by Erin Osborne
“Anyone got anythin’ else?” I ask, looking around the room one more time.
Slamming the gavel when no one speaks up, we all begin to file out of the room. The Nomads are the first ones to leave. Blaze is waiting outside the door when I walk through it with Grim and Playboy. After talking for a minute, I grab Trinity and have her show him to a room he can crash in.
Shy is still sitting at the same table and I can see her head dropping as she feeds the baby. My woman is tired as fuck and I know she needs to get home. I’m not going to bother hanging out with the guys tonight. Instead, I’ll go home with her and make sure she gets some rest while I take care of the baby.
“Dozer, got a minute?” I ask since he’s the only Nomad I can see right now.
“Yeah.”
“I’m headin’ home with my woman and the baby,” I say, looking toward my woman. “You guys do what you gotta do tonight and let me know if you find anythin’ out. I’ll keep my phone next to me.”
“Got it. I’ll head to the bar while the rest of the guys head out and search. I think I’ll have more luck with gettin’ this bitch to come with me than they will. And Summer understands what I’m doin’ tonight,” he tells me.
I nod my head and make my way over to Shy. She jerks her head when I get over to her and place my hand on her shoulder. I take the baby out of her arms and nod my head to get her to stand up. Grabbing the diaper bag, I carry everything out to the SUV while everyone yells their goodbyes.
As soon as we get to the house, I tell her to go up to bed. I take care of Kinsliegh and make sure she’s dressed in a pair of her pajamas and changed before putting her in her crib. By the time I make my way back to the bedroom, Shy’s already passed out. It’s early as fuck and I really don’t want to go to bed yet. But, being up with Kinsliegh all night has left me tired as fuck. Maybe a nap will be a good idea.
The ringing of my phone startles me awake in the middle of the night. It feels like I’ve just fallen back asleep from letting Shy rest tonight and I groan. Reaching for my phone off the nightstand, I look over my shoulder to make sure Shy’s still sleeping. Thankfully she is.
I climb out of bed as I answer the phone. “Got Collette. What do you want to happen?” Dozer asks.
“I’ll be right there,” I answer, hanging up the phone and getting dressed as quietly as possible.
Just before I leave the room, I walk over to Shy and kiss the top of her head. She stirs in her sleep and I let her know I’ll be back as soon as I can. Shy rolls over so she’s facing the monitor and settles back under the blankets.
I climb on my bike as soon as I make sure the house is locked up tight and Alex is on his way over. It takes me seconds to get to the clubhouse so we can find out what the fuck Collette knows about Snake’s Revenge. I know she’s been with them, nothing will convince me otherwise. It’s a feeling in my gut that won’t go away.
I’m not waiting for anyone else to get here. If the guys are here, they can be involved in the interrogation. Otherwise, they’ll hear about it in church. Looking around the common room, I see Dozer and Summer are waiting for me. They’re standing next to the bar and I can tell she’s ready to get down to work.
Summer is dressed in black clothing. It’s skintight so the bitch can’t grab ahold of anything on her. Blood stains won’t be seen on the clothing. Not that it matters because we’ll dispose of everything once she’s done working. The same we do for any guy that gets his hands dirty.
“She’s already down in the basement. Let us know when you’re ready,” Dozer says.
“Ready now. If anyone else is down there, they can join in. Otherwise, we’ll get with them in the mornin’.”
Summer and Dozer follow me down the stairs to the basement. I hold Summer off to see if we can get anything out of the bitch before bringing her in. Right now, I want Collette to think she’s got the upper hand because we don’t fuck with women and kids. Dozer might be enough to scare the shit out of her because he’s an unknown, but I doubt it with the skanky bitch.
Dozer, Playboy, Hound, and I walk in the room. Collette has been tied to a chair and as she looks up, a smirk covers her haggard face. She looks years older than she is and her eyes are lifeless as she looks at all of us. I know before she opens her mouth she’s going to make a comment at least one of us is going to want to punch her for.
“You’re all thinking you’re gonna run a train on me? Well, start with Slim because I’ve always wanted your cock,” she says, licking her lips and eye-fucking each and every one of us. “The new guy can finish off.”
“None of us are touchin’ your skank ass,” Playboy growls out.
“Come on, Playboy. You used to fuck me on the regular.”
Playboy leans against the wall behind him and I can tell he’s fuming right now. It’s only a matter of time before he snaps and I’m not going to stop his ass from doing anything. Not when the bitch thinks she’s about to get out of this shit alive and unscathed.
“Where you been stayin’?” I ask.
“Not your business,” she says.
“It is when you’re still fuckin’ with my club and lettin’ your new fuckers fuck with our women,” I say, stepping up in her space and getting in her face. “I want to know what the fuck you’ve done!”
“I haven’t done shit and there’s nothing you can do to make me talk,” she says.
“Oh, but we can,” I answer, smiling as I turn my back to the bitch and make my way over to the door.
Summer saunters into the room and I’m glad I get the enjoyment of watching Collette’s eyes bug out of her head. She didn’t know we have an ace up our sleeves with Summer. She may be an ol’ lady to Dozer, but she’s our go-to when we have a female that needs to be interrogated or tortured. Summer likes helping the clubs out this way and Dozer doesn’t give a shit if she does it.
“So, you don’t wanna talk?” Summer asks. “Well, let’s see what I can do to change your mind.”
The four of us stand back and watch on as Summer picks up a pair of pliers off the table to Collette’s left. After shaking her head, she puts them back down and picks up a knife. Walking over to the skank, she cuts her clothes off and laughs when Collette’s face turns red.
“Nothing for you to be embarrassed about. You’re nothing but a skank and walked around this clubhouse naked as the day you were born plenty of times. What makes right now any different? Because you know not a single man in here is gonna fuck your used-up body? I know my man won’t touch you if he was paid to,” she says, turning toward Dozer and wrapping her body around his. “You think he actually wanted to fuck you?”
Summer laughs as she makes her way back toward Collette. The knife is still in her hand and I’m dreading what she’s about to do with it when the sinister look enters her eyes. But I don’t move from against the wall— none of us do.
“Where you been?” Summer asks.
“Not saying a word.”
“Maybe we’ll start with losing your nipples then,” she says, stepping up to Collette and placing the knife against one of her tits.
“You wouldn’t. Slim, stop this bitch!” Collette screams.
Summer doesn’t hesitate. She slides the blade right through her nipple. Collette’s screams pierce the room and we all cringe at the volume of her. Dozer’s woman stands there and stares the skankarilla down for a minute, giving her a chance to change her mind.
When Collette doesn’t utter a single word, Summer gives her other nipple the same treatment. She has to practically jump back as Collette pukes all down the front of herself. Playboy walks over and grabs the bucket of water before tossing it on the bitch tied to the chair. It’s only to clean her up so Summer doesn’t have to touch anything on her with puke covering her nasty body.
Again, Collette screams because the water is ice cold. She immediately begins to shiver and without the protection of clothes, her skin turns red in spots because of how cold the water is. Collette starts sputtering and blinking her ey
es rapidly while she chokes on the water she wasn’t expecting to hit her.
“Wanna talk now? Or are we gonna keep playing this game?” Summer asks.
“I’ll t-t-talk,” Collette stutters. “I’ve been staying at the Snake’s Revenge compound. I went to them when I got kicked out of here. Figured I could start over as a clubwhore with a new club since I was banned from anyone you knew. It’s brutal there.”
“What have you told them?” I ask, standing up straight.
“Just that Shy took you from me and I wanted the bitch to pay,” Collette says, averting her eyes from anyone in the room.
“What?” I roar out. “What are their fuckin’ plans? Why are they goin’ after the women and kids here?”
“All I know is they wanna take you and Satan’s Anarchy out. They want your territory all to themselves. They’re going to do whatever they have to in order to get to you. Even if that means they go after the women and kids.”
My blood is boiling. I can’t believe they’re going to stoop so low to go after the women and kids associated with our clubs. Renegade is gonna have to bring everyone in and make sure the women know it’s not safe to go out alone. I’m going to have to do the same here.
Looking at my son, he pulls his phone out and makes a call. He’s going to call Renegade and make sure they bring in Callie, Hadliegh, and anyone else they need to. There’s one more piece of information we need from this bitch before I let Summer loose on her again.
“Where are they exactly? I don’t wanna fuckin’ hear they’re between here and Satan’s Anarchy,” I say.
“If you head toward Shadowville, about an hour and a half in, you’ll come to Carlisle. They’re in a house in the middle of nowhere. It’s been abandoned and I don’t think they bought it. That’s all I know. I don’t know the names of roads or anything else there,” she says.
“Why you givin’ up all the information now?” Hound asks.
“I’m dead either way. If I don’t talk here, this bitch is just gonna kill me. When I go back there, they’ll kill me. I think they got GPS on my car so they know I’m here by now,” she answers, letting the tears flow down her face.
“I think we got all she knows. Have at it, Summer. Let one of the Prospects know when you need a clean-up,” I say, turning to leave the room as Playboy follows me.
As we leave the room, Collette’s screams follow us up the stairs. Usually, I’d be there to help save a woman from getting tortured and beat on. Not in this case. Collette went too far by sending those assholes after Shy with a fucking lie. I’ve never once touched the bitch. And I sure as fuck would never make her my ol’ lady. Shy’s been the only candidate for that spot in my life.
“Let everyone know we’re havin’ church in a few hours. I’m gonna go get a little more sleep before we lock ourselves away. We’re not leavin’ until we come up with a plan to make these fuckers go away,” I tell Playboy knowing he’ll let everyone know.
I make my way back over to my house. Shy and Kinsliegh are still sleeping so I undress and climb back under the covers with my woman. Wrapping my body around hers, I soak in the fact she gets as close to me as possible, even in sleep.
Chapter Twenty-One
Shy
IT’S THE EARLY hours of the morning when I feel Slim climb back into bed with me. I barely heard his phone go off in the middle of the night, so I know he left on club business. What that club business is doesn’t mean anything to me because I don’t get to know the details. I’ll be told what I need to know and that’s it.
Kinsliegh got up a few times while he was gone and we spent some much-needed time together. Now, he’s back in bed and I have to get up for the day. In reality, I just want to snuggle up to him and forget the world exists for a few more hours. But I need to go to the store and Kinsliegh and I need to get ready for that.
Climbing out of bed, I make sure I don’t disturb Slim so I can jump in the shower. I take the monitor with me so she doesn’t wake him up. He hasn’t been sleeping since we brought the baby home and I want to make sure he gets some rest. Slim made sure I got that yesterday when we got home and I want to return the favor.
Rushing through my morning routine, I get dressed and throw my hair up into a messy bun. I forgo putting any makeup on as I rush to the nursery. Kinsliegh’s beginning to stir and sometimes Slim doesn’t need to hear her through the baby monitor before he’s getting up with her. Today, I’m not letting him do that.
I take the baby downstairs with a change of clothes, a diaper, and the empty bottle I left up here this morning. There’s one in the fridge I can warm up while I get her dressed and ready to go. It’s not going to take me long to go to the store and grab what I need.
Kinsliegh’s almost out of formula and I have to get a few small things for myself. As soon as she’s fed and ready to go, I place her in the car seat and make sure she’s secure before I head outside. We get in with no issues and I pull out of the driveway.
The road to the clubhouse is vacant and I imagine the guys are still sleeping after business was taken care of. The lone Prospect on the gate is a new guy. I’m not even sure what his name is he’s so new. I wave at him as I exit the compound and make my way to the store in town.
With Kinsliegh sleeping in the backseat, I turn the music on softly so I don’t disturb her. So Far Away by Crossfade plays as I think of everything that’s been happening. Not only the things with Slim but losing my cousin and the unknown threat against the club and the women and kids in particular.
I haven’t been able to fully process the loss of Patience. Not with getting custody of the baby and making sure my aunt was okay before she went home. Slim is just waiting for me to break. He either follows me around or watches me no matter where we are or what we’re doing. He wants to be there to pick up the pieces when it happens, but it’s unnerving to have him watch me all the time.
For now, my main priority is Kinsliegh and making sure she has what she needs. I’ll shower her with all the love a baby could ask for while I try to move on from the loss. One day I’ll break and I know my man and the club will have my back when it happens. Until then, I’m going to do what I have to do and make sure I’m not alone when it happens. Not like I can really plan out when I’m going to break though.
We pull up to the store and I’m relieved to find it’s almost vacant. This is my favorite time to shop because there’s not a lot of people here and I can get in and out quickly. Since I only have a few things to get, I’ll be back home before Slim wakes up. I can make him a good breakfast before he heads back to the clubhouse for the day. That’s something I’ve missed doing. Once I get a routine figured out that works for us, I’ll have to make breakfast for the guys a few times a week. I used to do it all the time when I was staying there.
Placing the car seat in the cart, I push it through the store and grab the essentials. When I’m in the baby aisle, I look at a few toys and other items before grabbing a few cans of formula. I make my way to the front of the store and see a few men lingering by the newspaper rack. My instincts tell me to leave the cart where it is and find a different way out with Kinsliegh.
These men are greasy and unkempt looking. Their eyes are darting all over the store as if they’re looking for someone. I can see they’re wearing cuts, but I’m not sure what club they belong to. With how dirty and disgusting the cuts are, I know it’s not a club that has any honor or regard for their colors. No man in an MC would let their cut get as dirty as these ones are.
One of the men stares me down as I place my items on the conveyor belt and try to pay attention to the cashier. He’s inching closer and my instincts begin to scream at me to get the fuck out of here. If it were just me, I’d shove the cart at the group of men and skirt around them as fast as possible. Just to try to make it to the SUV where I know a gun rests in the glove compartment. Slim told me it was there, but I don’t know I’ll have the time to make it there with Kinsliegh.
The cashier finishes ringing up
my purchase and I look around to see if there’s a bag boy or anyone that can walk me out to the parking lot. I don’t find anyone as I take in the front of the store. There’s only the manager hiding in the front office and one other cashier.
Looks like it’s showtime as I place the bag in the cart and check on Kinsliegh to make sure she’s still asleep. I walk past the men like I don’t have a care in the world and cringe when I realize they’re following me from the store. This is not going to be good.
By the time I get to the door of the SUV, I sense one of the men right behind me. His body heat and odor permeate the air surrounding me as the hair on the back of my neck stands up straight. Leaning over to get the car seat from the back of the cart, a hand grabs my ass. The only thing I can do right now is act like I don’t feel it while fighting back the bile threatening to spew from my mouth.
“Looks like the bitch is stuck up, boys,” one man says. “Can’t even give a smile or nothin’ to us.”
“I don’t know who you are or what you want. I’ve got my baby and don’t want any trouble. Please, let me go,” I say, turning around once I know Kinsliegh’s set.
“I don’t think that works for us. Do you, boys?” the man closest to me asks.
A chorus of ‘no’s’ comes from the four other men as they move in closer so no one beyond them can see me. I may be short, but these men are not much taller than me. Certainly, none of them are tall like the men I’ve come to know and love in the Phantom Bastards.
“What I think is about to happen is you’re goin’ to come with us. We’ll make sure Slim and the rest of the pussies know we got you. Wish we didn’t have to take the skank’s baby, but that can’t be helped,” one of the other men says.
The flash on his cut says his road name is Haggard. I can believe it. This man is taller than the rest of the guys surrounding me. He’s got long hair that’s so greasy I can’t even begin to tell what color it is. His beard’s unkempt and almost down to the middle of his chest. It looks like there’s a week’s worth of dirt and grime caked into it. There’s a horrible scar running from the corner of his eye all the way down to his neck.
