Broni’s heart broke at the shell of a woman behind the counter. Her bruises had healed, but the vacant look in her eyes showed she hadn’t recovered.
She brought Broni a sandwich and bottled water that she ate slowly, savoring the taste of the thick peanut butter.
“How are you doing, Abby?”
Her face crumpled at Broni’s question. “My family are all dead.”
“Your sister?”
Abby nodded her head.
“I’m so sorry.”
If Tank hadn’t kidnapped her, then she probably would have died along with her family. Broni didn’t think she would ever be grateful to Tank for anything, but she was glad the girl had survived.
“Where’s Nikki and Dee?” Broni asked, afraid of the answer.
“They’re sleeping. The bikers are keeping them busy,” Abby whispered with trembling lips.
“Have the men…?” Broni tried to ask delicately.
Abby gave her a smile for the first time. “No, Jace won’t let anyone touch me.”
“Thank Mother for small mercies.” Broni didn’t think the woman would have anything left if they’d traumatized her that way.
After she finished eating, Broni worked off her nervous energy by helping Abby behind the counter. She cleaned the counter and tables then mopped the floors. The men looked at her in amusement as she moved around the room. When she returned behind the counter, Adam’s eyes caught hers.
“The world is falling down around us and you’re fucking cleaning?”
“If you live like animals, you act like animals.”
She thought her words had angered Adam from his silence, but surprisingly, he turned to the men sitting around. “Ransom, Harlow, get the broken furniture and throw it out back. Mason, you and Jace go from building to building on this block for the supplies we need.”
“Why the fuck should we do that? Why not just keep doing what we’ve been doing? Let someone else go through the trouble of getting it then take it from them.”
“Because we don’t know how long this is going to last. We need to start planning ahead instead of living for the here and now,” Adam answered, staring into Broni’s eyes.
Without further argument, the men left the club in two groups, loaded with weapons.
Nikki and Dee came out not long afterwards, and both women hugged her when they saw her. Dee noticed the difference in the club.
“We haven’t had much energy left to clean,” Dee admitted.
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle it,” Broni said, placing her arm over her shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Dee said, leaning against her.
“You two have a seat. I’ll fix you something to eat,” Broni offered.
She fixed the girls a quick meal as they told her how after her and Rhys had disappeared, everyone had returned to normal, leaving the devastation in their wake. The government agencies and law enforcement were nonexistent, gangs of men had taken over the streets, and women without men to protect them were being attacked and taken.
Ransom and Harlow returned with a bounty of items; flashlights, batteries, gasoline, and canned foods. The men seemed bolstered by their success. Broni and Abby organized the items in the back room.
“You were right,” Adam admitted as he watched his men.
Broni filled his glass, placing a plate of food before him at the table he was sitting at with his men.
“Dee, get your ass on the stage,” Tank yelled from across the room.
Dee put down the bottle of liquor she was holding to refill a glass then went to the stage, stripping her clothes and beginning to dance.
Harlow picked up Nikki, carrying her to the stage. He set her on the edge, pulling her top and shorts off.
“Shake that ass!” he rudely yelled.
Broni looked down at Adam. “I’ll kill the first man that comes near me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied.
The men became rowdier as the night grew later.
Adam found her at the bar, standing guard over Abby. “Let’s go. It’s not safe for you two out here any longer.”
Abby and Broni both followed him to the bedrooms. Adam locked Abby into Jace’s room before opening the door to the one next door. Broni cautiously went inside looking around. It was cleaner than she’d thought it would be with a bed and a chest of drawers as the only furniture.
“Get some sleep.” Adam closed the door and Broni heard the lock click before hearing his booted feet leaving.
Her backpack and sword were already on the chest, having given both to Adam earlier.
Broni opened the drawers, taking a t-shirt and a pair of boxers out before going to the bathroom where she saw that Adam still had running water. Showering, she washed the dirt and grime away from her trek in the forest. She then dried herself off, dressing before lying down on the bed.
Broni groaned at the softness. Rolling over, she looked out the grimy window with bars across it. She stared out at the dark sky, letting the tears she had been holding back loose. She refused to feel sorry for herself; she was stuck here because she had tried to do something their law forbid. She would willingly pay the price, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t miss her family in the coming years.
* * *
She was jolted awake later when the bed moved. She jerked upright, clutching her sword.
“What the fuck! Put that down,” Adam grunted when she accidently poked him in the ribs.
“Adam?”
“Yes. Put that sword away before you neuter me.”
“Sorry.” Broni almost giggled at his grouchiness, instead she kept the sword pointed exactly where it was. “Why are you in here?”
“Because this is my fucking room, and I’m not sleeping in the clubroom. I’m being nice letting you share my bed instead of making you fuck forty horny bikers, but you can choose which you prefer.”
“I prefer to sleep alone, but as long as you keep your hands to yourself, I’ll share.” Broni lowered her sword and laid it on the floor beside the bed.
“I appreciate that.” Adam’s ironic voice reassured her.
Broni lay back down, feeling the bed sink under Adam’s weight next to her.
“Thanks, Adam.”
“It’s not going to be easy keeping the men off you, Broni. When we’re outside this room, you have to pretend we’re together. I’m barely managing to maintain control since Tank’s come back,” Adam warned. Broni had already noticed his tenuous control.
“I’ll be careful.” Broni rolled on her side, away from him.
She would take his advice and play along like she was his. Tank may no longer be influenced by the Drearien, but as her mother had told her, she recognized the evil within him that had allowed the Drearien to take control. Broni had every intention of avoiding a confrontation with Tank if at all possible. When that no longer worked, she would kill the bastard.
Chapter 21
Broni used her sword to shift through the rubble.
“Find anything?”
“Not yet,” she answered Ransom’s query as they searched through the ransacked room, seeing if anything worthwhile had been left behind.
She had begun going out with Ransom and Harlow during their runs, preferring it to staying behind at the clubhouse with the randy bikers. She was disgusted with most of the men. Only a few were seeking to provide for the group that was expanding by the day with survivors seeking shelter and the protection the clubhouse full of men provided. There were more women now, too, and they were more than eager to trade their bodies for a full stomach and protection from the threats that were on the outside.
It had been two months since she had returned to the clubhouse. She still shared Adam’s bedroom, fully aware he had taken more than one woman up on their offers. Many sought him for his protection, the others for his looks. She had expected him to move her out of his room and move in one of the women willing to share her body, but he hadn’t.
Shifting a large sofa, Broni found a handgun. Opening the chamber, she saw it had bullets.
“I found a gun.” She handed it to Ransom, who looked at her with indecision.
“Why didn’t you try to hide it and keep it for yourself?” Guns had become a valuable commodity to barter, used to trade for food and water.
“I have my sword.”
Ransom tucked it into his pants as they moved to the next building. They had no luck inside and were leaving when a large band of men came around the corner, spotting them.
“Shit! Run!” Harlow yelled.
Broni ran after the two bikers, dodging and weaving between empty cars abandoned on the street. Ransom and Harlow both disappeared, turning the corner before her when a hand in her hair jerked her to a stop.
Ignoring the pain at her hair being yanked from her scalp, she turned, slashing out with her sword. The eight men enclosed her within a circle.
“You want me to show you how to use that?” one heavyweight man asked, his gut so large Broni was amazed he had even been able to chase after her.
“I can use it well enough to cut that hand off if it comes any closer,” Broni retorted, the sword swishing out, barely missing the hand that had hastily been jerked back.
“We got ourselves a fighter, Tom.”
“That’s fine with me. They quit fighting once they get a taste of what I can give them.” The man smiled, showing gleaming white teeth.
Broni wondered how these men had lived before the world had turned to chaos. Had they worked a normal job? Had they been respected at work? Had a loving family? How long had it taken them to turn into the animals staring back at her, lewdly clutching their dicks behind dirty jeans?
Suddenly, Broni felt a pain on the side of her temple and fell to her knees before she could blink back the blood streaming into her eye. The man who had hit her with a hammer then struck her hand. Broni couldn’t hold back her scream of pain as the men attacked her at once. One ripped her clothes off her body while another kicked the sword laughingly to the side.
Dazed, she was sprawled naked by the men in the middle of the street. Looking up, she saw Tom unbutton his jeans, exposing his dick, and Broni struggled against the two men holding her down. They responded by punching her in the face and stomach until she was winded, lying still. Tom squatted down before her, parting her legs.
“Where’s all the fight right now, bitch? I have a sword you can play on,” he bragged.
Broni screamed as he lowered himself between her thighs. However, as he fell on top of her, Broni didn’t feel the pain of his cock entering her. He didn’t move at all. He lay motionless on her, and it took another one of the men holding her to fall down with opened eyes staring blankly into hers for her to realize there was fighting going on around her.
Broni tried to push the dead body off her, but the deadweight held her pinned underneath. Finally, the body was pulled off of her, and she was gently lifted into strong arms, her head falling back, unable to support its weight.
“Broni?” Adam’s hoarse voice was the last thing she heard before the darkness enveloped her, giving her an escape from the pain.
* * *
Fate appeared before Mother, kneeling before her creator and friend.
“Rise, Fate.”
Fate’s expression was closed as she made her request. “Centuries ago, you made me a promise to grant a request.”
Mother’s face was pale, filled with compassion. “I cannot take back my judgment.”
“I know you cannot. That is not what I ask.”
“Then tell me, Fate, and it’s yours.”
Chapter 22
Rhys appeared in Odin’s Hall, having returned from a summons. Within seconds, he had Allia and Delia bringing him a goblet of wine. He took a seat at the table, relaxing with a woman on each side.
“That didn’t take long.” Balder leaned sideways, burying his hand in Allia’s lap.
Rhys shrugged. He never discussed with Odin’s warriors where the summons would take him. At first, when the summonses had begun, he had expected Broni to show up, but she hadn’t. In fact, he hadn’t seen or heard from her the entire time he had been at Odin’s castle.
Rhys lifted his goblet to his mouth, taking a long drink and enjoying the taste. There wasn’t much he hadn’t enjoyed the last two months. His every request had been filled, many times before he even asked.
When Fate had left him behind, Odin had explained that his past lives as a warrior entitled him to spend his eternity in his Hall. As Allia placed a large piece of beef on his plate, Rhys glanced at the throne to see Odin staring at him. His usually unreadable expression showed disappointment before Odin looked away, taking his own goblet from Athena. Odin was generally served by one of the many Goddesses while the men were served by beautiful women of various descents.
Delia’s silky gown gaped away from her rosy tipped breasts as she leaned forward, licking a droplet of wine that lingered on his lip.
The sky darkened then, lightning flashing outside the massive glass doors that led outside to Odin’s balcony. In the next moment, Fate appeared there, blowing the massive doors open. Wind rushed through the room, knocking men from their seats and sending the women running and screaming from the room. The warriors stayed behind, but there wasn’t a man among them that wasn’t afraid of the fury directed at him.
Rhys’s hands gripped the table as he got to his feet.
“You always liked to make an entrance.” Rhys saw that while Odin was seemingly unaffected by Fate’s appearance in his hall, there was a trace of sorrow on his face.
“You bastard, if not for your Mother’s protection, I would seek your destruction, Odin.”
“Fate, I’m sorry.” Odin rose to his feet. Rhys didn’t think those words passed his lips often. “You know that I’m not allowed to influence matters on Earth. I would have stopped it had I been able.”
“You could have stopped it!” Rhys was confused when she waved her hand toward him. “You wanted to hurt me. Well, be happy, Odin, you succeeded.”
At that point, a large goblet flew across the room, aimed for Odin’s head. The huge God managed to deftly avoid the goblet. Rhys could see where Cara had inherited the temper Jericho said she’d exhibited when they had fought.
Fate strode across the room toward him. The men had resumed their seats at the long table, but Rhys stood still.
“You whoring mongrel, if it was up to me, I would destroy you and every memory of your existence.” She spit in his face.
Rhys’s head jerked back when she struck his cheek. He gripped the table to restrain himself from leaving the room. The only reason he stayed was the sick feeling in his gut that, for a woman like Fate to lose her temper, it would involve something to do with her children.
“Did something happen to Broni?”
“You don’t deserve to have her name on your lips.” She spat at him again.
“Tell me what happened!” Rhys said, taking a threatening step forward.
“What do you care? You’re unable to care for anyone but yourself. Not those sluts that you bury yourself in each night and certainly not my daughter who didn’t deserve that deplorable treatment at your hands.”
“I never hurt Broni. We used each other for sex, and I never lied to her. As a mother, I can understand you want Broni’s happiness, but I don’t love her.”
Rhys thought his bluntness would have fueled Fate’s fury, instead with cruel detachment, she spoke, “You are not the one I want to love my daughter, Rhys. Why would I? You are weak. You have without any evidence or reason tried to blame Broni for the death of your family, and if that wasn’t enough, you placed the blame on her shoulders for you being unable to spend the afterlife with them. Well, it is past time you learned the truth.
“Broni tried to tell you several times—it was I who prevented you from being at home when they were murdered. Let me leave no doubt in your mind, not only would you not have saved them, you would have died. And i
f you had died with them, you still would not have shared eternity with them.
“Your family was a gift to you for the short time you had them. Treasure those memories, but you must accept that they are gone forever and come to some kind of peace. There are no do-overs in life. It has been five years, and you have punished yourself each and every day for your failure to protect them. The truth is, their true happiness was never going to be with you. You taught those precious souls what it was like to be loved, and they will pass that gift on to others while you have forgotten and destroyed that same quality within yourself.”
“Stop. I won’t listen to this —” Rhys took a step away from Fate.
“Why not, Rhys? Which hurts the most? That you are weak? Or a coward? When I brought you here, you were relieved you were away from Broni. You wanted to run just as you have the last five years.”
When Rhys would have turned around and left, Fate’s hand waved, freezing him in place.
“I am not my daughter, willing to walk on eggshells to please you. You will listen to me, and then you may do whatever you wish.”
Anger poured off Rhys. “Do you think that by making me accept my family’s death I will begin to care for Broni?” The sarcasm in his voice made him wince in guilt. Broni didn’t deserve his harsh words; he regretted them as soon as they left his mouth. However, it was the only way to put up a wall for the frightening feelings he had begun developing for the woman who kept giving without asking anything in return.
Fate stared angrily at the stupid man before looking out to the sky, yelling, “What does she see in him?” as millions of other mothers have lamented. Receiving no answer, finally Fate was able to gather control of her emotions and continue.
“Let me show you exactly what you are throwing away!” Fate angrily waved her hand at the sky and Rhys saw instantly why Broni’s family was always watching the sky.
“Broni lived a previous life before she was gifted with another as my daughter, and her first life was a fight for survival from beginning to end.”
Rhys tried to look away, yet he was still frozen in place, forced to watch as he saw Broni beaten and tortured as no young child should even be exposed to, much less be made to endure such savagery. He watched helplessly as the young girl was shown no mercy from the leader of the group who was the first to rape her then kill her without mercy when his men had finished with her.