by Erin Osborne
“Tech, got someone here for you,” Gage calls out as we make our way up from the basement. “Mr. Cooper is here to see you. Where do you want to meet him?”
“Is your office okay?” I reply, wanting Ashtyn to sit out with the women while we put the finishing touches on what’s about to happen today.
“Do you need me in there?” Ashtyn asks me, looking up with nerves in her eyes.
“No, Tiny. For now, you’ll be with the ol’ ladies. They’re gettin’ food and shit ready. Gonna have a cookout in a little while. Well, really a celebration when your dad is taken away in handcuffs,” I inform her honestly, waiting for her reaction.
“That’s definitely reason to celebrate.”
“Tiny, you know we’re here for you. Everyone person in this clubhouse is. Well, maybe not the sweet butts, but that’s because they’re jealous. And yes, I know what happened with Cara. If you don’t want to celebrate after everythin’ goes down, that’s perfectly fine. We can hang out in our room for the night,” I assure her, needing her to know whatever she wants is going to happen.
Walking her in the kitchen, Riley and the rest of the ol’ ladies are hard at work. Pots and pans are filled with food waiting to go in the oven and started on top of the stove. Soon, the entire clubhouse will be filled with smells making our mouths water. It’s what always happens when we have a cookout or anything at the club.
“If you need me, I’ll be in the office or common area,” I promise Ashtyn before kissing her on her forehead and turning to leave her in the capable hands of the ol’ ladies.
Gage, Cooper, Crash, Trojan, Steel, and Fury are waiting in the office for me. They’re sitting around bullshitting when I enter. As soon as the door is shut behind me, everyone’s mood turns serious. This is not a joking matter we’re about to walk into.
“Just got word from Ramon. We’ve got about fifteen minutes until they’re here. It’s Ramon and three other officers. Plus, Cooper here. Are you ready to go?” Gage lets us know and turns his attention to Cooper.
“I’ve got everything ready to go. Warrants are in my hand and he’s going down. Today,” Cooper states adamantly. “I’ll stay behind you all and see what we can catch him saying. I’ve got a wire on me that will be turned on once we’re out there. Ramon will also have one on him, too. Just collecting more evidence. So, watch what you say out there. Oh, and one tidbit of information, he won’t be able to make calls once he gets put inside.”
Nodding our heads, we sit in silence as we all count down the time for Banks to be here. I’m not in the mood to talk, as I think about everything that could possibly go wrong out there. Honestly, I don’t even want to bring Ashtyn outside with us, but it’s important for her to watch them arrest her father before she says any last words she’ll ever say to him again. Once he leaves in the back of those cop cars, my woman will never see him again. I refuse to let her be tainted by his shit once he’s gone.
Gage’s phone goes off. He looks down before nodding at all of us, looking each man in his eyes as he does. We’re the only ones who will be outside this time. There’s no point in all of us going out when ol’ ladies and kids are in here. They need to be protected, too. So, the rest of the club will be in here to make sure no one tries to sneak the fuck in through the back or anything.
Leaving Gage’s office, I veer off toward the kitchen door. Ashtyn sees me, nods, and wipes her hands off on a rag before meeting me in the doorway. Once my arm is wrapped around her, I feel her small body trembling. She’s got a good game face on to face off with her father. I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave my side, so I can give her the strength she truly needs today.
Walking out of the clubhouse, we make the short journey to the gate where a prospect once again stands with his arms folded across his chest. He’s glaring at Ash’s father along with the police he believes are on his side right now. In a matter of minutes, he’ll know the truth.
“There’s my daughter. I told you they have her held hostage!” he shouts out as we get up to the gate. “Arrest these men!”
“I’m sorry he’s brought you here for no reason,” Ashtyn says, her voice loud and strong. “No one is holding me here hostage. I’ve been here recuperating from injuries I sustained from a beating those two men right there gave me on my father’s orders.”
Roman turns to face her henchmen. They’re backing up as Ashtyn holds up her hand with the splint wrapped around her arm. There’s still visible bruising along her face along with part of where the stitches were that held the gash in her head closed. Ramon and his men are seeing firsthand the damage done to her because of her father.
“Those are lies!” her dad yells out once again, running his hands through his usually perfect hair. “I told you she needs help. Now you can see what I’m talking about.”
I’m getting pissed he’s trying to blame my woman for this shit. This is all on him and there’s no way in hell she will be taking any of his shit any longer. Pulling her back into my side, I drape my arm around her.
“Senator, you’re daughter isn’t goin’ anywhere. How about you ask her if she wants to leave here? I haven’t heard one person find out what she wants or how she feels about anythin’,” I state, looking at every man on the opposite side of the fence. “See, everythin’ I do is for her. I want nothin’ but happiness for her. For her to finally live her life the way she chooses to live it. Not lock her up in the senator’s mansion until she’s a perfect little puppet for him. Beatin’ her when she doesn’t comply with his wants. Even if she chooses to leave me, I’ll never hold it against her because I love this woman with my whole heart.”
Ashtyn looks up at me with wonder and happiness shining from her eyes. Every emotion she’s feeling is right there for me to see. I don’t need the words from her right now. If she chooses to stay here with me at the clubhouse, I’ll eventually hear her tell me the words I long to hear from her. I don’t want to hear them until she’s a hundred percent sure she loves me.
“This man is nothing to my daughter. Make them open the gates so I can get my daughter. She’s going to go home with me—one way or another,” her father orders, pulling a gun from his coat pocket. “Let her go or I’ll ensure no one else ever sees her again.”
I push Ashtyn behind me. If I die protecting her, I’ll die a happy man. Banks has the gun pointed directly at me as Cooper pushes himself to the front of our group. Ramon is sneaking up behind him from their side of the fence. Unfortunately for us, there’s not much we can do right now. Not until I know Ash is out of harm’s way.
“You’re seriously goin’ to try and kill your daughter right now?” I question him, moving to the side as Crash and Fury pull her behind them.
Once his attention is firmly on me, I continue to move to the side. Ramon is coming up his side, so he can get the gun from him. I’m waiting for asshole one and two to warn him. When they don’t, I believe they realize they’re about to go down no matter what happens. If they interfere now, it’s simply one more charge they’ll be facing. That’s not anything they want to deal with. Banks is completely on his own right now, he just doesn’t know it yet.
Paying attention to Ramon’s movements, I keep talking shit to Banks while he gets angrier and loses more control. Finally, at the last second, I watch as Ramon takes him down while the gun goes flying through the air and lands far away from him. Ramon places the cuffs on Senator Banks wrists while he spits and sputters about taking his job.
“Prospect, let our good friend Cooper out,” Gage orders as Cooper walks forward.
Cooper walks forward and reads the senator and his men their rights before placing them in the backs of the cars. There are four cop cars here, so they can all be separate. They aren’t going to have a chance to try and get their stories straight on the way to the police station. Turning away from the scene in front of me, my eyes zero in on Ashtyn. She’s watching her father be loaded into the car while he glares at her.
She races toward me as the cars start to pul
l away from the compound. Tears are falling from her eyes as she wraps her arms around me. I’m not sure if she’s upset or finally feeling free and this is her emotions coming out. Ash has had so many pent-up emotions building inside her for years. Now, she doesn’t have to worry about her father or any of his men trying to get ahold of her.
“Are you okay?” I question, turning her away from the scene.
“Yeah. I’m just happy he’s finally getting what he deserves. Now, I won’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder constantly. Do you know how happy that makes me?” she gushes, laughter now filling her.
“I’ve got somethin’ to show you,” I inform her, taking her hand and leading her inside.
“What’s going on?”
“You’ll see. Siren helped me accomplish somethin’ for you. Plus, if you want anythin’ from the house, once I get the okay, we’ll head back to grab it.”
“I’m not sure if I want anything other than my car,” she tells me.
“It’s your choice. Whatever you want is good with me.”
While I was looking at Ashtyn’s dad, I found she had bought a second car. Once she finally left him, the car simply disappeared. I haven’t asked her what happened to it, I’ve never seen it. I’ll get around to asking her at some point. Or she’ll simply tell me what happened to it.
Instead of heading toward the kitchen or outback, I lead Ashtyn to my room. Opening the door, I walk over to the computers and turn on the laptop. She doesn’t need to see the rest of the shit. Siren is working on taking down the site where people are bidding on her. Hopefully, she’ll get it down soon.
Turning the screen toward Ashtyn, I wait as she realizes what she’s looking at. Finally, her head turns toward me. Her mouth is hanging open, tears are in shimmering in her eyes, and she wraps her arms around me.
“Where did all of this come from?” she asks me, turning back to the screen.
“Don’t worry about all that. Just know it’s yours to start over with. I was serious when I said you could start over without worryin’ about anythin’. We made sure you could go anywhere or do anythin’ you want,” I state, praying she won’t leave me here alone.
“I don’t know what to say,” she responds, placing a soft kiss on my lips.
“Tell me you’ll think about stayin’ here with me. That’s all I want,” I tell her honestly.
“I’ll think about it. I’m just not sure what to do. I know there’s something here between us. Are you sure this is what you want? Everyone has let me know, including you, that you haven’t ever wanted a relationship or a woman in your bed for very long. I don’t want to stay here only to find out in a few weeks I’m not what you want. I’ll never be that woman,” she states, standing back so I know she’s serious as hell.
“I promise I want this. You’re the only woman who can give me what I’ve been missin’ my entire life. You’ve open my eyes and heart in a way no one else has ever managed to do. In fact, I already know I love you. I want to marry you, plant babies in you, and grow old together. That’s not somethin’ I ever wanted in my life before,” I respond, knowing, in my heart of hearts, that’s what I really want with my life from here on out.
“That’s a lot to take in. For now we’ll take it a day at a time and see what happens. That’s all I can promise.”
Nodding my head, because I can’t ask her for anything other than that, I stand up and we head out to the rest of the club. I can already smell the food cooking and know it won’t be much longer before it’s time to eat. Walking outside, our friends and family begin cheering wildly. Ashtyn blushes a deep crimson color as all attention is turned toward her. No one walks to the food line until she does. Once she has her food, everyone else floods the line.
Ashtyn and I sit at a picnic table under one of the large trees in the backyard of the clubhouse. Gage, Riley, Darcy, Crash, Trojan, and Fury join us. We spend the night talking, laughing, and having a few drinks together. It’s an amazing night, and I’m thankful she’s opening up. Now we’ll all be able to see who Ashtyn truly is, and I can’t wait.
Chapter Thirteen
Ashtyn
IT’S BEEN ALMOST two weeks since my father was locked up. There hasn’t been anyone coming to the clubhouse, trying to contact me, make threats, or any of the other backlash I thought there’d be. Every day, it’s easier to breathe. I feel freer than I ever have in my life and, for the first time, I realize I can do anything I want to.
Today I’m going to town. While I may not be getting ready for work just yet, I’m not sure exactly what I want to do. I have time to figure everything out. For now, I’m content getting to know everyone in the club. Especially, Tech. We talk, spend time together in his room, hang out with Fury, and he’s taken me for a ride on his bike. I love feeling the freedom as we ride down the road, the wind in my hair, and my body wrapped around his.
We’ve been out to dinner in town, gone shopping, so I can get more clothes and essentials. Tech has shown me his favorite spots in town, too. Riley even took me to the memorial for Gage out back. Apparently, he lost a baby with another woman who’s married to the president of the national chapter of the Wild Kings. It’s beautiful back there. I’d like to sit there and simply think, but I refuse to go to his sanctuary.
Tech even took me to my parent’s house. I got my car, some more clothes that I had hidden from my father, and a few more pictures and mementos from there. I want to have things of my sister and mother with me. While I remember each and every day I spent with them, , I want to have pictures of them, knowing I’ll never see them again. When I eventually get my own place, I want to ensure they fill the space around me. For now, these things are being kept away in a safe place. Tech knows where they are.
After showering and making sure everything is set for the day, I head out from the compound with Able. He’s one of the prospects. Tech still wants someone with me in case something happens. Even though he was told my father and his men wouldn’t have access to a phone doesn’t mean someone else won’t be bought by him from inside somehow. That’s my main concern right now.
Cooper is trying to ensure I don’t have to testify at my father’s trial. There’s more than enough evidence to convict him on other charges without having to drag me into the courtroom. Honestly, I don’t want to go testify against him, but if I have to—I’m ready. At least, I think I am. As long as Tech is by my side, I’ll be able to tell a jury and everyone else in the room how much my father hates me and the abuse I suffered at his hands.
“Where are we goin’ first?” Able asks as we walk out of the clubhouse.
“I’d like to get some lunch. How about you?” I question him as he stops at his bike while I head to my car.
“Sounds good, Tiny,” he responds, a smirk on his lips.
Yeah, everyone has heard Tech and Fury calling me Tiny, so they’re now calling me the nickname. At first, it bothered me. I’m slowly getting used to it, though. Most of the women at the clubhouse have a nickname. I can’t remember what who’s is, so I simply don’t use them. I’ve never been a part of a group like this, so everything takes a while to get used to here. Everything does when it comes to me, though, since I’ve never had the freedom I now find myself having.
Getting in my car, I blast “Even if it Breaks Your Heart” by Eli Young Band. While I love Chris Stapleton, this is another one of my favorite songs. Driving down the roads, I watch out for wildlife racing about. It’s not common, but there are still times you’ll see deer and other animals running in the woods or standing by the side of the road. I don’t want to damage my car or make Able have an accident, so I go slowly through the area.
Once in town, we park at the end of the block. We’ll have to walk to the diner, but I don’t mind. It’s a nice day out. A little chilly, but not enough to make people stay inside their homes or not want to walk around. The sun is shining, casting a little warmth to the air.
Able follows me to the diner where I take a seat in the back. T
he one thing I’ve gotten used to is every man in the club likes to sit in the back of any place they are with their backs to the wall. They want to see everyone coming and going from any place they are. When we’re at the clubhouse, it’s not so bad since everyone who’s not normally there has to be announced. They know each and every person who walks in the door before they even get there.
We each order meals consisting of burgers and fries. I have a water with mine while Able chooses a soda. One of these days, I’ll have to try soda. I’ve never been allowed to drink it before. The two of us talk about nothing as we wait. Able hits on our waitress when she delivers our food while I laugh my ass off. The kid has some serious game which she falls for hook, line, and sinker. I’m sure the cut doesn’t hinder his efforts, either.
After we’re done eating, Able and I decide to head out of town where there’s a larger chain store. I’ll be able to look at everything I want there: clothes, make-up, food, electronics. Everything in one place. I’ve never been to a store like that. Honestly, my father had someone shop for me, so my clothes and make-up were what he considered appropriate. I spent most of my time alone in his house. My bedroom was my safe haven, since he never once ventured into the room.
As we’re walking back toward my car and his bike, we come to the alleyway where my father’s men beat the shit out of me. I pause my footsteps when something catches my eye. Just in the alley, sitting next to a dumpster, is a bundle wrapped in blankets. Whimpering noises are coming from the blankets as I cautiously begin to make my way there.
“Um, what’s goin’ on?” Able questions, as he follows me toward the dumpster.
“I don’t know yet. Let me see what’s going on,” I tell him, peeking over the blankets as shock fills me.
Laying in the middle of blankets is a baby. Even as the little one sleeps, he or she whimpers while searching for something to eat. Quickly, I pick the bundle up where a note falls out. Able picks it up before opening it and reading it aloud.