Page 102 of The Deals We Make

My phone rings, and Calista’s name pops up on the screen, as if she knew I was thinking about her.

“Hey, babe,” I say, removing my glasses and rubbing the bridge of my nose. “What’s up?”

“Umm. Is Spark with you?” she says.

“You okay?” I lean back on my chair to see out of the door. “And yeah, I can see him in the kitchen.”

“Can you tell him to turn his phone on, or could you take your phone to him?”

It’s then that I hear a long groan. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

“Umm. Well, we’re in Rae’s truck with Iris, who is in labor and can’t get ahold of her husband.”

“Fuck. One sec.” I’m up and running, even though it’s not that far. “Babe, here’s Spark.”

“I’ll put Iris on,” she says.

Spark looks down at the phone I’m offering him. “What’s going on?”

I shove the phone at him. He should hear the news from Iris. “Just take it.”

He puts it to his ear. “Hello?”

There’s a pause, and I swear I have never seen more reactions pass over a man’s face in the five seconds Iris talks to him.

Joy, excitement, and abject terror. He grabs his phone out of his pocket, but with one shaking hand, he can’t turn it on. I take it from him and do it myself.

“Little chick,” he says finally. “Breathe. Fuck. I’m on my way. Tell Rae to drive safe. We’ll track you, catch up to you, and follow you, yeah?”

There’s a pause.

“Don’t start bitching at me now for being too protective. Keep driving, and the bikes will pull up around you.”

Another pause.

“Shit. Does it hurt, baby?”

This time, I hear the groan. “Just meet us there,” Iris shouts.

Not sure I ever heard the woman yell like that.

“Fine. We can meet you there,” Spark says, tugging at his hair. “Be safe. I fucking love you. More than my life, yeah?”

I don’t hear what Iris says in response, but I’m wondering how and why Calista is with them.

Then, I remember Rae asking where to find Calista.

“Yeah, I’ll figure out what’s going on with my phone,” Spark says. “I’m with Bates and Vex. Call them if there’s a problem. Fine! Yes! I’m leaving now.”

He hands me my phone back, and then, with a look of complete awe on his face, he says, “My son’s on his way.”

Bates whoops and slaps his back. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

We gather up the others as we move through the club. And before we know it, there’s a fleet of nine bikes headed for the hospital that Spark and Iris decided to have the baby at.

The girls get there before us, and we meet Rae, who has parked her truck. King sweeps her up and kisses her soundly. “A baby Outlaw is being born right fucking now,” he says.

Spark is already at a run. Saint chases after him. Bates chases after Saint. And then, there’s a chain of us, all jogging through the hospital.