Page 47 of Dagger

“Yeah, I know it.”

He grinned. “He was there with the others, only this time everybody wore their patches.”

Reaper stepped forward and looked at me and then Rocky and then Diesel. “You have the information you came for. We good?”

All eyes swung my way, and I knew what they were waiting for, a sign that I believed their story. I really didn’t want to believe Reaper or his men, but goddammit, I did. I really fucking did. “Yeah, we’re good. If you hear anything about someone trying to kick up shit with us,” I began.

Reaper nodded. “Right. And the weed?”

“Bring samples by the dispensary on Wednesday afternoon,” Diesel requested. “I’ll be there.”

Satisfied, Reaper nodded again. This time he stood a little taller and grinned. “See you then. And if I hear anyoneelse makin’ a target out of your men or one of your old ladies, I’ll let you know.” He disappeared into the clubhouse with the prospects on his heels.

“Now what?” Rebel groaned.

“Now we track down the Dead Ravens and find out why the fuck they trashed my shop.”

“And then we fuck them up,” Gio added with a bit too much glee.

“Yeah.” I grinned. “And fuck them up.”

Chapter 25

Sinclair

“Iwas on the run from my abusive ex,” Grace said with a half-smile. “Maverick showed up just when I needed a helping hand.” Her smile softened and love shone in her green eyes.

Peyton nodded. “I went to Rocky because someone murdered my roommate and threatened me. I used to date his son, and Nolo always talked about what a badass his father was. Protection and proximity led to love and a baby.”

Ellie and Emma nodded, so did Katey and Harper. Each woman had a story about how they found themselves in harm’s way and how they fell in love with the biker who kept them safe. It was pretty much universal how it happened. The circumstances varied but the end result was each woman had her very own happy ending.

“Wow, that’s incredible,” I said, injecting as much sincerity in my voice as I could, because I was genuinely happy for each of them. I wasn’t sure I even still believed in happy endings or kismet, but they were nice women who deserved good things, and it wasn’t my place to make them doubt that. “Congratulations.”

Ellie laughed. “The MC family has grown quite a bit over the past few years. More women and babies than when I first got here.” She looked around, eyes slightly glassy with emotion as she took in the playing and laughing children, the womendeep in conversation. This is a family. A big, complicated, happy family.

And it was surprisingly normal. No one looking at these women would ever guess they were tethered to bikers. I guess I was guilty of believing the stereotypes about the kind of women who hang around MCs. Sure, the club girls were a little out there with their clothes, but the old ladies wouldn’t look out of place at a parent-teacher evening. I knew families came in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but seeing this unorthodox family really brought it all back into focus.

I didn’t have this. And maybe that was why the scene I was on the outskirts of hit me with a pang of longing that shocked me.

“How do you deal with it?” I leaned forward and quietly asked Ellie, Diesel’s partner. She was the quietest, most subdued of them all, but she also seemed to be the one the women deferred to most.

Ellie blinked, dark lashes fluttering while she gave my question careful consideration. “The danger, you mean?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It seems like a pretty scary way of life.” I couldn’t understand how these seemingly smart women would tie themselves to a life like this.

She nodded slowly. “Sometimes it is scary. Really fucking scary,” she added on a huff of laughter. “But that doesn’t happen as often as the outside world believes. We have rules in place for those times when things get too dangerous to make sure everyone is safe. It can be terrifying, but we get through it.”

I wasn’t sure how you got through it. No, that wasn’t true. I knew you just put your head down and keep forging ahead because you didn’t have a choice. That was my entire childhood. I hated growing up that way, never knowing when the next bad thing would happen, when the electricity would get cut off because my father didn’t pay it or when some big scary guys would show up demanding money or else.

“Dagger wasn’t always so serious,” Ellie began, seemingly out of the blue. She smiled when my gaze connected with hers. “I didn’t know him then, but Diesel told me all about it. He and Mel, that’s Dani’s mom, weren’t a love match. They dated for a few months, and she got pregnant, so he stepped up and did the right thing.”

“They got married?” My eyes rounded in shock. He never mentioned being married.

“No, they weren’t even together by then, but he took care of her and got ready for Dani. What he didn’t know, what nobody knew, was that Mel had mental struggles that only became apparent once she stopped taking her meds.”

Understanding dawned. “She was worried about her baby?”

Ellie nodded. “And her cracks began to show immediately. Dagger couldn’t deal with her, didn’t know what to do short of tying her down to keep her home. It got worse after Dani arrived for some reason. She was erratic and wild, coming and going at odd hours, leaving Dani with the club girls. And one day she just never came home. Ever.”

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