I think we each have a hard time talking about the pain but being alone is even harder. Right before I am about to walk out with Eli in his stroller, she stops me. “Hey, abuela left this here for you. She wanted me to give it you when I saw you next.”
Tami tucks a small envelope into my bag and waves goodbye as I walk down the sidewalk. This time, though, I walk with a purpose, ready to be back at the house. Quickly, I give Eli a bath and ready him for bed in his pj’s.
The letter, I am almost sure of it, will bring me a rush of memories and pain. Eli lies next to me in my bed while I drink a glass of red wine and run my fingers through his hair, rubbing his back until he falls asleep. I finish two glasses before I have enough guts to open the envelope.
My fingers shake as I hold it in my hand. Taking a deep breath in, I finally flip it open. I pull out a photo and exhale the anguish of the picture trembling in my grip. My mother’s timeless, beautiful smile along with mine fill the frame.
I can’t pull my gaze away from the two of us together. My father burned every single thing she had made and every photo of her after she died. It was like she had never existed in our lives. The only thing left on this earth of her is gifted to me right now.
I look so much like her that my chest burns. I look at the next and it is of us playing in the yard, I would assume at abuela’s home. She must have saved these all these years for me when she knew I’d be ready to see them. I find her name in my contacts and hold the phone to my ear until she answers. Simply, I say softly, “Gracias, abuela, te amo tanto.”
“Te amo tanto, mija. You want to hear a story?” she questions with humor in her tone.
“Sí.”
I sit and listen to her tell me a long story of two young teenagers that ran away together because their love was so bold and strong. Their parents were so angry with them. Except for the father of the boy who had no remorse for what the kids had done. He was a strong and powerful man and used the situation to his advantage.
Over time, the greed destroyed the love of the two foolish kids, but not the love the mother had for her children who she fought to protect.
“Your mother would be so proud of you, Katherine. Forgive yourself of the choices you had to make to survive. She knows and will always love you unconditionally.”
The words she says so easily are like a dagger to my heart, and I blink away the tears.
“Move on, mija, live and find a way to be at peace. Simply decide to be what you want. Live, because she wants you to.”
“Okay. I’ll call you soon.” The words feel like razors but are all I can say.
“Buenos noches. Buena suerte en tu viaje, good luck on your journey, mija.”
I close my eyes and hold on tight to her words. Simply decide to be what I want.
I wake to a small hand that’s tugging on my shirt. “Momma, wake!” One eye pops open to see Eli sitting on my stomach, drooling. “Eat now.”
“Okay, sweet boy.”
Sitting up, I take him with me and feed the early bird. That’s when an idea hits me and I hurry to get us ready and out the door, which actually takes a few hours by the time I get to the store.
I hand over the small photo to the clerk and order a larger print that will be ready in an hour. Eli and I go to the store next door and we spend over two hours picking out new furniture to be delivered and other decorations to fill our house.
Together, we then pick up all the photos we ordered and stop at the grocery store for more food and drinks. I call in the troops. Let’s do this housewife thing.
It doesn’t take long before I have a houseful of women and kids. Harley, Emilia, Vegas, Jenn, Dana and Tami all show up to help give me a hand at being normal. The pizzas show up and we have beer and wine out for most and a few sodas for the rest and the kids.
Together, we laugh and stick photos into frames and I tell them stories of Tank that they never knew. Most of the pictures that are hung up are of Eli and Tank. My favorite is of them napping together up at the lake by the cabin. I even hang up the one of me and Eli at the park yesterday. The handful of them I have printed will go up, and I plan on taking many more until our home is filled with memories.
I take out the largest picture, the one of me with my mother, and place it in the center of the wall before we put the others up around it. The group of us grows quiet while we look at my mother’s blown up, beautiful smile. “She was so beautiful.”
“She is you,” Jenn rasps next to me, I’m sure thinking of her own mother.
“They are us.” In my head I whisper, Love you, momma, and know that, somewhere in heaven, she hears it.
Vegas and Dana are little machines and help to strategically place all the rest of the photos on the wall. When the store delivery truck shows up with everything else that I bought, we all pitch in to maneuver the furniture around the house. Curtains go up, the shelves are filled, and my house becomes a home. A new beginning.
Chapter 33
Tank
After that horrific show from late last night, I am happy to wake up in the hotel room where I have several text messages waiting for me from Kat. She and Eli are sitting on some furniture that she says she can’t wait for me to see when I get home, along with everything else they have picked out.
It looks like whatever had her down yesterday, she is doing better with it today, and that makes me proud of her. While I am flipping through her pictures, I get a call from Spider.
“Yo, what did you find?”
“Your mom is living in California. It seems that she and your father split a while ago. I don’t think you realize this, but he burned the shit out of her. Your mom was well off to begin with. He married her and then basically took her money, bro.”
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Nah, it gets even better. He adopted you when you were one-year-old. That mother fucker ain’t even your dad.”
I have the phone on speaker, so Axl turns over from pretending to be asleep, even though it’s a whole lot closer to noon. I sit up still dressed in my boxers, and leave the phone next to me on my bed.
I run my hands through my hair, “Are you sure? Because this feels so fucked up right now. I don’t know, man, this is some Dr. Phil stuff straight off the T.V. kind of shit.”
“I’m not wrong. He only wanted to keep you close, I’m sure, to get the rest of the money off your mom. Your grandparents left you a lot of cash that’s sitting in an account that neither one of them can touch. That’s why he was so pissed you chose the MC. He would have wanted you to invest.”
“Transfer the fucking money to her, I don’t want it. Can you send her flowers and say Happy fucking Mother’s Day on them?” Axl and Spider chuckle at my request. “Was he working for Matias back then, too?”
“Yes, he’s been on the Cartel’s payroll for a long time. I’m going to keep digging, I’ll be in touch.”
The line goes dead and Axl sits up from across from me. “This just got that much easier.”
“Fucking-A it did. I knew my mother was a piece of shit. If she does even know who my real father is, I don’t give a fuck to know. Today did get that much easier. Let’s find that piece of shit and get the fuck out of this place.”
Axl nods with me in agreement. It takes us no time at all to get out the door and on the road to resolving my past. As soon as we reach his place in the beautiful hills of Napa, we park in the same spot as before and pull our black masks over our faces.
We trace our same steps from last night as we’re sneaking back onto the property. He must be here because I hear music coming from somewhere inside the house. Carefully, with my gun drawn, I step inside from the back patio.
I find the piece of shit sitting behind the computer at his desk, typing away. Slowly, my feet glide across the floor undetected until I’m standing behind him.
Too distracted with his task, he has no idea that I am here. Raising my gun to a spot just above his head, I fire off a round. He startles and flies b
ackward, grabbing his chest and swearing.
“Hello, dick, it’s me.” I walk around the desk and rip the mask away from my head, then look at the asshole square in the eyes.
“You’re making a big mistake by being here,” he threatens and leans forward. “You’re dead. I should have drowned you in the bathtub when I had the chance.”
Laughing at his words, I place my hands on his desk and tower over him, “Geez, dad, that’s harsh and really hurts, dick. Especially since you aren’t my dad. Now, wire transfer ten million to this account.” I toss a folded piece of paper on the desk between us. His eyes flare before he scowls at me and then at the paper.
“Like hell I am transferring any fucking money. You are out of your goddamn mind if you think I’ll give away ten million.”
Axl walks into the room and, with a smirk, informs us, “House is empty.”
“I didn’t ask you to, I’m telling you to. Do it now, or the pictures of the midnight fuck fest will be sent out to all your associates. I’m assuming that was a private party,” I state with a pleasant smile and a tilt to my head.
“Give me the photos and I will transfer the money,” he demands and his fist slams down on the desk.
“No. Transfer the money, or, with one text, your shit goes viral.”
Dear old dad’s nose flares, his face turns red before he finally decides to listen. He snatches the paper off the desk and turns to his laptop, then follows the instructions to wire transfer the funds. Little does he know that he sent the money from Matias back to the other Cartel Bosses with his own money. Freeing them of any suspicions of where it could be hidden.
It will look like he committed suicide with the photos and evidence that Spider will spin around his sudden death, that he had been blackmailed by Matias in the first place to do his dirty work.
I round the desk that separates us, and, with gloved hands, I search through his drawers until I find what I am looking for, all while pointing the gun at his head.
I pull out his own handgun and grip the handle tightly. My elbow flies back before he’s able to mutter a single word. Both of his hands grab a hold of his nose.
While he’s busy holding his face, I place the gun under his chin and pull the trigger. His brains splatter out from the back of his head, spraying the room. Picking up his hand, I wrap it around his gun and then let it drop by his side. Gripping his shoulders, I push them forward, leaving him face down on his desk, dead in his own office.
Axl makes a call to Spider that our target has been taken care of and that he has a green light to finish cleaning up this mess with the Cartel. We load up and haul ass out of there as soon as humanly possible.
“Can’t wait till I get home,” Axl comments on our way through the valley.
“Um, we have one more stop to make.”
“Fuck, seriously? Where?”
I turn my head from the road for a second. “Jazz,” is all I have to say and Axl moans regretfully.
“Will it take long? I was hoping to get home today.”
“Hell if I know,” I mutter and continue to drive like a bat out of hell until we reach Jazz’s shop, which is conveniently located close to the clubhouse in Sacramento.
She owns and operates the Black Heart Tattoo shop. I called earlier and let her know we were on our way. Jazzy reschedules her customers for the Battle Born when we need her, she’s cool as shit.
Walking into her studio, I whistle low at the classy modern feel. She must be raking in the cash by the looks of it, and good for her. “What’s up, Jazz,” I call out, searching around for her.
She steps out from the supply room and waves. “I drew up what you asked for, it’s on my desk. Check it out! I’ll be out in a few.”
Just as she said, I find the stencil ready. There is the head of a black cat in the middle, similar to what a playboy bunny would look like. The top has Kit Kat written in fancy script. Simple and beautiful all at the same time, just like her.
“You like it?” Jazzy walks in, dressed in black, with her black and deep purple hair in a ponytail.
“Let’s do it,” I sit in her chair, all prepped and ready to go.
“All black?” she asks while cleaning and shaving my forearm.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She nods and spreads a cream over my skin before carefully placing the drawing onto my arm. The entire tattoo will take up about half of my left forearm. Jazzy gets to work, outlining and branding me for life with my woman’s name.
By the time she’s done, it has become my favorite tattoo to date, and I can’t wait to show K-Love her new present and the other plan I have for her. I just need to make a quick call to Vegas for help.
Chapter 34
Kat
“You want to do what?” I shriek in disbelief.
Tank arrived home really late last night and he is now informing me that he has to pack another bag to leave today. I’m not even sure that I am awake yet. Can I be dreaming?
“What is that tattoo on your arm? Let me see that,” I point to the fresh tattoo on his forearm. “What have you been doing these last few days?”
Tank holds out his arm and my fingers trace over the fresh tattoo. My eyebrow raises. “Kit Kat with a—”
“Pussy,” he wiggles his eyebrows. “So all the girls know who my pussy is, baby.”
“Sweet and thoughtful,” I deadpan, but really, he is sweet and funny. I shake my head at him. His stupid face glows with pride for what he has done. He bends over and gives me a quick peck.
“I want you with me everywhere I go at all times. I wanted you to feel that you claimed me too.”
Setting my coffee on the counter, I wrap my arms around him and place a kiss to his bare chest right over his heart, and hold on for just a moment.
“Pack your bags,” Tank demands and walks away toward our room. “No guns or ammo, nothing like that. Sunscreen and bikinis only.” He sounds beyond excited, throwing his clothes onto the bed. “Go, woman, pack now! It’s a surprise.” He walks over to me and places his soft lips over mine, whispering, “We don’t know how much time will be given to us, and every chance I get to be happy, I’m doing it. Come with me?”
My hands hold onto his wrists. “Yes, of course I will follow you anywhere,” I whisper back.
“Good, pack for fun.” His grin makes me catch the same enthusiasm as him.
I can’t stop the smile that breaks free from me. “A surprise with sunscreen and bikinis, huh?”
“Not telling you, woman, get in the car if you want to find out.” He swats my ass and I laugh because I don’t have a bikini, but I’ll worry about that later. I grab the few things I do have to take with me.
Soon, we have the SUV packed with our stuff and we are on the road to a destination unknown. It’s been hours now, and Eli is fast asleep in his car seat. My arm snakes across the middle console and I hold out my open hand for Tank to take. He removes his from the steering wheel and pulls it to his mouth, kissing the back before he rests our joined hands on his leg.
My surprise, I would guess, is a beach vacation since we are headed to California, and I can’t love him more for it. I’ve never been on a vacation like this. It feels great to do something so easy. I get lost in the comfort of the road and the scenic drive down the coast.
Eventually, we make it to our destination, and I am shocked beyond belief. “You took us to Disneyland!”
He parks the SUV at one of the Disney resorts and tears fill my eyes. “Love you.”
“Love you.” Tank brings my face to his. “You made me long for adventure, long for you, here we are.” He kisses my nose, “Get my boy out of the car and I’ll meet you at the desk with our bags.”
Eli and I enthusiastically look around with big eyes at a new world we have never seen before. I’m not sure, but I take a chance and tell the girl at the counter the reservation is under Lucas Taylor and pay for the room with a credit card.
Tank meets us at the desk after he help
s loading the bags with the bellhop, and our clothes are taken up to the room. “Is Eli hungry?” he asks him with a raised brow.
“Yes,” Eli pumps a fist into the air and almost loses his footing with the force of his man thrust. Tank’s hand darts out and grips his, stopping him from falling to the slick tile floors.
We wander through the hotel until we find a cute diner and Eli asks for pancakes. I’m about to tell him no, but Tank’s hand covers mine and orders a Mickey Mouse pancake with chocolate milk for them both. My head shakes but what can I do other than join them, so I order the same.
On our way back to the room, I find a gift shop and drag the boys in with me. I find us all bathing suits that match, with the Mickey Mouse logo on them. “Let’s go to the pool?”
After the three of us are decked out in our family suites, we head up to the rooftop pool that has a mini playground with water slides. We spend hours chasing the sun and Eli in the water. Eventually, he’s so tired, he curls up on Tank and passes out. Tank holds him tight and places a kiss on his head. I capture the perfect moment with my phone camera to add it to our picture wall later.
We spend the next two days riding every ride possible and eating all the food you can imagine. The park is beyond huge, but I enjoy every second of our fun adventure. It really is the happiest place on earth.
On the third day, I suggest we try something different. “Would you like to go to the beach today?”
Tank walks out from the bathroom. “Not today, but later we will definitely go to the beach.” He steps a little closer. “You have a spa day planned and the boys have their own day.”
“Hmm, a spa day, I couldn’t possibly say no.”
“Good, because the girls will be here any second.”
“What girls?” There’s a knock at the door and I run to see if it is who I think it is. All the girls from home are standing outside the door, waiting for me. I blow a kiss to my boys on my way out and eagerly leave with the girls.
First, we get pedicures and manicures. It’s been such a long time since I had the time to take care of myself, and I love every second of it. We have the best lunch with Mimosas or Bloody Mary’s. We laugh and tell jokes and it’s great to see even Tami loosen up a little.
Fighting for Forever: Tank & Kat's story, Part 2 (Battle Born MC Book 6) Page 16
