Tyler didn’t have family, so he didn’t really understand the dynamic. “If you say so.”
“I do.”
They made their way into the dining area of the clubhouse. The large table that could hold everyone sat decorated, and Meredith had to hold the intake of breath. They really did go all out for this. They had good plates as well as tablecloths on the table. Each chair had a place setting, and it looked like there were even linen napkins as well. She noticed that every place setting had a cup except for Tyler’s. Jagger caught her eye and winked.
“If you want your mug, you’re gonna have to get it yourself.”
The group laughed, remembering the ‘curse of the skull mug’. Tyler’s laugh was full bodied, and she thought she saw tears at the corners of his eyes. They all had a seat and started passing around the food. Once everyone had their plate full, William stood at the head of the table.
“It’s a tradition here at Club Heaven Hill every Thanksgiving, we go around the table and tell what we’re thankful for. I’ll go ahead and start. I’m thankful for the prosperity of the club, and the fact that we’ve continued to stay relevant in a changing political and economic climate.”
Up next was Liam, who cleared his throat and put his arm around Denise’s shoulders. “I’m thankful for my new family and the friendships I’ve been able to maintain. Without that, my life wouldn’t be anything, and this year I figured that out.”
It went down the line to a few more people when it came to Drew. He fidgeted in his seat, playing with this glass. “What are you thankful for?” Denise asked, looking at her son.
“I’m thankful for Tyler agreeing to work out with me. I’m thankful for the new brother or sister I’m going to have. I’m thankful for us coming to this place. We’ve never really had a family before, and I’ve never had a dad before. I’m glad I have one now.”
That took the breath out of everyone. He had never called Liam Dad before, never even mentioned it.
“You sure?” Liam asked, shock and pride apparent on his face.
“I am, we both talked about it. You are our dad no matter what,” Drew motioned to Mandy who nodded.
She was the quieter of the two and almost always deferred to Drew when things like this came up. It was so good to see her agree.
“I’ve been calling you my kids to everyone but the two of you, so I’m glad you think of me the same,” Liam choked out.
He stood up and went around the table to hug both of them. Everyone watched the group, happy that so many had found happiness in their situations this year. The table came around to Meredith and Tyler.
Meredith cleared her throat. “I’m thankful this year for the trials and tribulations I’ve had. They’ve made me appreciate the good times, and they’ve brought me to this place and to this man who I care about more than I can say.”
Tyler wanted to tell William exactly what they knew and that he should enjoy his last holiday here with the club he supposedly loved so much. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not with the kids around and not before he had a chance to exact his revenge. “I’m thankful also for the universe bringing me this beautiful woman.”
Everyone raised their glasses in salute. When he saluted his, he looked straight at William, a smile on his face.
The group at the table sat around eating dessert and drinking coffee a few hours later. William had made an abrupt exit, and Liam got up on the pretense of having a cigarette. Minutes later, he texted Tyler to let him know that an unknown car had come to pick William up and had driven off down the road. Liam texted the license plate information to Rooster, hoping he could run a search on it. Everyone else went on with business as usual.
Beside him, Meredith crossed and uncrossed her legs, turning to face Jagger. “Did you invite everyone tomorrow night?”
“What’s she talking about?” Steele asked.
Jagger’s face turned red. “I hadn’t, but I guess I will now. I’m playing a show at Wet Wanda’s, and you’re all welcome to come if you want.” Even though he had played shows there before, he’d never actually invited everyone. This would be big if they all came.
“I’ve heard you sing when you think no one is around. You’re not half bad. I’ll be there,” Travis told him, nodding in his direction.
A couple of the other guys agreed, promising him they would fill the place up.
“No pressure or anything,” Tyler grinned, looking over at the younger man. “My lady has informed me that you’re good, and I’m muscling us up to the stage, so you better not disappoint.”
“Motherfucker, that’s a lot of pressure,” Jagger ran a hand through his hair.
Meredith smiled prettily at him and waved. “Aren’t you thankful I came into your life?”
The guys laughed as he shifted, uncomfortable. “You are going to get me killed by your boyfriend over there. That is, if I don’t die of nervousness first. Damn, I need a cigarette.” With that, he got up, almost running for the door.
“You’ve got him all tore up,” Tyler laughed, taking a drink from his infamous mug.
“I like to keep him on his toes. He’s fun to pick on,” Meredith shrugged. “That being said, I expect to see everybody at his performance tomorrow. It means a lot to him, whether he admits it or not.”
“Yes ma’am,” Liam saluted as he made his way back to the table.
He motioned to Tyler to check his phone. The name had come back from Rooster as well as a photo of the license of the person the car was registered to. When he opened the cell, he knew without a doubt something was wrong. The picture was of an African American man. They knew that the man who had raped Meredith was Caucasian. They had to do something and fast. They both knew that William could be on to them, and that would be a very dangerous situation.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Meredith screamed along with the other women who surrounded her. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was about a man playing guitar that women loved, but it was downright sexy. Never had Jagger looked more at home than he did up on stage. She really couldn’t believe this was the same man who was scared to death of the curse of the skull cup. She’d heard him humming and singing to himself a few times, but she’d never known his voice was so rich. As the crowd began to surge closer towards the stage, Tyler wrapped his arms tighter around her body. No one was getting in between the two of them, no one would separate them. She put her hands over his and squeezed, showing her appreciation of the fact that he wouldn’t let anyone encroach on their space.
The fact that she was even in this crowd, not freaking out, was amazing. After Jagger’s set, she turned around and motioned for him to bend down so that she could talk into his ear.
“I’m thirsty,” she shouted.
Her voice was hoarse, and he had to concentrate to hear her.
“You want me to go get you somethin’ or do you wanna come with me?”
She loved the spot they’d claimed at the side of the stage, they could see everything. However, her calves were starting to hurt, and she needed a break from the crush of the crowd. She knew another band would be playing after Jagger, but really he was all that she had wanted to see.
“I’ll go with you.”
He turned around, grabbing her hand with his large one. She grabbed onto his cut as well, knowing that no one would touch it and they wouldn’t get separated in the crowd. Following him as he bullied his way through the crowd, it wasn’t long until they broke the edge and she could finally breathe again. Even though it was winter, the crush of bodies had made it extremely hot and humid.
“You alright?” he asked as they emerged from the crowd.
“Yeah, this was great,” the smile on her face warmed his heart. She’d been around all these people and not had a panic attack or been uncomfortable once. He was prouder of her than he’d ever been of anyone else in his life.
Directing her towards the hallway where they were selling concessions, he saw Liam who’d also headed out of the crowd.
“Had to get out of there. Was starting to get nervous with all those people at my back,” he said as he walked with them towards the concessions.
“Me and you both,” Tyler agreed.
They stood in line waiting for it to be their turn to be waited on. “What do you want?” he asked as they realized they were next.
“Bottle of water is fine with me,” Meredith said.
He directed her over to his other side so that he could grab his wallet out of his pocket. She watched as Liam told Tyler what he wanted as well and then came to stand next to her. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask how Denise was doing since they’d all left her alone for the night. When she went to turn, she bumped into another hard body and turned to apologize.
“Sorry,” she smiled at a tall man who milled around her.
With this many people, she knew that it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to run into others. He smiled back at her, but the look on his face gave her the chills. His eyes were familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She grabbed Liam’s arm and stood closer to him.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
“That guy just gives me the creeps,” she whispered back to him.
While he waited for Tyler to pay for the drinks, he put his arm around her protectively. If she felt uncomfortable after everything she’d been through, there was a reason for it. Tyler turned to them, and she could see confusion on his face as he saw Liam’s arm around her.
“Sorry, she was feeling uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay,” Tyler said, grabbing her chin in his hand. “You alright?” he asked her, a softness in his eyes.
“Yeah, I just got a little creeped out when a guy bumped into me.”
Immediately, he was on the offensive. He realized that she had felt fine in the audience full of people, but one man made her feel on edge. He strongly believed in feelings, and obviously she was having them. So was he. It centered in his gut, and he couldn’t shake it. This meant something. “Point him out to me,” he directed.
She turned around in circles, looking for the man who’d given her that feeling. He wasn’t going back to the concert, so she turned towards the exit. “There he is,” she pointed him out as he walked towards the exit.
“Let’s go,” he instructed. He had a feeling about this one. “Liam, don’t leave us.”
His tone said not to question him, even though Liam ranked higher in the club. Liam didn’t hesitate to follow.
“Be quiet and don’t ask questions,” he instructed her as they followed at a distance and watched the man walk around the building.
Tyler increased his speed as they continued to follow. Just then the man’s cell phone rang, and Meredith stopped in her tracks. The sound of the little girl on the ringtone singing Happy Birthday to her daddy made her blood run cold.
When he realized she wasn’t walking with them anymore, Tyler looked back at her. The look on her face said it all.
“That’s him,” she whispered, her body shaking. Her teeth chattered as the shakes went through her.
“Wait here.”
She wanted to tell him not to do this, not to hurt this man, not to get himself in trouble. But she knew that he had to avenge her. Another side of her wanted him to do that.
“Go after him,” she yelled at Liam. “Don’t let him kill that guy.”
A part of her didn’t want to watch this, the other part of her couldn’t do anything but watch.
“Hey motherfucker,” Tyler yelled as he ran to catch up with the guy.
Spinning around, the guy questioned him. “Who you callin’ motherfucker?”
Without answering, Tyler grabbed him up by the neck and slammed his body against the hard brick of the building. “You don’t know me, but I know you. I will kill you,” he seethed quietly. “A few months ago, you raped a woman. That was my woman, and you will fucking pay for it.”
Tyler had to give the guy credit, he didn’t get scared. He actually smiled. “And it was so good too. I wish I would have had more time. She was a hot piece of ass.”
Rage tore through Tyler’s body so strongly that he knew he could snap this guy’s neck in half with no effort. Instead, he began pounding on him. The tear of his knuckles felt good as he hit him repeatedly in the face. When he’d beaten him enough so that the other man slumped to the ground, he started in with his feet, kicking his ribs repeatedly. Breathing heavily, Tyler knew he should stop, he was taking this too far. His hands ached, his back ached, his legs ached, but he couldn’t stop. He kept seeing Meredith that night in his mind. How she’d looked when he’d found her in the parking lot. The way she’d looked when she’d woken up from all the nightmares.
“Get the fuck up!” he yelled. “I’m not done with you.”
Out of nowhere, Liam came up behind him and grabbed his arms. “I think both of you have had enough,” he said quietly.
Unbeknownst to him, tears had run down his face, and he wore the other man’s blood on him. Lifting his hands up to his eyes, he wiped at the tears quickly, hoping that no one had seen his show of emotion.
“I’ll have Jagger take care of him. We’ll take him to the garage and get him to talk. You go take care of Meredith.”
Shit. She’d seen that. She’d seen him lose complete control over his temper. He hadn’t done that in years. He needed a minute to gather himself. Leaning against the wall, he rested his head against it and fought to regulate his breathing. He fought to shut the door on the beast inside him. He hated to let it loose, and he didn’t know how Meredith would react to him now. He’d been so intent on his goal that the other man hadn’t even gotten a shot in. Closing his eyes so he could breathe, he inhaled deeply. Out of nowhere, arms went around his waist.
“You okay?” Meredith asked, her voice quiet. He hated that.
“I’m fine,” he strangled out around the lump in his throat. “Sorry you had to see that.”
“Are you kidding? Nobody’s ever stood up for me before like that. I love you for that.”
That hit him in the chest like a brick. They’d never shared those words with one another, and the fact she did it after witnessing that meant so much more. The tears that he’d shed before came back with a vengeance.
“Turn around and look at me,” she told him, trying to turn him with her own strength.
“Let me get a hold of myself.”
“No, I want to see you. It’s alright if you’re showing emotion, Tyler.”
He turned around to face her, tears still streaming down his face. When she saw him, the tears that she’d been holding back came unchecked. Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her head in his chest, holding on for dear life. He held her just as tightly as she held him. When he finally felt like he was over the flood of emotion, he pulled away from her and framed her face with his hands.
“I love you too. There’s absolutely nothing in this world I won’t do for you. You don’t have to worry anymore because when we’re done questioning him I’m gonna beat his ass to death.”
Liam and Jagger ran up to them, grabbing the man up by his shirt. Tyler could have been breathing fire with the look on his face, and he turned to Liam, knowing this was it.
“Call your dad and get his ass in on this too. Tonight we finish this.”
Meredith had never been so scared of what was going to happen in her life.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The entire club had gathered at a warehouse that they owned next to the Barren River. The man that Tyler had beaten sat in a chair, arms tied behind his back, feet tied to the legs.
“What did you call everyone here for?” William asked, as they all assembled.
Liam walked towards the group milling around the doorway. “Please, allow me to explain. This man is the man that raped Meredith. It was a horrible crime, one that affected everyone in the club and our significant others. We’ve all talked over the past few months of what we would do when we found that man.”
“Yeah, we
’d kill him,” Steele agreed.
Jagger stood on the same side as Liam and Tyler, flanking the man in the chair.
“Well, we found him,” Tyler pointed at the man sitting in the chair. “The bitch of it is that one man in this room paid this piece of shit to rape the woman that I love. He set up the whole thing.”
Shouts erupted as each of them began pointing fingers at the other.
Tyler whistled loudly, getting everyone’s attention. He went over to where the man sat in the chair and pulled his head back by the hair on his head. Blood poured from his nose and mouth. “Would you like to tell everyone who hired you?”
The man tilted his chin towards their president, blowing the cover on the whole thing.
“Seriously?” Steele asked, backing up from where he stood next to William.
“There were choices that had to be made. I made them,” William defended himself.
Tyler took off and grabbed William by the throat, shoving him up against a wall of the warehouse. “I thought of you like my father for the longest time, and then I find out that you’ve done this. I want to kill you, but I don’t know if I can.” The inner turmoil was apparent on Tyler’s face and his blood thundered in his ears.
“I did what I had to do for the club.”
“The fuck you did. She didn’t know anything really, you could have scared her. You didn’t have to have her raped and beaten.”
“She was a threat,” William argued.
“She wasn’t a threat after old Dickie boy was dead. Yet, you still kept going.”
“You and I both know she never would have stopped. She wanted to break this wide open. She had my secrets at her fingertips whether she knew it or not. Meredith would have known if she looked hard enough.”
“Known what?” Liam screamed. “What was so fucking important that she couldn’t find out?”
“That you’re not my son,” he whispered. “Your mom is a whore and cheated on me. You are not mine, but I paid her back didn’t I? You’ve been my bitch most of your life. You even carry my name.” His grin was triumphant. “I knew that if these men knew you had no loyalty to me they’d leave me and go with you. This club is all I have, and she threatened that. My livelihood was going to be gone if she told you. I know you. You would have taken your mother’s side because she fed you all that bullshit about how she really wanted you when you were a child. You’ve always done what I wanted you to – even when you didn’t want to. If you follow me, then they do. If you don’t, then they push back. I’m not an idiot, you’re my golden ticket with these men.”
Heaven Hill Series - Complete Series Page 35