TODAY RECKLESS IS having me meet him so I can talk to him about the situation with Taleah. I’ve asked Annistyn to be in on the meeting because if anyone can get Taleah in to see a therapist, it will be her. The only other request I made was that we meet in the afternoon because I was at the courthouse to ensure TJ didn’t get bail when he went in front of the judge. I sat in the front row and glared at him the entire time. TJ squirmed in his seat under my watchful gaze and tried so hard not to show any emotion. His parents were there and I could see the disappointment in their faces as they listened to every charge TJ is facing. These include breaking and entering, theft, destruction to property, the assault on Taleah, and harassment. There’s a few other charges involving the cops he’s friends with who refused to protect Taleah and do their jobs when she called and they were the ones who showed up. The judge listened to both sides and then ruled that TJ would not be eligible for bail and would remain in custody until the trial. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. His entire face turned various shades of red and veins stuck out. I could see him holding himself back so he didn’t get in more trouble as his mother began to cry behind him.
The second I was out of the courthouse, I called Elara so she could inform Taleah TJ wouldn’t be getting out of jail before the trial. My sister was excited as hell and she screamed so loud I had to pull the phone from my ear before she blew my ear drum. TJ’s parents heard her as they passed me and his fatherglared at me as if I were the one who was in the wrong. It’s not my fault their son is a piece of shit who fucked with the wrong girl. Though, I did notice how tightly his father was holding onto his mom’s arm and it didn’t take a lot to figure out where his abusive tendencies come from. The pain was a shadow on the older woman’s face and I wanted to call him out, but figured I would end up in jail. That’s the last place I need to be for several reasons. The main one being that I would find a way to beat the fuck out of TJ and end up in there longer. It would definitely be worth it to get payback for what he did to Taleah, but she needs me on the outside and not sitting in a cell. When it comes to Taleah, I can’t always control my emotions and it’s something I’ve tried to break free from since we were kids.
Count met me outside when I finally made my way to my bike. He was parked next to me and didn’t say a word as I straddled it before putting on my bandana and helmet. Together, we rode through town so I could gather myself before the meeting with Reckless and Annistyn. Count knows what my plan is and thinks it’s a good idea. He also agrees that Annistyn will be the one who can get my girl to the ranch so she can get the help she needs. Annistyn doesn’t always share her story with others, but in cases like this she’ll give some details. The two of us pull over a few towns over for some lunch before heading back to the compound. The fresh air and sun do wonders to improve my mood even more than it was when I heard the judge refuse bail.
Count and I park in our spots in line and shut our bikes off before we head in the clubhouse. The common room is full today and I see the kids running around as Annistyn hands Ridge over to Link before she follows me to the hall where Reckless’ office is. I knock on the door and wait for Reckless to answer because I’m not about to walk in and find Cali and him ina compromising position. It’s happened before with some of the guys and I have yet to see something I don’t need to. I think Link has walked in on them before and he relentlessly teased them for weeks about it.
“Come in,” Reckless calls out a minute after I knock. Opening the door, I let Annistyn walk in before me.
Cali is sitting on the edge of the desk trying to look innocent despite the blush covering her face and neck. Reckless has a shit eating grin on his face and I can’t help but shake my head at the couple before us. Annistyn and I take our seats across from them and Cali stands up to leave us alone. I’d allow her to stay, but this isn’t all about me and I already feel as if I’m betraying Taleah by sharing any part of her story with Reckless and Annistyn.
“I’ll see you guys later,” Cali says, leaning down to give Reckless a kiss before leaving us in the office with the door shut.
“Master, need to know what’s goin’ on with Taleah. What happened at court this mornin’?” Reckless begins as he leans back in his seat.
“The judge refused bail. TJ’s pissed as fuck and I have a feeling he’ll be contacting someone on the outside to go after Taleah. Gonna need to make sure she’s protected, Reckless. I’ll step down from the club if that’s what it takes to ensure her safety,” I state without looking away from my President so he knows I’m extremely serious about this.
“You’re not goin’ anywhere, Master. Told ya we’d all have your back and I meant it. We’ll put the Prospects on her for now. If that’s not enough, we’ll figure it out. You do what you have to do as long as it doesn’t interfere with club business. Now, I need to know more details than what you gave in church,” Reckless says as Annistyn turns to look at me.
“I really don’t know why I’m here,” she says, wringing her hands in her lap. A nervous gesture she still has from her past.
“You’re here because Dr. Keen has suggested that Taleah get into therapy because of the attack she just suffered through. He put her in the hospital for a week and a half. She still has to use a walker to get around and is in physical therapy for her arm and legs. Taleah is stubborn as hell and it’s gonna take someone who’s been in her shoes to get her to go. She doesn’t believe she was in an abusive relationship, but she was. He abused her financially, emotionally, and mentally. The last straw was when he attacked her in her own store. Left her a bloody mess before stealin’ from her,” I inform Annistyn and watch as several emotions go through her eyes and her face pales as she remembers her own past.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her to the ranch, Master. Not just for you but for her,” Annistyn promises as she sits back and waits for me to continue.
“From the beginnin’,” I start to say, looking at the wall over Reckless’ shoulder instead of either one of them. “When I was younger, we went to a company party for my parents. There weren’t a lot of kids there and my sister was bored. I took her outside for some fresh air and to let her run around when we ran into two other kids. That was the day I met Taleah and her brother. He became my best friend and our sisters became best friends. The four of us spent all of our time together. Like I said, my relationship with him was like what you have with Link. I couldn’t imagine time spent away from him or Taleah for any reason until things changed.
“My senior year of high school, I started datin’ Taleah. My sister started datin’ her brother. I didn’t treat Taleah the way I should have. We had sport bikes at the time and I never once allowed her to ride with me. I’d put my sister and other girlson the back, but never her. When we were out, I’d act like she was just my best friend’s kid sister instead of my girl. A million things I wish I could change and do differently. Taleah took it all from me and never once complained or caused a scene if we were out. She was perfect in every single way except her allowin’ me to treat her like shit. Now, I wish she would have told me off and called me out on my shit.
“At the end of our senior year, my grandma passed away. She was one of the most important people in my life and it hit me hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be to lose a family member. I started pushin’ everyone away from me. Made the decision the second she took her last breath that I wasn’t gonna allow anyone close enough to hurt me like that again. I stopped answerin’ calls and messages from Taleah and her brother, rarely talked to my sister, and started skippin’ school because I was pretty much done with classes and wasn’t playin’ a sport at the time. I’d ride somewhere on my bike and just sit alone. No one knows where I went or what I did. I could see the worry in all of them, but did nothin’ to change the situation because I wasn’t dealin’ with the situation.
“Two weeks was all it took for my entire world to be shattered again. Taleah, my sister, and Taleah’s brother were goin’ to a party. I didn’t answer the calls and messages. Never showed up at the party. I sat alone in my room without any lights on so no one would know I was home. It didn’t really matter because I was there alone. After a while, the walls started feelin’ like they were closin’ in on me so I grabbed some beer from the refrigerator and rode to the school. I sat on the fifty yard line drinkin’ while everyone else was at the party.
“I don’t know all the details, but essentially it came down to someone fuckin’ with Taleah and her brother stepped in to protect her. He got into a fight, which was nothin’ new for eitherone of us. He’d been drinkin’ and at some point he got pushed in the pool. Taleah’s brother was a great swimmer. He ended up drownin’ in that pool because he hit his head on the cement walkway before landin’ in the water. I guess Taleah tried to get to him, but no one would let her. It took my sister and a few other people to hold her back. She was willin’ to give her life for her brother or join him in death. They couldn’t revive him. I lost my best friend two weeks after losin’ my grandma. I couldn’t deal with it. The very next night, I was at a party I knew my sister was gonna take Taleah to. Made it look like I was cheatin’ on her and she ran away from me.
“That was the last night I talked to Taleah or my sister for eight years. My sister moved out of the house the next day because we had an apartment over the garage. She didn’t even want to see me. Until a few weeks before the attack, I hadn’t seen Taleah. Only exchanged a handful of words with her since then. I’m slowly workin’ on repairin’ the relationship with my sister, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fix things with the only girl I’ve ever loved,” I say, hating how vulnerable and weak I sound right now in front of Annistyn and Reckless.
Neither one of them say a word for a while. I don’t look at either one of them as they take in what I’ve told them. I’m still not going into a ton of detail, but they have the basics of what happened.
“Obviously this girl is important to you. I was there that day in the store when you found her. Never seen you act like that for any reason, Master. Not gonna drag this shit out. All I wanna know is if you get the chance, you gonna claim Taleah as your ol’ lady?” Reckless asks me, sitting forward in his seat.
“I’d claim her today if I knew she’d accept it,” I state without hesitation because it’s the truth. “I’ve loved her sincebefore I knew what love was. She’s everythin’ I want in a woman and no one else will ever come close to what she means to me.”
“Okay. Whatever you need, you got it. Annistyn, are you willin’ to talk to her and see if you can get her to the ranch so she can get help?” Reckless asks Link’s wife as I turn to look at her.
“She’ll be at the cemetery today or tomorrow. It’s been too long since she’s gone to visit her brother. She’s usually there once a week. Taleah won’t let the use of a walker stop her from that trip and will endure any amount of pain,” I say knowing her better than she knows herself in some situations including this one.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her there. Drive her there myself if that’s what it takes. You better be serious about her, Master. She sounds like a great girl and if this is you fuckin’ around with her, I’ll beat your ass. I know I’ll definitely lose in a fight against you since you’re in the ring six days a week, but I’ll do what I can to hurt you. I don’t even know this girl yet and I already know she’ll be important to a lot of people in this club. Bring your sister around too. We can always use more girls around here,” Annistyn says before getting out of her seat and leaving me alone with Reckless in the office.
“I’m guessin’ you already got a file started on everyone you know is involved in this situation. We’ll need to discuss shit in church if you think he’s gonna bring more people into this. Does he have ties to anyone we’ve heard of before? Someone we’ve never dealt with maybe?” Reckless asks me once we’re alone in the office.
“Not that I can find. Everyone he parties with comes from the casino he frequents. Everyone is too fuckin’ stupid to be any part of the criminal underworld. At least from what I can tell so far. I’ve been runnin’ back all of his connections from college until now. I’m startin’ on his parents today so I can make surethey’re clean. Thinkin’ the dad has an abusive past based on how he interacted with TJ’s mom after court today. He was holdin’ her awfully tight as he led her from the courthouse. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to ensure Taleah is protected and this shit never touches her again,” I answer Reckless as he nods his head in agreement with me.
“Keep me updated on what you find. Put Evan on her for now. He’s been near her at the hospital and I have a feelin’ he’ll pay the most attention to her. You give him the order and tell him how you want her protection detail run. If you need help movin’ her stuff into a new house, let us know and we’ll get it taken care of,” Reckless says, standing from his seat as I copy him and we leave his office.
Instead of heading for the common room, I make my way to my office. I’ve got work to do when it comes to TJ and protecting the love of my life. In a few hours I’ll be heading to my sister’s house for the first time and if I remain busy, I won’t feel nervous about seeing her again and meeting her family for the first time. I don’t even understand why I’m nervous about this situation. She’s my damn sister. Maybe it’s because I have no clue how much of our story she’s shared with her husband. As I realize my baby sister is married, I feel part of my heart break again because I wasn’t there for her special day. I should have been sitting in the front row or standing up at her husband’s side. If I were home and not on leave that is. The reason I wasn’t there for her is because I’m a dumbass who chose to let her walk out of my life because I thought it was the best solution after losing people who meant the world to me. Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to make this up to her and ensure we never drift apart again.
Chapter Twelve
