by A. C. Bextor
Knowing I need to find Sadey and Mace and tell them about those pictures turns my stomach sour. Fuck, those girls don’t deserve this fear and the message that was on the back of those pictures will certainly make them believe the worst is coming for them. How in the hell do you tell someone you love that they are being hunted like prey and the person hunting them is actually a fucking animal?
Hood said Cherry was on her way back to us. He never mentioned when or how, this doesn’t sit easy with me either since the threat of my girls lingers so blatantly. If whoever is really behind this is contemplating a trade of women of sorts then I will be ready, they won’t get another taste on my watch.
I need to rally my inside guys and have them take a closer look at the boys in our club, making sure no one’s hands are dirty. Greyson knows my boys, he’s been around them enough to see how the inside works. He would only have to find a weakness in one of them and attempt to put enough doubt in their minds and poison them against the Peril family. In all my time belonging to Peril this has never been a threat. This is the telling knowledge that it is personal, just don’t know to whom yet. I won’t really know this until I find out who the mastermind really is. I don’t think I’m overthinking this either. Has to be someone that knows us all and carries one big damn grudge.
Certainly Mace and Sadey have no quarrels with anyone, hell Sadey doesn’t talk to anyone outside our group and Mace works at the damn public library. Greyson loved Mace, I don’t believe he would kill her even if he was ordered, could be wrong though.
Then there’s Peyton, I don’t know enough about that woman to decide if she carries a threat. Mace told me that her parents are no longer in the picture. Unsure if they are still alive. She comes from a shit past maybe one of them see either of my girls as threat against them somehow, if they are still alive.
Shame and I have enemies, that’s common in our life; however I run a clean shop and we do not deal in drugs or women so if either of us has pissed anyone off, it has to be from the past that is now catching up to us.
Fuck, if it isn’t good to be home though.
I didn’t have long to revel in my thankful homecoming. As I pull off my helmet I hear screaming from all the way inside the Club. It’s one of the girls too, but between the two of them it’s hard to decipher which, since the fear of either one of them being hurt fuckin’ frightens me straight to my bones.
“OH MY GOD. GO! WE HAVE TO GO!” I hear it again. Go where? Shame dismounts as fast as I do and we signal to the others to remain here, in case something is going down and we require surprise backup. Five pissed off and adrenaline wired men could do a lot of damage if needed.
Finally making my way to the front door I see Sadey holding the phone and Kegs and Mace are trying to pry it from her but she’s got a death grip on it and isn’t giving it up.
“What the fuck is going on dammit?” I roughly grab the phone from a visibly dazed Sadey.
Click. The line goes dead as soon as I put it to my ear. Whoever called must have heard me and hung up in a hurry. Jesus, these really are pussies we are dealing with.
“Cherry… she’s... Hem... they said she’s...” Sadey can’t talk so I look to Mace in anger hoping to get this shit out.
“Mace! What the fuck is it?”
“She’s at the lake, Hem. They called and a robot voice came on and told us she was at the lake. She could be hurt... or she could be dead. Hem we have to at least go look.” Mace is pulling her shit together for me, not the time to be proud of her for it, but I am.
“THERE’S NO ‘WE’ ABOUT IT MACE! You stick your ass here and not leave this house, do you understand me?” I’m roaring so loud I hear blood in my ears but damn if that woman isn’t thinking. She’s going nowhere.
Shame now has hold of her and he’s trying to pull her to him but she is on her way out of her mind, along with Sadey. This is exactly the chaos I’m trying to avoid. The girls don’t even know about the threat that was printed in those pictures. Thank fuck I locked those up on our way out.
“Shame, get the boys before they unload. Add Ace to the mix and head out to the lake and you call me before you step foot on that perimeter. If she’s really there in plain sight, then you grab her or call 911. You decide which option is best, I trust you brother. We can handle the law, fuck may need them on our side in this.”
Shame only nods, not wanting to add worry to the girls. He kisses Mace on the temple and walks out the door but not before Mace follows him quickly and holds him tight to her. With the calling coming in just as we pulled up, she hadn’t had a chance to thank the lord for bringing him home from Hood’s company safely. She’s blind to the fact that Hood isn’t a threat anymore, what we have now is much greater and uglier.
*****
--MACE--
My brother has holed himself securely up in his office while he waited to hear from Shame first. I am waiting for a call from Shame myself, but know he has to talk shit through with Hem during this operation but finally I get my call. Three hours is a long time to wait for this news, almost thought my damn phone wasn’t working. The phone doesn’t get a second to finish the first ring and I’m on it, “Hello! Shame? What’s happening?”
“She’s headed to the hospital now Sweetheart. Took a while for us to find her, it was a lot of ground to cover. We found her though, okay? She’s alive and I’m sorry but I don’t know much more than that. Get with Sadey, Hem, Honor and whoever else he wants and meet us at Memorial as soon as you can. Ace and I are on the bikes en route there now.”
“Okay Shame. I will.” I’m about to hang up the phone and I hear him again.
“Mace? You still there? I love you baby.”
“I love you Shame, see you in a few.” If he and I weren’t able to communicate how we felt in words before this mess, we are now. It brings emotions racing to the surface and not telling the ones you love how you feel isn’t an option, it’s a requirement.
I’m riding in Sadey’s car on the way to Memorial Hospital, she’s driving and we aren’t talking because we are each trying to process this. Cherry is alive and we are both thankful but we don’t know what kind of condition we are going to find her in. We have no idea how she got to the lake or who the caller was that informed us of where she was.
God, we really thought she had just had enough of this life and took off. I was almost happy for her because maybe she finally realized she was better than just a piece that she saw herself as. Guilt is eating me because I know I didn’t do enough to find her, just in case something happened to her.
Hem and Shame both haven’t said much about the meet with Hood, not that there has been any time. It’s so dark out now that Shame probably doesn’t know the extent of damage to Cherry since he only saw her near the lake, as she sat outside in the elements. We don’t know how long she was waiting for us to find her there.
“Mace, do you think she will make it?” Sadey is crying, I hadn’t noticed while deep in thought.
“I don’t know any more than you Sade, but we can pray on it right? How are you feeling? I mean with the baby? Are you okay? The last two days have been a lot for you to handle, and I’m sure your stress level has been wearing you out.”
“Yeah. I’m alright. With everything going on, I haven’t even had time to think about the morning sickness that was starting. I’m so sorry for Cherry, I just don’t even know how to help her. Have you talked to Peyton lately? Is she safe?” She sounds small and she’s so worried. Shit I hadn’t even thought about checking in on Peyton. I’m going to send her a quick text and if I don’t get a response I’m going to have Hem find someone to get to her.
*ME: Hey girlfriend! How’s it going? Things are nuts here and I won’t be at work again tomorrow. Tell Gramma I’m sorry but I swear I will make it up to her. Tell her I will have Sadey make her famous chocolate chip muffins!
This was my attempts to keep things light, Peyton is a worrier and can sense fear. Her past gave her that horrible ability.
<
br /> *PEYTON: I’m not home but I’m supposed to call Gramma tonight. Derek and I are heading to Montana for a week. Don’t go all Mama Bear either. He wants me to meet his family. They have a farm, how am I going to pull off cowboy boots? Not my thing. Ughz! Are you alright? You are kinda scaring me a little.
Whew, thank you Derek! She’s actually out of this whole damn state. What a relief that is to me. I need to get rid of her before we arrive at the hospital without alarming her.
*ME: Oh yeah, I’m way fine. Just crap with Hem is all. He will be fine, just don’t want to leave him alone right now. You know what a big baby he is ;) Tell Derek I said hi and I will talk to you soon. Love ya, sista.
I’m such a fraud!
We find our way to the room they have admitted Cherry to. Doctors told Hem that she’s in bad shape. They have induced a 24 hour coma until they can determine extent of her injuries and this will also help with her pain. I hate that, how do they know or anyone know that just because you are asleep you don’t feel pain? Can she hear us if we talk around her? No one knows this so I’m going to be sure we aren’t adding to her already stressed condition.
“Doctor said she’s in critical, you do not need the detail of her injuries Mace, so do not fuckin ask me, you got that? Just matters now that we are here and she’s alive. We will see her soon enough. Kegs was here a few minutes ago, she couldn’t stomach it so Honor took her back and will stay with her tonight. She’s got to stay at the Club, if Cherry was a target then it leaves Kegs wide open to threat as well.”
Hem is in big brother mode. He’s attempting to put the bubble of protection over Sadey and me but we’ve seen too much now. His attempts are futile.
“I won’t ask Hem, but if she makes it and she wants to talk about it I’m going to listen, you can’t control that.”
“I know Sis. I’m sorry this has happened to your friend. I really am. I will handle the fucker that did this though, for both Cherry and for Winnie. What a mess.” He’s so exhausted. When things happen in his life, they happen quickly, not leaving him too much time to think.
“Sadey has already slid into Cherry’s room and I hear her sobbing so I need to go in there and be with her.” Hem looks pissed that Sadey helped herself into a visit. Sadey is definitely better at the mothering but I’m stronger when it comes to matters of death.
“Alright.” Hem gives me a side hug and letting me go he pushes me towards Cherry.
As I step into Cherry’s room, Sadey turns around to look at me in horror. “Look at her Mace. Look what someone did to her. I don’t even know if this really is her? It is isn’t it? The boys aren’t wrong are they?” Her face is bandaged almost completely. She left eye is covered and her right is swollen completely shut.
I grab Sadey by the shoulder and pull her to me as we stand on the side of the bed looking at our friend. “We’re here, she knows we are here and when she’s ready she will come to us. Believe in that, okay?”
*****
It has been an insane couple of days. Twelve hours ago our boys came back from a secret meeting with Hood. Four hours after, our friend was found alive. We are now waiting for a hospital call to tell us she’s awake so we can go in and see her, talk to her and let her know she’s not alone and we are here for her no matter what frame she’s in or what she went through during the ordeal.
Hem has called a meeting of all brothers and even the ladies at the Club are required to attend this one. He has only advised us that he has an announcement. This has never happened before so I’m a little perplexed as to what Hem is putting into play. Sadey assumes he knows about the baby, and to be honest it wouldn’t surprise me but I don’t think he has any idea right now. I can’t see Hem calling a meeting of everyone to tell us he knows about the baby. When he does know and no matter what is going on in his life, he will stop time to maul the love of his life and thank her for giving him this gift. His mind is somewhere else right now and for the first time since all this shit started I’m glad Hem doesn’t have to think about the baby. Unconditional love complicates everything and his mind needs to stay as uncomplicated as possible for now.
Hem stands at the front of his meeting room and starts in without delay, “Look I’m about to make this quick because we all have shit to do, I’m going to get directly to the point. During the chaos here the yesterday, someone was able to make it to my office. This someone had to know exactly where I work from in the house. Pictures were found in the drawer. Pictures of Cherry before, during, and after her capture. These pictures were not pretty. That’s all I’m saying about it so do not ask further questions. Now for my orders. Ladies, you are to stay put and remain here, do you understand? You are not to leave until we have more of an idea where the threat is. There have been threats made to my family members and I take them all very seriously. Whoever did this to Cherry has an agenda, a big one. You will be helping me protect you by doing what I tell you and if you could do this without bitching and moaning it will help. Your complaints will fall on deaf ears and if needed, I’m not beyond forcing you to stay out of harm. Men, you are keeping your ear to ground. Anyone breathes wrong then I want to know about it. Anything suspicious and you are to come directly to me, got that?”
Collectively and in silence everyone nods and agrees.
“Cherry is awake now, just got the call from the nurse’s station at Memorial. She’s allowed only one visitor at a time and only one every hour for about 15 minutes. She’s not out of woods so it will only be those that she asks to see get to visit. Again, are we clear?”
Met with more silence, just nods.
“Mace, you and Sadey are first in line after me. I need her alert and awake to get the information I need from her, round up Kegs because she’s asking for her. We leave in 30. That’s it folks and stay safe.”
As ever Hem, short and to the point.
I feel a hand around my hips and I’m reassured knowing Shame is behind me. In all the chaos it has been a comfort to have refuge in knowing Shame and I are together. “Hey baby, you ready to see her?”
“No Shame. I’m really not. She’s not ever going to be the same person and that guts me. Until this is all hashed out, none of us will be able to relax. Let me find Kegs, she was outside earlier and she wasn’t looking too good.”
“I know that baby, let’s go though okay? She’s waiting for her family to get there and Kegs does look messy right now waiting to get this over with.”
*****
Hem comes out of Cherry’s room and he looks livid. His fury is radiating off of him and it consumes the entire waiting room. We are all wanting to talk to Cherry, one by one. Hem nods at Shame and they start to walk out of the room but not before Shame gives me a reassuring kiss to the crown of my head and holds me tight briefly before letting me go. The nurse just left after giving Cherry another round of antibiotics through her IV to help her avoid infections. She signals to me that I can go in and although Sadey and I both know the rules, we just don’t give a rat’s ass right now. We are going in, together. As soon as the nurse steps out of sight we rush in, holding hands.
Cherry doesn’t look any different from yesterday but her swollen eye is open a bit now and she has tears coming through it. Unsure if she’s in pain or if she’s upset from her visit with Hem. She’s got so much to be upset about I don’t know where to even start talking to her. Kegs folded out of visiting just yet so Honor took her for coffee before she comes in. Of all of us, this has affected her the most. When she thinks about what happened to Cherry, it hits her that it very well could have been her instead.
“Hi.” Cherry speaks but it was hard to understand even that. I’m guessing she probably has some broken teeth to go along with that broken body. Her arm is wrapped up in a cast and most of her upper body is bandaged in some way. Her legs lay straight down on the bed, looks like all of her damage was actually limited to just the waist up, such a ridiculous thing to be thankful for, but I am. It is devastating to see her like this.
&nb
sp; “Hey there baby, Kegs wanted to come in but I told her we were first. She went to get some coffee but she will be up soon, okay?”
“No she won’t. This is too close to her. She won’t want to see this. I would rather she didn’t if that’s okay? She and I are the only family the other really has. Just because we are considered trash, even trash has family.”
That makes me sadder than I already was. I feel guilty, at one time I considered them both trash as well. I was so wrong. They are human, just as Winnie was and Bloom is, just that Cherry is so much softer than the others, even Kegs. She was so quiet and kept to herself, until that night Shame tried for her and Kegs together, I hadn’t even ever heard her talk.
I step toward the bed, Sadey at my side and I touch her hand. She jumps a little on contact but she lets me hold it loosely. “So, are you comfortable? Are the nurses helping? Is there anything you need? All you have to do is ask, I mean that. Whatever you need, we are here.”
“No. I’m fine. Did you talk to Hem? I told him everything. He was so angry, Mace. I didn’t think he would even really care much but once he asked who it was and I explained that it was Greyson that grabbed me he…”
I stop her, knowing there is no way I just heard her right. “What? What did you say? I’m sorry, I…” Shit, I’m at a complete loss. Was it Greyson that called to tell us where she was? She is confused, no matter how violent he is, I don’t believe he would do this.
“Yes Mace, stop looking at me like that. I know what I heard. I know what I felt and I sure know what I saw. He told me he was doing this so that Hem would go to him, in surrender, to get what he ‘deserved’. He wants Hem dead, Mace. I knew he hated us, but shit I had never even met the man. He told me that unless Hem gives himself up to him that you or Sadey are next and he won’t be as merciful to you as he was to me.” God, she looks so scared. There was no mercy in her treatment. Wait what? Sadey or I next?