by E. C. Land
By the time Ally finished, I was impressed with not only the work of art she placed on my chest but the way she handled the ink gun. She would definitely be a good fit for those who can’t handle the pain with the way she’s light-handed.
That and the way she drew from her mind the best piece I have ever seen. A skull with jagged claw marks running across it with the jaw burning in flames. I’d have never thought to use claw marks across the face of a skull but fuck if it doesn’t look badass.
“Next time I get a tattoo, I’m coming to you. This shit is fuckin’ incredible,” I say as I pull my shirt back on. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I check it to find a text from Jordan, letting me know she got the kids and was heading home not even ten minutes ago.
Perfect timing.
Searching my contacts, I find Vino’s number and order three different pizzas making sure one had pineapple on it. How anyone could eat that shit is beyond me. I’ll stick to supreme.
Heading back to my area, I grab what I need and start for the door, when my phone rings. Pulling my phone out, I find Jordan calling me. Swiping the screen, I answer, “Hey, Honey, I’m heading to grab the pizza now.”
“B . . . Bad . . . ger.” I stop moving at Logan’s crying.
“Lo, what’s wrong?” I ask as my gut begins to tighten.
“I c . . . an . . . t r . . . ea . . . ch m . . . y da . . . dad . . . dies a . . . nd Jo . . . Jo . . . s go . . . ne. P . . . ple . . . as . . . e he . . . lp me,” Logan stutters through his sobs.
“Where are you, buddy?” I demand.
“I . . . I do . . . n . . . t k . . . no . . . w. W . . . e we . . . re h . . . it.” I can barely understand him at this point.
“Okay, Lo, Burner and I are coming, just hang tight we will be right there,” I say calmly. I’m not sure where he is though I’m assuming somewhere in between Dragon and Gadget’s house and mine.
“Burner,” I yell out his name as I run for the door, dropping everything I’d had in my hand. He doesn’t ask anything as I slam through the entrance heading for my bike. I’ll call the others once I get to them.
Soon as my bike is started, I back out of my spot and gun it out of the parking lot.
The closer I get to home, the tightening in my gut gets worse.
Five minutes later, I round a curve, hitting the straight away before getting to my driveway only to find Jordan’s car in the ditch.
Fuck.
Barely getting the kickstand in place, I jump off my bike and run the rest of the way to the car. As I get to the side of it, I can see Jordan’s not in the car. Opening the back door, I only find Logan and Kagan.
“Lo, you okay, buddy?” I ask gently.
Shaking his head, he signs, Bad man took them.
Motherfucker. This is one of the moments I’m thankful the entire club decided to take a course at the community college to learn how to sign.
Pulling him out of the backseat, I hand him immediately to Burner, who has his phone to his ear talking to someone.
Reaching back in, I can’t undo the car seat, so I unstrap Kagan and pull his little body from it. Poor kid was screaming his head off. Holding the little boy to my chest, I step away from the car.
“Yea, Prez, see ya when you get here,” Burner said before hanging up and putting the phone in his pocket.
“You call Dragon or Gadget?” I ask him.
“Yeah, no answer, Twister’s sending Hades after them and coming this way. Heard him and a few others starting their bikes as I hung up.” Burner runs a hand over Logan’s back soothingly as he talks.
“It’s okay, Lo-man. You’re gonna be okay. You hurt anywhere?” he asks Logan.
At the shake of his head, Logan signs, We gotta help them. The bad guy hurt Jo-Jo and threatened to kill me and Kagan if she didn’t come with him. He made her take my sister too. Said he could do something with her.”
“Fuckin’ Kayne,” I mutter as I take in what Logan signed.
I breathe out a sigh of relief at the roar of bikes coming down the road. Turning toward the sound, I pat Kagan's back to keep him from crying anymore. Coming around the bend, Twister and the rest of the club, including Dragon and Gadget, screech to a stop where our bikes are on the side of the road.
Connors jumps off the back of Dragon’s bike and runs toward us, tears streaming down her face. Logan jumps into her arms as she gets close enough.
“Oh God, my babies, are you okay,” Connors asks hysterically.
“What the fuck happened?” Dragon rasps, the tension of the situation pouring off him as he advances, taking Kagan into his arms. Gadget steps next to their woman, circling her and Logan in his arms.
“Where’s Keegan? And Jordan?” Gadget asks.
“From what Logan told us, a bad man came and took both Jordan and Keegan,” I inform them as Dragon moves to the other side of their woman.
“Let’s get everyone back to the clubhouse and the car towed to the shop. I’m calling church. This shit ends now,” Twister growls.
Ain’t that the fuckin’ truth. This shit needs to end now. I want my woman and niece back.
Now.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jordan
With each mile that goes by, I’ve been doing my best to figure out a plan to get Keegan and myself from Kayne. However, everything I come up with in my head ends with Kayne killing me and taking Keegan.
Doesn’t help matters when my own father is sitting in the front seat next to the driver and Kayne is on the other side of my niece’s car seat.
I really wish I could have been surprised at my finding my dad in the car but I’m not, he’s an evil man right along with every other man he’s associated with. Kayne included.
“So, Kayne, what do you intend to do with my granddaughter?” My father asks, breaking the strained silence in the car.
“I had an agreement with the O’Bryan’s that when a daughter was born, their oldest son Breck, who is already seven, could have her when she turned eighteen. Figured I despised waiting until this one turn twenty-five so I wouldn’t make the boy wait as long. Though I did get to enjoy the fine taste of many while waiting,” Kayne says.
I have to hold back the need to puke when Kayne reaches across the car to run his hand along my cheek.
“Only reason our contract was for her age was due to that whore who birthed her. I had to make sure she stayed out of our deals and keep that MC off our trail. If they’d found out your property here would have disappeared without a trace,” my father spits out.
“Well, she was damaged as it is. It took a lot of thought not to issue the death warrant like I wanted. The fact she is soiled by that scum has royally pissed me off. However, I’ve decided to overlook that part though she will still be punished for allowing another to touch what belongs to me,” Kayne says, gripping my hair in his fist.
It takes everything in me not to cry out in pain. With the angle he’s holding me I shoot him the best death glare I can. Which only gains a chuckle out of him as he releases my hair but before he pulls his arm back, he slams my head into the window.
“You know better than to act anything but subordinate to me, bréagán gnéis,” Kayne grinds out.
“Sir, we are approaching the private landing strip,” the driver says. Something about his voice sounds familiar. Glancing up, I meet his gaze in the rearview mirror. I know him but how?
“Thank you, Heathe. Just pull up directly to the plane. They’ll be ready to take off when we board.” Kayne informs. At the mention of his name, I realize who he is. He’s one of Jackson's men from the bar.
“Yes, sir,” Heathe says as he slows to turn onto the landing strip. Meeting his gaze again in the mirror, I all but plead with him to help me save my niece. I’m a lost cause; however, my niece isn’t. At the slight nod of his head, I wonder if he heard my thoughts.
Putting the car in park, he says, “Here we are, do you need anything else, sir?”
“That will do it, Heathe. It was a pleasur
e having your company work for me. Cormac go inform the pilot we can leave in five minutes. I’ll escort Jordan here onto the plane and send the attendant to grab the brat,” Kayne states.
Nodding his head, my dad gets out of the front seat and opens my door on his way to the plane. As much as I want nothing more than to protest getting on the plane, let alone leaving Keegan alone in the car, I spare a glance toward Heathe once more before Kayne is out of the car and gripping my arm.
Slamming the door behind me, Kayne all but drags me up the stairs to the plane.
“Quit fighting me bitch or I’ll make your punishment a hundred times worse than I have planned.” The scream that comes out of my mouth is unrecognizable as I fall on the stairs hitting my rib cage on the edge of one of the metal steps.
The squeal of tires draws Kayne's attention from me to see the car we’d just exited, speeding away from the plane with Keegan inside.
“Motherfucker, I don’t have time to deal with this shit right now. The brat will just have to be lost to me for the time being,” he curses as he tightens his grip on me and drags me the rest of the way onto the plane.
Sending a silent prayer that Heathe gets Keegan back to her parents.
If he can get her home, then I’ll gladly take whatever’s dealt my way.
“Planes getting ready to take off,” my father states as he makes his way toward Kayne.
“Good,” Kayne snaps.
“Where’s the brat?” Taking his seat, my father fastens his seatbelt like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“The driver took off with her still in the car,” Kayne informs with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Well, that’s a pity. If we had time, I’d say call Jackson and have him handle his employee and bring the brat back.”
“It is a shame, but I’ll worry about it another day.” Nodding his head, Kayne sits in his seat directly next to me. “Fasten your seat belt so we can take off. It’s time to get you to your new home. You’ll never be leaving it once you’re inside the walls.”
Not wanting to fight him right now, I do as he says. I need to save my energy for when the plane lands and my new hell begins. At least this time, when I’m in hell, I have something to dream about. Somewhere I can go when the pain becomes too much.
Even though I’ll never physically see Badger again, I know I’ll always see him in my mind.
I wonder if he’ll find someone to replace me. Someone who isn’t broken the way that I am. Maybe even give him the children I’d wanted to give him. Yet I feared because of the very thing that happened.
Would he be mad at me if I made Kayne mad enough to kill me? It might be my only escape from him.
Closing my eyes, I ask God, Why me?
Chapter Thirty
Badger
“What do we know?” Twister asks the moment the door to church closes.
“Logan told us a bad man took Jordan and his sister. That bad man had to be Kayne,” I say as I take my seat.
“The fucker is a dead man.” Gadget growls, slamming his fist on the table. Anger boiling off of him. The last time any of us saw him like this was the day Logan had been taken. Before that day I don’t think any of us had seen him lose his cool.
“ We’ll get them both back,” I mutter my own fist clenching. This shit is my fault, I should have been there. I’d let my guard down without meaning to and let my woman and niece be taken.
“Damn straight, we will,” Dragon rasps as my cell phone begins to buzz in my pocket.
Furrowing my brows, I pull it out to see who it is hoping it might be Jordan. However, instead of my woman, it’s Dean.
Swiping to answer the call, I put the phone on speaker. “Not a good time Dean,” I mutter.
“Suggest you take time. I’m on the way to the clubhouse and I’m not alone,” Dean snaps.
“Shit’s going down right now. You either start explaining now or end up bruised and battered,” Dragon growls.
“Don’t even think about it, Dragon, I’ll be there in less than an hour. Gotta do this in person if you catch my drift,” Dean mutters.
“Fine, but it better be good, we need to be out there to find my daughter and Jordan,” Dragon grumbles as he relents to wait until Dean gets here. I don’t bother to wait for Dean to say anything and disconnect the call.
“What do you think Dean has to say?” Burner asks right before the door to church is slammed open, and a frantic Connors stands there holding none other than her little girl, with Heathe right behind her.
“Fuckin’ hell, where did you find her?” Gadget says as he jumps out of his seat, followed by Dragon.
“I was sitting in the main room with the boys, and Heathe walked in carrying Keegan in his arms,” Connors cries as she holds the baby closer to her chest.
“Glad to have our little girl back but where’s Jordan?” Gadget grunts.
Heathe sighs, running a hand through his hair as he glances my way to hold my gaze. “I was unable to get them both out of there. My options were limited, so taking the opportunity, I had to get Keegan out of there without her being put in harm’s way or take the chance and lose them both. My back up wouldn’t have been able to make it in time to help, so I did what I could. The plane was to take off quickly. However, we do know where they're heading. Boss man will be here shortly.”
My heart freezes over as I take in Heathe’s words. Kayne’s taking her to Ireland.
Fuck.
I slam my fist on the table, “We need to get to fuckin’ Ireland.”
“Why do you think that?” Twister asks.
“Because that motherfucker is taking Jordan back to his home in Ireland,” I spit out.
“Shit,” Gadget yells, running a hand through his hair as he moves and sits back down in his chair. His fingers flying across the keys of the laptop.
Dragon, still holding onto their woman, guides her toward the door. “We’ll be out shortly, take the kids to our room and put a movie on,” he tells her gently.
The way he and Gadget are with their woman sends knives of jealousy through me at the thought of never seeing my own woman again. I probably shouldn’t let my thoughts go down that path but it’s almost impossible not to.
Kayne has taken Jordan, tried to take Keegan and now they’re in the air heading across seas. I’m about ready to pull my hair out sitting here doing nothing as we wait for whoever the fuck else needs to be here. Answers need to be givin’ before I fuckin’ blow.
“So, you're telling me that the reason Kayne took not only Jordan but also Keegan is to give them to another man under contract,” Gadget states.
“About sums it up, yeah,” Dean says, shrugging his shoulders.
“What the fuck is wrong with you Irish people?” Thorn mutters.
“We don’t all believe in the contracts. I, for one, don’t and neither do any of the men I associate with. Most of the time, when a contract is sent to us, we merely agree to them to set the woman free. In fact, right before Jackson here called me about Jordan, I’d been on the phone with the boss over in Ireland. He’d bartered a contract with my father long ago that I’d get his eldest daughter to become mine. I’ve never met the woman, nor do I truly want to however, she’s come to the age the contract deems she marry me,” Dean sighs wearily.
“What does this shit about you and some bitch have to do with Jordan?” I growl frustrated at this taking so long. We’d been sitting here for hours listening to not only Dean explain what he’d learned but Jackson as well. Which I’d wanted to knock his teeth in when he’d informed us of the fact Kayne had come to his company looking for security personnel to work for him while he’d been in the States.
Jackson also confirmed everything that Dean informed us of. Only to add more to the dealings of Kayne. From the files he’d shown us, the fucker has his hands in a lot of shady shit. One being human trafficking. Another thing that I found interesting along with each one of my brothers is that Kayne and his father prefer to work with those out
side of the families. Rather sticking to working with none other than the Diaz Cartel.
They’re the key reason we haven’t been able to find shit on Miguel because Kayne is his middleman.
“Considering the fact my private jet will be leaving for Ireland this evening, I’d say it has a lot to do with Jordan. Given the fact you’ll be wanting to be on it when the jet takes off. Though I won’t be of help when we get there, I can at least give you a ride,” Dean states.
“Damn right, I’m on that plane. When does it leave?” nodding my head vigorously ready to get on the way now.
“The flight is scheduled for ten tonight. We’ll be landing around noon tomorrow, which should give us plenty of time to plan. You’ll want to hold off on moving in on Kayne’s home until the sun goes down due to the security they have in place. I have enough room on the jet for five of your men to join us,” he says to me, as he stands to leave.
Nodding, I wait for him to leave the room, followed by Jackson and Heathe.
“Alright, we need to figure out who all is getting on that plane. Dragon and Gadget don’t get pissed about this but you two need to stay here. Your woman and kids need y’all here,” Twister says firmly.
“I agree with Prez on this one,” Horse states.
“As much as I want to protest, I know you're right, besides I can help from here,” Gadget mutters in agreement.
“I’ll bring her back brothers,” I grumble as I slam my fist on the table.
“I’m going with you,” Rage announces.
“Me too,” Burner speaks up.
“Same here,” Hades follows.
“Kenny would have my balls if I didn’t help, she loves Jordan,” Horse grunts.
“As much as I appreciate you all wanting to come help, I can’t ask that of you. It’s my fault Jordan was taken . . . ” Dragon interrupts me before I can finish.
“Badger, don’t you take this shit on you. She was taken because of a sick motherfucker who thought that she was his property. Jordan would be pissed as hell if she knew you were blaming yourself for the shit that happened. We don’t blame you, so get it out of your head,” Dragon growls.