Page 38

Dante

“I don’t know what he expects me to do,” Danny grumbled, pacing the room. “I’m no miracle worker!”

After leaving church, Danny marched his ass upstairs, needing a moment to himself. So, I followed, along with Ryder, Ellie, and Jackass of course, because he refused to be left out.

Our room was crowded, that was for sure.

“Well, if you weren’t so antagonistic towards the cranky woman, maybe she would still be here and so would our brother,” Jack piped up, leaning against the wall. Fucker couldn’t help but dig that knife deeper into Danny’s back.

“Not helping, asshole.” Ryder glared at the smiling brother.

“Danny, maybe you could talk to her again,” Ellie kindly interjected. “Just be a little nicer this time.”

“That’s what got him into this mess, babe,” Ryder said, hugging his wife.

Someone knocked on the door and Jackass opened it, allowing Gunner and Haizley to walk in.

“I was wondering where you all ran off to.” Haizley sighed, taking a seat on the bed next to Ellie and me, as I watched Danny mutter absently to himself while he continued to pace the room. “Has he come up with a plan yet?”

“Nope,” Me, Ryder, Ellie and Jackass said at the same time.

“Well, he better fast,” Gunner growled, arms crossed over his chest. “King wasn’t fucking around. He wants Ghost back in his cut, fast.”

“Not helping, Gunner,” Haizley snapped at her old man. “Danny’s been under a lot of strain lately. We need to give him time to figure this out.”

“He’s gonna be dead if he doesn’t fix this mess,” Jackass snarked.

Someone else knocked on the door before it opened and Amber walked in, carrying Danika.

“King’s pissed. He just tore out of here as if his ass were on fire.”

“Cash with him?” Gunner asked.

“Yeah, so are Blade and Colt,” the pretty woman informed, holding Danika closer, who laid her head down on the woman’s shoulder. Looking at the two of them, if I didn’t know any better, I would say they were mother and daughter. The resemblance was uncanny, right down to the small spray of freckles across the bridge of their noses.

“Mama?”

The second my little girl said that one word, everyone looked at me and smiled as a lightbulb went off in my head. “It can’t be that easy.”

“She loves Dani.” Haizley grinned.

“And she gave up everything to protect her.” Ellie smiled.

“But will she be enough?” I asked, looking at the two women.

Ellie shrugged. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Chrissy or Tabby. Love those girls as if they were my flesh and blood.”

“Mellie’s stubborn,” Gunner piped up. “Gonna need more to lock her down.”

Turning to look at Danny, who was still muttering to himself, I added, “Which means he’s gonna have to eat crow and swallow his pride. But I know Danny won’t say shit if Ghost is there.”

“We can take care of that.” Jackass grinned, pushing off the wall.

“Gonna need King,” Ryder added. “Ghost was fucking adamant when he left.”

“You three can figure that out,” Haizley spoke firmly, turning toward me and Danny. “You two, however, have your work cut out for you. I know Melissa. She won’t be easy to sway. You’re gonna have to give her no choice. Corner her. Make her listen until she caves. Think Sherman’s March on Atlanta. Don’t give up and for the love of God, don’t surrender!”

“They’re not going to war, Haizley.” Ellie chuckled.

“You sure about that?”

The ride from the clubhouse out to the Powell Ranch didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I had wanted to leave right away, but everyone agreed to give Melissa time to cool off. More importantly, the guys, including Danny, agreed to give Ghost time to help cool off the stubborn woman, praying that Ghost could make her more... amiable.

In the end, we gave them the night. By sunrise, I was ready to get this shit show on the road.

I was tired of the indecision, the back and forth arguing, the constant gripes, complaints and hostility.

“Have you thought about what you are going to say to her?” I asked, driving the quad-cab four-wheeler Grayson let us borrow along with a crude map to the cabin Missy was staying in.

“No.”

“Well, you better think of something. King was still fucking pissed this morning at breakfast.”

“I know,” Danny grumbled as he sulked in the passenger seat. “I’ll figure it out when I see her.”

“Mama!”

“That’s right, Dani.” I smiled, turning around quickly to look at my daughter secured in a car seat. “Papa is gonna make things right with Mama!”

Danny groaned, closed his eyes, and slowly shook his head.

Leaning close, I threatened, “Because if you don’t, your right hand is going to be your new best friend.”

Seeing the cabin up ahead, I slowed the quad-cab and shut off the engine. Jumping out, I got Danika out of her seat as Danny took his bloody time, mumbling and grumbling mainly to himself. Heading for the door, I didn’t wait for Danny as I knocked.

“Buring daylight, babe. Move your ass,” I snapped as the stubborn man begrudgingly stomped up the steps. “Smile. You are doing this for Danika.”

Before he could reply, Ghost opened the door.

“Mama!”

Setting Dani on the floor, I smiled as she ran to Melissa, who didn’t hesitate to scoop her up in her arms, holding her tight against her chest.

“What are you doing here?” Ghost asked.

“Dani was missing her,” I said honestly.

“King wants to see you. He asked us to send you back,” Danny grumbled.

“King can fuck off.”

“Please, Ghost? We need some time with Missy,” I begged.

The angry brother glared at Danny. “If you fucking hurt her...”

Danny’s hands went up in surrender. “It is not my intent. But we have to talk things out. For Dani.”

“I should stay.”

Seeing how happy our daughter was with Melissa, I whispered, “She’ll be ok. I promise.”

Ghost said nothing as he walked over and sat on the couch next to her. “Hey, Princess, I have to go talk to King.”

The stubborn woman looked up at him. “Why?”

“I’m not sure. He asked to see me.”

“Are you gonna go back?” she asked.

“Just to see what he wants. Then I’m coming right back here to you.”

“Ok.”

“These two are gonna hang out until I get back. Danika was missing you, so they brought her out to visit.”

Melissa looked over at us. “Thank you.”

Walking over, I sat down on the couch and bumped her shoulder. “She wasn’t the only one missing you.”

Ghost got to his feet and headed for the door. He stopped and leaned close to Danny, who hadn’t moved, and whispered something I couldn’t hear. Danny stiffened, then nodded before Ghost left the cabin.

The cabin was eerily quiet as Danny and Melissa looked at each other. Neither one wanted to be the first to talk. At this rate, Danika would be married with two kids before the stubborn fools got their shit together.

Glaring at Danny, I cleared my throat when he finally piped up, “Thank you for the phone. Dante and I sat and watched some of the videos you took.”

“There were a lot,” I added, trying to be helpful.

Missy shrugged. “I didn’t want you to miss anything if I could help it.”

“We appreciate it.”

Danny moved further into the room. His hands clasped around the back of a kitchen chair as Missy leaned back on the couch, Dani snuggled in her arms.

My God, this was painful to watch.

“I’m sor—”

“I want to—”

Sighing, Melissa began again, “I’m sorry for screaming at you when you came to the clubhouse. I’d like to say that it wasn’t me. But... I think Haizley might have been right. I think I was projecting my own trauma from what Gunner did on to you. And I’m sorry for that.”

Danny looked at me and I nodded, a small smile on my face as I took Dani from Missy. Walking over, Danny held out a hand. “Take a walk with me?”

When the stubborn woman looked at me, I said nothing and just tilted my chin toward Danny’s outstretched hand. I knew this shit could go either way, but I was banking on Danny’s southern charm and his southern morals to see him safely through this because if he couldn’t sweet talk his ass onto Melissa’s good side, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

“Ok,” she relented, taking Danny’s proffered hand and letting him help her to her feet. Instead of letting go, he pulled her hand up and tucked her arm around his as he escorted her out of the cabin.

Sighing, I held Dani close and whispered, “We got our work cut out for us, baby girl.”