Sunday

King

It was barely three in the morning when we pulled into the compound. Cameron passed out the second we left Juniper Hollow. Kid had run the gambit of emotions in the last twenty-four hours and was plumb worn out. I half expected him to sleep the damn day away, but I knew the little shit would be up with the birds, thinking and plotting his next adventure.

While I was positive he had no clue what he was in store for, I knew it was nothing he couldn't handle. Kid needed a dad, in the worst way, and after seeing what he put the club brothers through, I knew I was the only one strong enough to take whatever the kid dished out.

Parking the SUV, I killed the engine and stepped out of the vehicle, stretching my back. While it was only a six-hour trip, it was long, and all I wanted was a nice hot shower and my bed.

The brothers all parked their bikes, each coming over as I opened the backseat to unbuckle Cameron from his booster seat.

The kid was right.

This booster crap sucked donkey dicks.

He had to be big enough to sit without one, right? I was gonna have to look that shit up later. Picking him up, I carried him into the clubhouse as Skylar Rose rushed over to me.

"How is he?"

"Worn out. Kid had an eventful day."

"If you want, I will take him," Skylar offered sweetly.

"I claimed him, Sky. He's mine now."

Gulping, my pretty sister-in-law nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "I had a feeling you would. It's not gonna be the same at the house without him."

"Baby, we talked about this," Pyro muttered, comforting his wife. "Cameron needs this. He wants this."

"I know, but it still hurts. Momma and Daddy trusted me to do what's best for him."

"Skylar Rose," I whispered, holding Cameron tighter, "he's still your brother. He always will be. Now you can just be his sister. I won't let anything happen to him. I give you my word."

"I know." She sniffed, brushing his hair out of his face. "I'm just gonna miss him."

"Kid ain't going anywhere, Sky." Gunner chuckled, kissing the side of her head. "Kid's gonna dominate this place within the week. I guarantee it."

Wiping her tears, she sniffed again. "Well, Bailey and I got his room all set up. Chase and I will bring the rest of his stuff over tomorrow."

"Let him choose."

"What?"

Smiling, I said, "Let him choose what he wants to bring. He's still gonna want to spend time with you, Skylar. You are his blood. What he knows the most."

"Callum's right, baby," Pyro added. "Cameron is King's problem now, but the kid will always have a room with us."

"My problem?" I growled at my brother.

Chase smiled happily. "I stand by my words, and good luck to you. Have a feeling you're going to need it. Kid's a handful. Come on, Sky. Let's get Milo and go home."

Watching my brother usher Skylar away, I looked at my brothers, who all had varying degrees of enjoyment on their faces.

"What?" I growled.

"Pyro's right, King." Scribe grinned, slapping me on my shoulder. "Never been a praying man, but I will send up a prayer for you tonight."

"Sucker," Banks taunted, shaking his head as he headed upstairs. Hawk followed, saying nothing.

"Things are about to get real interesting around here. Can't wait to see what the kid comes up with next."

Frank agreed, "I know my little buddy, and whatever it is, it's going to be epic."

Watching as my brothers left me standing there with Cameron in my arms, I wondered if they were right. I mean, this was Cameron they were talking about. The kid had no limits.

"They are right, you know?" my woman said, walking toward me with a bottle in her hand.

Taking a good look at Cameron, she smiled. "You've certainly got your work cut out with this one. He's definitely gonna keep you guessing. But for what it's worth. I think you are doing the right thing. I know what it's like to grow up unsupervised, feeling that no one wants you. It's lonely, and in the wrong situation can lead to a terrible outcome. I think you claiming Cameron was the right move."

"You will help me, right?"

Bailey chuckled. "King, you are going to need all the help you can get. Now, take the brat upstairs and put him to bed. ‘Cause I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be an interesting day."

The clubhouse was quiet as I slipped from the bed, trying not to wake Bailey. Woman was a beast if she didn't get her standard eight plus hours of sleep.

Trust me. No one wanted a cranky Bailey.

Walking over to the crib in the room, I smirked at seeing my little girl. Rose was the spitting image of her momma, minus the red hair, of course. She got that shit from my side of the family. Baby girl was gonna be a looker, for sure, and hell on wheels just like her momma. Poor kid also inherited Bailey's temperament. Add in the red hair and I pitied the man my baby girl claimed.

Poor shmuck was in for a world of hurt.

Leaving the women in my life to their restful slumber, I headed toward the stairs, only to stop and turn toward a door. I don't know what made me stop and look.

Maybe my self-preservation kicked in.

Maybe it was knowing danger lurked behind the door.

Maybe it was because I knew the little shit was a master at subterfuge, but when I opened the door and saw him sprawled out on his bed looking all innocent and shit, I huffed, knowing that looks were deceiving.

Carefully closing the door, I headed downstairs, making a beeline for the kitchen, only to find Priest already there. Brother was still recovering from a nasty broken leg and was wheelchair bound until his injury healed.

"You're up early."

Nodding, I headed for the coffeepot. After pouring myself a cup, I took a seat at the head of the table.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Kid still sleeping?"

I nodded again. "And to quote Chase, ‘if anyone wakes him up, I will kill them.'"

Priest chuckled.

"I want you to know I think what you're doing is for the best for everyone involved. Got love for Pyro and Sky, but neither one understood the kid, let alone knew how to handle him. Cameron needs a strong, firm hand. Someone to rein him in when he goes off the rails."

"Still not sure I can," I admitted. "Kid scared the shit out of me again, taking off like he did. Speaking of which, did you find out how he got to Juniper Hollow?"

Priest smirked. "Yep. It seems the little shit used Bailey's black Amex card to not only buy the paintball shit, but he also hired Travis to drive him there."

I gawked at Priest. "You mean he Uber'd his getaway car?"

Priest chuckled. "Yep. At least he didn't get into a car with a stranger. Poor Travis knows he's up shit creek and you will be talking with him soon."

"Fucker better run and hide," I growled before taking a drink of my coffee.

"Face it, King, you've got your hands full. But it's nothing you're not capable of handling. Plus, the brothers will help."

"Thinking of grounding him until he's thirty."

Priest laughed when Scribe and Frank walked into the kitchen, dressed and ready for the day.

"King, Frank and I will be at the hospital today. The hospital is letting the girls come home."

"What about the twins?" I asked, looking at Frank, who smiled.

"My boys got a clean bill of health."

"And Henley?" I asked, looking at Scribe.

"Same, but she's gonna need to take it easy and rest until her incision heels. So, I'm gonna need to be around to help her."

"Still can't believe that Orion is yours, Scribe," Priest needled. "Frank's, yes, but yours. I think the universe made a terrible mistake."

Scribe puffed up his chest and grinned like a loon.

Fucker was proud of the fact that he produced a whopping twelve pounder. Kid weighed more than Savage's son, Shane, when he was born, and we called that little shit Bruiser!

Speaking of which. "How is Jess?"

Frank grimaced as he looked at Scribe, who just grinned. "Oh, Jess is fine. It's Savage who needed medical attention."

"Why?" I groaned.

"Because, according to Stacy, who was in the delivery room when Jess gave birth, Savage lost his shit. He actually demanded that Georgie stick his hand back inside Jess and pull out the son he was promised. Let's just say that Jess won't need to worry about getting pregnant anytime soon, because she damn near castrated Savage. Fucker is still walking with a limp."

I threw my head back and roared with laughter.

Served the fucker right!

Breakfast was in full swing by the time Cameron finally showed his face. Had to give the kid props, because the second he entered the kitchen and everyone stopped and stared at him, the kid didn't flinch an inch. Not once. Instead, he took his seat and waited patiently for Sugar to place a plate of food in front of him.

Of course, when she handed him a bowl of plain oatmeal, the kid's head whipped to hers in shock.

"Good boys get bacon and eggs."

"But?"

"Eat," Sugar said in that firm, motherly voice of hers, pointing at the bowl, giving Cameron no room to argue. Gulping, the kid looked at the bowl of goo, sighed and then picked up his spoon.

Not even his best bud Benny looked up from his own bowl of oatmeal. It seemed Sugar was not happy with her son, either.

"Skylar, when you have time, I want to set up a meeting with Mr. Kellerman and Cameron's teacher. I think we need to sit down with them and let them know there's been a regime change."

"I will call first thing tomorrow."

"Is there anything he needs before school starts tomorrow? Shoes, clothes, supplies, handcuffs, so I can shackle him to his classroom seat?"

Skylar smirked, shaking her head. "No. He's ready."

"Good," I said, leaning forward, resting my hands on the table. "Now that the prisoner has arrived for sentencing, let's get this shit over with. I'm gonna speak plainly. Anyone got a problem with that?"

The brothers shook their heads, and when I looked at the ladies, they too agreed.

"What about you, Cameron?"

Looking at his bowl, he muttered, "Guess it's alright."

"Not good enough," I growled.

"Got no problem with it."

"Good. Now, putting aside the reason for what you did, the fact is, Cameron, you ran away, scaring not only your sister but the rest of us, too. That wasn't cool. While we now understand why, none of us will tolerate that kind of behavior ever again. You want to be a brother in the Sons of Hell, possibly the president one day, then own up to your shit. You got a problem, you talk to me, a brother or one of the Bettys. No more of this keeping shit to yourself. The Sons of Hell Motorcycle Club is a fucking family. We take care of our own. Everyone here cares about you, but taking off, running away, was a dick move and you know it."

"I know."

"And, Benjamin," I said, getting Sugar and Enigma's son's attention. "You withholding vital information so Cameron could get away not only put your best friend's life in danger, but you put your mom and dad in a terrible position. Do you want to know why?"

Benny slowly nodded.

"Because of you, your parents can't trust you. It was your job as Cameron's best friend to stand up to him. Make him see he was making a big mistake. You could have told your mom or dad. Asked them for help. Instead, you kept quiet."

Benny sniffed. "I'm sorry, Prez."

Looking back at Cameron, I snarled, pointing my finger. "But, Cameron, what you did was worse. Not only did you jeopardize your friendship with Ben, but you also got him in trouble and forced him to do something he knew was wrong. He told us he tried to talk you out of it, but you refused to listen to him. Not only do you owe your best friend an apology, but you also owe everyone here an apology for that stunt you pulled."

"I'm really sorry, Benny," Cameron mumbled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Sugar moved, handing him a napkin.

Taking it, Cameron looked up at Sugar as tears ran down his face. "Please don't be mad at Benny. King's right. It's all my fault. I made Benny do it. He didn't want to. He really tried, Ms. Sugar, but I wouldn't listen to him."

Kneeling before him, Sugar took the napkin and wiped his eyes. "Thank you for saying that, Cameron, but like you, Ben needs to learn that actions have consequences."

Quickly hugging Cameron, she removed the bowls of oatmeal, only to replace them with plates of bacon and eggs. Though my gut was telling me that neither boy was hungry.

"Until further notice, Cameron, you are grounded to the clubhouse. And just so I'm crystal clear, I mean the inside. You step one foot outside this club other than to go to school I will have your ass on the obstacle course until you turn eighteen. I get one phone call, one email, one text message that you've acted up in school, obstacle course. You step one toe out of line, obstacle course. Got me?"

"Yes, sir."

"You can include Benjamin in that, King." Enigma growled as Ben's head whipped to his dad. "What? Did you think you were getting away scot-free?"

"No, Dad."

Enigma smiled. "Good. Then it's settled."

"And while the boys are grounded, they can help me clean this place." Sugar grinned as she walked over to a closet and produced two buckets, each filled with cleaning supplies, rags, and sponges.

Both boys gulped.

For the rest of the morning, the clubhouse was gloriously quiet.

It freaked me the fuck out.

Ever since I'd claimed Bailey, there hadn't been a single day of peace and quiet. After that, the brothers started finding their ladies, and it was game over. Now the kids outnumbered the adults two to one. The women ruled the roost, and the brothers were just trying to survive another day.

Fuck me.

The kid was right.

There were too many Bettys in the club.

Leaning back in my chair, I had to give Cameron his due. He saw what was happening faster than any of us. He fucking knew and tried to warn us.

But did we listen?

Fuck no.

We were too fucking stupid to see the writing on the wall.

I smirked. "Fuck. We're all pussy whipped."

Shaking my head, I got to my feet and left my office. I needed to find Cameron. The kid may be in deep shit, but he was still the one with the information I needed.

It didn't take me long to find him, and when I did, I kept a tight hold on to my laughter. Poor kid was bent over a toilet scrubbing it, cursing up a storm.

"Stupid fucking toilet. Don't know why I gotta clean it. Someone's gonna take a shit and make it dirty again."

Clearing my throat, Cameron spun around with the scrub brush in his hands, flinging dirty toilet water in my direction.

Gulping, he dropped the brush and backed up. "It was an accident. I swear!"

"We need to talk."

Sighing, he groaned, "What did I do now?"

"Nothing, just follow me."

Turning, I didn't give the kid a chance to argue as I headed out the back door of the clubhouse and stopped to take a good look around. With Cameron beside me, I started walking as his little legs tried to keep up.

"I owe you an apology, Cameron. You were right about the Bettys. I didn't see it at the time. In fact, none of us saw it coming, but you did and knew what this club was facing."

"It's alright, King. I get it. You all got stupid drunk and wanted your own Betty. When I get old like you, I'll probably want one too."

Stopping, I looked at the kid. "I'm not that old, Cameron."

"Of course you're not," he quickly clipped. "You are in your prime!"

Walking again, I muttered, "Love my Cupcake. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. But you were right. We're outnumbered."

Cameron nodded in agreement.

"And don't forget the baby Bettys. I figure we've got about fifteen years before all hell breaks loose."

"Five."

Stopping again, I looked down at the kid and frowned. "What?"

Cameron groaned. "Five years. The way I figure it, Fiona's almost ripe for someone to pick her off. Which is gonna piss off Frank and George, not to mention the rest of the brothers. Once Fiona falls, it's game over, ‘cause Gunner's girls will be starting kindergarten, and you know that's when all the crap starts. Don't matter how many manly men we get, we've got four unmarried Bettys in this club and their mommas, who are going to do their damndest to interfere. We're screwed."

Son of a bitch!

He was fucking right!

Bailey would take my balls if I stopped Rose from seeing anyone she wanted. I couldn't ground my baby girl because she liked a boy, and murder was against the law.

My hands were tied.

Looking around the area, I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. "I guess we're fucked then."

"Not necessarily. I have a plan."

"I'm listening."

Cameron smiled up at me with a big, cheesy grin and waved his hand toward the forest. "Follow me."

Figuring I had nothing else to lose, I followed the brat until we came up to a small shack. Walking right over to the door, Cameron turned and said, "Welcome to the Manly Club."

THE END