by Stacey Lynn
“Shouldn’t you boys be looking for my daughter?” she asked. Again. Chief didn’t seem in any big hurry.
It’d taken everything I had to let him question Jules in the first place. But when the daycare had realized Sophie was gone, and the blondes out front had realized the same thing, everyone had called the cops.
They’d swarmed the salon in minutes, and the only thing Daemon and I could do was wait.
Wait until they were done with their questions and we could take care of this shit on our own.
When Daemon had heard as much as he needed to, he and the men had taken off at my nod of approval.
As soon as I heard their bikes rumble on the road, my chest had been able to inhale a breath.
Now, hours later, I was still stuck with the damn chief asking Jules questions with a doubtful expression on his face, and Jules’s parents sitting next to him at the table.
As if it was her and me against them. Against the world.
With the way she leaned into me, and didn’t throw herself into her mom or dad’s arms when they entered the room, I decided I was perfectly okay with that.
As soon as we got Sophie back, it’d be Sophie, Jules, and me against the world. Fuck them belonging to Scratch. Maybe it made me a dick that I was consumed with thinking of Jules in my life as she went through the most horrific experience of her life, but I did.
I wasn’t leaving her side until we got Sophie back, and after that, we had some serious shit to discuss.
It didn’t sound as terrifying as it did weeks ago.
“We done?” I growled. My hand tightened at the back of Jules’s neck.
The chief looked to Jules’s dad and he nodded.
“We’ll have more questions. We’ll need to know where to get ahold of you best.”
Her dad opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off.
“My house. My phone. She’ll be with me.”
“Son—”
I silenced the mayor with a glare. I saw his fear and his anguish at the thought of his granddaughter being missing. The decent part of me also knew he was just worried about his girls.
But they weren’t fucking his anymore.
Mine.
I shook my head and sneered at him. “I’m not your son.”
His nose twitched. Jules’s mom laid her hand over her husband’s clenched fists. They seemed out of place with his designer suit and slightly gelled comb-over.
“I think we’re all just really worried. Jules should come home—she’ll be able to rest in her own place, in her own bed.”
“No,” Jules croaked.
It was the first sound she’d made that wasn’t a direct answer to the chief’s questions for the last two hours.
All she’d done was sit on my lap, grab ahold of my leather cut, and stare—completely terrified—at a speck on the wall across from her. She hadn’t yet looked at her parents, and they were in the same room as her.
Jules’s mom sighed. I almost liked the woman. She seemed to know how to handle her pissed-off husband as well as calm the tension suffocating everyone in the room. Didn’t mean I was unwrapping my arms from Jules’s waist anytime soon.
“Jules, come home and get some rest and let the police find her.”
Understanding dawned. Of course her dad would want all this done by the book.
I licked my lips to speak, but Jules beat me to it. I felt her rage boiling off her as she squirmed in my lap and finally faced her parents. “If Daemon said he’ll handle this, he’ll handle this.”
“Miss McAllister.”
“Jules,” she snapped, and pushed off me. “My name is Jules, chief, and you know this because you’ve known me since I was four.” She inhaled a deep breath, possibly her first good suck of air in hours since we’d been crammed into the small room. “You do what you need to do to find my girl. And Daemon will do what he has to do to. But I have to tell you, chief…” She leaned forward, rested her palms flat on the table.
Something like pride suddenly swelled in my gut. She had finally found her fight. And it was fuckin’ hot.
“Right now, I’m really liking the way that I know Daemon and his boys will take care of this sick fuck once they’ve got my girl safe.”
Revenge. She wanted it. I could feel the thrill of someone’s death—someone who deserved to die—clawing at Jules as the words were hissed across the table. She looked pissed—a mama lion protecting her cub—and who could fuckin’ blame her?
Her dad looked appalled and I noticed a slight nod from her mom. I doubt she’d admit she wanted the same thing, but something told me every mom would want the same thing.
I stood from the chair, wrapped an arm around Jules’s waist, and pulled her close. “You know where she’ll be if you need her.”
I didn’t give Jules a second to change her mind. If she came back to reality and remembered how I’d pulled a disappearing act for the last two weeks, I didn’t think she’d want anything to do with me.
Not that I wouldn’t deserve it.
But we had Sophie to find. And once we did, I planned on changing a whole lot of shit.
I hadn’t spoken since we left the salon. I didn’t even remember leaving, or climbing on the back of Jaden’s bike as he hauled ass to the clubhouse.
I didn’t even know if it’d been days our hours since Rob’s slick, ugly laughter rolled through the phone. Maybe it’d only been minutes.
Nothing registered in my head.
Sophie was gone. Taken in an attempt for me to go back to Rob. Once Jaden had wrapped his arms around me, allowed me to cry and scream and wail against him until I’d bled every terrified tear from my body, I’d finally been able to realize that was Rob’s play. Knowing that, knowing what he really wanted—me—kept my terror in check. He wouldn’t hurt her.
I knew it. Had to believe it, or else I’d die.
It fueled my anger toward Rob. How I’d been able to answer all of the chief’s questions without losing my grip on reality and shoving his sharpened pencil through his chest as he continued droning on incessantly, asking me the same questions over and over, I had no clue.
I’d barely registered my parents’ attendance at all. Knew my dad had found out, probably as soon as the cops got the call.
While I was grateful for their presence, they weren’t what I needed.
I needed blood. I needed Rob’s head sacrificed on a stake, not the calm and comforting yet empty assurances my parents would provide.
That was the only reason I left with Jaden, willing to spend time with him. Nordic Lords took care of their own, and Sophie was theirs. As we pulled into the parking lot at the clubhouse, I’d briefly scanned the lot.
A sick, satisfied grin twisted my lips with pleasure as I realized no one was there.
They’d all been dispatched. I knew it immediately.
And I freaking loved it—loved the thought of what Rob would do as soon as someone like Switch showed up in front of him. Switch might be old, but he was huge, strong, and intimidating as hell. Besides that, he’d grown a soft spot for Sophie, and I knew if anyone was itching to get her back safely, it’d be Switch most of all.
He and his old lady, Marie, had become completely taken with her, treating her like the granddaughter they’d never had. Which made sense in some way, since they’d practically raised Scratch and Jaden.
“Let’s go inside,” Jaden said, waiting for me to climb off the bike. “I’ll get you something to drink, check in with Daemon, and see what he’s got.”
I nodded, partly because I was still pissed at Jaden—pissed at the way he’d turned his back on Sophie so easily, and even more upset that he thought he could swoop back in, acting like he suddenly gave a shit.
But the pain in his eyes told me he did. I saw a sparkle of fury in his dark brown eyes when he removed his sunglasses and grinned.
Yeah. Rob wouldn’t know what was coming for him.
As soon as we the hit the main room in the clubhouse, strong, thin ar
ms immediately assaulted me, pulling me tight and yanking me off my feet.
“Oh my gosh, Jules! I’ve been completely freaking out! Are you okay?” Liv let go of me, planted her hands on my shoulders, and pushed me back.
My head snapped from the whiplash of her sudden movement.
Tears began falling down my cheeks before I knew they were coming, and I collapsed into her chest. All the emotions I’d been able to hold in check during questioning spilled over into Liv’s incredibly strong and warm embrace.
With her arms wrapped around me, she led me to a couch and pulled me down with her.
“We’ll find her,” she declared with utmost confidence.
“I know.” I sniffed and wiped away my hair that had fallen in front of my face. It was wet, stained with my tears as I pushed it behind my ear.
When I opened them, Jaden stood in front of me, hands on his hips with a mixture of pain and lust written all over him.
Asshole. I tried to ignore the lust and focused on his pain and anger.
“What?” I asked.
“That asshole hit you?” He narrowed his eyes on me, dared me to argue with him.
I pressed my lips together. Talking about Rob had been hard enough in front of my parents. Answering the chief’s questions had been harder, but he hadn’t asked me that question.
But Jaden wasn’t stupid.
I flinched from the intensity in his stare. It heated the room and I blew out a breath. “Not sure what that has to do with Sophie,” I responded, trying to get him to focus on the issue.
I figured Rob was dead either way, once they found Soph. I didn’t particularly care how he died. Just that he did.
He gritted his teeth. “Answer the question.”
“No—and why do you care anyway?” I snarled back. I couldn’t help it. Screw him. He’d avoided us for weeks, and just because he now swooped in to play the hero didn’t mean I had to take it. There were dozens of other Nordic Lords men searching for Sophie. Any one of them could handle things.
Liv’s hand rubbed my back, trying to soothe me. She failed.
“Maybe this isn’t the right time for you guys to be hashing this out.”
I glared at her, caught Jaden doing the same thing, and wondered how she didn’t whither under our angry stares.
Jaden snapped his head to me. “I want to know how slow and painful to make his death once I find the fucker. That’s why it matters.”
Yes. A sick, oily feeling slithered down my spine at his words. It was evil… but thoroughly agreeing with Jaden.
I nodded. “Just find my daughter, Jaden. Please.”
He swallowed, and a thick lump bobbed down his throat as he did. Grabbing his cell phone from his back pocket, he turned and disappeared into the bar area.
When he returned, he had a bottle of tequila, a bowl of cut-up limes, and two shot glasses in his hands, along with a fuming angry look on his face.
“Take this.” He set out the tequila limes and poured me a shot. “Don’t get fuckin’ wasted, but it’ll help you stay calm.”
“What happened?” I choked, blood drained from my face. Oh my God. I could have been horribly wrong. Maybe Rob took Sophie because I didn’t agree to go back to him. Maybe this was his way of getting revenge.
“Nothing new, yet,” he said, and the way his eyes hit mine I felt instantly calmer. Relief fell from my shoulders. “But the men are on the highway heading south. I’m going to meet up with them.”
“Call me when you know something.”
“Of course.”
I watched him walk away, Liv’s arm tightening around me.
When he hit the door he turned around, and the force of his confidence smacked me in the chest, even from across the large space.
“I’ll bring her back to you, Jules. I fuckin’ swear it.”
The door slammed behind him, and Liv handed me the shot I hadn’t yet taken.
Night fell, and only a few of the men had returned. When they did, their eyes shot to mine in disbelief and frustration.
Liv, Faith, and Marie had tried to keep my mind moving. They chattered endlessly about upcoming weddings, constantly trying to pull me into the conversation. But all I wanted was to see lights shine through the windows of the clubhouse—Jaden pulling up in his truck, with Sophie safely tucked neatly in the cab next to him.
Completely safe.
I let out a shuddering breath, my arms crossed around my waist, as I stared out the window.
“She’ll be fine,” Faith said. It was almost all she’d said since she showed up with taco salads from her favorite Mexican restaurant.
I knew from experience that they were delicious. Tonight I felt like I could throw up after two bites. The tightly wound knot of fear in my gut took up all the space inside me.
“I know.” I reached up and held onto her hand, which had fallen onto my shoulder. We stared out the side windows, me praying for Sophie to come home, praying they’d find Sophie safely, when my phone began vibrating on the table.
I looked at the dancing, black piece of plastic as if it was a cobra ready to strike, and my eyes flew open wide.
“Xbox!” Liv yelled from the couch. All of us stared at the phone until Xbox, a club member with apparently crazy-ass hacking skills, nodded the okay. He’d set up my phone at some point to track incoming calls. I didn’t know how. I didn’t care how.
I reached out with shaking hands and exhaled a breath of relief when I saw the caller.
“Jaden?” Blood buzzed through my entire body.
“We got her, babe.”
My knees collapsed and tears of relief fell down my cheeks. I felt someone’s arm wrap around my shoulders and pull me to them, but I couldn’t tell if it was Liv or Faith. Or Marie. I didn’t care, either.
“How?” I sobbed, my shoulders shaking. “Is she okay?”
“Tired. She’s sleeping, but she’s good. I swore to you I’d get her back to you and I meant it, Jules.” His voice sounded so strong, so sincere.
I wiped away my tears as more fell. “Where is she?”
“In my arms. Just waiting for a truck so we can get her home.”
“Where are you?”
He hesitated. I heard the hitch in his breath and fear tore down my spine. “Jaden?”
“We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
His tightly clipped voice left no room for argument, so I nodded. Then I realized he couldn’t see me nod.
“Okay, Jaden. When will you be back?”
“Not long. I’m having Finn come get you and take you to my place.”
I thought about arguing, then realized that’d be stupid. I didn’t care where I went, just that Sophie was safe and I got to see her. Hold her. Check over every inch of her skin to make sure she was injury-free.
“All right.” I paused, emotion choking my throat, and I heard him heave a deep breath. “Jaden? Thank you.”
My throat burned with new tears as he said, “Anything for you, Jules. And Sophie.”
“You owe me for this,” the chief told Daemon right after I hung up the phone with Jules.
I didn’t have time to erase the sound of her voice, the fear mixed with relief that had come through the phone, before I hung up and turned to face the man who had helped us.
Fucking helped us. It paid to have the chief of police in your back pocket, but never had he handed over a witness into our hands, knowing what we’d do to him.
The moron who had taken Sophie, though? He’d handed him right over as soon as two of his cops pulled the dumbass over on the highway just south of town.
With Arizona license plates.
It would have been comical if it wasn’t Sophie in the backseat—no car seat, no seat belt, terrified alligator tears streaming down her pink-stained cheeks.
She had been hysterical by the time the chief had called us.
I had grabbed Sophie, throwing her out of the backseat of a run-down, gold Ford Taurus where the paint mixed perfectly with the rus
t, and hadn’t let go until she calmed down.
Now, I was staring at Sophie, sleeping peacefully in my truck as if she hadn’t just been scared out of her damned mind all day. I was thinking about how crazy Jules must have been goin’ all day long, waiting for word from us on gettin’ her back.
And as much as I wanted to thank the chief for letting us take that piece-of-shit, two-bit kidnapper off his hands, I wanted to punch him in the face.
“Pretty sure we’ve already paid you, so now we’re even.” Daemon crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the cop.
“Pretty sure giving up a kidnapping is worth more than that.”
He was so slimy. I grinned, thinking of how we’d taken care of that kidnapper and wondering if it’d feel as good to do it to the chief.
Daemon must have known what I was thinking—or maybe it was the growl that I didn’t hold back—because he speared me with a look, telling me to stand down.
“Miss your chance at nationwide fame?” Daemon asked and raised a brow.
I snorted.
The chief’s sweaty, fat cheeks puffed up with rage and turned red. Ah, hell. That’s what this was about?
I threw my head back and laughed. “All right then, chief. We owe you.” I shook my head. Fucking greedy fat bastard. I threw a look to Daemon, tellin’ him to go ahead and give up Sporelli to the police, and shook my head again. “I gotta kid to get back to her mom.”
Before I climbed back into my truck, I watched the faint light of five of our men. I kept watching them as their flashlights began shining more bright when they exited the cover of the trees.
We were at a rest stop twenty minutes south of Jasper Bay, and completely out of Chief Garrison’s territory. Why we let him follow us, I had no clue, but he wanted our reassurances that this wouldn’t end up back in his jurisdiction, so what-the-fuck-ever.
I couldn’t have cared less when Ryker, Tripp, Johnny, and two other men hauled Peter Taylor’s scrawny, greasy-haired ass out to the woods. Two bullets and a deep hole dug four hours later, and they were done.
Sweet justice, I figured. Except Jules’ ex, Rob, was still livin’ safe in Phoenix, a country away from shit he’d just put into motion and hadn’t been man enough to handle himself.