Seeking Our Forever

by Liberty Parker

  “How do we make sure that I keep Damien safe from all of this?” The fear and worry in her eyes are nearly my undoing.

  “We keep doing what we’re doing. We’ll meet up here when we need to talk, and I’ll keep sending you packages as I find information and I’ll protect you both.”

  “How do you presume to do that?” Dammit, I don’t want to tell her I’ve been sitting outside of her house for weeks. Watching, observing, and keeping an eye on their home. It makes me sound like a goddamn, pussy ass, stalker.

  “Let’s just say I’ve got you both protected.”

  “You’ve got someone on us, don’t you?” Turning my head from her, not wanting her to see the look in my eyes, I simply nod my head in acknowledgement.

  “Is it someone I can trust?” she hesitantly asks.

  “Very much so,” I inform her. I swear that I hear her mutter under her breath that she wishes it was me.

  “I can arrange that,” slips from my mouth before I can call it back and she gives me a blinding smile.

  “Good, I have a spare bedroom. Come over tonight and we’ll get you set up. We’ll just tell Damien you’re a long-lost friend who’s found his way back.”

  Say what now? “You want me to stay with you?” I need to confirm that I’m not hearing things.

  “That’s what I just said, isn’t it? Did I stutter or say this in my mind?” She tilts her head to the side. All I wanna do is grab her by the nape of her neck and kiss the ever-loving shit out of her.

  “It’s just that I trust you. You’ve been trying to protect me from the beginning. A man that goes out of his way for someone he doesn't know is trustworthy as far as I’m concerned. Plus, you know that I’ll have my gun in close proximity and won’t hesitate to shoot your ass if you try to hurt my son or myself.” Jesus Christ, now I’m going to have to count motherfucking sheep so I don’t toss her over the arm of this couch and fuck the hell out of her.

  “I appreciate your trust, especially since you pointed out earlier that we hardly know each other. But I will promise you this, I’d give my life to protect you and Damien.”

  “I believe you. I don’t know why, but I do. It’s the only reason I’m allowing you anywhere near my boy and inside of my home. I still can’t believe Sinclair was a bastard. He really mustn’t have cared about us at all to place us in this sort of danger. If he was still alive, I’d strangle him myself by shoving his tiny penis down his throat.” Yeah, I told her that he’s been taken care of. I wanted her to know she was at least safe from him.

  * * *

  Raven

  * * *

  Jonas followed me home after our meeting. Checked my house, then drove away in one of the hottest muscle cars I’ve ever seen. It definitely got my motor revving, then he went home to gather clothing. He promised to be back before I have to pick Damien up from school. I was instructed to set the alarm and stay behind closed doors. Knowing that my guest room needed some dusting and a change of bedding, I head up the stairs and begin that task. It’s not dirty per se, just a little dusty from sitting. I don’t really clean it, it’s not as if I’ve ever really had any stay over guests… until now. Once that chore is complete, I head into the kitchen and pull out stuff to make homemade lasagna. It’s soothing to lose myself in preparing the sauce, and before long, I have a pan ready to put in the oven once Damien is back home. While I’m out, I’ll grab the stuff to make salad and homemade garlic bread.

  I hear a woof and remember that Scooby has been locked up in his cage since I left this morning. I’m a bad doggy-momma! I rush into the laundry room and let him out. I know Jonas said to keep the doors closed and locked, but I need to let him out to do his business. I can’t potty train him if he’s not taken care of. I do not want to deal with piss and shit throughout my house. Little did I know, opening up that back door was going to be a huge mistake on my part. I should’ve looked first.

  Once I unlock the door and open the knob, Scooby goes running out the door. As soon as I step on the back porch, a hand wraps itself around my neck. “You can’t hide from me, bitch.” the nastiest breath I’ve ever smelled says into my face. God! Is personal hygiene asking too much of people these days?

  “Wh-what do you want,” I’m able to wheeze out since his hand is digging into my trachea.

  “I want my money! Sinclair owes me big and I’m here to collect,” the smelly bastard spits in my face. I want to wipe the moisture away, but I’m afraid if I remove my hands from his, that he’ll begin choking me harder than he already is.

  “I-I don’t know what money!” I holler out the best I can.

  “And I told you, I don’t believe a word you’re speaking, you stupid cunt!” God, I hate that word, it’s degrading to women everywhere. I begin to thrash in his hands, kicking my feet wildly trying to kick him anywhere that may hurt. Most importantly, I’m trying to make contact with that small package he’s trying to shove into my stomach.

  “Can’t breathe,” I see black spots beginning to dance around in my vision.

  “If I release you and you scream, I’ll kill you right here and right now,” he growls and once again, I try to pull away from his face so I don’t have to breathe in his disgusting breath.

  Once he lets up on his hold, I pull in a deep gulp of oxygen and my lungs scream in thankfulness. “Sinclair hid everything from me. I have no idea where he is or what he does.” I don’t want his men to know he’s dead...not yet anyway. I’ll let Jonas have that honor. “I didn’t know he had money, at least not the kind you’re talking about. He didn’t share anything with me, he was hardly even at home. And now he’s gone, and I can’t find him!”

  “Where the fuck is he?” the man bellows. Once again, his breath nearly knocks me off my feet and I resist the urge to tell him that they sell oral hygiene products at the dollar store.

  “I just told you, I don’t know where he is. If you find him, send him my way… would you?” I could be an actress. I see a gold Emmy in my future for this performance.

  “Lead me to his office. Show me his safe. I don’t believe a word you’re saying.” He rears back his other hand in a fist ready to strike me. Before he gets the chance, his hand is grabbed and I follow that hand to the arm attached, then further up until my eyes are meeting very angry ones. Ones that belong to my hero, Jonas.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” he roars out, never removing his sight from my own. “Are you okay?” He begins inspecting me from head to toe, when his eyes land on my neck, I see the veins pop out on his neck as he gets a glacial look. “You’re going to die for laying your hands on her,” and for some reason, I believe him when he says this. He pulls some zip ties from his back pocket, making me wonder if they’re part of his daily clothing. I’ll have to ask him about this later, right now there’s trash to be taken out. He removes the man’s hand from my throat, that I didn’t realize was still there and frog marches him into my house. Once he has smelly man inside, he rears back his right arm and knocks him out in one punch. Score! Or wait, maybe that’s the wrong sport?

  “I’m gonna tie him up then call my brothers to come and pick him up. Change of plans, pack bags for you and Damien. You’re coming home with me where I know no one can get to you.” It’s a command, and one that screams do not argue with me. The man is tied together, and it looks like an art form. His hands are together with his ankles and...wait a damn minute! Did he zip tie the guy’s dick? I can’t even ask; I’ll just go pack mine and Damien’s things and leave him to his own devices.

  Five

  Jonas

  It doesn't take my brothers long to make it to Raven’s house. When Atticus sees the way I’ve tied our intruder together he bowls over in laughter.

  “What? He was shoving his poor excuse of a dick into her when I got here. This is my way of reminding him that he shouldn’t shove it at a woman who hasn’t asked for it.” Shrugging my shoulders, I head up the stairs and leave my brothers to take out the son-of-a-bitch.

  �
��She has a motherfucking puppy!” I hear Atticus scream and a smile forms on my face.

  “Sure ‘nuff, and he’s coming with us!” I holler back, and may or may not have had laughter in my voice when I responded.

  “You’re cleaning up the shit!” he hollers back.

  “I thought your job was taking out the shit that stinks!” I continue my way to my woman. Yes, I’m already claiming her, she’ll get used to it, eventually.

  “Raven! You about ready?” I ask her when I find her in Damien’s room.

  “Yes, my stuff is packed. I’m just getting his favorite things gathered so he’s not bored, but I can’t find his laptop.” The kid has a computer… damn, the two of them are absolutely perfect.

  “He’s what? Five and already is playing in the world of the internet?” Pride is evident in my tone.

  “Yes and no. He plays games, reads, and uses the dictionary to look up words he doesn't know. He’s very smart, and asks questions that I know, but encourage him to find for himself. He always feels better when he finds the answers to his questions on his own, it helps his self-esteem.”

  “You’re a good mom,” I blurt out.

  “Thank you. Could you get Scooby’s stuff gathered for me? Oh no, it’s alright if he comes right? I can’t leave him here and Damien won’t go anywhere without him,” she begins to chew on her cuticle as she worries over my answer.

  “Already planned on bringing him, sweetcheeks. I’ll go get his food, crate, bowls, toys, and whatever else I can find.” Turning around I walk out the door and down the steps, grabbing her bag on my way down. Damn this is heavy, what did she do, pack her entire closet?

  When I make it down the stairs, I nearly die in laughter. Atticus is on his ass, Scooby licking his face, and my brother has a scowl on his while saying, “Bad dog. Personal space, this is mine and that is yours.” He twirls his finger around in the air. I snap a picture and text it to Piper before he can get up.

  “Nuh uh, I need this, man, you can’t bust up another phone,” I tell him when he finally gets up and lunges toward me to grab my phone. He’s bad about tossing them into walls and Silas told him after the last one, he would be responsible for replacing them.

  “Delete it,” he growls.

  Since I’ve already sent it to Piper, I grin and say, “No problem,” before I delete it.

  Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn and see Raven making her way in my direction. “I almost forgot, Jonas, I have a lasagna in the fridge that we need to take.”

  “Lasagna?” Silas questions. “Destiny likes pasta. Bring it.” As if everything revolves around her, for fuck’s sake!

  “More importantly, I love it. I trump Destiny,” I joke around with Silas.

  “No one is more important than she is,” he growls out as he gives me a look that begs me to contradict what he just said. I’m not stupid, I like my teeth right where they are. I just nod and go and gather Scooby’s things. He follows me with his tail wagging, he noses a few toys, making me think they’re his favorite so I gather them up. He’s a smart fucker.

  When we make it to our place, she gets a look of wonder on her face. “You all live here? Together?” she looks over at me and I see no judgment, just curiosity.

  “We do, we work together, and the place is huge so there’s plenty of space for us to not be walking all over each other.”

  “It’s nice, Damien will love all the people. He may be shy at first, but once he warms up to them, he’ll be in heaven.” This makes me sigh in relief, he was the one I was worried about the most.

  “Let’s get a place set up for Scooby,” I tell her, carrying the crate into the laundry room. It’s a big ass room, with a lot of extra space. I glance at the bins Piper uses when she’s sorting clothes and pull out some of the zip ties and bullets. I also grab the change when an idea comes to mind for Damien.

  “Why’d you take the change?” Atticus asks as he comes in with more stuff.

  “Thinking of using it to pay Damien for things,” I admit. “He can then save for stuff for himself or his dog.”

  “Smart thinking. Wonder why there’s not a bin for the money I’m positive I shove in my pockets?” Atticus ponders, as if he doesn’t know Piper pockets that shit. I’ll play dumb for now though.

  “Maybe Piper takes it? Who cares, she does all the laundry so if she gets a five or twenty every once in a while, it’s no skin off my nose.” And that’s the truth as far as I’m concerned. I fucking hate laundry and used to just go buy new shit when I ran out of what I was looking for. Now that she does it, I’ve had to buy a new dresser to hold all the excess.

  “Why doesn't it surprise me that she lines her pockets with our money?” Atticus shakes his head, but a smile creeps up on his face.

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but stop. Your brothers are in the room and that’s just plain sick.” My body shivers thinking about the two of them getting it on.

  “I’d rather visualize that than see their naked asses tumbling down the staircase,” Silas chuckles.

  “We were dressed, fucker! Sorta.” Atticus smirks at the memory. “Those were some good times.”

  “I don’t know what part of that was a good time, Atticus. I swear I still wear Piper’s claw marks on my body from trying to separate the two of you.” That statement wipes the smirk off from his face. He’s a possessive motherfucker when it comes to his woman. The thought of any man wearing her mark pisses him the fuck off.

  “Where? We’ll get that shit lasered off,” he says, coming up to me and grabbing my arm. As he’s inspecting my skin, a laugh leaves my chest.

  “Sucker!” I’ve long ago healed up. She may be feisty, but I’ve had worse in my underground fights I participate in when I need to blow off steam.

  “You’re an asshole!” he shouts.

  “Takes one to know one,” I retort.

  “Jesus Christ, are we in elementary school again?” Silas questions. “You two are impossible to be around sometimes. Let’s get the puppy sorted out so we can go talk to our guest.”

  “It’d be my pleasure,” I say, rubbing my hands together. I don’t usually partake in the interrogations, but this time, I’ll be more than a presence in that room. I’ll be a participant.

  “Baby brother wants to get his torture on.” Atticus smiles, slapping me on my shoulder.

  “He had his hands on my woman,” I growl out. The thought alone makes me feel murderous. No man has the right to put his hands on any woman, let alone mine.

  “Your woman, huh?” Atticus questions. “First time hearing about this, baby brother. Do tell.” Like I’ll tell him shit, the nosey fucker!

  “Share with the class, Jonas,” Silas teases me. Which is a rarity, he’s usually so serious and wears a scowl on his face, enough so that you could cut a diamond on him. Maybe Destiny being around will be a good thing for him, I guess time will tell.

  “Weren’t you the one just saying we needed to stop acting like school-aged children, Silas? Yet, here you are, wanting to gossip and shit.”

  “Supporting my brother isn’t gossiping. I don’t have a vagina,” Silas retorts.

  “So you say,” Atticus says. “Ouch, what was that for, motherfucker!” I laugh when I see him holding his arm and rubbing it after Silas punches him. Good times in the Nelson household, good times indeed.

  We finally get Scooby’s shit all set up, Piper and Destiny have taken it upon themselves to help get Raven and Damien set up in their rooms, so that leaves us open and available to go downstairs.

  “I get to put my hands on him first,” I announce to my brothers.

  “Look at you thinking you’re in charge. You’ve never gotten your hands dirty before, it must be love,” Atticus teases me.

  “Keep it up, Atticus, and my size twelve boot is going straight up your ass,” I glare in his direction. He holds his hands up in front of him. But his facial features don’t coincide with his actions.

  Six

  Raven

&nbs
p; “So, how do you know Jonas?” Piper asks me as she makes the bed while I busy myself by putting away my clothes. I don’t know her, and I’m not entirely comfortable having a girly chat. It’s taken everything within me to trust Jonas, no one said I had to add his family to the mix. I have no idea how long Damien and I will be here, but if it’s longer than a few days, I can always have Jonas take me back by my house to get more.

  “Oh, uh, we met at the grocery store.” I’m not really sure what else to say to her. Like the fact that he saved me from one of my husband’s cronies. Or that I don’t miss said husband, not in the least. No, those aren’t appropriate topics of conversation. “There was a man bothering me and he stepped in and made him leave.”

  “Jonas? Maybe there’s more of a badass in him than I realized,” Piper murmurs. “I’m sorry, it’s just that he’s rather laidback around here. His brothers, on the other hand, are the intense ones.” I wanna tell her to stop talking. All I want to do is get this done and get back to my boy. Thankfully, the other girl in the room picks up the conversation saving me from having to speak. Like I said, this whole being around people thing makes me nervous.

  “Silas isn’t intense, Piper,” Destiny corrects. I notice that she doesn’t really make eye contact with me and seems hesitant in some of her actions.

  At her words, Piper starts giggling and then laughing harder until she has tears streaming down her face as she tries to speak. “N-n-not intense? Silas? We are talking about the man who barely speaks, has a shaved head and enough tats to scare God himself if He were to meet him in a dark alley, right? That Silas?” By the glare Destiny is giving Piper, I’m wondering if I should make a hasty exit and let them have their showdown.