by KJ Dahlen
“What the fuck?” Iceman asked.
“No clue.” Hawk shrugged.
Iceman glanced around the room. Finally settling on Deke, he walked over to the other man and asked, “Where are Shayna and Bowie?”
Deke looked around and shrugged. “They’re around here somewhere. Why, what’s up?”
“Did she ever say anything about being wounded the night Snake was killed?”
Deke frowned. “No she didn’t. Why? How did you even know about that?”
“Brody made a note of finding blood where there shouldn’t have been any. Just wanted to clarify if the blood was hers or someone else’s.”
Before Deke could answer him, his phone rang. Looking down at the caller ID, he saw it was his dad. He answered the call but before he could say anything, Sam’s voice burst through the receiver, “We found the car Sean used. It was wrapped around a tree on the edge of town. Sean wasn’t around but we found Danny.”
“Is he still alive?’ Deke hated to ask but had to know.
“Barely. When the car hit the tree he was thrown free but it didn’t help his back problems.”
“Did you take him back to the hospital?”
“Had no choice. The poor kids was out of it. Kept muttering something nobody here understood.”
“What was that?” Deke frowned.
“Something about a war starting here. Apparently, word is out that Shayna snitched not only on Sean but Brody as well.”
“How the fuck did Brody figure that out already?” Deke frowned.
“One of Sean’s kids reported back to Brody. Danny kept saying Ponch dropped a dime on them.”
“Sweet Jesus, we gotta find Sean before Brody gets here.” Deke sighed heavily. “Brody will rip this town apart if we don’t.”
“I’ll watch over the kid, well me and Amos and some of his men,” his dad told him.
“Ok, I’ll let Shayna and Bowie know we got him back.”
“Watch your back boy,” his dad reminded him. “Sean is cornered now and if Brody does come here, he’ll need something between him and Brody.”
“You too, old man,” Deke stated solemnly. “Sean will know Danny is back in the hospital he might try and take him out again and this time, he won’t kidnap the boy.”
“No, he’ll sneak in here and kill him and then sneak out again. The fucking coward.” Sam growled.
Deke hung up the call and began walking down the hall. He stopped at a closed door and knocked. It took a moment for Bowie to answer but when he did, Deke caught site of Shayna lying on the bed. As soon as she spotted him, she flew off the bed. Coming up beside Bowie she asked, “Did you find Danny?”
Deke nodded. “Yeah, Amos and his boys found him. Dad got there before the ambulance and stayed with him all the way back to the hospital.” He paused then looked at her intently. “Do you know someone named Ponch?”
Shayna nodded slowly. “What about him? He was one of Sean’s crew.”
“Apparently, after what happened, Ponch got in touch with Brody and told him what was going on. Brody may be on his way here.”
“Ohhhh,” she said looking from Bowie to Deke. Stepping away from Bowie, she began to pace back and forth. “This is so bad—this really bad. Brody will come to hunt all of us down. Sean, Danny and me plus any of Sean’s crew that are still here.”
“What makes you say this?” Deke frowned.
“Sean knows too many of his secrets. He has no clue what I know. Brody often told Sean that if he fucked up and it came back on him, he wouldn’t hesitate to take him and his entire crew out.”
“And that includes you and Danny?” Bowie asked.
Shayna nodded. “Brody never liked me and Danny from the first. He figured Danny was useless and I reminded him of Axel and Sean.” Shayna stopped pacing and rushed over to Deke. Grabbing his arms, she asked, “Is Danny ok?”
“Danny is going to be fine. He was thrown from the car when Sean hit a tree but Sean ran off without hurting him any more than that.”
“We need to get back to the hospital then. I gotta be with Danny.” She tried to step to the door.
Deke held her in place and cupped her jaw to hold her still. He ignored Bowie’s scowl and made her look at him. “Shayna, I think you need to say right here. My dad has men are watching out for Danny at the hospital and I don’t want to put you at risk right now. If Brody is coming, it’s best you stay behind our walls. Bowie can protect you better within these walls.”
“Can you bring Danny here?” she dared to ask. “I need to make sure he’s safe and if Brody is on his way here he won’t care who he has to hurt to get to us.”
“We have to get his doctor’s report first. We still have no idea what his kidnapping did to further his injuries.” Deke smiled. “I don’t think you have to worry about losing him again, my dad and those guys won’t let him alone long enough to pee without them being right there.”
Shayna nodded and started to walk away when Deke asked, “Hey Iceman wanted me to ask you if you were injured the night Snake was killed.?” He watched her reaction and found there might be a spark of truth in her answer.
Shayna paled and shook her head. “Why do you ask me that?”
“Iceman and Hawk noticed a small note on the report Brody made in his book. He said something about finding some blood where it shouldn’t have been. Were you an eyewitness to his shooting? Did the bullet hit you? Is that how you knew so much about the shooting?”
Shayna stiffened with each question but she wouldn’t look at either of the men standing there. Her fingers clenched into fists and she gritted, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you do. I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Deke accused. “So you told us what you heard that night, were you inside the warehouse? Close enough to catch the bullet he shot Snake with?”
Both men watched as Shayna’s hand went to her side.
~* * * *~
Bowie had noticed an old scar in that area but she hadn’t offered any explanation as to where she’d gotten it. And at the time, he had other things on his mind, but now he was curious. “Sweetness? Is what Deke’s asking really what happened?”
Shayna turned to face them. Looking up, she faced her worst fears. “Yes, I took the bullet they shot through Snake that night.” She raised her shirt and showed them the scar on her side. “I couldn’t move for a long time because I was bleeding. I finally got back to the house and managed to sneak up to the room I shared with Danny. He was asleep when I got there but he woke up when I was cleaning the wound. He asked me what happened and I told him. I also told him Brody wouldn’t hesitate to kill us both if he knew there was a witness to what happened. I made him swear to keep this secret.”
“What happened to the bullet?” Deke asked.
Shayna shrugged. “It’s still inside my body somewhere. It never came out.”
Deke was startled by her admission as his eyes widened. “It never made you sick? Usually, a foreign body inside your body festers and could cause sickness.”
She shrugged. “I have my moments but for the most part, I’ve been ok.”
“What moments? What else have you noticed?” Bowie asked her feeling concerned.
She looked at him for a long minute before she answered, “Every once in a while the bullet presses on my spine and I’m sort of paralyzed? Not wholly paralyzed but there are times when I can’t move the fastest. Danny usually covers for me by claiming he needs me to stay with him. He talks me through the pain and after a day or two the bullet moves out of place again.”
“We need to get that bullet out before it causes any damage, or at least any more damage,” Bowie stated.
“We need her to stay put for the moment,” Deke reminded them both.
“At least, tell Danny that I love him and I’ll be there for him when this is over,” Shayna pleaded.
“Of course.” Deke nodded as he turned to leave.
Bowie grabbed Shayna up. “How could you
suffer for so long?” He gazed at her pale face.
Shrugging a little she replied, “No one cared. I couldn’t care. I had to go out and do my job or Danny would be beaten. I couldn’t care either. This has been my life, Bowie. I could never change it.”
Bowie felt his chest get so tight he had trouble breathing. “You won’t suffer anymore, Sweetness. I promise. I will be there with you all the way. It changed when I ran into you in that hall. No more of this. No more!”
A lone tear slid down her cheek as she raised her hand to his face. “Someone who cares...” She rose up on her tippy toes and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.
Chapter Eleven
Later that evening, after everyone at the clubhouse had eaten and settled in for the night, Shayna stood at the window looking out into the night. Earlier, she had spoken to Hawk and Iceman about the past. When they found out about the bullet she carried, they thought it might be a way to connect Brody to Snake’s murder. His body had been found almost immediately and an autopsy had shown what caliber bullet killed him. The shot had been a through and through but if they had the bullet that actually killed him and with her as a witness, Brody would go to jail for Snake’s murder.
That’s when Hawk shocked her. When she asked what Snake’s real name was he told her he was born Caleb Strong. When she asked him how he knew that Hawk chuckled and told her he was Adam Strong. Caleb was his younger brother. This hit her hard. She could understand his need to close this. To have this done and his killer behind bars or six feet under. That would be what she would do for Danny.
She felt Bowie come up behind her and wrap his arms around her belly. “Are you ok, babe?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. “I’ve been running scared it seems all my life but then I realized something. It was only after my parents died that I knew this kind of fear. My mom and dad always prepared us in case something happened to them. But that only happened after my Uncle Dane died. I think they knew then that they wouldn’t live much longer. My mom took me aside and told me their history, what they were running from and then she showed me what her and dad set up for me and Danny if anything happened to them. They left us a house and money to live on.”
“Did your grandfather know about this?” Bowie frowned.
Shayna shook her head. “She had it set up with a lawyer friend, if they died then the lawyer would hold everything in trust until I turned eighteen. Then I was supposed to get custody of Danny and move into the house with him. I called the attorney and had him put everything on hold until I could get Danny away from Sean. I’ve called him every year and he would have come forward when Sean brought it to court but I told him not to. I had a plan back then and I still do.”
“Can I ask what that plan is?”
Shayna laid her head on his chest. “Before I tell you can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, ask away.”
“If something happens to me will you take care of Danny?”
Bowie tightened his hold on her. “Nothing is going to happen to you,” he insisted. “Me and my brothers won’t allow that to happen.”
Shayna shook her head. “I know but if it does, will you take care of Danny? I need to know, so I can call the attorney tomorrow. I want him to be taken care of.”
Bowie inhaled sharply, then exhaled on a sigh. “Yeah, I will promise only because I know nothing will happen.”
Shayna smiled. “You never know what life is gonna do, kick you or kiss you. This way, I got all my bases covered and when that’s accomplished, there no stopping you.”
Bowie didn’t say anything, instead he led her over to the bed and began stripping off her clothes.
She didn’t say anything either nor did she try to stop him. She knew what she wanted and that was him.
As he uncovered her skin, he kissed her in places that felt so good. When he took off her shirt, he kissed her shoulders and neck. Then he took off her bra and kissed the tops of her breasts all the way to her nipples. He licked her hard buttons until he grew impatient and sucked them deep into his mouth. Using his teeth and lips, he had her groaning in no time.
Her own hands came to rest on his shoulders as he dropped to his knees and unbuttoned her jeans. His lips found the scar on her side from four years ago and he kissed it gently. Shayna hissed as his lips touched her skin. His lips moved over to the stab wound Sean had given her a few days ago and he kissed that area as well. The skin there was dry and warm and his lips gave her shivers as they gently passed over it.
Then he dragged her jeans and panties off as his lips found her core. He groaned as her essence hit his nose, one swipe of his tongue almost set him off. Never had he tasted anything like her. he could swear she tasted of cherry and vanilla swirled together. He groaned again, as he licked her essence again and again. Then he had to stop. He pushed her back on the bed and pushed his hard, hot cock deep inside her.
His mind went blank as he lost control and thrust deeper inside her. He tweaked her nipple to his delight as she writhed and squirmed with pleasure. Her panting grew loud as she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. Harder and deeper he went as he couldn’t control his actions. He fucked her into the mattress until he felt her explode around him. Her tight sheath squeezed him like a velvet vice. That’s when he lost it and with one last plunge, he painted her walls with hot cum. When he felt her second explosion, he thrust deeply and held her close until she came back down.
He leaned over her and kissed her until they were both breathless.
“Wow,” she finally murmured. “T-that was incredible.”
“It’s like that every time for me. Sweet girl, you take my breath away,” Bowie whispered in her ear. Nibbling on her ear lobe, he noticed she had goose bumps all over her arms and chest.
He frowned slightly at her reaction until she began nuzzling his neck and he forgot his concerns and just felt her response. He felt himself growing harder again. Pushing her gently onto her stomach, he began exploring her back. Starting at her neck, he pressed hot kisses down her spine.
He almost missed it as he kissed her shoulders. Then his lips brushed over an old welt. He paused then pushed away to examine her back. Shayna froze and tried to move away but Bowie held her down gently. “What the fuck?” he swore as he studied her back.
Her skin should have been unblemished but it wasn’t. Some of the welts he saw there were as wide as a belt, while others appeared to be rough but straight, about four inches long. The bruises had long ago healed but the welts left behind were a reminder of days long past.
Bowie’s fingers traced the worst of the marks scattered in a random pattern all over her back. He didn’t say anything for the longest time.
Shayna hung her head in shame when he didn’t say anything. She tried to move away but again, he wouldn’t let her go anywhere.
Wrapping his arms around her, he instead pulled her closer. As he held her, he felt her tremble in his arms. “One day, I want you to tell me who and why but not today. I don’t think I can handle it without wanting to kill someone for it. Today, I just want to hold you.”
Shayna slowly relaxed and snuggling in to his embrace, she was almost asleep when she started to talk softly, “You know I was twelve when my parents died. Well since I was a baby, my parents told me I should always be honest and they taught me right from wrong. They weren’t religious or anything like that but they stressed it was wrong to steal, lie or cheat. I didn’t understand that but I could see they really believed it. When I was about eight, I began to notice something else about my parents. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. My mom homeschooled me and there was nothing wrong with that but when I was eight, I saw my parents lived in fear of something or someone. They never talked about it and they never warned me that there might be someone out there who could be looking for them but I noticed that they never brought attention to themselves or me. Then Danny was born and we moved just about every six months. We never had much and I think that was in case we had to
run in the middle of the night.”
Her voice was low and he could barely hear her words but he listened intently.
“About a week before the car accident, I noticed a man watching us. He would stand in the shadows and just watch our house for hours some nights. Two days before my parents were killed, I told my mom about the guy watching us and she and my dad freaked out. They had us packed up and we were moving yet again. Just before my dad got in the car, he noticed the man standing in the shadows. I think he knew what was going to happen, but he got into the car anyway. He just looked at my mom and then he turned to drive us away. Minutes later another car hit us. He hit us hard, t-boning our car at a high speed our car rolled three or four times before we stopped. My seat belt broke and I was thrown all over as we rolled. Danny’s car seat was tossed clear of the car and it was busted up. The impact broke the seat into several pieces. His spine was damaged severely and I was banged up pretty bad but the impact killed our parents outright.” She grew silent for a few minutes.
Bowie just held her and said nothing. He knew she needed to get this memory out.
“By the time the police got to the accident, the other car was gone. They found it later in the day all burned out but they could see the front end had been reinforced so the driver could get away. This is what the officer told me and the social worker later. They were essentially murdered and until recently, we never knew who or why they had to die.”
Bowie held her while she sobbed. Then he had to ask, “Do you know who ran them off the road?”
Shayna nodded. “My dad had two brothers. Ricky killed their brother Dane and then he found my dad and killed him too. Ricky was living in Boston under the name Ronnie Silver. I recognized him at the hospital.”
“He was the one Leon and Calderone took away?”
“Yeah, that was my uncle Ricky Cooper.” Shayna acknowledged harshly. Then she paused and asked, “Are you sure you want to get tangled up with someone like me? I come from family on both sides that aren’t good people.”
“You are not them,” Bowie insisted.
