15. Chapter 15
Two Months Later
With a grunt, I sit my ass down on a stool at the bar in our clubhouse and ask our Prospect, Alexei or Lex, as most of us have started calling him, for a beer.
Taking a big swig, I try to force myself to be happy, but it’s hard.
Today is a big day for our club.
A double wedding.
Three men, that are some of the best men that I know, are getting married today. Thor, our club President, and his twin brother, Dragon, who is our Enforcer, are both getting married to Levi. Well, technically, she’s getting married to Thor, but she’s also going to repeat the vows with Dragon. Levi’s one hell of a woman, and I admire her greatly. She’s perfect for both of them, and honestly, all three of them balance each other out.
Not too long after they tie the knot, Timber, our Treasurer, will be marrying Mae. Timber’s a good friend of mine and has actually been a confidant for me for the past few months with what’s been going on with Mary. His Old Lady, Mae, is a total sweetheart and is actually the long-lost daughter of Smoke, our resident IT guy, security man, and hacker extraordinaire.
I still can’t believe that Mae’s bitch of a mom and stepdad told Smoke that Mae was stillborn. It was all a hoax and a way for Preston, Mae’s stepdad, to con some money from the insurance company. Not to mention laundering money under Mae’s ‘dead name’. We still have no idea if her mom was in on any of it, but my gut is telling me that she’s not.
Shaking my head, I take another swig of my beer as this week’s past events run through my mind. Thankfully, Mae’s and Smoke’s relationship seems to be on the mend, but it was bad in the beginning when she arrived here a little over a week ago. Really bad.
I was surprised when we found out that Timber had planned to ask Mae to marry him so soon, but the big lug fell hard and fast for sweet little Mae. You only have to spend about five minutes, if that, around the two of them to realize they are the real deal. The other half to each other. Some would say that a week is too soon to marry someone, but again, the two really are perfect for each other.
That thought has me thinking about Mary. The one I wanted, no, want to be my forever.
I’ve seen her around town, of course, in the last couple of months, however after our conversation when I was examining her back in June, I knew I couldn’t approach her in public. Even though it killed me, whenever I saw her, I went in the opposite direction to avoid temptation. I haven’t been able to talk to her in person since the day she came to the ER on Ash’s birthday.
I did hear that there was another ER visit a few weeks ago, but neither Alli nor I were on shift when that happened. It’s probably for the best since her asshole husband was with her. I don’t think I could have seen him and not throttled him right then and there for what he’s done to her and the kids.
However, I did look over the notes when Uncle Sam sent them to me. Thank God, we have a punching bag in our gym downstairs because I was at it for a long time to burn off the rage of what he’d done to her. I’m honestly surprised her bones aren’t dust by now. Especially her ribs. However, he’s escalating just like I had known he would. Now he’s taken to cutting her, too.
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I look up in surprise, not having noticed anyone approaching me.
“What’s going on, man?” Timber asks as he sits down on the stool next to me and Lex slides him a beer.
I sigh, but I know I can trust Timber with this. He already knows some of what’s going on, but not everything. “Remember that woman I told you about that’s been in and out of the ER multiple times the past six months?”
“Yeah. Her name’s Mary, right?”
I nod glumly. “Yeah, well, back in the day, she was my best friend. She, Alli, Brady, and I were close as could be. We were always together, though it helped we all lived next to each other, and our parents were all friends.
“In high school, Mary and I started dating. We were each other’s firsts. Then, some months later, she disappeared with no warning and her house was put on the market.” I pause, not being able to tell him what else happened that night. At least not yet. Or that I know the reasons behind the house going for sale. And for my choices after that. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice him frowning, but I’m not about to spill that info when we have numerous guests here. Mary would never forgive me.
“I never heard from her the past nine years until I saw her that first time in the ER six months ago. Every time she’s in there, her injuries are worse than the last time,” I say, my lip curling as I think back to all those hospital logs.
“I know you can’t tell me specifics, but I hope like fuck you aren’t suggesting her husband is beating her.”
I turn toward him and pin him a look. His face pales and then it starts turning red with anger.
“Fuck. Who’s the dead man walking?”
This is one reason why I love my brothers. They’re there in an instant, supporting you. Thinking back to the asshole, I clench my hands, and am surprised I haven’t cracked my phone, which is still in my hand. I had been hoping she’d call, but she hasn’t yet.
“Fucking Deputy Chief Stephan Hayes.”
“You’ve got to be fucking shitting me,” he snarls. “I always knew I hated that fucker. I don’t know how he weaseled his way into our town, but I knew he was crooked from the first time I saw the slimy bastard.”
I can’t help my sneer. “He always plays the doting husband in public, but at home, it’s a fucking shitshow. I know because Mary and one of her kids told me what’s been happening. I gave her my number and the club’s number. Told her oldest to memorize it as well. That if they’re in danger, they can call us and we’d get them all out of there.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Not wanting anyone to really hear this, I look around nervously, but thankfully, no one’s paying us much attention. I swallow thickly as I stare at my phone, willing it to ring and needing to hear her voice again.
“I’m almost positive her eldest, Asher or Ash as she calls him, is my son. She’s been away for a little over nine years and he’s nine. I had suspicions she was pregnant before she disappeared, but that’s all they were at the time. However, I found out from my uncle that she gave birth ten weeks after she was taken. So unless she was with someone else behind my back, which I doubt is true, he’s my son.
“She has two other kids that are younger, Isaiah and Cassie, with Cassie being the youngest. Ash looks just like I did when I was that age, if he were to have my blond hair instead of her black hair. While all three kids have a lot of Mary in them, all of them but Ash have bits of Stephan in their looks,” I whisper.
“Fuck…” he hisses.
Large hands land on both of our shoulders, and we both jump as Thor chuckles at our surprise.
“We’ve got your back, Patch, on whatever needs to be done to get her and her kids away from that fucker. Later, come find me and fill me in on what’s all happened so far. Keep me posted.”
And with that, he walks off and heads upstairs.
“Fuck, I didn’t even hear him walk up behind us,” I say, a sad laugh escaping as I shake my head.
“I swear he’s been taking stealth lessons from Lex and the others,” Timber replies, laughing, and I can’t help but join in.
Lex grins from behind the bar, which has us both laughing harder.
“Timber,” Kristy, the wedding planner, yells from upstairs. Timber finishes his beer and clasps my shoulder.
“Like Thor said, I’ve got your back on this. Let me know if you need me for anything.”
I give him a chin lift, and he heads upstairs to see what Kristy wants.
Last night should have been a time of happiness and celebration, and it was for a while. Until Drae’s asshole dad, Ghost, the ex-VP of Black Plague MC, left us a package that ended up blowing up our front gate. Thankfully, no one was injured.
I had taken yesterday and today off for the weddings, but tomorrow I’ll be back to it at the ER. I nurse my drink as I stare down at my phone in my hand. It kills me that I can’t reach out to Mary to make sure she’s still okay. Not without putting her in danger, anyway.
“Patch,” someone calls out, and I look up to see Thor standing in the doorway of his office and he tilts his head, silently telling me to follow him.
Draining the last of my beer, I head up to the bar, grab a fresh one from Ethan, and head into his office.
“Shut the door behind you and have a seat.”
My chest tightens, but I do as he says. “I’m surprised to see you here. Thought you three would be holed up all day, tangling in the sheets.” I grin at him and he grins in reply.
“Oh, I definitely plan to still be doing that, but I wanted to check in with you to see how you’re doing. Tell me what’s going on with your woman.”
That has my eyebrows raising, but fuck. I do want her as my woman. I want her as my Old Lady. My wife. And if she’s willing, the mother of my children.
I fill him in on everything that’s been happening the last few months, including what happened that night nine years ago, and what’s been going on since then. I’d told him some of this back when I asked if Smoke could help me look for her, but I hadn’t filled him in on the new stuff since then.
He stares at me for a few seconds, and worry starts to set in. “We’ve got to be careful with this. There’s no way we’ll be able to keep the cops fully out of this. There is a chance you won’t be able to dole out justice yourself. Are you going to be okay if that happens?”
My gut churns at that. I’ve dreamed of making him suffer everything he’s put her through, but he’s right. I might not be able to do that. Sighing, I nod. “While I’d definitely like to make him suffer, if it comes down to it, I really just want the four of them free of that fucker. To make her mine and adopt her other two kids as my own.”
He nods, though he’s still staring at me like he’s trying to peel back the layers. After a few moments, he clears his throat. “Is there any way to get a burner to her? So you can have some way of keeping in touch with her or checking in to make sure they’re okay?”
I shake my head. “I asked her that a couple of months ago, but she said it’d be too risky. While she’s had more liberties here than anywhere else, that asshole still keeps a tight leash on her. She’s found him going through her things a number of times, searching for other means of communication with other people.”
“Did she say what she wanted to find out before leaving the bastard?” he asks, and I frown.
“No, and I asked her about it, but she refused to say anything. Though, I do wonder if it’s tied to her grandfather and his dealings.”
“Who’s her grandfather?”
“Don Antonio Vasquez.”
“Fuck,” Thor hisses, and I nod in agreement.
While Diego Vasquez has been tied to the human trafficking ring for years, he’s never been sentenced for it. Surprisingly, it’s only been Diego in the news tied to it. If Antonio was really in on it, I would think his name would have popped up somewhere, but it never has.
Whenever Diego makes the news because of someone else tying him to the trafficking ring or abusing someone, he always gets away with it. The cases are dismissed due to lack of evidence, key witnesses not showing up or retracting their statements. Shit like that.
It also doesn’t help that Uncle Sam suspects that almost half of his fellow officers and a couple of judges in town are crooked. He’s been on cases where evidence he filed suddenly disappears, and usually, it’s key evidence, too.
“Try to convince her to carry a burner phone the next time you see her. Have one with you at all times in case you run into her. Program in your number, mine, and the clubhouse. That way, all she has to do is hit speed dial. Fuck, you can even put Phoenix’s number in it if you want as well. Just don’t list our names, so if he does find it, it won’t look as bad with her having the numbers of so many men.
“Once you have the burner number, give it to me and I’ll make sure Phoenix has it, too. If she calls the clubhouse, just have her say who she is, and to ask for you, Phoenix, or me. I’ll make sure the others know not to turn her away.”
I stiffen at that. There’s no way Mary would want everyone to know how fucked up her life’s been for the past nine years or the abuse that she’s been through.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell them the details, just the gist of it. That she’s a friend of yours that’s trying to escape her abusive husband.”
My body relaxes at that. “Thanks, Pres.”
He gives me a chin lift. “Keep me posted. We’ll get her out of there if she’s not able to do it herself.”
“I will. Thanks again, Pres.”