Seeking Our Destiny : Nelson Brothers'

by Liberty Parker

  We find the door and Atticus makes short work of unlocking it by kicking it in. Hope she’s got insurance, although I doubt after today she’s going to be in a position to use it for anything. As we cautiously head down the stairs, our guns drawn, a noise to the left catches our attention.

  “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing down here?” a giant of a man asks, holding a semi-automatic in his arms. I size him up and realize that we can easily subdue him so I nod to Atticus who does just that. As he’s disarming him, it’s a fight that Braxton hones in on in and joins. The two of them are a force to be reckoned with when they join forces. Once the guard is subdued, I call to the other team to advise them to help us extract the people we’ve found locked in cells that line the room. One glance tells me that we’ve located the missing submissives who all look a little worse for wear.

  “On our way,” Tig responds.

  “Be careful. I have a hard time believing there’s only one guard down here,” I advise. Something doesn’t feel right, but I can’t identify anything that contradicts what I’m seeing. It takes only a few short minutes for Luca’s team to arrive and begin extracting the victims. Luca takes the first five out, then Maddox and the others follow his lead. Tig stays behind to ensure that they’ve all gotten out safely. He’s the last line of defense, Luca was the first. As all of the ladies and gentlemen are now out of the basement, Tig bids us farewell. We are busy watching him and looking around at all of the filing cabinets when gunfire is sprayed from behind us.

  “Get down!” I bellow, pushing Atticus out of harm's way.

  “Motherfucker!” Braxton yells, heading toward Tig. As Braxton nears Tig, Atticus and I swing around with our guns in hand and begin firing. We were lucky enough to be standing behind a pillar that took the brunt of the firestorm sent our way, but Braxton and Tig are out in the open. I hear a thud but don’t look; my goal is to eradicate the imminent threat in front of us.

  “Got him,” Atticus mutters. He’s in his element right now shooting from both guns he’s holding, something that amazes me. He’s not ambidextrous in anything else, but when it comes to shooting, he’s as accurate with his non-dominant left hand as he is with his right. I watch a bullet hole form in the forehead of the douchebag in front of us and see him drop, taking out the man behind him. “How many?” Atticus requests, never stopping his forward assault.

  I can hear Jonas screaming in my ear but can’t take the time to answer him. When I hear that the cops are enroute, I take a breath but we’re not out of danger yet. I can’t spare a glance toward Braxton and Tig, but there’s nothing coming from where they were standing so I’m assuming the worst. “No clue, just keep shooting. Cops are on the way,” I reply, yelling over the gunfire. The room isn’t huge and with the weaponry we’re using, my ears are ringing. It feels like we’ve been fighting for our lives for hours instead of the few minutes we actually did engage with the enemy. Once the firing from the other end stops, my ears feel as if they’ve suddenly become deaf. “Cover me,” I bellow, probably a lot louder than I should, but fuck if I can hear myself right now. Atticus nods and I turn to where Braxton and Tig were standing.

  Fuck. Me.

  “Luca, get your ass back down here and if there are any paramedics, bring them too,” I command as I rip off my shirt. So much fucking blood and I can’t tell which one it’s coming from as Braxton is slumped over Tig and neither are moving. I gently move Braxton and see that he’s taken multiple gunshots to his body. Grabbing my knife, I cut off his shirt then use it to try and staunch the blood. “C’mon, man, stay with me, y’hear?” I mutter. Once he’s as good as I can get him without help, I glance over my shoulder and motion Atticus over. “Need help, Brother. Hurry.”

  Atticus rushes to Tig’s side and I watch as his face goes pale when he sees that Tig has a gut shot. “Fucking hell,” he whispers, dropping to his haunches and ripping his shirt off before pressing it against the gaping wound in Tig.

  Luca comes barreling into the room, followed by a few cops and paramedics. “Dad!” he hollers, dropping to his knees next to his dad’s head. “Don’t, don’t you do this to me!” he screams, devastation written all over him. “Fuck, don’t leave me, Dad. We need you.” His tears are tearing my heart to shreds, those two are tight, and I know this is fucking him up.

  “Tig’s lost a pulse,” Atticus hollers and the paramedics run over to him first. Maddox and Jaxson are holding off the cops, answering questions so that they’ll leave us be for now. “Help him!” Luca hits his ass, praying over his father and begging for his dad’s and his best friend’s lives to be spared. As much of a hardass as I am, even I’m shaken by this turn of events. If Braxton doesn’t survive, I don’t think the Rebel Guardians will come back from it.

  I’m not a praying man, especially since God never deigned to answer ours when we were kids, but I send one up anyhow for the two men who are laying there as the paramedics rush to get them stable enough to be transported. Once they remove them and presumably head to the hospital, I turn to where Maddox and Jaxson have been standing with the cops. “Y’all go and take care of their families. We’ll handle this,” I assert.

  “Keep us posted. We’ll be up shortly once we make sure that they’ve got everything they need about her operations, but keep us posted,” Atticus adds.

  “What is the meaning of all this?” A female’s voice rings out and I get my first live visual of Jenae Brimstone Welch. Cunt extraordinaire.

  “Fucking bitch,” Atticus hisses out when he catches a glimpse of her.

  “Are you Jenae Welch?” Officer one asks.

  “Yes. And I’ll ask again, what is the meaning of all this?”

  “We need you to come down to the station to answer a few questions, ma’am,” Officer two states.

  “Got some pertinent information for you to look over beforehand, Officer,” I announce. “Give me an email address and I’ll have my brother send it to you.” Not sending them everything, or the original, of course, but definitely want them to have whatever will put this bitch away for the rest of her natural life. Although, we know enough people and have sufficient reach that I’m sure that won’t be as long as she thinks. I grin evilly at my thoughts because I’m positive she’s going to try and weasel her way out of this, but we’ve got all the missing people and I’m sure they’ll be willing to give sworn statements and testify against her in a court of law.

  Her days of terrorizing people are done and over with. Thank God our family is finally safe from this demented woman.

  “We still need your statements,” Officer one says.

  “You’ll get them once we’ve checked on our friends,” I reply. “C’mon, Atticus, let’s go see what we can find out.”

  15

  Destiny

  Gordon gathered us up and escorted us out to the vehicle. “What the hell is going on?” I know that Silas will have a fit of rage when he realizes I’m no longer resting on the couch where he left me earlier with explicit instructions to not move unless it was absolutely necessary. “Silas is not going to be happy, Gordon,” I express my worry to him.

  “He’s the one who called and asked me to gather you all up and bring you with me,” he declares.

  “That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna say?” Piper inserts with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

  “Look, some things went down tonight, your men need you by their sides, no questions asked, just do as you’re told.”

  “Who died and made him Commander in Chief?” Raven huffs.

  “Your men,” he replies. “Now buckle up, ladies.”

  “Jesus, another bossy alpha male who’s inserted himself into our lives.” Piper glares at Gordon, but does as he demanded of us.

  “Are the guys hurt?” I question once we’re driving out of the long winding road that takes us away from the house.

  “Wait, what?” Piper shouts. “They’re hurt, aren’t they? That stupid ass! Fuck!” she hollers, doubling over. “If he went and died on
me, I’ll beat the shit out of him!”

  “You okay, Piper?” I ask when I see her clutching her stomach.

  “The baby is obviously upset about whatever’s going on,” she replies, waving her hand.

  “Please tell me they’re okay,” I whisper, my heart in my throat. I can’t handle it if something has happened to Silas; he may think I’m a kitten who has claws, but it’s because of him. I draw strength from his support and can’t do this thing called life without him by my side.

  He’s my destiny.

  My salvation.

  My demon slayer.

  “They’re fine,” Gordon asserts, maneuvering through traffic.

  “Then why are we going to wherever it is you’re taking us?” Raven questions. I’m wondering the same thing because after hearing Jonas yelling, he took off out of the house like a bat out of hell, not saying a word to us, just taking Nan and Gino with him.

  “Son of a bitch!” Piper squeals out and I see a puddle of water coating the crotch of her pants.

  “Piper! Did you just piss yourself? You should’ve gone before we left the house,” Gordon berates her.

  “Fuck off, dickweed, my water just broke!” she shouts back at him.

  “Oh shit,” I mutter.

  “Squeeze your legs together. Don’t you dare have that baby in my car! Atticus is going to detail this or buy me another one. I can’t believe this shit,” Gordon mumbles.

  “If this baby comes, she comes. I don’t give a fuck about your goddamned car, Gordon!” Piper’s irritation is felt throughout the vehicle.

  “We’ll be there in five, just hold on until then,” he issues.

  “Oh, Mighty One, how do you presume I keep my body from active labor?” Piper is on a fucking roll now.

  “How the fuck should I know? Cross your damn legs,” he demands. Yeah, like that’s gonna work; even I know that if a baby wants to come, it comes.

  “Let me do that and see how well it works,” Piper sneers, her snarky side coming to the fore.

  I shake my head and look at Raven as I grab the oh-shit handle since Gordon is now driving as if he’s going to win the top pole position at a Nascar race.

  Silas

  We arrive at the hospital and are escorted to a waiting room. “Any news?” I ask, seeing the tear-stained faces and downcast looks.

  “They’re both still in surgery, but the paramedic said that they lost Tig a few times in the ambulance,” DJ states, clutching onto Hatch as if he’s going to blow away.

  Nan and Gino are off to the side and she lifts tear-filled eyes my way as I sit next to her. “This is all my fault,” she states, looking haggard and worn. “I caused this and now my boy... my boy may pay the price.”

  “Not your fault, Nan. Not your fault at all,” I reply, patting her shoulder. When Gino gives me a nod, I decide to check in on the others.

  I walk over to where Twisted and Paisley are sitting and crouch down. Her tear-filled eyes overflow when she sees me and she flings herself into my arms. “H-h-he has to be okay,” she sobs as I look helplessly at Twisted and pat her back. I don’t do crying females, but right now, I’m stuck as Tig’s mother sobs into my shoulder. I’ve never felt helpless, even when my father was beating me, but right now, I know what it means down to the marrow of my bones.

  I feel like anything I say will be pointless, but I look at her and state, “He’s strong and young. If anyone can pull through, it’ll be him.” I see Twisted nod as he takes a deep breath. Tig’s their oldest child and even though I’m not a parent, I know how I’d feel if it were Atticus or Jonas who were fighting for their life. Twisted gently takes her back and I stand and walk over to Cara.

  She’s just sitting there, lost in her thoughts, so I approach carefully. When I get closer, she asks me, “He was protecting him, wasn’t he?”

  “He was, yes,” I reply. “We didn’t know there were more there, Cara. I’m so fucking sorry.”

  “Even... even if he doesn’t make it, knowing that he did that to protect one of ‘his kids’? It makes it an easier pill to swallow. Not a lot, but definitely easier.” She begins to sob. “What am I gonna do without you, Braxton?” she whispers to herself through her tears. “You’ve been my world for so long now, I don’t know where I end and you begin.” I see when she breaks completely and watch as Luca enfolds her in his arms, his younger brother, Landon, right by his side. Layne is sitting beside them, lost in her own sorrow. She’s physically there, but mentally, she’s miles away. It’s as if she’s detached herself from the situation.

  “We’ve got you, Mom.” Luca talks softly to Cara. I can still hear his screams in my head and grimace slightly; I know that Braxton may not be his biological father, but he’s raised him since coming into his life and taught him everything he needed to know about being a good, dependable man.

  I find my brothers sitting together, and decide a talk between the three of us is needed. My mind has stayed on the thought of our mother and what we discovered about her in that ledger. “Guys, something’s been bothering me, but I let it go while we dealt with the bitch.”

  “What’s that?” Jonas queries, eyebrows drawn down in contemplation.

  “Mom.” I say one word. “What do we wanna do about that situation?”

  “You mean the fact that Dad killed her for trying to take us with her and leave his sorry ass?” Atticus dryly remarks.

  “Yeah. That. She didn’t abandon us like we’ve believed all along, she was killed for trying to protect us and take us away from that evil bastard,” I reflect.

  “I don’t really remember much about her,” Jonas reminds us, “but she deserves a proper burial and a place for us to go visit her from time to time.”

  “That’s what I was hoping you’d all say. I want to memorialize her and what she went through trying to protect and save us,” I state, trying not to break down at the thought of what all she must have suffered at his hands.

  “She should be buried in the family cemetery, but I don’t want her anywhere near Father.” Atticus spits the word father out.

  “As soon as all of this is done, and the men are recovering, we’ll find that damn willow tree and exhume her body. We’ll get a casket that’s made of fucking gold for that woman. She deserves nothing but the best for her final resting place.” My body shivers with disgust at the way she was basically buried like a traitor, when she was anything but.

  “I want her to have a headstone that states she was her children’s hero,” Atticus emphasizes.

  I’m about to say something when I hear, “Atticus!” screamed out and turning, I see Gordon running through the emergency room doors with Piper in his arms.

  “What the fuck!” Atticus bellows, standing and rushing toward the pair. “What’s going on, are you hurt?” he questions, looking her over.

  “She’s in labor, water broke in my fucking back seat while we were enroute,” Gordon growls out. A nurse comes up with a wheelchair and he places Piper in it, then they turn and head toward Labor and Delivery.

  “You’ll survive, Gordon. Take it to get detailed, we’ll reimburse you, you whine bag,” I insert as we begin to follow Atticus and Piper to the waiting room for labor and delivery.

  “I’m not whining!” he shouts back, “But that fucking shit is stinking up my ride.”

  “You say tomato I say tomahto.” Destiny giggles at my words and I pull her close. I can’t believe that he’s acting like a child while a woman is in the depths of pain bringing another member into my family. Not to mention, we’ve got both Braxton and Tig we’re waiting to hear about, so his fucking issue is minimal, at best.

  I just hope that the old saying that a new life comes in when another life leaves, isn’t true in this instance. Looking around, I see the devastation that today’s fiasco has wrought among our friends. No, among our family, because despite the fact that we don’t interact with them on a more personal level, they are family.

  After hours of gravitating back and forth from Labo
r and Delivery to the surgical waiting room, we finally get word that Piper has had the baby. It’s been a debate between the family, bets may or may not have been made on whether it’s a boy or girl. Seems the time to know is upon us. Soon, my brother makes his way into the room where we’re all impatiently waiting to meet our niece or nephew. “Y’all get in here,” Atticus booms. “We want to introduce you to our baby.” Surprisingly, he doesn’t give any indication on the sex, which shocks the fuck out of me. As one cohesive unit, we stand and follow him into the delivery room where we see Piper sitting up in the bed; a bundle in her arms. Again, they’ve managed to keep it under wraps because instead of a pink or blue beanie, the baby is wearing a white one and the damn blanket has both colors in it. Fuckers. They’re gonna prolong the anticipation out for as long as they can. No indication in these multi-gender colors on what the baby is.

  “Why isn’t the baby in colors according to sex?” Raven inquires. “Damien was swaddled in that same blanket, only he was adorned with a blue cap.”

  “We brought this one in ourselves so that no one could tell before we made the official announcement,” Atticus mischievously responds.

  “Well, we’re all here now, so tell us already,” Jonas impatiently demands.

  Atticus reaches down and carefully picks up the bundle. He’s treating his child as if he or she is fine china. It’s funny to see this rough and rowdy man treasuring such a tiny bundle who barely takes up half of his hands. Turning the baby around so that we can see the newborn’s face, he says, “I want to introduce you to Sloane Maisey Nelson, your niece.”

  Fuck. I need to get more guns because if she’s half as attractive as Piper and my woman, we’re fucked three ways from Sunday when she gets old enough to date. “Oh my God, look at her little face,” Destiny cries out, leaving my side and holding out her hands for Atticus to pass over Sloane. He glares at her and shakes his head no until I give him one of my glares. Once Sloane is in Destiny’s arms, she declares, “She looks just like you, Piper.” To which, Atticus gives her a dirty look. “You’d never know she had a father, she’s all you to a T.”