GODS AND ANGELS
GODS OF CHAOS MOTORCYCLE CLUB
BOOK ELEVEN
HONEY PALOMINO
COPYRIGHT © 2019 HONEY PALOMINO
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, locations and incidences are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content and is intended for adults only.
Hello, and thank you so much for reading the Gods of Chaos Motorcycle Club series!
This is the eleventh book in the series, and for the very first time in the series, this book relies heavily on the previous book, Caged (Book 10). I highly recommend you read Caged before you read this book, so you won’t be lost. Click here to read CAGED.
These are the only two interconnected books in the entire series, thus far. All others may be enjoyed as stand-alones.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy Gods and Angels!
Love,
Honey Palomino
GODS & ANGELS
GODS OF CHAOS MOTORCYCLE CLUB
BOOK ELEVEN
BY HONEY PALOMINO
“Fallen angels lurk in shadows…”
CHAPTER ONE
“I hate that she has to be in the backseat,” Grace said, nervously looking over her shoulder at her baby girl.
Ryder nodded in agreement, his eyes carefully glued to the road as he transported the most precious cargo of his life.
“We need to get one of those little mirrors,” he said. “Where you can see her face.”
“We do. And do you know what else I need?” she asked, with a devilish smile.
“Anything,” he said. “You name it, love.”
“Coffee,” Grace said, a longing in her voice he’d not heard before. “It’s been months since I had caffeine, Ryder! De-caffeinated coffee is the stupidest thing ever invented. What’s the point?”
Ryder smiled at her, his eyes full of love and adoration for the mother of his child. He was in awe of Grace’s strength. He’d already been aware of what a warrior she was, but watching her give birth to their daughter had left him starstruck.
“The Queen gets whatever she wants,” he said. “Starbucks?”
She beamed at him. “This is why I love you!”
“It’s okay to have it now?”
“The doctor said small amounts are fine. It’s all about moderation.”
“Alright, then. There’s a Starbucks a few blocks up the road here. I’ll stop there and you can wait in the car with Sadie while I go in.”
Their little girl slept peacefully in her carseat. So far, she’d been happier and easier and more beautiful than they’d ever imagined she’d be.
“Thank you, baby,” Grace said, squeezing Ryder’s thigh. Her heart swelled with gratitude for her life. She had everything she could ever want.
The last nine months had passed in a blur. She couldn’t believe they were finally taking the baby home.
Grace had been blessed with an easy birth and Sadie was born perfectly healthy, with all ten toes and fingers, and big blue eyes that stole her parent’s hearts immediately.
“Everything’s all ready at the cabin,” Ryder said. “Lacey’s been putting the finishing touches on the nursery while you were in the hospital these last few days.”
“Lacey’s a rockstar, she’s really stepped up since Cherry left.” Cherry had been with them for so long, it had taken a little adjusting to life without her. When she told everyone she was leaving to start a private detective agency in New Orleans with her sister, they weren’t sure how they’d survive without her. Luckily, there were many others at the clubhouse that were willing to pitch in and they’d been getting along just fine.
“She sure has,” Ryder agreed. Lacey was Riot’s love and she was as loyal to the club as Riot was.
The Gods of Chaos Motorcycle Club is a group of very loyal men and women that have bonded in the strongest way. After Ryder, the President of the club met Grace, they formed an organization called Solid Ground that’s taken over all of their lives and saved many others in the process.
They’d all learned the benefits of a large community.
Ryder pulled the SUV into the parking lot of Starbucks and turned the car off. He reached over and pulled Grace into his arms, kissing her softly.
“I love you so much,” he said.
“I love you, too,” she whispered, a mischievous smile playing across her lips. “But I’m going to love you so much more when you’re handing me a grande Caffe Americano.”
His deep laughter bellowed through the car.
“Right! On it,” he said, kissing her nose and sliding out of the car. “Be right back.”
“Get something for yourself, too!” Grace said. “You’re probably going to need it later.”
“Good point,” he nodded, closing the door.
Grace sat back in the seat, a deep, satisfied sigh of happiness escaping from her lips.
Her life couldn’t get any better, she thought.
She’d been blessed with a wonderful man that loved her deeply. A perfect, beautiful daughter. And a satisfying career, helping others, surrounded by her friends and family.
Life was good. It was about to get very exhausting, but she had no doubt it would only get better. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest, immediately falling into a light sleep.
She didn’t hear her car door open.
She didn’t have a chance to see who hit her, knocking her completely unconscious with a sudden blow to her temple.
She didn’t see them reach into the back and take Sadie’s car seat.
By the time Ryder made it back to the car, two steaming cups of coffee in his hands, they were long gone.
He opened the driver’s door, a huge smile on his face.
“Coffee for the Queen!” he exclaimed, leaning down and looking into the car.
His face fell at the sight of her bloody face.
His eyes darted to the empty back seat and his heart sank with fear.
Falling from his hands, the coffee burst open at his feet.
CHAPTER TWO
MONA
Mexico was breathtakingly gorgeous.
It was also a colossal waste of time.
Despite finding the perfect property to start my commune, I backed out at the last minute.
All I could think about was Libby.
Libby, my daughter, the one person in the entire world that meant anything to me. The one person I’d made not just the biggest mistake of my life with, but also the second biggest.
Giving her up was a huge mistake. Kidnapping her was even worse.
Determined to make it all up to her, I abandoned my plans in Mexico and returned to Portland with every intention of doing just that.
Only she wouldn’t see me.
I called, but she hung up.
I wrote her a letter, and then sat outside her house while she pulled the letter from her mailbox — then watched as she tore it up before even opening the envelope.
Broken-hearted, but determined, I continued to watch her with the hope that time would heal her wounds and she’d come around eventually.
She didn’t know I was watching, so I wasn’t doing any more harm than what I’d already done. And just in case she happened to look my way, I disguised myself.
Dressing as a man — wearing a swanky, tai
lored suit, dark glasses and a hat pulled low over my eyes — provided me with a window into the privilege men are given. I fit in as the perfect Portland hipster guy and immediately people began treating me differently in public.
Doors opened, crowds parted.
Nobody questioned anything I said.
And Libby never gave me a second glance.
After a few weeks of watching from afar, my courage grew and I allowed myself to get just a little bit closer.
I’d follow her into the grocery store, stroll next to her down the aisles, just to breathe in the same air that she did. Once, I bumped into her — on purpose, of course, but she didn’t know that.
Just touching her was pure joy.
Outside of regular dates with her best friend, Julia, she spent most of her time alone. I hadn’t seen any sign of Bullet or Slade, either. It appeared she’d moved on with her life, which is exactly what she should have done, after I’d locked her up in my basement with two strange men and probably traumatized the poor girl forever.
I couldn’t believe that I’d fucked up so royally.
Unknowingly, of course. If I’d known Libby was my daughter, I’d never have locked her up like that, never!
Making her understand that I really did love her was now the most important thing in my life.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to go about making that happen. But then, a few afternoons ago, she walked into Good Samaritan hospital. Curiously, I followed her and once I saw where she’d gone, who she was visiting, and why…
Well…
I guess you could say everything changed.
I sat in that waiting room for a few hours after Libby left, the intense rage I’d been feeling the last few months quickly growing into a massive storm of emotion that I couldn’t contain.
Dragging myself through the hospital corridor, I returned to my hotel room a changed woman. After drinking myself to sleep, I woke up the next morning knowing exactly what I needed to do.
It wasn’t pretty, but life isn’t pretty.
It’s messy. Just like love.
Sometimes, you have to break the rules.
Sometimes, it gets bloody…
And sometimes, you find yourself completely blending in as just another soccer mom in the check-out line at Walmart in Woodland, Washington, with a basket full of cheap shit made in China that you suddenly have an urgent need for.
“Your baby is beautiful,” the checker smiled, as she rang me up. A badge on her shirt told me her name was Harriet.
“Thanks,” I said, looking down at the wiggling bundle in the car seat, perched on the edge of the overflowing shopping cart.
“What’s her name?”
I paused. I didn’t know her name. But that didn’t really matter.
“Olivia,” I replied. “Libby, for short.”
“That’s such a sweet name,” Harriet gushed.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling back. The baby coo’d and we both laughed as she finished checking me out.
“That’ll be $548.93,” she said. “Whew, babies are expensive, aren’t they?”
I handed her six crisp, hundred-dollar bills and nodded in agreement.
“Unbelievably so,” I replied.
She gave me my change and I walked out of the store, pushing my newly acquired newborn to my newly acquired Subaru Outback. I’d bought it with cash this morning, a fitting accessory to my latest new-mom disguise. After ditching the car I’d used to kidnap the baby, I’d switched to the Subaru a few miles away and driven far out of the city, finally stopping in Woodland.
After loading everything up, I headed to the hotel room I’d rented to hunker down until it was time for my next move.
CHAPTER THREE
GRACE
“Let me out of here!” I insisted, trying to stand up from the hospital bed. Ryder and Bones held me down gently.
“Not yet,” Bones said, his calm, warm eyes driving me absolutely mad. This was not the time for staying calm.
“I need to be out there, we have to find her, goddammit!” I raged at both of them, my words spitting with anger.
“Riot’s at Starbucks right now meeting with the manager. They’re pulling the security tapes. There’s nothing you can do right now, until we get a plate or a lead of some sort,” Ryder said, for the tenth time.
My head was throbbing with pain. Bones had put five stitches in my right temple, I’d already had a CT scan and an MRI, and they still wouldn’t let me leave. Fear and anger gripped my heart and the urgency I felt to leave the hospital and go look for my baby was massive.
“What about the police?” I asked. “Did they call back yet?”
“No, not yet. But they said they’ll put out an Amber Alert as soon as they have a description of the vehicle. It should happen any moment now.”
“It’s been two hours!” I screamed, pain slicing through my head.
“I know, babe,” Ryder said, his jaw twitching. I couldn’t believe he was holding it together like this. I’d never felt such rage.
“Call Diana!” I barked. “She needs to put this on the news.”
Bones nodded, pulling out his phone. “I’m on it.”
“Thank you,” Ryder said to him before turning to me with deep concern.
“I need you to rest,” he said. “You’re pretty beat up, babe. Your eye is swollen. You have a concussion. You have to take it easy! We’re going to find her, I promise.”
My heart cracked wide open as I saw the worry in his eyes.
I’d never seen anyone coming. I didn’t even remember what happened. I woke up in a fog with Ryder hovering over me and within seconds an ambulance arrived and whisked us both away.
And our baby was gone.
Vanished.
Abducted.
Stolen.
I’d never felt such gut wrenching pain in my life.
Ryder wrapped his arms around me as I began sobbing uncontrollably.
CHAPTER FOUR
LIBBY
“I’m so bummed he wasn’t there, but if he looks anything like Ryder, then you’re crazy,” Julia said, as we sat on the couch in our apartment, watching television and devouring a bottle of wine. We’d had a long day of shopping and running errands, and just finished a huge pot of spaghetti.
“They’re about the same size, I guess,” I shrugged, melting into the cushions. “Same amount of tattoos. But Bullet has long blonde hair.”
“Yeah, like I said, you’re fucking crazy,” she replied, shaking her head with deep disappointment. “I’d give anything to spend just one night with a guy like that.”
“Just stop,” I said. “You’ve been going on about this since we left the hospital.” We’d stopped by Good Sam hospital to see Grace and her new baby yesterday, and I’d suspected Bullet might be there.
Thankfully, I was wrong. Ryder and Grace had been alone, and Julia had been gushing about Ryder ever since.
“I just think you should call him again,” she said. “I don’t even understand why you stopped seeing him. He was blowing up your phone for weeks after you stopped.”
“I told you the same thing back then. We’re just too different. My life is here, in Portland, working at the gallery and sculpting as much as I can. That’s what I want. I’m happy, I really am. I just want to forget all of that happened. Bullet’s just a bad reminder of everything I went through.”
It was true. Julia just wouldn’t listen.
After spending every night with Bullet while he was in the hospital, and falling for him hard, we’d gone back to the clubhouse and I quickly realized how different our lives were.
And each time I looked at him, all I could see was Mona.
Mona, the woman who kidnapped me.
Mona, the woman who brought me into this world.
Mona, the woman who abandoned me and gave up all her parental rights to people she’d never even met before.
Mona, my worst nightmare.
The last thing I wanted was to t
hink about that woman ever again.
And yet, my efforts were futile. I didn’t see any way of getting past that, and although I failed daily, I was trying my damnedest to pretend none of it ever happened.
“Hey, isn’t that your friend’s man?” Julia pointed at the television. I squinted through my wine-induced haze and tried to focus.
“What friend?” I murmured. I didn’t have many. In fact, 99.9% of my friendship circle was sitting on this couch with me.
“Whoa,” Julia whispered.
She was right, though. Ryder was on the news, standing in front of a podium in a plain black t-shirt and jeans, his face stoic and angry, his eyes full of pain.
“What the hell?” I murmured.
Slade was there too — and Riot, who I’d met at the hospital after the God’s rescued us, and again at the God’s clubhouse — standing on either side of Ryder.
“Whoever you are, please, just bring Sadie back. No questions asked. Just bring her back,” he pleaded. “There are a lot of people who love her. We need her back. Please.”
“Bring her back?” I repeated, sitting up. “Someone took the baby?”
“Holy shit,” Julia said, her eyes wide. “Look at him, he’s wrecked!”
“This is unbelievable,” I said, shaking my head.
“Who would do that? That’s horrific.” Julia asked.
My head was spinning.
Poor Ryder.
Poor Grace!
My heart broke for them.
The camera cut back to Diana. I’d met her at the hospital, too, and she’d been extremely kind to me. It was obvious why Slade was so in love with her. She was beautiful and intelligent. I’d made a point of watching her on the news every night I could since then.
“This afternoon, on the way home from the hospital, the baby’s mother was assaulted and the baby was taken from the vehicle,” Diana reported. “Surveillance video outside the Starbucks where they were parked shows a man in a suit and hat quickly opening the car door and assaulting the victim, before swiftly removing the child from the backseat. The mother was taken to the hospital and is currently in stable condition. Any witnesses or anyone with any information are asked to contact the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department.”
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