“What the fuck ever,” Atticus grumbles. “She’s got my forehead, see?” He points at Sloane’s head, which is mostly covered up.
“How the hell can you tell?” Jonas asks. “That cap is covering her head and most of her face, practically blanketing her eyebrows.”
Atticus shakes his head and I can’t help but chuckle. “I’m sure there’s a bit of you in there, Brother,” I state.
“There is, your woman is blind,” Atticus scowls. “She’s a Nelson through and through. I think your woman needs to have her eyes checked, Brother.”
“Let’s not make digs at my woman, Brother,” I reply. “Would hate for you to have two black eyes in any pictures that Piper wants of the three of you.”
“As if you could,” he remarks.
“You know I could,” I say.
“Alright you two, knock it off. Go on, you guys go see if there’s any news yet,” Raven interjects. In the hours we’ve been here, we were able to fill Destiny and Raven in on what was going on with the guys from the Rebel Guardians. Not sure if Atticus told Piper yet, but probably not, seeing as they were a little busy having a baby.
“Yeah, get the fuck out. I’m sick of your bickering and cursing in front of my fucking daughter. She’s new and doesn’t need to know how psychotic her uncles are. Jeez, y’all are a bunch of damn pussies,” Piper berates us.
“Um, Piper, you just used the dictionary of a sailor on leave,” Destiny points out.
“Oh, fuck off. All of you. Get out and bite your tongues, I’m the exception to the rule. I just fucking pushed out a watermelon-sized baby out of a hole no bigger than a lemon stretched to capacity. I can cuss all the fuck I want. You guys, on the other hand, have no excuse,” she pouts, holding her arms out for Destiny to return Sloane to her.
“Fine, they’ll go check on Braxton’s status,” Atticus proclaims, while giving Piper a look of innocence.
“You too, asshole,” she butts in, pointing her free hand to the door. “I need a break from you as well.”
“Wait a fucking minute, who’s gonna stay here and protect you and Sloane?” I’m amazed that his voice hasn’t risen a few octaves, but he does have his hands planted on his hips and the scowl on his face would frighten a lesser person.
“My sisters will be here, Atticus. Go check on Braxton and Tig. Make sure to see if their families need anything. The least we can do is make sure they have plenty of snacks and coffee to tide them over.”
“I am not someone’s personal gopher, woman,” Atticus snarls.
“Atticus,” she pleads. “Do it for me?” I watch as my brother deflates at her words and realize that he’s whipped.
“Fine, fine. I’ll get Gordon up here to watch the door,” he says.
“He can’t, his pussy ass left to go get his car detailed. Apparently your woman’s amniotic sac breaking in his car was a big deal,” I inform them.
“God, he’s such a pussy!” Atticus proclaims.
“Out! Get the fuck out now if you can’t watch your mouths,” Piper scolds him.
“Jesus, let’s go. Apparently momzilla is the only one allowed to say ‘bad’ words.” Jonas abruptly exits the room as Piper grabs a pillow, ready to launch it at his head.
“Good thing we have to wait six weeks because I might just forget how you’ve acted these past few minutes,” Piper says to Atticus’s retreating back.
“Me? What the fuck did I do?” Atticus is practically in tears thinking of not having his woman for six weeks. I’ve changed my mind; Destiny is not allowed to get pregnant for at least five years. Maybe by then I’ll have had my fill of her and be ready to share her. Six weeks, what motherfucker thought up that idea?
16
Silas
As we make it into the surgical waiting room, faces are filled with mixed emotions. I instantly notice that Twisted, Paisley and Cara are missing from the waiting room. “Where are Twisted, Paisley and Cara?” I tentatively ask, fearing the worst.
“Tig’s parents are in with Tig in the ICU recovery room, vigilantly sitting at his bedside. Cara is at Braxton’s side too,” Gino answers.
“What’s the prognosis?” Atticus questions.
“Braxton should make a full recovery in time, but Tig’s still not out of the woods yet,” Gino advises. “It seems that in addition to being shot several times, he hit his head when he fell, so there’s also swelling on the brain. His diagnosis is guarded at this time; the doctors said the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours will determine whether he’ll survive.”
I can feel the sorrowful energy in the room as the news paralyzes me. We had the chance to get to know Tig and while he’s still quite young in a lot of ways, he’s got the same overall ethic that the rest of the men and women of the Rebel Guardians have. If he doesn’t make it, what will that do to Twisted and Paisley? The brothers? Hell, Luca, has to be beside himself with both his father and his best friend sidelined like this. Both of their recoveries are unknown, up in the air at this time, and what the future holds for both of them, we can only speculate. I honestly don’t know what to say because no words will make this shit better. Only time will tell if everyone will make it out of this unscathed. Physically, only Braxton and Tig suffered, but mentally and emotionally, we’re all victims of this casualty.
“Has anyone eaten? Let me order some food,” Jonas asserts. “I know you probably don’t feel like you can, but both of them are going to need everyone in this room to be strong for them and that means you have to fuel your bodies.” He pulls out his phone and opens up a delivery service. “Okay, pizza sound good? And I’ll place a different order for coffee because cafeteria coffee tastes like either pond scum or muddy water. It's a mystery cup, you never know what you’re going to get until after that first sip.” A few chuckles can be heard as he quickly places the order. “Should be here in the next thirty or so minutes.”
“Let me give you some money,” Gino insists, pulling out his wallet.
“Not in this lifetime, Gino,” I answer back. “It’s the least we can do, man.” This time, my voice is softer because regret has been hammering at me all day long; and yet this refined man, who is the age my father would’ve been, has shown nothing but devotion to the family he married into. It hurts to know that he’s this kindhearted to us brothers, when this shit is firmly on my shoulders. On us. We should have realized that there would be more than one guard and prepared for it instead of going in guns blazing. Granted, all the missing people are now safe and likely home by now, but at what cost? I don’t know them; I know the people in front of me.
“Silas, this wasn’t y’alls fault,” Luca says, coming up to me. “No way in hell was it and if I know anything about you, you’re kicking yourself now. Just stop. That's not what Dad would want; hell, neither would Tig, for that matter. We were right where we needed to be and where we were supposed to be. Don’t forget, we saved a lot of lives today. Not just those people we rescued, but the ones who would’ve come after them.”
“Should’ve done a better job making sure that all of our bases were covered,” I mutter. “We know better than to go in blind.”
“And Dad? He threw himself in front of Tig, man, how do you justify that one?” Luca fires back. I can see now why he’s the president of their new chapter; he’s as loyal as his father, just with a different edge to him. Probably from his time in the military; I know Luca served but with it being under the conditions we’re in now, it may explain why Luca is a bit more hardened.
“That’s who your dad is, Luca. He has always put others in front of himself as long as I’ve known him,” I reply.
“Regardless, he knew what he was doing too. We all did, so shut that shit off in your brain. Besides, Bandit said that the blueprints only showed a huge basement room. There were no hidden doors notated and what he found was recent, so those changes must have just been made. Probably when they decided to ‘expand’ their business.”
Bandit’s name causes me to look around for him and Ta
lon, who were working in the Batcave with Jonas. “Speaking of, where are Talon and Bandit?” I query.
“They stayed behind to watch the monitors and listen to the police scanners. We needed someone’s ears alerted to what the cops are thinking and reporting as they round out their investigation. They may have initially ruled it as self-defense, but you know there’s always the possibility of a crooked cop in every branch,” Hatchet brusquely responds. “We’ve got Chief down there as well as Law to make sure all of y’alls asses are covered.” I nod at his words; we kept them out but now that shit has hit the fan, we need them there to make sure things are seen the ‘right’ way.
“Sure am glad those two fuckers have our backs at all cost,” I state.
“True that,” Atticus agrees.
Destiny
The guys have been gone for a bit now. I spend my time not thinking about how much time has passed by admiring my niece. Piper has tried to be stingy, not wanting us to hold and love on her. Not that I can blame her; if I’d just given birth to a baby that I’d carried for nine months, I’d want her in my arms as well. It must be hard knowing that a baby was safe and sound inside of your womb for all of those months, and now, the unpredictable and unknown can happen when they join the world full of monsters.
“Do you think them being gone for as long as they have been means it’s not good news?” I ask Piper and Raven, wanting their opinion on the matter.
“Not necessarily, but I am beginning to worry. Atticus has been glued to Sloane’s side since the moment she was born,” Piper states.
“I’m glad Damien stayed back at the house with Athena. He’d be bored out of his mind worrying about everyone,” Raven states out of the blue. Shit, I didn’t even think about the absence of our nephew. He’s going to love Sloane to pieces. I may never get a chance to hold my niece once we enter the Nelson homestead.
“I’m gonna text Silas and find out if everything is okay.” Pulling my phone out of my bag, I send a quick text.
Me: Everyone alright?
I wait a few minutes, watching profoundly as the three dots form on the screen as I wait for his reply to come through.
Silas: Just ordering food, will bring y’all some when we come back there. Fill you in then.
Well, he didn’t come right out and answer my question which leaves me with an uneasy feeling. Someone’s not doing well. Worry encompasses me as I contemplate which one of the men could be on death’s door.
“They’re bringing food back and will fill us in then,” I advise the other two women. “I hate how we sometimes get relegated to the background. I’m worried about Nan, and of course, want to make sure that Cara’s okay, and check with Tig’s mom and see how she’s holding up. I don’t know her as well, but dammit, her son was hurt today and I can empathize at least, right?”
“Don’t you know that’s how they operate?” Piper responds. “Keep the women in the dark and make sure they’re protected at all costs. Who cares if it affects us in the long run, silence is key as far as they're concerned.” She’s beating her chest like Tarzan does and it makes me giggle and soon, probably because it’s been a tense, exhausting day, we’re all laughing hysterically.
“What’s so funny?” Jonas asks, walking into the room carrying one of those cup holders full of what I hope is a steaming carafe of coffee.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Raven advises, giggling as she stands and moves over to his side to kiss him.
“Try me,” he says. Lord, those could be misconstrued as fighting words. He should be careful of what he wishes for. One day, it’s gonna bite him in the ass.
“Nope. It’s a girl thing and best left alone,” she teases. She hands me a cup of coffee and I breathe in the aroma deeply. I’m not sure if I love the taste or smell more, but this is the good stuff so it’s likely a little bit of both. He didn’t get the cheap hospital java, which means that they’ve gone out of their way to make sure everyone’s taken care of. She suddenly clutches her stomach and I make my way to her.
“Is it the baby?” She’s got a month left, but with everything going on, it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s in labor.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” she replies. I see sweat break out on her forehead and immediately call for the nurse as Jonas rushes to her side.
“Where’s Silas?” I question when I don’t see him right away. Him staying away from me as long as he has today is different as opposed to the way he’s been since I myself left the hospital from being injured.
“He’s touching base with Cara,” Atticus replies, stepping into the room right as I pose my question. Shit, is it Braxton that’s not doing well? I worry about his family. His wife and kids wouldn’t survive it if something were to happen to him. He’s still young and vibrant and has a long life ahead of him.
“A-are they going to be okay?” Piper inquires. The quiver in her voice insinuates she’s just as concerned as I am.
“Braxton will be, eventually, but Tig is still not out of the woods,” he states, moving to Piper’s side and picking up Sloane. “How’s Daddy’s girl?” he murmurs. The puzzle that is Atticus has a new piece and she’s only six pounds, four ounces and nineteen inches long, but she’s got a hold on him that’s tighter than any chain. He’s the same with Ansley, and I fear for the men who try to date his two daughters.
The nurse comes in with a wheelchair and takes Raven up to labor and delivery, Jonas following in her wake.
What feels like hours later, Silas comes in carrying three boxes of pizza. It smells divine and we all congregate around him ready to fight for a slice. As we sit around and eat, Silas gives us updates on the men. Tig is in a coma, not expected to be medically brought out of it anytime soon. His swelling is severe and the doctors worry about his prognosis. We’re all hopeful, but we know that head trauma is the hardest thing to overcome. Braxton should be able to be released in a week or two, depending on how well he responds to the medication. He’ll have to do physical therapy, but at least we know he’ll live.
When Jonas calls to advise that Raven has to have an emergency c-section, Silas and I head to the waiting room and leave Atticus with Piper and Sloane. Thank God Athena is at the house watching Ansley and Damien! “Silas?” I ask as we wait for the elevator.
“Hmm?”
“Is your room soundproof?” I question.
“Why, Kitten?”
“Because there are gonna be three babies. Crying babies,” I reply.
“I’ll get that taken care of,” he states, pulling me close. “If the noise gets too much, we’ll escape to the room.”
I grin at him and nod as we walk into the elevator. Time to see what Raven is having.
17
Silas
It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Atticus took pleasure taking out our old friend, Tony. He once again used his torturing skills before finally putting the scumbag out to pasture. Seems him becoming a father procured his protective instincts further than they ever were to begin with. He wanted Tony dead and gone from anywhere his daughter laid her head to rest. Raven had a few complications during the birth of my niece, Callissa Marie Nelson. She had to stay in the hospital for ten days but is finally home, recovering. Damien is in love with his two new little cousins and has been a huge help, as has Athena. As I promised Destiny, I got someone in to soundproof my bedroom so we could have a restful night’s sleep. Even doing that, she’s often in the thick of things, helping Piper out with the two babies. I swear Atticus did that on purpose.
Jonas has used some of his contacts to go and search for our mother’s body so we can give her a proper burial. After much discussion, we decided that we’d buy new burial plots for our family and the first one there will be our mother. What we have to go on is vague, but willow trees are not that common and our dad had a few favorite spots he went to when he was hunting, so I feel confident that we’ll find our mother.
Tig is still in a medically induced coma, his brain swelling hasn’t gone dow
n the way the doctors had hoped for. The family stays vigilant by his side, hoping and praying for a miracle of their own. Braxton was released three days ago; he has a long road ahead of him recovery wise. He’ll be in physical therapy for at least six weeks. He’s mentally not coping well with the lack of being able to protect Tig. He’s taken all of that on his shoulders, talking about stepping down from his position as President of the Rebel Guardians. From my understanding, they aren’t letting the lack of their president and vice president keep them down. Law and Chief have taken on the roles of legal advisement. They are taking charge of making sure that Jenae and her men go down for as long as they can. Charge after charge has been brought against them. They won’t be seeing the light of day ever again. She’ll die an old woman behind bars as well as her cronies.
Chief was able to find enough evidence to bring home most of the missing people that she’d taken years prior to us knowing what she was up to. A couple of her men have been found dead in their cells… I may or may not know how that happened. Needless to say, it appears to be suicide, and I won’t be the one to tell how their true deaths took place. I’m owed several markers by men in the penal system, and they’ve paid their debts back in full. If only we had a woman on the inside, Jenae would be having the same fate as her men have. I have my feelers out and suspect that someone will step up for the job and right now, time is on our side.
It’s been discovered by Law, that Braxton will inherit all of the money from the Brimstone estate. Along with two mansions, several legitimate businesses and enough money to put his grandkids’ great-grandchildren through college and well beyond. No one in that family will ever be hurting financially again. Braxton, being the man that he is, donated half of the finances to the victims to help them start their lives over. Cara was given a lump sum to where she’s started a safe haven for abused men and women… catering to those who have been involved in human trafficking. They’re working with Law to get the mansions zoned to help teens and runaways who might otherwise fall through the cracks as statistically, the ones who are typically trafficked are those who have no apparent ties to a community. If there’s no one to miss them, then there’s no one to report them missing. I like how they’ve taken a shitty situation and are turning it into an opportunity to help others.
Seeking Our Destiny : Nelson Brothers' Page 14