Page 23

Blaze

I kept myself under wraps yesterday when Wrath and Flame told me about the young boy who happened to be the spitting image of Wyatt Anderson. There could have been multiple reasons for his looks, but all that went out the window when I learned the truth. I was beyond livid to learn about what Raymond had been doing behind Izzy’s back all these years, and I knew for a fact I wasn’t going to be the only one pissed about it.

Which is why when I learned the truth earlier after speaking to Shadow and finding out what the hell was going on with the police being out in force in front of The Compound, I got on the phone with Shock, Gunner, and June. Our pasts from when we were younger aren’t well known to any of the newer generation; it’s something all five of us chose to keep to ourselves. After all, we were only young at the time we were together, and our relationship wasn’t something that was easily accepted back then. Hell, it wasn’t accepted at all if I’m being totally honest. We went our separate ways, not because we didn’t love and care about one another or because we didn’t all want to be together, but because of the way society was back then.

There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that they all haven’t been on my mind in one way or another. All four of them hold a piece of my heart and always will. Life just happened, and we went from being in a relationship with the five of us to allowing social pressures to destroy what we had. Thankfully I managed to keep Shock, Gunner, and June close to me even though we weren’t together anymore. Izzy, though, she met that fucker Raymond Anderson and distanced herself from us to keep him happy. He didn’t like the fact that she was still close with us all; it’s not like Izzy ever felt the need to hide her past relationship with us from him. She has a massive heart and always sees the good in people.

At first we tried to fight the way she began to distance herself from us all; after all, we were all really good friends before we became more, but we couldn’t fight the inevitable. She was prepared to do whatever she had to in order to make him happy, which is actually when I sort of went off the rails and slept around. I was hurting; I made mistakes, but I can’t say I regret my actions because without all that I wouldn’t have my kids, and they’re the light of my life.

I can’t and wouldn’t change the past; I’d never want to change having my kids as part of my life, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to do something now that we all know what Raymond has been doing behind Izzy’s back all these years. There is no doubt in my mind that when she learns the truth, he’ll be kicked to the curb. Izzy has always been the missing piece for me, June, Shock, and Gunner, which is why we’ve never tried to reforge our relationship without her. Our relationship wouldn’t work without her. We’re all parts of the puzzle. I’m hoping that when she’s had the chance to heal from the pain caused by Raymond’s betrayal, we can all start again and finally be what we couldn’t be all those years ago. Society is different now; different types of relationships are much more accepted. I also know we’d have the full support of all those within Devil’s Inferno.

When I spoke to Shock, Gunner, and June after I learned the truth about Raymond, it was decided Shock and I would head on over to Izzy’s place while Gunner and June got the spare room at June’s house sorted so she’d have somewhere to stay other than the house she’d shared with that asshole. We didn’t want to overwhelm her with us all turning up on her doorstep after her world inevitably came apart at the seams with Flash revealing what Raymond had been doing behind her back all these years, but we wanted her to have us all here to support her, so we decided to split up and tackle what needed tackling.

None of us wanted her to have to deal with all this alone, and as much as we all know that Flash would try and be there for her, he also has Micah he needs to take care of now. He can’t be everywhere at once. He’s just going to have to trust us to do what’s right for Izzy. Though I can’t say there isn’t an ulterior motive for Shock and I heading over there, I think we both want to get at least one shot on the fucker who has treated our Izzy so badly. It’s probably best that June and Gunner aren’t with us; June wouldn’t think twice about taking her knife to the asshole for what he’s done, and Gunner would probably have shot him on sight for what he’s done. At least Shock and I will probably only hit him a few times. He’ll still be alive and breathing when we’re done, even if he will be a little bit battered.

It doesn’t take us long to reach the house Izzy has shared with Raymond all these years. Neither of us has ever been inside; we’ve never been welcome, but we’ve always known where she is. I still remember the day Flash showed up with Piston to ask to Prospect; even though I’d never met him before, I immediately knew who he was. He’s the spitting male version of his mother. Man, I’ve always wondered just how Raymond took the news of Flash becoming a member of my MC and forging relationships with all the people he managed to cut from Izzy’s life. Can’t imagine he was happy about it at all.

I shake those thoughts from my head as I get off my bike and head towards the front door. I don’t bother knocking, not with all the raised voices I can hear coming from inside. Instead I slam open the door and head in the direction of the voices, with Shock right next to me. As we head down the hallway, Shock quickly reaches out and gives my hand a quick squeeze before releasing it, and I know just from that quick touch that we’re both thinking along the same lines that this may be our chance to finally be happy and whole again.

As we step into the room the commotion is coming from, I take in what’s happening and can see Flash is close to losing his shit on Raymond, and despite thinking the asshole deserves all the punishment his son wants to dish out, the look of pain and horror I can see on Izzy’s face causes me to act in a way I’d really rather not. I’d much rather stand here and watch Flash destroy this asshole, but I know that’s not what Izzy needs right now.

“Flash!” I shout, grabbing his attention. I might not be the President of Devil’s Inferno anymore, but I still hold the respect of all the members. I know the sound of my voice will grab his attention, and it does just that.

“Blaze. Shock. What are you two doing here?” He asks, turning at the sound of my voice, looking confused at our appearance. Which is fair enough; I know he told Shadow that he was more than okay dealing with this situation with just Jake and Piston at his back. Which is fair; Raymond isn’t exactly a threat to Flash. He’s nothing compared to some of the people I’ve seen Flash come up against throughout the years, but that isn’t why we’re here. There was no way Gunner, June, Shock, and I were going to stand back and let all this go down without letting Izzy know we were still here for her, even after the distance that’s been between us for more years than I even want to think about. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed or how long we’ve gone without seeing her or speaking to her; we all still care about her.

“Right now it looks like I’m making sure you don’t do something you’ll regret. Trust me, I know you’re pissed; hell, you’re not the only one pissed about what you found out about that pissant at your feet, but your Mom doesn’t need to see this. Look at her Flash.”

Flash glances towards his Mom, and I see the regret overtake him when he sees how distraught she looks. His eyes flick between her and Raymond; I can see the indecision in his eyes; he doesn’t know whether to go and comfort his mother or carry on beating the crap out of Raymond.

“Who the hell are you calling a pissant?” Raymond shouts, causing all of our attention to return to him. I watch as he tries to haul himself up off the floor and make his way towards Izzy.

That was the wrong thing to do. It’s not Flash he has to worry about acting, or even myself. No, it would be the giant man next to me who has always been the protector of our group. Shock doesn’t even think twice as he pulls his fist back and clocks the pissant straight in the jaw, sending him down like a pile of bricks before he gets anywhere close to Izzy. It’s rather wonderful to watch if I’m being honest; it makes me wish I’d caught it on video so I can watch it back again and again. That shot was on point. The force Shock used and the way Raymond crumpled is a thing of beauty. I see the satisfaction in Shock’s body now that he’s finally managed to get his hands on that pissant.

“You stay the fuck away from her. You’ve had one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met as your wife all these years, and instead of treating her like the queen she is, you’ve spent all this time cheating on her and living a fucking double life. She gave up so much to keep you happy, and what did you give her in return? A motherfucking lie!” He roars out, shocking everyone but myself and Izzy.

The youngsters in the room have never seen this side of Shock. It’s a rare occasion for him to ever raise his voice, but the moment he does, you know shit is more than a little serious. Raymond doesn’t quite know what he’s unleashed, and he needs to tread fucking carefully because if Shock loses his shit completely, there is going to be nothing I or even Izzy can do to save him from his fate.

Raymond lies sprawled out on the floor, cradling his jaw in his hands. I can’t help myself as I step over towards him and crouch down so all he can see is me. I want him to pay full attention to what I have to say; it’s important he understands just how fucking serious my words are. I also know I need to take control of this situation now before Shock has a chance to rain down absolute destruction. I could see the look in his eyes as he was making his speech; he’s close to losing the tight grip he normally has on himself.

Why didn’t I think about this being a possibility when it was decided we would be the ones to head over here? Probably because I never thought Raymond would be as stupid as he is. I thought he might have a little self-preservation, but he clearly has none with his recent actions. He’ll be fucking lucky if he gets out of this still breathing with the way he’s pissing off all the lethal and deadly people in this room.

“You’ve made your bed, Raymond, and now it’s time to lie in it. I’ll never understand how you could do what you have, and honestly I couldn’t care less about any explanation you might have. I just want to make one thing abundantly clear: you come anywhere near Izzy, Flash or Micah again, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do. I will fucking end you and take pleasure in every second of pain I inflict on your ass.” I say, staring him dead in the eye, letting him hear the truth in my words.

I can’t help but chuckle at his reaction; watching a grown-ass man piss themselves at my words will always be funny in my book. He knows that what I said isn’t just a threat; it’s a promise. Hopefully that means he will heed my warning, because if he doesn’t, I will have no issue in ending his pitiful fucking life; it won’t be the first life I’ve taken, and more than likely it won’t be the last. Some people just need fucking killing, and to keep those I care about safe, I have no issue getting my hands dirty. It isn’t just about physical safety either; it’s about emotional and mental safety, and Raymond poses a threat to both of those, and I won’t fucking stand for it.

“I feel like I’m missing something.” Flash says as he glances between me, Shock, and Izzy.

“It’s not the time to talk about all that right now, Deacon. I want some answers.” Izzy says, and I can’t help the smile that breaks out when I hear her no-nonsense tone. It’s been far too many years since I’ve heard it, and fuck if I haven’t missed it. A quick glance at Shock has me knowing he’s thinking the same thing as me; he’s also got a small smile on his face too.

“Ask whatever you want, Mom. I’ll tell you what I know.”

“I want to know exactly what you found out and when. I heard you all talking about his other kids and living a double life. I would like an explanation, please.” Even in a charged situation like this, she still can’t help but be polite.

With Raymond still sprawled out on the floor, we all take seats around the room. Flash explains to Izzy about Micah turning up, his near-identical looks to Wyatt and his discovery of Raymond’s other family, and even everything that went down last night with Micah and his crappy mother.

Izzy goes from looking sad and hurt to angry the more she hears. Both Shock and I know what’s coming. We’ve seen this before when she was younger; Izzy is happy and loving until you push her too far, then she’s as terrifying as June is with her ever-present knife.

We sit back and watch as Izzy makes her way to her feet and heads out of the room without a word; she isn’t gone long and comes back holding a very old baseball bat. The moment Shock and I spot it, we both start laughing loudly. We can’t help it. We know what’s coming. This is going to hurt Raymond a lot. Flash, Jake, and Piston are looking between us with various looks of confusion on their faces. They won’t be confused for much longer, as Izzy heads straight towards Raymond and swings to bat with so much force you can hear the whooshing sound it makes. Her swing hits dead center where she’s aiming, straight between his legs. The high-pitched squeal that comes from his mouth just causes mine and Shock’s laughter to increase tenfold.

“Mom!” Flash shouts, his shock clear from his tone. I’m guessing he’s never seen this side of his Mom before.

“Yes, dear.” She says calmly, as she turns towards him still holding her bat.

“What are you doing?”

“Just a little bit of payback. Nothing for you to worry about. He deserves a lot more than one swing of my bat, but I’m holding myself back because despite everything he still gave me you and your brother.”

“Okay. I don’t know what to say to that. I’ve never seen you like this before.”

“No. I know you haven’t, but just ask Blaze and Shock; this isn’t the first time my bat has come into contact with someone who deserved it.”

He turns to look at us, and thankfully we’ve both now managed to get our laughter under control.

“Your Mom’s bat used to be just as well known as June’s knife.” I say, and leave it at that. He doesn’t need to know everything about our pasts.

I smile at the widening of the eyes of all the younger generation in the room. It’s not like any of them don’t know just how well-known June is for her knife skills.

“So, what’s the plan?” Izzy asks, looking at me and Shock. The woman might not have been around us for a long time, but she knows what we’re like. Some things just don’t change, I guess.

“Gunner and June are sorting out her spare room for you to stay in for now. We figured you wouldn’t want to stay here when you learned what that idiot has been up to.”

“You’ve got that right. I want as far away from him as I can get right now. Just looking at him makes me want to take another swing. I need to get away from him before I do something I can’t take back. And I’m hoping this means I get to spend some time with the four of you. It’s been a long time.”

“Of course we want to spend time with you, Izzy; we’ve all missed you. We can have a catch-up while Flash and Jake head home to Micah.”

“What? No. I was—.” Flash starts to speak but is cut off by his mother.

“Nope. I like this plan. It’s long overdue for me to spend time with June and the guys. You have Micah, who needs your attention right now. His entire life changed overnight; you need to have your focus on him, not me. I’ll be fine; trust me, June and the guys won’t allow anything less.”

“We will be talking about your connection to June and the guys, as you put it, Mom, seeing as I had no idea you knew any of them, but you’re right, we need to head home to Micah.”

“We can talk about it later. Now go on, off you go, and I’ll speak to you tomorrow to check in and arrange a time to meet Micah.”

“Are you sure about that, Mom?”

“Yes. Don’t argue with me. Now off you go.” She says while waving them off.

The younger guys don’t need telling twice; they follow Izzy’s instructions and take their leave. Leaving myself and Shock alone with Izzy and Raymond. Izzy looks over at us, then down at Raymond.

“Don’t kill him while I go and pack.” She says as she turns and leaves the room.

“She said don’t kill. I think that means maiming is more than okay,” I say as I share a look with Shock.

No more words need to be exchanged as we both turn our attention towards the man who has mistreated someone we both never stopped loving. The man really should be thankful there are only the two of us here; he definitely wouldn’t survive if all four of us descended on him. Though I’m not all that sure he deserves to keep on breathing, I suppose for now he can. If he steps out of line, though, that will be a whole different ball game and one he won’t be surviving.