It took some work, but I was able to get everything she wanted into the designs. The angel is kneeling on one knee, with his arms resting on a sword in front of him. His head is down, but you can tell he’s fierce with just the way his stance is. She was shocked when I showed it to her, thinking the angel was going to be female, but I thought it was fitting to give her a male guardian angel, kind of like Toby. He was my inspiration of course when designing it.
Then her brand is pretty simple and straight forward. It’s the MC’s emblem, with a little feminine flair, then it says ‘Property of Toby’ at the bottom. I think it’s pretty fucking cool. I’d put the same thing on myself, minus the Toby part, of course, if I was into that sort of thing. I think the only thing I would be willing to do is get the MC’s emblem, but no names. Then the one I made for Toby would be an extension of his current club tat. He already has the emblem and club name, so if he approves, I’ll just add at the bottom ‘Doll’s Old Man.’ I’m not sure if he’s actually going to do it or not, but I look forward to the look on his face when he sees it; it should be a good laugh either way.
When I walk into the shop, I notice Toby first, then Sara. She’s coming in from the back and Louie is tailing her. “Hey, guys. Sara, you ready?” I ask as I walk up to them, hugging first Toby, then Louie, before pulling Sara in for a hug. It’s awkward hugging the guys since they’re so tall and muscular, and I’m just fucking huge with my belly hanging out in front of me. Seriously, this kid is gonna come out weighing a ton if I keep tacking on weight like I have been. The doctors say that it’s not all baby, which doesn’t make me feel better, but I’ve already told Toby to be ready for me it the time comes to help me get back into shape. I know I can still whoop his ass.
“Yup, all set. I’ve already got everything ready for you,” Sara says as she follows me toward my station.
Toby walks in behind us, the excitement in his eyes I’m sure is because his woman is branding herself to him today.
We’re able to finish her back piece in just under two hours. I suggest we take a break for lunch, which thankfully Sara agrees to, then we’ll start on her other tat.
When I walk into the break room, I see that Zane is there, unpacking what looks like take-out from the Chinese place down the street. “Oh my God, that smells so fucking good!” I say as I inhale the sweet aroma of all the food he’s laying out in front of me.
I take a seat and don’t wait for anyone else before I start dishing huge portions of vegetable fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and four egg rolls. Don’t judge me!
Zane laughs before sitting down beside me, kissing my cheek.
“I hope you have more bags hidden somewhere, ’cause I’m not sharin’,” I say with a mouthful of food. I hear Sara and Toby chuckle, but don’t pay them any attention.
“Don’t worry, Baby Girl, this is all for you,” Zane says with a sweet smile on his face. Goddamn I love this man, he’s so good to me.
When I finish eating, we all head back to my station. I’m surprised that both Zane and Toby are sitting down watching. Well, I guess Toby isn’t really a surprise, but Zane is. I wonder why he hasn’t left yet. I thought for sure he’d be doing club business since I’m busy here.
I place the stencil on Sara’s arm, then I get to work.
Zane comes over when I’m halfway done with the tattoo and looks at my work. “That’s awesome, Baby Girl. Are you having Louie do yours next?” he asks in a serious voice. I look up at him, trying to gauge if he’s really being serious or not, but I can’t find a hint of sarcasm.
“Uh, no. I’m not branding myself,” I say as I look down and get back to work.
Zane doesn’t say anything for a while, so I look up at him to see if he’s even still standing there. He is, and he doesn’t look happy. “And why the fuck not? You’re my Old Lady, aren’t ya? You’re having my baby. Why the fuck wouldn’t you want to wear my brand?”
I’m pissed instantly just from his tone of voice. He’s never mentioned it before and he has no fucking reason to get pissed at me now, all because I don’t want a fucking brand with his name on it. “Yes, I’m your Old Lady and yes, I’m having your fucking baby, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get a brand,” I say, staring at him head-on, not willing to back down on this. He needs to fucking understand this; just because we’re together, we love each other, and are having a baby, does not fucking mean I have to tattoo his name on my body.
“Sara’s getting one to show her man love, respect, and loyalty by branding herself. Why the hell won’t you? Huh?” Is he serious right now?
Standing up, I get right in his face. “What are you trying to say, Blaze? That I don’t love you or this club? That I don’t respect you or this club? That I’m not fucking loyal to you or the club? Huh? Is that what you’re fucking saying to me right now?” I yell, no longer able to hold my own temper in.
He must realize what he just said because he looks down and when he looks back up, he has a look of anguish and regret on his face. Good, asshole. I hope you fucking feel like shit now. How could he even fucking say something like that to me?
“That’s not what I meant, Baby Girl. I was just upset that you don’t want to wear my brand,” he says softly, but I just can’t fucking get over what he said. It cut me deep. He and this club mean more to me than my own life. I would do anything for Zane or anyone that’s a part of the MC, even lay down my own life. You’d think after everything we’ve been through, he would know that by now.
“No, you were pissed because one of your brothers one-upped you. You just can’t stand the fucking idea that someone has something—” I stop abruptly, suddenly feeling hot and dizzy, unsteady on my feet.
Reaching behind me, I search for something to hold onto, but don’t find anything. I feel myself falling, but before I hit the floor, I feel strong arms wrap around me, holding me, preventing me from falling. “Whoa, Baby Girl, you okay?” Zane asks, worried.
I close my eyes to try and stop the world from spinning and nod my head. “Dani, what happened?” I hear Sara say from close by.
“I-I, uh, I don’t know. I felt dizzy there for minute, but I’m better now. I don’t know what happened,” I say as I open my eyes. I still feel hot and a little unsteady, but I don’t want them to worry. “I’m fine now,” I say as I try to push Zane off of me, my earlier anger coming back, but he won’t let me go.
“Dani, stop it. I’m not letting you go, you almost fucking passed out. That’s not normal. I think we should take you to the doctor, make sure you and the baby are okay,” Zane says. I can tell this has him extremely worried, but it was probably just because I was seriously pissed off.
“I don’t need to go to the doctor, I said I’m fine now. It only happened because I was pissed off and all the blood rushed to my head. As soon as you let me go and leave me the fuck alone until I calm down, I’ll be fucking fine,” I seethe.
Zane looks uncertain, but eventually he cautiously lets me go. “All right, I’ll let you calm down, but if you start feeling dizzy again, I’m taking you in,” he says while looking at me, then he turns toward Toby. “Keep an eye on her, brother,” he says, still sounding upset and a little angry, then he walks out of the room. A couple seconds later I hear the bell over the door jingle, signaling he left the shop.
Turning back around, I say, “Let me just run to the bathroom then we’ll finish your ink.” I don’t wait for either of them to reply, I just walk out of the room and lock myself in the bathroom. I can’t believe he said those things to me. Does he really not trust me or think that I don’t love him? Does he think that I’m not loyal to him or the club, just because I won’t get a brand?
I feel tears start to fall, but I make no move to wipe them away. I’m too crushed and hurt to care.
A quiet knock brings me out of my thoughts. Thinking it’s Sara checking on me, I open the door without checking my face, but it’s not Sara. It’s Zane.
“Oh, Baby Girl, come here. I’m so fucking sorr
y,” he says as he takes me into his arms. Having his arms around me, comforting me, has me losing it completely. I sob into his chest, letting all the anger and pain out. “It’s okay, I’ve got you. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispers over and over until I’m all cried out.
Chapter 6
30 Weeks Pregnant
Zane
I’m on my way to meet up with Mack. We need to figure out what we’re going to do about Dani’s father. When we met with him that morning, he told us he needed to talk to Dani, but still seemed hesitant to tell us what it was about.
Mack was pissed because he has had nothing to do with her and now he wants to show up like it’s his right to talk to her. He even told him that, said that he was her father, not him. Daniel was lucky we were even giving him this chance to tell us what was so important instead of throwing his ass to the curb or putting him to ground for leaving Dani after her mother died. I still don’t understand how he could do that. I don’t care how devastated you are about losing your wife; you should never abandon your child.
Daniel finally told us why he needed to speak with her. He said that her mother had cancer—they’d found out when she was pregnant with Dani. That part I already knew from when we were kids and Dani told me a little about what happened. But her dad went further. He was worried because the doctor who treated her mother said it could be genetic. He wanted to make sure Dani was okay and wanted her to get tested.
At first, I worried that he was right, that we needed to get her in ASAP, with or without her knowledge of why. But Mack told me that the doctors would have noticed it already if she had cancer like her mother. We still want her to be tested, but we don’t think it’s something that needs to happen right now, and we most certainly don’t want to worry or stress her out while she’s pregnant—though I may mention it the next time we see her doctor, maybe while Dani is setting up her next appointment.
Now we have to figure out what we’re going to do about Daniel. We told him that we would discuss it. He knows she’s pregnant, though I have no idea how, and that makes him think it’s imperative to get it done right this fucking second. He said he’s not leaving until either she gets tested so he knows she’ll be all right or until he talks to her.
Pulling up to the club, I park my bike next to Mack’s before heading inside.
No one is in the bar area, but I didn’t expect them to be since it’s still early. We may be bikers who like to drink and have a good time, but even we have standards.
Heading right to Mack’s office, I don’t bother to knock before entering. When the door opens, I see KitKat trying to right her shirt and skirt. Looks like someone was gettin’ lucky this mornin’. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had good morning sex. Probably before that shit with The Street Kings. Now I probably won’t get that back until after the baby’s born. Or maybe I won’t. Fuck, I hope it’s not all true what they say about your sex life going downhill after having a kid.
Mack interrupts my worries by clearing his throat. “Out,” he says, looking at me, but I know he’s talking to Kit. I wonder what’s going on with them. I’ve seen them together a few times, and I know for a fact that no one besides Mack fucks her, but he doesn’t seem to be attached to her because he fucks other chicks when the opportunity presents itself. I’ll have to ask him about it when shit quiets down more. I really want to see him happy and settle down. He’s not old, but he’s old enough that you’d think he’d want to find a woman and keep her.
When Kit closes the door behind her, I smirk at Mack. “Shut the fuck up and sit down. I want this shit dealt with and now,” Mack growls. Obviously his morning fuck didn’t help his mood any. He can be a grizzly bear in the morning. Maybe I should start calling him Grizzly. That thought makes me laugh, but thankfully Mack doesn’t comment.
Sitting down in front of his desk I ask, “So what do you want to do with him? I don’t think he took any of our threats to heart, so maybe we need to kick it up a notch to scare him outta town.” I don’t want to have to kill him, even though I’m sure Dani wouldn’t care. I just worry that later on she would. Maybe when our child is grown or maybe she would decide to contact him and find out that I was a part of his demise. Would she hate me?
Mack looks deep in thought, probably thinking the same thing that just went through my mind. “Set up another meet with him. We’ll lay it out for him one last time. Tell him we’ll make sure she’s taken care of, but on our terms, not his. We’ll give him twenty-four hours to vacate or else,” Mack says, not looking happy about the or else part, but I know he’ll do anything to make sure that Dani is protected, even from her birth father. We both would.
***
We’re meeting Daniel at the clubhouse this time, hoping that by having our brothers surround us, he’ll finally get the message to leave and never come back. The brothers may not know the specifics about what’s going on, but they’ll stand behind us no matter what and will follow our lead. They don’t have to know who Daniel is or what he wants, though I’m betting they’ll make the connection pretty quick. Dani does look a lot like her father.
Daniel walks into the bar at exactly one o’clock, looking around with what looks like confidence, but I can see the fear and uncertainty on his face. Good, maybe this won’t be hard to do after all.
Mack walks up to him and tells him to follow him into his office. Daniel follows Mack and I follow Daniel. I glance around the club and see all our brothers looking on with hard looks, but I can tell they’ve figured it out already. They know who this man is.
I close the door a little harder than I needed to when we all get into the office, but I get a smug satisfaction out of seeing Daniel jump from fear, but he tries to cover it up by coughing. Fucking idiot, he really has no idea how transparent he is. Glancing at Mack, I see a small smirk on his face so I know that he saw it as well.
When Daniel sits down in the only chair in front of Mack’s desk, I stand right behind him, hopefully scaring him further. “All right, let’s get down to business,” Mack says with an edge in his voice.
“Have you told Danielle yet?” Daniel asks in what I assume he thinks is a hard voice, but he’s not fooling anyone but himself.
“No, I haven’t, and I don’t plan to,” Mack says. Daniel tries to speak, but Mack holds his hand up, silencing him. “You don’t have a say in anything concerning Dani. She’s my daughter and she’s having Blaze’s baby. You…you are nothing to her but a man who left her when she needed you most. So here’s what you’re going to do.” Mack pauses for a short moment, looking at Daniel with threatening eyes. “When you walk out of my club, you’re going to pack your shit and you’re going to leave town. You won’t ever try to contact Dani and you won’t ever try to see her. You will leave California and never come back.” I wait for him to continue because I know there’s more. If not, I’ll be sure to add my say. “If I find out you’re even within one hundred miles of Dani, I’ll find you and I’ll bury you where no one will ever find your body. That’s if I decide to leave enough of your body to find. You feel me?” Mack finishes.
When Daniel doesn’t make a move to agree, I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze tightly. “Do. You. Fucking. Understand?” I growl, squeezing tighter with each word.
“Yes! Yes, I understand,” Daniel says through the pain.
I squeeze once more to emphasize what we are telling him before releasing him. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now get the fuck outta my club and never show your face around here again,” Mack says, then I haul Dani’s piece of shit father out of the chair and push him out the door, knowing our brothers will make sure he finds his way to the door. We’ve already told Slayer to follow him to make sure he follows through and leaves. If he doesn’t, he has orders to bring him back here so we can get rid of him ourselves.
Chapter 7
32 Weeks Pregnant
Dani
When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t feeling well. I don’t k
now if I’m just uncomfortable or if it’s something else, but I just don’t feel right. My head is hurting, my back aches, and I’m dizzy.
Walking downstairs, I head into the kitchen, hoping that something to eat will at least cure one of my ailments.
I was expecting to see Zane somewhere down here since he wasn’t upstairs, but the house is empty. Looking outside, I see his bike is gone, so he must have left to either go to the club or he’s gone to work.
He’s decided he wants to start a security company, so he’s been working on setting it up the past couple of weeks. I know Mack and Slayer have been helping him and I think a couple brothers from surrounding charters have come to help as well. I think it’s a great idea and am so proud of him, though I wish he were home. I’m in my last trimester of pregnancy now and this will be all the alone time we’ll have before we bring our child home.
Sitting at the table, I try to eat a bowl of cereal, but it’s just not tasting good. Maybe I’ll just stop at the café on my way in to the shop and pick up a green tea and bagel.
Going back upstairs, I dress in a pair of cut-off yoga shorts, a white tank-top that is probably too tight to be decent on a pregnant woman, and zip up one of Zane’s black hoodies. Putting my hair into a ponytail, then pulling it through an old baseball cap, I’m ready to go. At least I’m wearing comfortable clothing. Maybe with this on, my body will finally relax and get the idea to follow suit. God, I can only fucking hope.
By the time I make it into the shop, Louie is already with his first appointment and Sara is on the phone, probably booking more business. That should make me happy, but I just can’t get out of this black mood today. Maybe I should just go home, sleep the day away. I bet I’d feel better if I did that.
Born Into Destiny Page 3
