I cleared my throat and tried to find the right words. “Nathan, is it going to be a problem for you to keep the events of today to yourself?” I carefully asked. I was hoping he would understand my meaning after having grown up around the Knights of Neptune.
He didn’t miss a beat. “Not if you can get your doctor to write me an excuse for my injuries and the drugs that are in my system so that I don’t lose my MMA contract,” he replied.
I smiled and nodded. “Not a problem. I’ll have Patch take care of that.”
“Then I can keep my mouth shut,” he said with a grin.
“You know what happened downstairs?” I asked, lowering my voice.
“Nope, not a clue,” he said with the corners of his mouth curling up into a mischievous grin.
I chuckled and shook my head. “Go see your mom while we finish up in here. Make sure she’s okay for me,” I said, though it was more of a plea.
He nodded and rose to his feet. “Will do.”
When he left, we immediately discussed how to handle Kevin. He followed my woman, tried to kidnap her, did help kidnap her son, and was instrumental in Octavius’s escape. His crimes could not go unpunished. I also wasn’t going to let another club make me look like a bitch by letting this go.
I took out my phone and placed a call to the Disciples of Death’s president himself. If he knew what one of his members and a prospect were up to or if he planted that whore in my club, he was in for a world of hurt, but I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he didn’t know, I was betting he would likely handle Kevin himself.
“Scream,” he answered, sounding annoyed with having to answer the phone.
“Phoenix Black.”
“Yeah?” he asked. His tone significantly different.
“Found out one of your members and a prospect of yours were conspiring to kidnap my Old Lady and did kidnap her son this morning. Just got back from handling that actually.”
“The fuck you talking about? Which member and prospect?” he barked.
“Member was Gnaw. Prospect is Kevin,” I said calmly.
“Motherfucking stupid son of a bitch! Wait, you said was. You killed him?”
“Gnaw, yes. Kevin, no. He wasn’t there. His sister was though. Not sure if her whoring for my club was a coincidence or intentional. Doesn’t really matter now, I suppose, since she took a bullet to the brain earlier today. What I want to know is if you knew about any of this?”
“Fuck no, I didn’t.”
“Oh, okay, if you say so then all is well and good,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Right. I’ll take care of Kevin. Send you proof. Will that do?” he asked. He sounded like he was getting a little nervous, as he should be.
“Possibly. Depends on how you take care of him and what kind of proof you supply. You have 24 hours,” I said and disconnected.
“All right, brothers, we’ll see what he comes up with. Good work today. Go enjoy what’s left of the day. I believe I have some folks to get to the airport.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Annabelle
Nathan walked out of Church and took a seat beside me on one of the sofas. “How did it go?” I asked.
“It went fine. I answered their questions as best I could and promised not to tell anyone about what happened. That was it,” he said.
I huffed. “Well, you’re going to tell me about it. What happened?”
“I left for the airport this morning and some guy ran me off the road. Then, he jammed a needle into my neck. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in a warehouse with Octavius and another man he called Gnaw. A girl showed up. Then, Phoenix and everybody else showed up. That’s about it, Mom,” he explained.
“I’m sorry you had to see him. Did he say anything to you?” I asked, hoping that he didn’t say anything that would traumatize Nathan.
“Not really. Just that I was his son and should have grown up under his supervision. He said a lot of nasty things about you. That’s when the other man started arguing with him. They had been trying to kidnap you. One wanted to get money out of it while the other wanted to kill you. They were so wrapped up in arguing with each other that they didn’t even hear Phoenix and his club come in.”
“Do you know who the other man, Gnaw, was?”
Nathan shook his head. “No, just that he was a member of another motorcycle club and that he was looking for you.”
I wasn’t sure if I should tell him or not. I didn’t want to lie to him, but what good would come of him knowing that man was actually his grandfather. On the other hand, if he found out later, he might not be so understanding, particularly since he recently found out about all of the other things I kept from him. Taking a deep breath, I said, “That man was my father, your grandfather.”
Nathan leaned back against the sofa. “Ah, that makes more sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they kept arguing about what to do with you once they got you. Octavius kept insisting he got to decide what to do with you because he bought you from the other man years ago.”
“Yeah, I just found out about that,” I said quietly. “Listen, Nathan, my father was a bad man. I knew that early on in life. Growing up, I never liked my parents, but I never thought my father would sell me. I hope you don’t think bad of me, but I’m glad he’s dead.”
“I am, too, Mom. Anyone who treats you like he did deserves to die.”
“Did Phoenix tell you about Octavius?” I asked hesitantly.
“You mean about you shooting him?” he asked bluntly. At my gasp, he continued, “No, he didn't tell me, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. The two of you went down to the basement and then we heard a cacophony of gunshots. Most men don’t empty the clip like that, Mom.”
I squeezed his arm as one tear slid down my cheek. “I killed your father, Nathan. And I’m in love with your uncle, who is the father of my other children.” A sudden realization had me gasping. “Your half-sister and half-brother are also your cousins! Our family is so fucked up.”
“Mom, are you serious right now?” Nathan asked incredulously. “First, that man was not my father. Biologically, yes, but not in any other way that counts. Yes, you killed him, but he was going to kill you and I don’t believe he would have stopped tormenting us until he was dead. As far as Phoenix being my uncle, it’s not like you knew he and Octavius were half-brothers when this whole mess was created. But, if it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t have to call him uncle. I’ll do whatever makes you happy, Mom. Just know that I don’t think any of this is your fault, or Phoenix’s for that matter.”
My sweet, understanding, mature, wonderful boy. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
He grinned. “I was raised right.”
“Nathan, what are you going to tell your team and your coaches?” I asked, suddenly realizing that this situation could have a devastating effect on Nathan’s life.
“I already talked to Phoenix about that. He’s going to have Patch write me an excuse to cover the bumps and bruises as well as whatever I was injected with. He wants me to stay in Croftridge for a few days to coincide with the story,” he explained.
That brought me a tremendous amount of relief. My baby boy had worked so hard to make the team and his dream was just starting to come true. I couldn’t bear it if the ghosts from my past ruined it for him.
Phoenix came out of Church and looked directly at me. “Let’s get the kids to the airport.”
It took me a moment to realize he meant Ember and Dash. They had canceled their flight earlier when we all learned that Nathan had been taken.
***
Three days later, we were once again driving to the airport, this time to drop Nathan off. Patch spoke with Nathan’s coaches and informed them of his car accident and gave them a list of medications administered at the hospital. Luckily, his kidnappers injected him with a very common drug used for sedation.
Once we were on our way back to Croftri
I hadn’t given any thought to when I would return. Intentionally. I was quite happy living in the moment and I didn’t want to think about reality or the future. That was mainly because I didn’t know what to do. I made a home for myself in California. A home for myself and my son. But I had longed for Phoenix for more than half of my life. And I had two other children living in Croftridge. Two children whose lives I had missed most of.
“Uh, I’m not sure. I should probably give Wave a call and see when he’s expecting me back,” I hedged. Surprisingly, Phoenix let it go.
When we arrived at his house, Phoenix led me around back instead of going inside. “I thought we could take a walk out to the lake,” he explained. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him.
I noticed a blanket and a basket on the ground near one of the benches. “What’s this?” I asked, gesturing to the basket and the blanket.
Phoenix gave me a Cheshire-like grin. “A picnic. Have a seat.”
I sat down and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch with Phoenix. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew he was up to something. He was far too interested in what I was eating and how much of it I had eaten. He kept pulling things out one at a time instead of laying everything out at once. “Phoenix, what is your deal? You’re acting so weird.”
He ignored my questions and carried on with his odd behavior. When we were finished, I stood up and dusted my pants off. I turned around and reached for the corner of the blanket to start folding it and the whole world stopped.
Phoenix was down on one knee, holding a little black box in his hand, gazing at me with so much love in his eyes. “Doll face, I’ve been waiting 20 years to ask you this question. Will you marry me?”
I couldn’t move. I had wanted nothing more when I was 18 years old and, if I was being completely honest, I still wanted nothing more. Were my dreams finally coming true? Was it okay to finally embrace what was right in front of me without worrying that it would be snatched away from me? “Say something, doll face.”
I burst into tears and threw myself at him, literally. He caught me with ease and held me tightly. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Phoenix jumped to his feet. “Good. Up you get. Let’s go.”
“Wait! What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I ain’t waiting around this time. You said yes, so we’re going to go down to the courthouse and get married. If you want to do the wedding thing later on, that’s fine, but you’re marrying me today,” he informed me.
“You can’t be serious,” I said.
“I most certainly am. There’s no waiting period in this state. We go down there, get our marriage license, sign it in front of a notary, and turn it back in.”
“Wait! I need to talk to Nathan about this. And Wave! What about my job?” I asked. He had lost his damn mind. I couldn’t just marry him and hope everything else worked out.
“I talked to Nathan before he left. He said he just wants you to be happy and if that’s marrying me, then he’s okay with it.” I stood there gaping at him. “As for Wave, I took care of that, too. He said you could work remotely from here, just like you did when you first started working for him. Though, I have to say, doll face, you don’t have to work. If you want to, that’s fine, but you don’t have to. Any other protests?”
“I guess not,” I mumbled.
“Good. Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand and speed-walking to his bike.
He drove us into town and parked in front of the only courthouse in Croftridge. We walked inside, filled out the necessary paperwork, and that’s how I finally married the love of my life.
EPILOGUE
Annabelle
Three weeks later
I rested my forehead on my arm that was braced on the toilet seat after finishing another round of dry heaving. I wiped away the cold sweat lightly coating my face with my hand and tried to get to my feet.
“It’s okay, doll face, I got you.” Phoenix carefully lifted me like a child and carried me back to bed. He wiped my sweaty face with a cool washcloth and handed me a cup of water to rinse my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked and started to cry. I don’t know why, but I always got teary when I was sick.
“Nothing to be sorry for, doll face,” he murmured, smoothing my damp hair away from my face. “This has been going on for several days now and you’re not getting better. Virus or not, I’m calling Patch over to have a look at you.” I started to argue, but the look on his face had me clamping my mouth shut.
Patch appeared in our bedroom minutes later. Apparently, he was at the clubhouse and came right over to our house. “Hey, Annabelle. Phoenix tells me you’ve been sick for a few days. What’s going on?”
“It’s just a stomach bug. I don’t know why he even bothered you. I’m sure it will pass soon,” I said.
“I think it would make him feel better if you let me check you over. Won’t take but just a few minutes,” he replied.
I sighed in exasperation. “Fine.”
“Tell me what symptoms you’ve had.”
“I’ve been throwing up anything I put in my mouth and dry heaving when there’s nothing to throw up. I feel weak and I’m really tired. I’ve had a few dizzy spells, but no fainting. I’ve also had some abdominal pain and cramping,” I explained.
Patch looked at me thoughtfully. “I see. Any fever?” I shook my head.
He studied me for a moment and sat down on the edge of the bed. “When was your last period?”
“What?” I asked, surprised by his question. “Uh, I’m not sure. I was never very regular after I had Nathan.”
“Is it possible that you’re pregnant?” he asked.
“No, absolutely not,” I insisted. “I had my tubes tied years ago.”
He pinned me with a serious look. “Annabelle, tubal ligation is not 100% effective against pregnancy.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry. What did you just say to me?” I screeched.
“I’m saying that there is a small chance you’re pregnant. Your symptoms and missing period are prime indicators. I’ll run get a test from the clubhouse and we’ll know for sure in just a few minutes.”
I sat there in total disbelief. Why in the hell did I have my tubes tied if it wasn’t an effective way to prevent pregnancy? I don’t remember them telling me that shit. I thought if you got your tubes tied, you didn’t have any more children. End of story.
My disbelief soon turned into panic. I was too old to have another child. Way too old. Phoenix and I had just gotten married. We were just starting a life together. He knew I had my tubes tied. He wasn’t very happy about it at first, but he never mentioned it again. Then, another thought occurred to me. What if Ember got pregnant on her honeymoon? We would be having babies at the same time! Our family was fucked up enough already without adding mother/daughter pregnancies to the mix.
By the time Patch returned, I had worked myself into a complete tizzy. He pulled a box out of his cut and handed it to me. “Here you go. You know how those work, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Patch. Pee on stick. Not complicated.”
I entered the bathroom, yet again, and stared at the box in my hands. I wasn’t pregnant. I had a stomach virus and I would prove it by peeing on the terrifying little stick in my hand. I took a deep breath and figured it was better to just get it over with. If I didn’t do it right then, I would torture myself with the unknown until I was forced to face the situation.
I followed the instructions on the box and placed the stick on the counter when I was finished. Then, I fled the bathroom like I’d found an alien invader in the toilet. I dove into the bed and covered my head with my pillow.
Patch laughed. “I guess that means I have to go get the results.”
“You’re the damn doctor,” I snarked.
Two minutes later, I felt the bed depress from Patch’s weight. “Annabelle, you’re not sick, sweetheart, you’re pregnant.”
Phoenix
What in the hell was taking Patch so long? Annabelle swore up and down she had a stomach virus. Patch was a skilled physician. He should be able to confirm that in a matter of minutes. And what the hell did he need to get from the clubhouse? Did she not have a virus? Was it something else? What if she had cancer and they were trying to figure out how to tell me?
Despite my growing panic, I held off a little while longer. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I barged into the room, banging the door against the wall. Patch was sitting on the edge of the bed and Annabelle was sitting up crying. No, not crying, she was sobbing. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
Annabelle raised her reddened eyes to mine and threw something at me. Not expecting her to hurl an object at me, it hit my chest before I could catch it. I managed to grab the thing before it hit the ground, but it took me a few seconds to realize what I was holding. Then, a few more seconds to read what I was holding. I looked up and met her eyes. “Did you just throw a stick you peed on at me?”
“Is a frog’s ass watertight?” she quipped.
I ignored her smartass retort and asked my own question. “You’re pregnant?”
She huffed and crossed her arms. “According to that damn stick and this doctor I am. Apparently, tubal ligations aren’t completely effective at preventing pregnancy.”
Patch added, “She needs to have an ultrasound done to confirm it and make sure it isn’t an ectopic pregnancy, which is one that is in the tubes and not the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies are more common after a tubal ligation and are life-threatening. I suggest you have it done sooner rather than later.”
I smiled, bigger than I think I’d ever smiled before. I strolled over to the bed and pulled Annabelle into my arms. I didn’t give a shit what her breath smelled like. She was having my baby, again, and I couldn’t have been happier. I captured her lips with mine and let her know just how happy I was.
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