Chapter 57: Chapter 57

AVERY

Avery woke up the next morning in Justin’s room at the clubhouse. She was less groggy but still feeling a little out of it.

She rolled over to see that Tina was in a chair next to the bed, reading a magazine. She saw the movement and started sobbing when she saw Avery’s eyes.

“Oh, sweetheart!” she cried, rushing to her and taking her in her arms. They both cried a little, and Avery let her hug until she couldn’t stand the pressure in her bladder anymore.

Tina chuckled when she said what she needed and helped her to the bathroom. When they were going back into the bedroom, the door opened and it appeared a whole army of men entered.

Justin, Gio, Mikey, Mitch, and Doc all came in and took their place around the bed after each hugging her tightly. They got her settled on the bed again and waited for someone to talk.

Doc started off, getting her vitals and asking more about how she was feeling. He already had the blood test results back after bribing a tech to put a rush on things.

They had given her a sedative, first by injection, then orally in the water. She would be a little woozy and very thirsty, but other than that, she would have no lingering effects.

Her hCG levels were still very high, and that looked good. Avery would believe it once she saw an ultrasound, which Doc promised would be done as soon as the discussion was over.

“So now that the medical stuff is done, what the hell was this? What happened?” Avery asked, and Justin sighed. He sat on the bed next to her while everyone else pulled up a chair.

“Well, piccolo fiore, it appears that a group up north that we had used for some business was a little upset that we stopped using them,” Gio admitted.

“They were pissed that the MC was doing their job and the idiot leader decided on payback. He found some old records of us through the grapevine and found out that I had gotten married and had a daughter.

“Not sure how, but found out where I had Dominique stashed and bought her from the guy there.

“She and the leader got along like two old friends and helped each other with the plan,” Justin started, watching to make sure she didn’t start freaking out.

“And it turns out that Heather could be easily bought and gave them all kinds of dirt when they picked her up after Justin kicked out of the clubhouse.

“She thought that if you were out of the picture, Justin would come back to her and she could claim the ‘old lady’ tag,” Mikey added.

Avery could feel her temper start to rise. “That bitch!” The men in the room chuckled a little. Avery looked around and sensed that there was more.

“Well, Dominique wanted Lexi back. So the deal was that if I wanted you back, I had to give up the runs with Gio and give Lexi to her. Once that was done, I would get you back,” Justin admitted.

“Oh god! Where is Lexi?!” Avery asked, trying to get out of bed.

“Whoa, baby, wait. Lexi is just fine. She is with Kiki and Mama June at Mitch and Kiki’s baking cupcakes for you,” Justin reassured her.

“We told her that you were taking care of some errands and then you didn’t feel good and would see her today,” Mitch added, making Avery calm down and smile.

“She kept asking for you, sweetheart,” Tina added with a smile.

“She actually kept saying that she needed you,” Justin said softly.

The very thought made Avery start to cry again as she thought about how much she loved the little girl. Justin kissed her temple and gave her a minute to absorb everything.

Avery took a deep breath. “So where are these assholes and what is going to happen to them?”

Tina knew that was her cue and got up, kissed her cheek, and said she would see her soon.

Gio followed her example. “I will see you this afternoon. I have to call the boys and let them know that you are fine and buy some more things to spoil Lexi and Ryan.”

Justin rolled his eyes and waited until the door closed behind them before talking.

“I’m going to break a lot of rules right now, baby, but the guys agree that you have a right to know everything since it happened to you.”

Avery’s eyes went wide, then she nodded her head in acknowledgment of what that meant. She knew that she couldn’t tell anyone and had to keep this to herself.

Once Justin saw that Avery understood, he continued.

“The leader, Dominique, and Heather are all being held at Legs. We have a basement there where we temporarily house enemies before they are moved.

“They have already been worked over and I am giving you the opportunity to talk to them if you want. You can scream or yell, we don’t care, as long as you feel that you are getting closure.

“I don’t want this to haunt you, but you have to know that you can back out at any time. I am giving you the chance to say your peace so we can move on and live our life.”

Avery was stunned at what he was saying. She was one of the few women who knew that was where the club housed enemies and did horrible things to them.

What Justin and the others were offering was huge. Closure was a big thing for her. She needed that in her life with the loss of her mother and father, and Justin understood that.

Did she want to see these people bloodied? Hell yes! Was she sure she could handle it? She didn’t know and needed a minute to think about it.

“Can I have a minute to think about it?” Avery asked.

“Of course,” Justin assured her. “While you think about it, how about if we get the ultrasound and get a few pictures of our little peanut? Then, if you feel up to it, we can get you cleaned up.”

Avery liked the idea, and after she thanked them profusely for saving her, the men left.

Mikey waved and said, “Let Justin know your answer, and we will get it set up, no matter what your answer is, DQ.”

Avery nodded, then looked at Justin as Doc started up the machine. “What is DQ? What does that mean?”

Justin smirked. “DQ stands for Devil’s Queen. He thought you earned it after the last twenty-eight hours.”

“Devil’s Queen?” Avery repeated.

“Yep, I’m the king, and you are my queen. You have become a huge part of us in a very short amount of time, baby, and Mikey isn’t the only one to notice.”

“I gave all the men that came the option to not go since they could get hurt or killed looking for you. And baby, not a single one of them backed out.

“They were intent on finding you and bringing you home.”

Avery teared up again at the notion that she was truly accepted into this fierce brotherhood of men. Justin smiled and kissed her forehead as Doc came over and asked her to lift her shirt.

She vaguely remembered that Justin had helped her put on some sweatpants and a t-shirt when they got back, just so she was out of those clothes. She lay down, lifted her shirt, and grabbed Justin’s hand.

“Now Avery, you still need your regular OB appointment, but this will give you peace of mind that everything is okay. When is your next appointment?” Doc asked, sitting in a chair next to her.

“In about two and a half weeks. Should I go sooner?” Avery asked, concerned about her baby.

“Nope. As long as you feel good now and that doesn’t change, that is totally fine,” Doc assured her.

He squirted some gel on her belly and started moving the wand around. They looked at the smaller screen on the portable machine and held their breath until they saw the picture they needed.

There, nestled to the side, was their little peanut in black and white. Avery felt such a rush of emotion and it made her a little dizzy.

Doc showed them different areas and how good everything looked, then pointed out the rapid heartbeat, fluttering on the screen. It was the most beautiful thing either of them had ever seen.

He printed some pictures for them and wiped off her belly with a towel. He told them to call with any questions or concerns and they thanked him profusely, then he left.

Justin took the pictures and laid them on his desk, then turned back to her. “You want to get cleaned up?”

Avery nodded. “I desperately need a shower.”

Justin nodded, took her hand, and led her to the bathroom. “I’ll be right here if you need me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Avery looked at him. “I need you with me. Please.”

JUSTIN

Justin nodded and started the water to get it just the way she liked it. He shed his clothes and helped her inside the stall when she was naked.

He was going to ask if she wanted him to wash her hair when she jumped on him, kissing him hard.

Justin was stunned, not thinking they would be able to be intimate for some time while Avery processed what had happened.

“Baby, what are you doing?” Justin asked, leaning into the wall for balance as he got a better grip on her slippery skin.

She was kissing his neck—which they had discovered was his weakness, but only with her. It had never affected him with anyone else.

He would like nothing better than to sink inside her and reclaim what was his, but thought she wasn’t ready for that.

“I need you, Justin. I need to be close to you and to make me forget,” Avery murmured into his neck.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to do anything until you are ready,” Justin assured her as he pulled her face to look at him.

Avery swallowed. “You don’t want me anymore, do you?”

“Oh, baby, that’s not it at all! I love you so fucking much and you are stuck with me forever,” Justin declared, and leaned in to kiss her softly.

“You just had a very traumatic experience and I just want you to know that I will wait as long as it takes for you to heal.”

“I don’t have to heal. The baby is fine, they didn’t hurt me, and you are going to fix things. I need you to show me that I am yours. That I am the queen of this club and you love me,” Avery pleaded.

Not being able to say no to her on anything—especially for something as important as this—he kissed her hard on the mouth, allowing himself to get fully hard.

He had been desperately trying to not get hard when she first jumped him, and now he just gave in. He flipped their positions and held her against the wall.

“I want you to fuck me, Justin,” Avery begged, his hard rod pressing against her.

Not waiting another second, he moved her the tiniest bit and thrust inside slowly, making them both moan. He pulled out and pushed back in, savoring the feel of how tight and perfect she was.

“Oh, fuck yes,” he groaned as he sped up.

AVERY

Avery loved when he got amped up and really moved fast.

She never thought that she would enjoy something as hearing their skin slap together when they had sex, and hearing that again reminded her how good they were together.

They only lasted a few minutes before they both finished and just stayed coupled together, kissing until they were both breathless.

Justin rested his forehead against hers. “All mine, forever.”

Avery smiled. “Damn straight.”

Justin set her down and helped her wash her hair and body, helping her forget the previous day.

They left the shower, wrapped in thick towels, and he had her sit in a chair while he gently combed through the wet strands.

He had never done that to her before and it was one of the most intimate things he had done to her.

Avery was touched by how gentle and caring he was, and somehow in the midst of all of it, her decision on what she wanted to do became clear.

“Justin?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I want to see them.”

Justin leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll let the guys know.”

***

Avery’s head was resting against Justin’s back as he drove them through the city, and she wasn’t paying attention to where they were going.

She was lost in her own thoughts about what she was going to say to the people who did this to her. She held onto Justin tightly.

He pulled into the parking lot and turned off the bike. Avery hadn’t moved yet, and Justin patted her hand. “Hey, baby, you okay?”

Avery was startled a little and looked up at his turned head. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Justin didn’t seem convinced, but got off the bike and helped her off too. He took her helmet and placed both of theirs on the bike seat.

Avery finally looked around and was confused about their location.

“Why are we here?” she asked.

Justin took her hand and kissed it. “You need to see that everything is okay.”

Justin ushered her inside and up the elevator. They walked down the hallway and into a room at the end. He saw her hesitate and all but pushed her through the door.

She gasped when she saw Cole and ran to him, throwing her arms around him.

“Oh, Cole!” she sobbed, hugging him.

“Hey, Avs, I’m okay,” Cole promised, hugging her back.

Justin just watched and smiled a little at their connection. If he hadn’t been sure that Avery loved him deeply, he might have been jealous. But he knew better.

They acted more like brother and sister than anything else. It was like the relationship she had with Luca and Matteo.

He was just glad that there were so many people that loved her and looked out for her.

Avery pulled back and started checking him over. “Are you sure? Do you have any pain?”

Justin chuckled and Cole looked to him for help, but he just shrugged.

Cole cleared his throat. “I’m fine, Avery, I promise. So good in fact that they are letting me go home tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! I can come over—” Avery started.

“No,” Cole stopped her.

“What?” Avery asked, looking hurt.

“Avery, you need to be at home resting and recovering. Nina is going to be with me to help take care of me, and my mom is going to be coming over every day too,” Cole explained.

“You need to be with Lexi. She is going to need you. And Kiki told me about your little secret. You need to be thinking about him or her, and not me.”

Avery looked at him and saw the insistence on his face. She sighed and sat back on the bed. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. You need to rest,” Cole said sternly.

“Can I visit at all?” Avery asked, still a little hurt.

“Of course! But not for a few days. I will text you when I am settled and you can come over,” Cole smiled.

Avery felt better once she realized that he was just looking out for her and the baby. “Okay, that sounds like a plan.”

“So, what kind of car is Justin getting you?” Cole asked slyly, making Justin laugh and Avery roll her eyes.