by K. J. Dahlen
Deke watched as the bikers left the area and made their way to the clubhouse. With a frustrated curse leaving his lips, he ran his fingers through his hair. “This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.” Raising his eyes to Cassie he said, “I’m so sorry baby. We’d better get to the clubhouse before he destroys everything.”
Cassie nodded. “Okay, I guess this was never meant to be.”
He watched as she turned and began walking away. Deke caught Gator’s eyes and motioned for the man to go to the clubhouse ahead of him.
Gator took off with Wiley and Amos.
He turned to the rest of his friends and family. “I guess this is going to delay the wedding. Let’s go down and eat and have a good time anyway.” He waited while everyone else left before he joined Cassie, Peaches and Paige. “Are you all right?” He grabbed Cassie and pulled her into his arms.
Cassie nodded. “I think your father needs some lessons in manners.”
Deke barked a laugh. “He needs something alright. Although, I doubt a kick in the ass would help much.”
“I’m going back to the house. I don’t think I can put up with your father right now,” she told him.
“I don’t blame you.” Deke admitted. “I wish today would have turned out differently.”
Cassie leaned against his chest. “Me too.” Her arms went around his waist and she pulled him tight to her.
“I’m not giving up on this,” Deke promised her as his arms went around her shoulders holding her close for a moment. “We will be married before the babies are born.”
Cassie chuckled. “It’s probably a good thing we have about two months to go then huh?”
Deke smiled. Resting his big hand on her belly, he felt his babies tumble and turn. He kissed her forehead then glanced over at Peaches and Paige. “I want you guys to go to the house. I don’t want any of you around my father or his brothers. They’re not nice men.” Turning to Cassie he said, “Make sure you have Demon with you.”
“Is your house safe with them here?” Peaches asked.
“I’m sure it will be, Redemption House men will stand watch as well as some of my own. Those guys won’t let anything happen to you guys or Cassie.” Deke nodded. He then turned and walked the distance to the clubhouse to deal with his father.
When he walked inside, he saw his father and his five men sitting at the largest table there. It was supposed to be the wedding party’s table. It was covered with a white linen tablecloth and streamers. A banner with his and Cassie’s name had been mounted behind the table. They had ripped the banners off and the red and black ribbons now lay in tatters on the floor.
No one else in the clubhouse was making any noise at all. But Sam and the other members of his club were drinking and sneering at the others. Sam was staring at the paintings on the wall behind where they were sitting. He raised his head and frowned when he saw Deke coming toward their table. “So where is your woman Junior?” he asked as he swirled his glass on the table.
“She didn’t want to come. She deplores bad manners.” Deke stopped on the other side of the table. “Why?”
“Because I came all this way to find out about her.” Sam lifted his drink to his lips.
“Why don’t you just go home and leave it alone?” Deke asked. Sitting down across from his father, he stared at the older man. They both had the same dark hair and pale blue eyes. Sam had a scruff of whiskers on his face where Deke was clean shaven.
“Did it ever occur to you that she could be using you?” Sam asked quietly.
Deke snorted. “If you knew her, you wouldn’t say shit like that. She’s not like the women you surround yourself with.”
“And what kind of women would that be?” Sam hardened his gaze.
“The kind of women that would take any man on,” Deke replied. “Cassie isn’t like that at all. It’s none of your business but the first time we were together she was a virgin.”
Sam raised his eyebrows. “That doesn’t make sense with the scars on her back. What’s up with that?”
“That is none of your business,” Deke informed him.
“Yeah well, I’m making it my business.” Sam growled. “You’re my kid and what you do reflects back on me and I won’t allow you to fuck up your life. Not over a pussy.”
Deke got to his feet. With a hard stare, he told his father, “You can stay the night but I want you gone in the morning. You gave up saying anything about who I allow in my life a long time ago. And yes old man, those babies are mine and they will carry my name before they are born.” He turned and walked out.
He stopped just outside the door and took a deep cleansing breath. Every time he spent time in Sam’s company, he felt dirty. He hadn’t know who his father was until he was twelve years old. His mother, Janice wasn’t mother of the year material in any sense of the word, she was little more than a club whore but she hadn’t told him anything about his father. It wasn’t until Deke had laid eyes on the man and saw the same face looking back that he knew.
He had the same color eyes and chin as his old man. The same brow line and the same hairline. One glance had been all it took for the two of them to discover each other. When Sam found out about Deke, he took him home with him. Sam was a bastard and had ripped the boy away from the only world he’d known. Deke had hated it at first but soon, learned how to cope. The only real friend he had there had been Gator. Gator had taken him under his wing and taught him more in the short time he was with his father than Sam ever did.
He’d spent six long years with his father’s MC before he broke away. When he left them, Gator had come with him. They founded this group and using what lessons he learned from his old man he found himself the leader of these men. Gator had stayed by his side the whole time. He hadn’t wanted the leadership but as always, he was beside Deke the whole way. Deke may carry the same name as his father but they were not the same kind of men.
~* * * *~
Sam watched his son walk away with a frown. He’d never known how to talk to him. When he found him as a half grown man way back, he’d been surprised he even existed. Janice never told him she was pregnant. He’d slept with her and walked away like she’d been nothing more than a fuck buddy. To him, that’s all she had been. Then he found his son and his life took on a different meaning.
Sam didn’t realize it at the time, but the boy had come to mean something to him. He hadn’t realized that until the day Deke walked out on him and his lifestyle. It had nearly broke his heart but he hadn’t wanted to admit it to anyone, not even himself.
He sat there gazing at the painting on the wall. He wouldn’t admit it but he wanted so much more for Deke than he ever had and that included the love of a good woman and a family. When he heard about the wedding, he’d come here only to make sure the woman was good enough for his son. ‘Well old man, you certainly fucked that one up royally, didn’t you?’ he thought to himself. He lifted the glass to his lips and was about to swallow when Gator sat down across from him. Sam glared at the other man over the top of his glass.
Gator simply sat there and glared back at him. When he folded his arms across his chest, Sam frowned.
“What the fuck do you want?” Sam growled.
“I could ask you the same question,” Gator countered.
“I don’t answer to you or any other man here,” Sam retorted.
“You’d better check your attitude at the door man. This isn’t your house, it’s Deke’s.”
Sam sneered. “And Deke is my kid.”
“That has nothing to do with why you came and you know it.”
Sam slammed his glass down on the table. “Go to hell. I don’t have to have a reason to see my own son.”
Gator nodded his head in agreement. “Normally, I would agree with that but the last time the two of you were together harsh things were said by both of you. If you press this visit you might not like what he does about it.” Gator leaned forward. “You fucked up ba
d with him, old man. You should have given him what you claimed you wanted. Respect. He was almost a man when you found him and you wanted him to be a mini you. When that didn’t work, you tried to beat it into him. How did that work out for you?”
Sam broke the glass in his hand when his grip tightened too much. Whiskey dripped from his fingertips onto the table, mixing with the blood dripping from a few cuts the glass made.
Gator didn’t even flinch as he continued, “You’ve got to let it go, Bones. He’s his own man, good or bad. Your opinion doesn’t matter to him. He lives the way he wants to. He found himself a good woman. She’s not perfect in any way, shape or form, her life has been a hard one, but she’s great for him. She completes him like no other woman ever will. You ruined what should have been a great day for him. He’s gonna marry that woman whether you like it or not. Don’t fuck it up or he’ll cut you out of his life for good.” Gator stood up and looked over at Amos standing against the wall, then with one final glare at Sam, he walked away.
Sam glared at the Gator as he grabbed a napkin off the table and cleaned the blood off his hand.
Sabbath, his Sargent at Arms leaned toward him and asked, “So what are you gonna do about this? Do we stay or go?”
Sam thought for a moment. “Find me a place I can talk to this woman alone. Not here but close. Then find a way to get her there. I want to talk to this woman and find out what her story is.”
“You know that isn’t going to go over well with Jr. don’t you?”
Sam turned and glared at Sabbath. “You let me worry about Jr. You just get the woman alone and bring her to me.”
Sabbath got up and motioned for two of the others to follow him. Before he left, Sam cautioned him, “Oh and Sabbath, be careful she don’t kick your ass again. She’s a feisty one.”
Sabbath rubbed along his still swollen nose. “Yeah, I owe her for that.”
Sam turned his head and snarled, “Don’t you even think about hurting her or I’ll have your head!”
Sabbath narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Whatever you say boss.”
“You let the others know that too. I don’t want her hurt. She’s carrying my grandkid.”
Sabbath grinned. “Now that’s a trip, do we call you Grandpa now or what?”
Sam growled at him. “Just do it.”
Sabbath chuckled softly and walked out with Halo and Fury behind him.
Sam turned to stare at the painting again, but as he did he caught sight of a man standing against the wall studying him. The man was older and a bit scruffier than the normal man but the intensity of his gaze gave Sam notice.
He gave the other man glare for glare but the other man never backed down, never looked away. Sam reached for a new glass and poured himself a drink. When he looked up the older man was gone. As Sam lifted the drink, he wondered why Gator had even acknowledged the man earlier, he wasn’t a biker he could tell that right away. Sam felt troubled by not knowing who the man was and what he was doing here.
CHAPTER TWO
Cassie sat alone in the bedroom she shared with Deke. She sat there looking out the window. Demon was at her feet and she was glad he was there. She had to come in here to get away from Peaches and Paige. They kept asking her how she felt.
The problem was she wasn’t sure how she felt about the events that had transpired today. Her wedding had not happened because Deke’s father had shown up. He’d claimed he hadn’t been aware of the wedding. Deke hadn’t told him and Cassie had to wonder why. Her family was there but Deke’s wasn’t.
The door opened and Cassie sighed. Peaches and Paige had driven her crazy and she’d come in here to get some peace. “I asked to be alone for five minutes.”
“I thought I would come and explain why I didn’t invite my father,” Deke replied.
Cassie turned and smiled. “I thought you were one of my sisters.” She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
Deke steered her toward the bed where they both sat down. Sighing deeply, he ran his fingers over his eyes. “I know you have questions but please just for a moment listen. Then I’ll answer your questions.”
“Okay.”
“I first met him when I was twelve. Up until then, it has just been my mom and me. At the time we were living in Albany.” He shrugged. “I guess where we lived doesn’t really matter. Our lifestyle wasn’t ideal but back then, I didn’t know any better either. My mom would never win mother of the year but at least, she was there for me. She used to work in a bar and the Hell’s Fury MC was close enough that we saw them every day. She never told me who my father was. I used to ask her about him thinking he was right there seeing her everyday but she never told me his name. Then one day, Bones came into the bar she worked in. Him and three of his men rolled in looking for something to drink and some women to fuck for a few hours. I happened to be there cleaning up and he saw me. I couldn’t believe it but it was like looking into a fucking mirror and I guess we both knew at the same time…we were father and son.”
Cassie so wanted to ask what his mother thought about their meeting but she knew better than to talk just yet.
“Anyway, Bones and my mom went head to head and he ended up taking me with him when he left. He was pissed and she was crying, begging him not to take me away from her. I never saw my mom again after that and I didn’t ask about her either. My father was a hard man and it was almost as if he didn’t know what to do with me after he got me. The only real friend I had with my dad’s MC was Gator. He took me under his wing and helped me when Sam couldn’t or wouldn’t. Sam or Bones as he’s called by everyone, taught me the only way of life he knew, the biker life. He wasn’t above beating it into me either. When I was seventeen, I left Maine and came here. I got as far away from Sam as I could. I met the Satan’s Spawn MC the day we reached Troy.” He paused and said, “I know I’m not an easy man to know or live with. My childhood sucked and I’m not sure I have anything to give a kid but I can learn.”
Cassie leaned in close to him and said, “My childhood wasn’t anything happy either. You know most of it but there are still some things I can’t talk about, not because I don’t trust you with my past, but just because I can’t talk about it yet.”
Deke wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “When you’re ready I’ll be there, no worries.”
“What are we going to do about your dad?” Cassie asked.
“I don’t know,” Deke admitted. “I hate the fact he showed up at all. Maybe he’ll just go away and we can get married in a few days.”
“Did he say what he wanted?”
“He said he wanted to meet the woman I was going to marry. He claims he wanted to know that you weren’t just taking me for a ride.”
“He doesn’t have much faith in you does he?” Cassie rolled her eyes.
“He doesn’t have much faith in the human world period. He doesn’t trust the women of the world at all. He thinks the only thing a woman is good for is to—”
“I think I know and that’s disgusting.” Cassie sneered.
Deke nodded. “That’s my dad.”
“So now what? Where do we go from here?”
“We wait for him to leave, then we get married.” Deke shrugged. “I don’t want him to be there for the ceremony. I don’t want him to taint what we have but I do want to marry you.”
Cassie sighed. “Okay, we can wait. But he is your family.”
“No he isn’t,” Deke insisted with steel in his eyes. “My family is Gator and the other men in my MC. My family is you and your family. It isn’t Sam Tory. I think sometimes, it would have been better for both of us if we’d never met. I wish he’d never come to Albany that fateful day.”
“That’s rather harsh isn’t it?”
“You don’t know my father.” Deke looked angry. “I’m not sure I want him around our kids. He’d screw them up worse than we ever could.”
Cassie gasped and grabbed her belly.
/>
Deke grew alarmed. “Are you okay?”
Cassie nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t your kids like you talking smack about their grandfather.”
Deke laid his hand over hers. “They don’t know him like I do.”
~* * * *~
A few hours later, Cassie was walking in the backyard, it was up against the forest, and she felt it might calm her being out by the trees. She’d been restless most of the afternoon. Peaches and Paige had wanted to come along with her but Cassie just wanted to be alone for a few minutes. After Deke left her earlier, the girls had come in to check on her. They wouldn’t tell her what was going on at the clubhouse and she’d finally gotten sick of both of them. She even left Demon behind. Deke had wanted her to keep the dog with her but Cassie just needed a minute all by herself.
Wrapping the shawl around her shoulders, she walked along the woods bordering the clubhouse property. The air seemed colder now. Fall was settling in, soon it would be winter and while she was used to the cold she hated it. She couldn’t forget the bone chilling cold of her childhood.
The babies began rolling around inside her and she had to stop and put her hands on her belly. Rubbing her belly seemed to soothe her infants and right now, she needed them calm. Her fears about becoming a mother were always in the back of her head but secretly, she couldn’t wait for them to be born. Without admitting it to anyone else, she knew it was because she would finally have someone of her own to love and if she took care of them, they would love her back. That was the kind of love only her mother had ever shown her and that was the kind of love she would show her own children. She vowed her babies would never be left alone, she would protect them to the death. Nothing bad would ever happen to them like what had happened to her.
So deep were her thoughts that she didn’t see the man sneaking up behind where she stood. In fact, it wasn’t until she felt him put the rag over her mouth that she even knew he was there. A sickly sweet smell was dragged into her lungs when she took a deep breath to scream.
