by KJ Dahlen
“Why? What the hell do you care who I am?” she cried out softly.
“I like to know who I’m dealing with.”
“I’m nobody,” she finally admitted. “I work here but I hated it every day I’ve been here. I couldn’t leave but now, I’m gonna get gone.”
“Why couldn’t you leave?” Skeeter frowned.
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you that, but after this, I’m gone and I’m not coming back. I’m leaving this city and I’m never coming back. You have to let me go.”
“Then help me find what I need. I can get you out of here but I need to find the papers he took from Luther’s house a few weeks ago.”
She growled and moved around behind the desk. Grabbing the drawer, she pulled it free of the desk then she placed it on the desk and began pawing through the files inside the drawer. She pulled out several files and handed them to him.
Skeeter shoved the files back in the drawer and took the whole thing. Tucking it under his arm, he grabbed her again and pulled her behind him toward the door leading to the back yard.
“You damn fool, let me go.” She struggled to break the hold on her wrist but Skeeter wouldn’t let her go.
He pulled her out the back door and over to the truck where Gypsy was waiting with a woman in the backseat. He tossed the drawer at Gypsy and pushed the woman into the back seat with the pregnant woman they’d come here to find.
“What the fuck?” Gypsy exclaimed.
“Let’s just get the fuck out of here before you ask anything.” Skeeter growled.
They pulled out and made their way out of town and when they saw the town of Laredo in the rear view mirror, Skeeter finally breathed a sigh of relief. He noticed after they got on the road and was well out of town, the girl he found in the house had slunk down in the seat. He met her eyes in the rear view mirror and saw tears running down her cheeks. Then he looked over at the other woman in the mirror.
She was bruised, tired and had traces of tears but she was still alive. Her belly looked big enough for her to pop any day now and he hoped they would make it home before she went into labor. He looked over at Gypsy and asked, “Did she give you any problem?”
Gypsy tightened his lips but shook his head. “She can barely move, she’s so weak. She needs medical attention soon, or she and her baby won’t make it.”
“Well we have a few hours to get home,” Skeeter told him.
Gypsy turned his head and asked, “Who’s the chick?”
“I’m not sure she didn’t tell me her name.”
“Oh, fucking hell,” Gypsy swore. “Here we go again.”
Brinn stood at the window and looked outside as the sun came up the next morning. She’d been awake for a while now and there was a lead ball in the pit of her stomach. A ball of worry that had been growing bigger as time passed.
Today would be big in the fight against the cartel. Laying her forehead against the glass, she knew today would be a bloody day for all concerned and for everyone in the fight but she also knew today had to happen.
When she felt his arms go around her waist she almost jumped, being so caught up in her own thoughts she didn’t realize he was awake. Sighing, she leaned back against his chest.
“I woke up and you weren’t there,” Moose whispered in her ear.
“I didn’t go far,” she whispered back.
“Far enough.” He growled. He nuzzled her neck and asked, “What you thinking about?”
“Trying hard not to think about what today will bring,” she told him softly. “It’s going to be bad isn’t it?”
Moose sighed heavily. “It could be but you have to remember, the cartel doesn’t give a shit about the people between them and the front lines. They will put as many people in front of them as they can and when they fall, they’ll put even more in front of them. That’s just how they work.”
“I know Luther worked that way too,” she admitted.
Moose was more than a little reluctant to bring up this part of her life, but he had too. “You know your mom wasn’t that great either right?”
Brinn hesitated then nodded. “I know. I used to look out the window and see the other people living around us. I used to watch the mothers and daughters and I knew my mom wasn’t acting like their mothers were. I would watch their eyes when they looked at their children. I saw the caring and love in them.” She hung her head and he felt the hot tears and her next words broke his heart all over again. “They loved their kids and it showed. I think my mom hated me and I never knew why. What had I done to incur her wrath? Why couldn’t she just love me? Was I so hard to care about?”
Moose tightened his hold on her. “I doubt you did anything for her to hate you so much. Some people just shouldn’t be parents and she’s one of them.”
She rested her head on his chest. “I always knew there was something wrong in the way I was raised but it was all I knew. She always had bad taste in men before and I tried to stay away when she had company, so I was left alone all too often. Then we moved in with Luther and after that, it got really bad. Neither of them wanted to see me or hear from me, so I was a ghost in that house.”
“Well, you’re not there anymore and you never have to go back,” Moose assured her.
“You say you want to keep me but while I want to stay, I’m also afraid.”
“What are you afraid of?” he asked softly.
“I’m not like other women,” she whispered her fear. “I’m twenty four years old and I’ve never been to school. I can read and I’ve tried to do as well as I could but I know I’m not as smart as a twenty four year old woman needs to be. I don’t think I could hold a job anywhere because I’ve never been allowed to try. How will I live on the outside if I can’t hold a job? How will I pay rent or learn to even shop for food to feed myself?”
“I can teach you,” he told her. “I told you, you aren’t alone anymore.”
She tipped her head back to study him for a moment. “You would do that for me? Teach me?”
“I will do anything you want except let you go,” he warned her. “You are mine now and I take care of my own.”
“How could I want to leave you?” She snuggled into his arms. “You offered me safety from day one. That means something to me but you offered me so much more than just safety. I’m not with you just because I’m safe with you. I hope you don’t think that.”
Moose smiled. “Oh, I think I know that.”
She turned around again, and stared out the window. “Good, I never want you to doubt that. You mean so much more to me than just a safety net. You offer me freedom too. Freedom to be me, a me I never knew existed, a me I’m just beginning to know.”
Moose chuckled. “A me I’m beginning to know too. I can’t wait to find out more about you. The person you are discovering.”
She smiled wickedly. “A me I can’t wait to know.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “Could you teach me more about the passion we recently discovered? I like the feelings you inspire. I want to feel it again and again, as often as I can.”
“Why?” He frowned. “Why do I hear something more, something almost like a but in your statement?”
She touched the bare skin on his chest. “Because this might not last. Luther and the cartel are still out there and they could come after me any time. I want this to last the rest of my days but it may not happen and I want more memories to live on if it doesn’t. My mother always told me that if something bad happens I should go to a safe place in my own mind. She called it a safe place so the bad stuff would just go away. Well, I want memories of you in my safe place if I’m ever taken away.”
Moose swallowed hard. Her words were heartbreaking but she didn’t know he would never let that happen. If he couldn’t convince her in words then he would convince her in actions. “I can do that. I can give you enough memories to last a lifetime because we will be making new memories every day for the rest of our lives.” He then bent down and swung her up into his
arms. Walking back to the bed he laid her down carefully and began stripping her clothes off.
Then he joined her and together, they got busy making new memories.
Chapter Nine
It was mid-morning when Skeeter and Gypsy pulled into the parking lot at the compound. Both men were tired and they were glad to be home.
The pregnant girl hadn’t said a word all the way and every time Skeeter looked her way, she’d been sleeping. The other girl who refused to give him her name was glaring at him most of the way back.
When they arrived though, she looked around with interest.
Skeeter knew she’d been watching the route they’d taken since they left Laredo and he had to wonder what she was thinking now.
Gunner and several of the brothers came out of the clubhouse. They met them at the truck and Gypsy handed over the drawer Skeeter had given him the night before.
“What’s this?” Gunner asked as he passed the drawer to Boone.
“According to her...” Skeeter motioned at the woman in question. “It’s Craylon’s important papers.”
Gunner raised an eyebrow. “And she would know this how?”
She raised her head glaring at the men. “I worked in his home.”
Gunner stared her down before turning to Skeeter. “And Craylon?”
“Somebody beat us to him,” Skeeter told his prez. “He isn’t going to bother anyone ever again.”
Gunner nodded. “Well, that is good news in some ways.” He then looked at Gypsy as he assisted a heavily pregnant woman out of the vehicle. “Is that Joey’s girlfriend?”
The pregnant woman lifted her tired head and looked over at Gunner. “His girlfriend? Is that what he told you?” She shook her head. “I’m not his girlfriend. I never was. But if you ask, is this his baby? Yes it is, but he doesn’t want it or me.”
“That’s not what he says,” Boone told her.
The woman shook her head. “I’m sure it’s not.” Leaning on Gypsy’s arm she told them, “His concern is not for me or this baby, it is only for his place in the pecking order. My father is Martin Shane. As the father of his grandchild, Joey thinks he will be taken care of.” She shook her head again. “Only problem is my father hates him. He knows Joey already walked away from me once. Dad is just waiting for the baby to be born and if Joey steps up to the plate, then my father will make his move.”
Patriot stepped forward and took her inside the clubhouse. “Let’s get you to a bed and some rest.” He went on to tell her he was a doctor and she did not have to worry.
Gunner looked over at the other woman who stood beside Skeeter now. “And who are you?”
She shrugged. “I’m no one you have to worry about.”
“Ok, Ms. No One...What do you know about Craylon’s death?” Boone asked her.
“Nothing.” She sighed. “The city went crazy last night and I went to hide when I heard someone pounding on his front door. Before he could answer it, I heard whoever was banging on the door kick the door in. I didn’t see who it was but I did hear them yelling. Then I didn’t hear anything for the longest time. When I felt it was safe, I came out and found Craylon in his office with his throat cut.” She paused then motioned to Skeeter, “Then this big oaf came in. I told him I was getting out of town but he insisted I come with him.” She scowled, “The big bastard didn’t give me much of a choice.”
Skeeter shook his head at her. “I’m a bastard? You were trapped in that house working for a real bastard, remember? So don’t get it mixed up.”
She huffed as she blew hair from her face. “Whatever.”
“Do you know who busted in the front door?” Gunner asked. “Do you know who killed him?”
She shook her head. “I know the voice but I never met the man himself. I was never allowed to meet the people that came to see him.”
“What position did you hold in Craylon’s house?” Gunner wanted to know.
“I was his slave.” She snorted. “Get it? S.L.A.V.E...I didn’t have a relationship with him, because he knew I would have scratched his beady eyes out if he tried that shit. But I kept his house clean, served his meals and washed his clothes. He didn’t treat me or anyone that worked with him very well but that was just the kind of man he was.”
“Why did you stay then?” Boone wanted to know.
She turned her head to glare at him. “Because I didn’t have a choice. He threatened someone I’m close to and would have killed him if I didn’t do what he wanted. I had to stay and serve him but I hated him every single day I was there.”
Moose stepped up and peeked into the drawer. “What is all this?”
Skeeter motioned to the girl beside him. “She said the drawer held all Craylon’s important papers. I haven’t had a chance to look yet, but whatever he took from Luther’s house could be in there.”
Moose grabbed the drawer and carried it inside the clubhouse.
Skeeter motioned for the girl to follow the others inside.
She grumbled but followed them inside. Before she went any further, she turned and begged, “Please let me go. I need to go back to Laredo and get someone I love very much.”
Skeeter felt the punch to his heart. He didn’t know why but her words cut him deep. She must mean a man she was in love with. “I can’t. The city isn’t safe right now. For anyone. You know that. You saw what was happening.”
She made the sign of the Cross, briefly touching her forehead, her shoulders, and her mouth, then she turned narrowed her eyes at him with a cutting glare and walked inside.
Skeeter paused for a few seconds, then followed her in. What could he do? Nothing right now. But he intended to find out who she was protecting. The mystery of this woman bothered him. He never liked puzzles, or rather, he did, he had to admit. That was why he joined law enforcement in the first place, but this was different. It felt personal, all the sudden. He would get to the bottom of it too. Before he set her free, not after.
Moose set the drawer on one of the tables and sat down to go through it.
Brinn sat down next to him and studied the papers he set to one side.
Moose glanced at her to see her frowning. It was a clusterfuck of odd things to him as well. This might be parts of her life here. But as puzzle pieces. What they found could make or break her future. Once they found her real past and put those pieces together, she might not feel the same way about anything anymore. He let out a sigh as he reached for the next file and paused when he saw her name on the tab. He opened it and his brows furrowed as he looked over the contents. He couldn’t make any sense out of what he saw here. There appeared to be a couple of old newspaper articles. The articles were twenty-three years old as far as he could read, anyway. Something about a kidnapping in New York but half the articles had been torn off. He set them aside and looked at what else was in the drawer. It appeared to be a blood test of some sort but there wasn’t a name on the top of the test.
The next page was a copy of a ransom note. The letters were cut out of a magazine and the words weren’t really clear. Like one of those stupid things, you saw in movies. It was almost as if the sender hadn’t even gone to school. Moose shook his head as he read the note a couple of times.
He looked up and saw Gunner and Boone standing not too far from him. He got up and moved over to where they were and handed each of them a piece of the evidence he found. Silently, he handed the note to Gunner and the news articles to Boone.
Both men read them and frowned as well. Then they exchanged the information.
Gunner shook his head. “What the hell does all this mean?”
“Not sure,” Boone stated. “Maybe Rigger could find the original articles and we could get a better idea of what they mean.”
“But what did this tell Craylon and why was he so interested in Brinn?” Moose wanted to know.
“It’s anyone’s guess right now.” Gunner shrugged. “To find that answer, we need to dig a little deeper into these articles.”
All three
men looked back at Brinn.
She seemed to be trying to read something in another file.
Moose turned back to Gunner and Boone. “Do you know she never got the chance to go to school? That she had to teach herself to read? I’m not even sure she knows how to write her own fucking name.” He growled. “Whoever raised her, never should have been a parent.”
“That’s something we all know.” Gunner nodded. “But the real question is was the woman she called her mother, really her mother?”
While Gunner was holding the articles, he more or less asked his thoughts aloud, “Why would the woman even keep articles that were about a child being kidnapped? What’s up with the blood test? Whose blood test is it?” He shook his head. “Too many questions, not enough answers. And why did Craylon have all of this anyway?”
“But we’ll get the answers right?” Moose asked hopefully.
“Oh yeah, we’ll figure this out. For her sake, if for nothing else,” Boone stated.
“Just remember, she’s mine now. She’s not going anywhere. Not without me.” Moose growled.
“Let’s figure this out first,” Gunner told him. “Then it will be up to her won’t it? I know you got a claim on her and she knows it too. I know you’ll be there for her no matter what we find out but first, we have to figure all of this out.”
“You keep forgetting one thing here.”
They heard a voice from behind Moose. They all turned around and found Brinn standing there.
“What’s that sweetheart?” Gunner asked.
“I have a choice here,” she told them. “For the first time in my life, I have a voice and I have a choice. No matter what you all might find, it’s still my choice to act on it.” She motioned to Moose. “He taught me that. When he took me out of that stinky room in McAllen, he claimed me but he also gave me a choice. He offered me protection but he said, I could walk away if I chose to do so. I stayed with him because he was the first person in my life that asked me what I wanted. I stayed because he showed me the things I could do if I chose to do them. I won’t walk away from him now, not because I want my freedom. He taught me that I could have both. Him and my freedom. He’s willing to let me explore this world if I choose too, but I’ll know he’s right behind me all the way. He’s not telling me I can’t do something, he’s willing to show me the way to do it. To me, that means the world.”