They slept for a little while then got up and joined everyone else in the main room. There was some tension in the air but it wasn’t because of the situation Raine had caused earlier it was because they didn’t know what the hell Bane Jessin was up to.

When Bane had left earlier, he said he would handle the situation with Stark but no one knew exactly how he would do just that. They all knew he was a killer but that’s all they knew about his skills.

“Have you heard anything about Bane?” Cricket asked Deke at one point in the early evening as they all sat down to supper.

Deke stared at her for a moment before shaking his head at her query. “No I haven’t. Reaper and his MC are watching Stark’s compound. They figure he’s got about a dozen or so men with him there.”

“What about the rest of his men?” she asked.

“We’ve found and neutralized about nine or ten and we’re looking for more.”

Cricket glanced over at Raine before turning back to Deke. “Nine or ten?”

Deke nodded slowly. “Normally, I wouldn’t discuss club business with an old lady but you have the right to know. Stark sent three men here, another couple of men to Boston, at least two to Maine and another two or three to the Hellspawn MC. We also have heard that more than a couple of his men just took off on him. They left their colors behind but they’re gone and they don’t plan on coming back.”

Deke sat back in his chair and stared at her for a moment. “That fact explains just what kind of leader this Zeron Stark is. And it isn’t good news by any means.”

Cricket frowned. “What does it tell you that it doesn’t tell me?”

“For a man to join an MC they have to commit to that MC with his whole heart. It is a lifetime membership you know. The MC demands first place in its members lives. It’s not a commitment they take lightly. But for a man to leave his colors behind and hit the road, they are breaking that commitment. They all know they can never go back. In this case, they would face certain death if they even tried to go back. They know Stark would put a bullet in their heads without even flinching.”

“Oh…” Cricket whispered as she thought of that very possibility happening.

Deke shook his head. “I don’t know if Stark was crazy before he went to prison or he got crazy inside but Pound said he came out a changed man and it wasn’t a good change. It doesn’t look as if he’s giving up on finding the woman he knows as Cricket and we all know Cordy is dead.”

The whole room was quiet now as they listened to their leader.

“To answer your earlier question, no I don’t know what Bane is going to do. He wanted twenty four hours so now we wait. We’ll give him his twenty four hours.”

“And after that? What happens after his time is up?” she asked.

“We have eyes on Stark’s compound. For now, we wait and watch. After that, we might have to gather our men and take him out. Do I want to go to war with a crazy man? Hell no, but I won’t go in alone. We have the backing of at least three other MC’s. We’ll have the manpower we need to take him and his crew out. It’s not a decision we make lightly either. They have a right to exist the same as we do. Most MC’s follow the rules. Stark isn’t playing nice with the others and for that, he needs to learn a lesson.”

Just then, Deke’s phone pinged with an incoming message. He logged in and read the message then swore a blue streak. Swiping to view a picture that was sent to him, he swore again. Then he turned to Cricket and snarled, “What in Sam’s hell is your uncle doing?” He turned his phone around to show her and Raine the picture he got.

It was Bane all dressed in black siting high in a tree. He had a pair of binoculars around his neck and more guns on his body than he would need going in to combat.

“Who sent you this?” Raine demanded.

“Reaper. He and his men are watching Stark’s compound.” Deke growled.

“He’s looking like he wants to start World War three,” Cricket whispered. “What is he doing there?” She glanced at the windows overlooking the dooryard. It was dark outside now, just as it was in Pennsylvania. What was her uncle doing at Stark’s compound?

The phone pinged again and Deke checked his messages. “Oh, fucking shit.” He swore. Looking up at Cricket he announced, “Your uncle just began a fucking war and he’s not taking any prisoners.”

Cricket rushed to her feet. The chair she was sitting on crashed backward to the floor. “He did WHAT?” she screamed.

Deke read the message Reaper sent him a few minutes ago. “Quote, “The old bastard is picking off Stark’s men one by one with a silencer attached to his fucking rifle.” Unquote.” Deke glared. “So far, he’s gotten three and the numbers are rising fast.”

“Are Reaper and his men helping?” Raine asked.

Deke shook his head. “No, they don’t want Bane to know they’re there. They don’t want to catch any crossfire or get shot accidently on purpose. Right now, they’re just watching.”

“They’re crazy if they think for one moment, Bane doesn’t know they’re there,” Cricket warned Deke. “He’s smarter than they give him credit for. He can sense a person even if he can’t see them. He knew I was in his house but he couldn’t see me.” She ran her fingers through her hair. Looking at Deke she begged, “Please tell Reaper that. Tell him Bane knows he and his men are there. Tell them not to try and stop him.”

Deke nodded and began to type her message.

The tension in the room skyrocketed and everyone waited with bated breath for the next message to come in. It took forever for Reaper to get back to Deke.

Supper was long forgotten and Cricket had retrieved her puppy and was holding him in her arms when the next message came from Reaper. It was close to midnight and everyone was still sitting there waiting.

Deke read it then began shaking his head. He hung his head for a moment then looked over at Cricket.

Raine moved to hold her as if to prepare her for bad news.

Cricket began to shake. “What? What did Reaper say?”

“He said Bane took out four more men before Stark even noticed they were missing. When he found his men gone, he closed his clubhouse up and took up a fighting position. He barricaded what was left of his men and they just began shooting at anything that moved outside. Reaper and his men had to pull back but stayed as close as they could to see what was going on.” He paused and then said, “They are at a stalemate right now.”

The phone pinged again. Deke looked at the message. “Oh my god… That crazy bastard.”

“WHAT?” Cricket cried out. “What is it?”

Deke looked up at her and shook his head. “Well, he got what he wanted, what we all wanted. He just blew up the clubhouse and killed Stark and all of his men in one fell swoop. Bane hit the LP tank and blew it up.”

Cricket felt herself falling as she lost consciousness. She lost her hold of the puppy and he jumped to the floor.

Raine swung her up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa. Laying her down gently, he patted her cheeks. “Sweetness, wake up. Don’t quit on me now. Cricket, I need you to wake up,” He called out gently.

Deke and the others gathered around her and watched as she came back to them.

Opening her eyes slowly, Cricket seemed dazed by everything. She couldn’t even speak for a moment. Then she croaked out a name. Max. The little puppy came over to her and she scooped him up in her arms and held him tight. She looked over at Raine. “What happened?”

Raine shook his head. “You passed out on me, that’s what happened. It scared the shit out of all of us.”

Cricket snuggled down into Max’s fur before she looked around the room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”

Raine leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “It’s ok baby. You got some pretty bad news just now.”

Deke knelt beside Raine and looked at her.

Cricket dared to ask, “Is he still alive? Is Bane still alive?”

“I don’t know. Reaper got back to me while you were out. He said Stark stumbled from the burning house and saw Bane walking away. He got one shot off and Bane was hit but Bane turned around and smoked Stark. Reaper said the shot took him completely off his feet. He hit the man right between the eyes. Took off half his head before he fell. He flew back about five feet before he hit the ground.”

“And my uncle? What happened to him?” Cricket dared to ask.

Deke shrugged. “Reaper said he continued walking into the woods. He said he wasn’t going to look for him until daybreak. He didn’t want to get accidently shot.”

Cricket nodded. “I understand.” Again, she buried her face in Max’s fur. Tears wet her cheeks and the dog’s fur. Raine pulled her into his arms but just held her for a moment. When she looked up at Deke she said, “I guess we won’t find anything more out until morning.”

“Probably not. Reaper said the fire department was just getting there to put out the fire. He said the cops wouldn’t be far behind with all the bodies lying around the compound.”

Cricket nodded then looked over at her husband. “Can we go to our room now? I want to be alone with you.”

Raine nodded and gathered her and the dog in his arms and carried them both down the hall.

Closing the door behind him, Cricket slid down to stand on her own feet. She let the dog down on the floor and turned to Raine. Wrapping her arms around his body, she planted her face in his chest. Raine wrapped her into a hug and just held her while she cried.

A few minutes later, she stopped and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Why? I don’t understand why he would do something like that. He’s proven time and time again that I mean absolutely nothing to him and he’s never been one to show emotions. Hell, he never had any to show. He was like Cordy and Michael. He didn’t have emotions or feelings or any sense of family from the day he was born. So why would he take on Stark and his followers? What did he have to gain by taking them out? I don’t understand.”

“Your uncle is a very complex man. I don’t think anyone even took the time to understand him before.”

Cricket shook her head. “I think you’re wrong about Bane, he wasn’t complex at all. He had one goal in life and that was only to please himself. He just didn’t care otherwise. He was out for number on the whole time.”

Raine nudged her. “Come on, we need to get some rest. Tomorrow is another day and we’ll know more then.”

“I don’t think I can sleep.” Cricket shook her head.

“I didn’t say sleep, I said rest,” Raine assured her. “As in laying down flat and closing your eyes, even if you don’t sleep. Your body needs rest. My baby needs to know his mama is taking care of him.”

“Or her.” Cricket smiled. “It could be a little girl you know.”

“Nope, my dad already told you once, Moore’s tend to breed boys. We have for generations. Hardly a girl in the family line at all.” Raine urged her toward the bed.

“Then let’s hope this baby is more like you than the Jessin line.” Cricket shuddered. “I don’t think I could take another Cordy in the family.”

Raine seconded that notion even if he didn’t say the words out loud. That part of the Jessin line he hoped died with Bane, if he even was dead by this time.

He got Cricket to lay down and he laid next to her holding her in his arms. He laid there beside her, just staring at the ceiling and he thought about the day’s events. From the moment, he asked her to marry him until now.

Everyone had been on an emotional rollercoaster all day. First up so high with the wedding then crashing down after Bane made his announcement, then up again with the fact that she wouldn’t be murdered by her uncle then crashing down again when she told him about the baby and having him go postal on her.

Up again, then down again harder than before and now this. It was enough to wear a person out. Raine heard her breathing change and he was hoping she’d fallen asleep. Lord knows, she hadn’t had enough of that since this whole thing started.

He peeked down at the bottom of the bed and found Max curled up into a ball of fur. Raine had to grin. Getting her the puppy had been a great idea. Even if the fur ball was a pain in the neck, he was good for Cricket. He made her happy in a way Raine couldn’t and right now, she needed happy.

Settling in for some much needed rest himself, he laid his head against hers and closed his eyes. His hand slipped down to her waist and he cradled the baby growing there.

Hours later, Raine’s eyes snapped open at the soft rap on his door. Looking over at the windows, he noticed the light of the new day coming through the glass. Carefully working his arm free from underneath Cricket, he got up and went to the door. Opening the door, he found Deke standing there.

Deke stared at him for a moment then said softly, “We have news from Bethlehem.”

Raine nodded. “I’ll wake her.”

“I’m awake,” Cricket announced from behind him.

Both men turned to find Cricket reaching for Max.

When she joined them, Deke turned and led the way to the main room of the clubhouse.

Everyone was still sitting there or maybe they had gone home to rest and had come back but now they were all sitting there waiting to hear the news.

“I spoke to Reaper a few minutes ago,” Deke announced to the group. Looking over at Cricket he told her, “They found Bane’s body. The bullet Stark shot at him ended up killing him. He bled to death. Reaper and his men waited until dawn broke to look for him and they found him sitting up against a tree. It looked as if he died peacefully anyway. He’d walked quite a ways away from where he was shot.”

Deke’s expression took on a stubborn look. “You can’t blame Reaper or his men for not wanting to search in the dark. They did the best they could. They just didn’t want to get shot.”

Cricket shook her head. “I’m not blaming anyone for anything. If I were in their shoes, I certainly wouldn’t have gone after him either. Who knows what Bane would have done if they had found him in the dark. They did the right thing by waiting until dawn.” Shrugging she told them, “Bane always thought he would die alone. He told me about it in one of our little conversations. That’s what he wanted, so it’s fitting that’s what finally happened to him.”

“Cricket.” Deke shook his head. “They want to know what you want to do with his body. They’re waiting to hear before they hand it over to the cops. The police haven’t searched the woods yet, they’ve been too busy sorting through the rubble for all the rest of the bodies.”

Cricket stared at Deke for a long moment then asked timidly, “Would it be okay to bring him back here for burial? I know you probably don’t want him here and I don’t blame you but I don’t know where else to go with him. He had no other family besides me.” Turning to Raine she asked, “Is that ok with you? I mean I hope it is but if you don’t want him here, I can make other arrangements.”

“No, that’s fine with me. He was your uncle after all.” Raine nodded ta Deke, “It’s really up to him and the rest of the club. This is their home too.”

Deke paused then finally nodded. “We can bring him here. I can call Reaper and ask him to take care of the body until we can send someone after him. I can send up a detail of men to bring him back.”

Cricket nodded and would have turned away but Deke’s next words stopped her. “There’s something else you have to think about.”

She turned back and waited for him to bring her more bad news. “What is it?”

“When they found Bane’s vehicle they found his last will and testament.”

“His what?” Cricket frowned.

“His will,” Deke stated. “And there was a personal note to you as well. They didn’t read it but they found it curious to say the least that Bane left it on the seat where he knew it would be found if anything happened to him and he didn’t get back to his car.”

Cricket stared for a moment then turned to look at Raine. She was trembling at the thought of what could be in Bane’s will. All she could do was nod at Deke.

Raine wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her for a moment. Then he urged her to sit down. He went and fixed her a plate of still warm food and set it down in front of her. When she went to push it away, he told her, “Eat. The baby needs nourishment and so does his mama. You haven’t eaten much over the last few days.”

Cassie brought her over a cup of tea. “It sucks to drink but you can’t have coffee right now.”

Cricket smiled. “That’s ok, I like tea.” Reaching for her plate, she ate what was there. Even she had to admit she was hungry.

When she was done, Cassie came back over and sat down with her. “So you’re going to have a baby?”

Cricket blushed. “I guess you heard that huh?”

“Yeah, the whole club knows about it now.”

“Raine says he’s good with the idea of being a father,” Cricket admitted.

“Oh he is, very good with the idea,” Cassie agreed.

Cricket frowned. “Are you mad at him or something?”

Cassie sighed and told her, “Yes, I am just a little bit. Men can be so stupid sometimes.”

“Oh.” Cricket shook her head. “You were the reason he changed his mind last night.”

Cassie reached over and patted her arm. “No, not really. I just pointed out something he should have remembered in the first place. When he did, he realized what an ass he was. The rest was all him.”

“Ok.” Cricket looked over at Raine. Then she looked back at Cassie, “So I guess I need a doctor. Can I go to the one you used?”

Cassie chuckled. “We sure have been keeping that man busy. But yeah, I can call and make you an appointment. We need to get you and baby checked out.”

Cricket hesitated for a moment then told the other woman, “Raine mentioned building a place of our own. Is that really possible? For us I mean?”

Cassie smiled at her. “Yeah sweetie, that’s possible.”

Cricket felt fresh tears welling in her eyes. “Oh, my gosh,” she whispered. “My own place…”

Cassie could see what that meant to Cricket, almost as much as it meant to her and Peaches at one time. Shaking her head, Cassie got up. “I have a very happy phone call to make. I’ll let you know what I hear from the doctor.”

On her way to the kitchen, she stopped off to hug Deke. She gave him a hard hug and when she was done, he gave her a look. Cassie shook her head and whispered in his ear, “If that man ever hurts her again like he did last night, I may go postal on him without warning.” Then she walked away.

Deke watched her then turned to glare at Raine. “Don’t fuck up again boy, or you may not walk away with your body intact. She only warns a people once, then she acts. This is your only warning.”

Raine turned to look at Cassie and found her glaring back at him while on the phone. Yes, the Spitfire name fit her for sure. He swallowed hard then turned back to Deke and gave him a nod.

Shortly after that, Deke sent his group of guys out to bring Bane’s body back to New York. Bones and Mountain were among the six men who left the compound. They drove in a vehicle rather than their bikes, as they wanted to bring Bane’s car back with them. They wouldn’t be back until sometime later tonight.

Cassie came back into the main room and had good news. She sat down by Cricket again and told her. “Doctor Peters can see you this afternoon.”

“Really? That soon?” Cricket swallowed hard. Raine joined them and she looked over at him. “Doctor Peters can see us this afternoon.”

Raine smiled. “Baby, that’s great.”

“It is?’ Cricket halfway frowned.

“Well yeah, don’t you want to see him?” Raine questioned.

Cricket glanced at Cassie then back to Raine. “I guess so.”

Raine thought for a moment then asked, “Honey, have you ever been to see a doctor before?”

Cricket blushed and shook her head. “Not really.”

Raine scooted his chair a little closer to hers. “Well sweetness, its time you did. You need to know if you and the baby are okay. I want only the best for you and him.”

“Will you go with me?” Cricket asked timidly.

“Oh course, I will. There is nowhere else I’d rather be than with you. I’ve never had a baby before either, so I guess we’ll learn this stuff together.”

Cassie smiled. “Doctor Peters is a wonderful doctor. He’ll guide you two along just great. Now you have to be there around one. Then he’ll take care of the rest.”

Cricket grabbed Raine’s hand and just held on for dear life. This was unknown territory for her and she needed him.