Twelve
Ink opened his eyes to the glaring light of the hospital. The smell of antiseptic burned his nose. The beeping of the machines rang in his head like a gong. What the hell had happened?
“Well if it ain’t Rip VanWinkle. It’s about time you woke up you lazy assed fucker.”
Of all the voices Ink had hoped to wake up to, Lawless was not one of them. He wanted to groan.
“Fuck you.” He croaked through dry lips and a tongue that felt like it had been wrapped in cotton. Law laughed like he’d just won the lottery.
“We need to get you some pussy brother. You keep offerin’ and Nikki might get pissed, but she is one sexy woman when she gets pissed so... feel free to keep offerin’. Some pissed off sex from my woman might get me caught up on what I’ve missed.”
Ink couldn’t help it, a chuckle left his lips. “Damn you are an annoying son of a bitch. Where is she?”
“Nikki? Well she is probably home right now. Got tired of waiting on you to get well…”
Ink growled.
“Oh you mean Angel.” Law pulled his feet down from where they were propped on Ink’s bed. “She might be downstairs getting something to eat. That chick eats more than Moose.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“About six hours. Little nurse Lauren knocked your ass out.” Law laughed. “She’s worth keeping an eye on.”
“You had your eye on her pretty good from what I saw.”
“Nah, not my type, but she would make a good old lady for somebody. If she lived back home that is.”
“Yeah well she don’t.”
“Nope, but might put a bug in her ear, let her know she had friends.”
She had stepped up and they owed her. “Yeah, least we could do. Watch her back a little.”
Law nodded.
“Yeah well I need to take a piss so get over here and help me...brother.” Ink grinned.
Law laughed, but he stood up. “Ok, but I’m not holding your dick.”
“I wouldn’t give you that much of a thrill.” Ink said through his dry throat.
Lawless laughed. “Good to see you’re feeling better Ink, real good. Had us worried. Pull that shit again and I’ll put you in the fucking hospital myself.”
Ink knew that was concern and just shook his head. He had almost made it back to bed when the door opened. There she was. She looked radiant and healthy, rested. How the hell she had managed that in six hours he didn’t know, but she made everything right in his world.
“Oh God you look so good.” He whispered and Angel rushed to him. Happy tears rolling down her face.
And then she was in his arms, where she belonged.
“I love you Angel. Only you. Always you. Since the first time I heard your voice.” Ink said into her hair. “Made my hands shake.” He kissed her. “I couldn’t think of any other woman after that and I hadn’t even seen your face yet.”
“It’s true. Almost didn’t let the fucker ink my colors.”
Ink laughed against Angel’s lips. “You scared the hell out of me, but I’m so grateful for you, for what you did. Thank you for saving Noah.” His voice cracked. “Thank you for keeping him safe. I love you. I don’t deserve you, but I love you.”
He felt something press against his side and looked down to see a dark head pressed against Angel’s side. The child looked up and Ink couldn’t breathe.
“Noah?” He whispered on a disbelieving breath.
The child nodded.
Ink wasn’t ashamed of the tears that trickled down his face as he looked into the face of his son for the first time.
“Oh my God Noah.” It hurt like hell, but Ink fell to his knees on the cold tile floor and pulled his son to his chest.
“I’m so glad you’re safe. So glad you’re here with me. God, Noah I’m so glad to have you.”
“You look like me.” Noah said as he looked at Ink. “But my hair isn’t different colors.” He tilted his head. “Are you really glad I’m here?” He regarded his father with narrowed eyes.
Ink held the boy far enough from him to look into his face. “I love you Noah. I will always be glad to have you. You are my son.”
Noah buried his face against Ink’s chest.
“Daddy!” Caterina bounced into the room followed by Shadow. “I missed you. Why is your bottom showing?”
Ink laughed. All his life he had tried to be something. He had tried to be better. He had gone to the Army to prove that he was a man. He had joined the MC to find a home. He had covered himself in tattoos and piercings and colored his hair to prove that he was someone that had the courage to stand out, but right now he looked into the face of his son who looked so much like him and he belonged.
Angel knelt beside Caterina and Noah and wrapped her arms around them.
Ink allowed Lawless to help him up and back to bed.
“Daddy I think you need to put on some underwear or something.” Caterina looked to Noah and tilted her head the same way Law did.
Ink wanted to laugh, but Law looked as proud as a peacock. Few knew the relationship Law shared with the kids in the club, but it was a bond.
“Who are you?” She asked.
“I’m Noah.”
“He’s your brother Cat.” Ink said to his daughter.
Everyone in the room watched the little dark haired girl as if her reaction mattered more than their next breath.
“Like Shadow is your brother?” Cat asked her mother.
Angel nodded. “Exactly like that baby.”
Cat’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She threw her arms around Noah.
“I’ve always wanted a brother! A big brother! I’m so glad to have you! We are going to have a whole lot of fun.”
Noah looked a little confused, even frightened. Shadow laughed from where he stood.
“Welcome to the family Noah.”
Epilogue
Shadow sat in the waiting room of the hospital and looked at the woman who’d had the power to make or ruin his life. She held Caterina on her lap and her arm was wrapped around Noah. She looked the same as she had all those years ago. Same bleached hair. Same brilliant green eyes. Same bright smile.
The boy looked so happy. He fit right into the family and everyone loved him. He was a sweet kid and so much like Ink it was like watching the man himself.
Shadow wondered about the men he called brothers. He knew the stories of them that Spec had found. The records that were public, but he wondered about their lives. His had been different and those who knew his story often looked at him in horror, but his mother had loved him the only way she could and she had protected him until the end. He knew many of his brothers weren’t as lucky. He knew he wasn’t a good man. He killed, it’s what he was, a killer. He knew his sanity was on a tight string, but his brothers accepted him. Mrs. accepted him.
He looked up when Lizzie stepped into the room. They had never been close, but she cared for him and tried to make sure he knew it.
“Come meet your new sister Cat, Noah.” Lizzie called from the doorway.
Both kids raced toward her. Mrs. stood and started to follow, but Shadow stepped in her way. There were things he needed to say, things that had gone too long unsaid. The woman was beautiful. Her hair was ruthlessly bleached and her eyes were as green as the grass in spring and they had always made his eyes sting to look at them for too long. She was taller than the average woman so her eyes were almost on his level now, but she had always made a point of looking him in the eye, giving him the respect she would a man.
“What is it honey?” Mrs. asked.
She had always tried to reach him and he had pushed her away. What would his life have been if he had accepted her the way Noah had accepted everybody? What kind of man would he be?
Shadow pulled the woman who had done everything she could to be the mother he had lost into his arms.
“Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being my mother, I know it wasn’t easy. Watching Angel with No
ah. It brings back some memories.” He pressed his cheek to her hair.
She pulled back to look at him and pressed her hands to his face. “It was the easiest thing in the world Marcus. I think you can see that now. You belonged just like Noah does. I wanted a son and you came to me,” she smiled. “And I didn’t even have to go through labor to get you.”
“I don’t understand it.”
“Of course you do. If Lacey had been pregnant by Rider, would it have made any difference to you? Would Megan be any less precious?”
He thought back to that day. The day he’d come back and found her belly round with his child. He had felt rage that another man had touched her, but he loved her the same as he always had. He let his eyes fall on Lacey and his children where they sat waiting to see the new baby.
“No it wouldn’t have mattered.” He loved his family. They gave him strength and banished his ghosts. He tried to picture Megan with blonde hair, but he couldn’t love her less.
“If you love someone their children are easy to love. You were so easy to love Marcus. You still are.”
Her eyes were bright with tears, but her smile was happy. She kissed his cheek and linked her arm with his.
“Now let’s go meet your new niece.”
I hope you enjoyed INK
Book 9
In
The Defenders
Series
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Please enjoy this excerpt of another great title from
Amanda Anderson
An Alaska Thing
Deidra Farist pulled her single, black rolling suitcase behind her as she walked across the cracked blacktop of the airstrip outside Juno, Alaska. Her best friend, Kit, bounced along beside her prattling on about nothing of any real importance as Deidra thought about the likelihood of their plane crashing before they reached Anchorage or the even more glaring possibility that she would break her ankle on this terribly paved stretch of pavement. Deidra hated flying, but in truth she hated boats more so here she was boarding a plane and heading to Alaska, of all places Instead of a ship to a lovely tropical destination. She was pretty sure she had lost all semblance of sanity by the time she had agreed to take the trip, but Kit had been too excited to turn down.
Deidra sighed for the hundredth time and looked to Kit and found her friend frowning.
“We could have taken a cruise to the Bahamas Deidra, but you hate boats. This was the alternative. Now suck it up and try to enjoy yourself! For heaven's sake you look like you are walking your last mile or something. Should I be saying 'dead girl walking' as we continue?”
Deidra rolled her eyes at her friend's dramatic display and fought a smile at the ridiculous face she made when she attempted to use a really deep voice.
Kit had won an extravagant vacation choice from some online thing she had participated in. Deidra hated those things that popped up on her computer while she was trying to work, but Kit had an eye for seeing the advantages of any situation. She had filled out the form and sent it off to God knows who only to be notified six weeks later that she had in fact won the grand prize, her choice between a cruise to the Bahamas or a two week stay in an extravagant Lodge near Denali National Park. Kit had left the decision up to Deidra, since she had invited her best friend along on this once in a life time vacation. Deidra had chosen Alaska.
If someone had asked her to explain the reasons behind her decision she would have been completely puzzled and unable to offer the slightest explination. She loved the sun and the beach, but the cruise would have been miserable for her, but so was flying and spending time in the cold. She didn’t like the cold, in fact she detested it more than her yearly visit to her doctor to check on her whooha, but she had felt like Alaska was the right choice. She had felt pulled to the place. So for reasons she could not explain she continued to struggle with her suitcase and make her way to the plane that looked more like a toy than an actual aircraft.
Deidra scolded herself for her attitude. This was an amazing opportunity and Kit was kind to ask her along at all. She would enjoy herself if it killed her. She took a deep breath and began a list of pros in her mind. The plant life would be lovely, not as lovely as the lush tropics, but lovely in a different way. The fresh air would likely be invigorating. Then there were the mountains.
The mountains fascinated her and they had since she was a child. She had dreamed of them a few times after she’d studied about Alaska in elementary school. From then on she’d wanted to see those impressive peaks and to behold the majesty and grandeur of the place. She sighed again. Now she would have the opportunity, if she survived the flight.
“Deidra, you are being ridiculous! We have been on three planes already. What is one more? Why are you so afraid of this plane?” Kit complained.
“I don’t know. I just feel like if I step on that plane my life is going to be different. Don’t think I want it to be different, but at the same time I can’t seem to stop thinking about what the change might feel like.” Kit raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow and twisted her perfectly lined lips into a smirk.
“I don’t know what it means! It’s just a feeling.” Deidra threw up her hands when Kit still looked at her in question. “I just hate planes and this one looks like a toy.” Deidra was confused by her feelings, but they were strong and she tended to listen to them.
“Different is a good thing Hun. You need your life to be different. When is the last time you had a date anyway or got laid?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Or for that matter did anything different than you did the week before?”
Deidra rolled her eyes. “I had a date last month and I would say that this trip is definitely deviating from last week’s itinerary.”
“No you didn’t.” Kit insisted as she tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder. “You had a dinner meeting with a nerd! That doesn't count as a date! If you can’t see yourself in bed with the guy at the end of the evening you really can’t call it a date, in my opinion.”
Deidra scowled. “I’m not a slut Kit.” She admitted that she wasn’t a nun, but she was very picky about whom she slept with, and yeah, they were usually pretty nerdy and the sex was terrible, but what could she do? She worked with nerdy men and had little time to find a different type.
“I didn’t say you had to be a slut.” Kit said as she pulled Deidra along with her. “I said if you can’t see yourself in bed with him, I didn’t say you had to go to bed with him, but if it works out you will eventually end up there so you might as well start out with a clear picture of the situation in your mind.”
Deidra walked behind Kit and wanted to laugh at all the men who stopped to gawk at her friend. Kit was a knock out. She was tall and slim while still having enough curves to make a man fall to his knees and beg to be her slave. Her hair was a golden blonde and fell in springy curls to the middle of her back. She had eyes, that Deidra had heard a man tell her, ‘sparkled like the deep waters of the Caribbean’. Kit also knew how to dress. She wore tight skinny jeans with knee high lace up boots that had some hind of fuzzy stuff sticking out of the top with a bright pink turtle neck sweater that hugged her ample breasts.
Kit practically floated across the asphalt while pulling a large bright green suitcase with bright pink polka dots. She looked fresh and runway ready. Deidra knew she didn’t look quite so well put together and in fact probably looked rather mousy in comparison.
Deidra frowned as she looked down at her simple jeans and waterproo
f boots. She wore only a long sleeved light blue t-shirt, which she thought brought out the blue of her eyes, but realized they didn’t sparkle like any sea she had ever seen. She had her long dark hair pulled into a simple ponytail at the back of her head and wore no makeup. She felt short too for some reason. She had always just thought of herself as petit, but today she was short. She was only four inches shorter than Kit’s five foot ten inches, but she felt like a dwarf.
Except for the same general color of their eyes and the obvious fact that they were both of the female sex, Deidra and Kit were complete opposites, but they were also the best of friends.
Deidra had met Kit in their freshman year of high school. Deidra’s parents had just moved to L.A. and Deidra had been adrift among the fabulous people when Kit had rescued her. Deidra knew it had started out as a pet project for Kit. It reminded her of a movie that had been popular back then. The beautiful and popular girl picks the girl that couldn’t be further from popular or beautiful and makes her into an acceptable friend.
It had taken about a week for Kit to realize that there was no hope for Deidra in the fashion department, but by then she had loved her too much to ostracize her, so they had become friends. That had been fifteen years ago.
Deidra finally stepped onto the plane and stowed her bag. Kit had insisted that they bring only one bag. Deidra had protested saying she couldn’t fit all the socks she would need in one bag, but Kit insisted they could buy anything they needed and then ship it home. She had a point. There was nothing worse than baggage claim. Kit knew how to travel so Deidra had taken her advice, besides, she wasn’t trying to impress anyone, she was on vacation.
Deidra tried to settle into her seat, but she kept having a feeling of excitement that would quickly be tempered with a generous dose of fear. She never discounted her instincts. She had always listened to those flutters in her stomach and she felt like they had saved her many times in the past. Now they were screaming at her to run back home and she was simply trapped. What would happen when they reached their final destination?
Ink Page 6