Page 13 of Her Saviors

“This tire’s almost flat,” Theo tells us, a grimace on his face as he runs his hand over the tire until he winces.

Pulling his hand back, a cut crosses his palm and is leaking blood fast.

“Get in the bathroom and clean that out. I’ll bandage it up for ya when you’re done,” Anguish orders Theo as I move to the tire to find what cut him.

Theo moves away as I find the tip of a blade sticking out of Brooklyn’s tire. This one isn’t subtle and was left as a message from whoever did it. Anguish steps up as I make another mark on the tire so no one else cuts their hand open on the fucking thing. Together we move to the front passenger tire to find it intact and not fucked with.

“Call Darren and get him here, Wheels. I want him to go over this SUV with a fine tooth comb to make sure he can document everythin’. He knows Brooklyn has a restrainin’ order against Bennett and I’m hopin’ he can get a fingerprint that doesn’t belong to one of us from the fuckin’ thing to tell us if this is Bennett or if he’s hired someone we need to look for,” Anguish orders me as I pull out my phone and he disappears to go take care of our Prospect.

I fill Darren in on what I’ve found on the SUV. He’s the one who served the restraining order to Bennett when he was in Odin’s Gap. Darren lets me know he’ll be right here and not to touch anything else on the SUV. He’ll get a tow truck here to haul her SUV to the station or wherever the hell they take care of this type of shit so he can personally go through the vehicle with a team and make sure we’re not missing anything in the inspection Anguish and I just did.

Stepping away from Brooklyn’s SUV, I make my way over to sit on a stool so I can make sure no one else gets close to the vehicle while it’s still up in the air. Darren isn’t long as he pulls in the parking lot of Baker’s within a few minutes. He parks right outside my bay and shuts his engine off before getting out and heading straight for me.

“Walk me through what you’ve already found, Wheels,” he says as I get off the stool and take him to the license plate first.

I show him both tracking devices, the tires, and where the brake lines were cut. Darren gets more pissed with everything I show him and to be honest, we’re not even sure if that’s everything that’s been done.

“This is what I found today since puttin’ it on the lift. I mean, we knew about the brake lines. I think Hulk sent you the video already of the guy who cut the line behind Soul Escape. If not, I can get him to send it to you immediately,” I answer our friendly cop as my own anger level rises with the knowledge that someone is actively trying to hurt my Little Warrior.

“I know Brooklyn has a restraining order against Bennett. We all know it’s nothing more than a piece of paper and means nothin’ at the end of the day. Yeah, he can go to jail for breaking it, but we both know his father will try to bail him out the second he’s arrested. And if he’s sending others to do his dirty work, he’ll get off on a technicality. Bennett isn’t gonna let Brooklyn keep this against him and will do everything in his power to get his hands on her. I’ve seen it too many times in the past. These stupid fucks are all the same and don’t believe the paper means a damn thing,” Darren states, more anger lacing his voice as he looks at me with fire shining in his eyes.

“I know. We all know Bennett doesn’t give a fuck about a piece of paper. He never has and it’s not gonna start with Brooklyn. The club has put plans in place to ensure she’s never alone and not just with Theo any longer. She’ll have at least three men on her at all times when she’s not on the compound. Theo will remain at Soul Escape from the time she gets there until it’s time for her to leave. Soul and Theo will be in the SUV with her on the way there and home again. She’ll have a few other guys on bikes in the front and back. Brooklyn knows what’s at stake and isn’t willin’ to leave the compound very often,” I inform Darren as he pulls out his phone and places a call to get a tow truck here.

“Good. Word of advice, don’t keep this shit from Brooklyn. Tell her what you found today and that I have possession of the SUV now so I can figure out everythin’ that’s been done and try to find out who’s behind this shit,” Darren says before walking away from me and heading back for his cruiser to wait for the tow truck. “I’m treating her SUV like a crime scene as of this second. No one is allowed near it and I don’t want anyone else touching it. We’ve already got your finger prints in the system and I’m sure it will be easy to rule out Brooklyn’s.”

“Okay. I’ll keep everyone away from it until your guys are here to load it up,” I assure him as Darren gets in his car and closes the door so no one overhears his conversation.

Darren will keep us up to date with all information they find once he takes the SUV from here. He has to follow protocol, but if it’s something we need to learn to protect Brooklyn better, he gives us information without telling us directly what’s going on. The longer I sit here and think of everything going on with Brooklyn, the more pissed I become. I want to find Bennett and beat the absolute fuck out of him. To make him feel every ounce of pain and fear he’s ever instilled in Brooklyn over the time they were together. He made her dependent on him and took everything from her. Her money, family, vehicle, and whatever else he wanted and thought would make her independent to the point she’d leave him. He’s a weak, pathetic, vile piece of shit who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us.

Trying to calm myself down, I shift my thoughts to possible ways I can tell Brooklyn what’s going on with the SUV. I have no clue when she’ll get it back at this point. Soul and I each have a truck we can use and the club has more SUVs ready for any of us at any given time. It’s not the same as Brooklyn being able to get in her own vehicle, but at this point, I don’t want her going anywhere if she doesn’t absolutely have to do so. If I could get her to stay home from work, I’d make it fucking happen. However, she wants to have her own money. It’s something very important to her and after learning that Bennett was stealing her money every fucking time she got paid, I understand where she’s coming from.

Anguish and Theo join me as we wait for Darren’s tow truck to get here. I fill them in quickly on what’s going on before Anguish sends me home. He knows I’m not gonna be able to concentrate on shit here when I know Brooklyn and Soul are at the cabin and I need to have eyes on her as soon as possible. This shit is too fucking much and I’m ready to get rid of Bennett in one way or another. At this point, I don’t give a fuck if I take him out or if he’s put behind bars where I can’t get to him without pulling a ton of strings and going through a ton of steps to cover my tracks and all that bullshit. Things that will take me away from spending time with Brooklyn and my best friend who are more important.

Chapter Eight

Soul

WHEELS CALLED ME from work to have Brooklyn and I meet him in the common room of the clubhouse and to tell me that he’s on his way home from work even though it’s barely lunch time. I have no clue what the fuck is going on right now, but I do know he said they were going to try to pull in the SUV and go over everything with it today. Even if he had to stay after the shop closed they were going to find out exactly what’s been done to it and get a hold of Darren depending on what he found out. Knowing Wheels as well as I do, I don’t bother arguing with him and assure him we’ll be at the clubhouse when he returns from work. Brooklyn didn’t fight me either. She’s been quiet and more reserved the last few days and I’m not sure what the fuck is going on, but it’s obviously something she needs to work through before she comes to Wheels and myself about the situation she’s got going on.

We walk to the clubhouse in silence with Brooklyn’s hand in mine. It’s a nice day outside, but she didn’t want to sit out and enjoy it for some reason. Hell, this morning, she didn’t even go over to hang out with Nanny like she does every other morning and has since she could move around without her body being filled with pain. That tells me all I need to know about how she’s feeling because our girl enjoys her routines and doesn’t miss a damn part of her day if she doesn’t have to. I’ve noticed her rushing to the bathroom more often than not these past few days too. I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on, but I don’t want to make assumptions and think shit’s going on that isn’t.

Brooklyn and I enter the clubhouse through the back door. We have to walk down the hallway where the offices and church are located to get to the common room. Before we can fully pass by Hulk’s room, he opens the door as if he was watching us walk his way.

“How are you doin’ today, Brooklyn?” Hulk asks her, a small smile on his face as we stop and look at him.

“I’ve been better, Hulk. I haven’t been feeling the best the last few days,” Brooklyn answers him and I take a closer look at her to find her pale as hell and looking rough.

I didn’t realize when we left the house how pale Brooklyn truly is right now. Her skin is almost translucent and there’s a few red patches on her face and neck as if she’s got a fever or something going on. Brooklyn’s hair is thrown up in a messy knot on the top of her head as if she didn’t have the energy to run a brush or comb through it before we left the house. She’s wearing a baggy pair of sweatpants that more than likely belong to Wheels or myself and one of my tee-shirts that’s baggy as fuck on her and makes her look even smaller than usual.

“Do you need me to call Doc and get him here to examine you? Maybe you’ve got the flu or somethin’ and shouldn’t be here in the clubhouse,” I ask her, not sure what to do or think right now as worry and fear start to fill my body knowing something’s wrong with her.

“I’m okay, Soul. I know what’s wrong with me and I’ll be okay. I promise,” she says, resting her hand on my arm in a gesture of comfort as I pull her into my arms and hold her close without hesitation.

Brooklyn lets me hold her and doesn’t shy away from my touch in front of Hulk. Something very deep and primal stands up and takes notice of this and cheers because it’s one of the few times Wheels or I have touched her in a possessive manner in front of anyone else and Brooklyn isn’t pushing me away or running scared. I’m so fucking proud of her and hope this is the result of our relationship moving forward and progressing because she trusts us and wants us in her life. We’re slowly proving to her that we’re not Bennett and she does have a voice in our relationship. We won’t do anything without her consent after what he’s done to her for two years of her life. This is Brooklyn’s world and we’re just along for the ride as she grows and learns who she is without fear of punishment.

“Brooklyn, do you mind if I talk to Soul for a few minutes?” Hulk asks her, his voice gentle as if he’s afraid of scaring or intimidating her if he talks above a certain level.

“Of course not. I think I’ll go lay down on one of the couches in the common room as long as no one else is on them already. Otherwise, I’ll find a table to sit at,” she answers him before leaning up on her tiptoes to press her lips against my cheek.

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