Freedom to Ride (Ravens MC) (3 page)

“
Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to feel like we’re imposing. They’ve got businesses to run and I want to be able to provide for Holly. But I am thankful for what everyone’s done.” She suddenly winced when Megan ran a hand over her sore back.

“
Do you want me to take a look? I know you’re in pain with the way you’re walking,” Megan said sympathetically.

“
Yeah, if you don’t mind. I can’t see how bad it is.”

Deanna lifted her top slowly, feeling the ache in her body, and gasped when Megan gently probed the bruises covering the side of her ribs.

Just then there was a knock at the door and it swung open. Deanna looked over her shoulder and saw Nate standing frozen in the doorway with a horrified expression as he caught sight of her back.

“
What the hell?” He couldn’t take his eyes off the extensive bruising on Deanna’s body, disturbingly in the shape of a large boot print.

“
Jesus, Deanna. Are you okay?” Nate said, striding towards them as she hurriedly pulled her top back down, ashamed he’d seen her standing there in her bra.

“
I’m fine. Megan was just checking. It’s not really sore anymore,” she lied, not wanting his pity over the injuries covering her body.

“
Alright, if you’re sure. I was after Megan. Logan’s lookin’ for you,” his eyes flicking from Megan to Deanna, whose face he noticed was red and swollen from crying.

“
Thanks Nate. Come on, I’m starving,” Megan replied as she dragged an embarrassed Deanna out of the room to the kitchen with Holly in her arms. Nate, who was still picturing the shocking bruises on her body, followed closely behind trying to contain his anger.

     Deanna collected her cup of tea from the kitchen and sat down on one of the sofas in the front room. As she watched her daughter crawling around the floor playing with her new toys, she decided to speak to Nate about finding a job.       

“Nate? Megan and I were just saying that we wanted to start looking for jobs. I was wondering if you know of anything available?”

“
Well, Logan did mention that you would both need work and had waitressing experience. One of my dad’s mates has a hotel not far from here. He’s just extended and built a restaurant. It’ll be open in a few weeks and I mentioned you two when I last saw him. It’s quiet at this time of year, as it’s just a few weeks after Christmas, but soon the weather will get better and more tourists will pass through. I’ll contact him and try to get somethin’ sorted. Is that alright?” Nate said.

“
That’s great. Thank you.” Deanna smiled gratefully at him.

“
Thanks Nate. Right, I’d better get dressed and find Logan. We’ve got some catching up to do,” Megan said as she left the room. Fraser also headed out saying he would see Nate over at the garage later.

She turned to find Nate staring at her.
“How you doin’?” he asked quietly.

“
I’m fine,” was Deanna’s automatic response to Nate’s question.

“
Really? Seriously?” he said raising his eyebrows, knowing she couldn’t be telling the truth, especially after seeing the extent of her injuries.

“
Seriously?” she said and he nodded in response. “Okay, I’m scared. I’m worried but I’m also happy. It’s hard to explain. I checked my phone not long ago and there’s nothing. No messages, no missed calls. I don’t know if that means Lee hasn’t woken yet to find us missing. Or . . . I don’t know what else it could mean. I always thought that once he discovered us gone he would go crazy ringing me non-stop to find out where we were. His silence is worrying me.”

“
He’ll never find you. You’ve nothin’ to worry about with us lot around. Don’t worry about money or trying to find somewhere else to live. You’re all more than welcome to stay as long as you need. Plus Logan’s just got his sister back so he’s in no hurry to see her leave. He’s completely with me on this. You’re also best gettin’ rid of your sim card so you don’t have to worry about him trying to contact you again.”

Deanna smiled her thanks and made a mental note to destroy it as soon as she went back into the bedroom. Trying to take her mind of everything, she asked Nate something that she had been wondering for some time.

“So . . . can you tell me a bit about the club? I don’t really know much about what you do other than what Megan’s told me.”

He smiled.
“What do you wanna know?”

“
Well. I know that a few MC clubs are into some dangerous or dodgy dealings. Megan explained that you’re not that kind of club though.”

“
She’s right. My dad and his mates created this MC. They were all bike lovers, getting together for beers and long rides around the country. Always tinkering with their bikes and driving their wives crazy. So they decided to build a garage where they could go, which then turned into building a club next door for them to relax in at weekends. That’s how the club was created. Nothin’ illegal. But you can imagine now and again fights broke out, usually over women, when some of the members were steamin’. When my dad fell ill I was his first choice to take over from him as President. I was a bit of a hellion at the time so I decided it was time to grow up, accept his decision and think about the club’s best interests. He knew I had a strong head on my shoulders and I wasn’t as temperamental as some of the other members. By the time he passed I was ready.” Nate paused, obviously thinking about his father.

“
As the club and garage thrived me and my older brother Ethan decided to go into partnership. He isn’t really into bikes but loves anythin’ physical. He’s a martial arts expert - karate, judo, tae kwon do, you name it. So we decided to open a security company and named it after our mum’s side of the family. Best move we ever made. It pushed the club in another legal direction, and got our name broadcast more widely across the country. As our customer numbers grew so did our reputation. We’re now one of the most popular custom bike garages around. We’ve had people in the past approach us for help, mistaking us for vigilantes, but we’ve kept out of trouble and stayed legal. We’ve passed any serious problems to Ethan for him and his team to deal with. The rest is history.”

“
Wow. You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. I . . . I’m sorry about your dad. I lost my mum a few years ago, heart attack. Don’t know what happened to my dad.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
It’s . . . erm . . . well it’s complicated. He just went to work one day and never came home. Everyone accused him of running away with another woman. But mum and me knew something had to have happened to him, he just wouldn’t have left. He and my mum were so happy. He was a doctor at the local clinic and mum had been transferred there when they’d needed an extra nurse. They fell in love, got married immediately and then I came along not long after. The three of us were really close.” Deanna stopped as her throat clogged with tears from the memories of her parents.

“
The police investigated but found nothing. Mum never recovered and I know she died of a broken heart. She couldn’t cope without him and I was left picking up the pieces after losing them both,” she ended sadly.

“
I’m sorry that happened. My dad was great until cancer took him. Mum struggled for a while but with me, Ethan and the club she’s okay now. We all miss him but I make sure I put everything into making his - and now my - club successful.”

“
By the sound of it, you’re doing just that. I’m sure he’d be proud of you. Erm . . . can I ask a personal question?” He seemed surprised with her compliment, but smiled nodding his head laughing gently at her tentative question.

“
How old are you? It’s just that you seem so young to be a club President. I always picture them being old, fat with a big bushy beard.”

He laughed harder.
“You watch too much TV. I’m thirty seven. Might be young but I done a lot and had to grow up quick. What about you?”

“
I’ve just turned thirty. I know what you mean. I feel a lot older than I am. My dad disappeared when I was fifteen, mum passed a few years later. After that I wandered for years going from job to job, unsure what to do with my life. Then one day I met a man who said all the things I needed to hear. I was lonely and vulnerable and he saw it, exploited it. If it wasn’t for Holly I would regret meeting him,” Deanna ended, the horrible memories of her ex’s violent behaviour filling her mind.

Nate reached his hand across and held hers comfortingly.

The horrors she had endured caused an ache in his chest. He’d lost his dad but his upbringing had been filled with loving parents and an extended family with the club. Things had come quite easily to him and it was only now he could fully appreciate it.

In that moment he made a promise that he would do all in his power for this fantastic woman and her adorable daughter. He looked down at the wee girl in question to see her playing with his shoelaces.

Deanna looked up when the front door opened and Logan walked in, wiping his greasy hands on his jeans, obviously just been working on a bike across at the garage.

“
Nate, we need you. The Bitch is on the war path lookin’ for you everywhere. Please come and deal with it before one of us strangles her. Mornin’ Deanna,” Logan said.

“
Morning,” replied Deanna as Nate stood ready to leave, giving her hand one last squeeze.

“
Aye, alright I’m comin’. I’ll see you later Deanna. If you need anything just come across the road.”

“
Okay, thanks. See you later.” Deanna waved as she sat on the floor next to Holly, playing with the toys together. Nate looked back at the pair before walking out the door.

Deanna was surprised at how easy it was to open up to Nate, their conversation had been so natural and she had felt completely at ease and comfortable talking to him. She did wonder, however, who it was that Logan was referring to as a bitch.

As she sat playing with Holly she thought about how she, Holly and Megan were now at last surrounded by decent hardworking men. Deanna had never felt safer.

“Deanna. Where the hell are you?” Lee screeched, his voice echoing through the spacious cold house.

He
’d woken to a pounding head and, wiping the drool from his mouth, he staggered to his feet. As he stood rubbing his sore knuckles he saw dried blood caked between his fingers, the sight bringing a satisfied smile to his face.

The stupid bitch deserved it, whimpering on the floor as she curled into a ball. She absolutely repulsed him. Lee thought back to the night before. He couldn
’t believe the nerve of the slag burning his dinner. She knew that everything she did for him had to be perfect, he hated carelessness.

He remembered Deanna pathetically sobbing an apology over and over as the familiar burning frenzy flowed through his body. His fists had curled as he swung them into her face repeatedly, cracking her lips. The feel of her blood splatter across his face as her lips split open was pleasurable and his cock had hardened, fueling him to jam his fists into her face again and again until she
’d eventually fell to the floor crying out. She had cowered on the floor screaming for him to stop and as she’d tried to grab his foot he’d stomped on her continually until she shut up.

The near orgasmic feeling that had run through his body at the sight of her bleeding was the only thing that soothed the overwhelming fury he always felt towards her. He had got his breathing under control, returned to the couch and drank himself into oblivion.

Holding his aching head he swayed as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and sighed as the coolness soothed his dry throat. Burping loudly he rubbed at the sleep crusted in his eyes and stretched, his dirty t-shirt clinging to his sweaty body.

“
Deanna,” he screamed again, getting more pissed the longer she made him wait.

He stomped back to the couch and slouched down, reaching for the TV remote to watch some footie. He knew Deanna didn
’t enjoy the sport so this was just another way to make her life that little bit more unpleasant. But that satisfied thought didn’t last long when after a few more minutes Deanna still hadn’t appeared and no sound was coming from any part of the house.

Seriously annoyed now, he got back to his feet and stumbled upstairs to the bathroom. He stood having a piss, most of it missing the toilet as he wobbled, the sight bringing a cruel sneer to his face as he pictured Deanna on her hands and knees cleaning it up.

To clear his head he plunged his head into cold water in the sink and caught sight of himself in the mirror on the wall. As he stared at his reflection he saw sunken cheeks and bloodshot eyes due to lack of sleep and excessive drinking. The slag drove him to this, he wanted to make her life a misery but every time he saw her he fought the uncontrollable compulsion to grab a knife and plunge it over and over into her disgusting body. He really hated that slut.

“
Bitch. Where the fuck are you?” His voice rising as his temper soared he staggered down the hallway, slamming her bedroom door open brutally, the handle embedding itself in the wall. He looked around the room, clenching his teeth and knuckles when he saw that her bed hadn’t been slept in and the little brat’s cot was empty.