by K. J. Dahlen
I raised my head as I heard a buzzing. I turned and walked back into the bathroom. It was the phone Bruno gave me. I shut the door and grabbed it from my vest pocket. “Yeah.”
“Shit, Thunder where the hell are you?”
“It’s a long story Bruno. I will have to tell you when—”
“Never mind that. Someone tried to end Jaxson and his girl.”
My breath hitched in my chest. “What? Where?”
“Out on highways 60.”
“Is he ok?”
“Got a bum leg and a bad headache but he was lucky. Plus that woman of his took two men down right between the eyes.”
My eyes rounded. “Chloe? Nah…”
“Yep. He was trapped beneath his bike and she grabbed his piece and saved the fucking day.”
“Who did this, Bruno? Was it cartel?” I knew they would make their move sooner or later.
“No.”
“Then who?”
“Mob.”
I sucked in my breath. “Shit!”
Bruno was silent on the other end then he spoke, “It was my in laws, but I don’t fucking know why.”
I sighed.
“Thunder?”
“It’s my fault.”
“YOURS?” he yelled.
I pulled the phone from my ear at his thundering tone. “Yes. I think so.”
“Dino, you have been loose for less than 24 hours how could you—“
“It’s a long story but…” I wondered if I should tell him. No. He had a bad temper and this would flow over into the club. “Could you send like fours guys to escort us back?” I knew now that we’d belter travel escorted.
“Us?”
“Yeah, us. I got someone with me.”
“You are being real sketchy here, Thunder.”
“Yes, I know but what I got to tell you has to be in person.”
“Okay, where are you?”
“I will text it to you in the morning ‘cause actually…I don’t really know for sure. I just headed east of town when shit went sideways.”
“You better have a good god dammed story to tell or I’ll have your ass.”
“It’s important and it will be very important to you especially. So yes, I have a good one.”
“Shit. How much more surprises are out there for me?”
He had a point. Anthony turned on him and the club. Jumper was a long lost son that he had to put down like a rabid dog, and Jaxson turned out to be his real son. Then he had a grandchild coming. Now? I was bringing his niece to him that he never knew existed.
“Ok text me,” he grunted then hung up.
Fucking Bruno. He was gonna be skeptical about Bella. I paused. How did she know or the Bianchi clan know she was Charlie’s kid? Did they do a DNA test? Shit, I would have to ask her and it was sure to piss her off when I did.
Fuck. It had been my fault Jaxson got hit. Then I thought of Chloe. Damn, her killing men? It was sure to affect her and I know Jaxson didn’t want her involved like this. I felt bad. I would make it up to them somehow. Now feeling down, I headed out to the room.
I was tired as hell but I wondered if I could sleep feeling like this. I’d brought danger to the club and it sure as shit, hadn’t needed it. I grabbed a third beer and headed to the window. I pulled the curtain open.
A small bit of this small town glittered with lights. It looked peaceful. But was it? Out there was a mob of men literally, after my club and they were about to rain hell down on my world. I tipped my bottle back and took it down in one long gulp. Then I felt like throwing the bottle just to hear it shatter. Lotta good it’ll do me to help me sleep now.
“Thunder?”
I flinched. Apparently, she hadn’t gone to sleep. “Yeah?”
“What’s wrong?”
I sighed. “Your family tried to take out my prez.”
Silence.
Then she finally asked, “What?”
I turned around. “They tried to do a hit on my best friend and his woman.”
She was sitting up in bed in just her bra. “God, Dino. I’m sorry.”
I could hear the sincerity in her voice. “Yeah, not really your fault is it?”
“In a way it is.”
I tilted my head at her.
“I brought trouble to your life.”
I strode forward and stood by the bed. “I sought you out, Bella. Not the other way around.” I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands.
“So this prez means a lot to you?” she asked quietly.
I released a breath. “When I first met Jaxson he was young. I didn’t think much of him, I admit. Then we were out one day on some errand for Bruno. We’d parked our bikes in front of some store. I think we stopped to get some drinks.” I remembered it as though it was yesterday. “Some gangster type kid was running out. I think he just robbed the place and he was swinging his gun all wild and shit. Big eyes and high. He pointed it at me. I was still sitting on my bike and couldn’t really do anything. In some kind of super hyper instinct shit, Jaxson jumped at him and took him down the bullet hit my bike instead of between my fucking eyes. Then Jax beat the shit out of him.”
“So he saved your life?” she asked softly.
“That first time… yeah.”
“There were others?” Her voice rose with shock.
“Yeah, several. I literally owe the man my life. I would march into hell and battle the devil for him.”
“Wow.” Her voice was full of awe. “I never felt that way about anyone in my life…”
I turned to look at her.
“All I ever got was…”
I felt something in my chest like some kind of pressure. It must be that I was upset already or I was tired. “Was…?”
“Nah, you don’t want to hear my sob story.”
I did though. I wanted to know how she got here. What made her run? Everything. I told myself it was to help with introducing her to Bruno, but really, I wanted to know everything for myself. “No, come on. I just bared my feelings and shit. So you at least need to share something.”
She let out a sigh. “I grew up in a bad place. My supposed dad pushed drugs. He beat on my mom. I wore rags most of my childhood and just tried to stay out of his path. Then one night…”
I held my breath. I knew by her voice it was bad.
“He got into my bed, in my room. I was fifteen.”
My body stiffened and I closed my hands into fists.
“H-he tried to…”
Fuck. My rage grew so much inside me I wanted to do harm.
“But I fought him off and after he hit me, he said I wasn’t worth the trouble.”
I could hear her voice crack.
“I left the next night.”
“What?” I asked. “You were a runaway?”
“Yeah… but I went to an aunt that had always been kind. My supposed mom’s sister.”
“So you were okay after that?”
She scoffed. “Not hardly.”
I winced at the bitterness in her voice. “What happened?”
“Well, I got to stay with her for a couple years I would make sure to clean her house, do all the errands. I did anything to help, so I could earn my keep.”
“What about school and shit?”
“I was a drop out. I was out of the system. I mean they woulda made me go back. I wasn’t ever going back to that. So, I would go to the library and read all the books I could. I wanted to be normal. I wasn’t though and I realized I had to do for myself because no one else was going to.”
I understood that much. “So what happened?”
“Some asshole killed her.”
I sucked in a breath.
“Yeah, was a robbery gone bad. Real bad.”
I felt so sorry for her. As a kid to have to fend for yourself when the world was so cruel. “What did you do?”
“I killed the bastard.”
I turned all the way around and stared at her. “What?”
“The monster
broke into her house and shot her. I, like a chicken shit, hid. There wasn’t anything I could do to save her. Then… well, he found me…” She let out a breath, plopped down onto the bed on her back, and said nothing more.
I waited a full minute or more for the rest. “You gonna leave me hangin’? Like not tell me what happened?”
She turned her tear filled gaze to me. “It was simple. I fought him. He dropped the gun and I got it.” Her body shivered.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck. I shot him in the face at close range. I-I was covered in blood and brains.” A tear slid down her cheek.
“Damn, Bella I’m so sorry.”
She caught her breath. “Well, I’m not!” She was crying now. “He killed the only person that had EVER shown me kindness. That had ever…” She hiccupped through her rolling tears.
Without thinking, I slid across the massive bed and grabbed her up.
Startled, she fought me.
I gathered her close and shushed her. I leaned down and kissed her cheeks tasting her tears.
She stilled.
I then got on my back while holding her and just stroked her hair. Her body was still stiff, but I ignored this and kept stroking her hair.
After a couple of minutes, I felt her body relax in my arms.
I just wanted to shelter her. Protect her. Fuck what was I doing? I still had all kinds of questions. Like how did she get from that point to knowing she was a Bianchi? But now wasn’t the time to ask all that. We would just have to find out when I got her to Bruno. I tensed for a second, as he would be brutal though, like always. I bit my cheek. What would I feel when he did that?
She attempted to move away from me.
I tucked her tighter to my chest. “Just sleep now.” I continued to stroke her hair.
After several minutes, her breathing evened out and I knew she had fallen to sleep.
For the first time in my nomad life ‒ a life where I fucked women then kicked them out or left myself ‒ I held a woman in my arms and fell asleep.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Chloe
We were put in one of the rooms at the Black Devil’s club. It was nice though, not at all what I thought it would be. A flat screen TV, a nice full bed, clean linens, nice comforter. Expensive chairs and table. In fact, the whole place wasn’t what I’d expected. It was well built, clean and free of smoke even. Room after room was sparsely decorated yet I could tell it had been put together with lots of money. No, I’d never been here before even though I’d been with Jax for 6 months. I’d never wanted to and the reason was simple. Bruno. The man infuriated me. No, more than that, he made me want to punch him in the face.
I’d never understood Jaxson idolizing him. After all, he’d nearly owned Jaxson. After saving him at 16 from prison, Bruno had put him in his club. Then used him as an errand boy, and no telling what else.
Jaxson never saw it that way, but I did. Manipulation. Pure and simple.
Then last night what had Bruno done? After I told him off? The man was obviously insane. I’d never hated anyone like I did him. I’d finally gotten the chance to let him know what a crappy man he was, what a crappy leader and father.
So what did he do? He laughed it off!
Now here we were and I would probably lose my new job. ‘Safe house until this was settled’ as Bruno had put it. I couldn’t have worked today if I’d been able to leave though, as my ribs still hurt and I was still a bit off, because of all that had happened. But I didn’t call in because now I would be out for who knew how long. What would be the point? And what would I say anyway? ‘I will be out until the mob stops coming after us?’ I almost laughed aloud. So much for a normal life. But Bruno had been right in one respect. Being with Jaxson would never be normal and I needed to think and act accordingly.
Well, I was a killer now, right? Tears filled my eyes, so I guess I’d taken those steps toward a Biker’s or an Old ladies life, even as I’d fought it. I’d had no choice.
No choice.
Yes, I did have one. But I couldn’t leave the man who held my heart. The man who owned my soul.
Jaxson slept peacefully despite the bruise on his head. His leg had been stitched up and he was on meds and antibiotics so the doctor said.
I sat here in a comfortable chair and watched the sun rise. Sleep had evaded me. Well, after the nightmare had woken me.
I was standing on the road. Headlights gleaming. Huge faceless men were rushing toward me. I held guns in my hands and kept shooting like in some movie. Blood rained everywhere like a crimson bath. That would be frightening enough, but the one thing that terrified me was…I felt no terror at this, no fear. I felt nothing but cold. Numb. I didn’t care that I was killing human beings. I woke up in a cold sweat but otherwise I was fine. I hadn’t even shed a tear over the nightmare that wasn’t really anything but a dream to me. Not the kind that had me screaming or anything.
“Chloe?”
I jerked my head up. “Jax.” I got up and went over to the bed sitting down next to him.
“Baby, why are you up?’ he asked as he grabbed my hand.
I shook my head. “I’m used to getting up early, remember?” I lied my ass off. I knew he felt nothing but guilt about the shooting.
He stared into my eyes. “You can’t lie to me, babe.”
No. I couldn’t. Lying was foreign to me. I’d always said what I meant. Meant what I said and I never cared what anyone thought. Just look at last night. Who in their right mind would take on a man like Bruno. Mafia and MC leader for years. The man scared most people into a puddle of piss. Me? I didn’t care at this point in my life. Yes, I blamed him but a niggling voice kept repeating. Eyes wide open, Chloe.
I’d went into this with Jaxson with eyes wide open. And more than most, I’d already knew what the MC life was like for the women in it. After all, it’d taken my dad from me when I was only seven. The loss had tortured my mother for years until she felt so low and needy she took on a guy like that loser Roy. Yes, I knew ahead of time. So there was no one to blame but myself.
“Chloe?” Jaxson called to me.
I snapped out of it. “I-I’m just processing it all, Jax.”
He looked so upset.
“I mean. I’ll be okay…”
He shook his head. “I just keep pulling you in deeper. I never wanted this…”
I felt so bad for him. But why wouldn’t I be pulled in? Of course, I would. I needed to grow the fuck up and live with my choices. Not sit around and feel sorry for myself and my life. “I will be okay.”
He sighed and kissed my hand.
A pounding sounded on the door.
I jumped and was already on alert like it was normal for me to go into defend mode.
“What?’ Jaxson called to the door.
The door swung open and Bruno stood there. “We got Thunder coming in and he isn’t alone.”
Jaxson winced as he sat up. “What? He’s out?”
Bruno shook his head. “Sorry but you were out the whole weekend Jaxson.” He lifted a brow and stared at me as he spoke, “He got sprung on Friday.”
“So, what’s happening with him?”
Bruno shook his head. “He was vague as fuck on the phone. But apparently, some shit went sideways on him and he was 70 miles east of here when I called him.”
I looked back and forth between them. “What are you talking about?”
Bruno glared at me. “I don’t know. He’s coming in with an escort and he will be here—”
“Bikes coming in!” a man’s voice called from the hallway.
“—apparently now. So if you’re up to it Jax, come to Church.”
Jax nodded. “No way will I miss it.”
“I’m coming to… to what was that… Church?”
Bruno laughed. “No girlie, men only.”
I stood up. I was sick of this crap and not going to take it off this man.
“Chloe…” Jaxson warned and grabbed my hand.
I
yanked my hand away and kept staring at the big man in the room. “I’ve killed three damn men for this club. I don’t give a damn about your antiquated rules. If this involves Jax then I am there.” I stared right into his dark gaze.
He stared back then he smirked. “Little woman, one of these days you are gonna go too far.”
Jason sighed as he got up from the bed.
“But I suppose you gotta pint,” Bruno went on. “You are in it thick as any other brother.”
Jaxson looked stunned at this. Like Bruno was suddenly a pink unicorn standing in the room.
I refused to show any emotion at all. But it was obvious Bruno was making some kind of exception here.
“So come on both of you. Get dressed, cuz I think this is gonna be some kind of wild ass tale he has to tell.” Bruno went out and shut the door.
Jaxson stared at me. “Chloe, I don’t want you involve—?”
“Too late,” I cut him off. “I’m in it. You heard him. No going back, Jax.” I smiled suddenly. “I’m apparently an Old Lady who packs a gun. I’m in the life now. And there’s no way to reverse it Jaxson.”
He lowered his head. “That’s not what I wanted.”
“Well, you wanted me and I wanted you. We got that.”
He raised his head and studied me with those baby blues of his. “What’s happened to you?”
Oh, I knew he would see it. Whatever it was that had happened to me. I wasn’t exactly sure just yet. I couldn’t hide anything from him, but I wasn’t about to cry about it anymore. “I realized I have to face my choices.” I went over and pressed my body against his. “I am a biker’s woman. I can’t go on pretending your world is separate from mine. And you need to do the same. We are each’s other’s world. We have to move forward with that in mind. Together….Or if we don’t…”
He grasped my face in his hands. “…if we don’t?”
“We can’t stay together. For months, all of this has tried to tear us apart. We were letting it. It stops now. We face it together. I will be carrying a gun too. My own beast if you will. Because no one is going to hurt either of us again.”
Jaxson raised a brow and he looked shocked. “Now wait the fuck up!”
I shook my head. “It’s time to get on with the life we chose, Jax.” I kissed his lips. “Now let me change and you’d better wait for me to go with you or I will tear this club up to find this Church thing.”