by Addison Jane
“Now that wasn’t very nice, Mrs. Caldwell,” the guy called from his hiding space.
“My bad. Come in here and I’ll apologize,” I offered.
I heard him laugh. “I kinda like you. It’s unfortunate I have to hurt you.”
“Just try. I fucking dare you.”
I saw the flash of metal sparkle in the light and threw myself to the floor behind the bed, just as the gun began to fire. I held my head low as the room filled with bullets, shattering a mirror hanging on the wall and tearing through the walls.
My body flat against the floor, I crawled to the end of the bed and peeked around. The doorway was clear. My eyes caught sight of the cell phone that Leo had given me as a burner in case of an emergency on the counter next to the microwave. I think this counted. I needed to call him and hoped that he wasn’t far away.
I checked the doorway again seeing it was clear before taking a deep breath and leaping to my feet. I dived at the counter, fumbling as I tried to grab the phone. Just as I turned, his hand appeared again, and I dove to the ground, covering my head as a hail of bullets destroyed the room around me.
A sharp pain in my leg caused me to bite down on my tongue. It was like someone had hit me with a hot poker. Using my arms, I dragged my body across the floor back to the safety of the bed. My breathing was heavy and tears were burning at my eyes, the pain strong and throbbing. I looked down, there was a tear in my jeans and blood seeping from where a bullet had grazed over my skin.
I could taste blood in my mouth.
I took another glance out to the door, the only thing I could see was his hand holding the gun as he aimed it into the room. He wasn’t aiming at anything in particular, but I knew that eventually he might get lucky.
Lying flat, I braced the butt of the gun on the floor as I closed one eye and took aim, trying to keep my hands steady despite the pain coursing through me. I squeezed the trigger slowly, bracing for the shot. The bang deafened me for a minute, but soon I was listening to the man outside scream in horror.
“Fucking bitch! I’m going to fucking kill you!”
“Think again, motherfucker.” The sound of Leo’s voice made me want to cry.
It was followed by gunshots and I screamed, “No!” Pushing myself off the floor and stumbling toward the open door.
Leo stepped into the doorway before I could reach it, but I didn’t stop, throwing myself into his arms.
“We’ve gotta go,” he said, carrying me into the room and depositing me on the bed while he gathered his bag. When he spun around, his eyes caught the blood on my jeans, and he quickly dropped down next to me to examine the wound. “It’s just a graze,” he determined, pushing back to his feet. “I’ll fix it up soon. But I don’t doubt there’s more of these guys coming, along with the cops.”
I nodded, hobbling over to the counter and stuffing my things into my backpack and zipping it up, then tossing it over my shoulder.
Leo grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room. We stepped over the two bodies in the entrance, the body of the man who had shot at me slumped against the wall outside. I still had the gun in my hand, and I saw now that Leo had another one tucked into the back of his pants.
We rushed to the end of the balcony and down the stairs, my heart thumping and my breathing heavy.
I heard sirens, and my body froze. Leo didn’t waste a second, gathering me into his arms and carrying me as he ran toward his truck.
“The police, they’ll come after us.”
“Not if we get out of here fast. I gave fake names at the desk and the truck has fake plates.” He rushed out as he dropped me to my feet, unlocking the truck before pushing me into the passenger’s seat. I was still in shock, it was a strange feeling.
When I was alone with those men outside, I felt like I was in control. But now Leo was here, I knew that I could rely on him to take over control and trust him to know what to do, so my body was shutting down.
Leo started the truck, revving the engine and pulling around the back of the motel.
“Where are you going?” I asked when I realized this wasn’t the exit.
“There’s a back entrance that the service vehicles use,” he answered as he guided the truck at speed through a small space out the back of the motel. It ran along the back wall between the motel and a large wire fence. There was a small open space and mini docking area out the back, I assumed where catering companies and laundry services loaded and unloaded. He turned sharply, directing the truck out of an open gate that came out on the road that ran adjacent to the main entrance.
Leo weaved through streets, I wasn’t sure if he knew where he was headed or if he was just attempting to put distance and confusion between us and the cops, that had no doubt made it to the motel already.
My body shook, my hand still clutching tightly to the gun in fear.
“It’s okay, baby,” Leo’s soft voice came from beside me as we pulled out onto the highway. I could see the tension had eased from him now that we seemed a safe distance away. Mine, however, had not. “We’re good now. They won’t get us.”
I just stared at him in the darkness of the truck.
“They tried to tell me they were FBI,” I whispered. “But I knew the badges were fake.”
He listened to me explain what had happened shortly before he showed up.
“They were trying to kill me.”
His face grew angry. “Seems that way.”
Leo pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing a number and hitting the speakerphone button.
It rang and rang, and I recognized Optimus’ voice when he picked up. “Yeah?”
“We ran into a problem,” Leo said sharply.
“You guys okay?” Op asked, seeming more alert.
“For now, I think so.” His eyes flicked to me. “There’s a couple dead bodies outside our room at the motel.”
“They after Hadley?”
“Yeah. She took one out, I got there in time to get rid of the other. Made it out just before the cops showed. Hadley said they were carrying fake FBI badges, saying Judge sent them to look out for her,” Leo explained, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
“How’d they know where you were?” Op asked.
“That’s what I need to know,” Leo answered. “Call Judge. See if he can find something. Maybe Simon has more pull than we thought.”
“Okay. I’ll call you back soon,” he answered before the line went dead.
“He found us,” I whispered, my heart beginning to race again. I wanted to vomit.
Things had seemed so simple before. We outrun them, we hide, we wait for time to tick over. But it wasn’t so simple anymore.
He’d actually found us.
And now we weren’t just hiding out, we were running for our lives.
“He won’t get to you,” Leo said, promise evident just by his words.
But I knew better.
I knew Simon.
He wasn’t going to give up until I was dead.
“Hadley, eat something,” I growled, watching her stare at the plate of food in front of her.
“I’m not hungry,” she muttered.
“Bullshit.”
Her eyes flicked to me, surprised by the tone in my voice. She was shutting down and scared, I could tell. Things had suddenly got very real for her.
Hadley was tough, she could handle her own. The attack back in Athens had been a shock, but the reality was, we weren’t sure who it was meant for.
This, it was personal. They’d known her name, they’d talked about Judge. They’d filled a hotel room with bullets hoping to kill her. She knew now, for sure, that Simon was out for blood, her blood.
It was 3:00 a.m. I’d driven for as long as possible before the adrenaline in my system had given out, and my eyes began to feel heavy. We’d found an all-hours diner in some small town outside of Charleston, South Carolina. It was at this point I was satisfied that no one had followed us, and the likelihood of being found or recognized
by police was slim to none.
Just as I was about to tell Hadley again to put something in her mouth, my phone began to ring. I whipped it out and pressed it to my ear. “Hello.”
“Leo, it’s Judge.”
“Hey, you find anything helpful?” I asked, leaning back in the small booth.
Hadley looked up at me, and I nodded to her plate, mouthing the word ‘eat.’ She frowned in reply, not moving at all.
“Yeah. Had my boys inside get on it.” He sighed. “Simon must be getting desperate. He risked some serious shit with this one.”
My ears perked, and I sat up a little straighter.
“He got someone inside to use the camera identification software to find her. They caught you at a gas station in Jacksonville, and he had men there within a couple hours,” Judge explained.
I clenched my jaw. “Are you serious? He can do that kinda shit?”
“We didn’t think so, but it looks like he got someone to,” Judge stated angrily. “This is a good thing, though. Now we just need to find out who he conned into doing it and get them to talk. If our superiors find out he’s using the system for personal gain, we can bring him down.”
I scrubbed my beard. “And how long will that take?”
He sighed. “Can’t tell you, but I’ve got everyone possible working on it.”
“We at risk with the cameras now?” I asked, looking around the diner, wondering if their cameras were hooked up to the system.
“I would be careful, just in case. But we think we’ve managed to pull it down.”
“Fucking awesome.”
He snorted. “How’s Hadley holding up?”
My eyes looked up, watching as she finally placed a French fry in her mouth and chewed. “She shot someone,” I told him simply.
Hadley looked up from her food, her face visibly twisting into disgust.
“One thing Simon got right, teaching that girl how to shoot.” Judge chuckled.
I’d seen the evidence of that first hand when she beat Rifle at the range in Athens. She had a steady hand, and perfect aim and she could shoot under pressure.
“Let me know if you find something. We need to find a motel and get some sleep,” I told Judge.
“Will do. I’d help you out with a safe house, but unfortunately, the second I did, Simon would be able to find you,” Judge said, disappointed and angry.
“No problem. Catch you soon.”
The line went dead, and I tucked my phone back into my pocket. We sat in silence for the next thirty minutes, only talking to the waitress when she came to ask if we needed more coffee.
I did, a lot more.
Hadley managed to finish her food, but she was still strangely quiet.
“You wanna talk about it?” I asked finally.
“He’s going to find us,” she admitted her fears without reservation.
I shook my head. “We’re going to be smart about this. And if he does, we will fight. I won’t let him hurt you.”
“No,” she snapped, straightening her back. “I won’t let him hurt you! I’ve dragged you into this, and now because of me, you’re risking your life to try and keep me alive. A fight that’s possibly completely pointless because it seems like no matter what we do, he will be there.”
I could hear the emotion in her voice. She was upset, angry. I didn’t blame her.
“Didn’t you hear me all those times that I told you that you’re mine?”
She scoffed. “Hard to miss.”
“Good. So you know that I’ll do whatever it damn well takes to protect you. Because that’s what we fucking do,” I said, lowering my voice as the waitress walked past.
“And who is going to protect you?” she shot back. I was surprised by the sharpness in her tone. “What about Macy? What happens to her if you die trying to protect me.”
I frowned. “We really gonna go through this shit again?” She rolled her eyes, but I reached across and grabbed her chin between my fingers. “When you gonna figure out what’s going on here? You’re part of my life now too. My Old Lady. That means something to me, and to the club. I’m not gonna back out just because it’s risky. I won’t sit around and see you, the woman I might possibly spend the rest of my life with, hurt.”
She pursed her lips, glaring at me across the table with tears gathering in her eyes.
“I love that you want to protect Macy and me, but if we want to possibly keep you in our lives, then I need to fight to keep you safe. Because at this point, I don’t want to let you go. I want to fucking have you… and keep you. And I know that we said there would be time later to figure this shit out, but I couldn’t care less, I know right now what I want, and I know you feel the same.”
She stared at me, keeping her lips tightly pressed together.
“Tell me what you want,” I growled, needing to hear the words come from her mouth.
“I want you,” she whispered. No question about her answer.
I nodded. “Then we go through this shit together. And you stop fighting me on this.”
She nodded, her face still clasped in my fingers.
“I ain’t going nowhere, and neither are you.”
I needed this from her. I knew how she operated. She’d risk everything to protect the ones she cared about, but if she ran, tried to sacrifice herself for me, she wouldn’t survive.
And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go on if I lost her too. The darkness would consume me again. I could feel it at just the thought of being without her. It would pull me under.
I swallowed back the dark thoughts and pulled her by the chin across the table. She leaned forward, and I met her in the middle, pressing my lips to hers, hoping it would reassure her somewhat.
“I’m really tired,” she whispered when she sat back.
I nodded, whistling to the waitress to bring the check and paying with cash before leading Hadley out to the truck. As we stepped outside, I almost pushed Hadley back through the door when I saw three shadowy figures standing next to the vehicle. I braced myself, ready to fight my way out if necessary.
Hadley gasped, clutching my hand in hers. It wasn’t until they stepped out of the shadows that my body slumped in relief.
“Got a call to say you needed somewhere to stay, and we just happened to be in the area.” The thick Italian accent greeted us as Angelo stepped up to the curb.
“Didn’t know you were doing favors for the Brothers nowadays,” I replied, pulling Hadley into my side and squeezing her shoulders, trying to reassure her that everything was all right.
Angelo chuckled, the sound dark and menacing. But I knew he meant no harm. The guy was just naturally scary.
“I’m not. But when Rose calls in the middle of the night, asking for me to help her friend…” his eyes moved to Hadley, “…I answer.”
I was actually relieved. There wasn’t much my brothers could do being so far away and traveling together in a group brought more attention than we wanted.
Angelo on the other hand, he was smooth. He moved like a shadow in the darkness, and the added bonus was, people didn’t fuck with him. He worked for Anthony DePalma, Rose’s uncle. We’d come to heads with them a while back, but when push came to shove, the DePalma family held the same values as we did—family first.
With Rose now Blizzard’s Old Lady, it connected us.
“You think you can drive another hour?” he asked.
I felt fatigued, but if going with them meant that Hadley would be safe, I’d fucking stay awake. “Yeah.”
He nodded, waving to his men to get into the vehicle parked just out of sight across the street. “Follow us. I have a house you can spend the night at. Tomorrow, we discuss what’s going on.”
I nodded. I knew that if Angelo was here, Blizzard and Optimus knew. Rose would never do this without her man’s permission so I would trust them.
We followed their car into the night. Hadley asked me question after question about who they were and their relationship with Rose. We ta
lked about the rest of the club, what had happened earlier, and how Rose’s father had manipulated and tortured her.
I think her plan was to keep me talking so I’d stay awake, rather than just wanting to know the story.
I was relieved when we finally pulled up to a large home, with gates surrounding the perimeter. Angelo led us inside, leaving his men outside the front door. A woman in a robe greeted us at the door, and he laid a soft kiss on her cheek, thanking her. She seemed nervous, but I could tell she trusted him.
“Go back to bed,” he told her quietly, brushing his hand across her cheek. “I’ll come up after the guests are settled.”
She nodded, turning and walking up the staircase.
Angelo directed us down the hall, pushing open a doorway into what I assumed was a guest bedroom. I guided Hadley inside with my hand on the small of her back. She moved over to sit on the bed. I stood in the doorway, turning to Angelo. “Girlfriend?” I asked with a smirk.
“Friend,” he replied, giving nothing away. “We will talk in the morning.”
He turned and walked back down the hall before I had a chance to reply.
I rubbed my hand over my short hair. It was now 5.00 a.m. We’d been up almost twenty-four hours, and after the rush of everything that had happened that night, I was ready to shut my eyes and prepare myself for tomorrow.
I needed to be on my game. Therefore, I needed to rest while I could.
Hadley was already stripping and climbing into the bed. “This is good, right?” she asked.
I walked over, pulling my cut off and lying it on the end of the bed. I wasn’t sure what would happen tomorrow, and how willing Angelo would be to help when he found out we were mixed up in a mess with the FBI. But we would deal with it then. “Yeah. This is good.”
I hope.
Angelo shook his head, a quiet smile on his lips. “How’d you manage to get yourself in this predicament?” he asked, sipping at his coffee.
“I can’t say,” I told him. All I’d done was explain that Hadley’s husband was in the FBI, and he wanted her gone.
“But I’m assuming you have your own people on the inside.”