by London Casey
I turned my head and saw Trev and the other guys standing in shock. I started to shake and collapsed to my knees.
As I fell forward, all I wanted was Dakota. My girl. I wanted to see my baby. My boy.
When sound came back, everyone was yelling.
But it was too late.
The damage was done.
I was being handcuffed.
For murder.
I was fucked.
chapter six.
(dakota)
I had my list all the way to twenty names. Names I knew I didn’t like, but I thought maybe if it could stir up a conversation between me and Kye, why not? I missed when he laughed and smiled. When the stress of his life was stripped away. When we could hang out and be together without worrying about the motorcycle club, violence, murder, and all that stuff.
The vision of our son in the backyard ran through my mind over and over. The only thing that broke it up was the sound of a phone beeping. When it broke my concentration, I turned and looked toward the steps.
It was just some generic ringtone, like the kind a phone came with out of the box.
That’s when my heart sank.
The phone. The call.
Something was wrong with Kye.
I felt a swelling pressure in my lower back and grabbed for the table. I tried to take a step but couldn’t do so. My left leg bent and my knee started to give out.
I slid my hand to a chair and gripped it tight. I reminded myself to take deep breaths. I was simply sending myself into a panic attack. I sucked in a deep breath and stood tall. All the feelings subsided.
At the bottom of the steps I heard the phone ringing again.
By the time I climbed the steps and walked to the bedroom, the phone was ringing for a third time. I opened the drawer and saw the little flip phone vibrating, the small screen lit up, the volume blasting so damn loud.
I opened the phone and pressed the button to accept the call.
“Hello?” I asked.
The voice on the other end was not Kye.
**
He told me his name was Max and that Kye had been arrested for murder. He said something about wanting to help me out but I couldn’t hear it. I shut the phone, dropped it in the drawer, and turned. I felt more pain in my back. I had to fight it off though. If the guys from the MC came to the house, they’d find me.
Then what?
They’d probably make me go with them. Maybe they’d mean well, but this was the exact situation I feared. Freaking murder. Kye getting accused of murder. Whether he did it or not… but still, it was the idea that he was being charged.
I hurried to the closet and grabbed my bag. I tore open the drawers and filled the bag with all my clothes. I got a second bag and went to the nursery.
The fucking nursery where me and Kye worked together on for our unborn son. I’d stand in the doorway, touch my stomach, and imagine the baby in the crib.
I couldn’t take anything with me but some clothes and supplies. No crib. No changing table. No toys. I had to move and get the hell out of the house before things got worse. I could not be taken captive by the motorcycle club. I didn’t give a shit how nice Kye said they all were.
For being nine months pregnant I moved with speed. I hurried outside and tossed the bags into my car. When I saw the car seat it made me tear up.
How right was I? The call came and now Kye was in serious trouble. And I was thrust into, what, a single mother role now? Pregnant and alone. Pregnant and afraid.
I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was a mess already. My cheeks puffy, not just from pregnancy, and tears streaming down my cheeks. I looked left to right, making sure the road was clear. I expected a horde of motorcycles to appear from nowhere and circle me in.
I flew down the driveway and my tires squealed as I peeled out and away from the house.
At stops signs, I gently coasted through them. At red lights, I took right turns and moved around traffic. I had no destination in mind other than putting distance between me and Kye.
I could only imagine the cell phone ringing like crazy back at the house. That Max guy wanting to know more about me. More about my secret life with Kye.
I settled about twenty minutes in a busy parking lot at a retail center a few miles outside of Daurian. That’s when I finally felt like I could catch my breath.
I took a minute or two to cry. But then the baby kicked. Hard. I touched my stomach and groaned.
“Okay, fine,” I whispered. “I’m sorry little guy. I didn’t want this for you. For me. For us. I wanted you to be strong. To be a family. Now it’s just us. Instead of all of us.”
Then it hit me… the name. The way I said all of us… it sounded like Ellis.
“Ellis,” I whispered. “Do you like that name?”
The baby kicked again.
I burst into laughter because I just needed to.
I had the baby’s name. Sitting there in the middle of a parking lot, a stranger to everyone in sight. I laughed. I cried. I talked to my son.
I talked to Ellis.
I felt pain in my back and a pain in my chest.
But I forced it away.
“Ellis,” I said. “Sweet, baby Ellis.”
All I needed was to find somewhere to stay.
That thought brought on fresh tears.
Then I heard a knock at the window to my car.
“Dakota? Is that you?”
chapter seven.
(kye)
I was alone in the back of a fucking van. I was on my way up north to county. Not a good situation at all. Spending the night in the local cell was one thing. Max came and told me he called the number and a woman answered. Then she hung up. I fucking knew Dakota was going to do that. She was probably on the run. But she had nowhere to run to though.
Max never came back to talk to me though.
I was woken up in the middle of the night and thrown into a different cell.
Then I got breakfast.
My communication with Chief Danielson and the MC was cut off.
That worried me.
Then two pricks showed up, grinning, telling me I was being shipped off to county.
So there I was, in an orange jumpsuit, chains at my feet and wrists, being led out the back of the local PD station and tossed into a big ass van. But I was the only one in the van. I’d been to county a few times in my life and it was normally full of guys.
Being alone, feeling the gentle bumps of the road, it was almost torture.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Dakota. And her big belly. My son inside her belly.
I needed to talk to Trev. I needed to get the rest of the club onboard and understand what I had been going through with Dakota. Dragging her near the club would have made her take off. But now…
“Shit,” I said.
The last thing I wanted was the MC to go after her and hurt her. Force her into anything she wasn’t sure of. I didn’t want Trev and the guys to hurt her. Shit, maybe I didn’t even want her in this mess now.
Who the fuck was setting me up for murder? And would they go after the club again?
There were so many questions and I’d get absolutely no answers.
When the van finally came to a stop, I was ushered out and taken to fucking prison. There was nothing to see around the prison yard. Taken from the small town to higher up on a mountain. The complete loss of true civilization. Going inside meant finding a way to survive. There was so much lingering shit in county it was bad. Clubs, crews, gangs all mixed together. An outside beef could easily bleed inside. An inside deal could change the outside world.
The two guys walked me to the front door of the prison and then stopped.
One guy put a hand to the door.
The other looked at me.
“Sorry, man,” he said.
“Sorry for what?”
A second later, the guy took out a gun and pointed it right to my chest.
chapter eight.
(dakota)
I walked through the foreign living room toward the kitchen. I heard Debbie humming away. The coffee smelled fantastic. The breakfast she was cooking was for an entire army. Her hips swayed to some jazz music. The only reason she spotted me was because she turned to wash her hands.
“Good morning!” she said.
She hurried to wash her hands, dry them, and then turned down the music.
“I like to listen to music when I cook.”
“Don’t mind me,” I said. “I’m invading your house.”
“Hardly. I need the company. Ever since George passed, it’s been rough.”
Debbie went back to work cooking.
I touched my stomach, mentally saying good morning to baby Ellis.
What were the odds that the nurse from the doctor’s office would see me in that parking lot? I had seen Debbie every time I went to the doctor’s. She knew the basics of my situation. I was pregnant. Not married. Not with anyone. No family. So she sort of took to me. She would spend time with me, chatting and laughing. The last time I saw her she gave me a piece of paper with her phone number on it, telling me to call if I ever needed anything. Never in my life did I think I’d actually need her or end up staying with her.
But when she saw me crying in my car in the parking lot…
“Eat up,” Debbie said.
She plopped a plate in front of me. My stomach growled and Ellis was starving. I wasn’t going to deny that.
I ate as Debbie had a much smaller plate for herself.
“There’s more to eat,” Debbie said.
“You need to eat more,” I said.
“I’m fine. Just fine!”
I looked at Debbie and my eyes filled with tears.
She quickly reached for my hand. “What is it?”
“I’m so confused right now,” I said. “I…” I sighed.
“You can tell me anything. Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. See, George and I had one son. And then that was it for us. I used to get angry when I saw a woman pregnant without things in order. But I realized who the hell was I to do that? Right? I see you, Dakota, and I just know there’s a happy ending waiting. The good Lord decided to steal George away early. I’m not angry. But I think maybe having you here… maybe it’s a sign. You need someone and I’m here to help you. Gosh, I know that sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
“It’s sort of perfect,” I said. “Considering I had nowhere to go.”
“Did you get into an argument…”
“The truth? The guy, the father, he was arrested.”
“Oh, my,” Debbie said. She swallowed hard. “How do you feel about it?”
“I don’t know. I know what he’s doing… I mean, I get it. He’s part of the motorcycle club.”
Debbie’s eyes widened. “Yes. I’ve run in to them before.”
“Are they all bad people?”
“Bad people,” Debbie whispered. She stood up and took her plate, and mine. “I think that’s subjective. And what I mean by that is… well, twenty years ago. Oh my, I’m going back here. The club was much smaller, Dakota. George had gotten laid off from the factory over in Pucker. Some New York based company bought the place and shut it all down. We were close to losing the house. I was doing all I could. George was depressed over it all. He was sitting at the diner, having a coffee. One of the old guys - long gone now - name was Rooster. He offered George a job. Got him into the shop to help fix up cars, bikes, everything. In fact, George was so good at it that he helped the business grow a little.”
I licked my dry lips. “Your husband was part…”
“Oh, heavens no,” Debbie said. “George drove a pickup truck. I don’t think he ever rode a motorcycle in his life.” She laughed. “Although I often wondered what he would look like in one of those leather jackets.” She shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t. What I’m saying is that they took George in and saved us. He worked and we survived. I even had Rooster and some of the guys over for dinner. George had the chance to run with them but decided against it. So I can’t tell you if they’re bad guys or bad people or not. They’re a group. They consider each other brothers. They’re close.”
“They get in trouble,” I said. “Kye is in jail for murder.”
Debbie shut her eyes and sighed. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. There’s nothing else I can say or do here. We need to keep you positive and upbeat.” Debbie walked to the table. “You’re going to think I’m crazy… well, even more crazy… but you’re welcome to stay here.”
“I can’t do that to you. Just a day or two and…”
Debbie pulled out a chair and sat down. “Dakota, I can’t stand being alone. I haven’t processed George’s passing yet. I need the noise in this house. Our son - George Jr. - is in England. He works in finance. He’s a brilliant man but has no desire for marriage and kids. So what do I have here? I’m alone. I’m all alone. Let me help you.”
I opened my mouth and I couldn’t find a single word. What was I supposed to say to Debbie? I literally had nowhere to go. If I left Debbie’s house I’d probably leave town and find some shelter or something. Did I want that? No.
“Just stay,” Debbie said. “Take things slow here, okay? Try to figure out a plan. You’re not a burden to me, Dakota. I promise you. I’ve been watching you grow that baby boy…”
“Ellis,” I said.
“I’m sorry?”
“That’s his name. Ellis.”
Debbie’s eyes lit up. “Last time you said you didn’t have a name.”
“I decided yesterday.”
“Ellis,” Debbie said. “Oh, that’s beautiful. So beautiful.”
The mood lightened and when Debbie stood up, I grabbed for her hand.
“Debbie… why? Just why?”
“Because in life, nothing is set in stone. There is no one path. All we have is what is in front of us. I’m not going to send a scared woman like you out there on your own. That baby is not going to be born into pain and confusion.”
“His father is in prison.”
“For now,” Debbie said. “You never know what could happen. Why don’t you go shower and we’ll go shopping.”
“Shopping?”
“I have a spare bedroom. We’ll grab a crib and everything else we need for a little nursery.”
“No. No way. I don’t have…”
I did have money. A nice little stack, actually. Kye always slipped me money every time he came home from the clubhouse. But it was filthy money. What if he killed someone for money… and I had some of that money?
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” Debbie said. “Trust me.”
She slipped away.
My blood ran cold. My heart twisted as hard as my head did. But my belly was full. Ellis was happy. That’s all that mattered. Keeping Ellis happy.
I stood and forced myself to take a shower.
I would listen to Debbie’s advice. One day at a time. One thing at a time.
I felt a little more at ease as I climbed into the shower.
Five minutes later… I went into labor.
chapter nine.
(kye)
My prison stint hadn’t worked out so well. A gun to my chest, the driver of the van slamming me against the door a few times just to rough me up. Thrown around like a toy until one of the guards showed up and punched the driver in the face. On my behalf. Amazing what money and protection could do for someone. Someone offered the drivers some cash to fuck me up at the same time the MC offered the guard a little kickback to keep me safe until I got into my cell.
That meant I walked the halls never knowing who was going to stab me, shoot me, or give me a heads up if something was going down.
All the while the hours turned into a day… then another… then another…
And I just waited for someone from the MC to show up.
**
I didn’t know if it was a toothbrush well-constructed into a shank or an actual piece of metal de
stined to tear out my fucking heart. I had no time to think about it or debate it. An arm, thick with muscle, swung at me out in the yard, the weapon in hand.
I wasn’t able to block the move or defend myself right away, so I turned and offered my shoulder. A hot fiery pain shot through the shoulder as I stumbled to the left into a table. I could feel the weapon enter and exit my shoulder. I rolled to my back, grabbed the edge of the table, and I kicked my foot at my attacker.
He was tall, bald, littered with random tattoos, a guy that was part of a crew on the inside that worked with the Hell Five on the outside. The MC was still on the hook for killing one of their main five members in a recent spat.
So now I was going to take my beating for the actions of Back Down Devil on the outside.
My foot smashed against the attacker’s stomach. He let out a loud oohhff sound and dropped the bloody weapon. I jumped up to the seat of the table and jumped off, coming down with a right punch to his jaw. It looked like some aerial move from professional wrestling. But this wasn’t scripted and I wasn’t trained to take a fall.
The attacker fell back and that’s when the brawl broke out.
Guys just wanted to fight for the sake of getting some of their emotion out.
I managed to get back to my original attacker, dodging a few punches, taking a few, knocking two guys on their ass. I had the attacker by his shirt and took him right to the fence. I slammed him against it and threw a right. Then another. Then another. Then another. My eyes changed. I had tunnel vision. I saw nothing but hurting this fucking prick. No, better yet, killing this prick.
He threw his head forward at me, hitting my eye socket. I took a step back for balance and then drove forward again at him.
Someone came at me from the right, tackling me to the ground. The first attacker was then right there, foot in the air, ready to crush my fucking head.
I thrashed, kicked, punched, vowing to defend myself until my last breath.
I managed to move and miss the first foot stomp, rolling to my right. Then the asshole kicked me square in the back, right at my spine. My entire body felt paralyzed for a few seconds and there was no air to breathe.
When I regained composure, I punched at anything moving. I managed to roll a few times and then kick back up to my feet. I wasn’t standing for more than a second before someone jumped on my back. I twisted and threw whoever the hell it was off me.
