Defiant Dodge by Naomi Porter

9

Emilee

Each time the plane bounced, I gasped and held Little D tighter to my chest. This was my first time flying. Honestly, I hoped it was my last, given the circumstance that had put me on the plane.

The last few hours were a whirlwind of emotions. Having a child changed everything. It wasn’t only me I needed to worry about. My sweet boy was helpless and relied on me to protect him. I’d been so terrified for him. Paranoid Rat or my father would jump out of a bush. Every car that passed us had nearly sent me into a paralyzing panic.

Luck had been on my side when I called Piper. She had been in the area and picked me up within ten minutes. She’d rushed me to her dad’s compound while on the phone with him, letting him know what had happened.

To make matters worse, I’d freaked out over Little D not being in a car seat, sobbing like a baby. I was sure we’d get pulled over, then I’d get arrested for child endangerment.

At the North Dakota club, I told Piper’s dad what had happened in my own words. Ben Knight reminded me of Matt, Storm’s uncle. I’d met him before, back when I was a preteen. He hadn’t changed much. Just grayer. All the Knight men were tall, broad in the shoulders, and had dark hair. Ben had the same stormy eyes as Storm.

Cobra, Ben’s successor, was more intense and all business compared to his father. He listened carefully to everything I said, not once taking his eyes off me. The twitch in his jaw showed his fury, but he managed it well while his dad cooed and played with Little D. Ben was the first person I’d let hold my baby since we left the hospital. For some reason, I trusted Ben with my precious boy. It must’ve been because he reminded me of Storm. Or I’d totally lost my mind after having the shit scared out of me.

Piper patted my knee. “Breathe, Em. We’re almost there. Soon you’ll be with your man and your family again.”

“I’m so nervous. It’s been so long since I saw Danny. I’ve dreamed about this day.” I paused for a moment to slow my breathing. I was panicked and twisted up inside. “What if he’s moved on?” My stomach roiled. I shouldn’t think such things after we’d committed to each other last summer.

But what if he had?

He was probably a patched member now, which meant he had the perk of being with the kittens. Without any communication, what if he thought I was never coming back?

A man had needs.

The plane jostled us a bit. It didn’t help my already-queasy stomach and anxious heart. I snuggled Dante as I sent up another prayer for our safety.

“Don’t be silly. You said Danny loves you. I’m sure he’s been through hell just like you.” She ran her fingers through her dark-brown hair. It was shoulder-length now.

What I wouldn’t give to be as calm as her.

I admired Piper’s fearless attitude, feistiness, and beauty. I hadn’t seen her in months, but we picked up as if no time had passed.

“It’s almost been a year.” The longest and most miserable of my life.

She tilted her head, giving me a little attitude. “You had his baby. You said he was excited about being a dad.”

“Yes, but it’s been a long time.”

Piper shot me an exaggerated eye roll.

“Seriously. You mean to tell me your brothers aren’t screwing the club girls left and right?” I knew they were. When I was at the club, I’d seen Buff carry off a giggling woman. Lady M, Piper’s mom, had only scowled him.

The North Dakota chapter wasn’t all that different from the one I grew up in. Other than the whole council being blood-related. I thought it was neat how the club was run by one family.

“Oh, for sure they are. But my brothers aren’t Danny. They aren’t committed to anyone. The closest one to ever be in a relationship was Cobra, but that was years ago with a sweet, young girl like you.”

A sweet, young girl? I should’ve thanked her for the compliment, but instead, I was insulted. I was a mother. I didn’t want to be thought of as an innocent girl. I wasn’t, hence the baby in my arms. Danny and I were electrifying together. When I was with him, he made me feel desirable and sexy. It was liberating to let my naughty side out after my father had kept me on a short leash my whole life.

Hell, I can be a badass like Sugar and Maddy.

“Em, are you okay?”

I shook myself out of my head. “What happened to the girl? I mean, did Cobra love her?”

“I’m not sure. Cobra never talks about anything personal.”

“Well, why did he dump her? Danny could do the same to me.” I kissed Little D’s head. “Maybe I shouldn’t be going back to Minnesota. Why didn’t I call Danny first?” I was on the brink of losing control of my emotions.

So much for being a badass.

“Em, honey… dang it. Hustler!” Piper shouted behind her. “Why did Cobra end it with his girlfriend?”

“Jeez, Pipe, was she his girlfriend? I don’t remember. That was a lifetime ago.” He laughed.

She twisted in her seat. “Nuh-uh. It’s only been six years. I’m sure you remember how it went down. I was only fourteen then. Nobody would tell me anything.”

Hustler snorted. “I think she was too young for him. All I remember was Cobra drinking a lot. Now leave me alone. I’m trying to fly.”

Piper turned back to face me. “He’s absolutely no help.”

I teared up as I questioned if I’d made the wrong decision. It would destroy me to see Danny with someone else, especially a kitten. Some were nice, like Libby, but most of them were all about the men and sex.

“I don’t think I can do this.” I wiped away a traitorous tear off my cheek. “Would your brother hate me if I asked him to turn the plane around and take me back to Fargo?”

Piper made a sad face. “You’re getting yourself worked up, momma. What about Dante? Dad and Cobra had Hustler whisk you two out of town to get you away from the danger.”

I sniffled as another tear rolled down my face. “I’m overwhelmed. So much has happened today, I can’t process it. Tami was going to take my baby. You heard Cobra. He thinks she’s connected in the disappearance of the little boy next door to me. My dad is missing.” I wiped under my eyes. “My dad is missing. I might see Danny. It’s just so much, y’know?”

“You will see Danny. It isn’t fair to compare him to my brothers. They’ve chosen to stay single. They don’t have a kid or want any.” She pushed her bottom lip out. When I was pregnant, Piper told me she longed to be an auntie. I’d told her she could be Dante’s.

“He could’ve gotten tired of waiting for me. Found someone else.”

“Not possible. We’ve talked about this, Em. We Knights are family-oriented people. If any of my brothers had a baby, they’d be all in. His woman and kid would mean the world to him. You said Danny wasn’t like the other guys in Storm’s club.”

“He’s not. Or he wasn’t. Maybe after a year apart, he’s changed.” Heck, even I’d changed. Not only had I matured more, but my body was different after the baby. What if Danny didn’t find me attractive anymore?

I would be devastated.

Piper touched Dante’s little foot. “He hasn’t, girlie. You just wait and see.”

“We’ll be on the ground in ten minutes,” Hustler said.

Ten minutes? I assessed my clothes and groaned.

“What’s the matter?” Piper asked.

“I look like roadkill smeared into the grooves of a motorcycle wheel.”

Piper burst out laughing. “Girl, you do not.”

“This wasn’t at all how I imagined seeing Danny again. I’ve got a hole in my leggings from when I fell. My face is probably blotchy from crying. I’m not ready to see him.”

Dante started to fuss.

Piper jiggled his foot. “His ears are probably bothering him as we descend like they did when we took off.”

“Oh, right.” I quickly put him to my breast to help with the pressure in his ears. He latched on and vigorously sucked.

“Listen to me.” Piper took my hand. “Your guy is going to be happy to see you. It’s all going to be okay.”

I gave her a weak smile. I didn’t really want to talk about this anymore. Piper’s never had a boyfriend. What did she know about relationships? She was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t helping. My emotions were all over the place. When I thought about that witch Tami planning to take my son, I literally wanted to crawl into a ball with Dante and cry.

“Prepare to land, ladies,” Hustler said as the plane got closer to the ground.

My vision blurred as tears pooled in my eyes. I sent up a quick prayer for a safe landing.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. When we’re on the ground, I can hold Little D so you can get yourself sorted out.” Piper flicked her eyes toward my boob.

“Good idea.” I snorted, a tear rolling down my face. Piper was great at bringing levity to a situation. It was like she knew when the tension was too thick.

“I’m chock-full of them.” She winked, then glanced out the small window. “Now in one, two, three.” The plane bounced a bit, then all was smooth. “We’re on the ground. See? Not so bad.”

I blew out a breath of relief. “Easy for you to say. You’ve been flying since you were in diapers.” Piper’s dad and brothers all had their pilot’s licenses. They were a unique MC family, riding Harleys and flying planes.

“True. Gimme Little D. I’ll burp him.” She made grabby hands.

“You and your dad are the only people other than the nurses at the hospital who’ve held Dante.” I kissed my boy before giving him to her.

“That makes me feel uber special.” Piper smooched his cheek once she had him comfortably on her shoulder. “I sure wish my brothers would reconsider having babies,” she said over her shoulder, scrunching up her face.

“Keep dreaming, sis. We don’t need another woman nagging us. Mom’s enough.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I’m gonna tell her you called her a nag.”

I smiled at their antics. Having five brothers was a lot, but I would’ve loved at least one sibling. Danny and I were both only children.

I gazed at Dante as I fixed my shirt. He should have a brother or sister or maybe one of each.

My crazy nerves flared up again. If Danny had moved on, I couldn’t fall apart in front of him. I was confident he’d want to be in Dante’s life after having such a shitty one himself. We’d both do what was best for Dante, putting him first.

If everything was different between us, we could co-parent. We’d just have to make it work for our little boy.

When the plane finally stopped, I peered out the window. “Oh, we’re in Winters. I’ve never been to the airport here.”

Piper got up to exit with Dante. “Let’s go.”

“I guess this is it.” I inhaled a deep breath. “Are you sure you can’t stay a few days… forever?”

She smiled. “I’d love to, but I doubt my dad would let me. You know how bossy biker presidents are.”

I certainly did.

Hustler helped me out of the plane. My swollen knee made going up and down the stairs difficult. I guessed that when the adrenaline kicked in when I was running, I hadn’t experienced any pain. It hurt quite a bit now.

At the club, Piper had checked it out—unofficially. She thought my knee might’ve gotten dislocated when I landed on it. Nothing serious. I figured Patch could take a look at it once I got to the clubhouse.

I sucked in a breath as I lifted my head once my feet hit the ground. There was no activity at the airport. Just us. It was approaching nine, so not entirely dark during dusk. It was light enough that I could make out Danny’s face as he stalked toward me, but the rest of him was different.

He looked a lot bigger.

If I could run into his arms, I would. It’d be a romantic scene. Two young lovers reunited after being ripped apart…

His eyes were locked on me. We stared at each other. Butterflies wreaked havoc in my stomach as if I were a silly lovestruck schoolgirl.

Piper nudged my elbow. “There’s your guy, Em. See? He’s here, and you were worried.” Piper loved being right.

I almost smiled, unable to take my eyes off Danny. His expression was unreadable, which was not entirely unusual, given he didn’t like to show emotion. He was usually stoic and reserved. For months, we’d hidden our relationship so my dad wouldn’t find out about us. We didn’t have to hide anymore, but maybe old habits died hard.

I held my breath, unsure of what to do.

He stopped in front of me. “Emilee. I… Are you…” His voice trailed as he sought out the baby. “Wow, he’s a lot bigger than Birdie.”

Birdie?

I couldn’t form a response. Everything was awkward and so not what I had expected. I thought after being apart, Danny would wrap me in his arms and kiss me. Maybe comfort me after the ordeal I’d been through. I’d dreamed of this moment hundreds of times. It wasn’t happening how I’d imagined it.

Piper nudged me again. “You okay?”

I flicked my eyes at her, then darted them away.

Oh my God! He has a new woman.

That was it. Danny was cold and distant because he had moved on.

He didn’t take his eyes off Dante. It was adorable, but wow, was I invisible?

Storm and Track joined us. Both were watching Danny, adding to my feelings of neglect and anxiety.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Storm hugged me tight and whispered, “He’s just overwhelmed.”

“Of course.” My heart still hurt anyway. I was overwhelmed too. It was like I was hanging off the edge of a cliff, my grip weakening. At any moment, I’d fall, giving way to the building tsunami of emotions inside me.

Storm pulled back. “Are you okay?”

I shrugged. I couldn’t say yes because it’d be a lie. If I said no, I’d come across as fragile and delicate, the way my dad always made me feel.

Storm squeezed my shoulder. “I need to talk to Hustler. Maddy sent Birdie’s car seat. It’s in the backseat of the cage.”

“Birdie?”

Storm smiled. “Our little girl.”

“Oh my gosh.” I hugged him again. “Congratulations. I can’t wait to see Maddy.”

“She’s anxious to see you too.”

I released him. Track took his spot, giving me a gentle bear hug.

“Hey, Em. How are you?” Track had always been like an older brother to me. I’d known him my whole life. I could be real with him.

“Not great.”

We pulled apart, and he nudged his head toward Danny. “He’s not a PDA guy. He’s been miserable all year.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “Me too. I just… I don’t know.” It hurt too much, watching Danny entranced with Dante. He hadn’t touched him yet or talked to him. He just studied him like a scientist would assess a foreign object.

“Hey,” Track whispered, lifting my chin with his finger. “Give him a minute to process.”

“Tell me the truth,” I whispered. “Is there another girl in his life?” I turned away from Track, embarrassed by my insecurity and terrified to hear his answer.

It was like the dam broke as soon as the question had left my lips. Wracking sobs hit me all at once. I didn’t even care.

“No, Em.” Track reached for me, but I batted his hand away.

“I need to go,” I muttered to Piper and hugged her. “Thank you for everything.” I took Dante from her and limped toward the black SUV, holding back my tears as much as possible. Of course it was no use when I was dying inside.

“Emilee, what’s wrong?” Dodge called.

What’s wrong? Is he serious?

I didn’t stop, though I winced with each step. I held my baby protectively to my chest, feeling as if he was all I had in this world.

What’s wrong? What kind of question was that?

My dad was missing, and my baby was targeted by a gang. I was a fucked-up mess.

“Hon, let me help you,” Piper hollered after me. “Don’t forget your backpack.”

“Emilee?” I heard Dodge come up behind me. “Hey, let me help you.”

“I’m just walking to the car.” My words came out in a clipped tone. I didn’t mean for them to, but I was crying, heartbroken at my pathetic homecoming. I couldn’t hold it together anymore.

“You’re limping.” It wasn’t a question but an observation.

Way to state the obvious, was the first thought I had.

“Hurt my knee when I jumped out of the window to save our baby.” My tears picked up as I recalled the terrifying experience. I pressed my lips to my son’s head, my chest rattling against his little body. It was like it had just happened and not hours ago.

Should I be acting this way? Dante and I had gotten away. We were safe, yet I was breaking into tiny shards of glass. How could I be so weak? My child needed me to be strong for him. I thought I had been for all these months, protecting him from my dad and Tami.

Tami. My gut had been right about her. Perhaps mother’s intuition?

“I don’t know what to do. I’m just upsetting you.” The worry in Danny’s voice cut me deep.

“It’s been a long day, y’know? I’m exhausted,” I told him in a calmer voice, trying to comfort him when I needed comforting.

He’d had a horrible childhood. The abuse he’d suffered had made it difficult to get close to him. It’d taken a whole summer to get him to talk to me. Once I showed him he was safe with me, he opened up. After that, I fell hard for him during winter break my first year of college.

“Then let me help you.” He opened the passenger door.

I still couldn’t read him. Not his emotionless voice or stony face. What in the hell was going on with me, with him… with us?

“Danny, right?” Piper asked, interrupting.

“Dodge,” he said, correcting her in the harsh tone he used as a wall to protect himself.

It made me smile a bit as I secured Dante in the car seat.

“Sorry, Dodge.” Piper repeated his name dramatically. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Sure,” he hissed in annoyance.

Danny had a brashness I liked. On the outside, he was intimidating with his unreadable expression. It was what had made him perfect for guarding the gate at the compound. But certain people or situations made him feel vulnerable, despite his efforts to be closed off from everything. He’d told me I was the only person he could be his authentic self with. I’d felt like the luckiest girl in the world to get the real him.

I glanced out the window as I hoisted myself into the seat. I was surprised he’d actually gone with Piper.

Dante’s eyes were heavy. I caressed his head and hummed the song to lull him to sleep. It was way past his bedtime.

Baby mine.

Where would we sleep tonight? Maybe my old room was still vacant. I honestly didn’t care where we slept. I’d be fine on the floor. The only thing that mattered to me was keeping Dante safe.

Piper came to my side, a look of compassion on her face. “I know you’re thinking the worst.”

“I am.” Although I tried to not think of Danny being with someone else, his ice-cold attitude wasn’t helping.

“Don’t. It’ll all be fine. Just let him help you.”

“I can take care of Dante and me just fine.”

“Em—”

“He didn’t even hug me, Piper. He’s hardly spoken to me.” My voice broke, but I held it together.

“Just give him a chance.” She hugged me. “Don’t forget he’s been through a lot too.”

“Fine, I will.” But if he had another woman, there was no way in hell she was getting near my son.

“Good. Call me whenever you get a chance.”

I nodded as unease settled in my stomach. “You do the same.” I wished Piper could stay. She’d help me deal with whatever was to come with Danny.

“Will do. Bye, Em.” Piper waved, jogging back toward the plane. She stopped halfway to give Storm a hug as he made his way to the SUV.

Danny sat on the other side of Dante. I took it as a small win. He could’ve sat in the front with Storm and continued to ignore me.

“Everyone ready?” Storm asked, getting into his seat.

Track’s motorcycle kicked on and rumbled behind us.

“Yeah,” Danny replied.

I fixed Dante’s blanket. As I did, Danny took my hand and laced our fingers together the way we used to. My heart fluttered as our eyes connected.

This was a start.