by London Casey
I smiled. “Yeah, I know. I was being stubborn.”
“Good,” Debbie said. “Keep being stubborn. Make him work for everything. No matter what.”
“I’ll take that advice to heart,” I said.
We flipped through the book some more, finding the hospital pictures. One of Debbie’s friends had a camera and took pictures that were perhaps the most important of my life. Me in the hospital bed. Holding hands with Debbie. Looking at her, crying, pleading for some kind of relief from the pain. And then the small smile on Debbie’s face as she touched my face, reassuring that it was going to be okay and it was going to be worth it.
With just a few pictures both Debbie and myself were in tears. I skipped flipping the page and hugged her.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you for everything.”
“No need,” Debbie said back in a cracked voice. “You’re worth it, Dakota. You and Ellis. And you’ll have your family soon enough.”
“I have my family right now,” I said. “Kye’s just out on the job.”
Ellis let out a little cry from the floor and I turned, wiping my eyes, to find Ellis almost on his side.
“Look at him!” I cried out. “He’s trying to roll over!”
I crawled on the floor like a fool to my son, kissing his mouth until he let out a yell and tried grabbing my face.
“I love you little man,” I said, feeling a lump in my throat. “But you stink!”
I lifted the back of Ellis’s pants and saw he had a full diaper.
“Whoa!” I said in a silly voice. “What did you do in your sleep?”
I rolled Ellis to his back and tickled his sides. I loved when his face wrinkled up. He’d let out cries of laughter and stick his fingers into his mouth.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
I climbed to my feet and went for the diapers and wipes.
There was one diaper left.
“Damn,” I whispered.
“What is it?” Debbie asked.
“I’m down to the last diaper here,” I said.
“I’ll go get some.”
“No. We can’t leave. Remember?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. We’ll just patiently tell Ellis he’s not allowed to piss or shit for the next so many hours.”
“Can you change Ellis for me? I’ll go talk to the guys outside. I’m Kye’s old lady now, right? That means they have to do what I say.”
“I like that,” Debbie said. “Go get ‘em.”
Debbie took the diaper and walked one way. I went the other way to the door.
The second the door clicked shut both guys looked at me.
“I need to talk to you,” I called out.
I walked down the steps and they came up the sidewalk.
Their names - according to the patches - were Smitty and Paul.
“What’s wrong, ma’am?” Smitty asked.
“I need diapers,” I said. “For the baby.”
“Diapers,” Paul said.
“You know, so the baby can shit.”
“Oh, right,” Paul said.
“You can’t leave,” Smitty said. “Kye will kill us.”
“Someone needs to go get diapers,” I said. “Right now.”
“I’ve never bought diapers before,” Paul said.
“It’s easy,” I said. “You just buy them.”
The two looked at each other.
Smitty looked at me.
“What?” I asked. “Are you going to argue with me?”
“No, ma’am,” Smitty said.
“Then go,” I said. “Do you need money?”
“No,” Smitty said. “For Kye’s son… anything. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Do you need anything else?” Paul asked.
“No,” I said. “Just diapers. Please.”
“Sure thing, ma’am,” Smitty said.
The two prospects walked away. They talked, pointing, formulating some kind of plan or something. I didn’t know and I really didn’t care.
I was suddenly humbled, amazed that just my affiliation with Kye and Back Down Devil MC garnered so much respect.
I stood there and watched as Smitty climbed onto his motorcycle and started it. He cruised down the driveway and turned right. I smiled, trying to picture a bag on the back of the motorcycle with a pack of diapers in it.
I would never get to see that though… sending Smitty for diapers would turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
chapter twenty-nine.
(kye)
“So that’s the vote,” Trev said, holding the gavel in the air. He gave it a few seconds for all of us to reconsider.
When the gavel came down, just like that, we were now officially in the drug business.
I hated it. I really fucking hated it.
But what choice did we have?
The only way to prevent Ivan from dealing with Nelson and then dealing with Night Soul was to cut the deal off right at the source. That meant making a call to Ivan with a promise to take all their surplus for ourselves to handle. None of us liked the idea of dealing with the shit we tried to keep out of our town, but the truth was that if it ended up in the wrong hands, it would create a major war.
Trev dropped the gavel and looked around the table. “So that’s that.”
“I’ll call Ivan,” Jasper said. “We’re going to need to face this thing right now. So then word can get out to Nelson and Night Soul.”
“Not until we find out where he is,” I said. “I want that fucking prick.”
“We’ll get him,” Max said.
“Ivan knows we’re coming,” Trev said. “Me, Jasper, Kye, and Cade will go. Sign the deal with a handshake and ensure that fat asshole doesn’t give a thing to Nelson.”
Just hearing his name made me shiver. I saw the look on everyone’s face when his name was mentioned. I owed my brothers so much more than what was happening.
I slowly raised my hand.
“Kye,” Trev said.
I stood up. “Prez. Brothers. This is my fault again.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Austin asked.
“The vote,” I said. “We had a chance to take care of Nelson a long time ago. I just wanted him to go away without the stress on the club. We weren’t in a position to kill a member, but it should have been done.”
“Christ,” Hudson said. “Don’t bring up the past here.”
“It’s why he’s doing this,” I said.
“And setting you up?” Trent asked.
“I’m the guy that spared him,” I said. “Maybe he wants to be dead. So he came after me.”
“Look,” Trev cut in. “I’ve said it a million times to you all. I can’t go back and fix anything done in this clubhouse. I can’t undo what was previously done in this chair. I can only act going forward. That’s the same for you, Kye. For everyone at this table.”
We all fell silent. I made a fist and put it to the table. “I’m in on everything. Whatever needs to be done. Let’s do this right now.”
“Let’s ride, brothers,” Cade said.
We all started to stand and there was a knock at the door. Trev nodded to Max and Max opened the door. A prospect stood there, wide eyed.
“I’m sorry…”
A second later, Eden appeared. One hand on her belly, one hand on her back.
“Bad timing,” she said.
“Oh, shit,” Trev said.
He quickly started to run toward his old lady.
Was she having the baby now?
“Prez,” Jasper called out, “we’ve got this. Take care of Eden.”
Trev got to Eden and hugged her. He looked back. “Jasper, Kye, Cash, and Cade. You four go. Right now. The rest stay put. Guard the clubhouse. I need to get Eden to the hospital right now.”
“I’ll go with you, Prez,” Duke said. “You can’t go alone.”
“Fine,” Trev said.
Now the room was in a fast paced mode.
Everyone broke up and went to work.
That included me heading out to the clubhouse because I was ready to ride. It was time to meet up with Ivan and settle up. Cut Nelson out of the deal. Cut Night Soul out of their deal.
I bolted from the clubhouse with Jasper right on my ass.
“Kye, wait up,” he said.
I held back for a second. “What?”
“We need to ride together,” he said. “Right?”
“Then let’s move ass,” I said.
“I’ve got some guys watching Night Soul. When they get word of their deal falling apart they’re going to want to take Nelson out for themselves.”
“We need to end him ourselves,” I said. “This is my mistake… a club mistake…”
“Just play it smart,” Jasper said.
Ten minutes later, it was me and Jasper riding side by side with Cash and Cade behind us. We tore out of the clubhouse lot with the rumbling of thunder as it poured from our hearts and through the exhausts of our motorcycles.
It was time to go to war.
**
“Where is your President?” Ivan asked as he sat a card table.
His buddy Peter sat across from him and they were playing a card game that I had no interest in.
“At the hospital,” Jasper said. “Eden might be having the baby.”
“Ah, a baby,” Ivan said. “Then we celebrate.”
“No time for that,” I cut in. “We need your word on this deal, Ivan. There’s a lot at stake for all of us. Including you.”
“I can survive,” Ivan said. “I just have to get rid of this shit. A mess was dumped on me, you see. So now I dump it where I need to. I don’t like messes.”
“Everything is a mess,” Cade said. “But we’re in agreement here, Ivan. Is that correct?”
“I prefer to wait for your President,” Ivan said.
He threw his cards down and yelled something in Russian.
“Ah, fuck,” Peter said. He folded his hand and grabbed all the cards. Then he looked back. “That was your cue to fuck off.”
“We’re not leaving,” I said. “I think it’s pretty clear that if you deal your mess to your client, it’s going to turn into a major war in our MC. That’s not good for you.”
“I won’t be here to watch it,” Ivan said.
“What the fuck are we doing here?” Cash asked Jasper. “He’s fucking with us.”
Jasper walked to the table. He grabbed the edge and flipped it over in one quick move. He then took out his gun and stood there.
“I guess we’re going that route,” Cash whispered to me.
“Shit,” I said.
Everyone in the room took out their weapons.
That included a barrage of men that Ivan and Peter had with them.
We were easily outnumbered three-to-one. And Ivan’s guys were packing autos.
Ivan slowly stood up. He opened his suit jacket and put his big ass gun away.
He rubbed his chin. “So now you have my full attention.”
“Good,” Jasper said. “We know what your selling everything for. We’re going to take it all off your hands, like you talked to Trev about. Nothing’s changed with the deal. He’s at the hospital with Eden. We’re here. The bottom line is that you cut off Nelson. Right now.”
“Right now?” Ivan asked.
“Yes,” Jasper said. “Cade has the funding all figured out. We’ll talk pickup and drop-off. But first we need proof of your commitment.”
“You know,” Ivan said, “if I bring Nelson in on this… it can create a bidding war.”
“Fuck me,” Cash said. “That’s what you want in all of this?”
“Oh, and money’s not a great thing?” Ivan asked with a hearty chuckle.
“Ivan,” I said. “We’ve been in business for years together. We go back and forth all the time. But you know what we’re offering is a good deal. There’s no stress on your part. Just shake my fucking hand so we can leave.”
“Cut Nelson out first,” I said. “We want to watch this.”
Ivan looked at me. “What’s in this for you? You’re too jumpy.”
“Truth?” I asked. “We have an old past with Nelson.”
“Kye,” Cash said, grabbing my shoulder. “Club business, brother.”
I shook Cash away. “Fuck that. We have a past. And he’s trying to fuck with the MC. And you know that anyone who fucks with the MC pays. So which side of the line are you on, Ivan?”
Ivan nodded. He looked at Peter. The two were silent, their eyes locked.
Peter then reached into his pocket.
We all tensed up.
Peter took out a phone.
He pressed a couple buttons and handed the phone to Ivan.
A few seconds later, Ivan said, “Yeah, it’s me. Listen… the deal is no good. It’s all no good. It’s all gone, friend. I’m sorry, Nelson. This is just the nature of our business. It’s tough.”
Ivan stared at me. He nodded a few times. Then he ended the call.
“Done,” Ivan said.
Jasper offered his hand to Ivan.
Before Ivan took Jasper’s hand, he looked right at me. “He’s not happy, Kye. But he understands. And he told me you’d understand too.”
“I’d understand?” I asked. “What the hell does that mean?”
Jasper and Ivan shook hands.
I felt Cash creep up next to me. I looked at Cash. He gave a nod to step back.
He told me you’d understand too.
“Shit,” I whispered.
I fumbled for my phone.
If Nelson had any idea about us fucking up his deal… or maybe he just wanted to get at me good. Once and for all. There was one way to do just that.
To go after my family.
chapter thirty.
(dakota)
I heard what sounded like a gunshot.
Debbie popped up from the chair at the table. I looked to the stairs. Ellis was up in his crib, safe and sound. I slowly crept toward the front window and peeled the curtain back.
I saw Paul on the ground, face down. A man stood over him, holding a gun. At that exact second, the man looked up and our eyes met.
Evil.
That’s what I was hit with.
He raised the gun and I jumped back.
“Debbie!” I called out. “Someone is out there with a gun!”
Debbie made a line right for me as I stood frozen in place. I reached for my phone but remembered it was all the way in the kitchen. I hurried for the door, locking it, knowing that wouldn’t be good enough when it came to a man with a gun.
“I need my phone,” I said as Debbie grabbed my hand.
“Kitchen,” she said. “We need to get Ellis and get him out of here.”
“He’s sleeping again,” I said. “As long as he doesn’t make noise…”
We rushed to the kitchen. I put my hand on my phone when I heard the back door slide open. Before I could press a button on the screen, the stranger walked right into Kye’s house.
Debbie jumped back and grabbed a knife out of the chopping block.
“Get out!” she screamed.
Without hesitation she threw the knife at the intruder.
The guy turned and presented a gun. He stormed the kitchen after us.
That’s when my fight reflex kicked in.
I hadn’t had a real fight since high school with some girl named Carrie over a guy. And even that ended up with both of us pulling each other’s hair.
But this time, with Debbie behind me and my son upstairs, I was going for broke.
I lunged at the guy and started to swing.
I slapped him in the mouth, punched his hand, almost getting the gun.
But he was quick and ruthless, tossing me back. I slammed against the counter, losing my breath for a second.
“You throw a knife at me?” he yelled at Debbie.
He went right after Debbie, putting the gun to her chest. Tears filled her eyes as she starte
d to shake her head. She pleaded with him not to kill her.
“Stop!” I yelled. “Who are you?”
He looked at me, grinning. “Oh, I’m sorry. We never got to the introductions. My name is Nelson. And I’m going to ruin your fucking life…”
**
Debbie was on the couch, I stood behind a chair. Nelson stood at the front door, his gun out, ready to strike. He was blocking me from my son. I hadn’t said a word about Ellis though and Nelson hadn’t brought it up.
“This will all be over soon,” Nelson said. “Once I get my deal back up and running.”
“What do we have to do with this?” Debbie asked.
“Association,” Nelson said. “Wrong place, wrong time. How many prospects were out there?”
“One,” I said.
In my mind I hoped Smitty would come and realize something was wrong and call for help.
“Good,” Nelson said. “But here’s the problem. I’m going to need to send a clear message to the MC. So someone in this house is going to die.”
I felt my heart leap into my throat.
Nelson waved the gun between me and Debbie.
Without hesitation Debbie jumped up. “Shoot me then.”
“Okay,” Nelson said.
He pointed the gun at Debbie.
“Stop!” I screamed. “No! Don’t!”
I ran around the chair and Nelson quickly turned the gun on me. I put on the brakes and came to a quick stop. All I could see was Ellis flashing before my eyes. Ellis and Kye. Alone. The outlaw and his baby. Me being murdered by someone that was angry with the MC.
“Everyone take a fucking breath here,” Nelson said. “I’m not shooting you right now. Goddamn. I have to make a point when the time comes.”
I stood there, my heart racing, my body shaking with such fear.
“You’re an asshole,” Debbie said. “You know nothing about me. About Dakota.”
“And you know nothing about me,” Nelson said. “What they did to me. They could have had another vote to let me back in. They could have just killed me, too. I would have rather died. But Kye voted against it. You know that?” Nelson stared at me. “Kye voted to keep me alive. That was my true punishment. So now I’m going to bring hell to him. Make him suffer.”
I looked at Debbie. She looked at me.
I saw her eyes go wide. Like something was right behind me. She quickly shook her head no. So I stayed steady. She took a small step back. Reaching for the curtain, she looked out.