by KJ Dahlen
Wiley frowned and led her to the coffee and when he poured her a cup, he turned to face the entire room. He led her over to Deke’s table and they both sat down.
Nix felt the prickles of being in the spotlight crawling all over her skin. She hated that feeling. The stares and the whispering made her uncomfortable. Most of her life it was the attention from the Hellions she hated. She always feared getting their attention. After last night, she knew why she feared their attention. She knew if they had done to her what Wiley had last night it wouldn’t have been the same...it would’ve been horrible and not at all beautiful like she’d just experienced.
But she didn’t say anything and kept her eyes down. She moved her chair a little closer to Wiley.
Wiley stared at his president.
Deke took note of the fact that she looked fearful and he didn’t seem to like it. It was obvious, he hated to see her fear. He then looked over at Wiley and studied the other man for a moment. Then he asked, “How is your head this morning?”
Wiley nodded. “Better, still got a headache but it’s bearable.”
Deke nodded then sipped his coffee. “That’s good. Good thing you got a hard head though.”
Wiley tipped up his lips slightly. “Yeah that helped.” Sipping from his cup, he looked around the room. “So, what’s the word?”
“We got word Bam Bam and several others are on their way here. They should be here within the hour.” Deke gritted between his teeth.
“And that bothers you why?” Wiley asked.
“We didn’t want the whole damn bunch of them rolling into town. This is supposed to be a friendly visit, not a declaration of war.”
Wiley and several of the other brother shook their heads. “We would do the same if you were called to go meet another MC, boss. It’s our job to protect not only you but the rest of our MC as well.”
“But we aren’t calling him out,” Deke insisted.
“He can’t be sure of that and neither can his MC.” Deacon shook his head.
Wiley felt Nix’s hand close down on his arm. He looked over at her and saw the tension and the terror in her eyes. He frowned and pulled her close. “What is it sweetheart? What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“You won’t let them take me, will you?” she could barely get the words past her swollen throat.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her close. “God no, woman. No one is taking you anywhere.”
Deke watched the pair and frowned slightly. He didn’t hear what they were saying but he could read her body language and he could see her fear. “Do you know Bam Bam? Or any of the others?”
Nix turned her head and looked at him. “No I don’t. I just don’t do so well in front of a lot of people.”
The back door opened and a woman with red hair came in along with two big black dogs. One of the dogs was younger than the other but the older one stayed right on her heels. The woman made her way over to Deke and wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned down and kissed him.
Nix blushed at the sight.
The younger dog came over to Nix and sat there staring at her.
Nix had always wanted a dog but she never had one. It was hard enough to feed herself after she left the Hellions compound and she’d known better than to ask her mother for a pet. She reached out her trembling hand and let the dog sniff her fingers.
Everyone watched the interaction with surprised eyes.
Nix looked up and saw the stares then had to wonder about it. “What’s wrong? Am I not supposed to touch her?”
The woman smiled at her. “Oh no, that’s not it. That dog came here about two months ago. She’d been abandoned by someone who just threw her away after beating the hell out of her. She usually doesn’t approach anyone and the brothers leave her be. She would never hurt anyone but she never gets close to anyone either. We’re just surprised she came to you that’s all.”
Nix pulled hand back but the dog scooted closer and she nudged her nose under Nix’s hand. She patted the dog and began running her fingers through the dog’s coat. “What do you call her?”
“We call her Shadow. Oh and I’m Cassie,” Cassie informed her with a huge smile. “Like I said, she arrived two months ago and she’s been hanging with Demon, he’s my guard dog. He never lets anyone or anything near her, usually. I’m a little surprised he’s not pushing her away from you. He must sense you can be trusted with her. He must know you’re not going to hurt her.”
Nix lifted her head and stared at them. “I would never hurt an animal. That’s just cruel. I’ve always wanted a dog but knew I could never have one.”
“You’ve never been around dogs before?” Deke asked.
“I never said that.” Nix shook her head. “The Hellions had guard dogs around the compound but everyone knew to stay away from them. They were mean and would bite you just because they could. They were mistreated and Moses wanted them mean. He wanted them to protect the compound when everyone was asleep.”
Deke shook his at her statements. She seemed to treat everything that she’d know before like facts of the way life should be and that was no way to live. He didn’t like cruelty of any kind to an innocent... women, kids and animals were innocents. He looked around the main room and saw the same expression in every man’s eyes sitting there.
“If the dogs were loose when you left, how did you get out without being bitten?” Sam asked as he came over to their table. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her an imposing look.
“I don’t know. I was afraid of that too when I first opened the door but the dogs were there waiting for me. They walked with me all the way to the front gate. They usually barked like crazy when someone stepped out of the compound but they didn’t that morning. They surrounded me and walked with me. As soon as I climbed over the gate, they went back to their duties.”
Cassie’s eyes were blurred with tears. She looked down at Deke and found him looking back at her. They both knew those dogs helped her escape her hell. They knew by instinct what she needed and they helped her achieve it, despite the way they were treated, they protected her the best that they could.
Just then, the front door opened and one of the brothers rushed inside. He went directly to Deke and whispered something in his ear. Deke nodded and got to his feet. He turned to kiss Cassie then he told her, “I want you to go back to the house and stay there. I’ll send a couple of the brothers with you to watch over you and the kids. Bam Bam is outside the gates with his posse.”
Cassie knew enough not to argue with him, instead she snapped her fingers for Demon. No one was surprised when Shadow stayed at Nix’s side.
The tension grew as a few minutes later, three men entered the clubhouse.
Bam Bam was a tall man. He stood six foot five and weighed in at close to three hundred pounds. He was an older man with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. The unusual thing was he had a white streak in his hair the same as Nix did.
Nix gasped and stared at the man for a moment then turned and looked at Wiley.
Wiley took note of it as well. No one else had seen her hair last night as she kept it under that cap. Even now, her hair was hidden under it.
Her eyes went back to the three men coming toward the table where she was sitting.
Then Bam Bam and one of his men stopped dead in their tracks. Bam Bam had caught sight of Nix and his mouth hung open as he stared at her.
The other man swore and he glared at her with narrowed eyes.
Deke was surprised and looked between Bam Bam and Nix. When no one said anything, he cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, is there something wrong?”
Bam Bam turned his head to Deke and demanded, “Who the fuck is this woman? What is her name?”
“She claims to have the name of Phoenix,” Deke responded. “Do you know her?”
The other man who recognized her growled. “She looks just like someone we knew a very long time ago.”
“She looks like my wife who ra
n away from me twenty four years ago.” Bam Bam glared at her.
Deke snapped his head over to look at Nix. “Wife?”
“Wife. Milly and I were just starting the MC in Phoenix when a new MC rolled in. They called themselves the Reckless Hellions. They put the crazy in as an MC and we didn’t want that rep so we were moving to another location. We finally ended up in Vermont. The day we were leaving, she disappeared. She left me a note that said she wanted more excitement than I could give her, that I should just let her go and move on. She told me she didn’t love me and not to look for her.” Bam Bam growled. “Fuckin bitch. I wanted to kill her for betraying me like that.”
Deke shook his head. “And you just let her go?”
“Hell no.” Bam Bam growled. “I looked for her and found her in the Hellions compound. She was all over one of the guys. If that was the life she wanted, then she could have it. I walked away never expecting to see her again. Now, I see some girl who looks just like her?”
Nix sat there in stunned disbelief. She stared at the white streak in his hair. She had heard him say her mother’s name and her heart stopped beating for a moment. She fought to get free from Wiley’s hold, then she got to her feet and stared at both men.
They stared back in disgust. They looked at her from the top of her head to the floor and back up again.
“Hell, Bam Bam, she looks just like Milly.”
Bam Bam shook his head and took a step forward. “Not completely.” He stopped short when Shadow began to growl.
Everyone was surprised by the dog standing between Nix and Bam Bam.
Wiley got to his feet and pulled Nix back into his embrace.
Shadow moved to stand between Bam Bam and the couple. She was watching Bam Bam and his friends carefully but she was no longer growling.
“Call off the mutt.” Bam Bam glared.
“She’s not mine to call off,” Nix stated shakily.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Bam Bam asked. “Who are you?”
“Me? I’m nobody,” she barely whispered.
“Everybody is somebody sweetheart,” Bam Bam told her.
Wiley growled at the endearment but didn’t move. He held Nix close to him, not exactly sure what was going on but he had a good idea. How this happened he had no clue, but he had a feeling Bam Bam wasn’t going to like what he was about to find out. He glanced over at Deke and saw Deke staring back at him. Yes, he had already guessed this fact.
Nix wet her dry kips and looking at the man in front of her, she had to ask, “So you knew Milly?”
Bam Bam snorted. “Yeah I knew the bitch.”
Nix winced slightly and Bam Bam saw it.
“Did you know her?” he asked with dread on his face.
“I knew her.” Nix nodded.
“How?” the other man with Bam Bam demanded.
“She was my mother,” Nix announced into the void of absolute silence in the clubhouse.
“Your mother?” the other man yelled out. “Holy fucking shit!”
Bam Bam looked as if he’d been poleaxed. His complexion paled as he searched her face. Looking into her amber eyes, he paled even more. Then his eyes went to where her hair should have been if it wasn’t hidden.
Wiley reached up slowly and pulled off the cap she wore.
Her long dark hair tumbled to her hips and beyond. Even tightly braided, everyone could still see the streak of white in the dark hair on her head.
Bam Bam and the other man with him stumbled back a step or two.
“Jesus H Christ on a cracker!” The man beside Bam Bam swore softly.
Bam Bam just stared at the girl in front of him. In fact, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Swallowing hard he had to ask, “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-three.” She whispered, staring into his eyes. Eyes that looked just like his own.
“That fucking bitch!” The man beside Bam Bam looked enraged.
Bam Bam snapped his head around and glared at the man. “Shut your fucking mouth, Grizzly.”
The other man shook his head. “Sorry Bam but this blows. She should have told you about the girl.”
“Well she didn’t, did she?” Bam Bam looked back at Nix and shook his head. “Did your mother ever tell you about your dad?”
Nix shook her head. “She wouldn’t even tell me his name.”
Bam Bam closed his eyes against the pain of her admission. “My name is Stone Matthias. I also am known by my road name, Bam Bam.”
“My name, the only name I’ve ever been called is Phoenix,” Nix admitted.
“Just Phoenix?” Grizzly asked. “What about a last name?”
Nix shrugged. “If I had one, I never knew it.”
“What about a birth certificate? Surely, you had one of those?” Bam Bam demanded.
Nix shook her head. “I was told all my life my birth was never recorded. Mom always told me she gave birth to me at the compound and they didn’t issue birth certificates.”
“Whatever happen to the bitch—I mean your mother?” Grizzly asked.
Nix looked over at him. “She overdosed when I was thirteen. I didn’t stay long enough to know what they did with her body. I had to leave shortly after she passed.”
“What have you been doing the last ten years?” Bam Bam asked in shock.
“Surviving, just surviving.” Nix stared back at him.
“Well fucking hell.” Bam Bam swore and it echoed through the main room. He grabbed a chair and had to sit down.
Chapter Six
Grizzly and Bumper joined their president at the table, with Deke, Sam, Gator and Wiley. Nix was sitting on Wiley’s lap, a position Bam Bam didn’t really seem to care for but he didn’t say anything, he just glared. “So how did you run into Turnkey four years ago?” Grizzly asked.
“I was cleaning a bar in North Adams and he and his buddies walked in. They started harassing one of the patrons there until the patron left the bar. They followed him out and I saw the fight start. They were equally matched until JoJo handed Turnkey his bat, then it was just plain murder. Turnkey didn’t stop until the man was dead.”
“How did they know you were there?” Bumper asked.
“I was on my way home after I dumped some boxes in the dumpster out back and I laid my jacket down before I threw the boxes away. They must have heard me and when I ran, I forgot to take my jacket with me. The next day, they came looking for me. They caught me before I could get out of town.”
Bam Bam looked her over carefully. “They hurt you?”
“They forced her off a second story balcony and then left her for dead.” Wiley growled.
Bam Bam hung his head. “How bad were you hurt?”
Wiley opened his mouth to tell them exactly how hurt she was but Nix covered his mouth with her fingers. “I survived.” Was all she would tell them.
“Why wasn’t I told she died?” he demanded to know. “Someone should have told me.”
“Hell, you should have been told you had a kid too, but those bastards never said a word,” Bumper, the third man in Bam Bam’s posse, growled. “Is that why you wear that cap?”
Nix looked puzzled by the question as she paused.” Well, they insisted I wear it at all times.”
“They were hiding her hair!” Grizzly exclaimed. “They knew if word got out...” His voice fell away as he caught the thunderous look on his President’s face
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. It’s in the past,” Nix told them.
“Oh yeah, it does matter baby girl.” Bam Bam snapped. “It matters a hell of a lot to me. I lost twenty-three years with you because of that bitch and those lousy bastards. I knew they weren’t the best of men but if that’s what she wanted, I didn’t want her.” He ran his hands over his head. “Did she end up with an old man out of it at least?”
Nix knew her answer was going to piss off all of them but she wasn’t going to lie to them either. “No, she was nothing more than a club whore. And that was what she wanted.”
It was Grizzly who asked, “You left the same night your mom died? Why?”
Nix raised her head high and told them without any emotion in her voice, “Moses and his VP Brick told me I could take my mother’s place. They told me they would be gentle with me while they broke me in.”
Growls echoed in the room.
Bam Bam looked like he was going to explode. “And you were what? Thirteen years old at the time?”
Nix nodded. “That was why I left.”
Bam Bam looked over at his friend Grizzly and snapped, “When we’re done with Turnkey, we’re going after the Hellions. We’re gonna wipe them out.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Grizzly growled. “Fucking hell, they never were worth much but this is low even for them.”
Deke cleared his throat. “We can discuss that later, right now we have other things to talk about.”
“Turnkey and his buddies.” Grizzly acknowledged. “You told us he hurt one of your men, which one was it and how did he get to him?”
“It was me,” Wiley spoke up. “I heard about another club being in town and I went to check it out. I found them at a local bar, Gus’s. They didn’t speak to me but instead sat in a corner, watching every move I made. I asked Gus about it and he wouldn’t tell me anything. When I looked back they were gone, so I left too.”
Grizzly snorted. “That makes sense doesn’t it? Gus is Turnkey’s uncle.”
Deke sat up at this news. “Oh, really?” He looked over at Wiley and shook his head. “He didn’t tell us that.”
“Anyway, I left. Then thought I heard a noise in the back of the bar. I went to investigate and the next thing I knew I was laid out fading in and out of consciousness.”
“How did you escape being beaten to death?” Grizzly wanted to know.
“Nix screamed and rolled a dumpster toward the two of us. Turnkey didn’t want to gather anyone’s attention so he took off in a hurry.”
“What a fucking coward,” Bumper grumbled.
Wiley shrugged. “Whatever she did, it saved my live. She got me out of there and got me the help I needed.”