. I have no reason to go back to Alabama. If Will and Nate want to see me, they can come to me.

  “Where the hell are we?” Peggy asks.

  “You are at the Dueling Dragons Motorcycle Club’s home. Welcome to our clubhouse, Lil Mama,” Ziggy says.

  I see her face scrunch up, and she shakes her head a little bit. “Are you serious? Faith, you can’t be serious!” She turns and gawks at me. I shrug my shoulders and lean back into my car for my cell phone and purse.

  “Am I okay parked here?” I ask the guys.

  “Yeah, you should be fine. If anything, hang your keys in chapel and if it is an issue, the prospects will take care of it.”

  I nod and walk around the back of my car to the trunk.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that shit. One of the prospects will come out and get your bags.” He waves his arm at me to stop me from opening my trunk. “Oh, look. Ryder’s bike is here. Must mean that they have him home.”

  I’m instantly hit with butterflies. I haven’t seen Ryder face to face in what feels like forever. What are we going to say to each other? Will we hug? Will we kiss?

  “Ryder? Is here? Are you sure? Why didn’t we get any phone calls saying that he was back or anything like that?” I fire the questions at him.

  “Goddamn, Faith.” he spits at me. “I don’t know shit. I’ve been with you, remember?” He turns angrily away from me and motions for Tank to follow him.

  “Well, I guess we are supposed to follow them?” Pegs asks.

  “I guess so. Do you have everything?”

  “Can you grab the diaper bag and my p
urse? Please?”

  I reach in the car and grab them. “Let’s go meet our future,” I say to Pegs and start to walk toward the clubhouse.

  “Girl, this is your future. Not mine!” She laughs at me and I can see it all over her face.

  “Pegs, I have known you since before you grew tits. You are diggin’ on Ziggy, aren’t you?” I bump my shoulder into her and she gets a coy smile on her face.

  “Oh, shut up! Don’t you say a word. He is just so amazing looking, but he is so bad and wrong.” She shakes her head and looks down at her feet.

  “Don’t count out the things that you think are bad and wrong. Some of the ugliest things in the world are actually the most beautiful.” I smile at her as we start to walk up the stairs to the door to the club.

  Well, here is your chance to prove to yourself that you can hang in this world, Faith! Now, let’s do this shit! Psyching myself up, I step up the last step and reach for the door. I open it and I’m slapped right in the face with the most drama I have ever been through in my life.

  ****

  I walk into the club, followed by Peggy and Ziggy along with Tank. He and Ziggy are talking some shit between the two of them. When I open the door, I know something’s off.

  “Wonder what the hell happened here?” Peggy whispers in my ear.

  “I don’t know, but whatever happened looks pretty fucking serious.”

  “Is that any way we get fuckin’ greeted when we walk in the door?” Ziggy throws his arms up in the air; he looks like a cross from the back. I shake my head a little bit. “Who fucking died? You guys are a bunch of lame asses!” He does a complete 180 in the room.

  There are quite a few people in the rather large room. It’s dark and dingy, and smells like smoke and stale beer. There’s a bar that spans the back.

  “Dude, you have no fuckin’ clue what has been going on.”

  A dark haired guy with tattoos walks toward us. He reaches in and gives Ziggy one of those funky guy slap back hugs. I roll my eyes and look over to see Peggy taking an extreme interest in what Ziggy is doing.

  Just at that second, I hear a door open and see a tall, skinny blond with tattoos walk out of a room.

  “What the fuck is she doing here? Does Ry know about this?” Ziggy asks.

  The blonde continues to sashay across the room. All talk has stopped and all eyes are on her and me. I don’t know why, but it feels like I am a test rat in a cage. She stops about five feet from us.

  “Is this her?” She gives me the meanest fucking look I have ever seen. If looks could kill, I would be dead.

  “Mind your own fuckin’ business, bitch!” the guy standing in front of Ziggy says to her. She throws her nasty fake ass bleach blond over her shoulder and walks off.

  “What the fuck was that?” Peggy asks.

  My jaw drops to the floor and I start to laugh as I turn and look at my best friend. Laughing not because of that nasty girl but because, in the fifteen years of friendship, I’ve never heard Peggy Sue use such language!

  “Whhh…Whhh…a…ttt?” I stutter out because I am laughing so hard. “I wanna know who that blonde is, and what the heck my potty mouth was about.” She says and I see Ziggy still standing stiff in front of us.

  “Ziggy? Do you know who she is?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I do. And I think you need to ask your man about that,” he says. I look over and see a small child on the couch playing a video game with Marko.

  I sit on the end of the couch and try to get Marko’s attention, but he is too fixated on the video game. I see the little boy look over at me; I give him a small smile. Who in their right mind would have a child at a biker clubhouse?

  I hear the heels coming back across the room and that’s when I hear her voice again. “Marko, don’t you leave Ransom alone. You know Ryder will have something to say about it if you do.” She grins and looks me right in the eyes.

  “She’s not worth it,” I hear Marko whisper to me.

  What the fuck does she mean Ryder will have something to say about it? What is this child to Ryder?

  Just as my brain is going about hundred miles an hour, Peggy sits next to me and reaches for my hand. “You know, he looks a little like Ryder.”

  “Which one?” I snap back her.

  “Both of them. To be honest, they both look like Ryder.” I don’t know how she comes up with that since she has only seen pictures of Ryder.

  “What the hell does that mean?” I say a little too loud and both the little boy and Marko look at me. “Sorry!” I apologize. “What do you mean?” I look at Pegs.

  “Either both these boys are Ryder’s or there is something else going on.”

  I turn and see the blond walk over and fluff the little boy’s hair, hair that is jet black just like Ryder’s. I see his eyes as he looks away from the TV; his eyes match Ryder’s. Even Marko, who looks like a younger version of Ryder, doesn’t have his eyes; he has Layla’s eyes. Speaking of Layla, I wonder where the hell she is?

  Sitting there looking at this little guy who is probably around seven years old at the most, I hear her heels walk heavily across the floor towards the door that says PRIVATE over the top. I watch her as she opens the door and that is when I get my first glimpse of him. Ryder.

  He’s sitting in the room that looks like an office; she walks into the room and obstructs my view of him. He lifts his face because she says something to him and he looks from her to me on the couch. Our eyes meet and my heart sinks. What the fuck? He’s here, and I am just now seeing him.

  I look at the blonde holding the door and she just looks back at me and lets go of the door; it swings closed. I catch Ryder’s eye again before the door closes, but he isn’t making any effort to come towards me.

  It feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. What the hell is going on?

  I sit there on the couch, in total shock for what seems like the next hour. I stew on everything that has happened in my life lately.

  I hear Ryder starting to raise his voice. I see the little boy look towards the door. “When is my mommy going to come out?” the little boy asks Marko.

  “I’m not sure, lil man. I think she is talking to ummm… Ryder,” Marko says like he is stumbling over what he is going to say.

  “Marko, is there something that you need to tell me?” This draws Ziggy’s attention.

  “What the fuck, Marko? Just remember, you ain’t patched yet and I can talk prez outta patching you. You little bastard.” Ziggy says as he grabs the back of Marko’s neck.

  “Zeke, you let that man go. There is a child in the room,” Peggy says from the other side of me and Ziggy instantly releases Marko. He leans down and whispers something in Marko’s ear.

  “All right, I will fucking tell you guys. Even though it should be Prez that tells you his dirty fucking laundry.”

  “I don’t care about the Prez Marko. What is going on with Ryder?” I spit out at him and stand up from my seat on the couch. There is no more nice Faith. I want to know what the hell is going on here.

  “Ryder is the new president of the MC. Prez was killed a few days ago; with Ryder being VP, he stepped up.” He tosses the controller on the floor and stands. “I shouldn’t have fucking told you guys that. We have chapel tonight to go over shit.” He runs his hand through his hair and turns to walk out the door. Ziggy says his name a few times to try to stop him, but Marko doesn’t stop.

  I look over at this dark haired little boy. I can’t stop myself from staring at him. I hear Pegs clear her throat from the couch.

  “You gonna sit back down, sweetie?”

  That’s when I hear it. I hear Ryder’s voice and know that he is on the other side of that door. There is no way in hell I am going to be played for a fucking fool again. Not this time. Ignoring Pegs, I walk over to the door that the tramp walked into. I take a few deep breaths and turn the knob and throw the door open to see Ryder standing in the middle of the office, with the blond demon wrapped around his neck, kissing him. />
  Chapter 14 -

  Faith

  I thought my life ended the day that I walked in on Peggy Sue and Beau together. Well, let me tell you. Walking in on that bitch and Ryder was the worst thing that has ever happened to me.

  I see Ryder try to push the blonde back away from him. “What the fuck is that about, Bambi?”

  “Bambi, such a cute name for a fucking whore,” I say, not really controlling my volume.

  She turns to face me. “Oh, and I guess your name is better than mine. I know that pussy of yours is better if he is pushing me off him. Ryder usually fucks anything that walks.”

  Ryder sighs rather loudly and starts to walk toward me, but I throw my arms up in the air. “Don’t touch me.” He stops in his tracks and looks at me as if I’ve sprouted a second head.

  “How could you?” We make eye contact, “You asked me to wait for you. I did. How could you?” I will not give either one of them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

  “Faith, it’s not what you think.”

  I catch Bambi out of the corner of my eye, she is grabbing her purse and getting ready to walk out of the office. Oh, hell no!

  She sashays her ass past me a little bit and I reach back, grab a hold of her swinging ponytail, and give it a good pull. She loses her balance a little bit and stumbles backwards.

  “What the fuck?” she screams. I pull a little bit harder and bring her back to where I’m standing. I may be small, but my brothers used to fight with me all the time.

  I look over at Ryder. “Is this what you have been doing lately? Why didn’t you call me?”

  Bambi manages to kick me hard in my ass.

  “Faith, it isn’t like that,” I hear Ryder say as I pull Bambi closer to me and smack her in the face.

  Bambi turns about three shades of red. “You little bitch!” She comes at me and I throw my hands up just in time to deflect her slap.

  I hear the jukebox start up and the most fitting song comes on. Miranda Lambert’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” starts to flood the room and we all look over our shoulders and see Tank walking away from the jukebox. “What? I thought it was fitting.”