Our Secrets

by Erin Osborne

  We all watch on as Torch begins to decimate Scott. Using a knife, he slices tons of areas on his body. Some of the cuts are deeper than the others as I watch the blood streak down his body. He just told Scott Pyro wasn’t shit compared to him so I’m not sure what the hell he’s doing right now. This seems pretty tame compared to ripping a man’s nipples off and then squeezing the living hell out of his balls.

  Continuing to watch on, Torch he grabs salt and rubs it into the wounds he’s just created. Then he pours lemon juice over his body. Scott is whining like a bitch now. I’m sure that shit burns. Every single one of us groan when he pulls out a bottle we keep hidden in the way back of everything else. It’s a bottle of acid.

  Torch proceeds to pour some of the acid from Scott’s chest letting it flow down his body. His screams are louder than anything I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Now, the sound is continuously echoing off the walls surrounding us. Even though we’re in a soundproof room, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn everyone upstairs is hearing this shit. He’s that loud right now.

  At this point, I’m not sure if there’s going to be anything left for me. I don’t even give a fuck either. Torch and Pyro deserve to get their aggression out just as much as I do. He steps back, looking at Scott as the acid does its job. This is not a pretty sight at all.

  “He’s all yours Tags. Make is fuckin’ count,” Torch lets me know as he takes his place back against the wall.

  Well hell. There’s not much left for me to do now. There is only one thing I can do now.

  Grabbing the shitty ass bottle of liquor, we have stored down here for one reason, I open it up and begin to saturate Scott’s body with it. Once he’s completely covered in the alcohol, I grab the torch we also keep in here. As soon as it’s lit, I put it to his skin catching him on fire.

  Instantly the smell of burning flesh and hair fills the room. It’s fucking toxic as I step back. Scott isn’t even screaming at this point. I’m sure he’s already dead. At least I got to do this. One less person for Victoria to worry about now.

  “Torch do your thing and make sure this video gets to Juan and his fuckwads. Let them know how pissed we are and that we’re not gonna play games with their asses,” Satan orders, looking at Torch. “Everyone go clean up and make sure you’re bein’ vigilant.”

  We all head upstairs. Once again I go to a room that’s not mine so I can wash up and make sure there’s no trace of Scott on me before I go spend the rest of the night with my woman. This shit isn’t gonna touch her. Ever.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Victoria

  AFTER HAVING MY conversation with Becky a few days ago, I know I have to do something to help her. She’s an amazing person and deserves to live her dream. If I can help make that happen, I’m going to do everything in my power to do so. My hope is the club will help Becky get her business up and running so she can begin to finally live her dream.

  Tags has gone to get my brothers so I can talk to all three of them without anyone else overhearing our conversation. It’s no one else’s damn business unless they decide to make it a club investment. I won’t put her shit out there like that.

  Finally, Torch and Tags make it back to the room. Pyro isn’t with them though. I’m not sure where he is. He spends a lot of time alone these days. I know why he does it, but I don’t agree with it. Well, right now I do. There is too much shit going on for him to do what Torch and I want him to. We only want our family as whole as it can be.

  “So, you wanted to talk to us?” Torch questions me as they stand in front of me.

  “Well, you know Becky came here a few days ago. She filled me in on something and I want to run an idea by you guys,” I begin. “Becky wants to open a bakery in the worst way. She’s never had anyone believe in her, but I do. Is there anyway we can help her make this happen?”

  Torch and Tags don’t say a word for a few minutes. I can see the wheels spinning in both of their minds. Each man standing in front of me is thinking of a way to help this woman I’ve become friends with.

  “I got it,” Torch says leaving the room with a determined stride.

  Looking at Tags, I shrug my shoulders because I have no clue what the hell is going on with Torch right now.

  “What the hell is that about?” Tags asks me, looking between the door and me.

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when he wants us to.”

  “What do you wanna do today?” Tags questions me, sitting down on the bed next to me.

  “I don’t know. I just want to rest. I’m tired today,” I answer him.

  “Okay. Let’s relax and watch a movie or somethin’,” he replies, pulling back the covers on the bed so we can climb in to rest.

  Torch came back hours later and found Tags and I laying in bed. He hands me a set of keys and begins to walk back out of the room.

  “What’s this?” I question him.

  “Becky’s got her shop. I found a buildin’ and made sure the sale went through today. The owner has been sittin’ on it for a while and wanted it gone,” he informs me. “Get her there and see what she thinks of it. Then we’ll make sure she has what she needs for renovations.”

  “Okay.”

  I’m honestly shocked. Though I shouldn’t be because Torch doesn’t let shit stand in his way or slow him down. If he wants something, he’ll make sure it happens. The fact he’s doing this for Becky shows me exactly what he truly wants from her. My brother will be making her his ol’ lady sooner rather than later.

  “Did you tell her about it yet?” I ask him.

  “Nope. That’s why you got the keys. Go with her there and make sure you take Prospects with you. Go tomorrow if you want. Or today. I don’t care. Tags, we gotta roll out anyway. Gotta go on a run for a day or two.”

  “Fuck! I forgot about it. Give me five and we’ll roll out,” Tags responds to my brother.

  Sitting on the bed, I watch as Tags grabs his go bag. Yes, they all have one that’s kept packed and ready to go on a moments notice. It’s perfect for moments like this. After making sure everything he’ll need is in there, Tags turns to me.

  “I’m so sorry baby. I totally forgot about this run,” he vows to me.

  “It’s okay. I’ll just get with Becky and make sure she likes whatever my brother has done for her,” I respond.

  “I’ll be back for the appointment with the doctor. I promise.”

  “If you’re not I understand it. Business is business,” I assure him. “The only thing that matters is if you’re here when he’s born.”

  “No one will keep me from seein’ our boy born, baby,” Tags vows, leaning down over me. “I love you more than you know.”

  “I love you too. More than I ever thought possible,” I respond as Tags kisses me, grabs his bag, and leaves.

  Once he’s gone, I pick up my phone can call Becky. She lets me know she’ll be ready in about an hour or so to come pick me up. Today I’ll be walking because it’s getting better every day I walk on my leg.

  Getting out of bed I run a brush through my hair. That’s still hard to do since my dominant hand is the one I can’t use. I feel I get better with this every day though. So, that’s a positive. One I’ll take after the shit Scott caused.

  Once I’m ready, I go out into the common room of the clubhouse to wait. Becky said she’d let me know when she was here. I only hope the Prospect on the gate lets her in. Thankfully Satan is sitting in the common room at the bar when I make my way in.

  “Satan, can you let the Prospect know Becky will be showing up to get me in a little bit?” I ask him as I grab a seat next to him.

  “Yeah. Tags and your brother already let me know she may be comin’ over to grab you,” he lets me know. “Also got some guys ready to roll out with you when you leave. Can’t head out alone still. I’m sorry. Honestly, you’re lucky to be goin’ out at all. If Torch didn’t explain the situation, you wouldn’t be.”

  “Thank you, Satan,” I tell him, grabbing the
bottle of water another Prospect slides over to me.

  Before I know it, Satan gets a call to let him know Becky is here. Standing up, I grab my water and make my way to the door. I’m followed by three guys; all Prospects. I get in her car and we head out to the address Torch text me before leaving the clubhouse. It’s as if this is all some big secret or something. It’s not for me, just Becky.

  “Where are we going?” she asks me once we’re away from the clubhouse.

  “I don’t know. Torch handed me a set of keys and text me this message with an address. We’ll find out once we’re there I guess,” I inform her, a small smile on my face as I know exactly where we’re heading.

  Well, I don’t exactly know where we’re going since I wasn’t there with him. There is no way in hell I’m ruining this surprise for her. I want to see her genuine reaction.

  It takes about fifteen minutes to get to the storefront Torch got for Becky. She pulls up to it and shuts her car off. For a few minutes, she simply sits there looking at the building and then at me. My friend has no clue what the hell to think or knows why we’re here right now.

  “What’s going on?” she finally asks me.

  “Well, after our talk, I had my own conversation with Torch and Tags. Torch left and came back with the keys for this place. It’s bought and paid for. This is your new bakery, Becky,” I inform her, tears welling in both our eyes.

  “I-I-I can’t accept this,” she tries to tell me.

  “Yes, you can. This is all yours. We believe in you and you’re gonna get your dream. Now, lets go in and take a look around,” I state, opening the door to get out.

  Things are definitely getting harder to do the further along in this pregnancy I get. Becky meets me in front of the car. Handing her over the keys, we walk to the door. She unlocks it and we walk through the front door. Well, I more waddle than walk.

  The space in front is wide open and a lot can be done with it. At the back is a short hallway with three different doors. Two on the left and one on the right. Walking back there we find bathrooms on the left side of the hall with an office on the right. Halfway in the big, open area in the front, there is another opening. Becky and I make our way through it. There we find another large room. It’s empty right now. Honestly, the room would make the perfect kitchen for Becky.

  “This is perfect,” Becky finally states with fresh tears streaming down her face.

  “Yes, it is,” I reply. “What are you gonna do with it?”

  “Well, in here I’ll set up a large double oven, six burner stove, a large counter in the middle, a walk-in cooler, and then shelves to store not only the goodies, but bakeware,” Becky tells me, leaving the room we’re currently in.

  When we get to the main room, she spins around a few times.

  “This would be perfect for a few tables in the middle over here. Glass display cases over by this wall forming a counter so I can add some coffee or something like that. A couch and a few chairs would be good over here. Maybe put a table or two by them so there’s a spot to set things down for the customers,” she lets me know. “There’s so much potential for this place.”

  “Well, what do you say we head back to the clubhouse and try to make some plans about what you wanna do here. The guys can get started on what they can do soon if we do that,” I tell her, wanting to get back.

  I’ve been getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach since we’ve been here. The longer I’m away from the clubhouse, the worse it gets. I’m not sure what the hell is going on as my worry for Tags and my brother escalates. On the other hand, fear for Becky and me also increases because I know something bad is going on for the women of the club to be in lockdown.

  We head for the front door. Once we’re through it, Becky closes it behind us and locks it. As we’re walking toward her car parked on the edge of the road in front of the building, there’s a loud crashing noise behind us. Before I can look for Becky or find out what the hell is going on, I’m thrown. The second I hit the ground, everything is black.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Tags

  WE’VE BEEN ON the road for a few hours before pulling over to get gas and take a smoke break. As I’m pumping my gas, I pull my phone from my pocket and check for any calls and messages. My phone is blown up. Looking up, I see most of the other guys already on the phone too. I choose to try and call Satan before reading anything else.

  “Tags, get the fuck home! All of you turn around and come home. Now!” he demands, his voice full of regret, pain, anger, and several other emotions.

  “What’s goin’ on?” I question him, checking my bike to see how full the tank is.

  “There’s been an explosion,” Satan responds and my heart bursts.

  I already know it’s Victoria. She was the only one I know who was leaving the clubhouse. We’ve all been sticking close to there unless we’re on a run, have business, or are out searching. We still don’t know who the rat in the clubhouse is so we are trying to take precautions not to leave the women without enough protection.

  “Where’s my woman?” I question him, my knees ready to give out as Torch rushes me.

  “She’s at the hospital with Becky. Get the fuck here now!” Satan demands, hanging up the phone.

  Without talking to anyone, I pull the nozzle from my tank, put the cap back on and I’m out. Torch is right behind me as we race from the gas station we’re at. It’s going to take us hours to get home and I have no clue what’s going on with my woman and baby.

  The entire trip, my heart is racing, I can’t catch my breath, and I’m breaking so many laws of the road I can’t keep count. Torch never once leaves my side as we race toward home with the rest of the guys trailing us. They’ll keep the cops off our ass if we catch their attention so we can get where we’re needed most.

  Our trip is a blur as thought after thought of my ol’ lady circulate through my head. None of them are good either. With everything we’ve been through since I first laid eyes on her again, I’m beginning to wonder how much more we can survive together. One of these days we have to catch a break and be able to live in peace. Something I’m not sure we’ll ever find.

  Still, I wouldn’t change anything about Victoria and me for the world. She’s the most amazing, incredible, loving woman I’ve ever met in my entire life. Without her my world is dark, filled with everything that can possibly haunt a person. Instead of light shining and brightening up everything in my line of vision, I don’t see any color.

  Then my thoughts shift to our son. I’m not sure what the hell is going on or if either one of them are okay. However, at this point I’ll take Victoria living over our son. That may make me sound uncaring, hateful, or anything else you can think of. I don’t see it that way. My feeling is I don’t know how I’ll go on without Victoria which means I’ll be no good to our son. So, I hope the doctors can save both of them.

  I imagine playing baseball in the backyard with him as Victoria looks on. Of teaching him how to swim, work on cars and bikes, of our boy taking the best of both of us and growing into a loving, kind, strong, loyal man. Someone his mama can be proud of.

  With all of these thoughts swirling through my head, I kick my bike in gear and ride faster down the road. I need to be there for my girl and child.

  Finally, after what feels like days or weeks on the roads, we pull up to the hospital. Satan messaged us with what hospital they were at. I blindly followed Torch as he led us to the hospital.

  It didn’t take long for the rest of the guys to catch up to us. They simply follow us inside the hospital as Torch and I race through the empty hallways. It’s the middle of the night. Even cutting an hour and a half off of our time, it took way too long to get here.

  After a few more minutes, we come to a waiting room filled with members of the club. Raine and Hollie are crying softly in chairs, wrapped in the arms of their men. A playpen is sitting in the corner holding their sleeping children. Satan is the first to notice us standing there
, out of breath and rage filling our faces.

  “Where the fuck is she?” I yell out, needing to see Vic more than I need to take my next breath.

  “She’s in surgery. They had to deliver the baby. He’s in NICU now,” Satan responds, standing up as he makes his way to our side. “I don’t know how much longer they’ll have her in the OR. For now, go see your son. He needs to know someone besides his Uncle Pyro is here for him. Torch, Becky is already in a room. Down the hall to the left. Grinder is guardin’ her door.”

  “What the fuck happened?” Torch grinds out, clenching his fists at his side.

  “They went in to look at the buildin’ you got her. On their way out, it blew. Becky was farther away from it when the explosion happened. She’s not quite as bad as Vic. In order to save her and the baby, they had to do a C-section. He’s early, man,” Satan informs us.

  “Who the fuck was with her when it happened?” I question, looking around the room at everyone.

  “Able and Carson. Carson didn’t make it. He was rushin’ to get them when part of the buildin’ collapsed on him. I’m not sure what happened to alert him of the explosion. Able doesn’t remember hearin’ or seein’ anythin’ to give it away. He was standin’ by the car and got paramedics and cops there as soon as possible,” Satan lets us know. “Able is in another room close by Becky. He got some injuries in the blast when he went to get to them as it was happenin’.”

  “That makes no sense,” Torch states.

  “Yeah, I think it does,” Gunner says, stepping up to our small group. “I’ve been diggin’ into shit while we’ve been here. Pulled up the background checks we did on everyone. Carson is the rat. He’s Juan’s fuckin’ nephew. Doesn’t really have anythin’ to do with his uncle, but I pulled his phone records. Seems Juan knows Carson’s ma, his own sister, is sick and was usin’ helpin’ her to get information on the club and women.”