6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
A dley parked her vehicle and walked toward the clubhouse. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she worried she’d start hyperventilating. She hadn’t experienced a panic attack in years, but then she hadn’t been on a motorcycle club compound in that time either.
A prospect had let her in the gate and directed her to walk into the clubhouse. That was easier said than done. The fact that the Saint’s Outlaws MC building looked nothing like the one she’d grown up in didn’t help .
Adley stood at the door, waiting to grasp the handle when it opened up. Justice peered around the door.
“Are you coming in?” he asked.
Adley stared at him and tried to formulate an answer. Justice stepped out from behind the door, holding his son in one arm.
“Ian decided he didn’t want to go to sleep because he wanted to thank the woman who rescued his daddy. Why don’t you snuggle him, and I’ll carry your briefcase?” Justice offered.
Adley stared at Justice. She could do this. She allowed Justice to take her briefcase and place Ian in her arms. His sweet baby smell brought her back to the present better than any coping technique she’d used over the years.
“Okay,” she said, walking underneath Justice’s arm holding the door open. He had to be at least six foot three because she was five foot six, and he towered over her. His muscles under that sleek skin were going to make keeping him in the client category hard—almost impossible.
But this little one in her arms had her smiling. His wide blue eyes fastened on hers as she carried him in.
“Welcome, and thank you for getting my son out,” Ruthy said. Adley was familiar with Justice’s mom because Adley adored flowers, plants, and pretties, which Ruthy had in abundance at her shop.
“I was glad I was able to help.”
“We’re meeting in the main room and have snacks if you’re hungry,” Ruth said.
“I am. I was getting ready to eat Chinese when Pit called.”
Adley let Ruthy lead her to the food. She debated if she was hungry enough to give up Ian because something about holding him in her arms calmed her.
“I’d offer to take Ian, but you look pretty happy with him. I can…”
“Mom, I’ll get Adley a plate so she can hold him,” Justice said, interrupting.
Adley watched as Justice and his mom seemed to have a whole conversation while they stared at each other. Ruthy glanced at Adley, smiled, then walked off.
“What would you like?” Justice asked, indicating the steaming trays of food.
“I’ll take a little of everything.”
“And to drink?” he asked.
“Umm, do you have Dr. Pepper Zero?” she asked.
“FNG, get Adley a Dr. Pepper Zero,” Justice called to the bartender.
“Got it,” he called back .
Adley let Justice fill her plate and his, then followed him to a large table. FNG placed her drink in front of her and one in front of Justice.
“FNG?” she asked.
“Fucking New Guy. Prospects don’t get names until they become members.
If we have a lot of prospects, then it gets confusing.
Pit likes FNG. If we have more than one, then he adds on a number or something to identify them,” Justice replied, sliding the salt, pepper, and barbecue sauce closer for Adley to use.
“We can have someone hold Ian if you want both hands to eat.”
Adley shook her head. “Nope, I never get to hold babies. I’m guessing as soon as I give him up, I won’t get him back.”
Justice chuckled. “There is usually a fight over who gets to hold him. It’s pretty funny watching all the guys whine about their turn.
Tack had a crappy call a couple weeks ago.
He came in, took a shower, and wanted to hold Ian.
Retread, our Road Captain, had just sat down in the recliner with him, but when he saw the look in Tack’s eyes, he handed him over.
They may fight over him, but we’re a brotherhood, and we take care of each other.
There’s something about holding my little man that can have the most hardened man smiling and talking baby talk. ”
Adley listened and just couldn’t fathom how different this club seemed to be on the surface. Time would tell if she could trust the appearance of family and brotherhood.
Adley kept quiet, ate, and listened to the conversations around her.
She’d perfected the art of being quiet growing up in her sperm donor’s club.
If she kept quiet, she might not gain anyone’s attention and could get out of the clubhouse unscathed.
This atmosphere gave off different vibes, but Adley was still on her guard.
“Adley and Justice, if you’re finished, we’ll clear the room to just patched members and family,” Pit said.
“I’m ready. I guess since I’ll need to take notes, I’ll have to share Ian with someone else,” she said with a smile.
Pit’s wife, Ariel, waddled over and held out her hands. “I’ll take him. He and I are going to cuddle over here where I’ll still be a part of the conversation, but my feet will be elevated. Otherwise, my husband might have a coronary,” Ariel groused.
Adley let Ariel take Ian. She glanced at Ariel’s ankles and could see why Pit wanted Ariel lying down with her feet up. Ariel’s ankles were so swollen that Adley winced at how tight the skin looked .
Justice handed her briefcase over, and she pulled out her pad of paper and pen.
“Everybody out but family and patched members,” Pit yelled. The bartender, along with a couple others, left. Tack checked all the doors to the room and then gave a thumbs-up. Pit nodded. “Adley, this is your show.”
“Okay, let’s get started. First, Justice should never have been brought in on a supposed warrant, but I’ll get to that in a little bit. I’d like some information about Gina first. Justice, could you tell me how you met and about your relationship?” Adley asked.
Justice chuckled ruefully. “There was no relationship. I was out at a bar. I had a couple of drinks. I don’t really remember asking her to go anywhere with me or even wanting her.
I woke up the next morning with a hellacious headache at her apartment.
We were in bed. There were condoms in a trash can beside the bed, but not the brand I carry.
The night is a complete blank. She said she wanted to go out for breakfast, but I just couldn’t make myself spend more time with her.
I mean, I’m all for a no-strings hookup, and I don’t want to sound like an ass, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I’d gone home with her.
I left and walked back to the bar to get my bike.
It was about five blocks from her apartment.
Rode back here and fell into bed. Slept through Saturday and didn’t wake up until late Sunday. ”
Adley couldn’t imagine that a man like Justice, who had served and was a member of a one-percenter motorcycle club, would allow himself to get shit-faced if he wasn’t somewhere safe like his clubhouse.
“And then?” Adley asked .
“I never heard from her again until she tried to get me to chat with her again around Pit’s wedding.
She came by, and I told her to take a hike, that I wasn’t interested in a repeat.
She left. Then, in the middle of June, I got a call from her that she was in the hospital and I needed to get there,” Justice paused.
The pain in his eyes was getting to her, and she didn’t need to have that to help her client. She needed to keep her distance.
“Did you go?” Adley asked.
“I did, though I took Pit and Ariel with me.”
“I don’t know why you didn’t let me go, Justice,” Ruthy groused.
“Because I didn’t want to escalate the situation, Mom.”
Adley hid a smirk at his tone and Ruthy’s look at his words .
“She did try to contact Justice one other time before that. Remember she called, and the FNG at that time told her you were out of town? It was when you went with Pit to pick up that new mobile smoker for the restaurant,” Ariel said.
“I’d forgotten that. I didn’t call her back. I thought she was just wanting a repeat.”
“Let’s go back to the visit to the hospital. What happened?” Adley asked. She had a page of notes, but she needed more information.
“We went in to see her. She was in the labor and delivery area of the hospital. She informed me I’d gotten her pregnant and that we needed to get married.
When I said we weren’t getting married, but if it was my kid, we would share custody and I would pay for what he needed, she cried,” Justice said, sighing .
“I just chalked it up to hormones making her cry, but it seemed off,” Ariel mentioned.
“Okay, so then Ian’s born and…”
“Ian was born, and he was mine. I knew as soon as I saw him, but we did the blood test to confirm. He looks exactly like a picture Mom has of me. I paid her rent, bought double of everything so she could have what he needed at her apartment, and I’d have what he needed here.
We were splitting days, but every time I’d go to get him, she’d want more money before she would let me take him.
She begged me time and time again to let her live on the compound.
I didn’t trust her. No reason that I could pinpoint, but it was that whisper along the back of my neck saying something’s off,” Justice trailed off .
Adley waited, seeing if he would continue. Sometimes clients needed a little time to gather their thoughts.
“So, something must have changed because you have custody of him, I’m assuming.”
Justice took a sip of his drink, then stared into Adley’s eyes.