by K. J. Dahlen
Gator watched as she headed outside. Then he turned, glared at Raine and made his way to the front door. Moments later they heard his cycle start up and roar away.
~* * * *~
Cassie watched through the window of her house as Reva walked along the wood line. When she reached a certain spot, she turned and entered the woods. Cassie turned and nodded at Peaches. “Can you watch the twins for a while? There’s something I need to do.”
Peaches rubbed her growing belly. “Sure, I’ll be here.”
Cassie closed the door behind her and quickly went down the path she’d seen Reva take. When she entered the woods, she found a worn path and followed it. She walked for a good twenty minutes before the silence was broken by the sound of water splashing in front of her. When she came around a corner, she gasped. There is the middle of the woods was a waterfall. It might have been manmade but it fit into the surroundings almost as if it were meant to be there.
On a small bench Reva sat. Her mind must’ve been a million miles away and she didn’t notice Cassie until the other woman sat down next to her. Reva started and turned to look at her with fear in her eyes. When she saw it was Cassie, she relaxed. “God all Friday woman, you startled me!”
“I’m sorry,” Cassie said quietly. “I thought you saw me.”
“No I’m the one who’s sorry. I guess my mind was far away.” She shrugged. “I guess I need to stay more focused from now on.”
Cassie cocked her head to one side. “I’m a very good listener if you ever need someone to listen.”
Reva smiled. “Thank you but my problems aren’t your problems.”
Cassie shook her head. “Sometimes, we all need someone to just listen.” She hesitated then added, “I would be more than happy to listen anytime you need it.
Reva gave her a silent look then turned her head and watched the water for a moment.
Cassie sat next to her and didn’t say a word.
Finally, after a few minutes Reva whispered, “Seventeen years ago. I almost had a child.”
“Almost?” Cassie questioned.
Reva nodded but refused to meet her eyes. “I was married to a bastard of a man.” She snorted. “I guess I still am, married to him…I mean.”
Cassie frowned. ”Gator is a bastard?”
Reva shook her head. “God no, he’s my savior, but he isn’t my husband. Bulldog Moore is my old man and he’s been in prison for the last seventeen years because he murdered our son and damn near killed me.”
Cassie felt stunned. All this time, she thought Reva and Gator were married. Reaching out, she held Reva’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
Reva looked at her with tears in her eyes. For a moment, she tried to speak but couldn’t. Looking back at the waterfall, she waited until the tears abated. “It’s a long story and it might not make sense in places but I think I’d like you to know it.”
“I’ve got nothing but time,” Cassie told her softly.
Reva stared at the falls. “I met Bulldog when I was seventeen. All I could see then was the glamour of the MC. It was wild and more than a little scary but I wanted to be wild for once in my life. My home life was shitty and I couldn’t wait to be free, so when Bulldog asked me to be his old lady I accepted. We got married before I turned eighteen. He was a few years older than me and I thought he was cool. Boy was that a mistake. He was trouble from the get go. I stayed with him about a week and by then, I was ready to go home. Only he wouldn’t let me go. When I tried to leave him he dragged me back, then he beat me. The first time, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he hurt me enough to where I didn’t try it again for a while.” She shook her head. “After that, he began to treat me like a slave. He ordered me around in private and treated me like a queen when his family was around. He told me if I told anyone, he’d kill me.”
“How long were you together?” Cassie asked as her stomach roiled with this news.
“We were together for seven years. It was seven years of pure hell for me.”
“Did you ever try to leave after that first time?”
Reva nodded. “I did try one other time. It was toward the end of the seventh year. I knew I had to get out of there. I was pregnant with Bulldog’s baby and I didn’t want to raise my child living like that. I had everything all set. I’d saved up some money and I was ready to go.” She stopped and had to swallow her tears. “I didn’t get very far. Bulldog caught me and dragged me back. Literally dragged me back. He tied my hands together and dragged me behind his bike, back through the compound. Everyone was there to see what he did, his family and members of his club. He stopped in the middle of the dooryard and I stumbled to the ground. He grabbed me up and began beating the hell out of me. Everyone standing there was in shock that he would do something like that but I could see he was high on something.”
Cassie swallowed heavily as she paused and stared out at the water.
“People were yelling at him to stop but he never heard them. His father tried to stop him but he hit the man over and over again. His brothers all tried to stop him too, but it didn’t do any good. No one could have stopped him that night. Then Gator pulled his gun and put a bullet in him. That was the only thing that got his attention. He turned away from me and went after Gator. Gator got a second bullet into Bulldog and his brother hit him with a piece of lumber and that’s when he finally went down. Reva shook her head. “By the time the cops showed up, they had Bulldog tied up. He was still out of it but no one wanted to take any chances. I didn’t know any of this at the time. I was hurt really bad. By the time I got to the hospital I’d lost the baby and was so torn up inside I’d never have another child. I was in a coma for three weeks while I healed. And by then, Bulldog was in jail awaiting trial.”
“What happened then?” Cassie asked.
“When they presented all the medical evidence in court, the judge threw the book at him. He got seventeen years for the aggravated murder of the baby and the battery he did on me and his dad. I tried to divorce him while he was in prison but he wouldn’t sign the papers. He told me he’d see me in hell first.”
“So what has you so worried now?”
“Raine just told Gator that Bulldog is getting out of prison in less than a month.”
“How the hell would he know that?” Cassie was stunned.
Reva looked at her in surprise. “Raine is Bulldog’s brother.”
“Are you kidding me?” Cassie all but screamed as she jumped up
“No I’m not. Bulldog’s real name is Harry Moore. Raine’s name is Chris Moore. They have three other brothers and parents and the whole family belongs to the same club Sam left in Maine.”
“OMG…” Cassie whispered. “Is that why Raine came here with Sam? To keep an eye on his brother’s wife? I mean he is such a kind man, always there to doctor people up. He has helped all of us at one time or another. He saved my life once.”
Reva shrugged her shoulders. “No, I don’t think he would do that. He told Gator he wanted to help us but I know his family wouldn’t stand against one of their own.”
“Maybe things have changed? Maybe he really does want to help you?”
“I don’t know.” Reva sighed. “I’m just so tired of being afraid. I love Gator so much and I don’t want to put either of us in danger. But it isn’t just us I’m worried about, we have three kids living with us. I can’t and won’t put their lives in danger. If Bulldog gets out, he’s going to track us down and finish what he started seventeen years ago. One or all of us are going to die and I don’t want it to be me or Gator or the kids.”
“So what are you going to do? You do know that you don’t have to face this Bulldog alone, don’t you? You have the whole club behind you, and these guys don’t mess around.”
Reva shook her head. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I can’t in good conscience, put anyone else in harm’s way just to be safe.”
Cassie smiled. “I know what that feels like, I’ve been
there myself but that’s the good thing about belonging to a MC. You never have to ask anyone to stand in front of you. They will stand beside you and they will have your back always.”
“I know but this news makes me want to run and hide. I know that isn’t fair to Gator, but I’m just so scared.”
“Talk to Deke and see what he has to say,” Cassie suggested.
Reva shook her head. “I can’t talk to Deke. This isn’t his problem. This is between me and Bulldog.”
“But you and Gator are a part of this family too.” Cassie reached out and hugged her. “Please don’t run away from us. We wouldn’t know what to do without you guys.”
“I really don’t want to go,” Reva whispered. “But if we do go, will you watch over the kids? We won’t be able to take them with us. Life on the road is no kind of life for kids and they have been through so much already.”
“Of course, we will. Those kids will always have a home with us here,” Cassie assured her.
“I love them so much,” Reva admitted. “I don’t know what I’ll do without them. To leave them here will just about break my heart but I can’t put them in danger either. If any of them got hurt because I stuck around—I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.”
“Please promise me something,” Cassie begged. “Promise me you won’t just run away. Promise me you’ll talk to Deke before you make any decision.”
Reva hesitated then hung her head and agreed. “Ok, I will talk to Deke first. I don’t really want to be on the run again. We have a great life here and I really hate to give it up.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Gator stomped into Deke’s office at the dance club with a frown on his face.
Deke looked up at his friend and threw his pen down. “What’s up with you?”
Gator growled and sat down on the other side of the desk. “I really want to hit something.”
“Why?”
“Because Raine told me Bulldog is due to get out of prison within the next month.”
“What the fuck?” Deke exclaimed. “Have you told Reva yet?”
“Yeah, I did. This isn’t something I could keep from her.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Gator growled and got to his feet. “I don’t know. All I know is that bastard isn’t getting anywhere near her again. I’ll kill him first.”
“I think he knows that.”
“I don’t want to run but I may not have a choice,” Gator said.
“Do you think she’s going to do that?”
Gator shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. She was so panicked last night she was jumping out of her skin. She could barely get the kids to bed and she didn’t sleep at all after that. Neither one of us did.”
“How is she doing this morning?”
Gator shrugged. “I’m not sure. We went to the clubhouse and she went to her special place in the woods but I haven’t seen her since then. I’m afraid that if I go back I’ll find her gone.”
Deke got to his feet. “Then you need to stay with her.” He grabbed his keys and urged Gator toward the door. “Come on man, we have to keep track of your woman. We aren’t going to let her run.”
“How are you going to keep her here?”
“By convincing her it’s time to stand her ground against her bully of a husband,” Deke told him. “What else did Raine tell you last night?”
“He said something about wanting to help her. He’s only seventeen years too late.” Gator snorted in disdain.
“Maybe not,” Deke suggested.
“What does that mean?”
“It means what if Raine and his family are willing to stand beside her now?” Deke suggested. “They stood by and allowed their son to beat the hell out of his wife, killing their unborn family member. If I remember correctly, they didn’t show up at the trial.”
“I remember that.” Gator nodded. “I was there every day but no one from his family showed up until the day he was sentenced. Bulldog was happy to see them but they didn’t speak to him at all. He begged them to talk to him but they just turned their backs on him and walked out of the courtroom. Bulldog was almost rabid that day. Yelling and shouting at them.”
“What was he yelling?”
“He was cursing them. He told them they would regret turning their backs on him.”
“That sounds like him, the fucking coward,” Deke swore.
“Yeah, he always did blame everyone but who was in the wrong.” Gator snarled. “He was so high the night he beat the shit out of Reva, he never even felt the bullets I put in him. He beat on his old man after I shot him. If Hound hadn’t swung that 2x4 at his head, he never would have been stopped.”
“And now he’s getting out.” Deke took a deep breath. Running his hands through his hair he said, “We have to talk to Raine.”
“I wanted you in on this.” Gator gazed at Deke. “If trouble is coming here, we needed your input. I don’t know what Reva wants to do yet, but you needed to know.”
“I’m glad you did.” Deke slapped him on the back. “You know we’ll stand behind you, all the way.”
“I was hoping you would say that. I was talking to Marnie a few days ago and she wanted me and Reva to adopt the kids. I was going to tell her this morning but Raine spoke to me last night and now, I can’t even think about anything but Bulldog.”
“We have to find out just what Raine and his family mean to do about this.” Deke sighed.
“The way he spoke, he meant to stand with Reva not against her.”
“I can’t imagine any Moore taking sides against one of their own.” Deke shrugged. “But rather than speculate, let’s find Raine and ask him.”
“Last I saw him, he was talking to Bones at the clubhouse. I don’t know if he’s still there or not.”
“Let’s find out.”
A short time later, they entered the clubhouse to find Raine still sitting there drinking coffee. Gator sat down on one side of him and Deke sat down on the other.
Reva came out of the kitchen and sat down opposite. Taking Gator’s hand, she looked at her brother in law. “I understand Bulldog is getting out of prison soon. Is he coming here after me?”
Raine nodded. “I think so. He still blames you for being in jail. He said if it weren’t for you pressing charges, he wouldn’t have spent the last seventeen years behind bars.”
“But I didn’t press charges against him,” she whispered as her grip on Gator’s hand tightened.
“I know.” Raine sighed.
“Then who did?” she asked. “And why is he blaming me for something he did?”
Raine looked away for a moment then looked back at her. “My mother and father pressed charges against him. After he attacked my dad, everyone knew there was no helping him then. We didn’t know what else to do. You almost died the night your son died. You were so very close but something or someone held you to this world. I know Gator never left your side the whole time you were in the coma. He held your hand and he whispered to you for hours. I don’t know if you two had something going before then or not. It doesn’t matter and I don’t care. My family and I tried to reason with Bulldog long before that night. It didn’t do us any good but we did try. We were all worried about the both of you.”
Reva looked at Gator then back to Raine. “Me and Gator weren’t together when I was married to your brother. I couldn’t look at anyone else. Bulldog was just looking for anything he could imagine to humiliate me, or beat on me. Sometimes he made shit up, just to put me further under his thumb.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I remember being in the coma. I hurt so bad that I just wanted to give into the pain, just to make it go away. I didn’t think I had anything to live for, then I would feel someone take my hand and talk to me. I didn’t know who it was but the voice in my head told me I was safe. That he would protect me and no one would ever hurt me again.” She glanced over at Gator then smiled. “His face was the first thing I saw when I came out of the coma and when he s
poke to me, I knew the voice in my head was his. Then he smiled at me. Hell, I didn’t even know his name but I felt safe with him but after Bulldog, I didn’t know if I could trust him or not.”
Gator turned to Raine. “I’d seen her around the compound but Bulldog watched her too close for anyone to even speak to her. When she wasn’t with Bulldog she was with another family member. When they took her away in the ambulance, it broke my heart. Bulldog really hurt her that night and the first time I saw her in the hospital, all I wanted was to gather her in my arms and hold her. The doctors told us she was very close to death and I couldn’t let her go. I sat down and took her hands and begged her not to leave this earth.” Shaking his head, he stared at Raine. “We hadn’t even spoken to each other before then. She belonged to another man and I respected that, but after what he did to her, she no longer belonged to him.”
Raine nodded then turned to Reva. “We knew something was going on, but we never suspected it was drugs. Or that it would get to the point it did. Bulldog was growing more and more paranoid. I’m sorry to say we thought you were stepping out on him. We were wrong about that, we were wrong about a lot of things back then. It took Bulldog almost beating you to death to get us to realize that. And you will never know how sorry we were that night.” He paused then went on, “There was such a look of terror on your face when he dragged you back that we all knew you were innocent of whatever he said you did. We could see it finally, but then was too late.”
“Bulldog told me that no one would believe me if I ever told the truth about him,” Reva admitted quietly. “He said I was just a runaway looking for a thrill and he belonged. He told me he married me because he felt sorry for me but no one would ever take my word over his and because we were married and he could do whatever he wanted to me. He told me he could even kill me and no one would care. He said he could dump my body where no one could find it and he would never go to jail because he was a Moore.”
Raine shook his head. “He might have been right about that at one point, but not then. Not that night. He crossed a line and you paid the price. I am so sorry about that. We all were, we just never knew how to say the words. I guess we were too proud to admit it but we were wrong.”