Chapter 15 Saint
SAINT
I walked around the clubhouse, trying to figure out where the hell Amberly went.
The shower was free, and I wanted to let her know she could clean herself up.
But, when I got out into the living room, everyone stood around.
Sutton kept sighing to herself, like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.
And the guys looked at me as if they’d seen a ghost.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
A door slammed off in the distance and it all clicked. I nodded at the guys before striding through the kitchen, trying to make my way back to the bedroom. Something must’ve happened. And with everyone standing around in the kitchen, I could venture a guess as to what took place.
She probably got overwhelmed with everyone here.
“Saint, can we talk?” Diesel asked.
He grabbed my arm just as I made my way into the hallway. I spun around, staring at our president as he locked his eyes with me. I couldn't read the reaction on his face. I couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. And even though I knew this shit was important, I needed to get to Amberly.
“Can this wait?” I asked.
He quirked an eyebrow. “No, it can’t.”
“Diesel, if she said something or did something—”
“She got overwhelmed. It’s fine. Give her some time, and during that time you can tell me how the hell you know this woman.”
His hand fell from my arm and I sighed. I cocked myself in the hallway, with one shoulder facing where Amberly was and the other shoulder facing everyone in the kitchen.
Diesel stared at me, simply waiting for an answer even though he already partially knew it.
Partially understood it. I saw that in his face, understanding.
An understanding of the unspoken history between Amberly and myself.
“I know the two of you have a past. I just need to know how extensive it is,” Diesel said.
“You need to know? Or you really want to know?” I asked.
“Why can’t it be both?”
I shrugged. “It’s a bit complicated.”
“Always is with women,” Toxin murmured.
I shot him a nasty look and Bear stepped in front of the man. Which meant whatever look had come over my face, it made one of the biggest guys in our group think Toxin was actually in trouble.
I sighed. “Amberly and I went to high school together. In Louisiana.”
“Wow,” Diesel said.
I nodded. “We grew up similarly. We come from very religious families that wanted nothing to do with us at a certain point.”
Diesel furrowed his brow. “I don’t think you’ve talked about your family much with us.”
“Because they kicked me out on my ass at eighteen before I graduated high school. That’s why.”
“Why did they kick you out?”
I paused. “For having sex with Amberly.”
“Wait, what?” Bear asked.
I nodded. “They found a hickey on my neck the next morning, and out I was tossed. Haven’t spoken to them since. Don’t really wanna.”
“That’s fucked up,” Cage murmured.
“Did anything happen to Amberly?” Diesel asked.
“Apparently, a lot. Diesel, I’m sorry. I know bringing someone else here is the last thing we need with everything going on and how cramped we already are. But I couldn't leave her there. When I saw her in that room with Sutton—”
He held up his hand. “I’m not questioning the decision you made. I do, however, need to be kept in the loop as to how people who come into this place are connected to us.”
“More family to defend,” Toxin murmured.
Everyone decided to ignore his comment that time. Though, part of me was inclined to knock his teeth down his fucking throat.
“All right, guys. Listen up. Breakfast, then church. That’s what’s on the docket for this morning. Eat quickly, because we need to talk,” Diesel said.
The kids and the girls lumbered out of the rooms. Everyone tried to find a seat where they could, whether they leaned against the wall or ate from the couches.
I helped Grave at the stove, cooking up whatever we needed to have replenished.
And the entire time, I thought about Amberly.
Whether or not she was all right. Whether or not she was going to come back out and see everyone.
I knew if I introduced her, she’d feel less overwhelmed.
But maybe she was simply tired and had fallen asleep.
I didn’t want to wake her up if she’d fallen back asleep.
After another hour of eating and cooking, the girls took the kids and went back into the bedrooms. This place seemed to be getting smaller and smaller by the second, and everyone was on edge because of it.
The guys fought more frequently. Even the women bickered with one another over the smallest things.
The kids were the only ones that seemed to be holding it together.
But even they busted out into small fights and yelling fits sometimes.
It was madness, and we had to do something.
“All right, guys. Time for church,” Diesel said.
“Before we get started, I want to go ahead and open the floor for questions regarding myself and Amberly,” I said.
The guys looked at me with surprised looks.
“I know I’m a private person, but this is a new girl in our ranks. I know it makes you guys uneasy, and it makes things more cramped. At the very least, you deserve to have your questions answered,” I said.
“You two got any kids we need to bring back here, too?” Toxin asked.
The question was sarcastic, but I decided to answer it anyway.
“No, we don’t,” I said.
“Did you two date in high school? Or was it just a hook up?” Grave asked.
I sighed. “It was a hook up, but one of those hook ups that had been coming for a while. I don’t think we were really friends, per se. But we understood one another. If that makes sense.”
“It does,” Brewer said.
“You two seen one another since high school?” Knox asked.
I shook my head. “Not after she disappeared until I saw her in that hotel room.”
“So, she was taken in high school by the mafia? She’s been with them that long?” Diesel asked.
I paused. “I’m not sure how much of that story is for me to tell, but let’s just say she understood what it felt like to get tossed on her ass as a kid. She met the wrong man who pushed her into what she was doing before we found her. Pure happenstance we ran up on her like that.”
The guys all looked around at one another as Diesel clapped my shoulder.
“Things are never a coincidence around here. Either way, you did the right thing,” he said.
I nodded curtly. “Thanks.”
“Any other questions for Saint here?” he asked.
And after a pregnant pause, Brewer spoke up.
“What the hell are we gonna do now?” he asked.
“That’s really my only other question,” Rock said.
“We have to have a plan at this point. I mean, something. We can’t keep taking on water like this without a plan in place,” Toxin said.
“We need to shut down the mafia. That’s what we need to do. Them, and this Lars asshole. Whatever it takes,” Brewer said.
Diesel nodded. “I agree. But how we do that? I’m not sure. They’re organized beyond belief. And we’re only so many people. Plus, we’re people with families. Kids. So, we can’t take the kind of chances we’re used to taking.”
“Knox, you think there’s anything Monroe can do legally?” I asked.
“Depending on the kind of evidence she can deem ‘legally obtained,’ there should be something. I’ll fill her in. Ask her about it,” Knox said.
“I’d appreciate it,” Diesel said.
“But there’s still a massive question looming over our heads,” Brewer said.
“You wanna spit it out for us, then?” Cage asked.
“Tone down the attitude. We’ve got enough of those flying around,” Diesel said curtly.
Brewer scoffed. “As I was saying, there’s one massive question that should be obvious from our prior interactions with Lars.”
“Ah,” I said.
“What?” Diesel asked.
“It’s a good question to ask,” Ryker murmured.
“Again, my former statement remains,” Cage said.
All of us chuckled as Brewer rolled his eyes.
“Is there anything we can do—or the law can do—that will really stop this Lars guy? I mean, Cage shot him in the head, and he’s still out there.
He’s taken his daughter, twice. And the second time, it was essentially a promise to sell her into sexual slavery.
We might not be willing to toe some lines because of our families, but maybe we should consider the fact that toeing those lines might be our only option,” he said.
The room fell silent as I turned his words over in my head.
“He’s got a point,” I said.
“This guy’s gonna take some work,” Toxin said.
“Brewer’s right,” Cage said. “The law isn’t going to stop a man like this. I know that for a fact. It might halt some of his progressions, like purchases and freezing his assets. But, if we rob him of things like that, he’ll get desperate.”
“And getting desperate means he’ll start making mistakes. Knox, I still want you speaking with Monroe about this,” Diesel said.
“Don’t worry, I will,” Knox said.
“And in the meantime, we operate under the assumption that Lars won’t stop this bullshit vendetta of his until he’d dead,” Diesel said.
“So… the plan is to kill the man,” I said.
“You got a better idea?” Toxin asked.
I glared at him, ready to shove my fist through his face.
“Right now? That’s the only plan we’ve got,” Diesel said
“No offense to Cage or anything, but that didn’t really work last time,” Rock said.
“I’ll make sure to unload my entire clip into him next time,” Cage murmured.
“All in favor of bringing back the drastic measures for the sake of our families, raise your hands,” Diesel said.
Every single hand inched up into the air, and I joined them in stride. If drastic was what we needed, then drastic was what we’d get. For the sake of Amberly. For the sake of her safety. For the sake of her sanity.
And, hopefully, for the sake of the future we’d have together.
If she even wanted a future with me at all.