“Anything you say?” Deadeye asks, flashing me an evil smile. “Why don’t you tell your new Daddy exactly what you're willing to do to gain custody?”
I choke back the bile rising in my throat at the predatory look in Deadeye’s eyes. “I’ll do anything.”
“This just got interesting. Sign the paper, Patty.” My mother blinks at him for a split second, then obeys, signing her rights over to me. I snatch the paper off the table before anyone else can grab it. “Looks like I won’t have to force you to sell your virginity at the auction house—I own you now.” Deadeye reaches out to touch me, and I suppress a grimace.
Before he can touch me, Jax grabs his arm, twists it behind his back, and shoves Deadeye against the wall. “Like hell you do.” Then, before I know it, all hell breaks loose outside the trailer as loud male voices start yelling.
It isn’t long before Deadeye begins to struggle trying to twist out of Jax’s grip. “I should have known you’d betray me.” He curses Jax. “All for some pussy.”
Jax lets go of Deadeye, spins him around to face him, and with one punch sends him sprawling unconscious to the floor. Jax kneels next to him, zip-tying his hands behind his back.
“You’re hurting him,” Mom yells at Jax, surprising him by jumping onto his back and hitting him.
“Mom, get off Jax. He’s the good guy here, not Deadeye.” My words fall on deaf ears as Mom continues to punch Jax in the back. I wrap my arms around my mother and pull her off Jax as she continues to kick and scream.
“No, he’s not. Let me go. I need to take care of my man.” With that, I let go of her and let Jax secure her hands with zip-ties. It finally sinks in—she’s never cared about her children, only the current man in her life.
With all the anger built up over years of supporting her and barely surviving, for Prue, having to take her clothes off for money, and for Phoebe, selling her virginity to a stranger, I punch my mom in the face, rendering her unconscious.
“Way to go, slugger.” Jax gives me a smile, and I feel like I can finally breathe again for the first time in a long time. “Hurry up and grab the kids and whatever you can carry. We need to get out of here before the cops arrive.”
The front door crashes open as two big bikers come walking through. I take a step back, grabbing Jax’s hand, trying to figure out how I can save him and my siblings from these two new threats.
“Jax.” My voice trembles.
“It’s okay, Piper. They’re with me.” Jax squeezes my hand. “I’d like you to meet Viper and Diesel. They’re my brothers from the Steel Souls Club.”
“Hello, ma’am.” One of them says. “We’re here to help move you and your family back to our compound.”
“Compound?” I search Jax’s eyes.
“It’s not as scary as it sounds.” He squeezes my hand again. “It’s just a place where we all live—some of us have houses next to each other on the same property, while others live in rooms at the clubhouse.”
“Where do you live, Jax?” I ask.
“Until two days ago, I lived in the clubhouse. Now I have one of the houses—for us.”
“Oh.” I lean forward, wanting to kiss him, when one of the bikers clears his throat.
“We really need to get a move on. The cops will be here any minute.”
I rush into my bedroom and explain to Jovi and Jonah what is going on, and check on Paige as we all begin to pack.
“Ready,” I say, walking out of my bedroom for the last time, carrying Paige and a backpack stuffed with what I need for her and the papers giving me custody of my younger siblings, the rest is just junk anyway. Prue and Phoebe won’t care that I left it.
The sadness I expected to feel at leaving my bedroom for the last time never comes. In its place is a feeling of hope.
Hope of living a better life than we’ve known.
Hope of someday having a husband and a family of my own.
Hope of a future I never thought existed for my siblings and me.
“We’re ready too,” Jonah says as he and Jovi walk out of their bedroom for the last time.
We walk outside with Jax leading the way as we wind our way around knocked-out bikers tied up on the ground.
Viper and Diesel are already outside, waiting for us by a large black SUV. “I don’t have Paige’s car seat—it’s in the car, and Prue has it.” I begin to panic.
