Dillon

The past helps molds you into who you are today…

 

 

 

Hearing my mother tell about what she went through makes me want to expel everything in my stomach. How can a man put his hands on a woman he claims to love? Hell, for that matter, how can any man put his hands on a woman regardless of the situation? Women are to be coveted and protected, not beaten and put down. I’ve never had the desire to murder anyone with my bare hands before like I do right now.

“I need a minute,” I say untangling myself from my mother. I walk out of the door and out into the hallway and let my fists fly. I beat the shit out of the wall that has become the target of my inner rage. Wasp walks out of the office and places his hand on my shoulder.

“I get it, man, getcha self under control and get back in there with your mom. She needs you, man, you need to be strong for her. We need to discuss what we’re gonna do about your father and how we’re going to keep your mom safe from him.” I nod my head letting him know I heard what it is he’s saying. I shake out my hands and begin pacing the hallway. Ashton, Wasp’s wife comes up to me with a first aid kit in her hand.

“May I?” she asks, indicating my hand. I look down and see broken skin around my knuckles and that they’re bleeding.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I say motioning my head towards the wall and the little showdown I had with it.

“Kinda looks like the wall won,” she says smiling up at me.

“Seems that way,” I reply.

“We can’t have the club doc’s hands not working, we may need your services.”

“Sorry, bad news,” I tell her.

“I get it,” she says to me as Wasp leans down and kisses her. You’d never believe these two were without each other for twenty years. Their love is strong, you can see it in their eyes and actions towards each other. Once she has me all cleaned up, I thank her and follow Wasp back into the office. When we walk in the door, I see my mom laying on the couch with her eyes closed.

“Is she sleeping?” I ask Tic.

“Yeah. While you were pacin’ the halls, I had Kori bring her something in to help relax her after she checked her over. She was fixin’ to go into a full-blown panic attack,” he responds. How I missed his wife come into the room I don’t understand, I was right outside the door.

“You were otherwise occupied,” Wasp says, answering my silent question. How the fuck they always do that freaks me the fuck out. What are they, all mind readers or something? “Saw the question in your eyes.” See what I mean? Mind readers the lot of them.

“I need to call and check in on Ariel,” I tell them pulling out my phone.

“Already did that, Carson and Levi are on her. She’s not happy because Levi’s stuck to her like white on rice.”

“She is giving him a hard time then?” I ask with a smile on my face. I know my girl, and she’s used to having some space to herself. I can picture Levi parking his ass in her station and refusing to move.

“She is, that’s one feisty woman you’ve got on your hands,” Tic says.

“That she is,” I say proudly.

“While your mom’s sleeping, let’s get down to business and figure out how we’re gonna nail your dad,” Wasp says getting serious.

“Sounds like a plan,” I say sitting back in the chair I vacated earlier.

“Since your father is a cop, I say we use the law to take him down.”

“How do you figure we’re going to do that?” I ask them.

“The police commissioner is a friend of mine from the service. I plan on givin’ him a call here shortly and let him in on his chief’s latest activities. He won’t take this lying down, especially when I lay it all out on the table.”

“What do you mean by all?”

“I’m gonna tell him about the abuse your mother’s been suffering at his hands. Unfortunately, knowing him, he’s gonna want to speak with her. Which means she’s not only going to have to relive last night and what went down, but he’ll want her to go back years. Think she can do that?” he asks me with remorse in his voice.

“She isn’t going to like it, but if she needs to I’ll be by her side. Promise me I can be there to support her Wasp.”

“I’ll make it a condition. Give me a minute to place the call and I’ll be back. Can I use your office Tic?”

“Yeah, man, here’s the keys. It’s locked, but you’ll have plenty of privacy because the brothers think we’re all in here together.” Wasp nods at us as he leaves the room. I pull out my phone to call my girl, I know I need to do damage control. I was already supposed to be there to stay with her until she finishes for the night. With her being thirty-four weeks along, I barely leave her side when I’m free.

She answers on the first ring, “Mind telling me why I can’t even go to the bathroom without either Carson or Levi standing at the door listening to me?”

“Baby, calm down. You’ll understand once I tell you everything that happened once I got off shift.”

“I’m listening,” she fumes out at me. I love it when her feisty side comes out to play, but right now I don’t have time to enjoy it. I tell her everything and listen to her as she begins to cry as I go through the events that unfolded.

“Baby, don’t cry,” I beg of her.

“I can’t help it! Is your mom okay?”

“She’s bruised up pretty badly, physically she’ll heal, it’s her mental state I’m worried about. I don’t want her to get lost in her head like she did years ago.”

“We’ll be there and help her through it,” she firmly states. “What about you, how are you? And what are we going to do about your dad?” I lay out the plans we have so far and she agrees with what we’re going to do. “I want to come to the clubhouse and be there for your mom and you,” she says and I can hear the determination in her voice. I tell Tic that she wants to come here, and he agrees.

“Alright, baby, but you stick with Levi and Carson.”

“Carson needs to be here to help my sisters.”

“We’ll send him back once you’re safe and sound here,” I tell her hoping to appease her fears. I know she’s scared her sisters will become a target.

 

 

Forty-five minutes later, I’m sitting in Wasp’s office with my woman in my arms. Mom is still asleep and the commissioner is on his way. We’ll wake Mom up once he gets here, until then we’ve all decided that she could use the rest. Ariel is grilling the guys on plans and if they think it will work. Once Mom is done with this meeting, we’re sending her to Templeton, where Kid is so he and the club there can protect her. Kid’s father used to be the president until he was killed by his own sister. It’s a sad tale and their childhood was enormously bad compared to mine. I should be grateful that I didn’t end up in the situation he was in. King, Kid’s dad, had to leave his kid sister behind to deal with the abuse of their father on her own. She blamed him for everything she suffered and set out for revenge and unfortunately succeeded. King was an amazing man, and you can feel his loss throughout the club.

The commissioner—Alan Sorrento, I find out his name is, arrives and we wake Mom up after we give him the back story. He’s anxious to hear her side of what went down and the years of abuse she’s suffered at my father’s unforgiving hands. When Mom is fully awake, Ariel goes over and gives her a hug, and then thanks her for coming forward. I watch as Mom returns the hug. I wish I could say this fills my heart with joy, but I’m still standoffish with my mom, where it comes to Ariel and my child. I shouldn’t be that way I know, but I have years ingrained in me of knowing one version of my mom. I need some time, hopefully we can start new and build a different type of relationship than the one we’ve had in previous years.

“Willow, this here is commissioner Alan,” Wasp introduces her to him.

“Alan, this here is Willow Connelly, Eric Connelly’s wife.” The introduction continues. Alan shakes my mom’s hand like she’s a delicate china doll, which at this time she needs to be treated as such by us all. She’s weary and looking around the room and at the door as if waiting for my father to jump out and scream “Boo” and come after her. I wish he would, I’d love to get my hands on him, I’m no longer that scared teenage boy. I will never cower from that man again as long as I live.

“Willow,” Alan says as he sits down easily next to her. “Can you tell me what happened yesterday please.” Mom rehashes the story again for him, and my wife begins trembling in my arms upon hearing what my mom went through and did for us. She turns her head into my neck, and I can feel her tears run down my neck and wet the collar of my scrub top. I pull her into me closer and hold her tighter, thanking the man up above for giving my mom the strength and courage to come to me today. If she hadn’t, I’m not sure if we’d have ever figured out it was him. The one thing he’s always used as a threat against us is that he could commit murder and get away with it. He has the tools and resources to know how to dispose of a body and never get caught. I’ve always believed those words that came out of his mouth, because my father is not only an evil and vile man, he’s also smart and never misses a thing.

I sit quietly by and listen as Mom not only relives last night but breaks down and speaks of years of threats and abuse she’s suffered at his hands. Some incidences I knew about and some I didn’t. His biggest joy in life as it seems is keeping my mother in her place and using me as a pawn to keep her in line. With Ariel still in my arms, I feel a tear fall down my own face, not wanting anyone to witness how broken my mom’s words make me, I quickly wipe it away on my shoulder. My girl, never missing a thing, felt the movement and leans back and places her hand on my cheek. I bury my head in her hand taking the comfort from her that she’s offering.

 

 

Three hours later, a couple of shots of whiskey and we’re finally done. The guys kept plying me with shots as the hours dragged on, seeing the turmoil in my face as each new development came about. My mother has lived a life I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy, let alone any woman. I vowed to myself that she will live the rest of her life in peace and never fear the backhand of that man again. If the law won’t take care of him, I will, one way or another. The commissioner and Wasp come up with a plan for surveillance, now Ariel and I must carry on with life as if we don’t know who her stalker is. Mom will be staying the night at the clubhouse and will be leaving with an escort first thing in the morning to head to Templeton. I trust Kid and his guys to keep her safe and sound.

“Be safe, Son,” Mom says giving me a kiss on my cheek as Ariel and I prepare to leave for the night.

“You too, Mom, they’re going to give you a burner phone. My number will be programed in it, keep in touch and let me know you’re okay.”

“The phone works both ways, Dillon,” she says to me with the first hint of a smile I’ve seen from her in years. She’s smiled more today than she has my entire life. First when she found out she’s having a grandson, then when she hugged Ariel and now. I’ll take that as a when and use it as encouragement that she’s finally moving on. Who knows, maybe she’ll be back by the time my boy is born.

Ariel and I walk out of the clubhouse hand in hand. “Why don’t we leave your car here, Dillon, and come back for it tomorrow. You’ve had a couple of drinks and I’d feel better if you’d ride with me.” Not wanting her to be scared of me being behind the wheel, even though I feel fine, I give into her want.

“Sure, baby, sounds like a plan,” I tell her and lead her to the driver’s side and open the door for her. Once she’s settled inside I lean over, buckle her seat belt for her, and kiss her on the cheek, before I close the door for her. I see Wasp walking the commissioner out and call out to him, “I’m leaving my car and will pick it up in the morning.” He gives me a thumbs up and I climb in the passenger side and buckle up. This has been a long day and night and I’m ready to crawl in the bed, wrap Ariel in my arms and call it a night.