For the hundredth time I pushed the thought away. No. It wasn’t possible. Somehow, I knew, almost more strongly than I’d ever known anything, that if something had already happened to Cherish — if someone had hurt her, even killed her — I would feel it. I would know it in my gut. A world without her in it was unimaginable. She was a light that couldn’t just go out, just like that, without… I don’t know, without some sort of earthquake, or tidal wave, or something.
If she was gone, if someone took her — took her from me — how could life just continue? How would my heart just fucking continue to beat, like nothing had happened? No, I told myself firmly. It wasn’t possible. We would find her. And it would not be too late.
All the effort I had made to try to stay away from Cherish in the last days, all the work I had put into trying to tell myself I could just let her go and get over her — I saw now that it had all been a fucking ridiculous game I had been playing with myself. I could no more leave Cherish alone than I could fly to the goddamn moon by flapping my arms. Ever since the first day I had seen her in the parking lot of the clubhouse, I had been a goner. I pictured her now, in that ridiculous damn Minions shirt that I would give everything I owned to see her in again. My throat closed up at the memory, and I swallowed painfully. Next to me, Grey must have heard the low, strangled sound I had made in my throat through his headset, because he turned to look at me and cocked his head. “You good?” he asked. I nodded but said nothing, not trusting my voice.
I wasn’t a religious man. It was hard to be, after everything I’d seen growing up. But as I ate up the highway on my bike with my brothers next to me, I found myself thinking that if God did exist, He wouldn’t let anything happen to Cherish. She was too good, too brave, too beautiful. Almost without meaning to, I sent up a silent prayer. If you are out there, don’t take her from me. I won’t let her go again.
We’d been riding for a couple of hours when we came up on the approach of a small town. A few buildings on the outskirts faced the highway, to lure in people passing through with gas and food. As we had agreed to, the formation stopped about half a mile from the first buildings, so as not to attract attention. Grey and I went ahead to see what we could see. We approached a truck stop that had a small restaurant and a small grocery-convenience store. We parked the bikes at the furthest gas pump from the store and pretended to get ready to fill our tanks. I was scanning the large trucker parking lot to the left of the store when Grey lightly tapped me on the shoulder. “Hey,” he said.
I glanced over in the direction of his gaze. Coming out one of the side doors of the convenience store was a man in a dark blue shirt and black pants. Behind him, another man in a gray shirt followed, holding the arm of a woman. She wore a light blue dress made of heavy fabric, and her head was down.
Cherish.
21
Cherish
After a while, I had to pee pretty badly, and pulled together my courage to ask for a rest stop. Isaiah gruffly refused, saying I could wait until they needed to stop for food and gas. When I told him I was likely to lose control in the car, the man next to me slapped me roughly across the face and told me to shut up. I sank down into the seat and tried desperately to think of anything else but my bladder.
About half an hour later, relief flooded through me as we pulled off the road at a gas station and convenience store that appeared at what looked to be the outskirts of a small town. Joseph pulled me out of the car, and I scrambled to keep up so I wouldn’t fall on the ground before I got my legs under me. Once I was out, he jerked up on my arm, causing a slice of pain to shoot from my shoulder. I did my best not to cry out.
“No stupid tricks,” he rasped against my ear. “You try anything in there and you’ll be sorrier than you ever have been.”
I knew that since Isaiah was planning to divorce me once we got back to the Ranch, I could not count on any level of kindness from any of them. I was disposable to them all now; the only reason they had come to get me was pride, and to punish me. I took a deep shuddering breath and nodded, but said nothing as he led me toward the store, his fingers digging into my upper arm.
Inside was a bright, fluorescent blur of food packages and beeping machines. I saw a couple of people casting curious looks at us, and for the first time felt how out of place I really was in the clothing I had grown up in. Now that I had been away, and had a taste of life outside of WFZ, I realized that to the other customers in the store, I was little more than a curiosity. Their eyes traveled to my strange clothing and clunky shoes, but their gazes never met mine. I felt more isolated from them now that I had actually had a life in Lupine. My mind cried out to them, to ask them to help me, but I knew they would never notice that the man holding my arm was doing so against my will. Inside these clothes, I was invisible.
Joseph led me through the store towards a bathroom at the back. “Make it quick,” he growled, and stood at the entrance, making sure no one else would be able to enter or talk to me. I went inside and locked myself in a stall, exhaling in relief as I finally was able to empty my bladder. I sat there, staring blindly at the graffiti on the stall door, alone for the first time since the men had captured me. A shudder of grief and fear passed through me, and I began to sob as quietly as I could, tears streaming down my face.
About a minute later, a loud rap on the door reminded me that Joseph was waiting. Hastily, I pulled up my underwear and rearranged my temple garments and my clothing. I emerged from the stall and went to wash my hands. As I did so, I looked up in the mirror. A near-stranger stared back at me, as if she were a woman I used to know but hadn’t seen in many years. Dejectedly, I splashed some water on my face and dried if off with paper towels, then opened the door and allowed myself to be led out of the store and back to the SUV.
Isaiah and Elias got back in the car, having filled the tank with gas, and we set off again. I could see by the changing landscape that we were getting closer to the Arizona border. Every second, every rotation of the tires took me closer to the life I had risked everything to escape. I closed my eyes again and leaned back, too exhausted to think or cry anymore. It was no use struggling, no use hoping. It was too late.
Suddenly, from the front seat Elias swore, and my eyes flew open. I had never heard a man of the WFZ swear before. He said something low and angry to Isaiah, who leaned over to look in his side mirror. At first I didn’t know what was causing their reaction, but then, off in the distance, I heard a low rumble that I couldn’t quite make out. As it got louder, I cocked my head listening, until finally, I realized what it was.
Motorcycles. A lot of them.
The men began to shout and argue, and the car swerved sharply as Elias turned to respond to an order from Isaiah. Joseph had bound my hands again once we had left the convenience store, this time in the front, and I tried awkwardly to brace myself against the driver’s seat as the SUV briefly left the road for the shoulder. Elias swerved back onto the pavement, and floored the gas, trying to outrun the approaching bikers, but he was too late: A line of them quickly overtook him, surrounding him to the front and the side and forcing him off the road. Elias swore again as we went down a small embankment, and I shrieked involuntarily, sure the car was going to roll over. Finally, we skidded to a stop in the sand about ten feet from the highway. The bikes quickly circled us from all sides.
“Get the fuck out of the car!” a voice I recognized yelled. It was Grey, and the tone of fury in his voice made me remember what Seton said about how he could terrify grown men.
Isaiah leaned forward and reached for the glove compartment. I realized with a flash of terror what he was about to do, and screamed “GUN!” at the top of my lungs. Instantly, the passenger door opened and a large handgun was pointing at Isaiah’s head. “I don’t fucking think so,” a voice spat.
Levi!
“Get out of the goddamn car. NOW.” Levi’s voice snarled. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Isaiah’s arm and pulled with such force that he fell out of the
car onto the ground. “You. First rule is you do not fucking talk unless I tell you you can talk. Got that?”
I couldn’t see Isaiah now, but I assumed he must have agreed, because Levi nodded once. “Good.” He peered into the car. “Driver. You get your ass out here. Hands up.” The door opened from the outside, and Elias stepped out of the car without a word, hands high.
The rear passenger door opened then, and Trig’s face appeared. “Three men to take down one small woman?” he clucked sarcastically when he saw Joseph. “You fuckers are even bigger pussies than I thought.” He chuckled once, then a mask of fury settled over his face. “Get out of the fucking car, you piece of shit.”
Joseph did what he was told. As he walked away from the car, Trig gave him a violent shove, then turned back to look inside at me. “How you doin’ darlin’?” He asked. “They hurt you?”
I realized that at some point I had started trembling like a leaf. “No, not much,” I replied shakily.
He looked down at my hands. “Let me get that off of you.” Leaning forward, he reached into a pocket and brought out a knife, which he opened with a flick of his thumb. He severed the plastic with one efficient swipe, then held out a hand to help me from the car. “Come on out, now,” he said in a soothing voice. “Everything’s over.”
I shakily stepped down from the SUV, almost stumbling. Trig caught me easily and helped me get to my feet. Wordlessly, I gave him a grateful look, and he nodded once, then lifted his chin to my left. I looked up to see Levi standing there, a million different emotions in his eyes. I stifled a sob and ran to him, and he caught me and lifted me up in his arms. “Cherish. You’re safe,” he whispered against my neck. “You’re safe, baby. I got you.”
Levi put me down gently, and nodded for me to go back and stand next to Trig. I stood silently, still trying to quiet my trembling, and watched the scene unfolding in front of me. Isaiah, Elias, and Joseph were all backed up against the side of the SUV, their hands in the air. Grey, Repo, and Winger all had their guns trained on them.
Trig leaned down to me and said quietly. “You may not want to watch this, Cherish.” He took me gently by the arm to lead me away but I shook my head. “No,” I said stubbornly. “I want to stay.” I had been the reason that the Stone Kings had come here. I couldn’t just shy away from the consequences.
Levi stepped forward toward the three men, stopping in front of my former husband. “You Isaiah Whitehead?” he asked. Isaiah nodded but didn’t say a word. “You recognize me?” Again, Isaiah nodded.
“Good.” Levi took another step forward, and grabbed hold of his windpipe. Isaiah’s eyes went wide, and he began to struggle for breath. Levi continued talking as though nothing was wrong. “Are you the one who organized this little adventure to come find Cherish?” Isaiah choked and struggled. “Answer me, motherfucker. Are you?” Isaiah began to turn a bright red. He nodded his head rapidly, his hands lowering to try to break Levi’s choke hold. I closed my eyes and turned away for a moment, but forced myself to turn back.
“Here’s the thing,” Levi continued conversationally. “Cherish doesn’t want to go back to the Ranch. Do you, Cherish?” he asked, looking at me.
I shook my head. “No,” I said, making my voice as strong and as calm as I could.
“There. You see? Cherish doesn’t want to go back. Did you ask her whether she wanted to go back when you picked her up?” Isaiah’s face was purple now, and his thrashing was getting weaker. “Here. I want to hear you say it.” Levi removed his hand from the man’s throat, and Isaiah sank to the ground, coughing and gasping. He retched, on his hands and knees, a string of saliva snaking from his mouth.
“I asked you a question,” Levi repeated patiently. “Did you ask Cherish if she wanted to go back to the Ranch?”
“No,” Isaiah coughed, his voice a rough rasp.
“Well, then. There’s your problem. You should fucking ask a woman what she wants before you just assume. Shouldn’t you?”
Isaiah didn’t answer. Before I realized what was happening, Levi’s boot came out, kicking Isaiah in the jaw. I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth. “Shouldn’t you?” Levi demanded, all pretense of calm gone now as he roared his anger at the man who had abducted me.
“Yes,” Isaiah whimpered. He shook his head slightly and spit. Blood pooled onto the sand below.
“Okay then,” Levi said, his voice once again a model of calm. He stepped forward and grabbed Isaiah by the hair, pulling him up into a standing position. He threw him back against the SUV. “Now. I want you to look at Cherish.”
Isaiah’s eyes met mine, a terrifying mixture of fear and fury.
“This is where you apologize to her.”
“I’m sorry,” Isaiah whispered.
“Good. Now.” Levi turned and spread his arm, indicating the Stone Kings. “These men here. They are my brothers. They are my family. And they, unlike you motherfuckers, are not a bunch of cowardly pieces of shit who have to beat women into submission. But damned if they don’t enjoy a good beatdown. And I can tell they are itching to end you motherfuckers. So you’re lucky that I’m feeling charitable today.”
Levi turned back to Isaiah, and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up until they were at eye level with each other. “If you ever, ever, try to so much as talk to Cherish again,” Levi said in a voice as cold as steel, “these men, with me at the front of the pack, will hunt the three of you down and kill you. Do you hear me? We will kill you. Do you believe me?”
He looked at each of the men in turn, and waited for each of them to nod.
“Good.” Still holding on to Isaiah’s collar, he threw him down into the sand in one fluid motion. “Now, you miserable bastards, get the hell out of my sight. I don’t ever want to see or hear about you again in this state.”
Isaiah scrambled up out of the sand, wiping his bloodied nose, and the three of them got quietly into the SUV. None of them dared to look at me or any of the men as they shut their doors, started the engine, and drove slowly back onto the road. We all watched in silence as they retreated into the distance, finally disappearing over the horizon.
When they were gone, I looked up to see Levi standing at my side. “Fuck,” he breathed, raising his hand to my face. “You’re hurt.”
“I’ll be okay.” I shook my head. “Just bruised, mostly.”
Softly, he stroked my swollen lip with my thumb. “Cherish,” he murmured, his eyes shining. “Jesus. I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” I asked in confusion. “You saved me.”
He sighed, then wrapped me in his arms, kissing the top of my head.
“The whole ride here, I was promising myself that when I got you back safe, I’d never let you go again,” he murmured into my hair. “I’m sorry I ever tried to let you go in the first place. I was trying to let you make your own life, your own decisions. I was trying to stay out of your way.” He pulled back, and looked at me, his eyes burning with intensity. “I love you, Cherish. I want you to be mine. Forever. But it’s your decision. I don’t want to stand in the way of your future.”
“Of course it’s my decision,” I said, laughing softly. “And I already told you. I’m yours. I love you, Levi. I can’t imagine being with anyone else.”
He lifted my chin and kissed me deeply, instantly awakening the familiar heat and longing deep inside me. I moaned softly and returned his kiss, our tongues dancing eagerly. When he pulled away, I looked dizzily up into his eyes, and then suddenly remembered we weren’t alone. My glance darted to the other men, who had wandered off toward their bikes, trying to pretend they couldn’t see us.
“I think we’re causing a scene,” I said, smiling up at him.
“I think you’re right. You okay to ride?” he asked softly.
“Well,” I said, looking down at the heavy dress I was wearing, “I think I can make it back into town, but I’m going to need a change of clothes.”
“Let’s go see what we can find at the gas station,” h
e replied, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe they have a Minions shirt.”
22
Levi
All the drama in our little world vanished as quickly as it had come. The brothers and I brought Cherish back to Lupine that night, and life went back to normal.
The men from the Ranch never bothered her again.
The Stone Kings didn’t hear anything directly about what had gone down between Lalo and the Cannibals, following our revelations about who had been responsible for the attacks. But we did get a communiqué, of sorts. One day, an envelope arrived at the clubhouse, with no return address and no postage. One of the men brought it to Grey, who opened it in front of me and a few of the others.
Inside, was the Aztecs patch that Grey had given to Lalo. The smears of blood on it told us all we needed to know.
Now that I was no longer trying to hide my love for Cherish, from her or from myself, things progressed pretty quickly between us. Every day, she got more beautiful to me, and the more I watched her make a life for herself, the prouder I was of her. Even though I wanted her with me every second of every day, I did at least try to give her some space, so I wouldn’t suffocate her.
We talked about her moving in with me right away, but I told her she should get an apartment by herself for a while until she was absolutely sure. She fought me on it, but she finally agreed to a month to month lease on a nice little furnished studio near downtown. Turned out, it was a waste of money. We ended up spending every night together, anyway, and after three months she finally wore me down and made me realize I should stop trying to give her room and just move her into my place.
STONE KINGS MOTORCYCLE CLUB: The Complete Collection Page 34