I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it softly. “I need you to do something for me, baby girl.”
“Okay,” She smiles.
“Now listen carefully...”
Showtime.
Chapter Eleven
Shepard
The filth I’m straddling gulps for air as I pound into the cunts face over and over again. Not one of these motherfucking Devils Raiders has gotten away with their lives over the past couple weeks. Each and every fucking member has met his end by the will of a gun, or the pounding of our fuckin’ fists into their miserable faces. They’re all but dead.
The fucker beneath me, Rake, or some bullshit like that, VP of this fucked-up club, now looks like something from a horror film. Bastard takes his last pained breath, but I don’t have anything else to take my frustration out on.
The day I dropped Lynette and the kids off at the safe house, I made solid plans with my old man and the brothers, plans to storm the Raiders and end them for good. It took a couple of days to get everything sorted. Every little detail had to be raked over with a fine tooth-comb. We couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, we couldn’t let even one motherfucker get away. We killed a few Riders that we saw here and there, but I wanted every damn member gone.
That’s why we had to wait it out. We needed those we were left in one place. Apollo made it damn clear that he wanted this whole thing to be a clean sweep, everyone left whacked at the same time. He didn’t care how we killed ‘em, as long as we killed ‘em, and he was coming with us no matter what I said.
‘Do it for Titus and his old lady. Do it for his kids. Do it for the family,’ He told us. ‘But we let Hammer have the rat bastards that offed his parents. You deserve to avenge your parents, boy.’ Hammer simply nodded at Apollo.
Hammer fuckin’ did us proud. He walked into this place, gun raised, eyes searching for the bastards who took out his parents. The fuckers who bragged to anyone who’d listen what they’d done. There was not an ounce of fear in Hammer’s eyes, nothing but determination to avenge his parents.
Devils Raiders may have thought they were something good. They may have thought they'd be ready to face us, they didn't even put themselves in hiding, but they weren't ready to wipe their own asses! Cocky fuckers are all they were.
Apollo demanded Mud, the new president of Devils Raiders, hand over those who killed our brother. He refused, Apollo shot him dead then and there. Of course, war broke out in seconds. CueBall rang the fuckin’ life out of one of the little pissants, but not before getting the info we needed.
Hammer has a bloodlust I’ve never known. He showed no mercy to those who boasted of killing his parents. Hammer shot them, yes, but the kid didn't shoot to kill, oh no, he shot to maim. Then he set about caving in skulls, clawing out eyes, breaking bones. Hammer was like a wild beast attacking, screaming out his anger and sadness, taking it out on those who deserved it. His father would have been proud.
My father was right about that boy; he’s going to do great things for this club. Might even be VP one day after Jett takes over from me.
I’m still pounding into this motherfuckers face. He’s long gone, but my anger hasn’t. These cunts had my girl so fuckin’ scared, she broke down in a way I have never before and hope never again to see. The sight of her like that will haunt me for the rest of my life!
I wanted this bastard to pay for putting that look in her eyes, that fear in her heart. However, the truth of it all is, I could kill a thousand men, and it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference, I’ll always see that look whenever I close my eyes.
Killing is second nature to me. I won’t lose any sleep over what went down here today. Shootings, stabbings, torture of every fuckin’ kind, yet I’m not satisfied. What the fuck is it gonna take?
I’m losing the need to beat what's no longer there. I’ve never carried on beating a dead man before. No point in that usually. The smell of blood is all around me, the smell of death just as strong, but I’m finally done.
Breathing heavily, I pull myself off the mangled mess that was once the Devils Raiders VP and stand my full height. I stand over his body, looking down at my battered hands, a couple of his teeth are embedded in my fucking knuckles. That’ll scar. I pull them out and drop them to the floor.
“You are possibly one of the craziest motherfuckers I have ever seen.” I don’t look at CueBall. I don’t need to, to know what he’s referring to. He thinks I’m crazy for literally smashing someone’s skull in. So fuckin’ be it, I'm crazy.
“Torch the place.” Yeah, that’s what I want right now, to watch this fuckin’ clubhouse burn to the damn ground with the bodies of its members inside. I want them charred to fuck!
“You heard the Veep!” BlackJack yells with excitement in his voice. It wasn’t the best idea to burn the place down with BlackJack here, the man loves fire. He was quite the pyrotechnic when he was a kid. He never did any real damage, he knew how to control himself. Still, he loves this sort of thing. “Burn the place to the fuckin’ ground!”
Its like watching a film in slow motion, my brothers dancing around, laughing, cheering, pouring gasoline over every inch of the inside of the clubhouse, not forgetting the bodies.
Once everyone is outside, I hand Hammer a box of matches. No idiot lights a fire like this with his lighter, that’s how idiots get caught and sent to prison. “What’s this for, Veep?”
“Burn it down. Make Titus proud.” Hammer merely nods and breathes deeply. I slap him on the back and walk away, but I’m not leaving just yet, not until I see this place go up in flames.
“Its time to leave, Shepard,”
“Not yet, brother,” I want to watch the bonfire that's now so fuckin’ high it’s warming the Gods!
BlackJack slaps me on the back. Yeah, I know its stupid to be still standing here when everyone else has gone, no one wants to be here when the cops arrive, but I can’t seem to force myself to move. “The cops with be here any second. Let’s get out of here. You have a wife and kids who need you right now.”
He’s right, Lynette needs me. I’ve fixed everything. She has nothing to be afraid of anymore, for now, at least. I need to make her see that she’s safe now. My beautiful girl will always be safe with me.
Everything looks quiet at the safe house when BlackJack and I arrive. Most of the others have already made their way here, the ones with wives and old ladies anyway. They no longer need to be on lockdown. Everything is fixed for them all to go home.
Hammer’s bike is in the driveway. He made his way to his little brother like I knew he would. He’s probably in there right now telling Tank how their parents have been avenged.
Speaking of Hammer, I'm only off my bike before he comes running out of the house like his ass is on fire. Blackjack looks at me and shrugs. “Veep! You need to get inside.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask him as I drop my brain bucket on my bike seat.
“It’s Lynette,” I don’t wait for him to explain further, I won’t wait, my wife needs me. Something about the way he said her name has me in a fuckin’ panic. The whole house seems to be awake, everyone is trying to talk to me all at once. Fuck them; I’m not interested right now.
I take the stairs two at a time. Luckily, Lynette’s room is on the first floor. “Dad!” I’m rushed and tackled by Both Willow and Jett. I hug them to me for a moment, I’ve fuckin’ missed them.
My mother leans over and kisses my cheek. “Its good to have you back, sweetheart.” I can’t answer her, I only smile.
“Daddy, the baby came!”
“What?!”
What the fuck! The baby came? It wasn’t due for two more weeks!
“Dad?” I look at my boy. He’s smiling, which tells me everything went well, I have nothing to worry about other than the fact I wasn’t here for Lynette when she gave birth like I promised I would be. “Mom gave birth about an hour ago. The baby wouldn’t wait until we got her to the hospital.” Jesus! “I can see the panic in your eyes.” He l
aughs. This isn’t funny!
“Jett!”
“Dad!” He mocks. He should think himself lucky that I’m not the kind of man who slaps his kids about! “They are both fine. Taylor called the doctor, who came right away and delivered the baby. We were just asked to leave the room while Taylor helped Mom bathe.” He tells me more seriously. Every fuckin’ cell in my body is zinging right now.
“He’s beautiful, Daddy!” Willow hugs my side the way little girls do when they’re excited.
“He?”
“You got another son, Dad.” My boy pats me on the back like he’s one of the guys.
“And he looks just like you.” My mother tells me with a smile.
“He does?”
“Yes,” She giggles. “He does.”
Just then, Taylor comes out of the room, her eyes as wide as her smile when she sees me. “Shepard! Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.” She squeezes my arm.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s perfect,” She tells me with a smile. “I just helped her to bed. Jett, why don’t you take your sister downstairs and get her a hot chocolate? I need to have a quick word with your dad before he sees your mom.”
“I’ll take them. Apollo will be pacing the floor down there wondering if everything is okay. You remember what he was like when Jett and Nova were born.” I chuckle. My old man was awful when Jett came along, pacing the floor, wearing a hole in the rug because he was so nervous.
“Then I can see my baby brother?” Taylor tells Willow that as soon as she’s finished her hot chocolate, she can see the baby. Both Willow and Jett leave happily with my mother.
As soon as they’re out of earshot, Taylor rounds on me. Gone is the smile, and out comes the Taylor Anderson snarl, the one that would make any man cower. “Why the hell haven’t you been answering your damn phone?” I open my mouth to speak, but I should’ve known I’d never get a word in edgeways. “And if Jack thinks I’ll let him get away with ignoring my damn calls all evening, he’s very much mistaken.”
I pity BlackJack right now. Taylor is a wonderful woman, but she’s one you don’t mess with, no matter who you are.
“She sobbed her damn heart out for you!” That hurts. God, I wanted to be here for her, but how the hell was I supposed to know she’d go into labor two weeks early?
With Jett and Nova, I was there for both of their births, even if Celia didn’t want me in the room. I was also there when Willow was born. I shouldn’t have been in the room when a sixteen-year-old gave birth, and I didn’t look between her legs, but Lynette was terrified, and her useless partner was nowhere to be seen. Celia was too busy barking orders at Lynette to help calm her down. I stroked Lynette’s hair, calmed her, encouraged her, watched Willow come into the world, but I’ve missed the birth of my newborn son, and that’s something I can’t get back.
“She needed you here, Shepard. I know you’ve been out there dealing with those motherf...” Typical Taylor, always holding back the curse words in case a child might hear her. “Just get in there and hold her, she’s exhausted, but she needs you right now.”
I kiss Taylor’s cheek in thanks for being there for Lynette when I couldn’t. She grabs my wrist gently. “She did great, and he’s beautiful.” She tells me with a smile.
Deep breath, that’s what I take before opening the large white door that will lead me to my wife and newborn son. I feel a little emotional the second my eyes land on the angel sitting up in bed. Her hair is loose, and she’s dressed in a white night slip, a blanket covering her legs, cradling a tiny baby wrapped in the white shawl my mother knitted for him. My beautiful wife, my reason to keep on fighting, to keep on living, is singing softly to the babe in her arms.
I close the door quietly, knowing she hadn’t heard me enter in the first place. The second the lock clicks, her eyes shoot to my direction, her face a mixture of shock and relief. The smile on her face and the tears in her eyes have me walking faster towards her. “Vincent,” She sobs my name as I take a seat beside her, and take her face in my hands and kiss her softly.
“I’m so sorry, baby, I should have been here.” I kiss her again.
“It’s okay; you're home now. You are home now, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I kiss her head, and tell her, “Everything has been dealt with. They’re gone now, baby,” She sobs quietly, relief filling her. I want to hold her so badly, but my eyes are now on the little man in my wife’s arms. The little man with tiny tufts of dark hair, the little man who even I can see looks like me already, my mom was right.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” I can’t speak, all I can do is nod while stroking my son’s head. “Say hello to Daddy, VJ.”
“VJ?”
“Vincent Junior. The second I saw him the name jumped out at me.” We hadn’t discussed names, we just never seemed to get around to it. Or maybe it was the fact that when we so much as tried, nothing popped out at us. However, she wants to give our boy my name, and fuckin’ pride fills me. “What do you think?”
“Its perfect. God, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”
She smiles while cupping my face, drawing my attention to her. “You’re here now, baby. Do you want to hold him?”
I gently take VJ from Lynette. He’s so damn tiny, and I’m a monster in comparison, but I hold him to my chest and kiss his perfect little head while breathing in the scent of newborn skin. His little fingers clutch my pointer finger, and I smile at the fact he’s strong little thing already. One day, he’ll be running the Snakes with his big brother, President and VP. Yeah, that sounds much better.
“I love you,” I tell my wife, my beautiful, amazing wife.
“I love you, too, Vince. So much...” Her voice trails off as she loses her fight with sleep. I kiss her head before taking my newborn son to officially meet his big brother and sister, his grandparents, and everyone else in the damn house. They’re going to love and protect him as much as his mother and I will. VJ is a lucky boy. I hope he isn’t a cursed one.
Chapter Twelve
Lynette
Over Five Years Later...
Its crazy how quickly the years fly by. Blink and they’ve gone. Vince and I are stronger than ever. We became the proud parents of another little boy, Max, four years ago. We planned for him; I didn’t want VJ growing up lonely. I wanted him to have a baby brother or sister he could be close to. My baby boys are so close they hate being without each other.
Vince is terrific with them, and they love their Daddy. He tucks our boys into bed each night with a story, and they listen intently to the silly voices he makes for each character. I watch them sometimes from the doorway of the boy’s bedroom with a smile on my face, my heart light. They giggle and chuckle while getting so into the story, I fear they’ll never fall asleep.
However, they do, as soon as Daddy is finished with the story, VJ and Max lie back in their beds, in their motorcycle themed room – yeah, my husband thinks they’re future bikers – close their eyes, and let Daddy stroke their hairs until they fall asleep. Good job their beds are close together, he’d need arms like an octopus otherwise.
My Willow, my beautiful daughter, isn’t a little girl anymore, she’s eighteen, dating boys, and doing well in school. An amazing young woman, who is my best friend. We talk about everything. Well, not everything, there are some thing’s a mother should never speak to her young daughter about. All the important stuff, we share.
Jett is now twenty-one, huge, and the biker we all knew he would be. Even though we celebrated Jett’s birthday with a huge party, I knew Shepard’s heart was breaking because it was also Nova’s sixteenth birthday. He kept it together the whole day, he’d never show his sadness to our children, but when we were alone, he cried. I held him close to me like I do every birthday, telling him that one day, she’ll be home, and everything will be perfect.
Of course, we tell VJ and Max all about their big sister and how she’ll one day be home with us all. They don’t even know her, yet they love her
so much. My boys are special. There’s something about them that tells me they’ll one day be great men, strong and powerful like their father, and just like their big brother.
I’ve added to my ever-growing tattoo, the one I had for the kids all those years ago. Attached to the Willow tree, Jet plane, and Supernova is a small red racing car for my Maxy because that’s what he wants to be when he grows up, a race car driver, much to his Dad’s annoyance. For my VJ, I have a small motorcycle, a Harley Davidson because that’s the bike he wants when he’s old enough to own one. That boy is his Daddy’s double, and I know already that he will be a Snakes Henchmen before he’s twenty-one.
Jett is now a full patched in member of the Snakes. Has been since he was eighteen. His grandfather didn’t want to wait, wanting to keep the club in the family as much as he can. I am so proud of Jett, he’s a good man, and he’s always there for his siblings, he’s still making sure Willow is safe every day. Jett even beat up a guy who took Willow on a date and made her cry. When I say beat up, I mean pulverized. Jett was lucky the guy didn’t die, and that he kept his mouth shut about who attacked him when he came around a month later. Yes, Jett put the young man in a coma that lasted a month and a few days.
I was proud of him for looking out for his sister but ashamed he’d go to such lengths because a boy said a few mean words to Willow. Of course, I want to protect my daughter from everything bad in this world, but I’m trying to teach her to stand up for herself more. Jett can’t always fight her battles, and she wouldn’t want him to. Willow is not a weak young woman, and no man would ever hit her and live to tell the tale, but she lets these jerks talk down to her. I hate that.
Now, it’s no secret that my Willow was once a little chubby, wearing braces on her teeth, and looking a bit frumpy for her age. I have to admit Jett and Tank have beaten many a kid for bullying Willow in the past, for making her feel not good enough. They’ve never hurt anyone as badly as that one guy, but still. There were times between the ages of fourteen and fifteen that I thought I’d lose my daughter. She was depressed, and there was nothing I could do to help her through it. I tried so hard to lift her spirits, but nothing worked, and I couldn’t bear it. She was so disheartened by the taunting and constant bullying that I feared she’d take her own life.
The President's Wife: Prequel (Snakes Henchmen MC) Page 8