Redeeming Ace's Heart

by M. T. Ossler

  She’s scared and young, I get it. The men in her world have no respect for women and treat them like property. That’s not me and my brothers. I will never do that to her, but actions speak louder than words. So, I’ll be patient with her to a point. We can take it at her pace and get to know one another better.

  “We can do that, but Brook, I’m not goin’ anywhere. I swear on my life I will never hurt you or our daughter in any way. I will only love and protect you both with every breath I take. In time, I will prove it to you, angel.” I kiss her on the cheek as Shadow enters the room to get us.

  I pick Brook up in my arms, not able to stop touchin’ her, and take her to the back of the cage. If she wants us to get to know each other, this is a perfect time. We’ll have the next two days or so in this cage, plenty of time to talk about everything.

  When we get home, I’ll be claiming her sweet ass again and she’s never gonna leave my bed.

  After leaving the motel and getting on the road, we talk getting more info about the Satan’s, then Ace call Gator for an emergency Church. Before our meeting gets started, I have an announcement I need to make.

  “Ok, I call this Church to order,” Gator says with the slam of his gavel to the table.

  “It seems we have more shit to add to the pile we already have going’ on. VP what the fuck happened this afternoon?” Gator asks, and before Ace speaks I jump in.

  “Excuse me Prez, no disrespect, Prez, VP,” I say tipping my head to Ace and continuing without taking a breath. “I need to say something first, then VP can fill you in and we can vote. I’m staking a claim. I’m claiming Brook and our daughter as mine. I’m gonna be a daddy. Brook is pregnant with my baby and due in a few months. Oh, shit, we have so much to do to prepare,” I say giddily with a huge smile and I’m a little overwhelmed to say the words out loud. “Sorry, let’s start with me makin’ Brook McNally my ol’ lady, the other stuff can wait till we get home.”

  “Now, I really gotta know what the fuck is going on. Blaze left the Clubhouse this mornin’ to go shopping for baby clothes for Beast and Bella’s boys, now he has an ol’ lady and a baby on the way. Brother, we need answers,” Snake says and the guys in the room chime in.

  Ace fills them all in, starting with the call from Brook at lunch. The information she told us in the room after we recognized one another. Telling them what she heard the Satan’s say about the Cartel.

  I tune him out and think about other things. My girl will be under our protection now, she’s not only got her brother, our VP, she also has an ol’ man that’s a table member and an entire Club to have her back. She is now property of a Dragons Fury man, she’s a Dragon. I will honor her with my life and she will want for nothin’ and receive the utmost respect. She will be my queen from this day forth.

  Satan’s Halo Motorcycle Club has no claim to my girls, but who knows how they will react to knowing she’s been claimed by the Dragons Fury Motorcycle Club of Florida. I need to get her property ink on her as soon as the baby is born. In the meantime, there are other ways to ensure my claim on her. Like her kutte. I’ll place a priority order to get it here immediately. That will have to do for now. With me by her side 24/7, she should have no problems to worry about.

  “Shit, I have to ask this Ace, Blaze. Please tell me Brook is over seventeen or Blaze is gonna be up on charges and have to answer to the Club,” Gator asks, and I panic. If she’s younger than seventeen, club rules state I can lose my officer's patch and endure a beatin’ from all my brothers. I may also lose some of their respect from this too.

  I look over at Brook, she gives me a weak smile and a wink. Shit, I fucked an under-age girl and now I’m gonna have to pay for my crimes. I’m an old dirty fuck for fuckin’ a kid and getting her pregnant, shit. If I’m not mistaken, I remember Ace saying his sister is thirteen years younger than him. So, that would make her. Oh, God, she’s seventeen. Wow, that was a close call. I can breathe now.

  “Well, here’s the thing. As much as I hate my brother for this shit, he did do the right thing by my baby sister, so I’ll do him a solid here. Brookie is seventeen, she had just turned it at the time they met, and he got her pregnant. She never revealed her age to him, with her tatts and piercings, all the dark black makeup she wore, he would never have known. So, there is no point in pressing this issue,” Ace says in my defense. My brother till the end. We will work through this shit in time.

  “Is that all how it went down, Blaze?” Gator questions me for confirmation.

  “Yea, Prez. I had no clue who she was or how old she was. Throttle can confirm that for me. Plus, between all the tatts, piercings, and black eye makeup, she looked ten years older,” I say and leave out the part that should have clued me in on how old she was. She was shy and timid when I got her alone in that hotel room. When I fucked her the first time, popping her cherry, that should have been a bright shiny neon sign to me. That shit will stay between my girl and me unless she reveals that truth.

  Throttle confirms my statement since he was with me and we both had no clue of either. My brothers accept my claim on Brook and Gator brings Church to a close.

  “Ryder and Ces just got back and headed to your place Beast, with Cindy, Shorty, Bella and the boys. They will be staying there until you return. King, Chains, and Knuckles have been with them since they returned this afternoon and will be staying too. I have the prospects on perimeter checks every fifteen minutes. No one is gettin’ in or out of here without my knowledge. We’re on lockdown folks, until we settle this shit with the Cartel and the Halos. Maddox, Joker, and Animal are on their way here with some of their guys. I assume Maddox will drive straight to your house Beast, to see Bella and the boys and stay there. You’re gonna have a full house when you get home.” Gator says, and I hear Beast in the driver seat grunt. Maddox is Prez of our Daytona chapter, Joker is Jacksonville’s Prez, and Animal is Miami Prez and Gator’s blood brother.

  “Ok, if that’s all folks, then we’re all good, brothers. Drive safely and bring those women and babies home safely. If you run into any trouble, you call me, and I’ll call in reinforcements if we need to.” Gator ends the call and I look at my brother, Ace.

  “I honestly didn’t know anything about her. She never told me, and I never pried,” I say and take a deep breath. Brook takes hold of my hand and entwines our fingers as I continue to speak. These are things that need to be said to build the trust back with my brother.

  “Daddy, I didn’t tell him anything about me and I asked very little about his life. We talked about other things.” Brook says quickly before I talk.

  “I saw her at the bike rally on Thursday, we never talked until I tracked her down on Friday. There was a strong pull to be close to her, get to know her. I didn’t want to let her go so we spent the weekend together. Monday mornin’, when I woke up, I was alone and had a hollow feelin’ in my chest. From that day on it just grew bigger, until I saw her today. I don’t know how else to explain this, it’s just...” I trail off not knowing how to finish

  Jules gasps really loud in the cage and eyes Brook and me. “Sweet, baby Mary and Joseph, she’s your unicorn,” Jules says confusing me. Then she turns to Ace taking his hand in hers. “Blue, she’s his other half. He found his one and only. You can’t begrudge him for that. Love has no boundaries, no age, just two hearts, two souls connecting as one.” He grunts not liking her words.

  And there you have it, out of the mouth of babes. Brook is my unicorn and I’m her’s. I fell in love with her. Love at first sight, you could say, and here I never thought that kinda love existed. It does, I can attest to that now.

  I stare down at our connected hands and still feel the spark like the first time I touched her hand. Even sex was different with her, more fulfilling. A connection of our souls, our hearts as well as our bodies. Love. I haven’t been able to get hard for any woman and when I jack off, it’s not the same. She has consumed me.

  I should have known, I was acting like my brothers, Ace and Beast did
with their women.

  “Jaxson,” Brook says my name, waking me out of my thoughts and I look up at her. Mesmerized by her beauty and pulled into her sparkling blue eyes, I'm paralyzed.

  Chapter 25

  Brook

  Igaze into Jaxson’s soulful, peridot green eyes and really see him. His words went straight to my heart. I’ve been so miserable since I left him that morning. I’ve spent the last few months trying to figure out how to get back to him and away from Uncle Ry and the Club. I kept my pregnancy hidden until I couldn’t hide it any longer.

  When the guys found out, I thought they would kill me. Obviously, they didn’t. They did hit me though, every chance they got, especially Rage. And the cruel words they said to me are the worst. I couldn’t take it anymore, the words or the hands on me.

  One night when Uncle Ry stopped by drunk and high, I stole some money and Hunter’s number out of his cell. I knew he was the only one that could help me and protect us.

  I had no clue when I called him that I would be finding Jaxson again too. When I saw him, I thought I was dreaming and I didn’t want to wake up if it was. My heart shattered the day I left him, and I never thought it would mend, the second I was in his arms it did.

  I get what Jules is saying, my brother’s ol’ lady is a smart and beautiful woman. I always wanted my own fairytale prince to save me from the bad men and in a way, he kinda has. I think I did fall in love with him that weekend and when I fell, I fell harder than I ever imagined possible. I left my heart with him that morning and now I have it back, whole, along with his.

  I can feel things are going to be ok. I have real men that will protect me and not hurt me or humiliate me. And my daughter will have the life I was meant to have as a child. The life my father, Hunter, tried to give me.

  It feels weird to say Hunter is my brother, cause he was my father, he is my father. The first man to truly love me, take care of me, protect me from the evils of the world and even feed me. Calling him daddy, dad... feels right. It feels good and safe. I can’t wait to be a part of his life again and get to know the man he is today.

  As for Jaxson, I meant what I said in the room. I’m scared so I want to take things slow. I guess my biggest fear with him is that when he gets to know me, seeing the real me inside, he won’t like me anymore. He’ll throw me to the wayside like all the other men in my life have. The same men that I refused to give myself to, sexually. I saved myself for him I guess you could say. I didn’t know I was doing that until I met him, though. I just never wanted to turn into my mother. Just another whore or punching bag for any man that came through the door. Uncle Ry protected me from all that for a long time, but after taking over the Club and getting into the hard shit I lost him. Chasing the next high became more important than me and what was best for me.

  That’s why I rebelled and ran away last October with my friend Laurel. Well not anymore, bitch sold me out when we got home from that trip. I chose Florida for a reason, to find my brother. Never did, I found Jaxon instead and got lost in him. I was so close to finding him, and I had no idea. If I had only opened myself up more to Jaxson, I would have found him sooner. And saved me all the mental and physical abuse in the process.

  Life lesson learned the hard way.

  “Did you mean it? You really felt that way when I left you?” I ask Jaxson needing to know the truth. I can see it in his eyes, though, he did. He’s a good man, an honorable man, a lover not a fighter. A real man that would never hurt a woman in any way. That’s all the things my heart is telling me, but my head is saying beware, man bad.

  “Yea, angel, every word,” he says, and his look softens. He brings his hand up to the side of my face and cups my cheek. He must see what I’m hiding in my eyes. “It’s ok if you don’t feel the same way, in time you will. Like I said before, I’m not goin’ anywhere. You’re in the lead and I’ll follow...”

  I cut him off, placing my index finger to his lips to shut him up and correct him. I feel the same way, I’m just shocked. Now it’s my turn to express myself, something I don’t do very often, if at all.

  “That’s not it at all. The morning I left you, I didn’t want to leave you. I had planned to stay with you and not go home. Laurel texted me around four saying the guys knew we left and if we didn’t get to the airport soon and home, Rage was coming for me. I found out when I got home the bitch was fucking him and sold me out, telling him I ran away and wasn’t coming home. Anyway, that’s why I left. I didn’t want him to come after you and hurt you or worse,” I say and take a deep breath. I place his other hand on my belly, holding it there with mine. I can feel everyone’s eyes in the cage on me as I speak my truth.

  “Biggest mistake of my life. When I got home he beat me so bad, I ended up in the hospital with a couple of broken ribs. Luckily, he didn’t hurt the baby. When I got home they locked me in the attic for a couple of weeks. Then, I was able to go back to work, but the beatings and verbal harassment never stopped.

  “Anyway, from that day on, I felt empty and broken inside more than ever before. I missed you like crazy. When I found out a couple of months ago I was pregnant, I knew she was yours. Rage may have beat me and stole my money, but he never fucked me. I never let that dirty, old, nasty man near me.

  “Finding out about her, knowing I had a piece of you growing inside me, gave me the strength I needed to fight. I never knew what it was to love someone until I felt my Angel kick me for the first time. You saved me, our daughter saved me. I never thought I would find you again. When I saw you, I thought I was in a dream and didn’t want it to end. When you took me in your arms, my broken heart healed. I don’t know what all this means for us.” I stop and swallow hard.

  “I don’t know how to do anything but fight to survive, but I want to try and have a relationship with you. Not just for the baby, I want to be close to you. I thought my dad was the only man I would feel safe with, not the case anymore. I feel safe with you, in your arms. I can see the real man you are in your eyes. Even your brothers up there, they don’t have the devil in their eyes like Rage, Uncle Ry, and his men. You’re all good and light and they’re evil and dark.

  “Please, don’t prove me wrong and just be patient with me. I want to trust you, it’s just going to take me time.” I want to kiss him again, but I’m not sure I should. He can read me like a book, though, and I’m not sure if I like that or not.

  He leans closer to me and in my ear, he says, “You want to kiss me, don’t you, angel.” I bite my lip and when he pulls back a little I look into his eyes and nod. He comes closer again and kisses me, sweet at first, then my hunger takes over, moving my hand from his cheek to his neck, and pulling him closer to me. My tongue forces him to open for me and I deepen the kiss. We make out in the back seat with all eyes on us. I want more, but I remember we have an audience. He breaks the kiss first and leans back into my ear.

  “When I claimed you, that gave you permission to kiss me anytime you want. My lips are yours and any part of me that you desire. You can take what you want, angel,” he whispers for only me to hear. Before leaving me, he places a sweet kiss on my forehead.

  We stop for food after that and some supplies for the road at Walmart. Once we get what we need; pillows, blankets and some more snacks and drinks; we hit the road.

  The baby and I are full and ready to sleep for the night. Jaxson seizes me, placing me across his lap and I get comfortable. He cocoons me in the blanket and before long, I’m out.

  As I sleep I wonder if I can truly be happy? If I can make Jaxson and our little girl happy? Maybe I’m delusional and just like my life, I’ll never get my fairytale and live happily ever after. Only time will tell, right?

  I will just have to wish upon the stars every night.

  Chapter 26

  Julietta

  My head is about to explode. The last two days in the stupid SUV has been hell. The information we found out about Brook’s life is astonishing, to say the least. It goes to show how strong she is. I
see Bella as my hero for all she’s been through, but Brook just added herself to the top of that list. She is so young to have endured all the shit she has and survived, coming out the other side stronger.

  We know Hunter, Brook, me, and both our babies are in danger. I hoped at some point the Cartel would back off, but that seems to not be the case. They are ruthless bastards and are going to be coming after all of us.

  After Hunter tried to save me from them, or so he thought, and devirginized me they want to hurt him. And to do that, they’re going to go after Brook and me and our innocent babies. I can’t wait to be back at the Clubhouse where we’re safe.

  That wasn’t all we found out. We also found out how Brook and Blaze met. We left with a single Blaze and we are going home with a taken Blaze, in more ways than one. He now has an ol’ lady and a baby on the way. And a glint in his eyes that hasn’t been there in a while. He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him.

  He’s in love. They have a long road ahead of them, though. I can see it in her eyes, she’s skittish and way out of her element. They’ll make it, I just know it. Love has a funny way of fixing everything, eventually, that is. She’s young, very young and has had a bad life since Hunter was forced to leave her.

  In many ways, she’s broken and needs to heal. Blaze will be there for her, he’s a gentle soul. It’s in his nature. I see it in the way he is with us girls. Especially, Gigi.

  Ugg, Gigi, she’s going to take this hard. It’s not that she’s in love with Blaze, no that love is reserved for Dusty. She’s just attached to him, like a brother.

  When we first arrived here, Hunter and Blaze were always with us. She ended up developing an unhealthy brotherly attachment to Blaze. She missed our brothers and he became the closest one to her. Hunter was always by my side and Dusty was not allowed to get close. He was a prospect at the time and had to keep his distance. Still does for a couple of more years.