Chapter Eight.
Savage
I was trying hard not to smile as Grace fussed around me. As soon as I’d been discharged the day after my accident, the women descended. After I bellowed several times at them, they finally left me alone. But not before filling my fridge, freezer, and cabinets. Oh, and they cleaned from top to bottom, put fresh sheets on even though mine were only two days old, and they’d even hovered and polished and done all my washing.
I’d sent my brothers a text telling them to keep everyone away, or I wouldn’t be responsible for the murder I was planning. However, that hadn’t reached Nancy, who’d let herself in an hour ago, made me a coffee, and dropped off some cookies. As I ate my fourth, I decided they were pretty damn tasty. Therefore, I was quite mellow when Grace knocked and walked in.
“Hi,” I said, with a sloppy grin as she sat down.
“How are you feeling?” Grace checked me over with clear concern.
“I like that. You looking at me with worry,” I replied, voicing my thoughts. A slight blush touched Grace’s cheeks, and I told her I liked that too.
She peered at me harder. “Have you been taking your meds?”
“Took some a couple of hours ago. Should be due now, but I’m not feeling pain,” I admitted.
I picked up another cookie, and Grace’s eyes widened in horror as I bit into it.
“Tell me Nancy didn’t give you them!”
“Sure as hell did, and they’re tasty as fuck!” I mumbled happily.
“Oh, no! You’re high!” Grace cried. “How many have you eaten?”
“Four or five. Can’t remember. I feel pretty mellow right now,” I replied with another grin.
“Nancy’s given you weed,” Grace announced, shaking her head.
“Really?” I asked, delighted.
Grace nodded.
“Who’d have thought Little Miss Grape Soda had that in her?”
“That’s what you call Nancy?” Grace whispered, trying not to laugh.
“Yeah. You better get me some snacks because if Nancy’s drugged me, I’m gonna get the munchies,” I prodded.
“I’m going to phone Phoe,” Grace replied, and I nodded. Who cared?
Grace was in the kitchen when Gauntlet and Hunter arrived. Neither looked amused until they sat down, and I offered them my naughty stash of cookies.
“Hell, might as well join him,” Hunter said, eating one.
Gauntlet sent Hunter an incredulous stare and then took one himself.
“We won’t be as high as he is. Damn, look at Savage grin,” Gauntlet exclaimed.
Grace returned, glanced at us, and dumped snacks on the table. “Enjoy yourself,” she stated with a giggle and left.
Grace
I let myself into Savage’s home the next day, unsure what to expect. Finding Hunter, Gauntlet, Jett, Slate, and Calamity all snoring their heads off on chairs, the sofas, or floor was not it.
There was no sign of Savage, and my stomach plummeted. I hoped he hadn’t escaped the house.
Footsteps sounded on Savage’s wooden floor, and I turned around and saw Klutz heading towards me wearing a pair of long-slung joggers.
Oh my God. My ladies’ bits stood up and applauded the prime example of a man before me.
Klutz ran a hand over his beard as he handed me a coffee.
“Creamer and sugar are in the kitchen. I thought one of those fuckers had woken up,” Klutz rumbled, and I followed him down the hallway. The rear was equally as good as the front.
I added creamer and sugar to my coffee and peered at Klutz.
“Shit, I’m too fuckin’ old to babysit my brothers,” Klutz complained.
“What happened?” I asked. “There was only Hunter and Gauntlet when I left.”
“Whatever stuff your neighbour used is the best out there. That shit was so good that Gauntlet and Hunter got high and called Drake, who sent Jett and Slate out. Pres didn’t tell Jett and Slate about the cookies, so Calamity and I were told to watch them. When we arrived, Savage was snoring in his bed, and that lot was giggling like school children. Of course, Drake forgot to warn Calamity, and I hate cookies unless Aurora bakes them, so I ended up babysitting those fuckers alone,” Klutz grumbled.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, and Aurora’s pissed because we were getting ready for sexy time when Drake phoned. Drake’s gonna have to buy Aurora a present for her to forgive him.” Klutz chuckled.
“Drake does that?”
“We all fuckin’ do that. If we upset an old lady, they get a big expensive gift from whoever fucked them off them. None of us like them being sad. They are all spoiled rotten,” Klutz explained with a grin. “Even the newest ones, like Dana, Summer and Irish.”
“Wow,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, Rage women are special. Gotta treat them right, or we’ll lose them. And that would destroy us. So, we all break our backs to ensure they’re happy,” Klutz said.
“It’s nice to hear things like that,” I replied, sipping my coffee. For some reason, being in the kitchen with a half-naked man wasn’t bothering me. Probably because I knew Klutz was head over heels for his wife.
“Gonna enjoy this quiet time, then wake those fuckers up and make love to my woman. Aurora deserves a bedroom day,” Klutz stated, chuckling.
“A whole day?” I gasped, my eyes widening.
Klutz nodded with a grin. “Never done that?” he asked.
“No!”
“Pretty sure Savage will show you,” Klutz teased, and I blushed.
“It’s not like that between us,” I murmured in denial. In truth, I wasn’t sure what it was, but I wouldn’t admit that.
A hand slid around my hip and squeezed, and then I was turned into a muscled chest, and Savage tipped my head up and kissed me thoroughly. I heard Klutz chuckling but was dazed by Savage’s greeting.
“Keep telling yourself that, and I’ll carry on kissing you until you agree there’s something between us,” Savage drawled, reaching for a mug that Klutz held out.
“Stop!”
“Nope. I enjoy it, and so do you!” the smug man replied. “Did our neighbour seriously drug me last night?”
I giggled. “Thought you knew about Nancy’s cookies. Hell, I fell for it too, the sweet old lady dropping a welcome platter off and the next thing I was chilled out and all mellow. Couldn’t believe Nancy hadn’t warned me.”
“I’d no idea,” Savage admitted.
“No, and you were snoring when I arrived. Those fuckers ate the rest of the stash,” Klutz said.
“Damn, I didn’t need those painkillers last night, and funnily enough, this morning, the pain is just a nagging feeling.”
“Nancy has the good shit.” I giggled.
“She fucking does,” Savage replied as his phone rang. Savage’s demeanour changed, and he moved outside to take the call. Whatever it was made my heart plummet; Savage’s entire body collapsed in on himself before he straightened. Grief was evident in his expression when he turned.
“Brother,” Klutz said.
“Got to ride. But I gotta tell Drake.”
“I’ll call Prez, Savage. Do what you need, too,” Klutz replied.
“Tell Drake it’s my uncle; he’ll understand,” Savage whispered.
“What do you need?” I asked, hating the pallor in his face.
Savage faced me. “I have to tell you the truth,” he murmured, reaching out with his hand.
I took it and let Savage lead me away. Whatever just happened had flipped Savage’s world on its head.
Savage.
The call from Lettie had taken me completely unaware. I’d spoken to Earle two days ago, and he’d been fine. Now, she was telling me Earle had suffered a stroke, and I needed to come.
I shook my head. Earle was so big and strong.
Grace followed me into my bedroom as I dropped her hand and paced back and forth. This situation could attract media attention, and I might be hunted down. Grace needed the truth. To protect herself and know what she was stepping into.
“Some random reporters may knock on your door, looking for information on me. And then they could recognise you. That’s why I’m telling you, so you and the girls can get out of town for a few weeks until this shit dies down.”
“Start from the beginning, Savage,” Grace said gently.
“Forty years ago, in a Hicksville town in Kentucky, is when it started. I told you my name is Jesse Walker; it’s not. It’s Buck Sawyer Ellison from Layton, Kentucky,” I stated.
Trying to understand the importance, Grace frowned. “Layton, Kentucky,” Grace repeated, and her eyes widened. “That kidnapping and serial killing family?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know much about it, Savage, but you’re too young to be one of them.”
“Not to be the rape baby,” I replied, and Grace blanched.
“Oh no, oh,” Grace said. Tears started falling. And my heart expanded because those tears were genuinely for me. “You don’t have to say anything more.”
“I do because you were so brave in telling me. Now I’ll tell you.
“Forty-six years ago, my grandmother began seducing and killing strangers and emptying their bank accounts. One day, Loretta Sawyer was coming home with her son Cletus, and they found a guy changing a tyre. Loretta recognised him and knew he was rich, so Cletus knocked him out and shoved him in their old beat-up truck. Cletus dumped the car in the lake, and they took the man home.
“He was their first long-term victim. Loretta and her daughter Sandie raped him until they both got pregnant. The idea was to give birth and use the kids to get money from him. Only, he managed to escape, and Cletus shot him. Cletus was a kid then. Both women lost their babies, but they’d discovered a viable plan, so the next time they noticed a rich man, they did the same.
“Again, he died, and neither of them had fallen pregnant. But the third guy was their meal ticket. D. J. Ellison was the richest man in several counties. Why D. J. was in Layton, I have no clue, but it wasn’t somewhere he’d usually visit. Loretta saw D. J. and followed him until they were on a lonely stretch of road and then forced his car off. Cletus knocked him out and drove his motor back and hid it.”
“Jesus,” Grace said in horror.
“For half a year, those women kept D. J. hogtied and raped him daily until they got pregnant. Sandie, the daughter, got pregnant immediately, while Lorette took a couple of months. The younger son of Loretta, a bright, highly intelligent and kind boy, Earle, had no idea what was happening. One day, eight-year-old Earle followed Sandie after hearing something that made him curious. Earle discovered D. J. but initially fled in horror.
“Earle was brave, though. He decided to get help for D. J. and began making his way into town. He’d found a pocket watch with D. J.’s name and knew it would be seen as proof. Despite the long journey, Earle was willing to walk to town for two reasons. He knew his family was in the wrong, and now he knew they’d beat him to death for discovering their secret.
“D. J., who’d been told by Earle he’d get help, was a coward. When Loretta came to rape him, D. J. blurted Earle had discovered him and was getting help.”
“No!” Grace whispered, horrified. “He gave up an eight-year-old boy?”
“Yeah. The coward saved himself from an assault that day only to set the dogs loose on a child. Loretta sent Cletus, who was a vicious brute, after Earle. By all accounts, Earle thought he might have had a twenty-four-hour head start. Instead, he had six. Cletus caught him up and nearly beat Earle to death. After almost killing him, Cletus left Earle to die and returned home. Earle had taken several beatings to the skull and seemed to think he was Captain America.” My voice broke, and Grace reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Earle staggered to his feet on a broken leg and fashioned crutches as Captain America would have. Step by step, he made his way to a road. It took Earle around twelve hours—and in the dark of night with animals. But Earle wouldn’t give up because somebody needed his alter ego, Captain America. He collapsed on the street, and someone driving by found him and rushed him to hospital.
“Earle’s brain was so swollen that he was put into a coma, which pissed the local law enforcement officers off. Because Earle was still holding D. J. Ellison’s watch, and that was the first lead they’d had in months to the lost millionaire. Earle had many more injuries than a broken leg and was unconscious for four weeks. When Earle came out, he could only remember one name: Mrs Simms, but nothing else.
“The cops searched for Mrs Simms and finally located a teacher in Layton who’d reported a missing child, Earle Sawyer. She identified him, and the police raided the Sawyer’s land. There, they discovered a thinner and abused but still alive D. J. Ellison. They also found the bodies of over thirty men who had been killed for their money or their sperm. For years, Loretta had been committing murders.
“Eight months passed since D. J. Ellison had disappeared, and Sandie went into labour as their home was raided. Loretta had lost her baby and was raping D. J. to get pregnant again as the police descended.
“On that day, Sandie gave birth to a healthy baby boy and named him Buck Sawyer Ellison.”
“Holy fuck, that’s you!” Grace exclaimed.
“Yeah, but the shit show doesn’t stop there. D. J. was running his mouth, and it came out that Earle had found him but not untied him. Everyone wanted Earle put on trial, too. But Loretta, Cletus, and Sandie didn’t know about the outside opinion and had stated exactly what had happened, making Earle a victim, too. A newspaper reporter got hold of the story and outed how D. J. tried to save himself from a rape and gave up a child. Public opinion split. Some landed on Earle’s side and others on D. J.’s because Earle was a Sawyer.
“Mrs Simms waded in and told the papers and media about the highly intelligent child she’d once taught and showed his I.Q. scores. Earle was within genius range. Now, he was a bumbling kid, dumber than an ox. Mrs Simms did a lot of damage to D. J. and called him out for the coward he was. She rightfully pointed out that if he’d kept his mouth shut, he’d have been rescued the next day and not been imprisoned longer.
“In the meantime, the other victims, Earle and Buck, had no idea what was happening around them. Loretta admitted to the murders, as did Sandie and Cletus. They were going down for life. D. J., as an adult, could rebuild his life. But Earle and Buck were housed in a home with nobody to care for them, and Earle’s bright spark had been diminished.”
“Tell me somebody stepped up,” Grace begged.
“Mrs Simms fought the courts for custody of Earle. Then she went after me. D. J. wanted nothing to do with me because I was a child of rape, a reminder of what he’d suffered. I feel for D. J., but I hate what he did to my uncle. Earle missed his chance to be the genius he could have been. All that intelligence faded under blows and kicks to his head. Finally, Mrs Simms got us both and stood her ground. She refused to move, held her chin up high, and taught me and Earle how to.
“Earle was oblivious to the hatred and dislike. All Earle knew was Mrs Simms and his nephew loved him. He gave evidence against his family from behind a closed screen and helped send them down. Yet, I was highly conscious of others’ remarks. They’d not say it in front of Mrs Simms because she’d rip them a new one. But they didn’t care if they voiced shit to me. I despised that town as much as it hated me. I never saw D. J. while growing up. But his legitimate kids found me when I was ten. They were older and made it clear I was nothing to them.
“Then, one day, just after graduation, I came home and discovered Mrs Simms dead. She’d had a heart attack, and the only mother I ever knew was gone. Earle and I buried her with a wreath made in her nickname, which only we called her: Simmy. It was our version of ‘Mom.’ And then we discovered that she’d left nearly everything to Earle to ensure his care until the end of his days. I tried to get Earle to move away, but he loved the town.
“At sixteen, I was tall and muscled, not as much as I am now, but I’d a footballer frame, so I was intimidating. I picked a good home for Earle and made it very clear what would happen should anything harm or hurt him. They’ve looked after Earle since he entered there twenty-four years ago,” I explained.
Grace was nodding. “So they should. Your town is disgusting. No wonder you changed your name. Your maternal family should be horsewhipped!”
“Yeah. But that call just now. That was the care home. Earle had a recent fall. Nobody thought anything of it, but they called the doctor and checked him over. Today, he had a stroke. I have to go immediately. I’m all he has,” I explained.
Grace leapt to her feet.
“You are not going alone, Savage.”
“I can’t ask you to come,” I said.
“You’re not asking. I’d love to meet Earle, and this is my chance.”
“What about the kids?” I asked.
“They’ll join us. I’m guessing we’re flying? Driving will take too long. Let me go pack, and you look at air tickets. Obviously, I’ll pay mine and the girls. Don’t worry about that,” Grace stated.
“All you gotta do is pack, Grace,” Drake announced from the doorway. “Phoe’s cleared the jet, and we’ll be taking that. And Savage won’t be alone; Apache, Texas, Gauntlet, Jett, Gunner, and I are also coming. Let that fuckin’ town kick off while we’re there!”
“They don’t have to,” I said, shaking my head.
“Ain’t you learned? No brother walks by himself,” Drake replied. He turned to Grace. “Go pack for several days. We have the club card if we need more while out there.”
Grace peered at me and Drake before walking over, hugging me tightly, and then darting from the room.
“Now tell me there ain’t shit happening.” Drake laughed as I scowled.
“Gotta pack,” I muttered.
“Nobody walks alone,” Drake said firmly, and I looked up at my president and nodded. “We’ll be your alibi if you need it. This time, if Earle passes, you clean up the stuff you have to and then put that fuckin’ one-horse town in your rearview mirror. You never look back again, only forward. You’ve been given a chance at beauty; do not lose it.”
“Be a fool to,” I agreed. “Never saw myself with a family.”
“Don’t think any of us did. Certainly not me, and then a woman with sixteen kids blew my life up. Sixteen children. Don’t know which one of us was crazier, me or her. Now we have eighteen. Grandkids will be popping soon, and I’m not sure I’m ready to be a dad still, let alone a grandpa.”
I laughed at Drake’s discomfort. “You’ll be the best, wanna know why?”
“Yeah.”
“Because you had Axel. You’ll be a grandpa to every fuckin’ kid born in this club—to the Hellions. You’ll be Grandpa Drake, just like he’s Grandpa Axel, and you will both be legends.”
“Know what, Savage, never had my doubts about you. Did worry if you couldn’t see past the dark. Glad to see you finally walking in the light,” Drake said with a nod.
“Being in the light feels good. But that sun won’t shine until I get revenge for Earle. Kept my temper for years out of respect for my uncle. Now I’m going to clean my boots in their blood,” I promised.
Drake gazed at me and nodded.
“And we’ll wash ours in it too. Because that’s what brothers do.”
“Hell yeah,” I agreed.