Chapter 18: Chapter 18

“You missed church.”

Taco cursed under his breath. He’d been so preoccupied with what was going on with Bambi and finding out he had a kid that he’d completely forgotten the club even existed. “Sorry, man, my phone was dead,” he said, the lie floating off his tongue with surprising ease.

Normally, he wasn’t one to lie—he shot straight as an arrow—but this wasn’t something he was comfortable copping to. His brothers needed to feel that he was reliable. Not someone who had his head up in the clouds and couldn’t be trusted to cover their back.

He’d slipped up, plain and simple.

“Well, don’t let that shit happen again,” Repo told him. “I don’t enjoy making phone calls, and I enjoy house calls even less. Stay in contact, especially now.”

Taco instantly went on high-alert. “Why now? Did something happen?” Well, of course something had happened. He was an idiot to even ask. When church was called on any day other than Sunday, it was for good reason.

Blake wasn’t one to get hysterical, after all.

“Have you hit your head, little buddy?” Repo asked, showing rare form by issuing a joke, of all things.

Taco’s alarm bells started clanging even louder, wondering what the fuck was up. Repo was not a charming, nice, or friendly guy. He was scary as fuck and hard as nails. The fact that Blake had sent the man to call after him was enough to make him edgy. Shit had to be serious as a heart attack.

“Look,” Repo said, his tone suddenly grave, “there was a little hiccup in the plan, so we’ve jumped up the timeline a bit.”

“What do you mean by a bit, exactly?” Taco asked, suspicious.

“Like all the way to the top.”

“Shit!” Taco raked his fingers through his hair. How had something like that happened? How could they skip all the steps in between? “What happened to the plan?”

“Ah,” Repo said, his deep voice bordering on humor, which just made the whole situation that much more disturbing. “You would know the answer to that had you made it to church, now wouldn’t ya?”

“Don’t be an asshole,” Taco barked out before he could measure his response. Immediately, he cringed. Repo would probably shove a boot up his asshole next time he saw him.

“Crossed that bridge years ago. Listen, the details don’t matter right now. We can fill you in later. What needs to happen, though, is you need to get your ass down to the clubhouse, pronto. We need all hands on deck.”

Taco turned to look at his boy who was lying on a blanket he’d spread out on the floor, cooing and windmilling around as the little musical stand thingy positioned above him made a bunch of racket. “Uh, yeah, about that…” He wasn’t sure what to say really.

“Look, drop whatever bullshit you’re doing and get your ass down here. This is non-negotiable. Quick wants everyone accounted for within the hour.”

Repo’s harshly spoken words were a direct result of stress and he knew his choice of them meant he thought Taco was just dicking around with some female. He couldn’t possibly know or even guess that a major life event had just happened for him, or that he needed time to sort things out.

Unfortunately for Taco, it seemed the one thing he was seriously short on was time. Like, he literally had none.

What the hell was he going to do about the kid?

“Yeah, sure, all right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Make it sooner.” With that, Repo ended the call.

Well damn. Taco wasn’t sure what to do next, but he knew what needed to be done. He had to get back to town and to the clubhouse. But he had a kid to think of now. One that Bambi didn’t want going anywhere near his home.

Taco did the only thing he could think of and tried calling Bambi’s cell phone, only to be met with voicemail. He hung up and tried again a few times, hoping for different results, which, by definition, made him crazy, but he wasn’t trying to piss her off.

Once he concluded it was a lost cause, he simply texted her a quick note on what was going on and where he would be. Then Taco took a deep breath and got to work preparing Beau for his first road trip.

***

The clubhouse was not a place for small children after dark. Taco didn’t have much of a choice, though. He had no babysitter and Bambi had her phone off, so he had to do what he had to do. He hoped she’d understand.

She probably wouldn’t, but a man could dream.

It was weird walking into the clubhouse with a diaper bag on one shoulder and a car seat with a baby in it in hand. Even weirder were the confused stares that landed on him the second he walked through the door.

He ignored them all, heading straight for the bar. “Hey, momma,” he called out, catching Red’s attention. “Imma need a favor. Got a few minutes to spare?”

She looked at him strangely as she made her way over to him, but Red always had a ready smile, and he liked that about her. She was a source of warmth in their often cold world.

“Sure. What cha need, hon?”

Taco lifted the carrier into view and plopped his son and his seat on the bar top. Red’s eyes widened comically, but not just out of shock. “I need you to watch this for me.” He smiled and winked, then handed the diaper bag over without explanation before walking away.

The door was still partially open, but the brothers were already inside waiting. Looked like he was the last to arrive. This should be fun.

“Is he yours?” Red asked his retreating form.

“Sure looks like it, don’t he?” he called back over his shoulder.

“What’s his name?”

“Beau.”

As soon as he entered the room, Quick shot him a bored look that said they’d been waiting and he didn’t like it. Taco just lifted his chin in greeting and turned to shut the door behind them so they could get the meeting underway. But not before glancing back one last time to make sure things were okay out there.

He needn’t have worried. Red already had her arms full of his little boy, grinning like a crazy woman and fawning all over him. In the distance, he saw some of the bunnies headed her way.

Yeah, the kid was going to be a real heartbreaker, just like his pops.

***

Bambi was going to gut him and strangle him with his own intestines. After her shift ended, she’d gone to call Taco to let him know she was on her way then realized she’d accidentally turned her phone off instead of putting it on silent.

She found several missed calls that sent her into panic mode, thinking something must have happened, but then she read the text message he’d left her and now she was just plain livid.

He’d gone and done exactly what he knew she wouldn’t want him to do.

Yes, he’d presented her with a good reason, in that he wasn’t left with much of a choice. But just the idea of her son back in that town with all that was happening made her sick to her stomach. What if something bad happened to him?

She knew Taco would do his best to never let anything happen to Beau, but he wasn’t God. He couldn’t control other people’s actions.

Look what had happened to Repo last year. He’d been cut down without warning. It had been a wakeup call, if ever she’d experienced one. There had been a time when Bambi thought of the Spartans as all powerful, but after Cruiz and his people entered the picture, she was forced to realize that they were all just men. Very human men who made mistakes and could be hurt just like everyone else.

Life had a funny way of waking a person up. Sometimes it took the unthinkable to shake a person’s foundation of belief to get them to see reality.

That’s what Bambi had experienced, and now more than ever she wanted distance from that world. Unfortunately, she couldn’t change Taco being in it. She would never take back their time together, though, because it had resulted in her son being made, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming of a peaceful world where crime and violence didn’t factor into their daily lives. She just wanted to keep her son safe.

And Taco had taken him right into the lion’s den. Ground Zero, as far as she was concerned.

And she was going to get him out.

That’s where Bambi was headed at midnight, cutting through the dark country roads at speeds well over the limit.

She had to get to him, fearing the worst had already happened. Her mind was racing out of control. She simply couldn’t get there fast enough.

The moment she pulled onto Spartan property, the last thing Bambi was thinking about was the ban Country had placed on her. She was single-minded in her mission.

Throwing the car into park, she got out and hurried inside, throwing open the door, her eyes darting around in search of her boy. No one tried to stop her.

There. She spotted Beau at the bar, reclining in Red’s left arm as she served up a couple of beers to some prospects like the expert she was. Her skill was impressive. What wasn’t was that her baby was in a bar.

It wasn’t lost on her that children often frequented the clubhouse. She’d never really thought much about it in the past. Children weren’t on her radar then, but motherhood changed a person, she supposed.

“Red,” Bambi said, her tone brusque, “I’d like my baby back please.”

Ginger turned around, her smile falling as she realized who was addressing her. There was no secret about it; the women had no love lost between them. Bambi’s time spent within the clubhouse walls hadn’t all been spent making friends. She’d initially been there on a job which had gradually turned into something more personal. In that time, she’d earned herself a reputation that didn’t serve her well now.

Oh well. She wasn’t going to lose sleep over it now. She had bigger concerns.

Standing inside the club walls was as surreal as it was frightening. Bambi felt as if she were on borrowed time, and at any minute something bad might happen. She was single-minded in her mission to retrieve her son and go home where she could be sure of his safety.

“Bambi,” Ginger said with some surprise and a healthy dose of smugness. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Country tell you that you weren’t allowed back until he permitted it? I don’t remember hearing anything about allowing you back.”

Bambi’s answering smile was tight, grim. “He hasn’t, and I’m only here for my son.” She stepped up to the other woman and held out her hands.

Ginger frowned, glancing down at Beau and back at Bambi. “You’re…wait.” She shook her head as if to clear away the confusion. “Did you just say he’s your son?”

“That’s exactly what I said.” Bambi wasn’t going to wait for Red to demand a blood test. She simply put her hands around Beau and pulled him from Red’s arms, then she transferred him to his car seat that had been set off to the side on the floor behind the bar.

Red stood over her. “Does Taco know you’re here?” She sounded suspicious, as if at any moment, she was going to blow the whistle and call in the brigade.

“I’m sure he will soon enough,” Bambi told her. No doubt, there was already a little messenger running to tell him. Where was he anyway? How dare he bring her son here and just dump him off on someone else to take care of him.

“I don’t like this,” Red said.

“What don’t you like?” Bambi huffed. Standing, she took the diaper bag with her, looping it over her shoulder before picking up the car seat. But just because her hands were full didn’t mean she wasn’t ready for a fight if it came down to it. No one was going to keep her from taking her baby, and that’s exactly where she felt like this was headed.

“Nothing against you, but I don’t know the whole story here, and I don’t feel comfortable just letting you run off with that baby until I do.”

Bambi bristled, but she couldn’t deny that she also approved. Red didn’t know her son before tonight, but she was ready to go to bat to protect him.

Telling herself to ease down on the internal throttle, Bambi told her, “Look, Red, I appreciate it. I really do. I’m glad you’re looking out for my son. But Taco knew how I felt about him bringing Beau here and he didn’t listen. I’m just here to take him home. I wouldn’t have known where he was if Taco hadn’t told me.” She pulled out her phone and showed her the text as proof. “Just let Taco know when he returns from wherever he is that I picked up the baby. He’ll know where to find us.”

“He’s in church,” Red informed her. “He’ll be out soon enough, and then you can tell him yourself.”

“Honestly,” Bambi said, glancing at the closed doors across the room, “I think it would be best to go. I’m not even supposed to be here, after all.”

“Right.” Red didn’t appear to like the answer, but she couldn’t argue the logic. Bambi had a point, and if she stuck around, it would likely cause more problems than it was worth.

“So just let him know for me,” Bambi told her and prepared to leave.

Red put a hand on her arm. “Is he really yours? And Taco’s? I mean, you two…” She motioned with her hand, indicating that they’d gotten it on at some point in time.

Bambi smirked. “Yeah, we made a baby,” she confirmed.

Red’s eyes flared. “Wow, so the rumor mill finally got something right. I did not see that one coming. Huh. Imagine that.”

Bambi shrugged. What was there to say really? Shit happens? Well, she was pretty sure everyone there knew that sentiment well already.

“So you’ll tell him?” she asked, just to confirm.

“Yeah, I’ll let him know,” Red said reluctantly. “And hey, you have a great kid there. He’s a real sweetheart. If Country ever has a change of heart, I’d love to see him around again sometime. Or maybe Taco could bring him by…?”

Yeah, no chance of that happening, Bambi thought. “Yeah, maybe,” she said noncommittally instead. Then she was leaving, eager to get out of there as fast as her legs and her Jetta could carry her.

She got as far as opening the door and kissing the cool night air when she heard Taco’s voice calling out behind her.

“Dollface, get your ass back in here.”

Well, shit.

***

Taco hadn’t expected to see Bambi on the premises…Actually, that was a lie. He’d known from the moment he sent that text that when Bambi read it, she would fly in like a bat out of hell. He’d been counting on it.

Seeing her in his domain again gave him a thrill that he shouldn’t have. She wasn’t supposed to be there...but she was. The whole situation had the potential to blow up in his face, but it was too late to take any of it back now. Once Quick and everyone realized that the kid was his and she was its mother, they would put the puzzle pieces together and the roof would be blown off that particular popsicle stand.

It looked like that day was today.

Taco was going to own the hell out of it. The best thing to do when presented with any kind of adversity within the club was to stand like a man and claim it. He’d created a messy situation, and it was time to stand up and lay it all out. Fuck what the brothers thought. It was his life and his to do with as he pleased. They didn’t have to like it, but they damn sure had to accept it.

Bambi froze in the doorway, no doubt having thought that she was getting off Scott free, but luckily Quick had called an end to church just in time for him to catch her with one foot literally out the door.

When she turned to look at him, he motioned her over, and like the good girl she was, she listened.

They’d gathered an audience, a fact both of them were aware of. It was easy to tell by her cautious, darting gaze that Bambi was more than a little uncomfortable due to her history there, but Taco was going to show her that there was nothing to be worried about. He was going to make all of this okay again. For everyone.

“You leaving without saying goodbye?” he asked, then looked meaningfully down at Beau who was fast asleep in his seat. He was a good lookin’ kid, no doubt about that. The perfect combination of the two of them, something he just couldn’t seem to get over. They’d made a baby.

Man, if that wasn’t enough to make a male’s heart thump, he didn’t know what was.

“You were in a meeting. I left a message with Red,” Bambi told him, and a glace over at his favorite bartender confirmed she was telling the truth.

Well, at least she’d actually left a message this time around rather than just disappearing into the night like the last time.

He kept that snarky comment to himself.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’d like you stick around a bit.” He relieved her of the car seat, setting it down on the floor so he could pop the buckles off Beau and get him out. Bambi, to her credit, didn’t try to argue, but that was probably more a matter of being where they were rather than not wanting to kick up a fuss.

“What’s this?” Quick asked as he came strolling up behind him. Taco saw several pairs of black boots surround him and knew his brothers had gathered around to see what the fuss was all about.

“This,” Taco said, standing up with Beau reclining in the crook of his arm, “is my boy, Beau. Handsome little devil, isn’t he?” He couldn’t stop smiling, proud to show off what he’d made.

The brothers, though understandably shaken by the news, stepped right in to inspect the little bundle of tiny human.

“You didn’t tell me you had a kid,” Quick said, those heavy brows knitting together. He was the first to reach out and touch the little guy with a finger. “Sure looks like you though.”

“Poor little cuss,” Repo commiserated, and Taco just shook his head, still smiling.

“Careful, old man, you’re showing your age again,” Red said from over his shoulder.

“Stop bustin’ my balls, woman,” Repo warned, his tone light, which was a weird change. Guess having a little woman to come home to changed the man.

Moose said, “How much did you have to pay the little lady to sleep with you?”

“Too little,” Bambi joked. The mixed reaction to her speaking up upset Taco. He didn’t like the way his brothers looked at her, as if they’d just realized she was standing there and didn’t like her in their space.

She shut right up, clearing her throat and visibly shrinking inside, which only made him more upset. She belonged with him, and therefore she belonged here.

Taco chose his battles wisely, though, and was choosing to see how things played out. They all just needed a little time to get used to how things would be.

As his brothers stepped up one by one to meet and greet his son and to congratulate him—and sometimes both of them—it didn’t escape Taco’s notice that the only one who wasn’t in the mix was Country.

The man was standing off to the side, a scowling spectator.

Normally, he liked the smartass, but tonight he could go fuck himself.

In true Country fashion, the man lit up a cigarette and took a few long drags before saying anything. It was evident by the tension in the room that everyone was waiting to hear what he had to say. It was no secret he and Bambi had history, nor that he didn’t much like her.

Taco sent him a silent look that spoke loud and clear, a challenge to the man to tell her to leave. He wouldn’t have it. He’d be the first to go to bat for her, to make it known that she wasn’t going anywhere unless he said so. Far as Taco was concerned, Country needed to get over whatever went down. The past was the past, and it was more than time to let it go.

Country caught the look he gave him and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Then, pushing off the wall, he walked over in a cloud of smoke. Eyes squinted, he tilted his head and inspected Beau with a critical eyes. “I agree with Repo. Poor guy looks just like his pops.”

A round of relieved laughter rippled through the room, and Taco smiled. “You’re just jealous he’s gonna take after me and steal your spotlight.”

“Son, my spotlight shines bright like a diamond. Nobody can outshine me.”

Taco shook his head. That was Country, always with his big head. As the group disbanded and spread out, taking up seats wherever they could find one, ordering drinks, playing music, and starting conversations, Taco took a moment to let Country know he appreciated him not causing a scene.

“Thanks, man. I just wanted to let you know I appreciate the effort.”

Country cast a scrutinous gaze at Bambi. “Just keep her in line. First sign of trouble…”

“Won’t be a problem,” Taco assured him, hoping it was true. He hadn’t exactly discussed the whole thing with Bambi. She could easily cause a problem under their roof again, but he didn’t think so. She seemed to have mellowed out, and he was confident he knew her better than most. Besides, she didn’t even want to be here. He knew it like he knew the placement of every freckle on her body.

The second she saw her opening, she was going to take Beau and bolt.

They were going to have to work on that. Baby steps. At least she was here now.

He stooped down to replace Beau in his seat. “Hey, dollface,” Taco said once they were alone, “you ready to head back now?”

“I’ve been ready since I got here,” she told him honestly.

Hell, a man had to appreciate that kind of honesty. She wasn’t exactly sugarcoating shit.

“All right, babe, let’s get rolling then.”

“You think you’re coming home with us?” she asked, her tone suggesting that it wasn’t an option.

Taco had news for her.

Standing, he got all up in her personal space, curling a hand around the nape of her neck to root her in place. Damn, he loved how those blue eyes sparkled. “Baby, I know I am.”