Chapter Five.
Kendara
T his was starting to get exasperating. I hadn’t even healed from the car accident, and now I had a freaking concussion. Plus, I’d been grilled by Lio and Ramirez, who wouldn’t agree on whose jurisdiction this was. My answers hadn’t changed since the last two times I had been interviewed. I wasn’t aware of pissing anyone off, nor had I received any threats lately. The entire situation was completely unexpected, and I’d no idea who or what lay behind it.
Lance and his brothers had installed a high-tech security system and given me three panic alarms. One was a pretty necklace, another attached to my house and car keys, and the other stayed in my purse. Overkill came to mind, but he so was earnest I didn’t want to upset him. I’d really wracked my brains but came up blank.
While most of my clients, through the Trusts and pro bono, were decent—and their partners just sheer assholes—I’d never sensed danger towards me. Towards them? Yes. Not me. Which was fucking annoying because Rage planned to smother me. Casey informed me that Drake was going to great lengths to uncover the identity of this person. Mac constantly talked about making me move in with him and Casey, and I hated to upset him, but that wasn’t happening. Not in this lifetime. I was twenty-nine years old, successful, stubborn, and had been alone for a long time.
Mac could chat all he wanted, but he couldn’t force me to live with him and Casey. Although, in truth, Casey had already tried that when she visited after Phoe left. It hadn’t worked for her and wouldn’t for Mac!
Only a week had passed since the accident, yet we remained clueless about the identity and motive of the person chasing me. The shit happening was disturbing, and I couldn’t lie and say I was okay. No, I felt on edge, nervous, stressed, and thoroughly disagreeable due to the pain. I hated taking painkillers and would rather suffer than get out of my mind and lose control.
All of this meant I was in a bad mood when a client called. Normally, I’d have let it go to voice mail, but this woman was particularly vulnerable. She’d just turned nineteen and already had four kids by the abusive asshole who’d got her pregnant at fifteen and married her the day she turned sixteen. Lola, her name, was in hiding with her children at a Rebirth Trust property.
“Lola?” I asked.
“Kendara! He found me. I was looking out of my bedroom window, which is on the third floor, and saw movement. His pickup was sitting outside in the street, and he was inside. He had binoculars with him. I pulled the curtains before he noticed me. What am I going to do?” Lola cried down the phone.
“Honey, just breathe deeply. Okay, I’m messaging security at your building. Someone will be along shortly. Without opening your curtains, can you see if he is still outside?” I asked, texting as I spoke.
“Yes, he is, I took a quick peek. He’s gonna make me go back to him, Kendara and he’ll do more than beat me black and blue. Clive’s always threatened to kill me if I left.” Lola sobbed.
“Listen to me. We have restraining orders out against him, and Clive is in violation of them. If security can apprehend him, then we can have his ass thrown in jail. Meanwhile, I’ll find someone to check for available rooms in other states. I’m aware we’re full to overflowing, but hopefully, we’ll be able to get you into another state,” I said calmly.
“Kendara, he is going to kill me,” Lola whispered.
“No, he’s not. We won’t let him. Trust me. Clive is a bully needing his ass beating.”
I heard a knock at Lola’s door, and she cried out in fear.
“Lola, it’s Mattie from security. Can you open the door, honey?” a woman called.
“I know Mattie; let her in, sweetie,” I urged, and I listened as Lola moved.
“Kenny, I have her, hon, and the team is moving in on the asshole,” Mattie said. “Come here, Lola; you look like you need a hug, girl.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Mattie was a kick-ass, no nonsense, thirty-five-year-old woman and highly respected in the South Dakota Rebirth Trust shelter.
“Kendara, can you please come?” Lola begged, and I winced.
I couldn’t drive in my state.
“Honey. I’ve been in a car accident and really shouldn’t drive that far,” I began, and Lola’s sobs got louder.
Crap, no doubt she thought I was abandoning her. “Let me get somebody to drive me. I don’t know what time I’ll arrive, but I will phone someone, okay?”
“Please, Kendara, just come,” Lola sobbed.
“I will, I promise,” I said and disconnected.
Lola was over two hours away, so I decided against getting a taxi. I had the money but preferred to use it for something else. Biting my lip, I tried working out who to call when a knock sounded at my door. I glanced through the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re just the person I need!” I exclaimed on seeing Rooster.
Rooster looked bemused as I dragged on a cardigan and slipped my feet into sandals .
“I am?” he questioned as I grabbed my car keys and handed them to him.
“Yes. A client’s husband has found her, and she needs me. Can you drive? I can’t do it myself because I have a concussion.”
“Yeah, which is why you shouldn’t be chasing off after clients,” Rooster said with a scowl.
“This is a teenage girl running from an abusive man with her kids. You’re going to argue about my injury?” I asked.
As I spoke, Rooster’s face got darker and darker.
“Someone abused a kid like that? I’ll take ya, but I want that fucks details. He’s a dead man walking,” Rooster growled out.
I shut the door behind me and ignored his words. It was best to do so, especially as I was a lawyer.
“Mean it, Kenny, I want that fuck’s name,” Rooster persisted.
“Rooster, I am an officer of the court. Shut the fuck up!” I snapped as we approached my car.
Rooster looked surprised, and then smirked. He bent close to my ear and whispered, “Don’t tell me you’ve not dreamed of offing some of these motherfuckers.”
“I hate you,” I muttered as I carefully lowered myself into the motor.
Rooster laughed. “Sure you do.” He swung into the driver’s seat, adjusted it for his height, and backed out of my drive.
“Head towards the RC Rebirth Trust, I imagine you know where it is,” I said .
“Yes. Your phone is going fuckin’ nuts. Will you answer it?” Rooster demanded.
I pulled it from my purse and saw messages from Mattie.
“It’s Mattie, head of security over there. They managed to get images of the driver parked outside and confirmed it’s the husband. But he fled as the team pounced. Still, with the pictures, we can press the court to issue an arrest warrant for breaching bail and the five restraining orders.”
“Five?” Rooster queried.
My lips tightened in displeasure. “One for the wife andone each for the four kids,” I said in disgust.
“Tell me you’re fuckin’ joking, Kenny,” Rooster exclaimed.
“Wish I was, Roo.”
“I’ll get that motherfucker’s name one way or another,” Rooster muttered.
For once, screw the law, I hoped he did too.
◆◆◆
When we arrived, the entire building was on lockdown. The carpark had security patrols out, and both our identities were checked against our IDs and then verified with Mattie. Inside, extra protection was present, but a calm atmosphere prevailed, and I wondered if anyone had guessed something had happened.
Mattie met us as we entered.
“Rooster, can you wait in the male guest room, please, hon,” Mattie ordered .
Rooster, obviously used to this, nodded and headed out.
“How’s Lola?” I asked as I followed Mattie through the reception area and the security doors.
“Terrified. We’ve put a team on her apartment’s door, which has gone a long way to alleviating her fear. But she’s petrified that Clive will get to her somehow.”
“Okay, we need to call the police, and everyone involved needs to give a statement. Do we still have the female cop liaisons for the shelter?” I asked.
“Yes, and due to protocol, we’ve called them and made a complaint. They’ll be out within the next hour and a half. They have a two-hour response time, which is what the station agreed with Phoe,” Mattie replied.
I nodded my head.
“I’ve texted Emily to get her onto Placements first thing in the morning. Lola will not settle until we’ve got her out of state,” I said.
“It’s a shame she has to leave. Lola fits in well and has been gaining confidence. But now she knows Clive has discovered her, she won’t relax, and I can’t blame the child,” Mattie replied sadly.
“No, but one day, she’ll kick asses and take names, Mattie. You remember that. All our victims do eventually. Male or female.”
“Damn right, Kendara. And I’ll be as proud of my tiny role in helping her get there,” Mattie responded.
I smiled and nodded. What Mattie felt, we all did in one shape of form. Every time a client stood on their own feet and retook their independence back was a fucking fulfilling moment for all of us.
We stopped outside of Lola’s door, and I heard quiet sobbing from behind it. Two female security guards stood on it and nodded at me as I approached.
“Kendara, she’s working herself up,” Louise said.
“I’ll handle her. This is all still raw for Lola. And Clive is now looking at several charges, which a judge won’t take kindly to. Especially breaking bail conditions,” I murmured and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Lola called out, her voice trembling and tearful.
“It’s me… Kenny,” I replied.
The door flew open, and Lola barrelled into my arms. I backed her into the room as I rubbed her back and calmed her down. She pushed her mane of hair out of her face, and I nearly winced at her red, sore eyes.
“Take a few breaths,” I suggested.
“We’ve got to go. He’s found me and the kids,” Lola gasped as she wrung her hands together.
“No. If you leave the safety of the Rebirth Trust, then you’ll be unprotected, and so will the children. So what if he discovered you, Lola? Do you understand what this means? A judge ordered him not to contact you or attempt to. The judge made the restraining orders very clear and the terms of his bail. The fact he’s broken them with no hesitation means he’ll be behind bars. I’m aware you’re scared, but this might be the best thing that’s happened.”
“How?” Lola asked, wrenching from my arms and pacing back and forth.
“Because he has shown no respect for the law or any regard for the court orders. This shows a court that he won’t abide by anything a judge puts in place. Which means there may be only one way to deal with him. Prison time. I can’t promise that, but nine out of ten times, they end up behind bars. Clive is looking at a heavy penalty. And, of course, he can deny it all he wants, but the shelter’s cameras will have recorded him. Clive has literally blown it,” I said and watched as Lola visibly began to calm.
“Do you think so?” Lola asked.
“No, I know so! This is not a game, despite how he treats it. Judges take violations of bail terms and restraining orders seriously, especially with the charges Clive is facing. No, he’d end up behind bars until his court date, which means you have time to decide where you want to go. Staying in South Dakota isn’t a great idea, as I told you before,” I replied.
“You always make sense,” Lola murmured. She’d calmed down a lot while we’d been talking. “Until they catch him, though, he’s going to keep coming.”
“And? Without identification and buzzing in, he can’t enter the gates. Every vehicle entering is checked for extra passengers. Nobody can enter the building without passing through two entrances. Kitchen and household supplies come in through a different entrance and are only allowed into the storage rooms. And security also man that entrance.
“There are motion cameras all over the shelter, honey. Tell me how Clive will reach you. Because even the lift is key carded, surveillance won’t allow it to move until they ID who is inside. Same as the stairwell doors. All doors auto lock and need a card with a security finger on the buzzer to open them. Clive can’t get you. Security here is shit hot, and he is not spiderman,” I said with a giggle.
Lola offered one in return. It was weak, but I’d take it.
“There’s a reason protection is so high. It’s for every client’s protection, and so you guys know you are safe even if your idiot exes sit outside all day in a car. And you’re more restrained than me. I’d have gone out on the balcony in a bikini to push his buttons and force him to make a mistake. Plus, I would let him see what he was missing out on!”
“Kenny, you’re insane,” Lola said, finally relaxing fully and laughing.
“Maybe, but I’d make Clive pay every which way possible!”
◆◆◆
I spent another hour with Lola, bringing her round, and then left her with Mattie. Lola was a good kid—strike that—woman, as she had four kids after all. Her teenage years had been lost in a torrent of abuse and bullshit. Now, she was struggling to find her place in a strange and unknown world. Clive had kept Lola locked up, and she’d not tasted the outside world for years. Lola was faced with the daunting task of making her own decisions and finding her own way. But she wouldn’t do it alone. The Trusts would be there every step.
As I left, Lola appeared strong enough to send the guards away, which meant I’d done my job. On speaking with Mattie, I discovered she’d already pulled the footage and sent it to the two liaisons who had attended while Rooster and I had been travelling. Clive’s days were marked, and he wasn’t going to be missed by anyone. Lola is better off without him. As were the children.
I walked through the doors leading to the carpark and found Rooster outside as he talked to a couple of guards. At first, I worried he was trying to get details on Lola, but I was gratified when I heard them speaking about any additional security the shelter might need. I’d not named Lola, as it was attorney/client privilege, and the information I’d given could be matched to at least twenty of the SD Rebirth Trust’s current clients.
Rooster offered a smile as I waited for them to finish their conversation, and then he led me to my courtesy car.
“I’ll be glad when they pay out on the insurance. I hate loan cars, I’m never comfortable in them,” I said as Rooster opened my door.
Happily, I slid into the seat and let out a sigh of relief. Lola hadn’t meant to, but she’d jarred my ribs when she tackled me. With my headache and other pains, I just wanted to hide and let the world pass.
“How is the pain?” Rooster asked.
“Bad,” I muttered .
“Okay, change of plans,” Rooster said, typing in a zip code into the sat nav.
Tiredness swept over me, and my eyes closed. I didn’t even have the energy to reply.
Rooster
Kenny looked like shit. She was pale, and her lips were almost white from where she was biting them in pain. Her brow was creased as she clearly fought off a migraine, and she was leaning away from her broken ribs.
Annoyed, Rooster realised Kenny hadn’t been looking after herself. And he hadn’t saved her life for her to be foolish.
Rooster headed for Hellfire and his home there with the boys. His had been one of the first built and adjusted for his disability. It was the little things, like slippery floor tiles, that could send him crashing down or step stairs with not enough foot room for his prosthetic to place properly.
Apache and Rock had done a brilliant job of designing a two-story house with a huge basement. And they’d added things like a discrete elevator for a wheelchair and handrails in the bathroom, and everything was at a height he could reach. Climbing on shit to grab stuff out of reach was long gone, and Apache and Rock had considered every factor.
He appreciated they had given him a home with a few minor adjustments. Rooster was just as grateful to Tiny, who’d provided all his gym equipment and made sure it suited an amputee. Tiny even took a college course to refresh his trainer skills around disabled individuals. Then Tiny had devised a training programme for Rooster.
Rooster had received his prosthetic eight weeks after he lost his leg. The fact he had one that people would kill for wasn’t the balm it was meant to be. Rooster knew Phoe had pulled out all stops to get him the best, and he appreciated it. And he had pushed his physiotherapy to start walking as soon as possible.
He’d beaten all expectations, but Rooster suffered phantom limb pain and never told anyone.
Rooster would lie awake in bed some nights, gritting his teeth to stop him screaming out in agony. Some doctors claimed it was in the patient’s head. Rooster would tell them to go back to fuckin’ school because it certainly wasn’t.
Rooster let Kenny sleep as he steered his thoughts away from the bitterness that lie just under the surface. He tried not to be resentful, but he couldn’t help it. Out of everyone, only he had lost a limb that day, although Clio had lost her womb. They should have connected over their losses but hadn’t. Rooster respected Clio, of course, but he’d not become close to her like Diesel had.
Hellfire’s gates came into view, and Fanatic opened them as he slowed to a crawl. The prospect’s expression amused him. Rooster scowled as he saw Fanatic whip out his phone. The little shit was no doubt informing Chance that Rooster had arrived in a cage and with a woman. For that, he’d make Fanatic go pick up his bike. That would teach him to tittle tattle.
By the time he had parked up outside his drive, he could see Chance already heading down the wooded path that led to his and Clio’s home. Despite the distance, he recognised Chance by his size.
Rooster whipped his phone out and dialled.
“Turn around and ask Clio for some women’s PJs and spare clothes,” Rooster said as Chance answered.
“What the—”
“Just do it.” Rooster sighed, and Chance cut the call.
Rooster undid Kendara’s seatbelt and placed weight on his amputation. There was no pain or discomfort, so he felt okay doing what he did next. Kenny wasn’t a tall woman, about five foot four and slim, although she had an ass, and her boobs certainly caught the eye. He bent down and lifted her.
Before taking a step, he leaned his weight on his leg again to check. Quite happy he could carry her, Rooster walked up to the house and entered. There was a downstairs guest bedroom, so Rooster headed there, and juggling Kenny, he managed to pull the covers back and place her gently down.
Rooster pulled the duvet over her and looked down at her sleeping face. His heart tugged, prompting Rooster to leave the room to avoid making a foolish action. Like stroke her cheek or kiss her.
Chance stomped into the hallway as he closed the door on Kenny, and Rooster put a finger up to his lips. Chance scowled but followed Rooster into the kitchen, where Rooster pulled two beers out.
“Who the hell is in there?” Chance demanded.
“Keep your voice down. She is fast asleep, and it looks like she needs it. It’s Kendara,” Rooster said, taking a huge swallow of cold beer.
“As in Mac’s Kendara?”
“She’s not his. Mac has Casey,” Rooster answered, frowning.
“Roo, Kendara is not Hellfire,” Chance replied patiently.
“No. But I found and rescued her. That makes Kenny my responsibility,” Rooster argued.
Chance lifted an eyebrow, but Rooster knew his ways and waited him out.
“You and her?” Chance asked when Chance realised Rooster was aware of what he was doing.
“Nope. Friends only. But she looks fucked, and despite her injuries, she’s running around after clients like a lunatic,” Rooster responded.
“She is out after that incident with Inglorious?” Chance murmured, surprised.
Rooster stiffened. “What fuckin’ happened?”
Chance grinned.
And Rooster knew that he’d given something away. Chance was a sneaky shit .
Kendara
This was not my bed. Hell no, mine was comfortable, whereas this one was heaven. I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Sadly, my head felt like two little dwarves had taken up residence and were smashing the hell out of my brain with their tiny hammers.
I moaned and stiffened when a hand touched my leg. What the fuck?
Warily opening my eyes, I was surprised when amber-coloured ones stared back.
“Hi!” the kid said, smiling as he patted my leg. “I found you, so do I get to keep you?”
“Um,” I replied, wondering what was going on.
“Kit, you’ve been home five minutes. How the hell do you lose your brother that quickly?” Rooster demanded from somewhere close by.
I was in Rooster’s house?
“Dad, you know Brax is a little sh—”
“Finish that sentence, and I’ll wash your mouth out. Curse all you want when you’re sixteen, until then, show me some respect,” Rooster replied sternly.
“Sorry, sir,” the child I assumed was Kit said.
“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit,” Rooster replied, exasperated. “Where the fuck is Brax?”
“Brax said something about an angel, and he wanted to keep her,” another kid called.
“Finn, where’s Brax? I mentioned bath, and the little bastard ran quicker than Usain Bolt. ”
“Who’s Usain Bolt?” Kit asked.
“A Jamaican sprinter. One of the fastest men on the planet.” Rooster growled. “Where’s Brax? I swear to God, from now on, I’m going to throw shower gel over him outside and hose him down in the yard.”
“Dad, I told you. Brax was waffling on about an angel he’d found,” Finn replied, sounding closer.
I stared at the child I now knew was named Brax. I was awake properly and could see he was the spitting image of his father. Jesus, this kid would have girls lining up to drop their panties, I decided when he sent me a wicked smile.
“You’re mine,” Brax said.
“An angel? Oh, no! Kenny!” Rooster exclaimed, and I heard stomping.
“Who’s Kenny?” Kit called.
“Is she female?” Finn demanded, and then there were running footsteps from two directions.
Rooster knocked once on the door and opened it. His scowl took in the cheeky boy, who was now snuggled into my stomach with his back to me and had wrapped my arm around him.
“She’s mine,” Brax growled, sounding so like Rooster it was uncanny.
“Who is?” Kit demanded, pushing in. His jaw dropped open at seeing me.
“What’s a freaking Kenny?” Finn yelled as he pushed past his father and brother.
Finn took a long look at me and then turned to Rooster, stamped his foot, and poked Rooster in the stomach .
“How comes Brax gets a Kenny and I don’t? Where the hell is mine, Dad?” Finn demanded and crossed his arms in a fine temper.
My gaze flitted from Brax, who seemed more than a little smug, to Finn, who was scowling, to Kit, who appeared shocked, and to Rooster, who was resigned.
“Cloning in the United States of America of human DNA is illegal and will be prosecuted,” I said. “How the hell did you clone those boys?”
“Welcome to my nightmare. They not only look like me but inherited every bad trait I had as a kid,” Rooster replied. Then he offered me a panty-melting grin. Which the three boys all mirrored in their childish charm as they stared at me.
“Suck it up, little bro. You ain’t got a Kenny to yourself. I’m the eldest, and you gotta share,” Kit added snootily.
“And I’m older than you, Brax, and call dibs,” Finn said with a devilish smirk.
Brax took one look at them, his father, and then me, and snuggled down, clearly ready to stake his claim. Then he opened his mouth… “She’s my fuckin’ Kenny!” he howled.