Zisa Chapter 20
There was something going on with Moose and Carnage. Mama and I noticed it last week after their meeting with Maestro. However, when asked, they claimed that it was nothing other than wanting to take precautions since they didn’t trust Marius not to follow us to Norfolk and make trouble. I was more concerned about Penn, but they assured us he’d be stupid to come here. And Zuri was safe at the rehab facility. They wouldn’t allow anyone in to see patients until after their first month. In addition, she had given them the names of the individuals allowed to visit after her initial month was up. Penn wouldn’t be permitted in the door. Plus, they had their own security if he were to find her, which shouldn’t be possible.
We’d asked a couple more times, only to be told the same. That was until today. I knew something was up when Carnage and Moose came home from work early and got Mama and me together at their house. We were sitting around the table now, waiting to find out what was up.
“Is one of you planning to tell us what’s wrong? Or do we have to guess?” I asked.
“Or do we have to pull it out of you?” Mama added.
“Damn, no need to be blood-thirsty, woman, although you know that turns me on,” Carnage told her with a wink.
She giggled and told him, “Behave.”
“Never. Okay, you’ve got us. There is something we have to tell you, but it’s not exactly worrisome. It’s about Marius Cooper,” Carnage started to explain. Hearing Marius’s name made me stiffen.
“Let me guess, he’s been spotted here,” I said.
“No. Let me go back. Maestro was able to find a lot of dirt on him. He’s not a good man, Bae. I won’t go into all the sordid details, but know he’s forced women to do things they didn’t want, tampered with evidence and more. Maestro was able to get proof of it. He sent it to the DA, the chief of police in Salina, and Detective Silva.”
“Why all three?” Mama asked. I wondered the same thing.
“Because we couldn’t be sure, without taking a ton more time, that one of them might be on the take and would sweep it under the rug. By sending to all three, we increased our chances of at least one of them pursuing it,” Moose said.
“Makes sense. So one or more are following up, and he’s been arrested,” I exclaimed.
“Partially. It seems we lucked out, and all three men are on the up and up. They were just as outraged to find out they had a dirty cop as we were. They went to arrest him, and that’s where it got muddled. They couldn’t find him. He’s not been to work, he’s not at home, and all his friends deny knowing where he is. They think he somehow got wind of the fact that he was about to be arrested, and he went underground. He’s on the run,” Moose continued to explain.
“They’ve put a BOLO, be on the lookout, on him with police and sheriff departments throughout Kansas. We’re confident they’ll catch him soon, but just to be safe, we wanted to let you know. It doesn’t change what you’ve been doing for the past week. He’d be stupid to come here,” Carnage stated.
“But we know from the last time we saw him Marius isn’t stable. He might come here. If he thinks he has nowhere to run and is facing prison, he could make it his last mission. Does he know it was your club that obtained the information on him? From what I’ve heard, former police officers don’t fare well in prison, and some even get killed,” Mama speculated.
“There’s no way he knows it was us. Not even the DA, the chief, or Silva knows where the information came from. We kept it anonymous and untraceable to us. If they knew, they’d ask how we obtained it and why. Since Maestro did it illegally, and we’re bikers, we kept it concealed,” Moose assured us.
I wasn’t happy with the news, but with us inside the fence and having guards with us whenever we left, which had only been a few times, I wasn’t too concerned for Mama and me. The girls and our men, on the other hand, did trouble me.
“You two need to have bodyguards whenever you ride out. Do the girls need someone to keep an eye on the school, like we did in Salina?” I asked.
“We’ve already thought of the school, and yes, we’ll do it as a precaution. As for us, there’s no need. We can take care of ourselves,” Carnage reassured us, only we weren’t.
“You’re not indestructible. Marius could run you off the road or take a shot at you if he’s that upset. You should remain in the compound as much as you can and ride in cages until they catch him,” Mama demanded.
“I’m not riding in a cage or hiding like a coward. If he’s stupid enough to come after us, he’ll get more than he bargained for, and it won’t be a prison stay,” Carnage growled.
“Argh, I swear you make me want to choke you! How is it fine for you to risk yourself but not us? You’re just as important to us as we are to you,” Mama snapped in frustration at Carnage.
“Ditto,” I muttered to Moose.
“And if you say it’s because you’re men and we’re women, you’ll be sleeping alone in more ways than one,” she threatened.
“Songbird, you can try and make me sleep without you in more ways than one, but I wouldn’t count on it. You can be upset with me, but you’re not throwing me out of our bed or withholding sex. Besides, you wouldn't be able to stand it any more than I can,” he said smugly.
“Oh, I’d suffer, but I’ve been without a lot longer than you ever have,” she warned.
I noticed Moose trying not to laugh. I pointed at him. “Don’t sit there and laugh. You’re looking at the same thing, mister.”
“Hey, don’t you dare try and cut me off. I just do what my president tells me to do.”
“Way to back me up,” Carnage hissed.
“When it comes to sex, you’re on your own. I love ya, brother, but not that much,” Moose pseudo-whispered back. Their ridiculousness made Mama and I laugh, though we wanted to stay serious. It broke the tension somewhat. I quickly sobered up.
“You’re both a pain in our asses. If you won’t ride in cages, will you at least promise not to ride alone? I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you,” I told Moose.
I let him see my tears. Mama had them leaking down her face. As expected, both men crumpled and promised they would if we stopped crying. They had no clue that we could turn our tears on and off at will. That was a secret we’d keep for as long as possible.
“What do you want to tell Imani and Milan?” I asked Mama.
“Nothing. In their case, they don’t need to know. They’ve gotten used to someone always being with them, so they won’t see it as anything new,” she said.
“I agree. And in case you’re worried about anything happening here at home, Maestro has cameras on the fences and the inside of the compound around the clubhouse and houses,” Moose added.
“He spies on us!” I exclaimed.
“No, not spies, protects. But don’t worry. If we have sex outside or anything, we’ll tell him to turn off those cameras,” Moose smirked.
“And that right there guarantees there will be no sex outside,” I vowed, although it was more to make him squirm than the truth. I’d just have him tell Maestro not to look or to turn them off.
Before Moose could protest, Carnage came to his rescue. “She’s baiting you. Since we’re done here and home early, why don’t we go our separate ways and have private time? I know I have things I want to talk to Shantel about.” He gave Mama a heated look.
“Oh no, we’re out of here. Come on,” I squeaked as I stood, grabbed Moose’s hand, and almost tipped him out of his chair. Carnage’s chuckles followed us out the door.
Moose let out a loud growl and hoisted me over his shoulder. He smacked my ass as he rushed me to our rooms. My core was already heating up with the thought of him.
???
The guys were in church tonight. Lainey, Ryan, Mama, and I were in the common room waiting for them to get done. We were chatting about the upcoming wedding between Daredevil and Shain. We were excited to go and get to see everyone. Mama was eager to meet the Infidels. I’d told her so much about them from my brief time at MMM.
The kids were with us. Milan was drawing and showing her work to Atticus. He seemed content to sit quietly and watch her. Cale was playing a handheld game. Imani, Phaedra, and Sparrow were playing with dolls. Prewitt wasn’t left out. He was contentedly playing with his cars, racing them along the bar.
Jasper and Huck were busy with their prospect duties. Tonight was one of the nights when the bunnies were cooking. I’d finally met them about a week after we got here. I wanted to dislike them on principle, but after meeting them, I didn’t dislike them at all, much to my surprise. They’d been nothing but respectful to us. They hadn’t tried to make moves on our men. They were careful not to do anything inappropriate where the kids might see them. Even Mama liked them.
They ranged from about my age to their early twenties. Mazie was the one closest to my twenty-eight at twenty-seven. A couple of years younger than her was Rose, and the baby was Heidi. She told me she was twenty-three. I was curious to know what attracted them to the lifestyle they were living, but I didn’t feel I knew them well enough to ask.
Mama and I offered to help them cook tonight, but they insisted it was their turn. We’d done it last night for everyone. After last night’s dinner, Heidi had shyly asked if we’d maybe teach them some tricks to improve their cooking. We told them we’d be happy to. We were to set up a few lessons soon. We asked Lainey and Ryan if they’d like to help but made sure they knew it wasn’t expected. They agreed to see what one was like.
I’d discovered from Moose that until Carnage got with Mama, the other old ladies had sorta been in charge of the bunnies. When I asked him what that meant, he explained. In the past, the president’s old lady was the one who would make sure bunnies knew their place, did what was expected, stayed in line, and more. For example, although the men used condoms, the women were expected to be on birth control and to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases every six months. The men were to do the same, but that was Rowdy’s job to police them.
The president’s woman ensured the bunnies did it and didn’t cause trouble. If there were questions or issues, she handled them. The other two had done it, but it wasn’t as tightly organized as it should’ve been. Now that Carnage had Mama, it would be her responsibility. I knew she’d take it on, even if it wasn’t hers. She would want to make sure no one was hurt or mistreated, whether it was the women or the guys.
“I can’t wait to see Shain’s dress. Although we’ve been helping a little, the bulk of the wedding planning has been done by the Infidels’ women, Daredevil’s mom, and sister. Shain said she’s met his whole family on video chats, but only the parents have been in person. His three brothers and sister are coming to the wedding. They all live in Florida,” Lainey shared.
“Wow, he’s from a large family. That would be nice, though chaotic, I bet,” I commented.
“His dad is Hispanic, and they seem to like larger families. Our three is more than enough. I couldn’t imagine five. His mom must be a saint,” Ryan said.
“Or she’s just organized like a drill sergeant, like someone I know,” I risked a peek at Mama. She had always been loving, but she made us toe the line. That’s what made what happened with Zuri so hard for her to accept. She still thought she had failed in some way.
“I wasn’t that mean,” she protested.
“I didn’t say mean. You kept us very organized and focused. You had to, with it being just you and working two jobs to support us. If it hadn’t been for you, God knows what would’ve happened to us. And before you say anything about Zuri, she did that on her own. She was an adult when Penn got his hooks into her.”
She sighed. “I know she was, but I still wonder if there was something I could’ve done to prevent it or help her escape him before he got such a hold on her.”
“We both do, Mama. But she’s free of him, and she’s where she can overcome her addiction. Once she’s clean, she’ll come back and be a part of our family again.”
“She’s right, Shantel. I’ve heard great things about the place she’s at. A friend of mine’s brother went there, and he’s been out and clean for six years. He’s doing great. Holding down a job and everything,” Lainey offered. Mama squeezed her hand.
“Do you mind if I ask why you raised your daughters alone, Shantel?” Ryan asked.
“No, I don’t mind. My husband woke up one day and decided he no longer wanted a family. He didn’t need us. He walked out, and we never saw or heard from him again. I was able to get someone who was a PI to find out where he was so I could serve him with divorce papers. I didn’t want to be tied to him if he didn’t want us. I was blessed that he signed them without a fight. And he didn’t fight about the car, the house, our possessions, or anything. What I didn’t know was he had taken out a loan against our house. I don’t know what for. With him gone, I had no choice but to sell it to pay off what was owed.
“My girls and I found an apartment. There was a neighbor who agreed to watch them when I worked nights. She had kids, too, so she didn’t charge me a fortune. She had a husband with a decent job, so she didn’t work. He was a good man and didn’t mind Zisa and Zuri being there at night with his kids. They helped us until they got old enough to stay home alone, though our neighbors would keep an eye on them for me.” She stopped there. I know she was lost in her memories.
“When we grew up, Zuri and I moved out, which allowed Mama to go back to her main job, working as a nurse aide. She was doing it and had found a small house to rent. It was only a couple of years after that when Zuri met Penn and ended up having Milan. We never liked him, even though he tried to pretend he was a sweet guy around us. We suspected things weren’t right. Milan was only a few months old when we found out Zuri was pregnant again. By then, we knew she was using. We tried to get her to come home and get clean, but she refused. Kept saying she was fine and we were crazy. Not long before Imani was born, Mama went to visit and found Milan screaming in her crib, soaking wet and hungry. My sister was passed out. Mama took Milan that day.
“My sister didn’t try to take her back or anything. Mama knew someone at the hospital who called when Zuri showed up in labor with Imani. I stayed home with Milan, and Mama went to be with her. Penn didn’t even bother to show up, which was no surprise. As soon as she gave birth, Mama and Zuri talked. I didn’t know it then, but Mama had gone to see a lawyer she knew, and he’d drawn up papers granting her custody of both girls. Zuri signed them, and when Penn came to get her when she was discharged, she convinced him to sign them. Mama brought Imani home from the hospital, and she’s never left her care.”
“That’s so heartbreaking, Shantel. But Milan and Imani are so fortunate to have you and Zisa. Do they know Zuri is their mother?” Ryan asked softly.
“They do. We’ve never hidden it. They know she’s sick and can’t take care of them. We now know that monster did more than get her hooked on drugs. She’s tried to leave him numerous times. He’s beaten her, and God knows what else. He forced her to sell herself. I can’t wait until karma comes around on that bastard,” I hissed.
We were all holding hands when the sound of men’s voices coming nearer got our attention. Into the room came the Regulators. Church was over. I wiped the single tear that had escaped from my eye and got up to greet Moose. The other women were doing the same to their men. As Moose enveloped me in his arms and bent to kiss me, he froze.
“You’ve been crying. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. Talk to me,” he said as he guided me further away to an empty spot.
“It’s really nothing. We got to talking about Zuri and how Mama ended up with the kids. And I was thinking of Zuri and what she went through and that motherfucker Penn and how I hope karma finds him soon. It upset me. I shed a tear, that’s all. I’m okay.”
He hugged me close and then whispered in my ear, “I swear he’s going to pay, and I have a feeling it’ll be soon. I don’t want you worrying or thinking about him. Just dream of what it’ll be like when your sister comes home.” He kissed me, taking my mind further from the negative thoughts. By the time he stopped, I was floating.
It wasn’t long before dinner was served. I saw what Moose meant about the bunnies’ cooking. It was edible, but that was all I could say about it. They didn’t know anything about seasoning. Yeah, lessons would do them a world of good.
After it was over, Mama and I insisted on helping them to clean up the dishes and kitchen. Lainey and Ryan helped, though I don’t think they were happy about it. As we worked, the men remained in the common room with the kids. It would be time soon to take them home to get ready for bed. They had school in the morning.
I was wiping down the long counter in the center of the kitchen when Heidi came up to me. She gave me a hesitant smile. “Hey, how’re you?” I asked.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked quietly.
“Sure, ask away.”
“Why don’t you hate us? You and your Mama don’t seem to, unlike the other old ladies.”
“Honey, I don’t know if Lainey and Ryan hate you or not. You’d have to ask them. As for Mama and me, you haven’t done anything to make us hate you.”
“But you two have a reason to dislike us. We’ve had sex with your men. We haven’t with theirs. But it was before they met you! I swear, they haven’t asked since they’ve met you or your mama. Even before Moose went to Kansas, he came back from Texas and wouldn’t have anything to do with us. We didn’t know why until we heard he was bringing home an old lady. I promise we won’t go near them.” she rapidly admitted.
I wasn’t excited to hear that she’d slept with Moose, not that I didn’t already figure she had. They all had. He was a man in his sexual prime, and they were attractive women there for his and the others’ enjoyment. It did make me squirm to think about it, though.
“Heidi, I’ll be honest. I’m not overjoyed that you or the others have slept with Moose. However, what he did before meeting me I can’t control. I’ve been with other men before him. And I know he wasn’t happy when he met one of them. It does complicate things that he and I have to see you consistently. The situation isn’t typical. However, the only time you’ll have an issue with me or my mama is if you or the others dare to put a hand on them or try to get them to have sex with you. If that happens, you won’t like me,” I warned.
She shook her head emphatically. “I swear to God, I won’t. We like it here and don’t want to be kicked out. And we can see that they love you. If we caused issues, Carnage would send us packing in a heartbeat. He adores your mama, you, and the girls. I’ve never seen him this happy. He smiles,” she said in astonishment.
As I chuckled at her amazement that Carnage could smile, Mama’s voice joined in. “And I love him. He’s a wonderful man. I second what Zisa said. As long as you and the others keep your hands off our men and don’t do anything to try and entice them, we’ll be good. It is awkward. You can do us a favor, though.”
“What? Anything,” she said eagerly.
“We know that other women come to party—the ones they call hangers. If you would be sure to pass along to them and anyone new who shows up that the guys with old ladies are off limits and to steer clear of them, that would be great.”
“We can do that. I’m glad we had this talk. Oh, and I’m looking forward to the cooking lessons. Thank you,” she said before darting away. She headed over to Rose and Mazie. Since the work was done, we decided to vacate the kitchen. Ryan and Lainey had already left.
It was already after eight. Mama went to Carnage while I went to Moose. I gave him a kiss.
“I’m heading to our room,” I informed him. He began to rise. I pushed him back down.
“Stay. Enjoy a drink or two and talk to your brothers. I’ll be fine. I could use some me time. I think I’ll read and take a bubble bath.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. See you when you get done.” He squeezed me on the hip.
Mama and the girls were walking to the door. I decided to walk with them to the house and then walk back. Imani and Milan chatted some, but I could tell they were tired. I hugged all three of them at the door and gave kisses. After they shut themselves inside, I slowly walked back. It was a nice night out. Changing my mind about going inside right away, I circled the clubhouse. A lap or two would do me good.
I was walking along the front when I heard voices and what sounded like a scuffle. I scanned the area. That’s when I noticed the gate wasn’t fully closed, and there was a car parked outside it. The taillights were on. I strained to hear more. There was a faint hum of the engine, and then I heard a woman yell.
“Get back here! You’re not allowed in there!”
“Shut up, bitch, and mind your own business,” a man hissed.
I recognized both voices. The woman was Heidi, I was almost positive, and the man was Marius. I turned to run inside and get the men but stopped when I heard her scream in pain. I whipped back around and took off running toward them. As I grew closer, I heard another voice.
“Shut her up! She’s gonna ruin everything. We need to get our hands on one of those bitches. I want to know where they hid Zuri.”
Fear and rage took over. It was Penn. What the hell was Marius doing with Penn? Heidi cried out again, but it was abruptly cut off. Not wanting her to be hurt, yet wanting to prevent those two from invading the compound and hurting others, especially Mama and the girls, I began to scream and shout at the top of my voice, praying that someone inside would hear me. However, I kept running toward the gate. Maybe they’d get scared and back off, and I could shut it.
“Get out of here, you son of bitches! You’d better leave! The Regulators are coming! They’ll kill you! I know it’s you, Marius, and Penn. Why would you work with such a lowlife, Marius!?” I yelled anything that popped into my head. I was almost at the gate when a dark shadow ran at me. I braced myself to fight.
I wasn’t prepared for how hard he hit me when he tackled me. We fell to the ground. I punched, used my knees, and wiggled as if my life depended on it. The man on top of me grunted in pain. Getting a hand free, I scratched it down his face. He yelled. “Fucking stop it, Zisa. I don’t want to hurt you. You need to come with me,” Marius hissed. He pinned my arms to the ground.
“I’ll never go with you,” I yelled back.
“Keep her quiet,” Penn hoarsely said as he ran past us. Right before Marius could cover my mouth, I gave another blood-curdling scream. His hand covered my mouth and nose. I tried to wiggle free.
“I’m your only hope. He’s fucking crazy. He’s determined to find your sister. He doesn’t care who he has to hurt or kill to do it. Let me get you out of here. I can’t let him hurt you,” Marius said urgently.
I tried to get my legs between us so I could toss him off me, but he had me pressed too tightly against him. I began to feel lightheaded. I couldn’t breathe because of the way he was covering my nose and mouth. If I passed out, he could take me.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever loved, Zisa. And I know you love me,” he whispered.
Consciousness faded more. I could’ve sworn I heard yelling, but it might have been wishful thinking. As it all went black, I prayed one day, Moose would find me.