Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Savage

ZOEY’S BEEN IN school for a few weeks now. She gets back to the clubhouse every day so fucking exhausted. The long hours on campus and then studying at the clubhouse are taking a toll on her already. I’ve gotten back from work more times than I can count with her passed out in our bed covered in her textbooks with papers and notebooks surrounding her body. She doesn’t need blankets to keep her warm because the books and everything else surrounding her are doing the job instead. I’ve gotten a few pictures of her asleep in our bed like that. What makes it all even better is that at least one of her hands is resting on her stomach where our twins rest every single time. She doesn’t even realize she’s doing most of the time when she’s awake so it”s even better to see it happen when she’s sleeping. My girl is protecting our twins at all costs and that’s how I know she’s going to make an amazing mom to our kids. I’ll have as many as she can give me because Zoey is my girl and our family will be filled with love, patience, and all of the support a kid could ever want. And that’s just from her.

What has me the happiest about her starting school is that she’s made a small group of friends. Alicia is the one she seems the closest to, but there’s a few of them in a group that study between classes and have lunch together on a daily basis. Yes, there’s a guy or two in the group of friends, but I don’t have to worry about them at all. They know she’s my girl because I have taken her to school and made sure everyone there knows Zoey is mine. She laughed at my antics before leaving me to go with her friends to their class. Seeing her laughing and happy at school takes a weight off my shoulders I didn’t realize I was carrying until I saw her so happy. This is how her entire school career should’ve been from the very beginning. Now, it’s finally happening and I can breathe easy.

The only dark spot in our lives right now is that we still have no clue where the fuck the asshole Wheeler is. He’s gone underground and definitely has someone helping him hide. We can’t even figure out who because from the little that Hawk and Fox have been able to uncover, he’s got no friends and is in debt up to his fucking eyes with dealers and bookies. Not only is he on drugs, but he’s into gambling as well. The other vice he has is hookers. He fucking rapes and beats them at least three times a week. More than a handful of those women have ended up in the hospital after meeting up with him. They see the uniform and think he’s going to treat them good. He doesn’t. The fucker hides behind his badge and uniform to take what he wants without suffering the consequences of his actions. It makes him a damn wildcard and that’s never a good thing. You can’t predict any move a wildcard will make or even begin to guess that you’ll end up beating them because they literally have nothing to lose.

Fox thinks he’s pretty close to finding out the real name of Wheeler. He’s currently using fake documents to build the life he’s been establishing for the last five or six years. Someone knows something though. One of his dealers or bookies will know the true identity of Wheeler and they’ll talk no matter who goes to see them. If Tank gets his hands on the fuckers, he’ll rip them limb from limb until he gets the information he wants. I’ve seen him go off on people when he’s pissed as fuck. This asshole has been fucking with his daughter and that will make him even worse. Tank doesn’t fuck around when it comes to his kids and since Zoey is a daddy’s girl, he’s really not gonna take any chances with her safety. Fox and Hawk know this and are working almost twenty-four hours a day to find out any more information on him.

We’re also keeping an eye on Tits now. She decided it would be a good idea to confront my girl in the middle of the kitchen when she was trying to get something to eat after her first day of classes. Hawk discovered the footage and watched it all before bringing it to church. So far, we’re only keeping an eye on the bitch. If she continues to step out of line and not pull her weight, she’ll be gone. Alex was told about the confrontation as well. She’s pissed as fuck and knows we only want to keep an eye on Tits. Alex didn’t stop it there though. She pulled all the Fallen girls in for a meeting and told them in no uncertain terms that if they don’t change their fucking ways, she’s gonna start booting their asses and won’t wait for us to vote on that shit. She’ll simply get rid of them because she knows we’ll back her up in her decision.

Tits hasn’t changed her ways so far. Alex has been keeping a close eye on her and has yelled at her on a daily basis. When she should be cleaning, she’s sitting on her ass watching everyone else work around the clubhouse. The only time she does anything is when it’s her turn to clean the members’ rooms. Alex has removed her from that duty when she caught her going through drawers and poking holes in condoms. Yes, that’s grounds for her to be removed. We have an ulterior motive for keeping her around though. We want to know how often she talks to Nails and what they talk about. Hawk has put some program or something on her phone so he’ll hear every conversation and text message she gets or sends out. Eventually, she’ll lose her usefulness and then we’ll cut her ass loose to go stay with Nails or whoever else will take her desperate ass.

Today, Zoey’s at school all day and drove herself there. I followed behind her because I’m on my way to meet up with Tank, the triplets, Playboy, and Slim. We need to have a conversation. Usually, I’d only talk to Tank, but my kitten loves her family and I have enough respect for every man in her life to talk to them all and bare my fucking soul to them. For Zoey, I’d give up everything and lay my soul out to whoever wants to take it from me. She means the fucking world to me and we’ve been slowly repairing the rift I caused between us over the last several weeks when she moved to Clinton City with me. I spend as much time with her as I can and we talk about everything together.

I pull up to a diner we all agreed to meet at. It’s kind of a central meeting point for all of us coming from different places. I don’t have a problem traveling and would have gone home to Clifton Falls to talk to Tank in person, but he wanted to see his sons and so we all decided to meet up at a diner for this conversation. After parking my bike with the rest of the guys, I shut off the engine and head inside. I’d say I’m nervous, but that would be a lie. This is a step I need to take in order to continue moving forward with my girl. If I don’t have this conversation today, then everything with Zoey stops. She’s full of loyalty to her family and values their opinion over everyone else’s. Even my sister’s opinion on things comes after her family’s. It’s one of the many reasons I started to fall in love with her so many years ago.

Tank and the guys are sitting in a booth at the back of the small diner as I quickly make my way over to them. They chose a large booth with one of those circular bench seats. Still, there’s really no room for me with the five other men sitting down already. So, I pull up a chair from a neighboring table and put it at the end before taking a seat and facing the men that hold my future in their hands.

“So, what’s goin’ on, Jameson?” Tank asks me, a smirk on his face telling me he already knows why I called to meet up with him.

Every single man is sitting and staring at me. The triplets all have their arms folded over their chests as they stare me down. All three of them have perfected a blank mask and it’s firmly locked in place as they don’t pull their eyes away from me. Slim and Playboy are also wearing blank masks as they sit back in their chosen seats around the table. They appear relaxed and calm to everyone around the diner. I see them for who they truly are though. Both men are sitting and waiting for me to drop a fucking bomb on them.

“First of all, I want to tell you all that Zoey is doin’ amazin’ at her new school. I’m not sure of how much you’re aware about regardin’ her experience in Benton Falls, and I’m not gonna spill Zoey’s secrets. All I’m gonna say is for the first time on a school campus, she’s got friends and is livin’ her best life. They study together, have lunch every single day between classes, and she’s already ahead in all of her classes. There’s a weight that’s been lifted from her body that I didn’t know if it would ever be removed. She’s free and at peace for the first time in a very long time,” I tell them, looking at each man sitting around me so they can see the truth of my words.

“So the little skank Kingston took out on a date wasn’t lyin’?” Playboy asks me, confusion filling me because I have no clue what the hell he’s talking about.

“I guess it depends on what the hell you’re talkin’ about, Playboy,” I return, my voice going hard because I don’t think this is gonna be a good conversation.

“She came in the clubhouse and started talkin’ all sorts of shit about my niece. Told Kingston how she was bullied every fuckin’ day there and explained how she led the attack against Zoey because she’s a fuckin’ freak for dressin’ the way she does, workin’ at a garage, and everythin’ else she could pick apart,” Playboy tells us all with a grim look covering his face. “As you can imagine, Kingston didn’t take kindly to that shit and kicked her out of the clubhouse and told her to walk her skank ass home. No one gave her a ride and he hasn’t talked to her since despite her callin’ him daily.”

“You’re tellin’ me that my baby girl was gettin’ bullied every fuckin’ day and she never once said anythin’?” Tank interjects as he glares at us all.

“I didn’t know until the day she took her finals and I saw it firsthand. The only reason I didn’t tell you is because it’s her secret to share, Tank. I have a feelin’ this isn’t the first time she’s gotten bullied and no one knows at all. The three of you were in high school when she was and I’m sure she managed to hide it from all of you,” I tell them honestly as I look at the triplets who finally lose their blank masks and look at me with pure rage radiating from them.

“We didn’t know a damn thing,” Hawkeye speaks up, his voice hard and cold as he looks at his family and then me.

“It’s okay, son. Your sister is very good at hidin’ what’s goin’ on in her life and there’s no way in hell for you to know somethin’ if she doesn’t want you to know. None of us know the bad shit when it comes to her because she thinks she’s protectin’ us. She doesn’t understand that it’s our job to protect her and not the other way around,” Tank speaks up, his voice filled with pain because he couldn’t protect his baby girl from something he didn’t realize was happening. “That’s not why we’re here today though. Jameson talk to us about why you wanted to meet with us.”

“You’re right. Tank, I’m comin’ to you with this because Zoey is your baby girl. You’re the man who’s owned her heart from the second she met you. Everythin’ she does in her life is to make you happy and proud of her. However, you’re not the only important man in her life. Each of you hold a piece of her heart because you’re her family and she’s loyal to you above everyone else. She loves you all more than anyone else in this world. So, I’m here today to ask each of you for your blessin’ to not only make Zoey my ol’ lady, but for her hand in marriage as well. I want to spend the rest of my days lovin’ Zoey and makin’ sure she’s treated like the queen she is.

“I will fix the mistakes I’ve made when it comes to her over the years and show her every fuckin’ day I wake up that she’s the only one I’ve ever really wanted. Every single day I spend with her. We talk and get to know who we are today and not as the boy and girl who grew up in the Wild Kings clubhouse. We’re both different people now so that’s who we’re focusin’ on gettin’ to know. I’m goin’ to buy us a house so she’s not at the clubhouse and I will spend every day of my life protectin’ her from everyone who wants to cause her a second of pain,” I promise the men in front of me, sitting back in my seat as I wait for them to process my words and then give me their answer because this can only go one of two ways.

Tank keeps his eyes locked on me as he remains silent. No one says a damn word as I finally start to get nervous about the situation and what these men will say to me.

“Jameson, you’re a good man. You’ve always been a good man. The things you’ve done to Zoey to hurt her piss me the fuck off. But, I know you had your reasons. I know you’re the man who will love her and treat her like the queen she is. That’s never been a question in my mind. It’s only been in your mind. As long as you’ve pulled your head out of your ass and don’t continue to hurt my girl, I give you my blessin’ to make her your ol’ lady and ask her to marry you,” Tank finally says, a large smile on his face as Slim and Playboy also start smiling at me.

“We knew this is why you wanted to meet with us, Jameson. It takes a lot of balls and shows how much you love Zoey to come in front of us as a group since we know what the fuck has happened between the two of you over the years. You’ll always have my blessin’,” Slim says as Playboy nods in my direction to let me know he also gives his blessing.

“On behalf of my brothers and me, we give you our blessin’. Your relationship with our sister is your own. That doesn’t mean we won’t hesitate to get our hands dirty and fuckin’ beat your ass if she comes cryin’ to us, Jameson. Make her happy and love her. That’s all we’ll ever ask,” Hawkeye says, finally showing me another emotion besides anger.

I release the breath I was holding and smile. This was harder than I fucking thought it would be. However, I have their blessing and I can continue to move forward with my girl. That’s all I wanted to leave here with. Tank and the rest of us order something to eat when the waitress comes back over to the table. We talk and I answer questions about Zoey and how she’s adjusting to life in Clinton City the entire time. It’s a good day and I’m happy I made the trip to get this taken care of. I miss this part of my family and vow to spend more time with them when possible.

It”s late by the time I get back to the clubhouse. The first place I go is to our room and check on my girl. She’s fast asleep with the blankets pulled up to her chin. The air conditioning is on full blast to keep the room cool instead of hot as fuck. Zoey’s always hot now and the air conditioner doesn’t ever shut off. She can’t stand coming into our room being hot. The second she’s in here, she strips out of her clothes and sits around in her bra and a pair of booty shorts. While I love seeing all of her skin on display, I don’t want anyone else to see my girl like that. Not even Reagan. Zoey’s body is mine and I’m the only one who gets to look or touch her.

Heading back down to the common room, I find Trax sitting at a table alone. Reagan and him stayed at the clubhouse tonight because he knew what I was planning on doing and didn’t want Zoey to be left here without me all night long. My best friend simply told me what they were gonna do without me having to ask him or my sister. That’s just who they are and I love that I have them in my life because they’re both great people who deserve all the happiness in the world. I get to watch them live that shit daily and now they’re here for my girl as we work our shit out.

“What are you doin’ up so late?” I ask, accepting a beer from the Prospect and taking a seat with my best friend.

“Waitin’ for you. How did things go today?” he returns, taking a long pull of his own beer.

“It was good. They all gave me their blessin’ to move forward with my kitten. Then we had a late lunch and spent a long time simply talkin’ and spendin’ time together. I honestly didn’t realize how nervous I was until they made me wait for their response. It was probably only a minute before Tank gave me his blessin’, but it felt like a fuckin’ lifetime,” I answer him, leaning back in my chair.

“I bet. So, I wanted to talk about somethin’ with ya. We kind of all agreed without agreein’ that no one’s gonna take Pound’s house since his death. Rightfully, it belongs to you since you now have his spot in the club. I know you’re not gonna take it and have plans to meet with my realtor. However, I have a house that’s sittin’ empty here at the compound. It’s yours, Jameson. Move into my house with Zoey and make it your home. It’s just sittin’ there empty. Reagan and I will never use it because we have our dream home. If we get put on lockdown, we can use our room here. So, take the house and make it yours. This is our gift to you,” Trax says, pulling out a set of keys and sliding them across the table toward me as I stare silently down at them.

“Are you sure? Reagan and you talked about this?” I question him as I reluctantly take the keys from the table and hold them in front of me.

“Yeah. It was her idea. She wants the two of you in a home so you can start gettin’ ready for the twins. Take Zoey to the house tomorrow and see if she likes it. If she does, make it yours. We’ll help you furnish it and get it all set up,” he says, once again leaning back in his seat as we both remain quiet and drink our beer.

I don’t spend much longer down in the common room with Trax. Today has been a long day and I’m more than ready to get upstairs and hold my kitten in my arms. Telling Trax good night, I thank him again for the house and head upstairs. I strip out of my clothes and climb in bed with Zoey. She doesn’t move as I pull her into my arms and hold her warm body against mine. Sleep claims me immediately as I realize for the first time in my life, my sense of peace is because of Zoey. She’s my home and the only person I need in my life to feel whole. If I’d only pulled my head out of my ass sooner, I could’ve had this for years instead of just finding it.