Gator (11 page)

22

They stayed on the road for a week before they started heading north toward home.  They had stayed in pretty hotels with indoor hallways and even swimming pools.  Gator had bought her a pretty pink bikini at a little shop in a tourist town and she had worn it, proudly displaying her tiny baby bump.  He had loved her to sleep every night and every day he had loved her awake too.  Then they would spend most of the day on the road.  It was a freedom like she had never experienced before.  They checked in with Spec ever so often and he was sure he had figured out the threat at home, but he wouldn’t say over the phone.

It seemed like a weight settled on them as they started home, their carefree life was drawing to an end, but they needed a real life, one with a crib.

Gator’s loving became more urgent in the days that drew them closer to home.   He grew almost rough in the nights and too gentle in the mornings, but she understood.  They were headed for uncertainty and they didn’t know what they would find when they got there.

They rolled into the compound after lunch one day.  The sky was cloudy as if it too felt the heaviness in their hearts.  Lamb was the first one to see them and he ran to wrap Naughty in a bone crushing hug.  “Shit, I thought you were really dead.  I’m so glad you’re not.  Shift, I’m sorry.”  He said as he wiped his nose on the inside of his t-shirt.  “So glad you’re alright.  I felt so bad.  Wouldn’t have blamed Gator for killing me, I would have if I’d been him, but I guess he knew you were ok huh?”

Naughty smiled up at Lamb and nodded.  “Thank you for caring Lamb, it means a lot to me.”

He swallowed hard and nodded.  “Good to have you back Gator.  Thanks for not killing me like I deserved.”

“You’re welcome.”  Gator nodded as he took Naughty’s hand and led her toward the clubhouse. 

They stepped inside and there was a hush that fell over the room.  Jack was carrying a case of something, but stopped when he realized the room was quiet.  He met her eyes and all but dropped the case of liquor on the bar.

“Holy shit.  You’re ok?  The baby’s ok?”  He asked as he ran his hands over her.

She nodded and he turned to Gator and sent a punch straight into his jaw.

“You son of a bitch.  You could have let me know something.  You know how much I care about my girls and you let me think she was dead.  Fucking douche move Gator.”

“Consider us even.”  Gator said as he rubbed his purpling jaw.

Jack pulled him into a hug that had to hurt, but Gator allowed it and patted his friend on the back.

Several others offered ‘glad you’re not dead’ sentiments as they passed and Naughty smiled at each of them.  Gator pulled her until she was inside Preach’s office.  She had only been in this room once and that was not something she wanted to remember.  She met Preach’s eyes and he nodded once, yeah he remembered too...awkward.

“Good to see you both in one piece.  We’ve found the mole.  Shift ain’t right, but it is what it is.  Come on downstairs, both of you.  You need to hear all of it.”

Naughty followed Gator down to the basement of the clubhouse.  She had heard about this place and knew few ever left once they went down those stairs.  She kept a death grip on Gator’s hand.  He squeezed it back to reassure her, but it didn’t help.

She gasped when she saw the man with the dark hair, the one that had fondled her.  He was strapped to a chair and had been beat all to hell, but they didn’t stop there.  Preach noticed her pause.

“He’s not innocent either, but that’s shit from your past.  Let you deal with it Gator.”

Naughty’s mouth fell open, but she kept walking.  There was no way she wanted to be left alone in this place.

Preach opened a door and Naughty gasped when she saw Fox strapped to a chair.  His face was bruised and one eye was swollen shut.  He looked up at her and let out a pained sob.

“I’m so glad it wasn’t you.”  He slurred through swollen lips.

“He’s not the only one and not the worst, but he gave information to an enemy.”  Preach kicked Fox’s foot.

“Not on a brother or the club, just her.”  He choked as tears leaked out of his eyes.  “I had no choice!  I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice.”

“Bullshit!  You could have come to me!”  Preach slapped Fox hard enough to rock his chair back.

“Why Fox?  After everything, why?”  Naughty whispered.

“Because I loved you and I loved Gin.  They made me choose.  They showed me that they could reach me at the diner.  They showed me how easy it would be.”  His voice broke.  “I had no choice.”

Naughty wiped her face.  She had trusted him.

Gator’s teeth were gritted so hard she was sure they would crumble.

“This one’s yours Gator, it’s your right.”  Preach handed Gator a gun and Naughty sobbed.

“Not with her in here.  She’s had enough.”  Fox pleaded and Gator agreed.

“Later on Preach.”  He nodded and Preach nodded back.

They made their way to another room where Rena and Mace sat behind thick iron bars.

“Rena thought she could get back at Choo-Choo. Tried to off Josie, she failed and got her ass kicked for her trouble.  Josie is a feisty one.”  He grinned at Rena when she started spitting curses.  “But the ring leader of this little shit storm is our own red headed wonder fuck.  Rena was pimping out the girls, since you were on the no fuck list you were safe.  She was dosing them with some good shit and selling their pussy for a nice profit.  Mace here was getting her the dope from our phoenix brothers and filling their ears with how horrible all of us brothers are.  For now we have the little problem with Phoenix under control.  They have a new Pres and a few of our boys are headed out there to make sure this shit stays dead.”

“Where’s Baker you son of a bitch?”  Mace spat.

“Right on the other side of that wall sweetheart.”  Preach pointed behind her.  “Don’t worry, we don’t kill kids.  His old lady is free to keep that boy.”

“That’s my fucking kid you animal.”  Mace spat.  “He’s mine!”  Angry tears rolled down her face.  “I just want my baby back.”

Naughty felt her own tears running down her face.

“Why did you drug Naughty?  She has a right to know.  Might earn you some leniency.”

“I knew they were coming.  I gave her something to make her woozy.  I knew about the baby so I was careful.  I knew if she was sick Gator would step up and keep her safe.”  Mace sobbed.

Naughty laughed and then she laughed more.  Her laughter came out as hysterical as it shook her body.  She felt Gator’s arms go around her.

“Tiffany are you alright?”

“She’s so full of shit.  Tell me you aren’t buying any of this!”  Tears flowed from her eyes as both men stared at her.  Then Rena started laughing as Mace started spitting curses so vile a sailor would blush.

“You fucking whore!  You don’t know shit!” 

“I know that what you gave me was not mild.  The doctors at the hospital pumped my stomach and were still worried about damage to my fucking kid!  You will get no sympathy from me!  I remember what you said as I lay writhing on that couch.  You told Gator I had men!  You told him and you knew it wasn’t true.  Your kid is better off not knowing what a horrible bitch his mother is!”

“You have no right!  I deserve my kid, but you don’t.  You don’t deserve anything.  You had a life, one we all dreamed of and you threw it all away.  Then you come here and still end up ahead of me.  I’ve done everything right and I’m still shaking my ass with no one looking to put a patch on me.  Baker was my only chance and his fucking wife took my kid.  Fuck you.  I hope your baby dies.  I hope its born retarded!”

Naughty picked up a chair and threw it at the bars.  Mace backed up.  She looked around and finally realized any hope for leniency was lost.  She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands.

“I hope they make you watch as they kill him.”

Then she turned and walked out of the room and down the hall to where the man with the dark hair sat against the wall.

“What the fuck is your problem?  Why have you been stalking me you creepy bastard?”  She demanded.

He looked up at her.  “I wanted to make him suffer the way he made me suffer, but he’s dead, so I wanted to hurt you instead.”

“Who?”  She demanded.

“Thomas.”

She gasped and stepped back.

“Why.”

“He ruined my life.  He was fucking my wife.  She was leaving me for him when the shooting happened.  After I thought we might be able to work things out.  She killed herself.  She burned my house down around her.  I couldn’t make him suffer so I guess I wanted to make you suffer instead.  I didn’t mean any harm.  Please don’t let them kill me.”

She bent down in his face.  “Then you get the fuck out and leave me alone.  Forever.  You don’t even think about me or I let my old man bury you alive.  You get me?”

“I get it.  Please just let me go.”  He begged.

Gator stepped up behind her.  “What do we do with him?”

“Cut him loose.  He’s not a threat.  Just another crazy.”

“If this is what you want.” 

“It is.  There’s been enough death around here lately.”

She turned and walked up the stairs and out into the clubhouse, but she couldn’t breathe.  She kept walking until she stood outside, in the back yard.  She panted for breath, but it was so hot.  She felt arms around her, but they weren’t Gator.  She knew his arms.

“Shhhh calm down now little chicken.  Breathe deep.”

She knew that voice. 

Moose.

She heard a shot and knew Fox was gone.  She let out a sob and turned to Moose.  He held her close.

“Glad you’re ok Chicken.  Had us all pretty heart broken.”

He kissed her head and rubbed her back.  “Gator is good Chicken.  He will take care of you.  He will make a good daddy too.”

“He just killed Fox.  He killed him Moose.  How can he be a good daddy after that?”

Moose lifted her chin.  “Same way the rest of us do it.  Shad is an amazing father.  We keep it separate.”

“You too?  I can’t see you like this.  I can’t see you as a killer.”  She hit his massive chest as hard as she could and he didn’t flinch.”

“We all do what we have to.  We do bad things to hang on to the little pieces of good that we have.  It’s a balance.  We do the bad shit so our families are safe, so our kids can grow up happy.  We do it to make us strong enough to fight our demons.  We do it so we’re strong enough to fight temptation when we know it will destroy us.”

He said the last as his eyes dropped to her mouth.  He was good at fighting temptation, she had to be too.

She laid her head on his chest.  “I’m not as strong as you.  This all tears me up.  I trusted Fox.”

Moose sighed.  “We all did.  He didn’t betray the club, not really, but he showed us he was too weak to trust and he showed others.  There was a way to handle it, but really, honestly, he had to be taken out because he scared us all.  We all know that we would do it the same way.  We all know that we are weak and we betrayed him by being too weak to look him in the face and see ourselves.”

Naughty’s body shook with her sobs.

“You would give me up too?  Who do I trust then?”

“You trust yourself and you trust your man.  No Chicken, I wouldn’t give you up because I feel the same way Fox did, but I don’t lay down and take it, I fight.  SO maybe I’m not so much like him and maybe everything I just said is bullshit, but it sounds better than saying I’d never fucking make that choice, no matter what it cost because I’d never be able to live with myself.”

“You’re a good man Moose, good old man, good father.  You never crossed the line, just kept it above board.  No one would have known or said anything.”

“I’d have known.  I’d have gone home to Bambi and I’d have known and it would have eaten me up until I told her and hurt her way more than she deserves.  A little pleasure from you isn’t worth hurting her or my daughter, risking everything.  No, you get to stay a dream and I’m ok with that cause now I get to see you happy too.”

“Will you be happy or find another girl to dance for you?”

He pinched her chin and grinned down at her from his towering height.  “There’s no other girl I want dancing for me Chicken.”  Then he pressed a hard kiss to her lips and let her go.

“What was that about?”  Gator asked from the doorway.

“Just a goodbye of sorts I think or maybe a hello, I can never tell with Moose.”

Gator didn’t comment, he was good like that.  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head.

“Let’s go home beb.  I think you need to soak in the tub for a day or two.”  He inhaled near her neck and sent chills racing over her skin.

Naughty giggled and wiggled to get away.  “Are you saying I stink?”

“I’m sayin’ I want you naked for about two days.  In the shower.”  He kissed her shoulder.  “In the tub.”  He kissed her again.  “In our bed.”  He bit down on her neck.

She felt her knees go weak and butterflies flutter in her belly.  She loved this man.  It didn’t matter what he did at work, she loved him.  He was Gator and that meant amazing things to her, but mostly it meant she was accepted and safe.  It mean she would never be alone again.