by Dawn Martens
“How old is she?” I seethe out, grinding my teeth.
“Don’t worry about it, Chipper. She’s good. She’s Timmons’ little plaything,” Rig says with a smug smile. He looks towards her and nudges her with his foot. “You enjoy it. Ain’t that right, sweet thing?”
Fury over-boiling deep within my belly, I smash the butt of my pistol into Timmons’ temple, and he instantly goes limp. I toss him to the floor and point my gun at Rig. “Timmons’ plaything?” I say in disgust. “Does she look like she’s enjoying it to you?”
Rig takes a step back. “Like I said, you need to chill out. This isn’t club business. It’s between her and Timmons,” he says, motioning towards the girl.
I ignore him and take a step towards the kid. “Darlin’, how old are you?” I say as softly as I can, hoping I won’t scare her more than she already is.
“I’m sixteen,” she says in a faint whisper. Her voice is so weak that I worry she may be hurt even worse than I originally thought.
“Do you think you can walk?” I ask her.
She hesitates for a second then slowly nods.
“Okay, darlin’. I want you to stand up, get your clothes on, and walk out to my bike. It’s the white ‘fat boy’ with the Renegade emblem on the tank.”
She slowly stands up, no doubt trying to avoid as much pain as possible. She stumbles towards a piece of purple material on the floor, and when she slides it over her body, I realize it’s a nearly see-through nighty. “That all you got, babe?”
“They took all my clothes when they gave me this,” she says, running her hand over the nighty with a look of disgust slowly rolling over her battered face.
The finger on the trigger of my piece tenses. I quickly pull off my cut and jerk my T-shirt over my head to toss it in her direction, transferring the gun from hand to hand and never taking the thing off of Rig. She hurriedly snatches the cloth from the ground and clings to it for dear life. “You put that on and go to my bike. If anyone tries to stop you, tell them Chipper has claimed you as his.”
She nods again, then quickly pulls on the shirt and rushes as fast as she can out into the hallway. I wait until she’s gone before I look towards Timmons. It’s time for his stupid ass to wake up, so I give him a hard kick in the ribs. It takes a few more blows before he regains consciousness. “Get your ass up. Now.”
He pushes himself up with his hands, shakes his head, and looks towards me. “Man, you need to put the gun away. There’s no need for you to kill anyone. If you want the girl, take her. No one here will stop you.”
A slow smile spreads across my face. “You’re right. I’ll take her, and ain’t nobody gonna stop me, but you’re wrong about the other shit. I feel like killing someone, but first I gotta figure out which one of you fuckers needs to go down.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, Rig starts to rush me. Without a second thought, I put a bullet in his head then quickly turn the barrel towards Timmons. His entire body begins to shake as a small pool of piss gathers at his feet. As much as I want to blow his fucking head off and paint the walls with his brains, I restrain myself. He’s Killer’s son, and Killer is Pop’s best friend. Shit’s bad enough as it is, but it will get infinitely worse if I kill Timmons.
“I’m not gonna kill you, asshole,” I growl out. “But I am gonna teach you a lesson, and you can relay this message to the rest of your fucking club. No underage kids--ever. I don’t give a fuck who they are. No one touches a kid, and Renegade Sons do not beat or rape women. If I find out that members are continuing to do that shit, this club will be torn the fuck down.”
I spend the next few minutes working him over with my fist and making sure that he hurts every bit as bad as the kid he was just abusing does. By the time I’m done, half the damn club is standing in the hallway watching the show go down. I look towards them until my gaze lands on Killer. As soon as our eyes meet, I toss Timmons’ weakened body to the floor.
Lifting my finger towards Killer, I ground out, “Your son is a piece of shit. Judging by what’s going down in the club, so are you.”
He starts to say something, but I cut him off. “Save your excuses for my father. I’m done here.”
I look towards Brew, the Mateland VP, before motioning to Rig’s body. “Clean this mess up.”
With those words lingering in the air, I leave the room and head out of the club. The first thing I see when I barrel through the thick double doors of the compound is that the girl is standing exactly where I told her to. I can tell just by looking at her that it’s taking everything she has just to stay on her feet. As soon as I reach my bike, I swing onto it and look towards her. “Come on, darlin’. Climb on. Let’s get you home.”
She shakes her head and looks up at me with tear filled eyes. “I don’t have a home anymore.”
Her words cut me straight to the heart. “You do now.”
Jenna
The man that saved me, the man I prayed for, pulls his bike into a rest stop. When the engine shuts off, he looks back at me. “Jump off, darlin’.”
As soon as I slide off the bike, my legs begin to buckle. He catches me before I hit the ground. “Easy girl, you got enough bruises already.”
I nod my head and slowly back away from him. I look around at the deserted rest stop, and my fear starts to build. “Why did we stop here?” I ask in a shaky voice.
He swings his leg from the bike and takes a step towards me. “I can’t stop somewhere that has people around with you wearing nothing but my shirt, and I knew you’d want to clean up a little. Also, I thought you might be hungry, so that’s why we’re here. They’ve got vending machines, so you can get you some chips and a drink. It ain’t much, but it’ll fill that hole in your belly.”
I haven’t eaten anything since early yesterday morning, and just the thought of food has my mouth watering. “Thank you.”
He lifts his chin and turns to walk into the building. I trail behind him, my hunger overriding my fear. He motions towards the bathrooms. “Go ahead and get cleaned up. Ill grab you something from the machines.”
I rush to the bathroom and do my best to scrub away the filth covering me. As soon as I’m done, I walk out of the bathroom and see the guy that took me away from Timmons talking to another man. As soon as I lay eyes on them, I freeze. Visions of what Timmons and Rig were just doing to me earlier re-play through my brain. The fight or flight instinct immediately kicks in, and without another thought, I start to run.
I barely make it a few feet away from them when a pair of strong arms surrounds me. I immediately start to fight him. I scratch at his hands while biting into his arm. It takes a few minutes before I realize that he isn’t fighting back. He’s just restraining me and doing his best to avoid hurting me. Finally, I admit defeat and go limp. Tears tumble down my face as harsh sobs begin to rock through my body.
My captor places his lips near my ear and whispers, “Shhh now, sweetheart. No one’s going to hurt you.”
I look over my shoulder towards the unfamiliar voice and see that it’s not the man that helped me. “Who are you?”
Still whispering, he replies. “I’m Reese. I’m gonna make sure you get somewhere safe.”
“I never told you my name either, did I, darlin’?” the man that saved me asks as he steps in front of us.
I shake my head in the negative.
“I’m Chipper,” he says. “Now, it’s your turn.”
“I’m Jenna,” I hesitantly reply.
“Okay, Jenna. I know you’re scared as hell, and I don’t blame you, but I promise you, there’s no reason for you to be scared anymore. I swear that you’re safe with us.”
Slowly, Reese releases me and takes a step back. Chipper walks towards me and hands me some chips and a drink. “Why don’t you eat, and then we’ll talk.”
I take the food and walk to one of the wooden picnic tables at the front of the rest area. While I eat, I watch the two men talking. Both seem angry, and I’m not sure why. I don’t thi
nk it’s me that they’re pissed at though. I hear Timmons’ name said a time or two, and each time, Chipper seems to grow more agitated.
Two bags of Fritos and a Dr. Pepper later, Chipper leads me back to his bike. “We got to talk, darlin’.”
“Okay,” I whisper out.
“I know you’ve been through hell, and you probably don’t feel like talking about this shit right now, but I need to know how in the hell you got to the Mateland clubhouse.”
I look towards the ground and stay quiet, fearing the truth may cause him to send me back.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to know,” Chipper says in a calming voice, just as Reese walks up to stand beside him.
Chipper’s gentle voice soothes some of my fears, but not all of them. I know I have to tell him something; I just have to choose what I say carefully. “My mom died. My dad didn’t want me anymore, so he gave me to Timmons.”
“Why did he do that?” he asks, sounding both confused and pissed.
Again, I stay quiet, but he doesn’t. “Darlin’, you don’t have to be scared to tell me the truth. I’m not part of that club. I’m a Renegade, but I’m part of the original charter.” He points towards the patch on his vest.
When I look at it and see the words Big Clifty, my heart starts to pound. I remember Timmons’ words about drugs and the Big Clifty MC and know my Dad screwed over the wrong people. I quickly think about my options and decide to tell the truth, but not all of it. “My Dad got into some trouble with the Renegade Sons. He gave me to Timmons to protect himself.”
“Fuck!” Reese hisses out.
“Who’s your dad?” Chipper asks in an anger filled tone.
“David Brewster.” I say, giving my father’s middle name and praying he doesn’t realize that my Dad is actually Brew, the Mateland VP.
I hate lying to the man that fought for me, but I don’t have a choice. I know if he takes me back, I’ll die. If he figures out who my dad is, then he’ll probably feel obligated to take me back. So for now, I’ll stick with half-truths.
“Any kin to Brew?”
Hearing my Dad’s name sends bile up into my throat. I now have no choice but to flat out lie. “Brew? I’m not sure who that is.”
I look back towards both men and see Reese’s eyes flash. I can tell he knows I’m lying. I just hope he doesn’t call me on it.
Chipper shrugs. “He’s one of the brothers, but if you don’t know him, I doubt you’re related.”
I stay quiet and look back to the ground. “What are you going to do with me?”
We stand there, no one saying anything for a long time. I can feel Chipper’s stare while I wait for his answer. “Well, that’s up to you. I can give you some money, and you can try to make it on your own. But I gotta be honest with you. It’s hard as hell for a kid to be alone in the world, but there’s another option.”
I look up to him. “What’s the other option?”
“My old lady’s not been feeling too good lately. You could come home with me, help her around the house and shit. Stay with us for a while and decide what you want to do after you heal up.”
I know I should take whatever money he gives me and run. I’ve learned the hard way never to trust a man, but for some reason, Chipper makes me feel safe. That’s something I haven’t felt in a long time, not ever really. Finally, I whisper out, “I’ll go with you.”
CHAPTER Two
Kidd
I’m sitting around the table with my Pop, the reigning president and founding member of the Renegade Sons MC, waiting on Chipper to get his ass home. He’s been in Mateland for two damn days now, and we still don’t know exactly what’s going on down there. All we know for sure is that the Mateland MC has been fucking up big time. The boys in California haven’t been getting their cocaine or weed shipments on time for the past month. The last shipment they did receive was short; more than short, actually. It was nearly cut in half. The Cali crew have been pretty cool about it so far, but there’s only so much shit they’ll take without making the boys in Mateland pay.
I’ve tried talking to Pop about it more than once, but he isn’t really saying anything. Then again, I’m not really sure what he can say. There’s no way you can explain away the shit that’s been going down lately. I and every other member of the club, knows that Pop is the reason this bullshit has went on as long as it has. He’s close with Killer, the Mateland MC President. We all know their relationship is the only reason the charter wasn’t cut loose years ago, but friends or not, the club has to come first. If Pop can’t do that, then he needs to step his ass down. I don’t want his position, but I will take it if I have to.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when Mindy comes in with two huge plates filled with creamy mashed potatoes, a huge rib eye, and one of her famous chocolate chip cookies. I look up at her and grin as she sets a plate in front of me. She sure is one hell of a woman. There’s not one fuckin’ green thing in sight. Her famous chocolate chip cookies are just icing on the cake.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I love this woman with all my heart. She’s the sister I never had. “You didn’t have to cook for us, darlin’. We could have sent one of the prospects to pick something up.”
She lays her hand on my shoulder and smiles. “I love to cook, especially when I’m cooking for two of my favorite men.”
I want to argue with her, to tell her she should be resting, but her smile seems so genuine that I end up smiling back and grabbing my fork. Chipper is one lucky son of a bitch to have a woman like Mindy. She’s everything an old lady should be; sweet, sexy, and above all else, loyal.
I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but she hasn’t been herself lately. She’s been sleeping a lot more and has lost some weight. I wanted to go to Mateland, instead of Chipper, because his ass should’ve been home taking care of Mindy, but Pop held me back. No doubt, he’s worried I’d blow that fuckin’ club up if I saw shit I didn’t like.
I’m just about done with my plate when the front door crashes open. A second later, I hear Chipper yelling for Mindy. I can tell by the tone of his voice that something isn’t right. I look to Pop, and we both jump up and head towards Chipper.
When we reach the club’s common room, I see Chipper holding Mindy in his arms. I look around and notice a few of the members staring at them with surprised faces. At first, I don’t see what the problem is, but then a movement behind Chipper catches my eye.
What I see shocks the shit out of me. There’s a young girl standing silently behind Chipper, and judging by her size, I can tell that she should be at a pep rally, not a fucking MC. When I finally zero in on her face, my shock turns into fury. The little thing is covered in random streaks of dried blood from her head down to her toes. Her face is bruised and swollen. Her legs are bare, and the only thing that she’s wearing is Chipper’s shirt.
Before I can open my mouth and ask what the fuck’s going on, Pop beats me to it. “What the fuck happened?”
The girl starts to shrink away, but Chipper puts his arm around her and pulls her close to his side. “It’s okay, darlin’. You’re safe here,” he says quietly.
He then turns to his wife. “Mindy, can you take her and find some clothes, clean her up, and get a room ready for her? Make sure it’s close to my old room. I got a lot of things to talk to Pop about, so we’ll all be sleeping here tonight. But tomorrow, she’ll be coming home with us.”
“She’s going home with us?” Mindy asks, looking as shocked as the rest of the room.
A determined look crosses Chipper’s face, and then he leans down and whispers into Mindy’s ear. Whatever he said leaves her looking like she’s seen a ghost. She looks up to him and places her hand on his cheek. “Okay, love. I’ll take care of your girl.”
“Come with me, honey,” she says softly, reaching her hand out to the shaken girl. The kid hesitates and looks to Chipper. As soon as my brother nods, she takes Mindy’s hand.
As I watch her walk away, something comes ov
er me; something I can’t quite figure out. Even though she looks like she’s had the shit beat out of her, her eyes unsettle me… there’s just something about them. Something that calls to me in a way that I don’t understand. Shaking off my thoughts of underage girls and their haunted eyes, I turn to Chipper to see that he’s staring at Pop with anger etched onto his face, and I know he’s about ready to blow.
“Pops, you’re fucking lucky I had to get that girl outta that damn club, or I would have blown every last one of them bastards apart,” he says angrily. “Do something about that fuckin’ club, or I will!” he shouts.
Pops steps forward. “What happened?”
“What happened?” he shouts even louder. “I’ll tell you what happened. Nearly every damn member was strung out on coke. There’s no leadership, nothing getting done. It was a complete cluster fuck.”
“What about the girl? Who is she?” I ask, not giving Pop a chance to respond.
Chipper jerks his head towards me. “She’s a sixteen year old kid that was being raped by members of the fucking club. Renegade Sons raping a kid…” He shakes his head. “It’s a fucking disgrace.”
Anger boils up inside me. We may be bikers, often crossing the line between right and wrong, but we don’t rape women. We sure as hell don’t rape little girls. “Who?”
“All I know is that her name is Jenna, and she doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
I shake my head in frustration. “No, I meant who the fuck was raping her?”
Chipper’s body grows rigid as he looks towards Pop. He stares at him for a moment before looking back to me. “Rig was, but he won’t be raping anyone else. I planted a bullet in his brain.”
I can tell he’s not telling me everything, but I don’t get the chance to ask anything else before Pop motions for Chipper to follow him into his office.
