Chapter Twenty-Six

Banks

The second my woman said yes, I didn’t waste any fucking time. With LeeAnn’s help, Laurel and I were married a week later at the clubhouse, with Nash and Kai standing right with us.

She was finally mine.

After all these years, I was married to the love of my life, and I’d never felt happier. Scribe worked a miracle, and on the day of the wedding, he handed Nash a new birth certificate.

Nash was officially Nashville Nicholas Dubrovsky and in the father’s spot was my legal name. I framed that bitch and hung it on the wall in my bedroom so I could look at it forever. Next to it was my marriage certificate. The only thing missing was Kai’s birth certificate. That was turning out to be harder to change than we originally thought. When Scribe reached out to Kai’s biological father, the man flat-out refused to give up his rights. However, when Laurel called and ripped his ass a new one, saying what the hell did he care, because he never visited or helped in the raising of Kai, the fucker relented, on one condition.

He wanted to meet the man who would raise his son.

Fucker was flying in today to meet me and possibly sign the damn papers. I wasn’t thrilled at meeting one of Laurel’s past lovers, but for Kai, I would suck it up and mind my manners.

I loved that little boy just as much as I loved Nash.

I wanted my family complete, and I needed Kai to do that.

“Will you calm the fuck down,” Scribe snarked, looking up at me. “Everything will be fine.”

“Can I get that shit in writing?”

“No, but if it eases your fears, Phoebe did a reading and she said everything was going to be fine.”

Rolling my eyes, I groaned. “Like I believe in that shit. Now, if you had said Athena had a fucking vision, then I would believe that, but not some stupid cards.”

“Don’t let my wife hear you say that, asshole.” Priest rolled by us in his wheelchair. “My woman swears by those cards.”

“What the hell is taking her so long?” I grumbled, pacing the floor, looking at my watch. When Laurel told me she volunteered to pick up the fucker, I about lost my shit. But when Bailey and Devlyn offered to go with her, I relented. I still fucking hated Laurel being around that bastard without me, but I knew when to pick my battles.

That was one battle I wouldn’t win.

“It’s going to be alright, Dad,” Nash said looking up from his computer. “Kane’s a douche, but he’s harmless.”

“Not helping, Son,” I growled.

I already hated the fucker because he left Laurel high and dry to raise Kai. He offered no help, no support, nothing in Kai’s seven years on this earth. I couldn’t understand why a father would do that.

Kai was an amazing kid. He deserved a father who would love him, be there for him, always. More importantly, I wanted to know why this fucker abandoned Laurel.

Looking at my watch again, I heard the front door open.

Turning, I saw Bailey grinning from ear to ear, shaking her head. “Oh, this is gonna be fucking fun.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Cupcake?” King asked, walking out of his office as his woman thumbed her finger over her shoulder just when Devlyn stormed in, pissed off.

“That slimy motherfucker!” Dev sneered, pointing her dainty finger at me. “If you don’t put him in his fucking place, I will.”

Gulping, I looked at King, who was frowning when Laurel walked into the club with a stern look on her face, followed closely by Kai’s father, Kane Foster

Kane Foster was not what I imagined.

He was barely five foot eight, slimly built and reeked of money.

Walking right over to me, Laurel whispered, “Not a fucking word. Let me handle this.”

“Huh?” I muttered as the man sauntered around.

Yes. He fucking sauntered right over to me like he owned the fucking place. Looking me up and down, he grimaced, taking a step back.

“So, you are him?” the pompous ass clipped, looking at his manicured hands.

“Knock it off, Kane,” my woman snarked. “I’m not the one who abandoned your son for dick.”

Blinking a few times, I held out my hand. “I’m Banks.”

“I know who you are, Mr. Dubrovsky.”

Stiffening, I looked at King, who stepped forward.

“How do you know him?”

Kane Foster reached into his expensive suit and pulled out a black bi-fold wallet. Opening it, I stared at his FBI credentials and badge. Flipping it closed with a snap, he looked around the clubhouse and asked, “Where is Ken?”

“Kai!” Laurel screamed. “You fucking jackass! His name is Kai!”

“Fucking douche,” Nash muttered, slamming his laptop closed. Getting to his feet, my son looked disgusted while Kane Foster grinned.

“Well, if it isn’t Nashville. I see you are still mouthy as ever.”

“Unlike you, who still hides behind that fucking badge. Tell me, Kane.” My son smirked. “You still with that dick you ran off with or have you moved onto bigger and brighter dicks?”

Kane Foster’s face went red with anger.

“You little shit. You know nothing.”

I stepped forward as Laurel stopped me, shaking her head.

“I know you left my mom holding the bag because you were fucking your partner,” Nash said, shrugging. “Now, don’t get me wrong, Kane. Got nothing wrong with that. I say own who you are. One of my best friends is gay, but unlike you, he didn’t abandon his family or friends.”

“Kane, just sign the damn papers so I can take you back to the airport,” my woman demanded. “You know you want nothing to do with Kai. You never did.”

“I want to see him.” Kane smiled.

“Over my dead body,” Laurel snarked. “You don’t deserve to see my son. You abandoned him, remember?”

“I had to take the job, Laurel,” Kane groaned. “You knew it was an excellent position for me. I needed that job to get the one I have now. I’m moving up in the bureau, and you were only holding me back.”

“Well, you’re free now. Sign the fucking paper,” Laurel sneered as Scribe slid them across the table.

“I would really like to see him, Laurel,” Kane whispered. “Please.”

My woman smirked. “Fine, Kane. You can see him. If you can tell me his birthdate?”

Kane smiled. “It’s March 27 th , 2016.”

“Not even close, jackass. It’s August 3 rd , 2017. March 27 th , 2016, is when you got accepted into the FBI.”

“Well, that was an important day for me.”

Groaning, Laurel picked up the papers and handed them to Kane. “Sign the fucking papers or today is going to be memorable as well, because if you don’t sign those papers, today is the day you will become a eunuch.”

“And I will hand her the culling knife.”

Stiffening, the fucker slowly turned to see LeeAnn McDonald, standing in the doorway.

“Hello, Kane.”

“LeeAnn.” The man gulped and for a second, I thought I saw him flinch in fear.

“I took the liberty of calling you an Uber. A nice young man named Travis is waiting out front to take you back to the airport. Please be a dear and never come back.”

Reaching into his suit once more, I said nothing when he grabbed a pen and quickly signed the papers, relinquishing his rights to Kai. Once he was done, he laid the papers on the table and just like when he walked in, he sauntered out of the clubhouse, slamming the door closed behind him.

“Damn, Banks,” King muttered, leaning close. “Your mother-in-law is fucking scary as hell.”

“Yeah.” I grinned. “She’s fucking great, isn’t she?”

Gathering the papers, Scribe said, “I’ll get these filed at the courthouse today. Shouldn’t take more than a week before Judge Tomlinson signs off on them.”

“Thank you, Scribe.” Laurel smiled, wrapping her arm around me.

“Scribe, hang on. I’m calling church.”

Frowning, I looked at my Prez. “What’s wrong now?”

King shook his head. “Later. Just be in church in twenty minutes.”

Nodding, I watched King head back to his office.

“What’s wrong?” Laurel asked.

“I don’t know, babe, but he just doesn’t call church for the hell of it,” I muttered, watching the man walk away.

“Well, I need to head to the Ski Resort with my mom. She has another meeting with Josephine. Can you pick up Kai and the boys at three?”

Looking at my watch, I nodded. “Sure, babe. I’ll get the brats.”

Giving me a quick kiss, Laurel and her mother skedaddled out of the clubhouse, with Bailey and Devlyn following.

Twenty minutes later, King closed the door to church before he walked over to his chair at the head of the table and sat.

All of us were here, minus Georgie, who was at the clinic with Claudia. Even Hawk was here, which shocked me since I hadn’t seen him around a lot lately. It was like he’d up and disappeared on me. Making a mental note to talk to him later, King began.

“We got visitors coming in three days.”

“Who?” Gunner asked.

King looked directly at me and spoke, “The Russian Bratva.”

Sitting up straighter, I shook my head. “What the hell do they want?”

“A place to lie low. That was all Vladmir Ivenok said.”

Shaking my head, I groaned, “Bullshit.”

“Yeah, that was my reaction too, but then I got this,” King said, turning his laptop around so we all could see. There on the screen was a picture of King placing a bomb under a limousine. Clicking the next picture, I saw two men smiling when they got into the vehicle. The last picture was of the limousine in flames and Giovanni Valentinetti holding one of the badly burned and dying men.

“You all know I had a past. This is my past. The man dying is Valentino Valentinetti. That day, I killed him and his brother.”

“Why?” Pyro asked.

“I took a contract, Chase. I didn’t ask why.”

“What does this have to do with the Russians coming?” Hawk asked.

“Apparently, everyone has gotten a similar email. Someone out there knows all our secrets.”

“We have nothing to do with the underworld, King,” Priest stated. “We’re all clean.”

“Yes, you all are, but I’m not,” King admitted.

“So, are we talking blackmail here?” Scribe asked.

“I don’t know, Scribe.” King sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. “After I got the call and that email, I called Reaper. He confirmed everything. Everyone is getting a ghost file. That’s what they’re calling them.”

“And no one knows who sent them?” Scribe asked.

“No.” King shook his head.

“I’ve got a friend. Someone who might know, but he’s always on the move. I’ll need to leave now. Someone needs to look after Henley and Orion while I’m gone.”

“I’ll do it, brother,” Frank offered as Scribe got to his feet.

“I’ll find out who sent that email, King. I promise.”

“Find Antonio Valentinetti. If he’s still in town, take him with you. This concerns his family too. Just be careful, brother. Someone out there is gunning for all of us.”

Scribe said nothing more as he left church.

“I know none of you signed up for this, so I’m giving you all an out. I don’t know what is coming, but I don’t want any of you near this shit. If you want to leave, now is the time to do it.”

Sitting firmly in my spot, I looked around the table.

No one moved as Hawk slowly stood, removing his cut, laying it on the table. “My uncle wrote to me. He wants me back.”

“Brother, no!” I shouted, turning in my seat to face him.

Hawk shook his head. “I don’t really belong here. I never did. My family means everything to me. My uncle said I could return. I can’t ignore that.”

“You step into that ring, Hawk, and you will die,” King said what we were all thinking.

“I could die if I stay here and shit goes sideways. At least I’ll die doing what I love.”

“What about Trip?” Gunner asked.

“He doesn’t need me. He’s got Banks and you guys. His sister is here. Everything he loves is here.”

“You sure about this, Hawk?”

My brother nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. If I don’t go now, I never will.”

King got to his feet and walked over to Hawk. Placing his hand on my brother’s shoulder, he said, “Not gonna be the same around here without you. I won’t stop you from leaving, Hawk, but just know that you are always welcome here.”

“Thank you, King.”

With that, Hawk quietly left the room.

“Anyone else?” King asked, looking about the room.

“This is my home,” Frank muttered. “Not going anywhere.”

“Helped Dad build this place,” Pyro said. “I’m gonna fucking die here.”

“Me too.” Gunner nodded.

“What about you, Priest?”

“Followed you into hell many times, King. Not abandoning you now.”

“Grew up in this town,” Enigma added. “This is my home.”

“Banks?”

“I’m staying.”

“Alright then,” King said, taking his seat. “Then we need to prepare.”