Page 28 of Property of BamBam
“Go outside and get some air,” Abyss commands as he shoves his arm into my chest to keep me from putting a world of hurt on the three of them, especially Jasper.
What kind of piece of shit does that to the woman he cares about and loves? Not one I wanna know, that’s for damn sure. We might skirt the other side of the law on many occasions, but we’re still emphatic that consent is imperative. Hell, if any one of the Kings in any of our chapters ever did something like that, I imagine that Big Daddy himself would show up to ensure the fucker never saw the light of day again.
“I’m going, I’m going,” I mutter, rage fueling me right now. I know I’m being disrespectful to my VP with my tone, and he may call me on it later, but I suspect he understands that Livy is mine, so maybe he won’t. Either way, I’ll deal with it accordingly if he demands recompense.
“We’ll get the information for you, but right now, in the mood you’re in, the only way Nighthawk will get this room clean is to burn the building to the ground,” he says.
“Thanks.” With that, I walk out and spend countless minutes deep breathing to get the images I visualized out of my head. I may be slow to anger, but once that fuse is lit, it’s hard to put out without someone getting bloody.
He’s not wrong. I want to use my fists, my knife, my gun to show these three fuckers the error of their ways. While I don’t think that Wes or Alex are as bad as Jasper, since they didn’t beat her, as far as I’m concerned, what they did was far worse. As I storm from the room, I hear Gopher say, “Now, tell us what you meant, Wes.”
There’s something satisfying about following them to the county line as they head back home. All three look a bit rough, but they’re alive. For now. They’re very aware of the fact that if they come back, they’ll die. Plain and simple. I feel like Wes and Alex will heed the warning, but Jasper has a one-track mind when it comes to his son.
The son he’s had little to nothing to do with, at least according to Livy.
The son who thankfully takes after his mom, not his deadbeat father.
The son who will never know discipline in anger or rage.
Myson. It’ll be me raising him, and he’ll have plenty of uncles in my brothers who’ll help him grow into a dependable, productive member of society. And it doesn’t even matter that Livy has no clue about any of it yet.
Because it’s going to happen.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Olivia
I feel almost giddy this morning as I get ready for the day out with BamBam, almost as if it’s my very first date or something.
“It’s not a date, Livy,” I say out loud to myself, making sure my mirror image understands that key fact. “He’s just helping you out because of Jasper.”
Theo’s coos from his crib have me turning toward my boy. He’s flailing his little arms and legs, one of his tells that he needs a diaper change. I quickly take care of that, then finish getting dressed so I can take him downstairs and feed him before BamBam arrives.
In the kitchen, I find the other women who are busy putting together breakfast. “Here, I’ll take him so you can eat,” Marge says, holding out her arms.
She’s a bit of an odd duck as my dad would’ve said, but I honestly feel like everything that’s happened to her has beaten her down. Hopefully, Beth can get through to her because I see a womanwith a heart of gold who keeps going even though as a mom, I don’t know that I could if I lost my son.
I willingly hand him over, then grab the plates and silverware to set the table. Briley brings over a carafe of coffee, as well as mugs for those who drink it, while Ashley sets the huge skillet full of scrambled eggs in the middle of the table. With everyone working together in unity, it takes no time before we’re eating and talking about our plans for the day.
I’ve noticed that every day I regain a little more of who I was before Jasper beat me down and made me doubt myself. There’s still so much more I need to unpack, I’m sure, but at least I no longer jump whenever I see someone, especially a man, coming toward me. That’s gotta count for something, right?
“So, your biker is taking you shopping today,” Briley teases. I can still see the sadness in her eyes, but she’s trying as well. Breaking those generational curses that often have women falling into the same patterns again and again isn’t easy, but her goal of getting her kid back seems to be doing the trick.
“He’s not my biker,” I reply, a flush crawling up my cheeks. “He’s just being kind because he was the one who found me and Theo.”
“You don’t see how he looks at the two of you,” Marge states as she burps Theo, repeating words she’s said to me before.
I’m actually impressed because she managed to feed him and herself, something I have yet to accomplish. I watch as his little milk drunk face settles against her neck, his fingers clutching the neck of her shirt as he falls asleep.
“I’m never getting involved with another man again,” I rebut.
Laugher rolls through the room as Grace, our house mother opens and closes her mouth several times. Finally, she says, “I think, once you realize that what happened to you wasn’t your fault, you’ll be willing to open your heart again to someone else. You could do worse than BamBam, Livy. While the Kings skirt the law in a lot of ways, they’re loyal to those under their protection. Giving him a chance isn’t a bad thing.” Again, they’re saying things I’ve heard them say before. I guess they're hoping it’ll sink in, but I’m still in flight mode from my last romantic involvement and am not willing to put myself in that circumstance again. I know Jasper is the one to blame for his actions, but I’m not exactly blameless because I didn’t protect myself from him.
“I need to be on my own for a little bit,” I insist, knowing it’s the truth. “I went from my parents’ house to Jasper’s, and y’all know how that worked out for me.”
“Fine, get yourself a place and a job, but get to know him while you’re busy rebuilding your life,” Marge replies, her facial expression stern. Out of all the women here, I expected her to be the last one to encourage me to dip my toes into the dating pool “Because I think every one of us wishes we had a man who looked like he’d slay our dragons for breakfast before he even had his coffee.”
