by Sam Crescent
“I want church tonight. Not tomorrow,” Preacher said. “I don’t give a fuck what the men are doing or who they’re doing. Tonight.” He turned on his heel and left the building.
Frost was the last to leave and he closed the door behind him.
Straddling his bike, he turned over the ignition and pulled away from the curb. He needed speed, the open roads, and to clear his fucking head once and for all. He couldn’t keep reacting to Reaper. This was where he was making too many fucking mistakes and it wasn’t good for him or the club. He had to keep his shit together. If for no one else but Robin. She deserved a fresh start and he was going to make sure she got that at least.
Chapter Seven
The time with Reaper
One month she’d been with Reaper now. Robin stared at the calendar on the wall in a brand-new hotel room. They were always moving. Never in one place more than a couple of hours. She hated sitting on the back of a bike. She also hated the great unknown and each day that passed with her life in Reaper’s hands, her life, her very existence, and how long she would be alive, were unknown. At first, she thought Reaper was going to kill her. Hurt her, torture her, punish her, but kill her. She’d expected to be dead long before now. She wasn’t dead, though. Very much alive with all her body parts. No missing nails or fingers or toes. Even her tongue was in contact.
The first week had been the hardest of all.
Every time he came close to her, she expected pain. The first day, he’d hurt her so badly, she hadn’t been able to see. He’d raped her as well. The worst part of the ordeal wasn’t even the rape.
He’d taken her multiple times and he didn’t share. Some of the men she heard talking said it was unusual for him to not share. She didn’t know if she should be happy about that or scared.
If he wasn’t sending her out to his men, what did he want from her?
After the first week, only when he was really angry did he hit her.
Now, four weeks into her ordeal, what she hated the most was when he tried to make love to her. She didn’t know for sure if that was what he wanted to do, or if he was trying to break her down.
Either way, his lips on hers, and the way he stroked her, caressed her, she found that harder than anything else.
She sat on the floor at the edge of the bed, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them, waiting.
In the distance, she heard a woman scream. They’d ordered some prostitutes to entertain themselves. She hoped they would all drink and drug themselves into comas so she’d be able to find an opportunity to escape. She was always looking for a chance to leave. Always. She was determined to get out of there, one way or another. They would get sloppy.
She’d never known anyone at the Twisted Monsters to hit the drugs. They had a lot of parties but there was always someone keeping an eye on things. They never turned their back on danger.
Did Preacher miss her?
Resting her head on her knees, she tried not to feel sick about what could be happening. For all he knew, she was dead and he was waiting for her body.
The door of the hotel room opened.
“Figured you’d want something to eat,” Reaper said.
She stayed silent as he closed the door. This was a new experience for her. He liked her company when he ate. She tried to give him the silent treatment and it never seemed to bother him.
“How do you feel about Chinese food?” he asked.
Again, silence.
He grabbed her chin, tilted her head back, and forced her to look at him. “You will learn to answer me or the only thing you’re going to be eating is my cum. I’ll shove my dick so far down your throat, you’ll choke on it.”
She tried to pull back but he wouldn’t let her go. “Chinese is fine,” she said.
He let her go and she expected a blow to the face, but he didn’t deliver it.
She waited.
One second.
Two.
Maybe a minute?
She didn’t know, but when no pain came, she opened her eyes.
He stared down at her. “Are you done? I’m not going to hit you unless you deserve it.”
“And you think any woman deserves to be hit?”
“I know some women do need a good slap,” he said.
She hated him.
“Now, you’re being stubborn and I’m just doing my best to try and make your time go more easily.”
“Then take me back home.”
“Not going to happen. You’re going to have to get used to this place being your home. Now, eat up. I want you to stay big and strong.”
Would it be so hard if she plunged the spork into his eye?
Figuring she wouldn’t get far, and that she had to plan her getaway stealthily, she opened the first carton of Chinese food and started to eat.
“See, that’s not so hard, is it? You take a bite, enjoy, and we can both be happy.”
She didn’t say anything else to him but kept on eating her food.
He opened a cartoon and she watched him scoop up some noodles. The moments like this, where they were both normal, they were the hardest for her. She didn’t know if her life would be a lot easier if he beat her up, hurt her.
“This is good, no?”
“Yeah, it’s good.”
“See, this isn’t so hard. So, before all of this, what did you plan to do?” Reaper asked.
“Why do you care?” she asked. There was no attitude to her question. She was simply curious to know why he would even want to know.
“Call me curious. I’m not just a big kidnapping thug. I have feelings as well, you know.” He smirked. “I’m guessing graduating would have been at the top of your list?”
“Yes. I won’t graduate now.”
“Doesn’t mean you won’t ever,” he said.
“You’re planning on sending me back?”
“Hell, no. I think what you need to realize, Robin, is that I’m not letting you go.”
“If this is all revenge or whatever for Preacher, why do you think it’ll work keeping me around? I’m nothing.”
“We both know you’re more than nothing to him.” He laughed. “I think it’s fun to keep shit from him, especially when it’s something he really wants, and you, Robin, you’re far more precious than a jewel. Right now, he’s looking for you. He’ll use up favors and drain away people’s patience in his search for you. Only, you’re never going to go back to him. When the time comes, you’re always going to pick me.”
“You’re crazy,” she said. “I will always pick Preacher.”
“Aw, poor old Bishop. He never did have a chance with you, did he?”
“Don’t you dare mention his name to me,” she said, hatred unlike anything she had ever experienced before consuming her, and it was all directed at her best friend.
No, he wasn’t her best friend. He would never be her best friend.
“A little touchy there, I see. One day, you’re going to have to face the reality of how you’re feeling.”
“Fuck you.”
“You’ve got a sexy mouth. I wonder how you’ll sound when you’re begging me for more.” He grabbed the back of her neck, tilted her head back, and before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her. His tongue plunged into her mouth.
She didn’t kiss him back nor did she try to bite him. The last time she’d done that, it had ended badly for her, and she was a fast learner. She had no reason to do something that would cause her pain.
“You see, Robin, when the time comes, you’re going to always come to me because I’m never going to wear a condom with you, and you’re going to have my kid.”
****
Present day
“We don’t have to do anything,” Bishop said. “We can just hang out and get to know each other again.”
Robin stared at her husband and waited for the feeling of anticipation to wash over her. It didn’t happen. She was nervous and she didn’t know why. Whenever she was near Bishop, she had this we
ird sense to run, to get as far away from him as possible. It was crazy.
“Er, sure, it sounds like fun.” Bear had to go to an emergency meeting with the club and Bishop had arrived as her father was leaving.
Now, they were heading out to have some fun. Her cast had been removed, and the bones were healed. She still had some aches and pains, but the doctor had advised her to take it easy and explained she’d need to keep walking and using it. Only when the pain got too bad was she to give herself a break and ease up.
This was her easing up.
“I can’t ride on a bike.”
“I brought my car.”
“Ah, you did. Okay. Yes. Let’s go and have some dinner and dance. I like that.” She grabbed her cell phone and jacket, locking up the house and following him to his car.
He held open the passenger side and she climbed in. She’d buckled up her seatbelt as he started the car, leaving the safety of her father’s driveway.
You’re fine.
“How have you been?”
“Oh, you know, boring my dad. He’s taken me around town and I’ve had some memory recall or vague recollections. Nothing big. My foot has been the biggest improvement. I’m healing up nicely.”
“I imagine it was staying in the hospital for all that time. It helped.”
“Yeah, I bet.” She looked out of the window. “Was it always weird for us like this?”
He laughed. “There would have been a time you wouldn’t have pointed out the obvious.”
“I guess.”
“No, it wasn’t always like this. We’re, you know, different.” He reached out, touching her wrists. “Like this.”
When her bandage came off from her hand, she’d seen the tattoo encircling the second wrist.
“Yeah, it has been a whole big change.” What she tried not to do was show Bear, Preacher, or anyone else how scared she was. She’d flick through the photograph albums and try desperately to conjure up an image or a memory.
It was useless.
She was useless.
Nothing worked.
Even driving around town didn’t spark anything.
The only place she hadn’t gone to was the room she had at Preacher’s. Being around Preacher was even scarier. Where she felt awkward and nervous with Bishop, with Preacher, she felt this overwhelming attraction that hadn’t diminished. It sparked within her and refused to go away for even a moment. She would find herself staring at Preacher’s hands and imagining them on her body. What unnerved her was the way she could picture them on her stomach, holding her. Then of course there were his lips. She found herself aching for him to kiss her. To have those lips between her thighs, and she’d woken up many times wet, shaking, and filled with a hunger for him.
Again, whenever they were together, she never brought it up. The very thought of her cheating on her husband with his dad scared her. Was she the kind of girl who cheated? Was that why Bishop didn’t come around all that often? That deep down, he despised her and didn’t want to show it?
Was she overthinking everything once again? She seemed to do it a lot, and there was no reason to do so.
“We had comfortable silences. I’d spend a lot of time complaining about my dad. You’d listen, and we’d move on. It was kind of our thing to do, you know, moving on. Talking.”
“So we were really close?”
“We used to share a crib together, and I married you, so yeah, it’s easy to assume we were very close.”
“Only assume?”
“We were really close, Robin. I hope we can be again.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against the knuckles.
“I’d like that as well. I … I missed you.” The lie fell easily from her lips.
“I missed you too.”
“I’ve been looking at pictures of you and the two of us together. I find it a bit weird having my own ultrasound picture, but you know, I guess I must have had some narcissistic tendencies.”
“Ultrasound photo?”
“You know, of me in my mom’s stomach. Do they have another name?”
“No, it’s fine. Yes, it’s you. I guess your mom was going to throw it out.” Bishop let go of her hand and she watched as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Have I upset you? If you want, you can see the photo.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t need to see it. You and I got to know each other outside of the stomach.”
She frowned. He was acting weird.
“Here we are,” he said, pulling up outside of a converted barn, given the signpost declaring it a bar.
“It’s busy,” she said. “Did we come here a lot?”
“No. You’ve never been here. I think we need to stop looking into the past and start focusing on your future.”
“I like that.”
“Me too. Everyone wants you to remember, and you will. All in good time, but for now, let’s go and have some dancing and fun.”
She climbed out of the car and Bishop took her hand, practically running toward the door. Pain shot through her foot, but she ignored it, following him.
There were so many people. None of whom she recognized, and her heart started to race. She pushed all her feelings to one side and forced a smile to her lips, trying to be happy with Bishop. It was the first time since she’d been back that he actually looked happy. His smile was infectious.
He pulled her onto the dance floor and grabbed her hips. Where she was a little unsure of how to hold and touch him, he took over and led the dance. He put her hands around his neck.
“Hold on to me. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
She laughed as she danced her around the barn. If they bumped into couples, she’d apologize along with Bishop. They would ask her how she was doing. Bishop would remind them she had amnesia and they’d back off.
After an hour, she was way too thirsty. “I need a drink,” she said.
Taking off to the bar, she found a spot and waved her hand at the barman.
He nodded at her but she had to stand around and wait. Perspiration dotted her brow.
The music seemed to fade around her as her mind wandered. She was still in the same room, only now it was different.
“All of these people, they want one thing. You’re kidding yourself if you don’t see the lust in their eyes, burning for each other. It doesn’t make them monsters, Robin. It makes them people. Fucking, taking, begging for it. It’s not wrong to want it. It’s not wrong to want me, and I know you do. You don’t think I feel a difference within you?”
She came out of the memory, shaking, feeling sick.
The barman was in front of her, but she shook her head, needing fresh air. Without another word, she left the bar, stumbling outside. She bent forward, heaving, throwing up all that she’d eaten that day.
“Are you okay?” Bishop asked, coming toward her.
She didn’t get a chance to ask as she vomited again.
Her entire body was cold. The memory, it didn’t seem bad but there was something about it that twisted her entire body up. “I want to go home.”
“You’re going to need something to eat.”
She shook her head. “No, I really need to go home. I need to rest.” She saw stars before her eyes.
“For fuck’s sake, Robin, you’ve been a little sick!”
“Why don’t you listen to her and take her the fuck home?”
His voice.
Preacher’s.
Robin lifted her head.
Preacher and Bear, as well as Grave and Frost were a few feet away from them. She noticed people walked away, heading back into the bar.
“What the fuck is the problem now? You don’t want her having fun?”
“I want her to have whatever it is she needs and if she wants to go home, take her fucking home,” Preacher said. “Do you want to go home?”
Before she had time to answer, Bishop stepped in front of her.
“I’m her husband. Why don�
��t you answer to me?” Bishop asked.
“You think you’re big and tough because you’re standing in front of her? Do you really think you’re safe?” Preacher asked.
The threat was there, lurking beneath the surface.
Maybe if she hadn’t been throwing up her guts, she would’ve been afraid, but as it was, she was throwing up everything, and well, Bishop wouldn’t listen. She needed to get home.
“I know I am. I know what you’re capable of and I know what you won’t do.”
Before she knew what was happening, she heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and when she looked, Preacher and Bishop were punching each other.
She didn’t know what to do, but she stepped between them. As she did, Bishop threw another punch, landing one right against her jaw, after which she fell in a heap on the ground.
“Ow,” she said, hand to her face, trying to focus. Her vision went a little blurry from the impact.
“Fuck, shit. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
“You shouldn’t have been fighting,” she said. “I want to go home. It’s not up for discussion, nor does it need to be some kind of fighting contest.”
Preacher held out his hand and she took it.
“I’ll take her home,” Bear said.
She didn’t argue. Now with the sick feeling, she had a painful jaw and a headache. That was what spending time with her husband would do for her. She would have to reconsider who she hung out with.
“Robin, please, you know I didn’t mean for anything to happen. You have to believe me.”
She sighed and turned toward him. “I do believe you, Bishop, but, you wouldn’t listen. I know we’ve got a past, I can sense it, but I at least need you to … let me breathe and hear me when I speak.” She paused. “We’ll talk soon.”
She turned on her heel and walked back to her dad. She had no choice but to climb on the back of his bike as he took off, heading home.
When they arrived, neither of them spoke. She went for a shower, to clean up and get out of her clothes. She wanted to wash the scent of the night from her body and rid her mind of everything that had happened.