The Four Stages of Loving Dutch Owen - Debra Kayn Page 0,11
making contact with him.
He sensed the men around him, stepping back, giving them room. He walked Buck backward and pinned him to the wall.
"Brother or not, I will slice your fucking neck if you have a problem with me wearing the patch." He applied pressure to Buck's neck, forcing his chin up. "Got it?"
Buck hitched his chin higher. Dutch backed off, leaving the knife in his hand.
"Asshole," muttered Buck, heading toward the door.
He closed his knife and slid the weapon into the open holder on his belt. Every club had someone trying to move up in rank, thinking they could remove each man, one by one. As if taking out the one responsible for making sure the money flowed toward WAKOM would show loyalty to the club, the motherfucker was dumber than shit.
Hell, the president wouldn't get shit done without him, running back and forth between chapters.
Walking out to the main room of the pole building that served as the clubhouse for the Bellevue Chapter, he spotted Skull. Concerned about Rachel, he headed over to his brother-in-law. Four days ago, Rachel was on tender ground, and Skull hadn't wanted to leave her side.
He approached Skull. "Why aren't you at home with my sister."
"She's here." Skull motioned with his chin to the other side of the room. "She wanted to bring the kid and introduce her around."
Dutch snapped his neck, searching for Rachel and Marla Marie. He found them sitting on the side of the room, surrounded by other women. The clubhouse wasn't a place for a child that young. Not on a day when the members were here for a meeting.
Marla Marie wasn't raised around the bikers. The atmosphere would scare her.
"The miscarriages pulled her away from the women. Now that she has the girl, she feels like she belongs again." Skull sighed. "You should see her, man. Since you brought Marla to her, she's been cleaning and setting up the spare bedroom. Hell, she's got no time for me now. Everything she has centers around the girl."
"You complaining?"
"Nah." Skull shook his head and met Dutch's gaze. "Just waiting for her to come off the high, she's on right now. She can't see the girl is miserable. I've been hanging around the house because I suspect the first chance she gets, that kid is going to run. She wants to go home. Crying all night and barely talks."
"She can't go home." He faced Skull. "She can't go anywhere near Moses Lake."
Skull's gaze narrowed. "What kind of hell have you brought down on my family?"
He looked at Rachel. His sister needed someone to love, to raise, to call her own. Dropping his gaze to Marla Marie, he regretted nothing. The kid needed a roof over her head and a parent in her life. Anything could happen to a little girl, desperate for food and comfort. Someone else could take advantage of her.
His jaw ticked. There was something about those blue, untrusting eyes that made him want to protect her. Marla Marie needed the security his sister could provide her.
"Is her real mom going to come looking for her? The cops?" asked Skull.
He turned his back on the others. "Just protect her. Protect my sister. That's all you need to do. I'll take care of the rest."
He walked through the crowd and went outside. Lighting a cigarette, he stayed to himself and away from the others.
Being a member of WAKOM Motorcycle Club, Skull knew how to keep secrets. He knew to do whatever was necessary to protect himself and Rachel against the law. His sister could raise one kid within the club until she was eighteen years old. By then, Marla Marie would understand the lifestyle and be loyal to the club.
Eventually, Marla Marie would forgive Dutch. She'd see what kind of life he'd given her and be thankful someone took her away from the hardships she was facing alone.
He walked over to the truck, climbed up on the trailer, and removed the tie-downs from his Harley. He'd already talked to Skull about returning the truck/trailer to the rental company for him. Trailing his motorcycle was the only way to get Marla Marie out of Moses Lake without a thousand eyes on him. She was too young to ride. He couldn't trust her to safely sit on the Harley.
But she wasn't his problem anymore.
His sister wanted a kid. He got her a kid.
Marla Marie needed a mom and someone to look after her. She also got what she needed.