Both of them nod and we start off again. Not really finding anything until I hear Peanut shout out my name, not my club name. There is urgency in it so I move past Benji and quickly make my way to where she’s standing. Kitty is holding the door partially closed while Peanut walks toward me.
“Hey, Storm, you said your mom and siblings are all alive, right? Okay, that explains this, but think your family is being held in that room. Take a breath, it’s not pretty, sister.”
By this time Benji is next to me so we make our way back to Kitty. She takes one look at my face and swings the door open. My eyes try to take in the scene in front of me, but I can’t seem to comprehend it. Walking slowly in, I see a hand reach out as a very weak voice asks me for help. That voice belongs to my mother, who is at the moment tied spread-eagle on a cot. Her clothes are ripped and hanging off of her, and she’s almost covered head to toe in bruises. As my eyes move past her, I see a sister and two brothers, who are barely standing up, hands above their heads, cuffed to a thick pipe. They also are beat to shit. I can feel the fear rolling in as I don’t see our father. Walking to my siblings, I ask them as a whole, “Where the fuck is Dad?” My sister lifts her head and whispers to me that he went to welcome Daneira back home.
“I can’t believe my eyes, Dorothea, you’re here.”
Tears start to gather and run down her cheeks. I thought most of them got out. So, I ask that question, and she replies they did and our father dragged each and every one back. Shaking my head, I’m shocked to hear this. Feeling Benji beside me, he nudges me then shifts his eyes downward toward mysister. My eyes follow and I lean in, moving the huge shirt my sister has on top of a T-shirt. What I see makes me sick to my stomach as I know the answer before I ask it.
“Whose baby is that you’re carrying, Esther?”
Her tears are coming quicker as she slowly raises her head, never taking her eyes off of me.
“Dorothea, to be honest, I don’t have a clue. When Dad brought me back last time, my punishment was to take whatever man he pushed on me. Well, after he took his turn because he said I needed to be punished. And every time he had business with the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood, I was one of the desserts, as he liked to call it. His plan is, after I have my baby, he is going to sell it to the highest bidder. You know, men. I’m doing my share for his church.”
Reaching as I move toward her, my hands hit her shoulders, moving closer so I can give her a hug. I feel her body tense right before she leans her head into me and begins to sob loudly. As I continue to hang on to Esther, I turn and watch Benji using some kind of tool that allows him to open the cuffs on my two brothers and is now working on Esther’s. My brothers both look to be in pain from the release of their arms, while Mom is looking worse by the minute. I reach into my back pocket and use the walkie-talkie feature.
“Hey, this is Storm, need medical right now in that medium-size building we walked into. Found my family and they are all in bad shape. Well, not our dad and one brother ’cause they’re not here. Please get Dr. Mal or Dr. Cora, they are seriously injured. Thanks.”
I feel eyes on me, so I turn toward my brothers as they are both staring at me. My older brother’s eyes look so sad, but his words just about tear my heart out of my chest.
“Dorothea, you would help us even though we didn’t extend a hand to you in your time of need?”
“We’re family, or that is what Dani would say. And please stop calling me Dorothea and use Dottie instead.”
They all stare like I have two heads or noses, but I refuse to allow anyone to make me feel insecure. No one says another word, so not sure what I just asked was comprehended, but oh well. I look to Benji to see he’s helping Esther to the ground. Turning, my brothers also are sitting on the ground, both rubbing their arms up and down. This right here is the part I hate…the waiting for help. I can’t leave until there is someone here to help and move the injured to a more secure spot. Feeling Benji behind me, I lean back, giving up my precious control to him so I can have maybe a moment or two.
Well, that is before the ear-splitting scream in the hallway.
NINETEEN
DANI
I feel blood pouring out of my nose but I refuse to show an ounce of emotion or pain. The old bastard in front of me is not a third of the man our father was before we ran away. To my shock, Matthew is off in a corner, leaning against the wall, arms crossed on his chest. Father leans toward me and immediately the smell of him makes me want to vomit. All I can breathe in is rotten teeth, body odor, and something that reminds me of rotting roadkill.
“Got nothing to say, whore? After all these years I enter a room and you just stand there glaring at me, when you should be on your knees begging for forgiveness. I told Matthew the best thing to do with you was to make sure you were punished correctly. I finally figured it out and when the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood reached out, I made a deal with them. They wanted to punish that club you are part of, so you are serving two purposes, though before you are taken, I will be taking my pound or two of flesh. I’m glad they washed your ass off, daughter, because I’m gonna make you dirty again, that’s for damn sure. I’m planning on leaving a mark or two myself.”
His words have me moving back, grabbing the chair so it is in front of me. Father is cackling like a maniac and I refuse totake my eyes off of him. That is until I see Matthew right behind him, raising his arm. In slow motion, I watch my brother reach out to our father and start to punch him repeatedly in the head and lower, by his kidneys. After the first scream of pain, Father didn’t say a thing, even when his legs gave out and he landed first hard on his knees, then he passed out lying on his side. Matthew reaches down to feel for a pulse. Not sure if he finds one or not, but he stands up and glances my way. His eyes take me in from head to feet, then his eyes stare at the way I am gripping the chair.
“Daneira, you better sit down before you fall. Come on, little sister, I got you.”
Feeling like I’m in an altered universe, I stare at my brother, who I’ve not seen in years, and I can’t figure out if he’s playing me or actually being serious. When he moves closer to me, I look into his eyes and don’t see any of the evil I just saw in our father’s. I move slowly and sit back into the chair, moaning as I try to get comfortable.
“Do you know how many men are out there? Is Noah here with Samson and the others?”
Hearing his question about Noah, my head jerks up and I stare at him.
“Matthew, why do you want to know about Noah? Why are you even here?”
He runs his hands through his longish hair then squats down in front of me, his eyes never leaving mine.
“First, you call me Matt or Matty and I’ll call you Dani. That okay? Second, I work with Noah, so this whole thing with our father is a setup. He’s been dealing in human trafficking with that brotherhood, along with rape and torture of women and children, before those victims were removed from the ‘religious’ commune. The elders are all involved too, so when Noah approached me, I knew it was time to stop that motherfucker.Now, do you know if your club will be able to figure out where you are and come to rescue you? No, I’m not trying to set them up, just hoping we get some more help here because we are outnumbered and the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood club are almost here.”
Still staring at Matty, I’m trying to take in what he said and make sense of it.
“Why now, Matty? What changed?”
Smiling, he softly puts one hand on my knee and squeezes.
