“No hospitals.”
“You need stitches. You could have broken ribs or anything.”
“Get Ashlyn, she can fix my head, she’s had nurse training. Everything else will heal, it’ll just take time.”
“Drake, can you…” Heather began.
“Sure, I’ll go and wake her,” he wandered off out of the room and Heather started rummaging around in the cupboards.
“Sugar, what are you doing?”
“Looking for a first aid kit. Oh, I found it.” She knew not to ask me anymore questions about what happened and I was glad that she hadn’t.
“Alright, alright. I’m moving.” I heard Ashlyn, I looked over my shoulder and she walked in looking like a zombie, her eyes were still half closed, her hair was a mess and she was barely moving her feet. “Shit,” she swore looking over at me, shaking her head. It wasn’t the first time she had to patch me up and it wouldn’t be the last.
“Here’s the first aid kit.” Heather said, placing it on the table beside me.
“I need coffee,” she moaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“I’ll get it.” Drake said as he moved through the kitchen, gathering coffee cups and filling the kettle with water.
“We need to check your ribs.” Ashlyn said as she pushed my cut off my shoulders. “Arms up.” I winced as I tried to lift my arms so she could pull my t-shirt off.
“Here, let me.” Heather stepped forward and cut a line down the front of my t-shirt so it was easier to remove.
“Shit, woman, that’s one of my favourite t-shirts,” I complained.
“I don’t care.” I watched her as she took in my body, I had bruises covering my stomach, sides and lower back. Ashlyn very carefully examined me, pushing and prodding at my body.
“It doesn’t look like they’re broken, just badly bruised.”
“Here, babe.” Drake placed a coffee cup in front of Ashlyn and she smiled up at him.
“Thanks,” she said shyly. I looked at Heather and back to Drake and Ashlyn and back to Heather again and she shrugged her shoulders at my silent question. Were these two a couple? If they were, Drake had better hope that Prez didn’t find out, else he would be kicked out. A prospect isn’t allowed to touch club women, Ashlyn wasn’t one of the club whores but she was still being looked after and protected by the Cornish Crusaders.
“Let’s stitch that eye up, I don’t have anything I can give you for the pain.”
“It feels numb anyway. Just go for it.”
I sat there as still as possible while Ashlyn worked on my cut, Heather and Drake looked on quietly. I was ready for my bed. I also needed to decide what my next move was going to be, do I stop all the snooping and go to jail? Do I carry on and risk the life of my family? I didn’t even know what shit they had on me, how long in jail I would be facing. I sighed as I struggled to figure out what was best to do. If I was being sent down then I needed to make sure Heather and the kids would be safe, they would need to go back to the Cornish Crusaders clubhouse. I needed to talk to Prez and see if he and the club would protect them, just in case. I wasn’t a quitter and I would continue to fight.
Heather
Blade had been home resting for a week. Cammie, Ashlyn and Drake were still here as Blade couldn’t help much with the kids, so they offered to stay and help.
I walked into the living room after putting the babies and Kelsey to bed, Blade and Drake were slouched at opposite ends of the sofa, beer in hand. Ashlyn was sitting on the floor in front of Drake and she was leaning against his legs as she read her kindle. He was playing with her blonde hair that had fallen between his knees. I could hear Cammie on her phone, I looked over my shoulder and she was looking out the patio door whilst twirling some of her hair around her finger. I’m guessing she was on the phone to Mason. He wasn’t too pleased when she told him that she was staying longer, he had threatened to come and get her to take her home and her answer was something along the lines of ‘if your dick ever wants to see action again, you’ll stay where you are’. Mason definitely had his work cut out for him with Cammie, she wasn’t one to be bossed around, but she knew the rules of the club and she never disrespected him in front of the other members.
“Ok, girls night,” I announced. “We’ve got facials, grease, dirty dancing, twilight, popcorn and I’m making cocktails.”
“Oh, can we have sex on the beach?” Ashlyn asked, placing her kindle down on the coffee table and getting to her feet.
“Absolutely,” I smiled as I walked into the kitchen to gather all the ingredients.
“What we doing?” Cammie asked as she sat on the stool at the breakfast bar, resting her chin in her hand.
“Making cocktails for our girly night then you should go home tomorrow,” I told her.
“Really? Why?” Cammie looked confused.
“You miss him, he misses you. I’ll be ok,” I walked around the counter and pulled Cammie in for a hug. “I’ll miss you though.”
“I’ll miss you too.” Cammie squeezed me tighter.
“What’s going on in here?” Blade asked, walking over to the bin and throwing his empty beer bottle away.
“They’re going home tomorrow,” I told him.
“We are?” Drake asked, leaning on the door frame. He filled most of it with his large size.
“I wanted to take Heather out tomorrow morning, can you wait until the afternoon?” Blade asked, looking at Cammie.
“Sure,” she smiled. “I’m not going to tell Mase, I’m going to surprise him.”
“On that note, we’re out of here.” Blade walked closer and pulled me into his arms.
“Where you going?” I gently placed my arms around his waist. He claimed that he was feeling better now and that he could resume all activities but I saw the pain on his face if he tried to lift Kelsey up or she threw herself at him.
“Got a bit of business to attend to. I’m gonna leave you to your girls night. Drake, you wanna join me?”
“Defo.” He rubbed his hand over his stubbly jaw and Ashlyn looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. He nodded his head slightly and backed out of the room.
“I love you, sugar.”
“Love you too. Be safe.” Blade hadn’t been out on his bike since his accident and I wasn’t convinced he should be on it now, but I couldn’t tell him that. It would only make him more determined to prove me wrong.
“I’ll put the DVD in!” Ashlyn called out as she hurried into the living room, I grabbed the jug of sex on the beach and three glasses. Cammie and I laughed as we walked in the living room to find Ashlyn singing along to the Grease theme song. “What? I love this film.”
We all settled down and started watching the film as we sipped on our cocktails, we had faces full of facial cream and we sang and danced along to the songs on the film.
“Look at me I’m Sandra Dee…” I started.
“Lousy with virginity…” Cammie continued.
“Won’t go to bed til I’m legally wed…” Ashlyn sung. We all fell about laughing, this was the most fun I’ve had in ages. I never had a lot of girlfriends growing up, I found them all to be too bitchy. But I was definitely glad that I had met Cammie and Ashlyn, though the circumstances could have been better.
“So…” I started, looking at Ashlyn. “What’s going on with you and Drake?” I had been dying to ask this all week, since I saw the exchange between them the night Blade came home hurt and bloody. But I had never got a moment alone with her.
“Nothing.” She finished off her drink and stood up. We had all changed into our PJ’s. Ashlyn was wearing tiny pale pink shorts and a matching t-shirt, her long blonde hair falling down her back. “I’m making more cocktails.” She wandered off into the kitchen and Cammie gave me a look and a head nod. We both stood up and followed her in, we leant against the breakfast bar and stared at her. “What?” she placed her hands on her hips and stared at us.
“You’re avoiding, answer the question.” Cammie told her.
“Fine, there is nothing going on. He doesn’t want me.” She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her rings.
“Why do you say that?” Cammie and I got comfy on the stools as Ashlyn poured spirits and juices into a large jug.
“We kissed at one of the parties a few weeks ago and since then, nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. He hasn’t kept his hands off you all week. I’ve seen the little touches here and there,” I explained, taking a sip from the glass she placed in front of me. “Mmm, this is nice.”
“I like it with more pineapple juice.” Ashlyn stated as she took a sip and nodded in agreement with me that it tasted good.
“Do you know the club rule about prospects?” Cammie asked us. We both shook our heads. “They are not allowed to get involved with club women.”
“She’s not a club whore…”
“No, she isn’t. But the Cornish Crusaders protect her so, therefore they see her as their property and until Drake patches in he is not allowed to touch her.”
“What if he does?” Ashlyn asked, leaning on the kitchen counter so she could hear us better.
“He’ll get kicked out.”
“Oh.” Ashlyn looked and sounded disappointed. “It’s probably for the best anyway.”
“What do you mean by that?” Cammie asked her.
“I’m too complicated to be with, I’m scared. What happened to me at that club…” She trailed off and I saw Cammie shiver out of the corner of my eye. We didn’t want the conversation to turn this way.
“He should be patched in soon, right?” I asked looking between Cammie and Ashlyn.
“Soon, I think. It’s normally after about a year.” Cammie informed us.
“Oh, quick. Love this song!” Ashlyn called out as she went running into the front room. We walked in to see her doing the moves and singing ‘Go Grease Lightning’. She looked happy and care free, we joined in and proceeded to sing along to the rest of the film.
Blade
“Where are we, man?” Drake asked as we pulled our bikes up to a wooded area.
“Cornwall,” I answered, looking around us and making sure we wasn’t followed.
“Shit, should we be that far away from the girls?”
“We won’t be long, I just need to check on something.” We were back at the warehouse where I saw Prez and VP. I needed some solid proof that would put them away for good. I wasn’t in any shape to be fighting my way in, but I wanted to scope out the place some more. I wanted to know where all the entrances and exits were and how many men were around. I explained this all to Drake and he agreed to help me out. We stashed the bikes and made our way down the muddy, dusty hill. It was spookily quiet and that made me more on edge. I kept my movements light and my eyes were like a hawks, frantically looking around. I stopped when I could see the building. There were no lights on and no guards out the front. In fact, it looked deserted. We kept in the shadows in case we were being watched.
“I think it’s empty, man.” Drake whispered.
“I’m going for that window, to see if anyone is inside. Cover me, you got your piece?” He pulled his gun out of his jacket and released the safety. I nodded and made my way down the rest of the hill as quietly as I could. Once I reached the window, I listened, it was deadly quiet. I slowly peered into the window and it was in fact empty, no women, no mattresses, no Gloria and no VP or Prez. Fuck, I can’t believe I missed an opportunity to get the info the police needed. I had a chance to put them away and I missed it. This could cost me my future with my family.
“Fuck!” I yelled as I slammed my fist into the wall. I heard movement behind me, I pulled my gun out and aimed it as I spun around. I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped it as soon as I saw it was Drake. “It’s empty.”
“Let’s get out of here.” I nodded in agreement and we made the quick walk back to our bikes.
“I need a drink, we passed a bar on the way in.” I climbed onto my bike and we made our way to the bar.
We pulled up to the ‘Queen’s Inn’ it didn’t look like the normal place we would visit but I was pissed off and needed a drink or two. We parked our bikes by the side of the building and headed inside. From the outside, you looked like you were walking into a country pub, but inside it was dark; a few scattered tables, a long bar, a stage and a dance floor. This was not what I was expecting. We walked up to the bar and I ordered two whiskeys. I pushed one towards Drake and he downed it in one. I looked around and there was a group of women at a corner booth, drinking and laughing without a care in the world.
“Give me another,” I demanded to the barman. He looked at Drake and he shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want one. I noticed that one of the women kept looking our way, she had long straight black hair, a black corset, black shorts and fish net stockings, finishing off by a pair of black killer heels.
“What you doing, man?” Drake asked, stepping in front of me and blocking my view.
“Nothing.” I slung back my drink and nodded for another one. “You being a pussy and not drinking?”
“One of us has to be able to get us home tonight.”
“Hey, handsome. You wanna dance?” The woman I had been watching came over and had her hand on my thigh. I smiled back to her, grabbed her hand and started to stand up.
“What the fuck, man?” Drake growled, pushing me back into my seat.
“What?”
“You really going to do this?” He pointed to the woman.
“Why not? I’ve fucked up my life now, I may as well screw it up a bit more.” I stood up and wrapped my hand around her back. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Heather.” She smiled, turning her body in closer to mine, that was when reality hit me. Shit, what was I doing? What was I thinking?
“He’s not interested.” Drake told her, pushing her away from me.
“I saw the way he was looking at me, he wants me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Fuck off!” Drake shouted in her face, she paled and scurried away. “Let’s get out of here.” He threw some money on the bar and grabbed me by my arm, leading me out of the bar. We walked around the corner of the pub to where we parked our bikes, he pushed me up against the wall and threw a punch, hitting me square on the jaw causing my head to jolt. “What the fuck were you thinking? You have a gorgeous, kind and amazing Old Lady at home, looking after your three kids. You were gonna throw that away for some slut.” He paced in front of me and I rubbed my hand over where he had hit me. It was a good solid punch, he was built like a brick house.
“You get one punch for free. Anymore and I take your ass down,” I warned him, he stopped pacing and looked at me laughing.
“You ok to ride? Or do we need to come back and get your bike tomorrow?”
“I can ride.” I straddled my beloved bike, I wasn’t leaving it anywhere. Drake followed behind me and we made our way back home.
Heather
“Where are we going?” I asked Blade as I climbed on the back of his bike. We had planned to go out this morning, but Tegan was being fussy, but after her lunch time nap she was much happier.
“It’s a surprise.” He grabbed the side of my thighs and pulled me closer to him. “Wrap your arms around me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“And I don’t want you to fall off.” I wrapped my arms around him, trying not to hold on too tight. “Sugar, tighter.” I held on tighter else we were never going to get anywhere. Once he was satisfied, he started the bike and we sped off down the road. This was the only the second time I had left all three children and I felt a little apprehensive about it. I knew I could trust Cammie and Ashlyn and knew that Drake would keep them all safe.
We travelled for about twenty minutes, when I felt Blade slowing down I looked around and noticed that we were at the beach. He knew this was one of my favourite places to be. As we were going slowly around the car park, I pulled my helmet off and shook my hair out, I loved feeling my hair
blowing around in the breeze. Blade pulled in up high by the cliffs, the view was outstanding. I climbed off the bike and walked over to a bench. Blade followed me.
“I love it here, thank you.” I kissed him quickly, not wanting to take my eyes off the view. Far out on the horizon, the sea was bright blue and settled and as it go closer to shore it crashed on the rocks, creating bubbles and foam. The sound was calming and it was one of the places I could sit and relax all day even in the rain.
“I love you, sugar.”
“I love you too.”
He turned his body towards mine and held my hands in his.
“I never knew it was possible to love someone as much as I love you, to want to protect you, keep you safe and love you all day long, every day. You, Liam, Kelsey and Tegan are my world and I would be completely lost without all of you,” he paused as he rummaged around inside his jacket. I watched as he pulled out a ring box and held it in front of me, closed. “I know we can’t get married, because technically you are still married to James and I’m married to Willow…” He took another deep breath, I knew it wasn’t possible for us to get married as our other halves were cleaned up and buried, no funerals, no evidence of their deaths. As far as anyone knew, they were still alive.
“I want you to have this ring and be mine, forever. What do you say? Always together forever?”
“Oh, Kade. Yes, of course I will always be yours. Isn’t that what this means?” I asked pulling at my leather cut.
“It is, but I hated seeing that finger on your left hand bare.” He opened the box and settled inside was two rings, matching wedding rings. One for me and one for him. “Heather, I give you this ring to show you how much I love you, respect you and cherish you. I will always protect you and our family. I love you.” He pushed the ring on my finger and I gazed at it. It was a white gold Celtic ring, the delicate pattern on it was amazing. I pulled out the other matching ring from the box and placed it on Blade’s finger.
South Coast Brothers: Part One Page 29