Striker (Lords of Carnage MC #11) - Daphne Loveling Page 0,1

right, it is all a little complicated, isn’t it? But I think I understand well enough. We’ll just take things step by step. Like you said, the first issue is the little girl. Wren.” I make a note on my pad and turn to Tank. “From what you’ve told me, Wren was dropped off on your doorstep, and you haven’t heard from the biological mother since. You don’t have an address for her? No contact information of any kind?”

“No.” The word rumbles from Tank’s lips in a deep baritone. “Let’s just say, there’s reasons she wouldn’t want anyone in my MC to find her. Jess betrayed the club,” he states simply. “So she’s probably not lookin’ to be found.”

“Hmm. Okay, well, that’s going to make things a little tougher,” I murmur. “Do you happen to know whether you’re listed as the father on the birth certificate?”

His brows knit together. “Nope. No idea. I haven’t seen the birth certificate. Wouldn’t know where to find it. All I have to go on is that Jess told me Wren is mine.”

“Okay,” I nod. “Well, in that case, the first thing to do is locate the certificate. If you’re listed on it, that will make things much easier. And of course, we will have to try to find the mother. Can you give me her full name?”

“Jessica Anderle.” Tank’s voice turns hard, angry. “But she doesn’t want the kid. I’m sure of that.”

I’m guessing there’s a back story here. And from the sound of it, it’s not a pretty one. I’m curious to hear what it is, but I’ve learned in my profession that the best thing to do in these cases is not to get bogged down by gossip and hearsay. It doesn’t advance the case to know any more — not right now, anyway. And it wastes the client’s time and money to let them spout off their grievances. So for now, I steer the conversation forward.

“Well, hopefully that means she won’t fight you for custody if and when we find her,” I answer. “This whole process would be much easier if we could have her sign a waiver releasing her parental rights. That way, Cady could eventually adopt her with no issues.” I weigh my words. “If the mother can’t be found, we can petition the courts to terminate her rights. That would be a long process, though, I’m warning you. We’ll have to show the courts that efforts have been made to find her and serve her. Then it will have to go through the court system, which won’t be quick.”

Cady looks grim. “We figured that might be the case.”

“Paternity rights will need to be established,” I continue, on a roll now with a patter I’ve explained dozens of times. “In the absence of the birth certificate, a paternity test could determine that. In the meantime, the child would likely be put in foster care…”

“No!” Tank roars, so loudly I jump. My right hand nearly dumps over my cup of coffee, but I catch it just in time.

“Mr. Barrigan, you have to understand…” I begin. But he’s half out of his chair before I get any further.

“She ain’t gonna be taken from me,” he hisses, jabbing a hard finger at me. His eyes flash like flint against steel. “We’re not putting her with anyone else. We’re not fucking doing that! No matter what. Not. An. Option.”

He runs a rough hand through his hair — the hand with the bracelet — and I see that it’s shaking. “She has a father,” he mutters, half to himself. “She lives with me.”

I glance over at Cady in alarm. Her face is pale, but her jaw is set in a similar determination to Tank’s. She laces her gently on his forearm, guiding him to sit back down.

“Ms. Wells…” she begins quietly.

“Call me December, please,” I insist. “Or Ember. My friends call me Ember.”

I don’t normally give my nickname to clients, but I do now, hoping to calm the electricity in the room.

Cady sighs. “Ember. You have to understand, Wren has been through a lot. We can go into that, if you need us to, so you’ll understand.” Her voice quavers. “But having her spend time in foster care would be truly traumatic for her. Please believe me when I tell you it would be cruel and terrible for her to be taken away from Tank. She needs the stability of her father.”

“And Cady,” Tank rasps. “She’s more of a goddamn mother to her than