Chapter 26
Raya
My heart pounds as I rush into the house I was held in for four days, starved, raped, and abused by a man who wanted revenge for his men, while I wanted revenge for my father, without a second thought for my own safety, Hudson my only concentration, his cry too much for me to handle.
“Okay, sweetheart, go on, you can do it….”
My dad's voice echoes in my head, giving me the courage to keep going, to save Hudson, despite being kept here.
Bile fills remembering what he did to me, what I allowed to happen by not being more careful with my planning in killing him.
I swallow it back as I make my way through the smoke, spraying the fire as I go, my dad’s kind icy blue eyes helping me through, his laughter and kind heartwarming voice giving me what I need to save a little boy I see as my family.
I follow Hudson’s screams upstairs and don’t ask me how, but I know they’re in Ivy’s old room, the room I was held in because of course the universe is mean, that and I’m pretty sure Clara is crazy enough to see it as revenge against her daughter for not going through with her stupid marriage plan.
“Shut up, you stupid little brat!” I hear Clara snap as I carefully climb the stairs, but close to the wall, already knowing they’ve been affected by the fire, and Hudson’s screams get louder, like she hurt him, making my heart race.
My back hurts, my side throbbing along with my head, but I push through, my only thought – saving Huddy.
“Where in the hell is Cherri and that extinguisher?!” I hear her complain, panic in her voice, “We had a plan, burn the brat, keep the club occupied, then steal the safe.”
Seriously? Stupid fricking woman!
“Well, that wasn’t a very good plan now was it, Clara?” I say as I remove my helmet, dropping it and the now-empty canister on the floor as I walk into Ivy's room, the bloodied mattress still on the bed frame making me want to puke, but I swallow it down as I look at Clara.
Her hair is a mess, her clothes are torn, and of course, she starts a fire while wearing high heels.
“You’re looking like the regular patch chaser there, Clara,” I say, keeping her attention on me as she holds a knife up to Hudson, who is screaming, inhaling smoke from a dirty crib that was definitely not here two days ago, with a small red mark on his cheek.
“Coming from you, the actual patch chaser,” she sneers and I tilt my head and ask, “How can I be a patch chaser when I’m worth millions of dollars?
” her face reddens at the reminder, the real reason why she’s always hated me, “Or did you miss the part where I got left everything in my dad’s trust?
” I smirk, “By the way, how is my dear old uncle Ben doing? I haven’t seen him in a while, demanding the money, I mean, actually, when he threatened me,” I leaned forward, “You finally killed him when he couldn’t get my inheritance, didn’t you? ”
Her mouth parts in shock as she stutters, “What, how…?”
I chuckle and state, “Did you really think I didn’t hear about you two shacking up behind his wife’s back?
Or how his body was found in a river yesterday?
I may have been a little out of it but I wasn’t completely out of it when I heard my mama tell Cale about how the family have left town after he was found dead.
Hayden mentioned in the four days he held me here that you had a threesome with them like the good little money hungry whore that you are so I put two and two together. ”
I’ve got to say, it was a shock hearing that Mama got a call from my dad’s parents expressing they needed help, that dear old uncle had gotten himself killed, and as soon as she declined, claiming I was under the protection of the Dark Angels, they fled with their tails between their legs, believing they were next.
Clara's eyes go crazy as she moves the knife my way, her hand shaking as she sneers, “I knew I should have killed you the moment my daughter made friends with you!”
I smirk and agree, “Yeah, you should have bitch,” only angering her more, her face bright red while Hudson screams louder in the dirty crib, the fire now entering the room, gaining my attention.
Shit.
“I’m going to kill you,” she coughs.
“Sure,” I return, “because I’m so scared of you, right?
” I hold my arms out, “Look around you Clara, you’re standing in the room where I was held captive for four days,” I point at the mattress, “That there is my blood from where Hayden raped me repeatedly, where he carved me up and yet here I am, in my horror story facing my worst fears – trying to save a child like my father did ten years ago but died.”
Her nostrils flare, and I struggle not to cough as the smoke gets worse, Hudson’s screams turning to coughing fits.
I lean forward and state, “I can tell you two things, Clara, that will shock you.”
“Yeah,” she coughs, “and what’s that?”
“One, your son still wants me despite my horror,” I gloat, causing her to growl, “And two, I’ve killed several of Hayden’s men over the years in revenge for what his little gang did to my father. Then I killed him before your son rescued me from this very room two days ago.”
She looks at me with disbelief, and knowing I’m running out of time and that I have her distracted, I quickly pull Cale’s gun out from behind my back and state, “You really shouldn’t bring a knife to a gun fight, Clara, because now, I’m going to kill you with your son's own gun.”
Her eyes widen, but before she can react, I shoot her once, hitting the middle of her forehead, and her body instantly drops, her eyes wide, and Hudson screams louder.
Crap.
Dropping the gun I quickly rush over to him and cup his cheek which is red from where she’s hit him before I notice the fire and I swallow hard.
“I can’t get us out that way, little man,” I murmur as I look towards the window, “I have an idea, but hopefully your uncles and daddy are waiting below the window.”
Kissing his head, I rush over to the floor near the bed, grab a dirty old sheet, and wrap it around my fist before running towards the window. I notice the nails are still on it from when I was held here, and I look down to see everyone looking my way with wide eyes.
I lock eyes with a tearful Ivy, and I nod once so she knows Hudson is safe at the moment, and she relaxes slightly into Anna before I lock eyes with Cale, who has now made his way near the window.
He nods when I hold up my fisted hand, and I nod in return before I take a deep breath and pull my fist back, then, as hard as I can, I punch the glass window, not willing to use the empty canister, and causing the glass to smash into the fire.
It cracks, and my tears fall, hearing Hudson scream again, and I quickly hit the window again and again until it smashes, screams echoing from the women below me.
I hit all the long bits of glass, ensuring none can hurt Huddy and ignoring the pain in my knuckles and my trauma, I quickly grab the mattress and drag it over to the window, stating, “It’s okay, Huddy, Auntie Raya will get you out of here,” and I mumble, “Even if I don’t.”
I manage to throw the mattress out the window, and I look down to see Cale and Psycho moving the mattress into the perfect position.
“You’ve got this, kitten,” Cale calls, and we lock eyes, his showing fear and pride.
“Raya no!” I hear my Mama scream with terror, realizing what I’m about to do, and Blade shouts, “Greg, quiet her, Raya needs to concentrate!”
Gregory instantly puts his hand over Mama’s mouth, and I lock eyes with Psycho, who nods and confirms, “I’ll catch him, Ray.” I nod once before looking at Cale one more time, then I turn and run over to Huddy, but pick up Cale’s gun before getting him, putting it in the back of my jeans.
Can’t leave any evidence, her body should burn with the house.
“Come on, my little man,” I grunt as I lift him, my back and side protesting, but I ignore it and take Hudson out of the dirty crib while watching the fire spread quickly.
Swallowing hard, I go to the window before climbing up with him in my arms, and screams of terror echo, but I ignore everyone and only focus on Psycho and Cale.
“Throw him, sweetheart, I’ll catch him,” Psycho shouts up, and I nod and reply, “Don’t let him touch that mattress,” and he frowns before looking down, and I see it hit him as he tenses.
He looks at me with a pale face, and he nods once, and I take a deep breath before kissing Huddy’s head, and I mumble, “Okay, little guy, time to fly,” before gently, as I can, throwing Hudson who wails his little heart out towards his father.
Psycho catches him, stumbling back a little, making my pulse lower, and Cale shouts, “Now you, kitten,” and I swallow hard.
Right, yeah, I’ve got to jump as well, unless I want to…
The thought to end it all hits me, my dad's smile comes to me before every man I killed haunts me. Then Clara, and what I went through for four days, having a metal pole shoved inside me and for one second, I debate stepping back, but Cale’s voice interrupts my thoughts, and we lock eyes.
“Where you go, I go, remember that, kitten,” he reminds me, his jaw tense, and my eyes tear up as Blade shouts, “Fucking jump, Raya, or I’m coming in after you.”
I turn my head and look back at the fire to see it’s now near the dirty crib but my eyes widen seeing an oxygen canister sitting by the bed, something I must have missed and I turn to jump out of the window, not caring if I land on the concrete before a massive explosion shoves me out of the window, screams echoing around me as I fall out of the window.
I squeeze my eyes, expecting to die basically, but instead two strong arms wrap around me as I fall to the ground but land on top of a hard body, a grunted “oof,” hitting my ears as my body vibrates not just with pain but also tingles that I only get with Cale’s touch who took the brunt of the fall.
I cough as I lean my head against him, not moving off him, and he chokes, “I’ve got you, kitten, I always fucking got you, my crazy ass woman.”
My eyes tear up as he tightens his hold on me but stills feeling his gun in the back of my jeans.
“I killed your mama,” I admit with a cough, and his hand goes to my jeans, grabbing his gun, gently removing it, and he whispers, “I’m so fucking proud of you,” shocking me before he calls, “Blade,” and the man himself shows up above us, shaking his head.
“You are one crazy fucking woman,” he says as Cale subtly hands the gun to his Pres, his best friend, who, in turn, looks at me in shock and with a little pride as he puts the gun in the back of his jeans.
He helps me up, wrapping his arm around my waist gently as he gives Cale his other hand before he kisses my head and whispers, “I’m so fucking proud of you, Raya, you brave girl,” before handing me to Cale and I go willingly with tears in my eyes and without caring about my pain, I wrap my arms around Cale’s waist and lay my head against his chest as the crowd cheers around us.
“Let me see my daughter!” I hear my mama shout, but no one answers her, so I know Gregory is still holding her back as the club surrounds us, all looking at me with pride, but I ignore them, and I lean against Cale.
I breathe heavy, my whole body wanting to shut down as I try not to have a coughing fit.
I’m so fricking tired…
Cale kisses my head as he holds me tightly to him, and he murmurs, “You did it, Raya, you did what your dad couldn’t, you saved a child and yourself.”
My tears fall, realizing he’s right, that I managed to do what my dad couldn’t and I know he knew it was something I needed to feel me again.
Everything in me settles and for the first time since I first met this annoyingly amazing man, I admit with a sob, “I love you, Cale,” causing him to hold me tighter and return, “I love you too, kitten, have for longer than I even knew and I’m so sorry I was blinded over the years, that I didn’t open my eyes. ”
I sob, gripping the back of his cut before slim arms wrap around us, and Hudson’s murmuring enters my ears.
I pull back a little from Cale and quickly wrap an arm around a sobbing Ivy and a very tired Hudson, who lies his head on my shoulder, and Ivy cries, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” repeatedly.
Cale doesn’t let go of his hold as he presses his lips to my head, and I plead, “Please tell me he didn’t touch that mattress,” suddenly remembering what I had to do, and everyone looks at it.
Ivy pales seeing what’s on it while Psycho swears, “He didn’t, I promise,” as he presses a kiss to my head and he whispers, “I’m sorry for my actions earlier, I was out of line and I cannot thank you enough for saving my son and for saving my brother because if you had died, he would have followed. ”
I nod and lean my head against him before Mama pushes through and grabs my cheeks, knowing Cale won’t let me go.
Her caramel eyes are full of terror, and guilt fills me as she pleads, “Please don’t do that again, please, I can’t lose you too, Gregory can’t lose you.”
I nod and lean my head against her forehead while tightening my grip on Cale as everyone surrounds us and my team puts out the fire.
For the first time in ten years, I feel at peace.
I know the road ahead isn’t pretty, I know it’ll be hard and that I need professional help, but as I open my eyes and look up at Cale, I know with him by my side, even if it is just as a friend, I’ll make it.