Biker Born: The Lost Souls MC Series (The Lost Souls Series Book 4) (16 page)

“He sounds like the father our child deserves.”

“He is and I won’t let our baby down like he never let us down,” I vow to them both.

“I know you won’t. We’re lucky to have you,” she says, mid yawn.

“Go to sleep, I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

I stroke her hair until her breathing slows down and evens out. I can do this, I can be the husband she needs, the father she wants me to be and still be the man my brothers need to lead them. I know I can be all that because I want to be. 

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Michael

The only set back to being vice President is I still have to do as Mark orders and it grates on me. None of my brothers seem to feel the same as I, they are content to get on with things and wait for the next order to roll in. That’s why while I am standing here listening to my brother tell me that I am missing out on today’s run.

“This is bullshit, Mark and you know it,” I yell.

“It will go more smoothly if you’re nowhere near the drop off. You didn’t exactly get off to a good start with Blow did you and until more trust is built between us, I have to go. That being said, I want you to stay here and watch over Ray while we’re gone.”

“VP’s don’t do babysitting,” I snort.

He rolls his eyes at me and throws himself in his chair at the head of the table.

“As my VP I’m telling you to stay here for the best of this part of the business. As my wife’s brother-in-law, I’m asking you to watch out for her while she’s carrying your nephew.”

Before I register it, I’m hissing through my gritted teeth and clenching my hands into fists.

“You don’t ever need to ask me to watch over her, it goes without saying.”

“I know brother, she doesn’t want me leaving on business this close to the due date but I have no choice.”

“I get it.”

I really do get it too. I’m a risk when it comes to working with this new guy, Blow. So much so, I can’t be trusted around him.

“You better get going then, we wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.”

Mark hoists himself out of his chair and walks around the table in my direction.

“I don’t like having to do this anymore than you like hearing it, but when it comes to this guy we can’t fuck it up over hot headedness.”

“You don’t need to worry today, I won’t be nowhere near the guy.”

The final nail in the patronizing coffin is the slap on my shoulder as he turns to leave. It makes me feel like I’m a trained puppy just hanging around for my master’s next instruction and being rewarded when I do right. I follow him out to where the guys are getting ready to leave and hang back by the bar door.

It should be the other way around, Blow should be pandering to our whim, not us.

Mark has never excluded me from attending business before and I don’t like it now. I don’t get on with many people so why start now? Is this going to be a regular thing now?

For all kinds of reasons, this has got to me and the longer I stand here and watch them get ready to leave the angrier I become.

I don’t like being told to stay here and I don’t like that I won’t have my brother’s back in case anything goes down.

“Watch your back,” I yell across the lot.

Mark jerks his chin in agreement and the rest follow suit.

“Micky should be back in a few hours, fill him in, yeah,” Mark yells back.

I jerk my chin and leave them to it. Watching them ride out isn’t something I want to witness without me.

It’s nearly dinner time and Micky is still a no show. I begin to think I’ll have something useful to do like go look for his punk ass when I see Rayna sitting at the kitchen table.

“Christ, Ray, you look like death,” I murmur.

She has lost her glow as they girls call it and her eyes are dark and heavy. She looks nothing like the Rayna I knew. I’m shocked to the core that Mark left her, even with me watching over her, she does not look good at all.

“Thanks, Michael. That’s all a girl wants to hear.”

Even her voice is thick and heavy sounding tired and down.

“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” I mutter, “Seriously, should I call for a doctor?”

She rolls her eyes and she immediately reminds me of Mark. A habit she has long ago picked up from him. No doubt the kid will soon pick it up and it will be another one rolling their eyes at me.

“Stop worrying, you’re beginning to sound like your brother,” she smiles, weakly.

“Wouldn’t want that would we,” I smile back.

She shakes her head and rubs her stomach.

“I already love her but I can’t wait for her to get out and get my body back.”

The love in her voice is evident and warm. A brief image of my own mother flashes to mind and makes me miss her all that much more.

A soft, warm hand squeezes my shoulder and I find Kitty smiling down at me.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Thanks babe.”

“She’s been busy cooking all afternoon, it smells delicious doesn’t it,” Rayna says, trying to position herself closer to the table.

“Always does,” I agree, getting up to help set the table.

“Mark wouldn’t give me a straight answer, how long do you think this run will take?”

I look to Rayna and study her, she doesn’t normally ask questions. I know she’s worrying about Mark not being around for the birth but she knows Mark will get back as soon as he can. He won’t hang around.

“He’ll be back when he’s back,” I say, shrugging it off.

It’s the truth and if I knew more, I’d tell her.

I sit back down as Kitty places our plates in front of us and she takes the seat next to me.

“Michael’s right Ray, you don’t look too good,” Kitty murmurs, seeing the same paleness I do.

The contrast between these two women are clear as water on a normal day, today Kitty is the epitome of health and like I said, Rayna looks like death.

“Wow, Kit. Wait until you’re nearly about to pop, I’ll be there to fill your days with compliments.”

Tucking into my food, I tune out their baby chit chat. I said I’d watch out for her but listening to women talk wasn’t a part of the deal.

Thankfully, Micky barrels through the front door with Flo in tow, her heels tapping against the wooden floor getting louder the closer they get to us.

Yet again, when they enter the kitchen Micky’s arm is slung across Flo’s shoulder and she is cuddling into him. I can’t remember the last time I saw them apart.

“Guess what?” Flo beams, obviously dying to tell us what as she doesn’t give us a chance to guess.

“We got married,” she squeaks, bouncing on her toes and thrusting her left hand at us.

Kitty’s face falls slightly hearing their news and seeing their wedding bands gleaming under the kitchen lighting.

I know her, she’s putting on a front and smiling her way through the news. Underneath she is jealous as fuck. I reach over and squeeze her hand. She briefly shows me her jealousy and shrugs my hand off.

“Congratulations Flo,” she smiles, standing to hug Flo and then Micky. I shake Micky’s hand and pull him in.

“Congrats brother, took you longer than you wanted,” I laugh, letting him go.

“I know brother, finally did it through.”

“Guys a little help here,” Rayna moans, trying to heave herself out of the chair.

“Don’t move, I’ll come to you,” Micky offers, making her life a little easier.

Leaning over her, she wraps her arms around Micky with joy and jealousy creeps over my skin like a rash. I bet it feels good being in her arms.

“I can’t believe you got married without us,” she scolds him.

“We didn’t plan it, we thought why not when we were in Vegas.”

Now Micky is back, I don’t mind leaving for a few. I’m at my bike and riding away before any of them notice I’m gone.

With no destination in mind, I aimlessly ride until I stop and realize I’m outside the church in town. The preacher is walking to his car and on impulse I call out for him to wait. His snotty glance at me doesn’t go unnoticed but I haven’t got the time or patience to deal with Mark over punching a man of God.

Night has fallen and the club is quiet when I return. The roar of my engine has Kitty and Flo running out of the house and flat out running towards me. Masks of terror cover their faces and I’m immediately on full alert.

Flo reaches me first and hangs onto my cut while she tries to talk through her lost breath.

“Slow down and tell me what’s going on,” I demand.

Kitty reaches us and has tears in her eyes.

“Kitty, talk to me,” I urge, unable to get anything out of Flo.

“It’s Rayna, she said something didn’t feel right then she collapsed.”

I push Flo off me and run for the house.

“Michael, she’s not there,” she calls out.

I skid to a stop and turn around, backtracking to where they stand by my bike.

“Where is she then?”

Blood surges through my body and my focus slips thinking all sorts.

“Micky’s taken her in the truck to the hospital, he said it would be faster than calling nine-one-one,” Flo says.

I climb on my bike and bring it back to life. I hear the girls shouting at me but I can’t stay long enough to listen. I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have left her. Now who knows what is happening to her and she has no one but fucking Micky with her.

I push my bike as fast as it can go and ride flat out wanting to punch myself. I knew she didn’t look right. She’s looked like something has been wrong for days. She assured us she didn’t agree with pregnancy and Mark even joked that they will only be having the one kid because he isn’t letting her go through this again.

Halfway down the highway I see taillights in the distance. The moment I recognize the truck as one of ours I slow down until I’m right behind them.

Why the fuck has he stopped?

As soon as I cut the engine, I hear her cries and Micky trying to calm her down. Throwing my helmet to the ground, I run to Micky and force my way between him and the open door he was leaning in.

Rayna is laid out on the back seat, gripping the seats so tight her tiny hands have turned white.

“What’s going on? Why have you stopped?” I ask, roughly.

“She was out of it then woke up screaming the truck down, she told me to stop because the kid is coming,” Micky says, in a full out panic.

“Move.”

He wisely does as he’s told and I take his place.

“Hey darlin’, can you wait till I get you to the hospital?”

“Michael? Is that you?” she asks, her voice full of pain.

“Yeah, it’s me darlin’. I’m here now.”

Her eyes find mine and my throat constricts when I see her belief in me to help her.

I turn to Micky and find him looking paler than Ray.

“Take my bike, Mark should be calling soon from the halfway point. Tell him to get to the hospital as soon as he can. Oak will have to do the run. Don’t tell him how bad she is, just tell him the baby is coming.”

Knowing my brother, he will get himself killed in an accident trying to get to her and she needs him in one piece now, not splattered over the highway.

Rayna screams out again, Micky and I both jump and a red rage consumes me.

“You shouldn’t have stopped you fucking moron, get on my bike and get a hold of Mark,” I yell, springing him into action.

I lean back in the truck and drape an old blanket over Rayna’s legs, her dress leaving her lower half bare and open to the chill of the night.

“Help me, the baby’s coming, Michael,” she screams out and I whip the blanket back off of her.

Her legs unconsciously open and the sight of blood between her thighs brings on my own bout of panic.

I want to her ask her if blood is normal in this situation, but if it isn’t I don’t want her to worry.

“Oh God, it’s coming,” she growls, in the freakiest, deepest voice I’ve heard come from her mouth.

“Let me get you to the hospital.”

“No, there’s no time.”

“You sure you can’t wait till we get to the hospital?” I ask, terrified of the baby being born on the side of the road.

“No,” she screams out, her face a bright shade of pink from the pain.

“Okay, let’s see,” I mutter, climbing further into the truck.

“I really don’t know what I’m doing here, Ray. Just do whatever you feel you have to do. Okay?”

“I feel it coming, I can’t stop it,” she cries.

Before I can say anything or try to think of what the hell to do, she’s grabbing for my hand and squeezing the shit of it.

The more she pushes the harder her grip becomes.

Oh fuck, this is really happening.

Looking down to a place I thought I would never see, every feeling I’ve ever harboured for this woman vanishes. The head crowns the entrance and after another few pushes a tiny bundle of arms and legs come sliding out. It looks like something out of a horror movie covered in blood and mucus.

A tiny, shrill cry fills the truck and Rayna begins to laugh.

Shrugging out of my cut and ripping my tee over my head, it’s the cleanest thing to hand, I wipe the baby’s face and it wrap up.

Rayna crying out again gets my attention. 

“What now?” I ask, holding the baby tight in one arm, giving Rayna my free hand.