Chapter Twenty-Five
Harley
O pening the tech room door, I grin at Grayson. “Hey, tech boy, are you ready?”
Shaking his head, Gray powers down his computer and then walks over to me. “Are you really going to call me that now?” he asks with a small smile.
“Yes. At least when you’re in this room.” I shrug. “Don’t blame me. Noah came up with it.”
“I didn’t forget,” he grumbles and walks out with me, taking my hand.
It’s been about four days now since we took down the warehouse. Since the situation with Nerds, Grayson has been running all things tech for him. But every time someone has said tech guy , they automatically think of Nerds, so Noah randomly decided that Grayson would be the tech boy .
Grayson seems embarrassed by it, but I think it’s cute.
“Are you ready to tell the twins the news?” I beam at him.
He lets out a relieved sigh, and I’ll never get enough of seeing him smile. “Yes. So ready.”
Vance and his men found and killed the twins' father a day after we found them. Vance promised that they got revenge for the twins and more. To top it off, Grayson was able to find their mom and look into her.
She has a normal, safe life in Seattle, Washington. Everything checks out with her, so he told Gabe about it, and Gabe got in contact with her. He gave her the bare bones information over the phone and is waiting to meet with her in person.
Which is happening in about an hour. She flew in and just let him know she rented a car and is on her way here.
Since it’s actually happening, we are going to tell the twins now. We have held off because life is a bitch and so many things can change within seconds, and we didn’t want to get their hopes up over something that could’ve changed.
Knocking on the medical room door, we wait until someone says come in and then we enter. Doc is here doing a final check-up on them so he can let their mom know anything she needs to be aware of.
“Good morning,” Grayson says, and Anthony jumps from the bed and runs over to hug him.
Over the last few days Anthony has grown sort of attached to Grayson. I think he found comfort in Grayson being the first one to help him feel safe again.
“I have some news for you and your sister,” Grayson tells him, hugging him back.
Anthony grins at me and then leads us back over to where he and Anna were sitting on a bed in front of Doc.
“Harley, Grayson,” Doc greets us.
“I found your guys’ mom.” That gets both of their attention, and they fully focus on Grayson, whose excitement seeps into his tone. “She is on her way here right now for you guys.”
“Are you serious?” Anthony says, tears gathering in his eyes. He looks at his sister, who is crying but still very quiet. “Mom is coming, Anna.”
She lets out a loud sob, and they hold each other tight. Looking over Anna’s shoulder Anthony mouths, Thank you , over and over again to Grayson. We stay until they both calm down and Anthony hugs Grayson, crying.
“You saved us,” he tells Gray, sniffling against his shirt.
We let them know we will come get them when she’s here and leave the room. In the hallway, I immediately wrap my arms around Grayson’s shoulders. He takes a shuddering breath, and holds me tightly.
“Holy shit,” he whispers.
“I know. You changed his life, you know? We all may have saved them, but you helped that boy know that he can get past this just by being you.”
Grayson sniffs and then shakes his head, pulling back far enough to look into my eyes.
“Hey, you two!” Ryker shouts from the end of the hall. “She’s here if you want to be a part of the conversation.”
“Ready?” I murmur, searching his eyes. He comes over to kiss me quickly and nods.
Ryker leads us to Rage’s office where a middle-aged woman sits in front of his desk. She has the same deep brown eyes the twins have. Her cheeks are stained with tears as Rage tells her about how we found the twins. He doesn’t go into details about the cages or anything, but he gives her the basics.
The door opens again behind us as Doc comes in, going over the injuries they have. Anna is still struggling to eat food, and they each had some bruising, cuts, and broken bones.
“They both will need help to get through this. It’s going to be a long and hard process for both them and you. I just want you to be prepared for anything that may come up. This is going to be a long road,” Doc explains.
“I don’t care how long the road is or how hard it will be. I don’t care if they won’t speak or want to scream at me. As long as I can hear them. See them. Watch them grow and live a better life, that is all I want. Can I please see my babies now?” she almost begs.
“Of course,” Rage says smoothly. “There is just one more thing. We didn’t tell the twins because it felt it isn’t our place, but we do know that they are scared of their father—”
She curses under her breath in what sounds like Spanish, and then her eyes harden in anger. “I will do everything I can to protect them. I will kill the bastard with my own hands if I ever see him again.”
Gabe pauses for a moment before responding, “You won’t have to. He is dead. You will never have to think about him or worry about him again. Just trust that justice was served.”
She shakes her head in awe and then stands up, along with Gabe. Walking around the desk, she hugs him, her tiny frame dwarfed by his burly figure. “I don’t know what possessed you all to do this, but I can’t ever repay you.” She sniffles.
“You can repay us by loving those sweet kids and helping them heal so we know they got to have a better life,” Rage tells her.
We all head out to the main room, and the second the twins walk from the other hallway and spot their mom, they race over and collapse into a heap on the floor. Hugs, kisses, and tears follow. We all step away to give them some privacy until they’re ready to go.
Rage offered her a room to stay here tonight, but she wants to get them out of this state and home to Washington where they can start over.
After everyone said goodbye, the twins left with their mom and now we’re waiting for the same thing with Tia. Grayson found her parents, and they’re coming to get her today. We told Tia earlier, and she is beyond excited to see them and be able to go home.
But her excitement didn’t last long because shortly after, she asked to go be with Oakley, who she has been attached to anytime we let her over the last few days.
Heading upstairs we find her in the guest room with Oakley, who has been doing the best she can the last few days. Doc and Brielle have been giving her minimal opioids since we are not prepared to deal with someone coming off of drugs for how long she’s been on them. But Grayson has found a rehab that we are working on getting her into.
“Hey, Tia, your parents will be here in about five minutes if you want to head downstairs.” I smile at her.
“No. I can’t go,” she says with the most determination I have seen from her since she arrived here as she straightens her shoulders and narrows her eyes slightly, but still trembles showing her fear even as she tries to remain strong.
“What do you mean you can’t go?” I ask carefully, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed she and Oakley are sitting on.
“I’m not leaving Oakley. She doesn’t have anyone here. I can’t go,” she whispers as tears gather in her eyes.
Oakley turns towards Tia and cups her cheeks. “Oh, sweet, sweet girl. I must have forgotten to tell you!”
“Tell me what?” Tia’s brows furrow in confusion.
“My parents are coming, too. They just won’t be here for a few more days,” Oakley tells her.
“Really?” Tia beams at her.
“Oh, yes. I have a very big family. Lots of siblings who all love me and my parents, Tia, my parents are the best ever. Probably not as amazing as yours, but they are up there.” She winks at her, and I have to turn away, trying to blink back tears as Oakley pushes her pain away to give Tia some comfort in leaving and going on to heal and be happy.
“You really are going home too?” Tia asks eagerly.
“Yes. We are both going to go home to our families and get all the love we need to heal. So don't worry about me. I’ll always remember you, but now it’s time for you to move on from this horrid situation and let your parents help you.”
“Okay. Thank you for taking care of us. For braiding my hair when I was sad,” Tia cries.
“It was my greatest honor. Now, go hug your parents tight and never let them go, okay?” Oakley says, giving her a pointed look.
Tia nods and hugs her once more before getting up. Grayson places his hand on my back and whispers in my ear, “I’ll take her down. I think you’re needed here.”
I nod, and he kisses my cheek before leading Tia out. Raven, who had been the person sitting in here, stands from her chair and says she’s going to step out into the hall.
The second the door shuts, sobs that break my heart come from Oakley. She grips her chest and lets out a blood-curdling scream.
Moving back to the bed, I climb on and sit in front of her. “Let it out, Oakley. Share your pain with me. I have you.” I say to her what I would’ve wanted someone to say to me. Oakley leans forward, resting her forehead on my shoulder as she continues to sob.
I rub her back and remind her she is in a safe space and not alone.
Her head snaps up to look at my face. “I need the pills. Please.” She grips my arm hard enough to make me wince. “I need them. I can’t handle this.”
“Oakley, you don’t want them. I promise. Feeling this pain is good. You have to grieve it all. Feel it. I promise you, I swear to you, it won’t always feel this way,” I say as tears fall down my cheeks.
“I can’t—” she gasps. “My heart hurts. It hurts so bad, I want to rip it out. I don’t want to feel it anymore.”
“I know. I know, Oakley. It feels like someone is stabbing you in the chest over and over again, but the only way to move forward is by going through it. Burying it inside of you, burying it with drugs or alcohol, that will not truly help you move forward. You are so strong and have survived the impossible. You are selfless and kind. You deserve the world, and we are going to help you get it.”
Oakley slowly curls up on her side with her head resting on my crossed legs. She mumbles incoherently about drugs but seems to calm as the tears silently continue to fall. I run my hand through her hair and just stay a silent companion for her.
Sometime later, the door slowly cracks open, and Raven pops her head in. I smile at her, and she walks over to us looking down at a now sleeping Oakley. “How is she? How are you?” she whispers.
“She’s exhausted. I really hope the rehab place is going to be able to help her get on the right track. She has such a good heart,” I say as I continue to run my fingers through her long white hair.
“I think she really does want to change. Anytime she has asked for pills, she seems resigned to it. Like it’s a tumor you can’t shake without help.” She sighs and sits in the chair across from the bed. “And you?” She raises a brow at me.
“I feel… I honestly feel lucky. I mean, I went through horrible things, but when I got to the other side and pushed myself to move forward and go through everything, I had this whole team of people waiting to cheer me on. She doesn’t have anyone.”
“Harley, you thought you didn’t have anyone either for a long time. You didn’t even think you could trust any of us. I mean, you thought Presley and I were being forced to stay here.” She chuckles. “She has us. And as she keeps going and healing, she may discover she has a team too.”
Raven pulls out her phone, glances at it, and then looks at me.
“They are going to have a meeting. You’ll probably want to go down for it. I’ll stay with Oakley,” she says quietly, trying not to wake Oakley.
“Okay.” Gently moving her head off my lap and onto a pillow, I get up and leave the room, taking a deep breath.
Ryker
“Do you think we can do it? Soon?” I ask Sugar where we sit at a table in the main room with Atlas, Linc, Noah, Axe, and Cade.
“I don’t see why not. I think it’s a good idea.” Sugar nods at me.
I came to him first since I know Rage is currently dealing with a lot regarding Nerds. And I wanted to ask about the girls who died. We’ve found Sammy’s family, and Rage is going to talk to them, but we can’t find anything on Angel.
“You know, I wasn’t too sure about you at first,” Atlas says as he leans back in his chair and watches me with a critical eye.
Linc, who is next to him sighs in exasperation but doesn’t say anything as Atlas continues.
“But you're not too bad. The way you care for all the victims, living and dead, says a lot about you,” he continues, tilting his head in thought.
Raising a brow, I smirk at him. “I wouldn’t be me if people didn’t feel unsure about me.”
Atlas smirks back at me while Linc just shakes his head right as Grayson comes into the room. Walking over to me, he plops down in the seat and rubs at his eyes.
Placing my hand on the back of his neck, I rub it gently. “You alright?” I murmur.
Turning his head towards me, he gives me a sleepy smile. “Just tired. Everything is really draining.” He shrugs.
Pressing my lips together, I lean forward until we are nose to nose. “After this meeting with everyone, I think we should all take a break and just be for a bit. How does that sound?”
“Perfect,” he breathes. Grinning at him, I pull back and face everyone again.
Atlas and Linc are both staring between us with confused looks. I glare at both of them, daring them with my eyes to say something. To piss me off so I have a reason to get angry, but they are smart and keep their mouths shut about Grayson and me.
Harley comes downstairs just as the rest of the ranking officers come inside, all besides Nerds, and take their seats. I gesture for Harley to sit by me, and she does with a smile.
When she comes to right behind Grayson and I’s chairs, I turn mine out slightly and pull her down onto my lap before facing forward again.
“This is better,” I sigh and nuzzle my face against her neck, causing her to laugh.
“Okay, since everyone is here, let’s get started,” Rage announces. “First thing, I’m sure you all have noticed that Nerds isn’t here with us. Harley has been kind enough to let him use her room at my house temporarily, and he will be staying there for the time being. In the meantime, Grayson will be our go-to tech guy—”
“Tech boy ,” Noah jumps in, making everyone laugh, and Grayson rolls his eyes even as his cheeks turn red.
Shaking his head with a small smile, Rage continues, “He will be our tech boy until further notice. I know you guys are worried about Nerds, but he is okay and will continue to be okay. For those that are aware of his past situation, please remember that it’s not our place to tell others about it. It’s up to Nerds.”
Everyone nods in agreement, so he continues, “Alright, before we get into the heavier stuff, I do have one good announcement.” He looks at Atlas and Lincoln. “Did Ryan leave already?”
“Yeah. Brielle was able to get more time off by telling the hospital it was a family emergency, and we had someone running the gym for us, but he couldn’t do it any longer, so Ryan went back to take care of it,” Linc explains.
“Okay, well, we will just give Ryan’s to him later,” Rage says, gesturing to Axe, who gets up and goes to grab something from down the hall where Rage’s office is. “Normally, this is done during church, but since your main reason for joining us is sitting out here now and can’t come into church, I am making an exception.”
Axe comes back and walks over to Rage where they each hold up a leather cut with the backs facing out where it shows the club symbol, name, and their names.
“Welcome to the club as nomads. Since we are your home base club, you will represent us. Glad to have you in the family,” Rage says as he hands Atlas his and Axe gives Lincoln the other one.
They both grin and shake their hands before taking their seats again. Harley is beaming from ear to ear as she watches them be accepted with ease.
Everyone claps and welcomes them to the family before Rage gets us back on track with the meeting.
“In a week or two when things are more settled, we will have a family BBQ to celebrate.” He sighs then. “Alright, moving on. Tia and the twins, Anthony and Anna, are with their families now and heading home. We have provided them with resources to get their kids help and made it known that if they need anything, they can come to us.”
“As for Sammy and who we now know was Angel,” Sugar begins and then gestures toward me.
I clear my throat. “We’ve located Sammy’s family, and Rage is going to contact them to find out what they would like to do. For Angel, unfortunately, we can’t find anything on her. We aren’t even sure if that was her real name or just a nickname.
“So since we can’t just leave her there, and I hate the idea of her just being tossed out like trash, Grayson got a spot in the local cemetery for her. We will hold a small gathering there when she is being buried so she isn’t alone.”
Harley sucks in a breath and moves an arm around my shoulders so she can run her fingers through the back of my hair.
“That’s a perfect idea, Ryker.” Rage nods at me, as everyone else agrees.
“We will all be there,” Noah adds. “We also still have the guy at the club basement that we need to question. Stone has been making sure he is alive, but we should head over soon and question him.”
I completely forgot that they had caught one of the men in suits from the office upstairs and taken him to the club basement where Noah has a setup for torturing people. We didn’t want to bring him here where all the victims were.
“Yes. A group needs to go over in the next few days and get that taken care of,” Rage says as he glances around. “Blade, Stone, and I want you guys to bring Ryker.”
Stunned, I whip my head towards Rage, where he stands at the end of the table. “Really?” I exclaim.
He nods. “You guys only have six months until graduation and you all turning eighteen, and then you will be prospects. Things have worked differently for you guys than they have for others, so I am okay with you slowly adjusting to more club things now. And if you’re going to be successful with us, you have to learn to control your anger in situations like questioning someone who makes your blood boil by even looking at them. So, I want you to go and watch Stone and Blade.”
“Sounds good to me.” I grin. Definitely didn’t expect that but I’m definitely okay with it. I love getting my hands dirty.
“Alright, Grayson, are the offshore accounts ready?” Rage asks, turning to him.
Grayson straightens. “Yes and no. We know who our targets are for switching the accounts over to other names, but the bigger issue now is we don’t know where Tammy is. With her being in the wind and not knowing how deep her involvement runs in all of this, or if she has some hidden information on the club that could get us in deep shit, it’s not a good idea to set that up now. I think we have to wait.”
“The bitch really just vanished?” Noah spits out the question.
Nodding, Grayson says, “Yeah. Nerds and I were looking for any trace but have come up empty. I’m going to keep looking and see what I can dig up.”
“We can help you,” Harley tells Grayson, and I nod.
“Alright. I’ll try to think back and see if there’s anyone I might be able to contact from my past that could have any ideas or information about Tammy,” Rage adds. “So, in the meantime, we need to continue looking into everyone else we were tracking. Now that the warehouse is gone, we’ll watch and see if someone steps wrong or leads us to the people who are running this whole thing.”
“Do you remember those pages we found at Tammy’s?” Harley asks.
When Rage says yes, she continues.
“Tia said she was taken from an afterschool program. And those were like face sheets for kids from the rec center. I think we should look more into that place too because it was a place Tammy went to often.”
“I’m so sorry. I just—can I say something?” a small voice says from the entrance to the kitchen. Glancing over, I see Oakley standing there, and Raven pops her head out from behind her.
“Hey, sorry, I didn’t know you guys were having the meeting out here, and I wanted to get Oakley out of the room for a bit,” Raven explains.
“It’s alright. What did you want to say, Oakley?” Rage asks softly.
“I heard you talking about the rec center, and I’ve heard about other people coming from there. I was at the warehouse often because a lot of the people who purchased girls wanted virgins or didn’t want to deal with the drug problem.” Tears gather in her eyes, but she blinks them away. “Anyway, I heard the guards talking a lot. And when I would get locked in the, uh, closet room where you found me, it wasn’t fully soundproof, so I heard things.”
She clears her throat, clearly uncomfortable yet still wanting to help. She has strength like Harley does.
“I want to help and give you that information. I think I’ve been to the place where the main players run things from. And I know about the Black Night.” Goosebumps rise on her arms, and she wraps them around her waist, scratching at them.
Raven places a hand on her arms, stopping her. “It’s okay. You don’t have to keep going,” she reassures her.
Oakley shakes her head. “No, I want to. I want to help. Please.”
Rage takes a step towards her. “The only way you can help right now is by getting sober. Go to rehab and do the work. When you are sober and we see you working to get to a good place, then we can let you help. But right now, you are too clouded and driven by drugs. Okay?”
She nods fervently. “Yes. I’ll do the work. I swear.”
He gives her an encouraging smile. “I know you will. You’re strong.”
Raven gently nudges her back towards the kitchen, but before she can leave, Cade speaks to her. “Were you a part of one of the Black Nights?”
Oakley pauses and turns her head back towards the table. “Yes. It’s a place of nightmares. It not only humiliates you in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine, but it also dehumanizes you, and the longer you spend there the less human you feel,” she answers so quietly it’s hard to even hear her words, but with the silence in the room I know we all heard her.