Page 26 of Wire
CHAPTERTWELVE
Tallulah
I’ve been avoiding Tanner’s calls. Not because I don’t want to talk to him, but because I do. I’m desperate to hear his voice. But I can’t because I know I won’t be able to keep the surprise. After the first week of Tanner being gone, my brothers were already sick to death of my moping around the ranch. I was miserable without him. I felt like a part of me was missing. I wasn’t eating properly, and I couldn’t sleep either, having gotten used to feeling Tanner next to me in bed.
Tanner has been working hard with his new PTSD therapist. He seems to be coming to terms with what happened to him. He still has a long road ahead of him, but with the intense sessions he’s been having every other day, It’s getting easier for him.
I know he hasn’t approached his family yet, he said he wanted to have more therapy and be a little more confident he could handle not only seeing them, but he knew that he would need to explain his behavior and admit what had caused it. I’m not sure that is something he is ready for.
My brothers have been urging me to go to him. Carter said they would always be my brothers, and Madison would always be my home. But my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Not even Nutmeg could cheer me up. But what sealed it for me was the call with Tanner the other day.
His therapy has been going so well, but they were building up to the details of what had been done to him. That session hit him hard, and I could hear the pain in his voice. But there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t support him, couldn’t hold him while he dealt with the trauma and the horrific details of what had happened in that warehouse.
Yes, I’m aware of the basics of what happened. Dr. Reid felt it might be helpful if Tanner told me what he was comfortable with so I had more of an understanding but also so Tanner could see that it didn’t change the way I feel about him at all. In fact, it had the opposite effect. It made me love him more. To survive what he has and fight to get his life back only makes me love him more and shows me the strong man that he is.
That is what led me to where I am now. After that call, I knew what I needed to do. But in order to do that, I couldn’t talk to Tanner. I would ruin the surprise as I wouldn’t be able to not tell him but also, he would hear it in my voice.
So, after being on the road for several hours, it has now been three days since I last spoke to him. He’s been blowing up my phone, but I turned it off as I know he’s a computer whizz, so he could easily track me if he wanted to.
I’m now pulling up to the gates of the Sons of Havoc MC clubhouse. I tried the motel first, but they told me he checked out, which led me here. The clerk at the motel gave me directions, and I found them easy to follow. A man who looks in his early twenties is standing guarding the gate.
“Can I help you?” he asks.
“Yes, I’m here to see Wire,” I tell him, trying not to sound nervous.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Tallulah.”
He walks off to a small guard house and seems to be calling someone. While I wait, I look through the large metal gate at the large building. Off to the side seems like a road, and I can see a private community of beautiful homes. I can even see a children’s play area.
Tapping at my window makes me jump.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he says.
“No, my fault. I had zoned out.”
“Prez said to drive through and head for the clubhouse, which is the large brick building. Prez will meet you.”
Nodding, I’m now starting to feel more nervous. Why was the President meeting me and not Tanner? Does he not want to see me? No, if he doesn’t want to see me, then they wouldn’t let me through the gates . . . would they?
Once the gates open, I drive through and head for the brick building. A large, bearded man is standing outside, dressed in what seems to be the biker uniform of jeans, t-shirt, and leather cut. His beard is rather impressive. He points to where he wants me to park, and I do as I’m told. Shutting off the engine, he opens my door for me.
“Tallulah, I’m Joker. President of the Sons of Havoc’s mother chapter. It’s nice to finally meet you. Wire has told me a lot about you. However, he didn’t say you were coming to visit,” he greets me while helping me from the car. A gentleman biker, I like it.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too, Tann . . . erm Wire has told me a lot about his family here,” I say as I close the car door, not realizing his fingers are on it, trapping them.
The language he used to describe his pain is colorful. I quickly open the door to free his fingers, but as he is bent over in pain, I then accidentally hit him in his stomach with the door, causing a whoosh of air and pain to leave him.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Are you okay? I’m not making a great first impression, am I?”
“That’s okay, Tallulah. It was an accident, both times,” he says between gritted teeth.
Yeah, definitely not winning any brownie points at all.
“What is going on out here?” a beautiful woman asks as she rounds the car holding a cute baby, all dressed in pink. This must be Carrie. Tanner told me she had a little girl recently.
“No, stay there, Babydoll,” Joker urges her.
