Diablo Chapter 7

I followed Butcher into church, not to the common room as I expected. Gathered around the table were all of my brothers, plus Gio and Aryan. Gio came to his feet as soon as he saw me.

"Diablo, man, I'm sorry. I had no idea she was Jauhnna. If I had, I wouldn't have said a word to her. I swear to God I wasn't trying to hurt her. She wouldn't stop screaming, and I was trying to quiet her so she could hear me. I was trying to tell her she wasn't in danger. I've never had a woman react that way. The only reason I had her restrained like that is she jabbed me in the ribs and then tried to break my damn nose. It was to protect myself."

"She did what?" I asked, stunned.

He quickly told us what he said, what she did, and how they both reacted. While I could see how it would evolve the way it did, it still didn't sit well with me. He'd manhandled the woman I hoped might end up mine. No matter what woman it happened to, I'd be upset, but the fact she held my interest and no one had in over twenty years made it worse.

"Gio, I hear what you're saying, but you have to see it from my perspective."

"I know. She's the woman your club has promised to help, and from what I heard, she had it rough. We're after her no-good piece-of-shit husband and brother. I understand. I do."

"No, you don't. Jauhnna is more than just someone we're helping." I paused. Damn, was I about to do this in front of everyone? My guys had perked up. Wolverine didn't look happy.

"She is?" Gio asked.

"She is. Her abuse at the hands of her husband was terrible. And that's just what we know. I've been trying to gain her trust to see if she'd consider taking a chance on a man, on me. So you see, you touched the woman I'm pretty certain could be mine. You're lucky you still have a head. If she hadn't gotten between us, you likely wouldn't."

He groaned and then dropped into the chair behind him. "Fuck, tell me I'm having a nightmare. Tell me you didn't just tell me I came onto and mildly touched your soon-to-be woman, Diablo," he pleaded. It was rather pitiful, although sincere. My anger ebbed away more.

"I can't tell you that," I told him.

"God, Undertaker and the guys are gonna kill me," he muttered. "I don't know who's worse, you or Undertaker when it comes to torturing and killing," he added.

Aryan slapped his hand down on Gio's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure Cassidy, Sloan, Gemma, and Hadley will mourn you and put flowers on your grave."

The flowers' remark set the rest of us off in an explosion of laughter. Now that I'd calmed down and knew he hadn't intended harm, I could see some humor in it. I joined in. When we finished laughing, I got serious again.

"You've got to find a way to apologize to her and put her back at ease. Getting her as comfortable as she has been with us has taken a lot. She has no reason to trust men," I added.

"I will. Do you mind if I ask what's up with the husband and brother? The bosses said we were tracking them, to keep them under surveillance, and to report anything unusual or if they or their known associates start to move this way. They told us they were bastards who deserved to be cleansed," Gio said. He appeared grim.

"Simply put, and this isn't to be discussed among others at headquarters other than Sean, Griffin, Gabe, and Undertaker. She was forced to marry him and was his to abuse for nine years until she got free of him. We don't know all the details, but she has shared that their sexual relations were forced on her. He's angry she didn't give him children, but according to her, he's unwilling to let her go. She's nothing but a possession to further his quest for power and wealth," I snarled.

Both his and Aryan's faces turned red as anger built. It was plain to see. He stood back up. "I don't care when or where, if you need help with this fucker, you call me. I won't do it as a Patriot. I'll help take the bastard out for free," he snarled.

"Me too. What the hell is wrong with people? What makes them so fucked in the head that they do things like that to people? What's the story about the brother? We're watching him too. Surely, he's not part of this. He can't know what her husband has been doing to his sister," Aryan declared.

His question caused a flurry of muttering from my guys.

"You'd think, wouldn't you? The father forced her to marry him. We doubt the brother is clueless about what she's suffered. He's the same kind of man as the husband," I explained.

My club brothers and I were all cursed out. We'd done more than our share over the past three weeks. It was frustrating, remaining in a holding pattern while dirt was dug up on the sick fuckers, and the case was made for their elimination. There were choice swear words, though, from Aryan and Gio.

In some cases, the Patriots and even the other clubs found ways to send the bad guys to prison. In Radigan's and Vierra's cases, they would die. I would not let them remain in the world. She would never feel safe, and I would never feel she was. I'd been clear with the Patriots when I asked for their help about the outcome. They agreed readily enough once they knew what we knew.

"Your help is appreciated. I hate to cut this short, but I gotta go check on her. She's resting, but I think it's best if she comes home to do it rather than here in the clubhouse. Sorry for interrupting your night. Have fun. I'll see you in the morning," I told the whole room.

Tonight was supposed to be a chance to unwind and get to know Aryan and Gio better. We'd met a couple of times but hadn't gotten to know them as well as the other Patriots, such as Benedict, Beau, and Heath. I hoped the rest of the club continued to get to know them. Barring this misunderstanding, I found the crew at the Patriots to be a great group of people.

"Yeah, go. We'll see you later. Tell her I'm sorry. I'll do it too, but I don't want it to wait until morning," Gio stated.

"I will. She was much calmer once we got her to breathe. Later." I gave them a final goodbye, and then I was up and hurrying to the door. I was anxious to see her. I hated leaving her alone, but she seemed so wrecked that I hoped she napped. I'd take her home and get her in her bed. Although thinking of doing it, I imagined myself putting her in my bed. Shit, this isn't the time for this. You need to tell her, but not this exact minute.

I was almost to the sick bay door when footsteps behind me caught my attention. I glanced back to find Wolverine following me. I halted and faced him. What the hell was he up to?

"Is there a reason you're dogging my steps? I don't need your help to get her home and into bed."

"Are you sure about this?" Wolverine asked.

"Sure about what?"

"That you're not just twisting your loneliness into more? Jauhnna is a beautiful woman. Any hot-blooded straight man would be attracted to her. In all the time I've been here, you've never been exclusive with any woman. You have sex when the urge strikes, but you don't go back for more. The women are interchangeable. Everyone knows you love your wife, even if she's gone. Can you tell me that Jauhnna can replace Amy in your heart?"

His question was one I was struggling with, but I wasn't telling him that. The niggling fear that love was developing and that my developing feelings for her would far exceed my love for Amy was still there. I did give him a partial answer, though.

"You're right about Jauhnna. Any man would be lucky to have her return his interest. She attracts me unlike any other. As for not loving her like I did Amy, you're right. It'll never be like our love. However, everyone keeps telling me that Amy would want me to move on and not die alone. I'm not getting any younger, as you guys enjoy reminding me. Why all the concern?" I knew it was more than out of concern for me.

"Because she's different, and I was hoping there might be a chance she and I might click and make something out of it. You're not the only one looking for someone. In my case, though, I plan to love and worship the woman I eventually claim. She would never doubt my love or her place in my heart and life. I don't want to see Jauhnna hurt when you can't give that to her."

My ire began to rise again. Who the fuck was he to lecture me? He had no idea what I felt for her or would feel. I was about to blast him when the door swung open, and Jauhnna came out. I knew as soon as I saw her face, she'd heard us, or at least some of it. Her face was expressionless. She stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked me in the eye.

"I'd like to go to bed."

"Okay, I was coming to get you. Let's go home." I held out my hand. It would be better to be alone for our talk. Her head shake made my heart sink.

"No, I don't want to go to your house. I know your arguments about why it's not ideal for me to stay in the clubhouse, but I came up with an alternative."

"What?" I asked.

"The guesthouse. You said it was there for visitors to use. I'm a visitor. I need to have privacy, and you need the same. If it's alright, I'd like to grab a change of clothes from your house, and then I'll go spend the night there. Tomorrow, I'll get the rest of my stuff moved over. Hopefully, things will start to move along, and I'll be out of your hair soon."

"Darlin', no one wants you to leave, and moving to the guesthouse is unnecessary. You're fine where you're at. Besides, we need to talk," I told her.

"Diablo, I'm tired. I don't want to talk. If I can't move, then take me to the house so I can sleep. I can't take much more." She appeared so beaten I pushed my desire to clear the air and find out her thoughts until tomorrow, but only until then. There was no way I'd be able to last longer.

I nodded. She seemed to sag in relief. Glancing over at Wolverine, I caught him studying her. I frowned. "We'll continue our talk later."

"Yes, sir," he responded.

I reached over, tucked her hand through my arm to rest on my forearm, and then moved us down the hall. It was an awkward walk to the house due to the silence, but I had no idea what to say. Talking about feelings and fears didn't come easily to me. We barely cleared the front door before she was rushing away from me. Over her shoulder, she called out a swift, "Goodnight," and then she was gone.

Suffice it to say, I got ready for bed thinking of her. It took me a long time to drift off as I tried to figure out how the talk we were slated to have would go. Lord, don't let me fuck this up.

???

I tossed all night. It was barely dawn when I called it quits and got out of bed. I went to the kitchen to make coffee. I'd wait a little longer, then make us breakfast. Once we ate and had our coffee, we'd talk. Now that I'd decided to tell her what she did to me and how I hoped she felt something for me and was willing to pursue it, I didn't want to delay.

To keep busy, I went to my office to work on some paperwork I hadn't addressed. It related to some investment Micro wanted to do with the club's money. He was a genius with computers and had a knack for choosing investments that gave us the best return without risking it all.

I read through his notes on it and what he projected we'd make from putting money into a CD for a year versus two or three years. Logic would say invest in the longer ones, but he stated that the one-year was paying more interest than the longer ones. I was good to sign off on it. I trusted his counsel. I sent him a quick email telling him to proceed. Then I went to the next item. Before I knew it, it was eight o'clock. That was it. No more waiting.

Standing, I stretched my tight muscles and directed my feet to her room. Knocking softly on her door, I waited to see if she answered. When she didn't, I did it again, only harder. Still nothing. After a third one, which was hard and loud, unease filled me. Was she alright?

"Jauhnna, I'm coming in if you don't answer me!"

Dead silence greeted my mild threat. Turning the handle, I found it was unlocked. Good. I would've hated to kick it in, but I would've. As the door swung open and I eased inside, I noticed her bed was empty. The bedding was neatly made. I swiveled my eyes to glance at the bathroom. The open door and the darkness inside the bathroom struck me. Still, just in case, I went and peeked inside. Nope. Empty. Where could she be? I didn't hear her leave while I was in my office. Was she elsewhere in the house? The need to find her right away overcame me. I rushed out of her room. I went from room to room, calling her name and checking inside every one of them. She wasn't there. By the time I'd gone through the whole house, I was mildly panicked. Had she moved to the guesthouse during the night?

I ran back to her room and checked her closet and dresser. It seemed some of her things might be gone. It was hard to tell. If they were, why not take all of them? Angrily, I put on my cut and boots, then went outside to trek to my old house. I swear when I found her, I might paddle her ass.

Reaching the front door, I tried to recall how long it had been since I was inside. I rarely came here other than to occasionally check that it was holding up. Brooklyn always visited it when they came home. She said she loved the new house, but the old one had a special place in her heart. She begged me never to tear it down. I promised I wouldn't. It was the only home she remembered. The one we lived in when Amy was killed had been on the other end of town. We rented it. After her murder, the owner tore it down and built a new one. No one wanted to live in a house where someone had been murdered. Shaking off those depressing thoughts, I knocked hard on the door and then walked right in. The house was still. There wasn't a sound in there.

"Jauhnna, are you here?"

Nothing.

"Jauhnna, if you're here and not talking, I'm not happy. Why the hell did you leave the house and not tell me? We need to talk, darlin'."

Still nothing. Working my way through this house, which took much less time, I came up empty a second time. She wasn't here, and there was no sign that she had ever been here. Dread was creeping in. She didn't find a way to leave, did she? Surely, she knew better than to put herself at risk by doing that. What if Radigan and Vierra had people watching, waiting for a chance to snatch her?

I didn't waste time getting out of the guesthouse. I practically ran to the clubhouse. When I burst through the main door, more than a couple of heads snapped up, and my brothers went on alert. A few came to their feet.

"What's wrong?" Scorpion asked. He was on his feet. It looked like he had been at the bar drinking coffee.

"I can't find Jauhnna. She's not at the house or the guesthouse. Has anyone seen her this morning?" I tried to keep the fear out of my voice. Heads were shaking, and they were frowning.

"I've been here a good hour or more, and I haven't seen her. Let's check the sick bay. If she's not there, then we'll divide up and see if she's in one of the other rooms. Maybe she found one open and took it," Scorpion rationalized. He was keeping a level head. Good, at least one of us was.

The rest of them rose to their feet. When I got to the sick bay, I had an entourage. The door was shut, so I barely stopped long enough to rap my knuckles on it before throwing it open. It was empty. Facing the others, I issued orders.

"We'll divide up. Punk and Turbo, check the other rooms that aren't bedrooms on the west side. Thunder, you and Liam do the ones on the east. Make sure to check everywhere. Scorpion and I will do the bedrooms. If you find her, text."

I got nods and chin lifts acknowledging my orders, and then they broke off. I took the right side, and Scorpion took the left. I didn't skip the rooms where a brother was probably sleeping, either. When Butcher's door flew open at my knock, he was there in his underwear, and his hair was a mess.

"Is there a reason you're pounding on my door?" he asked gruffly.

I swiftly explained. His irritation changed to concern. "I haven't seen her. Give me five minutes to dress, and then I'll help search."

"Thanks. Sorry for waking you up."

"Not a problem. You should've gotten me up as soon as you knew she was missing," he gently admonished me.

I didn't bother to defend myself. I let him close his door, and I was off to the next one. Time seemed to drag by as we inspected every room. When I got to my old room, I sent out a prayer that she was in it. Finding the door locked didn't deter me. I took out my master key and unlocked it. Ducking inside while Scorpion and Butcher continued to the next rooms, I examined it. Unfortunately, it was the same as it was yesterday. Slamming the door closed, I swore. Where the fuck was she? We were almost out of rooms.

The sound of boots running had me swinging around. A breathless Liam almost ran me over in his haste. "I found her. She's outside, stables," he panted.

The stables? Hell, I couldn't recall if I'd ever told her about them. I'd been so caught up in taking care of those two bastards haunting her every step and keeping my distance that I'd totally blanked on them. She'd been shown the clubhouse, the outside near it, and the houses, but not the whole property. The stables had slipped my mind.

Yeah, some would say it made no sense for bikers who rode steel horses to have actual living ones. In our case, it was all thanks to Cowboy. I'd learned to ride when I was a kid. I never thought about doing it as an adult. When Cowboy came to prospect, he'd mentioned his horses. Since he'd be here so much, the time needed to run back and forth to where they were boarded wasn't realistic. He was agonizing about selling them off when I offered to allow him to keep them here. I liked what I saw in him, so I took a chance. With some help from all of us, we put up a temporary shelter for them. After he patched in, a real stable was built. He challenged those who had never ridden to try. None of us were as crazy about horses as he was, hence his road name, but I enjoyed a ride every now and again.

Clapping Liam on the back as I passed him, I took off for the outdoors. I made it into the parking lot before I saw her coming toward me. Walking alongside her were Gio and Aryan, of all people. I came to a standstill. My guys gathered behind and to the sides of me. We were all staring at them. A puzzled expression took over her face when she noted us all standing there watching them.

Aryan and Gio appeared more apprehensive to be the focus of our attention. So much so that as they got closer, Gio began to explain. "We ran into each other at the stables of all places. Last night, one of the guys mentioned you had horses. I ain't been near horses in years. I had to see them. I grew up with them, and I miss them. I dragged Aryan with me. Imagine our surprise to see Jauhnna there. We were just escorting her back. She said she hadn't told anyone where she was going. We told her never to do that, even within the fence," Gio explained.

"Diablo, please tell me you're all not out here because of me," she called out.

I crossed my arms and stared harder at her. Her face flushed.

"Damn, you are. I'm sorry. I only meant to take a short stroll. It was barely daylight, and everyone was asleep. I like the early dawn and how peaceful it is. I came across the stable by accident and had to stop and admire the horses. God, they're magnificent. I got caught up in petting them. Time got away from me. Please forgive me for disturbing your rest on your day off. It was never my intention. I've got to ask something, though. Do you all ride?"

Her eyes did have this sparkle to them. It was good to see. I moved until I was right in front of her. Our guests had stepped back.

"Darlin', you scared the hell outta me. I searched everywhere with help from my brothers. I thought you'd left. You have to promise not to do that again. I was about to order most of us to ride out to find you," I lectured her.

She grimaced. "Again, I'm so sorry. Please. Let's go inside. I'll make breakfast to soften you all up to forgive me," she told them, sounding hopeful.

This got her smiles and lighthearted grumbles about messing up their beauty sleep, which made her laugh. As she went to pass me, I had to touch her. I turned with her and wrapped my arm around her upper back. She gave me a surprised look, but she didn't pull away. A win in my book. I followed her inside. Breakfast sounded good, but she wasn't slaving to do it all herself. They'd pitch in, or else.

She went straight to the kitchen. Lucky for us, it was made to accommodate a big crowd. It was industrial-sized, which allowed a large number of people in there at the same time without everyone falling all over or getting in each other's way. The chatter was loud as they all talked about what they wanted to eat. All of us ended up doing something, even if it was fetching bowls and other tools. As we prepped, I found Gio standing next to me.

Quietly, he murmured to me, "She seemed upset and didn't say much at first. Something is bothering her. She's covering it well now, but it's still there. By the way, I offered her my apology and to let her kick my ass. I hoped if she did it then she would forgive me. Thankfully, she said it wasn't necessary. She told me she overreacted, and she was as much to blame as I was. Just wanted you to know."

"Good, except I still believe it was your fault."

He smirked at me. We all pitched in, and several of us helped her cook. As the pace slowed down, the closer we got to eating, the more settled I felt. After breakfast, I'd take her home, and we'd have a long overdue conversation. God, let me do this right. Screwing it up would be devastating. I refused to think she would turn me down and tell me she wasn't attracted to me. I didn't believe I was being conceited. There had been a few fleeting looks, which made me think she was.

Platters and bowls were filled with food and carried out to the common area so everyone could sit and eat. Liam and Zax were busy filling drink orders. She'd even made orange juice to go along with the coffee she made. The coffee smelled damn good, even if it wasn't mine. She'd diced up potatoes and made breakfast potatoes and waffles. I think this was the first time the waffle maker had been used since Brooklyn left. In addition, there was bacon, sausage, and a casserole made of sausage, eggs, and cheese. She rounded those out with a bowl of mixed fruit and lemon muffins.

Before they could fall on the food like starved animals in the wild, I made her sit and ensured she got her plate filled first. She gave me a shocked look. I knew it was the first time a man had put her needs before his own. I would make sure to always see to her needs, no matter when, where, or how. Shoving the sexual thoughts this caused to the back of my head, I diverted my attention to the food. The food was delicious, and it was devoured in record time.