Blizzard (The Brotherhood Journals #1) (15 page)

There was a soft knock at the door. I’d stayed in my room with Jay as I listened to the chorus of bikes pull away from the clubhouse. My gut was turning, so I focused everything on the little girl beside me, hoping it would distract from my need to get on my bike and follow them.

I called out for them to come in. It pushed open just a little and Harlyn slipped through the space, shutting it behind her. Jay sat up and smiled at her.

“Hey, kid. How was school?” I asked, propping myself up also.

Harlyn shrugged and averted her eyes. “It was okay, I guess.” She shifted on her feet. “Can Jayla come play?”

I frowned. Harlyn was usually so bright, a little bit crazy at times but she was like the life of the party. This new Harlyn was different. She was reserved and nervous. I didn’t like it.

“Come here.” I patted the bed beside me.

She sighed dramatically, but slowly moved over and climbed up.

“Tell me what’s going on?”

“I’ve already told Mom and Dad and Chelsea, Uncle Blizzard.” She rolled her eyes. “I just don’t like school there.”

“Yeah, and they might take that as an excuse, but I’m not,” I scoffed. “Now let’s try that again.”

She hung her head. Something was killing this kid inside. It hurt me to know that she felt like she couldn’t come to us with her problems. She was only six years old, but her heart and her head were so much older.

When she didn’t say anything, I hooked my finger under her chin and lifted her face. I saw the tears, floating on her long lashes just waiting to fall. “Harlyn, you can’t just go around smacking kids because they talk bad about your family. It doesn’t matter what they think of us, you know in your heart—“

“I can’t read,” she sniffed suddenly.

I pulled back, frowning at her. “What do you mean?”

The tears began to fall now. I caught the door open out of the corner of my eye, but Harlyn didn’t notice.

“All the kids, they’re moving up their reading groups. But every time I look at the words or letters they just don’t make sense.” She sniffed again. “The teacher makes me sit at the back and never helps, so I just stopped asking. That kid, he said it was because I came from trash, that bikers are stupid and dumb.”

“What the fuck?”

Harlyn startled and her head swung to the door where her father was standing, his fists clenched against the doorframe in anger.

“Daddy…” A sob broke through her as she leaped off the bed and ran to him. He picked her up with ease, cradling her to his chest. She cried her eyes out, her head tucked in under his chin against his club cut.

Optimus eyed me over her head, his face full of fury. I was angry and we both knew just by one look that someone was going down for this. Optimus walked in and sat on the edge of my bed with Harlyn in his lap.

Jayla pulled at my sleeve and I looked down at her. Her little brow was creased in worry. “What’s wrong?”

I brushed her hair back from her face and attempted to smile despite the feelings I was having inside as I watched Harlyn break down. “She’ll be okay, squirt. Why don’t you go see if you can find Chelsea and bring an ice-cream out of the freezer for you and Har.”

“She’s in our room,” Op said gruffly.

Jayla nodded seriously and jumped off the bed like she was on a mission of paramount importance.

“Harlyn…” Op tried to pull back so he could look at her, but she just clung tighter. He sighed. “Why didn’t you tell us? You’ve read to me before and done fine.”

She was silent for a moment before she sat back and looked up at her father—her freaking idol. “I listened to the other kids read and memorized the words,” she admitted softly.

My heart broke. This kid had been going through hell at school. Both the kids and the teacher—the person who should be working their best to make sure she succeeded—had written her off.

“What’s going on?” Chelsea asked as Jayla pulled her into the room. Her eyes widened as she spotted Harlyn sitting on Op’s lap, tears streaking her face. “Harlyn. Oh, honey.”

“We need ice cream, stat,” I told her.

She looked between Har and me before nodding. “Come on, Jay. Let’s go find the good stuff. I hid it in the back of the freezer so Blizzard couldn’t find it.” Jayla clapped her hands and shot back out the door, Chelsea right behind her. Even Harlyn let out a soft laugh.

“We need to talk to your mom,” Op told his little girl, brushing away her tears with his thumb. “I don’t know how we missed this.”

Harlyn shrugged. “Mom always seems busy.”

I frowned. Yeah, and I knew who was keeping her that way.

“Mom is trying to set up her shop and stuff, Har. She’s working hard,” Op explained. Sugar was starting a clothing store in town. She wanted to make it affordable but classy, so she keeps saying. Although, at this stage, I didn’t think much of her class as she snuck around behind my brother’s back and as it seems, ignored her child’s pleas for help. “Let’s go see where Chelsea is with that ice cream.”

Op gave Harlyn one last squeeze before he placed her on the floor. She looked over at me and smiled softly. “Thanks, Uncle Blizzard.”

Reaching over, I ruffled her hair. “Anytime kid.”

Op lifted his chin in thanks as he took her by the hand and led her out the door.

I sighed, laying back on the bed. I was happy that at least we were now aware of what was going on. Seeing Harlyn mope around the clubhouse had been agony for everyone. And just knowing that there were people making someone you loved’s life hell, just made my heart ache. I would do anything to protect the people I cared about, even it if meant going down to that fucking school and smashing heads together to get it done.

I stared out the window. The drive was long but Skins had told me that we were getting close now. Butterflies twisted, turned and somersaulted in my stomach. Occasionally, I had the feeling that I might actually vomit. I’d been preparing myself for this. I knew it was coming, but now it had suddenly become so real and I was fucking scared.

“You okay there, babe?” Skins asked, his eyes looking down at my lap where my hands rubbed together nervously. “You seem a bit tense.”

I laughed, the sound coming out shaky and not at all convincing. “Oh yeah. I’m great.”

The vibration of the bikes that surrounded us was a steady drone. I suppose if I thought about it, the sound should be comforting. Knowing that I had this group of people on my side, ready to protect me. But it almost felt like I was in a hearse being led in a procession to my finally resting place.

Ham and another of the brothers, Kev, were coming along with us for the ride. They weren’t wearing their colors, instead just had plain black cuts on. Optimus wanted his people with us so he could make sure he was kept in the loop if anything went wrong, but they didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that the clubs were linked.

“You’ll be safe,” Skins attempted to reassure me. “Anything goes wrong, and we’ll have plenty of people in there ready to pull you straight out.”

I inhaled through my nose, trying my best to slow my breathing before I nodded. Hoping like hell that he was right. I hadn’t had any type of interaction with motorcycle clubs before I met Chelsea. I knew nothing about them other than that people thought they were dangerous and criminals. Finding out Chelsea was a club girl hadn’t made me think much better of them. It wasn’t until she explained the love and respect that came with being part of a club that I realized it wasn’t what it seemed. The men treated the girls well, and they were there because they wanted to be.

Seeing the relationship Blizzard had with his brothers was also eye opening. They were willing to do whatever it took to support each other, and hold each other up when things were rough. They laughed and teased and spent time together like one large family.

It was the type of family I had imagined in my head my whole life.

I’d spent so long searching for my blood relations only to have it fall to pieces right in front of my eyes. Blizzard had been raised by people within the club, people who had no DNA connected with him, but still saw him as one of their own.

It blew my mind.

“What’s your connection to the club?” I asked Skins, turning my body to face him.

“You mean how did I get involved with Satan’s Sanctuary?”

I nodded even though he wasn’t looking at me.

He smiled. “Judge knew my dad back in the day. My dad wasn’t a part of the club scene but they were still really close and I grew up seeing Judge as family. When Judge was asked to move away from where we lived in California and start a chapter of the club in Arkansas, I jumped at the chance to join up.”

I thought about his words for a minute. “What’s the draw for you?”

“A lot of things. You’re never alone when you have that many people at your back. They never judge you, never make you feel like you don’t belong. You prove your loyalty and these people will have your back until the end of time.” He rattled off like it was just obvious.

“What about the bad stuff?” He looked at me out the corner of his eye. I wasn’t completely oblivious to the fact that bad shit went down. I’d learned just that, during my time with Marco. Threats came along all the time. Hell, we were about to dive straight into a situation that any normal person would never have to deal with.

The thing was, these people, both the Brothers and Satan’s Sanctuary were willing to do whatever it took and not to think twice about taking someone’s life if they had to, in order to keep their people safe.

“That’s a decision you have to make for yourself.” He shrugged. “If someone you loved was in trouble, what lengths would you go to protect them? It’s not just an MC thing. If someone busted into your house and they were threatening to hurt the people you love… your parents, or your husband, or your child. Would you pull the trigger to keep them alive?”

He let the words sit stale in the small space.

My thoughts instantly went to Blizzard and to Jayla, the two people that in a few short days had stolen my heart.

How far would I go to keep them from being hurt?

What would I do?

Whatever it took.

“We’re almost there,” he said as we began to see less farmland and more houses. The bikes turned down a small side road just on the edge of town. I watched them go, suddenly feeling very exposed. “It’s okay. We just don’t want to be seen together. They’re going to head back to the clubhouse and come back soon in vehicles. It’s a little more stealth.”

I swallowed tightly but nodded my head, agreeing that was a good idea.

The instant these guys figured out I was connected with the club, I was done for.

And, more importantly, so was Lane.

West Memphis where the Sanctuary were located was slightly smaller than Athens. The downtown area, where shops and businesses were, filled a few streets. Small enough to be quaint, but big enough that not everybody knew your business.

“That it?” I asked as we pulled off the street. The front of the building was a busy bar. There was already a handful of cars there and it was only four p.m.

Skins steered us down the side of the building, where I thought delivery trucks might go to unload supplies. The building was long, it was surprising. That was until we reached the back and I realized half the building was the strip club, the other half the bar.

There was a large sign above the doors that read
‘The Backroom,’
the name spoke for itself. There was some space for parking, but there were no cars around or any sign of people.

“Does the club own this place?”

“We’re more like investors,” he said cryptically. “They’re on our side and willing to help, though. Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry.

Final last words.

“The main entrance is through the bar. We should be safe to head in through the back and get you sorted.” He pulled up right next to the only door and began to climb out. “Just wait here, let me check first.”

I watched as he knocked on the door and waited, his eyes constantly scanning the area. The door slid open and a dark man in a suit stepped out. He was huge, his shoulders almost too wide to fit through the door. His belly was round and protruded quite far from his body, and his large hands engulfed Skins as they shook.

Skins caught my eye through the windscreen and gestured with a head lift for me to get out. I reached over and grabbed my backpack from the backseat and jumped out to meet them. They both ushered me inside and shut the door before beginning introductions.

“Rose, this is Dave. He’s the head of
The Backroom’s
security.” I gave Dave a soft smile which he returned. “He’s in charge of keeping the girls safe and the patrons in line.”

“Pleasure,” Dave said with a nod. His voice matched his body perfectly, his tone very smooth and deep. “Iris wants to see her as soon as you’re ready.”

“Sure man. Know where she’s at?”

Dave smirked. “In her office.”

Skins chuckled and took my hand. He led me down the small hall. There were doors off either side, from some I heard music, others women laughing. We stopped at the one that said
‘Manager’
and Skins pushed it open without knocking.

I gasped, my hand going straight to my mouth and my eyes looking up to the ceiling. Skins laughed. “Iris, you wanted to see us?”

I tried to avert my eyes, but even through all the strength I had, they kept moving back to the scene in front of me. There was an older woman—she must have been at least fifty, bent over a large desk as a gorgeous looking, young, totally ripped, blond man pounded into her from behind. She gripped the edge of the desk, her moans filling the space around us.

“Ahhh, pound it home, Liam. I need to finish so I can take this meeting.” The blond man, who must have only been about my age grinned and winked at me, as he began to thrust his hips harder and harder, rocking and shifting the entire desk. “Oh yeah, oh… oh…
yes
!” the lady cried out. Liam gave her a few more good thrusts before his eyes rolled back and he let out his own ecstasy filled groan.

He pulled out, pulling off the condom and tossing it into the small trash basket to the side before pulling up his jeans and grabbing his shirt off the floor. He gave me another wink as he passed and my already flushed face burned even hotter.

The woman, whom I gathered was Iris, straightened her black dress and adjusted her boobs. The dress now fell down to her knees. It was breathtaking and made her seem even a little bit modest—unlike what I’d just witnessed.

My heart was racing and I knew my mouth was still hanging open in shock.

Stepping forward, Skins took her hand and kissed it. “It’s always a pleasure to see you.”

“Likewise, honey,” she said with a welcoming smile. She turned her attention to me. “You must be Rose.”

I held out my hand, my head still not fully able to comprehend what I’d just walked in on. “Nice to meet you.”

She shook my hand but quickly her face became serious. “All right, let’s get you sorted and give you the rundown on what’s going to happen. We’ve only got a couple hours before you need to be on stage.” She gestured to the sofa that sat against the wall, as she walked over and propped herself against the side of her desk. “You ready for this?”

I took a seat, looking over to Skins as he stood with his arms folded across his chest. He eyed me carefully, this was them giving me the chance to run.

But I wasn’t going to.

I was here. I was going to do what I had to.

Because that’s what family did.

I took a deep breath and pushed my shoulders back. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”