Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
K nocking on the apartment door roused Sophia and Pirate that afternoon. Both were dozing off in a heap of sweaty limbs and tangled sheets, not fully awake but not fully asleep either. The comfort of being together without concern of what the other was feeling or thinking was wondrously new to them. It created a relaxing atmosphere where they could bask in the passion they’d just shared rather than rush to part ways due to expectations.
Pirate felt like an immense weight had been lifted off of his chest. Which was ironic because Sophia’s deliciously naked form was sprawled on top of him.
The knock on the front door roused them and probably would have been ignored if it wasn’t for the dogs barking at the noise.
Sophia picked up her head with a frown. “Expecting someone?”
Pirate shook his head.
Grumbling something about inconsiderate people, Sophia slithered off of him. Once she detangled herself from the bedsheets, she rose and stood beside the bed. Pirate stared openly at her nude form. Fuck, she was beautiful with her hair all mussed from sex and his marks all over her. It felt a little juvenile to call them hickeys, but that’s exactly what they were.
Putting her hands on her lean hips, Sophia scowled to her left as if she could see through his bedroom wall, into the apartment hallway, and through the front door to express her displeasure at being woken up.
“What are you doing?” Pirate asked, amused. If she did something Sophia-y in retribution, he would currently not be fast enough to stop her.
“Trying to figure out the odds that whoever is at the door are Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Curious, Pirate inquired, “And what would it matter if they are?”
Sophia indicated to her naked body. “It matters if I’m getting dressed or not.” At Pirate’s startled laugh, she explained, “What better way to get rid of them and ensure that they won’t return than to scare them away?”
“I don’t know,” Pirate mused, raising an arm to put behind his head. “If I showed up at your door and you answered like that, I’d be tempted never to leave.”
She smiled wickedly down at him. “Yeah, but you’re not a Bible Thumping Door Knocker.” She crawled back onto the bed, holding herself over him. “You’re my dashing pirate who currently,” she paused and then rushed out, “doesn’t have two legs to catch me.”
Unfortunately for her, Pirate was expecting something like that. Her error was getting closer to him. When she made to dash off, he snagged her around her waist and flipped her onto the bed with him over top of her. She laughed loudly at getting caught.
Just as he was about to kiss her, the knock sounded again, which set the dogs off too.
Groaning, Pirate dropped his head to Sophia’s bare chest. “Stay here,” he grumbled, dejectedly.
Sophia sat up. “Um, you’re supposed to be staying off of your leg, mister.”
Pirate snagged his pants from the day before that were on his chair and pulled them on commando before standing. He held up his crutch to show her that he was going to stay off his leg. Then he grabbed his gun from his nightstand.
Sophia’s eyes widened. “You can’t shoot the Jehovah’s Witness!”
Pirate waggled his eyebrow. “Certainly tempting, but no. I’m just going to go see who is at the door.”
“And that requires a gun?” She hopped off of the bed, grabbing his shirt. She threw it over her head and then down her body.
“Did you forget about your nighttime visitor?” Pirate asked her. When Sophia paused, he knew she had. Or at least, not thought of the possibility that he could be the one at Pirate’s door under false pretenses. “I’m not taking any chances. Stay here.”
“No way!” she called after him, following him out of the bedroom. “All he has to do is kick your crutch out from under you and you’re of no use to me.”
Pirate turned to glare at her. He might not be walking the best, but he was still capable of protecting her.
But that shit-eating grin on her face doused his anger and made his heart do a funny pitter-patter in his chest. Sophia patted his cheek and walked past him, beating him to the door. She was only wearing his shirt, which he was not happy about.
“Check the peephole!” he scolded when she reached for the lock.
Sophia turned, facing her back to the door, and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve seen that movie. I put my eye to the peephole and the villain shoots me in the eye as soon as he sees the shadow from his side. The little comic relief always dies first.” She pointed to herself. “And I’m the funniest person I know.”
“For fuck’s sake!” came through the closed door. “Just open the fucking door or I am going to break it down.”
Both Pirate and Sophia looked at the door and then at each other.
“Is that Steel?” she asked him, dropping her voice down to barely a whisper.
Pirate nodded. The source of his confusion was because he couldn’t remember Steel ever coming to his and Jumper’s apartment before. Hurrying forward as fast as he could on his crutch, he nudged Sophia out of the way. Unlocking both locks, Pirate opened the door to indeed reveal Steel.
The dogs bounded out of the apartment to greet him. One of Steel’s rare smiles just barely touched his lips as he knelt down to pet them in the hallway.
After a moment, Pirate issued a command for Kidd and Pooch to go lay down.
Steel rose. “May I come in?”
Startled that he asked, Pirate hopped aside to allow his President to come into his apartment. When Steel had given Pirate a two-part punishment for punching Carlos, he hadn’t expected Steel to chase him down to get the answer to his question.
Steel walked past Sophia and into the living room.
Sophia turned to Pirate and mouthed, “What is going on?”
Pirate shook his head, because, while he had some idea, it seemed very out of character for Steel.
With his back to them, Steel called over his shoulder, “Sophia, as happy as I am that you will be joining our family, the conversation that I would like to have with both of you does require the use of pants.”
Pirate and Sophia looked down. The hem of his shirt barely touched her upper thighs, a fact that he’d loved discovering only that morning.
“Pants are overrated,” Sophia responded, not one to get embarrassed. “But since you asked so nicely, I’ll go get some. You two sit. Steel, he’s not supposed to be on his leg.”
Though he didn’t turn to look at her, Steel dipped his chin once in acknowledgment.
Sophia hurried off back towards Pirate’s bedroom.
Pirate hobbled his way into the living room. Steel moved to the side to let him pass. Pirate made his way to the couch, placing his gun down on the coffee table. It obviously was not needed. Once seated, he gestured for Steel to sit.
“A bit surprised to see you here. You don’t usually make house calls.”
Steel took one of the chairs from the kitchen table, turned it, and sat down facing Pirate. He kicked one leg up to rest his ankle on his knee. “Extenuating circumstances. How are you feeling?”
Pirate guessed that was Steel’s way of saying he didn’t want to force Pirate to come down to the clubhouse without his prosthetic on. But, again, it wasn’t like Steel not to just come out and say that.
He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I’m doing better.”
Sophia came into the room then. She was wearing her jeans from the day before now but was still in his shirt. Rather than sitting down next to Pirate like a normal person, she climbed up onto the couch, put her butt on the back, flung one leg over Pirate’s head, and then started to squeeze herself between Pirate’s back and the couch cushion. He shifted forward a little so he wasn’t crushing her. Sophia sat with him between her legs, hers thrown over his hips, and rested her chin on his shoulder.
If Steel thought her choice of seat odd, he didn’t show it. Rather, he looked between the two of them to ensure he had their attention and then said, “I owe both of you an apology.”
Sophia didn’t know Steel very well. He was this immense presence at the clubhouse and the club functions. She thought him a bit standoffish and closed off, but wouldn’t classify him as an alpha-hole, or an alpha asshole. Yet, there was something almost indestructible about him. Like nothing fazed him. She knew from Jasmine that there was nothing more important to Steel than family. He was protective and demanding. The club members looked up to him as a patriarch, even the ones who were still in contact with their birth families.
She suspected Pirate was as shocked as she was that Steel was here at Pirate and Jumper’s apartment to offer an apology.
Steel continued without pause. “I never had any intention of letting Fletcher Montague prospect for us. From his background check alone, I knew he was not a good fit for the Via Daemonia . You may not know this, Pirate, but Lucky, Bulldog, and I don’t turn away people asking to prospect based on their backgrounds, though we generally know from them if the interview will be a success. We take those interviews because it’s amusing for us to make them squirm.
“Unlike others before him, Montague’s background screamed ‘spoiled brat’ as well as ‘asshole’. We did not expect Harper to go into labor, obviously.” Steel shrugged, “No one could have predicted that and I sent him back to Papaw just to fuck with him because he pissed me off by showing up at the hospital thinking he was God’s gift to our problems.”
Steel’s eyes narrowed on Pirate. “ You pissed me off by throwing punches in the hospital.”
Pirate nodded, his posture repentant. “I know. I am sorry for that.” He placed a hand over Sophia’s knee. “I am claiming her,” he told Steel as if Steel had asked him a question.
Steel nodded once. “Good, but it doesn’t change the fact that you fucked up.”
“It doesn’t,” Pirate agreed.
“When I learned Pumpkin and Grumpy had taken apart Montague’s Tomahawk, I thought I could solve two birds with one stone. Drag out Montague’s torment while giving you your punishment. Despite what some say, I do have a heart,” Steel added pointedly. “I know what it is like to be in love with a girl you can’t have. In your case, though, it was being in love with a girl you didn’t know you were in love with. I needed to punish you to make a point but I had no intention of making it public or humiliating.”
“I am sorry I hit Carlos,” Pirate said again, “but in a way, I’m not. He helped me realize the truth and why I was acting strangely.”
“Um,” Sophia lifted a finger. “Can we get back to the part where you guys took apart Fletcher’s bike?”
Steel looked at her. “They thought it would be hilarious to dismantle Montague’s bike while Papaw was making him scrub the clubhouse with a toothbrush.”
Sophia chuckled. “I bet he shit a brick when he found out.”
“Nearly,” Steel confirmed.
Realizing something from the conversation she’d had in the kitchen earlier with Pirate, Sophia said, “Wait!” She tapped Pirate on the back of the head. “That’s what you were doing Monday night. You said you were with Fletcher when the Boot Mover was in my house. That was your punishment.” She looked back at Steel. “You made Pirate help Fletcher put his bike back together.”
“I did,” Steel answered her evenly. “However, I failed to take into consideration your leg, Pirate.” He met Pirate’s eyes. “After being on your leg all day at work, then at the hospital, I had no right to demand you remain on it all night. I apologize for my part in your current pain.”
“I deserved it after my behavior at the hospital, Steel. I don’t fault you for that.”
“I do!” Sophia argued. “He’s not your father. What right does he have to punish you like that?”
Pirate squeezed his hand on her knee in warning. He tipped his head to look over his shoulder at her. “He’s my President, Soph. He has every right, just as he would if he were my Commanding Officer when I was a Marine.”
“Not to the point where you’re in severe pain!” she snapped. “ He didn’t see the condition you were in yesterday. I did. You could barely walk and you passed out so completely that you didn’t wake up when Jumper carried you to bed.”
Pirate looked away from her, but didn’t look at Steel either. “I don’t need you to defend me, Sophia. I can take care of myself.”
“You do remember me telling you that I love you, right?” Sophia shot back at him. “So you’re going to have me defending you. A lot. Because you won’t do it for yourself. You think I don’t see it? How you take care of everyone else but ignore your own comfort and pain? Well, you’re stuck with me now, you stubborn pirate. Because you ‘claimed’,” she air-quoted, “me, you’re going to have to put up with me defending you. Even if it’s against him,” she pointed a finger across the living room at Steel. “Suck it up, buttercup.”
Turning to Steel, she expected to see him scowling at her. But he wasn’t. If anything, there seemed to be a look of pride about him. “Takes a strong woman to survive our lot,” he told her. “I knew you would have the backbone for it, but didn’t know if you had the heart. It’s good to see you do.”
Sophia actually found herself smiling at him. “Thank you.”
Steel turned to Pirate. “Listen to your woman. You need to learn how to stand up for yourself and stop putting others first. That includes your own brother. As for me, I might have the right to punish you but I don’t have the right to torture you. There’s a difference. In the future, whether I ask or order you to do something, I expect you to only comply if you are physically able to. Your health and wellbeing is not worth your pride. Do not make me have to keep a special eye on you like I have to Bones. Do you understand me?”
Slowly, Pirate nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, I need to address both of you.”
Pirate glanced over his shoulder at Sophia at the same time that Sophia looked over his shoulder at him.
“Whatever your reasons are for keeping your marriage a secret?—”
Sophia felt Pirate stiffen in front of her as her eyes widened. She gasped, “What? You know?”
Steel’s look told her that he was currently questioning her sanity. “There is very little that goes on in my club that I don’t know about. Yes, I know the two of you got drunk in San Francisco and got married on a wedding pirate ship.”
Sophia didn’t know why she felt so uncomfortable that Steel knew about their marriage.
Pirate rubbed her leg reassuringly. To Steel, he said, “We’re still getting divorced. We want to forget about the whole thing and start over.”
Steel was quiet for a moment and then he nodded. “That is your choice, obviously. It’s good to know and makes what I was about to say null and void. I appreciate your openness.”
“We have to—” Pirate started, but another knock sounded at the apartment door.
Both dogs raised their heads, letting out barks of alarm. Sophia frowned. Who the hell was at the door now?
Sophia made to get up, but Steel waved her off. After a quick command in Dutch to the dogs to stay, he walked over to the door and opened it.
“Steel?” Sophia recognized Demo’s voice, laced with shock. “What are you doing here? Paige just left. Something’s going on with Jenna. I?—”
From their position on the couch, neither Pirate nor Sophia could see the front door. They were sitting on the wrong side of the couch for that viewpoint. At the sound of a sharp squeak and then pounding boots on the exterior hallway, Sophia scrambled up from behind Pirate to see what was going on.
She saw Demo standing to the side of the open apartment door with Paige’s two sons, Nelson “Nelly Bean” and Michael “Mikey”. Demo had Nelly Bean in his arms with the little boy’s arms wrapped around his neck. Mikey was at his legs, playing on a tablet in a silicone kid’s cover. Both Nelly Bean and Demo were staring down the hall, in the direction Sophia would guess Steel just took off running in.
“What’s going on?” she asked. Now that kids were here, she was glad she was wearing pants after all.
Paige and her boys had moved into the apartment complex just over a month ago after selling her monstrosity of a house. Sophia didn’t know all the details but she’d picked up on bits and pieces of Paige’s financial crisis several months ago. The poor woman was struggling to make ends meet and keep a roof over her boys’ heads when a popular foot fetish site she’d been modeling on was hacked. One of the viewers who had been purchasing the pictures of Paige’s feet had used the hack to track Paige down. He broke into Paige’s acupuncture clinic and took both her and Abby hostage until the club rescued them.
Demo and Paige were dating but not living together. Sophia didn’t judge them for that decision. Not every relationship had to move lightning fast, like the other club relationships seemed to be. Demo spent some nights with Paige and her boys in her apartment and others at his new house on the club’s property. Jasmine had mentioned that Paige was helping Demo pick out furniture and such in anticipation of moving in but wasn’t ready to make that leap yet.
Sophia was pretty sure Paige’s apartment was on the top floor, a level above Jumper and Pirate’s fourth floor apartment.
Demo ushered Mikey inside and then closed the door behind them. “I’m not sure. Paige got a call, something about Jenna. She immediately took off. Unfortunately, I only have my sled here so I called a prospect to bring an SUV over with car seats so I could get there too.”
Pirate hobbled over behind Sophia. “Is Jenna okay?”
“I literally know nothing more than I just told you. I knew you had to take it easy today and wasn’t sure if you wanted to hitch a ride over with us.”
Pirate scowled. “Does everyone know I hurt my leg?”
Demo nodded easily. “Pretty much. Jumper sent out a text message this morning not to bother you, but I knew you’d want to know what’s going on. I didn’t know Sophia was here and could drive you.”
“Thanks, man. Yeah, we’ll head over. Let me get my?—”
“You better be about to say ‘shirt’,” Sophia scolded him. “If you were about to say you were going to get your leg, I am going to put that damn thing down the garbage disposal.”
“Ha!” he laughed in her ear. “Joke’s on you. We don’t have a garbage disposal.” He kissed her cheek from behind. “And I’m feeling much better. I can walk?—”
“Pirate!” she scolded, turning around to face him. She would not be moved on this.
“We have to go,” he pushed, meeting her eyes. “Whatever is going on, it’s urgent. Why else call Paige?” Sophia shook her head, because she honestly didn’t know. Paige was an acupuncturist, and she didn’t know enough about the profession to make a guess as to why Paige was called to Jenna’s aide. “I promise, I will sit down whenever I can and I will not overtax myself.”
He held her gaze for a long moment. Finally, Sophia sighed, “Okay, fine. I just don’t want you to start hurting again.”
He kissed her quickly on the lips. “For that, I am appreciative, but right now we need to get dressed.” Over her head, he said to Demo. “Go on ahead. Sophia’s cage is downstairs. We’ll follow as soon as we can.”
Sophia glanced over her shoulder in time to see Demo nod and then head out the door with the boys again.
“Let’s go,” Pirate urged her into the bedroom. “Paige had a head start on Steel, but there’s no doubt Steel still beat her back to his house.”
They didn’t bother to shower. Since Sophia didn’t have any clothes but the ones from the previous day, she wore her jeans, sneakers, and did some weird bow-thing with one of his button down shirts that actually looked incredibly hot. She either didn’t care anymore or forgot about hiding the marks he left on her body.
Pirate switched from his work khakis to a pair of dark jeans, put his leg on, boots, and threw on an old Marine’s t-shirt with his cut. Putting weight on his leg stung more than it hurt, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He was just reaching for his phone, along with his wallet, when the device started to ring.
Seeing it was Demo, Pirate frowned. “Hey, did you hear more?”
“No, we haven’t left yet. Viktor just got here with the cage. But you better get down here. Your lady’s tires were slashed.”
“The fuck?” Pirate stood up straighter.
He looked around for Sophia and found her walking into the bedroom with his gun held between her thumb and pointer finger by the grip. Her face held such disgust for the weapon that one might have mistaken the gun for a poisonous snake.
He rushed over, a slight limp in his gait, to take the weapon from her. The safety, thankfully, was still on, but it still was never a good idea to put a loaded weapon in the hands of an amateur. He should have disengaged the clip before putting it down earlier and wasn’t entirely sure why he hadn’t.
“Pirate?” he heard Demo ask over the phone.
“We’re on our way down,” Pirate said shortly and then hung up. He pocketed his phone. “We need to go. Get the dogs.”
Sophia turned and hurried back out into the living room. She called back to him, “What is it? Is it Jenna?”
“No!” he called back, locking his gun safe in his nightstand. Double checking he had his wallet, he left the bedroom. In the living room, Sophia had Pooch’s harness on him and was working Kidd’s over his head. “It’s your cage. Someone slashed the tires.”
Sophia bolted to her feet, Kidd’s harness hanging unclipped off of his sides. Unlike Aerial’s harness, neither Kidd’s nor Pooch’s claimed them to be service dogs. They were standard, everyday harnesses. “What! My Bug!”
“We’ll get everything figured out.” Pirate finished getting Kidd’s harness clipped. “Let’s get downstairs and see what’s going on.”
For a morning that had started out so nicely, Pirate had a feeling the day was going to make a one-eighty turn.
They ended up having to leave Viktor to deal with Sophia’s cage. Shortly after they got down the stairs of the apartment building and into the parking lot, a text message went out to all the members and ol’ ladies saying to get to Jenna and Steel’s house. Sophia didn’t get the message, but Pirate had plans to change that. Whatever was going on, he still had every intention of claiming Sophia.
Demo got the boys into the SUV, Sophia hopped into the far back with Pooch and Kidd, Pirate got into the passenger seat, and Demo got into the driver’s seat. Viktor was left in the parking lot with Sophia’s keys, instructions to take pictures for her insurance company, and to call for a tow to take her cage to Grumpy’s garage. Sophia also texted Carlos, not knowing if she should make a police report but needed to get to Jenna’s house.
In the back seat, she looked more pissed than sad. “Maybe it’s time. I’ve had my Bug since I was sixteen. Maybe it’s a sign I need to get a new car.”
Pirate turned in his seat to look back at her. Mikey had put his tablet down and both boys were paying attention to the dogs. “That’s not a today decision. Tires can be replaced. Once we figure out what’s going on at Steel’s, we’ll have Keys look at the apartment’s security cameras.”
She met his eyes. “You think my Boot Mover is responsible.”
He didn’t know if she was being cryptic for the kids’ sake or if that was just what she was going to be calling her creepy nighttime visitor from now on. At the very least, it was entirely accurate. “It seems too coincidental not to be,” he said sympathetically. “But I’m not willing to jump to any conclusions. It was parked in a publicly accessible parking lot overnight. Mount Grove is a small town but there is mischief wherever you live.”
“Vandals just happen to choose my car in the middle of a crowded parking lot in the center of a small town?” Sophia raised a skeptical eyebrow, her tone almost mocking.
“We’ll figure it out,” he assured her again.
When Pirate turned around to face forward again, he and Demo exchanged a meaningful look. Pirate was trying to portray calm. Whatever was going on at Jenna and Steel’s was massive enough to call all of the MC to their house. That in and of itself was worrisome. Many had suspected something was going on with Jenna for months now. At first, they’d thought it was fatigue leftover from the holidays. Jenna did so much during October, November, and December that it wasn’t surprising she was wiped out in January. But then January turned into February, February into March, and now they were in April. She still acted like herself, personality wise, but there was something not right. There was almost a lag to her. For someone who rarely sat down before or passed on lending a hand, Jenna had been doing a lot of delegating in recent months.
And beyond worry for the first ol’ lady of the club, the matriarch and Steel’s much better half, Pirate was trying to tamp down the fury he felt at Sophia’s tires being slashed. Of course it was her Boot Mover. Who the hell else could it have been? He knew it and so did she. The fact that he’d found her at the apartment complex meant that he’d followed her.
Did he know about her and Pirate? Was he pissed? Why break into her house only to move her shoes? It made no sense to Pirate. What was the end game? Between the boots and now her tires, Pirate could only think of him wanting to be annoying, a nuisance. Which still did not give a clear indication to his goals.
Fletcher Montague was still the obvious suspect. He and Sophia had a history after all and she’d ignored his demand for them to meet up. And yet, Pirate knew it hadn’t been him. At least, not on Monday night. Fletcher was not the Boot Mover. But did that mean he wasn’t the Tire Slasher?
What were the odds that Sophia would have two people after her? If so, were they connected? Working together or working separately?
How could he keep her safe?
The club had failed Sophia and Jasmine last year. Sophia had been kidnapped from her parents’ estate. At the time, they hadn’t had a security system, believing in the sanctity of small-town life. Demo had been shot trying to save Jasmine from being abducted.
No one wanted a repeat of last August.
Pirate didn’t know what or who was coming for Sophia—but he knew he’d be standing between her and it.
Steel’s living room had never been so packed. The house used to belong to the distillery owners and hadn’t been well maintained. When the club had purchased the property, Steel and Jenna moved in under the stipulation that the club would help fix it up. Steel viewed it as a bonding experience for the members and work for the prospects. Once the house was to Jenna’s specifications, the club moved on to fixing up the clubhouse and so on.
The house was small but loved. It was two stories with a living room, kitchen, dining room, and den on the first floor. Upstairs had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. When the club had been formed, Jenna and Steel’s youngest children, Jordan and Melanie, had also been living at home. The den on the first floor had been Jordan’s bedroom, as Jordan was seventeen at the time and would soon be leaving the house. Melanie had graduated the year before and was finishing up her freshman year of college.
Her old bedroom now belonged to Ollie, the sixteen year old foster child that Steel and Jenna had adopted. Ollie had grown up in a different MC and had been discovered by Steel when he, Bulldog, Jumper, and Ghost had gone to confront the Black Python’s President. Ollie’s mother was one of the women the club kept around. Not only addicted to drugs, she had participated in their amateur porn productions. She’d also willingly given Ollie away, not knowing a damn thing about Steel or the VDMC. She’d never asked where Ollie was going or what his life would be like. Even after getting clean in a rehab center, she had never tried to find Ollie.
Steel and Jenna’s living room had a long couch with a matching love seat. Their fireplace was closed up for the summer and had a metal plate covering the mouth. Pictures of family vacations, holidays, and parties lined the wood mantle. Above it was a large wedding portrait featuring a young Jenna and Steel with a courthouse behind them.
The club consisted of nineteen members, including the seven officers. Additionally, there were eight ol’ ladies, including Louisa and Sophia. Aside from two day old Stephanie, none of the club kids were present. They were currently being watched at the clubhouse by Frankie and Yelizaveta with the assistance of teens Ollie, Aaron, and Bree. There was almost no breathing room and certainly no elbow room in the small living room.
No one was talking and the only movement was the occasional twist of the hips to try to get more comfortable. Someone commented that everyone better be wearing deodorant, but there were only a few light chuckles.
Bear, Tessa, Paige, Jenna, and Steel were still upstairs. Even with the absence of five, they were packed in like sardines. The fact that the three people missing were the medical professionals within the club made it glaringly obvious that the conversation that was about to take place was not going to be a pleasant one.
What seemed like hours later, Jenna’s voice carried down to them. She sounded like herself, not weak or sickly. That seemed to throw some of them. “Jack, I can walk! You don’t need to carry me. Put me down!”
There was no verbal reply from Steel, or at least not one that they were able to hear from the floor below. Then they heard the creaking of the floor and boots coming down the stairs.
As one, the crowd turned to see Steel carrying Jenna bridal style down the steps. Bear, Tessa, and Paige followed silently behind the couple.
Members parted like the Red Sea to allow Steel to carry Jenna into the living room. Immediately space was made on the loveseat for them. Steel did not place Jenna down and then sit next to her, though. He planted himself on the loveseat with Jenna on his lap and continued to hold her to his chest.
Jenna wore a pair of lounge pants and a tank top. The start of a bruise was evident on her right arm that was facing her friends and family. Another marked her cheek.
The idea that Steel laid his hands on Jenna crossed no one’s mind. It wasn’t even a consideration. Blasphemous. Steel was incapable of harming Jenna.
The club knew the basics about their origin story. Steel and Jenna were high school sweethearts, but Steel was from the wrong side of the tracks as it was. Even with plans of joining the Marines and giving Jenna a good life, her father still would not have it. He tried to pay Steel off to leave and never contact Jenna again. Rumor has it, Steel did take that money—but he used it to pay for Jenna and his wedding.
Three kids and thirty-nine years later, they were still going strong. Not only had they taken on the club and ran their own business, but they also adopted Ollie.
The VDMC, at its core, was a testimony to this amazingly selfless couple.
No one spoke for a long time. Everyone was frozen as they waited for the axe to fall. Because, maybe, if it wasn’t spoken, then it wouldn’t be true.
Slowly, Jenna sat upright. From her seat upon his lap, she stared down at her gruff husband. Cupping his face, she said, “It’s time. We’ve kept it from them long enough.”
Steel took her hand, kissed her palm. His lips remained on her skin longer than one would consider standard. When he finally lifted her hand from his mouth, he folded her fingers down gently, as if to let her hold onto his kiss.
Jenna turned to face them. She met everyone’s eyes, slowly going around the room. “I’ve been keeping a secret from all of you. I thought… Well, I think I thought if I managed my symptoms then none of you would notice and I wouldn’t have to tell you at all. It’s very—” Her voice cracked. “It’s very painful for me to see everyone here, so sad and forlorn. Many of you have suffered enough and I hate to bring more despair into your lives.”
Taking Steel’s hand as if to borrow his immense strength, Jenna declared, “I have late onset multiple sclerosis, or MS. I was diagnosed last year, shortly after Halloween.”
Curses and gasps reverberated throughout the room, though none were spoken loudly.
“There is no cure,” she stated as if she was confessing to murder. “They caught it early enough where they hope to manage my symptoms and advancements in medicine are made nearly every day. There is hope ,” she stressed. “MS is not the death sentence it once was. But, eventually and God willing not for a while, it will one day take me from all of you.”
Tears fell freely. Wives gripped their husbands. Someone sobbed. Jenna was such an integral part of their lives. No one could imagine the club without her. And Steel? What would become of him once Jenna was gone? There was no Steel without Jenna. It seemed an impossible reality.
Abby, who was sitting close to Jenna and Steel, reached over and touched her arm. “Are you in pain?”
Jenna shook her head. “Not at the moment. I have flare ups, but they’re mild right now, manageable. I still have all of my functions. But I tire a lot easier now and my fingers don’t like to grip things for too long.”
“What happened today?” Bulldog asked. His eyes, like most of theirs, were on her bruised arm and cheek.
Jenna’s cheeks pinkened with embarrassment as she admitted, “I fell in the shower. Steel was not in the house. Ollie called Bear and Tessa to help me.”
“I can very easily install grab bars and whatever else you need, Jenna,” Cage offered. He looked to Bear, “Get me a list of everything she’ll need around the house and I’ll take care of it.”
Bear nodded.
“We’ll work out a schedule too,” Harper offered. She held her baby close to her chest, Lucky’s arm draped protectively around her shoulder. “One of us can be on hand to keep you company or help you shower. Whatever you need.”
“We can postpone the wedding,” Jasmine said from her seat between Jumper and Sophia. “If you’re not up for it?—”
Jenna held up both her hands. “No, no. Of course not. I’m doing really well, considering. Today was a fluke, a one-off. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to postpone, Jasmine. I actually hadn’t had any plans of telling any of you until after the wedding anyway. I didn’t want to risk taking away your day from you.”
Jasmine stiffened. “Excuse me?”
Eyes shifted from the older couple on the loveseat to the normally shy, curvy veterinarian on the couch who looked uncharacteristically pissed off.
Jenna tried to defend her words. “I only meant that your wedding day is special and I didn’t want to?—”
“ You are special!” Jasmine shouted. She stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. Tears streamed down her red cheeks. “Goddamn, Jenna. You are always talking about family first and how the Via Daemonia take care of their own. Well, who do you think you are? You had no right to keep this from us and then say you were doing it so you weren’t taking away from my day. That’s bullshit!”
Everyone saw Steel stiffen underneath Jenna. His gaze disapproving, he scowled deeply at Jasmine.
Jumper stood, putting his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders. He whispered something in her ear before turning to Steel and Jenna. “We’re sorry. All of this is a shock. She shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. We appreciate you trying to make considerations for us.”
“No,” Jenna piped up. She put a hand up to stay whatever it was Steel was about to say. She was probably the only person in the world who could get him to heed her so readily. “You’re right, Jazz,” she told the soon-to-be bride. “I used your wedding as an excuse not to tell you.” Her chin trembled. “I didn’t want to say it out loud. I couldn’t even tell my kids and had to have Jack do it.” Tears flooded from her eyes. “I am so sorry.” Looking around at the room, she repeated, “I’m sorry . If I didn’t say it out loud, then it wasn’t real.”
Steel grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her back against his chest. He buried his face into her shoulder. Everyone could see him trembling beneath her. Jenna reached up and clasped her fingers into his silvering hair.
One by one, the ladies got up. They worked their way over to Jenna. Hugging, kissing her cheek, or just touching her hand, they offered her their support.
Then Lucky stood up. In the club hierarchy, he was directly after Steel. “We’re family,” he announced to everyone. “Those are not just meaningless words.” He tapped his rockers on his cut. “These words of honor mean something. Whatever comes at us, we face it together. We might get knocked down but we always get back up. What affects one of us, affects all of us.” He looked to Jenna. “More than our pity, you need our support. We’re here for you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. No task is too big or too small.
“And when the end does come, by God Jenna Duncan, you better believe that you will have every single one of us on our knees praying for just one more day with you. Because you are beyond loved. You are cherished and we will be utterly lost without you.
“So you do what it is you have to do to keep yourself healthy and alive. And we will be here to support you in any way we can.”
The collective agreement to the VP’s words was followed by silence.
Detangling herself from her husband, Jenna made to stand. Many moved to assist her but, of course, Steel was right here. Jenna carefully made her way over to Lucky, where she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Thank you,” she told him softly. Taking a step back, she said louder, “Thank you. To all of you. There is nothing more important than family and I am so thankful that every single one of you is in mine.”
After hugs and well wishes, some members had to leave to take care of family or work obligations. Some left to not crowd Jenna, though they offered to stop by later or if she just wanted company. The rest remained behind to learn more about Jenna’s illness and symptoms. More importantly, to learn what she needed to better her quality of life and how they could get it for her.
Throughout it all, no one saw the dark shadow in the corner of the room stir as the silent figure who’d been standing there exited the house.