L
Everything around us moved still. Prospects were cleaning up. Brothers were checking in on their woman and kids. All I did was hold mine. My woman. My kids.
"Thank you for listening to me," I whispered to Jennie as she leaned her head against me.
"It wasn't easy," she admitted. "Joshua is the only reason I did."
"Gotta thank that kid," I mumbled.
We sat quietly again. Seokmin was gonna call church at any moment. I didn't want to leave them, but we needed to figure out our next steps, and I needed to tell Jennie what happened. That wasn't a conversation to have with the kids around though.
They didn't need to hear their father was in chains in our shed. A bullet in his leg I only stopped the bleeding to so I could kill him myself. Slowly. Or help Jennie do it. Whatever she preferred.
"We need to talk," I whispered to her.
She pulled her head out of the corner of my neck, nodding at me.
"Where are the rest of the kids?" she asked.
"Probably in the nursery," I replied. "They were good. Didn't see or hear a thing."
She stood with Olive, sweeping her right from her lap into her arms. "Come on, bud," she said to Holden, holding her hand out to him.
He hopped off my knee and took his mama's hand. They walked two steps before he turned around and held his other hand out to me. A lump formed in my throat. I listened to my brothers talk about their kids before, how much they loved them, how life changing having them was.
It didn't mean anything until you experienced it for yourself. I never thought I'd get here, never thought I would have this. A family.
I saw Jennie blink away tears, trying to be subtle about it.
Taking Holden's offered hand, we walked back towards the nursery.
The prospects were working so quickly everything was mostly cleaned up. The kids played like nothing had happened, because to them, nothing had happened.
Storm took one look at the mess and said, "I'm not cleaning this up."
That kids had his dad's smart ass mouth. They didn't understand the mess or where it came from, only enough to know it wasn't his responsibility to clean up. People who didn't spend time around kids always underestimated how smart they were–myself included until my brothers decided they were gonna start popping out enough to staff a football team.
Once we walked in Jennie squatted down and set Olive on her little feet. She hugged her tightly and then she was off, rushing towards Storm and Blade.
Holden stood more shyly than his sister, like he was watching her, protecting her.
With a squeeze of my hand, he tilted his chin up and walked towards where the other kids were playing.
"Thank you for keeping them safe," Jennie said as soon as they were gone.
"I think of them like they're mine," I told her, pulling her to me. "I'll never let anything happen to them. Or you."
"I know."
"Come on," I said, pulling her out of the nursery. "Let me tell you what happened."
She came willingly, checking over her shoulder once to make sure the kids were still playing. They were.
I pulled her down into the med room, hoping it was empty.
It wasn't.
"You're fine," Carrie said, pulling Eunwoo's t-shirt back down.
"You done trying to get my woman to feel you up?" Ten snarked.
"Hey," Miyeon interjected, ready to defend his man. "She's the one running her hands up and down him like he's a slab of meat."
"All three of you are ridiculous," Carrie said smartly, completely uninterested in the comic relief they offered. She could tease and joke around with the best of them, and wasn't timid anymore, not afraid to give the brothers as much shit as they gave her. Her only rule though? Not in the medical room. When she was in nurse mode, nothing else mattered.
"Get out," I said, in no mood to deal with any of them.
Eunwoo and Miyeon left first, Miyeon cooing over his man the entire time. He got nicked by a piece of glass that fell while everyone panicked. He was arguably fine.
"All good?" I asked Carrie.
"Yup," she replied. "Everyone is whole. Only a couple stitches needed."
She still had a hard time letting other club's members die. Taehyung lost three before they fled and he was captured. I could still see the guilt all over her face for not intervening to save them. Ten would comfort her though.
Once they were gone, I pulled a chair up and sat in it, pointing at the exam table so Jennie would sit there.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Honestly, most of it was over by the time we got here," I told her. "The drive was too long." She nodded her head along with my words, leaning forward. "There are tire marks burned all over the pavement. They tried to breach the fence, but eventually, Seokmin let them in. He laid a trap."
"Cunning," she smirked.
Sometimes I forgot she was used to the violence, that she didn't run from it like some of the other old ladies. She reveled in the blood. Not the same way I did, but enough.
"Taehyung got injured by the blast they set up, and his men fled."
"They left him behind?" she asked. The surprise in her voice was surprising to me.
"You didn't expect that?"
"I mean, I guess," she conceded. "Still, it's a little surprising."
"By that point, Tex had turned on them. They didn't kill enough of them though."
"What next?"
"When they fled and left Taehyung, Seokmin shot him in the leg," I continued.
"He killed him?" she asked, anger radiating off her whole body.
"I got here in time to spare his life. I know you want to be the one to end it. And you will be," I vowed. "And that's all I know. Tex fled too so there's no update on him. Seokmin is gonna call church soon so we can figure out next steps."
"I want to see Taehyung," she whispered.
"You can. But not until after church. I don't have to go into where he is with you, but I want to be outside in case you need me. Plus I think Seokmin wants you in Church."
"'Kay," she conceded reluctantly.
"You'll get your chance to gut him, babe. I promise."
Appreciation washed over her face.
"Or you'll let me do it, but it's going to be one of us. We have him, babe. Now all we need is your father."
"What about the rest of Taehyung's club?" she asks, worrying her bottom lip.
"I don't know. Hopefully Seokmin will have an update for us during church. I'm sure he's reached out to Tex."
"I hope Tex is alive."
"Me too," I whispered.
There was nothing else to say, not right now. So I stood, wrapped my arms around her and held her, thanking whatever powers that be for her safety, that she came back to me, for our kids, that this was finally almost fucking over.
A knock on the door had me lifting my head and looking towards it.
"Seokmin called Church," Toast announced. "He wants her there too."
"On our way," I said, effectively dismissing him. "You ready?"
"Yeah," she breathed, her breath tickling the side of my neck as she pulled me close again. "I'm just ready for all this to be over."
"Me too. Then we can focus on other things, like putting a baby in you."
"Who knows," she whispered hopefully. "Maybe you already have."
Her hand slid down to cradle her stomach. There was no way to know for sure without taking a test, but I hoped to hell she was already pregnant. I wanted nothing more than for us to have another kid.
"We'll keep practicing. And as much as I'd love to start that right now, we've got church and shit to handle."
She hopped off the table and I walked us towards the church room.
It was full, save for the three seats at the head of the table.
Pulled Jennie into my lap and waited. The guys were silent.
The mood in Church was always unpredictable. We were dark, and could find humor in the worst of times. When things were good, we laughed and joked too. It was rare that the mood was this somber, quiet as an actual fucking church in the dead of night.
Seokmin rolled in with Jaehyun and Ten, wasting no time to speak as he sat at the head of the table, "I talked to Tex. He recruited enough brothers to take over the club. Anyone who was allied with Taehyung is dead."
"What now?" Lucas asked.
"Not our club, not our business. I told him he had an ally in me, but he needs to make sure his shit is clean and his club is run tight."
"Not our circus, not our monkeys," Joshua mumbled, getting a few chuckles from the crowd.
"You're safe," Seokmin said to Jennie.
"Not yet she's not," I said. "Her father is still out there."
"Working on it," Jack chimed in. His head was ducked so far down behind the computer I can't see him, just the rise of smoke from his joint coming out.
"I'lll send a team out to apprehend him when we figure out where he is," Seokmin said. "You've got enough shit to deal with. Which leads me to my next point. What are you doing with Taehyung?"
"I'm going to kill him," Jennie said, voice gruffer than I've ever heard it. Lethal and deadly.
"You sure you're up to the task?" Ten asked.
"Yes," she replied.
I had no doubt she was, but should she change her mind in the middle of it, I'd be there to finish the job for her.
"When?" Seokmin asked.
"As soon as we're done here," she replied.
"Good. I want this cleaned up and handled," Seokmin said.
"I've already ordered new windows," Lucas said.
"Lockdown can be lifted," Seokmin added. "Take care of yourselves and your families. Wonwoo and Joshua, take Money and Toast when you apprehend Jennie's father. I want a full report. It's time to start figuring out if we're going to patch them in or not."
A few discussions broke out, talking about the pros and cons of each prospect and if they should be patched in. I hoped they were, if only for the patch party.
"Enough," Seokmin shouted. "Dismissed!"
The guys scattered but Jennie stayed on my lap.
"You good, babe?" I asked once it was just the two of us left, cupping the side of her face to turn her to look at me.
"Yeah, a little nervous," she admitted.
"You don't have to do anything," I whispered, pulling the hair away from her neck. "I have no problem being the one to end him."
"I know," she whispered, shifting a little, turning in my lap to face me further. "I need to do this. It has to be me. For everything he did to me, for the things he put my kids through. I need to be the one to do it so I know it's finished. That he can't hurt us anymore."
"He won't ever hurt you again. It doesn't matter if I'm the one who ends him or if you are. You will never suffer harm at his hand again."
She leaned against me, like she could pull some strength from me if she just touched me. I let her, waiting until she was ready to stand and go face the biggest demon in her life.
"I'm ready," she whispered after a few moments.
The clubhouse was quiet as we walked through, everyone finally free to leave. The kids would still be in the nursery, staying there until we were finished.
When we got to the shed, Money stood guard.
"You can go," I told him. We wouldn't be needing backup.
He nodded once and then disappeared.
"I'm right here," I reminded her as I opened the door, letting her step inside.
I'd been thinking about something for a while. I didn't tell her about it because it was going to startle her and I didn't want her getting lost in her own head, to think too much about it.
If she said no, she said no, and I'd respect that.
As soon as she stepped inside, I followed her inside, wrapped my arm around her waist and dragged her to me, flicking on the overhead light.
It illuminated Taehyung who didn't look surprised to see either of us.
"I've got a different type of plan," I whispered in Jennie's ear while trailing my hand up the center of her until I got to her throat. "I think it's about time your ex learned what it's like when you actually come for a man. What you look like lost in pleasure. What it looks like for that tight cunt to get fucked by the only one who ever should have fucked it."
"Oh fuck," she whispered, melting back into me.