Chapter 7

Tav

A fter depositing Niko in the front passenger seat of Pixie's car and making a quick call to Marx, I head back inside to gently let Pixie know that from this point forward, we'll be all staying at the clubhouse. I really fucking hope she takes the news well. Although a big part of me, the part of me that has a fine dick with a set of well-shaped balls attached, that part fears for their safety.

"Pixie?"

Her cute face pops around the corner of the doorway into the living area. "Niko, all settled? I didn't want to bring the kids out too soon. I figured if I told them where we were going in the car they'd squeal and cause Niko pain." She's so sweet, my woman. Always thinking of others.

"He's all good. But I need to talk to you. I spoke to my Pres. We're thinking that maybe it might be safer for you and the kids to pack a few things and stay at the clubhouse for a couple of days. I'll be there the whole time with you and all the guys are good guys. They're-"

"OK."

My mouth snaps shut as I stare at the woman in front of me. "Come again?"

"OK Tav. We'll go to the clubhouse. If he's here in town, and willing to try to fucking take my kid in brOAD DAYLIGHT, that means he's gotten desperate or grown some balls. We, I, need backup. For the kids." She tips her face up to mine and not for the first time. I see fear mixed with rage there. If I ever fucking find out who did this to her, to these kids, I'll end him in a way even Chewy will be impressed with.

A knock at the door breaks through my thoughts of torture, my gaze snapping to Blanche's.

"Are you expecting anyone?"

"Shit, no! You're the only person who ever comes here." She taps a few things on her phone to pull up the security feed, tipping her phone so I can see as well.

"That's Officer Martin. He's a dickhead"

Her eyes shoot to mine as she frowns. "How do you know him?"

"He was part of a raid at the clubhouse a little while back. Hammer had left a deceased girl on MC land. He came in and roughed up Mama Debs,"

Fire shoots from her eyes before she stomps her way to the front door, flinging it open.

"Can I help you?"

Office Dickhead takes a step back, before recovering himself quickly, his gaze running up Blanche's body, before his eyes widen when he sees me standing behind her.

"I got a call to say some kids were dropped off here. A -" he looks down at the notepad in his hand, "Niko and a Sage Landry."

"Yes, that's right, they live here," Blanche answers with a fake smile.

"That makes perfect sense, then. We had a call from a concerned member of the public that saw two children placed in the car of an African American woman and driven away. We had to make sure they weren't kidnapping victims. I'm sure you understand." He smiles tightly at her and there's no way I can shake the slimy feeling he gives off.

"Well, you see, Officer, they almost were the victims of kidnap. That lovely woman saved my kids from their father, who has no right to see them."

Officer Martin's eyes harden. He stands taller and looks down at Blanche. "Ma'am, children need their father."

"In all due respect, Officer, that man has no rights to my children. He isn't listed on the birth certificates, he hasn't even dropped a dime in child support, and the restraining order against him would suggest that my children don't need anything from that man. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a family to take care of." With that, Blanche slams the door in his face and starts pacing the hall.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. He's going to know where we live now." She stares up at me with her dark eyes.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I recognize that officer. I've seen him with Royal."

Shit. This just got a little more complicated. "It's going to be OK, Pixie." She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine before she lets out a breath and pulls her shoulders back. "Good girl. Pack the kids' things and let's get going." I drop a kiss on her top of her head, pat her ass and head into the lounge to round up the rest of what I hope will become my family.

* * *

I usher the Landrys into the clubhouse and, as if she's always lived here, Cove skips ahead, coming to a stop in front of Rider.

"Hi Rider!" She waves at him before twirling and then plopping down next to him on the couch.

"Hey, Little Miss! How's it hanging today?" Rider asks, as he smiles down at her.

"To the left, Rider, to the left," Cove says in a somber voice, shaking her head, ignoring the roars of laughter coming from the men dotted around the room.

"Cove!" her mother hisses at her before closing her eyes and letting out a breath.

"Right, where's this kid?" Switch's voice booms out from down the hall as Niko's body flinches.

"Yeah, sorry, brother has the voice of a fucking fog horn," I whisper to the kid who still has his arm flung over my shoulder, helping keep him steady.

I walk him down the hall, his mother tight to his side, Sage holding her other hand. I'm glad this hallway is wide as hell, otherwise we'd be wedged in. We're almost in Switch's room when Blanche stops abruptly with a gasp, looking around.

"Where's Elio?" Her eyes are wild and it's then I realize she's more afraid than she's been letting on.

"Hey, Pixie, it's alright. My family are here. Chewy waved out to Elio on our way past. He'll be fine with her. But if you want, I can get her to bring him to you?"

Her body deflates slightly as she shakes her head. "No, it's good. I'm good. Just wanted to make sure they were all safe. Let's get Niko settled." And again I watch as she steels herself, her fear melting away once again.

This is part of the reason I fell for her all those months back. There's something vulnerable about her, but it's hidden so deep inside her that the small glimpses I get seem like it is all a part of my imagination. Then I got to know her more. I saw her ferocity in the love for her kids. I saw her single-mindedness in getting justice for the people she works for. I see it every day in her mission against the people who raised her. I may not have seen it when she killed her cousin, but I can damn well imagine how fucking fierce she would have looked. I see all of this and more. I see the softness of the woman underneath the hard exterior.

"On the bed, kid, let's see what we've got, huh?"

My head snaps towards Switch in shock. I have never heard him speak in anything less than a yell. Not even when Gus was his patient. What in the actual hell is happening?

"Let's look at you," he mumbles as he feels around Niko's head. "Good head of hair on you kid, good thing you got a bump to the front of your head, otherwise I'd be having to shave this all off for a better look," he says with a wink.

"Wow, he's really good at this," Blanche breathes out as she watches Switch shine the penlight in Niko's eyes before checking other parts of his body.

We watch him for a few moments while he hums and ahhs, then he takes some notes.

"Niko, I'm going to leave you here to rest for a moment. You can sleep if you need to. I know people say you shouldn't sleep with a concussion, but that's old news. Your brain needs to heal. I'll be back in to check on you. I just need to talk to your mom first."

Niko leans back on the bed, and his eyes close immediately. Switch tips his head toward the door and Blanche and I follow him out, Sage choosing to sit next to her brother, scrolling on her phone.

"He's had one hell of a knock, but he'll be fine. He will need to relax, and take it really easy over the next week I'd say, give his brain time to really heal." Switch's normal voice is back and Blanche looks like a deer caught in the headlights. "Questions?"

"Um, yeah, how do you switch your bedside manner off so quickly?" Blanche asks, wide eyed.

A smile grows over Switch's face. "Why do you think they call me Switch?"

And with that, he steps back into his clinic room, shutting the door on us.

"That was.. rude," Blanche says with a chuckle before sobering and running a hand down her face..

"How you doing, Pixie?"

She tips her head side to side, as if weighing things up. "Well, I feel fucking angry. Scared, tired, fucking livid, worried, shaky and fucking murderous. In that order."

"I can help you with scared, tired, worried, and shaky, but I'm afraid we'll have to wait to murder people. Marx wants a word after you check on Cove and Elio."

She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, lets it out, and then looks at me. "Lets go, Ol Man,"

Blanche

Tav leads me through to the common room, I guess you'd call it. There are people scattered around, some are playing pool, others are leaning on the bar talking. Cove is still yammering away at Rider, who, bless him, is paying attention, nodding now and then. My eyes dart around the room, looking for my little boy. This whole thing will be overwhelming for him. He enjoys routine, and he's not the biggest fan of people. My eyes land on his dark head, his hair as per usual tidily combed, slicked to the side how he likes it. He's sitting across from Chewy, a little frown on his face, his head bent over a collection of odds and ends that he's assembled on the table, much like his setup at home. Chewy is across from him with the same look on her face, intently watching Elio's next move. I edge closer to the pair, feeling Tav following behind. I watch Elio chew his lip before sliding the bottle top in Chewy's direction, taking a dime from her side. She huffs before hunkering down and looking closer at the jumble of things in front of them.

Unable to stand it any longer I break their silence. "Chewy, how do you know how to play Elio's game?"

She turns in my direction, eyes remaining on the table in front of her a moment longer before her gaze flits to mine, and then over my shoulder.

"Everyone know's how to play chess," she says, frowning, as if I've asked the dumbest question ever.

"Elio doesn't."

"Are you sure? Because that's what we've been playing this whole time."

What the hell? "Are you saying Elio is playing chess?" I wave my hand at the bottle tops and dimes and little packets of salt and pepper on the table.

"Of course he is. See? The bottle tops are the kings." She points to the bottle top, but I'm still not seeing it.

"But Elio doesn't know how to play chess."

She looks at Elio, then back in my direction. "Have you told him that? Because I'm pretty sure he would tell you, you're wrong. If you wait a moment, you'll see."

She swipes the screen on her phone, checks something and then holds her hand up above her head, holding up three fingers. She puts one down, then the next, then the last one before pointing at the door where, right on cue Rhodie walks through the door, making a beeline for his Ol Lady. He puts a package on the table, lifts Chewy, gives her a smacking kiss on the lips, then takes her seat, settling her in his lap.

Chewy snuggles closer and then pushes the package toward Elio. "There you go buddy, open that sucker and we can really get down to business."

A wide grin splits my little boy's face as he tears open the paper, his eyes going huge when he sees the contents.

"What is it, Elio?" Tav asks gently.

Without saying a word, Elio turns his package around to show us. A chess board. He hugs it to his chest reverently before opening it, taking out the pieces, and setting the board like he's been doing this for years.

"Holy shit, my baby boy has been playing chess and I never even knew." My hand comes to settle on my chest and I feel like a piece of crap. How could I miss that? My baby had been trying to show me, tell me, have me join in his game and I never once thought long enough or hard enough about it to figure it out myself. That, alongside what happened to Niko and Sage this afternoon has me feeling like a fucking failure. I've set my goal, and in doing so I've dropped the ball when it comes to my babies. Shit.

"Hey, Pixie, look at me," Tav says as he gently turns me. "I know where that pretty head of yours is going, and you're wrong. You are an amazing woman and mother. You're doing this alone. You work and you raise four cool as hell kids. No normal person would have figured out what Elio was playing. Chewy and Elio have genius brains that sort through information differently than ours. You haven't failed him. You've given him an aunt that understands him. Together, they'll rule the world. Which, come to think of it, could actually not be a good thing." Tav's brows pull in and my eyes roll automatically.

"Well, thank you for putting me at ease and now giving me the shits over what mischief those two will get into."

"More than you'll know," Tav says under his breath, but loud enough for me to have my head snapping in his direction.

"What?"

"Nothing. Let me introduce you to my brothers and then we can talk to Marx." Tav takes my hand and tugs me toward the bar.

There's a young man behind the bar, short, stocky and muscular. He's wearing a prospect cut like Tav, so I'm guessing he also has all the crappy jobs. Tav's told me a few of the things he's had to do, not in too much detail of course. That's secret man club stuff. Although from what I can gather, Tav seems to spend a lot of time cleaning things up.

"Takoda, this is my Ol Lady, Blanche. Pixie, this is Takoda. We get the shit jobs," He smiles broadly as Takoda gives me a two finger wave and then goes back to wiping down the bar.

"This big guy is Tank. He's my sponsor. He's like my biker mentor,"

Tank smiles and gives me a chin lift. Ooook. Looks like these are men of very few words. A squeal comes from the hallway and I spin to see who is making that sound.

"Look, Mags! There are kids here!"

A little girl around Cove's age with a dinosaur on her shirt runs out of the hall over to my daughter on the couch. "Hi! I'm Jovie. What's your name? Do you have a mommy or daddy here? Or did the good men save you?"

I tilt my head in question at Tav. He leans down, his lips brushing my ear, giving me shivers. "That's Jovie, Wire and Remy's adopted daughter. Remy saved her from being sold by Hammer and her father, and now she's their daughter. They live here in the clubhouse and she's been dying for some little friends."

Cove jumps off the couch and, using her outside voice inside, loudly tells Jovie that her brother was almost kidnapped by a bad man and he's seeing the doctor biker. I cringe, hiding my face in Tav's arms while he chuckles beside me.

Jovie gasps dramatically "Don't worry DRMC will help, they'll catch the bad man and make him pay."

"Oh, it's OK. My mommy is going to do that," Cove says, nodding seriously.

"Oh, my mommy gets bad guys, too! One day I'm going to be tough like my mommy and daddy and I'm going to wear a leather vest like Papa Flack and Uncle Marx and Uncle Rhodie and Uncle Rider and Uncle Tank and Uncle Judge and Uncle Sniper and Uncle Fox and Uncle Nitro and sometimes Uncle Switch. But I'll smell like pretty things and not armpits."

"Ew," Cove says, nodding in agreement while all the adults in the room watching the exchange try hard not to laugh at these two little girls nattering away like old women.

"Wire, this is Blanche, my Ol Lady," Tav says, turning me toward a tall, incredibly good looking man, his dark skin shimmering in the light. "Look, I know he's pretty, but you're mine. And he's taken anyway," Tav grumbles.

"He is pretty, isn't he?" A sweet voice says, "Hi, I'm Remy. Wire's Ol Lady and Jovie's mom. She's over the moon to have another little girl to play with." She smiles at me, her bright blue eyes full of warmth, and I'm overcome with wanting to hug this woman. She just exudes gentle mom vibes. Which is usually not at all the type of person I want to hang out with, but I get good vibes from Remy.

A loud whistle pierces the air and we all turn to the mouth of the hall where Marx is standing. The last time I saw him he was demanding to know where Hammer, my uncle's business partner, was. At the time, I had no idea. I was more interested in getting rid of my cousin and making sure he wasn't going to pick up any more women to add to my uncle's stable of slaves. My disgust over what my cousin was doing overpowered the urge for me to bend to Marx's will. I may be full of piss and vinegar now, but my programming as a kid means that I have to consciously tell myself not to bow down to men in power. Like Marx. The only problem I have is that I'm in his territory, asking for protection from the very men he is looking for. I'm stuck between a rock and a very sucky hard place. On one hand, I need to finish the mission I set out to complete. On the other hand, my goddamned kids were assaulted today, my son almost kidnapped by the men I'm trying to end. I've accepted being Tav's Ol Lady for the security it will offer my family, however I know that's going to come with a trade. Shit. I weigh up my options. I can either take my kids home and go it alone, leaving them exposed and breaking Tav's trust. Or I trust in Tav, and the men he calls brothers and ask them for help. Which is really damned hard when you've been handling everything on your own for the past 37 years.

Looking at Tav's gentle whiskey-colored eyes, then looking to Marx, I know what I have to do.