Unruly Defender

by Schmidt, Esther E.

  “We’re picking up Maggie, making sure she’s settled in and then we’re heading back here, or? What’s the plan? Because I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned I need to check on my boat,” Gracy says as she picks up Finn and gives him a quick kiss.

  I stroll over and pet him over the head. “Clemente is supposed to message me. There are things going down today we need to handle. I’m not even sure if it will be today or tomorrow, they still haven’t been able to track down Rush so it all depends on when they find out where he’s staying. I hate the uncertainty but it’s unavoidable.” I place a kiss on her forehead and grab my leather cut from the chair in the corner and put it on.

  The room we’re staying in is one of ten small rooms here at the clubhouse. There are about eight single brothers living here and the rest have their own house or apartment where they live.

  My father used to live with my mother at the estate and I had both, a room here and a bungalow. The rooms here have just the basic necessities such as a king size bed, a chair along with a desk, a closet, and a separate bathroom. We all share the same kitchen.

  There used to be a schedule of who cleans up the kitchen on what day, but I haven’t seen any list, and the kitchen is a mess. So, I guess little things like that need my attention too. I make a mental note to discuss this in church. I have to smile at the minor necessary point of discussion and yet it’s a way better thing to deal with than the shit we’re wrapped in now.

  The construction company my father owned was passed onto my mother and Yates has been keeping it afloat along with a few of the other brothers. Something else to discuss once things settle down, because eventually I will be back to working alongside my brothers.

  My phone rings and when I check I see it’s Clemente calling. “Yeah?”

  “They found him...and the net is closing around Rush. I’m coming over in about two hours. I have a virtual meeting planned with my uncle in about twenty minutes, and I’m not sure how long it will take me to talk things through.”

  “Take your time, Clemente. We’re heading out to bring my mother home. Shoot me a text when you’re headed my way.”

  “Will do. Say hi to Gracy for me,” Clemente says before he disconnects the call.

  “Clemente says hi,” I grumble and it makes Gracy smile.

  Clemente’s words echo through my mind and I now realize what he meant. Fuck. Spencer. We thought it would take them some time to find Spencer, I guess that ship sailed.

  “Everything okay?” Gracy asks. “You seemed to mentally drift away to another place.”

  I shake my head. “It’s nothing, come on, we’re heading to the hospital and we’re taking Finn with us. He can wait outside with Rhett while we’re getting my mother. Then Finn can stay with her at her house so she’ll have some extra company.”

  “You’re right.” Gracy starts to grab Finn’s things. “She loves it when Finn is sitting next to her. Can’t Rooney come with us instead of Rhett? Or is Rhett staying with her today?”

  “I haven’t discussed it with Yates yet. I know most guys from way back but I’ve been away for a long time and don’t exactly know their routine. Yates also handles the construction company where most of the guys work and as you know Rooney has his own company thrown into the mix too.” I rub my jaw and think things through. “But I’m guessing it’s Ash and either Rhett or Rooney. Maybe Hudson but I know he had three days off and he used to work one week nonstop and then have three days off and then a week nonstop again. He needs a routine in his life so I’m pretty sure he’s unavailable.”

  “Your mother used to be an old lady, I’m pretty sure she can handle any biker you team her up with.” She gives me a smile and says, “Ready when you are.”

  I hold the door for her and we head out to the main room in search of Yates. Turns out I was right about Hudson and Rooney. So, it’s Rhett who is going with us while Yates needs to run out to a project that needs his attention. Yates assured me he’ll be back within two hours if needed. We take the car as Rhett and Ash follow on their bikes behind us.

  We’re at the estate within the hour and I can clearly see my mother is glad she’s home when she starts to cheerfully talk with Finn. I’m still worried, though. And I’m glad she agreed to a checkup in a few days because the papers she discovered might have set this off, but it’s good to keep an eye on her health.

  My mother grabs my arm and ushers me into the kitchen. There’s a large safe in the pantry and she opens it and takes out her leather cut. She holds it out for me to take and when I do, I unfold it to check the back.

  The two merged skulls with left and right, the rose and the dagger keeping everything pinned is in the middle while on top it says, “Property of,” and on the bottom it states, “Barhamer.”

  “It shouldn’t be kept in a safe, it should be passed on,” my mother says, her voice filled with emotion.

  “I wish he was here to see this moment,” I grunt, not needing to mention my father’s name because my mother knows damn sure who I’m talking about.

  “It wasn’t meant to be, son.” She swallows hard and adds, “When the time comes, I will see him again, but for now he would want me to enjoy the sunset and sunrise while I know he’s there with me in my heart.”

  “That’s right, momma,” I croak and pull her into a hug.

  “Everything okay?” Gracy’s worried voice flows through the kitchen.

  “Oh, yes, child,” my mother says as she walks over to Gracy and cups her face. “I knew you were special the day I met you. And it makes me very happy you two are together now. And remember, grandbabies. I’m not getting any younger.”

  “Ma!” I snap, exactly how I did at the hospital when she said the same thing, but at the same time satisfaction flows through my veins knowing there’s a slight chance she might get her wish sooner rather than later.

  My mother steps back and it allows me to hold out the leather cut for Gracy to see. Her fingers go to her lips and her eyes fill up. Her gaze meets my mother’s and she nods approvingly, giving Gracy a tiny push so she moves to stand in front of me.

  “Turn around,” I grunt, my voice raw with the loaded emotions.

  My father gave his old lady this cut. He had it made special for everyone to see who my mother belonged to. Now, after all these years, it serves the same purpose for a new generation.

  She slides her hands through the holes and puts it on. She turns and lets her fingers slide over the leather. Locking her gaze with mine she asks, “How do I look?”

  “Fucking perfect and all mine,” I tell her and take her mouth in a fierce but quick kiss.

  She gives me a shy smile and wraps her arms around my waist to give me a hug.

  “Okay, you youngsters, I’m going to grab a book and lie down on the patio with Finn keeping me company,” mom says as she gives us both a smile and waves us out of the room.

  By the emotions swirling in her eyes I can tell she’s getting too emotional and needs to be by herself. I tell Rhett and Ash to keep an eye on her. Not just on the surroundings but on my mom as well to make sure she’s okay.

  When everything is set Gracy and I head back to the clubhouse. It’s time to take on another problem; Rush. One thing at a time is how we handle things, and our “to-do list” is getting shorter.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  — GRACY —

  Loud cheers cause me to stare at the floor all shy as my hands fiddle with the leather of the cut I’m wearing. A squeal rips from my throat when I’m being grabbed and lifted into the air.

  “Look at that, pretty girl, you’re officially off-limits with this cut showing everyone who you belong to,” Yates bellows loud as he places my feet back on the floor.

  “Then why are your fucking hands all over my woman?” Eddie growls and it makes me smile.

  “Because she’s ours to protect too, Pres,” Yates says and he smacks him on the back.

  “Congrats man, babies are the next step, you know that, right? Knock her up so she�
��s slow and easy to catch if she runs off.”

  Eddie grabs Yates’ cut. “Knocked up or not, she’s not running, not now, not ever.”

  “Overbearing weirdos,” I mutter to myself and check my watch.

  Normally I’d go to my boat a few times a week but if I won’t be there for a long time, I make sure to double check everything and lock up properly. I’m positive I didn’t double check and lock everything up the last time I left, when Eddie was with me. My mind was occupied with other things at the time. I’m not even sure if I locked up at all.

  “When does Clemente get here? I really need to check my boat. Maybe I could go to and from the marina myself real quick. I’ll be back within half an hour.”

  This gets me a stare from all the guys around me as if I’m the insane one.

  “What?” I question.

  “Rush is still out there, even if Clemente has eyes on him. You can’t head out by yourself without protection,” Eddie says and is now checking the time himself. “We will go together. I’m expecting him within half an hour so we would have to leave now and put a rush on it.”

  “Want me to tag along?” Yates asks.

  “Nah, stay here and keep Clemente busy if he’s early. We’ll be right back,” Eddie says as he places his hand on my lower back to usher me out of the clubhouse.

  It’s a quick ten-minute drive to the marina and when I step onto the boat I immediately feel something is off. The smell of gasoline enters my nose and I’m about to turn and tell Eddie, but a guy appears behind him, smacking him on his head with the butt of a gun and knocking him out as he crumbles onto the deck.

  “Don’t move,” the guy grunts and I recognize him as Maxton, one of the guys who is working with Rush.

  When Eddie was visiting Clemente, Rooney showed me pictures of all the guys and told me their names. He also mentioned Maxton, Banjo, and Den, pointing them out to me to make sure I’d stay away if I ever saw them. I guess it’s too late now.

  “Get off the boat, and no sudden moves,” the other guy standing next to him says and I recognize him as Banjo.

  Are Den and Rush somewhere too? No, wait, didn’t Eddie mention something about Clemente having eyes on Rush? My mind is trying to comprehend what’s going on while all I can think about is Eddie, how hard did that asshole hit him? He passed out, that’s bad, right?

  “Move, cunt!” Maxton snaps and grabs me by my cut to drag me off the boat.

  I try to kick and scream but Banjo places the gun against my forehead and says, “Maxton and Rush might think you’re worth more alive, but make no mistake, I have a trigger-happy finger and would love to see you headbutt a bullet. Now calm down and be a good cunt. We’re all going to take a little drive together.”

  “Not all of us, Banjo,” Maxton chuckles and aims his gun toward my boat, fires once and makes the whole thing instantly blow up in flames.

  “Nooooooo!” I scream with my whole heart.

  This can’t be happening. I just found the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with. There’s no coming back from being in a sea of flames. My whole boat is gone. I couldn’t care less about the boat, but Eddie is irreplaceable. I feel as if my heart was just ripped out of my chest and I can’t breathe.

  Another cry rips from my mouth and Maxton smacks a flat hand across my face, making me taste my own blood. I don’t care about the blood or the taste. I don’t even care if Banjo tries to make me headbutt a damn bullet, I want them to feel the pain coursing through my body.

  Both assholes are smiling at the sky-high flames as I simultaneously kick Maxton and give Banjo a shove. Neither of them are expecting me to lash out as they stumble back. I try to think of what to do next when suddenly Eddie launches out from the water, grabs Maxton by his leg and takes him back into the water with him.

  They disappear underneath the surface together. I rush over to see what’s happening but Banjo grabs me, wraps his arm around my neck, and aims his gun at the place Eddie and Maxton just disappeared into.

  He fires off two rounds and I elbow the idiot in the stomach. “Stop it, you could shoot either one, you idiot.”

  “I don’t fucking care, it’s Eddie. If he’s still alive then Maxton is dead by now. Don’t you fucking get it? It’s the whole reason Rush put him in jail, because no one could get close enough to kill the fucker. His defense is always up at every turn, the asshole has eyes in his fucking back and can fight like a motherfucker.”

  There’s a grunt and a snap and Banjo’s body falls away from behind me. There’s a splash and when I turn, I see Banjo’s body disappear underneath the water. Eddie kicks the gun that fell onto the dock into the water and holds out his hand for me to take.

  “We need to get out of here,” he grunts, water dripping everywhere.

  I don’t think twice, grab his hand and follow him as he drags me to my car. He opens the trunk and kicks off his boots and throws them in the back along with his clothes until he’s only wearing his boxers. I take out Finn’s blanket I have on the backseat and give it a shake before folding it and placing it onto the passenger seat.

  I get in behind the wheel and head for the clubhouse. There are no words exchanged but our fingers are laced and resting on my thigh. I need to feel him close, make sure he’s still alive and here with me.

  Yates comes rushing out of the clubhouse once we’re opening the trunk. Eddie grabs his stuff and grumbles, “Don’t fucking ask.”

  Yates looks stunned for a moment and glances at me, mouthing silently, “What happened?”

  “Maxton and Banjo set my damn boat on fire and tried to kill Eddie along with it. They made a mistake, though, and it proves how brainless they are when even Banjo told me how Rush put Eddie in prison because no one could get close enough to kill him. But I guess we’re lucky they’re brainless because those idiots smacked him on the head with their gun instead of shooting him. They knocked Eddie out and then left him on the boat and set fire to it as they dragged me off. I mean seriously, if they know Eddie is the all-time greatest Unruly Defender...make sure he’s dead or he’ll make sure he’s the last one to strike. You can’t give that man an inch because as long as he’s breathing, he will keep fighting for what he believes is the right thing to do,” I tell Yates angrily.

  “So, Maxton and Banjo are...” he trails off and raises his eyebrow at me in a request for me to finish the sentence.

  “Swimming with the fishes,” I snap. “Fish food. History. Another item crossed off the to-do list. Whatever.”

  I turn to head into the clubhouse but Eddie is standing in the doorway wearing a huge proud smile as he’s watching me intently.

  I put my hands on my hips and glare at him. “What are you smiling about? Go take a shower and put on some clothes because Clemente is coming over and we’re not done handling things yet.”

  “My woman is bloodthirsty and I like it.” Eddie grins.

  I huff out a breath and murmur, “Well, you go and watch your boat being swallowed by flames, thinking the person you saw yourself spending the rest of your life with go up in a ball of fire instead, see how your state of mind can fart out sunshine and roses because all I can think of is getting even and wiping those fuckers off the face of the Earth.”

  Eddie slowly shakes his head. “My circumstances might have been different, and I’ve had a twisted time-out and walked back into this life with my mind set on revenge. Yet all I was thinking when I hit the water a few seconds before the boat was swallowed by flames was the fact that my only reason for living was you. I had to live and fight for you. Yes, justice needs to prevail, but fuck...not if it costs me my life or yours, Gracy. My heart might be beating on its own but you’re the one holding it.”

  Yates whistles low. “That’s some romantic shit right there. I need to remember that when I get myself an old lady.”

  “I hope I’ll be there to ruin the moment like you’re butting into ours,” I growl.

  Yates raises his eyebrows and glances at Eddie. “Your woman
stays vicious when danger has been thrown her way.”

  “You have no idea,” Eddie says proudly. “Now, as she ordered, I need a shower and a fresh set of clothes.” He turns on his heels and heads into the clubhouse, leaving me and Yates to follow him.

  Yates heads for the bar and pours me a glass of rosé and places it in front of me. “Here you go, sweets, you’ve earned it.”

  I don’t even care what time it is, it’s wine o’clock in my book because I need it to take the edge off. Yates glances over my shoulder and walks away from the bar. I follow his movement and see he’s opening the gates with a remote to let a limo inside. A moment later Clemente strolls into the clubhouse.

  Yates smacks him on the back. “If there ever was any doubt, there’s none now. Your sister here has the thirst for blood running through her veins and from the stuff I’ve heard? She’s handling it like a damn pro. You should be fucking proud. Hell, I’m proud.”

  “What the hell happened?” Clemente snaps and he’s standing in front of me before I can so much as blink. “Are you okay?”

  “She’s fine, a little shaken-up maybe, but she’s strong,” Eddie says as his arm sneaks around my waist from behind and places a kiss on the top of my head.

  His freshly showered scent along with his aftershave—sandalwood and cinnamon, along with a hint of citrus—wrap around me, making me lean into his touch. I wish all of this was behind us so we could finally do some normal things like go out to dinner or a movie.

  Clemente watches me with hawk eyes before they slide back to Eddie. “Did you want to bring her along?”

  “Everything is set? Handled? The part where you needed to contact your uncle about too?” Eddie questions.

  Clemente winces and it’s actually the first time I’ve seen him do this. I reach out and this time I’m the one who’s asking, “Are you okay?”