by Erin Osborne
“Whatever happened to giving someone a chance before you judge them?”
“How much of her history do you know?” I ask her.
“I know that she was kidnapped by Wasps’ brother. I know that Sadie was raised as his and Riley believed her biological father was dead. I know that the club saved her after they realized who she was after the girls became friends with Riley. That’s about it, no one else has shared anything other than that with me.”
“Wasp’s brother Justin was a real piece of work. He blamed Wasp for a bad childhood, which is ridiculous because Wasp was in the service, he actually was the one who was treated like shit while growing up. Anyways, he wanted to hurt Wasp as much as he could, therefore he took the only two things in the world that meant anything to him—his wife and his daughter. Riley was belittled and treated like the red-headed step child, and Ashton was beaten and raped for nearly twenty years. Can you see where outsiders scare the crap out of her, especially the way your father threw a truce at us only if his daughter was married to a club officer?”
“I can see where it seems suspicious, but honestly, I think my father couldn’t find anyone willing to marry me inside of his organization and wanted his daughter to have a standing of sorts when I married. He thinks anything less is beneath him and the family.”
“Where I see what you’re saying, and knowing what I do about your father from what you’ve told me, you haven’t exactly shared that with the other Ol’ ladies other than me, Sky and Kori. Maybe if you open up to her some, she’ll finally realize that you are no threat to her or the club.”
“Okay, I’ll open up to her, but if she throws it in my face, president’s Ol’ lady or not, I’m going to shove my foot up her ass...just saying.”
We pull up to the restaurant, and I reach over and grab Lizzie’s hand, and squeeze it. What she’s fixing to open up and share with Ashton is going to be hard on her, and I want her to know that I’m here to support her. She takes in a deep breath, squeezes my hand back and opens the door. We meet at the front of the car and I loop my arm with hers and am now practically pulling her in the door. We spot Ashton sitting in a booth with Kori at her side. We walk over and join them. Sitting across from the matriarchs’ of the club can be intimidating, but they’re both fair and loving women and I can’t wait for Lizzie to feel welcomed into the fold the way she should’ve already been.
I reach over and squeeze both of their hands in respect, which I have in spades where it comes to these two amazing ladies. “Morning, Ashton, Kori.”
“Morning, girls,” Ashton replies, giving us both welcoming smiles.
“Morning,” Lizzie replies. “Did you two order yet?”
“We ordered coffee, but wanted to wait for you two to get here and order so we can eat together,” Kori says.
“Coffee, yes please,” I say, and everyone cracks up.
“Nectar of the Gods,” Lizzie replies and Ashton nods her head agreeing with Lizzie’s statement. The waitress comes over with two mugs and pours us our own cups. We add our sugar and creamer then place our orders. The waitress leaves and Lizzie, not being able to hold back any longer looks at Ashton and begins talking.
Lizzie
“Ashton, I would like to say a few things to you. Confessions of my life is more like it, I’m hoping when I’m done you won’t hold judgement over me any longer,” I state.
“It’s not that I don’t like you…” before she can go any further, I hold my hand up and stop her before she can finish the thought. Because, honestly at this point it’s all lies, I’m hoping to be able to change things by the time we leave here today.
“I get it, Ashton, I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m hoping you’ll let me get this out. Because it’s quite hard to say in the first place, it’s something I don’t like to revisit, and I hope once it’s said, it stays between us.”
“Anything you say between us here today, I give you my solemn vow and give you my word that it never leaves this table.”
“My childhood wasn’t full of sunshine and roses. It was far from that, I think my father was disappointed in the fact that he had all girls. He dealt with it from my older sisters, but I am the baby and the expectation was high on my mother to give him a son. My mother ended up having to have an emergency hysterectomy after my birth, taking away my father’s dream of ever having a son. From day one, I was the one he hated, he viewed it as my fault for giving him the hand he was dealt. His only hope from that day forward was to turn us into the perfect wives so he could groom our future spouses into taking over the organization and keeping our family as the hierarchy. He demands that we stay in control.”
“But your father wasn’t always in control of the family, we helped take out the man who was,” Ashton tells me, as if I’m not aware of the situation, which I am... I lived it.
“The thing is, Ashton, he was always power hungry. He knew the day would come that he could make a move and make us the supreme ones. Make him the king, so to speak. When the club needed his help, he took advantage of the situation. If you’ll let me continue you’ll understand, but in order to do so, you need all of the background information.” I look up at her, and plead with my eyes that she let me continue without any further interruptions. She nods her head in understanding and I pick it up where I left off. “Anyways, as the years went on, I could never do anything right. I was too independent, too mouthy, too headstrong and from the day I could walk and talk, he never could control me the way he could my sisters. They tried to keep me from under his feet, but I always managed to one way or another get on his bad side. I was verbally and emotionally attacked no matter how hard I tried to do right by him. I was always on his radar, he would be sitting and waiting for me to do something wrong. Our punishments weren’t the normal type that you hear of. My mother would’ve never allowed him to put his hands on us, so he came up with another way to torture us. When I say us, I mean mostly me. He turned our basement into a dungeon of sorts.”
I hear Ashton gasp, and see tears falling from Bristol’s and Kori’s eyes. Kori gives me an encouraging nod so I take a deep breath and carry on. “There were days I would be down there for as little to eight hours and up to overnight. No one was allowed to bring me food or water except for him, no guards, no friends and definitely not my sisters or mother. He was nice enough to have a toilet placed down there and a small sink. I would get water from the faucet whenever I just couldn’t take the thirst any longer. It held a twin-sized bed and that was all the furniture that was there. I would sit and stare at those walls and dream of the day I’d finally escape him. He was cruel to me, but never any crueler than when he’d leave me alone with my own thoughts for days at a time. You see, he’d usually, most of the time, bring me to my room at night, just to stay on my mother’s good side, but he’d always put me back down first thing in the morning if he didn’t believe I had learned my lesson. To the outside world we looked like the perfect family, but inside it was a house of horrors and lessons. I’m not telling you any of this for you to feel sorry for me, I’m telling you so you understand. No matter what his intentions are, or what he may or may not ask of me later on down the line, my loyalty is to my husband and his family, because this is the first time in my life I actually feel alive and cherished. Justice gives that to me, and he, above anyone else in my life, gets me one-hundred and ten percent.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. It’s your father’s intentions of placing you in the club I didn’t trust. I wasn’t sure whose side you’d choose if forced. I’m sorry that I held you back at an arm's length, but from this moment forward, you are one of mine,” Ashton says, getting up from the booth. Bristol slides over and lets me out and it feels nice to be embraced in Ashton’s arms.
“Thank you, Ashton. I promise you that you’ll not regret letting me in. I won’t let you down or betray that trust you’re placing with me. If I’ve ever learned anything, it’s loyalty and respect and I personally respect the fuck out of the
club.” She throws her head back in laughter and we all join her.
Once I get settled back in my seat, my phone pings. I pick it up and see it’s from my man, my Justice.
Justice: Everythin’ good? Need me to come rescue you, beautiful?
Me: No, all is good. I love you.
Justice: Love you, too. You in the fold?
Me: I’m in the fold.
Justice: Welcome to the Ol’ ladies sisterhood, baby.
Me: Thank you. See you soon.
I sit back and enjoy the company of some pretty fantastic women.
Chapter Fifteen
Savanna
After watching Ty tuck his tail between his legs last night, I knew I had the upper-hand…at least for the rest of the night. Between teaching several yoga classes per week and working full-time at the tattoo shop with Joker, I find myself exhausted and barely finding enough time for myself lately. So, even though I now know more about what Jenalyn’s stumbled upon, Ty and I won’t be discussing any of it tonight.
As I make my way out of the bathroom, I notice Ty is already in bed and his bare chiseled chest catches my attention. As I pass by our bedroom, I ask him, “Have you already eaten dinner?”
Opening the refrigerator, I grab one of my organic smoothies that’s already prepared and shut the refrigerator door. Removing the cap as I make my way into our bedroom I take a swig and say, “Yeah, I ate at the shop too. There’s a new little Vietnamese place in town.” Looking down at his cell phone, he nods and mumbles, pretending to play an active member in this conversation. “I ate human testicles for the first time, and I’ve got to say, they’re damn tasty,” I tell him.
Again, he just nods his head as he continues to text back and forth on his phone. “Sounds good,” he replies.
I side eye him and can feel the frown form on my face as my frustration builds. Reaching under the covers, my hand stealthily creeps toward his balls, and I completely catch him off-guard as I grab and squeeze them one-handed.
Startled, he jumps, but my clutch is firmly in place and his attempt at a groan comes out as more of a squeal. “What the hell, blondie?” he asks me as he simultaneously drops the phone and his green eyes become the size of silver dollars.
I release my grip on his family jewels. “Apparently drastic times call for drastic measures. Listen, I know you’re probably sitting over there gossiping with my obsessive brother about what Jenalyn’s found,” I pause briefly because I need him to understand what’s about to come out of my mouth next. “But you’re the complete opposite of my brother, and as much as I love him, I will not spend the rest of my life with a man even remotely close to him. That’s what makes us, well, us. It’s why we work so well together, Ty. You’re protective, but not over-the-top. I sort of grew up in, and around this shit. Well, before I was conveniently shipped off to my grandmother. Which I also wouldn’t change for anything because it’s what made me the strong woman I am today. Sure, what few years I had with my mom helped, and of course, the guidance of Jenalyn helped. Justice is extreme with everything he does in life. There is no in-between with him, he’s a lot like our father. I know Justice is your VP, but can you at least try not to get so bent out of shape with this? I know next to nothing about it still, and have zero desire to discuss it tonight, so please, just let Vault do his job and most importantly, trust us…trust me.”
His eyes are still wide and I’m unsure if he’s astonished I would say and ask such things, or if he’s about to do a complete one-eighty from the Ty I’ve come to know and fall in love with.
“My balls, blondie,” he groans out.
“Oh, shit,” I say as I release them and gently pat them. Leaning downward, I say, “Sorry, guys.”
Well, damn. I got so carried away on my soapbox I’d forgotten I still had a hold of his nuts. Mentally, I facepalm myself as I never want to be the reason to cause anyone harm, especially the love of my life. I mean, I’m sure he’ll live, but damn.
“So, feisty tonight,” he tells me. “You say you don’t want me turning into your brother, and hey, I get it. When Jenalyn came back to town, I saw a side of him I’d never seen before, a side I can promise to you that I do not possess. But, since we’re on the subject of siblings and all, you know I love my sister but that little stunt you just pulled reminds me of something she’d do to Justice. And, well, since we don’t want to become them, you mind if we find other ways to communicate and get our points across other than you explaining yourself while my balls pay the price?”
Ty’s a gentle giant, and right now I feel horrible. The expression on his face and his tone both let me know without having to guess that his request is rhetorical. There’s no excuse for what I did, and I feel horrible about it. I slide closer to him and lay a gentle kiss upon his chest, right where his beautiful beating heart resides inside his chest. “Yes, and I’m sorry,” I tell him as he wraps his arm around me while I nuzzle my head into his chest.
He places a kiss on the back of my head before he begins to run his hands through my hair, and with each stroke, he pushes me further into a peaceful and much-needed slumber.
The next morning, we have breakfast together before Ty leaves on club business. I grab my phone, so I can text Jenalyn and let her know to call me as soon as she’s available. I’m free until this afternoon. Tess is coming into the tattoo shop to get a tattoo of baby Carter’s footprints on the side of her ribcage. Just thinking of my niece and both my nephews brings a giddy smile to my face. Babies are so adorable, when they’re someone else’s. After everything I went through as a teenager, I’ve decided children aren’t for me personally. Oddly enough, Ty and I have never discussed having children, and I go out of my way to avoid the subject if I feel it could become a topic. He’s the only male to carry on his family name, and most importantly, that name started this club. Unfortunately for him, I’m not mom material.
After an hour of yoga in my tiny bedroom, I take a shower and get dressed for the day. I decide to open my laptop and check this site out on a bigger screen. About the time I log on and read through some of the messages from the other women, I notice Jenalyn pop on.
Me: You can’t call me or return my text, but you log on here? RME So, I know you got low-down already because you are married to my brother after all…now, don’t leave me hanging. What’s it looking like?
Jenalyn: Oh, cool your tits, Vanna. Sheesh, you sure are acting un-Savanna like. You stressed or what? Anyway, you know your brother calls all the shots, and the final decision will be up to him.
Me: Um…give me a second to pick myself up off the floor, I do believe I’ve entered an alternate universe. And you just said I’m not acting like myself?
Jenalyn: Do you have any of that essential oil stuff for migraines still?
Me: Always, why?
Jenalyn: Okay, I’m coming by to get some. I’ve got a headache coming on and I want to catch it early before it gets out of control.
Me: Okay…
Our online conversation ends and my phone rings and it’s Jenalyn. “What the hell?” I question her.
“I’m on my way. Just go with it for now, I’ll explain when I get there,” she tells me.
Through my sigh, I tell her, “Fine. Just don’t go getting yourself into a mess, please. You know how Justice is, and…” her interruption stops me from proceeding further.
“Vanna, chill. Every little thing will be fine,” she reassures me, but something is off and mischievous behind every word she speaks.
“See you soon,” I tell her before I hang up.
Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly think and agree that expanding our circle of strong women is a fantastic idea, but Justice and my father will ultimately decide and do what they think is best for all involved. Vault will do as thorough of a search as he can, and based on that, a decision will be made. If anyone can find any crack, or hack into any system, it’s that man.
A soft knock on my front door catches my attention. I begin to open it, and as I do
, I begin to ask Jenalyn why she’s being so formal considering she has a key.
“See? What’d I tell ya?” Justice says to Ty whose arms are crossed over his chest.
“What the hell are you talking about now, Justice?” I ask my brother as he all but pushes his way past me and Ty follows shaking his head. “Well, don’t let me get in your way, Brother,” I reply with heavy sarcasm to my brother before turning my attention toward Ty. “And just why are you shaking your head? What is this nonsense?”
I grab my cell phone off of the counter and hastily send her a yellow heart emoji, which is our personal code to one another to signal a small dose of distress. In other words, the yellow represents club colors and since it’s a heart, she knows it’s club-related, but not immediate trouble. I just want to shoot her a quick warning before she arrives, so she’s not caught off-guard.
“You were asking me why I was being so formal, so I assume by the look of surprise painted on your face you were expecting someone else?” Justice asks me.
Placing my hands on my hips to express my irritation, Ty starts in on me before I even have a chance to respond to my brother.
“Geez, Vanna, did you even check the peephole?”
Inside the steam from reaching my boiling point is all but about to blow out of my ears, and before I can go Hiroshima on their ass, again, I’m interrupted—only this one is welcomed.
“Hey, Brother. Hi, Vanna,” Jenalyn says, as she enters the apartment and greets the both of us calmly and passes us by. She walks right up to Justice cool and collected and places a kiss on his lips. “Hi, babe. What brings you by here?” she asks him.