Chapter 18
Dirty – Two Days Later
Mrs. Violet clears her throat, looking up from her notes first at me, then at Doc and her hand tightens on her pen trying to hide the tremble, and her pulse visibly pounds in her neck while my jaw clenches tightly.
You can see it on her neck. The woman is petrified she’s about to lose the funding for the school, a funding I offered after Caleb started here.
I’m more than ready to tear it away from the fuckers after the shit I walked in on two days ago, that bitch Cheryl sliding out the back door, trying to run from the shit she caused out of jealousy.
Getting that call from Judge Jones explaining she made bail thanks to one of her lovers. It pissed me off and I knew exactly where she was going to go, what she would try to fucking do.
Patch chasers are all the fucking same, they try to hurt the woman the brother is claiming and what better way to hurt Holly than ensure she loses her job?
She just didn’t count on bringing in the wrong parents because of course she didn’t know what class Caleb was in.
I should be finishing Curt's bike, a nomad brother from another MC before heading into church to plan the next run, and go through the books but instead, I’m sitting in the school office with my Pres beside me, knowing I’ll lose it if he wasn’t.
My body is tight with anger while the principal sweats with fear as she fucking should.
This fucking woman is one of the reasons why my girl left town two days ago, taking our daughter with her because yes, I said it once, I’ll say it a hundred fucking times, Lyra is mine in every way except blood.
Mrs. Violet swallows again and I sneer at her.
She is why Holly has only messaged and allowed Lyra to speak to me over the phone. Unlike Caleb, I haven’t heard her voice, fuck, I haven’t even seen her on video call, only Lyra and Matty, Holly always out of the room, and I’m ready to fucking explode.
He explained she’s just trying to get her head sorted, that everything that has happened since we got together has fucked her up a little.
He expressed she refuses to make Caleb think he’s unloved and says they’re at her aunt's funeral. I swear, it took everything in me not to put Hol’s name in the database to find out where she is, to break that trust she has in me.
This fucker tells me I have to allow her this time before I say fuck it and put my patch on her back.
I’m trying to show her she can trust me, but fuck, after the shit that went down, I’m struggling.
I should be with her, helping her through a loss she has still not spoken to me about, but I’m not because of Cheryl, who has gone under fucking ground like a scared little bitch knowing there is now a target on her back.
The last sighting I found was outside the doctor's office, being handed something by some guy in a long coat this morning, but by the time the prospects got there, she was gone, and the guy in the coat denied seeing her, and we can’t exactly fucking kidnap a doctor and torture some answers outta him now, can we?
Wait, can we?
Maybe I can get Thunder to go after him, he hasn’t fucked up much lately.
I shake my head as I lean back in the chair and cross my arms over my chest, my patience running thin the longer this fucking stuck-up woman takes to speak up about her mistakes.
Apparently, Sandra has taken over Holly’s class, and not even an hour in, Caleb got Mr. Saint to give me a call claiming she kept trying to get him to convince me to come to the school and he hasn’t been in school since while Sandra is teaching.
The kids hate the woman, and none are listening to her, and the parents are now complaining, but this time for actual reasons and not lies made up just so Hol will lose her job.
The reminder of Hol’s icy blue eyes hit me, and my stomach tightens as I fist my hands to stop myself from lashing out.
Fuck, I miss her. I miss her warmth, her touch, her kiss—her tight, wet heat...
I fucking miss everything about her, and if she isn’t home by tomorrow, I’m putting her name in the database, and I’m going after her, screw the consequences of my actions, because if worse comes to worst, I’ll tie her to my bed until she forgives me.
Mrs. Violet clears her throat again and says, “Mr. Lee, I uh, I understand you are upset regarding the issues that were brought to my attention, but you have to know, I am bound by duty to suspend any teacher that has been accused of misconduct until a full investigation has been held.”
“How is having a relationship with me misconduct when you knew Hol was an amazing teacher and never put Caleb, heck, never even put Lyra, before any other child?” I ask with a sneer, and the woman flinches at my tone, but I’m not fucking done.
I sit forward, and I growl, “You listened to hearsay and didn’t even fucking question why parents from Mrs. Jones’s class were the ones standing outside of your door making complaints!
You didn’t do your job properly and decided to punish an innocent teacher who got caught in the crossfire of a woman who wanted a brother's patch, a woman mind you, you never even fucking met before, and now it is Holly who isn’t here, and all her kids are upset, and my kid is refusing to come to school! ”
Mrs. Violet clears her throat again, her hand shaking as she straightens her notepad before saying, “Please rest assured, Ms. Robins still has her job after she has taken her sabbatical.”
“You mean if she comes back because we know for a fact you haven’t spoken to her,” Doc reminds the woman, and the woman flinches again before he warns, “And if she doesn’t return, then the school will be losing our funding.”
I don’t think I have ever seen a woman go as pale as she has before. Her face is fucking white as a sheet.
“I-I,” she stutters, but I shake my head and stand. Doc stands too and says, “Let’s hope she returns. Caleb also won’t be returning until she is back,” and we both walk out without another word, ignoring the receptionist who winces at our coldness.
I get my phone out, bring up Holly’s number, and press on it, only to growl with frustration when she doesn’t answer again.
“I swear to fuck, Doc, if she doesn’t come home, I will fucking drag her back,” I threaten as I put my phone back in my coat and we walk out of the school, my anger building to the point, I can’t fucking control it.
I’ve never felt like this before over a woman and shit, it has scared the living daylights outta me but I can’t fucking lose her, lose both of them, Caleb can’t, not because of Cheryl.
He sighs but mutters, “Alright, I have your back,” knowing if it were the other way around, he’d be the same, even if we understand Hol’s mind set with this shit.
***
“Alright, Ace, how is the diner doing? Anymore shit with AJ and Harriet?” Doc asks my blood brother a few hours later, who groans from beside me, and I don’t even smirk like everyone else, my mind on Holly and Lyra as per fucking usual.
We’ve been in church for about an hour and a half and already gone through the rest of the businesses and spoken about who is going on the next run – not me, thankfully, I need to kidnap my woman – but now we’ve got to go through the crap at the diner.
I just don’t have the energy for the shit he’s about to spew after the idiot decided to shit where he ate so to speak.
AJ and Harriet have been vying for my brother's attention for about a year, both wanting his property patch, and the idiot fucked Harriet last month, then wouldn’t touch her again after it came out she had an STD.
He thankfully didn’t catch it because he double gloves, but AJ had found out and was pissed.
Apparently, she called dibs because, of course, in her mind, she’s still in high school and lost it with Harriet after she gloated and things haven’t been easy ever since, both at each other’s throats causing havoc at the diner.
“I’ve had to lower both women’s hours,” Ace admits with a sigh before muttering, “Really shouldn’t have shat where I ate.”
I smirk despite my frustrations as the brothers chuckle.
“I guess they didn’t take that very well,” Stone snorts, and Ace huffs, “Fuck no, they both threw hissy fits, but after I found them in the staff room in a full-blown cat fight, I didn’t really have a choice,” he sits back in his chair, “It’s fucking pathetic.
I fucked the girl once, just once, and didn’t even come because of the fucking smell of her cunt, and now suddenly I’m her property, and I haven’t even touched AJ. ”
“If shit continues, you’re going to have to fire them,” Trigger mentions.
“I know,” my brother agrees, “I’ve already put an ad up for a part-time waitress and hopefully seeing me bring someone in will get their asses into gear and see that I mean business, especially considering both women bring in a lot of customers.”
“And how is revenue?” Doc asks.
“Despite the shit with the women, revenue is good, people love the food, they just hate the current situation caused by two waitresses they used to like to look at. Hopefully I can find another waitress with maturity, and then maybe the tips will increase again for everyone,” he says, and Doc nods as he looks at me.
I give the nod to go ahead, and he clears his throat and admits, “We had a meeting with the school this morning. We’ve told Mrs. Violet that if Hol doesn’t return, then we’ll no longer fund the school.”
“Won’t that piss off the mayor?” Anchor asks with a wince, and I sigh.
“I’ve already given him the heads up. His wife fucked up, and he now understands it after I explained the situation. The woman should have spoken to Hol before suspending her the way she did. She should have looked more into the situation instead of jumping the gun,” I state, and the brothers nod.
“Alright fuckers,” Doc says, “we’ll keep you informed with the school, Ace keep me informed with what happens at the diner, and Stone, go speak to the prospects that will be attending the next run so they can prepare themselves. Church is over.”
He bangs his gavel, and I stand and head straight to the door before anyone can move, my body wired up.
The longer I don’t hear from Hol, the more agitated I get, fuck, my own son has heard her voice yet I haven’t, and yes, I’m man enough to say I’m fucking jealous of my own child.
I grab my phone from Buck, who gives me a nod, but I ignore him as I bring up Hol’s number, and just as I’m about to press on her name, I hear, “Mr. Dirty!” with excitement and I look up in shock before Lyra’s white-blonde hair comes into view.
She rushes my way, and I just get my phone in my pocket before she jumps on me, and I catch her before swinging her around making her giggle and I hug her tightly to me as I breathe her in.
Fuck, I’ve missed her…
“Hey, baby girl,” I murmur as I hold her tight.
Everything inside me relaxes with her here before my eyes roam the common room with anticipation, getting eyes on my girl again, only I frown, not seeing her.
“Missed you, Mr. Dirty,” she mumbles, and I swallow hard.
“I missed you too, cutie,” I reply before asking, “Where’s your mama, baby girl?”
“Gone to the grocery store, I asked for mac and cheese for dinner, but she didn’t know if you had any of the ingredients at home. Something about you slacking,” she replies, and I chuckle because yeah, she’s right I have slacked since the shit started and I hold her tighter to me.
They’re back, they really are back.
Calmness finally consumes me, and I pull back and get a good look at my little girl whose icy blue eyes sparkle with happiness.
“How were your two days away, cutie?” I ask her softly as Doc squeezes my shoulder, grinning at Lyra, who high-fives him.
“It was okay. Matty stayed with me the whole time, and I met my granny and grandpa for the first time. Grandpa was nice, but Granny was not so much. I prefer Mr. Ice, though,” she admits, and I smile at her despite the frown that wants to take place.
She’s never met her own grandparents before?
“Lyra, let’s go play outside,” I hear my little troublemaker shout, and I chuckle as she gives me puppy dog eyes.
“Alright, you can go and play outside but don’t get too dirty before dinner,” I say as I kiss her cheek before putting her down, and she says, “Okay, Mr. Dirty,” as she runs after Caleb.
“I really need to get her to call me dad,” I mutter before I make eye contact with my dad, who grins widely, and I can’t help but grin back with a chuckle, so much fucking happiness fulfilling me right now.
They are fucking back, and I need to claim Holly before she gets any ideas, and with that thought in mind, I walk towards the bedroom I keep at the clubhouse where her cut is.
I had Doc make it the day we met, and now, I’m putting it on her back, and tonight, after our kids are asleep, I’m fucking her from behind with her wearing only that cut and maybe, just maybe, she’ll let me have her ass tonight.
I’m not stupid. I know things won’t be easy, especially when our little girl got hurt, and then her job was called into question, but I won’t lose her over Cheryl. Caleb won’t lose the woman he sees as a mother, ain’t happening.
Grinning, knowing my girl will be here any minute, I walk into my room but quickly turn when I feel a figure behind me only for a needle to go into my skin, shocking me.
I stumble back and instantly everything goes numb as my eyes go blurry, Cheryl’s sly grin just hitting my eyesight before my legs give out and I land with a thump on the floor and I choke, “Holly,” and everything goes groggy before my mind goes hazy.
Fuck.