by Snow, Nicole
“Decided I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with this woman, Grandpa. You were right.” Joker's huge arm went around my shoulder and pulled me close. I held Alex a little tighter in my lap, sitting in the chair next to him.
The three of us were gathered around another table in the commons area, Bingo laying at our feet. This shouldn't have felt so natural, so fast, like I belonged...but God help me, it did.
Grandpa Taylor beamed at both of us. “No shit? 'Bout time you finally decided to settle down, Jackson. A man can share the sheets with a thousand different women, but there's only one that'll ever matter. What's the story with the kid, again?”
I looked at him and blushed. Raw, intense heat came over my face.
Things were going perfectly. Too perfect.
I expected a disaster any second, some offhand slur or gesture ruining the moment.
“Stand up, Summertime,” Joker whispered, helping me up with a gentle hand. “Pass him Alex. It's time you met your great grandson.”
The old man's eyes bugged out. Didn't stop him from holding his old hands out, wrapping them around Alex, and pulling him into his lap when I passed him over.
“Goddamn. Great grandson?” he repeated, staring into the little boy's matching hazel eyes. “How? When?”
They all had them, the Taylors. If there was any doubt in the back of his mind, Alex's eyes told his great grandpa the truth, shining with an honesty no one could deny.
“Shit. Don't tell me,” the old man said, his voice growing softer. “Doesn't matter. I know it's true. This boy, Jackson...he looks like you. Like us.”
“Damned straight,” Joker growled. When his grandfather looked up, he was smiling. “We had a fling back in Seddon, 'bout three years ago. She came back and filled me in. We've smoothed things over, Grandpa. We're making them right. Never thought I'd have a family so damned fast, but here I am. Want you to be a part of it, same as always.”
“Jesus, boy!” Grandpa Taylor smiled at the little boy in his arms.
No, correction – Great Grandpa Taylor.
Alex bobbed his head, unsure what to make of the old man holding him. “You don't have to ask. The rights and wrongs in the past don't matter worth a damn. Only thing that counts is the now, and I'm telling you, I wanna see this boy here every week. All the good weeks I got left to this earth.”
“Not a problem, Mister Taylor,” I said, grabbing the old man's arm and giving it a friendly squeeze. “Alex needs more strong, smart men in his life. Two Taylors are better than one.”
Beneath me, Bingo stretched, wagging his tail. It was early afternoon. Orange sunlight poured through the blinds behind us, giving everything a dreamy, bright glow.
My heart probably grew several sizes in a few seconds. And for once, I wasn't afraid of it, scared that it'd all be taken away from me in the blink of an eye.
We were a family. We were man and woman, new blood and old. Just two rough bastards and a bitch trying to hang up their darkness, and a sweet, innocent babe who hadn't decided yet who he'd become.
I sat down next to Grandpa, grabbing Joker's hand. He laced his fingers through mine, squeezing to add his warmth, his reassurance, his joy.
Never gonna let you go, babe, he said with his touch. Never.
“How old is he?” Grandpa Taylor asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Just celebrated his second birthday a couple months ago,” I said, reaching over with my free hand to ruffle the little boy's hair.
He looked at me, smiling, and then did the same to the old man. “Dina-dina-sore!” Alex jerked, reaching out with his tiny hands to touch the old man's weathered cheeks.
My mouth dropped open. I looked at Grandpa Taylor apologetically. “I'm sorry! I've been reading him a lot of dinosaur stories lately before bedtime. He doesn't really mean you.”
“Forget it. Just forget it, hon',” the old man said, chuckling and hugging Alex tighter. “Kid's a damned natural. Didn't Joker tell you my road name was Steg? All those spikes we used to wear on our leather and helmets in the old days...”
Laughing, I relaxed, shaking my head. “No, no!”
“Who the fuck knew the kid had a psychic streak?” Joker said quietly, squeezing my hand tighter. “He's got your brains for sure, Grandpa. Watched him solve the shit outta his numbers game this morning.”
“Damn! You don't know what that means, huh?” Grandpa Taylor looked at us, waiting for us to both lean in anxiously. “Already had a lot of checks to write to catch up on all the birthdays and Christmases I missed. Now, I'm gonna have throw money at him for learning like a good boy, too.”
I laughed. My heart fluttered deep in my chest. Alex really couldn't ask for a better grandfather, and I couldn't ask for a better adopted family, something I thought I'd never have after mama died.
I wasn't blind.
The Deadhands were still out there, ready to ride in anytime and knock everything to hell. But today, I had hope.
I had life. More than I'd had for the past three years, desperately scrapping by all alone, trying to do the best for my baby. And maybe, I finally had love.
Bingo walked over, pushing his big head into my lap. Reaching down, I scratched his head, watching as the dog's tongue rolled out lazily.
“There's one more thing I want to hear about,” the old man said, shooting Joker a sharp look. “When's the wedding?”
Crap. My heart stopped beating in my chest.
Smiling, Joker looked at me, his eyes moving up and down my neck in that slow, fuck-hungry crawl that had become his trademark. “Soon. Sooner than anybody thinks, Grandpa. I'm gonna level with you – me and this lady are just getting acquainted again after years apart. Too many damned years. I promise you, sure as the vow I made for Freddy, you'll live to see me hitched.”
His grandfather cleared his throat, smiling and shaking his head. “Guess I'm due for a heart attack next week. Gotta do something to move things along.”
Did he really just say that? I broke down laughing, cutting through the awkward silence.
One thing was for sure – the Taylor men took shit from no one. They never gave a single inch. And, of course, they always, always fought until all the rules were bent down to a nub.
Grandpa Taylor bounced Alex on his lap, joking and smiling for another fifteen minutes. Then we made our way out, Joker taking the old man's wheelchair and pushing him back to his room. Before we left him alone, Alex scrambled up in my shoulders, and waved to his grandpa.
“Bye-bye!”
“Bye, kid,” Grandpa nodded, a firm smile on his lips. “Until next time...”
“We'll be here next week,” I promised, quietly praying we'd be able to live up to it.
Anything might happen in the next seven days. This might all fall apart, if Joker and I had another fallout, or maybe the club wars would come to our doorstep.
I was still thinking about it when he led me out, one hand in mine, the other on Bingo's leash. “Babe, what the fuck? You're walking like you're on nails.”
“It's nothing,” I said glumly. “Just thinking. I wish every day could be this nice.”
“It will be,” he said. There wasn't a shred of uncertainty in his voice. “Because I'm saying it will. Grandpa's been waiting for something like this since the night they got my brother. Haven't seen him that happy since...since, shit, I can't even remember. Maybe not since your uncle's place closed down.”
I smiled. “That was a million years ago,” I said softly, stepping outside into the evening light.
Alex had started to doze in my arms. On our way to the truck, we passed an elderly couple out for a stroll. Probably from the assisted living place attached.
“Not as long ago as you think,” Joker said, leaning in so I could feel his hot breath on my neck. “We've got a million fuckin' more ahead, Summertime. Trust me. Let's make the most of it.”
“We will,” I promised. “Long as you're here, by my side, we will.”
* * *
It was a perfe
ct day. The club hadn't called Joker in, and I didn't want to waste it. I begged him to drive to a park on the way back from the nursing home, a lovely little stop I'd seen on my way, at the foothills of the Smokies.
“Okay. What's with the fuckin' doe eyes now, babe? Don't tell me you're still choked up about meeting the old man?”
“I'm more choked up about our first real family outing,” I said, sticking out my tongue. He steered the truck into the little parking space, next to a stone wall separating the grassy picnic area from the trails leading into the forest.
“Good thing I brought plenty of fuckin' tissue to dry your eyes and some water so you won't run dry,” he growled, smirking the whole time.
“Aw, come on, don't be a dick. I just...need a moment.”
I did. Oh, God, I did.
He shut the truck off and we sat for just a moment, Bingo squeezed into the back seat behind him, Alex in his kiddie seat on the left. Joker looked at me, his eyes soft, almost understanding, grabbing my hand.
“Take all the time you need. Gonna have to let Bingo stretch sooner or later. Shit, I'm gonna need a bigger truck, next time the club share comes in.”
I smiled. There'd been one more thing on my mind, ever since we left the nursing home. Looking at him cautiously, I undid my seatbelt and popped the door, the question hanging on my lips.
I waited until we were all outside, Alex safely in my arms, and Bingo walking next to us. We headed for the picnic tables.
“Joker, what did you mean back there at the nursing home? When you told him about the promise you'd made to Freddy?”
“Blood vow,” he said, the light going out of his eyes. “Finding you and my son changes a lot of shit, babe. But it doesn't change that. Nothing fuckin' can. The Deads would've been on the chopping block because they're wearing the wrong colors and they've treated civvies like you like shit for too long. Can't let go of what happened years ago. Absolutely fuckin' not.”
I sat down on the cool bench next to him, squeezing his bicep. God, he was tense.
“I won't get in the middle of this. As long as you're safe, and you come back alive when the time comes...that's all that matters.”
“Good,” he growled, letting Bingo off his leash to run around. “Because that's all I'll accept. I'm doing this for our family and the club, Summertime. Living and dead. Nothing's gonna stop me.”
I looked at the ground, sadness flooding my heart. He talked about riding into life and death like it was nothing, and there had to be a chance it would get him killed. The men who'd threatened me, threatened Alex, they didn't care about courage.
“Listen, when the club goes on lockdown, you focus on Alex. Nothing else. You keep him safe and happy. Do it for me, no matter where I wind up.” He took my hand with both fingers, squeezed it until we locked eyes. “Promise me, babe. Fuckin' promise me.”
“I will. I'll do whatever it takes to get through this. I'm not going to screw this up when we've finally got ourselves a second chance.”
“Yeah, thank fuck for those,” he said, releasing me.
He turned, reaching for a blanket he'd pulled out of his truck. He spread it out next to a tree, a perfect spot for the big dog to rest. Also good for Alex to wander over when I set him down a minute later. We both watched as he toddled over to the dog, burying his face in his fur.
“They're so good together,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “Is this all just a dream? Sometimes I wonder if I woke up from a nightmare and fell straight into something else.”
Joker's hand landed on my thigh, caressing me. Slowly, teasingly, he opened his palm, gently pressing his fingers into my bare skin, underneath the skirt.
He leaned in. “Dream? Fuck, no. No man ever fucked you half as hard as I did last night. You ever start to doubt it, you just spread your legs for my dick again. I'll give you another reminder.”
Oh. My. God.
Wet, fiery heat flooded my core. I tried to keep it together, but the humidity hanging in the air didn't help. High summer was here, soft and supple as a southern sigh, the air thicker here in the Smokies than in Seddon.
“Yeah, about that. I'm going to get on more than just Plan B soon. We can't afford another mistake just yet,” I said, staring into his eyes.
His wild, hazel gems pinned mine down, as if he disagreed. “Whatever, babe. You do what you need to. I'm never gonna stop putting my come inside you. Get ready. We're working on a baby brother or sister for Alex, soon as we're hitched.”
When?! I almost said it, but my tongue held me back, my teeth digging in so I wouldn't self-combust from the desire soaking me from the inside-out.
The bastard said nothing. He pushed his fingers through my hair, pulled my face close, and kissed me. Lit me on fire for the hundredth time.
His tongue swept over mine, piling new promises into the darkness and light. These were all depraved vows, licks and swirls and pinches, hinting at everything he'd do to me tonight.
Joker only broke away a minute later – or was it more than that? – when Bingo started barking. We both looked up, and I got another shock, this one far ruder.
We heard Bingo, but we didn't see him. The dog was gone. So was little Alex.
“Shit!” Joker bolted up, realizing the full gravity before I did, stepping toward the blanket like he'd just seen it burning.
God, no.
I ran right behind him, trying not to faint, wondering how the hell we'd gotten so distracted they'd slipped away from us.
We ran on, heading toward the crop of trees, a little ways down the first trail. The park was completely deserted, except for us, which wasn't helpful.
Bingo barked like mad in the distance, somewhere in the trees. Joker looked over his shoulders, just once.
“No! Stay the fuck there, babe. Let me go.” His eyes were a killer's again.
It took all my might to anchor my feet to the ground, unmoving. I poked my head through the thick brush, angrily pushing the branches aside, trying to see.
Oh, Christ. What were those shapes moving in the distance, deep in the woods?
I saw Joker's silhouette. Another shadow blurred past him, lower to the ground, probably Bingo's. The dog was going insane, crashing through the brush, chasing a tangle of other dark shapes moving up ahead.
“Motherfucker!” A man's voice rang out, surprised, but barely audible. Not Joker's.
My man dropped to his knees, pulled his gun, and –
“Holy shit,” I whispered, right after his gun went off.
One of the shadows went down. The others were moving, moving, and I heard it then.
A motorcycle. No, make that several, roaring in the distance.
Something else wailed. High, young, and very scared.
Alex.
Jesus Christ. Alex!
Two shadows went tearing into the trees, deeper into the woods, where I couldn't see. I heard the bikes peeling out, and I followed the sound, forgetting everything he'd told me. I ran through the brush, desperate to catch up, but it was already too late, and I knew it.
We'd been ambushed. My baby boy was gone.
I plunged through the trees, stabbing down the tangled shortcut along the trail, until I couldn't hear anything except my own breath catching in my lungs. Hot tears blurred my vision. Ignoring the sharp branches and thorns scratching at my skin, I pressed on, ripping through everything I could.
If I could catch them, find the bikes, see what was going on, then maybe I'd have a license plate. Or a face.
Something, anything, fucking anything to save my son!
About a minute later, I collided with a huge, thick slab of chest. He grabbed me, pulled me into him, but not before the scream leaving my throat echoed across the whole park.
“Babe, babe, fuckin' stop! Baby!”
Joker. It took me forever to realize it was him. Even longer for me to stop scratching, biting, kicking.
I was a total mess. So was Bingo, who paced angrily around us, his fur a tangled mess, fore
st debris clinging to him. He'd tried to chase them down, the same as me.
“Where did they go? Did you see them? Jackson, did you hear the bikes?!”
“Heard it all. Killed one of them. I was fast. They were fuckin' faster. Saw the last of their goddamned shit drive away before I could get there. Three bikes. One truck.” He swallowed, his big arms starting to shake. I looked at him, shuddering when I saw his eyes.
Pure, hellacious rage was eating him alive. I didn't have a clue how he held me, squeezed me so tight it wasn't easy to breathe.
“God. What else did you see? Is he...”
Gone? I couldn't bring myself to say it. Bingo rolled on the pavement, another small parking lot across the park, where the demons had snuck in when we hadn't been looking.
Joker just looked at me and nodded, his jaw clenched so tight I could see the bulge in his temples. There must've been a hurricane exploding inside him. It had to hurt.
Maybe as bad as the savage hell swallowing me up, stabbing its knife in my back, driving it deep until the world became a detached, maddening blur.
“Don't even fuckin' say it,” he growled, his phone in one hand. “Walk with me. Stay close. I ain't fuckin' losing the second half of the only thing that ever fuckin' mattered in one fuckin' day.”
I walked behind him, halfheartedly putting Bingo back on his leash, tugging him along as the dog followed lazily at my feet. We hit the trail, walking back to where we'd come.
When I saw the empty blanket next to the tree and the picnic table, I fucking lost it. Just froze up, buried my face in my hands, and cried.
Our son was going to die, innocent as the day he was born.
Joker's voice echoed around me like an engine roaring.
He screamed. Swore. Begged his brothers for help, for backup, right this fucking instant.
What did it matter? If the club showed up in the next five seconds, it was still too late.
We were too late. I fell down in the blanket, numb to everything, Bingo whining and pawing at my side.
“Summer? Babe? What the fuckin' fuck?!”
Joker threw the phone down, grabbed me, and shook me with all his might. I couldn't feel it.
