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They both know how much of a homebody I am and that I rarely go out. It just doesn’t appeal to me. The only time I really go out is when Anthony would take me out somewhere. He doesn’t really like going out either because he has everything for a fun night at the clubhouse and doesn’t have to worry about getting back if he’s been drinking. Anthony won’t drink a drop if there’s no one to drive and so he’d rather stay at the clubhouse and hang out with our family and friends than go out.
Lyric and I get in my SUV since I’m not drinking. She offered to let me drive her car, but I know the guys would have a fucking fit if I weren’t in a vehicle that’s been gone through with a fine tooth comb and had all sorts of extra safety features installed. So, I told her we’d take the SUV since I’m more comfortable driving that anyway. Lyric didn’t put up a fight as long as I was willing to go out with her.
“Girl, we’re gonna have such a good fucking night,” she says as I leave Cedar Bay and make our way out of town.
“If you say so. It’s not much fun when you’re in a bar and can’t drink,” I tell her, laughing a little as she turns and looks at me with shock filling her face.
“I didn’t even think about you being pregnant when I asked you to go out with me. I just thought you didn’t like drinking,” she says, her voice coming out with guilt lacing her words.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind playing designated driver for you. Plus, it’s getting me out of the house and that’s not something I do very often,” I tell her honestly. “I just don’t feel safe when I’m out without some of the guys with me. They’ve always been a layer of safety for all the girls of the club and don’t let anyone get too close to us so we can have a good time.”
“Didn’t you ever feel as if they were holding you back like that?” Lyric questions me, genuine curiosity filling her voice.
“No. They kept their distance but were ready to step in if we needed them. Trust me, we really didn’t need them a whole lot. When you grow up in the club, you’re taught from a young age to take care of yourself. My dad taught me how to shoot a gun, self-defense, and anything else I wanted to learn. They want to make sure we can handle any situation we might find ourselves in. The guys can’t always be with us, so we all paid serious attention to what we were taught and most of us still have some kind of training sessions on a regular basis. Now, instead of our parents teaching us, we work with the guys here in Cedar Bay,” I explain to Lyric as she pays rapt attention to my words.
“I wish I had someone who cared enough to teach me that shit. My dad worked so much there wasn’t a ton of time left over to do things like that. He barely made enough to pay the bills and put food on our table. Our mom worked third shift because the money was better than the other two shifts. So, she was barely home and when she was, all she did was sleep the day away. When she was awake, she spent her time doing everything she could in the house to make it a home for our family. She died in an accident at work when I was six and just before Paige turned eight. Paige and I found jobs as soon as we were old enough to help our dad out and ease the burden he was feeling. We didn’t want him to always feel horrible because we didn’t have what all the other kids in our grade did. Paige and I didn’t give a fuck about that kind of thing. We just wanted our dad to be happy so we did anything we could to help him out,” Lyric tells me, explaining her family for the first time.
I know her parents are both dead now. Both of them were killed in horrible, tragic accidents. Her dad, sister, and her were all in the car when the accident that took his life happened. Paige was hurt worse than Lyric and she still suffers to this day from the lasting effects of her injuries.
“Enough heavy talk for the night. We’re going out to have fun and that’s all I want to do. We can break this shit down more on another day,” Lyric suddenly says as she turns on the radio and turns the volume up after finding a song she likes.
We sing along to the song as I drive to our destination. Neither one of us can sing for shit, but we don’t care. I’m cruising down the highway when I’m suddenly hit from behind. The SUV lurches forward as Lyric and I scream out in shock and fear. Panic fills me as I look in the rearview mirror to see a huge, jacked up truck behind me. The headlights are so bright, they almost blind me. From what I can see, the truck is completely black and the windows are tinted so heavy there’s no way to see inside. I can’t tell who’s driving or if they’re the only one inside the truck. This isn’t good. We’re on a long stretch of the highway with nothing to prevent us going off the road if we continue to be hit.
“Call Dad,” I say, pressing a button on my steering wheel for the Bluetooth in the SUV.
The phone rings and I wait for him to answer as the truck hits us again. This time the hit is harder as I focus and try to keep the SUV from careening on its side as multiple wheels come off the road. I can literally feel the SUV tipping to the side as I pray for my dad to answer the phone.
“Baby girl, what’s goin’ on?” he finally answers as we’re hit again.
“Daddy, someone’s hitting the SUV. We’re on the highway heading to the bar Lyric chose for us to go to. We’re on that stretch where there’s nothing around and nothing to stop us from going off the road. They’ve already almost tipped the SUV over and continue to hit us harder and harder. We’re scared,” I quickly get out as the truck hits us once again causing Lyric and I to scream as I finally lose control of the SUV.
“Kasey!” I hear my dad frantically yell from the speakers just before the car starts sliding on its side across the road.
We’ve been tipped over and there’s no point in hanging onto the steering wheel because it’s not going to do a damn thing with the wheels not on the road. The air bags blow and all the breath is robbed from me from the force of it hitting me. My seatbelt stretches tight across my chest and stomach as Lyric’s hand finds me and she grabs on tight. As we slide across the road on the side of the SUV, we’re hit again. I can hardly hear myself screaming as we slide even faster until the SUV crashes against something and we’re jarred to a stop.
Pain fills me from the top of my head down to my toes as Lyric’s scream is cut off suddenly.
“Lyric,” I call out, keeping my voice low because I can’t see if the person hitting us is coming over to the SUV to finish the job they’ve started.
Lyric doesn’t answer me. I cry out in pain as I try to move my head so I can check on my friend. At the same time, I hear the squealing of tires and know without seeing anything that the truck is taking off. The sudden silence fills the air around us as I try to slow my breathing down. I can’t though. The crash, my babies, Anthony, my family all circle around my mind as I try to pin a single thought down to focus on. That’s the only way I’m going to be able to calm myself down. However, I can’t pin anything down in my panicked, frazzled state. Everything is a fucking jumbled mess.
“Lyric!” I call out again, trying to force my voice to be louder and stronger as I try to look to the passenger side of the SUV again.
This time there’s still pain, but I can sort of move my head. I’m sure I’m doing more damage than if I just remained still, but I need to make sure Lyric’s okay. My eyes land on her after what feels like forever. There’s a large gash on her forehead and several cuts on her face making it covered with blood. I know head wounds always bleed more making it look so much worse than it is. I’m hoping that’s the case with Lyric.
No matter what I do or how many times I call her name, Lyric doesn’t move a single muscle in her body. My ears are ringing so I can’t really hear how loud I’m talking right now. For all I know, I’m whispering and she can’t hear me. I hope that’s not the case. Everything is muted and I can hardly separate one sound from the next. My eyes begin to flutter closed as I try to force them open. I’m fading fast and I need to call for help. I need to make sure Lyric is okay and that she survives this crash. If anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.
I can no longer keep my eyes open as the blackness sucks me in and I fade completely. In the dark, I don’t feel the pain filling my body or think of Lyric as she lies prone next to me. She’s almost hanging to the side as her side of the SUV is in the air. That’s the picture that last filled my mind before the blackness sucked me completely in.
Chapter Eighteen
Shield
AFTER WATCHING KASEY leave the playground, I came right to the clubhouse and asked our moms to head over early so she could take a nap. They agreed with me because they’ve seen how exhausted she is. My mom let me know she’d message me to let me know if Kasey actually took a nap and I’m thankful she did. She truly needed the boys home in order to get some much-needed sleep. I’ll have to think before asking to keep them overnight again. I don’t care what Kasey says, she needs her sleep more than I need to have the boys stay with me. So, that won’t be happening again.
Just before I head out of the common room so I can get ready for work, I hear a commotion coming down the hall from the rooms on the opposite side of the clubhouse.
“Kasey!” I hear Rage yell, his voice breaking as he sprints into the common room with my dad right behind him.
