Sinner’s Redemption by Rebecca Joyce
Chapter Twenty-One
Tessa
It was a mistake.
It had to be.
There was no way Mr. Graves, my sweet, caring neighbor, would ever hurt me. I knew it. Believed it to be true. The man loved me. He would rather die himself than see me hurt. Montana had to be wrong.
“Mind some company?”
Looking up, I shook my head as the club’s bartender, Silver, sat down next to me. The second Montana learned his father knew Mr. Graves, he cleared the room, and I was told to wait in the rec room for him. He dismissed me as if I was an afterthought.
“I brought you something to drink. Thought you could use it,” she said, placing a teacup and saucer before me.
Smiling, I whispered, “Thank you.”
Picking up the teacup, my hand shook, sloshing the hot tea on my hand. Grimacing, I placed it back down on the saucer with a little more force than I intended. I couldn’t do this. I had to warn Mr. Graves. Whatever was going on, he needed to be cautious.
“Hey,” Silver whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”
Shaking my head, I wasn’t so sure. When I heard Snoopy and the other Rejects say they shot and killed Mr. Graves, fear rose from within me. The callousness of their omission was shocking. To take another life without forethought or care was something I was unfamiliar with. I mean, I’d seen many people die in my line of work, but my job was to save lives, not take them. Logically, I knew I couldn’t save them all. But life was precious. To just take a life, to wipe it from the face of the earth as if it were nothing, was something I couldn’t comprehend.
I swore an oath to save lives.
Not kill them.
I knew that the Soulless Sinners were a motorcycle club. I knew they killed people. I wasn’t stupid. But to hear Snoopy and the others talk as if it was a footnote in history was more than I could handle. Then there was the fact they were talking about a man who spent most of my life teaching me, loving me, being the only father I ever knew, as if he were some criminal was more than I could handle.
They didn’t know Mr. Graves like I did. He was a sweet man. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He couldn’t. He never raised his voice. I never saw him angry, not once. He was a pillar in the community, always the first to help when needed. There wasn’t a person back home who wouldn’t lie down and protect Mr. Graves.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I muttered.
Silver reached across the table, placing her hand over mine. “Take a deep breath for me, Tessa. Whatever is going on, I need you to calm down.”
Shaking my head, I whispered, “Why did I come back here? I should have stayed away.”
“Tessa,” Silver calmly said. “Look at me.”
Looking up, I stared into the young woman’s light gray, almost silver eyes. They were haunting, but hypnotic. I’d never seen eyes like hers before. Unique and soulful. I understand now how she got the nickname.
Younger than me by five years, Silver lived at the club. She was barely sixteen when Montana found her eating out of the garbage can all those years ago. A skinny street rat, Silver had no one. Alone in the world, Montana took her in, gave her a place to stay and something to do.
Now, she was a fixture in this place, just like the club banner painted on the wall. Silver took care of the club and the brothers who lived here full time. No one touched her and lived. No one really knew her real name or where she came from. Only that one day she showed up and never left. The only one who knew anything was Montana, and he refused to say a damn word, not even to me when I asked.
“I don’t know what set you off and I know you’re scared, but I’m going to tell you something and I need you to hear my words. Okay?”
I nodded.
“Did you know the night Montana found me I was planning to kill myself?”
I shook my head.
“I wasn’t looking for food like everyone believes. That’s what Montana told everyone to shut them up. I was looking for something, anything, to end my life. I knew I could have jumped in the harbor, but I’m deathly afraid of water. The thought of drowning petrifies me. You see, I’ve been scared my whole life. I’ve never known happiness until I came here. When Montana found me, he sat out back with me for hours, patiently talking to me about stupid shit. Mainly he talked about you. How you were driving him crazy. He didn’t know what to think regarding you. Listening to him, I didn’t understand how one woman could aggravate a man like him. It made no sense to me. The more I listened to him, the more I understood. He loved you. He would do anything for you, to protect you, to keep you safe. He confused me. I never knew that a man could love a woman like that. All I’d ever known was pain. I equated pain with love. I didn’t know any other way. But listening to him, I saw the devotion he felt for you, the depth of his love for you has no bounds. So, whatever is going on, know that Montana will do anything to protect you. You may not agree with his methods. Hell, you may not even understand them, but know that man in there lives and breathes for you. You destroyed him when you left. For the last three years, he’s lived a half-life. The love in his eyes was gone. He became hard, desensitized to life. Then you came back, and I see the man he was once. There is no Montana without you, and I believe there is no Tessa without Montana. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“Good. Now stop second guessing yourself. You are right where you belong because if you truly felt as if you made a mistake, you’d have already left.”
“I don’t know if I can be what he wants.”
“Bullshit,” Silver grinned, shaking her head. “You are just scared. You have two choices, Tessa. You can man the fuck up and grab onto this life with both hands and accept that the man you love has a dark side and love him anyway, or you can be a fucking coward and walk away.”
“I’m no coward,” I huffed.
“I know. So, stop second guessing yourself. Pull up your big girl panties and trust in your man.”
“You are not where you belong,” A deep voice growled, making Silver tense up and freeze. Turning, I saw Malice glaring at the young woman.
“We were just talking, Malice,” I said, facing Montana’s enforcer.
“Her job is to tend bar. Not gossip,” he seethed.
“She’s allowed to take a break, Malice,” I retorted, as Silver jumped from her seat and ran towards the kitchen. Getting to my feet, I squared off with the most feared club brother. “You didn’t have to scare her. She was just bringing me a cup of tea.”
Malice glared at me. “You leave him, I will kill you.”
“Excuse me?”
Malice said nothing more as he turned around and walked away, leaving me standing there, knowing damn well he meant every word he just said. Watching him walk away, I grabbed the chair next to me and sat as Virginia walked into the rec room with Kali and a heavily pregnant woman.
“There you are,” Virginia said, smiling at me before pulling out a chair for the pregnant woman.
“Tessa, this is Linsey. She belongs to Vicious.”
“Really?” the beautiful woman questioned. “Belong? I’m not his dog, Virginia.”
Kali snickered.
“Someone’s cranky,” Virginia winked, taking a seat.
“You’d be cranky too if you were two weeks overdue. This kid is never coming out.”
Holding my smile, I asked, “First baby?”
“How did you guess?”
“First time babies generally take their time.”
“Tessa is a doctor,” Kali chirped, texting something into her phone.
“Really,” Linsey smiled. “I’ll pay you whatever you want to get this kid out of me today.”
I laughed.
“Uh, Tessa,” Virginia cautioned. “I think Linsey is serious.”
“Damn right I am.”
“What happened to the sweet, shy woman I knew?” Virginia asked.
“She evaporated two weeks ago when this kid set up camp in my uterus.” Linsey snarked, then sighed, groaning. “I’m sorry though. I’m generally not this cranky. I don’t know how Vicious is still sane. I snap at him all the time. The girls are walking on eggshells around me. Even Elizabeth is cautious when she comes near me. Poor Fury has taken to bringing me ice cream, chocolates and flowers every time he comes over as a bribe. I just want my life back. I can’t even see my feet anymore. I have to pee all the time. My back constantly hurts and don’t even get me started on my boobs. I didn’t even know boobs could get this big.”
“I thought you said this was your first pregnancy?” I asked, confused.
“It is. I’m raising my three nieces and I’ve adopted Vicious’ daughter Elizabeth. All girls in my home. Poor Vicious is the odd man out. I’m hoping this baby is a boy. To even the playing field. But that isn’t going to happen if he doesn’t leave my stomach.”
“We’ve all been there, darling,” Virginia soothed. “Soon, none of this will matter once you hold your little bundle in your arms.”
“Virginia’s right,” I acknowledged. “When I was pregnant with York, the last month was the worst. I couldn’t get comfortable. Everything ached. I was constantly hungry. But then he was in my arms and all of that disappeared. All I cared about was the baby in my arms.”
“I have four myself from my previous marriage to a psycho asshole,” Kali added, rubbing her small stomach. “This little one is mine and Kansas first.”
I watched and listened as the women all talked about their children, pregnancies and general everyday lives. While I commiserated with them, I couldn’t stop thinking about Montana and what was being discussed in the boardroom. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Mr. Graves. He wasn’t as fickle and robust as he used to be.
I glanced over my shoulder at the door to the boardroom and wondered when they would finish. The longer they were in there, the more worried I became.
“Son of a biscuit eater,” Linsey grunted, getting my attention. “That’s my kidney, kid!”
Grinning, I got to my feet. Walking around the table, I stood behind Linsey. “Sit up for me,” I requested, watching as she did so. Placing one hand on her shoulder and with my other, I pressed my forefingers low on her back and started rubbing in small circles.
“Oh God,” Linsey moaned loudly. “Can I keep you?”
Laughing, I muttered. “Sometimes when a woman is close to giving birth, the pressure becomes too much, and every little kick can be painful. I can show Vicious how to do this. That way, when you are uncomfortable, he can help you relax.”
Linsey moaned as I continued to rub her back when her body went ramrod stiff. In the next instant, I heard the splash.
“Oh no,” she gasped.
“Oh yes,” I smiled, looking up. Spotting Silver, I wasted no time, and turned to Virginia before I calmly said, “Virginia, go get Vicious. Linsey’s gone into labor. We need to get her to the hospital.”
Virginia bolted from the table, running towards the boardroom. Kali got up and came to sit next to Linsey. “It’s going to be fine. It’s almost over, sweetie.”
“Silver,” I said, getting the bartender’s attention. “Can you get some towels please and call for an ambulance.”
“Oh, God!” Linsey groaned, hunching over. “Something’s wrong. I need to push!”
My head snapped at Linsey. “What?”
“I can feel him!” Linsey cried, hugging her swollen stomach. “He’s coming!”
Men came running towards me, as Vicious dropped to his knees. “Baby. I’m here.”
“Change of plans,” I said, taking charge.
My former worries forgotten.
“How is he, August?” I asked, looking at the man standing beside me as he leaned over the table, listening to the infant’s heartbeat.
“He’s perfect. Ten toes. Ten fingers and a full head of black hair. Poor kid looks like his father.”
I chuckled before turning back to Linsey. “Alright sweetie. One more push!”
With all her might, Linsey screamed out as she pushed one more time.
Smiling, I helped to pull the second baby from her mother.
Grabbing the suction ball, I cleared the screaming infant’s nose. She did not like that one bit. Reaching for the clamps, I secured them to her umbilical cord before grabbing the scissors. I stood and handed them to her father. “Ready to cut your daughter’s cord, Vicious?”
“I have a daughter?” the man looked mesmerized at the squalling infant in my hands.
“And she’s not happy, dad. So, hurry up so we can get her cleaned up.”
Vicious took the scissors and with shaky hands, he cut his daughter’s cord. Turning, I walked over to the table and laid the little girl down next to her brother. August had the little boy wrapped up, snug as a bug, sleeping.
Reaching for my stethoscope, I listened to the little girl’s heartbeat before checking her reflexes.
“She’s smaller,” August noted quietly.
I nodded. “She also has a murmur.”
“Let me check.”
Stepping aside, we switched places as I looked over at her brother.
August was right. He was perfect.
“It’s probably nothing, but I want her checked out by a specialist.”
I concurred.
Picking up the little boy, I turned and placed him in his mother’s arms, while August cleaned and wrapped the little girl. Linsey and Vicious cooed at the little man as August walked over with their daughter. Handing her to Vicious, he said, “I don’t want to alarm you, but your daughter has a slight murmur. It’s probably nothing, but I want both babies to be seen by a pediatric specialist as soon as we get you all to the hospital.”
“Vicious,” Linsey whispered, grabbing for him.
“Is it serious?” the new dad asked, looking at his small daughter.
“No,” I spoke up. “It happens a lot with twins. Especially when one is bigger than the other. All it means is she might need a little more time in the hospital to get bigger. Most of these murmurs resolve themselves in the first few months.”
“You said most,” Linsey stated, worried.
“In some cases, the murmur sticks with the child as they grow. If that happens, your daughter will need to see a cardiac specialist once a year to monitor the situation. Listen Linsey. You have two healthy babies. Kids born with these murmurs grow up and live healthy, normal lives. August and I are just erring on caution. Okay?”
Linsey nodded, tears running down her face.
“Now, who wants to tell the peanut gallery outside that the Soulless Sinners have a new Prince and Princess?” I asked.