by London Casey
Blaine gritted his teeth.
Think bigger, brother. Think bigger.
Slicing up Vin would be good for Blaine. It would be good for Jessa, too.
Blaine pushed from the table and walked to the door. He opened it and saw Jessa standing a few feet away.
“What’s wrong, brother?” Nate asked.
Blaine stared at Jessa. “Go get Vin off the table. I have a plan.”
Blaine rushed to Jessa and scooped her up.
Jessa started to weep.
Blaine felt another tear fall from his eye.
It was over now. It had to be over now. The past was done. It was gone. It couldn’t return. The proof? Because in between Jessa and Blaine was the future. Their future. Their baby.
***
Blaine leaned against the trunk as two black SUV’s approached. They turned sideways and the backdoor of one opened. A man climbed out with two towering men behind him. They were equipped with machine guns and looked totally okay with killing anyone for any reason at all.
“Arms out,” the man yelled.
“Do it,” Miller said.
Miller, Gaige, Shay, and Blaine listened.
They were then patted down, their guns taken and put on the ground.
The man then stood there, looking at each one. “We’ve never conducted business before.”
“Never had a need,” Blaine said. “Until bodies started piling up in our town.”
“What the fuck does that have to do with us?”
“You’re missing some guns and money, aren’t you?” Gaige asked.
The two men lifted their guns.
“Hey,” Miller said. “We’re trying to help here.”
“What’s your name?” Blaine asked.
“Pick one,” the man said.
“I’m going to call you Ed then.”
“Fair enough,” Ed said.
“You were selling weapons to a man named Vin. He was using those weapons to rebuild a rival crew. They were pushing hard into town and bringing heat on our club.”
“If you tell me you took our guns and cash,” Ed said, “I’m going to have my men shoot you. Then I’m going to cut out your eyes and keep them. Then you’re going to be buried in a shallow grave. Then I’ll piss on the grave.”
“You see the car I’m leaning on,” Blaine said. “I have something for you.”
“I don’t do games,” Ed said.
“Neither do we,” Miller said. “Our MC wants nothing to do with your cartel. We keep separate. We know you have deals and run-ins with other clubs around here, that’s fine. But this ends now.”
“How much is Vin worth to you?” Blaine asked.
Ed smirked. “You mean besides skipping on orders, payments, and fucking with my family?”
“That’s exactly what I needed to hear,” Blaine said. He moved from the trunk and then opened it. “Here you go, Ed.”
Vin was in the trunk, alive. He was tied up. Blaine sacrificed his need to kill for the greater good of the MC.
“You did this?” Ed asked.
“We took out Eight Under,” Blaine said. “No more business there. But this guy has his hands everywhere. He owes you. He owes us. He owes a lot of people.”
“Consider this a peace offering,” Gaige said. “Before there’s any beef between us.”
“I’ll consider it,” Ed said. “Now where’s my fucking guns and money?”
Right on cue, a car came forward. One of the prospect’s drove the car right up next to the motorcycles.
“There are your guns and cash,” Blaine said. “You can check all you want. You can count all you want. It’s all there.”
“Fuck me,” Ed said. “This is really a gesture.”
“No more wars,” Miller said. “Not near our town.”
Ed looked right at Blaine. “You’re the one running this. What’s Vin mean to you?”
Blaine stepped forward, almost bumping chests with Ed. The two men lifted their guns and had then pointed right at Blaine.
“Vin killed my family in cold blood. He put a bullet through my fiancee’s head. Then he put a bullet through my stepdaughter’s chest. He served no time for it. I moved on and found someone else to love. She’s carrying my child right now. He tried to hurt her and my unborn child. I had him strapped to a table, ready to take him apart. Literally. I stopped. For you, Ed. For you.”
“That’s some sick shit. But I’ll take it.”
Ed then offered his hand to Blaine. They shook hands. As did Shay, Gaige, and Miller.
They broke up and Miller slid a hand to Blaine’s neck. “You did fucking amazing, brother. You have no idea what you just did for the club.”
“I love you all,” Blaine said. “I’d do it again.”
They got on their motorcycles and watched as the back window went down. Ed’s beady little eyes stared at Blaine.
“You had a fire, huh?”
“Yeah,” Blaine called out. “Someone tried to burn our clubhouse down.”
“I’m sorry. About that. About your family. About your troubles. Just know Vin will be in good hands.”
Blaine nodded.
Ed then tossed a bag out the window of the SUV and drove away.
Everyone thought it was a bomb and readied to take cover. Shay was crazy enough to approach the bag, not giving a shit if it was a bomb.
It wasn’t a bomb though.
It was the money.
Half a million dollars. All cash.
A little thank you.
thirty-five.
Jessa saw the lights in the mirror.
“He’s got us,” Blaine said. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” Jessa said.
She was terrified. Really terrified.
Blaine kept driving fast, approaching double the speed limit.
The police cruiser got right up on his ass, lights and sirens going wild.
Blaine pulled to the side of the road.
When the officer came to Jessa’s side, she gripped the door handle and started to groan.
Blaine leaned across. “Officer, I’m so sorry. It’s my wife. She’s in pain…”
“Do you understand how fast…”
Jessa let out a cry. She touched her round stomach. “It hurts.”
“Ma’am? Are you…”
“She’s pregnant,” Blaine said. “We went for a drive to look at the mountains. She started complaining of pains. I called for help and they told me to meet them around here. Why the hell couldn’t they send an ambulance?”
“Sir, there are parts around here…”
Jessa groaned again. She leaned forward. “It’s so bad. I think I’m…” She grabbed a bag of water from under seat and squeezed it. It popped without a sound, leaving a wet mess everywhere. She then leaned back and yelled. “My water!”
“Holy shit,” the officer said. “Let meet get you assistance.”
“Call for a hospital escort,” Blaine said. “I have to drive. If you’re going to chase me, then chase me. You can shoot me, I don’t care. This is my first child. I can’t have anything go wrong.”
The officer looked shocked. He had no idea what to do.
Jessa looked in the rearview mirror and saw the box truck. It approached the car. She reached for the officer’s hand and squeezed. “I think the baby… it’s too soon. It’s way too soon…”
“Okay,” the officer said. “Just hang…”
The box truck passed by the car and kept going.
The officer didn’t even look at it.
He had no idea that a shipment of guns had just driven by.
Miller had called in a few favors to find out who was working the route that day. There was an officer running a speed trap. Jessa and Blaine were in charge of distracting that officer.
He also didn’t know that a gun had been fired at his cruiser, taking out the left side tires.
“I’m driving,” Blaine said. “Follow me or call for help.”
“Let me get back in my
cruiser,” the officer said. “I’ll… uh…”
Blaine started to creep forward and then slammed on the gas pedal. The car kicked up dust as they sped away.
Jessa exhaled and touched her stomach. “That was so wrong, Blaine. He’s going to follow us.”
“He’s got two flats,” Blaine said. “He can’t follow us. And if he drives on his tires, he’ll damage his car. So then what? He calls it in? What’s he going to say?”
“I can’t believe this. This is what I’ve become.”
“Hey, what else would you want to do on your day off with me?”
“Besides break the law?”
Blaine grabbed Jessa’s hand and kissed it.
“Oh, Blaine…”
“What?”
“You realize what this means? My baby… our baby… it’s already an outlaw.”
Blaine let go of Jessa’s hand and reached across to her belly. “There’s no other way to live.”
Jessa wanted to get mad, but, again, she couldn’t. She kind of liked the thrill. More than that, she loved Blaine. She loved her outlaw. She loved everything good and bad that he brought to her.
The baby kicked and both Blaine and Jessa smiled.
thirty-six.
Blaine found the small box outside his house. It was a present wrapped in baby wrapping paper. There were little horses, rattles, and that kind of stuff on the paper. No return address was on the label.
He took the box inside and put it on the table.
Looking down the hall, he smiled. Jessa had been put on bed rest. She only had another month to go before baby Blaine came. They were going to try and wait to be surprised by the sex of the baby, but Blaine couldn’t help himself. He knew it was a boy. Jessa still didn’t.
He sat at the table and cut the box open. Inside was another box. On top, a note. Before he could read it, his cell rang.
“Hello?”
“It’s Ethan.”
“Chief Ethan,” Blaine said.
“Stick to first names, Blaine.”
“What do I owe this pleasure?”
“Nothing is adding up here.”
“Did you press the right numbers on the calculator?”
“Fuck you. I’ve got a massacre just outside Frelen. I’ve got the eyes of everyone on me to take you down. I’ve got a fire investigation at your clubhouse that is arson. Yet, I can’t find Vin… and magically, it’s quiet around here.”
“Let me know where the bad news is,” Blaine said.
“What did you do to Vin?”
“Nothing. You have our stories. Our alibis all checked out. Didn’t they?”
“You know, Blaine, I got a call from a friend who says you were driving a car almost double the speed limit. You were pulled over and a woman in your car was going into labor. You then sped away and that officer’s cruiser had tires shot out.”
“That’s weird,” Blaine said. “Jessa is still very pregnant.”
“I know that!” Ethan growled. “What the fuck is your club up to?”
“Club business,” Blaine said. “The way I see it, Ethan… our MC was attacked. Damn shame to us. But at that same time, the Eight Under MC was viciously murdered and Vin took off. I can tell you this, Vin and Eight Under were in bed. So something went wrong there. At least it’s outside Frelen.”
“There’s eyes everywhere, Blaine.”
“That’s fine. We have nothing to hide.” There was silence and Blaine grinned. “And you thought you were going to come into this town and just step on us. We own Frelen, Ethan. When you realize that and realize what we do for this town and the surrounding areas, then we’ll end up happy as friends.”
“I’ll never be your fucking friend, Blaine. You were a dirty man back then and you’re worse now.”
“But at least I’m free,” Blaine said.
He closed the phone. He put it down and patted it. There was no more going back. Only going forward.
Blaine turned his attention to the gift box on the table.
He opened the note and read.
A little luck for your little family. All is settled.
- Ed
Blaine opened the second box and quickly shut up.
Some people believed in carrying a rabbit’s foot for good luck, right? All those superstitions that were taken very seriously.
The cartel had their own version of that, or so it appeared.
Blaine looked again and shook his head.
It wasn’t a rabbit’s foot.
It was a human foot.
It was Vin’s foot.
“What is that?” Jessa asked.
Blaine shut the box and stood up. She was beautiful round. Her face chubby but pretty. Her breasts had filled in crazy, leaving Blaine constantly turned on, twenty-four-seven. Which was a step up from his normal schedule of being hard twenty-hours-a-day.
“Just a little gift to me,” Blaine said. “Don’t worry about it.” Blaine walked to Jessa. He touched her stomach. “How’s my baby?”
“Good. Active. Wish he or she could get here already.”
“Soon,” Blaine said. “I’m not done with you yet.”
“No?”
“Pregnancy sex is becoming a real fetish for me. What am I going to do when you have the baby?”
“You’re an asshole, Blaine.”
“I know. I know.”
“But I like pregnancy sex too,” Jessa said. “In fact I read that sex helps get labor going.”
“Well then,” Blaine said. “The rest of my day is booked now.”
Blaine kissed Jessa. He would touch every inch of her body. He would taste every inch of her body. She was his woman, forever. He’d touch her soft skin with the delicate touch she desired. But he would take care of that wild fire inside her though.
She was the only woman who dared to tame him. She was the only woman that came close. And the parts she couldn’t tame, she was the fire for. And Blaine loved her with whatever was left of his heart. She was rebuilding his heart with her love and her body. Riding outlaw and riding with the reaper was all Blaine knew… until he met Jessa. She gave him meaning. She gave him purpose. And she gave him a family.
*****
“Caine.”
It was the perfect name for the perfect baby.
Everyone stood in the hospital room just before six in the morning.
Jessa looked around at the group of bikers. They were simply terrifying… yet the most gentle men she’d ever known. They chased the nurses out of the room as they flooded in to meet the newest member of Back Down Devil MC.
Miller held the baby, shaking his head. “How could something so disgusting make something so beautiful?”
“Blame Jessa,” Blaine said.
“How do you feel?” Miller asked Jessa.
“Tired,” she said. “Happy.”
“You look amazing,” Shay said.
“You look like shit,” Jessa said.
Everyone laughed.
“Aye,” Shay said. “Thanks for that, Mom.”
Miller passed baby Caine to Trev. His massive tattooed arms held the sleeping baby tight.
“Man, we have so much to teach him,” Trev said. “About the club. The life. About his old man.”
“No, no,” Blaine said. “He doesn’t need to know a thing about me.”
“Nobody needs to know a thing about you,” Gaige said. “I think you could make the devil blush with your stories, brother.”
Miller touched one of Jessa’s feet. “Hey. I’m proud of you. For everything you’ve gone through with us. It’s been a bumpy road. But you have us, Jessa. This club and all its members. You’re deeper than family.”
“Do I get a leather cut?” Jessa asked.
“No,” Miller said. He then reached back. “However…” He pulled out a small onesie. “Caine is an honorary member.”
It was a black onesie with the Back Down Devil name and logo on it.
“Good,” Trev said. “Get him out of this baby blue ele
phant shit.”
Blaine took Caine and lifted him up, kissing his head.
Jessa couldn’t believe how natural it came to Blaine. That instant connection of father and son. Of parent and child. Of family.
Caine started to stir. His little arms fought against the blanket. His mouth opened and he let out a long yell. Then his eyes opened.
“Look at him,” Gaige said. “Checking us out.”
Gaige grabbed Caine’s little hand and wiggled it.
“I think he’s hungry again,” Jessa said.
“Like his father, I’m sure,” Nate said.
Blaine leaned down and Jessa took the baby. She sat up and held her baby. Blaine kissed her forehead. “Goddamn, I love you. Just seeing you like this makes my chest want to explode.”
“I’ll consider that romantic,” Jessa said.
“You better.”
Blaine brushed his lips to hers.
“Enough of that,” Miller said. “Come on, Blaine. I got you a cigar.”
Blaine joined the crew and they all hugged each other. A group of men in leather cuts that followed the open road, outlaw rules, and believed in nothing but freedom.
“That’s your family,” Jessa whispered to Caine. “They’re crazy. They fight. But they love each other. They’re going to love you more than any other family ever could.”
Caine made a funny face with his lips. Then he cried again.
“Come on,” Blaine said. “Let’s get out of here. Leave Jessa with some privacy.”
The MC worked their way to the door. Blaine lingered back.
Jessa slowly opened her gown and tried to remember everything the nurses had been telling her about breastfeeding. There was nothing quite like pushing a baby out of a small hole and then have what felt like a hundred people yelling different orders at you. It was nice to be calm and quiet.
Jessa touched her breast and offered herself to Caine. He slowly latched on, surprising Jessa how easy it had been.
Maybe he really is like his father…
Jessa smiled and felt her eyes fill with tears.
“Hey,” Blaine said, appearing again.
A tear fell from Jessa’s eye. “Hey.”