Chapter Nine.
Kendara
H oly hell, what had happened? I wondered as I curled in an armchair and debated if I should invest in a passport and flee the country. Those women had been rabid. I’d give them their due; they’d tidied up and made dinner because I was too shell-shocked. And they’d downed an immense amount of alcohol. Well, those who weren’t pregnant or breastfeeding had, which amounted to two of them. The others sniffed the booze and bitched.
They were all outspoken and had a variety of ideas about how I should claim Rooster. From stripping naked and throwing myself at him when he stepped through the door. (Clio mentioned the challenge with the three boys. Therefore, babysitting was arranged for two weeks!) To lying on Rooster’s bed and playing with myself as he walked in. Their ideas got more outlandish as they drank. The drunken ones eagerly encouraged the sober ones.
By five o’clock, we had two very drunk women, and the rest were very excited, judging by the way they jumped their men as they came to collect them. By the time Rooster rolled in with Chance, Bear, and Diesel, I was beyond shell-shocked and had downed half a bottle of wine myself.
Rooster looked amused as Chance picked Clio up, slung her over his shoulder and marched straight out. Clio let out a war cry and stuck her hands in the air.
Bear collected Thalia, who was babbling a mile a minute despite being sober. Thalia sent me a dirty grin, and then Rooster a foul glare, no pun intended, and left.
Diesel took one look at Alice, crooked a finger, and Alice melted. Diesel waved goodbye with Alice tucked under his arm.
“Okay?” Rooster asked, studying me closely.
I opened my mouth, and a whimper escaped. Shit, I wasn’t even aware I could produce a noise like that.
“Guess you kinda survived intact, which is more than the most do,” Rooster replied, sounding proud. “And just think most were sober.”
A second moan left me as I closed my eyes and massaged my temples.
“Kenny, I’ll go warm dinner up. At least they cooked. By the way, if the kids ain’t home, running down my hallway stark naked is a great way to greet me!” Rooster said .
My eyes flew open as an ‘Eeeep’ came out of my mouth this time. I caught sight of Rooster’s smirk before he disappeared his fine ass into the kitchen.
Groaning, I yanked a cushion out from behind me and buried my head in it. The embarrassment would die down sometime this year.
Rooster
Kenny had looked adorable, Rooster decided when his words shocked her. Although they surprised him just as much. He’d ditched Chance and Bear and walked the compound for an hour, getting his muddled thoughts straight. Rooster first admitted he was attracted to Kenny and had been since he pulled her wounded from the accident. He adored Kenny’s strength and ability to roll with the blows.
Rooster had discovered that nothing phased her, and Kenny was highly adaptable to any unforeseen circumstance. Such as the old ladies descending. Rooster also knew she was a fighter. Blue wouldn’t be living the love-filled life he was now if not for Kendara risking everything, leading to the fact she was fiercely loyal. Kenny was literally the perfect wife.
She also was beautiful, funny, honourable and, by all accounts, a shark in court. Rooster had asked Phoe about her and had been informed Kenny had gained a reputation for her no-hold-bars, leave-no-stone-unturned attitude in court. A lot of her peers dreaded facing her.
And Kenny’s body called to him like a siren’s song. Large breasts, small waist, a plump butt, with slightly thick thighs and long legs. Rooster had trouble controlling his dick every time she bent over in jeans. Plus, his boys fuckin’ adored her. It was Kenny this, Kenny that.
Brax was convinced she was his angel, and she was here to stay, and Kit and Finn were also gravitating towards her. Their eyes followed Kenny when she was in their presence, and he knew they were falling for her just as he was. Now the question was, what did he do about it?
Kenny hadn’t seen his amputation, and he didn’t want the first time to be when they were in bed. Nothing like a passion killer than a woman recoiling from you. Rooster detoured from the kitchen and headed upstairs. He opened a chest of drawers and stared at the contents for a while before taking a deep breath and pulling a pair of shorts out.
Better to know now than later.
Kendara
I was nodding off, worn out from this afternoon, when I heard footsteps. Rooster had called the boys in to clean up five minutes ago. I opened my eyes and froze.
Rooster stood in the doorway, expressionless. Immediately, I recognised his walls were up in full, but Rooster’s eyes were alive with emotion.
As Rooster intended, I let my gaze wander to down his body. I couldn’t stop the involuntary lick of my lips when I noticed the tight tee moulded to his muscles and his cut-off shorts. They came to his knees, and I saw his amputation was just below it. The prosthetic looked different from what I expected.
“That looks like something out of Robocop,” I said, and Rooster laughed.
“Not quite as clunky, and it’s slimmed down a lot, but it’s the latest version of a bionic leg. It’s the newest technology out, which connects my muscles on the stump to sensors in my brain, which react with a neuroprosthetic interface.
“The muscles receive commands from my brain, and the neuroprosthetic interface, and it makes the leg move like a normal one. The signals calculate things like how much to bend the bionic ankle and how much power to deliver. So, if I believe I’m walking, then the bionic leg responds. It’s all beyond me and complicated, but basically, the information from nerves is communicated to the leg and resembles the way a real leg works.”
Curiously, I peered closer.
“Does it attach or screw on?”
“I have a special socket, and once my leg is inside it, all the electronics connect, and I walk normally,” Rooster said.
I was fully aware of him, closely studying my reaction.
“But limb pain and the stump getting sore? What about blisters forming?”
“The socket is made of a silicone that stops sweat building and therefore, slippage doesn’t happen from sores. Also, blisters are non-existent with this type. A special coating is sprayed on once a month to keep the socket working as it does. I’ve not had a sore or blister since swapping to this. Plus, I take good care of it,” Rooster explained.
I hesitated over the next question but asked anyway. “Phantom pain?” “That’s real. Not as frequent as when the amputation was new. I get it four or five times a week now. An excruciating pain that shoots through me and can last several hours. But when I was on the ordinary prosthetic, I was in agony daily. Meds didn’t touch it. Now it is more manageable,” Rooster replied.
“I like it.”
“Yeah?” Rooster asked, shocked.
“Yes, its shape mimics a leg, doesn’t it? But it’s also neatly constructed and certainly something from sci-fi,” I said. I checked Rooster out and then surprised him some more. “Maybe one day you can show me how to care for your stump?”
Rooster’s mouth opened and closed, and he gazed at me in wonderment and then disbelief.
“Kendara, you’d touch it?”
“Sure? Why not? That wound on my head. Nobody’s discussed it, but we know it’s left a deep scar down my hairline. Would you avoid touching me there? Or if I have a c-section? Would you avoid that scar? Or get breast cancer and have a full mastectomy done. Would you avoid touching me there as well? It’s a wound, Rooster, nothing more, nothing less. And yeah, it is a big deal, you lost your leg below the knee. But it doesn’t subtract from the man you are today,” I answered.
“Shit, you mean that,” Rooster whispered.
“Of course I do.”
“Dad!” Kit bellowed from the dining room, jolting us both.
“Come on, Kenny, the animals are waiting to eat,” Rooster said, offering me a genuine smile.
Happily, I hauled myself out of the chair and went to join him. Somehow, it felt like everything had just changed.
◆◆◆
Nothing happened after dinner, despite me wanting something to. The boys were in high spirits, and Rooster got out Monopoly. There, I learned another lesson. Do not play Monopoly with them. It was a bloodbath. The four of them were sharks. I was bankrupt by round three and shaking my head at how cutthroat they were. Even Brax switched into somebody different. With dignity, I bowed out and watched as Kit barely romped home the winner. Rooster was second, Brax third, and good-natured Finn was a grouch in fourth place.
As he lost, Finn got to pick the film, and before I could say I hated horrors, Finn had picked one called Dead Silence. Within ten minutes, I had crawled across the sofa and sat myself in Rooster’s lap. The rest of the movie was spent with me squealing and hiding and the four of them teasing me that Mary would get me too.
Afterwards, Rooster put on one of his favourite films, Battleship, and I fell to sleep before the end.
Waking in my bed alone was disappointing but also expected. Rooster wouldn’t force himself on a woman. After washing and dressing in some of the clothes Clio and the old ladies had bought for me, I met my four boys in the kitchen. I paused on the threshold; when had I started thinking of them as mine?
Rooster was cooking, and the kids were chatting, and I clutched at the scene in front of me. I wanted to remember this forever.
“Morning babe, everything okay?” Rooster asked, and I realised I was staring, and they were looking straight back.
“Yes, sorry. Need coffee,” I groused.
“Your vanilla mocha is right here, Kenny. Dad’s making pancakes,” Kit said, patting the island where they all sat with glasses of orange juice in front of them.
“Nice,” I responded appreciatively. I loved pancakes smothered with cream and syrup.
“Could I ask a favour? I have to go and see my lawyer and run a couple of errands. Would you be okay watching the boys today?” Rooster asked.
“Sure. If you can tell me what they’re allowed to do and not do,” I replied, sipping my coffee. “Oh Lord, Kit,” I groaned, “this is so good! ”
“Wow,” Rooster said, no doubt in response to the ecstasy on my face.
“Seriously tasty shit,” I added.
“Seems so. Well done, bud, ten years old, and you’ve already put that look on a woman,” Rooster quipped and chuckled.
My eyes shot open in mortification.
“Do not be rude!” I chided Rooster, who laughed.
He began serving up pancakes and handed me a plate.
“The boys know the rules. If it’s not theirs, don’t touch. Do not leave Hellfire land. They are the main ones. The boys know the others,” Rooster replied. “They have them memorised, despite how many there are.”
“Okay. We’ll be fine,” I said.
“They have children’s dirt bikes, they can ride them, but not the ATVs. They’re too powerful for them, and after Brax put one in the stream, they’re not allowed them,” Rooster added.
“Helmets?”
“Yes, and they have full protective suits and boots. If they are going out, they wear them. Troy may come over as well. He’s got a bike and the gear, too,” Rooster said.
“That’s fine. And they have to stay within the compound?”
“Yes, and they all carry a walkie-talkie.” “Great. Boys, I expect you back at one for lunch, okay?”
“Yep. Troy will come too,” Kit responded around a mouthful of pancake.
“Not a problem, but if you’re late, you’ll get dry bread and water,” I warned.
Brax looked horrified. “Not me, Angel Kenny?”
“Yup, even you,” I replied.
Rooster laughed, and we finished our breakfast before he headed out. He dropped a light kiss on my lips. Rooster’s eyes said he wanted to do more, but he winked instead.
“Good things come to those who wait, woman. And I’ve waited a long time for you. I’m going to savour our courtship,” he stated and left.
And damn, if Rooster didn’t leave me craving more.
◆◆◆
“They’ve behaved?” Rooster asked down the phone as I shut the barn’s door that the ATVs were kept in.
“Yeah, they’ve behaved impeccably.”
“Makes a change. I was sure they’d have been up to mischief by now,” Rooster replied.
“Nope, they went out on their bikes all dressed up safely and with helmets and the gas can,” I said.
“Can?”
“Yes, I guess they need it, as the bikes are kid’s bikes, and they might run out,” I responded.
“Kenny, they may be kids’ motorbikes, but they hold the same amount of gas as mine. Did they say anything else?” Rooster asked, alarmed.
Panic hit me as I realised what a mistake I’d made. Rooster had warned me they were demons with angelic faces. Shit!
“No!” I gasped, looking around.
“I’ll call the brothers. Those little fucks!” Rooster swore and hung up.
In the far distance, I spotted a rider, and I searched for a ride. Seeing an ATV, I headed for the key cupboard Kit had shown me and grabbed a set of keys. Praying they worked, I started the engine, and it roared to life. Without a second thought, I drove out in the direction I’d seen the lone rider. Hopefully, it was one of the boys.
After five minutes of riding, my ass was sore, and I was dirty from the splash of mud and puddles. I was going to kill the four kids myself when I saw their dirt bikes parked up near an old barn. Angrily muttering under my breath, I headed for them. As I got close to the barn, Kit and Troy popped up from a ditch near it.
“Kenny! Go back!” Kit screamed, panic in his face.
“What?” I cried.
“Go!” both boys shouted, and then my world lit up in red, orange and white, and I flew backwards off the ATV and landed hard.
◆◆◆
“You killed my Kenny!” Brax sobbed as I struggled to understand what the hell had happened. Little hands slapped my face as somebody else shook me violently. Someone was also pounding on my chest in between the shaking.
“Stop!” I murmured, slurring the word.
“Dad! We killed Kenny, she’s got blown up!” Finn screeched from somewhere close by.
“My angel, mine!” Brax wailed and threw himself over my body. That fucking hurt.
“What the fuck happened?” I demanded.
“Man down, Dad!” someone was yelling. That was Troy, I thought.
“Dad! O. M.G. We killed Kenny!” Finn cried, and I could hear tears in his voice.
“Can everyone stop shouting?” I muttered.
“She’s alive!” Kit crowed and reminded me of the film Short Circuit, where the robot squeals, ‘Number five is alive!’
“Will you all shut up?” I whispered, but nobody paid any attention.
I batted at the hands shaking me and opened my eyes to see Finn straddling my body. He looked relieved at seeing me awake. But he started pounding my chest. Why, I’m not sure.
“Gotta keep your heart beating,” Finn muttered, focused on his task.
Meanwhile, Brax was slapping any part of me he could reach.
“Brax, stop!” I moaned and frowned as I saw stars.
“Do not leave me!” Brax screamed right in my ears, and I winced.
“Dad, her eyes are open. That means she is alive, correct? I can’t feel a heartbeat, though. Kenny’s not turned into a zombie?” Finn screeched, staring at me in horror. “There’s blood everywhere.”
“My Kenny’s not a zombie! Stop saying shit like that! She’s my angel, but you killed her, and now she’s a dead angel!” Brax wailed.
“Dad, I’m scared. Finn thinks she’s a zombie. Should I shoot her?” Troy yelled, panicked by Finn’s reaction.
“Don’t you dare shoot me in the head!” I wheezed, eyeing Troy for a gun.
“Dad, Troy says she’s a zombie. I gotta poke her brains out,” Finn shrieked.
I nearly cried with him. This was chaos. I focused on the mobile in his hand and made a grabbing motion for it. “Is that Rooster?”
A high-pitched scream left Finn’s lips, and I found my head wrapped up in a child’s arms and choked on a tee.
“You can’t kill her. She wasn’t trying to eat you; she wanted the phone!” Brax shrieked.
I managed to turn to the side where I could breathe and decided to lie here quietly. Someone should be along soon. There was no point in attempting to reassure them because they were convinced I was a zombie.
I was drifting on the clouds when a deep voice bellowed. This was peaceful, and there were no screaming kids or somebody wanting to smash my head in.
“Kendara?” a man asked, and I opened my eyes.
“Hi.”
“Hey, lady,” he replied, and his lips quirked. “Nice to see you awake.”
“It was safer with my eyes closed. Nobody wanted to bash my brains in then. ”
“Good point. I’m going to check you over, honey, okay? I am not getting familiar,” he said.
“Can I have your name first? You know, before you get fresh with me?” I asked.
“We’ve met, but remembering names is hard. I’m Shotgun.”
“Nice. Don’t let Troy near a weapon. The little fuck is trigger-happy,” I replied without an ounce of guilt at calling Troy a cuss word. He’d wanted to blow my head off.
“The boys are too busy getting reamed by Sunny at the moment. Then they’re going to have to deal with Chance, Bear, Big Al and their fathers. The old ladies are on a tear, too. Don’t worry about them with a weapon. At least not for the short-term future,” Shotgun replied as he ran his hands over me.
I winced as he touched my head and discovered a large bump. “Guess my concussion just got worse.”
“I wouldn’t disagree!” Shotgun murmured as he felt around the lump.
Behind me, I could hear the bellows getting louder and silently applauded Sunny. What the hell had those kids done?
“What happened?” I asked.
“It seems the little shit’s like listening to conversations and had listened to us discussing how to tear this barn down. We’d planned to pull it down with a digger, but not the boys. They broke into a secure shed and lifted three sticks of dynamite and then wired it up and put petrol all around to make sure it burned.” “And I rode into the explosion zone?” I asked.
“Yeah, honey, you certainly did. You are lucky to have lived. However, the good news is you’ve no broken bones, although you’re going to be a mess of cuts and bruises. And you’re gonna be sore as hell for a while,” Shotgun said.
“Can I sit up now?”
“Let me help you,” he replied and helped me up and leant me back against him to brace me. I don’t think I had the strength to hold myself up.
In front of me, a huge man continued shouting at the kids. Brax saw me and screamed and broke away, but Shotgun caught him before he could knock me down.
“Gently, she’s badly hurt,” Shotgun warned.
“My Kenny, I knew you wouldn’t leave me. They tried to kill you,” Brax hissed, and I swallowed hard. There was a look of clear evil on his face as he glared at his brothers and Troy.
“I’m fine, just banged up,” I replied.
“And you were involved in that shit, too,” Shotgun pointed out.
“No, they wanted to bash her brains in. Said she was a zombie. My Kenny would never be a zombie. They are gonna pay for that,” Brax stated evilly.
“It’s all good, little dude,” I whispered, my head pounding. I reached out and patted Brax’s hand.
“They’re going to pay,” Brax repeated, and I looked up at Shotgun, worried.
Shotgun shrugged. “Rooster can sort that shit out. ”
I jumped as bikes sounded near and was impressed that I could hear Chance yelling before he’d even turned his Harley off. Beside him, Bear was also tearing strips off the boys, and it was rather comical how when either Chance or Bear paused for breath, the other one carried on.
“I want a hot bath and my bed,” I muttered and closed my eyes. “And I want Rooster.”
“Rooster’s on his way now. He’s frantic. If he doesn’t get a speeding ticket, he is one lucky son of a bitch,” Sunny said, approaching me. “I’ve called Smokey to bring a four-wheeled drive and make sure it’s padded out with cushions and shit. But it’s gonna hurt getting you back, Kendara, I’m sorry.”
I repeated my needs, and Sunny nodded. “The old ladies are meeting at your house. Rooster is heading there now. The kids are walking back with Chance and Bear and are considering their actions. Jesus, stealing dynamite from the construction shed. Little bastards!”
Sadly, I couldn’t disagree.
I tried not to laugh as Chance muttered to Sunny, “Did anyone else get flashbacks to South Park and who killed Kenny?” Bastards.