Claiming Sunshine (18 page)

             
He pulled away. “Are you fuckin' crazy?! Fuck you... in your dad's room on his bed. Do you want me dead? Do you hate me?” He couldn't believe how brazen she was being, but then again, it was him that was gonna already get the shit beat outta him... not her. “Gotta go.” He gave her a quick kiss on the top of the head and stealthily got the hell outta that room. “Crazy fucking bitch,” he muttered under his breath, as he made his way down the hall to his own room.

             
Meagan rolled over on her dad's bed and text him back.

Daddy: No Problem. See you in a few. Love you. Please don't hurt Joe. I love him Daddy. Xoxo Meg.

              Scooter read the text, and ran his hands over his face in frustration. What the fuck happened to his focused, academic, athletic daughter. He had to get her back on track.

              After taking a breath, he turned back to Nikki. “Hey Sunshine, we need to talk about this.” He ran his hand down her arm, and laced his fingers with hers.

             
She tried to pull away after a second and he tightened his grip on her fingers. “Pulling away from me is not going to work this time, Babe.” He attempted to gently pull her over to him and she stayed put.

             
He contemplated whether he should force her, or try to ease her to him. He chose to go with easing her.

             
He was in thought about how to handle her, when she quietly went off on him.

             
“Scooter, what the fuck did you guys do? That is my husband, Jen and Nelly's father, and you killed him? What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?” She paused and he was about to say something, when she continued. “I'm taking the girls, and moving. I can't be here with you anymore. This is all just way too fuckin' much. All of this, because of me... Meg, Sam trying to rape her, pulling a gun on me and girls... it's all just way too much.”

             
Once again, the room started to spin, and she faded out. Scooter caught her and laid her on the couch.

             
FUCK!!! He thought to himself. What was he suppose to do with all of this? She was going to run. How was he going to keep her, reclaim her? He had done it once but this was so different. Dragging her off and telling her how it was gonna be, didn't seem like the right thing to do here.

             
She started to regain herself, and opened her eyes. There he was, ready to rescue her. The first thought that went through her head was... Oh, that must have just been a bad dream. Then she remembered that she had just fainted. Nope, real life.

             
“Sunshine, are you ok? You really scared me,” he said, as he sat on the edge of the couch, next to her.

             
She nodded. “I'll be fine.”

             
“You have to realize that he took my daughter, tried to rape her, and beat her up. I know that all of this is totally crazy, and I don't make a habit outta offing people, but I couldn't just give him another chance. Not after what he had already done to you, and the girls. He was a loose cannon.” Scooter stood, giving her some space to sit up.

             
“I just don't know what to say to you, or what to do next. I don't have money to move, but right now, I just want to run as far as I can from all of this,” she said just sitting there, in complete shock.

             
“Nikki, imagine if this was someone that took one of your girls, smacked them around, and then tried to rape them... wouldn't you want them 6 feet under?” He paused so she could mull it over and answer.

             
She slowly looked up at him. “Yeah, but that is not where I’m at. I am a mom of two girls that knows her boyfriend just killed their father. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?”

             
He sat next to her. He could feel her physically stiffen at his touch. “We will work this out together.” He went silent, to see if she would come around.

             
He felt her start to relax next to him. “I think we need to take a break. I'll find another job,” she said, as she scooted a few inches away from him.

             
“I'll meet you half way, Sunshine. I told you from the start that you are mine and I gave you the chance to walk, you stayed. I will give you your space and I will stay away from you at work so you don't have to find another job. After two weeks, if you still want to run, I will give you the money to get the fuck out. But if you do leave, that will be it. We will be done. And, just for the record, everything that happened today... it never happened.” Scooter got off the couch and turned back to her. “I love you Sunshine.”

             
She sat there and stared as he left her house, and went out to his bike. She was in total shock. He was going to let her go. He was going to let her walk away. The enormity of how confused she was really set in. She thought there was going to be a fight, and instead, he just walked. What. The. Fuck?

             
She stayed glued to the couch, even though there was a part of her that was screaming inside for him to come back. She stayed, trapped, she just sat there. She heard Meagan arrive, and then she heard him take off on his bike, with Meagan on it. As she heard the bike fade into the distance, she whispered.... “I love you too.” Tears rolled and she fell asleep there on the couch, completely exhausted.

              Drifter had sent Jewl to his room the moment he walked into the clubhouse. He needed a drink before he dealt with her.

             
Jewl waited and waited for him to come to his room. She knew he was still pissed. “Get your ass into my room and stay there. I'll be back in a few, to talk,” he had told her, when he returned from burying Sam's body. Well, body parts. Pointing towards the hallway, she went without hesitation.

             
As mad as he was, he couldn't help but love her for her obedience. Part of him just wants to go fuck her, but he knew it would turn into rape, and he needed to let her know that what she did, was never to happen again.

             
He walked down the hall, and entered his room. The shower was going and the bathroom door was open. He walked in and announced himself. She said she would be right out.

             
Sitting on his bed, taking off his boots, he was trying to figure out what to say to her when she re-entered the room.

             
“Sit,” he said, pointing to the chair by his dresser, across the room. He knew he needed to have some distance from her. He wanted to dominate her, but he needed to talk to her first.

             
She sat down, wrapped in a towel. “I am so sorry, Drifter. It won't happen again. Please don't hit me. I don't think I could handle you hitting me,” she pleaded.

             
“I would never hit you,” he told her. “I want you to stay in that chair until I am done. I need to stay away from your body until I get myself under control. I am going to yell at you and then I am going to take a shower and calm down. Then you, and me, you get me?”

             
She nodded, and waited for the yelling... and she got it. He yelled, slammed stuff around, broke a lamp, and put a fist through his wall. All the while, telling her that she was to never ever to spill shit she wasn't supposed to. He stayed on the opposite side of the room the whole time, keeping the distance from her. She sat with her head down the entire time, flinching as he threw things around and punched things.

             
He finished “Look at me, Hun,” he said.

             
She looked up, making eye contact with him, tears falling.

             
He smiled at her. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I will calm down and then I am going to take you again in my bed. You need to be in it, without that fuckin' towel, when I get outta the shower.” He winked at her, and shut the bathroom door.

             
She was so happy. He had just single handedly scared the shit out of her, making her want to run, and reclaimed her, all at once. She was hooked. She smiled and let the towel fall to the floor, as she climbed into his bed, and waited for him to get done with his shower.

Chapter 10

              The girls woke her up the evening before, all freaked out because Scooter was gone. She told them that there was no danger with Sam and she made her way to her room to sleep for the night. She knew the girls were worried about her, but she didn't have the energy to explain, and told them she would talk to them in the morning.

             
She woke to the alarm clock... time to start a new day and act like everything was fine. Could she? She was ready to give it a go.

             
She told the girls at breakfast their dad was missing and that for now they were all safe. If they saw him, they were to call 911 and report it. They were both not completely satisfied with that answer, but she assured them that they were safe at school, and Kate's and she would be with them the rest of the time. “What about Scooter?” Nelly asked. “Yeah Mom, we want him here too,” Jen added.

             
“Scooter and I are taking a break. Nothing you girls need to worry about, just need some time apart.” 

             
They started to protest and she cut them off, telling them to finish getting ready for school.  There was no more said about it. She took them to school and headed to the shop.

             
When she arrived at the gate, it was open. There it was. His bike parked in the back, next to the clubhouse. She took a deep breath and pulled into her usual place, next to the shop truck. Gathering her lunch and purse, she sucked it up and made her way across the gravel to the office.

             
She made it into the office and the tears came. This was all just too much, too soon. She wanted to drop everything and run to him. She wanted to feel his arms cradle her, and tell her that it was all going to be ok. Fuck, this was so hard. She sat and cried at her desk for a moment, before pulling it together.

             
She heard the tow truck pull in and she knew that Charlie was there. Wiping her tears, she went out into the shop to make coffee, and grab the time cards from the previous week. She had plenty of work to keep her busy. As she sat back down at her desk, she heard his bike start.

             
She stood to see if it was really him, and there he was, slowly cruising across the lot to the gate. Before she knew what was happening, she was in the open doorway, watching him pass. He lowered his sunglasses and winked at her, then took off down the road, leaving her there, with tears falling once again.

             
Charlie saw the interaction, and slowly came over to her. “You ok?” He gently put his hand on her shoulder. “You want me to rough him up a bit for you?” he said, half joking.

             
She laughed a bit through her tears. “No Charlie, it’s fine, just having a hard day.” Turning, she went back into the office to grab her purse, and hit the bathroom for some fresh makeup.

              She didn't see him for the rest of the day. She did see Drifter several times though. Scooter had sent him in to see if she needed anything. He was still going to take care of her from a distance. She thought to herself... Is this how it would be if she moved? He would have friends checking on her?

              The next few days got easier and easier without him. She kept reminding herself that this was what she wanted and all she had to do was say the word, and he would be back. The thought that kept her from that, was she knew that they would both be better off. No more drama, kidnapping, murder, guns pulled, the list goes on. However, there was also no more feeling safe, feeling loved and appreciated, feeling like she was the only woman in the whole world when they were together. The pro's and cons were a constant fight in her head.

              She got to work Thursday morning and his bike was parked in its usual spot. Her heart skipped a bit. She hadn't seen him since Monday. She did her best to blow it off and went into the office. He was sitting at her desk. She stopped in her tracks.