Blood & Ash (Saint’s Outlaws MC: Deadman’s Beach, AL #1)

8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

“This clubhouse is no place for a baby.” Candyce pins her glare on me.

It’s been two weeks since I signed the birth certificate claiming to be the father of Ash. Anyone who needs to know any differently is aware, but it’s really no one’s business. Was the easiest way for me to take custody without any legal issues.

Custody of Ashley is different. As far as anyone knows, Shelby is still her guardian. I’m just looking after her until I can find a better situation for her. Something more permanent than here.

“I turned out all right.”

“Define the meaning of all right,” she tells me with the hint of a smile teasing at the corners of her lips as she changes Ash’s diaper before she leaves.

“That’s why I’ve got you.”

“This isn’t long term.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“And Ashley?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Work harder. The way she looks at you. It's going to end badly.”

“She’s a kid.”

“She’s almost seventeen. And her being here. It’s not right.”

“You got a better idea? She’s safe here.”

“All it’d take is one drunken fool accidentally stumbling into her room. You guys party way too hard. You can’t protect her twenty-four seven, take care of a baby, and run a club.”

She’s right.

I can’t do it all.

Except I don’t have any alternatives.

Fuck my life.

“I’m doing my best. I’m all they’ve got.”

“I’m not saying you’re not. But how long can you keep this up before one of them is hurt?”

“I appreciate the concern. It’s mine to handle. If you can’t watch Ash, I’ll get someone else.”

“Your heart is in the right place and for an outlaw, you’re not a bad guy. It’s only that no one would fault you for giving them both over to people who can provide them with what they need. I don’t mean to overstep.”

I glare back at her. “Well, you fucking are. They’ve got food, clothes, and shelter. They’ve got me and every motherfucker in this place who wears a Saint’s patch. No one is going to touch a hair on Ashely’s head or my little brothers. And if they do, I’ll take them out. One between the eyes.”

“I don’t doubt that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I mutter as she places Ash in my arms.

The door shuts and for the first time in what feels like days, it’s just Ash and me.

I stare into my brother’s eyes, searching for traces of our old man there and not finding him. All I see when I look at him is his cunt of a mother. Makes it hard not to hate the little bastard, but none of this is his fault. He’s kind of ugly and wrinkly like an old man.

I snort and he gives me a sleep grin as his eyes flutter shut.

For a spell, I close my eyes too. I’m fucking bone tired. Someone always wants something. It ain’t easy being king around here.

What I need is sleep and to get laid. Neither of which is happening anytime soon.

Not when I’m getting up every two hours of the night to do diaper changes and feedings. My Pops was lucky that mother stuck around until I was out of diapers before she took off.

The sound of the door creaking open ends my rest.

I glance over to see Ashely standing in the open space. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering…” she twists her fingers together. “What are we doing for dinner?”

“Guess you’ve not eaten since lunch, huh?”

She shakes her head, tucking her golden blonde hair behind her ear. In some ways, she resembles Shelby, but not by much. They had the same mother but different fathers. Their mother died in a boating accident a few years back and the whereabouts of her father remains to be seen.

Last I heard, he was doing time in Florida for an armed robbery.

“Let’s go out. You pick.”

“Okay.” She taps her chin. “How about The Salty Boot?”

“All right. Let me get Ash a bottle and pack his bag.”

“I can make his bottle. Candyce showed me how.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

“I enjoy helping. I don’t mind it. He is my nephew.”

“I’m glad you want to help. Fuck knows I need it, but I don’t want you thinking that he’s your responsibility. You should be focused on school and what was his name?”

“Jackson.”

“Yeah him.”

She shrugs. “I think he’s going to dump me for LuLu Hixson.”

“Then he’s an idiot.”

“She puts out.”

I nearly choke on my spit. What the fuck am I supposed to say to this shit? “Boys at your age only care about their needs. Don’t waste your time on them. Focus on your education, yeah?”

“Is that how you were when you and Shelby were in school?”

“Probably.”

“Are you still that way?”

“Don’t be asking me shit like that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll meet you at my truck.” I get Ash buckled into his baby carrier and make sure he’s got a change of clothes and extra diapers. I should have just ordered her a pizza. But I know she needs some normality.

Maybe I need to fix up the one of the stash houses to give them a home. I have the house Pops bought back in the day for my mother, but when she took off, he moved me to the clubhouse. Candyce was right about it only taking one wrong move to put Ashley in an unpleasant situation.

I’m responsible for whatever happens to her and Ash.

I can hire someone to cook, clean and watch over them when I’m working. I can make this work.

I’ve got to.

I sit the baby carrier on the bar top and light up a cigarette while I call Goose. I hold the phone out from my ear. “Keep an eye on him,” I order one of the prospects.

“What if he starts crying?”

“Pour him a drink.”

“He’s a baby,” he mutters.

“No shit, Sherlock. Just watch him. Fuck. He’s sleeping.”

“Blood. You there?”

“Yeah. Sorry, man. Was dealing with this stupid as fuck prospect. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I’m on tow duty. Why?”

“Never mind. Who’s off? I need someone to help me clean out the Pop’s house.”

“Why not have the prospects do it?”

“Would you trust them with that much firepower?” My old man was always a gun enthusiast, but the last thing I need is one of his guns falling into the wrong hands.

“Point taken.”

“I’ll catch you up later.”

“Sounds good, brother. Mom said if you need extra hands to watch the baby to give her a call.”

“Perfect. I’ll get up with her.” Goose’s mom has always been family to the club. Even when she split from Eightball. When we were in about sixth grade, she’d finally had enough with him fucking around with every whore who flashed him their ass. Packed his shit up and dropped it at the clubhouse. Moved in another man the same day.

I swear I saw Eightball cry that day. Was the only time. Martina never looked his way again. He tried every way in the world to win her back. Beat her boyfriend’s ass a few times too, but no matter what he tried, she wouldn’t forgive him. But if we needed her, she always showed up for us.

Would help me out a lot having her in my corner so I can focus on keeping shit moving business as usual.

The garage pulls in decent money now that we do custom jobs, but a majority of our earnings come through other dealings. Now that we bought Cooters & Hooters from T-bone and Devie, we can wash our own money and save on the cut we used to pay his father.

I round up Combat and Hash for the job of helping me with Pop’s place. There’s a storage building out back. We can store most of his stuff until I figure out what to do with it. I don’t know why he hung onto the property after all these years. Always said he was going to rent it but never did. Guess now with the situation I’m in, I’m glad to have it.

The waitress keeps giving me dirty looks. Guess she thinks Ash is my baby with Ashley. I get how it looks. Rough biker with a young girl and a baby. Hope she doesn’t spit in my drink or my food.

“I was thinking I can get a job after school and on weekends,” Ashley says, interrupting my thoughts. “Unless you need my help watching Ash.”

“Think you can handle working on top of your classes?”

The server slams my Coke onto the table, spilling some of the drink over the brim, but I ignore her as Ashley looks at the woman like she must be bonkers.

“My friend Naomi’s parents own a clothing store on the main strip. I could practically walk there and back from the clubhouse.”

“Maybe. I’ve been thinking the clubhouse isn’t the best place for either of you. It’s why I’m moving you to my Pop’s place. Where I grew up.”

“Will I have my own room?”

“Yup, and you can decorate your room however you want.”

“Cool.”

I poke my straw around my drink, checking for spit.

“Can Jackson come over?”

“Thought he was about to dump you?”

“Maybe he won’t if I can invite him over.”

“I’ve changed my mind. You can share a room with Ash.”

Ashley sticks her tongue out at me as the server slides the complimentary basket of bread onto the table with more force than necessary. “What’s her problem?” She grabs a roll and begins slathering it in butter.

“Beats me. Give me one of those.” I reach for the basket.

“Do you think Shelby will be back?”

“Hard to say.”

“Has she even called to ask about us?”

“No.”

“You don’t find it weird?”

“Your sister does a lot of shit I don’t understand.”

“I’ve tried calling and texting her, but none of my calls or messages are going through.”

“If I hear from her, you’ll be the first to know.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah. Of course,” I lie, and Ashley studies me as though she’s trying to read between the lines of what I’m not telling her.

Did Shelby share the truth with her? Does she know what her sister did? What she’s capable of?