Chapter 16 #2
“Matrix twins, find as much as you can and track Hitchens’ movements for the past month.
I want to know how he crossed paths with this Goodson shithead.
Expand your search to Texas, Hitchens started his fuckery there.
” He leans his head back, then rolls it to the side to mumble something to Sniper who tips his head toward us and mumbles back.
Nodding Prez sits upright. “We have two targets on our backs. The Eden’s Keep assholes and Hitchens.
We’re going to have to prioritize who we hit first and I propose it’s Hitchens.
Eden’s Keep only just came on the scene.
The way they executed that guy in Bellefont has them well organized and calm.
Hitchens on the other hand is volatile. We saw it all over Joe’s face when she came here.
He’s got buyers on his back and we have what he wants.
He’s not going to wait too much longer.”
“He’s the dangerous one because he’s unpredictable,” Loyal whispers.
“Exactly right, Loyal,” Dex says.
Loyal’s cheeks flame red as she realizes she spoke out loud. She groans and buries her head in my chest and I can’t help but chuckle.
“So, what’s the plan?” Chef asks what we’re all thinking.
“We find him before he finds us.”
Loyal
Justice and I leave Church to let the DRMC work on whatever it is they’re planning.
In the Eden’s Keep days I’d be twisted up in knots both entering that room and leaving it.
Nothing good ever came from being in there.
Now though, there are eight men who I trust with my life.
Even more, I trust them with the lives of the people we have here.
“What do you think Goodson wants?” Justice murmurs, stepping up next to me at the mouth of the hall.
I shake my head. I thought I was free of Goodson, free to evolve into a new version of me, one who isn’t afraid of everything and everyone.
Instead, his brother is out there threatening to crush what we have built.
Anger bubbles in my gut, hot and quick and I have to ball my fists to stop my hands from shaking.
“Whatever it is, we’ve got this,” I tell Justice. I feel it in my bones that with the Keep Chapter at our backs, we can handle anything.
Justice turns to me, his blue eyes so like mine bore into my gaze and I know he’s feeling the same thing I am. “We’ll never be prey to Eden’s Keep ever again.”
“Never again.”
Justice’s lips curl up at the edges and I follow his gaze as he watches Joe laugh at the twins from her place on the couch. Joe glances up and smiles shyly at Justice before she catches my gaze.
“There she is!” Joe says with a grin pointing my way.
“What’s for dinner, Momma?” Bree asks while she runs in my direction, stopping just short of where I stand, dancing in place.
The word “momma” steals my breath and I stand frozen for a moment, looking into two sets of blue eyes.
“Is it OK to call you that?” Addy asks, looking concerned. “We thought cos you and Vex are pretending to be our parents we could call you momma. Not mommy, because we um, we have, um had -”
“It’s OK baby, more than OK. As long as you two want to call me that then I would be honored.” I pull them both into my arms, and press kisses to their sweaty little heads.
Loosening my grip a little I lean back to look at them, plastering a smile on my face to hide the emotions swirling inside me, “So, what did you want to eat?”
“Oh, oh, can we have lasagne? I would kill for some cheesy goodness right about now,” Joe says excitedly from her position on the couch, her little dog on the floor with Greer, Izzy and Nell.
Looking around the room my brows pinch in. “Where’s Jason?”
Damian shakes his head, “Ain’t seen him since we come back, said he was headin’ home. Hands were dirty after visiting the garage and showin’ Flack what he could do with an engine.”
“That was hours ago,” Justice frowns.
Damian looks at the clock on the wall, eyes narrowing, “Yeah, two and a half hours. Ain’t like him to leave Izzy that long.” His eyes dart to the young teen with Greer. He hauls his big body off the floor where he’s lying. “It’ll be fine, cher, I’ll handle it.”
We all watch as he saunters out the door but I can’t help the feeling of unease that crawls up the back of my neck.
“Momma?” tugging at my shirt snaps me out of my spiralling thoughts.
“Sorry, baby. So, um, lasagne was it?”
The kids all cheer, but not as loud as Joe who giggles on the couch.
Her dark face is lit up even if it’s still battered and bruised.
Rolling my eyes I head toward the kitchen, laughing and joking over my shoulder as I push through the swing doors.
I make my way across the kitchen headed for the pantry when a heavy body presses up against me, pushing me roughly up against the wall.
“Hello, Loyal,” a voice hisses, “although, you’re not really that Loyal are you, you filthy little bitch.”
I’d know that voice anywhere. That voice along with his brother’s haunted my dreams. Together they are the reason I will never have biological children.
“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me,” I grit out.
My body shakes like a leaf, it’s muscle memory kicking in to the night where the Goodson brothers taught me a lesson.
My brain wills my knees to lock and my hands to stop shaking.
I couldn’t fight back then, but I can now.
And fighting back means not causing a scene, not making a noise.
Not drawing attention. I need to keep Joe, Nell, Greer, Izzy, Addy and Bree safe and that means keeping them none the wiser in the room next door.
“Well, well, well, you get a little biker cock in you and you’re little miss tough guy, huh?” His putrid breath wafts in my face and I have to pinch my eyes shut and will myself not to vomit.
“They know what you did. They know about the Eden’s Keep marking and the man you killed. They will stop you,” I grit out.
His body jiggles as he laughs silently pressed against me.
“Perhaps. But I have a secret weapon. He’s going to rain down hell on the MC, take those little girls of yours away to their rightful buyer.
Then Eden’s Keep will take over what belongs to us.
Your filthy bikers will never stop us. We are on a mission from God.
The same God that you have forsaken Loyal Goodson. ”
He smooths my hair away from my forehead and his touch makes me want to cry out, to rage against the same God he says he serves. “What do you want?” I spit out through gritted teeth.
“To let you know that Eden’s Keep will never die.
We’ll be back for you. So be a good girl and say your prayers.
That might be the only thing that saves you once I have my hands on you.
” His fat clammy hand pats my cheek gently before he slaps me across the face, the sting shocking me out of my submissive pose.
Spinning I strike out at him, landing punch after punch as my fists windmill and bounce off his chest. I pummel him as much as I can but I know that I’m not nearly as effective as I should be.
His doughy hands catch my wrists, wrapping tightly as he shoves me hard against the wall.
My head bounces off and my vision blurs.
“You’ll never win,” I slur.
“It’s too late, we already have,” he sneers. His sweaty palm covers my face, gripping hard as he slams my head against the wall again and again.
My legs give out from under me and I slide down the wall, hands gripping the back of my head as a large goose bump starts to rise up.
“Loyal?” The swinging of the kitchen door jolts me into a panic, wildly looking around but not finding Goodson at all. “Hey-fuck! What happened? Are you OK?” Justice’s heavy steps thump on the tiled floor beside me and he cups my face in his hands.
“Goodson was here,” I whisper. “He was here.” Gripping onto the leather of his cut I stare at my hands as they shake wildly.
“Loyal? Baby, what’s going on?” The voice of the only man I’ve ever loved rings out in my ears and my body relaxes, my hands dropping from Justice’s cut as if my whole body has been overcome with fatigue.
“He was fucking right here, Vex,” Justice growls before taking off.
“Goodson, he was here,” I whisper, burying my face into Vex’s chest.
Justice’s cut felt safe, but the buttery soft leather of Vex’s cut makes me feel at home. Vex’s large hand cups the back of my head and all I can hear is the thumping of his heart and the muffled sound of Dex’s voice barking out orders.
“Fuck! Where did he come from? Did the girls see him?” Vex asks, the rumble of his voice soothing even if his voice is loud with panic.
“No, I-I don’t think so. He was waiting in the kitchen-”
“The tunnel,” I can feel Vex run his hand down his face, even with mine buried into his chest.
“I left the girls in the common room with Joe and Nell, so I don’t think they saw anything, but I can’t be too sure.”
“They were playing with Izzy when I came out of church, so I think you’re right,” Vex sinks onto his butt on the floor and pulls me between his legs.
He starts taking deep cleansing breaths and I’m not sure if it’s for me and my panicked breathing or if it’s to calm himself down.
“Daddy? Is Momma OK?” Addy’s little voice asks from her position in the doorway just behind her sister.
“Oh, I slipped a little when I came in here to make your lasagne,” I say, pasting a smile on my face.
They don’t buy my excuse. These clever girls have lived through a mother who had to hide stuff like this from them, so I know they don’t completely buy it. They share a look before looking to Vex for answers.
“Your momma is fine, girls, just a little clumsy,” he says, voice thick with emotion at being called Daddy.
I smile up at him, his dark eyes filled with love for both me and those two little girls who burrowed into our hearts.
He holds the arm not wrapped around me open and the twins come rushing over, burrowing into Vex’s safe embrace.
“Hey girls,” Joe’s bright voice says from the doorway as she shuffles closer, her right arm pressed tight to her abdomen to ease the movement on her ribs. “I bet your new momma can’t make lasagne as good as mine. Who wants to help me?”
“Joe-” She sharply shakes her head at me as she waves the girls to go wash their hands.
“I love you, Loyal Blessin’, but you look like you’ve seen an honest to real ghost. Besides, you’re beautiful, good at learnin’ and have a huge heart. Ain’t no way you can cook too.” Joe grins at me, her bright white teeth with the little gap in the middle sparkling in the kitchen lighting.
“You, my friend, are ethereal.” Joe rolls her eyes at my comment. “Even if one of those eyes is still almost swollen shut.”
She gasps at my teasing and I slap her hand away when she leans forward to help me up. Instead Vex rises to his full height and offers me a hand. As soon as I stand Joe wraps her good arm around my waist, and I hug her back gingerly not wanting to hurt her.
“We got this, Loyal. Your monster or mine, we can take ‘em.” She winks before shuffling further into the kitchen, TumTum joining her at the counter.
Strong arms wrap around me, “You can break down later, baby. But right now our girls need us to be strong,” he murmurs into my hair.
“I’m done breaking down. Now I’m just pissed.”
Vex snorts into my hair and I roll my eyes. “What? I’ve never heard you use such language, Loyal Blessing. Spend a little time around these rough bikers and now you have potty mouth.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I pat his chest.
A bang has me jumping and Vex reaching behind him to his waistband. We stand tense, not moving until Justice comes out of the pantry huffing like a bull.
“I fucking lost him down there somewhere. Argh!” he yells, causing the girls to cuddle in to Joe.
“The girls!” I hiss.
Vex grips his arm and pushes him into the common room with me close behind.
“He was right there and I fucking couldn’t catch him,” Justice groans, tugging at his hair. “Fuck! How the hell am I meant to protect everyone when I can’t even catch one fucker?”
A big hand lands on Justice’s shoulder, silencing my brother-cousin. “It’s not just on you, kid.”
“But I know him, I know what he’s capable of,” Justice whispers brokenly.
“And you’ll use that knowledge to help us bring him and anyone else who threatens us down.
Today was about power. They think they have it, but they’re wrong.
They’ve slithered their filthy asses into our world.
They’ve made themselves known and next time we’ll be ready for them,” Dex says, his gaze intent.
“Peter 5:8,” I whisper, moving to stand next to Justice, letting him feel the weight of my hand on his arm. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
“We’ll be ready,” Sniper says, one arm around Nell and Greer, the other around Izzy.
“We’ll be ready,” Justice mumbles.
We stand in silence, letting our vow soak deep into our bones until a little voice breaks through the quiet. “Where’s Damian?”