Page 5 of Stone
Naomi took another slice of pumpkin bread, not wanting to meet Sarah’s eyes.
“You know you can share,” Sarah coaxed.
Naomi raised her head. Why was this so hard to admit? She wasn’t the one in the wrong. “I told him after the first correction. I even showed him the marks that had drawn blood. He said I wouldn’t need it if I obeyed and did what I was supposed to,” Naomi said softly.
“Oh, that friggin’ jerk! Do your sisters know?” Sarah gasped.
Naomi shook her head. Sarah walked around the table and pulled Naomi into her arms. Naomi relaxed and hugged Sarah.
“I’m a firm believer in people getting what they deserve. With your okay, I’d like to have a little get-together of the women here, specifically my sisters, your sisters, Regina, Meg—the gang. I think this calls for aCode Rachel.I think that we can come up with a fitting present for your dad and ex-husband,” Sarah proposed, a fierce look of determination on her face.
“Code Rachel?”Naomi asked.
Sarah chuckled. “My sisters and I loved the showFriends.When we redid the codes for the bail bonds ops, we named them after characters on the show.Code Rachelis our personal code for Emotional Backup Needed. No questions asked. They agree to come, but I don’t get ten thousand messages asking why. They’ll save them until we’re all together.”
Naomi had always imagined being strong and standing up to her dad and ex-husband, but she’d been alone and scared. Maybe it was time not to be scared. She wasn’t alone anymore because her cousins and sisters would have her back.
Chapter Three
Stone continued pounding the bag, sweat dripping off his face. His hands were starting to hurt and he needed to quit. His hands were his livelihood, but every time he thought about stopping, he’d see those correction scars on Naomi’s thighs, and the anger would bubble up again.
He wasn’t even sure what time it was. He hadn’t slept well and had finally given up at six a.m. He’d made sure Naomi was okay, left her the note, and walked out the door.
It might have been cowardly, but he couldn’t keep his anger inside. He’d headed toward the gym. His first appointment wasn’t until after lunch, though he’d usually hang out at the shop for walk-ins or to create new designs.
He paused, leaning against the bag, trying to fathom how a husband could make those marks on his wife’s legs. The woman he was supposed to cherish and the mother of his children. Even only glimpsing the marks for a short time, Stone was positive herhusband had used a thin switch. A whip wouldn’t have left the marks so even.
He breathed in, trying to calm down, but he wanted to make her ex-husband pay. He wondered why her sisters didn’t help her or her dad. Naomi had no one.
A sound at the door had Stone turning.
“Hey man, we were wondering what happened to you,” Roam called out, walking over with Rascal, Ben, and Finn.
So not only his two bosses but also his brothers were looking for him.
“Just needed to work out,” Stone grunted.
Ben walked over and started helping Stone take off his gloves.
“What happened?” Ben asked. He was the empathetic twin who wanted to make sure everyone was okay. Finn was the balls-to-the-wall twin who spoke before thinking and had been paying a penalty as a Prospect with the club.
“I can’t share because I haven’t asked her if it’s okay,” Stone said. He wasn’t breaking a confidence, especially with everything she’d been through.
“Is it something that needs to be addressed immediately or a past thing that currently doesn’t endanger anyone?” Rascal pressed.
Stone smirked at the hard tone in Rascal’s voice. Rascal might be one of the Originals of the club and in his seventies, but he was tough, especially if he thought someone had been harmed.
“Past thing,” Stone assured them.
“Okay, we can deal with that later. Now, how about you grab a quick shower, we’ll get some food at the diner, and take a quick ride before we need to be at Bluff Creek Ink for appointments,” Rascal suggested.
Stone nodded. It was exactly what he needed—fuel, friends, and then work.
Stone sipped the hot coffee that Slice had dropped off for their table and waited for his food. No one in their group needed to peruse the menu. Regina’s Roadside Refuge was a club business, and all the food was fantastic. When Slice dropped off the coffee, he’d said he’d be back out with their orders soon.
“You ready to share what sent you to the gym first thing this morning? I thought things were getting better,” Rascal said.
Stone thought about how to start. Sure, she’d told him in confidence, but sharing with these men would go no farther. Naomi would never know that they knew unless she told them herself.
