by M. T. Ossler
Okay. That doesn’t sound so bad, so why is he bothering us about it? Ace and Jules can handle his sister on their own. There has to be more to this story, and we’re about to get it. I stay in my position on Jess’s chest with my eyes closed.
“What’s the rest of that statement, Prez?” Jess questions and we wait.
“Well, here’s the thing. Ace grew up with a rival Club, and so did his sister. Their mom got involved with Satan’s Halo MC when he was five. His sister is thirteen years younger than him. I don’t know all the specifics just yet. He said he’d call after he got settled in her motel room. I don’t know what kinda trouble this is gonna bring to our Club, so we may need you two here. I hate to ask you to cut your trip short, but...” I don’t let him finish.
“We’re coming home, Prez. It’s our family, and we have to be there for them. Give us a couple of hours, and we should be there,” I grunt out. I lift up off Jess and look down at him. He nods and ends the call. We shower and get on the road in less than an hour.
When we get home, we drop our bags off at our house and head to Bella’s to get some more information.
King answers the door and ushers us into the living room. Bella is on the floor with the boys on their tummies. It’s called tummy time to strengthen their arms, legs, and bellies. I go straight to her as I get closer she looks up at me.
“Tell me what you know, lovey,” I say to Bella as I sit on the floor next to her. She takes a fussy Lorenzo in her arms, and I grab for Dominic. At that time Val comes back with bottles and burp cloths for us.
We start to feed the boys as she tells me about what happened earlier today at the restaurant. After I get the short story, since she doesn’t know much, Beast texts her that they just landed in Indianapolis. He’s getting a cage, and then they’ll head to the motel. He’ll text or call her back soon.
Throttle comes over, and he and Jess weed through the information he finds. Bells and I talk and eat and play with the boys while they work for the next few hours. Around eight, we receive a call from Gator; Ace ordered an emergency Church to fill us all in. I have to be in Church in an hour. I help her get the boys bathed and dressed for bed before leaving her and Gigi with Romeo and Bash.
Aunt Cindy’s been at the Clubhouse all day and should be home soon.
Throttle, Jess, and I leave them and head to the Clubhouse for Church. We all get comfortable in our seats and wait for Ace’s call.
Gator’s phone rings, and he places it on speaker as the room becomes quiet. He calls Church to order with the slam of his gavel.
He orders Ace to tell us what’s going on starting from the restaurant this afternoon until now. Before Ace can answer him, Blaze gives us all some fucking shocking news. He claims Ace’s sister as his own, and their daughter-to-be. Apparently, he met her months ago in Daytona at the bike rally and got her pregnant. She left him, and it was just a coincidence that they found one another again. He had no clue when he met her who she was or even how old she was. She’s only seventeen, and while that coincides with our bylaws, that is fucking young. He’s 28, eleven years older than her. I know love has no age limit, but damn that’s a big gap, and Ace must be flipping out inside. He and Blaze are going to come to blows soon over this shit.
We spend the next hour going over the little information Brook gave them and what Jess and Throttle found. We keep Church short cause the girls are hearing our conversation through the Bluetooth. Gator and Ace set us all up with our new responsibilities and informs us they should be home in two days. We will call another Church when they get back to go over all the information we collect, and he gets from Brook. Traveling with two pregnant women will take them longer. The girls need to eat, potty, and walk frequently. Sitting for too long could cause them health problems.
Gator ends Church, and we all head out to the bar for a drink. Then, Jess and I hop on his bike and ride home for a quiet night alone. All hell is about to break loose around here.
Jess and I spend the next couple of days at Bella’s, and Throttle joins us. I help her with the boys and keep her sane. Jess and Throttle search the Internet, collecting data and going through it.
Bells does not do well without her love. She tries her hardest to stay strong, but he is the rock that holds her together. Luckily, he was able to stay in contact with her through their iPhones. Talking, texting, and FaceTime, or my lovey would have been off her rocker. We discussed Gigi and how she’s going to react to Blaze having a woman and a baby on the way now. Gigi is attached to him like a brother, and they have a close relationship. We agree he should be the one to talk to her, and Bella says she will have her husband talk to him about it.
At night, I slept in her bed with her. I held her, and Jess held me when he would finally come to bed with us.
Bella gets a call from Beast around six on Monday evening, saying they just pulled through the gates of the Clubhouse. Val and Romeo take the boys from the girls, and Bella darts out of the front door with Gigi hot on her tail. We meet them next door at Ace’s house, and he introduces us to his baby sister, Brook.
One thing I observe is Blaze keeping his distance from Brook. He keeps Gigi tucked under his arm. I’m assuming this is for Gigi’s benefit more than anything. I know I’m right when I see the smile on Brook’s face as she watches him take Gigi out back by the lake to talk. Jules must have had a talk with him about how Gigi was gonna react when she found out about him and Brook and their baby. Smart man, he loves my little Principessa and would never intentionally hurt her. He’s doing the right thing, and Brook is a strong woman to stand by and allow him to do what he needs with his surrogate little sister.
While he takes her to the back, we all go to Jules with a shit load of food Cindy, Sam, and the club girls cooked for tonight. The guys set up the food in the dining room while they get Brook settled, then we eat.
The rest of the evening is spent getting to know Brook. She’s a sweet young lady and is gonna fit in perfectly with the girls. She reminds me of how Bella was when I arrived here. Broken. Lucky for her, she’ll have a lot of strong women and men around her to build her back up. She’s young, so hopefully, the damage is reversible. The love of a good man will do more for her heart and soul, though, if she accepts it. I can see the sparkle in Blaze’s eyes when he looks at her. He’s a goner like all of us, and I for one, couldn’t be happier for him.
Chapter 12
Ryder
Today is my brother Ace’s wedding. It’s been a long fuckin’ week, and a celebration will be good for all of us. Since we missed out on our week-long honeymoon to deal with our newcomer, we had to make up for it somehow. I wasn’t due at the shop, and Ces and Jules had put work on hold for this week. So, Gator ordered us to take a couple of days in the middle of the week and lock ourselves in our house. Phones off, blinds closed, and a stock refrigerator, freezer, and pantry closet. Thankfully, there was no banging on our door with the next crisis. We spent 48 hours in bliss, naked and fuckin’ up a storm just what the doctor ordered. Then, it was back to reality, Club business and preparing for today’s wedding.
We set things up much like our wedding. Arch in the front, and aisles lined with chairs for all our out of town brothers.
Jules, Brook, Sam, and Gigi spent the night at our house last night. The six of them watched movies while the guys hung out watching the fight and having a few beers. Beast followed me home to get Bella when the guys started to weed out for the night.
This morning, they all left and went to Bella’s to get ready. The guys are at Ace’s, except for my Ces, he’s with the girls today. I imagine this will be one of the last times he gets with them. Now, that he’s in the inner circle, I mean. He’ll be hanging out with me and the guys on guys’ night. I know that’s gonna be hard for him, but he’ll have plenty of time with them during the day while they work. They still have an online business to manage and designs to sketch.
The ceremony goes by like the speed of light, the whole time Ces and I couldn’t ta
ke our eyes off of one another as he stood up next to Jules. I yearned to touch him through the whole event. When Blaze released him after pictures, I took him in my arms, dipped him back and kissed him. I shocked him at first, but he recovered fast and deepened the kiss. So, lost in our lust, it took Beast hitting my head to knock me out of my haze. My desire for my guy is never-ending.
After pictures, we eat and dance. Ces gets up from the table to mingle, and I stay seated, talking with my brothers and shooting the breeze.
I have to give my brothers and I props, we sure do know how to pick out songs for the ones we love. The songs Beast chose for Bella at their wedding were spot on. They are actually dancing to their song now. God Gave Me You by Blake Sheldon. Beast commented many times that God sent her here for him. He never thought he would ever get the chance to have her, though. Then, fate intervened and brought them back together for life. She’s been through hell and came back with him by her side. She is one of the strongest women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know.
My brother, Ace’s woman, is no exception. She may not have gone through what Bella had to endure, but she’s the glue that holds us all together; the backbone of our family, and I’m proud to call both of them my sisters.
When they finish Throttle calls Jules and Ace up for their first dance as husband and wife. Adele’s Make You Feel My Love fills the air, another perfect choice.
Watching their love evolve was inspiring in many ways. For a man whose self-worth, to himself, was zero, she sure raised that up fast with her smile. He’s like a completely different person since he accepted her love, a brighter person. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still hard as nails, but he has a soft spot for her and his sister, and it’s endearing.
After their dance, they cut the cake. Ces and Bella had the cake made with the sex of their baby to be revealed. So, the inside of the cake is blue; they’re having a baby boy. The smile on my brother’s face says it all, he’s relieved and thrilled to have a little boy.
When they finish their cake, Chains – Lorenzo - and Jules dance. In the middle of their dance to Bruno Mars, an explosion goes off at the Clubhouse. I desperately search for my Ces and see him on the other side of the dance floor from me with Bella. Beast races over, taking her and Gigi in his arms and straight to his mom with the boys. I dart to Ces and take him in my arms as a second explosion goes off.
“Get the women and kids in my house right the fuck now!” Beast yells as he gathers his family and ushers them to their house. I search the area to see if anyone is hurt. Then, I see Cassie under a table holding Emma, her daughter, and shaking like a leaf. Bull is frantically looking for his wife and daughter with no luck.
“Babe, help get the girls inside. I’ll meet you there,” I tell Ces and place a hasty kiss on his lips before sprinting over to her.
“Bull!” I shout, running to Cassie. “Here, I have them.” I flip the table over, reach for her hand and help her up. As she steadies herself on her feet, Bull comes barreling over, snatches Emma from Cassie’s arms and scoops up her in his other. He takes his family to Beast’s house to his safe room.
I scan the area one last time before rushing over to Beast’s house. I meet everyone in the saferoom as they settle the women. Ces comes to me, wraps his arms around my waist, and buries his face under my chin. I feel his heart racing and his body vibrating in my arms. He’s ready for a fight now that the girls are safe.
Gator rounds us all and we arm ourselves with supplies from Beast’s armory room. Then, we head out to the front of the Compound.
Years ago, when my father and Cobra remodeled the Clubhouse, they arranged it so there were trees and small buildings in the front. They wanted the guys to have cover if the Clubhouse was ever under attack like it is now. You never know when a gang, other Club or Cartel are gonna come to your house.
They also had the hindsight when they installed the ten-foot security fence, to clear out all the shrub and debris on the outside of the fence, leaving the street wide open with nowhere to hide.
I grab Ces’ wrist, and pull him behind the small shed, off to the side of our Clubhouse, or lack of, with the two big gaping holes on fire. I look to the front by the gates and see them all in disarray and half down. They bombed our steel gates, but the fence is still holding them up. Bullets, grenades, and bombs have nothin’ on them.
“Stay close to me. This is your first gunfight, and you don’t know the Compound like I do,” I say in a stern tone.
“Jess, I can handle myself. Just watch your back,” he says snidely.
“Cesare!” I snap at him and he immediately sees the look in my eyes, I’m serious. “I fuckin’ know you can protect yourself. Just appease me and do as I ask this one time. There are things about the grounds you don’t know about yet,” I say, exasperated. He grunts his approval and nods.
“Stay on my nine and aim for the fence line,” I tell him, and we move forward, shooting. Brothers are all around us in full war mode. My heart is racing in my chest as the adrenaline pumps through my veins. I normally love shit like this. Fuck, this is what it’s all about when you’re an outlaw, but having Ces now…. a part of my mind is on him and how I need to protect him. We all know it has to be the Cartel that came to our house and bombed us. They came here for Jules and Gigi, but they ain’t getting anywhere near them.
We move forward, guns ablazing towards the front gates. Those slimy assholes are dropping like flies from our assault. We make it to the front lines and see one guy is standing near the broken gate. Ace walks to him , standing in front of him with Beast and Gator flocking him. The man on his knees, I recognized from our runs. Hector, Alejandro’s third in command.
Ace shot his hands while they were holding the AK47, and his left kneecap, causing him to fall to his knees.
Ces and I make our way towards them.
Ace goats him for a minute, then puts a bullet in his head right between his eyes. He falls back, and the guys turn to us.
“Round em’ up, boys,” Gator yells, and I look around at my brothers to see if anyone got hurt, then we hear sirens coming our way. Fuck, the sheriff, fire trucks, and ambulance are coming to the Compound.
This is over, for now, the sirens saved our asses, this time or more of the Cartel men would have been on us. They don’t just send a few, they send a whole fuckin’ army. That’s their thing.
“What’s the count, boys?” Gator asks. The guys come closer, crowding together in a large group on the side of our burning Clubhouse.
“No one’s down, just a few got hurt. Gunner and Bones got the worst of it. Bones got a bullet in the arm and Gunner in the leg. I sent them back to Beast’s with Bull to clean them up,” Cowboy, our road captain says. I take a deep breath and thank the Gods, my guy, and my brothers are okay.
Then I see the sheriff John’s cruiser pull up to the gates. Gator orders Red and Whiskey to move the gates and open em’ up. He gets out and comes straight to Gator and Ace for answers. The guys and I stay close back to give them their space.
Sheriff Johns waits for the answers he’s not gonna get. We own the police forces in this state, for the most part. There are a couple of counties we have yet to buy off, but we have guys on the inside. We keep the drugs out, and they turn a blind eye to our illegal activities. We don’t participate in much since Gator took over and has been trying to clean things up. They also have to clean up any messes we can’t, like this one.
“They came to our house and bombed us on my wedding day to kidnap my wife and her little sister. Do what you gotta to clean this shit up. We gotta get back to our women,” Ace growls, pissed the fuck off. He told him more than he should have, but I get it. He’s pissed and not thinking straight.
The Sherriff congratulates him and agrees to clean this shit up. We have to stay away for the next week, though.
Just then, the fire trucks barrel through the gates to put out the fire in the Clubhouse.
He releases us, and we all rush back to Beast�
��s. They settle their women, then Gator orders Church while they pack up. Some more of the guys will be joining them at the resort for their honeymoon. I’m all for that cause, then Ces and I can lock ourselves in our room for most of the trip.
After Church, we run home and pack up a few more things since our stay is being extended a couple of days. We’re all joining them at Shadow’s friend resort on the coast. We throw our bags in Blaze’s cage, and then Ces and I mount our bikes and surround the three cages with Knuckles, King, Chains, Colt, Gears, Shadow, Throttle, Snake, Gator, Hawk, Skull, Tiny, Whiskey, and Wolf. All the officers are with us except Cowboy; he had to stay behind to watch over the guys’ security company for the week.
The resort is nice, Ces and I were set up in our own room. Gator, gave us no responsibilities for the next few days, to make up for missing out on our honeymoon. We just have to meet everyone for dinner in a couple of days. Shadow’s friend Xavier and his fiancée, Jennie is hosting this little trip for all of us and wanted to do dinner.
A couple of nights later, Ces and I drag ourselves out of bed to meet with the gang. Before dinner, Ace announces he wants to give Jules a girls’ night in, in his room. The guys will meet in Blaze, Throttle, and Shadow’s room down the hall to watch the fight. Ces is thrilled to spend time with the guys for a change.
The following night we meet and are all having a great time. The girls have been texting my guy and their guys photos of them enjoying themselves and getting their nails done. Cindy has even sent a few photos to Beast of the boys.
As much as I would rather be in bed, naked with Ces, this is good. Spending time with our brothers bullshitting and drinking, it’s like initiating Ces into the Club. He got a patch party with the guys and his happy night in bed with me fuckin’ him all night, but this is really the first time we’ve hung out like this.
