by Erin Trejo
“Yeah, I guess that works.” I don’t know why I’m even trying to get a word in here. Bella has been in her own little world, where I plan on leaving her. I’m not really into this girly type shit. Different kinds of flowers, ribbons, bows that shit means nothing to me.
“Let’s go find a cake! I want to decorate tonight.” I walk over to the register and pay before giving them directions to the clubhouse. I can’t believe that she had me buy that many damn flowers. Following Bella outside, I can’t believe tomorrow is the day. I’m so ready to get over there and get this shit in motion.
“What the hell is that?” Pointing at the truck I bought for bringing the baby home, that’s now full of shit, I look at Bella.
“What? I told you I’m decorating.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. The whole fucking truck is full of shit. Big, fluffy, girly shit!
“Bella! That’s fuckin’ over the top girl!” I watch her shake her head as she smiles and climbs in.
“You wanna eat before we head back?” Climbing into the truck, she nods. I drive as she hums to herself. I still can’t shake the feeling I have when I look at her. She’s just so young. Too young for this shit.
“Stop staring at me Ryker.” With a soft sigh I look forward as I drive to a little diner and park. Climbing out I walk around and help Bella out of the truck before heading inside.
“Come on.” I drag her to a back booth where we sit before ordering. I can’t stop looking at her. It eats at me and she knows it.
“Ryker! I mean it. This is why I didn’t want to tell anyone.” Grabbing her water, she takes a drink before looking back up at me.
“I know. I just don’t know how to process this shit Bella. You’re so young. You deserve to have so much more.” Our food is delivered and we start to eat but it doesn’t sit right.
“Ryker, can I ask you something?” Bella looks up at me as I set my drink down. I lean my elbows on the table as I look back at her.
“Anything darlin’.” Bella reaches up and wipes a tear from her eyes before she speaks. I know how hard she’s trying to hold herself together.
“Do you think that my dad and Cher will tell Griff about me when he’s older?” Tears prickle at my eyes as she speaks.
“Darlin’, I don’t think that is even a question. Your brother already knows you. You’re in his heart, Bella. No one will ever let him forget you.” Tears fall down her face as my heart breaks for her. I stand and move around the table grabbing her and pulling her up into my arms. Bella tries to pull away, but I don’t let her.
“No, Bella. We all need to break down sometimes. I’ve done it more than you know. Let it out sweetheart. I’m here whenever you need me.” Bella cries into my shirt for what seems like forever. I don’t let her go either. I don’t give a shit that everyone in the diner is staring at us. She needs this moment, so to hell with them.
When she finally pulls back her face rips me to shreds.
“I did need that. Thanks Ryker.” Reaching up I wipe the tears from her cheeks before I smile.
“Don’t thank me darlin’. That’s what family’s for, yeah?” Bella giggles slightly before she slaps at me.
“Ok. Let’s go get that basement decorated. I won’t stop until it’s perfect.” Throwing some cash down on the table I grab Bella around her shoulders as we walk over to the counter. I pass the cashier some money before we head outside.
“You know; I think you’re pretty fuckin’ great.” Bella giggles before looking up at me.
“I agree. I am pretty fucking great.” I can’t stop laughing at her. She is truly one amazing girl.
Chapter 46
Getting back to the clubhouse was completely hilarious. We had a truck full of shit by the time we headed back. I have never seen anyone give orders the way Bella is right now.
“She’s amazin’ isn’t she?” Tank walks over as I smile at Bella. She is for sure in her element right now.
“Damn right she is. Why do you think I asked her for help?” Tank chuckles as we watch Bella bossing the guys around. It amazes me the way she can keep going. It makes me feel like a lesser person for the way I’ve been acting lately.
“You ready for tomorrow brother?” I look over at Tank like he’s lost his damn mind.
“Damn right I am. It’s been too long brother. I need my girl home no matter what it takes.” Tank nods his head as he agrees. I’m glad he isn’t giving me some shit talk like he usually does. I don’t think my mind can handle it right now.
“We got some guys set up. They haven’t moved, Ryker. We are gettin’ her back tomorrow.” I let out a sigh of relief that they’re still in the same place. That’s been a constant worry that they would move her and I wouldn’t know where. It would be a set back and we would have to start all over again. I wouldn’t care though; I would look forever for her.
“Yeah, we’re gettin’ her back.” We stand back and watch as Bella does her thing. That girl has transformed this shitty ass basement into something so amazing, I can’t find words to describe it. My heart melts for more than one reason. I get to marry my wife again but I’m also saying goodbye to an important piece of this club. Bella smiles over at me before Joey grabs her around the waist. This shit is going to hit him hard, too. I can see how much he cares about her. It’s there in his eyes just like the look in my eyes for Jersey.
“I still don’t like that little shit.” Tank has me laughing again.
“Oh come on, VP. He’s not that damn bad. I mean, yeah he’s a little shit but he seems to care about her. Hell, he did take a bullet for the girl.” Tank huffs which only makes me laugh more.
“Guess you’re right, but you won’t catch me tellin’ her that.” I watch as he walks away and I laugh. I really hate this for him. I hate hiding it, but I did promise Bella I wouldn’t say shit. As hard as it is I will respect that.
“What do you think?” Bella hops up in front of me. I smile down at her as she jumps up and down.
“You’re amazin’ Bella. This is like a fuckin’ magazine shoot. You know what the hell you’re doin’.” Bella beams up at me with so much pride.
“Do you think Jersey will like it?” With a huff I look at her.
“Are you fuckin’ insane? She is goin’ to lose her shit, Bella!” I pull her into a hug as she squeals in my ear.
“Thank you for this. It really means a lot to me.” Pulling back, she smiles. That smile right there is so full of pride. She looks like she’s high on life right now. This is the look I want to remember on her forever. The one I want seared into my mind. The carefree little girl that stole so many hearts when she came back into this club.
“Stop it Ryker!” Slapping me in the chest I laugh. There she is. Just like her damn daddy!
“I need to go up and get a drink. You good?” Bella nods her head as I turn to walk away. Something is tugging at me though. I stop near the stairs and turn around to see her wrapped around Joey.
“Hey Bella!” Looking over her shoulder she smiles at me. So young and innocent.
“You amaze me sweetheart.” Her smile fades as she stares at me.
“You amaze me too, Ryker. Just remember that.” With another quick nod I head upstairs. No other conversation is needed. She knows what I mean and I hope it sticks with her until the end. I know for sure that her words will always be with me. When I get upstairs I see Creed, with Jada and the baby in the corner. I love seeing all the guys like this. For some badass bikers we sure as hell make some damn good family men. I don’t know that I could be prouder of this club.
Under Sharp’s control this club went to hell, but Creed and Tank have turned it around. I’m damn proud to call this clubhouse home. We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles in a short period of time but we always come out on top. This time isn’t going to be any different.
Chapter 47
“Did you sleep at all last night?” Piper slaps my shoulder as I walk into the clubhouse. Giving him a sideways glance he chuckles.
“You know I did
n’t sleep for shit. I laid in that bed all goddamn night, but nope.” Shaking my head, I walk into the kitchen to grab something to drink. This is going to be a long day and I don’t plan on getting my girl back with any kind of alcohol in my system. I grab the orange juice out and pour a glass when Creed comes in.
“Holy motherfuckin’ shit! I never saw you without a goddamn beer in your hand!” Creed watches me with a grin on his face as I drink my juice. Smart ass.
“I’m ready for this shit. No drinkin’ today.” Creed’s smile falls as he nods his head.
“I know you are. We all are. I don’t want you goin’ in there like a fuckin’ crazed man. We need to keep this shit low. I know how impatient you are, but we need to time this shit right yeah?” Nodding my head, I already know all of this. In fact, I think I’ve been fairly calm considering all the shit that’s been happening.
“Look Creed. I know I fucked a lot of this shit up myself. I drug her in here and now there’s a war comin’ at us. I respect this club, but that girl is my world.” Creed places his hand on my shoulder as he clears his throat.
“Is the situation fucked up? Yeah, it sure as fuck is, but that girl belongs here Ryker. There is no doubt in my mind about that.” Smiling at him, he turns and walks out.
I stand there in my own little world for the moment. Right now I just want to be lost inside myself as I think about having Jersey back. I need to store my energy, and focus on the ride I’m about to take. Having my mind in the right place is the only way to insure her safety. If I go in there crazed like Creed said, I won’t be able to keep that safety in place. Taking a few deep breaths, I steady myself as my nerves calm. The knots in my shoulders slowly fade before I look up. I’m ready for this. Whatever the outcome, I’m ready. I stalk back through the door as the guys are all suiting up. Shit is about to get real, and I am going to be at the head of it. I just hope that Jersey hasn’t been hurt too badly. I would hate to take my rage to a new level.
“We all good on the plan, yeah?” Creed looks around at the now packed room of big burly men. If I was any other person I’d be fucking scared of this crew.
The roars that flow through the room are astonishing. This is why I love being in this club. When shit goes down I know that I can count on my brothers to have my back at any given time. I gear myself up with guns and ammo like everyone else does. Knives and a few other things that I may need are also slid into place. I won’t take any chance when it comes to Jersey, and our baby.
We all look around the room at everyone else. We all look like we’re ready for murder, which I guess in a sense, we are.
“We ride. We get back here like planned. We got Nomads’ watching the outside so there’s no worries about gettin’ in, and out.” We all nod before heading toward the door.
The place where the Shifters’ have Jersey isn’t far from us, but it is in another club’s territory. We’ve always stayed away from the Wolves’ and they did the same with us. There was never an alliance but we didn’t feed off each other either. We knew our boundaries and kept to them until now. My only worry is that the Shifters’ have made some kind of deal with them to keep them protected. In that case, shit will go from 1 to 100 in the matter of seconds. It never was my intention to cause a rift between our clubs but in this case, there are exceptions. Climbing in the van, I look over at Joey.
“You drive this motherfucker carefully once I have her in it.” Joey nods, but I don’t need to tell him twice. He already knows if he makes one false move I will kick his ass.
“We’re good brother.” Nodding at Joey, I watch as the guys start to file out. My heart hammers into my ribs as the van starts to move. This is it. This is my moment of reckoning.
Chapter 48
This is it. That’s what’s going through my head, over, and over. The whole ride here. This is it. My life has all come down to this moment in time. What happens next is the deciding factor on if I live, or die. I made the decision long before today. I promised myself that if I ever found love and lost it, that was it for me. Jersey is it for me. If by some chance I can’t get her and the baby out alive, I don’t come out alive either. I will take matters into my own hands. I can’t live anymore without her. She is it for me. She is the light in my darkness. She holds the other half of my soul within hers. There is nothing more in the world left for me if I don’t have her. Pulling up to the meeting spot, the guys are all gathered around. I climb out with Joey not far behind me as we make our way over to the crowd.
“We ready?” Stepping into the middle of them, all eyes are on me. I know they all have my back but I still feel responsible.
“Yeah. We got this.” Pulling guns out we make our way toward the Wolves’ clubhouse. Before we get too far, we see some of the Wolves’ coming out. Guns are aimed directly at us but that doesn’t stop me. I’m on a mission right now to get my girl.
Creed puts his hand up to stop us all and God help me, it takes all I have in me to do it.
“I don’t remember askin’ for visitors.” The man I assume to be the Wolves’ President steps out in front of the crowd as Creed makes his way forward, Tank, not far behind him.
“We seem to have a situation yeah? We have Intel that you have somethin’ that belongs to us.” Creed never lowers his gun as the man looks at him. Clearly, this isn’t going to be easy.
“I would know if that was true.” The man lowers his gun before pulling out a cigarette. In our world that can be taken two ways. Either he thinks we aren’t a threat, or he clearly is clueless on what’s going on in his own clubhouse.
“Well I think you may want to check in with the Shifters’. They brought an outsider into your clubhouse brother.” The man looks confused before he turns and looks back at his guys. He motions them to lower their guns which they do with a new quickness.
“Let’s talk this out then. I don’t think we have officially met. I’m Rodney. President of the Wolves’.” The man we now know as Rodney, steps forward before Creed shoves his gun into the back of his jeans.
“Creed. President of the Fallen Angels’.” Rodney nods his head as he looks around at everyone.
“I heard about you. Sharp didn’t like you much.” The men chuckle but I’m growing impatient with all this shit.
“That wasn’t a lie. He’s out now, I’m in. We never had a rift with you, didn’t plan on it either. We had a situation a few months back. Shifters’ got their hands on one of my brother’s old lady’s. We haven’t been able to track the motherfuckers until recently. They showed up on our radar here.” Creed keeps his tone calm and collected as he looks the man dead in the eyes.
“Shifters’ told us Russians were after them. Offered us a shit ton of money for protection.” With a loud huff the man’s attention turns to me.
“Got a problem there, son?” The older man questions me but he should see the deadly look in my eyes at the moment.
“Oh, I have big problem. SON. That old lady he’s talkin’ about is mine. She’s pregnant with my kid. I have every intention on gettin’ her home today.” The growl that rips from my throat should be a sure sign that I’m not playing.
“That so? So the Russian shit?” His attention turns to Creed as I squeeze my hand around the grip of my gun. I’d hate to shoot a president, but I’m not totally against it.
“From what we can tell, Russians aren’t in on this. We got a lead out to an old shack after they took the girl. It was bullshit. Planted by a few of the Shifters’ boys.” Rodney takes a step back running his hand through his old gray beard. He looks as if he’s contemplating this.
“I never had a beef with the Russians. Don’t plan on starting now. Same goes for you. I’ll get the Shifters’ out here; you do what you please with them. The girl’s inside. She won’t be harmed.” With a quick nod, he turns to the man behind him.
“Round those motherfuckers up.” The man nods before turning with a few others and heading off.
I can’t handle this shit. I need to get inside. Rodney mu
st notice I’m impatient as he looks back at me.
“She’s ok. We don’t harm our women like some of them. Let them round up the Shifters’ and I’ll take you to her.”
Right after he speaks a whirl wind of hell breaks loose from behind him.
Chapter 49
“What the fuck!” Growling I head straight toward the motherfuckers I see holding my woman around her throat. They are dragging her out of the side door of the club with a gun trained on her head. One false move, that motherfucker is mine.
“They pulled Pres.” One of the other guys steps out behind them. The Wolves’ all have their guns pointed at the Shifters’ but my eyes never leave Jersey’s. Something is off with her, I can see it in those beautiful blue eyes.
“You got about one more second to hold onto her like that before I blow your fuckin’ head off!” My words come out in a growl that is barely audible. I’m pissed, no, I’m beyond pissed. My nerves are firing off and my rage is barely controlled. I know I’m about to lose it all any second.
“She don’t belong to you! She’s one of us!” The older man yells as my body vibrates. This shit is going to get bad.
“She’s my old lady. Don’t take it there, asshole.” Inching closer I can see him shove the gun closer to her head. My eyes narrow in on him as the world spins around me.
“Let’s drop this shit! You played us motherfucker! You think you’re walkin’?” Rodney turns to the man as I grin. Yeah, but that one is mine! The man nods his head to the guys behind him but we out number them by far. The man releases his grip on Jersey but aims the gun at me. The closest person to her is one of the fucking Wolves. He moves in and grabs her before she disappears back into the club.
“Now what?” The man looks around before I grin.
“Now I watch you suffer.” With my gun pointed at his head Creed gives the orders. Shots are fired and people are running. Ducking behind anything they can get behind as a shield, I move forward. I’m ready for a bullet. Won’t be the first one, doubt it’ll be the last. I watch the Shifters’ as they fall but the one I want is now in the arms of the Wolves’. The shots stop as I advance on him.