Arrow: Riding Rebels MC (BLP Motorcycle Clubs #8)

Chapter 1

“I’m tired of having this conversation with you, Cecilia. Sometimes, talking to you makes me feel like I married a retarded woman.”

Gideon paced the length of our room as he belittled me while I just lay there and took it.

If Gideon’s attention was on me, then he wasn’t thinking about our son. That was good enough for me. I was strong enough to take his wrath, but not Hendrix. To prove his point to me, he’d hurt my baby just for the hell of it, and I couldn’t have that.

Shifting to a sitting position, I winced against the pain in my shoulder and hand.

“I wasn’t trying to make you angry?—”

“I can’t fucking tell! What is so hard about you following basic orders, huh? Me, first, then whatever that little bastard needs. Tonight was a big night for me that we had to end because of a damn fever. Do you know how many connections I could have made, but no. We spent the night in the hospital just for them to tell you to give him baby aspirin. The nanny could have handled that.”

Gideon scoffed and turned his back to me.

“I’m sorry. I told you I would go, and you could stay. It wasn’t my intention to ruin your night.”

Before the night had even begun, I knew leaving Hendrix with the so-called nanny wasn’t the right move, but there was no telling Gideon Baxter no.

Hendrix had been sniffling for a few days, and when I brought it up to my husband, all I got was ‘ He’s a boy. He’ll get over it like men do .’ Our son was barely four months old. His words didn’t make sense, yet that man loved calling me stupid. When we made it home from children’s hospital, Gideon unleashed his wrath on me.

I could feel my face swelling, my body was stiff, and I could feel that one of my stitches from two weeks ago had reopened.

“What kind of father would I have looked like if I had stayed at the gala while my son was being taken to the emergency room? You don’t think. We need these people to like me if I’m gonna get elected for another term. Leaving with my hysterical wife about our sick child was my only option. Trust me.”

“Okay, Gideon, I understand.” Gingerly, I climbed to my feet and leaned against the chair to steady my balance. “I need to go check on the baby?—”

My head whipped right, and I was back on the floor with Gideon standing over me.

“Fuck that baby! You need to tell me how you plan to make this up to me. You ruined the most important night of my career, and you aren’t leaving this room until you tell me how you plan to fix it.” He leaned down, gripped the front of my dress, and pulled me toward him. “I’m beginning to think motherhood is a distraction for you. Father suggested Hendrix living with them for a little while so you can get your head on straight. I’m not the only one who noticed that you haven’t been right since you had him.” The smile on his face caused my heart to sink into my stomach.

Gideon was evil, but his mother and stepfather were ten times worse.

There was no way I would let them take my baby away from me. Gideon and his family would have to pry Hendrix from my cold dead hands, but that wasn’t saying much. In this town, their pull was long, and I knew they would take joy in doing just that. For years, I never got pregnant, and I took it as a blessing that God wanted Gideon’s bloodline to stop with him, but he went and got me a nutritionist. Every day, the meal was the same: smoothie in the morning, high protein lunch, fruit or vegetables for a snack, and a salad for dinner.

It only took three months after she was hired for me to get pregnant… I didn’t have physical proof, but I knew she had done something to me because as soon as my pregnancy was confirmed, Gideon fired her.

“You can’t take my baby, Gideon. I’ll do better. I promise… I will make everything right.”

“You are only getting one more chance. If I feel like you can’t manage being a wife and mother, I will remove the mother title from your plate. My mom has been itching to get her hands on him to raise him the proper way. One chance, Cecilia. Now, come fix yourself up… I want some pussy.”

I swallowed hard to hide my gagging.

“Okay, baby.” I whispered and scooted to my knees.

I would play by his rules until I could find a way out of this house. No one was going to take my baby from me while I still had breath in my body. It didn’t matter what it took; me and my baby were getting out of here.

Two Weeks Later

I smelled the liquor long before Gideon lowered his face to mine.

Experience told me that if I lay still and pretend to be asleep, he would leave me alone. There were plenty of women Gideon entertained, but for some odd reason, I was his favorite to pick with. I didn’t move one muscle and relaxed when I didn’t feel him in my space anymore.

I thought the coast was clear until I felt a searing pain in my scalp.

“Why is my dinner not on the table, Cissy? Huh?”

Spittle and the staleness of the ale hit my nose, and I coughed.

“It’s in the warmer, Gideon! I always put it in the warmer on the nights you go out with the boys.” I cried.

“Are you calling me stupid? I know where it is, but I want to know why it isn’t on the table.”

I couldn’t get an answer out before I was tasting blood.

Gideon flung me from the bed, and I hit the side of our dresser. My neck snapped back, and I rolled over onto my back. He didn’t know it, but Gideon was feeding right into my plan. I just needed to get to the closet. If I could get to it without passing out, then my baby and I would be on our way out of this hell.

I looked up and made tears form, and he smiled.

“I would never call you stupid.”

God must have really wanted me to sell it because I was hyperventilating.

“Nah. I think you like when I beat your ass because you’re always talking slick at the mouth.” I tried to sit up but was pushed right back down. “You know, I could kill you and no one would question where you went. You’d be looked at like an unfit mom and wife. Don’t play with me, Cecilia, because I could really fuck up your life, baby.”

“You mean more than you already have?”

Gideon’s body went still as he stared at me while my lips parted because, had I really just said what I’d been thinking?

The pain I was in was now an afterthought. I scrambled to my hands and knees, then bolted for the closet. I had just a few more feet to go before I was snatched in the air by my hair. My screams fell on deaf ears as my husband of seven years beat on me like I was a grown man his exact size. I needed to fight for my baby and me, so for the first time since the beatings started, I hit his ass back. Stunned, Gideon dropped me, and I took off on a full sprint toward the closet.

I’d gotten my hand wrapped around the metal bat just as he pulled on my ankle and yanked me toward him.

“Bitch, are you crazy?”

A blow to my stomach knocked the wind out of me, but I recovered quickly.

“Only because you made me this way!” I brought the bat down and started swinging.

So much blood and sweat filled my eyes, so I couldn’t see where my blows were landing, but I was making enough contact for Gideon to let me go. His screams and metal against bone were like music to my ears. After years of abuse, I was finally getting my lick back, but there was no way I could stand around to enjoy it because it was time to go.

Gideon groaned, chuckled, then said, “I hope you’re ready to die. You think you can do this to me and live—” He fell into a coughing fit, and I used what little strength I had to roll over onto my stomach.

The pain felt worse than it had ever before, but I clenched my teeth and pushed through.

Gideon was still moaning, but I could sense that he hadn’t moved. Once I was on my feet, I turned in his direction and swiped the wetness from my forehead and eyes. I had him down, so the correct thing to do would have been to grab my son and run, but years of abuse taught me to either kill him or knock him out.

For good measure, I hit him once in the stomach, in both kneecaps, and his hands.

“Now, who’s the bitch?” I dropped the bat, and my shoulders fell.

I had to fight the urge to do more damage to him because Gideon needed to feel what I’d felt all these years, but I had my son to think about. There were three bags tucked in Hendrix’s closet full of things he and I would need while we were trying to get away. My movements weren’t as fluent as I needed them to be, and every time I inhaled, I hissed.

“Oh, my sweet boy,” I whispered as I entered his room.

I kissed his forehead and was disgusted at the sight of the blood I’d left behind.

“Come on, mommy’s baby. It’s time to go before daddy wakes up and takes me away from you for good.” For the first time all night, my tears were real. “I’m so sorry.” I sobbed into his little neck.

I got Hendrix settled into his car seat, grabbed the three bags, and headed for the top of the stairs.

Every fiber of my being wanted to go back and check to make sure Gideon was still down, but I couldn’t risk it. It took me longer than it should have for me to get downstairs. I had three hundred thousand dollars in one of the duffel bags and an early 2000s four-door sedan. I was leaving everything behind.

Gideon and his people would find me—there was no question about that—but I wasn’t about to make it easy.

“All right, Henny. Mommy needs to stop and rest here.”

I parked on the side of the road under a tree.

This wasn’t ideal with an infant, but I needed some rest. Based on the clock in the car, I’d been on the road now for only two hours. My swollen eyes were heavy, and the more minutes that passed, the harder it was to keep my eyes open. I was low on gas, but there was still a slight chill in the air, and I had to keep us warm. For about five seconds, I contemplated leaving Hendrix in the back seat while I stayed up front, but I needed him in my arms.

Once I was situated, and Hendrix and I were chest to chest, it took me no time to surrender to sleep.

“Ma’am?” There was a knock on the window. “Hello, ma’am, are you okay in there?”

A woman’s voice pulled me from my slumber. It took me a second to get my bearings because I didn’t immediately recognize my surroundings. When everything came back to me, I turned toward the window. The woman gasped, then covered her mouth.

“I’m fine. I’ll be moving in a second.”

Panic set in thinking somehow Gideon had caught up to me.

“Ma’am, I think you need a doctor. I’m going to call for help. You stay right here. Someone will be to us in less than two minutes.”

I never got the chance to tell her no because she was already on her phone.

Whoever she was calling, I knew I couldn’t be here when they arrived. Hendrix stirred, and I prayed he didn’t wake up. Now was not the time for him to want my attention.

This woman could have great intentions, but for our safety, I couldn’t wait around to see.

I opened the back door, and the woman reached to help me.

“I promise I’m fine, ma’am. You can dial whomever you called and let them know that I need to get back on the road.”

I shut the door, drew in a quick breath, and grabbed my side.

“You don’t seem fine. Arrow is almost here. He’ll get you and that baby in there everything you need for the night.”

“That really isn’t necessary. I need to keep moving. Thank you, though. You have a good night.”

I slipped into the front seat, put on my seat belt, and shifted the car from park to drive.

The wheels spun, but the car went nowhere. I could feel the woman’s eyes burning a hole into the side of my head as I pressed harder on the gas. The loudest engine roared, and I jumped. I was going to have to abandon my car, but there was no way I could run with three bags, possibly bruised ribs, and a baby carrier.

Defeated, I rested my head against the steering wheel and sobbed.

“Oh my goodness, sweetheart, don’t cry. Help is on the way.” The panicked woman shouted through the window.

“Izzy!” A voice shouted out behind her.

While she distractedly moved away from my car, I hit the gas again, and the car jerked forward. My excitement moved swiftly from relief to fear as another tree came into view. I slammed on the brakes just before smacking into the tree.

“Oh my God!” The woman shouted, rushed to the car, and tried the door handle.

She screamed “Arrow,” and I gripped the steering wheel, unsure of what was about to happen.

A man the size of a brick wall appeared in what seemed like thin air. At first, the reason I didn’t want to stay was because I feared they were with Gideon, but one look at him had me ready to try and get away again. He looked over my face, his eye twitched, and his eyes seemed to darken even more. The rugged look didn’t help the case of them wanting me to open the door. I gulped and looked past the man at the woman, hoping she wouldn’t let him do anything to me.

He tried the handle and frowned harder when it didn’t budge.

“Open the door.”

The bass in those three words bounced around in my head.

“No. Just go on about your night. I’m fine. I just need to be on my way.”

The stranger and I had a staring contest for a good two minutes before he smiled, but not the kind one… More like at the end of the conversation, he would be getting his way.

“Aight, that’s cool.”

He turned and walked back in the direction he came from.

The woman raced behind him, and my shoulders sagged. The seconds of silence were interrupted by the roar of his engine. He would be on his way, and I would be able to think clearly to get Hendrix and myself out of this before someone from Gideon’s team found us.

My thoughts were interrupted by the car jolting forward then back.

“What the hell…” I squinted as I looked in my rearview mirror.

I never got the chance to react because my car began moving backward. In the blink of an eye, I went from scared to petrified. That man had hooked my car up to his truck and was dragging me to only God knew where.

We pulled up to a pitch-black building, and I wondered if I would be able to roll out of the car with Hendrix and not kill us both.

“You can sit in there all night, or you can come into the clubhouse and get warm. There is a fully stocked kitchen, bathroom, and beds inside. Izzy will stay behind to help you if you need it.”

He walked to the side of the building, another loud engine roared, and a bike took off into the darkness.

“Come on, honey. Let’s get you and that baby comfortable.”

I wanted to be stubborn and stay inside my suspended-in-the-air car, but I had to think about my son.

Sighing, I dropped my head back and said a quick prayer. I unlocked the door, and Izzy was right by my side, assisting me. She reminded me so much of my mother that I leaned into her and stopped fighting. It had been so long since someone had treated me in kindness that I didn’t shy away from it like I imagined.

Once I’d gotten Hendrix and our three bags out of the car, we followed Izzy into the building.

“Wow.” I looked around and whispered.

“This is the main clubhouse. This is where club business is handled, so it’s a lot calmer. The bar, gym, and club on the other hand is a whole other world on its own.” She chuckled as she showed me to the room where I’d be staying.

“This is only for tonight, okay? I promise to be out of your hair and on my way first thing in the morning.”

She didn’t respond, only patted my hand.

We walked down a long hallway, and I peeked into several rooms. This building wasn’t like the standard home on the outside, but inside, it had all the makings of one. At the end of the hall, we approached a set of double doors. She opened one side and stepped back so I could enter. My mouth hit the floor as Hendrix stirred in my arms. This room was decorated in black, royal blue, and white.

There was a king-size bed in the middle of the floor, a sectional that could seat what looked like twelve people to the left, double doors to the right, and a wall full of windows that showed nothing but pitch-black darkness.

“You and baby boy can have this room. Through those double doors is the closet and en suite. While you get settled, I’m going to fix you some tea and some leftovers. We had some lasagna soup, salad, and garlic toast.”

“That sounds wonderful, but you don’t have?—”

“Baby girl, I mean this with no offense, but you look like it’s been a long time since someone looked after you. Don’t get in my way of making sure you see some sun at the end of your tunnel.”

I folded my lips inward and nodded.

Izzy had successfully put me in my place, and she was right. I would still be cautious. At the end of the day, this could be a rouse to get me back to Gideon. She left me alone, so I locked the door behind her and walked over to the bed.

Hendrix had slept through all the craziness, but I needed to check him to make sure he was all right—especially after I tapped the tree.

“Okay, baby. Let’s make sure there are no bumps and bruises, check your diaper, and see if you’ll eat.”

My breasts were heavy, so I was surprised he hadn’t started crying his head off from being hungry.

“We’ll eat before we have a bath. That all right with you?” I cooed and kissed his cheeks.

After checking my son over, I was glad that this crazy night hadn’t affected him in any way.

I laid him down on the plush comforter and lifted one of the bags onto the bed. In this specific bag was the three hundred thousand dollars. I would leave some money behind for these people going out of their way to help me.

If they worked for Gideon, it would be for their trouble for not acting sooner.

“Knock, knock,” Izzy announced before three swift knocks sounded on the door. “I have your dinner.”

Hurriedly, I zipped the bag and rushed to the door to unlock and open it.

“Thank you so much. This smells amazing.” I sniffed the air and smiled.

“You’re more than welcome. You have a beautiful night, and hopefully, we’ll see each other in the morning.”

I dipped my head because we both knew that wouldn’t be the case.

Izzy walked away. I shut the door and moved to the living room portion of the room. I set the tray of food on the coffee table and rushed over to the bed to get Hendrix. It was only him and me in the room, but I still needed him close. As I ate, I stared blankly at the television screen, thinking of the man who essentially kidnapped us. His intentions were unknown, but at least we would have a warm bed to sleep in tonight.

No matter how tomorrow turned out… I would see this as a blessing.