Blood and Honor Read Free

in terms of the club and his instant family…and then…he hadn’t had to do anything at all. Everything just fell into place like the island had waved a magic wand on him and everyone who mattered to him.
    Other things, however, made him feel like a total fucking jackass. Right now— this was one of those things. Dax checked the his phone for the third time. Rhee wouldn’t be home for a good hour—working on some big fundraiser for her little studio. He was impressed with Rhee’s tenacity. All she wanted was to give back to the community that had supported her in her time of need. She wanted to help kids and give them a place to go, something to do—something to believe in.
    Some new donor showed out of the blue several months ago and Rhee was all over the potential for a large grant. Dax was happy that she was living her dream, but at the same time her passion took a little bit too much of her away for his liking. It was times like this one that he really needed her, goddammit.
    There would be no saving him this time.
    “Daddy! Hafta poop!”
    Shit!
    Literally.
    “Okay, honey. Where—I mean, do you need…” Dax was frozen in place—not the most convenient reaction to this particular challenge.
    Jesus fucking Christ! I’d rather deal with a thousand rookie grunts than this.
    A blond blur whizzed by, making a beeline for the bathroom. Dax rushed after Sirena in a blind panic, his heart thumping in his chest. What was he supposed to do again? Oh, shit. The potty seat. Where the hell was it? Frantic, he flung open the cabinet and began rummaging around in it, to no avail.
    “Daddy!”
    The innocent little voice jolted Dax from his frenzy.
    His heart seized up and for a moment, Dax clutched his chest. Was this a heart attack or was love a more violent emotion than he had presumed? Slowly, he turned to observe the blond haired, blue-eyed sprite sitting on her potty seat. Apparently, Sirena put it in place on her own and had successfully relieved herself. Dax felt some of his tension ease.
    Until…
    “Need wipies.”
    Sirena regarded him, seeming to pick up on his angst, mirth in those deep blue eyes that matched his own. Then, she reached behind herself for the wipes that sat on top of the toilet tank. Frustration set into her jaw as she struggled to remove one from the plastic package.
    “Uhhh!” Sirena exclaimed, in a tone that communicated she was close to a meltdown.
    Fuck, give me a clubhouse full of bullet holes and hangover vomit any day!
    Dax surprised himself by managing the delicate task at hand without so much as a grimace. In fact, he found himself swelling with a strange kind of pride as his independent offspring grinned at him and proclaimed,
    “I do it all by myself!”
    Dax was chuckling now, as Sirena refused to let him help her pull up her pink sparkly tights. Her panties—fuckin’ pink panties to boot—ended up bunched up in a massive wedgie, but he knew better than to try to fix them.
    Jesus fuckin’ Christ, me and a kid who wears pink tights.
    Dax shook his head as Sirena bolted from the bathroom, blatantly ignoring his request to wash her hands.
    Well, fuck it. I’ll pick my battles.
    The little girl tore into the bedroom and a few minutes later, her giggles told Dax that she was up to no good.
    Little troublemaker. Yeah, she’s definitely my blood.
    Dax wasn’t totally aware of the big, shit-eating grin on his face as he chased down his daughter. But as he was ushered to a set of purple toy teacups, he was completely cognizant of the joy that bubbled up from somewhere deep inside of him…and overflowed.
    ***
    Rhee was tired, but in a good way. Never—never in her wildest dreams would she have thought her life would be this, well, great. That part of her, the one that had convinced her that a happy life with a good man was not meant to be, had been almost completely silenced.
    Almost.
    I don’t deserve happiness. Not until I find Mickey.
    It was a constant mental war to focus on