Chapter Eighteen The One
Briget
Justice got in on the ball jokes. “Were they tiny and shiny?” he asked.
The Walker Twins were not too shy to counter as well.
“You should know, Justice boy,” Liberty said. “We used to call you dingles, remember?”
“Nah, I don’t remember that,” Fate said. “I remember calling him baby marbles when we were like fifteen though.”
“Look guys,” Glory chimed in. “I gave it that title, but as your sister, I don't want to discuss your balls with any of you.”
Legend burst into laughter as he teased her, “You shouldn’t have brought up the size of their balls, Glory. Guys will defend that shit to the end.”
“Yeah, he’s right,” Liberty agreed. “No guy would stand for that kind of insult.”
Fate jumped in to tease his own twin, “Lib will say something like they are so big that he has to check them as overly heavy carry ons for flights.”
“Hell yes, I do,” Liberty said. “I have to pay a surcharge for them everywhere I go.”
“I don’t get it though,” Glory said. “Why would you all want them to be big?”
I wondered the same exact thing.
“Yeah,” Scarlet agreed. “Like if they were too big, it would be hard for you to walk, wouldn’t it?”
Everyone kept laughing.
I laughed along with them. I for one would not be getting in on this particular conversation. I knew very little about the subject and I didn’t want to add anything to it. Though I would agree it wasn’t like women and wanting bigger boobs. Or was it? I shook my head. So silly. Reaching out, I took Fate’s hand.
He looked up at me and squeezed my hand. My little dog was asleep on top of his feet on the floorboard. Fate didn’t seem to care, he never even tried to move the dog for the last half hour that she had been there. I could see that she and I were gonna be spoiled by this man. Well, she already was, I think.
Yes, I wanted to be with Fate. I finally decided that I would give this thing with him my best shot.
I admit that the story of the Prank Wars made me feel better. Fate had set that story into motion and I knew why. Just to make me feel better after I revealed why I had been hesitant to trust him or his family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t want it told in front of so many. Not that they spoke during this leg of the trip but I know Bones and the other Rebel Saints heard it all. They never participated but I heard them chuckling a few times.
He had done it for me…Turning in the seat, I grasped Fate’s cheeks and kissed him hard. Just like I’d done the first time he interacted so sweetly with Daisy. The man had won me over. I now didn’t believe he would ever hurt me. I took note of what Glory had said a little while back. That they all could see he was serious about me. I’d been reluctant to trust him, but now I felt ready.
Our kiss deepened as I got as close to him as I could. Wow, I’d never felt shivers and tingles from a guy kissing me before. In fact, I don’t remember feeling anything much. Even when they got really close. I always wondered what the big deal was. This attraction thing. Or why other women I’d been around even want to be with a guy. I had honestly never seen the point. Now as I felt on fire all over and my body felt needy, I realized it had been that those guys hadn’t been the one.
Fate was the one.
I pulled back and looked at him.
He gazed into my eyes and whispered, “Wow…”
Nodding, I agreed. I didn’t think I could speak yet though. The kiss and the feelings it had evoked were too much for me to assimilate right now.
The car had gotten quiet, so I peeked over to the front seat.
Belle stared straight ahead acting as if she did not see us kissing.
Liberty did as well, but I could see his grin in the rearview mirror.
Fate cleared his throat and peered out through the front windshield. Then he stated softly, “We are home.”
I looked too. The SUV was slowing down and coming up to a large metal gate. There were guards there and security cameras. Bones and another biker were talking to the guards from their motorcycles.
Liberty got out of the driver’s side of our SUV and went over to the gatehouse.
When the stern looking guard saw him, he broke into a grin and called out to him. After some smiles and chuckles between them all, the double gates opened.
Liberty waved at the guardhouse then came and got back into the SUV. He drove us through and our small convoy followed.
Parking at the front, we all got out and stretched.
I gazed up at this impressive building. It looked unique, like the roof was angled in such a way that it made it look like a resort or futuristic type structure.
“Fate’s design,” Liberty said, addressing what I was staring at.
I looked over at Fate and said, “It is beautiful.”
Fate took my hand. “Thank you. It’s about three years old now. I had been so nervous about it. Dad wanted it renovated and he waited until I graduated, then wanted me to do it. Man, was I afraid he would hate it.”
“Nah, Dad was bursting with pride when he saw it,” Justice said.
I had to admit as I studied the building that it was magnificent.
“Wow, this doesn’t look like an MC compound,” Scarlet exclaimed.
I agreed. Peering up above the double doors, I spotted an awesome looking symbol. It seemed to be a large metal replica of an unusual logo. With a skull in the center, surrounded by wings and a sword hilt.
“How cool,” I said and looked over at Fate.
“The Requiem.” He smiled at me and rolled his sleeve up to show me a tattoo, same logo.
“All of us have it.” Liberty nodded as he showed me the same tat on his inner forearm.
Justice nodded and showed us his upper arm.
Legend pointed to his neck and there it was again.
Glory smirked and shrugged her shoulders. “Mine is right over my heart, so your loss.”
Everyone laughed.
The double doors opened and an older man stood there as he grinned at the group.
“Uncle Zed!” Fate exclaimed and hugged the man.
“Redemption called and told me you all would be arriving soon,” the man told us as he patted Fate’s back. Pulling away, he stepped aside so they could all pass through and said, “Welcome home, boys!” Looking over at Glory, he grinned. “And Princess G is here.”
“Winkle Z!” She hugged him. “We all missed you.”
“I missed y’all too.” He smiled.
“Winkle?” I asked.
“That is adorable,” Scarlet said.
Nodding his head, Zed laughed.
“Glory calls him that,” Fate said.
Glory smiled at me and explained, “When I was like three, I couldn’t pronounce Uncle Zed and as close as I got was Winkle Z.”
“It makes me feel pretty darn special,” Zed said as he chuckled and tipped his cowboy hat at us.
“You are special,” Glory kissed his cheek.
Zed looked embarrassed as he smoothed his short graying beard with his hand and said, “Yeah, sure I am, until I begin to really look like Rip Van Winkle and I start sleeping too much.” He motioned for us to keep heading further inside.
Everyone chuckled at his joke as they moved to where he motioned.
I followed and was instantly struck by the way the place was set up. If a person would imagine an MC compound, they sure wouldn’t think of this. It had an open floor plan, high airy ceilings, leather sofas, easy chairs and a long table that had several laptops on it. A huge screen TV lined one wall. The other walls had posters of motorcycles and there were some paintings of car races, boxers in a match and other scenes with motorcycles. Then several paintings hung here and there with Rockwell traits, like boys fishing, and family oriented pieces too. I paused and peered at one scene. Then my eyes widened at the small signature at the bottom. Fate Walker. Turning my head, I stared at him.
Fate shrugged his shoulders and said, “Yeah, I paint a little.”
“A little?” Justice laughed. “He had enough canvases to do a gallery showing in Houston and he made tons of money.”
I kept staring at the paintings while in awe of Fate’s talent.
“Justice is over exaggerating,” Fate said as he laughed. “You know how dramatic lawyers are.”
“We are not,” Justice defended. “But I hear artists are one of two things, gay or emotional. Or…both.” He smirked.
Liberty laughed loudly. “Pegged him perfectly.”
Fate shook his head as he scoffed. “Jealousy does not become you, brothers.”
Zed was laughing at their banter. “Damn, I missed you Walker kids,” he said. “Always playing. Sharp as tacks and funny as all hell. I just wish you would’ve brought Prophet home. He said he and Jewel would be with Redemption for a while longer to be there to face off with Deacon.”
“No one can blame him, Zed,” Legend spoke up. “The man kidnapped you and Jewel.”
“And Glory,” Zed said as he turned to look at her. “Did he hurt ya, little G?”
“No, but he did hurt you,” she snapped. “I heard you were all beat up.”
“I was okay in the end. Just got a big mouth like I told ya.” Zed shrugged. “No real scars from it. I will always say that if it weren’t for that brave little Jewel, I would be… well, dead now.”
Fate patted his arm.
I looked up at Fate and asked, “Jewel?” I knew who she was because of Scarlet knowing her, but I never heard about this. I’d heard some stories about what O and Deacon had done, but no one told me about Jewel.
“Deacon had a real twisted plan as he had Uncle Zed kidnapped from right here in Sugar Land,” Fate said.
I raised my hand to my mouth in surprise.
Nodding, Zed added, “He had a large group of Russians working for him back then and they attacked us, knocked my guys out and grabbed me up by gunpoint. They pointed guns at my men. They said they would kill them all if I didn’t go with them. So of course, I went. Then he wanted to trade me over for Jewel.”
I slowly shook my head as I truly did not understand this.
“He wanted her to produce his heirs,” Glory said in disgust. “Just think about that. This man planned all of it. With poor Prophet having to choose between his girl and his dad? How evil is that? And Deacon did all of it in order to force Jewel to be his Baby Momma? Against her will?” She shivered. “Jewel told me about it one afternoon at the Connor House. I agree about his game playing. But that's what’s scary. Who knows what he will do?”
“Jewel said he promised his mother,” Scarlet said. “That he would keep her line going. But he stalked Jewel even before that when he took over the Cotton Candy Club.”
Fate nodded. “We are still in this uncertain stage. Now it seems everything is not as it seemed.”
“We got a visit from Deacon himself,” Justice told him.
“At the truck stop just past Ramton, Uncle Zed,” Glory explained.
Scarlet nodded as she added, “That crazy man just waltzed right in and sat at our table.”
Zed cocked his hat covered head and said, “He likes war games. So, he might be playing some of the time just to muss things up and confuse all of you. I cannot say that this news surprises me none. I met him briefly. He’s smart but I’m afraid his elevator don’t go all the way to the top floor. Ya know? It’s like he’s one pancake short of a stack.”
I giggled at his analogies.
“Yes, he can arrange a good fight,” Zed went on. “No doubt about that, but he likes to cheat too much. I told him that and he had his Russian prizefighter beat me up. I admit that I shoulda kept my mouth shut, but y'all know me. That wasn’t gonna happen. My mouth just kept on going. He got a bit sloppy when he grabbed Jewel. Like his super smart plans tend to outsmart even him sometimes, I’m thinkin.”
“He showed up and we all drew our weapons but he already had that Plan B lined up,” Legend told him.
“Of course, he did.” Zed nodded. “See, he doesn't work a job like most of us do or like anyone normally would. His life is entirely about this war on the Walkers. It is all his mother trained him to do since he was a boy probably. So while he’s this mastermind, like Liv and Logan tell us, he’s also totally and certifiably insane. Whether that insanity came from his bat shit cray, cray Mama, we don’t know. But she groomed him well for his destiny, don’t you doubt that for a fat second. He directs large and often foreign crews of men. He owns huge war machinery pieces and weaponry that only armies usually have. And he also has enough money to wipe his ass with hundred dollar bills for a few decades if he wanted to.”
I simply stared at Zed in astonishment. As crazy as it sounded, I don't think anyone had ever explained Deacon and this whole situation as well as he just did. He was so funny and wise too. Deep down, I knew he was right. We all knew he was.
“Well, he can take a flying leap,” Glory griped. “We want our damned lives back.”
Everyone standing there nodded as they grumbled, including me. I’d been forced into hiding with no job and no money to speak of to survive on. But we were all alive and that meant there was still hope.
Zed wrapped an arm around Glory’s shoulder and said, “I know darlin’ and it’ll happen. I always told your dad that no one could walk over a Walker and win. And that goes for all your badass cousins as well. Nope, y'all will prevail. You’ll see. Jarret didn’t raise no weaklings and apparently his brother Jacob didn’t either.”
“So, we now believe that he in fact, knew where we were hiding all along, Zed,” Fate informed him.”
Zed nodded as he didn’t look surprised to hear this. “The one thing ya’ll do not seem to understand is that he has all the time and the funds in the world to keep this shit up. The man in fact, probably wants to stretch out this war game, chess match, end of days crap for as long as possible.”
“He took Ma and Jarret,” Glory told him.
“The hell?” Zed looked upset to hear this.
She looked over at me. “I’m so grateful for what you did. Getting Ma and Dad freed.”
“I didn’t like what he said though,” Fate said. “Briget owing him one.”
I let out a sigh and said, “I think it was a joke?”
“I’ve said it before,” Justice spoke up. “He is totally insane.”
Belle sighed. “I want this all to be over and done with.”
“Talon says that will only happen if Deacon is dead,” Fate suggested.
“I’m not sure about that,” Scarlet replied. “You all seem to forget about his sister. Jewel said she is as dangerous as he is.”
“She is,” Zed said. “I overheard her yelling at a Russian guard. She’s not all there, believe me.” He looked around. “Ok, so after the day you’ve all had, you need to take it easy. I called for pizza and sandwiches. A couple of cases of Dr. Pepper and a case of sweet tea. I had the guys set it all on the tables over there by the hall. Take what you need and you can go to your usual rooms. Again, welcome home, Walkers.” With that huge grin on his face, he tipped his black cowboy hat at us.