Soothing His Madness

by Kayn, Debra

  "Ready?" She paused at the door.

  He motioned her over. "Come here."

  She returned to his side and sat down. "What's wrong?"

  "Rain informed me about a man named Toma' today," he said.

  Her brows lowered. "Who's that?"

  "A member of Los Li. You met him last year when shit went down at the bar…" He waited, hoping she had a clue about what he needed to tell her.

  "The name doesn't sound familiar, but there were a lot of men here in the few days they were in town. Then when the fight broke out and some ugly dude stabbed Ronny in the leg, I was ushered into the office. I didn't see anything else." She sat straighter. "Why?"

  "It's imperative that you stick by my side, you and the kids."

  "You've said that a few times, and I told you okay. It's no big deal." She scooted to the edge of the couch to get up, and Slade stopped her.

  "The guy named Toma' was caught stalking you last time Los Li were in town." He tipped her chin with his finger. "While you were in the cabin, he was outside the cabin."

  "What? Who told you that?"

  "Rain." He continued, "The guy was seen outside the cabin more than once."

  She curled her lip. "That's creepy."

  "Right." He inhaled deeply. "Asshole was beatin' off at the window. The second and last time, is when all hell broke loose."

  "What?" She tried to pull away, but he snagged her hand. "Are you saying it's my fault, because of that Toma' dude being a pervert that the Los Li want to cause Bantorus trouble?"

  He shook his head. "No."

  "Oh, God. Are they coming through Pitnam because of me?" She covered her mouth.

  "No, baby girl. They got shit going down, but what they're dealing with is women…bad shit. Seeing as how that asshole has his eye on you, I want you safe. I don't want him close enough to you to even try to convince you of working for them. This is serious." He smoothed the worry out of her face. "You'll be fine as long as you stick by me."

  "Shit," she whispered. "Of course, yes, I won't leave your sight and we'll both watch the kids. At their age, that'll be our biggest job."

  He nodded and kissed her lips softly. "Love you, baby girl."

  "I love you too." She held on to his hand even when he stood and walked out the door toward the bar.

  He held on to her tightly, not ready to have anything or anyone threaten her. The other news about Ray blowing the money he'd used to buy him off would wait. Right now, they had to get through the weekend without any danger coming to Pitnam, the MC, or his family.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tori peeked out the window in Rain's office for the tenth time. Taylor nudged Ginger with her elbow and grinned at the way Tori claimed not to be bothered by the lockdown after two days. They were all going crazy, but cabin fever finally hit the president's wife when Rain made another trip out to check on the bitches in the far north cabin.

  "Be glad they're not in here with the old ladies." Crystal, Raul's woman, yawned from her spot on the couch. "The last thing we need on top of everything else is to watch them strutting their perky little asses around our men."

  "Rain doesn't look at the other women," Tori muttered.

  That was true. Neither did Slade, but Taylor still hated knowing the women were on the grounds of Bantorus land.

  "Whatever." Crystal stretched her arms over her head, winced, and said, "I can't wait until this is over."

  Crystal's new tattoo between her breasts relegated her to taking it easy during lockdown, and everyone knew she was bored stiff. Taylor glanced at Crystal, trying to peek at the secret tattoo that nobody would talk about. Whenever someone mentioned the ink work she had done, Crystal looked to Raul, whose heated stare down with his woman caused everyone to laugh. So far, if anyone knew the secret, nobody had spilled.

  "Rain's not going to do anything with those women. He's doing his presidential duties and making sure their comfortable, that's all," Ginger said, leaving Taylor's side to pull Tori away from the window. "Just chill."

  Tori looked over in the corner of the office at her daughter curled in the playpen fast asleep. "I trust Rain, but I don't have any confidence that the women will keep their hands off him. They're skanky."

  "They know better. Besides, I don’t think anyone wants to piss of the prez's old lady. You have your moments of being scary to outsiders." Taylor refilled one of the shot glasses on the desk and carried it to Tori. "Drink up."

  "No, thanks." Tori closed her eyes and blew out her breath. "Los Li has been in Pitnam almost forty-eight hours already and they've obeyed the request to stay at the hotel and not venture around town. Rain's employees are telling us everything is quiet—she groaned—I just want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

  "We all do, girlfriend." Kristen stood and adjusted the top of her thigh-high boots. "I’m going out to the bar and see if the guys are done with their poker game."

  Tori nodded, but her attention went to the window. "Okay, Rain's finally coming back."

  "Told you he would." Crystal laughed. "Is Raul with him?"

  Taylor stepped over to the window, spotted Raul, and decided to play with Crystal's head. "No…"

  "What?" Crystal jumped from the couch and shouldered her way to the glass. Her body sagged at the sight of her man. "You fat liar."

  Taylor laughed and side stepped the hand that came out to slap her. "Ha. Looks like you were a little worried too."

  "Was not." Crystal tugged on the top of her shirt, well covering her breasts.

  "I'll forget about your freak out if you show me your tattoo." Taylor crossed her arms and raised her brows. "Or maybe I'll have to tell Raul you were—"

  "Okay." Crystal glanced over to Tori who had her back to them and stood in the open doorway, obviously waiting for Rain to walk through the backdoor. "I'll show you, but don't say a word to any of the others."

  "Promise." Taylor grinned.

  Crystal whispered, "I'm serious."

  Taylor stopped smiling and nodded. "I really do promise. My lips are sealed."

  Her teasing turned serious now that her curiosity got the better of her. She worried about her new friend. Crystal stayed to herself for the most part and always seemed content to hang with Raul. Once in a while, like now, she stuck with the Bantorus women, but this was the first chance that Taylor had an opportunity to get to know Crystal better.

  Crystal pulled down on the scoop necked Tee and bared the area between her breasts. Taylor studied the tattoo, confused over why she'd hide the artwork. The design was beautiful.

  A four inch cross lay in the valley between her breasts, green in color, the scrolling done in a feminine style that accented the valley between Crystal's breasts. She peered closer and read the inscriptions going horizontal on the cross. One side said Raul, and the other side had Promise. Down the middle, going vertical on the cross, was the world Forgiveness.

  The edges of the tat, still red from the recent work, appeared to be healing nicely. Taylor looked into Crystal's eyes, trying to understand why the subject of her tattoo was a sensitive subject. "It's really beautiful."

  Crystal nodded. "It is, and I'm thrilled with how it all turned out."

  "Then why hide it?" she asked.

  Crystal pulled her shirt back up. "Raul's still trying to accept the fact that I put a cross on my body to represent my past. He hates the reminder of what I've lived through, but it's who I am. The forgiveness represents letting go of the ideals my parents held me to, and the promise is to Raul that I would devote my life to him."

  Taylor had heard that Crystal grew up with an evangelical preacher for a father who ended up in prison for money laundering and putting a hit out on his own daughter a few months ago, right before Raul joined Bantorus. "He'll come around. Bikers are…"

  "Stubborn?" Crystal laughed.

  She nodded. "And possessive. He loves you though. Everyone can see he worships the ground you walk on—she rolled her eyes—sorry, bad description, but you know what I mean
, right?"

  "I know." Crystal shrugged. "And I love him for how much he cares about me. I just wanted to show him in a way that meant something to me."

  "I think it's awesome." She hugged Crystal and when she stepped back, Slade walked inside the office.

  His eyes, dark and penetrating, took in Taylor before he motioned for her to come to him. She stepped around Crystal and went to him. "What's up?"

  He led her out into the hallway. Her heart raced, because they'd all expected trouble at any minute. Things were going too smoothly, and she'd half-expected Los Li's visit to go without a confrontation.

  Slade cornered her against the wall and bent down. "It's Kurt."

  She pulled on his shirt when he moved again. "What about him?"

  "He's gone." He cussed under his breath. "They were with Mike's kid at the table building with Legos, and I got up to take a piss. When I came back, Lee and Scotty were still there, and Kurt was gone. No one fucking seen him leave."

  "Maybe he went into the kitchen." She walked away, planning to hunt him down herself when Slade grabbed her hand.

  "You don't think I looked?" Slade lowered his voice. "Torque's riding the block around the bar and Ronny went to check the cabin. I need you to stay with Lee, while I go out and find my boy."

  "Yeah, sure. Do you have your phone with you?" She patted his pocket, finding the cell. "Call me when you find him and I'll do the same if he comes back."

  "Okay." He headed toward the backdoor.

  She called his name and when he turned, she said, "He's okay. We'll find him."

  He didn't answer her and his eyes begged her to make her words true. Her breath caught in her chest. What if…

  No, she wouldn't allow herself to think what would happen if Los Li got ahold of Kurt.

  The door shut behind Slade, and she hurried out into the bar. The men no longer played poker but stood around, forming an intimidating barrier around the Bantorus children in the corner of the room. She swallowed hard. The situation was serious, and she had no idea what to do.

  She pushed her way to the table and kneeled down beside Lee. He smiled his gorgeous carefree grin at her, and she pushed away the fear making her shake.

  "Hey, sweetie, what are you building?" she asked.

  Lee held up a contraption of Legos. "A motorcycle club that's on the moon. My Harley will float in the air instead of on the street."

  She smiled. "That's awesome and sounds fun."

  He wiped his nose with his arm and went back to building. Determined to get answers and find Kurt, she put her hand on Lee's arm. "Do you know where Kurt is, sweetie?"

  Lee's chin came up and he studied the room as if he only just learned that Kurt wasn't sitting beside him at the table. "No."

  "Do you know if he mentioned wanting to go outside and play or maybe he forgot something in the car?" she asked.

  Lee wiggling stopped and he said, "No, he was bummed and didn't want to play with the little kids."

  "What was he bummed about?" She edged closer.

  "He wanted to work on his dirt bike and get it running again. That's all he talks about. He said Legos are dumb, but I know he plays with them at home." Lee's attention dropped and he grabbed the bucket of Legos and searched through the pieces.

  She stood, kissing Lee on the top of the head, and hurried away from the table. Bruce blocked her path. "Not now, Bruce."

  "Can't let you leave the room." Bruce widened his stance.

  "Move or I'll move you." She poked him in the chest. "I need Slade. Now."

  "I'll send one of the guys after him." Bruce motioned over her head.

  She used that opportunity to run straight down the hallway. Her hands hit the backdoor at a run and she stumbled outside, almost losing her balance.

  "Slade," she yelled, frantically scanning the parking lot between the bar and the cabins.

  "Damn, woman." Bruce slipped his hand under her elbow and pulled her back toward the door.

  She dug in her heels and yanked her arm free. "Slade!"

  Bruce growled, leaning over and wrapping his arms around her knees. She screamed Slade's name again. Time was of the essence. If Kurt tried to walk back to the house, he had to pass the hotel. Los Li would use anyone against Bantorus MC, including any Bantorus kids.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Taylor's scream sent a cold chill through Slade. He ran over the uneven ground of the cow field behind the cabins toward the bar. In the back parking lot, he found Bruce struggling with Taylor.

  "Put her ass down," Slade said, slowing into a jog.

  Taylor fought free and fell against Slade's body. He held her shoulders, steadying her. Livid over finding her outside, fighting with Bruce, and not inside where she was safe, he wanted to shake her.

  Instead, he held her at arm's length and raked his gaze down the length of her body and back up to her face, making sure she was all right. "What the hell is going on?"

  She panted and clasped his shirt. "His dirt bike—she inhaled sharply—Kyle might've tried to walk to the house, because he wanted to fix his motorcycle. Lee said that's all he talked about today."

  "His bike isn't at—" He groaned and grabbed her hand. "Come on. I think I know where he might be."

  Past the front entrance of the bar, Taylor tugged on his hand to slow him. "Take your motorcycle and leave me, it'll be faster. You have to hurry. If he was going home, he would've walked by the hotel."

  He continued walking. "The bike's not at home. I hauled it to Raul's house two weeks ago. Kurt knew that, so he'd head there if he got the stupid idea to go visit his bike. I swear, I'm going to ground him for life when I find him for pulling a jerk move like this."

  She jogged beside him, keeping up with his steps. He scanned the street as they crossed the lanes. Raul only lived three houses down from the bar. He hoped with all his heart, he'd find his boy safe and unharmed.

  Kurt knew better than to leave a lockdown. He'd promised to obey and stick with his brother. He was old enough to understand when rules needed to be obeyed. How one thirteen year old could slip away from at least sixty Bantorus members watching over him pissed him off. These things shouldn't happen.

  "Maybe we should call Raul before we barge up to his house." Taylor let go of his hand and jogged faster down the short driveway to the garage.

  "No time." Slade banged on the garage door, yelling Kurt's name. No answer came, and he moved down the side of the building where the walk-through door was located. He tried the handle and found it locked. "Fuck."

  Taylor beat her fist on the door. "Kurt!"

  "He's not here. The doors locked." Slade whirled and punched the side of the garage. "Where the hell is he?"

  Pain radiated up his wrist into his elbow. He concentrated on the discomfort rather than losing his composure. Panic had come twenty minutes ago when he found Kurt's empty chair, and now he was scared to death. If anyone hurt his boy, he'd kill and take his time doing it.

  "Honey, we'll find him." Taylor wrapped her arms around his waist.

  He crushed her to him, needing to believe her, wanting to keep her close, craving to go back to the bar and get Lee, taking his whole family somewhere safe and away from the bullshit of Los Li.

  "I don't know where he'd go. Before this bullshit with his mom, I would've known what he was thinking and could've prevented him leaving." Slade's body coiled tighter. "Now…I don't know what goes through that boy's head most of the time. He's been too quiet, keeping everything bottled up inside."

  "Would he have gone to Jodie's?" Taylor asked, rubbing his back.

  He swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. "I called her first back at the bar. She has a right to know Kurt's missing, despite my opinion of her."

  Taylor wrinkled her nose. "What did she say?"

  "Said she was sleeping and I woke her up." Slade growled, stepping away and punched the garage again.

  Taylor reached out, but he shook her off. This could not be fucking happening.

&
nbsp; A rumble from a motorcycle grabbed his attention. He walked to the end of the driveway and recognized the rider coming down the street toward him. Raul put his hand out to the side and sprawled his fingers. Hope filled Slade's chest at the sign that he wasn't coming with bad news.

  Taylor joined him at the curb. He put his arm around her, and she leaned into his side, laying her hand on his stomach. Right now, he took that support and held on to it with an iron fist.

  The closer Raul came, the more anxious Slade became. When he made out the pale arm across Raul's stomach, he inhaled swiftly, wanting to run out into the street. Instead, he squeezed Taylor and taking her with him, stepped out onto the street.

  He connected his gaze to Raul, who gave him a slight nod. Kurt's helmeted head peeked out from behind Raul and Kurt's searching eyes were the best thing he'd seen all day. The motorcycle stopped, and Slade hauled his oldest son off the motorcycle, set him on his feet, and then crushed him to his stomach. Words wouldn't come.

  "I'm okay, Dad." Kurt hugged him back before pushing away, struggling with the D strap under his chin. "Uncle Raul punched Ray. You should've seen it. Knocked that asshole out like a light—He fisted his hand and smacked his open palm—I bet he's got a busted nose."

  Slade's gaze whipped to Raul. "What?"

  "Later, amigo." Raul smacked his gloved hand on top of Kurt's helmet. "Watch your mouth, kid. There's a lady present."

  Kurt glanced at Taylor and mumbled, "Sorry, Aunt Taylor."

  She dashed away the tears on her face and held out her arms. Kurt stepped into the hug, and while his woman and son were busy reassuring each other they were both okay, he stepped a few feet away to talk privately with Raul.

  "How did Ray get his hands on Kurt?" His fingers itched to kill the bastard.

  "Kurt saw Ray through the window at the bar, snuck out through the side door in the kitchen, and thought to confront his step daddy himself. Seems he wanted to keep Ray from his little brother and instead of telling an adult, Kurt thought he could make Ray leave himself without anyone knowing." Raul shrugged. "Damn tough kid you got there, amigo. He has bigger balls than some of the prospects with Bantorus."