To Awaken a Monster

by Sam Crescent

  “He’s got plenty of girls to keep him company. I really need to get my homework done. Are we done? I won’t talk to O’Klaren.”

  “Yeah, we’re done. Robin, you’d tell me if something was bothering you, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I’d tell you.” She hated lying to her father, but really, what else could she do? There was no way for her to come clean about what had happened, and she didn’t even want to acknowledge it herself.

  She had to believe it would all be all right soon.

  Chapter Seven

  Two months after the party

  “You’re sure?” Preacher asked.

  “According to Thomas, his father is … not the nicest of men. He’s strict. Believed in beatings and punishments, but also, I got the feeling there was stuff he wasn’t telling me.”

  “What kind of stuff?” Preacher was more than impressed with his son. Why wouldn’t he be? Thomas had admitted that O’Klaren was a vile, abusive bastard and that anything you read about him were lies. O’Klaren rarely messed up and knew how to keep stuff secret. He liked to use his fists, and he made it a game to hit where no one could see.

  Now, Preacher had seen the wife, and she always looked happy. He wondered if she was carrying around bruises as well. This again made him wonder what the fuck O’Klaren was doing within his business and in this town. He wasn’t a good guy, but a bad guy. One who knew how to manipulate and work the system because he was part of it. He knew how to make people look the other way. Preacher would deal with O’Klaren when the timing was right. For now, he just wanted to get everything working smoothly. Patience was always important, especially during a time like this.

  He’d returned most of his businesses to normal. His clubs and bars had never ceased work. Men always wanted to be fucked and see naked women prancing around, serving them drinks, and last time he checked, that wasn’t illegal.

  He’d reached out to Dog, and they were holding off any more fights until further notice. Dog also had heat on him, and needed to lay low.

  Their drug distribution was currently on hold as well. They’d been able to get some guns across the borders, and after paying the relevant people to look the other way, he’d also gotten rid of any evidence of drugs in the club and at his home.

  The club knew to lay low and to act like they were just having a good time. He’d also increased his lending business, and if someone didn’t pay, it wasn’t his fault if they found themselves in an accident.

  They knew not to speak about him if anyone came calling.

  Milner had also used the time to skip town rather than deal with him. The force wanted to retire Milner rather than transfer him.

  Which then made Preacher wonder if the reason O’Klaren was here wasn’t because of him trying to come after him or the club at all, but because O’Klaren was a complete and total bastard. He wasn’t squeaky clean, but a man so hungry for power and pain he would do anything. Even come to a small town, take over for a crooked chief, and take his place. Either way, he needed to find out exactly what Milner knew, even if it was only a little.

  Preacher had already put a notice out to find him. Once Milner was found, he had every intention of letting him hurt slowly and painfully.

  There was a time he’d had a great deal of respect for Milner. They’d worked comfortably together for many years, so it was a huge disappointment to him to have to kill him. But once a guy turned rat or even hinted at taking him down, he had no choice but to act.

  And act he would.

  “And did he say why this was never reported?”

  “He told me his dad had contacts where it mattered. They’re paid to look the other way, and he didn’t ever have to give witness statements. If a neighbor complained, O’Klaren always found some way of making the neighbor look bad. Planting drugs, false accusations, that kind of thing. He told me if I ever have a run in with him, to get the hell away from him. He’s not good, and he’s rotten to the core. He’s been trying to expose him, and well, for his efforts, he’s having to play the good little boy, or his father will throw him in jail, but under an alias or something. I don’t know. Some of his story seemed far-fetched.”

  “We’ll soon find it out and have it—”

  “What the fuck are you saying?”

  Preacher was interrupted by Bear’s yell.

  Getting to his feet, he left his office to find Rebecca holding Robin by the hair. The young woman looked terrified. Tears were streaming down her face, and she looked sick.

  “Your precious little angel is up the duff. Pregnant. Bun in the oven, and she thought she could pretend she’s not, but I’ve got the proof.” Rebecca threw the tests at Bear, but they landed on the floor. “I made her take two, and guess what, each one is positive. This little slut has been sleeping with someone.”

  Bear turned toward Bishop. “You.”

  “I haven’t slept with her.”

  Rebecca threw her to the floor, and Robin stayed there, kneeling on the filth and dirt.

  Bear grabbed Bishop and shook him. “I know it’s you, you little punk asshole. I know it’s you.”

  “It’s not me, I swear it. I swear it’s not me.”

  “You’re the only one sniffing around her.”

  “Dad, stop it,” Robin said, her voice breaking.

  “You’re sure she’s pregnant?” Preacher asked.

  “Yes,” Rebecca said. “So much for your good little angel. She’s nothing but a slut.”

  “Enough!” Preacher said. “You call her that one more time and I will forget you’re Bear’s old lady.” He stepped close.

  Something was not right with him.

  A sixth sense was telling him he wasn’t about to like what was going on.

  “Robin and I haven’t had sex. I swear that baby is not mine. It’s not mine.”

  Preacher knelt on the ground and reached out.

  Robin flinched away from his touch, and he didn’t understand it. She looked up at him, and he saw the pain and fear in her gaze.

  “Robin, sweetheart. No one is angry at you—”

  “Speak for yourself. I’m fucking angry. I’ve got a slut for a daughter.”

  Bear let go of Bishop and backhanded Rebecca.

  Robin cringed, covering her eyes.

  “Everyone out,” Preacher said.

  He didn’t look away. She looked so scared. All he wanted to do was protect her.

  Once all the men and women had left the club, he gripped her chin.

  “Robin, tell me who got you pregnant.”

  “You won’t believe me.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Silence hung heavy in the air. He waited, watching her. She was battling the truth and lies.

  “It’s yours,” she said.

  He burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s not mine.”

  “It is,” she said.

  “It is, Preacher.”

  He turned to see one of the club women had entered from the kitchen. He frowned.

  “Okay, wait a minute, what the fuck is going on?” Bishop asked.

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “I heard her,” Joanne said. “I heard Milly. What she did.”

  “I haven’t slept with Robin,” Preacher said.

  “Bishop’s birthday,” Joanne said.

  “I had a woman…” Preacher stopped and turned to Bear. “You didn’t send a woman to my room.”

  Bear shook his head. “None of us did.”

  Now he looked at Joanne. “What the fuck did you say?”

  “Milly drugged her. I don’t know what she did, but she put Robin in your room. She was naked. You were so out of it, and Milly, well, I think she was trying to help ply you with drink.”

  His head pounded as he thought back to that night, and he didn’t want to believe it.

  Robin sniffled.

  He stepped away from her.

  The blood. He’d assumed the woman had started a period. His bed had bl
ood on it and so had his dick.

  It hadn’t been period blood but virgin blood.

  He looked back at Bear, then at Bishop, and then at Robin. She wasn’t looking at him. Her head was in her hands, and she was sobbing.

  He ran a hand down his face as the reality of what he was hearing swirled around him. The last time he’d been drunk, Bishop had been the result, and now, he’d gotten a girl pregnant.

  “Fuck!” Robin wasn’t eighteen yet. “Get me Milly, now!”

  Joanne was the first to run away.

  He looked down at Robin. She was sitting on her ass, knees pressed against her chest, sobbing.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “You’re pregnant with my dad’s baby,” Bishop said. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? Why you’ve been studying so much.”

  “Not so innocent now, is she?” Rebecca asked, wiping the blood away from her mouth.

  “If you speak again, Rebecca, I’m going to knock all of your teeth out. You have no fucking idea what has happened.”

  “Yeah, I do. Our perfect daughter is not so perfect.”

  “Preacher fucked a minor. In any state that’s statutory rape. She was underage, and even though he was drunk and she was drugged, you think O’Klaren is going to give a fuck?” Bear yelled.

  Robin tensed. “I won’t say anything.”

  “No, but there will be questions.”

  “I’ll marry her,” Bishop said.

  This made Preacher turn to his son.

  Bishop looked angry, but he hadn’t lost his cool. “We can say we slept together before my birthday. Birth dates and conceptions are always wrong, right?”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Robin said.

  “They need to believe that baby is mine. We can’t have Dad go down for this.”

  “I don’t know what the big deal is,” Milly said. “Get your grubby hands off me.”

  He turned to look at the club pussy. He’d never been with Milly because he knew she was a scheming slut, only after what she could get.

  One look at her now, and he despised her.

  She looked at Robin, then at him, and finally at Bishop. “Why am I here?”

  “You drugged her.”

  “If that’s what she said. I know what Robin wanted, and she came to me. She told me the son was such a bore. She needed a little excitement. She wanted you drunk.”

  “You’re lying,” Robin said, getting to her feet.

  He wanted to help her but held himself back.

  “Am I? Please, I know a cry for help when I see one. Seriously, do you not see the conniving bitch? She wanted you, Preacher, and you, Bishop. I only helped. I was a good friend.”

  “You’re lying,” Joanne said. “You wanted to hurt her, to ruin her, and you told her no one would believe her. She’s been all alone.” Joanne bowed her head. “I’m sorry for not speaking up sooner. I didn’t know what to say, and I … I didn’t know.”

  Preacher ran a hand down his face, a little shocked. He had no intention of becoming a father again or ever.

  “Take her to the basement,” he said, looking at Bear. “You, get out of sight.” He looked at Rebecca. “And you.” This was to Joanne. “Bishop, I need a few moments alone with Robin.” He looked at Robin. “Do I scare you?”

  She shook her head but wouldn’t answer him.

  It was all he was going to get for now, and he supposed that was more than he should have expected.

  He’d thought about the woman from that night a few times. Never seeing her face or learning her name, he’d started to think she was just an illusion. However, the stained sheets were evidence she’d been there. The blood hadn’t come out, and he hadn’t thrown the sheets out, even though he’d had them washed several times.

  Bishop didn’t offer her any comfort.

  His son left, as did Bear with Milly, Rebecca, and Joanne, leaving him alone with Robin.

  She stood, hands clenched, looking so damn scared.

  He didn’t know what to say, or what to do. This wasn’t easy for him.

  What about her?

  She didn’t ask for this.

  She’s pregnant with your baby after being drugged.

  You weren’t gentle.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked.

  “I didn’t know what to say, or what to do? It wasn’t exactly easy,” she said. “How do you think I should have said anything? Milly drugged me, put me in your bed, you had sex with me, now I’m pregnant?”

  Her face was bright red.

  “It’s why you’ve not been around, isn’t it?”

  She sniffled. “I … I don’t know what to do.”

  “Do you want to get rid of it?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I was hoping I was wrong, but Mom heard me this morning throwing up, and she made me take those tests.” She ran fingers through her hair. “I don’t know what to do. I’m seventeen. I’m not prepared for this. I’m terrified. I don’t want you to go to prison.”

  “I should.”

  “You didn’t know.”

  “Robin, I was drunk.”

  “I didn’t exactly put up a fight.”

  “Because you couldn’t,” he said.

  “We could go around in circles about this. We can’t change what happened.”

  “You’re being very logical about this,” he said.

  She smiled. “Would you rather I freak out? Run around screaming? Break down?”

  “Have you?”

  “I’ve not run around screaming. Breaking down, a little bit.” She stared at the ground for a few seconds, and while she did, he looked at her. She was the woman in his bed. He couldn’t believe it.

  “You’d been a virgin.”

  She looked up but didn’t dispute his claim.

  “You and Bishop have never?”

  “Never. Not because he doesn’t want to but I was never ready.” She winced.

  “You don’t need to try and protect my feelings. I’m very much aware of what I’ve done and I’ve fucked up.”

  “I don’t want to marry Bishop. I don’t think it’s right that I do.”

  “You’re going to marry him, not for any other reason than to protect the club. You know how important it is to protect the club, don’t you?”

  “I know. I remember.” Her hands were clenched into fists at her side.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. It was rare for him to ever utter those words. In fact, he couldn’t recall a time he ever had spoken those words to anyone, not even his own son.

  “I know.”

  He noticed she didn’t forgive him. He didn’t ask for it because in all honesty, he didn’t want it.

  “Bishop,” he said, yelling for his son.

  Seconds later Bishop arrived.

  “Take Robin home. Make sure she’s safe and comfortable. I’ll deal with everything else.”

  Bishop didn’t say a word.

  As Robin passed him, Preacher grabbed her arm. He couldn’t believe what had happened, but there was no getting away from it. He’d done this. “I will take care of everything.”

  Robin nodded but didn’t say a word.

  It explained her absence in his son’s life. It explained everything, and he didn’t even realize she’d been suffering. He had no idea it was her, and now, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  Bishop took her out of the club and made his way across toward the basement where Bear was waiting on the top step. The moment he opened the door, Bear stood.

  “I had no idea you were talking about my daughter,” he said.

  “I know. If you want to punch me, hurt me, now’s your chance. I won’t give you another shot like this.”

  Bear laughed. “Oh, believe me, I want to fucking hurt you. You knocked up my daughter, and you know what’s worse, I didn’t even realize anything was wrong. Rebecca did.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah, a couple of weeks ago. We were having breakf
ast, rare for us, but she started talking about worrying about Robin, how withdrawn she’d been. She noticed she lost a little weight and wasn’t eating much, and she hadn’t seen Bishop. I figured she was causing drama for the sake of it.” He shook his head. “It’s all fucked up if you ask me. I can’t believe I … fuck!” Bear yelled the last word. “That’s my little girl.”

  Preacher stared at his friend.

  He didn’t have many friends in his life. Mostly associates and people who feared him. He’d never been big on trying to make friends because he never allowed himself the ability to trust anyone or anything.

  People were always out to use you for what they could get, and that was something he’d never been able to forgive.

  Looking at Bear now, Preacher knew deep in his heart he’d been the one to fuck up big time because he was the adult in the situation. He shouldn’t have drunk so much, and he also didn’t doubt that Milly had put something in his drink. Why else had she gotten him those beers?

  There was no getting away from what he’d done.

  “Where is she?” he asked.

  “She’s downstairs.”

  He walked downstairs to find Milly completely naked, chained up.

  Most of the time, he’d used the basement to torture men. The door slammed shut, and he heard the footsteps of Bear. Staring at Milly, he saw the fear in her eyes.

  “She lied,” Milly said.

  “She didn’t lie. I know Robin. I’ve known her a long time. She and my son used to share cribs. You think I don’t see you? The conniving bitch. The slut. The whore. I know what it is you want, and you thought Bishop would be an easy target. My guess is, on one of his many days of taking you, you said some shit about Robin and my son defended her.” From the shock on her face, he knew he was right. “You see, you can’t pull anything over my eyes.” He shook his head. He wrapped his fingers around her throat. “You made the biggest fucking mistake putting her in my bed. You see, I can’t kill myself, but I know she wouldn’t have been there if it hadn’t been for you.” He tightened some more, watching her face go red before he let her go.

  He listened to the sounds as she tried to drag in as much oxygen as possible.

  “You can’t do this. I’m a woman. Men love me.”