“It was good. It’s been pretty great, I liked having him here with me.”
“Oh, come on, I don’t want the PG Disney Princess version of what went on with the two of you. I want the down and dirty porn stuff. How does he fuck? Did he make your toes curl or was he lame and selfish, only getting his and leaving you to masturbate in the bathtub after he was gone? You still have that present I gave you, right?”
“Damn you don’t ask for much, and yes, your present will always have a special place in my nightstand drawer,” Tessa said laughing. Cinny kept on glaring at her, hitting her every couple of seconds with her shoulder until Tess threw her hands up, falling back on the bed.
“Fine! He was good, okay? At all of it. But that’s all I am going to say because none of it matters. This shit,” Tessa said waving her hand toward the candles and bringing them down to the bed, “was his way of saying goodbye.”
“Oh, Tessa, I’m sorry, I was just playing, I didn’t know. I swear to you, I will geld that fucker.”
“No,” Tessa said taking her friends and protectors hand, “you won’t do anything like that. Creed was always honest with me. My feelings getting hurt isn’t on him, that’s all on me.” Tessa felt Cinny squeeze her hand, and it gave her the courage to tell her the rest. “I tried something new, and it blew up in my face. Damn, Maria I really thought I loved him, and that he was starting to love me back a little. It seems I’m a creature of habit and only attract men who like to leave or worse yet, men my brother order to keep me busy.”
“I don’t know about that.”
Tessa raised her eyebrow silently saying, “Really?”
“Oh, don’t give me that look. I don’t know. I knew Creed was on a mission. Details have been scarce, I had no idea he was with you, and I can tell you for certain, Caine didn’t know until recently, Tuck, I can’t answer for. But I’m pretty sure Creed didn’t have a clue.”
“Really, I find that hard to believe.”
“You shouldn’t. No member of the RBMC would touch you because you’re Tucks sister. That’s a death sentence, and Creed doesn’t strike me as a stupid man. Quiet and observant but not stupid.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am, but I think we’ve already talked about this.”
“Yeah, when I was like sixteen. I got it then, I was a child. But now? Why would it matter?”
“Hon, that’s a whole other conversation that will take a while to explain, and we need to figure out what we’re going to do to get you to your rotation at the hospital before those assholes come to their senses and realize you’re gone. Because if we wait, your ass will be on lockdown, and you’ll have to wait to make up the hours. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent you overseas to get away from Grinder and the Vultures threat. Now, tell me your plan, so I can figure out how to help you.”
Tessa sat up on the bed and hugged Cinny, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet; if your plan sucks and I can’t figure out a way to get you through it safely, I’ll let those guys,” Cinny said, pointing toward the door, “take you wherever they need to.”
Tessa knew that was true, but her plan was solid, and she knew she could get Cinny to agree to help her.
“Okay, listen, I texted my teacher, and I can get into the day shift rotation, it starts in three hours Cin,” Tessa said looking at the alarm clock on her bed.
“I don’t know, Tessa, that doesn’t give me much time to put anything together. I would need to make a few phone calls to people who won’t be exactly happy about being woke up at Oh dark thirty, plus, the hospital is pretty open with people coming and going all the time. You would be in and out of rooms where my guys couldn’t watch you and make sure you’re safe.”
But that’s just it, I’ve been working seconds, so no one will be expecting me to be there in the morning. Plus, I’ve already asked to work in the Adolescent Psychiatric ward. It’s locked, everyone who comes in has to use a badge or be approved by the charge nurse. Since I only need four hours to complete my clinicals, I’ll be gone before visiting hours even start.
“It sounds like you’ve thought this all out, but, Tessa, how do you plan on getting out of the house?”
“Yeah, that one I can’t figure out. I need my backpack and shoes which are sitting by the front door. No way are they going to let me just grab the stuff and walk out the door. Plus, my car is parked out front, and I know for a fact this place isn’t soundproof. Even if I was lucky enough to get to it once I start it, they’ll hear me. But if you help me, I can go out the window and wait for you up by the road. You can grab my shit, the car keys are in the pocket, or we could just leave in your car.”
“That would be a great plan, but I didn’t drive here by myself, I hitched a ride with a friend who happens to be part of the RBMC and who is standing outside with two other friends and about three of Caine’s people.”
“Shit!” Tessa groaned and fell back on the bed again. There was no use, she was going to have to go where Tuck and Caine wanted and forget about getting through school, again. Damn it. Letting the tears of frustration flow, Tessa laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. There was no use, she couldn’t think of anything else. The hospital was over an hour away.
“Okay, enough of that. I didn’t say parts of your plan wouldn’t work, we just need to make some adjustments,” Cinny said, wiping Tessa’s tears away. “Come on, get up. Change into something dark and make sure you’re wearing tennis shoes because once you climb out of that window, you’re going to have to run.”
Tessa did as Cinny told her and heard Cinny talking on the phone. Damn, she was going to owe Cinny big time because she’d just called her own brother to meet them both at the road in fifteen minutes. Cinny had as many issues with her brothers as Tessa had with her own, and they were all gang members. Shit!
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Creed got up as soon as Cinny left the room. He wasn’t going to take what happened next sitting down. When Tuck turned his back on him and left the room, he was surprised. That wasn’t what he’d expected, but when Brass, Tal, and Jinx walked into the room, followed by three other guys in Renegade cuts, he knew things were about to get real.
Tuck pointed at his Aunt and issued his first order. “Get her out of here and up to the safe house in Defiance. Take Tessa’s car. I don’t want the bitch seen.”
“Wait a fucking minute, that’s my Aunt,” Creed said, risking a lot. “I’ll deal with her and get her out of this shit.”
“No, you won’t,” Tuck said, “it’s gone too far. Do you know who the agent is in charge of her? Fucking Raimes.”
Fuck me, Creed thought, that fucker was corrupt as all hell, and his aunt had played right into his fucking hands. The agent had been assigned to the RBMC but was selling them out slowly to the highest bidder. Creed needed to know precisely what Kim had said to the man. He needed to figure out a way to make this right.
“Aunt Kim?”
“Dolly, I swear I didn’t know. I called the tip line that was it. An agent came to the house, and I gave him what I had and told him what I suspected, and he left. A few days later another agent came to the house and started asking me more questions. Only this time, they concentrated on you, nothing about Johnny or what happened. He didn’t ask about the Senator, Ben, or the kid who got Johnny killed. He wanted to know when the last time I saw you or what I knew about your military career. Then he started asking about what you did when you got out. I didn’t say anything. Hell, honey, I didn’t even know. I told him you hadn’t been around for a long time, but then you showed up on my doorstep two days later, and they knew about it.”
Creed tried to rub away the headache he was getting with his hands. This just got better and better. Kim got up and hugged him. “I swear, Creedence, I was only trying to do what was right. That boy, the Senator, and Ben need to be put behind bars for the things they’ve done.”
“Aunt Kim, why didn’t you call me or tell me Johnny was my brother? Did
you know about Shake and Sherry, that they were involved?”
“I figured they were, but I could never come up with anything concrete to tell anyone. I just, I just wanted someone to pay for Johnnys death. I didn’t want you to know until I had everything. Ben talked after sex, boasted about all the stuff he’d covered up for the Senator and his kid. How they couldn’t live without him. That’s why I was seeing him. They’re evil Creed. I just thought I could do something.”
Kim’s eyes were tearing up, and Creed knew she was telling the truth. She hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, but it didn’t change the fact that it had. He hugged her back. “I know, Aunt Kim, we’ll figure it out, okay.”
“Dolly, that agent is why I kept on telling you not to come over and to stay out of it. Ben never came back after you kicked him out, but that Agent was there every day. I swear I was trying to do what was right.”
Blowing out his breath Creed nodded, “I know.”
Kim kept going, “Then this man came in last night and took me out of the house. I swear, I didn’t give him anything, started yelling like a banshee, but then they tied me up, gagged me, and brought me here. I’m just so sorry.”
Creed didn’t doubt a word of what his Aunt was saying, and by the look on Caine’s face, she had given him and his men a go around. But he needed to get things moving, so he could move on to the next cluster fuck in his life.
“Tuck, can you give me a minute outside?” Creed asked.
“No, this shit is fucked up enough, and I want it done. Once your aunt is sorted, I’ll sort out the rest of you, understand, mother fucker?” Tuck said, pointing at Creed like he was an adolescent child who had done something wrong. This was bullshit, he had followed orders. He didn’t know about his aunt, Tess, or that he had been marked. Because his own club, Tuck specifically, had kept it all from him. Not giving him the tools, he needed to get the job done or protect anyone.
Gritting his teeth together, he directed his next question to Caine; it was pretty pathetic that the other President seemed to have more information he was willing to share than his own.
“Tell me what the plan is.”
Tuck grabbed his arm and spun him around. Tuck was a big guy, and someone Creed never wanted to mess with. Had held a ton of respect for him, but this shit was insane.
“The plan is for Jinx to take your Aunt to the safehouse just like I said,” he said right in Creeds face, through gritted teeth. “That’s all you need to know.”
“No, that isn’t all I need to know,” Creed demanded. “This is my aunt we’re talking about, and I deserve the answer to my question. Caine hasn’t been too far off about the RBMC unraveling, and I want to make sure she’s going to be protected when the shit goes down over this.”
Creed hadn’t like calling Tuck out like that in front of the other men, but he’d given him a choice, and he didn’t pick the right one.
He should have expected the punch even braced for it, but he hadn’t. While he sat on the ground wiping the blood from his lip, Tuck said, “No, your first and only loyalty is to the RBMC.”
Caine stepped into Creed’s view and moved Tuck back. From where the brothers were standing, none of them would have noticed the move. It was a way for Tuck to save face because the three of them knew something more was going on here, and Tuck needed to keep his shit together.
“Change of plans, brother,” Caine said to Tuck slapping him on the back. “Tessa and Kim are going to be staying with my club for a while. The RBMC has too many eyes focused on them right now, and the RSMD doesn’t. We talked about this, stop trying to take away all my fun.” Caine put his hand out to Creed, offering to help him up. In a whispered tone he said, “Your Aunt will be safe and cared for. Let this go, and we can discuss it later, you have my word.”
Creed gave Caine a small nod. He didn’t know if he trusted the man fully, but between the two, he had to lay all his cards with Caine, and that was a shame.
“Dozer, get your ass in here and take the lovely Kim to our best safehouse,” Caine said, complete with a butler bow. A man about Creed’s height and weight stepped forward. He didn’t look like he was anyone to mess with, but he also didn’t look like a dick either. When he walked over to Kim and offered her his elbow, Creed didn’t know what to think. Stopping at Caine, the man whispered yelled, “Dude, isn’t this our best safehouse?”
Caine laughed, “Get going, asshole.”
Kim looked at Creed, silently asking if this was okay, and he gave her the only thing he could, a nod. Then he watched his only relative he cared about walk away with a man he didn’t know and only hoped Caine would keep his word.
Once Kim was out of the room, Tuck yelled, “Everyone, get the fuck out of here! Caine and I have some unfinished business with Creed.” Brass, Tal, and Jinx looked at Creed with sympathy like he was a dead man walking, and fuck, he felt the same way. Having the attention of both Presidents on him because he’d been sleeping with their sister, putting her in danger, and his earlier comments, shit, he felt like part of him was already six feet under.
Creed got a small reprieve when Cinny stormed back in the room flipping both Presidents off going for the door. There were a bunch of, “Where the fuck do you think you're going,” and Cinny screeching some stuff about how it wasn’t any of their damn business. Creed was seeing Cinny in a new light; she never acted like this at the club. Then again, he would have never guessed that Tuck, Caine, and Cin had so much history. History he knew enough about and didn’t want to know anymore.
Creed wanted to go back into the bedroom and talk to Tess. He’d expected Caine to call out to her, then his man to take her away, which hadn’t happened, and he wondered why. But in a way, he was happy she was still there. He didn’t want them to end this way, with a fight. He wanted to talk to her, at least try to explain some things and ask a few questions of his own. Everything that had happened blew his mind, but it also gave him a little hope that maybe they could work this thing out. If he could get the fucking price off his head and the claim off her ass. Then he would have to deal with Tuck and Caine and there laid the problem. He didn’t think there was any way to deal with those two men where their sister was concerned.
He briefly considered what his life would be without the RBMC, but he loved the Club, what they stood for, and the work that they did. He didn’t want to leave. The Club had been an anchor for him when he got out of the service and gave him the ability to still do some fucking good in the fucked-up world they lived in.
Tuck went out the door with Cinny, but Caine stayed inside with him. He turned around at the door and said, “Are you going to claim my sister?” Blunt as hell and Creed resented it but faced him man to man. “I don’t know. If you would have asked me earlier, I would have said no. She isn’t meant for our life, but I do care about her. Now, with all the shit going on, if it will save her, I’ll claim her in a second.”
Caine walked over to him, and Creed braced, but all the other man did was take a seat in the old lazy boy. Leaning back and sighing like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with the RBMC, but Tessa is my sister. If you don’t put a claim on her, I’ll take her back with me. Cinny is right, she doesn’t trust easily, especially men. That’s on me and Tuck, but she let you in. So, I know you mean something to her.”
“Yeah, maybe before tonight,” Creed laughed, “but this shit and what went down earlier, I don’t know if Tess would agree with your assessment of our relationship.”
“Fuck man, I don’t want to talk to you about this. I feel like my dick is about to fall out and turn into a pussy, but if she lets you, then fight for her. Tessa’s worth it.”
“Yeah, I don’t disagree,” Creed said, taking his own seat and leaning back. They still had a bunch of crap to get through, but he was worn out. He couldn’t resist adding his own two cents though. “I think Cinny might be worth it, too.”
“You aren’t wrong about th
at, CCR. She’s worth it, but that woman likes to see me hurt. Hell, I even deserve it. Don’t let my sister get to that point. Fuck.” Caine got up and grabbed the bills Creed had given him earlier and started for the door giving Creed a warning, “Sit tight, your night isn’t even close to being done yet.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tessa was just about to go through the window when she heard the creak of the floor outside her door. Damn it, who now? Stepping back, she went to her dresser and started playing with the candles sitting on top. She couldn’t give whoever it was a reason to think she was leaving.
“I’m sorry.”
Tessa turned around in shock, she never expected Tuck to be the one coming to her room. Creed or hell, even Caine, yeah, but not Tuck.
“Excuse me what?”
“I’m sorry, I let myself believe things that weren’t true about you. Fuck, Tessa,” Tuck said, running his hand through his hair. “I let my grief over my dad dying… No, shit, I was mad okay. I was mad at you, I blamed you for his death. It wasn’t right, but I didn’t want to be responsible for you. Carol gave me an out, and I took it, it was easier that way. She fed my need to stay mad at you, and shit, Tessa, all I can say is I’m sorry.”
“Why? I don’t get it, Tuck. We were close why would you think I had anything to do with Mom and Dad dying? I was just a kid,” Tessa said, getting up from the bed walking to him. “You say you’re sorry, but I don’t believe you because you haven’t told me why.” Tessa walked away again, she didn’t want to be too close. It was too much, but she wasn’t done. Turning she pointed at him and asked, “Why spend all these years hating me, believing what that woman said. Why not listen to Caine or Cinny when they tried to tell you what was going on? Why Tuck, why not just talk to me?” Tessa screamed, pointing at herself. “You had more than one opportunity to do that through the years.
“Hell, there were times you even came to Hazard. Ah, I see you didn’t know I knew that, but I did, Tuck. I watched you. You came in, went to Junie's bar, talked to a few people. Had a grand night out, even called Cin to come and party with you, but what you didn’t do was try to see me. That wasn’t the only time, either. So, why don’t you explain it to me, why was it so hard to see me. Was it because if you did that, you would have to admit what you thought wasn’t true. That all that shit you built up in your brain was false?
Creed: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 5) Page 12
