Chapter 11
Joy
“Mommy, moooommy,” A little voice says in a voice just a little louder than a whisper. “Mommy.”
I groan a little, stretching out my legs and toes before turning toward Kit who is lying next to me with a huge grin on her face.
“Mr. Switch looked after us in the night Mommy so we didn’t have to be scared!” She says, then giggles into her hands, her bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
My brows pinch. I have no idea what she’s talking about. After I collected Kit last night, Switch kissed both our heads and swaggered off to check in with his brothers.
“I’m not sure -”
“He did! Look mommy!” Kit says pointing over my shoulder.
Snapping my head and rolling slightly, I see him.
There, slumped in a chair far too small for his frame, is my slumbering giant.
The morning light on him makes his hair almost rose gold in color, his beard glowing as his strong jaw rests on his shoulder.
He’s beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.
Willing my eyes to check the time on my phone I realize it’s too early to be up.
“It’s early, go back to sleep, baby,” I whisper to Kit, rolling her over in my arms until her little back is pressed against mine and her breaths even out.
I look over my shoulder again before slipping out of the bed and padding over to Switch.
“Switch,” I whisper low, placing a hand on his hard chest, his steady heart beat thumping a steady rhythm under my palm. “Switch, wake up, you can't sleep here all night.”
His eyes flutter open and my breath catches as I’m caught in his bright blue gaze. “What’s wrong?” he says in a panty melting voice, rough with sleep.
“You sleeping in a tiny chair is what’s wrong. You’ll hurt your neck.”
He searches my eyes before running a hand down his face. “I don’t feel right sleeping anywhere else. Not while there’s still danger out there. I need to be close,” he murmurs so low I almost struggle to hear him.
Standing, my hands start wringing and I know that I’m going to do something brave. Switch needs this, but so do I. I pad back to the bed, settling in behind Kit, and then hold the blankets open in invitation as I hold Switch’s gaze over my shoulder.
“Joy,” he whispers on an exhale. “It’s, shit, are you sure?” he asks, hesitating but his feet still carry him to the side of the bed where he looks down at me and Kit.
“In my world it takes more trust to lie next to someone, t - to sleep next to someone than it does to have sex with them.” I swallow thickly. “I trust you not to hurt me, Switch.”
“Reid,” he grunts out. “My name is Reid.”
We hold each other's gaze for what feels like a lifetime. “I trust you, Reid.”
His lip curls up in a crooked smile as he slides in behind me, curling his long legs up behind my much shorter ones. His thick arm bands across me, his hand resting on Kit’s little back.
“Sleep, Reid. We’re safe.”
Marx
I can feel that I’m being watched. I don’t know how long he’s been here for, the painkillers I’m on keep making me doze off so he could have been here twenty minutes, could have been two hours.
“I know you’re awake, brat.”
I let out a huff. I’ve been ignoring his presence.
I don’t know what to say to him. Thank you for saving my life?
Fuck you for inserting yourself in my life?
He lets out a long sigh, and I know that he’ll be doing that thing where he straightens his collar and then smooths down the lapel of his crisp suit jacket.
Fucking trust my piece of shit mother to not only ditch me, but ditch her first son to a fucking Russian Mafia boss.
Blinking my eyes open I stare at Roman, standing at the foot of my bed. Gone is his usual cold, aloof expression. Instead it’s been replaced by something akin to concern. Care.
“You look like shit.”
Roman huffs out a laugh. “So do you.”
Swallowing thickly he rushes to my bedside, picking up the paper cup and straw my Ol Lady had been using earlier. Earlier when she cried on my chest as she lay across me. When she told me Roman saved my life. And when she told me he was my brother.
“Here, drink.”
I want to refuse, it’s my first instinct when it comes to Roman, but I guess there's more to his story than I can ever imagine. I take the straw between my lips and suck, revelling the cool slide of the water down my throat.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
Roman swallows, his eyes darting to the foot of my bed, avoiding my gaze. “I’m not sure. Sasha and Dima have pushed for this, but, well,” he shrugs.
“So, everything we’ve been through, every time we’ve needed help and you’ve assisted, was that a set up by you to insert yourself into my life?”
Roman’s eyes dart to mine, fire burning bright. “Nyet. Never. It was a stroke of luck the day Tuesday Tombs found Katya. When I found out who you were locking down in your clubhouse felt like a gift. I could get to know you. Your people.”
I let my head roll on the pillow, looking at the door.
Roman has always played a role between ally and enemy.
Good and evil and for the life of me I could never quite figure out where he fit.
Looking back on our interactions, he was always there.
In the shadows. Every time there was trouble his nameless, faceless men would show up and take care of anything my men couldn't handle.
Cleaners, assassins, border patrol, anything we needed he was there.
Swallowing thickly I chance looking at him. “What do you want?”
“I don’t want anything.”
“Let me rephrase that. What do you want from me?”
He stares at me, eyes like mine, like our mother’s. “I want brotherhood. A family outside the Bratva. I want what you have achieved so easily. Camaraderie, people to rely on to have your back.”
“You’re the fucking Pakhan of the Russian Mafia! You have men at your beck and call. Try again,” I growl.
Roman scowls, the fire in his eyes again. “That is what I crave. Yes I have men, but they are only loyal as long as I am paying them. Any one of them can rise up and take my head. Then what happens to Sasha? To Lexi? To Ana?”
I stare at him as he lets his pretenses all drop. I should have seen it on Valentine's Day. Roman is a man that has been forced to live a life in the shadows. To love in the shadows.
“I always thought you were an asshole. But you’re not so different to us.” Rhodie says in his rough voice. Fuck. I didn’t even hear him come in.
Roman gives Rhodie a tired smile. “Thank you, Rhodie.”
“I still don’t really like you.” Rhodie huffs, before blowing out a breath. “But your relationship to Marx saved my brother's life. And for that, I thank you.”
“I would imagine your brat is a very hard man to kill.” Roman replies.
“Must take after his older brother then,” Rhodie quips, looking between me and Roman. “I hear you’re hard to kill too, Roman.”
“I could take him out if I wanted to,” Chewy’s voice calls from god knows where.
“Oh shit, she’s on speaker. She wants a word, Prez.” Rhodie holds his phone out to me.
“I need a word with Roman too. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.”
I settle back into my pillow and wonder if it’s too late to pretend I’m asleep again.
“OK, so here's the plan…”
Switch
I rush into Church and take my seat next to Rider, waiting for everyone else to filter in. It’s going to feel fucking weird without Marx here, but after what happened, we need to nail down a plan, STAT.
I eye Rider who is looking a little worse for wear, and realize that after the hospital I never saw him again.
Not that I guess I would have, I spent my time with Joy and Kit.
I don’t know how it happened, or even why it hit me so fucking hard, but one day I was living my life, in my same old routine.
The next? I was doing everything I can to fucking orbit a tiny woman and her child.
I swore I’d take it slow, but last night, and again this morning, she surprised me.
I’m starting to think that yeah she may have spent years being a punching bag for her dick of an ex, but Joy is stronger than I think she even knows.
“Joy is good for you.” Rider says, not an ounce of teasing in his tone. Which makes me suspicious, so I frown at him. “I mean it, brother. I’m happy for you.”
I study him as he stares at the wall across from us. “You all good? Need to talk about anything?”
He gives me a sad smile. “Nah, just thinking everyone is pairing up and I’m the last man standing, is all.”
“Fuck brother; when it’s the right time, you’ll find her.”
“What if I already have?” he asks, but I know by the look on his face that it’s complicated. We’re the DRMC. Shit is always complicated.
I open my mouth but slam it shut when Rhodie comes stalking in, Chewy behind him and the rest of our brothers and Ol Ladies, including Joy.
“Sage and Niko are with the kids,” Mama Debs says, laying a hand on my shoulder.
Settling back in, I wait for the Ol Ladies to make their way to their men, my brothers pulling their women down onto their laps.
Joy hovers nervously beside me but fuck that, I hook my arm around her waist and pull her down onto me.
She makes a cute little squeaking sound and Rider gives her a wink.
She huffs a little before melting into me, her back against my chest and fuck she feels so right.
“We are gathered here today -”
“Chewy-”
“Sorry, babe.” Chewy gives Rhodie a fake ass smile and we all chuckle, not realizing we needed that to break the tension.
Rhodie runs a hand down his face before looking around the table. “Fuck, I never thought I’d be in this position, but Marx has agreed to what we’re about to do. Computas, update us on these fuckers.” Rhodie waves in Wire’s direction.
“As you know Matthew Thompson and his business partner Richard McDonald make their money from bodies and military grade weapons. They also have a lot of men at their disposal. What you may not know is Chewy questioned three of the men we picked up from Joy’s house.”
“What!? You did it without us?” Blanche screeches like she’s been seriously offended at being left out.
“I needed answers and you needed to be with your children,” Chewy answers in a bored tone.
“And what about your children?” Kaia asks.
“Laney May was asleep and Chomper came to work with me,” Chewy shrugs.
“Like Bring Your Kid to Work Day,” Rider snorts.
“Chewy went to work and, color me surprised, but they didn’t speak English,” Wire continues.
“What?” Savage barks.
“The swat team didn’t belong to Thomson and McDonald. It would seem that Petrov has decided to do things himself. And he doesn’t just want Kit. He wants the other two he paid for as well.”
“Fuck.” Nitro bangs his fist on the table.
My arms tighten around Joy as she tenses against me. “This is not on you,” I whisper, her auburn hair tickling my nose.
“What’s the plan? We’ve got families, kids to protect. So do The Keep. Those people in there, they can’t sit there waiting for Petrov to attack,” Blanche says, her grip tightening on Tav’s hand.
Rhodie dips his chin at Blanche before looking at me. I know what’s coming. It’s the same plan I was going to bring to Church.
“We’re going to send the families somewhere safe, right Switch?”