Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

SEBASTIAN

T he clubhouse is packed with our charter and those surrounding us. The news of Reaper's engagement has traveled fast and everyone has come out to celebrate. I barely find a space to squeeze my truck over in the grass near the road. Bristol sees the vehicles and bikes in the parking lot and looks over at me with a deer-in-the-headlights stare on her face.

"It's okay. I know it's a lot of people, but you got this baby. Kendra and all the ladies are here, too, so just find them and you'll be just fine." I offer her words of encouragement and she offers me a fake smile.

"Okay," she sighs, squeezing my hand before slipping out of the truck. We walk into the loud, packed clubhouse hand in hand and we're in there for a whole three seconds before I'm bombarded by people I haven't seen in forever. Bristol sticks to my side and I make introductions as we say hello to members of the Highway Sinners and independents alike.

"Sebastian fucking Abbot!" Micah shouts, clapping a hand on my shoulder .

Micah, President of the Gulfport Highway Sinners, and his wife, Raven, are standing just behind us. I turn around and give him a hug.

"What's up, man?" I ask, smiling at him. I squeeze Raven into a hug and introduce her to Bristol.

She pulls Bristol into a hug with a huge smile on her face. "No way!" she shouts.

Bristol just stands there, looking confused as hell until Raven elaborates.

"It's so nice to meet you! I never thought I'd see the day that Sebastian had a woman on his arm!"

Bristol smiles, some of her confidence returning as she begins to relax. "So I've heard."

"We've been putting up with this fucker for the last few years. It's nice to see him happy."

"Got a minute?" Micah asks, quirking a brow in my direction.

I nod. "Hey, babe. I'll be back in a little while," I whisper into Bristol's ear. "You good?"

She shakes her head yes then turns enthusiastically back to her conversation with Raven. Micah and I weave through the crowd and disappear out one of the side doors that leads to a private courtyard. It dead ends against a tall, abandoned building and no one comes out here unless you're privy to knowing this spot even exists.

"I hear you've got yourself a pedo problem."

I nod. "You hear correct."

"We got word through one of our tech guys. Your warning got put out on the wire."

"How do you know it was my warning?"

"They didn't say that. I just so happened to know a certain signature that one of you have that was in said warning," he grins.

"Good. Anything surface yet? "

" Nah . Not yet. Reaper's handiwork won't go unnoticed though. People are going to start to talk, you can bet your ass on it. Won't be long and they'll be handing that sick fuck over to you."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate your intel."

"Anything for you and these guys. Ya'll have always been good to us. A good alliance to have, besides, I kinda like your preppy ass," he elbows my arm and we both chuckle.

"If I hear anything before you do, I'll send it in text, but Bash…" he trails off.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you rip that sick fucker's goddamn dick off and shove it down his goddamned throat."

I nod. I can't think of anything more appropriate to the start of his fucking torment. My blood begins to boil and I have to take a deep breath to calm the anger rising in my chest at the thought of the man that has caused so much fucking agony to my girl.

Micah clasps his hand on my shoulder again, much like earlier, but this time with a tighter grip. A grip that says, ‘I'm here and I got your back.'

We head back to the party and I find my way to the bar for a beer to sip on while I scan the crowd.

Niles is behind the bar. I raise a hand and he makes eye contact with me and nods. He retrieves a Miller Lite and sets it on the bar in front of me. With the rush of the crowd, he's still wearing that big-goofy ass grin. I take a sip of my beer and glance around me. There are faces here I've never seen before, and some I've only seen once or twice in the last three years. Reaper's a popular son of a bitch.

Joey, Mikey, and Slim are sitting down the bar in a line. They aren't the overly social type, sticking to themselves when the crowd gets thick like this. I've yet to spot Bristol in this crowd, meaning she's likely in the living room area hanging out with the ladies in their usual spot. They like to sit around on the couches in there away from the ruckus that usually occurs on this side of the bar.

A short blonde-headed woman squeezes in next to me at the bar.

"Excuse me," she says sweetly, glancing up at me through lashes that look like they weigh ten pounds with all the mascara that's piled onto them.

I grab my beer and exit stage right. I'm not entertaining women tonight, or any other night. Besides, ol' girl doesn't stand a chance if Bristol gets ahold of her.

I weave through the crowd and slide in next to Slim at the bar.

"Make yourself at home," Slim says, chuckling.

"I do," I laugh, leaning onto the bar.

"It's about damn time you showed up," Mikey bellows from beside Slim.

"I've been here for a little while, you just couldn't see me across the room without your glasses, you old fucker."

Mikey shakes his head and laughs, grabbing his glasses from his shirt collar where they hang.

"Shut up, asshole."

"What does Princess do when you're out now that she's not welcome around here anymore?" Joey asks Slim.

"Who knows. I don't go home to that bitch anymore. She's somebody else's problem now."

They had only been together for about a year and most of that time they were off and on anyway, but I still feel a little bad for the guy. He's a stand-up brother and a damn good man. He put up with too much shit from that woman anyway. He should be thanking Bristol for not having to deal with her anymore .

I was worried at first that he would walk away from the club when everything went down, but surprisingly enough, he stood strong and got rid of her. I guess he's no longer viewing her through rose-colored glasses.

"Good for you, man." Mikey claps his hands together twice.

Joey waves me over so I walk around and stand behind him. He spins around on his barstool, the smell of scotch heavy in the air.

"Hear anything about our problem?"

"Not much. They got the message, though."

"Ah. Good. Won't be long now."

"Nope."

"Be at church early tomorrow. We're having a little meeting prior, just you, me and Reaper."

I nod. "You got it, Prez."

He turns back around in his chair and with that I walk through the bar, the loud sound of music getting quieter the further toward the living room I get. Bristol is sitting in the oversized chair next to Raven and Kendra. I somehow never pinned her and Raven getting along so well, but I guess now I can see it. They're a lot alike in the way they carry themselves and Bristol also has that infectious happiness about her, it's just usually reserved for me. I think she's still trying to find herself and is learning to be who she is both in public and in private. The happiness on her face as she laughs with the women makes my heart ache, in the best way.

I'm positive that if this is love, I've never been in it before. Maybe I've only thought that what I felt before was love. This is all-consuming. My whole chest swells and I swear to god my heart is going grow so large that it'll spill over through the gaps in my ribcage and burst through my skin, pouring out onto the floor in a flooded mess .

Her eyes find mine and she smiles at me, the whole world stopping around us while we hold each other's stare through the crowd. She looks so comfortable in the midst of the women sitting around her. It's as if she was always meant to be here. To be mine. To be a part of this life I lead.

I leave her there, in her element, and search the room for Reaper. It takes a minute, but I finally find him in the members-only area with a few of the guys from Lucifer's Hounds.

"Well would you look at this shit!" Cass says, smiling.

"Ah look what the fuckin' cat done dragged in!"

He hugs me and pats my back. "It's good to see you, man. It's been a while!"

"It has. What the hell have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know. Same shit. I am getting married in a few weeks, though."

"Shut the fuck up. To your bartender?"

He chuckles. "Yep. That woman's the best goddamned thing that's ever happened to me. I'd be a fool to let her go. Gotta secure the goods while I can."

"You better lock it down before she comes to her senses and leaves your big ass."

Cass is president of Lucifer's Hounds MC out of Baton Rouge. He's a few inches shorter than me, but about twice as wide and his arms are the size of my damn head. I swear the man lives in a gym. I met him when I first came around when he had a little problem over in Louisiana with a rival club that we were on standby to help out with if need be. He ended up getting it taken care of without our assistance, but we would've stepped in had he needed the help. Since then, our clubs have been close and so have we. We check in every now and then and attend events at the clubhouses regularly. Mostly .

I've been so consumed with Bristol lately I haven't done much of anything club related aside from look for this fucking ring of pedophiles, one in particular.

"What's up, bro? Linc, Lucifer's Hounds Baton Rouge." Linc says, shaking my hand.

"Congratulations, man! Sebastian, Tattered Saints Gulfport," I shake his hand, making our introductions. He was a prospect the last time I saw him.

"Thanks."

"When'd you patch in?"

"About six months ago. The day before my girl gave me the best gift in the world. A daughter."

"Holy shit! Congratulations again! That's fucking awesome."

Linc smiles proudly and swipes through his phone, showing me a picture of his family.

"They're beautiful, man."

"Thank you. So what the hell have you been getting yourself into? Reaper's been telling me you're captain save-a-hoe."

Reaper's stifled laugh from across the room makes me laugh. Asshole. I give him a ‘go-to-hell' side eye and continue ignoring him.

"That was all Mo with the saving shit. I'm no hero, that's for damn sure."

"I heard a little bit about what happened to her. If you need anything, don't hesitate."

"Thank you."

The party continues through the wee hours of the morning, slowly dying off as people head home or crash in one of the spare rooms. The guys from Louisiana are staying in the bunkhouse and they've all gone to sleep by the time I make it into the living room in search of my girl. She's curled up in that same oversized chair, barely holding her eyes open.

"Come on, baby. Let's get out of here."

Bristol's eyes open a little more, but barely. My poor girl is struggling to stay awake. I glance at my watch. Five thirty in the morning. No fucking wonder.

I wrap my arm around her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Is our room available?" She asks in the sleepiest voice I've ever heard.

I laugh softly at her. "Yeah. No one's in any of the main rooms. Why, you want to crash here tonight?"

She nods and turns toward the hall.

"Okay, baby. Let's go to bed."

Crawling into my bed at the clubhouse is comfortable with Bristol curled into my side. It reminds me of her first few days here and trying not to act like a horn-dog when she was going through so much. She's still going through so much, but she's handling life a little better these days. She acts so normal some days that I almost forget where she came from and all the bullshit she's been through.

She's asleep within two minutes while I lie there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the faint sounds of laughter and music. I still didn't get to talk to Reaper, but we have a private meeting later before church.

I close my eyes and focus on the sound of Bristol's breathing, letting it relax me as I drift off to sleep.

"Bash!" A hushed whisper of my name wakes me from a dead sleep. With Bristol still curled into my side, I lift my head up. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust and focus on the figure standing in the doorway. Reaper.

I slowly crawl out from beside Bristol and Reaper closes the door, giving me a minute to get myself gathered. I slip into the bathroom and open one of the backup toothbrushes and brush my teeth. I run a wet washcloth over my face before tiptoeing out of the room, careful not to wake Bristol. I close the door softly and head into the bar area.

The smell of coffee lingers in the air, a far cry from the smell of alcohol last night. Reaper and Joey are sitting at the bar, both sipping coffees.

"What time is it?" I ask, stretching my arms over my head.

I walk behind the bar and pour myself a cup of coffee.

"Almost noon," Joey says.

"Too late to still be asleep," Reaper grins.

I flip him off and stand in front of them, leaning my arms on the bar.

"Okay. So which one of you is going to tell me what exactly happened to the tech guy?"

Reaper's smile spreads wide across his face.

"Just had a little fun with him, is all, Prez."

Joey levels him with a glare.

Reaper puts his hands up in recession. "Okay, okay. I cut off all of his fingers, fed him a couple, then Sebastian here bandaged his hands so he wouldn't bleed out and he's currently being held in an undisclosed location until I decide to go visit him again. I wanted to give him some time to think about all of the things that he has been withholding from me in the duration of our acquaintanceship."

Joey shakes his head and presses his fingers to either side of his forehead. He lets his hand fall and there is amusement evident on his face. He laughs, a full-on, gut-busting laugh then grabs a cigarette and lights it. Reaper and I both smirk, waiting for him to respond.

"You got any more information?"

"I've got a call in to Slider. He's supposed to get back with me in the next few days and let me know what he's found out. There's more going on here than just that sick pervert that had Bristol. It's a whole underground ring of these people sharing disgusting shit. Slider's trying to gain access but it's hard. Their community is tight-knit and unless Slider shares something with them, they won't let him in. He was working on some things the other day, but I don't know if he's been successful or not."

"What the fuck is wrong with people, bruh?" Joey asks, his nose crinkled in disgust.

Reaper shrugs. "I don't know. A lot. We don't have enough time to cover all of the ways that people are fucked up."

"Big George is itching to get his hands on Patrick. You're going to have a hard time keeping him out of the action. It can be done, but he won't like it."

"He can be involved. That's fine. But I get the last laugh. No one else."

"He'll take that, I'm sure."

"He ain't got a choice," Reaper growls.

"I don't care to be involved. I want to be in the know, and I want to be updated. But, I'm done getting my hands dirty. I done got too fuckin' old to be doing this shit."

"Old fuck." Reaper's comment earns him a laugh, but Joey looks like he may swing on him just for principle. To my surprise, he doesn't.

"I may be old but I'm your fucking P, remember that."

Reaper's cocky attitude has always gotten him into trouble, which is why the bastard is so good at what he does. He's had to fight his way out of all the bullshit his mouth has gotten him into and because of that, he's someone you don't want to fuck with. Because if he can't fight his way out, he can buy his way out. And I don't know which one is worse .

The rumble of motorcycles outside concludes this meeting as members begin piling in getting ready for church. Bosch and Niles are first to show up, followed shortly by Big George and Mikey. Mo sent out a text he wouldn't make it today and Slim is the last one to come dragging in before we get started.

Slim looks like dog shit and Big George doesn't let it slide. "What happened to you?" he asks.

"Princess."

Everyone's head whips in his direction and we sit in silence waiting for an elaboration.

"She's been blowing my fucking phone up, she's been stalking the fuck out of me, showing up at my house and beating on the doors and the windows. She's busted all the lights out of my truck and the bitch stole my fucking helmet and took every goddamn thing out of my saddle bags. I'm sure there's more that I haven't found yet, but that about sums up the last five hours of my life."

"If you want, we can take care of that for you brother. We'll just add her to the list," Reaper says, offering Slim a smile.

He waves a hand. " Nah . She's harmless, just annoying as fuck. Besides, she's got the feds in her pocket. If she comes up missing, they're coming straight for me, or worse, Bristol," he says her name while looking at me.

"Bristol can handle herself. We could just let her get ahold of Princess again," I offer.

"Princess is going to get hers. When she least expects it."

"Alright. This meeting is now in session," Joey begins.

We go over club dues, club funds, upcoming parties, and the add-on we are thinking about for the bunk house. It's a fairly normal church without any mention of the biggest problem at hand that really isn't a club problem, but more-so a personal one. For Reaper and me both. We almost make it through the entire church without it coming up. Almost.

"What about the fucking pedos?" Big George asks, pressing his glasses up on his face and looking between Reaper and I expectantly.

"What about them?" I ask.

"What are we doing to find these sick fucks?"

"It's being handled. Don't worry, we'll let you know if and when we do find them."

"You fucking better."

I think about fucking with him, because it's so easy to do. He gets worked up and overly passionate about shit without much prompting, but I think better of it. I'm not wasting the energy today.

I just nod and Joey starts talking about some of the other clubs that were here last night. Which reminds me I need to check in with Micah and see if anything else has come down the line to him and his guys.

"Alright, that concludes this meeting," Joey proclaims, standing from his seat at the head of the table.

Everyone else stands and we exit the chapel. Most of the guys are heading to the bar to sit around and chit-chat before they go on a Sunday ride. Me? I'm heading to get my girl and take her home.