Chapter Forty-Six
Bane
A few hours later, we lay on the bed naked as her fingers skimmed through my hair. My hand traced the scar on her lower abdomen.
A cesarian scar.
I knew it well.
Taking a deep breath, I sighed. “I should have been there.”
“There was nothing you could do. Our son was born first with a full head of dark hair, just like yours. Oh God, August,” she whispered, tears pooled in her eyes. “He looked just like you, and when he opened his eyes, I swear it felt as if you were looking right at me.”
“How much did he weigh?”
“Almost six pounds.”
“And our daughter?”
Diana smiled. “I didn’t know. She was a surprise, to say the least. She was so tiny. A lot smaller than her brother. The doctor who delivered them said her brother hid her in the womb, protecting her. She weighed barely five pounds.”
“And the scar?”
“I was so tired. I’d been laboring for hours when the placenta tore, and I started hemorrhaging. I didn’t know what was going on. One minute I was in a birthing room and the next I woke up in recovery. I stayed in the hospital for close to a week before they discharged me with the babies.”
“Where did you go?” I asked, trailing my hand over her exposed skin, not wanting to let this moment go. I needed to know everything, every detail, since our separation.
“At first, we traveled around for a while. They took to the car easily, and I was thankful for that. But I quickly learned that traveling with two small babies was neither economical nor smart. So, I returned to Las Vegas and found a small house for us. It wasn’t much, but it was perfect for us.”
“What did you do for money?”
“I had the money Shame put in my go-bag. It lasted a few years until the twins were two. After that, I found odd jobs that I could do from home. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we made do.”
“What did you name them?”
Diana smiled warmly as her other hand traced my rose and thorn tattoo. “I named your son Thorne August and your daughter Rosebud Brianna.”
“Thorne and Rosebud.” I whispered their names, then my body stiffened. I knew those names.
Thorne and Rose.
Thorne and Rose.
Or, more specifically, Mimic and Kytten.
“August?” Diana frowned. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
Sitting up, I reached for my phone, quickly dialing a number I knew by heart, waiting impatiently for it to connect. When it did, I didn’t bother with any pleasantries and put the phone on speaker so Diana could hear as I jumped from the bed and searched for my pants.
“I need you to lock down Mimic and Kytten. Do not let them leave the clubhouse.”
“And why the hell would I do that?”
“Baby, I need you to get dressed,” I quickly said before answering King. “Because they are my kids!”
King groaned. “Bane, your kids are Dante and Amber. Mimic and Kytten’s parents are Justin Peterson and Vivian Greenbush.”
“NO!” I shouted, zipping up my jeans. “I mean, yes, they are, but Mimic and Kytten are my kids with Diana. With my wife!”
“You’re married?”
Growling, I snapped, “Would you fucking listen to me, asshole, and just do what I ask?”
“I’m getting real fucking tired of people telling me what to do in my own fucking club. You do realize you are talking to the president of the Silver Shadows, right? I’m not some fucking newbie, Bane.”
“August?” Diana said, getting my attention as she buttoned up her shirt. “Do you know where Thorne and Rosebud are?”
“Who the hell is that?” King asked.
“My wife!” I shouted into the phone. “Weren’t you listening? I said I am married.”
King growled.
“Ask Mimic or Kytten. Diana has a tattoo on her left arm. It’s of Asclepius, the God of Medicine. It’s very distinctive. If they remember it, will you lock them down then?”
“Gonna need more than that, Bane. Anyone could have that tattoo.”
“Thorne has a birthmark. It’s in the shape of a heart. It’s on his right butt cheek,” Diana cried, rushing over to me.
“Did you get that, King?”
“Yeah, I got it,” the man grumbled, then yelled, “MIMIC! Get your ass in here!”
Holding onto Diana, I picked up my phone, took it off speaker, and placed it at my ear before saying, “King, there’s more.”
“Of course there is,” the man groaned.
“Valhalla is working with Dakota Stone. They were behind my wife’s disappearance, and if I’m right, they are headed your way to kill them,” I stated just as I heard Mimic’s disgruntled voice.
“What?”
“Drop your pants.”
“Excuse me!”
“You heard me, drop ’em. Now.”
“What the hell is going on now?”
“This motherfucker wants me to drop my drawers!” Mimic shouted, appalled.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing what he’s got in those pants.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Brandy!” King roared.
“Why does Jackass get to stay?”
“Because what’s in his pants does nothing for me,” the man said seconds before I heard a door slam shut.
“Drop them. That’s an order,” King demanded as seconds ticked by.
Holding my breath, I held onto Diana when I heard the rustling of clothes, and then King sighed.
“Son of a bitch. Jack, go find Cash and tell him Kytten is locked down. She’s not allowed to leave the club, and then tell him I need to see him.
Mimic, you’re locked down too. You’re grounded. ”
“What the fuck for?!” Mimic roared. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Bane, what’s the plan here? I can’t keep Mimic contained for long. The little shit is already a pain in my ass.”
“Diana and I will be there soon. Give us twenty-four hours.”
“You’ve got twelve,” King clipped before disconnecting the phone.
Looking down at Diana’s face, I smiled. “Baby, pack a bag. We’re going to Nebraska.”
An hour later, I walked into the clubhouse and headed straight for Montana’s office to find him sitting behind his desk with a half-empty bottle of Hell’s Breath.
“You’re leaving the club, aren’t you?”
I thought I knew what I was going to say to him before I even walked into his office, yet standing before him, looking at the man who stood by my side all these years, the man who never wavered, understood, even at times sat with me when shit got too much, I knew I couldn’t do it.
I wouldn’t abandon him.
“Was going to. Even came in here to tell you that very thing.”
“But?”
Sighing, I looked at my best friend and shrugged. “Doesn’t feel right. What kind of friend would I be if I abandoned you when you needed me?”
“A smart one,” Montana replied, his tone serious.
Leaning back in his chair, he groaned, rubbing his hands down his face.
“Not sure you understand what’s ahead for the club, August. The Death Dogs fired the first shot.
Struck an ally club, killed a kid, a prospect with the Silver Shadows.
The Biker Federation is divided. Those loyal to the Death Dogs and those loyal to us.
Right now, Reaper is out there gathering support, but there are many that agree with the Death Dogs.
They want to live their lives as they see fit, not under the thumb of the Federation.
They win, and we’re back to square one. The rule handbook won’t exist. It will be a free-for-all until someone bigger and stronger steps up and takes control.
For the longest time, it was the Soulless Sinners, but not anymore.
I’m barely hanging on to the two clubs I have left.
No. The smartest thing you can do is take Diana and leave.
Go live your life in peace. Trust me, brother, you deserve it. ”
I wanted to laugh, but the ache in my chest made it impossible. “You really think I would walk away from you, Montana? After everything we’ve been through? After all the blood, sweat, and years we poured into making things right within this club?”
He met my gaze, his own heavy with exhaustion and something like resignation. “That’s the problem, August. Loyalty will get you killed in this world.”
I leaned forward, elbows on knees, searching his face for the man I’d always trusted to have answers. “Maybe it will. Or maybe it’s all we’ve got left.”
The office was silent, save for the distant echo of muffled voices—brothers, still, for now.
Out there, the world was shifting. The Death Dogs were calling shots they had no right to call.
The Silver Shadows were mourning the loss of a brother.
The Federation, once a shield, now felt like a cage rattling apart at every seam.
Montana shook his head slowly. “You see it, don’t you? The storm coming.”
“I do.” My voice was low but sure. “But I’m not leaving you to weather it alone.”
A faint, sad smile tugged at his lips. “Then we fight. Just like we always have.”
I nodded, the decision settling in my bones. There was no easy road, not for people like us. But I’d rather be damned with my brother at my side than safe and haunted by regret.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Montana smirked. “Not one I’m happy with, but I’ll do it if it means the survival of this club.”
Shaking my head, I grinned. “So the rumors are true then. You’re really thinking about doing it?”
“I may not have a choice. Reaper’s got the numbers, and right now, he’s got clubs and allies strategically placed.
We patch over and we can cover the east coast and Gulf region.
With Kansas and the Diamondbacks in the mid-west, the Bourbon Kings backing up the Gulf, and the Sons of Hell in Virginia, he’d have the advantage. ”
“You need a heavy hitter to seal the deal. Someone willing to go the extra mile when shit hits the fan. A clencher. Someone the Death Dogs wouldn’t see coming.”
“I’m all ears, brother.”
“You already know who I’m talking about.”
“No,” Montana snapped. “Those fuckers are a law unto themselves. They don’t play by the rules.”
“Neither do the Death Dogs.”
“I can’t trust them.”
“And you fully trust Reaper?” I challenged.
Montana’s jaw clenched, a flicker of indecision crossing his eyes. The silence between us tightened, thick with memories of deals gone awry and alliances forged in desperation.
“Trust isn’t what this is about,” Montana muttered, voice low. “It’s about survival. About stacking the deck so high that not even the Death Dogs can see who’s holding the fucking ace. Reaper’s smart, and he’s hungry. And it’s the hungry ones you watch.”
I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees. “Then stop worrying about trust. Worry about leverage. If you want this club to last, you need to play every card, even the ones you’d rather keep up your sleeve.”
Montana studied me, the weight of the decision pressing down. “Sometimes I wonder how many hands I have left before I’m all out of bluff.”
Leaning back, I sighed. “All I’m saying is, you have options.”
Montana chuckled. “Sure I do. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. Not much of a choice, brother, if you ask me.”
“Look,” I said, getting to my feet. “The other reason I came in here was to tell you I’m taking Diana to Nebraska. I located the twins. She needs to see our kids for herself, and frankly, so do I.”
Montana nodded. “Yeah. King called me an hour ago and told me everything. Gotta say, brother, he wasn’t fucking happy. Still can’t believe you produced two sets of twins.”
I chuckled. “I just provided the sperm. The egg is what splits. I had nothing to do with it.”
Montana rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the biology lesson.”
“You want me to pass on a message to King while I’m there?”
“Yeah, tell him to cover his ass.”
THE END