Chapter 15
Viper
We’d just finished up the burial service for Bear when my cell started ringing. I looked down at the screen and saw it was Rebecca but silenced the call, sending it to voicemail. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to her. I did. I’d wanted to call her for several days but now wasn’t a good time.
The brothers and I were just finishing up Bear’s memorial run, and we were about to start the preparations for dinner and the bonfire afterwards. I figured I’d touch base with her later when I was back at the house, but then she called back a second and then a third time.
Fearing something was wrong, I stepped away from the others and answered, “You got Viper.”
“Viper?” A voice that certainly wasn’t Rebecca’s asked, “Who’s Viper?”
“Cat?”
“Mm-hmm.” She sounded a little confused when she asked, “Is this Thatch?”
“It is.”
“Then, why did you say it was Viper?”
“I’ll explain later. Does your mom know you have her phone?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Does she know you’re calling me?”
“No. She’s in the school right now.” Cat sighed. “She’s mad.”
“Mad about what?”
“Daddy sent me a present.”
“To school?”
“Mm-hmm. It was for my birthday, and Mom’s mad about it.”
“Oh, I see.” I didn’t blame Rebecca for being pissed. I was pissed, too. “What did he send you?”
“A teddy bear and some candy.” Her little voice sounded downright pitiful as she told me, “I didn’t want it.”
“Yeah, I can see why you wouldn’t.”
“He sent me a letter the other day, too.”
“He did?” I might’ve known that if I’d had a chance to return Rebecca’s calls, but with everything that’d been going on with the club, I just hadn’t had the time. I had no idea what this motherfucker was up to with all the letters and gifts, but I knew it wasn’t good. “He sent it to the house?”
“Yes, sir. Momma told Grandmomma that he really sent it for her and not me.”
“Ah, is that right?”
“Mm-hmm. I don’t like it when Daddy sends me stuff.”
“I don’t like it either, kid.” I was done with this fucking asshole. He’d been fucking with Bec and Cat for long enough. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she’d had a pretty shitty day, so I tried to turn things around by changing the subject. “Did you say that today’s your birthday?”
“Mm-hmm. I’m seven today.”
“Well, that’s awesome. Happy birthday, kid.”
“Thank you.” She was silent for a moment, then said, “You haven’t called Momma.”
“Yeah, I know.” I brought my hand up to my chest and pressed the bandage Doc had used to cover my wound. “I’ve had a lot going on.”
“Oh, so you’ve had some bad days, too?”
To say that I’d had some bad days was an understatement.
I was still recovering from my gunshot wound, which I’d made worse by waiting so long to get patched up.
I didn’t have a choice.
So much had to get done. After locating the trackers, we waited on Billy and his boys to show up. Even with everyone lending a hand, we had one helluva time getting things sorted at the lot. By the time we’d made it back to the clubhouse, I’d lost a good deal of blood and felt the worse for wear.
Doc gave me all kinds of hell about it, but he managed to get me cleaned up, and after a handful of stitches and a good night’s rest, I was on the mend.
The club spent several days trying to get back to normal by putting this mess with the Broken behind us and decided it was time to have Bear’s memorial run.
Our fallen brother wouldn’t soon be forgotten—nor would the mistakes I’d made that ended up costing him his life.
I wasn’t getting into all that with Cat, so I simply replied, “Yeah, you could say that. But things are looking up. I just got a call from my favorite seven-year-old, and it’s her birthday.”
“When are you coming to our house?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to your mother about that, but we’ll work something out.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see ya soon, kid.”
“All right. Bye, Thatch.”
“Bye, Cat.”
After I hung up the phone, I stood there thinking about that fucking asshole, Trevor, and the stunt he’d pulled by sending all that shit to Cat. The more I thought about it, the more I believed Rebecca was right.
He hadn’t sent that crap just for Cat.
He sent it for Rebecca, too.
He was fucking with her, and I wasn’t going to have it.
I tapped in the number of my contact at that prison, and as soon as he answered, I told him, “You have an inmate by the name of Trevor Rosewood, and I need to see him now.”
“Visiting hours are over, man.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I want a word with this asshole.”
“Let me see what I can do.”
“Make it happen, Ronnie. You owe me.”
“Okay, you know where to pull in and park. Just call me when you get here.”
“Will do.”
I hung up the phone, and as I headed for my bike, Axel and Shotgun started walking behind me. Axel sounded concerned when he asked, “Hey, brother. What’s going on?”
“I need to take care of something.”
“Now?” He glanced back at the others who were now gathering around the bonfire. “The girls are just about to start bringing out the food.”
“I’m well aware.” I threw a leg over my bike and told them, “This can’t wait.”
“You need a tag along?” Shotgun offered.
“No, I’m good. You two go join the others, and I’ll be back when I can.”
They watched as I started the engine and whipped out of the club’s parking lot.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d do or say when I got to the prison and had my face-to-face with Trevor.
I just knew I had to do something. The asshole had crossed a line.
Hell, he’d fucking crossed it more times than I could count, and he was still at it.
That shit needed to stop once and for all.
When I made it out to the prison, I stopped at the main gate and let the guards know I was there to see Ronnie. Although it’d been a while, they knew who I was and didn’t give me any shit about it.
After I got a brief pat-down, they sent me through.
I pulled around back where the guards parked; then, I messaged Ronnie to let him know I was there. Seconds later, the back door opened, and he motioned me inside. The second I reached him, he whispered, “We gotta make this fast, brother. The warden will have my ass if he finds out I—”
“I won’t need long.”
“Good.” He led me down a short hallway, then used his keys to open one of the steel security doors before guiding me down a second hall.
I glanced up at the cameras, but my concerns were quickly dashed when he said, “They’re turned off ...
At least for now. They’ll be back up and running in fifteen. ”
“Got it.”
He opened a door, and a wave of satisfaction washed over me when I found Trevor standing in the corner of the meeting room with shackles around his wrists and feet. He looked me up and down, and his face twisted into an angry scowl as he spat, “Who the fuck are you?”
“Who I am isn’t important.” Nothing would’ve made me happier than beating the ever-loving hell out of that piece of shit, but I didn’t have the time nor the luxury.
Ronnie had put his neck out for me, and I wasn’t going to fuck it up by killing this asshole on his watch. “I’m here about Cat and Rebecca.”
“What about them?”
“All your bullshit with them is done.” I walked up to him and looked him dead in the eye as I ordered, “No more letters. No more gifts. No more fighting to see Cat. It’s time for you to leave them the fuck alone.”
“And who are you to tell me that?” he snarled.
I didn’t answer.
I simply glared back at him until he started to chuckle.
“Ah, you’re the asshole she’s been fucking.” I wanted to grab him and slam his head into the wall for disrespecting Bec, but I forced myself to stay put as I listened to him say, “You really think I’m just gonna disappear because you’re putting your dick in my wife?”
“You best watch your mouth,” Ronnie warned. “You got no idea who you’re talking to.”
“I don’t give a fuck who he is or what he says!” Trevor’s sinister smile faded and was quickly replaced by an angry grimace. “Becca’s mine. Cat is, too.”
“Yours? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Yeah, they’re mine. And don’t you come in here and tell me to fuck off because I’m not going anywhere!”
I had to clench my jaw and fists just to keep myself from ripping his fucking throat out.
I let out a slow, cleansing breath as I growled, “You’re not getting them back.
You made sure of that the night you almost killed ’em.
So get it through your thick fucking head—they don’t want any part of you.
They want you out of their lives and forgotten! ”
“Maybe, but I won’t let them forget! I’m going to keep sending letters. I’m gonna keep sending gifts, and I’m gonna see Cat again. I’ll drag Becca back to court if I have to. She can’t keep my daughter away from me.”
“She can, and she will.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
We weren’t getting anywhere and the clock was ticking, so I simply replied, “I tell you what. I’m going to give you the night to think about that.”
“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll see.” I cocked my brow. “I’ll be back tomorrow, and we’ll discuss things from there.”
“I’m not going to change my fucking mind,” he barked. “Rebecca and Cat are mine. You can’t fucking have them! Not now. Not ever.”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I gave Ronnie a nod, then he followed me out of the room. Once we were out in the hall, he looked over to me and asked, “You want me to see that he gets the works?”
“Absolutely. And make sure I’m on the visitors list for tomorrow. I’ll be here first thing.”
“You got it.”
Once he’d gotten me back outside, I turned to him and said, “Thanks, Ron. I appreciate this.”
“Anything for you, brother.”
He slapped me on the shoulder, then turned and headed inside.
As I started back to the clubhouse, I didn’t have a good feeling about Trevor. The guy was an even bigger dickhead than I’d expected, and I had my doubts if he could be convinced to leave Bec and Cat alone.
In the end, it wouldn’t matter. Trevor was done fucking with them. I’d make sure of it one way or another.