Chapter One
Melissa
S TARING IN THE mirror at myself, I look at my naked body. I just found out some news and I don’t know how to feel about it. Or how Zeke is going to feel about it. The worst part is I now only have him to talk to about things going on in my life. Oaklynn, my sister from another mister, has moved away and left me. Her parents were killed a few months ago in a freak winter accident. Since she had no one here to care for her, Oaklynn had to move in with her aunt and uncle several hours away from home. We still talk on the phone, but it’s not the same. Plus, she’s still mourning the loss of her parents and I don’t want to burden her with what I have going on in my life.
Anyway, I found out that I’m pregnant. I’ve been feeling off for a few weeks now and decided I needed to take a test. I truly wasn’t expecting the results to be positive, but we did have a condom break on us and knew it was a possibility. Zeke assured me that he’d be here for me and support any decision I made if I did end up pregnant. However, now that we’re facing the reality of the situation, I’m not sure if he’s going to feel the same way.
I’m so damn nervous to tell him the news too. And I only have an hour to psych myself up to tell him. I’m honestly more nervous to tell him than I am to tell my dad I’m pregnant. While I know my dad will be pissed and upset, I have no clue what Zeke’s reaction will be at all. Hell, I don’t even know if he’ll come to the clubhouse once he knows the truth. My dad really isn’t going to be happy about this news. I’ve known for a week now and it’s time I share with Zeke. So, we have plans to meet up in our spot in an hour so I can talk to him about this.
Zeke and I found a spot at a small lake on the outskirts of our small town. It’s surrounded by a forest and hardly anyone comes out here once it gets dark. Bears and other animals are known to wander around here. So, no one comes out here because of the attacks that have happened in the past. This makes it the perfect spot for Zeke and I to come and spend time together. Alone. Plus, it’s so damn pretty. The lake is smaller than average and the trees are so full of leaves. There’s no trash or other litter on the ground marring the beauty and peace of the lake. Especially at night when no one else is around.
Our spot is where all of our firsts have happened. We had sex for the first time here, shared our first kiss, held hands for the first time, and accidentally fell asleep more than once. My father almost killed Zeke over those nights. Fortunately, I could talk him down and Zeke made it out alive. The lake is our special spot and that’s why I wanted to tell him there instead of at my house, school, or anywhere else we might hang out. This is a significant moment in our lives and it deserves to be done at our spot. Especially when it’s a moment that’s going to change our entire futures. More mine than Zeke’s depending on what he decides to do. He can honestly walk away and have nothing to do with the baby or me and it’d be his choice in the matter. I would never try to force him to stay and give up his dreams of the future he’s envisioned for himself. This wasn’t planned and not something I’m willing to make him take on if it’s not what he wants.
So, getting dressed after looking at my body and not seeing any changes yet, I brush out my long hair and throw it up in a messy bun. My stomach is a riot of nerves as I take one last look in the mirror before grabbing my purse and cell phone. Leaving the house, I don’t see my dad so I quickly write a note on the whiteboard we have on the refrigerator. It’s the first place he’ll go if he happens to come home before I do. I always let my dad know when I’m going out so he’s not worried. It’s the one stipulation he had when he bought me a car. It doesn’t matter how I let him know, as long as there’s some kind of communication about me not being at home. Yes, I get to do what I want on a daily basis because he’s too busy to worry about where I am and what I’m doing. Or too high and drunk.
Getting in my car, I start it up and pull away from my house. Driving off the compound as I’ve started to call the clubhouse property, I make my way to the other side of town where the lake is located. There’s no traffic out this time of night as I roll my window down and sing along to the song on the radio. With every passing mile, my nerves shoot higher and higher. My palms are sweating, heart is racing, and it’s hard to suck in a full breath of much-needed oxygen. I’m starting to have a panic attack and that’s not a good thing. So, I start taking slow, deep, calming breaths as I stop singing. It doesn’t take me long to start to calm down and I’m feeling slightly better by the time I pull into the parking lot at the lake next to Zeke’s bike. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s already here. Zeke doesn’t stay home for long periods of time if he can help it.
While his home life may have gotten a little better over the two years we’ve been together, that’s only because my man has bulked up and fought back against his father. Yes, his father used to beat the shit out of him. Now all of his wrath is turned on Zeke’s mom because she doesn’t fight back. Zeke can’t stand to see his mom so beaten and broken and he can’t convince her to leave his father. So, he stays away as much as possible. It’s either that or he goes to prison for murdering his father. We’ve had the discussion more than once about his feelings on the situation at his home.
Taking a few more deep breaths, I shut my engine off and get out of the car. Despite the lake being deserted at this time of night, I still lock the doors. It’s been ingrained in me for as long as I can remember to not take unnecessary chances and one of those is leaving my car unlocked when it’s not behind the gate of the compound. Still, I even lock it when I’m home most of the time too. No one is going to get the jump on me because I thought I’d be safe in our small town. Rivals will take any chance they can get to torture my dad and his club. If it means taking me from them, that’s what they’ll do. Another lesson I’ve heard countless times over the years by my dad and the other members of the club.
Walking down the path Zeke and I have worn in the grass from how often we come here, I listen closely to my surroundings. Zeke usually waits at his bike for me if he gets here first. I’m not sure why he didn’t tonight, but it’s okay. Maybe he wanted to get to the clearing and set up the blanket we always lay on to look at the stars in the sky while we talk about our futures and where we want to go in our lives. Yes, at this point, our futures are planned where we’re together. Going to college together, getting married, buying a house of our own, and having kids when we’re ready. Both of us want kids but not until we graduate college and can get established in our careers. Zeke and I want to make sure we’re stable when we bring kids into our lives. Or at least that was the plan. Now I guess it’s gone to shit since I’m pregnant and we still have a week left until we graduate.
Before I get to our spot in the clearing before the lake, the strangest sounds hit my ears. Grunting, what sounds like punching, and twigs breaking all come my way. My footsteps quicken as I rush to get to Zeke and find out what’s going on. This is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone else out here and it honestly sounds like someone’s fighting. I’ve certainly witnessed enough fights over the years to know what a punch landing against someone’s skin sounds like.
When I make it to our spot, my heart stops beating in my chest at the sight before me. Zeke is being jumped by five men. They’re all dressed in black and their faces are covered so I can’t see who anyone is. Not to mention they’re moving so damn fast I more than likely couldn’t tell who anyone was to begin with. Zeke is trying to fight back and at least protect himself, but the guys jumping him are like a pack of rabid dogs and attacking at the same time so he can’t possibly defend himself.
“No!” I scream out, rushing to get closer to my man. “Leave him alone!”
I search the ground frantically for anything I can use as a weapon. Usually I’d have a gun my dad got me in my purse, but I left it at home. It needs to be cleaned and I won’t use it until I get it taken care of. I’m not about to risk something happening because I didn’t properly care for my gun. Before I can find something, strong arms wrap around me from behind.
“No!” I yell, panic filling me as I thrash my body and kick at the person holding me.
“Missy,” my dad grunts out as my heel connects with his shin.
I kick him so hard, my heel hurts so I know he has to be feeling some amount of pain. If he’s not high as fuck that is.
“Dad?” I question, all the fight draining out of me. “You have to help Zeke. Get those men off him.”
“That’s not gonna happen, Missy. You fucked up. He fucked up,” my dad states as everything in my body stills and I take a second to process his words.
“What do you mean?” I ask, not sure what my dad’s talking about.
“Do you think I don’t know what’s going on with you? I know everything about you, Missy. Knew the night you lost your virginity and everything. You’ve fucked everything up for a stupid boy who won’t stick by your side now that he knocked you up,” my dad states, hatred filling his voice as he finally sets me back on my feet and turns me to face him.
The sounds of the fight continue on behind me. Zeke screams out in pain and I try to turn away from my dad, but he grabs my face hard in his hand and forces me to look at him. Again, I start to struggle in his hold so I can get to Zeke’s side. He needs help and I’m not about to let my dad do this to him. There is no doubt he’s the one behind these men attacking Zeke. Not after what he just said.
“Actually, I believe you need to witness what you set in motion, Missy. Everything happening to Zeke right now is your fault. This is because you couldn’t keep your fucking legs closed,” my dad says, anger lacing his words as he turns me in his arms to face Zeke and the assholes jumping him.
Tears stream down my face as I struggle to get out of my father’s hold. He doesn’t let me go. If anything, his grip only gets tighter and I know I’ll have bruises left behind from him. Zeke tries so hard to gain the upper hand, but he’s outnumbered and there’s no way he can take on five men at one time. If it were one-on-one, I’m sure he’d be kicking ass.
“This is because of you,” I finally manage to grit out between clenched teeth. You’re the one making these men attack Zeke for no reason. I love him and that’s not going to change.”
“Love? You don’t know shit about love, Missy. He’s just a boy you let fuck you and ruined all the plans I had in place for you. Plans you can’t even begin to understand yet. But you will,” he promises in his President voice.
My father has never once used his President voice on me. It’s the way his voice sounds when he’s in business mode. Usually, his voice is caring and kind of sweet when it’s directed at me. Not tonight. Tonight, I’m facing his anger for something I don’t have the first clue about.
I begin to plead with my father to get him to call off his attack dogs. To let Zeke go and I’ll leave with him. That we can go home and forget this ever happened. I even lie and tell him I’ll never see Zeke again. Zeke is the other half of my soul and there’s no way in hell I’d ever leave him. Right now, I’d say and do anything to make sure he’s okay and the assholes stop going at him. Especially when I see one of the men pick up a pipe from the ground. He raises it above his head and looks toward my father for a second before bringing it down on top of Zeke’s head. Instantly, he collapses to the ground and the loudest scream I’ve ever heard pierces the night air.
My throat is raw and sore as I continue screaming. The man with the pipe hits Zeke a few more times as they all laugh. I’m forced to watch on as they finally stop beating my boyfriend and push him into a shallow grave. One of the men grabs a shovel and starts to cover Zeke’s motionless body up with dirt they’ve removed from the hole.
“Let’s go, Missy,” my father growls out, his voice barely penetrating the fog surrounding me as I stare at the love of my life.
Yes, I might only be eighteen, but I know Zeke is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. He’s the man who will make all of my dreams come true, protect me, and support me no matter what I want to do with my life. The same that I’ll do for him.
Struggling again, I try to get out of my father’s hold as he begins to drag me from the clearing Zeke and I have spent countless hours in together. My eyes are locked on his body as the man continues to cover him in dirt. His face is covered in blood and one of his arms is laying at a weird angle letting me know it’s broken. I can’t tell how many injuries he has based on the clothes covering him, but I know there’s multiple. There’s no way in hell he can’t have multiple injuries with that many men beating on him.
“Zeke!” I scream out, my voice breaking as a sob fills me. “Zeke, don’t leave me!”
“Missy! Stop this shit right now,” my father demands, his voice cold and deadly as he continues pulling me away. “We’re leaving. Now! Zeke isn’t gonna come back to save you. He’s taken his last breath and you’ll never see him again.”
“You’re lying. He’s hurt, not dead. Let. Me. Go!” I scream, turning so I can attack my father better.
Since he’s one of the men who taught me what I know, he’s got a counter for every move I try to make against him. This lets me know he’s not high like most nights. At least not yet. In this moment, he’s got a clear head and won’t let me go.
Finally, my father picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder. With one of his large, tattooed arms wrapped around me to hold me in place, he carries me to his truck that’s parked in the tree line so I wouldn’t see it when I pulled up. That’s why I didn’t know he was here. At this point, I’m not sure if he hired a bunch of punks to attack Zeke or if those men are the same men I grew up with. The men I’ve considered family my entire life.
“Daddy, you need to go help him. Please!” I beg, my voice barely above a whisper since I’ve been screaming for Zeke.
I know it more than likely won’t make my father change his mind, but I have to do something. If I can just get away from him for a few seconds, I can get back to Zeke and get him help. I’m not sure how I’ll drag him out of the hole, but I’ll figure something out. Zeke has to be okay. There’s no other option I’ll accept.
The time it’s taken for my father to get me away from Zeke and the other men feels as if hours have passed by. In reality, I’m sure it’s only been a matter of minutes. Instead of listening to me, my father yanks open the passenger side door of his truck and tosses me inside. He slams the door behind me and I hear the locks click so I can’t get out. There’s no point in trying to make a run for it. If I’ve learned anything about my father it’s that he’ll be holding onto the button on the key fob so I can’t unlock the doors from the inside. When he gets in the driver’s seat, the truck shakes with the force of him slamming the door shut behind him.
Before I can make a sound or react to anything, a fist snaps out and catches me right under my eye. I gasp as my hand instantly covers the spot where my dad just hit me. He’s never hit me before and I never thought he’d do it in a million years. Turning toward him, I try to figure out what’s going on. His eyes are filled with rage, hurt, and something I’ve never seen fill them before when he looks at me; vengeance.
“You thought you could let that boy touch you and I wouldn’t find out?” he questions me, spittle flying from his mouth and hitting my face and hand where it still rests on my cheek as blood seeps out from the cut he left behind. “Now you’re pregnant. I always thought you were better than the club sluts. Looks like I was wrong about that. You’ve ruined all of my plans. All of them!”
“W-w-what plans?” I timidly ask him, my voice shaking as my heart continues to race in my chest and it hurts to breathe with all the pressure building in me.
“I had you sold. Now, the buyer isn’t gonna want you. He doesn’t want tainted goods,” my father announces casually as if we’re talking about the damn weather.
With the doors unlocked, since he forgot in his rage, I fling my door open and get sick as I fall from his large truck. My father reaches out for me, grabbing onto the strands of my long hair as I fall to my knees on the ground. He doesn’t get a good enough grip to pull my head back as I continue to lose the contents of my stomach. Trying to force the vomit back down, I scramble to my feet and look around me. I need to get away from my father. My own flesh and blood.
Looking back at him, he’s not in the truck. Whipping my head back around my father is standing in front of me. The man isn’t really my father, he’s Venom right now. Venom is his road name and the persona he has within the club. He’s got an evil, menacing grin on his face as he continues to stare at me. This isn’t the warm, loving father who comforted me when I would scrape my knees as a toddler. The man who played tea party with me or let me paint his nails after my mother was killed. This man before me is the President of an MC who’s known for inflicting his enemies with the venom of whatever weapon he chooses that day. Now, it’s all directed at me. He raises his fist as I blink and try to raise my shaking hands to protect myself, and with one punch, my eyes close and I’m knocked out.