And then — silence.
I waited, my trembling fingers clutching the knife tightly, tears falling down my face, my lips quivering in fear, my breath ragged in my throat. Alex had stopped crying finally and he stared at me with wide eyes.
Still, I waited, listening in the silence for any sound from Luke.
Through the deafening pounding in my heart, I heard a car pull up outside and then a door slam close. I turned toward the front door, my eyes filled with terror as I brandished the knife.
The door burst open and Jason stood there, his eyes widening in shock when they landed on me.
“Daisy!” He cried, running over to me and taking the knife from my hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but Ch-chester, and Riot and Slade…” I stuttered, shaking my head, tears pouring from my eyes. I couldn’t talk, I just pointed towards the back of the house and Jason took off running down the hallway.
I fell back against the counter, then slid down to the floor, holding Alex tightly, my sobs echoing off the kitchen walls.
Bones
I couldn’t believe the bloodbath I walked into.
The bedroom floor was streaked with blood and Chester lay panting on the ground, bleeding from his hip. I ran to the window and looked out, shocked to see Riot and Slade moaning and writhing on the ground outside.
“What the fuck!” I shouted.
I grabbed a towel from a nearby chair and pressed it into Chester’s bleeding hip.
“Hey, boy,” I whispered to him. He was scared, his eyes wide, his heart racing. “It's okay, you’re okay. I promise, Chester. I love you, boy. You’re going to be just fine.”
Daisy was standing behind me, softly crying as she watched from the doorway.
“Come here,” I said. She put Alex in his crib and ran over to me, kneeling beside me. I placed her hands on the towel. “Put pressure on his wound. Don’t let go. Did you call the cops?”
“No,” she replied, sobbing. “My phone fell in the pool. Your land line doesn’t work…”
“Fuck,” I replied. That phone had been there when I moved in and I never bothered to actually have it turned on, since all I used was my cell. It didn’t matter now, though. “Who did this?”
“Luke,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, Jason. I’m so sorry…”
“Who the fuck is Luke?” I asked.
Riot and Slade were stirring now, moaning and trying to get up. I jumped out the window and kneeled next to them on the grass.
“What the fuck happened?”
“Fucking Luke Sullivan happened, that’s what,” Slade muttered, shaking his head and wincing.
“Who the fuck is Luke Sullivan?” I asked again.
“What the hell, man? You live under a goddamned rock or something?”
“Goddammit, Slade, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Luke Sullivan is the fucking MMA champion of the world and for some reason the asshole really wanted inside your fucking house, Bones.”
“Oh. That guy? I’m so fucking confused,” I shook my head, inspecting the cuts on his face.
“Be still!” I shouted as he moved his head, wincing again.
“You’ll be alright,” I said. “A small cut, but I think your nose is broken.”
I looked Riot over and slowly he sat up, his hair and beard streaked with blood.
“You look like you fought a fucking tiger,” I muttered.
Riot shook his head, spitting blood on the ground beside him.
“What a fucking powerhouse,” he said.
“Fuck that guy!” Slade shouted, then winced in pain again. “He just got lucky. And I’m not fucking done with him, you can bet your sweet ass on that!”
“We gotta go,” I said, lifting Riot to his feet.
“Sullivan left,” Slade said.
“Don’t mean he isn’t coming back.”
“Good! Then I won’t have to go looking for his sorry ass to rip it apart,” Slade sneered.
“I gotta get Daisy and Alex somewhere safe. And Chester….”
“What happened to Chester?” Riot asked.
“He shot him.”
“Motherfucker!” Slade said. “I’m gonna kill that Limey bastard!”
“Not if I kill him first,” I growled, rage ripping through me. “First, we need to get you both some medical attention.”
“We’re fucking fine,” Slade growled.
“Your nose is broken.”
“Ain’t the first time and ain’t gonna be the fucking last.”
“Fine. I gotta get Chester to the vet. The bullet hit his hip, I think he’s going to be okay.”
Daisy appeared at the window, her face streaked with tears, her face as white as a cloud.
“Should I call the police?” She said, her lips quivering. “I’m so sorry. I should have pressed charges against that asshole a long time ago. I’m ready to do it now. He needs to go to jail. He wants Alex.”
Riot and Slade exchanged a glance and shook their heads.
“Nope,” Slade said. “The cops can’t stop a man like him. All they’re going to do is ask for his fucking autograph and a selfie. He might have gotten lucky today, but this battle is just beginning. We can take him.”
“Let’s go to the clubhouse,” I said, looking them over. “Do you need a ride?”
“Ain’t the first time I’ve ridden with a fucking broken nose, either, Bones. We’ll be just fine.”
“Stay close,” I said, walking back around the front of the house with them. “Let me pack up Daisy and the baby and we’ll be right out.”
“I gotta take a leak, man,” Slade said.
“Bro, I think you already did,” Riot said, pointing to a wet stain on Slade’s jeans.
“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.
Riot tried not to laugh for about two seconds, but it was no use. He burst out laughing, as Slade walked inside the house ignoring him.
I ran in behind him, catching up with Daisy in the hallway.
“Daisy, grab Alex and pack up your stuff, we’re leaving.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe,” I said, pulling her shaking body into my arms. “I should have taken you there a long time ago.”
Daisy
We left Chester at the vet. The doctor was a friend of Jason’s and after many reassurances from him that Chester would be just fine, Riot and Slade finally convinced Jason to leave him there. We headed to the clubhouse with Riot and Slade following close behind on their bikes.
The silence in the truck was deafening. I wanted to apologize. I felt so terrible about everything, mostly Chester, but with Slade’s broken nose, Riot’s blood-caked beard and the broken window…including well, all the fucking drama heaped upon them…
I was absolutely mortified.
I hardly knew Jason and my presence in his life had already caused all these problems. An apology seemed like a painfully insufficient response.
“I don’t know what to say,” I replied, my voice quiet and sad, even to my own ears. “I can’t believe this happened. I feel awful for bringing this to your doorstep, Jason.”
“Don’t,” he said, shaking his head firmly. “It’s not your fault.”
“Well, yeah it is,” I replied. “If I had just stayed at the shelter, none of this would have ever happened.”
“No,” he insisted. “If Luke Sullivan wasn’t a violent fucking asshole then this wouldn’t have ever happened. It’s all his fault. Don’t you dare blame yourself, Daisy. I won’t let you. He would have found you, no matter where you were living.”
I sat quietly, trying to let his words sink in. I wanted to believe him, but it was so hard not to blame myself.
“I was outside walking Chester and he just drove by…I wasn’t sure it was him. The Bugatti was a different color…”
“He drives a fucking Bugatti? Of course he does,” he said, shaking his head. “You could feed an entire country for how much those
cost.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him.”
“Gotta admit, I was a little surprised to hear Luke fucking Sullivan was Alex’s father.”
“Yeah…”
“So,” he said, anger rising in his voice. “He the one that…bought you?”
“It was more of a lease type arrangement, I guess. I belonged to Ruby, she just put me on a shelf for him to play with whenever he wanted and charged a pretty price for it.”
He shook his head, his eyes steely and squinted.
“For how long?”
“How long?”
“How many years have you been imprisoned, lying in wait for this asshole?”
“For Luke particularly? Five years, I suppose.”
“That motherfucker,” he sneered. “You were just a kid.”
“A well-seasoned, well-trained and very obedient kid,” I said, turning to stare out the window. His anger was too raw, too palpable. I didn’t want to see it. I’d stuffed my anger away so that it was non-existent, only coming out in the last year and even then, I didn’t think it was an emotion I could afford as a mother. I kept it locked away as tightly as possible at all times. Even now. Even during this insanity, I couldn’t access it. “I can’t remember the last time I felt like a kid…”
He glanced over at me, I didn’t see him with my head turned, but I felt the heat of his gaze. I didn’t face him. I kept looking out the window, my heart silently shattering.
He’ll be done with you now, I thought, that voice beginning to chatter away, the incessant nagging that almost always popped up in times like this. Times when I hated myself for making such colossal mistakes. Times when I didn’t know what else to do. Times when I began to question if I deserved any goodness in life at all.
Look what you’ve done. He’s taking you to this safe place, but as soon as you’re out of the line of fire, he’ll turn his back on you. He’ll leave. Why in the world would anyone want to stay around to witness this train wreck?
I shook my head, willing it away.
Fine, let him leave, I thought, talking back to myself like a crazy woman. I can go back to the shelter, find a better paying job, I’ve been fine on my own for a year. I don’t need anybody’s help.
“I’m so sorry,” he muttered, his voice low and quiet and calm now. “I shouldn’t have gone off like that.”
“You’re fine,” I said, my voice light and airy, despite the storm brewing inside of me.
“He can’t get away with this shit,” he said, his words a low, measured growl. I could see he was struggling to contain his emotions and I was touched. He was doing that for me. I couldn’t remember anyone ever doing that for me, ever caring how their words might impact me. “Listen, Daisy. These people I’m taking you to. They’re amazing, kind, wonderful people. They’re professionals. You’re going to absolutely love them, especially Grace. I want you to let them help you, okay? Do whatever they suggest. No matter what it is.”
“Well, I’m good at that…” I said, wryly. I instantly hated that I’d let the words fall from my lips. I’d gotten bitter and sarcastic about my past. “Sorry,” I muttered, reminding myself to keep my sarcasm to myself.
“This must all be tremendously hard on you.”
“I don’t care about myself, honestly. I can take anything. I just want to make sure Alex is safe and that Luke never gets his hands on him. If anything ever happened to my boy, I’d have no reason for living.”
“He’s lucky to have you.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “Oh, please. He’d be much better off with a normal woman, whatever that looks like.”
“Normal doesn’t exist. We’re all just out here floating around on a ball, flying through space together. Everyone’s different. We’ve all got pain and trauma that we deal with, no matter who we are. Different levels, sure, but the pain is still there.”
“Even you?” I asked. “You seem so…together.”
He nodded, his eyes darkening.
“Yeah, even me,” he said. “I miss my old man a lot.”
I’d forgotten about his father being murdered and I instantly regretted asking.
“That’s right. I’m so sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for.”
“I feel like I have so much to apologize for.”
“Didn’t we cover this already?” he asked, flashing me a smile. He reached out, his hand covering mine. It was so warm. So big. A human connection that my body needed so badly. “Everything’s going to be okay, Daisy. I promise.”
I nodded, speechless, my eyes welling up with tears, so I looked away again. He removed his hand and my heart sank.
I wanted him to touch me forever.
He was so fucking kind, so damned comforting. I wanted to crawl into his arms and believe every word he said. I wanted to bathe in his kindness, I wanted to drink in every reassuring word, let it become a part of my fabric.
I could have reached for him, put his hand back on mine, asked for the comfort that I so desperately yearned for. But I couldn’t get past this wall I’d erected around myself. And that voice…
He’ll be done with you…
Why would he stay…
You don’t deserve a man like him…
I sighed and kept my hands to myself, keeping my shattered heart locked securely away in its cage.
We drove in silence the rest of the way, Alex sleeping peacefully next to me.
The city fell away behind us, the road opening up to meandering green meadows and farmland surrounded by towering forested hills in the distance. After a few minutes, the busy freeway narrowed to a small two-lane highway that led out to the rugged cliffs of the Oregon coast about an hour away. The winding road cut through the forest, tall, swaying pines surrounding us, their shadows blocking out the sun and making it seem much later in the day than it really was.
Eventually, Jason slowed the truck, turning onto a dirt road off the side of the highway and Riot and Slade followed behind us, the wheels of their bikes kicking up a huge cloud of dirt behind them. A half a mile in, we stopped before a black wrought iron gate and Jason pressed an access card up against a small black box. The gates opened up and we drove in.
“The clubhouse is about five miles up this way.”
“Seems very secluded,” I said.
“It is,” he replied. “And peaceful. I think you’ll love it.”
“An outlaw clubhouse is peaceful?”
“They’ve been known to go outside the law, sure, but they aren’t what you might typically think of as outlaws. You’ll see.”
I nodded, uncertainty rushing through me. What had I gotten myself into? I’d been perfectly fine at the shelter. I should have stayed there. What the hell was I going to do out here in the middle of nowhere?
After ten minutes of driving down bumpy dirt roads, the dirt changed to gravel and a few buildings came into view. Jason parked the truck by the side of a large log cabin and the Gods pulled their bikes into a garage at the opposite end of the property. Jason jumped out and I slid out after him, pausing to look around. Now that the bikes were turned off, the low, rumbling growls of their engines gone, I saw that Jason had been right.
It was peaceful here.
Like a small compound, there were several buildings scattered within sight. A large, old log cabin with a covered front porch was closest to me, but I also spotted a few other structures — a garage and two more other buildings that could have been homes. Way in the distance, barely visible through the trees, was another house with a flower-lined walkway leading up to the front door.
Riot and Slade walked out of the garage and greeted another man who walked out of the cabin next to us.
“What the hell happened to you two?” he asked.
“You’re not gonna believe this one, boss,” Slade said, shaking his head.
“Try me.”
“Luke fucking Sullivan happened to us,” Riot said.
“What are you talking about? Is your
nose broken, Slade?”
“Nah, man,” he said, reaching up to touch his nose and wincing in pain. “Just a sprain, maybe.”
“You can’t sprain your nose,” Jason said.
“Whatever,” he replied, shrugging. “I’m fine.”
“I’ll need to take a closer look at it, at some point, Slade,” Jason said.
“Sure, Bones, whatever you say. You’re the doc.”
“What’s this about Luke Sullivan?”
“We had a run in with him. He’s got quite a right hand,” Riot said.
“And a right foot,” Slade replied.
“I really don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head. He looked over at Jason as he began explaining.
“Ryder, this is Daisy,” he said. Ryder walked over and shook my hand, smiling down at me. He was handsome, more handsome than any of them, with an air of aloof coolness and confidence that seemed to seep from his pours. He wore his cut like a second skin, his name and the word ‘President’ patched underneath on the side of his chest.
“Nice to meet you, Daisy,” he said. “Welcome to the clubhouse.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry about all this.”
“No need for apologies,” he said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t mind a little explanation, though. Are we talking about Luke Sullivan, the MMA champ?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” I replied. “It’s a long story.”
“Well, we have plenty of time to hear it. Let’s get you settled and we’ll talk later.”
I’d never been more grateful to postpone telling my story in my life. Jason was behind me, getting Alex out of the truck. I grabbed his diaper bag, thankful I had a brand new box of diapers in the back. As far as I could tell, acquiring more was going to require a long drive back into town.
“This is Alex,” Jason said.
“Hey, Alex,” Ryder murmured, smiling down at him, before leading us into the large log cabin nearby. Alex began crying and I took him from Jason’s arms.
“Shh, baby, you’re okay,” I whispered, holding him close as we walked inside.
BONES: GODS OF CHAOS MC Page 15