The following weekend I was sitting in my room reading a book when I heard a truck pull up out front. Edward was working overtime at the factory and my plan was to ignore it completely until the sound of boots came from the kitchen. Someone was in the house and I couldn’t ignore that. I crept downstairs, only not quietly enough, when Tommy rounded the corner into the hallway. My body went on wired alert and as I was scared out of my mind that he was here on his own, I stayed rooted to the spot. Edward might have been a complete asshole and fed me to him last time, but without him around, the possibilities of what could happen were terrifying.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered through lips that would barely cooperate.
“Need you to move some shit.”
“Where’s Edward?”
“Work. Told me to sort it. Move it, pretty girl.”
My heart was thumping out of my chest. Moving some stuff meant going outside and near the barn with him. I didn’t hold out any hope of Momma being able to intervene if Tommy got out of control, but if I went to the barn with him then I was definitely alone in the lion’s den. “No.”
Tommy stepped forward and I stepped back. It was one big step that ended up with me cornered at the bottom of the staircase. “I don’t have time to fuck about right now, but if you delay me, I’ll make time for a fucking of a different kind. Get me?”
I believed him. I totally believed him.
His eyes were wild and he seemed frantically on edge.
“Good decision. Now move.”
He waited for me to go first. Walking through my house on shaky legs with a jackal behind me wasn’t good, and a big part of me wondered whether he’d tricked me just to get me outside.
I stopped by his car and he continued to walk past me. “Keep walking, Ginny.” I picked up my pace and followed him, my legs wobbling as he entered the barn and made for the stash of the drugs I’d placed there not so long ago. “Grab two bricks and put them in my trunk.”
Wanting this to be over as quickly as possible, I did as he asked and got the hell out of the barn. Tommy walked back to me with his car keys in hand.
“See, you play nice. I play nice.” I stepped back again, only this time he reached for me, put his hand around the back of my head and pulled it towards him. I stiffened and resisted until our faces were only inches apart. “Sweetest piece’a cunt I ever felt. All tight and fresh. Shame I didn’t knock you up. Getting the chance to plunge my dick into that for the rest of my days would’a been sweet.”
“Go to hell, Tommy,” I grit through my teeth.
“Gets me all hard every time I think about the blood you left on my dick and balls.”
Tommy put his lips on mine and ground his crotch into my front. He was hard again. “Open up, baby. Give Tommy a kiss.”
I hated him. I hated my brother and I hated that I found myself in this position. I pictured Gears in my mind and what he’d do if he saw me like this, being forced and pushed to do things against my will. Seeing his handsome face in my head gave me courage I’d never had before until this very moment. I opened my lips and Tommy forced his tongue in. As soon as the vile thing touched mine, I clamed my teeth down and bit him hard. He dropped my head immediately and jumped.
“You fucking bitch!” He spat blood at the floor. Before I could react, he slung a hand out and slapped me sharply across the face, sending me to the floor, causing my own lip to split. “You’re lucky I’ve got places to be, bitch.” He bent to retrieve the keys he’d dropped and then climbed into his truck and sped off, leaving me sat on the floor.
I felt my lip and the wetness of blood between my fingers. I’d felt my blood on many occasions, but this time it didn’t gross me out. This time I didn’t cry in self-pity. This time I felt rewarded, like a winner.
I’d finally found me.
A me I could be proud of because I’d fought back.
The fact that I was hurting because I’d fought back was irrelevant. This was a hurt I could be proud of.
I was at the sink rinsing some glasses from earlier in the day and my eye caught the planner on the wall beside the refrigerator. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been so totally wrapped up in the mess my life was that I’d completely forgotten that it was my birthday.
Not only had I forgotten but so had everybody else. Edward didn’t care and Momma was on a different planet these days. There was no way she could go and get me even a card.
I was eighteen.
It was a cruel twist of fate that even now I was at an age where I could forge out on my own in the world, I was trapped here by Momma. When would the universe cut me a break?
“What the fuck happened to your face?” Edward barked, catching me in a daydream. Until I spotted the date planner, I’d kept my head down with my hair hanging around my jaw, but short of taping my hair to my face like a beard there was no way I could cover my fat, cut lip and the bruise that was appearing. I’d hoped to have his tea cooked and warming on the stove and be tucked up in my bedroom out of the way, but he’d appeared early and I was still in the kitchen. When I shrugged my shoulders, I found myself backed up against a wall for the second time that day with someone’s hands around my throat.
“Who the fuck hit you?” For a moment he almost sounded concerned.
“Tommy,” I wheezed out.
Edward frowned. “He was here?”
“Said… you… knew.” I gasped and tried to pull his fingers off, succeeding after a few seconds because I was dangerously close to passing out.
“Said I knew what?”
“He asked me to move some—” I looked around sheepishly, like the walls had ears “—of your stuff.”
“You’d best be fucking joking, Ginny. I tell you what to do and when to do it, not Tommy fucking Vincent.”
I’d had enough of this crap. I got beat and raped into helping, I got slapped for helping again, and now I’d been throttled for helping again. How was I supposed to know that Tommy was here without Edward’s say so? Like this afternoon, my temper was bubbling over.
“When do I ever joke, Edward? It’s not like my life is a laugh a minute. He came over and told me to get some of your stuff and put it in his truck. The asshole tried to kiss me. I didn’t want him to, so he slapped me and voila,” I finished, glaring at him and pointing at my swollen lips. I’d never said so many words to him in my life.
“How many?”
“How many what?”
“Bricks.”
“Two.”
“Fuck!” In a flash, he tensed up and put his fist through the kitchen wall beside me before putting his hands back around my throat. “If you’ve helped him fuck me, I’ll end you both.”
I was back to scrabbling for breath. “He said you knew!”
“Well I fucking didn’t. Get the fuck out of here. Now.”
I raced out of the kitchen, up the stairs, into my bedroom and forced the chair under the door knob. After that, I crawled over to my bedroom window and looked in the direction of the barn. Edward was striding over there with his phone glued against his ear.
“Tommy, what the fuck you playing at? They’re due tonight, you motherfucker.” Like he knew I was watching, he looked up to my window and I hit the floor again, not sure whether he’d seen me. “Bring the fucking shit back… okay… Well why didn’t you tell me instead of playing my sister? You wanna fuck her you don’t have to mess with the product to get that. Asshole.” He hung up and seemed to sag in relief.
I crawled away, took my cell out of its hidey-hole and clutched hold of it like it was a true lifeline. The situation I was in now was different. I’d played a part in Tommy deceiving my brother and I didn’t have a good feeling about that. It also sounded like the bad bikers would be back tonight.
Once again, my fingers hovered over Gears’ number. This was a serious situation. I could totally justify calling him now, right? But then I remembered Momma next door. I couldn’t leave her again.
Gears
“How’s the mouse?”
<
br /> I clenched my fist around the screwdriver I was holding. Wave knew how to push my buttons like no one else. “Don’t fuckin’ call her that.”
“Just pulling your dick, dude. You okay?”
We were working on an Oldsmobile that looked so out of place in our autoshop it was laughable, but it held sentimental value for some old bird in town. JP was all about keeping the community happy and we were restoring it for her so she could give it to her husband for their 60th wedding anniversary. I could still remember the laughter of the girl down the phone when we put the order in for the parts. The Sentinels did not repair Oldsmobiles. Ever.
“Haven’t really heard from her. Ma gave her a cell and is giving me shit about checking whether she’s okay.”
“So? Check she’s okay?”
“What do I say? I don’t even know whether I should check in. Wouldn’t she come to us if she needed us?”
Wave stopped what he was doing and looked from side to side, checking to see if anyone was listening. “I’ve been keeping an ear out, and I think you need to be keeping a closer eye on her.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. At all. “What have you heard?” He checked the full circle of his three, six and nine this time for listening ears.
“JP will fucking kill me. He’s got his finger on this particular pulse, but word is Ginny’s place is a stash house.”
I heard the words, but they weren’t registering. No fucking way.
“You got it wrong, man. That can’t be right.”
“You heard Prez. Her brother is a Hermano.”
“Last time I snooped around, I didn’t see no signs of a bike, nothing that says MC brother anywhere.”
“The last time you snooped around, we grabbed the girl and ran, didn’t we?”
I didn’t want to admit this to him, but I could tell he knew I was hiding something. The smile on his Orange County tanned face told me he’d rumbled me. “I mighta been back a couple of nights and made sure it all looked in order, and trust me there is nothing about that place that screams stash house of an MC brother.”
Wave leaned against the hood of the Oldsmobile. “I know. Perfect, isn’t it? Almost gotta respect those insane Mexican motherfuckers for their ingenuity.”
“Respect! Are you fucking crazy?”
Wave stood to his full height. “Keep your voicing voice down, Prospect. Don’t make me regret keeping you in the loop.”
He was right.
I needed to keep a cool head otherwise I’d be cut off altogether.
“Listen, Gears. I know you’ve been snooping around. I’ve had my own eyes on that place and you’re lucky it was my eyes that spotted you. You get rumbled by the Hermanos and shit plummets south. Stay fucking sharp.”
Just when I expected him to warn me off, he didn’t. He just warned me.
“What you’re saying is don’t get caught?”
“What I’m saying is you gave the girl a cell, so make fucking use of it. Setting foot on their territory is a risk you don’t need to take right now. Leave that risky shit until it’s necessary. Use the fucking cell.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
So, now I had my official warning it was time to back off on the personal surveillance. The problem was, since I’d met her I’d been back to see her every night and I kinda liked it. I didn’t want our contact to be just via cell.
After my shift at the garage, I was on roster to clean the compound gym. It was a job that was only slightly more pleasant than cleaning up after a party. Shorty had a habit of beating a punchbag until his knuckles exploded, and removing his blood from the pig-skinned punchbag was always a bitch. Ma had saved me some left over brisket and complained when I hoovered it down. I’d made up my mind not to go and stalk Gigi’s place that night, but the longer I left it, the later it would be to get hold her via cell. I was desperate to make sure all was good.
Finally, alone and on my bed, propped up against the wall with pillows, I found myself staring at my cell, trying to come up with something to text. I didn’t text bitches, ever. I’d never had the need to and had no idea how to start the conversation.
Thirty minutes later, I sent a simple,
A full two hours passed, and it was nearing 11.30pm when my cell chimed with an incoming text.
I watched as my cell sent the message, and felt my heart soar when I saw the tick next to my own go green almost immediately. Gigi was still awake and as three little dots started to flash, I knew she was typing a reply.
The dots appeared again.
The dots started and stopped a number of times, and wondering what Gigi was typing and deleting on repeat had me on pins with anticipation.
Then an idea hit me.
It took fifteen minutes before she came back.
It was getting close to midnight now and I was knackered and fairly sure she would be, too.
It was cruel of me to use Mom, but I wasn’t beyond deploying any tactic necessary to see her. If I couldn’t go and sneak a peek at her at night, then I’d get my fix some other way.
I’d made it through the weekend getting more and more excited about seeing Gigi. What was that all about? I’d even been to a party at the club on Saturday night and instead of hooking up and having fun, I was content to stay with my brothers and have a beer. Wave wasn’t stupid; he knew that the only reason a brother abstained when it was on offer was if they already had something better or were holding out for something better around the corner.
I left it until late Sunday night to tell Mom I intended to bring Gigi home for lunch. I knew she’d be excited, and couldn’t cope with her pecking my ear about it for the whole day when all I wanted to do was chill and watch the game. I didn’t know why I’d suggested bringing her home, but I figured it would be less awkward with her around and if I struggled for conversation, Mom would always fill the gap.
Wave was the only one I told about my lunch plans, and with a knowing smile and waggle of his eyebrows as I left, I headed out to pick her up. Pulling up outside the place, I was reminded of my time in school. It wasn’t that long ago. There were only a couple of years between us, but I was glad I was out of it, hadn’t gone to college and was living the life I wanted with my brothers. I didn’t hear the bell go, but the influx of kids swarming the parking lot had me looking towards the door for her.
When I finally laid eyes on her, my whole body felt strange.
It wasn’t because she was in one piece and still breathing. It was because she was simple, understated and beautiful. Her reddish hair set her apart from the crowd and made her unique. Gigi was completely unaware of the effect she had on the people around her. The girls looked at her with envy because she effortlessly achieved what they desired. The guys looked at her once but couldn’t help going back for a second, more intense glance.
My heart didn’t thud in my chest like some l
ovesick puppy. It settled in its slot and beat stronger and stronger the closer she got to me. Everything I felt now and all the emotions I’d experienced when we were apart before I rescued her from the woodshed were on repeat again. It was all so much clearer. I felt like I was incomplete when I wasn’t with her, and the minute I knew she was okay and we were close, it felt like the perfect timing of a car’s engine.
Completely in tune.
I was still gazing at her with awestruck recognition when she knocked on the passenger door window, and with a huge smile on my face, I leaned forward, pulled the lever and waited for her to climb in.
Then I spotted her split lip.
“Come on in!”
Mom was fussing around her like we had a royal visit.
“I didn’t know what you’d fancy or how long you’d have for lunch, Gigi, so sorry it’s soup again.”
“Soup is perfect. Thanks, Mrs. Geary.”
Gigi was clutching her back pack to her chest, and without any warning I took it from her before dumping it on the floor, making both her and Mom jump. Every time I spotted a mark on her beautiful skin, it sent my mood off the deep end. Mom skewered me with her eyes.
“Griffin, take Gigi to the table and I’ll serve.”
Gigi followed me, but hesitantly. “Do you want to just take me back to school?” she whispered.
“No. Why?”
“You seem mad at me.” It was when she told me her assessment and looked at me for an answer that I realized what she must be feeling. I couldn’t be like this with her. She got enough unpredictability and violence at home and I wanted her to feel safe here. Whatever my feelings, I needed to bury them and quickly.
“I’m not mad at you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to take it out on you or scare you.” I had to keep my anger in check.
“You didn’t scare me, and you’re entitled to be a bit moody. I just don’t want to be a burden.”
I felt the urge to take her hand, feel the softness of her skin and reassure her, when Mom came bustling in with a tray overloaded with bowls.
“It’s chicken noodle, kids.” She smiled brightly.
Gigi: A Black Sentinels MC Novel Page 11
