Page 2 of New Beginnings
The rumble of the bikes under my feet and the sound of the pipes echoing through the air made it more real. It didn’t surprise me the number of brothers and old ladies that showed to say their final goodbyes. Dani was well loved through the mc world. She was like one of the guys.
How the hell am I supposed to get through this day?
I held Siobhan a little tighter in my arms, grateful she was so young. She didn’t know what was happening. All she knew was her uncle and aunt had been spending time with her, and my friends were coming by to see us.
Of course, she had asked for her mother, but it was hard to explain to a two-year-old their mother was never coming home. I still hadn’t been able to give her an answer.
Kira had done an excellent job with Siobhan since they arrived in town when they got the news Dani didn’t make it. But me... I was lost. I didn’t know what to say to my own kid. I didn’twant to lie to her, but I also didn’t want to tell her the truth. She was too young to be dealing with any of this bullshit. Her fucking mother should be tucking her into bed at night, reading her bedtime stories about princesses being saved by the prince. And Dani won’t be there for any of it because of some asshole the police said didn’t exist.
While we waited for the processional of bikes to finish the journey into the cemetery, the once gray clouds overhead grew increasingly darker. A perfect representation of my life.
Darkness was all I could feel around me now. Not even the laughter and smile of my baby girl could brighten my day, and that scared me. That shit hurt my heart.
Siobhan could always make me smile. She could always brighten up my days, no matter how dark they were. But not this time. Now all I saw when I looked at her was my dead wife. My wife I knew was murdered but couldn’t get justice for because the fucking police didn’t believe me.
The last of the bikers had shut down their engines and had gathered by the Dani’s graveside. There was a sea of bikes as far as the eye could see. We were criminals, but when one of us went through something, we came together like a family. I was grateful to have the support, but also overwhelmed.
A hush fell over the crowd when the preacher took his place near the large photograph of Dani Kira picked out to display during the funeral. She looked like she was having the time of her life. I remembered taking it. We had just found out she was pregnant with Siobhan. It was one of the happiest days of both our lives.
A large casket spray of nothing but black roses laid across her shiny white casket. The kind of person Dani was, she would have loved the idea of black roses instead of something typical because she wasn’t the typical girl. She was different, and I loved that about her.
“The family of Danielle Stevens would like to thank each one of you for coming to pay your respects today,” the preacher said. “We would ask that someone from the family please come and say a few words.”
“Do you want to say a few words?” Demon whispered to me.
I probably should, but I didn’t know if I could speak about my wife in the past tense. But she would do it for me, so I could sure as hell do it for her.
“Yeah, I’ll speak.”
Demon took Siobhan from my arms, and I made my way closer to her casket. It took all I had to remain on my feet. The closer I got to her, the stronger the dread became. And the stronger the heartache ripped at my soul.
I looked at her picture, trying to gain strength from her smile. But it was hard knowing I couldn’t smile along with her.
I faced all my brothers from the different chapters along the East Coast with a heavy heart.
“Thank you all for being here.” I ran my hand through my hair. “This is so fucking hard for me to do, but if Dani was here, she’d be shocked at all the love everyone is showing her. My Old Lady was a spitfire with a heart of gold. There was no one like her and if you’ve met her, you know there are no truer words. Her death will leave a gaping hole in a lot of our hearts. As her husband and your brother, I would like to thank each one of you for showing my family compassion during this difficult time. As she would say, Fuck, I love you guys.”
Chuckles echoed through the air, filling the solemn atmosphere of the graveside.
I plucked a black rose from the sea of bouquets surrounding her graveside and made my way towards her casket. Inhaling deeply, then I exhaled slowly, feeling a mix of sorrow and rage as I placed it on the casket, right where her head would rest.
“If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to find out who did this to you and our baby. I love you, babe. Always.”
Placing a gentle kiss on the casket, I turned away and walked back to my family, the weight of grief heavy in the air.
Nothing would stop me from finding out the truth. Someone was behind this, and if it was the last thing I did, I would find them and show them what the cost was for fucking with Demons United.
NIGHTMARES
J.D. Stevens
Panic and confusion barreled through me.
I burst into the emergency room, nearly colliding with an elderly couple making their way out through the sliding glass doors. The words ‘Emergency Room’ were boldly emblazoned in bright red capital letters across the glass.
After getting the call from Caesar saying I needed to get my ass over to the hospital, I made the drive at break-neck speed. Running stop lights, blowing stop signs to get here as soon as possible.
What the hell was Dani doing at the hospital? The question swirled in my mind for the hundredth time since I got the call.
