Page 40 of Liam

I bring up my knee and break his elbow. His face falls forward as he passes out. His whole body is hanging by one hand.

I step back and Tyler brings a bucket of water and splashes it in his face. He wakes up with a start and looks down at his mangled hand.

Tyler steps in front of him, rolling his shoulder. “Vanessa is my woman, you have hurt her for the last fucking time, and don’t think I don’t know what you did to her when she was little.”

Tyler looks behind him. “This shit does not leave this room. I was about to track him down, but the fucker came here and did this shit. The fucker likes to touch little girls, including his own daughter.”

This changes the whole fucking game. The whole room changes ten degrees because we are no longer going to just beat this fucker’s ass and be done.

No, this fucker is going to be tortured. He is not going to die easy.

Tyler smiles. “Who is ready for some fun?”

* * *

An hour has passed, and there is nothing left to do to the fucker but kill him. His arms are broken, there isn’t a tooth left in his fucking mouth, and his face resembles ground beef.

He deserved every second of it. I knew Vanessa had a rough go of it, but I had no idea how bad it was. Looking him right in the face makes me sick to my stomach.

Kyle hands Tyler a gun, and Tyler presses the barrel to his head. Vanessa’s dad is looking at Tyler, accepting his fate. “Go to hell,” he tells Tyler.

Tyler throws his head back, laughing. “Well, I will see you there. The devil has a special fucking place for someone like you.”

He pulls the trigger.

Kyle takes the gun and smacks him on the back. “Your woman will breathe easy now knowing he is out of her life.”

Tyler nods and lets out a deep breath; then he walks to the bathroom we use for cleaning up. Blood covers his arms and the front of his shirt. “I will call the clean-up crew, let’s all go home,” Kyle tells everyone and they file out. I walk into the bathroom and find Tyler staring at himself in the mirror.

“It fucking kills me the life she had,” Tyler tells me.

“She will have a better one now, man. She won’t have that fear wearing on her anymore. All you can fucking do is protect and love them.”

He doesn’t reply.

I go to another sink and clean up. I don’t want Paisley to see all of this shit covering me. She knows what went on in this room, but she doesn’t need a firsthand look at all of it.

I want to keep Paisley from all of this. I don’t want the darkness to touch her. I just hate that it has touched her at all and that she’s had a glimpse of what people are capable of.

I walk back into the main room, which is half a living room. Vanessa’s head is on Paisley’s lap, and a blanket is covering her.

Tyler scoops Vanessa up out of her lap. “Thank you, Paisley.” Tyler carries Vanessa right out of the clubhouse, and Paisley watches them leave.

“Let’s go home.” She looks at me, taking my hand. She smiles and moves to my side.

Right where she belongs.

12

Paisley

Today is the day that Tyler, Shane, and Brett are getting patched, and we are also celebrating Liam’s birthday, which is tomorrow. His bike got here yesterday, and Kyle is putting it in one of the rooms at the club. When the time is right, he will bring it out for me. I can’t wait to see Liam’s face; he has wanted this for years. I had to bribe the guy a lot to get him to sell it, but I got that accomplished.

I am also giving Liam the key to my house. Even though he has been staying with me since he got back, I want him to have that key so it’s set in stone.

I walk into the club and Liam goes off to the side with the other guys. I head to the kitchen. I get a text, and I take out my phone.

Shaylin: I am here, open the kitchen door.

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