Reclaiming Maysen

by Liberty Parker

  “A little,” I admit. Since he knows me so well, I continue, “I face-planted initially and then flipped us and I think I hit my head.”

  “Let’s get a nurse in here,” he states, pushing the button. Dammit, he has to go all alpha now?

  When the nurse comes in, he tells her that I likely hit my head and definitely hit my face, so she makes a note of it but advises that I’m probably going to be getting a CAT scan and possibly an MRI. She leaves to get the doctor’s permission to grab some pain medicine and I hope he doesn’t make me wait until he’s seen me because it’s bad enough that I wanna puke.

  A noise so profound happens in the hallway and has me grinning despite my pain. I hear my dad yelling and my mom trying to calm him down. A definite role reversal and if I wasn’t hurting so much, I’d laugh. Before I can say anything, Dad marches through the door, all bowed up like he’s about to take on the world.

  “Fill me in,” he barks out to Maddox. Surprisingly, he doesn’t bat an eye at the fact that I’m in Maddox’s arms in the bed.

  Maddox tells him what’s been done so far as the room continues to fill with my family. Mom, Rae, Uncle Braxton, Aunt Cara, Lily, Talon, Jasper, Uncle Chief, Uncle Law. “Where are the babies?” I ask.

  “Cassarah, Bridget, Claree, and Nan,” Mom replies. “Smokey’s at the truck stop and couldn’t get away, Bandit and Hannah took the triplets to the pediatrician for a scheduled appointment, and Maxum, Capone, and Jaxson are on a job site, otherwise, they’d be here too.”

  God I love my family! They dropped everything to get to me and I know if the others weren’t tied up, they’d be here too. I’m about to say something when my dad approaches the bed and gently touches me, like he’s afraid I’ll break. “I’m okay, Daddy,” I murmur, seeing the look in his eyes. Other than when Claree got hurt and I broke my arm, none of us kids have ever really had violence of this sort touch us.

  “My heart stopped when Maddox called me,” he replies. “The whole drive here, I prayed that you were okay.”

  “I promise, I’m fine. Thanks to all of you and Uncle Smokey, that is,” I state. At their looks, I advise, “I remembered the self-defense moves you guys taught us girls. I may have added a few you didn’t teach, but as much as I’m hurting, I think when that asshole comes off his high, he’s gonna realize he fucked with the wrong female.”

  “Damn straight he did,” Uncle Chief states.

  “You girls aren’t the normal group of young women, we taught y’all well,” my mom adds, like she was a part of the training. The only thing I learned from her was how to intimidate someone with my words and a pair of pliers.

  “We raised strong women,” Aunt Cara adds, with pride evident in her words.

  “How are you doing?” Rae asks me. “Have they caught the son-of-a-bitch yet?”

  “We don’t know, the police haven’t arrived yet,” Maddox answers her questions.

  And as if his words are magical, I see two men dressed in suits walk in the door. “I’m Detective Rodriguez and this is my partner, Detective James. We’re here to get your statement, Miss Hatchet,” he says in a soft voice. I know he’s trying not to come off as intimidating, and if my family wasn’t surrounding me I’d shrink into myself from his size alone. He competes with my family in build. Add some tattoos, a leather cut and a Harley and he would fit right in, that’s for sure. And they’ve always seemed huge to me in comparison to anyone else on the planet.

  “I’m Maysen,” I finally manage to stammer out. I reach out one hand for Maddox and the other for my dad. They both enclose their hands around mine giving me the comfort and strength I am needing. My heart smiles when I see the rest of my uncles gather around, arms crossed over their chests. I see Mom grin when Detective James takes a step back and roll my eyes at her. They may be a bunch of badasses, but they’re good men, through and through.

  “Tell us what happened today,” Detective Rodriguez says. He appears immune to the alphas in the room and I mentally give him props. I go through the events of my day to this point, ignoring the growls coming from my family and focusing on Maddox’s arms around me.

  “So do you know if the campus police caught the guy?” my dad asks.

  “We dispatched a squad car who went to investigate and met them on the premises. Right now, they’re looking for him as someone called in a suspicious person report, stating a man who is bleeding was staggering around the dorms.”

  My heart leaps hearing that news because that means they should catch him quickly. “I might have messed him up a bit,” I admit. “I’m pretty sure I broke his nose and he’s got scratches on his face and possibly his arms.” I clawed everything I could so while I know I got his face, I can’t be sure I got anything else.

  “We’ve also notified the urgent care facility as well as this hospital in case he seeks treatment,” Detective James advises.

  “He was on drugs,” I say. “I could tell he was high on something. I mean, who tries to rob someone in a laundry room?” At my comment, there are a few chuckles which is good because the mood is way too somber. I mean, I’m alive, the fucker didn’t rape me, and hopefully, he’ll be caught.

  “We’ll find him, Miss Hatchet,” Detective Rodriguez promises. “I understand that the nurses got DNA to process?”

  “Yes, sir, they took pictures and did those swab thingies under my fingernails, and bagged all of my clothes I was wearing.” Well, except my panties. I refused to give those up because then I’d be naked under the gown. Bad enough the girls are flopping free. Holy hell! What the fuck is wrong with me! I can’t keep my mind straight for nothing.

  “That’s good, with your statement and the evidence it won’t be hard to prosecute the attacker.” Is it wrong of me to wish that my dad and my uncles find him before the police do? I feel like he’ll get better justice at the hands of my family. Just then Detective Rodriguez’s phone rings and he answers. “Rodriguez.” Men, they always answer the phone with one word and it’s never ‘hello’. “Seriously?” I hate only hearing one side of conversations. “I’ll be right there.” He hangs up the phone and goes to his partner and speaks with him. “We’ll be in touch later on this afternoon.” And with that they both walk out the door and disappear without another word said.

  “I’ll go see what’s going on,” my uncle, Chief, states, before he heads out the door. Uncle Law is following closely behind him. I keep my eyes on my mom who has been rummaging in her purse since the detective’s phone rang. Hopefully, she left her ‘trusty pliers’ at home. We all mentally cringe when she begins digging in that bag. She pulls out some lip balm and I relax, why I was so uptight is anyone’s guess. My eyes stray to Maddox who’s currently huddled together with my dad and his Uncle Braxton. I turn back and notice that the moms are doing the same thing.

  “Why am I sitting here all alone?” I mumble to myself. I don’t wanna be alone, I want my family right here next to me surrounding me. I feel like a cry-baby needing my family when I shouldn’t. I’m strong, stronger than what I’m feeling. Why can’t I get past this uninhibited need?

  “Who says you’re alone?” Rae asks, plopping on the bed next to me. “You’ve got me.”

  “I’m glad you’re here, Rae. Actually, I’m glad all of y’all are here,” I state, as Lily climbs onto the bed. It’s a little crowded since we’re all grown now, but her action brings back memories of us being little girls huddled on a bed trading secrets, brushing each other’s hair and doing one another’s nails.

  “We were really scared,” Lily admits. “That kind of phone call isn’t something any of us expected.”

  “How did everyone find out?” I highly doubt my dad took the time to send out a text.

  “We were at the clubhouse getting ready to cook out,” Rae replies. Well, that explains it and makes me a little homesick at the same time. We’ve spent so many hours at the clubhouse that it’s like a second home and even though all the married couples have homes of their own, old habits are hard to break, so a l
ot of the meals are ‘family style’ at the clubhouse.

  “Dad was flying to get here,” Rae says before pulling a brush out of her purse. She starts detangling my hair and the simple act brings tears to my eyes. “Mom threatened many of his body parts if he didn’t slow down until he called Uncle Chief who said he’d clear a path for us. No clue what he did, but we didn’t get stopped at all!” God I love my damn family.

  Four hours later, a lot of tests run and blood drawn and I’m finally being released. With doctor’s orders in hand I am ready to get out of here. I’ve got prescriptions that Mom said they’d pick up and one of the nurses found me a pair of scrubs since my clothes are now evidence.

  “Maysen,” Dad calls my name as I’m wheeled out of my room.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I reply looking up at him feeling a little petrified at the prospect of going back to my dorm.

  “I don’t think you should stay at your place, at least not until we know this asshole has been taken off the streets.” I sigh when a sense of peace washes over me.

  “She’ll be staying with me,” Maddox pipes up. “I feel the same as you, but she can use my tub for her sore muscles at my place.” Yes, I wanna go to his place. I nod my head because being in his arms is the perfect ending to this horrific day.

  Dad’s eyebrows raise at Maddox’s words and he goes to say something. “Daddy, he’ll keep me safe.”

  “Not as safe as I will,” he mutters. Great, Mr. Neanderthal has shown up and we’re apparently back at ground zero where the two of them are concerned.

  “Hatch! Knock it off. Maddox, she can stay with you. Maysen, we need a key to your place so we can grab you some clothes and stuff,” Mom states. Maddox hands her his key, since my purse is still at home.

  “Did you give them my insurance information?” I ask Mom.

  “Already taken care of,” she replies. “We’ll see you shortly. Rae, Lily, you two coming with us?”

  “Uh, we’ll go with Maddox and Maysen,” Rae says. “That way, we can make sure the place is clean enough for parental perusal.” Jeez, where does she come up with this shit? I hide my grin, though, when Mom gives her ‘the look’ that she’s perfected.

  “Fine. Hatch, you’ll book us a room somewhere close by?” Mom inquires.

  “Got it, gorgeous,” Dad replies. “We’ll stick around for a few days until we’re sure that fucker is locked up.”

  “What if they don’t catch him?” I whisper my fears out.

  “If they don’t, we will,” Uncle Braxton declares through clenched teeth.

  I shiver at his tone because it’s one us kids have seldom heard. There’s a steel in his tone that almost makes me fear for my attacker if my family catches him. Then again, I want him to feel at least half the fear I felt so maybe them catching him would ensure he gets what’s coming to him.

  “C’mon, baby, let’s get you out of here,” Maddox says, helping me into the wheelchair.

  “I’ll pull her car around,” Rae states. “Gimme the keys.”

  “Wait, no, I don’t like how you drive my car,” I whisper-shout. “Lily, can you bring it around?”

  “Great, now I’ll have to fix the seats,” Maddox says, a grin firmly planted on his face. “I mean, she’s what, five foot nothing?”

  “Haha, very funny, beanstalk,” Lily replies, taking my keys from him. “I’ll see y’all around out front,” she states before she heads out the door. The victory on her face as she looks at Rae is hysterical. And if I was in a joking type of mood I’d have to say something to raise Rae’s hackles.

  Maddox

  We finally get her down to the car and settled and are now headed toward my house. I’m praying that the guys didn’t decide on a spur of the moment party because it didn’t look bad when I left but I honestly wasn’t paying too much attention. “Can you drive any faster?” Rae asks. “Because right now, a ninety-year old in a wheelchair could go faster.”

  I look in the rearview mirror and glare at her. Doesn’t she realize that her sister needs to be treated carefully?

  “Rae, knock it off,” Lily says. “He’s being courteous and careful. I’m sure Maysen is hurting, even with what they gave her before we left to keep her pain level under control.”

  I chance a glance at my girl to see her staring out the window, lost in thought. Reaching over, I lace our fingers together and squeeze, grateful when I see her smile. It’s a little dimmer than normal, but the fact she’s smiling at all is a miracle in my book. We finally get to my place and I park the car and give Maysen a look. Sometimes, she lets me open her door and other times, she doesn’t.

  Getting out, I round the front to the passenger side before I open her door. “C’mon, Maysen, let’s get you inside,” I whisper. I can see a hint of fear in her eyes and it kills me that she’s suspicious of every little thing. I expect that she’ll be like that until that fucker is caught. Which I hope is soon, otherwise I’m going hunting with my uncle and her dad.

  When we walk through the front doors, I notice that the house is empty other than my best two buddies, Pike and Tristan. “Where’s everyone at?” I ask them.

  “The Kapa girls were throwing a party so everyone headed that way. Pike and I wanted to catch the game so we stayed behind,” he says around a mouthful of pretzels.

  “Who’re you?” Rae asks Tristan. I see the glimmer of interest in his eyes and think it would be an epic disaster for the two of them to hook up as a couple.

  “This is one of my best friends, Tristan,” I tell her. “Tristan, this Maysen’s sister, Ralynn and my cousin, Lily.”

  “Pleasure, ladies,” he replies after swallowing his snack with some beer.

  “Ya may wanna lose the beer, her folks are on the way,” I tell him. Tristan may be legal, but I’m not and of course, neither are the girls and I don’t want Hatch blowing another gasket.

  “How bad could they be?” Tristan muses.

  At his words, the three girls start laughing and I join in when I see the puzzled look on his face. “You’ll see,” Maysen states.

  “C’mon, baby, let’s get you comfortable on the couch and off of your feet.” I assist her as she limps over to the couch. She’s sore and her muscles have tightened up, hopefully the muscle relaxer they gave her before we left takes effect soon and helps her. You’d think that the pain meds would help, but they don’t seem to touch the tightness in her body. Once I have her settled, I head to the kitchen and grab several bottles of water. I notice that Tristan hasn’t moved his cooler and figure that he can deal with Hatch and the other guys when they arrive. He won’t even know what hit him when the tornado that is our family walks through the doors.

  Handing Rae and Lily their bottles, I open up Maysen’s before I give her hers. “Thanks, Maddox,” she murmurs. I’m trying to remember what our trainer does for tight muscles and realize that she’s going to need to soak in Epsom salts later.

  “Once the parents leave, I’ll get you upstairs and into a tub to soak,” I whisper.

  “You gonna join me?” she asks.

  “Not planning to leave your side, so the answer’s yes,” I reply.

  “So, why are y’all here?” Pike asks as he eyes Maysen up and down. I know he’s aware something bad has happened and he’s grown tired of waiting for me to blurt it out. He’s been quiet so far, but I guess that was because we were talking.

  Maysen freezes up and I quickly say, “Maysen was attacked in her dorm laundry room today.”

  “Fuck, no way!” he says. He moves to the edge of the couch and leerily looks at me. I can see the fire dancing in them and know he’s taking this hard. He adores Maysen and thinks of her as a younger sister. He thinks she’s the shit and she thinks he’s funny as hell. I’m glad my friends and my girl clicked. They will be just as anxious as I am to see this perpetrator taken out.

  “Yeah,” she replies. “But I broke his nose and scratched the fuck outta him so he’s hurting too.” There’s my girl.

  “Her uncles followed
the detectives back to the station. I’m hoping they’ve caught the son-of-a-bitch,” I state.

  “Well, he’s got a much better chance of remaining on this side of the grass if they do,” Rae says. When Tristan and Pike’s eyes go wide, she continues, “You know she’s the daughter of a badass biker, who happens to be the MC’s enforcer. What else would you expect?”

  “No fucking way!” Tristan exclaims. He obviously watches way too much television and I’m about to clue him in that they’re not that kind of MC when I see the twinkle in Rae’s eyes. Deciding to sit back and watch, I plop down next to Maysen and gently pull her into my arms.

  “Oh yeah, way,” Rae replies. “All three of us girls have very protective family members who aren’t afraid of anything.” Shit, she’s laying it on thick and I’m having to fight to hold back my laughter. Maysen’s shoulders are shaking and I look down to see she’s got her face buried in my shirt laughing.

  “Are they as bad as the shows we’ve seen aired on television?” Pike asks.

  “Worse. Way way worse,” Lily adds. Great, now the two of them are ganging up on my friends. Next thing you know she’ll have skeleton’s in everyone’s closet.

  “How much worse could they be?” Tristan inquires.

  “The last person that asked that hasn’t been seen since,” Rae solemnly states. Fuck. I’m so glad I’m not on their bad side. These bitches are lethal with their tongues.

  “Uncle Chief didn’t bring his knives, did he?” Maysen asks. Shit. All three of them? I lay my head back on the couch and close my eyes. I have to count to ten and gain control before I lose my shit and give their game away.

  “No, he said something about them needing to be sharpened after he used them last,” Rae replies, her face serious. I’m honestly not sure how much more I can handle before I totally lose it. My uncle and his club are badasses, true, but they don’t take the law into their own hands and the way these three are acting, they’re pretty much the Mexican cartel, Russian mafia and the worst motorcycle club imaginable rolled into one!