Wanting to give Grace some alone time with Remi and Glory, I decide to head out to the main room for a beer and see what my brothers are up to. My focus the past twenty-four hours has been solely on my woman, yet I know my boys have been working endlessly on tracking down Ronan. It chaps my ass the slimy bastard slipped through our fingers. Fuckin' pussy. But not even the fact that fucker got away can overshadow the news that I'm going to be a dad. My Little Bird is going to have my baby. Suddenly, a dark shadow crosses my heart because for the first time since hearing the news, I realize not only could I have lost Grace, but I could have lost my baby. It's a miracle the baby survived the beating she had to endure by that pussy Ronan. I look forward to having his blood on my hands. Saddling up to the bar, I take a seat next to Logan and motion for the prospect Grey to give me a beer. Lifting the bottle to my mouth, I down half the contents in one pull.

"How's Grace doing?" Logan asks from beside me.

At his question, I turn and look at him and the rest of the men I consider my sons. Gabriel, Reid, Quinn, and I smile.

"Grace and I are going to have a baby," I say dropping the bomb. Maybe I should have waited longer, but I'm so fuckin' ecstatic. Plus, with all the shit going on it feels good to deliver a piece of good news.

Choking on his drink, Quinn spits out. "No fuckin' way! Are you yankin' our chain, Prez?"

"Nope, Emerson just confirmed."

A round of whoops and congratulations echoed throughout the room.

"I'm so damn happy for ya, Prez," Logan says clapping me on the back. "You fuckin' deserve this." He mutters pulling me in for a hug.

"Thanks, son."

After a beat of silence. Quinn's ass doesn't disappoint when he speaks up. "I can't believe Jake's old ass is gonna be a daddy before me."

"Fuck you, Quinn." I chuckle, throwing my bottle cap at him the same time Gabriel slaps him upside his head.

"What! I'm just sayin'. All of y'all are havin' babies. I can't wait to have a whole fuckin' litter. Now if my baby momma would get her ass on board."

"Let me give you a piece of advice, Quinn," Emerson interjects walking into the room and takes a seat at the bar to my left. "Don't refer to your future children as a litter."

"No problem, babe. I'll leave the name pickin' to you."

Rolling her eyes, Emerson ignores Quinn, as hard as it is at times and turns her attention to me. "I see you told them your happy news."

"Shit, doc. I couldn't keep something like that in. Still can't fuckin' believe it. I know we probably should have waited a little longer before announcing-" I go to say, but Emerson cuts me off.

"With all this club is going through right now, I think a little good news is warranted. This is your family, Jake. Share this happy time with them. And like I said before, Grace is doing well considering, and the baby's heartbeat is strong. For now, don't think about the what ifs. The what ifs are irrelevant."

"You're right, doc. Thanks."

"Mind if I stay and have a beer? Or are you all having some sort of meeting?"

"No, sweetheart. Stay." Lifting a finger to Grey. "Get Emerson a beer."

"You got it, Prez."

"Anyone know where the hell my father and brother went. I haven't seen their asses since we got back?" Logan grills. And come to think of it he's right. I have not seen either Demetri or Nikolai since we rolled back up at the clubhouse. I've been so focused on Grace; I haven't noticed their presence was missing.

"Haven't seen them, brother." Gabriel gruffs. "Victor is MIA too."

No sooner does Gabriel get those words out when the door to the clubhouse slams open and causes myself and my brothers to move into action. Pulling my piece from my cut, I swiftly shove Emerson behind me and point my gun at who just walked through my door. It takes but a second to realize it's Demetri, Nikolai, and Victor. All three look a little worse for wear. But that is not what has my hackles rising, and Logan rushing to his father's side is the fact that Demetri was shot.

"What the fuck happened to you?" I bark. "Emerson! We need you again."

"Jesus Christ! I might as well start my own practice because this club keeps me busier than the damn hospital." She smarts off rushing to Demetri side.

Looking relaxed as ever, Demetri replies. "It's just a flesh wound. No big deal. Besides, the end result was well worth it." he smirks.

"Hey, Jake? Anna wanted…" Glory starts to say walking into the room, then comes to a complete stop with the sight in front of her. "Is this sort of thing normal around here?" she gestures with a raised eyebrow to Demetri's bleeding arm.

"Is Grace alright?" I question.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. I'll just tell her you're a bit indisposed at the moment."

Before I have a chance to say more, Glory turns on her heal and leaves the room. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I shift my attention back to the scene in front of me. Demetri is now sitting on a stool by the bar and downs a shot of whiskey while Emerson takes a look at his wound. I take a moment to size up Nikolai as well. He doesn't appear to be hurt but gone is his standard attire of tattered jeans and work boots. Right now, Nikolai looks much like his father in his Armani suit and peeking out from the inside of his suit jacket is two pistols strapped to his holster.

"He's right." She says. "Just a simple flesh wound. It looks like the bullet only grazed his arm. He'll need a couple of stitches though. Let me get some supplies. I'll be right back."

"Now with that shit out of the way, you want to tell me where you, Nikolai and Victor have been the past twenty-four hours? And why after being MIA you suddenly show up here looking like shit?"

"As you all know, family means everything to me. I consider every one of you my family. I did what was necessary to protect my family." Demetri states. Straightening in his seat, Demetri's face and tone becoming more serious. "Son?" Demetri addresses Nikolai giving him a look. Nikolai then strides over to the edge of the room next to the hallway blocking the entrance. Now my senses are really on high alert.

"Victor." Demetri nods to his right hand who is standing guard at the front entrance. When Victor opens the door, another one of Demetri's men walk in with a man's body slumped over his shoulder. Making his way over to me, the man tosses the body to the floor in front of me with a thud. Laying on the floor at my feet is none-other than Ronan De Burca.

"I saved one for you, my friend." Demetri delivers.

Looking down at this pathetic excuse of a man a wicked smile takes over my face. "Who's up for a little retribution?"

"Hell, fuckin' yeah!" Quinn cheers and the rest of the men follow suit.

"Gabriel, take his ass down to the basement. I'll be down in a minute."

Stepping up to Demetri, I offer my hand. "I owe ya one, brother."

"No, you don't. This is what family does. We have each other's back. You and your club have accepted Nikolai and me into your fold, and you help me get my son back. It is me who owes you." He finishes shaking my hand.

Before I take care of business, I go to check on Grace since Glory never did finish telling me what she needed. When I walk into our room, I smile when I see her sitting up in bed and eating with Glory and Remi at her side.

"Can I have a minute alone with Grace?" I ask them.

"Sure." Glory agrees taking Remi's hand and leads her out of the room then shut the door behind them.

"Jake, is everything alright?"

"Yes, but I have something I need to tell you." Kneeling on the floor next to the bed, I take Grace's battered face in my hands and kiss her busted lips. "I love you, Little Bird."

"I love you too, Jake. Now tell me what's going on."

"I want you to know that it's over. You don't have to worry about the De Burcas' anymore."

"What exactly do you mean?" she exhales a shaky breath. "Can you be more specific?"

"I mean Demetri went to Chicago and ended them?"

"And Ronan?"

"Ronan was brought here." At my confession Grace's body stiffens.

"You have nothing to be afraid of, babe. Demetri knew Ronan's life was mine. That's why he was brought here."

Grace is silent for a few beats before she speaks again. Looking me dead in my eyes she orders with a cold tone. "I want you to do to him what he's done to me. I want him to suffer."

The moment I open the door to the basement, Ronan's angry voice echoes off the walls. "You won't get away with this! My men will end every one of you. You low life bikers are going to regret this!" With a menacing chuckle, I clear the last step and walk fully into the room. Gabriel has Ronan strung up by his wrists, and he has been stripped down naked. Meanwhile, Logan, Reid, Quinn, and Bennett stand around looking bored.

"Nobody will be coming for you, you cocksucker, because they are all dead. Your father included." I deliver the bad news. At first, he looks like he doesn't believe me, but then he looks around at the smug look on my mens' faces, and he suddenly pales. The look doesn't last long before he quickly recovers, and his arrogance is showing again.

"You sure are going through a lot of trouble for my whore of a wife."

Not two seconds after those words leave his mouth, I bring my booted foot up and swiftly nail him in the balls. Ronan screams out like a little girl and vomits onto the basement floor. My action causes the men in the room to groan and wince. "With a dick that little any woman who has the displeasure of sleeping with you is going to eventually look for a man with a cock that can satisfy them. And don't worry, Grace is plenty satisfied."

Striding to the far-right corner of the basement, I pick up the water hose and make my way back to the piece of shit who is making a mess on my floor. Turning it on, I proceed to douse Ronan's body with icy cold water. Fifteen minutes later, he is a shivering pathetic mess. Dropping the hose, I walk up to Ronan and get in his face. "You want to know what Grace requested right before I came down here? She told me to make sure I do to you what you've done to her. To make you suffer the way she did. And you know what? Nothing will bring me more pleasure than doing just that." I tell him as I step back and proceed to unbuckle my belt and slip it off. "I even wore the one belt with the biggest fuckin' buckle, just for you." This is the first time my brothers are getting a notion of what Grace's husband has done to her. And I see the fury in their eyes as they put two and two together as I remove my belt from around my waist. They knew she endured some abuse, but I never disclosed what kind. I know that what is said in this basement will never make it beyond these walls. Grace will never have to worry about them knowing because they will never say a word.

With my belt tightly gripped in my hand, I circle my prey. "Only a pussy would put their hands on a woman. Only a cocksucker would take his belt and beat a woman in an attempt to break her. Only a little dick son of a bitch feels he has to make a woman feel less than him." I spit, and in one swift swing, I deliver my first lash across Ronan's back causing him to bow. Whack, whack, whack. My belt makes contact three more times and each one of my swings becomes more forceful. The images of Grace's scares are at the forefront of my mind, and the memory of finding her naked body tied up in that house is fueling my rage. I continue to swing until my arm is tired and I lose count as to how many blows I have given, and Ronan's screams of pain vibrate off the walls.

Taking a few steps back, I look at the defeated bloody piece of shit before me. "You don't have shit to say anymore do ya? How about asking for mercy? That's what I want. Ask me for mercy and to forgive you, just like you demanded of my woman."

"The bitch deserved everything she got." Ronan bites out through the pain. Taking my gun from my cut, I aim it and fire a single shot to his shoulder. The same shoulder Grace was shot in. With Ronan roaring out in pain, I rush up to the fucker, grab a fist full of his hair and force his steely eyes to look at me. "That bullet was for Grace. The same woman who you did not break. The same woman who is upstairs in my bed with my baby in her belly and my daughter at her side. That's right motherfucker, Remi is my daughter now."

Releasing his head, I step back, and motion to Bennett who steps forward without a word raises his piece and fires a bullet into Ronan's ribs. "That's for my wife and me." He seethes and spits at Ronan's feet.

"What do you think of us low life bikers now? How does it feel knowing that your whole empire was brought down by the Volkovs and the Kings? Better yet, how does it feel knowing you'll be burning in hell, while Grace will become my queen? And do you want to know somethin' about my queen? She doesn't ask anyone for forgiveness. Nor does she ask for mercy. Because now Grace takes what she wants. In your case, it will be your pathetic life. And what my queen can't take; I take for her." With those parting words, I raise my pistol and fire one last shot, right between Ronan's eyes.