Текст книги "Chelsea "

Автор книги: Addison Jane

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“You mean it?”

“Have I let you down so far?”

She held out her pinky finger and I couldn’t help but laugh. It had been something I’d done once to try and stop her from crying when I had to leave her and Sugar and head home. It had stuck. I hooked her pinky with mine and squeezed. “Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise, baby.”

She nodded her head sharply like it was a done deal. Turning around, she wiggled herself back under my arm like she’d been before. “Are you and Momma going to get back together?”

My heart skipped a beat. “Why would you ask that?” She shrugged, but I knew she was getting at something. “Do you want that?”

“No,” her answer was definitive and sure.

“Why not?”

“Because you like Chelsea.” My eyes widened, clearly I had underestimated how much Harlyn saw and heard around the clubhouse. “I like her too.”

“Harlyn...that’s not really something you need to worry about,” I told her quietly.

“I’m not worried,” she said casually as she picked the iPad back up and opened the reading application, flicking through the many different children’s books with her finger until she landed on one she liked—Cinderella.

This kid.

I drove us in Rose’s car to the hospital. I could tell she was in pain, not just from her hand but from her father, in general, but she tried to make light of the situation.

“I guess it could have been worse.” She forced out a laugh.

“Rose,” I warned, not really wanting to hear her joke about something that was actually extremely serious. This man had purposely hurt her. He was supposed to be her parent, someone who cared about her and loved her unconditionally. It was wrong. On so many levels, this was wrong.

“Oh come on Chel.” I could tell even without looking at her that she was rolling her eyes. She was trying to brush it off, make out like it was no big deal.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and I found a park close to the front doors.

I heard her sharp intake of breath. “What’s he doing here, Chelsea?” She turned to me with her eyes wide. I didn’t have to guess who she was talking about. The club was closer to the hospital than we were, and I had no doubt he would have ridden like hell to get here.

“He cares,” was all I said, as I pulled the door open and climbed out.

Blizzard was standing at the doors that lead to the emergency room, his stance wide and his arms folded across his chest. With the light behind him I couldn’t see his face but his shadow was intimidating enough.

“You called him,” she hissed accusingly as we walk forward.

“He cares,” I told her again, growling under my breath as we got closer.

She didn’t say anything and he just stood there, watching us and waiting. We stopped in front of him, the air was slightly chilly around us, but I wasn’t sure if it was the weather or the way he eyed Rose that caused me to shiver.

“Let me see,” he demanded. Rose held her hand to her body, cupping it against her protectively. “Let. Me. See.”

Rose’s shoulders slumped as she gave in and held her hand out, palm up. He stepped to the side so that the light from inside the emergency room shone on us and allowed him to see better. He placed his hand under hers, lifting it slightly, his touch I could tell was light and delicate, almost protective.

He studied it silently for a minute. “What happened?”

Rose’s eyes shot to me nervously, she didn’t know what to say.

“I…uh…left the element on the stove on and she leaned on it. My fault really. Blonde moment.” I tried to play it off, just like I had scolded Rose for doing moments before. She wouldn’t tell him what happened. She didn’t want him to know, and for now I would keep her secret.

For now.

Blizzard looked over at me, his eyes scanning my face. He knew I was lying. I waited for him to call me out.

“Let’s get it looked at,” he muttered even as his eyes still watched me. There was a promise there. A promise that he would get to the truth. He placed a hand on the small of Rose’s back and gently guided her through the doors. She looked over her shoulder at me, her face full of concern, but I tried to give her my best reassuring smile. He pushed her to the front desk and I took a seat in the waiting room, allowing Blizzard to take the lead on this one. I flipped through a magazine, looking up when I felt the chair dip next to me. Blizzard was alone.

“Where’s Rose?” I asked, looking around nervously.

“I made them take her right away,” he murmured.

I looked around. The room was full of sick and injured people, all that had been waiting longer than we had. Blizzard seemed to read my thoughts. He leaned back in the seat and folded his arms across his broad chest.

“Came in before you got here. Money talks, you should know that.”

I nodded, I did know that. Being with the club had its perks, you got the best service, the best seats, the best of anything because they paid for it.

“You gonna tell me what actually happened?” he asked quietly, aware of the people around us eying him. I wasn’t sure if they were intimidated because of the MC cut or just curious. The boys were watched and judged wherever they went. It was normal.

“She’ll tell you when she’s ready,” I said simply, hoping it would pacify him for now.

He scoffed. “You called me, Chelsea. Asking me to keep an eye on her. To do that, I need to know what’s going on.”

I sighed. “Look, she’s not in any immediate danger if that’s what you’re worried about. I know, I called you, I just … I care about Rose. I want to protect her, but she’s just not ready for that yet.”

I saw his jaw clench, but he continued to stare straight ahead. “So someone did this.”

“Blizzard.”

His head snapped to me. “Someone fucking hurt her,” he growled, now obviously not caring whether people heard or stared. Which they did. My eyes traveled down to his hands and I watched them clench and flex in agitation and anger.

“Don’t pull this shit on her,” I snapped, attempting to keep my voice low. “You go all caveman on her and she will run. She will run straight back to them.”

He snarled, his lip turning up. He knew I was right.

I placed my hand over his. “She needs to trust us and know that we will be there for her. But right now, she’s just scared. And scared people do crazy things.” My words didn’t please him, but I knew that for now he understood.

“I won’t let them hurt her,” he whispered, his voice gravelly.

I nodded. “Neither will I.”

We sat in silence for a long time. I pondered about Blizzard and Rose. What the connection was that they had? Why he wanted so much to keep her from harm? Was it just because he felt something for her? Or was there more? I’d always known Blizzard to be a ladies, man. He never talked about getting an Old Lady, but then again none of the brothers do. From what I gathered they were all content being manwhores until the right one came along and then it was like a slap in the face.

Maybe Rose was Blizzard’s slap in the face?

Rose had retreated into herself over the last couple of weeks. She was no longer the flirty, cheeky girl I once met. Sure, I got glimpses of the other her occasionally, but I was really starting to worry. I thought maybe by asking Blizzard to watch out for her that it would bring them closer. Maybe they would find something that they were missing within each other. Maybe he would make her happy again and she would see that she didn't deserve to be treated like shit, that she didn't have to put up with it because she had other people that cared about her too. Us.

Blizzard stood to his feet before I knew what was happening. I looked up and found Rose standing next to the front desk talking to the doctor. Blizzard was by her side in a flash. The doctor eyed him warily but continued to speak to Rose as if he wasn’t there. I didn’t want to crowd her. Blizzard was doing a good enough job of that for the both of us.

When the doctor walked away, I moved closer. Rose gave me a soft smile. “Not as bad as we thought. Just second degree.” Her hand wasn’t bandaged or anything. “Doctor said painkillers and some antibiotic cream should do the trick.”

I felt a little better and let my body sag. “That’s good. I’m so glad.”

“Can we go home now?” she asked, her eyes pleading with me.

“Yeah, let's—”

“I need to talk to her first,” Blizzard said quickly, taking hold of her elbow and leading her away.

“Um...okay. I’ll just wait in the car.” I frowned. I hoped he wouldn’t mention anything to her about what we’d discussed. Rose was all I had at the moment. With Harmony so far away Rose was my rock, and I really didn’t want to do or say anything that would hurt her.

I could see their outlines as they stood just to the side of the emergency department doors. Blizzard reached out to touch her and she shifted back. I could even see his body go rigid as she did. It was only a couple of minutes before they were walking toward me, Rose looking sad and still slightly nervous in Blizzard’s presence and Blizzard looking frustrated.

Maybe I had it wrong.

Maybe she wasn’t his slap in the face.

Maybe she was more like a kick in the balls.

The last week or so since Chelsea left had been both quiet and fucking crazy all at once. We weren’t any closer to figuring out what the fuck was going on with the DePalma’s. Leo had been keeping a watch on Anthony with one of our boys sitting outside his hotel at all times of the day and night. Hoping, that if they try something else, that we won’t be caught with our pants down like we were with the car bomb that was planted under Chelsea’s car.

Kev had taken a look at what was left of the device, and had come to the conclusion that it was set to a timer. So the mystery remained, was Chelsea the target or was the bomb meant to go off and hit the club and hopefully some of its members.

Luckily for us, Chelsea parks her car under the shade of a tree which borders the fence line of the clubhouse, and not near the building itself like we do with our bikes. So there was very little damage done to anything but her car.

Leo tells me that Anthony has been leaving the hotel and meeting up with some men for casual lunches or drinks. From what we can gather they’re wealthy businessmen but nothing so far that seems like a threat to the club. It’s all very strange and ultimately mindfucking. But for now, the heat from the fire wasn’t burning too hot, and I was hoping it would stay that way.

I sat on a picnic table outside, watching Harlyn as she raced around the playground. The kid never seemed to get tired. When Sugar wasn’t forcing her to sit down and do her school work, she was constantly on the playground. It was like every day she looked at it like it was a new toy to play with, but it was just the same stuff she’d spent hours playing on the day before. I guess that was a child’s imagination for you. You could dream up anything and turn it into something amazing.

I heard the front gates creak open. I climbed off the table and walked over to the large fence that we’d built to protect the view of our outdoor area from the road. The reason for it being there always caused me to feel a rush of emotion. My mother had been shot sitting right where I was just sitting during a drive by. Some small time punks who thought they were the shit, wanting to brag about shooting up the local MC’s clubhouse.

My mom was killed that day and I should have been sitting there next to her, maybe even in front of her so that the bullets would have hit my body instead of hers. But at sixteen I was far more concerned about making it known that I wanted to prospect for the club. It would be two years until I would be allowed to even step up and plead my case, but I had watched these men my whole life. I knew this was where I wanted to be.

So instead of sitting outside with the women and children while the men held church, I was inside, sitting outside that room, waiting for them to come out. Offering to do jobs and wanting to spend time with them.

Thinking of myself rather than watching out for my mom.

I shook the thoughts from my head as I stepped into the space where the path ran down the side of the clubhouse from the front to the back. A dark blue Chevy truck pulled past the gates and into the lot, parking right by me. Connor climbed out of the driver’s seat and lifted his chin at me in greeting. His passenger door opened and closed, but I couldn’t tell who it was past the tinted windows. I heard another door bang shut before Lucy stepped around the massive vehicle carrying a small child on her hip.

Lucy gave me a smile as she came closer, it wasn’t her usual broad grin, though. “Hey, Op.”

“Hey, Luc.” My eyes flicked between the two of them. “What’s going on?”

It was unusual for them to visit, especially since I could count on both my hands the amount of times Connor had ever come to the clubhouse, and X-Rated girls weren’t usually permitted to be here unless there was a party and they had been invited.

“Sorry to rock up on you like this, but I saw Blizzard in town and he thought it would be a good idea for us to come have a chat with you regarding this little one,” Connor explained, pointing to the girl with dark hair who had a death grip around Lucy’s neck.

I took me a while to figure out what this had to do with us, but it clicked when she finally lifted her face and looked directly at me. “She Hayley’s kid, huh?”

Connor nodded.

I sighed. “Take her around to the playground, Lucy. Harlyn’s there with Neil. I’m sure she’d like a new friend to play with.”

“Sure.” Lucy smiled. “Shall we go make a new friend, Jay?” She placed the little girl on the ground and they held hands before disappearing behind the fence.

I tipped my head toward the clubhouse. “Let’s go talk.”

Connor followed as we walked through the main room and down the hall to my office. I shut the door behind him and took a seat behind my desk. He sat down opposite, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees.

“X-Rated is back up and running tonight. Should be busy,” he said casually.

We’d had to shut down the club for two nights so that police could investigate Hayley’s murder. I knew they wouldn’t find anything and they’d made us close our doors just to be assholes. But I didn’t argue. Hayley deserved more than for us to just hide her body somewhere like nothing happened. There was a little girl to think about, which I assumed was the reason for this visit.

“They find the girl some family?” I asked, not wanting to mess around.

Connor looked up at me and shook his head. “Parents are hardcore Christian. Want nothing to do with an illegitimate child. Tossed her out when she found out she was pregnant and she moved in with an old lady who used to babysit her.” He looked tired and frustrated. I knew he felt entirely responsible for the girls at X-Rated. They may belong to the club, but he was like the house mother and he protected them fiercely. “Jayla calls her Gran. She lives over in Montgomery, but she’s eighty-years-old and can’t even do a lot for herself nowadays. She can’t look after a four-year-old.”

“So what are our other options here? Obviously, there was never a dad listed and whether he even knows he has a kid out there is slim to none, and what’s a bet she never told anyone who he was.” I folded my arms and leaned back.

“For now, the police have allowed us to take care of her. She’s been staying with Lucy, Kat and Summer at the apartment downtown, and I’ve put the girls on rotating shifts so that at least one of them is home with her all the time.” He pushed off the chair and walks around it, staring at the floor. “They won’t let us keep her for long. Eventually, they’ll have to come and take her and then what? I don’t want that for her. She’s four and she just lost basically the only family that she knows.”

My mind instantly flashed back to Chelsea. It was like the past repeating itself.

“Look, let me see what I can do. Try and hold off giving her up for a while longer.”

He nodded but his head still hung low. He was feeling this loss hard. It was her association with the club that got her killed, so I’d do whatever possible to make sure that her daughter was looked after. Silence hung in the air and I knew there was something he needed to say.

“I want justice for her,” he spoke quietly, but I heard him loud and clear.

“That’s exactly what she’ll get,” I confirmed slowly, thinking we’d already gone over this.

“I wish I’d known more about her. We had shit in common.” He tried to laugh, but it was strangled. “I know the whole Christian family shit well. I grew up in one. All my friends were from Christian families.”

I began to understand his investment in Hayley’s life. He felt that connection, he realized what she had been through and the idea of trying to make your life better when people who were supposed to care about you, completely shit all over you. I stayed silent, allowing him time to continue if he wanted. I wouldn’t force him to, but sometimes we just need someone to hear our story, to validate who we are and what we’ve fought to get to where we are.

“My best friend got addicted to meth in our senior year at high school. When his parents found out, they supported him while he battled his way out of it. I was there for him. I pushed him to be better and with all that unconditional love behind him, he came out the other side.” He laughed again, but this time it was darker, full of anger and disgust. “I saw what he went through and how everyone had his back and that year, I decided to come out. I’d known I was gay since I was fucking twelve. But you know what I got in return? Shunned.”

I watched as he clenched his fists tightly, the muscles in his arms becoming defined. I could understand judgment and ridicule. Being the son of an MC President didn’t exactly make me the most popular kid on the block. Parents wouldn’t ever let their kids hang out with me. I was sneered at every day at school. But I had other kids like me at the clubhouse. I couldn’t give a flying fuck what anyone else thought.

What I also had was two loving parents who gave a shit.

Connor didn’t.

It took a moment for him to relax, but eventually he calmed down and lifted his head instead of letting it hang in defeat. He held his shoulders back and he was a different man. Not that scared, hurt teenager, I’d just seen come out of him.

“I want justice for Hayley. I might not have had people at my back when I needed it, but I’ll be fucking damned if I let any of those girls, including Jayla, go without having someone who’s there for them.”

“Hayley will get her justice, and somehow we’ll find a way so that Jayla has everything she ever needed and more. The club won’t let her down,” I promised him.

I was true to my word.

I’d find a way so that that little girl had all the love and support she ever needs.

I wasn’t sure quite how yet, but I’d find a way.

Just as I opened the door, home from my morning class, my phone began to ring. I tossed my bag on the floor and crouched down next to it, digging past my school books, attempting to follow the sound. My hand grasped it and I mentally high-fived myself as I pulled it out, briefly recognizing Deacon’s name as I hit answer.

“Hey!” I said cheerfully.

“So I know you aren’t rostered to work today, but Annabelle just rang and she’s having car issues and can’t get here and I’m desperate and I know you’ve got study to do but—”

I laughed. “When do you need me?”

“Oh thank goodness,” he said sounding thoroughly exasperated. “The sooner, the better!”

I smiled. “I’ll see what I can do. See you soon.”

“Thanks, Chelsea.”

I threw my phone on the sofa and headed for my room to find my gym gear. Rose’s door was open and she was propped up on her bed flipping through one of our assigned textbooks.

I must have caught her eye and she looked up and smiled. “Hey, you wanna study with me. I could really do with some help.”

“I wish I could. Deacon just called and he’s desperate for someone to come in, like now.”

Her face dropped immediately. “Are you sure he can’t find someone else? I mean, we have so many assignments due and they’re so big. You should really be working on them.”

I stepped inside her room, her panicked tone concerning me. “I know. I’ll get some done tonight.” I raised my eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

She swallowed harshly. “Yeah, sorry. Just stressed.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Rose…talk to me. Your dad isn’t planning another visit is he?” I thought maybe she was scared he’d come around again if she were left alone.

She laughed nervously. “I don’t think so. I think he’s done enough damage that he’ll stay away for a little while.”

“Then what’s up?” I pushed, sitting at the edge of her bed.

She seemed to think for a while, shaking her head. When she finally spoke, all she said was, “Blizzard.”

I frowned, not understanding.

“He…um…said something about coming and checking on me today. I just … I just don’t want to see him. Not by myself.” She looked down at the book in her lap, flipping the pages in her fingers. I reached out and touched her leg, it was shaking slightly.

“Blizzard just wants to watch out for you, just like I do,” I tried to reassure her. “I’m not sure what the deal is with you guys, but he cares. I can tell.”

She shuddered. “He shouldn’t,” she muttered.

“Why?” I asked.

Her head jerked up like she hadn’t expected me to hear her last comment.

“He’s trying to get involved. I just want him to stay out of it, but he keeps pushing.” Her brow creased like it made her angry.

“Because of your dad?” I enquired.

“He will just get hurt.” The comment made me curious. Blizzard could be pretty damn scary at times and with the club at his back I doubted that anyone would dare mess with him.

I tapped her leg. “Blizzard’s a big boy. Trust me when I say he can take care of himself.”

She thought about that for a moment before her head bobbed. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess he can.”

“If it makes you feel better I’ll give him a call, tell him if he wants to come round to wait until I get home.”

Her faced brightened a little. “That would make me feel better.”

I gave her a soft smile. “Okay, I need to get going. Deacon sounded like he was about to blow a valve.”

I relished in her smile, even though I knew it was forced. I dressed quickly and slipped my feet into my running shoes. Running to work felt awesome. By the time I got there, my body was stretched and limber and my head was clear. I strapped my phone to my arm and plugged in my headphones, starting an up-tempo song to get myself pumped.

“Bye,” I called as I pulled the front door open and jogged down the stairs.

I looked around outside, expecting to see one of the boys in the area. Some of them were better at being stealthy than others. When I didn’t see anyone this morning on the way to class, and now with the streets still empty, I wondered if Optimus had called off his protection detail.

Did that mean the threat was gone? Or was he just sick of wasting his men’s time on watching over me.

I tried to shrug it off, even though I knew it would sit in the back of my brain, burning a hole until I got answers. My feet pumped against the pavement in time to the beat of the music. That was how I liked to run. I had a playlist specifically for this, songs that pushed me and made my body keep up. Just as I came to about the half way mark, I spotted some of the girls from X-Rated exiting a convenience store on the corner. I checked the time on my watch and decided I had a few minutes to run over and catch up with them. I didn’t have many girlfriends at the club. Apart from Harmony, the other club girls were nice, but we just never gelled well. I did, however, get on well with a handful of the strippers from X-Rated. They were different, more approachable and friendly. For most of them stripping was a way to support family or like me, put themselves through college. They weren’t just there to pick up men.

Lucy looked up when she heard my steps approaching and her face instantly lit up, “Chelsea!” She took a couple of steps forward and met me with a tight hug.

“Hey! How are you?” I asked, stepping back and returning the broad smile.

“Hey, Chel.” Kat stepped around the car and I noticed the small girl clutching her hand and hiding just behind her leg. I was confused for a second. Kat had a little boy at home, not a little girl.

“Am I missing something?” I joked, smiling down at the girl with dark hair. I felt the change in the air and Kat and Lucy both looked at each other with sad eyes. “What’s going on?”

“Let’s get you in the car, Jay.” She gave me a soft smile before leading the girl back around the car.

I looked to Lucy and she sighed. “We lost one of the girls.”

I inhaled sharply. “Who?”

“Hayley. She was pretty new, I’m not sure if you’d met her.”

I racked my brain, trying to put a face to the name. “She was young, sweet. I think I met her when she first started.” I vaguely remembered meeting the young girl in the bathrooms one night at the club a couple of months ago. She was nervous about going on stage, not as confident as the other girls. I started to connect the dots.

“The girl was hers?” I pointed to the car.

Lucy’s head bobbed. “That’s Jayla. She’s staying with me until Op can sort some shit out.”

“Why is Op involved?” I asked, confused.

I watched as Lucy’s eyes filled with tears and I pulled her in, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tightly. All the girls at X-Rated were close, a lot like sisters. Losing someone you consider family is hard, even if they were reasonably new.

I leaned back but held my hands on her shoulders, her eyes met mine. “Someone killed her, right outside the back door at X-Rated.” She sniffed. “I found her, just lying there next to the dumpster.”

My heart raced and in the moment I knew the threat hadn’t been eliminated. It was exactly the opposite. The threat of violence was gone. Someone had been killed and there was no doubt in my mind that it was related, and that was why Op was taking control of Jayla’s future. I felt sick and suddenly a little paranoid.

“Jayla doesn’t have family?”

Lucy wiped at her tears as she shook her head from side to side. “No one that wants her anyway. Hayley was thrown out of home when her parents found out she was pregnant. And as far as I know she never told anyone who the father was.”

My heart sunk. “They’ll put her into foster care.”

Lucy reached out and squeezed my arm. “Op and Connor said they won’t let that happen.”

Just hearing that made me feel a little better. I believed in Optimus and the amount of caring and love that’s inside of him. People looked at him and saw a scary biker, but this was because he wore a hard shell. He didn’t feel the need to impress people, he was who he was and fuck it if you didn’t like it.

I felt my phone vibrating against my arm and pulled it around to see that Deacon was trying to call me. I gave Lucy another quick hug and ducked my head through the window to say goodbye to Kat who was entertaining a giggling Jayla. Jayla would be okay. She had so many people that cared about her, and the club at her back. She would make it. I knew it.

My phone began to ring again as I took off down the road. I didn’t bother answering. I would be at the gym in less than five minutes if I picked up my pace and kept it there. I could do it. I was born for this.

I flew through the doors of the gym, breathing heavily. I bent over, gripping my knees and trying to slow my breathing. My lungs burned in protest.

“Oh, you’re here. I’ll just ring and cancel that search party.”

I didn’t look up, raising my hand and flipping Deacon off with my middle finger. I heard him chuckle and he grabbed a hold of my arm and began to pull me to the back of the gym where there were ten or so women sitting on spin bikes. I was still attempting to catch my breath as I realized what was happening. There was a spin bike class here waiting for an instructor. Deacon grinned and I groaned, folding my body over again.

“Ladies, Chelsea here will be taking your class today. Enjoy.” He patted me on the back but before he could walk off, I grabbed his elbow.

“I’m going to kill you for this,” I whispered out the side of my mouth before shoving him away. All I heard was his laughter echoing in the wide open space of the gym, even above the grunting and groaning of people as they worked out.

I glared at the spin bike.

Maybe running to work wasn’t such a good idea.