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When she told me about her past and the shit she went through. I know it took a toll on her to do it all on her own. It took a toll on her days after talking to me about it. Savvy needs to understand that she has me now. I’m not the man I was. I fight for mine. And she needs to see she is worth fighting for. She doesn’t have to do it on her own or at all. I’ll be damned if the past repeats itself. She deserves peace.
I walk into the main room. The mood is subdued. I look around and take in my family, my club brothers, their ol’ ladies, and kids shuffling around the room. I’m not surprised that my VP has taken it upon himself to call for lockdown. Finding him at the mouth of the hallway leading to the offices, he is glaring down at his woman, who is giving him the business as she waves her hands in front of him. I chuckle when he looks up. Noticing my entry into the main room. I give him a chin lift. With a nod, he says something to Bell, who turns her eyes, instantly finding mine. When they narrow, my smirk falls at the glare she sends me. With a glare of my own, she turns fully, and before she can take a step in my direction. Taz wraps his arm around her middle, stopping her. Taz says something in her ear which has her visibly releasing a huff and crossing her arms. Savvy is standing beside me. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her closer to my side. When I look down at her she’s watching our daughter and son-in-law’s interaction. Savvy takes them in with a cool, calculating glint.
Wanting to get this over with, I let out a breath and pulled my woman along with me. I speak to a few brothers, reassuring them I’m good. When we’ve nearly reached Taz and Bell, I can tell that my baby girl is far from happy. I’m sure Taz has already had the conversation with her I’ve been holding back from having with my woman. The decision was one we made a while back. Even though we know they are capable, our women are going to be treated as all the club women are. They will not be included or involved with club business because it is not their business. This situation is the first time that the decision is going to come into play. And as pissed as they are going to be, they will have to learn to deal with it.
Savvy seems to have connected the dots when we get closer. Her steps falter, but my hand around her propels her forward. I don’t want to have this conversation in the common room around the brothers. With another nod to my VP, he pulls Bell closer to him, shifting her so his arm is wrapped around her shoulder and he leads her further down the hall toward my office. I can feel the protest more than I can see or hear it. Savvy’s body stiffens the closer we get to them. The words leave me before I can think better of it.
“No one… Not a single soul in this world or the next can or will ever take me away from you.”
Savvy’s brows lower at my statement. I don’t stop our forward movement to explain. When we are near my office, I can hear Bellamy arguing with Taz, releasing a long breath. I push forward and walk into my office, taking in the scene. Bellamy’s posted in front of Taz as he glares down at her as he leans his shoulder on the wall next to my desk. When he feels eyes on him, he looks away from her and his exasperated eyes connect with mine. Bellamy notices his attention is no longer on her, which has her whipping around.
“You,” Bellamy waves a pointed accusatory finger in my direction.
My face blanks as I step further into the room, attempting to close the door behind me, but it gets pushed open. I look over my shoulder and watch as Blaze, Bull, Vex, Pain, and Rocket shuffle into the room. Bellamy huffs, narrowing her eyes. Her hands fly up in the air.
“Great, it’s a fucking family reunion.” She glares at me.
“That’s enough Bellamy, sit your ass down,” I say, my voice leaving no room for argument or an invitation for a smart-ass retort from her.
With a huff, she stomps over to the couch and plops down with a growl, crossing her arms over her chest. Glancing up at me with fury in her eyes, my returning glare is just as fierce and piercing. Her eyes leave mine and find her mother. They have one of their silent conversations. Before that shit gets out of hand I push Savvy to sit, which she doesn’t. Of course, she doesn’t. The woman never makes shit easy for me. I don’t miss the way Savvy shrugs off my touch to turn and level me with a narrowed-eyed glare.
“What’s going on Gunner?” Savvy asks, watching and gauging my response to her question.
I didn't answer her right away. Releasing a breath, I turn and walk away from her and lean on the end of my desk, crossing my arms over my chest, attempting to stifle the wince. Deciding not to push it. I uncross my arms and stare into her eyes. The room is silent. The boys no doubt know my plans to inform Savvy and Bellamy they won’t be included in what happens next. That Julia sent for me and now I’m coming for her.
“I will destroy whoever and whatever stands between you, me, and our forever. Never doubt I’ll burn the world to ashes before you ever hurt again. I’ve sat back and let you do what it is you do. But tonight, things changed. They came for me. And I can’t sit back and let that slide. I know you want to handle this and have been in your own way. I know you’ve been using your visits to organization headquarters to try to find Julia. But that seems to have kicked a hornet’s nest and pushed the bitch to up her game. This bitch isn’t like the motherfuckers you are used to. She used to be one of you. She knows how you move, how you respond and react. She knows you will plan and research. She knows you.” I growl out, but I can tell she isn’t hearing me because her focus is on our son. Before she conjures up some nonsense, I go to cut her off. Before I can, a loud knock comes to the door.
I look over at it, as does everyone else. With a nod to Bull, he steps aside and pulls the door open enough to see who is interrupting our meeting. At who he sees, he releases the door and without invitation, Victor Petrov strides into the room. There is an air about him that screams power. The over-six-foot Russian is a man to be feared and respected. He has amassed immeasurable power over his many decades as Pakhan of the Petrov Bratva. So the arrogance in his stride while he takes in everyone in the room is not surprising.
When his eyes meet Savvy’s, he says something to her in Russian. Her eyes widen, her hand comes to her chest, and a breath leaves her as she falls to the couch. Multiple curses ring out and I look to my children for answers. Bellamy stares at her grandfather, wide-eyed, as her hand makes its way into her mother’s in a bruising grip. Blaze’s hands clench and unclench as he glares at the ground. Pain is staring at me. There is something in the way he is watching me that has a coil of uneasiness run up my spine. And the crazed fury lights Rocket’s eyes and has my hackles rising.
My eyes return to Victor, and what I see has my heart rate picking up. He takes me in, he eyes me as if assessing me and I fucking hate it, but I don’t look away.
“Your daughter?” He says his accent is thick.
My brows furrow. I go to ask what the fuck he’s talking about when a man I hadn’t noticed steps forward and around Victor, shoving a laptop into my face and pressing a button, bringing what’s on the screen to life. At first, I didn't look at the screen until I heard it. Until I hear her. My eyes won’t lower. They can’t. Fuck, no.
“Look at the screen, Mr. Gunner,” Victor says, his voice holding a solemn note.
My eyes leave with his and my brain finally kicks back into what I’m hearing and my eyes trail down to the screen. What I see has me stumbling back. My knees nearly buckle and my chest constricts as the video plays. My brain knows what is happening and can see what is happening, but it isn’t… No.
“No…. No.” I say, looking at everyone in the room.
No, fuck no.
“I was sent this video approximately fifty-seven minutes ago with a message. doch' dlya docheri.” He says.
“Fuck,”
“Mudak,”
“Son of a bitch,”
“They are all gonna die,” a menacing voice pulls me from my thoughts.
My chest continues to constrict and my head fills with fury at the realization. Hands wrap around me and as much as I want to take comfort in them, I can’t. Fuck, I can’t. Pulling out of the arms holding me, I turn away. My feet carry me from the room to the door that connects my office with the room we hold church in. Walking through the room to the other side, I rip the door open that leads to the hallway and continue. I hear voices and feet behind me, but I don’t stop until I reach the common room. I bellow out church, and without waiting for a response, I turn and stomp back down the hallway and back to church. My family, who had been at my back, split allowing me to pass without a word. My fury threatens to explode out of me as I make my way back into the room. Entering the room, I reach my seat but don’t sit. I can’t. I grab hold of the back of my chair and hold on to it with a white knuckle grip. My breathing is ragged and my heart rate is erratic as I glare down at the table that holds a carving of the club colors.
My mind goes to my girl, my daughter. Hasn’t she been through e-fucking-nough? Fuck, first her mother and now this. Princess had begged me to allow her to go to school. She wanted to find herself. And with Savvy’s urging, I let her go. And even now I’m not upset at that. I know after everything with her mother and all the bullshit that woman filled her head with, Princess needed something. And after the shit she pulled during Taz and Bell’s wedding, I knew she needed to get away. She needed to get her head right. The school she chose isn’t far, only an hour’s ride, so I allowed it. With the exception that one prospect would accompany her.
