Konrad

by Ashers, LeAnn

  “Oh my God, my baby,” Lynn whispers over and over, holding onto Michaela, who is frozen in fear.

  “Thank you,” I tell Konrad, squeezing his hands on my face. I walk over to Tristan. He goes on every mission with me whenever he’s home.

  He’s a Navy SEAL, and this was his last mission in the military before he retired. Now he’s home for good. His eyes are glued on my sister and my niece. “Thank you for saving my niece.” I don’t bother to hide my emotions.

  He gives me a hug. “I’m so fucking thankful. I just got back from my last mission.”

  Lynn looks up at him. “Thank you so much.” Her eyes fill with tears as she rocks her daughter.

  Tristan puts his hand on his chest, taking a step back. Lynn doesn’t notice, all of her focus on Michaela.

  “I need to get her home.” Lynn stands up, struggling to carry her daughter.

  “I’ll take you home,” Tristan volunteers. “Can I carry her for you?”

  Michaela looks at Tristan before she nods. He lifts her and she cuddles into his chest. “Lynn, we will fix this shit,” Trey tells her and Lynn nods, fire in her eyes.

  We will not rest until every single person involved in this is dead, but that will never ever be enough.

  They will suffer for this.

  Etta

  I help Tristan get Michaela into the car. She’s in total shock, but I know without a doubt that she will pull completely through this.

  Lani saved her life. Lani held onto her and didn’t let go. That fucker hit her, kicked her, and tried his best to dislodge her so he could run.

  “Wait, what happened to the little boy with them?” I ask Lynn. She looks around and shrugs. “I didn’t see him with any of them.”

  Konrad says, “I’ll go find him.” He takes off running to the backyard, where everyone has left but the MC.

  “I’m going to take them home,” Tristan tells me, taking Lynn’s hand and helping her inside the passenger seat.

  Lynn looks down at his hand holding hers but does as he asks. I know she just wants to climb into bed with Michaela and never let go.

  I’m emotionally exhausted too. First thing is that Lee got away. When everyone went to find Michaela, he slipped loose.

  But we have the person that tried to kidnap Michaela. He is in such deep shit because he hurt an ole lady to the club and tried to kidnap one of the princesses. She may just be Vinny's niece but everyone loves her.

  I can see Lani inside of the house, her guys and kids surrounding her as Myra the club doctor checks her over. Myra’s coming to Lynn’s next to check out Michaela.

  Trey leaves the house and walks toward me. “Etta, you're going to go have to go under protection for a while; nowhere by yourself for a while until this shit is settled.”

  I knew this was going to happen. “I understand, Trey.”

  He looks inside Lynn’s car as Tristan backs out. “Are you okay? This shit is so fucked up.”

  We have had peace in the MC for six years, then all of this happened at once on his kid’s birthday party. It’s beyond fucked up.

  Trey runs his hand through his short hair. “I’ll put a prospect on you tonight, unless you want to come live with us for a while?” he asks.

  Konrad walks up, catching the end part of the conversation. “I have her tonight, brother.”

  My eyes go to Robert, the crying boy resting on his hip. “They were going to leave their baby? What the fuck is this?” Rage fills me to my core.

  Trey closes his eyes, just now realizing. “I’ll take him to the compound until we find information on him. We have plenty of mothers around to care for him.”

  My heart breaks at his tear-stricken face. I can tell he’s so scared. “Hey there, sweetheart. Ready to go get some food and a warm bed?” I ask him in a soft voice.

  He nods, but he doesn’t move to leave Konrad. He just tightens his fist on his shoulder, which causes Konrad to grin.

  I don’t want to go there and admit how great he looks with a kid. “You don’t have to babysit me.” I don’t want him to feel obliged.

  His face hardens, that beautiful smile gone. “Being around you, I wouldn’t call that fucking babysitting.” He winks.

  Lord bless my heart.

  Trey is glaring at Konrad for flirting with me. “Follow behind me?” I ask Konrad.

  He waves me forward. “Wouldn’t want to do anything else,” he flirts once again. My face burns with the attention of him doing this in front of Trey.

  Vinny is my brother, but Trey? He’s like my father. He has taken over the role and I am so thankful for him and everything he has done for me.

  “Text me when you’re home, Etta. Wear your earring, okay?” he tells me.

  I was given a special earring years ago. It has a tracking device in it. If you’re kidnapped, your abductors would never expect an earring to have a tracking device in it.

  “I will.”

  I’m sure some would feel smothered, but I’d rather be safe and feel smothered than face the opposite.

  “I’ll follow behind you.”

  I look at Robert. “You okay, honey?” I ask. He must be so confused.

  “What happened to Henry and Lee?” His little voice trembles. I am so mad. I am so mad that this happened and that this little boy has to suffer his consequences of their actions.

  “Your dad is busy right now, sweetheart.” I open the back door, hating that I don’t have a booster seat for him.

  “Henry is not my dad,” he says as I buckle him. I look at Konrad, wondering if he’s thinking the same thing I am. I smile at Robert. “Do you know where your momma is?”

  His face falls. “She was bad and I’m not allowed to see her.”

  Fuck! I know exactly what has happened to her. He’s been taken from his mother because they think she did something wrong and she’s being punished for it.

  “Sweetheart, what’s your mom’s name?”

  He wipes his tears. “Maci.”

  I shut the door. “We need to find his mother.”

  Konrad opens my door for me, taking my hand and helping me inside. “Belt up, sweetheart.”

  I smile at the endearment and do as he asks. “Be careful, I will be right behind you.” He shuts my door and walks over to a beautiful Harley.

  Then it hits me that he’s coming to the compound where I live. Nerves wrack me immediately, but that can’t stop the excitement I feel on top of that.

  3

  Etta

  I can barely keep my eyes off of the mirror. Konrad looks way too good driving behind me, and I can’t stop the thrill at the fact that he’s following me.

  My phone rings, and I’m so lost in my thoughts that it scares me for a second. It’s from a number I don’t know.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sweetheart. I’m going to have the prospect bring us some takeout for dinner. What do you want?”

  Holy shit, I guess the date is still on?

  I panic, not knowing what to say. “I like all food, just whatever you want.”

  He chuckles. “I’ll just tell him to pick up random shit. See you in a bit, darlin’.” He hangs up before I can say anything back.

  Those damn butterflies are making themselves known in my stomach. He is so gorgeous and intimidating.

  The drive back to the compound is way too short because I’m internally freaking out, but I’m also saddened by Robert quietly sniffling in the back.

  His whole entire world has been flipped upside down. I want to tell him so bad that I’m going to find his mother, but the disappointment isn’t worth it if I can’t.

  I’ll have to talk to Techy later to give him the information on Robert’s mother. I know right now that Henry is in the pit and he is going through some kind of hell and that’s something I will never regret.

  I’ve never been in the pit, but I know that the guys dish out their own kind of justice down there and I don’t have any ounce of sympathy for those who have been there.

&n
bsp; Including my own father. He was so horrible to me and Lynn, but it was nothing compared to Vinny and Danny’s experience. That was a different kind of hell.

  The things done to me do haunt me, I feel those wounds, but it’s nothing compared to knowing what happened to my siblings.

  That is a whole different kind of hurt. My mother is out there somewhere and I do feel sorry for her because she was forced into that life also, but she allowed everything to happen. That is hard to forget.

  I pull to a stop outside of the main house where I live, and before I can put the car in park, Konrad opens my car door.

  “Thank you!” I say, putting my hand in his so he can help me out.

  Looking at Konrad, you’d never think that he was such a gentleman. I open the back door. “Come on, little man.” Konrad unbuckles Robert and lifts him out.

  “How do you feel about a burger?” Konrad asks him, taking his hand. He’s holding mine in one hand, the other holding Robert’s.

  Robert smiles. “A burger for me?!” He gets so excited and my heart melts at the precious little boy.

  Inside the house, I spot Rosa, one of my main helpers. “I need you to find him a room to stay in and I need someone to watch him.”

  She waves her hand forward for Robert and he leaves with her. I text Techy the information about his mother. Honestly, I would be surprised if he doesn’t already know about her; he has done a lot of research on our cult.

  One thing about it is, it’s huge. It spreads out all the way across the USA and it’s growing daily.

  “Are you okay?” Konrad asks when I put my phone back into my pocket. I push my hair out of my face and behind my shoulders.

  “I’m exhausted. So much has happened today, it’s catching up with me,” I confess.

  “Darlin’, I can see that written all over your beautiful face. You were so brave today protecting your family.” He cups my face slightly, his thumb brushing my cheekbone.

  I hold my breath, the feeling of him touching me overwhelming. I’m not used to that.

  My face burns from his touches. I know he can feel it. The doorbell rings and I look over to see a younger guy holding a huge bag. “Takeout is here.” Konrad walks to the door, takes the food and shuts the door, locking it behind him.

  “Where do you want to eat?” he asks.

  “Do you mind if we go to the apartment upstairs?” I ask, but kind of regret it because it’s my home, it’s my personal space, but I just need to be in my own space where I feel safe.

  He studies me for a few seconds, looking to see if I have any second thoughts. “Show me the way.”

  I lead him up the stairs to the main floor of the house. I unlock the door and push it open. “This is home.”

  He walks in studying everything. He sets the bag onto the counter. “So I had him pick up burgers, some pizza, Chinese, and other random things.”

  Here I am freaking out about him being in my space and what he thinks, but all he’s worried about is food.

  “I’m going to take one of the burgers down for Robert, then I’ll be right back.” He squeezes my hand for a second before he slips out the door.

  The second he leaves I let out a deep breath. I can’t help but be on edge. I’m used to being around men all of the time, but this is different.

  He’s making me have feelings I’ve never experienced before. He makes me nervous and so happy at the same time. I need to wrap my head around it.

  No matter how nervous I am, I want him here. I want to experience this. Without a doubt I feel safe with him.

  I just need to get my heart to calm down to catch up with my head.

  Breathe in, breathe out, I tell myself over and over until I’m better, my breathing back to normal and my heart slowing down.

  I walk over to the bag of food and get everything out, along with some plates, some beers, and soft drinks.

  “Want me to pay you back?” I ask once Konrad comes back.

  He gives me a look. “Thanks for the offer, but if you’re with me I pay for everything.”

  I huff at him being an alpha. He sets the plate down, giving me a look. “What was that, darlin’?” he asks.

  I laugh, giving him back the same look. I reach behind me and take out my gun, placing it on the counter. “Wasn’t a damn thing.”

  He bursts out laughing, holding his stomach. “Damn, better not fuck with you, huh?”

  I wink. “Now you’re getting it”

  He licks his lips, moving closer to me until he’s practically touching me with his whole body. “Good thing I love danger,” he whispers into my ear, his breath tickling the side of my neck, chilling me down to my very core.

  The person who is dangerous here is him.

  He doesn’t move, just lifts his hand above my head, taking out a glass. His eyes stare deep into mine. I swear he can feel my heart beating so hard.

  His eyes move to my mouth, then back up to my eyes. Is he going to kiss me? I lift my hand and press it against his side. I can feel the muscle beneath my hand.

  “You’re so fucking stunning. I can get lost in you,” he tells me, his voice husky.

  He steps back, leaving me breathless, then he gathers all of the food and takes it into my little living room.

  I pick up my beer, taking a long pull, trying to ease my nerves. He sits down onto the couch and I sit down beside him, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV to fill the room with noise.

  * * *

  Konrad

  She sits next to me, and I try to not look at her shaking hands. She is so fucking brave, the way she protected her family today. I was in awe of her.

  But one thing I know is, she needs someone to protect her with the same ferocity that she protects everyone else.

  She did not hesitate to protect her niece, nor did she hesitate to take Robert under her wing and bring him here.

  I can see how fucking independent she is, the way she’s used to doing everything for everyone, saving them and taking care of them.

  She deserves that same kind of shit, I want her to feel safe with me, I want to know what put that fear in her eyes. I have caught that darkness at random times today and I will not forget the look on her face when they mentioned the cult.

  “Do you like true crime?” she asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

  I smile. “Yeah, I thrive on that shit.”

  She rolls her eyes, giving me attitude. “Yeah well, let’s watch this documentary about this serial killer.” She raises the remote to turn on the tv, before she stops looking at me. “If you want to.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what we watch. I doubt I'll be staring at the TV much anyway,” I flirt, and her face changes so much in a split second before she realizes I’m flirting with her.

  I don’t dare look away, loving every single second of her face changing so many different shades of red.

  “You’re staring at me,” she mumbles before taking a bite of fries.

  I look down at my plate, smiling. “I told you, the movie is not what I’ll be staring at.”

  She shakes her head, grinning ear to ear. “You’re not so bad-looking yourself,” she tells me, looking me up and down.

  I harden at the look she’s giving me. “Darlin’, you look like an angel compared to the way I look.”

  * * *

  Etta

  I am the opposite of him. I’m all blonde hair, blue eyes and he is just completely covered in tattoos, which I think is very attractive.

  “Looks are only skin deep. The nicest-looking men can be the worst,” I point out, speaking from experience.

  The men in our cult are clean-cut and always dressed nice, but look what kind of men they are—the worst that humanity can bring.

  “You’re right,” he agrees with me.

  “Do you have any siblings?” I ask.

  “I was an only child; both of my parents are still together. You have Vinny, Lynn, and Danny. I’ve met all three, but I never met you until today.”

&
nbsp; Honestly it is kind of weird that we never met until today as he met everyone else in my family. “Kind of weird, isn’t it?” I point out.

  He nods. “Every time it was my time for a mission, my mom or dad seemed to get sick so I had to rush off to see them.”

  My heart aches. I’m sure it’s hard your parents being sick. “Oh no, are they okay now?” I ask.

  I can see the pain on his face at the mention of his parents. “They’re older. Time is the worst fucking enemy you can have, isn’t it?” I can almost feel the pain.

  I can’t resist the urge to reach over and squeeze his hand. “I am so sorry. If you need to go to them, I really understand. I’ll be fine here.”

  I hate the idea that I’m keeping him away from his parents who need him. His face softens in a way I have never seen before.

  “Darlin’, just you offering means a lot to me. The nurse is there right now, so now I’m all yours.” He winks as he says the last part.

  I snort. “You’re just a big flirt, aren’t you?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “Darlin’, it seems that you bring out the worst in me.”

  Lord, I wonder what the best of him is, and why do I have a feeling that he is really great at it?

  I look away, afraid that I could give away my thoughts.

  He doesn’t let go of my hand, rather he holds on tighter, intertwining our fingers together.

  “How about you slide that ass over here so I can cuddle you like a sappy fucker?” he asks bluntly.

  Oh God, my body is screaming because I’m going to be so close to him, pressed against him, but I don’t hesitate.

  I scoot against him. He lets go of my hand and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me to him.

  Next my blanket is thrown across my lap. He wraps it around me, making sure I’m warm.

  I’m stiffer than a board and I don’t know what I should be doing. Do I lay my head on his chest?

  I am twenty-four years old, I had never held a man’s hand before until today and this is the first time I have cuddled someone.