“That bad, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah, that bad.”
“Maybe once you tell me, I can help. I hate feeling useless.”
“Baby, you are not useless. You have no idea how much you help to keep me levelheaded,” he told her.
“No, you mean distract you,” she laughed.
“Well, maybe a little of that, too,” he confessed.
Derek came running out of the bathroom and superman jumped into bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. Laughing, Sledge jumped onto the bed next to him and started tickling him.
“Did you wash your hair?” he asked leaning over to smell his son’s hair. It smelled like Beth’s.
“Yes, sir,” Derek answered. “I used mom’s shampoo and conditioner.”
“Okay,” Sledge replied. “Now story time.”
For the next twenty minutes, Sledge told his son the story of how he met his mom. At least the watered down version. Before he could get to the end, Derek was fast asleep, softly snoring.
“Wow, that was quick,” Sledge whispered as he climbed off the bed to see Beth smiling at him.
“He normally falls asleep quick and hard.”
Together Beth and Sledge made their way to the door. Turning, they both looked back at their son. “Thank you,” Sledge told her.
“For?” she asked, confused.
“For Derek. For coming here. For everything. Just, thank you,” Sledge told her, kissing her lightly on the lips.
Walking out of Derek’s room, Sledge gently closed the door and opened theirs. Once in their room, he closed the door and then pinned Beth against it. Kissing her deeply, he encircled her in his arms and pulled her close.
Pulling back, Beth asked, “What was that for?”
“Because I missed you,” he told her honestly.
“Want to tell me what happened at the meeting now?” Beth inquired. “Get it over with so we can spend the rest of the night with just the two of us, and no other distractions.”
Sledge really didn’t want to get into his findings with her. But maybe she could help shine some light on things. After all, many people knew more than they thought they knew. Often, people don’t know that something is important or valuable until something else triggers a memory.
Sledge spent the next half hour explaining the connection her father had to the Henchmen and told her about Rebecca.
“Okay, wait a minute. So, Rebecca dated Zander. She broke up with him while he was in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to his femoral artery that nearly cost him his leg and his life. A wound he barely survived. And this was after your unit’s location was leaked to the Afghan’s, by someone in the US government with knowledge of your ops?” she reiterated.
“Yes,” Sledge confirmed.
“Devin, could your location have been leaked by my father?” Beth whispered, a look of horror taking over her face.
“Your father was the leak,” he confessed. He and Zander learned that answer a few days ago.
Beth started pacing the room. Sledge could tell she was thinking. Whatever was on her mind was bothering her. Beth normally wasn’t the pacing type. That was Sledge.
“What are you thinking, beautiful?” he needed to know.
“When my father made me end things between us, he made the comment about accidents happening during war. Remember, I told you about it?” Beth said, continuing to pace.
Sledge nodded his head, but realized Beth was still looking at the floor, so he said out loud, “Yeah, I remember. You think he leaked the information even though you dumped me? You do realize that’s called treason, right?”
“I do. If he wanted to make sure there was no chance in us getting back together. If he wanted to ensure that I would go along with his plan, then yes, I honestly believe he would have leaked your location. He was hoping the ambush would kill you,” Beth said the last sentence, finally looking straight at him. He could see the truth in her eyes. She truly believed her father was guilty of treason.
“Now, to figure out where Rebecca comes into play...,” she said out loud but more to herself than Sledge.
“She is now your father’s mistress,” Sledge relayed.
Beth’s head whipped around towards him so fast, he was surprised she didn’t get whiplash. “What?” she barked.
“Yeah. Banjo found evidence that your father and Rebecca have been seeing each other for the last three years. Not only that, but he pays for her condo over in North Richland Hills, along with purchasing her a brand-new BMW every year since the relationship started.”
Beth brought her hands up to her face, rubbing her forehead like she was trying to massage out a headache.
“Okay, what else?” she asked. “Just lay it all out there Devin.”
“Banjo was able to find a link between Rebecca and your father and then to the Henchmen. It seems Candy is Rebecca’s cousin. But other than that, Banjo was coming up blank when I left to come find you. So as of right now, that is all I know,” he explained the rest.
“Candy is Rebecca’s cousin? Are you kidding?” Beth asked.
“Yes and no, I’m not kidding,” Sledge answered.
“Okay. First of all, I want that bitch out of here. Something about her makes my skin crawl. She goes, Devin!” Beth commanded. “Second, Candy is probably the one who is leaking information to my father via Rebecca.”
Sledge listened to Beth, he really did. But after she became forceful in wanting Candy gone, he kind of drifted off. As his woman, Beth had just as much say-so in what happened at the clubhouse as he did. Many MCs didn’t give a shit about women or what they wanted, but in the Devil’s Henchmen, it was the complete opposite. Their women were held in higher regard than club members; meaning, Beth, Amber, and Lo - being the only women that belonged to patch members, either by marriage or in Beth’s current situation by claim, were put on pedestals. This was the first time Beth had pulled rank, and she didn’t even know it.
Sledge pulled his phone from his pocket, “Who are you calling?” Beth asked.
“Diesel,” Sledge replied. “You said you wanted Candy out. So she is out.”
“Just like that?” Beth questioned.
“Honey, you are my woman. Therefore, what you say goes. You want Candy out, so consider her gone,” he said, as he dialed Diesel’s number. He relayed the conversation that he was having with Beth and explained that Candy was to be removed from the property immediately. Diesel assured him that he would handle it and hung up the phone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Beth
Beth couldn’t believe her father had a mistress. Well, she could because, let’s face it – it was her father. The man cared about nothing but himself and his political career. The entire situation made her sick. To think, the woman that shattered Zander’s heart so many years ago, a woman who was her same age, was now her father’s mistress.
A loud bang sounded from the door, pulling Beth from her own thoughts. Walking to the door, she opened it to come face-to-face with Candy. “Where’s Sledge?” she demanded.
“I’m right here. What are you still doing in my house?” he asked, standing beside Beth, “And where the fuck is Diesel?”
Figuring this had nothing to do with her, Beth stepped away from the door and behind Devin. Again, Candy made her skin crawl. Beth couldn’t figure out why though and that bothered her. She was always a good judge of character and her gut was telling her something was off about this woman. Something more than just an involvement with her father.
Diesel stepped behind Candy, bent over. Beth looked at his face, and she could see a set of nasty claw marks running down his left cheek. “The bitch kicked me in the dick and clawed my face,” he fumed.
“Oh hell no,” Beth spoke to no one in particular. She had had enough of this woman and her bullshit.
Beth moved around Devin, and stepped into Candy’s personal space. Without another word, she swung on her, knocking Candy to the ground. Grabbing a handful of her shirt
, she said, “Get the fuck out of my house. And if you dare to touch another member of Devin’s crew, I’ll rip your hair out by the roots. Am I understood?”
“Fuck you, bitch,” Candy replied, “You’ll pay for this. All of you...” Before she could finish, Beth smacked her across the face.
“Out!” she barked.
Turning to Diesel, she saw the smile spread wide across his face. “Get her the hell out of here. If you have any more problems, call Devin and I will handle it myself.” Looking back to Candy, Beth growled, “Give me one good reason to tear you apart, just one.”
Turning to go back into the room, Beth came face-to-face with Devin. He too had a huge smile on his face. “I know this is not the time, but that was sexy as hell,” he told her.
Rolling her eyes, she walked past him and into the bedroom. “I’m going to get a shower,” she called.
Entering the bathroom, Beth turned on the shower. After dealing with Candy, she felt the need to scrub herself. That woman was vile, why she was even allowed here to begin with, Beth would never understand.
Undressing, she stepped under the spray. The hot water felt soothing. After everything that had happened today, she just wanted a hot shower and to crawl into bed and sleep for a week. She was tired - mentally, emotionally, and physically. Honestly, she just wanted to cry, but Beth knew she didn’t have time for that. Life sucked sometimes, but she refused to let it get to her. Steeling her spine, she knew she would get through this one way or another.
Beth washed herself, scrubbing her skin with her favorite Shea Butter body wash, then rinsed it from her skin, only to repeat the process again. Finally deciding she had been in the bathroom long enough, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel from the rack. Wrapping it around herself, she climbed from the tub. Before she finished drying off, the sound of voices met her ears.
“I hear Beth hit Candy.” It was Zander’s voice. “The psycho hollered about it the entire way to the gate.”
“Yep, she sure did. Knocked her flat on her ass. Candy deserved it though,” Devin told him, with what sounded like pride in his voice. Beth shook her head. She had never hit anyone, but Candy had it coming.
“Fuck yeah she did. That bitch kicked me in my junk. I’ll have to ice down Big D and the twins now,” Diesel complained, “Not to mention, look at my pretty face! I’ll probably have to get a rabies shot. Crazy ass bitch.”
Big D and the twins? Beth thought with a giggle, “Good grief,” she sighed aloud.
She was about to pull the door open, but Zander’s next words made her pause.
“What are your plans after this is all over? Are you planning to keep her, or allow her to go back to her old life?”
Good question, Beth thought. She had been wondering the same thing. She wanted a life with Devin, but had no clue if he wanted the same thing. Devin called her ‘his woman’, but Beth still wasn’t sure of the extent of its meaning. How long would that last?
“Beth and I haven’t talked about the future yet. I want the threat against her removed. Then we’ll talk about what comes next,” Devin told him. “Why? Are you trying to protect her virtue?”
That really wasn’t the answer Beth was hoping for, but at least he didn’t outright say he didn’t want her. That would have crushed her. Whatever reply Zander made, it was too low for Beth to hear, but it made Devin laugh. That sound seemed to calm Beth’s tattered nerves.
“I promise sweethearts, as soon as Beth and I talk, you both will be the first to know,” Devin assured the guys, causing a round of laughter to fill the other room.
Deciding it was time to quit eavesdropping, Beth opened the bathroom door and entered the bedroom, still wrapped in her towel. She wasn’t expecting company so didn’t bother to take clothes with her.
Devin turned in her direction and immediately the smile left his face. “Out,” he barked, but the guys ignored him.
“Looking good, slugger,” Diesel complimented, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
“D, if you continue to drool over my woman, I’ll remove your eyeballs,” Devin commented, “Then shove them down your throat.”
“Well, she’s my hero. My shero. Yeah, that’s it - Shero. She saved my life and Dinkers,” Diesel praised. “If something would have happened to the big guy...” he trailed off, shaking his head. “I can’t even think about it,” he said with a shudder.
Beth couldn’t help but laugh. Poor Diesel. The man was obsessed with his dick.
“Okay gentlemen, I need to get dressed,” Beth said, still laughing at the sad look on Diesel’s face. “You don’t have to go to bed, but you can’t stay here.”
“Are you sure?” Diesel asked, “I’ll be quiet.”
Beth watched in amusement as he sat on the edge of the bed and then leaned back against the headboard, reclining.
“Oh hell no,” Devin sighed, rolling his eyes. “Get the hell out of our room.”
“Fine,” Diesel grumbled.
After saying goodnight, Zander and Diesel left the room. Beth, exhausted, found her pajamas and dressed quickly.
“Come here, baby,” Devin said from his place on the bed. He held back the blanket for her, Beth as she walked to the bed and lay down, snuggling in close to his side.
“I know you’re tired but I just want to say,” he started, “Thank you for handling Candy. I wanted to hit her myself, but would never lay a hand on a woman.”
“I’m still shocked by what she did to Diesel,” Beth told him.
“She wasn’t going to leave quietly,” Devin replied. “Even afterwards, it was Zander who finally got her moving when he stepped out of his room with a gun in his hand.”
“She probably thought he would shoot her.”
“Probably,” Devin agreed.
They both lay in bed quietly for a long while each lost in their own thoughts. For Beth, she kept going over everything she had learned about her father and the extent of his evilness. She couldn’t say she was surprised. Maybe shocked at first, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how truly horrible he was.
“Beth? Are you awake?” Devin whispered.
“Yeah, babe. What’s up?” Beth answered.
“I wasn’t planning to have this conversation until after everything with your father is dealt with, but... I know we haven’t really had a chance to talk about us and our future,” Devin stated. Beth could feel the butterflies taking flight in her stomach.
“But I think we need to make time. Don’t you?” Devin asked, unsure.
“I do,” she replied, just as quiet as he was. Silence followed her agreement.
Beth couldn’t handle the constant unknown anymore. So she started talking, unable to stop the words from pouring out. “What do you want, Devin? Do you want Derek and I to stay here permanently?” she asked, but didn’t give him a chance to reply because the words kept flowing. “And if you do, to what capacity? Are we together? Like a real family? Or do you and I just keep having sex?” Beth finally took a deep breath. She got it all out, everything she wanted to say.
“You’ve been thinking about this a lot, I see,” Devin chuckled. But Beth didn’t find any of this funny. This was her life. Derek’s life. With every other aspect going crazy, she needed something to go right. Something to be her center.
“Honestly, I have Devin. Derek needs stability, and so do I,” she started, then shot up in the bed. “Oh shit!”
Worried, Devin followed her, sitting next to her, grabbing her hand. “What is it?” he demanded, seeing the tears start to fall from her eyes.
“Devin, our son’s birthday is in three days!” she explained. “I am such a horrible mom. How could I have let it slip my mind?”
“Oh honey. You are not a horrible mom. You have been a little preoccupied hiding from a murderer,” he told her. “Tomorrow you and Amber can start planning and preparing for the party. Whatever you want or need, I’ll pay for it.”
“Okay,” she said, falling back on her pillow.
“I’d like that, too,” she whispered, hope filling her chest.
Devin wrapped his arms around her tighter, “And maybe one day, after all this is over, you will honor me by becoming my wife.”
Devin had said it as a statement, but Beth was stunned silent. All she could do was turn over and press her lips to his. The one thing she always wanted was right in front of her. For the next few hours, they showed each other the love and passion that they felt for one another.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sledge
Sledge woke the next morning to the sound of his phone ringing. With a grumble, he hit the talk button and with a gruff voice, he barked out, “What?”
“I found an exact location on Andrews,” Banjo replied.
Sledge extracted himself from Beth and sat on the side of the bed. “Where?” he asked.
“He’s staying at the Omni over on Lamar and he isn’t alone.”
“What do you mean? Who else is with him?”
“I was able to pull the hotel reservation log and it looks like Jorge Sanchez is staying there, too. As a matter of fact, their rooms are next to each other. I don’t think that is a coincidence,” Banjo relayed.
Jorge Sanchez was the right hand of Manuel Ortega, the leader of the Mexican Cartel's operations in Texas. So Andrews brought in reinforcements, Sledge thought.
“Fuck!” he said aloud, running a hand over his head.
“My thoughts exactly. Andrews isn’t playing around Devin. He wants the girl. Dead or alive, I don’t think he cares,” Banjo stated.
“He’s not getting her. Beth is mine and she is staying here. The only way he will get anywhere near her is over my dead body,” Sledge vowed.
“I thought you’d say that. So I called in some favors. You should have a truck pulling up to your gate in the next ten minutes,” Banjo told him. “You’re welcome, Commander.”
The President: Devil's Henchmen MC, Book Two Page 12
