Filthy Bastard (Grim Bastards MC) (20 page)

Instead of answering, Hack continues on with the plan. “0544862131548, 0715404883246, 0691139…”

“He’s reading our banking account information to us.” Addy’s father cuts him off, answering his wife’s question. “As I said, Lydia, these are not your average foes.”

“Why?” she screeches, looking at her husband with real fear in her eyes. “How would they get that information?”

Instead of answering her question, I have one of my own. “Why do you have eleven different bank accounts, with eight different banks? You wouldn’t be hiding money, would you?”

“They don’t have eleven anymore,” Hack says with a chuckle. “They’re down to six now.”

It takes a few seconds for the words to sink in. As soon as they do, Addy’s mom freaks the fuck out. Her eyes grow as big as silver dollars as she places a hand over her heart. A second later, she lets out a scream that could break glass, and starts running toward Hack.

Smoke stops her before she can reach him. “Not gonna happen, woman.”

Boz lifts his chin and calls out, “Hack, why don’t you show Red’s parents what you’ve been doing with your time?”

A smirk covers Hack’s face, as he turns the laptop toward Addy’s mother and father. “It took me about an hour to gain access to all of your accounts. So far, I’ve moved all the money you had in banks in Nashville. I figure that will be enough to cover your daughter’s hospital bills.”

Addy’s mom lets out another screech, but Smoke covers her mouth before she can get any words out. As usual, Addy’s father just stands there with his hands at his side. He watches it all without uttering a single syllable. Considering his wife was naked in his bed, I’m assuming the man still has his balls but I’m not sure.

Hack pushes another button and says, “There went the accounts in Chattanooga. That should help your daughters start their life out right.”

As he goes to push another button, Addy’s father finally speaks up. “That’s enough. We’ll step back, never try to contact either Alexandria or Adyson again.”

I can taste bile as I watch him trade his daughters for money. I expected it; Addy warned me he would do it. Still, it’s fucking sickening to see up close and personal. The fact that one of those daughters is my woman makes it even worse.

“Do it, brother,” I order Hack, fighting the urge to pull out my piece and blow a fucking hole in the man’s head.

Doing as ordered, Hack pushes another button. “The account in Memphis should cover your grandson’s college education.”

“Brew,” Boz calls, giving me a look that lets me know it’s time for this shit to end.

He’s right. We need something to hold over them. If we take it all, they’ll have nothing to lose if they don’t follow orders. Right now, that’s the most important thing. My revenge will come later, when I put a bullet in Blake’s brain. It will be a hell of a lot sweeter than just taking their money.

I lift my chin and say, “Not only will you stay away from your daughters and grandson, you will also cease all contact with Blake Franklin. If we even trace one text between either of you and the sorry son of a bitch, you will lose every penny.”

When both of Addy’s parents nod, I move toward her mother. Looking the bitch in the eye, I growl out, “And you will forget about digging for information about the Grim Bastards or any of our members. You’ll forget we ever existed. If you don’t, your ass will be living in a cardboard box.”

All of her early bravado is gone as she nods. “Anything you say.”

Unable to look at the two people that just threw their children away a moment ago, I stomp out of the room and head back to my woman.

Addy

I WAKE
up to the sound of Cam crying. The urge to rush to him is strong, but Alex has already reminded me more than once that she’s strong enough to take care of him. She knows she needs our help, but she says feeding and changing him is something she can do on her own. Forcing myself not to get up, I look over at the clock. It’s nearly three am, and Brew’s still gone.

A part of me is scared to death my parents will get the best of him, and my man will end up in jail. I’m worried that he’s underestimating them. I’m scared as hell they’ll find some kind of way to ruin this for Alex and me, like they have everything else in my life. If I lost Brew now, I’m not sure I could go on breathing.

Then again, I know my parents will underestimate Brew. They’ll see him as nothing more than an uneducated biker that doesn’t have the brains to beat them. It’ll be their mistake. My man is smart, a fucking genius. He knows what my parents are like, what they consider important, because his parents are the same. Hopefully, that knowledge will help him take them down. When he does, I hope like hell they stay out of our lives forever.

Cam’s crying continues, tearing my insides apart. Still, I lie still and wait for Alex to get him. When the minutes continue to tick by, I can’t stop myself from getting out of bed. She may want to do this on her own, but if she’s sleeping through his cries, she obviously needs my help. I’m in nothing but one of Brew’s tees, so I slide on a pair of jeans and head out of our room.

As I’m opening the door to Alex’s room, a chill runs up my spine. Something is wrong, bad wrong. I look around, seeing my sister still asleep in the bed. The moonlight is shining through the windows, giving her an angelic appearance. Moving my eyes from her to the bassinet, I walk to Cameron.

“Shhh, Little Man. We gotta be quiet. Your mommy’s sleeping,” I whisper as I pick him up and cradle him gently against my chest.

As I run slow circles over his back, I try to shake off the feeling I felt as I opened the door to the room. My eyes search the space, every dark corner. There’s nothing, no Blake, no parents. It’s just us, and we are safe. Still, I can’t stop myself from worrying what would happen if they were here. Cam starts to cry again, reminding me that I have more important things to do than worry about what ifs.

I raid the mini-fridge the prospect brought up, grab a pre-made bottle, and head toward the microwave. Adding the microwave, mini-fridge, and a small table was Trix’s idea. She didn’t want Alex having to run up and down the stairs every time Cameron was hungry. Knowing this is only the first of many late night feedings, I’m glad for the easy access.

Because of the upcoming surgery, the doctor recommended bottle feeding Cam. After the surgery, Alex will be on so many pain medications that she would be unable to breastfeed him. He was worried that the change may upset my nephew’s stomach. Not being able to breastfeed her son broke Alex’s heart, but she did as he recommended.

After warming up the formula and checking the temperature, I sit down in the rocking chair and feed him. “You were just hungry, weren’t you, Little Man?”

His eyes search aimlessly as he sucks down his formula. It doesn’t take long for him to finish eating. He’s back asleep by the time I get done burping him. He stays that way while I change his diaper and get him back in the bassinet. Through all this, my sister sleeps as if she is dead to the world.

Placing a hand on Cam’s tiny chest, I whisper, “Good night, sweetie.”

Just as I’m about to walk out the door, I stop and look back at my sister. I notice one of her legs is uncovered. Memories of her tucking me in bed, even though she wasn’t much older than myself, pop in my mind and bring a smile to my face. It’s time to repay the favor. A small smile plays on my lips as I walk over and cover her up. As I step back, my hand brushes against hers. The iciness of her skin forces a gasp from my lips.

Fear worms its way into my heart as I look closer at her. For the first time, I notice she’s not sleeping. Her eyes aren’t closed, as I thought. Instead, they are wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling. A mournful cry works its way up my throat as I grab her icy arm. The chill of it causes a moan of despair to make its way from deep within my soul.

For a second, I’m frozen. It’s as if my brain can’t handle what’s happening, and has shut down to protect me from the pain I’m about to experience. My mind floods with memories, memories of the sister I love more than life itself. First, we’re children playing hide and go seek, teens giggling over our crushes, and finally, adults sharing our deepest secrets. As if I’m being slapped back to reality, her dead eyes flash in my mind.

“Alex, wake up,” I shout, giving her a brutal shake. “Please, Sis. Please, wake up. Don’t do this. Don’t die.”

Her body moves but only from the force of my shaking. Other than that, she is completely still. Her eyes are still staring at the ceiling, not showing any sign of life. No, no damn way… This can’t be happening now. Not when she is finally free, when we’re finally free. She finally has her son and a chance at happiness. She can’t give up now.

The tears are streaming down my face as I continue to shake her. “No, you can’t die. Not now, not when we finally got away.”

Climbing onto the bed, I grab both arms and give her a violent shake. “Alex! Don’t do this, damn it. Please, wake up!”

She doesn’t respond, no reaction at all. Tears pool in my eyes as I stare into her beautiful face. My sister is gone, gone forever. Shaking my head, I just can’t let that happen. I can’t let her go. I learned CPR a long time ago, a requirement at 4H camp. My mind whirls, trying to remember everything I was taught so many damn years ago. Somewhere deep inside me, I know it won’t work, but I have to try to save my sister.

Tilting her head, I place my hand on her forehead and grab hold of her chin. Placing my lips on hers, I force two breaths into her body. Drawing back, I lock my fingers together and cup them over her chest, and begin compressions. Counting them off, one by one, I work as quickly as possible. Then, I lay my head on her chest, wanting to hear even the slightest sign of life. Nothing, not a damn thing. My lips go back to hers. Two more breaths, then I’m back up trying to restart her heart. I do this over and over, with no response from her.

By the time I’m out of breath, Cameron is crying again. My shouts must have woken him, and now he needs to be soothed back to sleep. I can’t go to him, though. I can’t leave my sister. I go right back to Alex, doing everything I can to bring her back to life. Minute after minute passes without one sign of life. Not willing to put her body through anymore. I slide off of her and go to the floor by her side. Grabbing her hand, I lay my cheek against the bed and pray for God to give me my sister back.

“Why did you take her?” I ask as I continue praying. “She wasn’t ready to go yet. I wasn’t ready to let her go.”

I’m not sure how long I’ve been praying when the moonlight hits my face. Something about it draws my attention, bringing me out of my grief momentarily. My sister’s body is illuminated with the light, just as it was when I walked in the room. She looks exactly like the angel she now is. Somehow, someway, it’s as if she is saying goodbye to me.

“No…” I shake my head, not willing to let her go. “I need you. Cameron needs you. What are we gonna do without you by our sides, Alex?”

Of course, she doesn’t answer. The thought that she will never answer me again hits me right in the chest, causing pain unlike any I have ever felt. A second later, anger fills me and I cannot stop it from working its way through my body. This didn’t have to happen; Alex didn’t have to die. This is Mom and Dad’s fault, Blake’s too. They killed my sister. Their greed and lust killed her. Now, they have to pay for what they’ve done.

When I make my vow, it comes out in a hoarse whisper. “I’m gonna make them pay, make every one of them pay for what they did to you.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I bury my head in my hands and start to weep.

Brew

WALKING UP
the stairs, I can hear the baby crying. As I get closer, I can hear something else, too. When I reach the door to Alex’s room, I finally make it out; Addy’s crying. Not even hesitating, I open the door to see my woman on the floor by the bed, holding her sister’s hand. It only takes a second to realize what has happened.

I’m instantly on guard, and my hand goes directly to my gun. As I pull it out, my anger skyrockets. My first thought is that fucker must have shown up. My eyes scan the room but find nothing out of place. Alex is in the bed, covered in moonlight. Cameron is in his bassinet, proving he was born with a strong set of lungs. Finally, I realize what happened.

Stepping out into the hallway, my eyes never leave my woman. I let out a loud whistle and wait for a prospect to rush up the stairs. “Go get Trix. Tell Boz to come, too.”

Putting my gun away, I walk straight to Addy. Going to my knees, I pull her into my arms and gently rock her. She attempts to pull from my arm, fighting me with everything she has. I don’t let go, even when her fingernails cut into my skin.

“Get your hands off of me! Let me go! Alex needs me,” she screams, going for my eyes.

I bury my head in her neck, keeping her from clawing my eyes out. “She’s gone, Little Red. There’s nothing you can do to help her now. You have to let her go.”

“No,” she shouts, still fighting my hold. “I can’t let her go.”

“Addy, baby, you need to calm down,” I whisper against her neck. “Please, calm down.”

Her body shudders as the fight leaves her, causing her body to shake with ruthless sobs. She buries her head into my shirt and lets out a blood curdling scream. The sound of it tears my heart into shreds. I haven’t cried in years, not since I found my sister bruised and bloody, but I can feel tears building up in my eyes. The tears aren’t for the woman that I wish I had gotten a chance to know better. No, they’re for the woman I’m holding in my arms.

“Please, Brew. Please, help my sister,” she pleads between sobs.

My heart breaks in two at her plea. “I would, Addy. I’d do anything for you, but there’s nothing I can do to help her.”

She lets out another sob and begs, “Please.”

“Red, if there was something I could do, I would,” I tell her as I continue to rock her in my arms. “I wouldn’t hesitate to help Alex. You know I would do anything you ask of me, but there’s nothing to be done.”

We sit quietly for a minute more, before Trix and Boz rush into the room. Trix’s eyes come to mine, and I simply shake my head. Even in the darkness, I can see the tears pooling in her eyes. Hoping to avoid her breaking down, too, I motion toward the bassinet. She nods and goes straight to Cam, taking him in her arms.