by Amy Cecil
“How did they come back?” I asked.
“Funny thing about revenge. As you know, it’s fueled by emotion. When emotion is involved, common sense seems to hide in the back corners of your mind. We thought we had destroyed their club. But we didn’t get them all. A few members survived, bided their time, and recruited new members. A few years later, they reemerged.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” He nodded and then I asked, “I know that my knowledge of the MC life is very minimal, but why did everyone stand behind Ice, knowing that he took action without consulting the rest of the club? I thought that was a big no-no in the MC world.”
“Good question. I think we all could understand Ice’s rage. Ace was very special to him. We all knew about him losing his parents and the history behind that. We all knew where he came from. Ace had given him something that he needed: a father.” He paused for a moment and then added, “I know, it makes us sound like a bunch of pussies. But what Ice proved to the entire club that day was that his loyalty ran deep. We all knew that if anything like what happened to Ace happened to any other brother, Ice would avenge them with everything he had, even if it meant losing his own life. We were his family and he would protect anyone associated with this club with his last breath. That kind of fierce loyalty is hard to find and we seek it out every day. Without loyalty like that, a club won’t survive.”
Just then, Ryder and Spike walked into the kitchen. Hawk asked, “Find anything?”
Ryder replied sarcastically, “You mean besides the dead body in the basement?” He laughed at his own wit, but Hawk was not amused at all.
“Very funny, asshole. You know what the fuck I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, we found some clippings and shit in the office.”
“What type of clippings?” Hawk asked.
“Creepy shit, Hawk. All kinds of stuff about Ice.” He looked over at me apologetically and then continued, “You want us to take it to Betty’s?”
Hawk asked, “You bring the van?” Ryder nodded. “Yeah, take it all. Then I want you to go see Reaper, see if he is burning anyone tomorrow. Get Grayson added to the lot. Wait until dark before you take the body out, then burn this place to the ground. Keep this contained, you got me?”
“You got it, boss. We’ll be back to get this shithole cleaned up tonight,” Ryder replied. They left without another word. I felt like I had been dropped inside an episode of Sons of Anarchy and that none of this was real. But it was real. Grayson’s dead body in the basement was very real. Is this my life now?
After Ryder and Spike left, I asked Hawk the one question that had been plaguing me since we discovered Mark’s body. “So, with this new discovery, do you think Caden is alive?”
Hawk hesitated for a moment, then said, “Yes, darl’n, it’s looking that way.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? We need to find him!”
“No, Emma, we don’t. He is staying away for a reason. Ice knows what he is doing. He’ll make contact when necessary and he’ll come back when the time is right. It appears that he wants to remain dead for a reason. I’m not sure what that reason is, but if I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with protecting you and the club.” He waited, letting what he said sink in, and then continued, “We need to keep up the pretense that he is dead. Do you ladies understand what I mean by that?”
“I think,” I said. Honey nodded.
“Well, just to make sure we are all on the same page: Emma, you play the part of the grieving widow. Honey, you just lost your best friend. You got me?”
Honey and I both agreed.
“Can you both handle that?” It was not going to be easy, but I trusted Hawk. I didn’t know why—after all, I hardly knew him—but from what I had seen from him in the last several hours, I believed that Caden trusted him. Therefore, I trusted him.
He got up from the table and headed to the back rooms. I assumed he was checking with Dbag and Doc to see what they found. Thinking about all that they were going through, I was thankful that I wasn’t in their shoes. Honey and I just sat at the table and waited. I had no words. Everything Hawk had told me and everything that I had seen today was slowly consuming my thoughts.
Twenty minutes later Hawk returned to the kitchen. “Come on, ladies, let’s get you both home. The boys have things under control here.” We got up to leave. Hawk drove us back to his bike. Before he and Honey left he gave me a piece of paper with some phone numbers on it. “If you need us for anything, Emma, you call me. If you remember anything else, call.” I nodded and got into the driver’s seat. They left and I drove back to my apartment.
As I approached my apartment door, I could see a bouquet of flowers lying at my door. As I got closer, I could see that they had not come from a florist. They were handpicked wildflowers wrapped together with a bow. Pinned to one of the stems was a note:
I hear you say my name
I never left you
I’m everywhere
I kiss your cheek with the wind
I embrace you with the sun
Can you feel our love
Do you know I’m already there1
The note wasn’t signed, but I knew. Caden was indeed alive. This was his way of telling me not to worry about him. Like Hawk said, he was staying away for a reason. I knew he would resurface when the time was right.
Chapter 8
Rebel
I had about five miles to go before I reached Ari’s school by the time I had hung up with Ice. I thought back to our conversation. Had he really just given me his blessing to date his sister? Did I really hear him right? All this time, I had been avoiding a relationship with Ari because I thought Ice would kill me, when really, if I would have just asked him, Ari and I could have been together long ago. I sighed and shook my head. Now was not the time to worry about that. I’d let Ice get this mess straightened out first; I just needed to get Ari home and keep her and Emma safe.
I pulled up to her apartment; I knew she would be home. I’d had her most current class schedule each semester since she started college three years ago. When I knocked, I heard her say, “Coming.” It’d been almost six months since I last saw her, and I wondered if she had changed at all. Just then, she opened the door. She was still as beautiful as ever. “Fire!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking around. I assumed she was looking for her brother or any other members of the club.
“Hey, girl! Aren’t you going to ask me in?” I asked.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. You just surprised me! Come in!”
After I got inside and she closed the door, she ran into my arms and gave me a big hug. Damn, I’ve missed her.
She said, “So why are you here? Is everything ok? Caden?”
“Everyone is fine. But I need to bring you back to Edinboro. We need to leave today.”
“Why, what happened?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you what: why don’t you get some things packed, we’ll go get something to eat before we get on the road, and I’ll tell you everything. How’s that?” She looked at me curiously. She knew there was something that I wasn’t telling her. But like a good girl, she went back into her bedroom and 30 minutes later, she came out with two suitcases.
“Uh, sweetheart, that ain’t gonna work,” I said.
“What?” she asked, confused.
“Darl’n, I’ve just got my bike. I can’t take all that shit.” The look on her face was priceless. I couldn’t help but start laughing at her.
“Fire, stop it! Quit laughing at me!” she yelled.
Shit, she’s mad at me. I walked over to her and pulled her in close. We were nose to nose and I could feel her sweet breath on my face. We were so close that I could have kissed her if I wanted to. Hell, I did want to, but that was for a later time. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted it too. I had to step away, and her look of desire changed to one of disappointment. I said, “I’m not laughing at you. Not really. You’re just cute
, packing your entire life to go home when I am sure you have more than enough clothes and girly things there that you will forget about everything that is in that suitcase.” I paused and then added, “And don’t call me Fire!”
“But you told me to pack! And Fire’s your name.”
“No, it’s not my name. My name is Balefire, but you know I prefer to be called Rebel. That’s the name your brother gave me the day I met him and it’s the name I prefer. And when I told you to pack, I was thinking you’d only take a few things that you absolutely can’t live without. All I got is two saddlebags on my bike, babe, so I really mean a few things. Not your whole fucking closet and bathroom.”
She seemed to calm down, but I could tell she still was not happy. She laid each suitcase down on its side and opened them up. She grabbed her Kindle, her laptop, a bunch of chargers, and a rather large makeup bag. She laid those items on the bed, zipped up the suitcases, and dragged them back to her bedroom. I should have helped her, but I was just a little shocked at what I’d just witnessed. The items that she could not live without were all electronic, except for the makeup bag. I’d expected her to grab a shit-pile of makeup and clothes. Go figure.
She came back out of the bedroom and asked as she gestured toward the items on the bed, “Do you have room for this stuff?”
I smiled. “I sure do. There is probably a little bit more room if there is anything else that you want to take.”
She looked around the room and then turned and walked back to her bedroom. A few seconds later, she came back with a picture frame and a teddy bear. I couldn’t help but smile. I recognized both items. I’d given them both to her on her birthday last year. Inside the picture frame was a picture of the two of us.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yep, let’s go. There is a great place in town to eat. We can go there. Okay?”
“Lead the way, princess!”
After I got her stuff safely stowed, I got on my bike. I turned back toward her and said, “Your turn.” She loved riding, and I loved having her on the back of my bike. As she slowly lifted her leg over my bike to get on, she leaned her body into mine. I could smell her perfume as she pressed snugly up against me. She knew exactly what she was doing and I could feel my dick getting hard. Damn woman, I swear she does that shit just to get a rise out of me … literally. I revved the bike and off we went.
She directed me through town to the Garryowen Irish Pub. I’d heard good things about this place and was looking forward to trying it. I parked the bike and locked it up, and then we headed into the pub. Once we were seated and had ordered our food and drinks, she asked, “Ok, Reb, what’s going on?”
I told her everything. I told her about Emma coming back. I explained to her that Emma’s friend needed the help of the club and that the Satans had her. I told her about Mark Grayson and the clubhouse being bombed. I had to assure her several times that nobody was hurt. She asked, “Ok, so what aren’t you telling me?”
I realized I still had not told her about Ice. “Well, there is more.” I didn’t know where to go. It was like there was a block in my brain. I was just having a hard time asking her to pretend that her brother was dead.
“Rebel, Ice sent you here for a reason. Get to the point. I’m not a kid anymore and I can handle the truth, whatever it is.”
She was right about that, she sure as hell wasn’t a kid anymore. “So, it turns out that this Mark Grayson guy is your half-brother.” I didn’t know how else to tell her except to just come straight out with it.
“Are you crazy? Caden is my only brother.”
I explained to her the connection. I told her that her dad was not Ice’s dad. I told her about Ace. I told her everything.
“So, I have another brother, big deal,” she said nonchalantly.
“Well, sweetheart, there’s more. Grayson is the one that had the clubhouse blown up. He tried to kill Ice. But Ice beat him at his own game and killed him. He’s dead.”
“Okay, what else?”
“This is where it gets a little tricky. Your brother wants the Satans—and the majority of the club—to believe he is dead,” I said, as delicately as I could.
“That’s ridiculous. Why would he want that?”
“Actually, he is doing it for a very good reason. You see, Grayson had big ties to the Satans. If the Satans find out that Ice killed him, they’ll come after him, Emma, the club, and even you. They will go after everything that he loves. He’s lying low so that he can broker a peace between the two clubs. No more biker war and no more worrying about our families.”
“I still don’t fully understand. But I trust my brother. He’s doing what he needs to do, I guess.” She thought a moment and asked, “Why do I have to go home?”
“Well, you and I are the only ones that know for sure that Ice is alive. After today, I’m guessing that Hawk, Emma, and Honey believe that he is alive. And if they do what Ice is expecting them to do, they are going to just let everyone else believe he is dead. I will talk to Hawk when I get back so he knows for sure.”
“So where do I come in? I still don’t understand why I have to go home. It’s my senior year, Rebel. I’m about to graduate from college. If I leave for any extended amount of time, I won’t graduate.”
“Your brother understands that and he will figure things out for you. You know he won’t let you down. But right now, he needs your help. If we want everyone to believe that he is dead, but you don’t come home for any type of service, that would look odd. You need to play the part and mourn him with everyone else. Can you do that?”
She thought for a moment, then said, “Yes, I can. I would do anything for my brother.” She paused for a moment, then added, “Take me home, Reb.”
I motioned for the waitress to bring us our check, paid the bill, and we left. Five minutes later, we were on my bike heading to Edinboro. I was in heaven. I had hours ahead of me with this incredible woman on the back of my bike, her arms around me. One of these days, she was going to be my old lady. Hell, Ice had even said it was ok. Hadn’t he?
Four and a half hours later, we were pulling up to Betty’s Dinor. I had phoned Hawk while we were on the road and told him that I was heading back and that I needed to speak with him. He told me to meet him at Betty’s. After I parked the bike out front, we went inside.
“Why are we here? I thought you were taking me home,” Ari said.
“I am, but I need to talk to Hawk first. Why don’t you get yourself something to eat or drink? I’ll be back down in a few minutes. This won’t take long.”
“Ok. Don’t be too long, I’m tired.”
She’s tired? I’ve been on that bike for over eight hours today. I mean shit, I love my bike, but it’s been a long day for me as well.
I headed to the back of the diner and went up the back steps. I walked into a rather large room with a table in the center. Hawk was sitting at the table. There were four other doors off to the side, but all in all, it was a really small space compared to what we’d had at the clubhouse. “You got Ari?” Hawk asked.
“Yep, she’s downstairs waiting. Do you have a minute to talk?” I asked.
“Sure, things are quiet right now. It’s been a busy and informative day.”
“Tell me about it,” I said.
“So, what’s up?”
“Ice is alive.” I didn’t know how else to say it except to just put it out there.
He didn’t look too surprised. Ice had said that he would probably have figured things out by now, and apparently he had.
“I figured as much. You’ve talked to him?”
“Yeah, he called me right after he killed Grayson.” Hawk looked a little slighted and I felt that I needed to justify Ice’s actions. “I think he called me first because he knew that you would have so many things to take care of after the explosion and his disappearance. He needed me to get Ari, and he knew that as soon as you found Grayson, you would know he was alive. He’s been watching you all, so he knew that you g
uys did indeed find Grayson. You get all that, right?”
Hawk’s demeanor softened a bit—it looked like he was starting to see the big picture. None of us had time right now for hurt feelings. “Yeah, I get it. So what’s his plan?”
“Well, he wants me to take Ari, Emma, and Honey to his house on the lake. He believes that they will be safe there until he can get things figured out.”
“Figured out? Is he winging this?” Hawk asked, irritated.
“No, he has a plan. He just needs us to keep up the pretense that he is dead. He knows that you and the girls know he’s alive, but everyone else needs to believe he is dead—especially the Satans. If they think he is dead, then they will not know if he killed Grayson or if Grayson killed him. They will hold back on their retaliation until that is confirmed. That buys him time to work on brokering a peace between the two clubs. That’s his plan.”
“So he wants a wake and he wants peace?” Hawk asked.
“Yeah, I believe so. We are all tired of this feud between the clubs. Aren’t you?”
“I am,” he said, sounding tired. Then he added with a laugh, “I will be happy when we get back to the days of being Harley enthusiasts!”
“Me too, but there’s more.”
“More?”
“He knows why Mark did all this. Brianne, Emma, all of it.”
“I figured it was because Ice took his woman.”
“No. It goes much deeper than that. Brace yourself.” I paused for a moment, then continued, “Mark Grayson is Ace’s son. So is Ice.” I waited for him to let that information sink in.
“What? Who told you this?”
“Ice did. Can you believe that?” I paused again, then added, “Ace had Grayson first. His mom abandoned him and left him with Ace. Ace gave him up for adoption because he felt that his MC life wasn’t a good life for his kid. Later, Ace had an affair with Ice’s mom before she got married. When she got pregnant, he told her to raise the kid on her own. Told her that the MC life wasn’t a place to raise a kid. She married Tyler Jackson and everyone believed that Ice was Tyler’s kid. Ice joining the club after his parents died was all by chance. And I guess when Ace figured out who he was, he felt there was no harm since he was all grown up and he had just lost his parents. When Grayson found out, he got pissed ‘cause he felt that Ice stole the life that was meant for him. So for years now, he’d been planning his revenge on his brother. Taking Brianne was part of it as well. She found out who he was and was going to tell Emma. He had to silence her, and the only way he knew how without just killing her was to get the Satans involved.”
