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“Leave it,” Ivy demands, interrupting Sutton before she has the chance to question me about anything further. My gaze slips to hers to see her staring at me with that intuitive look in her eyes she’s always been known to get. It’s one of the reasons she’s the perfect match for Reaper. That and her sarcastic mouth. I’ve seen the two of them get into, but it always ends with Ivy being kissed.
I give her a small smile of gratitude. I might have talked with Daemon about what happened at the hospital and seeing my son for the first time, but I don’t think I’m ready to do so with the girls yet. At least not until I’ve officially come to terms with it. That and the pregnancy. I’m still scared out of my mind about what will happen.
Time passes, and the subject gets switched to what’s going on with Ivy, Isabelle sharing the workload at the shop, and how the guys are always coming into their office to play with the babies when they’re there.
“I think we might need to hire someone who can watch the babies,” Stella remarks.
“Like a nanny to watch them all?” Ivy inquires.
“Maybe.” Stella nods. “With me back at the hospital, I don’t like the idea of taking Ryland to the daycare there. To me, it doesn’t seem secure enough. And after what nearly happened with Miles, I’m not sure I want to take the chance.”
“You know, it’s something we could look into. I’m sure the guys wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Ivy agrees and glances up and over her shoulder. I follow her line of sight to see she’s looking at Reaper, the man also has his eyes on her.
I shift my gaze to find Daemon as my phone beeps on the table. I glance down to see it’s a message from an UNKNOWN number. Frowning, I open the message and my heart lurches in my chest.
Attached is a picture of Everett, terror in his eyes as he stares upward at whoever is in front of him.
Below the image is a message.
You’ve disgraced us for the last time. No more will you do that. Come to the factory in Athens, you know which one. Your life for your precious son’s and the parents who raised him.
Another message comes in after I finish reading the first.
I suggest you come alone or there will be hell to pay. You have two hours.
I swallow past the lump forming in my throat. My anxiety threatens to overtake me, and my vision becomes spotty.I’m not sure who it is, but it has to be either my mother, father, or uncle. They’re the only ones who would say I’ve disgraced them and for all I know, no one else in their community knew I was pregnant or had a son. But how did they find him, Sofie, and Carl?
Oh God, Sofie was in the hospital to have the baby. I need to make sure they’re okay. More than that, I need to find out how they found out about them and how they got Everett away from his parents.
No. No. No.
This can’t be happening.
“Evs, you okay?” Stella asks.
No, I’m not okay.I want to scream, but instead, I nod.“Yeah.” I clear my throat and stand, not meeting any of their gazes. “I’ll be back, I need to make a phone call.” I clutch my phone in my hand tightly.
Spinning on my heels, I make my way to the doors leading into the clubhouse. I figured it was the best way to not only get away from the girls without them questioning me but also not alarming Daemon. I can’t take the chance of telling him right now.
The message threatened Everett’s life and I won’t let anything happen to him. But I’m not stupid. They most definitely will have someone watching.
I rush to Daemon’s room and find a sheet of paper. Quickly, I scribble out a message for him to find when he notices I’m missing. I grab the keys off the top of his dresser for my Tahoe, thankful we’d driven separately to the clubhouse. I’d come later than him since he had to run an errand to get something for the grills, and I went to pick up Hendrik.
Grabbing a piece of tape, I stick the paper on the door, knowing it’s the most obvious place he’ll see the note and it won’t take him long. I don’t want to do this, but I won’t risk Everett and Daemon will have to understand this.
* * *
I pull up to the factory warehouse I was told to come to in Athens and park. The area looks totally worn down and abandoned. My phone has been ringing non-stop for nearly the whole time and I know who it is, but if I answer, I’ll lose it. I can’t do that right now. I have to be strong.
Everett needs me.
Sucking in a much-needed breath, I touch my hand over my stomach. “Don’t worry, little one, your daddy will come soon enough,” I say gingerly, speaking to my unborn child. I wish I could do something different in this moment but there’s no other choice. If I’d told Daemon, then not only would he have refused to let me come out here, but more than that, Everett’s life could’ve been harmed more than it already has been.
I shove my door open quickly and hop out before I can lose my nerve. I reach under my seat and grab the gun Daemon had mounted underneath about two weeks back. “You never know what happens, sugar, and I want you to have protection at all costs,” he said when I asked him about it. He knew I was good with a gun. Hell, all of my friends and I are, but Josephine is the best. Her brother’s a Marine and taught her to be a damn good marksman.
My fingers wrap around the handle, and I withdraw the gun from its holder. I keep it concealed from any prying eyes as I turn and slip it beneath my shirt. Hopefully, I won’t need to use it, but I’m happy to know I’ve got it just in case. Right now, I need to get inside. Time’s ticking, and I have no doubt that whichever one of them is behind this will have something up their sleeves.
I just don’t know what.
