Denise sighed as she heard the motorcycle pull into her driveway. She figured that across the street, Meredith was probably taking pictures. Hell, she’d probably bugged her home when she’d been there earlier. They had been on their way to such a good friendship too. She was going to miss that.
Liam walked in without even knocking.
“I didn’t know we were that comfortable with each other,” she dryly greeted him. “You know, for you just to walk into my house.”
“Get your stuff and get your kids from school, we gotta go.”
She could tell by the look on his face and the tone of his voice he meant business.
“Am I in trouble? Are you going to kill me?”
He saw her lower lip tremble and wanted to kill his father. “No we aren’t going to kill you, but we all need to be clear about what’s going on here. I promised you that your kids would be fine, and I keep my promises.”
She noted that he had never promised she would be fine. She was now at the mercy of these people, and it was very clear that she was in way over her head.
Chapter Six
“Momma, where are we goin’?”
Denise sighed. It was moments like these that she wished there was someone else to help answer the children’s questions. “To a friend’s house, Mandy. Like I’ve already told you three times.”
Her patience was beginning to run thin. She had no idea where Liam was taking her, only knew it was her job to follow. Gripping the steering wheel, she thought back on the choices she had made. No matter what happened here this afternoon, they had been the right ones. The only ones she felt that she could make. It wouldn’t do to second guess herself now.
“We don’t know anybody who lives out here,” Mandy argued.
“Amanda Cunningham, I’m going to say this one time and one time only. We are going to a friend’s house, and if you open your mouth again you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
Properly scolded, Mandy sat back in her seat and began picking at the nail polish on her fingers. Every once in a while, she glanced up at her mother in the rearview mirror and rolled her eyes.
“You’re pushin’ it, little girl.”
It struck her at that moment – the differences in her children. Mandy back talked when she was scared and wanted to know exactly what was going on. Drew, on the other hand, reminded her a lot of Liam. He sat with his eyes straight ahead, taking in their surroundings. She could almost see his mind working through all of this, and she had a sneaking suspicion her son knew it all.
Liam had gotten further ahead of them on the road as the battle of wills with her daughter ensued. Denise pressed the accelerator to catch up. She questioned why she suddenly seemed so willing to follow him anywhere he might lead her. As far as she was concerned, he was as much to blame for this as she was. As they traveled down Porter Pike, he took her further out in to the county than she had ever been before. They passed a volunteer fire department, and she noticed a highway number. If she wasn’t mistaken, they weren’t too far away from the eastern boundary of the county. Up ahead, his brake lights flickered, and he pulled onto a gravel road. Signaling, she followed him, and they drove for what seemed like miles before they crested a hill. There sat the largest garage-like building she’d ever seen, surrounded by motorcycles.
“Mom? When did these people become your friends?” Drew asked, his mouth agape at the scene.
“I’ll tell you just like I told your sister. Hush.”
Liam parked his bike beside those that lined the drive and motioned for her to park her car. Her heart pounded as she put the car in park and instructed the kids to get out.
“They can go hang out with Roni. She usually keeps the kids preoccupied.” He pointed to where Roni stood observing a group of kids playing basketball and riding bikes.
“I’m not leaving my mom alone with you,” Drew lifted his chin in defiance.
Liam respected what the boy was trying to do but knew that he couldn’t let him get in the way. He stepped in front of Denise and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.
“We need to take care of some adult business.”
The two males sized one another up. Finally, Drew gave in and followed his sister to where the other kids hung out.
“Let’s get inside. William wants to talk to you.”
It might have been false, but she felt a sense of protection as she walked in with Liam at her side. He placed a hand at the small of her back, leading her into the main room of the clubhouse. It was dark to her, miscellaneous posters hung on the walls along with pictures of different men. She assumed they had something do with the history of the club, but she really didn’t know. A row of couches sat in the corner, a pool table beside them. In the other corner, a large table had been set up that was obviously used as a kitchen table, and there were a group of recliners. It looked comfortable, but not at all welcoming. Conversation ceased when they arrived. Liam watched, his eyes taking in everything as his father walked over to where they stood. He didn’t like the look in the older man’s eyes.
“I take it you’re Denise?”
Shyly, she nodded. This man’s demeanor was completely different than the younger one standing next to her. That could be seen by the tick in his jaw as he looked at her. He didn’t have a relaxed air about him like Liam did. This man wanted to intimidate her.
“What did that reporter want with you?” he asked gruffly. She knew that his tone of voice was meant to scare her, but instead it made her angry.
“She wants to use me to get to you. Somehow she knows that you’ve recruited me.”
His face flushed red. “Well then you must have told her.”
“I didn’t tell anyone anything. She came to me!” Her voice shook with fear and anger. She didn’t appreciate being put in this situation.
This wasn’t going to end well, Liam could tell. Emotions were running high, Denise was scared to death, and William was pissed beyond belief. Neither one of them appeared to want to listen to what the other had to say.
“And just how did she know to come to you?” he questioned.
She wanted to cry. Throwing her hands up in the air, she just said, “I don’t know.”
“You did one job for us and she’s already on to you?”
“I don’t know how.”
“What did you say to her to give yourself away?”
“I don’t know.” she screamed. “I didn’t talk to her about this. I am just a single mother minding my own business, you came to me. Not the other way around.”
William Walker did not allow anyone to yell at him. Denise, in her frustration, was beginning to get louder. Liam stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Irritated, she shrugged it off.
“I’d watch your tone if I was you,” William warned her, sticking a finger in her face.
“If you were me, you wouldn’t be in this situation. I got bullied by you to do a job that you knew would put a bull’s-eye on my back. If you’re wondering how she knew about me, maybe you should look at your own people. They are the only people who knew about it.”
“Are you tellin’ me you think my people have loose lips?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, put off by the questions being asked. “I think you know exactly what I’m saying.”
Without warning, the bigger man leaned back and clocked her across the face. With a gasp, she fell to the floor, holding her cheek. Blood poured from her nose, and her cheek started to bruise almost immediately. Liam reached down to help her up. He shook with fury, none of them liked to see women hurt, and he had told this one’s son that she wouldn’t be. In the span of minutes, he’d managed to break a promise. That was just great, and his own father was the one to thank for that. Sometimes he wished they didn’t share the same name or the same blood.
“Was that really necessary, Dad?”
“She questioned me and this club. We all know the rules here.”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t.”
“
Are you starting to question me now? I’ll do ten times worse to you.”
Liam swallowed hard. He knew what was coming if he dared say the things he wanted to. He felt that most of this was his fault. Had he spoken up louder, sooner, maybe he could have kept her from this. Now was the time to take the stand he hadn’t taken before.
“I’m not questioning you. I’m telling you if you touch her again, you’ll deal with me.”
Shock was evident on William’s face as the words came out of his son’s mouth. “You do realize what you’re saying, right?”
“I do. This won’t be happening here, Dad. You won’t be touching her again.”
Denise wondered just what in the hell he meant. This time, however, she did leave her mouth shut. The Native American, whom she recognized from the news as the one arrested with Liam, approached them and pressed a towel to her face. It must have held ice because it felt blessedly cool.
“In case anyone missed what went down here, this woman is now my property,” Liam announced loudly. “You got something to say? You say it to me,” he looked directly in his father’s eyes as he spoke.
Denise wanted to scream at him. She, out of everyone, had missed what went down. She didn’t know what being his property entailed, and she sure as hell didn’t want to find out right this instant.
The crowd was silent as the two of them left, Tyler watching their backs as they exited the building. Once outside, Denise yelled for the kids. Disappointment and fear was plain on Andrew’s face as he looked from Liam to his mom.
“Who hit her?” he demanded.
Realizing for the first time just how dangerous this situation could be, Denise herded him to the car along with Mandy as she threw the towel down on the ground. She wanted absolutely nothing to remind her of this place. Not even waiting for Liam, she got in her car and drove off as fast as she could. The kids screamed questions at her as her car kicked up dust in her wake.
“Damnit!”
Liam knew he couldn’t leave her alone. He had claimed her now in front of everyone. She was his property, whether she wanted to be or not.
Chapter Seven
“You better go after her.”
Liam glared at his sister as she walked over to stand with beside him. Nothing about any of this was easy, and he didn’t want to hear other people’s opinions.
“She obviously wants nothing to do with me or us.” He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his dark hair.
“That’s not just her decision anymore, and you know it. You’ve claimed her, and she’s been seen with you. Our enemies will be after her and her family now. I feel horrible about this,” she whispered. She had always been the worrier of the two of them. Above all, Roni tried to be a good person, and he knew hurting Denise would be tearing her up.
He slung his arm over her shoulder and brought her close to his body. “You didn’t mean for this to happen any more than I did. It was our bastard of a father. Unfortunately, we can’t say no to him.”
Truer words had never been spoken, and it wasn’t the first time that Roni wished their mother was around. She would never speak those words to anyone, but at times like these they needed an ally.
“No, but we should have looked out for her and her kids. What’s gonna happen now? What kinda danger is she going to be in because of us?”
Squaring his shoulders, he turned her to face him. “Nothin’ is going to happen to that family again. I’ve promised my protection and that’s what they will have.”
“What if she doesn’t want it?”
“I think it’s pretty goddamn obvious she doesn’t want it, but she doesn’t have a choice. What I want, I get.”
Roni knew he spoke the truth. He always got what he wanted, but he did it in a much better way than their father.
“Anybody ever tell you what an asshole you are?”
William turned sharply to face the voice of his estranged wife, Lauren. Neither Liam nor Roni knew she still came to the club, but the two of them couldn’t seem to stay away from each other. There was absolute love there, but they couldn’t deal with one another on a day to day basis. Liam didn’t trust her, so they kept most of their meetings private.
“You, on more than one occasion.”
Damn, he missed her being here all the time. When he had started this club, it had been for her, it had been for his family. When they got too deep in the illegal activities, she ran. Abandoning her children, but not abandoning her feelings for him.
“I think right now I have to be honest with you. You’re driving him away, and you need to watch it before you push him so far he doesn’t come back. Just like I did.”
“I’m trying to teach him to be a leader,” he explained gruffly.
Lauren put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “What’s more important? Him being a good leader or being your son? The two of you are in a very dangerous situation, and you are walking a tightrope. He only has one father, and you only have one son.” She was careful with the words she used; it wouldn’t serve any purpose to get William mad at her. “Don’t let a sense of loyalty to the club disrupt that. Liam is a damn good man. These younger guys follow him first and ask questions later because of his heart and his loyalty. Don’t perceive it as a threat, allow him to grow. Don’t break him the way I did. I know what I did was wrong, but it’s too late to go back and change that now.”
William could see the decisions she had made were weighing on her. If he had been a better man, he would have offered her his shoulder and told her that no matter what Liam was still her son and would love her unconditionally. But he wasn’t that man.
“You’re right. He hates you, and that’s never gonna change.”
She took a deep breath, her heart sinking at those words. He was right, and she wasn’t sure she could ever make that change.
“Get upstairs and do your homework.”
“We don’t have any, school just started,” Drew reminded her before she pinned him with a look. It wasn’t long before she heard feet running quickly up the stairs, almost as if they couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Bedroom doors slammed, and at last she was alone. Sinking to the couch, she put her head in her hands.
“What the ever-loving-fuck have I done?” she asked herself out loud.
The phone rang at her side, and she laughed as she recognized the number. It was her job, probably calling her in on her day off. She should have been happy with that job, and she wouldn’t be in this situation now. The ringing grated her nerves and she reached over, sending it to voicemail.
“What am I going to do?”
She had a little bit of money left from the club. Paying off the credit cards and house had taken most of it, but she could just let the bank take the house. She and the kids could run a long way on the money she had made. They had been frugal for the past year, they could learn to be even more so. She could homeschool, and they could start a new life somewhere different, somewhere this bad luck didn’t seem to follow her. The only family she really had was upstairs, and possessions didn’t matter if they weren’t alive to enjoy them. She could pack what they needed tonight, and then go to the bank tomorrow morning to withdraw all the remaining money. They could be miles from town before noon.
Mind made up, she ran for the bedroom and grabbed a suitcase. She threw clothes inside, trying to keep her panic at bay. At this moment it felt like they were running for their lives. The roar of a motorcycle interrupted her thoughts and gave her pause. She missed the time – was it only a few short days ago? – when the roar of a motorcycle meant nothing to her. If Liam was here to talk her into something, he was sorely mistaken. She wasn’t stupid, and she wouldn’t be making the same mistake twice. Bracing herself for the knock she knew was coming, she tried to even out her breathing and calm down her temper. She’d finally reached the ‘lose my shit’ point and she was ready to let him have it.
Without warning, the window of her bedroom shattered, broken glass raining down on her. Almost in
stinctively she dropped to the floor. She could feel pricks at her scalp and knew she was bleeding. Taking stock of what had happened, she gazed around the bedroom. There on the floor not five feet from her lay a brick.
“Mom, are you okay?” both kids asked breathlessly as they stood in the doorway to her bedroom.
“I’m fine.” She winced as her fingers felt her scalp.
The front door slammed shut causing all of them to swivel round on alert. Liam stalked through, rage on his face.
“Is everybody okay in here?”
Drew lost it when he saw the man, running at him with a loud war cry. He caught Liam around the waist, bringing them both to the ground. Once the boy was on top of him, Drew began swinging. Mandy and Denise were screaming at the two of them without trying to intervene. Denise was afraid to get up because she didn’t know where glass was lodged, and Mandy was afraid she was going to get hit in the melee.
“Andrew. Get off of him now.” Denise yelled.
The boy just kept hitting the man, Liam grunting as Drew made contact with muscle and flesh. Finally Liam was able to flip them over and hold his arms down over Drew’s. “You done?” he asked, afraid to let him go.
Drew’s body heaved as he tried to control his breathing. It had taken almost everything out of him as he tried to purge the anger he had towards Liam.
“Answer me. You done?”
Tears streamed down the teenager’s face as he nodded.
“Now, are you two okay?” Liam again asked, wiping blood from his lip and nose.
“I’m fine,” Mandy whispered, in shock over what she had just witnessed.
“I’m good too, but I just don’t know where all this glass is. They aren’t wearing shoes, and I don’t want to track it everywhere. I know I’ve got some cuts, but I don’t think any are deep.”
He took in the state of the bedroom and glared at her. “Going somewhere?”
“Why don’t the two of you go upstairs and work on your rooms while I clean up this mess.”
Heaven Hill Series - Complete Series Page 5
