Neither Black Nor White (Iron Dogz MC, #6)

by René Van Dalen

  “Video call, right the fuck now!” The line went dead and Dagger sighed and shook his head as he shut his phone down.

  “Can we use the tablet you brought along? It might make it easier with the photos and so on.” He asked.

  “Go for it.” Hawk said with a nod.

  Dagger concentrated on the tablet as he set it up then stood it in a stand at the end of the table so they could all see. The call had scarcely rung when it connected.

  Fox’s furious face appeared and his eyes skated over them before settling on Dagger. He was sitting in a big leather chair in what appeared to be either an office or a study. There were shelves filled with books and club memorabilia behind him.

  “What the fuck are you boys playing at? Why the fuck would you bring shit sprouted by a club whore to me?”

  Dagger didn’t answer he just picked up the tablet and handed it to Kid. Taking the device from him he held it up and stared emotionlessly into the camera.

  “Jesus fucking Christ!” The National President of the Sinners Sons MC stared at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression.

  “I’m Nathan ‘Kid’ Warne but my mother claims I’m not a Warne at all. And a DNA test confirmed it. I don’t care who my fucking sperm donor was or is as long as I don’t have Flash Warne’s blood in my veins I’m cool. But as we have an alliance keeping my possible parentage a secret will be bad for future dealings between our clubs, and that’s why we are here. I don’t need a fucking father, had one and damned glad to finally be rid of him.” Kid wasn’t going to play around with this shit, he needed this done. He held the tablet out waiting for someone to take it from him.

  Taking the tablet Dagger put it back into the stand so kindly supplied by Wimpie.

  Fox Knight suddenly grinned and shook his head with a short laugh. “Fuck, you even sound like your old man. War is going to lose his fucking mind at first but once it sinks in he is going to be over the fucking moon to have another son. He and Marcia always wanted a house full of rugrats but they had to stop at two. Now they’re pushing for loads of grandkids.”

  Kid shook his head and sighed. “I’m a grown man, not a fucking rugrat. There’s a lot that has to happen before we know whether I’m his son or not. And there are no children in my future.”

  “That’s what we all say, my boy. But then that pretty pink pussy winks at you and you lose your fucking head and dive right in. Nine months later you’re in the kid zone.” Fox stated as if it was gospel.

  “I can totally confirm that statement.” Ice threw in with a wink. “Saw the pussy, had to have it, and now I have twin boys. Best mistake I ever made.”

  Fox pointed at him with a wise nod. While Jinx shuddered and shook his head in disgust.

  “I do not want to know shit about you and my mother or whatever the rest of you guys get up to. We’re here to get your opinion on what we should do next. Do we call Uncle Camden? What do you think we should do?”

  “Right, I get it.” Fox played with his beard his eyes narrowed as he sat deep in thought. Then he nodded to himself and gave them his opinion.

  “I could call him but I think it has to come from Dagger because Hawk reached out to him first.” As he spoke his eyes remained in Kid throughout. “At first I think he’s going to be pissed as hell and demand a DNA test, which is a good thing. Once he has those results proving you are his son he’s going to be enraged that he had been denied the opportunity to raise his son but he’ll deal with it because that’s just the man he is. He’s going to want to have a face to face so I suggest you prepare for a run down to Cape Town, the sooner the better.” He held his hands up when Hawk and Dagger tried to speak. “I know our clubs are having shit with the Syndicate right now but this is family business and has to come first. When you arrange the run ensure that it’s not just three of four brothers accompanying Kid. You have to make a statement to anyone watching.”

  “I agree.” Hawk said. “Dagger can call War and after the DNA results are in we’ll put a joint run together. I don’t want him on a flight with no protection. We all know the Syndicate is going to wonder why my SAA is going to Cape Town and why he’s doing it in the company of the Sinners. It might be a good idea to have them escort a couple of trucks down as their cover. We’ll put some misinformation out there for them to pick up.”

  Fox shook his head. “Let’s not give them anything right now. For the time being this stays with us. There’s no reason to let the purpose for the run slip other than its joint club business. It’s a well-known fact that our clubs are allied so it shouldn’t raise any suspicions, at first. We’ll deal with the rest when it happens. I might have to get involved as the National President of the club but we’ll see how your phone call plays out first.”

  Dagger and Hawk both immediately agreed.

  All Kid wanted was to get this behind him so he could get on with his life and his job at the club. He didn’t give a damn that he suddenly had a new family because he wasn’t going to allow them to drag him into their shit. He just got rid of the people who had been his supposed family and had treated him like shit his whole life. There was no way War’s wife and kids were going to be happy with a stranger walking into their lives. Especially not a stranger claiming to be War’s long lost eldest son.

  He had had enough of being abused because of who he was. No more. He was finally shot of all family obligations and had no desire to take on new ones. He now had the freedom to be his own man and no longer had to take anyone else into consideration, except of course his club. And that was how it was going to stay.

  He tuned back in to what was being said as Fox gave a final warning.

  “Don’t let this drag on any longer. Call War. Today.” His eyes turned to Kid and he smiled. “Good to have met you, I’m looking forward to us having a beer together sometime in the future.”

  Kid could only nod because he was stunned by the immediate acceptance. Fox ended the call on that note.

  Dagger blew out a breath and looked at Hawk with his eyebrows raised and Hawk nodded.

  “Go ahead, do it. Request a video call. We need to see his reaction right from the start.”

  Dagger and Jinx looked at each other, then at Church. He shrugged and nodded.

  Dagger sent a text message and then they waited. And waited. And waited. They sat sipping on their beers chatting about general club stuff when the phone rang and tension spiked through the room.

  “I’m going to have him see only the three of us at first then I’ll bring you guys into the conversation.” Dagger said as he answered.

  “Dagger, brother, what can I do for you?” The man who spoke sounded eerily like Kid, and Hawk and Ice gave him a shocked glance before looking back at Dagger.

  “It’s more about what I can do for you, but you have to hear me out before you shut me down. Okay?” Dagger said very quietly.

  “Now I’m intrigued. Let’s hear it.” War did indeed sound intrigued.

  Dagger tipped his head to the side as he looked at the screen. “Are you alone, War?”

  “Yes, why the fuck do you ask?”

  “I asked because this is something personal and not meant for other ears.”

  “And now I’m more than fucking intrigued. Out with it, Dags.” Dagger rolled his eyes at the shortening of his name.

  “Okay, here goes. I was approached by Hawk Walker earlier today with some very important information his SAA, Kid Warne, brought to him. Kid’s mother claims that he is your son, not Flash Warne’s. He’s had a DNA test done and it confirms that he’s not Warne’s son but that there is a familial marker. I saw the DNA test results and they are real.”

  “What the ever loving fuck?” War burst out. “Why the fuck would you bring this bullshit to me? The Warnes are a fucking boil on the butt of humanity. They should be fucking popped and gotten rid of, permanently. She’s fucking lying.”

  Jinx leant forward. “Uncle Camden, he looks like you, not a little bit either, but exactly like you.”

&nbs
p; “Bullshit, not even Rock looks exactly like me. We share some features but that’s all.”

  “Fine.” Jinx snapped. “Then judge for yourself.”

  Kid heard the ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ right before Jinx shoved the tablet at him.

  Again he stared coldly into the camera and snarled through his teeth. “I’m Nathan ‘Kid’ Warne and I don’t give a fuck if I’m your son or not. I just need to close this fucking chapter of my life.”

  The man with his face, but only bearded and older, stared back at him then blinked slowly.

  “How old are you?” He snarled through clenched teeth very softly.

  “Thirty eight. I was born in 1982 on the 15th of August.”

  They stared at each other for long moments before War spoke.

  “Jesus. Fuck. I want a DNA test done as soon as possible. If it turns out you are mine it means she stole you from me. And that means those two sly motherfuckers STOLE MY SON!!” He ended on a shout and suddenly there was the sound of pounding on a door. He turned his head towards where the door obviously was and shouted at whoever was pounding on the door. “Fuck off! I’m busy.”

  There was a mumbled reply that he ignored because he was once again staring at Kid.

  “I want to meet you. When can you get to Cape Town?” Kid was about to answer when Hawk took over.

  He removed the tablet from Kid’s clenched hands and put it back on the stand so War could see all of them and they could see him.

  “I won’t allow him to come down before we have DNA proof that he’s your son. We have the Syndicate on our backs and they would love to hit another of my men. I won’t allow that to happen. We have a contact with a DNA agency and I can organise to have your sample collected and tested against Kid’s. Or you can make your own arrangements. Either way suits us.”

  War didn’t hesitate. “Make the arrangements but I already know what they are going to say.”

  Hawk was tapping on his phone then looked up as he set it down.

  “Good. I’ve sent a text to Ziggy, one of my officers, to set it up. I’ll have him e-mail you the details.”

  War nodded and all the while his eyes stayed on Kid. “I still want you to come to Cape Town. We need to meet face to face and I want you to meet my family should the test come back positive.”

  Again Hawk answered for him.

  “As soon as we have the results we’ll organise a run. I think we should plan this for around two weeks from today which should give us enough time to put some plans in place. Kid won’t be coming down alone; he’ll have an escort that will consist of brothers from both clubs. Between us we’ll organise something that won’t raise too many eyebrows. We’ll come up with a very plausible reason for a joint run. I need Kid safe, he’s too important to me, my club and to our families for us to lose him.”

  A merciless icy look settled over War’s face. “Is his mother included in that statement? Is he important to her as well?”

  Kid answered before Hawk could. “Esther Warne has hated my guts since before I was born. There is no way I will ever consider her or any of the Warnes my family. The Walkers are my family, I don’t need anyone else.”

  “Bullshit.” War leant forward his eyes hard and focused. “If you are my son you will have a family who will welcome you with open arms. My old lady is a good woman and once I’ve explained she will be over the moon to add another kid to our household, and before you say you’re not a kid anymore, believe me, she will convince you otherwise.”

  Kid was confused because War spoke as if he had no doubts that he was his son.

  “Rock might be a bit pissy at first but he’ll get over it very quickly and Keeley is a sweetheart, she’ll welcome you to the family instantly. We get the formality of the test done then you get down here and come and meet your family, son. Can’t fucking wait to introduce you to everyone.” A smile curved his mouth and he winked at him. “Don’t be surprised if my old lady starts calling you every day to find out how you’re doing, she does it to Rock and Keeley and it drives them fucking nuts. They’ll be happy as pigs in shit that her focus will shift off them to you for a while.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “And when you’re on a run? The shit gets worse, she insists on twice daily updates. My kids maintain that the name helicopter mum was invented for her. So be warned, she’s going to give you even more grey hairs than you already have. Check my beard and hair, this shit is my old lady’s fault.” He was grinning right throughout and all of them could see it was all said with love.

  Kid turned and gave Ice a sly look. “She sounds like Aunt Suzy.”

  “Wait until you have kids, they get worse.” Ice growled with a smile.

  The grin dropped from Kids face. “I’m never going to have an old lady or children. I’ll leave that bullshit to you lot.”

  War rested his bearded chin on his clasped hands and just looked at Kid for a few long seconds, and then he nodded.

  “You grew up around toxic people who hurt you and that colours how you see relationships. I understand the way you feel about it. You go ahead and live your life the way you want and don’t compromise on anything. If you keep your eyes on the goal you will get there. But Kid, hear me when I say this. We live a very harsh life that can end in the blink of an eye, the softness of a woman and the joy of children makes the life we chose to live so much easier. I’m not discounting the fellowship of our brothers and the club at all but they can’t give you everything you need. And that is something I learned the hard way. When you get here we can sit down and I’ll tell you about it.”

  “I’ll reserve judgement on that one until we’ve had our chat.” Kid said with a nod.

  “Good. Now I need to get out of here. I need to go see my old lady with the news. Can you send me some photographs so I can show her what you look like?” War asked almost sheepishly.

  “Ja, we brought photos and the DNA test along to show Dagger and Jinx. I’ll forward them to Dagger and he can forward them to you.” Ice said.

  “Add your phone number and email to that, Kid. We’ll be talking again soon, son. Look after yourself and we’ll see you in Cape Town soon.”

  With that he ended the call and Kid sat back and let the breath he had been holding in go. Relief shot through him as he breathed normally for what felt like the first time in hours.

  “That went way better than I anticipated.” Hawk said as he picked up his beer and drank deep.

  Dagger shoved his phone towards Kid. “Put your details in so I can forward them with the photos. And be prepared brother, you’re going to receive a fuckload of calls before you get to Cape Town. This isn’t the last you’ve heard of War.”

  Kid silently did as he was asked and put in his details. To him it was a bit surreal how he went from having a fucked up family to this.

  One look into War Knight’s eyes and he had known in his gut that the man was his father. His father was the president of the Cape Town chapter of the Sinners Sons MC. He repeated it over and over in his head and it still sounded weird.

  Unbelievably weird.

  A part of him looked forward to meeting the man in person while another part warned him that people lied about who they were. They lied and hurt those they were supposed to love.

  It was easy to put up a front, very damned easy.

  He couldn’t afford to trust anything War had said to him. Too many times in his life had he put his trust in people only to be disappointed. It taught him a hard lesson. A lesson he had taken to heart and lived by.

  Actions spoke louder than words.

  He would be waiting on those actions before he made up his mind one way or the other.

  War

  War sat staring at the screen of his laptop for several minutes after he ended the call. The man going by the name of Nathan ‘Kid’ Warne was his son, of that he had no doubt. He looked too much like him at that age to be mistaken for anyone else’s kid. And what the fuck was up with his road name?

  His phone ping
ed with a notification that he had a message from Dagger. Drawing in a deep breath he opened it, as expected it was the photos for the man he knew in his gut was his son. They had the same eyes, same colour hair, same build. One thing was different though. His son’s eyes were dead, they showed nothing. Even when he was smiling his eyes didn’t smile.

  What the fuck had those two lowlifes done to him?

  Shaking his head he closed his phone and slipped it into his pocket. Then he logged out of his laptop, closed it and walked out of his office and locked it behind him. In the common room he shouted at the two patches, Bacon and Tubs that he was going home for a while. He wasn’t surprised when they followed him out and rode home with him. They were following Rock’s orders.

  Fuck. How was Rock going to take the news that he had an older brother? He suspected not well, not well at all.

  He pulled into his garage and sat on his bike for a few seconds before getting off and leaving his helmet and gloves on the seat. Tubs walked into the house with him while Bacon kept watch outside.

  “Marcia, babe, where are you?” He called as he walked into the kitchen.

  “I’m on the deck.” She shouted and he started making his way towards her.

  “I need to talk to my old lady. Stay in the kitchen, I’ll call if I need you.” He ordered over his shoulder.

  She was lying on a lounger under the shady pergola reading when he walked out and closed the slider behind him. Giving him a brilliant smile she rested her open book over her belly and watched him as he drew a chair close to the lounger and sat down. By the time he sat down she was frowning.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to tell you something.” He said as he picked up her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

  “Okay, but you’re making me nervous. Is it something bad?” Her fingers tightened around his.

  “It’s a bit of both, baby. Do you remember back when we got together how we decided to let our pasts stay in the past?”

  She frowned and gave a slow nod.

  “Today a part of my past resurfaced. But before I tell you what it is I want you to know that I didn’t know. If I had different decisions would have been made.”