by Erin Osborne
“Well, we’re not a charity case. I don’t need, or want, your money.”
“It has nothin’ to do with that. I want to buy somethin’ for her. Not havin’ a clue about what to get her, I figured this was the best way.”
“Still, I don’t want your money. Go buy her something like Goose did. I’m not sure what it is, but he spent the time to look and find her something.”
“Whit, why can’t you just let me do this?”
“Because. That’s all you’re going to get, so deal with it.”
I shove the money in his hand and turn my back to walk with Sami. Irish can take his money and shove it up his ass! If I wanted it, I would’ve asked to borrow some. Yes, I spent more than I wanted to today, but I’ll figure out how to get it back. I’m going to get a job and I’ll just put it up from that. We’ll be more than fine.
Finally, we’re heading back to the SUVs to head back to the house and I’m ready to get off my feet. But, I’ll probably help make dinner and then we’ll have to have cake too. We’re almost back to the house and I get a message from Sami on the new phones that Irish bought us. Yes, I did let him do that. I don’t have the credit to do it, so he added us to his plan. We’ll just leave the phones when we leave here.
Sami: There’s a ton of presents in the back of this SUV. They’re all for me, mom!!
Me: What?
Sami: You read what I wrote. They got me gifts on top of everything else today.
I look at the girls and I can tell that they know what Sami’s just told me. When they managed to get gifts, and have them wrapped before loading them into the SUV is beyond me. I guess they just know how to get things done when they want them done. Damn, I wish I knew how to do that.
“Don’t say a word,” Bailey tells me. “The guys in the club wanted to make sure that Sami had a good birthday. The presents are from them.”
“And how are they going to know if she gets anything from them or not?” I ask, confused.
“Because they’ll be at the house shortly after we get back. They decided that they wanted to throw a barbeque for her. So, they’ve set it all up and are going to be cooking shortly after we get back.”
I can’t say a word to that. It seems the members of this club are trying to make sure that we’re immersed in the club somehow. For some reason, they seem to be trying to get us to stay in Clifton Falls.
Irish
Other than getting yelled at by Whitney earlier, I’ve had fun today. I know not many guys would say they had fun watching women shop and spend hours and hours in and out of a bunch of stores. The only reason I did was because I got to witness the pure joy and freedom on Whitney and Sami’s faces. They had so much fun being with the rest of the women and getting to buy some things that they couldn’t help but be happy and carefree. I was pleasantly surprised that Whitney even bought a few things. There’s even a few things I wouldn’t mind seeing her in. Yes, one of the stops was Victoria’s Secret. That one about killed me.
We pull up at the house and I fully expect to see the rest of the guys already there. But, other than two prospects, no one is. I pull out my phone to call Grim and see that there’s a message saying that he’s calling church. So, I let the women know that we’ll be there shortly and make my way to the clubhouse.
By the time I get there, I see that I’m the last one to show up. Grim can’t be mad though, he knew we were taking the girls out shopping. So, I hope that he gives me a little leniency. He has when I was dealing with Caydence and everything. This is different, but I was still doing club business.
“It’s nice to see you,” Grim tells me. “I know you were out with the girls. So, sit down and let’s begin.”
As soon as I take my seat, Tank stands up and hands a folder over to Grim. I’m guessing it’s the information on this Carl bastard and can’t wait to hear what we’re dealing with. But, on the other hand, I don’t want to know about what Whitney and Sami dealt with unless it comes from one of them. I almost feel like I’m sneaking into their life and getting information they don’t want me to know. I’m so torn right now.
“Now, there’s not much about Whitney and this sick fuck in the news. Him alone, yeah, there’s a ton of shit. It all portrays him as some good guy that wants to help everyone he can. He’s got money and a lot of it. But, not many people that are around him will have his back. We should’ve known that when Whitney told us one of the guards helped her escape,” Tank says.
Grim opens the folder and starts spreading the papers inside out on the table. Pops picks up the piece of paper closest to him. I’m not sure what it is, but he’s looking at it for a very long time. It’s almost like he’s studying it, or one particular part of it.
“Pops, what you got?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. It’s Whitney’s birth certificate. Her mom has the same first name as my sister.”
“Okay. I didn’t know you had a sister dad,” Joker speaks up. “Why am I just now hearin’ this?”
“Because she got so wrapped up in a guy that I haven’t seen her in so long. She all but disappeared no matter how hard I searched for her, I could never find her. I always assumed she married the guy, and if she did, I wouldn’t have known his last name. We never got much information on him.”
We all sit in stunned silence. This is the first any of us are learning that Pops has a sister. I’m not sure what to make of this news. Is there a chance that Whitney and Sami have a family after all? Are they more ingrained in this club than any of us know? I guess we’re about to find out.
“I gotta see her,” Pops says, standing up. “I know you haven’t called church, but I need to know if these girls are my blood.”
“Go. We’ll go with you. There’s no point in goin’ over any more of this when this big of a question is hangin’ over your head. Let’s ride!” Grim says, banging the gavel on the table with enough force to have the vibrations go through our bodies.
Pops and Joker practically run out the door. Now that there’s a chance Whitney and Sami are related to these two men, nothing is going to get in the way of them finding out for sure. Pops doesn’t wait for anyone as he climbs on his bike and takes off. Joker and the rest of us are hot on his heels, but we’re not fast enough to keep up with him. At this rate, he’s going to scare the living shit out of Whitney and Sami. I better give Bailey a heads up so she can let them know Pops means no harm.
“Hello?” Bailey answers her phone.
“Your dad is almost there. He has an idea in his head and wants to see Whit and Sami. Tell them I’m almost there and he’s not goin’ to hurt or mean to scare them.”
“What’s going on Irish?” she asks.
“That’s for your dad to tell you. He needs to see some things for himself and talk to her. Just have her sittin’ in the livin’ room or somethin’. Please Bailey?”
“Of course. Anything you need.”
I hang up the blue tooth in my helmet and try to go a little bit faster. I’m not going to pass Grim or anything like that, but an overwhelming urge to protect the girls has come over me. The need to be there is so strong that I can’t help but feel like I’m letting them down by not being there.
By the time the rest of us pull up and park our bikes, Pops is just getting ready to go in the house. The only reason we caught up to him is because he paused on the porch. I’m guessing he wanted to gather himself and calm down a little bit before he just went storming in there.
I put my hand on his shoulder so he knows that he needs to reel it in a little bit. He can’t go in and scare Whitney and Sami, he needs to tread lightly because this is going to be a lot to take in for everyone. Not just Whitney and Sami, but for him, Joker, and Bailey too. Hell, for the whole club.
“I’m good now, Irish,” he tells me.
“I just want to make sure that they aren’t hurt any more than they have been.”
“I got you. I’ll just ask some questions and we’ll go from there. It’s not like we all weren’t goin’ to
be here for the cookout any way.”
Knocking on the door, I open to see the women in the kitchen. They’re all cooking and laughing, having a good time. Sami is sitting at the table, playing with Cassidy while she’s in the highchair. This is a scene I could come home to every day and never get tired of seeing it. Where the hell did that thought come from?
“Whit, can you come in here for a second please?” I ask, that way she doesn’t have an audience while she talks to Pops.
“Yeah. Give me just a minute,” she responds.
Pops sits on the edge of the couch and I can tell it’s taking everything in him to not storm in the kitchen and demand the answers he wants. I applaud his ability to look like he’s calm when I know a storm is rolling through his entire body right now. Whitney and Sami could be family to him and he wants to know, along with what happened to his sister. I know it’s killing him not to know what happened to her. And then to find out that Whitney’s parents sold her to a man would be devastating to him.
“What’s up Irish?” she asks, finally coming in the living room.
“This is Pops. He has some questions for you. You okay with that?”
“Um, I guess so. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help, but I’ll do what I can.”
For the longest time, Pops does nothing but look at Whitney. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he’s trying to see any part of his sister in her. He must hit on something because I can see a light begin to shine from his eyes that hasn’t been there since Ma died.
“So, I saw that your mom’s name is Elizabeth.”
“Yeah.”
“I have a sister named Elizabeth and now seein’ you, I’m wonderin’ if your mom is my sister. I haven’t seen her in a very long time. Not since the man she was with and her ran off.”
“Do you have a picture of her or anything?” Whitney asks. “I mean, she’d be younger if you haven’t seen her in a while, but I’m sure I could still tell you if it was my mom or not.”
“Let me see. I think I have one in my wallet.”
Pops pulls out his wallet and starts going through it. There’s years and years of shit accumulated in there and it could take a while for him to find it. Looking up, I see the women and the men have entered the living room and are all waiting to see what happens next. Joker and Bailey have moved to the forefront so they can be first to learn what’s going on. This involves them too after all.
Finally, Pops pulls out a picture and hands it over to Whitney. She looks at it for a few minutes before I see her face pale and turn a ghastly shade of white. Just from the look in her eyes, I can tell that it is indeed her mother in the picture. Immediately I’m at her side, wrapping my arm around her.
“I have to go. Please, Irish, I have to leave now!” she tells me in hysterics.
“No, you don’t. Why do you think that?”
“Because they can’t find out where we are. They’ll make us go back to Carl. Please, let us go!”
Whitney is near a panic attack she’s so frantic right now. I look at Pops and the rest of the people standing around us as they all close in. There is a pure and true panic in Whitney right now and I don’t know what to do to help her get past it. I’m at a complete loss.
“You listen here, sweetheart,” Pops starts. “She quit bein’ my sister the day she sold her baby girl to a man for his slave. Knowin’ that you were goin’ to endure everythin’ he put you through. If Elizabeth and the piece of shit she calls a husband show up here, they’ll have to go through me to get at you. You’re my blood and I won’t let anythin’ happen to you. Do you hear me?”
“How can I believe you when I didn’t know you existed until two minutes ago?”
“You’ll just have to get to know us and believe that your family has your back,” Joker tells her, coming to crouch down in front of her. “See, Bailey and I are also blood to you. Pops is our dad which makes you and Sami our cousins. We’re not gonna let anyone get you.”
Whitney takes a second to look at Joker and then Bailey before looking at Pops again. She wants to trust them, wants to get to know the individuals she just found out are family. There’s a hesitation though because she’s never had anyone to rely on, they’ve never had anyone to trust.
“So, can I ask you a question?” Pops asks, scooting a little closer to Whitney.
“I guess. After this, I might need to go lay down for a little bit though. I need time to process this. Oh, Sami!”
“I’m good mom. You find out what you need to know and then we’ll talk. I’ll spend time with them while you lay down.”
“Whitney, how come you didn’t know you had any family?” Pops asks her, desperation for answer shining from his eyes.
“I was never allowed to get to know anyone. Whenever I tried to ask my mom, when dad wasn’t around of course, she would shut me down. I always saw a sadness in her eyes though. He wouldn’t let her contact anyone from ‘her old life’, as he put it. So, I never knew there was anyone out there that might have been able to help me.”
“What has that man done to my sister?”
“About the same thing that Carl did to me. I’m not sure about physical beatings or anything because I never saw it happen and didn’t see any evidence of it. But, he controls every move she makes. Even if she wanted to contact you, she couldn’t.”
“What the fuck kind of world did she get you involved in? Did she get involved in? This is so fucked, and I just want to find her and shake some sense into her,” Pops says.
“Can I go lay down now? Please?” Whitney asks, and I can see the wear on her face.
“Yeah sweetheart. This has been a lot to take in and I’ll see you when you get up.”
I watch as Whitney walks down the hallway and disappears around the corner. The only thing I want to do right now is go be there for her, but I think she needs to process and reflect by herself. I’ll go check on her in a little bit. For now, I’ll hang close to Sami and make sure that she’s taking this news better than Whitney is.
Sami
Not only has today been crazy with finding out that Irish had the women plan a special day for me for my birthday. Now, mom and I find out that we’ve had a family all along that would’ve helped us escape. She’s gone to get away from everyone while I want to do nothing but get to know the people that are my family. This is incredible!
Goose has been by my side from the second Pops and everyone else made an appearance. I’m not sure whether or not he knew what was going on, but he’s been keeping an eye on me regardless. Honestly, I’m glad that he’s by my side. I’m not sure what I’d do without him to lean on, because I know if I told him right now that it was too much for me, he’d make sure I was gone for a little bit. Even if we just hid outside somewhere.
“Sami, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” he asks me, a nervousness I’ve never seen in him present.
“Yeah. Um, I have to find someone to keep an eye on Cassidy.”
“You go. We got her,” Skylar tells me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Go spend a few minutes with Goose and we’ll be right here when you get back. Better go now before Bailey and my husband decide to start monopolizing your time. They’ll want to spend as much time with you as they possibly can.”
Goose leads me outside and to the side of the huge back yard. I never noticed that there was a swing over there, but I’ve really never gone exploring out here either. As I take a seat, I notice him fumbling with something in one of the pockets on his cut. Yes, he’s given me all the correct terms to use about his cut and different things within the club. Things that I’m allowed to know that is.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday today?” he asks, looking me in the eye now.
“I didn’t want you to think you needed to make a big deal out of it. I’ve never been allowed to really do anything for it, even though mom always made sure something was done for me. So, I didn’t want to go on and on about it when it’s
never been a big deal to me.”
“I would’ve made sure that somethin’ special was done. Um, I got you somethin’ when we were shoppin’ earlier. It’s not much, but it’s somethin’.”
Goose takes a gift bag out from behind his back and unfolds it a little bit. I can see his hands shaking slightly as he hands it over. I see in his face that he’s not sure of himself. This just endears me to him even more.
Opening the bag, I see a bigger box with three smaller boxes. I have no clue what he could’ve gotten me, so I pull out the biggest box first and rip it open carefully. Inside is a silver bracelet that you can put charms on. So, I open the next three boxes and find charms in the shape of a music note, the number sixteen, and the last one is a heart. I look up at him with tears in my eyes.
“The music note is for the first conversation we ever had about music. Obviously the sixteen is for your birthday. The heart is because the more time I spend with you, the easier it’s becoming for you to steal my heart. Eventually, when it’s all legal, I’ll give it over to you unconditionally.”
Now I’m fully crying because this is a side of Goose I haven’t seen before. He’s showing his sweet and soft side. I’m sure not many people get to see this side of him and I’m honored that I get to see it. Even if it’s only on a rare occasion.
“Thank you so much! This means so much to me and you don’t even have a clue how special this is.”
“You can keep addin’ charms to it when there’s important events or things too. I’ll show you where I got it someday so that you can get what you want.”
“It will be filled with memories of us and only us. No matter what happens, this is for you and me. No one else will ever have a place on this bracelet.”
Goose doesn’t respond to that. So, I stand up and wrap my arms around his waist. After a brief hesitation on his part, he wraps his arms around me and I feel him kiss the top of my head. It’s a gesture so sweet that I feel the waterworks start to build again and I let go before I do something stupid. Like kiss him the way I want to kiss him.
“Sami, are you ready to help us out?” Bailey asks.