by Erin Osborne
While we were working on the shirts with the kids that could help make them, Grave messaged me to let me know he’ll be home for dinner. Now, I’m rushing around to get everything ready for him. Tyler and Kayla are helping me as much as they can. I’ve got stuffed shells, Grave’s favorite meal, in the oven with garlic bread waiting to go in. The house is cleaned and everything is laid out for Grave when he walks through the door.
Hadliegh and Natasha made me promise to call them as soon as he finds out the news. They want to know how he’s going to take it. I think he’ll be just fine while they think he’s going to lose his shit. Hadliegh tried to talk me into calling her with a video call so she could witness him losing his shit and I told her absolutely not. She’s disappointed in me to say the least.
I’m getting all the plates ready when I hear multiple bikes pull back toward the houses. I don’t want an audience when Grave finds out about the twins, so I hope they’re going to Renegade’s. Or maybe it’s just Renegade and Grave. Who knows?
As I set Grave’s plate in his spot at the head of the table, I hear the door open.
“I’m home,” Grave calls out as he rounds the corner.
“Grave!” the kids yell in excitement. “You got stuff.”
Grave looks at me before moving his attention to the counter where the flowers, balloons, and gift bag is sitting. He walks closer and I can see the look in his eyes wanting to know what’s going on.
“Did I miss somethin’ important?” he asks me.
“Just open the gift,” I urge him.
He looks at the flowers and reads the card:
You have a surprise waiting for you.
Love you. Always.
After setting the card down on the counter, he pulls out the first gift in the bag. I watch as he unwraps the onesie and sets the picture frame down for a minute. The onesie says ‘Future Member of Satan’s Anarchy MC’. I don’t know if we’re having boys or girls yet, but I think it will fit either way. After setting the onesie down, he picks up the picture frame and studies it for a minute. Suddenly, he realizes he’s seeing the words ‘Baby A’ typed out in the picture.
Grave quickly picks up the second shirt and frame from the bag and ditches the onesie for the picture. As he looks up at me, I can see the emotions he’s feeling right now clearly in his eyes.
“We’re havin’ twins?” he asks.
“We are.”
“Thank you, Nessa. It’s not enough, but that’s all I got right now,” he tells me, pulling me into his arms for a hug and kiss.
Tyler and Kayla are running around us in their excitement. I hear the door open and in walks Renegade, Natasha, Psycho, Hadliegh, and Smokey. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s just them.
“Damn,” Hadliegh says as Grave breaks our kiss and turns to face them.
“What are you guys doin’ here?” he asks.
“Couldn’t keep the women away,” Psycho answers. “Hadliegh wanted to watch you freak the fuck out.”
“I’m not freakin’ out. I’m happy as fuck,” he tells everyone, putting his arm around me and pulling me into his side.
“Well, since there’s nothing to see here, we may as well leave,” Hadliegh grumbles.
“I’m sure you can think of a way to give us a show,” Smokey says.
“Smokey! I’m gonna beat your ass!” Hadliegh growls out, turning to face the man in question.
“Okay, no beatin’ anyone’s ass in our house. Take it outside,” Grave says, shooing everyone out so we can eat dinner.
We can hear Smokey and Hadliegh going at it as they leave the house and head toward the clubhouse. I’m trying not to laugh because it’s not funny, but in a way it is. Those two constantly yell and bicker like brother and sister.
Finally, we all sit down to eat dinner. Grave brings the pictures of the ultrasound with him and sets them right in front of his plate. This tells me all I need to know about whether or not he’s happy about our current situation. I’m surprised to be having twins again, and I’m not going to say I wasn’t worried about what Grave was going to think or feel about it. He’s happy and I’m ready to meet our new little ones.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Grave
VANESSA TOLD ME a week ago we’re going to have twins. I’m surprised, excited, happy, and nervous as fuck. It’s one thing to have a baby, but we’re having two. I know my wife has experience with newborn twins, but I don’t. It’s going to be an all new experience and I’m hoping I’m good enough to help Vanessa as much as possible.
Today, I’m surprising my wife with a nursery. Renegade and Smokey have been helping me get it ready. We’ve painted it, hung some pictures of the family and their ultrasound pictures, and today I’m putting the finishing touches on the furniture. I’ve got the cribs from one of my friends, rocking chairs, and a changing table. As soon as I have it all put together, I’m going to bring Vanessa and the kids in to see what we’ve done.
I’m finishing up the cribs when there’s a knock on the door. Vanessa hasn’t been in this room once since I asked her not to. She knows I’m up to something, but she hasn’t asked for any information about the room or what I’m doing in here. The only thing I’ve told her is she’ll see it when it’s done.
Opening the door, I see Renegade standing there.
“What’s goin’ on?” I ask him.
“Nothin’. Just wanted to see if you needed any help,” he answers, walking in the room and shutting the door behind him.
“Is that really why you’re here?” I ask with the door shut.
“Nope. Her parents are gettin’ ready to do somethin’. I’m not sure what, but Bishop said they met with a man earlier and exchanged money. She’s on lockdown with the kids for now,” he tells me. “Bishop is still with them and he’ll follow them no matter where they go.”
“I want this over with. Now,” I tell him. “When I get this done, I’m headin’ over there.”
“Not alone. I don’t want you to end up in prison,” Renegade tells me.
Nodding my head, I finish putting the last crib together. As soon as we’re done, I stand back and look at the room. The cribs are against the wall with room above them for their names to be painted on the wall. There’s two windows in this room and the rocking chairs are in front of them. While the changing table sits against the same wall as the door. There’s room in here for two toy boxes and little hangers fill the closet waiting for the clothes to be hung and placed on the shelves.
“Let me get Vanessa and show her the room. Then, I’m ridin’ out. I want this shit taken care of now,” I tell my President.
Renegade nods his head and I open the door and call for Vanessa. She walks to the open door of the room and stays out in the hallway.
“Come in and see the room,” I tell her, holding out my hand for her.
Vanessa walks in and her eyes fill with tears. She takes in the pale-yellow paint on the walls, the pictures hanging up, the cribs and rocking chairs. There’s nothing else in this room yet because we haven’t had a baby shower. I know the ol’ ladies and club members are going to go all out. They always do.
“You guys did all this?” she asks, laying her head on my chest.
“Yeah. Just for you, baby,” I answer her.
“I love it. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to fill it with clothes and blankets and everything else we’ll need,” she says.
“Baby, I’d love to stay here with you and let you walk through the room with me here, but I have to take care of somethin’. Is that okay?” I ask her, itching to get out on the road and make her parents leave town once and for all.
“Go do what you have to do,” she tells me, sitting down in one of the rocking chairs.
Before I leave the room with Renegade, I hear the gasp from her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, immediately going over to her.
“Nothing. I just saw the carvings in the cribs. I love it.”
Carved in the end of each crib are motorcycles
with SAMC above them. I didn’t want the logo carved into the cribs so we just went with motorcycles. The same carvings are in the rocking chairs and the changing tables. My friend went all out for the furniture for us. I can’t thank him enough.
Standing back up, I head out of the room after kissing my wife. It’s time for work and I need to get this situation cleared up now.
Renegade, Smokey, Psycho, and I pull up to the motel Bishop and the other Prospects have been sitting at since finding out where Vanessa’s parents have been staying. Everyone standing around the parking lot and hanging out in the doors of their rooms come to a stop as we park our bikes at the back of the lot and shut them down. We never come here and usually leave the addicts and pimps alone if they’re not causing trouble. Today, we’re not here for them either but they don’t know that.
Bishop walks over to us and points out the room they’re in. The door is closed as he tells us what the guys looks like they met with and what they’ve been doing.
“You sure it’s only them in there?” I ask him.
“Yeah. The man left about an hour ago. Just before I called Renegade to let him know about the meet,” Bishop answers.
“I got someone followin’ him,” Renegade tells me. “If he gets near the clubhouse, we’ll know. It’s why the rest of the club is there now. And some of them are posted up by the houses without the women knowin’.”
I walk straight up to the door and don’t bother knocking on it. Instead, I kick the fucker open. Vanessa’s parents are sitting on the bed with drugs laid out between them. They’re getting ready to get their fix and it’s not gonna happen.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” her dad yells out, standing from the bed.
“You’re worst fuckin’ nightmare,” I respond, pounding toward the fucker. “You’re here to harass someone that belongs to me and it ends now.”
“I don’t know anyone you know,” he tries to tell me.
“Oh, so you’re not here to see your daughter, Vanessa, and get money from her?” I question.
The man immediately shuts his mouth while her mom looks at each one of us with a hungry look in her eyes. Not gonna fucking happen, skank.
“And you have the balls to threaten your daughter in public with a man you know was beatin’ on her and about to beat on the kids? You’re the lowest kind of fuckin’ scum,” I tell her.
“You have no idea what that little bitch has done to us,” her mom tries saying.
“Oh, you mean when you would beat on her for the slightest infraction, wake her up in the middle of the night to serve you and the drug addicts in your home, how you let Ray rape her when she was a teenager and then suffer years of abuse and trauma at his hands because you wanted to have a constant fix? You think I don’t know all that shit? And haven’t watched her overcome it all and struggle to become the woman she is today?” I ask them. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna call the asshole off that you met with a little while ago. Then, you’re gonna pack your asses up and leave town. Vanessa will not be givin’ you any money and you will not bother her again.”
“You have no say in what we do,” her dad says.
I snap. Grabbing the asshole around his throat, I lift him from the floor and let him hang there. He’s scratching and clawing at my hands to let him go. Meanwhile, her mom is sitting on the bed, just looking on. This bitch has no loyalty. How these two made a woman as amazing as Vanessa I’ll never know.
When Renegade taps me on the shoulder, I look at her dad and see his face turning several shades of purple while his eyes are bugging out of his head and his lips are turning blue. I’m about to kill this fucker.
Normally, I wouldn’t give a fuck. But there’s too many witnesses around here. So, I drop the fucker and look around the messed-up room. It’s nasty and destroyed with them being here. I find the phone on the table and walk over to pick it up. Handing it to her dad, I watch him as he makes the call.
“Yeah, you can keep the money, but I’m calling off the hit on Vanessa. I don’t want her picked up, killed, or anything else,” he says into the phone, making me want to kill him right now and let it all end.
I stand there and listen as the man tells him he’s not going to stop. He’s going to go after my wife so I pull the phone from his hand.
“You listen here, fucker. Do you know who Satan’s Anarchy is?” I ask him.
“Y-y-yeah,” he stammers.
“Well, then you should know you’re talkin’ to a fuckin’ member right now. Vanessa is my fuckin’ wife and if you come near her, I’ll fuckin’ end you. We already got eyes on you and if somethin’ happens, no one will ever fuckin’ find the pieces of you,” I growl out.
“They didn’t tell me she belonged to the club. It’s off. I’m not gonna go after them,” he rushes out.
“Well, I don’t believe you. So, for now, you’ll continue to have eyes on you. And you won’t ever know who it is or where they are. So, I fuckin’ suggest you keep your nose away from the club and away from my fuckin’ wife. Do I make myself clear?”
“Y-y-yes,” he stammers as I hang up the phone.
“Now, for you two. Get your shit and get the fuck outta Shadowville right the fuck now. I ever see you around here again or get a call from my wife about seein’ you and I’ll gut you both. And no one will ever come lookin’ for you either,” I warn her parents.
Her dad rushes around the room to grab his things while her mom sits on the bed in a daze. He doesn’t even wait for her as he runs to their car and leaves the motel parking lot. Bishop follows him and will until he stops. I stand and look down at Vanessa’s mom as she just sits there.
“Look what you’ve done now. How am I supposed to get the money that little bitch owes us?” her mom finally asks.
“You don’t get a dime from my wife. She doesn’t owe you shit and I suggest you figure out how you’re leavin’ since your husband is no longer here,” I tell her, my voice low and deadly.
She looks around the room and just now realizes she’s alone here with us.
“Well, since he took off, I guess you’ll just have to take me in and make sure I have what I need. I’ll make sure to compensate any of you boys any way you choose,” she says, trying to run a hand down my chest.
“Get the fuck outta here,” Renegade yells, finally losing his cool. “You heard Grave. Or are you gonna keep pushin’ until you find out how he got his name?”
Vanessa’s mom looks at me and her eyes widen. “This is the man my daughter has chosen to marry? She’s worse off now than before.”
Her mom starts laughing her ass off as she falls off the bed. I’m over this shit.
“Make the call. Get Summer here now,” I tell Renegade.
Not a single one of us will put our hands on this bitch. But, Summer will. Renegade pulls out his phone and calls Slim. Even though she’s not involved with the Phantom Bastards, Slim is the one who knows how to get ahold of her and can send her our way. For now, we can lock her ass in the dungeon and keep her there until Summer gets here.
“Let’s fuckin’ go,” I growl, pulling her up from the floor by her arm.
I drag Vanessa’s mom from the room and lead her toward the SUV with one of the new Prospects in it. He must have gotten here after we did because he didn’t follow us. After making sure Vanessa’s mom can’t get out by engaging the child safety locks, I shut her in the back seat and tell the Prospect to head to the clubhouse.
We all get on our bikes and get ready to head out when Renegade lets me know what’s going on.
“She’ll be here later on today. She was at Slim’s clubhouse and I talked to her,” he says. “You sure this is the way to go?”
“It is. She’s not gonna leave Vanessa alone and will talk that scumbag of a husband into pullin’ somethin’ else soon,” I answer.
Renegade nods his head as we all head back to the clubhouse. I’ll hang out at home and talk to Vanessa about things when I get back. She deserves to know she won
’t have to worry about her parents ever again. It’s one thing I can do to ensure her peace of mind. Renegade and the guys already know I’m going to tell her what’s going on because it’s how I work. If this was something else, Vanessa wouldn’t know a damn thing about club business. But, this is her life and she deserves to know.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vanessa
MY PLAN TODAY was to go to the compound and talk to the women there. I want to let them know there is hope for a future without being beaten or treated like shit. But, now I have something else to do before I head over there. I’m going to see my bitch of a mother and have my final say with her.
Grave let me know about the hit my parents put on me and how he talked to the guy about calling it off. Apparently he doesn’t want any trouble with the club and has said he’ll back off. But, they’re going to keep eyes on him just to be safe. Then he told me my dad left and didn’t even attempt to get my mom to go with him. So, she’s at the clubhouse in a locked room until someone named Summer gets here.
I had to beg Grave to let me go see her when Summer gets here. He refused for so long I thought it was a losing battle. But, when I explained my reasoning he finally agreed to let me go. His only stipulation is to go in say what I have to say, and then I’m out of there. He doesn’t want me anywhere near there when Summer gets her hands on my mom. I don’t want to be there for that either. It’s not my business what happens to the bitch.
I’m sitting it our bedroom when Grave comes in. Hadliegh is with him along with Callie.
“It’s time. Hadleigh is gonna go with us while Bear and Callie stay here with the kids. I’ll stay after you leave and Hadliegh will come home with you,” Grave tells me.
“Okay. Let’s get this over with,” I tell them. “Oh, Callie, can you stay for just a bit so I can go talk to the women at the compound?”