Our Secrets

by Erin Osborne

  She nods her head before turning around to the stove. Victoria pulls out a loaf of homemade garlic bread from the oven and sets it on top of the stove before pulling out a pan of lasagna. My woman can cook. Anything she tries to make comes out amazing. It melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more.

  “Grab the salad from the fridge?” she asks while letting the lasagna cool off for a few minutes.

  Standing up, I grab the salad and several different dressings from the refrigerator. I set everything on the table she set earlier while we were waiting for Torch to get here. He brings over bottles of water and takes a seat as Victoria begins to cut the bread and lasagna up. I walk over and help her carry it over to the table; setting it on hot pads so it doesn’t ruin the tabletop.

  We laugh, talk, joke around, and share stories we’ve all forgotten bits and pieces to. It’s a great night with awesome food. I’m glad to be here tonight. Though I know it’s time for me to head out. I don’t want Torch having something to say about me staying here. Plus, Vic didn’t mention anything about it earlier and I’m not going to push her. After helping clean up the kitchen and making sure the leftovers are taken care of, I tell everyone goodbye and head out to my bike. I can’t wait to spend more time with Victoria as we did tonight. Maybe not with Torch around, but I’ll take what I can get from her right now.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Victoria

  I’M JUST GETTING out of an appointment with Dawn as my phone goes off. Again. It’s been vibrating in my bag since I walked in for my session with her. I’ve ignored it because anyone who knows me or needs to know anything about me, understands where I am right now. There is no way in hell I’m going to interrupt my session with her to answer a call or message.

  Today was an important session too. I talked about finding out I’m pregnant again. Dawn listened as I cried, explained my fears, told her how I didn’t want to consume a drop of alcohol because I was already scared about the baby and what it’s been through while I was going through everything. My appointment with my new doctor is tomorrow. It’s grating on my nerves I don’t have answers yet. I need to make sure nothing is wrong with this baby. That I’m not going to lose it the same way I did the first time.

  She asked about Tags and whether or not he knew about the baby already. When I told her what he said about being by my side no matter what, taking things at my pace, and being there for our baby no matter what was going on, she made me see he’s truly one of the good guys. Even if I lose this baby, he’s not going to turn into Scott. He’ll be there to help me through our grief and move on without sliding back into the dark hole I found myself in the last time.

  I also let her know all of my results came back clean. That’s one less thing for me to worry about. Now, I just need to let Tags know he doesn’t have anything to be concerned about regarding sexual diseases or anything. No, I don’t think I’m ready to hop back into bed with him, but if we do take that step, we can go in with an open mind.

  “I’ll see you later tonight. You’re still coming to the meeting right?” Dawn questions me as she walks me to the waiting room.

  “Yes. I think I’m going to get up and share my experience tonight. I know I’ve been silent since attending. Today, I’m ready to talk,” I let her know.

  “That’s really good. I’m so proud of you. I know your brothers and Tags are too.”

  “Thank you,” I say, pulling her in for a hug because I don’t think I’d be this far if it weren’t for her.

  “You’re welcome. Anything you need, I’m a call away.”

  Leaving the office after confirming my next appointment, I finally dig my phone from my purse. There are several missed calls and about ten messages on my screen. All from an unknown number. Unlocking the screen, I ignore the calls for now, opening up my messages. I’m not even out of the building when my heart shatters.

  Unknown: You thought you could hide from me? Get a new number? I still got you, slut.

  Unknown: I’m watching you.

  Unknown: You’re time is up. I’m coming for you. No one will keep you safe from me.

  There are several more messages along the same lines. What has me stopping in my tracks, my heart beating out of my chest, and fear ricocheting through my body are the pictures. Pictures from inside my apartment. My bedroom with my panties laying out across my bed. Substances I don’t even want to think about covering my panties and bedding. The rest of my apartment torn to shreds. Scott has not only broken into my place, he’s found out my new number.

  I exit out of the messages and pull up Tags number. Hitting send, I place the phone to my ear and wait for him to answer.

  “Hey, baby,” he greets me.

  “Tags, I’m in trouble. Scott has my new number. He’s been in my apartment,” I inform him, my voice shaking.

  “Where are you?” he questions me, his voice deathly calm and quiet.

  “I’m at the counsellors office. I was just getting ready to leave when I pulled out my phone. It was going off my entire session,” I state.

  “Okay. Stay there. We’re on our way to get you. Where is Axel?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since I came inside. It doesn’t look as if he’s in the parking lot anymore,” I tell him, my eyes scanning the lot for a bike while I remain inside the doors.

  “I’m comin’, baby. Give me ten minutes tops,” he demands. “Don’t leave the safety of the buildin’. I’ll keep you on the line, but I won’t be able to say anythin’.”

  “Okay. Please hurry,” I plead with him, knowing he’ll get here as soon as possible.

  “One of you try callin’ Axel,” I hear him order in the background as his bike starts up.

  Keeping my phone to my ear, I don’t move a muscle. I’m not sure I can right now. Torch was going to try and talk to Pyro today about some things so Axel, one of the Prospects, was supposed to be watching me. Plus, it was another thing to check off my list of things I can do on my own. It seems as every single time I take a few steps forward, Scott wants to knock me back miles. This is not going to work the way he wants it to. I’ll die before I let him take me.

  I’m lost in my head, thinking about things other than Scott when I hear the roar of several bikes pulling into the parking lot. There are a few people walking in the building for appointments who start running to get out of their way. While I remain just inside the doors, Tags parks right out front, not caring if he’s blocking anyone else. He jumps off his bike before racing to me. Once I’m in his arms, he ushers me to my car. His bike temporarily forgotten in front of the building.

  “Are you okay?” he asks me, keeping my body close to his.

  “I’m just shaken up,” I let him know honestly. “I just want to get somewhere safe. I don’t have anywhere to go now.”

  “Yeah, you do. You’re comin’ to my place. He won’t know where the fuck you are. First, I want you to drive to the clubhouse. We’re goin’ to head in, talk to Satan, and then leave a different way. If Scott goes by there, he’ll see your car there and won’t know you’re no where near the clubhouse,” Tags informs me as Torch and Pyro reach our side.

  “You okay, Lil’ Bit?” Pyro asks, pulling me from Tags’ arms to look me over.

  “I’m okay. Shaken up. I just want to get outta here,” I let him know the same thing I did Tags.

  Nodding his head, Torch holds his hands out for my keys. Tags places me in the passenger side of my car while my brother gets in the driver’s side. Once we’re both inside, Tags races for his bike while Pyro leaves as well. When Torch pulls out of the space, we’re surrounded by bikes. Wrath and Pyro are in front of us, Tags and someone else are behind us. There’s also a bike on each side of the car as we make our way through town and toward the clubhouse.

  “When we get to the clubhouse, I want you in one of our rooms. I’m not sure where the fuck Axel is so I don’t want to take any chances with you. Raine might be there. She can keep you company if you want,” Torch states, not
taking his eyes off the road as we head out of town.

  “Okay. I think I want to go to Tags’ room and lay down. I’m a little tired,” I tell him, looking at him for a reaction.

  Torch simply nods his head and keeps driving until we’re at the clubhouse. Once we pull in and park, I look at the front door as it opens. Axel comes striding out as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. Shit! This is not going to be good.

  Torch is out of my car in a second. As I shut the engine off, pull the keys from the ignition and get out, I watch on as Pyro and Tags also make their way toward the Prospect.

  “Where the fuck were you?” Torch is yelling at Axel. “You were supposed to be with my sister. Instead you’re here. Why?”

  “I had to go to the bathroom. She still had time in her appointment so I thought I’d be okay,” he declares as if three huge, pissed off bikers aren’t standing in front of him while more look on.

  “You don’t leave to take a fuckin’ piss. You’re job is to be there for her protection. What don’t you fuckin’ get about that?” Tags yells, stepping toe-to-toe with the young man. “What if somethin’ had happened to her?”

  “Nothin’ did. She’s fuckin’ standin’ right there,” Axel yells back.

  Before I can blink, Pyro is grabbing Axel and shoving him up against the outside of the clubhouse. Fists rain down on him as my brother begins to beat the shit out of him. He doesn’t stop until Wrath, Torch, and Tags pull him from Axel who is now flat out on the ground. My brother was the only thing holding him up.

  “Inside. Now!” Satan yells, walking through the door to see what the commotion is. “Get Axel’s ass in here too.”

  We all make our way inside. Tags leads me to his room. Once I’m laying in his bed with the covers pulled up high and the remote in hand, he leaves me alone. I close my eyes instead of trying to find a movie or something to watch on TV. I wasn’t lying when I said I was tired. I am. Fear can do that to a person.

  Chapter Twenty

  Tags

  I WAS AT the clubhouse hanging out when I got the call from Victoria. At first, I thought she simply wanted to say hi or something. The second I heard her voice, I knew something was wrong. Her voice was low, shaking, and she sounded as if she were going to break out in tears any second. When she informed me about Scott's messages, I was out of my chair and heading for my bike.

  Axel should’ve been with her. Torch and Pyro were here with me, so I knew she was alone. They had just walked into the common room when I got her call. We all raced toward the counseling center before anything happened to her. This goes beyond Scott trying to torture or scare her— he’s flat out stalking her now. Going in her apartment will land him an extra ass whooping from me— not to mention her brothers.

  Now, we’re back at the clubhouse and heading into church. The main question running through my head is how Axel got past us all since I was in the common room. Torch and Pyro were outside at the back of the building. He could’ve come in the side door, but one of us should have seen him walk toward the bathroom in the hallway at the back of the common room.

  “Order. What’s goin’ on now?” Satan asks, looking at us.

  “That fucker Scott managed to get Victoria’s new phone number. He was callin’ and messagin’ her while she was in an appointment. Not only was he blowin’ her shit up, but he broke into her apartment and sent her pictures of it. She doesn’t want to go back there, and I don’t want her there,” I let everyone know.

  “Where the fuck was Axel?” Satan demands, knowing he was supposed to be on her today.

  “Said he was here to go to the bathroom or some shit,” Pyro answers. “We were all here, though. Not sure how he got past us.”

  I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking that shit.

  “He walked out the front door when we got here,” Torch adds in.

  “Bring him the fuck in here,” Satan orders as Wrath gets out of his chair to fetch the Prospect.

  We all remain silent as we wait for them to return. I’m ready for some fucking answers from him. Hell, I’m ready to get my hands bloody by beating the fuck out of him myself. Victoria may be Torch and Pyro’s sister, but she’ll be my ol’ lady eventually. I’ll dish out any justice for the fuckers messing with her. I just have to talk to her brothers and make it official this time. I’m not going behind their backs again.

  Finally, Wrath marches Axel inside our meeting room. He takes a look around the table, taking in each and every one of us staring him down. Satan lets him stand there for a minute while Wrath takes his seat back at the table.

  “I want to know where the fuck you were. You sure as fuck weren’t where you were supposed to be,” Satan demands, slamming his hands on the table in front of him while glaring at the Prospect.

  “Like I said, I had to go to the bathroom. I came back here, went, and was gonna kill some time until she got out,” he responds, not flinching in the least as he speaks.

  “You know better than that. Not to mention several men were in the common room. Torch and Pyro were outside. Yet not a single one of them saw you come in. Or head to the bathroom. Why is that?”

  “I don’t know. I came in through the kitchen. Went to the bathroom and was walkin’ back out to my bike when they all pulled in,” Axel states.

  “Bull-fuckin’-shit!” Pyro explodes. “We were right next to the fuckin’ kitchen door talkin’. You didn’t come in that way because I would’ve been on your ass the second I saw you. Torch too. That’s our baby sister you left hangin’ in the fuckin’ wind like that. How do you know somethin’ wasn’t done to her fuckin’ car while you were gone? That someone didn’t get in there and fuckin’ take her?”

  Wrath, Gunner, and Grinder race around the table to keep Victoria’s brothers from beating the shit out of Axel. Again. However, no one stands by to make sure I don’t touch the fucker.

  Jumping from my chair, I grab him around his neck and throw him into the wall behind him. I’m on him before Axel can get his bearings. With my hand around his throat again, I watch as his eyes begin to bulge from his head. He’s scratching and clawing at me, trying to get me to loosen my hold on him. It’s not gonna happen, but it’s a good try on his part.

  “Tags, sit the fuck down!” Satan orders.

  His words barely penetrate my rage-fueled brain as hands begin to pull me away from the Prospect. He’s never fucked-up like this in the past. I’m not sure what his goal or game plan is this time, but it’s not going to fly with me. He’ll never get his vote from me to patch in now. Never.

  “Axel, get the fuck outta here. Don’t go farther than the hallway. I’ll be dealin’ with you in a little bit. For now, you can bet your fuckin’ ass you’re on probation. I don’t even think you’ll end up patchin’ in. I know three men who won’t let that shit happen now. Too bad since you were so fuckin’ close,” Satan says, sitting back down in his chair.

  “Really?” Axel yells to the room. “All over a drunk bitch who can’t keep herself outta trouble? I’m gonna lose this shit because of her?”

  “No, you dumb fuck. You’re gonna lose it because you don’t know the meanin’ of respect. Or how to follow orders. Now, you can get the fuck outta here permanently. Take his fuckin’ cut and make sure he’s off the grounds. He doesn’t get to collect his shit. We’ll burn it with his cut,” Satan demands.

  “I’m glad Scott’s gonna get his hands on that bitch. Can’t be considered a woman since she can’t even carry a baby,” Axel yells.

  The room erupts in chaos. That’s Victoria’s business. Not a single man in here needed to know that shit. She’s going to be fucking crushed when she finds out more than just Torch, Pyro, and myself know about the baby she lost. That was no one’s business to know unless she told them about it.

  “How the fuck do you know about that?” Torch questions, voicing a question my brain hadn’t thought of just yet.

  “None of your fuckin’ business!” Axel yells, struggling to get away from Wrath and Gr
inder.

  He’s wasting his breath because those two are the main guys to pull anyone of us off someone else.

  “Since the little bitch doesn’t want to answer your question, Torch, I want him down in the basement. String him up any way you see fit. He’ll get some time to think about his shit. Make sure he has no phone on him, and no one gets close to him. Can’t have him ruinin’ the party before we get down there,” Satan orders. “I’ll catch you both up when you get back. Don’t damage him too bad while gettin’ him down there and chained up.”

  We all chuckle at that. Wrath and Grinder aren’t known for being gentle. Axel will get his before any of us get down there. We’re not dumb enough to believe they won’t lay hands on him while they’re putting him in his new, temporary room.

  “For now, I want eyes open, ears to the ground, and someone on Victoria at all times. That understood?” Satan questions. “We’ll have to figure out somewhere else for her to stay for now too.”

  “She’s goin’ to my place,” I state, letting everyone in the room, including her brothers, know where she’s going.

  Satan smiles at me. Torch and Pyro glare at me. Yeah, we’ll be having that talk before we go down to question Axel.

  “Alright. Looks like the three of you got some talkin’ to do. Church dismissed. You three stay here. When you’re done, we’ll head down to have some fun of our own,” Satan declares, slamming the gavel on the tabletop.

  As soon as the rest of the guys clear out of the room, I prepare to have my ass beat by the two men remaining in the room with me.

  “What the fuck is goin’ on with you and our sister?” Pyro demands the second the door closes behind Satan.

  “I want her as my ol’ lady. She’s the only one I’ve been with for months. I love her and want to be there for her. There are other things you don’t know about. It’s up to her when you find out. I’m not goin’ to cheat on her, fuck her over, or make her feel the way Scott did. I’ll let you both kill me before I intentionally hurt her,” I state, never taking my eyes off either one of them. “Eventually, I’m goin’ to marry her, give her babies, and we’ll grow old together. I’m sorry we went behind your back the last time. It wasn’t right. I’m bringin’ this to you right now; Victoria is mine. I just hope we have your blessin’.”