Shepard told me to go home, and he’d get the warehouse cleaned up. He also told me to take a few days off so that I could be with Marley and Romany. I wasn’t about to argue with him. All I wanted at that moment was to be with my girls.
I managed to get hosed down and into clean jeans before going home. I thought I’d find my wife asleep in our bed. Instead, I found her by the front door with her bag packed and Romany in her car seat. I panicked instantly. ‘Marley, please tell me you’re not leaving me.’
She shook her head as she sobbed. I grabbed her face as gently as I could. ‘I know what you did tonight.’ She said quietly.
‘Baby,’
‘No,’ She shook her head again. ‘I’m not angry, and I don’t want details. I’m not leaving you either.’
‘Then what’s going on?’
‘I don’t know why, especially now I know you’ve fixed things, but I don’t feel safe in this house.’ I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t understand why Marley wouldn’t feel safe in our home. No one and nothing could hurt her there. ‘I can’t shake this feeling inside of me. I’m so scared,’ Tears fell from her eyes. ‘Please, can we go to the clubhouse? Just for a couple of nights. Just until this feeling subsides? I’ll feel safe there surrounded by all those people. People who care about us. They do care about us, don’t they?’
‘Of course, they do, baby. They care about you and Romany almost much as I do.’ I hated seeing tears falling from her eyes as I pulled her into my arms. ‘I’ll take you to the clubhouse now. Everything will be okay, sweetheart. No one can hurt you now.’
After buckling Romany into the car, and then calling Ace to tell him I’d need a ride tomorrow to pick up my bike, I drove my girls to the clubhouse. I settled Marley and Romany in my old room and then went looking for Shepard. I knew he’d still be at the clubhouse; he wanted to talk things through with everyone who was in that warehouse. Shepard doesn’t need to remind anyone to glue their lips shut about what they’d seen, but he likes to drum in what will happen to you if you ever spill club secrets. What happens within the club, stays within the club. I told Shepard how I found Marley and what she’d said to me on our doorstep. He told me that if the clubhouse is where she feels safe right now, then the clubhouse is where she’ll stay.
I can’t say Marley slept well that first night because she didn’t. Last night she wasn’t much better. All of the stress she’s been under this past week has really taken a toll on her.
I shake away thoughts of the past and get dressed quickly before feeding my daughter. I smile at, Romany, and her big green eyes sparkle as she smiles around the nipple of her bottle. Marley won’t be breastfeeding Romany any longer, she cut a tooth yesterday, and Marley said Romany had started to bite. Little monster. So, Romany is on formula from now on. Until she no longer needs it, at least.
After Romany is done with her feed, I bath and change her. I kiss Marley’s head. She’s asleep in the armchair beneath the open window again. Each night we’ve been here, I’ve woken up to find Marley asleep in that chair. I’ve tried to get her to talk to me about what’s going on inside her head, but the only thing I could get out of her was, ‘I’m never going to see her again.’ She won’t embellish, nor can I get out of her whom she means. She just bursts out crying, and I hold her until the tears subside.
My mom told me to give Marley a little time to get over everything that happened, not to push her for the information she isn’t ready to give me. Marley will talk when she’s ready, and everything will be okay in the end.
I hope she’s right.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Roman
I hand Romany off to Taylor the moment I walk into the main room, mostly because she’s right there with Dana, my three-year-old cousin. Thirty-six damn year age difference between us. Beautiful little girl with pale skin, hazel-blue eyes, light brown hair, and a smile as wide as my Romany’s each time they see each other. I love how Dana talks to Romany as if they were the same age.
I manage to eat breakfast, bacon, and eggs with a large black coffee to keep me awake. I’ve only pushed my plate away when Rico brings some woman into the clubhouse. For fuck’s sake, that’s all we need right now, another damn stray with a sob story.
“Who’s this?” Hammer asks the question that everyone in the room is thinking. I would have asked myself if I could have been bothered. However, right now, I don’t give a shit who she is, nor what she wants.
“This is Lacey. She’s here looking for her daughter.”
“And what makes you think you’ll find your daughter here?”
The woman, Lacey, looks at Jett. He’s in charge right now as Shepard isn’t here. He’s on rounds with most of the others. There’s only nine of us here right now, not including our women. “Because my search led me here. I was told my daughter died six years ago.” Harsh. “My husband was a violent bully to both my daughter and me. I’m not here to feed you a sob story, but I will tell you that my daughter had a bright future ahead of her. She was smart and beautiful. She was engaged, finally living elsewhere so my husband could no longer hurt her, and I thought she was happy. Then one day, she just vanished without a trace. The police found nothing to say my daughter was dead, but nothing to suggest she was alive either. I left my husband and moved to Texas, but I never gave up hope, nor did I stop searching for my daughter.”
“Again,” Jett raises his eyebrow. “What makes you think we can help you?”
“My ex-husband went missing a couple of days ago. I don’t care if he’s dead or not, even though I’d prefer it if he were dead. His neighbor got in touch with me; she’s a friend of mine, and she wanted to let me know he’d gone. I told Jill, the neighbor that I didn’t give a shit, and I hope he’s dead in a hole somewhere dark. However, Jill told me she’d seen my daughter a couple of weeks ago with a bunch of bikers wearing your emblem.”
“Why don’t you tell us your daughter’s name? It might cut a long story short.” I have a feeling I know what she’s going to say, but I need to hear it from her mouth. If she says what I think she’s about to say, then that cunt really was an evil bastard.
“My daughter’s name is Marlea Rae Denison.”
“Never heard of her.”
I turn away from the woman. I don’t want to deal with this right now. I need to make some inquiries with Marley’s therapist. My wife needs help to move past what’s happened, and I’m going to make sure she gets it.
“Please,” The plea in her voice is enough to have me turning to look at her again. She’s holding out a picture, which Tank takes. “That’s the last picture I have of Marlea. It was taken the day before she went missing. Erm, maybe you know her as Marley?”
I knew it, deep down, I did. I tried to block out the fact I can see Marley so clearing in Lacey. It’s easy to see from the eyes alone.
“Marley?” Hammer asks for clarification. “You’re Marley’s mother?”
“You do know her.” It wasn’t a question. Lacey closes her eyes and breathes deeply. Relief is evident in that motion. “Yes, I’m Marley’s mother. Is she okay? Is she here?”
“Before we tell you that,” It’s Ace who addresses her this time. “You got any proof of who you are? Anyone can say they’re related to someone just to gain access to that person. Ain’t no one getting anywhere near Marley unless we’re satisfied you are who you say you are. She’s been through hell in the past few years. We protect her with our lives because she means something to each one of us. Not one of us will let you need her without proof. Pictures ain’t proof.”
He has a damn good point.
“I have her birth certificate.” She fumbles through her bag, eventually pulling out some documents. She hands them to Ace, who gives them to me to check over, which I do. “Along with her birth certificate, there are pictures of the two of us together. From the moment she was born until she went missing.”
True, there are pictures of the two of them. They look like sisters in some of them, especially the o
nes of Marley as she’s getting older. Both women are blonde, blue eyed, and they have the same smile, the same strength. It’s obvious just by looking in their eyes they’re two of a kind.
“I know something bad happened to my daughter to take her away from me...”
“Your disgusting ex sold her to a bunch of perverted bikers to clear his debts with them. Your ex sold her so they wouldn’t kill him!”
I shouldn’t be yelling at her like this. It’s not her fault, but I’m angry. Everything I’ve tried to hide inside wants to push its way out of me, and as I jump to my feet, I let Lacey fucking have it.
“He handed her over like a piece of meat to a pedophile because she looked young for her age. Then he stood back and watched while that monster raped her. He did nothing when Marley begged him to help her! He then walked away and left her there. The pedophile cunt told Marley there was no escape, and even if she did, there was no one for her to run to because you were dead!
“Marley was beaten and raped daily. She was shot and stabbed fucking repeatedly! She finally got away from them and hid all alone in a cabin in the woods. A cabin that was hidden away from the world, and she stayed there for two fuckin’ years. Those monsters found her again after they shot one of our men, and left him for dead. Marley found him. She came out of hiding to heal him. Then that beautiful girl brought him back to us. She put herself at risk for us only for those fuckers to get to her and hurt her all over again!”
I’m out of breath, and Lacey is sobbing her heart out. No mother should have this stuff spat at her like this, especially when she’s done nothing wrong. It’s actually fucking cruel. All she wanted was to see the daughter she was told died.
However, I’m a bastard, remember?
“I saved her from that life! It was my club who ended those fuckers. Me, who ended those cunts who thought they’d gotten away with hurting her!”
“Who are you to her?” Lacey’s eyes are red from crying. Her heart must be breaking right now.
“I am her husband, and you are not getting near her. Marley has been through hell and back again over the past couple of weeks. First, her fucking ex shows up, drugs her and kidnaps her,”
“Marcus did that?” My eyes widen with pure hell burning within them. “Piece of filth! I never liked him. I hope he’s been dealt with. Because if he hasn’t, my husband will deal with him, and he’ll know what hell feels like.”
“Your husband?” Wrench mocks.
Lacey, tears still falling from her eyes, folds her arms around her chest and raises her eyebrow. I’m amazed at how fearless this woman is, being here with us. It’s a cliché to say all bikers are violent bastards and would kill you soon as look at you. The trouble is, most of the time, it’s true. I’ve known many women shake in our presence, even when they knew we weren’t going to hurt them. This woman, however, is not scared at all. “Yes, my husband. You may have heard of him. Grinder, President of the Wild Wolves of Texas.”
Shit. Double shit! No wonder she isn’t scared of us, she’s married to a lunatic. A friend of Shepard’s, and the club, thankfully. We don’t have any problems with the Wild Wolves. I’ve met Grinder and his boys a few times over the years. They’re fierce, loyal, and Grinder is an okay guy. He told us about his wife, the strong, not to be messed with woman, the girl he calls Sunflower, but I would never have thought this little woman in front of me would be her. Marley’s mother of all people.
“I can’t believe you’re Grinder’s, old lady.”
I watch Lacey shrug her shoulders at Jett. “Tom, my ex-husband was Grinder’s older brother,” Fuck! Shepard cannot have known any of this. If he had, he would have called Grinder and let him deal with his brother. I also know that if Shepard knew Lacey was Marley’s mother, he would have called the moment we found her. “I was with Grinder from the age of fifteen. He joined an MC, and I left him. I didn’t like the idea of the man he’d become. I ended up with his brother, but I don’t even know how. However, Grinder and I couldn’t stay away from each other. No matter what, we were meant to be. It was what it was.” She shrugs.
“I kept from Grinder all the vile things Tom did to Marley and me for years. I didn’t have a choice, to be honest. Grinder went to prison for ten years, and he wouldn’t allow me to visit. He told me to move on with my life, to have one and not think about him. So, I couldn’t tell him, in the beginning, that we had a child.” My eyes narrow. “Marlea is Grinder’s daughter.”
“Fuckin’ hell.”
My thoughts exactly, Ace.
“I didn’t know any of what my daughter suffered in the time she’s been gone, but I know the reason Tom would have done what he did. He always knew he wasn’t Marlea’s father, but he wanted to make sure I never let Grinder, know the truth. Grinder wasn’t stupid, and he wanted his daughter to know the truth. He had every right to want that. However, things happened, things I need only tell my daughter about that prevented Grinder from being her Dad. By the time we were ready to tell her the truth, she had vanished.
“Six years, we have grieved our child. I’m guessing all the horrors and monsters of her past have been dealt with thanks to you,” She points to me. “And your club. However, my husband and his men are right outside, and he will come looking for me in the next five minutes. Friend of Shepard’s or not, nothing will stop him coming in here, gun drawn if he thinks you’re keeping our daughter from us. As you’ve already admitted that she’s here, war will break out if you don’t let me see her, and I will do nothing to stop it.”
Shit! Shepard will hit the roof if we don’t shut this shit down before it gets out of hand. I might have told Lacey that she couldn’t see Marley, but I know that isn’t my choice to make. I do not want to be the reason we have a war with the Wild Wolves.
“We’re not here to cause trouble, I promise you, but we’re not leaving here until...”
“Mommy?”
Marley!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Marley
I woke up in the armchair beside the open window again. I can’t seem to sleep with it closed. As strange as it might sound, or maybe it doesn’t if you understand what I’m going through right now. Nightmares plagued me the night I left the hospital, nightmares I haven’t been able to shake since. Nightmares of my father and the torturous things he used to do to my mother and me when I was younger. I hadn’t had dreams like it in a long time. I stopped thinking about my father not long after he abandoned me. I had a new nightmare back then. Bulldog.
You’d think it would have been Marcus who filled my dreams. After what he tried to do to me, at least. The funny thing is, I haven’t once dreamed about Marcus, it’s always my Dad that I see.
Maybe I don’t see Bulldog and his men in my dreams anymore because I put them to rest. They’re dead and gone, and they can’t hurt me anymore. I knew in my heart that Roman killed Marcus for what he did to me — crucified him. It’s sick, very sick because I know what’s involved in crucifixion. I doubt Roman stuck to just that. However, I knew he did it for me; to protect me, and I love him for it.
I dreamed last night about my father locking me in a box in the dark, and telling me that he’d never let me out. That then morphed into Roman and what he did, only for it to end with him killing me slowly and painfully. Roman was mocking me, telling me, I deserved everything he was giving me, and how I’d never see my baby girl again. It shook me to my core.
Each night I’ve woken from my nightmare, I’ve reached out for Roman. Each night he’s soothed my tears and fears. He makes sure I know that it was just a dream, and he’ll never hurt me again. Then he tells me that I’m safe here with him. I know that I am, and I also know that I need to speak to my therapist about all of this. I can’t and won’t be able to move past this without help.
I still feel so stupid for almost having a breakdown for being in the house. I don’t know why I felt so unsafe in my own home. I guess waking up and finding Roman gone scared me. I didn’t know where he was, or how long it wou
ld be before he came back. All I could do was sit in panic. Something inside me wouldn’t quit, and I no longer wanted to be there.
It took me half an hour before I knew that I couldn’t be in that house any longer. I packed a bag with clothes for myself, Roman, and Romany. I then grabbed another bag and packed the essential baby things. I wrapped my baby girl up in warn clothes, and fastened her into her car seat. We waited outside on the porch for Roman to return, which he did just five minutes later.
The silly man thought I was leaving him. There is no way I wanted to leave him; I just wanted to be somewhere; I would feel safe for a while. So Roman brought me to the clubhouse. I know I’m safe here, sheltered from the monsters that rush through my mind.
Last night, I had no choice but to tell Roman about my father and the things he did to me. Not only to me but my mother as well. I told Roman how my father used corporal punishment to keep us in line. I told him how I watched my father rape and beat my mother each time she tried to protect me from him.
Roman encouraged me to let it all out, and not to keep anything inside. I didn’t mean to, but I told Roman how every Sunday, my father would lock my mother in a closet so she couldn’t get out. He’d then strap me down in a coffin, relishing my screams as he nailed the lid in place. My father would then lower me into the ground, and then throw dirt on top of the coffin until I was buried six-feet under.
God, I can still hear the sound of the soil hitting the coffin lid and trapping me inside. I can still feel the fear that I would die, that the oxygen would run out, and no one would ever know what happened to me.
I told Roman how, after thirty-minutes exactly, my father would begin the ritual of digging me up and letting me out of that coffin. I can still to this day feel the air bursting into my lungs as I gasped for it.
Crucify Thy Demons: Snakes Henchmen MC Page 26
