Choo-Choo (8 page)

Fifteen

“Oh thank God.”  Preach said as Mrs. limped into view.  He rushed to her and pulled her into his arms.  “Are you alright?  Did they hurt you?”

“Not really.  They just tied me up and tried to scare me.”  She let out a shaky breath.  “It worked.”

“Nobody’s here.”  Shadow spoke low.  “We took out the half dozen prospects that were left to watch the place and left the women alone.”

“Where the fuck are they?”  Jack spat.

“I don’t like this shit.”  Law frowned.  “Found some papers on your girl in there Choo-Choo.  Looks like she gets some money in a couple weeks when she turns twenty-one.  Looks like Poole plans to cash in.”

“Fuck.  This was just a diversion.”  Choo- Choo felt it in his gut.  “We need to get the fuck back there.”

Law nodded once and pulled out his phone.

Mrs. was bundled up and carried back to the waiting vans.  Preach wouldn’t let her out of his sight and he had vengeance in his eyes.

“They die.”  He spoke to Shadow.  “All of them.  They fucking die for this shit.  I know what you can fucking do.  You do it.  You do it for your family.”

Choo-Choo watched Shadow close his eyes and clench his jaw.  They had all watched the man sipping slowly into madness with each new kill.  It was eating at him.  Law stepped up beside the dark-haired man that so many feared and spoke low.  He motioned for Gator to join them and they spoke in hushed voices for a few beats.  When Shadow lifted his tortured eyes they were filled with gratitude.  He nodded. 

Choo-Choo felt pride in that moment.  They were brothers.  They helped each other, shouldered each other’s burdens.  That was what he had been looking for when he’d signed on with the Defenders.  They would hold each other together and they would protect their own.

It was time for him to protect what was his too.  Time to become a man that his brothers would trust.

Frog stepped into the room with Eddie.  They looked to the bed and hate rolled off of them when they saw their fallen brother.

“You bitch.  Poole wanted to keep you alive.  Said he had a way to make a pile of money off you, but I think you’re too much trouble.”  Eddie took a step toward her and Frog matched it.

Josie kept the knife gripped tightly.  She held it tight behind her back so they would think she was harmless.  She hoped it would buy her time.  Sniper should be there anytime.  She just had to wait.

“I think I’ll Just fuck you one more time and then let Frog have you before we cut you up.”

He took another step and Josie’s heart sped up.  Blood was oozing into her eyes along with sweat, but she didn’t dare wipe it.

“That little piece of ass you’re protecting will take your place just fine.”

Josie clenched her jaw.  She wouldn’t be baited into attacking too soon.

“Tight little pussy all for me.  She won’t know anything but my cock from now on.  Might keep you alive long enough to watch.”  He reached down and rubbed at the bulge in his pants.

He was a disgusting creature.  She had no idea how she’d stood to ever let him touch her.
“I’ll get to watch her tits grow in all for me.  I’ll get to pop that young little cherry and have her full of my seed and popping out my babies before she’s old enough to drive.”

She could see by the light in his eyes that he was getting excited, the sick animal.  She felt bile rising in the throat.  She had been sixteen when he had taken her to his bed.  He had watched her grow the way he talked about Amelia.  She had given him his sick fantasy.

He took another step closer and lunged.  Her disgust had distracted her, but she managed to pull the knife from behind her and slice his chest.  He cursed and slapped out at her catching her in the chest.  She fell to the side with a cry of anguish as she landed heavily on her.  She scrambled to try to regain her grip on the knife but her hands were slick with sweat and blood.  She used the flat of her hand to hit him in the nose.  He cursed, but unlike Poole, he didn’t loosen his hold on her.  He lifted her up and slammed her head against the floor.  Then again and again until her head swam.  Then he stood and kicked her until the pain was too much to bear.

He stepped away and kicked open the bathroom door.

Frog pulled her legs until she was lying flat on the floor.  She heard the rip of his zipper, but couldn’t force her eyes to open.  She felt his hands on her body, but nothing could penetrate the darkness that had swallowed her.

Nothing until she heard Amelia scream.

Sixteen

Choo-Choo felt real fear when the pulled up to the house a few hours later.  Spec had gotten them on a plane which had saved time, but not enough.  He had spoken to Sniper and knew the mess they would walk into, the terror and heartbreak.

He stepped through the ruined door of his childhood home and heard Granny P’s strong voice.  Her strength gave him strength enough to move.

There was a blood soaked sheet draped over the couch.  He could see Oscar’s red hair sticking out of the top and knew the prospect was dead.  There was blood splattered on the wall and a man he didn’t know stared up at him with empty eyes.  There was another man lying near the stairs and blood splatters over the carpet that led upstairs.

Choo-Choo wondered if any of it belonged to Josie.  He turned when he heard a groan and stepped into his Granny’s bedroom.  Valentine lay sprawled on the bed, his face pinched with pain as Granny pressed a towel to his chest.

“Stop being such a baby.  It’s not that bad.”

She said the words, but Choo-Choo could see the fear painted on her face.

“Hey Choo-Choo, up here man.”  Gator spoke from the top of the stairs.

He ran up the stairs and skidded to a stop at his door.   His dresser lay on the floor and his door hung at an odd angle, but that’s not what stopped his heart.  There were three men lying on the floor of his bedroom, all dead and Josie stood, covered in blood guarding the bathroom door with glassy eyes.

“Baby, God, baby are you hurt?”  He started to rush to her, but Sniper stopped him.

“Careful man.  She will gut you.  She hacked these fuckers to pieces.  Careful.”

“Shit.”  This was his fault, he never should have left her.  “Baby, look at me now.  You know I won’t hurt you.  Let me make sure you’re alright.”

“No.  I’m fine.  Stay back.”  Josie sounded strange.

“What’s she protecting?”  He asked Sniper who shrugged.

Then he heard a little voice and he choked.

“It’s ok now Miss Josie.  We are safe now.  See Choo-Choo will keep us safe.”  Her little voice cracked.  “I want my daddy.”

Harry charged into the room and fell to his knees.  “Oh thank God you’re alright.  I thought you’d run out to the playhouse to hide.  I’ve searched everywhere for you.  Are you alright baby?”

Tears ran freely down Harry’s face and Josie tilted her head.  She held the knife and pointed it toward Harry.

“Don’t you hurt her?”

“I’d never hurt her Josie.  Please, let her come out.  She’s safe now.  You saved her.”

Josie looked down into Amelia’s wide eyes.  “Go to your daddy sweetheart.”

Amelia ran to her father and it seemed as if life drained from Josie.  The knife fell from her hand and she sank slowly.

Choo-Choo lunged to catch her before she hit the floor.  He lifted her and carried her from the room.  He kicked open the door to Valentine’s room.  He climbed into the tub and sat with her still on his lap.  He struggled out of his jacket and boots and slung everything out of the way before he started the water.  He had to see what was hers and what wasn’t.  She was covered in gore and the sight of her would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Law stepped into the bathroom.

“You did real good darlin’.”  Josie turned at the sound of his voice and he nodded.  “Real good.”

She began to shake as if she would break apart.  Her sobs shook her body until Choo-Choo thought they would break his bones.

“Get the fuck out of here Law.”

“Why?  So you can baby her and tell her it will all be over and alright?  Don’t fucking lie to her.  This shit happened.”

He stepped closer and squatted by the tub meeting her glassy eyes.

“This shit happened darlin’ there’s no taking it back, but you wouldn’t would you.  You wouldn’t do one goddamned thing differently would you?”

She shook her head.

“Know why?  Cause you’re a badass and you did what you had to do.  Don’t regret that shit, own it.  You saved that kid and yourself, don’t you dare regret that.”

He kissed her forehead and stood without another word and left the room.

Choo-Choo sat there, stunned.  That would have been the last thing he would have said to Josie, but maybe that was his problem.  Things happened.  Things that changed the way life had to be lived, but there was no going back.

He held Josie in his arms as the warm water ran over them and washed away the blood.  He helped her strip out of her clothes and gritted his teeth at the bruises he uncovered.  He also found a huge goose egg on the back of her head and figured she was suffering a pretty bad concussion.  She needed a hospital, but that wasn’t the way things were done in the club.  He felt completely useless.

“This is one hell of a mess you’ve made.”  GrannyP said in a strong voice, but weariness tugged on her.

“Let’s see if we can get both of you cleaned up.”

Granny helped Josie into a big shirt that likely belonged to Valentine and Sniper lifted her and carried her to bed.

Choo-Choo pulled his clothes off and tossed them in the garbage.  He scrubbed as quickly as he could and wrapped a towel around his body before stepping out of the bathroom.

Sniper had left the room.  Granny P. was on the bed looking Josie over with a deep frown on her face.

“Will she be alright?”  Choo-Choo asked, worry lacing his words.

“Looks like she took a hard lick to the head, may have a broken rib or two to go with that.”  She met Choo-Choo’s eyes.  “They were going to kill her.  Take Amelia.  She fought them off.  Amelia is talking it all out with Harry.  She’s scared, but she can’t believe what Josie did to save her.”

Choo-Choo looked at where Josie lay, her eyes were closed, but her face was pinched with pain.

“How is Valentine?”

“He’ll live.”  He had tried to help, the damned fool.”  She shook her head.  “He’ll live.  He’s got to.”

Choo-Choo nodded and swallowed hard. 

“Doc Mitchell is on his way.  He will take care of all this and keep his mouth shut.”

Choo-Choo sighed.  That was one less thing.

Granny stood and opened a drawer.  She pulled out a pair of sweatpants and tossed them to him.

“Put some clothes on.  This is going to be one long night.”

Seventeen

It had been two weeks.  Josie was feeling much better.  The headaches were not coming as often as they had the first few days after the attack.

She rolled over to snuggle against Choo-Choo.  He had been so strong, so quiet.  She knew without a doubt that he was waiting for her to get well so he could let her go.  She wasn’t in danger anymore so there was no reason for him to keep her.  If she were honest with herself she would admit that she had been better for days now, but she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.

He pulled her into his arms the way he always did when she was close.

They had been back at his clubhouse for more than a week.  Choo-Choo watched after her and took care of her, but he never touched her the way he had before that night.  Mrs. had come to visit her and had lifted her spirits with her outrageousness, but little could lift the dark mood that pulled at her.

Maybe she could convince him to keep her…

Josie let her hand drift town Choo-Choo’s chest, over his tattoo and over his hip.  He sighed in his sleep, but didn’t stir.  She let her hand fall lower until she felt the wiry curls between his thighs.  She let her hand move slowly, lower until she cupped his balls in her hand.

He groaned a sleepy groan and widened his legs for her. 

Josie felt a surge of power as she cupped him and rolled him in her hand.  When she brought her hand back up, she found him growing hard.  Her breath quickened.  This was her chance.  Her chance to show him how much she cared for him, to prove to him how well she could love him and maybe he would keep her.

She tried to wrap her hand around his girth, but her fingers couldn’t hold him.  She worked him as best as she could and felt his muscles bunch.  Her eyes flew to his and found them half open.

“Good morning Goldilocks, somethin’ I can help you with?”

“I want…”

A smile curled his lips.  “You can have anything you want, you know that.”

“But you haven’t… you haven’t shown interest in anything since…”

Her breath gushed out of her when he rolled her to her back.

“I was waiting for you.  You needed time.”

“I need you.  Please…”

His lips crashed into hers and she tasted his passion.  She met him with equal passion as their hands rediscovered their favorite parts. 

She dug her fingers into Choo-Choo’s back as he suckled her breast.

“I need you too Goldilocks.”

“How could you need someone like me?  You saw what I did.”

His eyes met hers in the dimness of the room.  The sun shone through the blinds and cast a golden glow over his body.  She felt her body quiver from want as she let her eyes take him in.

“You are exactly what I need.  How could I live with anything less?  I need to know that you will stand beside me, protect our children.  This is a hell of a life Josie.  I have to have a strong woman by my side.”

“I’m not strong.  I can’t deal with all of this.  I killed them.  I killed all of them.”

He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her.  He poured all of his hopes for their future into that kiss.

“You survived.  That’s what this life is baby.  You survived the only way you could and you saved Amelia.”

“How could you want a murderer to be the mother of your children?  How could you want to share your bed with a woman who could do that?”

He was shaking his head.  “I want to spend my life loving a woman with more strength than any I’ve ever seen.  I want to be able to go on a run without worrying about my wife and my kids, because you will be that wife and you will be with those kids.  I’m so damned proud of you.  You earned the respect of my brothers and that’s not easy.  Baby, I love you.  I can’t make that go away.  I don’t want to.”

She wrapped her arms around him.  She could feel him, so close, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in, but he wouldn’t budge.

“You are my old lady Goldilocks, if that’s not the life you want then I understand, but you are the only woman for me.”

“I love you Choo-Choo.  I’ll try to be the best old lady anybody’s ever seen.”

He kissed her and as their tongues mated, he slipped into her with one easy stroke.  With each plunging stroke he claimed her and she let him.  With each thrust of his hips she let go of her past.  By the time he’d spilled his desires inside of her she had lost her fears and her protests.  She was home.