I hated them. Hated the whole damn religion.
Jeremiah, Cyrus’ father, was very high up on the food chain, having a shit ton of wives and who knew how many fucking kids. Way too many was for sure.
Didn’t care for him, didn’t care for many of them. But the one who called me out of the blue in the middle of the night to cry in my arms, her I gave a shit about.
An older girl, Sibyl, stood with her back against the wall next to the bathroom. She looked scared to fucking death.
“It’s alright. I’ll get ya out of here.”
“Would you let me in?” Austyn called from behind me, making Cyrus tense in my arms.
“This is my wife, Austyn. She’s cool. Promise.”
Cyrus pulled out of my arms and looked at Austyn.
“Hey, hun. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Austyn said, guiding Cyrus over to the small bathroom and cleaning up her face.
Lord.
“Hey, Sybil. Promise everything is going to be okay.”
“He’ll come for us,” she whispered softly. “He won’t just let us leave. He said so. We have his name and that is all he cares about. He’ll find us.”
“Fuck no he won’t,” I growled low, causing her to jump. “Sorry. We’ll get you out of here and get you set up.”
And we did. New identities, different colored hair, and better lives. All of it. The club stood behind me during this change, helping in every way possible. Furniture for their apartment. Clothes for their backs. Food for their bellies. Prenatal care for Remy and Ensley. Don’t even get me fucking started on the baby shower. That kid didn’t need diapers for a year. The ol’ ladies did it up big for them.
The three of them had been through so much in their lives. They really didn’t need any more. But this was now thrown down at their feet like a scorpion ready to strike.
No matter what, Micah wasn’t hurting Ensley or Remy. He’d be dead before he could blink, and I’d fucking enjoy it.
“Come to order,” Cruz called from the front of the table, getting all of our attention.
Church had to be expanded with all the new members coming in. When it was just Cruz, GT, Rhys, Buzz and Breaker, they didn’t need much space. Now we had an entire other generation that needed to be included.
We kept the area where church was held in the clubhouse. It was right off the bar area.
Needing it bigger, we took out the three bedrooms that were on the other side of the wall from the church room. Instant space.
Sure, it was shaped like a letter L, but who the fuck cared. There were more pictures on the walls. The Ravage insignia was moved to the large straight area and hung on the wall right behind where our President sat.
Since the table was custom made, we didn’t touch that shit. The carvings were absolutely stunning with the Ravage skulls with flames coming from its head in the center. We just added on to it, creating a long enough space for us all to sit around.
The American flag flew in the corner along with the Marines and Army flags as well. We had veterans and were proud of that.
As the room came to order, I looked over at Tug, worrying how he would take this information. Finding out he had a grandkid out of the damn blue, that he’d actually spent time with, would be a blow. It would tear him up inside, knowing his blood was right in front of his face, and he didn’t recognize it.
It seemed crazy to think that way, but I understood completely. We are all a family here. Blood was on a different level, especially for babies.
Even though it would cut him deep, and I didn’t enjoy having to tell Tug, he’d pull through. He was a strong man and carried a lot on his shoulders over the years. Blaze, on the other hand… Glad he would deal with that shit. She would go ballistic. No fucking thank you.
We went through runs, product, businesses, and Micah, which was my cue.
“I’ve got somethin’,” I called, holding my index and middle finger up in a half wave. This wasn’t something I wanted to spring on my brothers, but they needed to know. What Ensley did was on her, but my brothers would know this information. There were no secrets such as this between the Ravage MC.
We didn’t hold shit like this back from one another. Everything with the club could mean life or death. We worked as a team, and everyone needed to be informed. If they weren’t, they couldn’t protect each other. As much as I hated laying this at all their feet, I wasn’t about to start keeping shit from them.
Cruz looked at me. “Yeah.”
“A situation came to light.” My eyes went over to Tug. He had the most to gain and lose from this. “It’s about Micah too.”
Tug’s back straightened, and his eyes got this protective glaze over them. He loved his boy, that was clear, but he was also getting damn tired of all the shit floating around him. He’d had to clean up one thing after another with that boy. I felt for him. Micah had a shit storm that he didn’t even know what was going to hit him because I knew Ensley would tell him. It may take a bit, but she would.
“Let’s hear it,” Tug said, his complete and utter focus on me. He was my brother, but I couldn’t help but think that Tug might actually blow, and we’d come to a head.
We loved each other, don’t get me wrong. That didn’t mean we didn’t fight. Just like any other family, we had our differences. But the kicker was, we got over them and fast.
Cruz ran a tight ship and made very sure of that fact.
Sucking in a deep breath, I spoke directly to Tug.
“Shit’s complicated. It’s about Ensley. Apparently, Micah and Ensley hooked up about three years ago when he was on leave. That’s how she knows Micah.”
Tug leaned back in his chair like I’d hit him with a concrete bolder as he started piecing everything together. He was a damn smart man, and I knew the instant he came to the correct conclusion because his breathing picked up a bit like he couldn’t get enough air.
I threw down the hammer. “And from that came Remy.”
“You’re fucking shittin’ me,” Tug growled, hands low on the table as he slammed them down to the wood. A few of the brothers sat back. “He has a kid and didn’t tell me.” If fire could’ve come from his eyes it would’ve. There was no doubt that Tug would have Micah’s ass for not telling his parents about his child. Except this time, I couldn’t let Tug think it. Right was right, and wrong was wrong. The kind of man I was didn’t let another man take a hit for something he really had not one clue about.
“He doesn’t know.” Tug heard the words, but he was stunned. So I continued, “They were together one night. She got knocked up and never saw him again until after the party. She didn’t know his last name or even a damn phone number. Not knowing him, his connection to the club, well, Ensley panicked. She’s afraid that Micah is here to take Remy.”
Tug’s head shook, hands clenched in fists so tight his knuckles were white. “He’d never…” He started, but I held my hand up. There was no need for Tug to defend his boy on this one. While I wasn’t anywhere close to a fan of Micah, he didn’t strike me as one to try to take Remy. I had lived and learned enough in my time with Ravage to get a read on people. Micah fucked up, sure, but he wasn’t a prick that would take a kid from her mom without merit. Well, I didn’t get that feel from him, and if he was stupid enough to try, I would end him, so I had no need to worry.