Spike (Aces MC Series Book 3) (6 page)

It was nearing bedtime, we had watched 'Little Mermaid' and 'Brave',
two of my favourite Disney films. Tommy yawned right on cue, which made us
laugh, "Come on you two let's get you cleaned up and into your new
pyjamas." They didn't need much encouragement and swiftly ran to the
bathroom to brush their teeth with their new toothbrushes.
I ran them a shallow bath and decided to put them into the tub together because
it was getting late and this would save time.
Devon was ever the independent child struggling but managing to remove her
clothes, chucking them in a pile on the floor before splashing happily in the
water.
I tenderly turned to Tommy and removed his arms carefully from his t-shirt as to
not hurt him further and removed the lightweight t-shirt over his head. The
bruising had come out straight away last night from the force of Liam's assault
but the bruising had intensified and now looked sore. I had given him pain
relief throughout the day but I only had two tablets left.
"Where does it hurt baby?"
Tommy quickly pointed to his side and began to well up, trying to keep the tears
at bay.
"You don't have to be brave any more Tommy, you can cry baby." With
my words the dam broke and Tommy let out an almighty sob as he fell into my
arms. I soothed him as best I could trying not to hold him too tightly for
obvious reasons.
"Like I said this morning in the kitchen Tommy, I will never let him hurt
you again. I promise you that." Tommy didn't make eye contact instead he
chose to look at the floor, "Look at me baby, I promise." He nodded
and I helped him to remove the rest of his clothes before he got into the bath beside
his sister.
"Tommy, being the oldest twin and able to make the best decisions, I'm
going to be nice and have the tap and plug end tonight."
Tommy's face lit up and he quickly moved to the other end of the bath tub as
Devon acted like she'd just given him the world. I smiled at the strong
children in front of me. I didn't know how long it would take for us to get
back to normal, I didn't even know what normal looked like these days but I was
determined to get my life in order no matter the cost.
I was going back to the refuge tomorrow to see if I could possibly use their
facilities and start the ball rolling to apply for housing, I also needed to
get Tommy to a doctor but without it going on his records as I didn't want any
trace to lead Liam to us.

There was no way that I was sleeping in a different bedroom
to the children tonight. I wasn't prepared to let them out of my sight, so I'd
insisted that we all sleep together in Amy's bedroom much to Devon's annoyance.
Despite their protests, the twins had both fallen asleep quickly probably due
to the excitement of today's events. I let out a loud yawn and decided it was
time to turn in although it was only 9.00pm. I had already put the deadbolt on
but I decided to push a small bookcase in front of the door, making it
difficult for anyone to enter the building. Now that the apartment was secure I
felt more comfortable in taking a shower and remove the gunk from my face. I
hated wearing layers of makeup, it really wasn't me and once these bruises had
gone, I was hoping that I would never have to do it again.
I turned on the shower and lathered my body mindful of my bruising as I enjoyed
the hot spray, slowly moving from side to side to try and release some of the
pent up frustration and anxiety from today. My stomach did another somersault as
I thought of Liam and how angry he would be, doing everything within his power in
order to find us.
Thoughts of Liam urged me to be close to the twins, I quickly turned off the
shower and wrapped a towel around my body as I hurried into the bedroom. The
twins were curled up peacefully on either side of the bed and I swiftly changed
into a pair of pyjamas and towel dried my hair, making sure that I wouldn't
make a mess on the pillow. I closed the bedroom door before wedging a chair
under the handle to make it more secure, deep down I knew that no one would
break in but I wanted to be able to give myself as much time as possible if
such an event should happen.
Getting into bed quietly, I leaned over and kissed the twins lightly on the
forehead. I lay next to them looking at the children sleep peacefully, thankful
for the people that had taken us in and accepted us into their homes before
letting sleep invade me.

Spike

Amy and I joined the guys at our usual table at the club and
let out a loud sigh simultaneously as we threw ourselves down on the sofa
exhausted.
"You look like you need one of these," Duke held up the bottle of
Jack with a wry smile before filling two glasses.
"Fucking hell yeah!" I picked up the shot glass and downed it in one.
"And another," I stated pushing the glass towards Duke. He obliged
and filled the glass for me to down again, and I appreciated the warm feeling
working its way through my body as I tried to shake off my thoughts of Louise.
"So did she get to the refuge okay?" He asked looking sceptical as I
glanced over at Amy. "What's going on?" Duke leaned back making
himself comfortable on the sofa as he probably knew it was going to be a long
explanation.
"Well..." I was interrupted by Amy.
"She hasn't got a place in the refuge until Saturday, she was going to sleep
in her car but it caught fire so now she's staying at mine until then."
That about summed it up and I could see the cogs turning in Duke's head from
his facial expressions as he took in the information he'd just been told.
Duke leaned forward resting his elbows on the table with an unreadable
expression, "Let's get this clear, you're letting a total stranger and her
children stay in your apartment, whose husband is a little handy towards women
and children, and you don't see a problem with this?" he gazed at Amy
expectantly.
Amy shrugged as she clearly didn't see an issue with the situation, "She
has nowhere else to go Mitchell, what do you expect me to do?" Amy glared
at Duke, challenging him.
"Since when did it become your problem Ames? You clearly haven't thought
this through." He returned her stare.
"For fucks sake Duke, have a heart!" I interrupted trying to get the
attention off Ames who looked like she was about to explode.
"What, so you agree with this? I should've fucking known," he stated
rubbing his forehead. "The problem being Ames, when it goes tits up, which
it will, it becomes my problem because the club has to protect you."
Amy stood clearly annoyed, "I've never asked the club to protect me and
don't make it sound like it would be such a fucking hardship if it had
too." She grabbed her bag from the sofa, "I don't have to listen to
this shit. Enjoy your evening Spike, I'll see you at home later." She
turned to walk off clearly annoyed.
"What, you're not even going home? This is fucking priceless!" he
said sniggering. "So let's just get this clear, you're letting a total
stranger and her children stay in your apartment unsupervised who are probably
fleecing you as we speak and as I pointed out earlier has a husband who likes
to beat on women and children."
Duke was now standing, glaring at Amy who was walking back towards him for
retaliation. I let out a loud sigh as I knew how this was going to end.
"Don't you ever talk to me like that again, I'm not your bitch! You may be
able to talk to your club like that but I won't put up with any of your
shit." She rummaged in her handbag for something and her face brightened
when she removed her keys and threw them on the table in front of Duke,
"Get someone else to open the cafe tomorrow, I'm starting to feel a little
sick." She smirked as she turned on her heels to the chuckling from the
rest of the guys.
That was our Ames, I pitied the man who had to try and tame her. She was the
only women to be able to talk to Duke or any of the brothers like that, others
wouldn't dare but that's what made Amy unique and although she had tits she was
more like one of us then she knew.
"Well I think that went well." Bear said to another round of
sniggering as Duke sat back down on the sofa shaking his head.
"Can you understand where I'm coming from?" he asked looking around
the table at the group.
Although Amy wasn't directly linked to the club, she was well loved and respected
by all the members, so they didn't want to get into a slanging match. She had
been invaluable over the years and was the only female to infiltrate the group,
more so than the old ladies. She could be hard, soft and anywhere in between
and because she could adapt to situations quickly, we had used Amy for our own
gain a few years ago which had nearly cost Amy her own life and had
unfortunately resulted in her miscarrying.

"Why don't we put a prospect on this lady?" Bear
asked trying to calm the situation. "That way we can be informed of her
movements and know if she starts to move things out of Amy's apartment."
The rest of the guys nodded in agreement.
"Make sure it's discrete, I don't want her knowing that she's being
followed. She's been through enough already and is paranoid that her husband
will find her." I poured myself another drink.
The guys looked at me, taking in my comment.
"Have you taken a shine to her Spike?" Duke asked with a huge smile.
I glared at him, "She's fit that's for sure but she's been beaten up by
her fucking old man, I'm not that insensitive to try and make a move."
"Well let's move the conversation on, shall we gentlemen?" Hound said
trying to defuse what may become a heated discussion. "I've seen some kid
hanging around outside the yard. It doesn't look like he'll be any bother but
when I went to talk to him yesterday he ran away."
Duke rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "We'll keep an eye out. Just make sure
everything is locked up, I don't want to encourage him to do something he may
regret."
"Maybe he wants to become a hang around?" I stated, thinking about
how some of the other guys had infiltrated the group. Not all of the guys'
families had been involved with the club before they joined.
Duke nodded, "Maybe, but if he's scared of the softest member of the
group, I don't see much hope for him!" He sniggered at his own comment as
he folded his arms across his broad chest waiting for Hound to retaliate.
"Fuck off! There's still life in the old dog yet." Hound stated
looking pissed off by Duke's comment.
I stood, "Right if I'm not needed, I'm gonna go home. Is there a message
for Amy?"
"Yeah, ask her if the painters are in?"
The guys let out a variety of different responses from laughter to shakes of
the head at his comment.
I don't think Amy would be too impressed if I went home to talk to her about
her menstrual cycle. I raised my eyebrows waiting for a serious response.
"Tell her, I'll text her later."

"Hi Ames, It's only me." I shouted as I walked
into the living room.
Amy was sitting on the sofa reading on her kindle, she looked up with a tight
smile as I walked further into the room and threw myself on the sofa beside
her.
"Don't get the hump, come here."
I opened my arms and she came into my embrace willingly.
"Do you think I'm stupid to offer her somewhere to stay?"
I shook my head, "Not at all Ames. She had no one else to turn to and you,
a total stranger have taken her in, that's commendable in my eyes."
"I just imagined what it would be like to be in her situation. She has
limited funds and she's in a strange place where she doesn't know anyone. The
refuge does its best by these women but there's only so much they can do
because of the limited funding."
Amy moved out of my embrace as she retrieved her phone from her pocket to read
her text.
"Duke?"
"Yeah, he apologised for being an arsehole." She looked at me
confused.
"Well there's always a first for everything."
"There certainly is."

Louise

I opened my eyes and shot upright confused as to where I was
as my heart rate increased. Looking around the room I took everything in and at
my realisation I quickly placed my hands on either side of myself making sure
the twins were there. Devon snuggled further under the covers as I touched her lightly
on her back and as I glanced at Tommy, I noticed that he had a huge smile on
his face which surprised me.
"Morning little man," I said as I lay back down next to him.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough to hear you snore," he giggled.
I loved the sound of the children laughing. It was a rarity but I was going to
make sure that our new life was to include as much laughter as possible.
"Come on, let's go and make some breakfast before we wake your sister."
Tommy nodded his head eagerly as he pulled the cover back and jumped out of
bed. I followed closely behind him and removed the chair from in front of the
door. Holding out my hand to stop Tommy moving any closer, I slowly opened the
bedroom door and peered down the corridor to see that the bookcase was still
positioned where I'd left it. Letting out a sigh, I opened the door fully and
took Tommy's hand lightly as we went up the hall towards the kitchen.

Tommy placed himself at the breakfast bar, "So what do
you want to eat?"
Tommy shrugged, "Has Amy got any cereal?" he asked looking around the
kitchen.
I opened various cupboard doors until I found an array of different brands and
turned to see Tommy's delight as I removed the packets from the cupboard so
that he could select what he wanted.
"WOW! I've never seen so many boxes of cereal mum," he said
excitedly. "Can I have Coco Pops?"
I nodded as I poured the cereal into a bowl that I had taken from the draining
board. His reaction made me feel awful at the shear excitement he showed
regarding the selection of breakfast cereal which instantly made me feel like a
failure. Liam never allowed me to work, we lived on a tight budget once he was
sacked from the bank and when the twins came along things became even more
difficult financially. Cereal was a luxury and I only purchased it when it was
on special.
I placed the bowl in front of Tommy and his eyes enlarged at the sight of the
milk turning chocolaty before he scoffed the lot in record time.
"Slow done Tommy, you'll give yourself indigestion." I stated as he continued
to eat at lightning speed. Movement caught my eye, I turned to see Devon
stretching as she walked bare foot into the kitchen.
"Morning baby girl, how did you sleep?" I lifted her onto the stool
beside Tommy who had now finished his breakfast.
"Amy's bed was really comfy," she stated with a smile. "How long
are we staying here for mum? I like it here."
She looked at me expectantly, "Until Saturday Devon and then we're going
to the hotel. In fact, we're going there this morning as I need to speak to
someone."
"Are we going to see Spike and Amy today?" Devon asked as I placed a
bowl of cereal in front of her.
"I don't know yet, they're probably really busy but I hope so."

When we were showered and dressed in our new clothes, we
took what should've been a thirty minute walk to the women's refuge. This
journey in fact took a lot longer than expected but walking with two young
children and the constant feeling of being followed didn't make for an
enjoyable walk in the last of the September sunshine. By the time we arrived I
was a nervous wreck and the children were clearly restless.

I pressed the bell and could see a middle aged friendly
looking lady making her way towards the door, greeting me with a smile.
"Good morning, can I help you?" she asked as she looked down
continuing her smile towards the children.
"My name's Louise Walker. I'm not due to come here until Saturday but I was
told to pop along this morning to complete some paperwork, to get the ball
rolling with benefits and housing."
The woman smiled and opened the door further so that we could enter the foyer
which was a square room containing a desk in the far corner and a bright red
comfortable looking corner sofa. The lady directed us into what looked like an
interview room and handed me a huge pile of forms.
"Are you okay to complete these Louise or do you need me to help
you?" she asked softly.
I smiled, "I'll be fine thank you." I would try to complete the forms
myself before asking for any help as I needed to prove to myself that I didn't
need to rely on other people all of the time.
She turned and propped open the door with a wooden door stop, "I'll just
be outside if you need me." She glanced at the twins, "If you open
that box, you'll find some toys to play with." She said pointing to a pine
wooden toy box in the corner of the room.
The twins ran over to the box excitedly, lifting the lid quickly to see what
delights were inside. I smiled graciously at the lady before I turned to
complete the paperwork.
I hated to ask for help because it made me look and feel so weak. I was
determined to give myself a time limit and be off benefits by Christmas. To do
this I would need to think about enrolling the children in school and look for
a job, something local and flexible so that I could still take the children to and
from school. I was still anxious around large groups of people, I hadn't worked
a day of my life because I'd had children at such a young age but I had skills
that I think some future employee's may want such as organisational skills,
cooking and cleaning which were things that I'd become accustomed to over the
years.

I completed the forms and handed them to the women on the
reception desk. The children were now bored with the toys and were grateful
that it was time to go. I politely thanked the lady who was now smitten with
the twins, offering them another biscuit from her secret supply before we left
the building.
There was rain in the air and I didn't fancy my chances walking back to Amy's
for fear of getting wet. I looked in my purse to see that I had just over £180
which had to last me until my benefits came through. I had never relied on handout's
from the state before and this was going be tough but I didn't know how long it
would take so I needed to budget.
I came across Amy's mobile number, I needed to take Tommy to the local walk in
centre so that I could get him checked out. I was still giving him paracetamol
for the pain but I needed him looked at by a professional to make sure nothing
was broken. I let the twins run on the field to burn off some of their energy
but not too far so that I could still keep a watchful eye.

Rummaging around in my purse I found some loose change for
the phone box and dialled Amy's number, hoping that she could point me in the
right direction.
"Hello!" Amy answered slightly out of breath.
"Amy, it's Louise." I stated hoping that she'd be okay about me
contacting her.
"Hi Louise, I popped round this morning but you weren't there. Is
everything okay?" she asked in a concerned tone.
"Yeah, we're fine. I needed to run a few errands this morning."
"How did you and the twins sleep? I hope you had everything you
needed?"
Amy was just unreal, she was so caring and generally concerned about our
welfare, "We all slept great, thank you once again." I could hear the
emotion in my voice and tried to gain my composure, "Erm...the reason I'm
calling is that I need to take Tommy to a walk in centre. Is there one in the
area?"
There was a brief silence, "Where are you now Louise?"
I hesitated, "I'm at the park."
I heard her muffled voice as she covered the receiver talking to someone,
"Louise, I'm at a friend's house and we're about to have some lunch. Why
don't you and the kids come over?"
I glanced over at the twins happily chasing each other around the field. "Thanks
for the invite but I really need to get Tommy to a doctor," I stated.
"The club has a doctor. If you come over to Maggie's, I'll arrange for him
to come here."
Here I was again at a crossroads in my life.
What type of club was it to
have a doctor on hand?
"I think I'll just try to find a walk in centre
but thank you Amy." I said hesitantly in a quiet voice. I didn't want to
appear ungrateful but I just didn't feel comfortable accepting more help from
her.
"Louise, have I given you any reason so far not to trust me?"
I shook my head and then realised she couldn't see me, "No!" I said
quietly.
"We have a doctor who works for the club and if he can't come then his son
will. Tommy will be given the same level of care, if not better as we pay the
doctor a substantial amount of money. I know your struggling to trust and I
totally understand why Louise but sometimes you need to go with your gut
instinct."
The twins had now run over to where I was standing looking at me inquisitively,
"Okay I'll come."
I heard Amy let out a sigh, "Good, I'm pleased Louise. Are you at the park
by Somerset House?" she asked.
"Yes."
"I'll call a taxi for you and don't worry, I'll pay for it when you get
here. See you soon."
She hung up and I stood there in the phone box a little confused as to how the
conversation had gone.
"Where are we going mum?" Tommy asked looking at me with a confused
expression.
"We're going to see Amy and her friend."
"Yeah!" The twins said in unison.

We arrived outside the character property in a quiet
cul-de-sac. I opened the door to the vehicle and stared at the houses with
their quirky individual features. Amy came bounding out of the house, making
her way over to the taxi driver to pay him the fare, then turned to give me a huge
hug. "Hi Louise, I'm so pleased you came."
"I did have to turn down several lunch dates to come here," I stated
with a wry smile. Amy was so easy going that I couldn't help but like and feel
comfortable in her presence.
Amy smirked as she directed us towards the house where a lady who looked to be
in her early fifties stood, with a broad smile on her face.
She bent down so that she was eye level with the twins, "Hi I'm Maggie,
nice to meet you both." She held out her hand as the twins took it, to
politely say hello. "I've got a little problem that I thought you may be
able to help me with?"
This comment grabbed the twin's attention and I was intrigued as to what she
may ask them.
"My husband loves to eat cookies and I have to make some before he comes
home from work this evening. Do you think you'll be able to help me?"
"Yeah! I'm really good at cooking." An excited Devon said.
Maggie stood, glancing in my direction as I smiled. This group had welcomed us
with open arms and were making us all feel welcome, things like this didn't
happen to me and I was wondering when the bubble may finally burst.

We walked through the spacious entrance hall and into a
large kitchen. The children quickly ran to where the ingredients were positioned
on the kitchen work top and Maggie busied herself getting the children into
aprons and making sure they had washed their hands.
"Join me in the garden Louise." I was pulled from my thoughts to see
a pleased Amy gesturing to the patio area outside. I looked beyond her hand in
the direction of the magnificent garden that had an array of different boarders
containing flowers that I had only ever seen on television. As I looked around,
I could see a vegetable patch and further down the garden there was a huge tree
that had a tyre swing and a tree house.
"It's impressive, isn't it?" Amy said as she opened the patio door
and stepped outside into the garden. I quickly glanced behind me to see the
children in full flow and smiled knowing that they were enjoying themselves.
I entered the garden and took in a deep breath, taking in the aroma from the
flowers, "This is like an oasis, it's beautiful." I joined Amy on the
wicker chairs under the sun umbrella adjacent to where she was sitting and
stretched my legs, making myself comfortable.
"They've lived here for over thirty years, it's seen its fair share of ups
and downs during that time."
Amy glanced around the garden obviously reminiscing but I wasn't one for
gossip. We all had our secrets so I wasn't going to probe her for more
information.
Amy's eyes returned to me, "Do you want a drink?" she asked holding
up the jug which looked to contain lemonade.
I nodded and smiled as she poured the fizzy liquid into two tall glasses.
Taking the drink, I quickly took a sip and found it refreshing as I leaned
further into the chair resting against the soft cushion. I hadn't realised that
I was so wound up but as I sat here, I could feel some of that tension leave my
body.
"How you doing Louise? What did the refuge say?" Amy asked, curling
her feet beside her on the seat before taking a sip of her drink.
"I had to complete the relevant paperwork and they're still okay for me to
move in on Saturday." I placed the glass onto the table and leaned forward
slightly, "I just wanted to thank you again for letting us stay at your
apartment. You took pity on me when I needed it most and I will be forever in
your debt." I reached out and touched her arm.
Amy placed her hand over mine and smiled, "Don't be silly. I only did what
any normal human being would have done."
"That's where you're wrong Amy, normal people shy away from confrontation.
You're a strong woman, you certainly know your own mind. I only wish I could be
more like you."
"And so are you Louise. I don't know your back story but you mustered the
courage to leave your husband and get your children to safety."
My eyes dropped from her face, I couldn't bear to look at her through fear of
crying. I didn't want her pity, I was far from courageous or brave. I was weak,
I had allowed a man to rule every aspect of my life and with that had come so
much pain. I had allowed him to hurt me and my children, that was unforgiveable
and something that would take me a long time to get over, that's if I ever
could.

"The first batch is cooking in the oven." Maggie placed
a tray full of sandwiches on the table before she slumped into the chair beside
me, closely followed into the garden by Devon and Tommy.
"Mum, the cookies look great. Will we be able to eat them?" Devon
asked jigging up and down excitedly.
"Ask Maggie darling," I stated not wishing to presume.
"Of course you can have some Devon but they need to be left to cool down
once they've been cooked before you eat them."
Our conversation was stopped by the sound of the bell.
"That'll be James, I'll get it." Amy stated as she jumped to her feet
and tried to walk casually to the door containing her excitement at his
arrival.