“Warden got away. Hades went after him. The other two won’t be going anywhere for quite a while,” Thunder said. His left eye had swollen shut. He grabbed a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and pulled out a chair. “Turns out the Eastmans thought they were watching their grandson. One of the Savage Bones stopped by last night with Oliver and told them he’d just found out he had a kid. He said someone was after him and asked them to look after his son until he came back for him.”
“Who?” I wanted a name. Anyone cold enough to rip a kid out of his home needed to be taught a lesson.
Thunder shook his head. “Damon is the only name we got. If he’s the right guy, all we know is that he’s new and goes by Dweeb. I wish I had more for you, man, but we’ll have to do more recon. How’s the kid?”
“Seems fine so far. Sounds like he ate a lot of cookies. Sammy’s with him now.” As soon as I mentioned her name, she showed up in the doorway.
“Is there any more coffee?” she asked.
I got up and went over to the counter to pour her a cup. “Have a seat. How’s Oliver?”
She slumped into a chair, clearly exhausted. “He’s good. I don’t think he realized what was happening. It could have been so much worse. If you guys hadn’t been there,”—she rested her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands—“I don’t know what might have happened.”
“But we were there,” I said as I slid a mug onto the table in front of her.
“And you got hurt.” Sammy glanced up, shifting her gaze from Thunder to Arrow, then to me.
“This is nothing,” Arrow joked. “You should have seen the other guys. Plus, I hear Ashley thinks black eyes are sexy.”
Thunder laughed. “I guess we’ll see about that.”
Sammy shook her head, not willing to let them laugh off the beating they’d taken to protect our son. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping us.”
“Thank Juice.” Arrow nodded toward me. “He’s the one who put this together. You’re family now—you and the boy. And if there’s one thing the Mustang Mountain Riders do best, it’s look after the ones we love.”
Hearing him put my feelings into words cemented the fact that I was in the right place. I’d seen the guys in the club have each other’s backs for years, but this was the first time they’d put themselves in danger for me.
“Sounds like the two of you have a lot to talk about.” Thunder got up, the bag of peas still plastered against his eye. “And I’ve got someone waiting for me upstairs that I need to get back to.”
Arrow stood and refilled his mug. “I’m glad it all worked out. Pretty sure Atlas is going to want a debrief when he gets back. Until then, try to get some rest.”
“Thank you.” I stood and shook both of their hands. I’d never be able to repay them for what they’d done for me, though I was starting to understand being part of a family meant not keeping score.
Once they left the kitchen, I glanced down at Sammy. She kept her gaze trained on the table, either unwilling or unable to meet my eyes.
“Should we go somewhere we can talk?” I asked.
“Lead the way.” She got up and added a littlemore coffee to her mug.
I would have walked with her down to the creek that ran behind the clubhouse property if the rain from last night hadn’t left the ground soggy and muddy. With a clubhouse full of people, the only other place I could think of where we could talk in private was the garage.
I led her into the huge metal structure that had been added onto the clubhouse several years ago. Dozens of bikes lined the inside. There was only one thing my MC brothers cared about almost as much as the people in their lives, and Sammy and I stared at the collection of cruisers, choppers, and custom-designed bikes that belonged to the men of the Mustang Mountain Riders.
On a nice day, the guys would open up the huge doors, put a ball game on the big screen TV, and crowd onto the sofa and overstuffed chairs that sat over by the opposite wall. That’s where I led Sammy. She sat down on one side of the couch and pulled her legs up underneath her. I took the chair next to her and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
“It’s time we got caught up.” I didn’t want to push, but I needed to know what she’d been through since we’d seen each other last.
She nodded and slowly lifted her head. “Before I start, will you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
Her chest rose as she took in a deep breath. “Promise me you won’t take Oliver away from me?”
Is that what she was worried about? Damn. My heart split in two. I took her hands in mind. “Sammy, I’d nevereven think about doing something like that. What kind of man do you think I am?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. I wanted to reach out and wipe them away, but I stopped myself. As much as I loved her, she was responsible for me missing out on so much. I needed to understand the reason behind her decision to keep me in the dark.
“I don’t know what kind of man you are anymore.” Her honesty gutted me. Made me feel exactly like the worthless piece of shit my dad had always made me out to be. “You disappeared, Juice. I tried to find you and finally gave up. You never wanted to be a dad, anyway. I figured you’d be grateful I didn’t disrupt your life.”
