by LeAnn Ashers
Aiden
I can’t fucking believe someone openly attacked us right on the grounds of the clubhouse, with the women and children.
You can fuck with us, but when you come for the ones we care about most, then this is a whole different fucking kind of war. You’re asking to be left in pieces; you’re asking to be fucking destroyed. That’s one thing this club and the Devils don’t tolerate: when their families are in danger.
We are close on the van’s ass, and Logan is shooting at it. The van stops all of a sudden; Logan must have hit one of their front tires. We rush the van and rip them out of it. They start screaming and pleading immediately.
One of them screams, “We didn’t hurt anyone!” He’s holding his face, trying to curl himself into a ball as best he can, like that can protect him. No, that protection left the second he raised a gun to my family. The fucking thought of one of those bullets hitting Grace, Reid, or my mother…
“Shut the fuck up.” I grab the back of his neck and drop him so he face plants onto the ground.
One of our vans pulls up, and a couple of prospects jump out and push them into the back of the vehicle. “To the back of the property,” Lane tells the prospects.
We recently constructed a new building, on the back of our property, for things like this. We want to make sure the women and children in the club aren’t exposed to any of that.
Walker is standing a few feet away from me, and I walk over. “I want to thank you for protecting my mother.”
“It wasn’t nothing, brother.” He stops and gives me a look that makes me think I am not going to like what he’s about to to say. “I am taking your mother out on a date tomorrow night.”
Yeah, I knew I wasn’t going to like it, but she is a grown woman and Walker isn’t a bad guy. I know he will take care of her.
I grind my jaw a second before I nod. “Be good to her or else.” I don’t give a fuck if he is my brother or not.
“Don’t worry about that.” He winks and my stomach churns. I hope the fuck he doesn’t mean what I think he does.
I climb back on my bike and follow the others back to the building, where we will extract information the hard way if necessary.
The prospects walk them over to the chains hanging from the ceiling. We do this because it’s more painful than sitting and it’s harder to escape.
Lane and Kyle are front and center, facing them dead on. I would not want to fucking be them now.
The door opens, revealing Liam. Yeah, I wouldn’t want to fucking be them, because Liam is a badass who was trained in this shit.
“This can go two ways. You can tell us and you die, or we can force it out of you and you die.” Lane leans forward, in one guy’s face. “Very painfully.”
The guy starts shaking, and sweat pours off his face. I can smell him from here, and I’m halfway across the room. I can tell that he is on drugs on top of all that. The other guy is silent. I can tell that he has a bit more willpower. But this guy looks like he’s about to cry.”
“Man, I don’t want to die. I was just doing what I was paid to do.” He breaks down sobbing.
Shit, already?
I know we’re probably scary to those who have wronged us, but it’s also kind of fucking pathetic. You had enough balls to shoot at a courtyard full of motorcycle club members, filled with women and kids.
That is unforgivable. They’re not leaving here, but we will have mercy if they tell us what’s needed.
“Who paid you?” Kyle walks closer, which I wouldn’t recommend because it’s rank.
The sweaty dude looks at the guy next to him, who still hasn’t said a word. “Fuck!” he screams. “It was the head guy of the trafficking ring you’ve been taking down little by little. He is getting desperate.”
Well, I guess that answers that. The guys look around at each other. I think we all suspected it was related to the trafficking. It’s serious shit. People like that are the worst of the worst, and we’ve almost completely torn their business apart. They don’t want that, but it’s not going to happen in our backyard. My son was a victim of that ring, and I know I won’t rest until it’s destroyed.
I hear two gunshots. Kyle and Lane just shot both of them, killing them instantly.
Lane turns to look at all of us. “Let’s get back to our women and children. Tomorrow we will discuss this and come up with a plan of action.”
I am one of the first ones out the door. I want to make sure my family is okay. Grace was terrified; I could see it all over her face. Hell, all the old ladies were. If the gate had been shut, the bullets wouldn’t have made it through. But this was an open event.
In the clubhouse, Gracelyn is on the couch, next to my mom, holding Reid. Fuck, she looks exhausted.
I bend down in front of her. “Ready to go home, baby?” I push her hair out of her face.
She touches my hand; then she holds it, closing her eyes. “Yeah, take me home.” I help her off the couch. She’s still holding my son, who is chewing on a teething ring.
“Mom, want me to take you home?”
“I can take her.” Walker pops out of nowhere, taking my mom’s keys out of her hand, and I want to tell him to leave her the fuck alone.
“Yeah baby, take me home.” She slides off the couch and stands beside Walker. I guess that is that. Grace tries to hide her smile.
She gets way too much enjoyment out of my frustration.
I take Reid from her. “Come on.” I kiss the side of her head and lead her to the truck. The gate is shut at the moment, so the courtyard will be safe.
Grace
This has probably been one of the scariest days of my life. I was terrified of someone getting hurt, and then I was terrified when Aiden went after them.
I sat on that couch with Laurie, and all the women were silent, waiting for their family to come back safe. It was so heroic how the first instinct of every single member of the club was to protect. These men are a different breed for sure.
We are driving off; it’s getting late and I know Reid has to be exhausted. I know I am.
I unbuckle myself and scoot into the middle, and I lay my head on Aiden’s shoulder. I need to feel him right now; he makes me feel so safe.
“You okay?” he asks.
“I’m fine, trust me.” I kiss his arm and close my eyes, breathing his scent in deeply. And I am. With Aiden, everything just seems better.
10
Grace
Today is one that I’m not looking forward to one bit. Today is the day they’re burying my aunt.
I don’t want to go, because so many people will be there that I just can’t stand. Vomit crawls up my throat at the thought of seeing my father and uncle. I press my hands against the counter, trying to brace myself for what’s to come and calm my nerves.
Arms wrap around my waist. I open my eyes and, in the mirror, my and Aiden’s eyes connect.
“It will be fine, sweet girl.”
I look away; I don’t want to be upset. I know it’s going to be fine, but bringing up old memories doesn’t sound fun at the moment. Mainly because I am in a very good place. I did a lot of healing before I met Aiden, and got over many of my fears with his help. I don’t want anything to set me back, but I also know they have only as much power over me as I allow.
Aiden turns me around. “Baby.”
I look up.
“You’re safe with me. No matter what, I will be there for you, and if you want I will kick their asses out.”
I smile tearfully, and I move closer and just hug him. His arms encircle me, and I bask in the moment of peace.
Is it too soon to say that every second I am in his arms is one of complete, utter peace? It’s like I’m finally home, and I know where I’m meant to be in life.
“Let’s do this,” I tell him. I put on my big-girl panties, and I am going to face this head-on.
I am not the same girl, and it’s time to prove that to them.
Before we get to the funeral hom
e, I hear a ton of bikes pulling up behind us. I am shocked to see all the members of the Grim Sinners behind us.
As we pull in front of the home, I can see the strange looks we’re getting. Aiden turns off the bike. “What are you guys doing here?” I ask Amelia.
She wraps her arm around me. “Do you think we’re going to let you go to war without us? You’re ours and we have your back.”
Tears fill my eyes at the sight of everyone being here to support me. They are the best. “Thank you guys so much.” I hug Amelia, and she pats my back. “You’re family, it’s what we’re here for.”
For the first time in my life, I know what family is. No one has ever cared enough to make sure I’m okay. I can’t tell you one nice thing anyone did for me before I met Aiden. He has completely flipped my life upside down.
The whole MC has.
Aiden takes my hand, and we lead the group inside the home. We pass a few of my distant family members gawking at the door.
Aunt Mary’s husband, my uncle, is in the front pew. He is one of the men I hate more than anything in the world. And my father is beside him. He is staring at me. This is a different look than the one I saw at the hospital. This is one of pure anger.
I clear my throat, straighten my shoulders, and walk to the casket, feeling the eyes of others staring a hole in my back. I haven’t seen these people since I was eleven years old. I step up to the casket and, from the corner of my eye, I see my sperm donor stepping forward like he is going to do something about it. In a split second, Aiden is between us.
I pay my respects and take my seat with the rest of the MC. They take up a lot of rows of seats.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom.” I kiss Aiden’s cheek and try to sneak off to the bathroom before the service starts. I try to ignore the looks of everyone I walk past. I am, apparently, the person who tried to ruin the whole family.
I told the police everything. I was terrified but I wanted it all to end. I would rather be in foster care than live through another second of that abuse.
I never expected my mother’s parents to take me in, and I am eternally grateful. It was the first home I’d ever had—maybe not the most welcoming, but it was heaven compared to what I was used to.
I remember the first night I went to sleep without fearing for my life. I’d always walked on eggshells, and now I didn’t have to. It took a long time to adjust to not waiting for the ball to drop.
I wash my hands; I needed this second alone to gather my thoughts. The door opens and Aunt Glenna steps inside the bathroom. I look at her face in shock. Someone beat the shit out of her. The door slams shut, and I fold my arms across my chest, bracing myself.
She glares at me, and I arch an eyebrow. Does she think that I am going to be scared of her?
“Look what the fuck you did to my face,” she screeches and starts toward me, her hands stretched out.
The door opens, and Aiden walks inside and grabs her by the hair before she can reach me. “I know you weren’t about to fucking touch my woman.”
The others file into the bathroom, with Amelia right in the front. “Are you asking to get your ass kicked again?” Again? I look at the group in front of me confused.
Aiden pushes her toward Shaylin, who smacks her hard across the face. He puts his hands on my shoulders. “Baby, I know you’re wondering why. They hurt you, and they needed to pay for that shit.”
I close my eyes and rest my head on his chest, breathing in deeply, letting his words sink in. I have no regrets. “How many were involved in this?” I ask.
“The whole club,” he says. I look over at the others. They’re willing to go to these lengths to protect me and get justice, and right now they have my back.
“Thank you guys so much.”
Amelia grips Glenna’s throat hard, and my aunt latches onto her hand, trying to pull her loose. “I will let you fucking live because this is a funeral,” Amelia says. “If you try that shit again, it will be the end of you.”
Lane is behind her, smirking, all too proud of her being all badass. “Ready to get back out there?” Lane asks me.
I nod. “Yeah, let’s do this.” I follow the group back to our seats. My father is sitting just a few feet from me. On one side of me is Aiden, and Amelia is on the other.
The service is probably ten minutes max. No one speaks besides the pastor. Her entire life in a ten-minute service. It makes me so sad that she lived this life and never got to experience happiness.
Meanwhile her husband is laughing and having the time of his life. He spent his whole life with her and he’s laughing.
Once the service is over, I walk over to her casket. “Rest easy, Mary. You’re free now.”
I take peace in knowing she’s not in hell anymore.
Aiden
Her fucking aunt tried to attack her. Apparently, she has shit for brains.
Gracelyn is standing at the casket saying her final goodbye. I look around and see so many fucking eyes on us; none of these people are good. I can look at them and tell they’re mean.
They hate her; I can feel that shit. I know my brothers feel it, and I know Gracelyn knows.
Nobody spoke to her. They just looked at her like she was gum at the bottom of their shoe.
I looked at the police report after Gracelyn told me about her home life. She exposed her family’s drug abuse. That affected the whole family; it shut them down and a lot of them went to jail. They placed all the blame on an eleven-year-old girl who was just trying to protect herself.
I rub her arm as she says her final goodbyes. She looks at me sadly, but I can tell that she feels better in a way. “Ready to go?” I ask.
She nods, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I need to get out of here.”
We walk toward the doors, and the MC follows us. Our bikes are parked up front. I sigh with relief.
Grace
The door slams open, and my father, uncle, and a bunch of my cousins come out.
Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.
I grab Aiden’s hand tightly. Why are they doing this? Why can’t they just let me leave?
“Do you fucking think you guys can come in here and act like you own it? I don’t think so,” my father yells, causing me to flinch.
Amelia walks over to me and holds my hand, and Aiden steps in front of both of us. “You need to shut your mouth and walk back inside or you’re going to regret it,” Aiden snarls in a voice I have never heard from him.
I grip the back of his shirt, unable to stop shaking. I’m not exactly scared, but me and confrontation don’t mix. I peek around his arm and see my father is way closer than I thought. I decide to do something about it.
I step out and stand next to Aiden. “Don’t forget, I can put you away again.”
My father takes a step back. I said enough to lock them away before, but I didn’t reveal everything.
One by one they leave, and I want to fall to the ground and sleep the day away. When I get overwhelmed, I just want to sleep and forget what happened.
“Baby, what do you have over them?” he asks, as I look at their retreating backs.
“They have a place outside of town where they make meth, and they sell it throughout Texas.”
Aiden looks at Lane and I see him nod. “Do you want to do something about it?” Lane asks.
Do I want to end it? They shouldn’t be able to continue to do horrible things. So many people suffer because of these drugs.
“I think they need to be stopped. They’ve gotten away with so much.” I have seen people overdose right before my eyes. They used to force people to take the drugs to make sure they were correctly made. Sometimes it wasn’t and people died.
I feel eyes on me, and I see my uncle standing by his car. He rubs his dick in a gross gesture. I cover my mouth so don’t puke.
“I fucking saw that,” Bailey hisses and points in his direction.
Aiden starts to run over, but I grab the back of his pant
s and Lane pushes his chest. “This is not the place, Aiden. It will all come to pass soon,” Lane promises him.
I rub Aiden’s back, trying to calm him. He is shaking hard with his fists clenched. I tug him so he turns around, and I place my hands on his face. “Baby, let’s go see Reid—yeah?” I try to lead him away.
Little by little, his breathing returns to normal. “There’s my Aidey,” I tease and he laughs.
“Thank you so much, everyone, for being here today.” I put my hand over my heart. I love everyone here.
“It’s what family is for,” Joslyn pipes in and I smile.
“Yeah,” I whisper. I am getting that for the first time.
No more being alone.
11
Grace
A week later
I am in the backyard, playing with Reid in his sandbox. It’s a beautiful day. Aiden will be home from running errands any minute.
The funeral service brought us even closer. Little by little, my walls are breaking down around him. I started telling him more of my past; he genuinely wants to know everything about me. It’s difficult to bring up all these memories I have shut down, but it’s so freeing at the same time.
Day by day, I am healing more and more. I have always done it all alone but now, with Aiden, I am seeing things differently. I thought no one could accept my past but, in the end, I was wrong.
A song comes over the radio, and Aiden bends down and picks me up off the ground. I kiss him as he dances with me. My heart is just filled with so much love. Every single day he surprises me with something. One of the things I love most about him is how he is with Reid. He is so hands-on with everything.
“Da!” Reid is staring at both of us.
Aiden sets me down and lifts him up, cuddling him. “I missed you, my boy.” My heart warms at the sight of them together.
“I wonder how your mom’s date went the other day,” I ask, knowing very well I’m throwing gasoline on the fire.
He glares at me in mock anger. “Don’t start that shit.”
I laugh, smacking him hard on the ass. “Or what are you going to do about it?” I run inside the house to hide.
