Chapter Twenty

Remy

B y the time we tear Jovie away from the kitchen and all her new "aunties", bathe her, shower ourselves and get into our PJ's, the interrogation is over and all the brothers decide that the movie night should take place in the common room. Jovie has gone from being a neglected little girl to a little girl with three new grandfathers, two new grandmothers, and at least two dozen aunts and uncles.

Jovie is now perched on a plush pink bean bag watching Nitro, Fox, Rider and Switch argue over why we should watch their choice of film. All little girl safe, of course.

"Jovie, princess, don't you want to watch a really cool film about two best friends, who are toys that come alive when their boy is asleep or at school? There's a sausage dog in it," Nitro says as Fox nods behind him.

"Look, Joves, that's a good movie and all, but what about one with a badass little Scottish girl with hair like mine?" Switch says, somehow using a quieter voice than usual. Rider is behind him, nodding emphatically.

Wire and I watch as the little girl who burrowed into everyone's hearts taps her finger on her chin, her little brows furrowed before smiling up at Switch and yelling "Badass ginger!"

She bursts into giggles as Rider and Switch tease Nitro and Fox, but she's a soft-hearted little thing, so she pats Nitro's hand.

"It's OK, Uncle Nitro, we'll watch your one tomorrow."

He smiles down at her and musses her hair. Which reminds me, I need to know how to care for it.

"Hey babe -"

"Already on it baby,"

"I didn't even say anything!"

"No need. I know you."

Letting out a sigh, I snuggle deeper into his arms. "Thanks for having my back."

"For always, Retta."

I smile at the nickname and look around at the family we have in the room. When I left the Death Riders, I did so, knowing it was only for a short while before I'd be back to help my family. Instead, I found a new family here, one that accepted me and helped me grow. Now, my closest Death Rider family are moving here over the next few weeks, starting new lives.

It's crazy how much has changed in such a short time, including me. Not only did I buy a completely new wardrobe that I'm excited to wear, but today I also did something I would never have had the confidence, or lady balls, as Chewy says, to do. I called Rose Grove Library, and I told them that unfortunately, due to what happened, I will not be returning. Did I love my job? Yeah. But the part I loved the most was seeing Jovie, and now I get to see her every day. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for work just yet, but I'm sure I'll find my path soon.

"Psst, Remy." Turning at the sound of my name, I see the girl gang and Sasha all waving at me.

Wire turns to look over his shoulder, sees what's happening, grins down at me and tips my head to go to them. Smiling, I drop a kiss on his lips and then quietly tiptoe into the kitchen, so as not to disturb all the big, burly alpha men watching a little kid movie.

We all lean against the counter, looking through the window part of the kitchen at the scene.

"Look at them all. Who would think that's what all those tough men get up to?" Nat says, smirking.

Even Marx, who is sitting at the bar pretending that he's not watching, is watching.

"Looks are deceiving. Do I look like the type of person who goes around punching bad guys starfish?"

We all turn to stare at Chewy. Ana's eyes narrow as she mouths "punching starfish". Sasha must know what the term means because he's trying hard not to laugh.

"Butt fucking, ladies. Keep up."

"It's hard. You have such a wide vocabulary," Nat says, deadpan.

"It's one of my autism super powers. It really must suck to be walking around with a neurotypical brain." Chewy shakes her head, genuinely looking sad for us.

"Anyhoo, how are you holding up after your time in the shed, Rem?" Sunny asks, in her big sister mode.

"Honestly? It was kinda gross, and I feel bad that I killed a man. But at the same time, I feel… powerful. I managed to slay a demon today." I smile at my friends. "But I don't want to do that again. No offense, Chewy, but you can keep your job."

"Of course, I'm by far the best enforcer this MC has."

"Even better than Rhodie?" Ana asks, a twinkle in her eye.

"We have different specialities. He's brute force. I'm more, delicate." She says as Ana snorts loudly.

"Anyway, ladies and man. I think we need to organize a Girls' Night. What do you say?" Sunny says. Sunny loves a party.

"Oh! I know how to girls' night. I have a good idea for one too. Can I do the entertainment?" Chewy has her hand up. The rest of us all look at each other before shrugging. "Yussss!"

"Well, then. That's sorted. I better get my man and get going. Growing humans makes me tired." Ana says on a yawn as Sasha adds, "And gassy," under his breath, dodging her ill aimed punch.

"Hear, hear sister! I'm gonna grab Savage and make him rub my feet," Nat cackles as she heads into the common room, the rest of us following.

Instead of heading straight to Wire, I take a detour to the bar.

"Hey, Takoda."

"Hey Remy."

"Um, I just wanted to thank you for the Rug Rats tent. Jovie loves it."

"Oh, it was nothing. It was just sitting in a box of stuff my mom had in the attic from when I was little." His cheeks pinken a little as he busies himself with wiping the bar top.

"Well, it means a lot. When I was a kid, really little, I had the same tent. It was my safe space. I could hide in there and no one could get me. You brought back a lot of memories for me, and I'm so glad that I can share that with Jovie, so thank you, Takoda. It means a lot." I lay a hand on his and give it a squeeze. He gives me a small smile and nods his head before I let go and he goes back to his work.

Smiling to myself, I turn to look at the room and all the people in it

"It's a good sight, huh?" Marx's rough voice rumbles next to me.

"That it is, Pres. Although, I have to ask, why are we all in here relaxing when we could be chasing down whatever info you got out of Snake and Gavin?"

I follow Marx's gaze to the little girl that's now snuggled on Wire's lap.

"We've been wading through shitstorm after shitstorm for months now. No matter how many men we put down, more rise to make the world a fucked up place. We could all be out there, chasing down leads and working off the tips Snake gave us, but that shit will still be there tomorrow. Tonight is about welcoming a little girl into our family. It's about spending time with our brothers, old and new. And taking a little time to count our blessings that tonight, we are all happy and whole. Tomorrow we'll call a meeting and go through what we have, but for tonight, let's just enjoy each other."

Looking up at Marx, who I initially thought was scary and gruff, I see a man who cares deeply about everyone in his clubhouse.

"Thank you, Marx."

The big man shrugs. "It's what we do."

I feel Wire come up behind me. Turning, my heart turns to mush as he stands there, Jovie crashed out in his big arms.

"Ready for bed, baby?"

Smiling up at my little family, I follow Wire down the hall as the manly men watch the end of Brave.

Wire

Tightening my arms around my woman, I snuggle my face deeper into her hair, breathing her in before I get my big ass up and ready for the day. She had a late night last night, what with me fucking her mercilessly after we put Jovie to bed in her pink glittery room.

Dropping a kiss to Remy's naked shoulder, I gently untangle my legs, sliding my arm out from under her, so as not to wake her. Pulling on a fresh henley, jeans, socks, boots and my cut, I creep out into the control center, quickly doing my morning checks to make sure all is good in my world. Well, as good as it can be before Marx presents Chewy's findings this morning and fucks up our world all over again.

Shuffling has me turning toward the door in time to see two white bunnies standing in the doorway.

"Hey, good morning sleepyhead," I coo quietly, "Did you sleep well?"

Jovie shuffles closer to me, turning slightly as she reaches me, standing between my legs, allowing me to pick her up and place her in my lap before giving her a morning cuddle. I never knew I'd have such strong feelings for a kid I'd met at the library, but this kid is absolute magic.

"Morning Wire."

"You ready to get dressed and have some breakfast? We'll let Remy sleep a little longer, OK?"

"OK." She nods and places her head in the little crook between my shoulder and jaw, just like Remy does when she snuggles.

Lifting her in my arms, I carry her back to her room, sitting her on the bed while I look for clothes for her.

"Huh. Where did your aunts hide all your clothes, Jovs?"

She giggles before sliding off the bed and leading me to her closet. Opening the door, I can see all her new clothes hanging. Looking down at her, I raise a brow. This is quite a different wardrobe to what my sisters had growing up. Instead of a row of dresses, I'm met with a row of shirts, all with dinosaurs on the front. Under the dinosaur shirts is a row of cargo pants and shorts, all in different colors. Under that, a couple of pairs of little biker boots. Huh.

"Jovs, how come no dresses? I thought you'd have a wardrobe full of them to match your princess room."

She giggles at me. "Wire! My princess room is pretty. But you can't play in dresses. The poofy's get in the way."

I shrug at her. I mean, she has a point. "Fair enough kid."

I hand her all the items she wants, and she goes about getting dressed. I only get the urge to punch things three times, each time when I see a different bruise on her brown skin. I'm glad Remy ended her father. If she didn't, I would have.

"Take a seat kid, let's sort this hair, yeah?"

Spraying her hair down with water, I then hit it with the detangling conditioner before combing it out with the wide-toothed comb my sisters recommended. Once it's detangled, I work all the different creams and oils through it like I did when my sisters were little.

"Right little miss, how do you want your hair today?"

She looks at me before a smile splits her face. "Like yours!"

Grinning, I pull it into a bun on top of her head, securing it with a scrunchie before doing her edges. She rushes to her little mirror, looking at herself from all angles before she claps and dances her way back to me. Throwing her arms around me, she kisses me on the cheek.

"Thanks Wire! I love it sooooo much!"

I grab her, toss her in the air and carry her giggling into the common room, ready for breakfast.

My brothers all call their good mornings to her, holding out big fists for her to bump, or teasing her about falling asleep through the movie last night. She giggles with them all before wriggling down to hug Mama Debs and Pops good morning.

"Looks good on you brother," Rhodie says as he stands beside me, sorting his breakfast.

"Thanks, man. Feels good too."

"How's things?" He raises his brow. I know what he's asking.

"Not as suffocating. I feel peaceful. Like, I'll still be an asshole about safety, but it doesn't feel like such a burden anymore."

His hand slaps my shoulder as he grins at me. "Good, brother. That's good."

Choosing a seat, I place my plate down with Jovie's next to mine. She comes running, climbs up and starts digging in. My kid is a good eater. I'm about to dig into my own breakfast when I freeze at the vision in the mouth of the hall.

There's my girl, but she's not the Remy we're used to. Gone are the tweed and frumpy skirts and blouses. In their place is a pair of jeans that look like they've been sprayed on, highlighting Remy's thick thighs and shapely legs. Instead of those old lady shoes, her feet are in a pair of black motorcycle boots. Instead of an ill fitting silky blouse with a book brooch, she has on some type of sweater that pulls tight across her amazing tits and accentuates her smaller waist. Instead of letting her jaw length hair sit straight as it usually does, she has pulled it up in a short ponytail, letting her beautiful face be seen.

"Holy shit, it's like when Sandy in Grease got that makeover," Judge whispers and I spin to growl at him.

Jovie sees what I'm looking at and claps her hands. "You look beautiful, Remy!" She throws her a thumbs up before putting another fork full of pancake in her mouth.

I want to stand and go to her, but I'm still in so much shock that before I even blink, she's standing right here in front of me.

"Fuck me, baby, you look, fuck, you look stunning." I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her down to me so I can claim her mouth. Pulling back slightly, I remember to mumble, "I loved you before, but this, fuck." I claim her mouth again until she pulls away, giggling.

"Tav!" I roar out. He stops in the kitchen hatch, assesses the situation, grins at me and disappears for a moment before coming out with a box in his hands, passing it to me.

Handing it over to Remy, her eyes dart between me and the box before she places it on the table. Gently removing the lid, she gasps softly, tears pooling in her eyes as she removes the cut I had made for her. Holding it up so all the ladies can oohh and ahh over the patch that says "Property of Wire." Slipping it over her shoulders, she runs her hand down the soft leather.

"You're a fucking vision, Remy."

"I love it." She beams at me.

"That's all that matters, baby. Sit down, I'll get your breakfast." I cut off her protests with a kiss and go to serve my woman.

Chewy and the other women let out whoops and "hot mama's" I even hear a "hubba hubba" from somewhere, but I ignore it because the look on Remy's face is all worth it.

"Alright, settle down you animals," Marx says, throwing a wink at Remy. "Now we're all here, including Roman and Sasha." Shit, I didn't even notice them come in. I knew the Tombs were all here. They're always here. "We can work through what we learned last night. Mama Debs?"

Debs steps forward, taking Jovie, who has finished her pancakes, by the hand. I can hear them planning out their morning, so I know they'll be busy for the next hour or so.

"Chewy, do you want to do the honors?"

Chewy steps up to Marx and then performs a deep bow before straightening up.

"Sure thing, bestie." She claps her hands while Rider growls. "Right. Gavin didn't have too much to offer other than he had been lurking around a bar in Roxwell and had overheard some of Hammer's nomads talking. He sold Jovie's mom to them, saw how much meth he could buy with the proceeds, and then sold Jovie. It just was a coincidence that the after school library program Jovie's mom had signed her up for was being run by Remy. Gavin, along with Snake, then hatched the kidnapping plan. Apparently Hammer had been trying to find a way to get to Remy. Her relationship with Jovie made it easier for them to get to her."

A round of cursing goes up, as well as many brothers shaking their heads.

"Did you find out why the fuck he was lurking around the yard?" Tank asks.

"He knew that they needed a place to keep Jovie and Remy so he was staking the place out. Officer Martin, who knew Gavin from growing up in the trailer park, told him that the yard and alley were owned by the MC, so choose somewhere else. When Jovie's mom Jayla died before they could sell her, Hammer told them to dump her in the alley and called in the tip. Did the same thing to Roman with another girl that also died in their care."

"Fuckers," Pops curses.

"Snake had even more for us to work with. We already knew that Hammer wasn't working with the Russians anymore, thanks to you, Roman." Chewy nods her head at him. "He also currently isn't in Texas anymore. He's been hiding out in Louisiana, working with a family there. Their reach and influence makes them hard to pin down."

Roman sits up. "Interesting. The Cajun Mafia stick to drugs, not girls."

"What about girls with drugs inside them?" Judge asks, his brow raised.

Roman shakes his head. "Not their style. Not the Orleans Mafia style either."

"Wait, those aren't the same families?"

"No. Different families. Our territories all butt up against one another. We know who is dealing what at all times. It's a sign of respect. Any slight against that would start an all out war and presently, none of us want that."

"You make it sound like you're all just out here doing legitimate business," Rider snorts.

"We are. We even have a WhatsApp group to make sure we aren't stepping on any toes." A few eyebrows fly up at this information. "So I can assure you, Hammer isn't working with the mafia."

"Roman's right. The name Snake gave me isn't mafia. It's Landry. I did a little research on them this morning. They're super religious types."

"Mormons?"

"Oddly, no. From what I could find out online, the patriarch touts himself as a prophet. And as with all self professed prophets, he has a shit ton of wealthy benefactors all paying for salvation. He has 13 wives that were too young to legally agree to marrying him and a large number of children. He's elderly and, from what I could find, unwell. Once he dies, his brother is next in line to lead the flock."

Marx frowns, rubbing his beard. "What the fuck would a religious sect want with trafficked girls?"

"I say we ask them. Valor Landry, the prophet's nephew, is in town this afternoon for a little Preach'n'Tell. He also has a van and was meeting Snake with Remy and Jovie." Chewy shrugs and then looks shocked when everyone shouts, wanting to know why she didn't just lead with that.

An ear-piercing whistle shuts everyone up and we all reclaim our seats while Marx glares at us.

"Look fuckers, we can't all ride out because that dick Hammer has us locked down with the pigs on our backs. Chewy has Snake's phone. She'll confirm that he's good to meet at the warehouse where they kept Remy and Jovie. Savage, Roman and I will meet with Landry. Gus, Jules and Sniper will be in position watching the warehouse's exits. Everyone cool?"

We all nod. We have a few hours to kill before the meet, so Remy decides to spend a little time with Jovie while I work with Tav at getting cameras set up in the warehouse. I need to have eyes on this.

Marx

"Everyone in position?" Wire asks through the headset.

The crackling voices of Gus, Jules and Sniper all sound off, one at a time, letting us know they're ready. Savage and Roman sit with me in the SUV around the corner from the meet. I'd much rather be on my hog, but we have to at least make it look as though we have girls to hand off to the sick fuck. So I will sit here and be suffocated by Roman's cologne.

"How much longer?"

"He's just packing up his soapbox," Remy's voice says into our earpieces.

"Wow, the librarian has a pleasant voice for these sorts of things," Roman says with a smirk.

A growl comes through the line, and we all know it's Wire. That just makes Roman chuckle.

"Car is on the move. ETA will be 2 minutes," Wire barks down the line.

I settle back into my seat; the leather creaking around my bulk. Valor Landry expects us to be waiting for him. Fuck that. We'll unsettle him by arriving after him. We watch a slick gunmetal gray van drive past, slowing to pull into the open garage door of the warehouse. Savage and Roman sit quietly with me, each of us busy with our own thoughts.

"What the fuck?" Wire's voice says in our earpieces.

"Wire? What's happening?"

"Holy shit! We got a third player, just pulled in on a Harley." This time, Chewy.

"Marx, get in there now. Something's going down," Wire barks.

Starting the SUV, I throw it into gear and gun it into the warehouse. Pulling in through the doors, I screech to a stop, throw open the door and duck behind it, in case of gunfire. Instead, we're met with a short, curvy woman, with cropped, dark hair standing in the back of the van, a body slumped behind her. And she's pointing a gun right at us.

"Who the fuck are you?" I demand.

Instead of answering me, she jumps down, walks a few steps closer before stopping again, eyes on me the whole time.

"I'm the bitch who will end you if you have little girls in that car." She flicks her gun toward the SUV.

Narrowing my eyes at her, I realize she isn't a threat. I'm not sure what she is exactly.

"We're here for Valor. Want some answers. Like where the fuck his business partner Hammer is. And why the fuck he was buying my new niece and sister."

She chews her lip for a moment before lowering her gun. "Who are you?"

"I'm Marx, Pres of Devil's Rose MC."

"DRMC? You know Tav?" She tips her head to the side.

Savage and I side-eye each other before nodding, her lips tipping up slightly in the corners.

"This is Savage, and Roman Bartashev -"

"Bratva. Heard you lost some drugs?"

Roman just stares at her as she shakes her head at us. "Valor isn't going to talk. If you want Hammer, he'll be scuttling back to these parts soon enough."

With that, she walks off, her boots thudding dully on the concrete floor. Savage looks at me before walking to the van and peering in.

"Fuck. Valor's dead. Single gunshot to the head."

Turning back to the mystery woman, I whistle to her as she throws her leg over a softail Harley. She freezes, her dark eyes glaring at me.

"Who are you?"

"Blanche Landry. Say hi to Tav for me."