by KJ Dahlen
He knelt and placed the flowers at the base of her headstone. “Aww Jules, I know it’s been a while since I’ve been to see you. But right now, so much is happening, there hasn’t been time,” he told her quietly, as he sat down and wrapped his arms around his knees to settle in to visit with her.
“Baby, you would not believe what’s been going on. You remember Eagle? Well, he completely flipped his noggin. You know how we always protected women and kids? Well, I guess he forgot that. He almost killed Hammer’s daughter for the insurance Hammer left for her. He sent Falcon out to kill her, without telling him who she was. That’s just so wrong, any way you fucking slice it. Lucky for her, Falcon just couldn’t do it.” Then he chuckled, “Oh, that isn’t the best news honey, the great Falcon finally fell, and he fell hard. For Hammer’s daughter, no less. But you know what? She’s the best thing that ever happened to him.”
Condor paused for a while as he closed his eyes and took in the quiet of the cemetery.
Finally, he spoke again, “You know I said Eagle went off his shit? Well, it was worse than anyone realized. He was caught in a plot to ambush one of his own men, Falcon, after Falcon called for a vote against him. Rather than face a guilty verdict, he killed another brother and escaped. Then the next morning, he blew the dammed clubhouse up. Luckily, no one was inside when it blew but that left us with no home to call our own. So now, we got a new cabinet and we voted Talon in as our President and Falcon as our VP. Rogue wouldn’t take the position. Said he didn’t want the headache of being VP. Hell, I wouldn’t want it either. But Asia stepped up and is using the insurance money Hammer left her to rebuild a new clubhouse. Which if you think about it, is absolutely ironic, considering Hammer betrayed us in the first place.”
He paused again then tipped his head back and let the breeze wash over his face.
“Oh, and there’s more to tell you, Hammer got in trouble with the Russians, to the tune of three million dollars. And after he died, the debt was passed on to the club, which was something we didn’t find out about until after he was gone. Anyway, after Talon’s kid was kidnapped, Rogue went after him and ended up bringing back a woman when he found Bret. Her name was Sevie and during the time she spent with us, we found out that she was Dmitri’s niece. Then we found out that Dmitri murdered his own brother and tried to kill her when she was four years old.” He shook his head. “Ain’t that some shit? Dmitri forgot to let the men he worked for about his business and they got pissy about it. They called him on it and he was taken back in chains. But they came back and told her while they kept most of his ill-gotten gains, they felt she was entitled to some of it in compensation for her parent’s death. Sevie told us the money was blood money and she didn’t want or need it. She kicked it into the club fund. The guys can’t believe it. These two women have given us new life baby when they didn’t have to do it. It humbled us all.”
Again, he paused as he took a deep breath and contemplated his life and the Club’s life. “I miss you so much. I can’t believe it’s been five years since I lost you. Life isn’t fair sometimes. I still haven’t found the bastard that took you away from me but I haven’t stopped looking. I’ll never stop looking for him and when I do find him, he’ll pay. And his death will be justified.” He stared at the headstone with tears in his eyes. “You will always have a piece of my heart, Jules. I wish you were still here. Our child would have been four by now. I miss you guys so much that some days... it is so fucking hard to breathe.”
He rose to his feet and stood tall. Looking down at the headstone, he touched his fingers to his lips and then touched the headstone where her name was carved. “I have to go, but I’ll be back. I always come back to you.”
He turned to leave, heading out to the parking area. He looked around like he always did. He had been a different man since his wife had been shot off the back of his bike. More careful, always alert. The man that had done it was still out there and he could never breathe easy again, until he found that asshole. So, therefore, he’d never relaxed again while out in the open. His eyes instinctively roamed the entire area as he walked through.
Suddenly, he caught a flash of white in the ditch along the road. He stopped and looked again. If he were on the road, he might not have seen it but because he was higher than the road, he could see it. He frowned and stepped toward the ditch.
When he got closer, he could see the white was a head of hair. His frown deepened when he went closer. Kneeling down, he turned over a body. It was small and at first, he thought it was a kid but he saw it was a woman, a full grown woman.
He looked at her face and growled. She was covered in bruises and dried blood. “What the everloving fuck?” he growled under his breath. He noticed the bruises around her throat and all over her arms.
He checked to see if she had a pulse and was more than happy to find she did. It might have been weak but he did feel it. He cautiously gazed along the ground to look for tracks or any sign of how she got here. Spotting a backpack just a foot away from her, he grabbed it then turned and knelt to gather her into his arms. Still perusing the area with his keen gaze, he carried her over to his bike.
He wasn’t sure how he would get her back to the clubhouse, as she was unconscious and couldn’t even be sat up straight on his lap. But he also knew he couldn’t leave her here either. Finally, he called Talon.
“Speak to me,” Talon answered the call.
“I think we got a problem,” Condor told him.
Talon went silent on his end for a moment then asked, “What ya got?”
“I’m at the cemetery. I found a woman beaten and left in the ditch. No fucking clue who she is, or who beat her to hell but I can’t leave her here.”
“Ok, I’ll send you a cage for transport. Were you want to take her? The clubhouse isn’t finished yet.”
“I can take her to my place, can you send Holliday over?” Condor asked for their club doctor. Yes, his true name was Holliday and he was a full fledged doctor. “I don’t think we should risk everyone and their brother, knowing she’s with us and my place isn’t that far away. We need more info before we do that.”
“I agree,” Talon replied. “Let me know what you find out.”
When the call ended, he peered down at her face. She was a beautiful woman that was for sure, all curves. Or she would be if she wasn’t covered in bruises. Her coloring was a contrast then he noted her hair that he’d previously thought had been white. It was actually blonde but it was so light it appeared to be white. Her lips were full and her cheek bones were high. With her eyes closed, he couldn’t see what color they were but he had a feeling they would surprise him. Her skin felt cool to his touch and this made him wonder how long she’d been laying in that ditch. Her clothes were damp, so it could have been overnight.
Within minutes of the phone call, he saw Rogue’s cage coming down the road toward them. He could see the Doc in the backseat. He hitched her up a little in his arms and he thought he heard her groan. He glanced down at her but she was still out of it.
As soon as Rogue pulled up, he walked over to the backset and Doc Holliday opened the door. Condor carefully placed her onto the seat.
Holliday pulled her all the way across and laid her head and shoulders in his lap. He hissed at her condition and checked her for a pulse. Then he looked up at Rogue and Condor. “We need to get her somewhere I can examine her and like right the fuck now.”
Condor nodded at Rogue. “Take her to my place. It’s out of the limelight and safe.”
Rogue nodded. “See you there in a few minutes then.”
Condor backed away and shut the door. He waited as Rogue pulled away then walked back to his bike and swung his leg over the engine. Turning the key, he took off and passed Rogue while arriving at his residence, just moments before Rogue pulled up.
His house sat back off the road and it was quiet out here. The house was a one story building but he had lived here for a couple years now. Yeah, he had a cabin at the club bu
t he also had this house. He felt safe here and it had its own security system. This house had its own secrets and he knew it was a safe place for the girl.
He rushed over to unlock the door and then turned to see Rogue with the girl in his arms with Holliday walking up behind him.
Condor nodded his head at Rogue. “Take her back to my bedroom.”
Rogue carried her down the hall and laid her out on Condor’s bed.
She groaned and tried to turn away from them but the doctor was there and gently turned her on her back.
Holliday looked over at Condor and ordered him, “Get me some water and a washcloth, so we can see what we got to work with.”
Condor left and returned with a basin of warm water and a cloth. He set it on the table and Holliday began bathing her face.
When he washed the dried blood off her skin, Condor caught his breath. She was stunning. What bothered him though was the fact that she hadn’t come around yet. Despite being moved and the wash, she was still out like a light. “Is she going to be all right, Doc?” he finally asked.
Holliday listened to her heartbeat for a moment then checked her eyes. He wrapped up his stethoscope and looked over at him. “Yeah, I think she’ll be okay. She must have been laying in that ditch in all night. I think she’s just cold and her body is taking its own sweet time about bringing her back. I checked her head and other than a few bruises, but there isn’t really any reason for her not to be awake.” He paused then added, “The body often resorts to sleep when it’s trying to heal itself, that’s why the human body is a wonderful thing. It can and often does heal itself all on its own. Her body just needs time to recover from the trauma of what she’s been through.”
“What about the bruises around her neck?” Condor snarled. “I don’t know about you, but that alone, tells me someone tried to strangle her.”
Holliday looked up at him. “But they didn’t kill her. She’s still alive and until she wakes up and tells us what happened, there’s nothing we can do now is there?”
“No, but whoever did this to her is a dead man walking.” Condor turned around and walked out of the room leaving Holliday to look at Rogue and shake his head.
Chapter Two
Condor walked out to the kitchen and stared out the window as the rage inside him built up.
A few minutes later, Rogue joined him and leaned against the wall for a moment before he asked, “Wanna talk about it?”
Condor glanced back at his friend and then looked back out the window. “I went there to see Julia, you know? I was there about an hour and when I got up to leave, I saw something white in the ditch. Something told me to check it out and when I did, I found her.” Shaking his head he admitted, “I have no clue who she is or why she was even there but what happened to her shouldn’t have happened. I don’t care what she did, no one deserves that.”
Rogue nodded in agreement. “Real men don’t need to hit women or kids. It’s just not done. Only a coward hits a woman.”
Holliday came out a few minutes later and looked troubled. “Gentlemen, we might have a problem.”
Condor looked over at Rogue and then both of them turned to look at Holliday.
“What do you mean?” Condor asked.
“I was washing the dirt off her arms and chest and I found a stab wound.”
“What the hell?” Condor swore.
“It’s been long healed, so it’s just a scar but it seems this girl has been hurt before. I checked out the rest of her skin and found a few more scars, where they came from I have no idea but they’re there.” He paused then added, “I found another old knife wound long healed in her lower back. Whoever she is, someone wanted her dead in the worst way. I suggest you keep her out of sight until she recovers or whoever beat the hell out of her this time, might come looking for her to finish the job.”
Rogue shook his head in disgust.
Condor silently fumed.
“I’ll report to Talon,” Holliday added. “And make him aware of what I found but I’m sure he’ll agree with me on this. I’m not sure how much more her body can take.”
“I’ll be here to protect her,” Condor told them both.
“If you see anyone hanging around, you call Talon, and he’ll get extra bodies out here to help pronto,” Rogue said. “This is still our territory, even if we don’t have a club ready just yet, and if we got someone coming in to do shit like this, the club needs to know.”
Condor nodded. “You can count on that brother. Maybe he should patrol the town for a while, just to make sure the people are safe. I know he’s got most of the crew working on the new house but we still got Eagle to locate as well.”
Rogue nodded. “We’ve been out there looking for him. But so far, it appears that he’s crawled into a hole somewhere and I have a feeling he’s sitting back and laughing at us. He knows we’ll never find him, if he doesn’t show his face.”
Condor leaned back against the sink as he faced his brother and Holliday. He nodded. “Normally, I’d say you could be right about that.” Then he smiled. “But we got Blue.”
Rogue frowned. “Who the fuck is Blue?”
Condor grinned. “He’s a Prospect. Joined up about a year ago. His name is Jonah Blue and he’s half Sioux Indian. He grew up on the Reservation and his grandfather taught him how to use the signs of nature to track anything and everything. He has also turned that toward technology and it makes him even better at it. He’s a great tracker and can find just about anything or anybody.”
“How do you know all this?” Rogue looked a little lost.
Condor snorted. “Because I listen. I want to know everything I can about the men around me. And I watch what they do, how they treat the others and then I hear what the other men have to say about them. You tell Talon he should talk to Blue. If anyone can find Eagle, Blue can.”
Rogue just stared at the man for a moment then nodded slowly. “I’d do that.” He looked over at Holliday then back to Condor. “How come we didn’t know all this shit about a man who could one day, become a brother?”
Condor snorted. “Maybe you didn’t, but there’s more than me around the club that knows about Blue. Talon does, Falcon does too, to some extent.” He shrugged. “Eagle never wanted to know. He just saw the numbers, not the men themselves. He hasn’t been a very good leader for a while now and the men were beginning to figure that out.” He nodded at his friend. “You finally did when he wanted to trade Sevie for Hammer’s debt. Don’t think you were alone in your objection to that. He tried that shit again, when he wanted Asia dead for the green Hammer’s insurance would cover. Thank God, Dmitri screwed up bad enough and Viktor took him down for us.”
“Amen to that brother,” Rogue agreed. “Then she turned around and is using that money to rebuild the club. That still blows my mind.”
“Your woman is doing the same,” Condor reminded him. “She took the money the Bratva gifted her and turned it over to the club.”
Rogue nodded. “To her, that money was stained with the blood of her parents and everyone else Dmitri ever killed. Hell, he tried to kill her when she was four years old, still a baby. Can’t say the world will miss a man like that. Maybe once we deal with Eagle, Blue can find out who shot Julia,” Rogue spoke quietly. “I know it won’t bring her back or take the pain away from losing her and your kid but at least you might have some sort of justice for her death.”
“One day, I’ll find out who pulled the trigger and figure out why they had to die. And when that day comes, I’ll get my own justice for her killing. And no one will ever find that body.”
The room fell quiet for a minute or two.
“Ok, well I have to get back.” Rogue nodded. “I’ll try and send a prospect over later in the day.” He stepped up to Condor and placed his hand on the other man’s shoulder. “You know where we are if you need us.”
Condor nodded then grasped Rogue’s shoulder. “Thanks brother. I appreciate it.” Looking over at Holliday, he nodded, “Tha
nks Doc.”
“We should be good here. I’ve lived here long enough to have my own security system up and running.” Condor nodded.. He waited and watched as the two men left.
As they backed out the driveway, Condor walked into a small room off the kitchen and turned his security system on.
His cameras showed the entire spans of the property and he watched each screen carefully. Next, he brought up the security system on his phone.
When he left the small room a few minutes later, he went to his bedroom to check on the girl he’d found.
He sat on the edge of the bed looking down at her. Now that the dirt and dried blood had been washed away, he could see more of her face. The lines and angles were so delicate, he couldn’t imagine anyone beating her so savagely.
She looked so tiny, he bet she wasn’t much over five feet tall and didn’t weigh much more than a hundred and twenty pounds, soaking wet. Now that he could study her better, he could see her hair was blonde, but so very light, it looked like white spun silk.
Again, he couldn’t wait to see what color her eyes were. “Aww sweetheart, what the hell happened to you and why?” he muttered under his breath.
“Not your sweetheart,” the girl grumbled under her breath, but she didn’t open her eyes yet. She groaned as she tried to move but rather than fight it, she stayed where she was. “Fucking hell that hurts.”
Condor chuckled. “Getting hell knocked out of you tends to do that. My question is who and why?”
She slowly opened her eyes.
Looking into her stormy blue gray eyes took his breath away. Condor was so stunned he forgot to breathe for a moment. Then he frowned. He’d seen eyes like hers before but he couldn’t for the life of him, remember when or who else had them. This eye color wasn’t just your average blue.
She studied him for a moment then shrugged, wincing as she did. “The why is simple, they were waiting for me, the who, I never saw them before but they were my father’s men. Of that, I’m sure.”