Chapter 24
Reaper
We’ve been in Forest Creek for almost a week and I’m itching to head back home.
On Monday, I volunteered to go with Timber to check out Mae’s cabins on the land she’d inherited from her grandparents.
Somehow they’d spotted us, but I don’t think they realized it was the club since it’s been quiet the last couple of days.
We’re getting ready to head out, but I have another stop I need to make before I head home.
And a conversation to have.
Walking out in the main room, I spot Levi sitting on Thor’s lap as they sit on some of the couches as they talk to some of my brothers.
“Half-pint… Can I talk to you for a moment?”
She looks up at me, confused, most likely because of my hesitation.
“Yeah, Andre.” She carefully slides off Thor’s lap, and my hand shoots out to steady her when she wobbles slightly.
Half-pint caresses her stomach, and I try to contain my longing at her gesture, to have a child of my own. To have Lark’s stomach round with our child.
She gives me a rueful smile. “These babies make keeping my balance extremely difficult.” She pauses as she studies me for a moment.
Maybe I wasn’t fully concealing my emotions.
A moment later, she turns to Thor, and I swear they have a silent conversation before she gives a slight nod and smiles up at me.
“Let’s take this somewhere quieter.”
She starts walking toward Thor’s office, but something in Thor’s eyes keeps me in place as his assessing gaze studies my face.
“Just know that we’re here for you if you need us,” he says before he tilts his head in the direction of his office and where Levi walked off to. “You and yours are family.”
He gives me a chin lift as he turns back to Dragon, but it isn’t until I start following after Levi that my steps falter as another meaning hits me. At first, I thought he’d just meant the club, but does he know about Lark?
At his door, I make myself not look back at him, but suddenly, my skin crawls with unease.
I had thought I was hiding my warring emotions, but maybe I wasn’t.
“Andre, it’s okay. Come sit down and tell me what’s going on,” Half-pint says as she pats the cushions on the other end of the couch. She’s already turned in her seat so that she’s facing me.
Sitting down, I exhale heavily as I try to gather my thoughts.
“How did you do it?” I blurt out and internally I groan. I hadn’t wanted to start with this topic, but my mouth seems to have overridden my brain.
“Do what, Andre?”
“Your nightmares, night terrors. How did you overcome them?”
Her face softens but then her eyes turn haunted.
“I’m not fully over them actually. While their frequency has gone down greatly, it still happens too many times for my liking.
However, it’s my men that take the credit for getting me through them.
They are the ones that are able to pull me out of the nightmares and then they hold me through what I call the shaky stage afterward.
” She cocks her head as she studies me. “How bad have yours been? How frequent?”
I exhale heavily again as I scrub my face.
“Almost every night.” I swallow thickly as memories bombard me.
“I… I had wondered if that was the case, but mine…” I clear my throat.
“I wanted to take that next step, but I had to know what it would be like for someone else so I… I set up a private camera so I could see the extent of them and how I act.”
Shame rolls through me as I remember watching those videos.
A hand on my arm has me jumping slightly and my muscles coiling tight, but as I turn toward Levi, there’s no judgement in her eyes about my reaction to her touch.
“I’m too violent, Levi. There’s no way I could pull her into that knowing I’d most likely hurt her the first time we sleep together.”
Levi smiles. “Is it someone I know?”
I shake my head and pull out my phone. “No, but hopefully you’ll be able to meet her soon.” I unlock my phone and hand it to her. “That’s my Lark, my Darlin’, my Neith.”
Levi’s smile widens. “She’s gorgeous, Andre.”
Her eyes turn hesitant and I know she’s noticed her burns.
“Do you remember the fires that happened last year? Where Punisher’s brother was injured in one of them?”
She nods. “Yeah. He said they suspected it was arson, but the culprit was never caught. Wait. Was she one of the victims?”
Glumly, I nod. “Yeah. Both her house and their family’s supper club were hit.
Those buildings dated back to 1931. Both of them had to be leveled and rebuilt.
Erik… Erik was the one that initially reached her, but on the way out, the stairs collapsed beneath both of them.
They fell through two sets of stairs and into the basement.
A beam fell from the ceiling and knocked Erik out.
Thankfully, two other firefighters got them out before they were injured worse. ”
My hands curl into fists at the reminder of Zac, but this is the one and only thing I will be thankful for. He was the one that got my Lark out of the fire and another friend of mine, Reese, got Erik out.
Her hand tightens on my arm. “How bad were her burns?”
“She has all three, first, second, and third-degree burns. The worst ones are on the left side of her upper body, but she said she has minor ones on her right shoulder and her lower legs.”
“Does… Does she know it was Erik that tried to save her?”
I hesitate and shake my head. “I don’t think so.
Her mom, Emma, and her grandma, Lottie, both know, but Lark blames herself for his injury.
I think that’s as much as she knows though and knowing my Darlin’, she’s been beating herself up ever since for being the reason someone lost a job that they loved.
I’ve tried to talk to her before about it, but I don’t think it will sink in until she talks to Erik herself.
She’s not ready to talk to him yet. I’ve told her that when she is, I’ll set up a meeting with him for her. ”
Half-pint smiles up at me. “You’re a great man, Andre, and I know you’ll get through this.
” She hesitates but still continues. “I know our lives make this aspect difficult, but is there anyone you might consider going to to talk about things? I know we can’t tell a shrink everything about what happened to us, but we can give them highlights. ”
This time it’s me that hesitates, but I nod.
“Actually, I called my cousin the night before we came here. Mackenzie, but I’ve always called her Kenzie, is a therapist. She mainly works with children and battered spouses.
She lives about an hour and a half from here and is sort of on our way home.
I’m going to stop by her house on the way back and talk to her.
” I pause again and turn toward her. “I hate the idea of talking to a shrink, of needing one, but if there’s anyone that can help me, it would be her.
We’ve always been close, and we grew even closer when the club and I helped her out of a mess her asshole ex had caused.
I know Kenzie would never repeat anything I say to her, and that knowledge solidified even more in the aftermath of that fucking fiasco. ”
Levi’s smile widens. “I’m glad you’re going to talk to her.
Just remember though, I’m here for you if you need another ear or if you can’t reach Kenzie.
” She pauses, and she worries her lip as her smile fades.
She fiddles with the pen in her hand but doesn’t look back up at me as she continues.
“Do you think she’d be okay taking on more discrete patients? ”
This time, I comfort her as I place my hand over hers, stilling the nervous habit she’s had ever since we were kidnapped. She always has to have her fingers moving now, be it a pen or a knife that she twirls around her fingers.
“I think she would be okay with it, but I’ll ask and make sure when I’m there. If she is, I’ll text you her number.”
“Thank you.” She pauses as she smiles mischievously at me. “And I can’t wait to meet your Lark, Andre. When you’re ready, give her my number and I’ll bring her in on a text thread with the other ladies. Mama Astrid is in it too, so she won’t be the only woman from your club in it.”
Relief fills me unexpectedly at having Levi’s support in this and her acceptance of Lark. I pull her closer and give her a hug.
“Thanks, Half-pint.”
She scoffs and somehow her smile widens even more.
“Of course, Andre. You just needed a little reminder that we’ve always got each other’s backs.
Give us a heads-up next time you’re able to come visit, and we’ll do the same.
Though I have a feeling my men will probably prefer to wait until these troublemakers are born, and even then, I think they’ll be reluctant for a while. ”
I chuckle and reach out to caress her stomach. “Be good, my little nieces, and stop using your mama’s organs as a trampoline or a soccer ball.”
Levi laughs and I smile as I feel two little kicks. I give her stomach a mock glare. “I said be nice to your mama, little ladies. You can tear it up once you’re able to walk.”
Levi laughs again and leans toward me, resting her head against my shoulder as we sit side by side. She slips her hand into mine and I give it a gentle squeeze.
“You’ll get through this, Andre. We’ll get through this. And someday, we’ll break the chains they still hold over us.”
We sat like that for another twenty minutes talking, and as we talked, it further cemented that I was doing the right thing.
Half an hour later, we’re all ready to hit the road. Devil clasps me on my shoulder as we stand by our bikes. “Say hello to Kenzie for us. Take all the time you need. I’ve got things until you get back and will check in on your shop in the meantime.”
I give him a chin lift, throw my leg over my bike, and start her up.