Chapter 8

 

“Mommy, he said fuck and shit at the same time. Mr. Dragon, those are bad words.” The chuckle that escapes me doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You need to rest, and she needs to eat.” Pointing between the two of them, Haylee wiggles to get free. When the woman sets her down, Haylee races toward me.

“She was supposed to stay in there to eat.” I know she’s trying to whisper, but she isn’t doing such a good job at that.

“You need to go back to your room. You’re ruinin’ her surprise.” Raising my eyebrows, she looks torn.

“Look, Miss. I don’t know what kind of shit, I mean stuff, happened before, but you’re safe here. Both of you,” I tell her in all honesty. I don’t want her to feel like she isn’t. She looks down only for a second before her eyes come back to meet mine.

“Everleigh. My name’s Everleigh.” She looks like an Everleigh.

“And you’re burning those,” she says with a smile before she turns and leaves the kitchen. I spin around quickly to move the eggs before I burn the hell out of them.

“You’re not a very good cook are you, Mr. Dragon?” Glancing down at Haylee, she smiles.

“Guess not. Don’t look too bad, though.” Haylee busies herself while I finish up with breakfast, then we grab a plate to take to her mom.

“I have the chocolate!” She skips down the hallway in front of me. I find myself wondering what their story is. What kind of life did they live? Why would he even want to put his hands on her? So many things race around in my head that I don’t know what to do with it all. The one thing that is clear—I will kill the motherfucker that hurt her if he shows up here.  Hitting a woman is far from ok in my world. 

Everleigh sits on the bed eating, while Haylee talks animatedly about cartoons and her favorite princess. I try to follow along, but I’m far from the cartoon watching person. Everleigh sets her plate on the bed before she says, “Haylee, why don’t you let him go finish what he needs to do today.”

“He doesn’t mind. Do you?” Haylee says looking me in the eye. Everleigh just giggles.

“Not at all.” Haylee sticks her tongue out at her mom making me laugh.

A soft knock on the door pulls my attention away. I shove off the couch and head to the door, pulling it open to see Angel.

“I brought them some clothes,” she says. Pulling the door open, I let her come in. Everleigh perks up when she sees Angel.

“Hey. I’m Angel. I got some clothes for you two and a few toys for her.” Nodding toward Haylee, her mom shoves off the bed.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how I’m going to repay you.” Pulling Angel into a hug, she giggles. Angel jerks her head toward me and says, “He did it. I was just the delivery girl.” Everleigh’s gaze follows as her eyes fill with tears.

“How am I going to repay you?” Angel slowly backs out of the room as Everleigh watches me.

“You don’t need to. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will.” She stands there in tears staring at me.

It’s a strange feeling that settles within me. One I’m not familiar with. 

***

The weeks have dragged by slowly but surely.

Things have shifted around the clubhouse. I don’t know if it’s a good shift or not, but I can feel it.

Puffing on my joint, I turn to look at Wiley. “Tell me you found that fucker, Wiley.”.

“Not exactly. There are other matters that are of more importance right now.” I can see the way he stutters his way through that sentence.

Placing the joint back between my lips, I cock my head to the side, looking at the man I pay to be on the inside. The one that has made thousands of dollars off this club. The one that never seems to have the right answer for me.

“More important matters, huh? I’d say keepin’ your ass alive to breathe another day was important—wouldn’t you?”  I ask him. Wiley’s eyes widen as he figures out exactly what I’m saying.

“Dragon, I’m doing the best I can. There’s a family thing going on with the Captain. I can’t just push him to the back.” Shaking his head, I see that vein throbbing.

I love pissing him off, so I can’t help myself but to ask, “Who’d the good ole’ Captain piss off?”

“Fuck if I know. Something with his wife. She took off with their kid. No one’s seen or heard from her.” I can’t stifle the laugh that comes out of me.

“All of you are so fuckin’ into your work, that you don’t show your women the attention they deserve. Don’t fuckin’ surprise me that she left.” Wiley doesn’t find my little rant as funny as I do. Hell, it’s the truth, though.

“I think there’s more to it than that. He’s a hateful bastard.” The wheels in my head begin to click into place. I don’t like the direction they’re taking either.

“I want that asshole before Christmas, Wiley.” 

***

Leaning against the wall of the clubhouse I start to let my mind drift.  The missing link from the killing is still out there somewhere.  Wiley got us all the photos of the dead guys, but some of them were so fucked-up no one could ID them, not even Nessa. I suppose that’s a good and bad thing, bad that we need to know who the one that got away is, but it was a good thing that my guys know how to make a fucking kill. I snuff out the cigarette that has been hanging from my lips with the toe of my boot before heading back inside. The things that Wiley said to me are wearing me thin at the moment.

There are too many coincidences for my liking, and I’m about to get that shit figured out quickly. If things are going to where I think they are, my world just went from bad to fucking hell—in the matter of a few minutes.I walk through the main room in a world of my own letting different scenarios play out in my head, but none of them are ending well for me.

“Wiley give you anything?” Glancing over at Ghost, he looks at me strangely as I shake my head.

“Everything ok?” He asks. Is it? Is it ok?

“I’m about to find out.” That’s the fucking truth, too. If what I’m about to ask Everleigh comes out the way I think it’s going to, the answer is no; everything is not ok.

Heading down the hallway, I don’t stop for anyone else that talks to me. My head is in a war over what the hell is about to happen as I raise my hand, and knock on her door.

“It’s open.” Here we go. 

“Hey, Dragon.” Angel smiles as I walk into the room. She’s sitting on the floor playing with Haylee.

“Angel, you mind takin’ Haylee to the kitchen for a snack. I need to talk to Everleigh.” Angel nods, quickly standing and taking Haylee’s hand.

Everleigh looks shaken when she asks, “Is everything ok? Did I do something?” She looks like she wants to cry or curl up into herself. I wonder if this was what it was like when she would get beat-up on by the bastard that hurt her. The thought of that only serves to piss me off a little more. Cracking my neck, I wait for the door to close when I walk to where she’s sitting on the bed. Her knees are curled up to her chest as she watches me wearily.

“I need to ask you a few things. I don’t want to be all in your business, but there’s some shit that’s been brought to my attention.” Everleigh’s body visibly shakes under my gaze. I don’t want to make her feel that way. I don’t fucking like it.

“Ok.” Tears well up in her eyes.

“Your husband, the one that hurt you. Was he a cop?” I ask, knowing in the back of my mind it’s true. It makes sense. It adds up.

She went missing with a kid; I found a woman with a kid. I had to ask.

“He doesn’t know I’m here, does he?” Everleigh shifts, leaning back away from me further.

“No. No one does, but I need to know what the fuck is goin’ on.” She shakes her head, scooting further away from me.

I stand up and move toward her, but when I reach for her, she jerks away. That doesn’t stop me from cupping her cheek in my hand and pulling her gaze to mine.

Leaning down I look her in the eyes and tell her in all honesty, “Don’t you think for one second that I would let him near you. You want out of that abusive marriage?” Finally, the tears slide down her cheeks, wetting my hand as they go.

Her head nods slowly.

“Then believe me when I say this—I won’t let him touch you.” Our eyes stay locked as the tears fall. She doesn’t know what to say, or how to react. My guess is, she was never given the option either.

My thumb trails over her cheek, wiping the tears that stick to her skin.

“Why would you help me?” She asks as the sob chokes her. I kneel on the floor next to the bed.

“Because I fucked up once before. Because I lost somethin’ that meant everything to me, and I can see more inside of you than I probably should.” I almost lose it myself.  It’s the truth, though. I see a lot of Maggie in Everleigh. The light that she used to carry with her all the time, even when life kicked her ass.

Everleigh has that in her. He may have snuffed it out for a while, but I can see it’s still there. She looks so afraid of herself when she asks, “If I asked you to kiss me, would you?” Shaking my head, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here.

“Are you askin’ me?” Everleigh nods her head slowly before I lean in. Everything in my right mind says to pull back and not do this to her, but something in my chest tells me to keep going.

I’m a complete mess of fucking emotions that I haven’t had in so long. I don’t know what I’m doing.

I know it’s fucking wrong, but with her sweet soft lips on mine, it feels so goddamn right.