Soothing His Madness (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Cheers spread
around the bar at Cactus Cove over the announcement that Taylor was his woman.
Slade laid his arm across her shoulders, and she rolled willingly against his
side. He grinned nearby at Rain, Torque, and Gladys. They watched him with
concerned eyes, and yet they smiled for Taylor's benefit.

Each one of them
had tried to talk to him earlier about his quick decision to bring Taylor under
the Bantorus MC umbrella. Whether they sensed a change in his mood or worried
about him committing himself to Taylor in a time of turmoil, their attention
wasn't lost on him. Hell, he didn't need them to tell him he was barely hanging
on.

Announcing Taylor
as his woman was the right thing to do. Bikers brought many women around the
club, but few were willing to give up their freedom. Not only had he tied himself
to Taylor in a way he always wanted, she could now sit on the back of his bike
and be under the club's protection.

Taylor kissed him,
her mouth vibrating with amusement at the catcalls she received. Pride for his
woman had him bending her backward, marking his territory for all to see.

She came away
laughing, and Gladys pulled her away to wrap her in a hug. He moved over and leaned
against the bar beside Torque.

"Feel good,
man?" Torque lifted his mug of beer.

Slade never took
his gaze off Taylor, enjoying her happiness. "Yeah. She's it for me,
brother."

"Good to
hear." Torque swiveled on the barstool and lowered his voice. "I
wanted to talk to you. Raul came in this morning, said Los Li are in Southern
Cali, heading this way. Lagsturns are on a run out of state and don't have
enough men back at the club to hold the assholes back from coming up into
Oregon. They'll be arriving in Washington earlier than we expected."

Slade glanced at
him. "Any word yet on why they're heading this way?"

"Nope."
Torque put down his glass. "But there's nothing stopping them from hitting
Pitnam hard. They've always respected the boundaries, but it looks like they're
coming straight up and bringing a shitstorm with them."

"Fuck,"
he muttered, unease creeping into his thoughts.

Torque ran his hand
along his jaw. "What are you thinking?"

He glanced away
from Taylor and looked Torque in the eyes. "Something goes down, I want my
kids with me and protected. I can't do that when they're with Jodie."

Rain approached
Slade and quietly asked, "Torque fill you in?"

"Yeah,"
Slade said. "Need my boys home before Los Li arrive."

"Whether
they're with you or they're not, they're protected. You know that. We're not
letting anything or anyone touch our families. Not even the God damn mafia."
Rain glanced over at Tori talking to Taylor. "Family first."

That security and
protection Rain claimed was the reason Slade pledged his life to Bantorus MC.
He wanted his family raised within the boundaries of Pitnam and the club, but
with his kids living with Jodie and Ray, certain things were out of his
control, and he hated it. "Right."

Rain reached behind
his back and laid two pistols on the counter of the bar. Slade recognized them
as the ones Rain confiscated last week. He took the three-eighty, shoved the
weapon in the ankle strap above his boot, and put the forty-caliber pistol in
the back of his waistband on his jeans. A sense of solidarity and competence
had him lifting his chin to Rain. "Thanks."

"Don't make me
regret giving them back. You feel out of control, put them down. I don't care
if you bring them in, give them to Taylor, or toss them in the Columbia River;
you do not pick one up if your heads in a bad place. I even get a hint that
you're messed up, and you'll be running nomad," Rain said.

He clamped his
teeth together. Nobody had to tell him what he had to lose, but no one—not even
Rain—could stop him from putting a bullet in the motherfucker who had his kids
if he got the chance.

"Honey?"
The uncertainty in Taylor's voice had him turning around.

She held her phone
out in front of her. Her complexion paled and she looked from him to the phone,
frowning. Two strides and he stood in front of her, taking the phone out of her
hand. He read the message. Then started over and read it again, because he
couldn't believe what Jodie had done this time.

"Stay
here." He turned to Rain. "Do not let her out of your sight."

"Done." Rain
moved around the counter and joined him in front of Taylor. "What's
up?"

"Kyle texted
Taylor's phone. His mom put a block on the cell I bought him, so he can't call
me. I had him memorize Taylor's phone number in case of an emergency." He
hooked Taylor's neck and pulled her closer. "Never thought he'd need it,
but knew I'd hear about it if he needed help."

"That's
okay." Taylor leaned against him. "Do you know where the boys
are?"

"Yeah,"
he said, gritting his teeth.

"What did Kurt
say?" Gladys pressed against the other side of Taylor and put her arm
around his woman. "The boys are okay, right?"

"Jodie dropped
them off at the gas station on the corner. Told them to wait two hours and then
walk to the bar. I'm supposed to have them from tonight until Sunday afternoon.
Bitch couldn't face me, so she left them alone." He kissed Taylor's
forehead. "Stay here. I'm going to pick them up and then we'll come back
and get you."

She grabbed his
arm. "Wait. You need my keys. We came in my car."

He took the keys
and hit the door. Damn Jodie.

This wasn't the
first time his ex pulled this kind of shit before with the kids. If she wasn't
leaving them alone, she had motherfucker Ray with her, and it was all he could
do to get his boys out of a negligible situation before finally beating the
shit out of their stepfather.

He jumped into
Taylor's car, revved out of the parking lot, and never stopped until he pulled
into the gas station. He pushed back his stocking cap, his forehead perspiring.
His kids were too young to drop off like a sack of recycled beer cans.

He scanned the
station and found his boys beside the front door, sitting on the ground, their
heads together. Kurt had his arm looped around Lee's shoulders. Slade's heart
hammered. They were okay, for now.

He shoved the gearshift
into park, and was outside with his kids in his arms before he said a word. He
let Lee sob against his shoulder, because the kid deserved that much. Hell, he
felt like bawling himself.

Kurt pulled back
first, his young face hardened with anger. Slade palmed the back of his head
and looked him in the eye. "Proud of you. You made the right choice,
watched your brother, and took care of business. Real proud, son."

Kurt's chin
quivered and he nodded. There was nothing he could do to change Kurt's opinion
about the situation. His kids deserved to be pissed off at the world and scared
out of their mind. Kurt handled the situation better than Slade would've done.
His son had a right to believe his dad failed him, because he had.

He picked up Lee,
even though he was too big to have his dad carry him, and took his kids to the
car. He opened the back seat, tossed Lee inside, and squeezed Kurt's neck as he
passed by him and sat down.

"Buckle
up." He closed the door and walked around the front of the car.

Inside the car, he
gazed in the rearview mirror. Kurt sat solemnly looking out the side window and
Lee rubbed his nose against the knee of his jeans. He started the car, and
drove back to Cactus Cove slower than he had when he'd left to find his sons.
When they parked, he shifted in the driver's seat and gazed at the boys.
"I know things are rough, and they'll probably get worse before I can make
things better."

"I want to
live with you," Lee said.

He nodded. "I
know, son, and you have to give me enough time to make that happen. In the
meantime, you're with me every other weekend. Let's take it for what it's worth
and own it, huh?"

Lee nodded, kicking
his feet on the back of the driver's seat. Slade inhaled deeply. One down, one
to go.

"Kurt? You
with us?" Slade gave him time because unlike Lee, Kurt understood more
than anyone was telling him.

His oldest son was
a splitting image of Slade. Surly, quiet, and a deep thinker. That worried him
because as he knew, it would eventually get Kurt in trouble. If he put too much
gas in a bottle, any sort of spark or fire would make an explosion.

"Yeah,"
Kurt muttered.

"Good. Now, I
got a surprise for you," he said.

"What?"
Dual replies had his heart smiling. Underneath the attitude and hurt, they were
still boys, believing in adults and hoping for a better change.

"Taylor's
going to be staying at the house and helping us out when you guys are home with
me." Slade pushed on. "I expect you to respect her, but know that if
you need anything or feel like talking to her, she's there for you. I'd really
appreciate it if you made her feel welcome."

"Did Aunt
Taylor get taken away from her dad too?" Lee chewed his lip.

Kurt elbowed his
brother. "Don't be an ass. She's an adult, and doesn't live with her dad
cause she's old."

"Watch your
mouth." Slade changed the subject. "I've been seeing Taylor on the
weekends you two have been at your mom's. We've spent a lot of time together,
and decided we're going to make things permanent."

"She's your
girlfriend?" Lee giggled.

"Yeah, you
nut." Slade grinned. "That's what adults do and when you're older,
you'll have a girlfriend. A lot of them if you're lucky."

Kurt's eyes narrowed.
"Are you marrying her?"

"She's my
woman, so yeah, just like your mom was my woman for a time. Except things
didn't work out the way we'd planned between your mom and me." Slade
waited for Kurt to bring his eyes back on him. "A man doesn't claim a
woman, unless he expects it to last forever. Sometimes sh-stuff happens that's
out of our control and as a man, it's up to us to do whatever it takes to keep
that relationship alive. You getting me?"

"I don't like
girls." Lee wrinkled his nose. "'Cept Aunt Taylor's nice. Where's she
gonna sleep?"

Kurt's gaze never
left Slade, and the silent accusations rolled off his son. Slade chose to ignore
Kurt's complaints and answer Lee honestly. "She'll bunk in my room."

Lee laughed, and
Slade took that opportunity to take the boys into the bar and pick up Taylor.
In the long run, his boys would see they were better off with Taylor in their
lives. Maybe she could bring some normalcy, where he continued to fail.

Chapter Eight

Kurt and Lee
wrestled with Slade in the living room loud enough the whole block probably
heard the challenges and bragging rights they were throwing at each other.
Taylor escaped to the kitchen and dumped the rest of the coffee in the sink.
After two days with the boys, she was ready to kill Slade's ex-wife.

From day one, she
knew Slade came with baggage. She leaned against the sink, fury making her want
to break something. How was she supposed to let those boys go home to a selfish
bitch of a mother?

The boys clammed up
when Slade asked them questions that pertained to life at their moms, but it
didn't stop them from dropping little hints when Slade and her were least
expecting it. She pressed her hand to her forehead in an attempt to staunch the
headache growing.

The boys weren't
the only thing bothering her, but right now it was the most tangible thing she
could hold onto, and stay strong. She inhaled and blew out her breath. Once the
kids went back to their mom's house, she was going to talk to Slade. He had to
do something about the situation, and if he thought having her around was going
to fix the way Jodie neglected the boys, he was wrong.

Hands settled on
her hips and turned her around. She gazed up into Slade's face. His brows lowered
and the tension from this morning remained in his eyes.

"You
okay?" he asked.

"No." She
leaned in closer and whispered, "They eat peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches for dinner. Peanut butter. Every single night."

Slade closed his
eyes momentarily, whether to hide from the truth or push away the pain, she
didn't know. "Kids survive on much less."

She snorted,
because all she wanted to do was cry for the travesty put on two young kids.
"That's not the point."

"I know
that." Slade moved his head to the side, popping his neck. "Kills me,
baby girl."

"Then let me
help you find another lawyer." She placed her hands on his chest. "A
better one. I have money in my savings and I can take out a loan. I have good
credit."

"No." He framed
her head with his hands and the mask he frequently wore hardened his face.
"I'm going to take care of this. Trust me."

"What are you
going to do?" she said.

"All you need
to know is I'll do it." He turned, spotted Kurt, and stepped away from
Taylor. "What's up, son?"

"We picked up
our rooms and put our clothes in the closet." Kurt glanced between him and
Taylor, and then thrust a piece of paper out to her. "Lee wanted me to
give this to you."

"Me?" She
stepped forward and took the paper from him.

"He remembered
going to Uncle Rain and Aunt Tori's party when they got married and got gifts.
He thought we should get you and Dad something, so we, um, he drew a picture."

In blue marker, Lee
had drawn a picture of a motorcycle with a man and woman standing beside the
bike. In the corner, bigger than anything else on the drawing was a bright
yellow sun. She swallowed hard and smiled. "This looks exactly like your
dad."

The long brown
hair, vest, and stocking cap plus sunglasses gave him away. She looked at the
woman—who looked almost like the man, except she had longer brown hair and a
huge smile.

"You're the
girl. I helped draw Dad's Harley, cause Lee can't draw bikes…he did the rest. I
told him the sun was too big, but he said it had to be big because that means
everyone is happy. He's just a little kid, so I told him it was okay."

"It's
perfect." She cocked her head. "It means the world to me that you
both took the time to give us something we can keep forever. Thank you."

Kurt dug the heel
of his sneaker into the linoleum on the floor. "It's just a drawing,"
he mumbled.

God, she loved this
kid. He was so much like Slade. Honest, humble, and tough. Too tough for a
thirteen year old.

She stepped over to
him and gave him a hug. A general hug, not meant to freak him out, but when his
arms slowly went around her waist and he squeezed back, she couldn't help kissing
the side of his head.

Before she could
cry and make a fool of herself, she pulled away and laid her hand on his
shoulder. "So, sometime in the next two weeks, I'll be buying a net for
the basketball hoop outside. It'll be game on the next time you come here to be
with your dad."

"Really?"
Kurt's lips softened, just like his dad's when he was happy.

"You
bet." She shrugged. "I bet you didn't know that I played four years of
ball in high school. What do you say, me and you against Lee and your dad? We'll
kick their butts."

"Yeah. Thanks."
Kurt walked backward. "I'm going to tell Lee what you planned."

When Slade and she
were alone, she walked over and took the magnetic can opener stuck on the
fridge and pinned the drawing in the kitchen where she'd see it every day.
Slade stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She leaned back against
him.

"Before today,
I would've told you my favorite thing I own would be the crystal candy dish
that my mom handed down to me from my grandma." She reached up and
squeezed his hand. "Now it's this drawing. I know us being together isn't
the same as a real marriage and I'm here because you think it'll look better to
have a woman living with you when you fight for custody, but I'm going to take
this drawing for what it was…a gift."

"What the hell
are you talking about," he said.

She sighed. Her
emotions were all over the place, and now was not the time to have a heart to
heart. "Let's not ruin the moment. Your kids are great. You're great. I'm
fine. It's just me, being weird because this situation sucks big, fat, hairy
balls and there's nothing I can do."

His lips thinned
over his teeth. She'd seen the look before. Whenever he couldn't have his way,
he clammed up. She rocked to her toes and kissed him. "You better go. You
don't want to be late taking the kids back."

"Right."
He bent his knees and went down a few inches to keep her gaze. "We're
talking when I get back."

She nodded. He
kissed her, and then went to take his kids home. She stayed in the kitchen,
giving him time to have privacy while he bolstered his boys for their time away
from him. It seemed unfair to ask them to adapt to only seeing their dad every
other weekend when they were used to living with him every day. Roles were
reversed, schedules jumbled, security questioned, and that was hard on the kids.

Eventually, the
front door closed and the silence in the house washed over her. She already
missed them.

After dealing with
her new family for the first time, she appreciated her parents even more. She
took her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans, walked in, and sat on the
couch. She only saw them once a year when she flew down to Arizona or they came
up to see her, alternating every other year to take the financial burden off
each other. Her mom and dad weren't getting any younger, and news of her living
with a man they didn't know was going to surprise them.

Without delay, she
pushed their number on her cell. Her dad picked up the call on the second ring.
"Hello?"

"Hey,
Dad." She laid her head back on the cushion of the couch. "How are
you?"

"Good. Your
mom and I were putting on our sneakers to walk around the block," her dad
said. "The Kona's bought a new car and we thought we'd stroll by and take
a look. It's Ford's new model, the one with the great gas mileage."

"I won't keep
you. I just wanted to call and give you some good news." She smiled when
her dad yelled for her mother to pick up the other phone and listen.

"Hi,
Taylor," her mom yelled.

Her mom always
thought long distance meant she had to talk louder. She laughed. "Hi, Mom.
Can you both hear me okay?"

Once they stopped
talking, she plowed ahead. "I've been dating a man for the last year and
things are serious. He asked me to move in with him."

"Really?"
her mom asked.

"His name is
Slade Ramchett. He's a mechanic at a garage here in Pitnam. He also belongs to
the motorcycle club, the one I've told you about, that my boss, Rain, is the
president of." She paused. "Slade's got two boys from his first
marriage, Kurt and Lee. They're thirteen and nine years old. Mom and Dad…you'll
love the kids. They're wonderful and smart. I can't wait until you get a chance
to meet them."

"Oh,
sweetheart, that's terrific news," her dad said. "So, when's the
wedding? We can change our plane reservations for now instead of later this
year and be there in time to see our little girl tie the knot. Just say—"

"We're so
proud of you, Taylor. This is exciting news," her mom interrupted.

She bit her lip. Breaking
the news to them went better than she'd expected. Neither of them hesitated
over hearing Slade was married before and belonged to a motorcycle club. Not
that she expected them to question her decisions. They always supported her
under the belief that if she was happy, they were thrilled for her.

"Thanks. Right
now, you know, with both our schedules and the kids, we're taking it slow
and…well, we haven't had a chance to talk too much about the future. I'm just
excited, and wanted to share the news with the best set of parents in the world."
She pressed her fingers into her temple, wanting to change the subject. "How's
the weather?"

She listened to her
parents describe last week and next week's forecast, and how her dad's arthritic
knees were doing much better in the dry heat. Then she blew air kisses over the
phone, told them both she loved them, promised to pass on congratulations to
Slade, and hung up with an even heavier heart. She flopped over onto her side
and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hated keeping anything about her life
from her parents, but telling them the whole truth would only worry them.

She loved
Slade—even though she'd never said the words to him, and he hadn't volunteered
to say them to her. She wasn't even sure Slade was capable of communicating how
he was feeling in those terms—except with his kids. She'd heard him say the
words numerous times to Lee and Kurt.

Everything about
their relationship—the living together, the commitment announcement in front of
other Bantorus members, the chaos they were dealing with together—put love
lower down on their list of priorities. She had no idea how long their
arrangement would last.

She was still
paying on a mortgage and only had three days' worth of clothes with her at
Slade's house. Her life hadn't changed, except they'd switched houses to have
sex in and everyone knew they were romantically involved. Inside though, she
still felt like she was having a secret affair with a biker, while exciting and
titillating, she remained lonely, as if what she wanted had to wait or might
never come.