SWNOVELS Chapter 10 ~ He Is Alive!
Maddox’s POV ~
Hunter and I are headed to the diner for a scheduled meet with IronSkull president.. Renegade..and his second, Razor.. This is the third such meeting this week. I am in the process of contacting all Venom’s allies.. asking for alliances. It’s always best to start with clubs associated with our parent club. It looks bad if they refused us.
Delilah noticed us walk in and seated us right away. Pouring water for us.. she keeps up a cheerful dialogue.. always smiling. She is so beautiful.. her waist length curly dark brown hair and sky blue eyes.. she’s not short.. but she isn’t tall. Probably 5’5.. she’s wonderfully curvy.. in all the right places.. If there was ever a woman that would make me want to cheat on my mate.. it would most definitely be this one.
She stopped by a table.. speaking to them, before bringing our coffee over. Watching her movements.. there is never a wasted motion. Steele is always completely calm in her presence.. which never upsets me at all. He is an extremely hyperactive wolf.. always talking.. about everything.. He makes sleeping an exercise in futility.. he doesn’t shut up.
Delilah lead Renegade and Razor to our table.. When Renegade pinched her on the ass.. she spun.. punched him in the throat.. and kept walking to our table.. She never broke stride. Cracked me up.
Once the men sat down.. I grabbed Renegade’s forearm.. yanking him to me “NEVER come into my territory and lay hands on any of our women in a derogatory fashion. That shit will get you disappeared.. never to be heard from again.”
Hunter said “Especially that one.. She is Venom’s and Queen’s adopted daughter.. and they take the responsibility very seriously. Frankly.. Queen scares fuck out of me.. Goddess help the fool who harms one of Queen’s babies.”
Renegade asked me why I had started my own Chapter so close to Venom.. I smiled.. thinking where else would I start one? I want to be close to my family.. always! I see too many families allowing physical distance to become an excuse for emotional distance.. and I refuse to have any distance between Delaney and myself.
We discussed conditions of an alliance over burgers and fries.. well.. Hunter had onion rings.. and came to terms, easily enough. Razor and Hunter each pulled papers from their briefcases.. and all four of us signed.. both copies. We took possession of the alliance they had brought.. while they took ours.
As we were saying our goodbyes.. Delilah was ringing us up.. Renegade apologized a second time to her.. and she told him “If you’re expecting me to apologize for throat punching you.. that ain’t gonna happen. You deserved it. Just because you’re a big bad biker doesn’t mean you have to perpetuate the stereotype.. I’m Delilah Connors... by the way.”
He shook her hand.. with a puzzled look on his face. He scrunches his forehead “Delilah.. Delilah.. A unique name.. yet I have heard it twice in the same month.”
She smiled “You met another Delilah? That’s pretty cool!” Shaking his head.. he looked at Razor “Help me out here.. where did we hear about a Delilah?”
Razor said “Prez Thor.. over at Viking.. his old lady.. and some guy.. Eric.. somebody… didn’t catch his last name.. were talking about a girl named Delilah. Thor’s old lady didn’t know any Delilah.. but she kept yammering on about a girl named Delaney.. “
Steele growled.. strong enough to rattle windows “When was this? I want a date..” Renegade said “That’s easy. It was Tuesday.. a week ago, tomorrow.”
I thanked him and we finished saying our goodbyes. I asked Delilah to bring us some more coffee.. and four cups.. I had mind linked Delaney to come to the diner. We decided to meet here since Delaney was already in town buying shoes for her litter.
As soon as they arrived, I asked Delilah to take a break, and join us.. This most definitely concerns her.. I have a feeling the Eric guy is her stepmother’s husband.
Venom asked what was going on and I repeated everything Renegade had told us.. Laney said “Fucking Tammy! Still fucking with out family. I knew I should have killed her!”
Hunter said “Biker by-laws forbid Sweet Butts from being old ladies.. so why would Renegade say she was his old lady?” Venom said “There’s nothing in the by-laws about making one of the whores exclusive.. and if I was a betting man.. I would say that’s precisely what Tammy is.. Thor’s exclusive Sweet Butt.”
Delaney is lost in thought for a few minutes “We need someone on the inside of the Vikings’ clubhouse. What information has Gizmo found on Eric Garrison? Does he have any known aliases? And here’s a thought.. what if we get a sample of Emily’s DNA… and run it against familial connections in prison databases?”
Delilah asked “Why, though? In two months.. I will be eighteen. I don’t even get my inheritance for another three years. They aren’t related to me, in any way shape or form. Even if I died, they still couldn’t touch it. Unless I signed… Ohhh! Talked myself right into the why.. didn’t I!? They plan on trying to kidnap me and force me to sign my inheritance over.”
Steele rattled the windows again.. and everyone looked at Maddox.. He shrugged “Don’t look at me.. I have no idea why he does it. He won’t say.. He won’t apologize.. He just doesn’t care.. Never does.”
Venom asked “Lilah… can you tell me where your father is buried?” She shook her head.. “She said she cremated him. There was never a service or memorial to celebrate his life. Some men came in the middle of the night.. They had an all black transport van that beep beep beeped when they backed it up. It woke me up. They both wore black coveralls and were pushing a gurney. They loaded him up on it.. and took him away. I was hiding in the linen closet and watched. I was almost thirteen.. I had no idea what had happened. I mean, I had an idea.. but when Elizabeth hadn’t said anything for two days.. I started asking questions. She told me ‘Oh.. he died and never speak to me again.. unless I ask you a question.”
I was stunned. What kind of monster is that fucking woman… I hate her and I haven’t even met her. I reached over and took her hand in mine. I felt her body relax a little.
Laney held Delilah’s other hand and said “I am so sorry, sweet girl. That woman deserves a slow, painful death. Did she ever say what killed him?”
Delilah asked “What do you mean? My dad died of a broken heart. Didn’t he? I thought he just missed Momma too much.”
Venom told us “No, honey. Very few wolves succumb to heartbreak while their child is still a minor. And in your case.. being as young as you were.. his heart would have healed by the time you’d reached twenty one.”
Her breath caught on a sob.. and on instinct, I lifted her into my lap and wrapped my arms around her. She cried quietly.. and when she collected herself.. she moved back to her own seat. Muttered “What else?”
Delaney spoke softly “We don’t believe your father was dead the night those men took him away. We don’t have concrete evidence.. but what we have points to that. We think they are keeping him alive.. to get to you. They know you are too strong willed and would die before you did what they want… but.. to save your daddy? You would do anything.”
She was up and gone.. so fast I almost didn’t see her leave. “What just happened?” Delaney started laughing and Venom chuckled “She’s your pack.. Might want to stop her from killing two humans.”
Shit! Shit! Double Shit! Hunter and I took off running to Delaney’s and mine old house. It took almost ten minutes.. Glass was shattering.. I could hear yelling.. slaps and punches. I busted through the door to hear Delilah snarl “Fucking tell me where my dad is now! You’ve already admitted he is alive!”