Viper had attempted to use the information he had to keep Devil away from Jennie and her two sons. But his plan hadn't worked out like he had hoped. Devil had kept detailed information on what every member of the MC had done for years. His journals had included every drug and gun distribution run made, as well as all drug and gun purchases made, kills made, along with a variety of other crimes.
Simply put, Devil had blackmailed Viper and Viper had blackmailed Devil. They found themselves at a stalemate. Part of Devil's blackmail demanded that Rebel prospect and join the club and nothing was going to change his mind on that. He even threatened that if Rebel didn't prospect, he'd kill Jennie. Rebel was the oldest of Devil and Jennie's two sons, Spawn being the youngest.
Viper had apparently been thinking, planning, and strategizing for years, trying to figure out a way to get both his Old Ladies, Mia and Jennie, along with their children, away from Devil's clutches. To Viper, Reb was just as much of a son to him as his biological sons were. Spawn apparently was just like his dad and had moved in with Devil when he was nine.
After hearing that Reb and Pred were that concerned about their pops, ARMC decided to issue an invitation to Viper to come visit us with the possibility of patching over himself. I called and talked to Viper to issue the invitation, and just from that phone call alone, I was fucking impressed with him. That call had been about ten months ago; about two months later, he brought his family down for a visit. It had been a joint effort to keep the visit quiet. The SoSMC didn't need to hear any word of what Viper was contemplating.
I had been feeling restless the last few years but hadn't been able to figure out why, that is until I met Viper and his family. During the visit with the MC and subsequently observing him with his Old Ladies and kids, it had started me thinking. It bugged the hell out of me what exactly it was about him that was causing me to feel so disturbed.
The more I watched him interact with his family, the deeper the feeling of unquiet became. When the answer hit me three months ago, it had washed over me like a tidal wave. I wanted what he had or close to it. I wanted a woman and children. Yes, I had Beau, but he was a grown man with his own life to live.
Fuck, here I was at forty-three years old and figured I was already past my prime for that. However, upon seeing how Viper interacted with his family, especially with his women, it made me realize that maybe I wasn't too old after all, especially since I’m only two years older than him. The children though might be another issue. Damn, surely, I was too old to be a daddy again.
It's funny that I never realized what was wrong, there are Brothers in the MC that are around my age with the whole kit and caboodle. Hell, I had grown up with them and seeing all of them every day was the norm, so it hadn't even crossed my mind that I was feeling fucking lonely. It made me feel petty that I was fucking envious of Viper; well maybe not him per se, but what he had. He was a happy and contented man and it showed on his face that he was a man well pleased with his life.
“Hey, Brother,” I said to him as he put his plate down onto the table. “You usually don’t come to the Clubhouse for breakfast, your Old Ladies get smart and kick you out?”
He laughed at that and said, “Nah Dog, they're both sleeping.”
“Ah fuck, Vip. I don't want to hear about how you wore them out.”
“Well, there is that,” he commented as he smirked at me. “But, that's not the reason I'm eating here this morning. I'll probably be eating down here in the mornings a lot more often in the upcoming months.”
“Fuck, Brother. Something wrong?”
“Nothing that twenty-three or so weeks won't cure.”
I looked at him puzzled. What the fuck was he talking about? For the life of me, I didn't have a clue.
“Gotta help a Brother out here, Vip. I'm totally clueless.”
He barked out a laugh, “Mia and Jennie are both seventeen weeks pregnant.”
I looked at him stunned and opened my mouth to say something but didn't know what the fuck to say.
“Yeah, you're looking right now about how I felt yesterday when we learned the news. I was freaking the fuck out inside. Hell, I'm forty-one and about to become a dad again.”
“Why didn't you say anything at Church last night?”
“Fuck, Dog. I was still trying to wrap my head around it. Jemma is the last baby I've held, and she is fifteen years old. I don't even know if I remember how to handle babies anymore.”
“You happy about it?” I inquired as I took a drink of my coffee.
Hell, I felt like I needed a drink of whiskey. This was touching to close to home for me. I had to admit however to being curious as hell how he was feeling about the news. Maybe it would give me some insight into my own situation.
“You know at first, I was stunned. Didn't really know how to feel or what to think for that matter. Years ago, both my Old Ladies lost babies the same year. They've never taken birth control and I fucking hate rubbers, so I figured over the years they would have gotten pregnant again, but they never did. So imagine my surprise when I was told they were pregnant yesterday.”
He blew on his coffee, then took a drink of it.
“You know, now that I've had time to process it all, I'm fucking ecstatic about it. I always wanted more kids with them. They're wonderful mothers.”
“So now you're gonna have two little ones running around here soon.” I said as I took a bite of eggs.
“Four.”
I coughed and choked on my eggs. I beat myself in the chest a minute until I could talk again.
“Did you just fucking say four?”
“Yep.”
“Four?”
“Yep.”
“Fuck, you're pulling my leg about all this shit aren't you. Good one, Brother.” I shook my head at him as I looked at him disbelievingly.
“Totally serious, Dog. Mia and Jennie are both carrying twins. A boy and a girl each. And check this shit out, the doc when she told us the sex, said it was very obvious to make out which were boys. ‘Definitely male’ were her words.” He smirked at me as he repeated what the doc had said.
“You're totally fucking serious, aren't you?” I was so involved in our conversation that I didn't even pay attention to the fact that someone had walked up on us.
“Damn, Pops. You already telling everyone?” Reb asked Viper as he leaned over and stole a piece of bacon off his plate.
“Dog ain't everyone, son. He's my Prez and needs to know what's going on in my life. This is the type of shit that Prez's and VP's need to know about their men. They need to know in case I have to be away from my job or if something comes up that might possibly stop me from doing anything they might need me to do.”
I nodded at Viper. He was totally right. I would be making sure he wasn't sent anywhere that wouldn't enable him to get back to the club pretty damn quick.
“Never thought about it like that, Pops,” Reb replied as he turned and headed toward the kitchen.
“Where you heading to, Reb?”
“Gonna grab a couple bacon, egg and cheese biscuits. That damn Mel, can cook her ass off and if I don't get them now, there won't be any left in another hour or so. Getting Pred and Jace a couple as well, some of us are going for a ride to clear the cobwebs out of our heads. Prez generously gave us the day off. Wanna come?”
“Nah, son. Think I'll just stay around here and stay close in case your moms need anything. Y'all have a good ride.”
“Will do. Prez, you want to join us?”
“Sounds tempting, but I have some things I need to do later. For sure I'll go on the next one.”
“Catch y'all on the flip side,” Reb told us as he went through the kitchen entrance.
“You raised a mighty fine young man there, Vip.”
“Yeah, I'm pretty proud of Reb, Pred and Jace. But Beau is nothing to sneeze at, Brother. That young man has a fucking good head on his shoulders.”
I smiled as I thought of my son. He has fucking made me proud every day of
his life.
“I was blessed, Brother, to have him in my life.”
Viper sat quietly for a moment; I could tell he was wanting to ask me something but wasn't sure if he should.
“Go ahead Brother, I can tell you’re wanting to ask something.”
“Did you ever think about claiming another Old Lady or getting married again and having more kids? If that's stepping on toes, Dog, forget I asked the question.”
I looked at him wondering if I really wanted to talk about how I had been feeling lately. I'd always thought sharing one’s feelings was for women. But since Viper and I became friends, that belief was changing. I knew if I told him my deepest darkest secrets the man would never breathe a word to anyone about them.
“You know I always thought only pussies talked about their feelings. But seriously Brother, I think I could do with having someone to hash out what's been bouncing around in my head lately.”
“Brother, I'm here for you for anything. I'll tell you something, before coming here I didn't talk to anyone about anything personal. I felt like an island. I had to be on watch constantly and never allowed myself to get really close to any of the Brothers. And Dog, Rogue is a good guy and around my age, but I couldn't do anything to jeopardize my family and that included getting close to a Brother.”
He took a bite of his biscuits and gravy and washed it down with a drink of coffee.
“Now what I'm about to say next makes me sound like one of those fucking pussy men. I've always been a little bit envious of the closeness Reb and Pred have. They know that they will be there for each other for anything, and I mean anything. While I know the Brothers here will do that for me, there's still a difference in trusting someone enough to be a confidant; and Dog, I feel that with you.”
Damn, I swear at times the man had to be related to Seer. It's like he could see into your mind and know what you were thinking.
“Funny you should say that, been feeling the exact same way about you, Brother. Yeah, I've had all these men, my Brothers, around most of my life. Hell, Hoss is only two years younger than me, but while we've always been close friends as well as brothers, we never really confided in each other a lot growing up. I think part of that was because Beth was my best friend until the day she died, and I talked to her about everything.”
I took a bite off a piece of bacon and pushed the eggs around on my plate.
“For the last few years, I'd been feeling real restless and I couldn't figure out what was causing it until I met you and your Old Ladies, then it hit me what it was.”
He arched an eyebrow toward me, “You're a man who is lonely, wanting a good woman and possibly more children.”
“How the fuck you do that shit? Are you sure you aren't kin to Seer? I swear you gotta be kin to him.”
Viper laughed lightly, “Nah, I've just had to be very observant my whole life. I’ve learned how to read people pretty well.”
“Damn, I'll say so.”
I took a drink of my coffee, grimaced and shuddered. I fucking hated cold coffee. Viper grinned at me; he knew what had caused my shudder. I stood up with my cup in my hand.
“Gonna get fresh coffee, you want another cup?”
He held up his cup to me, “Black.”
I nodded at him then crossed over to the coffee pot to get fresh cups of the brew for us. I glanced around and was amazed there still wasn't anyone other than us in here. Usually, the room was packed. I placed his cup down in front of him as I sat back down at the table.
“So, do you think I'm too old to even be thinking about this shit?”
He coughed.
“Too old? What the fuck you mean?”
“Hell, Viper. I'm forty-three years old. Isn't that too old to be thinking about starting all over with the whole woman and possibly kids’ thing?
“Fuck no, I don't. You're two years older than I am.”
I inclined my head at him.
“You think I'm too old for it?”
I shook my head, “No, I don't. But you make that fucking shit look easy, plus you and your Old Ladies have been together forever. Beth died twenty years ago this year, Brother. Other than screwing club girls, I haven't been with another woman. Not sure I even know how to have a relationship anymore. Add in the fact I don’t even know where the hell I would find a woman. It won't be any of those girls that come for Friday night parties, I'll tell you that for sure.”
“Agree with you there, Brother. Most of those girls just want two things. They either want dick, or they want to try to bag themselves a biker. Not sure what to tell you about where to find a woman. I haven't really looked at another woman for years. Yeah, sometimes I'll see a woman and think she's attractive, but it's more in an abstract kind of way.”
“I hear you. When Beth was alive, I don't think I ever looked at another woman as being attractive. It just never crossed my mind to look at other women that way. Speaking of girls, I think I'm gonna call an impromptu Church tomorrow before the barbecue. Not gonna make it mandatory, I just got to thinking that soon we'll be voting in more Brothers and with only four girls here for them, that will be spreading them a little too thin.”
He tilted his head at me while I took another drink of coffee.
“You know, Vip. I haven't wanted to fuck a woman for the last three months, not since I realized what was troubling me. Fuck, Mel slapped my ass this morning and gave me the come-hither look, and my fucking cock didn't even twitch. Not one single fucking inkling of interest.”
“Fuck, Dog. We gotta find you a woman.”
“You seriously happy about having more children?”
“Yeah, Dog. I am. I know it's going to be wild around the house, and I'm sure Mia, Jennie and I are going to look and feel like walking zombies, but I honestly can't wait to hold my kids once they arrive, to be there for them for everything. I've always loved being a dad.”
“Yeah, Brother. I love it as well.”
“Gonna grab a couple cinnamon rolls and go check on my women. If you need me for anything, just holler.”
“Will do, Brother.”
~***~
Chapter 2
The years go by. The time, it does fly. Every single second is a moment in time that passes. And it seems like nothing – but when you are looking back… well, it amounts to everything.
~Ray Bradbury~
Mad Dog
May 24th, 1998
As I sat in the meeting room where we held Church, my hands caressed the smooth finish of the handmade table several of the Founders created at the inception of the MC. It still held a high gloss to it. Sarge and Gunny put a coat of polyurethane on it once a year to preserve the integrity of the oak wood. Burnt into the center of the table was our emblem.
Our emblem consisted of a Harley V-twin engine surrounded by angel wings that tapered down past the bottom of the engine. Directly under the engine are the words ‘We Protect Our Own’, part of our MC’s motto. Above the wings sat a crooked halo, because it’s for damn sure there isn’t a man in this club that hasn’t broken the law in the name of protecting our members or their families.
Painted on the wall behind my chair were our colors which were similar to a lot of other 1%’er clubs out there. The top rocker stated our club name, Angel’s Rebellion, our emblem in the center, and the bottom rocker denoting our location, Arkansas. The club’s motto of ‘Our Own We Protect, We Protect Our Own’ was painted on the wall that faced my chair.
A wooden gavel rested on the table in front of my seat, but I rarely used it. If the men didn't respect me enough to get quiet when I said it was time to begin, then we had a problem. I felt that over the years I had earned the respect of every Brother here, so it was a rare occurrence for them not to come to order. The men knew that I wouldn't put up with anything hinting at disrespect for very long. I learned a lot by watching Sarge while he was the President, and he didn't take any shit off anyone.
I sent out a message last night calling for Church to start an hour be
fore the barbecue at noon. I stated that the meeting wasn't mandatory, but I had a feeling every Brother would show up. I watched as the men trickled in, each one putting their phones in the wire basket that was attached to the wall beside the door leading into the meeting room. Since cell phones came out, it had become a rule that they wouldn’t be allowed in church. We didn’t need the distraction of them going off while we were discussing business.
Several were already holding a beer making me wish I had gotten one before I came in. I watched as Viper put his phone into the basket, the man was carrying two beers. He must be thinking we were gonna be here awhile. I didn't plan on the meeting lasting that long. As he passed by me making his way down to his seat, he deposited one of the beers beside me.
As soon as he was seated, I picked it up and held it toward him and nodded my thanks. I opened it and took a long drink. I felt parched. This May was already hotter than normal and if this was any indication for the summer, it was gonna be hotter than hell here. The humidity in Arkansas made the summers a living nightmare sometimes.
As soon as everyone got settled, I started, “I want to thank you all for coming today. Like I texted, the meeting wasn't mandatory.”
“Fuck, Dog. We were coming to the barbecue, anyway. Why wouldn't we come to this?” Hoss asked me as he shoved a cookie into his mouth.
“Barbecue wasn't mandatory either, Brother. Wasn't sure who all would be here.”
“How many of these fucking leeches do you think would turn down free food, Prez?” Cueball asked me as he munched on a cookie himself.
“Are y'all fucking starving?” I asked the room.
Everybody but Viper nodded. I looked at him and arched a brow.
He smirked at me, “My Old Ladies made the cookies, Prez. Had my fill at home.”
I rolled my eyes at them. Leeches indeed.
“And none of you fuckers could bring me some?”
All I got in return were looks of disbelief.
Mad Dog (Angel’s Rebellion MC: #2) (Angel's Rebellion MC) Page 4
