"What about the run?" Gauge asked. "We gonna hold off until we track down Navarro?"
"I'll talk to Cotton, but consider the run still on. I think it's time to turn the tables on Navarro and give him a taste of Satan's Fury."
As soon as we were dismissed, everyone dispersed, going in their own direction as they considered everything they'd just been told about Navarro. Over the next few days, he became the main topic of all our conversations, and every time his name was mentioned, I found myself becoming more and more wound up, especially if Alex's name was brought into the discussion. I wanted to do everything I could to protect her, and as I climbed into bed with her each night, I found that feeling growing stronger. When I was close to her, the demons that raged inside of me were silent, including the nightmares. For several nights they hadn't come, and for the first time in years, I'd been able to sleep without the memories of my past gnawing at me to remember the things I wanted to forget. Unfortunately, the peace was short lived. With all the talk of Navarro, I found myself seeping into the darkness, and after a long, excruciating day at the garage, I was beyond exhausted. I crawled in the bed next to Alex, and I'd only been lying there a few moments when I felt a feeling of dread wash over me.
I'd been living in the Ridley house for just over four years, and I was feeling completely defeated. I'd tried telling Mrs. Haliburton what was going on with the Ridleys many times, but she never believed me. The other kids in the house, including Michele, always denied that anything was going on, and when I tried telling my teachers at school, they'd just end up telling Mr. Ridley what I'd said, causing him to lose his mind and beat the hell out of me as soon as we were alone. I'd finally given up on getting help and decided to accept my fate, but it wasn't easy, especially when I knew what he was doing to Michele. I wanted to find a way to make it stop, but any time I tried to intervene, I only made things worse.
I was sprawled out on my bed, staring at the ceiling, when I heard the familiar sound of his footsteps creeping up the stairs. My entire body grew tense when I heard him open Michele's door. Everything stilled around me as I rolled to my side and tried not to think about what was going on, but when I heard a strange thud, I found myself climbing out of bed. I walked over to my doorway and froze. As I stood there, I thought about how much I hated what was happening, and rage started building inside of me. I couldn't take it anymore. I was determined to end this once and for all, and I charged towards Michele's room and slammed my shoulder into the door, causing it to burst open.
Mr. Ridley was on top of Michele and had her hands pinned down at her side, and I nearly gagged at the sight. When he finally realized what I'd done, he sprang off of her and rushed towards me. "You've got some nerve coming in here again. You're done, boy!"
I ducked when he took a swing at me and plowed my fist into his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards. "I won't let you hurt her anymore!"
Once he regained his footing, he charged at me again, this time slamming his shoulder into my chest as he pinned me against the wall. Even though I'd grown bigger and much stronger over the past few years, he still had a good hundred pounds on me, making it difficult to break free from his hold. "I don't know why I didn't end you a long time ago."
With his hand clenched firmly into a fist, he nailed me in the ribs, over and over again. He had me in a position where I could barely move, so I did the only thing I could. I reared back and crashed my head right into his nose, causing him to flail back. When his hands reached up for his nose, I rushed towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist as I tried to tackle him to the ground, but my efforts were in vain. I couldn't get him off his feet, and in a matter of seconds, he was back on me. Hoping that she might be able to help, Michele came up behind him, tugging at his arm, as she cried, "Please, just stop. Leave him alone."
Ridley threw up his arm, shoving her out of the way. She stumbled, and with her hands extended in my direction, she fell backwards, hitting her head firmly against her bedside table before collapsing on the floor. There was something about the way her body fell limp that didn't seem right, and I knew I had to get to her. Once I broke from Ridley's grasp, I rushed over to Michele. Her eyes were open, but she didn't acknowledge me as knelt down beside her. I reached for her, but stopped when I saw the blood pooling around her head. My heart started pounding in my chest so loudly that I couldn't hear anything else. I knew it was bad, but I just couldn't make myself believe it. I gently shook her, hoping for some kind of response, but got nothing.
She was gone.
Alex
After spending several days at the clubhouse, I realized that there was a great deal more to the brothers of Satan's Fury than just the crazy rumors I'd heard. If they were, in fact, vicious killers who were doing unspeakable things, they certainly had me fooled. I knew they had their secrets, that they did some unspeakable things, but from what I could tell, they seemed like good, decent men who put their brotherhood above all else. Even though my father was causing the club all kinds of trouble, they'd been nothing but kind to me. Each and every one of the brothers made me feel welcome and part of their family.
During the day, most of them were busy dealing with club stuff, but during those brief moments I'd shared with them at breakfast or dinner, I'd enjoyed getting to know each of their different personalities, including Shadow's. The more I was around him, the more I understood my initial attraction towards him. While he was often quiet and reserved, it was the little things he would do that showed his compassionate side. Not only was he thoughtful of me, he never hesitated when one of his brothers came to him for help, and even though he didn't cut up like Gunner and T-Bone, there was a softer side to him-a side that I'd come to love. He seemed to sense when I was feeling uncomfortable or out of place, and he'd place his hand on my thigh or give my hand a light squeeze, letting me know that he was right there with me.
The more time I spent with the brothers and their ol' ladies, the more comfortable I became with all of them, including the club girls who were clearly surprised by my presence. I chose to ignore their questionable stares and spent my time watching the dynamic between the brothers. It gave me a much needed distraction from the anxious feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. I enjoyed those moments of reprieve, because when I was alone, I became consumed with worry. I'd find myself thinking about my father and just how far he'd go to find me. Those thoughts terrified me, and I wasn't alone. Shadow was also concerned.
While he hadn't actually said the words, I could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at me. I wanted to ease his mind and assure him that everything would be okay, but there was no way I could know how things would turn out, especially when it came to my father. I knew the club was planning to use my help to get to him, but I had no idea what they had planned. They'd put everything on hold until they'd returned from their trip to Louisiana. The not knowing what was to come was difficult, but I tried to have faith that they would figure things out. I wanted to talk to Shadow about it, but knowing he was totally against me being involved, I decided to leave it alone. I thought I would let him deal with his doubts on his own, but I changed my mind when he started having another horrible nightmare. Like the night before, he hadn't been sleeping long when he started mumbling in his sleep. While I couldn't make out what he was saying, it was clear that he was distraught. Sweat started to bead across his forehead as he thrashed from side to side, and when I tried to wake him, he became even more agitated.
"Mason! Wake up," I whispered as I nudged his side. When that didn't work, I shook him a little harder and said his name a little loud. "Mason! You're having a nightmare. Wake up!"
He gasped as he sat up in the bed, and when he finally opened his eyes, he let out a deep breath. After a moment of gathering his senses, he finally turned to me and said, "I'm sorry. I thought they'd stopped."
"You thought what had stopped?"
"Nothing," he answered as he laid his head back down on the pillow. "It was nothing."
"That wasn't nothing, Mason."
"It was just a dream."
"But … " I started, but stopped when he threw the covers back and got out of bed. When he started putting on his clothes, I asked, "Where are you going?"
"You know we have the run today. We'll be heading out soon."
I glanced over at the clock, and when I noticed that it was only four-thirty in the morning, I said, "But it's so early."
"I don't know what to tell you." I could tell he was becoming aggravated when he snapped, "I've got shit to do."
"You tell me what the hell is really going on with you." I eased off the bed and walked over to him. "I know this thing with my father and me is bothering you, but you haven't talked to me about it. I feel like you're shutting me out, and I don't know what to do about it."
As he pulled his shirt over his head, he answered, "I'm not shutting you out, Alex."