True Grit

by Bella Knight

  "Very long," said Ivy. "We'll move this along as fast as possible."

  "Hungry," signed Damia. "Bye family. Want own pony."

  "Working on it," said Ivy. "Let's go get this pony back where it belongs, and you fed." She walked with the horse trainer and her daughter around the building.

  "What just happened?" said Callie, staring at the cell phone in her hand.

  "That," said Dr. Hoit, "is what we strive for. A reunited family. When you gave birth, then had to stay home with the new babies, Damia turned some sort of corner, came out to live with us in the world. She's still autistic. She's not cured. But, she knows she loves her mother, and wants to live with her. We've all been working hard to make that happen, most especially Damia."

  The doctor was shocked when Callie and two little girls came flying out of the van, and embraced her. She hugged them all in a group hug. After they were done laughing and crying, she stood back.

  "I am so happy for you all."

  "Thank you!" said Grace, breaking into an impromptu happy dance.

  Hu said, "You are amazing." She turned to her mother. "I want to be her when I grow up," she said, pointing to Dr. Hoit. "Save kids from being alone, lost in their heads like Ivy said Damia was."

  "Still is," said Dr. Hoit. "But she is learning to live in the real world. Give her, and yourselves, time to adjust."

  "New sister, new sister," said Grace, dancing. Hu laughed, and joined her in the dance.

  Dr. Hoit smiled a huge smile. "The families are not usually... quite this enthusiastic about reunification," she said. "Thank you. I'll remember this. It will give me strength when we can't reach a child. We have to remember how it feels to actually connect, to put families back together.

  Callie's phone rang. "I've got to take this," she said. Dr. Hoit nodded, and took her carefully coiffed hair and sensible shoes back to her office. "Ace. Yes, that's right. Yes, concrete pour at Henry's. No, we're not moving our house, it's too big. We're buying a ranch house for a dollar that's in a wildlife corridor. Yes. Yes. Yes." Callie held the phone away from her ear as Ace whooped. "Apparently, Ace is covering the bar with Cougar, and we've got as much time as we need to get the concrete poured and the house moved." There was more talking into the phone. "And we've got free babysitting from all the Nighthawks for as long as it takes." She laughed. "He says Lily wants the practice with the boys for when hers come."

  Bao's phone vibrated. She took the call. "Henry, she's on the phone with Ace, and Ivy's with Damia. Wait, let me tell you that the farm here wants two more of Inola's trained ponies. Yes, we'll take care of it. Yes, of course. Thank you!"

  Grace danced up and down. "Henry! Henry! She's a horse girl!" Bao explained about Damia and the pony. She covered the mouthpiece. "Inola's on her way," she said. "And Henry or David. They've got too many ponies. They had to rescue two more. Their barn is too full anyway, she said. Tam and Nico are mad, but they get to pick two more from their current crop."

  "Tell Tam and Nico thank you!" Grace sing-songed.

  Hu said, "We'll help them train their new ponies."

  Bao conveyed the message, then hung up. Callie got off her call, too. "I saw a diner a ways back," said Bao. "Let's go there and make that Command Central."

  Callie sighed. "Good a place as any. Our phones are going to be blowing up all day."

  She got out, herded the excited girls back into the car and plugged in their seat belts, kissed the napping babies, and went in to tell the staff to tell Ivy where they went, and to text them when she was ready to leave.

  As she made her way back to the car, Katya called. "And you do not ask me for help?" said Katya.

  "Hello," said Callie, putting her on speakerphone. "Talk to everyone while I drive. And, we found out ten minutes ago. A little too soon to even figure out what's what." She plugged in her seatbelt, and drove to the diner.

  Henry and Tito followed David on horseback up the slight rise, then back down, on the trail behind the Wolfpack house. They rode past cacti and Joshua trees to a flat piece of land, as flat as desert could be. All three men dismounted. David held the reins.

  "Need a road," said Tito.

  "We'll widen the trail," said Henry.

  "It is flatter here," said Tito, walking around. "Easier to grade."

  "And my autistic granddaughter won't fall in a stream in the middle of the night," said David.

  "I was in a mental hurry," said Henry. "And in shock."

  "She will be walking this trail –road, every day to get to the barn," said David. "It would help to have a small paddock and barn up here. Get the more skittish ponies away from everyone else, too."

  Henry stared at David. "We'll have to carry everything back here --grain, feed, hay, water."

  "Only the best for Damia," said David.

  Tito grunted. "All doable. Let's get these Joshua trees moved. Killing them is a federal offense." He took the reins of his horse, and slowly led it back, snapping pictures with his cell phone in one hand, holding the reins in the other.

  David mounted and gently took the reins from him. "I've got Scout. You do what you do best."

  Tito grimaced. "What? Work myself crazy, taking care of Nighthawks every five minutes?"

  Henry smiled. "I have good news." He pointed over the rise. "Right over there are twenty-four helpers. Not including Tam and Nico."

  "The only reason I took this job," said Tito. "As it is, subcontractors will have to do some of this."

  "Any of your sons ready to be project managers?" asked David.

  Tito stopped in his tracks. "I think so," he said, then snapped another picture. "About time they broke away from Daddy, huh?"

  "Two for the price of one," said Henry, smiling.

  "We need a playground," said David.

  "Shut. Up," said Tito.

  Cabal Unleashed

  Wraith hung up the phone. Saber was dead asleep in the bed, after another bout of sex. This one hadn't broken anything open, so Wraith called that a win.

  She called Skuld. "Do you remember Las Malos Mujeres?"

  "The Bad Women? Well, yeah. Took them down hard."

  "Not fucking hard enough. Judge Jones let one of them out on bail."

  "Oh, shit," said Skuld. "I'm coming over, and I'm bringing a posse."

  Wraith hung up the phone, then said to Sigrun, "Guard him."

  Sigrun nodded. "Can do. But he's good at guarding himself, too."

  "Bring in his weapons, but let him sleep," said Wraith.

  "On it," said Sigrun, heading down the hall to the bedroom, with a very determined kitten following in her wake.

  Rota was there first, just as Wraith had finished dressing without tearing any stitches, and hidden all her weapons in her boots, hair, and in concealed places in her waistband. Like at her spine, and one in her pocket.

  Wraith opened the door. Rota stepped in, and put Wraith's forehead to hers. "With your shield," she said.

  "Or on it," said Wraith. "I'm letting our man sleep. Sigrun is bringing..."

  Sigrun came out of Wraith and Saber's bedroom, guns and knives in a tray. "Rota," she said, nodding. "I've got his favorites." She moved down the hall, and opened her own bedroom door.

  Skuld entered next, spiky with rage. "Why can't they bounce a seventy-one-year-old off the bench? Jerkoff Jones probably thought women can't run drug empires."

  "Which one was it?" asked Rota, who was checking the windows.

  "Does it matter?" said Skuld. "Sorry, love, just angry as hell. The one they call La Leoparda, Leopard Woman."

  "Didn't she kill a DEA agent?" asked Rota.

  "Two, actually," said Wraith. "Liena Ochoa and Divinia Ruiz. Both women found with their throats slit, their tongues cut out, their hands cut off to prevent identification."

  Rota nodded. "So, she's coming after you two."

  "Absolutely," said Skuld.

  "How will she find you?" asked Rota. "Aren't the names and addresses of agents kept confidential?"

  "I'm not an a
gent," said Skuld. "Not afforded the same protection. Made a temporary agent from time-to-time due to my military background and training."

  "I am," said Wraith. "But Judge Jones and I have had run-ins before. He thinks men are smarter than women. He's dumb enough to give out info, have it overheard, or be hacked into. I doubt he'd deliberately give out my info, but he's very easily conned." She grinned. "If he did, I'll get him off the bench."

  "Finally," said Skuld. "Silver lining."

  "Should we run?" asked Rota.

  "Fuck, no," said Wraith. "Bring it on."

  "Success breeds success --and new opportunities."

  Book 8 Raw Deal

  What if you got given a raw deal? A life that was shattered, or somehow fraught with danger. Maybe, there was a lack of love from someone... or something. Maybe, something occurred as a child, or you were just literally left out in the cold by a circumstance. It happens all the time, to humanity and to animals.

  But what if you got a second chance, despite what happened? How would you feel about your life, then? It seems The Nighthawks, The Valkyries, and the blessed Iron Knights all want to help out, somehow. And even despite their own battles and suffering. They all intend to give back as best they can. An honorable way to live, that's for sure.

  Through love and connection, there is unity and the chance for hope. And with hope comes much-needed compassion, for loved ones, friends, and then onto paying it forward. Giving kindly, to the less fortunate members of one's community.

  A wise old man once said, "Without being loved, there can be no courage, and without courage there can be no hope. Without hope... there is nothing left in the soul of a man. Be love, so that you might aid a soul... or many."

  Book 8 Raw Deal - Nighthawks MC

  Afterword

  A huge "Hi" to all my fantastic readers! Thank you so much for reading my latest title. I hope you loved it so very much!

  Can I ask a huge favor? As an author, I know readers love to see reviews from other readers on Amazon. So, if you loved this title, would you mind leaving me a great review? I would be truly grateful if you could do that so everyone can see your input, too. Click link here to leave a review - True Grit

  Also, if you have any wonderful or genius ideas, or some brutal but honest feedback on how i can improve just drop me a line via email -newsletter@bella-knight.com- I'd love to hear your thoughts! all your feedback helps me write better for my lovely readers :)

  Oh, if you haven't received my free giveaway book, you can get it here http://bella-knight.com/ Sending all my love and gratitude. Always yours, Bella Knight!!

  P.S. Thank you ever so much, I'm sending all my love and best wishes, always.

  About the Author

  Bella Knight writes what she loves--romance, Bad Boy Bikers to Hot Rockstars to sexy Sports Romances love. She feels the love from her Las Vegas home from her rescue animals and her various love interests. She is constantly reading and writing, and she also leaves the animals with friends from time to time and hops on planes. She enjoys life to the fullest.

  I adore my readers and love connecting with them socially.

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