Raging Barons MC – Book Three – Silver

-:- EDEN -:-

Sitting on the side of the bed, I can feel every pain and wonder why someone would target me like this? The only person I ever mixed with were work colleagues and since I lost my last job, I’ve not spoken to any of them.

I look at my arms. They are covered in bruises, which are blue, green and yellow. My right thigh has an enormous bruise where I can only imagine I was kicked, and my right hip is also painful with a black bruise.

Walking slowly into the adjoining bath, I check out my face, which shows one of my eyes is just slightly open and an array of bruises. I feel my eyes water and I take a deep breath because feeling sorry for myself isn’t an option. I’ll have time for that later when I have somewhere to live and money coming in from my job.

When I walk back into my bedroom, I’m surprised to see Silver sitting on the end of my bed. He looks up and gives me a small smile when he sees me stop and look at him.

“Hi Eden, how are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.” I reply with a slight smile. It’s all I can muster up at the moment.

“Do you feel up to coming down to eat?” Silver stands and walks to the door, opening it before turning back to me. “Come on, you’ve slept for hours and it’s time for breakfast.” As I follow Silver out, I’m shocked because I thought it was evening, but it seems I lost a bunch of hours sleeping.

Walking into the kitchen, heads turn our way, smiling and nodding, some saying morning. I hesitate in the doorway as it’s a little overwhelming, although no-one, in any way, has come across as threatening.

Silver takes my elbow and moves me to a seat at the end of a table and I sit, looking around. Now everyone’s gone back to eating and talking.

Meat walks over, squeezes my shoulder when he places a plate in front of me and, looking down, my eyes nearly pop out of my head. Piled high on my plate are scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. My head shoots up as I look at him, but before I can even thank him, he walks away, then returns with two slices of toast on a small plate.

Silver sits next to me and passes me a coffee and points at the sugar and creamers on the table. A tear slides down my face, because no one has given me breakfast since my mother died and I don’t even want to consider how long that has been.

A thumb rubs the tear from my face, then Silver leans over and kisses my forehead, which forces another tear to slide. “Eat while it’s hot, babe.” Silver murmurs. Then he digs into his own plate, which is piled high and has my eyes wide.

I quietly eat my breakfast, not all of it, mind you, because there is no way I would eat this much in one sitting. I see people keep looking around at me and it’s making me a little uncomfortable, but the looks are not aggressive, just inquisitive.

“After breakfast, I want to have a talk with you about Shirley and some other things.” Silver comments, and I look over at him and see he has a serious look on his face. In fact, he looks a little strained.

“Okay.” I respond, lean back with my coffee and sip while I sit quietly, checking out the kitchen. Picking up my dishes, I walk over to the sink and place them on the side. I turn to Meat and smile. “Thank you, Meat, that was lovely, I really enjoyed every bite. I’m sorry I couldn’t eat it all, but my stomach is bursting.”

Patting my shoulder, then giving it a squeeze, Meat doesn’t comment, but he tips the corner of his lip slightly, which tells me he’s pleased with my comments.

Silver takes my elbow, “Come on Eden, we’ll go back to your room so Stitch can come and look at your injuries. He wants to check to make sure your concussion is okay. Do you have a headache at all?”

“Well, I have a slight headache, I think, because my eye’s still swollen.”

“Let’s see what Stitch thinks when he’s had a look at you. He’s a medic and going to monitor you, so anything you’re worried about, you need to mention to him.”

Back in my room, I sit on the edge of the bed and Silver checks a little fridge that is in the corner. He sends a text message and when he looks up, he grins, “Getting some water sent up for you.” I give him a nod and wait for this man called Stitch to come see me.

A light knock on the door had Silver and myself looking, as it cracked open and a tall man entered. He has a scar on his jawline but it doesn’t detract from him being a handsome man, he must be about 6’ 2”, short sandy hair and a teasing grin which has me blushing when I realize they have caught me eyeing him up.

Silver growls, yeah, a goddamn growl, which had me whipping my head around to look at him, “Now don’t be eyeing up Stitch.” He calmly states, which has my blush deepening even more.

“Hi Eden, I’m Stitch, the club’s medic. I just want to check your face as your eye was a worry for a while, but the concussion was much better when they released you from the hospital. It doesn’t hurt to check and monitor you.” He smiles, winks, and I quickly snatch a look at Silver, who is giving Stitch an evil look.

After Stitch has shined a light in my good eye, looked over my swollen one and asked a multitude of questions he hands me some pain medication and takes out a bottle of water from his medical bag, “Take these two and if you need more later, Silver can come and get some from me. They will make you drowsy, so sleep if you feel you need to. Don’t fight it because while you’re sleeping your body is healing.”

“Okay, thank you Stitch.” I smile and take the medication while I watch Silver pushing Stitch out of the bedroom, but I notice Stitch is smirking broadly, and at the last moment before the door shuts, Stitch winks at me, which has me giggling.

“Okay Eden, hop into bed. You can rest until lunch, and I’ll pop back and get you. If you don’t want lunch or sleep through, it doesn’t matter because Meat cooks a hell of a good meal later.” Silver places a cover over me as I’m still dressed, and I give him a small smile and thanks. “I’ll be back to check on you. We need to have a talk about Shirley later too.” With that, he leaves the room and I drift to sleep.

Waking, I look over at the bedside alarm clock, and see it’s already two in the afternoon. I sit up and stretch and notice that someone has been in because on the dresser is a plate of sandwiches and a can of soda.

After freshening up, I sit in the easy chair and eat the lunch that was brought in for me and once finished; I take them downstairs with me to the kitchen. No way am I having people running after me if I don’t need them to, but so far, everyone has been so kind.

In the kitchen Meat is mixing up batter for a cake and Mia is sitting at the island giving him instructions. I have to grin as this huge man is listening intently to this small woman. It’s a really great thing to see and has my heart aching as I’ve never felt I belonged anywhere since my mother died.

Without lifting his head, Meat says, “Come on in Eden, don’t loiter in the doorway.” This has Mia turning quickly, and she rushes over to me and takes my plate and empty can.

“Awe, you look better Eden, your eye is half open now.” Mia takes my dish to the sink and throws my can in the trash, then she pushes me to the seat she was on before she grabs a cup and pours me a coffee from the pot. “Now, how do you feel?” she asks me.

“Actually, I feel better. I’m ready for some more pain medication, but it’s not as sharp as it was before. My headache has gone. It’s just my side and back that still hurts.”

Mia walks to the kitchen door and shouts, loudly. “Stitch, we need meds in here for Eden.” She then calmly walks back to us and sits next to me. Picks up her recipe and continues telling Meat what to do next, which has me staring at her because she just takes everything in her stride and it has me wondering what the heck happens around here.

Stitch rushes in and right to me, handing me two tablets and a bottle of water, where he got that is anyone’s guess and as if he knew what I was thinking he comments, “I have a small fridge in the medical room filled with water.”

Once I’ve taken the tablets and drank my coffee, I realize the afternoon is disappearing and looking around I wonder if I can help get a meal ready. When I look up to ask Meat is looking at me and gives a nod, no, and I think he must be a mind reader, but when he smirks and Mia laughs, I realize I said that out loud.

Axel walks into the kitchen, wraps his arms around Mia from the back, then kisses the top of her head. “I need you to come in the office with me Eden, got a few things to discuss with you. Some about your sister and some about your situation.”

“Okay.” Now, I’m nervous because I really hope that Shirley had nothing to do with my being attacked. If she did, I’ll truly never forgive her, and I’ll see about speaking to someone to contest Stan’s Will leaving everything to her, as I have all the proof that my parents purchased the house and that they would leave it to me. I never wanted to go down this route. I was sad about losing my childhood home, but it wasn’t worth hating her for.

Following Axel to his office, he points to a seat in front of his desk and as he sits behind the desk, Silver walks in and closes the door behind him, then he takes the seat next to me.

Axel leans forward and places his elbows on his desk, linking his fingers together, then looks me over, checking my face. “Your eye looks much better, Eden. How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better. The pain in my head has gone, just the pain in my side.” I inform him, but I give him a small smile to reassure him I’m okay.

“Okay, let me fill you in on what we know so far.” I give him a nod and glance over at Silver, who is watching me closely.

Axel continues, “Your sister, Shirley, has a minor drug problem, and we think that Tommo, her dealer, wanted her to pay her debt, but she didn’t have the money. Now we’re not sure if he sent someone after you to get money from you to pay Shirley’s debt, and that’s why you were attacked as he took the money in your purse. Or if it was a random mugging, but, as it was the same man who was in the parking lot that night you rushed back inside, we think it’s more likely that Tommo sent him to recover any money he could.”

“I had little money, Axel, so they got little and not worth beating me up for.” I state and I feel sick at this news.

“We think Tommo grabbed Shirley to have her working for him, servicing his men as payment for her debt, but I’ve had someone look into his kennel and it looks like he has her dependent now on the drugs he supplies.” Axel is watching me closely, but if I’m totally honest, I’m not really shocked either.

Silver takes my hand. “Are you okay?” he asks and I turn to him, giving him a weak smile. “Yeah, and I’m not surprised, really. She was going nowhere with her life. She milked her dad for everything she could, then she did it to me. She’s never had to stand up for herself or what she wants. Taking drugs, even a small amount is shocking, because where the hell was she getting the money to pay for that? Plus, all the nights out she was having?”

“We think she was working the clubs, prostituting to pay for her nights out and drugs. She could have gotten out of that easily before, but now Tommo’s gotten her in his clutches. I don’t think she has a way out.” Axel says, leaning back in his chair but keeping his eye on me.

“Well, if that is what it is, then so be it. I’ll not try to help her anymore. I don’t want to get involved in it, Axel. If they were the ones who attacked me then what happens to me now? What happens to my parent’s house? I’m not willing to let this Tommo get his hands on it.” I snap because my parents would rather I burned it to the ground than it become a drug den.

“We’ll see what the club lawyer thinks about it once we know what is happening with her. If we can get her out, we can make her sign it over to you and pay her to fuck off.” Axel grins, and I didn’t know he had an evil grin, but that is what I’m looking at, I’m sure. I turn to Silver and he has the same damn grin on his face.

Silver is still holding my hand, and he gives it a squeeze. “We have a plan to get her out. Before we can do that, we have to have all the information. We can’t tell you more, as that’s club business.”

“Club business?” I ask, rather surprised because they’ve told me all about Shirley so far. My eyes broaden when I realize they have a plan to do something not legal, so I nod my head as I don’t want to know. I have to be thinking about what happens to me next.

Axel chuckles, and that has me quickly looking back at him. “You know you said that aloud, right?” Shaking my head, I rub my fingers on my forehead, then grin because that’s twice I’ve done that of late.

“Okay, you’ll be staying here. You are safe here. All the brothers will make sure no-one gets to hurt you again. You’ll not be working until we’ve sorted this out.” Axel holds his hand up when I open my mouth to disagree. “We’re not listening to anything, Eden. It’s too dangerous for you to be out of the compound at the moment. The next time, the beating could kill you.”

Nodding my head, I look from Axel to Silver, then back again and as I do Axel looks at Silver, then states, “Oh, Silver claimed you as his ol’ lady while you were out of it too. That makes you club property, and every brother would die to protect you.”

“Ol’ lady? What does that even mean?” I ask, turning to look at Silver.

“It means you’re mine, means we are married in the eyes of the MC, and anyone touches you or hurts you will die.” Silver states, looking me right in the eye as he says it.

I feel myself get hot, then spots appear before my eyes and everything blurs. I hear someone shout, “Catch her!” Before everything goes black.