by Simone Elise
The men cheered. “Time for a party.”
Any excuse for a drink, a smoke and food.
I watched them exit and felt myself being held back. I noticed I wasn’t the only one not ready to party. Roach was picking up his leather vest from the table. The black leather shone where the mother charter patch used to be.
“Don’t worry, son. You aren’t the only one not wanting to party.” Roach mightn’t have been showing it, but he was aching for Abby as much as I was. Though I doubted that was possible.
“I just need to know she is still breathing,” I spoke for the first time about my growing concern over whether Abby was alive or not. While I thought Jake wouldn’t kill her, not yet anyway, I knew he would be planning on it ending that way. He wasn’t planning on me finding her.
“She is. Otherwise they would have dumped her body at the gate. He is going to torture us with it. The main thing is, Reaper, we find her before he even starts to think about how it is going to end.”
Roach was right. We would find Abby before Jake thought about killing her.
I had to hold onto that. She was still alive. Somewhere. And I had a band of men behind me now who would be following my every command.
I would find her.
***
Tyson wasn’t sleeping but, for the first time in hours, he wasn’t crying. He was fed and changed. I was holding him while pacing the room. The first thing I had done when I got back here was change rooms.
Being in Abby’s room without her felt wrong.
So I moved into my old room. I still hadn’t set everything up or put anything away. I didn’t have cupboards for shit. All I had was a couch, a bed, and a crib and a whole lot of baby shit, which was everywhere.
I laid Tyson down in his crib. He had closed his eyes. I would be lucky if he stayed this way. I pushed the baby crap to the other side of the bed. I lay down. I should sleep.
But I couldn’t.
I pulled my phone out from my and dialed a number I had found myself calling more and more.
It rang and, like always, there was no answer and it went to the machine.
“Hey, it’s Abby. Leave a message.”
Just hearing her voice soothed my fired nerves. But that was short-lived.
Tyson started crying again.
I dragged myself up off the bed and went to his crib. What would Abby do? He was fed. He was changed. I picked him up and started pacing the room.
He was comfortable in my arms and stopped wailing.
Looked like he just wanted to be held. I was admiring how small he was when there was a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
It was the early hours of the morning. No member should be wanting me right now.
Kim poked her head in. “Hey.” She slipped in, closing the door behind her. “Thought I could take over for a bit.”
“Kim, we have already had this conversation.”
“Kade.” She crossed her arms, giving me a look that I couldn’t argue with. “I made a promise to Abby and this is me keeping it. So you get some sleep and I’ll look after Tyson.” She put her hands out. “Now.”
I looked at my son, then back at her. This would be his first night away from me. I didn’t like the idea of him sleeping somewhere else.
Kim, as if knowing I didn’t want to spend a night away from Tyson, walked over to the couch and, with one swipe of her arm, cleared off one side.
“Come on, give him to me.” Kim put her hands out while sitting down.
I walked over to her and gently handed him to her.
He looked bigger in her arms.
“Now go to bed.” She waved me away. “Don’t worry. We aren’t leaving.”
I still didn’t feel comfortable with this.
She looked up at me hovering. “Don’t make me call you by your first name again.” She arched her eyebrows.
I put my hands up and walked to the bed.
Lying down on the bed fully clothed, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to come while Kim hummed in the background.
***
While I might have gotten some sleep, that didn’t stop the nightmares. They were all about Abby. It was as if my brain wouldn’t shut off and all my worries and concerns were just highlighted in my dreams.
Tyson was asleep in his crib and Kim was curled up on the couch, her head resting on the clothes and baby blankets.
I pulled the blanket off the bed and covered her with it. She stirred, but didn’t wake. I didn’t know how long she had been up with him.
I walked to the dresser, taking off my vest and putting on my holster. I took the guns and checked that they were loaded before putting them in the holster.
“You should shower.”
I turned and saw Kim stretching and yawning.
“Don’t have time.”
“It’s only early.”
“I have to organize a group for the run tonight with Jones. And he has already sent me a list of houses to search.”
“Do you think Abby is at one of these cookhouses?”
“Don’t know. But someone will know where Jake is, or at least someone they report to will.” I put my boots on. “Can you look after Tyson today?”
She gave me a look. “Like I would say no to looking after my nephew. Anyway, it’s his weekly checkup.”
“Fuck. Is that today?”
“Yeah, I thought you would forget.” She looked at me smugly. “Abby made the appointment before she was discharged. So I think it’s best we keep it.”
“I’ll come. What time is it?”
“You won’t have time.”
“I’ll make time.”
“It’s at eleven-thirty.” Her eyes dropped to the ground and I knew something was wrong, having seen that look on Abby.
“What’s wrong?” I didn’t have time to play guessing games or to ask nicely. I had men waiting for me. I had drug houses to search. I had a protection run to invade.
“It’s just…” She looked up and for the first time, I saw tears in Kim’s eyes. She hadn’t cried in front of me before. And I wasn’t the right person for her to get emotional in front of.
“What?” I said it softer, trying to be patient.
“Abby was supposed to be getting her checkup today as well. What if she’s in pain? What if she needs to see a doctor? What if they’re not looking after her?”
Abby’s welfare was one of our top concerns. It wouldn’t be one of theirs. They wouldn’t care if she was in pain from childbirth. They wouldn’t be making sure she had pain relief.
Had I had the same concerns as Kim? Every day since she was taken.
“Kim, there is nothing we can do.” The only thing I could do was start smashing down doors to drug houses to get someone to cough up where Jake was. I kneeled in front of her, putting a hand on her knee as she wiped away tears with her sleeve. “I’ll find Abby.”
If there was one thing I was sure of, that was it.
“I know you will. But what if it’s not in time? She needs us now.” The panic in Kim’s voice got stronger. “Tyson needs her now.” Kim pointed at him. “I need her.”
Did Abby realize how much she was needed? It wasn’t just my world slowly crumbling apart. So was Kim’s. She had never been away from her twin. And right now she was feeling it.
“Kim, Abby would need you to be strong right now. I need you to be strong right now.” Had I been depending on Kim? Yes.
She nodded her head. “You’re right. I’ll pull myself together.” She took a steady breath in. “You should go. Dad came in here looking for you earlier, but said it could wait.”
“You’ll be OK? Do you want me to get Trigger or something?” I scratched the back of my neck. She needed support. I couldn’t give it to her. But Trigger could.
She laughed while wiping away her remaining tears. “No. That’s the last thing I want. Like I said, I’ll be fine.”
“Righ
t. I’ll see you at eleven-thirty.”
I got up and picked up my phone and wallet from the dresser, put my reaper ring on and then my wedding ring. Time to face another day. Another day without Abby. Eight days. I gripped the door handle and opened it up. I’d kill the men responsible for this. Literally.
***
I spotted Roach at the bar as soon as I came down the stairs. I picked up instantly that something was wrong. The air in the clubhouse was tight, sobering. No one was drinking at the bar and the few members that were around were from the mother charter and they were looking more depressed than usual.
It was early morning and for the first time ever I saw Roach with a whiskey in hand before midday. He normally didn’t drink before the afternoon. And if Abby were here, she would be worried. Then she would give him a lecture about drinking on his medication.
“What’s up?”
Roach had a manila folder in front of him. He looked up and across at me, his eyes showing he was drunk. How long had he been drinking?
“Came to you this morning.” His voice was rough and his eyes glassy. “But thought you would need your sleep after this.”
“After what?”
He pushed the manila folder across the bar toward me. “It was left at the gate.”
Chapter 2
Reaper
It was as if someone had reached into my chest and pulled out my cold heart. My body slowly shut down as I stared down at the pictures. All of Abby. She was beaten. She was bruised. And her body was lifeless on the ground.
“There is something on the back of that one.” Roach gulped down his whiskey and reached for the bottle.
I turned over the photo of Abby lying lifeless on a floor.
You took mine. I’ll take yours slowly.
The words were scribbled on the back.
This threw me. Imagining it was one thing, but knowing your worst fears were actually coming true… It sent ice through my veins and made my stomach squeeze so tight I felt like I was going to throw up.
“Did we get them dropping it off on camera?”
“Just a guy in a hoodie. He parked across the street. We ran the plates. They were stolen.”
What did I do now? Abby was in trouble and now it was my job to find her and kill the bastard responsible. Someone was going to die slowly, but it wasn’t going to be Abby.
“Where is everyone?” I dropped the photos on the bar.
“Sleeping off last night.” Roach filled his glass. “Lucky bastards.”
“We have addresses to search. Get everyone moving.”
Roach laughed, and then looked at me with a soulless expression. “That’s not my job anymore, son. That’s yours.”
“So, what, you wipe your hands of the club altogether?”
“Nope.” He swallowed his whiskey and stood up. “I’m going to look for my daughter without the responsibility of men on my back. You’re in charge now, son. So if you want them moving, you better start giving orders. And you should decide on a vice president before the day is out.”
He had just dumped the club on me so he could go do whatever he wanted? Frustrated and furious at the same time, I marched over to the living room.
“Go wake everyone. I want everyone on their bike ready to go within ten minutes. If they have a problem with that, tell them to leave their patch at the door,” I said to the few mother charter members who were clearly upset about Abby. I knew sitting here drinking wouldn’t solve the problem. No, we had to get moving.
We had cookhouses to trash through.
They nodded their heads and got up. At least they listened.
“You seen Brad?” I shouted from across the room at Roach.
He turned on his stool. “Garage.”
There was only one other man I wanted on my side today and that was Brad.
“You coming to do the raids?” I fired at Roach before leaving.
“Nah, I’ve got to follow up some other leads.”
“Like?” As far as I knew the only lead we had was Jones. It was what I was working on. It was what I was putting all my effort into.
He turned his back to me and lit up a cigar. “If they turn out any good, I’ll tell ya.”
Frustrated was the one massive word for how I was feeling. “Fine.” I pushed the clubhouse door open and walked out onto the lot. If he wanted to play it that way, fine. I was pulling every string I had to try and find Abby. I was doing everything physically possible. But if he thought he could just dump the mother charter on me and expect me to drown under the pressure, he was wrong. I could take the responsibility of being the mother charter president and I could be a father. And I would find Abby.
The garage was open and Brad was under a car.
“Get up, we have doors to knock down.” I patted myself down for a cigarette.
“You got the addresses?” Brad slid out from under the car, looking impressed. “Already?”
“Got them early this morning.”
“You should have said something.” Brad stood up. “You got the boys up yet?”
“Happening as we speak.” I sucked on the cigarette and looked over my shoulder to see bodies starting to come out of the clubhouse. Some were stumbling, others shielding their eyes from the burning sun.
“Alright, let’s get moving. Doors to bust down and drugos to scare.” Brad wiped the grease off his hands onto his pants. “Can’t believe Jones came through.”
The boys were mounting their bikes as Brad and I walked toward them. I nodded my head. I had hoped Jones would come through. And he had. Now it was my turn to take advantage of it. Abby Harrison being taken was everywhere. I knew we would find someone who had answers. Or someone who had heard something about where Jake was keeping her, even if I had to bust jaws to get answers. If killing one scared the others into talking, then so be it.
Kim
I never wanted to be a mom. I never had that draw to a child. I think it was because my mom died so young. So I didn’t have a strong mother feeling. But then there was Tyson. My heart broke for that little boy. I would kill for him. And I had never felt so protective of anything in my life.
When it came to Tyson, my motherhood instincts were brought out. I loved him with all my heart. I didn’t know it was possible to love someone as much as I loved him.
So right now, as people stared at me, judging me, I didn’t really care. I was at the outpatient department at the hospital, waiting for our names to be called.
It most likely didn’t help my case that I was dressed in Satan’s Sons gear. A tank top and shorts, both with ‘Satan’s Sons’ written on them.
I was proud of my family. And I didn’t hide it.
But people judged this type of lifestyle. Like right now, I was getting dirty looks from other mothers. If Abby were here, she would give them the finger.
They would be coming up with stories about whose child it was. Most likely thinking I was some club whore who got knocked up. People thought it was acceptable to just flat out stare at me.
I knew I wasn’t welcome. Heck, the young couple I sat next down to got up and moved.
It was twelve and our appointment was supposed to have been half an hour ago. Talk about running late. I was rocking Tyson, my eyes on his sleeping face, when I felt the air in the room change. People went tense. I followed the direction of their eyes.
Reaper.
He was walking up through the glass passageway and into the waiting room. What did you know? He actually showed up. Late. But better than never.
God, he was built. Broad shoulders, solid build. Tall and dangerous. I shook my head. Abby sure had a taste for danger. He was wearing a t-shirt that showed off the club tattoos up his arms. And the leather vest scared nearly everyone in the room. He walked up to the receptionist’s desk.
I should say something. Reaper wasn’t known for asking someone something nicely.
The receptionist pointed behind him, to me.
He turned, and the ‘Abby’ tattoo on his neck stood out more than normal. Maybe it was because I was missing her so much. I put my hand up and waved him over. Now all eyes were on me and I felt it. They didn’t dare stare at Reaper, but me, well, they were basically gawking, till Reaper walked over to me.
“I thought I was late.”
“You are.” I moved the magazines off the seat next to me. “But so are they.”
Reaper didn’t take a seat. Instead, he kneeled to look in the stroller. “Has he been alright?”
“Yep.”
“Did he stay asleep long this morning?”
“Woke around ten. He’s had two bottles like a champion.” When it came to taking care of Tyson, it was like second nature to me. I didn’t know why. I looked up. People were still staring! For fuck’s sake! I was a woman with a baby. Get over it. I ground my teeth, glaring at the hospital policy poster.
“OK. Now I know he is alright. What’s wrong with you?”
My eyes snapped to Reaper. Why could he read me so well? Was it because he was used to Abby? How did he know something was wrong? Abby and I might be twins, but we surely didn’t react the same to everything. But right now he could tell I was frustrated. Or, more importantly, I was pissed off.
“People are staring. They have been staring since I got here and it’s pissing me off.” I crossed my arms. “Just because they see a club girl with a baby they think I’m some worthless whore.”
Reaper’s eyes left mine and he looked over his shoulder, standing up. “What the fuck are you looking at?” His voice cut the thick tension in the air. The protection in his voice was clear and also a lingering threat, daring anyone to stand up to him. Everyone’s eyes snapped off us, looking in every direction but ours.
I guess when you have a big, scary biker with you, they have manners.
Reaper sat down in the seat next to me, crossing his arms, which caused his muscles to bulge. “You and Abby were never club girls, Kim. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Or treat you otherwise. Even Trigger should know that.” His voice was softer and I heard it break at the mention of Abby’s name.
“I am a club girl.”
“No. No, you’re not.” Reaper’s hand landed on my knee, getting my attention. “Club girls are owned by the club. You have never and will never belong to the club. These people are just small-minded.”