Defiant Dodge by Naomi Porter

8

Dodge

Even as a patched member, I didn’t always get to attend church. Many times, it was only the council who met. When it was the whole club, we had church in the bar.

Tonight was different. I was the main reason for this meeting.

My stomach was in knots as I waited for Storm to get on with it. He talked in a hushed tone to Uncle Raul while sipping his whiskey. Track was beside me, listening in. Ire was on my other side, tapping his fingers on the table like there was somewhere he needed to be. He was making me more nervous.

Across from me were Hero, Art, and our newly appointed tail gunner, Wolf.

Wolf sat with a stoic expression. Mr. All Business. Ever since Jill’s death, the man only worked. I understood where he was coming from. He’d lost the love of his life. He was merely going through the motions while grieving his woman. I’d overheard Sugar and Tina talking about how there wasn’t a time limit when it came to mourning a loved one. Sugar knew firsthand about that. Her husband was the original president of the club. Matt had died nearly six years ago of cancer.

I hurt for my brother. Losing his woman had been devastating. I’d lost Emilee, but at least she was alive.

“I’m calling this meeting to order.” Storm hit the mallet on the table. “Grizz has been hard at work, checking into Justin. I know we all agree enough is enough with him keeping Emilee away from Dodge. Let me be the first to apologize. Brother, I’m sorry. I handled this situation poorly.”

All eyes turned toward me.

I nodded, unable to verbally reply with the massive lump in my throat. The sincerity in Storm’s eyes was like nothing I’d ever seen from him.

One after one, my brothers said: “Sorry, brother.”

Track put his arm around me and muttered, “We got your back, cuz. Sorry it took so long to get our heads out of our asses.”

I was done.

I blinked away tears. After everything I’d felt last weekend at the party, the hate and rage that had been smoldering in my belly, this meant the world to me.

“Okay, now that we made Dodge cry,” Storm said, chuckling, “Grizz, you’re up.”

The flat-screen on the wall turned on.

Track leaned toward me. “Prepare yourself, man.”

I whipped my head toward him. “Why?”

Grizzly cleared his throat. “This is where Justin and Emilee live.”

I turned back toward the television. A small house appeared. I drew in a pained breath as I stared at the structure. It was old. Nothing special. But I didn’t care what the place looked like. It was where Emilee had been living. For months, I’d tried to picture her at home, in her bed, reading on her phone. She’d have her legs curled under. A favorite drink by her side.

Many similar houses were around hers. Their backyards lined a large grassy area, almost like a park with a small play area and woods on the opposite side.

“I couldn’t find any financial information on Justin,” Grizzly said. “I’d say he’s broke. Or he’s only spending cash.”

“That’s weird, isn’t it?” I directed my question at Storm and my uncle. “Like why wouldn’t he have bank accounts?”

“That is a concern we have.” Storm clasped his hands on the table. He leveled his gaze at me, then flicked his eyes toward the screen.

Grizzly cleared his throat again. “Dodge, this is your son.”

An image appeared, of a baby wearing a blue-and-pink-striped hat and wrapped in a blanket. His little face was round and a little red, his eyes were closed, and his lips were pursed together. I couldn’t breathe as I stared at him. He was perfect.

“This is a thing hospitals do. We have one of Birdie that was taken the day after her birth,” Storm said, pride in his voice. “He’s a good-looking kid.”

Track patted my back. “Congrats, cuz.”

“I hacked into the hospital to get it,” Grizzly said.

“Do you know his name?” My son’s name was all I had thought about since his birth.

“Yeah.” Grizzly brought a paper to me. “It’s all there.”

Right at the top, it stated Dante Daniel Montez. He weighed seven pounds and nine ounces and was nineteen and a half inches long. I had no idea if any of that was good or not.

I fisted my hands under the table to steel myself. “What next? I need my woman and son home yesterday.”

Storm glanced at my uncle. “Raul and I are going to Fargo Tuesday. We can’t take you with us.”

My automatic response was to throw a fit, but I held it together. “I understand.” I didn’t, but I needed to be a team player. “What do you plan to do there?” Now that I’d seen Dante, it was like he was real. I knew he was before, but I hadn’t had a face or a name to connect to him. More than ever, I needed to bring him and his momma home.

Storm’s phone rang. “I gotta take this.” He lifted out of his chair and left the room.

“Dante,” I said his name. I needed to hear it in my own voice… feel the emotion it brought me as it rolled off my tongue. “Dante Montez.”

“It’s a solid name, cuz.” Track nudged my shoulder with his. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah. A lot better.”

Hero tapped his hand on the table to get my attention. “I bet if you asked Maddy, she’d help you get a room set up in the family unit, unless you want to stay in the dorms.”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want my boy living in the dorms. I’ll talk to her tomorrow about one of the family units.”

Last month, the finishing touches had been completed on the complex behind the clubhouse. There were three two-room family suites. Each unit had its own private bath and kitchenette. Then there were five more bedrooms, a community bathroom, a large kitchen, and a recreation room. It even had a movie room and nursery. Storm had gone all out on it. His family was living in it until their house was completed.

A lot had changed on the compound in the last year. The club’s massive payout from the Remottis up in Canada was used to build several new homes. Storm and Madeline’s was the first started once the ground had thawed, and it should be completed next month. Hero and Tara’s was in progress.

Disposing of a piece of shit like Casso Campbell had benefited the club and community immensely.

The door flew open suddenly. Storm appeared, a look of distress in his eyes. Slamming the door, he went to his spot. “We have a situation. Fuck, I can’t believe this.” He rubbed the back of his head.

Hero leaned forward in his chair. “What, brother?”

Storm’s intense gray eyes met mine. “First, Emilee and the baby are okay. They’re safe.”

I jumped to my feet as panic burst inside me. “Why the fuck wouldn’t they be?”

Storm held his hands up. “Calm down. Some fucked-up shit is going on in my cousin’s territory. Kids are going missing.”

“I read about it,” Hero said. “Two boys this month. One just last Monday.”

“That one lived next door to Justin and Emilee.” Storm poured himself a whiskey.

I shot my gaze to the flat-screen. The image of Emilee’s house was still up. I wondered which home the little boy lived in.

My heart thundered in my chest. “What else?” Something told me there was more and it wasn’t good.

Storm sat down. “Emilee overheard Justin’s woman talking in the bathroom about taking your baby. She acted quickly and got out of the house through her bedroom window. She’s friends with my cousin Piper and called her. Emilee and the baby are safe.”

I put my hands on my head. “Fuck! Where are they? I need to get them.”

“Relax and sit.” Storm leveled his gaze as if waiting for me to obey.

How could I? Emilee and my son were in danger.

“I’m going out of my mind, Prez.”

“Sit down and listen,” Storm growled.

I dropped into my chair with a heavy thud.

Prez took a drink of his whiskey. “She gave them the name Rat. My cousin Cobra knows who Rat is… He’s the head of the Rat Brotherhood, a gang the club has been fighting for months. Typically the Brotherhood deals drugs and prostitution. Emilee’s information has led Cobra and his dad to believe the missing kids are connected to Rat’s gang.

“This is some fucked-up shit,” Hero muttered.

“It gets worse.” Storm clenched his jaw, spinning the mallet on the table. “Justin is missing.”

Several shouts of “what?” circulated in the room.

“I’m not sure what to do,” Storm said, looking deeply troubled.

Raul slammed his hand on the table. “What do you mean you’re not sure? We need to go find him.”

Storm reclined in his chair. “Cobra and his crew are on it. He told me they have it covered.”

“Bullshit! He’s our brother!” Raul yelled.

“He turned in his cut,” Storm growled, while the rest of the room remained silent. “He wanted nothing to do with us.”

“He’s my best friend,” Raul said back. “If you won’t send a crew, I’ll go myself.” He got to his feet.

My mind whirled as Prez and our VP argued about Justin, and all I could think about was Emilee and my son.

“What about Emilee and the baby?” I shouted. “Why are we talking about the man who took my woman and kid away from me?” I pushed out of my chair. “What’s going on with them?”

Storm took a gulp of his whiskey, then exhaled a deep breath. “Hustler is bringing them in his plane. They’ll be here in forty-five minutes.”

My heart jumped into my throat. “Are you kidding me?”

“No, brother, I’m not.” Storm leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. “Cobra said she’s pretty shaken up. Justin’s woman is involved in trying to take your baby. Now he’s missing.”

“Jesus Christ, this is a fucking mess,” Raul muttered.

Storm eyed me. “She’s gonna need you. You gotta be there for her and your kid.”

“Done. It’s all I ever wanted.” I fisted my hands at the thought of someone trying to steal my kid. I also didn’t like Storm talking to me like I was an idiot. He’d get a pass this time. Just because I was younger than him didn’t mean I was a dumbass who couldn’t take care of his family. I fucking could and would.

“What’s Ben doing about Justin?” Raul asked.

Storm looked at him. “Cobra’s heading it up. He said the house was trashed. They didn’t find any blood.”

Raul scrubbed his hands over his face. “Why isn’t Ben involved?”

Storm pushed the bottle of Jack toward my uncle. “Ben’s trying to stay out of it, so the transition from him to Cobra goes smoothly.” Storm’s gaze swept across the room, making eye contact with each of us. “Cobra is getting promoted to president at the end of the summer.”

“We need to go to Fargo,” Raul hissed, emotion in his voice.

He and Justin were close. At times, I believed my uncle cared about him more than me. I’d even gotten jealous of their friendship. It was childish of me. They had a long history together. Just went to show blood wasn’t thicker than water. The MC brotherhood won out over blood.

Before Emilee and my son, the club was all I had. Not anymore.

Storm jerked his chin toward Hero. “We can’t get spread too thin. Hero’s got the run to Canada in a few days. If some go to Fargo, I need people here to mind the club.”

“I should help search for Justin,” Raul stated.

Storm tapped his fingers on the table. “Hero, how many will you need?”

I hung back against the wall. All of it was important, but my mind was on Emilee and the baby. As a patched member, I needed to stay put until Storm ended church or he told me to go. I was impatient as fuck listening to all this back and forth.

I’ll finally meet my son.

Shit, I was nervous as fuck as I tugged on the collar of my shirt, feeling overheated.

“I could get by with five, plus myself,” Hero said. “Ryder isn’t ready for a run. Keep him here. Dodge can direct him.”

Storm nodded, looking at the rest of us. “Looks like we need more prospects.”

“Maddox is ready and willing to start prospecting now,” Hero replied.

“He’s not nineteen yet. September can’t come soon enough. We could sure use my cousin now.” Storm turned toward Raul. “It’s a risk for both of us to go. There’d only be Ire and Grizz to manage shit. Lynx would go with us.”

“Dodge would be here too, and Hollywood,” Raul said.

Hero cleared his throat. “If you’re leaving, I should be by your side. I think it’s better if you wait for me to get back.”

“He’s right,” Track said. “Cobra and his crew could find Justin before the day is over.”

“We’ll discuss this more later.” Storm cut his eyes toward me. “Go see Maddy. Tell her Emilee’s coming and to get something set up in the family unit.”

“Okay.” Damn, I was worried about Justin. I might’ve hated the dude for taking my girl away, but I never wanted anything bad to happen to him.

I left the room, feeling all kinds of emotions. I wanted to beat those fuckers to bloody pulps for stealing kids, but my mind was on my own and my woman. In less than an hour, I’d have both of them in my arms, then I’d never let them go.

When I entered the kitchen, the woman from The Bullet was at the island with Sugar. I’d told Sugar about her this morning. The only person she’d said it could be was her high school bestie, Mickey Lund.

Sugar smiled brightly. “Dodge, I got in touch with Mickey.”

“Yes, sorry to be weird last night.” Mickey blushed. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be welcomed in Bastion.”

“Girl, please.” Sugar bumped her shoulder to Mickey’s. “Bastion is your home. It’s about damn time you returned.”

“Why’d you leave in the first place?” Something was off about this woman. Why would she think she wasn’t welcomed in her hometown?

Sugar and Mickey stared at each other a beat, then Sugar said, “She wanted to experience something different.” She laughed awkwardly. “Can’t get much different than Arizona.”

“Right? I didn’t miss the brutal winters at all.” Mickey sipped her drink.

I sensed they weren’t telling the truth. I didn’t really care. Emilee and my son were on their way to the club. I needed to get shit ready for them asap.

“Well, I came in here looking for Maddy.”

“Oh, she’s at her place with the baby,” Sugar told me, pointing behind her at the family unit. “What’d you need her for?”

“Emilee and the baby are on their way.” I stalked to the back door.

“Oh my gosh!” Sugar grabbed Mickey’s hand. “Justin’s bringing them?”

The color drained from Mickey’s face. Was Justin the original member she’d been asking about last night? Interesting.

“No. Talk to Storm. I gotta go find Maddy.” I left the clubhouse.

There was no time to waste talking.

Soon my family would be in my arms.