Chapter Eighteen
Bella
I watch in awe as my boys settle into this new way of life.
It’s been a few weeks of them visiting now, and it’s only gone from strength to strength.
That first visitation, I worried that Mason would never accept me again, that his view of me had been tainted by both Liam and Brandy.
Watching him bond with Clay over motorcycles and football has been the highlight of my weekends, they chat animatedly.
Clay, being a Man City supporter and my boy being an Arsenal fan, did not initially go down well, so when the rival clubs met, I expected cold shoulders, but they laughed, taunting each other over every goal, it was heart-warming.
His dad was never interested in football, so watching him bond with Clay filled me with joy.
Their newfound relationship had helped him accept me again.
“Yessss!” screams Mason, and I look up to find him jumping on the sofa in front of the television. Clay’s head is in his hands as Arsenal score yet another goal and are now on top. “We love you, Arsenal! We do! We love you, Arsenal,” Liam chants.
“Mason,” I say sternly, “sofas are for you to sit on. We’re guests here, remember.”
He puts his hands up as he jumps back to sit on his bum. “Soz, Mum,” he shouts.
Clay ruffles his hair, and he looks up at him, his eyes full of affection.
“Don’t get too loud yet, mate. You know how Arsenal like to bottle it at the last minute.” Mason sticks his tongue out, and Clay laughs. “I’ll get the tissues ready for you.”
I sit here in complete disbelief at how my life has managed to do a complete one-eighty. How did I get so lucky? Brandy was perched at the bar as always, watching closely, her hostility radiating off her by the bucket load.
“It won’t last,” she snides, eye-balling me. “Make the most of it.”
I ignore her picking Noah up and making our way to the sofa’s, sitting Noah on my knee. Clay reaches over, grabbing Noah and placing him on his own lap.
“How you doing, buddy?” he asks, Noah leans back onto his chest, tracing his fingers over his patch, it had become his favourite thing to do when he was sat with Clay.
“You need to have a Man City badge on the other side,” Noah says, completely ignoring Clay’s question.
“That would be neat wouldn’t it? Not sure Pres would agree mind,” he says as he looks over to Drifter playing pool.
“Not a fucking chance,” he shouts as Rochelle hits him round the back of the head.
“Kids,” she chastises, and Clay throws his head back laughing. This really is a family unit, they didn’t have to be blood, they were family by choice, and I chose them.
“Boys,” Brandy’s screech comes from across the bar, and I see Mason stiffen instantly. The arms on my hair stand to attention, reminding me that these visitations were short lived, but I wanted them in my care not hers.
“But the game’s not finished,” Mason complains, pointing at the screen.
“I don’t care, time’s up,” she snaps. “Get your coats.” Mason rolls his eyes in that pre-teen dramatic fashion, and I smile to myself. He’s now giving her the same treatment he did me on that initial visit. She stands from the bar, hands on her hips.
“Don’t you roll those eyes at me Mason, you wait till I tell your dad you’re being disrespectful,” she shrieks, and it goes straight through me.
He stands up in a strop, grabbing his coat.
Clay lifts Noah to his feet, and I grab his coat, helping him put it on.
I give both the boys a kiss on their heads and I hand them over to Brandy.
“I’ll see you next week, boys,” I say as Brandy grabs Noah’s hand.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” she snaps, and my blood runs cold. I know she’s trying to get under my skin, trying to cause a reaction. Anything to give her a reason to stop having to do these visitations. Clay comes up behind me, popping his arm around my shoulders and pecking me on the head.
“Go get ready. You and the ol’ ladies are going out for the night. You’ve hardly left this place, and you need some downtime.”
“Ooooh, girls’ night,” Red shouts and rubs her hands gleefully.
Rock’s mouth hangs open. “Wait? What -”
“Looks like you’re on babysitting duty tonight,” I laugh.
“Fuck, what you do that for, Clay?” he whines.
We’ve come out to this little quaint wine bar that’s within walking distance of the club.
I’ve never really done girls nights out till I became part of this world.
My life revolved around Liam and the children, he didn’t really agree with any of the friendships I had before we met so they all became distant over time.
I look back now and realise how much he isolated me.
I never even recognised it, it just gradually became the norm.
He made me think that we didn’t need anyone else, but ever since I’ve been part of Clay’s life, it makes me notice how much of a bubble I was living in.
The bar has low lighting. A circular bar sits in the middle of this grade two listed building.
Brick walls on display around the entire room, floor-to-ceiling windows allow the courtyard outside into the building.
There are plush seating areas throughout and leather stools the entire way around the bar.
We take a seat in one of the windows, watching as the rain splashes against the windowpane.
Red makes her way over to us, carrying a bottle of wine and three empty glasses.
She places them down in front of us and begins filling them.
“I opted for a white,” she says, pouring the wine into my glass. I lift it, inhaling the smell and turning my nose up. I’ve never really been a wine drinker, but I didn’t want to let the ladies down when they said they knew the perfect place to go. Rochelle laughs at me, picking up her own glass.
“Not a fan?” she asks.
“That obvious?” I laugh, taking a sip, contorting my face as the wine hits the back of my throat.
Red sits down opposite me, “You shoulda said.”
“It’s cool, it’s a beautiful bar,” I say, looking around at the high ceilings and chandeliers hanging low, adding to the atmosphere.
Red picks up her wine, sinking back into her chair, taking along gulp. “Damn, that’s good.”
“You’re supposed to take your time,” Rochelle snorts.
“Not a fucking chance,” Red laughs. “It ain’t very often I get a child-free night.”
I take another sip of my own, and it’s not as bad as the first.
“How’s everything going, Bella?” Rochelle asks.
“Really well. It kind of feels like I’m waiting for a bulldozer to come in and take it all away from me.” I swill my wine around my glass before placing it back on the table. “It’s weird, right?”
“Not at all. You’ve literally lived the last six months just surviving,” Red answers.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right, I feel selfish for wanting more.”
“It’s not selfish to want more,” Rochelle says, taking a swig.
“I want full custody, but I can’t see that happening anytime soon. I mean why should Brandy get to play happy families with my boys?” I sigh.
“Karma will come,” Rochelle states. “Especially when you’re part of the MC life.”
“Remind me never to fuck with you,” Red chortles, knocking back the rest of her wine.
“You know it better than any of us Red, we protect our own, and that bitch has it coming.”
Clay
I look at my phone for the eighteenth time, I know I encouraged her out, but I already feel the need for her to be home and safe.
The bikers pulled my arse out of the clubhouse after seeing me clock watch for the first couple of hours, much to Rock’s disapproval as he was on babysitting duty, I wouldn’t mind it myself if I’m honest. Going out has never really been my scene, especially when they told me we were heading to the strip club we own.
We all sit in our own booth, away from the regular punters.
Cindy, one of the dancers, brings over a tray of beers.
Her perk tits are on display for the entire place to ogle, but it does very little for me, especially when I know most of the brothers have tasted all these girls at one point or another.
Gears is practically drooling over the poor girl.
He slaps her arse, and she lets out a little shrill, smiling over her shoulder at him, seductively as she leaves the table.
I pick up my beer, taking a long swig before checking my phone again.
“Fucking hell, brother, she’s out with the ol’ ladies,” Drifter says.
“Just wanna make sure she’s okay,” I say, picking up my phone off the table and standing.
“Nah, sit the fuck down,” he answers, grabbing my arm and pulling me back into the booth.
“Your proper pussy whipped,” Slayer laughs, and I flip him the bird. “I’d rather be pussy whipped than having to be treated for a different STI each week, you dirty fucker.”
“Man, it was one fucking time,” he picks up his own beer, knocking it back.
“Yeah, but didn’t learn your fucking lesson, did you?” Joker interrupts. “Bet you still don’t wrap up.”
“Nah, bareback all the way, motherfuckers!” He chinks his beer with Slider’s, who’s sitting beside him.
“Bet you fuckers share as well, don’t you?” I ask.
“Too fucking right, she can be guzzling my cock whilst Slayer bangs the bitch from behind,” Slider confesses, whilst imitating smacking a woman’s arse from behind. I shake my head, knocking back the rest of my beer. Drifter lifts his hand, notifying the bar staff to send across another round.
We watch as Brandy snatches the tray off Cindy and places the beers on the table, provocatively passing on to each of us.
Slider cosy’s up next to her, draping his arm around her shoulders.
He whispers something in her ear, and she laughs out loud, like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
She slaps his arm playfully before bending right down in front of me, giving me an eyeful of her breasts.
Slider grabs her from behind, “Me and you later, Clay.” I look up at him, curling my lips in disgust as she smiles at me sweetly.
I stumble out of the strip club, holding onto the wall to stabilise myself.
My vision doubles, and my head feels heavy.
What the fuck is wrong? I haven’t even drunk that much.
My feet drag along the floor, feeling for the railing that I know should be there.
Someone comes beside me and drapes my arm around them, fuck.
“Thanks, brother,” I slur, my mouth suddenly feels like cotton, the cold air suddenly feels like it’s choking me.
I hear a car pull up, the stones crunching underneath our feet.
The lights stream into one as I try and focus my vision, but it’s no use.
Something isn’t right. Someone helps me into the back seat of a car, and a woman giggles.
She came for me, the darkness creeping into my vision as I pass out on the backseat.
My stomach churns as I come round, the car rocks back and forth only adding to the nausea. I try to lift myself, but it all feels too heavy. I’m face down on the back seat, there is no way I drank enough to feel like this. My eyes close, the darkness taking me once again.
The light blasts through the confusion as I squint, not able to make anything out and wondering how the fuck I got wherever the hell I am.
The room goes dark, and I feel a woman’s hands sliding under my shirt, I attempt to move my arms, reaching out for her, Bella.
She undoes my top button on my jeans, pulling them down.
I’m motionless, it’s like my body doesn’t really belong to me.
“Bella,” I croak, my voice even sounding like it doesn’t belong to me. She doesn’t respond, and I wonder for a moment whether I even said anything. She continues removing my jeans and runs her nails up my legs, rubbing the length of my cock.
“Bella.” I try again, a little louder this time.
“Shhhhhh,” she whispers, but her voice sounds alien to me, as if I’m not really in the room. My cocks still limp, but she pumps it a little faster anyway, trying to spring it to life. I feel her warm lips wrap around it as she squeezes my balls. I dry heave, but she doesn’t stop her assault.
“Bella, what the fuck?” I lift my head slightly off the pillow, but it slams back.
All of a sudden, the light springs on, and my eyes can’t focus, I’m only able to make out shadows. I try to move, but my body doesn’t respond.
“Are you fucking serious?” Bella screams, her voice penetrating my soul. I try to lift my head, but it’s too much.
“Bella,” I mumble.
“Awwwww.” There’s another scream, and I feel her being dragged off my body. I will myself to move. In an attempt to protect her, I roll onto my side, but it’s no good.
“I fucking told you the next time you come near me, I wouldn’t be so civil, and here you are with your claws in my fucking husband . . . again!” Bella seethes.
“Get the fuck off me,” the other woman screams, and it’s then I realise it’s Brandy’s voice. Fuck. The darkness takes me again.
My heart races, the blood thrumming in my eardrums. The sweat coating my body. I thrash around the sheets. The darkness haunting me as it always does when I’m not with her. Her voice breaks through the darkness.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” she whispers, stroking my head. “I’ve always got you.”
I cling to her like a child. The nightmares plaguing me once again. Pain shoots through my head, and I clasp it in my hands. The bed moves as she puts the bedside light on, but it’s too much.
“Turn it off,” I complain, laying back on the bed and draping my arm over my face. Bella snuggles into my side, drawing circles over my chest with her fingers, calming me immediately.
“What the fuck happened?” I mutter. “I feel like I’ve done ten rounds with Mike Tyson.”
She sighs. “Brandy.”
It’s then the memories come flooding back and I sit up straight, instantly wishing I hadn’t moved so fast, clutching my head in my hands.
“Fuck,” I growl. “I didn’t know.”
She rests her hand on my back pulling me back to lay down.
“I know you were pretty out of it, she spiked your drink at the club. The brothers came looking for you. Cindy told them she saw Brandy putting you into the back of a taxi. I happened to ring your phone, and when Drifter answered, I knew something was wrong.”
I smooth my hand over her hair, I know how difficult it would have been for her not to think I had anything to do with it, especially after Liam.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, filled with guilt even though I wasn’t complicit in it.
“Don’t you dare,” she rages. “It’s that fucking psycho. She threatened me before she took the boys. I’ll never be rid of them.”
I rest my head back against the headboard, this shit has to end, I’ll be fucking damned if they continue to fuck with her. One day at a time, but their karma was mine to give.