Saving Mia (16 page)

“Ratchet please listen. We need to tal…” Only he interrupted her.

“Fuck that. It’s been real, beauty. Have a nice fucking life.” Ratchet said, hearing himself as if in a haze. What the fuck had he just said to her? He thought as he took in the way her whole body seemed to crumple. He didn’t want to see the pain his words had caused her. He couldn’t stand it and he wasn’t going to deal with this shit tonight.

He didn’t have the energy. He took off without another glance at her. His inner voice was calling him all kinds of stupid ten minutes later when he pulled up to the clubhouse. Fuck, he thought as he went inside. He sat down and one of the prospects asked what he was drinking. He got a whiskey. His mind circling back to that look on Mia’s face as she seemed to just fall apart. Damn this was stupid. What had he just done?

Had he just told her they were done? Yeah, that wasn’t fucking likely. He was far from done with that woman. She’d have to fucking deal with him being an idiot sometimes. She’d needed to know that he wasn’t messing around on her. But had he reassured her? Fuck no, he’d been asinine and told her to get her shit. Fuck, he was dimwitted. Then he’d tore out her heart with his words because he knew that he loved her as much as she loved him.

He swallowed the last swig of whiskey and stood. He was going back to Pearl and Bear’s to get his woman. He’d just taken stupid to new heights, he thought.

“Hey, good you’re here. Was about to call you. We found the fuckers. It was by pure dumb luck too. They are running the shit under us. That’s how they’re getting it through. They’re running it through the old subway tunnels.” Tank said walking into the clubhouse.

“Fuck, thought they’d sealed those before we were even born?” Ratchet said as he shifted from one foot to the other. He didn’t want to go out after these mother fuckers. He wanted to go hold his woman and tell her he was an idiot.

“They did. But those fuckers dug it out. But a prospects stumbled on them today and we’re moving in to prevent them from the run. Fuckers won’t know what hit them.” Tank told him grimly.

Fuck, it looked like he was going to have to go with them but when he got back. His woman better be prepared because she wasn’t staying with her aunt. She was bringing her tight ass home where she belonged, and he wasn’t going to fucking allow her to think ever again that he was fucking around on her. Nope, wasn’t fucking happening, he thought as he walked out of the club house behind Tank.

Mia fell as Ratchet roared away. She collapsed onto her knees in the grass outside Pearl’s home. Her heart broken as she screamed Ratchet’s name and watched him leave her. She was such an moron. Why had she done this tonight? What had she been thinking? She’d hadn’t wanted him to leave her.

“Mia, honey it’s okay.” Pearl said as she tried to help her up off the ground having come outside to see what was going on.  “Come on, sweetheart. Come inside.”

Mia wanted to get up but she couldn’t seem to move. She was still watching Ratchet as he disappeared into the night. He’d left her. Oh God, he’d left her.

“Bear, help me get her inside. What the hell’s wrong with that boy dropping her here like that?” Pearl grumbled.

“He’ll be back. I give him an hour, tops.” Bear told her as he lifted Mia into his arms carrying her into the house. Pearl was following. Mia buried her face in his shirt and cried her heart out. She hadn’t meant for this to happen.

“Put her on the bed, hon. I’ll lay with her.” Pearl told him as they entered. “You give him hell when he gets here. She’s sobbing like he broke her heart.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make him work for it. Boy’s always let his mouth run away with him.” Bear’s voice trailed off. Mia continued to cry because she thought they were wrong. He wasn’t coming back because she’d accused him of something horrible and now he’d left her.

Pearl rubbed her back and lay beside her making clucking sounds. She was about to fall into an exhausted sleep when she heard Bear telling Pearl that he was headed out to meet the club. They’d found the Jackal’s they’d been looking for. She prayed as she cried herself to sleep that night that Ratchet would make it home tonight. She had a lot to talk about with that man. And if he thought the last words he’d say to her were ‘have a nice life’ he was going to find out that he had another thing coming.

Mia woke the next morning and asked Pearl if she could take the truck back to Ratchet’s house. No way was she giving up that easily on the man she loved and when he got home after whatever he was handling for the club was finished. She was going to be there waiting and the man was going to talk about their fight whether he wanted to or not.

Pearl laughed and told her to go get her man, and make him pay for making her cry like that. She headed back to the cabin with a determined resolved to make him understand that she wasn’t going to deal with his giving up on them. She’d been home about an hour when there was banging on the door. She opened it expecting to see Charity or one of the other women.

She was shocked to see Raven and Marcus. They held another man between them who was a mess he had been beaten badly. A woman looked who fearful stood behind them.  Three prospects who didn’t look very friendly were standing with them on the porch.

“You know these four?” Tanner, one of the prospects asked

She gasped. “Yes, it’s okay they’re friends.” She told him. He nodded and the three prospects left.

“I’ll send Doc over to look at the boy.” Tanner called as they went.

Mia ushered them inside where they lay the man on the couch. That was when she realized that the man they’d been carrying was Matt. Dear God. He was beaten so bad that she barely recognized him.

“You said if we needed a place to go to come here. And last month you told us you were living at this farm. So we came here and they wouldn’t let us in at first. Then when Lacy started crying I told them to take us to Mia and they did. We didn’t know where else to take him.” Raven said, tears were hovering in her voice.

“What happened?” Mia demanded.

“He was beaten because they thought he stole an apple. I gave him the fucking apple and it was used to beat him half to fucking death. Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Marcus said throwing his hands in the air as he paced back and forth. “Those bastards laughed. They fucking laughed while they were beating him. He’s just a kid! I don’t understand how they could fucking do this to him.”

Raven looked just as upset as the woman who was attempting to soothe Marcus did. Mia assumed she was the mystery women that Marcus had been dating when she’d left the city. She wasn’t surprised he’d brought her with them. Another knock announced Doc’s presence and they let him in. Doc was here at the farm because one of the prospects had been injured while helping them till the land this morning, which was lucky. Matt didn’t look like he could have made the trip to Devils Falls. And the pitiful moans he was letting out were nerve racking.

“Heard we have an injured young man. Let’s see what’s wrong with him.” Doc ran a scanner over Matt shaking his head at what was done to him. Giving Matt a shot for the pain. He told them he had a concussion but nothing was broken. He told them to wake him every few hours and to call him if they couldn’t. He turned to Mia telling her in a quiet voice.

“You need to talk to Bone about this. That boy didn’t deserve to be beaten like that and it needs to be handled.” He looked angry. Mia was surprised that he wanted her to tell Bone. It wasn’t like Matt was part of the club.

“I doubt that Bone would want to know about this Doc. He doesn’t even know Matt.” Mia watched the man who was shaking his head. He reached out and laid a hand on her face.

“Sweetheart, don’t you know that it matters because of you? He’s ours now too. Which means you need to tell Bone. Now I’ll get the boys to help move him into the bedroom. You call Bone, soon. He’s not around till later tonight likely, but call him after Ratchet returns.” Doc nodded and went outside and a few minutes later two prospects helped Marcus move Matt into the bedroom.

Mia felt cared for because she knew that when she told Bone he’d go after the men who’d done this to Matt. There would be no stopping the club. Fuck with one, Fuck with them all. It wasn’t just words that they said. It was a creed that these men lived by. Smiling like a fool, she urged everyone to get rest.

Lacy, the woman that Marcus and Raven had brought with them was happy to take a shower and sleep. Apparently they’d left in the middle of the night and they were all tired. She talked with Raven about how they’d decided when they got Matt back to their house that things in the city were becoming too dangerous. Marcus had insisted that they come here. At least they’d be safe he’d told Raven, who’d wanted to stay.

Mia understood. The city was the only life she’d ever known and to leave and step into an unknown future was frightening. She remembered. Raven had surprised her when she’d pulled a tiny bag from her duffle bag. When Mia opened it she felt her eyes tear up. Inside was the charm bracelet that Raven and Marcus had gotten her for her sixteenth birthday. It was almost full now though. She smiled, thinking of all the times they’d gotten these little charms for her. She was surprised to find nearly six thousand credits was inside the bag as well.

“What? Where did all these credits come from?” Mia asked Raven shocked. How had they gotten all these credits?

“They’re from your parents. They wanted us to make sure that you know that when you come to the market next time they will be there. Your mother was crying so hard when I told her and your father that you were okay. They’d been so worried about you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell them sooner Mia. I felt awful that I didn’t go see them until yesterday when we were leaving the city. I told Hilton, but he never told your parents.” Raven eyes were filled with unshed tears.

“It’s not your fault, Raven. He was likely high on Juice again.” Mia said wishing that her brother hadn’t gotten hooked on that damned drug.

“Yeah, but I should have checked or something. Your father walked out didn’t say a word after I told them. I was going to leave, but then he walked back into the room with that little bag. He said to tell you that no matter what you’d always be his daughter and he wanted you to know that he’d be there if you ever needed him. I couldn’t believe it. He actually trusted me to give you seven thousand credits. Oh, that reminds me. We had to bribe a guard to let us out, and then some man to give us a ride, but we’ll pay you back somehow.” Raven said her gaze filled with determination.

“Raven you know I don’t care about the credits. Your safe and that is all that matters.” Mia hugged her. “You should rest. We can talk tomorrow when you are not so exhausted.”

Mia went into the kitchen to start a pot of soup. Everyone including Ratchet would be hungry once they woke up or returned home. She set her jaw thinking of Ratchet. If that man tried to toss her out he was going to have a fight on his hands that was for sure. He was her man and she loved him. He’d have to deal with her, she thought determined.

Ratchet groaned as he climbed off his bike at the cabin at nine that evening. He was fucking tired. He’d helped the club take down those idiot Jackal’s. Bear had told him that Mia was at his place crying herself to sleep. As if he didn’t already feel like an idiot leaving her there. That had made him feel like even more of one. His heart ached thinking of the pain he’d caused her. They’d taken all night to take down the Jackal’s and the whole day to wrap up the mess that was in that tunnel. Fuck. If they’d known what the Jackal’s had set up right under their town they would have all been insane.

It took them hours to clean up the factory they’d found. He was going to head to Bear and Pearl’s place to get Mia when Bear had told him that she was at his place. He’d been surprised and elated. His woman was going to fight for what they had. It warmed his heart to know that she was willing to do that for him.

That was why the sight that greeted him when he entered his home made him want to commit murder. A man was sitting on his couch with a bowl, wearing only a pair of shorts. He looked up when Ratchet entered, but didn’t move just kept eating.

“What the fuck are you doing in my house? Where’s Mia?” He asked the man his hand resting on the gun in his belt. Mother fucker better not have touched his woman.

“Oh, hi. You must be Ratchet.” The man said making Ratchet stare at him. The man must have a death wish, he thought. Mia walked into the room making him really want to draw his gun. She was wearing his shirt again. She had on shorts beneath it which was the only reason the man was still breathing.

“Ratchet, your home.” Mia said pausing near the hall. She stared at him unsure what to do or say.

“Who the fuck is that? And why the fuck is he in my house?” He demanded, his anger making his voice harsh. He didn’t know what the hell was going on here but if someone didn’t start talking in the next ten seconds that man on his couch was going to be dead.

“That’s Marcus. He’s a friend. And you don’t want to know what I’m doing here?” She asked.

“No, you fucking belong here. He fucking doesn’t. Get the fuck out.” Ratchet growled. He didn’t give a fuck if he sounded like an asshole. He was about three seconds away from shooting the man for being in his house half naked with his woman. A friend better be the only thing that man was to her or else he was going to be six feet under.

Mia was smiling now and that made her light up. She knew she looked like an idiot with the smile on her face, but she couldn’t help it. He’d said she belonged here which meant he wasn’t going to try to get rid of her. “Marcus, can you maybe give us a minute.”

“Mia he looks angry maybe we should just leave.” Marcus said. Mia knew he meant his sister and their two friends but Ratchet thought he meant her, she realized when he spoke.

“You can go wherever you’d like, asshole but she fucking stays. Now get the fuck out.” Ratchet roared at the man. That dickhead wasn’t leaving here with his woman at least not if he wanted to keep breathing. Who the fuck did he think he was dealing with?

“Ratchet, your being rude.” Mia told him glaring.

Ratchet glared back at her. Did she think he’d be nice to a man who came into his house while he was gone and ate his food, on his couch, with his woman? She had lost her mind if she did.

“Mia, we don’t want to cause problems. Are you sure that you want to stay with him? He seems a bit umm…well like a fucking dick really.” Marcus told her. Mia almost laughed. Ratchet was being a dick, but she had a sneaky suspicion that the reason he was being a dick was because he was jealous.

“Marcus just go check on Matt. I will handle this. It’s fine.” Mia laughed unable to help it.

Matt? How many men did his woman have here while he was out? If she was trying to make a point here she’d better get to it fast or her friends were going to be bleeding all over their floors.

“I don’t think I should leave you alone with him, Mia.” The little shit had the nerve to say. As if he’d ever hurt Mia. Only then he remembered what Bear had told him and cringed. Fuck, he was an asshole.

“Marcus, just go damn it.” Mia growled, making Ratchet smirk. His woman was hot when she got all bossy. He watched as the man grumbled and headed into the backroom.

“So,” Mia said looking a bit unsure now that they were alone. “Umm…I think we need to talk about what happened last night.”

“I was an idiot. End of discussion. Now who the fuck are the two men who are in my house half naked with my woman while I’m out keeping you safe?” Ratchet grunted. Waiting for her to tell him why two men were in his house with her.

“Um…four actually.” Mia said making him see red.

“Four men! There are four men here and you’re running around in that!” He roared.

“No, two men and two women! And what the hell is wrong with what I’m wearing? It covers me.” Mia growled back.