Rob told me that Cassie and I could stay in the motel room for the rest of the week. I thought that meant he wanted to sleep with me again as payment. That wasn’t the case. He thanked me for what I’d given him, handed me a hundred dollars, and then he left.
Three days later, the authorities came knocking. I had no choice but to answer the door. Though the room had been paid for until the end of the week, the owner had realized we were alone, and she’d called the police. Cassie and I were taken back to the care home and made an example of to show others what happens when you run away.
After that, I always swore I’d do more to help people who needed it. Putting aside the men who are after me, I don’t want to give up that dream.
“You know,” Ember says. “My mother runs a shelter for battered women, abuse victims, people on the streets. You name it; Second Chance House has it. I’m sure she could find a place for you there.”
My heart hammers with hope, and a smile spreads across my face. “Really?”
“It’s a wonderful place,” Taylor points out. “Nova has done amazing things there.”
“Mom!” Ember yells, and my eyes search the room for Nova.
I giggle to myself when she seems to appear out of nowhere, next to the table. “Yes, Ember?” Nova laughs.
“Wynter was just telling me how she’d like to work for you.”
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing will come out. I didn’t say that; Ember did!
“Is that right? And does Wynter have any experience?” Nova is addressing me.
I feel uncomfortable. I don’t want to tell these people about my past, but I have to tell Nova something. “Personal experience.” Is all I offer up.
Nova gives me a knowing look and smiles. “I find sometimes that’s all a person needs. Can you tell me why you want to work with the homeless and abused?”
I swallow hard. I don’t want to give too much away in front of Taylor and Ember. I can explain everything to Nova when we’re alone if that’s what she needs. “Well, I’ve always had a compassionate nature. I also feel that the homeless are overlooked a lot. Most people walk past them in the street because they think the beggar on the street will attack them. It’s their own personal ignorance that makes them act that way.”
I take a sip of my drink to cool my dry throat.
“If just one person looked past the fact those less fortunate are unwashed, and a little scared to trust, they’d find someone who just needs a little kindness in their lives. I’m not saying every homeless person is innocent and won’t attack another. However, I find most of the time; all they want is help. The selfishness of some is abhorrent. The unwillingness to look past the outside and deep within is something I’ll never understand. If I can help just one person find their feet, then I’ll be happy.” I smile at Nova.
She’s looking at me with a curious smile on her face.
“Well said,” Taylor takes my hand across the table and squeezes, making me blush and smile.
“How can you say no to that, Mom?”
“I can’t,” Nova smiles again. “You’re exactly the type of person I’d hire any day of the week. I’m pretty staff full at the moment, however.”
My heart sinks a little, though it’s not the end of the world. “I understand. Could you keep me in mind for the future?”
“I can do better than that, Wynter.” My ears prick up. “If you’re willing to get your hands dirty, I could find you something in our homeless department, as that seems to be where your passion lies.”
I don’t care what job Nova gives me; I’ll do anything.
“We have a young woman and child staying at the shelter. They’ve been with us two days, and I need someone to help Zena and her daughter Claire get back on their feet. From the way you spoke just now, I think you’re up to the task.”
“Yes,” I shift excitedly in my seat. “Anything they need, I’m more than willing to help.”
“Well, Zena needs a friend right now. That’s what we offer at the shelter, friendship. Sure, we give them a room, a place to sleep, and food in their bellies. But there’s a lot that goes into helping a person. Some are mistaken, thinking their work is done once those in our care find a job and a home. That is not the case. There are follow-ups, and support offered once they leave us.”
“I can do that!” Shit, I can do that and more if it’s needed.
“Great! Come and see me tomorrow at Second Chance House, and we’ll go through everything that will be expected of you. You’ll need to read over the contract I hand you, get it looked at by a lawyer if need be. Once you’re happy with it, and the salary I offer you, then sign it, and I’ll put you right to work.”
“Oh, my God! Thank you!” I screech with happiness, so loudly, everyone is looking at me. I don’t care if they are; I’m so happy! “I could just hug you right now.”
Nova holds her hand up to me. “Please don’t.” She shakes her head.
“Mom’s not a hugger,” Ember informs me. “But I am!” She jumps out of her seat, pulls me from mine, and hugs me tightly. Taylor gets out of hers and joins us, and I could just cry with happiness right now!
My life is looking up!
Chapter Eight
Havoc
“That girl has a screw loose.” I nod at Razor. There is definitely something wrong in Phoenix’s head. She seems to have gotten worse this past month.
Phoenix went from happy, to murderous in the space of a couple of weeks. We all think it has something to do with her now ex-boyfriend joining the military. She won’t admit to it, but it’s pretty obvious.
In the past, what Tex did earlier would have had her giving him a mouthful. Today, she almost took his jaw, clean off with one punch. A woman like Phoenix is not to be messed with on a good day. A day like today? The rest of us know to steer well clear.
Tex should have learned his lesson by now. Phoenix already threatened to cut his balls off a couple of days ago for asking if she’d gotten her period. Every man on the planet should know never to ask a woman such a question. It only leads to them flipping out and wanting to castrate you.
“What did you just say?” Wrench rounds on Razor. No one says anything about Phoenix without Wrench losing his shit.
“Don’t start, Wrench,” Jett tells him, causing Wrench to grit his teeth. “Sit down, all of you. We ain’t here to talk about Phoenix, not just yet.”
We each take a seat around the ever-growing table. I lean forward with my arms on the table and stretch out my back. I laugh when my spine pops, and half the men in the room grumble how disgusting that is. Fuck them all; it is what it is.
We’d been sorting things to help Wynter before we heard the commotion outside. Jett had pointed out that he could get Trace on to it. He’ll check out Wynter’s past and see if there’s a link to her and those men.
As Hawk pointed out that John Anderson was a serial rapist, and any one of his victims or their families could want to hurt Wynter as payback. The thought hadn’t occurred to me before that moment in time.
John Anderson not only kidnapped Julianne, but he also raped over thirty women. Sure, John went to prison for the things he’d done, and it’s well documented that Julianne and Spring died. However, Wynter was left behind, and any of John’s enemies could want her dead because of his sins.
Though Trace told me that it was also documented that Wynter had died along with her family, but if that’s the case, then how would any of John’s victims know Wynter was alive?
Gunner said it would be easier if we drew those men out, bring them to us. If we do this on our terms, take the element of surprise from them, then we’ll have the upper hand.
We hadn’t quite worked out the logistics when Lorraine came knocking, telling us that Phoenix was torturing Tex. A bit of an over-exaggeration, but you never know with Phoenix how far she’ll take things.
Of course, we all laughed when she crushed his balls. Apparently, Tex had said something to Wynter that Phoenix did
n’t like, and she forced him to apologize publicly.
My eyes caught Wynter’s, and hers were wide with shock. She needs to get used to the way we do things here, especially when it comes to Phoenix. The girl is not to be messed with because she’ll rip your throat out with her bare hands.
“As we were saying before we were interrupted,” Tank points out. “We need to draw those men out into the open. Whatever they want with Wynter, we’ll find out soon enough.”
“How exactly do you suggest we draw them out?”
Jett shifts in his seat and looks at BlackJack. “I’ll put the word out that Wynter’s here with us. With any luck, it won’t be long before someone comes looking.”
“Wait,” It’s my turn to shift in my seat. “Are you suggesting we offer my wife up as bait?”
“If you want this shit sorted,” Jett hits me with a hard stare. “Then we do this my way, Havoc. Wynter will never be in any danger. We’ll make sure someone is with her at all times.”
I roll my neck. This doesn’t sit well with me, but Jett has a point. Besides, how else are we meant to find out who those pricks are?
“I know what it’s like to want nothing more than to protect my wife, Havoc,” I look directly at Hammer as he speaks. “Every man in this room with a wife or girlfriend wants the same things. Half of us has had the women we loved taken from us, hurt or worse when we’ve found them.”
I shudder to think what Hammer along with Hawk and some of the others have been through. I remember ninety percent of the incidents involving the women of this club. Each time, I prayed that I’d never be in that situation.
What’s happening with Wynter is nothing like what happened to Willow, or Brooke, or anyone else. But the fear that something terrible could happen to Wynter is still in the back of my mind.
“After Brooke was taken,” I note the shift in Hawk’s mood. The man hates talking about Brooke’s racist father. Though I know Hammer is only using Brooke as an example. “Shepard swore that no woman would put in danger as long as we have breath left in our bodies. Wynter is part of this club now, Havoc, and that means she’s under our protection.”
I nod my head in thanks. If I know nothing, I know my brothers will help me with whatever I need to keep Wynter safe.
“I know it’s easy for us to say, ‘Don’t worry,’ but everything will be all right, Havoc.” I nod at Ghost. “You’re my brother in every way that matters, and I would never lie to you.”
“I know. I just don’t want to lose her, Ghost.”
“You’re not going to lose her, Havoc.” Red draws my eyes to his. “I’m your Dad, and I would stop the world turnin’ for you, you know that.” I chuckle under my breath. The man still speaks to me as if I were a scared five-year-old boy. “If each one of us has to shadow your wife every damn day of her life, we’ll do it, Havoc.”
“You can trust us, Havoc.” Hawk picks up. “There’s no one on this earth you could trust more than your family.”
I take a deep breath and let their words sink in. I look at each person around the table and nod my head. “Thank you,” Is all I offer up, which gets me a few nods, and a wink from my Dad.
“You never have to thank us, Havoc.” BlackJack looks at me while he speaks. “Wynter is as much my family as she is yours. If we stick together on this, she’ll be just fine.”
“BlackJack is right,” Jett slaps his hand on the table. Fuck knows why he does that, but I often wonder how he doesn’t break his damn hand. “I want to get this shit cleared up as quickly as possible. I don’t want no messin’ and no excuses. Wynter is not to be left alone, even when she thinks she is.”
“All of y’all with women know how they fight us on being shadowed.” The older members all laugh and nod their heads at Tank. “They want privacy, don’t want us treating them as though they were weak. Ain’t no woman belonging to us weak, especially having being trained in self-defense by Nova. But the sad fact of the matter is, they are women, and easily attacked. They ain’t built like men, and any man could easily come along and take them by surprise.”
I hate to admit it, but Tank is right. Women aren’t as physically strong as men. Mentally? Eighty percent of women are much stronger than any man alive. I would never take away anything these women here have achieved over the years. But just like anyone else, bad things can happen that are out of their control.
Whatever was as men can do to stop those things from happening, we’ll do it. I’ve lived through too many situations where women have gotten hurt, Cindy, Willow, Brooke, Elie, my mother, just to mention a few. Each time, it was hard, but I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for the men who loved those women.
I never want to go through something so awful it might mean I lose Wynter. Every man and his dog can profess to love his woman more than any man on earth. But the fact remains, each person feels the same about the one they love.
Through all the shit that’s happened, each man had one thing in common, the support of this club. Hawk’s right, all I need to do is put my trust in them, and Wynter will be fine. There’s nothing the Snakes can’t do when we’re on the same page.
“I have jobs for all of you, and I’ll hand them out at the end of the meeting. You know the rules when it comes to our women. Wynter is one of us in more ways than one. Just one of you falters when it comes to her safety, and I will personally gut you like a damn fish. Is that understood?”
“Prez,” Everyone says in unison.
“Now,” Jett cracks his knuckles. “Phoenix,”
“What about her?” Stryker asks.
“Tank and I have been talking, and we think it’s time for Phoenix to take the initiation test.”
I wince where I sit. Initiations into this club range from taking a beating and getting up and walking away, theft, and even disposing of perverts, and there are worse things Jett and Tank put you through. Jett likes to push you to the limits to make sure you’re right for the Snakes.
I don’t have a clue what Phoenix will have to endure, but I remember my initiation very well. Jett had me torch a drug dealer’s house while he slept. I killed someone on my president’s orders just to join Snakes Henchmen. Not my finest hour, but I got through it the way I knew my president expected.
“You really believe she’s ready, Prez?”
“If anybody was born ready, it’s Phoenix, BlackJack.”
A lot of muttering goes on, people agreeing with Jett.
“You’re not gonna hurt her, though, right?”
Jett raises an eyebrow in BlackJack’s direction. “She’ll be treated the same as everyone else. You know as well as everyone else in this room that Phoenix wouldn’t want to be shown special treatment.”
“He’s right, Dad,” Wrench points out. “Phoenix came into this world fighting, and she’s lived every day the same way. She works hard every day to prove she’s just as good as the rest of us. If we start treating her with kid gloves, she’ll slaughter the lot of us.”
Wrench isn’t wrong. Phoenix already thinks we’re too easy on her because she’s a woman. God knows what she’ll do if she thinks Jett has handed out an easy initiation. If I know anything about Phoenix, it’s that she’ll be expecting the worst and hoping for it.
“When do you plan on putting her through whatever it is you’ve chosen?”
“None of your business, Gunner. But if you must know, Tank and I have decided within the next couple of days.” Gunner nods his head at Jett in thought.
“You aren’t gonna have her kill anybody, are you?”
Jett raises his eyebrow in annoyance at BlackJack. “What did I say about treating Phoenix the same as everybody else, BlackJack?”
“That’s all well and good, Jett,” Stryker buts in. “But murder changes a person in ways we all know very well.”
Red’s eyes lock with mine. He remembers what I had to do to become a member, and it still irks him to this day.
“Whatever test I set for Phoenix, she has the choice, just as the rest o
f you did to say no.”
“Christ,” Wrench mumbles. “You know full well that girl will never say no to anything you ask her. Phoenix wants to be a member so badly that she’d do anything, and you know it.”
“Be that as it may,” Tank turns in his chair, resting his arm on the table. “The fact remains that Phoenix will take whatever damn test we set her, and she’ll do it the same as the rest of you did. If she can’t or won’t, we’ll finally know, one way or another, if she’s Snake’s Henchmen material.”
Men mumble amongst themselves, some agreeing with Tank, other’s thinking Jett has lost his mind. Personally, I agree with them. If Phoenix wants to be a full patched member of this club, then she needs to be treated the same as the rest of us. There should be no exceptions made just because she’s a woman. The girl can hold her own with the best of them, and we all know it.
I also agree that having her take someone out to prove she’s capable and worthy is not the right thing. It took me weeks to come to terms with what I’d done. Burning someone alive was no fun, though I doubt shoot someone in the head would have been much better.
“Whatever you throw at Phoenix, she’ll handle it because she’s her father’s daughter.” BlackJack looks at Red appreciatively. “She’s also her mother’s daughter and has more sass than ten women.”
“You got that right. I remember when Phoenix was three,” Roman chuckles. “And she walked into this room like she owned the place, nosey to see who was here. She pretty much told Shepard to mind his own business, and she’d do what she wanted.”
“She always did have a mouth on her.” Gunner laughs, causing others to follow suit.
I have to admit that Phoenix has always been the one woman everyone knew would become a member. We don’t have female members as a rule. When this club first started, it was stated that women wouldn’t be allowed to join. Sexist, I know, but that’s how men thought back in the day.
Havoc: Snakes Henchmen MC Page 8