Bound by Vengeance

by Ryan Michele

  “There you are. What have you been doing cooped up in that room all day?” my mother asks, standing by the stove as she puts spaghetti on plates.

  Princess is beautiful and doesn’t look like she’s in her later forties at all. If anything, she looks like she’s my age. With her vibrant red streaks in her dark black hair, she stands out in a crowd. My mother would stand out, anyway, but the hair makes it no contest.

  I bet Lexa did her hair in the last few weeks. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but now that I’m back, I’ll do it.

  “Need help?” I ask instead of answering, not quite ready to explain. Plus, I want my father here. Two birds, one stone and all.

  “Sure.” She hands me a plate, and I put meat sauce on top of the noodles, then a piece of garlic toast on the side.

  “Smells good,” my father’s deep voice comes from the entrance of the kitchen. He walks to the table, sitting down in his spot.

  I carry the plate over and put it in front of my father.

  He looks up at me, love in his eyes. “Thank you, baby girl.”

  With a smile on my face and warmth in my heart, I make my way back over to my mother who hands me another plate that I do the same thing to then sit next to my father.

  The food looks good and smells good, but inside, butterflies have decided to take a hit of crack and have a party in my belly, unsure of how my parents will take the news. I’ve been here for months under their watchful eye. Now this will change. A change they had to know would arrive at some point.

  When my mother joins us, we dig in. We’re not a family that is particular about manners. Belching is a norm, mostly by my two brothers when they’re here and my father. My mom always says it’s a compliment to her cooking, considering she couldn’t cook for shit back in the day and had to learn. It was a running joke when we were little because, if it weren’t for takeout, we’d have starved.

  “This weekend, I want you at the clubhouse,” my father springs on me, making me stop the fork midway to my mouth.

  I haven’t been to the clubhouse in three and a half months. It’s not because I was angry or upset with anyone; I just haven’t wanted to deal with it. Deal with the questions or the looks of pity since everyone knows what happened to me. Fuck that.

  My parents have been pretty lenient about my attendance at family functions, which I’m grateful for. Judging from my mother’s demeanor and the sternness in her face, this isn’t going to be one of those times where I’m going to get out of it. Between her and my father, they’re going to strong arm me.

  The timing is a bit sooner than I thought-out, but I’ll make it work. It’s time.

  “Sure thing.”

  My mother’s fork clatters to her plate, the sudden noise giving me a little jolt. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, Mom. It’s fine. I’m back to work and getting my life in order. It’s time to move on.”

  A smile graces her face. “This is good. I’m proud of you, Austyn.” My mother has always been on my side, my biggest cheerleader in life. I’m hoping that’ll prove true with what I’m about to lay on them. With me agreeing to go back into the fold so readily, it may lessen the blow.

  “Emery and I got a place at The Brookshire, and we’re going to move in tomorrow.”

  My mother stares at me, dumbfounded.

  My father glares, which was expected.

  Silence falls over the room as the air gets sucked out of it. The tension becomes so thick it’s almost making me rethink my decision. Almost.

  I can only be thankful Nox, Cooper, and his woman, Bristyl, aren’t here to add their two cents to the mix. That would only add to my discomfort. No more of that is needed.

  “It’s time for me to get on with my life and not live in the past.” Gripping the napkin, it tears and breaks into smaller pieces, but there is no stopping.

  My father pushes away from the table and crosses his arms, looking very imposing. “That fucker is still out there. He had you tied to a table and stuck blades in you. Repeatedly. And you want me to let you out of my sight?” The pain in his eyes is stark, his features tight.

  He doesn’t need to remind me of what happened. I remember every agonizing second of it.

  Memories flood my mind. The pain. The fear. The unknown. The way he looked at me, smiling as he pushed the knife inside my flesh slowly so it would be more painful. I still feel those moments when the metal entered my flesh.

  The man hates me, but not as much as I hate him.

  “I lived it, Dad.”

  His eyes soften just a touch at my tone and words. He was at my side while I recovered and saw the pain that man inflicted. He heard me cry and had to cover my wounds after adding ointment to them. My father is a man who likes control, and him not getting that, not having him, has been eating at him. I know it.

  “I know, and I’m sure as hell never going to let you go through that again. We’re working on finding him, but he’s gone ghost.”

  The club has been searching for him since it happened. That’s what my brothers Nox and Cooper, who are patched members of the club, have told me. They couldn’t tell me anymore because it’s club business, even though it’s also my business.

  Since no one said anything about finding him, I suspected this would make things harder.

  “I get that, but I can’t let him win. Being cooped up in this house isn’t living. Me working. Having my own place. Going to the clubhouse for family things. That’s me living.”

  “We get that, Austyn,” my mother finally speaks. “But he could come at any moment, and we won’t know.”

  I think fast, knowing this opportunity could be slipping through my fingers. It isn’t an option I can lose. My parents are great, but they are demanding, as well.

  “The apartment has a security system, and we were thinking Buzz and Breaker could come and amp it up. If you wanted, they could put cameras on the outside of the place to watch who comes and goes.” This is a bit of a stretch, but if it will make this happen, I’ll suck it up. As long as the cameras aren’t inside the apartment, watching my every move, I’ll be good.

  “Why is this so important to you?” my mother asks softly, which is not her style one bit. She’s more straight to the point and in your face. Her being on the gentle side tugs at my heart.

  “I’m taking my life back, Mom. What he did to me, I can’t change. What I can control is what I do now.” In more ways than one. This is just the first major step.

  “I should put you on lockdown,” my father grunts out, and my stomach falls like a lead weight.

  Being on lockdown at the clubhouse will ruin everything. Not being able to leave the compound and having all the brothers watching me all the time is not an option at this point. Having the cameras at the new place is a stretch, but this can’t happen.

  “No, no lockdown, Dad.”

  He studies me for long moments, face blank, not giving me anything. I feel it slipping away—my control—and I hate it. I need it back to feel whole again.

  “I—”

  “I’m having the guys go full-out with security,” he cuts me off. “They will monitor the place twenty-four seven.” He runs his hand through his dark hair that has a little more salt in it than it did a few weeks ago, giving it a tug. “Fuck, I can’t believe I’m letting you do this shit. If I have one inkling that he’s in town, you’re on lockdown, no questions asked. Something isn’t right, your ass is at the clubhouse.”

  That isn’t good, but I’ll take it … for now.

  Relief falls over me like a warm rain. “I’ll take it.”

  Step two of the plan—check.

  Chapter Three

  “Last one,” I call out to the guys as we pack for the next shipment the club is handling. It’ll only be a day trip for this one, and Tug and Jacks are fulfilling it.

  Screwing the screws on top of the crate, it’s finished and ready to roll.

  “On it.” Cooper comes up with Nox not too far behind. They lift the crate and
take it to the box truck out front.

  It was by sheer luck I found the Ravage MC. Living on the streets was hard, but I found myself a job and a place to live. The problem was, I still wasn’t happy, and being pissed off at the world doesn’t help a man.

  GT and Dagger were in a bar I attended regularly. They started bullshitting with me in a way that was comfortable, like I’d known them for years. We got to talking about the club, but they were pretty vague. They reiterated how it was focused around family. It was a time in my life when I needed that one thing—family.

  And that’s what the Ravage MC is, and it’s what they have given me. Men and women who stand by each other through thick and thin, who have each other’s backs, who give a shit, who truly care. It’s more than I’ve had in years.

  I hopped on my ride and never looked back, following GT and Dagger to a family worth a damn.

  I reach in and grab a smoke, pulling one out and tapping the end of it. The tip rests on my lips as I light it, inhaling the tobacco and nicotine as Rhys comes by and takes a seat next to me at an old picnic table.

  “How ya doin’?” he asks, folding his hands in front of him, not looking at me.

  Rhys is one badass motherfucker. Seeing him in action makes everyone else look like pussies. He’s a great man to have at your back, which is the only place you want him.

  Exhaling the smoke, I tell him, “Same shit, different day, brother.”

  “You got anything?”

  Immediately, I know what he’s asking, and I fucking hate that he has to ask.

  Anger stirs in my blood, pulsing and awakening. He’s the man who kidnapped Austyn from her own damn home and hurt her. Dickhead will pay for that.

  “Airport outside of Dunham, JK has a plane, but it hasn’t moved since he went under. Tapped all the phone lines of his family, and the only one I can tell he talks to is his mother, but not often. He’s withdrawing money, but somehow the only paper trail for it is the amount of the withdraws. There is no location or precise bank information.”

  Rhys rubs his thumb over his lip. “Smart fucker.”

  Inhaling another drag, I say, “Yeah. Buzz and I went and wired up the house, but he hasn’t shown up there, either. Wherever he is, he’s in deep.”

  “Time to get the rat to come out of the hole.”

  I’ve been busting my ass to find information on the man who took and hurt Austyn. He fell through my fingers. When we found her, I was more concerned with her as blood ran down her body to the floor. It’s a vision I wish would leave my memory banks, yet it has embedded itself there like a static movie that won’t end.

  She’s made it her mission to turn me away every time I go to visit her. Instead of wasting my time on her parents’ porch, which is what I did for weeks, I put it to good use by trying to find this man. That was after a little conversation with Deke that ended up with us both pissed and me needing to find some direction to channel all of it.

  “And how do you suppose we do that?”

  A sinister smile plays on his lips. “Don’t know yet, but I’ll figure it out.”

  I take another drag and blow out the smoke. “We all need to figure this shit out. It’s been months.”

  My first thought was he left the country, which is still a possibility. What changes my mind on that scenario is the money withdrawals. If they were done in a foreign country, there would be more of a paper trail. Slight, but still there. This makes me think he’s still in the US.

  The door swings open and Cruz walks in, striding to us. “We all set?”

  I stub out my smoke. “Yep. Coop and Nox are loading, and it’s ready.”

  “Good.”

  “I’m out,” Rhys says, standing up and tapping once on the table. Goodbyes are called out as he disappears. That’s Rhys. He comes in, gets the information, and then he’s smoke.

  Cruz parks his ass on the bench in front of me, bringing his finger and thumb to the corners of his mouth and then down. “Tell me again why I didn’t beat your ass for sitting on my porch, waiting for my little girl?”

  A chuckle escapes. Leave it to Cruz to make it into a joke. “Because you loved seein’ my sexy face every day.”

  He scoffs. “My ass.”

  “Is there a point to this conversation?” Because normally, he doesn’t bring up his daughter with me. At least, he hasn’t for a while now.

  Cruz lifts his brows. “Yeah. Just lettin’ you know I notice. I see. I hear. My eyes are wide fuckin’ open when it comes to my baby girl.”

  I reach in for another smoke, tap it out, and light it up. “And this has changed since I joined?”

  Cruz loves his kids. He’d lay down his life for any of them, no questions asked. He’s also protective as fuck, especially of his little girl.

  “Nope, just thought I’d remind ya.” He taps on the wood then rises from the table. “Gotta head out. We’re movin’ Austyn and Emery into their new place.”

  This catches my attention, and I rise with him, meeting him eye for eye. “What?”

  Austyn is safe in her parents’ home, not out on her own when I don’t know where this fucker is.

  “Wants to get her life back in order.”

  “And you let her move out?” I’m stunned and shocked beyond measure. At least while she was there, he and Princess could keep tabs on her. Now … fuck.

  “She’s serious about it, and I want her straight again. She’s been locked up inside herself for months and is now coming out.” He sighs heavily. “Buzz went and wired the place last night. We have cameras on the outside that are monitored all the time.”

  “Fuck, I don’t like this.”

  He crosses his arms over his chest and a menacing, determined look comes across his face. “Yeah, and why do you have a right to not like somethin’ when it involves my daughter?”

  The man is fishing. I’m surprised it’s taken him this long. He’s a man who needs to be in the know and makes no qualms about it. Thing is, I’m a man, too, and it’s time.

  Looking him square in the eye, I say, “Been mine for a long damn time, brother.”

  “Hurt her and I kill you.” He taps the table two times then walks out of the building.

  I collapse back down, letting out a deep breath.

  I’ve never made a play for a woman. Never had to. However, with Austyn blocking me out these past few months, I’m going to have to make a play. Probably several of them.

  Green, one of my brothers, walks in, holding a notebook and pen.

  “Green!” I call over to him, and he makes his way to me.

  “What’s up?” He sets the paper down.

  “Not that I want to ask you this shit, but I need to.”

  His eyes hide a ghost that I was afraid would appear when this topic was brought up. He’s not a dumb man. Far from it.

  “Leah, she went through what Austyn did with those fuckers? Or similar?”

  Leah is best friends with Bristyl, Cooper’s woman, which is how she and Green hooked up. Bristyl had some guys after her back in Florida who used Leah to get to her. Leah was tied to a bed, and the guys took turns on her, not sexually, but physically, carving into her body. When she was found, she was a bloody mess and in hysterics. The only person who could even get through to her on any level was Green.

  After that, she moved up here to Sumner, not wanting to be anywhere near Florida. She has her own place, but Green stays with her pretty much every night.

  Green clenches his hands. “Yeah.”

  I meet his eyes. “Brother, I wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t important.”

  He nods once, saying nothing else.

  “Can Austyn get through this? I mean, I don’t know shit about what to do.”

  Green shakes his head then rubs his finger and thumb over his lips. “She can. It takes a shitload of time and someone being there for her. It’s shit, all of it, but yeah. Leah is slowly comin’ back to herself. I don’t know if she’ll ever be the same, but she’s claiming her life back pie
ce by piece. Austyn’ll do the same, I imagine.”

  “What can I do?”

  A slight smirk tips his lips. “Be there for her. Be her friend.”

  “Friend?”

  “Yeah. Shitty, but that’s what Leah needed, and not some hound dog trying to get in her pants. Be friends, and the rest of it will flow. Be patient and understanding. And demanding things from her will only piss her off more. See, Leah didn’t have any control, so she started to grasp at things she could. It was a coping mechanism. I let her do what she had to do.”

  We stare at each other for a moment as he picks up his paper. “Look, brother, it’s not easy, but it’ll happen in time. Gotta go.”

  “Right. Thanks.” I hang my head briefly. Austyn has been through so much, but damn if she isn’t always on my mind.

  I look at my watch, jump up, and head to my bike. I call out goodbyes as I turn over my ride and take off. An hour later, I’m pulling up to my mother’s house, or what could be called a house. More like a rundown piece of shit shack her “husband” put her in.

  The siding is from the nineteen-seventies and probably has asbestos or some shit in it. It’s gray and pieces are hanging off everywhere. The porch is a slab of concrete with parts of it cracked off. Regardless, she tries making do with what she has by planting flowers and shrubs around the place, taking some of the damage away.

  Killing the bike, I make my way to the front door that opens immediately.

  My mother looks worn down and tired. Her eyes have no spark, and the lines around her face are showing signs of aging.

  “Matthew,” she greets, holding the rickety door open for me, and I step through.

  The inside of the place isn’t any better than the outside. Holes are in the flooring and walls, exposing wood underneath them. I know if I go into the bathroom, it will be full of mold and mildew. She lives in shit. And she wants to live in shit, which is her choice.