Page 14

Prophet

My boots echoed through the empty clubhouse, each step a heavy beat in the quiet before the storm. I was going to confront Savior. I couldn’t think of any other way to handle this. I didn’t know if his emotions kept getting the best of him, if something else was going on that was causing him to be moodier than usual, or if he just really had no damn clue how to deal with his daughter now. Either way, something needed to change. I’d thought we’d had an understanding, but clearly not.

I paused by his office door, my hand hovering over the worn metal handle. Inhaling deeply, I opened the door.

Savior didn’t look up, not yet aware that I’d entered his private sanctum. Either that, or the bastard was ignoring me on purpose. He looked exhausted even though it hadn’t been more than an hour since I’d been at his house. Did this thing with Ares weigh on him that much?

“Prophet,” he finally acknowledged, without looking up.

“Savior,” I replied. “We need to talk. Again.”

Closing the door behind me to shut out the world, I watched as his gaze slowly lifted, meeting mine. There was a challenge in his stare, a silent demand for me to speak my piece and get the fuck out. I could see this was going to go over well.

“It’s about Ares,” I said, then paused. I didn’t know how to phrase what I needed to say.

“Go on,” he prompted.

The next words needed to be spoken, no matter how much we both wished they could remain unvoiced. He needed to know what his daughter had been through. It sucked, and I didn’t want to give him those nightmares, but I thought he might better understand Ares.

I let the silence linger a moment, then decided to dive in. Standing here wasn’t going to get this resolved any faster. “She’s been through hell, man. You know it. I know it. But it’s more than just knowing. It’s about facing the ugly truth of it.”

Savior’s eyes narrowed, a silent command to continue. Was he really prepared to hear what I had to say? I glanced around his office, wondering if everything in here was about to be destroyed.

“Every night, she fought demons in her sleep. Nightmares about what she endured. She’s gotten better. But the Ares I saw this morning is closer to what she was like when I first found her. The extent of her trauma… it’s not just physical scars. Those wounds run deeper, carving into her very soul. She may have survived trafficking before, but this time was different.”

“What the hell aren’t you saying? Just spit it the fuck out,” he demanded.

Speaking the words out loud nearly ripped my heart in half. I knew Ares didn’t want her father hearing what she’d been through. It felt like I was betraying her, but I needed him to understand the extent of what she suffered.

“The man who bought her took pleasure in breaking her down. He tied her up. Beat her. Cut her. Starved her. And… he raped her. When I found them, he was in the room with her. Fucker taunted me. He was so certain he was safe, that I wouldn’t be able to touch him.”

Savior’s hands fisted on top of the desk. “And did you kill the bastard?”

“No. I left him alive, then handed him off to some of the women he’d been abusing. The club who helped get Ares out of there let me know the man was dead. The women hadn’t been able to finish him off, so their club took care of it. He’s buried in about ten different graves spread all over the state.” He still looked pissed as hell, but hopefully he wouldn’t destroy his office. “In case you’re curious, the Wild & Reckless crew are taking care of the other women. I didn’t really ask for updates, and Ares hasn’t seemed curious. She was kept separate from them, so it’s not like they bonded.”

Savior still didn’t say anything, but I’d noticed his face started to turn a startling shade of purple. If he erupted in here, there’d be no saving the office or anything in it. The man looked seconds away from ripping apart or smashing everything in sight.

“Creating a safe environment for Ares -- it’s critical,” I said. “She needs to feel secure, not just when we’re around, but in every corner of this place she calls home.”

I hoped he understood what I meant. Being at his house this morning sent her spiraling. It was where she’d been abducted. I was a fucking idiot for not considering that before I took her over there. It didn’t even occur to me she might have an issue with being in that location.

“Prophet, I --” He sighed. “What do I need to do? I want my daughter back in my life. She’s here but not here, if you know what I mean. And I’m sure that’s at least somewhat my fault.”

Now was my chance. “Speaking of… Something going on with you, Pres? You’ve been acting a bit out of character since we came back. I get that you’re pissed I asked her to marry me without discussing it with you first, and that she’s pregnant. But it seems like something more is happening.”

“You’re right. And it’s something for me to worry about, not you or Ares. I’ll try to do better.”

That wasn’t going to cut it. If there really was a problem, then I wanted to help. He wasn’t just my club President anymore. “You do realize you’re going to be my father-in-law, right?”

“I just have some health shit going on. Turns out I’m diabetic, and I can turn it around with the right diet but I feel like I’m fucking starving all the time. It makes me grumpier than usual. I’ve been lashing out at everyone for no damn good reason for weeks. Dessa threatened to hit me with a skillet if I didn’t stop.” He ran a hand down his face. “I’m fine. Or I will be. I go back next month for more blood work. They’ll tell me then if what I’m doing is actually working, or if I need medication. One way or another, it will resolve itself.”

“Fine. But if you need someone to talk to, or need help with anything, let me know. As for Ares… I think being in front of your house took her back to the day she was abducted. I’m not sure what to do, in all honesty. I’ve wondered if we’ll eventually have to leave this place in order for her not regress. She was doing so much better until we returned from Gulf Shores. She’s stronger than anyone I know, but even the strongest steel can fracture.”

“All right.” He leaned forward. “We need to come up with a way to give her that safe space. If that means I need to tear down my house and rebuild it elsewhere, then so be it.”

“Let’s not get quite that extreme. Why don’t we start with a makeover for the outside? Change enough stuff that the house doesn’t look the same, and maybe that will keep her from panicking.”

“Want to help me come up with a plan?” he asked. “Or do you need to get back to Ares?”

I hesitated only for a moment. “She was taking a nap and I left a note telling her I’d be at the clubhouse. She can either find me here, or call me if she needs something, so I can stay for a bit.”

“Let me grab a pen and pad of paper. Let’s head to a table in the main area and discuss this over a beer.”

I went out to the bar and grabbed two cold longnecks before claiming a table. There weren’t many brothers in here right now. None of them came over, even though Tank gave me a nod. I enjoyed coming to the clubhouse more these days. The club whores who used to hang around had been a troublesome bunch, and I for one was glad they were gone.

Savior joined me at the table and slapped the pad and pen down. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Well, think about what the outside of your house looks like. Not just the house either but the yard, driveway, all of it. She didn’t even make it to the door before she tensed up.”

“Go on,” he said, picking up the pen.

“What about putting in a garden? You have the backyard for the little ones to play. No reason you can’t landscape alongside the driveway and up across the front of the house. Add some flowers or shrubs. Whatever.”

“A garden full of green. Maybe a koi pond too. The sound of water can soothe the soul, and the kids would love feeding the fish.” He wrote down the ideas then did a rough sketch.

“Exactly,” I said. “Maybe some flowers. Something to add color to the place. Make it cheerful.”

He nodded and added more to the sketch, along with putting more into his notes. I hadn’t realized before the Pres actually knew a few things about this shit. He even listed types of plants he’d want to use.

“Maybe put up a different style of fence around the backyard?” I suggested. “Or put in a wood one instead of chain link? That would change the look of the place too.”

“All right.” Savior stood abruptly, his chair scraping back against the floor. “Let’s do this. For Ares.”

I rose with him, wondering if he literally meant he was starting the project right this second. I mean, if he was motivated, then why not? It just seemed a bit abrupt.

“Let’s give her a place that will help her heal,” I said. “I’m assuming you want to start right now.”

“No time like the present. I’ll call a few others. At the very least, we can dig out the grass in the areas I plan to put the garden, and I can get one of those pond inserts. As long as I know the dimensions, we could dig the hole for it.”

“What’s going on?” Tank asked, coming over.

Savior showed him the sketch and list. “Going to change up the outside of my house. Ares froze up when she came by earlier. Prophet said she was probably reminded of her abduction. But if the place looks completely different…”

Tank nodded. “Good idea. Should probably paint the outside a different color too, unless you just really love the color it is.”

“Better ask Dessa before you go that far,” I said. “Hell, you need to show her all this before you start digging up the yard. It’s her place too.”

“She won’t care. If it’s for Ares, she’ll tell me to do whatever is needed. She loves that girl like her own.” Savior headed out the door and over to his bike. “I’ll still run this by her. Meet me at the house in a few minutes. If you see anyone you can convince to volunteer for this, bring them with you.”

Savior rode off and I shook my head. “Do you think he realizes this isn’t getting finished in just day or two?”

Tank snorted. “Not likely. If he could, he’d have it done before dinner.”

“You’re not wrong.” I went over to my bike. “Want to lend a hand?”

“I’m too old for this shit. But I’ll round up some youngsters.”

I stared at him for a moment. “By youngsters…”

“Foster needs to make amends for some shit. And where Foster goes, so does Owen.”

I frowned. Had I missed something while I’d been gone. “What did Foster do this time?”

“Oh, shit. She never said anything?”

“Who? Ares?” I got off the bike. “What the fuck did he say or do?”

Tank held up a hand. “Easy. It was before the Lathems got her. Foster tried to lure her out of here, saying his buddies wanted her to hang out with them. She got pissed at him, which is understandable. Sometimes I wonder what exactly is in that boy’s head other than air.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I couldn’t be entirely pissed off about it. For one, Foster was known for saying and doing the wrong thing, especially when it came to women. He’d gotten in trouble so many times I’d lost track.

“When the hell is he going to grow up?” I asked.

“No idea. That’s between him and his dad. I stay out of it. Unless he comes near my girls. Then he’ll be going home with my boot print on his ass, and possibly his face.”

I snorted. “Yeah, even Foster can’t be that stupid, right?”

Tank shrugged. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“All right. I’m going to Savior’s place. If Ares comes here looking for me…”

He waved me off. “I’m heading out, but I’ll let someone inside know. You could always text her.”

“Yeah, I may do that. See you later, Tank.” I got back on my bike and drove over to Savior’s house. I noticed he’d roped Saint, Flicker, and Royal into this project as they were all standing in the yard talking to him while looking at the paper in his hand.

Saint waved at me as I walked over. “You help him come up with this?”

“Somewhat. I made a few vague suggestions, and he just ran with it,” I said. “But I think this will be good for Ares.”

“I’m really fucking glad my woman would rather me buy her a new motorcycle than put in a garden,” Flicker said. “Otherwise, this might give Pepper ideas.”

“I already know I’ll be asked to make the yard as pretty as Savior’s,” Saint said. “But if that’s what Sofia wants, then it’s what she’ll get. But I may force the Prospects to do it.”

“I brought two cans of white spray paint,” Royal said. “Had some in the garage. I thought we could use it to mark off the areas Savior wants dug up.”

“Good idea,” I said. “Let’s see what we can get done. I don’t want to be away from Ares too much longer, though.”

Savior slapped me on the back. “Go on home to her. I have enough help for now. Just keep her away from this area as much as possible until it’s done. I want it to be a surprise.”

“All right, Pres. Keep me posted and let me know if you need me.”

I got on my bike and watched them for a moment. Dessa wheeled out onto the porch and gave me a wave, as well as a forced smile. Anyone could see she felt like shit over Ares being abducted. I hoped the two of them would be able to find peace again. Neither deserved this shit.

I waved back, then headed home. There were times I really loved being part of the Dixie Reapers. Of course, like any family, we didn’t get along one hundred percent of the time. Still, we usually overcame our issues. Our bond was tighter than blood. We were family by choice.