CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning, the whole clubhouse was filled with people. Not only were the members all present the Moore family were there as well. Black Jack and Molly and all four of their sons, Raine, Hound, Gambler and Judge. Molly had cried a little when Raine told them about what happened with Bulldog but Black Jack held her for a moment and assured her their son was still alive and she stopped.
“I prayed every day for him to feel remorse for his actions but now I know he never will.” Molly told her sons. “Whatever the cartel has in mind for him, I hope he will finally ask the Lord for mercy for his soul.”
Raine closed his eyes. “Mom, you raised us all right, but Harry was never one to do what he was told. You know that.”
“Yes, I know,” Molly admitted. “We did what we could for all of you.” She hesitated then had to ask, “Did he seem repentant at all?”
“He signed the divorce papers for Reva,” Raine told them. He didn’t want to tell his family how that had transpired. He wanted to give them a good feeling about his brother, even if only for a moment.
His father grunted. “That was the only good thing he ever did for her.”
“Is she going to marry that Gator person now?” Molly asked.
“I hope so,” Raine told them. “She deserves to be happy and he makes her happy.”
“Are you sure about that?” Molly asked with concern.
“Yeah Mom, I’m sure. He really loves her and she loves him back.” Raine insisted. “I’ve been watching them for almost a year now and they have something I wish I could find. Plus, they have a chance to adopt three kids. They’re going to be a family now and you should be happy for them.”
“Oh, I am.” Molly smiled. “I just wish Harry would have given her, her freedom a long time ago. She deserves to finally be happy.”
“Yeah Mom, she does and now, I think she’ll have everything she ever wanted, everything Harry should have given her but didn’t. She’ll have what you and Dad have.”
Black Jack hugged his wife close and nodded at his sons.
~* * * *~
Across the room, Melora looked at Sam and asked, “What’s wrong with you today? You’ve had something on your mind since last night.”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, I have. I just don’t know how to tell her.”
“Her?”
“Adriana.”
“What do you have to tell Adriana?” Melora looked down at her son who was sleeping in her arms. At his long silence she glanced up at him.
“Georgio Canton told me something last night,” Sam finally replied. “It was about Adriana’s mother and it wasn’t good news.”
“Oh no…” Melora gazed around the room and found Adriana talking to her sister Quinn. She turned back to Sam. “What happened?”
“Radar murdered Stacy because she called me and had me pick up Adriana. He wanted to trade Adriana for some piece of a cartel deal with the Cajuns. When that didn’t work out, Radar pulled a gun and Georgio had to put him down. He also killed the shithead that was willing to take a fourteen year old girl in trade for a deal. Adriana is finally safe, but she no longer has her Mom.”
“She’ll stay with us now,” Melora insisted. “She isn’t going to like it but she doesn’t have a choice anymore.”
Sam just stared at her. She was certainly full of surprises. “So when are you going to marry me?”
Melora smiled. “Maybe when I can take advantage of you. Like in six weeks?”
“Nope, I ain’t gonna wait that long to claim you,” Sam insisted. “Hell and no. How does next week sound?”
“Sam,” she groaned with frustration. “I want a wedding night like anyone else. I want to go from the reception to the bedroom. I want to strip off your clothes and ravish your body and allow you to ravish mine. I can’t do that next week. I just had a baby remember?”
Sam leaned closer to her. “I don’t care. I want to claim both you and that baby. Let’s get married next week. Then in six weeks, we can have another ceremony here with the club. We can get dressed up and say our vows all over again, and then we can have that wedding night you want. I promise. But for now, I want you to legally be my wife. Can you do that?”
Melora sighed. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“This will give you girls enough time to plan a proper MC wedding.”
“And what would you consider a proper MC wedding?” Melora asked.
“You’ll figure that out.” Sam grinned.
Melora sobered and sighed. “What are you going to tell Adriana?”
“I don’t know. How do I tell her that she’ll never see her Mom again? That some lowlife murdered her for making sure she was safe. How do I tell her that I’ve loved her since the day she was born and I tried to stay away but never really could? That I’ve watched her grow up from a distance but didn’t dare come close enough for her to see me, to know me?”
“Honey, I think you just did,” Melora admitted as she nodded to a spot in back of him.
Sam turned and found Adriana standing behind him. Tears rolled down her face and she had her arms wrapped around her waist. “Mom is dead?” she whispered.
Sam went to her and put his arms around her thin shoulders. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry.”
Adriana sobbed in his arms. “What happened? Do you know?”
Sam laid his chin on the top of her head. “Georgio had just come from Saratoga Springs. He was there to settle a dispute between the two MC clubs. I asked about your mother and he told me what happened. Radar murdered her when he found out you were gone. Georgio’s man had to shoot him when he pulled a gun. His man also killed the man Radar was going to sell you to. He told me he doesn’t condone selling young girls into what would be considered sexual slavery.”
Adriana shuddered. “So, where does that leave me?” she whispered.
“You’re my daughter and you’ll always have a home with me,” Sam told her.
“But you’re going to have a new wife and a new baby.” Adriana protested. “I won’t fit in with that.”
“I know it’s not ideal for you but me and T-Bone would be more than happy if you’d live with me and Sam,” Melora added. “I can’t wait to get to know you.”
“You’ll never be my mother.” Adriana told her. “Even if you and Sam ever do get married.”
“Adriana,” Sam growled.
He was going to say something else but Melora held up her hand to stop him. “I know that,” Melora defended. “I hope you know I would never try to replace your mom either.”
“Damn right you can’t,” Adriana told her.
“I lost my own mom when I was younger than you and I resented anyone trying to replace her, so there is no way I would do that to you. Instead, I hope we can become friends. You, Quinn and Deke are T-Bones’ sisters and brother. I want him to know what it’s like to grow up with family. None of you had that either, so maybe we’ll all find something here.” She paused, “Can you do that?”
Adriana glanced down at the small infant in her arms and nodded. “I can try.”
“That’s all a person can do is try.” Melora nodded. “Maybe tomorrow, you and your dad, your brother and sister can take you home to get your things. I know it hurts sweetheart and it’s going to hurt for a while, but it does help to talk about her. When my mom died, I didn’t have anyone to talk to for six years, then I had Izzy.” Melora smiled. “I about drove her nuts but she heard all about my mom. She was probably sick of hearing about her at the time but it helped me to talk about her. Someday, when you’re ready, I’d like to hear about your mother.”
Adriana turned to Sam. “Can we do that? Can we go to Saratoga Springs and get the rest of my things?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, we can. We have to make funeral plans anyway.”
Adriana nodded and moved away.
Quinn was there to wrap her arms around the younger girl.
Sam sat down by Melora and whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?’ she asked. “I still remember what it was like to lose my mom. It tore my heart out. At least your daughter has you, Deke and Quinn.”
“She has you in her corner too.”
“You have to give her some time Sam. She’s a teenager, she’s going to be rude and obnoxious at times, she’s going to nice one minute and crazy the next, she’s going get boy crazy at some point and you’re going to have to live through it. You missed out with your first two but this one is going to drive you nuts and you have another one coming up right behind her.”
Sam groaned and covered his eyes. “Can you just shoot me now?”
“No.” Melora giggled. “But I can be right there beside you to help you through it.”
“Good, I’m holding you to that.” Sam sighed then lovingly smoothed his hand across her cheek.