Claiming the Knights (17 page)

             
Drifter just stood there. After a second, he realized that his mouth was open and he snapped it shut.

             
“Are you fuckin' kiddin' me right now?” Drifter said to both of them.

             
“Girl, you best get your ass outta here before your momma sees you,” Drifter told Raven.

             
Raven was paralyzed. This was the part of all of this that she hadn't thought out. She’d been so caught up in him, that she didn't think about, well, about this.

             
“Is she here?” Raven whispered to Drifter.

             
“Yeah she's fuckin' here.” He shook his head. “I'll go distract her, but then you get her the fuck outta here, and when you get back, we are talkin' about this.”

             
Drifter headed for the kitchen and found Anne putting Joel's breakfast together. He did his best to distract her, but she was almost done with the tray.

             
“Hey Anne, we are just going to wait a few minutes before we bring his food to him.”

             
She was just about to put the tray down, when she caught him glancing out the door for something. After what happened with Dean, she was on alert.

             
“Drifter, what the fuck is going on?” She started towards the door.

             
He did his best to block her without putting his hands on her. She ducked around him, just as Raw and Raven had made it through the club door.

             
Drifter was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, when Anne headed for the door, hearing it click shut.

             
“If Dean has that little whore in here again, I will fuckin' kill 'em both,” she said, as she charged the door.

             
Drifter tried to get to her, but it was too late, she was outside. He quickly followed her.

             
Anne looked around expecting to find Dean or Sophia, but instead, what she saw floored her. Her baby, hand in hand, with that man. She had done so well keeping her away, keeping her safe, keeping her normal, and there she was, with him. Not even a club member, but worse, a hired nomad. Hired for bad things, she knew. Her baby, it was too much. She tried to yell, but nothing came out.

             
Raven heard the door and looked. Horror swept through her. No, not her mom. She felt like she was 12 again. Why? She watched as her mom opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. What was she supposed to do? Run to her mother, or stand her ground? With no decision in sight, she just stood there, like her mother, a standoff of sorts.

             
Finally, after a few tense moments, Anne spoke.

             
“Young lady, what the fuck do you think you're doing?” she managed to yell. Drifter stayed by her, in case things got too ugly.

             
With that question, Raven made her decision.

             
“I am spending time with a man because I am an adult, making my own choices,” she said, with a bit of confidence, trying her best not to back down, but not wanting to totally ruin everything.

             
“You get your ass back in that club house this minute, and you, get your shit, and leave,” she said, pointing at Raw.

             
“Anne, honey you can't call the shots here with Raw, he is here for the club and...” Drifter was cut off.

             
“Fuck this,” Anne said, and she turned and went back in the door.

             
Drifter looked at both of them. “Sorry, I tried to stop her,” he shrugged, as he went in to find Dean, to tell him the latest shit with his woman.

             
Raven started to cry. Why? Because it was all so overwhelming. She had just lost her virginity, spent the night in the arms of this man that was in her head so deep, she thought she didn't care what the consequences were, and now her mom just got dropped right in the middle of it. 

             
“We go talk to your mom,” Raw said, not wanting to leave things so fucked up.

             
“Are you crazy? She will flip the fuck out,” Raven said to him, between sobs.

             
“She is freak the fuck out already, Bella. I don't leave it like this, we talk to her.” He grabbed her by the upper arm, and led her into the club house. She tried to resist, but decided that wasn't a good idea. This was the first time he had been less than gentle with her and she knew it was for her own good.

             
They could hear Anne sobbing in the kitchen, and then saw Drifter and Dean coming down the hall.

             
Dean pointed at Raven. “You, in the kitchen now.” Then he pointed at Raw. “Stay right there, I will be back in a minute.”

             
Raven stood her ground. “If I go in the kitchen, he goes with me.” She wrapped her arms around Raw's muscled arm, hugging it.

             
“Fine, have it your way kid,” Dean said, as he opened the kitchen door, and let them all file in, including Drifter.

             
“Oh no, get him the hell outta here,” Anne said, pointing to Raw

             
“No Mom, he stays,” Raven said, as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, still hanging on to his arm, for what felt like dear life.

             
Dean stood by Anne, comforting her, the best he could. She leaned into him.

             
“Mom, I am 20 and I can make my own choices. Raw has reminded me of that, several times. I wanted to be with him. He kept trying to stop me, but I wanted this, with him. If you want to be mad, be mad at me. But here you are with Dean for all this time, and it is hypocritical for you to tell me that I can't have the man I want,” Raven said, as she spilled her feelings out.

             
Raw took a chance to speak. He didn't like leaving all this up in the air, and was determined to make it as right as it could be, before he left.

             
“I mean no disrespect to you ma'am. I warn Raven and she chose to be with me.” He tried to continue, but Anne cut in.

             
“This is way past disrespect, you bastard. This is my daughter, my baby that you have wrapped around your arm. When you run off to the East Coast, where does that leave her? Heartbroken.” She straightens out from leaning on Dean, and starts to walk away.

             
Dean grabs her arm. “Not so fast babe. You want to be a part of this club? You have to face this. Raw is a business partner with us. I don't know how, but this needs to be resolved.”

             
Anne just glares at him.

             
“Give us a few moments,” Dean says, and they both leave the kitchen, presumably to head to Dean’s room.

             
Drifter walks out after them, leaving Raw and Raven to themselves. He really wants nothing to do with any of this shit, but he is in the middle of it.

             
About 15 minutes later, they all meet in the kitchen again. Anne has mellowed on the outside, but on the inside, she is putting cross-hairs on Raw's forehead.

             
“You are right Raven. There is nothing I can do and I haven't set a good example, but despite all of that, I am still not ok with any of this.” She looked directly at Raven. “You do what you need to do, but he stays away from the house and don't cry to me when he is gone.” She did an about face and Dean took her home for the day.

             
Raw felt terrible, but he had said what he could and that was all he could do. He took Raven's hand, and took her back to the room he was staying in.

             
Drifter went to the bar for a drink.

              Scooter and Nikki rode up on the bike. As they pulled into the lot, they saw Dean pulling out, with Anne on the bike with him. Nikki waved, but Anne just turned her head away from them, and leaned on Deans back.

             
“What's up with that?” Nikki asked, sliding off the bike.

             
“Who the hell knows? Anne has been causing some shit lately. Maybe he is taking her home for a spanking,” Scooter laughed.

             
Nikki smacked him. “You're an ass.”

             
They both walked into the club and sat at the bar with Drifter.

             
Leaning in, Scooter asked Drifter what was up with Anne.

             
“She just caught Raven with our hit man,” Drifter told him.

             
“Ahh fuck. Where is Raw?” he asked.

             
“He just took Raven back to his room. Anne said not to bring him around the house,” Drifter explained.

             
Scooter got up, and walked down the hall. He reached the door and banged on it hard. He was pissed. What the fuck was Raw thinking?

             
Raw opened the door. Scooter stepped in. “Raven, come with me, now.” He stepped out of the room and waited. “I will be back in a minute to chat with you,” he said, as he glared at Raw.

             
“Yes boss.” Raw said, being as respectful as possible, but worried about where he was taking his Raven.

             
Scooter took Raven down the hall, beckoned for Nikki, and then the three of them went into Scooter's room, and shut the door. He pointed to the chair at the desk. “Raven sit.”

             
She sat.

             
“Did he force himself on you?” Scooter asked, ready to kill if need be.

             
“God no, Scooter. I wanted to be with him. I told him that I wanted him to be the one,” she blurted out, doing her best to protect him from any false allegations that Scooter was putting out there.

             
“Oh Jesus, he popped your cherry?” Scooter rubbed his hands over his face, and took a deep breath.

             
“Yeah, but I wanted him to. I promise he has been a gentleman. I know he is leaving. It’s fine,” she lied, knowing it was going to tear her apart.

             
“Sunshine, keep her in here. I am gonna go chat with him.” He pointed at Raven and said, “You keep your ass in that chair till I come back.

             
Scooter knocked on Raw’s door, and entered when the door opened.

             
“What the fuck is going on here? We brought you in to do a few jobs, not fuck our girls,” he said accusingly.

             
“I gave her choices, she made choice. I didn't make her,” Raw said. “I can leave now if you want.” He was trying to be respectful, but he really wanted to go find her, to make sure she was ok.

             
“I got that from her. This really throws a wrench in my club,” Scooter explained the obvious.

             
“Not my intention. I just enjoy her company. She read cards for me and I give her a ride on my bike and then we kiss. The rest, what they say, is history,” Raw said and smiled.

             
Scooter couldn't help but smile too. That was a bit funny in broken English.

             
He led Raw back to his room, and to Raven. “There she is, she's all yours apparently.”

             
Raven got up and hugged Raw, and went back to his room with him. That is where she remained for the rest of his stay.

              Scooter and Nikki returned to the bar. “I'm getting too fuckin' old for this shit,” he said, as he slid onto a stool.

              Raw decided to stay a few extra days. He, Scooter, Drifter, and Dean had decided to send Joel back to Chicago with Raw, instead of killing him. Joel was an asset with all his contacts. He was trusted by many wet workers all over the country and some internationally. Both the club and Raw could use this in the future.

             
Raw spent the days laying it out to Joel on how it was all going to go down, and he was with Raven every second beyond that.

             
The only time they left the room, was to go get food. If Raw had club business, she stayed in the room and waited for him. She was head over heels.

             
Raw knew logically this was a huge mistake. He couldn't spend this kind of time with her, and not fall for her. It went against everything that he stood for. His freedom had always come first in his life. He was The Nomad. No ties, just friendly faces, and good times. Oh, but this one, this one had a hold on him and he couldn't help himself. He, like her, was hanging on to every moment together.