Chapter Six
Beast
Dodge sent me a text stating the main brothers were in church waiting for me to arrive with instructions that after I was done, they’d spread the word about what had gone down. Mena had stood beside me before we entered, and I hadn’t thought I’d be worried, but I was. Shit, it was like goin’ to school knowing you have to get up the front of the class and share your project. Not that I ever did. I refused to do a lotta shit in school, but I still saw the fear in other kids back then, so I reckoned I was finally feeling what they had been.
But I knew the worry would all be for nothing.
They were my brothers.
“You ready?” Mena asked, signing at the same time.
Thank you for, fuck, everything.
“Not a problem. We’re family, right?” she signed and said.
My lips tipped up. Yeah, family.
I walked into the compound. Immediately, brothers who were hanging around greeted me. I gave a nod and chin lift, but kept on walking and stopped just outside the room I knew Dodge, Dive, Pick, Billy, and Knife were in. Taking a breath, I opened the door and entered with Mena right behind me. I saw their smiles, and the ones who didn’t know I was deaf, their greetings.
I stood tall at the end of the table, Mena beside me. I let my hands do the talking while Mena translated, “Some already know, to those who don’t, about a month or so ago I lost my hearing. It took me time to deal with it all, but I have, and now I ask that things go back to what they were. I’ll always be a brother and help when I’m needed. Being deaf doesn’t mean I can’t do shit. I can. You all know I don’t talk and yet I’ve still communicated fine with you all before. I still got hands to text if you don’t know what I’m saying. So learning sign language doesn’t mean you all have to learn it.”
The room was silent like my ears. I watched them all take it in and look to one another. Pick was the first to stand. Mena shifted forward so I could see both of them. “Being deaf doesn’t change anything. You’ll always be a brother. Good to see you here.”
My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it.
Dodge stood. “If anyone can’t deal, they’re out. I don’t give a fuck who it is. Welcome home, brother.”
Goddamn shit.
They had my back.
Knew they would, but hearing it, seeing it… it meant a fuckin’ lot.
Yep, I’d been fuckin’ crazy to think things would be different with my brothers. Fuckin’ loco. It was gonna be hard. People would have to get used to me not hearing, but it’d be cool.
My eyes caught on Mena’s hands. “I’d like to offer lessons on sign language if any, um… brothers would like to learn.”
Jesus.
That woman.
If she wasn’t already my brother’s and if I wasn’t gay, I’d be snappin’ her up in seconds. Pure gold with the biggest heart out.
She smiled and signed, Dive’s already learning. Dodge just said he wants to, so do Pick and Billy.
My heart lurched in a fierce beat.
As she looked to Knife, her brows drew down. So I glanced there also. He shrugged and said while he signed, Already learning, but it’d go quicker if I had a beautiful babe to teach me. Maybe private lessons.
He’d stumbled over some words, but what he said was Knife through and through. A fuckin’ flirt no matter who he was doing it with. The room vibrated with a fist pounding into the table.
Dive stood and leaned over. “I saw enough of what you said. You say shit to my woman like that once more, you and I will have problems.”
Knife’s hands came up in front of him. “No harm, brother. No harm.”
“No harm my arse. Where’d you learn to sign anyway?”
A question I wanted to know also.
I suddenly realised as Dive and Knife spoke, they also fuckin’ signed what they were saying.
Shit and damn.
“Learned from the Internet.”
His words hit me in the gut. He’d learnt. For me.
And just when I knew I’d have to cut my love loose for the guy, he went and did shit like that. Fuckin’ prick was making it hard for me.
All eyes shifted to the door, so mine did also. Jason had poked his head in. “Hi.” He smiled. “There’s a lady here who wants to speak with Knife.”
Tension filled the room. Not sure why, could be just one of Knife’s hookups.
“You know who?” I saw Dodge ask our brother.
Knife shook his head, but got up from the table and started for the door. We followed behind, wanting to know what type of situation he was walkin’ into and seein’ if he needed our backs. Jason had led a woman into the common room. The woman, who was in her early forties, dressed in jeans and a blouse, looked our way. I could sense her fear. It came off her in waves. What probably didn’t help were the other brothers standing around glaring at her.
Mena stayed beside me to sign. I didn’t bother reading lips. I wanted to make sure I caught everything being said.
The woman licked her lips and said, “I’m after Jay Conger. My name is Sana.”
“That’s me.” Knife replied, stepping up front.
“C-can we have a private word?”
“Nope.” Knife shook his head, his arms crossing over his chest.
Her gaze swung around the room. “Please, it’s important.”
“Can’t see how it’s important when I don’t know you.”
Mena signed, and my eyes went wide as surprise flickered through them. She wasn’t one of his hookups, so her being there may have brought trouble in.
Her arms went around her middle, and she pulled in a breath through her nose. “I wasn’t asking for privacy for myself. I thought you’d want it when I tell you what I have to.”
“Don’t need it, so tell me.”
“Fine. You may remember my friend Stacey Montgomery?”
Knife shook his head.
Sana sighed, and it was a big one from the way her body moved. “She didn’t think you would either. Look, ah, she came to me the other day, told me you were a part of Hawks MC and that I had to find you to deliver something to you.”
His head jerked back. “What?”
“It’s, um, outside in the car.”
Knife sneered at the woman. “You think I’m that stupid? I don’t know you, lady. I ain’t following you outside. Just tell me now.”
Her eyes flicked around the room again. She may have noticed all brothers were on alert. Sana nodded. “Fine—”
I caught Mena’s hands moving, telling me Muff had just entered and said, “Yo, why is there a baby in the car outside?” Then Muff appeared in the doorway.
Knife tensed. Shit, the whole room did, and we looked to our brother, only his eyes were glued to the woman. I glanced at her in time to see her nod. “She’s your daughter.”
Knife shook his head. “Can’t be.”
Mena tapped my arm. I met her gaze, and she signed, Kalen’s sending me outside to the baby.
Nodding, I mouthed, “Go.” She quickly ran outta the room.
Knife took some steps towards the woman, his arm thrown out wide. I knew he was yelling something, but I couldn’t see his face any longer to know what it was and since he was in Sana’s face, I didn’t catch her response.
Dodge got close, placed a hand on Knife’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
The situation was one where I wished to Christ I knew what was going on. It sucked watching and missing shit when I couldn’t read the words on their lips when they faced away. Knew my brothers would fill me in, but it still goddamn sucked.
My eyes went to the doorway. Mena stood in it holding a girl, who looked not even one, in her arms. I flicked my eyes around to see the whole room had gone still, and all eyes were on the girl. Knife ran a hand through his hair once, twice. His body turned towards the doorway, the woman now forgotten.
Christ.
Anyone could see she was his girl. She had his eyes, his hair colour, and his mouth. I knew, hell, I knew, it was his mouth because I’d looked at it enough.
Knife had a child.
Slowly, he stepped over to Mena. She smiled up at him and I caught on her lips, “She just woke up, so she’s a little out of it.”
He nodded and stared down at his girl. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “Her name?”
I shifted forward so I could see Sana’s lips clearly. “Nevaeh.”
Knife’s jaw clenched. He also knew, without a doubt, she was his. He glanced back to his girl. Mena asked, “Want to hold her?”
Knife’s shoulders lifted in a shrug, yet his hands came out in front of him. His girl looked at Knife like she wasn’t too sure of him. Still, she went into his arms. He turned with her, his eyes staying on her face as she studied her dad. She must have liked what she saw because she smiled and lifted her little fist to punch him on the jaw. Knife grinned, then chuckled, then blinked. His jaw clenched before he glanced back to Sana and I saw him ask, “What happened to the mother?”
Sana gave him a sad smile. Mena got close and signed what she said. “Stacey came to me in the middle of the night. I hadn’t seen her in months, and when I opened the door, she barged right in talking a mile a minute. Finally got her to slow down. She was ecstatic. The man she’d been after finally got a taste of her, but he didn’t like kids.”
“You’re fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” Knife bit out.
Sana shook her head. “No. She left Nevaeh with me stating I had to find you since you’re her daddy. Your name is on the birth certificate and all. Stacey said she never wanted kids because she knew her parents wouldn’t be happy about it. She’s always been a wild one, and her parents kicked her out for it. If they knew about Nevaeh… I’m not sure what they’ll do.”
“She left her girl for a piece of arse?” Knife asked.
“Yes.”
Disgust was written all over Knife’s face, his brows drawn and upper lip raised. “Fuck me.”
“She was sure you’d take Nevaeh in. I, um… I have three children of my own, so I can’t—”
“She’s mine.” Knife cut in. “But if you ever see Stacey again, tell her I better not see her fuckin’ face. It won’t be pretty if she even tries to pull shit for this girl. She gave me Nevaeh. She’s mine, and now I goddamn know about her, I won’t give her up for fuckin’ anything.”
Nevaeh took the break in him talking to smack him in the mouth again. Knife smiled and tipped his chin down. “Yeah, baby girl, you’re mine and Hawks. We take care of our own.”
Motherfuckin’ Christ.
I thought the man couldn’t get better. He just did.
Without too much thought, he’d claimed his girl, and I knew he’d fight through the thickness of hell to keep her. Only he wouldn’t be fighting alone.
We’d have his back.