Our Secrets

by Erin Osborne

  “So, as I said before, we don’t need your shit here. You have proven you aren’t loyal or anythin’ and that’s not shit we want around our club. We’re dealin’ with a bunch of shit right now and don’t need skanks addin’ to our problems,” Satan orders, his voice low and deadly as he begins walking closer to the bitches in question.

  With the glares Satan and Torch are leveling on them, neither girl goes back to get any of their belongings. They simply race from the clubhouse and don’t look back. I can’t help it, I bust out laughing my ass off. That’s the best thing I’ve seen in so long. Torch walks up and kisses the top of my head as the clubhouse door opens once again.

  “What the fuck is goin’ on in here?” Tags questions as I turn to face my man who’s got Becky with him.

  “Some of the girls thought they were gonna talk shit to Victoria while no one else was in the room. She not only put them in their place, that was them tryin’ to run you over on their way out,” Torch answers him as his gaze lands on Becky.

  Today she’s wearing a cut little sundress with her long hair flowing down her back. She never wears her hair down because she’s always baking or cooking something. Even without a lick of make-up on her face, Becky is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Someone has beaten her confidence out of her and it’s a shame. I have a feeling it won’t be long before my big brother is making sure she knows exactly how beautiful inside and out she truly is.

  “Hey Becky. How are you?” I greet her as she lowers her head.

  “I’m okay. How are you feeling?” she asks me, lifting her head slightly to show a pretty blush covering her cheeks.

  “Not too bad,” I answer her honestly. “You ready to have lunch and talk?”

  She nods her head as Tags sets our food down on the table. He places a kiss on my head as Becky pulls out the chair next to me. Torch, Satan, and Tags grab a seat at the bar as she begins pulling the containers from the bag. Once everything is set out, we begin to eat. Thankfully I have one arm to use so I don’t look like a complete fool.

  As we’re eating, I turn my head to look at the guys who are trying to act like they don’t want to hear what we’re gonna talk about. Tags is looking at me and I give him a glare so he knows to get the hell out of here. Finally, he nods his head and communicates to the guys it’s time for them to leave the room. It’s girl talk time and we can’t do that with them around.

  “How have you been since the wedding?” I ask Becky as we finish our food.

  “I’ve been okay,” she responds, pushing the container away. “Um, I’ve seen your brother since then. He stopped over to hang out a few nights ago.”

  “Oh yeah? Did you have fun?” I question her, knowing the guys are more than likely in Torch’s war room listening in on our conversation.

  Personally, I don’t care. I simply want Becky to feel comfortable.

  “Yeah, I did. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met. He seems genuinely interested in who I am as a person. Torch can be a great friend if I ever let him in,” she answers honestly.

  Shit! She just friend zoned my big brother. I’m just not sure it’s what she truly wants.

  “Is that what you want? Him to be a friend?” I question her, seeing Torch standing behind us in the hallway and I realize he’s respecting her privacy to talk with me.

  The look on his face is a mixture of pain, regret, and determination. He doesn’t see this as a woman who’s playing hard to get who he has to chase; this is someone he genuinely wants to spend time with. He’s realizing he’ll have his work cut out for him now and I know he’ll do whatever it takes to get her.

  “I don’t know. There’s honestly no way in hell a guy like him would ever want someone who looks like me,” she replies in a soft voice. “I realized my limitations a long time ago. I’m fine with being single for the rest of my life.”

  My heart is literally breaking for my friend right now. She has no clue how amazing she is. Or how bad my brother truly wants to get to know her and spend time with her. I’m sure he wants more than that from Becky however he’s not going to scare her off. That’s not how Torch works. He sits back and bides his time. At least for a while he will.

  “Don’t sell him short. Torch is a good guy. I’m not just saying that because he’s my brother either. More often than not, I can’t stand how bossy he is or how he interferes in my life. However, if I ever need anything, he’s right there. It doesn’t matter the time of day or night it is. Pyro is the same way. He’s loyal as hell and will never do you wrong,” I inform her. “If he’s spending time with you, it’s because he wants to. Torch will treat you right.”

  Becky nods her head in response. After taking a minute to think about things, she looks at me as if she wants to tell me something. Something she’s not sure if I’ll back her or laugh at her.

  “Can I tell you something?” she finally asks me.

  “You can tell me anything at all. Ever,” I swear to her, meaning every single word.

  “I want to open a bakery. Making the cake for the wedding was one of the best days of my life. When I told my parents this while they were still alive, they said my dream was crazy. I’d never make it anywhere with a business like that. I’ve tried other things, but nothing makes me as happy as when I’m baking for an event or trying to make someone’s dream a reality,” she informs me, her face turning bright red at her admission.

  “Why would they say that to you?” I question her, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “I saw the work you did for Hollie and Capone’s wedding. Made sure it was exactly what she wanted. You came here when everyone in here could tell it was the last place you wanted to be. All to make Hollie’s day special for her. I don’t know many other people who would’ve done that. If you want to open a bakery, I’ll do anything in my power to make it happen for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she tells me, tears filling her eyes. “I have some money saved up. Not a lot, but it’s a start for now. I’ll just keep saving my money so I can get a place and make my dream a reality.”

  “We’ll see,” I respond, knowing I’m going to be talking to someone about helping her.

  The rest of the afternoon, I spend with Becky. We simply sit talking and laughing together. I’m completely at ease and not worried about anything right now. Tags and other guys come and go from the common room every now and then. However, for the most part, they leave us alone to have our girl time. This is why I love it here. We’re family and everyone respects one another for the most part.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Tags

  IT’S BEEN A few weeks since we found Victoria. She now has the brace off her knee but still has to take it easy. While she’s happy about having a little bit more freedom, I’m sill not letting her walk around too much. That she’s not impressed with at all. The only thing I’m trying to do is make sure she doesn’t make her injury worse and have to have surgery or the brace put back on again.

  Today, I’m getting her out of the clubhouse though. She hasn’t left since we brought her home. While we’re not leaving the compound because of what’s going on right now, we’re at least getting outside. I’ve got a special surprise for her too. I’m hoping to make today as good for her as possible.

  Victoria won’t let anyone know when she’s feeling down or anything else. She still has a tendency to hide things from everyone. There are times, from the shit with Scott, Vic feels as if she’s being a burden on everyone around her. That will never ever be the case when it comes to her brothers, anyone else in the club, or myself. We’ll be here for her no matter what she’s got going on.

  Walking in our room, I find Vic sitting on the bed, crying. Rushing to her side, I pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around me and simply cries. I let her cry for a few minutes until I sense her trying to calm herself down.

  “What’s goin’ on, baby?” I ask her, pulling back far enough to see her beautiful face.

  “I’m just having a
bad day. It sucks not being able to leave the clubhouse. Of knowing Becky is out there and I’m not sure if she’s protected since she’s been at the clubhouse a few times now,” she answers honestly. “I spend most of my time in your room and do nothing. I’m not used to this, Tags.”

  “I know, baby. Once we have everythin’ under control, you’ll have your friend back. My only concern right now is you and our baby,” I let her know. “If you need me, I’m here. On the off chance I’m not around, anyone else will sit here with you, spend time with you, or anything else you need. We’re all feelin’ this, baby.”

  “I know we’re all goin’ through this. It’s my damn fault. If I weren’t stupid enough to get involved with Scott in the first place,” she begins telling me, more tears filling her eyes.

  “Nope. I’m not listenin’ to this shit. Scott would’ve done this with or without you. Baby, let’s get out of the clubhouse for a little while. We can’t leave the compound, but we can go outback. I’ve got some food packed up and we’re gonna go have somethin’ to eat. Then we’ll come back and relax for a while. How does that sound?”

  Victoria nods her head at me as she pulls me into her body once more. These are the moments I love having with her. There isn’t any talking or anything; we simply show our love for one another in the simplest of ways. What more could anyone want?

  Helping her up, I pull the wheelchair close to her since we’ll be going out back. It’s too uneven or anything for her to walk while hanging on to me. If I didn’t have other shit to carry, I’d simply carry her. I’ll take any chance I can to have her in my arms. Always.

  Once she’s in the wheelchair, I push her from the room, grab the basket I left outside the door, and the blanket. Vic takes the blanket while I lock the door to our room. Yeah, I’ll be correcting her on that shit as soon as possible too. It’s not my room. Victoria is my ol’ lady even if we haven’t done the claiming in the eyes of the club, they all know she’s mine and where this is going. I haven’t hidden a fucking thing since my initial talk about everything with Torch and Pyro.

  Wheeling Victoria out through the back-door Torch propped open for me, I push her over the grass and away from the back of the clubhouse. I don’t want to go too far from the building. At the same time, there’s no way in hell I’m giving Vic her surprise while we’re inside or anywhere near the place.

  When I find the perfect spot under one of the larger trees, I stop pushing the wheelchair. After laying out the blanket, I help her get out of the chair and she sits down on the blanket. Thankfully I grabbed one of my hoodies for her because it is a little chilly outside today. Placing the hoodie over her head, I help her pull it down once her good arm is through the sleeve.

  “Are you okay?” I question her.

  “I’m perfect,” she responds, tilting her face up toward the sun.

  Even though we’re sitting under a large tree, what sun is out, still shines down on us. I’m fine in nothing but my tee-shirt and cut. I’ll be damned if she’s going to get cold while we’re out here. I’ll always do what I can for this woman and any child she graces me with.

  “So, why the picnic outside today?” she questions me once I have our food which consists of sandwiches, chips, and bottles of water.

  It’s not much, but I’m a simple guy. Victoria is also a simple woman. She doesn’t necessarily like the finer things in life; never has since I’ve known her.

  “I know you’re goin’ crazy bein’ stuck inside. Today is about you and just gettin’ you out of there for a little while,” I let her know, keeping my secret to myself for the time being. “And it’s not my room you’ve been stayin’ in. It’s our room. We’re together and that’s our room, baby.”

  “Thank you. This is only one of the reasons why I love you Tags. You’re so good to me,” she replies, leaning toward me for a kiss.

  We eat our food mainly in silence. When we do talk, it’s about things we’ve been getting up to whenever we’re not together. She even tells me about the latest book she’s been reading. Yes, I’m interested in all of that. It’s a part of her life and something she loves to do, so I’m going to ask her about her books. Even if I firmly believe they are nothing more than mommy porn. I’ve read some scenes in those books and it’s given me ideas of things to do with my woman.

  Once we’re done eating, I sit behind her and pull her into my arms. For a while we sit together and just look out at the empty expanse of the yard behind the clubhouse. My hands are resting on her belly as I wait for our son to move. I can’t wait for the day I can finally feel movement from him. This entire experience is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life and I want to experience more than once with Victoria.

  After we sit for a while, I slide out from behind Victoria. I’m so damn nervous right now and can’t wait any longer. As she sits up, I get on bended knee in front of her. Instantly, tears fill her eyes as I look at my woman.

  “Vic, I don’t have all the words you need to hear and I sure as fuck don’t always do the right thing. However, I know I love you and I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy. You and the baby mean more to me than anything else in this world. We won’t always be at the clubhouse, I promise. I want to build us a home here in the compound so we can live our lives in peace. Victoria, I love you so much. There aren’t enough words out there to describe the way you make me feel on a daily basis. I’m a lucky son of a bitch and I’ll never take you for granted. Will, you do me the honor of becomin’ my wife?” I ask her, my own tears welling up because I know this is one of the most important moments of my life.

  “Yes!” Victoria screams her answer without hesitation.

  Holding the ring out for her, I slide it on her finger. I got her a diamond ring surrounded by rubies. Rubies are one of her favorite stones, so I had them add some to the band as well. Victoria stares down at her ring for a few minutes and lets her tears flow.

  “You know my brothers are going to lose their shit, right?” she asks on a laugh.

  “Nope. I asked for their permission before I brought you out here,” I let her know as she gasps and looks at me with shock filling her face.

  “You did?”

  Nodding my head, I lean in to kiss her. I pour every ounce of love and passion I can into this kiss. It’s cut short when my phone begins ringing. This is not good. Everyone knew what I was about to do and promised not to disturb us while we were out here. We were going to celebrate small when we went back in.

  “’Lo?” I answer my phone.

  “I know what you’re doin’ right now and I wouldn’t call if it weren’t important,” Satan informs me. “Need you inside to finish off this dirty fucker. We need to prove to Juan we’re not fuckin’ around and he’s not gettin’ the fucker back.”

  “Okay. You’re lucky it wasn’t a few minutes earlier because I wouldn’t have answered,” I respond, letting him know I don’t want to be in there right now.

  Hanging up, I turn to Vic. She already has a resigned look on her face. My fiancé wants to celebrate our engagement just as bad as I do.

  “We’ll pick this up in a little bit. I promise, baby,” I inform her, picking up our garbage and tossing it in the basket. “Let me take care of business and I’m yours the rest of the night and tomorrow.”

  Victoria nods her head. Once I have her up in the wheelchair and everything else picked up, I push her back toward the clubhouse. She chooses to go into our room alone instead of hanging out in the common room. As soon as I know she’s settled in the room, I place a soft kiss on her lips and leave the room. I don’t wear my cut downstairs either. There isn’t a point when I know what’s about to happen.

  Torch, Pyro, Satan, Capone, Wrath, Grinder, and Gunner meet me in the hallway. Not a single one of them are wearing their cuts right now. We all head down into the basement where the asshole is. I’m bouncing on my feet with barely controlled rage as Satan unlocks the door and we all file in.

  Scott is hanging in the same position he’s
been in since he was brought in. Well, I mean he’s got a few more cuts, bruises, gashes, and other injuries than at that point in time. It’s been a great way to relieve stress when we’re all feeling the need to reach out and beat on someone. Instead of going in the ring with one of the other guys in the club, we head down there instead.

  “Make sure this shit gets recorded. Everyone you get one shot. Torch, Pyro, or Tags gets the kill shot. This fucker is messin’ with us all, but he took their sister and Tags’ woman,” Satan orders, looking at each of us down there.

  I lean back against the wall with Torch and Pyro while the rest of the guys line up to take their shots at Scott. We watch on as each man takes his shot at Scott. When it gets to us, Pyro is the first one to go. He grabs a pair of pliers and stalks toward the asshat in question.

  Looking at Pyro, a sadistic smile covers his face. Using the pliers, he rips Scott’s nipple off. His screams echo off the walls making my ears bleed. Pyro doesn’t stop there though. He rips off his other one too. From there we watch on as he moves the pliers lower. This crazy son of a bitch, grabs a hold of his balls and squeezes as hard as he can.

  Every single man in the room cringes and grabs our own junk with the pain we know Scott is feeling right now. It’s not because we give a single fuck about his pain, we’re protecting ourselves and making sure our shit is still there. I will never get on Pyro’s bad side again.

  “Wake that motherfucker up!” Satan orders since Scott passed the hell out.

  Once he’s awake, Torch takes his turn. Pyro is resting against the wall with me, a content smile on his face. Yeah, I won’t be doing anything to piss him off. Fuck! I wonder what the hell Torch is gonna do now.

  “You fuckin’ scumbag wanna be a piece of shit to my baby sister!” Torch yells out, filling the room with his booming voice. “You think what my little brother did to you is bad? He ain’t got shit on me.”