She looks at me, wide-eyed and terrified. Her mouth is still open, still screaming her “Help”s and “No”s. And I know this isn’t going to be easy. I push her towards the window and pick her up from the waist. The motion motivates her as she climbs through the hole and begins to run.
Now I know my time is even more limited. I could run out with Opal, but I can’t do that. I, instead, run towards Sherri and lift her limp body up off of the ground. Her weight falls into me as I try not to stumble backwards. She stirs a bit, her head twisting back towards her shoulders and into me. I hear her whisper something. Maybe it’s “Help” or “Look.” But her lips are too dry, her voice too weak, and I don’t have time to try to make it out. All I can focus on is getting her to that window before the man upstairs comes for me next.
I pull her body up towards the window and then manage to hoist her a bit above my head. It’s just enough for me to hitch her upper half on the ground outside and then push her legs through. As I throw her last leg out, I hear the sound of the man rushing down the stairs in a loud clamor. He turns the corner and spots his man instantly.
He then turns to see me reaching to grab hold of something outside for support. But I’m coming up with twigs and dirt. I jump one more time, desperate for help. I scream out, but the man pulls me back down towards the ground, my head hitting the cement floor with a stinging bang. I’m paralyzed as I watch him look around the room for the other two. He screams out in a rage when he realizes his worst fears.
The man turns his attention back to me. His black hood pulled over his head paints shadows over his tan, withered face, but I can still make out the tattoos on his body as he lifts his fist towards me. I roll just out of miss and shoot my hand up, catching his chest as he tries to fall on top of me. With all of my might, I push him off as he tumbles into the body of his fellow Bonebreaker.
I leap up, using the wall for support. The metal pole rolls towards me, and I have just seconds to pick it up before he comes running at me again. This time, he gets me by the waist, but my hand is free to smack his back with the metal rod as hard as I can. He stumbles back, taking me with him again as we freefall into the floor. My legs hitch around his as I land another hit to his head, this time managing to cut and bruise his eye. It shuts on itself almost instantly, blinding him.
I know this is my chance to run, and I don’t miss a beat. I take the pole and hurry back up towards the window. This time, I grab onto Sherri’s leg and yank myself out. My body scrapes against the glass of the window, ripping into my outfit and skin. But I don’t scream or cry, I just move. All I can do is move, and I don’t have much time to do even that.
There’s a click and a loud shot. The man’s gun goes off, missing me by mere inches. My ears ring as I try not to panic. But he fires again; this time the bullet flies through the opening of the window, grazing my shoulder. I spring back from the force, falling towards Sherri. I can feel the warm, red goo runs from my arm as I scream this time, hoping someone, anyone, will hear me.
“Get back here, you little bitch!” the man is calling as he fires off a third shot. Through the opening in the window, I see him spot me as he grins. Despite his bad eye, he knows he can hit either Sherri or I with one, easily made shot. I stammer back, pulling Sherri with me. My hands grasp onto the grass and ground, desperately trying to move out of the way of the window.
I hit something hard with my back and head, falling towards the side. The object vibrates as it screams out, “Don’t you fucking move, Zane! We’ve got this entire place surrounded.”
I look up behind me to see Noah and two men from the Disciples standing completely still and strong on the lawn outside of what looks like a repair shop. Noah’s small black handgun is pointed into the window. I cry out towards him sobbing as he steps in front of me and uses his body to shield Sherri and I.
He repeats his order towards Zane again, but he doesn’t budge. Noah shouts, “We’ve got your clubhouse, your warehouse, and now you. Rock’s already surrendered. Are you going to let this go on so we have to kill you, or are you planning on coming out nice and quiet?”
There’s a long pause, neither man saying a word. I try not to even breathe. But then I hear the small clamor of a gun falling to the ground. The man next to Noah runs straight towards the window, his gun still held in the air. I watch as he pulls the man out and uses ties to bind his arms behind his back.
When the man is safely secured, Noah turns around, still on his knees. He looks at me, studying my body covered in dirt, blood, and cuts. But he doesn’t care. His hands move around the bruises of my face and head, gingerly touching each and every one of them. And then, his mouth barely open, he whispers, “You’re alive. You’re alive. You’re alive.”
I try to reply, but all I can exclaim softly is “Noah!”
He pulls me into his arms, cradling me towards his chest as he leans down and kisses me. Every bit of pain and sorrow I am feeling melts away in one perfect moment when our lips meet. I’m here. He’s here. And we’re together. Finally together.
Chapter 33 NOAH
“Noah!” Griz is whispering loudly at me from his spot at the bushes trying desperately to usher me back in. But I can’t leave Trigger out there alone. And that scream – I know that scream. It’s Opal’s and I am not about to stop until I know she is safe and sound. I take a few more low steps when I hear Griz tell himself, “That asshole is going to get me killed. Damnit!”
There’s a rustling of bushes and Griz runs by my side. We make our way to where Trigger is laying flat on his stomach. Wherever that sound came from wasn’t a gun after all despite the three of us both reacting like we were under attack. Trigger gives us the thumbs up sign as we get down low next to him.
“Something’s going on with that window.” Trigger points out towards the glass block window we identified earlier. “From here, it looks like it is caving in or something. Maybe the girls are trying to escape.”
I reply back quickly, in an anxious panic, “Or maybe they’re getting killed? Did you hear that scream? That was Opal’s. She wouldn’t scream like that unless something bad was going down.”
Griz looks back out towards the window and then again to us, “Whatever the fuck is going on, I don’t want to be lying here in a field doing nothing when they spot us. Trigger, I want you to sneak around towards the front. Noah and I’ve got that window. We meet in the middle inside when it’s all over with. Got it?”
Trigger and I reply a solid yes and Trigger begins to slowly kneel, his eyes focused like lasers on the burnt out remains of the repair shop. The unknown is sometimes worse than the known, and all we’ve got here is the knowledge that Opal is inside, screaming her heart out. Even Trigger looks shaky about this deal.
Once Trigger is out of our sight and securely around the side of the building, Griz takes the lead by crawling with his gun in his hand towards the building. We’re not even ten feet from our spot when we hear another crash and the clear blocks of the glass window fall in a small topple. I hold my breath as I wait. Second pass, then minutes. We are unable to move, unable to speak.
Then I see it. There’s an arm, a head of messy curls, and the frightened eyes of my girl. My daughter. She gets out of the window and looks back momentarily before running off towards where we stand. Her head darts behind her shoulders as she waits for someone to notice her. But instead of running towards the bad guys, I’m there waiting for her, my arms outstretched.
She shoots past me, totally focused on getting out of whatever hell she was in, until I whisper her name. The small girl stops dead in her tracks before turning once more. When she sees me, her body begins to shake and she falls to her bare knees. Every part of her collapses in exhaustion as I hear her cry out the one word I’ve been longing to hear since I found out she was taken: “Daddy.” She mutters it over again until I scoop her up in my arms, nesting her head against my shoulder.
When she has settled down, I ask her, “Opal, where is Faye? Was she with you? W
ere you alone down there?”
Opal pulls away and points back at the window. Griz and I both watch as we see a figure, limp and unmoving being thrust up towards the ground. I place Opal down and begin to run towards the window. My heart drops into my stomach as I think of Faye lying like that, completely lifeless and alone outside of a burnt down repair shop.
But before I can get anywhere near her, Griz is yelling at me, telling me to stop. Trigger comes running from the inside of the garage, waving his arms towards us. “It’s clear! It’s clear! There’s no one inside.” He whispers loudly as he waits for us to follow.
I, again, run towards the body on the ground, uncaring about what else is going around me. But I’m stopped by the sound of gunfire. One round. Two rounds. I see a pair of hands roll out as I back up away from the shop’s wall. A woman, her long hair caked in blood and dust emerges and rolls out of the way over the body of her friend. She backs up straight into my legs as I spy Zane inside, firing directly at her.
Griz is by my side almost immediately, his gun pointed straight at Zane’s head. We begin to scream our commands as I try not to focus on Faye panting and clenching to the leg of my pants. Even I can’t catch my breath. Because in this moment I realize that it’s done. My girls were safe and with me.
Griz takes over guarding Zane while Opal goes off with Trigger and Faye’s roommate to wait for the doc to arrive with the cars. But I stay with Faye, holding onto her as tightly as I can, not wanting to let go until it’s absolutely necessary. She keeps her eyes on me, not even daring to look away. To her, I’m a dream, a savior, a wish come true. To me, she’s hope that tomorrow will be better.
When the doc arrives, I place her in their car, her calling out my name and reaching for me. I run back towards her as she lies flat in the back of the van and kiss her palm. She feels the curve of my jaw as I speak softly, “I’ll be back. I’m not letting you go anywhere without me, you hear?”
While the doc looks at her, I head off towards Opal. She’s busy chatting with Trigger about Faye managing to rescue them and how she picked locks just like the boys taught her when she was in preschool. When she sees me, she runs back into my arms, holding on me so tightly I feel as though I am about to burst.
“Dad, when can we go home?” She looks up at me, hopeful but hesitant. She knows the answer before I can even say it.
“You can’t go back Opal. Not after today. The Bonebreakers may want to retaliate and Griz is going to hold Zane in the basement while they figure out what to do with him for all this mess.” She looks down at the ground, a few tears filling the corner of her eyes. I kneel down next to her as I explain, “I’m going to call Grandma and have her take you for a little bit, until everything settles down. And as soon as it is clear to go, I’ll bring you back to Faye’s place.”
“But I want to be with you…and Faye. Can’t we be together? Won’t you protect me there, too?”
My heart is breaking for this girl who has experienced so much loss and grief in her lifetime. How do you explain to a child that her fairytale life can’t come true – at least not yet.
She interrupts my thoughts, “Dad, I know you and Faye like each other. I can totally tell. If you really like her, just tell her. I know she likes you, too.”
I brush a bit of hair from her eyes as I correct her, “It doesn’t work like that, Opal.”
“Yeah it does. She likes you. You like her. And you make it work. Please, Dad, just try.”
I sigh and kiss her forehead and cheeks. My little girl has always been wiser for her age and smarter than most of the people I know. How can she understand matters of the heart when even I can’t work it out? I take her hand and lead her back to Trigger. She gets inside of the car and the two drive off towards the highway.
I feel a tap as a soft, tired voice asks, “Where is she going? Is she going to be okay?”
Faye is standing behind me, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and waist. She’s bandaged up and the doctor has removed most of her clothing. Even tattered and torn, she is more beautiful than ever.
I pull her into me as I reassure her, “She’s going to be fine. They’re going to a safe house outside of town with her grandmother. I’ll check on her later tonight, but I think she’s going to be okay. But what about you?” I stand back a few feet, looking her square in the eye. There is so much hurt washing over those pale eyes that I find myself lost in them again.
“I’m – I’m... “ She gives up, her strength fading with each word. “I don’t know what I am. I just want to get home. Can I do that? Can you bring me home?” She adds gingerly, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
When the next car arrives we take it, heading out towards Faye’s bungalow in the suburbs. As we round past the perfectly trimmed shrubbery and landscaped yards, I watch as Faye leans back and closes her eyes. The setting sun illuminates her pale skin as she takes in the safety and comfort of her surroundings. This is her space, her home. She is out of motorcycle world.
Her hands shake as she unlocks the door to her house, and I reach over her to steady her hands. I whisper into her ear as I guide the key towards the side, “It’s okay. There’s nothing behind the door.”
“I’m not afraid of what is behind the door.” Faye replies shakily. She takes a step inside and spins towards me before I can enter. “I don’t know about this.”
“About what?” I ask as I reach my hand around her head, guiding her body to rest against mine.
I feel her exhale deeply as her whole body softens. I lean down and press my lips to hers, my whole body sparking. She reaches around my neck and pulls herself up to her tippy toes causing both of us to fall backwards towards the alcove wall.
Her kisses speed up frantically as I struggle to keep up with her. Her hands sink lower and press into my chest, eventually finding my collar. She pulls me in even closer as she begins to pull up the hem of my t-shirt. I fling it up and over my head as she looks up at me with eyes that are deep and dark with want.
She drops the blanket, revealing her bare skin, cut up, bruised, and held together by white gauze. I can see small red marks where the blood has managed to push through. I get to my knees and look up at her. With a sigh I begin to kiss each of her bruises and marks along her torso, my hands tracing over the forming scars of her thin, curved body. I move towards her arms where most of the damage is, and she grimaces as I sink small kisses at her wrist and going up.
When I make it back up to her shoulders, I feel her shudder against me. Without a word, I scoop her up from under her knees. Her arms fly to my neck as she holds onto me. With her resting safely in my arms, I find her stairs and head upstairs. She points to her bedroom, and I place her down gently on her cedar-colored bedspread.
I lean my body over her slightly, trying not to press all my weight down on top of her. She coos as I touch my lips to her collarbones while my hands wrap around her pants. In one yank, they are down, and her legs curl up on the bed under me. She moves herself up, lounging back on the pillows as I lay at the foot of the bed.
My hands take her left foot and begin to massage softly into the red pads of her heel. She moans in gratitude and ecstasy. I then trace my knuckle into the arch, slowly moving up towards the toes, giving each one attention. I move to her ankles, softly pressing into the thin line where her bones are. I knead her calf muscles, careful to avoid the sensitive parts, and, then, slowly, methodically inch up towards her thighs. Her legs spread slightly apart, giving my hands just enough area to move in between the downy skin.
I lay my head between them, kissing at the cold inner parts of her legs. Her back arches up as she moves her hips closer to my face, expectantly. I move higher up her thigh towards her hip, kissing the indent of her where her panty line is. My lips make a V shape as it dips towards her naked sex.
As I taste just a hint of her skin, the small scent of her sweat. Every bit of me is desperate to devour her pussy, to lick and suck with reckless abandon. But I, instead, move back
up the length of her body where I find her soft breasts and erect nipples. My hands cover them, warming them up under my palms. Her arms move towards her head as she gives in to me. I have total control over her as she closes her eyes and feels the tip of my tongue linger over her skin and circling over the very tip of her pink little nub. I suck gently on it, using my teeth very, very gently to add a bit of pressure. My fingers work on the other one, twisting it slightly to mimic the sensation the first is enjoying.
Faye’s mouth opens wide, an almost silent cry finding its way out. I stop in my place and take her mouth to mine. She hums as our lips wrestle one another, again fighting to gain control. She pushes me up slightly and then rolls on top of me, taking over where I left off. Her own mouth travels down the length of my neck, my collarbone, and towards my chest where she laps at my nipples.
Her other hand pulls at my pants, unzipping it carefully as I wrangle them off of my hips and towards the floor. My briefs go down into the pile with them as she reaches behind herself and grabs hold of my already rock-hard cock. Her fingers dance along the sensitive skin, tracing the vein along the bottom side and sending chills down my body and spine. I reach down and move her hand to my shaft, directing her on how to move up and down without turning herself around.
BENT AT THE ALTAR Page 70
