Uncover Me (Men of Inked Book 4)

by Chelle Bliss

  Walking on light feet, I made my way to the front of the house and the large bay window. I stood off to the side, staying out of sight, and tried to get a visual. Inside were three people, but I couldn’t tell much else. The window coverings hid their identities. Listening for a few seconds, I couldn’t make out what the muffled voices were saying. Needing to make a plan, I headed back toward the guys and prepared for battle.

  As I rounded the back of the house, making my way to the car, I saw everyone coming my way.

  “What the fuck, man? You can’t just go off all Rambo and bullshit,” Mike said, hitting me in the chest with his flattened palm.

  I bounced off his hands and maintained my stance. “Chill the fuck out. I needed to get my eyes on the house. I wanted to see who was inside.”

  “What did you see?” James asked, pushing Mike out of the way.

  “Three people in the front room. I couldn’t see in all the rooms. I don’t know if she’s in there or not.” I scratched my head, wondering if we had this all wrong.

  What if she wasn’t in there? Maybe she was being held in another location or the information we had was fucked up. This could turn into a crazy-ass clusterfuck in a hurry and we’d be left with nothing. I’d have no Angel and we’d be in a world of legal trouble for bursting into a house. A little breaking and entering wasn’t how I wanted to start my life as a civilian.

  “She’s in there,” Flash interrupted, coming to stand next to James.

  “You sure?” James asked, turning to look down at Flash.

  “I have no doubt. If she isn’t, the people who took her are. Either way, it’s win-win.” Flash crossed his arms, puffing out his chest.

  “It’s a win if we get her back.”

  “It’s settled. Let’s get our asses in there and get her,” Joe said, ready to kick some ass. He had a gun in his hand and one tucked in his jeans.

  All the important men in my life and Flash were there with me, standing by my side and willing to put their existences on the line. If I ever doubted the love we felt for one another, today answered that question.

  We took a few minutes deciding who would stay in the back of the house, dividing up the exits to make sure there was no escape.

  “Let’s do this shit,” Anthony said when we finished planning, shifting from foot to foot. I’d never thought of him as aggressive, but in this moment, he was ready.

  “Boys,” Pop interrupted, holding his hands up to catch our attention. “Please be careful. I love you all dearly, and I want you all in one piece.”

  We nodded, silently agreeing with him.

  “That includes you too, Flash and James. Keep yourselves safe. I love you boys.”

  “Love you too, Pop. We’ll be safe,” I said, with a quick nod. “Let’s hit it.”

  We scattered, surrounding the house to take our positions. I stood by the front entrance with James. Flash was stationed at the back door with Pop, and Anthony, Mike, and Joe stood at the side of the house to make sure no one crawled out a window.

  Every one was to wait for us to enter through the front door. They were to stand down and be prepared for anyone who tried to escape. James and I would handle the situation inside, whatever that may be. If gunshots were heard, Flash was to enter the house through the back entrance and leave Pop outside to stand guard.

  James and I stood on either side of the front door and stared at each other as we listened to the people inside. To say that my heart was ready to burst with the ferocity with which it beat would be a major understatement. I’d been in situations that had been just as deadly, but when it was more than just your own life on the line, the risk and fear were heightened.

  Squeezing the handle of my gun, I could feel the moisture of my palm against the warm, slick metal. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, drawing in a long breath as I tried to steady my nerves. I counted to three, opened my eyes, looked at James, and then nodded. It was go time.

  James moved in, kicking the door in with his right foot. The wood easily gave way, the door flying open and smashing into the wall. A female screamed, which was followed by yelling.

  “Put down the gun, motherfucker,” James barked, holding his gun out in front of him, his eyes trained straight ahead.

  Moving out from his shadow, I stood at his side and trained my gun on the other man.

  “Two of us and two of you. Put down the fucking gun.” James didn’t move, keeping his arm straight in front, his aim right at the man’s head.

  “You’re outnumbered. We have the house surrounded. We can do this the easy way or the hard way!” I yelled, unable to control the anger in my voice. “Put. The. Fucking. Gun. Down.” I put slight pressure on the trigger—not enough to cause it to fire, but I was fucking ready.

  The guy to the right was the scumbag I had given a beating to in the strip club—the man who’d stalked Angel, creeped her out, and followed her around. The second guy was from a rival MC. I couldn’t place which one, but I knew we’d crossed paths before.

  The female sat there and stared at us with wide eyes. I didn’t need to be told who she was. I knew it the moment I saw her. It was Angel’s fucking cunt of a mother. She’d sold out her own daughter for money. It wasn’t surprising, but the lengths she would go to were astonishing to me. How could someone as sweet as Angel have come from such trash?

  “You have this all wrong,” Angel’s mom said as she started to stand, trying to smooth out her tattered denim miniskirt and death metal tank top. Her face was pocked, most likely caused by meth. She was a fucking mess.

  “Sit the fuck down!” I barked at her, not moving my gun from the man I had it trained on.

  Sitting slowly, she kept talking. “There’s no need for weapons, boys. It’s not what you think.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” James said. “Put down your fucking guns or you go out in a body bag.”

  “Treena,” the biker guy said, “what the fuck?” He didn’t look at her, keeping his gun and his eyes locked on me.

  “A misunderstanding, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I’ll clear it up.” She cleared her throat, leaning over to grab a cigarette off the table.

  “Stop fucking moving, bitch,” James said, ready to blow his fucking gasket. The vein in the side of his neck looked like it was about the burst. I could see the fucking thing pulsing out of the corner of my eye.

  She dropped the cigarette and looked me straight in the eye. “Roxy asked me to help her get your money, Blue. She’s in on it.” She smiled, leaning back against the couch and rubbing her legs together suggestively.

  “You’re fucking lying.” My blood pressure doubled, the sound of my blood as it coursed through my body filling my ears.

  “I’m not, handsome. She told me all about you. She’s a gold-digging whore. Like mother, like daughter.” She licked her lips, yellow showing behind her lips.

  “I don’t believe you.” I shook my head. I knew Angel, and she wasn’t her mother’s daughter. This woman might have given Angel life, but wasn’t responsible for the woman she was today.

  “Believe what you want, Blue, but you’ll learn the truth in time.”

  The sound of the back door opening caused the biker dude to turn toward the noise.

  As Flash entered the room with his gun extended and ready to fire, I saw the panic flash in the bastard’s eyes—the man who’d already felt my fury once before. Without warning, shots began to ring out.

  I emptied my gun, trying to avoid hitting Flash and whoever else had entered the house against orders. James did the same, the echo inside the house ear-shattering.

  When the gunfire ended, two men lay on the ground, bleeding. They were surrounded by blood and riddled with bullets. I didn’t have to check their pulses; they were dead as fucking dead could be.

  “Fuck!” I yelled, realizing this wasn’t going to be easy to explain.

  “Jesus Christ, Flash. You were supposed to wait outside. What the fuck, man?” James asked, waving his gun.

  “Fuck you. Mr. G
allo told me to get my ass inside and I did what I was told.” He held his arm, covering a patch on his sleeve that was turning red.

  “You’ve been hit,” I mumbled as I scrubbed my hand across my face.

  “It’s nothing. Just grazed.” Flash moved his hand, staring down at the wound. “I’ll fucking survive.”

  James stalked toward the couch. “Where the fuck are you going?” he asked as he dragged Treena by her feet from the sitting area. “Where the fuck is she, you lying whore?”

  “In the back bedroom! Please don’t kill me!” she wailed, kicking her feet at James.

  “Don’t fucking move!” James commanded, pinning her to the floor with his foot on her thigh.

  Without wasting time, I headed to the back of the house, leaving the others to deal with Treena. The tiny hallway had a couple of closed doors. As I threw them open one by one, each empty room made my stomach sink further and the feeling of helplessness grow. Finally, I found her in the last bedroom curled into a ball, crying.

  “Angel, baby,” I whispered, kneeling at her side. After removing the blindfold and rope from her wrists , I grabbed her body and pulled her into my arms. “I got ya,” I said, holding her tightly.

  Her face was tear-stained and splotchy, her hair matted against her face and dried.

  “Shhh,” I whispered, stroking her cheek as she sobbed. Her body shook, her crying so intense that she shuddered in my arms. “You’re safe.”

  She clawed at my shirt, digging her face into my chest. “I didn’t think you’d come,” she sobbed, the words hard to understand through her tears.

  “Angel, I’d never leave you behind.” I rocked back and forth, stroking her cheek and wiping the tears away as they flowed down her face. “You’re safe now.”

  She didn’t speak as she continued to cry. I let her, holding her and trying to comfort her through the realization that it was over. Then her body grew slack in my arms, relaxing against my chest with heavy breaths.

  “Are they all d-dead?” she stuttered, looking up into my eyes.

  “No, Angel. Your mom is alive.” I smiled at her, moving the hair out of her eyes.

  “That bitch. She did this.” She sucked in a breath, new tears forming in her eyes. “Who does that shit to their kid?”

  “A nasty woman, babe.”

  “Thomas, I’m so sorry for all this. It’s my fault.” She stared at me with wide eyes that conveyed a world of sadness and hurt, and it gutted me.

  “It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask for this to happen, Angel.”

  “It is, though,” she whispered. “I know I fucked up. She found me because I posted on Facebook. I fucked up.”

  “It happens, love. We may want to rethink social media for a while, though,” I said, trying to hold in a laugh.

  “It’s not funny,” she said, slapping my chest. “I brought this to you. I led them to you.”

  “Do you know who they were?”

  She nodded, swallowing hard before speaking. “I saw them in the club a couple of times. They were from the Kings, I think. I’m sure she was the ringleader.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over, Angel. You’re safe and I’m taking you home.” I held my lips against her forehead, feeling the warmth as I said a prayer of thanks.

  I had more to be thankful for than most men. My family had my back, and everyone had come out safely after the gun battle. The woman I loved had survived. Life was about to change. That’s the beauty of it all. Nothing stayed the same for long. Whether good or bad, things could change in the blink of an eye. I had to hold on to the good and push out the bad, letting it fade away into the past. I needed to let go of my sins, atone for my behavior, and do good in the future. I’d make amends with society through deeds worthy of forgiveness.

  “Son.” My pop’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw him staring at me from the doorway. “Yeah, Pop?”

  “You okay in here? How’s Angel?” he asked, his face soft and his eyes riddled with concern.

  “She’s fine, Pop.”

  “We’ll be waiting for you outside. The cops just pulled up and we have some explaining to do.” He shrugged, giving me a quick smile before leaving us alone.

  “You ready for this, Angel?” I asked, holding her in my arms as I stood.

  “I can do it, Thomas.” She nuzzled her face into my neck, holding my cheek in her hand. “I’ll do anything you ask.”

  “Just tell the truth.” I carried her down the hallway, stepping over the bodies as the police entered the house.

  They moved around the living room, taking in the crime scene and talking with Joe, Anthony, Pop, Flash, Mike, and James. Treena was sitting on the couch, sobbing into her hands, a cigarette dangling from her fingertips.

  “I’m taking her outside,” I said, making my way to the front door before she caught a glimpse of the blood. It wasn’t something she needed to see.

  Outside, there was an ambulance parked at the curb with the back doors open. Once I’d carried her to the open bay, I set her in the back and called over the paramedic.

  “She was being held captive. She needs to be checked for injuries and dehydration.”

  “Yes, sir.” He hurried inside, grabbing a few machines and quickly hooking her up to check her pulse and blood pressure.

  “Don’t leave me,” she wailed, tears beginning to slide down her face.

  “Angel,” I said, touching her cheek. “I have to go inside and talk to the cops. Let them take care of you so I can take you home. Please do this for me.”

  She nodded, choking back the tears. “Okay.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise, Thomas. Don’t be gone too long.”

  I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.”

  As I started to walk away, she grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks. “Thomas, I love you.”

  I turned around, smiling at her. Even in her state, she still radiated beauty and grace. This was the woman I loved. The one with a complicated, fucked-up childhood that didn’t dull her luster.

  “I love you too, Angel.” Then I let our fingertips drift apart as I moved away. Before I disappeared inside the house to explain the clusterfuck of bodies and blood, I looked over my shoulder, taking one last look at her.

  After being questioned for hours by the local authorities, we were finally free to go. The sheriff told us to be available when necessary and not leave the state until we’d been cleared of any wrongdoing. Since James and I were ex–law enforcement and Flash was still with the FBI, we were given more leeway than many would have been given in a situation such as that. Her mother was taken into custody and would be prosecuted for extortion and kidnapping. I’d rather her be dead, but I couldn’t kill Angel’s only living relative.

  I sat in the back of the SUV on the way home. James drove, Pop rode shotgun, and Mike, Joe, and Anthony sat in the middle row, smashed together to give me privacy in the back with Angel.

  The paramedics said that she was in good shape—slightly dehydrated with a couple of bumps and bruises but otherwise healthy. She might have been physically okay, but I knew it would take a while before she mentally felt at peace. I’d do everything in my power to bring the brightness back to her eyes.

  The guys talked during the drive, retelling what had happened when Flash had burst through the door. Keeping my eyes focused on Angel as she fell asleep against my chest, tucked in my arms, I listened to their laughter, soaked in the love that filled the SUV, and sucked it all in, putting it away for a time when the darkness would start to take hold. I’d remember the love I felt for my family, the sense of belonging I had, to push off the sadness and stay grounded in the truth. I was loved. No matter my sins of the past, my family and Angel would always be my future. Forgiveness wasn’t something I needed to seek from them; it was granted without hesitation.

  I was the luckiest man in the world. I had everything
I ever wanted—love, family, and a purpose. The greatest purpose I had now was lying in my arms, and I’d make her forget the past and revel in the future.

  As we drove down my street, I could see the distant figures of the Gallo women. They formed a semicircle as they stood in my front yard, waiting for us to arrive. Those women were our other half, the thing that made us what we were—an amazing family that was stronger and more loving than most.

  “Angel, wake up. We’re home,” I whispered in her ear, stroking her cheek.

  Her eyes, still red from crying, fluttered open before a small smile crept across her lips. “Hey,” she whispered.

  “Looks like we have company, boys,” Pop called out, pointing through the windshield to the Gallo women.

  “Yep. This might get hairier than the gun battle back there,” Anthony replied, laughing as he flipped through his phone.

  “Not a chance. They’re going to be happy to see us,” Joe said, reaching for the door handle before the car even stopped moving.

  After hopping out and leaving the door ajar, he ran to Suzy and collected her in his arms. Her feet dangled from the ground as he hugged her.

  “Barf,” Anthony blurted, watching intently out the window.

  Mike nudged him with his shoulder. “Shut the fuck up, dude. I know all about your piece of ass. You’re just pissed she isn’t here.”

  Anthony shrugged before I heard him sigh. “Fuck off, bro.”

  One by one, they piled out of the car, going to the loves of their lives and repeating the actions Joe had done with Suzy. Anthony looked like the odd fish. No one hugged him first, kissed his face, or gushed over him for returning safely. When my father released my mother, she was the one to wrap Anthony in her arms and kiss his cheeks. Someday, he’d have his—sooner rather than later, if my gut was right.

  “Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?” I asked Angel, looking down at her as she started to sit up in my lap.

  “I can walk, Thomas.” She pushed off my lap and climbed out of the car while holding on to steady herself. Then she covered her eyes, the sunshine blinding today, and waited for me to stand behind her.