14. Chapter 14
As soon as I wince, it’s as if Luke has changed. Like a switch has been flipped and he’s now in nurse mode.
Luke takes off his stethoscope and listens to my heart. While he checks my vitals, my mind whirls with what I’ve just seen and what he’s told me.
Is it all real?
Is it really true that he never stopped looking for me? Not only Luke, but Sam, Alli, and possibly even Brady as well?
That they didn’t forget about me?
When Luke’s done, he pins me with a look that I recognize all too well. It’s the look he’d give me when I would put myself down or if he noticed me comparing myself to others.
“You’re not an idiot. You had a lot on your shoulders trying to take care of your kids and yourself while also trying to stay out of the crosshairs of that f—jerk. Based on those messages, you risked yourself by trying to find out more about what he did so that you might be able to escape. You’re very brave and you’re the strongest woman I know.” He pauses and licks his lips.
My gaze tracks the motion, and I bite my own lip at the memories of how soft his lips used to be. Then his words sink in, and I shake my head.
“I’m not strong. He broke me years ago and continues to do so every time I ‘mess up’,” I say with quotation marks and then bite my lip hard when another flare of pain radiates from my ribs. A motion Luke doesn’t miss.
He pins me with a stare before stepping over to the counter to grab the clipboard with my chart. “So, the information you gave us is that you were carrying a laundry basket upstairs. You tripped on some toys and then fell down the stairs. On the way down, you knocked your broken arm again, your ribs are hurting again, and your eye is already swelling.”
He cocks an eyebrow at me, and I feel my face heating as I look down at my hands.
Suddenly, Asher stands and places himself between Luke and me.
“Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t tell you everything. That will just make things worse for us. Somehow, Dad always finds out what the nurses and doctors write on those papers and the notes anyone makes in her files.”
Luke’s eyes flash with rage, but a second later, it’s gone, and his face softens as he squats down in front of Asher. “What’s your name, son?”
My breath hitches, and I wonder if Ash has made the connection yet.
Or Luke.
Ash knows Stephan isn’t his father. He was five when he first asked me about it because he looks so different from Stephan.
Stephan has light blond hair, hazel eyes, pale skin that burns instead of tans, and a bunch of freckles spattering all over his skin. He used to be relatively thin, but over the years, he’s let himself go and now sports a beer belly. Not that I’m one to talk, since I’m heavier than I’ve ever been, but I’ve always struggled to lose the baby weight after each of my kids were born.
Ash got my black hair that ended up being straight as a board instead of my curly hair. He got Luke’s green eyes as well as his strong jaw and cheekbones. Both Isaiah and Cassie have hazel eyes like Stephan, but Isaiah has my black, wavy hair, whereas Cassie has blond curls. All three of them have a light olive skin tone thanks to πατ?ρα (dads) Greek genes. He was one hundred percent Greek, or as close as you can get to one hundred, that is.
After that, and whenever Stephan wasn’t around, I would tell Ash bedtime stories of Luke so that he’d know about him, though I never told him his name. I had hoped someday that they could meet. I just never expected it would be like this.
“Asher, but I go by Ash.”
“Well, Ash, thank you for protecting your mom and your siblings. That’s got to be incredibly hard. Especially for someone so young.”
A tremor runs through Ash, but he fists his little hands, trying to hide it. “It is. Especially when she takes his punishment for us,” he whispers, and his little body starts to shake.
Luke’s gaze snaps to mine and the empathy, love, and determination in his eyes hits me so strongly it’s like someone’s knocked the wind out of me. And under all of that is anger, but somehow, I can tell it’s not directed at me or the kids.
“Ash, I promise I won’t put the real reasons in my report, but can you tell me what happened? Why did your dad try to hurt you? I want to help you guys, all of you, but if I don’t know what he’s doing, then it’s harder for me to help.”
Ash’s body tenses, and I nibble my lip as I debate about asking for help or not. God if I keep this up, my lips are going to be bloodied and raw.
“The club… Are they really like what we heard about as kids?” I ask him, and Luke nods as he looks up at me.
“They are. None of us tolerate women or children being abused. All of them are a good group of guys and my President and Enforcer actually just settled down with someone. I don’t know if you remember Levi Wallace at all? She’s four years younger than us, I think. Actually, if you heard the news, two of them and one of our Prospects were involved in the shooting yesterday, but all of them pulled through. They’ll be getting out later today if all goes well.”
I had heard about the shooting, and I bite my lip hard as I remember how Stephan had actually celebrated at them getting injured yesterday. He broke out what he calls his ‘good whiskey’. Though he had said he wished they all had died. Same for the woman that was with them. That it was a pity more of the Steel Archangel’s hadn’t been hit in the crossfire.
Taking a deep breath, I nod as I close my eyes.
Am I really going to do this? If I do, I could put Luke and the club in danger. However, if they really are like how all of our parents talked about in the past, as well as what I’d heard around town and school these past few months, then they might be my last chance to get free from Stephan.
Looking up, I lock eyes with Luke. “You promise it won’t go in the reports or beyond these four walls?”
“I give you my word, Siren.”
Taking a deep breath, my gaze lowers to Ash.
“Today is Ash’s ninth birthday,” I tell him, my voice trembling slightly as I think back to earlier this morning. “Like always, I baked a cake for him and decorated it. We sang happy birthday to him in whispers since Stephan was asleep after working a night shift. At the end, we all ‘air clapped’ and the kids quietly high-fived each other. He was just about to open his presents from Isaiah and Cassie when Stephan came barreling into the kitchen, screaming at us for waking him up, even though I know that wasn’t the case.”
I pause and swear I can still feel his hands on me. A tear falls down my cheek, but I make no move to wipe it away.
“He grabbed Ash by his shirt and threw him against the wall before I could get in between them. I… I…”
Suddenly, it feels like the air’s been stolen from my chest. Stephan’s threats throughout the years slam into my brain, one after the other, paralyzing me and silencing my voice.
“Breathe, Siren. I need you to breathe. Can you open those beautiful blue eyes for me?”
His voice cuts through my memories, and it’s then that I realize his hands are cupping my face.
“That’s it. It’s okay, Siren. I’m here and I can help you. All of you.”
I shake my head on habit. “He’ll hurt you. He’ll hurt your parents and sister. He’ll go after the club. He already hates the Steel Archangel’s. If you or the club help, it’ll be like throwing gasoline on a fire.”
“Siren, I need you to listen to me and listen good.” He pauses as if he’s making sure I won’t look away. I can’t. Not with him touching me again after all these years. I swear it’s like a current is running through me with his touch and its awakening feelings that have long since been dormant.
“My club and I are more than capable of taking care of ourselves in dangerous situations. It’s you and the kids I’m worried about. He’s escalating and you know it. I can help you, but you need to be ready to make that jump. Are you?”
I lick my dry lips and take a shaky breath, already knowing my answer. “Not right this instant.”
Disappointment flashes in his eyes and he goes to pull away. My hands automatically come up and hesitantly, I wrap them around his wrists, not wanting him to pull away yet. Taking another shaky breath, I push on.
“Luke, I’m not saying ‘no’, just ‘not yet’. There are things I need to get in order before I make that jump. Personal things. The evidence I’ve gathered so far that isn’t or can’t be stored in the cloud account. Once I have that around, I need to somehow get in touch with παππο?? (grandpa) about a couple of things. Then I can be free to make that jump.”
Luke rests his forehead on mine, sighing heavily.
“Okay, Siren. I’ll follow your lead on this, even though I don’t like it. I kept my phone number the same in case you ever tried to get a hold of me. Alli and Brady did the same, too.”
I can’t help my flinch at hearing Brady’s name and Luke gives me a small, sad smile.
“He’s changed, Mary. Not too long after you were kidnapped, he realized how much of an as—, I mean jerk, he was to you. He’s one of the good cops on the force. You gotta trust me on this.”
Hesitantly, I nod, and he smiles wider. I glance over at my kids, and for once, I see hope in their eyes. I also notice Ash looking at Luke as if he’s contemplating something. No doubt he’ll have questions for me later, but if he straight out asks if Luke’s his father, I won’t lie to him. However, I’ll need to make sure Isaiah and Cassie aren’t around. I don’t think they’re ready to hear that just yet.
Turning back to Luke, I give him a small smile in return.
“I still remember your phone number, as well as the others, but it’ll take some time to get everything lined up. There are a couple of big meetings in the next few months that I need to keep an eye on.” Pausing, I give him a stern look. “However, you and the club need to keep an eye out. Sam, Brady, and any of the other good cops, too. They’re planning something, but I don’t know all the details yet. Once I have that, then I’ll make my move.”
He frowns, but then nods. “I don’t like it, especially since it’ll be a few more months that you and the kids will still be in his clutches. But if that’s what you want to do, then I’ll support you. You’ve had years of people taking your choices away from you, and I don’t want to do that. However, I need you to promise me something.”
“What?” I ask, my voice shaky and hesitant.
“That if it gets too dangerous, call me. We can come and get you out. We can always find out what’s going on later. It might take longer, but you and the kids are more important. Just… Please promise me that you’ll call. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Ash memorize my number as well.”
Swallowing thickly, I nod, knowing his unspoken words. To have Ash call if I can’t. “I promise I’ll call if I feel like things are getting to that point. So far, I don’t think he suspects I know as much as I do. Or if he does know, he might think he’s programmed me enough to never talk.”
The muscle in his jaw ticks, but he gives me a curt nod. “Good. Now let’s get you patched up. I’ll look over Ash, too, just in case.”
A few hours later, we’re home, and thankfully, Stephan is still asleep.
Hanging my purse up, I slip off my flats and look around the kitchen.
Ash’s birthday cake is still splattered around everywhere.
On the table.
On the counter.
On the walls.
On the tiles.
Looking up, my shoulders drop. Even on the ceiling. Hopefully, the light blue frosting doesn’t stain the walls. They’re painted a very light beige.
“Mama?”
I turn, looking at Cassie, who is clutching her gift for Ash to her chest.
“Can I give Ash his birthday present now?” she asks, her voice barely even audible.
My heart clenches at the crumpled and slightly torn wrapping paper. My gaze goes to Isaiah, and he’s doing the same. God, I hope Stephan didn’t break or ruin the presents during his rage.
I’m not allowed a large budget when it comes to presents. Normally, I take the other two kids to a thrift store or the dollar store for them to get presents for their sibling. As for the main present, I’m capped at fifty dollars, so I’m never able to get them much. Even Christmas presents are capped at fifty dollars per kid. Then again, I should be grateful he didn’t say fifty dollars was all I could spend between the three of them.
Forcing a smile, I nod. “Yes, Angel, you guys can give him his presents. We just need to remember to be quiet, though.”
Fear creeps into all their eyes, and I wish I would have been able to take Luke up on his offer earlier. To get them away from Stephan sooner rather than later. However, I wasn’t lying when I said I’d overheard how important these next couple of meetings are for Stephan, Diego, and Antonio. I have a feeling that Luke, his club, and παππο?? (grandpa) will need all the information I can give them.
Tucking Cassie and Isaia into their respective beds, I head into Ash’s room to check on him. He’s been quiet for the past few hours. Sure, he played with the kids and enjoyed his new toys, books, coloring pencils and sketchbooks, but not like he usually does.
Shutting the door, I walk over to his bed and sit down next to him. He’s holding the stuffed cat that Cassie had gotten him as he stares off into space.
Reaching up, I push a lock of his hair out of his eyes. It’s actually a little funny now that I think about it. His hair cut is very reminiscent of Luke’s, but more like when we were kids than how he styles it now. Ash’s hair is cut short on the sides, but the top is kept long. It’s styled so that it mostly drapes over his right eye and the right side of his face. Luke’s hair is the same but stops right around his left eye, whereas Ash’s hair goes down to a little below his jaw.
“What’s going through your mind, Hawk?”
My nickname for him gets me a smirk, and he cuddles up against my good side. Ever since he was younger, he’s had an eagle eye for things. I swear he has an eidetic memory because he can look at something for a few seconds and be able to recite exactly what he saw, even if it’s months later. He’s also really good at reading a person and their body language even though he’s only nine.
He snuggles his stuffed cat tighter and plays with its tail.
“That nurse from today,” he whispers as he shifts to look up at me. “Was he the one you told me about? Is he my dad?”
Smiling softly, I ignore the pain in my ribs and lean down, kissing his forehead. “Yeah, Hawk, he is. You look so much like him. A lot of your personality traits remind me of him, too.”
We sit there in silence and after a while I feel him nod against my side. “I’m glad. He seems like a nice man, and I hope he really meant what he said.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t repeat anything else from our conversations earlier. Even though Stephan’s at work, I still don’t want to risk talking about it.
“Me, too, Hawk. Me, too.”