by KJ Dahlen
GAMBLER
(Gambler’s Stand)
Sin’s Bastards MC Next Generation
Book Three
K.J. Dahlen
Copyright K.J. Dahlen, 2018
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Gambler (Sin's Bastards Next Generation, #3)
DEDICATION
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
NEXT UP | LOOK FOR
SIN’S BASTARDS MC
About K.J Dahlen
Sign up for Kj Dahlen's Mailing List
Also By Kj Dahlen
DEDICATION
For all the readers who have followed Satan’s Spawn MC Series & Sin’s Bastards MC Series.... Here is the Next Generation for the Sin’s Bastards MC.
Thank you for reading my stories
K.J. Dahlen
Sin's Bastards MC Next Generation
Chapter One
Gambler stood in the doorway of his son’s room and gazed at the seven year old sleeping on the bed a few feet away from him. He was also the sweetest child he’d ever met and that was due to the way Cricket had protected him and taught him in his early days. He’d been born under her guiding care and he felt blessed he was more like his aunt than his mother.
He couldn’t believe how incredible his life had changed since they moved here from Maine a few months ago.
Then he felt Paige come up behind him and wrap her arms around his waist. She was another blessing he’d found after the move. About six months ago, he’d been returning from a job bid in town and as he turned his bike into the parking lot, her car almost ran him down. He had to lay down his bike to avoid being hit and when he got up, he was steaming mad at the driver. He started yelling at her and then out of the blue, she started yelling back and he stunned them both by kissing her.
When the kiss broke, she slapped him a good one.
He grinned when he thought about it even today.
“What are you grinning about?’ Paige asked his quietly. She looked down at Dusty and her eyes softened when she watched the little boy sleep.
“I was remembering the day we met and the kiss we shared,” he replied quietly, trying not to wake his son. “Then I remembered the slap you gave me.”
Paige snorted softly. “The slap you deserved.”
“Well maybe,” Gambler conceded.
“What else are you thinking about? You were looking awful serious there for a moment.”
“I was thinking how much I regret having a child with Cordy. And how much I missed out of the first few years of his life. I thank god for Cricket when I think about how he would have suffered if he was left with just his mother to take care of him.”
Dusty squeezed his eyes closed hard. He’d woken up when his father began talking and while he missed some of the conversation, he’d heard the part about his father regretting having a child. His little heart was breaking for sure. He thought his dad loved him. He thought they were supposed to be family. He turned away from his father, faced the wall and tried to listen again.
“I can’t wait to have a family with you.” His father said to Paige.
Dusty’s tears ran down his cheeks. Didn’t his dad want him anymore? He knew his mother never wanted him but now his dad didn’t want him either?
Dusty had to wonder if Cricket would want him now either. She had her own babies to love. He waited until he heard his dad and Paige leave before he turned around to stare at the doorway. Was he that bad a boy that nobody would love him? Tears rolled down his cheeks at the thought.
He slipped out of bed and hurried to get dressed. He had to go find his Cricket. He had to know that she still loved him. If she didn’t, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He did know that if his Cricket didn’t love him anymore, he couldn’t stay here. Slipping out the window, he jumped down to the ground and ran all the way to Cricket’s house.
He was out of breath by the time he got there. The house looked dark for some reason. Dusty didn’t want to wake her up if she was still sleeping so he climbed up to the second floor and found his way to the patio outside Cricket and Raine’s bedroom. He smiled when he got there. Cricket was sleeping on a lounge chair. Her door was open and she had the baby monitor beside her.
Dusty couldn’t help himself. He crawled into the chair beside her.
Cricket woke up to feel him snuggle in beside her and she smiled. “Hey little man. I’ve missed you doing this,” she whispered in his ear. “Snuggling with you in the early morning. It was the one thing that started out my day in a good way. We haven’t done this in so long.”
Her words soothed the ache in Dusty’s heart. “Me too auntie Cricket, me too.”
She cuddled him closer and whispered, “There will always be room for you in my heart, please never forget that.”
“Do you promise?” He peered up into her face. “I mean you have your own babies now to love.”
Cricket smiled gently. “You bet, I promise. You may not be my baby but I loved you first. You’ll always hold a piece of my heart. I think I have enough room in my heart for all of you.”
“I love you Cricket,” Dusty told her solemnly.
“I love you too kiddo.” She wrapped her arms around him and they laid there peacefully for about twenty minutes before one of the babies cried out.
Cricket sighed.
“I’ll bet that’s CJ,” Dusty told her wisely.
“I’ll bet you’re right. He always wakes up first and of course, he has to wake up his brother and sister too.” Cricket got up and held out her hand. “Come on you can help me this morning. Raine had to go to work early.”
Dusty smiled. “Ok. My dad’s gone to work too.”
They disappeared inside and soon all three babies were up and hungry. Dusty was feeding Molly while Cricket was feeding the other two. It wasn’t an ideal situation but you did what you had to with three hungry babies demanding food all at once.
Molly, Raine’s Mother, showed up a few minutes later and laughed at the sight of them when she walked in. She smiled at Dusty as she picked up CJ and took over feeding him while Cricket fed her other son, Danny.
Cricket’s phone rang a few minutes later and she answered it. She was carrying Danny back to his bedroom. It was Paige on the other end. Paige was frantic. “Slow down girl, what’s wrong?” Cricket frowned. “Yeah, he’s here. He came over early this morning.”
“Oh thank god.” Paige groaned. “Gambler had to go to work early and when he left, I went back to bed. I just got up to check on Dusty and he was gone. I panicked when I couldn’t find him.”
Cricket chuckled. “He’s on baby duty at the moment.”
Paige was quiet on the other end of the phone. “Ok as long as I know where he is I won’t worry. I know he’s safe with you. Okay, talk to you later.”
Cricket glanced back to the living room at Dusty who suddenly wouldn’t look at her. She frowned and had to wonder what was going on. She looked down at her sleeping son and felt a wave of love go through her. She continued on to the baby’s room. Laying him down in his crib, she couldn’t stop looking at him.
She couldn’t believe the way her life had turned out. She always knew with Cordy she wasn’t really living, merely existing. Both her and Dusty were caught in a trap they couldn’t break out of, but now? Now they both had a chance for a happy ever after. Dusty could grow up in a loving home with a dad t
hat loved him unconditionally. And she could stand back and watch him grow into the man he was supposed to be.
She looked around the home she had here with Raine. Every board and nail around her was there for a reason. Raine’s love had built her a home of her very own. That alone had been worth all the pain she’d had to deal with form Cordy but then her bonus had been the three babies she’d had with Raine.
Each baby had his or her own personality. They were warm and loving and there was life and love in their eyes. No more would she have to battle the darkness she grew up with. Never again, would she have to look over her shoulder and wonder when Cordy might stab her in the back.
Dusty was free and clear of any threat from his mother and so was she. Now they could both grow and thrive. Looking down at her sleeping son, she carefully brushed down his chubby cheek with her finger. “I will keep you and your brother and sister from all harm. You guys mean the world to me. You guys and Dusty are my whole world.”
“And my son?” Came Molly’s voice behind her. “Does he fit in there somewhere?”
Cricket turned to her and smiled. “Of course he does. He surrounds us all keeping us tight and safe. He’s like the air I breathe. I couldn’t live without him. I wouldn’t want to even try.”
Molly had tears in her eyes at her words. “That’s so good to hear.”
Cricket took CJ from her mother in law and laid him in his bed. Covering him up, she turned. “My life didn’t matter before I met Raine. Dusty was all I had and I would die for that kid. I had to keep him safe from his mother and the rest of the world. Then I came here and met your son. I couldn’t believe he could love someone like me. Then we found Dusty had a dad who wanted him. It nearly broke my heart to let him go but I knew I had to. I wanted only the best for him. I had to share him with a stranger and that scared the hell out of me. But Gambler seems to love him and he has you, Jack and his other uncles to watch over him now too.” She shook her head. “I know he’s protected now. I’m not so much afraid for him anymore but that boy still means a great deal to me and he always will.”
Molly smiled slightly. “We aren’t going to ever hurt him child. Any more than we would ever harm any of these babies. Or you, you have become part of our family too you know. You all have become very precious to us.”
Cricket smiled. “And I’m so glad that I have a family now too. I know that Dusty and my babies will never know the heartache or loneness I grew up with. I didn’t know any better but they will.”
“Auntie Cricket?” Dusty’s voice called out from the doorway.
He had the baby in his arms and she rushed over to take her from him. When she laid her daughter in her bed, she turned and held out her arms for Dusty. The boy ran to her and she picked him up and cuddled him close to her.
“This right here is my whole world. You and the babies,” she whispered in his ear. “Never forget that.”
Dusty’s little arms hugged her tight. Cricket glanced over at Molly and shared a worried look with the older woman. She didn’t say anything but she caught the look Molly gave her back. She was looking at Dusty as well.
Gambler and Raine stood with Hound, Judge and Black Jack. They were all in shock at the mess inside the office they’d found when they opened the door. Files and blue prints were torn and scattered all over the floor. Furniture was tipped over and there was what looked like blood dumped and splattered all over the walls and papers.
“What the fuck?” Black Jack seethed. He moved to step into the office.
Raine pulled him back. “Let’s have a look around outside first, Dad. Then we need to call the cops and Deke. We’ve kept quiet too long on this. They need to know. This has to stop. This is the fourth time this has happened. Not only that but someone has been messing with our work sites as well. Whoever is doing this has to be caught and stopped.”
Black Jack snorted. “Don’t call the cops before you bring the MC in on this. Our guys can probably find out more and quicker than the cops would. The MC and cops don’t usually get along.”
Gambler exhaled loudly. “What the hell is going on here?” He looked over at his brothers and father. “Is someone stalking us?”
Raine shook his head. “I don’t know but I don’t like this at all.”
Black Jack glared at his four sons. “Any of you boys piss anybody off lately?”
“No.” Gambler glared at his dad. “Have you?”
Black Jack shook his head and continued to look at the mess. The he looked up at his sons. “I hope to hell this isn’t a preview of what we got waiting for us at the site.”
“Oh, fuck.” Judge growled as he turned and rushed to his bike. He took off seconds before the others. They all raced down the street to the new construction site they had started two weeks ago.
The house was a three bedroom ranch style home. The outside was complete but windows and doors weren’t in yet. That’s what they were going to do today. When they reached the doorway, Judge pushed open the panel they had over the portal and walked inside. The others followed. When they all got inside and had a look around nothing seemed out of place.
Until they reached the kitchen area.
The cabinets had been set in place but not attached to the walls yet. As they each inspected them, they all found the same thing. Someone had smashed the backs of the cabinets in.
“What the fuck?” Black Jack swore.
“No, not what but who the fuck?” Hound corrected his father. Looking around he glared. “This is most definitely sabotage.”
“No this is somebody fucking with us that’s what this is.” Judge shouted. He lifted his foot and smashed it into one of the wrecked cabinets. Wood splinted and shattered everywhere. This would cost them thousands in replacement costs.
“Hound, you, Dad and Gambler check the rest of the rooms, Raine and I will check the outside,” Judge instructed.
Raine followed his brother outside and they began looking around carefully. Moving along the alley, they found something. Raine knelt beside a set of tire tracks.
“What did you find?” Judge asked.
“A set of Avon Roadriders AM 26 tire tracks.” Raine pointed out the pattern of the tires. It was distinctive and looked new. “And they look brand new. He hasn’t had them on long.”
Judge frowned and thought for a moment. “Do we know anyone who rides with that particular tire?”
Raine shook his head. “I don’t and I wouldn’t have even mentioned it but then I found this too.” He held up a small gold plated bone button. This button was handmade and in very good condition even if it was a little worn. Neither of these things should be here. There had been so much traffic through this area that the grass had been stomped down and nothing else could be seen. They probably wouldn’t have noticed it except for the rain last night had softened the earth and the tire tracks were set deep in the soil.
Judge took the button from Raine and looked it over carefully. The gold was chipping off but that wasn’t what intrigued him so much. There was something stamped into the bone of the button. “What the fuck is this?”
“Damned if I know but to me, it looks like a logo of some sort,” Raine offered.
Judge nodded. “Ok I’ll bite, but what’s it a logo of?”
Raine stood up and studied the button again. “It could be another MC.”
“Yeah, we can have Zipper run it down maybe.” Judge turned and went back inside. His dad and two other brothers were just coming back downstairs. He passed the button over to his dad. “We found a set of tire tracks and this out near the alley.”
Black Jack studied the button carefully but didn’t recognize it. He looked at his sons again and asked, “So we have someone coming after us but we don’t know why or who he’s really after. Is that about it?”
All the boys looked at him then one another. Finally, Gambler shrugged. “What do you suggest we do Dad?”
“Well that’s a damn fine question boyo.” Black Jack scratched his ear. “Wish I had a
n answer to give you.”
“I can put some security cameras up to cover both this place and the office.” Hound told them.
Raine took the button back from his brother. “I can take this to Zipper and have him run down the logo. Maybe he can find out who it belongs to.”
A few minutes later, the other men showed up for work and the discussion dropped as they all got to work.
Raine left for a while but came back. Nothing was said about what they found this morning. Hound and Black Jack spent the day cleaning the office. About fifteen minutes after the end of the working day, the rest of the boys showed up at the office.
Gambler looked over at his brother. “Did you hear anything yet?”
Hound shook his head. “No one seems to know what the button means. Deke thinks it could be another MC but they don’t know it.”
“Did you get the cameras in place?” Raine asked.
Hound nodded. “Yup, I did. At least here.” He shrugged. “I’ll wait until the site is cleaned out before I put them other ones in. I don’t want anyone who could be watching to find them before they’re in place. That kind of defeats the purpose.”
“Damn it all to hell.” Gambler swore. “I really hate this shit. I’d rather know who we’re dealing with than be in the dark. We can’t fight a ghost we can’t see.”
“Settle down boy,” Black Jack scolded his son. “We’ll figure this out.”
Paige lifted her head as she exited Redemption House. Four days a week, she worked in the office as the day manager while Cassie stayed home with her kids. She had that creepy feeling again today. She hadn’t felt this for a long time but she’d felt it off and on for the last week. Looking around, she didn’t see anything or anyone out of place. This was the first time in seven years she had this feeling. She thought this fear was long gone from her life but it was back now. And this time she couldn’t shake it off.
The feeling followed her all the way to her car. She could feel eyes staring into her back, almost like they were boring holes in her skin. She couldn’t explain it nor did she understand it. The feeling was so full of hate she couldn’t comprehend it. She didn’t know of anyone who could hate her this bad. She hadn’t felt this kind of fear for such a long time and she’d almost forgotten it.