by Debra Kayn
She smiled, not knowing the meaning behind the name. It was apparent she was missing out on why all the men were cheering for the baby.
Leaning against Brage, she wondered if her name was really even Dinah Marie Reed. Her last name wasn't Reed. Her real parents could've named her something else. Maybe something special that brought happiness to them like it had for the club to hear the name Tyr.
She would probably never know.
Chapter 22
Tyr's impatient noises grew louder. Dinah walked around the car seat on the floor behind the bar. After several days of Peer bringing the baby to work, she found it hard to take his cries seriously because they were adorable.
Everything about Tyr fascinated her. The way he gnawed on his little fist when hungry. The way his cheeks reddened when he pooped. The way his lips puckered when he slept.
"Someone's getting hungry." She watched Tyr as she set two empty pitchers on a tray.
"I'll feed him in a minute." Peer hurried to supply the drinks to the customers sitting on the stools.
"Can I?" Coco held up her hands. "I'll wash first, and my break starts in a few minutes so I can sit down with him."
"Appreciate it." Peer motioned his chin toward the kitchen door. "There are bottles in the fridge in the breakroom. Put it in the micro—"
"I remember how to do it." Coco bounced, flashing a grin. "I'll change him, too."
Dinah filled up the pitchers and delivered them to the customers at Table Four. She checked in with Monica, Heather, and Lizzy for any more orders. With all customers settled for the moment, she returned to the counter and cleaned around Peer.
"Tyr's adapting to all the noise here and at the clubhouse." She smiled at Peer. "Is he sleeping longer at night?"
"Three hour stretches." Peer flung the towel over his shoulder. "The women help during the day; I don't think Tyr cares who is holding him. As long as he has a bottle in his mouth, he's happy."
She scrubbed at a sticky spot. "Well, I'm not a baby expert, but he sure seems like a happy boy to me."
"You don't have younger siblings?" asked Peer.
A heaviness settled in her chest. Brage hadn't shared with everyone at the club about the struggles she was trying to get through. She'd been reluctant to talk about it.
She shook her head. "I haven't even held a baby before."
"You can hold Tyr anytime you want."
"Oh, no." She picked up the line of dirty glasses. "I'd be afraid of doing it wrong or making him cry. I'm a pro at observing though. He's a perfect baby."
Peer stared at the glass in his hand. Growing concerned over his lack of response, she stood beside him.
"His mom..." Peer cleared his throat and shook his head.
That was the end of the conversation. Whatever consumed Peer's thoughts were too much for the strong man.
She squeezed his arm and let him be with his thoughts. There was nothing she could say or do to help him adjust to raising a baby on his own. She could barely figure out her own life as an adult.
The closer she grew to Brage and the longer she stayed at the Slag clubhouse, she realized she couldn't hide out here forever. She also couldn't go back to Idaho.
Right now. At this time. She couldn't be in the same town as Tony or Moroad Motorcycle Club.
"Dinah," called Heather.
She looked up and caught Heather pointing to a table in her area. Smiling, she went to help the customers.
Returning to the counter, she filled the orders when Brage came in and sat down in front of her. Her chest warmed seeing him. He had his hair pulled back, and his beard was brushed. The ends of his whiskers still damp from a shower.
Thankful for the counter between them, she had a real urge to cuddle up to him and inhale the clean, leathery smells coming from him. Pouring the drink slower so not to spill as her attention drifted to Brage, she said, "Did you have a good ride?"
"Mhm." He moved the tray in front of her to the side. "Come here."
She leaned over the counter. He kissed her. She hummed in pleasure into his mouth and dropped back down on the heels of her feet, breaking the contact.
"It's Saturday." She picked up the tray. "Once I'm off, there's no work for two days."
Filled with excitement to have that time with him, she delivered the drinks and returned to find Coco putting Tyr in his car seat.
"Give him to me." Brage waved his hand. "No reason for him to be stuck in that contraption."
Dinah stood out of the way while they exchanged the baby, then returned to her place in front of Brage. He was good with kids.
"I'll take him on a walk." Brage stood from the stool. "Peer, we'll be out in the alley."
"There's another blanket in the breakroom." Peer lifted his chin. "Thanks, brother."
She'd learned over the last week or so that Norwegian men, for how gruff and standoffish they could appear, were gentle giants around babies.
Brage winked at her. She smiled back and watched him leave. They were also gentle with women.
That characteristic in Nordic men should've comforted her when Brage had kidnapped her, but she'd let her experience with her brothers and Moroad color her view and never gave him a chance.
"He's a good man." Peer raised his brows. "He cares for you."
"I care for him."
"Good to hear." Peer moved the bottles back to the shelf. "Grab two bottles of Jack from underneath the counter and open them."
Following his directions, she said, "Are your parents in Norway, too?"
"No. They're in Seattle." Peer faced the labels out. "Once I think I can take care of Tyr by myself, I'm going to drive the club's truck up there and introduce him to his grandparents."
"I bet they'll like that. I never had grandparents." She banged her elbow into the counter and blurted, "I didn't mean to say that."
She hadn't meant to admit that either. Rubbing her arm, she glanced at Peer to get his reaction, but he wasn't even looking at her.
Peer concentrated on lining the shelves. "There are worse things than relying on Brage and the rest of us to fill that hole in your life."
Her chest tightened, and her eyes stung. She hated how her emotions snuck up on her.
"Eh. It is what it is." Not wanting to go deeper into her private life and inform Peer of the new information she'd learned, she walked out onto the floor of the bar and checked in with the customers.
Getting three orders, she jotted them down on her pad. To keep busy kept her mind from dragging up questions about her lack of history. She was tired of feeling sorry for herself.
"Hey." Lizzy leaned against her and lowered her voice. "Why don't you take a break."
She glanced at the clock. "I have a half hour to go."
"Are you sure you don't want to take one now?" Lizzy's gaze softened. "It's not a big deal if you want to go early. We're all pretty lax and work around each other when we need to get out of here."
Knowing she'd caused enough troubles for Slag showing up to spy on them, she wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone.
"Thank you, but I can wait." She met Lizzy's gaze. "Thank you though. That means a lot. I think it's that time of the month, making me..." She waved her hand in the air. "A little crazy."
"Oh, girl. I remember that feeling." Lizzy turned away from the customers and said, "Two months without a period and I haven't missed it...one bit."
The grin on Lizzy's face further emphasized the whispered secret. Dinah gasped. "Are you...?"
Lizzy nodded, beaming. Dinah hugged her, surprised at how happy she was for her coworker.
"Does anyone know?" she asked.
Lizzy rolled her eyes in amusement. "Roar has a big mouth. Within an hour of me peeing on a stick, he'd told Brage and Viktor. From there, everyone was congratulating us."
"Ah, that's awesome news." She squeezed the other woman's arm. "I'm happy for you both."
"Thank you." Lizzy grew serious. "I'm glad we talked about it because Roar's only going to let me wor
k four more months at the bar. We've discussed hiring another server to take my place but honestly, having you work behind the counter and on the floor has helped more than I imagined. I want you to know how much we both appreciate you working here."
Work was the only thing keeping her from losing her mind. She needed the routine and knowing what was expected of her.
Dinah tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you for taking a chance on me."
"It was easy to do." Lizzy stepped back and mouthed, "Customers."
Dinah went back behind the counter and fulfilled the orders. As much as she wanted to embrace those around her, she was still here because Brage was afraid something would happen if she left the security of the clubhouse.
Chapter 23
The noise downstairs covered the chair falling over in Brage's room in the clubhouse. Dinah stumbled, hanging on to Brage's neck, not letting furniture in their way stop her from kissing him.
Brage cupped her ass, picking her up. She wound her legs around his hips and sucked on his tongue. The whirlwind in her lower stomach circled tighter and faster.
He pressed her against the wall. His cock squeezed between his stomach and her sex, she squirmed, needing closer.
Digging her fingers into his hair, she deepened the kiss, breathing harder. Highly sensitive, she could feel every inch of his skin against her. Every little hair on his body caressed her until she dug her heels into his ass, needing him inside of her.
She pulled her mouth off him. "Now."
He turned, carrying her, and fell to the bed, cushioning his weight on his elbows. Able to touch him better, she squeezed his broad shoulders and arched her back, trying to rub her body against him. The arousal he created in her wild and untamed, she greedily wanted to give the same back.
His heavy breathing brushed her neck, and he slid his cock into her. She moaned loudly, swept up in having him hold her. Never had she felt the security and love like she had in his arms.
All her life she never had a clear view of the perfect man. And, now she knew she wanted one who had a funny way of reminding her he was listening every time he mumbled Mhm, was a leader of some of the world's toughest men, and yet sung in a different language to a baby as confidently as if he'd slayed the dragons and won the castle.
He'd opened up and freely given her all those sides of him and continued to stand by her when her life crumbled. Every day, he proved he wanted her more and more.
She hadn't set out to make him prove anything. She wasn't looking to fall in love. She wasn't looking forward to a future in Portland. But it was all happening, and it overwhelmed her because she had no idea what kind of woman she was giving him.
She had no last name. Not true age. No family. No truth to her life.
And yet, her brain couldn't stop her heart from feeling.
Brage rode her like a wonderous wave in the ocean, crashing against her and stealing her breath. She clung to him, caught in the passion going higher.
He pushed up on his hands, giving her long, steady strokes of his cock. She held on to his forearms, seeing his hardness glide in and out. Her body spiraled, and she gasped as her orgasm took hold of her and vibrated her whole body.
"Mhm." He plunged and ground against her, throwing his head back, his hair falling wildly around his shoulders.
Shuddering, she gazed up at him. He was beautiful, powerful, and her everything.
He lowered himself to his elbows. "Tell me what is going on behind those eyes."
She couldn't. Not yet.
It would be easy to give him the person he saw in front of him, but it wasn't enough. Not for him, and not for her.
"Babe?"
She inhaled deeply. "This all started out as a one-night stand and snowballed into me living with you. I don't want you to get tired of me."
"I like sex. I like you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I like sex with you."
For a man who rarely vocalized his feelings, he was doing a bang-up job. She threw her arms around his neck. "You do realize that we've stayed in bed for over twelve hours. I don't think that has ever happened before."
He rolled off her, getting rid of the condom. "I'll be leaving tomorrow in the middle of the night and returning around three o'clock."
"You are?" She sat up in bed and pulled the discarded blanket around her. "But, it's a day off."
"No such thing in a motorcycle club." He stepped toward the door. "I'm going to jump in the shower. I'll hold the bathroom for you, and you can wash up whenever you want to get up."
"Give me five minutes, and I'll join you." She puckered her lips and sent him an air kiss.
He chuckled silently, shaking his head in amusement, and walked out the door. She flopped back on the bed. What was she going to do?
She had looked forward to spending two complete days with him, but maybe it was better that he was going to ride with his club. Maybe the time away from him would allow her to figure out what to do with her life.
She bolted upright. Her heart raced. Grabbing the blanket, she wrapped herself up like a mummy and bolted out of the room.
Walking right in the unlocked bathroom door, she caught Brage under the stream of water. Dropping the blanket on the floor, she joined him.
"I've got a problem."
"Are you going to tell me what it is?" He stuck his head under the water.
Waiting until he put shampoo in his hair, she grabbed the bottle of liquid soap and lathered a squirt in her hands, rubbing the suds over his body. "Tony is staying in my apartment in Idaho. He usually stays at the Moroad compound, but he promised to pay my rent if I came here to find out what Slag was planning. I don't want him staying there. He's a freeloader. I also haven't paid rent—which was due a couple of weeks ago. With everything going on, I doubt Tony paid. I can pay online through the management company, but I need my phone to do that."
"Okay." He turned around and rubbed his hands over his face, washing the soap off his body before turning around. "I'll give you your phone back."
"Permanently?"
"Ja." He rinsed out his hair. "It's in my bag in the room. I forgot about it. It's banged up from you throwing it, but I believe it still works. You'll need to charge it."
She exhaled a relieved breath. Not wanting to question why he came to the decision to trust her, she changed positions with him in the shower and finished washing.
Seeing Brage standing in front of the mirror, she said, "I’m going to figure everything out while you're gone."
"Figure out what?"
"Well, everything I own is back in Idaho. I'm paying rent to live there. I know I said I wouldn't go back near my bro—by Tony, but why should I rearrange my life because of him? Wouldn't that be like letting him win? When I allow myself to think of what he and Brad have done to me, it makes me sick. They committed a crime. I don't even want to think about what that means or what I'm supposed to do about it. Like, was my face put on a missing child poster? I just don't—"
"Babe?" He popped his head in the shower. "Slow your roll."
She gazed at him and nodded. He was right. Paying the rent would give her time to figure out what to do with her belongings and where she was going to live. The rest of what she needed to do scared her to death.
Chapter 24
One hundred and fifty Slag Motorcycle Club members met in the empty parking lot of the rest area off Exit 209 in Harrisburg, Oregon. Brage directed the members, splitting them into two groups. He would lead one crew to stop the rally of Brikken Motorcycle Club members taking their stolen cargo to their destination in California. Roar would lead the others and confront them from the rear, making it impossible for Brikken to outride them.
Their goal was to put a little fear in the other MC. Nothing caused paranoia better than to believe their livelihood was at risk and someone could rat them to the Feds.
Brikken needed to know that Slag had the means to blow their whole operation out of the water. It was the only way to divert Brikk
en's attention from the Seattle Chapter and keep them too busy to invade Slag's shipment to Norway.
The world was getting smaller. For multiple motorcycle clubs to claim their territory within the Pacific Northwest, there were constant threats, pressure, and a need to protect their back against retaliation, greed, and loss.
Every single MC member, no matter what colors they wore, would enter the game.
It was time to play.
"Stay mounted." Brage walked in front of the group. "It's imperative that we make it to the on-ramp in fifteen minutes. Not to draw attention to us, we'll need to top out at fifty-five. Planning for nothing going wrong, that'll put the meet-up in forty minutes. At that time, your brothers will close in from the rear, and we'll force Brikken off the interstate. There's nowhere for them to go, nobody around on that section of highway, and we can get down to business. Do not...I repeat, do not show your weapons unless you hear shots fired."
He gazed over at the other group. Roar still talked with the men, getting them on the same page. They would leave separately and come together at the meet-up. The Slag scouts continually updated them on Brikken's progress with the semi-truck taking the chopped motorcycles south.
As of last call, Brikken had two hundred members on the road. The first group of one hundred would never know what was happening behind them. That put the odds in Slag's favor.
Roar jogged over and stopped beside Brage. "I just got word that the three Stanton brothers are riding in the smaller group following the semi."
"That's changed," muttered Brage.
"Ja." Roar met his gaze. "Be prepared. With all three of their leaders at risk, their members will be trigger happy. We get in, and we get out. Just need to let them know we have their whole route mapped out and can use that against them if needed. We only want to keep them occupied, so they don't have time to think about going up to Seattle. They're so damn close coming from Tacoma, they're Slag's biggest threat."
"Time?" Brage looked at the highway in the distance.
Roar slipped his phone into his vest pocket. "Four minutes. Go ahead and take them up to the entrance. I'll signal when you can go."
