by K. J. Dahlen
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I want you to stay with me. I want a life with you in it. I know I’m a lot older than you are but I don’t care. Melora isn’t the only Morgan who loves you, so do I.” Mountain rested his forehead on hers.
“Oh Talon, I love you too. Are you sure?” Izzy had to ask. “It’s an awful lot to ask you to take on, both me and Boone.”
Mountain smiled. “You and Boone are family now. I want to marry you if you’ll have me.”
“Isn’t that a little backwards?” She giggled.
“No it isn’t,” he insisted. “I’ll take you any how I can get you.”
“Ok Mr. Mountain man, you’ve got me. Warts and all, I’m all yours.”
“Hooray.” Mountain swooped down and crushed her lips with his. He leaned into her and then the baby began fussing at him being so close. Mountain laughed as he pulled away from her. “Oops, let’s not squish the baby.”
“Yeah, I’d rather not lose him just yet.” Melora commented from the bed. “If you guys are going to get frisky give me my son back, so he’s not caught in the middle. He’s a little young to get that kind of education.”
Izzy laughed and handed the baby to his mother. Then she reached for Mountain and slid down to the floor. She heard Melora groan and turn over, so she wasn’t facing them.
~* * * *~
The next morning, Raine sat in the clubhouse alone. Reva and Gator were again in the kitchen working to make breakfast and coffee. He couldn’t tell if Gator had told her about Bulldog yet, but he felt she had to know, so today he would tell her himself if he could get her away from Gator.
He turned as another body sat down at his table.
It was Bones. “So you wanna tell me why you’re watching Reva and riling Gator?” he asked offhand as he poured a cup of coffee.
Raine shrugged. “I’m not looking for trouble here.”
“I didn’t say you were but you’ve been watching her for a while now and its beginning to freak her out.”
Raine nodded. “Probably.” He paused for a long moment then asked, “Did you ever have a moment in your past that you wished you could relive and this time, prevent something bad from happening?”
Sam scoffed. “Yeah I’ve had a few of those.” He stared at Raine for a moment and asked, “What are you trying to tell me here?”
“Not a damn thing boss, not a damn thing.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Sam sat back in his chair. “So are you telling me you wish you could go back and change something, something like what happened to Reva all those years ago?”
Raine sighed deeply. “Yeah, something like that.”
“You can’t go back and neither can she.” Sam’s words were soft and low. “What happened, happened. Your brother got exactly what he deserved for what he did to her.”
Raine nodded. “Yeah, I know but none of us realized how bad it was getting. Both her and Bulldog hid what was happening from everyone. No one should have to live with the kind of fear she lived with day after day.”
“Yeah, your brother was a real sweetheart.” Sam growled.
“The family tried to see her after the police arrested Bulldog but she wouldn’t let us in.” Raine shook his head. “My mom cried.” He paused then admitted, “In all the years I lived with that woman, I never saw her cry, not once but when she found out what Bulldog did, she cried.”
“And now?” Sam asked.
“I got a letter from Bulldog a month ago and he told me she hasn’t spoken to him since he went to prison. Every letter he sent comes back stamped Return to Sender.” Raine shook his head. “Instead of taking the blame for his own actions, Bulldog is still blaming Reva and I’m afraid if he gets out in the next month, he’ll come here and kill both of them.”
“Your brother is just plain crazy.” Sam shook his head.
“I happen to agree with you.” Raine took a deep breath and when he exhaled he said, “I got a letter from my brother, Hound and the family wants to stand with Reva if and when it comes to a showdown.”
Sam dropped his cup to the table. ”What?”
“Yeah, how is that for a kick in the head?”
“Wow, the Moore family standing against one of their own?” Sam whispered. “I never thought that day would come.”
“Yeah well, Bulldog fucked up big time,” Raine stated. “Only they want me to talk to Reva and Gator and find out what they want. And I don’t think either one of them will willingly talk to me. Reva hasn’t yet and Gator just warned me off, again last night.”
“What do you mean again?” Sam frowned.
“He doesn’t like the fact that I’m here, at all,” Raine admitted. “He watches me all the time and I think he’s waiting for me to go postal on her.” He shook his head. “I would never hurt her or any other woman and she won’t give me the time of day. Not that I blame her, I wouldn’t give me the time of day either if someone just stood there while I was beaten.”
“Maybe you should talk to Deke and have him act as mediator?”
Raine shook his head. “She wouldn’t want everyone to know what happened.”
“You don’t think Deke remembers that day?” Sam scoffed. “He damn well remembers. He might have been just a kid when it happened but he watched the whole incident go down just like everyone else who was there. He may have been young but some things you never forget.” Sam shifted in his chair. “Besides, when he left Maine they came with him and stayed with him all this time.”
Raine shook his head. “Maybe I’m wrong but this is something I have to do. On my own. All I need is a little of her time and an open mind. Gator can’t stand between us all the time.”
Sam snorted. “You may not remember him very well, if you think that. That man is stubborn like you ain’t never seen before. When he clamps his jaw onto something, he never lets go. Why do you think he’s called gator?”
They both turned in time to see Reva kiss her man and move toward the back door.
Gator watched as she headed outside. Then he turned, glared at Raine and made his way to the front door. Moments later they heard his cycle start up and roar away.
~* * * *~
Cassie watched through the window of her house as Reva walked along the wood line. When she reached a certain spot, she turned and entered the woods. Cassie turned and nodded at Peaches. “Can you watch the twins for a while? There’s something I need to do.”
Peaches rubbed her growing belly. “Sure, I’ll be here.”
Cassie closed the door behind her and quickly went down the path she’d seen Reva take. When she entered the woods, she found a worn path and followed it. She walked for a good twenty minutes before the silence was broken by the sound of water splashing in front of her. When she came around a corner, she gasped. There is the middle of the woods was a waterfall. It might have been manmade but it fit into the surroundings almost as if it were meant to be there.
On a small bench Reva sat. Her mind must’ve been a million miles away and she didn’t notice Cassie until the other woman sat down next to her. Reva started and turned to look at her with fear in her eyes. When she saw it was Cassie, she relaxed. “God all Friday woman, you startled me!”
“I’m sorry,” Cassie said quietly. “I thought you saw me.”
“No I’m the one who’s sorry. I guess my mind was far away.” She shrugged. “I guess I need to stay more focused from now on.”
Cassie cocked her head to one side. “I’m a very good listener if you ever need someone to listen.”
Reva smiled. “Thank you but my problems aren’t your problems.”
Cassie shook her head. “Sometimes, we all need someone to just listen.” She hesitated then added, “I would be more than happy to listen anytime you need it.
Reva gave her a silent look then turned her head and watched the water for a moment.
Cassie sat next to her and didn’t say a word.
Finally, after a few minutes Reva whispered
, “Seventeen years ago. I almost had a child.”
“Almost?” Cassie questioned.
Reva nodded but refused to meet her eyes. “I was married to a bastard of a man.” She snorted. “I guess I still am, married to him…I mean.”
Cassie frowned. ”Gator is a bastard?”
Reva shook her head. “God no, he’s my savior, but he isn’t my husband. Bulldog Moore is my old man and he’s been in prison for the last seventeen years because he murdered our son and damn near killed me.”
Cassie felt stunned. All this time, she thought Reva and Gator were married. Reaching out, she held Reva’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
Reva looked at her with tears in her eyes. For a moment, she tried to speak but couldn’t. Looking back at the waterfall, she waited until the tears abated. “It’s a long story and it might not make sense in places but I think I’d like you to know it.”
“I’ve got nothing but time,” Cassie told her softly.
Reva stared at the falls. “I met Bulldog when I was seventeen. All I could see then was the glamour of the MC. It was wild and more than a little scary but I wanted to be wild for once in my life. My home life was shitty and I couldn’t wait to be free, so when Bulldog asked me to be his old lady I accepted. We got married before I turned eighteen. He was a few years older than me and I thought he was cool. Boy was that a mistake. He was trouble from the get go. I stayed with him about a week and by then, I was ready to go home. Only he wouldn’t let me go. When I tried to leave him he dragged me back, then he beat me. The first time, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he hurt me enough to where I didn’t try it again for a while.” She shook her head. “After that, he began to treat me like a slave. He ordered me around in private and treated me like a queen when his family was around. He told me if I told anyone, he’d kill me.”
“How long were you together?” Cassie asked as her stomach roiled with this news.
“We were together for seven years. It was seven years of pure hell for me.”
“Did you ever try to leave after that first time?”
Reva nodded. “I did try one other time. It was toward the end of the seventh year. I knew I had to get out of there. I was pregnant with Bulldog’s baby and I didn’t want to raise my child living like that. I had everything all set. I’d saved up some money and I was ready to go.” She stopped and had to swallow her tears. “I didn’t get very far. Bulldog caught me and dragged me back. Literally dragged me back. He tied my hands together and dragged me behind his bike, back through the compound. Everyone was there to see what he did, his family and members of his club. He stopped in the middle of the dooryard and I stumbled to the ground. He grabbed me up and began beating the hell out of me. Everyone standing there was in shock that he would do something like that but I could see he was high on something.”
Cassie swallowed heavily as she paused and stared out at the water.
“People were yelling at him to stop but he never heard them. His father tried to stop him but he hit the man over and over again. His brothers all tried to stop him too, but it didn’t do any good. No one could have stopped him that night. Then Gator pulled his gun and put a bullet in him. That was the only thing that got his attention. He turned away from me and went after Gator. Gator got a second bullet into Bulldog and his brother hit him with a piece of lumber and that’s when he finally went down. Reva shook her head. “By the time the cops showed up, they had Bulldog tied up. He was still out of it but no one wanted to take any chances. I didn’t know any of this at the time. I was hurt really bad. By the time I got to the hospital I’d lost the baby and was so torn up inside I’d never have another child. I was in a coma for three weeks while I healed. And by then, Bulldog was in jail awaiting trial.”
“What happened then?” Cassie asked.
“When they presented all the medical evidence in court, the judge threw the book at him. He got seventeen years for the aggravated murder of the baby and the battery he did on me and his dad. I tried to divorce him while he was in prison but he wouldn’t sign the papers. He told me he’d see me in hell first.”
“So what has you so worried now?”
“Raine just told Gator that Bulldog is getting out of prison in less than a month.”
“How the hell would he know that?” Cassie was stunned.
Reva looked at her in surprise. “Raine is Bulldog’s brother.”
“Are you kidding me?” Cassie all but screamed as she jumped up
“No I’m not. Bulldog’s real name is Harry Moore. Raine’s name is Chris Moore. They have three other brothers and parents and the whole family belongs to the same club Sam left in Maine.”
“OMG…” Cassie whispered. “Is that why Raine came here with Sam? To keep an eye on his brother’s wife? I mean he is such a kind man, always there to doctor people up. He has helped all of us at one time or another. He saved my life once.”
Reva shrugged her shoulders. “No, I don’t think he would do that. He told Gator he wanted to help us but I know his family wouldn’t stand against one of their own.”
“Maybe things have changed? Maybe he really does want to help you?”
“I don’t know.” Reva sighed. “I’m just so tired of being afraid. I love Gator so much and I don’t want to put either of us in danger. But it isn’t just us I’m worried about, we have three kids living with us. I can’t and won’t put their lives in danger. If Bulldog gets out, he’s going to track us down and finish what he started seventeen years ago. One or all of us are going to die and I don’t want it to be me or Gator or the kids.”
“So what are you going to do? You do know that you don’t have to face this Bulldog alone, don’t you? You have the whole club behind you, and these guys don’t mess around.”
Reva shook her head. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I can’t in good conscience, put anyone else in harm’s way just to be safe.”
Cassie smiled. “I know what that feels like, I’ve been there myself but that’s the good thing about belonging to a MC. You never have to ask anyone to stand in front of you. They will stand beside you and they will have your back always.”
“I know but this news makes me want to run and hide. I know that isn’t fair to Gator, but I’m just so scared.”
“Talk to Deke and see what he has to say,” Cassie suggested.
Reva shook her head. “I can’t talk to Deke. This isn’t his problem. This is between me and Bulldog.”
“But you and Gator are a part of this family too.” Cassie reached out and hugged her. “Please don’t run away from us. We wouldn’t know what to do without you guys.”
“I really don’t want to go,” Reva whispered. “But if we do go, will you watch over the kids? We won’t be able to take them with us. Life on the road is no kind of life for kids and they have been through so much already.”
“Of course, we will. Those kids will always have a home with us here,” Cassie assured her.
“I love them so much,” Reva admitted. “I don’t know what I’ll do without them. To leave them here will just about break my heart but I can’t put them in danger either. If any of them got hurt because I stuck around—I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.”
“Please promise me something,” Cassie begged. “Promise me you won’t just run away. Promise me you’ll talk to Deke before you make any decision.”
Reva hesitated then hung her head and agreed. “Ok, I will talk to Deke first. I don’t really want to be on the run again. We have a great life here and I really hate to give it up.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Gator stomped into Deke’s office at the dance club with a frown on his face.
Deke looked up at his friend and threw his pen down. “What’s up with you?”
Gator growled and sat down on the other side of the desk. “I really want to hit something.”
“Why?”
“Because Raine told me Bulldog is due to get out of prison within th
e next month.”
“What the fuck?” Deke exclaimed. “Have you told Reva yet?”
“Yeah, I did. This isn’t something I could keep from her.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Gator growled and got to his feet. “I don’t know. All I know is that bastard isn’t getting anywhere near her again. I’ll kill him first.”
“I think he knows that.”
“I don’t want to run but I may not have a choice,” Gator said.
“Do you think she’s going to do that?”
Gator shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. She was so panicked last night she was jumping out of her skin. She could barely get the kids to bed and she didn’t sleep at all after that. Neither one of us did.”
“How is she doing this morning?”
Gator shrugged. “I’m not sure. We went to the clubhouse and she went to her special place in the woods but I haven’t seen her since then. I’m afraid that if I go back I’ll find her gone.”
Deke got to his feet. “Then you need to stay with her.” He grabbed his keys and urged Gator toward the door. “Come on man, we have to keep track of your woman. We aren’t going to let her run.”
“How are you going to keep her here?”
“By convincing her it’s time to stand her ground against her bully of a husband,” Deke told him. “What else did Raine tell you last night?”
“He said something about wanting to help her. He’s only seventeen years too late.” Gator snorted in distain.
“Maybe not,” Deke suggested.
“What does that mean?”
“It means what if Raine and his family are willing to stand beside her now?” Deke suggested. “They stood by and allowed their son to beat the hell out of his wife, killing their unborn family member. If I remember correctly, they didn’t show up at the trial.”
“I remember that.” Gator nodded. “I was there every day but no one from his family showed up until the day he was sentenced. Bulldog was happy to see them but they didn’t speak to him at all. He begged them to talk to him but they just turned their backs on him and walked out of the courtroom. Bulldog was almost rabid that day. Yelling and shouting at them.”
