Shadow (Defenders MC Book 1) (13 page)

31

Lacey woke to pain.  It radiated from her arm and wrapped around her like the coils of a serpent.  She screamed when she felt something press against her shoulder.  She opened her eyes to fine Angel standing over her with tears staining her smoke covered face.

She reached up to smack the woman away, but she couldn’t lift her hand.  Then the pain gripped her belly and she screamed again.

“Shhh, Lacey it will be ok.  Just hang in there.”  Angel said and her voice shook.

Lacey turned her head and found others sitting around the room or lying on the floor.  Ink was trying to help as many as he could while Fox did the same.  She felt a burst and a rush of liquid between her legs and knew she would have little hope of reaching a hospital before her baby came.

“Oh God.  Ink!  Lacey’s water just broke.”  Angel cried when she noticed the puddle running off the table and into the floor.

Lacey heard the curses, but couldn’t care as she drifted back into a dark oblivion.

Shadow crouched with Lawless in the brush only thirty feet from the man that had caused all of this bloodshed.

Dutch Forrester stood with his officers and watched as his club riddled the Defenders’ house with bullets. 

Shadow listened as the men talked about shooting his woman and how they had finally found a way to get to the shadow man.  He tensed and felt Lawless beside him.

“That one’s yours.  I’ll take the other three.”  Lawless whispered and Shadow nodded.  They quietly slipped within range and Lawless pulled out two throwing knives.  He let them fly just as Shadow stepped from behind the van and ran his blade down Dutch’s meaty chest.  Lawless made short work of his victims and stepped up beside Shadow.

“This the bastard that killed your mama Shad?”  Lawless wiped his bloody knife on his jeans.

Shadow nodded and Dutch’s eyes widened as he recognized the man.

“I loved your mama, boy, that was an accident… I didn’t hurt her on purpose.”

“I was there Dutch.  I know what you did.”  Shadow’s voice was flat.  He felt Lawless look his way and knew that the man hadn’t know that, but it was true.  He had been there and had heard more than he would ever forget.

“Then you killed a good man and hunted his daughter.  Which happens, but your worst mistake was threatening that little girl after she became mine.  For that, you will die.”

Laws phone must have vibrated because he pulled it from his pocket.

“Let me take care of this slime Shad.  Don’t hold your baby girl for the first time with blood on your hands.”

Shad turned to Lawless and the man nodded slowly.  Shadow took off like a wisp of wind, leaving Lawless to his grim task.

He shoved open the kitchen door in time to hear Lacey scream in pain.  He got to her in time to hear Ink’s words of encouragement.

“One more Lacey, one more and you will be a mommy.  Push for me now.”

Shadow gripped Laceys hand.  She met his eyes as she pushed once more and he let his eyes fall between her blood streaked legs to see their child slip from her body and let out a shrill cry.

Tears fell down his face as Ink wrapped the tiny little thing in clean towels.

“You have a daughter Shad.  She seems just fine, but we will get her to the hospital as quick as we can.”

Shadow hesitated a moment before accepting the tiny bundle.  She opened her little eyes and stared up at him with such trust that he didn’t know how his heart stayed in his chest.  He looked at Lacey again and found her tears running from her eyes.

“She is perfect Lace.  The most perfect little person I have ever seen.” 

He helped Lacy raise her head to look at their child and remembered her wound.  She was deathly pale and too weak to move.  He felt fear wash over him as he realized he might lose her.  Ink was still between her legs dealing with the afterbirth.

“Is she ok Ink?”

Ink raised his eyes and they were grim.

“I’m no doctor Shad, but it doesn’t look too good.  She lost a lot of blood and then the birth…  I don’t know.”

Preach stood silent and listened. 

“Dutch is dead?”

Shadow looked up and nodded.  “Him and his top three generals.”

“You did good boy.”  His eyes fell on the tiny bundle in Shad’s arms.  “You did real good.”  He nodded to Lacey.  “Make her fight for you.  She will be fine.”

Preach’s words sounded like a promise.  Shadow leaned down and kissed Lacey’s dry lips.

“Fight for me Lacey.  Please don’t leave us.  We need you.  You have to name our daughter.”

“Call a fucking ambulance.  Get these fuckers off my land and get my people to the hospital.”

There was a stunned silence and then there was gunfire.  This was the final attempt to wipe out the Devil’s.  This would end the war and the Defenders would have a new beginning.

32

Lacey woke.  She was exhausted and sore, but she felt refreshed.  She turned and found Marcus sleeping in the rocking chair by their bed holding their sleep in g daughter.  Megan was two years old now and she was healthy and happy.  The little girl was the apple of her daddy’s eye and the princess of the club.

Things had changed since that tragic day.  The Devils had set fire to Ink’s house and the tattoo parlor where he worked as well as the strip club and body shop.  They had attacked and killed several brothers who were out of the compound.  Many had been wounded that day in the clubhouse, but none had died.  Mike had taken three bullets for Lacey that day and now walked with a slight limp, but he lived and he was given his cut.  He was now a full brother and he wore his cut with pride.

Lacey rubbed her belly when she felt her baby kick.  This one would be a son, she just knew it.  She smiled when Marcus opened his chocolate eyes.

“Come to bed baby.”

“I didn’t want to wake you.  I kept you up late.”  His voice was rough from sleep and it reminded Lacey of just how he had kept her awake.  She let a slow smile curve her lips as he slipped in bed with her, placing Megan between them.  This was home and they were happy.

“I love you Lace.”

“I love you Marcus.”  She said as her eyes drifted closed in contented sleep.

I hope you enjoyed this title!

Please check out my other titles.

Full length Novels

Christina’s Chance

Mystery Lover

A Beautifully Normal Life

In Love With The Wrong Cowboy

Reclaiming Life

Too Much Trouble

Novellas

Samantha’s Choice

Redemption of a Soiled Dove

Taming a Montana Maverick

One Good Cowboy

Vengeance

The Tiger Series

The Tiger Within (Book 1)

Highland Tigress (Book 2)

Captive Tigress (Book 3)

Stripes (Anthology Containing Books 1-3)

Freeing the Tiger’s Soul (Book 4)

I live in Georgia with my husband and two children.  I spend part of my time teaching at a local preschool and writing, while the rest is devoted to my family.  Writing is new to me, but storytelling has been a life long hobby.  I love using words to create images and feelings for others.  I can honestly tell a story about almost anything.  Some of my favorite storytelling memories are of telling bed time stories to my children and nieces and nephew.  They would pick random things, such as the ceiling fan, and I would make up a story about it.  Those moments are treasures to me and I hope they will be remembered by those special children too.  In that way I hope to bring special moments to my readers as well.

Writing offers me an escape from the wonderful chaos that is my life.  Raising two small children takes a lot of energy and I often collapse in my office chair late at night and let my ideas flow.  I often write from an outline, but just as often I simply sit at the computer and type until I run out of ideas.  Then I go back to make sure it all makes sense and works.  Often I find myself captivated by the story as I read because in my mad rush to type it all out I don’t really embrace the story in the way one does when reading.  My husband often laughs at me when I am reading a book of my own while wiping away the stray tear or two.  I feel it is a pretty good sign that it can touch me in that way and I hope my readers can feel the emotion that I try to inject into my stories.

I find that I enjoy my self-published status because it gives me the freedom to write what I want, how I want.  I often choose characters who may not fit the norm of what most think of as a hero or heroine.  I like my characters unique and I like their story to flow from me instead of what someone else’s guidelines.

I hope you enjoy my stories.  I enjoy hearing from you.  I do read emails and I try my best to reply if necessary.  I would love to hear your ideas and all about the types of books you enjoy most. 
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