Blizzard (The Brotherhood Journals #1) (31 page)

“You know
nothing
about me!” he screamed, his hand shaking.

“I
was
you!” I fought back. “I went out of my way to please the people who I thought cared about me. I did stupid things, I hurt others, all because I was so fucking desperate to belong, to have someone love me.”

“Love is weak,” he growled.

“
You
are weak. You’re a coward. You know that your club is evil yet you continue to do their fucking dirty work.”

He stared me down, maybe my words were starting to seep through his skin.

“I wanted to take you back to my dad. Watch him hurt you. See you scream,” he spat in anger. “But now, I think I'll take the pleasure in making you scream myself while your boyfriend here watches.”

I stared in stunned silence as his finger pulled back on the trigger.

I wasn’t scared, though.

I was at peace.

A shot rang out in the small space, the boom of the gun deafening but the thump of a body that followed was far more powerful than the sound of any weapon. Because it was the sound that told me it was over.

I dropped to my knees, not because a bullet had torn through my body.

I wasn’t in pain or dead.

Tears streamed like a waterfall as a man stepped out from behind the aisle.

I didn’t care to wonder why he was there or what it meant.

It was over.

And all I could do was cry.

“Come check on your man, tesoro mio.”

My head hurt like fuck.

The people who’d been in the store and seen Edge with the gun had rung the police. Angelo was long gone by the time they got there. I could tell Deacon was suspicious. He eyed me carefully as I explained how despite my almost unconscious state, I managed to pull my gun and shoot the bastard.

Especially when I was laying on the floor on the opposite side of Edge to where the bullet went in.

But I’d had a pretty hard hit to the head, so it was easy to play dumb and pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about.

If they looked closely enough, they would realize that the bullet didn’t match my gun. But we would deal with that when the time came.

Unfortunately for me, a hit to the head also meant that an ambulance had been called and they forced me to go to the hospital. All I wanted to do was fucking go home with my woman and my kid, knowing this shit was finally over and the crazy bastard was finally dead.

A couple stitches, a bald patch, and a suspected concussion later I was released with orders from the doctor to take it easy for a week or two. And I was going to do just that, with my girls.

Rose drove me home, not having left my side for anything. Jayla was with Chelsea. I didn’t remember much, but Rose said when I hit the ground I actually lifted her off me and shoved her toward the exit. It was all fuzzy but putting Jay’s safety first would always take priority.

She’d run out the doors, Eagle catching her and tucking her away while reinforcements arrived.

As we pulled up to the clubhouse, I saw a dark SUV parked next to the row of bikes.

“Why was Angelo there, Blizzard?” Rose asked, finally making note of the elephant in the room we’d been hiding for hours as I was patched up.

“Didn’t I tell you? We’re friends now.” I muttered sarcastically.

I climbed out of the truck and we walked through the front doors. Chelsea instantly caught my eye from behind the bar. “They’re in Op’s office. Good to see you’re okay.”

“Thanks, princess,” I murmured as I grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her down the hallway.

I didn’t bother knocking, pushing the door open and closing it as Rose slipped in behind me.

Op grinned at me from behind his desk. “One blow to the head and you’re out cold. Getting soft on us old man?”

I couldn’t help but smile, even as I lifted my middle finger to him. “Fuck off.”

Angelo stood from his seat on the sofa, greeting me with a nod of his head before opening his arms to Rose. She released my hand, stepping into them and kissing him on his cheek before hugging him around the waist.

There were whispered words spoken, but she was soon back at my side. And that was what I liked.

“Thanks,” I told him, honesty in my words.

“Of course. I’m just glad I made it in time.”

I had to get it out there before anything more was said. “Now that Edge is gone, Rose won’t be going back with you.” I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her against me. “I’m grateful you did what you did, but her place was always here with us.”

We had agreed that I would let him take Rose back to New York if we couldn’t hunt down Edge. He would keep her there until we deemed it safe. He’d given us 48 hours before he would show up at the clubhouse and whisk her away. Our time had almost run out.

He looked down at where my hand rested on her hip, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Are you sure that you are able to keep her safe? It seems recently that there’s been a lot of trouble for your club.”

“Trouble that I brought them,” Rose stated, strength behind her words. I shook my head but she continued. “They could have tossed me out, killed me if they had wanted for all the ways which I’ve hurt them. But they didn’t. They helped me to build myself back up and protect me.”

Angelo listened as she spoke. His eyes were all for her, but it wasn’t in a romantic way. He wasn’t pining after her or hoping that she would choose him over me. He watched her with a genuine concern for her safety and well-being, and I couldn’t get angry at him for that.

“I respect a man who has enough sense to put his pride aside and accept help when it concerns the safety of those he loves,” Angelo said, turning his gaze to me.

I remembered thinking the same thing about Judge when he had arrived, asking the club for assistance.

“Family comes first,” I told him simply.

His eyes seemed to light up. “Is that what she is to you?”

I didn’t even pause to think about his question. “To the bone.”

“Looks like you found your place, tesoro mio,” he said looking to Rose with a gentle grin.

“What about Uncle Anthony?” she asked nervously, pulling on my cut as her arms wormed around me.

“Your uncle is not as cold as you think, Rose. He has taken in man after man, people who did not share his name, and raised them as if they were his brothers or sons.” Angelo’s accent was thick at times, but his words were clear. “This club and him, share a lot of the same beliefs.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way after the incident with his son,” Optimus snorted.

Angelo nodded. “Yes, unfortunately, that was Marco’s influence, not Anthony’s.” His smile quirked at the corner. “But to be safe, maybe leave the boyfriend behind if you come to visit. Gio has had an itchy trigger finger as of late.”

Rose giggled, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sound. “So we’re good?”

“She’s happy, I’m happy,” he confirmed, leaving it a beat before adding, “If she’s not happy, next time I come I will bring a bigger gun.”

I nodded in understanding but I knew I would never let that happen. I would spend the rest of my life making sure that Rose had everything she ever wanted, and making sure she knew how much she meant to me.

No more looking into the past.

That shit was over.

Angelo said his goodbyes soon after. I got the feeling he wasn’t one to sit around and dwell on shit. He got straight to the point, said what he needed to say and moved on.

I found I kinda liked him and even though Rose had stepped away from the DePalma family, I knew that he had given her the confidence to realize that she may have chosen to stay with the club, but she was still able to keep in touch with her real roots. And I knew that had made her happy.

Rose flopped onto the bed when we reached our room. “So with the mafia leader gone home, the crazy biker out for blood dead, and my stripping career over before it even began… What the hell are we going to do?”

“We’re gonna fuck.” I pulled my shirt over my head, grimacing as it dragged over the still fresh wound.

She covered a smile with her hand, pointing with her other.

I looked over my shoulder to see Jay standing in the doorway, grinning a beautiful little smile up at me. She held up her arms and I laughed as I turned around and picked her up. She pulled back, eyeing my head carefully. “Ouch.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m a big boy,” I heard Rose giggle from the bed and Jay mimicked her. I spun, hitting her with a mock glare. “What are you laughing at?”

She continued to laugh. “God, I love you.”

My eyes widened, but she just smirked at me like she knew those were the words that would get me.

“Really?” I asked.

She climbed off the bed and walked over to us, Jayla watching the interaction with studying eyes.

Rose wrapped her arms around me, gathering Jayla in them as she did. “Yeah.”

I bent my head, capturing her mouth for a few seconds before forcing myself to stop, not wanting to weird out the little girl who I still held against me. “I love you, too,” I whispered against her mouth.

“I love!” Jayla squealed happily, bouncing in my arms.

I chuckled. “Yeah, you too squirt. I love you both.”

Rose squeezed her arms around us again. “You know, we never did get that ice cream.”

Jayla’s face lit up.

“No sex then?” I grumbled quietly.

Rose’s eyes widened and her hands shot out, covering Jayla’s ears. “Blizzard.” She growled.

Jay’s face frowned and she shook her head, attempting to shake off Rose’s hands.

Rolling my eyes, I passed her over to Rose and dug through my dresser to find a new shirt.

“Ice cream it is.” I made out like I was annoyed that I was going out for ice cream instead of getting my Old Lady into bed. But I wasn’t disappointed at all.

We’d fought through the past mistakes—ones that had been made by the both of us, and now all I wanted to do was look forward to the future.

“What’s sex?” Jay asked innocently as we walked down the hallway. I froze, choking on the question but Rose just laughed.

She shot me a grin over her shoulder. “You have so much to learn.”

“Op?” I looked over to see Ham in the doorway. Op and I were sitting down discussing what him and Chelsea had decided to do about school for Harlyn. “We’ve got visitors.”

“What kind?”

“The kind with handcuffs,” he replied sourly.

Optimus let out a loud sigh. “Can’t wait for this day to end.”

“It’s only twelve p.m.”

“Fuck.”

As soon as I spotted the flashing lights, I knew shit was about to go down.

The cops never came to the clubhouse. They were smart enough to stay away and just let us do our thing. We did a lot for not just Athens but the neighboring towns as well. Donating money and the time of our members to help out with different events or causes kept us in the good books for the majority of the time. We didn’t piss them off, they didn’t bother us.

It was a system that we made work.

But seeing Deacon standing out front with his arms crossed looking not quite serious, but somewhat nervous, sparked several alarm bells. Deacon had had a hard on for the club back when Rose was still being manipulated by her father. I had a feeling the only thing that had kept him from a full on attack against us was the fact that Chelsea had the man completely fucking smitten.

I tried to ignore the twist in my stomach, wondering if he was here to talk about Edge. Whether they had done some digging and figured out what we had done.

I held my chin up, though, not ready to go down just yet.

Optimus walked beside me, even though it had only been me that had been called out. But he was my president, and it was his job to know exactly what was going on with each and every one of his men.

Stopping just outside the gates, Op mirrored Deacon’s stance and got straight to the point. “What’s going on?”

Deacon held firm, puffing his chest up a little. “I didn’t ask for you, Optimus.” There was a twinge of contempt in his voice. Maybe jealousy that Op had the girl he’d pined over for weeks.

Smirking, Op held his arms out wide. “No, but like with all of my men, you get a package deal. So start explaining or get the fuck off my property.”

There were two police cars and three men standing behind Deacon. They seemed relaxed which was surprising.

“Blizzard…” I stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder with my president. “I need you to come with me.”

I almost laughed. “Why?”

“Heard you were over in Arkansas a few days ago. Some shit happened that I’m sure you and your brothers are aware of.” He gestured to the men who had gathered behind us. “I’ve got some people who’d like to speak to you about it.”

Shrugging, I played off like I was oblivious. “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about, boss.”

“I’m sure you don’t. But these people aren’t fucking around. They need to speak to you, you can even bring a couple of your buddies if you like.” His smile was tight.

I looked to Optimus at my side. Something was going on here. The cops never offered to let you take friends to an interview about a crime.

“You gonna arrest me?”

He raised his brow. “There a reason I should?”

“I’m sure you could find one.” I wanted to feel him out. This wasn’t your average
‘come down to the station for questioning,’
type visit.

Op and I shared a silent understanding and he nodded. “We’re taking our bikes.” He turned and walked away. That was non-negotiable. Nothing Deacon said could make me get in that cop car unless I was under arrest. And even then he’d have a fight on his hands. Deacon rolled his eyes but stepped off the curb and headed for his car. “You can follow me. These guys are heading back to the station.”

Another alarm bell went off in my head, and I quickly spun jogging to catch up with my president.

“This isn’t right,” he commented as I fell into step beside him.

“I don’t like it, not one fucking bit,” I agreed. I spotted Rose standing in the doorway, chewing on her lip as her eyes flicked between me and the police cars that sat outside the gates. I veered off, heading for her and calling at Op over my shoulder, “Give me two minutes.”

I opened my arms and she ran straight into me, gripping onto my club cut as her body connected with mine. She peeked over my shoulder before pulling back so I could see her face. “Why are they here?”

Folding my arms in around her I pulled her closer. “I just gotta go out for a little bit.” She started to shake her head, but I tucked it beneath my chin. “No worries, baby. A few of the boys are coming with me. We’ll be back soon.”

She pushed against my chest, prying herself out of my arms and stepping back. “This is about
them
isn’t it? Edge and his club?”

I reached out and grabbed her arm tightly, squeezing a little harder than I intended. “Don’t talk about them.” I flicked my head to where Deacon was still leaning against his car at the front gate, the other police officers now gone. I knew he couldn’t hear us from where he stood, but they have all kinds of fancy gadgets nowadays, and I couldn’t risk having Rose admit to anything. For her sake, not mine.

Prison time was something I’d done before, and while we were a lot smarter now it was something that I would possibly do again. But not her. I wouldn’t allow it.

A small whimper left her and I pulled my hand back quickly like I’d been burnt. “Shit, baby.” There were already red marks on her skin, and I knew it would turn to bruising. My hands went to her face, cradling both sides gently. “I’m sorry, baby. I just can’t have them thinking you were involved in some way.”

“Okay,” her voice was a whisper, but I could see in her eyes that she understood. I wanted to protect her. “You’ll come back?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back.” I pulled her face to mine and took ownership of her lips. Her body relaxed the instant our mouths connected and her hands slipped under my cut, gripping my shirt tightly in her hands. I tilted her face to the side and slipped my tongue between her perfect lips. A soft moan escaped out, effectively spurring me on.

“Blizzard! Move your pansy ass!”

Rose started to giggle. “Your brothers are waiting.” Her lips moved against mine, but I didn’t open my eyes, loving the feeling of having her against me.

Mine.

“Fuckers,” I muttered causing her to laugh louder. She pushed my chest and I grinned as I stepped back.

“Be safe.” She tried to smile, but I could see the trepidation in her face.

I winked. “Always, baby.”

I took her in before turning and jogging to where my brothers had already started their bikes. Slider, Leo, and Eagle sat waiting as I threw my leg over my ride, tightened my helmet and started her up. The rumble had a strangely calming effect, especially when it was joined by that of my brothers’. Our bikes roaring loudly together.

It was our life, we were individuals, different in so many ways. But there was one thing that brought us together. The love for our club—our family. And there was nothing like having your brothers ride beside you, knowing that you weren’t alone in this shit.

Deacon climbed in his car as we approached the gate. He was driving a black sedan, not the usual kind of car you would see being used as an unmarked police car. He took his damn time and I revved my engine in frustration, earning me a middle finger out the driver’s window as he took off down the road. He turned left at the end and I threw a curious glance at Op, he shrugged and we turned to follow. Turning left meant we weren’t going to Athens. We were heading out of town.

I wonder if we should have brought more brothers with us.

Deacon had done us a solid after Marco DePalma had been taken in, but I was still suspicious of his intentions. He’d let us in the back of the station and given us a few minutes alone with Marco in his cell. The only condition—that he was still alive at the end.

He was.

Barely.

He deserved a lot more for what he’d put Rose and Chelsea through.

We drove for at least twenty minutes out into the countryside before he pulled off onto a gravel side road. I can’t say I was happy about it. If my bike got scratched up by flying stones, I was gonna punch the asshole in the face—police or not.

It wasn’t long before we came to a large farm house, it was old, but had been renovated and painted. I was impressed, it was something I wanted to look at doing myself, so I could move out of the clubhouse. At the moment, I lived there permanently, simply because it was only me. A big home didn’t make sense. But now I had Rose and Jayla with me, the idea was beginning to become more appealing.

My brothers and I backed our bikes in, all aware that there was a possibility we may need to leave quickly. I hung my helmet on my handlebars and climbed off my bike. “This the part where you seduce us, man? ‘Cause I don’t swing that way,” Slider smarted off to Deacon as he stepped out of his car.

Glaring at Slider, Deacon came to stand beside us. “Trust me, having you lot in my house isn’t exactly my idea of fun.”

“You bought a house here, huh?” Optimus inquired casually. “Decided to stay in town.”

“Someone needed to keep an eye on you assholes.” Deacon smirked. He and Optimus had a weird relationship. There was respect there, but you could still
u
cut the tension in the air with a knife whenever they were near each other.

“Can we just get this over with? I’ve got a woman at home I want to get back to,” I grumbled.

It was then that the door of the house opened. My hand twitched, wanting to automatically reach for my gun. But when I looked up and saw who was walking down the stairs, my brain ceased to make sense of what was happening.

Leo was the only one to speak up as they came closer. And he spoke the words I knew were running through all of our heads.

“Oh fuck.”