Raine and Cricket slept for a while. Raine woke up when Max began licking his face.

Pushing the dog away from him, Raine sighed and looked down at the animal. “Does that mean you need to go outside?”

Max wagged his tail.

Raine groaned as he pushed the covers away and grabbed his pants off the floor. Snapping the leash on Max’s collar, he went to the door and opened it. Making his way down the hall, he went into the main room then stopped and stared.

The guys had carried in the arbor they put together for the other weddings they’d had here at the compound. The women decorated it with flowers and each of the tables had candles on them. Everyone was rushing around doing something to help set up the wedding.

Mountain was closest to Raine and he noticed him standing there with Max. “What do you think?”

Raine slowly turned his head and gave him a stunned look. “I’m not sure what to think. Cricket is going to flip. This is really nice.”

“We’re trying to make it the best we can with what we’ve got on hand.” The big man told him. “You didn’t really give us much time.”

“She’s going to love it,” Raine assured him.

“No she loves you,” Mountain replied. “This…” He motioned at the room. “…is all dressing. She probably won’t even notice or care it was thrown together at the last minute. All she’ll see in the look in your eyes. That and the fact that you cared enough about her to put this together for her. That’s all she’s going to care about.”

“And how do you know that?” Raine stared at the huge biker.

“I didn’t,” Mountain admitted. “Izzy told me. I’m just repeating what a smart woman told me. Oh and all the other women agreed with her, so it must be true.” Shaking his head, he told Raine, “They are strange creatures these women. But you know we wouldn’t want them any other way.”

Raine nodded. “I know. I finally found the one. I’m not sure I can bear to lose her.”

“You don’t have a choice man. None of us do. It goes against everything I know to let this happen, same as every jack man of us here. But we don’t have a choice either. I’d like to put a bullet in Bane’s head myself but that isn’t going to stop the contract on Cricket. For every man we take out, there will be another to take his place. None of us will be safe as long as Stark and his men are still alive.”

“He’s the first one I’m going after when this is over,” Raine vowed. “I don’t figure by that time I got anything left to lose. If I don’t have Cricket, I don’t have anything.”

Mountain nodded as he looked saddened. “Sounds about right.”

Max whined and Raine snapped out of his funk. He headed for the door and when he went outside and at first, he didn’t notice anything wrong. But the longer he was out there the more he felt it. Unknown eyes were watching him.

He didn’t know if it was Bane or someone else but someone was out there in the shadows keeping an eye on the clubhouse. Raine didn’t outwardly show he was aware but his eyes swept the woods nearby.

He didn’t see anything nor did he hear anything but someone was there, he could feel it. When he whistled for the dog to heal Raine took one last look around then went back inside.

He went over to where Deke and Bones were standing. Looking at Deke he told them, “We’re being watched.”

Deke nodded. “I know. The man that shot Cricket told us there were two more men with him when he got here. We weren’t able to find them before. We don’t know if they’re still around, or if they took off when the shooting started. Maybe Bane got to them before we did.”

“Is everyone else safe?”

Deke nodded. “The members that live here are all safe in the clubhouse. All the women and kids are here with us. The ones that live in town are being watched over by their men.”

Bones shrugged. “Some of the guys are out on patrol. They know enough to stay put, so they don’t get shot.” He hesitated a moment then said, “I called Hawkeye and warned him that he might have unwelcomed visitors. He said he already knew about it but that he would watch for them and take care of them if they showed up. He wasn’t too impressed by Stark’s actions. He did have some interesting info on the group though.”

“And what would that be?” Raine asked.

“The skinny is that Stark’s own men don’t want anything to do with this vendetta he’s got going. They hung together while he was in prison but when he got out and vowed to find Cordy, not everyone was happy. In fact, four of his men took off on a run and just kept going. They left their colors behind and took to the road. They know that if the men loyal to Stark find them, they’ll try to kill them.”

“How do you know this?” Raine frowned.

Bones shrugged. “One of Stark’s men stopped by the Bastards in Maine and talked to one of Hawkeye’s men. They’re cousins or something. I don’t really know or care but Hawkeye knew about Stark already when I called him.”

“Did they say how many men Stark has left?”

“About a dozen, more or less.”

Raine nodded then looked at Deke. “What are you going to do about the cash and the diamonds from the robbery?”

Deke shrugged. “I’m sure as hell not going to turn it over to Stark. I’m going to hang onto the location for a little while longer. We might be able to use it as leverage yet.” Then he looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s almost time.” He turned and smiled at Raine. “You’d better go get your bride. Does she know about this yet?”

“Nope.” Raine shook his head.

“Well, don’t you think maybe you should tell her?” Bones snorted. “Women like to know things like this.”

Raine slapped his forehead. “Fuck, I forgot about a birthday cake.”

“I didn’t.” Reva called out from behind them.

When the three men turned, they saw a birthday cake on the counter. It wasn’t fancy but it had Cricket’s name on it and twenty four candles. There was a second cake there as well. This one was a wedding cake complete with both Cricket and Raine’s names on it. There was only one candle on it.

Deke nudged Raine. “You better go get her. We’re about ready here.”

Raine handed the dog leash to Reva and went down the hall to his room. When he opened the door, he found Cricket sitting up on the bed struggling to get dressed. He rushed forward to help her. “What are you doing?” he asked as he pulled her shirt on her.

“One of our birthday traditions that me and Dusty made up was that on our birthdays we would get up before dawn and go outside and look at the stars. He loved the constellations almost as much as I do. I used to tell him stories about how they were formed, then we would make up our own stories about the heroes we saw in the stars.” She paused then asked, “Would you go outside with me and look at the stars?”

Raine smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. “I would love to look at the stars with you.” Looking over at the clock beside the bed, he noted the time. It was almost four. “Come on let’s get you dressed.”

When she was ready he checked her bandages again, then he went over to his dresser, opened his top drawer and pulled out a ring he had hidden in there. The ring was something his mother had given him when they were here the last time for Reva. He slipped the ring in his pocket then went back to Cricket and put her arm in the crook of his arm.

Leading her down the hall, they came into the main room. The main lights were off and the room was lit by candlelight.

Cricket stopped and stared at everything in a daze. “What is all this?” She turned to Raine.

Raine dropped to one knee and holding her hands in his, he asked, “I wanted to make this birthday special for you. I am so in love with you and I wanted to give you something that means so much to me, I want you to share my name. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Cricket just stood there in shock. Tears ran down her cheeks. Her throat was so tight she couldn’t speak so she nodded. “I love you. I would be honored to marry you and share your name.”

Raine got to his feet and walked with her over to the arch.

Cassie handed her a small bouquet of flowers. They were plastic flowers but flowers just the same. “I’m sorry they aren’t real but we didn’t have time to get any,” Cassie explained. “Besides, they’re your something blue.”

“I have your something borrowed.” Reva stepped forward with a necklace in her hands. She put it around Cricket’s neck and stepped back.

“I have your something new,” Deke told her as he presented her with a brand new penny. It was shiny and had this year stamped on the face.

“Now, all you need is the something old.” Raine reached inside his pocket and pulled out the ring. “This belonged to my grandmother, then my mother and now it belongs to you.” He showed her the ring. “I’ll put it on your finger when Deacon pronounces us man and wife.”

Deacon stepped forward. “If everyone will take their seats, we can get this party started.”

When everyone was settled, Deacon opened his book and began. “We are all here to witness this union between our brother Raine and Cricket. We all know how Cricket came to us and how she’s proven to be a loyal and honorable person, worthy of our way of life. It’s not an easy life but it is a good life. And she’s proven her loyalty to not only us but to her word, time and time again. Raine asked to say his own vows, so I’m going to turn this next part over to him.”

Raine cleared his throat and began, “Cricket, I think I fell for you the day you got here. I just didn’t know it at the time. That came a little later, but I knew then you were special to me and that I would always want you in my life. Today is your birthday as well as the day you agreed to marry me. So happy birthday sweetness. I love you though and I just wanted you to know that.” He nodded his head at her.

Cricket smiled. “I love you too. I was scared to death the day I came here. Scared of what I had to do, scared of what Cordy was going to do to me if she caught me, but more than that I was just plain scared of living that way. But once I got here and got to know everyone, I found I had something here that I never had before. I finally had a real family. I was finally able to stop running and that means the world to someone like me.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Everyone could hear some sniffling in the room as many of them got choked up.

Deacon stepped forward again. “Raine, take the ring and repeat after me, “I Raine…”

“I Raine.”

“Offer you Cricket, this ring as a symbol of love and honor.”

“Offer you Cricket, this ring as a symbol of love and honor.”

“Until the end of time.”

“Until the end of time.” Raine watched as Deacon nodded and he slid the ring on Cricket’s finger.

“I don’t have a ring to offer you,” Cricket whispered, her eyes looking heartbroken. Then she brightened up. “Wait a minute, I do have one.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t go anywhere I’ll be right back.” Shoving the flowers in his hands, she took a step back. Then she tore down the center of the room and down the hall.

---

Everyone stared at her departure in shock.

The room grew quiet.

“Did she just leave you at the Alter?” Bones broke the silence with a tease in his voice.

Raine looked at Deke, then at Bones and shrugged. “She said she’ll be right back.”

Deke burst out laughing and Cassie slapped him on the shoulder.

Cricket came back almost immediately and took her place again. She nodded at Deacon and faced Raine.

“I Cricket,” Deacon said.

“I Cricket.”

“Offer you Raine, this ring as a symbol of my love and honor.”

“Offer you Raine this ring as a symbol of my love and honor.”

“Until the end of time.”

“Until the end of time.” Then she slipped a simple silver wedding band on his finger. It wasn’t a new wedding band. It looked worn and weathered but it was a band of silver that meant something to her.

When she slipped it on his hand, she lifted the hand to her lips and she kissed his finger. It fit him perfectly. Then she looked at Raine and whispered, “It was my dad’s. I hope you don’t mind?”

Raine shook his head. “I’m honored. Your dad was a good man.”

“Yes, he was. He was as good a man as he could be.”

“With the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Raine do the honors and kiss your old lady,” Deacon announced with a grin.

Raine grinned and leaned forward but Cricket beat him to it. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down to meet her. Her mouth covered his and the kiss was awesome.

Whistles and catcalls echoed throughout the room.

When they broke the kiss, Cricket’s face was red.

Raine grabbed her and swung her around laughing the whole time.

Heavy boots stomped the floor and hands beat down on top of the tables.

The noise was deafening for a moment. So much so that no one noticed the main door opening and no one noticed the man walking inside until it was too late to stop him.

Bane stood just inside the main room and his eyes took in the scene. The flowery arch, the candles, the sense of pure happiness and it turned his stomach.

Then he saw Cricket’s face and he had to stop and stare at her for a moment.

She looked so much like her mother. Her hair was a little different, but her eyes were exactly like his Grace. The only difference was Grace never once looked at him the same way Cricket was looking at Raine. Grace’s eyes never held for him the emotion Cricket had in hers at the moment. Grace’s eyes only held pain and fear for him.

He was surprised to find his hands curled into fists as he thought about his past. Usually feelings he should have had but never did, didn’t bother him. He wondered why they did at that moment but before he could ponder the thought, the entire mood in the room changed.

The noise level dropped so suddenly, it took him a moment to hear it. Then he glanced around the room. Every man, woman and child was glaring at him.

Raine turned around to see what everyone was staring at and when he saw Bane standing there, he quickly pushed Cricket behind him.

Deke got to his feet and stalked over to where Bane was standing. “You aren’t welcome here.”

“And yet, I’m here, aren’t I?” Bane shrugged. Looking around he noted the look on their faces. This emotion he was used to. Hate and fear was something he was comfortable dealing with. “Are we celebrating something?”

“Raine and I just got married.” Cricket pushed her way around Raine’s huge body to face her uncle.

“Married?” Bane frowned. “You got married? At this hour?”

Cricket nodded. “I was born at this time of the day twenty four years ago. With our present situation, Raine wanted to give me something special for my birthday.”

Bane stared at her with no emotion showing in his eyes or in his body language.

“Why are you here?” Deke demanded.

“I thought there was something wrong in here. I heard the noise and decided to investigate,” Bane admitted. “I was wrong.”

When he turned to leave Cricket called out, “Uncle would you like to stay and celebrate with us?”

Bane turned around slowly to stare at her. “I don’t celebrate. But enjoy your moment. Happiness rarely lasts very long, as you’ll soon find out.” He looked over at Deke. “Those other two men you were looking for earlier? I found one but the other one got away. He may not make it very far but he got away from me.” He shook his head. “I must be getting old. I never should have missed him.”

Then he disappeared through the door.

The mood of the room had gone from elated to flatline with just his visit.

Cassie looked heartbroken for Cricket. She clapped her hands together and announced, “We have a birthday and a wedding to celebrate. Let’s get back to the party.”

Raine spun Cricket around to face him and he gently kissed her lips. “Come on wife, let’s celebrate. Forget him. You have a new family to love who cares about you.”

Cricket smiled a little sadly. “Yes I do, but whether he wants to admit it or not, he’s all the family I got left and I’m all he’s got too, except for Dusty. I know I’ll never understand the man. I wouldn’t even want to try. I never could with Cordy either and she was my own sister.”

“Please, I planned this day to be so different for you. Don’t let that man put a shadow on this day. I love you and I want to celebrate the day of your birth and the day I made you my wife. You will be the only woman to carry that title.”

Her smile brightened a little and she stared into his eyes. “Then let’s celebrate. Let’s make this day full of happy memories. I do love you so very much.” She turned to find everyone standing behind her.

Cassie was holding a birthday cake with twenty four lit candle on it.

Everyone began signing the birthday song.

To see these grown men standing there singing happy birthday, a simple children’s song to her, overwhelmed her heart. When the song was done, she leaned forward and blew the candles out.

The next little while was filled with talking, laughing and trying to get the feeling of celebration back. It worked for the most part but just before he dawn came Cricket sneaked to the back door.

When she opened it, she looked out at the still dark sky. The stars were brilliant tonight and for a moment, she just stared at them. Then her finger sought the necklace she’d worn most of her life, the small beaten disk with her first initial one it. The one she’d gotten from her parents for her birthday a very long time ago.

She felt him come up behind her and wrap his big arms around her waist. “What ya looking at baby?”

“I just wanted to look at the stars.” Turning her head, she smiled. “Thank you for the birthday party. I don’t think I’ve had one since I was about four.”

Raine frowned. “What? Why not?”

She shrugged. She didn’t want to tell him the real reason she hadn’t had a birthday celebration in the last twenty years. Her fingers tightened on the necklace.

“Why baby?” he insisted quietly.

Cricket turned and stared out at the stars. “Just before I turned five, my mom was really sick. She fought for her life for over a year but the treatment didn’t work. It was on my birthday when I was six that Cordy killed her. After that, my dad never remembered this day with anything but pain.”

“Cordy never remembered your birthday?”

Cricket rolled her eyes. “Cordy didn’t remember anything that wasn’t about her. She never celebrated Dusty’s birthday either and she was his mother.” Looking out as the dawn came up over the horizon. “I guess that’s why me and Dusty made this our tradition. We did this on our birthdays and it was a very special time we looked forward to. This was ours and ours alone.” She looked up at him. “That’s why I told your family about this tradition when they took him back to Maine. I wanted him to have a little bit of me left in his life, even if I couldn’t be there.”

“I don’t think you got anything to worry about with Dusty.” Raine assured her. “I don’t think that boy will ever forget his aunt.”

“At least, I know he’s safe. Bane can never know about him, please promise me that. No matter what happens tomorrow, please promise me you’ll keep that boy safe from Bane.”

Raine hugged her close. “We will sweetness. He’s a Moore. The whole family will protect him. That’s one thing you won’t ever have to worry about.”

Cricket leaned back into his arms. “Thank you for the wedding.” She chuckled. “I certainly never expected that. Even if it isn’t legal, it’s still special to me. You’ve made this a birthday I’ll never forget.”

“What makes you think the wedding wasn’t legal?” Raine asked her. “We are legally married in the eyes of the law and the club.”

She turned her head to stare at him. “Deacon has the power to marry people? He’s a real minister?”

Raine nodded. “He is and he does. You really are my wife.”

She smiled. “Wow…Cool.”

Raine held up his left hand and stared at the ring he wore. “How did you get your dad’s wedding band?”

“I took it the day we buried him. I didn’t tell Cordy that I had it or she would have sold it but I wanted just a little piece of him. My mother gave Cordy and I these necklaces before she died but I didn’t have anything from my dad. I hope you don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind at all. I told you that. Your dad did the best he could.”

“Yeah,” she agreed sadly. “He just seemed to lose himself after Mom died. He was never the same and sometimes, he remembered he had kids but most of the time he forgot us.”

“I don’t think he forgot you, he just couldn’t deal with the fact his wife was gone. She was his life and then she wasn’t. Some men can’t handle that well.”

“What did Bane mean when he told Deke one of the men got away?”

“Bane has been watching the compound. The man who shot you was caught and questioned. He admitted that two others came here with him. Bane caught one of the men but the other man got away from him.”

Cricket began to shake. “So if he got to a phone, he would be able to call Stark and tell him where I am.” Raine didn’t have to agree or disagree. She knew. “I had hoped he wouldn’t come here. I was hoping the MC would be safe. They had nothing to do with this mess.”

“Neither did you.” He pointed out. “This is all on Cordy.”

“And she isn’t here to give a shit who she hurts by her stupidity.” Cricket shook her head. “This is typical of what she’s done over the years. No one else mattered. Not Hammer, not Dad or Mom, not even Dusty. Certainly not me. She used people all her life and still she couldn’t be content with what she had. She always wanted more. I remember the day she came home and said she found Deke. She was so excited and raging at the same time. You see Deke didn’t wait for her to grow up. He found a new life without her and she just couldn’t see that he never loved her. In her mind, he should have waited for her.”

“She was just plain crazy.” Raine shook his head.

Cricket shrugged. “My mom explained it to me once. She said it wasn’t really Cordy’s fault. She said there was just something missing in her DNA. She was more like her father than anyone realized. You see Bane can’t feel emotions either. He never loved my mother even after he married her. But he did want her and what she wanted didn’t matter to him. He’d already told my mom that the day he no longer wanted her, he would set her free. She didn’t think he meant to just let her go though, she thought he always meant to kill her. To his mind that would be setting her free.”

“Damn,” Raine whispered in shock. “No wonder she ran away from him.”

She shook her head. “No she ran away because she fell in love with my dad and he loved her back. If she hadn’t been in love with him, she never would have left Bane. She was that afraid of the man. She’d run away once and he found her and brought her back. He almost beat her to death that time, so she knew if she ever ran again, she’d better stay gone.”

“Stark needs to die but your uncle needs to die too.” Raine seethed. “The world would be a better place without either of them.”

Cricket shook her head. “Wishing someone dead is bad enough, taking another life is wrong no matter what, unless it’s self-defense it’s just wrong. No matter what the man has done.”

“I know baby, I know but neither of these men are worth your thoughts.”

“I know I was hoping that I’d never see Bane again. I thought I could trust his word but now I know I can’t.” Cricket took a deep breath. “And now we have to live a lifetime in one day.”

“You know we probably shouldn’t leave the compound don’t you?” he reminded her.

“I know.” She nodded. “But everyone we care about is right here with us.”