by Nicole Snow
“Prez, I can't go to jail for this shit. Cora, Lucy...” He drew a deep breath, the words he wouldn't say choking him.
“Forget it, brother,” I said, grabbing his hand. “I'm stepping outside as soon as they give the word. Won't put up a fight. When they take me into custody, and start asking questions, it's on me. Everything.”
His eyes flew open. Wide with disbelief, he looked at me while I turned my attention to my son, the fragile little infant I'd never get a chance to raise proper. He shifted in his blankets, somewhere between sleep and consciousness.
“Take care of my boy, whatever the fuck happens.”
“Prez, he's my nephew. I'll back him up with my life, just like my Lucy.”
“Yeah, fuck yeah,” I said, giving his hand one more squeeze while I stood. “I know you will.”
Every second ticked by, more precious than the last, because they were my last as a free man with my family and my brothers.
I kept counting in my head, expecting those doors to swing open any time, clearance for a dozen cops to pull me out and throw me on the ground with my hands behind my back.
Got to a hundred and twenty before I looked at Firefly. He was just as confused as me, whispering in the darkness while he stroked Hannah's brow. “What the fuck?”
The cops never waited this long if they suspected something was up. And with our biker convey roaring out on the road, in a town that just had a murderous rampage at the hospital, they had to by now.
What. The. Fuck?
I repeated it as soon as the van started moving. We were on the road again, heading down the highway.
For once, the prayers I hadn't even said were answered.
We drove on through the night, only stopping for gas a couple times before we hit the Arkansas border, still a long ways to Tennessee. Didn't bother asking why we'd gotten away 'til we were filling up, roughly halfway home.
Found ourselves a hospital out in the sticks, where nobody would ask too many questions. Carried my girl in, told them to get on her, and waited with half the brothers in the lobby, holding my son for the very first time. The other boys helped Joker in, making sure he got patched up good and proper, faking a story about a hunting accident.
“Anybody gonna tell me why we ain't sitting in a cell right now?” I asked, trying my hand at giving the little man some formula.
“Bribes go a big way in the boonies,” Skin said. “So does smooth talking truth.”
“Truth?” My eyes narrowed, and I pulled the bottle from my son's mouth. “What'd you tell 'em?”
“That the bastards they were looking for fled on foot, up the road. Had them do a quick check on the Sicilian Brotherhood. They'd never heard of our MC before, but there was plenty online about the mafia for anybody to see. Every Sheriff and his boys in these small towns wants their chance to play hero. I told him he'd find one dead bastard back in the parking lot and some property damage we'd be happy to pay for. Said we were no angels, and asked him if it really mattered who the fuck we were, long as we kicked a global crime syndicate outta their town.”
I frowned. What he'd just done...crazy didn't begin to describe it. He'd effectively given them a full confession, something that would bite us big if the cops took the initiative to get the Feds involved.
“Wait. You're telling me they took the bait and agreed to keep their mouths shut, Skinny boy? How fuckin' lucky can we get?”
How much can we trust them to follow through? I thought, keeping it to myself.
He shook his head. “They didn't promise anything, Prez. But the older one, he said he'd seen a lot of shit before – used to be on the force in Baltimore. He'd heard about the big wolves running on his turf, seen plenty of evidence, and never caught any 'til now. Only took a few minutes for his men to head up the road and get the assholes who'd fled in custody. As for us, he didn't seem too interested, especially when I dropped fifteen-K for them to share.”
“Christ, Skin. Bribery. You got any clue how damned –“
“Risky? You bet it was. And it saved your ass, Prez. Saved all of us.”
How could I argue? We'd rolled the dice for the tenth time since we went off on this mission, and our winning streak held one more time.
“You know I wouldn't have gone this crazy if I thought there was another out. Didn't see any, especially with Joker bleeding in the backseat, next to that sick fuck still waiting for us outside. I wish there'd been another way, Prez. Really.”
“Quit wishing. Come here, brother.” I shuffled the baby over to one arm while I threw the other one around Skinny boy, hugging him tight.
We'd saved each other's asses plenty of times. This was one more, and I'd lost track of the tab a long time ago.
Skin pulled away, smiling, rifling a hand across the top of my kid's head. “Looks like he's gonna be strong, Prez. He's got your eyes.” He paused, leaning in closer, lowering his voice. “What the fuck are we gonna do with mafia man, anyway? Wait 'til we're home to figure it out?”
I looked down at my son, who'd had his fill for dinner, sucking on the bottle just a little while ago. Hugging him tighter, he squirmed a little in my arms, slowly easing into a heavy sleep.
I'd get him checked up as soon as some doc had an opening. He seemed healthy enough, at least. Thankfully, the jackals we'd downed hadn't done any lasting damage. But fuck, the scare they'd given everyone, plus the scars they'd left on my girl...
“Let me make sure my boy's ready for bed. Then we'll go out to the van, drive up the road, and finish this shit once and for all.”
Less than five minutes later, I rode with Skin while he drove the other van we'd commandeered, sitting in the passenger seat. We found ourselves a farm field about twelve miles up the road – abandoned, judging by the overgrown road leading up to the broken buildings.
“Stay put. Watch my son,” I said, handing the sleeping baby off to Skin. Firefly took my spot in the passenger seat a second later, ready to play big uncle, pulling double duty so my kid would never be leaving our sight again.
I motioned for them to drive down the road. Not too far, but enough so there was no chance of my son hearing any screams.
Not like there was a lot of risk out here. We had wide open spaces, plus the walls of these vans were pretty thick. It wasn't a battle anymore, with Dom chained up like a dog in the back, awaiting his fate. Sixty and Crawl stood next to the van, near the back. They swung the doors wide open as soon as I nodded.
“No more. Please.” Asshole raised his hand, still conscious and strong enough to protect his eyes from the flashlight I shined in his face, stepping inside.
He looked white and clammy. He'd lost a lot of blood. His legs didn't seem to work quite right from the nerve damage my shot did.
“It's not too fucking late,” he said, speaking with a jagged rasp. “Don't be an idiot, Dust. We can forget all about the debt, the blood that's been shed, the stupid goddamned girl. I'll give you anything you want. There's almost eleven million in the bank and plenty more offshore. Easy to grab out of my Virgin Islands accounts. It's all yours, if you'll just let me go. Your club, your family...you could all be rich. Very, very comfortable.”
I looked at him for a long, hard second. Never seriously considered the offer before I stomped his hand, pressing down with my boot, splintering several fingers.
“How many times did Hannah beg?” I growled, increasing my weight while I crouched down on my knees, switchblade in hand. “You think money even fuckin' matters at this point?”
Behind me, the boys gently laid down the tools I needed to give this prick a one way ticket to the next world. Dom stared at me in the darkness, his eyes wide and watery.
No surprise. The biggest, most merciless bastards always became dickless cowards in the end.
“It's never too late to negotiate, Dust. Come on!” He blinked slowly, licking his cracked, dry lips. “We've both been in this world for a long time. I made you name your price when I had the edge. It's yours now. Please, just t
ell me, how much to make this right?”
I brought out my pipe, gave it a light, and pulled it to my lips. Pushed smoke into his evil face 'til he coughed, while I reached for the pliers tucked behind me.
“Let's get one thing straight, motherfucker,” I snarled, moving my foot on his hand 'til he groaned. “Soon as my bullet hit your back, you were done asking questions, or making demands. That's my job. I'm only gonna ask you about my girl begging one more time before I rip out your tongue – how many times?”
I needed to know how much he'd made her suffer. Had a damned good idea the answer was too much. And I'd make him pay for all of it, one meticulous, cruel inch of flesh at a time.
“Dozens, okay! Maybe hundreds. Honest. Now, can we make a fucking deal?”
I smiled grimly in the dark. This was gonna be good because he still had hope.
Half the demons we'd killed before went out defiant. They knew they were done, and they died like men. Went down snarling, fighting, spitting in our faces to the very end.
The rest whined like bitches, having their sick egos smashed before their bodies were bent and dead.
I thought about my son sleeping with my brothers, about a mile down the road. My woman, too, back at the hospital, slowly working herself up from hell with all the medicine they'd pumped in her system. They'd noticed the kid, the bruises all over her, the obvious signs that she'd just popped out a baby. We'd be paying plenty to shut the doctors up once we were done.
Primal anticipation churned in my blood, but it felt different than it always did before.
Sure, I wanted to kill this fuck. Make him suffer for everything he'd done, but I also wanted to wrap it up because it'd become a damned chore.
The last thing keeping me from my love, my family, was the pathetic, whimpering mess at my feet.
Fuck, this asshole would be crying for his mama before the night was through if I left his tongue intact, guaranteed.
I tilted the heavy pliers in my hand with a heavy sigh, turning my head behind me. “Give me some privacy, brothers. Start the bonfire for this asshole's bones where nobody going down the road can see.”
Smiling, Sixty and Crawl nodded, then slammed the door shut.
I held the freak down who'd nearly ripped it all away from me, shoving the steel pliers past his filthy teeth, grabbing his tongue.
No sense in mentioning what came next. A southern man doesn't torture and tell, even when it involves the most deserving sonsofbitches in the entire universe.
Dom suffered mightily with just the pliers and my raw knuckles. By the time I brought out my switchblade, the battery with the wires, and the acid shit they poured down factory farm drains to dissolve animal fat, the asshole was crying, screaming, blubbering one thing he couldn't pronounce with his fucked up mouth.
Mama.
Hours later, after we burned Dom's body and scattered the ashes to the Arkansas winds, we were back at the hospital. I'd cleaned up at a quick pit stop on the way, and now I sat next to my woman, holding her hand, our son cradled in my other arm.
Outside, the first rays of dawn blinked through the cold, grey horizon. I was nodding off in the dead silence, next to Firefly, when her fingers stirred on mine.
“Dusty?”
“I'm here, darlin'. So's the kid.” I picked her hand up in mine, brought it to my lips, and savored her skin. She already felt cooler, healthier than she had a few hours ago.
“I'm sorry I took off. I never should've ran. I was scared, terrified of hurting anyone. You, Huck, the baby I found out was growing inside me. I –“
“Forget it, sis,” Firefly said next to me. “You need rest right now. We've got nothing to discuss.”
“He's right,” I said, laying my lips on her fingers again. “Past is the past, babe. Dom and his boys are gone. Ain't never gonna bother you again, and neither will anything else. Your job's getting well for me so we can go home. You rest, and we'll talk about the things that matter when you're good and ready, like naming our boy.”
She smiled. It was one of those slow burning lip curls that would've caused any man's heart to do a dive, seeing it on his woman's face. Especially when the waterworks came a second later.
I brushed away the hot tears rolling down her cheeks with my fingertips. She'd cried enough for ten lives, dammit.
“Hank,” she said softly. “That's what I want to call him.”
“Hank,” I repeated, rolling it over in my mind. “Hank Daniel Grayson's got a nice ring to it.”
No lie. It was a good name, a strong name, and it lined up with a couple of my favorite country singers, too.
“Shit, darlin', it's supposed to be tougher than this. Now, what're we gonna knock around when you're well enough to have lunch?”
She laughed softly. Must've taken all her strength because one quiet minute later, I felt her slipping away again, back into the peaceful, happy place she went to for healing.
When I turned around, Firefly had a smile on his face, staring off into the distance. “What's the word, brother?”
“Good old Uncle Hank kept everything afloat when Ma ran outta money. Huge honor if you're giving your boy his name.”
“Didn't know him,” I said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “But if he had anything to do with you and Hannah growing into the people I love and trust, I'm sold. We're brothers by blood. Not just patch anymore.”
“Prez, a week ago, I still wanted to punch your fuckin' eyes out for dragging my sis deeper into this life. Just want to say, I was a damned fool. She belongs in this club. Same way she oughta be with you, Cap'n.”
I gave his shoulder one more firm squeeze before I brought both my big arms back around the baby, snoozing softly on my lap. Little Hank was part of this family, too.
I had a chance to give him the good, without the bad.
I'd shelter this boy from the violence, the evil, all the dirty shit that stained a man's soul. I'd watch him grow up with Lucy, Bingo, and Joker's Alex. All the brothers, their kids, their friends, and all the new women and babies to come for the boys who hadn't settled down yet.
Yeah, this boy in my arms was one tiny, beautiful blank slate who'd walk away from this life with nothing but the very best written all over him. Right now, all he had scrawled on him was love.
Two Months Later
Winter loosened her grip. Bones and bruises healed. Dom's ashes blew to the seven winds, meaning nobody ever had to think about his evil ass again.
We were a family. Finally.
Nothing made me happier than coming home to that woman and my son, helping her along as much as I could 'til she healed up all the way.
Always heard babies were a lot of work, and the people who told me weren't lying. Still didn't feel like much after what we'd gone through to get here, changing dirty diapers and rocking him to sleep, holding my boy on the sofa with my woman curled up next to me.
Heaven? Fuck yeah, I'd arrived.
Only thing missing was a proper entrance. I set everything up in secret, rounding up Ma, the boys, and their old ladies.
It was just a couple weeks after we'd finished cleaning Hannah's massive house, and passed it over to the new buyers at closing. She'd let the mansion go to liquidate her debts and restart her career. She'd made off with plenty, and we'd be comfortable as hell once we found something nicer, without the stress.
For now, she didn't mind my place. It was familiar, easy to manage, somewhere she could focus on what really mattered, and who the hell was I to argue?
When I came in that day, winding down the icy streets through town, straight from finishing business at the clubhouse, she wasn't expecting a thing.
“Oh, great timing. I was just about to leave to get Hank from your Ma.” She gave me that sass, perfectly timed to showing off the curve of her ass that made me want to forget everything, push her against the counter, and take her then and there.
“Forget it, darlin'. He's spending all night with grandma.” I stared at her, propping myself up with
one arm, leaning on the wall.
She froze. Turned her little eyes my way, the laughter all gone, studying my pose. Couldn't figure out why I sounded so damned serious, when I looked so casual.
“What's going on? We're not on lockdown, are we?”
I shook my head, hiding the smile trying to infiltrate my lips. “Go upstairs and change into your best that'll still let you on my bike. Meet me outside.”
Didn't say another word. I left her standing there while I went outside and had a quick puff off my pipe.
This is it, boy. Biggest fuckin' day of your life, if tying the knot the first time and seeing your kid wasn't enough. You ready?
Hadn't heard that voice in my head for months. Early's ghost deserted me ever since I used the last few months' blood and tears to smooth things over.
I saw him coldly in the corner of my eye, looking as somber as the day he died in that wreck, propped up in his coffin, the hard demon edges he'd lived by subdued for once in his life. My old man looked on sadly, like he couldn't believe I'd done what he couldn't, and now I stood to reap the rewards forever.
“Ready? I've been waiting my whole life. Went through hell to have it, and I'll work like hell to keep it.” I stubbed my pipe out and tucked it into my pocket, half a second before I heard the garage door opening behind me.
“Who were you talking to?” She stood at the edge of the driveway, several feet from my bike, looking good enough to devour with her high brown boots, short black skirt, and purple top clinging to every raw inch I wanted to claim again. Preferably over and over.
“Nobody who matters, darlin'. You ready?” I reached for the spare helmet on my bike and pushed it toward her.
“I guess. Still can't say I'm a fan of the mystery going on here,” she said, eyes narrowed playfully. She took the helmet from my hands, strapping it onto her head.
“It'll be worth it, babe. Trust me. There's a lot of shit I didn't do right when I should have. Today, I'm fixing it.”
