Page 40 of Regret

“What are you doing here, Playboy? I thought Slim and Shy were the only ones coming down,” I ask him, not sure what’s going on right now.

“I’m not about to let you go through this shit without me bein’ here, Savannah. Everyone wishes they could come back, but the kids are just gettin’ back into a routine with school. Killer and Gwen send their love and want you to know they’ll be here in a few hours if you need them here. Sam is gonna sit with Annabell while we’re gone. She wants to spend time with her sister-in-law and Cyrus. Fox and Killer took the boys for us,” Playboy answers me, walking over and pulling me in for a hug. “You’ve got this, Vanna. We’re all so fuckin’ proud of you and will have your back no matter what you need.”

“Thank you. This means so much to me,” I tell him so only he can hear me as he lets me go and Zach wraps his arm around my shoulders.

We all leave the house and make our way out to the trucks sitting in front of the house. Zach and I ride with Vault and Chrome while Slim, Shy, and Playboy ride together. We’re all quiet on the way through Pine View as we head to the courthouse. Zach doesn’t let go of my hand in the backseat and Vault keeps looking at me through the rearview mirror. I’m not going to break, but knowing both guys are concerned about me makes my heart fill with joy and love. I’m surrounded by love and I wouldn’t trade this life for anything in the world.

“Mrs. Stone, can you please tell the court what happened the last time you allegedly saw Mr. Conrad Riley?” Conrad’s lawyer asks me as he glares at me from his seat between Conrad and his father.

“I was at home on the Phantom Bastard compound, sleeping on the couch. Something woke me up and at first I was confused because I didn’t see anyone in the house, but knew I was no longer alone. My sisters were still at the clubhouse doing their schoolwork and not at the house with me. Zach, my husband, was also not at the house with me. I needed some time to myself after learning that the man who bought my youngest sister, Miracle, lived in Pine View and was planning on going to her school to get her because Conrad and his father still hadn’t delivered her to him,” I start, my entire body shaking as I relive that day and all the emotions that came with it. “It didn’t take more than a few minutes for Conrad to show himself to me. He threatened me, taunted me because I was alone and no one would hear me scream for help, and said so many other things to me. I can’t remember everything he said.

“My concern was getting to the kitchen so I could find a weapon of some kind. I already knew from dealing with Conrad previously that he wasn’t going to stop until he put his hands on me. I tried to get away from him and said some things that I knew would make him upset because Conrad gets sloppy when he’s mad. It didn’t take me long to learn that about him. I found a cast iron skillet and knife on the counter and grabbed both of them. Every single move I made, I made with the thought of keeping as much stuff between the two of us. I trashed my home so someone would know I’d been taken because there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that’s what was going to happen to me.”

“How did my client supposedly subdue you long enough to get his hands on you?” the lawyer questions me, disbelief filling his face as he glares at me while Conrad sits back and smirks as if he’s not on trial right now.

“Conrad grabbed me by my hair once again and ended up tossing me to the floor. I hit my head a few times before he kicked me in the side. After he leaned down to tell me he was going to break me, Conrad punched me in the temple and it knocked me out. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in a house I wasn’t familiar with. I looked around before he came back in the room. When Conrad was in the room with me, I pretended I was still knocked out. A few minutes after he left me alone again, I found a hidden door and made my escape. I walked through a tunnel that led me to the opposite side of the empty field between the house and trees. From there I walked through the trees until it got dark out and flagged someone down. I don’t know who rescued me or anything because I passed out once again before I could see or hear anything. The next time I woke up, I was in the hospital and found out my injuries and that I’m pregnant with twins,” I answer him, giving the details only I know that match the hospital records and what I told Fox’ FBI contact when I did an interview with him.

“I see. And you were in fear for your life when Mr. Riley had you in his possession? Because it says in your statement that you were not tied to the bed or restricted in any way,” his lawyer questions me.

“Yes, I was. Conrad had come into my home in Benton Falls when I was there alone and beat me so bad. All because he had to work to get me to go out with him and then I left our date early. Then I knew it would be even worse when he got his hands on me again. When I woke up in the room, I was naked and know when I was removed from my home I was fully clothed. Conrad removed my clothing and until the doctor told me no sexual assault happened, I wasn’t sure if he had done anything to me.”

“Isn’t it true that you not only teased my client, but that the twins you carry now are his?” his lawyer questions, bile filling my mouth that I struggle to hold back with the thought of me ever having sex with the fucking idiot sitting across the room from me.

“No. None of that is true. I went out on one date with Conrad when I lived in Benton Falls. There was a week of time between when I accepted the date I didn’t really want and when we were actually going out. During those days, he tried multiple times to get me to send him sexual text messages and I refused. Conrad would become angry when I didn’t comply with his wishes. Still, I went out on the date with him. We went to a local bar. I didn’t last more than a few minutes before I realized what a horrible mistake I had made and put some money on the table before leaving him alone. While at the bar, Conrad was very upset because I refused to drink alcohol. My mother was an addict as he knows and I refuse to be anything like her. I’ve never had a drop of alcohol in my life and don’t take any medicine I can’t get over the counter for any pain I’m in with the exception of the hospital after I escaped Conrad. They didn’t know my wishes since I wasn’t conscious to answer them and stopped immediately when I woke up. There’s a note in my medical records,” I state, anger filling my voice at the insinuation that I would ever have anything to do with Conrad when I can’t stand to be in the same room as him.

“So, you’re claiming you’ve never had sexual relations with Mr. Riley?”

“No. I’ve never even kissed Conrad,” I state as Conrad leans over and says something to his lawyer before smirking at me once more.

“That’s all I have for now. I believe with Mrs. Stone’s testimony that we’ve created enough of a reasonable doubt to stop this trial right now,” Conrad’s lawyer says, standing up and facing the judge instead of me or anyone else.

“I don’t agree at all with that statement. This trial will go on and if you’re done questioning Mrs. Stone, I will turn it over to the state,” the judge says, anger filling his voice at the obvious attempt to push him into making a decision he doesn’t agree with. “If either one of you try to pull this stunt again, I will hold you both in contempt of court and you will be removed from my courtroom. This isn’t some social gathering. Your clients are on trial for heinous crimes and this is testimony from one of their many victims. I’m sorry you’re being questioned this way, Mrs. Stone. We’ll start with the state's questions now.”

I answer the state's questions without lying. They show my records from the hospital along with the date I’m due with my twins from Dr. Craven. The state uses signed depositions from Killer and Stryker about the events that took place in the bar that night with Conrad since they were there. With every question and answer, Conrad becomes more and more pissed off. He knows he’s not getting out of this and I can’t wait to hear the verdict once and for all. By the time I’m done with my testimony, I’m exhausted and ready for a nap. I leave the stand and don’t bother looking at Conrad or his father. My eyes lock on Zach and he’s all I see.

“You stupid cunt! I will get out of jail and then I’m coming for you. I will kill you, Savannah! You’re mine and I will not let you go. You’re so fucking stupid for testifying against me!” Conrad shouts out, standing from his seat as the judge starts banging his gavel next to him and trying to bring order back to his courtroom.

“Mr. Riley!,” the judge yells, trying to get Conrad’s attention to no avail.

Zach gets to me and pulls me in his arms. I’m soon surrounded by men of the club as they remove me from the courtroom followed by a few police officers to make sure no one gets close to me. I’m taken directly out to Vault’s truck and loaded inside before the cops start to leave us on our own. I bury my head in Zach’s chest and let the tears fall while Vault drives us back to the clubhouse. I want to go home, lock myself away, and not see anyone until I know that Conrad isn’t getting out. I’m so sick of his shit and this was the last straw when it comes to him.

Epilogue

Hope

Four years later

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED so much over the last four years. Vault and Annabell have had their second baby. They’ve got a little girl named Torrin Elizabeth who will be turning two years old soon and Cyrus will be four this year. Both of them are so adorable and I can’t wait to see them again. We don’t get to see them nearly enough if you ask me. Valor and Savannah also had their twins. They had two little boys. Bishop James and Saxon Michael were born on Christmas Eve in the middle of a snow storm. They couldn’t even get Savannah to the hospital because the roads were closed with a ton of snow and ice on them. The only reason the club even had power when she delivered the boys is because of the back-up generator and Vault ordering everyone to the clubhouse so no one was alone. It was a smart decision on his part and I’m glad Valor wasn’t alone with the girls when Savannah went into labor. Bishop and Saxon will be four this year like Cyrus and I want to see them both so bad. Along with Ava, Chloe, and Miracle. I miss them all so much.

We don’t know much about club business, but it was hard to not hear the members and ol’ ladies discussing Conrad and his trial. The TVs in the clubhouse and our homes were constantly on the news channels so everyone could keep up with the trial that affected so many lives. We all watched it and cheered when Conrad, his father, and so many others got sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. That was the day Savannah could finally take a full breath and put everything with Conrad behind her. No, she’ll never forget what happened to her, but she knows he’ll never follow through on his threats to get to her when he gets out of prison and kill her. Savannah is safe, the girls are safe, and Valor isn’t going to let anyone get close enough to hurt them again.

Since then, I’ve finally graduated from high school, the boys have almost completed their Prospecting period and will be moving to Pine View to join the new chapter of the club with Vault and Valor. It seems like everyone around me knows what they want to do with their life and where they’re going. My sister Faith is going to college. She’s been accepted by a ton of them and took forever to make her decision about staying local to our family and getting her education. Most of the girls have moved on in one way or another and I feel as if I’m adrift in a sea all on my own.

Carson, the boy I’ve had a crush on for as long as I can remember will no longer be in Benton Falls. He’s happy to be moving to Pine View and getting away from his family so he’s not living in the shadow of his dad and grandpa when it comes to the Phantom Bastards. Carson wants to live his own life and make his own path in life. I can’t really blame him. His grandpa is Slim and Playboy is his dad. Those two have led this club for longer than we’ve all been alive. The men are amazing and have garnered quite the reputation over the years. I think that’s why most of the boys have decided to move to Pine View and are so excited to get out on their own for the first time in their lives.

I’m the odd one out and it’s been like that most of my life. See, my dad is Killer and he’s so strict with Faith and me. We can hardly do anything outside of the clubhouse. Hell, even here at the clubhouse we can hardly do anything. There’s no riding dirt bikes with the other kids, we can’t hang out if we’re not in view of the house, and there’s so many other rules. If someone isn’t a club kid, I wouldn’t have had any friends growing up. Even then my dad wasn’t happy when we would hang out with the boys. Even Kingston wasn’t safe from his glare and he’s my damn cousin.

Growing up, Faith and I had one another and that was okay when we were younger. Now, we have no freedom to open up and find out who we are as individuals. When we weren’t in school, we had to come straight home to do our homework and nothing more than that. The only times we were allowed outside the house was if my dad was on a run or not at the clubhouse for some reason. Our mom didn’t let us do much, but she wasn’t as strict as Dad. Now, I have no clue what I want to do with my life or who I am as a person. I’ve rebelled plenty over the years and there’s things my dad would kill me over if he knew. However, I had to do something or I’d have gone crazy growing up. Besides, Faith always tells the truth and refuses to cover for me when I try to have any fun. So, I gave up and try to do what my dad wants me to at this point. It’s just so hard when it means I’m stuck in the house or on the porch where I’m currently sitting in the swing to enjoy the last of the day before I’m called in for dinner.

---