Renegade (Devil’s Boneyard MC 6) Page 10

  “Did you want to come in?” I asked Dixon. If Renegade trusted him that much, then so would I. Unless he gave me a reason not to.

  Dixon’s eyebrows arched and he looked at Renegade. My sexy biker gave him a nod and Dixon entered the house. Renegade paused a moment, then gave me one last kiss before carrying Fawn out to his truck. I stood in the open doorway and waved as they drove off, then shut and locked the door.

  “She’s in good hands,” Dixon said. “He’d sooner cut off his arm than let anyone hurt her.”

  “I know,” I said. And I did. Whatever doubts I’d still had were gone after witnessing him and Fawn together just now. “The only danger she’s in with Renegade is possibly being spoiled too much.”

  Dixon snorted. “You aren’t wrong. Big guy always said he never wanted a family. I knew one day someone would come along and change his mind. Don’t give up on him. Losing his parents and brother is something he may never get over, but I think being with you and Fawn will help ease the pain a bit.”

  I hoped he was right.

  Chapter Nine

  Renegade

  It was a bit unnerving to have a silent kid in the car, but hopefully Dr. Chansy could figure out a way to help her. I fiddled with the radio, glancing in my mirror with each station until I saw her face light up. Smiling, I realized the kid preferred classic nineties songs. Not exactly the type of music that a badass biker should be listening to, but it did remind me of simpler times.

  I pulled into a parking spot in front of the clinic and turned off the truck. Fawn was staring at the building with fear stamped on her cute little face. I unbuckled and went to get her from the back seat, releasing her from the booster seat Scratch had insisted I should buy. If it kept her safe, then that was all that mattered. Lifting her into my arms, she clung to me like a baby monkey as I carried her inside.

  The receptionist’s eyes went wide when we walked in, and she pasted a falsely bright smile on her face.

  “May I help you?” She glanced from me to Fawn and back again.

  “My daughter needs to see Chansy. He’s expecting us,” I said.

  “I-I see.” She looked at the computer screen on her desk. “Did you have an appointment?”

  Was she fucking with me right now? Everyone in this damn office knew that Chansy helped the club when he could. Of course, I hadn’t seen this particular lady before, but surely someone had trained her. While I knew the old ladies tended to do the civil thing and schedule an appointment, the rest of us just dropped in whenever we fucking needed medical help. I’d only called last night since it had been after hours and I’d know Chansy was gone for the day. Chansy also came to the club when he was needed, but since I hadn’t known if he would need to X-ray Fawn’s throat, I’d decided that bringing her in would be best, and Chansy had agreed.

  “Just tell the doc we’re here,” I said then turned to take a seat.

  I garnered a few looks from the moms in the room, and more than one little girl stared at me in wonder and fear. I fucking hated that kids were scared of anyone in a cut, and I knew it was their parents’ doing. Kids didn’t fear someone based on their looks unless their parents had taught them to be afraid. Of course, the smaller ones could just be scared because of how angry I’d gotten. It pissed me off. I’d never hurt an innocent, but they just saw the leather cut and decided I was some asshole rapist who would murder them in their beds.

  Fawn sat on my lap and looked around the room, a nervous energy thrumming through her sight frame. I wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her to me. It made me sick that Boomer had done this to her. I’d watched her open up at the house, but out in public, she still acted like she expected people to lash out at her. Even the moms and kids in the room had her pressing as close to me as she could.

  “I can’t believe they have kids,” one of the mothers muttered. “They should be neutered and not spread more violence.”

  Violence? So the kid had some bruises and it must be my fault? I arched my eyebrow and stared her down. I might not hit a woman, but her husband needed to paddle her ass. I’d be willing to bet she was one of those people who sat in church on Sunday, then badmouthed everyone on the ride home. I hated those types of people. The self-righteous ones who thought they were better than everyone else, when really their spot in hell was just as assured as mine.

  The woman blushed and turned her face away, having been caught.

  “Is there a Renegade here?” asked a nurse through an open doorway to the left.

  I stood with Fawn in my arms. “That’s me.”

  “Dr. Chansy will see you now.” The woman smiled softly at Fawn. “Well, aren’t you a little cutie.”

  Fawn turned her face against me and held on tighter. Poor kid. I patted her back and carried her down the hallway and into the room the nurse indicated.

  “Just wait in here and he’ll be with you shortly. He wanted to handle the visit himself, unless you think she’d respond better to a woman taking her temperature and weight?” the nurse asked.

  “We’ll wait for Chansy, but thank you.”

  She smiled again and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Once we were alone, Fawn released me and I set her down on the padded table. The paper covering crinkled as her slight weight pressed down on it. She looked around and saw a stack of books across the room. Pointing, she looked at me, silently asking for them. I grabbed the stack and set them down next to her. Fawn picked through them, then held one out to me.

  “The Poky Little Puppy?” I asked, vaguely remembering my mother having read this one to me when I was little.

  Fawn smiled and nodded.

  “All right, little one. I’ll read to you while we wait.”

  I opened the book and began, trying to read it with the same animation I remembered my mother using. Fawn’s eyes were bright and her attention was focused on the book in my hands as I flipped page after page. We’d just gotten to the end when Chansy walked into the room.

  “And how is my most beautiful patient today?” Chansy asked, coming closer.

  Fawn went stark white and her eyes went wide.

  “Easy, baby girl. Dr. Chansy won’t hurt you. He’s going to look at your throat, remember? See if he can help you speak?” I gently reminded her.

  Fawn held still as Chansy approached, but I could still see the fear in her eyes. Poor kid. She’d been through so much and didn’t trust easily. I didn’t understand why she was so fearful of Chansy but had come right to me. Shouldn’t that have been the other way around?

  I stayed close as Chansy examined her. He recommended a scope to determine the damage done to her larynx and if all looked okay, then she would likely need speech therapy.

  “I honestly don’t know why she can’t speak,” said Chansy. “Children tend to heal quickly from this type of wound, if treatment is given immediately. Since the trauma happened a while ago and she’s not been able to speak since then, it’s hard to say what’s going on without taking a look at the inside.”

  I could feel the fear rolling off Fawn at his words.

  “I know that Fawn wants to be able to speak, but maybe we can wait a little on those tests?” I asked, glancing down at her. “Give her time to adjust to the idea? Maybe I can find some kid-friendly explanations online that she can watch.”

  The doc nodded. “That’s a good idea. Just call me when you’re ready for the next step and we’ll move forward. As for Darby, I placed a call with a neurologist I’ve known for years. He understands the situation she’s in and said to bring her by when you’re able. He’ll work her in, but expect a long wait that day. His appointments are booked for the next seven months.”

  I thanked Chansy and left with Fawn, stopping at the front desk to pay the bill. On the way home, she pointed to Wings ‘N Things so I pulled over. She pointed to what she wanted on the menu, and since I wasn’t sure what Darby liked, I ordered four other flavors as well. We walked out with seventy-five wings, but I knew Dixon wouldn’t mind
helping me eat whatever the girls didn’t want.

  At the house, I heard the TV going in the living room and paused on my way to the kitchen. Darby was curled up in the corner of the couch, sound asleep, while Dixon stared at the sports stats rolling across the bottom of the screen.

  “Everything okay here?” I asked.

  He turned toward me and smiled. “Yep. She lasted about ten minutes before she fell asleep watching some Rom-Com. Once I was sure she wouldn’t wake up right away, I changed the channel. What’s in the bag?”

  “Wings. Thought you might want to stay and help us eat them.”

  Dixon got up and stretched. “You know it. Better wake Sleeping Beauty here, though. Her stomach has rumbled a few times since she dozed off.”

  I handed the bag to Dixon as he passed, and Fawn trailed after him. Kneeling in front of Darby, I ran my hand up and down her thigh before leaning in and brushing a kiss on her cheek.

  “Time to wake up, angel.”

  Her eyes fluttered and slowly opened. “Slater?”

  “It’s me, sweetheart. Fawn’s appointment is finished and we brought wings back with us for lunch.”

  She sat up and rubbed at her eyes, looking too damn adorable.

  “What did the doctor say?” she asked.

  “Fawn needs further testing before he can say what’s going on, or if she can learn to speak again. She looked terrified at the idea of having someone see the inside of her throat, so I asked for a little time. Thought we could find some videos online, kid-friendly ones, that could explain what will happen so that she won’t be scared.”

  Darby wrapped her arms around me. “You’re such a good daddy. And to think you didn’t want kids.”

  I hugged her to me. “It still scares the shit out of me, but Fawn’s a good girl and I only want what’s best for her. I might not be perfect, but I’ll give her the best life I can.”

  “I know,” Darby said, then she kissed me. “Let’s go eat.”

  Lunch was filled with laughter and conversation as Dixon got to know Fawn and Darby better. I had to admit, it was nice having them around the table with me. Only having Nik here would have made it better. Speaking of my sister… I checked my phone. I hadn’t received any texts or calls from her since she’d gone on her date. Frowning, I shot off a text asking her if everything was all right. I didn’t get a response right away, nor did I get one a half hour later.

  When my phone finally rang, it wasn’t Nikki like I’d hoped. It was Cinder.

  “We have a problem,” he said.

  “What kind of problem?” I asked.

  “The kind where Bane and Nikki are in some trouble.”

  Everything in me went tight and cold. What the fuck? Why were Nikki and Bane in trouble? Had he seen something on her date? I’d asked another Prospect to watch over her, but maybe they’d handed it off to Bane for some reason?

  “What the fuck is Bane doing with Nik?” I asked.

  Cinder was quiet a moment. “I think that’s a discussion for another time. Right now, we need to extract Nikki and Bane from the warehouse where Boomer has that party scheduled for tonight. It seems he decided to get things going a bit early.”

  I felt ice fill my veins. If he hurt her the way he’d hurt Darby… I didn’t care if Destroyer wanted his nephew left alive. The man had just crossed a line, and I wasn’t about to leave him breathing if he harmed Nikki. He’d already hurt my woman, and now my sister? No. He was done.

  “I need you to go to the warehouse, but you’ll need to get there quietly. Take your truck since we don’t know what condition Nikki and Bane might be in right now. I’ll have the others meet you there. Dixon still at your place?”

  “Yeah, he’s here.”

  “Good. Have him stay with Darby and Fawn.”

  I glanced at the three sets of eyes focused on me and hung up the phone. With a nod of my head, I asked Dixon to step outside with me. Darby was worried, I could see it in her eyes and the pallor of her skin, but I’d talk to her in a minute. Right now, I needed to ensure that she and Fawn stayed safe.

  I told Dixon everything Cinder had shared and what I needed from him. Then I went to find my woman. She was in our bedroom, pacing from one end of the room to the other.

  “I have to go for a bit,” I told her.

  “Why? What’s going on, Slater?”

  “It’s club business. I can’t give you the details, but Nikki is in some trouble and needs my help. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but Dixon is going to stay here with you and Fawn. He’ll keep you safe until I come home. Don’t leave the house. You or Fawn.”

  Darby flung herself into my arms and held on tight. I kissed her, and wished I had time for something more. When I left the house, Fawn’s door was shut and I decided to leave her be. She must have heard enough to know I had to go somewhere for a bit, and the closed door told me enough. If she’d wanted me to say goodbye to her, then she’d have left the door open or waited in the living room.

  As Cinder had suggested, I took the truck, knowing it was quieter than the bike. The warehouse was only a few minutes outside the city limits and I pulled over along the roadway just before I reached the long gravel drive. I saw Stripes, Charming, Phantom, Havoc, and Ripper were already here and waiting for me. I gently closed the door so I wouldn’t give away our presence.

  “Anyone have a plan?” I asked.

  “I did some recon when I got here,” Havoc said. “They beat the shit out of Bane. Not sure if he’ll live or not. Nikki looks kind of rough, but she was awake. They’ve gagged her and tied her to a chair in the center of the warehouse. She’s got some bruising and a bit of blood on her, but they mostly seem to be taunting her.”

  I flexed my hands, ready to commit violence on the assholes who dared take my baby sister.

  “Looks like her lessons with Jordan didn’t help,” Havoc said.

  Wait. What? “Lessons with Jordan?”

  He nodded. “Remember when she was snatched? When she came back, Nikki went on and on about how brave Jordan was and how amazing that she’d been able to handle herself so well. So my woman started teaching your sister how to defend herself.”

  I knew exactly what Havoc was talking about. We’d thought we’d need to rescue Jordan, and some of the club had gone after her, only to arrive too late. She’d incapacitated her captors, those she hadn’t outright killed. Anyone who decided to tangle with that woman had to be a fucking moron. She’d cut off your balls and feed them to you if you so much as looked at her wrong. I hadn’t realized she was training Nikki to take care of herself, though. I’d taught her a little, but apparently not enough.

  “How did they get Bane and Nikki?” I asked. “Bane isn’t the Prospect I asked to tail her.”

  Phantom snickered. “Oh, he was tailing her all right. Or rather, riding her tail.”

  What. The Fuck.

  “Are you telling me that little shit is fucking my sister?” I demanded.

  Phantom shrugged. “From what I understand, it’s a new thing. Sort of. Bane has had a thing for Nikki since he met her, but she was seeing that asswipe Chad. Now that she’s single, she agreed to a date with him.”

  That little shit. I’d asked her about her date, and she’d said it was someone new. She never once said a fucking thing about dating someone from the club. Once I got her out of this mess and she healed, I was going to beat her ass until she couldn’t sit for a week. She might not have outright lied to me, but she’d lied by omission.

  “How many are in there?” I asked, jerking my chin toward the warehouse.

  “Boomer and three others,” Charming said. “They don’t look like much of a threat, but I can see how he lured in those teen girls. He’s got a pretty boy face.”

  That was saying something, especially since it came from Charming. The man could talk any woman out of her panties, no matter if she’d protested at first or not. One smile, one whisper in her ear, and she melted. At least the only thing he ever did was fuck them and
leave them. Charming wasn’t the type of guy to rape a woman. If any of his conquests had refused to undress, or told him to stop even mid-fuck, then he’d have backed off.

  “How many entrances?” I asked.

  “Four,” said Stripes.

  “So, four entry points, four men inside, and there’s six of us. I’m liking our odds. Everyone armed and ready?” I asked.

  Havoc grinned. “Always. I’ll take front with Renegade. Phantom and Stripes get the back entrance. Charming and Ripper each take a side.”

  “Let’s do this,” said Ripper, slapping his hands together with an evil glint in his eyes. He hadn’t earned his name by being a choirboy, and I had no doubt that blood would be shed today.

  We stuck to the dense grass and trees on either side of the drive and approached the building. Once everyone was in position, we burst through the doors, startling the men inside. Did the assholes really think they could take our Prospect and my sister without us coming for them? The look on Boomer’s face was priceless as he gaped at us.

  “Get away from my sister, asshole,” I said.

  “S-sister?” Boomer asked, glancing at Nik. “No, she’s just some club pussy we caught with the Prospect.”

  “Nope, that’s my baby sister. I already had a debt to settle with you, but you’ve just added to the level of pain I’m going to dole out.”

  “What debt?” he asked, backing toward Nikki.

  “Darby and Fawn.”

  Boomer went deathly pale and looked like he might piss himself at any moment. This was the asshole who had struck fear in my woman? The one who had hurt my daughter? He seemed rather pathetic to me, or maybe he was only big and tough when it came to beating women and kids. Faced with six men he looked like a little pansy. I’d bet he screamed like a girl once I got started on him.

  The others went after the three men Boomer had with him, and I lunged at the man who had treated Darby like a piece of trash. My fist slammed into his face, blood spurting from his nose as he stumbled back. I caught him before he landed on Nikki and jerked him away from her. I landed blow after blow. The sight of his teeth and blood on the floor only made me want to hurt him more. I wanted to watch him take his last breath. With a well-placed kick to his ribs, I watched him fall to the ground.