Page 15 of Vengeance

“You’ll get through it. We all will.”

Chapter Five

Griffin’s Beach

Tara

With everything happening with the club, Tara Parker knows going out without someone following her is dangerous. She takes solace in the fact no one from the Savage Slashers seems to pay her any mind. There has been no interest, even when she crosses paths with them around work. One of the few benefits of being one of the newer women of the club, she supposes.

She wouldn’t have gone out without any type of club protection, but she didn’t have any other choice. Lenetta Voorhees, her ex’s sister, called and said she was dropping Matty off at the fire department if Tara didn’t watch him while she worked. She tried to explain she doesn’t believe children his age can be surrendered to a safe harbor, but she refused to listen.

Matty has always and will always have a place in Tara’s heart. His father, Billy, may have put her through hell, but Matty was always the silver lining. The reason she stayed in such an abusive relationship for so long was because she worried about the little boy. No matter how bad things with Billy got, Matty was always the joy in an otherwise horrible day.

Knowing the courts put him with Lenetta, of all the family members Matty has, when Billy went to prison makes her chest ache. That woman has never had a man, and she possesses zero maternal bones in her body. Which explains quite a bit, considering she raised Billy and the rest of his siblings when their parents were too high or drunk to. She hated every minute of it, and she takes that resentment out on everyone else around her. The only way to describe Lenetta is that she is just a wretched woman.

Rather than take Matty to her place out of fear of what could possibly happen, Tara opted for a more public venue. The mall seems like a good place to take an eleven-year-old. They can walk around and look at the puppies in the pet store before getting something to eat and hitting the arcade. Plus, she suspects Matty could use some clothes and shoes Lenetta refuses to pay for. Just like his haircuts.

“Hey, Tara?” Matty asks, his brown eyes looking up at her.

He may have only been one and a half when she met him, but he has always been a son to her. And knowing he lives the life he does breaks her heart every damn day.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

His hand slips into hers, and he walks next to her as they stand in line at the taco place he wanted to eat at. “For not locking me up inside all day. I can’t make any noise when I’m with Aunt Lenetta. If I do, she gets really mad.”

“What happens when she gets mad?”

He shakes his shaggy brown hair. “I can’t tell you.”

Her blood runs cold as terrible thoughts flood her mind. Damn her wild imagination. “Why can’t you tell me?”

“She told me that if I told anyone, I’d end up at a house with people even meaner than she is. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’m scared if it’s true.”

Crouching down, Tara places her hands on his biceps. “What does she do, Matty?”

“It doesn’t matter. If I’m quiet, I get some food and a shower.”

“It does matter. It matters to me.”

His eyes glance around, and she decides to table the discussion until they sit. Who knows who may overhear them, and if it gets reported before she has a chance to talk to anyone and learn what the true outcome could be, she might regret it. She may never see Matty again.

“What should we get?” she asks instead and stands up as they step one spot closer to the register. “I’m thinking I’m in the mood for a crunchy taco.”

“Whatever you think I should get is fine.”

Her fists clench. If Lenetta were here right now, she’d punch her square in the nose. Tara’s never hit anyone in her life aside from the times she had to fight Billy off as he attacked her, but she’d really like a crack at the miserable woman.

Maybe Lex can help. She’s tougher than she looks.

After what happened at the clubhouse, Tara doesn’t know if Lex feels comfortable doing anything with anyone. She knows she wouldn’t be if the Slashers attacked her like they did Lex. After the torture she heard Lex endured, it wouldn’t be surprising if the woman was more scared of her surroundings than most. Tara’s scared with Billy on the loose, but he’s one person, not an entire club of men, out to get her.

“You know that’s not how this works. Not with me. What do you want? A burrito? Nachos? Quesadilla? How about a taco and nachos?”

“A quesadilla sounds good. The soft-shell tacos are on the value menu. Can I get one of those, too?”

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