“Hey, we’re cutting the cake, any of you assholes that wanna see better get your asses over here!” He bellowed, making Molly giggle and glare at him.
“Be nice, Bone!” Molly demanded.
“I am being nice, baby. I’m letting you cut the cake, aren’t I?” Bone said handing her the cake knife with a grin.
“You’re hopeless.” Molly sighed, even as she leaned forward to kiss him.
“Yep,” Bone grunted as he held the hand with the knife to help her cut the cake. “But you still love me.” He finished as they slid a piece of cake onto a plate.
Molly picked up a piece and shoved it towards his mouth purposely missing it and hitting his cheek, she let out a gleeful shriek. Bone responded by grabbing her around the waist and rubbing his cheek over hers with a loud chuckle.
“Naught little, Minx!” He bellowed.
Tiny snickered watching the two of them, Racheal grinned seeing her friends happiness. It didn’t take long before the couple was done playing and Bone was shuffling her into the clubhouse to change before they left on his bike. Racheal got a piece of the cake which was red velvet and absolutely divine. As she and Tiny watched Molly and Bone taking off with the other club members who’d come out to watch, she was surprised when Tiny began tugging her towards his bike.
“Umm…Tiny what are you doing? I can’t ride that thing.” Racheal exclaimed as they neared it.
“You can babe.” Tiny announced, handing her a leather jacket.
“No really Tiny! I’m wearing a dress.” Racheal’s panicked voice was higher than her normal one she noted.
“Dress is short, put on the jacket it’ll be fine.” Tiny wasn’t listening he was climbing onto the bike turning to look at her waiting.
“I am not riding that thing, Tiny!” Racheal squeaked again.
“Get on the damned bike, now. Racheal!” Tiny commanded.
“No!”
“Darlin’ are you scared of riding?” Tiny asked challengingly.
“No! I just can’t ride it in a dress!” Racheal desperately tried to convince Tiny that it wasn’t fear that made her refuse to get on the back of his bike, but it was. They looked unsafe and she knew that they could be dangerous. Two days after she’d gotten here she’d been at Doc’s for a sleep aide, and she’d seen a man named Looney come in with road rash from his upper shoulder all the way to his hips. It had looked as if all the skin was gone from his side, it had freaked her out.
“Fine, here go change.” Tiny barked, reaching into a compartment she hadn’t noticed and pulled out a pair of her jeans and a t-shirt. She stared at them dumbfounded. Realizing that Tiny had planned this and he wasn’t going to give up on it easily. Damn it, she was going to have to ride that damned bike with him.
She shook her head again wanting to deny that she was scared, but knowing that Tiny already knew. Tiny always knew. She put the jacket on with a sigh.
“Fine, I’ll ride this damned thing, but if I get killed. I’m haunting your ass forever!” Racheal yelled walking the few feet while he returned the clothes he’d held out to her to the compartment.
“Climb on babe, I promise you’ll love it. I wouldn’t let you on the bike if I couldn’t handle it.” Tiny arrogantly pronounced, waiting for her to get on then looked at her over his shoulder.
“Hold on tight, darlin’.” He kicked the bike into gear and pulled away from the club. Racheal’s arms were wrapped around his waist in a death grip.
After about half an hour she realized that she was actually enjoying the ride, she could feel the roar of the engine beneath her and the wind whipping her hair out behind her with the whistle of the wind. It was freeing. She felt free, she shifted her hands to Tiny’s shoulders as he slowed down a bit she leaned forward speaking into his ear.
“Do you think I could do that trick I saw Vivi doing the other day with Tick?” Racheal asked.
“No.” Came Tiny’s flat reply as he pulled her hands down to his waist again. Racheal was disappointed, but she let it go enjoying the ride. Leaning into him she felt invigorated from the ride.
An hour later, Tiny turned off the main road headed into what looked like an abandoned town. The buildings were visible in the fading light of the sun as its last rays slipped away revealing that the buildings were mostly burned out and what wasn’t burned was falling down.
Racheal wondered where they were. Tiny stopped in front of the only building that wasn’t burned to the ground or almost falling over. It was a small house that had a broken down sign that read Petals Hotel underneath the grime.
Chapter 14
Tiny got off the bike helping her to get her shaky legs beneath her before he let her go. Racheal looked around at the broken and burned out buildings then back to the hotel they were standing outside of.
“Where are we?” She asked Tiny confused.
“This used to be Buffalo, now it’s just a burned out city. I come here when I wanna be alone.” Tiny was grabbing stuff from the bike and carrying it towards the door. “Come on, darlin’.”
“Umm…is this place safe?” Racheal asked as they entered the door which hung off the hinges at an odd angle.
“Yep, been fixing’ it up for about six years, it just looks bad out here so nobody thinks it’s been fixed up inside. Keeps the rift-raft out” Tiny led her up the creaking stairs.
Racheal trusted Tiny, but this place looked awful. Paint was peeling off the walls, the railing looked as if it would fall off at any moment, and the floors creaked as they walked across them. Tiny led her to a door at the end of the upstairs landing, taking out a key he inserted it and opened the door. She was amazed as she peered inside the room.
It was breathtaking, the room was painted white with a blue chair rail, there was a cherry wood table with chairs that looked hand carved, and a small kitchenette with a gas stove and a small sink. The room was masculine with a touch of lightness to it. The dark wood was balanced by the lighter tones of blue that it was paired with. As she walked further into the room she noticed a fireplace and a bedroom off to the right of the kitchen.
Stepping nearer the room she saw the head board was also cherry with intricately carved men on motorcycles and wolves. They bed was covered with a light brown cover that picked up the red highlights in the cherry of the king sized bed’s head board.
“Tiny, this is beautiful.” Racheal looked at him with awe.
“I’m glad you like it. We’ll be staying here a few days. I wanted to get you all to myself for a bit without work or the club interrupting us at every turn.” Tiny said, cautiously watching her face for signs of distress. He knew that being totally alone with a man might be a bit upsetting for her after what Eugene had done to her. He also didn’t add that part of the reason they were here at his home away from home was to escape her mother.
He was relieved when her face split into a happy grin, instead of the apprehensive one he’d feared. She walked to him wrapping her arms around him.
“This place is perfect.” Racheal murmured burying her face in his neck.
“It’s not too much being here with me alone?” Tiny questioned tilting her face up to look at him wanting to be sure she was really okay with being totally alone with him.
Racheal thought about that for several moments, a little surprised to find that she wasn’t afraid of being totally alone with Tiny. She trusted him not to harm her, which made her realize that she’d always felt that way, it was the reason she’d always felt comforted by him being near and why she’d panicked when he’d told her he was leaving.
“I really am okay with this, Tiny.” Racheal reached up cupping his cheek with her hand, leaning forward, she kissed him.
He sighed in relief and pulled her close, wrapping her tightly in his arms kissing her back roughly. He lifted her carrying her to the bedroom where he tossed her down on the bed to her gleeful laugh and proceeded to make love to her.
Two days later, Racheal was standing outside the Petal Hotel beside Tiny’s bike looking wistfully at
the place. She wanted to stay here in the little bubble of happiness they’d been living in for the last few days. Tiny exited with the bag he’d gone back inside to get he smiled at her as he stowed the bag.
“Don’t worry darlin’. We’ll be back here soon.” He reached out wrapping his arm around her.
“I just liked being here without any worries for once. Just you and me, it was perfect.” Racheal climbed on the bike behind Tiny who turned to look at her.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I wish Tank didn’t need me back at the club then we could have stayed a little longer.” Tiny kissed her hand which rested on his shoulder then cranked the bike, pulling out headed back towards Devil’s Falls.
Racheal waited until they were on the main road then she did what she’d been dyeing to do the first time she’d felt the freedom of riding a bike at ninety miles an hour. She held on to Tiny’s shoulders and used the feet rests to stand up feeling Tiny tense, but she knew he’d keep her safe she felt the bike slow.
She held on to Tiny’s shoulders and felt the wind rushing by her, her hair flying out behind her as the road rushed by. She let out a whoop of joy feeling freer than she’d felt in a long time, really since before she married Eugene.
Realizing she was healing, Tiny was healing the fear Eugene had trapped her inside. Her heart squeezed with that joyful realization and she enjoyed the freedom of knowing she was going to make it through the pain he’d caused her. For the first time since that dreadful night, she was truly happy.
They stopped in a town just outside of Devil’s Falls to eat, Racheal sat in the booth while Tiny used the rest room, she ordered them burgers and fries when the waitress came by. Tiny had been stern when he’d told her that he next time she pulled a stunt like that he’d beat her. He needed to know what she was planning in order to keep her safe. Racheal hadn’t been frightened by his declaration as she would have been if it was Eugene making that promise. She’d just cheekily told him she would let him know, but she wasn’t promising she wasn’t going to do it again. He’d accepted that like he always did when she needed something though he hadn’t looked happy about it.
Smiling, she looked at a young mother and her son in the next booth. The boy was about four with sandy brown hair and a brilliant smile that was adorable. The boy was wearing long sleeves, which was odd, Racheal thought watching him. It was almost eighty degrees out today the poor kid had to be roasting in that shirt.
Taking a closer look at the woman she saw a faded bruise peeking out from beneath her long sleeved shirt. That was when Racheal realized why the boy was wearing long sleeves and she was infuriated. Getting up she moved to their table, the woman looked up at her standing beside the table.
“Can I help you?” The woman asked her brown hair falling forward to cover the slightly faded bruise on her cheek.
“No, but I can help you. You don’t have to stay with him.” Racheal whispered
“I beg your pardon? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The woman’s eyes darted around the small diner with a desperate look.
“Yes, you do. You’re not fooling anyone with the long sleeves.” Racheal was pissed at the woman’s denial of the truth even as she understood it. It was hard to admit you were wrong about someone. Not to mention the fear that someone could fill you up with, to the point that you weren’t able to fight anymore because you were too consumed by that fear.
“Look I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave us alone. My husband will be here in a moment and he doesn’t like us talking to strangers.” The woman insisted fear lighting in her eyes making Racheal even angrier.
“I’ll just bet he doesn’t. If you ever decide you’re tired of the abuse, you can come to the Red Devils. Talk to Bone, he’ll help you. Hopefully it won’t be too late.” Racheal angrily sat back down knowing that the woman wasn’t ready to give up on the man who was abusing her. She could remember making excuses for Eugene’s abuse all too easily, He didn’t mean it, It was my fault for talking to that man, these memories made her realize that the woman wouldn’t take the offer of help until she was ready.
Still upset she sat watching the woman and her child. A few minutes later Tiny returned to the booth sliding in across from her. Racheal was trying not to look at the other table, but she could see that a large beefy man with blondish brown hair had entered the diner with a scowl on his face he headed towards the booth where they woman and her child sat.
“What’s wrong, Babe?” Tiny asked watching her face.
Racheal looked at him again. “Nothing is wrong, Tiny.” She said hoping he wouldn’t notice that she was watching the table next to them. She was unable to look away from the scene that reminded her so much of one she’d played out with Eugene.
The beefy man was saying to the woman in a loud voice. “Laney, get the kid and let’s go, now.” He was glaring down at the small boy who was cowering under the table.
“Come on, Toby. Please, daddy’s ready to go.” Laney was pleading, desperately trying to coax the frightened child from beneath the table.
“Really when I left the table you were happy and I come back to a haunted woman. What the…” Tiny’s voice trailed off as he looked to where she was watching the scene playing out in the booth near theirs. Tiny took one look and within seconds he’d summed up the situation as he always did. Tiny stood, his fists clenched as he moved to the table.
Racheal yelped, “Tiny, no. Tiny come back, please.” But he ignored her pleading walked up to the man who’d grabbed the woman by the arm jerking on her towards the door saying cruelly
“Leave the little brat here if he doesn’t want to come!” The man’s face was a cruel mask that she remembered seeing over and over in her nightmares.
Tiny’s hand wrapped around the man’s arm squeezing it hard enough that the man let Laney go.
“I think the lady wants to stay.” Tiny gritted out.
“Who the hell are you? That’s my wife, I say it’s time to go, then it’s time to fucking go! Now, you’d better think again.” The man roared at Tiny.
Tiny smiled and the scariest look she’d ever seen covered his face as he took the man by the back of his neck and slammed his face into the table nearby. He then proceeded to allow the man to fall to the ground, then Tiny began kicking him over and over. Tiny didn’t show any signs of stopping and the woman, Laney was screaming for him to stop, that he’d just make it worse.
Racheal stood watching the scene in horror. What the hell had happened to her calm easy going Tiny? He was beating the man to death she realized. She had to stop him before he killed the man.
“Tiny, Tiny…” Racheal screamed at him until he finally looked at her pausing in the kicking of the man who was bleeding everywhere. His eyes where glazed and the rage on his face scared her half to death.
“Tiny, please…” She whispered afraid he wasn’t going to stop. Tiny looked down at the man bleeding on the floor, giving him a last vicious kick he walked back to her.
Standing in front of her he reached out for her, but Racheal was unable to prevent herself from flinching slightly. She wasn’t afraid of Tiny, just of the look in his eyes which lingered.
With a pained expression Tiny drew his hand back from her after she recoiled from him, his eyes pleading. “Racheal, darlin’ it’s okay. I’d never hurt you. You know that babe.” Tiny help his hand out to her. “Please, don’t be scared of me. I can’t bear it.”
Racheal rushed towards Tiny wrapping her arms around him. “I’m not afraid you’ll hurt me Tiny. Your face was just a little frightening.”
Tiny sighed holding her close, his arms clenching her in a desperate hold. Tiny buried his face in her hair breathing Racheal in letting his rage slip away. Fuck, why did this happen every time he encountered a situation of a woman or child being beaten. He knew that he was messed up over what had happened with his father and mother, but hell he was thirty one he should have gotten over this by now. At least enough that he didn’t go bat shit cra
zy every time he realized it was happening.
He just wanted to get out of here, people were staring at him and he needed to leave. He’d been afraid when she’d flinched away from him that he’d messed up things with Racheal for reacting the way he always did to abusive men. Like a fucking crazy person. No one sane beat a man to death just for thinking he might be abusing his family. He looked at the man who lay on the floor again. Tiny was almost positive that the man wasn’t going to make it and he felt remorse at his actions even though the man had clearly deserved it.
Racheal felt Tiny trembling in her arms and she was shocked. Tiny was always strong and in control, but today his reaction hadn’t been normal he’d been irrational. Tiny wasn’t the type to just go ballistic like he had, something was wrong. She didn’t want to think that Tiny’s reaction to this had been her fault. Was he so upset by what had happened to her that he went nuts on that man? Was this her fault? She couldn’t bear it if it was.
Tiny slowly released her walking to the woman who knelt beside the man Racheal was sure might not survive the beating Tiny had given him. He whispered something to the woman who lifted a tear stained face to his and nodded once before she looked back down at the man then stood gathered her young son and walked out of the diner without another word, leaving the man lying in a puddle of his own blood, without a backwards glance. A doctor rushed into the diner to help him.
Tiny was still pissed that he’d reacted this way again. He walked towards the woman bending down to whisper in her ear. “My suggestion is to run. If you stay, he will find a way to blame this on you, and take it from me. He will kill you. My old man killed my mother for trying to leave him. Take your boy and run. Run to Bandit territory and ask for Clutch, tell him Tiny sent you and that you need a safe place. He can’t get you or your boy there.” Then he stood looking at Racheal, as the woman thankfully took his advice.
“Let’s go, babe.” Tiny called and she moved towards him, and without hesitation taking his hand. No one tried to stop them since this was part of the Red Devil’s territory. Climbing on the bike they headed home both a little scared by the day’s events.
Claiming Racheal Page 10
