Chapter Eight

ALIANA

~“Alex, I swear I didn’t do anything!” I begged the man I once thought I loved, the man I once believed loved me. But this isn’t love. It’s something else entirely.

“You’re lying, Aliana. I saw it myself. You’re nothing more than a whore. You wanted him, didn’t you?” His words were venomous.

“Alex, I’ll tell you what you want to know about Broken Angels, but only if you go easy on me.”

“I’ve been out of that world for four years. I don’t know anything!” I protested.

SMACK

He didn’t like that answer. It’s been like this for three years now. I could taste the blood in my mouth, feel it trickling down my chin.

His fist connected with my face next, and I felt the sting of a fresh cut on my cheek. I cried out in pain. He hit me twice more, and I could already feel my eye swelling.

“You couldn’t resist him, could you? Now, tell me, where’s the warehouse where they keep their supplies? We’ve found all the others, but this one’s eluding us.”

“I swear, I don’t know. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you! You can beat me all you want, but I won’t say a word. I didn’t even come on to him. He tried to rape me! But of course, you’d believe him over me.

“What else is new?” I need to escape. I’ve tried before, but there must be something I haven’t thought of yet.

“Well, if you won’t talk, I’ll just have to kill you and those little bastards you’re carrying.” He threatened.

“H-how do you k-know about the babies?” I stuttered. He couldn’t possibly know about them. I didn’t even know I was pregnant when I was left on the side of the road. How could he know?

“Please, don’t hurt them. I’ll tell you. Just let my babies live. They’re innocent, not like their father. They’re innocent!”

“It’s too late now.” He pulled back his steel-toed boot, aiming for my stomach. But before it could connect, I was yanked back to reality.~

“Aliana. Baby, wake up. It’s just a dream. Ali!” I woke with a start, sitting up so fast I nearly hit Axyl’s face.

“He knows about the babies. He’s going to kill them.” I sobbed, burying my face in his chest.

“He won’t touch them. I promise, baby girl. You and the girls are safe.” Axyl reassured me.

He held me close, his hand stroking my back soothingly as I sobbed into his chest.

“He knows. He knows.” I kept repeating, my body shaking with sobs.

“Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe. Our daughters are safe. He doesn’t know about them. Calm down. I’ve got you.” He murmured.

The sound of boots pounding down the hallway made me jump, and I clung tighter to Axyl.

“What the fuck, Westyn!” Axyl shouted, his arms tightening around me.

“I heard her screaming.” Westyn replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Ali, are you okay?”

“He knows. He knows. He’s going to kill them. He knows.” I repeated.

“Who knows what? And who’s he going to kill?” My father asked. I hadn’t realized I’d been screaming in my sleep. Of course, my dad and brother would come running.

Why was my dad still here? Shouldn’t he be at home?

“She had a nightmare. She’s convinced that Alexander knows about the twins.” Axyl explained.

“Church in ten. Your mom and pops dropped the boys off on their way out of town.” Westyn added before he and my dad left the room.

“Ali…baby. It’s okay. Let’s go see the boys. I know Murdock would love to see you again, and you can finally meet Danny in person, not just in pictures.” I nodded, starting to calm down.

Murdock was five when I left, and Danny wasn’t even born yet. He just turned three right before I arrived.

“Sounds good. Let me get dressed.” I got up from the bed and went to our closet, pulling out a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. Once I was dressed, Axyl and I headed downstairs to the main room.

“Daddy!” The youngest boy, Danny, ran up to Axyl, who bent down to scoop him up in his arms.

“Were you good for Mimi and Pop Pop?” Axyl asked.

“Yeah, but Dock was mean.” He replied, pouting. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

“I was not! You wouldn’t leave me alone! I just wanted to play my game in peace, and you came in and messed it up.” Murdock defended himself.

“I play with Dock,” Danny said, pouting again and crossing his little arms over his chest.

“Okay, well, you know that when your brother wants to be left alone, you should respect that. And Murdock, you know your brother just wants to spend time with you.

You two are going through a lot, and he wants to be close to you. I want you both to meet someone, and then I have to go to church.” Axyl said.

“Whatever.” Murdock muttered.

“Don’t start, or you won’t be playing video games for two weeks. Now, knock it off and get over here.” Murdock rolled his eyes but obeyed his father. “Murdock, do you remember Aliana?”

“Yeah. Hey, Ali.” He greeted me.

“Hey, Murdo. You’ve really grown since I last saw you,” I said. Murdo was my special nickname for him, and he’d always insisted that I was the only one allowed to use it.

Despite my rocky relationship with Lana, I’d always been close to Murdo.

“You remember the nickname you gave me?” He sounded surprised, then he threw his arms around my neck and squeezed. “I’ve missed you.”

“Danny, this is Aliana. Ali, this is Danny,” Axyl introduced us.

“Well hello there, handsome,” I greeted Danny, and he giggled in response.

“You like daddy?” He asked.

“Of course, she does. She always has. Are you and my dad together now?” Murdo chimed in.

“Well, I do like your daddy very much, but I think you and your brother are giving him a run for his money. Think we can just kick daddy out of the group, and it can be me, you, and your brother?” I proposed to Danny.

“Hey now,” Axyl protested, just as Danny enthusiastically agreed. “All right, why don’t you boys go with Ali while I go to church and don’t even try to take my woman.”

“You, baby girl, don’t try to kick me out of this little family. Now, give me your lips.” Axyl planted a kiss on my lips, set Danny down, and then headed into church.

AXYL

“All right boys, what should we do? I vote we start with food,” I suggested.

After leaving Ali with the boys, I made my way to the room where we held church. I was ready to get this bastard out of our lives for good.

Ali hadn’t had a nightmare in a little over a week, and each one that she did have never involved the girls. When I walked into the room, I took my seat next to Westyn and we waited for the others to arrive.

“How’s she holding up?” Westyn asked.

“She hasn’t had a nightmare in a week, and they’ve never involved the girls. I think she’s shaken up because of that aspect, but I have her with the boys. I hope that it’ll be enough to help her out of it,” I replied.

“I think it will. She’s always loved Murdock before she left, but there’s some information that we came across and the reason for church. You’re not going to like it,” he warned.

Before I could ask what it was, the room started to fill with our brothers. Westyn banged the gavel and called church to order. “Listen up! We have some intel on this whole shitstorm going on with my sister.

“Somehow, he found out that she’s pregnant.” It took a moment for what he said to sink in, but when it did, all I saw was red.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE KNOWS?! HOW DID HE FIND OUT!?” I jumped out of my seat. The chair flew back and hit the wall.

“Cannon! Sit your ass down,” Westyn ordered. I picked up my chair and sat my pissed-off ass down. “I have two theories. One, he has someone watching the clubhouse, but she hasn’t been out of here since she’s been back.

“Except to go to mom and dad’s, but their place is right behind the clubhouse. Still within these walls. Two, we have a rat and you know how I feel about rats.”

“She’s only been out back around the pool when she’s not at your mom and dad’s. She hasn’t been in front of the clubhouse or in town since she’s been here.

“Unless they have someone in the back of the house, which I don’t think they could, then we have a rat and it’s just put my family in danger,” I stated.

“I agree. I have a feeling I know who it is, but can’t be completely sure as of yet, but I do have a plan to bring them out,” Westyn revealed, and that caught my attention.

“I’m going to be taking Aliana and the boys to a safe house. I don’t care if you disagree or not. She’s pregnant and if he knows she is, then he knows she’s with me. This, in turn, puts my boys in danger,” I declared.

“Reaper and Trigger, you’re with Cannon. Whatever you do, do ~not~ tell Dash.” Dash was the newest patched-in member. He was a prospect before Ali left, and for some reason, they haven’t liked each other.

I never thought about it, and to be honest, maybe I should have. “He’s been in a mood since Ali has been back. Never trusted him and don’t trust him now. I’m going to tell him a different location than where you are going.

“Griller, Tank, Ghost, Ink, and I will stake out said location and find out if he’s the mole, and if he’s working alone or with someone. For his sake, I hope he isn’t, on both accounts. He and Ali have had some issues in the past.

“From what I understand, he had feelings for her, and she didn’t reciprocate. She’ll be worse on him than any of us will. We all know how she feels about traitors.

“She went three fucking years being beaten because she wouldn’t turn her back on us. Any questions?” Everyone shook their head no. “All right, let’s get the everyday shit taken care of and get on with it.”

It should take us around thirty minutes to finish everything else up and then I can get my family safe.