Chapter 25
Diesel
“Why the hell are you at this lodge?” I asked.
I smoothed my hand over Brynn’s thigh as Monroe and Knox came walking into the lodge. Well, Knox was walking. Monroe was waddling. The woman looked like she was carrying fucking twins. Brynn hopped off my lap and I pulled myself up from the leather couch, then made my way over to her. I embraced her and held her for a second, reveling in the life that was going to be pushed from her body any day now.
“Seriously, what are you doing here?” I asked. “You and Knox should be laying around in bed until you go into labor.”
“I wanted to come tell you guys the news in person,” she said.
“What news?” I asked.
“Listen to the woman and then I can get her back home. We’re working on this whole ‘inducing labor’ thing,” he said.
“Eating spicy foods?” Brynn asked.
“Nope,” Knox said with a grin.
“My man!” Rock exclaimed.
“You would,” Brewer said with a smile.
“You look good,” Grave said. “What are you doing to keep up your energy, though? Everly’s six months into hers and she’s sleeping more than ever.”
“I don’t keep up my energy. I simply power through it. Let the poor woman sleep,” Monroe said with a grin.
“It’s good to see you again,” Brynn said.
I watched the two women embrace as I stood there beside Knox.
“So, what’s this news that was so important you got out of bed and drove all through the desert to deliver?” I asked.
“The RICO case is officially dead,” Monroe said.
I heard all of the guys get up from their seats and meander over to us.
“Say that again?” Grave asked.
“You heard me,” Monroe said with a smile. “The RICO case is dead. Apparently, the U.S. Attorney’s informant has gone missing and the information regarding their case was suddenly wiped from their computers and stolen from their filing cabinets.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Rock said.
“That’s all you need to say on that matter,” Monroe said with a knowing look.
“What? Trust me, if I did something like that, I’d be boasting about it.”
“He really would be,” Brewer said.
“It was wiped from their hard drives?” I asked.
“Yeah. My boss and his wife were due to show up in court for the damn thing in a couple of days, but when they called the U.S. Attorney was scrambling. All of their information went poof and their information-slash-witness is nowhere to be found. So, my boss and his file filed for a dismissal. And you guys wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“Not a damn thing,” Knox said before he kissed her forehead. “Not a damn thing, Monroe.”
“Uh huh. Well, it’s a good thing I trust none of you,” she said. “But yes, the case is finally dead and you guys are finally off the hook.”
“I knew there was a reason we kept your firm on retainer,” I said with a grin.
“But you have to stop sticking your noses in all of that gray area you guys get off on. I’m due any day now, and my maternity leave is three months long. Think you can keep it together for three months?”
“I think we can keep it together a little longer than that,” Grave said with a smile. “But only because it’s you.”
“Good. Now, with that said. Knox, baby?”
“Yep?”
“I want chicken wings,” she said.
I chuckled and shook my head as I pulled Brynn to my side. I stroked her softness as Knox escorted Monroe out the door. I knew she wanted to tell everyone about our little surprise, but I figured it would wait a few more days. Once we got past Monroe’s delivering of their child, we could announce to the guys about our little bundle we were expecting.
Brynn looked up at me with bright eyes before I dropped my lips to hers.
“You’re going to look fabulous pregnant,” I said.
She giggled against my lips as she sank into my side.
“So,” I said, as I pulled away from her, “Rock. Which Black Hornet did you educate?”
“What?” he asked. “The hell you talking about?”
“I’m not an idiot. You said you didn’t do it, but I know that really means you talked someone through how to do it,” I said.
Rock grinned and shook his head before his eyes fell to Brynn.
“I got the cue. I’m going to go get myself a snack. You know, on the other side of town,” she said. “I’ll see you back at home?”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said.
I kissed her lips before she swatted me on my ass, then she made her way out the door and closed it behind her.
“Jace, believe it or not,” Rock said. “He was eager to learn, so I may or may not have shown him how to hack into a remote set of computers in the U.S. Attorney’s office to erase some files that may or may not have pertained to us.”
“You sly little shit,” Grave said.
“And you’re not off the hook just yet,” I said. “Rex is missing? We didn’t clean up that warehouse.”
Grave shrugged as his eyes hooked with mine.
“Everly’s been getting on me about not cleaning up after myself. Says it’s a hazard with her walking around and not being able to see her feet. I figured a little cleaning up after the mess we all created was a nice touch. You know, for our women’s sake.”
“Uh huh,” I said as I nodded. “Well, seems like Everly’s coaching on how to clean up around yourself paid off.”
“Sounds like it,” he said.
“So, I got a question,” Brewer said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“When the fuck are you and Brynn getting married? And when the hell did this fake engagement become a real one?”
A smile slid across my face as I shook my head.
“I don’t think it was ever fake to begin with,” I said. “But the night after everything happened, we decided we were going to elope.”
“Oh, shit. So, you guys are already married?” Grave asked.
“Nope. But we will be come this weekend. I already talked to her dad about taking her to Vegas for a couple weeks.”
“And you weren’t gonna tell us!?” Brewer exclaimed. “We celebrate shit like this, Diesel.”
“With everything we’ve gone through, I figured Brynn and I could spend some time together. We lost out on a lot of time together, and I want some time for just her and I right now. We’re planning a reception, though. Once we get back into town. Sort of a combination between ‘yay, we got married’ and ‘yay, Brynn’s opening up her own damn restaurant’.”
“Wait a second. A restaurant? Holy shit, you guys have been planning some shit,” Rock said.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a past few days, but neither of us want to wait on the life we want. I want to marry her and she wants to marry me. She wants to open her own restaurant in Redding and get it up and running before--.”
I bit down onto my tongue, but I knew I’d already backed myself into a fucking corner.
“Before what?” Brewer asked.
“Oh, shit,” Grave said. “I know that look.”
“No fucking way,” Rock said. “Brynn’s pregnant?”
“Oh, damn! Is she really pregnant?” Brewer asked. “Holy hell, Diesel. You work quick.”
“You can’t tell her you guys know. She wants to tell you guys after --.”
“Guys! Guys! We need help!”
Brynn’s voice pierced through the lodge and I was on my toes in an instant. We all barreled through the front door and jumped down the stairs as Monroe’s piercing cries filled the parking lot. A smile crossed my cheeks as I saw Knox holding her up. There was a massive wet spot underneath her legs as Brynn smoothed her hands over Monroe’s jumping stomach.
“I’ve got 9-1-1 on the line,” Brewer said.
“I’m gonna go get Monroe some ice from the freezer,” Rock said.
Grave walked over to Knox and helped hold Monroe up from the front to steady her body.
“Monroe, what do you need?” Brynn asked.
I smoothed her hair out of her face as sweat began to permeate on top of her skin.
“I need… to push,” Monroe said.
“Baby, you gotta wait ‘til that ambulance gets here. Okay?” Knox asked.
I watched Brynn drop to her knees and scoot under Monroe’s body. Knox leaned himself up against Monroe’s car and Grave pressed his muscles to hers. But with the way Monroe was progressing so rapidly, I knew what was going on.
“How long have you been contracting?” I asked.
“Diesel, stop it,” she said breathlessly.
“Stop lying to us. We’re your family, whether you want us or not. You’re stubborn and you’re strong. It’s what makes you good for Knox. it’s what makes you a good lawyer. But now, you need to drop the act and answer my question. How long have you been contracting?”
For the first time in my life, I watched Knox’s eyes grow with panic.
“On and off for about three days,” Monroe said.
“What!?” Knox exclaimed. “The fuck do you mean three days, Monroe?”
“They weren’t stable! I thought they were those fucking fake… ones!”
“I have to peel your skirt away, Monroe. Okay?” Brynn asked.
“The ambulance is still fifteen minutes out,” Brewer said.
“I think I’ve got help on the way!” Rock exclaimed as he came running out of house. “Monroe, you want some ice?”
“Yes. Please,” she said breathlessly.
I peeled my leather jacket off my body and slipped it underneath Monroe’s legs. There was no way in hell that ambulance was getting here before she gave birth. Knox’s arms trembled and Grave girded his legs. Rock continued to place small ice chips between Monroe’s lips as Brewer practically cussed out the 9-1-1 operator on the other end of the line.
Then, a familiar sound came rushing down the road.
“Rock?” I asked. “You said you had help coming?”
“I called Dean,” he said. “Jace and them were heading out of town with the truck, so they said they’d make a detour. Did you know Jace used to be a damn paramedic?”
“What?” I asked.
“Knox! It hurts!”
“Come on, sweetheart. I know you can do this. Just lay back and let your body do what it was meant to do,” he said.
I watched Brynn’s hands disappear between Monroe’s thighs before her eyes bulged. She looked up at me with a shocked surprise on her face and I knew then and there she would make the best mother in the world. I took all of it in, knowing that over the course of the next seven to eight months, I’d watch her bloom and give birth to our own child.
Brynn, who would be my wife, was going to be the mother of my child.
“I’m going to kill you, Knox!” Monroe exclaimed.
The truck pulled up beside us and Dean slammed out of the back before Jace hopped down from the driver’s seat.
“Move,” he said as he came rushing over. “Come here. I’ve got you.”
Monroe shrieked as Jace lifted her up like it was nothing and laid her on the hood of her damn car.
Knox held Monroe’s hand while Rock pressed ice to her burning skin. I stood there with my hand interlocked with Brynn’s, watching as Monroe gave birth to the first new addition to our family. Brewer smoothed her hair from her face and Grave helped hold one of her legs in the air. Knox looked as if he was about to have his hand broken by Monroe as all of us watched them bring their beautiful baby into the world.
We all cheered her on as Jace helped deliver the baby, and we watched him get to work. Wet towels that appeared out of nowhere. Shoe strings that tied off the umbilical cord before he poured alcohol over a pair of scissors. The whirring of ambulance sirens sounded in the distance as Knox slid off his leather cut. He handed it to Jace so the Black Hornet could wrap up their newborn baby in the material.
I held Brynn close and kissed the top of her head, watching as Knox looked down at his child. Monroe’s eyes filled with tears as Brynn sniffled, her eyes filling with tears of happiness at the life we would soon lead together.
Then, Dean came up and clapped my back.
“Glad your man called us. We were just passing by the exit off the highway for your place when he did.”
“I can’t thank you enough for coming,” I said.
“That’s what friends do,” he said. “Allies for life, no matter what.”
I grinned over at the man before I shook his hand.
The ambulance came to a grinding halt and Jace helped to get Monroe and Knox into the back of it. He started rattling off shit I didn’t understand, like numbers and pulse rates and how long it took for Monroe to give birth. All of it seemed important to the paramedics as they set her with an I.V. and looked over the child, but I didn’t attempt to make sense of it.
All I did was allowed myself the opportunity to take in the moment before the ambulance doors shut and took the happy new parents away to the hospital.
“They’re headed to Redding General,” Jace said.
“I’ll call Piper,” Rock said. “She’s on duty right now. I’ll make sure she gets into capable hands.”
“Do they need anything?” Brewer asked. “I’m pretty sure Makenna’s damn attic is full of baby shit from Ana’s infant days.”
“If they don’t need anything, we could sure use some of it,” Grave said. “It’s a shitstorm trying to get people to deliver nursery items and baby clothes to a house in the middle of the woods.”
“If you guys wanna hop on into the truck, I’ll get you to the hospital,” Jace said.
I looked around at all the guys before my eyes fell to Brynn.
“Thanks for the offer, but I think we’ll head in our car,” I said.
“Then you won’t mind if I follow you. I love babies,” Jace said with a smile.
The rest of the guys got onto their bikes as Brynn threaded her hand in mine. We rushed out of the parking lot, kicking up dust as Jace and Dean raced their truck behind us. We stayed fairly close to the ambulance all the way into town, and the entire ride there all I could think about was the life I was about to create with Brynn.
A life I never thought I’d have after I buried her when I was seventeen.
She was my angel. My guardian. My resurrected savior. People thought I protected her. People thought I took care of her. But they couldn’t be more wrong. She saved me. Took care of me. Loved me and saw me through just about anything. She protected my heart while I protected her life, and there was nothing that stood in the way of us getting what we wanted in life. We were getting married that weekend. Brynn was opening her restaurant in six months and then we were both due for a child of our own soon after that.
My men were safe, our club was cleaned up, and our lives were finally moving forward.
It seemed as if Brynn wasn’t simply my savior, but my lucky charm as well.
“I love you,” she said against my back.
I parked my bike in the hospital parking lot and helped her off.
“I love you too,” I said as I pulled her into me. “Now, let’s go greet the newest addition to our family.”
THE END
Thank you so much for reading the Dead Souls MC! Want to find out more about the Black Hornets MC? Well you can starting on November 28th, with Jace! You can pre-order it
She doesn't belong here.
Leti, with her perfect skin and dark hair.
Those lips pulling me in.
She's a member of the cartel. Our enemy.
But she's standing in my club with a look of determination I can't pull myself away from.
Leti wants me to save her brother.
To save her.
One look is all it takes.
I'll end the cartel if it means one night with Leti.
She's worth starting a war over.
Pre-orderJace