DrewOur vans travel three deep across the Louisville Road bridge, taking a right at the river. We trek a few more miles out into the county and then turn right down one of those old country roads. You know the kind I'm talking about. It has no shoulder, no lines down the middle, and the only people traveling it are those up to no good and the maybe five people who live down it.Nerves wrack my body from the top of my head to the soles of my booted feet. There's another storm brewing if the darkness in the sky is any indicator, but there's also a storm brewing deep inside my gut. I'm ready to take the fear I've been living with for the past few hours out of someone's hide. It'll feel real good, but when we stop in front of the building, I have to ask Caelin if he's sure."You're positive this is the building?""Yeah, I know it doesn't look like much, but I'm pretty positive that's why they picked it. It's nondescript, doesn't stand out in anyway. Trust me, I'm positive this is
CaelinI can't believe what I'm seeing as I stand in the shadows of the doorway, watching Drew and Travis square off against one another. There aren't many men I'm afraid of, but Drew Walker is one of them. I've watched him box in the ring, seen him take on my dad a time or two. He knows what he's doing, but he's real easy to underestimate. He's got long reach and he's strong as fuck, but he's not bulky. He's smart and bides his time. As soon as Travis rushes toward Drew full-force, I know he's someone who has underestimated him.Easily, Drew steps to the side, causing Travis to lose his footing, falling flat on his face. I hold back both the laugh and the cheer. Seeing someone so sure of himself fall is one of the best things I think I've ever seen."It's not going to be as easy as you thought it was." Drew grabs hold of the other man's collar, pulling him up. He aims for the nearest wall, shoving Travis face-first into the concrete. A loud cry of anguish rents the air, and I
Drew"Get inside." I reluctantly let Justice go. "Everybody is excited to see you." I push her toward the door, needing a moment to get my shit together. "If you want me to tell her," - Dad comes to me, putting his hand on my shoulder - "I will. Steele was my hire, he was my responsibility.""No." I shake my head, this is mine. "I took over, and when I took over, that means everything."Holding my head up high, I walk into the clubhouse just in time to see the reunion with all the girls. Charity and my mom smother Justice, each holding her tightly. In the corner I see Tatum holding herself back, as well as Christine. Both of them deserve my attention, but I hold off when I see Harley approaching her sister."I'm so sorry for being mean to you!" Harley sobs as she grabs hold of her sister. "I love you and I'm so sorry!""I love you too," Justice cries, holding on tightly to her sister. "I knew you'd help me.""I did. I told them I didn't think you were dead, I could still
Three Months LaterMandy"I'm sorry, Mrs. Barnett. You appear to be having a miscarriage."I knew it immediately when I'd woken up this morning. Something had felt off. This dread in the pit of my stomach hadn't been around since Travis had died and the rest of us went back to the lives we'd abandoned to figure out who was threatening us.We'd been happy. All of us. Especially me. Right now, I can't react, can't seem to quite believe what the doctor is telling me."Mrs. Barnett, do you understand what I'm saying to you?"How can I understand? I was going to have a baby, and now I'm not. This baby was the one right thing that would fix all the wrongs. What was I going to do now?"I'm not pregnant anymore." The words are pushed between my lips emotionless and monotoned."You'll need to have a D&C," he's saying, but I tune him out.I can see Drew at my side, listening to what the doctor says, because Dalton isn't here yet. Maybe I don't even really want him here. "Man
DrewChristmas Eve"How are you doing?" I ask Mandy as we sit down around Mom's Christmas tree.It's the one family affair we always make it to. Once we do Christmas with her, we go home, get ready for Santa, and then get a few hours' sleep. Funny, this year we thought we'd be done with Santa, but since Charity's carrying our son, we'll have a lot of fun next year."Okay," she answers, but I can tell she isn't. As far as I know, I'm the only one she's been truthful with, and that's only because I'm so close to Dalton. I'm one of the only people Dalton's talked to about it to, but I can't tell her that. "He came home for a few hours yesterday," she whispers. "To see Walker, and to give him a few Christmas gifts."My heart breaks because I know how bad these two are hurting. "Would you be willing to welcome him home?""I'm going through so much right now." She sighs deeply before looking at me.And there I see it, the dead stare of my twin. I feel her pain almost as acutely
VOLUME FOUR: HOLLOWMandy"My name is Mandy and I tried to kill myself."I'm not sure where the strength is coming from for me to say these words in front of a group of people I don't know. But here I am, in a meeting. A meeting I've been told I will have to attend every day while I'm here, and if I want to get better, I may as well get used to it."Hi, Mandy."The amount of voices speaking back to me is more than I thought there would be when I came into this room, but as the time came closer for the meeting, people just kept streaming in. So here I am with a bunch of people I don't know, trying to fix a life that's gone completely sideways."I tried to kill myself too," one of the girls sitting on the opposite side of the circle from me says. "Went at my wrist with a pink razor, complete with moisturizing strip."There are some laughs, and it makes me feel slightly better about my situation."The thing was," she continues. "I didn't really want it to work, and mayb
Dalton"I can take your shift if you need me to." Wild reaches over, grabbing a chip from the basket in front of us, dipping it into the queso we all love."You have enough shit going on in your life, I can take my shift. I'll ask Denise to watch Walker," I argue, grabbing a chip of my own.It's only been a few days since Mandy left, but it feels like a few months. I miss her, more than I did when she was at the house and I was at the clubhouse. Back then, I always knew I could go there and check on her if need be. Right now, she's fifty miles north, and I'm going out of my fucking mind, wondering if she's okay.But this is part of the process that will, with any luck, make her better, and if it's going to bring her back to me, I'll deal with anything thrown my way."How's Walker doing?" he asks as our plates come to the table. I lean back, admiring the smoking plate of fajitas in front of me. The two of us don't normally have lunch together, but when he asked, I accepted.
MandyAnother day. Another letter.One step closer to finding out why I am the way I am. At least that's what I keep telling myself. Today finds me not walking as confidently to Dr. Crawford's office as I did the first couple of days. I'm unsure why, but there's a trepidation about the piece of paper I hold in my hand.Knocking softly, I wonder if it's because I'm not sure I want her to hear me. It doesn't matter, because I hear her strong voice saying come in. I do as she says, with palms sweating and my knees weak. "Hey, Mandy." She smiles from where she already sits in her chair. "How are you doing today?"I don't answer until I have a seat and get comfortable. A sigh works its way past my throat. "I'm not sure. The first couple of days we talked and I wrote letters, it was interesting to see how I could express myself. Today though, I'm not as interested in what I wrote.""It's okay to be uncomfortable." She leans forward, her eyes locking onto mine. "We can't get p
William Walker Jr., 85 of Bowling Green, died peacefully in his sleep at his residence. The Warren County native was the son of the late William Walker Sr. and Lauren Walker. He was the husband of Denise Walker, who survives.He was the owner of Walker's Wheels.His legacy will be carried on through the members of the Heaven Hill MC, Bowling Green Chapter, and the numerous friends who became family. Liam, as he was known to everyone who cared for him, had a gift of taking people who had given up on themselves or had no direction, and showing them they were worth putting work into. Over the years many have found themselves under his tutelage. Hundreds have called him friend, and others have called him family. He took great pride in who he was, and what he did. The loss of him is a hole that won't be filled - ever.He is survived by his wife of forty-three years, Denise. Son Drew (Charity), daughters Mandy (Dalton), and Tatum (Remy), sister Sharon (Rooster), nephew Carter (Storm), numer
HarleyFifteen Years Later "Are you sure you want me to teach you, and not your dad?" I question Erick, looking up at him, because he's now taller than me. He grins, the one so much like his dad I have to do a double-take. "No matter how good he is on the back of a bike, I think everyone knows you're better." "I wouldn't say that. He can hold his own, but I've been riding longer than him." "Exactly," he runs a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "He can show me how to do all the mechanic shit, but I want you to teach me how to ride." I should reprimand him for the curse word, but he hears it so often with the group we hang around. It'd be like telling him not to breathe. "Okay," I nod. "The first thing I want you to know is you're going to be wearing a helmet until you're eighteen and can make your own decision about what you want to do." "Mom," he groans. "Don't mom me. It's what's going to happen. It's a right of passage, and you're go
Harley"He looks like us, doesn't he?" I whisper to Justice as we sit on the screened-in back porch at Grandma and Gramps' house. "He does," she coos. "Those eyes and the set of his chin are one-hundred percent Walker. His little wisp of blonde hair. Are you going to let yours go back to blonde?" She asks, lifting up a lock of my still-dark hair. "I don't know, I kinda like it. Not that I want to be different than you, but it sets us apart." "It does and I understand. You should do whatever you want. "His lips are Bishop's, though. Full and plump, always ready for a smirk or a smile. I think he's got his forehead too." Grandma walks in. "Give me that baby. He looks so much like Drew did when he was his age." I roll my eyes. "Don't give Dad any more bragging rights than he already has. He's been almost unbearable to put up with. You'd think he pushed this kid out of his vagina." "He doesn't have one," Justice points out. "Exactly."
BishopCarrying my son out for the members of Heaven Hill to meet him is one of the proudest moments of my life. There are still remnants of tears below my eyes and I can't be bothered to wipe them away. This is one of those moments I don't mind showing my emotions. The doors open and there they all are, standing and waiting. "Hey." I smile up at them over his head. "How's Harley?" Justice asks immediately. "She's good. They're sewing her up and then she'll be okay for visitors. She told me to tell you not to leave, she wants to see you." Immediately, her shoulders relax. It must've been hard for her to be out here knowing her twin was going through everything inside those doors. "I'd like you all to meet Erick Walker." There's a murmur of confusion as everyone questions his last name. Drew puts his hand on my shoulder. "Bishop came to me a little while ago and asked if he could take my last name. He and Harley plan on getting married at some p
HarleyAfter sex with Bishop, I fell into the best sleep I've had in what seems to be months. When I'm jolted awake by a pain stretching across my abdomen and a gush of wetness between my legs, I'm more surprised than anything. I gasp loudly. "Lee, you okay?" His voice is sleepy and I don't want to disturb him if I don't have to, but as another pain stretches across my abdomen and then goes down into my back, I know I need to. "I think my water broke." I gasp as the pain keeps going. "How far apart are they?" We went to the classes they offer but, truth be told, I'm blanking on everything they told us right now. So much for paying attention. "I just woke up so I haven't been able to time them, but I know if my water's broken we need to get to the hospital." "Your bag is here, isn't it?" "Yeah I have one here, at the shop, at home. Just in case." I grimace as I try to sit up, but this has been hell on my core muscles. "Give me a minute and I'll
Bishop"If you roll over one more time, you're going to roll off this bed." "I can't get comfortable," she grumbles. "My belly's too big. I can't sleep and I just wanna be able to lie on my stomach. I haven't been able to do it in months. I wish you could feel this. It's annoying," she complains, turning over so that she's cuddled up against the body pillow she's taken to sleeping with. "Do you want me to shove a pillow under my shirt? Put a watermelon around my waist?" I think this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, but whatever it takes to put her at ease, I'll do. "That's a great idea. There's a cantaloupe in the kitchen, why don't you go grab it?" She's absolutely not kidding. The tone of her voice isn't playing around. I squeak out. "Right now?" "Why not? If I can't sleep, why should you?" She says with an evil laugh. "Alright, if I'm getting up, so are you." "Easy buddy, I'm already awake." She reaches out, without words, ask
Harley"Get out of here." I shoo Will's hand away. "We're gonna eat in less than an hour.""I've watched you, you keep eating," he complains."I am heavily pregnant," I argue with him. "It's fucking hot and my ankles are swollen, do not argue with me."Bishop grabs Will's hand. "C'mon, little man, let's go play some Call of Duty with Caelin.""Gladly." He sticks his tongue out at me."You've got to be nicer to him," Mom admonishes me.Justice interrupts. "She's got to be nicer to everybody.""You try carrying around a watermelon on the front of your body and see how you feel," I retort. "I'm fucking uncomfortable.""It gets better," Grandma says as she comes over to rub my shoulders. "I know it's hard to think it's going to, but it will. I promise.""I'm so sick of people saying it's going to get better," I grumble. "Every time I go and they make me spread my legs, I dread it. She did this thing called scraping my membranes this week. I mean, what the fuck? It hurt so bad. Like, do I
BishopI'm nervous as I watch Drew across the bays. This is something I never thought I would do and since we talked about how Liam wasn't his biological father, I've gone back and forth, wondering if this was the right decision. In the end, I know it is. He catches me looking, narrowing his eyes in a what the fuck way. Putting my hands in my jeans pockets, I walk over to him. "You mind if we talk?" Immediately, he looks worried. "Is everything okay?" "Harley's fine, but what I want to speak to you about has to do with her." "Okay, wanna go behind the shop?" "I wanna ask her to marry me." I hold up my hand. "But I have a request for you. I wanna take the Walker last name." He opens his mouth, then shuts it, before opening it again. My stomach drops and my heart pounds. The silence stretches on between us and I'm worried about what I've just requested. "I'm sorry, you don't have to say anything." He reaches out, holding on tightly t
Harley"Eight more weeks and it's looking like he might come early. You're carrying low. He's a good weight, though, so as long as we can keep him in four to six more, you're good," Doctor Simmons says as she checks me. "Have you been having any pain or anything?" "No." I shake my head then think better about it. "Actually, yeah I did. Bishop and I were..." I stop, not sure how to proceed without being crass. "Being intimate and I felt some pressure." "Was there bleeding afterward?" "No, it just got uncomfortable very quick. To the point where I had to ask Bishop to stop. I've never done that before, not since we had sex for the first time." My face flames as I tell this woman more than I ever expected to. "It's okay," she explains. "You're going to be feeling more pressure the closer you get to him coming. Like I said, you're already carrying low. The lower he gets, the worse it's going to be for you. Your hips are widening and preparing for you to give birth,