by L. Wilder
“If you both still love each other like you say you do, then you’ll find a way.”
“I guess only time will tell.” I wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, that Samantha and I would get through this, but I wasn’t so sure. I glanced down at my watch and was surprised how late it had gotten. Riggs and the others would be getting back soon, so I looked over to her and said, “We better be getting back. I need to help get things prepared.”
“Prepared for what?”
“Can’t say.” Hoping that Gunner had talked to her about how things worked in the club, I told her, “That’s club business.”
“So, you don’t discuss club business?”
“No, not with anyone except the brothers.”
“Not even with the president’s daughter?” A knowing smile spread across her face as she said, “Besides, something tells me that this particular business has something to do with me.”
“That might be true, but it doesn’t change anything.” While I was pleased to know that Gunner had, in fact, spoken with her, I needed her to know that I had my reasons for not talking to her about club business. It was a rule I’d always held on to, and I wasn’t about to waver on that decision. “Discussing details only puts you and Harper in danger, August. Not going to let that happen.”
“Okay, I understand.”
As we started towards my Harley, I looked over my shoulder and said, “I’m guessing since you mentioned the president’s daughter thing, that you and Gunner had a conversation.”
“We did. In fact, we had a lengthy conversation.” She slipped on her helmet, and as she got on behind me, she continued, “In case you didn’t know, he really thinks a lot of you.”
“I think a lot of him as well.” I put on my helmet, and before starting the engine, I told her, “You got yourself a good one with him.”
I fired up my bike, then slowly pulled out of the parking spot. Moments later, we were on our way back to the Sinners’ clubhouse. We hadn’t been riding long when I caught a glimpse of August in my rearview mirror, and she was smiling ear to ear. Just seeing her so happy did my heart good. From where I was sitting, it seemed the tides of change had returned, and they were bringing back what had been mine all along.
Samantha
I’d been watching Harper play with several of her new little friends in the playroom for several hours when she came over and crawled into my lap. The minute she laid her head on my shoulder, I knew it was time for her nap. She didn’t even argue when I picked her up and carried her back down to her room. After I got Harper settled in bed, I crawled in next to her and laid my head down on the pillow. I loved these quiet moments with her. It reminded me of the times I’d spent with her mother when she was little. Guilt washed over me when I thought about Gus. He’d missed out on all of those little moments with his daughter and granddaughter. He’d missed those moments because of me. They all had. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes when I heard Harper ask, “You ‘tad?”
I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes as I answered, “Yeah. Just a little.”
“I t’orry.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be better soon.”
She looked up at me with those little, puppy-dog eyes as she said, “I sa’ad, too.”
“You are? Why are you sad, sweetheart?”
“I miss fwoppsie. I ‘ant ‘er back.”
Floppsie was her favorite stuffed animal. She carried it around everywhere she went like a little security blanket. We were in such a rush when we left August’s house, we accidentally left it behind. From day one, Harper had been begging for her precious toy, especially when she was tired and ready for bed. I hated seeing her upset. It seemed so unfair that she was going through all this, especially because of her father. I wanted to do something to make her feel better. At least then I would feel like I’d done something right—something that actually helped someone I cared about instead of hurting them. I pulled her close as I kissed her on the forehead. “I know you miss Floppsie, and it won’t be long until you have her back.”
“I ‘ant ‘er now.”
“I know you do. I want you to have her, too.” Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed into a pout, and it wasn’t long before she started to cry. Her little sniffles tugged at my heart, and I just couldn’t stand it a moment longer. “I want you to stay right here for just a minute. Can you do that?”
She nodded with another little sniffle.
I eased out of bed and walked over to the door. When I opened it, I was relieved to see that one of the Sinners was walking down the hall. “Hi. Do you have any idea where Jae might be?”
He smiled as he answered, “Yeah. I just saw her in the kitchen. Do you need me to go get her for you?”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you so much.”
“No problem.”
Jae had sat with Harper several times, and Harper just adored her. I hoped that she wouldn’t mind staying with her for a little while. I waited for her to come to the room and went over to the desk and wrote August a note, letting her know that I was going to the house to get Floppsie. I knew I was taking a big risk, but I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing—not anymore. It was time for me to do my part to set things right. Just as I was finishing my note to August, there was a knock at the door. I quickly opened it and found Jae standing in the hall. “Hi, Jae. I really hate to ask again, but would you mind sitting with Harper for a little while? I have a little something I need to take care of.”
“Of course, and please don’t feel bad about asking.” She smiled as she told me, “I love hanging out with her.”
“You are such a doll. Thank you.” I walked over to Harper and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll be back soon. You get a good nap while I’m gone.”
“Twer’ you goin’?”
“Just to run a quick errand. I’ll be right back.”
“I ‘ant go wit’ you.”
“You need to get your nap, sweetie. We’ll do something fun when I get back.”
She nodded as Jae came over and sat down next to her. As I started towards the door, I realized that I had no idea where the Sinners clubhouse was located. Hoping I wouldn’t make her suspicious, I looked over to Jae and said, “Oh, I was wanting to ask … if I was going to have something delivered here, what address would I need to use?”
“329 Clairmont Drive.”
“Great. Thanks.” Before I walked out of the room, I told her, “I left a note for August on the desk.”
“Okay. I’ll be sure she gets it.”
I closed the door and went across the hall to my room. I took the phone that Gunner had given me and used it to log into my Uber account. Once I’d plugged in the address and confirmed my driver, I laid the phone on the desk and then changed my clothes. As soon as I was dressed, I eased out into the hall and was pleased to see that no one was around. I rushed to the side exit and slipped out into the parking lot. Just as I expected, there was a man standing at the main gate where my Uber would be picking me up. I knew there was only one way I was getting out of there without a hassle. I would have to put on quite a performance and make him believe that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. With my shoulders back and my head held high, I made my way over to him and said, “Have you seen my driver?”
The young man looked at me like I had three heads as he asked, “Your what?”
“My driver,” I repeated louder this time. “He’s supposed to be here by now.”
“Your driver?” he asked, sounding confused. “Why you need a driver?”
Trying to kept my little act going, I rolled my eyes with annoyance and sighed. “So, I can get where I’m going.”
“Umm, Ma’am, I don’t think you’re supposed to be leaving. At least not alone. You guys are under lockdown.”
“What’s your name, kid?”
“They call me Bolt.”
“Now, Bolt. Do you really think I’d be out here asking you about my Uber driver if I wasn’t supposed to be leaving?�
�� I asked with sarcasm.
“Well, no ma’am, but I should check with Viper and make sure it’s okay.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s a smart move there, Bolt. He’s in the conference room with the guys,” I lied. “I’d really hate for a prospect like yourself to get him all riled up by disturbing him over something like this.”
“But …”
Just as he started to stammer, my driver pulled up. I gave him a quick pat on the shoulder as I said, “Now, don’t you worry. I’ll be back in a flash.”
Before he could stop me, I eased through the gate and jumped into the backseat of the car. Seconds later, I was on my way to August’s. I could hear that little voice in my head screaming at me, telling me that I was making a huge mistake, that I needed to go back to the clubhouse, but I didn’t listen. Somehow, I managed to convince myself that I could actually pull this whole thing off. I’d already gotten through the gate. I let myself believe that was the hard part, and the rest should be a breeze. I just needed to get into the house without being seen.
I thought back to the day that Polito’s men came to August’s house. When Gunner realized that they’d come for August, he had led us all out the backdoor and into her backyard. At first, I had no idea what he was doing, but then he had us slip through a couple of broken slats in the fence and into her neighbor’s yard. From there, we were able to get away without being seen. Hoping I could do the same, I instructed the driver to take me to the street behind her house. Once he was parked, I asked for him to wait until I returned. I got out and rushed towards the fence. After I slipped through the broken slats, I made my way to her backdoor. My heart was pounding as I eased it open and stepped inside. The house was a bit of a mess. Chairs were knocked over and lamps were lying on the ground, but it didn’t look like anything was broken. As I started towards the living room, I picked up a few things along the way. I’d just placed one of the lamps back on the side table when I noticed Floppsie sitting on the sofa. Feeling like I’d just won the lottery, I rushed over to grab it. Just as I was about to reach for it, I heard something move behind me. Before I could react, I felt something slam against the back of my head, and then everything went black.
It was official. I’d just become that girl—the girl who did something stupid and put herself and everyone else in even more danger. To make matters worse, I’d done it for a stuffed rabbit. Damn. I just couldn’t win.
Gus
After August and I returned from our ride, I went to the conference room to check in with Riggs and the others. When I walked in, they were all sitting at the table with Viper talking as they stared at Riggs’s laptop. I went over to see what was going on and was pleased that they’d managed to get the cameras up and rolling at Polito’s house. As soon as I sat down, they started filling me in on how they’d set off a neighbor’s security alarm as a distraction, enabling them to get close enough to the house to set up the cameras. We were making note of the main entrances and exits when Gunner came into the room. His eyes were wide with worry as he said, “We’ve got a problem.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Samantha. She’s left the clubhouse.”
I heard what he’d said, but it just didn’t click. There was no way she could’ve just gone without someone knowing, not with all the brothers around. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Samantha left August a note saying she was going to the house to get something for Harper.” Gunner looked over to August, and from the look on her face, she was just as shocked as I was. “August has looked for her, but she’s nowhere to be found.”
“Damn it!” Unable to control my rage, I stood up and shouted, “How the hell did she get out of the fucking gate?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out!” Viper was clearly pissed as he turned to Hawk and asked, “Who’s monitoring the fucking gate?”
“Bolt’s on duty until midnight.”
As soon as the words left Hawk’s mouth, Viper’s face grew red with fury. He slammed his fist down on the table as he ordered, “Get his ass in here, now!”
The room fell silent as Hawk rushed out of the room. My mind was racing a mile a minute, making it difficult to come up with a clear thought. Polito would have men watching August’s place, so if Samantha showed up there, I had no doubt that they’d take her. I needed to be sure where she was, so I turned to Riggs and asked, “Can you trace her burner?”
Before he could answer, Gunner announced, “There’s no point in trying to trace it. She left it on her desk.”
“Well, damn.”
“What are we going to do now?” August asked with panic in her voice. “What if those men have her? What if they hurt her?”
“I know you’re worried, but we’ll find her, August.” Gunner reached for her, pulling her close as he assured her, “We’ll find her.”
The second Hawk returned with Bolt, Viper started laying into him, “Were you watching the gate today?”
“Been standing at my post since two this afternoon,” Bolt answered.
“Did you happen to see Mrs. Rayburn leave the premises?”
“Yes, sir. I did. She left around five or so,” Bolt answered timidly.
Viper took a charging step towards him and grabbed the collar of his t-shirt, fisting it in his hand as he yanked him forward. “And you just let her walk out of here!”
“She told me that she got the okay, Prez.” The kid was clearly freaked out as he continued, “I just assumed that she was telling me the truth.”
“And you didn’t think you should check with me before you just let her waltz out of here!”
“Like I told ya … I-I thought she was telling the truth, sir,” the boy stammered. “Under the circumstances, I didn’t think she’d make that shit up.”
“Goddamn it! How could you be so fucking stupid!” Viper released his hold on him and pointed towards the door as he shouted, “Get your shit and get the fuck out of here. Your days with the Sinners are done.”
“But Prez, it was an honest mistake!”
“I’m no longer Prez to you. Now get your ass out of my clubhouse!”
With all the commotion going on between Bolt and Viper, I hadn’t noticed that Riggs was busy hammering away at his computer. He winced as he muttered something under his breath and turned his laptop monitor towards me, enabling me to see the screen. “Hey, Gus. You’re gonna want to see this.”
My blood ran cold when I saw that it was the live feed from Polito’s main warehouse. Two men were entering a building with Samantha walking between them. They had her blindfolded with her hands behind her back, and she was struggling to keep her footing as they thrust her into the center of the room. A man slipped a chair behind her and gave her a hard shove, forcing her to sit as they all surrounded her. As I sat there watching her fight against her restraints, it hit me all at once. I’d given my heart to Samantha a long time ago. Never wanted it back. She was the one for me back then, and she was the one for me now. I would’ve realized that sooner, but I’d let my pride get in the way. Knowing that she was in imminent danger enraged me. I wanted to kill Polito with my own bare hands, and if I got the chance, I would. I was too busy watching Samantha to notice that August had come up behind me. “Oh my god! Mom!”
I whipped around and glared at Gunner. “Get her out of here!”
Once he’d taken her out of the room, I turned to Viper and said, “We’ve gotta get her out of there.”
“I get that, brother, but it’s too dangerous to just bust up in there,” Viper replied. “We’ve gotta play this thing out the right way.”
“And what exactly is the right way here, Viper? They’ve got her bound and blindfolded. There’s no telling what they’ll do to her.”
“I wish I knew the right answer, but I don’t.” He tried to keep his voice calm and steady as he continued, “Polito wants August. Not Samantha. He’ll use her to get to her daughter. We can’t fall into that trap. We just need to
hold back and stick to the plan.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the goddamn plan!” I roared. “I’m not going to just sit here while Samantha’s life is in danger!”
I was about to completely lose it when Murphy suggested, “We could move ahead with the plan we already have. We’ve worked out all the details. We all know what to do and when to do it. We just need to get the job done sooner rather than later.”
“He’s right.” Gunner stepped forward as he said, “We spent hours going over every detail.”
“There’s one thing we didn’t cover,” Blaze announced. “I get that we’re dividing up, going into each property simultaneously, and wiping these motherfuckers out at the same time, but after? If we want it to look like Polito dropped off the face of the earth, we can’t leave any remains behind.”
“Don’t worry about the cleanup,” Viper answered. “We’ve got that covered.”
“Good.” Blaze stood up as he said, “Then, let’s do this thing.”
If I’d learned anything over the years, it was that nothing ever went exactly as planned. While I wished we had more time to prepare, I knew in my gut that we were running out of time. We needed to get Samantha out of there before Polito did something stupid. Eager to get moving, Viper and I gave the guys the go-ahead to move forward. They quickly dispersed, each doing their part to put our plan into action. Once they’d collected all the necessary ammunition, we each loaded up into the SUVs and started towards our assigned locations. I had Shadow, Rider, and twenty or so others with me and we were headed to the main warehouse while Viper had gone with Gunner, Murphy, Riggs and four others to Polito’s house. Hawk and T-Bone took six with them over to the office, and Blaze, Gauge, and Axel had six with them at the other warehouse. We had every location covered. It was just a matter of hitting each at the exact same time, giving Polito no chance to warn any of his men that they were under attack.