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“Viper, is that you? Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m fine. Rafe found us. I’m not sure where we are, but I think we’re in Red Rock Canyon.”
I hear Rafe speaking on the other end before she’s back and giving me her location. Rushing down the hall, I enter Spark’s office and give him the details before assuring Viper that Max is fine and at the clubhouse.
“Puma’s on his way to her, along with the rest of the club,” Spark says.
Relieved, I step back into the common room to update everyone else. I see Reggie clasp his hands together and close his eyes as if in prayer. Reggis is the first man out the door when Hunter announces everyone is back. I follow to watch the reunion.
We’re deep into our celebration when Viper asks Puma about a name I haven’t heard in almost a decade. Preacher.
“Wait? He lives here? Fuck, I haven’t seen him in years. He got five years in the pen, just before you joined,” I say. “I did him a favor after his sentencing, but when I tried to visit him, he wouldn’t see me. I wonder if this is a coincidence?”
“What?” Rafe asks.
“Nothing. Fuck, I need to talk to him.”
“I can call him. Convince him to come see us,” Viper offers. She pats her kutte a few times before cussing. “Fuck, I don’t have my phone.”
“Use mine,” Rafe offers.
I have to wonder if Preacher’s return has anything to do with Brigit leaving Boston and possibly heading in this direction. Maybe Preacher is the reason she’s coming home. The thought that she might be with him has me out the door as soon as Gears announces that Smooth’s let Preacher through the gate. Once outside, I glance at Preacher behind the wheel, but my eyes search for Brigit. I don’t see her. I also don’t see the anger in Preacher’s eyes or the gun in his hand until I feel a flash of pain in my chest. The last thing I remember is Preacher asking me how much I got for Brigit. What the fuck?
CHAPTER ONE: DIXIE
“Delphine!” I shout, while pounding on her door. Fuck me. I’ve been here before, too many times. And I’m not talking about fucking déjà vu. No, every time I crash through Delphine’s walls, we have one night of passion, followed by days of watching her rebuild her fucking wall. I’ve thought of giving up, but the times when she lets me in shows me all I need to know. She loves me, but she’s scared to admit it.
The week I spent away from her was hard. Hex and I attended Dante’s wedding in San Diego. He’s the President of our Original Chapter. I missed Delphine the whole time and hoped she missed me. But before I can exit I-10, I get a call from Zip telling me that Delphine set herself up as bait. Rushing to her apartment, I barely make it in time to rescue her. Does she thank me? Fuck no. The minx spits and claws at me for not trusting her to take care of herself. Fucking woman! She’s strong, but she can’t take on four men by herself. What was she thinking?
I laid into her that night. Not only with my words, but with my hand against her ass. She fought me the entire time until the spanking finally got through her thick skull and she sobbed for forgiveness. The sex that night was off-the-charts. But I shouldhave predicted the outcome. Me, standing here banging on her door while she fortifies those walls of hers.
Delphine loves me as much as I love her, but she’s scared. The problem is, she won’t share those fears with me. A man hurt her, hurt her so badly that she’s incapable of trusting. My guess is the man was Hex’s father. Although she’s never confirmed my suspicions. I’ve wracked my brain to prove to her I’ll never hurt her, but every time I think I’m making progress, I find myself right back here, banging on her door. And as usual, not getting a response. But this time, I’m not here for me, but for a group of children who need a woman like Delphine to help them feel safe.
“Delphine, the kids are on their way here. Hex needs your help. I know you’re mad at me, but I also know you won’t let Hex down.” I curse when she still doesn’t respond. The complete silence has me second-guessing whether she’s inside. But her car is still outside and none of the SUVs are missing. Neither prospect drove her anywhere, so she has to be here. “If you’re staying in there because I’m out here, fine, have it your way. I’m heading downstairs.”
I step into quiet chaos. Cleo, Skylar, Nora, my Brothers, and the Kutte Bunnies are busy helping the rescued kids get settled so they can eat. Lake and Pirate meet with each one to get their names and to check their condition. The chaos ramps up in decimals when Puma, the larger-than-life President of our Vegas Chapter, crashes into the room. With him are Dante’s father-in-law, Dr. Chambers and a woman I only briefly met at the wedding, Maia. Maia often flies Dante’s family jet, which is how Puma and the others are getting the kids back to Vegas.
Cleo joins us after Hex, and I greet Puma. I watch Puma straighten to his considerable height. He eyes Cleo as if expecting her to pull out a gun and shoot him between the eyes. But she stuns the big man by wrapping her arms around him before introducing herself and thanking him for rescuing her.
“My pleasure.” Puma introduces the couple with him. “Maia has Angela’s jet waiting at the airport. Dr. Chambers can help Lake examine the children before we fly them back to Vegas. If all of them are going back?”
Pirate and Lake have sorted through the children we rescued and all but two confirmed they were living in Vegas before their kidnapping. We also rescued two babies who, of course, can’t tell us where they are from. While Puma and Hex work out the details for getting the children onto Angela’s jet and back to Vegas, I wonder over to the babies. They’re both asleep. Their innocence makes my temper spike as I consider the hell they were facing before we found them. Nero’s records didn’t mention any babies, so where did they come from?
As Puma rounds up the kids to leave, I stop several and ask them if they saw who brought the babies. None of them can tell me anything except that it was a man. I wish Puma luck and join Cleo, who is talking with the two remaining children. We know they are from here, so Pirate is tracking down their parents.
“How did you end up on the ship?” Cleo asks.
Garrett shrugs, but Mina answers. “We were playing in the park and two men grabbed us.”
“Together?”
Mina nods.
“He threatened to kill our mothers if we caused them any trouble,” Garrett supplies. “Are they going to kill them now because we came with you?”
“Not a chance,” I assure them. “We’ll contact your parents and get you home. We’ll keep you and them safe. Can you describe them to me?”
Their description matches that of the two men Abra and Zip are taking to The Farm. I can’t wait to help provide some payback to two assholes who terrorized these kids. I can give these kids the reassurance they need.
