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“Fine, text him.” Shadow leaves after that letting me make the call I need to.
Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I unlock the screen hovering over the button to press dial. The number is programmed into my phone under a generic name that no one would question if they ever went through it. The number is to a burner phone belonging to Hudson. When he sees the call he will either call or text as soon as he is able. We never leave messages though that would be too risky. With a deep breath, I click on the number and listen to the phone ring several times. When the phone hits voicemail I disconnect knowing he got the messages. Now, all that’s left to do is sit and wait. Eventually, he will get back to me. I just hope it’s before we get to our destination.
I wait a few more minutes before I go in search of everyone. Knox said he had all my gear in the back of his SUV and I needed to grab that before we head out. All of us are to wear protective gear walking into this shit show. None of us know the exact resources Robert has available to him, only a guess. The confirmation that he is working alongside the Silent Death Family ups the ante. They are known hitmen not to mention the sale of drugs and money laundering. It’s no wonder Robert got into bed with them as allies.
I tried to convince Shadow during the meeting to wear some of the bulletproof vests Knox had brought but he refused. He said part of the MC life was the risk that comes with doing what they do. He and his men have made peace with their choices and they would never regret them. When Knox brought up what Rachel would think Shadow just shook his head and said his woman knows the rules. None of us liked it but it wasn’t our place to argue with him.
Walking out of the office I followed all the noises until I came back to the main living area and bar where all the families had been set up. The brothers were all hanging out with their families and getting in some of their last moments together while they could. I saw Shadow and Rachel off in the corner and it looked like they were fighting more than anything. When he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall to kiss I just shook my head. Those two always loved to fight.
My eyes roamed the room in search of the one pair of bright blue eyes that would match my own. Sitting on one of the couches with Steel plastered to her side is my little girl. I didn’t see her earlier when we arrived since Rachel still had all the kids up at their house. I’m thankful that she brought them all down now. It’s safer here and it gives me a chance to see for myself that Alexis is okay. Making my way through the crowd I move to sit on the arm of the couch right next to my daughter. It takes her a second and two looks before she realizes who moved to sit next to her. When she does Alexis lets out a loud pitched squeal and then leaps up from the couch and into my arms.
“DADDY!” Her arms wrap around my neck in a vice-like grip. Her body shakes as her sobs take over. I can feel her getting my t-shirt wet on my shoulder but I don’t care as long as she is safe in my arms.
“Shh, I’m here. Daddy’s here and isn’t going to let anything happen to you,” I soothe, running my hand through her hair and down her back before doing it all over again. In time her crying begins to slow, her arms loosen, and then she slowly starts to pull back.
“I was scared, so scared. Where’s mommy, is she with you?” Her voice is so soft and filled with fear as she looks around the room for Emma. Her eyes drop when she doesn’t find her.
My heart breaks with her words and the look of disappointment in her eyes when she doesn’t see her mom. God, I feel like a terrible father. None of us ever thought Robert would go to these lengths. The terror and nightmares that Alexis is going to be living with this make me want to break something or kill someone. The second would be highly frowned upon given my career. All I want to do is take the sad look in her eyes away from her. She doesn’t deserve to feel this way at all. Alexis should be having fun with her friends and going to school. Not being stuck in an MC compound for safety after watching her mother get kidnapped. No matter the outcome of today I will make sure Alexis gets to live the life she should away from all this craziness.
“Mommy isn’t here right now,” I sigh, giving her a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I promise that I am going to do everything in my power to bring her home to us.”
“Promise?” she whispers softly, tears still brimming the edge of her eyes.
“I promise, Sweetheart,” I pull her into another hug. Picking her up I let her sit on my lap as I took her seat on the couch. She snuggles into my chest and just lays there for a while. Her breathing evens out and I’m almost positive she's asleep. I plan to enjoy every minute of this and know that she’s safe before we leave. She may be nine and have an attitude sometimes but I know the moments like this when she’s going to want her dad are few and far between. I plan to enjoy them while I can.
Steel sits beside us and doesn’t say anything but shake his head and smile at us. He will never know how much I appreciate him for keeping her safe. Sure, I’m pissed as fuck he couldn’t keep Emma safe too but I know Emma would have told him to protect our daughter before her and I can’t say I would blame her for it. I would give my life up for my girls every day of the week.
* * *
“Trevor, any word?”Shadow asks from the driver's seat beside me. Most of the club chose to split up and ride in multiple SUV’s instead of taking their bikes. We wanted to make a more low-profile approach and their bikes would have given our arrival away. There were a couple who still rode behind us but they would be splitting off and taking a different route into town to hopefully play decoy and hide our arrival.
Right when I’m about to answer my phone goes off. Answering it, I wait to hear what I’ve been waiting for. “Warehouses on the edge of Ashworth. Look for the one with a skull graffitied on the side. Be quick. She’s in a cell in the far left corner. Safe for now. I have eyes on her. Injure me and take the building down.” Hudson cuts the call before I can respond. He gave me all the information we needed to make our approach. Thank fuck we were headed to the right place.
Quickly, I relay the information to Shadow and he takes the next right turn to get us where we need to go. We weren’t planning to bring the building down but I know for a fact we had the supplies in the trunk to do it.
“I need you and Steel to go get Emma. I’ll handle Robert,” I explain to Shadow as he brings the car to a stop behind a rundown building when we arrive. If you run into my man, don't kill him if you can avoid it, but he knows he needs to take an injury so his cover isn’t blown.”
Steel slaps my shoulder and then reaches into the truck to pull out a block of c4 to place inside his left pants pocket near his knee. “We got her brother. You kill the bastard who took your woman.”
A quick plan is made as we divide into teams to surround the building. Just as Hudson said, an old warehouse stands nearby with the windows all blacked out. A red and black skull with a knife between its teeth is graffitied on the north side of the building, marking it as belonging to the Silent Death Family. Shadow and Steel are leading the rescue team and will be entering through the back of the building. Knox, Rebel, and I are leading the decoy team and will be taking all the other entrances. We all agreed it would be better for my team to enter from the front as Robert knows me. Knox and Rebel are to knock out anyone they find and attempt to detain Wyatt if he’s at the location.
Each team splits and goes its separate ways. Rifles in hand my team and I make our way toward the front door. Even with the windows blacked out I make sure to duck low under them since I’m not sure if they would show my shadow walking past. My hand pauses on the door handle to push it open, as I hold my rifle in the ready low position, waiting for my guys to let me know they’re ready. With a tap on my right shoulder from Rome behind me I push the door open and walk inside, rifle raised.
“Hello, Robert.” I point my rifle directly at him, the red dot directly in the center of his chest.
THIRTY-THREE
EMMA ~ JULY TEN YEARS AGO
Two months, eight weeks ago, Trevor made love to me and then left. In the dead of night, he left without even a goodbye. When he had dropped me off at home after our date night, he had been acting out of sorts but I just figure he had a lot on his plate trying to decide what to do after graduation. The plan was already in place for me to attend community college in Evercrest since my father didn’t want me out of his sight. He said living in a dorm was beneath the Delcoure name and he wouldn’t risk my safety and some guy taking advantage of me on campus. It was all bullshit, I knew that, but I still listened and agreed with the decision to stay local. I’m sure my father knew I would agree since it also meant that I could still see Trevor.
That’s what I had thought at least until he disappeared. The next day at graduation, my boyfriend was a no-show. No one had seen him since the day before. When I tried to pull his friends to the side and get answers no one would tell me anything. They just said they hadn’t heard from him and didn’t know what was going on.
The only thing I had left of Trevor after that was a note he stuffed into my hand as I got out of the truck. On it were a phone number and instructions to call it if I ever needed help. What I didn’t know until today when I went to the doctor because I couldn’t stop vomiting and I hadn’t gotten my period in two months, which wasn’t out of the norm for me with everything I’ve gone through, was that Trevor left me with more than just a note. He left me a child.
“We got your blood work back, Miss Delcoure.” The doctor walks into the room with a look of pity. “It appears you’re pregnant.”
Pregnant?The news shocked me and left me sitting there with a blank expression as I tried to wrap my head around what the doctor was saying. I heard them trying to explain the options available to me but I was still stuck on the word pregnant. Trevor and I made a little life, one that was growing inside me. He was gone but I still had a piece of him with me. I always would. I hate him for leaving me alone, he promised to always be here and keep me safe but he up and left without a fucking word. The only good thing he did was leave me with our child. I would forever love him, even while I hated him.
