Dearest Biker MC The Complete Series Box Set Page 68

  As the Den Mother, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t know about the internal workings of the MC, and I hoped to God she would be able to tell me where I could find my wife and daughter. I wasn’t sure she was going to believe me about Hanson, but I knew I was going to have to try.

  There was no way in Hell I was going to let that man get away with my family, and she was my only hope for finding out where to go.

  At last, she came to the door. She looked tired, and even more surprised when she saw the three of us on her doorstep.

  “Mama Rose,” I said. “Can you help us?”

  “Aaron?” she asked in surprise. “What the Hell is going on? Do you know what time it is?”

  “April’s been kidnapped,” I blurted out. “And so has Sabrina. I need to know where they might be, and you are the only person on the planet who is able to help me right now.”

  “Me?” she asked in surprise. “Why do you think me?”

  “Because,” I took a deep breath. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for her to hear that the man in leadership of her MC was the one behind the kidnapping, but she was going to need to know the truth.

  “Hanson is the man who’s behind all of this. He’s Sabrina’s real father, and he’s ben threatening April ever since Tim’s death. He wants full custody of Sabrina, so she and I worked out this marriage to make sure it didn’t happen. Then he set up a plan and kidnapped her when we were out of town tonight,” I explained quickly.

  She stared at me as though I’d gone crazy, but I just shook my head. “April didn’t want anyone to know because of his leadership in the MC. She knew it was going to come down to his word against hers, and since he didn’t want anything to do with Sabrina before now, she didn’t see any need to tell anyone.”

  “Mercy,” Mama Rose said. “I knew Hanson had a bad streak, but I didn’t know it was this bad.

  “Mama, you are the only person who knows where he might have taken her. We don’t have anyone else to turn to, and they know Jinx here was a spy, so we can’t trust any of the information he has, either,” I said.

  She thought for a moment. I could see how torn she was, but she also loved Sabrina. If she knew Hanson wasn’t always a good guy, she might tell us what I wanted to know. Finally, she sighed.

  “Alright, I’ll tell you for the sake of April and the infant. But this better not be some sort of trick,” she said. “I’m not in any of the politics of the MCs anymore, and I don’t want this to come back to bite me.”

  “I’m April’s husband, you know you can trust me,” I said. She sighed again. I knew she didn’t trust me, but she didn’t have a choice. April and Sabrina were in danger, and I was begging for her help.

  “There’s an old farmhouse near the edge of the woods,” she replied. She gave us the location as best she could. “It’s been years since I’ve been out that way, but I know Hanson used to take girls there when he was in high school. I bet that’s where he’d take Sabrina and April.”

  “Thank you, thank you!” I said. I didn’t wait to discuss any more details. I ran back to the bike as Spencer got on the phone. He was calling for backup, and I knew they’d come. It didn’t matter how pissed off the other guys in the MC were with me, when I was in trouble, they were there.

  They would have my back, and with my army around me, I knew we’d be able to take on Hanson and whatever he had going on in that farmhouse.

  The three of us sped out of town, out group growing as we did. My brothers were there for me, and I felt bold.

  My wife and daughter were in danger, and I was coming for them. God help Hanson when I got there.

  23

  April

  I’d given up struggling against the ties around my arms, and instead just leaned against the post on the bed. My head was down and my eyes were closed, but I didn’t sleep. I was still listening to the sound of my daughter screaming down the hall, and wishing I could be there to comfort her.

  The sound suddenly grew louder, and I could hear the heavy footsteps of the men coming toward the room. The door burst open and light flooded in, then Hanson barked orders to one of the men who had entered.

  “Untie her!” he snapped.

  The man obeyed, and Hanson promptly shoved Sabrina in my arms. “Make her shut the fuck up!”

  “It’s not that easy!” I snapped back. “She’s scared, and your yelling really isn’t helping. You’ve got to be quiet and gentle with a baby!”

  “Nothing is ever fucking easy with you!” he shouted. It didn’t help with calming Sabrina, but he was going on a rant, and I had little choice but to sit there and listen. “Or your fucking brother, for that matter! Why the fuck do you have to be such pains in my ass!”

  “What are you talking about? Tim’s dead!” I snapped. “And from the sounds of things, you already know what really happened to him.”

  “He paid for his crime, that’s what happened,” Hanson said. “If you were to realize that he broke the rules – he went against us, he betrayed us all. That is more than a capital offence when it comes to an MC.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, or what any of this has to do with me. Tim didn’t deserve to die, and I’m not going to let you tell me otherwise! He was the only father figure this little girl has ever known, and you should be grateful he stepped up and handled it!”

  Hanson burst into laughter. “Oh, he handled it alright. By fucking us over. He fucked everyone, the entire MC. Do you realize there could have been major consequences with the drug lords we work for with what he did?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I snapped. “For the last time! You can keep talking to me about all the little drama you had to go through with your brothers and my brother and anyone’s brother, but the fact of the matter is I just want my daughter and to go home!”

  “I’m sure you do want your daughter,” Hanson said with a shake of his head. “Anyone who knows what that little girl is worth is going to want her, which is why I’m back. I love your little game on why you don’t know what I’m after, but your game is up.”

  I looked at him for a moment, trying to make sense over what he was talking about. He had said a few things about Tim, he had all but admitted that they murdered him, but he had also accused my brother of some crime. I didn’t know what went on in the MC, it was part of the reason I always stayed out of things.

  Tim never wanted me to be involved in anything he was doing when it came to the club, and I was happy to stay out of things. I thought it was hot to sneak around the guys I could get away with, but I didn’t have any interest in taking sides or getting involved in the drama.

  Even back when Aaron and Tim were in a different MC, I still didn’t care enough to get involved. I was going to college, and Tim was pushing me to make something of my life. He thought that he had found his calling, and he was going to live out his days with his brothers.

  Things had fallen apart for him there, then he got involved with these other guys. I knew there were things that he did I wouldn’t approve of, but then, there were a lot of things that I’d also done in my life I wouldn’t have ever thought I’d do, either.

  I’d gone through with them because they seemed to be the right thing to do at the time, and with the pressure of raising me weighing on him, I was sure Tim felt the same way. He did what he could to provide for the people he loved, it was simple as that.

  I wasn’t going to hold anything against him, even if he did commit a crime as Hanson said. Although, I had a feeling this crime he was talking about was more against the MC than it was against the law itself. There were different rules in the clubs, and the men treated the clubs as though they were actual society.

  After turning my attention to Sabrina, I did my best to quiet her. I didn’t care what Hanson had to accuse me of any longer. As long as Sabrina was in my arms, then I was happy. Well, I felt safer at least. I could make sure she was okay as long as I had her.

  I secretly vowed not to let him co
me near her again, I didn’t care what I had to do to fight him off this time. She was my daughter, and she needed me to protect her.

  Finally, she started to settle down.

  “Thank God,” one of the men said, and Hanson shot him a look. He shut up, but Hanson turned back to me.

  “Look, if you had just listened to me, then this never would have happened. You were the one who forced me to take you. I tried to go about it the easy way, but you refused. You can’t provide for her, and you know it. I would have gotten custody, if you didn’t have to once again make my life Hell,” he said.

  “I don’t care what you say. This is my daughter. You didn’t want anything to do with her when you had the chance, and I’m not going to just hand her over to you now!” I snapped. “Fuck off!”

  “Of course you aren’t, which is why I took her!” he snapped right back at me.

  “Why!” I demanded. “You have yet to tell me why in all this. You keep talking about my brother as though I know anything he was doing, and you talk about what she’s worth, well, she’s worth the world to me! If you had felt that way you would have been there!”

  “She’s worth several hundred thousand dollars!” Hanson shouted, causing Sabrina to start crying again. He threw his hands in the air in exasperation, clearly not understanding how babies worked. I set my mind to comforting her again, but Hanson got down close to the bed.

  I didn’t want him anywhere near either of us, and I fought the urge to shove him back with my foot. But, I didn’t want to piss him off more than he already was. If he was going to try anything with Sabrina, then I’d fight him. Otherwise, I’d deal with him being there.

  “Tim put all the money in a trust fund for her. Her legal guardian is in charge of the money until she’s eighteen years old, then she gets control. At seven months, there is an awful long time for that money to be used where it should be,” Hanson said.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked again. “Tim never said a word to me about any trust fund or anything like that. Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?”

  “Oh, I’m sure,” Hanson said with a laugh. “Do you really think I would go through this Hell for the sake of a kid I didn’t even want? Tim knew what he was doing. You would have gotten a letter at some point, I’m surprised you haven’t, that explained his crime, but it still put you in control over the money.”

  I shook my head. That was just the sort of thing Tim would do. It would take care of both of us for her growing up life, and it would get her a start in adulthood. He had really gone to great lengths to make sure she was okay.

  “Bless you, Tim,” I said quietly. I shook my head, my eyes brimming over. But, Hanson wasn’t so thrilled with the sentiment. He shoved back on the bed and rose, clearly pissed off. I cringed. I knew when he was about to get violent, and I prepared myself for protecting my daughter against him when suddenly the sound of a Harley engine filled the air.

  Multiple engines, in fact. There had to be more than a dozen of them out there. Hanson swore under his breath and turned to go, leaving me in the room with Sabrina in my arms. His two partners went with him, and I clung to my daughter as the lights from the bikes filled the room briefly.

  I held my breath. There wasn’t any sound now, and I had a feeling the men outside were on their way to the house. I hoped it was Aaron. Since Hanson was clearly upset with the fact there were bikes arriving it couldn’t have been men from his own MC.

  Then, the sound of a gunshot rang out. And another, and another. I wanted to scream, but Sabrina was doing it for me. I clung to her and flew off the bed, running to the side of the room and diving into a closet. I closed the door and held her to my body, trying to comfort her as best I could.

  The sound of gunfire rang out for a few moments, but then it was all silent once more. I couldn’t make out what was going on, but I knew Aaron and his brothers would have Hanson outnumbered. I didn’t know how he would have found me, and I prayed to God it was really him.

  I didn’t want to deal with any other drama, and I didn’t know what I would do it if was another MC. I held my breath, my heart racing at the sound of someone coming up the hall. I could barely make out the sound of the footprints over Sabrina screaming in my ear, but then the door flew open and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

  In the dark, it was hard for me to see who it was, but the voice was familiar, so familiar, and I burst into tears myself at the sound of it.

  “April! Baby, come here!”

  It was Aaron. He pulled me out of the closet with Sabrina in between, clinging to both of us there on the floor. The sound of more footsteps were in the hall before Spencer and Zach appeared in the doorway, both looking into the room then looking immediately relieved.

  They smiled at each other then headed back out to the other room, leaving me alone with Aaron and my daughter. I didn’t know how long he held me in there, but I didn’t care, either. He had come for me, and he had saved me. I didn’t know what Hanson would have done if he had been able to keep us here – Hell, he might have even killed me, too.

  I didn’t know what had happened in the other room, if anyone had been shot, or what was going on. All I knew was that I had Aaron, and I was safe in his arms. Sabrina was in my arms, and everything would be just fine now. We were okay, and he wasn’t going anywhere.

  After he kissed me and Sabrina both, Aaron scooped me up in his arms, carrying me down the hall and out the door, right into the safety of a police car.

  24

  Aaron

  I was shaking as I closed the door to the cop car. Sabrina and my wife were inside, safe and sound at last. I had blood on my shirt, but it wasn’t my own. I’d shot Hanson in the arm, then had gone to work on his face with my fist before Zach and Spencer had pulled me off.

  I wanted to kill the motherfucker myself. And, if I had been allowed, I would have done that very thing. In fact, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if I was hit with some sort of battery charge after tonight. But, it would all be worth it. That was self-defense, as far as I was concerned.

  Well, defense for someone who was too young to give it themselves. I would treat anyone who touched my daughter that way, and I would do worse if I could. But, with Zach and Spencer there to keep me in check, and Adam there to call the cops, I knew I had to let him go.

  I’d let Arbor Hills take care of him instead. The men in that prison were tough, and they weren’t going to take too kindly to a man who had kidnapped a mother and her little girl for money. It pissed me off just thinking about it, I could imagine what they would do to him when the guards weren’t looking.

  The police came and got our statements, then they locked up the three men in their cars and left. Spencer had called Brooke, and she was now on her way with a car with a car seat in it for Sabrina, so April held her and gently rocked her back and forth on the steps to the house as we waited.

  But, there was one thing I had mixed emotions about. I was glad Zach was there for me, but I was also surprised that he’d come. I knew several members of the MC would show up, but I didn’t know he himself would.

  Zach and I had been having some trouble with each other since I had started drinking again. He had been understanding at first, but the more it got out of hand, the more he was a little leery of what I could do in the club. He didn’t want to give assignments or even much rank to a drunk, and there had been a time when I knew he wondered if he should even allow me to stay.

  But, he had arrived with the rest of the men. He was one of the first to join us, in fact. I respected him for it, but I couldn’t help but ask him. He was a short distance away from the rest of the group, texting Vanessa and letting her know we were all okay.

  “Hey,” I said when I walked up to him.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Thanks for coming out tonight,” I jumped right into it. I wasn’t ever a man for words, and I didn’t want to get too sentimental. But, I did want him to know that I noticed and a
ppreciated the fact he was there. “I don’t know how this would have gone without you.”

  “I’m sure Hanson would have been carried out of here in a body bag rather than cuffs,” he said with a slight scoff.

  “Still think he should have been myself,” I said with a chuckle. “You don’t mess with my family.”

  “That’s why I came,” he said. “You don’t mess with my family, either, and you’re part of the family.”

  “I know things haven’t been great lately,” I said. “Sorry.”

  “I get it man. We’ve all seen some shit in our lives, and some of us deal with it in ways that aren’t as healthy. I think you should lay off the bottle a bit, but you’re still a brother to me, and that means when shit goes down, I’m going to be there with you,” he replied.

  “Now I’ve got reason to live, I don’t need the bottle,” I said. I looked over my shoulder at April and Sabrina, my heart swelling with joy as I saw them.

  “Good. You deserve to be happy, and we miss you being a big part of the MC. You were great before you let that shit take over again, and I’d love it if you could kick the habit and get back to us. And your family. The things that matter,” Zach held out his hand. “Are you ready to come back as Aaron Jackson?”

  “I’m ready,” I shook his hand, but then he pulled me in for a half hug before letting me go. The headlights from Brooke’s car were on the road, and he nodded.

  “Looks like your ride’s here. I’m out,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I replied. He headed over to his bike and hopped on, then sped off into the night. I stood for a moment, watching his taillight disappear. We might have our differences, but Zach had come a long way since he got with his girl, and I was proud to have him as our future leader.

  I’d thought I wasn’t going to vote for him when the time came, but now, I knew without a doubt he’d have not only my vote, but everyone else’s here, too. We respected him more than we could say, and we were proud that he was ours.