When my gaze hits Curls, I notice she’s still staring at me with her eyes wide. Yeah, I might have unintentionally given her a large flow of information just now. Though I need for her to know I’ve claimed her as my Old Lady, it’s not the thing for her to worry about. She’s been through enough.
“Come on, let’s get you into this bath and make sure you can relax. You must be hurting all over. We’ll get you settled and then we’ll talk, okay?” I tell her and she still doesn’t move a damn muscle. “I’ll tell you everything I know and what happened after I saw them pull you into the van. Club business or not, I will tell you everything I know, understood?”
There, I give her something a woman raised into an MC will understand and appreciate since—Old Lady or not—it’s not allowed to share club business. I’m happy to say she gives me a slight nod and stumbles toward the bathroom. Fuck. I want to give her privacy and yet I need to keep my eyes on her to make sure she’s okay.
Fucking whirlwind of things running through my mind when suddenly I remember her saying the blood was from her period. She’d need female stuff to handle it when she’s finished with her bath. Dammit, and some fresh clothes for sure. Fucking hell, shampoo or that kind of stuff too. My brain clearly isn’t functioning.
I turn on my heels and open the door, yelling Tenley’s name. Damn. My Prez’s Old Lady I now realize. Never in a million years did I ever make a spur of the moment decision that could have such an impact on my life, and yet with every realization it settles more and feels right, as if it was always destined to be this way.
Though I don’t have a damn clue how things will continue from here on out. Me, a Fed, now an AF MC Ohio, full-patch status. An Old Lady to add to it and I also just killed two men in cold blood without filling out fucking paperwork to justify shit.
Tenley comes rushing down the hallway, Hedwig following behind her.
“What do you need?” Hedwig clips.
“Female shit.” I clear my throat and add, “Shampoo and bath stuff, clean clothes, and the stuff you need when you have your period.”
Tenley is about to turn to get the stuff but Hedwig is already rushing away so the Prez’s Old Lady turns her attention back to me. “I’ll make sure to bring you guys some food in an hour or two, okay?”
I nod warily, my mind already back with the woman currently dealing with personal stuff in the bathroom while I wait for the things she’s going to need.
“I won’t keep you any longer but I do want to mention I respect the hell out of you. Not only because I think you’ll be a great addition to our MC but dude...the way you stood up for Wendy? For Hedwig? For your brother? You were crafted from the word loyalty. Thanks is just a word, but know if there’s anything you ever need...ask, and I’ll make it happen, yeah?” Tenley grabs my shoulder and gives it a squeeze.
Hedwig comes rushing back with two bags and hands them to me. “Here, I gathered a few things. Ransom put a change of clothes in there for you too. If there’s anything else...or if she wants to see me, let me know okay? And...thank you, Casey. Really, I can’t thank you enough for stepping up and bringing her back safe.”
I take the bags and nod awkwardly. They each grace me with a smile before I close the door and head for the bathroom. The door isn’t locked and I stop dead in my tracks when I see her standing like a statue in front of the bathtub—exactly how I left her—and still wearing my shirt.
I place the bags in the corner and step closer. “Hey, Curls. Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?” I tell her in a gentle voice so she doesn’t freak out on me.
She nods warily and I let my fingers grab the hem of the shirt and gently slide it off over her head. I should have let the women take care of her but my fucked-up mind can’t handle anyone taking over. I need to be the one who takes care of her. Even though she’s naked, there’s nothing sexual about this. The only thing that she needs is to feel taken care of; to be cherished.
I gently scoop her into my arms and set her into the tub. She pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her head on them. I shut the water off and stalk back to the bags to grab the stuff I need before I get on my knees next to the tub and start to wash her back with a sponge.
“Is he really dead?” Her voice is barely a whisper and I need to think of how to reply, because she could be talking about the fuckers who took her or the one we missed, but I’m pretty sure she’s talking about the only one who matters the most to her.
One thing I will never do is lie to her. The first time my brother and I were thrown together in foster care, we made a pact. We would never lie to each other or to the ones we cared about. Even if the truth is cold and hard to face, it’s always better to keep it real. Less chance for shit to blow back into your face.
“If your father was the Prez of Thorns ‘n’ Bones MC, then yeah, Curls. Thorn mentioned he was killed by one of his own.” I keep stroking her back and add, “So sorry for your loss.”
She doesn’t say anything for the longest of times but then suddenly asks, “Why did you bring me here and not to my brother’s compound? Seeing you know exactly who I am, or better yet, why didn’t you let my brother take me home?”
Talk about fucked-up timing. She wants to do this right now? Screw it. “I couldn’t do shit when they took you. I killed one and the others threw you in a van and drove off...I had nothing. I acted on instinct and instead of calling it in, I reached out to Ransom and he told me to get to the clubhouse. Calix called your brother since he knew you somehow belonged to them. When they showed up, they identified the fucker I shot and told us it was all an inside job. They didn’t even know you were missing until we told them. None of us could do shit since Thorns ‘n’ Bones MC is divided and fucking compromised and AF MC’s hands were tied because you’re only connected through Hedwig.” I clear my throat and brace myself to add the crucial part. “I asked for a full-patch status, since Calix had offered it to me many times before in the past, and I knew he’d give it to me no questions asked. Then I claimed you on the spot, and by doing so you were immediately tied to both MCs. Your brother wasn’t too happy but shared the fact you have a tracking chip implanted and showed us your exact location. I headed out to get you straight away instead of waiting around and doing nothing. That shit was eating me up, I had to get to you...they fucking took you right from underneath my fucking nose,” I growl out, raising my anger in full fury all over again as I relive the moment of seeing her being dragged into that van and fuck knows what happened until I was able to rescue her.
“And before you think of ways to justify my reasons to claim you...you might think I did it for your friend, the one who gave me my brother back. My brother who was ready to lock himself out of this world until she stepped in and pulled him right back into the center of it with a fucking child on the way and finally claim the woman he’s been raving about for months. Fuck yeah, it had something to do with that, and the fact everyone was standing on the sidelines with their fucking hands tied because you belonged to an MC that’s been corrupted from the inside out. But all this shit aside? You think I’d shove my cock inside any pussy? When I filled you up, it fucking meant something. Even if you took a swing at me right after and left, that moment right there? That’s when I marked you as mine. So, let your mind run over all those things but in the end it doesn’t matter. I claimed you. You’re mine; my Old Lady.”
“For a fed who’s been a biker for a mere few hours you seem as if the MC has been the only life you’ve had,” she mutters and tightens the hold on her legs. “How can this bath be warm while I’m so damn cold?”
“Come on, Curls.” I reach out to take one of her flaming red curls between my fingers, letting it slide through before giving it a little tug. “Let’s get you out of this tub and some warm food inside you. What’s your favorite food?”
“Great. That’s going to be my name from now on? Curls? Stupid bikers and their cheeky nicknames. I deserve a tough one, but no...dang Curls,” she grumbles.
Inst
ead of getting in my face about me claiming her or the way shit went down or even with what she’s been through...she starts to fuss about the nickname I gave her. This strong woman in front of me grew up in the lifestyle and knows the ins and outs. Though it never defies a person from where they came from, and yet she’s a person I’ve come to respect so damn much over the weeks I’ve gotten to know her.
Fucking hell, it’s not like I’ve gotten to know her by talking to her. Fuck, no. I’ve been investigating, and surveilling, finding out what makes her tick and how she spends her days by laying low in the shadows. At first, I dove into her personal shit because of a threat to Ransom’s Old Lady and it all lead me to her.
Her apartment was ruined by an electrical fire months ago. And before that, she was staying with Hedwig, and Hedwig’s apartment was ruined the same way, that’s where it all started. As if someone wanted to drive Curls out of her own home. Why? I have no clue but she’s a coroner, a forensic pathologist no less, and the last few months females have been landing on her table with injuries caused by electrical cords. Fucking hell, electrical cords. I cut those loose from her body.
I hold out a large fluffy towel for her as she steps out of the bath. I don’t want to address what she just went through and I try to soften the blow by using her full name. “Gwendolyn.”
“Crap,” she gasps. “Don’t call me that, it’s Wendy. Or use the stupid nickname you picked.”
“I’ll call you whatever the hell I like,” I snap, but I try to soften my tone once again when I explain the reason behind her nickname. “Your fiery red curls bounce with your attitude. When you pull, it straightens but it’ll snap right back to their own way. Fierce with the kind of captured beauty one needs to appreciate it from afar without any interference. Fuck, yes, I’ll call you Curls or the deluxe version of your name the way it was given to you.” I clear my throat and have to look away from her piercing gaze and steer clear of this discussion so I dive right into the issue at hand. “You were bound with electrical cords. All those cases you’ve been working on.”
“Yes, pretty sure Gael Murray is the perp. Did you not hear me ask if you killed Gael Murray? If you had everything covered?” she sighs. “Right. Brilliant, just brilliant. Seeing you’re a Fed, I suggest you put out a warrant or at least fill the detectives in who are on the case, maybe they can link it all together now that we know who we’re dealing with.”
“Dry off and get into bed, I’ll get us some food and make a few calls. This fucker needs to die and I need to see it with my own damn eyes. I have to talk to Thorn, this shit’s been going on for months. I need to know why you’re being targeted by this fucker. Goddamned why did he slip through our fucking fingers?” I growl and stalk off. There’s no way I’m going through legal actions and issue a warrant and sit on my ass to let detectives do the work they have been doing for months without any results.
“Tuna sandwich! Get me two,” Curls yells out after me as I leave the room and head for my Prez.
Chapter Four
***Wendy***
I glance at the clean clothes in the bag on the floor where I pulled out clean panties and a sanitary pad. I should put on some of those clothes and yet my gaze slides to Casey’s shirt he left on the bed after he took it off me. The shirt he threw on me after he rescued me. I let the towel I was using to dry my hair some more drop to the floor and pick up his shirt. I can’t help but take a deep breath to inhale his scent before I put it on and snuggle underneath the sheets.
My body hurts, my heart hurts, everything hurts while every single thing that happened runs through my mind. I try to block out the bad parts but I fail terribly; it’s all too painful and overwhelming. My eyes burn and I hate myself for not being able to hold myself together. I don’t want to cry. I never cry. Crying I consider a weakness leaking out of my body, I don’t have any weaknesses. As always, I survived.
Words slide through my train of thoughts. Words Casey threw out about how Thorns ‘n’ Bones MC has been ripped apart. My father...killed by one of his own men. One? There were at least three bikers of my dad’s MC involved with my kidnapping and also Gael, a nomad. How many more are a part of it? Who can we trust? It’s so messed up.
Hell, my feelings are even more messed up with the miscarriage. The painkillers aren’t helping and neither did the warm bath. Nothing helps and even if he saved me and the way he treats me...Casey adds to it all.
These last few weeks we’ve met a total of three times, and though every time it’s as if we have this pull to collide. Right or wrong; we just collide with force. And to find out it was him who stepped up for me, at a time when the MC I grew up in was at its worst, he found a way to have two MCs work together...he came for me.
No, he claimed me. I don’t think he fully understands; it’s not something he can switch on and off. It’s something he can regret instantly if he gives up his badge for trading it with a cut or worse...when they take his badge away from him.
There’s a reason I always kept the club and my life separate, I didn’t want it to interfere with my career. It was easy enough to stick with my mother’s maiden name seeing it wasn’t connected—on paper or for the outside world—with the MC.
My father always wanted to shield me and yet enemies always found a way around it since I didn’t completely stay away from the club. Family is a weakness and yet they can be the strongest connection you’ll ever have, even if it has nothing to do with DNA. Every biker in the MC has my back. Had. Until now. Betrayal cuts deep but with this? In a brotherhood where loyalty is thicker than blood? I don’t know how things will go from here on out.
It makes me even more aware what Casey did, stepping up by claiming me to have another MC step up to have his...have my back. Tears yet again sting my eyes, however it’s for a completely different reason now. Dammit, talk about having a bad day.
I’m never emotional, never. Not when it comes to my job, not when I saw people murdered when I was barely eight years old and a rival MC came shooting its way inside the clubhouse, making me hide underneath the pool table. See how I’ve learned to be strong and know how to control my emotions from a young age? Because one peep back then would have meant a bullet to my head.
Though it’s a huge difference now. Alone in this bed I could let myself go for just a handful of seconds and no one would know. Well, except me, I would know. And if I would let it all out now? I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to keep myself together and turn into a shaking, blabbering mess. Kidnapped, assaulted, miscarriage, the death of my father...everything.
I close my eyes and relay the mantra I always replay when I need it. “Keep breathing. Deep one in...hold it...release. I have to get through this,” I keep whispering to myself repeatedly until it’s too much. “I can’t breathe, why can’t I breathe,” I croak and tighten my fists in the sheets.
The mattress dips, scaring the shit out of me, and I scramble back only to fall off the bed and hit the floor. Hard.
“Fuck, sorry. You’re okay, sweetheart, it’s me. Come on, you’re safe,” Casey says as he hovers over me.
“Up yours, asshole. I’m not okay, and as long as that fucker is still breathing, you know damn well I’m not safe until he’s found and killed,” I grumble.
“Everyone is on it. I told Calix and he’s in church discussing it with Thorn as we speak. I’ve spoken with the detective on the case and he’s also looking into things. I had to because I want all eyes open to find this fucker so he has nowhere to run. We’ll get him and for once I fucking hope the law won’t be the one who gets to bring him in. I want this fucker ripped into pieces for touching what’s mine.” His voice is deadly with enough strength a chill runs down my spine.
What Gael did to me? What I went through? What lives were lost because of it? Even if Casey only saw the way I was tied up when he found me...I will never tell him how Gael touched, violated...No. Not going there. I shove the memory down deep and get to my feet.
I realize I have to tell Case
y about the miscarriage. Somehow it doesn’t feel right to keep it from him although I could because I only knew I was pregnant for less than an hour. But still, it hurts my heart not to share the loss with anyone, it’s too hurtful to keep it inside.
“And why...never mind,” Casey grumbles.
“Why what?” I ask and slide back underneath the sheets.
He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you chose my shirt instead of the clean ones.”
I refuse to answer and instead I fire back, “Did you bring food?”
“I ordered some, Tenley will bring it when it’s delivered. Did you want me to get Hedwig for you? Or do you want some more time for yourself first?”
“Not yet, I’ll...shit. My phone and purse. What happened to my stuff?” I gasp, only now realizing I lost everything when they pulled me into the van.
“I got your purse in my car,” Casey says as he rubs his neck. “I snatched it up when I grabbed the asshole I killed while the other two dragged you into the van. Do you need it? I can go get it.”
“Thank you,” I sigh in relief. “Saves me from cancelling everything. No need to get it now, later maybe. I just thought I’d text Hedwig later to let her know we’ll talk tomorrow. Right now, I need...” I can’t even finish my sentence because I have no dang idea what I need.
“Okay, why don’t I go grab it anyway? Then hopefully the food will be here and you can send her a text later. Would you rather be alone or can I crash here?” His gaze connects with mine and I can tell by the look on his face he doesn’t want to give me a choice, but I’m thankful he did.
I look away from his piercing gaze while I answer his question. “The bed is big enough for two people.” I shrug as if it’s fine either way, but to be honest? I don’t want to be alone.
“Good. Be right back,” he mumbles and leaves.
AF MC Ohio (Book Two) Page 3