Chapter Twenty-One
Romy
A t first, those bikers actually tried to keep me out of their meeting like it was some “no girls allowed” club. Not only did I laugh in Koyn’s face, but I pushed past him, ignoring his grumbling.
I’m every bit as invested in this takedown as they are. The only time I left their interrogation with Theo in the conference room was when Bermuda got me a connection to Eva. After a tear-filled conversation where I assured her me and Kaitlyn were okay and in Oklahoma of all places, we made plans for her to come out here, and then I went back to the room where Theo remained in the hot seat.
It’s late now, pushing midnight, and I can barely keep my eyes open. Still, I refuse to leave my seat and go back to our room in the clubhouse.
So far, they’ve questioned Theo endlessly but have asked me nothing.
Finally, when I can’t stand it anymore, I smack my hand down on the smooth surface of the table. “He’s told you everything he knows and is willing to tell.”
Theo sits up, bleary-eyed but suddenly alert. “Is that it? You’re going to let them kill me, babe?”
“Not your babe,” Caius bites out. “Say it again and I’m going to toss the fucking match myself.”
I smirk at Theo, then I turn my attention to Koyn. “Do you think I’m some useless woman who knows nothing?”
Koyn’s eyes narrow. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means you guys have been trying to figure out things about my fake father, my real father, my captivity, my past treatment, places I’ve been to, and have yet to ask if I have any information about any of it.”
Caius shoots me a confused look that I ignore, never taking my eyes off Koyn.
“You’ve been withholding information on us?” he asks, leaning forward to pin me with a hard stare. “Stop playing games, little girl, and spill it.”
“I don’t want him to hear,” I tell Koyn, jabbing a finger at Theo.
Dragon eagerly hops to his feet and then yanks Theo out of his seat. “Piss break, pussy. Let’s go.”
Theo’s wide-eyed gaze is telling that he does not want to go anywhere alone with Dragon, but no one intervenes. Cove nudges Theo and urges him to go. The three of them leave without any trouble.
I close my eyes and start telling every detail of everything I can remember. It’s as if it’s all stored away in a file, meticulously put in order for me to refer back to. I blurt out names from my childhood who were friends of Gideon, things I remember about my treatment with Huxley, everything I learned about Vivienne, my time in college and what the Crownes did to me, the yacht with Solomon and what all happened with LuLu, the rape and subsequent murder of Gareth, all that happened with Kaitlyn, my relationship with Caius, every conversation I overheard from Orion or Gideon, the people at the president’s ball, Theo’s trickery and how he got me into Doc Junior’s grasp, my treatment in the facility, the surgery, my fake marriage to Seth, the onslaught of memories that fought for their surface over the years, and everything in between.
I’m not sure how long I speak for, but I lay it all out for them piece by piece until the puzzle creates a clear picture. When I finish, I reopen my eyes and meet Koyn’s stare again.
“Is that enough?”
Koyn chuffs out a laugh. “You got passwords stored up in that head too?”
He sends a notebook filled with scribbled notes of everything I told him sliding my way. I grab a pen from nearby and neatly add the ones I remember and what they went to.
“Impressive,” Filter says, eyeing me warily. “Kind of fucking terrifying too. How can you be half braindead and know all that shit?”
I snort at him. “I’m not braindead, asshole. They messed with my head, but I’m not stupid. It’s all in there, just waiting to be released. Now that I don’t have people actively trying to scramble my brain, I can make sense of it all.”
“She’s also crazy good at puzzles,” Caius tells them, pride in his voice. “I’ve never in my life seen someone put together a thousand pieces so damn quick.”
Once I’ve gotten everything I know out and on the table for them, I take my leave. I’m tired and the bed is calling my name.
“I’ll walk you back,” Caius mutters.
“No, stay here. They need your side of things too. I’ll get Kaitlyn and go back. I’ll be fine.”
Gibson stands up and nods at Caius. “I’ll make sure she gets over there safely.”
I don’t need an escort, but I accept his offer, giving Caius a quick kiss before I leave. Outside of the conference room, I find Kaitlyn passed out on the sofa in the living room, Sunshine snoring at her side.
“I’ll get her,” Gibson says, scooping her up and into his arms.
Sunshine wakes up, shakes her head a few times, and then tiredly gets to her feet to follow us out. We go out through the garage and find Dragon sitting on a bike with Cove in his lap. They’re practically eating each other alive. Gibson rolls his eyes at me and I can’t help but softly laugh.
Where’s Theo, though?
We get our answer when we leave the garage. He’s been handcuffed to the water pipe on the side of the house.
“Romy,” he hisses when he notices me. “You have to get me out of here. That dude is fucking insane.”
I ignore him, continuing my walk toward the clubhouse. He calls out how sorry he is, but it falls on deaf ears.
The clubhouse is chilly, but I like the temperature after being in the sweltering Oklahoma summer night heat for even just a couple of minutes.
Gibson places Kaitlyn on her air mattress and then tips his head at me as he leaves. I pull her blanket over her and make sure her stuffies are within reach. Once I have her settled, I move to let Sunshine claim her spot beside her.
After a quick shower to get rid of the chlorine and sweat, I climb into bed, naked and waiting for Caius. The baby kicks happily in my stomach. I’m relaxed and feel a sense of hope.
Hope to catch these monsters.
Hope for a beautiful future with Caius and Kaitlyn and the baby.
Hope that our lives will no longer be confusing and filled with heartache, but instead joyful and happy.
I fall asleep, smiling, and wake with lips on mine.
In the dark, in a clubhouse in the woods, Caius makes love to me over and over.
Will I ever get tired of being with him?
Never.
“That’s everything I know,” Eva says grimly. “I’m sorry I can’t help more. Where’s Vivienne?”
As soon as they got here, the bikers separated them. I went with Eva, not leaving her side for even a second. After our tearful reunion, Koyn wasted no time interrogating her.
Koyn grimaces at the mention of Vivienne. He knows everything about her now. “We thought it was best Romy and Kaitlyn were separated from their abuser. She’ll be staying with Copper and Stormy.”
Eva frowns. “I hate what she’s done, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. Will she be okay there?”
Koyn must sense that Eva is too kind for her own good. He nods and doesn’t say much more. From what I’ve learned about these bikers, though, they hate people like Vivienne. In fact, their entire existence revolves around destroying people like her both financially and physically.
It’s been two days since Theo showed up. Eva and Vivienne came this way soon after I called Eva. I’m antsy to start implementing some of our plans. Koyn is patient. I’ll give him that. Me and Caius just want vengeance.
“Come on,” I tell Eva, taking her hand. “Let’s go find Kaitlyn by the pool.”
We leave the men to continue their discussion. Theo, despite clearly being their prisoner, has been given an actual room to stay in and stays for their meetings. I haven’t seen them handcuff him anymore. I’m hopeful that they don’t let their guard down too much with him. He’s not trustworthy.
“This house is nice,” Eva says, marveling at the home as we pass through the living room. “When you’d said you were with bikers, I’ll admit, I had a different idea of what sort of accommodations you had. This was not at all what I was expecting.”
“That makes two of us,” I say with a laugh.
Kaitlyn’s squeals can be heard even before we make it outside. Koyn’s wife, Hadley, is sitting in the shade. Her baby is sleeping on her chest and she has a water gun pointed at Kaitlyn, spraying her as she swims. Wherever me and Caius end up, we better have a pool. I’ve never seen this girl so happy.
“Kait, honey,” I say as we walk out. “Do you remember my mom, Eva?”
They met before Stem Lock, at their home in New York, so I’m not sure she will.
“Are you my grandma?” Kaitlyn asks, scrunching her nose in a cute way.
Eva shoots me a questioning look. I nod in approval.
“Yes, sweetie,” Eva says, kneeling by the edge of the pool. “Are you having fun?”
While Eva chatters with Kaitlyn, I sit down beside Hadley. “How’s she been?”
Hadley chuckles. “Full of energy. She’s adorable. I can’t wait until this one is that age.”
I smile at her baby and ache to hold my own. “Thank you. I’m just happy she isn’t being adversely affected by what all she’s seen.”
“Trauma, trauma everywhere,” Hadley mutters under her breath. “My husband told me what she witnessed. Playing in the pool is a good distraction from that.”
I watch as Eva pulls off her sandals and puts her legs in the water. Kaitlyn, with her floaties on her arms, paddles back and forth in front of her new grandma, babbling about anything and everything.
“They’re making a plan,” I tell Hadley. “It’s going to bring a lot of bad people down.”
“Good.”
“I’m going to help.” I meet her curious gaze. “Can Eva and Kaitlyn stay here where it’s safe? Will you look after them?”
She nods without hesitation. “Of course. The guys aren’t going to let anything happen to any of us girls.” Her head cocks to the side. “I’m surprised they allowed you to go.”
I snort out a laugh that makes her sleeping baby briefly jump. “I didn’t ask for permission. They don’t own me. I’ll do what I want.”
Her grin is pretty and slightly wicked. “Love it. Can’t wait to hear them try to tell you you’re not going.” Her smile falls and she points to my belly. “Sure that’s a good idea? Pregnancy is hard enough without a little vigilante justice involved.”
I rub my stomach where my little girl’s foot is jabbing me. “Caius will protect me.”
“He’s cute. I heard about your story with him. Sounds a little fucked up if you ask me.”
“It is a little fucked up,” I agree. “He was a total prick in the beginning. But he grew on me. I’m going to marry that man one day.”
“The bad ones are the best,” Hadley says dreamily.
Caius may have been imbedded in a bad family, but he was never evil to his core like the others. I must’ve sensed that about him from the second I laid eyes on him. Maybe, on some cellular level, I knew he was my soulmate and the same boy I’d seen all those years ago.
“They only pretend to be bad,” I tell her with a smile. “They’re pretty sweet and gooey and good on the inside.”
“A bunch of burnt marshmallows.”
I giggle at her summation of our men. Great. Now I want s’mores.