A Broken Beautiful Beginning (3 page)

Raven completely
lost it this time and he needs to pay for what he did.

I walk up to the barn, it’s a dark night tonight but Raven’s house is lit like a fucking Christmas tree. Lights fucking everywhere…I don’t know what his obsession is with lights but I do know it’s a touchy subject. When I was around sixteen, I asked him about it… well, I kind of teased him about it.

I walked away with a broken nose.

I didn’t bother to ask again, I knew it was a sensitive topic, something he wasn’t proud of and I knew that feeling all too well considering he wasn’t the only one with skeletons in his closet…

Grimm’s yelling followed by Raven’s loud cries of pain echo in my ears as I stand outside the barn. Hurting people is my job, I love taking out all my anger and hate for the world on my
targets
.

Their cries for help,
pleads for mercy or the fear when their eyes meet mine knowing that everything ends with me.

Raven
is the beat-up guy…I’m the clean-up guy. He never had the stomach for dealing with the dead and I never had the restraint to stop when it comes to causing pain. He works out his anger by using his fists to give out reminders and when those reminders go unanswered… I’m the repo man coming to collect.

Payment being… your life
! I don’t get off on hurting them, it doesn’t satisfy me.

I need more,
like I said… skeletons in my closet.

My targets
get a look of panic in their eyes when they realize that my face is the last face they will ever see. That’s the look I yearn for; it keeps me from allowing the demons of my past to take over my future. Hearing the cries of someone I call my brother though, someone I
see
as a brother, is a lot different. I’m struggling to restrain my urge to protect him. I so desperately want to watch the life drain out of each and every person that is hurting him right now but deep down I know that this is the way the Club deals with its brothers and this is the
only way
Raven will recognize his wrongs.

“You think you can put your hands on my daughter, boy? You think I’ll let you hurt the mother of my child then take my baby girl and let you get off without punishment?” I peak through the slit in the barn door to see Raven lying on the floor and Grimm kicking him in his stomach.

I clench my fist
s and bite my tongue trying to keep my mouth shut. A few of the other brothers sit around watching the scene, all looking pissed off. None of them enjoy beating up on a brother, but it’s better to teach him his lesson now then have him being killed for it when he does something too horrible to fix.

Raven tries to speak but it comes out in a
garbled mumble as he spits blood out of his mouth.

Grimm kicks him again, “You think I want an answer from you! I didn’t ask you to speak!” My restraint can only take so much, so I turn around and squeeze my eyes shut and take a few deep breaths before turning aroun
d to open the barn door. The rest of the brothers turn wide eyed as they notice me, few know what I’m about but these men know me and what I do. They also know how much I protect Raven and that I’d do anything for him. By the way they all stand up straighter, eyes fixated on me, I’m pretty sure they think I’m about to jump Grimm.

I
cross my arms over my chest and keep my eyes focused on the man lying on the floor. From the corner of my eye I can tell that they’re buying the bravado show I’m putting on because they all relax.

Raven groans as he turns his body on the ground, his
head turns and his swollen eyes meet mine. Blood runs from his mouth and nose but a small smile on his face forms when he spots me. He thinks I’m here to stop them but he doesn’t know that I’m only about to inflict more pain on him.

Grimm kneels down and looks Raven dead in the eye. I can tell how hard this must be for Grimm, he put all his trust into Raven to look after his daughter and Raven took advantage of that trust.

Raven and I were the only options for him, the only ones young enough and wise enough for his plans, he was going to make one of us watch over Harley, convince her to accept the Club as her family.

Grimm knows about my issues
, I’m not one for physical touch and the only other option was Raven and seeing as Harley was already close with Raven due to the car accident, it only seemed fitting. If I had known
then
what I know
now
, I would’ve been the one to look over Harley from the start.

E
ven though Ryan, road name Buck, was in the picture taking care of Raven, Grimm still took him under his wing. When Grimm found me, he took me in too. The man never stopped talking about Harley, I swear the moment I actually saw her for the first time I felt as if I had known her for years. Grimm made sure to tell us every waking moment how he prayed for her to be an old lady to one of us. I think the man had it all planned out in his head the moment she was born but unfortunately while he was forcing Harley onto Raven he didn’t realize that his daughter had a different plan in mind…. One that didn’t revolve around being part of his club.

Grimm’s
hands shake as he leans down to speak to Raven. He looks up and motions for the rest of the guys, including Buck to leave the room. I don’t move a muscle and when Grimm looks up to see me still standing there he doesn’t tell me to leave either. I hear the barn door close after the last person leaves.

“Jace…” Grimm lets out a deep breath as he looks down at his own hands, wiping away the blood on his split knuckles
over the denim jeans he wears. Grimm never calls Jace by his name and this surprises me.

“You don’t
realize what you have done…” he takes a deep breath shaking his head.

“
You think about putting your hands on any one of my woman again and I promise you boy… I’ll get Hunter to put you down.” Raven and I both shudder at the promise that Grimm’s voice holds.

I don’t think Grimm
realizes that I would never be able to fulfil that order if it ever did come to that. I would do anything for Grimm, I’ll be loyal to him until my time on this earth is up but that is
one
thing he can’t ask of me. Raven’s death will never be at my hands.

Fury surges through me, I’
m angry with Grimm for even thinking I would kill my brother and I’m furious with Raven for putting me in this predicament. I watch as Grimm ruffles Raven’s thick black mess of hair before standing up, Grimm shakes his head, the disappointment in his face can be seen so clearly.

He walks up to me, I’m a taller tha
n Grimm and although he is made of muscle, I’m a lot bigger than him.

He looks up
to me as he speaks. “You know what I expect of you Hunter. Don’t be a pussy and disappoint me. I know he’s your brother but this is the only way we can help him. We’ve tried the talking thing…it doesn’t work and I won’t let him hurt any of our woman in the future. Think about Willow Hunter.”

With that being said he leaves, I think about Willow, I think about how small and fragile she is
and then my mind moves onto the terrible things that I went through at the hands of people who never got punished for their actions.

A red haze takes over my mind, and I turn to Raven.

He cries out when I pick him up by the front of his shirt.

“Why did you do this?
Brother, do you see what you’re forcing me to do!” I scream at him. He closes his eyes and cringes, holding his hands over his ribs.

I pull him up closer to me, knowing that Grimm is probably watching
right now, testing me to see if I’ll follow orders; watching me to see if he can still trust
me
.

I don’t bother
turning around to check.

“Look what you
’re making me do!” I say softly.

He’s weak so I keep holding him up. He lifts his head up then whispers in a strangled tone, “I know what I deserve…just finish it…please.” He wheezes. I
can hear the defeat in his voice. He knows what he did wrong and I don’t think it’s even necessary for me to have a go at him right now but it has to be done.

I push him away and before he gets a chance to fall I punch him right in the jaw, not my hardest either, just enough to knock him out so he isn’t awake for the rest of his beating. I kick him a few more times rather
exaggeratedly until Grimm pulls me back to stop.

He looks down at Rav
en’s passed out bloody body then looks up at me and nods. He walks straight out and seconds later I hear the sound of their bikes as they ride away.

I look down at Raven then run the palms of my hands up my face
. I bend down and pick him up throwing his battered body over my shoulder.

He’s out cold.

I pay off a local doctor to check him out, I don’t want it getting back to Grimm and luckily enough people around this area are more afraid of getting on my bad side then Grimm’s. They know Grimm doesn’t get his hands dirty…but me on the other hand?

I live for it.

The doctor cleans Raven up and confirms my suspicions about his broken nose and
a couple bruised ribs. I won’t be able to get Raven into a hospital without Grimm knowing, so Raven will have to do that on his own once he’s awake if needs be. The doc gives him a heavy dose of pain meds and then swiftly leaves. I don’t miss the petrified look he gives me either, as if I’d chop him up in little pieces and bury him in Raven’s back yard. Nah… I wouldn’t do that, the man is not evil enough.

I target monsters and sinners, I know who they are, what they look like and smell like
; I am one of them after all. Grimm has to order it though but besides that, I won’t hurt anyone who is innocent.

I decide to stay until Raven wakes up. I leave him sleeping on the bed with a couple ice packs on his ribs and go down to the porch, sitting on the steps and drinking one of his beers. I scratch my fingers through the stubble that has grown on my jawline.

I pray that he gets his shit together because I don’t know how long I can keep cleaning up his fuck ups.

CALEB POV

I’m so pissed, so fucking pissed! When I get my hands on that piece of shit I am going to rip him apart. How dare he take her from me? I told him back then that she was mine and I meant it. I don’t care what happened in the years we lost being apart. I’m back now for good and he better understand that.

Hunter told me that Grimm and the boys are setting him straight
and Grimm expects Hunter to play his part in it too. Whatever the hell that means.

He says that Jace is going to have to earn his trust and loyalty back from Grimm and
that Grimm doesn’t intend to go easy on him either.

I hold my girls in my arms and breathe in Harley
’s scent. I love her so fucking much. I can’t go through that again. I knew after an hour that something was wrong. Willow started looking around asking for her Momma. My mother and the twins kept her busy while I left to find Harley. I heard Roxanne’s cries as I parked my car.

The door sat wide open; I ran in and found her tied to a chair, blood running down the side of her face.

“They just left!
You need to get her!” she cried hysterically.

“Where is
she? Who took her?”

I manage
d to untie her, I knew who took her but I needed to hear her say it. She pushed past me once she was free and grabbed her cell phone dialing a number.

I knew she wasn’t t
here but I looked around the house anyway.

“One of you
r fucking boys just took Harley! No, don’t you dare tell me to calm down Grant. This is exactly why I didn’t want her living with you.” There’s a pause as Roxanne paced the living room “She called him Jace. I swear to God if anything happens to her, I will take down your entire fucking club.” With that, she threw the phone on the couch.

I’d
never seen her so angry before. Of course being best friends with Harley growing up I was always around the house and I realized long ago that Roxanne was an unfit parent. She was hardly around and was always laid back, not really giving a fuck about her daughter.

When Harley walked through that door an hour and a half later, I could breathe again. The girl was my world I don’t know how I survived all those years without her. I give her one last kiss behind her ear before I close my eyes.

Chapter 2

HARLEY POV

It’s been two weeks since Jace took me. I haven’t heard from
him and don’t know what happened to him. I’m not sure I even want to know what my father did to him, I saw his split knuckles and I heard Hunter telling Caleb that he got in a few punches so I know they each had a turn. I don’t want to think about it though.

Truth be told I do care about
Jace and I worry about him, but he crossed the line once again and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive him this time. I haven’t been back to my apartment either. I’d rather not be anywhere near the bar or the Club House. Caleb made sure to bring me straight to his house on the beach, he’s doesn’t want me anywhere that Jace might be and I don’t blame him for that.

Today my father
is meeting Caleb for the first time, it’s also the day Willow and I officially move in with him.

To say I’m nervous is an understatement
; Daddy definitely holds a grudge against Caleb but if Caleb really wants this to work out between us he needs to have this conversation with my father. I don’t know what I will do if Daddy doesn’t accept him.

“Harley you all done up there?” I hear Caleb’s voice downstairs. I stand in the doorway looking at my new walk in closet. All my clothes from my apartment don’t even begin to fill half of it.

“Yeah, comin
g!” I yell back taking one last look at my new beautifully furnished bedroom. All my photos of Willow that I had in my apartment cover the walls of our bedroom. I’ve added recent photos I’ve taken of the two of them together to add to the collection, I’ve caught Caleb staring at the photos with a huge smile on his face a couple times.

I stop by Willow
’s room a few doors down. Caleb had it painted pink and purple and although the walls and bedding have a princess theme, the toys that lie around the room look like a little boy sleeps here. Apart from the teddies and a Barbie I bought her, toy trucks, cars and motorbikes are all over her floor and bed. I smile to myself thinking about my little tom-boy.

Anna
took Willow this morning while I unpacked the rest of our things, which basically consisted of clothes and memorabilia. Since I am going to rent out the apartment, I have left all my furniture behind.

I run downstairs just as Caleb and Brent place a
few boxes of pizza on the kitchen counter. I can hear Jesse chatting away with my mother on the patio facing the ocean. Momma decided to take some time off from the Strip club since the whole Jace ordeal. Turns out her current boyfriend is sort of a hippie and wants to take her travelling down the coast. Tomorrow she leaves on her journey and I couldn’t be happier with her decision.

“Come here.” Caleb pulls me into him and holds me tightly against his hard chest. I breathe him in then lift my head to look at his beautiful face. He smiles then brings his lips to mine and I let him kiss me.

“
I love you so much baby, I’m so glad I get to wake up next to you every morning.” He whispers against my lips as he rubs his nose against mine softly.

“
I haven’t left your side Caleb, been waking up next to you for a while now. Aren’t you sick of me yet?” I reply leaning into his touch.

“I’ll never get tired of being around you Harlz.” Is all he says as he presses his lips to the middle of my forehead.

I smile at him as I wipe my hand through his shaggy black hair. He reminds me so much of the sixteen year old boy he was when he looks down at me like this. He has cut his hair a little but it’s still messy as ever. He was going to shave it but Willow wouldn’t allow it, she likes his long hair because she can play with it but Caleb said it was getting to hot to handle so he got a trim.

“You two love birds done yet?” I hear my
father’s rough voice. I quickly break away from Caleb and look over his shoulder to give Daddy a big smile even though I’m blushing real bad. He smiles back at me as I run to give him a hug.

“Don’t hurt him please.” I whisper in my
father’s ear, he doesn’t respond, only chuckles.

My father looks up to Caleb and gives him a firm nod, Caleb doesn’t look scared in the slightest only a little nervous. “
You and I need to have a chat.” Caleb leads him to the home office.

I let out a deep breath
praying my father won’t murder my man.

“Mommy, c
an I have some?” Willow runs in carrying a whole box of pizza. I laugh, “Of course sweetie. Here.” I take the box from her and hand her a piece then walk with her to the patio, where everyone is laughing and chatting. Holly is sitting on one of the patio chairs chatting to my mother about her upcoming trip.

Anna bends down to sit next to me on the edge of the pool with my feet in the water watching Brent and Jesse play with Willow in the water.

“How you doing babes?” Anna says sounding concerned.

“Times like this?” I look around at the people that make up our family, “I’m doing good… but when I think about that night and the way Jace hurt me out of rage, I’m not okay. I don’t know what happened to him, how can he change from angry to sweet and gentle so easily? I just don’t get it.” I say soft enough for only her to hear.

“Jace
is bipolar Harley, I know you didn’t know about that and it’s no excuse… but that
could
explain some of the things he did. He has anger problems too but you knew that. None of us knew about his disorder, we only knew about the anger issues. He told your father that he was ashamed of it and didn’t want Grimm to think he couldn’t control himself. Jace needs the club and couldn’t bear to lose the family he’s built with the MC.” She takes a breather and smiles and waves at Willow.

“
Hunter says Jace hasn’t been taking his medicine like he should have and that’s why he keeps having those strange episodes.” Anna explains sounding sad.

My eyes widen.
“Why didn’t he tell me? I knew there was something wrong, I’ve seen him take the pills but I was too afraid to ask…” I run my hands through my hair, I’m not surprised by this information considering what he’s put me through and how he’s acted lately but I am surprised he didn’t tell anyone.

“He still hit me though. He can’t use
his bipolar as an excuse for that.” I say softly placing my hand against my cheek remember the way it stung. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive him.”

“Your daddy hit me
once before too.” I whip my head up to look at her.

“What?” I frown.

“Your granddaddy and a couple guys from the club beat the ever loving shit outta him, never hit me again. I know it was a mistake from the moment he did it though. You should have seen his face.” She giggles. “Swear I would’ve pissed myself laughing if my cheek didn’t hurt so bad. Anyway…” she swats her hand through the air shrugging, “...he apologised for days and explained to me that he lost his head. Now the only spanking that gets done is in the bedroom.” She winks at me then smiles.

I don’t know how she finds this funny.
I scrunch my eyebrows up disgusted. “This conversation is over.” I shake the images out my head still in disbelief that my father could ever slap a woman.

“Well how come I wasn’t invited to the party?” Holly gasps and I turn to find the face to match the deep voice.

“Connor?” I scrunch my eyebrows up confused.

I remember Caleb’s big brother from when I was still in high school, he was like an older brother to me too. But this man doesn’t look anything like the fresh cut clean frat boy I knew back then. Colour fills his arms, neck and chest, all of which are on display through his black wife beater. He has a light blue thick streak standing out from his long thick black mass of hair. He’s still tall as ever but he hasn’t got the bulky muscle that Caleb and the twins have, Connor has a lean swimmers body. He doesn’t have his brother’s eye colour either; he’s got his father’s grey eyes. Even under all that ink and the lip and brow piercings, he still is one hell of a beautiful man.

“Damn, don’t look so horrified.” He chuckles then turns to look at his mother who is sitting on the edge of her seat speechless.
When I asked Caleb about Connor he told me all about the fallout his family had. When Holly divorced her husband, Connor went to live with his father since he had moved closer to where Connor was attending University; Holly took this as a form of betrayal and stopped all communication with Connor. As months passed, Holly realized the error of her ways and knew none of what was happening was Connors fault so she tried to get in contact with him. He never returned any of her calls or his brother’s attempts at piecing their family together.

“Con…” Holly says quietly.

“Who are you?” Willow breaks up the moment, walking up to him dripping water all over the patio. She’s oblivious to the tension in the atmosphere. Brent and Hunter watch silently from the steps of the pool. Hunter’s body is tense, eyes fixated on Connor standing near Willow. My mother is watching him from afar with concerned eyes and Anna is checking out his body; I’m pretty sure she’s admiring his ink.

Connor eyes look down to
Willow with a frown but it quickly vanishes as he bends down to her level.

“I could ask you the same question
kiddo.” He says with a smile tapping her nose.

Willow puts her hands on her hips. “I’m Willow. Did you come to join the party?”

Connor smiles, “Well Willow, I’m Connor…” he sticks his hand out and Willow shakes it. “And yes…I’m crashing this party.” He winks at her then stands and looks up to me.

I smile as I make my way over to
him; he opens his arms and hugs me tight.

“I didn’t even know you were back Harley. We looked for you, you know.
Caleb was so messed up after you left but I still wanted to hurt him so bad for what he did to you-”

Willow tugs on the chain that disappears into the back of his denim pocket interrupting him
mid-sentence.

“Willow baby you’re being rude.” I scold her but Connor seems amused by my little girl’s attitude.

She points her finger at him with a frown on her face, “You won’t hurt my daddy, okay? You can come to the party but you have to be good.”

“What?” Connor looks at me confused.

“I’m sure he will be a good boy Willow.” I hear the amusement in Caleb’s voice before I turn to see the smile on his face.

“Daddy!” she runs and jumps into his arms giggling when he lifts her into the air.

“
Daddy
?” I hear Connors soft voice beside me.

I look up to him and grin. “That’s your niece right there.”

He covers his face as he starts laughing. “I thought she looked familiar! My God, she even does that hand-on-your-hips when you’re trying to give me attitude thing, exactly how you do it. How the hell didn’t I see it, she even has our jet black hair and her father’s big green eyes.” Those who watch the exchange soon join in on the laughs, even Daddy does. Connor’s laughter soon dies down and he pulls me in for another hug, he whispers against my shoulder, “She’s perfect Harlz.”

“Not saying I don’t dig all the ink and everything you got going on now but what the hell happened to you bro?” Caleb says giving his older brother a tight hug. Willow’s back to playing in the pool with Brent and Hunter and the ladies and my father are chatting away. Holly seems to have disappeared.

“I stopped trying to live up to father
’s expectations and started doing what I love.” He smiles brightly then playfully punches Caleb in the shoulder.
“Can’t believe you have a kid man; I’m an uncle and I didn’t even know about it!” he sighs looking back at Willow with a smile on his face.

“Well you
have
been MIA. We’ve all been trying to contact you and get a hold of you and you just disappeared.” Caleb says.

Connor scratches the back of his head looking rather nervous. “Yeah I know
… that was my bad. I shouldn’t have blown you guys off for shit that didn’t have anything to do with me to begin with. Bygones be bygones right? I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere so I might as well sort my shit out with mom so I don’t miss out on anymore.”

“She’s in the house.” Caleb says gesturing toward the glass sliding doors. Connor nods and heads for the house.

I watch from the other side of the table as my father places an arm over Caleb’s shoulders, he murmurs something and
they’re start chuckling. Relief floods me and I smile at the picture. I look across the table to see Anna and my mother smiling too.

“This boy knows a thing or two about bikes.” My father smiles proudly as he pats Caleb’s back…of co
urse they have a lot in common.

Everything between Holly and Connor
also looks to be getting sorted and she seems happy that Connor is back in her life.

I’m busy washing the remaining dishes when Connor walks into the kitchen.

“Need any help?” He offers.

“Nope, I’m nearly done.” I pull out the plug and rinse my hands then dry them. I turn to him, “So how long you staying? Do you need a place to crash? You can stay here if you want?” I ramble on concerned.

He pats the top of my head and sit
s on the kitchen granite counter top. He grins, “Calm down Harlz, I’m all good.” He chuckles, “I’ve already booked a room for the rest of the month and I’m going to look for places in the meantime. Anna says she’s going to hook me up at her studio too. She needs someone to run it, I’ve got all my tattoo equipment ready to go… can’t wait to get started.” He says happily.