And how is that even allowed? Ugh, I’m getting furious just thinking about it. That poor woman. She must have been suffering for months, if not longer. And the way Gattani was talking about her makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Hours pass and the old ladies of the first generation return to their homes located behind the clubhouse. I’ve taken Hank for a walk around the backyard twice already to play with the ball to give him some exercise.
It’s late at night when the guys finally stroll out of church. They all look drained but have determined looks on their faces. Vachs’ eyes collide with mine but our connection breaks when Archer appears in front of me.
“I’m sorry for asking you to–”
I close my eyes for a brief moment to shake my head and grab his forearm. Letting go, I sign, “I’m always willing to help, you know that. No one could have guessed the outcome. But I am certain you guys will handle it so no more lives are lost. You’re going to free Ellory, right?”
“We’re going to damn well try.” The promise is easy to read as the words fall from his lips.
I pat his chest and walk around him to Vachs who is holding his arms wide open. I feel the rumble of his chest and can’t help but smile as he yet again talks to me as he kisses the top of my head.
My gaze connects with Archer’s and his eyes go wide and I watch how his lips move. “You can’t hear what he says to you, can you? That smile. The look on your face it’s as if you can hear what he says.”
I shake my head and glance up at Vachs who is staring down at me. His eyes twinkle when he lets me read the words he’s giving Archer. “She doesn’t have to hear them. She damn well feels them and she knows, because I show it. But I also like to hear myself giving her the words. Besides, I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.”
Archer smacks Vachs’ back, making my eyes hit his face. “Give her the words to her face, asshole. Women like to hear…or in Hadley’s case…read how much you love her, and not just let her feel and know it in other ways. Now, get some sleep. I’m going to check on Bee and make sure the little one is sleeping through the night. I have a feeling my contact is going to call me back within the hour, and I’m waiting for the prospects to give me an update. I’ll come get you if I need another hand. If not…you know what we talked about.”
I swing my head to Vachs, just in time to see him give the words, “See you in the morning.”
Vachs snaps his fingers and Hank jumps off the couch and follows us to our room. Hank heads for his kennel and spins around a few times before he plunks down.
Vachs takes my chin between his thumb and finger, brushing his lips against mine, he pulls back and lets me know, “I’m going to take a shower. Crawl into bed, I’ll be right there. Or would you like to join me?”
The whole “life is too short,” slogan flows through my head and it makes me grab the hem of my shirt to pull it over my head. Seeing his body shake and the huge smile on his face, I know he’s laughing about the way I chose to answer his question.
Vachs walks backwards into the bathroom, eyes locked on mine as he strips away his clothes. He turns the shower on and I’ve made fast work to be just as naked as he is standing before me. In this tiny space it’s just us, no interruptions from the world outside.
Our hands roam and we take our time to clean our bodies. Heated gazes but we manage to keep our hands to ourselves as we quickly shower. Rinsing the conditioner from my hair, I step aside and grab a towel.
From the corner of my eye I notice Vachs is turning off the water and I hand him a towel too. A few minutes later we’ve brushed our teeth and are sliding underneath the covers to cuddle close.
I feel his lips on the top of my head and his chest vibrates. This time I pull slightly away to create enough space for me to turn and watch his lips. Both Archer and Vachs are right; I would like to read the words from his lips, but I also experience the same feelings he must be telling me without letting me see the actual words.
His lips are tipping up at the corners. I feel his chest rumble as his lips move. “You’re magnificent. A bright light as a beacon calling me home. Always shining so fucking pure it captures my heart knowing it was only ever meant to be yours. I knew it the first damn time I held you in my arms and every minute to the next I spend in your presence. They are just three words I’ll let you read from my lips for the first time, but your body has heard them many times.” His mouth brushes against mine and I can still feel his kiss when his lips give me the words spoken from his heart, “I love you.”
Pushing up I use my voice along with my hands to give him the words in return, knowing my voice won’t flawlessly make those words fall from my lips but I’m giving him my heart and soul when I tell him in my own way, “I love you.”
This man. The loving look I get in return while his muscled arms drag me against his warm body is wrapping me in the tenderness and love only he has given me. His chest rumbles again and I feel his kiss on the top of my head. Suddenly I’m completely drained and it doesn’t take long for sleep to claim me.
The scent of coffee teases my nose and when I blink a few times I notice Vachs is sitting on the bed next to me drinking coffee. My eyes are burning and one glance at the clock lets me know I’ve slept for about three and a half hours.
My eyes are set on his lips. “Sorry, no fancy coffee for you, or me for that matter. Archer made a fresh pot. I think the man only slept for two hours in his office chair before he went back at it and woke me. I have to go but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
I grab my phone and type the message, “Any news?”
His face turns grim. “We have confirmation Gattani is holding Ellory hostage in his mansion. Archer managed to get the all clear from the government. We might be above the law and are allowed to get justice using any means necessary but this case is a little delicate. We have enough information and evidence to point out connections and actions, but nothing will stand in court. Seeing we have a hostage case involving the mayor’s daughter…even if the mayor agrees to Gattani’s offer to marry his daughter…it’s a delicate situation which will blow up in the news.”
“You guys will find a way,” I text him, hoping my words hold truth.
His eyes turn soft but guarded.
His throat bobs. “Whenever I went on a mission there was only that…the mission. In this moment where we’re gearing up to strike back my mind is focused on one thing.” His hand reaches out to slide his fingertips along my jaw. “To get back to you. I want to get married, buy a house with a yard for our kids and Hank to run around in while we sit on the porch and watch them play. I want Christmas mornings, birthdays, anniversaries, morning coffee, I want fucking everything because life tastes like sunshine when you’re holding my heart. But the uncertainty is killing me and throwing me off focus.” Reading the words from his lips has my heart in a tight grip, both from love and fear.
I have to direct my attention to my phone otherwise I’ll cry and I want to show him the strength and focus he needs. It’s for this reason I give him the message, “You will get back to me and you will ask me to marry you because my answer will be yes. There’s a house with a yard located behind my parents’ house, we can move in any time. And we will have all the time. We just started: we’re not nearly finished.”
He reads my message and I watch how his lips turn up at the corners, his eyes close briefly as if he inhales my words to let them sink in. Tucking his phone back into his jeans, he leans in to give me a slow kiss filled with unspoken emotion and wariness.
He pulls back and takes a sip of his coffee without giving me so much as a glance or another word. An eerie feeling overwhelms me and I hate to think of all the things that can go wrong today. The way he’s behaving isn’t very comforting.
I reach out and lace my fingers with his, giving our joined hands a little squeeze. He squeezes back but keeps staring straight ahead, lost in thought as if an eerie feeling has him in its grip too.
/> How amazing I felt last night when we voiced our feelings is the flipside I’m experiencing right now with the dark clouds hanging over us. All I can do is let him sip his coffee and hope today will end with the man I love beside me in my bed, telling me how much he loves me in return.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
– VACHS –
I double check my headset and every weapon I have on me. Dressed all in black along with a Kevlar vest–like every one of my brothers–we’re almost set for this mission. And the mission involves entering Gattani’s mansion and killing everyone inside except for Ellory.
In the past I’ve worked with different teams and since I joined this Broken Deeds MC chapter, we have held several different training missions. But every single one is different and one can train every single day and have years of experience, but all it takes is one incident to take a life changing spin on things.
I take my phone out and read over the last message Hadley sent me. My answer will be yes. I swallow the emotions down and let my eyes find Depay. He’s standing across from me with his arms crossed in front of his chest; ready to face whatever comes his way.
“Can I have a minute?” I question.
He lifts his chin and we take a few steps apart from the group.
I hold out my phone for him to take and give him the words, “I’d like to have your permission and blessing.”
Depay takes it and glances at Hadley’s message before handing it back. “Son, you wouldn’t have been able to come near my daughter if I didn’t think you were worthy. I saw how you looked at her that first day, and without knowing her at all you stepped up. Not just because she was my daughter or connected to Broken Deeds MC. You don’t give a shit about her hearing and make her feel like the strong and gorgeous woman she is. Fuck yeah you have my blessing. But keep a knot in your balls because I’m not ready to be called grandpa yet, got it? Maybe in a few years but not right fucking now.”
A bark of laughter rips from my throat. “No worries there. We both would like to enrich our lives with children but those plans are set in the future.”
Depay glances over his shoulder at Archer who is gathering everyone around. “Let’s get this shit over with so we can set some of your future plans in motion. I’m looking forward to walking my daughter down the aisle.”
We stroll over to the eight brothers who form the team going inside the mansion while there are three other teams. Two of those will surround the house while one team is overseeing everything.
Me, Depay, Archer, Baton, Kray, North, Deeds, and Dannon are going inside. Wyatt is leading this mission and has Ganza right next to him. We have eyes in the sky through a drone and Rack is our sniper if we need some instant help since he has a hell of an aim.
Pax and Ramrod are each leading a team who are going around the house while we go in through the front. We’re not going to be sneaky going in, it’s going to be loud and clear. The only person whose life needs saving is Ellory.
“We’re going to do this just how we discussed. We’re gonna walk right through the front door. Shoot on sight. First blast will be like ringing the doorbell. Keep your head on your fucking body and make sure to keep your eyes and ears sharp so we don’t blow off our own people’s heads,” Archer says.
Grunts flow all around and we grip our weapons. We stealthily move toward the mansion. We’ve gone over this a few times. The information we obtained a few hours ago shows Gattani brought in some extra reinforcements and the activity in and around his house indicates he might leave on short notice.
This is exactly the reason why we’re hitting his mansion now and not waiting him out or taking him down when he’s on the road. We want to be able to control the situation and since the killing in front of the clubhouse started after Ellory was brought up we also can’t risk her safety. He might be set to marry her but who knows what the fucker’s next move is.
I take lead and Archer falls in step behind me. Three guards are moving around the front of the mansion. The gate is open and there’s an SUV parked out front. Someone is carrying suitcases out of the house.
I push my worries to the back of my mind and let the adrenaline rush take over. Gattani is a dog with fleas that needs to be put down. The first three fleas are the men in front of us sinking to the ground one by one with little to no sound. Thank you Rack and your amazing sniper abilities.
We’re aware of the cameras Gattani has placed on his property but Ganza has found a way to intercept and has rewound the footage ten minutes, giving us a head start to throw those fuckers off so they won’t see us coming.
Pax takes his team left as Ramrod and his team go right. Good thing Gattani’s men were packing the SUV with suitcases and left the front door open; this way we can still hold on to the element of surprise as we slide inside the mansion.
Pax and Ramrod go around to take out the outer security before entering the house themselves. The eight of us go in through the front and fall into two pairs. Depay and Deeds head upstairs. Dannon and Baton take the first door on the left as the four of us head straight ahead.
Another door on the right breaks us apart as Kray and North head into a door leading downstairs. Archer follows me toward a large door standing ajar. Movement jolts my body with an adrenaline shot as I hear Wyatt’s voice in my ear, giving us an update about an SUV leaving the premises but I’m ignoring it when a guy in a suit steps into my vision.
I don’t give him a chance to reach for his gun as I put a bullet into his forehead, knocking him back as he crashes to the ground. A grunt rips from me when I feel a bullet hit my Kevlar covered back. Archer gives me cover as I keep my focus on the front where two other fuckers are returning fire.
Moving forward I step inside the room and see the location where the fucker is shooting from. My arm stings at the same time a bullet ricochets off my helmet. Another man comes running from an adjoined room.
I fire a few more rounds before I can grunt, “All clear.”
“All clear,” Archer echoes behind me.
I had my weapon aimed lower but point it straight forward when movement from the garden spikes my attention. Recognition sets in when I notice Ramrod is entering the room, his team right behind him.
“Did you hear?” he growls.
“Black SUV vacated the property the same time bullets started to ring out. I’m pretty sure Ganza and Wyatt are handling it. We have another team standing by and eyes in the sky. He’s on the run, but we’ll get him,” Archer replies.
“I need help right fucking now,” Deeds yells through our ears. “Get the EMTs in here. Now, dammit. Now.”
“They’re upstairs,” I grunt and jump into a run.
I hear Archer rattle off instructions to Wyatt as he follows behind me. Halfway up the stairs is a dead body I need to step over. Once upstairs there are two more guys, one is moaning. Archer kicks away the gun the fucker is holding and puts a bullet into his head as an extra precaution.
“Come on, stay with me, asshole,” Deeds’ voice flows from the room up ahead on my left.
Rushing forward I’m taken aback by the scene in front of me. Depay is on the floor surrounded by a sea of blood. Deeds is pressing a sheet against Depay’s shoulder and neck. I rush toward the bed and grab another sheet in an effort to stop the bleeding on one of the cuts on his head.
“What the fuck happened?” I grunt and watch Depay’s eyes roll into the back of his head.
“I said stay with me, fucker. Don’t you fucking dare take the easy way out. You’ve been a firefighter for a lifetime and have faced the devil on several occasions, you fucking hold on, you hear me, brother?” Deeds bellows.
“Move,” Archer snaps and pulls at my shoulder.
I glance to my side and see EMTs fill the room. They take over and both Deeds and I step back to let them do their work.
“The room was fucking empty when we threw a look inside.” Deeds shakes his head and lets his ass lean against the wall as he braces himself on his knees. “Depay w
anted to double check and when he stepped inside, this lunatic comes jumping out of the closet, spinning knives and though Depay and I both shot him…he kept coming. We finally killed him but he sliced Depay a few times and the one going from his throat to his shoulder? Fuuuuuck.”
“Prez,” North bellows from behind us. “Dannon and Baton found the girl. It’s not good. Baton has crazy eyes and is not talking. I don’t know what’s worse, him going nuts and not having the girl or him holding the woman and…fuck…those eyes. He won’t let anyone close and he’s still holding his weapon. We need you to come down and see for yourself.”
Archer curses and glances at the EMTs still working on Depay.
“Go ahead, I’ll stay with him,” Deeds says.
We all head downstairs and come to a stop at the first door near the front of the house. It’s a bedroom and there’s a door straight ahead which leads to the garage. It’s wide open and the lights are on in the garage.
“Gattani ran out as soon as we entered the door. We went after him but he escaped by jumping in a bulletproof, black SUV. I reported it to Wyatt and he said they’d take over so we headed back into the house.” Dannon glances down at the floor. “And then we found her.”
My eyes slide over to the wall where Baton is leaning against. He has Ellory draped over his lap and his arms around her while he has his gun aimed right at us. His eyes are all over the place as if he expects a threat to come take his woman away from him any damn second.
I take a step forward but Dannon grabs my forearm. “Careful, man. He’s not himself. Finding her like he did sent him into some form of mental spiral of overprotectiveness.”
I give him a nod and hold my weapon out for him to take.
“What the fuck are you going to do?” Archer whispers.
I start to take off the gun holster on my thigh and the Kevlar vest along with everything else until I’m only wearing my boots and black cargo pants.
Broken Deeds MC: Second Generation #2 Page 10