Chapter 1

Ailee

As my driver Finn is pulling through the gates of the Reckless Renegades compound, following my security detail, I can't get my hands to stop shaking on my lap. Normally I am calm and collected at all times. I have been referred to as an ice queen. Today is different. I am about to meet the man that is my father. This meeting is a matter of life or death. Mine. I need his help and I'm just hoping all the stories Ma told me about him are true and he is willing to help me. I don’t want nor expect a relationship with him. He made his choice years ago. I don’t need him in my life now. This is just a business transaction. Nothing more.

My trusted bodyguard and friend Callen reaches over and grabs my hands to steady them. " It will be fine Princess. If this doesn't work we will find another way. Relax. You know the stress isn't good for you." I take a deep calming breath. Callen is right. We always find a way. O’Sullivans don’t stop until we get what we want. We don’t know the meaning of giving up. We are ruthless.

We pull up to what seems to be a warehouse that they have converted into a clubhouse. The car in front of us parks first then us. My detail, which consists of four heavily armed men, gets out first securing the area for me. When we get the all-clear my driver Finn gets out and opens the passenger side door. Callen gets out first as is protocol. When he deems it safe he holds his hand out for me to take. I step out and look around. I realize we are horribly out of place here. For starters, we are surrounded by motorcycles and we drive in black, armored Escalades with blacked-out windows. Next, every male I see is dressed in jeans, tee-shirts, and leather jackets. The women are dressed and I use the term loosely in what looks like barely-there skirts and bras. My detail is dressed in black tactical pants, shirts and has kevlar vests on. They have a green band around one arm and have rifles strapped over their shoulders.  Callen is dressed in black suit pants, a black shirt, no tie, and a black jacket. His gun holders are visible over each shoulder. My driver is dressed the same. Both are fully armed. We all have vests on mine just happen to be under my clothes. We never go anywhere unless they are. It is another protocol. Only the best protection for me.

 I have on a pair of emerald dress pants, a matching jacket with a cream button blouse,  and low nude heels. Business attire that I always wear when I go to a meeting.With an extra accessory. On my belt at my side is a gun holster. I wear very little make-up and my eyes are protected with my aviator sunglasses. My bright fire red hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. My back is straight and my head is held high. Giving off a don’t fuck with me aura. I know we are being stared at but I don't care. I’m sure they are wondering who the hell we are. They can wonder all they want. I’m not here for them or to answer their questions.

I have a business to conduct and no one will stand in my way. I  follow my team and go up the ramp to the front door with Callen at my elbow and my driver at my back. The door opens as we approach and a large man comes out. He is six foot tall and built like an American football player. He has a leather jacket like everyone else that reads prospect. I'm not sure what prospect means but I can tell from his stance he is an underling and no one of importance to me. He is just blocking me from my goal.

" Help you miss?" he asks, brazenly looking up and down, stopping at my chest. Yes I have very large breasts that even my vest can’t hide and his eyes are glued to them despite the fact they are completely covered. Callen growls but the guy never moves. Brave one I'll give him that. " Ay! My eyes are up here." Pointing up. " I have business Matthew Ripley." " No one here by that name here sweet cheeks. But maybe I can help you?" he smirks. I cross my arms over my chest " Ay ye can by taking me to Ace. Now!" I say with my ice queen tone.The smirk leaves his face " Wait here." and he disappears into the club house. I want to laugh at his sudden change.

We wait outside and I look around. I see there are a few guys looking at me curiously. Probably wondering what I’m doing here. Finn and Callen have their hands on their pistols at their side ready if they need to be. My team stands close ready for anything they think may be a threat.  This is not my world and I don’t want any issues but my guards and I won’t back down if there are. I’m the last person these people want to mess with unless they have a death wish.

Ace 

I'm sitting at the bar enjoying a beer and talking to the brothers. The prospect we had covering the door comes in and comes straight to me. " Ace there is bitch at the door with some serious muscle saying they have business with you." I don't have business with anyone let alone some bitch. " Send them away." I say. He turns to leave but something stops him. " She asked for Matthew Ripley first," he says. Now that gets my brother's  attention. Not many people know my full name and the few that do never use it. " Wait. Send them in and set them in a booth." I get up and go to the very back of the bar so I can see them come in but they can't see me. I want to get a good look at what I'm dealing with. 

What I see is not what I expect.The first thing I see is four guys with AK47’s strapped over their shoulders looking around. One turns to the door and nods. Next comes in a guy in a suit with two hand guns in holsters at his side. Then the bitch in question is a young woman I'm guessing about twenty five, twenty seven tops. She dressed conservatively with nothing hanging out like the bunnies around here. Another guy follows her and I see he is strapped as well. The prospect wasn’t kidding when he said she had some serious muscle. I look over at my brothers and I can see they are thinking the same thing I am. Who the hell is she? And what is with the armed entourage. The prospect takes them to a booth on the side of the bar. The woman sits prim and proper at the edge facing me while the guys in suits stand beside her.One guard is by the door, they rest stand to the side and back but not far from the girl. I stand there and just watch her trying to get some idea of why she might be here. But her body language gives nothing away. 

I know every eye in here is on me as I make my way to the booth. I stand in front of her on the other side of the booth. " You think you got business with me." I say. She smirks, " That depends. Are you Matthew Ripley? Known to this club as Ace '' she says with a thick irish accent. " Who wants to know?" I growl out. She doesn't seem fazed but my tone. "I have a business proposal for you.” “ Who says I’m interested?” I ask. “  Mr. Ripley, I’m prepared to offer you a lot of money if you like to sit down and hear my offer.” she says. I’m curious as to what she has to say. “ If you want to do business with the club you have to go through our President.” I told her. She leans back in the booth. I can see my reflection in her sunglasses so I know she is looking at me. Why is she still wearing them?

“ Mr. Ripley, I have no business with the club. Just you. And it is personal.” she says. I laugh “ Lady, I don’t know who you are but we don’t have any personal business.” I smirk. “ You may not know me. But the O’Sullivan’s know all about you.” she says with an icy demeanor. She shows no emotion whatsoever but I swear the temperature in the room drops a few degrees. But I won’t let it show. “ Is that so?” Trying to keep my cool. Something about the lady is setting me on edge but I’m not sure if it is good or bad. I do feel the need to listen to her. “ It is.” she says. Then one of her goons hands her a tablet and she lists everything she knows about me. My birthdate, address, phone number. Things you can find out easily. No big deal. The next thing she tells me is my bank account numbers, my investments,the number of businesses I am part of and how much they grossed last year. She knows when I went to basic training. And my dishonorable discharge because I beat the shit out of my commanding office for harassing a woman even after being told to leave her alone. She knew when I started the club with Raider. She knew my parents' names and when they died. She even knew my childhood dog’s name. She had information on every member of the club including ol’e ladies and bunnies.

She lays the tablet on the table. “ Shall I go on or are you ready to listen?” I have heard enough to know this isn’t some game. I nod. “ Mr. Ripley, we have someone in our organization that needs your help. We are prepared to offer you five thousand dollars up front.” She slides a check across the table as proof. “ And fifty thousand dollars when the task is complete.” That is a lot of money. Not that I need it but I’m curious. That had all this information they clearly had resources. Why do they need my help? And just me. “ I’m not saying I'm interested . What do you need me to do?” I ask. “ We need some of your bone marrow.” She says as calmly as if she was talking about the weather. “ What?” They want bone marrow. What the fuck?

“ We have a member that needs a bone marrow transplant and we believe from the information provided to us that you will be a match. You will need to take a blood test to confirm of course. And we will pay for everything. You can go to the doctor of your choice. When the test confirms you are a match and donate you will receive the rest of the money.” I don’t know much about what she is saying. I do know that if DNA is involved that would mean it was a blood family member. But that isn’t possible. “ Look miss I might want to help but I think you are barking up the wrong tree. All my blood family is dead that I know off. See yourselves out.” I turn to walk away. But stop in my tracks when she says “ Mara O’sullivan.” I haven’t thought about her in years. I turned around “ What about her?” And how do they know about her?

“ You had a brief, physical relationship with her twenty eight years ago,”the girl states. “ What about it?” And how did they know? The only person who knew about Mara was Raider. And I know he didn’t tell anyone. We were young when we met. I was just getting the club started with Radier. Mara was studying here for a semester before returning to Ireland. We knew our time together would be short but we didn’t care.I was her first and I couldn’t get enough of her. I hated that I let her go but I was young and stupid. “ I did.” I admit. What was the use of lying? They already knew. “ When Mara returned to Ireland she discovered she was pregnant. With your child. The child is the one who needs your help.”

Mara was pregnant? But she never told me. I shake my head “ No, Mara would have told me. I don’t have any kids” I told her. “ Mr. Ripley from what we were told you had no desire to have children. So Mara gave birth and raised the baby herself. Respecting your wishes. And we would continue to do so if the situation wasn’t dire.” I have a child that I didn’t know about. I think back to my time with Mara. We were always careful. But I have great nieces running around the club that are the result of a broken condom. “ The baby. What was it?” I choke out. For the first time since she got here the girl smiles “ A girl.”

My jaw drops. I slide into the booth so I don't fall because my legs feel like they are about to give out. I have a daughter. I can’t even think straight. Twenty seven years I have missed. Wait. “ You said she needs bone marrow.” She nods “ Aye.” “ She is sick?” I ask a stupid question because they wouldn’t be asking for marrow if she wasn’t. “Aye.Cancer." She looks at the muscle " Callen. The file please." He reaches in the side of his jacket and I tense. I know he is armed but he just grabs a manilla envelope and hands it to her. She smiles at him and thanks him.

She opens it and lays out some paperwork. She points to a picture of me of Mara taken over twenty eight years ago. Then to a copy of a birth certificate where I'm named as the father. I look at it and see my daughter’s name is Ailee. “ This is everything you need to verify my story. There is also a sealed letter addressed to you that Mara wrote. Everything can be done through lawyers, doctors or a member of my group. There is no need for you two to have contact.” No need for contact. Is she telling me I can’t meet my daughter? Does my daughter not want to know me? I can’t be like Raider. He never got to meet Merigold. “ You said you represent her. My daughter. So you know her.” I ask. “ Aye. I do.” she says but this time something seems off. What if I don’t want to go through lawyers?” “ What do you mean?” she asks. I look at the birth certificate again. There are no pictures in the file other than the one of Mara and me. I don’t even know what my kid looks like.

“ What if I want to meet her? Would that be possible?” I ask.She leans forward and taps her fingers on the table. She is doing it in a rhythm I know I have seen before but can’t think of where. It is familiar to me. “ Why?” she asks. “ Because she is my daughter. I missed out on years with her. I’m sure she doesn’t need a father now. She's a grown woman. But I would like to know about her life. I want to know who she is. And I would like to see Mara again. I want to talk to her.” I say. When I mention Mara all three of them lose some of the ice they are projecting. “ Mr. Ripley. Talking to Mara is going to be possible. She passed away twelve years ago. I’m sure if she was alive she would have come to find you herself.” she says. It sounds like she is a little choked up.  My daughter lost her mother and I wasn’t there to comfort her.

“ I’m sorry.” I say. “ Mr. Ripley, if you could meet your daughter right now what would you say?” she asks. I lean back and look at her. It is an odd question. I feel like I’m being tested somehow. “ I would tell her I’m sorry I wasn't there for you. I wish your mom had reached out. I would have been there. I was young and stupid when I said I never wanted kids.I’m sorry she lost her mom. And I would like a chance to get to know her.I would ask her about her cancer.” I say  " Stage three Hodgkin's lymphoma." she says with no emotion in her voice. “ I don’t know what that means. But I’m guessing it’s bad.” I say. I know I need to do research on this. She nods “ It is.” “ Do you know if Mara told my daughter about me?” She turns to look at her goons.  They nod the she turns back to me before turning back to me. 

“ Forgive me Mr. Ripley. I came here with the understanding that you didn’t want children so I was keeping this professional. Your question makes me want to change my tactics a bit.” She sighs and takes off her sunglasses. “ My name is Ailee Ripley O’Sullivan. Your daughter and I need your help. I will still compensate you of course.” I stare at her now that I can see her whole face and what stands out is her eyes. They are light gray, almost silver in color. If I had any doubt at all that this woman in front of me was my daughter it just faded. My family has an odd rare trait that makes our eyes that color. She has a lot of features of her mother but her eyes are all mine. “ You're my daughter,” I say because my brain has stopped functioning. “ Aye. And yes, ma told me about you. She never said anything bad. She told me you were a good man. But you were both on different paths. And that she didn’t want to stand in the way of you achieving your dream. She felt telling you about me would interfere with that.” Ailee says.

  “I understand this is a lot to take in Mr. Ripley. The last thing I want to do is disrupt your life. I think you should read the letter. Verify everything I have told you. The file has everything you need if you choose to help me. Once you confirm you are a match and make the donation the money will be given to you in whatever form you choose." 

Something catches her attention, she stops talking, and her whole body tenses up. Nessa, a club bunny, slides onto my lap ignoring Ailee " Hey big daddy. When you are done with the suit do you want some company?" she says running her hands down my chest to my pants. Before I can push her off or say a word to Ailee, Ailee slides out of the booth and stands. Ailee looks at me with disgust before sliding her sunglasses on and she says her voice like ice " Thank you for time Mr. Ripley." She turns to the guys with her “ Our business here is done.”   Something about her calling me Mr. Ripley feels wrong. And her saying it was business. This was so much more than business. I don’t want her to leave. I want to talk to her some more.

 Before I can say anything Ailee and her goons are gone. I stare at the papers in front of me not really seeing it.  I can't make heads or tales of it anyway. I do know in my gut I don't need to verify everything Ailee told me. If she really is my daughter and judging by her eyes I’m pretty sure she is. And she doesn’t look like someone who would go to all this trouble for a lie. And she only wants bone marrow. I’m going to get tested. I know that.  And if I’m a match I’m going to help her. I just found out about her,I'll be damned if I'm going to lose her. I can’t believe it. I have a grown daughter. She may think this is just business but to me it isn’t. I missed years of her life. I'm not missing any more.