“Jesus,” My brother mumbles, his eyes landing on the sleeping lump of crap on the sofa.
“Mr. Sam?” My brother turns his head and smiles at Lydia. “You mustn't swear. Mommy said it's bad to swear. Amber copies and then Miss Ada gets very mad and locks her in the basement, and then I can't get to her to make her stop crying and cuddle her, so she's not scared.”
Oh my god. These poor kids. That poor little girl locked away and beaten because she has Down Syndrome? What kind of monster is this woman?
I am many things. I have done many evil fucking things in my life, things most wouldn't even imagine possible, but this is something else.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart. I won't swear again, I promise.”
“That's okay.” Pretty little thing smiles wide.
“It's okay,” Amber tells my brother with a smile on her face, trying to be like her sister.
I have to get them out of here right this fucking minute.
“Lydia, where are your things?” I ask while turning to look at her twirling around and around, using her t-shirt as though it were a pretty dress, Amber laughing and copying her sister.
Kids are amazing creatures. They live in squalor, they're hungry, cold, filthy and alone, yet they're still here dancing and smiling. When I look at their little smiles, I see my Marnie even more. I don't know what Vito looked like, so I don't know if Lydia and Amber do look like him, but they definitely looks like their mother.
“Here.” Lydia grabs a small raggedy brown bear from a small chair beside her.
“What about your clothes?” Not that I'd like to take anything from this shit hole, but the girls need to get changed.
“This is our clothes.” She pulls at the shirt. “We don't got nothin’ else. Miss Ada hid all our clothes that Mommy got us ‘cause we're bad. I am only bad 'cause she hurts my sister so much, and she makes me cry.”
“She does?” I ask with some kind of melancholy.
She nods her little head vigorously. “She makes fun of Amber 'cause she is not like other people. It hurts me inside. She beats my Amber so hard sometimes that she can't wake up.” Fuck! This shit just gets worse. “I try to protect her, but Miss Ada is horrible, she makes fun of me 'cause I be missing Mommy a lot. She says I am a baby. Only babies cry for their mommies.” She shrugs. “But I don't care. I love my mommy. She gives me lots of hugs and kisses, and she gives Amber lots of hugs and kisses and tells her that she's special, and how we're both her whole heart. Mommy is our whole heart, too.”
I smile to myself. Just like a child to give all of their love to their mother. No matter if they're with them or not, it's their natural instinct to love.
“Are you taking us to Mommy?” Lydia asks hopefully.
I keep my eyes on her for a moment. Her pretty, expectant smile, those big brown, pleading eyes of hers – God, she's going to be able to wrap me around her little finger just as her mother can. Just as Amber will. Me, Draven Vidal, soft when it comes to the special girls in my life. The woman I'm going to marry, these children that will be mine, my sister and my niece, even my cousin.
God help me if the baby is a girl. I'm already part fucking psycho where the women in my life are concerned. I don't think I could handle any more.
“Mr. Draven, do you want me to take the package and then you'll let us see Mommy?”
“Package?”
She nods her head before turning and walking towards a small unit in the back corner of the room. She comes back seconds later with a thick brown package wrapped in brown tape. She hands it to me. I don't even have to open to know what's in it. Cocaine.
I toss the package to my brother, who inspects it. He tears the brown paper a little then nods his head, confirming what I already knew. That old bitch has been using Lydia as a fucking drug mule, and I'm going to fucking kill her!
“Wake it up,” I tip my head toward the bitch who won't live to see tomorrow. “I'll send Lorenzo in. I'll have Chris wait for you in the other car. I want to get these two back.”
“You sure no one is gonna find out about this?”
“Who would dare go against me if they did?”
“True.” He chuckles.
“Hammer, do as I've asked. I won't let those little girls spend one more moment in this place.” He says not another word, he just tips his head and turns away from me. “Lydia? Amber?” I hold my hands out to them. “Let's go, sweethearts.”
“Where are we going?” Lydia asks.
“I'm taking you to your mommy, little one.”
Her eyes light up, a smile spreads across her face. However, it dies just as quickly. “Then you will bring us back?”
“No, little one, you will not be coming back here. You're going to live with your mother now.”
She runs at me, arms around my waist, “Oh, Mr. Draven!” Sweet kid. She looks up at me. “And Amber, too?”
“Of course Amber, too.”
“Thank you. Oh, thank you. Amber, we're going to live with Mommy!”
“Mommy!” Amber grabs my hand, and I smile. I don't know how well she can talk, but Mommy seems to be her favorite word.
I lift both tiny girls into my arms and carry them out of that hell hole, leaving my brother and Lorenzo to deal with what's going on inside. The rest of the MC boys and a handful of my own to help them, Tony drives the girls and me back to the house.
As soon as we arrive, my little sister is there at the door waiting for us. I called her on the way back to see if she could sneak away from Marnie for a short while to help me. She told me she'd manage it.
“I don't want you to be afraid, girls. This is Maria, my sister.”
“I'm not afraid. Are you afraid, Amber?” Amber shakes her head at Lydia.
“Oh, they're adorable, Dray.”
“Is Mommy here?” Lydia asks me.
“No.” Her face sags. “Little one, Maria is going to help you get into a pretty dress before we see your mommy. You want to look pretty for her, don't you?” She nods excitedly.
“Then come with me, sweet pea.” Lydia happily takes Maria's hand, but little Amber whimpers and hangs back. Maria narrows her eyes.
I crouch down and take Amber's hands in mine. God, her hands are so small. “Princess,” She giggles at the name. Beautiful little girl is a princess. “You don't need to be afraid. Maria is not going to hurt you. She's going to help you look like a pretty princess for Mommy.”
“And Lydia?”
“Yes,” I smile. “And Lydia.” I'm stunned when she wraps her tiny arms around my neck. I hold her to me for a moment before she pulls away and takes Maria's free hand.
Maria leads them away, Lydia chats to Maria the whole time, Amber stays quiet. I needed my sister to come along in order to bathe Lydia and Amber, clean them up and get them ready to see Marnie. I couldn't take them to their mother looking the way they did when I first picked them up. Marine would be heartbroken, and I can't risk her getting upset. That and I wasn't going to bathe the kids; they don't know me, it wouldn't be right anyway.
I've taken a shower to rid myself of the smell of that house, changed my suit, and I've made a few calls, important calls. Lorenzo let me know that things had been taken care of swiftly, the house cleared of any evidence Lydia and Amber were ever there. Not that there was much. Old bitch has been taken where all of the soon-to-be-dead cunts are taken. I'll deal with her later.
The bikers are back at the clubhouse waiting for me to arrive. My men are working on the cleanup, and I'm going to spend the rest of the day with my girls. God, my girls, never thought I'd say that.
An hour after arriving home, Maria walks into the living room holding the hands of two very clean, very beautiful, very smiley little girls with pigtails in their hair, tied with red ribbons that match their little red and white dresses. The little dresses Maria picked out of the closet full of clothes already in the girl’s room. Clothes and shoes, and anything else a little girl would need. Stuff Marnie and I bought weeks ago ready for this day.
>
“What do you think of our Lydia and Amber?”
“They look beautiful.” Lydia giggles and runs to me. I lift her in my arms. Such a trusting little girl. “Pretty as a picture.” Little Amber is watching me, but she doesn't move from Maria's side.
“Do you like my hair. Maria washed and brushed all the knots out, and I don't have lice! Nor does Amber!” Perfect little creature. Her excitement makes her look even more like her mother.
“Your hair is perfect, little one. So is your sister's.”