Page 80 of Sypher

Crawling out from under the table, Danny growled, “Was she here?” Ace grabbed his brother and hugged him tight.

“Yes. She is waiting for the both of you.”

Not needing to be told twice, I ran from the room with Danny right on my heels.

The idea of actually meeting my daughter in person had never fully registered with me before; I hadn’t truly contemplated what that would feel like. I’d seen pictures of her, countless images, but none truly prepared me for her presence. I knew she was my double, blonde hair, light brown eyes, and all, but nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming rush of love when I finally saw her—a feeling both intense and deeply familiar, like looking into a mirror reflecting my soul.

In the middle of a room stood Zach Walsh. He held my daughter close, his touch gentle as he soothed her silent tears, the rhythmic rubbing of his hand on her back a calming presence. Her beauty was so striking that it transcended anything I had ever encountered in my lifetime; she was, quite simply, the most beautiful person I’d ever seen. Lost in her gaze, all I wanted was to stand there forever, the warmth of her presence filling me. Her perfect, tiny form was heartbreaking as silent tears streamed down her face.

Slowly approaching, Zach turned and frowned.

“We watched for five days before we entered. I refused to wait any longer. No one showed her any attention or affection. The nurse that was supposed to be caring for her only showed up three times a day to feed her and change her. That bitch never even talked to her, Danny. When I entered, she was quietly sitting in her crib crying while she played with her stuffed teddy bear, but the moment I picked her up, she latched on. Poor peanut is starved for love and affection.”

“Where is the nurse?” Danny growled as I walked closer to her.

“Bitch didn’t make it.”

“Danika?” My voice was barely a breath as I gently moved her long blonde hair from her face, watching as her eyes fluttered open to meet mine, her eyelashes like a soft veil. Our eyes locked, and a powerful punch to the gut left me breathless and reeling. I could barely breathe.

“She hasn’t spoken a single word, Danny. Not sure if she even knows how. But she knows her name.”

“Can I hold you, Babygirl?” With outstretched hands, I pleaded, my voice cracking with emotion, and when she willingly came to me, I wept with relief. Holding her close, I was shocked by how little she weighed; her bones were practically poking through her skin. Looking at Danny, a gentle smile on his face, he walked over and gently brushed her hair from her face.

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll take care of everything. I promise. You just take care of our little girl,” he said cryptically.

Nodding, I allowed him and Zach to escort us out of the building.

Chapter Thirty

Sypher

November 29, 2024, Diamond Creek, Nebraska.

“I don’t give a flying fuck,” I calmly whispered, holding my sleeping baby girl in my arms while Dante took off with several of the club wives to pick up some essential items for Danika before we headed home. As it was, the clothes she had on were borrowed, thanks to Jackass’ woman, Sam. But with winter in full swing, my little girl didn’t have shit to protect her against the cold, and I fucking flat out refused to take her anywhere without the proper attire.

“Hold still, Sypher,” Patch grumbled, placing his stethoscope on her back, listening to her heartbeat and lungs.

“Look, Sypher,” King, the president of the Silver Shadows began. “We can’t just blow up the place. My brother is the damn town sheriff. It’s a federal installation. We get caught and all of us will do hard time. I’ve got brothers here with pregnant wives.”

“It’s right across the damn state line. I can make sure nothing points to you or your club, but I’m not fucking leaving until that place is wiped off the fucking map.”

“I can do it,” a six-foot one brother spoke up. Taking a better look at him, I noticed his dirty blond shaggy hair hung low, covering his eyes. The man looked more like a tall, slim baseball player than a biker, but who was I to judge? I was a former goth growing up and still listened to death metal.

King leaned forward in his chair. “Stocks, you get caught, it’s life in prison. Not gonna stop you but fuck, man, think of the consequences.”

“What if that little girl was Tabby, Prez? That woman they also rescued is in the infirmary, sedated because she’s too damn afraid to be around anyone else. Got love for this club and what we do, but I ain’t gonna stand by and do nothing while those in power continue to do that crap to someone else. I can’t.”

“Let him go, King,” a brother named Blade spoke up. “Stocks is right. That place needs to evaporate. We do nothing and eventually someone else will take over, and then we will be back right where we are now. I’d go with him, but I can’t risk leaving Becca to raise our kid by herself.”

A brother named Jackass nodded. “Same.”

Matthew Law spoke up, “If there was anyone else, King, I would use them, but my demo guy is overseas and won’t get here in time. I have the ordinance with me, but I need someone to tell me where to plant it. As it is, we only have a short window of opportunity here. We either destroy the place now or leave and take the chance of someone darker taking over.”

Sighing, King leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hand across his beard. I knew I was asking a big favor from the man. One I didn’t take lightly. So, going with my gut, I reached over and ripped my Golden Patch off my arm and slid it toward King.

King looked at the patch, and no one moved.

Yeah.

---