Woods (Aces MC Series Book 5) (15 page)

The door flew open and I stopped moving knowing that I
couldn't back out of telling him now even if I wanted to.
"Are you gonna come in here or are you gonna pace up and down all evening
and wear my carpet out?" Duke folded his arms across his chest raising his
brows waiting for a response.
"Yeah, I was just about to knock," I lied.
Duke sniggered and stepped aside inviting me into his office. "So what can
I do for you?" I strolled into his office and stood waiting to be asked to
sit. He gestured with his hand and I choose the sofa in the corner of the room.
I knew that I was betraying Lauren's trust by being here but it needed to be
dealt with in the right way.
"The pregnancy was nothing to do with me." I blurted out needing to
get it off my chest. Duke frowned, "I promise, I haven't laid a fucking
finger on her. I'd obviously like to but I promise you I haven't."
I could see Duke taking in what I was saying, "Okay so what do you know
about the pregnancy?"
"I believe she slept with a bloke at a party. Now I don't know for sure
but when I picked her up she was distressed and she had blood on her, you know
sort of in that region." I indicated with my finger around my genitals.
Duke rolled his eyes at my way of explaining. "So I don't know if he took
advantage of her or was just a little rough but she was a mess."
"So why haven't you told me before now?"
"Lauren assured me that it had been just a stupid mistake so I assumed
that she'd had a one night stand and was just regretting it."
"When, where and who do you know attended the party?"
"It was in High Laver and I know Lauren went with Brooke. She may be able
to help you with more information." I was annoyed that I didn't know any
more information but I knew Duke would be able to find out.
"Okay, leave it with me and I'll do some digging." Duke let out a
sigh, "What the fuck we gonna do with Brooke? She is another Paige waiting
to happen!" He shook his head and banged his fist on his desk clearly
annoyed. He sat quietly composing himself and I could see that he was trying to
keep his cool after his little outburst, "You say you like her!"
I smiled, "I do, we've grown close over recent weeks. I know she likes me
too but we've both been fighting it. Me because of the club and Woods and her I
suppose because of the baby."
"Woods has just called to say that unfortunately Lauren lost the
baby."
I shrugged, "It wouldn't have mattered either way, I still like her and if
she had a baby by another man so be it."
Duke smiled at my comment which I thought was strange but I ignored it all the
same.
"Well I appreciate you telling me although this conversation should've
happened sooner."
"I know and I'm sorry but at that stage I didn't know then what I know now."
"Get yourself home and chill out as I have a feeling that things are going
to be a little hectic around here."
I nodded my head slowly and left the room as I took my phone from my pocket to
see if Lauren had tried to make contact. I sighed disappointed to see that she
hadn't. I knew that I could make her happy, she needed that in her life. There
was only so much that Woods could give her, she needed to find that special
person that would be able to help her balance her life and that person was me.

I pressed Whatsapp on my phone and brought up our messages,
I wanted her to know that I was thinking about her although I didn't know how
well it would be received.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. You know where I
am if you need me, I'm only a message away xx

Lauren

"So why have you brought me here?" Mark had collected
me early from hospital and had explained that he wanted to take me somewhere of
importance. We walked side by side down the winding path from the car park and
through the rose bush garden until we reached the grave of our parents.
"I come here when I need time to take stock of situations, it may sound
stupid but I like to tell mum and dad of what I'm up to and how things are."
Mark sat on the grass verge directly in front of their headstone, "I know
there's no one there to answer, don't go calling the men in white coats just
yet but it helps me to get things off my chest and reflect."
"I understand, to be honest I come here every Friday and do exactly the
same as it's so peaceful down here." I turned towards the grave and
removed a few of the flowers that were dying from the bouquet I left last week.
"So is there anything you want to tell me?"
I glanced back at him and frowned, "Like what?"
Mark rolled his eyes, "About the baby. You said it had nothing to do with
Ramsey so who was the father?" He spoke softly not wanting to upset me
regarding what he thought was a miscarriage but this was the perfect
opportunity for me to tell him some of the truth and with that he may get off
my back.
"I'm still pregnant." The shock registered quickly on his face.
"You just assumed that I'd lost the baby yesterday and I didn't have the
energy to argue with you if I'm honest."
"Okay," Mark held up his index finger indicating for me to give him a
minute. "Are you going to keep it?" he cringed as the words left his
mouth and I knew this was difficult for him. I nodded, "Okay but what
about your studies?"
"I've thought long and hard about this Mark and I'm dealing with one thing
at a time."
"You have worked so hard Lauren, you can't just throw it all away." I
could hear his voice crack and knew that he was trying to hold it together.
"I don't want a lecture, I want a bit of support." I needed to let
him know that this decision hadn't been taken lightly.
"I will support you with whatever you choose I just want you to think
about all of the options available to you."
"I've done nothing but think about my options since last night."
Mark nodded his head again taking on everything I said, "So who's the
father?"
"I don't want to do this now." I said firmly letting him know this
wasn't up for discussion.
"Do you know who the father is?" I raised my brows, "I'm sorry
I'm just thinking out loud babe ignore that question." My heart
accelerated as that was the problem, I couldn't be sure who the father was.
Marks phone rang, he removed it from his pocket and glanced at the screen
before returning it.
"Chloe?" he nodded,
"You can't keep
ignoring her calls."
"I'm not!"
"Yes you are. Think about how hard you fought to get her and now that you
have are you really just going to throw that all away?"
"It's not like that."
"Well what is it like because from where I'm sitting you have a good woman
who cares about you and you're pushing her away for no reason."
Mark smiled because he knew exactly how good Chloe was but I knew he was still feeling
guilty beating himself up regarding something he had no power over.
"Stop worrying about me, I'm okay. Just go to her Mark, patch things up
and just let her love you." Mark leaned closer and placed a gentle kiss on
my cheek. "You know you've grown into a strong young woman," he said
getting to his feet.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Well you need to because I'm proud of you babe and I know mum and dad
would've been to." Mark smiled and turned to look at their grave,
"They'd be really proud." Mark returned his attention to me,
"Are you sure you're okay here?"
I nodded, "Yeah, I just need some time to speak to them alone."
"I get that, I'm only a phone call away okay?" Mark patted my
shoulder as I stretched out on the grass and he walked in the direction of the
car park.

"Well now you know. I never
planned on being a mum especially at this age but there's no way that I could
end this life even in the circumstances in which it was created." I sat up
and pulled a blade of grass from the ground, passing it from one hand to the
other. "I was raped, not just by one man but by three. I honestly thought
that they were going to kill me mum, I was so scared that I did exactly what I
was told. I've never been so humiliated in all my life, to have your rights
taken away from you and someone to hurt you regardless of how many times you
ask them to stop was the most degrading experience of my life." I pulled
out another blade of grass and rolled it between my fingers giving me something
to focus on as I poured my heart out. "You always told me that things
happen for a reason. Now after that happened I was trying to contemplate what
that could possibly be because they hurt me more than anyone has ever done in
my life but it wasn't until I knew that I was pregnant that I really understood
the true meaning." I smiled and held my tummy, "This is the reason,
this is the good to come out of a bad situation and I promise to be the best
mummy that I can be and I know that I'll be able to do it because I had the
best mum to show me the way and teach me right from wrong. I didn't have you
for as long as I wanted you but I want to do all the things that we never did
together with my child and you'll be there with us in here every step of the
way." I placed my hand on my chest over my heart.
"The other good to come out of this bad situation is that it's brought me
close to someone. Now I don't know how he feels about me although I'm kinda
hoping he likes me like I do him. He's been supportive since the day of the
attack and has been around to keep me company when Mark has been out of town."
I pulled my legs up towards my chest and hugged them, "The only problem is
he thinks I've lost the baby. He's been in touch telling me that I can message
him any time but once I let him know that I didn't miscarry he probably won't
want to know and I couldn't blame him to be honest." I rocked back and
forth just thinking of how I'd approach that subject with him when I heard a
twig break behind me.

I quickly turned holding my hands
up in front of me should someone try and grab me, when I was greeted by the
prettiest of smiles.
"Sorry babe I couldn't help but overhear." Ink stepped further down
the path and made her way across the grass to sit beside me. "Congratulations
on the pregnancy by the way, that's wonderful news."
I smiled and brushed the hair from my face, it was nice to hear someone pleased
for me rather than giving me a lecture. "Thank you."
"So what's your plan or action?" I turned to face her not
understanding what she meant. "You know concerning the pregnancy. Everyone
at the club including Ramsey thinks you've lost the baby, I suppose it's not a
bad thing as people will leave you alone giving you time to get your thoughts
together but they'll start asking questions when you start to show." I
rested my hand on my tummy and rubbed. "You're tiny Lauren, I bet you're
probably showing already." Her words hit home, she was right I was but
probably only because I knew.
"Well I'll offer some advice from one pregnant woman to another. What you
do with that advice is up to you but I hope you listen." I waited for her
to continue, I had respect for Ink. She'd been through a lot recently and she
was close in age so she could relate to things that were affecting me.
"I'm in a loving relationship with a man that I want to spend the rest of
my life with but the relationship is still young which makes me worry
sometimes. I have that support from Diesel and I now have an extended family in
the club but it has taken me some time to get used to that." I understood
what she was saying but I was struggling to see how this was now relating to my
circumstances. "You'll need all of the support that you can get in order
to get through this. Now I know you're strong willed and will fight to be as
independent as possible babe but sometimes we need to take the help and support
that is on offer, believe me. I don't know if you and Ramsey are romantically
involved but even if you're not it won't hurt to have another friend in this
world."
She was right I needed to talk to Ramsey and explain my situation, I at least
owed him that much. "Ramsey is a good bloke he has similar characteristics
to Jimmy, he can be a little insensitive sometimes and says exactly what's on
his mind but he wears his heart on his sleeve which isn't a bad thing." Ink
stood and stretched as she did I noticed her baby belly and smiled at how
beautiful it looked. "I'll leave you with your thoughts but if you want a
lift back I'll be leaving for the clubhouse in around an hour as I just need to
tend to a couple of graves." Ink smiled and walked up the path leaving me
to contemplate her words.

It was unfair to start a
relationship with Ramsey with me carrying another man's child. Because he was
such a great bloke, he may feel obliged or just put up with the fact if he
wanted to be with me and I couldn't allow him to do that. No, it would be best
for everyone if I pushed him away and my feelings aside as I had enough to
think about with a baby on the way. I stood and walked over to my parent's
grave to kiss the headstone before gathering my handbag and jacket from the
ground. There was rain in the air but I needed to clear my head and decided to
walk the three miles home.

Woods

I headed straight for the Salon,
I'd been fucking stupid and needed to smooth things over with Chloe before it
was too late. Lauren was right, we'd been through so much this early in our
relationship and now that it had been okayed by the club, I was being a cock. I
needed to tell her how I was feeling regarding Lauren and then hopefully she'd
understand where I was coming from and forgive me.

My music cut out as my phone rang
and I quickly pressed
accept
when I noticed it
was Chloe.
"Woods, I know that you've got a lot going on but please don't hang up I really
need to speak to you."
She seemed desperate and I instantly felt like a prick for pushing her away as
I'd hurt her feelings.
"I'm sorry babe, I'm actually on my way to the salon to see you."
"You're going to the salon?" she repeated what I said like she was
trying to make sense of it.
"Yeah, I know I've been an arse babe but I've had a lot going on. I know
it's no excuse but..."
"Can I meet you somewhere else? It's just that I need to discuss something
quite important with you."
I was intrigued as to what was so important, "Yeah sure, meet me at mine.
I can be there in ten minutes."
"Okay, see you soon."
She ended the call and my music kicked in again. What was so urgent that she
needed to speak to me about? I put my foot down and sped through the traffic
hoping to get there quicker to find out. It wasn't like Chloe to be so
secretive so I knew that it was important.

When I arrived, she was already
outside my house leaning against the door with her arms folded across her
chest. I didn't like her stance or the serious expression on her face and took
a deep breath as I exited the van.
"What's up babe?" I asked strutting down the path as I searched my
pockets for my door keys.
"Can we talk inside?" Chloe unfolded her arms and that's when I
noticed a large A4 envelope clasped in her hand.
"Yeah sure but you're worrying me now," I fumbled with my keys and
finally managed to get the door open. Chloe followed me inside and closed the
door firmly behind her before slowly stepping into the centre of the room.
"Well go on then, you've kept me in suspense for the past ten minutes, let
me have it." I was worried what she may have to tell me but I didn't play
games and needed her to be upfront and honest with me especially if it were bad
news.

Chloe handed me the envelope and
instantly stepped back placing her hand over her mouth as she watched my every
move. I frowned concerned by what may be in the envelope but ripped the seal to
reveal some paperwork including photographs and hand written lists.
"So what are these?" I asked still confused by what she'd given me.
"There's no easy way of saying this babe but Lauren was raped by these
three men." I sifted through the paperwork she'd given me as I tried to
register what she'd just said. "I've seen the video, they fucking filmed
it Woods I'm so sorry babe." Chloe stuck out her hand to touch me but
retracted it not knowing what to do for the best.
"Where's the video?" Chloe looked at me confused, "Where's the
video Chloe, I want to see it?""
"Are you sure, it's not...are you totally sure as there's no going back
once you've watched it."
I was trying to keep my cool, I knew that she was trying to protect me but I
just needed to see it with my own eyes to gauge the situation.
Chloe slowly took her phone from her pocket and pressed the screen to open it
before she swiped through to find what she was looking for. She passed me the
phone and I perched on the coffee table as I pressed play. I watched the three
minute video and during that time, I saw my sister violated in the most
depraved way. When it had finished I turned the phone off and hung my head
trying to rationalise my thoughts and decide what I needed to do.
"Erm Woods...I've been trying to get hold of you since last night but you've
been ignoring my calls, I understand why and it's fine...Oh fuck I'm waffling.
Look, I've also told Duke he doesn't have a copy of the video or any of the
information you have because I wanted to give you a head start in finding
them."
I passed Chloe back her phone, "Thank you."
"It's the least I could do."
"Did you put all of this together?" I referred to the paperwork and
photographs.
"Yeah, it's probably not on the scale or as detailed as what CJ could put
together but I've done my best. You'll be able to see all of their movements,
addresses and most importantly what they look like."
I pulled out my mobile and swiped the screen looking for Dukes number. He
answered on the second ring, "Where are you?" I asked as he answered.
"On our way to look for three fucking
scrotes,
you coming?"
"I'm gonna do my own searching, I'll meet you at the safe house
later."
"Woods...for what it's worth I'm sorry man."
I ended the call and stood knowing what I needed to do. "I appreciate what
you've done, this won't be forgotten Chloe." She smiled but stood
nervously, still unsure of what to do in such a shit situation.