Club Scars (35 page)

The gun roared and this time he felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest by a horse. He staggered back, tripping over Beck to sprawl beside him. White-hot pain exploded in his chest. Blinking up at Kassandra he waited for another one. The pressure was tremendous, like something sitting on his chest. He gasped for breath. Still, she just stood there, looking down at him. As he watched, she kissed Camden’s head. Her lips were moving, but he couldn’t make out the words.

Something touched his cheek and he forced his eyes open. When had they closed? Kassandra was squatting beside him. His eyes crossed as he tried to follow the pistol’s barrel as she caressed his face with it. She had something in her other hand. He blinked, trying to focus. He frowned at the crystal flute. She tilted the glass to his lips and he choked as the bubbly flowed down his throat. Gasping, he tried to force words past the pain. She smiled and leaned closer and whispered,

“Here’s to a fresh start.”

Twenty-Six

Kat’s fingers clenched white knuckle around the crib’s railing. The cops had covered the window but the room still felt cold. She couldn’t take her eyes off the motorcycles circling slowly in front of her. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the orange and black sheets below. She’d had to get away from everyone for a while and clear her mind. Like the Harley’s in the mobile, it seemed they were all going in circles but not getting any closer to finding Cam.

Forcing her eyes away from the bikes, they lifted to the wrought iron cross on the wall. Instead of the simple baby plaque that she’d seen in other nurseries Ginny had ordered the big Celtic cross with a Trinity knot in the center and Camden’s name wove in. Kat had never been close with God. A childhood of crying out to someone who never answered had soured her on religion, but it had been a gift from Gin who was big on symbolism. She’d said it was something Cam could have forever and he had seemed fascinated by it.

Wetting her lips, Kat closed her eyes. Her fingers were stiff as she uncurled them from the railing. Interlacing them she took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind.

“I know you don’t owe me anything, but he’s an innocent baby. I’ve done a lot of shit in my life that I’m not proud of, but I’m so proud of him and I’m doing my best. We want to give him the kind of childhood we didn’t have. I don’t need to go into that with you. Please bring him home safe. I’ll do anything for him, anything. Ginny says you don’t work like magic, but if just this one time if you could let me know you’re actually listening. I’m not looking for burning shrubbery. Just bring Cam back safe. Please. Amen,” she said awkwardly.

“That was good.”

Kat spun around, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. Crux opened his arms and she stepped into them.

“I’m not very good at it,” she whispered. “But I didn’t think it could hurt.”

“Me neither.”

They stood there for a few minutes wrapped together, lost in their thoughts. Finally Crux gave her a squeeze.

“Come on. It’s cold in here. I’ll talk to the Feds. If it’s okay I’ll go ahead and call that repair guy that Gin had fix the laundry room window. Even if the little man’s going to be sleeping in our room for a while, we don’t want the draft.”

Kat smiled up at him gratefully and laced her fingers through his as he led her down the steps.

Kat spun her husband’s phone on the table, willing it to ring. She jumped at a shout from the front yard. She and Ginny sent chairs skittering across the hardwood in an effort to get out of the kitchen. Crux came thundering down the stairs. Jerking open the front door, Kat’s heart stopped. Her mother stood at the end of the driveway, Camden in her arms and FBI guns pointed at them both.

Jumping off the porch, Kat ran toward her son. One of the Feds tried to block her way and she stiff armed him. Another caught her around the waist at the edge of the drive.

“Get the fuck off me!”

“Please, ma’am, you have to stay back. She has a gun.”

Kat froze and her eyes swung to her mother. The nickel plated .9 millimeter looked sinister in her hand. The agents repeated their orders to drop the weapon. Their harsh barks tumbled over one another. Behind her Kat could hear the stiff armed agent trying to reason with Ginny and Crux. Her mother’s eyes locked with hers. She hadn’t changed in twenty years.

“Please,” Kat said, holding out her hand.

“I want to hand my grandson to my daughter,” Kassandra said softly.

“You need to put down the weapon.”

The older woman’s shoulders slumped and she shook her head. “You don’t understand. Please.”

“Put down the weapon and we will allow you to hand the child off to his mother.”

Kassandra chewed on her lip uncertainly.

“Please, Mother,” Kat begged.

Tears filled her eyes, but she nodded and let the gun dangle from her fingers as she carefully squatted and placed the shiny semi-automatic on the concrete. Kat could see the bob of her throat as she swallowed and slowly straightened. Tension hummed in the air and Kat’s extended hand shook between them. The agent’s shuffled back, weapons still ready as they cleared a path between the women.

Brushing the restraining arm aside, Kat took a shaky step forward. It took every ounce of reserve she had not to run. Tearing her eyes from Cam, she studied her mother, probing for any sign of deception. Her mother suddenly stopped, her expression fearful and focused beyond Kat. Whirling on whoever was fucking this up, Kat’s fury melted away seeing Crux advancing. His expression was fearsome. She could understand her mother’s terror. 

“It’s okay, Tommy,” she said, holding a stilling hand up to him. “Let me do this.”

He stopped, every muscle tense. His hands clenched repeatedly at his sides. Looking past her his voice came in a low growl that made the hair on Kat’s nape stand on end.

“You hurt either one of them and there aren’t enough cops here to keep me from killing you.”

Kat didn’t doubt that and looking back at her mother, the older woman seemed just as convinced. Wetting her lips, Kassandra inched forward again. She stretched her arms out as they met, reverently placing Cam in Kat’s arms. The moment she felt her son’s weight, Kat spun away, hunching her shoulder protectively and running into Crux’s arms. Shoving them behind him, Crux glared at Kassandra as if daring her to come closer. Ginny was there in a flash adding a second set of hands to run over Cam and assure that he was okay.

When she glanced back at her mother she looked lost standing there alone. She didn’t protest or struggle when an agent stepped up to handcuff her. Her gaze remained riveted on Kat, the droning of Miranda rights seemingly ignored.

“Is he okay?”

Kat looked up at the harsh croak of her husband’s voice. She smiled through the tears and nodded. “He seems fine, Daddy.”

“We’ll still take him in to be checked out,” he said, rubbing a shaky hand over his son’s dark hair until it stood on end like his own.  

Kat nodded again, hugging Camden tight. “Mommy missed you so much, little man.”

“We all did,” Ginny whispered, leaning in to kiss the little one’s forehead. “I’ll grab my phone and get the good news out that Cam’s home,” she said, smiling through tears of her own as she turned back to the house.

Kat let out a soft cry and hunched over Cam as a car turned the corner and skidded to a halt in front of the house. Crux’s arms went around her.

“It’s just Hunter. It’s okay,” he said, holding her tight.

The Agent in Charge stepped out of the car, barely glancing in their direction before turning to his men for an update.

“He needs a bath and clean clothes. He smells sour,” Kat said into the safety of Crux’s chest.

Keeping an arm around her, Crux turned her toward the house. Kat looked back over her shoulder as they stepped up on the porch. Her mother was standing beside a car, her eyes still on them. Kat felt a twinge of pity at the blank look on a still beautiful face. She looked so lost and alone. Kat hesitated at the door, searching her heart and head for what she should do.

“She deserted you,” Crux said against her ear.

“She brought Cam home,” she whispered back.

“Then call it even.”

“I want to know why, and I’m better than she is.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Crux grumbled and led her back across the yard to the curb. “Kat wants to talk to her,” he said to Hunter.

The agent paused in putting Kassandra in the car and nodded. Stepping back, he said, “Take your time.”

“There is so much I want to know, but the most important thing I want to say to you is thank you for bringing my son home to me,” Kat said, leaning against Crux’s side.

“You’re welcome,” Kassandra said, blinking back tears. “He’s beautiful.”

“He looks like his daddy,” Kat whispered, smiling down at her son.

Her mother studied Crux nervously. The glare he wore made his scarred features all the more fearsome. She glanced back at Hunter as if to reassure herself that he was still close.

“Are you happy?” she asked softly.

“Yeah,” Kat said, smiling up at her old man. “Crux is everything I could’ve ever wanted in a husband and he gave me a wonderful family.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Crux mumbled, but his lips hinted at a smile.

“Your father was—”

“A sick, incestuous bastard,” Kat snapped. “Don’t talk to me about him and don’t you dare cast his shit on Crux.”

“I’m sorry. I just want you safe and happy.”

“It’s a little late to play the protective mommy card. You left me with a fucking monster and walked away. Keep your apologies, just tell me why now?”

Kassandra shrank back from the anger in her voice but Kat didn’t care. A mother didn’t desert her child. More tears spilled down the older woman’s cheeks.

“Looks can be deceiving. I don’t know what happens behind closed doors in your home, but you show the world a happy mask.”

“Cut the psycho babble. I don’t have to wear a mask with this family. Crux and the club accept me for who I am. Get to the fucking point or I can walk away, too. I won’t let anyone talk shit about my family.”

“Parents are supposed to protect their children until they’re ready for the outside world. We failed miserably at that and yet you went out on your own and made a life.  You deserve a chance at happiness without us ripping it apart again. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I am sorry, my precious darling. I was wrong to leave you behind, but I didn’t know how I was going to take care of myself.”

“Don’t ever call me that again,” Kat hissed. “It’s obvious you don’t know what precious is. I’d do anything for Camden,
anything
! He is the most precious thing in the world to me and I’d take any pain before I allowed him to be hurt because
that’s
what a real mother does. I’ll try not to hate you, because you did bring Cam home to me, but you’re not a mother,” she said and turned her back.

Crux was right beside her, his shielding arm holding her close. She dropped her head, pressing her lips to Cam’s head as her mother’s sobs and declarations of love battered her back. Ginny met them on the porch and the glare she leveled on Kassandra should have dropped and buried the bitch. Kat swallowed hard, love for her friend choking her up. She never had to question Gin’s loyalty.

“The paramedics are here to take a look at Camden,” Hunter said, stalling them in the doorway again.

“Tell them to come in. Kat wants to give him a bath,” Crux said, and waved her and Gin through the door. “Go take care of our boy and I’ll deal with the law.”

Kat nodded, leaning into the kiss he planted on her forehead. She didn’t miss the look her husband gave Reaper or the way their club brother trailed them up the stairs. The bogeyman might be dead, but Crux wasn’t ready to take any chances. She loved her man.

Kat laughed as ketchup dripped on Cam’s sleeper. Covering her mouth, she struggled to swallow the huge bite of her loaded bacon cheeseburger. The family had gathered at the news of Cam’s homecoming and they’d fired up the grill to gorge on burgers and Ginny’s hand-cut fries. Putting her burger down, she found her napkin and dabbed at the mess.

“Sorry, buddy. Mama is starved and she doesn’t want to let you out of her sight,” she whispered to her boy. She smiled as he kicked and waved his arms at her attention.