Page 19 of Nova

"Heard you and Fender had a little run-in with a couple of drunks last night," my brother mentions as he reaches into the cooler, grabbing a cold beer for himself and water for his woman, passing it to her. "Also saw you leavin' with a pretty little brunette." Wick and Tequila join us.

"Just a typical Friday night." I keep my voice even, even though it was far from typical, at least for me.

"I'm callin' bullshit."

"And why is that?" I start plucking hotdogs off the grill, placing them into the foil pans nearby. My brother kisses his woman, pats her ass, and nods for her to join Piper and their daughter on the other side of the tent. Standing beside Wick, Tequila laughs.

"And, on that note, I'm going to grab myself a beer." Once she has her beer in hand, Tequila kisses Wick and joins the girls.

"You forget I live above the bar, brother? I saw the two of you outside, getting ready to leave."

"So?" Now I'm curious.How much did he see?

"You took this chic home," Riggs clarifies.

"No fuckin' shit?" Wick blurts. My brother's statement grabs not only Fender's attention but Kiwi's as well. The next thing I know, I'm surrounded by all my brothers.

"It won't happen again." The words taste sour as I speak them.

"He's got the look." Riggs snickers to Wick, and he nods.

"What the hell is this? Gossip time with my girlfriends? Next thing you know we'll be paintin' each other's fuckin' toenails and talkin' about tampons."

Riggs ignores my sarcastic statement."Look, man. Just call her up and tell her you'd like to see her again."

"No can do, brother," I tell him.

"Why the fuck not? You took this woman to your home and into your bed. Something I haven't seen you do since Piper came into your life. Clearly, there is something different about this one, or you wouldn't have gone against your cardinal rule." Riggs is quick to point out, and my eyes cut over to Piper, who is still occupied by her niece and the other women. "It's been a long time, Cain. You can't let one bad relationship dictate the rest of your life."

Nothing more is said after Riggs makes his last statement. Now is not the time or the place to get any deeper into my personal life and the choices I've made over the years. For the rest of the day, I push aside my thoughts and fully immerse myself amongst family and friends.

It's nearing sundown, and Riggs has already packed up his family, sending them home for the evening. With the last of our shit loaded on the trailer, Kiwi and I wait for Piper to come back from the restroom, while the other men are already having a drink at the bar. "Thanks for taking her back home, brother."

"No worries, mate." Kiwi tightens the strap, keeping the grills in place.

"I'm going to hit the head," I tell Kiwi, leaving him standing by his truck as I cross the park in the direction of the restrooms.

"No." I hear my daughter's distraught voice and suddenly I'm on high alert. "Let go of me."

I take off in a dead heat, running faster than I have ever run before. Not seeing a soul standing outside the small brick building, I burst into the women's bathroom, the heavy metal door slamming against the concrete wall. A sea of red floods my vision when I take in the scene in front of me. A soon to be dead man has my daughter pinned against the wall, with a blade pressed against her throat. Rage fueling me, I grab a fist full of the motherfucker's greasy black hair, pull him off Piper, then slam his unsuspecting face into the wall, blood splattering across the cold concrete. At the same time, a searing pain rips through my forearm. Looking down, I notice the blade he had to my daughter's neck stuck into my flesh.

"Daddy," Piper moves toward me.

"Piper, get out of here." I hold the guy struggling against my hold, as tears stream down my daughter's face. I take in her shirt that's ripped open. The realization this guy was about to rape my daughter rips at my insides. It only causes my anger to grow. "Piper, go. Find. Kiwi. Now." My words are harsh but necessary to get her to do as I say. Finally, she rushes out of the bathroom.

I toss the guy to the floor, the knife once in his hand still sunk in my arm. I look down at the fucker, getting to his feet. It's then, I notice the Hell's Punishers patch on his cut. "What the fuck?" He lifts his head, his beady eyes glaring at me as he wipes the blood flowing from the gash above his right eye. "You'll pay for this."

"I don't think so, motherfucker. You picked the wrong girl to put your filthy hands on." My fist comes down against the side of his head before he makes it to a standing position.

Shaking off the blow, the biker gets hold of the knife handle, ripping the blade from my arm, the jagged edges doing more damage on the way out. "I didn't see no property patch on the bitch. It seems to me she's fair game." He cocks his head. "Oh, I see. You like them young, do you?" he sneers. "That's okay. I like 'em young too." We circle one another. "I bet she's got a tight pussy." He taunts, and I charge him, slamming his body against the wall, knocking his weapon from his grasp in our struggle.

I lay into the guy. One blow after another. I don't stop until I feel hands grabbing me, pulling me off the guy. "He's out, brother. Stop before you kill him." Wick's voice breaks through my hazy rage. My breathing is hard and heavy, as I watch the biker's body slump to the floor, his face a bloody mess, and his breaths ragged.

My brother enters the bathroom, taking in the scene. "Shit. Get him out of here," he orders Wick.

"Where is my daughter?" I let Wick walk me outside.

"She's with Kiwi," Wick informs me, and I finally feel like I can breathe again.

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