“Watching Bridget’s place again?” he asks me, and I can hear the worry in his words.
“Yep.” What else is there to say?
“Did she get any sleep? Hannah worries about her all the fucking time. It’s the only thing we can’t fix for her and gotta say, it’s driving us crazy.”
“She got up once for about an hour or so. No clue if she actually went back to sleep, but probably not. She likely just laid there waiting for daylight. She can’t keep this shit up, though, because she’s going to wear herself out and get sick.”
“Stress can be a killer, and I personally don’t want to see her suffer any more than she already has. Hannah has had some restless nights herself worried sick for her sister. We need to come up with a plan to help her out. I can’t take much more of Hannah’s tears before I drown in them.”
“Smokey, a lot of what Bridget needs, she’s gotta do for herself. I know we all want her to be better and all that shit, but her therapist made it very clear that she has to do the work. I know she’s still going twice a week, so she obviously wants to move past it all, but fuck, man, her douche of a brother put her through fucking hell. It’s going to take longer than a few weeks, a new apartment and a job before she even begins to feel better about herself.”
“If that fucker wasn't already dead, I’d take him out again...gladly. I wish I could dig him up and make him feel half the shit these girls are, especially Bridget. But I have a question, and the only reason I’m asking is as your friend and brother. Are you prepared to wait and stand back until she’s ready and willing to give you a shot? Because if not, as your friend and her brother-in-law, I’m asking that you please step back and let her find her happiness.”
“As long as it takes. That’s how long I’ll wait for her. She’s it for me, I feel it down to the marrow in my bones and I’ve never felt that before with anyone. So yeah, I’ll stand back to give her space to heal, but not far enough that she thinks I’m gone. If that’s gonna be a problem for y’all, you need to get the fuck over it now.”
“No problem with us, brother. As long as you’re willing to put in the work and not run at the first sign of trouble, I’ve got your back, as well as Bandit and Hannah. We think you’ll be good for her, we’re behind you every step of the way.”
“She’s not going to believe words, not yet anyhow, so I’ll show her how I feel. And as for the rest of the stuff, well, y’all aren’t too bad so I can live with y’all being my brothers-in-law.”
“What the fuck? How did we go from patiently waiting to us being related?” Smokey asks, confusion all over his face.
“Who’s getting married?” Bandit questions, coming up to where we’re sitting. We’ve moved from the bar to one of the tables and grabbed some of the breakfast that Nan had made.
“No one yet. I’m simply saying that because of her past, Bridget isn’t going to accept that I’m serious unless I completely lock her up -- make her my old lady and my wife.”
“And...you’re at that point already?” Bandit asks.
“Fuck no. I am, but she’s nowhere near ready for that step. But I’m a planner, didn’t you know?”
“You’re a crazy motherfucker is what you are,” Smokey says, ducking as I slam my fist into his shoulder. “She may never want to be with another man, you ever thought about that?”
“Not crazy, asshole, a thinker, and I know that she will eventually give in, and give me the chance I need to prove to her she’s worth it and we’ll be good together. I know I can make her happy, as happy as you two knuckleheads make Hannah. That’s a promise that won’t be broken, you can bank on that.”
“I’m in, how much are we betting for?” Smokey asks.
“Fill me in on what the bet is exactly?” I ask him.
“How long it will take for you to tear those walls of hers down,” Bandit states, with a smirk on his face that I’d like to slap the hell off. These two are fucked in the head, but I never knew Bridget’s well-being would be put up as a bet.
“I’m not betting on something that could eventually destroy her, y’all do that shit, I’ll fucking tell Hannah what you two are up to.”
“You’re no fun!” Smokey whines, causing me to nearly choke on my coffee in laughter.
“What’s the matter, Smokey, your woman have your balls firmly gripped in her fist?”
“Fuck yes!” he replies, causing me and Bandit to laugh at him.
“I’m not getting cut off because of you, Smoke,” Bandit states. “No fucking way. And honestly, with all the shit she went through and I’m positive we don’t know the half of it, it would be a shitty thing to bet on.”
“Whatever you fuckers are up to, cut it out and come into my office...now!” Axe says, passing us by. We get up like good little soldiers and follow him.
One
Capone
I’ve been away on a job that Axe sent me on for the last eight weeks. Since I’m the only single brother, technically, I was the best choice for the job. When Axe called us into his office all those weeks ago, it’s because Chief needed help tracking down a trafficker that had been able to stay off the grid. It had been rumored that he took little boys and sold them overseas. Only no one could pin him with anything, so Axe asked Bandit to do his computer thing. Smokey became Bridget’s bodyguard of sorts, and I went underground with the Nelson assholes. Our association with them is slim, but they did a job for us not long ago, so when Chief put the call out, Axe wasn’t the only one to answer his 911 message. I took the job, because for me it was personal. Not because myself or any family member has been affected, but because Bridget didn’t get the justice I feel she deserved. I took this assignment with her in mind. You see, what no one other than my brothers know about me, is that I sometimes take contracts that the government can’t touch. I go after the bad guys that sit under the radar, those who need to be taken out, but the law can’t get enough evidence on them to put them behind bars. I found my guy, I put him to ground, and I’ll still sleep soundly at night, because what I found will haunt me until the day that I die. While this isn’t what we do as a club, my military skills are necessary in instances like this. I don’t like killing someone else, but there are some sick motherfuckers out there whose minds are so twisted and warped that they’re more like a rabid animal than a human being.
“What do we have?” I ask Atticus when we finally get a good, solid lead.
“We found the son-of-a-bitch! We need to get our equipment ready, this is not going to be an easy take down.” Atticus replies. Fuck, I hate that I’m gonna need to use my sniper skills. I’d like to wrap my hands around his neck and take him out the old-fashioned way instead of looking through a lens. I want to watch the life leave his eyes. It sounds sick, but what this man has done and the circle of friends he’s chosen to associate himself with, makes a side of me come out that isn’t shown to many.
“I’ll be ready, when do we leave?” I ask him.
“Need to get the final plan from Silas, I’ll text you.” As usual, it’s a short conversation, he hates to talk and is a complete and utter jackass. He and his brothers are good at what they do, so I try to ignore the way they speak since it always comes across as disrespectful.
“Just don’t wait until the last minute, man,” I say, leaving the room, he’s already dismissed me in his mind, so there will be no further communication from him now anyways. As soon as I finish loading my last clip, I get the message from him stating that we’ll be leaving at 0500 hours. I look at my watch and see it’s only an hour from now. I mentally prepare myself for what is to come, I know it won’t be a pretty sight, but I swear...I never prepare myself for what it is I actually come across.
I’m looking through my scope and count ten fucking adults sitting around a table talking as if there aren’t twenty fucking young boys down in their dungeon-like prison. None of them are clothed and they look half-starved. I’m not the only one who is angry by what we’re seeing. Jonas, the middle brother, who never pa
rtakes in missions other than behind a keyboard, is here. And he looks like he’s ready to murder them all.
“Don’t do nothin’ fuckin’ stupid, Jonas,” I hear Silas tell him. As the oldest of the three, Silas is more brutal and angry, I kind of expected him to let his younger siblings loose and have some fun with these sick bastards.
“We can’t let Capone have all the fun, now can we?” Jonas’ smartass reply has me biting my tongue. Since when is he the unreasonable one?
“Fuck off,” I reply, causing him to chuckle.
“Jonas, we’ll leave a couple to play with, but for now hold off,” Silas commands.
“As long as I get my hands on a couple, I’m all good,” Jonas replies, and Silas has a proud look on his face. I’m glad these three are on my side, because I’d hate to cross any of them in a dark alley somewhere alone.
“Just tell me who the fuck I’m shooting,” I tell Silas.
“Leave the Pigpen looking bastard to me.”
“Pigpen?” I ask, stumped.
“You know, the dirty looking fucker from Charlie Brown cartoons.” I want to slap myself on the forehead at his description of the man we’re taking out. Looking through my scope again, I see one of the men sitting there and can tell which one he’s talking about. The guy’s hair is unkempt, and he has a dirty air about him even though he’s dressed like the others, in a nice suit. He’s our main target and the ringleader of this group of perverted misfits. His legal name is Carlos Gutierrez, and he’s a mean-ass motherfucker, but he’s fixing to take his last breath. He is an underboss to the big shot in the Mexican mafia, and eventually, the Nelson brothers will take him out as well...but that isn’t the job I’ve been assigned, so I focus on the one at hand. Today, we’re taking all of them out. I have no clue how they plan to reunite the kids with their families, but I’m sure they’ll drop a bug in the right ear so the kids are found.
“I thought you wanted me to save him for y’all to take out in hand-to-hand combat?”
“Need the big man to fall so we can play with his minions afterwards. Take off the head and the rest will stumble.” Fuck, his wording is sometimes confusing.
“Just say when,” I tell him. He’s obviously changed his mind from a few minutes ago and hell, I’m not gonna argue with him.
“When,” he says in a bored tone. I put my eye to my scope and make sure it’s still set correctly. I put my finger on the trigger, feel the bullet leaving its chamber, and I hit my mark right between the eyes. The men surrounding him begin scuttling around like cockroaches in the dead of night. I see Jonas and Atticus go inside. Atticus takes the back and Jonas the front. Silas, without a word said, leaves me sitting there with my rifle, as he runs down the hill I’ve been perched on for the last hour, and joins his brothers. I sit back on my haunches and watch the brothers in action, I squeeze my eyes shut when Atticus grabs his knife and slices dickhead number one’s throat, clear down to the bone. That’s a sight to never be unseen, and it’s something I’ve never yet witnessed on a job before. I watch as a bloody massacre commences and can’t fathom some of the things I’m seeing. They work together like a well-oiled machine, you can tell they’ve been working together for many years, they don’t even need to speak with each other to know what the other one is doing. When they’re done, you see nothing but blood coating every inch of the building they were inhabiting.
I shake myself of the memory as I pull into the clubhouse. I need the company of my brothers and some sane conversation. Two months with the crazy ass motherfuckers known as the Nelson brothers is enough to make me question my own sanity, that’s for damn sure. I’ve kept up with Bridget while I was gone, going so far as to have weekly floral deliveries sent to her house. I haven’t called because we’re not there yet, but Smokey has kept an eye on her since I’ve been away. Well, he and Bandit have. They’ve alternated. I’d feel bad about keeping them both from their woman, but right now, I’m fighting for my own woman’s sanity and I’ll use whatever I have at my disposal to make sure she’s okay. I can’t wait to set eyes on her pretty face. Shutting my bike off, I glance around and notice a lot of vehicles. Hmmm, maybe I got back in time for a cookout. With a spring in my step at the thought I might see her, I head inside.
Bridget
I find myself watching for Capone. I don’t know why I’ve been so disappointed in not seeing him for a few weeks, especially since I’ve been the one pushing him away. But it never fails, every get-together we’ve had, I find myself searching for him in a room. I know he’s been out of town doing something but not what. When I asked, I was told it was ‘club business’ and to leave it alone. I couldn’t help but wonder when I was told this, what type of club business could keep him away for eight weeks. Knowing I’ll never get the answers I seek, I pushed my curiosity aside. My mind shifts to the weekly flowers he’s been sending me. They’re always different and his notes are usually short and sweet and to the point.
Thinking of you. Hope school’s going well.
This made me think of your smile. See you soon.
The one that he penned about my smile was a group of sunflowers. Once they died off, I pulled the seeds and baked them and then stored them in a glass jar. Every time I have a few, I think of that bouquet. Dammit! He’s getting into my head! I don’t want him there, I have too much shit up there to allow anyone in. Ever. Hell, if Hannah knew half the shit I did, she wouldn’t want me around anymore either. Especially if she ever finds out that I willingly allowed my brother to force me to end a pregnancy. I didn’t fight it, because I had no idea who the father could possibly be, and I didn’t want to raise a child in the environment in which I was living at the time. Kids deserve the best, and what I had was far from good. I miss what could have been daily, but I know that what could have happened is far worse than the void in my heart. The missing piece of me that can never be replaced. I haven’t even told my therapist yet, but I’m getting there. Maybe someday. I’m lost in my thoughts when I sense him. I don’t understand this push-pull thing I have with Capone, because on the one hand, I’m never trusting a man again or allowing one into my life. But on the other hand, he makes me want things that I dreamed about a long time ago.
“Hey, Bridge,” his husky voice says, causing shivers to course through my body.
“Long time, no see,” I reply. Shit, now he’s gonna know I noticed he wasn’t around! Fuck me! I shake it off and pretend my voice wasn’t shaky and I hadn’t really noticed his disappearance. In fact, I walk away and pretend that him being here doesn’t affect me at all. I walk away, disappointed with my choice, but knowing it’s the right one. Fuck, I forgot to thank him for the flowers. I may be shattered beyond all repair, but before my mom chose the path she did, she instilled me with common manners.
Stopping, I turn around only to see him right behind me. “I...uh...I wanted to thank you for the flowers,” I murmur. “They were all very pretty.” Why does he have to be standing so close to me? God, he smells so good, it's musk, with a little bit of pine thrown in there. An odd combination, but on him it smells divine.
“Not half as pretty as you,” he replies. “So, how’s school going? How much longer do you have?” he asks, changing the subject quickly, which I’m thankful for.
“I’m taking the accelerated program and just have a few weeks left. Then the exams to get my actual license.” I can’t wait for that day to come. I want that feeling of independence it will offer me, not to mention, I’ll feel a sense of fulfillment that I haven’t felt in so very long.
“Is it helping at all that you’re working at Cassarah’s?” I like that he’s so interested in my life, but I want to shoot myself for thinking this. Makes me wonder what kind of signals I’ve been sending him all along. Am I teasing him? I don’t mean to be if I am. I just don’t know how to do this friendship thing he’s looking for from me...or any relationship for that matter.
Grinning, I nod. “My instructors have been letting me work on the salon floor more because of
what she’s taught me! And that’s helping me fill in my lab sheet faster. Of course, some of the other girls aren’t happy, but it wasn’t my decision, it was the instructors’, so I don’t worry about it at all.” I take the bull by the horns and place my hand on his arm and squeeze it, “Thank you for always thinking of me and being there even when I least expect it.”
“I’ll always be there for you, Bridge. You’ll never have to go through anything alone. Never again,” he vows.
“Thank you, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to give you what you’re looking for here,” I say, waving my finger between the two of us.
“I’m a very patient man, Bridge. I’ll wear you down eventually and gain your trust...one hundred-motherfucking-percent,” he growls out. How come I find this sexy? Another shiver wracks my body, but I begin walking again in an attempt to hide it from him. And...he’s keeping up with me. Fuck my life. He keeps this up and he’s going to make me forget that I’m not worthy of someone like him. Not one little bit. I close my eyes and try to remember what my therapist told me to chant when I feel this way.
‘I am worthy. I am good. Nothing that happened to me was my fault’.
“You okay?” he asks, lightly touching my elbow.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Dr. Rawlings gave me something to chant whenever shit tries to invade my thinking and I needed it right then.”
“Just talking to me?” he questions. Well, fuck, now I feel like I’m hurting his feelings.
“No, not exactly. It’s for whenever I start thinking badly about myself to remind me that I do have value and worth. And nothing that happened was my fault.”
“Of course it wasn’t! Fuck, you were a damn kid when that piece of shit forced you into that! And you’ve got more value than the most precious gem, Bridget. At least to me, you do.” I can hear the sincerity in his voice and see it in his eyes, but I’m so worried about making a mistake in this new life that I don’t know what to say or how to respond. “I’ll tell you what, let me be your friend, okay? Nothing more until you’re ready.”
Capone_Rebel Guardians MC Page 2