Chapter 11
Doc – Two Weeks Later
My jaw ticks as I sit forward, my arms leaning on my thighs, my hands dangling, and nothing but anger consumes me, and nothing comes into focus.
It’s all I fucking feel these days, and it’s building by the minute.
I can hear the soft music in the background, the people chatting outside the door, and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me in this room.
My dad’s mainly, full of worry, while Cynthia’s demands to be let inside my room so she can see her ‘groom’ echo, only making me tense further, the priests’ chambers suffocating me.
For five months, I’ve managed to stay away from her, all while I’ve tried my fucking hardest with Dirty to find Brittany. A disappearance I’m beginning to suspect is because of the woman currently demanding to be let in and her sadistic father.
“Brian, call the wedding off, he doesn’t want this,” I hear Mama whisper.
“I can’t, Debbie, it’s for the club, you know this,” my dad replies, and Mama snaps, “Fuck the club, you’re not even in charge anymore, so stop acting like you are you pathetic little man! Put your son first for once in your stupid ass life!”
“Damn,” Stone mutters from beside, “Now I can see why you wanted my wife and kid at home.”
I hum. Rose wanted to come, to support me, but this isn’t the place for Lily, her and Stone's daughter who was born a few days ago. Rose is slowly forgiving her husband, plus, I can’t guarantee I won’t shoot that fucking senator in the face so I can’t have them here, just like Caleb and Cole are also not in attendance.
Can you go to hell for killing someone in a church?
My door slams open, and I slowly look to see Cynthia barging in, shoving past the prospect, scowling at him.
Joe rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest, not looking amused with my bride-to-be’s attitude.
I can’t say I blame him, though to be fair, he does look like he wants to shoot her.
Again, can you go to hell for shooting someone in a church?
“I thought this was a wedding, not a bachelor party?” I hear my mama ask, and I smirk evilly at how red Cynthia's cheeks go.
Mama is right, though. What should be a wedding dress, looks like a slutty bride Halloween costume that only just covers her ass cheeks, all she’s missing is the fake blood.
“It is custom-made and worth more than your whole wardrobe,” Cynthia snaps, and Stone chuckles, “That’s it, Cynthia, insult your soon-to-be mother-in-law, why don’t you?”
Cynthia freezes, her eyes wide and she slowly looks at my mama who is not impressed before looking my way and winces while I look at her with boredom.
“I-I uh, just wanted to see you before we marry.” She stutters before her eyes drag down my body taking in my slacks, white button-down, and cut, then licks her lips, making mine curl in disgust.
I swear to fuck, my cock has shriveled up and gone into my body.
“I can’t wait for our honeymoon,” she murmurs more to herself, but I reply anyhow and inform her, “We’re not having a honeymoon.”
She looks at me in shock before anger takes hold and demands, “What?!” Her nostrils flare, “We’re supposed to be going to Ibiza tonight, Daddy paid for it, and not only that, you’ve booked a month off work for fuck’s sake!”
She stomps her foot like a brat, but it doesn’t affect me, though Stone does snort.
“I’ve got a month off work for the club, not to go away with you. You’re going on your own,” I confirm with boredom before looking away from her, the urge to run getting higher and higher.
The room tenses, and I can feel her eyes on me, and I state, “Is that all, Cynthia?” as I look at her with a raised brow, “You wanted a brother as your husband, a pres, well, this is what you’re getting, this is how life will be. The club and my job will always come first!”
Her nostrils flare as I repeat the words I gave Brittany all those months ago. Right before she disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in my heart as I looked after her stolen cat, praying Dirty could find her. But it’s been six months, and we still can’t find her anywhere.
Fuck I feel like I can’t breathe.
“I thought the bride and groom can’t see each other on their wedding day until they’re at the altar,” Anchor grumbles as he walks into the room looking rough, and I hum because yeah, so did I.
The fucker hasn’t been right since his ex-girlfriend cheated on him.
“Uh, Cynthia, you know what, Anchor is right, it’s bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, why don’t you go back to your room, and we’ll see you at the altar in twenty,” my dad tries to calm the situation down.
She narrows her eyes before smirking as she takes in my attire again, lust shining in her evil eyes, then walks out with a sway of her hips clearly wanting to try and get my attention but it doesn’t work.
“I am not looking forward to seeing her every fucking day at the clubhouse,” Stone snaps just as Trigger storms into the room looking ready to blow.
“Bad therapy session, son?” my dad asks with concern, and Trigger growls, “My fucking wife admitted to fucking someone else after she moved out of the clubhouse, to try and move on from me and my cheating ways.”
Ouch.
I wince. Trigger managed to convince Ashley to go to couples therapy.
Apparently, up until now, the therapist has focused on their life together, their marriage, their relationship.
I’m guessing she’s decided to change tactics and focus on their separation before diving into their breakup.
His fuck up, probably knowing all the pain that will come out.
“You did have an affair, son,” my dad reminds him, and he scowls and snaps, “Not the fucking point!”
“Don’t be a hypocrite, Trigger,” I state, “You screwed Virginia for a year, moving her into the clubhouse and even screwed her while your wife and kid were in the other room.” he opens his mouth, but I order, “Do not bring up the fact she wouldn’t sleep with you.
You never looked into it, instead you used it as an excuse to cheat and live your so-called best life.
So man the fuck up, admit when you’re wrong, and don’t give that woman a hard time for trying to move on from her childhood sweetheart who broke her fucking heart! ”
Everyone stays silent, their eyes wide at my outburst, and I look down, my jaw ticking.
“Asher, you good?” Trigger asks with concern, not biting my head off with my outburst.
I growl, “No, I fucking ain’t. I’m about to marry a woman I don’t want for the club, a woman I am ninety percent sure I am going to shoot by tomorrow if she doesn’t get on that fucking plane to Ibiza.”
“Son…” Dad whispers with pain, but I don’t look at the fucker.
He started this train wreck, putting ideas in Jacob’s mind, and now I have to sign my life away because Dirty couldn’t find anything yet on the fucker. He’s hid his dirty dealings deep underground, and my girl is still missing, my fucking heart.
“I found her, I think I found her,” Dirty shouts as he runs into the room, getting everyone’s attention, and I stand instantly.
“You found Brittany?” my dad asks as he steps forward with hope and Dirty nods before looking my way for a minute, then back at dad and admits, “A facial recognition in fucking Dallas of all places.”
“Dallas?” I question, my heart pounding.
“Yeah,” he confirms, “Parkerville to be exact.”
Fuck, the Untamed territory.
“Show me,” I demand as I step forward, and Dirty turns the phone my way, and I suck in a breath at a smiling Brittany, like nothing is wrong, like her family hasn’t been looking for her.
Fuck did she just leave town without looking back?
“Fuck, is that Annalise? Axel’s old lady?” Stone asks from over my shoulder, and I look at the other woman and swallow.
Brittany is with the Untamed?
“She looks okay, Shadow's daughter, she doesn’t look harmed or anything. Maybe she just left, wanting a new beginning or some shit?” Trigger says, and my jaw ticks.
I know Brittany, her family is her everything, fuck, she slowly moved out just to make sure her Mama would be alright, she saved a kitten.
No, I don’t think she just up and left, something isn’t sitting right with me.
“I guess I’ll quickly grab Shadow so he knows his daughter is alright,” my dad mumbles, his brows dipped in confusion.
I shake my head and grab my phone, getting the number I need, and state, “Just wait a minute, something isn’t adding up.”
“But it’s her,” Dirty says, and I hum, not denying him, but the twist in my stomach, the tightness in my chest is saying something isn’t right.
Like I said, I know my girl.
“Doc, this is a surprise,” Axel answers after a few rings, “I thought you weren’t calling until after your nuptials from hell about club business, or did you shoot your bride at the altar?”
The brothers snort, fuck, even dad smirks.
“Not married yet, brother. Look, I’m calling because we had a brother's daughter go missing seven months ago. He didn’t pull us into the loop until she was gone for a month. Dirty got a facial recognition off your camera.”
“Bell,” he questions, and I frown and state, “Nah, brother, her name is Brittany Wayne, she’s nearly twenty-five, has long wavy caramel hair, deep sapphire eyes, and has a love for animals.”
“Yeah, Bell,” he says, completely confusing me until I rear back in shock when he admits, “I think you should come down, brother. She has post-traumatic memory loss, meaning she doesn’t even know her legal name let alone have any memory of her past.”
“No,” Mama whispers, and I stumble back in shock causing Stone to grip my arm tight.
“We tried everything to try and find where she was from, but nothing came up, and unfortunately, other than hearing a woman’s voice, which she is guessing is her Mama, she’s had no memory recovery. Dagger’s woman Melanie was her nurse…” Axel murmurs, and I blink in shock.
It can’t be true, it just can’t be.
“Shit, I need to go get Shadow,” Dad mutters, and I quickly state, “Axel, expect me, Tank, Thunder, Canine, and Shadow in the next six and a half hours.”
“I’ll ensure the rooms are made up,” he returns.
“Thanks brother, just uh, don’t tell Brit, we need to see if she gets any flashbacks, we can’t risk making shit worse,” I state, my doctor coming out and I hang up just as the door to the room opens again and the priest announces, “It’s time!” and I look at dad and raise a brow.
If he thinks I’m marrying her he has another thing coming. I just got my hail fucking Mary to get outta this church.
He nods and states, “We’re going to have to reschedule, there’s an emergency that has just come up.”
Ha, like fuck is that happening, I’m making right to my wrong and claiming my girl.
“Wha-what?” the priest questions, but I ignore him as I run out of the room and shout, “Stone grab Shadow and Thunder,” as I run to my bike, Dirty right behind me.
“I fucking told you I wouldn’t allow you to marry the bitch,” he says as he climbs on his bike and I reply, “We still need leverage,” I look at the church then back at Dirty, “Brit went missing right after I told her I was marrying Cynthia and offered for her to be my mistress.”
“That’s a fucking dick move if I ever heard one,” he snaps, and I wave my hand and say, “Yeah, I know, believe me, she slapped me for it, but brother…”
My words trail off, and I raise a brow, and his mouth parts.
“Fuck, you think they had something to do with her memory loss, like maybe she doesn’t actually have it and they threatened her or her family?” he asks, and I shrug and state, “Anything is possible.”
Shadow runs out of the church with Thunder, and I start my bike just as Cynthia follows them, screaming, “What do you mean the wedding is postponed?!” with her father storming out after her.
“Time to go,” I state before speeding out of the church parking lot, and she shouts, “Doc!” as I roar down the street towards the clubhouse.
I need to pack a bag, I need to go get my girl and see if she really does have memory loss or if she’s playing the part.