Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Eight
Selkie and I seem to have solved the problem between Henri and Oscar. I’m not proud of how we did it, but at the same time, the quiet of the evening is a relief to my sensory overload. I like life simple and uncomplicated. None of this bullshit is simple and uncomplicated.
We’re all stiffly polite when we say goodnight and crawl into our respective tents.
“I can’t deal with this,” Oscar says grimly as he tosses and turns in his sleeping bag, then abruptly sits up. “They’re both too much.” He raises his hands to his head and explodes his fingers outwards.
“Yeah,” I say because he’s right, but at the same time, my behavior today left a lot to be desired. “I lost my temper. Shouldn’t have.”
“I’ve never seen you like that.”
“Never needed to be. Everyone I know gives me lots of space.”
“But you get it, right? Why I fight with her?”
I think about the Jury, how we retaliate when assholes threaten us, but this is different. Henri and Selkie live in the civilized world despite their borderline psychopathy. “Retaliation is not the answer. Not when it comes to women.”
Oscar sighs as he lays down and turns his back to me. “Great answer, dad. Then what is?”
Christ, I wish I knew.
Three hours later, I’m still awake. Partly because it feels like I’m lying on a slab of marble, but also because my conscious is nagging me.
What kind of a father am I really? I’ve never been all that interactive with Oscar. He spent most of his growing up years in daycares, schools, and then aftercare or at the clubhouse. Babysitters at night when I wasn’t there, which was too fucking often.
After Chloe died, I was catatonic for months, then the anger came, hard and fast. I lost every shred of humanity as my need for revenge consumed me. All I could think of was tracking down the bastards who essentially killed her and watching the hope in their eyes fade as I shot them dead.
If it weren’t for Oscar, I’d be dead by now. He saved my life I guess, but I killed eight men to avenge my wife. The fact that I don’t regret it wraps me in a darkness I can’t find my way out of.
Except, since I met Selkie there’s this pinprick of light.
At first, I could barely see it, but now it’s growing closer.
I can’t figure it out. She’s nothing like Chloe and she’s everything I’m not.
She’s a hurricane, I’m a rock. She barrels over people.
I pull the trigger and stop them dead in their tracks.
She never shuts up, I have nothing to say.
She makes me crazy. I make her crazy. And I’m attracted to her despite it all.
Oscar lets out a soft snore as I have an epiphany. He and Henri are the same to each other. She pokes him, he pokes back. They don’t relent. It doesn’t make sense except it does. Deep down somewhere that even they can’t find, they might actually be drawn to each other.
They’re on the verge of adolescence. Hormones are raging. But where Oscar’s concerned, I’ve only ever heard him talk about Henri. No other girl. Yeah, he likes her, but she brings out the worst in him.
I’m feeling smug as I think about the conversation I’m going to have with Selkie tomorrow. See what she thinks. I’ve no doubt she’ll agree with me. Well, right after she disagrees with me.
I’m almost asleep when I hear footsteps outside. My adrenalin hits hyperdrive as I reach for my gun. This is fucked, sleeping in a tent. No walls. Only one way out.
My head goes to the Blackbeards, a rival bike club.
They either followed us out here or someone on the inside told them where we’d be.
The idea that someone from our club would betray us to an enemy wouldn’t have even crossed my mind, but last fall one of the Jury’s old ladies almost got Red’s woman killed and everyone’s lost the trust.
Whoever it is, they’re outside thinking they can terrorize us. If they planned to kill us, we’d be dead by now. I could shoot them through the canvas before they fuck with us except I can’t. Oscar’s in here and Selkie and her kid are close by. I can’t risk hitting them.
This kicks my brain into rational mode as I think of a more innocent explanation. Selkie or the kid have to pee.
I cautiously sit up as steps grow closer then stop outside the tent on Oscar’s side. This is not Selkie or Henri. They’d be somewhere far from us.
Blood rushes to my head and my heart starts thudding as I think about what could happen to Oscar.
The awareness of him getting hurt would’ve brought me to my knees if I’d been standing. He and I are a team and without him, I’d be nothing. I’ve never told him how much he means to me. I’ve taken it for granted that he knows.
The rustling of the tent jerks me back to reality. I gotta fuckin’ do something. Let them think I’m still sleeping and catch them by surprise.
I ease out of my sleeping bag and start to crawl towards the door. Then Oscar’s side of the tent collapses. Seconds later, my side collapses. The tent buckles and the roof caves in.
“Wha…what?” Oscar says, still foggy from sleep. Then he realizes what’s happened and starts tearing at the canvas. “Dad!” he shouts.
“I’m here,” I say to reassure him. “We gotta get out of here.”
“What about Henri and her mom?”
“Yeah, gotta get to them.”
I manage to unzip the tent and scramble out. No point in being cautious anymore.
Fleming’s tent is several feet from us and still standing to my relief. Unless she and the kid have been massacred. Fuck! It would be my fault. The camping trip was my fuckin’ idea.
I look up to see a shadowy figure dart into the darkness.
“Stay in the tent,” I bark, but Oscar’s already fought his way out and is standing next to me.
“What’d ya see?” he whispers.
“Not sure. Get the girls up and to the truck. The keys are next to my sleeping bag.”
“And what are you gonna do in the meantime?”
“I’m going after them.” I hand him my gun. “Don’t shoot unless you’re threatened.”
“I’m not gonna shoot at all,” he snipes.
I wanna shake the kid. “Get the girls and get them to truck.”
“I think you should stay here.” I hear his fear, not for himself but for what might happen to me.
“I gotta go after them. You know that.” I give him a push towards Selkie and Henri’s tent.
I take off full tilt, thinking about how I’m gonna make the fucker regret messing with me.
It’s a clear night so he’s easy to keep up with. He’s fast, but I’m faster. Turns out I’m not nearly as fit though as I start to run out of breath. Then miracles or miracles, the bastard stumbles, then falls, then gets to his feet, but those few precious seconds give me time to tackle him.
I bring him down hard and turn him onto his stomach grabbing his wrists so that they’re high on the shoulder blades. I jerk them hard as I straddle him with my knees.
“Fuck,” comes a voice I’m becoming far too familiar with. “Get off me!”
I freeze. “Fleming?”
“Yeah,” she grunts.
I yank her around so we’re facing each other. “What the fuck are you doing? I could’ve shot you!”
“Are you kidding me? You brought a gun camping?”
Who the fuck does she think she is, giving me shit after what she’s done? “You’re turning this into my fault?”
She bucks, her pussy pressing into my crotch. “You don’t bring a gun to a family outing.”
“We’re not a fucking family and I bring my gun everywhere.” I pause as I contemplate the lunatic staring up at me. “Why the fuck don’t you? You’re not safe without one.”
“I brought a taser, asshole. As a precaution. I wasn’t expecting trouble.” She says it like it makes a ton of sense. “Besides,” she adds. “You wouldn’t have pulled the trigger.”
“You don’t fuckin’ know me! You don’t know what I would’ve done!”
“You’re predictable.”
“I’m a fuckin’ psychopath.”
She softens her voice. “Aren’t we all.” She looks up at me in the moonlight, innocent trusting eyes, believing I won’t hurt her.
Her tits are begging for attention, her pussy’s pushing against my dick. Jesus. It usually takes more than this to get me hard.
Our eyes lock, then her gaze flicks to my lips. She knows I wanna fuck her. She wants to fuck me too. I lower my head to kiss her.
“Dad!” Oscar interrupts, thank the fuck. “I got Henri.”
“Where’s my mom?” Henri says tearfully. “They took my mom.” Her voice is trembling and full of fear.
“Don’t worry,” Oscar tells her. “We’ll get her back.”
“Shit,” I mutter as I climb off Selkie.
She sits up next to me and brushes her hair off her face. “It’s okay, Henri. I’m here.”
Henri rushes up to her and drops to her knees. “Are you okay?” She pats Selkie all over, looking for signs that she’s not. Then she turns to me. “Did you save her?”
Oscar stomps us to us, glaring at Selkie. He’s figured it out. “You knocked down our tent?”
“What?” Henri says as she stares at her mom.
I climb to my feet. “Your mother collapsed our tent.”
Henri’s mouth drops open. “Why?”
Selkie stands, offers a hand to Henri and helps her up. “Because it’s fun. It’s what you do when you camp. Play tricks on each other.”
“I didn’t mean why did you do it,” Henri spits. “I meant why didn’t you let me do it with you?”
Oscar stares at Henri with hostile eyes. “You’re an idiot.”
“Two for the price of one,” I mutter.
“Oh c’mon,” Fleming says as she dusts off her ass. “It’s funny. Doesn’t anyone here have a sense of humor?”
Henri balls her fist and smacks her mom in the arm. “We could’ve made it a mom and daughter thing.”
“You were sound asleep, and I didn’t want to wake you. You know how grouchy you get if you don’t get your rest.”
“God! You so sound like gramma.” She stalks away.
“Wait!” Oscar shouts after her. “You gotta set up our tent!”
“I didn’t do it!” Henri shouts back. “Mom did. She can set it up.”
“She’s your mom. Learn to control her.”
Fleming starts laughing and I have to admit, it gets it a chuckle out of me.
Oscar glares at both of us. “I’m sleepin’ in the truck.”
“Brambles is in the truck,” Henri snarls as she turns to face him. “You leave him alone.”
“Or what?” Oscar sneers.
“I’ll get him to bite your balls off.”
Jesus fucking Christ. “Forget about the tent!”
Selkie rolls her eyes. “I pulled it down. I’ll set it back up. Geez.”
“No,” I snarl. “Brambles sleeps with you. Oscar and I’ll sleep in the truck. This fucking camping trip is over. We’re packing up and leavin’ in the morning.”
“Who died and made you boss?”
I take a deep breath to hold onto my temper. “No one died yet, but you’re close, Fleming. So fucking close.”
When Oscar and I get in the truck, I start it up and move it several yards away.
“What’re you doing?” Selkie yells with a note of panic in her voice.
“I need some space,” I yell back.
Once Oscar and I are settled, I stare out the window. Oscar’s already snoring and I realize that this trip is exhausting him.
It’s tempting to start the truck and roll out, but everything is back in the tent including my wallet, phone and gun, which Oscar left behind.
I can’t even check the time without cranking the ignition and waking the kid up.
My eyes feel like sandpaper, my body’s tense and my brain’s exhausted. And worse, I’m feeling guilty.
Maybe I overreacted. Maybe Henri and Oscar did too.
I struggle to remember the last time I had fun.
I’m not even sure I know how. I watch my brothers at the clubhouse.
Trigger and Rocky fuck around all the time.
King and Jawbone too. Even Reaper’s become more animated now that he’s hooked up with X.
But me, I can’t ever find the humor in anything.
Even after all these years, I think I’m still punishing myself for Chloe’s death.
I feel guilty when I think of her. I should have been there, stopped the fuckers who raped her. I should’ve done more after.
I can’t shake it. I can’t shake her.
Oscar rustles around, says, “Fuck”, then realizes I’m sittin’ next to him. “I can’t sleep,” he says in a voice that dares me to give him shit about his language.
I let it go.
“Me neither,” I grumble. “Sun’s comin’ up. When it’s light out, we’ll pack up and head back.”
“Thank god.”
Being thankful is meaningless since I’m not any closer to gettin’ Oscar back in school. I look out the window at the horizon and grip the steering wheel. “Could you try, Oscar? Try to get along with Henri.”
“It’s her mom that’s the head case, dad. Henri needs a better parent.”
“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t,” Oscar replies. “I used to hate Henri, now I feel sorry for her.”
That’s a start but for some reason I have this need to defend Selkie. “Henri’s responsible for her own behavior. Especially at her age.”
“Well, then she inherited all her bad genes from her mother.”
I think of Selkie. She’s tough and vulnerable at the same time. Putting up a front, fighting back when there’s no reason to fight at all. She needs understanding, not criticism.
I roll my eyes at myself. Now I’m a fucking therapist.