by Erin Osborne
I’m almost finished packing when the guys show up to load my belongings into the truck. I’m leaving most of my things behind for Patience. The only things I really need are my clothes and personal belongings. Everything else I bought when I moved in can be used by Patience.
“Shy, girl, you ready?” Slim asks, walking into my room as I get the last of my clothes out of the dresser and put them in a basket.
“Yep. Everything here is going. The rest I’m gonna leave for my cousin,” I answer.
“Okay. I’ll get the guys up here. You got everythin’ from the bathroom already?” he asks, knowing my obsession with lotions and perfumes.
I may also be obsessed with changing the color of my nails too. In a box that I’ve kept in my closet is an array of different colored nail polishes. Not too many people know that I often change it out every week; they don’t pay enough attention to me.
“I got all that. But I want to do something while you guys get everything over to your house. I’ll meet you there later on,” I tell him.
“What’s goin’ on, Shy girl?” he asks, pulling me up against his hard body.
“I want to take Patience into town and get her the nursery set she’s been eyeing. She doesn’t have the money for it. Now that I won’t be here, she can get that set up. I also want to talk to the girls about throwing her a baby shower. Patience doesn’t know anyone here and I want her to feel comfortable around everyone,” I say.
“Okay, Shy girl. You two do that, but you’re gonna take Alex with you. Maybe even Zach. I don’t want there to be another run-in with Collette. We don’t know where she’s at or what game she’s tryin’ to play.”
I nod my head and reach up on my toes to give Slim a kiss. He’s got a club full of people to protect and they’re already stretched thin. But I want to do this for my cousin. She needs to know that we’re going to be here for her and not feel so alone. Patience gave up her life where she had friends and knew everyone to start over. She chose to protect her unborn child over remaining comfortable and in her element.
When Slim leaves my room to send the guys up, I take one more look around. There’s nothing else I need in here other than the things to be taken downstairs. The stuff I packed from the bathroom is even in here already so my stuff isn’t all over the place when the guys get ready to take it out of here.
Knowing that everything is done, I walk to my cousin’s room. The door opens as she sits on her bed, looking at something in her hands. There’s a look of loneliness on her face. Knocking on the doorjamb, I wait for her to turn her attention to me before walking into the room.
“You leaving?” she asks, hiding the picture she’s holding.
“The guys are getting ready to load everything up. But we’re leaving before them,” I tell her.
“What do you mean? We don’t have plans,” she says, confusion marring her beautiful face.
“We do now. We’re going to town for a little bit. Come on,” I say, holding out my hands to help her off the bed.
Patience and I make our way downstairs and out the door. Slim’s already moved my car so the guys could get the truck in the driveway and closer to the house. I tell them all goodbye before making sure that Alex and Zach are ready to follow us into town.
The short drive is filled with laughter as Patience and I talk about moving and the paths our lives have taken on. She’s one of the few that know my past and I’m ready to move on. I’ve always let it cloud me and haunt me in ways that make me reserved and shy. That all changes now though.
If I’m going to be with Slim, I need to grow the backbone I used to have. I need my sass and the fire that used to burn bright inside my soul. Before I wasn’t timid or shy, I went after every single thing I wanted out of life. That girl’s been missing for a long time.
Pulling up in front of the little shop Patience saw the nursery set in, I shut the car off and watch as Alex parks his bike next to us. Zach is across the street, sitting on his bike while he waits for us. I guess Alex will be the one standing outside the door of the store while we shop.
Patience follows me inside and I grab a cart. I’m getting her more than just the crib, chair, and changing table. We’re going to get her a few more maternity clothes and I’m getting some things for the baby. Everything will be in gender-neutral colors because Patience decided she didn’t want to find out what she’s having.
As we walk through the store, I get an eerie feeling, almost like someone is watching us. Looking around the store, there’s no one other than the clerk sitting behind the counter on her phone. The door leading to the back room is closed and there’s no fitting room in here. Alex is still standing outside looking relaxed and calm. He’s keeping an eye on every person walking down the street and every car driving by. The way he’s supposed to when he’s out with us.
Shaking off the feeling, I continue shopping with my cousin. Before I know it, the cart is full and we’re standing at the counter. As the cashier rings up what we’ve loaded in the cart, I slip in the tags for the furniture that I’m buying. Patience doesn’t know about it and I want to surprise her.
“Patience, why don’t you go look at those receiving blankets. I think we need one more pack of them,” I say, wanting to get her away so I can arrange delivery without her knowing.
My cousin nods her head and as soon as she’s far enough away, I look at the young cashier.
“I need this furniture delivered as soon as possible please,” I say, uncovering the tags for her.
“Let me see when I can get it to you,” she says, pulling a clipboard from under the counter. “It looks like we can have it there later today. Dave won’t be in until after lunch, but there’s nothing else on the books for today.”
“Thank you,” I tell her.
Patience comes back over with a pack of blankets and adds them to the growing pile of things I’m getting for her. I know this is killing her that she can’t get the things she needs by herself. As she’s been growing and learning who she is, Patience has found her independence and wants to do things on her own. But, right now, she needs help and I’m giving her what she needs.
The cashier rings everything up and I pay the bill while Alex comes in and begins to load up all the bags. He takes my keys so he can get them in the car while we go out and grab a drink before heading back to the house.
As soon as we walk into the small coffee shop, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Glancing around the shop, I see Collette is sitting at a table in the back. Two cups of coffee are sitting on the table, but she’s alone. Either she’s waiting for someone, or someone that didn’t want to be seen making a hasty retreat.
Collette’s eyes immediately zoom in on mine. A smirk covers her face as she stands and begins to make her way over to me. I brace myself for the confrontation that I’m sure is coming. Collette is an evil bitch and blames everyone else for her problems instead of accepting responsibility for her actions.
“If it isn’t the Phantom Bastards slut. I’m surprised they let you out,” Collette sneers.
“I do what the hell I want to do,” I answer.
“With everything going on, I don’t know how they can let you out of their sight,” she says, venom lacing her voice.
“I don’t know what the fuck your problem is, but it’s not me. Just because you’re a bitch that can’t get out of her own way, doesn’t mean it’s everyone else’s fault. You need to get over yourself and maybe then you’ll find some scrap of happiness.”
“You’ve always been my problem. Thinking your shit don’t stink when you’re no better than anyone else. But it’ll all be over with soon enough. Your time is coming, Shy, and I’m going to be there when you get what’s coming to you,” she says.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, trying to gain information for Slim and the guys.
“You’ll find out. It won’t be long now.”
Collette walks out of the coffee shop and I know that I have to get back to Slim. He need
s to know what’s going on with Collette and what’s she’s said to me today. But I hear the rumble of a bike firing up and I’m sure one of the guys is following that bitch. I may not know much, but I know the club is looking for her and trying to figure out who she’s been hanging with.
Alex comes in the store with us and doesn’t leave our side as we wait for our juices to be brought over. I don’t question his actions or the fact that Zach isn’t here. With one look, Alex lets me know that we need to hurry the fuck up. He’s not comfortable being here, out in the open where anything can happen.
The second we get back to the house, Alex unloads my car and tells me that Zach will be here in a few minutes to follow me over to the clubhouse and then Slim’s house. Since Slim is at the clubhouse now, that’s where he wants me to go first. He’s impatiently waiting for me to get there so he can hear what’s going on.
Chapter Sixteen
Slim
YESTERDAY THAT BITCH Collette managed to get close to Shy. Again. Zach followed her to find out where the hell she’s staying, but she managed to slip past him.
Collette ran a red light and almost caused a massive pile-up with cars and a tractor-trailer to get away from the Prospect. Everyone is pissed that she’s managed to give one of us the slip, but there’s nothing we can seem to do about it. She’s used to running and has mastered the art of getting away.
Fox has been trying to hack into the town’s cameras, but he’s had no luck finding her. He’s set up an alert so if she uses a credit card or tries to get any form of credit, he’ll be the first one to know. Then we’ll head out and catch her where she is. One way or another, Collette will answer to us and we’ll find out what’s going on.
As soon as Shy got in the clubhouse, I pulled her into my arms and took a deep breath. I inhaled her scent and the fact she was safe in my arms. We didn’t hang out long, I wanted to get her home and let her see our new house. I haven’t done anything to it, but from the look on her face as soon as we pulled up, I’ll say I did a good job.
The house itself is an old farmhouse with a large wraparound porch. When you walk in the door, you enter a foyer that has a large chandelier hanging to light up the room and the staircase leading upstairs. Off to the left is the living room. On the right is a den that I plan on making my office, so I don’t have to go to the clubhouse constantly to work. At the back of the house are the laundry room, a bathroom, and a large kitchen. There’s not a separate dining room because the kitchen is so massive.
Upstairs, there are five bedrooms and a bathroom. The master bedroom is at the back of the house and has an en suite and a walk-in closet. So far, the only thing we’ll have to do is replace the carpets and paint. It’s nothing that can’t be done while we’re living here.
Any other upgrades, I’ll leave for Shy to decide what she wants to do. She’s going to feel comfortable here and make this place our home. So, I’ll be happy to let her make whatever decisions she needs to be making.
When we got in bed last night, I listened to Shy talk about everything she wanted to do with the house. We’re on the same page as far as wanting to change the paint and carpeting in the house. She’s also got some big dreams for the kitchen. Dreams that I’ll gladly make happen.
The second we walk through the doors of the clubhouse, I know something’s wrong. There’s an eerie feeling permeating the air and the men sitting around the common room are quiet.
We’re all on edge right now because we want to find out what’s going on with Snake’s Revenge and what their next move is going to be. They’ve already shown us they don’t have a problem going after women and kids with the pictures that keep getting delivered at the gates. Add in the fact that we can’t keep tabs on Collette and it adds another layer to the shitstorm we’re all dealing with.
Fox comes barreling down the hallway and makes his way right to me.
“I was just gettin’ ready to call you. A few hours ago, I got an alert of a disturbance at Shy’s house. We need to roll out,” he says.
“I’m going,” Shy says, hearing what I’ve just been told.
“I don’t know what we’re walkin’ into. I don’t want you there,” I tell her, gearing up for the fight we’re about to have.
“I don’t care. Patience is my cousin and she hasn’t met the guys. She won’t be comfortable. Let me go,” she answers.
“Call her and make sure she’s okay,” I say.
Shy pulls her phone out of her pocket and finds her cousin’s information before clicking on it. Her eyes never leave mine as the phone rings and rings. There’s no answer which results in a panicked look in her eyes. Her body goes rigid as she hangs up and immediately calls her cousin back.
“Let’s go!” I holler out, getting everyone’s attention as we all leave the clubhouse.
Shy follows me to my bike and I help her climb on after I’ve gotten on. She wraps her arms around me and we take off. There’s no formation for our ride out this morning. Instead, there’s an urgency to get to Shy’s house and find out what’s going on with her cousin.
The ride seems to take forever, but in all reality takes less than fifteen minutes to get to the house. Parking my bike, Shy hops off and waits for me. She is filled with a need to run into the house and get to her cousin, but she’s letting me go first since we don’t know what we’re about to walk into.
As soon as we get close enough, we see Zach lying on the porch. A puddle of blood surrounds his head. Hound races to him and checks for a pulse. He’s got one, thank God. I watch as Hound pulls out his phone and calls for an ambulance. We don’t know what’s going on with Zach and the best place for him is the hospital.
“Don’t know that I want you goin’ in the house,” I tell Shy, trying to shield her from seeing Zach.
“It’s my cousin and my house. I’ll be the one to go in if only one person goes. Patience doesn’t even really know you and won’t be comfortable around you alone,” she tells me.
“We don’t know what we’re walkin’ into, Shy. I don’t want you to see shit that’s gonna fuckin’ hurt you,” I say.
“I understand that. Look, I appreciate that you don’t want me to get hurt if something’s been done to Patience. But I’ll see one way or another so it’s best to stop arguing about it and just get in there.”
Shy pushes past me and opens the door to the house. It’s not locked and that’s a concern. I’m on her ass by the time she steps foot in the living room of her house. The downstairs of Shy’s house is completely destroyed. Lamps are broken, furniture is overturned, and Shy’s in tears as she continues to look around.
“Patience!” she yells out, beginning to take off for the stairs.
I follow Shy upstairs and we find Patience lying on the floor in the hallway. She’s been beaten bloody and we can hear her moaning as we get close to her. Shy collapses to her knees next to her cousin’s head and cries. Patience looks up at her and utters one word.
“Baby,” she says.
Shy immediately looks up and notices that the lower half of Patience is soaked. She must have gone into labor. I watch as she closes her eyes and Shy grabs her hand. My woman murmurs to her cousin while I look on. There’s nothing I can do to help her out and I feel so useless.
“Make sure the EMTs come up to get her,” Shy says, pulling me from my head.
“I will, Shy girl. Do you want me to leave you two up here?” I ask, not knowing what to do. “The house needs to be checked before anyone else gets here.”
“No. Do what you gotta do, Slim. We’ll be fine here.”
Standing up, I make my way through the rooms upstairs before heading back downstairs. I’m just walking back up from the basement when I hear the sirens from the ambulances getting here. I walk to the door so I can make sure that someone makes it up to Patience. If she’s in labor like we think then they need to check on her and get her to the hospital now. Especially when we don’t know what her injuries are.
As soon as the EMTs load up Zach a
nd Patience, I tell Shy to go with her cousin. She looks in my direction before climbing in the ambulance so she can be with her family. I’ll make my way there, but for now, we need to figure out what the hell is going on here and who did this.
There’s cops in the house looking around for clues while two went to the hospital with Zach and Patience. They want to talk to them as soon as they’re able to about what happened here today. Meanwhile, we’ve already told the cops that we don’t know anything about what happened. We came to check on Patience and this is what we found. I’m not sure whether they believe us or not, but they didn’t say a word against us.
Nodding my head for the guys to follow me further into the yard and away from any prying cops, they don’t need to hear what we say because they’ll only get in our way of dishing out our own form of justice.
“Did you get anythin’ from the footage?” I ask Fox.
“Not a fuckin’ thing. I’ll have to look at the system here before I know anything more,” he says.
“You think this has anythin’ to do with the pictures and shit that have been gettin’ delivered?” Playboy asks.
“It’s possible. I don’t put anythin’ past those Snakes. For now, I want the women and kids brought in and no one is to be alone. I have to get to the hospital to be there for Shy. Call me as soon as anyone finds somethin’ out,” I say, dismissing my brothers so I can get to my woman. She’s going to be the one that needs me right now.
Playboy follows me to the hospital. He’ll stay with me while the rest of the men go and bring everyone in. I won’t leave Shy, her cousin, or Zach at the hospital alone. Even though I know Hound will be here with him.
We stop at the desk long enough to find out where the hell they took Patience. The nurse sitting there lets us know that she’s up in the maternity ward. Shy’s been alone more than long enough so I practically run up the stairs instead of taking the elevator to the third floor. Playboy’s right on my heels as we make our way up there.
As soon as I burst through the door, my eyes scan the area for Shy. I can’t find her anywhere though. When I step up to the desk, there’s no one there. I’m losing patience, quickly, and my son can feel it.