by K. J. Dahlen
“Oh, God…” Peaches groaned.
Cassie grabbed her belly and closed her eyes against the pain gripping her. “Damn!” She swore. Suddenly, she felt the urge to push. Searching the room, she found her doctor watching her. “I need to push!” she screamed.
Doctor Peters rushed over and bent to examine her again. Looking up at her, he smiled. “It won’t be long now.”
Then Peaches screamed and Doctor Peters rushed over to her. “Oh, good lord,” he muttered. He glanced up at the nurse. “They both are ready to deliver. Get me another nurse ASAP.” Turning back to Cassie, he commented, “It’s never easy with you two is it?”
The nurse ran from the room and returned with two more nurses.
Peaches chuckled. “Hey, we got a pool going. Everyone put money down on who would deliver first.”
Doctor Peters snorted. “Well, that figures.”
“The baby is coming!” Cassie called out. Sweat poured from her and dripped down the side of her face.
Peters examined her again and called out to the nurses, “We don’t have time to move her to delivery. We’re going to have to do it right here, right now.”
Cassie screamed as she felt her body split apart. She pushed and her pain level went up. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe as she felt something tear away. A moment later, she heard a baby cry and her heart lifted. She looked up and saw her baby in the doctor’s arms as he handed her off to a nurse. She saw his smile and knew her pain was over. Her entire body hurt but she survived.
Then Peaches screamed and the doctor moved over to her bed. Not even a moment later, another child cried out as Peaches screamed through the last few minutes of her labor.
The doctor was examining the babies while the nurses cleaned up Cassie and Peaches.
Reva joined them again. After being ushered out of the room just moments before they delivered their babies. She looked over at the babies and smiled. There was a glee in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
“What are you smiling about?” Cassie wanted to know.
“I won the pool,” she replied smugly. “I claimed you’d both have the babies together. I was right.”
“No, I had my baby first,” Cassie insisted.
“Actually…” The doctor came over to the beds. “…Your friend is right. The babies were born at the same time.”
“Nooo,” Cassie groaned as she glared at Peaches.
Peaches just grinned and stuck out her tongue. “Nanana-booboo.” She chuckled.
Cassie looked over at Reva and asked, “Is there any word on Izzy?”
Reva nodded. “She’s out of surgery. They were able to stop the bleeding but it’s still touch and go for a while.”
“The baby?” Peaches asked.
“He’s small but doing well,” Reva assured them. “The doctors think he’ll make it but it’s going to be a while before he’ll be allowed to go home.”
“How is Mountain doing?” Cassie wanted to know.
“Not well at all,” Reva informed them both. “He’s still in shock. He’s sitting in a corner not talking to anyone. The man is suffering through hell.”
“Well damn, that doesn’t sound good.” Cassie frowned.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The doctor stepped out of the recovery room and went to the waiting room. His nurses informed him it was filled with some huge bikers but until he stepped through the door, he didn’t imagine what that statement really meant.
He swallowed hard when he saw wall to wall bikers. Some were wide and tall. Others just looked downright dangerous. Maybe the one he wanted would be more civilized or reasonable? He called out, “Talon Morgan.”
Then he saw the man in the corner. When he stood, he grew and didn’t stop. At least a foot taller than himself, the doctor swallowed hard again. When the giant stepped toward him, the doctor was glad he had good news to tell him. In fact, the whole room full of men stepped toward him.
“How is she, doc?” Talon whispered.
A young woman with the same silver blonde hair stood beside him.
The doctor looked back and forth at the pair. “Your wife is going to be fine. We were able to stop the bleeding. Her blood pressure is stable now.”
“And the baby?” an older man in an expensive suit asked.
The doctor looked over at the older man. What in the hell? He wondered. The mob is here too? “The baby is small but he’ll be fine. He’s breathing on his own and his vitals look good.”
“So I have a son?” Talon asked.
The young silver blonde woman gasped and took Talon’s hand in hers.
“Yes, you have a son.” The doctor smiled. “He’s just over four pounds and eighteen inches long.”
“Was there ever any doubt, Mountain?” Another big, light haired biker slapped his brother on the back. “You know us Morgans’ always have boys.”
Mountain grinned. “Well, that’s true enough, Chance.” He swung his happy gaze over to the doctor. “Can I see them?”
“Your son is in the nursery and in an hour or so, we’ll have your wife in a room. At the moment, she’s heavily sedated. As soon as we get her into a room, you can see her.”
Mountain nodded. “I guess I’ll go see the boy then.”
The young woman smiled though tears rolled down her cheeks. “You’re a daddy…dad!”
The doctor smiled and nodded his head, though he really wondered now. This was Talon’s daughter and now, he was having another child with a woman the same age as his first daughter? He shook his head to push away the muddled confusion. “The nursery is just down the hall.” He released a huge breath of relief as he hurried away from the large, dangerous and apparently odd group.
~* * * *~
Mountain and the whole group moved down the hall to stand in front of the huge glass window. Row upon row of plastic cradles lined the room.
Mountain and Dominic stood in the front closest to the glass and peered down at the baby in the front.
His cradle had a dome over it and a monitor that beeped a steady rhythm free standing behind him. He was a small baby but he looked perfect. His hair was peach fuzz, the color of his father. His little face looked serene and for the moment, his eyes were closed. His hands were up beside his face and his tiny fingers were curled into fists.
Deke came up behind him and studied the baby boy. “What are you going to name him?”
“Daniel Mac Morgan.”
“Daniel Mac?” Deke questioned.
“Daniel was my father’s name and Mac for her father.” Mountain turned to see what Dominic had to say about that.
Dominic stared at the other man. He had tears welling in his eyes. “You would give your son my name?”
“Izzy wanted it that way,” Mountain told him quietly. “She said while she lacked the courage to take the damn test, she felt in her heart that you are her father and she wanted to honor you in this way.”
“Yes, that is what she told me too,” Melora finally spoke.
Dominic turned back to the baby. “I know in my heart she is my child. The test doesn’t matter, it never mattered to me.” He turned back to Mountain. “The honor is mine.”
Just then, two nurses pushed two more cradles near the front. One was pink and the other blue. But it wasn’t the colors that caught Mountain’s eye it was the name attached to them. Then he began laughing. He laughed so hard, he had to step back.
Deke stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “I know you’re happy, but—”
Mountain pointed to the window and waited for Deke to step forward.
When he did, he didn’t know what he was looking at. Then his eyes caught sight of the name on the pink cradle next to Mountain’s son. “What the fuck?’ he whispered. He turned and barreled through the crowd calling his wife’s name. “Cassie, where are you?”
Melora and Mountain kept laughing and the rest of the MC joined them.
Deke glared at them all.
They quieted instantly and tr
ied to look anywhere but at their president.
He started down the hall and ran into Iceman. Then he grasped the leather of his cut and hauled him to the side. “We need to find our women.”
“Why?” Iceman frowned. “They’re here somewhere.”
“Yeah I know, but they just put two brand new babies in the nursery and they put our names on the cradles.”
“What?” Iceman yelled as his face went white. He pushed his way toward the window and stared at the front cradles. He saw Mountain’s son then next to him he saw Deke’s daughter, then he looked again and saw his own son. He barley glanced at the baby before he was yelling for his wife.
There were chuckles from the group behind him.
“Oh, the tale of two babies.” Melora laughed.
Reva stepped out of the room down the hall and motioned for Deke and Iceman. “Your women are in here.” Her smile was huge.
Deke and Iceman looked more than panicked as they ran toward the room. When they came to a skidding halt in the doorway, they saw Cassie and Peaches sitting up in separate beds. They both looked very pleased with themselves.
When Deke approached her bed, Cassie smiled. “Surprise?” she said softly.
“Try shock, it would be closer to the real thing.” He scolded her as he sat down on the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you were where you needed to be. You needed to stay with Mountain until he knew what his future held. He needed you more.”
Deke leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Yeah he did. Izzy is going to be fine and the baby, while he’s a bit small right now, the doctors think he’s going to be fine.”
“What did they name him?” Peaches asked from the cradle of Iceman’s arms.
“Daniel Mac, after their fathers.” Deke smiled. Turning to Cassie, he asked, “And what shall we name our little princess?”
“Piper Leanore,” she stated confidently.
“Piper Leanore?” Deke questioned.
“Yup, I’ve always liked the name Piper and the Leanore is for a woman we knew when Peaches and I were living on the streets. She was a wise old woman. Made everyone think she was touched in the head but those of us who knew her well, knew she was anything but. She lived her life the way she wanted and to hell with everyone else. She was a great storyteller and kept us well entertained when we couldn’t do anything but sit there. She taught us more than anyone and as far as we’ve come since then, I still remember everything she ever taught us.”
Deke smiled. “Then Piper Leanore it is.”
Iceman gazed at his own wife. He smiled at the tender expression in her eyes. “Does our son have a name yet?”
Peaches smiled. “Yes, he does. How do you like the name Elliot James?”
“Elliot James Caulder?” He grinned. “I like it. It goes well with Jesse Andrew Caulder Jr.”
Peaches snuggled into her husband’s arms. “I thought so.”
~* * * *~
Leon got up and walked over to the door of the warehouse when he heard the vehicles drive up. He sent Dominic a quick text but knew the other man was occupied elsewhere at the moment. They had been together when the call from Mountain came in. And Iceman had kept him in the loop as far as events went that day.
He glanced back at the empty room. He knew Calico and his men were to arrive at anytime, but he wanted to meet Max Bordeaux, John Paulson and Jack Fremore on his own first. He wanted them to admit what they had done and then he would leave justice up to Calico and his MC.
Leon waited and Calderone joined him as they watched Max, John and Jack get out of their cars. They saw four men get out of the second vehicle and Leon knew the four men were Max’s bodyguards.
He looked around at the six men he used as bodyguards and nodded at them to be ready. Leon and Calderone moved away from the door and stood waiting for the other men to join them.
Leon then looked over to his guard. “Unarm everyone before they come inside. Tell his guards to remain outside and watch them.”
His guard went out of the warehouse and was joined by three other men who were already outside.
A few minutes later, the door opened as Max, John and Jack came inside. The door slammed behind them.
John turned to frown at the noise.
Max hesitated for a moment when he saw Leon and Calderone standing there. Then he stepped forward. “I thought I was meet Dominic Marconi.”
Leon nodded. “He’s in the city but his daughter is in the hospital at the moment. As head of the East Coast families I came to speak to you myself.”
Max frowned. “Speak to me about what?”
“About how little control you have over your nephew for one thing,” Leon told him.
Max stiffened. “What has Micah done now?”
“Did you know Micah was stalking a woman for the last four months?” Leon narrowed his eyes as he stared at the three men. “Did you know these two snatched her off the street in your city and beat her?”
Max turned a glare to the two men beside him. “I knew Micah was interested in a woman yes, but I’d hardly call it stalking.”
Calderone’s hands curled into fists. “So you approve of terrorizing a woman when she tells you no?”
Max shrugged. “How do you know she said no? Some women like to play games.”
“Like Jolene?” Leon asked.
Max stiffened again. “What’s Jolene got to do with this?”
“The woman Micah was stalking is Jolene’s daughter.” Leon waited and watched for his reaction.
Max’s frown deepened. “Jolene was killed last month. I haven’t seen her children since then, in fact they didn’t even claim her body.”
“Do you know how she was killed?” Calderone asked. “One of Micah’s thugs kicked the shit out of her. She died of a bleeding in her brain from the attack.”
Max shook his head. “That isn’t possible. Micah wouldn’t do that, not to her. He knows how I felt about her.”
“But he did,” Leon confirmed Calderone’s statement. “Sawyer and Jordan were there the night Micah and his thugs broke into their home. They witnessed the attack on their mother.”
“Why?” Max asked. “Why would he hurt Jolene?”
“Because Sawyer told him no again,” Leon informed him.
Max growled. “That dirty rotten bastard. I’ll kill him.” His hands were fisted and he began to pace. “I’ll kill the little weasel.”
“You don’t have to,” Leon informed him. “He’s already in hell.”
Max snapped his head toward Leon. “Who did the deed?”
“Sawyer’s father,” Calderone replied in a cold tone.
Max barked a laugh. “That freak? I chased him off years ago. I never thought he’d come back.”
“So you did tell Jolene to get rid of him.”
Max nodded. “Yeah, I told her to get rid of him. He was nothing but a dirty biker. I told her then if she didn’t get him to leave, I would have him killed. Whatever she told him she convinced him to leave. He walked away from both of them with very little effort on her part.”
“She convinced him she didn’t love him,” Leon told him. “She lied to him to keep him alive.”
Max shrugged. “What she did or didn’t do is irrelevant at this point. He was gone and she was mine again.”
“Expect, she really wasn’t, was she?”
“Whether she was or wasn’t isn’t anyone’s business but mine.” Max snarled.
“It became my business when you let your business slide into the dirt.” Leon sneered. “You were warned to leave this woman alone before and you chose not to listen to advice freely given. You were told by the Council to leave her alone and you ignored that order time and time again.”
Max strode forward. “No one can tell me what to do. I’ve held my seat of power for too long for that.”
Leon shook his head. “That’s where you are wrong, Max.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“We al
l have to answer to a higher power,” Leon stated. “Before we get into that, what happened to Jolene’s body?”
“I had her cremated and her ashes are at my estate,” Max grumbled. “She’s mine.”
Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of motorcycles. The roar of the engines bounced off the roof of the warehouse and shook the windows. When the engines cut off the, the silence was deafening.
Then the door opened and dozens of men filed inside. They took their place against the wall of the room.
“What is this?” Max demanded.
A door on the opposite side of the room opened. Calico, and his men came in and joined Leon and Calderone. Then Sawyer and Jordan came in. They too, joined Leon and Calderone.
“Who the hell are you?” Max asked.
John and Jack began to look uncomfortable and tried to back away from the group but the men standing behind them moved forward.
“We are Jolene’s children,” Sawyer told the older man.
“And I’m the reason she never came to you,” Calico sneered. “She never stopped loving me even after she sent me away.”
Max stared at the man in front of him. He had never seen him before and he wished he hadn’t now. The man was huge and murder was in his eyes. He looked over at Leon and saw the look in his eyes. “What is this Leon?”
“This is a tribunal,” Calico answered. “It’s common in the MC world. If you betray the MC, you face a tribunal.”
“But I haven’t betrayed anyone.” Max rolled his eyes.
“Yes, you have,” Leon informed him. “You have betrayed the family and you have betrayed them.” He motioned toward Sawyer and Jordan. “You put their mother through twenty years of living hell. You made her send the man she loved away, you murdered the man who fathered her second child and your actions ultimately cost her, her life. That is a betrayal of the worst kind. You were told to give her up and warned to get your house in order, not once but several times. Now, it is no longer your house.”
