Boomer Chapter 17

I was still furious the following day. I held her all night, and she whimpered and cried out in her sleep more than once. I knew she was having nightmares about what she told me. I tamped down on my fury so I wouldn't scare her or make her even more worried about me and the club. However, no matter what, I would find and end Mason Judge. He would never make her live in fear again.

She was pale and tired-looking this morning, so I insisted she stay in bed and rest. I hated to leave her, but I needed to talk to my brothers. I texted Sin first thing, asking him to call an emergency church. He agreed immediately after I explained why. He was livid, almost as much as I was. Everyone was to be there by noon. Since last night had been a Saturday night and many probably were up late, he gave them time to sleep and recover. It was all I could do not to go banging on doors, telling them to get up so we could do it earlier. I distracted myself by caring for her.

Before I left, I got her to agree to tell Londyn what happened with her stepbrothers and to let her sit with her. I didn't want her alone this soon after reliving all those horrific events. She agreed in the end. I greeted Londyn at the door as I left before I hurried to the clubhouse.

Guys were standing around. Some were drinking coffee. Others were drinking beer. Even though it was barely noon, I felt the need for a drink. I went to the bar, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and poured a decent amount into a glass. Conversation buzzed around me, the predominant topic being why Sin had called for church when we had it just yesterday. His group text had only said he needed us to meet, not why. I threw back my drink. It burned all the way down.

"Goddamn, it was that bad of a night?" Cuffs' voice asked from behind me.

I grunted, not bothering to answer. I was afraid if I started talking, I'd be screaming out the whole thing. I needed to save it for church. I wasn't repeating it. Images of a scared, beaten, and hurt Bella with her clothes being torn and a faceless man trying to rape and kill her kept playing through my mind over and over again. Cuffs took the hint and backed off. A few others called out to me, but I ignored them.

When Sin came striding in, he had a grim expression as he called us into our meeting room. We filed in and took our seats. The hum of conversations was loud. He pounded on the table to get started and it all died down.

"Quiet. We have shit to discuss," he growled.

"Pres, what's up? You and Boomer look like you want to kill someone," Bullet asked what the rest were thinking.

"We'll get to that in a minute. First, I need you all to listen and not interrupt. Hear me?" Heads nodded from all around the table. Noting them, he turned and stared down the table to meet my eyes, which I knew were burning. My fists were clenched in my lap. "Boomer, you have the floor, brother. Tell them what you told me this morning."

I had to get up and move to help burn off my rage. I began to pace around the table. Concerned faces stared back at me. "Last night, I had a conversation with Bella. She revealed something about her past which no one here knows, not even Londyn." I paused to watch Torpedo stiffen.

"I think some of you know she's not originally from Texas. She grew up in South Dakota and moved here six years ago. The reason she did is a fucking ugly one. The short version is her mom died, and she had two much older stepbrothers who didn't like her or her mom. They thought they were gold diggers. Her wealthy stepdad was a good guy who loved her like she was his own, even though he didn't marry her mom until Bella was thirteen. After her mom passed, it came to light her stepdad had changed his will to leave everything to the three of them equally. The brothers weren't happy. In fact, they were so unhappy that the youngest decided to do something about it."

I paused to let their murmurs die down. "One night, not long after they buried her mom, he followed Bella to the stable and told her he wasn't sharing the inheritance with her—a whore and gold digger like her mom. He pulled a knife and ordered her to strip. He planned to rape then kill her."

The shouts of fury were so loud I had to stop and wait for them to die down so I could continue. "She fought him, and even though he cut her a few times, she got away. She couldn't make it to the house, but she did make it to the tack room, where they kept a loaded pistol. She warned him when he found her to leave her alone, but he didn't, so she shot and killed the bastard. Luckily, her stepdad was on her side and got her the best attorney. The DA ruled it self-defense. However, the oldest son blamed her, and they were scared of what he would do. Michael, the dad, helped her to get out of the state and a new identity, then cut off all contact with her to protect her. It's been six fucking years."

I was breathing hard at the end. As I finished, I let the rage I'd been holding in since last night boil over. I grabbed one of the extra chairs against the wall and slammed it into the wall until it was nothing but kindling. Not satisfied, I then pounded the same wall with both fists. I didn't snap out of it until I was grabbed and hauled back. I tried to get away, but I wasn't able to. Slowly, I calmed down.

Sensing I was alright, I was released. When I turned, I found that Executioner and Rampage had grabbed me. I gave them a chin lift to show I was good. They retook their seats, and then I did. I scanned the table. Every single face was filled with anger and disgust. Sin was the one to say something.

"Boomer, we feel your pain. Brothers, I doubt I have to say it, but the reason we're here is to decide on what to do with this cocksucker."

"I'm going after him. I don't need anyone else to get their hands dirty," I said.

"Like shit, you will! There's no damn reason to go it alone. We have your back. I say we find and kill the fucker painfully," Talon snarled. I knew he was recalling how Ember had been abused by someone who should've been her family and protected her. More of them sounded off, essentially saying the same thing. Sin called them back to order.

"I guess all we need to do is vote. All those in favor of finding this evil motherfucker, torturing then killing him so Bella is free of fear, raise your hands. A majority vote is all we need."

Hands went up so fast they were almost a blur. I glanced around the table and sighed. No one said no. I stared for several heartbeats at my mangled knuckles until I could speak around the lump in my throat. I looked back up.

"Brothers, thank you. You need to know. She's scared to death we'll get hurt or caught. I assured her we wouldn't. He's kept her from seeing her second father and from visiting her mom's grave long enough. I have names and locations for you, Phantom. All we need is to decide how to go after him when we get what we need," I informed them as I slid a piece of paper across to Phantom. He took it with a nod.

"I hope you assured her we know what we're doing," Saint said.

"I did, and she knows what we did to Sadie's captors, but still. Assuming he's still in South Dakota, it'll mean a trip there. We'll need to find a safe place to take him for my conversation and then a place to dispose of his carcass."

"True, or we could set it up so he finds out where she is, and we wait for him to come here. From the sounds of it, he won't hesitate," Fang suggested.

He was right, but I didn't want to do it like that. I explained why. "Yeah, we can, but I don't want him to be in the same state as her. He's tarnished enough of her life. I refuse to let him do it to Texas unless there's no other option."

There were nods and mumbles of agreement. I was surprised when Vicious rapped his knuckles on the table to get our attention. "I might have a way for us to find a place where we can not only torture him but dispose of the body."

"How?" Sin asked.

"I have a cousin in Nebraska. He's part of an MC up there called the Devil's Regulators. They have chapters in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota. They're a lot like us and not into the one-percenter lifestyle, but they still take care of business. I could ask him if they'd be willing to help."

"No shit? Mind if I ask why you didn't join his club?" Saint asked. I was wondering the same thing.

"Simple, I wanted to stay in Texas. He asked me to join them, but I couldn't do it."

"Okay, I get that. What do you think they'll want in exchange? Will they want our marker? Payment?" Sin asked before I could.

It was customary with a club you weren't friends with to ask for something in exchange for their help. Money was sometimes required, but more often, a marker was asked for. All a marker was is a promise that you owe them repayment in some form in the future. It could cover almost anything and be called in at any time. As long as it wasn't something to do with drugs, guns, or trafficking, we'd most likely agree. If his cousin's club were like ours, they wouldn't ask us to do any of those illegal things.

We'd been talking about finding allies in not only Texas but other nearby states in case something huge came up and we needed them. If we formed an alliance, we'd do the same for them if similar situations came up or even ones like we'd dealt with over the past few years. There was so much evil in the world, and it stretched way beyond Texas and even the US. The Regulators have chapters in five other states, so they'd be ideal.

"What's your cousin's name, and does he hold an office? Who's his president? We'd need to do some checking into them," Sin asked.

"My cousin's road name is Crash. He's their enforcer. His president is Carnage. Several of them have served as we did. I know you have to check them out. I visited them before I came here to prospect. What little I saw and what Crash has shared, they appear to be like us. Do you want me to wait until after you check them out before I ask?"

Sin glanced at me and raised his brow. I guess he was leaving it up to me. As much as I wanted to go charging after the bastard immediately, it would be wiser to protect ourselves and have Phantom dig into them first. We didn't want to align ourselves with the wrong type of club.

"Wait. I hate the idea, but it's smarter to do that. I want to eliminate him as soon as we can, though. She needs to be able to live without looking over her shoulder. We want to get on with our lives together, and that means meeting with you guys after this mess is taken care of so we can talk about the stable partnership idea. She has questions."

"Good. So, something good did happen last night. We'll do it soon. What about the house?" Saint asked.

"She's worried about the cost, but I think I can get her to do it more easily than the stable."

"Looks like we'll have a lot to do after we get rid of this fucker. What's his name, by the way?" Executioner was the one to ask.

"Mason Judge. His dad is Michael. We can't plan anything until we know about the Regulators and if they're good after V talks to them. Thanks for the suggestion," I told him. I knew he was still not really happy about Bella being with me.

"Anything for family, and she's your old lady, so it makes her family."

I gave him a chin lift to acknowledge he wasn't holding his grudge to the point of not backing a brother.

"Alright, leave it to Phantom. The rest of us can get outta here. I assume Tamysin will be helping you," Sin asked Phantom, who nodded yes. "Good, that'll make it go faster. Let us know if you need anything. Church dismissed."

I admit I was disappointed to leave. I hoped to walk out of there with a definite plan to execute immediately. I didn't hang around, and I think they understood why. I wanted to get back to see how she was doing and if she was back to sleep.

Entering the trailer, I tried my best to be quiet just in case. It was for nothing, I found. She and Londyn were sitting in the living room. Bella was bundled up in a blanket on one end of the couch, and Londyn was on the other. I saw the dark circles under my woman's eyes, and it killed me. I went straight to her and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Baby, you should be sleeping. I can tell you're still tired."

"I couldn't. I've been talking to Londyn and waiting to hear how church went. What did they say?" Anxiety was evident in her voice.

Before answering her, I scooped her up. She squealed in surprise. I sat down in her spot and cuddled her on my lap. She melted into me. I saw Londyn was smiling at us.

"Did you and Londyn talk about it?"

"We did. I wish she'd told me before. I would've found the fucker and ended his ass a long time ago," Londyn growled. I believed her. She'd been a hardass Marine and once a Marine, always a Marine, as the saying goes.

"Well, we're working on doing that now."

"How?" Bella asked softly.

"Phantom and Tamysin are working to locate him. Vicious, of all people, gave us a possible solution. He has a cousin in another MC who he thinks might help us. Phantom is checking them out first, and if they're like us, we'll have him ask. Our hope is they can help us find a place to take him once we get our hands on him. And that's all I can tell you."

"I told her it was likely some, if not all, would be considered club business. Well, let me know if you need help. Even if you guys won't allow me to do anything directly, don't forget Malik and Arek. They'd jump at the chance to do something. I have no doubt. After all, Arek was telling me how much he liked Bella. If you hadn't snapped her up, I bet he would've come back to see if he could."

"That asshole better not come back trying anything. I'll beat his ass and plant him next to Mason Judge," I growled.

Londyn laughed wickedly. Bella was shaking her head. "Honey, she's yanking your chain. Arek was nice, but he didn't like me that way."

"Oh, yeah, he did. You just didn't notice. I warned him and Malik not to mess with you or Diane unless they were serious."

I bared my teeth at Londyn, which only made her laugh again.

"Stop baiting him, L. Did Phantom say how long it might take? Does this mean you'll be headed to South Dakota?"

"Not sure how long he'll need and yes, South Dakota or in between is where we'll go, assuming he still lives there."

Londyn stood. "I'll leave you two to rest. If you need me, just call. Love ya, hon," she told Bella as she leaned over to kiss her cheek. I was surprised when she gave me one, too. "You're growing on me," she said with a wink. I had to chuckle as she left. Even Bella giggled and smiled.

"Bombshell, you need more sleep. Come on, we're going to bed and taking a long nap."

Her answer was to stifle a yawn. I stood and carried her to our bed. I tucked her in, then removed my boots and cut before I joined her. I held her close as she fell asleep. I lay there thinking of what was to come and how I would make the son of a bitch pay.

???

It was two long ass days before Phantom had enough for Sin to call us into church again. Both Bella and I were on edge the whole time. Sitting down, I was impatient to hear the news. I prayed we could proceed with asking the Regulators. If they said no, we'd likely be in their territory. Hopefully, with their permission, but if they refused to give it, then it would be an insult to them they might want to fight over. After calling us to order, Sin turned the floor over to Phantom. The first thing out of Phantom's mouth made me sit up straighter.

"I found him. Apparently, after Bella left, he stuck around Fairfax and eventually moved into his father's house on the ranch. He probably thought Bella would contact her stepdad, and he'd find her that way. Bet he's pissed off. I found evidence that he tried to find her. He hired more than one PI over the years, but it seems her new identity held up. The last one he hired was six months ago. He hasn't forgotten about her," he said grimly. He was staring at me when he said it.

Damn, she'd been so lucky. I nodded to him so he'd continue. He took the hint. "As for the Devil's Regulators. They have several chapters, and everything I see points to them being the same as us in philosophy. They're seen as helpful in their communities. They have several legitimate businesses. They don't sell drugs, guns, or people that I can find, and I dug deep. I think they're a safe bet to ask. If they want a marker, we should do it."

"Thanks, Phantom. Well, it sounds like this Mason guy can be lured out to us if we make him think he's found her. I've been thinking. It's best to get him to leave South Dakota. That way, when he disappears, they'll have to wonder if he ran into foul play. I see no reason they'd ever connect Bella to it," Sin informed the table.

"Whatever works. Vicious, how soon can you talk to your cousin and see if they'll even consider it?" I asked.

"As soon as we're done here."

"Good," I muttered.

"Until we know if we have backup for this, we'll hold off planning. No use doing shit twice. V, you tell me as soon as you have their answer, and I'll set up a call with their pres, Carnage. Boomer, how's Bella doing? We haven't seen anything of her since you told us what happened," Sin asked, with a worried frown on his face.

"She's hanging in there. She's worried and stressed but keeps busy with the stable. It helps her to work."

"I get that. Just make sure she doesn't isolate. In fact, why don't you get her to come to the clubhouse later, say eight o'clock? By then, we might know whether the Regulators are willing to help or not, and we can give you both the news," Sin suggested.

"I can do that."

"Do you think she might need to talk to someone? You know, a professional. I could ask Adara to speak to her. They already know each other and have a rapport. I haven't shared what happened to Bella with her. I figured it was up to her to tell the women when she was ready," Wrecker added.

"Londyn knows now. Do any of the other old ladies?" I asked the group. All of them shook their heads no. "I'll suggest she talk to Adara and even the others. Thanks. She's carried this shit inside alone for too long. She's been having nightmares since she told me and cries out in her sleep. It's fucking killing me," I admitted.

"The nightmares suck the worst sometimes," Cuffs agreed. He'd know this better than most after what Kinslee went through with the human traffickers.

"Does Desi have them?" I asked Omen.

He nodded. "Yeah, though not nearly as much as when she first came here, thank God."

"Ember does, too, but like Desi, it's way less," Rampage added.

"Fuck, I wish we could kill all the monsters in the world, but we'll have to be content to take out those we can and make sure to protect our families from hopefully ever having to deal with monsters again," Saint muttered darkly. There were plenty of grumbles of agreement.

"Okay, enough procrastinating. Get your ugly mugs out of my face for a bit. See you all back here at eight," Sin said with a mock scowl. We had to jeer and give him a hard time as we filed out. Bella had gotten home right before I went into church, so I made for the trailer.

When I got there, she was in the kitchen making something that smelled wonderful. My mouth began to water in anticipation. I slipped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her, bringing her back against my chest. She smiled up at me over her shoulder. I gave her a brief kiss.

"Baby, what're you making? It smells so damn good. How long until it's done?"

She laughed. "Patience. Not much longer. I hope it tastes as good as it smells. I haven't made it in ages. It's my mom's recipe for beef stroganoff. It was a favorite growing up."

"I don't think I've ever had it."

She turned more and gave me an astonished look. "Really?"

"Really. Mom cooked, but it was more basic stuff. I love her to death, but she's not a chef. I learned to cook out of necessity to a point. Was it a favorite of your dad's? What about Michael?"

I wanted her to feel comfortable talking about all of her parents. She hesitated only a moment before she answered.

"Dad liked it, but not as much as I did. Michael, on the other hand, loved it. He had a cook, but Mom would often shoo her away and cook for us. According to what he told her, it was one of his top five favorites." She got teary-eyed.

"Does it hurt to talk about them? If you'd rather not, tell me. I just thought you might want to."

"It's hard. I've kept mute about them for so long. It makes me sad to think of them, but then I smile, too. It's good to talk. I don't want to forget the good things."

"Then talk and share anytime you want. I'd love to know more about them. I hope I'll get to meet Michael when this is over. You know, everyone in church was asking how you're doing. They're worried. Wrecker wanted me to ask you if you want to talk to Adara. She might be a good one to help you. You're having nightmares, babe. Or you can talk to me or Londyn, hell, any of the women. Just so you know, the guys didn't tell their old ladies what happened to you. They feel it's up to you who and when you let people know. I will say they're one helluva tribe to rely on. Some of them have experience with nightmares and more."

"I've been thinking I might need to talk. Don't get me wrong. I love having you and Londyn to talk about it with, but maybe a professional or someone less closely connected but still a friend would help, too. I'll think about it."

"Good. Now, before I forget, we've been asked by Pres to make an appearance at the clubhouse at eight tonight. Everyone should be there. We're hopeful we might know if the Regulators said yes to helping us or not. They checked out, as far as Phantom can tell. Vicious is calling them now."

"Wow, Phantom was fast. Sure, we can do that. Just let me finish a tiny bit more on this, and we can eat."

"Go for it. Can I help do anything?"

While she finished doing a last taste test and seasoning, I set the table and got us drinks. I loved these ordinary domestic moments. When I took my first bite, I moaned, and after a quick praising moment, I dove in.

???

When we entered the clubhouse a few minutes before eight o'clock, I was a sated though full man. Based on the level of chatter coming down the back hallway, most of the club was there, including the women and kids. As we entered the common room, shrieks of laughter greeted us as the older kids ran around playing with each other. Morgan and Zavier, the oldest, led the pack. They were almost eleven and seven.

Watching them made me wonder what our kids would look and act like one day. I knew we agreed to get our lives settled before trying for a baby, but I still enjoyed imagining how they would look and act. My biggest request was for God not to have any of them act as ornery as I was as a kid and teenager. My love of blowing up shit didn't come from the military. I had it long before I enlisted. I'd keep that tidbit to myself. I didn't want to scare Bella into not having any kids. I'd just have to be extra vigilant when we did.

I found a seat and left her there while I went to get us drinks. Not having any prospects here meant we had to fend for ourselves. I hoped those two guys would come to see Pres soon, so we might be able to get them started. We'd been tied up regarding the whole Mason issue, and I forgot to ask. Back at the table, I sat down. Spotting both Fang and Dragon, I motioned for them to join us. Cami came along with Fang. She smiled as she joined Bella. Their son, Magnus, was squirming to get down and play with the bigger kids. At eighteen months, he wasn't up for it yet, but he thought he was.

"Hey, I totally forgot to ask. Did either of you talk to your buddies about prospecting? We need them desperately," I asked them.

"I did. Cullen is supposed to come next week to talk to Sin," Dragon answered first.

"I finally spoke to Colton. We were playing phone tag. He's interested and said he'd try to get here next week, too. I agree. We need them. I saw Saint put up the roster for who is on gate and clubhouse duty. Thank God we don't need to man the bar, but the cleaning is hell," Fang grumbled.

"Roster? What are you talking about?" Bella asked.

"Since we don't have any prospects, those duties will fall to the members to do," I explained.

"Did Saint put the old ladies down, too?" she asked.

"No, why would he?" Fang asked.

"Because it's our home too. Okay, maybe not gate duty, but we can clean. If we all chip in, it won't be that much of a burden," she informed us.

"You'd do that?" I asked. We'd never asked the old ladies to cover gaps. They had their hands full as it was—not that we didn't, either.

"I would. I don't know about the others, but it wouldn't hurt to ask them."

"I'll help," Cami volunteered. It was a good idea. Spreading the work might help take some of the load off of all of us.

"We'll ask the guys the next time we meet. Have you seen Vicious?" I asked the two men.

"I haven't, but then again, I haven't seen Sin or Saint yet," Fang told us.

Before we came over, I told Bella we'd talk with V in church so as not to cause the women to ask questions. I was surprised when she told me not to worry about it. She wasn't hiding her past any longer. I asked her if she was sure, and she said yes.

"I saw Vicious heading into Sin's office an hour ago. Surely they're done by now," Dragon offered up.

Glancing around, I spotted the three of them walking into the common room. Their faces told me nothing about the outcome. "Speak of the devils," I said as I went to rise. I stopped when Saint let out a sharp whistle. The voices died down.

"Men, church," he hollered.

"VP, we don't have to unless there's something not everyone needs to know," I yelled out.

His gaze flicked to Bella and then back to me. He nodded, telling me he understood. "Thanks, Boomer. We won't be long, and then we can fill the others in on what we're doing."

Rising up, I gave her a kiss. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'll be here."

It felt like all we did these days was go to church. We quickly took our seats, and there was no side chatter. We were all eager to know the answer.

"Vicious, Saint, and I spoke to Carnage after V spoke to Crash, and he had a chance to tell his pres what we wanted. It seems ole Crash had asked around about us when V decided to prospect with us, so it saved time. They didn't need to check us out like we did them. Our talk definitely led us both to believe our clubs are more alike than they're different. Even though they have several chapters, unlike us, they're interested in having alliances in Texas, and the fact we're all prior military is a big plus. After some back and forth, they agreed to help us take out Mason. Their only request is that we be willing to back them when needed."

Relief filled me. We would've done it alone, but this gave us an even better chance of getting away clean. "When do we do this?" I asked.

"They want us to come to Nebraska as soon as we can. They'll show us where we can take him, and we can meet them. They said making him disappear there can be done. No need to lure him out with news of Bella. While there, we'll make the plan together and carry out our mission. Of course, not all of us can go. We can't leave all the businesses or the compound unprotected. With their numbers, I think eight is more than enough. I know Boomer is one. Saint and I talked. He'll stay here, and I'll go so I can meet Carnage in person. After this is over, we'll have them come here to meet the rest of you. Vicious should go, too. That leaves five more spots."

This kicked off a lively debate. It seemed everyone wanted to go. In the end, the others' names went into a hat, and he drew out random names. There were lots of groans and teasing about cheating. The other five were Executioner, Torpedo, Fang, Pitbull, and Rampage. We spent a few more minutes deciding when to leave and what to tell the women. In the end, we were going to head out the day after tomorrow. If all went well, by the weekend, Bella would be free of this nightmare.