by E. C. Land
Putting my phone in my pocket, I step back in the room to find the doctor finished with Lynsdey, and the nurse getting ready to help her wash up and get clean. “Babygirl, if you’re good, I’m gonna go check on Cleo and Rage real quick.”
“Okay, I wanna see her too, but I don’t know if she’ll want to see me,” Lynsdey whispers with something close to anguish in her voice.
“I’ll see what I can find out.” I kiss her forehead before heading back out of the room.
I make my way down to the floor where Cleo is and find Rage pacing outside the room. From the look in his eyes, I know exactly what he’s doing—reliving. The way he lost his sister and how he blamed himself for not being able to protect her, he thinks he failed again by not being there for Cleo. I was there the day he got that call. The way he shattered his phone against the wall, yelling out his sister’s name.
I walk right up to my brother before pulling him in for a hug, squeezing him to me. I know it’s not much, but at least he’ll know I’m here for him.
“I can’t do it, not again, brother, I can’t do it,” Rage whispers as he pulls away.
“What do you mean?” I ask dumbfounded.
“This shit with Cleo. I can't do it.” Rage shakes his head furiously as he goes back to pacing. “She’s not talking, and her eyes since being in here have gone completely blank again— like she’s completely dead on the inside. Fuck man, I just can’t fucking do it. Not after the way my sister did the same damn thing when those fuckers raped her in that alley. Fuck!”
“Brother, I’m here, the clubs here, we all have your back, and Cleo’s. We can get her the help she needs. Man, you can do this,” I say clasping his shoulder.
“I know you and the club are here and will help Cleo, but I can’t do it.” He shrugs out of my grip and storms away. Motherfucker, I hope he knows what he’s doing. Cleo is to him what Lynsdey is to me.
He just needs time to cope. That’s all, time.
I just hope he doesn’t take too much time otherwise, he’ll lose her for good.
Shrugging to myself, I head back to my woman. I’m gonna do the only thing I can right now— help her. She needs me more than anyone else, and I need her in my arms. I’ll take her down to the NICU then hold her in my arms as she rests, and keep the nightmares at bay for her.
I know I won’t be able to close my eyes at least for a while.
Maybe never.
19
Lynsdey
After showering and finally feeling clean, I change into the clothes one of the girls brought before everything happened. The nurse suggested I rest at least for a little while. Like that’s gonna happen. I may be sore, but I’m not gonna be kept from my children any longer.
I at least wait for Thorn to come back in the room before I grab his hand to walk with me to the NICU. I’m in such a rush to see our kids, I don’t even notice the beat look in his eyes.
“You okay?” I finally ask as we get to the doors of the NICU.
“Yeah, babygirl, just tired. Let’s see our little man and princess.” How could I be so selfish? He probably hasn’t slept in days. All this shit has to be hard on him also. I mean, he dealt with everything from my collapse to me being taken, and finally finding me in that shack.
I need to think of a way to show him how much I love and appreciate him. I know just the thing. It isn’t much but giving him a blow job might help ease some of the tension I know he’s gotta be feeling.
I just hope I can actually follow through with it. I, at least, want to try.
“Hey there, you two, how’s my best little guy and my beautiful princess? Look who I have with me. I told you I’d bring her back.” If I didn’t already love this man, I would’ve swooned at his feet with how he’s so gentle with our kids, even if it's just talking to them through the glass.
I place my hand on the glass next to Michael. “Hey, babies. Momma’s here. Momma’s here and I’ll never leave you again, I swear. Thankfully, you have a big bad daddy that protects his family,” I say as I look up at my man, giving him a smile. The grin I get back is one of my favorites.
“Here, babygirl, why don’t you sit down?” He says with gentleness in his voice as I take the seat he offers.
“Thank you,” I whisper so I’m not too loud and disturb the other parents that are in here with their children.
“No need for you to thank me babe. Anything to make you and our babies happy.” Thorn gives me a kiss as his phone starts to go off. “Shit! I gotta take this. I’ll be right back,” he mutters, pulling his phone out and heading for the entrance.
I sit quietly, just enjoying being in here with my babies. I must’ve fallen asleep in the chair because next thing I know, Michael is lifting me into his arms and carrying me back to my room where he climbs on the bed, keeping me right where he had me— in his arms.
I snuggle into his chest, loving the feel of his arms around me. “Mmm, I love being in your arms, Michael. It’s the safest place to be.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, babygirl. Now, you get some rest some while we wait for Kenny to have her baby.”
Wait. What?
“What do you mean we wait for Kenny to have her baby? You mean she’s here, having the baby now?
“Yeah. She’s down the hall in one of the delivery rooms. Evidently, she was trying to wait it out as long as she could at home, and Twister didn’t wanna bother us earlier when I called him. Dr. Connors has been with her since her labor started last night.”
Holy shit! I try to get up. I need to get down there so I can be there when he’s born.
“Babygirl, you need some rest. I promise, take a nap and I’ll take you down there soon as she has the baby and is ready for company. The brothers are all out in the waiting room. They wanna see the new baby and they also wanna see you, so sleep. Fuck, I need a power nap myself.”
“Okay, we can nap.” He really does need a nap. The shadows under his eyes look terrible.
I close my eyes as I snuggle back into his chest and within seconds, I’m out.
20
Thorn
There’s nothing like welcoming a new life into the world. There’s also nothing like ending the life of those pieces of shit that deserve it. I won’t say I like taking a life. I fuckin’ hated it, especially during the time when I was a Marine. Now, though, it’s a different story. It’s the life who has tried over and over to destroy my woman’s life. He did destroy Cleo’s, though.
This man doesn’t even deserve to be classified as a man. He’s nothing but a sick, twisted monster that will be put down like one.
Before leaving the hospital to come here, Stoney pulled me aside to give me a heads up on what Cleo tried to do earlier when he went by to check on her. How he gave her the option to choose to move to Stonewall Mills and heal, or go ahead and end her life. Thank fuck she chose to go with Stoney. He and the brothers will help, along with Mama B.
That woman will make sure Cleo is taken care of, and no one fucks with her. Especially if she knows that Rage is in love with her. Mama B is none other than Rage’s mom, and an ol’ lady to one of the original members of the club—Bear. Those two will make sure she’s good, and keep an eye on her.
If Rage finds out Cleo tried to take her life, his head will most likely go through the roof. I just hope he’ll realize she chose to live when given the choice. She chose him over the easy way out.
Shaking my head, I focus on what I’m about to do. I’ll break the news to Lynsdey later. Right now, I intend to get bloody. As I walk into the shed, the prospects have down what I asked for. Jake is hanging, front and center, from a gambrel. What can I say, I’m a hunter and he wants to treat my woman like prey, well, fuck, I’m gonna skin his ass like prey.
“What the fuck? Are those my skinning tools you had them set out?” Burner asks from behind me.
“Fuck yeah. He wants to prey on women, well, he’s now the prey, and his parents can watch as I skin his ass,” I say walking over to the
set laid out for me. There’s the thin skinner blade, the Cutco gut hooking knife, and several other ones that will do the job. But the one I intend to use is the Cutco.
“Brothers, if you don’t wanna be in here, now is the time to step out. This is gonna get fucking messy.” I turn to face my brothers, seeing them all standing there, silently giving me their support. At the back by the door, I notice one-man I’m surprised Prez let him be here for this.
Bishop.
He may be a cop, but this is his family too, and he deserves to be here for this.
“Alright then.” I turn back to the room and punch Jake in the face to wake him up. “Morning sunshine, ready to have some fun?”
“You will all burn for this. I am his vessel,” Jake says.
“In his name,” both the piece of shits chained to the floor murmur.
“You ain’t shit.” I run the blade along his skin, barely slicing into it. “Tell me, why did you barely touch Lynsdey, but Cleo was bruised and cut?”
“You mean, my pet? She is a gift from my lord, and she is also to be punished for anything that my lord’s dark angel does wrong. You could say, she’s the whipping boy.” He actually smiles when he finishes his sentence.
Whipping boy? What is this? The dark ages?
“You motherfucker!” Rage storms forward slamming his fist in Jake's face. By the force of the hit, I’m surprised it didn’t rip Jake from the gambrel attached to the muscles in his shoulders.
“Burn in hell, fuckers. That is what you will be doing.”
Fuck this shit. It's time for him to start screaming.
“You know, when you hunt down a deer, you usually hang them upside down by the gambrel that’s hooked into the tendons in their legs, but you’re not a deer. You’re nothing but a sadistic monster that will soon be burning in the same hell you worship.” With that, I begin to skin his stomach, stripping the flesh away as I listen to the screams of horror from Lynsdey’s mom, and the grunts from the father. The best is Jake. When I’m satisfied with my work, I step back to take a good look. “I hope you don’t think I’m done yet. I’m just gonna give a few of the brothers a turn.”
I rinse my hands with the water hose that hangs on the wall before lighting a cigarette as I watch each brother pick an instrument, lashing it across his skin. Rage grabs an arrow from his bow and stabs Jake in the chest, just to the right of his heart. Stoney grabs a sledge hammer before taking it to the bastard’s legs, shattering each bone before doing the same to the arms that have straps holding them out.
“Alright, brothers, let’s finish this. I need to get back to my woman, along with our kiddos and Horse. Prez and Stoney, you guys have Kenny and the baby to get back to.” I stub out the cigarette before I grab the dullest of knifes and take it to Jake's dick. I saw it off before walking around him and ramming the pathetic thing up the bastard’s ass. While he screams in agony, I can’t help but think of the girls and what they went through.
Moving to face him, I hold out my hand for one more knife— doesn’t matter which. Taking the blade, I put the tip to Jake’s throat. “Rot in hell, you sadistic motherfucker.” I send the blade straight through, letting the blood seep around the metal.
As the life leaves him, I turn to his parents. “Bullet to the head or knife to the throat, your choice. But those are the only two you get. My woman will not suffer because her own mother couldn’t be what she needs to be.
“She wasn’t even my fucking daughter. I don’t fucking care. She doesn’t even know who her real mother is. Lynsdey’s mother died with her father, and I pretended to be her since I was able to pull it off and live on the insurance money. Go ahead and put a bullet in my head then. I’ll gladly join my son in hell.”
“Hold the fuck up!” Bishop surges forward. “You mean to tell me, you’re not my aunt?”
“Bingo,” the woman says with a sinister smile on her face.
“Then who are you? How were you able to pull off being Lynsdey’s mom without her figuring it out?”
“Identical twins, that’s how. Now go ahead and give me the bullet.”
Fuck, she ain’t worth the bullet. I turn around long enough to reach for the knife stuck in her son's throat before sending it across hers.
“Go ahead and put a bullet in this fucker’s forehead so we can get out of here.
Now, I not only have to tell my woman about Cleo, I also got to tell her about her own damn mom not really being her mom.
How fucked up is this shit gonna get?
I head for the showers, stripping out of my clothes before getting cleaned. Once done and dried, I don’t waste time before heading back to my woman. I need her, and I need to see my two kids.
I need my life! My woman!
21
Lynsdey
It’s been a week since I came home from the hospital, and it sucks balls. My head is a fucking mess, and all I want to do is cry when Thorn isn’t around to see it. With that, the twins are still in the NICU, and Cleo leaving, my thoughts are consumed with guilt and worry—the worry of my children being in the hospital without me there constantly, even if they’re in the best of care. They’ve improved so much.
Bud was taken off the oxygen, and I was able to hold him just the other day for the first time. He still has a ways to go before he can come home, but he’s a tough little guy—just like his daddy. Anna-leigh is having a little bit of trouble, though. They tried to take her off the oxygen, but her pulse-ox kept dropping, so they put her back on. She’s so tiny, I worry she won’t be strong enough to make it. She has her daddy wrapped tightly around her finger, though. Thorn will sit there for hours just whispering to her about how she’ll be okay and come home soon. She just needs to grow a little more.
I love him and our children more than anything, but the guilt that eats at me over Cleo is more than I can stand. I hate myself even more that she attempted to commit suicide. I’ll forever carry the burden of putting her into that situation. If Stoney hadn’t walked in when he did, she’d be gone right now. Instead, she took Stoney’s offer to help her heal, and moved to the original Charters clubhouse.
The day she left, Mama B came down with a prospect to get her. I swear that woman scared the shit out of me when she came into my hospital room, demanding to see her grandbabies. Come to find out, she’s Rage’s mom, and honorary mom to Thorn since those two are best friends.
Thorn took her to see the babies, and when she came back into the room, she gave me the biggest hug and told me to take care of her boy and grandbabies. She also told us she’d be down regularly to visit. Said no child should be without grandparents, let alone parents, as she patted my cheek. Then she was gone. She did, however, start calling at least once a day, sometimes twice. That woman is unstoppable. According to Thorn, when you piss off Mama B, it’s like stirring a grizzly after a winter's nap. I can see it now too.
I’m glad Cleo has someone like that with her, but I wish I was able to see her. I don’t even know if I can face her if she was taking visitors.
A knock at the door tamps down my depressing thoughts. I look out the window next to the door to see who it is first, and smile—it’s Detective Bishop. He’s been coming over a lot lately to visit. Seems he and Thorn have become friends since everything happened, but Thorn’s at the club right now, so why is he here?
“Hey, Bishop. Thorn’s at the club. What can I do for you?” I ask once the door is open.
“I’m not here to see Thorn, but I think you should go ahead and give him a call, he’s gonna wanna hear this as well as Rage.”
I don’t know what’s going on but the look on his face tells me that I need to call Thorn.
I go get my phone and dial his number as I walk back over to where Detective Bishop is still standing.
“Hey, babygirl, you good?”
“Yeah, I’m okay, but ummm, can you come home, though? Detective Bishop is here and asked that I call and get you home.”
“Fuck, okay, I’m on my way.” The echo o
f a door slamming comes through the phone before he hangs up.
Well… okay. What’s going on? I don’t like being in the dark, and something tells me I’m in the pitch-black abyss with whatever is going on. Thorn never just hangs up on me. Better yet, why would he and a detective be buddy, buddy? Aren’t they supposed to dislike each other or something?
“Detective Bishop, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry, Lynsdey, I think it's better if we wait for Thorn before I tell you. You’re gonna need him.”
“No, tell me now. He’ll be here soon, but I want to know what’s going on right fucking now. So, start talking.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You know what, it’s the best damn idea I’ve had in a while. Tell me now or leave, either way, pick now before I make you leave.” Anger courses through me. Who does he think he is telling me what he thinks will be best?
“Fuckin’ stubborn woman, I swear. Fine. I’m your cousin, Lynsdey. Your dad was my dad’s brother, and the woman you think was your mom wasn’t. I had your dad’s grave dug up. When they pulled the coffin out, there wasn’t just one body but two. Autopsy confirms that both bodies were your mom and dad’s. The woman who acted as your mother was her twin sister.”
I stumble back and would have fallen on my ass if Bishop hadn’t caught me.
Cousin? I have family? How did I not know that? Better yet, how did I not know the woman who raised me wasn’t my mom? Talk about information overload. Questions start rolling around in my head. Now that I think about, it my mom started acting differently after the funeral. Or well, the woman I thought was my mom.
“Easy, Lynsdey. Here, let’s sit down. I told you we should’ve waited for Thorn.” He walks me over to the couch before moving to the armchair that sits next to it.
“You’re my cousin. Why didn’t I know you? What’s your first name? Where’s your dad? Did he know what was happening to me?”
