Chapter 13

For the first time since joining the club, Bear didn't lead a club run on his hog. Steel took his place, riding in the front of the formation with the remaining club riding behind him on their way to the hospital. He was followed by Bulldog and Scar, Jumper and Demo, Ghost and Ranger, Keys and Pumpkin, with Grumpy and Bones on watch at the tail. Lucky and Bear remained behind.

After hearing the news that Bree was going to be discharged, Lucky and Steel postponed their drive to Philadelphia for a day in order to celebrate her homecoming. Conner's funeral was planned for the following Friday. The staff at Conner's grandfather's memory care facility had been informed of his death. They would make sure the man was dressed and ready on Friday to be picked up for the funeral. A nurse would be accompanying him.

Cage had sprung the news on the club, keeping it a secret from Angel and Bree, that he'd bought a wheelchair accessible vehicle for the girls. He swore the club to secrecy, claiming he wanted to do something nice for his kidney buddy. In Bear's opinion, donating his kidney was more than nice enough, but he kept his mouth shut. It was the reason Cage had remained at the hospital the past couple of days. The vehicle had been delivered and then he'd had to arrange for Angel's hog to be picked up and taken back to the clubhouse without Angel noticing.

Steel said he also had a gift for Bree but was being tightlipped about it. Bear was pretty sure Jenna didn't even know, because none of the other women knew and those girls couldn't keep a secret to save their lives.

From his place on the couch, he watched the Honeys, Jenna, Harper, Tessa, Sissy, and, sometimes Scotty, get the party ready. The Honeys were under strict instructions that they were not allowed to do anything explicit at this party, as children would be present. Bear had heard some grumblings after the fact and told himself he'd keep on eye on the women. None were dressed inappropriately, though one or two probably could have put more clothing on. Bear supposed he had no room to judge. He'd slept with all of the Honeys at one time or another. More than once too. He'd enjoyed their company and the easy way it was with them. No commitments, no explaining that he didn't want attachments… It was hard to believe how quickly he'd fallen for Tessa, when he'd once fought any idea of a relationship. After Bonnie had broken his heart, he'd never wanted to put it in the position to be broken again.

Then Tessa came strolling up to that bar in Pittsburgh. Was it fate? Divine intervention? Or perhaps Bear had been looking for something without even knowing he'd been searching for it.

As Tessa helped as best she could with her arm in a cast, Bear's eyes followed her like magnets. He couldn't look away. Fuck, she was sexy. She was wearing a cute maternity dress that accentuated her cub bump. Bear really wanted to be over there with her, but he'd been ordered to sit on the couch with his foot raised and, like a good boy, that was what he was doing. Lucky was lying down next to him with his eyes closed. The concussion he'd gotten resulted in headaches. And, even though he'd remained seated in the cellar most of yesterday afternoon, it had taken a lot out of him.

Bear's eyes landed on the secret hatch in the floor. The women were walking over it, completely oblivious to the horror that had taken place below the day before.

Though Crisco had refused to speak at first, he'd eventually started talking. Anything to stop Scar from cutting off his appendages and force-feeding them to him. Crisco, with a couple less fingers and toes, had given up all the names of people he'd associated with. While Crisco remembered most of the names of his customers, unfortunately, he didn't know any of his victims' names. He claimed their names hadn't been worth memorizing. Keys was now in possession of the customer names who paid Crisco to kidnap someone, which he hoped would lead him to the names of the missing women, and the names of customers who paid Crisco to have sex with the kidnapped victims and be filmed doing it. Bear knew those men were not long for this world if Steel gave Scar permission to deal with them.

Crisco also admitted that Bree was not the first child or teenager that he'd bought. Most were likely like Bree, former sex slaves who'd outgrown their pedophile's age preference. Crisco said that children make the best art. That had enraged all the brothers in the cellar with him to the point where a couple had to step out.

Crisco also admitted to "sampling" the product before offering them to his paying customers. Scar had cut off his ear for that admission and shoved it down the man's throat. Then he poured water into the man's mouth until he swallowed.

The customer was a different story. There were no questions that needed to be asked of him. He was a sadist who liked inflicting pain and fear during sex. He paid Crisco the opportunity to have such experiences, so he didn't hurt his wife. To him, the fact that the women died just meant there was one less whore in the world. Scar had given the customer, whose real name was Vincent Campbell, the rapist special.

As far as Crisco knew, Nathan Moore was the real name of Bree's abductor. He claimed he called Moore the morning after his men had confessed to having thrown Bree's body out of their van in panic and told the man that Bree was alive. He assumed that Moore had shown up at the hospital in an effort to silence Bree and likely left town after she'd died on the operating table. He hadn't heard from Moore since.

Keys was also looking for Moore, in the hopes that the club could bring him to justice. Unfortunately, the name was popular, even among the different types of cops who carried a silver star on their badge, and there was no guarantee he was a resident of the state of Pennsylvania or the state of Massachusetts. Keys had a hard task ahead of him. Angel was very concerned that the man would take possession of another tween like he had Bree. Predators didn't just snap out of their sick desires.

When they had left the cellar, Scar and Bulldog had remained behind. Bear didn't know what had become of Crisco but, given Angel's decree that it needed to be painful, Bear had no doubt that Scar had delivered. Hell, the depraved man could be down there right now, suffering in agony, while the club partied above him. Bear didn't know and, moreover, he didn't want to know.

A clatter came from the kitchen area. Lucky stirred. "They back yet?" he mumbled.

"Not yet," Bear told him. "You don't have to stay, you know. Bree would understand if you needed to go lay down."

"Pretty sure I'll throw up if I stand right now."

Just as Lucky said that, Bear caught sight of Harper rushing towards the bathroom with her hand over her mouth. His eyes narrowed in concern. Tessa was hurrying after her with some ginger ale and crackers. That made Bear's eyebrows rise. Perhaps the women could keep a secret.

Bear looked down at Lucky. He didn't want to say anything about his suspicions in case it ruined Harper's opportunity to share the news herself. It was her right to do so. "Want me to get Tessa to take a look at you? You might have overdone it yesterday."

Lucky gently shook his head. "Nah. I'll stay until Bree gets here. I don't want to miss that. Then I'll have someone take me home."

He must be feeling bad if he offered to have someone take him home instead of someone having to force an escort on him. Bear patted his best friend's leg. "Sucks being useless."

Lucky snorted and then winced. "Understatement. You know I owe you for what you did for Harper."

Bear scowled, even though his friend couldn't see it with his eyes closed. "No, you don't. Because if our roles were reversed, and it had been Tessa in danger, there's not a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't have done the same for her. We look after each other, Russell. Always have, always will."

Lucky's lips twitched into a smile. "Whatever you say, Terrance."

Bear rolled his eyes. "My dad will be here soon. He can take you back to your house. Other than Bulldog, he's probably the only other one here who could lift your sorry ass."

"Remember when he used to swing us around and toss us into the pool like we were flour sacks?"

Bear smiled at the memory. "We were such cute kids."

"Yeah," Lucky snorted. "What happened?"

"Life," Bear answered, though he was sure the question had been meant rhetorically. "We've certainly had it good. Now we're just a bunch of old farts trying to keep up with everyone else."

"Never felt so old in my life," Lucky mumbled.

If Bear's suspicion about what was going on in the lady's room was correct, Lucky was about to feel a lot older. "I'll be fifty-eight when my daughter turns eighteen. Not even counting if Tessa has any more cubs."

"At least you got a kid on the way. We're trying, but so far all her tests are coming back negative. Harper says she's going to wait until after her next period and then we can go see that fertility specialist I was telling you about."

Bear was pretty sure that wasn't necessary but, again, kept his mouth shut. "I hope it works out for you, man. Hell, you can always do what Angel did and adopt."

"Fuck, I'm still not sure how she pulled that off. Keys even looked into it and couldn't find a flaw in what whomever had done what they'd done to make it look like Bree had always been Angel's."

"Just be grateful that she was able to. Bree deserves happiness and, frankly, so does Angel. Something about Bree made her latch onto that girl and not want to let go."

The roar of pipes muted whatever Lucky was going to say next. A moment later, Harper and Tessa exited the lady's room. Harper was sipping the ginger ale.

Scotty came running in from the back pavilion area, his dog Spot chasing behind him. Sissy was calling after her brother, who was ignoring her, and hurried to catch up to the hyper teenager. Lucky groaned at his children's loud voices.

Bear looked down at him. "Regretting taking them in?"

"Never," Lucky replied automatically. "Just wishing it was legal to muzzle your children."

Bear snorted. "Need help up?"

Lucky cracked a black-and-blue eye open. "From you? Which one of us would be helping the other up?"

Bear settled back down the cushions. "Fair enough. Might as well stay here anyway. We'd probably just be in everyone's way."

Lucky closed his eye again. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Tessa's jawnearly dropped when she spotted the shiny white Chevrolet Traverse pulling up to the clubhouse surrounded by roaring motorcycles. Harper stood next to her, equally shocked. When Cage had said he'd gotten an accessible van for Angel and Bree, Tessa had been expecting a used mini van. The shiny crossover SUV was the last thing she'd imagined.

"Cage bought that?" Harper gaped. She was still sipping her ginger ale Tessa had given to her when she'd seen Harper rush into the bathroom. Morning sickness had claimed another victim.

"Do you think it's a rental or did he actually buy it for them?" Tessa asked in return. She couldn't imagine buying someone a car. Especially one that had all the bells and whistles this one appeared to have.

As the brothers parked and dismounted their bikes, Cage pulled the car right up to the clubhouse. Cage got out, putting his cut on as he walked around to the back passenger door. Rather than opening outwards as expected on an SUV, it slid backward like a mini van door. The new sidewalk provided a nice landing for the side-entry in-floor power ramp.

Then a very smiling Bree rolled her way down the ramp to the applause of everyone present. She was in her pink wheelchair Angel had bought for her. It provided her extra cushion and hip support, Tessa noted, as well as secured her legs with a strap so they couldn't fall without her noticing. On her hands were finger-less gloves to help protect her palms until she got used to the rubbing of the wheels.

Angel walked down the ramp behind her. She too was wearing her cut, and also a very relieved smile. She'd been through a lot these past few weeks. Tessa made a mental note to pull Angel aside and check in with her. Angel put on a good front, but she was only human. She needed help and support just like anyone else. Tessa knew she had the club to lean on but, sometimes—okay, most of the time—men were oblivious to certain aspects of life. Tessa meant to ensure Angel had more of a feminine support system than she'd had before when the club had just been the brothers, Angel, and Jenna. Their estrogen numbers had gone up in recent months.

Tessa leaned toward Harper as she whispered. "Angel looks exhausted. Doubtful she'll say anything and push through, but let's try to get her and Bree over to my house early."

Harper nodded in agreement. "I need to get Lucky to bed too. He's laying down now to, quote, ‘keep Bear company'." The other woman snorted, "Like I couldn't tell he had a headache and needed to lay down regardless."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Men."

As Bree was led into the clubhouse by Angel, Jenna came up behind Tessa and Harper. "Everything's ready outside." Tessa nodded before relaying her concern about Angel to Jenna. Ever the matriarch, Jenna agreed with the plan to encourage Angel and Bree to turn in early. "Pretty sure Lucky's asleep on the couch too."

Harper bit her lip in concern. "I knew I shouldn't have let him come. He was so insistent that he was fine, though."

"Let's get the others outside and into the pavilion area," Tessa suggested. "Sleep is the best thing for him. If we can lower the noise level in the clubhouse, he should be fine where he is until we can get someone to wheelbarrow him back to your house."

"I think they wanted to see what Steel's surprise is," Jenna said. "Even I don't know what it is."

The women started to encourage everyone outside to the back pavilion area. When the land had been a distillery, the pavilion had been where they'd hosted tastings during the summer as well as the occasional wedding or party. Once the club had taken it over, they'd turned it more into a picnic area. Long tables and chairs were placed underneath and a permanent large grill had been installed. The outdoor kitchen the distillery had had was upgraded, though the club had kept the bar area as is.

Scotty quickly attached himself to Bree's hip—or wheel. He was taking her around and showing her every nook and cranny of the pavilion area. Though the pavilion had always had a concrete flooring, a small ramp and sidewalk had been installed to connect the back door of the clubhouse to the pavilion area.

Tessa caught Bear's eye from across the clubhouse room. He gave her an encouraging nod to continue on. Harper had also paused, a worried look on her face when she saw her snoozing fiancé. Bear indicated towards Lucky and then gave Harper a thumb's up. Though Harper looked torn, she joined Tessa outside.

"We can bring them food in a few minutes and check on them," Tessa told her. "Neither can drink right now, but both should increase their water intake due to their injuries."

"Yes, Dr. Fisher," Harper said with a playful nudge.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Habit." She pointed to Angel, who was standing at the bar with Ghost and Ranger. "Come on. Let's go see how she's doing."

"She'll never admit to being anything other than fine when around the guys," Harper pointed out. "We need to get her away from them if we want to get any honest answers from her."

Tessa hated to admit it, but Harper had a point. "Any ideas?"

"One," Harper said as they walked up to the bar. Angel was leaning back against it with a beer in her hand, though Tessa had noticed she hadn't drunk any of it. "I swear," Harper said louder as they approached. "It was a bloodbath. I've never had such a heavy period in my life. And the cramping! God, I thought my insides were on fire. Worst. Period. Ever."

Both Ghost and Ranger spat their beers out as they choked. Neither one seemed to be able to catch his breath as they made pathetic excuses to walk away. The three women waited until they were out of earshot before they burst out laughing.

"Oh my God!" Tessa had to cross her legs to keep from peeing her pants. "That was not what I had in mind, Harper!"

Angel was holding herself up against the bar. "I have no idea what that was about, but that was fantastic. I swear, no man can handle period talk. No matter what they claim, they all turn so squeamish."

"We wanted a chance to talk to you," Harper explained. "A lot has happened in a short amount of time. How're you?" Before Angel could answer, Harper put up a finger. "I mean how are you really? No bullshitting us, Angel. I mean it."

Angel's elation seemed to crumble at that. It was like her mask of strength had vanished in a blink of an eye. "Honestly? I'm a whirlwind of emotions. I'm exhausted but so happy that Bree's finally home. I know I agreed to adopt her and, trust me, I don't regret it, but I want nothing more than to crawl into my bed right now and sleep for days. I feel like if I blink for too long, my eyelids may not open again."

Tessa took the untouched beer from Angel's hand. "First, alcohol is the last thing you need right now. Second, I know this is Bree's welcome home party, but you also need sleep. Why don't you come home with me and I'll get you settled?—"

"No, I can't leave Bree?—"

"She's safe here," Tessa interrupted Angel's interruption. "The club's got her. And you're no good to her if you burn out." She rested a hand on Angel's shoulder. "You're not in this alone, you know."

Angel nodded. "I know. I just… I can't seem to let her out of my sight. I can't…" She flinched. "When I try to sleep, I have nightmares that she really didn't make it through the surgery or that she decided not to fight at all and died from her injuries or…" Her voice trailed off. "I can fight any enemy except the ones in here," she tapped the side of her head. "I have to make sure Bree's safe."

Tessa exchanged a look with Harper. She wondered if Angel had a form of PTSD. Maybe from her time in the military, or perhaps from a different time in her life. Regardless, it was showing now through her worry for Bree and compounded further by her exhaustion.

Tessa turned herself so she was also leaning up against the bar, shoulder to shoulder with Angel. She nodded her chin towards Bree, who let out a loud and joyous laugh at something Scotty said to her. Spot, Scotty's service dog, was half on her lap as she scratched his ears. "Look at her," Tessa said softly. "She's here. She's finally home. She'll never know hunger or fear again. We won't let her. You're not an army of one, Angel. The others have her. Let them take care of her and let us take care of you. When was the last time you took a bath or slept all the way through the night?"

Angel bit her lip, looking torn. "No," she finally said. "I need to stay. At least until Bree's ready to go."

Harper looked worriedly at Tessa behind Angel's back. Then she said to Angel, "How about this? Bear and Lucky are inside resting. The two are curled up on the couch, enjoying their bromance." Angel let out a short laugh at that image. "Why don't you join them? You'll still be here if Bree needs you, but you can also shut your eyes if you need to."

"You two aren't going to let this go, are you?" Angel inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"No," both Harper and Tessa said together. Then Harper added, "Please, Angel. Tessa's right. You aren't going to be any good to Bree if you don't take care of yourself too."

Angel let out a long sigh. "Fine. I'll go cuddle with the old married couple. Honestly, if you two hadn't come along, I was rooting for those two getting together."

"Don't let them hear you say that," Tessa said through her laughter, "or we'll be replaced!" Gently pushing Angel towards the door, she encouraged, "Go sit. Harper and I will make plates for everyone and bring it inside to you."

"Let Bree know where I am too, please," Angel threw over her shoulder as she walked towards the clubhouse.

Harper and Tessa watched her go. Tessa's shoulders drooped. "Well, at least, we got her to sit down."

"It's a start." Harper headed towards the food table where everything was set out buffet style. "How about I get the drinks? I don't think I'm ready to face food just yet."

Tessa nodded. "Fine with me. Do you think Lucky will eat anything?"

"Just grab him a burger and some coleslaw. If he doesn't eat it, Bear will."

"Gotcha."

By the time the ladies had brought in the drinks and plates of food, Angel was curled up in the loveseat sound asleep. Harper ran to the apartment Lucky kept in the clubhouse to grab a pillow and blanket for her. Bear whispered a thank you to Tessa, pulling her close to kiss her baby bump as well as her lips. Lucky was still snoozing, so Tessa placed his plate and glass of water on the table beside him.

"Call me if any of you need anything else," Tessa told him after Harper had put the blanket over Angel.

"Of course, Mama Bear." He pulled her down for one last kiss before Tessa and Harper walked away.

Once outside, Tessa said, "Well, at least she's asleep."

"Did you pick up on the worry she has for Bree? Like, I get being worried for your children, but it seemed more than that."

Tessa nodded. "I did. Hopefully it will die down with time. A lot has happened in the past six weeks. It's hard to believe how much. Hell, six weeks ago I was preparing to raise my baby as a single mother. Now look at me: I'm sharing a house with my baby daddy and about to get married."

"Don't forget you joined this crazy bunch," Harper added indicating to the crowd outside.

"Hard to forget." Both women laughed.

Later on, when Steel called for everyone's attention, Tessa pulled out her phone to record the big reveal. It was both so Angel could see it later, as well as for Bree.

Steel handed Bree a white rectangular box with a large pink bow. The girl quickly opened it, nearly ripping the thin cardboard in the process. Inside was a denim vest, much like the club members were wearing. It was then that Tessa realized Scotty was wearing a denim cut. He hadn't been before, had he? She hadn't noticed.

On the front left, it said Bree's name. On the back, it had the Via Daemonia's logo with Property of Angel on the bottom rocker.

Bree let out a squeal of excitement. Jenna came forward to help Bree sit forward enough to put the cut on.

"There's more in the box," she told Bree softly as she stepped away again. She stood back and linked her fingers with Steel's.

Bree looked into the box once more. She pulled out what looked to be an intricacy of black straps. "I don't understand," she said gently to Steel, as if she was worried she'd hurt his feelings.

"This is a harness that attaches you to whomever is sitting in front of you," Steel explained. "Until you get your upper body strength up, you'll need help getting on and off a sled, but this harness allows you to sit securely to the person you're riding with."

Bree's eyes lit up. "You mean I get to ride on a motorcycle?"

"Not today, but yes, someday, when you're ready. And," he added sternly, "if your mother says it's okay."

Bree let out a squeal of joy before pushing herself forward to hug Steel around his legs. He broke her hold, knelt, and hugged her properly.

Tessa's vision blurred as tears clouded her eyes. She stopped recording, knowing she couldn't hold her phone steady anymore. A quick glance to her right confirmed that Harper was just as emotional as she was.

"That was a good surprise," Harper said as she wiped her cheeks.

Tessa nodded. "A very good surprise."

Despite the sunny August day,the mood was somber as everyone prepared to leave. Lucky and Steel had been driven to Philadelphia by Quinten last Monday. Per a conversation Tessa had overheard between Bear and Lucky, Conner's grandfather hadn't even known he'd had a grandson. Poor man. Dementia was a terrible disease. Now, it was the following Friday and the day of Conner's funeral.

Tessa had had to go shopping for a black maternity dress. None of her other black dresses would fit her. Jenna, Angel, and Bree had accompanied her. Bree also needed an outfit. She wasn't comfortable wearing a dress in her wheelchair, so she went with black pants and a dress shirt. They also made sure to get Bree other outfits too, but funeral attire had been the shopping trip's priority.

As far as Tessa knew, Harper still hadn't told Lucky about the pregnancy. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, maybe for Lucky to be feeling better, but Tessa wasn't judging. How and when Harper told Lucky was her business. Tessa just hoped that it was soon; she was not good at keeping secrets from Bear and had nearly slipped up a couple of times.

All of the club members and prospects were riding to Philadelphia, with the exception of Lucky and Bear who medically couldn't ride. They were taking one of the club SUVs for Bear, Lucky, Harper, Tessa, and Sissy. Sissy insisted on driving so that Gus and Quinten could ride to honor their fallen brother. It wasn't often that prospects got to ride with the club on runs, but a funeral procession was one of the exceptions. All the members wore black arm bands as well as their cuts.

That morning, Bear had given Tessa her cut. It looked just like Jenna's and Harper's, with the exception of Property of Bear on the back. Tessa had hugged it to herself as another uncontrollable crying spell had come over her. She knew that Bear had been waiting a while to give her her cut, and she also knew that it was supposed to be given in celebration. However, he wanted her to have it for the funeral.

Bear and Scar's cuts had also been replaced in time for the funeral. Scar would be wearing his as he rode in the procession. Bear's cut was with the others' in the car until they were "out of the cage". Apparently, cuts were not worn in vehicles, which was something Tessa had picked up on prior to Bear telling her. Though Lucky didn't like it, he was going to the funeral in a wheelchair. Harper had insisted as dizzy spells still took him over. His wheelchair and Bree's were stored in the trunk of the SUV.

Bree was riding behind Angel on her new Tri-Glide Ultra. The new alpine green trike had been purchased by Angel so Bree was more secure while riding. Being a trike, the balance was better than a two-wheeled motorcycle. Bree still had to use her new harness that Steel had given her. The smile on her face as she sat behind Angel as everyone was getting ready to ride out was out of place among the mourners. Bree was also wearing her new denim cut.

Scotty was riding behind Bones. He, Bree, and Jenna were the only ones riding wearing a helmet. Despite MC tradition, none of the adults would allow the kids to ride without a helmet. Steel was the same with Jenna. The MC brothers didn't wear helmets in a funeral procession as a show of respect for the dead.

The hearse carrying Conner's coffin had arrived about fifteen minutes ago. The hired driver was waiting respectfully for the procession to start. Since Carlos was attending the funeral as a family friend, he had another deputy waiting to lead the procession. The Mount Grove PD would take them to the county line where another police escort would be waiting. Even though he couldn't ride, Bear had arranged the route and contacted the necessary police departments to inform them of the procession.

Conner had been discharged from the Army with honors and was eligible to receive military funeral honors. The honor guard would be at the cemetery waiting for them upon their arrival.

Since this was the first death for the Via Daemonia, some decisions had to be made that they'd never considered when forming their bylaws and club. Traditionally, the officers would be the pallbearers at an MC funeral. However, two of their officers were currently injured and unable to perform the task. Therefore, the club decided to allow Gus and Quinten to take Bear and Lucky's places. They were the closest to Conner, their fellow prospect. The plan was that Steel would lead as Gus, Quinten, Bulldog, Scar, Jumper, and Demo followed with the coffin.

Though he was a service dog, Spot had been left behind. Therefore, it was Scotty's responsibility to take charge of Aerial while Jumper performed his pallbearer duties. This was Scotty's first funeral and, even though he claimed he understood what was going on, Lucky and Harper were worried how he'd handle the event. Keeping Aerial close to him was a favor to them as much as it was Jumper.

As everyone signaled they were ready, bikes were mounted and car doors were closed. The police car started out, followed by the hearse, then Steel and Jenna's bike, then the members in rows of two, then the SUV Sissy was driving with Lucky, Bear, Tessa, and Harper, and finally Quinten and Gus.

No one said a word. Their hearts were heavy as they rode off to honor their fallen friend and brother.

Tessa flinchedas the first set of rifle shots rang out. She knew they were blanks, but the noise still startled her. She was sitting in the second row of chairs by the open grave. Steel, Jenna, and Bulldog sat in the front row with Conner's grandfather. The man was confused, though he seemed to understand he was at a funeral. The nurse who had accompanied him from the memory care facility stood off to the side, but still within eyesight of her charge.

After the three rifle volleys were completed, the honor guard removed the American Flag from over Conner's casket. They folded it neatly into a triangle before presenting the flag to Conner's grandfather. The confused man turned away from the flag, claiming it didn't belong to him. Steel stoically stood and accepted the flag in his place. Tessa wasn't sure what he would do with the flag and hoped it still ended up with Conner's grandfather.

Roses had been given out at the beginning of the service. Row after row stood and approached the casket. Tessa moved slow, trying to guide Bear on his crutches as best she could over the uneven ground. Lucky and Bree had to be pushed to get the wheelchairs over the terrain. Roses were placed on the shiny wood. As Tessa placed hers on top, she noticed the Via Daemonia's logo had been etched into the top of the casket.

She tried to even her breaths as she made her way back to her seat. Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She pulled yet another tissue from her purse. Between her own sorrow and pregnancy hormones, she knew she'd need a full box. Harper came over and took her hand.

Tapswas played by an Honor Guard bugler as the casket was finally lowered into the ground.

Tessa closed her eyes and prayed that Conner found peace. She hoped he knew how respected, loved, and missed he was. Tears continued to fall as the first shovel of dirt fell atop the grave.

Scotty rodewith them in the SUV on the way back to the clubhouse. He'd been tired after the funeral and had needed a nap. He hadn't been the only one. Both Tessa and Harper had also fallen asleep during the ride home.

The Honeys had not attended the funeral. They'd remained behind to set up the reception at the clubhouse. While it was open to the public, this was not a club party. Anyone found being disrespectful, noisy, or wanting a party would be told to leave.

Though Conner had been buried wearing his new cut with full colors, another had been made in his honor. It now hung behind the bar in a shadow box with a plaque stating his name, road name, birth year, and death year. The words Fallen but not Forgotten were above the frame. Tessa wondered if the club planned to keep it there for any other members they might lose.

God, she thought sharply. That could have been Bear up there.

It wasn't that she hadn't realized the deadly situation they'd been in at the Hannigan house. She'd thought she'd lost Bear when his car had gone over the bridge too. For some reason, though, seeing that memorial behind the bar for Conner, it gave her a sense of panic. In gaining a large family, she'd also gained a higher possibility of hurting. Anything could happen. To any of them. As her eyes landed on Bear on the couch across the room from her, she couldn't help but fear what could happen to him.

"Easy. Here, sit." Tessa was guided back onto a bar stool. A glass of cold water was placed in her hand. It took her a moment to realize it was Ghost who'd spoken and assisted her. She didn't know him all that well, though she owed him for saving Bear's life the day of the crash.

"Drink," he instructed her.

Realizing her panic had been noticed, her cheeks reddened. Tessa ducked her head and drank as an excuse to not look at him.

"No need to be embarrassed, Doc. Funerals are hard on everyone."

After a couple deep sips, she admitted, "I haven't been to one since my dad's when I was ten."

Ghost's hand landed on her shoulder in a sympathetic squeeze. "I've been to too many, myself. Lost a lot of brothers along the way."

"I'm sorry."

He tried to shrug it off, but Tessa could see the pain in his green eyes. "No one ever claimed life was fair. Truth is, I'm pretty sure I'd be six feet under right now if it wasn't for the Via Daemonia. Joining the club saved my life—or rather my sanity. I owe everyone here my loyalty." He gave her a chin lift. "That means you too, Doc. You need anything, you or Bear, you can come to me, day or night."

She gave him a soft smile. "Thank you, Ghost. I also don't think I ever thanked you for saving Bear that day on the bridge."

He shook his head. "Bear's my brother. You never have to thank me for that. Plus, pretty sure that bastard is stubborn enough to come back from the dead just to haunt my ass for not saving him."

Tessa found herself smiling, which was probably Ghost's plan to distract her from her panic. She reached for his hand. "Still, thank you."

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "In that case, you're welcome. Now, can I escort you back to your ol' man? He's probably shooting daggers at my back right now."

She looked around his wide body to see Bear was indeed glaring in their direction. Her smile widened.

Though the reception had a somber feel to it, there was still laughter and the brothers sharing stories of Conner's time with them. As the sun began to set, Harper and Tessa found themselves on the loveseat next to the couch where Lucky and Scotty slept—the teen laying on his father's chest—and Bear lounged at their feet. They were facing the entry doors, which is probably why they were the first to notice the woman who entered.

She was in her mid-twenties with raven shoulder-length hair. Her large green eyes were shifting around nervously. She was wearing dark jeans, sandals, and a maroon tunic. As she was stepping into the room, she paused and looked behind her. A second later, a small hand took hold of hers as woman and boy stepped inside.

Tessa and Harper glanced at each other.

The boy was maybe three. He had curly blonde locks and large brown eyes. He popped his left thumb into his mouth as he waddled in that way toddlers did.

Tessa and Harper rose to meet them. Were they here for the funeral reception? Tessa could understand not taking a child to the funeral, but they were hours late for the reception. By this point, people from town who'd come to pay their respects had already left. All that remained were the club and their families. Even several of the Honeys had already left—especially when none of the brothers were in the mood for their brand of entertainment.

Harper looked equally perplexed and likely had the same questions running through her head. Who were they and how did they know Conner?

"Hi," Tessa said as they approached. Lucky and Scotty were sound asleep, but Bear straightened in his seat on the couch, keeping a close eye on the women and the newcomer. "Can we help you?"

"I'm looking for Jack Duncan," the woman said. She pulled an envelope from her back pocket. "I was told I could find him here."

Though Tessa didn't recognize the name, Harper did. "That's Steel." She turned over her shoulder and spotted both him and Jenna across the room. "Wait here. I'll go get him."

Tessa realized then that she'd never bothered to learn any of the members' legal names. She knew Lucky's from his and Bear's bantering back and forth. Perhaps she should ask for a list of everyone's names—though it didn't seem like the brothers answered to their legal names often. It then occurred to her that Angel might not be Angel's legal name either.

Not wanting to seem rude, she turned her attention back to the woman. "Can I get you anything to drink? Are you here for the reception?"

The woman shook her head. "No, thank you. Um, I'm… I just need to speak with Mr. Duncan, please."

"Sure," Tessa said cordially. There weren't any open seats except for the loveseat that Harper and she had just vacated. "Here, why don't you have a seat? You both look tired."

The woman looked like she wanted to refuse again, but then nodded. "Thank you. We've had a few layovers and only just got in. I'm sorry I missed the funeral. I hadn't realized it was today."

So she did know Conner. Layovers meant she'd flown in though. And with a few of them, she'd flown in from a distance.

Before Tessa could inquire further, Harper approached with Jenna and Steel. Bulldog and Scar shadowed them but kept their distance. The woman now sat on the loveseat with her boy cradled on her lap.

Steel held out his hand. "I'm Jack Duncan."

The woman reached to take his hand. "I know you go by Steel, but I felt weird calling you that. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Steel waved off her concern. "What can I do for you, Ms…?"

"Geez," she tapped herself on the forehead. "I'm so sorry. I'm exhausted. My name is Clara Everwood." She took the envelope and handed it to Steel. "Conner told me to give this to you if anything ever happened to him."

"Conner did?" Steel took the envelope but didn't open it. "How did you know Conner?" Steel's eyes landed on the boy in suspicion.

"It's a long story. Before any rumors start, Kyle isn't his." She indicated to the envelope again. "Please, Mr. Duncan."

They all watched as Steel opened the envelope and pulled out a letter. Steel read it carefully, his face revealing nothing.

Tessa glanced behind her at Bear. He shook his head, indicating he had no more idea of what was going on then she did.

Finally, Steel put the letter down. The only emotion Tessa seemed to be able to detect off the man was sadness. He looked between the woman and the boy, then he turned to his wife. "Can you get our guest room ready? Ms. Everwood and her son are going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future."

Though questions rang in her eyes, Jenna nodded. "Of course." She leaned up and kissed Steel on the cheek before heading out.

Steel then handed the letter to Bulldog, who approached. Tessa noticed Scar kept his distance. Others had noticed the newcomer, but no one else was approaching. As VP, Lucky probably would have been handed the letter next, but he was still asleep. Though his bruises looked better, he was still healing from a lot of injuries.

Bulldog's eyes widened slightly and then he handed the letter back to Steel. "It's your call, but I say we honor his wishes."

Steel nodded once. Then he put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the Via Daemonia's President. "This is Clara and her son Kyle. They will be staying with us. They are to be treated with the utmost respect and are under VDMC protection. No one, and I mean no one, is to speak a word about them outside these walls. If I find out that you talked, you'll be placed in a locked room with Scar. Alone. Am I understood?"

Tessa glanced at Scar, but his stoic expression hadn't changed. He certainly seemed scary, though she wasn't sure why others were paling at the idea of being in a locked room alone with him. Regardless, the threat seemed to work. Everyone nodded their understanding.

Slowly, everyone went back to what they'd been doing prior to Steel's announcement.

"What's going on?" At the groggy voice, Tessa turned to find Lucky had woken up, likely at the sound of Steel's sharp whistle. Scotty was still asleep against him.

Steel handed Harper the letter, who dutifully walked it over to Lucky without looking at it herself. Though the man blinked several times to clear his vision, he eventually read the mysterious letter. His eyes widened a lot more than Bulldog's had. He handed the letter back.

Tessa was getting more and more curious about this damn letter. Why hadn't anyone offered for Bear to read it? Or just tell them what it said?

The woman, Clara, stood, cradling her son to her chest. "I don't want to impose?—"

"Nonsense," Steel interrupted. "You're here. You're staying. Do you have bags or anything else?"

"Just a suitcase. I left it outside under some bushes. We took a taxi here."

Steel nodded. "Come. I'll take you to my house and we'll get you settled." As Steel led the woman and boy out of the clubhouse, Scar once again trailed behind them.

Tessa rounded on Bulldog. "What was that about?"

But the big man shrugged. "We're going to have a houseguest for a bit. Kid sure is cute."

Tessa's jaw dropped. "Seriously? You're not going to tell us what was in the letter?"

Bulldog looked down at her. Though, she realized, not on her. As someone with vertical challenges, she'd learned to tell the difference over her years. "It's her story to tell. She requested sanctuary and, on behalf of our brother, we gave it. The rest is up to her."

With that, Bulldog walked away.

Tessa spun on her heels. Bear's face was scrunched, but he didn't seem bothered by what had just happened. "Seriously? You too?"

Bear gave her a guilted shrug. "If Steel had wanted us to know, he would have told us."

"Lucky got to know!" her voice nearly shouted.

"Lucky's VP," Bear told her. "Steel doesn't make any decisions without talking to either Lucky and/or Bulldog first."

"You're an officer too."

Bear reached forward and snagged Tessa by the hip. He pulled her down onto his lap. "Easy, Mama Bear. Put the claws away. Steel's just compartmentalizing. The less who know a secret, the better."

Tessa glared down at him. "I don't like secrets."

Bear smiled up at her. "I know, honey. However, this time, it's not our secret. We need to respect Steel knows what he's doing and will inform us when, or if, he feels he needs to."

Tessa grumbled. "Fine."

She looked over to see Harper now sitting on the couch with Lucky's head in her lap. She was running her fingers through his salt and pepper hair. Scotty still snoozed away on his father's chest, completely oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded.

"How're you planning on getting those two back to your house?" Tessa asked her friend.

Harper snorted. "Oh, I'm not. We live here now. There's a kitchen and bathrooms. We'll be good for a while."

Tessa couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose there are worst places to live."

Bear looked to Harper. "My dad's around here somewhere. I'll get him to help you take Lump One and Lump Two home."

Harper sent him a grateful smile. "Thank you."