Chapter Seventeen

Soul

INSTEAD OF OUR night being ruined by Brooklyn's parents showing up and treating her like shit, demanding she get Bennett and his parents out of jail and tell people she lied about what happened, she acted as if nothing happened. I'm not sure if the shit will hit her when everyone leaves, but we'll be there for her. Wheels and I have been keeping a close eye on our wife as she talks and laughs with everyone in our home for dinner. She and Robynn talk about the babies as we watch Brooklyn hold Knight. She looks so beautiful with a baby in her arms as she smiles down at him and talks to him as if he can truly understand her. It's fucking insane to think in a few months she'll be holding our babies and doing the same thing. I couldn't pull my eyes from her as I watched her move around the kitchen and do what she needed to with a baby in her arms. Nothing stops our wife and she is showing every fucking day how strong she is and that she can handle anything thrown her way.

Once we were done with dinner, we sat outside around the fire pit. The kids were asleep in a playpen in the living room and we had a monitor with us as we sat with a fire to keep us warm while continuing on with our night of talking and laughter. Nanny regaled us with stories of Hulk and Goliath as they were growing up, embarrassing the hell out of Goliath. Brooklyn told us about Scorch, Cricket, and Fee in school. She had so many stories of them I'm surprised she didn't live them right alongside the three. Instead, I know she hid in the background and never once joined in on anything at the school. She didn't go to football games, parties, dances, or anything else. Her entire focus was on getting good grades so she could graduate.

"Brooklyn, why did you never hang out with us outside of class?" Cricket asks after several stories have been told.

"Oh, um, you and Ophelia were always together and had such a tight friendship, there's no way anyone else was going to join your duo. I was never in your league with a ton of friends, boys wanting to date you, or anything else. You two were always with Scorch too. I know he'd never want someone like me hanging around you two," Brooklyn answers, her voice full of sadness as I pull her into my lap and hold her close while burying my face in her neck.

"That's not true at all, Brooklyn. We would've taken you in our group without thinking twice. Scorch saw you just like we did. The three of us knew you were going through some shit in high school and we would have helped you through it. All you had to do was say the word," Cricket responds as she stares at our wife with questions in her eyes.

"Cricket, I was bullied every single day. There was no way in hell the girl from the wrong side of the tracks would fit in with the pretty, popular crowd. All I'd have done is drag you and Ophelia down with me and that's not something I would willingly do to anyone. So, no, I couldn't have joined your group at all," Brooklyn states with a finality to her voice and Cricket drops her line of questioning.

"The only thing I'm gonna say is don't be surprised if Scorch and Fee confront you about this, Brooklyn. We always liked you and enjoyed the little bit of time we spent together when we had a school project to work on. You've had your warning, do with it what you will," Cricket says and I know it's something the three of them have talked about and wondered about more than any of us realized.

Looking around our small group, I can see the anger and hurt for Brooklyn as she stares into the fire without seeing a damn thing. These are leftover feelings from Bennett and her parents. Not only was our wife bullied at school, but she was bullied at home until Bennett came along. Then she was lied to, manipulated, and abused in every way possible. She didn't have anyone to confide in and no one to help her out of the situation she saw as never-ending. Honestly, I'm surprised she turned out as sweet and loving as she did. Brooklyn is one of the best women I've ever met in my life and that's saying something with all of the women in the club so far.

It wasn't long before everyone started to leave. They wanted to get their kids home and in bed so they could get to bed. We walked everyone to the door and Nanny was the last to leave. She held Brooklyn longer than normal and whispered something in her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek and turning to take Goliath's arm as he led her from the door of our home. Wheels and I took Brooklyn upstairs to our room and helped her into bed after she got changed into one of Wheels' shirts and a pair of boy short panties. The second her head hit the pillow, Brooklyn was out since she didn't take a nap during the day. Yes, she's started napping during the day and Dr. Matthews has assured us it's normal right now and to let her sleep as long as she was still sleeping at night.

Wheels and I make our way through the house and ensure the fire's been put out and our home is secure. Fetch shows up on the front porch to wait outside the house while we're gone. Even if Brooklyn doesn't wake up, she'll have a bodyguard making sure no one gets close to our home. Rion is at the back door and no one will ever see him. If there's one thing I can say about Rion, it's that when no one should see him, he's invisible. Rion blends into every single background we've ever put him in and he simply disappears. It's fucking amazing to see and very few people can accomplish what he does. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed with his ability.

Getting in my truck, we take off and round the front of the clubhouse. Another truck's lights turn on and I realize Anguish knows we'd be doing something and he's not gonna let us handle it alone. We all leave the compound, Creed opening the gate for us and making sure it closes once we're through it. I drive across town and head straight for the trailer park Brooklyn grew up in. We've been here before and at night, it looks even worse than the last time Wheels and I were here.

Parking our trucks down past the trailer Brooklyn called home for most of her life, we all get out and carefully close the doors behind us. Everyone who was outside as we entered the park has disappeared into the darkness. I can't even feel eyes on us as I get to the back of my truck to find Anguish, Goliath, Scorch, and Hulk.

"What are you doin' here, Scorch? Your wife just had a baby and is in the hospital, you should be with her," I ask him, confused as to why he'd leave Ophelia's side.

"Country's at the hospital right now. Knowin' you were comin' to take care of these fucks, I wasn't about to miss out on bein' here to deal with them. They've made Brooklyn's life a livin' hell and everyone in this fuckin' town saw it when she was growin' up. And you all know my wife. If Fee found out you guys were doin' somethin' here and I didn't help to get Brooklyn the payback she deserves, she'd never let me hear the end of it," Scorch answers me, leading me to believe my earlier belief about them talking about Brooklyn is true. "Let's get this shit taken care of. I want to be with my wife and daughter."

With a nod of my head, Wheels and I take off and head for the trailer Brooklyn's donors are in. The entire thing is lit up as if they're having a party yet I know they're there alone. No one ever visits this hell hole and that's been told to us by everyone in Odin's Gap. This trailer park is where things come to die and disappear. Scorch says it's even worse now than when he was growing up as he looks around, disgust on his face.

We don't knock or anything as we make our way up the rickety stairs and enter the trailer. Brooklyn's parents don't even look up from their spots on the floor. Rage and disgust fills me as I realize they're high as fuck. Brooklyn's sperm donor even has a fucking needle still hanging out of his arm from shooting up whatever drug of choice he's into these days. He can barely open his eyes as he lays there and I know this is gonna be too fucking easy. Looking over at Brooklyn's mother, I find her naked with track marks filling both arms. Her eyes are heavy lidded and she doesn't move an inch as we all invade the trailer.

"This is where Brooklyn grew the fuck up?" Goliath questions us, disgust lacing his voice as he looks around.

"Yeah. This place is trashed and I have a feelin' it's because she's no longer here to be used as a maid and ATM. Even when she had nothin' to her name, Brooklyn made the best of this situation and worked multiple jobs so she could to earn money to pay the bills, bring in food, and everythin' else she needed to take care of because these pieces of shit did nothin'. If anythin' they stole from her and made her life miserable," Scorch informs us, his voice full of loathing as he kicks out at her father. "I might not have been close to Brooklyn when we were in school, but I saw her. A lot of people saw her whether she believes it or not. Brooklyn was top of her class, she came to school covered in bruises, and was one of the top targets for bullies. No one ever helped her, includin' me. This is my way to start payin' her back for what I let happen to her all those years ago."

"You don't have to do anythin' to pay her back for back then, Scorch. You were all still just kids, and in high school, and could only do so much. You've grown since then and would never let anythin' like that happen today. You're not the same person as you were," Wheels tells Scorch as he looks at the ground and his shoulders slump in defeat.

"Still. I could've told my parents what I was seein' or somethin'. Anythin' would've been better than leavin' her in this fuckin' hell hole to rot and be hurt on a regular basis," Scorch states, his voice barely above a whisper.

"This place is makin' me sick as fuck. Let's deal with these pieces of shit and be done with it," Goliath says, his voice full of rage as he pulls on a pair of gloves and we all copy his movements.

Once we're all ready to do what we came here for, Wheels and I manage to bring Brooklyn's father out of his drug-induced stupor. Handing him a syringe, we lead him over to his wife as his eyes light up with glee. He quickly sticks it in one of her veins and presses the plunger down. I watch as her body jolts and then sinks back into the disgusting floor beneath her. She starts foaming at the mouth as her husband watches on, not registering that she's overdosing on the drugs he just injected into her body. Goliath hands him a second syringe and we watch on as he shoves it in his arm and presses the plunger down. They've been doing this shit so long he doesn't use a tourniquet or search for a vein. He knows exactly where to put the needle and that's very telling.

Hulk picks up both syringes and removes the needle from them before putting them in a small baggy he brought with him. We won't be leaving these behind for someone to stumble across just in case one of us accidentally left our fingerprints behind. Wheels and I are already tied too closely to these pieces of trash and won't give anyone a reason to point a finger at us when this shit hits the news. If it hits the news.

I step back with everyone else as the stupid fuck in front of us starts seizing. His body locks up and he starts foaming at the mouth like his wife did. In seconds, his pathetic life is over as Anguish leans over and checks both of them for a pulse. He shakes his head to let us know they're both dead. The six of us leave the trailer without looking around for any reason and surround the trailer. We've all got matches and know it won't take much to set this death trap on fire. Looking down at Wheels as he stands at the corner of the side of the trailer I'm on, he smiles at me as we strike our matches and press them against the weathered wood of the place that holds so many of Brooklyn's demons.

The place goes up quick as fuck as we all stand back and watch one section of the trailer catch on fire before moving toward where the next one was started. In minutes the fire spreads and smoke fills the night air. It's thick and chokes us as we all leave the area. Even if the bodies are found inside the trailer, no one will know we were there. Wheels and I get in our truck without saying a word to anyone else. We need to get back to the compound and take a shower before heading back home with our wife.

Wheels and I have showered at the clubhouse and changed into different clothes. We don't want to walk in the house smelling like smoke and having whatever else was on us from that fucking trailer. Neither one of us will taint our fucking home with the bullshit our wife has lived throughout her life until we met her. Last night was the last time we'll ever deal with those vile fucking monsters. No one will ever have to deal with them again. We've rid the world of two pieces of shit who only drag those around them down as low as they possibly can. Odin's Gap will be better without them slinking around town and destroying everything in their path.

After we make sure we're clean, Wheels and I head down to find Fetch waiting for us in the common room. He's sitting at the bar with a bottle of water in hand until he spots us and he quickly stands from the stool he was sitting on.

"I'm here to dispose of your clothes," he informs us, fear in his eyes as if he's done something wrong.

"Fetch, what's goin' on with you? Did you ever find your phone?" I ask him, trying to figure out where his head is right now.

"Uh, yeah. Jethro got my phone somehow and it's been destroyed. I have to figure out how to get a new one now. All the money I've got is in savings and I don't want to spend it if I don't have to. So, I've been tryin' to be around where I know you all need me since I can't be called. I'm sorry. I'll fix the problem as soon as I can," Fetch answers me, his voice wavering as he looks at the floor in front of his feet.

I know why Fetch doesn't want to spend the money he's been putting into savings. He barely keeps enough to cover his monthly expenses and every other penny he earns goes right into a savings account Fee helped him set up. It's one of those high interest earning ones. Ever since he was homeless when we found him, Fetch refuses to ever not have money to his name again. By having his savings account and never removing money from it, he knows he'll always have enough money to never live on the streets again. It's his safety net and one he'll keep forever if he's able to.

"It's okay, Fetch. We'll get Hulk to grab you a burner phone so you have somethin' until you can get a new one sorted. For now, thank you for takin' our clothes and gettin' rid of them so no one knows what we've been up to. You're a good man, Fetch. You've done so much for the club and will continue to do so no matter what role you're in for the club. I'll tell you now that you will receive your patch. If we don't patch you in, the women will riot because everyone here loves you and wants to watch you continue to grow and succeed in life," Wheels tells him as we hand over the bag with our clothing from the trailer inside.

"Thank you," Fetch murmurs as he takes our clothing and heads for the back of the clubhouse where the fire has already been started to burn everything. It's standard procedure and one we all know Fetch will take care of as he does every single time we need this done.

Wheels and I finally make our way out to the truck after making sure to send Hulk a message about getting Fetch a burner phone. Getting back in my truck, we make our way to the house where Fetch has been since we left. In his place is Zayne. While I don't know much about the Prospect, I know he's a good guy. He wouldn't still be in the club if he weren't. He's watching over the front of the house as we park and walk up to the front door.

"No one's been near the house at all. Fetch told me he didn't see anythin' when he was here and I found him pacin' back and forth from one side to the next. I know he said Rion's out back and I haven't seen him at all since I've been here. Do you want me to stay the rest of the night to ensure the three of you are safe?" Zayne questions us, his voice full of curiosity as he looks between Wheels and myself.

"No. You're good, Zayne. Thank you for watchin' over the house while Fetch came down to help us," I tell him as a large smile forms on his face.

"You're welcome."

Zayne leaves the house and we watch him walk toward the clubhouse only to be joined a few minutes later by Rion. The two of them make their way toward the front of the compound where I hope they'll get some sleep instead of staying awake and starting to do their daily tasks. It's not super late, but if I know those three guys at all, I'd bet money they'll remain awake to get ahead of any tasks they typically do and make sure Creed is good in the gate house and doesn't need anything. Our Prospects look after one another more than anyone else I've ever seen in my life and it's good to see when they're so young.

"Let's get inside and back in bed with our wife. I want her in my arms," Wheels says, resting his hand on my shoulder as he leads me inside the house and we secure the alarm once again.

We make our way upstairs to find our wife passed out in the middle of the bed with a pillow in her arms and her hair all over the place. Wheels or I usually end up with it in our face each night and neither one of us give a fuck about it. My best friend and I strip down to our boxers and climb into bed on either side of our woman. Her body is warm and pliant as we wrap ourselves around her the best we can.

"Gavin. Jayce," she mumbles, her eyes fluttering open as she looks at both of us with a slight turn of her head. "Are you okay?"

"We're okay, Little Warrior. Had to take care of some business and we just got back," Wheels informs her, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Where did you go?" she asks, sounding wide awake now as she snuggles deeper into our embrace.

I look over at Wheels and we both try to figure out what to say about her parents and what happened to them tonight. Finally, I suck in a deep breath and slowly release it while looking deep into her eyes.

"You don't ever have to worry about your parents again, Love. They've died of a drug overdose and last we saw their trailer was becoming a ragin' inferno," I answer her, keeping my voice just as soft while waiting for her to lose her shit on us.

"So they're dead and no one will ever have to deal with them again? I won't ever have to see them or have them come at me the way they did earlier?" she questions us, her voice wavering with emotion as tears fill her eyes.

"That's what we're sayin', Love. I'm sorry if you feel we overstepped or anythin'," I begin to tell her, my voice hesitant and unsure as I start to pull away from her.

"Not at all. I'm thankful I no longer have to deal with them. They've never been good people and I refuse to shed a single tear now that they're gone. Neither one of them would worry about me if something were to happen. You've taken a weight off my shoulders and once the trial is done with Bennett, I won't ever have to think of any of them again. That's the best thing you two could've given me. I love you both so much and vow to show every day just how much love I feel for you," she tells us, the weight of what we've done falling off of our shoulders as she holds us both closer to her body.

Closing my eyes, I let sleep claim me knowing Brooklyn is safe in our arms and we've eliminated one of her demons. For the first time since Bennett kidnapped her, she didn't have a nightmare and I can only hope it's because she knows we're slaying the monsters who have haunted her for as long as she's been alive. With one more monster to go, I hope we demolish the nightmares entirely soon. Brooklyn deserves to feel secure in her life and our relationship without anyone feeling the need to destroy her simply because that's what they choose to do.