Sawyer shook her head. “But for how long?” she whispered. “He walked out of my life before, how can I expect him to stay now?”
Leon chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think he’s leaving anytime soon. Fathers can be a very stubborn lot, you know. That man loves you very much and he isn’t ever going to leave you again.”
“How do you know?” Sawyer whispered.
“Because I am a father as well. There is no way in hell I would ever leave my child. I am also a grandfather and a great grandfather and I would give my own life to protect those I love.”
Calderone smiled as he felt his phone ping with a text message. When he checked the text and his smile grew. He knocked on the window and told the driver a new destination. Turning to his own father, he said, “Peaches had the baby, another boy. Elliot James was born this morning.”
Leon grinned. “You see, there is so much in this world to be thankful for. I hope you see this as a new beginning. Get to know your father again. Maybe even find a man who loves you and deserves your love in return. There is too much violence in the world.”
“But don’t you live in the violence?” Jordan asked.
Leon shrugged. “Yes, our world has violence in it, but we are also businessmen. I prefer not to dwell in the violent part of it but rather in the business part of my life.”
“Can I tell you something?” Sawyer asked.
“Of course.” Leon nodded.
“Max had some pretty shitty stuff going on in Rochester. Stuff I don’t know if you even know about.”
“Such as?”
“Well, besides the drug racket and the gambling, he had a sideline of smuggling.”
“Smuggling?” Calderone frowned. “What was he smuggling?”
Sawyer shrugged. “Nobody knows for sure but he always used Bascomb’s Import/Export. He also ran an illegal poker game. He moved the place they played every week to avoid getting busted, but the cops were very interested in the money generated by the game.”
“Don’t forget the money laundering racket,” Jordan made mention.
“How pray tell do you know all this?” Leon asked.
Sawyer shrugged. “Max didn’t care who knew what he was into. That way, no one in his right mind would bother his places of business.”
“I see.” Leon glanced over at Calderone. It was beginning to sound as if just replacing Max wasn’t going to be an easy job. They would have to delve into what the man was doing all this time and how his business would affect the family.
“Now, may I ask you a question?” Leon wanted to know.
Sawyer nodded.
“Why are you telling us this?”
“Because I want Max to go to the next world with nothing to his name.” Her eyes were full of wrath. “Rochester used to be a decent town to live in but the last ten years or so, it’s become a dirty town. Crime rules the streets. Max cheated everyone there, so I wouldn’t doubt he cheated you as well. He showed my mother his safe once when he was trying to impress her. She told us it was the whole length of his basement and it was filled with money and jewelry. He told her it would all be hers if she would only accept him, instead of reject him.”
“What did your mother do then?” Calderone asked.
“She came home with a bruise on her face where he hit her, so I assume she rejected him again.”
They pulled up to the front door of the hospital.
Calderone and Leon ushered Sawyer and Jordan to the maternity floor and went in search of Peaches.
Sawyer and Jordan waited with Melora, Sam and the Morgan brothers.
~* * * *~
When the Vincinti men returned a couple of hours later, Calico and the others had come back as well.
Leon pulled Calico away from the crowd and Calico handed him some things. They spoke in low voices.
Then Calico turned and found his daughter. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close, “I love you girl,” he whispered in her ear.
Sawyer wrapped her arms around his waist. “I have missed you. When you left that day, you took a big chunk of me with you.”
“I will never leave you behind again,” he vowed.
“Can you accept Jordan as well? I won’t abandon my brother.”
“Of course, I can baby girl,” Calico assured her. “He’s part of Jolene and no matter what happened in the past, I did love her. I think I loved her all these years.”
Sawyer smiled. “I know she loved you. In the hospital, she was unconscious but she kept calling for you right up until she died.”
“That doesn’t help you know,” he whispered as he looked pained.
“I’m sorry,” Sawyer whispered back. “I just wanted you to know that my mother loved you very much. She didn’t forget you and she wouldn’t let me forget you either.”
Calico leaned back and frowned at her. “What does that mean?”
“When I was little, she used to tell me stories about you. We’d lay there in my bed and she would tell me how you met, some of the things you did together. She would have this special smile on her face when she spoke of you. Over time, she lost that smile but I still remember it. Just before she died, she had it on her face again and I was glad.”
Calico closed his eyes against the pain in his heart. He didn’t know what the future had in store for him but he did know Sawyer was going to be part of it. He wasn’t going to leave her behind again. He made a silent vow to Jolene. He would never leave Jolene’s behind again.
STONE COLD
#9
SIN’S BASTARDS MC
DEDICATION
To Leanore, who has always been there for me, when I needed her, whether to encourage me or help out with questions.
Without her, this series wouldn’t have been, so thank you girlfriend!
CHAPTER ONE
Troy, New York
over the next several weeks or so, everything settled into a routine in the Sin’s Bastards MC. Baby Daniel grew stronger, and Izzy was allowed to come home, babies Piper and Elliot flourished.
Calico made good on his threat to stay and get to know his daughter. Sawyer and Jordan got to know the man their mother loved all those years.
Leon was handling the mess Max left behind. A few days after Izzy had given birth to her son, Leon found another man to lead the Rochester franchise of the Family. Before he left to oversee the turnover, Calico came to see him. Leon was ready to get into his limo when Calico stepped up. The older man paused and stared at him.
“Can I help you?”
“I was wondering if I could travel with you,” Calico spoke in a firm tone. “I would like to be the one to bring Jolene back to her children.”
Leon observed him for a moment, then nodded. “I can understand that. I have a feeling it may take me some time to straighten out the mess Max left behind. Yes, you can come along. The quicker we get this settled for Sawyer and Jordan, the better off they will be.”
Calico nodded. “I’ll follow you on my bike.”
Leon got into his vehicle.
Calderone was already in there and he watched as Calico walked back to where he parked his Harley. “Is he going to become a problem?”
“No,” his father answered. “He just wants closure and to give his child peace of mind.”
“Then let’s hope that he can,” Calderone replied. “Let’s hope there are no more surprises in store for us.”
Leon laughed. “With a man like Max, there are always going to be surprises. Let’s hope they’re for the better and not for the worse.”
The next three and a half hours in the limo were quiet, as both men had work to do…On their laptops and cell phones.
When they arrived in Rochester, their driver headed towards Max’s mansion.
There, they were met by an armed guard. Then Leon’s driver and the bodyguard stepped out to speak to him and they were waved through immediately.
Calico followed and when they pulled up to the front door, he stared up at the mansion.
Bane frowned as his driver drew closer to the Sin’s Bastards clubhouse gate. Glancing over at the young man beside him, he marveled that he was indeed his son. The son Grace had hidden from him all these years, the one he never knew he had. Until now.
Grace had named him Michael before she gave him up. Surprisingly, he hadn’t been that hard to find. Armed with his birth certificate, Bane was able to track him down fairly easily. When Bane introduced himself and explained who he was, Michael told him he knew they would meet one day. He had a feeling, he would meet his father, and that was what kept him strong, kept him going in an uncertain world.
Bane was bringing Michael to meet his half-sister, Cricket. Since they shared a mother, he thought Michael should finally hear about Grace. While Grace had given the boy up shortly after he was born, she had allowed him to be born. Bane was grateful for that at least, despite the fact he hadn’t known about him.
But there was another reason Bane was here and again, it had to do with a family heirloom, one he wanted back. Now, that he had his son by his side, it had become very important.
As they drove through the open gate, Michael sat back in his seat and stared at his father. “Why are we here again?”
“I told you about my wife Grace, remember?”
Michael nodded. “Yes, you did. You mentioned the fact that she didn’t tell you about me and that she left you to run away with your brother.”
Bane nodded. “What I didn’t tell you was that you have a half-sister from that union. Your full sister, Cordelia died a while back but your half-sister, Cricket is staying here.”
Michael looked around the compound then turned to his father. “Why does she stay here?”
Bane curled his lip in a sneer. “She thinks she has to do penance for her actions toward the MC. She didn’t stop Cordelia from kidnapping the President’s twins but she did return them. They murdered your sister and sentenced Cricket to serve them for a year.”
Michael glared. “And you agreed to this?”
Bane shrugged. “She didn’t mean that much to me to object. I could overlook the insult, besides she wouldn’t let it go. She said something about honor and all that shit. We’re only here now, so you can meet her. She rejected the Jessin name and everything that goes with it. Besides, I had to find you.”
“So, will she come with us today?”
Bane looked away. “I doubt it, she’s taken one of these animals as a lover.”
Michael stared at him for a moment, then glanced away.
When they got out of the limo, they both gazed around.
The compound was neat and tidy and the buildings were in good repair. The cabins behind the main building and wondered if everyone lived behind the chain link fence they passed through.
Bane walked toward the front door and Michael followed.
When they entered the clubhouse, Bane heard Cricket laugh and for a brief moment, he thought it was Grace as she’d been so very long ago, when he first met her. He closed his eyes for a moment then took a deep breath and opened them again. When he did, he found himself looking into Cricket’s angry eyes.
Bane veered left and went to a table where Deke, Sam and Gator sat.
All three men wore blank faces.
Bane pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Michael sat beside him then his gaze swung up to the tiger murals. He tilted his head in curiosity.
“I wasn’t sure we would ever see you again.” Deke nodded.
Bane acknowledged the statement. “I wasn’t sure you would either, but I had to introduce my son to his half-sister.”
Deke stared at Bane for a moment, then glanced over to where Cricket was standing. He saw the rage in her eyes. Looking back at Bane he said, “I don’t think she wants to meet him or you again.”
Bane shrugged. “I also have another purpose for being here that does concern her. She may or may not want to hear it, but hear it she will.”
“And will you threaten our lives again, if she doesn’t listen? Or doesn’t want to cooperate?” Sam growled.
Bane’s lips tightened briefly. “She told you that?”
“She’s part of this club now and we take care of our own,” Deke assured him “More importantly, we don’t keep secrets from each other. If there is a threat against one of us, it’s against all of us and we have the right to know.”
Bane nodded once. “I see.” He turned his head and watched as Cricket drew closer.
When she came to stand near the table, she raised her head to glare at him. “I would have thought the warning you gave me the last time I saw you counted for you as well. You told me you have a reason to hate me. That the next time I saw you, you would kill me.”
“No I told you if you ever came back to my home, I would take your life. You did not seek me out this time, I sought you out.” He paused and glanced over at Michael, then back to her. “I found my son and I wanted him to meet you, as you are his only living relative, beside myself.”
~* * * *~
Cricket glanced at the man sitting next to Bane. He had the same haughty look as his father, the dark hair and cruel face. When he lifted his eyes to hers, she grimaced. Michael had their mother’s eyes, the same shape and color she had but the look in them was all Bane. This man had no soul, just like his father, just like Cordy. She turned to Bane. “I glad you found him, now leave and never come back here. I will tell you again, I want nothing to do with you or him.”
She turned to go, but Bane moved quickly to grab her wrist. His fingers tightened on her skin cruelly and he dragged her over to a nearby table. He sat down and forced her to stand beside him.
Cricket didn’t cry out at the painful hold he had on her and she didn’t raise her eyes from the floor.
Bane’s lips thinned when she wouldn’t acknowledge him. “Do not disrespect me. You won’t like it.” Twisting slightly, he heard her gasp and he had to be happy with that. At least it was something.
Deke started to get to his feet in protest but Cricket raised her head and shook it slightly. He sat back down but didn’t look at all happy about it.
Cricket turned her gaze his son, Michael. Then she turned to Bane and sneered. “What do you want me to say? Welcome to the family?”
Bane’s eyes narrowed at the tone in her voice. His fingers tightened on her wrist. He was hurting her but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of letting him know. His lips curled slightly as he released her wrist and noted the reddened skin was already turning purple. “Michael has some questions for you about your mother. Since you claim you knew her better than I, I brought him here to ask you himself.”
Cricket closed her eyes briefly, then nodded. She sat down on the other side of Michael. “What do you want to know?”
“Anything you want to tell me.”
“My mother was an honorable woman.” Cricket sneered at Bane as she spoke, “She was kind and decent and loved only one man, my father. She taught me to be loyal to those I loved and to stand up for what I believed in. She hated the lies she had to live because of him.” She motioned at Bane. “But she also knew she couldn’t live any other way. He wouldn’t have allowed her to.” Cricket pulled her wrist free, got up and walked away. She never looked back at them as she walked down the hall to her room.
~* * * *~
Cricket was staring out the window when a knock sounded on her door. She made no move to answer it.
“Are you all right?” Sam asked softly from behind her.
The wrist Bane had squeezed was cradled in her other hand but she shed no tears. “Yes, I’m okay.”
He came over and took her wrist gently to see if it was broken. “You may or may not care at the moment but I should warn you, you can’t speak to a man like your uncle the way you do. If Raine had been here, he would have gotten right in the middle of it. He has been my friend for a long damn time and I do not want him killed over your bad temper.”
Cricket turned raging eyes on Sa
m. “I would not have acted that way if Raine had been here. I know better. AND that monster is not my uncle. He’s a sick sonofabitch that I want nothing to do with. Michael and I may share a mother but he is Bane’s son all the way. Did you notice his eyes?”
Sam shook his head.
“He’s very much like Bane and Cordy. He has no soul, no compassion.” Cricket told him bluntly. “The only part of him like my mother is the shape and color of his eyes, everything else is Bane.”
“It might not hurt to know Michael’s story, to know what kind of life he had outside your family’s reach.”
“I’m not sure I want to know his story,” Cricket admitted. “He will be or already is a cold blooded killer, exactly like his father. That is NOT someone I want as family, Bones.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, but I do. Knowing Cordy and growing up under her thumb was bad enough. I have a feeling knowing Michael will be worse. He has the same cruel streak in him she had.”
“How can you be sure until you know him better?”
Shaking her head she said, “I spent my whole life under Cordy’s thumb, so I know by that cold glint in his eyes.”
There was another knock on the door and when Sam opened it, Deke stood there.
He glanced at Cricket then his father and whispered something to Sam. Then he left.
Sam turned to her again, standing at the window. “Bane wants you to come out and talk to him.”
“I don’t want to talk to him. I just want him to go away.”
Sam shook his head. “He says he won’t leave until you speak to him.”
Cricket leaned her forehead against the glass. She wanted to ignore the summons but she knew she couldn’t. She wouldn’t give Bane reason to think he’d frightened her. He didn’t, she just really wanted nothing to do with him.
She turned and saw Sam waiting for her. She straightened her shoulders and walked to the door. Before she opened it she whispered, “Why do I feel as if this is going to be more than just a meeting? That Bane wants something he shouldn’t have and that if I don’t give it to him, he’s not going to be happy?”
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