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“We don’t. Not to say we haven’t brought in people who will take care of her for us. See, when you’re not the complete scum of the Earth, people actually ally themselves with you. Hence why Sal and his men were so willin’ to come help us here today to make sure we eradicated every single one of you. Cal, tie this fucker up and we’ll get him loaded in the van,” Lash says, anger filling his every word. “Sal, thank you for the help. You want our cleanin’ crew to come in and take care of the trash?”
“No. We’ve got this. Let me know the details of the funeral when you have them, and we’ll be there.”
With a nod of his head, Lash leads us from the carnage we’ve left behind. Climbing in my truck, I don’t wait for anyone else before starting the engine and pulling out. Now that I know we have our hands on Eric and everyone else who had a hand in hurting those women and kids is dead with the exception of Evan and Candy, my only focus is getting back to Bronwan and spending time with her. I want to take care of her and be the one she’s relying on. Nothing I’ve ever wanted to do before in my life. Plus, I have to let my Pops and Judge know what’s happened. They’ll be at the funeral for no other reason than her being their family. Not an ol’ lady of the club, their family because she’s with me.
Instead of taking an hour to get back to the clubhouse, I push my truck not giving a fuck about the speed limits or anything else. My travel time is cut down to a half hour. There is no way in hell I’m wasting any more time than I have to. I need to get her something to eat, help her take a shower, and then spend the rest of the night with her in my arms as she cries or sleeps. That’s my only focus and goal.
I go up to the room we’re staying in, open the door, and find my ol’ lady curled up in the middle of the bed. Her body is shaking with sobs while Austin sits in the chair at my desk just watching her. He knows better than to offer her any comfort. Especially when I’m not around. With a nod of my head, he gets up and makes his way over to me. I have him make a run to the diner in order to get us something to eat. She’s not going to go down to eat with everyone today. Getting on the bed after toeing off my boots, I pull Bronwan in my arms as she turns and buries her face in my chest.
“I’m so sorry baby. I’m here now and I’m not leavin’ your side. Tonight you’re gonna cry out your pain, let it all out baby. Tomorrow, we’re goin’ to take care of shit and make sure your mom has the best sendoff possible. She can be buried next to your daddy, and they’ll be together again,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“It hurts, Talon. So bad,” she cries out, panting with the exertion it takes for her to speak.
“I know baby. I’m not goin’ anywhere. Let’s get you in the tub. You can relax in a warm bath before dinner gets here. Austin is gettin’ us somethin’ from the diner tonight.”
Tonight is all about Bronwan and I’m going to make sure she knows how much I love her. I’ll give her every single bit of my strength in order to make it through the night. Tomorrow, I’ll continue to give it to her and hold her up as she begins to make the necessary preparations. We’ll do what we have to and every single member, ol’ lady, and associate will have her back. Bronwan will know she still has a family even if she doesn’t have her parents with her and she has no brothers or sisters to help her with this.
I WAS ABLE to go in to see my mom after the doctor informed us she didn’t make it through the surgery. Talon didn’t want me to see her like that because of my health and he didn’t believe those should be my last memories of my mom. The woman who tried for so long to bring me into this world and has been there for me more than anyone else. It was something I needed to do for me though. Not because I wanted to see her beat to a pulp or know she was never going to wake up again, but to see for myself she was really gone. That she went to join my father in their afterlife where they can both watch over me for the rest of mine.
As if the beating of my mom wasn’t enough, she also had a heart attack as she lay on the floor of Talon’s home. Since no one knew she was there with the exception of a few people, no one went to check on her until they knew about the attack on the house. With all the damage done to her body and her heart, there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. The doctor told me when he led us to the room she was being held in that even if we had gotten her to the hospital immediately, the results would more than likely be the same.
Talon stayed with me in the room while everyone else waited for us in the waiting room. I tried to tell them they didn’t need to be here with us, but Lash gave me a look as if I was crazy. I’ve learned these men and women are loyal as fuck to one another and will be here until I’m ready to leave. It just doesn’t mean I want them here to witness my complete break. No one needs to see that shit. Especially since it’s only been a matter of months since I lost my dad. Now, I’m completely lost and there’s nothing I can do to stop my mind from telling me how alone I truly am.
Now, I’m back in the room at the clubhouse with Austin hovering over me. Talon and the rest of the guys had to leave for some reason, and I didn’t have it in me to ask any questions. After leaving me in the room we share, I curled up in a ball and let the tears continue to slide down my face. Not a single sound escapes me as I cry for the loss, pain, and guilt coursing through me right now. Maybe if we hadn’t come here my mom would still be alive. I’m not sure I’ll ever have an answer for that. There’s nothing I can do to turn back time to change our decision about coming here.
The last week Talon has been helping me plan my mom’s funeral. When he couldn’t be there for some reason, Austin and Hartley were by my side. Everything I’ve been doing has been on autopilot because I have no desire to do any of the things such as picking out caskets, her last outfit, ordering flowers, or anything else I have to do in order to make sure she has a proper send off. One she would be proud of just like we did for my dad. I’ve also been fielding questions from her lawyer about going over her will and all the other shit I have to take care of.
Talon has been amazing by my side, but we’ve also had some major arguments. The biggest one is the fact I can’t bury my mom with my dad. There are still too many possible threats out there for us to travel all the way home. I am devastated about the fact I can’t have my parents together, but there’s really nothing I can do about it. It’s not lost on me that we could still have eyes on us just waiting for an opportunity to launch another attack or try to take me again. Yes, he did tell me the biggest guy is not a worry any longer, that still doesn’t mean there aren’t still some men out there who were working for him.
Again, I don’t know the details about this man no longer being a threat to me or anyone else, but I do believe Talon when he tells me he’s gone. I also am not naïve enough to believe he’s not buried in a shallow grave where he can no longer hurt innocent women and kids. The things I saw while I was held by those men will haunt me for the rest of my life. There is nothing I can do to escape those memories. Men like him have no reason to be walking this Earth in order to take women and kids to sell to other horrendous men. It’s sick as hell and I’m glad he’s not walking around anymore.
“Bronwan, you almost ready to go baby girl?” Talon asks, walking in the bathroom where I’ve locked myself for most of the morning.
“I’m dressed and things, yes. I’m not ready to go bury her though,” I answer him honestly.
“I know you’re not,” he murmurs, pulling me into his body and wrapping himself around me in comfort.
Taking a deep breath, I wrap my arms around his waist and just hold him for a few minutes.
“Let’s go,” I finally tell him after taking a deep breath and trying to hold back the tears already threatening to spill over.
Talon wraps his arms around me and leads me from the room. Austin is waiting just outside the door for us as he silently follows us from the room and through the clubhouse. Everyone else is already waiting outside. I’m put in a car with Hartley and a few other women I know I’ve met but can’t quite remember their names at this moment. I thought I was lost when we lost my dad, but it’s nothing compared to this shit I’ve been feeling lately. Everything is being done without too much thought. Hell, Talon and Hartley made most of the decisions for the funeral arrangements because I just couldn’t make my mind up about anything.
Hartley reaches over to grab my hand as Talon closes the door behind me. He’ll be riding his bike with the rest of the guys. That’s one of the few things I do remember from things he told me over the last week. Not a single person speaks as the car pulls out after some of the bikes. We’re going to be surrounded in case anyone tries to do something on the way to the cemetery. My mom didn’t want a fuss made over her when she passed. There will be no funeral service in a church or funeral home for her. Just a small service at the cemetery where her final resting place will be.
The trip through town is slow with the hearst leading the pack. I’m focused on the thundering rumble of several bikes surrounding us. There is no way these men are just from here. There’s too many of them. More than I’ve ever seen at one time if I’m being honest with myself. The thought is both terrifying and filling. These men are here because of Talon and his position within the Knight’s Rebellion for support. I don’t know them, and I’ll never be able to remember all their names. It’s just not possible at a time like this for me to process much.
When the car finally comes to a stop, I don’t move until Talon opens the door and helps me from the back. Austin is already at his back with Sabotage. The rest of the men are standing back until I get out so they can get their women out. Though I don’t believe anyone other than Hartley has a man of her own. The rest of the girls are the club’s property if I remember correctly. They clean up the clubhouse, serve meals and drinks, and provide them other things I don’t want to think about.
“What are you thinkin’ about?” Talon asks as he helps me into the first chair under the small tent.
“Nothing really,” I answer him with a tremor to my voice.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he whispers, placing a soft kiss on my lips before standing behind me.
Talon’s hand rests on my shoulder; a strong sense of comfort, support, love, and strength fills me from his simple touch. The girls fill the seats while the men surround us on all sides. Judge stands across from me, a small smile on his face as sympathy fills his eyes. Out of the three brothers, Death and Judge look more alike than Talon. He’s got some of the same features, but there’s still a difference between the three men. George, or Pops, even stands across the way with his eyes on me. The four of them are intimidating as hell on their own. Add them all together in one place with the rest of the men from the club and it’s a scary sight. One I wouldn’t be thinking about at all if I hadn’t ever gone out to that damn club.
“We’re here today to lay to rest Mrs. Coraline Smith. From what I’ve been told by her daughter and Talon, Coraline was an amazing woman who lived for her only daughter. Her death is not only a travesty, but something which will have such a lasting impact on those who knew her,” the man Talon got to perform the service begins.
