Page 35 of Pigeon

Suddenly realizing where this is going, I order Ivy to stay back, and I move to stand beside my club brother.

“Glad you asked. As I said, my name’s Chubs, and this good-looking dude is my club brother, Pigeon. We’re members of The Devil’s Angels MC. Want you to remember our names and the name of our club, okay, Ted?”

Even though it’s not close to noon yet, Ted reeks of beer. He’s either still drunk from last night or getting an early start on today’s binge.

“Yeah, fine, whatever. What’s my sister doing with you two?” Ted questions irritably.

“We’ll get to that. What you need to focus your pickled brain on right now is that I’m about to flatten your lazy, abusive ass, and I want you aware of it so you can’t whine later that you were sucker-punched. Yeah?” Chubs explains patiently while a huge grin breaks across my face. Savage Chubs, my favorite version of him, is now in play.

With that said, Chubs pulls back and lands one hell of a punch to Ted’s face. Ted staggers back, Ivy gasps, and I land the second punch when Ted steadies himself. This time, there’s no staggering. The two consecutive blows put Ted on his ass in the dirt.

“We brought Ivy home so we can have a chat with you about her bruises. How she’s never going to receive another one. Fucking ever, Ted. Now, stand up and prepare yourself to land there again. We’ve got all day to teach this lesson, and I missed my workout this morning,” I say while grabbing Ted’s shirt and hefting him to his feet. He cowers, tries to cover his head, and pull away. He fails.

“Question, Ivy. That other guy—has he ever laid a hand on you?” Chubs asks in a voice that sounds almost hopeful.

“No, Todd’s never put his hands on me,” she responds immediately, and I almost laugh when Chubs seems to deflate a little. Then she adds, “But he’s stood by while Ted did.”

“I couldn’t intervene! He’s my boss!” the other man shouts while throwing up his hands and backing away.

“Not a good enough excuse, fuckface,” Chubs responds while he starts after the man.

“Ivy! For the love of God, call the police!” Ted orders.

“I have animals to feed, remember, Ted?” Ivy says calmly before walking away, dogs in her wake.

I hear a thump and watch Todd’s ass plant in the dirt, similar to how Ted’s did. Got to love Brother Chubs.

We teach our lesson, give Todd a time limit on packing his belongings and take Ted to the back deck of the house. There, we sit like civilized people and explain his new life to him. Once Chubs and I are convinced Ted understands, we find Ivy and get to work. Deep down, I know men like Ted can’t handle losing their power over someone, and I know this isn’t the end of trouble with him. What else I know is that Ivy’s no longer his to control, his to abuse, or his life will end. Violently, painfully, and without a drop of remorse from me.

After the animals are fed and watered, the trailer disconnected, and the basics done, I tell Ivy to pack some clothes because she’ll be staying in town at night. Chubs and I hang out in the kitchen, Chubs raiding the fridge while we wait for her. When she comes down the stairs, I watch as an older cat trails behind her, protesting loudly. After setting her bag on the floor, Ivy picks the cat up and cuddles it close.

“Bring the cat,” I tell Ivy.

Shocked eyes look my direction, but I only shrug. I already live with a Horse. Why not a cat too?

“Are you sure? Tabitha’s old, and Ted hates her, so I hate to leave her here, but I can take her to the rescue for a few days,” Ivy offers.

“Pack what you need for her, Ivy. She’s welcome at the house. What about the dogs? Will he hurt them?”

“No, he keeps his distance from them, and they stay in the barn with the horses.”

When Ivy’s ready, she carries the cat while Chubs and I carry the bags to her truck. It irritates me that Ted roared out of here earlier in a new, super-duty pickup, decked out with every option available while Ivy commutes daily in an old, battered truck. I’m surprised it still runs, but it fires up immediately, and we’re on our way back to town.

At some point during the drive, Ivy’s head leans against my shoulder, and she falls asleep, cuddling her cat. Looking down at her delicate features, I feel a tug low in my gut. She hasn’t earned the life Ted’s been giving her, but she still has a smile for everyone around her. Living in hell, she goes out of her way to brighten the day for abandoned and abused pets. She sings with piglets, dances with ducks, makes a little boy feel needed, and shares her food with a forgotten dog.

“She’ll be fine, Pigeon. She’s strong. She’ll bounce back and push forward. It takes more than a shithead brother to break someone like her,” Chubs says quietly but firmly.

“You’re right, but I hate that she’s had to go through any of it.”

“Life’s not fair. We’ve all had to make tough decisions and live with them regardless if they were the right ones or not. All we can do in this life is make a choice, hopefully for the right reasons, and push forward. Not everyone will understand why she stayed, but to her, she did it for the right reasons. I respect that,” Chubs explains while staring out the side window of the truck.

“You have a tough decision to make, Chubs?” I ask.

“I fucking make it every single day,” he mutters before dropping his head back and closing his eyes.

I know without saying another word that our conversation has ended. Chubs has said what he’s going to say, and that’s it. I lift my right arm, wrap it around Ivy’s shoulders and pull her tighter into my side.

“Can you cook?” Horse asks as we walk into the house.

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