MISFITS OF WHISKEY BEND #5

CREDITS

stock photo ID: 17014558 © Nicholas Piccillo | Cover

Royalty-free stock vector ID:

Copyright © 2026 KJ Dahlen Books

Editor: Leanore Elliott

Book Design & Cover: Wicked Muse

Also by Kj Dahlen

Badass Women

Badass Women-Savaged Sous MC

Badass Women-Sin's Bastards

Badass Women#3 Brothers Of Chaos

Badass Women-Bratva Blood Brothers

Badass Women-Lost Sons MC

Badass Women VIM

Badass Women-Bratva New York

Badass Women-Stone Cold Bitches

Badass Women New York Wives

Badass Women Brothers At Arms MC

Badass Women Sinners

Badass Women Hell's Fire

Bikers Of The Rio Grande

Rambler

Hunter

Sinner

Bearcat

Wizard

Raven

Taz

Thunder

Thunder & A Little Bit Of Lightning

Snowman & Eden

Born Of Desperation

Nitro

Pagan

Repo

Typhoon

Montana

Capone

Dixon

Bratva Blood Brothers

Yuri

Mikial

Barshan

Sazon

Roman

Brothers United

losif

Kosta

Nikoli

Nicky

Sergi

Misha

Timor

Felix

Kirill

Sasha

Maxim, A Bratva Christmas

A Bratva Christmas

Mikial-Father's Day

Valentines-Bratva

Sergi's Father's Day

Bratva Blood Brothers Thanksgiving

Bratva Born

Nubric

Koyla

Petrov

Minki

Dima

Catch

Bratva Women-Prequel-Bratva Born

Bratva Enforcers-Nomads

Viktor

Ivan

Adrik

Andrey

Grisha

Matvey

Bratva New Orleans

Bratva New Orleans#1

Bratva New Orleans#2

Bratva New Orleans

Bratva New Orleans#4

Bratva New Orleans #5

Bratva New Orelans

Bratva New Orleans

Bratva New Orleans#8

Bratva New York

Nikoli Bratva New York

Misha-New York

Nicky-New York

Felix-New York

Kirill Bratva New York

Sergi Bratva New York

Bratva New York

Christmas-Bratva New York

Crimson- Special Edition

Bratva Warriors

Bratva Warriors

Bratva Warriors#2

Bratva Warriors#3

Bratva Warriors

Brothers At Arms MC

Zeus

Cajun Kings

Cajun King

Fat Tuesday

Born In Fahyuh

Crazy As Hell

Sweet Rascal

I Don't Give A Damn

Cajun Queens

Cajun Queens

Cajun Queens#2

Cajun Queens #3

Cajun Queens #4

Cajun Queens #5

Cajun Queens#6

Crimson Tide MC

Tracker

Boomer

Cyrus

Clovis

Vance

Tether

Crimson Tide MC

Destiny Meets Fate

Destiny Meets Fate

Destiny Meets Fate#2

Destiny Meets Fate#3

Destiny Meets Fate

Destiny Meets Fate #6

Destiny Meets Fate Set

Devil's Advocates MC

Jackal

Beast

Wolf

Apollo

Shade

Tank

Shadow Hunter

Devil's Advocates Series Set

Devil's Own MC

Stormy

Devils Trifecta MC

Gage

Joker

Sledge

Devil's Trifecta MC Set

Fire And Ice

Fire And Ice

The Flame

Invincible

Supernatural

Incandescent

Extraordinary

Ghost Riders MC

Pepper

Phantom

Dax

Venom

Heathen

NiteStalker

Hell's Bloodhounds MC

Barron

Leonid

Hell's Fire Riders

A Hell's Fire Christmas

Hell's Fire Riders MC

Pappy's Shadow

Betrayed

Trigger The Storm

Shay

Legend

Birth Of Hells Fire Rider

Trudy

Kings Of Wrath MC

Pride

Candyman

Rage

Scar

Romeo

Cosmos

Kings Of Wrath

Kings Of Wrath Christmas

Lords Of Hell MC

Mayhem

Brutus

Bear

Stone

Tag

Svante

Lost Sons MC

Creed's Return

Jack

Tate

Harry

Silas

Daniel

Silas & Midge

Come Home-Lost Sons MC

Lost Sons MC

Louisiana Heat

Ajax

Fireball

Stinger

Moon

Racer

Player

LA Heat Series

Malverde

Malverde

Malverde 2

Malverde 3

Malverde 4

Malverde

Masters Of Mayhem MC

Rance

Bull

Korbel

Rocker

Nova

Ram

Misfits Of Whiskey Bend

Misfits Of Whiskey Bend

Turbo

Mistfits Of Whiskey Bend

Misfits Of Whiskey Bend#4

Misfits Of Whiskey Bend#5

New Blood-Savaged Souls MC

Arrow

Beau

Hayes

Runner

Acer

Duke

New Blood Savaged Souls-Boxed Set

Payback

Ghoster

Phantom Fury MC

Shilo

Bullet

Commando

Rocket

Train

Ryker

Stitches

Princes Of Hell MC

Talon

Rogue

Falcon

Condor

Princes Of Hell MC Set

Rajun Cajuns

Rajun Cajuns

Rajun Cajuns#6

Reunion Series

Reunion

Silk & Bones Reunion

Hell's Fire Riders Reunion

Yuri Bratva Blood Brothers Reunion

Rogue's Of Hell MC-Reunion

Reunion Sin's Bastards MC- Next Generation

Sinners Reunion

Lost Sons Reunion

Savaged Souls MC Reunion

Warlords Reunion

Rivers Foundation

Cade

Rogues Of Hell MC Trilogy

Cash

Rogues Trilogy

Wilder

San Francisco Steel

Slammer

Shotgun

Grinder

Mammoth

Booker

Spider

Texas

Satan's Spawn MC

Spawn & Spitfire

Revenge and Retribution

Babies & Bastards

Savaged Souls MC

Boone

Gunner

Jett

Cobra

Thor

Gypsy

Grizzly

Moose

Skeeter

Shades of Shay Trilogy

Shades Of Shay

Shadow Warriors

Blue

Silver Warriors

The Quest

The Ride

The Brothers

The Game

The Fall

The Race

Coming Home

Silver Warriors-Boxed Set

Silver Warriors Halloween

Sinners MC

Hawk

Pony

Prosper

Saber

Rebel

Buzz

Sinners- Boxed Set

Sinners Of Boston

V-Sins & Sinners

Atlas

Echo

Cuffs

Ringo

Dak

Sin's Bastards MC

Silk & Bones

Karma's Bite

No Regrets

Hell's Fury

Lies & Liars

Stone Cold

Satan's Spawn & Sin's Bastards Collection

Sin's Bastards Christmas

Leon

Mountain

Peaches & Iceman

Girl's Night

Sin's Bastards Mother's Day

Bane Returns

Christmas With The Sin's

Deacon

Reva

Sin's Bastards Next Generation

Raine

Chance

Gambler

Bowie

Judge

Byron

Hound

Dante

Iceman

The Kids

Wiley

Calderone

Sin's Bastards MC Next Generation Boxed Set #1

Vincinti Women

Sin's Bastards Next Generation Boxed Set #2

Jericho's Christmas

Sin's Bastards Trilogy

Spawn & A Spitfire Returns

Iceman & Peaches Returns

Silk & Bones Returns

Soldiers Of Hades MC

Cottonmouth

Python

GTO

Lightning

Whiskey

Spirit

Cobra's New Year

Soldiers Of Hades Christmas

Sons Of Ireland

Sons of Ireland-Boston#1

Sons Of Ireland

Sons Of Ireland New Orleans

Sons Of Ireland#4

Sons Of Ireland

Stone Cold Bitches MC

Calypso

Widowmaker

Aqua Velvet

Medusa

Razor

Ruby Red

Stone Cold Bitches MC Set

Swamp Patriots

Swamp Patriots

Tennessee Breeds

Breed

Greer

Monster

Crow

Maverick

Cowboy

Blade

Tennessee Breeds Set

The Boondocks

Mad Dog

Stroker

Steel

Samson

Ink

Rock

Asa

The Marauders MC

Titus

Ridge

Jep

Hot Rod

Ironman

Vengeance Is Mine

Bane

Damon

Bane's Shadow

Cane

The Priest

Kill Me Twice

Kill Me Again

Lionheart

Lancelot

Galahad

PenDragon

Excaliber

Palamedes

Calegis

Escalades

Theo

Hell's Vengeance

Archangel

Butterfly

Blue Eyes

Dante's Inferno

Conquest

Apocalypse

Poison

Into The Black

White Noise

Absolute

Doom

Faith

VIM Set

Bane's Infinity

Valiant

VIM #2

VIM Redux

VIM Redux

Redux

VIM Redux

VIM redux

VIM Redux

Vincintis

The Vincintis

The Vincintis#2

The Vincintis#3

The Vincintis#4

The Vincintis

The VIncintis

The Vincintis

WarLords MC

Truman

King

Jack- WarLords

Deuce

Joker

Traven

Giving Thanks-Warlord MC

Whiskey Bend MC Series

Lucifer's Woman

Demon's Stand

At All Costs

Out Of The Shadows

Jinx

Shadow

Cooper

Bender

Saint

Whiskey Bend MC Set

Christmas In Whiskey Bend

Whiskey Bend Easter

Misfits Christmas

Wings Of Fire MC

Maze

Tabor

Sayer

Hellion

Brick

The Hylands

Standalone

Hell's Fire MC Series Set

A Life For Luke

Chasing Eve

Saving Sebastian

Shadows Of The Past

Never Forget Me

The Cartouche

A Wrath Is Born

The New Brotherhood

Slade

Zipper

Carson

San Francisco Steel MC Set

Return To Yuri

Patriot

Badass Women-Boxed Set

King Of Pain Vol.#1

King Of Pain Vol.#2

Shades Of Shay Collection

Cobra's Christmas

Cajun Queens Boxed Set

Tucker

A Wedding For Wings Of Fire

Hell's Fire Riders Special Edition

The Original Series

LUCIFER'S WOMAN #1

When two souls come together, nothing can tear them apart...

Lucifer

Out of the ashes of a life I once held dear,

I was born. They call me Lucifer but I earned the name I was given.

Strong willed. Vicious. Tried and tested...

Never met a match I couldn't handle.

Like iron forged in the fire, my body gets stronger.

She saved my soul.

Just a glance was all it took.

And I knew she'd be my salvation. My future.

The woman belongs to me, and only me.

To lose her now would be a death sentence of its own kind.

Jessie

He's a man they call the devil himself,

In him, I find a missing piece of my heart.

Now, our souls are touching — connected in a way I don't understand.

He blocked out every fear I faced. In its place, I felt a safety I've never known.

Now doubt is creeping in...

Just before Lucifer finds me, I find another secret.

A secret I need to expose.

Now, a madman thinks he owns my fate.

He'll kill me to protect the secrets in his soul.

I pray he doesn't break me until Lucifer tracks us down

He'll fight the evil that took me. But how do you fight what you can't see?

Time is ticking...will fate be kind to the woman who's already lost everyone who meant anything to her?

DEMON’S STAND #2

I was damaged by memories of the war we couldn’t win.

Then I met her and she changed my world. From the moment we met, she calmed my crazy.

She couldn’t remember her past and that put her in danger.

There is a killer out there waiting to strike but I’ll be damned if I’ll let him take her from me.

I vowed to keep her safe. I needed her too much to let her go. I’ll be damned if anyone will take her away from me.

A bullet with her name on it. Not on my watch.

AT ALL COSTS #3

Aries

War is hell any way you slice it, being taken hostage for four months- That tends to break a man... I should know, I was that man, I still wear the scars of those four months, but I’ll never talk about how I got them, I can’t, if I do it makes what happened to me real.

Then I meet her and she has her own scars. She also has a killer after her.

Not on my watch...

Luna

When I get a call in the middle of the night, it’s got to be a wrong number. How do I know? Because I didn’t pay to kill anyone and the caller thinks I did.

When the killer comes after me to eliminate his witness I run... Right into the arms of Aries and his brothers, The Hell’s Guardian Warriors MC.

After everything life has thrown at me, is this for real? Aries makes me feel safe, will it last? I don’t know but I have to try...

OUT OF THE SHADOWS #4

He'd die for her, he'd kill for her... What he won't do is live without her...

Hades

I was haunted by too many memories, too much chaos I could never forget.

I was used to being alone, the demons I battle everyday demand that, then I met her...

The first time I laid my eyes on her, I felt a connection. She was the other half of my missing soul.

Her life is in danger and I’m not about to lose her now, I only just found her.

I will hunt this man down and make him go away once and for all...

But if I do, will she give me a chance? Can I keep her, forever and a day?

Hope

I’ve been running for a long time now, leaving everything I am behind me.

Every day I live in fear that HE will find me again and finish what he started five years ago.

Hades came out of the darkness to save my soul when I needed him the most.

Is this my fate? Or wishful thinking on my part?

Can I embrace this man who I think is my missing half? Or will fate finally have its own way and destroy me?

SHADOW

When the past is known, the truth will be as well.

Shadow

I found my home when I came to Whiskey Bend, these men had become my family.

Then my sister called. Her friend was in trouble and she thought maybe I could help

Chloe had a past but the only thing was she couldn’t remember it. She was too young when her parents died.

Now someone wants her dead too and his property back. As she didn’t know what that was... I might just lose her to this maniac.

He might be willing to kill her but I’m willing to defend her until the day I die.

Chloe

I was drifting without a past or a future until one day that changed. I had a photo slipped under my door with a question written on the back.

The question read, Was I that little girl? To tell you the truth I didn’t know.

I went into the foster system at the age of six, too young to even remember my parents. Now seventeen years later my past is coming back to haunt me.

Shadow promises to stand between me and bullet, question is can I depend on him once the truth comes out? Will he stay and defend me or kick me to the curb?

JINX #6

Jinx

I was alone and thought I would be alone after I lost my wife and baby in a brutal murder eleven years ago.

Then Faith walked into my life with problems of her own. I promised to protect her and her young son and I always keep my word.

I don’t know when I got so possessive of her but she calmed a part of my soul I thought would never be calm again.

But until her ex was in prison, I couldn’t let her know how I felt. I had a job to do and I never quit on anybody.

When this is over? You can bet your ass, I will claim her for my own.

Faith

When I met Jinx, I was a hot mess with tons of baggage. My ex wanted me dead and he wanted to take away the only thing that ever mattered to me- my son.

He said he could and would protect me and my son. I trusted him on that account. There was something in his eyes that told me I could.

I took a chance and he came through for me. When I fell for him, I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t just walk away when all was said and done.

I needed him, I wanted him and I was going to get him, nothing else mattered more than he did.

COOPER #7

Cooper

I’ve worn many hats in my life, Marine, US Marshal, cop but the one I loved the most was being a husband and soon to be father. Then I met Jackson Hale and he took everything I ever cared for away from me. He took my wife and unborn baby’s lives and left me with a hole where my heart used to be.

I left my US Marshal job and became a cop but my heart wasn’t really in it anymore so when my friends Shadow and Noah left to join the Hell’s Guardian Warriors I went along with them.

That’s where I met Shadow’s sister Nora. I tried to keep my distance, I really did, but she wouldn’t let me.

Now, with the heat focused back on Jackson, he comes back to try and take my life again. But I’ll be damned if he’ll win this time. It’s time to step up my game and the hunter will become the hunted. I won’t let him take Nora like he took my wife.

Nora

When my best friend was in trouble, I called on my big brother to help her. He brought us both back with him to a small town in Wisconsin, Whiskey Bend. He helped my friend and we both stayed.

I found something in that small town I didn’t know I was missing. Cooper. I don’t know his whole story yet but I want to. Oh, do I want to. But he won’t let me get close enough to him. He turns me away at every turn.

Then something from his past comes after him and threatens him and the MC. They aren’t going to let the ugly past happen again so the fight is on and the last man standing wins the fight.

Only question is who will be the last man standing?

BENDER #8

Bender

I came here to Whiskey Bend to join my brother Jinx and his friends to fight the good fight. Seven years ago, we had a mission and were hunting down a bad guy named Jack. Well, Jack found us first and he left with nothing less than devastation...

He took my brother’s wife and unborn son’s lives and damn near hung me... I barely survived. Now my brother and I are hunting Jack again and this time, he won’t get away. But Jack is also hunting someone I need to find again.

Her name is Phoebe and she’s the best friend of Jinx’s woman. She disappeared and I need to find her. Jack is coming for her and I need to know why.

I also want to know why when I held her in my arms ...my soul felt complete. Which one of us will find her first, me or Jack?

Phoebe

My whole life I’ve been different. Some called me a freak but I’m not a freak. I’m just different. I’m told that I am wicked smart and I see patterns in numbers and letters. I learned a long time ago to hide from my family and I escaped their clutches when I was just a kid. They became a secret I had to keep well hidden from the whole world.

I changed my name and learned to live under the radar. But I knew my family would always be looking for me. Then I found Faith and in turn, she found the Hell’s Warrior Guardians MC.

Then I found out they were hunting someone named Jack. I knew I could stay but I wanted to. Oh lord, how I wanted to. I finally found someone I wanted a life with, but I couldn’t pit him against my most mortal enemy.

So, I ran again. Then Jack found my trail and he was closing in. But so is Bender, I can feel it. I’m hoping Bender finds me first. Maybe he can give me something I’ve been missing all my life...hope.

SAINT #9

Saint

I thought I lost my brother Nick to the war on terror and that hurt me more than being a POW for a year and a half. Then three years later, I found out he was still alive. I have to find out for myself and my men. So, I go back to a place that means home to me. Whiskey Bend.

Coming home was wonderful, not only did I find my brother, I found he had a wife and a brand new baby too. The Leroy line won’t end with Lucifer and me. My men and I also found a place to call home.

Then an unexpected guest finds us and she has a secret she tries to hide. But secrets never go over well with men like us. Secrets can get you dead. We’ve been there and done that so we don’t want to start all over again.

Somewhere along the line, this woman began to mean something to me but when her secret came to life, we all band together to help her fight back. At least this time, I know what I’m fighting for and yes, she’s worth it.

Erika

I was born under a dark star to a woman, who never should have had a child, but life is rarely fair and you have to deal with the cards you’re dealt. My mother had the worst taste in men and I learned what not to look for.

I finally got away from her latest mistake but it cost her this time. Only thing was I knew her mistake would hunt me down to get me back. I was more valuable to him than she ever was. But I wasn’t going back. Not to that kind of life.

I had a real chance to start over with a clean slate if I kept my mouth shut but then he came looking for me. He put someone I cared about in danger and I couldn’t let that happen. But Saint wasn’t going to let him take me away either.

He showed me I mattered to him and that was kind of nice for once. Dare I take the chance and stay? God, I want to, I really do. But the choice was taken from me... Which one would win the day?

Lucifer and Saint renew their oath as brothers and friends. As their first Christmas together approaches, the two brothers are together again. They were both alone and thinking the other was dead for a long time and they vowed they would never suffer through that again.

They talked about their dreams for the future. Jessie pointed out that the farm was big enough to hold everyone. They could both have their dream as well as the men under them, all they had to do was share their dream.

Spring brings its own rewards in Whiskey Bend and this one is no different. It also brings surprises.

Many things have changed and the brothers are all settled. Or are they?

This Easter brings something no one ever expected.

When Pyro finds a woman hidden in a cave above the farm, he takes her home. She's nearly frozen and has a dog who protects her. When they find out who she really is, all hell breaks loose.

With both groups trying to find out how to help her, Pyro has his hands full. Christmas is coming soon and they all hope to make hers better, by saving her life. Pyro may never be the same as she brings his lonely life out into the light and changes it forever.

Thrasher

Spring in the middle of the country is warming up and they, the Misfits, have to begin their own journey. They have a place to live in Whiskey Bend and the family part down pat. Now, they have to learn to live off the land. They get the fields planted and the cattle fed then the misfits find a little bit of trouble brewing.

Someone wrecked their truck on the farm road and she is nothing but trouble.

Turbo

When Turbo finds a girl almost dead in a meadow, he takes her home. Trouble follows her and it brings a possible war to the farm.

He only cares about her and keeping her alive. Saint and his brothers stand beside him. They all went through hell together before and they were willing to do it again for their brother.

Lucifer comes to lend his aid to the fight and that's when it all blows up on their faces.

Phantom

Ten years ago, Declan better known as Phantom had a life with a special girl. He thought it would last forever...until it didn’t.

After he entered the military, she left town. He never heard from her again. She just disappeared.

It broke his heart back then but he fought that pain by fighting for his country.

Suddenly, he discovered something right at the farm that reminded him of her. But how could that be? She was right here in Whiskey Bend?

Snake

When Snake finds a girl from his past, he is shocked. Then she tells him her brother, Snake’s best friend had turned into a monster after Snake left to go into the military.

Now, her brother is after her and the reasons for it are nefarious. He belongs to a lowlife drug dealing gang now.

Little does he know that Snake will be facing him with all the Misfits and Lucifer’s men backing him up. This will be a war that ends up bloody.

Dax spots a visitor at the farm and yes, it is a young woman. She claims that she has a good reason to be at the Misfit’s farm. She wants to see Saint’s wife, Erika (Pink).

The problem is, can they believe her story? It sounds impossible. Then before they know it, loads of trouble comes after her and Pink.

Dax has always been the peaceful one as he is their medic, but now? He shows that if challenged, he can kick ass the same as any Misfit.

And I don't want the world to see me...

Cause I don't think that they'd understand,

When everything's made to be broken...

I just want you to know who I am.

Goo Goo Dolls

Bits of Saint...

Lucifer looked up at Saint as he came in. He was carrying a woman in his arms. “What did you do?” he asked.

“I didn’t do anything, man,” Saint replied, confused as any of them were. “I just found her and she’s hurt.” He took her over to a sofa along the wall. Looking up at his brother, he took note of the men starting to gather around them. “She has at least one wound on the back of her head and it’s been there long enough for the blood to dry.”

“Where did you find her?” Lucifer wanted to know. “Was she alone?”

“I found her over by Woodpecker Glen and yeah, she was alone. I also found a bike on the ground near her.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if that’s what she used or if it had been there awhile.”

Lucifer ran his hands over his head. “Fuck, we don’t need this right now. She could be trouble.”

Saint got to his feet and glared at his brother. “Nobody needs this sort of thing anytime, brother. But I’m not going to turn my back on her.”

Lucifer shook his head. “I’m not either. Let’s just wait and see what she has to say.” He looked down and nodded at the girl. “But first, we need to find out how bad she’s hurt.”

“We might want to do this in private, Saint,” Dax reminded him.

“Take her down to the last bedroom on the left,” Lucifer told them. “We’ll take her to your room, Saint.”

Saint nodded then gathered her in his arms again and got to his feet.

When his arm rested in the middle of her back, the girl groaned and tried to get away. She sat up and wrapped her arm around his neck then fainted dead away in his arms.

Saint looked over at Lucifer.

Lucifer nodded and led the way down to the bedroom.

When the three of them were in the room, Dax began taking off her jacket before Saint even laid her down. The back inside of the coat was stained with brown spots and he glared at the back of her shirt. There were several areas where the cloth of her shirt had become plastered to her skin with large blobs of dried brown stains.

“Sweet Jesus,” Lucifer swore. “You’re gonna need to soak that shirt off.”

Saint nodded and carried her into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and soon the hot water began to fog up the room. He turned and looked at Lucifer, “Strip off her jeans.”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather not.”

Dax huffed in disgust then stepped inside and reached for her waist. He undid her jeans and yanked them down her legs then turned and adjusted the warmth of the water. Stepping out of the way, they all watched as Saint stepped into the warm water and turned her back to the spray.

The girl woke up screaming and tried to get away but Saint held her steady. “Hush sweetness, we need to see who badly you’re hurt,” he whispered in her ear.

“But it hurts,” she whined without opening her eyes.

“I know, but it needs to be done. Just hang on,” he assured her.

She began sobbing as the water poured down her back. Sticking her face in the crook of his neck, her tears ran down his chest. “Ohhh, it hurts,” she cried out as the water ran brown then finally red and pink.

When the water ran clear again, Saint reached out and shut the water off. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head slowly. Finally opening her eyes, she looked around the room, but more importantly, she stared at him. “Who the bloody hell are you and where am I?”

Saint smiled slowly.

She watched and caught her breath. “Who are you?” she whispered.

“They call me Saint. But that’s not important right now. We have to see how badly you’re hurt.”

“We?” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “I’m cold.”

“Let’s get you dry and warm again then.” He let her legs drop to the ground and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around her, he heard her hiss at the pressure on her back.

“Fucking hell, how about you warn a sister first,” she grumbled. Peering down, she noticed her bare legs. Looking up she had to ask. “Where are my clothes?”

“We took them off, so we could wet your back down,” he explained. “Now, we have to take off your shirt so we can see how back it is.”

“How many is ‘we’?” She glared at him.

“Me, Lucifer and Dax,” he told her. “Dax is our doctor and Lucifer is the President.”

She looked beyond him and her eyes widened at the sight of the other two men. “I’m at an MC?”

Saint nodded. “But don’t worry, no one here will hurt you.”

“Do you promise?” she whispered.

Saint cocked his head at her. “I’ll protect you but I swear, no one here will hurt you.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Then let’s get this over with. I know it’s gonna hurt like fuck.” She grabbed the edge of the sink and turned her back then began unbuttoning her shirt. She opened it and began pulling it down her shoulders crying out as she did. “Holy fuck!” she gasped out while dropping the wet shirt onto the floor.

The three men gasped but didn’t say anything as they saw what she’d just revealed. Eight to ten lash marks had torn her back open. The wounds were still raw and oozing fresh blood again. They went all the way down her back where they were met by a bright pink star shaped birthmark at the base of her spine.

Down the hall...

Lucifer entered his bedroom to see his wife Jessie sitting up in bed. Their son was sleeping in his crib.

“Is everything okay?” she asked him with a slight frown on her face. “You look a little stressed.”

Lucifer went over to the bed and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Yeah baby, everything for the moment is good.”

“What does that mean?” Jessie’s frown deepened.

“I was on my way back here a while ago when my brother came back from his walk. The only problem was he wasn’t alone. He found a woman passed out in the woods. He brought her back with him because she was hurt.”

Jessie nodded. “He did the right thing.”

Lucifer sighed. “Yeah, he did.” Then he shook his head. “She was a mess baby. Whoever she was with a few days ago hurt her, he hurt her bad. Saint had to shower with her to get her clothes off. She had several open wounds on her back that hadn’t been taken care of and her shirt was stuck to her skin. When we did get her shirt off, it looked as if someone had whipped her.”

Jessie closed her eyes at the brutality of the other woman’s attack.

“She had eight or ten open lash marks that needed attention and a blow to the back of her head.” He shook his head. “Then on the top of her left shoulder, we found a brand mark that she’s had for years. She’s not that old, like maybe 24 or so. And that tells us she’s had to fight every day of her life.”

Jessie stilled and asked, “What color is her hair?”

Lucifer frowned. “What the fuck difference does that make?”

“What color is her hair?” she repeated her request.

“Teal or blue whatever you want to call it.” He shrugged.

“It’s not so blonde that it's almost white?” she asked sadly. She pushed the covers off her legs and tried to get up.

Lucifer rushed over to the bed and assisted her to lay back down. “What are you doing, woman? You just had a baby a few hours ago. You shouldn’t be getting up yet.”

“I have to see this woman,” she insisted. “If the brand on her shoulder is what I think it is, then I might know her.” She looked up at him. “Tell me something...does she have a bright pink star shaped birthmark on her back, maybe around the base of her spine?”

Lucifer froze and studied her face. “How the fuck did you know that?”

Jessie swore, then reached for him, “Help me up. I have to see her for myself.”

“Baby, you can’t,” he protested. “We don’t know the first thing about this woman and she’s bound to be nothing but trouble for us.” He paused then added, “She was chipped honey. That tells us someone is keeping track of her and that makes me nervous. She won’t tell us who that someone is.”

“I still need to see her,” Jessie told him desperately. “Please...”

Lucifer closed his eyes and shook his head. “Only for a moment, baby. You need to get some rest.” He helped her to her feet and walked her down the hall to the bedroom where Saint and his woman visitor were staying.

When he opened the door, Saint looked up. “What is all this?” he asked softly.

Jessie walked slowly over to the bed but her eyes were on the woman laying on her belly. When she got there, she sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair off her left shoulder. She gasped at the sight of the branding. Her fingers gently reached out to trace the branding. Then she pulled the sheet down to the bottom of the woman’s spine and her face paled when she saw the star shaped birthmark. “Oh Pink, where have you been all this time?” she whispered brokenly. Slowly, she raised the sheet to cover her again, and she sat there lost in a fog for a moment.

Lucifer approached the bed and touched Jessie on the shoulder. “Baby, do you know her?”

Jessie nodded. “I knew her once upon a time. She’s my cousin Erika. Her mom and my dad were brother and sister. I haven’t seen her since we were both around five. My brother and I called her Pink because of the birthmark.” She paused to wipe her tears away. “Lord, she hated that nickname.” She chuckled. “Every time I called her Pink, she would retaliate by calling me Red. Randy, my brother was two years younger than we were, so she just called him snotwad but he always had a runny nose, so the name fit.” Jessie reached out and touched her teal blue hair. Running her fingers through the strands she said, “She had the most beautiful blonde hair when she was little. It was so blonde it was almost white.”

Lucifer caressed her shoulder. “Tell us what happened, so we know what this is about.”

Jessie let out a sigh. “Her mom stayed around us for about a year then she met this loser and he hurt her. My dad and she fought a lot during that time, but when she allowed him to brand Erika, my dad kicked the shit out of him. When her mom, Ashley ran to help her boyfriend and didn’t step up to protect her daughter, my dad told her to leave. He told her she could leave Erika behind and he would raise her, but Ashley wouldn’t do that. She left and took Erika with her.” She shook her head. “I never saw her again after that.” She paused then added, “Well, until now that is.” She turned to Lucifer. “You have to help her. Please baby? I know I’m asking a lot but she deserves so much better than she got as a kid.”

Lucifer shook his head. “Of course, we’ll help her baby, but she has to tell us who she’s running from and why.” He helped her to her feet. “Come on mommy, you need your rest and so does she.”

Jessie nodded. “Ok, but I want to see her again in the morning.” Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t believe she’s here. I can’t believe I found her again.”

When Jessie and Lucifer left the room, Saint looked down at the woman.

Her eyes were open now and filled with tears. “Was that Red?” she whispered in awe.

“You got a cousin named Jessie?”

Erika nodded. “I remember her. She and her dad were the only good things I had when I was a kid. I never thought I’d find her again.” She looked at him seriously now. “You have to let me go. I can’t bring him here. He won’t let me go. He will lay waste to this place and these people! I don’t want anyone to die because of me.”

Lucifer watched Saint and Erika walk in and he wasn’t surprised in the least to find them holding hands. When they sat down at the table he looked at Erika and asked, “I take it you feel better this morning?”

She looked at him and nodded. “I learned a long time ago to hide the pain I was in. My mom’s boyfriends only made it worse when I cried, so I learned not to cry around them.”

He looked surprised when she shared this, as she was secretive before. “Are you really Jessie’s cousin?” He wanted to hear the confirmation from her own mouth.

She tucked a strand of her teal blue hair behind her ear and nodded. “My name is Erika Grant, yes. Jessie is my cousin. My mom and her dad were sister and brother.”

“Why do you have her last name if your mom is her aunt?” Demon asked.

Erika snorted very unladylike. “My mom had a lot of boyfriends but the one thing she never had was a husband.”

“What about your father? Didn’t he have a last name?” Pappy wanted to know. “Most men want to claim their kids.”

She shrugged. “She claimed at the time I was conceived, she never knew who he was and I learned the hard way, never to ask her about him.”

“I think Jessie wants to be here for this part, so let me go get her.” Lucifer got up and left, returning a few minutes later with Jessie in tow.

The two cousins stood and stared at each other for a moment then Erika grabbed her up and hugged her tight. “God, I never thought I would see you again,” she whispered in Jessie’s ear.

“I thought I was alone in the world after my mom died,” Jessie sobbed.

Breaking away, the two women sat down.

“The last time I saw you and your family, I almost wished my mom had left me behind.” Erika looked over at Jessie. “Your dad was right to beat the shit out of her boyfriend. “Her boyfriend at the time was pimping her out for money to feed his habit. The day he branded me was the day she didn’t bring home enough for him to buy his daily fix. After Uncle John beat the snot out of him, he dumped my mom a hundred miles down the road. The one consistent in her life was her taste in men. It and they sucked. Growing up with her as my role model was tough, but I learned what I did and what I didn’t want. I learned to take care of myself and not worry about what she was doing. I went to school because I didn’t want to end up like her, with nothing. It was tough but then if you want it bad enough, you can put up with anything. If the bullies start picking on you, you learn to fight back. I learned how to defend myself because no one else was going to do it.”

Saint, Pappy, Lucifer, and Demon listened as she spoke about her childhood. They all looked troubled as well.

“Then about five years ago, she got mixed up with her dealer. Crack was her drug of choice and he had her delivering his shipments. She took all the risk while he sat out on his boat, all safe and sound. Four months ago, she od’ed but I got to her in time. Then I found out her dealer had overdosed her on purpose. He wasn’t too happy with either of us. I told him if he left her alone, I’d do her routes. But that was all I would do for him. I wasn’t going to become his side dish and I wouldn’t allow him to pimp me out like she did.” She paused then turned her head away from the group.

Jessie had tears rolling down her cheeks, as Lucifer grabbed her hand and squeezed.

Saint looked pale and a bit enraged, though he remained quiet.

Erika finally spoke again as if she didn’t want to finish, but she felt compelled to, “He didn’t like the fact that I didn’t fall into line like he was used to. I did what I said I would and nothing more. He saw how well I was doing and he decided to test me. He gave my mom another overdose and this time, he did it just as I was leaving, so he knew I wouldn’t be there to save her this time. She wasn’t breathing when I got back and after all that...” she paused. “I-I didn’t try to save her. I wanted her to rest. I wanted to call the cops and take care of her and he asked why. Then he weighed her down and threw her body over the boat into the water. All he said was that the fish gotta to eat too. I walked out on him that night. Three days later, he dragged me back to his fucking boat. He told me my mom died owing him money and I would have to pay him back. That I would do whatever he wanted for the next year and he would decide then what more I owed him. I told him I agreed to deliver his routes and that was all. Three days later, I ran again. He found me within hours and he whipped me. That must have been when he chipped me. I never knew he did it.” She stared off into space for a long minute.

The group all sat and waited.

Letting out a sigh, she looked back over at them again. “When I woke up, he told me if I ran again, he’d whip me, then pimp me out. I stayed about three days then he came downriver and was parked in Lake City. I was too sore from the whipping he gave me three days earlier to care what else he might do if he caught me. I took his damn drugs and delivered them to his dealers. Then just before I was supposed to get back on the boat, I walked away. I stole a bike and just began to ride. I crossed the bridge and got to Wisconsin but it was getting light outside, so I had to hide. My back was killing me, so I slept, but I overslept. I got as far as I could then found my way up here and I must have collapsed in the woods.” She looked down at the floor. “When I woke up, I was already here.”

“What’s the name of this dealer on the boat?” Pappy wanted to know.

Erika slowly raised her head and looked at him. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Damn fucking right, we want to know.” Lucifer growled looking enraged.

“His name is Mickey Mackeson but he’s known on the streets as—”

“Mack. The Irishman,” Demon interrupted. He shifted in his seat. Looking over at the other men there, he explained with a scowl on his face, “He’s bad news to anyone and everyone he meets. He runs the river from Minneapolis to LaDonna at least once a week. Whenever the cops stop him and search the boat, they never find anything they can book him on.”

Erika glared at him. “Oh, they knew where the goods were, but Mack always paid them to not to find anything.”

Bits of Misfits First Christmas

“The price for the farm is only a fraction of what’s in the savings account,” Saint told her. “The guys and I can work too, we aren’t afraid to do manual labor to get what we want either. The first year or so is going to be hard as we all work to get ourselves settled in. Alexi wants to see his land growing crops again. We could maybe have some cows and horses and I know the guys will break their backs to have a place to call their own. This is our fresh start and if I know them, they will make this work. We could live a happy existence here.”

She turned to look at him. “The only time I knew what a normal life was like was the time I spent with Jessie’s family. Uncle John showed me what having a daddy was like and I wanted that in my life. But my mother didn’t even try. Oh, she found more men after that but it was for her own sake, she found them, not for mine.”

“Well, you were right before. You did find a man that would stand beside you. I’ll never want any other woman because I happen to be in love with you. Nothing will ever change that. I would be proud to marry you.”

“When we got together, you were the only man I ever wanted in that way,” she told him. “But I won’t use our baby to get a ring on my finger. I wouldn’t do that to you or any man.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “But just so that you know, I’m only ever getting married one time in my life. I don’t believe in divorce so if we ever do get married, you’re stuck with me for the rest of our lives.”

Saint grinned. “I can handle that.”

She stared at him for a moment then said, “I’ve also never lied to you, not about who I was or what I was forced to do. I hate liars but that comes from my whole life being a lie. All my mom could do time after time was lie to me, she’d say if I gave her another chance she would straighten up her life and get off the drugs. For a while, she would get clean, then some guy would come along and she’d be back on the crap and her life would be in the toilet again. It got to the point where I expected nothing else from her and I threatened to walk out of her life but I just couldn’t. She was my mom, you know? Even if she wasn’t much of a mother, she was all I had.”

Saint shook his head. “Well, she’s gone now but you have a whole other family now, Pink. You got me and the boys, Lucifer and Jessie. You got all of us now.”

“Maybe but I don’t think Lucifer trusts me too much.” Erika shook her head. “When he heard I was transporting drugs for Mack, you could almost see a veil of distrust drop over his eyes. Now every time I go to see Jessie or the baby, I can feel him watching me.”

Saint nodded. “I’ve noticed and so have my men and believe me, they don’t like it much either.” Shaking his head, he added, “That’s another reason we need our own place.” He paused, then asked, “Are you sure you want to finance that for us?”

Erika nodded. “I go where you go, remember? If you and your men are leaving here then I have no reason to stay here. Besides, this is going to be my home too, and that’s one thing I never had before, a place to call home.”

“So... you're gonna marry me then?” Saint finally asked, then he paused. “Damn it...” He went over to the dresser and his sock drawer. He dug around in it. Turning, he grabbed her hand and led her to a chair, setting her down.

Erika drew her brows together. “What the...?”

He bent down on one knee in front of her. “I aim to do this right. See, I already got the ring. I just waited to see if we were gonna even stay here. I did plan to marry you, Pink. I just handled it all wrong.” He cleared his throat, and spoke, “Erika ‘Pink’ Grant, will you be my wife? Please marry me?”

Erika stared down at him as her eyes filled with tears. “Yes, you did it right, Mr. Saint. I want to be your wife more than anything in my life!”

Saint took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. “I knew I would marry you. I just forgot to tell you.” He laughed. “And I decided this before I ever knew about the baby, Sweet Pink. The baby is just icing on the Pink cake.”

Erika laughed through her tears.

A month later...

“How are you affording the farm next door?” Lucifer asked. “That place is going to cost a fortune.”

Saint shrugged and told him, “We got it covered.”

“How?” Lucifer snarled. “How do you have it covered?”

“I offered it to them,” Erika told him finally.

“How the hell does someone like you have that kind of stash?” Lucifer sneered. “Oh yeah, I forgot you worked for a drug lord, didn’t you?”

Saint surged to his feet. “Get out. Just get out of my house!”

Lucifer got up and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Saint sat back down and looked over at Erika. He growled at the sight of her tears. Gathering her up in his arms, he just held her while she sobbed.

When she slowed her tears and swiped them away from her cheeks, she looked up at him. “I can prove it’s not drug money.”

“You don’t have to prove anything, baby girl.” Saint shook his head. “Lucifer can be an asshole at times but that was low, even for him.”

Erika shook her head. “No, I want to tell you where the money is from. I never want you to doubt me in any way and I would have told him about it but you tossed his dumb ass out before I could.” She reached for her coffee and made a face because it was cold, but then she turned to him and said, “I started working when I was twelve years old. Mostly, because my mom was so high all the time, she couldn’t keep a job. I also learned the hard way not to bring my money home, or at least not all of it. I would put half my check in a bank account that only I knew about.” She shrugged. “I found I could manage money that way and over time, that money began building until it was a fairly decent amount.”

“Pink, you do not have to—”

She pressed her fingers to his lips as she paused then took a deep breath and went on, “Then when I was seventeen, I met a man. In fact, he made a point of looking for me. He told me he was my father but that when my mom told him about me, he wasn’t ready to be a father yet and he didn’t want to be one with her. I was upset about the meeting because he told me he still wasn’t ready to be a father and he thought he could just offer me money to go away.”

Reaching out, Saint took her hands into his.

“I refused it. I felt like I was being bought off, you know? The money I have is all mine from working then rest is from an insurance policy my mom had taken out and I was surprised in the end that she remembered to pay the premium but she did.”

“It is okay, baby girl. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Well, it does to me.” Erika looked up at him. “Not one penny of that money is drug money. Micky never paid me a dime, he said he was paying the rent and buying the food and what I was doing was paying off my mom’s bill. Lord, I hated that man. I really hated him. I think the world is a better place without him in it.”

Saint shook his head. “I don’t care about any of your past and I know you would never have kept any drug money. Lucifer is blowing smoke up his ass and I’m glad I won’t have to put up with him much longer.”

“Well, I don’t want you to... resent each other,” Erkia told him. “I never had siblings and you two are lucky to be brothers. I really hope you both will settle this soon.”

Chapter One

Dax sat alone on the steps of his cabin and calmly lit a cigarette. Dawn was just lighting the skyline as he sat there and drew on his smoke. The sun hadn’t peeked over the horizon yet and he was just enjoying the quiet.

Then he noticed how silent it got and that perked his senses up. Nerves stung him throughout his body. He slowly took another drag from his cigarette and then casually looked around. As his eyes scanned the immediate area the complete silence began to bother him. The short hairs on the back of his neck tingled and this was a sign he knew well. Back in the military this keen sense always told him he needed to look out.

Something or someone was out there watching them. He slowly reached for his phone and typed a short message to Thrasher. Then he laid the phone down on the step beside him. He dropped the butt of his cigarette and crushed it under his boot. Then he scanned the area again and this time he found someone standing just inside the tree line to his left.

The person who stood there was definitely a woman. Dressed in jeans and a hoodie jacket, he couldn’t see hair as it was covered by the hood. He almost turned his head to stare at her but he knew he had to wait.

Suddenly, he heard the faint bird call and he knew he wouldn’t have to wait long. The guys were already out there and they were coming up through the woods behind this watcher. When he saw the shadows moving in on her, he got up and turned to face the person.

The woman froze and took a step backward as if to hide but Dax knew she was not going anywhere.

She took another step back and froze when she ran into Saint standing right behind them. As Dax walked toward them he saw her raise her hands in surrender. Yes he was close enough now to see her clearly.

The Misfit men standing behind her hadn’t said a word yet.

Finally, Dax was face to face with the woman.

“I’m not here to cause any trouble,” she whispered,

“Then why are you here?” Dax asked her.

She swallowed hard before she looked him in the eyes and whispered, “I’m here looking for someone.”

“Who?” Saint asked from behind her.

Turning, she answered his question, “Erika Grant. I’m looking for Erika Grant. I heard she lived here.”

“Why do you want to find her?” Saint asked with a growl in his voice.

She looked down for a moment then she looked up at Dax and whispered, “She might be my sister. Is she here?”

Saint grunted and told her, “Her mother never had a second child, how the fucking hell can you be her sister?”

She shook her head. “We don’t share a mother but we might share a father if his name is Tommy Sayor. I’ve never met the man but he’s listed as my father on my birth certificate.”

Dax glanced at Saint then stared at her. “How old are you?”

She stared back at him. “Why do you need to know that?”

Saint answered this, “Because we were told that Tommy couldn’t father another child after Erika was born. We were told that due to his drug addiction he was infertile.”

The woman shook her head and sighed hard. “I’m not here to start any trouble, mister. Really, I’m not. I just need to know if Erika is my sister, that’s all.”

“What’s your name?” Dax asked her.

“Sage...Sage Marlow. My mom, Bethany Marlow died when I was four. I was told she died of an overdose.” She shrugged.

“You don’t believe that?” Thrasher surmised.

Sage shook her head. “No, I don’t. My mom didn’t do drugs. She worked too hard to earn a living and she took care of me. I never saw her high and she always told me that drugs would kill you sooner rather than later. And she always told me that she wanted to see me grow up. But there was something odd about the night she died too. I don’t remember much of that night, but I don’t think we were alone in our apartment.” She clenched her hands into fists. “But by the time the cops got there, mom was already gone and I was only four. I tried to tell them but I couldn’t remember much, my mind had gone blank.”

“What happened to you after your mom died?” Saint wanted to know.

Sage shook her head. “I went into the system because no one in my mom’s family wanted another kid.”

The men around her went silent as her words sank in.

“Your mom had family?” Dax’s brow was furrowed and his lips went tight.

Sage nodded. “Yeah, her parents and her brother told a judge they had no room for a junkie’s kid, then they walked out of the courtroom. Social services took me and put me in foster care. I aged out of the system and when I was eighteen, I went looking for answers. That’s when I found out from my birth certificate that Tom Sayor was my father. A man I never met was my father all my life and I never knew him.”

Saint snorted. “Believe me when I say you didn’t miss anything.” Then he looked at her and added, “You know that Tommy Sayor is dead right?”

Sage gasped and took a step back and shook her head. “No, I didn’t know that. What happened to him?”

Saint looked angry now as he explained it, “He came here right after Erika gave birth to my son and he tried to steal him and kill her. You see, Tommy came from money, big money and he needed something to distract his grandfather while he and his dad, a prince of a man in his own right, tried to balance the books to cover Tommy’s embezzlement. It didn’t work. And by the way, Tommy was high when he tried to snatch my son. We stopped him hard and when he found out that his grandfather knew he was stealing from the company and had already changed his will Tommy went a little nuts. He crashed so hard he lost his ever-loving mind and dove straight through a window. That stupid move gifted him with a large shard of glass in his neck and he bled to death before an ambulance could get here. We called the cops but he was already dead by the time anyone came.”

Sage sagged and would have dropped to the ground.

Dax grabbed her and held her up.

Saint asked her, “Did he even know about you?”

Sage looked stunned as she replied, “I don’t know. My mother never talked about him. All she ever said was that she met him and it didn’t go well. Then she told me he tried to give her drugs one night and let’s just say that didn’t end well either and leave it at that.”

Saint glanced at the other men with him and they could only imagine what happened that night. He shook his head. “All this time he told Erika that he never wanted kids. He even told her mom to abort her and now you’re claiming to be Erika’s sister?” Saint shook his head. “I think we need to know more about this claim.”

Sage looked upset as she defended her actions, “I only came here to see her. I’m not after anything else. I just wanted to meet my possible sister. I’ve been alone most of my life and I just found out there might be someone else out there that is family. My mother’s family doesn’t count after what they did.”

Saint studied her for a long silent moment.

His men all waited for him to decide what he wanted to do.

Chapter Two

Saint let out a heavy sigh. “Well, come on, let’s go see what Erika has to say about this,” he announced.

Dax grabbed Sage’s hand.

She hitched the backpack she had over her shoulder as they followed the others back to the house.

When they entered the kitchen through the back door, Saint found Erika making her son a bottle.

When they all came in Erika saw Sage and paused. “What the hell? Who is she?” Erika asked her husband.

“She claims she came here to find her sister,” Saint told his wife. “Did you know your dad had a second child that he left behind?”

Erika gasped and she turned her head slowly to stare at the young woman. “He what?”

Sage shrugged. “I never knew him and my mother never would tell me his name. In fact, I only found out four years ago when I got my birth certificate and his name was listed as my father. I was surprised to see it there. Then I found out that he never paid a dime for my care, apparently he couldn’t be found to serve him with the papers.”

Erika scoffed. “Yeah, as a drug pusher, he couldn’t be found or he would have to spend time behind bars for breaking the law. Pushing drugs is still illegal. Three years ago, his drug contact made sure my mother ended up dead. I only met the man twice in my entire life. Then when he came here to snatch my son, I realized he was one of the Irishman’s dealers, that I’d been handing off the drugs he was pushing for some time.” She shook her head. “I found out because of an eagle tattoo on his wrist.”

Sage paled and took a step back. She stared at Erika for a long minute before she whispered, “An eagle tattoo? Are you sure about that?”

Erika nodded. “Yeah I’m sure, the eagle was red and it looked as if it was going to snatch a fish in its claws.”

Looking pale in the face, Sage stumbled over to a chair and sat down hard. She stared off at seemingly nothing for a long moment then she looked back at Erika and whispered, “I think I might have met him a couple of times while growing up. He even came to my school a couple of times like when school events happened and he would sit there with other parents, staring at me.”

“He never tried to talk to you at all?” Saint asked her.

Sage shook her head. “He never spoke to me but he would watch me for a while then just get up and walk away. He never looked back, not once.”

Erika sighed and told her, “He only came to me one time before he tried to snatch my son. He asked me to meet him at a small café and then he gave me a check and told me to disappear. I was seventeen at the time. He informed me that he ordered my mom to abort me and when she didn’t he just walked away. He said he wasn’t ready to be a father back then and he didn’t want the world to know he had a child with a junkie.” Then she snorted. “That was like the kettle calling the pot black. He was using, even back then. His hands shook and he was sweating like he was coming down from a high. He didn’t stick around too long and he needed another fix soon. The only other time I saw that man was when he came sneaking into my room three days after I gave birth to my son. He warned me that I could let him take the baby and leave to stay alive or he could kill me and take the baby anyway. But with some help from my brother-in-law, he’s the one who ended up dead. And my baby didn’t go anywhere.”

Sage just sat there and finally she sighed. “Now, I’m glad I never met him face to face.”

Erika went over to the table and sat down across from Sage. “How old are you?” she asked quietly.

“I’m twenty-two. I just graduated from college,” Sage told her. “I got in because I grew up in the foster system.”

“Then you did better than I did. I’m twenty-four and I lost my mom to an overdose three years ago.” Erika shrugged. “She wasn’t much of a mother but she dragged me all the way through her miserable life. I was born addicted to coke because my mom couldn’t stay away from the junk. Tommy Sayor got her that way, then when she told him she was pregnant he walked away from both of us. But I found out he was always there in the background for all my life. It was like he couldn’t just leave us alone. He wouldn’t pay a cent in child support but he wouldn’t leave us alone either.”

“My mom wasn’t a junkie,” Sage defended. “She never did drugs but someone gave her that overdose. They injected her with God knows what and they watched her die. I was only four at the time and I had been asleep until I heard her yelling. I ran to her then someone hit me from behind. I dropped to the ground and then I didn’t wake up for a while but when I did the police were there. They turned me over to Social Services and they took me away.” Now her eyes widened and she bolted up from the chair then stumbled back. Looking shocked, her eyes glazed over. She backed all the way up until she hit the wall and slid down along it to sit on the floor, on her knees.

Erika gasped and glanced at Saint. She then swung her gaze back to Sage. “What? What did you remember?”

Fresh tears ran down Sage’s face as she whispered, “S-something f-from that night, something I could n-never remember before.”

Erika got up and moved over to Sage. She knelt in front of her and grabbed her hands. “What? What did you see?”

Sage looked up at her and said, “T-that eagle with its claws stretched way out. I only caught a glimpse of it because something hit the back of my head and I was out before I even hit the floor.” She shook her head. “That’s what I couldn’t remember. I was so afraid...afraid for my mom and afraid of that damn eagle.”

Erika sat back on her heels and slowly turned her head to stare at Saint. Tears were filling her eyes. Her eyes were full of pain as those tears slipped down her face. “He- he killed her?”

Saint couldn’t help himself. He moved toward her then scooped her up from the floor and just held her.

Dax moved over to pick Sage up and held her close to him. He patted her back with his hand to soothe her.

Sage paused, then tried to move away but she laid her head flat on his chest and the sound of his heartbeat echoing in her ear seemed to calm her.

Dax moved toward the table and sat down with her on his lap.

Saint and Erika sat across from them and the room went silent.

Finally, after several quiet minutes, Erika turned to face Sage. “Did you ever go to the police for information on what happened to your mother when you got older?”

Sage shook her head. “I tried but they never gave me any information. They said her file had been closed after the Medical Examiner signed off on an overdose as the cause of death. I tried to tell them my mom never used drugs but they just shook their heads and claimed she died of an overdose and that apparently I was too young to see what her life was really like. Even her own family believed she was a junkie and they told the state that I should go into the system. So I spent the next fourteen years in ten different foster homes. My mother wasn’t a junkie. The only drug she ever took was aspirin.”

Erika nodded. “Your mom may not have been a real junkie but mine was. She would clean herself up from time to time but it never lasted long. She had terrible taste in boyfriends and she always picked someone she could get high with. Hells bells, half the time she even forgot she had a kid.”

“So how did you hear about Erika?” Saint wanted to know. He still seemed to feel suspicious about how she found the farm.

Sage shrugged. “I checked the vital records and ran Tommy’s name through birth certificates. Her name came up then I used marriage records to find her address. It took me two years to find her. I just had to come to see if she was real.” She paused and laid her head on Dax’s chest again. “I just wanted to meet her. I didn’t come to cause trouble or to ask for anything.”

Thrasher looked down at his phone. He studied the screen, then he looked up at Saint. “We got a white vehicle idling just beyond the fence line. I backtracked the recording and whoever is waiting there has been there for a while now.”

Saint looked troubled and turned to ask Sage, “Did you come here with anyone?”

Sage looked bewildered then shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I parked my car in a turn around and walked here along that county road. I wasn’t sure how to make contact with Erika so I thought maybe if I saw her here. Like outside? Maybe I could talk to her.”

“Well, this guy isn’t moving.” Thrasher enlarged the image on his phone and he was able to see the license plate. “I’ll check his plates.” Then he went out through the back door to return to his office.

Chapter Three

Erika got Sage some bottled water and went to feed the baby in the nursery.

Saint told the other two that he would see if she needed anything for the baby, so he went out too.

Silence permeated the kitchen.

“You feel a little better now?” Dax asked her.

Sage slowly nodded at him. “I-I think so. I just feel odd. I never remembered anything before now. Just the cops showing up. I don’t think I can get my mother’s scream out of my head though. I relived that too.”

“It may take a while.” He nodded. “Trauma has a way of reaching the surface and it can be stressful.”

She stared at him to ask, “Are you a therapist?”

He laughed. “No, but I know trauma from...” he paused. “I did a few tours in Afghanistan.”

“Oh, wow,” she replied. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We did what we were supposed to do.”

Saint came back in with Erika.

“The baby is down for a nap,” Erika said and set the baby monitor on the table.

“Wow, a baby,” Sage said.

“Yes wow,” Erika said and laughed. “Our first and boy, is it an experience.”

Saint let out a chuckle. “Best experience of my life.”

Erka reached over and took his hand.

Dax smiled at them. “To have such bliss. It is something rare.”

“Well, I have found that  getting some sleep is rare too,” Erka joked.

Just then, Thrasher returned through the kitchen door and walked over to Saint to hand him a printed paper.

Saint read it then looked over at Sage. “Do you know a Roger Sembling?”

Sage shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so, I mean the name isn’t familiar.”

“Well, the car parked out on the highway belongs to him.” Saint growled.

“Do you have a photo of him?” Sage wanted to know.

Saint handed her the page that had the photo of his driver’s license. Sage took a moment to study his face. Then she looked at Saint and said, “I don’t know him personally but I think I have seen his face. I mean I’ve never met him but I’ve seen him around.”

Saint sighed and asked in frustration, “Honey, you’re not helping yourself here. What do you mean you’ve seen him around but you never met him?”

Sage shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. He’s been popping up wherever I am and once in a while I catch him looking at me in a weird way. Almost like he wants to speak to me but he never does. I do not know him or why he’s out there right now.”

Saint looked over at Thrasher and asked him, “See what you can find on the man. I want to know everything. He’s here for a reason. And I want to know what that reason is.”

Thrasher nodded then left the house again.

Sage looked over at Erika then at Saint. With a sigh, she laid her head on Dax’s chest again.

Dax looked down at the top of her head. He shook his head slightly and tightened his arms around her a bit. 

Sage froze but then relaxed as she settled into his embrace.

Saint sat back in his chair and watched the other couple very carefully. This situation had come completely out of left field and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it. He had to wonder about the timing. Could Tommy have fathered another child? Sage was only two years younger than Erika. But they had been told by his grandmother that Erika was born before he lost his ability to have children due to his drug habit. But when had he been tested? He suddenly blurted out, “Would you be willing to get a DNA test? Just to establish a connection. Tommy is dead but if you and Erika are sisters then there should be some familiar factors in both of your DNA to establish some of the same markers.”

Sage closed her eyes and nodded. She opened her eyes again and looked directly at Saint. “Yeah, I’ll do your test and I’ll accept the results. But know this... I just wanted to know if I had a sister, a connection to someone else. Someone else I could claim as family. I grew up alone, no one to tell secrets too, no one who gave a damn if I was cold, hungry, or lonely. When I found out we might share a link because of our father, I just had to come.”

Erika stared at her. “You will have more family if the test is positive. Saint’s brother is married to Jessie and she is my cousin. Her dad and my mom were brother and sister.”

“I’m not sure if you are cousins by blood though?” Dax stated.

“I don’t care,” Sage said. “I have been alone in the world since I was four. I will take any family I can get.”

Saint nodded. “I understand that I do. But we have to do this right. Have it all checked. To be sure for everyone’s sake.”

Erika nodded her head as she stared at Sage. “It could prove that we had the same father, but I’m not so sure either one of us wants to be connected to him. Yes, his family is well to do... but all they did was cover up his addiction. They could never get him clean. He ended up stealing the family money pretty much, then he wanted to take my son to placate his dad? My God, who the hell does that?”

Sage listened to what Eika said and she sadly shook her head. “I never knew any of that. I can imagine people being cruel though. My mother’s family was like that.” After remembering that eagle tatt and knowing he had murdered her mom, the picture of her father inside her head was fading fast. To be replaced by a monster and she didn’t know if she could accept it or not.

Erika nodded. “My mother thought she loved him, but my mother had a habit of collecting worthless men too. She also had a drug habit she never really got over. She just couldn’t stay off the drugs, not even when she carried me. I was born addicted to coke. I had to kick mom’s habit at first breath. And that’s not something I would wish on anyone.”

Sage just shook her head. “I think I’m glad I never had the misfortune to know him. My mother knew him and that was what killed her.”

“Still, your mother had courage to end it with him as soon as she found out about the drugs,” Erika pointed out.

“She did get rid of him early on. But the connection ended up killing her anyway.”

Erika sighed in disgust. “It seems like he killed everything he touched. He may have been our father but he was not a decent human being. His M.O. was only too old. He gets a woman pregnant then runs away. Plus, he also came from old money and I don’t think he wanted to share it with his own children. Instead, he put it into his own body. His drugs meant more to him than his children ever did.”

Saint opened his mouth to add his thoughts but was interrupted when Thrasher came back with a look of pure thunder on his face. “You ain’t gonna believe this boss, Roger Sembling is Mack Mackeson’s cousin and he’s also his partner in dealing dope.”

“What the fuck?” Dax swore before Saint could.

Sage visibly trembled.

Dax tightened his hold on her and looked at Saint. “I wonder just what the hell he’s doing here?”

Saint nodded. “Me too. Tommy died months ago. I mean Erika has been in touch with her great grandparents but Tommy’s parents haven’t been in touch.”

Erika snorted. “Grandpa’s still doing time behind bars for his part of the embezzlement and grandma hasn’t left their mansion since the day he went to prison. Now we find out that even though he is dead, Tommy is dragging the family back into the public eye? That’s just insane.”

Chapter Four

Saint looked up at Thrasher and asked, “Did you find out who Mack and Roger were dealing for?”

Thrasher nodded as he set his laptop onto the kitchen table. “Yeah, the Paulo Cartel and I think they might have sent Roger here to find out what happened to Mack’s last shipment.” He set it down and turned it on. “I found out that they knew Tommy was one of Mack’s main dealers. I also remember that when Shay got his hands on Mack’s boat, most of the shipment was already missing. For some reason, Roger has been dodging the cartel boys and they don’t like that sort of thing as you can imagine. I would guess Mack’s last deal was a big one. Roger needs some answers about where it went.” He shook his head. “Tommy must have already gotten his cut and he hadn’t paid yet. The cartel probably doesn’t know he’s dead and Roger can’t find him.”

Sage looked angry. “And he followed me here to try to find my missing father? He must really be desperate.”

Dax nodded. “But desperate men make colossal mistakes. His biggest mistake was coming here.”

Erika sat there beside Saint and shook her head. “But how did he know to follow Sage? I mean think about it, Sage never met Tommy, so why would Roger follow her all this way?”

Sage looked around the room. “I swear I never met him and I had no idea about Roger and Mack. I mean really? How would I know a drug dealer? I’ve never taken drugs in my life. I know they claim my mom was an addict but she wasn’t. Tommy tried to get her into the drug scene when they first met but she told him no. Then he turned it around and gave her enough to kill her, why? Why would he do that?”

“Because Tommy never thought there was a woman out there that would turn him down.” Erika growled. “He used drugs to entice the woman and when they were high he would use them and because your mom told him no, she became a challenge to his masculinity. But as soon as he got what he wanted, he walked away. Then he must have found out about you. The scumbag watched you from a distance, just like he did me. He watched me my whole life. He kept in touch with my mom too.” Shaking her head she admitted, “Mom and I weren’t close and I was gone a lot as soon as I was old enough to work. I knew she was meeting someone but I didn’t pry into her life. I was out there working to keep a roof over our heads and food in the house. But I knew she was meeting with a man named Tommy, she just never told me who he was. She also didn’t talk about him around me because I never wanted to meet her dealers. But mom used to mumble in her sleep and she mentioned him a lot when she was coming down or asleep.” She shrugged. “She mentioned his name more than once. And on more than one occasion when Mack had me doing her drop offs, I never saw his face but I did see his eagle tattoo. That was how I knew who he was when he came here after my newborn son.”

“He went off his rocker when my brother stopped him,” Saint added. “Lucifer told him that his grandfather already changed his will and the money would go to our child, not him or his father.”

Erika spoke up and told her, “I didn’t need or want the money, not even through our son. I think great grandpa was upset when I told him we did not want the money but what the hell would I do with it all? I’ve always worked and I know Saint would never let us go hungry and we had already bought this farm free and clear.”

Sage nodded. “I hear you. I just got out of college but I have worked too. I never relied on any family and especially not for financial support.”

“What did you study in college?” Erika asked.

Sage grinned. “Would you believe... cybersecurity?”

Dax smiled at her. “Hey, maybe you could work here with us?”

Sage shook her head. “I’m not here to ask for anything, really. I told you, I came here to see if Erika was my half-sister. I just wanted to see if I had any other family. Nobody from mom’s family wanted me when I needed them so I don’t consider them family.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think they were looking for a large payout. So when they found out there was no money for them to get, they wanted nothing to do with me.”

Erika snorted. “I’ve had to deal with people like that. I’m glad they never took you home with them. Your life would have been ten times harder than it actually was. Even in foster homes. It sounds like they would have used you like a slave.”

Sage nodded. “Yes, I think you are right. They found me just before my eighteenth birthday. Since I was all grown up, they expected me to come and live with them. When I asked them why they told me if I lived with them now, I could get a good job and help with the bills. When I told them I was going to college, they told me that wouldn’t do, that they needed help with the bills, not for me to go to college. And so with no shame at all, they turned around and left me there.”

Saint smirked at her. “Yeah, people like that have no shame. But you went to college anyway, right?”

“I sure did. And I never saw them again.” Then she chuckled and added, “I got my degree right after the middle of my third year so I left school. But I heard from someone in my class that on graduation day they showed up and caused a ruckus because my name wasn’t on the program. I believe they weren’t happy at all because they expected me to support them when I was done with college.”

Thrasher’s alarm on his laptop went off and he checked his security cameras. He looked up at Saint and said, “Boss, we got a breach. Ole Roger is trying to get close to the house and he’s armed. I am texting Turbo, Phantom and Snake.” His phone pinged. “Wait... they are already out back.”

All three men came in through the kitchen.

Saint smiled and got up. “Well boys, it’s time to meet this idiot up close and personal. Let’s go hunting and teach this motherfucker it ain’t nice to turn up with a weapon and just trespass on someone else’s land.” Saint went over to the wall just off the kitchen and entered a code. When the wall slid back it opened to another complete room.

Sage leaned forward to peek inside and her eyes widened at the sheer amount of guns she saw there. She snapped her gaze over to Erika.

Erika just shrugged at her astonished look. “They have the right to protect their home. And this is their home. Besides, all of them have wives too. They were all in the service so they know how to handle weapons. I will be back in a little while. I gotta check on the babe.”

“Ok, I will be here.” Sage nodded then looked at Dax. “Aren’t you going hunting with the others?”

Dax shook his head. “No, I’m their medic, I’ll stay behind and protect the house here. The women here know how to shoot if anyone gets through the first line of our defense.” Then he nodded at the men grabbing their weapons. “And they are our first line of defense. Nobody gets through them.”

Sage turned her head and just stared as the men left the house. Looking over at the laptop she could see them on camera. Each of them split off in different directions. When the last one disappeared from camera view, she settled back in Dax’s lap.

He smiled and rubbed her back with his hand.

“This is so nice,” she said with a sigh. “I mean I should be afraid to sit on your lap. It is kind of personal, I know...since I don’t really know you but I feel safer than I ever felt in my whole life.”

“You never felt safe?”

She let out a sigh. “No, for some reason I always believed someone was watching me? Yeah, it sounds crazy but I still believed my gut instinct.”

“Well no shit, first Tommy then this Roger creep. Besides, that is what you should always trust. Your gut,” he agreed. “It has saved my butt before. I rely on it. Like I knew you were watching me this morning.”

“Yeah...” She smirked. “I wasn’t so good at stealthing was I?”

“Nope, you weren’t. But that is because you just aren’t good at being a creep.”

They both laughed.

Chapter Five

About twenty minutes later...

They heard gunshots and Sage jumped at the sound.

Erika didn’t jump, she just closed her eyes and prayed. She had gone to get her son. The baby cried though because he was startled but Erika hushed him.

The gunshots didn’t last very long.

Dax listened for a moment then looked at the laptop. He told Erika, “The guys are coming back, maybe you should take the baby to another room.”

Erika nodded and got up with the baby in her arms. She looked at Sage. “You should probably come too. I’m not sure you want to see what’s coming.”

Sage glanced at Dax and at his nod she got up and followed Erika down the hall.

Dax stood and went to the garage. The boys were already there waiting for him. He went to a cabinet and unlocked it, then he pulled his bag out and set it down on the table.

They had Roger sit in a chair and they were busy tying him to it. Roger looked a little bruised. He was protesting and running his mouth a lot and very loudly too.

Saint stood back and let his men tie Roger down.

Then Thrasher slapped the back of his head as he would not shut up.

Roger snarled at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know who the hell I am?”

Saint snorted. “Yeah, we know who the hell you are. You’re the scumbag that’s poisoning our children.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Roger snapped.

Saint shook his head and listed what he meant, “You have... oh excuse me, you had a cousin that ran dope and other illegal shit up and down the Mississippi river on a boat he called the Brawdy Lass. You work for the Paulo Cartel and you are trespassing on our land. Oh, and you started shooting at us first. We just returned the fire and you tried to get away.” He shook his head. “Not our fault you tripped over a tree root and we caught you.”

Roger just glared at him.

Saint stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Explain yourself.”

Roger was just beginning to feel uncomfortable but he knew he couldn’t let them know it. “So what? I stopped on the road and took a walk, what’s the big deal? I’ve been driving for a while and I needed to stretch my legs. I didn’t hurt nothing.”

Saint raised his hands to rub his temples with his fingers. “Man, shut up, all your caterwauling is giving me a fucking headache. You have been sitting there for hours, watching our farm. So quit with the lies. Everyone here knows exactly who you are and what you do.”

“Yeah? Well, as far as I know this is still a free country and I’m allowed to go wherever I want,” Roger blustered. “What’s the big deal if I stop along the highway and take a little walk? I’m not bothering anything or anyone.”

“But why here and why now?” Saint pressed him. “Did you follow someone to this farm?”

Roger pressed his hands into fists behind his back. “What the hell are you talking about? I just stopped along the highway and that is all.”

Saint leaned forward and repeated his question, “Did you follow someone here?” he spoke clearly and calmly. “Someone named Sage Marlow?”

Roger now had a bead of sweat on his upper lip. “Don’t know anyone by that name,” he muttered harshly.

Saint smiled faintly. “Oh, you don’t huh? Well, she says otherwise and I’m more inclined to believe her than you. She says you’ve been stalking her for a while now but she doesn’t know who you are. Or at least she didn’t until we told her your name.”

“So what?” Roger scoffed. “How do you know that she isn’t lying?”

Saint leaned back against the counter. “Why would she lie? I think you know exactly who she is.” He looked around the room. Then his gaze went back to Roger. “We know who you are and we know you’re working with the Paulo Cartel. Tell me something, is the cartel worried about some missing dope? Or maybe the money Tommy Sayor was supposed to give them for the sale of that dope? You do know he’s dead, right? He came here looking for his grandson. When we caught him, we told him his grandfather knew what he was doing in the company and that he’d already changed his will. And let’s just say Tommy didn’t take that news very well, so he jumped through a window slicing his own throat. He bled out before help could get here.”

Roger just stared at him and now sweat began dripping down the sides of his face. “Tommy’s dead? When did that happen?” he finally muttered.

“About four months ago,” Dax told him.

“He’s been... gone for four... months?” Roger stammered. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Who the hell was supposed to tell you?” Saint snapped.

Roger looked upset. “Oh no, this ain’t good, this ain’t good at all,” he whispered to himself and looked up at Saint. “That bastard owed me money... serious money, like 11 million dollars money.”

Saint snorted in disbelief. “And you expected what? To come here and find him alive and well... living like a king off your filthy blood money? What kind of fool are you?”

Roger fought against his restraints. “He didn’t owe me that money, he owed the cartel that green! And the cartel isn’t worried about who owes it, they know Tommy was running the dope but he worked for my cousin and me. We have to pay that bill and we don’t have that kind of money. Ever since my cousin went and got himself dead, the cartel has been watching me, hounding me and they gave me two weeks to come up with it or they would send Bruno for me. And let me tell you if they send Bruno after you... he doesn’t quit until he finds you and you won’t live long to give him any excuses.”

Saint just shook his head. “Well damn, boy! That sounds like you’re caught between a sharpass rock and a fuckall hard place. So tell me why you have been following Sage?”

Roger sneered. “Because she’s Tommy’s kid, I figured if anyone knew where Tommy was, she would.”

Saint looked angry now. “Tommy may be her father but he never acknowledged that fact. He never gave her a dime and he even let her go into the system because he couldn’t be bothered with a kid. So much for him being her father. He was nothing more than a pitiful excuse for a man all the way around.”

Roger frowned. “He came here for his grandson, you said. I didn’t know he had another kid.”

Saint nodded. “Yeah he did, in fact you might have known her mother, she was working for your cousin. She was a junkie and he made her whore for him to pay for her drugs. Nice guy, your cousin.” He sneered.

Roger looked confused. “Are you talking about Lainey Grant?”

“Yeah, I am.” Saint glared at him. “Tommy got her knocked up and wouldn’t you know it? He told Lainey to get an abortion because he didn’t want to be a father. At least in that regard he told her to dump the kid before she was even born. But Lainey didn’t do it, instead she held on to her daughter and dragged her all over the place. Erika saw things no child should ever have to see. She started working at the age of 12 to keep a roof over her own damn head and to buy food when her own mother just didn’t care. Lainey even took your fucking drugs to Tommy to sell. Then when Lainey was so strung out she couldn’t be trusted to deliver, your cousin Mack made Erika do it. So don’t ask me to feel sorry for what happened to Mack, to Tommy or what’s about to happen to you.”

“You lousy motherfucker!” Roger shouted. “I don’t have that kind of money. Tommy owed 11 million, where the hell am I supposed to get that much money?”

“You sold dope, surely you have the money to pay the cartel? I mean what have you been doing with all the money your runners turn over to you?” Thrasher asked with a growl.

Roger shook his head. “I didn’t handle the money. Mack did all that. When he died his accounts got locked up. I was more like the silent partner.”

“And you don’t have access to Mack’s accounts?” Saint smiled. “Well, that puts you in a real pickle with the cartel then, doesn’t it? So why did you follow Sage all the way here? She never even met her father.”

“She has to know how or where her dad stored his money!” Roger shouted out as more sweat beaded on his face.

“Like I said before, loser... she never even knew him, how the hell do you think she would know where his money was?” Saint smirked.

“But I need that money,” Roger exclaimed as if he didn’t hear a word Saint told him. “I have to pay the cartel or they are going to kill me, Raul Paulo is not a man you don’t pay.”

Saint shrugged. “Seems you are in some real trouble for sure Roger. But you know what? No one made you sell drugs or backup drug dealers, did they? Bad choices often bring bad outcomes. Even most teenagers know this lesson.”

Roger hung his head as if he was finally listening to what Saint was telling him.

Chapter Six

After a long minute, Roger snapped his head up. “So what are you going to do with me?” he finally asked. “I’m running out of time here!”

“Not our fault you didn’t pay them, not our fault Mack and Tommy are dead either.” Saint stared at him for a moment then asked, “Did you know Mack chipped Erika so he would know where she was? That she was nothing more to him than a runner? Did you know she kept dragging her back to that boat and he beat her on more than one occasion? Did you even care that he kept Lainey so doped up so he could hurt her and her child, Tommy’s kid over and over again? Then to keep Erika quiet he overdosed her mother twice?” Saint’s voice got louder and harder as he spoke.

Roger looked a bit afraid at this biker’s anger but he just shrugged. “My cousin was a pig of a man and he didn’t care about anyone but himself. Everyone in the family knew that. Not everyone appreciated that quality but everyone knew b about it.”

“And in the end, that quality as you call it, jumped up and bit him in the ass,” Dax finally broke his silence. “The government froze his money and everything falls on you now.

Saint just shook his head at Roger. “You are just so selfish that nothing penetrates your pea brain, does it? Maybe we’ll just keep you here and wait for the cartel to come and get you. Like why should we be blamed for this?”

“And why should Sage be blamed or hurt over this?” Dax growled. “She never had anything to do with your deals or with Tommy.”

“That is not true. Her and I know each other very well.”

Dax stared at him. “She claims—”

“A woman will claim a lot of things when she is hiding the truth,” Roger cut him off. “Besides, do any of you know her?”

Silence fell in the garage.

“Yeah, so you don’t know her well enough to say she is telling the truth.” Roger looked smug.

Dax and Saint glanced at each other.

Dax shook his head. “He is a fucking lair. He claimed not to know her at all when you dragged his sorry ass in here.”

Roger looked up at him. “You motherfuckers. You need to bring Sage in here so she can help me. The cartel is going to drive away with me then find somewhere nobody else goes and they are gonna put a bullet into my head. All because this little bitch is lying to you!”

“You came here to find something that neither Erika or Sage knows anything about. And what were you going to do when they told you that?” Dax growled, then he thought of something. “Or were you going to try and point the finger at the girls? Were you going to offer up Tommy’s daughters to the cartel in order to avoid paying the debt you, your cousin and Tommy left behind?”

Roger hung his head again confirming his plan.

Saint stepped up and grabbed the front of Roger’s shirt and lifted the man up, chair and all.

Roger screamed at the strain on his muscles.

Saint brought him up to look him right in the eyes. “Is that what you had planned? Were you going to point at the girls and tell the cartel they knew where Tommy’s stash of money was? Haven’t you been paying attention here, buster? Tommy never made contact with either of his kids, all their damn lives. He would watch them but he never even spoke to them. You are nothing but a cocksucking loser, you know that? You would point the worst cartel to two innocent women that never even met their father just to escape what you owe. That’s low even for you.” Saint tossed him down to the floor.

Roger crashed down on his side and cried out.

Having remained silent as they stood by the wall, Thrasher and Snake stepped over and sat him upright again.

Roger whimpered then he spoke again, “You can’t be sure though about Sage. She is lying, she knows me and she has the information I need. Bring here in here so you all can see what I am telling you is true.”

Dax slowly shook his head and looked over at Saint.

His Prez sighed and told him, “You need to bring her. We have to be sure. If she is lying, this will hurt Erika.”

Dax looked angry and he glared at Roger. “He’s the liar and when that is proved, he and I are gonna have a round or two together.”

His Misfit brothers all looked stunned. Dax was their medic and he had always stayed peaceful.

Dax turned and stalked out of the garage.

Saint looked over at Roger. “Man, you are in so much trouble.”

Meanwhile in the house...

Sage looked nervous after Dax left and she squirmed in her chair as Erka served her some coffee.

Erika smiled at her. “I see that you really like Dax.” She sat down at the table.

Sage’s head snapped up. “You can see that?”

Erika patted her hand. “Don’t be worried. I fell for Saint so fast that even now it makes my head spin.”

Two years ago...

Erika looked at Saint. “You have to let me go. I can’t bring him here. Mack won’t let me go. He will lay waste to this place and these people! I don’t want anyone to die because of me.”

“Who exactly is this Mack?” Saint asked.

“I have to tell you, don’t I?” she asked sadly. “I’m too weak to keep running.”

“It might be better if you did stop running,” he agreed with a nod of his head.

“His name is Mickey Mackeson but he’s known on the streets as Mack...The Irishman. I don’t want you all to have the kind of trouble he will bring here.”

“We will face it when it happens. We aren’t going to let anything happen to you and I’ll be damned if I let anybody hurt you. We aren’t exactly helpless here.”

She let out a sad sigh. “I have to think about this. Like I said already... I don’t want anyone here to die for me. But I’m tired right now.””

“Then get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

She stared at him. “You’re staying here with me? Why? Don’t you trust me?”

Saint smiled. “Yeah, we trust you. We just don’t want you to be afraid. We want you to know you aren’t alone anymore.”

“Why?” she had to know.

“My brother started this club and they decided to call themselves by their call name in the sandbox. They were known then as Hell’s Guardian Warriors. These men earned that title over there and then they brought it here. I’m damn proud to be one of them now. And as long as you’re here, you have their protection. We got your back.”

She just stared at him and fought hard to believe his words. She hadn’t had anyone protect her since her mom dragged her away from Jessie’s family. Her mother certainly never had her back. 

She licked her dry lips. “Do you promise?” she looked into his eyes.

“I promise, baby. We got your back. I got your back,” he swore to her.

She reached out to him and cupped his jaw. “Can I ask you something?”

He nodded.

“Can you just hold me tonight? I’m not looking for anything more. I just want to feel your arms around me while I sleep.”

Saint smiled. “I can do that.” He reached for his belt then paused. “You gotta make a promise not to take advantage of me if I sleep with you. In other words, hands off the goods, babycakes.”

Erika smiled. “As much as I want your body...cause wow, just look at you. I’ll have to pass at least for tonight. I just want you to hold me.”

Saint took his jeans off and crawled in the bed with her. “I know. Just relax.” He moved her over gently and they settled in together. He lay on his back and she curled up on his side. Laying her head on his broad chest, she felt safe and comfortable with his arms around her.

She lay there and closed her eyes. The sound of his heartbeat in her ear was like a blanket, covering her and making her feel safe for the first time in a very long time. His body was warm and strangely soothing. For some reason, she fit into him just right....

Chapter Seven

Erika beamed at her and shrugged when she was done telling this story. Then reaching down, she tucked the blanket around her son in the baby swing. “Sometimes love happens suddenly.” She looked up at Sage.

Sage gasped and said, “Oh, wow. That is the very same thing I experienced when Dax held me in his lap today!”

Erka nodded. “Yep. So, it is already too late to change this.”

Sage scoffed and shook her head. “I just met him this morning so let’s not jump to—”

The kitchen door opened, cutting her sentence short. Dax came in and shut it.

Sage couldn’t help it; she was glad to see him. Her pulse picked up in pace and she felt a little breathless. When she looked up at his face she halted.

He looked mad. His body language showed anger as he even had his fists clenched at his sides.

“W-what is it?” Sage asked him.

He sighed. “This Roger asshole. He claims that you do know him. And very well.”

She blinked at him and replied in confusion, “But I have never even talked to him. Why would he say that?”

“Yeah. That is a good question.... why,” Dax repeated. “Saint told me to bring you to the garage.”

She slowly stood from her chair. “Ok.” She gave Erika a nod.

Dax took her hand and led her out the door.

He took her to the garage, then he paused and turned to her. “Remember this... I don’t believe this guy at all. I also won’t let anyone hurt you.” He grabbed her arms and gazed into her eyes. “I know already that you are a sweet, honest person. When we deal with this Roger/cartel problem then you will be free of this. Ok?”

She slowly nodded at him.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Kissing her gently, then he stepped back.

Staring at him she trembled. “Wow.”

He nodded. “We have something between us and I feel like it could be wonderful.”

Staring at him, she smiled as her heart still pounded rapidly from the brief kiss.

“Don’t let this guy rattle you,” Dax went on. “It’s like the old saying... the truth always comes to light.” He took her hand and opened the garage door.

Saint looked over at them.

Dax tugged her to where Saint stood. “I already told her what he claims.”

Saint looked over at her.

She squared her shoulders and said, “Everything I have said today is the truth. Including the fact that I have never met this guy.” She motioned to Roger who was tied to the chair.

“You are a liar, bitch!” Roger shouted.

Getting angry herself, Sage stepped over to him. “You are just a creep as far as I know. I always wondered why I would see you in the background. What do you want from me?”

“I want any information about where your father hid his money or a place where he could hide a large shipment of drugs.”

Sage kept batting her eyes at him then she laughed.

Roger sat up straighter in the chair. “This is so not fucking funny!”

She swiped at a stray tear of hilarity and replied, “It is funny and ridiculous. And do you wanna know why? Because that man who was supposedly my father has never spoken to me. Not ever. Not even once. Let alone tell me anything like that.”

Roger stared at her.

She shrugged. “I never had a dad. But I did finally find out that he killed my mom. And I still don’t know why he did that.”

“He told me he had to shut her up,” Roger replied. “That if the cops ever located her, she would tell them all about him.”

“Well, that’s more than I knew,” she told him. “And if I did know you before now, I am sure I would regret it.”

He scoffed. “You are the best lair, you know that?”

She stepped a little closer.” Ok...So if you do know me well, tell these men where I went to college. Tell them what I do for a living. Tell them something about me.”

Roger stared at her. He said nothing.

“Yeah, fucker.” Dax growled. “Tell us one fact that proves you knew her.”

Roger looked away.

Saint slapped the back of Roger’s head.

Roger yelped. “Hey!”

Dax looked over at Saint. “Can I untie him?”

Saint stared at him then nodded.

Roger heard this and asked Dax, “You’re letting me go?” He looked stunned.

“No, we are gonna go toe to toe.” Dax glared at him.

“What?” Roger exclaimed as he looked confused.

“You heard me, asshole. You came here to put my girl and Saint’s wife in danger. You have used and abused your privileges as a trespassing guest.” He tugged him out of the chair. “We’ll take this outside and finish it like men.”

Roger kept shaking his head as he desperately pleaded with Dax, “Ok. Ok. I lied! She doesn’t know me!”

“Yes, we established that. Now we will establish if you are even a real man.” Dax pushed him through the door.

Sage looked gobsmacked.

The Misfit men all followed them out.

She gasped as she realized two things. This man Dax had called her his girl...and he was going to beat someone up because of her? She felt shocked and followed them.

The two men stood facing each other.

Roger looked shaken to say the least and he tried to negotiate his fate, “Listen man. We don’t have to—”

Dax’s fist came out and decked him on the jaw.

Roger looked stunned as his eyes rolled up into his head and he dropped like a brick.

Saint stepped over to peer down at him. “Well damn, Dax, you knocked him out cold.”

Dax shook his head. “Come on, he has to be faking it.”

Turbo knelt and grabbed Roger by the collar and Roger’s head lolled to the side. “Nope, looks like he is out for real.”

“Yeah, not only is he NOT a man, but he is made of glass apparently,” Snake quipped.

The Misfit men all laughed then a couple of them dragged Roger back to the garage.

Dax looked disgusted. “Damnit, I looked forward to a boxing match at the very least.”

“Not today, doc,” Phantom called back to him.

Dax shook his head and escorted Sage back to the house.

When the men got back into the garage, Saint shook his head. “We have to prepare for more visitors. He said before that he only had two days until the cartel and Bruno would come calling. If he mentioned to Raul that he was following one of Tommy’s kids then the cartel will find him.”

“And that will lead them right to our front door and the girls.” Thrasher growled.

Saint nodded. “Right to our home.” He shook his head. “Nope not on my watch.”

Phantom shut the garage door and said, “Well, we can give them good ole Roger here.”

“No, you can’t do that, you know they will put a bullet in my head!” Roger exclaimed.

Saint turned to stare at him. “Oh, so you’re awake now?”

Roger looked a bit groggy. “That fucker accosted me!”

“Wow, what kind of panzy-ass stick man with a glass jaw prick are you?” Snake asked as he looked flabbergasted.

“He has to be one of these new kinds of men,” Phantom said. “You know, the ones who go to a hair stylist all the damn time. They wear skinny jeans with a pink shirt and fucking loafers of all things.”

Turbo jumped in with his take on that subject, “And they got no spine when it comes to standing as a man protecting a woman or a child. And they take cell phone videos of every damn thing, so they will be popular on social media.”

Thrasher agreed as he laughed. “They order lattes with whipped cream every day, own a gym card that they don’t ever use and they always have an excuse for all the mistakes they make.”

The men all snickered.

Chapter Eight

Saint shook his head as the laughter finally died down and he glared at Roger. “Yes, we will be handing you over. Rather than hand over two innocent women. You are the one who made the deals. You and your piece of shit cousin took their dope and sold it on the streets. Then you and him just kept on smuggling shit up and down the river for more money. So don’t you think it should be you that faces the cartel?”

Roger just stared at them and knew that he had lost his last hope. “You can’t give me over to them, that’s inhuman. What kind of men are you?”

“We’re men who have lived through hell and came out the other side,” Saint told him. “Who love family and friends and we protect the women in our lives, not extort them like some product that can be sold. Now because of you we’re going to face one of the most vicious cartels and someone is probably going to die, but it won’t be our women.” Saint turned to Phantom and Turbo as he pointed up to the ceiling hook. “Put the cuffs on him and make sure he’s comfortable and will still be here in the morning. Then come inside so we can plan our defense.”

Phantom turned, went to a cabinet and opened it.

Roger’s eyes went wide when he saw what was in it. The cabinet was filled with all sorts of torture tools. Blades, guns and metal bracelets of all kinds.

Phantom grabbed a pair of wide leather bands joined together with a short length of a heavy chain. He locked the cuffs to Roger’s wrists.

Turbo went over to the wall to hit a switch that then lowered the hook from the ceiling. When it was low enough they stood him up and slipped the hook through the chain. Turbo raised the hook back toward the ceiling.

Roger was strung up now with his feet on the floor. “This is inhuman! He said make me comfortable. I can’t be left like this!”

Snake raised his hands and grabbed the chair to sit him down in it. “There ya go. Comfy now, stick man?”

Roger grumbled about bikers being cavemen and slobs.

Phantom paused and stared at him. “As cavemen, we could jack you up higher and remove the chair.”

Roger looked stricken then said, “I apologize for saying all that.”

The men all ignored him.

Saint reached the door to the outside.

Dax stood there peering in at Roger up on a hook. He then grinned.

Sanit smirked. “Yeah, he is not getting away.” He then turned to look at Thrasher. “And make sure we have eyes on him all night will you? I wouldn’t want him to escape and miss his meeting with the cartel.”

Thrasher nodded. “You bet boss, we’ll keep an eye on him. I got a camera in here too.”

Saint went back to the kitchen and shook his head. “How the hell did Roger think his plan would even work? The girls hadn’t even met their father.”

Dax followed him inside. “But are we sure Sage is even Tommy’s kid?” Dax asked. “I know his name is on her birth certificate but will Tommy’s father acknowledge her as his? They accepted Erika but will they accept another girl?” He shrugged. “They believed that Tommy could never have another child.”

“I don’t care about any of that.” Sage’s voice came from the doorway.

“That family wanted to give Erika a fortune,” Dax told her. “They may offer you the same.”

Sage just stared at him with tears in her eyes. “All I ever wanted was to know if Erika was my sister. I don’t care how much money Tommy’s family has.” Her tone was flat and her eyes were blazing. “I can work for my own money. I don’t expect anyone else to support me.” She went down the hall into the guest bedroom and quietly closed the door.

Saint shook his head and stared at Dax. “You, sir, are a dumbass.”

Dax nodded. “Yeah, I know. I messed that up pretty badly. It all came out wrong. I just think what happened to both her and Erika was crappy. I mean she deserves a good life with no worries over money.” He stared down the hall. “Damn,” he swore softly.

Saint grumbled, “First thing we’ve got to do after we deal with the cartel business is call Erik, he is Erika’s great grandfather and let him know what’s going on here. He might want to know about this new wrinkle.”

Dax just shook his head. “I just can’t imagine how any man can just walk away from his own kids. I mean if he didn’t want any he should have made sure he didn’t leave a little bit of his own behind then right? I mean there are a hundred ways not to have a kid.”

Saint nodded. “It takes a special kind of dirtbag to do what he did. I’m surprised the states didn’t take him to court for support. Especially after Sage’s mother died and her family wouldn’t step up for her. They didn’t even try to find her father.” Saint looked around and then he stilled.

“What is it?” Dax asked him.

Saint walked over and knelt down. He picked something up from the floor.

Dax came over and looked at the object in his hand. “A baby bottle?”

Saint sucked in a breath. “Pink?” he called out.

No answer.

Saint then took off down the hall and yanked the nursery door open. No one there. He turned and rushed over to his bedroom. The door stood wide open and he went in. Same thing.

No one there.

“Fuck, where is she?” Saint swore as he looked upset.

Dax had followed him. “Man, don’t tell me that she’s...”

“Erika?” Sage called out from the hallway.

They both turned to see Sage in the doorway.

She stared back at them. “I got worried. I haven’t seen her since I came back into the house.”

“Holy fuck!” Saint got onto his cell and tapped the screen. “Thrasher? Have any of your alarms gone off?” He listened and then replied, “Well, keep checking. Look at all the cameras. NOW! Erika and the baby are missing.”

Just then they heard a cry.

Saint gasped as he lowered his phone and looked all around.

The cry came again.

“The fuck?” He turned all around now.

“I think it’s coming from the closet?” Sage said.

He rushed over and opened the closet door.

The baby was sitting in his carrier and he now started to wail.

Saint scooped him up then patted him on the back while shushing him. The baby stopped crying.

“Oh, my God,” Sage whispered. “No. Someone took her?”

Saint looked almost white in the face as he walked over and handed the baby to Sage. “Take him for a little while. We need to catch this fucker. He can’t be too far away.”

Sage held the baby and rocked him. “Shh, little guy,” she soothed. “Mama will be back.”

Dax and Saint rushed out of the bedroom.

They tore down the hall and out the door.

Saint’s men all rushed forward.

“Someone nabbed Erika,” Saint announced.

“Fuck!” Turbo yelled.

“The security lines were cut,” Thrasher said. “To the main house at least. I do have some footage here from the road area.” He raised his laptop.

Saint rushed over as did Dax. They both stared at the screen.

On it, a man was shoving Erika into his car. She was tied up. He then got into the driver’s seat, slammed the door and took off down the driveway to the county road.

“Turbo, Phantom,” Saint yelled. “Let’s ride. Dax and Thrasher protect the farm.” He rushed over to his bike and jumped on.

Chapter Nine

Before Saint even turned his bike around, a huge roaring sound came up along the driveway.

The three men, all stopped their bikes and pulled out their guns, aiming them at the oncoming sound.

Dax and Thrasher did the same from the porch as they pointed their weapons as well.

“Well fuck,” Saint swore as he lowered his gun.

His brother Lucifer rode his motorcycle with Erika on the seat behind him... in front of a small convoy.

Three other cycles rode beside the car they had all seen on the video.

Lucifer drove up the driveway.

Erika jumped off his bike almost before it even stopped. She ran to Saint and leapt up onto him.

He had to steady his bike then he wrapped one arm around her. “God damnit, Pink!”

After a minute of embracing each other, Erika cried out, “The baby?”

“He’s with Sage and he is fine.”

Erika now explained it, “I saw that man coming down the hallway, so I hid the baby in the closet. I went with him so he would not hurt our son.” Erika kissed Saint briefly then ran up to the house to check on her baby son.

Dax let out a long sigh of relief. He looked over at Lucifer.

“Demon caught the car on video tearing out of here onto the road,” Lucifer explained. “Then we went after him and made him pull over. Erika nearly made him crash as she fought him by kicking her feet at him.”

Turbo and Phantom went over and took the man from the Guardian biker’s custody.

Dax went over and stared at the man.

“Where’s Roger?” the man asked.

Dax shook his head. “We ask the questions here, dickhead.”

The men dragged the kidnapper into the garage.

When Roger saw him, he went white in the face. “Pete?”

Pete stopped struggling with the bikers and saw him. “Damit Rodge. I grabbed the girl to exchange her for you. But...”

“But you fucked up!” Roger yelled.

“Fuck you man. You’re the one who got caught,” Pete yelled back.

“I called you this morning and explained what to do!’Roger shouted back. “Now we are both caught!

Lucifer came to the door and told Saint, “You have a visitor. My men are with him now.”

“Damn, we are just popular today,” Turbo quipped. “We got him, Saint. No worries.”

Dax and Saint went out with Lucifer.

They walked over to where a black Escalade sat parked.

They slowed down and stopped. It wasn’t wise to approach an unknown person in a vehicle like this.

The door opened and a very large man stepped out.

Lucifer’s men all watched him while holding rifles.

The large man raised his arms and stepped over. “I am not here for you. I had men following Pete Ambrose. And they reported that he came here.”

“What do you want with him?”

“I want Roger Sembling.”

“Are you Bruno?” Dax asked him as he certainly looked like a ‘Bruno.’

He turned his head to stare at Dax. “How do you know that name?”

“Good ole Roger told us about Bruno and he was very afraid of the man.”

“He should be. He’s been dodging me for months. I knew his buddy Pete would lead me to him someday.”

“And what are you going to do to Pete?” Lucifer asked.

“Why do you ask about him?” Bruno inquired.

“He took my wife to swap for Roger,” Saint spoke up. “We don’t approve of our women being hurt.”

The big man growled. “Look, I’ve broken bones and I admit only I know where all the bodies are...But even I pass on those kinds of jobs. Ain’t no place in my world to hurt women and kids when a man fucks up.”

“Does that go for Tommy Sayor too?” Saint asked him.

He raised his chin. “We know about his offspring and his other family. But we don’t take it out on family. Is too messy, and most often it ain’t worth a dime. But my bosses do want Roger and anyone Tommy and Mack were associated with. So, I’ll take them both. Pete and Roger.”

Saint and Dax studied him.

Saint then gave him a nod then texted Turbo and Snake. Looking up, he said, “It’ll be a minute.”

Bruno stared at them. “You two are brothers, right?”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at the large enforcer. “Yeah, I’m Lucifer.”

“And I’m Saint.”

Bruno halted and looked back and forth between them. “Well, fuck me. That is clever.” He leaned in and asked, “Are the names apt or are they just off the cuff?”

The two brothers stared at him.

“They got the name as soldiers,” Dax supplied the answer.

Bruno cocked his head and concluded, “So they are apt. Wow, I would love to see you two when you argue.”

“NO... you wouldn’t,” a few of the men from the background said in unison.

Bruno chuckled. “Hell. I like you guys.”

Dax sighed and told the truth, “We are relieved about that.”

Getting the sarcasm, Bruno laughed again. He then nodded his large head and then looked around. “So you all like farm life?”

Saint smiled.“We do.”

“How can a biker-soldier settle down and become Ole McDonald?” Bruno looked over at them.

Dax shrugged. “It’s better to actually be a person that honestly does reap what they sow.”

Bruno paused to stare at him then he let out a booming laugh and patted Dax on the arm.

Dax stumbled to the side as the man had a hand larger than his head.

Saint chuckled as did several of the men.

“Nooo, you can’t do this!” Roger shouted.

“Please we will pay you anything!” Pete yelled.

They all turned their heads to see Pete and Roger. They were escorted by Turbo and Thrasher.

“He will kill us!” Roger screamed as he fought his ziptied wrists.

“Why me? I had nothing to do with the drugs!” Pete exclaimed as he too was ziptied.

Saint turned to glare at him. “You kidnapped my wife, dirtbag.”

Pete went pale then clamped his mouth shut.

Bruno hit his keyfob and his car doors popped open. “Put ‘em in the backseat.” He then glared at the two prisoners. “And don’t fuck my seats up, losers.”

The men shut the doors on a full out weeping Roger and Pete.

Bruno turned and stuck his large hand out to Lucifer. “Nice meeting the devil finally,” he joked. “Although I know I will be in the fire someday. But if you all need a man to get rid of a problem...I owe ya the favor.” He handed Lucifer a business car, then he shook Sant’s hand. “You do look more innocent than your brother.” He laughed and went over to get into his vehicle. Turning around, he headed down the driveway.

After the dust settled, Saint looked over at his brother, Lucifer. “I am more innocent.”

Lucifer shook his head. “You been a pain in the ass since mom gave birth to ya.”

Saint smirked. “Cuz I wasn’t gonna let you scare me, devil man.”

They both laughed.

Then men from the Guardians and the Misfits, all watched as they looked happy to see the two men coming to terms.

“Jesse wants you all to come to supper on Sunday,” Lucifer said.

“Great,” Saint replied. “I’ll tell Erika. Thanks for...” he shook his head.

Lucifer let out a sigh. “Nothing will ever make up for how I treated her before.”

Saint slowly shook his head. “I think saving her life a couple times now might do it.”

They both then turned and walked away from each other.

Their men all met gazes and smiled.

Chapter Ten

The next morning Sage sat with Erika, Saint and Dax.

They were waiting for Erik and Marva to arrive.

Dax stared at her the whole time and Sage could feel his eyes on her.

Sage had argued with Saint the night before about him calling the family in the first place. She told him he had no right to call them in. She never wanted anything from Tommy, but as soon as she knew about Erika, she had traveled all the way here.

But Saint had argued back that if she was really Tommy’s child, her great grandparents deserved to know about her.

So now they waited.

About ten o’clock they heard a car coming up the driveway.

Saint got up to look. He turned his head and told his wife, “They’re here.”

Erika got up and so did Sage.

Sage’s hands were clamped together.

Erika stared at her then she reached over to unlock her nervous grip. “They aren’t going to bite you. Relax, Erik and Marva aren’t going to be mean. You will see.”

Obviously nervous, Sage turned and looked at her. “You don’t understand, my own grandparents didn’t want me, why would they?”

Erika reached up and cupped her cheek. “Because they are good, decent people. I met them a few times and saw this for myself. They will listen to your story and believe me when I say they already know it. All you have to do is be honest with them.”

Sage had tears in her eyes as she told Erika, “I didn’t come here for acceptance. But when I found out about you, I had to come. I had to know the truth.”

“And you found it, I believe,” a voice called out from the living room.

Sage slowly turned her head and stared at the older man sitting in a wheelchair. Then she looked into his eyes. She knew those eyes because every time she looked in a mirror she saw them on her own face.

Then someone gasped.

The older woman standing next to him leaning heavily on cane had been the one who gasped. “Oh my gosh, she has your eyes honey,” Marva spoke in an awed whisper. “She has your eyes.”

Erik rolled forward and studied her carefully. “Yes, she does, but so did Tommy. That was a trait he clearly passed down.”

“We are sorry, we never knew about you all these years, we would have loved seeing you.” Marva nodded at her.

Sage shook her head. “I want you to know that my mother didn’t like the drugs and she made him leave. He never came back until I was four years old. I would see him around me at times when I was growing up but I never met him or talked to him and he never spoke to me either.”

Marva had tears running down her face. “But that was Tommy, wasn’t it? He never acknowledged Erika either. But he always knew who she was. He was a scoundrel, we are sorry to say. He lacked compassion or maybe the drugs made him like that?”

Erik slammed his hand down on his chair arm and snarled. “His parents never taught him a damn thing, I’m afraid. He just took and took and never grew up.”

Sage stared at him then she shook her head. “I didn’t come here to take anything. I just wanted to know if Erika was my sister or not.”

Erik smiled. “Yes, she said the same thing when we first met her too. You both share that trait. I’m very glad to call you both my great granddaughters. We welcome you as family, my dear.”

Sage shook her head. “You can’t make that claim, not without a DNA test. But both my mother and my father are dead so I’m not sure how that works.”

“My dear there are other ways to compare a family line,” Erik told her.

Marva nodded and came over to hug her. “We just want to get to know you.”

“Let’s all sit and have some tea,” Erika said and turned to head into the kitchen.

Marva pushed Erik’s wheelchair to the kitchen area.

Dax came over and took Sage’s hand. “It will be okay. You will see.”

Pausing, Sage looked up at him. She heard the gentle tone in his voice and saw the sincere look in his eyes. “No one has ever said that to me before. It will be okay.”

Dax raised her hand and kissed her knuckles “That's because you have never found your home until now. Welcome Home, Sage Marlow.”

Tears filled her eyes as she gave him a warm smile.

Then the both followed the older couple into the kitchen.

KJ DAHLEN

Author of the bestselling, award winning Bratva Brothers and Satan Spawns/Sin's Bastards MC Series...

I live in a small town (population 1,000) in Wisconsin. From my deck, I can see the Mississippi River on one side and the bluffs, where eagles live and nest on the other side. I live with my husband Dave and my dog Bella. My two children are grown and I have two grandchildren and three great grands. I love to watch people and that has helped me with my writing. I often use people I watch as characters in my books and I always try to give my characters some of my own values and habits. 

I love to create characters and put them in a troubling situation then sit back and let them do all the work. My characters surprise even me at times. At some point in the book, they take on a life of their own and the twists and turns they create becomes the story. Of all the stories I could write, I found I like suspense/thrillers the best. I like to keep my readers guessing until the very end of the book. 

KJ Dahlen's Website

Join K.J. Dahlen's Reader Group

Newsletter

UPDATED LIST JULY 2026

(The newest releases of 2026 are at the very end)

SATAN’S SPAWN MC

PREQUEL: GHOST FROM THE PAST

BOOK 1: SPAWN AND SPITFIRE

BOOK 2: REVENGE AND RETRIBUTION

BOOK 3: BABIES AND BASTARDS

SIN’S BASTARDS MC

BOOK 1: SILK AND BONES

BOOK 2: KARMA’S BITE

BOOK 3: NO REGRETS

BOOK 4: HELL’S FURY

BOOK 5: LIES AND LIARS

BOOK 6: STONE COLD

Bane prequel

Sin’s Bastards Christmas Special Edition

Mountain Special Edition

Girls Night Out

Sin’s Bastards MC Mother’s Day Special

Bane’s Return-Saving Dusty

Christmas with the Sin’s

ST Pat’s Day-Deacon

Reva Reborn Sins Special

HELL’S FIRE RIDERS MC

Birth Of Hell’s Prequel

BOOK 1: PAPPY’S SHADOW

Book 2: BETRAYED

BOOK 3: TRIGGER THE STORM

BOOK 4: COLD VENGEANCE

BOOK 5: HER FATHER’S SIN

BOOK 6: 42 DAYS

Book 7 SHAY

Book 8 LEGEND

Hell’s BOX SET

TRUDY: INTO HELL’S FIRE Special Edition

A Hell’s Fire Christmas

BRATVA BLOOD BROTHERS

Prequel- Blood Beginnings

Book 1: Yuri

Book 2: Mikial

Book 3: Barshan

Book 4: Sazon

Book 5: Roman

Book 6: Brothers United

Book 7. Iosif

Book 8 Kosta

Book 9 Nikoli

Book 10 Nicky

Book 11 Sergi

Book 12 Misha

Book 13 Timor

Book 14 Felix

Book 15 Kirill

Book 16 Sasha

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EDITION MAXIM

RETURN TO YURI Special Edition

A Bratva Christmas

Mikial-Bratva Father’s Day

Bratva New York- Special Edition

Christmas in Bratva New York

Bratva Valentines

Sergi’s Father’s Day

Bratva Blood Brothers Thanksgiving

CONTINUES IN BRATVA BORN SERIES

BRATVA BORN SERIES

The Prequel- Women Of Bratva Born

Nubric #1

Koyla #2

Petrov #3

Mink i#4

Dima #5

Catch #6

Bratva Born Set

BRATVA NEW YORK

Bratva New York Prequel

Book One-Nikoli

Book Two-Misha

Book Three-Nicky

Book Four-Felix

Book Five-Kirill

Book Six-Sergi

Crimson Special Edition

SIN’S BASTARDS MC NEXT GENERATION

Book 1 : RAINE

Book 2 : CHANCE

Book 3 : GAMBLER

Book 4 : BOWIE

Book 5 : JUDGE

.Book 6 : BYRON

Book 7 : HOUND

Book 8 : DANTE

Book 9 : Iceman

Book 10 : The KIDS

Wiley Special Edition

Special Edition: ZIPPER

Calderone Special Edition

Leon Special Edition

Vincinti Women Special Edition

Jericho’s Christmas

Christmas With the Sins

WHISKEY BEND MC SERIES

Book 1: Lucifer’s Woman – Lucifer

Book 2: Demon’s Stand – Demon ..

Book 3: At All Costs – Aries

Book 4 : Out of the Shadows – Hades

Book 5 : Jinx

Book 6 : Shadow

Whiskey Bend MC Boxed Set

Book 7 Cooper

Book 8 Bender

Book 9 Saint

Christmas in Whiskey Bend

Whiskey Bend Easter

Misfits Christmas

MISFITS OF WHISKEY BEND

#1

#2

#3

#4

LOST SONS MC SERIES

Book 1.. Creed’s Return

Book 2 .. Jack

Book 3 .. Tate

4 Harry

Book 5 Silas

Book 6 Daniel

Silas & Midge Special Edition

Lost Sons Come Home Special Edition

Lost Sons Boxed Set

BRATVA ENFORCERS- THE NOMADS

Book 1. ..Viktor

Book 2. .. Ivan

Book 3. .. Adrik

Book 4. .. Andrey

Book 5. .. Grisha

Book 6...Matvey

Bratva Enforcers Boxed Set

CONTINUES IN BRATVA BORN

WAR LORDS MC.

BOOK 1.. ACE—TRUMAN

BOOK 2.. KING—TREMAINE

BOOK 3.. JACK

BOOK 4.. DEUCE

BOOK 5.. JOKER

BOOK 6 Traven

Warlord’s Boxed Set

Warlords Giving Thanks

PRINCES OF HELL MC

Book 1. Talon

Book 2. Rogue

Book 3. Falcon

Princes Of Hell 3 Book Boxed Set

THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATES MC

Book 1.—JACKAL

Book 2.—BEAST

Book 3.—WOLF

Book 4.—APOLLO

Book 5.—SHADE

SHADOW HUNTER Special Edition

Book 6.—TANK

Devil’s Boxed Set

DEVIL’S TRIFECTA MC

Gage .. Book 1

Joker .. Book 2

Sledge. Book 3

Trifecta Boxed Set

HELL’S BLOODHOUND MC SERIES

BOOK 1. BARRON .. RED

BOOK 2. ..LEONID

CONTINUES IN BRATVA BORN

VENGEANCE IS MINE-

BANE

Book 1 GHOSTER

Book 2 DAMON

Book 3 BANE’S SHADOW

Book 4 CANE

Book 5 THE PRIEST

Book 6 Kill Me Twice

Book 7 Kill Me Again-Orrin

Book 8 Lionheart

Book 9 Lancelot

Book 10 Valiant

Book 11 Galahad

Book 12 PenDragon

Book 13 Excaliber

Book 14 Palamedes

VIM #15 Calegis

VIM#16 Escalates

VIM#17 Theo

VIM#18 Hell’s Vengeance

VIM#19 Archangel

VIM#20 Butterfly

VIM#21 Blue Eyes

VIM#22 Dante’s Inferno

VIM#23 Conquest

VIM#24 Apocalypse

VIM#25 Poison

VIM#26 Into The Black

VIM#27 White Noise

VIM#28 Absolute

VIM#29 Doom

VIM#30 Faith

VIM Set #1

VIM Set #2

VIM Set #3

VIM Set #4

VIM Set #5

VIM REDUX

Redux#1

Redux#2

Redux#3

Redux#4

Redux#5

SAN FRANCISCO STEEL MC

Book 1 SLAMMER

Book 2 Shotgun

Book 3 Grinder

Book 4 Mammoth

Book 5 Booker

Book 6 Spider

Book 7 Carson

Book 8 Texas

STEEL BOXED SET

SAVAGED SOULS MC

Boone Book 1

Gunner Book 2

Jett Book 3

Patriot Book 4

Cobra Book 5

Thor Book 6

Gypsy Book 7

Grizzly Book 8

Moose Book 9

Skeeter Book 10

Savaged Souls Boxed Set #1

Savaged Souls Boxed Set #2

Savaged Souls Boxed Set #3

NEW BLOOD SAVAGED SOULS MC

Arrow #1

Beau #2

Hayes #3

Runner #4

Acer #5

Duke #6

New Blood Boxed Set

TENNESSEE BREEDS

#1 Breed-Pres

#2 Greer- VP

#3 Monster -Enforcer

#4 Crow-IT

#5 Maverick- Lieutenant

#6 Cowboy- Medic

#7 Blade

Tennessee Boxed Set

BROTHERS OF CHAOS MC

Rambler

Hunter

Sinner

Bearcat

Wizard

Raven

Taz

Thunder

Brothers Of Chaos Boxed Set

Thunder & A Little Bit Of Lightning

Snowman & Eden Special Edition

SILVER WARRIORS

The Quest

The Ride

The Brothers

The Game

The Fall

The Race

Coming Home

Silver Warriors Boxed Set

Silver Warriors Halloween

SOLDIERS OF HADES MC

1 Cottonmouth

2 Python

3 GTO

4 Lightning

5 Whiskey

6 Spirit

Soldiers Boxed Set

Cobra’s New Year / Special Edition

Soldiers Christmas

Cobra's Christmas

LOUISIANA HEAT (Thor’s Hammer MC)

Ajax Book One

Fireball Book Two

Stinger Book Three

Moon Book Four

Racer Book Five

Player Book Six

LA Heat Series Boxed Set

SINNERS MC

Hawk #1

Pony #2

Prosper #3

Saber #4

Rebel#5

Buzz-#6

Sinners MC Boxed Set

SINNERS OF BOSTON

V- Sin’s & Sinners #1

Atlas #2

Echo #3

Cuffs #4

Ringo #5

Dak#6

SHADOW WARRIORS MC

Slade Book One

Blue Book Two

MASTERS OF MAYHEM MC

Rance #1

Bull #2

Korbel #3

Rocker # 4

Nova #5

Ram #6

Masters Boxed Set

KINGS OF WRATH

Pride #1

Candyman #2

Rage #3

Scar # 4

Romeo#5

Cosmos#6

Kings Of Wrath Boxed Set

Kings Of Wrath Christmas

CRIMSON TIDE MC

Tacker Book One

Boomer Book two

Cyrus Book Three

Clovis Book Four

Vance Book Five

Tether Book Six

Crimson Tide Boxed Set

GHOST RIDERS MC

Pepper #1

Phantom #2

Dax #3

Venom #4

Heathen #5

NiteStalker #6

Ghost Riders Boxed Set

BORN OF DESPERATION

Nitro-#1

Pagan- #2

Repo-#3

Typhoon-#4

Montana-#5

Capone-#6

Dixon Special Edition

Born Of Desperation Set

LORDS OF HELL MC

Mayhem VP Book# One

Brutus Lieutenant Book# Two

Bear Lieutenant Book# Three

Stone President Book- #Four

Tag (IT) Book# Five

Svante (The Doc) Book# Six

Lords Of Hell Boxed Set

BADASS WOMEN SERIES

#1 Winona & Dana-Savaged Souls

#2 Cassie & Melora Sin’s Bastards MC

#3 Badass Women- Brothers of Chaos-

#4 Badass Women-Bratva Blood Brothers

#5 Midge & Lola Lost Sons MC

#6 Ari & Sheba VIM

#7 Zeta and Briar Bratva New York

#8 Stone Cold Bitches MC

#9 New York Wives

FIRE & ICE

Fire and Ice #1

The Flame#2

Invincible #3

Supernatural #4

Incandescent #5

Extraordinary #6

Fire & Ice Set

CAJUN KINGS

Cajun King #1

(Sonny) Fat Tuesday #2

(Harry) Born in Fahyuh-#3

(Clive) Beta Comme Tout- Crazy as Hell-#4

(Jud) Boo Couillion Sweet Rascal-#5

(Seth) J’m’em fout pass mall- I don’t give a damn-#6

Cajun Kings Boxed Set

STONE COLD BITCHES MC

#1 Calypso Pres

#2 Widowmaker-VP

#3 Aqua Velvet Sergeant At Arms

#4 Medusa Enforcer

#5 Razor- Doctor

#6 Ruby Red-/ Lieutenant IT

Stone Cold Bitches Boxed Set

CAJUN QUEENS

Book One

Book Two

Book Three

Book Four

Book Five

Book Six

Cajun Queens Boxed Set

RAJUN CAJUNS

#1

#2

#3

#4

DESTINY MEETS FATE

Book #1

Book#2

Book#3

Book#4-

Book#5

Book#6 (Long Goodbye)

Destiny Meets Fate Boxed Set

BROTHERS AT ARMS MC

Zeus Book#1

Diabolus#2

Memphis#3

GraveDigger#4

Click#5

Captain#6 August

Brothers At Arms MC Set

King Of Pain

Vol#1

Vol#2

SHADES OF SHAY (Trilogy)

Book #1

Book #2

Book #3

REUNION SERIES

Sin’s Bastards Book One

Silk & Bones Book Two

Hell’s Fire Riders Book Three

Bratva Blood Brothers Book Four

Rogues Of Hell Book Five

Sin's Bastards Next Generation Book Six

Sinners MC Book Seven

Lost Sons Book Eight

WINGS OF FIRE MC

Maze #1

Tabor #2

Sayer#3

Hellion#4

Brick #5

The Hylands#6

THE VINCINTIS

Book #1

Book #2

Book #3

Book #4

Book #5

Book #6

Book #7

MALVERDE

Book #1

Book #2

Book #3

Book #4

PHANTOM FURY MC

Shiloh#1

Bullet#2

Commando#3

Rocket#4

Train#5

THE BOONDOCKS

Mad Dog #1

Stroker #2

Steele #3

Samson#4

Ink#5

Rock#6

SONS OF IRELAND

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

BRATVA NEW ORLEANS

Roman #1

Mikial #2

Sazon #3

Barshan #4

Yuri #5

Sergi #6

BRATVA WARRIORS

#1

THE MARAUDERS

Titus#1

Ridge#2

STANDALONE SINGLES

Healing Charlie

Chasing Eve

Saving Sebastian

Never forget me

A Life for Luke

Stormy-Devil’s Own

Swamp Patriots

Tucker

BOOKS RELEASED THIS YEAR

JANUARY 2026

Vincintis #9

Boondocks#7

The Marauders#4

Bratva Warriors#3

FEBRUARY 2026

The Marauders#4

Bratva New Orleans#8

WarLords Reunion

VIM Redux#8

MARCH 2026

Phantom Fury#7

Rajun Cajuns #6

Sons Of Ireland#7

The Vincintis #11

APRIL 2026

Sin's Bastards Trilogy

(A Return to our Favorite Characters)

FIRST BOOK: DEKE AND CASSIE

SECOND BOOK: ICEMAN & PEACHES

THIRD BOOK: SAM & SILK

MAY 2026

Badass Women#12

Vicintis#12

Bratva Warriors#4

JUNE 2026

Hell's Fire Special

VIM Redux#9

The Marauders#5

Misfits Of Whiskey Bend #5

JULY 2026

Torin Warrior Saints

Bratva New Orleans#9

Rajun Cajuns #7

SURPRISE BOOK

Don't miss out!

Click the button below

and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Kj Dahlen publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.

https://books2read.com/r/B-H-OQCH-UACMJSign Me Up

https://books2read.com/r/B-H-OQCH-UACMJ

Connecting independent readers to independent writers.

Did you love Misfits Of Whiskey Bend#5? Then you should read Lucifer's Woman by Kj Dahlen!

Lucifer's Woman

  When two souls come together nothing can tear them apart…

Lucifer

Out of the ashes of a life I once held dear,

I was born. They call me Lucifer but I earned the name I was given.

Strong willed. Vicious. Tried and tested…

Never met a match I couldn't handle.

Like iron forged in the fire, my body gets stronger.

She saved my soul.

Just a glance was all it took.

And I knew she'd be my salvation. My future.

The woman belongs to me, and only me.

To lose her now would be a death sentence of its own kind.

Jessie

He's a man they call the devil himself,

In him, I find a missing piece of my heart.

Now, our souls are touching - connected in a way I don't understand.

He blocked out every fear I faced. In its place, I felt a safety I've never known.

Now doubt is creeping in…

Just before Lucifer finds me, I find another's secret.

A secret I need to expose.

Now, a madman thinks he owns my fate.

He'll kill me to protect the secrets in his soul.

I pray he doesn't break me until Lucifer tracks us down

He'll fight the evil that took me. But how do you fight what you can't see?

Time is ticking…will fate be kind to the woman who's already lost everyone who meant anything to her?