Chapter Fourteen. #2
“Can’t bring them back, but even one baby’s life saved is worth it.
Before you rip into Allegra, she only found out when you mentioned it the other day.
She came home demanding to know what was happening.
Rain, I’m not a forgiving man, but I understand what happened.
Allegra doubled down because she needed the men she loved to put her first. In her eyes, you failed.
Don’t do it again.” With that warning, Gramps turned and pointed me to the house where Allegra stood with the children.
I nodded before hurrying over. Without a word, we strapped the kids into my car and got in.
“Shouldn’t you have guards with you?” Allegra asked as we drove off.
“Probably, but my team needed them more. I wanted to check out the build, and need no security on Hellfire land. If I did, then the club’s fucked.”
Allegra laughed. “Tell me about them. My knowledge comes exclusively from family statements, and they’re biased.”
“Hellfire are rough, rude, abrupt, and don’t care what people think about them.
Respect is earned, not given, and none like bullshit or drama, although both find them often.
They’re loyal to each other, unthinkingly so, and they’ll each take a bullet to save a brother.
They’ve built a family and are tight. Hellfire is worth knowing.
“If you’re lucky to be ‘in’ with them, you’re protected.
The club will go hell to the leather to ensure you’re safe.
The brothers live and party hard. If an ally, they’ll ride and back you up.
If you push, they’ll shove back harder. The MC is clean from illegal activities, but I reckon they’ve given the grim reaper a hand or two over time, when it’s been deserved.
And they’ll support a brother to the hilt, no doubt, no judgement—it’s simple, they’re brothers. ”
“That’s why Shotgun stayed, isn’t it? Because his brothers were.”
“You thought Shotgun put the club before you. He didn’t, but you wouldn’t recognise that.
Now we understand why you couldn’t. But by staying and fighting, Shotgun was making it safe for you.
If Fury had won, you wouldn’t have been able to return.
Venomous Fangs would have absorbed everything.
They’d have taken businesses one way or another, raped women, children and even men.
Anyone standing in their way would have died.
“ENS? They’d have invaded that and enslaved the staff to work for them. That was the level of evil we were facing. Shotgun needed the state to be safe for you; that’s why he fought. He couldn’t risk your life,” Rain explained.
“You said you understood my motives?”
“Yes. Your parents constantly pushed you away, never prioritising you. Allegra, you wanted Shotgun to do that, but when you believed Shotgun was putting Hellfire first, that hurt you badly. What you need to understand is that the club is Shotgun’s lifeline and safe space, they’re his brothers.
There will be things Shotgun can’t tell either of us, because that’s club business.
Shotgun may end up in danger, but you have to trust he’ll come back to us.
The brothers shift heaven and earth to ensure he does.
“Shotgun will give us everything. Every ounce of love and respect he can squeeze out will be ours. But in return, he needs us to accept his lifestyle and choices. When we got together, we thought it was the stress of a triad that might split us up, not the MC.”
“I sound like an awful person,” I muttered.
“No. You were a woman who’d been devastated by parental rejection.
You went into dangerous places for your job, and Shotgun never stopped you or challenged you.
But when it was time for the roles to swap, you couldn’t face the possibility of loss.
That terrified you because loss is something you’ve known since you were born.
The loss of a loving home, of good parents, of a steady, stable upbringing.
You reacted like a normal person, and that’s that. ”
I pulled up outside the gate and watched as Harlequin opened it.
“Thanks,” Allegra muttered.
I glanced across, not quite sure what she was thanking me for, but I did notice she seemed easier. Almost lighter. My words had meant something.
Allegra
Damn, when Rain laid it down, he didn’t use a sledgehammer, but a wrapped club. His remarks, while gentle, had struck home. Rain didn’t blame either of us, although I did sense he sided more with Shotgun despite his statement. He’d given me a lot to think about.
“Swim!” Darcy yelled, seeing Shotgun’s place come into view.
“Um, can we stay inside the truck?” I asked Rain, who winced at the sight of a nail gun. There were men everywhere, putting up walls and carrying wiring back and forth. It was certainly busy.
“This wasn’t my best idea with the twins. Let’s get a drink,” Rain decided.
“Where?”
“Shotgun’s at the clubhouse, fancy going to meet him?” Rain asked slyly.
I began laughing. “In other words, you wanna piss people off!”
“It’ll be fun!” he said. Famous last words.
◆◆◆
“Sorry!” I muttered for about the twentieth time to the huge, hulking brother wrongly named Tiny.
He was staring down at his boot as Darcy sat on his foot and clung to his leg.
Shotgun was removing Wade from behind the bar, where my son had hidden.
Darcy, however, was batting her eyes at Tiny and squealing, “Mine!” repeatedly.
Tiny grunted as I managed to wrest Darcy’s hands away.
Tiny stomped off, and I released Darcy, who flew across the floor to latch onto Chance. The huge president of the MC stared down as she batted her eyelashes, and he smirked.
“Mine!” Darcy cackled loudly as she clung to his leg.
Chance bent down and scooped her up.
“You want him?” Clio asked.
“Mine!”
“You can have him,” Clio agreed, and Chance scowled.
“Oi, you can’t tell the kid that!”
“Why not?” Clio asked ingeniously. “I’m getting the better end of the deal.”
“Clio,” Chance growled out.
“Hey, kid’s my niece, and she’s clearly going to be a biker babe. Darcy has to practise,” Clio quipped. “She’s doing me a favour taking you off my hands.”
Chance’s glare promised payback as Darcy pulled on his beard to get his attention. “What’s up, kiddo?”
“Mine!”
“Yeah, I’m your Uncle Chance.”
I watched as Shotgun froze mid-step. He gave up chasing Wade and turned to Rain, who smirked.
“Didn’t think of that, did you?” Rain crowed, and Shotgun shook his head. “He’s also older than both of us, which makes him head of the family.”
“The fuck it does!” Shotgun growled as Chance grinned. That was not a nice smile.
“Someone wanna grab the male ankle biter? I know he’s a brother in the making, but even so, he’s a bit too young to be drinking,” Levi called.
I spun around and gasped. Wade was back behind the bar, picking up empty beer bottles from a bin and draining the last of the dregs into his mouth.
Shotgun bit out a laugh and rushed over as I collapsed on a stool. “Holy shit. So many dangers.”
“Ah, don’t worry. This happens all the time.
Be lucky the rest of the Holy Terrors aren’t here.
On a Saturday after work, the club all congregates here, including women and children.
Before eight, admission is restricted to family members.
But decent people, not barflies or cheap whores.
Anyway, I digress. Rooster’s kids are a law unto themselves.
The things they’ve done to Kenny are like… no words can describe it,” Clio said.
“They blew Kenny up once,” Chey announced. I was surprised to find a famous music legend drinking in the clubhouse, but nobody else seemed to be. Chey was married to Celt, another singer in her band.
“Wait, what?” I gasped.
“And put hair removal cream in my shampoo, I was completely bald,” Kenny added.
I sat there, stunned. What kind of children grew up here?
“Anyway, a few months ago, Brax had just turned thirteen and decided he was an adult. Everyone’s partying as they do, and the next thing we know, Brax is chucking up everywhere.
He hit Rooster, who controlled his gag reflex, but Wraith didn’t and puked.
Followed by Alice, Bone, and Slaughter. Those of us with common sense, aka most of the old ladies, fled because we knew what was coming,” Clio said.
“They all threw up!” I gasped, laughing.
“Even Chance. It was a fuckin’ puke fest. And in the middle was Brax, who’d vomited because his idiot brothers had dared him to drink a bottle of beer straight down, and he had.” Kenny sighed.
“Oh my God,” I cried.
“We had to open every door and window in the clubhouse; it reeked of vomit for days. Brax won’t go near any alcohol now. He might be the first Legacy never to get drunk.” Kenny laughed.
“And this chaos is normal?” I asked.
“Yup. All too often. At least it’s not like Rage MC.” Phoenix sighed.
I was a bit confused about her. She was the old lady of Drake, who wasn’t here, and he was the Rage MC President.
But she was also a sister in Hellfire, apparently the only one.
To me, I’d have thought she’d have divided loyalties, but she didn’t.
Her eldest son, Fanatic, was a brother here and married to an FBI agent, Willow, who was cackling in the corner with two other old ladies.
“What’s wrong with Rage MC?” I asked.
“We have the Hellions, while you guys have the Holy Terrors. Only yours all work together to cause trouble. Ours have separated into groups. One male, one female, and the boys don’t learn.
The girls kick their asses every time, but they keep coming back for more.
I swear to God they have brains, they just think with their dicks instead. ” Phoe shook her head.
“There’s been some right incidents over at Rage, but we also have to watch them when the clubs get together. Both Hellions and Holy Terrors are at war. Both need to prove they’re top dog,” Chey added.
“And now there are your two in the mix. How sweet,” Kenny stated through gritted teeth as we watched Darcy tangle Tiny’s bootlaces up. The huge guy took a step towards the bar and went down like a ton of bricks.
“They’re going to fit in just fine,” Clio said, grabbing the bottle of wine and drinking straight from it. Holy shit!