“Lunch. I have food on the brain now that I’m awake from the smell of that coffee. Let’s have lunch. How does Maples sound?” He mentioned one of her favorite places to eat, a swanky place downtown.
She frowned up at him, blowing the steam from her mug again, waiting another few seconds for her first sip. “It sounds too good to be true. Kinda like a bribe. Whatcha got goin’ on?”
“Baby, I’m wounded you’d think that way, that I’d bribe you somehow with fancy food. Me using your favorite place in order to manipulate things in my favor?” He sighed dramatically. “No, you’re right; that totally sounds like something I’d do.” With a hangdog look, he tipped his head to the side, and she burst out laughing. He smiled at her, running his nose along her cheek. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Ask away.” She nestled into his chest, reaching out to set the still un-tasted coffee mug down.
“My lease won’t be up for another few months, but I found someone to sublet the condo.” He said this proudly.
She was glad he couldn’t see her face, because she didn’t know where he was going with this, but it sounded like… Stop jumping to conclusions, woman, she thought fiercely. Keeping her cheek against his chest, she said, “Mmm hmm, good for you. There are another few weeks of games and then done, right? What are your plans?”
“I thought I could move in here now, rather than wait.” He had stilled, frozen in place underneath her palms, but she could feel his pounding heart through the wall of his chest, and she smiled, because he was clearly nervous about asking. That gave her a warm feeling and she leaned back, looking up into his face, carefully keeping her smile at bay.
“That’s not a favor.” She watched his eyes dart from her lips to her eyes, back to her mouth.
His tongue slipped out, wetting his bottom lip. “It’s not?”
“Nope. Not a favor.” Holding steady, she waited for his response.
“What is it then?”
“It’s a gift.” Stretching up on her toes, she slid her lips over his with a grazing touch. “When can we move you?”
Family
Jase counted his steps as he paced around the kitchen, six steps up one side, four across, six back, and so on. He was having a hard time believing what DeeDee had told him not fifteen minutes ago, standing in their bedroom, looking at a ten-year-old picture. He believed, but it was hard to allow himself the hope that his family’s long nightmare could be over. Sharon, he thought, shaking his head. After practice today, he had a couple voicemails from DeeDee, the first telling him they would have a houseguest for the near future, then another letting him know that Gunny, the bouncer from the club, would be staying with them, too.
How was it possible that Sharon could be working for the club, could be working for DeeDee, and he didn’t know it? Here in Fort Wayne, only a few miles from where he laid his head last night, her ex-husband Elkins had been brutalizing her. Jase had looked for her for so long…so many years…it seemed like a dream to find her, but like this…a nightmare.
DeeDee was in talking to Gunny now; the man had evidently saved Sharon from being hurt worse than she already was. Even before he knew who the woman in their guest room was, his blood had run cold as Goose related the extent of her injuries. Now, he knew it was his baby sister, and he couldn’t imagine what he would do if left alone in a room with the animal that had done this to her. Motherfucker doesn’t deserve to still be walking around and drawing breath, he thought angrily, wondering what measures the club would take against the man once they found him again.
Pulling out his phone with jerky motions, he called Slate, hearing the tension in his friend’s voice when he answered the phone. “I don’t know anything yet, Jase. We’re doing a sweep for him, and we will pick him up. Gunny fucked him up bad enough he probably found a hole to crawl into so he can lick his wounds. It’s a matter of finding who knows where his hole might be. We’ll find him and bring that motherfucker to light. We’re going to bring him in; I promise you.”
“I want him when you do.” Breathing hard, Jase spoke in a low, brutal tone. “I want him. I want that motherfucker to pay. His ass is mine. You get it?”
“Yeah, I get that.” Slate blew out a frustrated breath. “Brother, I got another call coming in. I’ll text you when we come up with something.”
He angrily punched the disconnect button on the screen, trying to rein in his rage.
From what Goose had said, her ex-husband hadn’t been content with beating her head-to-toe; he also violated her with something other than his dick. With a wordless roar, he turned and leaned against the wall, fists pressing to either side of his head. He wanted to smash something, tear something to pieces. If the man were within reach right now, Jase wouldn’t be responsible for what happened. His family, his sister…he needed to protect her, to keep Elkins from ever touching her again. He would kill him, Jase decided, taking a deep breath. If the Rebels hand him over, I will kill the man without a second thought.
He heard a noise and looked up, seeing DeeDee walking up the hallway towards him. The muscles in her face and neck were tense, and he could see her jaw working as she gritted her teeth. She was taking this hard, seemed to have a misplaced sense of guilt for not being able to protect someone who worked for her. Even someone like his sister, who had sought out danger her entire life. He opened his arms and she walked into them, wrapping hers around him tightly. “How is she?” he asked, tentative now at the evidence of her distress.
“It’s bad, Jase. Really bad.” She sighed. “And Gunny, I don’t know what’s going on there.” Pulling back, she leaned against his arms and looked up into his face. “Like Goose told you, tread lightly. I don’t know if this has triggered a PTSD episode or what, but he’s protecting her with every fiber of his body. He’s like a coiled spring, though, so be careful.”
He nodded and released her, heading up the hallway to see his sister for the first time in years.
***
Standing in the doorway, in the low light, he could barely see his sister’s face in profile, her features smooth and calm as she slept securely cradled in the curve of Gunny’s arm. After months of not knowing if she was still alive, seeing her like this seemed surreal. He heard whispered words on the air of the room and realized they had come from him. “My Sharona.”
Crawling up into the bed, he settled in near Gunny, looking down at Sharon’s face. Wincing at the bruising on her temple, he jumped when the big man spoke to him. “If that shit turns your stomach, you sure don’t want to look at the rest of her, man.”
Jase leaned back against the headboard, not nearly as comfortable as he wanted to seem to be, lying in bed next to his sister. Make that his estranged, nearly naked sister, who was snuggled into the side of one of the scariest—and also nearly naked—bikers he ever met. He didn’t know Gunny well at all, but from talking to Slate, he understood that the ex-Marine was hardcore when it came to the club, having been a member since he got out of the military more than a decade ago.
Speaking softly so he wouldn’t wake her, he asked, “How bad is it?”
Gunny grunted and shook his head. “Bad. Real bad. Bad enough Goose doped her like a fucking racehorse so she would pass right the fuck out.”
Jase drew in a hard breath at his words. “DeeDee tell you she’s my sis?”
“You and I are going to have words about that, man. What kind of man doesn’t protect his fucking sister from shit like this?” The scowl Gunny gave him could have flayed skin from bones, but Jase understood.
“It’s hard to protect her when I can’t find her.” Stretching out his hand, he softly stroked her hair away from her face, taking care to avoid touching the man who held her. “She graduated high school while I was in Russia, and she was gone from home before the season ended. I haven’t seen her for more than eight years. That’s a lifetime. The few times she called and talked to Mom or me, we would try to talk her into coming home, even just for a visit, but it was a no-go, eh? The most info
we ever got was when she got married, but that was nothing more than a last name, nothing else to go on. Nothing any of the PIs could use to find her.”
Gunny grunted again, shifting slightly on the bed and pulling her against him. “You hired folks?”
“Yeah, every time we got a call. I would put together everything we learned from those conversations and kick off with an investigator. Handing that over to strangers to try and find her was hard, but I figured it would be worth reliving everything if they could only find her.” He swallowed, sweeping the pad of his thumb across her eyebrow, no longer as worried about the man holding her.
The bed shifted and he lifted his eyes to see DeeDee perching on the corner of the mattress. She smiled at him then turned her eyes on Gunny. “Food?” One word was all she asked, and when the man nodded, she smiled again and stood to leave the room. “Okay, I’ll make something simple so you can one-hand it.”
“How much do you know about what she’s been doing?” Gunny turned his piercing blue gaze on Jase, a scowl on his face.
“Not anything, really. We haven’t heard from her in months. She got married six years ago to a guy named Elkins; she called to tell me she said he was the ‘love of her life’. Goose said earlier she had been beaten up. Is Elkins the one who hit her?” He rested his elbow on the bed, scooting down so he could lay his head nearer to hers.
“Elkins was the name of the man who fucked her up, yeah. We had a discussion with the man, but that was before I saw how bad shit was for her. Boys are picking him back up; they’ll hold him for me to deal with.” He sighed and shifted again, tightening his arm around her. “He fucking beat her everywhere it would be hidden by clothes. Not the first time she’s endured this level of abuse, either. She’s got fucking scars all over her goddamned body.
“She walked into Slinky’s to talk to DeeDee with her head high though, and didn’t want to cop to the shit either. Had to convince her to unload. She’s one tough fucking bitch, man.” There was a tone of admiration in his voice, and Jase twisted to look up at him. He saw Gunny was gazing down at Sharon’s face with a pained look, and Jase watched the muscles in his jaw bulge as he clenched it tightly.
Gunny took a ragged breath and raised his gaze to him. “Took care of that piece of shit and got her stuff back. Got her money back. Went inside to tell ‘em we could leave, and she’s hurt so fucking bad she can’t even sit up, man. I picked her up and she latched onto me. Grabbed ahold of me as if I was a fucking life jacket, like I was saving her. Wrapped her fingers around my shirt and wouldn’t let go. Latched on like I was the last knot in her rope.
"I held her in the van and she cried with every bump, but she wouldn’t let go. Got here, she still wouldn’t let go, and you know what? I didn’t want her to. By the time we got in here, I was the one holding on, the one that couldn’t let go. Couldn’t put her down. Made Goose triage her in my lap, man. Couldn’t let go. Been holding her for hours, and still can’t let go.
“I don’t know what the fuck’s wrong with me. I laid her down like I knew she needed to be and I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t fucking breathe until I was touching her again. He fucked her up, Jase. Seeing her laid out like that for Goose to do his thing about made me sick. All I can think of is watching her walk into the club with her chin in the air, trying to convince us everything was o-fucking-kay, when she's beat to shit and back. So fucking strong.” He drew in a long breath and lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers for a moment. She stirred and he moved back as she twisted her neck, tilting her head towards Jase.
Her eyes flickered, opening and closing erratically. The corners of her mouth tipped up, her lips parting in a contented smile as they finally obeyed her wishes, staying open.
“Hey there, you.” Jase saw recognition in her eyes as he whispered the words.
“Hey there, you,” she slurred as she repeated them back to him and then twisted her head the other way, looking up at Gunny. “Safe,” she said, struggling to pull her hand out from the covers. He helped her free herself, and then it looked like he held his breath as she touched him, cupping his jaw in her palm, whispering, “Thank you.”
Closing her eyes again, she snuggled her cheek against his chest, pulling her hand down to tuck it underneath her head. Barely audible, she said, “Ace and Gunny. Safe.”
***
“It doesn’t seem real that Sharon is less than twenty feet down the hall,” Jase said, kissing the top of DeeDee’s head as she lay in his arms. He stayed in the room with Gunny and Sharon for hours, the two men quietly watching her sleep and speaking only about things that didn’t matter, saving their harder discussions for tomorrow. Gunny had finally kicked him out, saying he needed to sleep. Jase called his parents, listening as his mother cried when he described Sharon’s injuries. She wanted to jump on the first available flight, but he talked them into waiting, giving Sharon time to heal, giving him a chance to speak to her.
Now he laid in bed with DeeDee, his head spinning. “Life is weird,” he blurted and laughed nervously.
“It can be,” DeeDee said, her fingertips were tracing the lines of his sleeve tattoo where stars, aliens, and planets decorated his arm. “What do you find weird today?”
“It’s the ‘what if’ factor, you know? What if Daniel hadn’t met Mica? That’s the first bit of chaos in this whole trip. My best friend met the woman he would fall in love with and marry, but along with the woman came Mason. Mason’s an officer in the club—”
DeeDee interrupted, correcting him, her fingers continuing to stroke across his forearm, “National president.”
“Yeah, Mason’s the national president in the club, and you’re part of the club. Chaos bits two and three. I meet you and we have chemistry,” he said, kissing the side of her head and tightening his arms around her. “Chaos four. You manage the club, where Sharon now works. Chaos five and six. Do you see how tenuous this thread is? One change in the middle, and I wouldn’t have my sister sleeping down the hall. One single change, and I’d still be wondering every day if she’s alive, well, warm, fed, loved…harmed.” He took a deep breath. “Chain effect in action.”
“Isn’t the entirety of life like that, though?” She shifted in his arms, tilting her head up to look into his face. “If Winger had been five minutes early or late that morning, everything would be different. If I hadn’t hooked up with Winger in the first place, Mason might still be in Kentucky. Baby, that ‘what if’ factor can make you crazy. What if Sharon hadn’t run off when she did? What if one of the investigators had found her? Or, looking into the darkness, what if Gunny hadn’t had his eye on her today?”
Reaching up a hand, she smoothed her fingertips across his forehead. “Fate’s a fickle mistress, Jase. Let the bitch have her secrets or she gets pissed off. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that we just have to take what she gives us; the happy is entirely up to us. I could never be glad I lost my husband and daughter, but now I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Tipping his head down, he kissed her, lips pulling and nibbling at her mouth, laying a trail of soft kisses along her jaw and down her neck. She arched to give him better access, and he took everything she offered, loving her.
Time to train
“Yeah, I know I’m healed, but that’s not the point.” Jase was talking quietly on the phone and DeeDee tilted her head, listening. “I’ve been thinking about everything you said and you’re right. I need to get a plan together. Lee has been talking about the business school here in Fort Wayne. It sounds like they have a flexible program for working professionals.” He paused and turned to look at her, blowing her a kiss.
“Yeah, sounds good, eh? Email that to me and I’ll fill it out. We have a few games left, but I’d like to have things lined out.” Nodding, he listened to whoever was on the phone. “Yeah, yeah, sounds good. Thanks, Daniel.” He reached out and turned up the sound system a little, but not enough to bother their houseguests. She cocked her head, smiling as Lynam’s Rise Up be
gan to play.
Walking across the kitchen to where she stood, he stopped in front of her and looked down into her face, wearing a curious expression. “I’m nearly afraid to say anything,” he said and shook his head.
“Spit it out,” she said, laughing at his unexpected reticence.
Hooking his fingers through the belt loops at her waist, he tugged her into his body, holding her close for a minute. “How would you feel about me going back to school?”
She looked into his face, puzzled at the true concern there. “I think that’s great, if it’s what you want to do.”
He offered her a one-shouldered shrug. “I know you didn’t see me when I got hurt, but it made me stop and think—” He interrupted himself, raising one eyebrow at the face she was sure she was making. “What?”
“Well, I kinda did see you.” She tipped her chin down, resting her forehead against the center of his chest, trying not to laugh.
“I think I’d remember it, baby.” He ran his nose along the side of her head, dropping kisses on her neck, raising goose bumps and causing a shiver to run up her spine.
Pressing her lips together, she tried to hold the laughter in, but lost the battle. His voice sounded hurt when he asked, “Are you laughing at me?”
“Don’t be mad,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting her face to steal a kiss. “I was there, Jase. I…” she sighed. “I didn’t use the tickets you left at the box office, but I had a ticket to every game. I couldn’t stay away.”
Keeping his arms around her waist, he pulled back, looking down at her with a frown. “You came to the games?”
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