He took a shot glass in both hands. “I can’t.” He drank one, then the other.
Track had been struggling since the babies were taken by that cunt Misty. He felt responsible like he hadn’t done his job.
I’d put him on “Misty watch” after she tried tricking some of the guys to go without a condom. What I should’ve done was drive her out of the state like we had Carla, but my gut had told me to keep my enemy close. It turned out I’d been right. Misty was the sister of my cousins’ worst enemy in North Dakota. If I’d sent her away, Cobra wouldn’t have known about the Rat Brotherhood’s connection to the missing children. Women were vanishing too. My cousins hadn’t yet found Rat and his sister, Tami.
I appreciated what Track had done for the club. Unfortunately, some of the shit we did to protect those we loved fucked with us. Track had performed his act well, fooling everyone he’d been getting his rocks off with Misty when he really hated her. Yeah, he claimed he liked her sucking him off, but behind closed doors, it never happened. He’d been drugging her to keep her from our MC brothers.
The bitch hadn’t mentioned Rat or her sister, not even when drunk. Because Track hadn’t gotten her to talk, he believed he’d failed Dodge and me when she took our babies, and had ultimately, failed the club.
Of course, we couldn’t tell the old ladies the truth, so Track had been dealing with dirty looks and whispers for weeks. It all had tormented him. He was a lot like Lynx in that regard. The opinions of others mattered to him, especially when it came to the women he cared about.
“Here, hold Birdie.” My sweet baby girl made everything better.
Uncle Track took her into his arms and cuddled her. “Have you talked to my dad?”
“Yeah. How’s Tina doing?” I sought her out in the banquet room. This time of year was difficult for her. Hers and her daughter’s birthday was nearing. Birthdays didn’t mean anything to me, but they were everything to Tina. When hers arrived on December fourth, she’d slip into a depression until the seventeenth, her daughter’s birthday. By Christmas, Tina would be okay again.
“She’s doing her best. She’s anxious to get Brynne back. I don’t understand why Tina wanted the club to leave her kid alone until she graduated college. We should’ve gotten the girl years ago.”
Track was right. I disagreed with how Raul and my uncle had handled Brynne’s situation. But they’d done it the way Tina wanted, so her daughter would have a normal childhood before discovering Tina had faked her death. A couple of days after her daughter’s seventh birthday, Tina crashed her car into a tree and torched it. Her methods of protecting herself and her daughter had been extreme, but she had her reasons.
“It won’t be long now.”
“Nope, the spring will arrive before we know. My dad wants me in on the rescue.”
I wasn’t surprised to hear this. My only beef with Raul’s suggestion was Track being gone for a few months. My guys in Montana, Espada and Cash, could handle it. They’d been living in Missoula since Brynne started college. Cash even enrolled at the university to be closer to her. She was studying journalism.
After all the shit with Misty, leaving Minnesota for a stint might do Track good.
“You all right with it?” I reached for another shot.
“Yeah. I should be there in case anything goes wrong. She is my step-sister, y’know.”
I was about to remind him how a family wasn’t only blood-related when Ire entered the building with a woman. I couldn’t believe it. He’d convinced Ava to come to the wedding.
“What the hell?” Track sat taller in his chair. “Did you know about this?”
I smiled wryly. “Of course I did.”
Track passed Birdie to me. “Take your kid. I’m good now.”
I kissed my sleeping girl. “Anytime.”
Ire and Ava made their way to my table in the back. My brother looked a little green behind the gills. He’d tried everything to get Ava out of the house and to not fear bikers. I’d suggested inviting her to be his plus-one.
He cleared his throat as they approached. “Prez, this is Ava Hagen. Ava this is Storm, the president of the club.” He kept a foot’s distance between him and the blonde.
“Good to meet you, Ava.”
“You too.” She took in the room. “This is really nice. Drew said it wasn’t gonna be fancy, but I feel a little undressed.” She grimaced at Ire.
“Hey,”—he slowly leaned toward her—“don’t worry about it. Nobody cares what you’re wearing.”
Ava nodded, then smiled at Birdie. “She’s precious.”
“Thank you.” I felt bad for this woman. She was pretty, but it was easy to see she was on edge. Ire handled her clothes issue well. She had on a bulky sweater, hiding her curves and black jeans.
Track elbowed me as my Angel rushed across the room with her bright blue eyes wide with intrigue. She wouldn’t be the only old lady eager to meet Ire’s date.