Chapter Thirty-One
Smokey knocked on the open door to the command center.
“What’s up?” he asked as he stepped inside without waiting for anyone to say anything or acknowledge him.
“Test results are in. Congratulations, you are a father.” Hawkeye spun his chair to face Smokey.
“I take it this is the little guy in question?” He pulled a stack of papers off the printer on a table between his monitor setup and Pike’s.
“We need a couple of signatures then I’ll send some guys over to file it with the court before it closes for the day, then to walk it over to Judge Allen.
With a little luck, that one will legally be yours by the end of the day. ”
“Good. Where do I sign?” Smokey shifted Carter to his left arm so he could sign the papers without having to set him down. “And Tania wanted me to ask if you’d gotten her papers back from Fletch yet.”
Shotgun shuffled through the pages, pointing out every place that needed Smokey’s signature or initials.
“Not yet. If they don’t get here in the next few minutes, then we won’t be able to get them filed tonight.
That’s good in one way, because it will let us make sure the kid is legally yours before the divorce has any chance of landing on the judge’s desk. ”
“I’ll let her know. Anything else I should know about?”
“Shotgun informed me he questioned our guest a bit more after you left,” Hawkeye shot him a look that said he knew that Smokey hadn’t been questioning him but more meting out punishment.
“Said he found out how the prospects got shot. Our guest has cameras all over the house. He’d seen the two men on his phone and sent his father over. ”
“That explains how he knew they were there. Did he say if he knew how they got in?”
“He knew Tania had given them the code. Apparently, she has her own code so he knows when she’s coming and going.” Hawkeye shook his head.
Between the cameras, what he’d done to Tania and the things he’d said to her about her scars, Smokey wished he’d spent another hour giving the idiot downstairs more pain.
“Let’s not tell Tania about those cameras,” Smokey said. He could only imagine what knowing that her husband had been watching her all day every day would do to her.
“You planning on lying to her about them?” Hawkeye lifted one brow.
“No,” Smokey said with a shake of his head then sighed. “If she asks, tell her the truth, but don’t volunteer it, okay?”
Hawkeye nodded. “That I can do.”
“Latest update on Hunter?” Smokey gave the pen he’d been holding to Carter as he kept reaching for it. But he kept his eye on him, as he didn’t want him to hurt himself.
“He’s recuperating. He’s in his room upstairs and has been warned to call for help before tackling the stairs.
There is some worry about him falling because of the pain meds.
” Hawkeye shrugged. “He’s looking good so far, Freud says he can be up and around in a few days, but it will be a while before he’s on a bike again. ”
“It will be a while before any of us are on a bike again. I’m not risking hitting ice on the bike, especially now. And I sure hope he’s recovered by the time it’s warm enough to ride again.”
“Good point. I’ll say as much to him when I go up to see him. It might help his spirits, right now he’s pretty down.”
“I can imagine. I would bet he’s pretty lonely in there alone, unless he’s sleeping a lot?” He pulled the pen out of the baby’s mouth, then gave it back to him.
“He may be. I’ll check and if he’s not sleeping, see if we can get him to the common room. You’re probably right about being lonely.”
“Anything else?” Smokey took the pen away from the baby again.
“Nope.” Hawkeye said, watching Carter where he’d stuck out his lip, then started to scream while still reaching for the pen.
“Well, that was a mistake.” Smokey sighed and shifted Carter in his arms. Trying to distract him, he lifted the baby over his head and wiggled him for a moment before lowering him quickly so it felt like he was being dropped for the length of Smokey’s arms before he pulled him back to his chest. The baby giggled, pen forgotten.
“I’ll go tell Tania you don’t have her papers back yet.
Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. ”
Hawkeye nodded but didn’t say anything as he turned back to the screens in front of him. Smokey was going to go see what Tania was up to.
He stepped out of the command center and turned for the common room when Raven’s voice stopped him.
“Smokey? Step in here a second.”
Smokey turned and headed for Raven’s office instead.
“Close the door for a minute, then have a seat.”
“Should I find someone to watch Carter?”
Raven shook his head. “I don’t think he’ll be repeating what we say. At least not today. Give it a few more months, then he’ll start talking.”
Smokey frowned. “I didn’t think you had any kids, boss?”
“I don’t, not yet. But Taylynn has me reading baby books, so we’ll be prepared, she says.” Raven shook his head. “Anyway, that’s not why I called you in here.”
Smokey didn’t say anything, just waited.
“Did Hawkeye tell you what Shotgun found out?”
“About the senior Werner and shooting the prospects, yeah.”
“I wanted to talk to you about how we handle this. It’s going to need to go to a vote, but I’m hoping to get a few of you to see my way so you can convince the others, because it’s not how we would usually handle things.”
“All right, lay it on me.” Smokey slid backward in his chair, shifting Carter in his lap so they both were more comfortable.
“Normally, we would go nuclear. Teach whoever has crossed us better, usually the physical and permanent way.”
Smokey nodded. He’d been part of doing just that with the Iron Demons several months ago.
“But with everything else going on, your woman’s divorce, the custody of that one,” he nodded toward the baby, “the issues with her inheritance, we need to let the law handle it.”
Smokey took a deep breath and held it for several seconds as he considered it all.
He saw the president’s point and he could even admit he was right, but he still wanted to make an example of the older Werner.
Hell. He wanted to make public examples of both men.
But that would only end up with a spotlight on the Fallen Angels and they didn’t need that.
“So we just turn what we have over to the cops and hope they do the right thing?”
“Yes and no. Mostly it takes patience. We turn over what we have. We let them investigate and carry out their form of justice. Then, once they’re in prison, then we can call in a bit of revenge of our own.
I know it’s not as satisfying but it’s better in the long run.
Plus, then your woman won’t know about the blood on our hands.
I get the feeling she won’t like it when she does find out. ”
Smokey looked at his son, sitting in his lap and knew his president wasn’t wrong.
Tania wouldn’t like that they got their hands dirty.
But she would like it less if she found out about it from someone else.
He’d have to tell her, at least some of it.
He had no clue how she would take it but knew he had to do it.
After a moment he nodded, looking back up to meet Raven’s gaze.
“You’re right. I’ll take care of her. Anything else?”
“You locked her down yet?”
Smokey frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Has she agreed to be your old lady?”
“She did yesterday,” Smokey said with a frown.
“No, she said she was good with you making her yours. That’s not the same.
Make sure she knows about property patches and the like.
” He nodded down at Carter, who wore a black t-shirt with the Fallen Angels colors and the word “Patchling” on the back.
“I don’t think she’ll have too much trouble with it. ”
Smokey nodded. “Speaking of, I’ll need a cut for her.”
“Already ordered. And you know the house we just broke ground on? The four bedroom?”
Smokey nodded. They were in the process of building houses for all the brothers on the compound behind the clubhouse.
Someone had told them they needed to build them one at a time, and while that made sense, someone else suggested they have several going at any given time, ala different stages.
That meant workmen could go from one house to the next with whatever their craft was.
It might take longer to get the first houses done but in the long run, they’d get everyone in their own homes faster.
“I’ve set that one aside for you and your family, unless there’s something there one of you objects to.
You might take her out to look at it. I’ve got the plans for it if she wants to see those.
Because you’ll be taking it as soon as we finish, when we get there, we’ll let the two of you pick out some of the details like paint color, flooring, that kind of thing. ”
Smokey nodded. That was a good idea. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to take Carter out in the cold again. The wind was blowing and there wasn’t a lot of shelter for him out there. It might have to wait until they laid him down again or maybe one of the women would watch him?
“I can see what you’re thinking. Why don’t you go talk to your woman? When you’re ready to go, bring the boy to me. It’s been way too long since we’ve had any small kids around the clubhouse. I could use a refresher or two before my own gets here.”
“You sure? What if he needs to be changed?” Smokey hated changing diapers, but Carter was his son, and he’d already missed so much, he would do what was needed in order to take care of his family.
“Leave me his diaper bag. I’ll figure it out or I’ll get one of the women to come help.”
“If you say so.” Smokey paused for a moment, waiting to see if Raven had anything else to say. When he remained silent, Smokey spoke up again, “That all?”
Raven nodded. “Go see your woman, show her what you’ve got planned. Lock her down before she realizes what a dumbass you are.”
“Thanks, boss.” Smokey stood, shifting Carter to his hip then headed for the common room, and Tania.