A special big thanks to DarkChild19 for your review the only one the last chapter had :) - I was starting to think the chapter wasn't gonna get any review love!
I love Ella and Kozik and what I have in mind for them so this story will definitely be finished, the last two chapters have been quite hard to write as I kept coming up with new ideas but from now on, it should flow quite effortlessly as I have most of it already written and just needing tweaks here and there.
I hope people are enjoying this story despite the lack of reviews and since I'm still getting Favs and Follows (thanks so much for that. ) I'm guessing people are reading it and it's the most important thing for me, however don't hesitate to let me know if the story is working for you as it help me know that I'm in the right direction.
And now I promise, no more long winded author notes !
So here it goes, read, enjoy and review!
Chapter X – You got me all wrong
Ella rolled in her bed fighting with herself trying to get back to sleep. She didn't need to look at a clock to know it was way too early to be up, her internal one was telling her everything she needed to know. After a few minutes, she realised fighting was pointless and wouldn't be getting back to sleep. She opened her eyes blinking as she adjusted to the bright light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, she'd remained still, staring at the ray of sunshine cutting through the room, feeling strangely tranquil until the events of the day before washed over her like a furious wave and it all came back to her, the drive in the ambulance, the extreme warmth of the hospital waiting room, holding her mother's hand as she drew her last breath, the argument with her father, people showing up at the house and…Kozik
She flicked her eyes to the night stand beside her and realised it was barely six am but she felt a surge of nervous energy take control of her body. She pushed the covers and got on her feet before walking to the windows and sliding the velvet curtains open. She took in the landscape, perusing the fields standing in front of her which were bathes in the warm glow of the rising sun. The ranch was always beautiful this time of the year. Summer was ending, but autumn had yet to settle. The colors were the glorious variations of green and yellow of a summer hotter than usual that would soon turn to a burning auburn red come the new season. Ella opened the window and took a deep breath in, closing her eyes to fully appreciate the smell of fresh morning mist was humid and watery but the bright skies told her it was going to be a beautiful day. She let the window open and walked into the en-suite bathroom, catching her reflection in the mirror and wasn't surprised by what she saw. Her eyes were puffy and ugly dark circles had sneakily appeared overnight. Ella let out a resigned sigh. She felt exhausted, having had the hardest time falling asleep, the night before, her mind playing the same words over and over again as she tossed and turned in her bed. "You don't have to be alone. You just are." She shouldn't have cared, she shouldn't have given a damn about what this man thought about her. But yet, despite her best efforts, she had been unable to push him away from her thoughts.
In one swift movement, she took off her camisole, dropped her shorts and panties to the floor kicking them away with her feet and walked in the shower, turning the water on. As the hot water started battering her body, Ella allowed her thoughts to go back to Kozik again. What was it about him? Why was it that despite knowing exactly who he was, what he was, she couldn't shake him? Sure, she was physically attracted to him. She knew that and had admitted as much to Gillian. He was what most girls would describe as a hunk, blond spiky hair, strong arms, and bright blue eyes. But more than anything it was his smile that drew her in everytime. Playful and sexy, his grin was his best feature. There was no denying that her body responded to his presence in a way that she almost couldn't control. But what rattled her the most was the way he kept seeing through her. He had been right that night at the club, about her wanting, needing to be in control. He had been right again about her being alone. Having this man she thought she had figured out within minutes on the side of a road a few weeks ago, turn tables on her and surprise her by reading through her like you read an open book scared her. How did he do that? Before even trying to answer the question, she made the decision to park all thoughts of Kozik away. Today was not about him. Today was about her mother. There was still much to be done before the funeral scheduled the next day and she couldn't let thoughts of a certain biker mess with her head.
She finally turned off the water and stepped out, surrounding her body with a towel. She squeezed her hair to remove the excess water and walked back into her bedroom. She felt a chill as a light breeze came through the window. She opened her drawers taking out underwear and pulling it on before reaching for denim shorts and a flowery blouse her mother had chosen for her, telling her it brought out her eyes, topping it with a heavy knitted cardigan. She decided to abstain from any make up today and after slipping into her tan suede biker boots, she made her way downstairs.
She was barely surprised when she entered a spotless kitchen that bore no signs of the fact that nearly a hundred people had been eating and drinking there the night before. After her conversation with Kozik, Ella had decided to go to bed but obviously, the women had cleaned until the wee hours of the night no doubt under the orders of Gemma Teller while the men drunk and headed back to close quarters with crow eaters hooked to them.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and found comfort in the steaming brew. Although the temperature would go up as the day went by, the morning was still crisp and fresh. She pulled open a drawer, taking out a notepad and a pen and sat at the kitchen table. It's all in the details Ella thought to herself as she started furiously jotting down thoughts of what needed to be done. She felt a chill and wrapped herself in her cardigan as she pulled her legs to her, resting her heel on the edge of the chair.
Ella was startled by the sound of steps behind her. She turned around in a jolt and realised it was her father. His piercing eyes narrowed on her as if he was also surprised to see her there before averting his gaze. "Morning." He greeted with a raucous voice.
"Morning." She murmured flatly as she watched him pour himself some coffee. He kept his back to her as he sipped the hot beverage in silence. Despite the fact that he still lived here, she had not been expecting to see him this morning. She had thought for sure that he'd take refuge at the ranch or between Darcy's sheets.
"When are you going to the funeral home?"
"11."
He turned around. "I can come with you. If you want" he mumbled, almost hesitant."
If Ella hadn't been already sat, she might have fallen on her ass. From any other husband that statement would have made sense, been welcomed but this was a man who had abandoned her mother and her when they needed him the most, choosing to spend his days and nights away, the man who hadn't even been able to tear himself away from his precious club long enough to say goodbye to his wife of twenty five years. So she said the only thing that came to mind. "Why?"
"She was my wife Ella."
She scoffed. "I'm surprised you remember that."
He sighted loudly and put down his coffee. "I don't want to fight with you Ella. I… I know it's not always easy for you to see it but I loved your mother. I always did. I know you're angry and I know you're sad, but we need to stick together as a family. That's what your mother would have wanted."
Ella felt her blood boil and stood up to face him. "How dare you? How dare you say you loved her? You don't hurt the people you love Ray. You know what my mother would have wanted Ray? A husband that didn't cheat on her, she would have wanted a husband that didn't terrorize her every day. She hated that she married you. She hated what you had become. She hated you with every fiber of her being. You do not know the first thing about what she would have wanted." She seethed with indignation.
His eyes flashed with anger and fury and his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white making Ella take a step back her knees bumping onto her chair. He realised she was scared of what he might do and that thought seemed to snap him out of his rage. He swallowed hard and Ella saw his shoulders relax. He suddenly looked tired, old, his eyes reflecting a weariness she had never seen before. "Suit yourself." He calmly concluded before exiting the room without another word.
She let out a deep breath and sat on the chair, drained. There was always so much tension in her exchanges with her father but this conversation was different, it felt different for some reason. She had thought he was going to hit her. She had no doubt man she had known her whole life would not stand such provocation. But he hadn't. Instead, he had looked…heart broken. Checking her watch, she realized she needed to get everything ready before her appointment at the funeral home and dismissed the thoughts of her father before heading upstairs.
Kozik felt like shit. His night had been restless. After the boys had decided to move events back to the range and a bunch of crow eaters had decided to join them, he had tried to brush any thoughts of Ella Strickland away and have some fun, but it had quickly become obvious that he wouldn't be able to. He kept going back to his conversation with her and was guilt ridden about it. The girl had just lost her mother and was obviously grieving and he had gone and scolded her like you scold a naughty child. He just hadn't been able to contain himself and has seen red when she had made insinuations about him and his club. Kozik was always very protective of the family that had stood by home day in, day out, the very people who had been there for him when no one in his blood family had. But he felt like an asshole for reacting the way he did and instead of finishing the night with a crow eater in his bed, he had ended it alone, with thoughts of Ella Strickland keeping him awake until wee hours of the morning. Kozik parked his bike on his usual spot and hopped off his bike. He marched towards the range and pushed open the door greeting Darcy on his way in.
"Hey Darcy."
"Hey Kozik." She replied withdrawn.
"You alright, doll?"
She flicked her eyes to him and quickly looked away. "I'm fine thanks."
He shrugged and made his way to the back offices. As soon as he walked in, he was hit by a very familiar smell. "Bobby Elvis, what did you do?"
Bobby chuckled, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he held out a box of freshly backed muffins. "Blueberry."
"You are going to make a man very happy someday, Bobby." Kozik teased as he took a bite out of a muffin.
"There's coffee on the table…asshole." Bobby replied before continuing his round.
Kozik grinned at him and walked to the table pouring himself some black brew. He felt a strong hand grip his shoulder and spun around immediately recognized the Charming President smoking a cigar.
"Hey Kozik."
"Hey, what's up Clay? How was the motel?"
"Walls too thin. Had to listen to Tig and the little receptionist at it all night."
A confused frown creased Kozik's forehead "Darcy?"
"Yeah, why? "
That explained why the usually bubbly and slightly arrogant girl was acting all weird today. Guess Ray had had enough of the girl in the end. "No reason, just asking."
Clay let out a cloud of smoke from his mouth. "So how are you liking Tacoma?"
Kozik considered the question. So many things happened in such a short span of time that he hadn't actually thought about it much. "It's been good so far. Can't complain really."
"Well, good. I'm happy to hear that." He stepped closer, a concerned look on his face. "We heard about the prospect. It's awful shit. Kid was what 22?"
Kozik clenched his fist, he still felt somewhat responsible for the kid's death. "21" he replied through gritted teeth.
"Shit like that, it's never easy on a club."
"It's been tough, but we're handling it."
Clay was slowly nodding, "I couldn't help but notice some… tension within your crew last night." he locked eyes with Kozik. "Anything I should know?"
Kozik suddenly felt uneasy. He had known his old president was fishing for information; after all Clay had never been one for small talk. Kozik knew what the man was asking. The scene between Ray and Pete hadn't been lost on him either. But as much as Kozik respected and loved Clay, he couldn't betray his new charter and his new president.
"Nah, like I said, it's just been a tough couple of days."
Clay could tell Kozik wasn't being totally open with him. He didn't like it, but he had to respect it. So he just smiled. "Glad to hear it. We miss you, man."
Kozik smiled. "Miss you guys too."
"Dark Oak is always a favorite. We have cherry or the traditional mahogany. Or If you prefer one of our cheaper ranges, pine is always a good option too!"
She had gotten to the funeral home half an hour ago and since then the funeral director a small man with a red rounded face had been hammered her with all sorts of questions while showing her the "house catalogue." Ella tried to concentrate on the words coming out of the man's mouth but was failing to make any sense of them "Yes." Ella replied absent mindedly.
"Which one, Dear?" he insisted.
She looked up trying to remember the list of choices the old man had given her."The… Mahogany?"
"Very good choice. It's very elegant."
There was something weird about describing a casket to burry her mother in as elegant, but she didn't have the will or the energy to discuss it further.
"Now for the inside what do you think of silk?"
"Great." she said without conviction. She lifted the bag she had brought with her. "I have her dress, some jewellery, things she would have liked to have with her."
The old man nodded "You can leave those with my wife Wilma. We'll take good care of it."
She saw the man look at her with pity in his eyes. He probably though she was overwhelmed by the grief over her mother's death. And she was. But it wasn't what had her sitting there, unable to really react, quiet sorrow sweeping over her. She had always thought she knew her mother. She thought she knew her past, knew her thoughts, her moods. But the discovery she had made that morning had shattered that belief in a millions pieces.
Ella entered the darkened bedroom, stopping at the threshold of the door remembering all those afternoons in the last few months where she had sat by the bed reading to her mother. Setting aside the painful memories, she busied herself and chose her mother's dress, picking a emerald green chiffon number that her mother had loved. It had long lace sleeves, a sophisticated bodice and a pleated skirt. To go with it, she selected the emerald and gold earrings her mother always wore with this dress, black pumps, and pearls Ella had gotten her the previous Christmas. She opened a drawer looking for a diamond hairpin that had belonged to her grand mother and found an early edition of catcher in the rye, her mother's favorite book. She opened it and found a photo of her holding Ella the day she was born. Ella delicately brushed the photo with her fingers before putting the photo back in the book and placing it in the bag with her mother's clothing. She was about to close the drawer when she spotted a piece of paper pointing at the bottom of her mother's jewellery box. She held it up and noticed it was actually an envelope taped under it. She removed it and looked at the cream envelope. She opened it and took out a single shit of paper. Realizing it was a letter addressed to her mother; she sat down and started reading. After finishing, she had remained frozen in the same spot unable to move, unable to process what she had just read. She had just learned a crucial lesson; things weren't always as simple as they seemed. She suddenly felt nauseous and just had the time to run to the bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach.
"Miss Strickland? Are you okay? Would you maybe like a glass of water?"
She shook her head, suddenly making a decision. "No thank you. I need to get going."
He stood up "I'm assuming I should be sending the bill to your father."
Ella stood up too, taking the hand he held up to her. "Yes, please." She replied before hurriedly exiting leaving the bewildered man behind.
Ray surveyed the packed room aware that every brother in the room had his eyes trained on him. Five charters across three states were represented, including the mother charter. Some were sitting, most were standing, and they were all waiting for the President to speak.
"It has been a difficult few weeks for Tacoma, we all thank you for coming down. My daughter and I we thank you too."
"Anytime brother." Clay chimed in.
Quinn, the nomad president chose this moment to speak up. "Ray, we're hearing a lot of noise about this beef with the Mayans. Where are you guys at with that?"
Remebering his conversation with Pete rhe night before, Ray's eyes flicked to his VP accusingly before reverting his attention back to his brother in arms. "Romero and I have reached an agreement, we hold off on retaliation until he cleans up house. In exchange, he gave us the rat who sold us out and got the prospect killed. That was taken care off."
A few Tacoma member's shifted on their seat which didn't go unnoticed by their brothers.
"You have a timeline on when Romero expects to do this…clean up?"
Ray's look moved to Bobby Munson who had asked the question. "Let's just say I've never been known to be a man of patience."
"Now Brother, I know you guys lost a man and we share your anger. But you need to thread carefully before launching on a full blown war with the Mayans. We don't want a repeat of 92."
Ray eyes glared at Clay with piercing blue eyes and anyone else that the ruthless Charming president would have had chills down their spine from his look alone "With all due respect, Clay, this is a decision for this charter to make."
Clay raised a hand to appease Lethal Ray. "I hear ya brother. But you might want to remember that what takes place here might blowback onto other charters."
Ray nodded "We want to avoid that. That's why I made the agreement with Romero. But should we decide to go through with retaliation we'll be sure to let you know."
It was a battle of the wills that was fascinating to watch, each man claiming power over the other. One was a founding member of the club, the other one of his most ruthless and feared representative. They were both glowering at each other, contempt in their eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, Clay slung back into his chair with a devilish grin conceding to his opponent. "You do that Brother."
Ray acknowledged him with a nod before hitting the gavel. As one, the men stood up to exit the room that had suddenly become suffocating. Before he could make another move, Ray turned to Pete "Stay." He ordered. They waited for the room to empty and without even looking at him, Ray rasped. "You bring up my wife or my daughter to me again, I will put a bullet right through your heart." There was no doubt in either man's head, that Ray would execute his promise.
Pete snorted, shaking his head sadly at what a thirty year friendship had become. He stood up without another word and left Ray alone in the Chapel. Ray was about to stand up when his cell phone rang. He took it out and checked the caller ID before answering. "Who's this?"
"It's Augusto Romero."
"Dealt with your nephew yet?"
"The girl wasn't part of the deal."
"Collateral damage."
"That collateral damage was my niece and I'm afraid my nephew was rather fond of his sister. I will not be able to stop retaliation for this. That is on you my friend. Have a good day. "
Without further ceremony, Romero hung up leaving Ray to contemplate the consequences of what he had done.
Ella parked her car and stopped the engine but didn't make a move to leave the car. She was trying to summon her courage for the conversation she came here to have. The relationship between her parents had always been black and white for Ella but after reading the letter, it was as if she was starting to see nuances of gray. She didn't know what she was going to say but she needed to talk to him, ask. All this resentment, this anger towards her father for destroying his marriage and their family, could it have been misdirected? Unfaithful old ladies weren't usually brought back to the fold and forgiven. Unfaithful old ladies were shunned from the club, shunned by their families and expropriated. But Ella was sure that Ray had known and yet he had kept on the charade with Nell until her death. She knew he wasn't an innocent victim and he had made a lot of mistakes as well. And as much as Ella wanted to believe it didn't change anything, it did. She let out a deep breath and got off the car before locking it and making her way towards the range.
Darcy opened her compact mirror and checked her neck to see the marks his fingera had left on her neck. She tried to fend off the tears that were threatening to fall down, her mind bringing her back to her conversation with Ray earlier that day.
He had walked into the range as if nothing had happened the day before, as if he hadn't publicly declared her fair game for every Son to have.
"Ray, can we talk?"
"I don't have time for any recrimination Darcy."
"Okay, but can you at least tell me what I did?" she pleaded tears chocking her. "I thought you loved me."
"Loved you? You're a sweet butt Darcy, a club whore passed around to serve the boys needs. You might want to remember your place"
"But i don't understand what I dId?" she repeated eyes pleading
"You show up in my wife's home on the day of her death and dare to ask me what you did?"
"I didn't mean any disrespect Ray, I swear. I'm sorry, please." She touched his arm and straight away realised her mistake.
In one swift movement, his hands closed on her throats pushing her unceremoniously against the wall. "You and I are done, you filthy whore." He hissed in her ear.
She felt him squeeze his fingers tightening his grip before finally letting go. "Don't you ever waste ny time again."
She heard the door push open and arranged her hair to hide the bruises as she flashed her best smile to a customer. "Hello, may I help you?"
"I have a lesson at 1? I'm a little early."
"Yes, of course, take a seat in the waiting room, I'll let the instructor know you're here." She pressed a button letting the boys in the back know a customer was there, just as the door opened again. She looked up and was surprised to see Ella Strickland walking in. The prissy princess usually avoided the range like the plague, considering herself too good for it. She walked to Darcy. "Hey, is Ray inside?"
"They're in church."
"Oh, I… what happened to your neck?" she demanded when she spotted the bruises.
Darcy adjusted her hair to hide the bruises again. "Nothing." She replied dismissively.
Ella bore her eyes into Darcy's and felt blood chill in her veins. "He did this to you?"
The tears that had been threatening to fall earlier were glistering dangerously at the surface of her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She tried to turn away from Ella but Ella grabbed her hand and forced Darcy to face her. The receptionist violently removed her hand from Ella's grasp. "Why do you care? You should love this Ella. He dropped me. No one will ever touch me now. All I'll ever be is a sweet butt. I guess that makes you happy?" She composed herself and wiped the tears away. "Like I said, nothing happened."
Ella felt her mouth dry up, silently admonishing herself for being so naïve. For a moment, she had almost forgotten why she hated her father, almost forgotten what he was, choosing to feel sorry for him. Watching the pain on Darcy's face, the humiliation reminded her of what man he truly was and that regardless of her mother's mistakes, he was the only one responsible for that. She turned on her heels and made her way to the door.
"I thought you were here to see Ray."
"I was wrong. " she replied sadly before exiting.
Kozik jogged down the corridor, he was late for his 1pm lesson although he had to admit he had hoped the woman wouldn't show up. The old lady wouldn't have been able to hit a target if it hit her in the face but she loved guns and the guys had taken the habit of indulging her "Anything for a paying customer."He opened the door separating the offices from the reception just in time to spot Ella walking out of the parking lot.
"Kozik, your client's waiting."
He couldn't tear his eyes away from Ella, she seemed upset hurriedly making her way towards her car. "Yeah, tell her I'll be a minute." he absent mindedly replied before following Ella outside. "Ella!" he called out.
She spun around and their eyes locked. Even from a distance, he could tell how tense she was, silent fury in her eyes as they silently communicated across the parking lot. Ella finally broke eye contact, shaking her head as if refusing for him to look at her any more and got into her car. He started running in the hope of catching up with her before she drove off. "Ella, wait!"
But he was too late and by the time he reached her, she was already peeling away and out of the parking lot.
If Ella hadn't looked at him through her rearview mirror, she might have been able to spot the dark colored vintage Deville which pulled away as she passed by.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope to read you review soon!