Chapter Eighteen
Hope
J INX WAKES ME up when we get back to the clubhouse. He doesn’t mean to wake me, but the jostling of his body pulls me from the light sleep I had managed to fall into. My eyes are barely open as I watch my dad drive around to the back of the clubhouse and know that the hitman is in that truck and these guys are about to torture and maim him. For the first time since I was attacked, a sense of peace washes over me and I know that a big part of the problem is going to be dealt with. Becker is still out there and will more than likely send out another hitman to try to take me out, but for now I’m with my family and I’m going to go in and find out what needs to be done in the clubhouse. I can’t believe someone started a fucking fire here. Who the hell does that shit where women and kids stay?
“Sweet Girl, are you gonna be okay if you’re in my room?” Jinx asks me as he gets out of the truck with me in his arms.
“Why would I be in your room?” I ask him, sleep still making my mind kind of fuzzy.
“You’re mine, Hope. If you’re gonna take a nap or anythin’, I want you in my bed. I know you’ve got your own room, but I’d rather you stay with me. If you want, I’ll go to your room to sleep. Either way, we’ll be together every fuckin’ night,” he states, walking behind King as Court and Raptor stay at our backs while Bronx and Deegan unload the SUV.
“I’m yours?” I ask, knowing I’m fucking with him a little bit after everything we’ve been through the last few weeks.
“You’re definitely mine, Sweet Girl. You gave yourself to me and I gave myself to you. There’s no other man for you and no other woman for me. Every fuckin’ night we’re in the same bed. Once you’re ready we’ll move to the house out back. Until then we’ll share a room here at the clubhouse,” Jinx says, his voice full of determination as we get inside the clubhouse to find everyone rushing around doing various things.
Some of them are eating, others are carrying huge garbage bags full of stuff from where the fire was, and anything else that needs to be taken care of. I smile as I watch the original club members work with the new members of our chapter and the Nomads who chose to stay here find a place and work with everyone. Annabell’s and Savannah’s kids are sitting at a table together with my mom, Shy, and Aunt Kim. They’re all eating and laughing about something.
“You goin’ up to the room now or do you want to get somethin’ to eat before goin’ up to finish your nap?” Jinx asks me as I wiggle to be set down.
“I think I want to help down here for a little while and eat,” I tell him as my mom spots us and stands from her seat to rush over to us.
“My baby girl,” she says, tears in her eyes while she pulls me into her arms. “I’m so glad to have you here with us. I’ve been so worried about all of you.”
“I’m happy to be back, Mom. We’re okay. Nothing happened up there other than I was tortured every single day by the therapist. Speaking of her, where is she now?” I ask, looking back at Jinx because I never thought about her until now.
“She went home. We figured since you’re home now, you can utilize the physical therapy center here in the city. We’ve got the gym here and I’m sure your dad and Vault have already been making plans to bring in a therapist to the clubhouse on the days you need to see them,” he answers me with a smile on his face because he knows I fucking hate therapy and the pain I’m in afterwards.
“Great,” I say, drawing out the word as King hands over my cane once my mom finally lets me go.
“I’m gonna go down with the guys. Here are the keys to my room,” Jinx says, handing over a set of keys he’s pulled from his pocket. “Make yourself at home and try to get some rest. I’ll be up as soon as I can.”
“Okay,” I return, tilting my head up to accept the kiss he gives me.
Jinx doesn’t let the kiss get too deep or last too long with everyone staring at us. I can feel their eyes on my back as Jinx pulls back and smiles down at me. I watch as King, Raptor, and him disappear toward the hallway of the clubhouse where the door leading down to the basement is.
“When did that happen?” Sam asks, walking into the common room from the kitchen.
“Um, a few days ago,” I tell her, uncertainty filling my voice as I walk with my mom to the table she was sitting at.
“Thank fucking God!” Sam says, turning to face Slim while holding out her hand.
I watch with a smile on my face as Slim hands over some money and everyone in the common room starts laughing their asses off. These guys will bet on everything and they don’t care who it involves. I’ll admit I’m curious to know what this bet entailed though since I’m obviously part of it.
“I didn’t think Jinx had the balls to claim you when you weren’t here at the clubhouse. Thought my grandson was gonna be an old man before he finally fuckin’ took that step with you,” Slim says, a large smile on his face as he gives me a wink because he knows that Jinx was gonna claim me before then.
“My boy definitely pulled his head out of his ass. Hope, I’m glad to see the two of you together. Just remember that if he ever needs to get his ass handed to him, call me and I’ll take care of it. I would say call your dad, but I’d prefer my son alive and breathing,” Sam says, laughter filling her voice as she goes to sit with Jennifer. “We’re just taking a break from the work we’ve been doing. Are you gonna go up and take a nap or help out?”
“I plan on helping. I’m sore after the journey home, but I’m not gonna go to bed when things need to be done out here,” I tell her as Slim comes over to sit with us.
“You’re not going down in the basement?” Shy asks him as he lifts her and takes her seat before placing her in his lap.
“Nope. Killer, Jinx, King, and Fox deserve this fucker. They’ve got more than enough guys down there to witness him answerin’ their questions. I’ll go down when they catch the other fucker,” Slim states leaning over to play with Torrin, Annabell and Vault’s daughter.
Morgan steps up to our table and I let out a squeak of fear because I didn’t even see her walking toward our table. She gives me a soft apology before setting a plate of food down in front of me. I dig in because I’m starving with a mumbled thanks to Morgan as she scurries away to do something else. No one ever sits around here for very long when things need to be taken care of. We all have a job to do and our own weight to pull. The only ones I’m not seeing do much work are the Phantom girls. All but one of them are sitting on their asses and talking while everyone else eats and then gets up to go back to work taking care of stuff. Knowing that Annabell and Savannah are busy and not out here to watch what’s going on, I stand from my seat and head over to the girls.
“I know you think manual labor is beneath you. However, you’re in the Phantom Bastards clubhouse and there are rules for you to follow. You’ve been reminded of these rules more than once now. I have a feeling Vault and Annabell are ready to get rid of all of you. Right now, you’re supposed to be up cleaning and making sure all the shit from the fire has been taken care of. Everyone here is working with the exception of you lazy skanks. So, I suggest you either get off your ass and start doing something, or you fucking pack your shit and leave. Vault will not be nice if he has to fucking talk to you about this shit again,” I state, my hand on my hip as I keep a firm hold on my cane with the other hand.
“You aren’t anyone here in this clubhouse. Jinx has already proven that you’re nothing and will be claiming Morgan as his ol’ lady. I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but you need to get the fuck outta my face,” one of the girls says as she stands from her seat and gets in my face.
“I am more than you’ll ever be in this clubhouse. You know Killer?” I ask sweetly as the girl pales from head to toe right in front of me. “He’s my fucking dad. And Jinx isn’t going to be claiming Morgan like you all seem to think. He is my man. So, not only will I be claimed by the VP of the club, but I will also always mean something to this club and matter more than all of you combined. I mean, we can get my dad if you want to debate just how much I mean to this club. I’m sure he’d love to hash it out with the likes of you.”
“Nope. We’re going,” the Phantom girl says as she runs from the common room with the rest of the girls following her and we all start laughing our asses off.
“Good job, Hope. Put those fucking skanks in their place,” Annabell says, walking over to me and pulling me in for a gentle hug. “We missed you around here.”
“I missed you all too. I’m gonna finish eating and then you can point me in the direction of where I can help out,” I tell her as she steps back and lets Savannah pull me in for a hug.
“We’re not gonna have you on your feet for long periods of time, Hope. I know you’re still working on things and getting stronger every single day. But you know as well as the rest of us that you’re not where you need to be yet. I know you’ll be upset if you do anything to push back the progress of your recovery. So, we’ll find things for you to do that aren’t leaving you standing the rest of the day,” Savannah tells me as they walk over to the table with me and sit with their kids when my mom and Aunt Kim stand from the table and disappear into the kitchen.
I finish eating my food as we all talk and laugh while watching the kids play and have a good time. When I’m done, Annabell and Shy walk me back to where the fire impacted the clubhouse. There’s a large tarp covering where a solid wall used to stand so nothing can get in the clubhouse from outside. I’m assured there are boards and other shit on the outside so it’s not just a tarp hanging over the new opening of the building. Most of the debris and trash has already been removed from the hallway and the rooms that were impacted by the fire. A few of the Prospects are cleaning out one of the rooms and loading up garbage cans full of debris. Knowing I won’t be much help here, I leave the area and find the laundry room.
When Vault had the clubhouse built, he put a room in the back of the clubhouse on the first floor over by the Prospect’s and Phantom girl’s rooms that hold five washers and dryers. Multiple loads can be worked on at once and that’s what we need for the club. Plus there’s a long table that stretches down the middle of the room where we can fold laundry as it comes out of the dryers. I honestly love this room because not many people come in here on a regular basis and when I need to think, I can be alone in here if it’s not good enough outside to go to my favorite spot.
One of the Phantom girls is already in here folding laundry. I give her a smile as I look at the machines to see how much time is left on the current loads being washed.
“Would you like some help?” I ask her, knowing I can’t stand around and do nothing.
“Oh, um, you don’t have to help me,” she says, averting her eyes to the table in front of her.
“I’d like to help you. I’m not a bitch and I won’t make you do all of this on your own. This is more than a few loads you’ve taken from the guy’s rooms. I’m guessing this is added laundry that smells like smoke and you went through to collect it all so no one has to deal with clothing or bedding that smells like smoke or has been soaked with water when they put the fire out,” I say as she looks up at me and I know I’m right. “I’m Hope, by the way.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Hope. I’m Layla. I’d appreciate the help if you’re offering. This is a lot of laundry,” she says, a smile on her face as I settle in next to her and begin folding laundry with her. “Do you have it separated by who it belongs to or is it just all been dumped into the washer and dryer?”
“No. I keep everything separate so no one complains about getting anyone else’s clothing. I’m the main one to do laundry around here. Morgan helps when she can, but she’s busy with the bar and cleaning the guys’ rooms who pay her. She brings the laundry down and I wash and dry it before putting it back in the baskets to be delivered to the rooms once again. That’s the only time the other girls try to step in and help, but Morgan and I don’t let them. They’re looking for any excuse to get into those rooms,” Layla informs me and my respect for her goes up even more because she’s thinking about the guys before anyone else here.
“I’m sure the guys appreciate that. They all value their privacy and will go to any lengths to protect it. Knowing the girls the way I do, it’s not hard to believe that they’d offer to take care of the guys’ laundry just to get in the doors that are usually kept locked. So, thank you for protecting my family with Morgan,” I tell her, my words sincere as she looks up to see the truth of my words.
I ’ve been working with Layla for hours. We’ve gotten most of the laundry done and separated into the baskets it belongs in for each of the guys. All of the extra stuff that was taken from the first floor where the fire was is left on the table as I slowly and carefully leave the laundry room. My body feels as if it’s on fire from the physical work I’ve been doing. It’s been a while since I was able to do this kind of work and I’ve missed it. The guys at the cabin have wanted me to focus on physical therapy and nothing more than that. I get where they’re coming from, but I’m not used to sitting on my ass and doing nothing. There’s always something to be done in the clubhouse. To do only therapy at the cabin drove me insane, but I couldn’t really argue because I was so fucking sore after each session that it was all I could do to get to the bedroom and lay down for my nap.
Today, I can’t just go to the first floor in a room and take a nap. I’ve got to make it up to the second floor and to Jinx’ room. Walking into the common room, my mom and Slim see how weak I am and they rush over to help me.
“Hope, can you make it up the stairs?” Slim asks me, his voice full of concern as I sway on my feet.
“I don’t know, Slim. I’m ready to take a nap, but I’m not sure if I can get up there on my own. Even with my cane I’m having a hard time getting in here,” I answer him honestly since he can see how horrible I’m feeling.
“Give me the keys to Jinx’ room, Sweetheart. I’ll get the door unlocked for you,” my mom says, holding out her hand as I get the set of keys from my pocket and hand them over.
Slim lifts me in his arms and grabs my cane so it doesn’t smack against him on the way upstairs. It doesn’t take him any time at all to get up the flight of stairs and to Jinx’ door where my mom is already waiting with the open door. She enters before us and pulls back the blankets on the bed as I look around Jinx’ space. It’s a fucking mess. He’s got clothes all over and while I know that no one’s been in his bed with him, the sheets and blankets more than likely need to be changed and washed. Slim sets me down on the bed and hands my cane back so I can lean it against the stand and have it right next to me when I’m ready to get up again.
“Are you going to be okay up here?” my mom asks as I appear to sink back against the pillows that smell just like Jinx.
“Yeah. I’m gonna rest and maybe take a shower when Jinx gets done in the basement. He doesn’t like for me to take one alone because I might slip or get hurt and no one will be there to hear me call for help,” I tell my mom and Slim as they head for the door to leave me alone.
“Okay, Sweetheart. If you need anything, let me know and I’ll make sure you get it,” my mom says as they leave me in Jinx’ room and close the door behind them.
Laying back against the pillows, I try to close my eyes and let sleep claim me, but I can’t. All I see are the images of the hitman coming after all of us and the realization that Court and the others could have seriously been hurt out on the road today. Not only that, but everyone here could have been hurt during the fire. This is all because I walked away from Becker. There is nothing special about me that would cause him to have this kind of reaction. Not unless he’s one of those men who see all women as their property and they can’t stand when their so-called property walks away and makes them look like a fool.
Knowing I won’t get any rest until Jinx is in bed with me, I slowly get up and walk around the room picking things up as I go. On my way to dump an arm full of dirty clothes into the hamper, I knock into the nightstand on Jinx’ side of the bed. The only reason I know it’s his side of the bed is because his crap litters the top of the stand. When I hit it, the light he’s got there falls over and a sharp, piercing sound fills the room. It’s a sound I’ve heard before as rage and a wariness fills me.
Dumping the clothes into the basket, I head for the light and grab it from the stand. Lifting it up so I can take a good look, I search for the slightest thing that shouldn’t be on this light. It takes me a few minutes, but I finally find what I’m looking for. At the very top of the lamp shade is a bug. Grabbing it from the shade, I grab a bottle that’s sitting empty on the stand and drop the bug inside. It’s for some over-the-counter pain reliever that the guys typically take when they have a hangover. Looking some more, I find a small camera on the side of the light. It’s just under the switch to turn it on. Grabbing it like the bug, I open the bottle and place it inside.
I go over every inch of Jinx’ room and end up finding three more cameras in his room and the bathroom along with two more bugs. I’m not sure who the hell put this shit in here, but they made sure to catch every angle with the cameras. In the bathroom, the camera was aimed at the shower. This leads me to believe a woman put this shit up in here and not some guy. Or a guy did it at the request of a woman. I’m pissed as fuck that someone took advantage of Jinx this way. However, I can’t be sure that he’s not the only one this was done too. So, I take the pill bottle full of bugs and cameras down to the common room and look for any of the guys I can talk to.
Moving as slow as I am, it takes me forever to get down the stairs and finally to the room where everyone seems to have disappeared. I move into the kitchen and find Slim, Shy, and Valor standing there talking. Clearing my throat to let them know what I’ve found, I hold out the pill bottle toward Valor.
“What’s this, Hope?” Valor asks me, looking at the bottle.
“So, um, I was cleaning up in Jinx’ room just now. I tried to take a nap but couldn’t sleep knowing that asshole is in this clubhouse and everything that could’ve happened today because of me. I knocked the light over on his nightstand and heard the unmistakable sound of a bug being messed with. I found not only a bug on the light, but a camera as well. After debating, I went through his entire room and found more of them. It seems that they made sure to get every angle of his bedroom and the one in the shower was pointed at the shower,” I answer Valor as his eyes widen with every word I speak.
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” he questions, opening up the bottle and dumping the contents out in his hand. “Fuck!”
“That was the response I had. Here’s the thing, if they were in Jinx’ room the way they were, how many other places in the clubhouse are they? How many of the officer’s rooms have been bugged and had these cameras installed?” I throw the questions out there as Slim stands up straighter and disappears from the room.
The slamming of the basement door is the only indication of where he’s going. Valor steps up closer to me and kisses me on the top of the head before disappearing with the bugs and cameras leaving Shy and myself alone in the kitchen. Seeing that she’s working on making dinner, I abandon my plans to go back upstairs to help her prepare our meal. We work together and talk about everything but the hitman, Becker, what I just discovered, or anything relating to those topics. Especially the fire.