by Ryan Michele
Hell, I still can’t believe I punched a woman.
“You need to show everyone that you’re by your man’s side every step of the way. That means coming to the club on the back of his bike. That means helping out in the kitchen when we have get-togethers, which I will tell you is often. You’re the next generation of the Ravage MC ol’ ladies, and you set the precedence for everyone who follows you. Younger, older, it doesn’t matter because you’re in. They will look to you for guidance.”
“But I don’t know much. My parents kept me pretty far away from the club life. I only went to Sinisters for barbecues and stayed mostly with my mother.”
“It’s not like that here. You’ll see when we have our first one. You chip in, help out, and let your man know that you have his back at all costs. You also make sure you know when is enough, especially in front of the brothers. Ravage has a code they live by. They respect us, but we are not members of the club. Your man is, and you need to show him that respect.”
Memories of my mother float through my head. I can hear her saying those exact words to me when I was young and learning.
“My mom told me the same thing, but you saying them helped me remember.”
She places her hand on mine and gives a little squeeze. “Life is tough. There’ll be ups, and there’ll be downs. It’s how you handle them that makes all the difference. You love my boy?” I nod. “And that’s what matters. Love. Love is what binds us all together. We have that, we’re strong. We lose it, we’re weak. Ravage is never weak, and we never back down. You need to make sure that your position is said loud and clear. And bitches like Tina, you’ll take down if needs be.”
“I get it. We’ll make it a point.”
“Good. Now tell me about these units and what kind of money they could bring in.”
On this, I blow out a breath, get my computer, and begin to explain. Two hours later, we are laughing as Cooper walks in the door.
“Mom? What’s up?” he asks, tossing his keys on the table by the door and coming my way. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me tightly to him.
“Just hangin’ out with your woman. But I’d better get going.” She rises from the chair, grabs my hand, and squeezes. “You’ll make a good ol’ lady. Stick with me, and I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
“Mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.”
Princess puts her hand on her hip and looks up at her son. “I know you’re joking right now because, if you’re not, I’m going to have to lay you out in front of your woman.”
He laughs. “That’s the shit I’m talkin’ about. Bristyl’s good; let’s keep her that way.”
Princess laughs. “You should have gotten a job as a comedian, boy. Good? You’re around Ravage now, everything is going to open her eyes.” She moves toward the door. “See you two at the clubhouse next Sunday night for dinner. Oh, and maybe we’ll take a go-around in the ring.”
My breath catches. She can’t be serious.
Cooper gives me a squeeze as I answer, “We’ll be there, but not in the ring.”
“We’ll see.” Princess leaves.
“Care to tell me what that was about?” he asks.
I turn in his arms. He’s so damn handsome he takes my breath way knowing he’s mine. All mine.
“She’s just helping me out and giving advice. I’m not sure about the ring thing, though.”
He chuckles. “She’ll teach you a thing or two. Who does she want to beat the hell out of now?”
I laugh because that comment doesn’t surprise me in the least. “No one. She’s a good woman. I like her.”
“Good, since you’ll be seeing a lot of her.”
“Yeah.” Lifting on my tiptoes, I plant a kiss on his lips. “Glad you’re home.”
“Me, too.” He lets out a deep breath. “But we gotta talk about somethin’.”
“This is the same thing as Leah telling me her harebrained idea of meeting that jerk at the rally. If it’s bad, Cooper, I don’t wanna hear it.”
“Your dad.”
This stops me.
“What about him? Is he hurt?”
“No, beautiful. He wants to talk to you, and I really think you should.”
It makes me nervous, which is confusing. I thought we would talk about anything else. Now, everything is messed up.
He’s sorry, and I get that, but it doesn’t change what he tried to do. My heart can’t take any more breakage from my family. At the same time, it hurts not having my father and brothers in my life. It’s almost like reliving the pain of losing my mother all over again, only now I have the power to do something about it. Forgiveness comes easier when you lost someone so precious to you.
It’s time. He reached out, and I’m ready to close this door so I don’t have to live in the past any more.
“I’ll call him.”
“No need. We’re headin’ down tomorrow.”
My eyes widen in shock. “What?”
“He called the clubhouse and asked if we’d come down. He apologized to me and said he wants to do it with you in person. And your brothers want to talk to you.”
“Wow.” It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts. It’s so sudden, like bam, in my face, but it’s all good. “Okay, that’s fine. I can do this.”
“Beautiful, you can do anything you put your mind to.” He leans down and kisses me. His lips are the softest thing I ever want to touch mine for the rest of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Why am I so nervous?” I ask Cooper, wringing my hands for the hundredth time as he comes back to the truck with the key to our room.
We are in Crest at one of the chain hotels, and I can’t stop fidgeting. My body is a tight wire, ready to snap and zap everything and anything around me. He’s my father. There’s no reason to be nervous, yet I can’t help it. Those feelings of never belonging and him wanting to push me to do something I didn’t want to, they ride me hard. They pull me to a place I don’t like. Nevertheless, I’m a grown-ass woman, and I will do this.
“Because he’s your dad. I can still go with you, Bristyl. You don’t need to go alone.”
I suck in a breath, hoping it will calm me. It does a little. “No, I need to go to him on my own and do this. And tomorrow, we’ll go to breakfast as planned.”
We get out of his truck, and Cooper leads us to the room. After pulling myself together, it’s time to face the music.
“I’m gonna sleep for a bit. When you get back, you can take me to dinner.”
I laugh. “I thought the guy was supposed to take the woman?”
“Beautiful, you’re from here; you’ll know where to get me a steak.”
I stand up on my tiptoes, hand on his chest, and kiss him. “You got it. I’ll only be a couple of hours.”
“You’ll be fine. You need to call me when you get there and when you’re leaving.” He wasn’t too happy about the plan to let me go on my own, but this is something I need. I want my father to tell me what’s going on. I want to hear from him and him alone. Having Cooper there may influence what he tells me. It’s time to woman up and get this shit done.
“I will.”
He smacks my ass on the way out, the door clicking behind him.
Driving his truck is fun as hell. It’s a huge four-by-four, and I have to jump to get in the thing. Makes me feel like I can run over just about anything and everything in my way.
When I’m waved into the gates of Sinister Sons, my brain fills with memories. Some great, and some bad of recent.
I can still feel Wolf in this place as I drive up. I shake my head quickly to forget. Wolf deserved what he got. I just wish none of us would have been there to see any of it.
The door opens, and my father stands by the side of it. My pulse picks up, and I swear my heart is going to jump out of my chest.
“Baby girl, I’m so damn sorry,” he says as I jump down from the truck. He then envelops me in his arms, and tears form in my eyes. Whe
n he kisses the top of my head, my body shakes. Then, when he pulls away from me, his hands don’t leave my arms. “I fucked up. Bad. I gotta live with that. Never did I want that for you. Never. And I shoulda put an end to it as soon as it was brought up. It’s over now. No one will ever ask something like that of you again.”
I can only nod, too afraid to speak and have my voice crack.
“Love you so damn much. Only ever wanted the best for you. If that’s not in Sinisters, then so be it. But you’re my baby girl.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I ask, “It was all because he said so?”
My father shakes his head, let’s go of me, and runs his fingers over his mustache and down his face. “Come.” He directs me over to a set of picnic tables that I frequented a lot during my time here on lunch breaks. We sit, him across from me.
“Can’t tell you a lot.”
I nod again in understanding.
“But, yeah. Wolf wanted you in the fold. He pressured me to get you in, and that’s my mistake.”
“You had to know I’d never do anything like that, Dad.”
“Part of me hoped you wouldn’t and would get the hell away from here.” He looks down at the table, then at his hands. “Things haven’t been right around here for a while, but I’m in charge now, and I’m gonna make it right. All of it. We’re going back to the way it was. The way it should be.”
“That’s good. Stone, Hunter, and Racer need that, Dad.”
“You need it, too.”
My eyes drift off to the distance, lost in momentary thought. “Not here, though. I decided that I need to carve a piece out of life and make it my own. Not what you want or anyone, but what I want. I want to be with Cooper. He’s part of the Ravage MC, so that means I’m part of them.”
“But, baby girl, you’re doing the same thing that was asked of you with Sterling.”
My eyes bore into my father. “No, it’s not. The difference is that I love him, Dad, and he loves me. There’s more to life than a title. Love without it, there is nothing.” A funny feeling washes over me like the sun got a little bit brighter for a moment. My mom. Thanks.
He sits back. “Got it. He treat you good?”
“The best.”
“He’d better.”
An unusual silence comes over us as my brothers come to the table. They’re not loud and rowdy like always. They’re more timid, and as twisted as I may be, I like that they are. It shows me that they know they were wrong.
“Sorry, Bristyl.” Racer pulls me up from my seat and wraps me in his arms. “Didn’t want to tell you that shit. Didn’t want you anywhere near any of it. I’m so damn sorry.”
I wrap my arms around my brother. “Thank you. I needed to hear you say that.”
“You forgive me?” he asks, pulling back and looking in my eyes.
“We’ll work on building that bridge we had together. It’ll take a while, but we’ll get there.”
Stone pulls me in, and then Hunter, all saying the same things. Then we sit at the picnic table, and it’s as if a switch has been lifted. My brothers go back to their ornery selves, and my father busts their asses for it.
When it’s time to say goodbye, I feel so much better.
I turn the truck over, and a calmness comes over me. We’re going to be okay. It will take some work, but we’ll get there. I love them, they love me, so it will work.
I pull my phone out, ready to call Cooper, when my phone rings and Leah’s name comes up.
“Hey!” I say cheerfully, ready to tell her that I’m home and we need to meet up.
“Come to my house now.” The phone disconnects.
Without thinking, all thoughts of Cooper and phone calls gone, I race. Yes, I drive like it’s a race to my friend. Confusion fills me. Leah needs me, and that trumps everything.
Swinging the door open at Leah’s parents’ house, I barge in, searching for her. It’s not like her to call me like that and then not answer her phone right away. We’ve been friends for way too long to keep one another on edge like this. We talked on the phone just yesterday about me coming here to see my dad, and everything seemed fine.
“Leah!” I call her name, just as I hear a scream come from far away. It’s Leah’s scream.
Where the hell are her parents?
Following the voice, I run full-throttle down the hallway, and that is my first mistake. My father and brothers taught me to always watch my surroundings. Be aware of the people and things around you at all times. Unfortunately, when Leah screams and now cries, all reason leaves me.
Reaching her bedroom door, the air and blood leave my body as shock takes over. Leah is lying on her bed, hands tied to the headboard, feet tied to the footboard, spread wide. She’s not naked, but that’s the only good thing, because she’s black and blue on just about every part of her body and cuts line her beautiful face as the blood mixes with her tears.
It’s the man in the room, though, the one with the filet knives and bloodied knuckles, who gets my full attention. Len, the quieter one from the rally, has the scariest look on his face. It’s blank, void, cold.
“About fuckin’ time you got here.” He slices Leah’s arm, and she screams.
“Stop! What are you doing?”
“Want her to die?”
Shaking my head, I answer quickly, “No!”
“Then you come with me. And bitch, you fight me, I’ll gut you. Then I’ll come back and gut your friend. I may have to fuck her, too. All this shit is gettin’ me hard.” He grabs himself with the knife so close I wish he would nick his dick as Leah’s blood wipes off on his jeans.
“Where?”
He points the knife directly at me, Leah’s blood dripping off the tip. “No fuckin’ questions. You make a fuckin’ sound, I’ll slit your throat, and I don’t give a fuck who sees me. Got nothin’ to lose.” His words register, but they don’t compute fully.
Len doesn’t wait for me to answer, he gouges the knife into Leah’s side, blood streaming out as she cries and screams.
“Get away from him, Bristyl!” she screams as he picks up the blade and punctures her again.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!”
“Okay! Okay! Stop!” I yell, trying to get Len’s attention on me and not my bleeding friend. If I can get him out of the house and away from Leah, her parents should be home at some point to get her help. At least, I can make sure she’s safe. Fuck!
“I’ll go. Come on. Right now.”
“Don’t!” Leah screams.
Len lifts his fist and punches Leah in the temple so hard her eyes close. She makes a strange gurgling sound, and my fear for my friend heightens.
“No!” I make a move to go to her, but Len grabs me around the arm hard.
He pulls a syringe out of his pocket, and I fight, kicking, hitting, but nothing fazes him. He’s ice cold as he slips the needle into my arm.
“What did you give me?”
He doesn’t answer as my body begins to feel like it’s sagging. The room becomes clouded, and I feel dizzy. My limbs are heavier than normal, and it hurts to hold them up. Resting them on the ground would be a better option. My head goes foggy, and I fight to stay awake, but within moments, it’s black.
“Bristyl!” My name being screamed comes through the haze. It feels like I’m drowning, and every once in a while, I can come up for air, yet the pull overtakes me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I can’t keep track of the time. My head goes in and out, but the sound of my name, said in that voice—Cooper’s voice—pulls me up, and I slowly blink.
It was a mistake to open them. The vision before me is right out of a horror movie, and I’m not one hundred percent sure whether this is a nightmare or reality.
Cooper is in front of me, his hands tied above his head on a hook. They are so tightly strained that every muscle in his upper body is strung out. It looks like each tendon could snap. His feet are barely touching the floor, and a slight sheen of sweat covers his entire body
. His shirt is torn and bruises line his abdomen.
How the hell did he get here?
“Bristyl? Are you alright?” Cooper asks.
I sit up, realizing I’m on a dirt floor.
Cooper gives a grunt as something hits him from the back hard, like a crack of a whip. Instantly, I rise, wobbling along the way, but halt when Nick steps out of the shadows, holding a long, leather bound whip that has several long strands on the end each with something sharp. Cooper’s blood is dripping from it.
“What’s going on?” I manage to get out. My arms are gripped and pulled behind my back as Len stands there, still no expression. The fight in me isn’t strong, but I try with no success.
“Little Bristyl,” Nick says way too calmly for the situation. He holds his tool like a prized possession, skating his hands up and down the leather rhythmically. “About time you got here. You missed the fun. Here, let me show you.” Nick turns and slices the whip through the air, hitting Cooper all over the front of his body, spilling blood.
“No!” I scream and try to fight again. “Stop it!”
“Oh, you want me to stop, huh? Alright, then let’s go over here.” Nick walks casually to the other side of the room where it’s dark. A sconce comes on, and my knees give out. When they do, Len doesn’t move his arms and the pain from the angle shoots through me. I stand instantly, trying to relieve it. All Len does is chuckle.
My focus isn’t on my pain, though. No, it’s on my father. My father who looks almost like Leah did, except he’s not strapped to a bed. No, he’s bound to a chair, hands behind his back, and feet tied with rope. His head hangs awkwardly, making my heart pump even faster. Poe stands behind him, a baseball bat in his hand.
“Dad!” I scream, fighting my restraints.
His head comes up, his eyes directly on me. “Bristyl?” His voice has a bit of slur. I don’t know if they drugged him, like they did me, or if it’s from the injuries.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
Len takes the opportunity to yank my arms hard, and I cry out.
“Motherfucker, you just wait,” Cooper growls.
