Break Maiden (Chrome Horsemen MC Book 3) Page 7

  "Holy fuck, Cole; what a rush!" she whispered excitedly. She sat up, turned, and kissed him, "I'll get us some beers."

  "Hmm?" he murmured through his exhaustion.

  "Hungry?" she asked.

  "Hmmm."

  "Well, I'll be right back," she giggled, and kissed him again, and as she skipped out into the hall she mused, "I wonder if it is too late to call Cathy?"

  "Hmm."

  *IDS@DPGroup*

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Five Years Later

  Nicole sat in her home office, visiting with Cathy, who was now Cathy Rozzi, on Skype. "So, where are you guys now?" she asked the stunning redhead.

  "We're here in Chicago. I'm at home. He's out at the horse stables. One of his mares is going to give birth within the week, so he's up there full time to be there when it happens," Cathy told her. "He told me he's retiring last night and to begin clearing his calendar of any new business coming in after the first and limiting his involvement where I can from that point forward."

  "That's great!" Nicole shouted, "God! I wish I could hug you right now!"

  Cathy nodded and wiped a tear, "It is good and we owe you so much."

  "No you don't and I have the paid invoices to prove it. That was all you, baby." Nicole told her. "Shit, if you're in town and he's doing his horse thing, then we need to do some shopping, girl!"

  "Max said if I come home with one more pair of shoes, he's filing for separation," she grinned.

  Nicole nodded, "I got a similar decreed handed to me. Funny how I don't getting any flack about how much lingerie I have, though."

  "Hmm," Cathy mused with a thoughtful grin, "I never hear a peep about that part of my wardrobe either. So, now that we know what we are shopping for, when?"

  "Sooner is better. When you show up, we are on are way," Nicole told her.

  "What about little Max?" Cathy asked.

  "Mama just flipped her house and is back in her room. She'll take Maxy," Nicole told her.

  "What is that, number five for Mama? She's doing so well. She was looking a lot better, too, the last time I saw her," Cathy described.

  "She's a lot better now. So, get done what you have to and get over here. I'll work like a demon so I'm ready," Nicole told her.

  They broke connection and she went to tell her mom about the pending shopping celebration visit with Cathy.

  Her mother was in the living room of her and Cole’s new house, six bedrooms, a large living room, a real dining area with a small pool, hot tub, and four bathrooms. The basement was finished and Cole had a guy's only space down there that she wasn't allowed to go into unless she was wearing lingerie and carrying beers. "Fine," she told him, "So, clean your own messes down there, ‘cause I'm not inviting a sexual harassment suit from the maid service." Then she stuck out her tongue at him and sashayed away.

  "Can you watch Maxy today, Mama? Cathy's got celebrating to do and she's coming over soon," Nicole asked as she came into the living room.

  "I can do that," her mother agreed, "What's the occasion?"

  "Max has officially decreed his pending retirement to begin on the first."

  Mama arrived after Nicole sent her an invitation to her wedding to Cole and two plane tickets, knowing that her step-father would never let her come alone. When the limo pulled up to the curb and her mother got out, she was furious and painfully hurt by Mama's appearance. Still a woman in her late forties, she looked like a woman approaching sixty.

  Nicole turned to her husband to-be and nodded her head; he simply said, "We'll take care of it; just get her to her room."

  Getting Mama to her room was a bit of a struggle, but she won it while behind them, Cole informed her step-father that he didn't allow wife-beating, child-molesting, rapists in his house. Brian and Rat assured him that he wasn't going to come near Mama ever again.

  He started to yell, but was hit hard in the gut by one of the three and then tossed in a cab.

  "What have you done?" Mama asked, terrified. "He's going to be so angry when I go home."

  "Mama, you aren't going back to him. You live here now. I have all of your stuff being moved out of your house right now. The movers are there, packing it up and putting it in storage."

  "You what?" she asked

  "When he gets off the plane in San Diego, he'll be severed with restraining orders to stay away from the house, as well, so you can begin selling it," Nicole continued.

  "But I can't support myself! You're ruining everything. What gives you the right to do this!" Mama screamed at her.

  "I'm supporting you, Mama, and I have plenty to do it with," she said as they got to their office. "Sit down and look. See that number, that's how much I have to support you with. Do you think we might be able to manage with a million?"

  "Money? But what about --"

  "Do you love him, Mama? Really? Look me in the eye and tell me that you love that worthless piece of shit. He molested both Sandra and me; he tried raping me several times. He beat on all of us. He hasn't worked for eight fucking years!" Nicole told her, "Bottom line, Mama, is either you leave him or I have him killed, ‘cause where he belongs is in prison."

  "My god, Nicole; you're serious," Mama said in wonder.

  "You're damn right that I'm serious. I couldn't fight back then. I was too young and too scared and you couldn't fight for me. But I grew up, Mama, and it's my turn to help you."

  "I don't know what to do," Mama said, bursting into tears. "I don't want you to kill him."

  "Then he'll live, but he'll never live off you again. I guarantee you that."

  Mama cried and Mama pleaded, and Mama remained in a state of near panic most of the evening, and then she finally exhausted herself and fell asleep in the guest room they prepared for her.

  "She might need a psych to deal with this," Cole told her.

  "She could have left," Nicole noted. "She could have called a cab, or called the cops and said we were kidnapping her, or she could have just started for the front door. We couldn't have stopped her. But she didn't. She didn't do any of those things or even bring those possibilities up. I think she'll be a lot better in the morning. She just has to really believe that what I'm offering is true and safe."

  She turned to Cole, "You're an amazing man, lover. Thank you so much for this."

  For the next two days, Mama cleaned and swept and weeded the gardens and cleaned the garage.

  "I draw the line at you cleaning the bike, Mama," Cole told her respectively and then gave her a smile. "You know, you really are safe here. I promise."

  She nodded, "I believe you. I doubt he even knows how to get back here. He had nothing nice to say about the trip and bitched about how everything was second-rate. It was embarrassing, to say the least."

  She looked up at Cole, "I just don't know what to do now. I need to be doing something."

  "How about beginning with selling your house?" he asked.

  "What?"

  "Well, Nicole checked the deeds and titles already. That house is in your name only. You don't even need to be divorced to sell it. It's yours, from a previous marriage. Willed to you. The lawyer in San Diego, who Nicole found through a friend of ours, assures us that all you have to do is sign the papers and he'll sell that house for you. Then you can use that money to learn investing or something like that with Nicole. She's really good at that."

  "I think I'm a little too old to learn about the stock market now and, honestly, I don't think I would like it much anyway."

  Cole looked around the house and then said, "What about painting and fixing small problems around a house? You seem to relax when you are cleaning."

  "You mean, like, become a maid or something?"

  "Well, there's that, but what about flipping houses?" Cole suggested. "I have a friend in the club who does that and he would help you get your feet wet."

  Gary arrived an hour later and talked with Mama for three hours. By the time he left, Mama was interested and even a little excited. It took her until
after they returned from their honeymoon, which since Mama was there, was only a night's stay at a leisure hotel downtown, to say yes, she would sign the papers.

  "Wow, that didn't take as long as I thought it would," Nicole smiled and hugged her.

  "I think it is being so far away from him and watching you two together. You two remind me what it was like with your dad and how it should be, and how wrong it has been with Martin. It is time to get him out of your dad's house."

  Mama looked at her now, watching TV in the living room, relaxed and with no fear in her eyes. She looked five years younger than her age, too. Turning from the newscast she said, "You know I love to stay with Maxy; you don't even have to ask."

  "Yes I do. You have a life. Didn't you have a hot date recently?"

  "Well, yes; it was a little steamy," Mama agreed.

  "So, plans for future steaminess?" Nicole prodded.

  Mama nodded her head, "Friday, eight o'clock and… well… if you have shopping plans for Saturday, you might want to call Angie now."

  "Mama? You shock me," she laughed.

  "Oh, I doubt it, the way you two go at it. I never know whether I should sell tickets or call the police to hear your screams."

  "Mama!" Nicole gasped, truly in shock now.

  "Aren't you visiting your friend Lou this weekend?" she asked, ignoring her discomfort.

  "Um, yeah, Sunday. Think you'll be done with being hot and steamy by then?"

  "Probably," she nodded. "He's close to sixty, you know. But still in good enough shape for a one-nighter, I think."

  "Watch those older ones, Mama; they got Viagra now and they aren't afraid to use it."

  "I dealt with that with the last one. You aren't kidding either," Mama smiled.

  Lou was in prison for another two years. His move into running a prostitution ring was profitable in the short run, but ultimately an unlucky one. Once a month, at least, she and Cole went up to visit him. He was doing well, as they expected, but eager for news and visitations. They often took Maxy, whose middle name was Louis, with them in the Jeep.

  This time, however, they planned to spend the day on the bike together, stealing some together time, since boy number two was now only eight months away.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEENFive Years Later