“He wasn’t healthy!” Church snapped. “He wasn’t normal! He was taking hardcore drugs, so he wasn’t eating. Most of the time he was running on pure adrenaline. You didn’t know him. You weren’t around him, but I was.”
She fell silent and both women stared at one another. A hundred things were rolling through Church’s mind, all about the years growing up with the boy who had grown into a monster.
Carleen’s eyes narrowed. “Did you know digoxin is a harmful medicine if taken incorrectly?”
It took a moment for the meaning of the words to fully cement. “You killed Joe-Joe?”
“I didn’t want to kill him, but I knew killing you outright wouldn’t work. You needed to suffer the loss of a loved one to understand the pain I’ve lived with for the few years.”
“You bitch!”
Church took a step toward the crazy woman but stopped when Carleen whipped the blade back and forth, slicing through the air.
“You are one crazy fucking cunt, you know? No wonder Ricky didn’t want anything to do with you.” She gave a humorless laugh. “Oh yeah, didn’t you know? My grandfather gave him the opportunity to find you, but he declined. And now I know why. You’re a loon, you know? Bat-shit crazy.”
All of a sudden, Carleen screamed out her rage and then charged forward. The knife was raised, ready to impale, but a wisp of air flew past and Church lurched away on instinct. A split second later, a bullet hit Carleen in her hand. With a shocked cry of pain, she dropped the knife and stumbled to a halt. She bent over to cradle her ruined hand.
Church didn’t blink. She charged and tackled the woman. Carleen fell onto her back and Church straddled her. She drew back and punched her hard, then again and again, letting all her hatred and anger pour out to make the fucking doctor pay.
“Stop, Church,” a male voice said calmly. “This time we’re going to turn the bad guy in.”
Church stopped, breathing heavily. Her knuckles hurt but she didn’t care. From the shadows stepped Masterson, gun raised and pointed at the doctor’s head.
“Are you going to finish what she tried to start?” she demanded. “Because I’ll fucking kill you before you hurt Darrell.”
“No, I’m here to protect you.” He snorted. “Not that you need my help. In fact, I’ve never met a woman who needed my protection less.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Get off the crazy doctor first and then I can explain everything.”
She did as he commanded, not because she deferred to him, but because she didn’t trust him any more than she trusted the sobbing crazy woman under her. But Lee Masterson seemed to ignore her as he went after Carleen Brogan. He stepped directly in front of her and aimed the gun barrel at her head.
Keeping him in her line of sight, she hurried back to Darrell. He grimaced and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve been through worse.”
“Not funny,” she whispered. “Just hang on, okay? I’ll get us out of this.”
“Not to worry, Ms. Farlander. Like I said, I’ve been hired to protect you,” Masterson informed her. He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it toward her. “Here. Take those cuffs off.”
She looked from the keys to the cuffs, and back before quickly unlocking him. Once free, Darrell rubbed his wrists.
“I’ve already called an ambulance for Mr. McBryde, as well as the police for Dr. Brogan here,” Masterson continued. “I have enough audio and video evidence of her to put her away for life.”
Church blinked at that revelation. “What? Audio? And what fucking video?”
He didn’t look at her, remaining to keep focused on the beat-up doctor. “I was hired to watch over you and determine if a threat was present. I bugged your garage and placed video cameras around. Seems like it was a justified stakeout.”
“You bugged my garage! You fucking pervert, I’m going to—”
“I heard nothing,” Masterson assured in a deadpan tone.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” she muttered.
Darrell chuckled but it turned into a gasp of pain.
“Where’s that damn ambulance?” she muttered.
“It’s on the way,” a new voice added. Church lurched to her feet, ready to protect Darrell. A man she’d never seen before stepped up behind Masterson. “The problem is being twenty minutes from any damn medical facility.”
The stranger walked forward until he stopped a few feet in front of her, and she saw something familiar in his features. The prominent line of his nose gave him a hawkish profile, while his chin bespoke of pride and arrogance.
“Hello, Church,” he said softly.
She narrowed her eyes. “Do I know you?”
“No,” he replied. “But that’s a mistake I made a long time ago and one I hope to rectify.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My name is Lincoln Cabot,” he said.
Church took a small step back. “Any relation to Warren Cabot?”
“My nephew, but I can assure you, you have nothing to fear from me.”
She glanced over at Lee. “What about him?”
“He spoke the truth,” Lincoln answered. “I hired him to watch over you. Just like I had hired him to watch over your sister.”
“Wait,” Church said, holding up a hand. “What do you mean? He was Warren’s henchman! He shot at us!”
“You’re alive, aren’t you?” Masterson said smoothly. “Had I really been trying to kill both of you, you’d be dead.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Cocky piece of shit, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. Not once did he take his gaze off Carleen Brogan, who now resembled a broken doll.
“I don’t understand,” Church said, turning back to Lincoln Cabot. “Why did you hire him to watch over us? We’re strangers.”
“Well, in a sense, yes, we are,” Lincoln replied. “But I’ve known about you girls for twenty-four years.”
She blinked. “What?”
He paused for a second and gave her a sad little smile. “I’m your biological father, Church. You and Cherry are my daughters.”
The revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. “You … um … what the fuck? Is this a joke?”
“Do I look like a man who jokes?”
Anger took over, replacing her stupefied disbelief. “You’re our sperm donor?”
His mouth tightened. “I don’t like that term.”
“I don’t care,” she shot back. “What else do you call a man who knocks up a sixteen-year-old and then goes splitsville?”
“I wasn’t much older than your mother,” he said softly. “Two teenagers having sex isn’t all that uncommon.”
“Only you knocked her up and she was poor white trash, wasn’t she?” Church asked. He opened his mouth but she held up a hand. “No, you don’t have to answer. It was a rhetorical question.”
“Your mother was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen and I loved her as much as a teenager could love someone at such a young age.” He shook his head sadly. “When the summer came, my father sent me off to boarding school in China to learn international business and it wasn’t until much later, and far too late, when I found out she’d had my children.”
“And why didn’t you come for us then? Why did Cherry and I grow up not knowing about you?”
“Because of my last name. I couldn’t afford the scandal of twins ruining the Cabot name. However, I have watched over you through the years. I helped Cherry get the job at Cabot Pharmaceutical and I bought your garage at above market value. Another way to help take care of both of you. It’s yours if you want it back.”
She folded her arms raised an eyebrow. “Wow. I’ve met some pricks in my time, but you sir, are a fucking cactus.”
He held his arms out wide. “I was young and dumb, Church. I’ve tried to make it up to you and your sister. I did the only things I knew to keep you both safe.”
“Except by actually being a father.” Church shook her head then gestured to Masterson. “And
you hire this guy? Listen, I don’t give two shits about you or that you may be my father, but don’t go to Cherry until you’re ready to be one. She’s got a soft and forgiving heart, and I swear on all that I hold sacred, if you hurt her, I won’t have any hesitation in hurting you. Ya hear me?”
“Yes, Church,” Lincoln said softly. “I do hear you. Loud and clear.”
Sirens finally came singing on the horizon, quickly growing louder.
“The police are here,” Masterson reported.
“No,” Carleen moaned from her kneeling position. “She killed my brother!”
Lincoln half turned to look down at the hurt woman. “You have no proof, Dr. Brogan, and if I were you, I’d be careful of flinging slander around.”
She looked up and the hatred shining in her eyes caused a cold shiver to shoot down Church’s back. Usually, she didn’t take notice of crazy, but this time it was hard to ignore. This was the path of hatred and vengeance. The ruined woman in front of her was the epitome of what it meant to carry those destructive feeling around inside a deal soul.
It was a sobering revelation.
The police came and Lincoln took point with them, explaining everything and how they had evidence that Carleen Brogan killed Joe-Joe and had planned the murder of Darrell McBryde. Church let him, choosing to stay by Darrell’s side as the ambulance arrived to transport him to the Veterans Hospital.
When they arrived, she was asked to sit in the waiting room while they took care of him. The same waiting room she’d sat in previously and learned about the death of her friend. She thought about calling Cherry, but the new revelation she’d found out about Lincoln Cabot was too fresh. It had to marinate in her head before she told her sister.
So she pulled out her cell phone and called Wick.
“Church?” he greeted. “What’s wrong?”
“Darrell is in the hospital. He’s being treated for a knife wound.”
“A what? What the hell happened?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here. Same waiting room as before.”
“Okay. We’re on our way.”
He hung up and a weight slid off her shoulders. She wasn’t yet used to the idea that she no longer had to carry the burden of so much by herself, and she could breathe easier.
A few minutes later, the same doctor as before appeared in the waiting room, but this time there wasn’t a look of sadness and defeat on his face. The vise around her heart opened, leaving her lightheaded.
“He’d like to talk to you,” the doctor said.
“He’s going to be fine?”
The doctor smiled and nodded. She hurried past him and into the ER, to find Darrell sitting upright on a bed where a nurse was finishing up a pressure bandage. When she finished, she left them alone, and Church threw her arms around him.
A small wince had her trying to pull away but Darrell held her tight. “No, stay right here.”
“I’m so thankful you’re going to be okay.”
“I love you, Church,” Darrell murmured.
She pulled back far enough to stare him in the eyes. “Before I say anything to that, I want you to know I had to stay silent against Carleen’s accusations.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I love you and accept you, no matter what.”
She cocked her head. “But … why do you love me?”
“Because you have to ask me why. Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to say it back.”
“Good,” she said. “But I usually never do as I’m told so … I love you too.”
He cupped her face. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Then kiss me.”
And she did just that.
Epilogue
Summer passed slowly, the humid heat zapping much of people’s energy. It had been a tumultuous couple of months from the burial of Joe-Joe to the arrest of Carleen Brogan. The trial wouldn’t be for some time, giving the prosecution time to build their case, but to Church it seemed pretty cut and dry. Especially since Lee Masterson turned over all the surveillance tapes he took, minus the few where Darrell had stayed over.
True to her word, Robin spread the word about her garage and soon, Church had enough business to justify her move to Stevens. Most days she worked until dusk, but today was different. Today was Darrell’s birthday and she was going to give him his refurbished bike. Finally, her vision was finished. Wiping her hands, she finished closing up shop and went into the small bathroom to clean up. Wick had the bike at the compound, covered up, and the party ready to get underway. There wasn’t much the Rebel Brothers liked more than having a party.
Ten minutes later, Stryker waved her inside the compound and she made her way into the large house. Cherry waved at her and their father, Lincoln, stood next to her. Just like she’d predicted, her sister had already forgiven him and they had a budding relationship, but Church had decided to take things more cautiously. She still hadn’t forgiven him for sticking his wick into a girl on the wrong side of the tracks and then walking away.
Piper and Kix were there, from The White Death MC, as well as Wick’s ‘ole lady, Abbott. Darrell waved at her and made his way over to her. He kissed her on the mouth.
“Hello, pretty lady, I’m ready to see my present now.”
She chuckled. “Anxious, eh?”
“The only other thing I’m anxious about is your answer of us moving in together.”
“Well, I may just have an answer for you tonight.”
His eyes widened. “Don’t tease me, woman.”
She winked and made her way over to say hi to Cherry and their father. Her sister spontaneously hugged her, but Church no longer pulled away. In fact, she’d been reciprocating the show of affection.
“I’ve got some amazing news!” Cherry said, practically hopping from one foot to the other.
“Please don’t tell me you’re pregnant,” Church said. “I’m not ready for that.”
Cherry blushed but shook her head. “No, I’m not. Dad here is going to open up the rehab center!”
Church blinked. “When did you start calling him Dad?”
“Is that all you can ask?”
“Kinda.” Then she looked at Lincoln. “So the CEO of Cabot Pharmaceutical wants to open a drug rehab center?”
“I’m selling the company,” Lincoln said.
Once again, Church was struck surprised. “What? Why?”
“I want to spend time with my daughters. And their family.” He gestured around the room. “That includes your extended family.”
She didn’t want to give an inch, but his news warmed her heart.
“Abbott is going to manage it and I’m going to be her assistant since I have tons of experience running a busy office,” Cherry said, clapping her hands. She leaned closer so only Church could hear the rest. “Plus, Doctor Brogan made a generous donation of her own to make sure The Forgotten Rebels don’t need to do any extra-curricular activities, if you know what I mean.”
“How very nice of her,” Church murmured.
Cherry winked and straightened back up. “The Forgotten Rebels are a club that helps each other, and this is a wonderful first step in getting back to that vision. I’d like for you to be involved somehow, Church.”
“How about I’ll be the center’s official mechanic?”
Cherry sighed. “It’s a start.”
Church smiled.
Just then, the music went silent and Wick whistled loudly, capturing everyone’s attention. “Brothers! And family.” He winked at Church. “We’ve come as a celebration for two events. The life of Joe-Joe and the birthday of Darrell. Let’s raise our glasses to toast both.”
Everyone raised whatever they were drinking, be it a soda can or a beer bottle. A moment of silence descended upon the room. Church remembered Joe-Joe and she knew he’d be the first to crack a naughty joke in his memory.
“What’s the difference between a G-spot and a golf ball?” she asked out loud. Everyone tu
rned to look at her curiously. “A man will search for a golf ball.”
One chuckle started and then another, and pretty soon, everyone laughed and clanked glasses together, offering up a toast to one of their own, taken before his time.
“Come on,” she murmured to Darrell. “You wanna see your bike?”
He nodded, took her hand, and led her outside to the garage. One by one, the others followed, all anxious to see what she managed to create.
“And yes,” she said as they gathered around the covered motorcycle.
“Yes on what?”
“Yes, I’ll move in with you. Somewhere. Not quite sure I want to live in the compound.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said nonchalantly. “No worries.”
“Cool,” she replied, and that was that. No need to make a big deal of it. “Let me remove this tarp. One, two … three.”
She pulled it off and a hush fell over the assembled people. Her nerves strung a little tighter.
“Wow,” came a whispered reply from the back of the room.
The two-wheeled motorcycle had been transformed, not just through the electrical and transmission, but with the body. Knowing who and what Darrell was, she had turned it into a trike, adding a third wheel in the back to take the weight of balancing it off his leg. She took the design one step further by decorating it with a waist-high guard that wrapped around the side and the front. In the metal, a host of etchings were embedded, depicting army signs, including a replica of Darrell’s dog tags.
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“I love it. It’s completely badass and I’ll be able to stabilize it.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you.”
“It looks ready for battle,” Wick said.
Church nodded. “It is. It’s a chariot of war. For a warrior.”
Darrell smiled at her. “I’m not the only warrior in this family.”
“That’s an awesome name,” Wick murmured. He patted Darrell on the back. “Welcome to The Forgotten Rebels, Warrior.”
The End
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Other Books by Beth D. Carter:
Warrior (Forgotten Rebels MC Book 4) Page 12
