Hot Set

by Ivy Blake

  “If you ever want to see your daughter and grandchild again, you will do as they say,” I said.

  “What did they say, baby? What do they want?”

  “Put one hundred thousand dollars in cash in a bag and bring it to Pioneer Women’s Park. Tomorrow morning. Five. I am sick of rich guys running my town, and if this finally makes you realize you should give up the election, then so be it.”

  The guy ripped the phone from my ear and began to mutter to my father. My eyes darted around the apartment, looking for any signs or clues as to where I was. It was small and dank, and there weren’t any lights on. The streetlights were buzzing outside, but none of the surrounding buildings had power to them. I couldn’t hear the sounds of cars or other people, so I made a wild guess as to where I was.

  “They have me in an abandoned apartment somewhere, Daddy! Abandoned! No lights! No streetcars! Help! Come get me!”

  The man in the ski mask whipped around, cracking his hand against my cheek again. I could feel my skin splitting as blood pooled and ran down my skin. I fell back into my hands as my joints ached underneath the fall. I screamed out as urine started pouring from my body, soaking my clothes.

  The man hovered over me as he tossed the phone to the floor. He sat me back upright as his eyes scanned my body. My face hurt, and I smelled like urine. My hands were sore, and my little baby boy was wiggling around now more than ever. I sobbed as I bowed my head, waiting for the man to kill me for what I’d done.

  But all he did was take a step back.

  “Your father agreed to my terms,” he said. “He’s a smart man.”

  “You’d be surprised,” I said breathlessly.

  “You don’t think your father is smart?”

  I chose my next words wisely before I lifted my head.

  “I think my father is a manipulator. But I think you are pathetic.”

  I watched his eyes rage as his fists clenched at his sides. I knew he was going to kill me. I knew it was only a matter of time. But instead of hitting me or shooting me, he walked around me and grabbed the back of my chair.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

  But the man remained silent.

  “I said… where the fuck are you taking me!?”

  I jumped against my restraints, trying to pull myself free. The legs of the chair were scraping against the floor. He pulled me down the hallway before he opened up a closet door, then pushed me in. I tried to rip at the duct-tape on my legs so I could kick my legs free, but the more I struggled, the more exhausted I became.

  Then, the man slammed the door in my face and left me in the dark.

  Chapter 20

  Cade

  My blood was running so hot I figured it was going to start cooking my skin. Harper had seemed so scared, and then flipped a switch and seemed so cool. I had no idea what kind of condition she was in, but I knew one thing was for certain. If whoever the fuck this were harmed one fucking hair on her head, I would slaughter everyone in his family. For every bruise he left behind, one of his family would die in front of his eyes. And for every pain that ached in Harper’s body, I would leave a pain of the greatest magnitude on his.

  “I’m getting the money,” Ryan said.

  “Now hold on a second. There’s nothing that tells us he’s gonna come with Harper,” Doc said.

  “He’s right. This might just be a setup to get your money,” Ink said.

  “I don’t give a shit about my money. I want my daughter back!” Ryan said.

  “Then we go with you,” I said.

  “What?” Blade asked.

  “Look, I don’t know how the fuck someone like this got by you, but we can figure that shit out later. For all we know, he was hiding in this fucking how the entire damn time,” I said.

  “No, he came in from the street. I saw him,” Blade said.

  “Not helping your case,” Vex said.

  “Ryan, we’re gonna go with you. If they have Harper, we can make sure he gets none of your money, and you get your daughter back. If he doesn’t have Harper, we can follow his car or put trackers on the undercarriage to get us back to your daughter. Either way, come five in the morning, we’re gonna be with you in that park,” I said.

  “Fine. I need to get to the basement,” Ryan said.

  “What’s in the basement?” Vex asked.

  “I have a personal vault where I keep our valuables. There’s cash in there in case of emergencies. I think I have enough.”

  “Someone’s going with you. You aren’t going to be alone from here on out,” I said.

  “That’s fine.”

  “I’ll go with him,” Ink said.

  “What about me?”

  We all turned towards Harper’s mother as she stood in the doorway. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were completely vacant. Her hands were twirled up in a blanket she was holding to her face. I recognized the blanket. It was one of the blankets off Harper’s bed. I studied the light bruise on her face and the way her body seemed to crumble into the floor.

  Ryan dashed for her body as he caught her in his arms.

  “We’re going to find her, okay?” Ryan said. “We’re going to bring our daughter home.”

  “Can I come?” she asked.

  “You should stay here, sweetheart,” Ryan said. “I think that’s for the best. I can’t risk having you get hurt, too.”

  “I’ll stay behind with her,” Blade said. “Keep eyes on the house.”

  “Better eyes than the first time around, I hope,” Doc said.

  “Stop fighting. It’s already done. We’re on to the next thing. Mrs. Thomas, you’ll stay here with Blade. When we come home, you’ll have your money and your daughter. I promise. Ink, you’re with Ryan. Get everything put together. We’ve got five hours before we have to be at the park,” I said.

  “Cade?”

  Ryan’s voice had changed in an instant. From confident and concerned husband to frightened, feeble father.

  “Yeah?”

  “You do whatever the hell you have to do to make sure my daughter and my grandson are okay.”

  Son. That part hadn’t even registered yet. Harper was pregnant with a boy. I was going to be a father to a bouncing baby boy. I stood there as I watched Ryan cradle his wife as tears flowed down her face, and the only thing I could think about was how I wished I was doing the same with Harper. Cradling her stomach in my hands. Protecting her and my baby boy. But instead, I was now forced to chase down whoever the fuck took her from her own damn bed.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes. You have my word. I love your daughter. I’ll get her back.”

  I felt everyone’s eyes on me as fire burst behind Ryan’s eyes. It was now or never. If we were working on shortened time, then I needed to go ahead and come clean with everyone here and now.

  “What the fuck do you mean ‘you love her’?” Doc asked.

  “Do you know our daughter?” Patrice asked.

  I could feel Ryan’s eyes on me as he looked me up and down. He unraveled himself from his wife and slowly approached me. I could feel everyone gathering behind me, waiting for me to make the call so they could pummel this shithead into the ground.

  “You’re the father, aren’t you?” Ryan asked.

  “Holy shit, I thought she looked familiar,” Vex said.

  “You’re the father of my grandchild,” Ryan said.

  I nodded to answer his question, and it was followed by an eruption behind my back. Everyone in my club was slinging me questions. How long had I known? Did I just find out? Is that why I insisted on taking this job protecting her? How did I feel about everything?

  But I rose my hand to shut them up as my eyes stayed connected with Ryan’s.

  “I wondered,” he said.

  “You wondered what?” I asked.

  “What your relationship was to her. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other at the rally.”

  “Then why did you allow me to guard your daughter?” I
asked.

  “I couldn’t prove it. And I figured any man who loved my daughter like that would always have her best interest at heart.”

  “You’re the father?” Patrice asked.

  It was like she was just beginning to wrap her head around things.

  “But… how? When did the two of you meet?” she asked.

  “We should probably save that conversation for later,” I said. “Your daughter’s in danger, and she’s carrying my son.”

  “If you get her out of this mess,” Ryan said, “you have my blessing.”

  I heard the guys chuckle behind me, and they knew what was coming.

  “I don’t need your blessing, Mr. Thomas. But I will save your daughter.”

  Then I turned around to the guys and began to fill them in on the story.

  “When I saw Harper at the rally, I knew the baby was mine. It was the only logical conclusion. I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind since that rally-”

  “What rally?” Patrice asked.

  “She’s pregnant with my son, guys. I won’t apologize for lying because lying to you guys got me this job. It got me closer to her. I got me one step closer to my family.”

  “You told us there was a looming threat and that we needed to protect this family,” Doc said. “You weren’t lying.”

  “But my intentions were… misleading,” I said.

  “Who the fuck cares about that?” Blade asked. “You’re gonna be a dad, and the mother of your child has been taken. We’re getting them both out alive.”

  “I fucking knew it,” Vex said. “I’m surprised you didn’t burst on me sooner for all the jokes I was cracking. I was waiting for it, you know.”

  “You’re an asshole, and I’ll deal with you later. Ryan, go get your money. Ink, make sure the GPS trackers work in case we need them. Our next stop is Pioneer Women’s Park.”

  Chapter 21

  Harper

  The door ripped open, and my head snapped up. What time was it? What was going on? I felt my chair moving along the floor as I was pulled from the closet, but I didn’t have the energy to scream. I was tired, my legs and my wrists hurt, and my jaw was swollen from the hits I took yesterday.

  At least, I thought it was yesterday that it all happened.

  I stayed silent as my attacker untied me. I didn’t try to fight him because I knew he was stronger than me. I wouldn’t be able to take him, and I would risk my child’s life in the process. I stumbled out of the apartment as he dragged me by my arm, my shins scraping against the ground as I tripped and fell.

  “Get the fuck up,” he said.

  His grip was tight, and I knew it would leave a bruise. His arm came around my neck again, and I started choking on the pressure. My nails clawed at him as a blindfold came down over my face, and it was tied tightly behind my head.

  “Hold still, or this knife is gonna find that pretty little belly button of yours.”

  I could feel the cool blade slithering up my leg. I whimpered and tried to pull away, but I was being restrained. My eyes were clouded with tears, but even if I could see it was no use anyway. They soaked into the fabric of my blindfold as the knife made its way further up my leg.

  I grunted and tried to kick the man away, and that was a mistake. He ran the blade along the inside of my thigh, and I cried out in pain. A bag was shoved over my head before I was pushed back into the van, and I jumped as the doors closed with a thud.

  I didn’t know where we were going, but I knew I needed to shut the fuck up.

  I could feel the blood pooling on the floor of the van. My hands were shaking, and my legs were weak. My stomach was gurgling with hunger, and my mouth was bone dry. I had no way to get to my prenatal vitamins, and it worried me that my little baby wasn’t moving around in my body.

  “Come on,” I said. “Just one little kick for momma.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” the man roared.

  I bit down on my bottom lip as my hands roamed over my stomach.

  I felt the van roar to life, moving as I braced myself against the wall. I tried to remember the turns the van took to calm my nerves as blood continued to trickle from the gash in my leg. Focusing on the movement calmed my nerves and settled my mind, and I hoped that the decrease in my heartbeat would somehow signal my child to start moving. I wasn’t sure how all of that worked, and I was kicking myself for not paying more attention to my fucking doctor’s appointments.

  “Come on,” I whispered with tears in my eyes. “Just once.”

  Then, I felt it. The smallest kick right into my bladder. I could feel urine trying to break free as my little boy continued to kick, but I didn’t care. He was still alive, and it swelled my chest with hope.

  My baby boy was still alive.

  Even though my hands were in front of me, they were ziptied. My ankles were bound with something I couldn’t figure out, but my hands were definitely ziptied. And tight as well. I was losing feeling in my pinky fingers, and if I weren’t careful, I’d lose all blood circulation in my hand. I twisted them around to see if I could break free, but the harder I tugged the more the plastic cut into my skin. I could feel the blood rising to the surface on my wrists, so I dropped my hands back onto my stomach.

  “That was a good decision,” the man said.

  I jumped at his voice, and he chuckled.

  “It’s good that you’re scared. Your father should be, too. I’ve got no issues slitting your throat in front of him if he doesn’t come with his money.”

  “Not if Cade kills you first,” I said.

  “Cade. Huh. You called that name out in your room. He your special someone?” the man asked. “Perhaps the father of your child?”

  I kept my mouth shut and continued to work on the zip ties, hoping I could break myself free. But before I could make any progress, the can came to a halt, and I heard a gun cock.

  “That gash in your thigh will be the least of your worries if you don’t stop,” he said.

  I drew in a shuddering breath and ceased my movements. But instead of the van continuing to move, he got out of the car. I held my breath, listening to him walk around to the back, and I tried with all my might to break free.

  I bent over as far as my stomach would let me go, but I couldn’t reach my legs. I twisted and turned at my restraints, trying to wear the plastic down. The pain ricocheting up my arms was fiery, robbing me of my breath as I panted in the back of the van. My little boy was kicking and tumbling now like he was trying to break free himself.

  I know how you feel, my boy. I know how you feel.

  I was sweating before I had to stop. The zip ties were too tight, and I could feel blood coating my wrists. I leaned back into the wall of the van as tears burned the back of my eyes. How the hell was I going to get out of this? How was I going to get back to Cade? Was he coming for me? Was he trying to find me?

  Did my father even care that I was gone?

  All of these questions were running through my mind. The night was silent, and the man hadn’t come back to the van yet. Had he left me to die? Was I going to starve to death out here? I had to find a way to get out. I had to find a way to get home.

  If no one was coming for me, then I was going to have to do this myself.

  I scooted on my ass, trying to ignore the pain coursing through my body. My hands felt along the wall as I rolled onto my knees. I got myself upright and smiled as my hands continued to run along the wall, but then I heard the opening of the back door and froze.

  “I figured you’d try to be a little shit.”

  He clamped his hand over my mouth as I tried to struggle against him. I felt the cool blade of that fucking knife press against my throat. I stopped in an instant as it hovered over my vein, and I knew he was about to kill me. This was the end for me. I had failed in protecting my child.

  My body started to shake with fear as tears poured down my cheeks.

  Without another sound, the blade was removed from my neck. I heard something shifti
ng and zipping, then I was pulled upright. I was pulled onto my stomach as I screamed out, shouting that my child was going to get hurt if he didn’t stop.

  But all the man did was laugh as he manipulated my hands.

  Once the man was done, he closed the doors on me again. I scrambled to my knees, crying as I tried to move my hands to my stomach. But instead of moving where I needed them to go, they stayed right up against the door.

  That fucking asshole had zip-tied me to the damn door, and all hope I had of escape drained from my body.

  Just like the blood that trickled between my thighs.

  Chapter 22

  Cade

  We all arrived at the park at three in the morning. Ryan and Patrice were sitting in their car waiting for our signal while the rest of us staked out the place. The gang and I walked all around the park, clocking all the entrances and exits before posting a couple of people in the shadows next to them. The entire gang was in all this. All one hundred of us. If this man was coming into the park, he sure as hell wasn’t getting away. When someone fucked with one of us, they fucked with all of us.

  And with Harper carrying my child, this man had officially fucked with one of us.

  The park was dark and had a surprising amount of entrances and exits. Those who weren’t stationed at an exit took off their leather cuts and sat on benches, acting like homeless people or stumbling around like drunks. They peppered the entire park as Ryan and Patrice sat off to the side, right near the meeting place this asshole suggested.

  But with every passing minute, I was getting more and more nervous.

  “Hey, Cade. You okay?” Ink asked.

  “Yep.”

  “You look nervous,” he said.

  “Then why the fuck did you ask if I was okay?”

  “Because I wanted to see if you would admit it.”

  “Asshole.”

  “You know we’re gonna get her, right?”

  “Blade sort of destroyed my faith in that avenue,” I said.

  “You can’t blame him for what happened. You know he’s not perfect. None of us are perfect. He did the best he could. Popped off rounds. But in the dead of night without his scope, he’s practically useless.”