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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SOLO

Tossing the dirty cloth over my shoulder, I look down at the bike in front of me, cursing up a storm at the damage. The customer got hit by a young girl who was playing on her fucking phone while driving.

Fucking kids these days think they can do what they want and get away with it. The girl actually blamed my client for putting himself in front of her car on the motorway.

“I almost got sideswiped last week by some prick because he didn’t like that I was sticking to the speed limit. We were in a fucking school zone, so I was going slow. I am not risking hitting some kid for some prick who wants to speed,” Dutch tells us, shaking his head.

“I think the older generation are just as bad as the youngest on the roads. The older people blame the kids for being reckless, but fuck me, I have been hit or almost hit by more people Pres’ age than I have people younger than me,” Kink adds.

I nod in agreement because he’s right. The older generation believe the younger generation cause more accidents on the road, but they don’t. One time, I watched Nadine’s car get hit by a guy in his seventies. He was hell bent on blaming her, but thankfully, she had a dashcam in her car (a condition from Pres). It helped her with insurance and the police because the old fucker became abusive to her, until he saw me and Woody.

“Everyone only sees what they want to see, brother.” I nod to my younger brother.

I get back to fixing this bike while Dutch and Kink pull apart a few bikes that have come in for repairs. They are using scrap parts to fix them up as the two young clients don’t have a fuck load of cash, so the club is doing them a solid by giving them second-hand parts for a discount.

Nothing should get in the way of a man and his motorcycle.

“Una and I leave next week. She has packed and unpacked, then repacked like a million times. What the hell is with women and packing for a holiday?” Dutch gripes.

Chuckling along with Kink, I smile at my brother. He may be bitching but he loves his woman and will do whatever the fuck she wants, or she will have his balls in a jar so fast it will make your head spin. Since they sorted their shit out, Una takes no shit from Dutch.

When Una first arrived at the club, Dutch changed into some kind of monster, and she received the brunt of his words and aggression. He just never told her why, at the time, he was being a cunt to her, and he almost lost her for good.

My woman and my brothers’ women are currently shopping for baby things and some things my kids need, since they are growing like weeds. When I speak about Ruthie and Ricky being mine, it settles the shit in my once black heart.

For years, I never thought I would find someone I would settle down with, not after my cunt ex-wife hurt me in the most messed up of ways. She fucked one of my army buddies while I was off fighting for our country, and then had the cheek to blame me for not satisfying her.

My phone rings from its place on the worktop, but I ignore it, needing to get stuck into this bike. It rings off and rings again, and something in my gut tells me something is wrong. I jump up, rushing to answer, my brothers taking notice now also.

I see Elsie’s name and my stomach drops.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“She’s gone, Kane. He took her,” Elsie wails through the phone.

“Who is gone? Elsie baby, you need to calm down and tell me what the fuck has happened.”

“The school called me. He went into the school and took Ruthie. He hurt Ricky.” She cries through her explanation.

My stomach rolls, and my heart cracks open. Someone has taken my daughter.

“Who, baby? Who took our girl?”

She cries harder. I can hear her gasping for air while trying to speak and control her sobs.

“Al- Alan took her. I can’t lose her, Kane.”

“I’m on my way now. Are you at the school?” I ask her, running to my bike, Dutch and Kink right behind me.

I hear Dutch calling for Pres and speaking, but I can’t make out what is said as I listen to my woman.

“I’m on my way now. They just phoned, then I phoned you.”

“I will meet you there, baby. I swear, we will bring her home. I love you, Elsie, and I love those kids. I’m coming, baby. Stay with Una and Adele.”

“I love you too. Please hurry.” I end the call and look to my brothers.

Everyone is standing around waiting for me to explain.

“That cunt Alan broke into the school and kidnapped my daughter and hurt my son,” I growl.

The guys look just as angry as I do, going by their dipped brows and angry snarls.

“Mount up, brothers. One of ours needs us,” Pres calls out.

We mount our bikes and head to the kids’ school. Fuck, they have only been there a few days, but I’m hoping to have them back there in September, after I convince Elsie to stay here with me.

When we arrive at the school, I see four police cars and an ambulance. The back doors are open and I see my woman sitting just inside with Ricky on the stretcher.

“Elsie,” I call out to her.

“Sir, you cannot go any further. This is an active crime scene,” a young cop says firmly, holding his hand up.

I growl at him, baring my teeth in anger. I am ready to snap this fucker’s neck.

“That is my fucking kid in there, fuckface. My daughter is the one who was taken. Now step the fuck aside and let me go to my family.”

“Do you have any ID on you to prove who you are?” he asks in a cocky tone.

“Step the fuck back,” I growl.

“Morris, move away, for crying out loud. I can vouch for Solo. That’s his family. Now let him pass,” the older officer says. He has a history with the club. We helped his daughter out years ago when her ex-boyfriend beat her up.

Morris glares at me but steps back.

I shoulder check him as I pass, and I hear her Pres commanding him to shut the fuck up.

When I reach the ambulance, I step in, and the vehicle rocks from my weight. The female paramedic looks at me with a smile.

“Baby, I’m here.” I pull Elsie to me, gripping her shaking body close.

“He has her, Kane, and he hurt Ricky.” I turn to look at my son, who has red-rimmed eyes and wet cheeks. His arm is in a sling across his body.

“We think he has broken his arm,” the female paramedic says to me. “He’s a hero, Dad. He tried to protect his sister.”

“Daddy, Uncle Alan took Ruthie. I tried to stop him, but he hit me and I fell onto my arm,” Ricky cries and it hurts my heart seeing him so upset.

Hearing this boy call me ‘Daddy’ for the first time is like a zap to my heart. Fucking hell, even though I have made it known that they are mine, this is the first time either of them has used the title. And I am fucking honoured to carry it.

Inching forward, keeping Elsie close to me, I rest my hand on the back of his neck and bring my head to meet his.

“I am so fucking proud of you, son. This is not on you. I need you to hear me when I say that, okay? You tried to protect her, but, son, you are ten years old, going against a fully grown man. You did the best you could.”

He nods but keeps quietly crying.

“Did he say anything, Rick?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Only that he would be back for me.”

That one sentence has my blood boiling over. A growl escapes and it makes both my kid and woman jump. I want to rip this ambulance apart in anger as fury takes over my body.

“Sir, if you are going to flip out then you can step off my ambulance. We need to take your son to the hospital to get an X-ray.”

I nod to the paramedic, breathing in deeply to calm myself. The last thing I want to do is make Elsie and Ricky afraid of me.

“You ride with our boy and I will meet you at the hospital. The guys are already out looking for Ruthie.”

Elsie is already shaking her head at me.

“No. Go and bring our girl back to us, Kane. Leave a prospect with us, but Ruthie needs the best looking for her and that is the club.” Her watery eyes bore into mine, pleading for me to bring her baby girl home safely.

We stare at each other for a long minute, and only the faint sound of the heart monitor that is connected to Ricky can be heard.

I feel the connection between us deep in my bones, so I nod to her, before leaning in and kissing her lips, tasting her tears there.

“I will bring her home and make sure he never hurts you or anyone else again,” I promise her.

With a kiss to my son’s head, I leave and nod to the prospect to guard them. He knows that I am counting on him to protect them with his life.

My club is waiting for me. As I step to them, I feel the power and strength coming off them.

“Brothers, we ride.”