CHAPTER 6
Mick
I just finished up on my last client today.
He’s gotta come back for at least one or two sessions to finish his piece.
It’s large and he’s not good at sitting still for long periods of time.
Luckily, he knows this about himself so he schedules each tattoo with the expectations that it will be multiple sessions.
I’m cleaning up my station when my phone dings with an incoming text.
Madison just texted me only twenty minutes ago, so I doubt it's her.
I take out my phone and unlock it to see who sent it.
Grant: Just literally bumped into your girl coming out of the club with the two new girls.
I don’t know what they were doin’, but I forgot that Mads can’t lie for shit.
Me: lol.
No, she can’t lie to save her life.
What did she claim they were doing?
Grant: Said they were looking for her kindle or something, whatever that is.
All I know is all three of them hopped into her car and took off like a bat outta hell a couple of minutes ago.
Me: I can’t even think what the fuck they were doing there.
I’ll call her and see.
Grant: 10-4.
I’m working on a route that’s best going up the mountain.
See you in a few.
What is she up to? I’ve cleaned everything up and got the shop ready to go for the morning.
I try to call Madison before I head out but it just goes straight to voicemail like it’s off.
I know she’s ignoring some people, but she’s been keeping her phone on silent, not turning it off.
Strange.
I don’t see her getting into any serious trouble, I mean, those three? Probably the worst they could do is over shop and maybe go hog wild on the romance books that my girl loves so much.
I get in the truck and head over to the clubhouse, trying Mads a couple more times with no luck.
I pull into the clubhouse and park my truck.
As soon as I get out, Saxon surprises the shit out of me by standing right in front of me.
“Fuck, brother, why you always gotta surprise the fuck out of people like that?”
The fucker steps back, adjusts his ball cap, and shrugs his shoulder and grins like the Cheshire cat.
“I’m like Cher and cockroaches.
You ain’t ever gonna get rid of me.”
I don’t think I could roll my eyes any harder at that.
“You just not go to work at all today?”
He sighs and shakes his head.
I stop and really look at him.
For all his jokes and one-liners, he’s sometimes pretty closed off.
I stop him from walking past with my hand on his arm.
“You okay? I mean, seriously, no jokes or anything.
You really doin’ okay, brother?”
He sighs again and adjusts his hat, both signs of something bugging him.
“I dunno.
Work’s alright, but it ain’t like I’m loving it.
Then there’s the whole mess with Shandy.
I feel it in my heart that she’s supposed to be mine but fuck if Samson ain’t feeling the same way.
Neither fucking really matters at this point since she’s put us both firmly in the fucking friend zone.”
I, probably better than most, can understand his frustration.
“So let’s unpack one thing at a time.
First, do you really not like your work or is it ’cause everything else that’s going on? You know you’ve always got a standing offer to come work at the shop.
Your artwork is fucking phenomenal.”
He shrugs his shoulders and kicks at a rock.
“Honestly, I’m not fucking sure which it is.
I have been thinking more about your offer and might end up taking you up on it.”
I nod and continue, “So, first off, the twins just turned twenty like a month ago, right?”
He nods, ’cause I don’t really remember how long ago their party was.
“Well, then, two things.
One, they’re still young and just still figuring out themselves and they now have a family of people who care and support them.
Two, did she say she never wanted to go out with you?”
He kicks the same little rock again.
“No.
She said we were smothering her and she needed some time to be on her own and figure things out.
That was almost six months ago.”
Ah, so she might be up for things now.
Seems like they might be doing a dance similar to what my girl and I did for way too fucking long.
“I’m gonna ask you what both Pa and my mom asked me when I got so frustrated with Madison.
Have you actually asked her out since then, even just as friends for like coffee or something?”
I see the second it dawns on him.
“So just ’cause she wasn’t ready doesn’t mean we can’t hang out as friends or anything.”
I nod.
“Honestly, the time Mads-er Madison and I hung out as friends was something I’ll always look back on and know it helped us build a solid relationship.
Now, in terms of both you and Samson feelin’ that way about Shandy, you ever think of sharing her? We’ve got an example right in front of us that shows us that it can work.
Wyatt and Jackson argue as much as you two do, but their relationship with Anna has stood the test of time.
They’re still fucking all lovey-dovey at times.”
I can tell by the look on his face the thought has never crossed his mind.
I just gave him a lot of shit to think about, so I head into the clubhouse and can hear him following behind me.
We both walk into the clubhouse to see Pa, Wyatt, Jackson, Erik, and Shane sitting around with Grant, looking at something on his laptop.
Grant sees us both come in.
“You find out what Mads was doing here?”
I shake my head as I have a seat across from him.
“Nah, she’s not answering her phone.
It’s like she’s got it off or something.”
A chair to the right of me creaks.
“My little one was here? You both talked to her today?”
I hear the worry in Pa’s voice.
Grant tells him about running into her and the two girls from the mountain and the story she told him.
“She couldn’t even look me in the eye while she told her lie.
She really can’t lie for shit.”
That gets Pa to smile a little.
“No, my little one has never been able to lie.
Her face has always given her away.”
He looks at me.
“I saw her this morning when I brought her breakfast but when I tried to call her after Grant saw her here, her phone’s goin’ to voicemail.
She might just be avoiding some calls?”
I shrug my shoulders and continue, “I ain’t really that worried with those three together.
If they had Kierstie, Jane, or Hanna with them, I’d be more worried.”
Shane pipes in, “I know I should defend my wife, but we all know he ain’t saying anything but the truth.
She’s a pistol and not one to keep her mouth shut.”
This gets an actual laugh out of Pa and a number of the guys.
“Yeah, my girl and my little one are opposites in a lot of ways.”
He sighs and looks at me again.
“She mention talking to me or Ma at all?”
I hate to hear the hurt in his voice, but I know my woman has to decide when’s the right time for her.
“No, she hasn’t mentioned it to me.
I do get the feelin’ she’s gonna talk to you and Ma before she’s ready to talk to Kierstie or any of the guys.
Not that any of them have tried to contact her at all.”
Pa’s eyebrows go up when I drop that little nugget of information.
I hadn’t noticed the door open.
Jon, Rory, and Juan have been standing in the room and had heard what I just said.
“We knew she was mad at us.
We figured she’d come to us when she was ready,”
Rory says.
I turn in my chair.
I try to remember that not only are they my VPs and Pres but will be my brothers-in-law someday.
Before I can say anything, Pa is sitting upright in his chair and staring daggers at the three of them.
“So let me get this crystal clear.
You heard what she said at the reception and hurt her then by admitting you didn’t know how to talk to her.
Then when she gets home from being fucking kidnapped, you don’t think she’s worth at least a text message telling her you love her or are there for her? Not one of you? Your own sister.
Your own sister who you’ve had no problem having her babysit, run errands, and clean after you lot, but when she finally finds her fucking voice, you decide to go radio silent and make her do the work in deciding to come to you? I know I taught you better than that.
You’re dads now.
Think about it.
If someone was treating one of your boys like that, how would you feel?”
I don’t think I could add anything to that even if I wanted to.
I see all three of them thinking about what Pa just said and, of course, Juan is the first to start to speak up.
“Pa, it’s not—”
Pa throws his hand up to stop Juan from continuing.
“Son, I’m not the one you need to be talking to.
You think on what I said.
Right now, I wanna figure out how to make the fuckers who took my little one hurt.
They were probably around way back when… they need to pay and pay as soon as possible.”
I couldn’t agree with him more.
We’re waiting on a few more guys to get here when Wyatt’s phone rings.
I don’t pay attention till I hear his voice get a little louder.
“What do you mean your mom ain’t home? She was there when we left an hour ago.
Said she was waitin’ for you and Daisy to show up.”
He puts it on speaker and Mayson’s voice comes over the phone.
“She ain’t here.
Truck is gone too.
Mads’s car is in the driveway but no one is home.”
I start to have an uneasy feeling in my gut.
Jackson’s got his phone to his ear, no doubt calling Anna.
Wyatt tells Mayson to drop Daisy off at Kierstie’s and get over here.
He hangs up with Mayson just as Jackson yells out, “You’re going where?!”
Wyatt hits his elbow and he puts it on speaker.
“I’m going up the mountain.
I ain’t going alone and we got protection with us.
We’ll be just fine.”
Both Jackson and Wyatt are teetering on the edge.
Wyatt, with clenched teeth, asks one of the questions we all wanna know.
“Baby, who’s with you and what the fuck do you mean you got protection with you?”
I hear mumbling over the phone, other voices in the background.
“I’m driving with Christy, Madison, and my niece Mary.
I took the guns out of the safe.
Turns out my fucking no-good brother is one of those fuckers up there on the mountain.
He can’t live to see another sunset.
I need to make sure he doesn’t.
We’ll be fine.
We got this.
We ain’t gonna let those bastards win. I’ll call when we head back down. Love you.”
Jackson and Wyatt both yell out “Wait!”
but she’s hung up the phone.
They call right back and it goes straight to voicemail.
I try my girl’s phone again and it’s still off.
Jon starts giving out orders.
We all run to get guns and Grant’s telling him he found the fastest route to get up the mountain and that the girls probably don’t know it.
Pres thinks for a minute.
“They have maybe a thirty-minute head start on us, so any shortcuts ya got are gonna be needed.
I know they’ve got the element of surprise on their side, but we don’t know how many guys are up there.”
I know I don’t speak out a lot, but I think this time someone needs to say the unspoken.
“We don’t but those two girls do.
They also know the guys’ routines and that they won’t expect mere women to come and attack them like that.
I think we need to get up there as fast as we fucking can, but I have a feeling those four might surprise you a little.”
I feel a hand on my shoulder and see it’s Jackson.
He adds to what I just said.
“You’ve also got one pissed-off mama bear leading that bunch.
I can only imagine what’s goin’ through her mind after finding out her fuckface of a brother is up there.
He’s the worst kind of person.”
He doesn’t need to elaborate for us to catch on.
Seems that Ma isn’t the only one with a dark past.
We’re loading up the trucks when Mayson comes rolling in with Asher, Logan, Micah, Jameson, and Samson right behind him.
Jon yells for them all to hop in one truck and follow us.
Asher is the first one to speak up.
“What’s the fucking rush.
I thought we were just planning shit tonight?”
Wyatt comes out holding a couple extra weapons that he hands off to some of the guys who just arrived.
“It was till your fucking mother, along with the two new arrivals and Mads, decided to go up the mountain and deliver some fucking karma themselves.”
You could knock Asher over with a feather as he stood there in shock.
“Mom? Our mom is doing that?” Enough!
“Yeah and she’s got Mads with her.
Let’s go now!”
I hop in the front seat of the trucks that Rory’s driving.
Wyatt yells out that he’s gonna try to find Anna’s phone location so we can follow that.
Juan hands everyone the radios we have for when some of the guys go hunting ’cause almost no one has cell service up on that mountain.
Time to go deal with this shit now.
**********
We’ve been on the road for at least thirty minutes, if not longer, and I don’t think I’ve ever gone up the mountain this way.
We were going at a good clip but if this was the long way around, that doesn’t fucking matter much.
Max, Samson, and Micah are crammed in the back seat.
Max asks the question that was on the tip of my tongue.
“Where the fuck is Grant taking us? This ain’t anyway I know to get up the mountain to the pass.
We sure he knows what he’s doin’?”
Rory tosses me the radio and I’m about to click on and ask that very question when Wyatt comes over the radio.
“ Where the fuck are we, Grant? Are we going so fucking out of the way that we’re not gonna get there in time to help ?”
A few other clicks and voices chime in with the same worry.
Grant must take the radio in the truck he’s in.
“ Yes, we’re goin’ the right fucking way.
In about three miles up, we’ll be back on the highway and only a couple miles from the turnoff to the compound .”
The road swerves again, causing the tires to screech as Rory turns with more speed than was probably safe.
I can’t help but question him again after what seems like a couple of miles.
“ Are you fucking sure we’re gonna come up on the highway here soon, ’cause we fucking haven’t yet .”
Grant responds, “ Yeah.
Trust me.
Rabbit is good, rabbit is wise .”
Both Max and Samson respond to that, Samson grumbling at his dad, “Mother of God”
with Max declaring, “Jesus fucking Christ”.
Rory grabs the walkie-talkie from me but before he can say anything, we hit the highway and we’re way further up it than I could’ve guessed.
Color me shocked that Grant was smart with this shortcut.
Maybe he does really deserve the Road Capitan title he now holds since giving up his VP spot to Rory and Juan.
We’re only a few minutes out.
I’m coming, baby.
Madison
Anna just hung up the phone and turned it off.
“Don’t need them blowing up my phone while I’m driving.”
As soon as she heard Mary’s dad was her brother, her face turned full of rage.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.
Even if I had wanted to, there was no stopping her going.
She got us all in line and had us completely unload the safe of all the guns they had.
She even took the shotgun, telling us, “This one you rarely have to shoot ’cause the sound will have grown men pissing in their pants.”
We’re only about half an hour ahead of the guys, I’m guessing, but with Mary and Christy’s knowledge, we know the fucktards who we’re looking for will be meeting at Mary’s parents’ house.
Her dad is set to take another wife and have more kids.
When she shared that little tidbit, the speedometer on the truck edged over into three digits.
She told us she and Mary were the ones who were going to send “the one they unfortunately share DNA with to meet Hel.”
Christy is determined to get the guy she was supposed to marry and the one who gave her most the bruises.
I want the lugs who took me, and Joseph.
I want to get Joseph for me, but especially for Ma.
He is way overdue to start his time with Hel.
As we get closer, Anna tells us that if any other man is there, we’re either going to do the same or at least knock ‘em out.
We get to the turnoff that Mary points out and Anna slows down just a bit since we’re on a gravel road.
Anna, completely in charge, tells us, “Girls, get your guns out and ready.
Make sure the safety is off.
We need to go in hot and ready to shoot.
The element of surprise is our biggest asset right now.
If any of you think you’re not going to be able to pull the trigger, that’s okay, but stay in the truck so you’re safe.”
All three of us answer that by taking the safety off of our guns.
Anna gets this smile on her face that can only be described as determined, maybe a little maniacal.
Mary tells us it’s only about five more minutes on this road, then we turn right and it's about three more minutes.
“Mom hated living in the house and not just because father lived there.
It was originally built for a family but the couple died in an accident when they were driving down the mountain.
I think it was around the time that Linnea escaped.
All I know is that it was someone important to Joseph.”
Oh fuck.
It has to be Ma’s old home.
Well, the gods sure knew how to play that one, didn’t they?
Mary tells Anna where to turn and to slow down after she does ’cause the house will appear as we reach the crest of the hill.
If we speed over the hill, it will give away the element of surprise because Joseph decreed that no one speeds on the land.
Anna slowed down to what’s gotta be fifteen miles an hour.
Mary speaks up as we get to the top of the hill.
“It’s their meeting time at father’s, so no women will be there.
Apparently, years ago, there was some issue with one of the wives overhearing things and actually doing something because of it.
I’m not sure ’cause it was before I was born.”
Christy adds in, “Before I was born too.
It’s always been that way.
They think if we’re in the dark, we don’t know anything, but my mom taught me how to seem invisible to them.
It’s kept me from being married off and Mary too.”
Mary nods in agreement then gives Anna instructions.
“See that house? Drive around to the back of it.
They never notice women coming in and out of the kitchen so we can go in that way.
I could be clanging pots in the kitchen and I swear father wouldn’t even bat an eye.
Women have become good for only one thing for him and that’s—”
Anna stops Mary from continuing by putting her hand over Mary’s.
“I know.
Let’s go make him pay for everything he’s ever fucking done.”
Anna puts the truck in park and we all get out, as quietly as the four of us can be.
We all follow Mary, guns out.
I’ve got my gun at the ready, just like Pa taught me.
We get to what must be the back door and Mary doesn’t hesitate to open it, knowing it’ll be unlocked.
Of course up here, who would come in but bears or other woodland creatures? Focus girl.
Mary doesn’t stop in the kitchen but continues through the doorway with her gun up and pointed out in front of her.
She stops walking suddenly and we barely keep from crashing into each other.
We ain’t exactly trained in this type of stuff.
“Hello, Father.”
I can’t hear what the fucktard says back to her, but it must be something asshole-ish ’cause it sets her off and she walks further into the room.
“Did you even notice I was gone or just that your meals weren’t ready when you wanted them?”
I follow Anna into the room and see Lug One and Two both standing in the room, blocking someone on the couch.
Some other asshole is standing next to them.
They all look both confused and angry at the same time.
Maybe both brain cells they have are trying to work at the same time.
Anna chooses now to speak up.
“Hello, dear brother.
More than thirty years and I can’t say I’ve missed you one fucking moment.”
I can tell one of these assholes is about to say something stupid, but before they can, a shot rings out and Christy is flying through the air, catching herself on a chair so she doesn’t crash to the ground.
The one I’ve referred to as Lug Three in my head yells out in pain as he falls to the floor, cupping his crotch, his hands covered in blood.
I can’t help but chuckle.
“Shit, girl.
You are the clumsiest person I’ve ever met, but damn if you didn’t shoot him in his little brain between his legs.”
Christy gets a big smile and shrugs her shoulders.
“I know I have two left feet, but at least my aim was on point.”
Lug One decides to open his mouth.
“What in the hell are you doing? You women better explain yourself ’cause—”
He’s interrupted by another gunshot.
Lug Three on the floor cries out in agony again and I look over at Christy.
She shrugs.
“I wanted to make sure his little brain was gone for good so he couldn’t use it again.”
Enough talking.
Anna and Mary must be thinking the same thing because two shots ring out and Mary’s father falls to the floor.
I aim my gun at the dickhead who put his hands on my neck.
I shoot before I have a second more to overthink this.
He instantly falls to the floor and doesn’t move.
The other lug starts lunging toward me and I fire the gun again, but only hit him in the shoulder.
I try to get another shot in but he tackles me to the ground.
I still have the gun in my hand and I try to hit him with it as he’s tries to grab my hands. I only get a couple of hits in before he’s got my hands pinned to the ground above my head. “I’m gonna show you how to obey. You need to be taught a lesson and I’m gonna be your teacher and your punisher.”
This guy is fucking certifiable.
I hear commotion all around me, and I start kicking my legs since he’s straddling me and they’re free.
I feel someone beating on him, trying to get him to let me go.
The fucker looks possessed as he tries to secure both my hands in one of his so he can have one free, but I get one hand loose and stick my thumb in his eye and push.
He falls on top of me as he grabs his eye.
He’s like dead weight on top of me, and I can feel Christy trying to shove him off me.
I know my gun must be nearby, but I don’t want her shooting him while the lug is on top of me.
“Hit him with the gun!”
All of a sudden, something shoves the lug off of me and I can breathe again.
Shit.
I’m staring up at another guy, dressed just like the rest of the fuckers.
He looks like he’s maybe in his early twenties, if that.
He also looks like he’s glaring daggers at the lugs who’re all laid out on the floor.
I remember I’ve got another gun in my waistband and go to grab it out but stop when Christy speaks as she sticks her hand out to help me up.
“David? David, what are you doing here?”
I stand up and look at this new guy, hoping he’s not going to be added to the list of those we have to dispatch today.
“Mother wanted me to get a message to Joseph.”
He looks around the room and continues, “I’d ask if you need help but you seem to have it under control.
Though I see through the window, Joseph’s trying to get away.”
I look out and see an older man hobbling away from the house, using a cane.
Oh no.
He’s not gonna get away.
I go to head out the door, but my foot is grabbed.
Before I know it, I’m falling toward the floor.
As soon as I’m down, I try to get back up, but the one remaining lug has a hold on my ankles.
He’s on his knees and I feel like my luck might have run out by the look of pure rage on his face.
A shot rings out and a spray of blood hits my face as the asshole crashes down to the floor. I look up and Mary’s holding out her gun. “Thank you.”
I never thought I’d be thanking someone for shooting someone for me.
She nods and the guy David helps me up.
“If I promise to help you guys get Joseph, can I come off the mountain with you?”
Anna, who’s got blood all over her shirt speaks up.
“Honey, you help us clean all this up and if you don’t believe the same shit they spew, you can definitely come with us.”
Mary chimes in.
“Are you okay with us killing your father, David?”
Wait.
What? Joseph is his father too?
David looks at Mary like she’s nuts.
“Absolutely.
I’ve seen what he’s done over the years, the amount of women who he’s forced to have his kids or brainwashed to marry him and… and my goal in life is to be the exact opposite of him in every way.
He may have given me his DNA but he is not my dad.”
Sounds good enough to me.
I can tell his answer satisfies all of us.
Let’s go get the old bastard who’s responsible for everything, past and present.
“Let’s go get Joseph so we can finish this shit.
I have a feeling when Anna told the guys what we were doin’, that they hightailed it up here.”
I grab my gun off the floor and head for the door with at least David following me.
Mick
We parked about a quarter mile from where Wyatt has Anna’s phone location.
We’re walking up the hill when I hear Erik speak up as we come to a clearing.
“Well, shit.”
I look over at him and he’s standing with his hands on his hips.
“What is it? You think they’re in there?”
He nods and adds, “Yeah I do, and I can tell you we should go around to the back and enter through the kitchen.
They can’t see it from the front room.”
Pres speaks up.
“How the fuck do you know that?”
Erik starts walking again toward the building.
“‘Cause that’s the house that father built and we lived in last up on this mountain.”
I hustle to catch up with Erik who seems to have picked up his pace.
We’re just making it around the side of the house when I hear what sounds like a door opening.
As I hurry around to the back door, I see Madison running and she’s got blood down the front of her shirt.
There’s a guy following her at a good clip but before I can aim and shoot at him, I hear my woman shout out, “Come on, David! We gotta get Joseph.
He ain’t gonna get away again!”
I look in the direction they’re running and see an older man walking with a cane.
He’s walking faster with that cane than anyone I’ve seen before.
I watch in awe as Madison catches up to the man and tackles him to the ground.
Just as she takes him down, three shots ring out inside the house.
What the fuck is going on?
Fuck this.
I’m not gonna let my girl handle shit by herself.
I take off in her direction, even though I can see she’s raining down punches on the man.
I can hear people behind me, but I don’t stop till I get to her.
As soon as I reach her, I go by instinct, kneeling down, and I hug her from behind.
“He’s out.
Baby, it’s me.
He’s knocked out.”
I feel her chest rising with her heavy breathing.
“Mick?”
I can’t help but kiss her neck.
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.”
She turns in my arms to look at me.
“I couldn’t let Joseph escape again.
He’s hurt enough people in this world.”
Before I can say anything, a voice from above both of us speaks.
“That he has little one.
That he has.”
I stand up and help Madison up.
“I had to stop them.
They can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
She kicks at the man who must be Joseph.
“He’s still breathing, I think, but I don’t think any of the lugs in the house are.
I think I finished off two of them.
I think Anna made sure they were all off on their journey to join Hel.”
I try to wipe some of the blood off of her face to see if she’s really okay.
Pa asks the question that’s on the tip of my tongue.
“Any of that blood yours little one?”
She jerks in my arms, surprised to hear another voice.
I don’t think she realized Pa was next to us till just now.
“Pa?”
He reaches out and moves her hair out of her face.
“Yeah, little one, I’m here.”
I watch her look at him and I can tell she’s thinking hard.
“I’d like for you to take care of Joseph from here if you can.
I think I’ve maxed out my kills for today.
I don’t think I have another in me, but he needs to go.”
Pa grabs her out of my arms and hugs him to her, both of them needing that in this moment.
“I got you, little one.
I got you.”
A ruckus over by the house gets our attention as we see Anna storming out of the house, heading in our direction with Wyatt, Jackson, Asher, and Mayson following her.
She comes up to us and looks down at a worse for wear and unconscious Joseph.
She’s got even more blood on her face and shirt.
“We got some cleaning up to do inside.
I brought some stuff in the truck, but we got four inside that we need to… dispose of.”
Four? Good gods, these women are a little scary.
Both Wyatt and Jackson look like they’re ready to grab Anna and haul her over one of their shoulders to take her home.
The urge to bring out our inner caveman is pretty damn strong right now.
Jon comes walking over and his eyes widen for a moment after he sees the state Madison is in.
“Well, we obviously got some cleanup to do.
They weren’t exactly neat and efficient in there. I think—”
My girl interrupts Jon.
She walks over to him as she speaks.
“We were pretty fucking efficient in there, brother .
None of us used all our bullets and there are four dead lugs in there.
It’s not our fucking fault that when a guy gets shot twice in the dick that it bleeds a lot.”
She pokes him in the chest and continues, “If you had fucking bothered to ask, I needed to be the one to hurt the lugs who took me.
Anna, Mary, and Christy needed to be involved with those guys in there too.
Sometimes just taking care of things for us isn’t the thing we need.
Sometimes it is, but you wouldn’t know it ’cause you’d have to actually fucking talk to me.”
Oh shit, she’s on a roll.
I can see the fire in her eyes from here.
Jon’s smart enough to stay quiet for a moment, ’cause anyone with eyes can see that Madison ain’t done talking.
“Now, you need to hear this.
I quit.
I’m not cleaning the clubhouse anymore.
I also quit being your errand girl.
I’m done with being treated like an afterthought.
I’m gonna go home and take a shower.
I’m gonna hang out with the person who seems to get that I have something to say that’s worth listening to.”
She looks over to me.
All I want to do is hold her and tell her everyone will come around, but fuck if I know if that’s true.
She looks around for a minute and stops at Pa.
“I’m not quite ready to, but I’ll be over soon to talk to you and Ma.”
She looks at Jon and I can see that Rory, Juan, and Ry are outside now too.
“I’m gonna go home and decide what I want to do with my life.
You all know where to find me.
If you decide you want to have an actual relationship with me and not just as your errand girl, you can come to me.
I’m done being quiet in the corner.”
She turns and looks at me, again, and before I can say anything, she’s running to me and hops up into my arms.
I kinda love that she feels confident I’ll catch her, which I always will.
She kisses me, and I can feel the emotions running through her the second her lips touch mine.
She breaks the kiss and bites her lower lip before she asks, “Take me home and feed me takeout?”
I don’t even think before I answer her.
“I’ll do that for the rest of my life, baby.”
She kisses me again and I realize the wait for this was more than worth it.
Anna speaks up from behind us.
“If you take our truck, her car is at our place.
You can drop Mary and Christy off at the house so they can clean up too.”
Well, alright then.
I know when to listen and when to argue, and fuck if I’m gonna say anything to argue with Anna today.
I’m not a fucking idiot.
Madison climbs off of me and turns to the group.
“I’m gonna take Anna up on her offer ’cause I think I reached my limit today and going back into that house will be beyond what I can handle.”
Christy and Mary both nod their heads in agreement.
Jackson suggests Anna come with us.
Wyatt adds in, “Let us take care of this, love.
You slayed your devil.
We’ll take care of the trash.”
She agrees and says her goodbyes and heads around to the front of the house, with Mary and Christy following her.
Madison is still holding my hand.
I squeeze it to get her attention.
“You go with them and give me a minute.
I’ll be right behind you.”
She nods and leans in to give me another kiss.
She starts to walk off but gives a parting shot.
“As of today, I know what all his bits look like.
If he comes back to the truck with anything hurt, bruised, or missing, I’m gonna be pissed and get Jane and Nicky on my side.
You won’t know what hit you!”
I can’t help the laugh that comes out as she disappears around the house.
A hand comes down on my shoulder and I look over and see it’s Shane.
“Welcome to the club, brother.
Those Weston girls have more fire and personality inside of them than five women.
You’ll be on your toes for the rest of your life but fuck, it’s worth it.”
I nod ’cause I know she’s worth it.
She’s worth everything.
“Man, I didn’t need to know that.”
I look over and see Ry’s face all twisted in disgust.
“I didn’t need to know you two had sex today.
I really didn’t need to know that you have it at all.”
I can’t help but shake my head at him.
“I ain’t gonna ever tell you when we do.
The only way you’ll know is when she gets pregnant.”
Ry still makes a face, but Pa speaks up.
“I know you two are the right men for my girls, but for once, Ry is on the right track.
I don’t want to know any details ever.
Now, let’s clean up the mess and load up the dipshits and the one who’s still breathing.
We need to get off this mountain.
I, for one, have no plans to ever fucking come back.
Seems our gals ensured that for us.”
I say my goodbyes and head around the house to the truck.
Time to get my girl home and make sure she’s really okay.
Pa
I think my little one is a lot stronger than any of us thought.
She would’ve kept going and killed Joseph without another thought if we hadn’t shown up.
Sounds like she killed or at least hurt two of the men inside.
I walk over to the man who’s caused so much pain in my love’s early life.
He hasn’t moved since my little one quit hitting him.
I nudge him with my foot.
Nothing.
Saxon comes up and feels for a pulse.
He looks at me and shakes his head.
“Well, shit.
Little one has a strong punch.
I was hoping to play with him a bit before ending him.”
I look at the guys who’re out here and make a decision.
“She said she had her fill.
She don’t need to know she ended him too.
This stays with us.
We took care of it, end of story.”
I get nods from the guys standing around.
Jon’s ordered the guys to start cleaning up.
He’s got Jeremiah and Logan looking for some tarps since we hadn’t totally prepared before we came up here.
The youngin’s all get to work.
I see Erik standing near me and looking conflicted.
“What’s goin’ on? Is it gettin’ to you, being here on the compound and that this was your folks place and all?”
Erik shakes his head.
“Nah, that ain’t it.
I dealt with that shit years ago.
I’m just wonderin’ if Mama’s hidden spot is still there and if the box that was hers is there.
Guess it won’t hurt none to go see, would it?”
I can’t help but chuckle a little.
“Brother, now’s the time to look.
No one in there is gonna stop you.
If it’s something you’d like to have, we’ll get it.
You gotta be proactive and take what you want.
None of us are gettin’ any younger.”
He sighs like he’s been taking lessons from Ry.
“I’m working on that.
I’m just hopin’ I ain’t thirty years too late to get what I want.”
I watch him walk over to the house and go inside.
I can tell the other person out here overheard the conversation.
They walk up next to me on my right, and I ask, “So you think he’s thirty years too late, or does he have a chance at real happiness with the person who can give that to him?”
I look over and wait for an answer.
I’ve never come out and asked either of them, but you know someone for that long and watch them, you can see the love and heartache inside.
“He’s not too late.
Not too late at all.”
Knowing that’s a huge admission and that it needs to be left to marinate, I head toward the house.
“Come on, these youngins’ still need to be supervised, otherwise we’ll be here forever.
I, for one, wanna get home to dinner before Linnea puts it all away.”
I think they’re gonna need a bonfire twice this week.