Celtic Dragon

by Amy Cecil

  Chapter 8

  Emma

  Cade has left and I want to do nothing but go up to my room and feel sorry for myself. I really hate his leaving, but I do understand. This is my life now, the old lady of biker club president. He’s not just responsible for his child and me. He has a whole extended family that includes his sister, his club brothers, their wives and old ladies, their children, and people in the community that count on him to be there and lead them. I’m proud of him; how could I not be?

  So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I keep busy. I do some work at first, but I quickly get bored with that. Then, while Honey bustles around the kitchen, I take a nap. I remember the days when I could go eight to ten hours nonstop. I never took naps. I stayed up late and woke up early. Unfortunately, those days are definitely over for the next several months. This little doodle bug is wearing me out.

  I haven’t yet heard from Cade and I’m not sure if that is a good thing or bad. I wonder if it would be ok to call Hawk, just to check in, I think to myself. But doing that would only make me look weak. Besides, after looking at the time, I realize that they probably have not even landed yet. I am sure that Hawk knows about as much as I do right now so it would probably be best not to bother him. I’ll save that for when I really need him.

  I get up from the couch and walk over to the counter where I left my bag. Digging into my bag, I pull my keys out and call, “Honey, I’m running to the store. Wanna come with?”

  There is no answer. “Honey?” I call again.

  Just then she comes down the stairs with a duster in her hand. “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Cleaning,” she replies, as if it was the most natural thing for her to be doing.

  “Why?”

  “Well, unlike you, I don’t have work to dig into. So I do what I do best: cook and clean.” She pauses for a minute and then adds, “Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

  “Cooking and cleaning?” I ask. Is she finally going to give us an answer to our offer to work here instead of the bar?

  “I’ve done a lot of thinking about the offer you and Ice made about working for you. And if the offer is still on the table, I’d like to take it.”

  I squeal with delight, then run over to her and hug her. “I’m so glad! That is the best news I have heard all day. Cade will be so happy too!”

  “Now, what were you saying about running to the store?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m going stir-crazy waiting to hear if the boys landed; I need to get out of this house. Wanna come?”

  “Sure,” Honey says as she walks over to the utility closet and stows her duster. “Let me just run a brush through my hair and I’ll meet you outside.”

  “Ok.” I grab my purse and head out the door.

  As I approach my car I notice a folded piece of paper laying on the windshield, secured by the windshield wiper. Not thinking, I walk over and grab the paper. I unfold it and begin to read the scribble that’s written on it.

  I know what you did.

  I know what he did.

  You will not get away with it

  And neither will he.

  My hands begin to shake as I just stand there, unable to move. Who put this here? What did I do? What did he do? Are they referring to Cade and me? As I’m trying to make sense of this note, Honey comes out of the house and locks the door behind her.

  I can tell that she knows something is wrong the minute she looks at me. I don’t say anything, for fear that whoever left the note is still here. I feel prickles on the back of my neck and I know without a doubt that I’m being watched. I know that whatever I say, they’re going to hear; I’m absolutely sure someone is hiding in the trees behind me.

  I quickly regain my composure and say to Honey, “Come on girl, shopping awaits. Get in the car.” I try to say this as happily as I can while still hoping to cue her in to the fact that something is wrong. She knows immediately. She can tell by the quiver in my voice that something is really wrong. But because she’s smart and definitely knows how to handle herself in situations like this, she obediently gets into the car.

  After closing the door, she asks, “What the fuck is going on, Emma? Your whole demeanor just changed. You’re scaring me.”

  “Just act normal until we get away from the house. Then I will tell you everything.” I don’t even want to give her the note until we’re away from all eyes.

  After we get away from the driveway and out onto the main road, I hand her the note. She quickly reads it and then says, “Holy fuck, Emma! Where did you get this?”

  “It was on my windshield.” I look over at her and I’m sure she can see the fear in my eyes. “Call Hawk. Please.”

  Honey immediately pulls out her phone and begins dialing. She puts the phone on speaker as it rings.

  One, two three rings. Why isn’t he answering? Four, five six rings … and it goes to his voicemail. Fuck!

  “What do I do?” I ask Honey.

  “Let’s drive by Betty’s and see if he’s there. Maybe he’s in a meeting or something and can’t get to the phone.”

  “Ok,” I reply. I change my route to take us into Waterford, where Betty’s Dinor is. I silently pray that Hawk is there.

  A few minutes later, Honey’s phone rings. She looks at the caller ID and says, “It’s Hawk.”

  Oh, thank God. She answers the phone and immediately puts him on speaker.

  “What’s up, babe? Sorry I missed your call. I was on the line with Ice. They just landed in Dublin,” he says into the phone.

  “That’s great, Hawk. Glad to hear they’re safe. Emma too. Speaking of Emma, she needs to talk to you. I have you on speaker, we’re in her car.”

  “Hey doll, what’s up?” Hawk says to me.

  “Hawk, someone left a note on my car. It’s not good. Honey and I decided to run to the store and when I walked out to the car I saw a piece of paper on my windshield. Thinking nothing of it, I grabbed it and began to read it. Hawk, someone was watching me while I read that note! What do I do?”

  He asks no questions, just calmly says, “I’m at Betty’s. You and Honey get here as quick as you can—and make sure you bring the note!”

  “We’re already on the way. I have the note. Thanks, Hawk,” I say.

  Honey hangs up and we continue to drive straight to Betty’s. We arrive fifteen minutes later. Luckily for me, there is a parking space right out front. I can see Hawk’s bike parked out front next to another Harley that I don’t recognize.

  Honey leads me into the diner and heads straight for the back and up the stairs. When we get to the top of the stairs, we arrive at a hallway with several doors. Honey makes a beeline for the first door on the left and knocks. I hear Hawk’s voice through the door, indicating for us to come in. I’m relieved that she knows exactly where to find him. I would have been in a panic, opening all the doors until I found him.

  “Let me see it,” he says as we walk into the room. I hand him the note and he begins to read. When he’s done, he asks, “Do you recognize the handwriting?”

  He hands the note back to me and I look at it more closely. To my surprise, the handwriting does look familiar—it resembles Mark’s handwriting, but I know the note can’t be from him. It’s impossible. Mark is dead.

  Suddenly, it’s as if a light goes off in my head and goose bumps began to rise on my skin. I know. The note is from someone who wants us to pay for Mark’s death. It’s from someone who knows that Cade killed Grayson, and that he did it for me. To save me.

  “Hawk, I know what this is about,” I say.

  He looks at me curiously. “You do?”

  “Yes. This has to do with Grayson,” I say confidently.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, the handwriting reminds me of Mark. Now, I know that it is not his handwriting, but once I thought of him I made the connection. What else have both Cade and I done recently? We just reconnected after eleven years. This has to be about
Grayson. There isn’t anything else it could be.”

  “You might have a point there. To an extent, it makes sense. But I need to look into this further to be sure,” he says. Hawk is more cautious than I am and I’m guessing more than Cade too. I think that is why they both work so well together. He’s always been the source of reason behind Caden’s actions. And when Cade doesn’t have Hawk’s reason behind him, he does things like he did to Grayson.

  “Tell me, is there anyone that you know—maybe a member of the Satans club—who was friends with Mark? Maybe that Skid guy?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I think they were friends,” Hawk says.

  “And does Skid know that Caden killed Mark? Does he know that I was kidnapped and that Caden did it for me?”

  “He does,” he replies slowly. I think he’s finally seeing the significance of what I’m saying.

  He says, “Alright, I’ll check it out.” He pauses and adds, “In the meantime, when you talk to Ice—who, by the way, said he would be calling you tonight—don’t say anything to him about this right now. I’ll put some guys on the house and make sure that you all are watched.”

  “Why can’t I say anything to Caden?” I ask.

  “Emma, he is dealing with some nasty shit in Ireland. I know he didn’t tell you everything, but I don’t want him worrying about anything but getting the fuck home. If he knew about the note, he will feel torn and will want to rush home to you—and I get that, really I do. But until we know more, I don’t want to alarm him. This could be nothing.”

  “Ok, I understand.” I don’t ask Hawk to elaborate on what Cade is doing; I know he won’t tell me anyway. And besides, I know about the danger. I’ve read a lot about the radicals in Ireland and I know that what Caden is facing in Ireland isn’t just a biker gang rivalry like he’s used to.

  Hawk pulls out his phone and dials. He says, “Hey, I need you and Dbag to plan on spending a lot of time with Emma. She does not leave Ice’s lake house or go anywhere without the both of you with her. You will be staying there, too, so plan on moving in for a while.”

  He waits while the person on the line responds and then says, “She’s with me at Betty’s right now. I’ll keep her here until you get here.” He pauses. “And Spike, you both protect her with your life. You got me?”

  After Hawk is done on the phone he walks over to me and gives me a hug, kissing the top of my head. “Everything is going to be ok, darl’n. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you, not on my watch. Besides, Ice would have my head.” He chuckles and then adds, “I’ll make contact with the Satans and see what I can find out about Skid, too. You need to go back to the house, though. I don’t want you roaming around town until I know something more concrete about this.”

  “Ok, Hawk. Thank you.”

  “Dbag and Spike will be coming by to escort you ladies home.” He walks over to Honey and pulled her into a hug. “Even though the circumstances suck, I can’t tell you how nice it is to see you, babe.” He kisses her on the cheek and she giggles. It melts my heart to see her smile and be happy. It melts my heart to see him smile and be happy too.

  Honey and I head downstairs to get something to eat while we wait for Dbag and Spike. A few minutes later, Hawk joins us. I guess he was serious about us not being left alone.

  “So Cade called?” I ask.

  “Yes. They just landed in Dublin,” he says as he looks at his watch, “about an hour ago. They’re heading over to get transport to Belfast.”

  “Transport?” I ask.

  “Yeah, one of the Knights sister clubs in Belfast arranged for them to have bikes. You know how Ice hates driving in a cage.”

  I laugh in agreement. I’m glad that he was able to get a bike instead of having to rent a car. Like Hawk said, that would have made him miserable. I sure as hell hope the bike is a Harley, ‘cause he’s told me several times that there’s no other bike for him.

  My laughter dies down and I ask, “Hawk, do you think we should be worried about this note?” I hate the uneasiness that I feel and I really hate the fact that yet again, I have to be watched and babysat for my own safety. Will this nightmare ever end?

  And what about our child?

  “Emma, I really don’t know. Give me some time to look into it further. The precautions I’m taking are preemptive and reactive. I don’t want to think nothing of it and have it turn out to be something. This way, I have you protected from the get-go.”

  “Ok,” I say. “I trust you.”

  About an hour later, Spike shows up at Betty’s. He walks over to our table and says, “Reporting for babysitting duty, boss.”

  I look at him incredulously. He’s got to know that I’m not happy about the whole thing and that I don’t particularly like being referred to as a baby.

  Before I can say anything, Hawk stands up and gets into Spike’s face. “You get this straight, brother: Emma is our prez’s old lady. You will protect her as you would protect him or any brother in this club, and you will not disrespect her. Understood?”

  Holy shit, he’s really mad. I’m annoyed at Hawk’s reaction because I feel that Spike was just teasing, but Hawk clearly didn’t take it that way.

  Spike says, “Hawk, man, I was just messing with her. I know who she is and I know how much she means to our prez. You don’t have to remind me.”

  “Then remember this isn’t a joke or a game at Emma’s expense,” Hawk says.

  “I got it, geez.” He looks over at me and then says, “I’m sorry, Emma. I meant no disrespect.”

  “See, that wasn’t so hard,” Hawk says sarcastically.

  “Fuck you. She knew I was messing with her. You just made a big deal out of nothing,” Spike says.

  “Do we need to go a few rounds outside?” Hawk asks.

  “Sure, old man! Let’s do it. I’ll kick your ass,” Spike replies.

  Holy shit, are they really going to fight over this? “Guys, guys, stop this!” I yell.

  They both looked at me with surprise as Honey busts out laughing.

  “What?”

  Now they’re all laughing. They’re all fucking laughing at me. What in the hell did I say? “Why are you all laughing?” I ask.

  Finally Honey speaks up. “Emma, we’re laughing ‘cause they were just messing with each other and you thought they were going to start fighting. They do this all the time. I’m sorry for laughing; you didn’t know.”

  “Oh,” I looked over to Honey. “Will I ever get this?” I asked her.

  “Of course you will, you’re doing better than most in your situation would. This is all new to you—we get that. But we’ll get you there, I promise. You’re good for Ice and we aren’t going to let you fail.”

  “Hell no!” Hawk replies.

  It makes me feel good that they feel the way they do. I’ve sometimes worried about whether I can fit into Cade’s world, but with everyone’s support, I know I can.

  Chapter 9

  Caden

  I had hoped that I’d be able to get some sleep on the flight to Dublin, but after Rebel filled me in on the nightmare that we’re flying into, I knew that wasn’t gonna happen.

  So instead, I start doing some research of my own. I read more articles about recent acts of violence and mysterious deaths, and I even look into information about the prison. It’s hard to believe that I’m flying to Ireland for a fucking prison break, and not just any prison break. No, we’re planning to break my fucking aunt and uncle out of a high-security prison. Fuck it all to hell! The things I get myself involved in.

  As I read through some of the stuff I find on the internet, I come across an article that goes into more detail about “The Beast” that Rebel mentioned earlier.

  The man was a fucking piece of work. Everything I read about him stated that his own men took him out. In 2013 the Real IRA demoted him for pilfering profits from the group’s cigarette smuggling and other crimes. Then, to add insult to injury, after they demoted him, they shot him in both legs as a so-called pun
ishment attack designed to cripple him. And I thought our punishments were bad. I think about this for a minute and then realize that in a way, they aren’t much different from the club.

  This article, dated December 7, 2016, states that his assassins shot him in the back and when he dropped to the pavement, they shot him two more times. What kind of fucking coward shoots a man in the back? You won’t see a biker doing that!

  The “Beast” was suspected of many killings in the Dublin area in the last ten years, but he was never charged. His only charge was a conviction of being a Real IRA member in 2006, for which he only served two years due to a legal technicality.

  I try to find out more about him, but everything I encounter all says the same thing. They shot him in the back. The fact that this was such a cowardly act from a group of vigilante rebels just doesn’t sit well with me. Why wouldn’t they have allowed him to see his killer?

  My head begins to hurt and I look at my watch. We’ve been on this plane for three hours; roughly three more to go. Although I know I won’t be able to sleep, I tilt my head back and close my eyes. I try my hardest to get the images of the IRA, the killings, the riots, and all the violence out of my head. The only thing that distracts me from these horrible images is Emma. I’ve only been gone from her a few hours and already I miss her. How the fuck did I survive eleven years without her? Now that she’s back, I can’t even begin to imagine my life without her. I got a glimpse of that when Grayson took her. I was frantic with worry, unsure if I would ever see her again. I was terrified about what he’d do to her. Thank God that fucker is dead!

  As I sit here with my eyes closed, thinking about my girl, one thing becomes clear: we need to get to Belfast, get my aunt and uncle, and get the fuck out of there as quickly as possible.

  Eventually, sleep overtakes me. The next thing I remember is waking up as the plane is about to land. I look out the window and see green everywhere as we approach Dublin.