Zahirah Chapter 22

It had been over a week since Twisted came home and told me and the kids later in the morning that they had nothing to fear from Billy or his stepdad. He wouldn't give us details, but in the days that followed, we heard tales all over town. It seemed both Jenner and Billy had been found wandering not far from the hospital. Both had been severely beaten, and Billy had suffered a life-altering injury to his manhood. That was the quote we heard repeated all over town.

The police were baffled. They had no clue who did it. Apparently, both of them claimed they had never seen their captors, nor did they recognize their voices. When asked why they were taken, they claimed the kidnappers never said. No ransom was demanded. On top of it, how they were taken from their home without alerting Jenner's wife or tripping the alarm was an even greater mystery.

As if that wasn't enough drama and gossip for our little town, Jenner's wife was seen in town getting a hotel room a day later. She'd left her husband. Those who wondered why she left him soon found out when news broke that Jenner had been having an affair with her best friend and abusing his position as assistant mayor. Evidence was sent anonymously to the mayor's office detailing the bribes and other things he'd done. Jenner was immediately sacked. Days later, they all left town. Billy went to a rehab facility to recover from his injury. Mrs. Jenner to who knows where and Jenner to a whole other town in the opposite direction as his soon-to-be ex-wife. She hadn't wasted time filing for divorce.

I was still worried, though even with all that happening, I shouldn't have been. It was due to the fact it still left Rusty and Matt out there to make the kids' lives hell. Twisted reassured me they wouldn't. I discovered why he was so sure. It seemed one day, with a couple of his brothers, he caught them out on their own and issued a threat. If they came near Arif or Aliya again, they'd end up like Billy or worse. According to him, when he told me this, they both pissed themselves. We'd keep watch to be sure, but I was praying it worked. What they didn't know was that Twisted still intended to have a "talk" with them on their eighteenth birthdays.

Not everything was dark, worrying, or depressing. I had good news. I spoke to the lawyer at the office where the club's lawyer worked. He assured me there was no way Mr. Arnold could sue me for breach of contract or any other nonsense. He commended me on the thoroughness of the contract and the termination document. When I told him who drafted it, he smiled and informed me he knew of him. I liked Hugo Snyder, so I decided to have him as my lawyer. He was more than happy to work with me.

Part of that work was to determine what I needed to do to make Ahlam Montsef Ellil a real jewelry design company. It had become more urgent because Twisted and the club were pushing for me to do it now, not later. They swore they'd help back me for a very reasonable cut of the profits. I tried to refuse, but they wouldn't hear of it. It seemed the club helped Eliana's clinic get off the ground, and they wanted to do the same for me.

When I protested that it would take too much money, Natalya shot me down by informing me she had a fortune and that she used it to back the club and other worthy causes and businesses. I tried to argue that I needed to find a space that was secure to work from and store my pieces, but my man had the answer for this one. He said we'd have an extension added behind the house, a work studio for me, and it would be more than secure behind the fence and with the whole club surrounding us.

For each possible objection I verbalized, they had an answer. In the end, I gave in. I was super excited, truth be told. I was itching to start working on a piece and knew exactly which one it would be. Micah had come to see me and confided the ring he wanted made wasn't for his dad. It was for Austin. He wanted to ask him to marry him. We talked for hours about the design concept, and I was sketching it out for him. As soon as he approved it and I got the materials, I was ready to go.

This was a lot to deal with, as well as trying to get Aliya back to her usual self. Twisted had been a man of his word. In the middle of all this madness, he was able to find someone who the clubs could trust. According to Bull, the president of the Archangel's Warriors MC in Hunters Creek, Tennessee, they had one. They were one of the clubs the Pagans called friends.

One of the members, Slash, his old lady, had undergone a terrible ordeal. A psychiatrist who one of the other old ladies knew and respected had been brought in to help her. They swore the doctor could be trusted if something was inadvertently dropped, and they knew he would be able to help the kids. Since it was a distance away, we'd arranged to do it as a video call. If he recommended later they were better off doing them in person, we'd make it happen.

After so much upheaval, good and bad, everyone agreed they needed to relax and be with our club family, so tonight, we were all hanging out in the clubhouse. Tons of food was ordered and brought in. It was a mix of pizza, other Italian dishes, breadsticks, and wings. In addition, there were a few different desserts, too. It had to have cost a fortune. When I told Twisted this, he said all the members chipped in, so not to worry. It wasn't going to break anyone.

I was happy to see Arif was smiling, and he was over at the pool table. He, Atticus, and Rune were playing a game. Tonight, the prospects were allowed to join in the fun. Arif liked all the prospects, but he was closest to Atticus. They shared a love for video games. They didn't interest Aliya or me, so I was glad he found someone who enjoyed them, too. His interest in pool was since he met Twisted. I think he was trying to learn so one day he'd be able to challenge him. It would be fun to see who won.

I was sitting with the ladies and catching up on things with the kids and what the women had been doing at work. Natalya surprised me when she leaned in and lowered her voice. "I think we should do what I proposed a while back."

"What's that?" I asked.

"I sorta told the guys that one of these days, I was putting the single ones up on an online dating site. The kind of women they meet who come here or the bunnies aren't the ones who'll make any of them a good old lady or happy. They need to expand their search area. Hanging at the bar picking up women there isn't much better. I mean, could the candidates online be worse than those options?"

"Natalya, they'll kill you if you do that! I agree. If they want to meet someone to have a serious relationship with, then they need to stay away from the skanks. However, going online is dangerous, too. They can lie and still be terrible options," Joli told her. Eliana nodded her head in agreement.

I was stunned when Tana spoke up, and it wasn't in opposition to the idea as I expected. "Do it. I have the feeling if you do, at least one of them might find his true love. The odds are low, but it's this gut feeling I can't shake, and when I get those, it's never wrong. I got one before Agony met Eliana, again before Dare brought Joli here when Knight met Natalya, and again before Twisted met Zari. It's happening again. I don't know how long it'll be until one of the others meets his intended, but it's getting closer."

"Are you sure?" Eliana asked excitedly.

"I'm sure."

"And you don't have a clue who it'll be?" Joli asked.

"No, I don't. It's the one thing I never know. Who or how soon, although none have been more than three months after I began to feel this way."

The three other old ladies began to chatter excitedly. It seemed they believed Tana. Who was I to disbelieve, so I kept my mouth shut. We were so into it, as they guessed what sort of woman she might be or who the lucky man would be. Eliana cautioned them it might be a man. After all, they didn't know if any of the men in this club might be bisexual. They didn't think any were gay, but then they started talking about the non-typical pairings in Dublin Falls. We were so involved in them that I didn't notice at first Twisted had joined us. When I did, I looked up at him with a smile.

He gave me one of his most loving ones before startling me by dropping down next to my chair. He had one knee bent up and the other on the floor. Seeing him this way made me think of a man proposing, but I pushed such a thought away. It was too early to think along those lines. Or so I thought until he held out his hand and pinched between his thumb and index finger was a shiny object. I gulped.

"Zahirah Hussain, you are the love of my life. I never want to go a day without you next to me. I want to raise a family with you and grow old together. And when I die, I want your beautiful face to be the last thing I see. I love you, Storm. Zari, will you marry me?" He was giving me a hopeful mixed with pleading look. He held out the ring further. Gathered behind him, smiling ear-to-ear, was Arif and Aliya. Neither of them appeared surprised by his proposal.

Pushing back my chair so I could rise, I stood, but only for a moment, then kneeled down in front of him. I held out my left hand. "I want you, the love of my life, to be the father of my children, to help me raise them, and for us to grow old together. May we both be the last thing the other sees when we leave this earth. Yes, my love, I'll marry you."

There were sighs and ahhs coming from around us, but all I was focused on was the ring he was sliding on my finger. Close up, I recognized it. I gasped and gave him a disbelieving stare. It couldn't be.

He grinned and nodded his head. "Yes, it's the one. I remember you saying it was your favorite and how you hated placing it for sale. I found with help from Wire where it was. I contacted the seller, and we reached a deal. He was actually thrilled it would be going back to you. He loves your work. I took one of the rings from your jewelry box to use for sizing."

It fit perfectly and shone brightly on my finger. The club congratulated us. The ladies were trying to see the ring. It was a loud and chaotic bunch, and I loved it. He rose up and brought me with him. He groaned. "I'm getting too old for that position," he muttered.

"That's not what you said this morning in the shower when you were between my legs," I whispered in his ear.

My sassy remark earned me a slap on the ass. The guys all laughed and demanded to know what I said, but he didn't tell, probably because of the kids. Aliya and Arif crowded close and gave me hugs, which I returned. They were so happy. The ring was made of yellow gold, and the design was more of an antique style. Rather than a central diamond, it was a wide filigree band with twenty white diamonds scattered along it. Many would use it as a wedding or anniversary band, but I loved the idea of it as my engagement ring. It caught the light and sparkled. I was what I considered a typical Middle Eastern woman. I loved jewelry that sparkled. I didn't wear a lot on a regular day, but when I had reason to dress up for a special occasion, then I went all out.

The perusal of my ring was interrupted by Twisted bending down to take my mouth in a hungry kiss. Instantly, I was lost. I had no idea how long we kissed before we were brought back to the present and the fact we were putting on a show for the club. This earned us a lot of teasing. Arif was pretending to gag. Aliya just smiled.

"Later," Twisted whispered in my ear. I knew what he meant, and I couldn't wait. I winked at him.

This kicked off even more celebrating. Eventually, the music was turned on, and the ladies got up to dance. I was showing them how to roll their hips like a belly dancer. We were laughing and working on it. I guess we'd blame the fun of the evening for what happened next. I had my hands on Joli's hips, trying to help her with her movement. I didn't know anything was wrong until I heard Aliya yelling to get out.

Whipping around, I found her near the door. She was facing off with Fiona. As for the bunny, she was glaring at my niece and shouting at her. A swift glance at the clock on the wall told me it was too early for her to be here. What the hell? I hurried toward Aliya. As I got closer, I heard what was being yelled.

"Get out of my way, you little bitch. You can't tell me where I can and can't be. Who the fuck do you think you are?" Fiona snapped.

"I know you aren't allowed in here until after the old ladies and kids leave. Look around, they haven't. You have to leave," Aliya told her firmly.

The reason she knew about when the bunnies and hang arounds could be here was Twisted, and I sat her down one night and explained about the strange women she might catch sight of. We haven't wanted to explain it to Arif yet. She had a lot of questions, and Twisted was upfront with her and even admitted he'd had sex with them. He didn't make a bunch of stupid excuses and apologized to her and me for what we might have to deal with. It was apparent she'd paid attention to that conversation if she was schooling Fiona on it. Part of me wanted to smile.

"Fuck you," Fiona sneered.

She tried to get past Aliya, but my niece wasn't having it. She shifted so she stayed right in front of Fiona. I was almost to them when the desire to smile was wiped away. In her frustration at my niece's refusal to move, Fiona did the last thing she should've. She struck her. Her hand came up, and she slapped Aliya hard across the face. I was livid. How dare that whore touch my niece?

Aliya didn't cry or back down. No, she shoved Fiona, which in those six-inch heels she had on, landed her on her ass. Fiona let out an outraged shriek. "You bitch!" she screamed.

Pushing past Aliya, after visually making sure she was okay, I went for Fiona. She was trying to get up when I latched on to the top of her hair, and I yanked. She wailed. I jerked again. "Get on your feet, whore! How dare you touch my niece? You don't hurt children, especially mine," I snarled.

She was trying to pry my hand loose at the same time as she was half off the floor. Not waiting for her to regain her footing, I moved toward the door. She fell to her knees, and that's where she stayed while I dragged her screaming, cursing ass to the door. When I got there, Mace was holding it open with a huge grin on his face. He winked at me. I nodded at him as I pulled her outside and then kicked her in the side so she rolled into the dirt. She was sobbing.

"If you ever speak to or touch one of mine again, I'll do worse than drag your scrawny ass outside by the hair. I'll rip out every strand, and then I'll get mean. You know the rules. No whores when the families are in the clubhouse," I snapped. I was holding myself back from going all crazy on her and beating her into the dirt. Hard arms came around me, startling me. I stiffened until I smelled Twisted, and then he reassured me.

"Storm, there's no need to worry about her doing it again. Agony, I'm calling it," he said loudly.

"I figured you would. Anyone object?" Agony asked the guys surrounding us. Everyone had come outside, even the other women and kids. None of the men said anything. I was lost. What were they talking about?

"Then it passed. Fiona, get your ass in your vehicle and leave. Don't bother coming back. You're no longer allowed here, nor are you one of our bunnies," Agony informed her, stunning me.

It stunned her, too. She stopped crying to stare at him with her mouth open. Her eyes were wide, and disbelief was written all over her. One of the old ladies snickered. I put my money on it being Joli.

"Agony, you can't mean that. I've been here for seven years. Throw her and her brat out." She gestured to me.

"I don't care if you've been here seventy years. You don't touch our families, especially the kids. You've been here long enough to know when our families are here, you stay away. You're lucky I don't let Zari keep kicking your ass. She's an old lady and Twisted's fiancée. Or would you like to argue this with him? He doesn't look too happy to me."

I twisted my head so I could see my man's face behind me. He was scowling at her. The man wasn't happy. He held out an arm. "Sweet girl. Come to me."

Aliya came over and let him enfold her to us. He was examining her cheek. "I'm fine, al-am . She doesn't slap as hard as she thinks."

" Al-am ?"

"Sorry, it means uncle. I hope that's alright to call you that." She gave him a pleading smile.

"I love it. Of course, you can. Bodie, Rune, will you do me a favor and see to it that she leaves and isn't allowed back?" he said as he gestured toward Fiona.

She stumbled to her feet. "You can't do this! I've given years and so much to all of you. She's been here a few weeks."

"What you've given us was a way to blow off steam. No one is promised forever, and those breaking the rules know that the penalty can be a lot worse than expulsion. Twisted has repeatedly told you to leave him alone, even before he met Zahirah. You kept bothering him. Then you meet her and know he's taken, and you still pull this. You don't learn, and we can't have someone who would hurt a child here. Don't make us take it further," Hulk warned her.

"Take care of her," Dare ordered the prospects, then he turned to the rest of us. "Let's go back inside and keep celebrating Twisted and Zari's engagement."

There were shouts of hell yeah, and then we were moving. I refused to look back at her. I had news—if she came near me or the kids, even if it was in town, I'd make sure she got the message loud and clear. Twisted was talking softly to Aliya, and Arif joined us. I knew we'd have to explain it to him. Ah, the joys of being a parent.