Page 23 of Tav

I drop everything and run to the hall at the same time Tav does. Standing in the doorway, Sage half carries her brother, his arm over her shoulder as he leans heavily on her. My feet are frozen to the floor, staring at my baby boy, blood coming from his forehead.

“Let’s get you further inside. Sage, take your brother to the downstairs bathroom. Get him a cloth for his head, yeah?” Sagenods, a breath shuddering out of her before she follows Tav’s instructions. “Pixie, you go comfort Sage and Niko. I’ll get the little kids set up in the lounge with their dinner and a movie to keep them occupied. Go.”

Tav’s firm voice pulls me out of my daze and I rush down the hall to my eldest babies.

“Kids, fuck, shit! What the hell happened?”

Niko is sitting slumped on the closed toilet seat, his sister holding a cool washcloth to his forehead.

“We were coming home from school, and, and, HE came out of nowhere. He told me to leave, that he needed to speak to Niko alone. I refused. The man he was with grabbed me and tried to pull me away from Niko, but I fought back, Mom! Just like you taught me!” Sage’s words come spilling out of her, “When the other man grabbed me Niko started fighting, too. The next thing I know someone hits Niko in the head with the butt of a gun and he’s on the ground. I was so scared, Mom!”

Tav walks in just as Sage bursts into tears. I’m torn between settling Sage; Niko, who has been eerily quiet, and storming out and hunting down those fuckers. Tav gently removes the washcloth from Sage’s hand and turns me toward Sage. I gather her in my arms and hold her tight, her sobs wracking her body.

I breathe in the scent of my eldest daughter, soothing her with little noises. The same noises I used to make when I first brought her home. Lifting my head, my eyes meet Tav’s in the bathroom mirror. His large hand holding the washcloth to Niko’s head, his other arm wrapped around my son’s shoulders, Niko leaning on the man that claimed us as his.

Tav breaks eye contact with me, looking down at Niko as he brings the washcloth off of Niko’s forehead.

“Shit, kid, they got you good. OK, can you tell me your date of birth, where you were born and how old you are?” Tav asks,squatting down next to Niko, eye to eye. He’s turned on the torch on his cell phone and is currently shining the light in Niko’s eyes.

“Umm, I was born… 8th of March, yeah, in 2007?” He closes one eye and squints the other at me. His speech slow and slurred. “After mom left Eden’s Keep.”

Tav frowns at that piece of information before giving me a puzzled look. No one outside of the Keep really knows it exists. As far as Tav knows, I was a member of a very strict church where the men treated women like shit. Sure, the MC may have tracked down Valor. Royal’s eldest son had taken over his father’s fervor for preaching to the worldlies, converting them to join their flock. But no one outside of the Keep knows how it works. Except those of us who have made it outside of its prison walls.

“Pixie, I think we should get him to the clubhouse. Switch is a doctor. He sometimes works at the hospital, so he’s legit. We need Niko to be looked at, and I don’t think taking him to the public hospital is safe. Whoever did this will think to look there.” Shit, he’s right. “Sage, how did you two get away from the men who attacked you?”

Sage lifts her head from where she had nestled into my neck. “We were maybe a block away from home. A really nice lady came out of the big house with all the flowers, you know the one, Mom? Anyway, she must have seen what had happened because she came out with a gun and her phone recording everything. She told the men to fuck off, and she was filming their every move. They got into a car and drove off. She loaded us into her car and dropped us off at the curb, then she drove off to ‘find those assholes’.” I try really hard not to laugh at that, but damn, I need to meet this woman who saved my babies. Once things settle down, I’m going straight to the big house with the flowers to thank her.

“Shit, I think we might need to turn up on her doorstep with a huge goodie basket or something to thank her. She sounds cool,” Tav says with a little chuckle. “Right, Pixie, let’s pack you and the kids up in your car and get Niko to the clubhouse. I’ll ring ahead to let Switch know we’re coming.”

As much as I hate being bossed around, having Tav here has helped keep me calm. I also have to admit it’s nice to face a crisis with someone at my side. I think back to all the nights I’ve had to deal with colic or vomiting bugs on my own and wonder what it would have been like to have someone there to help. Oh well, no use wondering, I’ve been there, done that and got the stained t-shirt. Even so, in this situation, having Tav take control has been surprisingly nice. Though I’ll never admit it if you were to ask me.

“Come on, kid,” Tav helps Niko up off the toilet and holds him steady for a moment. “You OK to walk on your own?”

Niko goes to nod his head, then grimaces.

“The answer is no. Here, lean on me and we’ll get you situated.”

Sage and I move out of the entrance of the bathroom and stand in the hall, watching Tav help Niko toward the internal garage.

“I know you’re a major badass, but I’m really glad Tav is here, Mom.”

“Me too, baby, me too.”

Chapter 7

Tav

After depositing Niko in the front passenger seat of Pixie’s car and making a quick call to Marx, I head back inside to gently let Pixie know that from this point forward, we’ll be all staying at the clubhouse. I really fucking hope she takes the news well. Although a big part of me, the part of me that has a fine dick with a set of well-shaped balls attached, that part fears for their safety.

“Pixie?”

Her cute face pops around the corner of the doorway into the living area. “Niko, all settled? I didn’t want to bring the kids out too soon. I figured if I told them where we were going in the car they’d squeal and cause Niko pain.” She’s so sweet, my woman. Always thinking of others.

“He’s all good. But I need to talk to you. I spoke to my Pres. We’re thinking that maybe it might be safer for you and the kids to pack a few things and stay at the clubhouse for a couple of days. I’ll be there the whole time with you and all the guys are good guys. They’re-”

“OK.”

My mouth snaps shut as I stare at the woman in front of me. “Come again?”

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