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Jag nodded and finally looked up from his laptop. “If you look closely,” he told Tanya and handed her a flash drive, “you can see that the amounts look like payments. I can’t say for what, yet, but it looks like these are payments to a business partner.”
Tanya whistled. “Damn, when you boys get into some shit, you get in to the deepest of shit.” She shook her head as my words sank in but then like the professional she was, Tanya started taking notes.
“These fuckers fight dirty, Tanya. Really fucking dirty, so we need you briefed on all of this, every damn detail, in case shit goes sideways.”
For the next hour she sat beside Jag and listened carefully as he explained every damn thing we had on Pacheco and Roadkill. So far.
Lasso and Savior came back in and Savior nodded to let me know they’d taken care of arming everyone. “We got some knuckles and blades for the guys who can’t be strapped,” Lasso said with a smile.
At Tanya’s look, I shrugged. “We pay attention when you tell us shit.”
“Color me surprised,” she shot back with a smile and turned her attention back to Jag.
The guys all gravitated towards Savior and Lasso, eager to take their pick of the weapons. They knew this fight would be dirty and they were all ready, because we were always ready. Soldiers, no matter what uniform they wore, never got over being battle-ready at any moment.
Looking around at this group of men who were the only family I had, I couldn’t help but worry about some of them. Hell, some of us. With that kind of money on the line, there was no telling what they would do to prevent this information from coming to light.
Luckily that was no longer an option.
Finally, the best part of us had arrived. Rocky, Jana and Teddy all sat at one table, looking pregnant and surrounded by the next generation of Bastards. Mandy had just walked in looking tired and all grown up with two large boxes of what had to be her delicious pastries inside. The sound of children grew louder and I scanned for a familiar head capped with black hair.
He wasn’t there, and neither was his mother. “Where the fuck is Moon and Beau?”
“She wasn’t at home or her shop,” Max said with a grunt. He looked as upset as I felt so there was no point in yelling.
“Keep everyone here. I’ll be back.” I had to find them. Moon knew there was trouble, but she didn’t realize she was part of the trouble now. I couldn’t let anything happen to them.
Not again.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Moon
“Mom, I feel weird.” Beau’s voice came out shaky but that wasn’t what alarmed me. It was that low whistling wheeze that left me terrified.
“Weird how, honey? Talk slowly and tell me what you’re feeling.” His voice quivered with fear, the same fear that snaked its way down my spine as soon as his breaths started coming in tight and unusually constricted, like his chest was in a vise. We were on our way to see Dr. Mankowski for the first stem cell treatment and I had no idea where the closest hospital was, so I stomped on the gas to get to the specialist’s office as soon as possible.
“It hurts, Mom. I can’t breathe.”
“Okay, baby, hang on. Okay?” With one hand on the wheel, my free hand searched my purse for the portable nebulizer, sending a wish into the universe that it was fully charged.
“Got it! Here you go, honey. Just breathe slowly, Beau, like we practiced.”
I breathed in and out slowly until Beau’s breathing matched mine.
His little hands took the nebulizer and double-checked all the settings. I checked it every morning after taking it off the charger and each night when I set it to charge but the routine was for him to make sure everything worked. When Beau was satisfied the settings were correct and that his medicine was inserted properly, he inserted the nebulizer into his mouth. After several deep inhales, the wheezing eased but it didn’t stop.
“We’re just two exits away from Dr. Mankowski’s office, Beau. Just stay calm.” The words were more for my benefit than Beau’s, because as calm as I was on the outside, I felt like a rabid squirrel on the inside.
Beau’s eyes were wide with the effort to breathe normally.
I may have broken a few traffic laws during the last stretch of road. By the time I turned into the medical center parking lot, Beau’s breathing had turned erratic and wheezy again.
“Mom,” he gasped, and I slammed on the brakes right in the middle of a row of parking spots, stepped out with my bag and ran around to the backseat, pulling Beau out and running inside the office building with him in my arms.
“Mom,” he wheezed again and I nearly fell to my knees.
“It’s okay, honey. Just breathe in and out slowly and let me take care of the rest.”
