Thirty
F inally we were back in the mobile home, and the flimsy door was locked. I peered out through the small, curtained window, praying he hadn’t followed us. There was nobody outside, but I couldn’t stop watching.
What if he appeared the second I looked away? What if I relaxed, and that was when he found me? Oh god. Why was he here? How the hell was he here? How was this happening?
“Okay, that’s enough. Come here, babe.” Stitch pulled me away from the window, and I fought him the whole time, because if I wasn’t keeping watch, he’d sneak up on us. He’d get to me again.
“Babe, talk to me. Who the fuck did we just run from? I want his name, I want to know who he is, and what he fucking did. He’s a dead man, babe, I promise you that.”
I couldn’t stop shaking, and Stitch’s words weren’t really permeating my consciousness, because my focus was on that window, and watching for him. If we weren’t keeping watch, he’d sneak up on us. He’d find us. I couldn’t breathe, clawing at my throat with trembling hands.
“Oh god…”
Stitch dragged me down with him, until he sat on the floor with me sitting on him.
“Hey, shh babe, it’s okay. Look, we’re out of sight, and he can’t find you, okay? He won’t find you here. Look at me, Camille, babe, look at me. ”
Stitch was taking slow breaths, like he was trying to coax me or coach me, but I couldn’t do it. I was gasping and panicking, and it wouldn’t stop.
“I… I can’t…”
Stitch dug his phone out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear.
“Hey, man, is your old lady around?”
He cursed. “Of course I’m not fucking creeping on her, man. Camille is… she’s freaking out and I need her help.”
Suddenly he was moving the phone again, while I took shallow gasping breaths, and clawed at his arm, desperate for some kind of help.
“Cammy? Babe, it’s me, it’s Lissa. What’s going on?” Her voice came out of the loudspeaker on the phone.
I lifted my eyes to look at Stitch, and he nodded, offering me a small smile.
“It’s okay, babe. I’ve got you, yeah?”
“Cammy, I want you to count as you breathe in, okay? Breathe in, 1, 2, 3, 4, and breathe out. Are you doing it? Stitch, is she doing it?”
He grinned. “Yeah, darlin’, keep talking, it’s helping her.”
Was it? Did I feel more in control? No, because he was out there. I sucked in another panicked breath, and Stitch cursed.
“Do the breathing thing, babe, come on. You’re safe.”
“Cammy, breathe with me, babe. You can do this.” Lissa talked me through my breathing for what seemed like forever, and finally I felt the panic starting to recede. Air was reaching all the parts of me that had started tingling during my panic, and the light-headedness was fading slowly.
“That’s good, well done, babe. You’ve got this. You’re doing great.”
Lissa’s voice was grounding me, and Stitch’s gaze on me, his eyes on mine and his hand squeezing mine; it was all helping, it was all making the panic ebb away, minute by painful minute.
Finally I slumped against Stitch, exhausted and feeling a little drowsy after all the energy I’d expended in the longest panic attack I’d had in years.
“Lissa, thanks so much. I’m gonna get Camille onto the bed to rest, and then I’m gonna move from this location, so she feels safer. Tell Ice I’m calling back and he better be ready.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I thanked Lissa, and let Stitch haul me up from the floor and lead me to the bed we hadn’t tidied away. He eased me under the covers, and tucked me in, leaning over to pull the only open curtains closed again.
“I’m gonna put some distance between us and this place, babe. You rest up for me. Can you do that? I don’t want to leave you alone, but I know you’ll feel safer when we’ve moved, won’t you?”
I nodded. “Please, Stitch. Get me away from here.” He kissed my forehead.
“Rest up, babe. I love you, and I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
Stitch
I got behind the wheel, and started driving, with absolutely no idea of where we were going yet. Before I’d left, I’d sent Ice a message, getting him to tag my location at the time of Camille’s meltdown, because whoever the bastard was, he was there right now.
I tucked my headphones in, and tapped the screen to dial. I wasn’t calling Ice like I’d said, because I’d realised something when I was getting us moving. Reacher had to okay this, or it couldn’t happen.
“Hey brother. How is she?” News travelled fast in the clubhouse, thankfully.
“Resting. Who’s with you?”
Reacher cleared his throat.
“Got a full fucking house right now, so you’re on speaker with Ice, Lissa, Ally, Ryder, and Tori.” Huh. Maybe the girls had all bonded enough already that they cared about Camille.
“I need to know who this is. Who the hell is she so afraid of, and what did the fucker do?”
Ice cursed. “We shouldn’t be talking about her private business like this. It’s not for public consumption, and don’t pretend you’d be okay with it if we were talking about your shit.”
Lissa piped up next. “If someone hurt Cammy, and is hurting her again, we need to fix it.”
Hurting her again. Not physically, but I’d never seen her like that. Never seen anyone like that, short of a few bastards who knew they were going to die painfully, and they did.
“Can we hurry this the fuck up? If the bastard moves on while you guys are stroking your own egos, I’m gonna have a real problem.”
Reacher sighed heavily, and I knew I was pushing him to say words he didn’t want to utter.
“She ran from an abusive partner, Stitch. From her medical records, which I can just about understand, she’s had multiple broken bones, bruises, the works. This guy is a sick fucker, and she ran, man. She came here to escape him.”
Lissa sounded like she was crying.
“Why didn’t she tell me? Why wouldn’t she let me help her. No wonder she freaked out when Stitch yelled that day.”
I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly I thought my fingers would break. This bastard had hurt my wife. My fucking wife . I’d peel the skin from his fucking bones, and relish every scream of agony.
“Stitch, can you stop growling for a fucking second and listen?” Was I? I wasn’t aware that the pure all-consuming rage inside me was escaping and making a sound, but I forced myself to respond.
“Guy’s name is Ross Havers. He’s a fucking lawyer, and he’s possibly out of town on holiday, because he’s based in Manchester. What are the fucking chances he’d end up in the same town as you guys?”
“This place is tiny, and really fucking hard to find. We sure he’s not tracking her or something?”
They were all quiet for a moment, and then Reacher spoke again.
“What’s the plan, brother?”
I took a breath, trying to relax my fingers on the steering wheel. Reacher had better back me on this, or I’d lose my shit.
“He dies, and I need to be the one to do it.”
They were silent for a moment, then Reacher spoke again.
“We’re on our way. Ice will send you meeting co-ordinates. We need to do this clean, brother. He’s got a life, and they’ll be looking for him.”
I didn’t care about that. I didn’t care about any of it. I was going to find this twisted asshole, and make him scream and beg before he died. I’d make sure he felt every second of the terror he’d caused my wife.
I might not be long for this world, but I was gonna make damn sure that Camille could live on without me, and without the fear this bastard caused in her. I was gonna free her of him, once and for all.
The call had ended, and I hadn’t even realised, but a text beeped, and I checked the co-ordinates. Good, only a few minutes away. Time to go and wait for our retribution.
I couldn’t wait to get started, because of all the things I was taking from Camille, her time, her love, finally I was able to give something back. Her life.
Cammy
S titch woke me, stroking my face gently, his lips touching my forehead.
“Were you having a bad dream?”
I felt groggy and exhausted, rubbing at my eyes for a moment as I tried to shake it off.
“I have no idea. How long was I sleeping?”
He smiled, moving so I could sit up, and joining me on the bed.
“Not long. Maybe an hour.”
“I’m sorry.” He went from smiling to glaring at me.
“What. The. Fuck. For?”
I took a breath, reaching for his hand.
“I think I kinda lost my mind for a bit there.”
Stitch stroked my palm with his thumb.
“You had a panic attack, and no fucking wonder. Was it Ross? Was he at that fucking beach?”
I felt my heart thudding in my chest, wondering what the hell he knew. I’d never expected to hear that monster’s name from his lips. I’d never wanted to hear it again ever .
“You know him?”
“Of course I don’t fucking know him, but I know what the bastard did to you, or at least I know what the background check found. Did he do stuff that didn’t go on record? Did he fucking abuse you sexually too?”
I tried pulling my hand from his grasp, but his fingers tightened.
“Babe, talk to me. Seeing you like that, so terrified, so out of your mind with fear… I never want to see you like that again. He has too much power over you right now, and he doesn’t deserve it. You get that? He deserves to be forgotten, and you deserve to be happy and at peace.”
“It’s not that easy to just forget him, and I still don’t understand how you even know about him.”
Stitch looked grim-faced as he stared back at me.
“You think I wouldn’t do everything I could to find out what caused that panic earlier? You think I wouldn’t move heaven and fucking earth to make sure it never happens again?”
“But we’re safe now. We’re not there anymore, right? Where did we stop?”
A familiar but unexpected sound caught my attention, and I glanced toward the front of the camper, as the roaring of motorcycles grew louder. I sat up taller, wondering what the hell was going on. I felt like I’d slept so long I’d missed vital things, and was out of the loop.
“Is that your club? Your brothers? What’s going on, Stitch?”
He pushed up from the bed, releasing my hand.
“Yeah, it’s some of the club. We’ve got some club business to sort but it shouldn’t take long.”
“Is it Ross? Are you going to do something stupid, Stitch? Please, don’t. He’s dangerous. He’ll find a way out, and you’ll all end up in trouble. He’s a monster.”
I followed him, struggling out of the blankets and hurrying across the floor of the motorhome, as he reached the door, and pulled it open.
“No, Stitch! You can’t get involved. We just need to stay out of his way, that’s all.”
Stitch hopped down onto a gravel and bark surface, and I looked around as I reached the door. We were parked near some trees, and not much else.
“Where are we?” I started to step out, and Stitch nudged me back.
“Do not get out. You’ve got no fucking shoes on. ”
I leaned out as far as I could, catching sight of several bikes parking up, and several feminine figures sliding off of the back of the bikes ridden by their partners. Lissa lifted off her helmet, and her red hair cascaded over her shoulders. She looked badass as hell, dressed in leather jeans and a leather jacket.
Ice couldn’t take his eyes off her, even as he climbed off his bike, and followed her in our direction. I saw others moving behind them, but all I could focus on was that Lissa was here. Her presence added a sense of safety, while I felt like everything around me was out of my control, and escalating.
The bikers all converged on where Stitch was waiting, while Lissa squeezed past him to come and stand by the door with me.
“What’s going on?”
She smiled calmly at me.
“Club business, babe. I’m gonna hang with you while they do their thing.”
“Me too.” I saw Alicia squeezing past Ice too, and Tori was right behind her. That meant the bikers were Reacher, Ryder, and Ice, but there was someone else too. Someone I didn’t recognise.
“Prospect, get back in the damn van. We’re leaving right away.”
The guy turned at Reacher’s command, and loped back out of sight.
“What’s happening? Someone talk to me dammit!”
Stitch shot me a grim look.
“We’ll just sort out this club business, and be right back, babe. You girls have fun without me.”
He wouldn’t even smile at me, or come back near me. There was a darkness hovering over him, a deadly look in his eyes. Suddenly I felt like I didn’t know him at all. Was I afraid of him now? I was pretty sure it wasn’t fear, but it was unnerving, because he looked like a stranger, even though every feature of his was as familiar to me as my own.
“Stitch, don’t do this, please.”
Stitch
I had to get out of there before I fucking lost it. Every time I looked at her, at that sweet face, those earnest fucking eyes… those trembling lips… all I could see was the mess she’d been, when she spied that bastard across a crowded beach. If he could reduce her to that, just by being in the same place as her, what the fuck had she gone through with him?
I kept clenching my fists, because it was my only outlet for my rage until I could get my hands on him. I felt like I was hanging by a fucking thread, and all of the fury that had been building inside me since I discovered that thing was burning hotter and hotter, and I needed to let it loose on that bastard.
“Get me out of here, fast,” I muttered to Reacher, who grabbed the shoulder of my cut, and dragged me away from the camper as my brothers surrounded us.
“What’s the plan?”
I turned to face Ice. “You got his location?” He nodded, holding up his phone.
“Tracking his phone. He’s not far from here, so I suggest we take the van, and no bikes. We should leave our cuts too. No sense in advertising who we are.”
Reacher nodded. “We do this clean, brothers. Snatch him, and get the fuck out. Ice has a secondary location for us to deal with him, but no losing your shit until you’re out of sight, got it?” He was talking directly to me now.
“Brother, I need you to stay with her.”
Reacher’s frown deepened.
“I’m with you, Stitch, always with you. This is club business now.”
I shook my head, fighting to keep my eyes from the camper, from seeking her out.
“Reacher, I need someone with her, and you know it has to be you. That’s my wife. She’s my fucking reason for breathing, and I need you to be the one with her. She’ll try to follow us, you know she will. She knows what I’m planning, whether she’s just assuming it’s a beat down, or whatever, and I can’t have anywhere her near this.”
Reacher cursed, running a hand through his hair.
“You can’t side-line your President for a revenge trip, Stitch.”
I grabbed his arm, dragging him a few paces away.
“This isn’t about side-lining you. This is about you being the only one I fucking trust to keep her safe. To keep her alive. I can’t do this, if I don’t know she’s safe.”
He rolled his eyes. “Asshole. I think we both know why you’re doing this, but fine. For you, I’ll sit in on the fucking chick talk session you know will be going on in there.”
Truthfully, yeah, I was trying to keep him away from the stress and aggression of this encounter, because of his fucking heart, but also I knew that he was the only one they’d be forced to listen to. Anyone else, and they’d be following my orders, but Reacher? The fucking Pres? It was his word, his law, and they wouldn’t be able to go over his head.
Reacher grabbed the back of my head, leaning close, almost forehead to forehead.
“Go avenge your old lady, brother. Throw in a few kidney punches for me, yeah? We brought your kit with us, but remember you don’t have all fucking night.” My kit. I took a breath. I was about to unleash the beast, and suddenly it was all I could think about. Reacher kissed my forehead, kinda like a father would.
“Get the fuck out of here, you lot, as soon as you leave your cuts with me. Make me proud.”
We removed our cuts and folded them with the reverence they deserved, piling them on Reacher’s outstretched hands, offered him a last significant nod, and then we were climbing into the van and heading for the location Ice was directing the prospect to as he drove.
In the van, as well as the prospect, Torch was waiting with Micro. They’d certainly gone for numbers, and even though both guys looked pissed that they’d come in a damn cage, instead of on their bikes, they were also hyped up at the opportunity to make some sick fucker pay for what he did.
“Just so we’re clear. The kill is mine. You guys can all take a piece of him, but I need to be the one to end him. Got it?”
“Sure thing, VP. I didn’t even bring my torch with me.” Those of us not driving looked at Torch in surprise, and probably with a shitload of relief, if I’m honest.
“What? I was told it’s the VP’s show, so I held off. I got knives though, obvs.”
By the time he’d finished speaking, the prospect was parking up the grey van, and Ice was filling us in on where we’d find the fucker.
It took five minutes to locate him, and even less time to convince him to come with us. Oh, by convince, I mean, Torch jammed a knife in under his ribs, probably piercing the skin, as he led him out to us. We’d drawn straws to see who’d go in, and that bastard won.
Was it the best move, with him being so fucking recognisable? Yeah, actually, because he’d covered up that insane head tattoo with a beanie hat, and without that showing, he was virtually fucking average looking. Like nobody would be able to describe him. He was just some guy with a beanie hat on and dark eyes. A little stubble. That description covered about half of the male population most of the time. Maybe not in summer, but it was the best we could do.
“What the fuck’s going on?” Ross, the girlfriend-abusing asshole was fronting at us, but he was scared. Who wouldn’t be? He was dragged outside of the bar he’d been lounging in, probably eyeing up the women for his next victim, and now he was staring at five guys with murder in their eyes.
“My wife says hi,” I offered, before I slammed a fist into his smug, perfect face, and watched him crash back into Torch.
“Jesus, man. Wait until we get him somewhere else, yeah?” Ryder dragged me away from the asshole, and I watched, my fists clenched as Torch and Micro tossed the fucker in the back of the van, with Ice following. Ryder shoved me into the front seat of the van, and shot me a fierce glare.
“Trust me, man. I get it, but if you get in the back with him, he’s gonna be dead before you get what you need from this.” He was right, and I fucking hated that, because logic wasn’t what I wanted right now.