Page 21 of Unbreakable
I turn to Quinn, "Please drive safe with her on the back of that thing," I tell him.
With his signature smile he holds up his index finger, "First, my bike is not a thing she is a Harley Davidson Heritage Softail. Second," he holds up a second finger, "I've had my little sister on the back of my bike before, I can promise you I'll keep her safe, Grace."
Quinn has a little sister?
"Please, Mom," Remi grabs my hand and bounces. I look at Jake, and he smiles.
"Quinn may be a goof a lot of the time, babe, but I trust him," he says to put my mind at ease.
"Okay," I relent and turn to my daughter, "call me as soon as you get home," I inform her. Jake, Finn and I watch as Quinn secures a helmet over her head and helps her onto the back of his bike. He slides his aviators over his eyes and signals a two finger salute before pulling out and driving down the road. As soon as they are out of my sight, I fold my arms under my breasts and give Jake and Finn a look. "Alright, now someone let me in on what's going on," I ask the two of them.
Finn slips his hands into his pockets and is the first to speak. "Come on; I'm using the apartment above the bakery for a while. Let's head up, and we can fill you in," he ushers.
Eager to find out, I allow Jake to guide me up the stairs with his hand possessively placed on the small of my back. Jake reaches around me and unlocks my old apartment door. Everything inside is the way I left it. Dresser drawers left open in a rush and a couple of dirty dishes still sitting in the sink. The same wave of emotions I was feeling that night rush over me. I was scared to love someone again. Afraid of the feelings I had been hiding for a long time. I have let fear rule my life for a long time. Not anymore. "Okay," I place my bag on the kitchen counter, "I'm listening."
"I'm working with Jake and the club to bring down Ronan and several of his family members, and I've taken a leave of absence from the force to do it," Finn informs me.
"Wait. Why? What's changed? Has he found us?" I choked my words.
"No, babe," Jake assures me, "but O'Rourke feels the Kings can offer him something more. He's right; we can. We can offer him a reach that’s beyond the law. The club has connections which can allow us more of a backdoor to the inner workings of the De Burca family. I know you are aware who Logan's Father is, am I right?" Jake studies me.
Many conversations with Bella about her family has clued me into many facts, and my own experiences have made me acutely aware who Demetri Volkov is, or of him anyway.
"Anna…Shit, I'm sorry…Grace, I want you, Remi, Glory and her family to have a normal life again. I know that unless we put Ronan behind bars or somewhere more permanent that will never happen," Finn says with certainty.
He's right. The De Burca family is ruthless, and Ronan won't stops until he finds us. "Finn," I say with a sigh.
"Yeah?" he answers back.
"Two years. Ronan has been looking for us for two years. He took my mom from me; he almost took my life. The evidence you already have against him, you're positive it isn't enough to take them down?" I question. What the two of them are talking about puts all of us in the middle a war zone. Should I have heeded the warning my parents gave me? Why did I have to be so blinded by what I thought was love?
"No, we need more to have anything that will hold up in court. Unfortunately, money talks and even dirty money if the amount is right can help persuade influential people. They have covered their tracks well, and we have found no witnesses to anything besides you. You are our only witness to a crime they have committed."
He's right. "Promise me one thing," I look to both of them, but my eyes settle on the man I love, "Promise me by the end of all this my daughter stays safe. I don’t care about myself. The most important person in the middle of everything is Remi. It's always been Remi."
Jake takes my face in the palm of his hands, "Myself, the club and O'Rourke will protect both of you with our lives, Little Bird. I can promise you that," he vows.
Standing a little taller I hold back my emotions. I won't waste another tear due to the name Ronan De Burca or anyone associated with the last name. I'll fight alongside my new family if need be to protect the ones I love.
13
Jake
It's early Sunday morning. Grace and I lay awake in bed with her tucked into my side. Both our internal clocks usually have us up before the sun. We lie here together, neither of us saying a word. Something Grace and I have in common is we are content with silence. Although this morning she is the first to break the stillness. "Will you tell me about your wife?" Rolling over Grace turns to face me, then tucks her hands under the side of her face as her eyes fixate on mine. "You've told me she passed away from cancer, but you have never really talked about her." Gauging Grace's face, I see nothing but warmth and curiosity, and she must take my silence for something else because she tries to shut down her question. "Never mind. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sure this is a painful subject for you," she rushes out as she goes to move away from me.
Reaching out, I snag her around her waist and haul her back towards me. "Come here, babe." I rumble. "You have nothin' to be sorry for. I want you to know you can ask me anything." Once her body relaxes back into me, I continue. "I never talked about Lily because I wasn't sure you wanted to hear about her."
"Of course, I want to hear about her," Grace says. "I just never asked because she was your wife. Losing someone is painful. I still have a hard time talking about my mom and dad. So, I can't begin to imagine the pain of losing a spouse. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Jake," she chokes out.
"Don't cry for me, Little Bird," I say claiming her mouth with mine. After stealing a kiss, I sit up on the bed and lean back against the headboard bringing Grace with me, and she rests her head on my chest and wraps her arm around my waist. "I only had Lily a few short years, but I'll always cherish the time I had with her.
Lily was spontaneous, quick-witted, caring, and at times wild. I met her not long after I retired from the Army. She came into the garage one day, and the rest is history. We fell in love, married and she was by my side when I started the club, and I was by her side when her sister died, and we took Logan in.
Then I was by her side when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and then I held her as she took her last breath. When Lily died, I thought she took a part of me with her. I was lost for a long time. Until you."
Feeling wetness spilling onto my chest, I look down to find Grace silently crying. Placing my finger under her chin, I coax her to look at me. "The first day I walked into your bakery, and you looked at me, that was the day I was found. That was the day I no longer felt I was roaming around this earth without a purpose because, in that exact moment, I had found my purpose. Before Lily died, she made me promise that when I found the woman I knew was meant to be mine, to never let her go. You, Little Bird are my promise. Nothing and no one on this earth is going to take you from me." I say with conviction.
By the time I'm done speaking Grace has tears running down her face, and I wrap my arms around her and haul her up my body and hold her as she buries her face in my neck. Once her tears have stopped, and her body is no longer trembling, Grace pulls her face from my neck and cups my face with her delicate hands. "I love you, Jake Delane."
