Sinner’s Redemption by Rebecca Joyce

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Tessa

I slowly woke from a fog to the sounds of a heart monitor beeping a steady rhythm as someone encouraged me. “That’s it, baby. Come on. Open your eyes for me.”

“Montana?” I moaned, then winced when I tried to move. My whole body ached. What the hell happened?

“Yeah, baby. It’s me. I need you to open your eyes for me.”

“I’m so tired.”

“I know, baby, and I promise I’ll let you sleep all you want, but please open your eyes for me.”

Moaning, I slowly opened my eyes as Montana’s face came into view. He smiled at me, then sighed.

Closing my eyes, I drifted back into the fog.

~

An angry voice pulled me from the mist as I heard him say, “I don’t give a fuck, Mercy. That motherfucker took a hit out on me and my family and my club. Hell, Malice is still in a goddamned coma. The fucking doctors don’t even know if Silver will ever wake up. Fury, Pippen and several others are still recuperating from their gunshot wounds. That’s not including the hits on the other families. That motherfucker knew where to hit and he hit hard. I don’t care what you have to do, but I want payback.”

“We do this we will start a bloody war, Prez.”

“We’re already at war. The moment that bastard started shooting, he declared war. He fucking knew what he was doing. Now it’s time I showed him what I can do.”

Slinking back, I let the mist surround me.

~

His voice penetrated the fog again. As I opened my eyes, I saw him near the door, talking with Kansas and two others that looked remarkably alike with him. They had to be his other brothers. The two I hadn’t met yet. “You sure you’re okay to travel?”

“Yeah. Doc cleared me this morning. Look Montana, I wanted to thank you for getting Kali out of the vehicle.”

Oh, thank God. She was alive.

I liked Kali, and I didn’t want to see her hurt.

“Don’t,” Montana replied. “I’m just happy that you and Kali are okay.”

“You have one strong woman there, brother,” Kansas added. “When things settle down, come visit me and Kali in Oklahoma. I’ll leave the front door open for you.”

“What about you, Arizona?” Montana asked.

So that was Arizona, which meant the other one, the stern quiet one, must be Dakota. I had to admit, all the brothers looked alike. There was no denying they were related.

“I’m going with Kansas. Someone needs to babysit our little brother. God knows trouble always finds him.”

“Fuck you, Arizona,” Kansas groaned, grinning.

Montana chuckled. “Dakota?”

“Got a call from Angelica. Said Remi has missed her last two appointments. I need to get back.”

“She still safe?” Montana asked, concerned.

“Yeah. I have the place wired. Kids are driving her crazy, but she’s fine. She just never leaves the house.”

“What does Angelica say?”

“Depression, regret, fear. You know, the whole gambit. She said it’s going to take time for her to come to grips with what she did. Time is her friend right now. The more I can give her, the better she will be.”

“You okay with this assignment?”

“Wouldn’t have taken it if I wasn’t.”

“I had to threaten you, asshole.”

“Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.”

“Keep me updated. You hear anything, I want to know about it first and don’t forget, Mom wants all of you home for Christmas this year. She’s demanding your presence.”

Kansas tapped Montana’s shoulder, then pointed in my direction.

Shit. He saw me.

Montana turned, then smiled.

The brothers left as Montana sat next to me, leaning down to kiss my forehead. “Hi baby.”

My mind whirled with everything that had happened. Now that the dust had settled, the reality of my life with Montana sank in. I could clearly see what my future would hold if I stayed with him, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. I didn’t understand how he could be so blasé about everything that had happened. We almost died. Someone shot at us. Shot up Kali’s Gala. People lay wounded, begging for help. We all nearly drowned. They shot his own brother in the chest. How could none of this be bothering him? Was he not affected by it all like I was?

“About time you woke up.”

“Where’s York?” I asked, needing to know my son was safe.

“He’s fine, baby. Mom and Mrs. Alice haven’t left his sight.”

Pulling the oxygen tube from my nose, I slowly sat up, taking off the heart rate monitor on my finger. The machine started beeping, and I sighed. “Hit the power button.”

Doing as I asked, the annoying noise ceased as I leaned back and sighed. “I’m thirsty.”

Montana said nothing as he poured me a cup of water. Handing it to me, I took it and drank it all. “I take it everyone survived.”

“Those that matter, yes.”

I didn’t want to know what he meant by that. As far as I was concerned, all lives mattered. Knowing he was so damn callous about life didn’t sit right with me. I knew we came from different backgrounds and different lives, but a life was a life. While I tried saving them, apparently, he had no problem killing them. My time in that nasty warehouse was proof. He shot that man as if it were nothing.

“Thank you for saving my brother. I’ll never be able to repay that debt.”

“It was my job,” I muttered, looking around. “How long have I been here?”

“Three days. Dakota found you floating away from the vehicle. By the time he got you to shore, you weren’t breathing. He had to do CPR.”

“That’s why my chest hurts,” I muttered, looking about the room. I needed to get out of here. I couldn’t be around him right now. I needed to think long and hard about him. I needed to make damn sure this was the life I wanted. I could love him until I couldn’t breathe, but living with him and what he did was something altogether different. Then there was York to consider. I didn’t want my son anywhere around the death and destruction that followed Montana. The thought of something happening to my son was more than I could handle. I wanted my baby. I needed to see for myself he was safe. “When can I leave?”

Montana quirked his head. “Baby, you’ve been through a major trauma. Your heart wasn’t beating. You drowned and damn near died.”

“But I didn’t. As you said, your brother saved me. Now, I want to leave,” I said stubbornly, refusing to back down.

“Baby, you need to rest.”

“No, I need to get the fuck out of this place. I want my son.”

Montana flinched.

His eyes narrowed. “You mean you want the fuck away from me?”

“Take that however you want. I want to leave now.”

Montana got to his feet, anger radiating off him in waves.

I didn’t give a damn if he was upset, pissed or ready to blow. If he thought for one second, I would be okay with what happened, he was sorely mistaken. My life was about helping people. Not killing them. The amount of danger that surrounded him was suffocating. I knew that now. Danger would surround me and my son for the rest of our lives if I stayed with him. That was no way to live, and I refused to live like that.

My son deserved a peaceful, happy life. He wouldn’t have that with Montana. He would grow up looking over his shoulder, wondering if today was the day he would die.

“Fine,” he growled. “You win. You want me gone? I’m gone.”

Saying nothing more, Montana stormed out of my room, slamming the door behind him.

Sitting there, I watched him leave as I felt a pang of guilt, but quickly suppressed it. I knew I made the right decision. It was for the best for everyone concerned. He would eventually realize that and move on, and so would I.

“Tess!” Tia shouted, slamming my bedroom door open. “It’s been two months. Enough of this shit! Get your ass out of that bed now.”

“Go away, Tia,” I groaned, covering my head with a pillow.

After being discharged from the hospital, Tia was there to take me home. Only it wasn’t to Stone House.

Montana never came back after he left my room in the hospital. Not that I expected him to. While I was thankful for the peace, I wasn’t really alone. In some way, I knew he would ensure that York and I would be safe. Just like I knew there was a brother watching the apartment from across the street. Though he gave me space, he assigned a brother to watch over York at all times. Well, that’s what the brother said, but I knew he was under orders to protect me, too.

Pissed at first, I refused to leave the apartment for days, but in the end, I gave in and forgot about the brother. Everywhere I went, he was there, like some shadow lurking in the background, waiting.

I still hadn’t found a position in a hospital. After my last rejection, I gave up and applied to other venues. Though I’ve sent out my resume to several clinics in the city, none have responded.

Well technically, I had one offer. Charleston Memorial Hospital in West Virginia still wanted me on their staff. I was seriously considering it until legal papers arrived, stating that York Devlin Stone was to stay in the city while I shared joint custody with Montana until my son reached the age of eighteen. I knew Montana wouldn’t just let me leave, and he made damn sure I stayed right where I was. With no job prospects, my options were dwindling fast.

“I mean it, Tess,” Tia huffed. “You’ve been in this bed for weeks. Enough is enough.”

“Where is York?” I asked from behind the pillow.

“Virginia picked him up this morning.”

Throwing the pillow to the side, I growled, “Today was my day.”

“Not my problem. You weren’t awake so I let Virginia take him.”

“That was not part of the arrangement!”

Tia scoffed.

“Once again, not my problem. You want to lie around and sulk, that’s your prerogative, but York is a little boy. He needs a parent who can at least shower every day. Now get the fuck out of this bed, clean yourself up and for the love of God, take a motherfucking shower because you stink!”

She stormed out of my room and I flung myself back on the bed.

She was right.

Enough was enough.

My time with Montana Stone was over. I had a son who needed me. I needed to start living again and I couldn’t do that from this bed. Flinging back the covers, I walked into my bathroom and took a shower.

Dressed and feeling a little cleaner, I grabbed my bag and keys before heading for the door when Tia asked, “Where are you going?”

“Out,” I clipped. “That’s what you wanted, right? Well, I’m out of options. I’m going to go see if I can get my old job back from Barney.”

“But what about the clinics?”

“No one has offered me anything. I need a job.”

“But the hospital back home? I thought you were going to accept.”

“The agreement states I must stay in the city. As much as I would like to accept the position, he won’t let me take York with me. So, that means I need to find something else.”

“Just leave York here, then.”

I couldn’t have heard her correctly.

There was no way I would ever leave my son.

“You’re fucking crazy if you think I would ever leave my son.”

“I didn’t mean forever. Take the job in West Virginia and visit as often as you can. Men do it all the time. Why can’t you?”

“Because I’m his mother!” I shouted.

“But I thought…”

“Tia, stop!” I snapped. “It’s done. I made my decision. Now, I just have to accept it. The fact is that Montana is York’s father. He’s a prominent member of this city. He has his family to help him when he does whatever nefarious thing he does. He provides York with everything he needs. We may not be together anymore, but he is a good father. I can’t deny that. He has a right to see his son. I will speak with Barney and get my old job back. Everything will work out.”

I didn’t wait around for Tia’s response. I needed to get out of that apartment before she or I said something we both regretted. I got that Tia was worried. So was I, but she had to have known that hell would freeze over before I abandoned my son. No. This city was big enough for both of us. He could do whatever he wanted, and I would do the same.

Walking onto the sidewalk, I looked across the street, expecting to see the biker watching and waiting, but he wasn’t there. Looking up and down the street for him, I sighed.

Of course. York wasn’t here.

Thinking nothing of it, I hailed a cab and headed to the Gentlemen’s club. Lost in thought as the city flew by, I wasn’t prepared when the cabbie slammed on the brakes, damn near throwing me into the plastic barrier. Gasping, I looked up just as a biker dressed in all black leather from head to toe slowed long enough to turn his head my way before speeding off.

“Damn bikers,” the cabbie cursed, flipping off the man as he gave the car some gas before continuing to my destination.

Turning, I stared as the biker rode off in the opposite direction. There was nothing familiar about him. He was just a stranger, yet there was something in the way the man tilted his head when he looked at me. Almost as if he knew me. But I didn’t see how. I knew he wasn’t a member of the Soulless Sinners. His lack of club affiliation made him a nomad.

Not even the bike he was riding was familiar.

Turning back around, I tried to calm my racing heart.

It had to be just a coincidence.

Just two people’s lives intersecting at one point in time, right?

Minutes later, the cab slowed down and pulled to a stop. Handing the driver cash, I stepped out and onto the sidewalk. Looking around, I saw nothing out of the ordinary as I walked into the Gentlemen’s club, only to find the place looked nothing like I remembered a few months ago.

“Sorry, miss, the club is closed for business. Come back at eight,” a well-dressed man said, holding a clipboard. I had never seen him before and wondered when Barney hired him.

“You’re new,” I stated, looking around. “Where is Barney? Tell him Tessa’s looking for him.”

“I’m sorry ma’am. Barney is no longer the owner.”

“What?” I questioned. “What do you mean? Who owns the club now?”

“I do,” a beautiful blonde, dressed in all white, said as she sauntered over to me, smirking. “My name is Illyria Valentinetti. The bitch. Remember?”

Frowning, I said, “Excuse me?”

“Oh, that’s right,” the woman smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You were drunk that night.”

“I’m sorry. Have we met?”

The woman laughed. “Fuck me and here I thought I was going to get to have some fun. Look Tess, yes, we’ve met. You accused me of fucking Montana, got in my face, and told me to find another fuck. Then shit went to hell.”

I tried to wrack my brain for any memory of the beautiful blonde, but nothing came to mind. In the end, I did the only thing I knew to do. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember. If I misbehaved, my apologies. I only came to talk to Barney. Since he’s not here, I will leave.”

The woman rolled her eyes.

“Jesus’ fuck, you are just like he described,” she sighed. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

Before I could deny her, she turned, walking away.

With nothing else to do, I followed her into Barney’s old office, which looked nothing like before. In fact, the entire club had a massive makeover. From the carpet on the floor to the chandelier hanging over the newly expanded stage. Even Barney’s old office had changed. No longer dark and drab, the room was bright, clean and smelled clean.

“Take a seat,” Illyria said, sitting behind a glass desk.

Settling into a seat, I asked, “I didn’t know Barney sold this place. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come.”

Illyria held up her hand, stopping me. “He didn’t sell it.”

“I don’t understand. You said you were the new owner.”

“I am,” she sighed, then cursed. “Fuck me. I hate being in the middle of shit that has nothing to do with me. Why he thought keeping you out of the loop was safer, I will never understand. Men with fucking dicks. Just like my brothers. They think they know best. Well, they don’t know jack shit.”

“What?”

“Look Tessa. I’m just gonna lay it all out for you, okay? Barney’s dead. Montana killed him because he was using you to get info on him and the club. Barney was working with a man you know by the name of Benson Graves. Graves was the broker for the Soulless Sinners back in the day before he syphoned millions from the club. He also accumulated information. Lots of information, which he handed over to a man named Boris Petrovitch. We all thought Graves was dead, but even I know that unless it’s a bullet to the brain, dead doesn’t really mean dead in this life. Anyway, the Graves, you know, started working for the west coast Bratva, more specifically Boris Petrovitch. The same man your roommate escaped from. He is also the man who shot up the Gala the night we met. He killed eighteen party goers that night, trying to get to you. Montana figured it out and got you out of there before he took a swim in the Hudson. Whatever you think about Montana, you don’t know jack shit about the man or what he will do to keep you alive.”

Shaking my head, I said, holding up my hand. “Stop. I don’t need to hear this.”

Illyria growled, leaning forward onto her desk. “Yes, you do because my friend has gone dark, unreachable. For that alone, you are going to sit your ass down and listen to every fucking word I say. When I’m done, then you can fucking leave.”

I didn’t move.

“The man you know as Montana Stone is the most loyal, honest man I’ve ever met. He says something, you can take it to the bank, he will honor his word. Yet for some fucking reason, you think he is a pariah, a danger to you and your kid. Honey, that man is a fucking a danger to anyone who dares look at you. You think because you come from some backwoods country that shit doesn’t stink there? Let me enlighten you. You wouldn’t even be alive right now, if it wasn’t for Montana. Since your release, that man has stopped three hits on you. One before you even left the hospital. He’s called in every fucking marker he has to protect your stupid ass. All so you can go on living your shit life in oblivion. Women like you make me sick.”

My mind drifted to the biker I saw earlier.

He looked right at me before he sped off.

I know he did.

Going back further, I remembered the morning I left the hospital. The nurse was supposed to come with papers for me to sign. Instead, she ushered me out of the room and into an elevator where two orderlies met us and then escorted me out of the hospital into a waiting vehicle where I saw Tia smiling.

Before that, I remembered Melody from jail. She stayed with me all night, protecting me. She even warned Robbie before Montana showed up.

The cops who arrested me. I remembered seeing them after Montana rescued me. They were on television while I was playing with York. I was so focused on my son. I glanced at the TV, seeing them in handcuffs, arrested on charges of bribery and corruption.

Then there were the bills from the hospitals in West Virginia concerning my mother, paid in full. I didn’t have time to investigate the matter because I was dealing with Montana finding out about York.

Shaking my head, I tried to make sense of what she was insinuating. To justify his actions.

From the moment I met Montana, the rules were crystal clear.

Trust: Believe in the strength and the ability of each other.

Loyalty: Support and give full allegiance in all matters.

Honor: Respect each other at all times.

Submission: Humbly give without forethought or reason.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes as my heart started beating heavily in my chest. From the moment I met the man, he was all of those things, only I didn’t see it. I saw what I wanted to see.

I saw the criminal. The anger. The destruction.

The man he showed the world, not the man he truly was.

He gave me glimpses of his true self when he held me that night in the bathtub and when he played with York. The part of himself that he showed no one.

He was all those things and more.

And yet, I vilified him, accused him of endangering my life, blamed him for my troubles, when he was the one who stood beside me, tried to help, worked to find who was blacklisting me.

When I left the first time, I thought he would never take me back when, in reality, he would have. I know that now. All I had to do was call him and he would have come for me. He would have been there with me, by my side, when I gave birth to York and when my mom died.

I knew he didn’t blame me for what happened in the warehouse. He blamed himself because he believed he failed to protect me. Just like when he walked away from me without a fight in the hospital. He blamed himself for what happened when the fault lied with the actions of another.

Tears streamed down my face as the truth of the man I loved slapped me in the face.

“Never in my life have I ever seen a man so in love with a woman that he would forget all reason to ensure that her happiness prevailed. And you throw it all back in his face. You called me a bitch at the Gala, but honey, you are the bitch.”

“Where is he?” I whispered.

“Why do you care? You got what you wanted. You’re free to live your life as you want and he will spend the rest of his life ensuring you have that fake, imaginary world you so greatly crave.”

Getting to my feet, I left, knowing there was no way in hell Illyria Valentinetti would help me. In fact, I was pretty damn sure anyone I called would more than likely tell me to fuck off or not even answer all together.

It looked like I finally got my wish.

I was alone.