Ryker by Jeneveir Evans
Chapter 2
Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.
~Tony Robbins~
Mad Dog
September 20th, 1999
Viper walked into the office carrying two Saran wrapped plates. I arched a brow at him as he made his way to my desk and set down one of the plates in front of me.
“Dog, you got a beer?” he asked as he unwrapped his food.
I swung around and grabbed a couple. I turned back around and slid the bottle across my desk to him. I took the plastic wrap off my plate, picked up a cracker and slice of cheese, stuck it into my mouth then opened my beer.
After washing it down, I glanced at him and questioned, “You putting me on a diet?”
The fucker smirked at me. “You need to be on one?”
I pulled up my t-shirt and pointed at my abs. “Does this gut look fat? Hell, Vip, I’ve never been in this good of shape before. Working out has definitely paid off.”
He nodded as he took a pull off his beer, then responded, “Didn’t have a chance to eat lunch today. Knew you wanted me here after work. Was starving and Clair was in the kitchen. Told her I wanted a light snack. She knew I was coming in here and knows your ass would want something too, so this is what you got. Besides, eating cookies and drinking beer with them is just nasty.”
I tilted my head at him. Man was right. That combination would have been disgusting. I grabbed a slice of havarti and took a bite. Damn, I loved this shit. I should eat this stuff more often.
“Doc on her way?” he inquired as he threw some grapes into his mouth.
“Yeah. She let me know she was almost home. Said she was going to change and she’d be down.”
“Hell, if it involves her taking off her clothes, it may be a while before she gets here. Even though this shit with Doc has Ronin stressed, he has the look of a very satisfied man lately.”
I chuckled at his remark. He wasn’t wrong. Once Doc and Ronin decided they were a couple, they’d been going at it hard and heavy ever since.
“Thought about that too. Called Ronin and told him to keep his damn hands to himself and his fucking dick in his pants until after we talked to Doc.”
Viper laughed. “That was probably a smart thing to do, Dog.”
We ate in silence a few minutes before Vip spoke again.
“How’s Bane doing?”
“He appears to be doing good. He let me know that he’s taking the meds Doc put him on and said they’re helping. He’s also going to see Bryn. He said he hasn’t quite got the hang of that yet, but he’s getting there. He indicated that it’s hard for him to open up about all the shit that has been locked inside his head for so many years.”
“I’m glad the meds are working and he’s made a start with Bryn, that’s a good thing,” he remarked. “He’ll get there. The man is motivated. Since he’s been back, he's been more open about how much he loves Kenzie. While I can tell he’s nervous about the arrival of the baby, the man’s also ecstatic to become a dad. Being happy looks good on both of them.”
“I agree. He looks happy. Hell, all three of them do. I’m just glad that Eagle has settled down now that he knows Bane isn’t going anywhere.”
“Yeah, me too. It’s a good thing we have everyone home again.”
“That it is, Brother. That. It. Is.”
I watched Viper cock his head and knew that Doc must be in the hallway. Less than twenty seconds later I was proven right when Doc stepped into the opening of the door.
“C’mon in, Doc. Close the door behind you if you don’t mind.”
After Doc was settled into a chair, I slid the beer I’d just gotten for her across the desk, then I gave Vip another one. I opened the one I had gotten for me and took a long drink. I observed Doc reach across to Viper’s plate and grab a bite of melon.
“Hungry, Doc?”
“Yeah, today was busy and I didn’t get a chance to finish my lunch. Since you’ve already scarfed your food down, I decided to steal some of Vip’s. Besides, even if you had any left, you’d probably bite my hand off if I tried to take any of your food.”
Vip choked on the drink he’d just taken at what Doc had just said.
I growled at him, “That’s what you get for trying to laugh at a smartass remark that was said about me, fucker. Doc, I ain’t that bad,” I protested.
She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll take your word for it, Dog. Don’t think I’ll ever press the issue though.”
Viper’s laughter rang into the room. “Hell, Dog, she’s got your number.”
“Y’all are both assholes,” I grumbled.
They looked at each other and grinned. Yeah, they were both fuckers.
“See if I share my beer with you anymore.”
That just set them off again. I might not be able to get Vip back but I could Doc. I opened my top drawer and pulled out a Snickers candy bar. Doc’s eyes zeroed in on what was in my hand. I tore open the top and took a big bite. Then I hummed in pleasure.
“You’re just mean, Dog. I’m telling Ava.”
That had me pausing in mid-chew. Hell, she would do it too. I heaved out a deep breath, opened the drawer back up, pulled out another bar and handed it to her. She smiled snarkily at me as she opened it and took a bite. A low rumble came from my chest. I swear I think they sit around and think of different things they could do to rile me.
I took a drink of beer to wash my mouthful down and grimaced. My eyes flew to Vip’s and he was smirking at me. I sighed. Fuck. I give up for the day. I was out maneuvered again.
“Don’t even say it,” I muttered. “Agreeing with you ahead of time. You’re right. Chocolate and beer do not mix.”
Vip’s eyes opened wide at my comment. “Doc, you might need to go get your thermometer. Think Dog’s running a fever.”
“Screw you,” I stated. His answer was of course, another of his fucking smirks.
“Doc, wanted to ask you about Cami. How far along is she? Is she healthy? Is the baby healthy?”
Doc sighed. “Yeah, Dog, remarkably she and the baby are both healthy. She’s roughly twenty-seven weeks along. The baby is a little girl.”
“Doc, you know you’ll need to deliver the baby here.”
“I know, Dog.”
“You have everything you need for that?”
“Yeah. You’ve made sure I have all the equipment that I need. I don’t anticipate having any problems. She’s already had one naturally. The baby’s not big so, barring any complications, everything should be fine.”
“That’s good, Doc.”
“What are you going to do about the baby, Dog?” she questioned.
“Dog and I are going to talk to Cami in a few minutes. See what she wants to do,” Viper replied since I had a mouth full of my candy bar.
“Y’all would let her keep it?”
“If that’s what she wants, yes. It is her child after all,” he responded.
“Good to know. If she doesn’t want to keep it, what then?”
“We still haven’t determined what will be done yet,” I answered after I swallowed a drink of beer. I grimaced again and heard them chuckle.
“I need to keep milk in my fridge,” I muttered. “We’ll let you know what we’re gonna do once we have it figured out. Doc, will there be a problem getting the baby a birth certificate?”
“There shouldn’t be, Dog. I can sign a form stating that I performed the delivery at home.”
“Doc,” Viper spoke up. “Would you be willing to put another name besides Cami’s on the certificate?”
“Yeah. Unless Cami wants to keep the baby, then I’d rather do that. As it is, Vip, if she decides to keep it, we’ll need Mr. Jerik to draw up guardianship papers for whoever is going to be responsible for Cami and the baby.”
“Good to know, Doc. Thanks,” he stated.
“Was that all you needed?”
“Yeah, Doc,” I answered. “That’s it. You can go put Ronin out of his misery.”
She laughed at my remark. “He’s going to have to wait a little longer. Clair made her homemade spaghetti and I’m freaking starving,” she said as she walked out of the door.
My stomach rumbled at what was for dinner.
“Damn, Dog. We had a snack and you just had a candy bar.”
“Yeah, but, dammit, she’s talking about Clair’s sauce. That shit is insanely good and her garlic bread is the best I’ve ever had.”
“You want to go eat before we call for Cami?”
I was out of my seat before he had the sentence finished.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he concurred as he got up and followed me out of the door.
~*~
Once I’d had two plates of spaghetti and six slices of garlic bread, I was a happy, contented man.
“You good now, Brother?” Viper asked, amusement was clear in his voice. If I’d been a kid, I’d have stuck my tongue out at him, since I wasn’t, I flipped him off instead. Bastard only laughed.
“Yeah, I’m good. Gonna send a text to Emily to have her bring Cami to the office. Cece is bringing the other two girls in an hour to talk to us.”
“Sounds good.”
I pulled my phone out of its case and scrolled through looking for Emily’s shortcut.
Me: Ready 4 Cami.
Emily: On our way.
Short and sweet, just the way I liked it. I stood up and picked up my dishes and Vip mimicked me. After putting them in the kitchen, we grabbed a beer at the bar, chatted with Cowboy for a few minutes, then made our way back to my office. We’d barely gotten settled before Emily and Cami were at the door.
“Y’all come in.” I motioned them inside. “We’ll sit at the table. I think I have some Cokes in the fridge, either of you want one?”
“I’m good, Dog,” Emily responded.
I looked at Cami and she was scuffing her shoe across the floor. “Darlin’, what about you, want a Coke?”
She peaked at me from under her bangs and spoke softly, “Yes, please.”
I got her drink and set it in front of her before taking my chair.
“Cami, we haven’t had the chance to meet yet. I’m the Prez of the MC. You can call me, Dog.”
She raised her face to look at me, scrunched up her nose and said, “Dog?”
“Yeah.”
“Why are you called that? Does someone hate you?”
I laughed. “Nah, darlin’. When I was a kid, I saw some boys trying to kill a pup and I got mad at them for doing it. My brother said I looked like a mad dog when I whipped the boys for trying to drown the animal.”
“Did you save the puppy?”
“I did.”
“Good.”
“Cami, the man sitting beside me is Viper, he’s the Vice President of the club. I wanted to let you know that at any time if you are ever worried about anything that you can come talk to either one of us. Okay?”
“Okay,” she was speaking quietly, almost as if she was frightened of Vip and me.
“Cami,” Vip spoke up. “Hon, you have nothing to be scared of. We won’t ever let anyone hurt you again. You also don’t have to be afraid of Dog or me. We both have kids. We both love children. We help out the men who rescued you by providing either a safe way home or somewhere safe for those who don’t have anywhere to go. We’re men who care about the welfare of kids. So, sweetie, please don’t be fearful of either Dog or me, okay?”
“Okay, Viper,” she responded sweetly.
“Cami, I haven’t seen you be afraid since you moved in with me, is something wrong?” Emily asked.
“Yes, no, kinda, Emily,” she mumbled. “I’m just worried about why they wanted to see me. Am I being sent away? I don’t want to leave. I like it here.”
“Darlin’, this is your home now. Do you like living with Emily?” I queried.
“Yes. I love it. Emily is awesome. And I’ve never had nice things before,” she said earnestly. Her face lit up as she expressed how much she liked being here.
Hell, I swear I’d never get used to hearing that from these children. It still chokes me up the same way each time one of them says something like this.
“Emily, things okay on your end?” I questioned.
“Yeah, Dog. Cami’s a good girl. She helps out around the house and keeps her room clean. She and Everly are getting along great.”
“You up for being her guardian?”
“I’d like that, Dog.”
“Cami, would you like to continue living where you are and have Emily as your guardian?”
“Yes, I want to live where I am. What’s a guardian?” she questioned as she looked at us with a puzzled expression.
“I’d be like your mother, Cami,” Emily replied.
“You’d want to be my mom?”
“Well, I can’t take the place of your mom, but I would be like her. I would make all the decisions for you because you’re still a minor.”
“I don’t want you to be like my mom. I want you to be like you have been. You’ve cared about me. All my mom cared about was shooting drugs into her arm.”
Emily smiled gently at Cami. “I can totally continue to take care of you how I’ve been doing.”
Cami returned her smile. “Good.
“Cami, sweetie. Dog and I need to ask you something,” Viper commented.
She glanced back and forth between us.
“Is it something bad?”
He chuckled. “No, hon. It’s not. We need to know what you want to do about your baby. Do you want to keep her? Be her mom?”
“Do I have to keep her?” she quizzed.
“Not if you don’t want to,” I stated.
“Don’t think bad of me, but I’m not ready to be a mom. I didn’t ask to get pregnant. I didn’t have a choice.”
“We know that, darlin’.”
“So you won’t be mad if I don’t want to keep her?”
“No, darlin’. We won’t be mad.”
“Okay. Good. I don’t want to keep her. I’m still a kid. That’s what I want to be.”
“I think that’s a smart decision,” Viper told her.
“You do?”
“Yeah, sweetie. I do. You have your entire life to be an adult. Be a kid while you can.”
Her lips curved upward at his response. “What will happen to her?”
“Would it bother you if someone that lives here on the compound adopts her?” I asked.
“No. That would be kinda cool. I could still see her and know she’s okay. The other baby I had, I don’t know what ever happened to him. That kinda bothers me sometimes.”
Christ. This poor kid. I glanced at Vip to see his jaw working double time. Just from talking with Cami, it was obvious that she needed a lot of love and help to become as mature as other kids her age. Her fucking parents had probably forgotten they even had a kid most of the time.
Viper cleared his throat and remarked, “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Cami. If we had a way of finding him we would, but I’m afraid I don’t think we can.”
“That’s okay. I understand. I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’ll say a prayer for him every night and ask God to keep him safe.”
Vip and I both swallowed hard hearing that. “I think that’s real good, Cami. You keep doing that for him every night,” he murmured.
“Cami,” I said, drawing her attention. “We’re going to have you start school on the compound. We’ll let you have the rest of this week to get settled, but next Monday we want you to start going. Also, we have set up appointments for you to talk to a therapist. We feel like that would be good for you.”
“I’m ready to start school tomorrow if I can. Everly says she likes going and I want to go too.”
“If that’s what you want, darlin’, then we don’t have a problem with it. Cami, one more thing before we let y’all go. I hate having to say this but, until you have the baby, it will be better for you to stay on the compound. We don’t want anyone to question why you’re pregnant at your age.”
“That’s okay. I’m not ready to go anywhere. I just want to stay at the compound for now. I feel safe here.”
“You are safe here, sweetie,” Viper told her.
“He’s right, you are,” I added. “Emily, we’ll get the guardianship paperwork ready for you. Thanks for bringing Cami to meet with us.”
“No problem, Dog. I want to thank you both for what you are doing for these kids. Viper, I’m so thankful you brought us here. It was the best decision of our lives,” Emily expressed passionately.
“That it was, Emily. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else,” Viper replied.
After they left the room, I looked at Vip.
“Now we need to find someone who wants a baby.”
“Brother, we both know who would be perfect.”
I sighed. He was right. I did. The hell of it was, I was a damn selfish man. I didn’t know if having a child would take her away from us.
“You’re right, we do. Worried about losing her, Brother.”
“We won’t know until we talk to her, Dog.”
“Yeah. We need to talk to her.”
~***~