Page 4 of Property of BamBam
“Yeah. Sorry you had to stop for me,” I mumble, now embarrassed.
“Nope. One of the things you’re not going to do around me is drop your head. Own your shit, Livy, whether it’s good or bad. You were having a nightmare, so I made the choice to stop to check on you. I suspect today’s been overwhelming in a lot of ways for you, but you and Theo are now safe.”
I don’t know how to process what he’s telling me. I’ve gotten so used to cowering, to accepting that everything was my fault, and here’s this man telling me that I’m important. Tears well in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall for several reasons. First and foremost, the salt has been steadily burning me whenever it hits an open wound. Second, before Jasper came into my life, I had my head on straight and was going places. It’s time to figure out how to get back tothatwoman.
“Okay,” I finally reply. “Let’s get this show on the road then.”
BamBam chuckles as he once again heads to the driver’s side of the truck. “We’ll be there soon,” he promises.
Now fully awake, I pay attention to where we’re going. I think this chapter is somewhere outside of El Paso, but I’m not positive. Guess I’ll have to wait and see and pray that the things that BamBam have said will hold true.
Because I want nothing more than to heal from the hell I’ve been living in for the past two years. I just don’t know how to go from survival mode to healing.
“Home sweet home,” Mongrel utters as the huge gate slowly swings open and BamBam pulls through.
Two men dressed in Western gear motion for him to stop and as soon as he does, they detach the hitch from the horse trailer and truck, then motion him to carry on. I watch with great interest as one of them backs another huge truck up to the horse trailer. Once the horse trailer is reattached, the two of them head off down a driveway that’s off to the side toward a barn that I suspect houses the horses.
I can feel my anxiety rising as BamBam parks the truck in a spot off to the side of a huge building. I suspect this is the club’s hangout based on the number of bikes parked to the side and the men in leather cuts hanging around outside.
Once the truck is turned off, BamBam gets out and before I can do anything, he has Theo out of his car seat while Mongrel opens up my door and helps me out. The stares of everyone who were just standing around has me cowering, feeling immensely self-conscious, especially when I remember I’m covered from head to toe in blood and bruises.
“C’mon, Pixie,” BamBam says, his voice low as his hand covers my low back and he propels us forward.
“I’ll grab the stuff from the truck,” Mongrel advises.
“Mutt, Monkey, give Mongrel a hand,” BamBam orders as we walk up the steps and into the clubhouse.
The only way I know for sure it’s the clubhouse is the small sign that saysKOAMC West Texas. It’s a huge, two-story building with a somewhat Western flare. Not that I’m overly knowledgeable about design by any means. The log cabin exterior gives way to a huge open concept room with a bar off in the back corner and a bunch of tables and chairs, as well as comfortable looking couches spread all around. There’s a hallway toward the back, and a set of stairs that leads up to the second floor. The walls are covered in pictures, and there’s a man striding toward me and BamBam who looks like he owns the place.
When he gets to where we’ve stopped, I see he has ‘President’ on his leather vest, and below that, it says, ‘Rio’. “Got Issy and Constance setting up a room for her, Bam,” Rio says. “Let’s take her to the infirmary so Doc can check her out first.” Then, he turns to me and states, “My name’s Rio, my ol’ lady is Issy and she’s getting a room set up for you and your little one. If BamBam didn’t tell you, you’re safe with us.”
“T-t-thank you,” I stammer.
“Is your boy okay?” he asks.
“Y-y-yes, he didn’t touch him,” I reply.
“Good. BamBam, get her to Doc then come see me,” Rio orders.
“Got it, Pres,” BamBam says.
I follow behind BamBam, my heart in my throat since he’s still carrying Theo. Up until today, his every care and need has been left up to me. Seeing this giant of a man caring for my little boy so carefully has me feeling some sort of way and I’m not sure how to process those emotions.
CHAPTER
THREE
BamBam
There’s a part of me that hates leaving her with Doc, even though I know my brother would sooner cut off his left arm before he ever hurt another living being. That’s not to say he won’t jump in with both feet when the situation warrants it, but when it comes to someone who’s hurting, he’s a completely different man.
“I’ve got Theo,” I tell her when she tries to reach for her son. “You just let Doc take care of you. I promise he’s fine here,” I tell her. “Once Doc’s done checking you over, he’ll bring you back out to the common room, okay?” At her reluctant nod, I look over and see Doc hustling about, gathering the tricks of his trade. He must sense my attention, because he gives me a chin lift, so I know he heard what I told Livy.
As I carry Theo toward Rio’s office, Mongrel comes running up to me, Olivia’s backpack in his hands. “She said earlier she had bottles and stuff for the boy,” he says once he reaches me. “Figured y’all would want it as quick as possible since he hasn’t eaten or anything recently.”
It’s a good thing that Constance and Maria have grandkids running around the ranch. At one time or another, every one of us has been called on to feed or change them when they were younger. While they’re married to some of the hands, they, as well as their families before them, have worked for the ranch for so long, they’re part of our family. Taking the bag from him, I nod and continue on my way.
Once inside Rio’s office, I close the door and walk over to the couch. Sitting down, I open up the backpack and pull out a diaper and fresh outfit, since little man needs changing from the inside out. Thankfully, my president doesn’t say a word as I quickly get Theo changed, slipping his soiled clothes into a plastic bag that Livy had in the backpack.
