Authors: Jamie Begley
“Knox, it’s all right. She’s upset.” Willa reluctantly released Caroline. She didn’t want to further upset the children by struggling with the inevitable. She would end up in one of the jail cells, and the children would still be gone.
Caroline and Chrissy began screaming and fighting against the people holding them, and Charlie ran forward, grabbing Willa around the waist. “Please don’t make me leave. I’ll be good.”
Tears fell from Willa’s eyes as she lowered herself to her knees, holding Charlie in her arms.
“The children aren’t going anywhere. They’re staying with Willa.” Lucky’s statement caught everyone’s attention.
“No, they are not.” Flora’s hands went to her hips. “They will be placed in their new foster home. Leanne and Sissy will go to a group home until I can find a placement for Leanne. Sissy, unfortunately, will not be placed due to her running away. She’ll stay there until she turns eighteen.”
“The children and Leanne will remain with my fiancée until we’re married. Then they will all move into my home after we’re married in two weeks. Sissy can stay with Knox and his wife until our marriage. Then she can move in with us, also.”
“You and Willa are engaged?” Flora asked, staring back and forth between them.
“Yes, we became engaged last night.”
Willa couldn’t believe the lies coming from Lucky, but she didn’t try to deny their fictitious relationship, because the children had stopped crying. She reached for the girls who were frantically trying to throw themselves out of the adults’ arms. Barely managing to hold both girls, she felt Lucky take Chrissy from her, placing a supportive arm around her shoulders.
Flora stood with indecision on her face. “Where do you plan to live after you’re married?”
“The church, of course. I’ll be taking over the role of pastor again next weekend.”
“Why haven’t I heard of this before?” Flora asked suspiciously.
“The deacons of the church gave me time to make up my mind. I was going to inform them after church tomorrow morning.”
Dalton reached out, shaking Lucky’s hand. “We’ll be glad to have you back.”
“I knew you would come back.” Lisa and her husband shared a glance that Willa didn’t understand. “The whole congregation has missed you.”
“As I have them,” Lucky replied, his arm tightening across Willa’s shoulders.
Flora frowned. “I don’t know…”
“I will be around the children constantly during Willa’s and my engagement. They will be perfectly safe in our hands. I can supply as many references as you need. The governor will be one of them.”
“I’ll bring the paperwork to Willa’s this afternoon. The state always wants what is best for the children.” Flora’s overbearing attitude went through an abrupt change. She was almost nice when she asked Knox. “You and your wife are willing to take in Sissy?”
Knox remained silent for a brief second, his lips tightening. “Diamond and I will be happy to take her until Willa and Lucky are married.”
Willa didn’t think he sounded very happy, but she was grateful he had agreed with the social worker.
“That’s settled, then. I’ll see you this afternoon, Willa.”
Willa could only nod as Flora and the Wests left the sheriff’s office.
“I better call Diamond and tell her we’re having company for a couple of weeks.” Knox went into his office, closing the door.
Lucky’s arm dropped from her shoulder. “You go ahead and take the kids home. I’ll be there in a few.” He handed Chrissy to Leanne.
Sissy stood as if she was shell-shocked. Willa started to go to her, but Lucky blocked her by opening the front door for her.
“Lucky”—Willa paused beside him—“I appreciate you keeping them from taking the children, but it’s going to be a mess to explain when we don’t—”
“Go home, Willa. We’ll talk when I get there.”
Willa nodded weakly, too tired to argue. “Okay.” Shifting Caroline’s weight, she left, relieved the children were docile and silent as she placed them in the car.
She was backing out of the parking space when her eyes were caught by Leanne’s.
“I’m sorry, Willa. Sissy made me promise not to tell anyone where she was going.”
“Promises are meant to be pledges of trust between two people. When those promises can hurt someone, it’s you who must decide if honoring it is worth the consequences.”
Leanne lowered her head. “I really didn’t think she would go through with it. She was trying to find that good-looking biker she’s seen around town.”
Willa didn’t have to ask. She remembered the girl being fascinated with the biker the night of her escapade with Jace and Cal.
“Thank God she didn’t find him.”
*
*
*
Viper picked the stapler up from the reception desk, throwing it at the wall.
“Dammit!” Viper snarled at Sissy.
“I kept my mouth shut. I told you I wouldn’t tell, and I didn’t.” Sissy backed away from the furious president.
Knox came out of his office. “They leave?”
“For now,” Lucky grimly answered.
“You find her hiding inside Rosey’s?”
Viper grimly nodded his head. “Jenna sneaked her in the back door.”
“Fuck.” Knox looked like he was going to follow his leader’s example and throw something.
“She’s been pissed at the club since Lucky stopped seeing her and told the brothers not to touch her.” Viper continued, “It didn’t help that King fired her when he heard she hit Willa. Nothing’s worse than a slut with a grudge.”
Sissy backed a step away at Viper’s anger. The girl certainly didn’t look her age, dressed in the short, black skirt and the tight, green top she was wearing.
“None of the other brothers recognized her?”
“The bar was too crowded with all the brothers from Ohio wanting to stop by and see Mick.”
“Shit.” Knox’s expletive was what the rest of them were all thinking. “Did any of the brothers touch her?”
“No, thank fuck. We found her hiding in the back room.”
“Jenna?”
“Lied about it at first then finally owned up to giving her a couple of beers.”
“Mick could lose his license if it gets around town.” Knox scraped his fingers along his shaved head.
“That’s not all,” Viper seethed. “Jenna decided to tell her about the clubhouse when Moon and Rider were talking about Lucky’s night.”
Lucky kept his face composed. His anger at Jenna had seethed when Sissy had confirmed she had heard about Raci, Stori, and Ember. Jenna had even told Sissy he used knives. The slut hadn’t cared that she was talking to a seventeen-year-old child.
Knox leaned against the tall counter. “Mick fire her?”
“Told her to get the fuck out of his bar and not come back. Mick trusted Jenna; she had worked for him for a long time. He even rehired her when she came begging for her old job back.”
“We’re fucked. There won’t be a person in town who doesn’t know about the club by the time Jenna and Sissy get done running their mouths.” Knox shot a dirty look at Sissy, a warning to keep her trap shut.
“No, we’re not,” Lucky finally spoke up. “None of us touched her, and Mick didn’t intentionally serve her liquor. I don’t really give a fuck about anyone finding out about me using knives. I’m not a pastor anymore. The problem is Jenna told her names of women she had seen at the club.”
Marriages could be destroyed if a few of the names were dropped. Not only that, but Winter, Lily, Diamond, Beth, and Rachel would be embarrassed publicly, and the brothers didn’t want their women hurt.
Lucky wouldn’t mince words in front of the girl. They were fortunate Knox had called with the information to find her when he did. Sissy would have sneaked out and exposed several people there who sure as fuck wouldn’t want their presence made public.
“She’s going to keep her mouth shut,” Lucky promised.
“Remember, Moon promised I could join your club when I get older,” Sissy reminded the men.
Viper stiffened. No one lived after they tried to intimidate the club, but it went against club rules to harm an innocent. Despite the girl showing she was already a hardened bitch, her age held their hands.
Knox threw Viper a surprised look. “But Moon—”
Lucky imperceptibly shook his head at the brother. He knew Viper had no intention of letting Sissy join. She would be quickly disillusioned about the fun in the club. By the time the women members were done with her, she would be too frightened to look at a man wearing leather.
“What about Jenna?” Knox asked instead of finishing what he had been about to say.
“She’s decided it’s in her best interest to leave town. I gave her a week.” Lucky had been furious with Jenna, and the woman had known him well enough to agree to leave Treepoint.
“You know what you’re doing?”
Viper’s direct question had Lucky wondering the same thing. He had reacted without thinking when he had seen the Wests take the younger girls from Willa’s arms.
“When has he ever had a fucking clue?” Shade gibed.
Lucky ignored Shade. “Go inside Knox’s office and wait for him,” Lucky directed Sissy. Her resentful behavior was the last straw. “Knock it off! Change the attitude, or the closest you’ll ever get to The Last Riders’ clubhouse is the parking lot!”
“That isn’t fair,” she protested.
“Do you want fair, or do you want to join The Last Riders? Moon promised you could try to join, but Jenna told you how the club works, that you have to get the votes to be a member. You think you’ll get any of the brothers to lay a hand on you with that attitude? Why do you think Jenna never became a member?”
Her silence spoke for itself.
“Every time you piss me off, I’ll add another year to your wait. Moon told you that you could join when you’re nineteen, but if you mess up, you’ll be old and grey before you get your ass through the door.”
Sissy’s hands clenched, but her mouth snapped shut. Turning around, she went into Knox’s office and slammed the door.
“Someone please remind me she’s a kid.” Shade’s sarcasm had the brothers eyeing him cautiously.
“We’re responsible for her behavior. It’s because of us that her mother is dead.” Lucky hated to believe the girl who had just left the room was as nasty-tempered as her deceased relatives.
“You mean me, not us.
I
was the one who pulled the trigger that killed her mother.” Remorse had never been Shade’s strongest personality trait.
“I was the one who gave the okay. We would have all died if that fire alarm hadn’t gone off. Another five minutes and Shade and Lily would have been burned alive. When I okayed the hit, Georgia’s brother already had custody of her children. I didn’t plan on Lewis getting himself killed, too.”
“Sissy’s behavior isn’t a result of her circumstances; it’s born and bred. Georgia and Lewis were both bullies and sick fuckers. Sissy attacks Willa the same way her mother did.” Shade’s reasoning angered Lucky.
“I don’t believe that.
You’re
not a result of your upbringing.”
“I’m an aberration.”
“I have to agree with that,” Lucky mocked.
“Will someone tell me when Moon got the right to decide who joins the club?” Knox stared at the brothers around him, breaking up the budding argument.
“Club doesn’t have to keep any promises an original member doesn’t make. Moon didn’t have a problem deceiving the girl. After what’s she’s put Willa through, none of us do.”
“If Willa couldn’t control Sissy, what makes you think Diamond will handle her any better?” Knox questioned.
“Because Diamond isn’t responsible for her uncle’s death, and you’ll be around. Right now, her goal is to become a member. As long as she wants that, she’ll somewhat behave.”
Knox shook his head. “Teenagers expect immediate gratification. She’ll get tired of waiting.”
Lucky couldn’t blame him for his concern. The brother didn’t want his wife exposed to the same treatment from Sissy that Willa had tolerated.
“Diamond is also related to Sex Piston,” Lucky clued him in. “Her sister isn’t going to let Diamond be mistreated.”
“Sex Piston will sic Killyama on her ass.” Knox chuckled.
“That’s what Lucky’s counting on. We can’t touch the girl; however, Killyama will have no hesitation about knocking some respect into her.” Shade’s usually impassive face broke into an evil grin.
“That bitch will wring her fucking neck if she pisses her off.” Viper joined in on the laughter.
Lucky barely held back his own amusement. The Last Riders hated to deal with the biker bitches. If Sissy made the mistake of getting in their faces like she had with everyone else, the girl would be confronted by a group of women who wouldn’t let her age and circumstances affect them. They would beat the shit out of her, which is what he hated to admit he had wanted to do when Sissy had lunged for Willa. He had wanted to drop her on her ass. The only thing that held him back was the presence of the Wests and the social worker.
“Knox, can I borrow your office? I need to make a few calls.” Lucky’s mind was turning to the numerous phone calls he needed to make to resume becoming a pastor and collect the references that would keep Flora at bay until he could marry Willa.
“Help yourself.” Knox waved his hand toward his private office.
“You really going to go through with it?”
Lucky had thought Shade would be pleased with his decision; instead, he was looking grimmer by the second.
“Yeah.”
“How are you going to convince those straight-assed deacons to give you the church back?”
“That’s the easy part. They won’t turn me down, because I found out their secrets when I was their pastor. I just have to remind them that, as long as I’m no longer their pastor, I feel no obligation to keep them. If I have my job back, I would feel bound by my position to make sure their transgressions remain private.”
“The golden rule: scratch my balls, or I’ll cut off your dick.”
“Exactly. I’ll see you later at the clubhouse.”
Lucky went into Knox’s office, motioning for Sissy to go back out front then shutting the door behind her. He expected a bigger challenge at regaining his job as pastor, but none of the deacons gave him any trouble, relieved they wouldn’t have to listen to another on-call pastor. Only one broached the subject of The Last Riders.