by S. Nelson
I rushed ahead of them and knocked on the door twice before entering. Maddie was looking out the window. The only view she had was of the lot, but she seemed entranced because I unknowingly startled her when I walked up behind her.
“Sorry. I thought you heard me knock.” She just shook her head. “My mom is here, and she brought her friend. My sister is also with them.” She looked worried and scared, the emotions weaving not only into her furrowed brows and wide eyes, but in her posture as well. Her shoulders rose right before she backed up, but because she was so close to the wall, she didn’t have anywhere to go. I reached out and gently touched her shoulder, and she recoiled, the gesture infuriating me. I wasn’t upset with her. Instead, my anger continued to be heightened with every reminder of what she’d endured.
“I know it’s a lot to deal with, but my mom is a nurse, as you know, and her friend Sully, who is Marek’s wife, can relate to what you’ve been through, and my sister, Riley, wants to make sure you’re okay.” I wasn’t going to provide Maddie with any personal information about Sully because I didn’t want to overstep, but if she chose to tell her, that was her business. Although to be fair, I’d just indicated the woman had been through something similar.
“Why do they all care?” Maddie closed her eyes briefly before reaching for my arm. Her slender fingers wrapped around my wrist, the heat of her touch causing a reaction—desire mixed with something unfamiliar.
“Because I do.” My admission caused her to relax enough for me to guide her toward the center of the room, which was only several steps from where we stood.
They must’ve been listening at the door because they all entered the room without me asking. My mom was first, her smile big and inviting. She had a calming way about her, making me believe with a simple grin that everything was going to be okay, even when I was unsure myself.
“Hi, honey,” she said, setting her black medical bag on the bed. “I’m Addy, Linc’s mom.”
“Addy?” Maddie asked, her tone bordering surprise.
“Yeah.” My mom nodded before opening her bag and pulling out tubes for blood and a pee cup.
“Your name rhythms with mine.” A shy smile crept across Maddie’s face. “Addy and Maddie.”
“That’s because we’re cool,” my mom responded. I saw the tension evaporate from Maddie’s frame right before my eyes, which in turn made me relax.
“So, tell me, Maddie. How are you feeling? Any issues? No matter how small, you should tell me so I can make sure there isn’t a bigger problem.” She placed her hand on Maddie’s arm in comfort. “Okay?”
Maddie looked to me, then back to my mom, biting her lower lip but not saying anything.
“Linc, can you wait outside?” It wasn’t really a question but instead a command. I abided without giving her an issue. Whatever Maddie wanted to tell her was obviously private, and because I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible, I left them to it.
18
The moment I sat down with Addy, a calm washed over me.
“Now that it’s just us girls, how about you tell me what’s wrong.” I opened my mouth to start, but she interrupted me. “Sorry, how rude of us.” She pointed toward a pretty dark-haired woman who looked to be about her age. “This is Sully, Marek’s wife. And this,” she said, gesturing toward the younger female who was probably several years older than me, “is my daughter and Lincoln’s sister, Riley.”
Both women smiled and said hello. The young blonde shared a strong resemblance to her mom, which even included a similar shade of hair color and a family resemblance to Lincoln.
“So, what’s goin’ on?” Addy asked, her eyes on me as she sat on my right, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“For the past few days, it hurts when I pee. And sometimes I get dizzy.” I looked down at my hands in my lap, feeling embarrassed. Had one of those men given me a disease? Would these women and Lincoln, if he found out, think I was dirty, unworthy to remain with them?
“All right,” she said, pulling a thermometer out of her bag. “I have everything in here.” She laughed. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I had to take care of these guys back in the day.” Her laughter reminded me of my mom’s, and before I could stop myself, my eyes welled up. “It’s okay, honey. You’ll be okay. We’ll make sure of it.” I nodded because I couldn’t find my voice. “What you’re describing most likely sounds like a bladder infection or a UTI.” I frowned. “Urinary tract infection.”
“Oh,” I finally uttered, looking to my left when Sully took a seat beside me, sitting close while still not encroaching on my personal space. Riley remained standing, leaning against the dresser, smiling at me when I looked at her.
Addy put the thermometer under my tongue. “Pain during urination is a symptom, as well as dizziness from the infection.” She handed me a small plastic cup with a lid. “I need a sample of your urine so I can test to be sure.” I looked at the cup, then back to her. “When you’re done, I’m gonna take some blood and test for STDs as well as pregnancy.” Her words didn’t even register before she asked, “Is there a possibility you’re pregnant?” She pulled the thermometer out of my mouth when it beeped.
I would’ve loved to answer her question with a resounding no, but I couldn’t. Every time one of them forced themselves on me, not once did they use a condom, and I wasn’t on the pill.
“They never used anything when they…” I took a moment to try and compose myself. “And I don’t know when I had my period last. They’ve never been regular.” Any other words I was gonna say got stuck in my throat, a lone tear coursing down my face.
“Maddie, I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through,” Sully said, patting my hand. “If anyone knows what it’s like to live with those bastards, it’s me.” I turned my head so quickly toward her I almost gave myself whiplash. She lived with them, too? At my widened eyes, she continued speaking. “It was a long time ago, but my father was president of that club. But he never treated me like a daughter. He never protected me. He never loved me. He used me, in every way possible, then he passed me off to a man who was as bad, if not worse.” For Sully, a stranger, to tell me something so personal, to rehash memories that appeared to still be raw and difficult, meant a lot.
“How did you come to be here?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t overstepping by asking for more details.
“Marek took me from them.”
“Like Lincoln took me?” I found it hard to breathe while I waited for her to answer. Never wishing the torment they put me through on anyone, an odd, messed-up sense of comfort drifted over me knowing I wasn’t the only one who suffered at their hands.
“The situation was a little different, but the result was the same. He saved me, much like Linc saved you.”
“He saved me,” I repeated, nodding rather vigorously.
Addy tapped my leg and grinned. “Why don’t you get me that sample, and then we can proceed?”
“Okay.” I stood up and disappeared inside the bathroom. As I awkwardly held the cup between my legs while sitting on the toilet, I grimaced and blew out a breath when the pain came, praying like hell it was only an infection and nothing worse. Once I was finished, I sealed the top, washed my hands, and opened the door to the bedroom, stopping abruptly when Lincoln stood directly in front of me. I almost dropped the cup in surprise.
“Linc, I told you we weren’t done yet,” his mom chastised, and while I loved that he seemed to be concerned about me, I loved it even more that his mom appeared to be protective of my privacy.
“I know. I just wanted to see if she was hungry.” He responded to Addy but never took his eyes from mine.
“I could eat something.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not picky.”
We stood there staring at each other for a moment before Riley walked up behind her brother. “Are you gonna stand here all day or get the poor girl some food?”
“I’ll get her some food.” Again, while he spoke to
someone else, he kept his gaze locked on me. Only when she tugged on his arm, did he seem to break out of some sort of haze and turn to leave.
“I think someone’s got it bad,” Riley joked once Lincoln was out of earshot. I flushed at the comment before quickly taking my seat back on the bed.
“Stop teasing her,” Addy scolded, but her smile indicated she wasn’t upset with her daughter. She took the cup from me and placed it on top of the dresser before returning to stand in front of me. “Have you ever had blood drawn before?”
“When I was a kid.”
“Good.” She didn’t say another word as she pulled out a small pad of gauze, a needle, wipes, gloves, and a stretchy band. “Straighten your arm for me.” Wrapping the band around my arm above my elbow, she tied it tightly but not enough to hurt. She pressed on the creased area of my arm a few times before wiping a wet pad over the area. When she was done, she hooked up one of the tubes I’d seen to a needle and placed the tip of it against my skin. “You’ll feel a pinch, but that’s it.” I didn’t want to watch, so I closed my eyes and waited, and before I knew it, she said, “All done.”
“What?” My lids popped open. “But I didn’t feel anything.”
“That’s ’cause she’s good,” Sully said.
“That I am. I like to warn people in case I have an issue drawing their blood. But you were easy.” She untied the band, put a white piece of gauze where she drew the blood, and folded my arm upward. “I should have the results back later today. It would be sooner if we were in the office, but I have to take the samples there.” After Addy gathered the rest of her things, she pulled me to my feet and gave me a hug. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll help you as much as we can.”
I didn’t know how much I needed to hear those words until she said them, and unlike any reservation I had when Lincoln tried to reassure me, I believed her.
Maybe because she was a woman.
Maybe because she was a mother.
Or maybe it was because her friend had been through what I had.
Whatever the reason, I trusted every word she said.
19
Every second they were in there with Maddie was a second too long. While I understood my mom needed some time alone with her for privacy, and that my sister and Sully were offering their support, I wanted to be present to offer Maddie whatever comfort I could.
What sorts of questions was she asked? Would Maddie offer me that same information at some point? I took to pacing in the common area before Ryder shouted at me to either sit the hell down or go outside because I made him nervous with the back and forth.
I glared at him and he laughed, and when I opened my mouth to say something to him, although I had no idea what, that was when I saw my mom, Riley, and Sully walking down the hallway. I looked around them, but I didn’t see Maddie. Of course, she wouldn’t follow them out here. What was I thinking? The girl was scared. She would probably never voluntarily come out of that room.
“Well?” I asked, rushing toward them.
“I’m gonna go to the office and find out why she’s having the pain.”
“What pain?”
“Because I can see you’re worried about her, I’ll tell you this much. She probably has either a bladder infection or a UTI. If it’s either, I can get her some antibiotics, and she should start to feel better soon.”
“And if it’s something else?” I asked, worried there might be something wrong with her we couldn’t help with.
“Then we’ll see what the options are.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek before walking away. Sully followed, but Riley lingered behind.
“Hey, have you seen Dad?”
“Yeah, earlier. Why?”
“Because Kaden doesn’t know I’m here yet, and I don’t want to be the reason something happens. I figure if Dad sees us separately, he’ll contain his anger, but if he sees us together, that’ll be a whole other story.”
“Well, Kaden just walked out of the kitchen and is headed this way.”
My sister turned around as Kaden strolled right up to us. “Hey, babe. What are you doin’ here?” He leaned in to give her a kiss. That shit was still weird to see, but I kept my comments to myself. I had more important things on my mind.
“I came with my mom and Sully to check on Maddie.” Kaden raised his brows. “The girl Linc stole,” she clarified, shoving my arm when I shook my head and scowled.
“I know who you’re talkin’ about. What I can’t understand is why you would need to see her.” He sounded irritated at the thought of Riley getting involved with the situation with Maddie, and while I would never put my sister in a scenario that would endanger her, I didn’t see the harm in her visiting our new guest within the confines of our clubhouse, which was the safest place any of us could be.
“I thought she could use some female energy around her. You guys can be too much sometimes.”
“You’re not wrong.” He flung his arm over her shoulder and kissed her temple.
“Where’s my dad?” Apparently, my answer wasn’t good enough.
Before Kaden could tell her the same thing I did, I saw the man in question headed toward us, his steps faltering when he saw his daughter next to Kaden.
“Fuck,” I muttered before I could tell them to separate. My ol’ man managed to walk up behind Kaden and Riley, shoving himself in between and forcibly splitting them apart. Kaden’s arm fell to his side on a curse, Riley taking a step back out of surprise.
“What are you doin’ here?” he asked Riley, completely ignoring Kaden, even going so far as to step in front of him to block him from her view momentarily. Kaden tried to move around him, but our VP moved with him.
“I came with Mom and Sully. I was just leaving.”
“Good.” When Riley didn’t move, he quirked his brow before pointing toward the exit. “Go.”
They weren’t quite back on speaking terms. He was still upset about the entire situation, and she was stubborn, not conceding to him or any of his crazy demands she not be involved with Kaden.
“Can I say goodbye first?” she huffed, throwing her hands on her hips.
He stared at her, his expression one that would make anyone wary of him. When Riley tried to walk around our dad, he stepped to the side, much like he’d done with Kaden.
“I’m not messin’ around, Ry,” he grated. “Go with your mother.”
“Just go,” I told her, not wanting anything to happen right here in the hallway. Not only did I not want my ol’ man and Kaden to get into it, although Marek had told him that nothing will happen between them within the confines of the clubhouse, I didn’t want them to start yelling and causing a commotion near the room where Maddie was staying. She was frightened enough. I didn’t want anything added to her stress level.
“I told you I’m not hiding us anymore,” Kaden said, moving past our VP before he could block him. The second I saw Kaden grab my sister’s hand and pull her toward the front of the clubhouse, I knew somethin’ was about to go down, the growl from my father making me close my eyes briefly and draw a breath. I prayed whatever was about to happen would end as quickly as it would start.
“You gotta lot of nerve, you little shit,” he shouted, catching up to them in a few long strides. He forcibly removed their hands and shoved Kaden so hard he stumbled back a step. “Don’t touch her.”
“Dad!” Riley shouted, catching the attention of our mom, Sully, Marek, and a few of the other guys who were milling around. “Enough. We’re together, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.” It took courage for Riley to say that to him. It wouldn’t change the way he’d react, but at least she was able to speak her mind, something she’d been afraid to do for years when it came to her and Kaden.
“I’ll never allow this,” he yelled back, keeping his eyes on Kaden and not his daughter.
“Stone, come on.” Addy suddenly appeared next to him and reached for his hand. She wanted the situation to deescalate as much as the rest of us did. Two mem
bers in the clubhouse goin’ at it was never good, but a fight within a family was even more stressful.
He finally tore his eyes away from Kaden and looked at his wife. “Take her and go.” Addy didn’t respond or move a muscle, and apparently, her stubbornness was the catapult to the man losing his mind. “I’m not fuckin’ around here, woman. Take Riley and go.” Every word he spoke was clipped. His shoulders were tense, and his neck and face flushed a tinge of red the longer our mother stood there glaring at him.
Then she spoke, but not before pointing her finger in his face and flashing him a snarl of her own.
“You’re drivin’ a wedge in this family because of your anger.” She took a step closer. “I get you’re not happy about Riley and Kaden, but get over it.” My ol’ man opened his mouth to respond, but my mom threw her hand in front of his face before he could say anything. “Don’t bother comin’ home until you get your head out of your ass.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“You’re goddamn right I am. You need to stop this. Stop acting like an ass before you do or say something that tears this family apart for good. And I swear to you, if that happens….”
There were only two other times in my entire life I saw my mom this upset with him, and right now might take the cake.
She walked away and took Riley with her, forcing my sister in front of her when she tried to break away and go to Kaden.
I glanced over at my dad and studied him as he watched the two of them leave, the look of disbelief and anger on his face mixed to form some other kind of emotion altogether.
He cursed under his breath and stalked off toward Chambers, disappearing inside our meeting room without saying another word to anyone. I could imagine that while he was enraged at what just happened, he had to be somewhat embarrassed as well. To have his wife chastise him like that in front of his club had to be emasculating. I wasn’t gonna say I didn’t blame my mom, but I was sure he felt whatever way he did, regardless. Or maybe I was projecting how I would feel if something like that happened to me.