by Ada Stone
“So he knows he’s going through with all this, and no one’s stopping him?” Sniper asked.
“They’ve been letting him spin his wheels but didn’t think he’d ever actually go against the club’s vote. Ghost and the rest of them had no idea what he was up to. When Ghost showed up yesterday at your house, he didn’t know what he was walking into. In fact, Tony said Ghost has been pulling back from the club lately, like he wants to retire or some shit.”
“I heard they took away that shit, no member just leaves,” Michael said.
“Yeah, another one of Devlin’s fucking lines of bullshit. The man has lost his fucking mind, taking his club right into the shitter.”
“So what does he want from us? Is he going to take care of his own shit, or we sitting around waiting for Devlin to finally crack?” Sniper snuffed out his cigarette and moved to the chair at the desk.
“He wants our help to take him down. Devlin’s not in contact with Tony anymore. He’s gone like off the grid or some shit. He’s got those little kids we saw yesterday with him, and he thinks he’s got Ghost on a leash, too.”
“Has he talked with Ghost, the girls?” Michael interrupted.
“Ghost. He talked with him this morning. The girls are fine; he’s taking care of them. They’re not in any danger, at least from him. Now if Devlin shows up, there could be trouble.”
“Then let’s go get them.” Sniper jumped from his seat.
“No. Not yet. We call Devlin. Tell him we want to negotiate the terms, but let him think we are basically on board with his plan. Once we have a location, we pass it on to Tony.”
“We go to this meeting?”
“Yeah. We show up, but once he’s there, Tony and his men will do the rest. But we can’t get the girls until after this meeting. We can’t let him think anything is different than what he has planned.”
“Fuck.” Michael jumped from his seat and dragged both hand through this hair. If she was with Ghost and he was on Tony’s side of this little civil war, then she should be safe. She should be fine, unless Devlin showed up and she got that mouth of hers going, her or Candy.
“I’m thinking the same damn thing, brother.” Sniper nodded. “The only danger is if Devlin shows up. Neither of our girls know how to keep their mouths shut when they’re pissed, and Candy is going to be pissed, especially if Ghost has her locked up somewhere. She doesn’t do good with that.”
“You mentioned that earlier. Why is that?”
Sniper sighed. “When she was a kid, time-out took place in a dog kennel. You know, one of those cages you put outside for the dogs? Her parents would lock her up in that shit. A few times, they were too drunk to remember she was out there, and she stayed out there for a full night before they stumbled out the next morning and found her.”
“Fuck,” Michael whispered. “We didn’t do right by that girl when she came to us.”
Sniper nodded. “No, we didn’t. I’m making up for it, don’t worry. Right now, we just need to get through this shit.” Sniper turned to Craig. “Make the call. Set the meeting up for now. I want this over with.”
“Yeah. This morning, before Devlin has a chance to head over to Ghost’s.” Michael’s cell began to ring, and he took it out the hall to answer.
“Hey. I got a few different addresses for that name you gave me.” James, their cop contact, offered. “There’s one that’s way out of our town, a small cabin-in-the-woods type place. Then, there’s a place a mile or two from your own house—241 Hillcrest.”
“241 Hillcrest? You sure that’s in his name?” Michael repeated. That was Belle’s mother’s house.
“Yep, that’s what I see. Just him. Why?”
“Uh, no reason. Can you give me the address to the cabin?” Michael walked back into the office and grabbed a pencil off Craig’s desk, jotting down the information on a piece of paper. “Thanks, James, we owe you one.”
“Or a dozen.” James laughed. “Anything else I can do to help?”
“Uh, yeah, maybe. I’ll get back to you on that, though. Sort of in the prepping stage.”
“Okay, man. Just give me a ring if you do.”
“Will do.” Michael hung up. “James gave me the addresses for Ghost. He’s got two houses listed, one is Belle’s mom’s place. The other, he said, is some cabin outside town.”
“Okay, well, let’s sit on that for now. I’ll get the call out to Devlin and shoot you both the information for the meet. Don’t go fucking far.”
Michael checked the time. “I might shoot over to the hospital and see if Belle’s mom’s in surgery yet.”
# # #
“Belle, are you sure you’re okay?” Ghost sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’m fine. Just tired.” She smiled. The cramping had finally stopped.
“I don’t believe you.” He narrowed his eyes on her. You came out of the bathroom looking too white for my liking. You have a few minutes to rest up, but if you aren’t looking better, I’m taking you to the doctor.
“If you can take me to the doctor, you can take me home,” she shot back but felt too weak to argue with him. “I’m sorry. I just, I didn’t want this. This is exactly what I didn’t want.”
“I don’t think anyone wants to be kidnaped.” He cracked a smile, and she met him halfway with her own.
“I mean, this drama. I told Michael— “
“Ah. Too dangerous, his life is too dangerous for you and the baby.” He nodded. “I get it. Tell me, how’d you end up with him anyway? You’ve been working at that dental clinic for years, dating straight-laced guys…how’d this happen?”
“You knew where I worked? Who I dated?”
“I told you, I kept tabs. Your mom may have thought I walked away, but I never did. I may have a few gaps in my Belle history, but I tried to make sure you were always safe.”
She didn’t know what to say or how to react to that. “I met him at the hospital when mom was first admitted.” She wasn’t about to tell him all the details. No way was she admitting to the proposition she gave Michael in the hospital.
“And one thing led to another, and you’re carrying his baby.” Her father supplied for her when she hesitated to continue.
“Yeah. Something like that.” She leaned forward as another cramp grabbed ahold of her stomach.
“That’s it.” He jumped off the bed. “Candy, get your shit.”
“What shit would I have…oh, shit.” Candy stopped dead in her tracks. “She doesn’t look good.”
“Get my keys,” he barked at her as he scooped up Belle in his arms. “Let’s go.” He carried her through the living room and out the front door.
“I’m fine,” she tried to say again, but she could tell she wasn’t. The cramp was big, and she was so tired, so damn sleepy. She just wanted to close her eyes for a few days.
She let him put her in the truck and felt Candy slide in beside her. The truck revved to life, and he took off, but she didn’t look to see where they were going. She leaned against Candy and closed her eyes. Just a little sleep. Just a quick nap.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Devlin showed up on time, almost early. Michael and Sniper stood in the same place they had the day before, in the lot of their warehouse. Craig stood with them, watching Devlin and his three little rebels ride over to them.
“I see you have finally put your thinking caps on. Good for you. Bravo.” Devlin laughed and hopped off his bike. “I don’t mind a little negotiation, but I can’t promise you’ll get anything you want.”
“Oh, I think we’ll be getting everything we want.” Michael smiled. Devlin squinted, the sun from behind Michael was glaring right into his eyes.
“A little big for your britches, don’t you think? Whatever. I don’t have time for this shit. What’s your terms?”
“Oh, I think…what did we say? Oh, yeah, you aren’t taking any of our routes. You won’t be pulling your shit in our town, and you can go fuck yourself.” Sniper happily gave their list of terms.
Devlin’s smile faded away to a sneer, which quickly disappeared when the garage doors flew up behind them, and his own club started pouring out of the warehouse.
“Tony, what the fuck is this? You working with these piss-ants?” Devlin’s voice wavered enough that Michael had no trouble stepping to the side to let the Devil’s Nest handle their own shit.
“No. I’m working with the club, the club you were president of until you got a screw knocked loose.” The crowd of bikers circled around Devlin, pushing Michael, Sniper, and Craig to the outskirts.
“Let’s go. This is handled.” Craig motioned for them to get to their bikes and get out. Whatever was coming, they weren’t going to stop it, but they weren’t going to stick around for it be pinned on them.
“I have the address. I’m going to the cabin,” Sniper called as he peeled out of the lot. Michael nodded, feeling the vibrations of his phone but ignoring it. He had to get to his girl.
Dozens of gunshots rang out behind them, but none of the stopped to think about what was happening. The Devils’ Nest had gotten rid of the poison.
The ride to the cabin didn’t take long, but it felt like an eternity to Michael. They turned off the highway and started down the last road, but Michael didn’t like the feeling he was getting. His phone vibrated again, but he didn’t stop. He’d be there in a minute, then he could check.
“You sure this is it?” Sniper asked when they rolled up to the cabin. No truck. No bike. The house was dark.
“Yeah. This is it. Go see if the door is open.” Michael pulled out his phone. He had two messages from an unknown number. He hit the play button on the voicemail while Sniper went inside the house.
“Michael, it’s Candy. Belle’s at the hospital. It’s the baby. Fuck, Ghost, I was just— Okay, fine, here…. Hey, it’s Casper. The doctor’s doing the exam now. Fuck, Candy, sit down and just stop already. Come see your girl, and tell that Sniper to come get his little girl off my back.” Michael’s heard clenched.
“Sniper!” He yelled into the house. “Sniper! Now. The hospital” Sniper ran out of the house and down the steps.
“What? Who?”
“Belle! It’s the baby!” He turned his bike around and took off for the highway, not giving a rat’s ass if Sniper was behind him or eating his dust. He had to get to her. She had to be fine; the baby had to be fine. If one fucking thing was wrong, one degree of a temperature causing a problem, he’d kill every one of those Devil’s Nest fuckers. Every fucking one of them.
The hospital was in full-swing of emergencies when he ran inside the ER. He spotted Candy right away, sulking in the corner of the waiting room.
“Where is she?”
“She’s back here.” Candy jumped up, seeming glad to do something, and pushed past the nurse trying to stop them from entering the main rooms. She led him to the small, curtained-off room where Belle slept.
“I’m here,” he announced, ripping the curtain as he threw it aside. Ghost sat in the chair beside the hospital bed and quickly stood up to hush him.
“She’s sleeping. Don’t wake her up.”
“Is she okay? What happened? Is the baby…” He dragged two hands through his hair.
His stomach had taken residence in his throat, and his heart wasn’t even working anymore.
Nothing in his life prepared him for the terror of what he was experiencing. She looked okay, aside from a little pale but he needed her awake. He needed her to talk to him, to tell him she loved him, and he needed to know his baby was safe inside her belly.
She needed to wake up.
# # #
An annoying beeping sound pulled Belle from the comfort of the deepest sleep she’d enjoyed in weeks. Her eyelids fluttered open, and suddenly, she remembered where she was and why.
Her hand flew to her belly, and she sat up, only to be shoved down by big hands. “No, just relax,” Michael ordered her.
She looked up, finding him staring down at her. His hair was all messed up, like he’d been tugging at it for hours. His shirt was untucked, and his eyes were red.
“Michael.” His name came out in a cry she didn’t realize she’d been holding back. “You’re okay. You’re here.”
Tears flooded her eyes and poured down her cheeks.
“Shh…of course, I am. Where else would I be?” He sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead before pressing him to his chest. She wrapped her arms around him
“I was so fucking scared. I didn’t know what was going on. And Ghost, he’s my dad, Michael.” She pulled back and watched his expression. “He’s a bad guy, or well, he was…is…I don’t know. Candy said he did a lot of bad shit for his club, and he’s my dad. But he didn’t hurt me or her. He protected us. He’s been protecting me and my mom. Oh, God. Mom. Where’s Mom?”
“Hey, hey.” Michael put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “One thing at a time, babe, one thing. First thing: does anything hurt?” He looked down the length of her.
The hospital gown didn’t offer much of a view. She took a mental inventory of her body. “No, nothing hurts. The baby, is the baby okay? I don’t remember. The doctor said stuff, did blood draws, but I was so tired.”
“It’s okay. The baby’s okay.” He wiped his hand across her cheek, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “The baby is fine. You were exhausted, dehydrated, and stressed too far out.”
“I was bleeding.”
“The doctor said a little spotting is okay. He checked you, babe. You’re fine. I made him check twice.” He grinned wider, obviously proud of himself.
“You didn’t intimidate him, did you?”
“Of course not,” he answered with mock offense. “I just told him to re-do the exam, make sure you and the baby were okay.”
Belle started to blush. “The exam…”
“I was here the whole time; he didn’t do anything he wasn’t supposed to.”
She could imagine Michael standing over the doctor while he poked and prodded her. “How did I not wake up?”
“They gave you something to help you sleep. I don’t think a tornado tearing through the room would have woken you.” He touched her cheek again. His eyes were soft, concerned. “Are you sure nothing hurts?”
She gripped his hand, bringing it down to her lap. “I promise, Michael. Nothing hurts. I was just so tired.”
“There was a lot of stress going on, meeting your dad like that and dealing with Devlin. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. None of that should have been brought to your doorstep.”
She was quiet for a moment, reflecting on what to say. He sounded as though he were starting rethink things. Rethink them? “Your life is definitely more colorful than what I’m used to.” She nodded. “But, I know you’ll always keep me safe, keep us safe.” She moved his hand to her belly. He pressed the flat of his hand against her, staring at their hands connected, covering their baby.
“I love you, Michael, and I was an idiot for not saying it earlier and for thinking there was any way I could possibly live without you.”
His eyes snapped up to hers. “You aren’t worried that my life is too unsafe for you and the baby?”
“You’ll do whatever you have to in order to keep us safe. I grew up not having my father, and I don’t want that for my kids. I don’t want that for me. I want you. And if the club comes with you, it comes with you. They are your family, so they are mine.”
He cradled her face in both of his hands and brought his lips down on hers, stealing her breath and crushing her at the same time. “I knew you loved me, but now I know you want me,” he whispered against her lips.
“Excuse me.” An older gentleman walked into the room. “Sorry, but the nurses let me know she was awake.”
“I think they want you out of their hair.” Belle laughed. Michael released her and stood up from the bed.
“It’s not, I mean, how are you are feeling?” The doctor gave Michael a wary smile and straigh
tened his glasses before finally looking at Belle.
“A bit tired but otherwise okay. Michael said the baby’s okay? Are you sure? I’m worried about the blood.”
“You had some spotting, but when I did my exam, there was no evidence of a miscarriage or any other trouble. Some spotting during the pregnancy is okay.” He looked down at his chart. “Uh, the girl that brought you in said that you were having pains in your stomach?”
