Chapter 29
29
Steal
I swallow hard and watch as Cassidy leaves the outhouse while the brothers, oblivious to my torment, laugh at her words as Faith screams and struggles behind her gag.
The bitch is always wanting attention….
“Steal?” Acid questions, but I don’t take my eyes off the empty doorway while my hands feel sticky with Faith’s blood.
When Faith came to, after Pitbull poured salt water over her head, I stabbed the knife into her thigh and dragged it down her flesh, shocking her.
She honestly thought I fell for her despite being with Cass for years….
Delusional bitch.
“This club, putting Faith above Cass, is the reason my daughter was taken,” I admit numbly. “I thought she’d be pleased if I hung up my cut for her and our daughter, to take them away from the danger.”
“But in doing that, brother, it means leaving your family, her family,” Cannon says.
“Brother, that woman loves you, and you know she was right; if she wanted to, she could leave, but she hasn’t. She’s allowed you to get to know your daughter and to show her what she means to you,” Anchor chimes in, and I sigh, looking around the room and finding every eye on me.
“We won’t let you hang up your cut,” Acid says.
I swallow hard. "It’s not something I’ve just come up with, brother. I’ve been thinking about it for months, and Dad is backing me; we spoke last week, and he agreed….”
They all freeze in shock, and I look down at my left hand, my eyes going to Cassidy’s name on my ring finger, blood covering it.
“She won’t respect you if you leave; she said so herself,” Cannon adds, and I huff and turn back toward Faith.
Her eyes plead with me, but I don’t even flinch. This woman has spent years trying to get my patch, all because I fucked her regularly before Cass came along.
And it’s not like she only slept with me in that time, for fuck’s sake. The woman has opened her legs more than the clubwhores.
“Colt…” Anchor says.
I sigh, look at Anchor, and admit, “I was going to put a vote in for you to take over as president.”
The brothers curse while Anchor snaps, “And I will refuse! This is your club. You’ve brought us this far, and I get it, it cost you your family, your woman, and I fucking understand the pain.” I look down, knowing he does. “We will stand by you to get Cass back, but you are not hanging up your cut, not now, not fucking ever. We need you, and so does Cass; she admitted that when you took a bullet for her.”
Faith mumbles through the gag, and I roll my eyes before looking at her and stating loudly, “I guess she doesn’t like to wait to be tortured,” and the brothers laugh as her eyes widen. I curl my lip at her. “You have caused enough shit for my woman, taking my daughter…you signed your death warrant.”
Faith shakes her head. She soon screams through the gag as I stab her gut and twist, before pulling it out, then stab her again, again turning the knife before I remove it.
Faith leans over a little but jolts when I stab her shoulder, not giving her a reprieve.
I fucking hate torturing women, I always have, and only once before have I had to do it, and that was when an old clubwhore tried to attack my mom when I was nineteen.
I twist the knife, causing Faith sob, and the urge to get to my family builds, so without a second thought, I pull the knife out of her flesh and slice her neck, deep, causing her head to jolt back. Her eyes wide as she chokes, and thrashes in the chair. I keep eye contact and watch as her teary ones go vacant.
“Rot in hell, bitch,” I mumble as I drop the knife on the floor. “Get two prospects to burn the body, then bleach the room. Cannon, supervise.”
The brothers grunt in acknowledgment, and I turn to leave but pause when Pitbull questions, “Prez, what about your cut?”
I swallow, and say, “I need to talk to my woman," then I walk out the door, but turn left to the sinks, and quickly wash my hands. Their words echo through the open door, making me roll my eyes.
Did the idiots seriously believe I’d just walk out of the outhouse with bloodied hands?
“He’s not handing in that leather; I’ll beat his ass if he even tries,” Pitbull announces, and Cannon chimes in, “I’ll hold him down while you do.”
“Cassy won’t let him, and we all know he wants her back, he wants to make her happy,” Acid adds.
I snap loudly, “Will you get the fucking job done already, and stop bitching like women!”
“Sounded like a true prez,” Anchor shouts back, and I groan as they laugh like there isn’t a dead body right there. I quickly dry my hands before going up the stairs and outside, walking away from the outhouse. I pause and face ahead, taking a deep breath as I look over at the clubhouse in the distance, lights shining.
I fucking love this place, I love my family, the brotherhood…but I love Cassidy Brody more, and the urge to make the name Brody hers through marriage and not through fake documents is so desperate, I’m choking on it.
She hates the club, so why in the fuck does she want me to stay unless she doesn’t want me anymore?
I swallow past the lump, and start my trek to the clubhouse as a rustling sounds behind me.
I won’t let her leave me, I need her, I always have….
Five minutes later, I walk into the common room, sighing as I try to ignore the throbbing in my leg, the men behind me making it easy with their bitching. Anchor, Acid, Piston, and Pitbull will not shut the fuck up with ways they’re going to hold me down and beat my ass if I hand in my patch.
I swear they’re worse than the fucking women with their moaning.
I look around the room before I lock eyes with Perrie, who stands and walks over to me.
Panic hits when I don’t see Cass or Moira, but I relax when Perrie states, “She’s taken Moira to your room,” and kisses my cheek before hugging me tightly.
I go to push her back but soon wrap my arms around her when she whispers, “I don’t care about the blood.” And hold her tight.
“How was she?” I ask a few seconds later, and Perrie leans back, her eyes softening at the pain that I know radiates from me, and not because my leg hurts like a bitch.
She shrugs. “She’s okay, considering, though she did mention getting the med kit to stitch your leg, and something about numbing cream. Want to explain?”
I wince as Acid takes her from my arms, kisses her head, and admits, “Faith shot at Cassy, but Steal, here, pushed her out of the way, getting shot instead.”
Perrie’s eyes widen while the men all grunt in shock, and I quickly reassure them, “I’m alright. Cass pulled the bullet out of my leg at the scene.”
Perrie winces. “She did it without local anesthetics?”
I smirk. “She did.”
Anchor adds, “After he reminded her of all the ways he fucked up, just to make her mad.”
I wince again and admit, “It was not my finest moment, but it was needed.”
Perrie nods in understanding, knowing her sister, then whispers, “Please, don’t leave.”
I sigh. “Perrie?—”
She cuts me off, “No, I get it, I do. I’ve watched you struggle for four years without her, and while, yes, I believed you were screwing around to forget, I knew you were struggling.” Her eyes race between mine. “You’ve stayed true to her for the four years she’s been gone, you haven’t slept with anyone else.” The brothers’ heads all whip my way. I roll my eyes as Perrie chuckles, “See, it wasn’t just me.”
I shake my head and state, “There is no one else for me.”
Perrie nods. “Exactly, and that is what will save your relationship with Cassidy, especially when you are looking past the Tanner situation.”
I narrow my eyes at her as the brothers look away suspiciously, but I don’t read into it. “There is no Tanner situation! The fucker can stay away from my woman!”
Perrie grins, and I fake glare at her.
Shaking my head at the brat, I kiss her head and walk toward the hallway, trying not to limp. I pause when Canine says, “You try and hand in that patch, and I’ll release years of footage of you growing up, including the one when you were four and ran around with a potty-training seat on your head.”
“I’ll wreck your bike,” Piston adds before Bulldozer chimes in, saying, “I’ll lock you out of your bank accounts, with Piston’s help, obviously.”
“I’ll bolt your fucking door!” Bowler shouts, and I drop my head as, one by one, the brothers all chime in with threats, along with the old ladies and clubwhores, who yes, are threatening to fuck my woman….
I get it, they love me, but they need to understand Cass comes first and, like fuck, will I allow anyone, including women, touch my girl.
I lift my hand in acknowledgment but don’t reply as I walk to my room, slowly opening the door, and entering.
My eyes take in Cass lying in the middle of my bed, and years of this image hits me hard, hating that I lost so much time with her.
I took her for granted, something I refuse to do from now on.
Quietly, I shut the door, then toe off my boots and remove my leather, hanging it up before carefully removing my jeans. My leg throbs at the action, but I ignore it as I remove my shirt and hobble over to my woman.
I lean on the bed and gently kiss her shoulder before looking over a sleeping Moira, ensuring her breathing is normal. As soon as I’m happy, I push up and limp over to the bathroom, needing to remove the blood so I don’t taint my girls.
I turn the shower on as hot as it will go before I carefully remove my boxers and climb in. Instantly, I stand beneath the shower head as I place my hands flat on the shower wall, the weight of the day pulling me down.
I don’t move for a while, and even when I feel the cold air hit my back, I stay still. This is not because I’m trying to get my bearings, it’s because I’m terrified Cass will leave if I move.
I hold my breath as she slowly wraps her arms around my chest and places her head against my back. On instinct, I place my hand on top of hers, keeping her there.
Fuck, I’ve missed having her in the shower with me….
“I need to stitch up your leg,” she whispers after a few minutes of us just standing here.
I hum and whisper, “In a little while….”
I feel her nod before she asks, “Did you do it?”
Not knowing what she’s asking, I simply reply, “I killed Faith, and no, I haven’t handed in my cut yet. You dangling our relationship like that made me pause.”
“That was the whole point,” she admits, “the club is your family, and I meant what I said, Colt.” She moves. I go to protest but shut my mouth when she slips around me to face me, her chest against mine.
Her eyes race against mine. “If you hand that cut in, then all the years you forgot about me, made me feel unwanted,” I wince as she lifts her hands, cutting my cheek, “it would mean it was all for nothing. This club is everything to you, and I am fully aware, if I had taken your cut all those years ago, things would have been different, but I wasn’t at the stage where I trusted you…because of how unwanted you made me feel.”
I place my forehead against hers. “I’ve missed you, Cassidy, so fucking much, and I know you're still unsure about us, but I need to know, if I stay in this club, if I keep my position, would it be a deal breaker for you?”
She answers me instantly, “No, it wouldn’t be; it never was. It was your poor decisions that led us here, Colt. And I get I could have been more vocal instead of just taking it, but I was scared to lose you…until I couldn’t cope any longer.”
I squeeze my eyes tight and hold her close, processing her words.
“I came after you that day, Trouble. I was going to explain everything, but you’d already put your plan in motion,” I admit after a few minutes of holding her, and she shrugs.
“I wouldn’t have listened anyway.” She swallows hard. “I don’t know if we can be together, Colt. So much hurt and pain between us….”
I nod. “I know, but I’m willing to try." My eyes race between her teary ones. "Please, don’t leave me until you know one hundred percent, in your heart, that you can’t get past everything.”
She tilts her head and asks, “And if I can’t, you’ll let me go?”
I narrow my eyes and state, “Like fuck. I’ll just tie you to the bed until you do.”
Her mouth drops open, and I take advantage, kissing her hard, my tongue instantly snaking into her mouth as my hands go to her ass, lifting her.
Without missing a beat, she wraps her legs around my waist as I blindly press my cock at her entrance and thrust forward hard, and she breaks the kiss, throwing her head back and gasping, “Your leg….”
I grunt as I pull out, then forward again, my leg burning. “It is not going to stop me from making my woman mine again. Moira is asleep, and I have you naked in the shower for the first time in four years…. I’m not giving up this opportunity, and I certainly won’t let you leave me; you’re mine, and I’m yours.”
That said, I kiss her again and, instead of pulling back, Cassidy kisses me back, making me groan as I thrust my hips slowly, making love to my woman, while praying and begging that she gives me another chance to prove to her that she comes first, her and our daughter….