Chapter 14 #3
“Why, thank you, my love.” I smile back at him, crouching to accept them and his hug around my neck.
“Holaaa!” Rosita’s voice rings out from across the fairgrounds.
Ace releases me, immediately turning to wave back at Rosita and her daughter, Mia. Only a few months apart, and practically having been raised together in our MC family as cousins , Ace and Mia have grown to adore one another.
I can’t help but stifle a little laugh as Ace plucks one last flower from the patch of black-eyed Susans and bounds off to greet his little playmate.
“Oh, what a gentleman!” Rosita says as Ace gives Mia the flower. “And what do we say to our sweet Ace?”
“Gracias, Ace.” Mia smiles, admiring his gift.
Ace opens his mouth to reply, but then his little brows furrow and he peers up at Rosita.
“ De nada …you’re welcome,” Rosita responds to his unspoken question.
With another beaming smile that melts my heart, Ace repeats the words to Mia.
“Here, let me take something.” I reach for the picnic basket Rosita is carrying, along with a large folded up blanket. Ace takes Mia by the hand and they both run off toward the playground together.
“He’s such a bright child,” Rosita says, handing me the basket on our walk to the shaded picnic tables a few yards away from where our kids are now playing. “Such a considerate little gentleman. One would never know they are five months apart.”
Placing the basket down on the table, I help her lay out the large pink and white checkered blanket on the grass, before grabbing the basket once more. Handing it back to her, I take a seat as well.
“And how are things with his father… Since …” Rosita begins to ask, but her sentence trails off as if she doesn’t quite know how to finish it.
“Since Legion rolled back into town?”
“Yes.”
“Strained, I suppose.” I sigh, leaning back on my elbows and stretching out my denim-clad legs to cross my ankles. We watch Ace and Mia play on the rope bridge, which leads to a pirate ship kids can pretend to steer and peek out through portholes. Instead of a plank to walk, there’s a slide.
“How do you feel about his return?” Rosita asks.
“I don’t know.” It isn’t a lie. I’ve tried to keep myself busy and preoccupied as much as possible to avoid giving my mind the time to evaluate what I’m actually feeling.
Most likely sensing my aversion to the topic of Legion, Rosita switches gears. “Have you told Dean about your secret rendezvous with Viking?”
I laugh at her choice of words. “ No , and don’t ever let him hear you talking about it like that .”
“Why not?” she teases.
“What would Viper say if you were taking kick-boxing lessons from Viking?”
“He would want to teach me himself.”
“Dean is already pressed for time with work and volunteering at the safe houses. It’s easier to learn with Viking. Plus, Dean doesn’t lose any extra time with Ace. And Viking doesn’t cut me any slack, the way I know Dean would.”
Rosita chuckles, reaching into the basket to remove a large thermos and two cups. “That is true. Also, kick-boxing would shift to wrestling , which would then turn to …”
“ Exactly ,” I laugh. “Besides, I think it will be fun to surprise him in the gym one day with what I’ve learned. Maybe with the element of surprise, I’ll actually impress him.”
“You must admit, it is nice to have husbands so in love with us, no? Incapable of keeping their hands off us!” I laugh along with her. “Horchata?” she offers.
“ Yes , please.” Rosita makes the best homemade Horchata I’ve ever tasted. It’s like Christmas in a cup. “You’ll have to teach me how to make this before the holidays. Or at least promise to bring some for Christmas.”
“So long as you teach me how to make your Italian Carbonara sauce,” she bargains.
“Deal,” I agree, accepting the beverage from her.
Over the next hour, we chat about our kids mostly, before they decide to join us for a little picnic of fresh sliced fruits and pretzel sticks.
With full bellies and having expended their energy on the playground, naptime is on the horizon.
Ace lounges against me, and I watch with a smile as an equally exhausted Mia climbs into her mother’s lap.
“Oh, I know that look,” Rosita says softly, her fingers stroking through Mia’s dark tendrils. I realize she’s been watching me.
“What look?” I ask, noticing the way her gaze settles lovingly on Ace for a moment.
“I feel it too, whenever I look at your precious Ace. Viper and I have been discussing trying for a little boy soon.”
I force a smile, unsure what to say.
“What about you?” she presses, “Do you think about giving Ace a little sister ?”
“I would love a little girl,” I say, smiling at Mia. Her brown eyes are barely open now, blinking slowly. “I’m just not sure Dean is ready for another baby, boy or girl.”
I know he isn’t. And where things currently stand, he might not ever be. Though this isn’t something I wish to discuss with anyone else right now, I do want Ace to have a sibling.
I realize Rosita is studying me again. The slight concern in her expression tells me she’s already piecing together the reasons why Dean is so reluctant.
“Have you discussed things with your doctor?” she asks.
“Yes, and I have an appointment later today for an exam and to switch contraceptives. There is nothing medically wrong with me that would indicate I’d have a complicated pregnancy or delivery. Especially if we opt for a planned cesarean. And why not? I already have a scar.”
Rosita nods in understanding. “But he fears.”
“Yes…he does.” Not that I blame him. The night Ace was born, Dean nearly lost us both. That pain never left him.
“Perhaps a little more time, then.” She offers me an encouraging smile, though I can tell it’s mixed with sympathy.
My cellphone vibrates in my pocket, and I shift carefully to remove it without jostling Ace too much. I don’t recognize the number, but it’s a local area code, so I answer.
“Hello?”
“Yes, hello!” a woman’s voice quickly responds. “Is this Vanna Keegan?”
“It is…”
“Oh, wonderful!” she seems oddly relieved. “This is Nancy Wellington.”
I’m quiet for a moment, trying to figure out why her last name sounds so familiar. When she speaks again, it’s with an air of pride and a tone implying I should have instantly recognized her.
“ The mayor’s wife , dear.”
“ Y ou gonna tell us what the fuck was in that envelope?” Viking gripes, taking his seat at my right in the War Room. Viper silently scowls at me as he claims the VP seat to my left. The rest of our brothers, all but Axel, take their seats according to rank, around the table with us.
“You called this emergency vote. Shouldn’t we wait for our Road Captain?” Diesel asks, chucking a thumb at Axel’s vacant seat at the end of the table next to Ruger. “He missed the meeting this morning at Stogies, but he should be off work pretty soon.”
“Not this time.” My reply is met with looks of confusion.
“He’s a fully patched member. Anything discussed at this table concerns him, too,” Chopper insists. He isn’t wrong.
I clear my throat, pulling the envelope in question from my cut as I take my seat at the head of the table. “Brother, you just said a mouthful.” I sigh, pushing the envelope toward Viking first. “Take a look, then pass them around.”
Impatiently, Viking removes the surveillance photos from within. His expression immediately shifts from an irritated grimace to shocked concern. “ Oh…shit…”
“Exactly. That’s also how he knew we broke into the Demons’ Den.
There really were cameras.” I lean back in my seat, pinching the bridge of my nose.
The stress headache I’ve been dealing with since visiting my lawyer’s office continues to bang away inside my skull.
The room is dead quiet while the rest of our crew examines Legion’s leverage.
“This is bad,” Viper breaks the tense silence, though his voice is low, discernibly distraught.
“It’s worse than bad. According to my lawyer, there is no statute of limitations when it comes to Arson with malicious intent.”
The resounding bang of Viking’s massive fist slamming down on the table nearly makes me jump, and my head throbs a little harder.
“ Fuck!” he shouts. I open my eyes to look at him. Worry mixed with anger and regret creases his heavy brow, the war between those emotions clearly evident in his eyes. “The fuck are we gonna do about this, bro?”
“I knew you two burning down the Demons’ Den would come back to bite us in the ass!” Ruger shakes his head, disgust written plainly on his face. “I’m surprised it took this long!”
“Now isn’t the time for I told you so’s .” I shoot Ruger a stern glare, deading the issue before turning back to Viking. “I don’t know… But Axel can’t know about this.”
“Why not?” Diesel asks.
“Because he’ll make it his problem,” I say, glancing around the table at each of my brothers as I speak.
“He’ll blame himself for this forced truce with Legion…
Axel’s a good kid… God forbid he turns himself in to free us of Legion.
I’m not willing to take that risk, are you?
” I rake my hand through my hair. It feels wrong to keep something from Axel, something so pertinent to the current situation with our MC.
It pains me to admit, but… “This would result in felony charges… Mandatory imprisonment…and Axel is… not like the rest of us .” Mutters of agreement rise up from around the table.
“We all need to be on the same page about this. No one breathes a fucking word of this to Axel. I’ll take the heat about Legion, however this ends up playing out. ”
“We should have just killed that mother fucker when we had him pinned down in that warehouse,” Viking growls under his breath.
“Who’s to say this contingency plan wasn’t in place even back then? He’s got us by the balls, and he knows it. If he dies… If he simply disappears… Anything happens to the demonic prick, Axel is the one who pays … I’m sorry, but I’m pulling rank on this. As your president, this is a direct order.”