I’m distracted from my dark thoughts by Aqua Net, “So does that little girl really have no family and you’re keeping her? I heard her call you mommy earlier.”
“Looks that way. It’s crazy to me that someone so small could already have had such a hard life that she immediately picks herself out, not only new people she can trust, but new parents,” I say.
“Kids that young are funny that way,” Nettie says, “that’s kind of how we ended up with Rocky ya know?” I shake my head no and she continues, “Rivet and I couldn’t have kids, we tried and tried, went to all sorts of doctors but it wasn’t meant to be. Every woman in the club was having babies except me. I took it in stride when Sheila had Colt and Barbie had Benelli and then Remington, but then years later when Sheila had little Pistol I was a basket case. I went into a dark place for a long time. Rivet one day forced me out of bed and dressed and took me on a trip. Now, I had no clue where we were going, but we hopped on a plane and went to the Ukraine. He took me to an orphanage. Apparently that lug had already been in contact with them several times. I was sitting outside just watching all these children play and I put my hands to my face and cried. Someone touched my face and wiped away my tears and I look and it’s this tiny little boy with crippled legs and braces on them. His arms were so skinny, but he reached them out for me to pick him up. He was only two and a half, and he chose me. He chose me to be his mommy,” by this time we are both sniffling.
“I haven’t met Rocky yet. Where is he at now?” I ask.
“Oh, he’s grown now and away at college. He’s going to school to be a lawyer at Yale. Me, a kid at Yale, can you believe it?” she replies proudly.
“That’s really great, I bet you’re one proud momma,” I reply.
Later that morning Zen and I decide to take Brenna to town to get her some clothes and toys. The guys are still busy so we shoot them both text messages. Of course, Benelli makes us take Fireball with us and tells me to get his credit card out of his office and go nuts. We decide to make it a girls’ day and do our hair too, but that I will pay for. I know we are going to be married, but I’m making my own money now and business has been great. Of course, thinking of that, I wonder how people manage full-time careers and parenting. I wonder how mom did it. I figure I better give her a call before we leave to shop till we drop. She’s going to probably kill me for not letting her know about Ruger and everything that’s happened sooner.
“Baby girl! How are you? I haven’t heard from you in over a week,” mom says.
“I’m good, there’s just been a lot going on. The club has kind of taken over a new task,” I say and fill her in on finding Lexie in the shop, rescuing the girls, then last but not least Benelli getting shot in the shoulder and then start to mention Ruger.
“Is he okay? I had this horrible dream before I came down last time, and I gave him a synthetic sapphire plate with my name on it. I found them at a show and ordered them with the business logo on it but something told me to make one more. I didn’t know what drew me to them, but I later read on the informational sheet that came with the order that they were super strong and they were literally bulletproof,” she rambles out.
“Welllll, he can testify that they are very much bulletproof. If he didn’t have it in his front pocket, he wouldn’t be here right now. They shot him in the heart and other than an enormous bruise, he’s completely fine,” I say.
“Oh my God, are you sure? Do I need to come now? I mean, I was planning on coming the week of Thanksgiving, but I can come now,” she asks.
“Mom, I swear to you, he’s fine. He’s in better shape than Benelli, and even he will be fine. Is there something you want to tell me about Ruger mom?” I question her.
“No, I mean maybe, no, we’re just friends, we text and talk on the phone more than you and I do now but no, damn it Elle, can I be real with you?” she stammers.
“Of course mom,” I reply with a little joy, I mean, mom’s been single pretty much my entire life and I’ve always wanted her to find someone and I saw how they hung around together and interacted on her last visit.
“I like him, like I think I like, like him,” she says.
“Wow, four likes in one sentence, this must be serious,” I joke.
“I haven’t really liked a man since your father. I mean, I’ve dated some…” she says.
“But no one had that butterfly effect until now,” I add.
“Exactly, it’s been over 23 years since I’ve had butterflies Elle, I’m 42 freaking years old. What am I doing?” she asks.
“Mom, it’s your time and you are a young 42 and a smoking hot babe. If you want to be with Ruger, you have my blessing. All I ask is you let us get married before you so I’m not marrying my stepbrother,” I joke.
“Oh God, I didn’t even think about that!” she exclaims and then laughs, “now that’s funny right there. I promise, I am in no rush to get married.”
“Well, I might be. I haven’t told you the big news yet,” I say.
“Bigger than they both getting shot? Oh my God, are you pregnant? Are you making me a grandma?” she asks excitedly.
“Yes and no, or should I say no and yes? I’m not pregnant, but we are making you a grandma,” I tell her.
“I am so confused,” mom tells me and I tell her all about Brenna.
“That settles it, I’ve been thinking about selling the shop and moving there but I was going to wait until next year, after I found a delightful spot for a new one. That moves the timeline up between all the new things in your life I’m missing out on, wanting to see what happens with Ruger and now an instant granddaughter, I’m putting it on the market this month!” she tells me.
“Well, I know I would love to have you close, I miss you. There is a building that just went up for sale a few down from my shop. It’s the one on the corner and it would be perfect, I will check into it. I’m going to have to get off of the phone now, mom. I promised a little girl a shopping trip before I called you,” I look down at Brenna who is pleading at my side now, “I love you mom, I’ll call you tomorrow about that building.”
“I love you too, baby girl,” says mom before hanging up.
The rest of the day is spent first getting our hair done, then we eat lunch at the little mom and pop diner the club owns, then Walmart for the basics she’ll need, the cutest kids boutique where we really did go nuts in and finally, the toy store. Brenna stepped in the door and her jaw dropped. She looked at me, then back to the toys, then back to me all while her little mouth gaped open, finally asking, “Is this Santa’s workshop?”
“It looks like it, doesn’t it, why don’t we pick you out some toys since you’ve been such a good girl,” I say. She grabs my hand and then Zen’s, “come on Auntie Zen, help me pick out some stuff.”
We end up with two baby dolls and some clothes for them, a few learning toys like a LeapStart, a marble run toy, puzzles I think she could do, a tea party set because Zen and I can’t wait to see the guys do that with her and of all things a stuffed Armadillo, not a teddy bear, puppy or kitten, noooo an Armadillo, Fireball helped her pick that one out.
I text Benelli to tell him we are on our way home and he tells us to just come to the house, his dad, Phoenix and him are all there and they are grilling one last time before it gets too cold.
We get to the house, and Fireball is carrying in the majority of the items for us. Brenna runs in ahead of him and looks for Benelli. “Look at me, look how my dress swooshes out when I spin,” and she spins for him.
“Oh, you look so pretty sweet girl!” he tells her.
“Look, look, it even has pockets,” she exclaims.
“I see, that is so cool,” he says.
“Girls like pockets,” I say, and laugh.
“I’ve got something to show you too,” he says and takes her hand and leads her upstairs and I follow.
“Oh, honey! You did all this today?” I ask with my hand on my heart. He had fixed up the old room I used before we became
a couple into the sweetest, lilac little girls’ room with a canopy bed, toy chest and cute little decorations on the walls.
“The guys all came and helped after we were done… handling things,” he pauses between.
“This is for me? All for me? You’re the bestest daddy in the entire world and I’m so glad I picked you!” Brenna says.
He leans down and kisses her on her cheek, “I’m so glad you picked me too, Pumpkin.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Benelli
We are in the kitchen and Phoenix has just told us about what Brenna had told him. His words punch me in the gut. The life that little girl has had to lead. After seeing Elle and her snuggled up against me when I woke and hearing this, I know what I want to do. I will not let her go back to that life. I know my future wife will be on board, but will that little girl? Does she even want to be stuck with another biker family when the one she had was so horrible to her? I know she would have a good life here, but will what she went through with one club make her not want to be part of another? I don’t know who her father is or where, but he will not get her back.
Elle runs to the trash can and is throwing up and within seconds I am by her side holding her hair back for her. I know how she feels. The information Phoenix gave us made me sick to my stomach too. I can’t let that little girl leave now, I won’t. Thoughts are running through my head like a speeding train. What do I do, how do I make this happen, what about all the other kids in the world that are going through this? I have all these ideas and plans whizzing back and forth in my brain, so many different directions. There is one thing that will help me clear my head and it’s justice. Just as I’ve decided that’s what I need to do, stat, Brenna walks up to us and tugs on Elle’s shirt and asks if she is sick like her mommy was. That rips me to the core. Elle assures her that she’s fine and hugs her and then she says it, she wants Elle to be her mommy and stay here and that’s all I need to make sure she does exactly that. I make plans in my head to fix the spare room Elle used for a short time at my house, correction, our house, into a room for Brenna.
While Elle and Brenna go to brush their teeth, I make a quick call do Brick to see if he’s free and what I’m thinking for the bedroom. Luckily, he can push back his job for the day and gather some of the guys to help me out. I know I better get the approval of my old lady and walk to the bathroom; the door is open so I stand there for a minute watching and listening before I enter. Just the sheer normal family vibe with them both at the sink makes me want this life so strong. I was single for so long, just going along thinking how great my life was with only the club and the pleasures that the club girls could satisfy me with, but this, this right here is what I truly desire, love, faithfulness, family. I hear that little angel tell Elle that she’s never even had every day, common warm food and I enter just as she’s rinsing and spitting into the sink. It went everywhere and I want to laugh.
I come in and kiss Elle on top of the head and then see the complete panic in Brenna while she’s apologizing and trying to wipe up the mess. I pat her head and take the towel gently, telling her I will do it for her. Oh, that little lip, I just can’t, my heart. I lift her little chin to look at me and assure her it’s okay and that no one will ever hurt her again, just like I promised Elle. She asks if we love each other and if I thought I wanted to adopt that girl before, when she says she wants me to be her daddy, it seals the deal. My heart, shattered, any wall that I’ve ever had up just came crashing down like a sledgehammer to crystal and she had me right there. I ask her to be safe if we should find her other daddy and that girl wrapped her hand around my finger and I know I’m done for. I lift her up with my arm not wrapped up and hold her. Yes boys, I’m a goner and Elle tells me as much. We go back into the kitchen and plop her on the counter and we decide to make that girl a breakfast extravaganza she’ll never forget. She giggles and claps at my expertise in pancake shapes and how high I flip them. Yes, this is what it’s all about.
The next thing I heard was Elle say “Frodo” and a crash. I kiss Brenna on top of the head when she says he’s not going to be her daddy anymore, that I am, and I lead Elle into the other room to talk. Well, that makes it official. Her father and mother are both dead and I’m going to do everything in my power to be her daddy. Wow, saying it out loud to Elle makes it real, so real.
As much as I hate either of my girls going through anything bad, Elle makes a good point. Maybe fate took us in all these fucked up directions so the three of us would be here, right in this point in time. We head back in and I watch that little angel fill up her belly. Probably more than she eats in a week, I think, but then try to shake off that image of her life before. I can’t get the picture out of my head though, and I excuse myself to take care of this business once and for all.
I nod my head towards the warehouse, and the men get up to follow. We walk in to the room where we have the four men shackled up, the three from the rescue and the one they call Snake that was at the last mission. “Now boys, which of you is going to tell us what we need to know?” I ask, rubbing my palms together.
“We’re not telling you shit,” Snake says and spits his useless venom at me missing.
“Oh, I think you will,” and not towards my brother Remington, and he punches the viper in his face, his body jerking back and swinging from the chains like a weight bag and the man spits out a couple teeth.
I walk with casualty and purpose to the next man, “how about you? Anything you want to say?” he shakes his head quickly in a no and I nod for Remington to do something to this one. I’d do it myself but he eats this shit up so I let him. He picks up a sledgehammer and like a professional ball player slams, it into the man’s knee. “And that’s a home run, fans,” I call out.
The man screams in pain and says, “I don’t know anything, all I know is we were supposed to watch the silo on our shift.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” I sound out. “Now, I know better than that. You see, we were watching you when you were talking to the other three you were relieving.” This time Phoenix jumps up to bat and shatters the other knee. “Don’t lie to me boys, I know more than you think.”
“Just, just wait till Calibar and the men get here. You’re all goners!” the third man yells.
“Shut up, Goofy!” Snake spits.
“Goofy, you say? I think I’ll keep this one alive, what do you think?” I tell my team and chuckle wickedly and my men nod in agreement. At the nod of my head, Justice takes his piece and puts a bullet between Snakes’ eyes. I methodically walk up to the fourth scum, “how about you? Do you want curtain number one to live like Goofy, curtain number two, we torture you like what’s his name?” I ask about number four.
“Balls, he’s Balls,” Goofy offers up, hoping upon hope that his cooperation really will keep him pain and death free. Foolish, foolish man, but I play the game.
“Do you want to feel our wrath like your friend Balls here? Or would you like curtain number three and your fate is sealed like your second in command, Snake?” I ask easily, as if it were a dessert tray.
“You really gonna let Goofy go if he cooperates?” number four asks, contemplating on what to do. He’s quickly analyzing that Goofy is gonna break, and he hasn’t been struck yet, and the other two options aren’t really appetizing. Fuck, if Goofy’s gonna spill anyway, why not get in on it?
“I am a man of my word,” I tell him plainly.
“You’re a fucking idiot, Hash, if you think they’re going to let you live. If they don’t kill you Calibar and the VD will,” Balls screams at Hash.
“Oh, Snake didn’t tell you, boys?” I acted shocked and continue, “We not only got the girls out of there, we took down your club. There’s no one left. Let’s just say it was a farming accident,” I laugh.
“We spewed them through the harvester combine like they were stalks of corn,” Lucky tells them, laughing darkly.
“Calibar…” Balls starts to tell them, but is shot by Lucky before he can spill.
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“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you everything,” Hash quickly spits out, “Chains started getting into trafficking before you guys got to him. The only reason I know you took out Chains, Frodo and Luther is Calibar left and came back. He took over the club and the trafficking ring. He got some hoity, toity, Asian guy as a buyer and the guy gave us a list of what he wanted. Calibar would go from state to state doing recon and then send us in to get the girls and take them back to the silo. We were set to meet up with the guy so he could check out the product before shipment. I, I didn’t want any part in it, but I was already in deep and they’d kill me if I didn’t. When I joined the club, it was all about bikes, getting high and fucking hoes. I didn’t want any part of this, but I had no choice.”
“What about Frodo’s kid? Why her?” I ask, daring him to give me a shitty answer.
“Calibar, Calibar did it man, it was all him. After I found out about Frodo I’d go and check on them every once in a while. Make sure they were okay, ya know? When I went over one morning, I found her dead with a needle still in her arm. What was I gonna do? I couldn’t just leave the kid by herself, so I took her. I was going to give her to my sister to raise but as soon as I got back to my place he was there. He had me followed, man. He took the kid from me. I swear I was gonna do right by her,” Goofy spills.
Benelli's Elle: Unfortunate Souls MC Book One Page 17