Chapter 16
Hades
“What did they do to her?”
I don’t take my eyes off the road at Levins’ question. It’s been years since I’ve been outside for longer than fifteen minutes at a time, and I’ve been quiet while I soak up the beauty that exists outside the prison walls.
“You don’t wanna know,” I finally say.
“You’re going to take her to a hospital, right?”
I snort derisively. “Fuck no. I just escaped prison. The only place I’m going is the Dead on Arrival clubhouse.”
“What about her?” he presses.
“What about her?”
“She needs medical attention.”
“And she’ll get it at the clubhouse.”
Levins huffs out a breath. “Fine. But then you’ll let her go, right?”
“Do you really wanna know?”
“Did you mean it when you said you thought I should prospect for the club after this?” he retorts.
“Yes.”
“Then yes, I wanna fucking know.”
“I’m gonna keep her,” I say simply, as if it’s the most logical thing in the world.
“You can’t ju—”
I slam on the brakes, and Levins flies forward and catches himself with his palms on the dashboard. I look in the rearview mirror to make sure Willow didn’t get jolted awake and see she’s still out cold in the backseat.
“Let’s get one thing clear, prospect,” I snarl, embracing my role as president of the MC. “I’m the fucking law on this side of the prison fences. You’re at the bottom of the totem pole, which means you don’t get to question my decisions or orders.”
“So, pretty much the same as it was on the inside,” he counters.
I grin. “Yes, but worse. I promised you that you and your family would be taken care of, and I intend to keep that promise. That being said, that comes with a price tag, and the cost is your unwavering loyalty. Understood?”
“Understood, Hades.”
“It’s Pres.”
“Understood, Pres.”
“Good man.”
The rest of the drive to the clubhouse is silent. I don’t bother with the radio, not wanting to fill my head with shit that doesn’t matter. From the moment I carried Willow out of the prison, my already fucked plan became even more complicated.
I wanted to escape during the riot, hide out at the clubhouse while the Pennsylvania Wrongful Conviction Center worked on my case, while slowly torturing Bones at The Factory.
I still need my name to be cleared of the murder conviction, but now Willow is a part of that.
And she’ll remain with me until it’s done, whether she wants to or not.
When I pull through the gates at the industrial site I used to call home, emotion clogs my throat.
Fuck, I’ve missed this place. I park next to the residential building, desperate to get out of my jail attire, as well as settle Willow into my room, where she’ll be safe and Stitch, the club doc, can check her over.
I don’t even get my door open when Zodiac shoves his way outside, a giant grin spread across his face. Just behind him is a little girl I recognize as Levins’ daughter, Jilly.
“Daddy!” she exclaims as she runs toward him and jumps into his arms. “You should see our new apartment. It’s so cool, and I got a new bike without training wheels, and my room is dark blue with glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, and all my toys are…”
I tune Jilly out as she goes on and on about their new digs. Zodiac reaches me and throws his arms around my neck.
“Welcome home, brother,” he says, emotion clogging his throat.
“It’s good to be home.” I step back and smirk. “Evie really went all out for them, didn’t she?”
“When I told her she had free rein to do what she wanted to make them feel at home, she went a little crazy. Of course, she made the mistake of asking Levins if she could take Jilly shopping with her, so I have no doubt that had an impact on the club's wallet.”
“It’s worth it,” I tell him honestly. “Levins has had my back for so long, and they both deserve this.”
“He is prospecting, though, right?”
“Oh, we’re gonna put him through his fucking paces, for sure. But none of that will touch Jilly, got it?”
“Got it and agree one thousand percent. She’ll be as protected and loved as Evie is. Consider Jilly the new club princess.”
His words send a shiver of awareness through me, and I turn back to the car. “Actually…”
Zodiac follows me to the back driver's side door and peers through the window.
“Aw, fuck, Pres, what have you done?”
I open the door and lift Willow into my arms. “The short version… K.C., Wiley, and Bones were about to gang rape her, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
Zodiac’s brows practically reach his hairline, and he clenches his hands into fists at his side. “I’ll kill ‘em.”
“Wiley’s already dead. Not sure what happened to K.C. and Bones after I got her outta there. But after I shower and change, we’ll have church, and I’ll explain everything that happened.”
“I’ll let the brothers know,” he says, pulling his cell out of his pocket.
“Thanks. Oh, and can you have Stitch come to my quarters? I want him to check her out.”
“Can do. What about Evie?”
“Is she still in the dark about all of this?”
“As far as I know, yeah. She and Chains went to do the weekly grocery run. They should be back any minute.”
“Send her over, too, once she’s home. She can stay with Willow while we’re in church.”
“You got it.”
“I’m gonna get Willow inside.”
I start toward the building, but Zodiac’s voice stops me in my tracks.
“Willow? As in Willow Crane?”
I look over my shoulder at him. “Yeah, she works for PWCC. I told you I wrote to them. Why?”
“Willow Crane is ADA Crane’s daughter. He’s the biggest opponent of the center’s mission in the state.”
I laugh at that. “The apple fell miles away from that particular tree, then.”
“Do you happen to know her middle name?” he asks.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I shake my head. “It didn’t exactly come up.”
“It’s Grace.”
“Okay. What’s your point?”
“Hades, her initials are WGC.”
“Again, what’s your point?”
“Those letters you’ve gotten over the years… weren’t they signed W.G.?”
“Yeah, but that’s…” I glance at Willow and try to determine her age. She appears to be young, maybe mid-twenties. And W.G. said she was fourteen in her first letter. “Willow Grace?” I ask softly. “Are you W.G.?”
Of course, she doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t have to. It’s her. The one and only person who believed in my innocence outside of DOAMC.
“Things just keep getting better and better,” I mutter to myself as I carry her inside, not bothering to continue my conversation with Zodiac.