by Cat Porter
Tania glanced at me. “Good for her.”
Creeper let out another squawking laugh. “Man, this day just got a fuck of a lot better. We’re gonna be here for a while. I have Pop-Tarts for the kid. Maybe she’ll share with y’all.” He hitched the gun under Tania’s chin. “You’re up first, bitch.”
“Let them go, Creeper. Take me,” I said.
“Oh, I’ll take you, honey. Have no doubt. But I need the kid.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Collateral.”
“That’s a big word for you, isn’t it?” muttered Tania.
“Fuck you,” said Creeper, kicking her in the stomach.
Tania grunted, doubling over.
“Stop it!” I shouted.
“No way, whore. I like this party we got going on here. I got time to kill while I wait to hear from Catch.”
Tania’s face froze.
“Who’s Catch?” I asked.
“The Flames of Hell piece-of-shit daddy.”
Tania only nodded at me.
Oh, shit.
Catch must be Tania’s brother, Drew.
Tania drew herself up onto her knees. “What about that Pop-Tart?”
Creeper let out a small laugh. “Aw, you’re gonna have to work for it, honey.”
Needles raced across my skin at the sardonic tone in his voice.
“And what does Catch have that you want?” I asked.
“I gave him information, and he owes me. Owes me big time. And has he paid up? Fuck no. Prick thinks he can get what he wants from me and try to kill me? Get rid of me? Me? No fucking way.”
The zip of his jeans buzzed through me like a chainsaw. Tania’s eyes widened.
His dirt-stained fingers gripped her chin, tugging on it. “Open up, bitch.”
Tania smirked. “Fuck no. I want a Pop-Tart, not a cocktail weenie.”
Creeper smacked her hard, and Tania crashed to her side. My lungs burned, and I held the baby tighter against me.
“You’ve always got something on somebody, don’t you?” I said. “You’re still working an angle wherever you go. Can’t ever be faithful to any one thing or any brother.”
He pivoted around facing me, his face twisting into a snarl. “What the fuck do you know about brotherhood?”
“A hell of a lot more than you ever will.”
The baby started wailing, her hands thumping on my arms. She squiggled in my tight hold.
“Oh, yeah? Just for that, I want both of you on your knees, mouths open. Like a good old-fashioned train but just for me. I’ll start with your mouths, and then your asses go in the air, ladies. Fuck yeah.” He jammed his gun into the back of his jeans, muttering to himself, and shoved the other hand in a pocket. He moved towards me, a sharp grin on his face, his hand pulling out a plastic tie.
“Put the kid down,” he said.
“No.”
Tania lunged at Creeper, head-butting his torso, shoving him forward. Creeper grunted, his head banging into a rusted metal table, his body sprawling on the small patch of dirty cement floor. Two large metal typewriters perched at the edge of the table teetered and toppled over him. He howled and cursed.
I ran to the doorway and propped the baby up by the open door, out of the way of the junk and the rest of us, and I dashed back to Creeper who was struggling to raise himself up on all fours. I reached for his gun hanging from his jeans, and his one arm shot out at me.
“Grace!” shouted Tania.
Creeper yanked me down, and I crashed into the typewriters.
“Ow!”
His loud grunt filled the air as his other hand grabbed my arm and he flipped me over, kicking his gun away. His hands dug into my arms, and he hurled me against the table. Pain exploded through my back. He shot up and lunged at me, seizing me by the collar of my jacket, lifting me to my legs, shaking me.
He grimaced, his lips curling. “Fucking bitch.” He slapped me hard.
My skin stung, my head swinging. I struggled for air, staggering in his tight grip, my knees giving way.
The baby screamed and cried. Tania pushed up on her feet, kicking out a leg, ramming it into Creeper’s back. He groaned, his back bowing, his grip on me easing slightly. I relaxed in his hold, and my right knee shot up, slamming into his crotch. He gasped—his eyes bulging, his body seizing—and he let go of me. My fingers stretched out and grabbed on to the handle of one of the old metal railroad lamps on the edge of the table behind me. I swung it out, banging the side of his head. Creeper flew back, crashing into shelves full of oilcans, sports trophies, and commemorative beer steins, all of it cascading down over him. A stack of thick wooden doors slid down like oversized dominoes.
“Jesus!” muttered Tania. “Cut me loose!” She raised her arms behind her.
I glanced at the baby, who was crying, slumped over, but she wasn’t crawling around. I darted to Tania and cut the tie around her wrists.
“You okay?”
She frowned, rubbing her irritated skin. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She marched toward the door and lifted the little girl in her arms. “Shh…baby, everything’s fine now.”
“Catch is Drew?”
“Yes. This has got to be my niece,” Tania muttered, a grimace marring her face before it softened. “Hi, baby girl!”
The girl cried.
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Let’s go, Grace, before he wakes up. I have to call my brother.”
“Hold on.” I stepped over Creeper, found his gun, and took it. Sliding the safety, I tucked it inside the messenger bag.
“Shit, my battery’s dead. Yours?”
“He trashed it.”
“Great. Just great. We’re going to have to go to the Flames.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you ever been there before?” I asked.
“It’s not far.”
“That’s not what I’m asking, Tan.”
Tania headed out of the shed her arms firmly around the baby’s squirming body. “I know.”
“You have a baseball cap or something?”
“Huh?” Tania glanced at me as she shoved the Yukon into park.
My mouth dried as I stared at the tall wire fence bordering a two-story warehouse that stood alone in a barren clearing, like an industrial fortress, with a line of bikes parked out front.
“Why?”
“They might recognize me. I mean, they probably won’t. But why take chances? The baby here doesn’t want to let go of me, so it looks like I’m going to have to come in. I think it’d be better if this was a One-Eyed Jack-free event. Of course, Drew might...”
“I’ll take care of my brother.” Tania stared at me from her rearview mirror. “Look in one of the seat pockets.”
I tucked my hand in the seat pocket in front of me and found a black Chicago Bulls cap. I put it on and adjusted the sunglasses on my nose.
Tania sighed. “Ready?”
“No.”
“Super. Let’s go.”
I took in a breath of air as Tania swung open the back door for me. We had stopped at a mini market and bought a couple of jars of baby food along with a pack of diapers and wipes. The little thing had been grateful for the food and the cleanup, and she’d shown it by clinging to me and cooing.
A heavyset prospect stood at the gate and glared at us, his tattooed arms crossed. “Ladies? What do ya need?”
Tania put her hands on her waist. “Hi. I need to see Catch. Is he here?”
The man’s head tilted. “That’s his kid.”
“Yeah. I’m his sister Tania. I found his little girl. Is he here?”
He raised a finger at us and whipped out his cell phone. “Bro? You got a sister?” His gaze swept over me and Tania. “Yeah, she’s here, out front. She’s got your kid, man.” He pressed a button, and the gate jerked open. He motioned at us, but then he stopped me. “Who are you?”
“She’s a friend of mine. Maddie.”
Oh, brother.
&n
bsp; He twisted his lips. “Yeah, stop right there.” He patted us both down. Of course, I had left Creeper’s gun in the truck. “Go ahead.”
Tania touched my arm, and we moved past him and headed toward the main door, which was open.
I stroked the baby’s back in an effort to maintain my own cool. Dig had been on a run with the Flames when Wreck got killed. Dig had been convinced that working with them was a good thing. I really couldn’t remember if they had ended things on a good note or not, but I didn’t think Jump had anything to do with them now.
A tall dark-haired Flame with large brown eyes charged toward us. Drew was the spitting image of Tania.
Catch, my brain stammered.
He had grown much taller since the last time I saw him, but he remained that lanky hyperkinetic creature he always had been as a boy.
“Tania? What the fuck?”
“Becca!” A harried blonde came zipping around Catch before screeching to a halt in front of me.
The baby’s eyes widened for a second, and she immediately burst into tears. The blonde scooped the little girl from me, and I crossed my arms against the sudden chill sweeping over my chest. She smothered the baby in kisses, and the baby’s tiny hands wrapped around her mother’s neck, her head dropped against her mother’s chest. My heart tripped.
“Tania? How the hell did you find her? What are you doin’ here? What the fuck is going on?”
“I’ve been home with Ma for about a week now, and I came down here today with my friend Maddie on business.” She gestured at me, and my lips tightened into a firm line. “We found your daughter in this shed on the property. We also found the guy who was holding her.”
“Where is he?”
“Gr—Maddie knocked him out, and we got out of there real quick.”
Catch stared at me. I lifted my chin under the glare of his scrutiny. A stream of Flames filed into the cavernous room where we stood, forming a semicircle around Catch.
“Was it Creeper?” asked Catch through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know. We didn’t have a chance for a formal introduction.” Tania made a face. “The name certainly fits. He was a bit of a freak show.”
“Motherfucking Jack,” he muttered.
My jaw clenched even tighter. Tania’s back stiffened.
“This is all your fault!” the blonde shouted. “I’m so over this shit with you!” She approached Tania. “Thank you. Thank you so much,” she glanced at me, “both of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Tania replied.
I offered a slight smile and a nod of my head.
Time to go. Time to go. Time to go. Time to go.
“Did you call the cops?” asked Catch.
“No. We asked him why he had taken the baby, and your name came up. I would’ve called you, but my battery died, and I don’t know your number by heart.”
“Appreciate it, Tan.”
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you two take a load off and tell us where you found the kid and more about this guy, so we can catch up with that motherfucker?” a voice rose from behind the Flames that had gathered in the room.
My body bent to the side, compelled to find the voice’s owner. My stomach cramped at the sight. A tall, broad-chested man with deeply grooved scars over both his cheeks barely covered by his trimmed beard and mustache stood before us. Tattoos twisted up both his arms, and one slithered around his neck. His black hair was peppered with gray. The one and only Finger strode toward me and Tania. A president’s patch was stitched on his colors.
Dig had told me the horrid story of how Finger had gotten his road name. With his facial scars (an F on each cheek) and missing digits, the newly baptized Finger had returned to the Flames of Hell a changed man, to say the least. Ruthless, cold, and single-minded, he had in recent years transformed his club into a highly respected and feared 1% organization. His facial scars gave him, an otherwise handsome man, a spectacularly sadistic look.
Tania shifted her weight, her previously steady demeanor suddenly unsteady. “Hey.”
His large brown eyes took her in, a slight smile flashed over his thin lips. “Tania.” His voice was a warm rasp. “Been a long while.”
“Yeah.” Her voice got quiet.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Another man moved forward from behind Finger.
Holy, holy, holy hell. My hands pressed into my sides.
Butler.
What the hell was he doing here with the Flames?
He tilted is head, holding my gaze, and my pulse skidded. He didn’t move a muscle, only his lips pressed together. It’d been almost a year since I last saw him. I sucked in a deep breath as I took in the waves of pale blond hair framing his rugged face, the long line of his angular nose, and the distinctive square jaw covered in gold scruff. Butler was all contoured muscle filling his old leather jacket and worn jeans, ending in massive engineer boots. His face was slightly fuller, smoother, not pinched and worn as when I had last seen him. Only one piercing in his brow remained from all the jewelry he used to sport on his face and in his ears. I slowly released my breath. I was relieved to see him, but I wasn’t sure this was so good either.
Catch’s baby mama reemerged from the sitting room just beyond the front hall where we stood. Two bags were slung over her shoulders, and the baby was in her arms.
“Where you going?” Catch hollered after her.
“Are you joking? I am out of here, once and for all. I am so done. Done!”
“Babe, come on now. It’s over.”
“Over? It’s never over!” She let out a shrill laugh.
“You need time to settle down? Take it. Nothing’s over though.”
“For God’s sake, Catch! Let’s be real for a change. This has been over since before Becca was born. But I stuck it out. You were supposed to be watching your daughter while I was at work! You! But no! Instead, you had one of your whores doing it while you were out. Unbelievable. I’m getting out of here, out of this shithole town, and—”
“And where you gonna go?”
“I—”
“Yeah?”
“Why don’t you come home with me?” Tania said, her voice sharp, even, demanding consideration.
The blonde spun around and faced Tania, her lips parted.
“Sounds like a plan,” Finger said.
Was he keeping the peace or just fed up with the soap opera?
Catch’s eyes flared. “To Meager?”
“Yeah. Why not?” Tania said. “There’s plenty of room at Ma’s house, and she could use the company once she gets out of rehab. She was just saying how she wanted to get to know her granddaughter. I’m living there now, too, helping her out, but someone needs to be with her full time. If you’re up for that sort of thing.”
She smiled at Tania. “Yes, I am. Oh my God! Yes! Thank you.”
Catch’s face stiffened. “Tania—”
“Sounds like a fine plan,” said Finger, his eyes drifting over me and Tania.
Finger was certainly done with this drama.
Catch shot his girlfriend a harsh look. “How am I gonna keep you safe when you’re not here?”
“Like you kept us safe before? Give me a break!”
Finger eyed Catch, his hands slung on his slim hips. “Time to move this along, man.”
Catch swallowed, his hard eyes glowering at his sister and then snapping back to his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.
The young woman’s posture was rigid, her eyes red. She must have been in her late twenties, maybe early thirties, but there was the desperation and resolve of a mother at her wit’s end. I didn’t blame her one damn bit. I admired her for it.
She glanced at Tania. “Thank you. I really appreciate this. God, you don’t even know me!” She kissed the side of her daughter’s face.
“You’re welcome,” replied Tania.
Catch jerked his chin toward the door, and his girlfriend rolled her eyes. She brushed past me, and little Bec
ca reached out a chubby hand and nabbed my sunglasses from my nose. My hand snapped out and nabbed them right back. I slid them on my face once again.
“You okay?” Finger asked.
“Me? Yes, thanks.” My lips tipped up into a quick grin.
“Long day, Maddie?” asked Butler, his eyes trying to penetrate the shield of my sunglasses. “Got a nice bruise there.” My hand flew to my sore cheek. A muscle on the side of Butler’s face pulsed.
“It’s not every day you get held at gunpoint and your life is threatened by a ratty-ass biker, is it?” asked Tania.
Finger chuckled, the sound grating, stuck in his chest. Ominous.
“How ’bout you give me the details on this piece of shit, so I can head out after him?” Butler’s familiar gruff voice had me digging my heels into the floor as he strode toward us.
“Sure,” I mumbled.
Finger’s stony eyes rested on me. “You know these two? Tania’s from your parts.”
“Yeah, we met years ago in Meager before I went up north.”
Finger lifted an eyebrow as his gaze slid to Tania.
“Never seen this one before.” Butler stared at me.
Tania shifted her weight. “Maddie came down with me from Racine last week to help me with my move.”
Finger only nodded. The F scars on each cheek seemed to deepen on his skin. “Find out what these two know, and bring me that motherfucker.” His iron gaze remained on Tania.
“Let’s go, ladies.” Butler gestured towards the main door. I slipped my arm through Tania’s and tugged on her.
“YOU REALLY GONNA GO TO SOUTH DAKOTA WITH MY SISTER?” Catch planted his feet in the pebbled weed-ridden yard. “You don’t even know her, babe.”
“Don’t call me that anymore. Your sister is being very generous, and I for one am really grateful.” She popped her head out of the backseat of her small red Honda where she was adjusting Becca in her car seat. “I’m going to get a life, Catch. The life I wanted to get when I broke up with you a year and a half ago. But no. I did the right thing. I stuck it out, stuck around that whole time because of our daughter, because of your promises.”
Catch glared at Tania. “This is all your fault.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tania said, her voice low. “I just got here. If you can’t be a responsible boyfriend and dad, that’s on you, Catch. I’m offering the mother of your kid a way out of this mess, which by the way, happens to be your mess. Anyway, what’s wrong with them coming to stay with me and Mom in Meager? Mom would love to spend time with her granddaughter, a granddaughter she hasn’t had the chance to get to know, and so would I. Come on. They’ll be much better off out of the line of fire.”