by Vera Quinn
“Maddie, it’ll be okay. It won’t be long and all our dirty laundry will be out on one of those daytime TV shows.” Micah is joking but right now Maddie is not finding any of it funny. “Besides, once Aunt Deb finds out you are pregnant and the asshole Dra has been, he will meet the business end of her shotgun. Problem solved.” That made Maddie laughs.
“That’s true, but I would kind of like for my child to be able to at least get a chance to meet his or her dad. At least once.” Maddie snorts and Micah and I both laugh. Micah looks at me funny and then she just blurts out.
“This is all your fault, Callie. You have bad taste in men. Couldn’t you have chosen better men for us to drool over?” Micah is waiting for me to answer that.
“There’s a reason I’m not with those two. Remember? Mason cheated on me and Dra chose his club over me. I have told both of you this. What part did you not understand?” I wait for them both to answer but the door opens and my brother and Maizy walk in. Ty takes one look at us and looks around the room.
“Our long-lost brother is here. How are you doing, Tazer?” Micah asks. Ty shakes his head and walks over by my bed and kisses my cheek. He looks at Maddie sitting beside me in the bed and then he looks at Micah. Maizy is quiet behind him.
“I am only Callie’s brother, and she is the only crazy I can handle. I don’t know what you three have going on and I don’t want to know.” He walks over to Killian and lifts his hand with his one finger. “He looks just like Kellan did. You did good, Baby Girl. I’m going to find Chief and Devil. I don’t want to know what you three have going on. Do you know where they are sis?”
“Dad went to the cafeteria and Kylar is walking somewhere with Mason. Maizy stay and catch up with us.” I tell my brother’s woman. I need to get to know her better. She’s quite like Maddie. Maizy nods her head yes. Ty stops beside Maizy and gives her a kiss. She brings her hand up to his face and that is when I see it. A big diamond on her finger. “Oh, my goodness! Is that an engagement ring? Did you propose Ty and not tell me?” Ty and Maizy smile at each other and I see exactly how happy Ty really is. My brother deserves it.
“We were going to tell you after Killian was born. It just happened last week and we didn’t want to take the spotlight off you and the baby. We swore everyone to secrecy.” Ty sounds so happy. Maizy only has eyes for my brother but doesn’t seem like the bubbly bride to be.
“Congratulations to both of you.” I say. “Now, leave Ty so we can drill your girl on the details of the proposal.” Ty leaves but Maizy looks at me and I know something is bothering her. I don’t know her that well but she is not all starry eyed. “Okay. What has Ty done?”
“Nothing. He is great. Everything is fine.” Maizy sits down in a chair in the corner.
“Girl, you can’t lie for shit. Spill it. We’ll keep our mouths shut.” Micah tells her. Micah waits a second and then just starts talking and lets everything out. “Look, our sister, Callie, has a psycho stalking her whole family. She has been married three times to two men and she is just twenty and has two kids. I had sex with one of her ex-boyfriends and he left me in the middle of the night. She.” Micah points at Maddie. “Screwed the other ex and she is now knocked up with his kid. Oh, and she was a virgin before they had sex. So how bad can yours be? I think we have you beat. We’re all family, so cry your tear in your beer with us or we will really feel bad. I mean, I did just spill all our trash to you.” Micah presses on. “Come on.”
“Nothing serious. Ty proposed and I am not used to having someone who gives a crap about me. He wants me not to work and let him take care of me. He also wants a baby right after we get married. I want to go to school and get an education first so I have a life, too. You know, on my own. I love Ty but I just want this for back-up. I’ve never done anything but survive day to day and I want this, but Ty doesn’t understand. I don’t argue. Life is too short but I don’t want to give up on this.”Maizy says slowly as if she is trying to come up with a solution for it. Maizy has had a hard life. Practically living on the streets. A dad she didn’t know and a mom that loved her drugs and alcohol more than her own child.
“It’s understandable to want an education. You shouldn’t have to give up on your dream to keep Tazer happy.” Maddie says.
“I agree. Just talk it over with him. He’ll understand. Sometimes it just takes Ty a minute to think everything through.” I try to assure Maizy. My brother has never had very many females that stick around. This is all new to him. They are going to have to find their way through this together.
“Has anyone ever told you that your problems are boring? I thought you had real problems.” Micah is smiling at Maizy. That’s all it took to break the ice. About that time, Killian starts to cry. I hit my call button and the nurse comes in and I tell her we need a bottle. Maddie gets up and I get up and make my way over and change my son’s diaper. My two sisters and my sister in-law watching on. All the love in the room. I hope my son can feel how loved he is and how much he is being protected.
Chapter 14
Devil
Sarge and I make it to the lobby and I see Tito and Bowie coming in the front door. Chief is coming from the other direction headed for the elevator but he sees us in the corner and comes our way. The lobby is empty except for us. There’s a candy striper sitting at the front desk and we go to the seats where we know she can’t hear us. Tazer steps off the elevator and I motion for him to join us. Everyone’s eyes are on me. Bowie is the first to talk.
“Thrash and Cricket just went up the back stairs to relieve the brothers watching Callie on the OB floor. They took food up there for everyone if you’re hungry, Prez.” Bowie fills me in.
“Who’s outside?” I like to know who is close.
“Rye and some of his guys. Bourbon is with your Ma and everyone at your house. The rest of Rye and Bourbon’s brothers are guarding the house.” Tito puts in.
“Good. I want eyes on Kellan. At all times. Sarge just brought some burgers. I finished one in the garden while I took a smoke. It was good to get some fresh air.” I hate hospitals. Never any fresh air. It’s like I can’t breathe.
“We have worked up a schedule and have it covered.” Bowie assures me. Once Tazer makes it over and we are all seated I look at Sarge and then Tito.
“What do you two have for me? Tito, you first.” I know I am being short but I have come to the end of all my patience with this situation.
“Charisma is being transferred to county infirmary tomorrow morning. Starla has given up some information but it’s not much.” I look at Tito. Is this man trying to test my patience? He finally goes on. “Stone has a man named Stacks working with him. He is using like Stone and helping supply Stone with drugs and he is the one that picked Starla up. She says that she doesn’t think he is the only one with Stone. Starla has no idea of where they are at. Gertie worked her over pretty good so I think she would have spilled it if she knew.” The idea of Gertie working Starla over puts a smile on my face. Gertie has to be twenty years older than Starla and has a mean streak.
“How much do you remember about your uncle?” Sarge blows me away with that question. What’s that got to do with anything?
“Not much. I don’t even remember him. He disappeared after being outed bad by the Feral Steel MC. He was never a part of my family. He was gone by the time I was old enough to remember much. He was never even mentioned and he never showed up. Some say Steel killed him but I don’t know if that is what happened or not.” I try to remember something but I don’t even remember seeing a picture of him and there is nothing in my memory at all.
“Rumor was Steel got rid of him after he betrayed the Feral Steel. I believe he did. He never came straight out and admitted it but he never denied it either. I know they burned his cut and cut his ink off his back. Talk to Bourbon and Rye. They may know more. Whiskey was the President of the BlackPath MC when they might have outed him. Steel cut the ink off himself in front of everyone. That was the rumor. Like I said, talk t
o the old timers, they know more than I do.” Chief is deep in thought.
“Chainz had two sons. He wasn’t ever married to their mom but he gave those boys his last name. Kane and Stacks. I know Stacks is with Stone but not sure about Kane. Stacks is the doper and has a rap sheet two miles long. Mostly drug charges, but he has escalated to assault and arson in the last few years. Real dumbass. The drugs have taken his life over.” Sarge tells us. He is looking straight at me and he hesitates and then goes on. “Kane is a different story. He went into the military. Doesn’t have a record but he has some skills that can be very dangerous. He has a brain and I can’t see him doing this. He is harder to track. He knows how to cover his ass. His only weakness is his crack head brother. He tries to clean up after him.” Sarge goes quiet like he is thinking.
“What’s wrong, Sarge? What aren’t you saying?” Tazer asks him. Tazer should know Sarge better than anyone here they have been friends for years.
“I don’t think Kane is involved in this. I don’t think a man like him would go after a pregnant woman or involve children. He has two purple hearts from being in Afghanistan. One of them he got trying to help protect women over there. Does this sound like something he would do if he tried to help people he didn’t even know? It doesn’t fit. I think if he is helping Stone and Stacks he don’t know the score like the other people Stone has used. Maybe he is the help we need.”
“How did you come up with all this since yesterday? How long have you known?” Sarge has been holding out on us. We knew he was holding out. I can’t work with people I don’t trust he has to give it all to me.
“I have known about Stacks since we were all in Texas but I was not sure if he had anything to do with this, but I am not finished. I came across his name when I was investigating the shit that happened with the Troubled Fathoms MC in Colorado. Diamondback had me digging to make sure Callie was safe. Stacks name popped up. Him and those marijuana growers that blew up Dra’s dad and Gram. I’m thinking Stone is tied to it all and he came across Stacks.” I think back to all the circumstances of the last two years. I have been too consumed by the need to protect my family and club to see the big picture. Everything has hit us. One thing after another. I have had tunnel vision and not seen the big picture. It’s all been relative but I have not paid close enough attention to it. None of us have until now. Dra, Callie’s ex-husband, is from Colorado and is a member of the Troubled Fathoms MC. Callie ran off after she found out why I initially married her, the first time, to get my girlfriend back. Long story short, it was orchestrated. I was being used as a chump by a woman. Not a mistake I intend to make again.
Right after that took place Stone and Kim, my blood sister and brother, pulled their stunt. The one that got Kim a bullet from Sarge’s rifle. Stone stole money from the Feral Steel MC and he sent our sister to get information from Chief, Callie’s dad and President of the BlackPath MC. Kim thought she would become the ol’ lady of a MC president. Chief saw right through her. Kim ended up pregnant but that didn’t get her the patch she wanted. It put her in a downward spiral and it ended up giving her an addiction she had to feed and on the bad side of two MCs. In the end, she was alone and Sarge’s bullet put her out of her misery. KD is the only good thing to come from that whole situation. Chief and Kim’s son. My nephew and Callie’s brother. Stone’s crimes have only grown since then. Every person he comes in contact with falls, but he has wiggled his way out every single time. I need to hear more. “Stacks uses the Steel name. It’s his legal name, but Kane had his name changed to Hamilton. His mom’s maiden name. It’s why it took me longer to track him. I was looking for another Steel. When a contact of mine found the court records, it became clearer. Something else. Kane has only been out of the army for a year. He wasn’t around when all this began. He has a bum knee and hip. He was in a rehabilitation center getting rehab for his last injury for the year before that. He had to have reconstructive surgery on his right hip and then learn to walk with it again. No way was he doing all this. If he is part of it he was brought in on the later parts. I think they are using him. I read his file but we can’t be sure. I can’t figure an angle out for him but maybe he is a head case. I have put some feelers out to talk to some of his buddies while he served. To get a better feel of him, but so far all I have found out is he is a loner. Stealth and Shield are running down the leads. But if Stone is with Stacks, we are in luck, his mom’s family has a ghost of a motel on the edge of town. Barely still standing. It’s where Chainz met the boy’s mom and started bringing her to the Feral Steel clubhouse with your ma, Devil. Back in the day it was a mom and pop place. The chain motels ran them almost out of business and then when they moved most of the businesses ten years ago, that did the rest.” Chainz. It sounds familiar but not really. Shield is a good man. He was part of the BlackPath MC for a while but left and joined Sarge when he took over for Diamondback after his death. Him and his blood brother, Stealth, have been Sarge’s best friends since school and they all entered the Marines together after graduation. I don’t know exactly what made Shield stay with Chief when Sarge and Stealth left the BlackPath MC but they settled it and Chief let Shield go to keep peace between the clubs and as a personal favor for Sarge. I trust anything Shield says. He kept me from making the mistake of killing Chief one night. I owe him my life but he has helped protect Callie more than once. Stealth I don’t care much for.
“We need to ride out to the motel and check it out. Chief, will you be here?” I know the answer but I need the reassurance.
“Go do what you need to. I will be here and Felix, Kat, and Bourbon will be here soon. I’ll make sure Micah, Maddie, and Maizy get back to your house.” Chief says.
“Maizy has her truck. I’m going with Devil.” Tazer says. I nod my head at Tazer, acknowledging he is welcome.
“Tito wait here and be sure the women get back to my house. I want you and Oz on the link between the bombing that went down in Colorado and Stone or even Stacks. Also, see if any of your contacts know anything about Kane. Call in any favors we have left. Send everything to Oz back at the clubhouse and get back there as soon as you are covered here.” I look at Sarge. “Bowie, Tazer, you, and I will check out this motel.” Then a thought comes to me. “Tito, you said they are moving Charisma tomorrow. See if anyone can find out when. We don’t need to take the chance of her letting the cops in on any of this. We don’t know if we know everything she knows or what she has seen at the clubhouse. I know everything is legal in our house but that doesn’t mean it has always been that way. Find out if we have anyone on the inside to pressure her to stay quiet. I am going to talk to Slick at the clubhouse before we do this. I am not taking any chances. Slick is the only old timer left and I need to see if there is anything I need to know about the Feral Steel MC when Steel’s brother was around.”
“If you can just get me the time that Charisma is going to be transferred, I will handle it.” Sarge interrupts. I give him a look and I know how he wants to handle it. I don’t know what happened to him to make him such a cold- blooded killer but at some time in his life something twisted in him. Tito looks at me and I nod my head in agreement.
“Chief I am depending on you to keep my family safe. Let’s get to the clubhouse and then we’ll go to over to the motel.” I need answers from Slick if he has them. There’s something missing from this story. I feel it.
Chapter 15
Kat
I know I need to tell Kylar everything. I have been thinking it is the right thing. I have been consumed with guilt over the secrets we have kept. We all took a vow of silence. We were never to let my sins touch our children but secrets always have a way of coming back and biting me in the ass. William and I made our share of mistakes but our children were always loved. I have heard Sarge and Bourbon talking about Chainz. I know I shouldn’t be listening but just the mention of his name was enough to shake me. Steel was the President of the Feral Steel MC once, but he was also my husband and old man. He was always William to m
e and the man I spent years with. Kylar and the rest of our children thought we had the perfect relationship but that’s just not the truth. Sure, after Kylar was born, we grew to love each other but William never shared with me anything going on in the club. William was a closed off man except to his club brothers. With them he shared everything. I sound like a bitter woman even to myself and I guess I am. I never had all of William. I’ve lost my man, my oldest son, and my daughter. If I don’t come clean and tell Kylar everything I will lose my entire family to this damn club. I don’t know what holds me back the most from telling Kylar about our past the fact he will look at me differently or the fact that Bourbon will. If I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror every day I need to just tell it all to him. Almost everyone involved is dead now so if it will help my son protect his family then I need do it and let everything else just take care of itself. I can’t hide the rest of my life. I just need to get him off to himself and let him decide what is important.
Chapter 16
Devil
The ride from the hospital back to the club is enough to get my head to clear some. As soon as I walk into the clubhouse I see Slick and Hacksaw at the bar. Slick looks like he has aged ten years in the last week. I motion for the prospect to bring me a beer. I down it without a thought. It does nothing to take the edge off. I motion for another one. When the prospect sets it in front of me I grab his hand. “Bottle of bourbon and two glasses.” It looks like it shocked him. “Slick let’s go over here to a table so we can talk.” Slick looks at me and he looks like he was wishing he was anywhere else but here. My gut is right. He knows something. The prospect sets the bourbon and two glasses in front of me. Slick follows me to the table looking like he wants to be anywhere but here. I take the chair with my back to the wall and fill our glasses and hand Slick his when he sets down. “Tell me about Chainz and his boys.” Slick throws back his whole glass of bourbon at once and then looks at me.