Shepard

13 - To protect them

Shepard

Lynette mumbles over and over again about keeping the kids safe. She’s holding onto them too tightly, rocking them and herself. She’s reverting into herself, and I’m scared I’m losing her to a breakdown.

What happened to Hillary and Titus was tragic, we’ll all mourn them forever, and I will make the motherfuckers who did this pay. But right now, I need to pull my wife out of this. Willow is sobbing her heart out, and Jett is looking to me to make this right.

“I need you both to go to your rooms.”

Jett nods and tries to pull away, but Lynette holds onto him tighter, shaking her head erratically.

“Mommy,” Willow is now sobbing so hard she can hardly breathe. “It’s okay, Mommy.”

“I have to keep you safe, baby. Mommy has to keep you safe. I have to. I have to.”

My heart is breaking for Lynette. We lost our best friends, and I don’t know how to make this better for my wife. Hillary was like a sister to Lynette as much as Titus was a brother to me.

It takes me a few minutes to pry her hands off the kids, but I do. I tell Jett to take Willow upstairs and comfort her; I’ll check on them shortly.

Lynette is hitting out at me, yelling at me that she doesn’t want this life; she wants to leave with the kids, to take them somewhere she can keep them safe.

As much as I want to argue with Lynette that I won’t let her leave me, I can’t. She’s right; it’s too dangerous for any of them to be here right now. I can’t risk losing my wife and kids to death. That’s why I’ll do what I must to keep them safe, even if that means leaving.

Lynette pulls at my cut from her seat on the floor, pulling me against her shaking body. I can’t bear any of this; it’s breaking my fuckin.g heart.

I touch Lynette’s swollen stomach, maybe for the last time, because I don’t know when I’ll see her again, see the kids, my unborn child. I have to send them away for their own good.

“You’re gonna be safe, Lynette, I swear it.”

“I need you to be safe, Vincent. I don’t want to lose my family.”

I hold Lynette close, shushing her, kissing her head, and promising her everything will work out.

Lynette sobs herself to sleep in my arms, and I carry her to bed, lay her down, and strip her to her underwear. She doesn’t even stir. She’s exhausted herself.

I stroke Lynette’s hair back from her head and kiss her gently. She didn’t deserve this life; she never asked for it; I forced it on her. I put her and our children in danger. I’ll never forgive myself, but I will fix everything.

“I’ll make it right, baby,”

I check in on the kids after leaving Lynette to sleep. Willow is asleep; Jett’s sitting beside her, holding her hand. I tip my head for him to follow me downstairs. I need to speak with my boy, man to man.

“That was crazy,” Jett blows out a breath of air while dropping on the couch beside me. “Is Mom gonna be all right?”

I nod, not knowing what to say.

Looking at my not-so-little boy, I see the man he’s becoming. The good man, Lynette, has helped me raise. When I look at Jett, I see the future leader of the Snakes, a man to be feared, a man who will one day be more powerful than even I first realized. He’s already the size of a house, strong, and intelligent.

The girls love him, and doesn’t he just love that?

Seeing Jett dressed like a biker in jeans, a t-shirt, biker boots, and his clean cut makes me smile. Not the same one he used to wear, the one he fixed himself, one that my old man handed him a couple of months ago. Basically, it’s a prospects patch. Not that Jett is a prospect and won’t be for two years yet, but Dad wanted Jett to have it. Dad gave Tank one, too.

When Lynette asked Jett why he wore it, he said, ‘Practicing. Won’t be long before I’m a prospect, Mom.’ She just smiled and kissed his head.

“There’s something I need you to do for me,” I tell him.

“Anything. What do you need, Dad?”

This isn’t going to be easy. Jett isn’t going to want to do what I’m about to ask of him. However, I need them all safe. Telling Jett what I need from him won’t go down well. He’s stubborn and thinks he can fight with the big guys. He might be a strong kid for his age, but he’s still my son. I won’t keep Jett with me or let him get hurt. Lynette wouldn’t cope with that at all.

So, I tell him, “Lynette doesn’t feel safe right now, not after what happened. She has nothing to worry about,” Lies! “But she’s heavily pregnant, and all this stress isn’t helping her or the baby. Not to mention what Lynette being upset is doing to Willow.”

“What do you need from me, Dad?”

“I need you to be a man, Tate. I need you to take care of your mom and sister at the safe house until this whole mess is sorted.”

Jett narrows his eyes. He’s going to do that kid thing, the moaning and whining thing kids do when they don’t want to do something.

Jett might think he is a man, but he’s still a fifteen-year-old boy inside. I turn in my seat and take his shoulder in my hand. “I know this is a lot to ask, Jett,”

He smiles slightly at my use of his road name.

Who in the hell gives a fifteen-year-old a road name?

My crazy father, that’s who. After all, he gave me mine at that age.

“I know you want to be there for Haiden, and I know he needs you; that’s why, after the funeral, he’ll be going with you. I need you both to take care of those girls up there,” I point toward the stairs. “They are my life, Jett, just as you are. If there is anyone in this world I trust with them, it’s you.” That gets me a smile.

“How long will we have to be gone?”

“I don’t know, Son. Hopefully not long.”

“Will you be all right?”

“I’ll be fine. Just take care of your mom and sister, make sure Haiden doesn’t go off the rails, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Jett nods and looks down at his big hands.

Where the hell did my little boy go?

What happened to the days when he needed his dad?

When he cried in the night and snuck into my bed for a cuddle?

Kids aren’t kids for long. In the blink of an eye, they’re grown up and don’t need you for the things they once did. That’s not to say I won’t always be there for Jett to protect him. Even when he’s the big, bad biker outlaw that he’s destined to be, I’ll be there to protect him. The same goes for Willow, a future teacher in the making.

But what about the baby inside my beautiful wife’s stomach?

If I don’t get this shi.t sorted and fast, I may not get to meet my child until their first birthday!

* * *

“You sure this is a good idea?”

“She’s my wife, BlackJack. She’s not coping. I’m worried about her. Just look at her.”

BlackJack can see Lynette as well as I can, standing with Taylor, looking lost in her own world. Titus and Hillary’s joint funeral was hard for all of us, but having Lynette break down in my arms at the graveside was heartbreaking.

Titus and Hillary got the send-off of all send-offs. A biker and his Old Lady’s send-off.

Every member of the MC from Tennessee to California was in attendance. Titus was a much-loved member of Snakes Henchmen. A trusted member. One we’ll never forget. His name has been added to the mural of our fallen brothers, a colossal mural painted proudly on the wall in our church office.

Titus’ sons have held it together well. Well, as much as they could being at their parents’ funeral.

Hammer is doing nothing but keep his cool for the sake of his brother. I spoke to him last night; I thought the kid would pull his gun and kill the whole town. I’ve seen that kind of anger before. He’s a hothead like his father before him.

I promised Hammer we’d avenge his parents. I promised him that he’d be in on the kill. The kid told me he’d kill whoever did it and their whole families. Hammer will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come.

“I know you’re doing what you think is right, but do you really think leaving Lynette alone is what’s best for her right now?”

“What’s best for her,” I hiss in BlackJack’s direction. “Is to be away from me! I love her too much to keep putting her through this.”

“Through what, Shepard?”

I roll my eyes while turning them back to Lynette. Everyone is around her, talking to her, but she’s looking into space. Taylor has her arms around Lynette, and I swear that’s the only thing keeping her on her feet right now.

BlackJack grabs my arm and yanks me around to look at him. No other cunt in the world would get away with touching me like that. As it is, this man is the closest thing I have to a real brother.

“I agree that right now, the women and kids should be at the safe house on lockdown as Apollo ordered. I don’t agree with you about staying away from Lynette for extended periods. What about when she gives birth? What if the stress of you leaving her on top of all this pushes her into premature labor?”

I don’t want to think about that shi.t. I’m doing what I have to do for my wife and her peace of mind. I’m not doing this for anything other than to keep my family safe. No one in this damn MC, not even my father, would question my reasoning. No one but BlackJack.

“You’ll keep an eye on her for me, won’t you?”

He sighs yet nods his head. If there’s anyone in the world I can count on, it’s Jack.

“Thanks, Brother.”

“You’re just gonna sneak off to find these fucker.s by yourself? You’re not even going to explain things to your wife?”

“Get off my damn back, BlackJack! This shi.t with Devils Raiders ends now! They’ve had their fuckin.g day. They killed our brother!”

“I know this, Shepard. You’re not the only one who lost his brother!”

He’s telling me nothing I don’t already know. We all lost a good brother. We all buried him in our private graveyard. We all said goodbye. However, two young men are orphaned because of those scumbags thinking they can walk into our territory, kill two of our people, and drive the fuc.k off, bragging about what they’ve done.

And for what?

Because they believe I pulled the trigger on their Prez?

Fuckin’ cunts know nothing; I didn’t kill their damn Prez. I have no fuckin’ clue who did. But if they believe I was the one who ended him, then it’s my family they’ll come for next, and BlackJack damn well knows it.

My father has agreed to let me sort these fucker.s once and for all. I’m not going alone; I don’t have a death wish. A few of the other guys are coming with me: Animal, Red, CueBall, Dizzy, Lion, Steal, and young Hammer. My father will be a phone call away should we need him. If we do, he’ll have the whole damn club there to back us up in minutes.

We’ve got more weapons than those fuckin.g Devils Raiders could even imagine possible. Although they must be some stupid motherfuckers to attack a club our size. They don’t have a quarter of the men our charter has.

Death is coming for them. I just hope they’re ready.