by K E Osborn
Void curls up his lip.
Nycto hums in what sounds like surprise. “You’re not scared to speak your mind, are you, Shadow?”
“For the last four years I’ve had to fight. For every single damn thing to keep my son safe. You don’t have kids do you, Nycto?”
“No.”
“Then you don’t understand the lengths, the willingness, the fight and fire a mother will go to for her child. If I had to kill you all to try and save my baby from harm’s way, I’d get mighty fucking bloody. Because that is what unconditional love is.”
Nycto exhales leaning back in his chair, his hands threading behind his head. “Justice?”
Dash glances up. “Prez?”
“Sit your ass down but don’t get comfortable.”
Dash slides into the seat next to me.
“Right, now you’ve had a sleep and your mind isn’t so fogged from being taken out of your surroundings, I’m gonna need some intel, Shadow. We only have what Justice has given us, which by all accounts is jack of all shits. You need to tell us your story. How you’re involved with the Order, and why the hell we’re hiding you from them.”
My stomach rolls as I clench my eyes tight. I don’t want to relive any of this, but I believe, I truly believe, these guys are here to help me. The only way they’re going to be able to do that is if I tell them.
Everything.
Chapter Twenty
DASH
I’m still reeling from the fact Shadow convinced Nycto to let me sit at the table. I thought I had at least another year of full patch before I had a chance at this. Shadow has no idea what she has just done for me. Even if I don’t get to sit at the table again, this means so much to me.
But I can’t focus on that fact right now, I need to concentrate on Shadow and what she’s telling Nycto.
“I don’t even know where to begin…”
I reach out, grabbing her hand for support. Her eyes meet mine. “You start wherever you think is important.”
She exhales, sinking back into her chair. “I never knew my father. My mother was in and out of jail, so I was in foster homes until she finally got out and tried to get her life back on track when I was sixteen. But she was fucking awful. So, I filed for emancipation and went out on my own. I was already working in seedy bars even though I wasn’t of age. The manager didn’t care as long as I looked the part and sold the alcohol. That’s all he cared about.”
Gritting my teeth, my hands ball into fists. I can only imagine the kind of shit she put up with. It’s no wonder she has this badass attitude she flings around.
“Anyway, one night, this party of men came in and with them was Tyler. They were all obviously underage. But again, the manager didn’t care as long as he made money and didn’t get caught. I was serving the group all night. Tyler and I flirted. One thing led to another and before I knew it, we were in some form of a relationship. If you can call it that. More like a dictatorship. But he made sure I was taken care of and wanted for nothing, and after having to take care of myself for practically my entire life, that little bit of nurturing is what made me stay. Before I knew what was happening, I was pregnant with Cruz and that’s when shit really started getting weird.”
“How so?” Nycto asks.
“Tyler became so fucking cocky. I mean, he was already over the top, but this was a whole other level. Kept going on about how him being a father was so important to the order of things. I just thought he was a proud father.”
“So, Tyler’s part of the Order, we know that much. Was he when you were pregnant?”
She scoffs. “Oh, yeah, it’s the whole reason he got me pregnant. I didn’t even realize that was his plan until everything was unraveling around me.”
“Tyler needed a child. Why?” I ask.
Her glistening eyes meet mine. “When a child is born to a brother of the Order, they believe there is nothing more powerful than the innocence of first blood.”
What the fuck!
My eyes widen as I glance over at Nycto. He sits forward in his chair, resting his hands on the table. “What the hell does that mean?”
She sniffles. “The blood of the firstborn. The Order have some fucked-up ritual where they believe if you drink the blood of your first-born child, it will make you a stronger, more agile, and courage—”
“The fuck?” I blurt out.
She grimaces. “The men who do this, gain power, wealth, and higher ranking in society than you can even imagine. You have no idea the men in the world who belong to the Order.”
“So, Tyler wants Cruz. So he can what, drink his blood? Like some fucking vampire?” I snap.
She dips her chin. “They slit the wrist of the child and drain the blood. If the child survives, they are then seen as a prospect to join the Order. If they don’t, well, then no one speaks of it again. It’s why they do it at birth. So, if the baby dies, it can be covered up relatively easily.”
Nycto pulls out a cigarette, lighting it up. “I mean, we do some pretty fucked-up shit, but this? This is more than fucked up. No wonder you took Cruz and ran.”
“Now you know why I have to keep Cruz away from Tyler. He’ll do anything for Cruz’s blood. Kill me to get to him. He’ll kill Cruz, too, if he has to. As long as he gets what he needs to make it so he can move up the ranks and obtain the power he so desperately wants.”
“This guy sounds like an asshole that needs plugging,” I grunt out.
Nycto puffs out a ring of smoke. “Agreed…”
I turn to Shadow. “So, you ran before Cruz was born?”
It’s like her entire body begins to tremble the second the memory washes over her. Her bottom lip trembles. “I was a few weeks away from giving birth, but Tyler couldn’t wait. He needed to gain his rank. His plan was to cut Cruz out of me and speed things along himself.”
My hands ball into fists, my breathing rushing faster. “He was gonna slice you open?”
She pulls up her shirt showing me a scar along her stomach. Instantly, I feel sick, not from seeing the scar, but at the fact that the asshole had hurt her.
I reach out, my fingers lightly trailing along the raised wound. “That motherfucker.”
“He didn’t get far before Iris came over and shot him. Obviously, she didn’t kill him, just wounded him enough for us to make our escape. I was young, only seventeen at the time, so I was grateful she came with me. She was the mother figure I needed after that shitstorm.”
Every inch of me is buzzing with adrenaline.
All I want to do is run out of here, find this fucker, and end him.
Painfully.
Slowly.
Methodically.
But more than that overwhelming want, I need to be here for Shadow.
For Cruz.
“So, you both packed what you could and left, came to Tampa and started again?” I ask.
“Left no trace of our lives before us.”
Inhaling, I understand exactly what she’s saying. “Shadow… it’s not your name.”
She swallows hard. “No.”
“And Cruz?”
“It’s the name on his birth certificate, I left the father off so Tyler couldn’t track him.”
Rubbing at my face, I try to gather my thoughts. “Does Cruz know?”
“No, he wouldn’t understand.”
“And Iris?”
“Not her real name either.”
I turn and look in her eyes, they’re so despondent and sad. “Nova,” I whisper.
Her eyes widen as she jerks back in shock. “What? How did you—”
“It’s okay. When I looked up Tyler, his record showed his spouse as missing. Her name was Nova. Their son was unborn and that Nova could have possibly fled, abducting him. Did you know that?”
Clenching her eyes shut she says, “No! So, what does this mean? If the police see Cruz, they’ll take him from me? Give him to that asshole?”
“I don’t know. They don’t have a picture of Cruz because Tyler
has no clue what he looks like. Only you. I guess if they see you with a four-year-old, they’ll be suspicious.”
“Jesus! I’m never going to be rid of that sick fucker.”
I lean forward, taking her hand in mine. “I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”
“You can’t promise me that, Dash.” She yanks her hand free from mine and stands from the table. “Thank you for taking us in. I don’t know what you can do for us, but I only see this ending one way… with a body count. Problem is… I just don’t know whose it is going to be.” She walks for the door, and I don’t make a move to stop her.
She needs a second to process.
Shadow walks out leaving me alone with my president and VP. I turn to face them, and they both stare me down. “You didn’t know any of this before you came in here?” Nycto asks.
“She wasn’t open about her past. I had no fucking clue it was something like that.”
“Watch her. She could be a flight risk. She might take off with the kid,” Void adds.
“What gives you that idea?”
“I’ve spent my whole life with one foot out the door. Trust me, Justice, she’s almost fully out.”
Wracking my jaw from side to side, I go to stand but hesitate. “I appreciate you letting them stay.”
Nycto picks up his cigarette taking another puff. “I get the feeling I’m gonna regret it, but as long as they need a safe haven, this clubhouse is theirs.”
I rest my hand on top of the table and dip my chin. “Thanks, Prez.”
“Justice?”
“Yeah?”
“Give Senator Johnson a call. Tell him I’m calling in that favor he owes me.”
My eyes shift to Void, and he’s looking at Nycto like he can’t believe what he’s hearing either. “You sure, Prez? You wanna use your lifeline on this?”
“If Shadow goes out in public with the kid and anyone catches wind of this missing person, abduction bullshit, that kid is as good as gone. We need this dealt with. Johnson is our man… call him. He’ll get the alert taken care of.”
I stand. “Thank you. I fucking mean it.”
“I might be an emotionless asshole, but I won’t see an innocent child suffer. Plus, the kid is kinda cute, and my Ol’ Lady has taken to him, so I can’t upset Eva now, can I?”
“No, wouldn’t want that.”
“Now, get the fuck out.”
I chuckle, turning for the door. I need to message Iris and make sure she is doing okay. With all this new information on Tyler, he’s going to be on the hunt for any way to get to Shadow and Cruz. I need to figure out a way to find Tyler before he finds us. Because even though Shadow isn’t my biggest fan right now, I have to prove I am in this with her. That I am here to protect her. That I will do anything, even face Tyler and end him myself, to make sure she and Cruz are safe.
If I have to do this on my own, I will.
No matter what it takes, they will be safe.
Chapter Twenty-One
SHADOW
Walking out of the chapel, I have mixed emotions. It’s like I’m drained from having to relive all that shit with Tyler. Having to admit my past in front of Dash was hard. I was sure I’d see sympathy in his eyes, but all I saw was pure rage, and I wasn’t expecting that. In a way, it made it easier to tell him everything. Knowing he wasn’t weakened by what happened to me, but by the fact he wanted to fight for me instead, it just shows me the kind of man he truly is.
It doesn’t change the fact he’s the reason I’m here.
That Cruz is here.
And I don’t know how to move past that fact.
Making my way over to Cruz, where he sits with Eva, I’m blocked by Ivy as she steps in front of me. My eyes widen as she halts my path to my son. She gently grabs my arm, pulling me toward the front entrance of the bunker. I peer over my shoulder at Cruz. He seems content, so I follow her, knowing full well this is some kind of ambush.
“Ivy, we haven’t had much of an opportunity to talk to each other, but I want you to know there are no hard feelings.”
She snorts out a laugh as we exit the bunker then make our way over to a bench. She takes a seat, gesturing for me to sit down with her. I hesitate but end up taking the seat.
“I’m sure you’re aware, Dash and I are good friends. We work together, we had a really strong bond. We’ve been through a lot.”
“And yet you chose another man over him.”
She jerks her head back, her lips turning down. “Dash and I would never have worked. His infatuation with me was unrequited—”
“You treated him like shit. That’s the bottom line, Ivy. Then he came to me to drown his sorrows. You broke him.”
She exhales. “I’m sorry, but you must know, when your heart calls to someone, you can’t help who it chooses… right?” Her hopeful eyes look at me.
“You mean me with Dash?”
She shifts closer. “I don’t know where Dash and I stand anymore. Our relationship is fractured at best, but I want to see him with someone who’s worthy of him. Someone who is willing to fight for him like he is fighting for you… and your son.”
I furrow my brows. “You don’t think I’m worthy of Dash?”
She exhales. “I think you don’t believe he’s worthy of you anymore, and that’s a problem. Because women of the club are fucking loyal to a fault. If you can’t be loyal to Dash, then you need to take your kid and leave before everyone gets attached. Especially Dash. His heart is so open, so ready for love. He’ll give it freely… but he needs it in return.”
“If I leave, we’ll have to go on the run. Tyler could find us.”
“Then stay. Let Dash protect you, but do it knowing he’s putting everything he has into you and Cruz. Don’t let that be for nothing.”
I stand, pacing the concrete path. “This… honestly… is none of your concern, Ivy.”
She shrugs. “Probably not. But Dash means something to me whether he believes it or not. And I don’t want some woman coming in here thinking she is better than him and ruining him like I did. He’s worth so much more than what you and I can give him. So do more, Shadow. Be. MORE!”
Ivy stands, straightening out her leather cut. I have to admit seeing her wearing the same leather vest as the brothers inside is a little intimidating. This woman has balls, and if it came to a fight, she could take me out, hands down. She may be small, but her attitude certainly packs a punch.
“Why are you fighting so hard for Dash when he’s the man who put my son and me in this much danger?”
Ivy waggles her finger at me. “Oh no, no, sweetheart. You put yourself and your son in this danger when you stayed with Tyler. Don’t put all the blame on Dash. He was doing his job. Trying to protect you by finding out all the details. If you had given them to him, he wouldn’t have had to go searching. You’re the reason this is happening. You alone! Don’t go passing the buck because you don’t want to feel guilty, idiota.”
My body tenses, heat flushing over my skin. My hands ball into fists as I take a step closer to Ivy. My breathing is fast as we stare at each other barely an inch apart. “How dare you! You think you know me? You think you can judge me? You’re the whore playing with men’s emotions and pitting brother against brother. You don’t even care that you’re tearing the club apar—”
“Te voy a matar hija de puta!”
“Jesus Christ! Toxin, drop her. Now!” a booming voice calls out.
Instantly, her grip on me releases, my balance overcorrects, and I stumble to the concrete skinning my knees as I glance up at her. She puffs, panting out of breath as she flic
ks her chestnut hair over her shoulder while glaring at me. Then she walks over to where Void is standing. “Get inside, I’ll deal with you after.”
Ivy’s eyes fall to the ground as she slowly walks inside, and Void strides over to me. He kneels down as I try to catch my breath. “You okay?”
Sniffling, I try to pull my hair back into some semblance of normal. “Yeah, sore knees, but I’ll live.”
“Did she hurt you in any other way? I need to know, so I can dish out the proper punishment.”
Waving my hand through the air, I exhale. “Please don’t. It will only make her hate me more. I don’t know what I’ve done for her to despise me this much. I only want my son to be safe. That’s all I want.”
Void places his hand out for me to take. With a hesitant hold, I accept his offer, and he hoists me up. “We know. And we want to help you to do that, Shadow. Toxin is complicated. She has a wild streak, it’s why she’s a prospect, why Nycto let her join the brotherhood. She’s not unlike you.” He breaths out heavily. “You both fight for what you want. For what you love.”
“You’re telling me she loves Dash? That’s why she’s fighting me?”
He scrunches up his face like whatever he’s about to say physically pains him. “Yeah, she loves him. But not romantically. She adores Dash, but she hates that their relationship is strained.”
“Well, my relationship with him is strained now, too, so I guess we have that in common.”
Wrapping his arm around my shoulders supportively, Void walks me to the front door. “Dash wouldn’t bring you here if he wasn’t serious about you. Your job is to figure out if you’re okay with all of this. If he is worth it. Because I’ve seen that look in Dash’s eyes before, but the way he stares at you is far more intense than the way he ever looked at Toxin. And he was devastated when I ended up with her instead of him. If that was devastation, I can’t imagine what he’ll be like if you and Cruz leave for good.”
I take in everything he tells me.