Dearest Biker MC The Complete Series Box Set Page 21

  “No, no, no, nothing like that,” I said quickly. “Quite the opposite, in fact. He has sent me the information for his attorney, and we have both agreed with each other on the fact we want this to go as quickly and smoothly as possible.”

  “Well, I think we both know cases like this do take a while, even if we are working together. But, I can assure you that I’m going to do everything in my power to make it as simple of a process as possible, so the two of you come out happy with the results,” he said with a smile.

  “That’s just what I wanted to hear,” I said. “Thank you.”

  “Okay, so you said that he sent you the information for his attorney. Do you have it with you?” Mr. Shawshank rubbed his hands together excitedly. I got the impression he enjoyed working on things like this.

  “I do,” I said. I pulled up the text message. “Miss Ferguson?”

  “Ah, he went with Samantha. That is an excellent choice, though she’s not local, I’m guessing that means he isn’t, either?” Mr. Shawshank asked.

  I shook my head. “Santa Rosa. But, he’s more than willing to make the drive, and I’d be willing to as well if I can work around my work schedule and Allegra’s needs.”

  “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get through a lot of this with signatures from both of you, and you can work out how often you’ll be seeing each other,” Mr. Shawshank replied. “But clearly, we are going to be doing what we can to make sure neither of you have to really travel that much.”

  I smiled, but said nothing. I understood where he was coming from. He didn’t want to inconvenience me any more than what I was already dealing with. But, he also didn’t understand there was a part of me that really wanted to see Nathan again. I didn’t mind if I had to make the occasional drive up to Santa Rosa, though I had a feeling it was going to be harder on me to be up there with my MC.

  He was a lot freer than me when it came to our schedules, so I hoped he’d be happy to come down here as much as he could. There wasn’t much for me to go on with that hope, but it was a hope nonetheless.

  “I’m sure we’re both more than willing to do what we need to do to make this work. We’ve already both agreed that we’re going to do what it takes to make this as smooth as we can, and I’m sure that includes travel. Besides, after we work out this agreement we’re going to have to deal with the drive anyway,” I said with a shrug.

  “A winning attitude if I ever heard one!” Mr. Shawshank said with his cheerful grin. I was starting to really like him, and I was glad I’d gone with him as my lawyer in all this. He didn’t have the same ominous feel I assumed he’d have.

  I would be glad to tell Nathan that I found a good one.

  “Alright, we’ll notify Miss Ferguson that we are ready to set up a meeting between the four of us,” he said as we sat down. He handed me a stack of papers. “In the meantime, you need to read through these and sign your name on the dotted lines at the bottom of the pages.”

  “Okay,” I said. “How many meetings are you thinking we’re going to need?”

  “It’s hard to say, and it really comes down to how much we can agree on throughout the process. If the two of you are on good speaking terms, you can talk to each other about what you both want and tell us what that is. We don’t have to be there for all contact between the two of you, just enough for the legal matters,” he smiled. He turned his attention to the phone while I turned mine to the papers in front of me.

  I was glad to hear that. I was already afraid that things were going to be tense between us, and I didn’t want that. I hadn’t thought of the fact that I’d get to talk to him outside of the monitoring, and I now had a feeling it was going to make things a lot easier.

  I read through the paperwork that he’d given me, not seeing a lot that I didn’t understand. It was all very straightforward and clear, and I was happy to sign my name at the bottom. It made me feel as though we had made it through another step in the process, and that was reassuring to me.

  After I signed the last of the paperwork and confirmed the time for our meeting, I rose to go. Khloe had been watching Allegra for me throughout the morning, but now I knew that it was time to face my brother, and it would likely go better if Allegra was there.

  There were times when I felt like she was his weakness, and if she was there to buffer the fact that her father was from a rival MC, then perhaps things could go better than if I were to go alone. Khloe wasn’t so sure my plan would work, but I had to do what I felt was best.

  And right now, I needed Allegra there with me to talk to Blaze.

  I stayed to have a quick lunch with Khloe before heading to my brother’s store. He was the general manager of one of the home improvement stores in town, and he always worked the same shift. It was rare for me to stop by and see him at work, so I wasn’t surprised when he looked alarmed when I walked in.

  “Hey,” I said with a smile, trying to keep things low key.

  “Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

  “I needed to talk to you, and thought that it would be better to have the conversation in person,” I said. He still looked alarmed, but he called for one of the shift managers to take over his register and motioned for me to follow him to the back office.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, but things are a little more complicated than you might have thought,” I said.

  “Meaning?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder.

  “Can we sit down?” I asked. “Allegra’s getting too heavy for me to carry her around like this all the time.”

  He motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs lining the wall, then he took a seat on the opposite side. “What’s going on?”

  “I thought it was time that you knew who Allegra’s daddy is,” I said. I took a deep breath. “But I don’t want you to freak out when I tell you.”

  “You know I can’t promise anything like that,” he said. “Who is it?”

  “I don’t want this to be a big deal,” I tried again.

  “Jenna, tell me!” he said a little too harshly.

  “His name is Nathan Springer. I’m not sure if you know who he is,” I said.

  Blaze flew to his feet. “You bet your goddamn life I know who that is! What the fuck, Jenna? What the fuck!”

  He was shouting, and I held Allegra close to me. “I didn’t mean for that to happen the way that it did, but I’m not sorry, either!”

  I didn’t want to fight with him, but I wasn’t going to act like my daughter was an accident. Or a mistake. She was exactly what I needed in my life, even though it was hard to deal with. I wouldn’t have traded her for the world, and I wasn’t going to let my brother guilt me into thinking that she was wrong.

  “You get yourself knocked up by a rival MC? What the fuck?” he asked again.

  “I was at a party and wanted to hook up, that’s not a crime!” I shouted.

  “As if it wasn’t bad enough that you got yourself pregnant when you were eighteen, now I have to deal with the fact that the father is from our biggest rivals? What made you think that was a good idea?” he demanded.

  “Because I wanted to fuck him that night, so I did!” I didn’t normally use such language when my daughter was present, but I felt he was pushing me to it, and I was sick of it. I felt he was telling me my daughter was a mistake, and I wasn’t going to stand for that.

  “It’s bad enough that you were whoring around with anyone who was willing to fuck you, but did you really have to stoop to the levels of fucking a rival?” he snapped. “Fuck you!”

  I covered my ears, holding Allegra between my legs on the floor. I didn’t want to hear this from him, not now. I hated that he called me that, and he had since I started doing it. But, I felt free with my body, and he certainly didn’t have any issues fucking a girl he met randomly.

  I wasn’t going to let him talk to me like that, and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I would stand up for myself, even if it was to my own b
rother. Hell, he wasn’t even very high ranking in the club, so he didn’t have anything on me except for the fact that our father wanted it for us.

  “You know this is hard enough on me as it is, you aren’t helping,” I said.

  “No, but it would have really helped if you hadn’t slept with a rival,” he shook his head. “It would have made life really fucking great.”

  I flew to my feet. I was done with his shit, and I wasn’t going to take it any longer. “You know what? I’m the one who has been dealing with this for the past two years, and I’m not going to let you push me around or bully me for doing it now. Get over it!”

  He gave me a look of disgust, but I meant what I said. I picked up Allegra, who was now crying and clinging to me. She didn’t like hearing us yell at each other, and we tried to avoid it as much as we could. But, there were times when we just had to tell each other how we really felt, and this was one of those times. I shook my head on my way out the door, the lump forming thick in my throat.

  I marched straight back to the car and buckled her in her seat, not even bothering to look behind me. I didn’t know if Blaze would try to come after me or not, but I wasn’t going to stand for anything less than an apology.

  I loved my daughter, and I thought Nathan was a good man for being there for me. He might not have been before, but he sure as hell was there now, and he wanted to be in his daughter’s life.

  It didn’t matter what Blaze thought about it. He didn’t have the right to tell us how to parent, and I wouldn’t let him think he did. If he wanted to be in Allegra’s life, he was going to have to respect my wishes.

  That’s all there was to it.

  13

  Nathan

  He’s pissed, and I don’t know what to do.

  I didn’t answer the text. Jenna had let me know she was going to talk to her brother after she met up with her lawyer, and we both already knew it wasn’t going to go well when she did. How could it? I was a member of the rival club, and from what I knew about Blaze, he really wanted more from his own MC.

  He wasn’t nearly as high ranking in the club as Vanessa had been, but that didn’t matter. He was going to stand up for what he thought was right, and that didn’t bode well for me.

  The sound of the motorcycle pulling up outside the diner wasn’t at all unfamiliar. In fact, it was welcome. We loved it when travelers would show up on their bikes or when members from our own MC showed up for a burger and a beer.

  But, this rider wasn’t welcome.

  I gave Zach a nod. He looked through the window and swore under his breath. I knew the two of them hadn’t gotten along in the past, and this wasn’t bound to go well. I was glad Adam and Spencer were also hanging out at the diner. It would cut down on the likelihood Blaze would try anything stupid.

  I knew I had to go out and talk to him, especially when he started shouting my name in the parking lot.

  “At least, he has the sense not to come in here,” Zach said. “I’d grab him by the collar and throw him right back out.”

  “I don’t know what he’s going to do,” I replied. “But he’s pissed.”

  “Did you think he wouldn’t be?” Zach said. “This has to be a real shocker.”

  “But it’s not his problem,” I said as I grabbed my jacket and threw it over my shoulders. I would wear it proudly as I stood in front of this guy. I didn’t care who he was, and I wasn’t going to let him bully me. Hell, if he was willing to come all the way up here, he was clearly serious about talking.

  This was something I had to face, and I would. I strode out the door and walked right up to him, trying to act braver than I felt. He was a larger man than I thought. I had heard about him several times in the past, but this was the first time we’d actually met face to face.

  If he was going to hit me, then he could hit me, but I wasn’t going to flinch.

  “How fucking dare you take advantage of my sister like that?” Blaze snapped. “How dare you! She was eighteen! Barely more than a kid!”

  “But she wasn’t a kid. She was an adult, and she was able to make her own decisions,” I said. “I didn’t take advantage of her, nor would I ever.”

  “She was whoring herself out to anyone who would give her the time of day, and you were clearly one of the men who got in line!” he replied with a sadistic tone to his voice. “What did you think was going to happen?”

  “First of all, she was an adult woman and capable of deciding what she wanted! Secondly, we didn’t mean for this to happen, but now that it has we are taking care of it as best as we can!” I put my hands up to show him I wasn’t threatening. I didn’t want to get in a fight with him, and I really didn’t want to make things harder for Jenna.

  She was right, he was damn pissed about this entire thing, clearly on the fight. I was surprised that he hadn’t hit me already, and I could see my efforts of calming him down weren’t going as well as I’d hoped. I wanted to diffuse the situation more than I wanted it to escalate, but I was starting to lose my nerve.

  This guy screaming in my face and insulting his sister was enough to bring back PTSD in my own life. I was used to combat. I’d seen more of it than this guy likely ever would, but that didn’t make this situation any easier for me to deal with.

  I was scared the PTSD would take over, and the two of us would get in an actual fight. I wasn’t sure I could take him, especially with my arm, but I was even more concerned with what it would do to the MCs. Zach wanted things to stay good between us, and something like that would be sure to fuck it up.

  “You can say what you want, but you know what happens when you’re fucking someone,” Blaze replied. “Don’t act stupid now.”

  “Neither of us was stupid. These sorts of things happen sometimes, and I’m not going to hold it against her because it did. And neither should you! That woman is your sister, and she’s doing a damn good job raising that little girl. The least you can do is show her some respect!” I snapped.

  It was hard for me to hear him insulting her like that, and I was afraid I was about to snap.

  “You don’t need to tell me what I should and shouldn’t fucking do!” I had clearly crossed a line, and he was ready to get physical. “You and your goddamn MC aren’t going to tell any of The Enemies what they can and can’t do, and I’ll kill you if you try.”

  He was coming for me, and I braced myself. I was ready for the blows, and gearing up to land a few myself, but I didn’t want to do it. I silently prayed Jenna wasn’t going to be too angry with me for getting in a fight with her brother. I’d do my best not to fuck him up too much.

  And hoped he wouldn’t do the same to me.

  “Are you sure you want to start shit when you aren’t even on your own turf?” Relief washed over me when Spencer’s voice filled the air. They had clearly been keeping an eye on things through the window, and now came to my rescue. I could get myself into a fight with this guy, but I was even happier that I now had backup.

  In a second, Spencer was on one side of me and Adam on the other. They were both taller than me, and they crossed their arms over their chest like bodyguards. Blaze might be able to take any one of us in a fight, but there wasn’t any way he’d be able to stand up to all of us.

  “Coming to his rescue?” he asked snidely.

  “Isn’t that what we do? Or didn’t you have anyone to bring up here and bitch us out with you?” Spencer asked.

  “I’m not bitching, I’m pointing out that this asshole got my whore of a sister pregnant!” Blaze snapped.

  “Don’t call her that!” I snapped right back at him. With my boys on either side of me, I was feeling much bolder. I would have happily taken a step forward and hit the guy square in the nose, but Adam put his hand on my arm. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. I got his meaning.

  None of the Folded Flags wanted to get in a fight with one of The Enemies right now. Zach had done so much to make sure the two rivals were at peace with each other, and for now, we were
doing our best with nothing more than a truce. He wanted more than that, but if we went around getting in fights, that wasn’t going to happen.

  Carl already wasn’t thrilled with the situation, so I didn’t want to think about how he’d take it if he found out I just got in a fight with one of The Enemies.

  “I’m sure you’re aware of where we stand right now,” Spencer said. “Do you really want to be the one to break that up? Last I heard, you weren’t nearly as important to the MC as you think you are.”

  Blaze laughed. “Where did you hear that?”

  “I talk,” Spencer said. “This diner happens to be a great place to get information out of people, and boy, do people like to talk.”

  “You can say what you like, but I don’t believe a goddamn word you say.” Blaze folded his arms back over his chest and took a step back, and I hoped Spencer was calling his bluff. I hadn’t heard a lot about Blaze. I didn’t keep up with what The Enemies were doing most of the time. But, if he was having problems in the club, then he’d have to know better than to pull something like a fight on our turf, even if he was pissed off over what had happened to his sister.

  “But you do care what Marcus and Carl have to say, and I’m sure they would be willing to come over and work this out again. Though, I can’t say they would be happy to do it. Hell, it might get you thrown out,” Adam said. “I saw some shit go down before, and you aren’t Marcus’s kid. I’m sure he’d be willing to do a lot to make sure his little girl stayed happy.”

  “Fuck you,” Blaze shot back. But, he was starting to back up. He clearly didn’t want to get either of the leaders involved, and I was relieved about that. I would do it if it meant we could avoid a fight and an ass chewing, but I didn’t want to be that guy.

  And, I was sure Jenna didn’t want to get Marcus involved, either. It didn’t matter if she didn’t really associate with the MC. She was part of it, and she would have to deal with the same rules everyone else did.