Chapter Ten
Lucas
“Morning,” Chance mumbles as I sink into the chair next to him with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. I nod in agreement as I bring the mug to my lips and take a deep breath. Quinn, Brooklyn, and I stayed out at Iris’s until almost midnight before I drove them back to their house and crashed at the clubhouse. Chance crosses his arms over his chest and sinks into his seat before letting his head fall back as his eyes close. He and Moose had an equally late night working a job and I’m surprised he’s even awake at this hour.
“Got plans today?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, just couldn’t sleep.”
Before I can ask him why, the sound of yelling echoes down to the bar from upstairs and we both glance toward the stairs.
“Alison!” Storm roars, his voice booming through the clubhouse and anyone who is still sleeping upstairs won’t be for long.
“Oh, hell,” I mutter. Ever since Alison found out she was pregnant, Storm doesn’t like to leave her alone so when we have work to do that goes into the night, he makes her sleep at the clubhouse, which means for the past few months, we’ve all had front row seats to their frequent fights. It would make all our lives so much easier if just one of them was a little less stubborn than the other but unfortunately, they are pretty evenly matched.
“Go fuck yourself, Logan,” Ali calls as she waddles down the stairs, her belly hindering her tantrum. Storm is right behind her, his brows drawn together as he glares daggers into her back.
“Don’t walk away from me, Kitten. This conversation isn’t over.”
Ali scoffs. “Yes, it is.”
“Fucking hormones,” Rooster, one of our new prospects, whispers under his breath from across the table and I glance at him with an incredulous look. If Alison heard his comment, she’d rip him a new one and that’s tame compared to what Storm would do to him. Dude does not play when it comes to his lady. I kick his chair under the table and he jerks up before turning to me with wide eyes.
“Get up, prospect.”
He stares at me for a second, like he might argue, before he scrambles up. As soon as his seat is free, Alison slips into it and I shake my head as he trudges over to one of the couches in the corner. Ali glares over her shoulder as Storm comes up behind her and crosses his arms.
“You wanna do this here then?”
She spins in her chair and crosses her arms over chest, matching him as she stares him down. “No. I’ve already told you my answer and that is the end of the discussion.”
“Like hell it is, woman.”
Ali arches a brow before turning to face me with a smile on her face. “Smith, you’re coming to the baby shower, right?”
“Uh,” I mutter, my gaze flicking to Storm as he continues looming over Ali’s shoulder. He nods and I turn back to her. “Sure. When is it?”
“The twenty-ninth.”
I nod and sip my coffee. What the hell do you even do at a baby shower? I bet Quinn would know…As soon as her face pops into my head, I’m fighting back a smile. I just saw her and Brooklyn last night but I already miss both of them. Maybe I should stop by her office later and take her to lunch…
“Holy shit,” Ali gasps, drawing my attention back to her. At some point, Storm picked her up and claimed her seat before positioning her in his lap but I couldn’t tell you when.
“What?”
A wide grin stretches across her face. “You met someone.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answer and Chance laughs.
“The fuck you don’t. I’d know that dumbass look anywhere.”
“What’s her name?” Ali asks, ignoring Chance’s comment and I sigh as I glance across the table at her. She’s not going to let this go.
“Quinn.”
“And how did you meet her?” she asks, practically bouncing in Storm’s lap. He casts an annoyed glance in her direction as he places a steadying hand on her belly that she ignores.
“Uh…Watched a truck run a red light and slam into her car.”
She gasps. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah,” I answer, nodding. “She had some internal bleeding and they kept her in the hospital overnight but she’s good now.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s so scary. But leave it to one of y’all to woo a woman right after coming to her rescue.”
We all chuckle as I shake my head.
“It didn’t quite happen like that but you’re not wrong.”
“Well, you should bring her to the shower. I would love to meet her.”
Bringing the mug to my lips, I shrug. “I don’t know. We’re taking things slow.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorts. “When has that ever happened?”
“She needs to take things slow.”
Understanding crosses her face but before she can say anything, the phone rings and we all turn to look at it. Chance looks over his shoulder at Rooster, who is passed out on the couch.
“Prospect!” he yells and Rooster jerks up, looking at us through heavy eyes. “Phone!”
Rooster gets up from the couch and grabs the phone off the bar before handing it to Chance with a scowl. Rooster, or Dalton as he was known before he came to us, has been prospecting for the club for the last five months or so and honestly, I’m not sure how well he’s working out. Most of the time he’s an all right guy but lately he’s had an attitude anytime he has been asked to do anything but I suppose this is the reason for only taking him on as a prospect. All the brothers need to be sure that he’s got their back one hundred percent before we patch him in.
Chance catches my gaze, the hard look on his face getting my attention before he turns to Storm and hangs up the phone. “We gotta go.”
“What’s going on?” Storm asks and he shakes his head.
“Not one hundred percent on the details but we need to go meet someone at a hotel on the edge of town.”
“Who?”
He shakes his head. “A woman named Morgan and her two kids.”
“And she didn’t say what’s going on?” I ask, adrenaline already pumping through my veins. I’d really like to know what we are walking in on, though.
“No, just that she needs our help.”
I nod as I stand. “Just the three of us or should I go wake up Moose?”
“Just us. She didn’t sound panicked on the phone so I think she’s safe for the moment.”
“Rooster,” Storm barks as he stands and Rooster straightens as he meets Storm’s gaze. I fight back a grin because at least someone can get Rooster to show some respect. “Keep an eye on my girl.”
“I can take care of myself, Logan,” Ali grumbles and he whips around to face her. She matches him, getting right in his face with an arched brow. He cups her face and pulls her close before whispering something to her and whatever he said, makes her melt. She nods and reaches up on her toes to kiss him before heading back up to their bedroom.
“Man, I thought for sure she was gonna rip your nuts off this time,” I mutter as the three of us head out to the parking lot and he grins.
“That was just foreplay.”
I groan and pick up my pace. “I really need to get my own place.”
“You could probably borrow Kodiak’s cabin since he’s living with Tate now,” Chance says before flashing a grin. “Then again, you might be moving in with your own girl soon.”
Truthfully, I would love to spend more time with Quinn and Brooklyn but I know she still needs more time and I respect that even though it sucks.
“Naw, I don’t think so. We’re taking it slow, remember?”
He laughs. “Ali was right, brother. We don’t do slow - especially when we find what we want. Shit, look at Storm now. That broody motherfucker was a brick wall before Ali walked into his life.”
“I’m still a goddamn brick wall,” Storm grumbles and Chance laughs.
“Sure you are, pussy.”
I laugh as I nudge Chance. “Like you’re any better these days. As far as I can tell, I’m the only one of the three of us that still has his balls.”
“You sure about that?” Storm asks and Chance nods.
“Yeah, you looked like quite the smitten kitten back there.”
I shove both of them as I reach my bike. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Don’t forget your helmet, Sweetie,” Chance calls in a high-pitched voice as he swings his leg over his bike and fires it up. I flip him off as I start my bike.
“Assholes.”
Despite my objections, I can’t help but think that a world where Quinn and Brooklyn are my everything doesn’t sound so bad. I mean, look at Storm, Chance, and Kodiak. I’ve never seen them happier or more at peace than when they met their ladies. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Quinn does that for me. She’s the only place of refuge in the raging storm that is my life. Shit… Now I just need to convince her of that.
As we pull out of the parking lot, my mind drifts to last night and the look in her eyes when I pushed her up against the car. It was only supposed to be a cute, somewhat sexy moment but the fear in her gaze was so real for a second and that was all it took to really drive home the fact that she’s been through something terrible. I’m fucking dying to know what happened, who hurt her, and possibly fix it if I can - not that I have any idea how I would do that - but I want to. I want to give her the whole damn world and do anything it takes to keep her in mine.
We pull into the parking lot of the motel and park in front of room fifteen. I glance up just as someone peeks through the curtains in front of me. She locks eyes with me and the terrified look on her face reminds me why the club does what we do. What would happen to this woman if we weren’t here to help her? How long could she hide out in this motel until whoever she’s running from came looking for her? Where would she go?
“Come on,” Chance says, climbing off his bike. “Let’s go find out what we’re dealing with.”
Storm and I follow his lead and after climbing off our bikes, trail behind him as he approaches the door to room fifteen and knocks. Before he can even finish knocking, the door opens a crack, hindered by the chain as a woman peeks up at us.
“Morgan?” Chance asks and she nods.
“Chance?”
He nods and she closes the door in his face as the sound of the chain sliding pierces the door. When it opens again, she steps back to allow us into the room. Her gaze warily flicks to the parking lot until she closes the door behind us again and locks it.
“Have a seat,” she murmurs, indicating to the two chairs positioned on either side of a round table on one side of the room. A little boy and a girl with dark hair are cuddled together in one bed and Storm and I sit on the edge of the other bed as Chance and Morgan sit in the chairs.
“Why don’t you tell us what’s going on?” Chance urges quietly, trying not to wake the kids. Morgan sucks in a breath and nods. When she glances down at her hands in her lap, I notice the bruise circling her entire wrist.
“Um… it’s my husband. He’s on these meds but he stopped taking them last week and then last night, he just lost it…” Her voice breaks and images from my past come rushing back. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and force them back before opening my eyes again. Storm nudges me and flashes me a concerned look but I shake my head. The guys know all about my past but it’s not something I like to talk about.
“Did he hurt you?” Chance asks and Morgan nods, holding her wrist out.
“Yes, but you have to understand that he never would have done this if he hadn’t stop taking his meds.”
Storm sighs. “And you have to understand how often we hear things like that. There’s no excuse for him hurting you.”
“I know that,” she whispers, tears filling her eyes as she looks past us to where her kids are sleeping.
“Did he hurt the kids?” I ask and she shakes her head.
“No, thank God. They were sleeping through the whole thing.”
Chance reaches across the table and gently grabs her hand. She jumps. “What is it that you want us to do?”
“I need to get him to the hospital so they can get him back on his meds.”
Chance glances over at us. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Storm stands and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Let me go make a phone call.”
As he steps outside, Chance pulls one of our business cards out of his wallet and slides it across the table.
“We’re gonna help you get him to the hospital but I want you to keep this. Just in case.”
“Once he’s back on his meds…”
“And I hope you’re right,” Chance interrupts her. “But in case you’re not, take the card.”
She scowls down at the card on the table. “He won’t hurt me once he’s back on his meds.”
“Then it won’t hurt to take the card and tuck it into your wallet for safe keeping.”
“Fine,” she mumbles with a sigh before scooping the card up. She may be fighting us but there’s relief in her eyes from knowing she has a back-up plan. Storm walks back into the room and nods at Morgan.
“Police are on their way to your house to get your husband and take him to the hospital for a seventy-two hour hold. You need to meet them there to sign some paperwork but we can go with you if want us to.”
She glances between the three of us before nodding. “Yeah, that’d be great, actually.”
“Let’s get you packed up, then.”
The three of us get to work, helping her pack and loading her things into her car as she wakes the kids up and once they are loaded in the car, we follow behind her on our bikes to the hospital. She’s shaking as she steps out of the car and her gaze follows a police cruiser that pulls to a stop in front of the hospital doors. Tears fill her eyes as the back door opens and the officer guides her husband out of the back seat. As soon as he sees her, his eyes widen before narrowing into a glare.
“You stupid slut!” he screams across the lot. “What did you do?”
“I’m so sorry,” she answers, her voice breaking.
He starts to struggle against the handcuffs and the officer guiding him toward the doors. “Fuck you, bitch. You’re not even close to sorry yet. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. I thought you loved me. Fuck you…”
His voice trails off as they lead him into the hospital and Morgan gasps as tears start pouring down her face. My heart explodes with pain as I remember fights just like that from my own past and I glance over at Chance and Storm before motioning for them to stay with the kids. They nod and I approach Morgan.
“Come walk with me for a minute? There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
She studies me for a minute before nodding. As we walk away from the car, I suck in a breath and try to work myself up to telling this story. Around the side of the hospital is a little garden area and I lead her to a bench in the corner. When we sit down, she turns to me.
“What is it that you wanted to tell me? If you’re thinking that you can talk me into leaving him, you won’t.”
I shake my head. “When I was ten years old, I… I watched my father kill my mother.”
She gasps as memories flood my mind, bringing tears to my eyes.
“And the situation wasn’t exactly the same because he had been using drugs for months but I need you to understand that all it takes is one time where things go too far and he’s already voluntarily gone off his meds. I’m not here to tell you what to do and if you ever need our help, we’re going to be here but I’d really prefer not to go to your funeral. And it would kill me to see those kids end up orphans just like I did.”
“I’m so sorry that you went through that but it’s not like that with us.”
“Don’t you think that every woman who’s ever ended up in a bad spot has said that exact same thing? But like I said, I’m not telling you to do anything. Just think about it.”
I stand and hold my hand out to her to lead her back to the car. For the time being, her mind is made up. I just hope that something I said sticks with her and she can make a change before it’s too late.