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Ghost squeezes my hand in his and stands at my side. Brick and him are giving me all the support they can along with the rest of the club.
Finally, Nolan and the two agents on his payroll are in handcuffs and getting put in the back of the cars. There’s more conversation between the rest of the agents, Venom, Goose, and Tony. Again, I’m not sure what’s being said, but I know it can’t be anything good based on the looks covering the agents’ faces. After several more minutes, everyone shakes hands and they break apart. Venom, Goose, and Tony make their way back over to us. I’m holding my breath waiting to see what’s been determined and what happens now. The next few minutes will determine a lot about my future and I can only hope Nolan and my mother are going to get what they deserve.
“Autumn, relax. Nolan is not gettin’ away from the agents and they’ll be takin’ him out of Cedar Bay in a matter of minutes. They have one stop to make and then they’ll be out of here,” Venom says, his voice calmer as he stands in front of me. “Tony, why don’t you tell Autumn and everyone else what’s goin’ on so we can get back to the celebration?”
“Autumn, the agents glanced through everythin’ we turned over and have actually been tryin’ to put a case together against Nolan. They haven’t been able to get any concrete evidence and there’s nothin’ they’ve been able to do about it. We were informed that they’ve even tried to get someone in with him undercover and it blew up in their faces. Now, we’ve handed over what they need to make a solid case against him and your mother. It seems she’s more involved in his dirty dealings than what we’ve been aware of. So, they’re stoppin’ by the jail to pick her up and then they’ll be on their way out of Cedar Bay. I’ll be kept informed about what’s goin’ on every step of the way and I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anythin’,” Tony says as I watch the cars leave over his shoulder.
It takes me several minutes, but I finally start to suck in the deep, slow breaths I need to calm myself down. I don’t even try to say anything right now because there’s really no point. My breath will come out in harsh pants and my voice will be hoarse and barely above a whisper. I need to take a few minutes to compose myself before I try to say anything.
“Thank you, Tony,” Ghost says, squeezing my hand in understanding. “Autumn isn’t goin’ anywhere and we’ll take as many updates as you can give us. Do you need anythin’ else from her?”
“Not right now. They might call with some questions, but I’ll know before they do. They don’t want to cause you any harm or stress since it’s been documented that you’re pregnant and were already left vulnerable from the attack. The agents are really on your side and don’t want any further harm to come to you,” Tony says before shaking hands with the men around me and leaving us alone.
We all watch as Tony gets in his car and heads out with the agents. I’m guessing he’s going to lead them to the jail my mother is currently sitting in and have another talk before they leave. That could be completely wrong, but I’m thinking that’s what’s going to happen. Only time will tell. For now, I need to focus on the fact that they’ll both be behind bars and can’t hurt me any longer. If either one of them ever get out, I know I’ll be in trouble. But, I have to put my trust in the men of the club who will protect me and keep the baby and me safe from anything my mother and Nolan might want to do.
“Okay everyone. Get the kids and ol’ ladies out of the vehicles and lets get our day back on track. Today is a fuckin’ celebration and that’s what we’re gonna fuckin’ do. Now, we don’t only get to celebrate another ol’ lady joinin’ our club, but we get to celebrate the fact that Nolan Montez and Janice Connors are gonna be sent to prison where they fuckin’ belong,” Venom calls out as everyone begins cheering and clapping.
I’m not in the mood to celebrate anything right now as my heart and breathing start to even out again. The only thing I want to do is go back to the clubhouse and take the longest nap known to man. Then I want to forget everything about today. I don’t want to remember Nolan being in the bay or the attack my mother did against me. All I want to do is think of my unborn child and start to plan a future for him or her. One where they don’t ever know an ounce of the fear I’ve felt for most of my life.
“Are you okay, Autumn?” Zoey asks me, stepping forward as Tank moves to stand closer to me.
“No, I’m not. But, I might get there eventually,” I answer her honestly.
“Why don’t we sit down and then we’ll get you somethin’ to eat?” Ghost asks, turning me so I’m facing the table behind us.
“I’m not sure I can eat anything right now,” I tell him honestly.
It’s always hard to eat when I’ve had a panic attack. There’s so much that’s hard to do after having a panic attack like I just did. This one might not have been the biggest or worse one I’ve ever had, but each one takes a little more out of me. They drain me completely and there’s nothing I can do other than rest and take it easy until my body levels out again.
“We’ll get you a plate and you can either pick at it as you want or you can wait until you’re hungry. We need to get some food in you at some point, baby,” Brick says, walking us to the table and pulling out the chair for me.
Ghost leaves us to go get food and something to drink. Sitting down, I think of everything that’s happened over the last few years. Of the things my own mother did to me and how horrible she treated me over the years. Then I think of everything Nolan wanted to do to me. Of the plans they made because neither one of them gave a fuck about me. They were only thinking of their end game and that’s not who I’ll ever be. If I’m ever anything like my mother, I want someone to shoot me where I stand. She’s so horrible and a monster. Other than my father’s parents, I didn’t have good role models growing up. My father wasn’t much better than my mother. The only difference is he didn’t beat me. He simply didn’t care to be in my life.
Tank, Ghost, and Brick don’t leave my side for the rest of the party. My uncle pulls up another chair and joins our table as all three of them try to keep my mind from spinning out of control. They don’t want me to go down the rabbit hole of what’s possibly happening right now because we’ll only know small portions of what’s going on. Everyone else comes over to us and offers their congratulations before spending a few minutes talking and laughing. The people I spend the most time with are Zoey and Maddie. It’s the first time I’m meeting my family and they instantly put me at ease. At least as much as I can be considering everything that’s been going on.
I do manage to eat some food and drink the water the guys keep bringing over to me. They even get me up to dance a song or two while Tank and the triplets watch over me. They’re my personal protectors and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Especially not until Tank decides that Ghost and Brick aren’t going to hurt me again. The triplets will be here with us and let him know if anything is going on. I already know that for sure. Yes, I might have overheard the four of them talking about it.
Brick and Ghost don’t leave my side. If someone comes over to talk to them, they remain next to me and have their conversation from there. I feel as if I’ve got my own personal security team in place with the way they’re surrounding me. However, Brick and Ghost are so much more than that. No, I’m not ready for anything major to happen between us yet, but we’ll get there. Life is too damn short to hold grudges and not give forgiveness when the other person admits to their wrongdoings. So, instead of remaining angry at everyone for what happened since I’ve been in Cedar Bay, I’m choosing to forgive and move forward with my life. It’s the only thing we can do if we ever want to be happy.
Our day ends up being really good. It’s filled with laughter, love, and happiness. The kids run around and get their parents to chase them. All of them want to go swimming but it’s too damn cold just yet for them to go in the bay. They’re all promised they’ll get to go in the pool when we get back to the clubhouse. Everyone from all the chapters of the Wild Kings make their way over to me and I’m assured that I’m always welcome at any one of them if Brick and Ghost continue to be assholes.
By the time we head back to the clubhouse, I’m exhausted. All I want to do is take a warm shower, put on my warmest pajamas, and climb into bed. Ghost and Brick make me leave the bathroom door open to ensure nothing happens while I’m in the shower. It’s a big step up from where we were a few weeks ago. When I enter my room, fully dressed, the guys are sitting on the edge of my bed. Immediately they stand and pull the blankets back for me. After having a snack to make up for what I didn’t eat today, Ghost and Brick help me in bed and pull the blankets up tight around me. They climb in on either side of me before shutting the lights off and making sure the TV is on low so I can have the white noise to fall asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Brick
FOR THE LAST month, Ghost and I have been busting our asses. All of our parents went home and Tank was the last one to leave. He wanted to stay here with Autumn and continue getting to know her. We had to promise him that we’d make the trip to Clifton Falls as soon as we could so she can spend time with him there. I have a feeling the triplets will be making that trip with us since it’s been so long since they’ve been home. Zoey won’t be there more than likely, but if she can make it happen, she will. That girl is determined to remain in Autumn’s life and insists their relationship won’t be nothing more than video calls. That’s the only way Autumn has even met Savage at this point. He has made it a point to be home when he knows Zoey is calling Autumn so they can talk too.
We’ve gotten word that Nolan and Janice are finally getting sentenced. Because of everything going on with them and the crimes they’ve committed, everything was fast tracked as far as them going to trial. Their lawyers couldn’t dispute the evidence that was turned over or the testimony from Autumn. Because of her pregnancy and what’s already been done to her, the judge didn’t mandate her to show up to court despite what Janice and Nolan tried to do. Instead, she was allowed to give a video testimony filmed by Tony. Tony was given a list of questions from each attorney and asked Autumn what they wanted while the entire thing was recorded. It took all day long and our girl was exhausted by the time we left the station.
Tony is positive that they won’t be getting handed light sentences. Not after how quickly the jury returned the guilty verdict. He fully believes that the full sentence will be given to them which means neither Nolan nor Janice will see the light of day while being free for the rest of their pathetic lives. Instead, they’ll remain behind bars where they fucking belong and will become someone’s bitch. The second we find out what prisons they’re going to, we’ll be putting our own plans in motion to ensure that they don’t have an easy time inside.
We’ve had another doctor’s appointment and Ghost couldn’t get us out of the clubhouse fast enough to get there. He was actually excited because not only was it a regular monthly exam, but it was because we get to see the baby again. Doc is going to make sure for the next few months that we have regular ultrasounds done because of the attack. Autumn is still sure that something is going to happen because of her mother and we all want her to feel at ease and get past this.
Our girl is still having nightmares. They’re not happening on a nightly basis like they were, but it still breaks something deep inside every single time we’re woken up with her having one. She screams so loud and thrashes about in bed. Ghost and I have both ended up with bruises from her trying to fight her demons. She feels even worse when we end up bruised from her nightmares despite anything we say to her. Neither one of us give a shit about a few bruises because she’s the one who gets stuck in hell and it takes us a few minutes to wake her up sometimes.
Today we’re hoping to take Autumn’s mind off of everything. While we’re still not having sex, today we’re hoping to make another significant change in our relationship. For the first time in months, we’re taking Autumn back to see the house again. The last time she was in there, it was completely empty of any furniture or anything. Now, it’s been filled with everything she’s picked out and we’ve done the nursery as well.
