He holds his hands up, in a back off dude gesture. “Tatum was with her today, so I was worried about where they are. You don’t have to take my head off man, I am engaged to her.”
“Then fuckin’ text or call her if you wanna know where she is. I’m not my sister’s keeper.”
Deliberately the punk lights a cigarette and blows smoke in my face. “The fuck, dude? You’re usually on my ass about being up hers.”
He’s got a point, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better. On the edge is where I’ve been for months now, and after the email, I’m even more so. “Yeah, Christine even closed up shop early. They’re all in one place, at least.”
“They’re all at Charity’s?” Steele asks, running a hand through his hair, a sucker hanging from his mouth. “That’s really not a good idea considering her cameras went down earlier today.”
“I trust her to know what she’s doing,” I answer, losing my patience with all of them. Which I know is insane. They aren’t doing anything wrong, I’m just so sick of being behind the curve on everything. “Besides the cameras went down because the cable company accidentally cut the line.” I shrug. “It’s not like there’s anything we can do about. I would prefer for them all to be together. I’m sure they’re in the interior office. Especially with those plate-glass windows.”
The group continues to talk amongst themselves as we watch lightning streak across the sky, in the background. As the cloud moves closer to us, I see Cash come out of his shop, running across the street to ours. He clears the garage bay right as the sky opens up, sending buckets of rain down onto the dry streets.
“Just in fuckin’ time,” he pants as he bends at the knees. “Getting damn old. I don’t know if you all heard or not, but they’ve issued a severe thunderstorm warning.”
“Figured.” I kick at the ground with the toe of my boot, rolling around a rock. “It’s too hot not to come a fucking flood and have a hell of a storm.”
The group of us are quiet as we watch mother nature rage. The wind howls, sheets of rain go sideways against the ground. It’s a spectacular display of nature’s fury, much like the one I still have raging inside of me. One that’s fucking tripled when I get a text message from an unknown number on my phone.
You might want to check on your wife and all her friends. Maybe that line being cut by the cable company wasn’t a mistake at all.
My stomach drops and I find myself running through the puddling water and hopping into one of our tow trucks, praying the keys are in it. Flipping the sun visor down, they fall in my lap.
“I don’t know where you’re going, but you’re not going by yourself.” Jagger hauls himself up beside me. “Dalton figured it’d be best if he stayed behind as VP, but I know that look of fear on your face, Drew. Whatever this is, you don’t have to handle it on your own.”
But that’s the bitch of this situation, I do, because I don’t know who to trust. The only person I know for sure I can count on is me. “The girls may be in trouble.” I give him a little, enough to answer the question about why I’m leaving in a storm of biblical proportions. “Well, all except B since she’s at school.”
“Then I’m right where I need to be.” He holds on as we slowly pull out of the parking lot, driving as fast as we can in the elements. Two miles down the road, we hear the community outdoor warning sirens going off, meaning we have a tornado warning.
“You care if we keep going?” I glance at the sky, not seeing anything, but I know it would be rain-wrapped.
“Do what you need to do, I’m with you every step of the way.’
“Then we’re going, and we’re not stopping until we get into the parking lot of Charity’s office.”
Charity
“It is fucking coming down out there,” Tatum bitches as she comes through the door, along with Harper. Both of them are holding umbrellas, whatever good that did for them.
“I brought treats.” Harper holds a bakery box in front of her. “They’re a little water-logged, but who can say no to donuts and pie?”
“No one in this office,” I quip as I help them get their gear off and the box of pastries set down.”
Mandy brings a towel out from our bathroom, throwing it toward them so they can dry off. “Don’t mind if I do.” She opens the box, taking a plain glazed donut out. When she bites into it, the moan that escapes is almost embarrassing to the rest of us.
“What?” she asks as we look at her.
“I’m on fucking low-carb bullshit with Dalton right now, and the only time I get to cheat is when I’m here. Do you realize you can get sick of steak and cheese? When he mentioned it, I was all about it, but I need some carbs in my life.” She takes another bite, moaning again.
“Drew and I did that last year for two months. We’ll never do it again, and I’m warning you. Your stomach is going to kill you in like thirty minutes. You’ll wish you’d never taken a bite of that donut.”
“No.” She grins, licking her fingers. “I’m one hundred percent okay with this decision.
“I see I’ve come to the right place,” Christine laughs, stomping her rain booted feet. “Looks like we’ve got great company and sweets to keep us full.”
“I see you had the correct footwear for a day like today.” Tatum lifts up her soggy flip flops. “I need you to help me get my life together.”
“You should always have a pair of rain boots.” Christine grins. “That’s rule number one. At least that’s what Jagger told me after I ruined my third pair of shoes a few winters ago.”
“Jagger’s pretty smart,” Harper answers. “I don’t mind to say it since B’s not here, but he’s pretty hot too, especially when he sings.”
“Yeah.” I fan my hand in front of my face. “We all become fangirls when he’s on stage.”
Right then a loud boom of thunder rocks the building, causing it to shake.
“Holy shit.” Harper grabs her chest. “That was loud!”
“Maybe we should go into the interior room.” Mandy worries her lip between her teeth. “It looks like it’s getting rough out there. Should we call CRISIS and check on the kids? They should be off the bus by now.”
Right as she says those words, we hear the tornado sirens go off, so the group of us gathers up our stuff. We’re not nervous, because we’ve been through this before. A lot of times they are radar indicated and Bowling Green gets more straight-line wind damage than anything. But it’s at this point we hear another loud boom, and the building rocks again.
“That was louder than the last.” Christine hurries with us to the interior room.
Just as I’m about to agree with her and we all shuffle our way into the hall, a final boom shakes the building for real this time, and I know it’s not thunder.
Turning around, I watch as the plate-glass window of my office shatter, and the brick façade disintegrates. Screaming, our group runs to the interior room, locking ourselves in. Most of them are on the phone, texting their men, but me? I’m going to a hidden safe, where I have a gun. I’ll be damned if whoever this is takes us. They won’t be getting out alive.
Chapter Eleven
Drew
The rain is pouring in sheets in front of the tow truck. Even though it’s a heavy vehicle, it’s still hard to keep it on the road. I’m white-knuckling it as we pull around the downtown square. Construction that’s been abandoned since the storm came upon us moves the other drivers braving the elements to one lane.
“Fucking go!” I beep the horn, causing the person in front of me to double-tap their brakes. “Double-tap all you want motherfucker!” I yell, though they can’t hear me over the sound of the water beating around us.
“Calm down.” Jagger speaks as softly as he can. “They don’t know what’s happening and they’re just trying to make it to wherever they’re going.”
“I know!” I glare at him, growling when we have to stop for a red light. “I know,” I say again, this time calmer, but only barely. “You don’t unders
tand.”
“The fuck I don’t.” He grabs a cigarette out of the box he carries in his jeans. “Do you not remember what happened with B and that damn principal? Took years off my life, man, so don’t tell me I don’t know how you feel. She may not be the mother of my children, but she’s everything to me and I don’t know what I would do if she weren’t here to share this life. I may not be an officer or responsible for the well-being of our entire MC, but I do know something about protecting those that I love. I wear this patch same as you.” He taps his chest. “Which means I would take a bullet for any of my brothers, their women or children.”
I close my eyes, irritated that I’ve let myself become so one-track-minded. Other people have issues and worries. For so long I’ve thought my problems were the most important, the only ones, and I recognize now it’s short-sighted of me. “Never meant to diminish what you went through with her.”
“I know you didn’t, I know you’re just trying to figure out how to deal with this shit. It’s tough shit to deal with. Once it all gets straightened out, or you think it’s gotten straightened out, then you have to deal with the feelings. The fear of it happening again is the goddamn worst. Someone told you, you should talk to someone, and they’re right.”
I’m listening to him, doing my best to take my personal feelings out of what’s happening, but it’s so damn hard. I’ve worked my entire life – since I was abandoned by a piece of shit dad, to be something the father who cared about me was proud of – and now some supposed half-brother from the father I never met or had anything to do with comes back to do this to me. Feels like I’m either the unluckiest son of bitch ever or just paranoid as fuck.
The light finally turns green, allowing traffic to move and me to take the left-hand turn leading to Charity’s office.
“Fuck me!”
There’s a guy standing in front of the building, wearing black jeans, a black hoodie with gloves covering his hands. I watch, almost dumbfounded as he leans down, sets something on the pavement then moves a few feet away. When he pulls the cell phone out of his pocket, both Jagger and I know exactly what the fuck he’s doing. I struggle to put the truck in park, in the middle of the damn road, no less. As we hop out, the explosion is deafening. We both take cover behind the metal doors of the tow truck.
I’m out from behind the door as soon as I think it’s safe, but it’s still not quick enough. The guy, he’s running down the sidewalk as members of the Sherriff’s Department start coming out of their office down the street.
“Go!” Jagger yells, “I’ll check on the girls.”
There’s a part of me that wonders if I can trust him, and that shit kills me because I’ve always been able to trust my guys. There’s never been one thing I didn’t trust them with. Now though, I don’t know if I can trust them with my wife. But vengeance rides high in my gut, I have to have it. I take off at a run, following the darkly clad individual. Rain soaks my clothes, my boots slosh through puddles made by this storm. He takes an alleyway that I know a shortcut to, and I know I’ve got him. Panting, I run to the other side, waiting for him as he comes through the other entrance.
His neck hits my arm as I clothesline him. The sound of him going down on the ground is muffled by the water.
“Ooff.” He shakes his head as he takes stock of where he is.
“C’mon, motherfucker.” I stand over him, dying to throw a few punches and ready to show him exactly how pissed off I am. Just to release some of the rage I’ve felt since all of this started.
Letting him get up, I take a fighter’s stance. After all the years I’ve spent in the boxing ring with the other members of the club, I know how to protect myself. He takes a swing at me, which I avoid. He gets off-balance and I know I have him.
There’s a part of me that knows the president of the club shouldn’t lose his shit like this, but there’s another part of me that can’t fucking help it. I want this guy to know my fear, the insomnia I face at night, the ragged edge I’m riding. Even though I follow in Liam’s footsteps on most things, this reaction, I know is something I get from my biological dad. This need to feel bone break against my knuckles, to hear someone gasp for air.
Grabbing him by the hoodie, I hold him, punching him with my right hand. Over and over I punch him, until he falls. “C’mon, get up,” I pant, wanting to get another piece of him. Blood is pouring out of his nose, from his lips, and across the brow line of his face. He staggers, holding his hands out to get his balance, allowing me to brace and send another fist to his face.
After I connect, feeling my knuckles crack again, I’m lifted off my feet. “The fuck?”
Someone throws me over their shoulder and my back roughly connects with the concrete. My gun makes a loud racket as it comes loose, skidding just to within reach as I stretch out for it. They’re immediately on me, throwing punches. Defensively I start kicking my legs and holding my hands in front of my face. It’s still storming, rain still coming down, so I can’t fully make out whoever this is. When they come closer to me, I grab hold of their head, pulling them down beside me, smiling with satisfaction as it cracks against the asphalt. Before I can get myself up, the two people I’ve been fighting are collecting one another, leaning against each other’s sides, limping away.
“Your brother says hi,” is the only thing they say. Reaching over to grab my water-logged gun, I point it at them, too far away now to fire. Frustration is the only emotion I feel as I point the gun into the air and unload the fucking clip, screaming.
“Shit!” I’m disappointed as I walk as fast as I can back down to Charity’s office. There’s a pain in my side as I pick up speed, but I do my best to ignore it, knowing she needs me. Knowing I need her.
Charity
“When did you get a gun?” Mandy whisper-shouts as we all huddle together.
“When I got run off the road and we all got threatened. I’ve been going with Drew every Sunday to shoot,” I whisper-shout back at her. “It’s important I know how to protect not only myself, but my girls, too.”
Honestly, they had been the deciding factor in why I decided to get my concealed carry license and finally learn to defend myself. Drew’s also been giving me hand-to-hand lessons, but I don’t share that info. More often than not, it ends with us kissing and laughing. Drew. Where the fuck is he?
There’s noise at the front of the building causing my heart to gallop in my chest. We’ve practiced a lot for me to not be scared when I’m holding this gun. He’s put me in situations where I’m hiding somewhere, and he busts in while I’m blindfolded. There have been times when he’s held a gun on me. In the back of my mind, I know he’d never hurt me, but a gun can make you nervous and it was imperative that I be able to handle this weapon under pressure. Otherwise, I’d be no help to anyone. As I was trained, I hold my finger to the side of the trigger, not wanting to accidentally shoot someone here to help us.
“Who’s there?” I yell, hoping like hell to hear Drew’s voice.
They don’t answer and when the door flings open, bouncing on the on the wall beside it, the other women scream, but I shout something else.
“I have a gun and I know how to use it!”
“Damnit Charity.” I hear Jagger’s voice as he comes in with his hands up. “Put the gun down, I’m not here to hurt you; I’m here to help you.”
I’m not entirely convinced because of everything that’s been going on within this group. “Why didn’t you say something when I asked who you were?”
“I couldn’t hear you.” He holds his hands up in front of his chest. “Being on stage without in-ears for as long as I have, and riding the bike like I do, my hearing isn’t what it used to be.” Even in the semi-darkness I can see the embarrassment on his face. “I promise you, sweetheart, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Where’s Drew?”
“He took off down the street after the person who did this.” He points in the direction they ran. “I’m here to check on all of you before I
go help him out.”
“Then go.” I wave him away with the gun. “We’re fine. It’s one of him against who knows how many of them. He’ll need your help.”
“I’m on it.” He turns, a grin on his face. “You might wanna put that away, the popo is on the way.”
I give Jagger a grin because he’s always been able to make me smile, no matter how serious the situation. Just as I get the gun locked up again, the Sheriff’s Department arrives. They have us go outside, where it’s finally stopped raining, and I do my best to give them my attention. But as I go out to start talking to them, the only thing I can do is watch the direction Drew and Jagger should be coming from.
When I see him limping up, wiping blood off his face, I forget about the damn cop and run full-tilt to my husband, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.
“I thought we were dead,” I breathe into his ear.
“Not with me around, nothing will ever hurt you. I swear to that.”
Chapter Twelve
Charity
“Is Daddy okay?” Harley whispers as we get ready for bed later on that night.
It’s been pretty quiet around our house since we got home, and I can understand why Harley’s scared to speak any louder than what she is. Drew is… God I don’t know what he is right now. It’s hard to tell what the hell he’s thinking, and that’s the scariest part. He seems to be one part shocked, another part pissed.
“Daddy had a rough day,” I answer as I brush her hair.
“Grandma said we should be good tonight,” Justice speaks just as low as her sister did.
“Grandma was right, but that doesn’t mean you have to be completely silent. Just because adults have rough days doesn’t mean we’re mad or upset with you.” I stress this because I don’t want them to think the shit we’re going through is because of them.
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