Page 7 of Property of Indiana (Kings of Anarchy MC)

CHAPTER

SIX

ZOEY

My bright idea of having wine while digging into the demons of my past wasn’t my finest idea. The few sips I’ve managed to imbibe in are sitting like a heavy weight in my stomach. I should’ve known better, but I’m a glutton for punishment it seems. I don’t know if he’s going to be able to handle what I have to say, but we did say no secrets and that’s the biggest one I have since he’s aware of Elodie.

“Right. I wanted to give you time to settle back in before pushing for anything but Icer put a wrinkle in those plans. He decided last night after looking you up online and discovering the things he did that happened to you six years back that something had to be done. His protective instincts, ones I wasn’t aware he had outside of his loyalty to the club, reared its ugly head and he put in a bid to bring y’all in under the guise of family.”

“What does that mean, exactly, Harrison?”

“It means that you’d have any protection given to a sister or brother of a club member,” he clarifies. “You’d be under the umbrella of the Kings; you'd be one of us and would be deemed untouchable by our enemies.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that,” I state. “I’m alone here, it’s just me and Elodie.”

Considering the fact that since I got to town my anxiety has tried to take over and run my life, I like the thought of being protected by the club. Hopefully, our shopping trip didn’t draw any attention from the Onyx Dragons, but I trust that Harrison will never allow me to be hurt like that ever again. I’m confident if he had been in town, it probably wouldn’t have even happened to me.

No, but another girl would’ve been their victim. They were looking for a female, any one would’ve served their purpose that night. While it was horrific, you survived and have Elodie, my mind whispers. Someone else might not have been able to overcome that assault.

“No, it’s not,” he snaps. “You have me, Icer, and the rest of the Kings at your back, Zoe. Once you’re claimed, there’s no going back and not only did I claim you and our little princess, but so did Icer, and the club unanimously agreed.”

“I know that now, Harrison. But when I came back, I was under the impression I’d be on my own,” I digress.

And why wouldn’t I think that way? Ever since my parents kicked me to the curb, I’ve been on my own. Even with my grandparents’ help, it was still up to me to pull up my big girl panties and move forward. They didn’t know how to handle what happened to me, so they swept it under the rug in some ways, but they loved me enough to make sure I got the help I needed because they knew they weren’t capable of dealing with it. I don’t begrudge their feelings since they come from a generation that didn’t talk of such things. At least they were there for me and Elodie when she came along. Unlike my parents who definitely talk out of both sides of their mouths. They spewed compassion and love toward others less fortunate, but when their own daughter was brutally raped and ended up pregnant, that was too much. At least when they found out I was expecting, it was done via a phone call since I’d already moved into Memaw and Pepaw’s.

“We’ll get back to that soon,” he says, pointing his finger at me. “I want to know what brought you back.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about that,” I honestly tell him.

“No secrets, remember,” he points out. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

A giggle leaves my lips. “Sometimes you talk like an old man with your sayings.

“Heard that one all my life from my mom,” he conveys. “Anyhow, I stepped up and claimed you as mine. And before you start freaking out on me, I plan on us taking our time and getting to know one another again, as adults, before permanently branding you.”

“Branding me? Like cattle? I don’t know how I feel about that, Harrison.”

“I mean patching you, Zoey. An old lady wears her man’s property of patch on her own cut.”

“Property?” I sputter. “That’s not much better.”

“It’s the highest regard a woman can have in my world. It means more than a piece of paper documented at the courts stating you’re my wife.”

“Explain the whole old lady thing while we’re at it. I’ve read about that in books, and I’m not sure I like being referred to as one,” I harrumph.

“What kind of books?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows. “Are they sexy ones?”

“You want to know if I read smut, Harrison? That’s awfully bold of you.”

“Tell me, Zoey.” He’s bouncing on his seat like a kid who’s been taken to a candy warehouse and told to grab as much as his arms can carry. “Do you like the things they do between the sheets? Can I read one?”

“You want to read my smexy books?” I quizzingly ask.

“Smexy? That’s a new word, I’ll have to look up the meaning,” he smirks.

“You do that. But we’re off topic again, Harrison. I’d rather us get this conversation out of the way than to keep splitting it up into various sections.”

In a lot of ways, it’s like there’s been no time lost between us, because we used to do the same thing when we were younger. We’d start off on one topic then veer to the left or right. Eventually, we’d circle back to where we began, but today’s talk is far too important to fall back into old habits.

“So the old lady thing? Like I stated, it’s the highest honor given to a woman. It means you're like a precious gem. You are untouchable and it's well-known that we’ll fight tooth and nail to keep you from harm's way. Others know that if they touch a single hair on your head it's a declaration of war. It’s the best way to keep you safe from the Onyx Dragons, Zoey.”

“But even that’s not a guarantee, is it, Harrison?”

“Unfortunately, it’s not. Not every gang or club has scruples and honor seems to be a thing of the past. Most won’t fuck with kids or old ladies, but there are some who simply don’t care. They consider them collateral damage if they’re attacking their enemy.”

I shudder as scenes from books I’ve read flood my mind. Could Elodie be targeted? What about me? I know I’d also go down swinging, but I’m smart enough to realize that going against a grown man is likely futile.

“Say I accept this old lady thing, what does that mean for you and me in the long run?” I probe, wanting nothing to come back later down the road and bite me in the ass since I’m ignorant to anything that isn’t fiction.

“I’m not sure where your mind goes when you think of that title and seeing as I haven’t read these books you have, I can only take a guess. You won’t find me cheating on you, you won’t ever have to wonder what I’m doing behind your back. If I’m going to do something, I’m straight forward and will tell you. Unless it’s club business, then it’s something I can’t share. That won’t be a case of I don’t want to, it’ll literally mean that only the members of the Kings can know. I’ll never keep you in the dark as long the knowledge I give you doesn't put you in danger.”

“But there’ll be times when something is about me that I won’t be told about. Am I getting that right?”

“That’ll be very rare, Zoey. Listen, I know this is all happening quickly, and we are just now reuniting after years of separation, but this is the best case scenario when it comes to the protection of you and Elodie.”

“So you keep saying,” I mumble. “A lot has happened to me, Harrison. Things I’ve just started comprehending and dealing with. I don’t trust people easily. Not anymore. And this is nothing against you, but you fall into that group of people too. Even if I still feel a bond with you, I don’t trust it because I don’t trust my instincts anymore. I made one mistake and let my defenses down and look how that turned out.”

“With one of the greatest gifts a person can receive,” he growls, his eyes looking through the back window as he watches Elodie place a crown on Icer’s head. “Usually, he’d rip that damn thing off and incinerate it. She’s the gift, Zoey. Tell me about this mistake.”

“How many times when we went out did you tell me not to accept an open container or cup from anyone?” I start off asking.

“Every damn time we went to a party I stressed that,” he remarks. “Back then, Rohypnol was the drug of choice for men… boys who wanted to take what wasn’t theirs to take.”

“And I was the fool who thought she was safe around her peers. I knew every damn one of the attendees. We grew up together, played sports together, partied together and never once had anyone tried to slip me anything.”

“Who passed you the drink, Zoey? Do you remember?”

“No,” I whisper, unshed tears clogging my throat. “I was playing wing woman for Brooklyn. All of the people passing out drinks were ones I would’ve sworn on my life would never do anything to hurt me. I was wrong because one of them set me up.”

“Do you have any suspicions on who that was?” I emphatically shake my head at his question. If I had any clue of who it was I would’ve put that in the report I made from my hospital bed. They didn’t just take my innocence; they beat me within an inch of my life. I’m not sure if their goal was to snuff my life out, or if I was only supposed to be taken advantage of in my weakened and confused state.

Shudders course through me as the Ghost masks flash in my mind like a strobe light. I can’t help the sob that erupts as all the sounds from that night are suddenly there again—my screams of terror and confusion, my flailing arms as I tried to fight them off even though my motions were definitely slow due to whatever I was given. This flashback is more intense than most as I can feel the pain from the fists and shoes that strike me, my skin splitting in multiple places, and the warm blood flowing into my eyes to mingle with my tears. Usually, it only happens in my dreams, but it’s daylight, I’m wide awake and Harrison is sitting so close to me I can feel his body heat radiating from him. As if he’s aware that this isn’t normal for me, he pulls me into his arms then starts talking.

“We may never know who the culprit was who spiked your drink, and I don’t give a single fuck who Elodie’s biological father is, what matters from here on out is making sure that they don’t retaliate because you made a police report and tried to get them into trouble. And we have to do everything in our power to make sure they don’t get any thoughts in their heads about Elodie. Which is why I wanted to broach another topic with you.”

“What’s that?” I ask, using the sleeve of his shirt to dry my eyes. He smirks at my action but doesn’t chide me for it which is good because he pulled me into his arms and I had to be able to see, right?

“I want to officially adopt Elodie. I’d prefer we just put my name on her birth certificate so no one outside of you, me, and the club knows she doesn’t have my blood running through her veins. But I’m not sure if we can do that six years later.”

“I don’t know, but we could look into it. Are you sure you want to do that? In the eyes of the law that would make you responsible for her in every way a father is. You’ve only just met her, Harrison. Less than twenty-four hours later and you want to permanently tie yourself to her. And me by extension.”

“You don’t get it, Zoey. I’ve already tied myself to you. I’ve claimed you as mine and in the eyes of the Kings that’s as good as done. You’re mine, end of story.” I snort at that because last I checked, I have some say-so in what happens to me. The more I think about it though, if something were to happen to me, I’d rather her be with Harrison than given to my parents seeing as they’re her last living relatives. The bitch and asshole who birthed me sold my grandparents’ house from under my feet. All of my money was invested in that house and our bank accounts were tied together as one. They were only willing to give me some of the money back so Elodie and I could survive if I moved back home. I still have no clue why they want me back in Canton seeing as they were beyond thrilled when I left town that day.

“Just to say, but Morning Elodie is not normally as well-behaved as she is today,” I warn. “She’s typically in what I refer to as beast mode and getting her to do anything in a timely manner is next to impossible.”

I don’t mention that I’m not functional until at least one cup of java flows into my gut, preferably two, because of the two of us, Elodie’s far worse. I just don’t talk, I use grunts to communicate until my liquid gold starts my engines up.

“I bet anything, if Mr. Icer tells her he’s proud of how well she behaves in the mornings, it’ll make a difference,” he says, making me release a not very lady-like giggle. We’ve been watching the two of them through the back windows and I can now see my giant television is playing the credits of Aladdin .

“Looks like our time is coming to an end,” I state. “I’m emotionally drained, Harrison. Is there anything else we need to go through today?”

“Yeah,” he answers. “What brought you back home?”

“I’m gonna need that bottle of wine back,” I mumble.