Ice was lost in thought when a hard smack on his back pulled him back to the present.
“I’m out of here, son. Try and make it to supper one night this week, your mum misses you.” His dad gave him a hard hug.
“Tell her I’ll be there on Thursday evening, and Dad, no fucking sneaky set ups this time or I’m not coming over for the next six months at least. You make sure you warn her. The last bitch she tried to set me up with was damned hard to get rid of. No more giving out my number either. It’s not cool at all. I’ll find my own damned woman I don’t need my mother to find her for me.”
Bulldog and his brothers were howling with laughter and Ice just shook his head as he watched his dad walk out the clubhouse with Sam following him. His parents had a house on club property so he didn’t have far to go but Hawk had still put a prospect on him.
Better safe than sorry.
Ice had become a prospect on his eighteenth birthday and had moved into the prospect dorms when he joined the club. When he received his patch he was given a small room towards the back of the clubhouse. After he had been voted in as Hawk’s VP he had moved upstairs into the VP’s rooms. Unlike some of the other brothers he didn’t have a place outside the clubhouse, he didn’t need it. Everything he needed was right here.
When he found the woman he wanted as his old lady he would build them a house on Iron Dogz land. He knew the exact spot where he would build. Finishing his beer Ice set the bottle down on the bar and made his way outside. He needed fresh air, to feel the wind on his face and the road under his wheels.
Today had brought too many demons to the fore front of his mind and he needed them gone.
Riding out with Sin and Wolf he felt all the shit fall away as the peace of the road soaked into him.
CHAPTER TWO
River
Seb and I hung over the blanket covered fenders of the car guiding the engine in as Jannie slowly winched it down. We kept our hands on it making sure it aligned perfectly. My dad was crouched down at the front of the car and threw both thumbs up as with a creak of springs the engine settled in place.
“Perfect. Let’s get to it guys. We’ve got to get this engine in and running like a dream before eleven tomorrow.” My dad threw over his shoulder as he walked away with a wide grin.
“He says the same damn thing every time, it’s just the timeline that changes.” Seb grinned while I sighed and shook my head.
“I know. He’s a pain in the ass at the best of times but when we’re close to finishing a rebuild he gets worse.” I complained.
Seb and Jannie laughed because they’ve heard this complaint many, many times before. I grinned as we started fitting the reconditioned engine. A few hours later we were ready to start her for the first time and as always we were jittery with nerves and excitement. The beast came alive with a whine and a cough. We listened intently nodding and grinning when I tapped the accelerator. There were a few things we would have to tweak, but nothing big. We would bring this one in on time, as promised.
Much later I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling in the dark. I was so damned tired. Sleep was once again evading me as my life ran like a movie through my head. Considering all the bad stuff in my past, this life I had built for myself and my son was a good one. I never thought I would ever get here, to this place. To contentment. It was a big one for me after the heartache I had put my parents through as a teen because of my stupid rebellion. I had been so full of shit. But then I met him and it all changed. He changed me, made me grow up and now I was older and wiser.
Some nights, like tonight, I missed him more than I could bear. I missed him so fiercely I physically ached. He wasn’t given the chance to see his son born. His enemies took it from him, took it from his son. God, he would have been such a good dad. My pregnancy had not been planned but Dylan “Sparrow” Martins had stepped up and faced my dad’s wrath, declaring he loved his daughter and even though he had already claimed her as his old lady he was going to marry her as soon as possible. But I wanted to wait until after the baby was born, I didn’t want to look fat in photos. So young and so stupid. We moved into the small two bedroomed cottage on my parents’ property and started our life together, looking forward to the day our son would be born.
If I had known then what I know now I would have married him the very same day. And I would have spent every single minute of every day showing and telling him how much I loved him.
Turning on my side I stared at the baby monitor on my bedside table and listened to my son breathe and the music playing softly in the background. Early on in my pregnancy Sparrow had started playing music for the baby. He had heard somewhere it was good for his development and had put together several playlists for his boy. The one playing in the background now was his bedtime playlist.
Like many, many times before I fell asleep with tears in my eyes and his name on my lips, while listening to the music he had chosen for our son.
Waking up slowly I stared at the beeping alarm blearily and groaned as I reached over to turn it off. Why the hell had I agreed to open up early today? I wasn’t a fan of early mornings, but I was the one with the kid, an early bird kid at that, and had agreed after Seb and Jannie had pointed out I would be up anyway. The sneaky bastards. Through the baby monitor I heard Duncan waking and stretching and then the patter of his feet getting softer and softer.
Shit, I hope the kid aimed inside the toilet this morning and didn’t hose the place down. Sliding out of bed I quickly went into my tiny bathroom, did my business, and washed my hands before heading to the kitchen.
Duncan was already there, on the step stool reaching into the cupboard to pull out the cereal.
Kissing him on the temple I held on to him as he wobbled. “Hey, boykie. Did you wash your hands?”
My boy gave me a look then grinned and waved barely dry little hands at me. “Hey, Mumma. I made a pee and washed. See?”
“Good boy. Can I help you?” At his smiling nod I reached into the cupboard but stopped before pulling anything out. “Which one do you want? Superman or Spiderman?”
An adamant headshake. “No, I want Batman food.”
My boy is obsessed with Batman and trying to get him to eat healthy I decanted my mum’s homemade muesli into containers I had stuck super hero stickers on. And anything in the Batman container became Batman food and he ate it, no problems.
“You get down and I’ll get it for you.”
Sipping on my coffee I watched my boy wolfing down his breakfast, milk dripping down his chin and onto his jammies. I didn’t care, it was washable and this moment right here was one I might never have again. He was growing so fast, his fifth birthday was approaching and he was turning from my baby into a little boy. Before I knew it he was going to be old enough to go to big school and he would change again. I treasured these moments with him.
“When you’ve finished we must get ready, boykie. Nana is taking you to pre-school because I have to finish the yellow car today.”
“’Kay. Can I come see later?” He asked between chews.
“Sorry, boykie, it will be gone by the time school comes out. But maybe if you ask nicely Nana will bring you to have a look at the bike that came in yesterday. The guy took a hard fall but we’re going to fix his bike as good as new.”
Duncan grinned as he shook his head, his dark blonde hair flopping over his forehead. “Better, Mumma, we fix it better.”
I smiled as I looked into eyes the exact green of his father’s and my heart warmed. “You’re right, boykie, we fix it better.”
After walking my boy over to my parents’ house I drove to work and opened up the bay with the almost completed rebuild. The bright yellow classic Camaro had red flames licking down the sides and over the boot and bonnet. Not my favourite colour for a car but the owner’s wife loved yellow, he liked red, so yellow with red flames was their compromise.
As eleven rolled around we had just pushed the car out onto the forecourt after the final polishing.
She shone in the sunshine and Wouter and Annalie, the owners, were grinning as if Christmas had come early. And with it only being April, for them it had. I left my dad to do the handover and walked through the garage to my domain. I had several repairs and a rebuild waiting for me in my workshop at the back.
When my dad started out he had focused on rebuilding cars, mostly muscle cars and classic cars. But my passion had always been bikes and when I joined the business we added a large space on to the back of the garage for my babies. I broke the space up into several small bays with short walls delineating each space. I had five bays with small stands in each, a central hoist, a large storage space and a small reception area with a desk, a computer, chairs and two couches. A big old fashioned and reconditioned Fridgedaire was filled with water, cold drinks and beer. A fancy coffee machine sat on a table with cups, teaspoons and little packets of sugar.
The reception area hadn’t always had couches but I had found bikers liked to hangout and talk shit as they watched us work on their rides. And they were the reason why we had beer in the fridge.
Ah, yes, that’s the only reason. And not too much of a fib either.
The poor bike I had told Duncan about stood crookedly in bay five, the bay furthest from the door. Taking a clipboard from the wall I started listing the visible damage as I walked around the machine. Poor girl, she had taken a nasty beating but I would have her back to her previous glory as soon as I could. Taking the clipboard with me I sat at the desk and pulled up the owner’s information on the computer and typed up a quick provisional quote. We wouldn’t know the extent of the damage to the engine until we opened her up. I sent off the e-mail and went back to finish the work on the bike in bay one.
I glanced up when I heard the door between the two buildings bang shut and hid a grin as an obviously horribly hung over Kevin “Wrench” Clarkson walked into the workshop. He was white as a sheet as he slunk past and went straight to the coffee machine. I went back to work on the bike in front of me but kept an eye on Wrench.
Wrench was the only one working with me on the bikes and he was slowly but surely finding his feet as we both settled into working together. Wrench had recently done his trade test and was now a fully qualified mechanic and he wanted to specialise in bikes. When he came for the interview he didn’t hide that he was a prospect with the Iron Dogz MC and it was because of his honesty that I decided to take him on despite my misgivings. He committed to work hard and give me enough advance warning if club business was going to keep him out of the workshop. So far I had been lucky, he was here almost every day, even hung over and obviously suffering as he was today. Plus he had called me last night to let me know he would be late because of club business.
I grinned as the whine of the air drill made him cringe. Taking pity on him I put it down and joined him at the coffee machine.
“Big party last night?” I asked.
“Yes, Boss, our president gave his old lady his ink and his patch yesterday and the party got out of hand. Had a massive clean-up this morning. Sorry I’m dragging today.”
Chuckling softly I shook my head. “How long have you worked for me now, Wrench?”
“Seven months or so, Boss.”
“Good, and have you ever not finished a job I’ve given you or gone home early or stayed away when you’re hung over and sick as a dog?”
“No, Boss. This job is important to me and I don’t want to fuck it up.”
“So, there you have it. We’re good. Take some paracetamol and drink a lot of water. Alcohol dehydrates the body, hence the headache, dry mouth and nausea. Next time you tie one on remember to drink water as you throw back those shots. Sit down, drink your coffee and start in bay three when you feel a bit better. Okay?”
“You are the best fucking boss in the world.” Wrench mumbled as he took the bottle of headache tablets from the desk drawer.
Laughing softly I went back to work and not too long after I heard the sounds of Wrench getting stuck into the job I had assigned to him.
Time flew and it was only when I heard Duncan’s high pitched giggle that I realised I had been working without a break for the last few hours. Wrench looked a whole lot better when he stepped out of bay three grinning as Duncan ran into the workshop.
“Hey, little brother, how was school today?” He asked as Duncan skidded to a halt close to him.
My boy pulled a face. “Okay, Sammy, Robby and I ran away from Kelly and her friends all day. They wanted to kiss us. And it’s gross. And we never got to play ‘cause they chased us.”
Wrench and I gave each other big eyes before he sank down on one knee in front of my boy.
“So, little brother, you don’t like Kelly?” Wrench asked carefully.
“No, she’s nasty and her mummy’s nasty and not nice. She hugged me and I didn’t like it. And she said stuff ‘bout my daddy and she said I was gor-jus jus’ like him.”
My mum-antennae were up immediately but before I could say a word Wrench continued talking to my boy so I just crouched down next to them and stayed silent.
“So, you don’t like Kelly and you don’t like Kelly’s mummy hugging you. Why? Does she make you feel uncomfortable?”
“What’s uncomf’able?”
“When she hugged you did it make you feel not good?”
Immediately he nodded. “Her tits are too big and I couldn’t breathe.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. What the hell? And who the hell told him breasts were called tits?
The mum part of me stepped up before I could pull it back.
“They’re called breasts or boobs, Duncan, not tits, it’s a rude word and only for grownups, okay?”
“Oh, okay. Boobs, I like boobs. Booooobs.” He said with a tiny giggle.
Wrench snorted with laughter and I was hard pressed not to either.
“Her boobs are huuuuge.” He said with wide eyes. “Really, really huge.” His bright green eyes swivelled between me and Wrench and I sighed. Then he looked down at my chest and frowned. “Why don’t you have big boobs, Mumma?”
Oh dear God.
“Uhm, not everyone is the same, boykie. Some people have bigger boobs than others.”
“Oh, why?”
Sweet baby Jesus. Not the why. How do I explain this one?
Wrench tapped my arm. “I got this, Boss.”
“You know how you and Sammy are the tallest boys in your class?” He asked and my boy nodded. “You guys are both tall because your daddies are tall, right?” Again the nod. “The other kids are all different too, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are short, not like me and Sammy.” Duncan said with a very superior look in his green eyes. The little shit.
“Boobs are like that too, little brother. Some are big and some are small. It’s just the way it is.”
Duncan stood looking down at his shoes as he puzzled it out for himself then he looked up at Wrench and nodded.
“I don’t like big boobs.” He said with a disgusted face. “When I’m big my old lady is going to have boobs like my mumma so I don’t suf’cate when she hugs me.”
My mouth hung open as I stared at my boy. What the hell was going on at his school?
“Who said you will suffocate?”
Duncan drew in a deep breath before he started his story.
“I was waiting for Nana with Sammy and his daddy when Kelly’s mummy came to fetch her. And she’s very poor ‘cause her clothes are too small and all the mummies and daddies were looking at her. And then she hugged me and I didn’t like it and Sammy’s daddy told her to get away from me. Then she said rude words to him and took Kelly home. Then Sammy’s daddy said the reeeaaally bad word and told Robby’s daddy her tits almost suf’cate me. Than Nana fetched me.” He shrugged and looked around the workshop.
“Can I help Wrenchie today, Mumma?” As far as my boy was concerned now he had explained he was moving on to the next most important thing in his life. Bikes.
All I could do was nod as I s
traightened up out of my crouch.
“Keep an eye on him please, Wrench. I’ll be back.”
I stormed out of the workshop and into the office where my mum and dad were sitting chatting.
“Did Sammy’s dad talk to you about the woman who was all over Duncan at the nursery school today? Or did any of the teachers say anything to you?”
“No, sweetheart, I got there, signed him out and came straight here. What happened?”
I rubbed my hands over my thighs as I tried to cool the anger.
“It seems a woman connected to the club has put her kid in Duncan’s nursery school and today she approached him, hugged him and told him he was just as gorgeous as his dad. Going by Duncan’s description of what she was wearing she has to be a club whore.” I blew out an angry breath as I reached for the phone on the desk. “If the bitch comes anywhere near my kid again I’m going to rip her fake tits off her chest and stuff them up her ass.”
“Who are you calling, River?” My dad had a hand on my arm.
“Dagger, and he had better sort this shit out before I lose my mind.”
I felt better after talking to Dagger, my brother-in-law and the president of the Sinner’s Sons MC, the club Sparrow had been a part of. He told me not to worry, he would sort it out. By the sound of his voice I knew he was pissed and he would find out who the bitch was and end her shit.
My boy didn’t need bitches like her around him sprouting shit about his dad.
Growing up without him was hard enough.
CHAPTER THREE
Ice
Riding down the long paved drive towards his parents’ house Ice was looking forward to dinner until he spotted all the cars parked in the driveway. Too many cars plus Spider’s bike. It meant the entire family was here for dinner. Then he clocked the fancy white Audi and anger surged.
After he had fucking asked his dad to get his mum to back off she had gone ahead and done it again. Invited some bitch to dinner to try and set him up. He was about to turn his bike around and leave when he saw his mum and dad waiting for him on the wide veranda.
Lost And Found In Blue (Iron Dogz MC Book 2) Page 2
