Chapter Two
Dani
The next morning, I wake up to the sounds of a clubhouse of people starting their morning routines. There is a smile on my face. I didn’t have much to drink last night since I don’t really know anyone here. I was placed in a room that locked from the inside, which was good. I don’t even want to think about where my mother had slept, but I have a feeling I already know.
When I look at my phone, I see a message from Zeke.
Zeke: Darling, I will be landing there around eight. I’ll catch a cab there.
I look at the time and see that it just turned eight now.
I rush to get ready. I don’t bother having a shower since I don’t know how long it will take for him to get here from the airport. I throw my hair up in a messy bun, putting on a bra, tank top, and my yoga pants. I slide on the hoodie I always wear. It’s huge on me but comfortable.
I grab my shoes by the door before running out of the room, passing a bunch of club members giving me curious looks, before heading out the front door.
Because I am running like my ass is on fire, I don’t check to see if anyone is on the other side of the door and run straight into a hard body. Before I could fall though, arms grab me and I breathe in a delicious scent.
“What’s the rush?” the deep voice I remember from yesterday asks.
I look up into the eyes of Zane, or Rage as I now know his club name to be.
“Sorry, Zeke. My friend, I mean your brother AND my friend is going to be here any minute, but I didn’t want him to walk into the clubhouse alone,” I mumble.
“He’s almost here?” I don’t miss the catch in his voice.
I nod my head. “Yeah, go round up everyone inside, and I’ll walk him in,” I say softly.
“Right,” he says, but looks more nervous now. The man I didn’t notice behind him grins at the look on Zane’s face.
“I’ll round everyone up. I don’t know if he could form a sentence right now,” he says before slapping Zane on the back. He walks inside and starts shouting at everyone to get organised.
I turn to the road as a cab pulls up. Excitement runs through me at seeing my best friend again.
The door opens as I am running to it, and Zeke grins at me as I jump into his arms. He catches me, and I wrap my legs around his waist.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he mutters in my ear.
“You have no idea,” I say on the verge of tears.
He pulls back, but I don’t untangle my legs from his waist as I see the worry in his eyes.
Being in his arms is safe. I know he would always protect me. He’s one person I could count on to have my back, and I would always have his.
“What’s going on?” he asks as he shuts the door to the cab. I see a prospect grab his bag before the cab takes off.
“I’ll tell you all about it later,” I whisper. I know he’s going to be pissed, even more so since I have waited this long to tell him, but so much has been going on that I haven’t had time.
“You better,” he whispers back.
We both don’t let each other go. Some people often mistake us for a couple because we are very affectionate with each other, but we never saw each other in that way.
“Time to meet my family,” he says blowing out a nervous breath.
I nod my head. “They are going to love you,” I whisper.
“Are you going to let the man go or stay attached to him like a koala?” a woman’s voice says, sounding amused.
I feel my cheeks heat as I finally detach myself from Zeke.
I turn around and see pretty much the whole club outside looking at us with amused expressions.
“That was quite the welcome,” the voice says, and I look to see Zane’s mom. She has some grey in her hair, and she has a cloth thrown over her shoulder. She is a tiny little thing at probably five feet. She can’t be more than one twenty in weight.
“Sorry, we’re best friends and haven’t seen each other in a while,” I mumble.
“Is that all you are?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
Zeke chuckles. “She’s like a little sister to me,” he says, rubbing the top of my head.
“Stop that,” I grumble while taking the hair tie out to redo the messy bun. I hear a couple mumble curses as I bend over to put my hair in a messy bun.
“Those are my new favorite kind of pants,” says a voice.
I glance over to see who made the comment, and see this same woman smack the guy who said it; Zane.
“Ouch, fuck. I mean look at the clouds. So very white in the sky,” Zane mumbles. I glance over with my eyebrow raised to look at Zane who now has his head tilted to the sky, pretending to look anywhere but in my direction.
I think I’m going to love Zeke’s mom.
“Well, Zeke, I guess this is everyone. More importantly, this is your brother and parents,” I say grabbing his arm and tugging him towards Zane and their parents.
They all have tears in their eyes as they look Zeke up and down.
“Fuck,” Zane spits out, sounding choked.
“I didn’t want to believe she was right. I was both excited about meeting you, but broken that it has been twenty-five years that I could have had with you before this moment,” Zane says hoarsely.
Tears well in my eyes at Zane’s words. I look over at Zeke who looks like he’s fighting some tears back of his own.
“I knew there was always something missing. I’m not sure how I can deal with the fact that I have a family. I don’t even know how this happened and I ended up with the parents I have,” Zeke admits.
“Let’s talk about this inside,” my father says, and everyone makes their way inside. Zeke puts his arm around me. I know he just needs the support right now.
No one really takes their eyes off of him but, when we sit down, I guess it’s finally time to get some answers.
“How did I end up with my adoptive family?” Zeke asks, breaking the silence. Many club members look upset; I’m not sure if they are upset thinking about when Zeke was taken from them, or upset that Zeke seems to think that the club and his parents voluntarily gave him away.
“You weren’t adopted out. We wanted both of you. We had both of you. You were taken, and we spent the last twenty-five years trying to find you,” his father spits out angrily.
Zeke pales at his words. “Taken? You mean, you didn’t give me up?” he whispers hoarsely.
“Fuck no. The person who took you and sold you has paid for their betrayal, but we had no idea where you went, or who he sold you to,” his father grumbles.
“Tell us everything,” his mom whispers.
He tells them about his family and how they were rich assholes who never supported his decision to become a tattoo artist.
When they start to question my mom about how she didn’t recognise him, Zeke and I tell them they never really met. Since my mom was working two jobs to support me, she wasn’t around as much as she wanted to be. When I went away to school, there was never a reason for them to meet up.
My stomach grumbles loudly, so I excuse myself to get something to eat. I think they need some time as a family to talk.
When I get into the kitchen, I see a woman I hadn’t really talked to last night.
“Hey, can I get you anything?” she asks. Her voice is soft like something that instantly soothes you.
“Oh, I was just hoping for a snack while my best friend reunites with his family,” I say awkwardly.
“I was just about to make a sandwich; I could make you one too,” she offers.
“Sure. That would be great,” I say with a smile. I sit at the island as I look at all the ingredients on the counter.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” I say as I watch her work.
“Oh sorry. I’m Anastasia. I’m Viking’s Old Lady,” she says before looking up at me.
My mouth drops open. “That guy who legit looks like he strolled out of a Viking romance novel; his name is actually Viking?”
She chuckles at my words. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s why they chose it.”
“Damn,” I whisper. “Good work.”
A faint blush coats her cheeks. “Thanks, I guess.”
She hands me the sandwich she made with a side of chips.
She takes a seat beside me, and we start eating as we make small talk.
There aren’t a lot of differences in the club dynamic from the Vicious Snakes. It feels nice. I had always liked the way they treated each other like family.
“Woman, I need to go on a run, and I won’t be home for a few days,” a deep voice says.
I jump and turn around to see her old man walk into the room.
“Okay. Be safe,” she says softly.
The man just walks out of the room. No kiss goodbye or anything.
I look over at her. “Wow, is it always like that?”
She shrugs, and I finally see the sadness lurking in her eyes. “Sometimes the romance runs out.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Clearly, there is trouble there but, seeing as I just met her, I don’t think I should be sticking my nose in it. I’m still bothered by the way he just brushed her off and said “bye” like he wasn’t her man; like he was just tolerating her.
Although, if she needs a friend to vent to; I’ll be here. I don’t know him so I can probably give an opinion that she may need from someone who doesn’t consider him a brother or family.
“I know we just met but, if you ever need to talk, I’m always up for listening. I don’t know how long I will be around, but I should be here for awhile,” I tell her.
“Thanks, but everything’s fine,” she says, giving me a tight smile.
“So, tell me more about yourself. What do you do?” I ask her to try to change the subject.
“Nothing. I’m a housewife. Though I was supposed to be a house mother, stay at home mom, whatever you want to call it, but it hasn’t happened yet,” she says before looking down at her stomach with a sad expression.
“Maybe it’s not the right time. Who knows. I will still be here for you. I could always use another friend,” I tell her with a smile.
“What do you do?” she asks me.
“Oh, well, I’m a nurse. I had a job but, after everything that happened that led me here, I took an indefinite leave of absence. I want to get to know my father,” I tell her.
“He’s a great man,” she says, giving me a genuine smile this time.
“I hope so,” I whisper.
Zane
I watch Dani walk out of the room even though I don’t want to take my eyes off of my brother.
Everyone eventually leaves Zeke and I, giving us space to talk and get to know one another.
I wasn’t a big fan of the greeting Dani gave him, but I’m not ready for everyone to know why yet. You would think they were into each other, but then they both expressed how they thought of each other as siblings and don’t think of each other in that way. It was strange how their explanation brought me a lot of relief.
I would hate to get to know my long, lost brother only to steal his woman out from under him.
There is no doubt about it. I want Dani to be mine.
Fuck, how could I already be this crazy about her? Hadn’t I only just met her yesterday?
A few of the brothers head out on a run. I was supposed to go but, with this change of events, Viking decided to go for me. I really appreciated it.
Mama, as everyone calls her, tells us that they are making a special welcome home dinner for Zeke. Even if we didn’t want to do it, there is no telling that woman “no.” She’s a spitfire of an old woman.
She has been a part of the club for as long as I could remember. She was the Old Lady of Spider, but he was killed a couple years ago by a rival club. Spider and she were together since they were kids. She’s still considered an Old Lady; she even wears his cut that he gave her. She also keeps our lives in order by preparing most of the food, and keeping the brothers and women in line.
No one dares to mess with her. There were a few club whores over the years who tried to talk shit to her because of her age, and the fact her old man is dead, but she wasn’t having any of it.
She has put every single one in their place.
We all call her “mama” because she’s the mama bear of the club. She protects us all.
“So, how did Dani come to be here? Last I knew she was hanging around the Vicious Snakes,” Zeke asks.
“I think she would need to be the one to tell you that,” I tell him.
He nods his head. “Yeah, she said she would tell me later.”
“So, you guys are close?” I let out. It’s just me and him now; our parents went to their room after a couple hours of talking. I’m sure my mother is feeling overwhelmed and sad. She probably needs a couple hours to herself, or with my dad.
He looks over at me with a raised eyebrow. “Like I said, she’s the sister I never had,” he says slowly.
I nod my head and bite my lip to stop myself from asking everything I want to.
“You want her,” he says dryly.
I jump at the words, but I don’t deny it. “She’s gorgeous. I’m pretty sure every brother here thinks that,” I say but I can’t help but clench my fists at the thought. Fuckers better not try and make a move on her.
“She is. If you do make a move, just know that I will skin you alive if you hurt her. Brother or not,” he says in a deadly tone.
I can’t help but smile at his words. “Protective,” I respond.
He nods his head. “Yeah, she has been the one constant in my life. No matter the shit those assholes who bought me put me through, she made getting through each day easier. I know I can always count on her.”
A loyal woman. Who doesn’t want a woman like that? Those words make me want her even more.
I show him to the room he will be staying in after I see he looks tired from travelling. “You don’t want to miss dinner. Mama will not be happy,” I tell him when I head out of the room.
He chuckles. “That tiny woman?”
I shake my head in amusement. “She may be tiny, but that woman is one you don’t want to mess with.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he says with a laugh.
I step inside and close the door before leaning against it with a sigh. The fact that my brother is actually here washes over me. Tears well in my eyes, and my throat gets tight.
“B-brother?” Zeke says hesitantly. I hear him step closer.
I look at him and take him all in. “You’re actually fucking here,” I rasp.
“I don’t remember much from then. It’s like my head blocked me out of those memories to protect me or some shit. I know I used to cry a lot. Over the years, it’s like I forgot why I used to be so sad,” he admits and moves to sit down on the bed as a choked sob escapes him.
I sit down beside him and wrap an arm around him. “We were playing hide and seek here at the club. It was my turn to find you. I spent hours looking, crying out your name, telling you this wasn’t fun anymore. Next thing I knew, everyone was looking and the adults were panicking.” A sob escapes me as I remember that time. I still remember crying out for him, even in my sleep.
“I spent months thinking maybe you just got stuck somewhere and no one could find you, so I kept looking,” I choke out.
“I’m sorry,” he rasps.
“I lost my brother back then. I felt like my other half was torn away from me. I don’t know when I lost hope, but I just spent my life feeling hollow,” I tell him.
“I can see what you mean. Well, I didn’t remember you existed but I felt like I was missing a part of me and couldn’t explain it. Then, my adoptive family would never tell me anything about my biological family. I would always look at people’s faces and wonder if I looked like them or if I was related to them. I thought I would never get the answers to those questions,” he says with a defeated sigh.
“Fuck, you will be lucky if anyone will let you out of their sight now,” I say with a weak chuckle.
“I don’t think I would mind. It would be nice to be around family who care about me,” he says softly.
We sit in silence for a few minutes until I see him yawn and decide to give him a moment alone to absorb everything that has happened.
I leave him to rest and head towards the kitchen where Dani is helping Mama cook. She’s smiling and looking like she’s fitting right in. I lean against the door and just stare. I can’t help it.
“You know, Prez will kill you for looking at her like that,” a voice mutters beside me, scaring me.
“Fuck. Sneak up on me why don’t you,” I grumble at Knuckles.
“It’s not really sneaking when you are standing in the doorway of the kitchen,” he says dryly.
“Fuck off,” I say without any heat.
“Way to ignore the topic though. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you eyeing Dani like she’s a cold beer on a hot day,” he says smirking at me.
I chuckle at his words. “I’m not eyeing her like she’s a cold beer.”
“Just know what you are getting yourself into, brother,” he says before patting me on the back and walking into the room. He tries to sneak a piece of garlic bread, but Mama slaps his hand with a wooden spoon.
“Wait for everything to be done,” she scolds.
“I’m a growing boy,” he says with a pout.
“Go eat a carrot,” she says while pushing him away.
I laugh. She always says that when someone wants to eat before the food is ready.
“I don’t want a carrot,” he grumbles.
“If you aren’t hungry enough for a carrot, you aren’t really hungry,” she states.
That’s something she always says. She’s definitely the mom of the club.
I look over at Dani who is smiling but shaking her head at their antics.
I catch her glance over at me and I give her one of my grins that always seems to work on women, but she just rolls her eyes and turns back to her task.
Seems I will have to up my game.