Page 46 of Jaded Red

“She’s right,” Danyella says from the doorway. “You should let her make this decision, Red. She needs this closure.”

“Well, fuck.” Matt scrubs a hand down his face. “Fine. Once you’re out of here, you can make the decision on how you want to participate. I’m not happy about this, but I guess I don’t have a choice.”

I lean closer to Matt and he puts his arm around my shoulders pulling the two of us close. “Thank you, Matt. It means a lot.” Matt kisses the top of my head and he runs a finger down Matthew’s nose. Matthew squeaks and his mouth parts like he’s hungry.

Nolan steps forward with a look of awe on his rugged face. “Can I see my nephew?”

“Of course,” I hand Matthew over to Nolan and he’s smiling and talking to our little guy. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Matthew Nolan Phillips.”

Nolan’s eyes snap up to meet mine with a look of shock on his face. “You named him after me?”

“I did. I wanted him to have the names of the two strongest men in my world.” I smile at Nolan and he grins from ear to ear.

Krimson steps forward and whispers something to Nolan. He nods his head and looks back at me. “I want you to meet someone.” Krimson leaves the hospital room and Nolan hands Matthew back to me. A few minutes later, she comes back in holding the hand of a young boy who has sandy blonde hair, similar whiskey-colored eyes and a smile that rivals Nolan’s.

Nolan takes the young boy’s hand and leads him to my bedside. He bends down so they’re at eye level with each other. “Sherwood, I’d like you to meet your Aunt Nadia.”

Sherwood offers me a timid wave and I smile at him unsure how to proceed. “Hi, Sherwood. How old are you?”

Sherwood is watching the baby in my arms. “I’m nine but small for my age. But Dad says we’re working on it.” He touches Matthew’s little leg. “He’s cute. Am I related to him too?” Sherwood looks up at Nolan.

“Yeah buddy, this is your cousin, Matthew.”

I give Nolan a confused look and he shakes his head. Now isn’t the time to get into it but from the look in Nolan’s eyes when he watches his son, I’m sure it’s a story that will break my heart. I promise myself that I will help protect my nephew no matter what happens. He might not be a Royal Bastard by member, but he will be a Little Bastard through me.

Chapter Twenty

Nadia

Matt, Matthew and I came home from the hospital two days later. It took a while for us to adjust to the small Clubhouse room and the noises coming from the members, Ol’ ladies and patch bunnies throughout the day and night but we did it. Exleigh and Syvanna have been with me every step of the way. They even go as far as spoiling Matthew. He lets out a little whimper and the two of them are right there, picking him up, cuddling him or feeding him. They’ve been a Godsend these last few weeks.

I can tell they’re still struggling with what happened to them, but I have to remind myself time will heal them. They’ll never be the same as they were before, but they will become stronger after what Josiah did to them. They’ll be survivors.

I’m just laying Matthew down for a nap when Kensi and Matt come into the bedroom.

“Come on, Pulchra, I have a surprise for you,” Matt whispers into the quiet room. He takes my hand and pulls me out. “Kensi is going to watch Matthew for us for a little while.”

Matt gives me a wink that always sets my panties on fire, but since I’m only three weeks post-partum, I know we’re not goingto take the edge off. According to the doctors, we have another three weeks before we can be intimate.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“You’ll see.”

Matt pulls me down the hallway, through the common room, out the garage doors and into another building behind the Clubhouse that I didn’t even know existed. The old rusty building has a creepy vibe to it, creating goosebumps on my arms.

“Matt, I don’t like this,” I say running my palms up and down my arms, trying to warm myself up.

There is an old musty smell in the dark building that invades my nose. The floors are made of concrete and the walls are made of sheet rock. There are no visible windows either. Matt keeps a hold of my hand and together we enter a room in the back. The first thing that hits my nose is the smell of piss, vomit and copper. A man is chained to the rafters in the ceiling. His arms are stretched as far as they can go and his toes are barely touching the floor. He’s shirtless and blood covers ninety percent of his exposed body. I don’t recognize this man strung up like a pinata until he lifts his head.

My whole world stops when I come face to face with Josiah. The man who’s haunted my dreams and has a starring role in my nightmares. He snarls and tries to get me but the chains wrapped around his wrists prevent him from going very far.

I look at Matt with confusion on my face. “Matt, what’s going on?”

Matt stills Josiah’s moving body with the tip of a bat. Josiah tries to kick it out of Matt’s hands but he can’t lift his legs. “Danyella’s speech at the hospital really got to me.” Josiah snarls and Matt sends the bat into his solar plexus, effectively shutting him up. “When she said you need to make the decision on this, I couldn’t see why. I didn’t want you to be exposed to somethinglike this. Ending a life isn’t easy and the guilt you feel afterward eats away at your soul. I wanted to protect you from that, but you were right. You need this closure.” Matt hands me the bat. “If you want to do this, I will not stop you.”

I carefully take the bat from Matt’s hands. Shuffling feet behind me draws my attention. Trigger and Tiny come strolling into the room with Exleigh and Syvannah behind them. Both women are terrified but it’s not from being around these two men, it’s from leaving the safety of the Clubhouse.

The two women are visibly shaking while hanging on to each other. I was really hoping they were healing after what this scumbag did to them, but it’s apparent they’re not. Their eyes are pinging all over the room and neither one of them sees Josiah hanging from the rafters right away. Exleigh is the first one to see him, then her eyes fall to me holding the wooden bat.

---