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DeeDee looked at Patriot instead of anywhere else. She did not want her disappointment to show. Maybe Gunner wouldn’t acknowledge who she was. Who could blame him? For all she knew, she would have to leave here soon.
Patriot raised a brow at the long silence as he finished wrapping her shoulder and was cleaning his mess up when DeeDee got up and went over to the bed she had used earlier.
Gunner growled, “Where do you think you’re going?”
DeeDee looked over her shoulder at him. “I’m going to bed, why?”
“You’d rather sleep in here than with me?” He scowled at her.
“Of course not, but I thought you were finished with me,” she whispered.
“Not by a long shot woman. Not by a fucking long shot.” He looked over at Patriot. “Her name is DeeDee Racer and she’s Dana and Winona’s mom. As you can see at one time she was my old lady.”
Patriot looked at them both in shock. “This is Blacky’s cousin?”
“Not by choice,” DeeDee snapped. “But you can’t pick your family, can you?”
“Are you going to tell the girls?” Patriot wanted to know. He had no doubt she would be accepted by Winona but Dana was another story.
“I’m going to tell everyone in the morning,” Gunner stated. “I think it would be fitting just before we hang Blacky that he knows his plan didn’t work. You see the reason she left me was that Blacky threatened my life and that of the brothers. He threatened to ambush me and put the blame on her. She couldn’t let that happen, so she left the club. Then months later when the girls were born, he was going to let her bleed to death and he gave one of them to his addicted sister Sheila and brought the other one home. He needed an ace if anything happened.”
Patriot shook his head. “Now that sounds like something he would do, the bastard. It’s only too bad we didn’t get our hands on the money Yeta paid him with to betray the club.”
“Who says we didn’t?” DeeDee asked quietly.
Both men turned to stare at her.
“Do you know where the money is?” Gunner asked.
DeeDee nodded. “Years ago, I found him in Lake Charles. He thought I was dead already, so he didn’t hide his actions. He just carried on normally and he went to where his stash was hidden to add to it. I found out he bought diamonds with the cash. So when he left it there, I took it. I overheard him tell a buddy of his that the diamonds were well hidden in plain sight and that this was his retirement account and that someday he would come back for them.” She shrugged. “If he does go back for them one day, he won’t find them where he left them. The best part is he’ll never know I took them.”
“Well, that’s a given but I think he deserves to know where all his ill gotten money ended up don’t you?” Gunner smiled.
“And just where will it be going?” Patriot asked. “The club will never accept it. They would consider it blood money.”
Gunner nodded. “I know but I really want to stick it to the man.”
“Can I make a suggestion?” DeeDee asked.
Gunner and Patriot turned to her.
“Please do.” Gunner nodded.
“How would you guys feel about doing something that would help kids?” She suggested. “He exploited them in his skin business. So how about you turn that around and help disadvantaged kids. Something like a club, they can go to. Like to stay off the streets. It humanitarian and it’s for a good cause. That would really piss him off.”
Patriot grinned. “I like the way she thinks and she’s right. He never helped anyone except himself a day in his life. Knowing that his money would be used to help kids would really burn his hide.”
“I can bring it up for a vote in the morning,” Gunner told them. He ran his hands over his face. “But right now, we all need to get some sleep. I’m tired and getting too old to stay up all night.” He held out his hand to her.
DeeDee took it.
Without a word, he led her back down the hall to his bedroom closing the door behind them.
Morning came all too quickly and when DeeDee woke up, she leaned over and brushed Gunner’s lips with a kiss good morning. He was still sleeping when she got up and dressed. She took one long look at him before she turned and made her way to the kitchen where she met the wise eyes of her oldest daughter over a bowl of scrambled eggs.
“How is your shoulder feeling this morning?” Winona asked.
“It’s good.” DeeDee blushed.
Winona stared at her, studying her intently. “What’s up? You look like something happened last night. Did something happen last night?”
“Mind your own business baby girl.” Gunner growled from the doorway.
Winona turned and looked at her dad then frowned. He had the same bemused look on his face as Lucille did. She smiled. “Ok dad.”
“I’m glad you got breakfast served right away before the Lost Sons leave for home,” Gunner said as he looked at DeeDee. “We got some news to share with them and I wanted to do it over a good meal.”
Winona nodded but looked back and forth at him, then Lucille.
“Maybe we should tell the girls separately?” DeeDee suggested. “The club might want to air their objections if they have any.”
Gunner nodded. “That works for me. Let me go collect Dana and Boone.” He returned a few minutes later with the others and then faced them all. “We got something to say to all of you before we tell the brothers. It might not be what you want to hear but it is what it is.” He looked over at the woman they all knew as Lucille. “Girls, this woman isn’t who she claims to be. She’s someone very close to both of you. Her name isn’t Lucille Rodman, it’s DeeDee Racer.”
Dana and Winona both gasped when they heard her name.
“Mom?” Winona whispered. “You’re my mother? Why didn’t you ever tell me?” She sat down hard on a chair.
“Honey, I didn’t know for sure,” DeeDee explained. “I only knew when you told me where you ended up.” She shook her head. “But by then, I couldn’t tell you over the phone.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient?” Dana said with a sneer.
Winona got up and turned on her sister. “Watch your mouth, you little bitch.” She snarled. “I’ve about had it with you and your contempt. Every time you open your mouth, you show me how little you care about our father, these men he calls his brothers and what this club stands for. They did the best they could to raise you up, give you somewhat of an easy life and you look down on them every time you turn you head.”
Dana gasped in shock as she stared at her sister.
Winona placed her hands on her hips and went on, “I’ve been trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but now you’ve gone too far. You don’t even know this woman, you don’t know what her life has been like or what she lived through all those years ago when she gave us life. The least you could do is find out what happened before you start mouthing off your contempt. I’ve known her for three years and she’s a kind, honest woman. She’s the kind of woman who would step up and give you everything and you wouldn’t even have to ask for her help. That’s something you wouldn’t know about though isn’t it? You just take and take then expect even more. It’s time for you to grow up and stop acting like a selfish fucking brat. I’ve grown very fond of her and I will not tolerate your attitude aimed at her. So unless you want matching black eyes, I suggest you just shut your pie hole and listen for once in your selfish life.”
Gunner and Boone were rocked by Winona’s statement.
DeeDee was never more proud of her daughter.
Dana was shocked to her core. No one had ever called her out before. She opened her mouth to let her sister have it but before she could say anything, she stopped when Winona curled her hands into fists.
“I will lay you out like a dirty rug flat on the floor, so don’t push this.”
Dana snapped her mouth shut but glared at her.
“I suggest we go out there and let everyone know what’s going on at the same time, so I don’t have to tell this story more than once.” Gunner cleared his throat after recovering his shock at Dana getting told off so appropriately and succinctly. “It’s time to clear the air on more than a few things.” Looking at Dana he suggested, “You don’t have to like it but I suggest you listen to the facts before you open your mouth. Don’t forget you’re still on probation due to your own acts.”
Gunner grabbed DeeDee’s hand and dragged her out of the kitchen.
Dana lifted her nose, glared at Winona then turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen.
Boone looked over at his woman and grinned. “I wondered what it would take to ruffle your back. Now I know.”
Winona glanced at him with tears in her eyes. “You don’t know what that woman means to me,” she admitted. “When I opened up the bakery, I was struggling. I was so out of my element, I didn’t know which way to turn. Then she showed up and we just worked, you know. It was like meeting someone I was supposed to know all my life.” Shaking her head, she added, “I guess maybe I was.”
Boone nodded but remained silent as he took her hand in his.
She stared at Boone. “What are the odds this circle came around again? It all comes back to where it all began.”
He just shook his head. “Well come on, I gotta hear this explanation.” Boone grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the dining room.
Everyone was already seated and some of them were eating already.
As soon as Boone and Winona took their seat, Gunner got to his feet commanding the attention of the room. “Something has come to my attention and I want to share it with the rest of you.” He looked over at Moose and said, “We need to get Blacky up here to face new charges.”
Moose got up and left for the basement.
Gunner looked down at DeeDee, “Can you get the money?”
DeeDee got up and went down to her bedroom.
When she returned a few minutes later, Blacky was being led into the room. His hands were tied behind his back and when he passed her, he took note of what was in her hands. His eyes narrowed and he lifted his eyes to her as he snarled. “You fucking little bitch.”
Moose shoved him over to a chair and sat him down hard. “Shut your mouth motherfucker,” Moose grumbled. “It’s time to listen.”
DeeDee walked over to where Gunner was waiting for her. She handed him the package in her hand and sat down again.
Winona was on her other side and reached out her hand to her mom.
DeeDee grabbed her and just held on. She wasn’t so much afraid of Blacky but she was nervous about how Gunner’s MC would receive her story.
“Most of you know our history,” Gunner began. “For those of you who don’t, this club was started by six men. I was one of those six men. Blacky was another. When we began, we chose to go legit and we also began a bounty hunting service. When he asked if he could start his own business adventure, we didn’t object. As long as it didn’t affect the club we pretty much let the guys do what they wanted. Most of the men took jobs outside the club, they would come and go as needed. Blacky was the only one that didn’t tell anyone what he was doing. And we all now know what that was. Then I met DeeDee Racer. She was Blacky’s cousin but as he was part of the MC, I didn’t care. She and I were an item and in time she got to be my old lady.” He paused and shook his head. “I didn’t realize back then how much Blacky hated me and this MC and everything we stood for.” He turned his head and glared at the other man.
Gunner went on and on and the whole story finally came out. Everyone listened as he explained the events of the past. He told them why DeeDee left the club and what happened when his babies were born and what happened next. He told his brothers about how Blacky left her to bleed to death after Dana was born. Then he told them how DeeDee found Winona and how she found her way back to the club.
When he was finished, every man sitting there knew what happened. Including the fact DeeDee had taken his ill gotten money that he’d received from Yeta.
Gunner opened the package and the diamonds spilled out on the table. “Blacky is already under a death sentence for his actions against the club. Yeta is probably already dead but now we have to decide what to do with the money he accepted to betray us.”
“That money is mine!” Blacky shouted. “Mine... not yours. You don’t have to worry about it at all. It doesn’t belong to you or this club.”
Moose slapped him upside the back of his head. “Don’t worry bastard. You can’t spend it in hell anyway.”
Blacky turned his head and glared at the other man. “It still don’t belong to you.”
Gunner nodded. “He’s right. It doesn’t belong to us but as his only living relative, it could pass down to DeeDee. By law, she could prove her right to collect it after his death. She even suggested a use for the money he betrayed us for.”
Dana snorted but with one look from her sister, she shut her mouth.
“What does she want to do with it Boss?” Gypsy wanted to know as he turned uneasy eyes on the woman.
“She suggested opening up a club for kids. Give them somewhere to go other than the streets. That way, the club isn’t involved and doesn’t have to claim it. I’m sure no one here wants anything to do with this money and this gives us a way to do something positive with it.”
“You have no rights to that money!” Blacky screamed at them.
“Who’s gonna run this club?” one of the brothers asked.
“With that kind of money we can offer the town something decent,” another brother chipped in.
“Her idea ain’t half bad.” Tate nodded. “I know I got no say in any of this but if the club ran it, you could turn that money into something good.”
Gunner looked at his men. “It’s up to you guys. Blacky and Arizona are facing Tribunal justice today. We got time to think about it. I just wanted to get this out to you.”
“Can I say something here?” Tate called out.
Gunner turned to face him. “What is it?”
“If you guys do this, and if you need some help please keep us in mind. The Lost sons would love to help with something like this. There is no better way to build an alliance then to work together and this is something we could do together.”
Gunner nodded. “It’s up to the men. But you’re right, we could do this together and it would benefit both clubs.”
The men began to talk amongst themselves and one by one, they got to their feet.
Gunner looked at them all. “What say you all?”
“Aye, we all agree to do this and we all agree to join with the Lost Sons.” Gypsy nodded.
Gunner sat down and took DeeDee’s hand. Turning his head, he smiled at her and brought her fingers to his lips in silent salute.
Time would heal their hearts and time would lessen the betrayal of what Blacky had done to the club.