Page 4 of Tye (Rage MC: The Prospects #8)

Demi

T o say I was unhappy was a major understatement.

“Pops, I’m twenty-five years old!” I snapped as Pops ignored me and talked to my uncles.

Really? I huffed and resisted stamping my foot. That wouldn’t get me far.

Mom sent me a smile as she recognised my frustration, but she wouldn’t go against the decision Pops and my uncle had made.

“Dudes, I’m gonna batter someone if you don’t listen soon,” I threatened, and Pops finally turned to face me.

“Kid, shut the fuck up,” he replied and riled my temper.

“I’m not leaving,” I stated firmly and hoped that got through their thick skulls.

“Demi, you’re going to do as you are told,” Uncle Deke informed me.

I shook my head, and Uncle Deke’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t bother. I’m not a child, and I’m not going!” I repeated, and annoyingly, Uncle Deke turned his back.

Pops, however, stared, and I think he wanted to throttle me.

“Get the others to safety, fine, but I am staying. I’ve trained as much as you, and I will not run. If something happens, I need to be here,” I responded, and Pops looked even angrier.

“Demi, we’re leaving the farm. This won’t be safe. We aren’t sure if it’s been burned or not, and nobody’s staying here,” Pops said patiently.

“That’s fine. I’ll go where you go,” I replied, and Uncle Carter turned to glare.

“This is war! You’ve no place there,” Uncle Carter stated emphatically.

“Uncle Carter, you can’t tell me what to do. Damnit, I’m an adult now, and I’m not leaving. Uncle Reuben and Teddy are going with the family, so they’ll take care of them. I’m needed more here than there!” I argued, and Pops and Uncle Deke swapped glances.

“Demi…”

“No, Uncle Gid. I’m twenty-five, I’ll not be packaged up and sent away!”

“This is dangerous. What do you think’s gonna happen? War’s about to break out, and that asshole Fury will come for us. Your uncles and I don’t need to be fighting a war in one hand and worrying about you in the other,” Uncle Deke said.

“And I’ll be wasted hiding. I’ve as much right as you to fight. Hell, Uncle Deke, you’re my brother as well as my uncle. Do you realise how fucked up that is? That’s beyond FUBAR. My mother is also my sister. Pops, I’ve had to live with that knowledge for years. This is my chance for vengeance, and I want it. Plus, none of you are a better shot than me,” I replied and saw the males of my family swap glances.

“Demi, promise you’ll do as we say,” Uncle Carter snapped.

“Yes.”

“Demi, I mean it. You’ve had free rein to do as you wish, but this is war, and you’re a soldier, not a fuckin’ general,” Uncle Deke said.

“Whatever you want, just don’t send me away,” I begged, and finally, they nodded.

Pops sighed as if he knew they’d give in, but I caught the pride in his eyes.

I wasn’t lying. My life was fucked up because I was inbred, and it was horrible. But my uncles and mother had refused to acknowledge I was their sister and their niece/daughter. Luckily, I was treated as if my sperm donor had been anyone else apart from my own grandfather/father. How confusing did shit need to get?

Leaving home was hard. This ranch had been ours ever since I’d been born, and it was in my blood. We were miles away from Rapid City, situated in South Shore, in north-east South Dakota. The Double M was profitable, and it amused us that a sworn biker had turned into a rancher. Uncle Deke was rarely here as he’d worked to bring Fury down. But my Uncles Carter and Gideon had homes on the land and ran the cattle.

My stepfather Reuben and my Aunt Sienna’s husband, Teddy, also helped run the ranch. Pops had bought a massive plot and given each of his grandchildren fifty acres to build on. When you owned over fifty thousand acres, you didn’t miss the odd couple of hundred you gifted your grandchildren.

My grandma, Evelyn, lived with Pops, who was my great-grandfather. But Evelyn was also my stepmom and Pops, my step grandfather. That’s how complicated the relationships were. My cousins were also my nieces and nephews. Talk about a hillbilly kid. That was me. Inbred.

Thankfully, I didn’t have Fury’s surname either. Mom’s name was Moore, so I had that, which was a relief.

With a sigh, I shoved the negative thoughts aside. It didn’t help to dwell on what Fury had done to my family.

The point was, I stayed to the role my mom and uncles had put me in. And that was daughter/niece.

I’d grown up on this ranch and knew nothing different. I went to school in Waverley, dropped off by an uncle and picked up by one. After what had transpired with Grandma, nobody let us kids roam freely. But we were pretty well-rounded. We just understood shit happened when other youngsters didn’t.

Such as how to shoot, make anything into a weapon, and we took self-defence—and kicked ass doing it. We could fight anything. Hell, at eight, I could drive a car and use evasive driving to flee danger. Fifty thousand acres of land gave us lots of space to practise. Pops had trained us to survive and escape. And we thrived on that shit. Which meant I wasn’t going to run away and hide. I would fight. That’s what I’d been taught.

Mom swapped glances with Reuben, who shook his head, and I walked across the room and crouched at her feet.

“Don’t be angry,” I begged.

“I’m not, baby girl. I will worry though. But I understand this is something you require. I’m just torn between leaving you and staying,” Mom replied.

“Hey, don’t. Reuben and you are responsible for the kids. Mom, you got to put them first. Take them and go. Honestly, I’ll be fine with the uncles and Pops.”

“Demi, you’re still my baby, too,” Mom said, and I smiled.

Mom was thirty-seven but looked younger. Even though life had treated Mom roughly, she’d aged well. Grandma Evelyn was the same.

“Momma, I’m grown up now. Your worry needs to be the brats. If Fury discovers us, you know what he’ll do. We all do. Go with the aunts, Reuben and Teddy, and protect my siblings,” I insisted.

“Be safe,” Mom whispered, cupping my cheek.

“Ditto,” I said and hugged Mom tightly.

Reuben leaned in and hugged us, too.

He’d been around since I was a kid, and Reuben was basically my father. But the word dad for me had bad connotations, so I called him Reuben. However, I made sure Reuben knew in every way I believed him to be my father.

“Demi, I’ll look after Mom, you stay safe. It would break my heart if something happened,” Reuben whispered.

“Love you,” I mumbled.

“Not as much as I love you, sweet girl,” Reuben murmured and kissed the top of my head.

“Let’s start packing. Phoenix is sending a plane tomorrow. You’re heading out then,” Pops said.

It was hard leaving the ranch. Pops’ close friend, Devon, was going to watch over it. Devon had worked at her family ranch all her life and knew ranching as well as we did. But her brother had inherited the ranch, and he was an asshole. Devon had come to stay ten years ago and helped manage the Double M Ranch since then.

Honestly, I thought little packing remained. Mom and the aunts had packed a week ago. Each kid had several suitcases filled with warm clothes, and the adults were near enough finished. Pops ensured they all had a debit card to buy items that had been forgotten. He wasn’t too worried about them going nuts on it. All the aunts and Mom were stingy with money, apart from one.

That was Trudy; she loved spending and often on meaningless shit. Trudy was the epitome of high maintenance, and we weren’t sure how Uncle Gideon put up with her. Currently, she was all atwitter about travelling on a private plane. The fact Uncle Gideon might not survive wasn’t an issue. Nope. Trudy’s priorities were what outfit she would wear to travel in. It was a damn good job Aunt Ember had Trudy’s card!

I moved away and walked out to my ATV. We either drove these to get to each other’s houses or rode horses. Today, I’d used my ATV.

Tragically, I still lived at home with Mom and Reuben, but Pops had offered me fifty acres to build on earlier this year. I’d yet to pick my spot out, but I would when we all returned. That was something to look forward to.

Tonight, I’d eat with my family, aware this may be the last time we sit down together. The next time we all met, some of us might be missing. Shit, if things go wrong, we might never return here. Fury would hunt them down, and I shuddered to think what he would do to them. Actually, considering my existence, I had a good idea what he’d do. Such vileness couldn’t be allowed to exist anymore.

◆◆◆

Mom hugged me tightly as we said goodbye.

Damn, this was harder than I believed it would be. I’d made my siblings promise to behave and given them a treat each, and then I’d embraced Reuben. But letting Mom go was hard. We were so close, and this was tearing me apart. I was almost ready to say I’d join them, but I couldn’t because I wanted Fury’s head.

‘If they’re old enough to bleed, then they can breed’ was Fury’s mantra. Fuck, I’d make him bleed. That was for sure. Fucking lunatic.

With a wrench, I released Mom and watched her enter the private plane.

“Demi, you can change your mind,” Uncle Deke said.

“Nice try, Uncle Deke, but I’m coming with you.”

“Sweet girl…” Uncle Carter began to speak, and I shook my head.

“No. My mind’s made up. I need to see this through. Fury’s threat has been over me since my birth. My family is fucked up, and I need this. Listen, please, I have to put the evil Fury represents in the ground,” I interrupted, and I knew they heard the pleading in my voice.

“Okay, honey, just stick close,” Uncle Deke said as he hugged me. Quietly, we watched the private plane take off with our families on board, and I felt a pang.

As far back as I could remember, my family had all lived at the Double M Ranch. Only Uncle Deke had been consistently missing from our lives. There’d never been a time when we’d been apart.

This was a feeling I couldn’t explain: a sense of loss, hurt, and anger. Despite him not being present, Fury interfered with my life. When I put a bullet in Fury’s skull, I’d look him in the eyes and spit in his face.

Ice

Grunt, Spike, and his grandsons would be here shortly. They’d be arriving at Reading Hall to stay for a while. Spike had been made well aware that they’d have security guards shadowing them. Trust had to be earned, and none of Spike’s family had earned shit yet.

They were coming in tonight when it was dark, and Mom was in a tizzy, not because they were due, but because Spike announced he was bringing one more person with him.

Mom was making up another room while I watched the kids from the sofa. It had been a week since West had slammed me into the ice and basically tried to kill me.

His career was over. The cops had charged West for assault and battery and second-degree attempted murder. The NHL had suspended him, and he was facing a lifelong ban. In addition, Mom had set her lawyers on him, and now we were suing. Unluckily for West, he did not have a family, so Mom was taking him to the cleaners. If West had a wife or kids, Mom wouldn’t have gone after him so hard. The money would be donated to the charity that my siblings and I had created. West was so fucked, he didn’t even have to bend over.

The Blackhawks were also suing the Armourers, so lawsuits abounded at the moment.

But a week on, my headache lingered, and I still had blurry vision sometimes, which Doc Paul assured me was due to the concussion and fracture. My body was a mess of bruises, which just showed how hard I’d hit the ice. I was frustrated as fuck because I couldn’t bathe or shower on my own.

Mom had hired a male nurse, and I’d point blank refused to let him anywhere near me. So, she paid him six months up front and sent him packing before hiring a female. My brothers loved it. Martha was at least fifty, and my dick certainly wasn’t going to misbehave around her. Everyone thought it was hysterical: of all the hot young nurses out for private hire, Mom had employed the equivalent of my grandma.

Fuckin’ typical of my luck.

As I was sulking, hidden in the den and resting, I heard voices and caught Mom and Liz’s tones. I guessed our guests had arrived. Unable to move far on my own due to dizziness, I stayed where I was. If anybody wanted to meet me, which I doubted, they could locate me here. The pain was just as bad as a week ago, so nope, I wasn’t putting myself out. Especially for Volcano, whom I didn’t trust.

The younger kids disappeared at the sound of voices, and I ended up dozing on the sofa until the door shut loudly.

Startled awake, I opened my eyes and saw a pretty young woman standing there, staring. Oh, this was more like it!

Her hair was a rich chestnut brown, and she had clear blue eyes. She was slender, with a trim waist and curving hips, and her breasts were a definite handful. Yup, this was the nurse of my dreams.

“Sorry, I was unaware someone was here,” she said, and her voice reminded me of melted chocolate.

“Aren’t you looking for me?” I asked, slightly puzzled. Wasn’t she my new nurse?

“Why would I be?”

“Well, if you’re going to be taking care of me, then you should be,” I replied.

She frowned. “Why the hell would I be caring for you?”

“Hello, injured here.”

“Yeah, what’s that got to do with me?” she demanded.

Gingerly, I hauled myself up. If she wasn’t the new nurse, who was she? My hand went to my gun stuffed down the side of the sofa.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Demi Moore.”

I snorted and laughed. “Darlin’, you’re no Demi Moore.”

“Not the actress, numbskull. My actual name is Demeter Moore, but my family calls me Demi for short,” Demi retorted, and I smiled again.

This girl is not only gorgeous, but she’s got a mouth on her.

“So, Demi Moore, who isn’t the actress. What are you doing in my home?”

“I’m a guest. Came with my Pops,” Demi replied, moving away from the door and taking a seat.

“Funny, I don’t recall Mom saying we’ve got guests for dinner tonight.” I frowned.

Demi snorted. “Phoenix is your mom?”

“Yeah.” I checked Demi over, and a sinking feeling sets in my stomach. “Who’s your Pops?”

“Spike,” Demi answered and smirked.

Damn.

“Change your mind about flirting with the pretty young woman?” Demi exclaimed as she got comfortable.

“Spike’s your grandfather? Which of Volcano’s siblings is your parent?” I inquired.

Demi grinned once more. “Jubilee is my mom,” she stated.

Unwelcome surprise hit. That meant Demi was… I winced.

“Yeah, Fury’s my bio dad. Hi, I’m the inbred kid. My mom is also my sister. My uncles are my brothers, and my grandma is my stepmom. And Pops is my great-grandpa and my step-grandpa. Welcome to my fucked up life.” Demi grinned.

“There’s a lot to unpack there,” I replied after a few moments.

“Not for me. Try growing up with it. Nonetheless, I love watching judgemental assholes figure out what to say,” Demi continued.

“Hey, I am not judgemental!”

“Sure you’re not. I’m a freak by anyone’s standards.”

“That’s your own insecurities talking,” I retorted.

Demi grinned. “Oh honey, I’m anything but insecure. The circumstances of my creation and birth aren’t my fault. Nor Moms. I don’t give a fuck who thinks what about me because my family and I know the truth. Dude, you can sit in this pretty, gilded castle and make all the snappy little opinions you wish. I’m perfectly fine with you doing so,” Demi said.

My temper triggered, which usually took a lot of effort. “Look here, lady. You know nothing about me, but you’re sitting in my home judging me. Let me guess. You think I was born with a silver spoon and was given everything I ever wanted? That I’ve not known hardship or even a moment’s pain. And I’m betting you assume all this is down to a car accident or something,” I said, trying to keep calm.

“If the boot fits…” Demi popped.

“Yeah. And this makes you the judgemental cunt. I lived on the streets for years until Mom adopted me when I was fourteen, twelve years ago. Honey, I ate out of bins, scavenged for food, watched my younger siblings cry with hunger as their bellies sank into their bones.

“Ever been raped? Sold your ass to protect your younger sister and brother? How about taking beatings as other assholes tried to rob you? My anal virginity was stolen by a fifty-year-old homeless man. What the fuck would you understand about hardship? Wow, your mom was raped by her father. She was fuckin’ lucky. At least she had a roof over her head and food in her belly. It’s more than what I had for the first fourteen years of my life,” I sneered.

My words hit Demi hard as I watched her pale.

“And these injuries? A rival on an opposite team smashed me into the ice and tried to kill me. Wanna know why? He, like everyone fuckin’ else, read the papers about my brother Carmine being raped on the street and decided Carmine was gay. What does it matter if Carmine was or wasn’t? Carmine’s still my brother and should be allowed to love who he wishes.

“Not that Carmine is gay, as he’s engaged to a lovely but strange woman called Molly. But West kept taunting me that Carmine was a faggot, and was I one, too? I loathe that word, faggot. So damn insulting. But if I was, again, so what? The asshole’s a homophobic bully. For shits and giggles, I carried on scoring on against his shit defending, and every goal I got, I yelled it was for Carmine.

“In retaliation, West took me down in a surprise attack and tried to kill me. No, darlin’, I did not wrap my Aston Martin around a tree, nor did Mommy get me off a drink drive charge.” I struggled to my feet. “Before you accuse others of being judgemental, check your own prejudices. Demi, I didn’t have an opinion of you whatsoever, because I’ve learnt not to form them early on. What you hear is often not the truth.

“There’s a lesson for you. I hope you learn from it because with the bitch you’re channelling, you’re heading for a very lonely life,” I said and kept calm as I limped to the door.

Under my breath, I prayed I’d make it next door without falling on my face. As I passed Demi, I saw how pale she was, but I didn’t regret my words. Demi had earned them.

“Oh, and by the way. Remember, my entire fuckin’ family is putting themselves on the line to protect yours. Not something rich judgemental assholes would usually do.”

Demi flinched at my final dig, and I passed through the door, stumbled, and collapsed in a chair in the next room.

“Tye?” Eddie exclaimed, appearing from nowhere.

“Hey, kidda, can you fetch one of the older sibs?” I asked.

“Sure, do you need help?” Eddie replied as she cocked her head.

“I’m good, just need somebody bigger to lean on.” “I’ll get someone.” Eddie dashed off.

“Hey, your sister said you needed help?” a voice announced a few moments later, and I looked up to see Volcano.

Great, not exactly who I wanted.

“Yeah, if you can help me into the orangery, I want some peace and quiet. The kids ain’t allowed in there,” I asked finally.

Volcano wrapped an arm around my waist, and it took everything not to stiffen or punch him. He wasn’t aware of my hang-ups. Together, we slowly walked to the orangery, where I collapsed in a chair in the middle of the greenery.

Volcano looked curious and took a seat opposite.

“If it’s okay, I’d like a break. This place is overwhelming, and we’ve been on edge ever since I ran. It’s hard to understand my family is safe now,” Volcano said.

“Understand that. Even with these walls surrounding you, it’s difficult to relax sometimes,” I replied.

We exchanged a glance, and both of us saw the battles we’d fought in each other’s eyes. Volcano relaxed, and so did I.

For a fleeting moment, we were in accord, and there was peace. The distrust would return, but it was an on hiatus for now.