Part 12 (1/2)

”f.u.c.k you Ratchet!” She screamed at him as she left the room and went to gather her things.

Ratchet walked into the kitchen smacking his head against the wall. He should go in there and f.u.c.k her into exhaustion then explain, he thought. His pride stopped him though. She wanted to believe that he'd been f.u.c.king around on her. He wouldn't do that to her. He wasn't that type of man. That she could accuse him of that was tearing him up. He walked over turning off the stove. He didn't want to burn the d.a.m.ned house down while he was gone.

Grabbing a spoon he dipped out a few bites. It was good. He heard her coming out of the back room with banging and thumping and went to help her.

He grabbed her heavy duffle. f.u.c.k had she packed everything he wondered as he took the bag out to his bike. He barely managed to get the d.a.m.ned thing in the saddle bag. She stood behind him, and he could hear her hiccupping little sobs which made his stomach clench, but he wasn't going to deal with being accused of f.u.c.king around on her every time he forgot to call her. He didn't want that type of relations.h.i.+p, even with Mia.

”Get on, Mia.” Ratchet said throwing his leg over the bike and looking back at her.

Mia stared at him in shock. She'd been the one to say she was leaving, but now faced with how easy this seemed to be for the man she loved she felt like he'd ripped her heart out and was repeatedly stomping on it.

”No, I want to discuss this.” Mia said trying to think of a way to explain that she didn't really think he was cheating on her, she was just angry that he didn't want to talk to her.

”No, get your tight a.s.s on this bike. I'm done talking about this stupid s.h.i.+t. You want out. Fine, you're out.” Ratchet bellowed. Mia startled regarding at him with wide eyes because the roar he'd let out had been so loud. She moved getting on the bike without another word. Her heart was in her throat as emotions bombarded her. They took off and she clung to him as her tears started to flow down her cheeks. It was over. He didn't love her. Oh G.o.d, but she loved him. So much and she'd realized it too late.

It took them only an hour and ten minutes to make a two hour trip. As she climbed off the bike at Pearl and Bear's house. She let out a sob gazing at him from where she stood. He was jerking her bag out of the saddlebags on the bike. He dropped it at her feet without a word.

”Ratchet please listen. We need to tal...” Only he interrupted her.

”f.u.c.k that. It's been real, beauty. Have a nice f.u.c.king life.” Ratchet said, hearing himself as if in a haze. What the f.u.c.k had he just said to her? He thought as he took in the way her whole body seemed to crumple. He didn't want to see the pain his words had caused her. He couldn't stand it and he wasn't going to deal with this s.h.i.+t tonight.

He didn't have the energy. He took off without another glance at her. His inner voice was calling him all kinds of stupid ten minutes later when he pulled up to the clubhouse. f.u.c.k, he thought as he went inside. He sat down and one of the prospects asked what he was drinking. He got a whiskey. His mind circling back to that look on Mia's face as she seemed to just fall apart. d.a.m.n this was stupid. What had he just done?

Had he just told her they were done? Yeah, that wasn't f.u.c.king likely. He was far from done with that woman. She'd have to f.u.c.king deal with him being an idiot sometimes. She'd needed to know that he wasn't messing around on her. But had he rea.s.sured her? f.u.c.k no, he'd been asinine and told her to get her s.h.i.+t. f.u.c.k, he was dimwitted. Then he'd tore out her heart with his words because he knew that he loved her as much as she loved him.

He swallowed the last swig of whiskey and stood. He was going back to Pearl and Bear's to get his woman. He'd just taken stupid to new heights, he thought.

”Hey, good you're here. Was about to call you. We found the f.u.c.kers. It was by pure dumb luck too. They are running the s.h.i.+t under us. That's how they're getting it through. They're running it through the old subway tunnels.” Tank said walking into the clubhouse.

”f.u.c.k, thought they'd sealed those before we were even born?” Ratchet said as he s.h.i.+fted from one foot to the other. He didn't want to go out after these mother f.u.c.kers. He wanted to go hold his woman and tell her he was an idiot.

”They did. But those f.u.c.kers dug it out. But a prospects stumbled on them today and we're moving in to prevent them from the run. f.u.c.kers won't know what hit them.” Tank told him grimly.

f.u.c.k, it looked like he was going to have to go with them but when he got back. His woman better be prepared because she wasn't staying with her aunt. She was bringing her tight a.s.s home where she belonged, and he wasn't going to f.u.c.king allow her to think ever again that he was f.u.c.king around on her. Nope, wasn't f.u.c.king happening, he thought as he walked out of the club house behind Tank.

Chapter 20.

Mia fell as Ratchet roared away. She collapsed onto her knees in the gra.s.s outside Pearl's home. Her heart broken as she screamed Ratchet's name and watched him leave her. She was such an moron. Why had she done this tonight? What had she been thinking? She'd hadn't wanted him to leave her.

”Mia, honey it's okay.” Pearl said as she tried to help her up off the ground having come outside to see what was going on. ”Come on, sweetheart. Come inside.”

Mia wanted to get up but she couldn't seem to move. She was still watching Ratchet as he disappeared into the night. He'd left her. Oh G.o.d, he'd left her.

”Bear, help me get her inside. What the h.e.l.l's wrong with that boy dropping her here like that?” Pearl grumbled.

”He'll be back. I give him an hour, tops.” Bear told her as he lifted Mia into his arms carrying her into the house. Pearl was following. Mia buried her face in his s.h.i.+rt and cried her heart out. She hadn't meant for this to happen.

”Put her on the bed, hon. I'll lay with her.” Pearl told him as they entered. ”You give him h.e.l.l when he gets here. She's sobbing like he broke her heart.”

”Don't worry. I'll make him work for it. Boy's always let his mouth run away with him.” Bear's voice trailed off. Mia continued to cry because she thought they were wrong. He wasn't coming back because she'd accused him of something horrible and now he'd left her.

Pearl rubbed her back and lay beside her making clucking sounds. She was about to fall into an exhausted sleep when she heard Bear telling Pearl that he was headed out to meet the club. They'd found the Jackal's they'd been looking for. She prayed as she cried herself to sleep that night that Ratchet would make it home tonight. She had a lot to talk about with that man. And if he thought the last words he'd say to her were 'have a nice life' he was going to find out that he had another thing coming.

Mia woke the next morning and asked Pearl if she could take the truck back to Ratchet's house. No way was she giving up that easily on the man she loved and when he got home after whatever he was handling for the club was finished. She was going to be there waiting and the man was going to talk about their fight whether he wanted to or not.

Pearl laughed and told her to go get her man, and make him pay for making her cry like that. She headed back to the cabin with a determined resolved to make him understand that she wasn't going to deal with his giving up on them. She'd been home about an hour when there was banging on the door. She opened it expecting to see Charity or one of the other women.

She was shocked to see Raven and Marcus. They held another man between them who was a mess he had been beaten badly. A woman looked who fearful stood behind them. Three prospects who didn't look very friendly were standing with them on the porch.

”You know these four?” Tanner, one of the prospects asked She gasped. ”Yes, it's okay they're friends.” She told him. He nodded and the three prospects left.

”I'll send Doc over to look at the boy.” Tanner called as they went.

Mia ushered them inside where they lay the man on the couch. That was when she realized that the man they'd been carrying was Matt. Dear G.o.d. He was beaten so bad that she barely recognized him.

”You said if we needed a place to go to come here. And last month you told us you were living at this farm. So we came here and they wouldn't let us in at first. Then when Lacy started crying I told them to take us to Mia and they did. We didn't know where else to take him.” Raven said, tears were hovering in her voice.

”What happened?” Mia demanded.

”He was beaten because they thought he stole an apple. I gave him the f.u.c.king apple and it was used to beat him half to f.u.c.king death. f.u.c.k, f.u.c.k, f.u.c.k.” Marcus said throwing his hands in the air as he paced back and forth. ”Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds laughed. They f.u.c.king laughed while they were beating him. He's just a kid! I don't understand how they could f.u.c.king do this to him.”

Raven looked just as upset as the woman who was attempting to soothe Marcus did. Mia a.s.sumed she was the mystery women that Marcus had been dating when she'd left the city. She wasn't surprised he'd brought her with them. Another knock announced Doc's presence and they let him in. Doc was here at the farm because one of the prospects had been injured while helping them till the land this morning, which was lucky. Matt didn't look like he could have made the trip to Devils Falls. And the pitiful moans he was letting out were nerve racking.

”Heard we have an injured young man. Let's see what's wrong with him.” Doc ran a scanner over Matt shaking his head at what was done to him. Giving Matt a shot for the pain. He told them he had a concussion but nothing was broken. He told them to wake him every few hours and to call him if they couldn't. He turned to Mia telling her in a quiet voice.

”You need to talk to Bone about this. That boy didn't deserve to be beaten like that and it needs to be handled.” He looked angry. Mia was surprised that he wanted her to tell Bone. It wasn't like Matt was part of the club.

”I doubt that Bone would want to know about this Doc. He doesn't even know Matt.” Mia watched the man who was shaking his head. He reached out and laid a hand on her face.

”Sweetheart, don't you know that it matters because of you? He's ours now too. Which means you need to tell Bone. Now I'll get the boys to help move him into the bedroom. You call Bone, soon. He's not around till later tonight likely, but call him after Ratchet returns.” Doc nodded and went outside and a few minutes later two prospects helped Marcus move Matt into the bedroom.

Mia felt cared for because she knew that when she told Bone he'd go after the men who'd done this to Matt. There would be no stopping the club. f.u.c.k with one, f.u.c.k with them all. It wasn't just words that they said. It was a creed that these men lived by. Smiling like a fool, she urged everyone to get rest.

Lacy, the woman that Marcus and Raven had brought with them was happy to take a shower and sleep. Apparently they'd left in the middle of the night and they were all tired. She talked with Raven about how they'd decided when they got Matt back to their house that things in the city were becoming too dangerous. Marcus had insisted that they come here. At least they'd be safe he'd told Raven, who'd wanted to stay.

Mia understood. The city was the only life she'd ever known and to leave and step into an unknown future was frightening. She remembered. Raven had surprised her when she'd pulled a tiny bag from her duffle bag. When Mia opened it she felt her eyes tear up. Inside was the charm bracelet that Raven and Marcus had gotten her for her sixteenth birthday. It was almost full now though. She smiled, thinking of all the times they'd gotten these little charms for her. She was surprised to find nearly six thousand credits was inside the bag as well.

”What? Where did all these credits come from?” Mia asked Raven shocked. How had they gotten all these credits?

”They're from your parents. They wanted us to make sure that you know that when you come to the market next time they will be there. Your mother was crying so hard when I told her and your father that you were okay. They'd been so worried about you. I'm sorry I didn't tell them sooner Mia. I felt awful that I didn't go see them until yesterday when we were leaving the city. I told Hilton, but he never told your parents.” Raven eyes were filled with unshed tears.

”It's not your fault, Raven. He was likely high on Juice again.” Mia said wis.h.i.+ng that her brother hadn't gotten hooked on that d.a.m.ned drug.

”Yeah, but I should have checked or something. Your father walked out didn't say a word after I told them. I was going to leave, but then he walked back into the room with that little bag. He said to tell you that no matter what you'd always be his daughter and he wanted you to know that he'd be there if you ever needed him. I couldn't believe it. He actually trusted me to give you seven thousand credits. Oh, that reminds me. We had to bribe a guard to let us out, and then some man to give us a ride, but we'll pay you back somehow.” Raven said her gaze filled with determination.

”Raven you know I don't care about the credits. Your safe and that is all that matters.” Mia hugged her. ”You should rest. We can talk tomorrow when you are not so exhausted.”