Then they found out Eddie Morgan, Bear’s girlfriend, and daughter of a rival club out in California, had been kidnapped. Mason got the word from Willa, and he called DeeDee right away after setting a response in motion, ensuring she would show at the apartment to help. Thank God, her presence hadn’t been needed, but with what had happened to Ruby barely a year ago, the eerily empty rooms were as frightening as anything she had ever experienced.
The front door had been unlatched and open when they arrived, and the members moved through the apartment with caution, but no one was there. The only indication of a struggle was evidence of blood on a broken glass in the kitchen floor, but even that wasn’t proof of anything. She prayed the Rebels would find and rescue Eddie as they had Ruby; sometimes the life could be cruel and frightening, nothing more so than winding up in the middle of a club war.
Eddie’s father, Shooter, was president of a club in California, and the club found out he had her taken home to use her as leverage in order to broker a deal with another club. From what DeeDee had heard, the girl’s brother, Judge, was the one who had taken her. He had been in Fort Wayne for years, sentenced to watch over his sister and keep her safe. DeeDee shuddered, thinking, Even though the boy is kin, he always made my skin crawl.
Maggie called last night to say Bear had finally returned to town, but he had gone straight to the clubhouse, not even swinging by the house to see the kids. Now, he and Tug had left this morning with several other members, all heading to California to bring Eddie home. DeeDee hadn’t heard anything since then and prayed this would be a case of no news is good news.
She caught the roar of bike motors from the parking lot and shifted to watch her front door. Her house had practically become club central in the past few weeks, even after Gunny moved himself and Sharon out. She tilted her head, thinking with a smile, Kind of like it was when Winger was alive.
There was a rap of knuckles against the doorframe as the knob turned, the door pushing open to show her five men all vying to be the first through the doorway. Hoss’ shout of her name died on his lips as soon as he saw her standing there, and his booted feet quickly carried him across the room to her. Cupping his hands around her upper arms, he bent his knees to put his eyes level with hers, searching her face, but still not speaking. The silence of the men was uncanny, fear raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck in waves.
Her phone rang from her jeans pocket and she automatically reached to pull it out. Before she could answer it, Hoss plucked it from her fingers, checking the display before tapping the screen to connect the call. He put the phone to the side of his head and said, “Yeah.”
Eyes wide, she looked around at the men, saying in a whisper, “Someone say something, please. What’s going on?”
Hoss ended the call without speaking again, slipping her phone into his pocket before putting his hands back on her arms, holding her steady. Softly, he said, “Ruby’s gone into labor. She and Slate are at the hospital, Dee.”
She nodded, concern pulling the corners of her mouth down a little. She knew it was early, but not as soon as it might have been, given the fact she was carrying twins. “Okay, take me to her. I’ll call Jase.” She twisted to grab her purse, and Hoss pulled her back to face him, his hold tightening on her arms.
Hoss’ gaze searched her face and he nodded at whatever he saw there. “Something’s wrong, Dee. Ruby ain’t talking to Slate, but he said something’s not right. Said it don’t feel right.” He took a breath. “Ride with me, babe. We’ll head over now, okay?”
In sudden terror, she reached out and grabbed the shirt under his cut, pulling him closer. “Are the babies okay? Please tell me the babies are fine.” She was having a hard time finding enough air to support conversation. Ruby was with Slate now, body and soul, assured of his love for her. But DeeDee knew the baby Ruby lost from Demon’s abuse haunted the girl. And because she had trouble catching pregnant when she and Slate were first trying, Ruby’s worst nightmare would be for something to happen to their babies. “Is Ruby okay? My girl? She’s okay?”
“Let’s get to the hospital, okay? We’ll find out how our girl is doing. Slate’s there with her; that was him on the phone. He said the doctor went in with Ruby, but she kicked him out of the room. He was going back in to find out what was going on.” Hoss paused, then tilted his head, looking down at her and drawing a breath as what she said finally registered, slowly repeating, “Babies?”
She held out her hand imperiously. “Give me my damn phone.” When he placed it in her hand, she quickly dialed Slate’s number. He answered, and she said, “Slate, son, listen to me. It’s gonna be okay. She didn’t want you to worry.”
Somewhat predictably, he blew up in her ear. “What the hell are you talking about, DeeDee? What didn’t she want me to worry about? She’s not telling me something, so what the fuck is it?”
“Take a breath, baby. Just slow down, son. It’s going to be okay. Take a breath.” She asked, calmly, “Are you doing okay?”
“Fucking great. Now will you goddamn well tell me what the fuck is going on with my goddamned woman?” He shouted the question into the phone.
“Ruby’s pregnant with twins. She knew she might go early. Son, we aren’t far away from her due date, so unless the doctor is telling you something is wrong, then he’s probably trying to keep her secret. After her last appointment, she said that everything looked fine, Slate. She’s going to be fine. Hoss is bringing me to you, but you take care of my girl until I get there, okay?” She listened for anything coming from the phone, hearing only silence. “Slate, honey, you’re going to take care of my girl, okay?”
He whispered, “Twins?” A hollow thumping noise came through the phone and his voice stuttered. She imagined him pounding his chest with his fist as he shouted, “I’m having twins?”
“Yes, Slate. Ruby is having twins. Now get in there and stay with my girl. I’ll be there fast as I can, okay? We’re nearly in the wind now.” There was silence and then a somewhat muffled woosh of a door opening, and then Slate’s voice again, soft and distant.
“Baby? Ruby? Twins? We’re having twins? Everything’s okay, right? Our babies are healthy? Everything’s good, right, baby?” There were murmurs and then the clear sound of kissing before he yelled, “Twins! Oh, baby, why in the hell didn’t you tell me we were having twins? We need more of everything; we’ll need two of all of it. Woman, we aren’t set up for two babies. Whose fault is that, hmm?” DeeDee shook her head with a grin. He had put the phone in his pocket without hanging up. Pressing the disconnect button, she put her phone in her own pocket, giving Hoss a pointed look that said, My phone, thank you very much.
He and the other Rebels in the room were all smiling widely, and she grinned along with them. Hoss said with admiration, “Prez didn’t know. Motherfucker, our Ruby can keep a deep secret.”
Jase was at practice, so when she called, she left a quick voicemail about Ruby, asking he meet them at the hospital. She looked up at Hoss, smiling as he stood there holding her leather jacket, and said, “Take me to my girl.”
***
“Yeap, the baby seats are in the car, Slate. It’s all covered. Your boys got everything taken care of at home that you wanted, too. DeeDee checked up on them this morning and reported everything is in order and ready to go. It's okay, man. Breathe. The babies are beautiful. Ruby is glorious as a mom, and you are the best daddy I’ve ever seen.” Jase stood in the hospital hallway, hand on Slate’s shoulder encouragingly.
“Allen and Danielle are both doing better than fine. DeeDee told me the doctor said that in a couple of weeks, you would never know they were born early. Said he never had twinsies go home so soon, but they are healthy and sassy, exactly like their pretty mama, eh?” He couldn’t puzzle out the mood Slate was in. The man should be ecstatic about the babies, but he had a growing cloud of angst around him. He looked around at the club members hovering nearby, noting several missing faces. “Is something else up, man?”
/> “Club business.” With two words, Slate shut down the line of inquiry. Jase sighed. He always tried to respect Slate’s desire to keep Rebel business close to the chest, and as much as he would have rather known what was going on, he wouldn’t push and ask anything else. DeeDee would likely know, because she was club, but he wouldn’t be looped in. Sometimes that stung, especially when she would have to say those same words to him, underscoring his position on the outside.
Hell, Bear’s mother probably knew more than he did, since she was dating Tug. Bear, he thought, remembering a snatch of conversation he overheard in the hallway earlier. Bear was here in the hospital. Something had happened out in California, and he had seen Eddie walking up the hospital corridor, leaning on Duck and crying.
He looked around again, pressing his lips together and nodding his head. “Okay. No worries.” Rolling his neck, he said, “Hey, man. I’ll bring the car around, be waiting downstairs.” Turning to go, he was surprised when Slate’s hand gripped his arm. Looking back, Jase saw what looked like an apology on his face before he closed his mouth and shook his head, releasing his hold.
Waiting curbside, he was surprised when several of the club members showed, stationing themselves around the vehicle and keeping a close eye on bystanders. He looked over at Hoss and asked, “Anything in particular going on I need to know about?”
“Nah, we got it covered, man. It’s all good.” The words were uttered without Hoss actually looking at him, the man’s gaze continually sweeping the area around them. He gestured at the vehicle, asking Jase, “Slate know you did this?”
“Nope. It’s gonna be a splendid surprise. Can’t wait to see his face. He’s nearly my son-in-law, ya know? That makes his kids, my grandkids, and I’m allowed to make sure my grandkids are safe.” He shared a grin with Hoss then paused, asking, “You seen Bingo lately?”
He tried to phrase the question casually, but he was actually fishing for knowledge. It had weighed on him for days whether he should keep the man’s confidence about his nephew’s illness, knowing without a doubt that Bingo could use the support of the club. If he got any indication at all they knew what was going on, he would feel better about sharing what he knew. He hated for the man to be going through such a terrible time alone, when he had so much support waiting in the wings. There was also the troubling feeling that something else was going on. Bingo had not looked good.
“Nope. Man’s been absent more than present in the past few months. Guess the kiddos keep him busy.” Hoss’ roving eyes latched onto him and he frowned. Shit. “Why? Something up?”
I suck at lying. Okay, stick to the truth. Truisms only. “Nope, nothing’s up.” True, nothing is elevated off the ground. “Just a curiosity. He’s a good guy to talk to, and I know he’s been a good friend for DeeDee.” This is also true; no falsity registered, because it was all true. “Everything’s good.” Shit, shit, shit. Shoulda stopped my mouth when I had a chance.
Tilting his head, Hoss’ gaze sharpened. “No, it’s not all good, is it?” He shook his head. “I don’t have time to suss this out right now, man, but we will have words later.” He pulled his phone out and looked at it, calling out, “They’re on their way down. Look sharp.”
The circle of men expanded around the vehicle, encompassing a greater perimeter than before. Backs to the front of the hospital, they looked outward, searching the environment for…something. The only time he had seen this level of tension in club members was when Ruby had been taken. During those hours before her rescue, the men had exuded a combat-ready attitude, and Jase was feeling those same vibes again now.
“Hoss, what’s going on? Are Ruby and Slate in danger?” He sucked in a harsh breath, clenching his fist tightly around the keys. “Is DeeDee? Is everything okay?”
“Not my news to deliver, man. If there is danger, you know we have her back. Like I’ve told you before, she’s always going to be ours, Jase.” His eyes didn’t stop sweeping the area, gaze returning to Jase only after he completed his evaluation. “We got her, and because she’s with you, we got you, too.”
The doors behind them opened and Jase turned to see a smiling DeeDee walking beside Ruby’s wheelchair. Each woman was holding a baby, the one in Ruby’s arms wrapped in a delicate pink blanket, and the one in DeeDee’s swaddled in blue. He hooted and held up a palm for Slate to high-five, his other hand clicking the fob to slide the van’s side door open. Slate slapped his hand then grasped it, holding on as he looked over at the vehicle sitting beside the curb. “What the fuck’s this?”
“Our present to you, man. You are such an overachiever, because…two kids, seriously? Are your swimmers doing cross-training? Crazy ninja swimmers. That boy’s gonna be a beast, and your girl? She’s already a princess. DeeDee mentioned you needed a vehicle for the kiddos. I did my research and found out this one is way plenty big, and it’s safe. Hella safe. Ratings are off the charts safe, like really good.” He looked over where the women were standing, matching smiles on their faces.
“I know it’s actually a present for you, Ruby, because you’ll be driving it mostly. But this is our present…it’s from me and DeeDee to you and your not-so-little family.” Let me shut my jabber mouth, he thought and grinned broadly. He loved being able to give these kinds of gifts. Not the bigness of it, but the unexpected part of the surprise. Loved seeing the stupefied look on someone’s face when they realized he thought about them and had cared enough to figure out something that would make a difference.
“Jase.” Slate’s mouth hung open and he snorted a laugh. “Man, please. It’s a mini-van. I’m a motherfucking biker. President of the Fort Wayne chapter of the Rebel fucking Wayfarers. I cannot be seen in a mini-van. Ain’t happening. I appreciate the gesture and everything, but a mini-van? Dude, what were you thinking?”
Jase leaned close, stage whispering, “Don’t ‘dude’ me. It’s not a mini-van; it’s an SUV. Now, just listen, because here’s the most important part. Slate, the backseats fold down into a bed.”
Immediately, Slate said, “And a fine SUV it is, too. I’ll be right proud to be seen driving this lovely fuck-mobile. Thank you, brother.” Slate threw back his head and laughed loudly, his attitude of ease belying the tension Jase sensed from the men standing nearby. “Help me get my woman and babies home, would ya? Babies, as in two of them. Hey, didja hear about my swimmers?”
Winding down
“Dammit, get back in it,” Jase shouted to his line. “Help him, dammit. Push. Push.” Lee had fluffed a give-and-go pass, and a Kalamazoo player was trying to capitalize on the mistake. There were only four minutes until the final buzzer, and they were ahead one to nothing. Skating backwards, he swept his stick back and forth over the ice, creating an obstacle screen against the opposing forward barreling up the sheet towards him. As long as he kept this guy from… Jase read the player’s movements and reached forward, stripping the puck from him with a smooth poke check, redirecting the puck towards Lee.
Racing down ice alongside Lee, he broke off to skate into position and whirled in time to deflect a rebound off a defenseman’s skate. He heard a blade insistently tapping the ice behind him and slapped the puck back to Lee who took a shot, angling the puck over the goalie’s shoulder and into the net for a goal. Arms up, Jase watched Lee take a sliding knee in celebration, coming up to be surrounded by their teammates, slapping each other’s helmets in excitement.
Headed back to the bench, Jase heard one of the players begin to say something about the game being a shutout and he yelled at him, slapping the back of his helmet. “Don’t jinx us. Don’t you fucking jinx us,” he said with a scowl, hearing agreement from several other players. “Doncha know it’s a jinx to talk about what you almost talked about? So don’t say anything about that thing you almost talked about until after the buzzer sounds, eh? Long as our man’s between the posts, we don’t speak about that.” The kid looked at him with wide eyes, nodding.
Sitting, Jase watched while the faceoff played out, then as the
third-line players put up a successful defense against a rush and breakaway. He stepped back onto the ice for the shift change, digging in and transitioning into full speed skating as quickly as he could drive his tired legs. Skating around the opponent’s net, he only halfway paid attention to the obnoxious level of chirping and taunting that Kalamazoo’s Biannac was maintaining. His focus was on the puck, slapped down ice and away, so it took him by surprise when the Tridents’ play fell apart. He registered the sound of a soft grunt from behind him and saw players yelling and skating towards him, the sound level in the arena rising in a swell.
Spinning around, he saw a clearly unconscious Lee dangling from Biannac’s hand. As if in slow motion, he saw the man’s other fist pulling back, ready to land another giant blow, the linesmen circling like black and white pigeons tentatively looking for a place to land. Launching himself at the man, Jase hit him hard, knocking Lee from his grip. Inertia was in his favor, and the momentum knocked both Biannac and himself away from where Lee was awkwardly sprawled on the ice. From his prone position, he watched the skates of his teammates glinting in the lights, saw the blades rising and lowering around him as he scrambled on hands and knees towards Lee.
Hunched on his knees over Lee’s helmetless head, Jase took a blow across his back, then another. Twisting around, he saw Biannac had picked up a stick and was swinging it wildly, first connecting with Lee’s lower body, and then coming down hard on Jase’s shoulder. “Goddammit,” Jase shouted, “knock it the fuck off. Somebody get that motherfucker under control.”
Two of the Kalamazoo players hooked hands under Biannac’s arms, dragging him backwards toward the boards. With an enormous effort, he pulled away from them and turned, lunging towards the glass, hitting it several times with both fists. He was screaming wordlessly at a woman standing inches away, on the other side of the obstacle. Her head jerked back every time he pounded on the barrier, the expression on her face horrified. His teammates hooked him again, skating him towards their bench, this time with less resistance from the man.
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