by Kay Marie
“Alright, now that everyone is here, it’s time we get down to business,” Prez announces. “So, we know Rodrigo’s house is surrounded by trees. According to the security feed, there are six men constantly walking the perimeter of the house. Tech will set the feed on a loop while we have snipers set up to take out the men outside.”
“Two snipers should work,” Trigger tells him. “One on the North side and one on the South.”
“Two of my boyeviks are highly trained snipers,” Niko states.
“Perfect.” Prez turns to Tech. “Get exact locations for where they can set up.”
“Once the perimeter is taken care of, we’ll have two groups of men head inside, while the others set up our own perimeter in case anyone tries to escape,” Trigger explains.
“We take Rodrigo alive,” I add. Everyone nods in understanding. Rodrigo is mine to torture.
“Get prepared. We’ll leave at dark,” Prez states.
I change into black jeans and a black hoodie. I make sure I have a couple of knives and both my guns on me, plus two extra clips.
When the sun starts to set, Tech gives us directions for the best locations to post up. At the same time, Prez makes sure we all have earpieces so we can continuously communicate. We load up and head out. It’s a thirty minute drive from Finn and Lochlan’s place. The closer we get, the more amped up I become. I’m ready to kick some ass and get Marley back.
Bull shuts off the headlights as we pull into the wooded area toward Rodrigo’s. When he brings the SUV to a stop, we all climb out and carefully shut the doors so we don’t bring attention to ourselves.
“Testing, can everyone hear me?” Bull says, testing the earpieces. Everyone checks in as Tech sets up his laptop in the back of the SUV. He pulls up the house’s security feed, then gets to work. He types away at his computer doing what he does best.
“Done,” he says, five minutes later. “Feed is on a loop. We’re good to go.”
“Snippers ready,” Prez asks.
“Ready,” they say in unison.
“Take ‘em out, fellas.” Prez watches through binoculars, counting as Rodrigo’s men get dropped. When the sixth one is down, he sets the binoculars down. “That’s the last one. Let’s roll!”
We make our way toward the house. Ratchet comes to the door first, lifts his foot and kicks the door in. We rush inside. Gun shots ring out from the other side of the house. Three men come barreling toward us. I raise my gun and shoot. Two go down instantly and the third takes a few shots at us before someone behind me shoots him in the head.
“Diesel is down!” Saint says.
“Get him back to the SUV.” Prez demands. “Gunner, Kicks, get him back to the house and call Catriona. Have her meet you back at the house!”
“We have Rodrigo and his right hand man, Eduardo, in the living room,” Niko says over the earpiece. We head into the living room.
“Where’s Marley?” I roar in Rodrigo’s face.
He laughs. “I’m not telling you shit.”
Niko slams his fist into Rodrigo’s face, knocking him out.
“What the hell did you do that for?” I yell.
“Rascal, take a step back and breathe,” Prez orders.
I shake my head and walk away. With Saint on my heels, I walk around the house. When I walk into the kitchen, I notice a faint sound coming from the pantry.
“Do you hear that,” I ask Saint.
“Hear what?”
I open the pantry, but there’s no one there. One wall of shelves is empty of any food that had been on it. I take a chance and push on the shelf. When that doesn’t work, I pull it and it opens like a door.
“There’s a set of stairs,” I tell Saint. “I’m goin’ down.”
“I got your back, brother.”
We get to the bottom of the stairs and standing there, with a bloody face and hands, is Marley.
“Rascal!” She runs to me, throwing her arms around me. I wrap her up in a bear hug and breathe her in.
37
Marley
When Maria and I are done eating, I help her clean up the kitchen. While she’s clearing the table, I wash the dishes. The kitchen has been quiet since Eduardo left. Maria puts away the last of the leftovers and starts drying dishes.
“I’m sorry you’re here.” Maria’s words shock me.
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her.
“No, but still.” She sighs.
I pause, turning to face her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you here?”
“My son, Julian, and Rodrigo grew up together. They were the best of friends. Julian died protecting him not long after they joined the Cartel. Rodrigo has taken care of me ever since,” she explains.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I knew when they first got involved with the Cartel his life would always be in danger. I have never been able to fully get over his death, but Rodrigo has taken such good care of me. I am forever grateful to him,” she says.
Before I can respond, there’s a familiar popping sound. Gun shots.
“Rascal,” I mutter.
Paula runs into the kitchen, shouting something to Maria in Spanish. Maria grabs my arm, ushering me to the pantry. She pulls on a set of shelves and it opens to a set of stairs.
“Hurry up!” Paula pushes me to move quicker. She follows me, closing the door behind herself.
“You stupid, bitch! This is all your fault,” she hisses out at me. “I told Eduardo we shouldn’t bother with you. He should have killed you when he had the chance.”
Maria says something to her in Spanish, causing Paula to back hand her. Something inside me snaps and I shove Paula.
“Leave her the hell alone,” I spit out.
Paula swings on me, but I manage to duck, only pissing her off more. She charges at me, so I swing a right hook, connecting with her jaw. She falls to the floor and I climb on top of her, slamming my fists into her face. Blood splatters everywhere.
The door at the top of the stairs opens and I jump off her, expecting Eduardo to walk down the stairs. When Rascal appears, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Rascal!” I run to him, throwing my arms around him. He wraps his arms around me, squeezing me in a hug.
“Princess,” he breathes out. He pulls back enough to see my face. “What happened down here?”
“Paula was talking shit and smacked Maria for sticking up for me. I kind of snapped and went to town on her face,” I explain. A laugh from behind Rascal catches my attention and I notice Saint came with.
“That’s my girl.” Rascal smiles. “Saint, check if she’s still breathing.”
Saint walks over to Paula and kneels next to her, putting his fingers to her throat. “Yeah, she’s alive.”
“We’ll send her to Catriona, Saoirse and Fiona. They can have some fun with her and maybe get some information out of her,” Rascal says.
“Who are they,” I ask.
“Some badass women,” Saint says.
“The Murphy girls. Catriona and Saoirse’s brothers help save women who have been sold through human trafficking,” Rascal explains. “Fiona is their cousin. You’ll meet Catriona back at the house.”
“What are we gonna do with her?” Saint gestures to Maria.
“She comes with us. Maria has been the one taking care of me since I got here. She’s only here because her son died protecting Rodrigo when they were younger,” I explain.
“I’ll talk to Lochlan. He’ll be able to help her get set up somewhere safe,” Rascal says. “For now, let’s get y’all outta here.”
“Are we going home,” I ask.
“Not tonight,” he tells me. “Tonight, we’ll stay at Lochlan and Finn’s house.”
Thirty minutes later, we’re pulling up to a mini mansion. It’s so different than the cabin we were staying at last week. I climb out of the car and walk with Rascal into the house.
“Are you hungry or anything?” Rascal wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“No, Maria made sure I ate. If I didn’t have her, who knows what Eduardo and Paula would have done with me,” I say.
“I’m glad you had her. I’ll have to thank her for keeping you safe,” he states.
“Romeo, are you going soft on me?” I wink at him.
“Princess, I’m never soft where you’re concerned.”
A smile stretches across my face and Rascal’s lips tip up in his sexy smirk. Groaning comes from the other room, grabbing my attention.
“Who was that?” I walk toward the sound. Walking into the dining room, I freeze. Diesel is laying on the dining room table, a woman standing over him with her back facing me. “What’s going on in here? What’s wrong with Diesel?”
“He was shot. Catriona is removing the bullets.” Rascal is standing directly behind me. He wraps his arm around me.
“Is he going to be okay? He’s not going to die is he?” I turn around in his arms.
“Baby, calm down,” he says softly. “It’ll take some time but he’ll make a full recovery.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t need anyone else dying because of me.”
“Hey, now.” Rascal walks me into the living room. “Chains’s death wasn’t because of you. We got the men responsible for that and they’ll get what’s comin’ to them, believe that.”
“If I had not been at the clubhouse, they wouldn’t have come looking for me,” I tell him.
“Marley, he was prospecting for the Savage Menaces MC. We’re constantly in dangerous situations. It’s part of the life and he knew that,” Rascal points out.
“He was such a good guy,” I whisper.
“I know. He was a great friend and he would have done whatever he could to keep you safe,” he says.
“Hey, Ras,” Saint grabs his attention. “Why don’t y’all take my room. I’ll take the couch.”
“Thanks, man,” Rascal replies. We move from the living room to the bedroom. I’m thankful for Saint doing that. Being alone with Rascal is exactly what I need right now.
“How are you doin’?” He walks us to the bed and we sit. “Did they do anything to you?”
“No, they didn’t. But, if I had been there any longer, they would have,” I tell him.
“Did any of them say anything to you?”
“Rodrigo told me he was using me to lure my father out. That it was time for payback for my mom choosing my father over him.” I stare straight ahead.
Rascal grabs my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. “Did he say who your father is?”
“He never said a name. He said he made sure she paid for picking the Russian over him,” I state. “It didn’t click until now, but he confirmed what Niko already suspected. Niko is my father.”
38
Rascal
We weren’t up for long before Marley fell asleep tucked under my arm with her legs tangled up with mine. When I wake up, we are in the same position. I don’t move, in fear of waking her up. Instead, I soak up the moment, loving every second of her being back in my arms. We were apart for a short time, but it felt so much longer.
As if she senses me watching her, Marley stirs in her sleep. Her arm around my waist tightens, her eyes fluttering open.
“Good mornin’, Princess.” I kiss her forehead.
“Mornin’, Romeo.” She smiles.
“How’d you sleep?”
“Best sleep I’ve ever had.” She giggles, but quickly sobers. “Maria gave me something to help me sleep. Even then, it wasn’t a very peaceful sleep. I had nightmares, but I don’t remember what they were about.”
“Well, you’re safe now. Nothin’ like that will ever happen again,” I promise.
“You can’t promise that. Like you said, being part of the Savage Menaces you’re always in dangerous situations.” She repeats my own words back to me. “But even so, I know if we’re ever in a situation where I’m taken again, I know you’ll come for me.”
What she says does something to me. It gives me some weird tingly feeling. Such a foreign feeling. Possibly, love? No, it hasn’t been long enough for me to feel that way. Has it?
I squeeze her into a hug. “I will always come for you. No matter what.”
“What’s on the agenda for today? Are we going home today?” Her voice is hopeful.
“I need to talk with Lochlan before we go. He should be here around noon,” I tell her.
“What happened with Rodrigo and Eduardo?”
“Ratchet, Thor, and Shade took them back to the clubhouse. They’ll be taken care of painfully and slowly,” I tell her.
“Good. Can I be part of it?”
Her words shock me. “If that’s what you want, then yes. Are you hungry? I’m sure someone has made breakfast.”
“A little. I’d like to check on Diesel, if we can.”
“We can do that,” I say. She moves to get up, but I pull her back down. She squeals with a smile as I grab her face and kiss her. I use the kiss to convey these feelings I can’t put into words. When I pull away, there’s something different in her eyes. A light that wasn’t there before.
“What was that for,” she asks, grinning.
“Just lettin’ you know how much I missed you.” I swat her ass before rolling out of bed.
“I missed you, too.” There’s a timidness to her voice I’ve never heard before. Could she feel for me what I feel for her?
I smirk at her. “Come on, let’s get you fed.”
I throw my arm around her shoulders and together we walk downstairs.
“Hey, love birds!” Saint says as we walk into the kitchen. “How are you feelin’, Mar?”
“Hungry.” She giggles.
“Good, because I made a shit ton of food,” Clutch says.
“You kind of have to when there’s so many of you in the same place at the same time,” Marley replies. Clutch and Saint laugh.
“You have a point,” Clutch admits. “I’m glad to see your wit is still intact. You’ll need it being Rascal’s Ol’ Lady.”
Her cheeks turn pink.
“Go ahead and grab a plate. Take what you want, ‘cause you know we won’t leave any crumbs.” Clutch chuckles.
I make her a cup of coffee while she makes her plate.
“Did Prez head back already,” I ask Clutch and Saint.
“Yeah, him, , Tech and Gunner all left first thing this morning,” Saint tells me.
“Between the rest of us, we need to decide who’s taking Diesel back,” Clutch adds. “He needs to stay here until tomorrow at the earliest.”
“I need to talk with Lochlan when he gets here, so we might stay an extra night,” I state.
“How is Diesel doing this morning,” Marley asks.
“He’s gettin’ some much needed rest, but he’s good,” Catriona says from the doorway. “I’ll keep an eye on him today. As long as nothing changes, he should be fine to leave with you tomorrow. Though, you might make up the back of the SUV like a bed so he can lay down for the ride.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Marley agrees.
“We’ll do whatever we need to make him comfortable,” I say.
“Also, Lochlan called. He said to let you know he’d be here in two hours,” Catriona tells me. “Relax and enjoy your time. Our home is your home.”
“Thanks, we appreciate it,” I say.
“Anytime.” She walks out of the room.
“Change of plans. Let Kicks and Raze know they can bring Diesel home tomorrow and we’ll leave today. I wanna get Marley back as soon as possible,” I tell Saint.
He nods and leaves the kitchen to find the others.
A couple hours later, Marley and I are watching some movie on TV when Lochlan shows up.
“Rascal, my man! Let’s talk in my office,” he says.
“Are you okay here,” I ask Marley.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” She smiles.
“I’ll keep her company,” S
aint says. He sits in the chair, adjacent to the couch. I nod, then follow Lochlan to his office.
“So, what’s up? How have you been?”
“All things considering, I’ve been great,” I tell him.
“Is it true you finally settled down and got yourself an Ol’ Lady?” Lochlan smirks.
“Sure the fuck is.” I grin.
“She’s gorgeous. Congrats, man,” he says. “What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“When we found Marley, there was an older woman with her,” I start. “She took care of Marley while she was Rodrigo’s prisoner. Now, we want to take care of her. I was hopin’ you would be able to help get her set up somewhere safe, where the Cartel wouldn’t be able to find her.”
“That’ll be easy. You sure she doesn’t want anything to do with the Cartel anymore,” he asks.
“Yeah, the Cartel got her son killed years ago. She’s done bein’ around that shit. Talk to her for five minutes and you’ll know. She’s sincere,” I tell him.
“No problem. She’ll be well taken care of.”
“Thanks, Loch.” We stand and shake hands.
“Anytime. The Savage Menaces MC is always helping us out. We don’t mind repaying the favor.”
“Next time y’all are in Texas, hit us up,” I say.
“You got it. Take care of that woman of yours. She’s gotta be special if she has you making commitments.” He laughs.
I walk out of his office and back to Marley.
“How’d it go,” she asks.
“Great. How about we go visit with Diesel for a bit then we can get on the road home?” I suggest.
“I’d like that a lot.” Her gorgeous smile lights up her face and I wonder how I’ve lived so long before her. My angel.
39
Marley
“How are you feeling?” I sit in the chair next to Diesel’s bed.
“I’m in some pain, but it’s nothin’ I can’t handle.” Diesel smirks at me.
“Have you talked to Tink? Does she know you were shot?”