Theo and Jay share a look before Jay lets out a breath. “We’re contractors. Got caught up in some shit. Chewy pierced us and now we work for her.”
We all stare at him until Sniper mutters, “Sounds about right.”
Prez stares at them for a beat too long before barking, “I’m calling Church in an hour, so we’ll let you get set up and then you can tell us what you’ve found. If anything.” He leaves the room, heading with Sniper toward his office.
The other brothers begin to disperse. TumTum heads back to the kitchen to prep tonight’s meal, Flack back to his favorite chair in the common room and Justice back to his room with Joe. I’m pretty certain there is something going on there. Not sure what exactly, but I’ve never seen Justice like this. He’s always been a protector, looking out for the smaller kids when we were living under the Prophet’s rule. He’d get in between bullies and their prey, that sort of thing, which makes the revelation of what he was living with even more heartbreaking. I always knew Elder Blessing was an evil fucker. Marrying Loyal off at 14 to a man 40 years her senior was evil as shit. But to torture his son in such a way, forcing himself on his own blood from boyhood to a teen is fucking abhorrent. I always wondered if he did the same thing to Loyal, but judging by her tears for Justice last night, I have a feeling she left her father’s house untouched. Only to then be abused at the hands of another evil fucker. My breath comes in pants and my fists are tight at my sides as I seethe over the injustices Eden’s Keep brought upon so many innocent lives.
“Easy, brother,” Saint soothes, stepping up next to me in the common room.
“You do know that as the Chaplain you’re meant to be the one that keeps everyone level, yeah?” Omen says in his lazy drawl.
“How can I when people I care about are walking around holding scars put there by evil fuckers?” I answer, turning to eyeball my brothers. “There is just so much fucking pain.” I grimace.
“That’s why we’re here, brother. Our father caused all this-” Saint waves his hand around, “it’s up to us to heal those he hurt.”
“Seriously? How the fuck are we going to do that when we got brothers walking around covered in fucking scars put there by people who believed in the shit our father spouted? The same fucking scars we still carry? We aren’t any better off than the people we’re trying to help,” I growl.
“So the fuck what? So what if we’re fucking scarred and damaged goods? Our little sister’s bullet ended Eden’s Keep for good and it’s up to us to rebuild good shit in its ashes. Who cares if we fuck it up? As long as we fucking try,” Saint says, eyes wild. My little brother is not an angry guy, but at this moment I can tell that my slip of confidence has pissed him off royally. “You need to pull your shit together, big brother. You have a woman and two little girls relying on you. If you can’t do it then back the fuck up and let someone else step in.”
A low growl comes up from my chest as I lunge for Saint and his stupid face. He dodges just out of the way while Omen laughs beside us, just as he did as a kid every time Saint and I got into it. It always diffused the situation, but I’m still hell bent on at least putting my boot up up my brother’s ass for talking shit, only stopping in my tracks when I hear little voices yell “Go Vex! Go Vex!” Spinning on my heel my heart stops at the wide-eyed look on Loyal’s face as she stands in the doorway with Bree and Addy pumping their fists. My anger leaves my body as quickly as it took over just seeing their little faces. Deciding that I can’t let my girls down I chase after Saint, catching up with him and putting him in a headlock while the kids whoop and holler.
“See brother?” Saint rasps from his position under my arm. “Those kids have seen more violence than anyone ever should and yet they’re out here cheering you on as you kick my ass.” I let Saint’s head go, shoving him slightly away from me. He stands to his full height, slapping a hand on my shoulder. “Those kids goto show that once you’re safe and loved, shit don’t seem so bad. Everyone here has shit we’re carrying around with us, but we’re not victims. We’re survivors. Remember that before you turn all bitchy and whiny.” I chase him again as he laughs hysterically around the room with the twins, joined by Nell and Greer, laughing in the background. Even River manages a small smile.
Once Saint gives up and I give him one last noogy I trot over to my little family.
“Got that out of your system?” Loyal asks with a small smile, her large blue eyes bouncing around my face.
“Not all the way out,” I reply as I scoop up both the twins and chase after Saint and then Omen with them in my arms.
Their laughter startles me as it’s more than the little giggles they’ve gifted me before. This is full on belly laughter and squeals, the sound of happiness. I decide to embrace it, and them, chasing after whoever Bree has in her sights, Addy just happy to be here, her arms holding around my neck tightly.
The noise in the common room must draw out Prez and Sniper as both men come rushing out, only to freeze in the doorway. Dex smirks, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning on the wall but Sniper walks calmly, steadily until he reaches Nell and Greer. He nods once at Nell before scooping Greer up into his arms, her little girl giggles filling the room with a level of lightness that this place needs after last night’s church. Sniper joins in the chasing game and I see the ghost of a smile on his face as we team up against the other brothers. Damian pretends to die in the most dramatic way ever. Justice carries Joe out of his room to enjoy the chaos and the Matrix twins stand in the doorway looking confused.
This is what the Keep needed.
Loyal
I’m used to the Landry brothers horsing around. They did it all the time growing up, and I’ve seen Vex on more than one occasion kicking his brother’s butts for irritating him, as younger brothers often do. However, what I see when I first walk into the common room has me pausing. The look on Vex’s face to begin with is anger, so much so that it shocks me. I’m not dumb enough to think the man is cool and calm all the time, but I’ve only seen him this angry a few times in my life, and each of those times has been because of me. I was about to lead the girls and Nell back to Nell’s cottage but the twins’ voices seemed to shake Vex out of his head and now I’m watching grown men chasing each other around, the kids in their arms laughing up a storm.
At some point Justice joins in and he currently has Bree on his back, yelling orders at him from her little throne as Addy squeals, safe and sound in Vex’s arms. Greer has her head tipped back, giggling so hard that I’m afraid she might throw up, but just when things are looking dicey Sniper slows a little, cupping the back of her head in his large scarred hand and bringing her into his chest, taking deep breaths with her until she calms and is ready for more.
“Oh my gosh,” Nell whispers, her hands over her mouth, large brown eyes filled with tears. “I never, I just-”
“Come here,” I murmur, taking her hand and leading her to one of the couches, away from the chaos but still where she can see her little girl.
She sits heavily on the couch and before I can open my mouth Flack, the older biker with the gentle eyes and gruff voice throws his arm over Nell’s shoulder.
“Come here, girl,” he says, giving her a side hug. “Did I ever tell you girls that I have daughters of my own?”
Both Nell and I shake our heads. Since the DRMC bikers turned up with the Landrys I have gotten to know some of them, but not all. Whilst I’m friendly enough to say hi, we haven’t all lived together long enough to form the same family vibes that the Original crew seem to have, but I look forward to the day when we do.
“I have two girls, probably similar in age to you both. Both their mothers were club girls. Uh, we don’t have them here, but think of them as women who like to hang around the MC men in the hopes to be made Ol Ladies,” he says. I know there is probably more to it but I’m not about to ask. “With Sunny I got lucky, her mother left her on my doorstep when she was three days old. Just up and left. I was young and had no idea what it took to look after a baby, but I managed pretty well and my Sunny girl lives in Roxburgh running her diner and doing her thing.”
“You said you had two daughters,” Nell says with a sniffle.
“You’re a smart one,” Flack teases, his white teeth peeking through his salt and pepper beard. “Remy is where I went wrong. Her mother was a bitch of the highest order - sorry girls-” he says and hits us with an apologetic look before sighing. “I thought I was doing the right thing, sharing custody of Remy with her. But there was this little niggly voice in my noggin that I couldn’t ignore, that I wasn’t doing right by my girl. All to find out that she was having men over and my little girl was having to hidein her little teepee from the men. She was terrified and I was pissed. I got her away from her mother when she was around Greer’s age but those first few years I felt like the shittiest parent on the face of the earth. What parent lets their child live like that?” He turns Nell in his arms so he can look her in the eye. “The thing is, you made the decision to save you both and you did it. Lots of people don’t. Greer won’t grow up thinking you failed her; she’ll grow up knowing that her momma had to make a tough decision and she chose her.”
“Do you think so?” Nell sniffs, her gaze moving to Greer in Sniper’s arms and then back to Flack.
