by M. T. Ossler
I’m trying my hardest not to be on edge around these men, but it’s still hard. In time it will get better, I just need time.
Meeting a few of Gio’s brothers, from the other Clubs, while we were on our trip was great. They are nice guys and easy to get along with, like being around my own brothers.
I really do miss my brothers Val (Valentino), Romeo and Bash (Sebastian). Even Lorenzo, he may not be my blood brother, but he is as close to me as they are.
I’m still a little on edge after last night and trying to process it all. The night started off so well. The Club was fun, dancing around with Jules up until… The second that man put his hands on me my world stopped. I fought as hard as I could I just couldn’t get an inch.
Gio promised me no one would ever touch me or hurt me again and he would always protect me. Last night he was true to his word, saving me yet again. All I need is his touch to feel strong, grounded and safe.
Once my sister is in my arms and I know she’s safe, I’ll feel even better. I just need to see for myself that she’s okay.
I’m sitting at the bar with my head bent over a steaming hot cup of coffee, my hands wrapped around it, stressing over this stupid shit. I can’t help it; my mind just won’t shut off. It just keeps running at a million miles a minute. I need a ride on Gio’s motorcycle soon to help clear my head.
I feel his arms come around my waist from behind, setting them flat on my stomach. I lean back into his warm touch, knowing the second he touched me, it was him. He holds me flat against his chest with his chin resting on my shoulder. I feel his warmth radiate through my body, causing me to shiver with need.
I lay my head back on his shoulder and look over at him. His lips find mine in a sweet, but demandingly possessive kiss. A kiss meant to show his ownership of me in front of all the men in this room.
He breaks the kiss, and our eyes meet, like magnets. He’s looking for any hint that I’m not all right. He can see that I’m better in his arms, but I’m still missing a piece of my heart.
As if on cue, the bar doors burst open.
“Beast, Beast, where the fuck are you!” Romeo shouts from the doors searching the room for Gio. We both turn at the same time and see the look on Romeo’s face as he spots us. His look would scare the shit out of me on a good day.
“Beast, we had some trouble on the way here. I can’t get Shorty out of the damn car. She’s freakin’ the fuck out in the backseat. She won’t let anyone near her, not even Dusty. She only wants you,” Romeo spits out fast. I jump down from the stool and run to the door to go out to get my sister.
What the hell happened this early in the morning to freak her out this bad?
When I get closer to the doors, Gio’s arms wrap around my waist and yank me back into his chest.
“Baby, you can’t go out there. You stay inside, and I’ll bring her inside to you,” Gio whispers in my ear in a stern tone.
A part of me wants to fight him, but I won’t in front of his Club. He knows best, and I trust him. He finally lets me go when he feels I won’t run. He kisses my temple, I step back as he leaves the bar.
I turn back to Romeo grabbing his wrist and yanking on it. “Please, tell me what happened to my sister?” I beg him panicked and worried. He gives me a sympathetic look.
“Bella, let’s wait till your sister’s inside with you, then I’ll talk to Beast,” he says reluctantly, and I let his wrist go.
I want so badly to hit him and make him talk, but I won’t do that, either. My place here is the same as it’s always been my whole life. I’m to be seen and not heard and definitely never talk back to the men. It’s the Italian way.
I stand panicked and worried, waiting for Gio to bring in my sister.
Blaze walks over to us to talk to Romeo in a hushed voice to find out what all the commotion is about. I want to beg him to make Romeo tell me what happened, but again, I won’t because, in a way, these men scare me.
I just need to see my sister and find out what happened to her.
About five minutes later, Aunt Cindy walks in with her dog in her arms, Dusty and Gio are right behind her. He’s holding my sister protectively, cradling her in his arms to his chest. Her face is hidden, buried under his kutte.
I touch Aunt Cindy’s arm and give her a weak smile on my way to Gigi. I rub her back and kiss the side of her head.
“I’m here, baby girl. Tell me what happened, are you hurt?” I ask whispering in her ear, and she continues to sob softly.
When she doesn’t answer me, fear sets in me. This is not normal behavior for my sister, at all. Something spooked her pretty bad for her to be acting this way. She’s latched on to Gio so tight.
“Please, Gio, please,” she cries into his chest.
I turn to Gio, panicking and I don’t like what I see in his eyes. She said something to him, and it’s not good, not one bit.
“Oh, Dio, Gio, cosa sta succedendo? Dimmi cosa sta succedendo? Mi stai spaventando,” I plead with him to tell me what happened. He needs to tell me what’s going on because they are scaring the shit out of me.
I know my place with him and his Club, but this is my sister. He has to give me something. My sister is clinging to him like her life depends on it.
He just shakes his head, giving me a look that says. We’ll talk later in private as he holds my sister protectively.
His look also tells me it’s bad, and then it hits me in my gut, and a lightning bolt shoots up my spine. What could this be?
“Oh, Dio, no, Gio. Mi ha trovate, noi. La prego di dirmi mi sbaglio,” I scream, shaking uncontrollably now. Oh God, no, he found me, us. Please tell me I’m wrong.
I grab Gio’s arm, digging my nails into his skin, to center myself as I whip my head side to side venomously. I can see it in his eyes, even through my blurred vision. It’s true!
“He found me! Oh, My God! He found me! No! No! This can’t be happening! Please, please, Gio! NO! NO! NO!” I yell repeatedly. I’m starting to hyperventilate along with my entire body quaking uncontrollably.
I’m still holding onto Gio’s arm to hold myself up, my legs are starting to go weak, ready to give out. I feel my tears streaming down my face rapidly as the real panic sets in.
Did he get to my sister, is that why she’s so freaked out?
“Oh fuck, Blaze, take Gigi and get her out of here, now! Mom, follow him.” I hear Gio order as he hands her off to Blaze who’s been by my side this whole time.
Gio picks me up in his arms just as my legs completely give out. He’s trying to calm me and get me to stop screaming in Italian about the bastard hurting me again.
I didn’t realize I was still screaming and the room is quiet, except for my hysterical outburst. Everyone is staring at us, no at me, like I’m a crazy person. Maybe I am, that’s what this is. I have finally gone mad and broke for good, from all the shit that’s gone down.
I feel a hand on my shoulder, stopping us from moving, I lose my shit all over again, even more than before. I only want Gio to touch me, no other man, ever. It feels wrong, like him.
“Get your goddamn hands off me, you fucking bastard! You will never touch me again! Never again, never again! I will fucking kill you myself, you hear me you sonofabitch! You sick sonofabitch! NEVER AGAIN WILL YOU TOUCH ME! NEVER AGAIN! NEVER! NEVER!” I continue screaming, repeating those words as I flail around in Gio’s arms to get to him and attack him. I need to kill him.
The hand releases from my body and I still try to get out of Gio’s hold. I throw my fist forward at him. I want to hurt him. I need to hurt him like he hurt me. No, I need to fucking kill him. Now and end this all for good!
I’m screaming, and my voice is becoming hoarse. I repeat my words at the top of my lungs, over and over, shaking as the tears run down my face. I can’t see anything; everything is a black blurry mess.
Gio’s hold tightens around me, and I hear his words in my ear soothing me. “Baby, breathe, you’re with m
e, mio angelo, Principessa.
“He’s not going to come near you again. He will never touch you again. I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you forever, baby. You have to calm the fuck down. Ti amo, mia bella Principessa,” Gio says firmly in a loving tone in my ear. Then he moves the hair off my face with his rough, scruffy chin and kisses my forehead.
That’s when I snap back to reality, and I realize it’s not him. It was Romeo, he was the one who touched my shoulder. I can’t apologize to him because I’m still in shock, so Gio does it for me.
“Sorry, man,” Gio says to Romeo as I bury my face under his kutte, sobbing. Body rockin’ shaking, holding onto him like he’s my lifeline to keep the demons away. He really is these days, unfortunately.
I don’t hear what Romeo’s reply is, but I do hear Gator yelling at everyone in the room. “Show's over folks, we got Church.
“Beast, get your girls calmed down and settle her ass. Stay with them, you and Blaze call me when you get them situated. We’ll call Ace on three-way since he won’t leave Jules alone either.” He pauses and must be taking in Gio’s expression.
“She needs you with her, and I want Blaze to stay with you. I’ll call the prospects for extra security around the grounds,” he says to Gio, then addresses the room again. “Alright, guys file out.”
Gio starts to walk and then stops. “Send Sam to our apartment to give Bella a sedative,” Gio whispers to someone, I’m assuming it is Gator.
I hear people talking in hush voices as they move past us.
Oh no, what have I done now? I just made a huge scene in front of all Gio’s Club members and embarrassed both of us. On top of that, I yelled and tried to attack one of his brothers in front of a room full of witnesses. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.
They’re all going to think I’m crazy for sure after the scene I just made. I’m a mess, a total fucking mess these days. I’m making a mess of things again and this time for Gio too.
I’m so embarrassed, how am I ever going to look these people in the eyes again. They are all going to be here awhile, and I can’t avoid them forever. I will eventually bump into them. I’ll just have to figure out a way to fix all this shit I just caused for us and make it right.
Sam meets us in our new room and administers my sedative once Gio sets me down on our bed.
I hear Gigi screaming to see me from the other room, and Gio tells Blaze to lay her on the bed with me.
She crawls up to me, and we hold each other, crying. Aunt Cindy comes around the big king size, sitting behind me. She rubs our backs, soothing us and reassuring us, just like our mother used to do.
Then the darkness pulls me under, fast.
Chapter 3
Beast
Fuck, can things really get any worse? Yes, yes, they fuckin’ can, and they have. It seems like I can’t fuckin’ breathe anymore. The last few months have been heaven and hell for me, it just seems to be getting worse, though. What happened to the days when things were quiet around the Clubhouse, and my girl was safe, happy, under strict guard, under her father’s protection? Not that I would change having her back in my life or let her go back there without me, but at least she wasn’t this scared and fearful girl.
I hate seeing her like this; it kills a piece of me inside that she feels like she always has to be on the defensive. She fears the monster will come back for her and her baby sister and it’s consuming her. I want to take all the fear away from her and bare all her burdens, but I know I can’t, but I sure as hell want to.
I can only love and protect her and Gigi right now, until the day the reaper comes for my sorry ass and takes me from them.
After getting Bella and Gigi settled in the bedroom with mom, Blaze and I head to the kitchen. On my way out of the room, I grab my laptop off my desk. I need to check out a few things on our unwanted guests.
We situate ourselves at the kitchen table, and I turn on my computer. I need to search the web for a few things and hack all Anton’s accounts again to track him down. Anything I can find on him and his men that are here will be a welcomed peace of mind.
I place the call to Gator while my laptop boots up.
“Beast, hold on, lemme get Ace on the line,” Gator says annoyed. The line goes silent for a minute. My laptop finishes and I start my search, googling anything worth looking into.
“Alright, I call this meeting to order,” Gator declares with the bang of his gavel. “I’m handing the floor over to my VP. Tell us what the fuck happened last night, Ace.” Blaze and I sit back and wait since we know what went down. I continue to do my thing online until I hear his words and freeze with my fingers over the keyboard.
“First, I need to do something I should have done a while ago. I’m claiming Julietta Maria Cavalli as my ol’ lady. Jules is off limits! She’s mine now!” Ace growls loudly through the phone and shocks the shit out of everyone.
Blaze and I exchange a look, and I place my phone on mute. Ace starts to tell the guys about what happened at the Club, and I tune him out.
“It’s about fuckin’ time that asshole got a clue. I knew he had it bad for her from the second he saw her. Now, I really need to sit down and talk with our brother,” I say to Blaze, and he laughs.
“I thought you were pathetic for not fuckin’ any of the bitches around here, once Bella got here. Then I realized, he was doing the same damn thing,” he says still laughing. Then he stops and gets serious. “From the moment his eyes met hers in her apartment he was lost. That was one of the main reason I backed off. Plus, you warning us to stay away and show her respect because she’s your family. He gives her the same look you give Bella. I hope I’m as lucky as you two are, one day.” I nod, agreeing with him because I saw the same thing he did. I actually think it all started that day he heard her voice on the phone. I saw a look into his eyes I couldn’t determine nor did I have the time too. Most of all, I wish the same for my brother, Blaze, that he finds the same happiness as us one day. When you find your other half, it’s like a calming peace that all of a sudden comes over you, and you feel complete. You become a whole new improved better version of yourself. You want the whole world to feel the way you do because it’s an incredible feeling to behold. For me, it all happened the night I finally held Bella in my arms after so many years, in that hospital room. That night everything changed for me, it was a feeling I never felt when I was around her when I was a kid. I always knew in my heart how I felt, but I always hid my feelings. When I finally gave into my desires and held her in my arms, is when I felt the peace wash over me. I finally felt like a complete person - like a piece of me wasn’t missing anymore - for the first time in my life. The other half of me was finally home where she always belonged.
Now, it’s time to get serious, I turn the mute off, and we listen in.
Two hours later, and a lot of arguing back and forth - on what we want to do and what we should do - and we finally have a solid plan. We go over what’s good and bad, quicker and safer for our women and children at the Clubhouses. We may not always see eye to eye, but we always do what is right for our family. I might add, I’m not thrilled about our decision, but the Club comes first, and I have a job to do. I am still the SAA of this Club after all.
We’ve gone back and forth a million times, for what feels like days. We can only come up with one solution that we all agree on doing. We’re at war, and we have to end it before it starts. So, we take out as many of the Macks as we can before they get to us. Our women and children’s safety has to come first, above all else.
The first thing on the agenda is to find Spooky and Devil, string their asses up and make them pay for all the shit they caused in our territory.
Gator’s sending 30 of our best men, from all the Clubs, to the Macks Clubhouse in Georgia. That includes Ace, Blaze, and me.
We need to find out what they’re hiding there.
We’ll get in, and get them contained. Then we’ll light up their Clubhouse and wipe th
em all out, taking out as many of those fuckers in one swoop.
Which means I have to leave mom and my girls for a couple of days and take care of Club business. It’s time to end this shit on our terms and fast.
“Let’s move on to other important shit. Romeo, what the fuck went down this mornin’?” Gator demands.
“Those Cartel/Mafia bastards must have been watching the house,” Romeo says with a sigh. “Cotton and I searched the area, and there was nothin’ to be concerned about, though. We got Cindy and the kids in her car this morning with no problems. As we approached the exit to get off the highway, those bastards came out of nowhere. Three black SUV’s approached us and tried to run Cotton and me off the road. We kept control of our bikes, but Cindy got separated from us for a few minutes.” He puffs out a breath before continuing.
“We found them a mile up the road, just passed the exit, stopped on the shoulder. Dusty had his gun drawn, and Shorty was freaking out in his arms in the back seat. I asked Cindy what the hell happened and all she would say was we had to get to Beast, fast. Shorty kept screaming for Beast too, so we hightailed it here. No one would tell me what the fuck went down and I was more concerned about calming their asses down. And for a small woman, Cindy can be very intimidating.”
He finishes, and I know what happened and my blood is pumping and ready for a fight. I still haven’t figured out, how I’m going to fix it on top of this war that just started.
“Beast, you got to fill in some of the blanks here for us, brother. They’re your girls’, and apparently, Shorty said something to you or Bella wouldn’t have flipped the fuck out the way she did,” Gator says sounding exhausted.
Here it goes, more shit to add to the pile we’ve already got accumulating around here.
“Antonio’s men gave them a message when they forced mom off the road,” I say still fuming from those asshats words. “The message was for me, Bella, and the Club. They said they’re coming after us all. He’s taking the Club out of commission and taking what’s his. Well, what he thinks is his anyway. He wants my Bella, Jules, and Gigi. Apparently, he had plans for them, and I screwed that up when I took them. He said he’s going to kill me in front of the girls to teach them a lesson. Like that would ever happen. I won’t go into the graphic details about the other things he said that scared Shorty. That was his personal message for me, but that’s it in a nutshell. That’s why Gigi freaked out so bad. She doesn’t want him anywhere near her big sister so he can hurt her again. She’s scared for Bella after what he did to her before they came here to us.”