Bristol
It’s been two weeks since the shootout at the club. Brady was shot in the shoulder, we ran him to the hospital and had to have a cop by the name of Detective Maddox cover tracks for us. He’s a sweet man and seems to be friendly with the guys. I heard the story of how he stepped in and assisted the club when Riley was kidnapped and was a big part of her recovery. This gives him huge bonus points in my opinion, that and how he stepped in and helped the club with the shootout and repercussions with the law. He saved our asses, that’s for sure.
Clean up has been a long, drawn out operation. We’ve had to rebuild the gate to the entrance of the club completely, we’ve had to repair the damage done to the front of the club and fix some broken windows. We have a few guys who had bullet grazes and other injuries, nothing severe, Brady was the worst of them all. It damaged the muscle in his shoulder and he’ll be starting rehab once his arm is out of the sling that he’ll be in for at least another six weeks or so. It missed his rotator cuff by a couple of inches, if it had taken that out he’d never regain full use of his arm again. It was recommended that we get a tens unit for home during his recovery period. It has helped him tremendously when his shoulder feels like it’s locking up on him or the muscles are tight and it’s hard for him to move his shoulder.
The guys decided to get bulletproof and shatter-proof glass to replace the windows, so there’s a special company coming out later on this week to measure and explain more about the quality of said windows. The guys are debating on having the entire wall around the compound redone with some sort of steel and concrete design that they read about online. They’re also looking into a company that claims that they can build a gate that can resist an explosion and is impossible to penetrate. I am a firm believer that nothing is impossible and that there isn’t such a thing that exists. But, who am I to tell them where to spend their money and if they want to believe the statistics that this seller claims to have with his product, I say go for it. If it gives them a sense of security I’m on board with that.
The last of my mom’s remains were located four days ago, seems they’d been buried behind the safe house she’d been staying at. I’m still having nightmares about my delivered package, but it’s getting better. The girls and guys have gotten really good at getting through to me with my panic attacks. We have my mother’s funeral planned for next week. Kid and Skylar won’t be able to attend since they’re dealing with their own personal hell in their town. So, I told Brady that I just wanted something small and intimate.
The guys, however, wouldn’t hear of it. For one, she’s my mother and two, she was King’s sister. Even though, in my opinion she didn’t deserve the title of sister or the respect they’re showing her by burying her and attending her funeral. Brady tells me it’s more because of me than her. The way everyone is treating me, I believe that. I’ve gotten close to several members and feel like they’re all my brothers in one way or another. Some are really great at advice, others are great about making me laugh when I’m feeling sad and the rest are great for a shoulder to cry on. With Johnny and my mom out of the way, I finally feel free, safe and can’t wait to get my independence back.
“Hey sweet cheeks, what are you so deep in thought about there?” Brady asks me from the doorway to our bedroom. We’re finally back home and it feels great to have our own space and some privacy from everyone.
“I was just thinking of how I feel free and safe again. About how happy you make me and about how I want to move forward with school and us.”
“I’m so happy that you feel safe and happy, sweet cheeks. If anyone deserves that, it’s most definitely you. You’ve been through hell and back baby and I’m so happy to see the woman that’s standing before me. I’m so proud of you, sweet cheeks.”
“You know what? I’m proud of me, too. I’m not the scared, mousy girl that you took out of that house that day. I’m stronger and it wasn’t an easy emotional or mental road. I have to thank you and the club for a lot of it, but I allowed myself to break some of those walls down. It wasn’t easy, but it was so worth it.”
“You’re worth it,” Brady says in response to my statement. I smile at him letting all the love I feel for him show on my face.
“You’re my joy Brady, my light and my love. Everything I am is yours. I love you so much.”
“You’re my world, sweet cheeks, I am nothing with you in my life. You’re the air I breath, the sun in my dark, I wasn’t alive before I met you, I was only treading through this thing we call life. You give me something to wake up to, something to come home to and something to dream about.”
I can feel the tears run down my face at the beauty of his words.