Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Stone continued pounding the bag, sweat dripping off his face. His hands were starting to hurt and he needed to quit. His hands were his livelihood, but every time he thought about stopping, he’d see those correction scars on Naomi’s thighs, and the anger would bubble up again.
He wasn’t even sure what time it was. He hadn’t slept well and had finally given up at six a.m. He’d made sure Naomi was okay, left her the note, and walked out the door.
It might have been cowardly, but he couldn’t keep his anger inside. He’d headed toward the gym. His first appointment wasn’t until after lunch, though he’d usually hang out at the shop for walk-ins or to create new designs.
He paused, leaning against the bag, trying to fathom how a husband could make those marks on his wife’s legs.
The woman he was supposed to cherish and the mother of his children.
Even only glimpsing the marks for a short time, Stone was positive her husband had used a thin switch.
A whip wouldn’t have left the marks so even.
He breathed in, trying to calm down, but he wanted to make her ex-husband pay. He wondered why her sisters didn’t help her or her dad. Naomi had no one.
A sound at the door had Stone turning.
“Hey man, we were wondering what happened to you,” Roam called out, walking over with Rascal, Ben, and Finn.
So not only his two bosses but also his brothers were looking for him.
“Just needed to work out,” Stone grunted.
Ben walked over and started helping Stone take off his gloves.
“What happened?” Ben asked. He was the empathetic twin who wanted to make sure everyone was okay. Finn was the balls-to-the-wall twin who spoke before thinking and had been paying a penalty as a Prospect with the club.
“I can’t share because I haven’t asked her if it’s okay,” Stone said. He wasn’t breaking a confidence, especially with everything she’d been through.
“Is it something that needs to be addressed immediately or a past thing that currently doesn’t endanger anyone?” Rascal pressed.
Stone smirked at the hard tone in Rascal’s voice. Rascal might be one of the Originals of the club and in his seventies, but he was tough, especially if he thought someone had been harmed.
“Past thing,” Stone assured them.
“Okay, we can deal with that later. Now, how about you grab a quick shower, we’ll get some food at the diner, and take a quick ride before we need to be at Bluff Creek Ink for appointments,” Rascal suggested.
Stone nodded. It was exactly what he needed—fuel, friends, and then work.
Stone sipped the hot coffee that Slice had dropped off for their table and waited for his food.
No one in their group needed to peruse the menu.
Regina’s Roadside Refuge was a club business, and all the food was fantastic.
When Slice dropped off the coffee, he’d said he’d be back out with their orders soon.
“You ready to share what sent you to the gym first thing this morning? I thought things were getting better,” Rascal said.
Stone thought about how to start. Sure, she’d told him in confidence, but sharing with these men would go no farther. Naomi would never know that they knew unless she told them herself.
“Hold up. Wait for us,” War called, walking in with Locks and Baron.
Stone let them get settled, then tried to figure out how he could tell them. He’d been okay telling Rascal, Roam, and his brothers, but Locks was related to Naomi.
Stone took a deep breath, staring at each man in turn. “This never goes any farther than us,” he warned, his tone flat and unyielding.
Slice walked out of the kitchen and flipped the open sign to closed, locking the front door. Stone waited while he walked to the back door and did the same. Stone hadn’t realized the last customer that wasn’t an MC member had left.
“Goes without saying but if you need the words, this stays between us,” Roam interjected, his gaze steady.
“Last night, I got home late from the gym, and Naomi was standing in the field near my house, singing and drinking. She was celebrating her divorce,” Stone explained, pausing as he felt the anger bubbling up again. He opened his eyes at Ben’s hand on his shoulder.
“We’re with you. You’re not alone,” Ben promised.
Stone nodded but wished he didn’t have to be the one to share this in front of Locks.
“She was tipsy, heading toward drunk, so I asked her to sit on my porch with me. I figured we’d hang out.
I’d get her to drink some water and then walk her back to her room.
She was tipsier than I thought. She started talking about everything, but when she turned her back to me and raised her dress to ask me if I could tattoo over the correction marks her asshole husband gave her, it took everything in me to keep my voice calm,” Stone revealed out, his jaw tight.
“Are you saying her husband hit her?” Locks gritted out.
Stone nodded. “The marks look like they were made with a switch. Even and multiple times. She wants to wear shorts and doesn’t want her girls to see.”
“Friggin’ mothertrucking waste of space,” Locks spat.
“Could she not ask her dad to help her leave?” Baron asked.
Stone stared at Baron, shaking his head. “She did. He told her it was her job to not make her husband upset.”
“Are you friggin’ kidding me?!” Locks yelled, standing up and throwing his cup across the room. “My brother, who thought he was too good for us, knowingly allowed his daughter to be abused in her marriage and didn’t help,” Locks choked out, tears tracking down his face.
Baron stood, hugging Locks. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of this.”
Locks pulled back a little. “I want to ruin them both.”
“Hey, I’m sorry, Stone. I can’t imagine how hard it was to keep calm when all you wanted to do was teach her ex-husband a lesson,” Roam acknowledged.
Stone nodded. He wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to make it worse for Naomi with her daughters. Did Jared get partial custody of the girls? Would he hurt them like he hurt Naomi?
“It was, but sitting here, I’m wondering what their agreement was for custody. If a man will hit his wife, he’ll have no problem hitting his kids. Does he have partial custody of the girls? They are too sweet to see that side of a man,” Stone said.
“I know we promised to keep it with just us, but I think that unless you want to talk to Naomi about her custody agreement, then we’ll need to have Scoop or Sarah do some digging,” War pointed out.
Stone thought through what Naomi had said. He’d left her the note, but he needed to make sure she knew that he didn’t think less of her.
“Let me talk to Naomi. She’s an adult, and I don’t want her to feel like I am taking over,” Stone insisted.
The men around the table grinned at him. “Does this mean what I think it does?” Rascal teased.
“Does what mean what you think it does?” Stone asked.
“It sounds like you’re claiming Naomi,” War smirked.
“No one is claiming Naomi. She gets to choose for herself,” Stone replied, staring at each man to make his point.
“Awesome. Then I think I’ll ask her if she wants to go on a date. She deserves a real man,” Finn chimed in.
Stone saw red and turned to his brother, grabbing his neck. “You will stay away from her. Got it?” Stone directed.
“Umm, Stone, he’s turning red. I think he’s got your point,” Rascal said.
Stone released his brother’s neck. Finn had plenty of time before he would have passed out, but Stone wanted to make sure he got his point across.
“Geesh, Stone. Can’t you take a joke?” Finn wheezed, rubbing his throat.
“Man, you need to learn to read the room. Finn is sorry he teased you, isn’t he?” War asked.
Finn nodded.
Stone had hoped after the unicorn bashing fiasco that Finn had learned his lesson. It seemed his brother still had a ways to go.
They talked for a little longer and ate.
By the time they got on their bikes to ride, Stone was feeling a little less angry.
He was still furious, but it wasn’t an anger he needed to get out.
The ride would help him center himself before his first appointment.
He hoped Naomi still wanted him to tattoo her.
With her sunny personality and beautiful smile, he could see Monarch butterflies with their oranges and black contrasting with the green of plants.
Maybe some other flowers or hearts hidden with her girls’ names.
He’d have to wait to see what she wanted, but he admitted to himself, he’d be disappointed if she took his suggestion of having one of the women tattoo him.