Second Chances (Steel Bandits MC Book 1)

by JC Belanger

  “Well, that went fairly well,” I giggle as I pick up my cup of coffee. CeCe takes that moment to let everyone hear her new word, much to Taz’s enjoyment. The club looks over to gauge my reaction. “What can I say? She has laid her claim!”

  The rest of breakfast goes off without a hitch. I notice that Scott and Taz are exchanging a look, which in turn has Axel making a phone call. They are up to something, but I have no idea what. Turtle tells me that he has seen the court date for next week for CeCe’s custody. I gasp at hearing this but should not be surprised that he is watching the courts. He tells me that no one else has filed any claim on her so that should make this an easy win. The idea that I might not get to keep her fills me with fear but Taz puts his arm around me and says that no one is tearing apart our family.

  Chapter Eleven

  Anna

  Getting ready for court is both exciting and scary at the same time. I’m worried about what is going to happen. I can’t lose my daughter again. What if the judge doesn’t let me keep her because I did give her up for adoption? How will I go on? Taz comes up behind me, putting his arms around me.

  “Peaches, you need to relax. The judge is going to rule in your favor,” he says while kissing my neck and causing chills to race up and down my body.

  “What if he doesn’t?” I whimper, turning in his arms so that I can look at him. “I don’t know what I will do. Would the club help me get somewhere there is no extradition?”

  Taz gently laughs at my question. He thinks I’m kidding, and I kind of am. But I would go in a second if it meant keeping my daughter. He pulls me out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where Scott and Axel are entertaining CeCe. They all look so relaxed that I am somewhat irritated. Do they not care? I know that I am being overdramatic, but this is my life. This is my daughter’s life that hangs in the balance right now. I guess they really don’t have anything to lose today, do they? Rationally, I know I’m overreacting, but I can’t seem to stop the negative thoughts from running around my head.

  Scott comes to me and gives me a hug. He says that he and Axel will be the only brothers in the courtroom with Taz and I, but that the others will be waiting for the results and getting the party ready. For some reason, knowing that they are going to party after the judge says she’s mine makes me feel better. Axel gives me a hug and explains that they decided that the whole club being there may make the judge less inclined to rule my way. I love that they think of CeCe and I, and how things might affect us. To be honest, I would not care if the whole club showed up anyway, well with one exception.

  Taz says it is time to leave as he picks up CeCe and heads to my car to strap her into her car seat. He will be driving us there, mainly because I am such a wreck. Scott and Axel follow us as we make our way to the court house. When we arrive, I am surprised to see the parking lot full of motorcycles.

  “I said we would be the only ones in the courtroom, not the only ones here,” Scott says with a laugh after opening my door. He helps me out of the car while Taz grabs CeCe. “We couldn’t have kept them away even if we gave a direct order.”

  I take CeCe from Taz and make my way over to the group that is waiting for us. Each one of the men give us a kiss on our heads. I don’t notice that Skid is sitting on his bike glaring at us. Even though he’s here, anyone walking by can see that it’s the last place he wants to be.

  “Ok, Peaches let’s get this done!” Taz says, leading me into the courthouse. CeCe starts to squirm from my tight hold on her. Axel takes her from me and tickles her. She lets out a loud giggle as we enter the courtroom. I wish that I was as carefree as she is. That I wasn’t being held down by all this fear and worry that because I once gave CeCe up the judge is going to take her away from me for good. If he decides to take her away from me, then he can decide if I ever get to see my little girl ever again.

  I see Mr. James, the caseworker, sitting at a table with a woman in the front of the room and I make my way to him. They both turn to me with smiles as I approach. Even they look unaffected sitting here waiting on the judge to enter the room. But, then again, it’s not their lives being put on display right now.

  “I didn’t know if I should bring her in here or not. My brother can sit with her in the hall if I need him too,” I say, the words rushing out of me.

  “Relax Anna,” Mr. James tells me with a grin. “This is just a formality. No one is contesting anything, so it should only take a few minutes. This is Miss Winters, the attorney for the state. We are waiting for Judge Osborne, so we can begin.”

  Before I can say a word, the judge enters the room and we begin the process that will change my life one way or the other. I listen as the attorney tells the judge what precipitated us being here. I know I have tears in my eyes as we listen to what happened to the Quinn’s. No matter how happy I am to have my daughter, their death is still heartbreaking. I’m shocked to my core when I hear that the police are still investigating this. I glance at Taz and notice that he doesn’t look surprised, but I don’t have time process that now. I hear the judge asking whether the Quinn’s had any family members seeking custody. When Mr. James says that DCF had placed Cecelia with her birthmother pending the outcome today, Judge Osborne smiles. Mr. James told her that I was seeking full and permanent custody of CeCe. What seemed like hours later, but in reality, was less than fifteen minutes we are walking out the door. I am wearing a smile the size of Texas on my face as I realize that Judge Osborne really did reinstate my parental rights. CeCe is mine! Scott and Axel let out a whoop of joy once we exit the building and that lets the rest of the club know that we have won!

  I pass CeCe to Taz so that I can have a few moments with my brother.

  “Scott. I have a question to ask you,” I begin quietly so that no one else hears our conversation. “the attorney said that the Quinn’s death was being investigated still. Taz didn’t look surprised and you don’t seem all that surprised. Did you know? Do you know what is going on? Are we still in danger?” the questions are flowing out of me. I am starting to become afraid as I look around the parking lot like someone is there to hurt or kill us.

  “Anna, you know I can’t talk about what the club knew, or knows,” Scott grumbles. “I will tell you that we are watching the situation. You cannot be in danger with Tigger sitting outside your house and Taz inside can you? Just enjoy this victory and take my niece to the clubhouse so we can party!”

  I agree and head to the car to see that Taz already has our daughter in the car and is ready to go. After I fasten my seatbelt, Taz grabs my hand as he begins to drive out of the parking lot and toward the party. We reach the clubhouse a few minutes later and I see that the club girls have decorated with lots of streamers and balloons. CeCe is going to have a field day with all of this, if she is ever put down to play. Right now, it seems that the brothers are fighting over who is going to hold her. Drinks are flowing, and everyone is having a good time, I start feeling weird. My body is heavy, and I can’t seem to lift my arms. I feel myself falling to the floor, but I can’t say anything. Taz and Scott are beside me in seconds. They are asking me questions, but I can do nothing to let them know I understand. My heart is racing, as I realize that I must have been drugged. Doc rushes to my side to see what’s going on. He tells Scott to get me to the SUV so that I can be taken to the Emergency Room. I hear him telling Axel that it appears that I may have been roofied. With quick thinking, Taz grabs my drink before someone can dump it out, and hands it to Doc to take with us so that the hospital can test it.

  When we arrive at the hospital, they quickly administer an antidote so that I don’t lose consciousness. While I don’t remember much about what happened, I know that someone at the clubhouse did this. I, of course, assume that Skid was involved, but I don’t even know if he was there. A knock at the door lets us know that the police have arrived to question me about what happened. I look over at Scott to gauge how much I should say.

  “Thank you for coming officer,” Scott says, taking co
ntrol so that he can lay the groundwork of what we can say. “I don’t know what she can tell you since she was mostly out of it, but I will be glad to fill you in on what happened.”

  The officer pulls out a notepad and begins to take notes as Scott tells him about our day going all the way back to the courthouse. He does not name any names, but he does seem to imply that this has something to do with the whole situation that involves the Quinn’s. The officer asks a few questions which I answer honestly with ‘I don’t know, or I don’t remember’. He seems to expect this as I am told that it is very common.

  Once he leaves, I turn to Scott and ask him what is happening. The door opens and Taz and Axel walk in. My first reaction is to panic wondering where my baby is. Taz tells me that Tigger is watching her in the waiting room.

  “Skid was at the courthouse, and at the clubhouse,” Taz says, trying control his anger. “I know that we needed to let him be included but we obviously need to keep a better eye on him. No one saw anyone slip anything in her drink.”

  Fury, the enforcer, interrupts, “No one should have to be worried about being drugged at the clubhouse! I think we need another vote so that this is taken care of. The next time, we might not be able to get to her in time and it might be worse than her being drugged.”

  “I understand the anger and frustration,” Axel says trying to keep some semblance of calm and order. “What I am going to say does not leave this room. I have had someone digging into Skid and the Quinn’s to see if there is any connection to either of them. We found a very small link. Kevin Quinn was an investor for a family in Chicago which is where Skid was born. This family has some not so legal connections to a New York family. It seems from what we can find that Kevin decided he was making the family enough money that he could skim a little bit here and there for his own family. That may be the reason for the Quinn’s death.”

  To say I was stunned is an understatement. I had tried to check out the Quinn’s the best I could without getting the club involved. I had not found anything that raised a red flag, but this was mind blowing. Even if I knew going in that I didn’t have the resources the club has. Did April know what Kevin was doing? How could they adopt an innocent child if this was going to be their life? I trusted them! I had to stop thinking about this before my mind exploded. But first I needed a few questions answered

  “Are CeCe and I going to be safe?” I ask, sitting up in the bed so that I can look at everyone as they stand around the small exam room. “Do we need to go into hiding? Do the police know all of this? Where is Skid now?” I toss out my questions hoping that someone has answers that will not scare the life out of me.

  Taz sits next to me on the bed and says that for anyone to get to me they have to get through him first, and the club second. I nod my head in understanding and close my eyes. Exhaustion is overtaking me as the men make plans to keep CeCe and I safe.

  I wake up when I hear the nurse come into the room. She has the paperwork for me to be discharged. Not wanting to be here any longer, I get myself dressed and ready to leave after the guys leave the room. I’ve only been here overnight, but it seems like I have been here for weeks. Every few hours they would wake me to check my vitals. Who really does that? Isn’t the whole purpose of being in the hospital to get better and get rest? Not be woken up every little while throughout the night.

  Once we get home, I try to keep busy so that I don’t have time to worry. I need to find daycare for CeCe for when I’m working. I have a few places in mind, but I think that I will talk to Scott first to be sure that a prospect can be placed outside the daycare too. My mind wanders to Skid. Is he going to try to lay claim to her? Even more than that is he involved with what happened to the Quinn’s? I thought I had been careful in choosing who was going to raise my daughter, but it looks like I just put her in more danger. Maybe I am not cut out to be a mom. Looking at her playing in her playpen chases most of those doubts away. I’m sure all moms worry they are not good enough.

  Chapter Twelve

  Taz

  It has been a few weeks with nothing else happening, and everyone is starting to relax. We have had a few discussions in church about whether or not to pull Tigger off Peaches and CeCe. I am sure that someone is watching just waiting for us to do that. We have decided to make a big showing of pulling Tigger away and having him watch from a distance and see if someone makes a move. Skid has become more withdrawn from the club since Anna was drugged, but he told us he is having family issues and may need to take two weeks to go back home to help his mother with a situation. We, of course told him to let us know if we can help.

  At the last church I requested a vote to make Anna, my old lady. Everyone was watching Voodoo to see his reaction, but I was smart enough to ask him and then Axel before I even brought it to the table. There was not a single vote against it. I told Gizmo to put in the order for her rag. I am trying to put together a night she will never forget. She has been so stressed, that maybe something fun will make a difference

  The day has arrived for me to give her the rag. I start our evening out by going to dinner. CeCe decided I was not giving her enough attention and threw her bowl of rolled oat cereal at me. Peaches thinks she was slick and took some pictures that I am sure will end up at the next church, but it doesn’t bother me cause those girls are my life. After dinner, we head to the clubhouse. If she noticed all the bikes parked there, she didn’t say a word. I am keeping a close eye on her because she has been a bit nervous every time we go there. I don’t know what to do to make it any easier for her, I guess it will just take some time. Hopefully, this will make a good memory to replace the bad ones.

  All the brothers are sitting around drinking, and playing pool when we walk in. Once again there is a rush to see who gets CeCe first. I look over at my Peaches and see a huge grin on her face. We head over to the bar to get a drink. Mikey puts her drink in what is now known as ‘her special cup’ because it has a lid with a straw, so no one can mess with it and of course Voodoo made sure it was pink and sparkly. We go sit with Voodoo and Axel. I notice a few of the club girls hanging around with the single brothers. Without any notice, Axel gets up and goes to get CeCe from Toad. He calls the room to attention, Peaches is watching him closely. She thinks that something is wrong based on the look on her face. Little does she know that she is about to be the center of attention.

  “The life we choose to live is not always easy. We make a family from our brothers and if we are lucky, we find that one woman who will stand by our side and if necessary, fight our battles with us,” Axel continues, “One of our brothers has found that. He is ready to take the steps to make it official. Taz, the floor is yours.”

  “Thanks, Prez,” I say as I stand up. “Anna, I never planned on you or CeCe being in my life. I was happy just being with my brothers. When I decided to transfer to this chapter, love was not on my radar. I am so happy that I broke down that day. You are the best thing to ever happen in my life. I would like you to wear this Rag to show everyone that you are now and forever my Old Lady.

  “Oh my God!” Peaches says with tears streaming down her face. “YES! I can’t believe it. I did not expect this. I wanted it, but this is a surprise.”

  The brothers let out a loud yell. Then they all gather around us giving out man hugs and giving Anna a kiss, much to my annoyance. CeCe’s giggle can be heard around the room causing everyone to smile. I feel rather than see Peaches tense up and look at her. Skid is walking towards her. I step in front of her while I see Fury step in front of me. Tigger, I notice has stepped up beside Axel, since he still has CeCe in his hands. I could not be prouder of the men I call brothers at this moment. They are all doing what they can to protect my girls. Even the guys that are standing around have moved closer so that they can intervein if needed.

  “Prez, I need to speak to you and Taz for a minute in private,” Skid grumbles. “I guess you may as well bring Voodoo. Hell, everyone will know before the night is out.”

  After
giving Peaches and CeCe a quick kiss we follow Skid to the office. I don’t know what to expect but he had better have a damn good reason for upsetting Peaches yet again. Especially tonight when she should be nothing but happy. He is lucky neither Voodoo or I have put our fist through his face.

  “I need to tell y’all a few things,” he says with his head hanging low. “I know that CeCe is my kid first off.”

  That is a far as he gets as the anger I have been trying to keep under control finally snaps free. My fist hitting his face is so satisfying that I do it a few more times for good measure. Not a single guy in the room tries to stop me at first. It’s a few minutes before Voodoo pulls me off of Skid who is a crumpled mess on the floor.

  “CeCe is my daughter, not yours!” I scream at him while spittle flies from my mouth to land on him. “You will never claim that pure angel. You are a despicable piece of shit that I would love to see six feet under.”

  Voodoo and Axel sit back drinking their beer without saying a word. The smirk on Axel’s face lets me know that he is surprised I lasted this long.

  “What else did you want to fucking say?” Voodoo growls at him. “You better make it quick. I have better people to talk to.”

  Skid looks like he knows his days are numbered. He gets off the floor wiping the blood from his split lip and proceeds to tell us everything that has been going on. He claims that he never wanted to have sex with Anna. He had no choice. Then he drops a bombshell I never saw coming.