Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

A ngel wasn't expecting an audience upon leaving the clubhouse bathroom. Those with kids like Harper and Tessa were gone, but their men were still present. She didn't know what they'd heard or knew, but the sorrow in the room was palpable. If anyone had overheard Cage inquire about a pregnancy, they would have been cheerful and excited. Hell, there wasn't an alpha male in this room who didn't turn to mush when a baby was put in his arms.

Cage followed closely behind Angel, a hand at the small of her back. She leaned into him, taking solace in his presence and commitment.

Angel took a deep breath and addressed the room. She saw Ivy hanging in the doorway that led to the apartments. Jenna and Jasmine were the only ol' ladies present. Beyond that, it was only their club brothers. No kids or family members.

"I was pregnant but I lost the baby. I don't want to go into detail about how, just know that I lost it before Bree's and my attack at the tattoo shop. Cage was the father." Her voice cracked on the word ‘was'. She had to close her eyes for a moment to get herself under control. "We don't have the details yet but we're going to plan a small funeral service for our baby. We'd be honored if you would attend. Bree does not know," she added more sternly. "Cage and I are going to take her out tomorrow and tell her what happened."

Silence followed her speech. Angel reached behind her and took Cage's hand with the intent of leaving the building. Steel stepped forward, blocking her path.

Wordlessly, the older man took her into his arms. Angel hugged him back. She tried to control her tears, but some escaped down her cheeks.

As Steel stepped back, he announced loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Of course, we will attend to help you honor your baby. You let us know when you're ready and we'll be there."

Angel knew Steel meant everyone, not just himself and Jenna. "Thank you."

Both Cage and Angel were given solemn touches on their arm, sorrowful nods, or a giant bear hug from Bear, as they exited the clubhouse. They headed in silence towards her— their , Angel corrected, house. It was a still, warm night with the near full moon out to guide their way. Angel looked up at the stars and hoped, if there was a God, that He was taking care of their lost baby.

The next morning, Cage and Angel readied a picnic basket they borrowed from Jenna with breakfast and went to collect Bree from Bulldog's house. The three of them drove out to the park in silence. Bree seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation and hadn't gotten angry with them for abandoning her the night before.

They had some very difficult conversations with her throughout their picnic breakfast. First, Angel told Bree about her pregnancy and her miscarriage. She did tell Bree that Cage had been the father, though she left out the complex details about the conception. Bree had not cried, but she had offered both Angel and Cage an extra-long hug each. She, of course, was agreeable to a small funeral to help Angel find closure.

Then Cage told Bree about the possible baby he'd fathered in high school. He told her how he'd tried to take responsibility but, in the end, respected the mother's clear wishes that he not be in the baby's life.

"I can only hope wherever he is that he's had a happy and full life without me."

"I wouldn't say that," Bree told him. "If you were even half the father to him that you've been to me, he'd still have the best dad in the world."

Cage practically glowed at that statement. Angel was so proud of her daughter as Cage moved around the picnic table to collect another hug.

This led them into the conversation about Angel and Cage's relationship. Cage laid out his intentions that he planned on, someday, marrying Angel. Bree gave her blessing before he could even ask for it, which caused all three of them to laugh. Cage asked Bree if she would allow him to adopt her too.

"You mean after you marry my mom?" she asked.

Cage shook his head. "No. I mean now. As far as any legal system is concerned, you're Angel's biological daughter. It would mean going before a judge and petitioning him to legally become your dad. Both you and your mom would need to be there too and to give your blessing."

Bree hesitated, biting her lip. "You've been around me long enough to know that I have…issues," she hedged, "with a certain paternal word. Are you okay that I'd never be able to call you that?"

Angel saw the relief on Cage's face that that was what had caused Bree's hesitation. "You can call me whatever you want, Bree. Hell, you can refer to me as ‘kidney buddy' or ‘KB' for the rest of our lives. If ‘Dad' doesn't work for you either, you can call me papa or baba , which is French or Greek for ‘Dad'. I grew up trilingual. My mom's French and my dad's Greek. You are going to hear a lot of both languages once you meet them. Have I told you I'm the youngest of twelve kids?"

Bree's jaw dropped and she shook her head.

"You thought keeping track of your club aunts and uncles was hard. Wait until you meet all of your new aunts and uncles. I think the total of grandkids is forty-two now." Cage shrugged. "Even I don't know all their names. But they're going to love you."

Bree smiled widely at him. "I don't think I can pull off that French or Greek accent that you just did. How about ‘Pops'?"

"Pops it is," Cage agreed, matching her smile.

Bree bumped his shoulder. "But you'll always be my kidney buddy."

"Hell yeah, I will."

It didn't take long for Cage to pack up his belongings and move everything into Angel's house. He needed to have a talk with her about finances, because there was no way he was going to be a kept man.

Cage pulled Bones over and the two of them dragged his mattress out of the room and to the dumpster. Cage wondered how pissed Steel would be if he lit that dumpster on fire.

Evette was not in the cellar, Cage and Angel had been told when they'd gotten back to the clubhouse after taking Bree to the park. She was locked in one of the empty apartments until the club voted on what to do with her. A vote was also being called to figure out Sam's future.

As he was moving his hog to Angel's driveway, he ran into Scotty and Lila. He offered the two troublemakers a ride back to their respective houses. Lila, who was only six, he placed in front of him. Scotty rode behind him with his arms wrapped around Cage's torso. Since neither kid had a helmet on, Cage rode slowly down the lane until he dropped first Scotty and then Lila off.

He got a nose-kiss from Scotty and a giant hug from Lila for his efforts. Totally worth it.

After Angel and Cage got their bedroom reorganized with his clothes, toiletries, and knickknacks, Cage set up a video call with his parents to officially introduce them to Angel and Bree. Both were very aware of who Angel and Bree were from his previous conversations with them and, of course, they knew that he'd donated a kidney to Bree. His parents were not aware of how Bree had come into their lives. As far as they knew, she was Angel's daughter.

His parents were thrilled and they immediately started to plan a trip to Pennsylvania.

Angel, who had not spoken to either of her parents since the day she'd signed up to prospect for the club, did try to call her mom to tell her about Cage and Bree. Angel wasn't sure if she was happy or sad that her mom did not pick up.

After Bree left to go hang out with Cassie, Cage turned to Angel. "Are you going to tell me the big secret now?"

Angel looked at him funny. "What big secret?"

"There's a rumor going around that you have a hookup with someone in WITSEC and that's how you got Bree's identity changed over as quickly as you did. How did you do it?"

Angel gave him a wicked smile. He was still sitting at the kitchen table from having set up his laptop to call his parents. She crossed the room and leaned over his chair. She nipped at the underside of his chin. "I'll tell you…after you finally fuck me in a bed."

Angel was lifted up into his arms and thrown over his shoulder in seconds. He slapped her ass as she squirmed. "You got yourself a deal," he said as he rushed off to their bedroom.

The ol' ladies meeting that week was a sad one. They were finalizing the plans for Baby Astéri. Since their baby was too young for a gender to have been known, Jenna asked if Angel had a preference. She didn't know why exactly, but she chose a girl. Maybe it was intuition or the vision of their daughter that Cage had described… Angel just knew her baby would have been a girl. As neither Angel nor Cage had the heart to choose a name, the ol' ladies had suggested Astéri, which was the word ‘star' in Greek.

Jenna had gone online and ordered environmentally friendly floating lanterns made out of rice paper and bamboo. Everyone was spread out with supplies to start building them.

The front door opened and everyone looked up to see Cage enter. Though Angel was happy to see him, she was also confused. She rose to meet him. "What are you doing here?"

Cage embraced her and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm your ol' lady, remember." He gave her a crooked smile. "Get out of here. The guys are waiting for you and Bree's on your trike."

Generally, the club men took the club kids for the day to give the women a break. Though Angel was a club member, she was considered an honorary ol' lady.

Angel shook her head slightly. "I don't understand."

"Go have fun. Enjoy your day." He tipped his chin towards the women and their project. "I'll take care of this."

Angel felt her heart expand in her chest. "You stupid man. You keep doing things like this and I'm going to fall in love with you."

He kissed her. "That's the goal." He smacked her ass on his way past. "Now go. They're all waiting on you."

Angel headed for the door but something caught her eye that made her pause. "What the fuck did you do to your cut?" she demanded.

Cage, whose back was to her, struck a pose. Then he turned like he was a runway model and posed again for the ladies in the living room. There were gasps and "aww"s at the sight of Cage's new rocker.

Property of Angel was now under his Mount Grove, PA rocker.

"That was very sweet of you," Jenna told him after Angel had left. "She could use a day in the sun with the guys over being in here with all this to remind her of what she lost."

Cage took the open seat, which he assumed had been Angel's. "That's why I switched with her." He looked down at the paper and sticks in front of him. "Now, I'm going to need some help here. I can build you a house but paper lanterns are out of my wheelhouse." He spotted the spread on the coffee table and his eyes lit up. "Ooh! Cookies."

At Church the next day, several votes were made.

Evette would be taken to the cellar, where Angel would dispose of her in whatever manner she saw necessary. She had plotted to kidnap a patched member. Regardless that it had failed, she was old enough and cognizant enough to make her own decisions and be accountable for them. She could have come to them with Cheryl's plight rather than aiding and abetting. Some of the men did not agree with killing a woman, which was why Angel promised to make it quick.

It was voted to give Sam a chance. While the others' opinions mattered, it was Angel's vote that Steel took into consideration above the others. "The kid has the opportunity to change his life around. We should give it to him. If he doesn't, I'll be the first to put a bullet between his eyes," she told the table.

Steel would give him the choice of military branches. He would remain under house arrest at the club until it was time for his training to start. He would fall lower on the food chain than the prospects. Regardless of which branch he entered, there were enough of them who had achieved high enough ranking to keep an eye on him even after he'd joined up.

If he went AWOL or flunked out of training, the club would hunt him down and serve him a different type of justice. This was his one and only chance. It would be his choice to take it.

Ghost had an update on the Pythons. Many of the members had deserted the clubhouse. According to his surveillance, King was down to only thirteen of his original twenty-seven numbers. The Black Pythons had another chapter up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and it was suspected that many of their number were headed up there to either transfer chapters or to get that chapter's help to usurp the Pittsburgh chapter from King's control.

While a bullet would also end King's rule, it was speculated by the VDMC that the Pythons did not simply kill King because of their financial troubles.

Keys was able to find text messages between several of the members who claimed King had not been paying them their share even before the VDMC had stolen their money.

That money was currently being bounced around several different locations and shell corporations to make it untraceable. Then Keys would spread the funds to several reputable charities.

"Personally, I think King has too much discord happening in his own house to worry about coming back to Mount Grove anytime soon," Keys told the table.

However, this did not satisfy Cage. "I say we go while their numbers are down and they're distracted and we burn that entire fucking place to the ground. Don't give the Atlantic City chapter anything to come down here for."

"Burn it down and salt the Earth," Grumpy added.

Steel drummed his fingertips on the table. He looked to his SAA and then his Enforcer. "Can we do it? Do we have enough information to plan a siege?"

"I believe so. We'll come up with a war plan and get back to you," was Bulldog's response.

Steel was silent for several minutes as he thought. Then he turned his seat so he was facing the entire table. "I know many of you believe that I did not back Bulldog when it came to the Heaven Haven Community. Some of you expressed concerns as well, but it was my call to wait. In doing so, one of us left. I don't know if what Scar did was inevitable. There are days when I hate myself for my hesitation, not believing his desertion was a justified cause."

He looked around the table slowly. "We're military. We follow orders and we fall in line. That line used to stop a lot higher up. Now, it stops with me. I carry it all, the good and the bad. I did not believe we were ready to take on the community. We did not have the intel or the numbers to take on such a large, unknown place and be guaranteed we would all return alive.

"At the end of the day, that is my goal. To return all of you home safely. To offer you the sanctuary and the peace we deserve after our time serving our country." He turned to Bulldog. "If you can bring me a war plan that meets my satisfaction, I'll approve it."

Steel looked down the table at Cage and Angel. "King will live long enough to regret his life choices and then I will kill him myself."

The matter of Cheryl was brought up too. She'd plotted to have Cage kidnapped and had successfully drugged him by proxy. If it was true, and she was pregnant, there was also the possibility that the father was sitting around their table. She'd only left their employ five months before.

"Regardless of their reasons for being there, no one is to harm anyone who isn't a patched member. We will sort out the others later."

"And the baby?" Angel swallowed hard around the word.

Steel's expression softened. "If she is pregnant and the timing matches up that she was under our employ when she conceived, we will deal with it then. Regardless, I will not see an innocent child harmed or damned because of the poor actions of his mother."

The following day, the club readied themselves for their club run. This ride, however, was a somber one, as they were headed up the mountain to light the lanterns. Will was driving one of the club SUVs with all the lanterns in the trunk as well as Bree's wheelchair.

Much like the last funeral processional they'd been in only the year before, many of the members did not wear helmets out of respect for the dead. Carlos was escorting them himself in his cruiser and was also bringing along Zoe and Kyle.

All of the members, prospects, club kids, and ol' ladies had on their cuts as well as a black armband.

In the front of the procession was Cage on his hog and Angel with Bree on the back of her trike. Bear, as Road Captain, and Tessa followed. The rest followed two by two; Steel and Jenna, Lucky and Harper, Bulldog and Abby, Ghost and Lila, Keys and Sissy, Grumpy, Pumpkin and Ollie, Ranger, Bones, Pirate and Scotty, and Starbucks. Sara drove another SUV with Melanie and the three babies, Georgie, Conner, and Maggie, while Mitch drove another with Jumper, Jasmine, and Aerial, and Demo since neither Jumper nor Demo were cleared to drive yet.

Though Cassie had wanted to go to support her friend as well as Angel and Cage, she had not been able to. Bulldog's mom stayed behind to be with her.

As Carlos pulled out of the drive, two motorcycles were waiting for them up on the road. No one had invited them or even told them about their plans for the day, yet the two riders in black were waiting and fell in line behind the three SUVs.

When they got to the scenic viewpoint with an overlook drop-off down to the valley and Mount Grove below, everyone parked and dismounted. The lanterns were given out, one per person, with the exception of Scotty and the babies. Cage and Angel decided to share a lantern and had given Bree the choice of also sharing or having her own. Bree had wanted her own.

Steel took a moment to lead the group in a small prayer. "Lord of all, we thank You for Your work in creation, for nourishing life in the womb, for Your love even in death. Thank You for the life of this child, whom You gave to us and have taken to Yourself. Thank You for the arms of Your love, embracing all of us. Watch over us all as we continue forth without little Astéri. She is in Your loving care and awaiting her parents to join her at Your Heavenly Gates. Amen."

A low murmured "Amen" followed.

Cage led Angel and Bree over to the fence line. He held Bree's lantern so she could light it while Angel lit theirs.

A single tear rolled down Angel's cheek. "I only knew about you for two days, but I will love you for the rest of my life. Goodbye, pretty baby. Watch over us and know you'll never be forgotten."

Together Cage and Angel lifted their hands and released their lantern. Bree's lantern was next after she said a quick, "Goodbye, little sister."

More lanterns soon followed. As the club watched the white lights rise, someone started singing Amazing Grace . Soon, they all joined in. Cage knelt down, put an arm around Bree's shoulders and his other around Angel's waist.

After the last lantern disappeared, the group started to get themselves ready for departure.

Cage stood and leaned into Angel. He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We can stay as long as you want."

Angel shook her head. She couldn't explain it, but there was a sense of peace in her soul now. "It's okay. I'm ready."

She turned and walked back to her trike. To her surprise, Scar was standing next to it. Unlike the others, she hadn't seen him since his return two weeks ago. He looked…haggard. The long, jagged scar down his face seemed more prominent. His bright sapphire eyes bore into hers with the shared knowledge of the pain of loss.

He turned and headed back towards his own hog.

Angel saw a small box sitting on her seat. She picked it up with a shaky hand. Inside was a glass memory plaque with a little rattle and a pink bow. The words Angel Baby were artfully scratched into the glass.

Angel looked up, intent on thanking Scar for the sweet gift, but all she saw was the red of his and Ivy's taillights as they rode away.

As Labor Day neared, Angel tried to spend as much time with Bree as possible. She would be starting high school the Wednesday following the holiday. The two of them went back-to-school shopping twice—once with the ol' ladies and once just the two of them. Harper brought Bree and Angel to the high school on one of her teacher prep days so Bree could get a feel for where her classes were without fighting the halls full of students. She even got to meet one of her teachers who happened to drop by.

Being a small-town high school in an old historic building, the necessity for certain accessibilities were not required prior to Bree being enrolled. The school did not have stairs or a second story, so no ramps or elevators were needed. However, none of their doors were automatic that would give Bree easy access to open. They did not have any wheelchair accessible lunch tables or desks. The library had books even Angel couldn't reach.

Bree kept stating that she did not want to be a burden, but both Harper and Angel pushed the issue until the school provided her the necessary tools for her to be as independent as any other student.

Bree was very nervous about having to self-cath at school to keep herself on her bathroom schedule. The task would not be a fast one and the public bathroom, like the rest of the school, was small and only had one handicap stall. Bree would need to carry supplies with her too, in addition to her schoolbooks.

Angel knew that Bree didn't want to be different from the other students or be given exceptions, but the fact of the matter was that she was different and she did need exceptions. After a conversation with the school nurse, Mrs. Beales, it was decided that Bree would keep an emergency catheter system in her backpack and the rest in the nurse's office. She would go to the nurse's office for her standard bathroom schedule and would only use the public bathroom in an emergency. This way, Mrs. Beales could be around to help if Bree needed assistance.

Bree was quiet upon leaving the nurse's office. Angel indicated for Harper to go on ahead. She squatted down in front of her daughter.

"What's up, Bree?"

She shrugged. "It just makes me more different, you know." She gestured to the empty halls around them. "No one else here has to track their daily urine output or has to carry extra clothes in case they accidentally drip pee on their pants while cleaning up."

Angel knew sympathy would not help Bree in this moment, nor would simple placations like "it'll be okay" or "you do you". Bree needed to be reminded of her own self-worth. "Hey." Angel nudged her legs. Bree couldn't feel the contact on her knee but she could feel the movement in her hips. "Who's the biggest badass kid I know who took on two Pythons and rescued her own mom?"

Bree looked up. Her lips were pursed to the side, like she was trying to keep herself from smiling. "Me."

"Who survived and fought to literally come back from death's door? Who looked a reaper right in the eye and said that they weren't taking her today?"

Her lips twitched. "Me."

"And who has a crowd of grumpy alpha bikers at her beck and call that will annihilate anyone who says shit about her?"

Bree smiled. "Me."

"With all that going for you, are you really worried about what happens in the privacy of the bathroom? It's not like you have to go up on stage and do it with an audience watching."

Bree's eyes widened in horror. "Ugh, no!"

Angel smiled. She patted Bree's thigh. It was thin in comparison to the rest of her body due to lack of muscle tissue. "You roll your way into this school next week with your head held high. You survived what none of these others will—thank God—ever have to. You have strength they will never know. Who gives a fuck that your legs don't work? They have a problem with it, you remind them that your punches hit directly at groin height."

Bree laughed and opened her arms. Angel, never one to turn down a hug, shifted her position around Bree's legs so she could reach her. Bree squeezed her tightly. "Thanks, Mom," she murmured.

Angel turned her head and pressed a kiss to Bree's temple. "Anytime. I've gotten pretty good at these rallying speeches, huh."

Bree snorted and sat back. "Oh, I'm not thanking you for that. You basically paid for my college education with that speech. Plus, you gave me permission to dick-punch any bully who comes near me." She rolled herself back and around Angel. "High school's going to be fun!" she called over her shoulder.

Angel's jaw dropped as she stared after her daughter—but honestly, she couldn't be prouder.

The club's annual Labor Day barbecue was an open affair to the community. They held a potluck with a whole pig roast. Jenna outdid herself as usual. Somehow, she organized the whole thing in addition to getting Ollie situated, Melanie off to college, and helping around with the other club kids. Angel watched her juggle five things at once, all with a smile on her face, and got tired just from watching Jenna. As much as Angel, the club, and the ol' ladies tried to pitch in, there was no taking credit from where it rightfully belonged.

Steel actually had to force her to sit down and drink a glass of her own homemade lemonade so she didn't get dehydrated during the party. He even ordered all three prospects to do her bidding so she didn't have to leave that seat.

This was also Bree's first Labor Day celebration with the club. She'd still been in the hospital recovering from her trauma and kidney surgery last year. The club had nearly cancelled the celebration the year before, but Jenna had managed to pull off a minor miracle and still have it ready in time for the community.

Carlos and his deputies were helping with parking and crowd control. The club had roped off their homes and the patched members were keeping watch to ensure that no one wandered where they shouldn't.

Tensions were high within the club. While the town was celebrating the federal holiday, they were mentally preparing themselves for their mission that night. With the fireworks and festivities that came with the holiday, the club planned on using the extra commotion as cover for their upcoming siege.

By dawn, the Pittsburgh chapter of the Black Pythons MC would be no more.

They had had their final meeting the day before under the guise of verifying security for the Labor Day celebration. Angel was pretty sure there wasn't an ol' lady among them that was fooled into believing that storyline. But they only knew enough to know that their men were going to be disappearing for a while tonight and, if ever asked, their man was home with them and their kids all night.

The women were planning a sleepover for the club kids as a distraction. Since Bulldog's house was the biggest, that was where the sleepover was going to be held. Jumper, Bones, and Demo were staying behind with the prospects to guard the property. Due to Jumper's PTSD and Bones's previous leg injuries, those two were always left behind to guard the families. However, since getting shot last month, Demo had been having trouble with the nerves in his left arm. Not wanting to risk his or anyone else's safety, Bulldog ordered Demo to remain behind too. Pirate, who had a prosthetic leg, would be coming, but as a driver only.

After what was supposed to be a simple surveillance mission in Ohiopyle that had gone tits up fast, Keys had updated the club's gear. Very similar to when they were in the military, each member now had black camo fatigues, boots, balaclava, belt knife, AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, handgun of their preferred choice, and a Kevlar vest. Earwigs and radios were also provided along with their new tracking devices in the shape of dog tags.

Keys, being the twisted sonofabitch that he was, got each of the tags engraved with each member's road name as well as WARNING: you're close enough to read this, so you're close enough to die.

To ensure a measure of stealth and anonymity, the club would be taking two SUVs instead of their sleds and they would be leaving their cuts behind. Unknown to the club outside of the officers, Keys had recently purchased a Ford Transit 250-Cargo Van and retrofitted it to be a computer lab on the go. He would be parking several miles out from the Pythons' clubhouse with Bear to run their comms. Bear was not happy about staying behind with Keys, but someone needed to watch Keys's back and, as their medic, it did not make sense to put him in harm's way when they did not need to.

Based on the latest satellite intel, there were only fifteen heat signatures in the clubhouse. Since there was no way of telling male versus female, they would treat all fifteen signatures as hostile until confirmed otherwise.

They planned to do a soft breach, which meant a stealthy entry, of the clubhouse at exactly twenty-three-thirty, as that was when the last set of Labor Day fireworks was due to go off.

The remaining club members would be breaking up into three teams.

Steel was running Alpha team. They would breach the south wall by making an entry hole using detonating cord. Cage was on Alpha team along with Starbucks.

Lucky had Beta team. They were in charge of catching any rabbits—or runners. Angel was on Beta team with Grumpy. As a sniper, it was her job to get to high ground and secure the exterior for exfil.

Bulldog was in charge of Charlie team. They were breaching the main doors and would take the most direct fire if detected. Ghost, Ranger, and Pumpkin completed Charlie team.

While no one had seen or heard from Scar or Ivy since the funeral service, Bulldog had high hopes that they would show too.

Angel looked down at her watch. It was only fourteen-twenty. With a sigh, she squared her shoulders and put on a smile for the crowd that would help complete their alibi. It was going to be a long day.