by Khloe Wren
She gave me a firm nod as she locked up her front door and started for my cage. “Yes, I am. It’s time I took a bigger interest in your life. I want to see this place where you have my granddaughter living and meet these men you call your brothers.”
For a full minute I had no idea what the fuck to say to that. Ma and my relationship had been strained for so long, this new, peaceful version was taking some getting used to. But I didn’t want to fuck it up, so I didn’t respond to her but instead turned my attention to Ashlynn as we got in and ready to go.
“You know what the Navy is, right, Ashlynn?”
“Uh huh. It’s the military and they go on big ships and wear sailor hats.”
Close enough. “Right. Well, some men—”
Ma interrupted, “And women.”
I let a sigh loose. These two were going to gang up on me all the fucking time, I could see it. “Right, yes, some of the men and women in the Navy want more, to be more. They do extra training and have to pass all sorts of tests to become part of the elite of the Navy, and they call those that make it SEALs.”
“Oh.”
“If you want to know more, I’m sure Nitro would be happy to answer your questions, honey.”
“Okay, Daddy. Where’s Bess? Is she okay?”
And I thought the SEAL question had been tricky to answer...
“She’ll be fine, honey. She’s just had a bad couple of days and needs a little TLC. She’s following us back to Bridgewater in her car and is gonna stay with us for a while. That okay with you?”
I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see her nod, then look out the window at the passing houses and shit.
“She’s such a dear.”
Ma’s voice was low, like she didn’t want Ashlynn to hear her, so I responded in the same tone.
“Yeah, I got lucky. She’s a great kid.”
I hadn’t done much to deserve her, but I was working on changing that.
“Ah, Ma, don’t get too upset over where we’re living, okay? It’s just temporary.”
She waved a hand at me. “I understand that. What’s this clubhouse like?”
“It’s a two-story building. The bottom level is all the club stuff and the upper level is rooms. Before I brought Ashlynn down, they installed a door between two of the rooms for us. So we’re staying there for now. I wanted to get this shit with Godfrey dealt with, make sure you were safe, before I worried about looking for something more permanent for us.”
She sniffled and my grip on the wheel tightened in shock. Was she crying? Like actually shedding fucking tears over all this?
“I can’t believe I fell for all his garbage. I’m nothing but an old fool. Thank you for coming, for getting it fixed up.”
“Ah, fuck, Ma. You’re not a fool.” I reached a hand over and took hers, giving it a squeeze. “Godfrey was a con man. A very accomplished one. From what we’ve found out, he’s been doing this for a good, long while. He saw a lonely, grieving widow and took advantage. That’s more on me than you. Never should have left you alone down here.”
She squeezed my hand back. “Guess we’re both good at the guilt game, huh? How about we just put it behind us and move forward, yes? How about you and Ashlynn move in with me?”
I released her hand to change gears as we entered Bridgewater.
“I don’t know, Ma. So many memories in Rocky Gully. And I’m not sure I can be that close to Bess’ folks and not wanna knock some sense into her old man.”
She chuckled. “Oh, don’t you worry about Larry. Sheila will have him sorted out in no time. Man just got a shock. It’s not like Elizabeth stands up to him often. And he’s always liked his rules. Just like your father did.”
I winced and once more tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Thankfully, before we could get into it about my old man, I pulled into the Charon MC clubhouse yard, Bess behind me. By the time I climbed out, Ashlynn had herself unbuckled from her booster seat and out of her door. Once her feet hit the pavement, she bolted straight over to Bess, who’d just stood from her own vehicle. I chuckled quietly at the look of shock on Bess’ face when Ashlynn wrapped herself around her middle. Slowly, Bess gave her a pat on the back.
“Ah, Ashlynn? You okay, sweetie?”
“I’m fine, but Daddy said you’d had a bad day, so I thought I could give you a hug and make you feel better.”
For real, this kid was something else. Bess looked up at me with wide eyes and I just shrugged at her before walking over to them.
“We need to get inside. Scout’s been blowing up my phone for a while. Hey, Ashlynn, I think Ariel might be here? Why don’t you go introduce Grandma to her?”
I barely got the words out before Ashlynn had Ma’s hand in hers and was dragging her toward the front door. Wrapping my arm around Bess’ shoulders I pulled her in and kissed her soundly on the lips.
“C’mon, let’s go get this shit over with.”
Keeping her tucked in against my side, we started walking to the clubhouse’s entrance.
“What did Mom say?”
“You saw that, huh?
She poked her finger into my ribs. “Just tell me already. How bad was it?”
Leaning over, I kissed the top of her head. “Not bad at all, babe. Your mom asked me to tell you they love you and that you’re welcome home any time. And that your dad will get over the rule thing. I told her you’d be taking a few days off to work out what you want to do. Your mom was fine with that.”
Once through the door I paused to observe the chaos. There were women and kids everywhere, and naturally Ashlynn had her grandma right in the middle of it all.
I muttered to Bess, “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Me, either. Looks more like a fucking day care than a biker club, huh?”
Scout strolled up to us, a tiny baby in his arms. “Yeah, all the women wanted to meet your old lady and daughter. Mercedes is missing because she’s holding down the fort over at Marie’s Cafe, but I think she’s the only old lady not here.”
Over on the far side of the room, I noticed a tall, raven-haired woman stood and passed a baby over to Taz before the pair came our way. Bess tensed beside me as they got near. Taz leaned in to give Bess a kiss on the cheek before smirking my way. Bastard was such a damn flirt.
“Hey, luv, this is Flick, my old lady, and this sweet one is my daughter Lola. We all call her Lolly.”
The baby was a least a few months old and stared up at us from her place secure in her daddy’s arms, taking us in.
“Don’t mind him, Bess. He’s an outrageous flirt, and loves stirring up the other men. How about we head back and get this shit outta the way so we can enjoy the rest of the afternoon?”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice to just put this whole mess behind me.”
Flick gave her a sad smile. “I totally understand that.” She leaned over and gave her daughter, then her man, a quick kiss before she spun on her heel and headed toward the offices.
With a finger under Bess’ chin, I tilted her face up for a kiss before I released her to follow Flick, hating that I couldn’t go with her. Taz’s hand came down on my shoulder.
“She’ll be right, mate. Flick will look after her. It’s why Scout insisted on it.”
Scout grunted as he shifted his kid in his arms. “Yep. Might work with them on occasion, but I still don’t trust those fuckers.”
I nodded to his son. “How old is he?”
That brought a grin out of the big man. “Five and a half weeks. Only just got him outta the damn hospital because baby boy was impatient to join the world.”
Ah, that’s right. Those fuckers from up in Boston had pulled a gun on his old lady and sent her into early labor. It was their quest for vengeance that had sent the Charons up to New York. I leaned forward and stroked a finger down his soft little cheek.
“So, it’s all on this little guy that I knew to come to the Charons for help, huh?”
Taz chuckled darkly. “Fate can sure be twisted,
and you might not always like the path she leads you on, but the destination is what counts and the bitch gets that right, eventually.”
Amen to that.
Elizabeth
I followed Flick down the hall and into the same office I’d been in earlier today.
“Before we get started, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. You can ask me anything.”
Flick closed the door and after grabbing a notepad and pen off the desk, moved to sit on the couch, motioning for me to sit next to her.
“What’s with this old lady shit?”
When she threw her head back to laugh, I couldn’t help but smile.
“I think every one of us, except for Silk because she grew up in the club, had that same damn question when we first heard that line. I mean, who the fuck came up with that shit?” She shook her head. “It’s what the men call their women. But they won’t give just any woman that title. Like, it’s not just whoever they’re dating. It’s reserved for the woman they want for keeps. Not every brother marries his old lady, but most do, because it’s a similar meaning.”
I gave her a nod as I wondered if that was how Ryan saw me.
“And the vest?” I glanced down at the leather vest she was wearing. It had her name on a patch on her front and I’d seen earlier that on the back it had “Property of” across the shoulders, the Charon MC logo in the center then “Taz” across the bottom.
“Bikers call them cuts, or colors. Us girls get a property patch. Bit like the whole old lady thing. In theory it sounds terrible and very last century, but in reality, a brother offering you his property patch is huge. It’s a sign that you’re his and he has your back, that his whole club has it too. It means you’re coveted and special enough to warrant the club’s protection. Took me a while to wrap my head around that one too. I mean, I’m more than capable of defending myself.” She smiled like she was remembering a good memory. “I’ll never forget the day I put Taz on his ass. Literally.”
I started to relax against the couch. “You’ll have to explain that one.”
Taz was only a couple inches taller than Flick, who had to be near on six feet tall, but he was a solidly built guy.
“It was the first time I met Scout. He was talking to me and when he saw Taz enter the bar behind me, he got cheeky and kissed my cheek. Taz got all caveman and grabbed my shoulder.” She shrugged. “Instinct took over and before I knew it, he was on his back on the floor in front of me, and all his brothers were laughing their asses off. Poor guy ain’t ever living that one down.”
“I bet.”
The mental image of that had me chuckling.
“Right. Let’s get this out of the way. So, let’s start with what happened before you were kidnapped. You can tell me everything and I’ll make sure to only pass on the bits the Feds need to know, so you don’t need to worry about holding anything back to protect anyone, okay?”
“Okay.”
Then I proceeded to explain about Mrs. Perry wanting to change her will and hand over her house, how I’d called Ryan, but continued to investigate myself. What I’d discovered by going through the old files.
“I need to pass that on and they might want to see everything you found. Would you be okay showing them the files?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. I mean, my boss is my father and he’s super anal about following the rules, especially the client confidentiality one. He’s kinda furious with me right now. I don’t honestly know if I have a job anymore, or if I even want it, if I do.”
Flick patted my leg. “Don’t you worry, Bess. If the Feds want that info, they’ll get a warrant for it. Although they might not worry about it, considering it’s not like we need to put Godfrey in jail.”
It was so strange having so many people call me Bess. Previously, only Ryan ever called me that. My parents had always been really strict about making everyone use my full name while I’d been growing up.
“Ah, for the report, my name isn’t actually Bess.”
“Oh, I know, Elizabeth Grace Brookes is the official title.” She gave me a wink. “I like Bess better. So much better than Liz. Who came up with the Bess thing?”
“Ryan, ah, Needles. We grew up together. Neighbors. He always called me Bess, even though my parents hated it and made everyone call me Elizabeth. Needles didn’t care. He just kept calling me Bess.”
She stopped writing and looked up at me with a startled expression. “Wait? So like the whole club is calling you Needles’ pet name for you? Is that cool? I can get Scout to tell them to call you Elizabeth, if you want.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “It’s not a pet name, and I don’t mind. I actually like it. Elizabeth is so damn formal sounding. Bess is more me, you know?”
“Preachin’ to the choir, honey. My name is Felicity but everyone calls me Flick. Much cooler. Right, back to work.”
“What’s going to happen to Godfrey and his men?”
She put down the pen and looked into my eyes with a frown.
“Be careful what you ask, Bess. Be very sure you want to know the answer to that. I’ll tell you, but you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone. It’s club business, which is not women’s business, generally speaking. In this case I know more than I should, because I need to. But we women stick together. If you want to know, I’ll tell you, but I shouldn’t, so you can’t let on that you know.”
Wow. No pressure or anything.
“Um, can you just tell me if it’s the club or the Feds who are dealing with them?”
She nodded. “The deal is the club gets Godfrey and the Feds get his two lackies.”
“Do we need to worry about them ever getting out of jail?”
“Godfrey won’t be breathing for long, and if the other two ever get out of jail, the club will step in and deal with them. You’re safe, Bess.”
I nodded, chewing my bottom lip as I dreaded what Flick was going to ask next.
“Okay, your kidnapping. I need all the details you can recall, up to getting back here after the rescue.”
Settling back against the couch, I closed my eyes against the world and just let it all out, from being grabbed in my kitchen and knocked out, to having to watch Godfrey hurt that poor young man. How Ryan had come and freed me, then carried me to safety. I told her about the woman with the shock collar, who’d said she was the sister of the man down in the basement. How Mirabelle had clearly been drugged with something, and how I’d heard the men say she’d been in a room with Godfrey’s men. When I ran out of words the room was silent.
Clearing my throat, I wiped the tears from my face and glanced over at Flick. She was still making notes, frowning down at the pad as she finished off what she was writing. I had no idea what she was thinking as she worked, and it was making me nervous.
“Anything else?”
“Hang on a sec.” Some more writing. “Right. I think that about covers it. And damn, girl. You had a night. Keys is one paranoid man but he keeps saving the day.”
“It sure seems that way.”
She shut the notebook and stood. “C’mon. After that, we need to get you a drink. I’d have one but I’m still breastfeeding, so you’ll just have to have mine for me.” She gave me a wink. “Then I’ll go write this up, get Scout to vet it, and send it off. I’ll let you know if they want to go through your dad’s files.”
“Have you seen Todd? The teen from the basement.”
I hadn’t stopped thinking about him.
“I went and interviewed Todd and his sister earlier today. For the record, he’s not gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just wanted to let you know that line Godfrey gave you about his cousin handing him over to be cured was utter bullshit. He tried to rescue his sister and Godfrey caught him. He’s got a hell of a long way to get back to some sort of normal, but hopefully together with his sister, they can both make it. I passed on the club’s invitation for them to stay here in Bridgewater. They don’t have any other
family and the club will make sure they stay safe and have everything they need. Todd didn’t answer me, but he’s got a little time. He’ll be in hospital for a while.” She shook her head. “I can’t say more, but yeah, he’s got some time to decide.”
I followed her back out to the main room and she led me to the bar.
“The drinks are free in the clubhouse, so just tell whichever prospect is behind the bar what you want, and they’ll hand it over.”
“That’s the other thing I was going to ask. What’s it mean, to be a prospect?”
A familiar, warm arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me back against his hard chest. With a happy sigh, I snuggled back against him while I watched Flick disappear back down the hallway as Ryan answered my question.
“A prospect is a man who wants to be part of the club but needs to earn that right. Think of it like an apprenticeship.”
“But didn’t you already do that with that other club?”
“Yep, but each club is different, babe. I gotta do it again to be part of the Charons. I’m lucky though. Scout and a few of the others saw how I was up in New York with the Knights so they vouched for me as a good bet. Means I hopefully won’t be prospecting for a full year, which is normally what happens. Also, I’m hoping it means I won’t be given the real grunt shit that prospects have to do.”
I nodded against his chest before leaning forward toward the prospect behind the bar.
“What can I get you, doll?”
Normally I just drank beer but after that session with Flick, I needed something stronger. A grin curled my lips when I remembered the night we’d had last month, a night that had started in Bill’s Tavern with shots.
“Shot of bourbon, thanks.”
Ryan’s deep chuckle told me he knew what I was doing. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You looking to repeat what happened last time?”
I shrugged. “Well, not exactly what happened last time. Just maybe parts of it.”
Yeah, I’d freaked out and kicked his ass out my bed last time. Wasn’t doing that tonight. No way. He’d blown through every last defense I had. All those reasons I’d held onto for so long were nothing but dust now. It was liberating.
