by Bella Jewel
“We need to find somewhere to hide,” I pant, stopping for a split second to look around.
There are a lot of trees, and as we go deeper, it gets thicker. We just need to find a massive shrub so we can get amongst it.
For now, though, we have to keep moving.
They’re still too close.
Bullets are still being fired, though they’re not in our direction which tells me they don’t have eyes on us.
“Let’s move, a little bit more, then we’ll hide.”
We keep running, and my leg burns but I don’t stop. We move through the trees, and it gets harder and harder to move quickly.
When I can no longer hear them close behind us, I find a thick, large shrub and pull Karen toward it. She knows what I’m asking and immediately climbs into the middle of it. If she’s getting scratched up as much as I am right now, then I know it’s hurting, but we have no other choice. We squeeze into the depths of the shrub, spiked branches digging into our skin, and then we hold our breath.
We wait.
And wait.
Until I finally hear them approach. I grip Karen’s hand as hard as I can and squeeze, and we both try to keep our breathing steady by hanging onto our breaths as much as we can.
“Where the fuck did they go?” one man barks. “We need to split up. If we don’t come back with somethin’ we’re goin’ to cop it.”
“They’re too fuckin’ fast. Keep moving, they’re getting too far ahead.”
The two of them keep running, and only when I can’t hear the rustling of their boots do I exhale and release Karen’s hand just a little.
I can’t see her in the shrubs, but after about ten minutes, we move out just a little, so we’re able to see each other but not be in complete open bushland.
“Are they gone?” she whispers.
“I don’t know,” I tell her. “I think they’ll probably come back around, so we can’t be certain.”
“We should go back toward the shed and get into the car. That’s the safest option right now,” she tells me.
It’s not a bad plan, but I can’t be sure how close the men are. If we get out and run, they might hear us, and we’ll never find a way out.
But staying here, waiting for Alarick, could be just as dangerous.
I glance down at my phone, there are missed calls and texts. Alarick has gotten my messages. He’s on his way, which means I think staying here is going to be safest until we can be sure that we have back up.
“I think we should stay here,” I say softly. “If we’re seen, we risk getting shot. Alarick and the club are coming, once they’re here, we’ll be safe. For now, this is our best option.”
Karen nods. “How will they find us?”
“I’ll give him basic directions, they’ll figure it out.”
I text Alarick and tell him approximately where we are, and how many men, and then we wait.
We wait and we pray.
Hoping we get out of this alive.
19
FLICK
“Spread out,” I bark. “Find them. You see two men, you fuckin’ shoot without question.”
My men spread out and we start scouring the bushland. I curse myself over and over as I walk through the dense scrub. I shouldn’t have trusted that King’s place was secure. I let my guard down for just a fucking second and look what happened. King is gone and my girl is in trouble, all because I assumed we had one fucking space in the world that Dax couldn’t find.
“Briella?” I call, trenching through, wondering how the fuck they managed to run through this.
I hear shots in the distance, and I spin around, aiming my gun. I hear loud voices, yelling, and then more shots. My men have found them. I listen for a few minutes more, and then keep calling for Briella.
Ten minutes pass, and then out of a large shrub stands Briella and Karen. Both of them are scratched up, much like the time Briella escaped from Dax. As they step around the bush, I see blood pouring out of a wound in Briella’s leg. Someone has shot her.
“You’ve been shot,” I rasp, rushing over to her and grabbing her face in my hands.
“It’s just a graze,” she says, looking flushed, hot and sore.
“Need to get you back before you keep bleedin’ everywhere. Are you okay?”
She nods, and I look to Karen, who looks a lot more worried and shaken up than Briella. “You good?” I ask her.
She shrugs, and her hands are trembling. “I don’t ...”
I take her hand, Briella’s hand, and lead them out of the bushland and back toward my dad’s shed, where two men are being held by my guys. The two aren’t familiar to me, but they are both bloodied, and one has blood pouring from a wound in his thigh. It also looks like the guys have given them a touch up on the way through, judging by the look of their faces.
“We got ‘em both, boss,” Cohen says, shoving one man forward, but keeping his hand curled around his shoulder.
The man’s hands are bound behind his back.
“Bring them back to the club,” I order. “Kendric, scour the area and see if you can ...”
I trail off.
I haven’t told them about King.
Haven’t told them why Briella and Karen are here.
Haven’t told them a god damned thing.
I’m about to break something to them that’s going to cause uproar in my club.
But I have no other fucking choice.
“See if you can see King.”
Cohen’s head whips toward me and he murmurs, “What?”
“King is alive, and this is where he’s been stayin’. You need to see if he’s still here, if not, Dax has him.”
“King is alive?” Samson asks, his voice full of shock. “What ...”
“It’s a long story, I’ll explain it when we get back to the club.”
“You’ve lied to us this whole fuckin’ time?” Cohen growls.
“Cohen, not now.”
“All this fuckin’ time.”
“Not. Now.”
He glares at me, with a look that brings me more pain than I expected. He’s my best friend, and if anyone in the world should have been told the truth, it’s Cohen.
I don’t have time to explain everything to him right now, though.
He’s just going to have to hate me for a little longer.
“We’ll split up,” Bohdi says. “See what we can find.”
Samson and a few other guys follow Bohdi into the bushland, and Cohen, Kendric and I load the two men into Cohen’s truck before I get into Briella’s car with Karen and her, and we all make our way back to the club.
“You girls doin’ okay?” I ask, glancing at Karen in the rearview mirror and seeing her looking more than a little pale. “Karen?”
“I’m okay, just shaken up,” she whispers.
“Lie down, try and calm down.”
She does as I ask and lays across the back seat. I reach over and take Briella’s hand, squeezing it. “You okay, babe?”
She nods, exhaling. “One thing is for sure, I’m getting sick of running away.”
“Least you’re alive.”
“Yeah,” she whispers, staring out the window. “But is King?”
That’s a question I can’t fucking answer.
But it makes the pit in my stomach grow even bigger.
One thing at a time.
“YOU CAN’T BE FUCKIN’ serious?” Mykel barks over the Facetime call we’ve made during Church later that evening.
He has a right to be involved in this discussion, as much as anyone else in the club. It’s big news, and he needs to be filled in on how it’s all going. I’ve just told them all about King, and how he’s been alive the whole time, why he was hiding and everything about Cova, Briella’s mom, and anything else I know.
“This is fuckin’ insane,” Kendric murmurs. “How the fuck did all of this slip by without you tellin’ us?”
“You can hate me as much as you all want, but I had to do w
hat I had to do. No fuckin’ point in goin’ on about it. King needed my protection, he had somethin’ he had to do, and that was the best option at the time.”
“You didn’t think we’d like to be told?” Cohen growls. “You didn’t think you could trust your fuckin’ club with this?”
“This ain’t about you, Cohen. Know you’re pissed, more so than anyone, but this ain’t personal.”
“Isn’t it?” he snarls, glaring at me.
“I’m not here to fight. Shit is goin’ down in a big way, and frankly, we don’t have time to worry about anythin’ else. King is missing, we’re in over our heads right now.”
“We’ve got the cop,” Cohen says, his voice still low and angry.
“What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. “You’re only tellin’ me this now?”
“To be fair, you’ve been fuckin’ busy the last five hours savin’ your girlfriend yet again.”
“Cohen,” I warn. “You’re pushin’ my buttons.”
He glares at me but says nothing more.
“We’ve got Bennett in the location you asked for,” Bohdi tells me. “He’s secured and we’re ready when you are over there.”
“You got the fuckin’ cop?” Mykel asks over the phone. “Since when?”
“Since we needed to knock Dax’s legs out from beneath him. Bennett is his legs, and we’re goin’ to make sure he doesn’t walk steadily again, you can count on that.”
“You’re goin’ to kill him,” Mykel says, narrowing his eyes.
“Not discussin’ that over an open line.”
“So, where to from here?” Samson asks, crossing his arms.
“Dax has got King for a reason, he’s goin’ to make a demand soon. We’ve got the cop, but I’m not entirely sure he knows that yet. He’s goin’ to want to make a deal, and when he does, we’ll be ready to make it. Until then, don’t touch the cop. If we do and the deal is his safe return, we ain’t gettin’ near King. We’ll take this one step at a time.”
“Any idea when he might pop up?” Kendric asks.
“No fuckin’ clue,” I murmur. “But it’ll be soon. Until then, I want to talk to Bennett and see if we can get anything out of him. We’ve got him now, which means we don’t need that other motherfucker we captured.”
“What do you want done with him?” Samson asks.
“You know what I want done with him, the same fuckin’ thing I want done with those other two that you caught together. Fuckin’ remove them.”
Samson nods, and he and Kendric stand.
Cohen turns the phone back toward himself and tells Mykel they’ll call in later and hangs up.
He and Bohdi stand.
“We goin’ to see Bennett?” Cohen asks, his voice strained.
He’s angry.
Fucking wild.
But he knows now is not the time to make a scene.
Not with me.
“Let’s go.”
Fuck.
I pray for one fucking thing to go right.
Just one.
20
BRIELLA
“I’m with the cop,” Alarick tells me over this phone, his voice ragged like he’s been panting.
“You promised me I would be there when you spoke to him ...” I say, a little frustrated because I’ve been promised a lot of fucking things that aren’t being held up.
“He ain’t speakin’, Briella. I’m not tryin’ too hard until we know what Dax wants. When the time comes, you’ll be here. Rest assured.”
“He’s not talking?” I ask, deciding to change the subject away from me.
“No, he’s not sayin’ a word. He’s closed lipped and for very good reason. I can change that, but I’m not playin’ those cards right now.”
“What do I do, then?”
“You sit tight. Dax is on the lookout, and he’s goin’ to pop up soon. When he does, I want you to be in a safe location.”
“Okay,” I say, exhaling. “I’ll chat to you later.”
I hang up the phone and just as I’m about to put it down, a private number rings through. I stare at the screen, and my stomach feels like it drops out of my feet because I know that whoever is on the other line isn’t good. I can feel it right down to my core. With a trembling hand, I take a deep breath and answer it. “Hello?”
“Ah, Briella, how are you, my dear?”
It’s an unfamiliar voice, but it’s not hard to figure out just who I’m speaking to.
Dax.
“How did you get my number?” I say, my voice shaky even though I’m trying to stay calm.
He chuckles. “Well, your dear old father-in-law, of course. He didn’t hide his contacts very well.”
“What do you want?” I spit, angrily.
“I want a lot of things, Briella—the question is, what do you want?”
I’m not playing his twisted little games.
I’m not.
No.
“I’m not playing with you, Dax. You’re calling me for a reason, what is that reason? We both know you’re not just calling to give me King back and we can all go on our merry way.”
“Smart girl. No, you’re right. I’m not calling for that. I’m calling to make a deal.”
We were expecting him to make a deal, we just weren’t expecting it to be with me. I’m not sure I should even be talking to him, but I’m also desperate to know King is okay, and I’ll do anything to get him back.
“What sort of deal?” I ask.
“Well, that depends on you. I have more than one thing you want, but, as you know, that club of yours is getting in my way. They’re making a mess of my whole operation and making people very unhappy. I’m sure you don’t want to see any more people die, because, you know I won’t stop until they stop.”
“Get to the point, Dax. I know you’ve got one.”
He chuckles. “Feisty, aren’t we? Very well. My point is exactly this: I’ll give you King, and I’ll tell you where your dear sister is and how to find her, if you have that club of yours completely back down. No more looking into me. No more following me around. They go on with their lives, and I go on with mine.”
“You want us to let you continue selling girls, innocent girls.”
“Oh, trust me, darling, they’re not innocent. It’s justice, really. Selling scum to scum.”
God, I want to rip his fucking eyeballs out.
“You’re disgusting,” I snap.
“Yes, yes, we can get to that later. Do we have a deal, or not?”
“You expect me to believe you’re just going to hand over King, tell me where Cova is, and never bother us again?”
“Indeed, yes. My operation is something I don’t need being brought to justice, so to speak. I will do whatever it takes to protect it. The more your little club looks into it, the more dangerous it gets for me. I’m not going to lose everything. I will kill everyone that gets in my way. The way I see it, this is your only option.”
“Why come to me?” I question. “Why not Alarick?”
“Because you’re likely to listen, Alarick simply will not. He’s going to make sure that I get whatever little punishment he has mapped out and he’s not going to stop.”
“You think I’m going to be able to stop him?”
“I think so, yes. I think you’re the only one who will be able to convince him to stop. After all, I have the only family you have left.”
I grit my teeth and swallow back my pain.
“How do I know you’ll hold up your end of the deal?”
“I’m a man of my word. You have Alarick step down, I’ll give you what you want.”
“How can you be sure? I could simply tell you he agrees to step down ...”
Dax chuckles. “Well of course, him and his entire club will confirm to me they are going to back down, and when they do, I’ll return what’s yours.”
“And if they change their mind after?”
“That wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest, now would it? After all, I have
plenty of bullets, plenty of time, and plenty of men. I can remove that club from existence, I’m sure that’s not what anyone wants.”
He’s right.
It’s not.
He’s also right when he tells me he can remove the club from existence. I know he can, I know that more than anyone. He will wipe us clean and everyone around us, unless we can find the power to beat him, but right now, with King’s life in his hands, that isn’t going to happen.
I feel like this is the only option right now.
“Fine,” I say. “Fine, I’ll have him back down.”
“And confirm it, to me. Him and his entire club.”
He wants the club to stand before him and state they’re going to back down. That’s demeaning, and Alarick isn’t going to go for it, but I’ll find a way to convince him this is our only option right now. Besides, we can work something out. We can outsmart Dax, it’s just right now, we need King and Cova alive.
“Okay.”
“Very good, I’ll wait to hear.”
He hangs up the phone and I exhale.
Well, here goes nothing.
“WHAT?” ALARICK ASKS, his eyes flashing.
“Before you overreact, hear me out ...”
“You spoke to fuckin’ Dax?” he barks.
“Yes, I spoke to Dax, and I have a plan, Alarick ...”
“What fuckin’ plan is that?” he barks. “Have you completely lost your mind, Briella? Why didn’t you call me immediately?”
“Because you wouldn’t have listened, you would have made a deal that would have ended up with King and Cova dying. I’ve got a better option.”
He growls, deep in his chest, and crosses his arms. “What exactly did that slimy motherfucker have to offer?”
“He will give us Cova and King, if we agree to fully back down.”
“Fuckin’ never.”
“Alarick, hear me out ...”
“I’m never goin’ to back down. I will crush that motherfucker until he’s writhing on the god damned ground.”
I exhale, searching for calm. I don’t want to fight with him right now, but I also really need him to listen.