Chapter 18

Amy

O h my God, I’m hyperventilating, and I can’t stop. Men were shooting at us. I can’t believe we almost got killed. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for Ven and his club brothers. Ven is rubbing my back while Rage talks me through how to stop hyperventilating and I try and calm myself down.

Just when I’ve steadied my breathing, someone starts screaming for Rage.

It’s Siege. “Rage, get your ass over here. The old man caught a bullet from one of his own.”

My head goes up and I rush along behind Rage. I literally hate my grandfather, but I didn’t want to see him hurt. The old man is a liability, but it’s clear that he’s got memory problems and doesn’t know what he’s doing. When I get close enough to see what’s going on, I realize he’s much more than just hurt. Rage falls to his knees on the porch beside my grandfather, just as someone tosses a medical bag down beside him. He’s cursing a blue streak under his breath, and it takes me a moment to realize why.

My grandfather is propped up on one elbow, too stubborn to collapse like a normal person, with a rapidly increasing pool of blood around him. He’s also white as a sheet and struggling to breathe. He angry and trying to curse us all out, even though he can only get out a few words at a time, “Damn you all… Get off my pro… property.”

Rage presses him back down. “You’re gonna have to lie down and let me stop the bleeding.”

Rufus shoves his hands away, or at least tries to. Rigs gets involved by stooping down and grabbing one hand. “Look, Rufus, you’re bleeding out. Let our medic help you.”

My grandfather looks over to one of the men who captured me and Venom’s mom, “Brock Sanderson, this is your f…fault,” before collapsing back. His hands drop to his sides, still and lifeless. He suddenly looks shockingly old and frail.

My hands fly to my mouth when Rage rips open his shirt. There’s a gaping hole in the lower part of his chest, and I can see the white of his ribs. I can’t watch, so to my eternal shame, I turn away. When I do, I bump into Ven’s big chest, and his arms come up around me.

I concentrate on pulling myself together because this kind of response is just not me. I’m normally the strong one, the one who keeps my shit together in a crisis. Then again, I’ve never witnessed a shootout, much less been involved in one. And seeing the one man I detest most in life laid low with a bullet to the chest has left me feeling conflicted. I should care that he’s hurt, but part of me doesn’t. I know that makes me a bad person but knowing what he did to my mom cancels out any feelings of compassion I might have had.

When I’ve just about pulled myself together again, a horrible gurgling sound reaches my ears. It’s a horrific, wet, rattling noise. I hear Rage cursing under his breath, “Fucking sucking chest wound is not cooperating.”

I turn around, steeling myself for the terrible image of Rufus’ last moments on earth. It’s the death rattle that gives it away for me.

The rattling noise stops. When I raise my head, Rage is still trying to seal the wound on my grandfather’s chest with what looks like a Ziploc bag and tape, but Rigs reaches out and grasps his wrist. “Enough. He’s gone. There was no way for you to save him, brother. He lost too much blood and even if you had stabilized him the nearest hospital is too far.”

Rage slowly pulls his hands away and lowers his head. A long silence spins out as everyone is shocked that my grandfather is actually gone. Rufus was the one driving this situation whether intentionally or not. He was a stubborn old man who didn’t fit into the modern world. He was raised to think that women belong in the kitchen and children should be seen and not heard. For whatever reason, he couldn’t or wouldn’t move with the changing times, and that inability to learn and adapt drove my mom away and led to his death here today.

I kneel down beside him and for some reason I can’t quite grasp, I lean over and pull his shirt closed. Settling back down, I look over at the grim sight of my dead grandfather and the multitude of blood covered bandages lying around that spoke of Rage’s heroic attempts to keep the old buzzard alive.

The next thing I know, Ven reaches out and grabs me by one arm, hauling me to my feet before the blood starts to soak my clothing. He then does the same with Rage, who has been sitting staring at Rufus. Only Rage fights him, trying to shake Ven’s hands off him. Finally, Ven jerks him so hard that Rage comes staggering to his feet. His face is creased with several emotions that look like defeat, shame, and humiliation.

I step out and put my hand on his other arm. “Rage, stop. You can’t save everyone. You do know that, right?”

He pulls his head to the side, refusing to look at me.

I squeeze his arm, “My grandfather was older than dirt, meaner than a rattlesnake and the most stubborn man I’ve ever known. He hung in there long after all his friends passed. He lived free and proud, even though he didn’t believe others had that right. Good or bad, he’ll be remembered as a force to be reckoned with. Don’t let one old man’s death break you. I thought you were stronger than this?”

The moment the last sentence flew out of my mouth, I knew I’d hit a nerve. Rage’s head snaps around to look at me, his eyes haunted. No words are forthcoming to explain the transgression, but I get the worst feeling that he wasn’t able to save someone close to him, a father or grandfather maybe. Someone that my grandfather reminds him of. He’s fighting his own ghosts tonight.

Realizing this, I let go of his arm. “Let’s walk it off.” Glancing around, I see Rigs covering Rufus’ body with a blanket and the other brothers are rounding up all my grandfather’s ne’er-do-wells. “We’ve got a lot to take care of here tonight,” I tell him wryly.

Ven interjects, “Come on, brother. Let Rigs handle the body.” Glancing at me he states quietly, “We’ll see that your grandfather gets a decent burial.”

I nod. It never crossed my mind that he wouldn’t. When we turn, I see that Dan is standing beside my mom with his body bladed in a protective pose. He’s a little more diligent than I would expect him to be considering that Ven’s club brothers subdued all of Rufus’ men already.

As we walk forward to meet them, Dan tenses. I don’t understand his body language, but Ven does. He holds out both hands in a placating gesture and tells him, “Calm the fuck down, dude. The battle is over, Carol is free to return home with Amy and you’re considered an ally, not an enemy. All’s well that ends well.”

Dan glances over his shoulder at my mom, who speaks up, “Once we put this whole mess behind us, we need to gather up our brothers and decide how we’re moving forward from this.”

Ven responds, “Edmund, Big Joe, and Hal shot at members of our club tonight. The club will have to decide what to do with them.”

Dan’s voice turns angry, and he takes a step closer to us. “What the hell does that mean? Is the Savage Legion claiming the right of judge, jury, and executioner tonight?”

Ven tries to move forward but I grab his arm, forcing him to respond while out of striking distance. “It’s the savage part of the Savage Legion that we talked about back at the clubhouse. Most folks in this neck of the woods have enough common sense not to attack the Legion. Most of the men here attacked for money. Your half-brothers did it out of a sense of family obligation to their father. That will be taken into consideration.”

Dan’s expression blanks out. “Let me get this straight, you can’t share proof of their wrongdoings here tonight without exposing your own, so you’re going to go after vigilante justice, right?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Ven responds. Something about the tone of his voice tells me this is deadly serious business, and I should stay out of it. Unfortunately, I need to know for my own mental health if murdering them is on the table. “So, what are the possible outcomes?”

Ven’s head swivels around to look at me, disbelievingly. I quickly add, “I’m not judging, just curious.”

He answers, “It could be anything from a slap on the wrist, to working off damages, to something a little more permanent.”

My blood runs cold because, on top of everything that happened here today, he’s talking about murdering three of my family members. Whether I like to admit it or not, Edmund, Big Joe, and Hal are my uncles. Granted ones I detest for roughing me up all the time but they’re family, none-the-less.

My mom’s timid voice asks, “I would like to speak at the meeting that determines their fate. I don’t believe they’re bad men, they were just blinded by the thought of becoming rich.”

Ven sighs, “I’ll try to arrange it.”

Rage walks off and I tug Ven by the arm until he follows. Something dark and scary twists in my gut to realize the man I love is capable of murder. We go about seven or eight yards before we see Ven’s mother sitting on the ground with one of the brothers examining her ankle. We surge forward and Rage elbows the other man out of the way to look at it. She jumps when he touches it.

“I’m pretty sure it’s fractured,” he states grimly.

Ven motions Siege over. He looks down at her and asks, “What happened here.”

Meli uses her hands to pantomime a jumping gesture. “When I jump out of the way, I hear crunch and have much pain.”

Ven tells Siege, “We think it’s broken.”

He responds gruffly, “One of you can take her to the hospital. I can’t spare both of you.”

Rage speaks up, “You can take her, Ven. She’s your mother.”

This is the spot where the rubber hits the road. Ven responds, “We’re blood brothers. We took an oath. That means you’re just as much family as I am.”

Meli’s face lights up. I’m not entirely certain she truly understands blood oaths, but she appears to grasp that something positive happened for her son. It’s really sweet, but I think he needs to talk to her one-on-one.

I suggest, “My mom and I can take her. I’m not sure the three of us want to see what’s going to go down here tonight.” Ven’s arm closes tighter around me as if he’s reluctant to let me go. When I glance over my shoulder, my mom gives me a curt nod of approval.

Siege rubs his chin, “This might be the best solution. We don’t need women here to see justice done.”

“Just don’t go on a killing spree,” I grumble as Ven lifts his mother into his arms.

Ven counters with, “We’re not like that.”

When Siege clears his throat, Ven clarifies, “Not normally like that.”

After Rage stabilizes her ankle, he and Ven help us move Meli into the backseat of her vehicle and strap her in. My mom gets into the passenger side, and I climb behind the wheel. Ven lingers at the window on my side while Rage fusses over Meli, making sure she’s comfortable and her injured ankle won’t shift.

When Rage finally closes the door, Ven bends down to claim a short but fierce kiss. “Drive carefully sweetheart, and keep me posted, okay?”

I swallow thickly and nod. “Of course. Just… just don’t let this situation turn you into someone you’re not.”

He gets what I’m driving at and tells me, “They’ll probably cut off the lackeys with a stern warning and detain the rest at the clubhouse. Siege won’t make any decisions before calling a club meeting and allowing all of us to give our input.”

I feel the anxiety drain from my body. Just knowing they aren’t going to make any rash decisions tonight goes a long way towards setting my mind at ease.

He cups my cheek in one hand and lowers his voice. “We’re not monsters, you know.” His lips brush across mine and then he presses our foreheads together for a brief moment.

When he pulls back, I murmur, “I never thought you were.”

“Good. We always try to be fair, even to our enemies.”

“I’ll let you know when we get to the hospital,” I tell him awkwardly. I can still taste him on my lips, and I’m thoroughly shocked that after everything we’ve been through, his touch still affects me.

He taps the top of our car and says, “Off with you. I’ll talk to you soon.”

I start the car, feeling worlds more confident that the Savage Legion wasn’t going to kill anyone tonight. When I glance in the rearview mirror, I see Ven standing there staring at us drive away.

“My Serp has love in his heart for you, ma chérie .”

My mother turns to look at me, curiosity shining in her eyes. “It this true? Are you seeing this young man?”

I nod, giving her a tired smile. “Yeah, I most certainly am. Ven and his motorcycle club are the only reason I found you. They sifted through mountains of information, scoured the internet for signs of your whereabouts, and put up a good fight when Rufus hired a bunch of thugs to stop their investigation.”

“Do you love him?” her voice is low, but I can tell she’s getting excited.

I nod again, my smile getting a little bigger.

“As in maybe one day in the distant future getting married? That kind of love?”

I smother back a laugh. “Yeah, mom. It’s the kind of love that’s filled with romance, property cuts, and wedding bands. I want it all with Ven.”

I turn briefly to make eye contact with Meli in the back seat. “How are you holding up? Are you in a lot of pain?”

“As long as I do not move, it is good,” Meli says.

“Did you know about this love and marriage thing?” my mom asks her.

Meli makes an inpatient sound in the back of her throat. “ Oui, oui . I seen it with my own eyes. They way they look at each other tells the tale, my son said it was not real, but I see.”

My mother looks pleased as punch. That’s all it takes for the rest of our journey to the hospital to be filled with chatter about weddings, babies, and the like. After what she’s been through for the past eight months, I let her talk away. I don’t know if anything she says will come to pass, but if I’m honest, the thought of walking up the aisle with Ven one day makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive.

I don’t know if Ven or Rage phoned ahead, but before I can even get out of the vehicle, medical staff come running out of the emergency room with a gurney and whisk Meli away. My mom runs behind them, shouting for them to be extra careful not to accidentally bang her foot into something. I can’t believe the change in my mom, I had expected her to have collapsed in on herself after the months of being held by my grandfather and her brothers. But it’s like a new woman came out, one who’s not afraid to speak up and make herself be heard.

I park up and go inside the ER. They allow both my mom and I in the bay to wait with Meli. Fortunately they aren’t very busy, so the wait times are short. We step out to get coffee when the doctor comes to examine her. I try to talk to my mother about Rufus, but she doesn’t want to discuss her abusive deceased father. I know she just needs a few hours to get used to the idea that he’s gone. Wanting to gab about everything except the elephant in the room feels like some form of denial, which we all know is the first stage of grief. I just cut her some slack and give her a hug.

I can’t believe she’s finally back by my side. Truly, it’s a blessing and I was starting to lose hope of that ever happening. We spent time with Meli while her ankle was x-rayed and put in a cast. Since it’s a small fracture no surgery is needed, and she’s discharged but told someone needs to stay with her for the next twenty-four hours, so we decide to take her to the clubhouse.

***

My mom and Meli chat all the way to the clubhouse, Meli is clearly feeling good because of the pain medication they gave her. It’s kind of nice how they’ve taken to each other and my mother is coming out of her shell a little bit. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that she’s back. If I’m being honest, it’s a relief knowing my grandfather isn’t going to try to snatch her away again. Even with the grief of his death bearing down on me, I feel lighter and more carefree than I have in my entire adult life. I’m still a bit wary about what Ven and his club brothers have planned for my evil uncles. But I feel certain that they’re gonna hear my mom out and make her a part of the decision-making process.

While my mom and Meli are talking nonstop about weddings, my mind wanders back to Ven and what’s going on back at the farm. I know that everyone else calls the Grayson spread a ranch, but I grew up thinking of it as farm and old habits die hard. I don’t care about that farm, not one little bit and I suspect my mom feels the same way. It’s a door best closed for good in my opinion.

Ven is definitely a door worth opening though. He’s the most fascinating man I’ve ever met—in addition to being kind, generous, protective, and willing to put himself in harm’s way to help me rescue my mother. He’s rough around the edges, rides hard, and plays harder. He comes to bed late, wakes me up and wears me out with amazing orgasms and then gets up early the next day to protect our town and kick ass. I can’t help but smile as I think of him.

And I keep on smiling right up until I get to the clubhouse and see the gaping hole in the front where the prospects have hung a tarp over. Ven had told me about an explosion, but seeing the damage with my own eyes, makes me realize how close I came to losing him.

I pull around the back, I see my mother gaping at the damage to the front of the building as we drive past. She just stares and stares some more before whispering, “Has the building been damaged long? Is it safe for us to go inside?”

“It wasn’t like this when I left this morning, mom.”

Meli speaks up. “Do not think about what could have happened. My Serp and his club brothers have faced worse.”

I glance at her in my rear-view mirror and see her give a slight shake of her head. She’s absolutely right, now is definitely not the time to think too much about whatever happened here. I personally feel as though today has just been one mini crisis after another. We all need to slow our roll and take a breather.

We help Meli into the clubhouse and head straight up to Ven’s quarters. Once the door is closed and locked, all thoughts about what’s going on outside fade away.

I make Meli comfortable in one of Ven’s recliners where she can put her foot up. My mother prowls around his kitchen making us tea, I try and stop her because she’s been doing enough for my grandfather and his men for the last few months, but she stops me and says that she needs to keep busy. So I let her potter around.

Just the three of us hanging out feels right. When I start to get to my feet to help, Meli grabs my hand. “Tell me about Rage. Are the three of you together now? Is that why Ven said he was part of our family?”

I must have looked confused.

In that moment, she clarifies, “I speak of ménage à trois. Three people, one love. I do not judge.”

I can feel my cheeks burning and I shake my head. “No! Absolutely not! Nothing like that!”

This woman destined to become my mother-in-law settles back in the chair and says, “Tell me. I must know.”

I sit back on the sofa, I’m probably not the best person to explain this to her but I’m going to try because I’m still not on board with them assuming she’s going to happily run with the idea of Rage becoming her bonus son.

Thinking it over for a second, I choose my words carefully. “I believe Ven always wanted a brother.”

“Yes,” Meli agrees. “When he was a child, he wished for a brother.”

“Well, he made a blood oath of brotherhood with Rage. The vowed to have each other’s back for the rest of their lives and live as true brothers, rather than just club brothers.”

Her eyes sparkle with interest. “Oaths were taken?”

“Yes, I think they want to be involved in one another’s lives, look out for each other like brothers would.”

My mother walks in carrying three mugs of tea and hands ours to us. “The more the merrier, right dear?”

I smile up at my mom and nod. “Yeah, I suppose. Rage doesn’t have anyone in the way of family, so he jumped at the chance.” Taking a sip, I drop the ball. “They were hoping you might even accept Rage as a kind of surrogate son, since he likes you so much and never had a mother of his own. What do you think about that idea?” I ask casually.

Meli’s eyes light up at the suggestion. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to have another son.”

“Ven thought you might like the idea.”

“Indeed I do,” she murmurs as she sips her tea.

We talk for a couple more hours, until we’re all utterly exhausted. Siege had gotten the prospects to make the room next to Ven’s suite ready for my mom and Meli, so me and my mom help Meli into bed and I make sure both of them are settled before I head back to Ven’s suite.

I grab a quick shower and fall into bed. I worry that I won’t be able to sleep for worrying about Ven, but I find that sleep comes up on me, hard and fast, overwhelming my desire to stay awake until he gets home.