Me, I guess. I haven’t seen or heard from my mother in more years than I can remember. I don’t even know if the evil old cow is even alive, and I never want to. As far as I'm concerned, she’s long since gone.
“Keep your dog on a leash!” The stupid fuck yelled.
Big mistake.
Prez pushed the tip of the knife into his eye socket. He screamed bloody murder as Shepard dug out his fuckin’ eyeball. Blood and gunk gushed from the socket.
“Oh, god,” Cunt features groaned in pain.
“You have three-seconds to tell me what the fuck you did to my wife, or I’ll tear you limb from limb. I’ll keep you alive long enough to feel every damn slice of your skin, every break in your bones, every damn thing I’ll do to you.”
“You fuckin’ stupid cunt! I don’t know where the bitch is. She took off after she stabbed me.”
“I ain’t in the mood for your bullshit, Jose!”
“I may have... cut the bitch before she ran.”
That’s the last thing he ever said. Prez went about hacking him to pieces.
Ain’t no one ever said this shit was pretty. There’s one thing you don’t do to a Snakes woman. You don’t kidnap her, rape her, touch her in any fuckin’ way and expect to live to see the next morning.
One thing I learned at that moment was that our Prez was a fucking psycho. He loves Lynette so fiercely, deeply, purely and honestly that he’d literally dismember a man for touching her.
I would have done the same thing. I can’t lie.
“Dad? That’s enough. He's dead. We need to get back to the house and figured what to do next.” Jett grabbed his dad's arm.
“Red? Pick some of the boys to help you get rid of the body. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.” Red nodded and told Ace, Roman, and Tank to help him.
“What about the car, Prez?”
“Burn it, crush it, I don’t care, CueBall. Just get rid of any evidence Lynette was there.”
“Prez.”
“Come on, brother, let’s get you cleaned up. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
“I ain’t givin’ up, BlackJack. If I don’t keep looking through the night, it might be too late!”
Grabbing his shoulders, BlackJack forced Shepard to look at him. “You need to get cleaned up. No one is givin’ up lookin’ for her, Shepard, but you can't find her covered in her ex’s blood, guts, and brain matter! You also need to check on your kids. Taylor texted, Willow is home. She’s frightened, Shepard. She needs you.”
“Go, Dad, I’ll keep looking for Mom. Any sign and I’ll call you.”
“I’ll be an hour.”
It was probably less than an hour before BlackJack made the call to let us all know Lynette had been found safe and well. Can’t tell you how big a breath I let out. We all did.
I make my way over to BlackJack’s to collect Coral. I walk in, and she runs right to me, crying her eyes out. Relief and fear will do that to a person.
Jett’s comforting Willow, letting her know that her mother is just fine.
Jack’s comforting Taylor, Lynette is her best friend, and she must have been so scared.
All I want to do is go to my room with Coral and hold her in my arms all night long. I don’t even want to go home. I just want to stay here the night.
“You did well tonight, Son.” I smile slightly at Jack. I didn’t do anything the other’s didn’t do. Coral clings to me as Jack stands in front of me with his arms around his wife. “Nothing better than finding one of our own safe.”
“She is all right, isn’t she?”
“She’s fine, Will.” Jett's sitting with Willow on BlackJack’s couch, his arms around her, hers around him. “Mom’s strong, she fought hard to get back to us.”
“When can I see her, Jett?”
“First thing in the morning, I promise.” Willow nods her head and lies it against his shoulder.
“I hate to run, guys, but I’m going to my room. I need to talk to Coral alone.” Yeah, I still have a room here. Taylor says I always will. It comes in handy for times like this one. Plus, I stay here once a week so that I can spend time with the boys.
“Okay, sweetheart.” Taylor grabs me and hugs me to her. Beautiful woman is always willing to show affection to anyone who needs it. She then hugs Coral tightly. Coral blows air kisses to Jack, Willow, and Jett then takes my hand and allows me to lead her to my room.
As soon as I close the door, she sags against me and cries. I hold her tightly, calming her tears, her fears, telling her how nothing like that will ever happen to her.
She’s still upset that she went to Shepard without telling me she was going to do so. I was pissed off at the time, but after everything that’s happened with Lynette, and the fact Shepard isn’t going to kill me or make me take back my claim on my woman, I’ve let it go.
I lead Coral over to the bed as soon as her tears subside. I tell her who the guy was and why he took Lynette, all the time stroking the tears from her face. “Lynette is so brave, and she’s such a wonderful mother, all she wanted to protect Willow from that monster of a man.”
“You knew him?” I ask as I take her hands in mine and pull her to her feet. I strip her to her underwear gently, and she doesn’t fight me on it.
“I kind of remember him from when I was a little girl. I wasn’t very old, but some things you never forget.”
I grab one of my t-shirts from the bottom of my bed and slip it over her head. It’s way too big for her, but she’s only going to be sleeping in it.
“He was cruel to Lynette. Hit her a lot, denied Willow.”
“You have a good memory for a little girl.” I kiss her head and pull the sheets back on my bed before motioning for her to climb in.
She does without hesitation.
I strip my clothes and climb in beside her, pulling her into my arms where she belongs. I just need to hold her close to me to know she’s really here. This thing with Lynette has shaken me the fuck up in a way I never wanted anything to shake me up.
“Some things are more vivid than others.” I pull her closer to me and kiss her head; this has brought back bad memories for her, I can tell. I wish I could wipe it all from her mind, but I know I can’t. Just as I can’t erase the past from mine.
“Nothing is ever going to happen to you, Coral. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know you’ll keep me safe, Mark. I know it deep in my heart. I also know that I love you more than anything in this world, and if I ever lost you...”
I nudge her with my shoulder until she’s lying on the pillow beside me, looking at me. “You will never lose me, Coral.” I stroke her hair out of her eyes. “I love you so much, ain’t nothin’ ever meant anything to me, not really, not till you walked into my life and stole my heart like a thief in the night.”
She giggles, and it’s a heavenly sound. “You stole mine, too.” Her eyes droop. “I’m always going to love you, Mark Anderson.”
I smile and kiss her softly before wrapping my arms around her.
This right here is my home.
She’s mine.
She will always be mine. I know that more than I know anything else.
Chapter Sixteen
Coral
Hi, Mom,” It’s been a while since we spoke. It was wrong of me not to answer her calls before now, but I’ve been so busy looking for a job, and trying to ignore the fact my ex-boss “died,” and my relationship with Stryker that my parents seemed to be put on the back burner. I hate that I did that.
“So, you do live, then.” It wasn’t a question, but her hoity tone tells me she’s less than impressed with me right now. “Is it customary now to ignore your mother?”
“No. I’m sorry, I’ve just been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time for myself.”
“Yes, so I heard.” I swallow hard. Crap. Shepard must have called my parent’s to let them know what’s going on in my life. The way he always promised to. “A biker, Coral? A damn biker!”
“Calm down, Mom!”
“Don’t tell me to calm down, young lady. Get your stuff packed; Dad’s coming to get you. You’re coming home where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I’m already coming back today, Mom. You don’t need to send Dad to fetch me. I’m not a child.”