by J. M. Walker
I helped Piper into the back seat before turning to him. “What’s the catch?”
He grinned, scratching his jaw. “No catch.” He nodded toward Piper and handed Sammy and me an ice pack each. “I like your girl.”
I raised an eyebrow, the hairs on the back of my neck tingling. “Should I be concerned?”
A laugh boomed through him. “You’re a jealous fucker. That’s not what I meant. I like her as if she were my own granddaughter. She makes me not miss Bee so much.” He shook his head. “I like them young but not that young.” His laughter shook his shoulders.
“I’ve come over here with Sammy and Cyrus,” Piper explained. “I would have a drink with him while the rest of the guys did their thing. Since he’s not president anymore.”
“She kept me entertained. Spent many nights talking about you, Jaron.” Shadow leaned an arm on the hood of the SUV. “You don’t need to worry about anything. You have Piper’s heart.”
I knew that but it still didn’t mean that I liked the fact that he got her alone when she should have been with me. But my stupid temper got in the way and ruined everything.
“We should go,” Cyrus said, his eyes flicking to mine.
“Right.” Shadow closed the door, give us a two-finger salute, and headed back into the club.
“What did your dad find out?” Piper asked softly, snuggling into my side.
“I don’t know.” But I had a feeling that we were about to find out something that neither of us could prepare ourselves for.
No matter how much we tried.
Piper
Once we reached the Hell’s Harlem clubhouse, I was met by both of my parents. Tears of relief streamed down my face that I had them with me, but anguish ripped through my soul just the same. I had given them their one and only granddaughter and I knew that the fact she was missing, hit close to home. My parents struggled in the beginning. Together and apart. My dad was a dick, his words, and he vowed to this day that I would end up with someone who wasn’t like him.
“Daddy, I’m…” I looked down at my hands folded in my lap. “I’m going to have a baby and the father is Jaron Mercer.”
When my father had covered my hands and gave me a small smile, I knew that it was Jaron I was meant to be with. I had dated a handful of guys, Ashton and Aiden not counting, and my dad never liked any of them. But he never questioned what I had with Jaron. Not once. I often wondered why but with everything that had gone on, I never had a chance to ask.
“Greyson told us everything,” Mom said once we were inside and seated in the living room. It wasn’t a spot I had been in before, since it was on the side of the house where Greyson and Eve spent most of their time. But he wanted to give us some privacy. I appreciated it. I appreciated all of it.
“I don’t know what to do,” I finally said. I expected the tears to continue but when they didn’t, it concerned me. My pain was turning to rage and that didn’t sit well with me. Jaron had gone through the same thing and was taken from me. This time, I could sense the fury in him, and I knew that he was going to go after whoever was doing this shit.
Whether I liked it or not.
“You’re strong, baby.” Mom wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me in close.
I didn’t know where Jaron was but even though he was close by, I missed him. No, correction, I ached for him. I missed his wrath, his rage, his passion as we argued.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked softly.
“He’s with Greyson, probably trying to figure out what the hell’s going on and make it so Jaron doesn’t burn the world down in the process.” Mom sighed. “I never wanted this for you. I prayed for an easy life. You would meet someone, have babies, if that’s what you wanted, and spend the rest of your days happy and content.”
“No mother wishes this on their kid.” I leaned my head against the back of the couch. “I just hate not knowing what’s going on. I hate not knowing where my daughter is. I hate that this is making Jaron lose himself. I hate…” My throat closed, working hard over the lump suddenly lodged in it. “I hate what it’s doing to us.”
“You’re strong,” Mom insisted.
I jumped to my feet and began pacing. “Are we though? It’s not like our relationship is conventional by any means. He went to jail before we could ever date. I had his kid by myself. And…” I cupped my stomach. “I’m going to have his second baby.” A shuddered breath left me.
Warm hands covered mine. “We will help you through this.”
“But I don’t want help. I want my daughter back,” I screamed, shoving away from her.
The door suddenly opened then, revealing Jaron. He didn’t say anything. Just stared at me and probably wondered what the hell was going on and why the sudden outburst.
“I’ll give you two some privacy,” Mom said softly. She pulled me into a side hug.
“I’m sorry.” I returned the embrace but kept my eyes locked on the man who had invaded every inch of my damn soul.
“Don’t be.” Mom released me, went up to him and whispered something in his ear.
He nodded.
When she left the room, finally leaving me alone with him, she shut the door behind her.
Jaron stalked toward me, closing the distance in two strides before he was on me.
“Jaron,” I whimpered, my eyes welling.
“Shhh…” He held me tight, enveloping me in his strong arms.
I grabbed a fistful of his hoodie, trying to pull him even closer, but it wasn’t enough. Not until we got our daughter back. Not until we could move on and finally be happy. I thought we were. Happy and all. But life was cruel and was like a kid using a magnifying glass on the ants trying to scurry away from him.
“I love you, Piper.” Jaron fisted my hair, backing me up until I hit the wall.
“Stop.” But even though that single word left my mouth, I couldn’t push him away. It wasn’t like I wanted to anyway.
“I’m not doing anything.” His mouth found my cheek and then the corner of my lips before covering them completely.
I sighed, opening to him almost instantly.
The kiss picked up speed, bordering on desperation.
He pushed his pelvis into me, the hard lines of him proving how much he wanted me. How much he would always want me.
When he didn’t take it further and only kissed me instead, a sob broke free.
“Let it out, baby.” He licked up the saltiness of my tears, his mixing with my own.
“Jaron.” I broke away from him, but I knew it was only because he let me. “I need her back.”
“I know.” He grabbed my hand before I could walk away for good. “We know who has her.”
I stopped, spinning on him. “Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?”
“Fuck, Piper.” His jaw clenched. “I’m losing you. Forgive me for wanting to kiss you.”
“So it could lead to more, Jaron?” I knew my accusation wasn’t warranted but I was pissed, upset, hurting over the fact that someone had taken our baby girl.
“No.” He pulled me back into his arms, much to my dismay of course. “Stop fighting me.” He cupped my face, tilting my head back. “I kissed you because you are my strength. You are the reason that I keep fighting. You’ve been the damn reason all along. You are my rock, Piper.”
The back of my eyes burned, my nose tingling as a new wave of anguish threatened to rip me apart. “Tell me,” I whispered.
He sighed. “You know that pictures of her have been sent around. Thanks to the people my father knows, every police service in the damn country has an image of her. She was last seen at a gas station in the arms of…”
I leaned back, frowning. “Of who?”
“Price.”
I gasped, pushing out of Jaron’s hold. “What?”
“I’m sorry, Piper. I’m so fucking sorry. I knew he had it out for us, but I didn’t think he would go through this much trouble. I should have followed my gut when I saw him the first t
ime. I should have done more to protect you and Brynn. This is my fault.” Jaron fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around my middle.
My eyes widened.
“Please forgive me.”
Tears finally fell free, rolling down my cheeks and dripping off my chin.
“I’ll find her. If it’s the last thing I fucking do.” He pushed his face into my stomach. “Please, Piper. I need you to forgive me. I need to hear you say it.”
But I couldn’t. Not that I knew if this could have been prevented or not but if the mayor had made threats back in the beginning and Jaron didn’t take him seriously… “Did he say he was going to take her?”
“Piper, I—”
“Did he, Jaron?” I pushed out of his hold.
His shoulders slumped. “He threatened to take both of you.”
Bile rose to my throat. “Did you think he was kidding?”
“What?” Jaron’s eyes widened. “No.” He shoved to his feet and closed the distance between us. “Not at fucking all.”
“Then why the hell didn’t you take us to your parents’ place?” I pushed him back. “Why didn’t you do something? Anything?” Sobs wracked through my body that I would never see my baby girl again. If I didn’t, I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive Jaron. No matter how much he said he was sorry.
***
(Jaron)
She blamed me.
I got it. I did. I would probably blame me too. Maybe I wanted to call the mayor’s bluff.
After Piper demanded to know why I never took the mayor seriously and brought both her and Brynn to safety, I left the room. I couldn’t look at her for fear that I would do something both of us would regret.
As much as I wanted to dive deep inside her and never come out, I didn’t and left her alone to her cries of anger.
Price didn’t call again but as I neared the entrance to the house, I was stopped short by my dad approaching me. “I’m leaving,” I told him.
“He’s moving but the video footage that I’ve been sent, shows that Brynlee is unharmed.”
That didn’t make me feel better. I wouldn’t be satisfied that she was in fact fine until she was back in Piper’s arms. “Where is she now?” I asked, stepping around him.
“Jersey,” was all Dad said. “If you go after him alone, you have to remember that it could very well end what you and Piper have.” His eyes burned into the side of my head. “She needs you. I get your rage. I’ve been there. But if you were taken and your mom wasn’t…”
“You still would have gone after me whether it tore you and Mom apart or not,” I answered for him and walked away.
I knew what I had to do, and if things ended between Piper and me as a result of it, as long as our daughter was home and safe, that was all that I cared about.
Jaron
I thought back to before Brynn was taken and how I took everything for granted. How I assumed that Piper loved me before we even uttered those words to each other. Or how I assumed that she would always be there when she had waited for me to come home. Nothing that happened to me while I was in jail was like the pain I was currently feeling. Her love was there but it was mixed with something else just the same.
Pain. Hate. Agony.
I couldn’t be sure but what I did know was that I needed to move fast. I walked around the house like a damn zombie, trying to soak up every single piece of information that I could. I needed to make my escape to go find our daughter and bring her home to her mama.
It was late in the morning and I had just checked on Piper. She was finally sleeping, although I was sure her mind was racked with nightmares that she would never see her daughter again.
The house was quiet except for the gentle murmurs of my father and a few of the other guys in the meeting room. They were still trying to figure out where the mayor was now. While I appreciated their help and what Lucas Crane, a friend of the family had done for my dad, I had a little contact of my own.
Thanks to Cyrus, Rowan Crane dug a little deeper than his father had and gave me the current whereabouts of the mayor. Not that Lucas wasn’t good at what he did, but Rowan didn’t fear getting caught by the law like his dad had. His words. I wasn’t one to ask questions, so I took the help where I could get it.
Making my way to the back of the house, I texted Cyrus and Sammy and asked them to meet me. I knew this meeting wasn’t going to end well. Sammy and I would probably get in a fight again. But it needed to happen. I couldn’t sit around anymore. Not when Piper looked at me like it was my fault this happened. Maybe it was.
Stepping out into the large backyard, I let out a heavy sigh. There was a swing set that sat in the far back corner. A little house sat to the right. It was my parents’ reading nook and a shed to get away when needed, so they wouldn’t have to go far. That was what they said anyway but I knew that it was so they could have some privacy.
“Jaron.”
My back stiffened at the sound of Cyrus and Sammy joining me in the backyard. I knew this conversation wasn’t going to go over well, so I had to prepare myself for the fallout. But as much as I tried, I knew I wasn’t ready.
“What’s going on?” Sammy asked, walking up to an ashtray that sat in the middle of the patio table. It was a ceramic frog holding a turtle and the shell was hollowed out for the butts. It was an ugly thing, but Piper had seen two of them at a yard sale. She picked up both, gave one to my parents and kept one for herself. I only knew of this because Sammy had mentioned how ugly it was when they had come to see me in jail. It was a small thing, but I had appreciated at the time that little tidbit into my girl’s life while I couldn’t be with her.
“Jaron, what’s up?” Cyrus came up to my side, while Sammy stood by the ashtray and lit up a smoke. He had been trying to quit, both of them had been, but we all knew it would never happen.
I had no idea what I wanted to say, let alone tell them that I was leaving. It wouldn’t be for good. But it would be until I could get Brynlee and bring her home to Piper. The longer she was gone, the further Piper and I grew apart. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I needed my girl. I needed both of them. Along with the baby currently growing inside of Piper.
I caught Sammy’s gaze.
He leaned against the fence, puffing on that damn cigarette.
“Jaron,” Cyrus barked, pulling me back to him.
“I need you to watch Piper,” I told Cyrus finally.
“The fuck?” He stiffened.
I could feel Sammy’s gaze burning into me but instead of looking his way, I stared his twin down.
“Where are you going that you can’t watch her yourself?” Cyrus’s brows narrowed in the center. “What’s going on?”
“I need to leave for a little bit.” Fuck, I was thankful that Piper wasn’t around. There would be no way that I could do this if she was.
“Leave. Why?” Sammy butted out his smoke and came toward us.
“I just have to.” I went to walk back into the large house when a heavy hand cupped my shoulder.
“You’re not leaving without explaining what the fuck’s going on.”
I glanced at Cyrus’s hand on my shoulder, met his gaze, and waited. But he didn’t budge. I knew he wouldn’t. He wasn’t one who backed down easily. I had learned that he got that trait from his father.
Cyrus’s jaw clenched. “Explain.”
“I need to find Brynlee and bring her home to her mama before I lose Piper for good.” I shrugged him off. “Not that I have to explain shit to you.”
“Not that you have to…” Cyrus’s lips pressed into a firm line. “Listen here, Kid.”
The hackles on the back of my neck rose, knowing he only referred to me as kid whenever he was pissed at me. It didn’t happen often and when it did, it was usually warranted on my part.
“Kid.” I shoved him back. “I’m your fucking VP.”
“Then fucking act like it.” Cyrus gripped the collar of my jacket, lifting me onto my tiptoes. “You have no idea what sh
e went through. The screams we had to hear. The crying. The anguish. Those walls bled with her tears. Still do. And you’re so damn selfish, you’re going to leave because you’re a fucking pussy.”
“I am not a fucking pussy. I’m going to find my daughter.” I waited for Sammy to step in. Cyrus was usually the levelheaded one. He kept his brother calm but when Sammy just stood back and watched, I knew that I had overstepped.
“You think going after Brynn yourself is going to make this shit better?” Cyrus shoved me back, roughly releasing me. “This will kill Piper.”
“She already blames me,” I confessed, not liking the bitter taste of pain on my tongue.
“She doesn’t blame you.” Cyrus shook his head. “For a smart guy, you’re acting fucking dumb right now.”
My stomach twisted.
“She’s upset. Should you have brought them here when you had the first run-in with the mayor? Maybe. But you also had Sammy and I watch the house. Someone was always watching. Add to the fact that you were run off the damn road and your daughter was taken then. That is not your fault.” Cyrus took a step toward me, the hard lines on his face softening. “You can’t leave. Let the authorities do their job.”
I scoffed. “Right. And both of us know how reliable the cops are.”
“The mayor doesn’t have everyone paid off,” Sammy interjected. “Let your dad, Lucas, us, and everyone else help.”
“They’re taking too fucking long!” I yelled.
“How are you going to find Brynn?” Cyrus asked, his brows narrowing in the center.
“I’ve been in touch with Rowan,” I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. My dad had been friends with Rowan’s parents since before I was born. But living in different cities, we just never saw each other much over the years.
Sammy laughed, shaking his head and walking away.
Cyrus glared at his brother before meeting my gaze. “Rowan will take payment. He had a good life but is still shady as fuck.”
I shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about that.” I would never classify Rowan as being shady. He just did whatever he could to make ends meet. Couldn’t fault the guy for that.