Shepard

10 - Boys to men

Lynette

The two men – and I say men because they have to be at least twenty – standing on my driveway, threatening my son and his friend should know better than to try anything here.

Tate isn’t quite fifteen; what the hell do these men think they’re playing at?

Neither of the men is all that built-in size; they’re around six-foot, scruffy-looking surfer types. I’ve never seen them around here before. So, they are probably from out of town. I know that if they lay one finger on those boys, they won’t have a place in the world they can hide from their fathers.

Having ensured Willow stays inside, I approach the men, my best friend’s in tow. There is no way on this earth I will sit back and watch these little fuck.s touch either boy.

“What the hell is going on here?”

“These stupid assholes think they can say shi.t to my sister!”

“Jett,” I take his arm. Jett’s so angry; he looks like he could kill someone, and he looks so much like his father right now. “What do you mean?”

Tate’s - or Jett as I indeed should refer to him - chest rises and falls in quick succession. I’m terrified he’s going to blow. He’s not a small teenager by any means. He’s a few inches taller than me. He works out with Haiden daily, and it’s starting to show on his young body.

I look at the men in front of me; one of them, the tallest, smugest-looking prick with stubble, is smirking at me while looking me up and down like he wants to fuc.k me where I stand.

“Haiden, tell me, what the hell is going on?” Hillary demands, just as I notice Taylor run inside the house.

Haiden is also a tall kid, taller than Hillary. I’m guessing these two men don’t realize they’re messing with two kids five or six years their junior.

“We were just out here teaching Will self-defense when these idiot.s started wolf-whistling at her. They were talking about taking her somewhere to do vile shi.t to her. They scared the shi.t outta her!” Haiden yells without taking his eyes off the two men.

My stomach drops to the floor, and my head is suddenly full of memories I’ve tried so hard to forget. Things I will never allow to happen to my daughter.

‘You’re my special little girl, Lynette. Daddy loves you so much. That’s why we have to keep this our secret. We mustn’t tell Mommy. You promise?’

‘I promise, Daddy.’

‘Good girl.’

I blow out a deep breath and shake away the vile memories. I cannot get lost in them right now.

“Your boys here,” The smaller of the two seems to be talking to Hillary rather than me. I don’t like how the bigger guy looks at me; it’s creeping me out. “Seem to have gotten the wrong idea.”

“The wrong idea?” I step closer.

I’m not a weak little girl; I fought all my life against pigs like this, and when it comes to my daughter? I’ll fuckin.g kill any man who so much as thinks about her in that way!

“You think that shouting obscenities at a twelve-year-old is them getting the wrong idea? Do you have any idea whose house this is?”

“Come now,” The taller one steps closer, he’s close enough to touch me. I’ll kill him if he tries. I’m psyched up enough right now to do it.

He reaches out his hand to touch me when I’m suddenly pushed back a little. Jett is now right in front of me, holding me behind him. He’s not even fifteen yet, and he’s as strong as a man twice his age. I suppose he would be when he’s pumped full of adrenaline like this. Anybody would be.

“Lay one finger on my mom, and I’ll fuckin’ kill you!”

He called me his mom. I know that’s not what I should be concentrating on right now, but it touched me deeply.

“Your mom?” The big guy laughs sarcastically. “She doesn’t look old enough, but she’s fuckin’ hot, man.” He high-fives his buddy, both of them laughing. “There’s a lot I could do to a woman who looks like your momma.”

“Cunt!” I hiss and then scream when my boy punches the biggest of the men so hard that he falls to the ground.

Wind swipes past my head, and it takes a second to realize Haiden is now wailing on the other guy.

Hillary yanks me away from them. “Don’t get too close; you could get hurt.”

“They could get hurt!” I point to our sons, but she shakes her head.

“They are their father’s sons. They aren’t little boys anymore, Lyn. You can’t get in the middle of this. Especially now.”

I nod, but my heart is so torn. I want to stop Jett from fighting a grown man, a man who could kill him.

I don’t want this life for Tate, but I know nothing I say will ever change his mind. The young man he’s becoming is a biker through and through - a proud, honest, loyal young man who will fight to protect his family to the end. I have to be proud of him for that.

I hear the rumble of bikes in the distance. Taylor must have called for backup, but I can’t look; my eyes are stuck on Jett as he pummels the biggest of the two men.

I can see the guy has landed a few punches on my boy; he’s got bruises on his face, but it hasn’t stopped Jett. He’s like a man possessed, and I say man because no average child could hit with as much force as that boy right now, except for Haiden.

God, they’re crazy, and they’re going to end up in juvie at this rate!

“No motherfucker ever looks at my mom and sister like that!”

As proud of Jett as I am for taking care of Willow the way he has, I can’t condone this kind of behavior. I will not stand by and watch him carted off by the police for this.

Not that anyone in this town would willingly call the cops on the son of Shepard. They’d die within an hour. Plus, the Sheriff turns a blind eye to certain things the Snakes do.

Certain things. Don’t go thinking the Sheriff is so stupid that he’d turn a blind eye to murder. Not with concrete evidence, anyway.

“Jett!” I yell his name, but it’s futile. Either he can’t hear me, or he’s too dedicated to actually committing murder. The guy isn’t even moving any longer!

“Thank God,” I mumble and rush toward the convoy of bikes. “Shepard! You have to stop him!”

“Fuc.k!” He yells loudly, throws his brain bucket to the floor, and runs to Jett. He grabs him around the waist and lifts him off the now bloodied and battered asshole. I hadn’t even noticed Haiden had stopped hitting the other guy. “What the fuc.k is going on?!”

Neither boy answers. Both are out of breath, and both are bruised. I scrub my hands over my face. I can’t believe how many club members are here.

What the hell did they think was happening?

Why would we need ten of them?

Even Apollo is here. I guess that was a given, as he is Jett’s grandfather. He’d want to see what damage his young grandson has done to another human being.

Taylor is quietly talking to BlackJack. He’s going to be so angry that his young sons witnessed this. From inside the house, but still. Little Dominic is just six years old and is now crying in his father’s arms. I feel so guilty about what just happened here. I should’ve dragged the boys inside and called Shepard right away.

Titus is kissing his wife’s head while throwing daggers at his son. Hammer is giving Haiden what for, and Apollo is looking in on everything. The other guys are all standing around talking about the fact two kids beat the shi.t out of a couple of scumbags. They are laughing about how they should already be patched club members. They might be joking, but I don’t find it funny right now.

“Answer me!” Shepard yells.

“These stupid fuck.s!”

“Jett!” Shepard has also taken to calling Tate by his chosen name. “Since when do you go around beating the shi.t outta men twice your size?”

“Since they told my sister they were gonna rape her and then tried to touch my mom!”

All eyes shoot to me, then back to Jett. He’s wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

“Ain’t no fucke.r in this world ever gonna touch either of them and live.”

“You’re a good man looking out for them, but you didn’t need to do this, Son.”

“I ain’t losing my mom and sister. I already lost one sister; ain’t no one threatening to take Will from me. No one!”

I watch the two of them as tears fall from my eyes. Shepard grabs the back of Jett’s neck and pulls him against him. Jett holds his father tightly, trying to be brave and not cry.

Jett lost so much when Celia selfishly took Nova and left him behind. I’ve spent two and a half years showing him that he is loved, and I won’t let him think that he will lose Willow or me because he never will. I love that boy as if he were mine. Hell, Jett is mine.

“Jett!” We all turn to see Willow running across the drive toward Jett, crying and calling his name.

He manages to pull away from Shepard in time to catch her. She’s so much shorter than Jett. He lifts her off the ground with ease, her arms around his neck, his tight around her back.

“It’s okay, Will.”

“I thought they were going to hurt you,” She sobs, and it breaks my heart. I clasp my hand over my mouth while watching them.

“I’m okay, I promise. I will never let anybody hurt you. You’re my baby sister, and I’ll always take care of you.”

“I love you, Jett.”

“I love you, too, Will.”

After Jett sets Willow on her feet, Shepard lifts her and holds her while Jett and Haiden tell Apollo everything that happened. Apollo orders a couple of the guys to get rid of our unwelcome guests, and we all know what he means by “get rid of.”

Everyone makes their way to the backyard as soon as they’re gone. I don’t follow them; I stay in the house so that I can comfort Willow. She’s so scared right now, and Shepard needs a few moments alone with Jett.

However, I search the house for Willow to no avail. She came in with Jett, but she seemed to have disappeared into the crowd of people.

In the end, I see her through my bedroom window. She’s in the yard with everyone else, wrapped in Shepard’s arms. She’s laughing at something Apollo is saying to her. I thought she’d still be upset, but she seems fine now. I can hear her laughing as Shepard tickles her.

“Daddy!” She yells happily, causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks. She called him Daddy. Jett told those men that I was his mom.

Have they been talking again?

I wonder whose idea it was to call us Mom and Dad?

“I’m sorry,” I hear my little girl mumble sadly, her little head hanging down. It brings a tear to my eye to see her so sad.

The man I love adjusts Willow’s weight in his arms while tipping her chin up with his free hand. He holds her so effortlessly.

God, all Willow has ever wanted is a father of her own, like every kid who doesn’t have one.

“What you sorry for, princess? I am your daddy, and I love you so very much. Never be sorry for calling me that.”

Willow’s arms come around Shepard’s neck, whispering something in his ear. Then his eyes catch mine like he knew I was watching him the whole time. There’s something about the way he’s looking at me. He seems confused or angry with me; I can’t quite tell which. He has no right to be mad at me about anything!

If he’s angry because I’m not out there entertaining everyone, he can go fuc.k himself. I’m not in the damn mood right now.

I have so much I need to talk to the kids about. I should be out there with all of our friends, being the happy hostess. Not to drink and party, but demanding that they don’t treat those boys like little heroes. Jett needs a lesson in controlling his anger, even if it comes from a good place. He needs to know there will be consequences in the future should he act that way again.

Then there’s my little girl and the fact she needs me. I want to hold her and tell her that nothing and no one can hurt her with me around. But the truth is, I am so tired and emotional. I am completely drained of energy. That’s why I lie down on my bed and close my eyes for a second. I just need a couple of minutes, and then I’ll go down and join in with whatever is going on out there.

Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.