by Erin Osborne
“Kasey, why don’t you let your dad and firefly talk for a little bit. Then they’ll come out and play with you,” I hear Wood say.
“Who is firefly?” Rage and Kasey ask at the same time.
“Keegan’s nickname from me is firefly,” he says, entering the doorway.
“And why the fuck are you givin’ my girl a nickname?” Rage asks, letting the anger show.
“Um…Well, you weren’t here, and she sat outside collectin’ fireflies in a jar for hours,” he answers like it’s no big deal.
“If anyone is givin’ her a name, it’s gonna be me,” Rage says, getting off the bed and heading towards Wood. “Kasey, why don’t you go see Boy Scout for a few minutes sweet pea?”
“Is Wood in trouble daddy? You have your mean face on.”
“We’re just gonna have a chat,” Rage tells his sweet little girl.
“Okay. I’m gonna have Boy Scout push me on the swing out back.”
With that, Kasey goes running off to find Boy Scout. I stay rooted to the bed and wait to see what’s going to happen between Wood and Rage. This isn’t going to end well for him if Rage is anything like Crash and Trojan. But, I’m going to let them settle it between themselves. If I’ve learned anything, it’s to let the men do what they do and then sort it all out after the fact. This situation is no different.
“Now, even if I weren’t around, what makes you think you can give her a nickname? You better make it good Wood,” Rage says, taking the last few steps towards him.
“Listen, no disrespect meant Rage. She ended up sittin’ out there for hours thinkin’ of nothin’ but you and how much she was missin’ you. Yes, Keegan, I know that’s exactly what you were doin’. I don’t know why I started callin’ her firefly, I just did and now I barely call her Keegan. I’m sorry Rage.”
“You’re lucky that I like you and I think you receive enough abuse from Crash and Trojan. Otherwise, I’d be beatin’ the livin’ fuck out of you right now. I might even start callin’ her that myself. I kind of like that name for her.”
Rage actually shocks the shit out of me. I figured he was going to beat the shit out of Wood and now he’s going to start calling me firefly too. Who would’ve thought that someone else giving me a nickname would stick with so many people? I certainly didn’t. Just like I have no clue how Wood knew I was sitting there pining away for Rage when I never opened my mouth about him to anyone here. Word must travel fast through these clubs.
“Now that we have the pissing match out of the way. There’s a little girl that wants some attention. And please, I want to keep this between the three of us for right now. After what I told you happened before Rage, I don’t want to jinx anything.”
“Whatever you want firefly,” Rage answers. Oh boy!
“I won’t say a word to anyone. I don’t need Rage beatin’ the shit out of me.”
The three of us make our way out to the back of the house where Boy Scout and Kasey are. She’s swinging and giggling without a care in the world. Boy Scout is laughing with her and it’s like he hasn’t laughed in years. I’ve never seen him so relaxed and at peace. Six weeks is a long time to go without seeing him like that. But, he’s been on guard duty and has taken that seriously. Almost as bad as Rage has been with me.
“Keegannnnnn!” Kasey hollers. “Come play with me. I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’ve missed you too sweetheart,” I tell her making my way to the swings.
Rage follows me over and I know that he’s going to be the one to push me on the swing. He’s not going to let anyone else get close to me now that he’s here. This should be interesting. Wood just hangs back and pulls up a chair, so he can keep an eye on things while we’re having fun.
“Daddy, can you get Keegan higher than me?” Kasey asks. “I bet you can’t!”
“Is that a challenge sweet pea?”
“Yep.”
I don’t know if my stomach will let me go as high as Rage is going to push me, but we’ll find out. Hopefully, if I have to get sick, I can at least make it to the bathroom so Kasey doesn’t have to see it. I don’t need her getting upset or worried because she thinks I’m sick. And, I’m going to follow Rage’s lead as far as when she gets told we’re having a baby. She’s his daughter and he needs to make that decision.
“You ready for this firefly?” he asks, pulling the swing back.
“I don’t know how high I can go Rage. Just take that into consideration. I don’t want to get sick in front of her,” I let him know quietly.
“I know baby. I got you.”
Rage acts like he’s going to give me one hell of a push. Instead he just lets me go and I start swinging at the same pace as Kasey. She’s laughing so hard that Rage isn’t making me go higher than her and I can’t help but join in the laughter. Unfortunately, my stomach chooses this moment to have other ideas about what I need to be doing. So, I quickly stop the swing and make a beeline for the house. I can hear Kasey asking what’s wrong and Rage making up a story.
Thankfully, I make it to the bathroom in time and it’s not long before Rage makes his way in to me. Just like before, he takes care of me. It’s the little things he does that make him so special. And I know that he’s not like this with everyone. Sure, there’s loyalty and respect with his brothers and their old ladies. But, the sweet soft side is reserved for Kasey and me. It’s just taken me a little bit to see that.
“I think I’m good now,” I tell him, hauling myself up off the floor.
After brushing my teeth, we make our way back outside and I sit in the seat that Wood vacated at some point. Kasey is still swinging, and Boy Scout is still pushing her. Rage takes a seat next to me and I know that he’s worried already about me being sick. There’s nothing I can do about it though. Not until I go back to the doctor in a month. I’ll just take the pills she gave me and hope they help control the nausea a little bit. Anything at this point would be better than feeling the way I do.
“You good firefly?” Rage asks me.
“Yeah. I’m just really tired again. It takes a lot out of me and I just want to take a nap.”
“So, go take one. Kasey has her stuff in one of the spare bedrooms already. I’m sleepin’ in your room. We’re fine to hang out while you get some sleep,” he tells me, kissing the back of my hand.
“Are you sure? I should be fine in a little bit.”
“Go. We’ll order somethin’ for dinner and make sure to save you some. I know how these two can eat.”
After giving him a kiss and telling Kasey that I’ll see her in a little bit, I head inside. Wood is standing in the kitchen, holding a glass of water for me. He’s so used to taking care of me after a month and a half that it’s just second nature to him. Plus, I think he wants to make sure that Rage knows I have options out there. And if he doesn’t watch his step, there will be someone that wants to take his place. Not that I’d let that happen, but it’s nice to know that Wood cares.
Once again, I’ve slept for longer than I wanted to. I can hear everyone in the living room talking and laughing. It sounds like there’s more than just the four that were here when I came in for a nap. Not that I want to hang out with a lot of people right now. I guess it is what it is, and I don’t have much of a choice. So, I make myself look presentable and head out there.
“There’s sleepin’ beauty,” Boy Scout says.
I give everyone a slight smile and head into the kitchen. There’s pizza, wings, and cheesy garlic bread on the counter and I help myself to some of it. Slim, Playboy, and Killer are here, and I wonder what’s going on. Other than a check-in every now and then, I haven’t seen Slim or anyone else from the club. Hell, I won’t even go to the clubhouse. I’ve been there two times in the month and a half I’ve been here. The first time was when I arrived in Benton Falls, and the other one was when Wood had to run there really quick.
“So, what did I miss?” I ask, leaning against Rage and taking my first bite of pizza.
“Nothin’ m
uch firefly,” Slim says.
He starts laughing when I about choke on my food and my eyes bug out at his use of my nickname. Rage is frantically pounding on my back to make sure that I don’t choke, and the rest of the men are standing around looking at the crazy chick. Who knew the President of an MC would be calling me a name Wood started. Yep, it’s definitely going to be sticking for sure now.
“You good baby?” Rage asks finally.
“Yeah. Just a shock is all.”
“So, we were just talkin’ and tryin’ to figure out what your plans are,” Slim tells me.
Fuck! I haven’t had a chance to really decide what I wanted to do yet. Rage obviously is going to have to go back home but I don’t know what I want. Honestly, my entire family is back in Clifton Falls. Whitney, Irish, and their kids are the only people I consider to be my family. The girls are back there. Here, there’s not really any old ladies for me to talk to or get to know. So, I’ve been sticking to myself.
“Um…Do I have to decide right this second?” I ask after swallowing the mouthful of food.
“No. But, I’m goin’ to let you know that the flowers are comin’ here now too. Not sure how they found you, but they did. Boy Scout intercepted the delivery this mornin’.”
“What’s the card say?” I ask, the color draining from my body and the food I was eating threatening to come back up. “I need to know.”
“Just tell her Slim. It’s somethin’ she feels she needs to know. So, I don’t put up too much fight about it.”
Slim reaches in his pocket and pulls the envelope out. With shaking hands, I take the card and just hold it for a minute. Even though I need to know what my father is saying, I don’t want to know. It’s been six weeks and I can just imagine what he’s saying on this one. Finally, I decide that I can’t put it off any longer and pull the card out. Before I open it up, I look around at the men in the room and gather strength from them.
Keegan,
You have wasted half of the time Sam gave you to come to him on your own. Instead, you up and disappear again. You’re making us waste valuable resources to continually track you down, and Sam is done playing games. He’s ready to cut your time down and make you come to him now. I’m going to say you have about a week left before we get you. This could’ve been so much easier for everyone if you just did what you were told to do.
Sincerely,
Your Loving Father
If he thinks that I’m letting them come take me away, they’ve got another thing coming. I’ll run again and hide before I let that happen. These guys have no clue who they’re dealing with. Carl and my uncle were pussies compared to Sam. Who do they think started this whole selling young girls to settle debts? It wasn’t Carl or anyone else. Sam has been through about ten girls so far. And that was the last number I heard years ago.
“What’s goin’ through your head firefly?” Rage asks, wrapping his arms tight around me.
“Needing to run is at the top of the list. But, I’m not going to. I’m going to trust in you and the club to protect me.”
“Good girl,” Rage says.
“So, where are you gonna be livin’? I only ask because either we’re goin’ back with you, or they’re comin’ here,” Slim says.
“What do you mean?” Rage asks.
“I mean, we don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with. From the intel we got, he’s worse than we first thought. So, I talked to Grim and we decided that at least two clubs need to be present. Gage’s club is busy dealin’ with whatever Darcy has goin’ on right now.”
“What’s going on with her?” I ask. I’ve only met her once or twice, but she’s a sweet girl.
“No one knows for sure. She’s bein’ tight-lipped about it,” Slim answers. “All we know is somethin’ ain’t right and they might need backup but we’re more worried about you right this second.”
“It’s up to firefly,” Rage tells me. “I’m gonna need to go back soon, and I really don’t want to leave you. But, if the club comes here I won’t have to leave. So, it’s your call.”
Way to leave this shit up to me! I have no clue what to do now. I mean, in Clifton Falls most of the families live behind the fence. Here, they don’t have that. So, maybe it would be safer for us to go back there. Or maybe they have more gun power or something here. Fuck!
“Well, all I can say is that I think it should be up to you guys. You know who’s better equipped. So, I’ll go where you think the better place is.”
“Then we’ll head out in two hours back to Clifton Falls,” Slim says. “That give you enough time to pack your stuff firefly?”
“Yeah. It’s mainly clothes because I don’t have anything else. I always had to travel light.”
Everyone heads out except for Boy Scout. They wanted to leave more, but they all need to get ready to head out. Boy Scout said that Wood can take care of his stuff for him and he’ll stand outside and make sure no one tries anything. Rage is in my room with me while Kasey makes sure all of her stuff is packed back up. Not that she had a lot of time to get anything out.
“You okay baby?” Rage asks, helping me pack my meager belongings up.
“Yeah. I mean as good as I can be with everything going on right now. I’m sorry this is coming to you guys. I should’ve made you let me go as soon as my uncle left.”
“Wouldn’t have happened. You should know that by now.”
“I do know that. I’m just saying that me being around you all is bringing a ton of danger to you. It’s not fair to everyone.”
Rage holds me close for a few minutes. We don’t talk or anything. I just listen to the beating of his heart and let it calm me down. He’s the only one that can calm me when I feel like my world is crashing down around me. I’m not sure if it’s because he got me out of the back of that car, or if it’s because of whatever connection we have. All I know is that when he’s holding me, all is right with the world.
“Let’s get finished so we can head out. I want you back at the clubhouse before it gets too late. And you know you’re goin’ to have to answer questions about why you’re sick, right?”
“I know. I’ll just avoid them if I can. Say I ate something bad?”
“Don’t think that will work when you barely eat. I noticed you only had a few bites and then quit eatin’. That’s not gonna fly with me firefly. Especially with you carryin’ our baby,” Rage says.
Before we know it, there’s a gasp coming from the door. We both whip our heads around and see Kasey standing there. She’s heard that I’m having a baby and has a huge smile across her face. There’s a twinkle in her eyes and I know she’s excited.
“I’m gonna be a big sister?” she asks, coming in the room farther.
“You are,” Rage answers. “But, you can’t tell anyone. Can you help us keep this secret?”
“Yeah daddy. But why can’t we tell?”
“Well, we just found out and we want to keep it to ourselves for a little bit. I promise when we want everyone to know, you can tell them,” I tell Kasey.
She runs in and wraps her arms around our legs. This right here is what I’ve always longed for. I knew it would never happen if I was with Sam. Hopefully it doesn’t get ripped away from me now that I’ve finally found Rage and Kasey.
Chapter Three
Rage
WE’VE BEEN BACK IN CLIFTON Falls for a few days. So far Kasey has kept our secret. It’s getting hard to hide Keegan getting so sick on a regular basis. People are starting to notice. Well, the girls are starting to notice that she runs off on a regular basis. I think we need to have a talk and start letting people know what’s going on.
“Rage, we need to talk,” Whitney says, storming up to me.
“Okay. What’s up?”
“I want to know what’s going on with my cousin, and I want to know right fucking now!”
“What are you talkin’ about?” I ask, deciding to play dumb.
“She’s always running off to the bathroom. Then she�
�s taking naps after the fact. If I didn’t know any better, I would say she’s pregnant,” Whitney tells me, concern lacing her voice.
“Well, Whitney,” Keegan says coming up behind her. “I am pregnant. We didn’t want anyone to know just yet, so that’s why we didn’t tell you.”
“Oh my! Are you serious?”
“I am. I just found out. Now, are you gonna keep this to yourself or am I gonna beat your ass?” my girl asks.
“I’ll keep my mouth shut. I swear Keegan. Now, why is everyone calling you firefly?”
“Ask Wood,” I growl out, still not liking the fact that Wood gave my girl a nickname.
Whitney looks between Keegan and me for a few minutes. Then, she shrugs her shoulders and starts to go in search of Irish. I take my girl by the hand and lead her to my room. I can tell from the look on her face that she thinks we’re going to be talking. That’s not what’s going to go down right now. And she sees my intent as soon as I kick the door shut and throw the lock.
“Need you now,” I tell her, leading her into the bathroom and turning on the shower.
“I’m here when you need me Rage,” she answers.
“I want to hear my name come off your lips,” I tell her, needing to hear my real name in her melodic voice. “It’s Aiden.”
“Aiden,” she says shyly.
I groan in approval. My name has never sounded as sweet as it does coming from Keegan’s mouth. My mother is the only other one to call me that and I want to hear it from Keegan when we’re together. I have this need to hear it coming from her now. Keegan smiles up at me after groaning and starts removing her clothes. So, I check the temperature of the water before I undress.
“Aiden, I’m getting in now. You can join me when you get out of your head,” she tells me, bringing me back to the present.