Ruined (Devil’s Handmaidens MC Alaska Chapter #3)

Chapter 3

THREE

FRENCHIE

T he crowd stands in front of the federal courthouse. There is a chill in the air, but not as cold as it has been. The sun is shining, and the sky is a little cloudy. The weather is calling for snow.

When I woke up this morning naked in Dylan’s arms, at first, I started to panic, but then he squeezed me tight, and I settled back in. The fear of waking up in that box is always with me. In the last two nights, ever since I had that nightmare, when Dylan is with me, I don’t dream. I don’t have the nightmares.

He kissed me stupid and then rolled out of bed. I caught a glimpse of his impressive erection before he headed for the closet to get dressed. I laid there in bed for a bit longer, stretching and thinking about how much has changed in the last couple of days.

When I finally returned to the clubhouse this morning, Ginger and Keys teased me about doing the walk of shame and then high-fived me.

“It’s about time, Frenchie. Tell me how it was,” Ginger said, and I just shook my head.

I don’t want to share what we did. It’s still so new for me. Only Jinx and Riddler know that I haven’t slept with a man since the attack. I don’t tell the others because I don’t want to explain why I’m holding back. But with Dylan, it’s so different.

I glance at the courthouse, then back to the podium where Thad and his father, Terry, will be holding a press conference. Reporters are starting to gather and mingle, though there aren’t many of them. This surprises me, considering the press has been following Poison’s abduction for the last six months.

I keep to the back, staying hidden behind the crowd. I’m still technically in hiding. However, the more time passes, the more I think Wilder is probably dead. Maybe Drawer—the guy who killed Pierre and tried to frame Jinx and Riddler for the murder—did him in too. Or maybe it was Snake, getting revenge for Pierre’s death since they were half brothers. Wilder being dead is a happy thought. But until we have a body, Riddler says I can’t let my guard down. So I stay out of sight from the cameras.

When Riddler asked me to help keep an eye on Skyler and Ryder, she made it clear I still needed to stay hidden. Skyler is like my little niece, and I love spending time with her. Thad and Riddler wanted both children here instead of being away from them at the compound. The compound is secure, but they still worry. Especially since Skyler was kidnapped a mere seven months ago by Phantom, the same man who beat up Riddler the day I met Dylan. Ryder is Thad’s biological son, just like Skyler is his daughter, but Riddler isn’t his mother. She and Thad are working on having her adopt him since his mother walked away from him. I think it’s sad that Ryder’s mother didn’t want the sweet boy. Maybe that’s why I’m so close to him. I empathize because my own mother pushed me away too.

Ryder is a cutie and well-behaved. He’s a miniature of his father, with his wild blond hair and blue eyes. So now Ryder is my little nephew. It makes me miss my other nieces and nephews, but when my mother disowned me, she told me my brothers didn’t want to be around me either.

I need to stop thinking about my past, so I focus on why we are all here. It's been six months since Thad’s sister, Stormy, went missing. She was prospecting to be a Handmaiden, where she earned the nickname Poison because she could make a mean drink as a bartender. I can’t stop the shiver that runs across my skin. I don’t need to imagine what she’s going through; I’ve lived it. I was raped, beaten, and so much more before Riddler and Jinx saved me, along with the other Devil’s Handmaidens in Kentucky.

When Riddler moved back here to Alaska, I relocated with them. I couldn’t lose another family.

I glance at Dylan, standing in his uniform next to the podium. Thad stands beside him, not wearing his. Part of this conference will be Thad announcing his retirement. He wants to go private so he can focus on looking for his sister more.

“Frenchie,” a soft Southern-accented voice says my name before I feel her hand brush across my arm.

I jump, like I always do. Even Dylan knows not to touch me until I acknowledge him first, except for the other night when I fought him.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here.” I look up at the woman who has sacrificed the most for me. The one who stood by me when my own family said I was dirty and ruined. When they wouldn’t take me back, Vixen took me in. She rushed to try to adopt me, but instead, she sponsored me so I could become a U.S. citizen.

“Hey.” I lean my head onto her shoulder as she wraps her arms around me. She’s been the mother I should have always had. Vixen is her road name, but her real name is Rose. Maybe that’s why I have so many rose tattoos on my body—that and it’s my favorite flower. She is the sister to Riddler’s mom, Violet.

“I’m proud of you,” she says softly. “You came here today to support Jinx and Riddler, even though you knew it could bring back memories for you.”

“I want to help.” I tell her the truth.

She’s here because she and Terry have been seeing each other since he filed for divorce from Thad’s mother, Cheryl. His mother is the reason Skyler didn’t know her father until just a few months ago. She tried to force Riddler to have an abortion and made her sign a non-disclosure agreement, preventing her from telling Thad he was a father. Since Riddler was underage at the time, Cheryl broke the law. When Thad and his father found out, they cut her from their lives, and Terry left her for what she had done. They are still trying to settle everything with their finances, but he’s moved on with Vixen. He bought a cabin out in Ptarmigan Falls, away from the city, and Vixen moved in with him.

“You haven’t been home in a while.” She smirks and raises her chin toward Dylan.

Terry wanted me to move in with them too, but I told them they didn’t need me around. I like Terry for her. Vixen is stunningly beautiful, in her late forties, with platinum blond hair and electric blue eyes. She is tall, with a willowy, muscular figure. She is the longest-standing member of the DHMC in Alaska, and she helped not only me get into the club but also Riddler and Jinx.

Vixen took Riddler in when she got pregnant and had to leave Ptarmigan Falls to hide the fact she didn’t go through with the abortion. Then, when Jinx’s parents died, Vixen took her in too. She’s got strong maternal instincts, despite never having children herself. She always says the club is her family.

I look up at Terry, who reminds me a lot of Kevin Costner, with his rugged good looks. Vixen and he make a handsome couple. I know he’s missing Poison, and Vixen keeps him grounded when the pain gets to be too much.

I think about everything Vixen and the others did for me. I was only seventeen when I was kidnapped and held captive for over a month. I was terrified of my own shadow after that. I had to endure several surgeries to repair the damage from a knife wound to my abdomen, along with cosmetic surgeries to help cover some of the worst burns on my body.

Vixen was there for me in ways no one else could be. She held me when I cried, never judging, just offering comfort. She understood when I had to sleep on the floor of her bedroom or next to my door.

I prospected the Handmaidens because I wanted to help fight the never-ending insanity of human trafficking. Children, men, and women are all victims of it. But young girls are the most extensively trafficked. I was in the prime age grouping of fifteen to seventeen when I was taken.

Poison is older. So to keep control of her, they’ll have to use drugs and more. That scares all of us, but I know we will be there for her when she comes home. The last time Jinx saw her, Poison was drugged up. On the surveillance footage Titan and Keys found, she was unconscious when they put her on the plane. That plane had only a partial flight manifest, so the authorities and our hackers still don’t know where Poison ended up.

Titan is Reaper’s brother, and he’s better at computer hacking than Keys, which is saying a lot. He’s so good that the government now controls him. He’s part of some agency, but won’t say which one. He can’t go far without them tracking him down.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen.” Terry’s voice echoes from the speakers. “I’m Terrence Abbot. As many of you know, I’m the former North Star Borough mayor. My daughter was kidnapped six months ago, and according to the Alaska State Troopers, it’s still an ongoing case. But they have no new leads and are putting it on the back burner for now.”

Vixen holds my hand as Terry pauses. Standing at the podium with him are Riddler and Thad. They just got married on New Year’s Eve and are expecting another baby in August.

“My daughter, Stormy, is only twenty-three. The last time she was seen her hair was deep purple,” Terry continues, giving a more thorough description as he holds up a picture of her. “We just want Stormy returned home safe and sound.” He pleads, looking into the cameras. “Together with several businesses and organizations, we are offering a large reward for her safe return. My son, Thad, would like to make a statement.” Terry steps to the side, and Thad moves forward.

“I’ve given my notice with the Alaska State Troopers. I’m going private so I can focus all my attention on my sister’s case.” He pauses for a moment and looks directly at the cameras. Riddler holds his hand, comforting him. “I will find you, Stormy, and bring you home.” Thad’s voice cracks, and Riddler wraps her arms around him.

Jinx steps up next and talks about the men who kidnapped her. She gives descriptions of the men who took Stormy. She killed a couple of them, but not many people know that. Thad returns to the podium and talks about the plane and asks for the public’s help in finding it.

The press conference continues for a few more moments, allowing reporters to ask questions. Ryder is getting restless. He’s five and can only deal with so much inactivity before he needs something to do.

“Dada, Mama,” he hollers and starts to take off toward the podium.

I grab him back before he makes it to the platform. When I look up, a camera is focused on me. I turn away quickly, causing my blond hair that is loose around my shoulders to fly into my face. I brush it away, and when I look back over my shoulder, the cameraman is still focused on me. I don’t worry about Wilder finding me because I do believe he’s dead. He would have come after me before now if he were alive. Vixen grabs me and pulls me away, leading me to where the other Handmaidens are standing. Violet, Vixen’s sister and Riddler’s mom, takes Ryder from me, and Ginger gets Sky.

“You know you can’t be photographed,” Keys scolds me, and I get distracted when my watch pings on my wrist.

“Shoot, I have a class on campus.”

“We got the kids,” Violet says.

I nod and make my way over to my car. I look back and see Dylan is watching me, his jaw set tight. I don’t know if it’s because a question was asked or because of me, but I head out toward campus.

I barely make it in time for my class and arrive just as the professor is walking in. I take a seat at the back and slip my tablet out to take notes.

Dylan

A s soon as Thad takes the last question, I head for the cameraman who took pictures of Minuet.

“I’m going to need any footage you have of the blond woman.”

He smirks and shakes his head. “There’s a lot of blond women around here. You’ll have to be more specific.” He taunts me. He knows exactly what woman I’m talking about.

“Don’t push me right now. That woman is under protection and can’t be photographed.”

“Get a warrant,” he says as he slips the camera into a bag. “Besides, it was being broadcast live on the internet.”

I’m ready to punch him when he chuckles, but Reaper rushes over and wraps an arm around mine and spins me around.

“Don’t do it, lawman. I’ll get Titan to take care of it.”

I watch as the cameraman jumps into his car and takes off. I’m pissed and spin back toward Reaper.

“Fucker, Frenchie can’t be photographed. She’s still a target,” I snap.

“I know, man, but attacking a member of the press while in your uniform isn’t going to help your girl.”

I look around for her and realize she left when I saw her at her car.

“Where did she go?” I ask the other girls who have moved over to where Reaper and I are standing. “Get Titan to pull any footage of her. To blur her face or something.”

“I will,” he confirms as Vixen steps toward me.

“She had a class on campus,” Vixen informs me, and I nod at her.

I head to my SUV, not caring that I’m still in uniform or in a marked car. I have to get to her. The fear that she could be spotted and taken again is overwhelming. I just got her and don’t want to lose her.

I make it to campus and locate her car. I block it in so she can’t leave without me. Pulling up the shared location app on my phone, I see she’s in one of the buildings off the main quad, and I walk toward it.

When I reach the floor she’s on, I stand by the open door, listening to the lecture.

“When a patient is traumatized so severely, it can not only take years for them to recover but can also make it to where they will never heal for a normal relationship.” The professor pauses, and then I hear her voice.

“But if said patient thinks they can handle a relationship, shouldn’t they try?”

I’m on pins and needles, waiting for the answer.

“That first relationship could be what is called a rebound and won’t work out. It’s extremely rare for a victim to have a normal relationship right off the bat.”

“No matter how long it’s been?” Minuet asks, and again I hold my breath, waiting.

“No matter. There have been so many case studies on it. If the person really wants to be in a relationship with the patient, they will not only give them the time to heal, but they will also, as the phrase goes, set them free and see if they come back. It’s an important test.”

I stand there in shock, thinking about what the professor said. My legs feel like they have lead in them as I make my way back to my SUV. I can’t set her free yet, but I’ll let her come to me this time instead of me bugging her like I did yesterday.

I’ve been sitting at my desk for an hour, staring at the files in front of me and not making heads or tails of them, when my phone pings in my pocket.

Baby Doll

Can I cook for you tonight?

I take a deep breath, knowing this isn’t completely what the professor was saying, but it’s still a milestone, and I respond back.

Me

I’d love that. I’ll be off at 5. I don’t have much at the house.

Baby Doll

I’ll stop at Freddy’s before I head out. See you soon. XXX

She has the code to get into the house and disarm the alarm. I settle into work and finally make some progress before I head home to my woman.