by Erin Osborne
“You’re not askin’ me for help, I’m givin’ it to you. Now, go pack enough things for a week, at least. We’ll figure the rest out later on. For now, we’re goin’ to get dinner on the way to my house and just hang out there tonight.”
Nodding my head, I go in my room to pack up some clothes and things. I’m in a daze as I grab outfits, bras, panties, shoes, before making my way to the bathroom so I can grab my essentials from there. I still want a drink, bad, but there’s no time. Tags wants to leave here as soon as possible. Actually, I want the same thing. Without knowing where the hell Scott is, I don’t know if I’m safe here or not any longer.
Chapter Ten
Tags
AS SOON AS Victoria called me, I knew something was wrong. My client had just left the room when she called. When I heard she needed me, I told Millie to cancel the rest of my appointments for the day because I was out of there. They’re used to me just taking off, assuming it has something to do with the club, so neither one of them questioned me on it.
When I got to Victoria’s place, I never once believed she’d go into as much detail as she did. I learned more about Vic in two hours than I have since we started seeing one another. Everything between us started as a bit of fun; just sex between two people. I could do anything to her as long as I didn’t force myself on her. Not that I would do that anyway. So, it was all going great. We’d call one another when we had an itch and not really communicate between those times.
Soon, we’d text one another more frequently. Just to talk about our days or whatever was on our minds at the time. Now, I wonder if she was attempting to use me as a way not to drink. As if us talking would hold her off on consuming anything because she’d worry if I would be able to tell she was drunk. While I’m sure she could’ve come up with reasons to give me, maybe she didn’t want to. Or knew I’d go to her so I could check-in personally with her. Thoughts are filling my mind rapidly as I wonder what’s been holding her back from sharing her tragedy from me. Or anyone else she knows.
Seeing the messages from the soon-to-be dead motherfucker, had me seeing red. My vision started to glaze over while my body begins to tremble. I want to run out to find this fucker and maim, torture, and finally kill him. Scott will die a slow death, one he’ll feel every single ounce of fear, pain, regret, grief, and everything he has ever put my woman through. Victoria is mine. She has a little bit of time to try and get her shit together before I push harder and ensure she gets better for herself.
After getting dinner from the diner in town, we head to my house. I have one just past the clubhouse on the outskirts of town. When I joined the club and started making money, I saved every penny I could until I had enough to buy the house outright. There’s no mortgage I have to pay, and I can do anything I want to it. Hell, if I want to, I can tear it down and start all over. Not that I would, but it’s an option.
On the way home, I constantly check my mirror to make sure we’re not being followed. No one is behind us. Not many people follow the road to the clubhouse, so I know we're home free once we’re there. If anyone comes up behind us now, they’re definitely following us because of Victoria. So, I remain vigilant while we’re on the road. When we pull into my driveway, instead of leaving my bike like I normally do, I pull straight into the garage attached to the house. This way, I can search the place while I keep her out of view from anyone. Not many people know I have this house though. Well, at least not many outside the club.
“Stay here,” I order her as I open the door, pull my gun from the waist of my jeans, and stealthily go through the house.
I own a one-level home. The master suite is on the same side of the house as the garage with an open floor plan for the living room, kitchen, and dining room. The opposite side of the house is where the other two rooms are. There’s also a bathroom sitting between the other two bedrooms. My basement is finished and there’s a mud room with a laundry room as you come in from the garage to the side of the living room. I have a covered porch so direct sunlight isn’t beating down on the house in the summer. It’s nice to sit out there in the evenings, listening to the sounds of nature as you unwind from the day.
Walking back through the house, I make my way to the doorway I left Victoria in. She’s standing just inside the doorway, anxious and nervous. Her body is still trembling, and her eyes are wide as she takes in my living room, kitchen, and dining room from where she stands. I haven’t done much to the house since moving in. There’s furniture here, but that’s about it. The other two bedrooms have nothing in them at this point.
The walls in the living room, kitchen, and dining room are wood. No drywall or paint is covering up the natural wood feature. My large TV hangs from the living room wall where there’s a leather sofa, recliner, and end tables sitting there. Nothing else fills the room. Other than a coffee pot, microwave, and toaster, nothing fills my counters. A table is the only piece of furniture in the dining room. My thought was I’d make this place a home when I found a woman to share it with.
Lately, I’ve been having those thoughts about Victoria, but she needs to grieve her loss, deal with her drinking, and realize if this is what she wants with me. Once she’s fully done drinking and lets me know I’m what she wants, she’s not gonna back out of it. I will claim her, regardless of what her brothers feel about the situation. Victoria will be mine once and for all and I will be letting the world know it in every possible way.
“You can come in now. I have an alarm on the house, but I wanted to make sure no one got past it. The only room I haven’t checked is the basement. The door comin’ up from there is locked with a deadbolt,” I inform her, holding my hand out to her.
She nods her head in response, taking my hand as I lead her to my bedroom. I’m not going to have her on the opposite side of the house alone with this asshole out there after her.
“This is my room. You’ll be stayin’ in here with me,” I let her know now so there’s no issues later on. “The other two bedrooms are over on the other side of the house. I don’t want to take any chances. Plus, I just want you in bed next to me.”
“Okay,” she replies, her voice timid and weak.
Victoria looks around a little bit as she sets her bag on the end of the bed. Honestly, she looks ready to pass the hell out and I don’t want to keep her up longer than necessary. The things she revealed today would wear anyone out. Emotionally, mentally, and physically she has to be wrung completely out. However, I can’t let her go to sleep just yet. I have to get some food in her system before she does.
“Come on, baby. Let’s eat so you can go to bed. I think I’ll end up goin’ to the clubhouse and givin’ the guys a heads up about what’s goin’ on. Someone will be here guardin’ you,” I inform her, knowing she won’t be comfortable here alone right yet.
We walk out to the living room and I pull the containers of food from the table in the dining room. Leading her to the living room, I sit down and place our containers on the floor while grabbing the remote off the arm next to me. Victoria sits next to me and curls back in on herself.
I hand her the container with her food in it. A grilled cheese sandwich and fries are on the menu for her tonight. Comfort food for both of us. Knowing I didn’t have anywhere to store drinks, I didn’t get any. Thinking of that, I walk to the kitchen and grab us each a bottle of water to have with our early dinner.
“Thank you,” Vic says, nibbling at her food.
I put on a movie that’s an action, not really caring what’s on the TV as we eat in silence. Honestly, it’s on simply for background noise and nothing more. I don’t give a shit if anything is on the TV, but I don’t want Victoria to get so lost in her own head it consumes her.
When we’re done eating, Victoria asks where the garbage is so I show her the can for garbage and cans and bottles. She takes her bottle of water with her to the room after letting me know she’s heading to bed. I knew it was coming. Once I know she’s asleep, I make the call to get a Prospect here so
I can head to the clubhouse. Satan will be there and he’s letting the rest of the guys know to come in for a quick church.
This is why I love my club. One call from me and they’ll all be there. I know I’ll have to deal with attitudes and shit from Torch and Pyro when they learn I know all this shit about their sister, but there’s nothing I can do about it. She needs help and we need to get on finding this fucker before he actually gets his hands on her.
Steve is at my house, watching over Victoria while I’m at the clubhouse. I told him to sit inside just in case she wakes up with a nightmare or something. He’s to stay in the living room and can grab food or whatever he wants, but he better stay the fuck away from her.
Walking in the clubhouse, I see everyone is sitting around the common room waiting on me. Satan stands and heads for church with all of us following him. Once we take our seats, he slams the gavel on the table, calling us all to order.
“Alright, Tags, you wanted this meetin’. What’s goin’ on?” he asks, looking at me.
“I got a call from Victoria while I was at the shop a little while ago,” I begin, keeping my eyes locked on her brothers.
“The fuck she call you for?” Pyro demands, slamming his hands on the table.
“I’ve been seein’ her since she was at the clubhouse the last time. We’ll debate this shit at a later time. For now, she’s in trouble. Pyro, I know you met her ex, Scott. He’s been messagin’ her obsessively for over a week now. Lettin’ her know he’s comin’ for her, what he’s goin’ to do to her in great detail, some sick, nasty shit. Vic hit her breakin’ point tonight and called me. Do you know what happened when they broke up?” I question her brothers since they’d be the only ones she’d confide in out of everyone here.
“No,” Torch deadpans, anger radiating from every muscle in his body.
“Not me. I was glad when they broke up. Didn’t like the fucker from the second I met him. I know him from somewhere and it’s not good. Somethin’ is blockin’ me from recallin’ where I know him from though,” he goes silent at that.
We all know where’s he’s at in his head. The day which changed his life and forever put him on a path he’ll never veer from. One where he keeps to himself and doesn’t let anyone else get close to him. I’m not sure he’ll ever let another person fully know him because of the fear he has about what will happen to them.
“I’ve got her phone with me so you all can see the messages. I’m gonna warn you now, I almost broke the fucker when I was readin’ them. Torch and Pyro, you may not want to read this shit,” I state, knowing they’re already holding on by a thread after hearing their baby sister is being fucked with.
Handing the phone over to Satan, I completely bypass Torch. He’s our go-to guy when it comes to anything tech related. This time, he needs to step back and let someone else handle it.
“What else do you know?” Satan asks me.
“I know when they broke up, he kicked her out of their house, beat her up, and called her some pretty vile names. She had a sprained wrist, cut just past her hairline, a black eye. That’s all she told me. I’m not sure if there were any other injuries,” I respond, keeping an eye on Torch.
He stands up from the table so fast, his chair slams into the wall behind him. After leveling me with a death glare, he storms from the room. Pyro isn’t far behind him. The only difference is Pyro left a fist sized hole in the wall right by the door. None of us say a word as we give them a few minutes to cool down.
“You better make this shit right with them,” Satan demands from me. “Why keep her a secret?”
“That’s what she wanted. What we both wanted in the beginnin’.”
“Now it’s different?” he questions me.
“It is. There’s also more to the story, but it’s not mine to share. I promised her I wouldn’t and I’m not about to break that confidence,” I inform the room.
“We’ll let you keep it for now. If we need it, I’ll go to her directly,” Satan states, beginning to look at the messages from Scott.
I can see the anger pouring off him as he reads through the threats. While the messages start out okay, if a bit angry, they become progressively worse as she doesn’t respond. Satan sits back in his chair just as Victoria’s brothers re-enter the room and take their seats.
“Torch, you’re off this case. I’ll call in someone else to handle the diggin’ for information,” Satan orders.
“Fuck that. This asshole is after my sister. I won’t look at her phone or the messages. Give me the fuckin’ number, his name, and I’ll make sure I keep my cool while I dig for information. Is he in town already?” Torch questions, looking at me.
“I believe he is,” I respond.
Torch nods his head before looking at Satan. Our President stares him down while he tries to figure out if he’s going to let him handle the situation. Usually, we wouldn’t do this, someone else would be called in to handle this. Torch is not one who will drop something so he’s going to be a stubborn ass until Satan lets him do this work.
“Fine. I think you’re in too deep and I’m pullin’ you. I’ll have someone on standby just in case,” Satan informs him while staring him down.
Torch nods his head. Satan goes over the messages but leaves most of the details out. He simply states what we’re up against and why I believe Scott’s already in town. If we were different men, we should have sent her away from here. Still, there’s no way in hell I’ll send her away from me now. I want her with me as long as she’ll be by my side.
“Torch, find out everythin’ you can find out about Scott. I want to know every grimy detail about him. What he wants to eat and everythin’ else you can find. Track his finances to see where he’s stayin’ here. We’ll follow him for a little while to get his routine down and go from there. If any of you see him near Victoria, get her to a safe place and call it in. Do not let him get his hands on her. Does anyone else have anythin’ to talk about tonight?” he questions us as he looks around the room. “We’ll get the Prospects on her around the clock. Is she at your place, Tags?”
“Yeah. Took her there when I read the messages. I wasn’t gonna keep her someplace I believe he knows about. We weren’t followed to the house and no one outside of you guys know about it. She’ll be safe there for as long as she needs to remain there. Torch and Pyro, we’ll talk later. I want to get back to her in case she wakes up,” I answer.
“Yeah. We’ll be havin’ a talk real soon,” Pyro responds, giving me his death glare.
“Alright, get outta here. The Prospect with you tonight will be there for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, when you get to the shop, there will be a new Prospect waitin’ so Steve can come back here,” Satan lets us know.
Standing up, I’m among the first to leave church. My only goal is to get back to my house so I can check on Victoria. She’s probably still sleeping; I still don’t want to be gone from her any longer. I don’t say a word to anyone as I walk through the common room to get to my bike. Without a doubt, I’ll see Torch and Pyro tomorrow. At the very least, I deserve a beat down from them both. I’ll take it, and we’ll hopefully move past this shit.
Chapter Eleven
Victoria
IT’S BEEN THREE days since I’ve been back to my apartment. I’ve been at Tags’ house since I filled him in on what’s been going on with me. The day after we got there, he showed up with blood covering his face, holding his ribs, and bruises filling his body. When I asked him what happened, he simply collapsed on the couch, closing his eyes. I cleaned him up, bandaged his wounds up, and put ice where any swelling was occurring.
After we finished eating dinner, he finally filled me in on what happened. Torch and Pyro got their hands on him. When they were meeting about my situation the other night, my brothers found out about us sleeping together. I wasn’t outraged about them finding out about Tags and me. However, I could have done without them finding out about it in front of the rest of the club. This was a conversation we s
hould’ve had in private with them. When we were both ready.
While I’ve been at Tags’ house, I haven’t had a drop of alcohol. My body is killing me, I’m shaking everywhere, and my body heat isn’t regulated. It’s either too cold or too hot in whatever room I’m in. At work, I’ve gotten to wearing hoodies with tee-shirts underneath. Or a tank top. Throughout the day I’m constantly switching back and forth from the hoodie to the shirt I’m wearing underneath. It’s insane. On top of all that, I feel so sick and I’m extremely tired. If I could sleep all day, every day I would at this point in time.
It’s been so bad. Tags has given me some time off. Today, I didn’t want to sit at his place, alone, so I told him I was going home for a while. I used the excuse of getting more clothes with a few other things to have them at his house for the duration I’m there. In reality, I need to have something to drink. That’s the only way I’m going to be able to get through this shit. Maybe I need to go to rehab to help me quit drinking and get my life back.
Steve is with me again. Thankfully, he’s waiting outside and refused to come in the apartment with me. The first thing I do is pack some more clothes, toiletries, and look in the refrigerator to see what kind of food is in there. Tags bought groceries and I don’t want them to go bad. Might as well take them to his house with us so they get used up.
Pulling out a bag, I begin to load the fridge contents into them so I can leave them in here until we’re ready to go. While I’m packing the food up, I take large sips from the bottle of Jack I found in the freezer. It’s one I bought after Tags came through and cleaned the place up. Several other bottles fill the floor in front of the couch, they’re on the counter, and there’s even some in the bedroom from when I had my last few days off from work.
Almost half the bottle is gone by the time I’m done with the refrigerator. I’m definitely not thinking about Scott or anything else at the moment. I almost miss the sound of the door opening as I lean against the counter and chug more of the alcohol. Turning my head as I slowly lower the bottle from my mouth, I know I’m in trouble now. Torch and Pyro fill the doorway as they take in the state of my apartment.