by K. J. Dahlen
Adriana turned to Sam. “Can we do that? Can we go to Saratoga Springs and get the rest of my things?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, we can. We have to make funeral plans anyway.”
Adriana nodded and moved away.
Quinn was there to wrap her arms around the younger girl.
Sam sat down by Melora and whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?’ she asked. “I still remember what it was like to lose my mom. It tore my heart out. At least your daughter has you, Deke and Quinn.”
“She has you in her corner too.”
“You have to give her some time Sam. She’s a teenager, she’s going to be rude and obnoxious at times, she’s going to nice one minute and crazy the next, she’s going get boy crazy at some point and you’re going to have to live through it. You missed out with your first two but this one is going to drive you nuts and you have another one coming up right behind her.”
Sam groaned and covered his eyes. “Can you just shoot me now?”
“No.” Melora giggled. “But I can be right there beside you to help you through it.”
“Good, I’m holding you to that.” Sam sighed then lovingly smoothed his hand across her cheek.
CHAPTER NINE
Mountain watched Izzy over the next few days and was growing concerned. While Sam and his three oldest kids were in Saratoga Springs, he and Izzy watched over Melora and the baby. While Izzy was out one afternoon, Mountain found his chance to talk to Melora. “Hey baby girl, I need to ask you something.”
“And what would that be Dad?”
Mountain paused then chuckled, “I still can’t get used to that, you calling me Dad.”
Melora laughed and patted his arm. “Just wait til T-Bone starts calling you grandpa.”
“Yeah, that’s just gonna be weird.” Mountain shook his head. “But I do need to talk to you and I’m not sure how to say what I need to say.”
Melora sat down and patted the place next to her. “The best way is to just say it outright.”
Mountain sat next to her on the couch. “First off, I want to marry Izzy and we need to know if you’re going to be okay with that.”
Melora leaned into her father and hugged him. “I will be just fine with that. I just want the both of you to be happy.”
“But I am your dad and so much older than she is. Don’t you think it’s a little weird?”
Melora shook her head. “I love and am marrying a man a lot older than I am, plus I just had his son. That may seem weird too, but it’s my life and I’m loving it. So no, I don’t think it’s weird.”
“Ok then, what would you think if Izzy and I were to go and collect her brother and bring him out here to live with us?” Mountain asked. “I haven’t asked her yet, but it seems like the right thing to do. She told me what happened the night he got hurt and as far as I’m concerned, those two need to be together again. I don’t give a shit how old he is. They need to be together.”
Melora stared at her dad with tears in her eyes. “Oh Dad, I think so too. She has missed him every day for the last eight years. For a while, she used to cry herself to sleep at night worrying about how he was doing. She didn’t want to leave Chicago without him but neither one of us could stay there.” Melora hesitated then asked, “Did she tell you the reason she had to try and run away that night?”
“Yeah, she did. She told me her father traded away her virginity in a fucking game of cards.” Mountain growled.
“Did she tell you who was coming to take her?”
“No she wouldn’t tell me his name.”
“Then maybe I shouldn’t either.”
“Maybe you should.” Mountain stared hard at her.
Melora shook her head. “It doesn’t make any difference now. This guy liked young and unused girls and boys. Everybody in Chicago knew it but no one could stop him and no one even tried. If they did, they didn’t live long.”
“Was he connected?” he asked.
Melora nodded. “When Izzy’s dad went to prison for the shooting, we all feared this guy would kill him inside the joint.”
“Is her father still alive?”
“Yeah and he’s due to get out soon. I think that’s playing on her nerves too. She just wants to protect her brother.” She hesitated then went on to say, “I talked her into visiting her brother once. We had to be very careful because if her uncle found out he would have thrown Boone out, right then and there.” She shrugged. “That was the deal they made the night of the shooting and I truly believe Michael Clemends would have done it.”
“I thought her last name was Zackery?”
“No her real name is Clemends. She changed it because of the publicity around the shooting,” Melora explained. “That and the fact she couldn’t be sure the man after her would leave her alone.”
“What do you think about going to get her brother and bringing him back here to live with us?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea. In fact, I think you need to get him here before his dad gets out of prison.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because his dad is no good. He wasn’t eight years ago and I doubt he’s changed much.” Melora shook her head. “He’s had eight years to work up a rage against his kids and if Boone is the only one he can get his hands on, it won’t be pretty. You need to get him and bring him back like right now.”
“How do you know about their dad?” Mountain looked concerned.
“Let’s just say you guys aren’t the only ones who have friends.” She smiled.
Mountain stared at his daughter for a long moment then shook his head and changed the subject. “I was thinking about buying this house from you, after you marry Sam and move in with him but then I got the idea of taking the first floor apartments of the housing units we bought with the shop. Me and Izzy would have the bigger apartment and Boone could have his own place. Or we could open up a wall and all live together. The shared rooms we all would use and I could teach him how to work on hot rods.”
I think it’s a great idea.” Melora smiled. “Izzy has always wanted a place she could call her own. We both used to dream about what we wanted out of life.” She turned to face him. “You do realize this kid is in a wheelchair. That’s going to be a huge adjustment for him and you guys to make. Are you prepared to deal with it day after day?”
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot actually. I know it’s going to be hard at first for everyone but yeah, I can do it. One of the guys in my old club got put into a chair, by Whiskey. He had a hell of a time adjusting but he did it. We all helped him and slowly he made the transition. It wasn’t easy on any of us. We hated the fact he was in the chair and so did he, but slowly we all came around.”
“Ok, let me ask you this, can a man in a wheelchair work on hot rods?”
“Hell yeah, he can if he wants it bad enough, he can do anything,” Mountain replied with a grin. “Travis taught us all that.”
“Then I suggest you go get Boone and drag his ass back here with you,” she urged. “And I hope you’re able to give Michael Clemends the finger as you’re driving away. The old bastard deserves that and so much more.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” A steel glare passed across his violet eyes.
Just then, the front door opened and Izzy came in. Her arms were loaded down and Mountain got to his feet to help her.
Melora smiled as she watched them and suddenly, she couldn’t wait for Izzy to hear the news. She was getting her brother back!
~* * * *~
Sam stopped the truck in front of a small grey house. There was a line of yellow police tape around the place and he didn’t think this was such a good idea. He didn’t want Adriana to see the inside until he or Deke checked it out first.
He looked over at his youngest daughter.
She seemed pale and had tears running down her cheeks.
“Maybe we should wait with this,” he suggested.
“We don’t have to go inside right now.”
Adriana shook her head. “The cops told us they cleaned up the place. Let’s just go in and get my stuff. We still have to go to the funeral home.” She opened the door and jumped down to the driveway.
When Deke and Quinn joined them, all four made their way to the front door. Adriana handed Sam the key and after he opened the door, they all went inside. Adriana gasped when she saw the mess that was left. Furniture was overturned and lamps laid broken on the floor. Pictures of Adriana through the years were smashed. Beer bottles and trash were all over the living room and kitchen.
Adriana walked over to a curio shelf. Her mothers’ collection of ceramic angels were mostly broken, their wings torn off and laying everywhere. Out of the fourteen she had there was only one left, a small baby angel that had been shoved way in the back. She carefully picked it up and held it in her hands. Tears ran freely down her face and she didn’t say anything as she cradled the angel to her chest. Silently without a word, she turned and made her way to the bedrooms in the back of the house.
Quinn walked over to the shelf and began gathering the pieces of the angels. She looked at Sam and Deke. “She’s going to want these someday.”
Sam nodded and found a small container, handing it to his oldest daughter, he went to find his youngest. She was sitting on her bed still holding the baby angel. He went over to her and sat down next to her.
“Mom got this one for me on the day I was born,” she told him. “Every year on my birthday, I would buy her a new angel. It was our own family tradition. She told me I was her real angel, a true gift from God himself.” She leaned into her father. “Now they’re all gone, including Mom.”
Sam didn’t say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. It broke his heart to listen to her sobs but he let her cry. She needed this and he was going to give it to her. Quinn was right, someday, she would want the angels. He would fix them as good as new and she would want them even if they were broken.
Later in the day when they were almost done, Sam heard the sounds of cycles coming. He looked over at Deke and together, they went outside to meet whoever was coming. They waited while three bikers pulled into the driveway.
When they turned off their machines one of the bikers stared at them. “This is Blue Devils property. You have no right to be here.”
“We’re just collecting my daughter’s clothing. We’ll leave shortly,” Sam assured them.
“You’re Adriana’s dad then?”
“Yeah, that would be me.” Sam nodded. “I’m not looking for trouble, I just wanted her clothes.”
The door opened behind him and Sam saw from the corner of his eyes it was Adriana. “Go back inside girl.”
“No, I won’t,” she growled. “This was my mother’s house. It didn’t belong to the Blue Devils. Mom and I lived here for years before that jackwad moved in. You guys have no right to claim my mom’s house.”
Sam turned to the men on the bikes. “I guess you were wrong. It doesn’t belong to the Devils.”
“We’ll see old man, we’ll see.” They started their engines and tore out of there, leaving behind a trial of dust.
Sam turned to Deke. “Can you have someone check on the house and see if Stacy owned it? I’d rather know before starting a war with them.”
“Yeah.” Deke nodded. “I can have Zipper check things out.”
“Maybe I should touch base with their President as well?” Sam suggested.
“Can’t hurt.” Deke nodded as he reached for his phone.
An hour later over two dozen bikes roared into the driveway. Each of the bikers wore the same leather vest proclaiming them to be Blue Devils.
As Sam and Deke waited to greet them they saw the look in each man’s eyes. They were calculating and belligerent. One man got off his bike and came forward. As he did the silence was shattered as bike after bike came in behind the Devils. Soon, the two dozen Devils were surrounded by five dozen Sin’s Bastards. The men wearing the Devils vests were silent now and maybe a little nervous.
The man standing in front of Sam was the same man as before. His attitude had been cocky before but now he was a bit more respectful. Sam crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the other man. “I spoke to your President and I explained what we were doing here. He was surprised when he found out about your earlier visit. He told me you were Radar’s brother and that I should not take offense at your mistake about the house.”
The other man shrugged. “My brother lived here, this house belonged to him.”
“No,” Sam told him. “This house belonged to Stacy Rimmer and her daughter Adriana. The house never belonged to your brother.”
Suddenly, the quiet was shattered once again by the sound of bikes coming closer. This time there were only three and as they got closer, the Sin’s Bastards opened a path. The three bikers got off their machines and came up to where Sam, Deke and Radar’s brother were standing.
“Michael,” one man spoke.
Sam glanced at his vest and he saw the President’s patch below the Blue Devils signature patch on his chest.
“Lincoln, this isn’t your fight,” Michael told him.
“Michael, you have no rights here,” Lincoln replied.
“That little bitch cost my brother his life.” Michael growled.
“No your brother did that without anyone else’s help.” Lincoln said. “Radar drew a gun on the cartel, that was his mistake and that’s what cost him his life. Adriana had nothing to do with that.”
“Do you condone selling a fourteen year old kid into slavery?” Sam asked.
Lincoln frowned “What are you talking about?”
“Radar was going to sell Adriana to the Cajuns,” he informed the others. “That’s what got him killed.”
Lincoln took a step back and turned to his man Michael. Reading the truth on Michael face, he turned to Sam. “I never would have agreed to that, I hope you understand my position.”
“But would you have ever known the truth?” Sam sneered. “Somehow, I doubt it. We’re here to collect my daughter’s things and settle Stacy’s affairs. I don’t want any trouble but I won’t be disrespected either and I will protect my daughter at any cost.”
Lincoln drew up to his full height. He turned to his men and raising his voice he told them, “You and yours will not be disrespected in my town. I will not tolerate any trouble. We’ve all lost someone here and it’s time to let it go. This is no business of the Devils.” He went over to his bike and started the engine. Turning around, he slowly led the group away.
Everyone followed but Michael. After everyone else had gone, he stared at Sam. “Radar was my brother. He wasn’t perfect but he was still my blood.”
Sam leaned in close and said, “If you come after my daughter or any member of my family, I will kill you. As sure as you are standing there, I will kill you. Then I will rain hell down on this town. I will bring in every biker I know and the Blue Devils will be no more. I have ties to not only the Sin’s Bastards but the Satan’s Bastards out of Maine and the Sinners out of Boston and the Sons of Satan out of Texas. I can get them all here if I need too. If you want a war over this, I’ll give you a war you cannot win. You won’t win because you’ll die first and you’ll go to your grave knowing you took your brothers with you for no good reason. So why don’t you be smart and do as your President says and just leave this alone?”
Michael glared at him for a moment, then turned and walked back to his bike. Throwing his leg over the side, he started the engine, turned around and rode away.
Deke looked over at his dad. “Well, that went well, don’t you think?”
Sam snorted. “I think we haven’t seen the last of that man.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to a war.” Deke shook his head. “I’d like to be there when my daughter is born. Cassie will kill me if I end up dead before she’s even here.”
�
��Yeah,” Sam agreed. “I’d kind of like to be there to see T-Bone grow up myself. If he’s anything like you was I need to be there to stop him from killing himself.”
Deke chuckled. “Come on old man, I think the girls are about done here.”
Sam turned to look at the house. “How do I reach her? How do I tell her I’m here for her if she needs me?”
“Just listen when she wants to talk about her mother,” Deke advised. “Quinn and I will be there too.”
“Yeah, so will Melora,” Sam added quietly.
“Then she will be okay, maybe not great but okay is good too.” Deke nodded.
Sam sighed deep. “Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here.”
They moved inside and began bringing boxes out and loading them in the truck. The others helped and before long, both Deke and Sam’s trucks were loaded. When they finally locked up the house, they moved on to the funeral home.
Stacy’s funeral would be later in the day and Sam wanted to give Adriana one last time alone with her mom.
As people began showing up for the services, Melora and T-Bone took their places in the first row. She didn’t intrude on Sam and Adriana when they were standing at the front beside the coffin.
Quinn came over and sat down beside her.
“How did things go this morning?” Melora asked.
“Things went ok,” Quinn told her. “They got a little crazy when the Devils showed up and told Sam the house belonged to them but Adriana told them different. Then they showed up again and their President had to clue Radar’s brother in. Hopefully, it will be better now.” Quinn paused for a moment. “Why didn’t you come with us this morning?”
Melora smiled. “Because this needed to be a family only trip. I’m not family.”
Quinn searched her face. “You’re going to be Sam’s wife. That makes you family.”
“But I’m not his wife yet.” Melora shook her head. “This needed to be just Sam and his kids.”
“Do you want to know something?’ Quinn asked her.
“What?”
“I almost hated Sam. Most all my life I watched my mother struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table for me and Charlie. I watched her struggle every day to just simply get through the day. I’d see Sam watching us but never coming around and I resented him because I knew in my heart that Mom loved him. She would have welcomed him back in our lives if he would have loved her even just a little bit.”
