Beauty From The Ashes Of Destruction (Rebellions 4 Blood MC Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Note to Readers

  Character List

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Also by Vera Quinn

  Contact or follow me:

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2020 by Vera Quinn

  Cover design by Tracie Douglas @ Dark Water

  Covers: www.facebook.com/darkwatercovers

  Editing and Formatting by Maggie Kern @ www.facebook.com/Ms.Kedits

  This book is a work of fiction. The names characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used factiously and are not construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations are entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except for short quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced, in any form, or used in whole or part by any means existing or produced in the future without written permission from the author.

  Note to Readers

  I know the timeline for the delivery of Micah and Sarge’s son is off by a little. I had to adjust the due date for the storyline. This was intentional and not an error.

  I also know that at the beginning of this book it may seem as though I just jumped into Shield and Maddie’s story, but I didn’t. There is a novella, Healing From The Destruction, in the anthology, Beauty From Ashes, which will be published on July 27th. Check it out to get the full story. The anthology is for Dancers Against Cancer.

  Dedication

  Dedication in two parts

  This book is dedicated to all the healthcare providers that are working so hard and risking their lives to keep us healthy during this pandemic. Bless you.

  There is something that has been weighing heavy on my heart and I need to get it out there. This book is also dedicated to everyone out there that are peacefully protesting for a change in this country. Every person that walks this earth should be treated equally. People banding together in a peaceful protest can change this country and make it a better place to live. Stand together and let your voices be heard. Get out and vote people in office that will listen to the changes that need to be made. Sign petitions and let people hear your voices. It’s our time to be heard. No child is born with hate in their hearts, that is something that is learned. Let’s quit teaching it.

  Character List

  Micah Bass

  Debbie “Deb” Bass (Stiles)

  Rye Black - Deb’s man & member of the BlackPath Warrior MC

  Maddie Draven - Micah’s twin sister

  Aaron “Braun” Mahan - Micah’s half-brother- mentioned

  Rebellions 4 Blood MC:

  Officers:

  Mason “Sarge” Brumley-President

  Cru London “Stealth” Jameson-VP

  Jebediah “Shield” Jameson-SAA

  Wren “Boots” Richards- Secretary

  Robert “Wedge” Perez- Treasurer

  Wendall “Painter” Tate- Road Captain

  Darius “Keys” Brown- Tech

  Patched members:

  Buster

  Drexler

  Laser

  Lenz

  Pacer

  Popped

  Rico

  Tag

  Tap

  Zeus

  Prospects:

  Tater

  Club muffins:

  Bree

  Janie

  Rainey

  Deceased Members:

  Diamondback (Previous Prez)

  Club Traitors:

  Ritter (in prison)

  Slayer (in prison)

  Shadow People:

  Atticus Tines

  Lorell “Lora” Mahan

  Blurb

  Shield

  Sometimes life has a way of picking you up and putting you exactly where you need to be at the right time. Is it destiny? I don’t think so. Is it life giving you a fork in the road and giving you the choice of which road to take? That would be my guess. I had a choice to either walk away from this broken woman that has found her way into my heart or fight for her. I knew the baggage that she was carrying was weighing her down and it might just take us both under. I decided to do both, anything worth having is worth a good fight.

  All my life I have always done the things that I was taught were right. I love my family. I served my country. I live for the Rebellions 4 Blood MC and I would give my life for them. I know that if I claim this woman that my life will change. There has never been a woman that I can’t walk away from, but my need for this woman is beyond anything I have ever experienced before. Her life is complicated, and she is falling apart fast. I just hope I can show her the Beauty From The Ashes Of Destruction.

  Prologue

  Shield…

  Sarge and I made the trip to Colorado, and I let Dra know my intentions for Maddie and myself. Dra says he’s making a clean cut from Maddie for now, but he would be back to claim his woman when he was stronger and had cleaned up the mess he made. I let him know not to bother.

  The thought of Maddie being cut loose from Dra has been on my mind for weeks. The thought of him being back around Maddie makes my protective side come out in me. Dra hurt Maddie more than she could accept even though she wanted to make the marriage that was falling apart work.

  Maddie sees herself as weak, but I see her as the strong woman she is. She doesn’t give up on anything easily. She’s beautiful, kind, and the best mom. Maddie is devoted to her children just like her half-sister Callie is to her brood. I hope her twin sister, Micah, will be the same way when she delivers her and Sarge’s son. I was Callie’s friend growing up and there are similarities between the two sisters, but Callie can have her wild side. Not as much these days but I know it’s dying to get out. Then there is Micah, and that girl is nothing but piss and vinegar. Micah and Maddie are twins and they look similar but that is where the two part. They have completely different personalities. I am friends with all three women, but my feelings have grown for Maddie.

  Maddie’s divorce is final and she is a free woman now. I want to make my move but she’s not ready. She needs to see how good we can be together. I know she belongs to me, now to prove it to her.

  1

  Maddie…

  Today I get to breathe. I am a divorced mom of two children. I made the decision to walk away from Dra and to me it seems like I have come back home with my tail tucked between my legs. It wasn’t easy. It still isn’t easy, but it gets easier with each day, or so I tell myself. I am going to put myself back into the family ranch and help Aunt Deb and Micah out as much as possible. That’s a start and then I want to branch out. I want something for myself. I remember Micah mentioning something about helping the schools out with their special needs children. The schools bring them to the farm and let them enjoy a ride on a horse while their needs are still being met. This is something I want to be involved with. I need to talk to Micah about it today.

  Since I have been back to Texas, Micah and I picked u
p on our twin thing again. I know it sounds weird, but we’ve had it since we were small. It’s not like I know where she is every second but if she has extreme emotional changes, it’s like I have strange changes too. She’s the same way with me. We never talk about it except between the two of us. We never wanted people to know. We didn’t want those looks people give when you are simply different.

  I feel more like myself since my hair is back to its dishwater-blonde color. I burned the clothes I had bought except a few of the sexy lingerie sets that I loved. The rest went up in smoke. I fought cancer and won, for today anyway. I have all my financials back in my name. Aunt Deb said I could have the house, but I am not good with that. There are five acres at the back of this property that I have always loved. It has a stream running on it that flows into a pond. I can picture myself taking B and Lucas fishing. I want to build a house there. A four-bedroom with four bathrooms and just ours. Aunt Deb and Rye can keep this house that Aunt Deb has lived in for so many years even if they aren’t around all the time. We can use the main house as our gathering place for meals and holidays. When people need privacy, they can go home, or Aunt Deb can tell us to go home when she and Rye need privacy. Makes sense to me. We are together but apart. Now I need to get my argument ready for Micah and Aunt Deb. I have the money to do it, so why not? I want my family to have our own space.

  I don’t know how to act these days most of the time. I had become a different woman in Colorado and not one I liked. I lost all my self-confidence. I hated being Dra’s doormat, but the thing is, I wanted to keep him happy. I never quit trying until I left and said no more. I miss Krill, Dra’s brother. He became my best friend. I have Shield now but I feel guilty keeping him from finding the woman for him. If he spends all his time with me, how can he live his life? I try to push him away but each time I do; I feel guilty. He’s my friend. He’s a sexy man that gives me all his attention. How can I say no to that? For his own good, that’s how. He’s my friend and I want what’s best for him. I’ll try to ease him into thinking about himself first. I don’t want to push him completely away. I like the time I spend with Shield. He’s everything that Dra never was, and I hate myself for even thinking that. I shouldn’t compare my ex to a close friend. Here I am overthinking everything again. I am going to enjoy my friendship with Shield. The relationship is easy and uncomplicated. I just don’t want to send mixed signals to Shield. Hell knows, I’m sending myself mixed signals. I need to quit overanalyzing everything and go with the flow. I am too uptight about everything. I need to be the new easy-going Maddie. I have this handled. I hear Lucas waking from his nap through the baby monitor and I watch as he sits up in his crib. Time to be a mom.

  2

  Shield…

  One of our businesses was robbed last night. There wasn’t any money taken, we deposit every night, but they hit the cigarettes and the beer coolers. You would think it was teenagers hitting up a store to get smokes and alcohol at first glance, but the wire was cut to our security system. The footage fifteen minutes before it was cut was interfered with and scrambled. That’s not something any teenagers would know how to do. What the fuckers hadn’t expected was if that security tape can be unscrambled, I am the man that can do it. I just need a little time on my computer. Looks like my night will be spent sitting in front of a computer monitor. Not the plans I had in my head, but the club comes first.

  Every night for the last few weeks have been spent with Maddie, B, and Lucas. I have enjoyed every minute of it. Maddie doesn’t know that I claimed her before her divorce was final. I claimed her and her children as mine before the club. They are mine. I will bide my time, but in the end, they will be mine in every way that matters. Maddie hasn’t been made aware of this. She doesn’t need to know until I am ready for her to know. When Maddie comes to me, she will come of her own free will and not because she thinks she owes me a debt. I won’t treat Maddie as a possession like Dra did. I want Maddie to want me the way I want her. I know she thinks I am her best friend now, but I have feelings for Maddie that I have never had for a friend. When I see my future, I see Maddie with me along with B and Lucas. I want to add more children to that picture. I won’t stop until I get what I want. I have bided my time, but it is time to let her see what we can be together.

  3

  Maddie…

  Lucas is napping with Papa Rye. Rye likes his time with the children. I couldn’t have asked for a better papa for B and Lucas. B has never had a grandma or papa. My mom and dad were both gone before she was born. Both Dra’s parents died years before I met him. One day, B was sitting with Aunt Deb and Rye. Rye was reading her a book, and I noticed Rye’s back stiffen and tears form in Aunt Deb’s eyes. I walked over to them to be sure B was being nice. She looked at me with a big smile on her face. “Mama, this is Grandma and Papa. They said I had to ask you if it was okay if they can keep the new names. Can they, Mama?” I could have cried, but I tried to keep a calm voice.

  “Did you ask if they wanted new names?” I ask her gently.

  “Do you want the new names?” B asks, looking from one to the other.

  “Having you call me grandma would make me smile every day,” Aunt Deb tells her. B looks up at Rye.

  “How could I tell a pretty girl like you no? I will be your papa every day for the rest of my life, sweet one.” I don’t know who wanted to cry the most, Aunt Deb or myself. I took a picture of the three of them together. B clapped her hands together. It wasn’t long until Aunt Deb and Rye left to do something. Later that night, Aunt Deb said that Rye cried tears of happiness. He’s never been so touched, and she said she was a mess right beside him. That made this move here so worth it. Now we call Aunt Deb and Rye, Grandma and Papa around Lucas so he will grow up knowing the same thing. Our family keeps expanding.

  B giving everyone new names didn’t go well with Stealth. B already calls Sarge, Uncle Mason. Then Shield became Uncle Shield. I wanted B to call Shield by his real name, Jeb, but B was having none of it. Shield told me about the day B was playing in the den when he, Sarge and Stealth were in there. B goes up and she told Stealth, “You’re Uncle Stealth.”

  Stealth said, “No, I’m not. I don’t even like you.” Shield said B stood there and watched Stealth for a few minutes and then she hauled off and kicked Stealth in the shin and told him he was mean Uncle Stealth. Shield ran and grabbed up B. Not that Stealth would harm her, just the words that she was hearing weren’t appropriate. Shield got her out of earshot. Sarge couldn’t quit laughing. Let’s just say since then, B has called Stealth, Uncle Stealth and he doesn’t argue the point. This has become our normal, our family, and our comfort zone. I feel at home but more than that, I feel excited for our future here. I know Dra will always hold a special place in my heart—he is the father of my children and my first love, but he was also my first heartbreak. He gave me our children, but he took my self-respect. No, it’s time to be an adult about this—I gave my self-respect away. I gave it away by trying to keep someone else happy and by doing so, lost myself in the process. I’m not wallowing in pity and lost dreams. I am gathering my strength for the biggest challenge, finding and loving myself again. I lost that a long time ago, but I will strive to get it back and be stronger. Our family will help me.

  4

  Maddie…

  I have been working on this expansion proposal for the last week. I have come at it from every angle and I know it will be a nonprofit organization, but it will be worth the smiles on the children’s faces when they get to ride the horses. I know the red tape that we must go through will be a lot and it will take hours of work but I also know it will give us a feeling in our hearts that you can’t put a price tag on. We have so much, and it’s time we use it to give back. I keep going over all the points I want to express to Micah and Aunt Deb. I just hope they feel the same way I do. I hear the knock on the door and Aunt Deb walks in with Micah behind her. I grab the child monitor and turn it up. B usually only sleeps for about an hour in the afternoon, bu
t Lucas always surprises me. I have tried keeping him on a schedule, but Lucas is having no part of it. He nurses when he wants to and sleeps when he wants to, and he has his dad’s temperament.

  “Come sit so we can get some of this discussed before Lucas decides to wake up.” I am sitting behind the desk that I am accustomed to Aunt Deb sitting behind. I’m not the one that usually heads a family discussion on business. “I know you both must have a hundred questions since I haven’t answered any questions on what I will be doing since I have come home. I want you both to realize that I am not going to be the family moocher. I have put some things in motion in Mt. Vernon today and have also made the calls that I need to so I can open a gym downtown after the destruction of some old buildings, which should be happening today.” Aunt Deb and Micah sit down with their mouths hanging open.

  “What are you talking about? I hope you haven’t felt pressure from us to do anything hasty. We just want to see you happy with your family, not make life-changing decisions. You need time to get settled.” Aunt Deb speaks first.