Chapter 10
Ten
LOKI
“ I ’ll be right back, baby. Why don’t you go to the counter over there and get yourself and the kids something to eat?” I tell Halle, kissing her temple as I hand her some cash before walking away.
I pull out my cell phone walking to the front counter of the rink.
“I want to pay for my kids. They snuck in with a party, but I’ll pay for them now,” I tell the guy at the counter.
“I saw them sneak in. They looked pretty rough, saw the bruises, and thought they might need a safe place,” the guy at the counter says, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah, I’m taking care of that shit now. No one lays a hand on those kids from here on out,” I growl before paying and walking outside. I hit my cell's first speed dial number as I walk toward my bike. That any fucker could lay a hand on a child in hate disgusts me. That it's people who took an oath to protect said children before they were placed in their homes makes me want to burn this town to the ground.
How could anyone be that fucking cruel? Alright, I may be fucking insane and a bit knife happy, but I would never take my anger out on a kid in a million years. Sick fuckers, that’s what they are. Anyone who can stomach seeing a bruise they made on a child should be put down. I’ll make it my fucking duty to be the one delivering that punishment.
“What?” Swift barks into the phone, and I hear Piper’s breathy sigh over the line.
“Fuck, Prez, don’t want to hear that shit,” I tell him, pulling the phone away from my ear. If Halle caught wind that I heard any other woman’s pleasure besides hers, I’m worried she’d have my balls.
“What the fuck do you want, Loki?” he asks impatiently.
“I need a favor,” I say, and everything stills. I hear nothing on the other line until he speaks up.
“YOU are asking ME for a favor? You never ask for favors, brother,” he says like I don’t already fucking know that.
“You going to help me or not, Prez?” I ask impatiently, not having the patience for this shit.
“Of course, brother. You should already know that,” he says in a softer tone.
“I know that. That’s why I called. Look, we have a situation down here at the skating rink. Can you send one of the prospects with the truck?” I ask.
“They are on their way now,” he says a minute later. I give him my thanks before hanging up and heading into the skating rink. I walk in and make a beeline to the table where Halle sits with the kids. When I get there, Rae smiles up at me. Rome sticks another chicken nugget in his mouth, but he’s got a death grip on his sister’s hand.
“Hey Loki, look, I got pizza!” Rae says with a smile full of cheese and sauce.
“You getting your tummy full, baby girl?” I ask, picking up a napkin and wiping a bit of the sauce off her cheeks.
“Yeah, Halle let us pick anything we wanted! Rome got chicken nuggets and mozerkella- monsterell…” she says, trying to say the word. I chuckle and help her out.
“Mozzarella sticks?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. He got chicken nuggets and monsterella sticks, and I got pizza and fries,” she says excitedly.
“So, I was thinking…” I tell them, trying to figure out the best way to break the ice on this one.
“Would you want to come stay with us? I’m in a motorcycle club, but none of the men there would ever hurt you. You’d be safe, fed, and taken care of,” I say, looking both of them in the eyes so they can see my honesty.
Immediately, Rae’s eyes light up. She starts bouncing in her seat and clapping. I smile at her, then look at Rome, whose head is still down.
“You want to take Rae with you? You will protect her? Promise?” Rome asks, finally looking up and meeting my eyes. His are still wary, but I can see the tears forming. I shake my head.
“No, Rome. We want both of you to come to stay with us. Come to live with us,” Halle says, reaching across the table and taking his hand. He looks at us in surprise.
“Me too?” he asks for confirmation.
“Of course. Who else is going to help me take care of both our girls?” I ask, pulling Halle into my side. Rome smiles but ducks his head, not wanting anyone to see. This kid has always had to be guarded and tough, always protecting his twin sister. I will make sure he gets to actually be a kid for once in his life. I never had that option, and I’ll be damned if these kids don’t.
“Alright, are y’all ready to go? My buddy just texted me. He’s here,” I say, standing. The kids finish their last bites of food, and I take the empty plates to the trash. We walk outside together, Rae holding Rome’s hand and me holding Halle’s.
“Alright, Loki, where’s the body this time, and how bad is the cleanup?” Grease asks with a roll of his eyes before he notices the kids, and his head jerks back.
“No bodies today, brother. This is Rae, and this is Rome. They will be staying with us,” I say, softly putting my hand on Rome’s shoulder. He flinches a bit before settling, and it makes me want to kill every damn foster parent he’s ever had and burn the house to the ground.
“Uh… this is new,” Grease mutters before shaking his head and nodding.
“Alright, kiddos, hop on in and get buckled,” Grease says as Halle and I walk to Kitty.
“Wait, you’re not coming with us?” Rae asks, and I see the fear take over her face. I look at Halle, who looks up at me with tears in her eyes and nods. She will never admit to those swimming tears, but I see her, and she never has to hide from me.
“Go on, pet,” I whisper before kissing her cheek.
“I’ll ride with you guys, and Loki can follow behind. How about that? Let’s rock out to some music. What’s your favorite band?” she asks them.
On cue, they both scream, “INSANE CLOWN POSSY!” which makes all of us laugh.
“Shit, now there’s four of them? The clubhouse will never survive,” Grease mutters. Halle shoots him a death glare, and I laugh loudly.
I hop on my bike, and when Grease takes off with my family, I trail him to the clubhouse. The windows are too tinted for me to see what’s happening inside, but when they all pile out of the vehicle at the compound, Rome and Rae are dancing and singing along to the lyrics of one of their songs. These kids are going to fit in perfectly with our family.
I start to walk into the building but am surprised when I feel a tiny hand in mine, smaller than my pet’s. Looking down, I see Rae staring at the building with trepidation. I give her hand a squeeze.
“I will never let anything happen to you, baby girl. I swear it,” I promise her.
She looks up at me with those light brown eyes, and I see something shift. She puts on a determined face and nods. This girl is ready to take on the world while leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. She doesn’t know it yet, but I would lay it all at her and her brother's feet. We may have just met them, but I can feel it in my soul. They are ours. The same way I knew instantly that Halle was mine, these kids mine. My fucking family. They are mine and Halle’s, and I’ll do whatever the fuck I can to keep them here, with us, safe.
We walk into the compound, and the officers are all sitting at the bar. The prospect Beau punched is serving drinks, and when we walk in, everyone stops and looks at us. It’s silent for a while before Swift speaks up.
“Uh, Loki, you got something to tell us?” he asks, raising a brow and looking from me to the kids.
“Damn, you brought home more strays?” the fucking dumbass prospect says, again not knowing when to keep his mouth shut.
“Excuse me?” I growl menacingly.
“Who the fuck are you calling strays?” Rome growls, just like me, stepping up in front of us.
“Hey, watch it. You kiss your mama with that mouth?” the prospect asks.
“You fuck your girl with that ugly face?” Rome spits back. I can’t help it. I laugh, full-on belly laugh.
I hear someone mutter. “Who the hell is this kid?”
“That’s my boy!” I shout before walking up to Rome and putting my hand on his shoulder. I’m still laughing until I turn my head slowly to the side and make direct eye contact with the fucker. My face is devoid of any emotion, and I stare at him with complete hatred. Slowly, I let the mask slip, and my evil shows as my signature smile spreads across my face. Tick Tock motherfucker; your time is up.
“You didn’t fucking learn the first time you opened your mouth, did you? Maybe this will help remind you to watch your fucking tongue,” I say as I slowly make my way toward him. The prospect's gaze darts around in a panic, looking for someone to help him, but he has no one to turn to and nowhere to go.
“Loki,” Swift warns. I can tell by his tone he doesn’t care what I do, as long as I don’t kill the fucker or get blood on the clubhouse floors. Fine, I guess he gets to live… for now. I still walk up to the bar and get in his face.
“You will watch how you talk to the people we choose to bring into our family,” I say in a deadly tone. He smirks at me, like the fucking fool he is, but doesn’t open his mouth. He thinks Prez saved him from me. He may have saved his life for now, but he didn’t save his hand.
Quick as a snake, I pull out one of the blades I keep at my side and stab it right into the fucker's hand so hard it goes through and hits the wood bar top below.
“Fuck, Loki, in front of the kids?” Hitter asks me.
“Twist it!” Rae yells out. I turn and look at her. She’s still holding Halle’s hand, who is fighting hard not to laugh.
“What was that, baby girl?” I ask her.
“Twist the knife!” she tells me, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly.
“Yeah, we want to hear him scream!” Rome says, looking at the fucker with an evil smile that rivals my own.
Damn, what is that odd sensation I feel in my chest? Pride, love, both? I would say both as my smile spreads even wider across my face as I do as my kids request. What can I say? I aim to please; can’t disappoint my rugrats.
“You heard ‘em,” I say before turning and twisting the knife in the prospect's hand. He screams so loud my ears ring, but only in the best of ways. I pull the knife out when I'm done, and the fucker passes out. I see Rae and Rome hop up on the stool beside me, lean over, and look at the fucker on the floor.
“Pussy,” Rome mumbles.
“Good job, Loki. Look, you made a pretty design here,” Rae tells me, pointing to the hole and scribbling on the bar top. I smile at her, and Halle comes to my side.
“Somebody get this fucker out of my clubhouse. That was strike two. He doesn’t get to three,” Swift says. Beau and another prospect walk behind the bar, lift the fucker, and start carrying him out. Rome and Rae watch with rapt attention to where they are taking him. When they see the prospects dump him on the other side of the gate and close it, they turn to each other and share a high-five before walking back our way. They walk to my and Halle's side, and I’m just about to take them to our room when we hear a gasp.
“Who are these sweet, beautiful babies, and where did they come from?” Piper asks, walking into the room with Izzy holding her arm.
“Sweet?” Grim snickers, and Rome’s eyes shoot to him. He looks at the kid in confusion before rolling his eyes and turning his head. Yeah, Rae and Rome will have every one of my brothers wrapped around their little fingers in no time.
“Rae, Rome. These are my bitches, my sisters. This is Piper. She’s married to the Club Prez, Swift, and this is her sister Izzy, and she’s married to Hitter, the club's Vice President,” Halle says, pointing out each person. She then goes around and introduces everyone else.
By the time she’s done, I can see the worry and stress on both kids’ faces. They are probably worn out and completely caught off guard. The best thing for them is to get some rest and time to get used to their new normal. Well, that’s a stretch on normal, but who the fuck cares about normal as long as they are safe and loved?