Black Sheep (Rawkfist MC Book 1) (23 page)

Justice

B
ecca never caught onto the concept of cause
and effect. I hear from people following the case how Becca regularly screams
obscenities at the judge and prosecutor. She even threatens the jury. Her court-appointed
attorney asks to be replaced because she won’t listen to him. Becca picks this
moment to call him a baby fucker.

By the time I
testify, she’s dug a very deep grave for herself. The charges from the store
vandalism and my assault are nothing compared to the cops who testified she
tried to go Mike Tyson on their ears. One of the deputies apparently became
teary-eyed when talking about the assault.

The entire
thing would be comical except I desperately need her to go away for a long time
and leave my family and me alone. My dream is for Becca to stay gone until
Felix is eighteen and can break free of her.

My big mouth
behaves during my testimony. No snark even when the public defender implies I
caused this trouble as a way to separate Becca from her doting child. Every
time Becca rolls her eyes during my testimony, I refuse to react. Instead, I
remain focused on the big picture and allow Becca’s actions to ruin her future.

Despite the video
and deputies’ testimony, somehow Becca is utterly shocked when she’s found
guilty. They drag her from the courtroom while she threatens everyone from the
judge to the little old lady typing the transcript.

Watching the
bailiffs fighting with the screaming woman, I realize why Becca won’t behave
enough to get an easier sentence. She’s a feral animal, having run loose all of
her life. Now she’s caged, and her instincts are to fight everything and
everyone. She’s too primal to realize every time she attacks someone that she
only adds to how long she’ll be locked up. Her only thought is striking out at
all perceived threats.

Becca ends up
sentenced to a total of fifteen years, though she’ll likely get out in half the
time with good behavior. No doubt several years will pass before her feral ways
are diluted enough for her to follow the rules. Maybe one day, she’ll get her
shit together, or someone will give her a pill that fixes her rage. It’s
possible she might even try to fix what she broke all of these years with her
children.

I’ll never
truly know how someone like Becca functions, but the feral animal analogy does
help me forgive her. I don’t want to waste time hating anyone. My life is
first-rate, and I want to focus on happiness rather than her.

After her
sentencing, Court and I return home where Becca’s three kids play outside with
Poppy and Hal. They’ll probably miss their mom at times. For right now, they’re
free.

“When we met, I
knew you were the best kind of trouble,” Court says as we stand on the back
porch and watch the kids.

“I wish I could
say I thought that deeply about you when we met. I was only focused on your
incredible good looks.”

“Who could
blame you?”

Kissing him, I
sense a weight lifted off his shoulders. My decision to break the town’s no-cops
rule eliminated a festering problem hanging over him for too long. I feel
magical to have given him this chance at a new beginning, and I didn’t even
have to stalk him to make it happen.

Court

A
t our wedding, Justice manages to make a
sleeveless, ankle-length flannel dress look sexy. Journey gets ordained online
and marries us in the backyard of the Earlham house. Jared and Christine walk Justice
down the aisle while Poppy wears flannel as the maid of honor. The entire event
feels like something only these women could pull off.

I don’t care
where we get married or who is invited. I only want Justice to say “I do”
before she comes to her senses.

Felix is my
best man. Chucky wants the job, but I knew he wouldn’t manage to arrive on
time, and I’m not wrong. He and Basil arrive for the reception where Poppy
informs them they must eat at the kiddies table as a punishment. I think to
save them from the horror, but they actually enjoy goofing around with the
kids.

Donovan chooses
not to come to the wedding, leaving me without family in attendance. While the
club brothers throw me a stripper-filled bachelor party, they won’t watch me
exchange vows with a snitch. I’m pissed at how Justice solved their problem,
yet they’re still being assholes toward her. My bride-to-be reminds me how my
club brothers are super frigging old and set in their ways. She also mentions
how they’ll be dead soon, so I shouldn’t hold a grudge. She finishes off her
pep talk by saying, “Besides, I don’t want a bunch of bikers eating all of the
food at my reception.”

The ceremony is
kept small. Danny and Kayleen attend, but Coretta refuses. She’s still angry at
Christine for standing up to her. Justice, of course, considers her
grandmother’s boycott as a gift to us.

I watch Justice
all day long and wonder how she stumbled into my life. Not so long ago I was
sleepwalking through my life. I had Felix, but a part of me even held back with
him. When my club brothers only bitched about our failing fortunes, I said
nothing. Every time Becca started trouble, I prayed for a magical fix for her
crap.

And hell if my
prayer didn’t come true in the form of a woman with a motor mouth and
confidence spare.

Justice

T
he six months after Court and I get married
fly by in a flash of big plans and hot sex. Even before the wedding, we start
the building process for a one-story house behind Christine’s. I’m a beast
about the budget after having been raised to think of debt is a no-no. So we
don’t go extravagant but keep our design simple with three bedrooms. Who knew
they’d fill up so quickly?

Matilda joins
our family rather innocently. Once Felix is in Court’s custody, his siblings
see him a lot less, so we begin inviting them over often. First, they stay for
a few hours. Soon, they spend the night.

Otto never has
much interest in Court or me, but he follows Journey around everywhere. Matilda
is a mama’s girl and attaches herself to me. Soon, I feel as if sending her
back to Astrid is a punishment.

By the time the
house is ready, I’ve fallen in love with the clingy little chick. So we move
her into the third bedroom next door to Felix. Otto ends up in my old bedroom
at Christine’s house. Astrid still watches them during the day when they aren’t
in school, and legally, she remains the younger children’s guardian. Still, she
knows they need a family, and we know she needs a break.

Falling for
Court is effortless, but being a mom is harder than anything I’ve ever done
before. Court isn’t much help since he doesn’t know anything about little girl’s
hair, cold medicines, or night terrors. He’s been a part-time parent in Felix’s
life, meaning we’ll need to figure things out together.

Though Court is
one sexy father, we don’t rush to add to our brood. I like tucking the kids
into bed by nine and spending a few hours alone with my stud. We can also leave
the kids with Christine and Journey for the evening and enjoy a private dinner.
I’m not ready to share Court more than I already do. I also refuse to feel
guilty for being selfish. I’ve spent most of my life without Court. I’d like to
have a few years of wedded bliss before we add poopy diapers and late night
feedings to the mix.

Despite his
addictive nature, I don’t spend all of my free time with Court. Eventually, I
make friends in Tumbling Rock, which isn’t easy because of my snitch
reputation. Every other Tuesday, I play Yahtzee with Peg, Glenn, Art, and Babs.
Other nights, Court meets with the club while I walk the kids to Christine’s
house and enjoy time with the rest of my family. Jared even gets into the
routine by stopping by on Sundays to grill food, so no one dies of salmonella.

All those years
in Indianapolis, I never felt as if anything was missing in my life.
Boy,
was I wrong.
Never could I have prepared for the bounty life offered me in
Tumbling Rock. The most unexpected gift is finding the best man in the world
who loves me in a way I didn’t even know existed.

Court

D
uring labor, Justice begs for me to use a
plunger on her when our baby gets stuck in the birth canal. I can only hold her
hand and endure her finger-snapping grip. Journey stands threateningly behind
the doctor while he uses a vacuum thing to suck the baby free. Before Henrietta
appears, Justice howls in pain and fractures my pinkie. In the corner,
Christine sobs at the sight of her daughter in pain while Poppy keeps making
the sign of the cross even though she isn’t Catholic.

The horror ends
with Henrietta’s blood-curdling cry. Justice collapses in relief and then
releases my hand. After a few minutes, the feeling returns to my fingers.
Christine’s sobs shift into tears of joy while Poppy fake barfs at the sight of
the baby covered in afterbirth. The only person still on edge is Journey, who
follows the doctor around to ensure no one fucks anything up.

“I never want
to do that again,” Justice says later when we’re alone in the recovery room.
“Promise me you’ll never knock me up again.”

“I promise,” I
whisper.

“Sorry about
your finger,” she says, kissing the splint on my pinkie finger. “I didn’t hurt
you on purpose.”

Kissing her
forehead, I stare into her tired, blue eyes. “I know. You were a little busy
delivering our perfect baby.”

“She is
perfect, isn’t she?” Justice asks, staring at the hospital bassinet where
Henrietta sleeps.

“Gorgeous like
her mama.”

“Are you going to
cry?”

“No.”

“Can I?”

Once I give her
permission to let loose with her tears, Justice cries off and on for months.
She cries when Henrietta cries. She cries when Matilda cries. She cries when
Felix begs me to make the three of them stop crying. She even cries during sex
because I’m so sexy, and she can’t believe how lucky her vagina is.

Eventually, the
hormones taper off, and she returns to the forever optimistic person I love.

Henrietta is a
sweet baby with a bad temper. Our little Miss Jekyll/Hyde keeps me on my toes,
but Justice expects nothing less from her offspring.

“I’ve given
birth to a new Poopy,” she says one day before leaving for work and ditching me
with the screaming child.

At some point,
I go from badass enforcer to house-husband and stay-at-home dad. Justice
considers quitting her job until she learns a Burger King is finally coming to
Tumbling Rock. With her dream job in reach, she promises she’ll change all the
dirty diapers when she’s home if I let her apply.

“Let you?” I
ask, nearly laughing at her sincerity.

Justice smiles
at me from the couch where Matilda is glued to one of her arms and Henrietta
rests on her lap. She’s the picture of domesticated bliss, but I know how much
she wants this job.

Having missed a
lot of Felix’s early years, I enjoy staying home with Henrietta. We run errands
together, and everyone dotes on my temperamental little princess. By the time
she can walk, Henrietta insists on helping with everything. She wants to be in
charge. Demands it really, and I’m all for her kicking ass.

Twice after her
conviction, I try taking Felix, Otto, and Matilda to see Becca. Even locked up,
their mother hides none of her rage.

“I’m caged
because of your fucking father and his
stupid whore,” she tells Felix every single time.

The kids always
cry, and Becca ends up dragged from the room by a guard. Astrid has no better
luck during her visits. We decide to give Becca time to get her shit together
before we force the kids to see her again.

Before
Henrietta comes along, I introduce fresh blood into the club. While Joe does
make good on his threat to drive me off the road, he also pushes me to take
more of a leadership role. He knows the club will die without younger guys
joining, and I know too many good men worked too hard to build this organization
to let it fall apart now.

Nearly every
weekend, Justice and Matilda stay home while I take Felix and Henrietta
fishing. After wearing herself out catching a fish, my little girl usually naps
under a big floppy hat.

Those quiet
moments allow Felix and me to talk about guy stuff. He’s starting to notice
girls in a serious way and is about as smooth as I was at his age. We joke
about lame pickup lines and how to romance the ladies. Felix doesn’t worry too
much about his lack of skills. After all, his father was a queef all through
high school and wasted time with crazy women like Becca. Somehow, I still ended
up with Justice. Felix has hope he’ll one day find a chick like his wild
step-mom.

THE END

Living
in Indiana with my three sweet sons, three wacky cats, one super mom (and her
ugly dog), I love writing, cats, Denny's, 1970's rock, Beanie Boos, and sitcoms
canceled before their time.

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Bijou Hunter Books

Rawkfist MC Series

Black Sheep * Snake Charmer (coming soon)

Serrated Brotherhood MC Series

Bourbon Blues * Whiskey Blues (coming soon)

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Damaged and the Beast * Damaged and the
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Damaged and the Cobra * Damaged and the
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Damaged and the Dragon * Damaged and the
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Damaged and the Saint * In the Wind * Sunday
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Little Memphis MC Series

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Ramsey Security Series

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Standalones

Gator * Used * Rebound Biker * Junkyard Dog