“It’s adorable,” she said. “Can you believe he scared the bejesus out of me when I met him?”
I washed tomatoes and started to slice them on the cutting board. “He did?”
“It’s not hyperbole when I say Reese was angry. I never saw him smile.”
“He’s had a tough life.”
“Ryder alluded to that too, and you certainly don’t have to share, but I’m really glad that you’re back in it.” She smiled gently. “He’s happy, Lex.”
“Me too.” I sighed. “Although, I kind of wish I’d made him suffer a little longer.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Yes. But the problem was, I missed him like crazy and I couldn’t fake not missing him. I did try, but I have never been a particularly good liar.”
“Me neither,” Sadie admitted.
“And especially to him. He can read me like a book.”
Sadie dumped lettuce into a large bowl. “Ryder’s the same way with me. It’s a little annoying.”
I giggled. “Right?”
“Well, I’m glad you’re back. I adore Reese and he deserves to be happy.”
“He really does, Sadie,” I breathed out. “He’s the best person I’ve ever known.”
“He’s a really good guy.”
I nodded. “Even when he was a recruit for the Spiders, he refused to do anything illegal. It’s the reason he did what he did. The pressure was getting intense.” I gasped. “God, I just realized what a bitch I’ve been.”
“I highly doubt that,” Sadie countered.
“I should have been more patient,” I admitted. “I was so wrapped up in my hurt feelings that I wasn’t willing to see his point of view. I was so mean to him, Sadie.”
She just smiled, but didn’t respond.
“Will you excuse me for a minute?”
Sadie nodded and I went to find Reese. He was on the deck with Ryder, so I pushed open the slider and rushed to him, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey,” he said, turning to face me. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m really sorry.”
“About what?”
“You really need to get in the house, Lex,” Ryder warned.
Reese lifted me so my feet dangled by his shins and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me back into the house and down the hall.
Stepping into a guest bedroom, Reese pulled me close and lifted my chin. I was determined not to cry, but I could feel the burn behind my nose.
“Talk to me, baby.”
I bit my lip. “I should have listened to you.”
“When?” he asked.
I could no longer hold back the flood and burst into ugly, sobby tears. “Back when you tried to put some distance between us. I shouldn’t have broken things off. We could have made it work. I should have trusted you.” He wiped my cheeks as I continued to cry. “I’m so sorry, Reese. I was such a bitch.”
“You weren’t a bitch, baby.”
I nodded. “I was. I totally was.”
He chuckled leaning down to kiss my wet cheeks. “Freckles, you were hurt and scared. I never blamed you.”
“Well, you should have.”
“Can’t blame the only woman I’ve ever loved. Especially since you didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t your choice to be born into a crime family.”
“It wasn’t your choice either.”
“I know, baby, but if hurting you was the end result of getting out, it wasn’t worth it.”
I bobbed my head up and down. “I get that now. I would have done the same thing.”
“I know you would.”
“And you would have been gracious and way nicer to me.”
“You think so, huh?”
I nodded. “I totally do.”
“Well, we can’t change the past, so let’s not dwell there, okay?”
“I’m still sorry.”
“I appreciate that, honey... even though you don’t need to be.”
I licked my lips then kissed him and he lifted me high enough so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Our kiss turned desperate and he broke the connection with a frustrated groan. “Fuck, baby.”
“Yes, please.”
“Can’t do this in Sadie and Ryder’s house.”
“I get it.” I kissed him one more time. “I really missed you, though. I still kind of miss you.”
“Me too, Lex. I’ll fix it.”
I smiled and stroked his cheek. “Your fix-it list is getting longer by the day.”
“I’m aware.”
I smiled and slid down his body, back to my feet. “I trust you.”
“Good.” He raised my chin and met my eyes. “You okay?”
“Yeah, honey, I’m good.”
“Dinner ready?”
I gasped. “Crap. I kind of abandoned Sadie.”
“It’s okay. Take a minute. We’ll head out when you’re calmer.”
“I’m calm, sugar bear.” I linked my fingers with his. “I’m good.”
He kissed me again and we headed back out to the kitchen. God bless Sadie, she didn’t ask any questions... just let us have our moment without intrusion.
Under the close and watchful eye of my man, I helped Sadie with the rest of dinner. Even Reese and Ryder feigned assistance, and carried everything to the table. Once we sat down to eat, Reese grabbed my hand under the table briefly, leaning over to kiss my cheek and whispering, “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I said.
* * *
Reese dropped me back at the abbey a little after midnight. It had been a near perfect night, but I was exhausted and fell into bed with a grateful sigh. It didn’t take long to fall asleep, but I was awoken by the buzz of my burner phone about two hours later.
I sat up with a start, realizing it wasn’t Reese calling, but Paisley. Paisley never called, so it must be important. I kicked off the covers and rose to my feet. “Paisley? You okay?”
A deep voiced chuckle came over the line. “Hello, beautiful Alexa.”
“Who is this?” My stomach churned. “Where’s Paisley?”
Paisley screamed, “Lex, don’t list—”
I heard a slap and the man yelled, “Zatknis!” (Shut up!)
“Paisley!” I hissed.
“You’re to do everything I tell you,” he demanded.
“Or what?” I snapped.
“We’ll kill her, Alexa. Don’t doubt it.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “What do you want?”
“We want you to retract your statement. Refuse to testify.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Your friend will die,” he said. “You have until noon to contact the FBI, and tell them you no longer wish to testify. If you do not, or you involve the authorities, I will send you pieces of your friend in the mail for a year.”
The line went dead.
I needed Reese. I grabbed my other phone and dialed his number. He didn’t answer right away, which only caused my anxiety to rise. I waited a few seconds and tried again. This time he answered. “You miss me?” he asked.
“Reese,” I rasped.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Paisley. The Russians have her. I just got a phone call.”
“What?”
I paced my room. “The call history says number unknown and I have no idea who has her or where she is.”
“Okay, baby. It’s okay. Tell me everything he said.”
I filled him in on the conversation, panicking more and more as I relayed it.
“Lex.”
“They have her, Reese. They’re going to kill her!”
“Lex.”
“She’s my best friend, you have—”
“Alexa!” he snapped.
“What?”
“We’re gonna find her. But you need to promise me something.”
“Okay,” I said suspiciously.
“You have to stay put.”
“I—”
“Lex,” he said again. “Do not leave the abbey under any circumstance.”
I sighed. “Where would I go?”
“Alexa.”
“Fine, I won’t leave the abbey,” I promised. “But you have to keep me updated.”
“I will, baby.”
“Please find her, Reese,” I whispered.
“I’m gonna do that, baby. Promise.”
He hung up and I squeezed my eyes shut and sat down on my bed.
Reese
I HUNG UP with Alexa and immediately dialed Hawk.
“It’s two a.m., you better have a damn good reason why you’re wakin’ me,” he growled.
I filled him in on everything Lex had told me.
“This is going to be tough,” Hawk said. “Burner phones can’t easily be traced, if at all, but I’ll put Booker on it.”
Booker was the VP of the Dogs of Fire, and in his previous life, had been an experienced hacker. He could find things and get into places even better than I could, which would help in this situation.
“I had trackers put in each of the phones,” I said. “Unless those scumbags physically crack Paisley’s phone open, they’ll never know it’s there, and will assume the phones are untraceable.”
“Shit, man, the FBI’s got you thinking like a cop now. What can I do to help?”
“Meet me at the compound,” I said. “I’ll call Ryder and have him bring some extra fire power.”
“What exactly are we walking into?”
“No clue,” I admitted. “But I want to be prepared for anything. This has to be kept between the three of us for now. Don’t let anyone see you leave your place and don’t ride your bike.”
“Understood,” Hawk replied.
“We’re going to get Paisley back by any means necessary, and we have to do it without the FBI or the local police involved. If they see us or the cops coming, they’ll kill her.”
“I get it, man. I’ll see you in a bit,” Hawk said.
I hung up and got dressed. I couldn’t waste any time. I grabbed my truck keys and headed out the door. My mind was foggy due to the late hour, but I needed to think of a plan, and fast. The tracker app on my phone showed me Paisley was being held in an industrial area of Gresham, right in the heart of Spiders territory, an area I was all too familiar with.
What the fuck is going on here?
The Russian Mob and the Rockford Spiders together in the same area? There was no way this could be a coincidence, but I had no idea what it all meant. I pulled into the Dog’s compound and called Alexa to give her a quick update before going inside.
“Did you find her?” she asked, her voice desperate.
“I have a pretty good idea where she is.”
“What can I do?”
“Just stay put. I’m gonna get her and then I’ll call you. If you don’t hear from me, don’t freak out, okay?”
She sighed. “I trust you. But be careful.”
“I will, baby. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up and walked into the building. Hawk, Ryder, and Booker met me in the back conference room.
“What’s the plan?” Ryder asked the moment I walked through the door.
“First, we have to zero in on exactly where Paisley is.” I handed my phone to Booker. “I need you to use the tracking app, and let me know exactly where she’s being held. The general coordinates are not enough. I need you to tell me the exact address, down to the room she’s in if possible. The Spiders have several buildings in that vicinity, so it could be any of them.”
“I’m on it.”
“Ryder, I need you to load up the van. We need shotguns, flash grenades, tear gas and masks for all of us. I have one more phone call to make. Wheels up in twenty.”
I walked into the hallway and dialed a number I hadn’t called in a while.
“Yeah?” the gruff voice answered.
“Frogger, it’s Reese.”
Frogger’s father was also an officer in the Rockford Spiders and we’d been recruits together. I got out and he didn’t. Nonetheless, he was a good guy and always had my back. I didn’t blame Frogger for staying in, as his father would have likely put him in the hospital, or worse, if he didn’t follow him into the family business. Still, I knew his loyalty to the club only ran so deep and I was betting that his loyalty to me was deeper. In fact, I was betting Paisley’s life on it.
“Reese? Is that really you? Fuck man, what time is it?”
“Can I still trust you?” I asked.
“What? Of course you can, man, what the fuck’s going on?”
“I mean it, Erik, can I trust you?”
He obviously knew I meant business and the sleep left his voice immediately. “What do you need?”
“I need information. I need to know if the Spiders are working with the Russian mob.”
“Shit man, what the fuck are you involved with?”
“Are they working together?” I snapped.
“Yeah, man, I think so. I’m not sure, but there have been a lot of dudes around with Russian accents. I just figured they were here for the girls, but I guess they could be mob guys.”
“What girls?” I asked.
“The club has been dealing in girls more and more over the past few years. Hookers, porn, web cams, whatever,” he explained. “These Russian guys always seem to have a hand in what’s going down when girls are involved, but no one has said shit to us about who they are.”
“What else?”
“What do you mean, what else?” he grumbled. “I dunno, man. I don’t know who these chicks are or where they came from any more than the last batch, or the group that went missing.”
“Missing?”
“Yeah, man. A bunch of girls escaped a while back and Prez’s been on the warpath to find them ever since.”
Rusty Kross was the Spider’s ruthless president and the main reason for the abbey’s high rate of occupancy. The other members of the “Nuns on the Run” program were in hiding from the Russians. Obviously, the Spider’s FBI mole had dug deeper than we thought and the girls were in more danger than ever. I was pretty sure they still didn’t know about the abbey, but would make sure we had more muscle there than just “Father Michael.”
“Do you know anything about a girl being held by the old clubhouse?”
“No, man, but like I said, they leave us out of that side of the business. We run dope and guns, and they take care of the girls along with Putin’s friends.”
I rubbed my forehead and paced the hallway. “If someone was being guarded at the old clubhouse, how many members, do you think, would be there?”
“These days? Shit, man, with Rusty’s paranoia... if something went down he’d be ready for war.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“You’re not thinking of doing something stupid are you?” he challenged. “You almost got killed getting out, and the only reason you’re still alive is because your pops is dead. No one’s heard a peep from you, and your low profile has kept you off Rusty’s shit list. Well, until now. But if you come around and start shit, Rusty’ll publicly gut you just to prove a point.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second. Thanks, brother. Keep your head down.”
I hung up and headed back inside.
* * *
Alexa
Reese had kept his promise and called me to update me, but I still felt sick to my stomach. We’d been so careful! Paisley was protected, both at home and work, so who the hell got to her and how? I hated not having answers to these questions, but for now I was stuck trusting my man.
Which I did.
In theory.
I was never very good at sitting still and waiting for anything. Instant gratification was my middle name, and right now sucked.
A quiet knock came at my door and I opened it to find Sadie.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Ryder’s orders. He wants me protected, so I’m here and Ollie
’s with Scottie,” she said. “Feel like raiding the fridge with me?”
“I’d rather raid someone’s liquor cabinet.”
She giggled and whispered, “I know a place. C’mon, I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Lead the way, oh fallen one.”
We tiptoed into the sanctuary and found the wine stowed behind the altar, which we opened with the corkscrew sitting next to it. We sat up against the wall and took turns sipping from the bottle. I was surprised by the vintage and surmised someone around here had a taste for something a bit finer than you’d expect in church.
“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked.
“Only that Paisley’s been taken and Reese and Ryder are going to get her back,” Sadie said.
“That’s it?” I demanded.
“Yeah, Lex, that’s it.”
“Well, you’re of no use to me, then.”
She smiled. “Reese’ll fill you in when they get her.”
“If he doesn’t get himself killed,” I ground out.
Sadie gasped. “He’s not going to die, Lex.”
“Well, he better not... or I’ll end him.”
“Come on, Alexa, you’re a pretend nun. Pretend to have a little faith. Reese knows what he’s doing.”
I bit back tears. “I know. I just want to see him and I want to know Paisley’s okay.”
Sadie wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “You will before you know it.”
I nodded. “I hope so. I just don’t know if I’m strong enough for all of this.”
Sadie raised her head and sighed. “And I don’t know if I can do this, Lex.”
“Do what?”
“Drink stolen wine underneath Jesus.”
I looked up and forced back a laugh. We were sitting underneath the cross that displayed a very lifelike crucified Euro messiah. “Would it help if I told you it’s really nice wine?”
“No, I think that makes it worse.”
“Um... let’s take this back to my room.”
She nodded and we both rose to our feet.
“I certainly hope there aren’t nuns in here drinking the blood of the Lord,” Father Michael growled as he walked through the door. “And I really hope there aren’t nuns drinking a certain priest’s 2007 Fontodi Flaccianello Sangiovese.”
Sadie gasped, but I just chuckled. “No nuns here... no priests either.”
He dropped his head back and laughed. “You got me there.”
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