Blood and Honor (15 page)

A couple of days and a couple of line changes would get her to Darling in the cheapest way possible. It was fine, actually. Public transportation was her thing. She wrapped herself in the oversized hoodie Ruby lent her and pulled her beanie down low over her head. The dark sunglasses she wore made her perfectly anonymous.

Saying goodbye to Ruby was really emotional—for both of them. She wasn’t planning to, but Mickey found herself promising to keep in touch. Ruby’s daughter hadn’t ever come back and Ruby was scarred by the loss of her family—her granddaughter especially. Mickey would be damned if she would put Ruby through the same thing.

She was hardly able to curtail the sharp ache that sliced through her heart as she lifted her hand in a final salute to the woman who had helped her…even healed her a little bit. Mickey had been able to sleep for several hours a night in that house. Maybe part of her promise was selfish—it had been a long time since she had been comfortable enough somewhere to rest like that.

The mostly empty bus pulled onto the highway and chugged along. Mickey stared out the window and tried to forget. But the closer she got to Darling, the stronger and more painful her recollections became.

***

“I’m worried about you, Mouse.”

Mickey stared at her mother through the numb haze she’d been stumbling around in for the past week.
She wondered if anyone would notice she was different now—forever changed, damaged, in a fundamental way that could never be repaired.
When she looked in the mirror, the wise, haunted eyes that looked back at her seemed like they belonged to someone else.

But, they didn’t.

She hadn’t spoken—hadn’t said a single word to anyone in seven whole days
—
and it had taken that long for her own mother to notice.

“If something was wrong, if something…happened, you would tell me, wouldn’t you Mouse?”

Mickey nodded, her eyes fixed on a small bird that perched just outside the dining room window.
As though it knew of the horror that lived within the house, it flew away abruptly.
Mickey found herself wishing that she could do the same.

Paul’s behavior since the incident was vastly different, and it made Mickey so nervous she could hardly stand it.

“We are gonna be set, ladies!”
he announced one evening.

Then, he took all of them out to a fancy restaurant, but the experience was so tense and awkward that everyone else picked at their food while Paul made a show of ordering the most expensive wine on the menu.

It was confusing, but he left her alone for a few weeks after that.
For once, there were groceries in the fridge, and things seemed to be different—so different, that Mickey was almost able to convince herself that what had happened was nothing but a terrible nightmare.

Then, she overheard Paul on the phone.

“Yeah, I’ve got a live one, here.
Practically cherry.
Sure, you can have her, for the right price.”
He laughed raucously.

It was no longer a choice.
She couldn’t survive another night like the one she had already endured.
Not ever again.
She began to put the plan she had been developing into place.

It was amazing what you could learn on Youtube.
It didn’t take long for Mickey to learn the basics of what she wanted to know.

After he passed out that night, Mickey walked out to the beat up old Buick her mother shared with Paul.
Well, mostly, Paul used the car and her mother begged her coworkers for rides or took the bus.
Paul was a selfish bastard who took what he wanted with no consideration for the welfare of others.

It was what she was counting on.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Wince stowed Trish in the Phantoms
’
office. Dax’s former girl seemed subdued compared to how she had acted when they came upon Alanna. It was a big change from how he remembered her. Shit, Trish was prime old lady material, with her medical license as icing on the cake. But, she had convinced Wince, and apparently Rhee as well, that a club association was not on her agenda. So, Wince texted Dax. It sure as hell wouldn’t go over well if either girl was here unannounced.

“This better be a fucking joke, brother.”

Wince held the phone away from his ear to muffle Dax’s angry shouting. “Where the hell are you?”

“I took a detour to the port. Slade wanted a second set of eyes. It looks good, but I’m beat. I just want to go home, crawl in bed with my girl, and get a few hours of shuteye before the sun comes up.”

Uh oh.

“Yeah…about that, Dax. Rhee and Sirena aren’t at the house, man.”

Sometimes, it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off. Right?

“What the fuck?” Dax roared so loud this time that Wince almost dropped his cell. Then, a barrage of obscenities streamed from the device for so long that Wince wondered if he should hang up and try again in a few minutes.

Finally, Dax stopped yelling long enough to ask with deadly calm, “Where. The fuck. Are. They?”

“Man, don’t flip out on me,” Wince said, hearing the fatigue in his voice. This place was turning him into a major stress case. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise. “They’re here.”

“Rhiannon took my daughter to a fucking yard party, Wince? Is that what you’re telling me?”

This was not good and it certainly didn’t bode well for Trish, who had her own news for their moody-ass vice president.

“Well…not exactly, Dax. She—”

“I am going to paddle her ass so hard she won’t be able to sit down for a week.” Dax roared.

“Dax, man. Stay with me, brother. Rhiannon had to come. She brought someone with her. No, I’m not telling you who it is.” The cursing resumed.

Bravely, Wince commanded, “The sooner you get here and deal with this, the sooner you’re in your bed. This situation won’t handle itself.”

He hung up, praying that Dax didn’t deck him before he exploded into the office to confront his mystery guest. Wince made his way to the bar. His buzz had faded significantly since the meeting at
Lenny’s.

Time for more of the hard stuff. It was going to be a long night.

***

Dax gunned it back to the clubhouse, pushing ninety on his bike. Sometimes, speed was the only thing that took his mind off of reality. He blew through an intersection and then came to his senses and pulled it out of high gear. Not a good time to get in a wreck, but Rhiannon was driving him fucking nuts.

What in God’s name possessed a possibly pregnant woman to drag her three-year old daughter to a fucking biker gang compound? His hands itched to yank Rhee’s clothes off and give her a good hiding.

When he first met Rhiannon Blake, he perceived her as an innocent college kid.

Too naïve. Too trusting. Vulnerable.

As it turned out, Rhee had a lot of spirit, but that spirit had been ravaged by abuse and anxiety. Over time, as Dax caught glimpses of her true nature, he warred with himself. When Rhee was anxious, she was easier to control—easier to keep safe. But when Rhiannon got stronger, and started to directly defy him, her willful behavior both enraged and aroused him.

She almost got her damn self killed.

Dax swore to himself that if Rhee emerged from her experience with the cartel unscathed, he would personally keep her out of trouble. All of the bullshit that went down was his fucking fault and it was the least he could do. Then…she had disappeared without a trace. The fates had brought them back together on the island and landed both of them in another touchy situation.

When Rhee showed up at the old tuna cannery, inserting herself right into harm’s way with remarkable precision, Dax felt like someone had taken a hold of his heart and started to squeeze. He went cold—all over.

The first time she put herself in danger, she did it for her family—for Mickey.

The second time…she had done it for him.

He had to hand it to her—Rhee had a sense of honor. But, her impulsive behavior was just too fucking risky.

He groaned aloud. What the fuck was Rhee thinking this time? Or was she just a magnet for trouble? In any case, Dax wanted to spank the living shit out of her. Or maybe he would have to figure out some other kind of punishment. Rhee was starting to enjoy the feeling of his hand on her ass a little too much. So much so, in fact that her panties were usually soaked through before he had the chance to rip them from her quivering body and warm her behind with his palm.

Dax parked his bike, a grim smile on his face. He had no idea what he was walking into right now. Wince was being a goddamn punk, too. Who the fuck could Rhiannon have with her besides Sirena? The guy must be itching for another bump in his nose.

Hawk was off-site, which wasn’t a surprise this time. It was Sharlene’s birthday. Hawk never missed a one—even though his old lady had been gone for decades. Didn’t stop the man from going all out, though. Flowers, candles, the whole nine yards—complete with a whole bottle of whiskey for Hawk to drown in.

Dax hesitated before opening the door to the clubhouse, allowing his thoughts to meander just a little further.

Hawk was a sentimental old bastard. He made decisions based on history and relationships—just as Crow used to do. Those two things were the blood and honor of their organization. Hawk had mentored Dax after Crow’s murder. Dax knew him about as well as anyone could know the current club president. Hawk was hard to read but he was consistent.

Tough but fair.

How did a guy just change his fucking personality overnight? Turn on the club? Impossible. Unless…

They must have something on him. Something big. The only thing was, there was nothing Dax could think of that was big enough to sway Hawk’s loyalties.

Club policy was pretty damn strict about ratting. They’d take his ink by blade or by fire. The club was Hawk’s legacy—his own personal history. He’d fight it. Dax rubbed the scruff of stubble on his chin absently as he mused about his course of action. The only way he was going to figure out what was going on was to put a tail on his club president, and get the intel himself. It was a dangerous move. If Hawk found out, there would be trouble.

Maybe even a club split.

If that happened, Dax knew he would find himself back in the place he had worked so hard to manufacture a way out of. He’d be riding the line again—and this time, so would his family. Which, as he suddenly recalled, might be growing larger in a few months’ time. He pushed open the door and winced at the debauchery that was going on inside. Rhee was somewhere in this fray—and so was Sirena.

Looks like coming back here was a pretty big fucking mistake.

***

Dax planned on making his way straight to the office to meet Wince, but he was ambushed by a set of huge fake tits on heels and a mouth loaded with gloss.

“Baby!”

Her full mouth pressed eagerly against his cheek and her impressive rack crashed against his chest like two boulders. He set the woman away from him, and despite his foul mood, Dax couldn’t help but crack a smile. Charisma had helped Rhee when she made her clandestine escape from the clubhouse with his baby—Sirena—growing in her belly. Dax had been close to throttling this woman a few years ago, but now for some reason, his desire to punish her had faded.

“How you doing darlin’? Still coming to these yard parties, eh?”

Was that a hint of a blush?

“Yes, well, I have my reasons. You’re not still angry with me are you, baby?”

“Nah.”

“I—I heard you found her.”

Dax raised an eyebrow. “No thanks to you.”

“Cut the crap, Dax! Where are they?”

He felt his brow lift a bit higher. “I heard they were here.”

“Here? This is no place for a child.”

“No shit.”

Charisma took a small step back at his tone. “Oh. Well, I’d love to see her—them. Do you mind?”

Dax caught Wince’s eye over the top of her head. He motioned urgently for Dax to head to the office. “Whatever, darlin’.” He took several jerky steps towards the office before calling over his shoulder, “Keep the stowaway and my kid out of trouble for an hour, honey.”

Charisma saluted him and then turned on those fuckin’ stilts she called shoes, presumably to track down his girls—who had better not be in the yard with a bunch of fucking derelicts, if Rhee knew what was good for her. Dax was going to spend five minutes, tops, on whatever awaited him in the clubhouse office. Then, he was going to throw Rhiannon over his shoulder and drag her and his offspring back to his house, where he was planning to fuck his wayward woman into some form of submission.

Dax yanked open the office door. “This had better be fucking important.”

“Hello, Dax.”

That voice. It stopped him dead in his tracks.

Dax gazed at her and he wanted to be mad, he truly did. But, he couldn’t. Dax shut the door and locked it behind him.

“Well, you’re the last person I expected to see here. What’s up, Trish?”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Rhee awoke to a light knock on the door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. A wave of nausea rolled through her belly. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead as she willed the urge to vomit to go away.

I’m officially late, I’ve taken five negative tests, and now this.
What the hell?

Annoyed, she checked her phone. Several text messages and emails had come in from the congressman’s office. Apparently, he wanted to set up another appointment to discuss the amount of his donation. Rhee took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed.

How do I balance all of this shit?
Being back here is making all of us crazy.

The knock sounded again.
Shit.
Dax is going to be super fucking pissed.