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“I know that.” I get what he’s tryin’ to tell me and also realize that Uncle Skid’s given me a little more information than he usually would.
“I’ll go speak to Addison for ya now,” I tell him before hanging up and feeling positive that things are moving in the right direction.
There’s not much to do around here today, the club ain’t busy since most members are out takin’ care of things. I could easily head back to my trailer and blaze up for the rest of the afternoon, no one would even notice I was gone.
But that ain’t me anymore. I know I can be a Soul. All I gotta do is prove to Uncle Skid that I’m worthy of being sponsored.
I’m sick of being labeled as Chop’s son. The nobody who the Souls took pity on after his psycho-murdering daddy turned all crazy and left him behind. I’m sick of everyone being wary of me and waiting for me to snap too. But most of all, I’m sick of feeling sorry for myself all the damn time.
All my life I’ve felt like an outsider. Like one big inconvenience. Just lately, I’ve realized that I’m the only reason for that. I’ve always held back, kept people at a distance because I was scared they’d either abandon me or end up getting hurt like my mom and Aunt Carly. I’m fed up with seeing other people come to this club and turn their lives around. It’s my time now. Sometimes you just gotta grab life by the balls and stop waiting for shit to fall at ya feet.
I head up to Skid’s cabin, and the first thing I notice is that Carly’s car ain’t here. I knock on the door before I open it and when I do a quick check and see that there ain’t no sign of Addison or her kid, I take out my cell and call Skid back.
“She ain’t here, the car ain’t here so I figure she’s left ya,” I attempt a little humor.
“Yeah, good one. She might have gone into town with Jasmine. No, wait…” I hear someone talkin’ to him in the background. “She ain’t with Jaz. Storm’s just spoken to her… Jesus, I’ll bet she’s gone back to her house to start movin’ her and Charlie’s stuff over.” He sighs.
“You want me to head over there and check it out?” I offer, he did ask me to take care of her while he was gone, I guess this is the kinda stuff he meant.
“Yeah, and make sure she ain’t liftin’ anythin’ heavy while you're there. I gotta go. I wanna get back on the road.”
“I’m on it,” I assure him, hanging up and sliding my phone back into my pocket.
I use my initiative and knock on a few more cabin doors to check if any of the other girls know where she might be before I head off. When I get no luck, I get into the cage and head for the house where Skid had me clean the spray paint from the front door a few weeks ago.
I arrive at the house about half an hour later, and text Skid to let her know she’s here when I see Carly’s old car is parked outside. Skid’s changed since Addison came to the club looking for help. He’s becoming his old self again and I know it’s got everything to do with her. It’s good to see him happy again.
I’ve just got outta the cage when I hear a loud crash come from inside the house and when it’s followed up by a high-pitched scream, I immediately start to panic. I’m as sure as I can be that Addison is inside that house, and it sounds to me like she’s in trouble. I take a deep breath before I dash across the lawn and carefully peer inside the first window I come to. At first glance, everything looks okay. The living room is empty, there's no sign of anyone inside, but then I see something that makes my stomach turn cold.
I see the man who I told I never wanted to see again.
“Shit,” I whisper under my breath, immediately turning my back to the window and sitting my ass on the floor so I don’t get seen. My hands shake like hell as I take out my phone to call Uncle Skid, but there’s no answer. Of course there ain’t, no one ever picks up when they’re ridin’.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I curse myself for not leaving him tied to that fuckin’ tree. All this is my fault. Now, I gotta try to figure out what the fuck I can do to fix it. It’s pointless trying to call anyone that’s with Skid, they’ll all be ridin’ too. And I can’t take him by myself, especially not when I’m unarmed. I’ve only got one option. I’ll have to phone Prez, hang tight, and wait for backup.
Another loud scream comes from inside, one that tells me there’s no time for that. Right now, I’m the only chance Skid’s girl’s got.
If I wanna be a Soul, I guess it’s time to see if I got what it takes.
Five Minutes Earlier
It feels good to be back in Manitou Springs, closer to home and closer to her again. I stop again when we get to town so I can call Tripp for an update. He tells me he got Everleigh to the hospital safely, and she’s had to be sedated due to the state she’s in. He also promises to stay with her until I can speak to Addison and drive her over to get them reunited.
I figure I should leave the others here and head straight for the house where the text, I’ve just read from Tommy, told me she is. It’s only natural that Addison would have wanted to leave the compound as soon as it was safe. I guess it’s something I’m gonna have to get used to. Storm was right in what he said yesterday morning. I can’t wrap her up in cotton wool and never let her outta my sight.
It’s been one helluva day, but the idea of everything being normal again for her and Charlie makes it all worthwhile.
Storm heads inside the grocery store to grab some cigarettes, and I decide to follow him in and pick up a box of Nutter Butters for Addison. I wonder if she’ll crave them the same way she did when she was pregnant with Charlie. The thought of it makes me smile to myself like an idiot as I scan the shelves to locate them.
My cut starts to vibrate and when I take out my phone and see her name flashing, the smile on my face grows a little wider.
“I was just thinkin’ about you,” I answer it.
“How sweet.” The deep, cold voice that responds makes my heart stop.
“What thefuckare you doin’ with her phone?” I ask, noticing how Storm looks at me funny when I drop the box of Nutter Butters on the floor.
“She’s pretty, Skid, and fear looks real good on her. You should come see it for yourself.”
