Leader: Book Three (Princes of Prophecy 3)

by L. Ann Marie

  She knows about my abilities. I have no reason to hide here. “I don’t see like you’re thinking of it. I catch feelings, words stand out, a memory hits me. No, I didn’t see it, but I did know something would happen. I didn’t know when, I didn’t know how or what exactly would happen, but it would.”

  “You didn’t let me go. That’s why Pres said you showed everyone what all in means because you never let me go.”

  “Never. I didn’t know what else to do but hold on to you. We fight for every fuckin’ thing that’s good in this world Lily. I wasn’t letting the most important thing in my world go without fighting. Giving up has never been an option for me. Certainly not with you.”

  She watches me then smiles. “Thank you.”

  I walk to her and hold her against me. “Why were you crying? You know I would never give up.”

  She wipes her face with her shirt again and I smile. “We were so close to losing us, a baby too. You didn’t let it happen. I don’t remember any of it, but you didn’t give up. I think it all just hit me when he said they believed too. Everyone gave that to you knowing how you are.”

  I nod. They did. Some thought I was crazy, some thought I was in denial, but the family believed because I did. “Let’s get you a clean shirt and get our boys their bath. Then I can show you.”

  She says she can do it so I let her go. When I walk in the kitchen it’s all clean and Alex is dancing for the babies. They’re laughing and I crack up. He freezes embarrassed. “Good job Brother. Laughing is always a good thing.” I take Teller out and hand him to Alex then pick up Phoenix. We dance. Alex laughs when Teller does. He’s so fuckin’ cute. I’ve always had a soft spot for him and he earns that place every damn time I see him.

  When the song ends he puts his phone in his pocket. “It’s bath time now.” I nod and follow him up the stairs.

  Lily has the water in the tub and their little seat things in it. I ask if she wants to do the bath thing. “I think this is a Dad and Alex thing. It’s important for him to spend time with you and the boys. He’s so happy with them, let him have this.”

  I’m relieved. I kiss her and bring Phoenix in the bathroom. I enjoy my time with Alex too. I don’t know if he’ll ever have the chance to be a dad, but he’d be a good one.

  We get the boys washed and dressed. He gives me a funny look. “Lily is awake now. I like bath time, but she should feed her boys too right? Do you need me for that anymore Little Ben?”

  I smile. “Lily likes you spending time with the boys for their bath, but she does like feeding them. I think we got it covered now. Thanks Brother.”

  His head is bobbing. “I can call Dads now. We changed times, but now I can call them at the right time. Ally will be happy too ‘cause I will call at the right time.”

  I hug him. “Go call your dads and Ally. Thanks for your help Brother. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He walks away and I laugh. Lily comes in smiling. We feed the boys and get them into bed. I take their monitor, set it on the nightstand and turn. My beautiful girl is watching me. “Your hair is longer.”

  I nod and walk to her. “You’re beautiful Lily.”

  I undress her then me. I put her foot brace on the chair but leave the one on her hand. I lift her up kissing her and lay her on the bed. “I’ve missed this hand on my chest.” I tell her kissing her hand. “And these lips kissing me.” I taste her pretty little smile. Moving down I flick her bar with my tongue getting a moan. “I missed hearing that moan that says I’m doing it right.” I take her other bar and suck hard then move down. Her hand is in my hair already. I’ve always tied it, but not for Lily; she likes it down and I give her that, liking the way it looks falling across her stomach. Her bar is gone and I want it back. I kiss her and reach for the nightstand. She grunts. “Your bar was taken off because of the catheter. I want it back.” I pull the box and take a ring out then reach in for a condom putting it by her pillow. When her ring is in I kiss it then flick it getting another moan. “There’s my Lily.” I put my mouth on her loving the sounds and her hands grabbing my hair. Nothing is slow here, I know what she likes and what it takes and give it to her. When her hands loosen on my head I move back up kissing her as I go. “Such a beautiful moment, hearing you come for me.” She kisses me and I can’t wait. I grab the condom and she looks confused. “You can get pregnant because of the hormones.” She nods. I’m not telling her my mother told me, but smile as I lift her up and slide her on me. She moans all the way down. Jesus it’s tight. “Feels so fuckin’ good babe.” I angle her out and start moving. Everything is running through my head; the angle of her neck, the way her hair falls and lightens with the light hitting it, her every breath. I watch her slide on me and jump.

  Her fingers dig into my arms making me move faster. The wind is incredible. “Feel it baby. It’s holding us together.” This is more intense than it’s ever been and I take it all in, loving every second, feeling us as one. She’s gripping me hard and I’m gone. It’s been too long, but I love the feeling. Moving her faster I’m fighting for breath. “Now Lily, come for me now.” Her body is shaking and she cries out. I explode pulling her against me and holding her down. Light is everywhere, the wind surrounds us. “I love you my princess.” My voice sounds far away to my ears. I fall back hearing that she loves me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Two weeks

  Little Ben

  I walk into the Security meeting and throw chin. We get through old business and I ask for problems. They’re surprised with the change in my procedure, but there are no problems to report. “I want your take on adding the new towns.”

  They’re surprised and I start looking for why. It’s too soon? Jessie looks at me. “Seriously? We just got out from under the threat we’ve been fighting for years. We have a chance to cut the fuckin’ trafficking down now without the backers and Lily has been awake for two fuckin’ weeks.”

  I nod and look at Taylor. “I’m all for it. We’re turning away HS and there are some good Brothers that I don’t want to lose.”

  I look at Brantley. “I’m with Jessie, but we have the IT to work it and that’s before adding their people.”

  Driscoll smiles. “I’m ready.”

  Bull nods. “Me too.”

  Dakota puts his hand up making me smile. I nod. “It would be good to have another pilot for the bigger area. With the commitment to trafficking we will have a bigger area here and only one pilot.” I nod knowing he has more. He looks at Jessie. “Without the constant threat we have no enemy except trafficking and the little issues that come from the towns. Trafficking is set for two days a week, we have nothing for our people to do for the rest of the days. I do not think Lily has anything to do with Security.”

  Jessie’s hands go up. “She just woke up! He hasn’t had a fuckin’ minute to breathe! Boredom on our part is not a fuckin’ reason to start shit now.”

  Darren sits up. “Prez has been working through all of it. He didn’t let anything go, he didn’t add to our days giving himself less because of the boys and Lily. He has stayed the leader we’ve always known. Because of that, he knows the gang in town four is getting more violent. The women in town five have a threat because of a rapist that’s not being televised. Those threats are to us as much as them. They’ll start branching out until they hit here. We have everything running and running well. We can do this now giving HS work, trafficking the continued commitment and I agree with Dakota, Lily is not now, nor ever been a Security issue.”

  Jessie’s head whips to me. “There’s a serial rapist?” I nod. “How the fuck do you keep up with this shit?”

  I smile. “Does anyone feel the need for a vacation before we start?” I’m watching Jessie and Taylor. They are fine.

  “I have asked the MC down for the weekend. This weekend they will fill our Security needs and run HS and Ops. My dad will take the PD with Strapper and Jerry because he understands him. The old ladies know that you’ll be going and planned accordingly. We ar
e all clear to spend the weekend at the cabin.”

  “Lily has been awake for two fuckin’ weeks!” Jessie isn’t letting this go.

  I look at him weighing my words. “Lily is the reason we’re going. I spent thirty-two days holding her with me while I monitored the three towns we run, the three that want in, made decisions on businesses, took care of my boys and ran a Club of over three hundred members plus Jeremy. I need a fuckin’ break Brother. Everyone made sure I had everything I needed to do my job. You, need a fuckin’ break Brother.” He nods.

  I look around the table. “This is the last time my old lady’s name is mentioned in a Security meeting unless there is a Security threat aimed at her. I get that your intentions are protective in nature, but I have never given anyone reason to question my ability no matter what is happening in my life.”

  Jessie’s head goes down then he looks at me. “You’re right Prez. No disrespect intended. Personally I couldn’t have done it. I can’t even imagine how you did.”

  “Me too Prez,” Brantley says. I give him a nod.

  “Dakota get with the Mayors for towns four and five. Set meetings for the end of next week. Get my schedule and Driscoll’s, so we can be there. I want everything on the table before we meet. Bull, get the crime stats and tax decrease ready for Driscoll. Driscoll, call Jax in for help but find him. Alert their PD, but find him before the meeting. Taylor, I’ll need a schedule for their officers to go through assessment and training. Jessie, give Taylor a schedule that you’ll be available for training. Brantley, find me an assistant to get some of my paperwork streamlined. I need someone trustworthy and computer savvy. Dakota, find a pilot. Make it military. Ask Jake or Jamie. They have men trying for their teams, but don’t have the need for pilots. Darren, get the feeds for the towns over to PD so Driscoll can start monitoring.” I look around, everyone is typing. “Are there any questions?”

  “They’re already wired?” Driscoll asks.

  I keep my eyes off Bull happy to know he didn’t talk when I said it was kept close. “Yes.” No one has anything else.

  “I need everyone ready to board Prince at 10 a.m. on Friday. Jessie, Bob is taking Family. Driscoll, my dad and Jerry are on PD. Brantley, Jason will cover you. Uncle Danny has Ops. Get your paperwork, schedules and anything that you’re concerned about or are watching ready for them before they get here.”

  I get nods. “Darren, Jessie, Dakota stay. Everyone else, if you have no concerns, you’re dismissed.”

  Taylor stays. He’s wondering why he wasn’t asked to stay. I wouldn’t normally explain but I’ll give him this. “The old ladies are planning a night out.” He stands up and leaves. We all laugh.

  “Where are they going?” Jessie asks, clearly not happy.

  “The club in town. Bob is aware. Sheila is with them and every single one of them is capable of taking care of themselves. All but Jess carry and they aren’t into putting up with shit from men.”

  Dakota laughs. “Jess carries.”

  I’m surprised, but nod. “There you go. That’s all I had Brothers.”

  I take the folder that I never opened and walk to the door. Darren follows me to my office and closes the door. “Why aren’t we taking the third town too? And why the fuck do you keep bringing an empty folder to the meetings?”

  I laugh. “I should put something in it huh?” He smiles. He sees everything. “The third town has no major threat against it and Dakota is right. We need a pilot with the bigger area. We can’t take them on until we have one. They want in for the lower taxes and a better education budget. They aren’t fighting to keep good in, they are looking for a better quality of life for their citizens. While that isn’t a bad thing, we need to build our money up and get a new chopper to guarantee them the Security they’ll be expecting.”

  He nods. “We’ll be taking control of a chopper from town four and the sixth has one. We can trade them in for a new military chopper to cover them. We will also have the full PD budgets to work with. The chopper shouldn’t hold us back unless it’s because of the pilot.”

  I smile. “This is why you’re VP. The money was an issue, but also the pilot. I think we’ll need two. Jared is happy to fly but he isn’t exactly military trained and he’s called away from the Lab more and more for Ops. He feels responsible for Lily getting hit thinking he should have had the missile before it got to the compound. The other side of that is Dakota is working the air as if he’s alone or he’s trying to shield Jared. Our luck can only last so far in Air Ops running like that.”

  He thinks about that. “I’ll get the information ready for the chopper. With what you just said I agree, two pilots are in order. They’ll need training time so holding the last town is a good call. I sent the Transport numbers before the meeting. We have the cash reserve to buy a chopper outright. The towns’ choppers being sold will end in a bank taking care of a huge chunk of the cash. It will work in our favor.”

  I turn and switch my monitor on. “Fuck. Where did all this come from?” I only see quarterly and this is a big fuckin’ jump.

  “We’re still running the extra from New York and Maine takes a smaller cut than Hammer did. Jessie and Dakota each had two jobs bringing in close to two and a half million. Fuckin’ Jessie’s name is out there.”

  I look forward while a list forms in my head. “Up the cut for Maine by five percent. This year we’ll let one truck go. Connecticut will take it trying to build up some money. Take the parts from ‘at cost’ to ‘cost plus five’. No one expected us to run the ‘at cost’ forever. Our goodwill needs to be brought back in line. I’ll put a hundred up for goodwill, fifty for Club in need and the parts plus five. Get me the numbers for the trafficking commitment and the expected dues for the MC. Does this include the cut for them?”

  “I brought it to VP already we’re clear as of this month.”

  Fuck this is a lot of money with no clear way to show it. “Find me two choppers and some iPads or something to outfit the new schools, make it untraceable.”

  He nods. “Anything else?”

  “No. I’m starting to feel like Uncle Danny with a chest of useless money.”

  He laughs walking out.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Three days

  Lily

  Brenda is singing to the boys. I stand in the doorway and watch remembering the times she sang to me when I was little. It was a time when my mother loved me and my dad was alive. I feel my eyes burning and try to push it away. He would have loved the twins. “Did you call Mom when I was in the hospital?” I ask her softly.

  She looks at me and I know she did. “She changed her number. I called Aunt Reba and told her. She sent prayers for you.”

  I guess that’s something. I walk across the hall to my room and wipe my eyes. I’m done. She doesn’t want to know if I’m alive or dead and I can’t keep wishing. My boys deserve better than that and I’ll make sure they get it. We have so much family right here. I need to do like Little Ben and use what I have to make our life good.

  With a renewed determination I try to get the braces on. It’s not so easy lining up the marks when it’s your hand. I’m smiling pulling it off to try again when Brenda walks in. “I can help you know.”

  “I could probably use it for this one. I got the foot on though.”

  She gives me a funny look. “Why are you smiling? You can’t get the stupid thing on.”

  What’s with her? “I think I mentioned that I got the foot on. That’s why I’m smiling. Why is my brace a stupid thing? It works great.” Maybe she resents helping. It doesn’t feel right, but what the hell do I know.

  Her shoulders slump. “It’s not stupid. I know it helps you, but you shouldn’t have to wear it.”

  “Mitch says it won’t be forever. I’m okay with it.” She just doesn’t like to see me hurt. Feeling better I thank her for helping me.

  “I love helping you and I love any time I get to spend with the boys.” She goes in my closet and I follow her. “Wha
t do you want to wear?” Something doesn’t feel right, but I let it go. She’ll tell me eventually, but until she does I’m not worrying about it.

  We pick my clothes and she leaves me to dress. I even get my eyeliner on. I’m excited and ready. This is the first time we’ve gone for a girls’ night out since I was five months pregnant. We stayed in and did nails and shit. It just wasn’t the same.

  Downstairs I open the door for Jess. “I love seeing that smile,” is the first thing she says. I kiss her smiling cheek. “My son has called already wanting to know if you’re happy.”

  I laugh. “He hasn’t called me.”

  “I think he doesn’t want you to think he’s worried. He didn’t ask anything else, just if you are happy.” She starts up the stairs and I think about him knowing so much. Maybe he felt me sad about my dad.

  I hope he’s feeling me happy right now. “You can tell him I am. I got the foot brace on and almost had the hand. The damn thing isn’t so easy to line up, but Brenda helped.”

  “You’ll get it just before you stop needing it. That’s how it always works.”

  That makes me smile. I like that the old ladies don’t do negative. “I figured as much.”

  She picks up Phoenix. “My little man. They’re getting big fast.”

  “They are.” We bring them down and put them in the playpen. “I mixed their bottles earlier. They’ll need a shake and to be warmed, but you should have plenty. Water at nine and the bottle between ten-thirty and eleven.”

  She nods. I know she doesn’t like the formula, but it’s what we have to do. “Alex told me about them laughing. He’s coming over later to show me.”

  I laugh. “They’ve already had a bath. He comes every day to help Little Ben with the bath. Since the guys are away he said he’ll help when they get back because the Brother and Dad do that.”