by Colbie Kay
"Fucking Christ!” I stand and run my hand over my bearded jaw. “The priest is part of this?"
He nods. "He's indebted to my family. The nuns though, they don't know it's a black market. They believe it's completely legal and that they are taking care of unwanted children." Well, isn’t that nice that someone’s not involved in this big fucking mess?
"Is Tinsley's daughter there?"
"I don't know. I never see the babies after I drop them off. I set everything up, but the parents meet with the priest, and they take their babies home. The other ones go straight to the orphanage to be kept there."
"Demon." I nod giving my approval.
He pushes the machete blade slowly through Ronaldo’s flesh prolonging his death. Ronaldo yells out in pain as blood begins to pour from his body. His hands reach up as he gasps for air and his eyes widen, but Demon, with a smirk of satisfaction, keeps pressing it into his neck. Demon growls as the sharp steel blade cuts through bone and muscle until Ronaldo’s head is hanging, almost completely decapitated. Demon pulls his weapon free and coats his gloved hand in blood before smearing it on the wall leaving the devil’s horns as a piece of artwork.
We return the way we came in, through the house until we’re back inside the office we first entered. I sit down in the chair and stare at Ronaldo’s laptop. I bet the files are on that fucking computer. I pull my phone out of my pocket to call Hacker.
"I'm bringing Ronaldo's laptop home with us. It might have some good info for us. Can you hack into it?"
"Sounds good, brother. It’s going to be loaded with firewalls and even more encrypted than the government computers. Take it with you and call me when you get back to the compound. I’ll need to get remote access and from there I should be able to. Any luck on the little girl?"
"We're getting closer." I hang up and grab the laptop before I crawl back out the window. We run to our bikes, and I put the computer in one of my saddlebags. I do a quick search for the address to the St. James Catholic Church, and when I find it, we ride out.
A dim light from inside the church can be seen from the stained glass windows. We get off our bikes and ascend the steps until we reach the door.
Chayser’s eyes are wide as I grab the door handle. “Should we pray or some shit before we go in there?”
I laugh because…well, what is praying going to do for us? We’re already going to hell. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned, and I’m about to again." I push the doors open wide. The priest is standing at the altar.
"Where's the basement?" My voice echoes around the open space. His brows furrow, but he remains quiet. "Where. Is. The. Basement?" I punctuate each word as I step closer, repeating myself.
"I will not let you harm the children of God."
"The children of God?" I laugh. "Excuse me, Father, but how do you stand up there all high and mighty, preaching to people about sins and doing good, when you're no better than the rest of us? You’re just as much of a sinner as any of us who are standing in front of you. Save your bible bullshit for someone that doesn't know what you've done. Now, where’s the basement?" My tone is even colder.
His eyes turn regretful, saddened, but he holds his unsteady arm out to the left. "Through that door." His head hangs with what I would think to be shame, and he begins to pray, asking forgiveness for his sins.
I direct my brothers, "Demon and Chayser stay with him. Me and Bam will go check it out." They both grab an arm and force the father to his knees.
I turn the knob, and we begin to march down the steps. I hear babies crying and my gut twists. I can't fucking believe this shit. A church being part of the black market. I've always heard churchgoers are the biggest hypocrites of all, but aren't they supposed to be good people? If you can't even trust a priest, who the hell can you trust?
The door at the bottom of the steps opens to a hallway with rooms lit up. We walk to the first room; a nun is sitting in a rocking chair holding a newborn baby. "Can you help us?" I use a quiet voice because I don't want to startle the baby.
"Who are you?" Her bright eyes widen as she takes in our cuts. “You’re men of the devil!” She hisses and holds the baby closer.
"Hey, lady. Calm your tits. We’re here looking for a little girl. She would be about two years old. You can either help us, or we’ll find her ourselves."
Her lip quivers. "Our toddlers are three doors down on the right. Sister Abigail will help you." Her voice wobbles, and as we are walking away, I hear her praying.
We stand in front of the door the first nun told us about, and sure enough, we find the other nun sitting in a rocking chair reading a story. Surrounding her are a group of toddlers who all appear to be the same age and a group of older children, listening to her attentively. They must feel our presence because all of their eyes turn toward us. It’s fucking creepy like in one of those horror movies with a group of devil children. I shiver from my one true fear, creepy ass kids.
"Sister Abigail?" I question.
She closes the book and focuses her attention on us. “Yes?” She’s young and pretty with big blue eyes.
I quietly ask, "Could we speak to you for a moment?"
She nods. "Okay, children it's time to lay down." The older children stand and begin helping the younger ones into their beds. Once we’re in the hallway, she demands, "Why are you here?"
"We’re looking for a two-year-old little girl."
"When was her birthday?"
"I'm not sure of the exact date. Mother's name is Tinsley, father would be Richie Warren."
"Follow me." She walks down the hall until we get to the last door on the left. It's an office. As we enter, she begins to look through files in the cabinet. "Ah, here." She pulls the folder out and lays it on the desk. "Let's see. Baby girl born at 3:05 PM on August 24th. Mother is Tinsley and father Richie." As she goes through the file her brows begin to pull down.
My expression mirrors hers. "What is it, Sister?"
"The papers, they aren't signed by the mother. They’re all supposed to be signed."
I give her the honest truth. "She didn't want to give her baby away. She wants her daughter, and they told her that the baby was stillborn. We have been searching for her little girl."
"Oh my!" She covers her hands with her mouth. "That is awful! Why would they do this? Who did this to that poor girl?"
"Trust me, you don’t want to know." I sigh and ask, "Can you tell us if the little girl is here?"
"Bring the mother to me tomorrow."
All this time Bam Bam has stayed quiet until now. He questions, "Why?"
Abigail smiles sadly. "Because it’s late and I am a Sister in the Order serving God. I care for these little ones, but even I know this is no way to be raised.” Her voice lowers to a whisper, “They are kept in this basement all day and night. They have not even seen the light of day, stepped in the grass. I want to help. Did Father know? I've had my suspicions of evil doings, but I have been too scared to ask."
"He knew," I confirm. Tears form in her innocent eyes. "We'll be back tomorrow."
Bam Bam and I walk back up the stairs and enter the room where Demon and Chayser still have the priest on his knees. We step up onto the altar, and I stand behind them. Pulling my gun out, I attach the silencer and push it into the back of his dark hair, against his scalp. "How are you indebted to the Cortez family?" His body trembles with what I assume is fear. He should be scared. His life's about to end, he just doesn't know when.
"Before I became a priest, I was lost in my ways, and I ran drugs for them. But I got sucked into my own habit, and instead of selling the supply, I injected it." His voice wobbles as he continues, "Ronaldo Cortez Jr. is my flesh and blood, but he was also my best friend. He saved me and vouched that I would pay for what I did. I got clean and received my calling from God. Because of that, I changed my life and became a priest. Ronaldo came to me years later with the very first baby, and he reminded me of my sins and my debt. He said if I didn’t do this, he wouldn’t b
e able to protect me any longer."
My eyes narrow, and I release the safety on my gun. "Say your Hail Mary, Father."
He takes a deep breath like he is ready to meet his maker. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
My deadly eyes stay on the priest as I pull the trigger. Blood, bone, and brain matter splatter, covering the carpeted floor around us and anyone standing close enough.
Demon and Chayser release his arms, and we watch as he falls forward along the steps. Running my hand down my face, I tell my brothers, "I’m ready to call it a night."
Bam Bam interjects, “I’ll stay and call Pretty Boy to come help clean this mess up and get rid of the body. Go get some rest.”
I nod. “Thanks, brother.” Stepping around his body, the three of us make our way back out of the church and to our bikes. Starting my Harley, I realize just how ready I am to get back to Tinsley, but I need a shower first.
Romeo walks into the room after finishing his shower. When he first walked in tonight, he looked exhausted with bags under his eyes and a weary expression on his face. I didn’t miss the blood that coated him and his clothes. He walked in without even saying a word or giving me a kiss like he normally does, so I decided it was best to leave him be.
But now he appears more refreshed, calmer. "You okay?" I ask as he leans down and gives me the kiss on my forehead–which I have to admit, I missed when he came in–then sits down heavily on the couch beside me.
"Yeah, it's been a long day." He pulls my legs up onto his lap and begins to rub my feet. "I think we found her though."
"Hope? You found her?" Happiness impales me along with excitement, curiosity, longing for my daughter, and a million other emotions.
His tired gaze meets mine. "We think she's at an orphanage we visited today. I was told to bring you back tomorrow."
I sit up straighter. No way do I want to wait until morning. “Why can’t we go now?”
His hand rubs my calf with added pressure, but he’s not making a move to stand up. “They asked us to come back tomorrow, and with them cooperating, I think we should do as they ask."
I quickly stand. "I don't want to wait until tomorrow. I want to go now. This is my daughter, Romeo. I want to see her."
His shoulders lift with the intake of oxygen before he hunches over, resting his elbows on his knees and peering up at me. "I know you do, and I want you to have her back, but we don't even have anything for her."
Reality hits. “You’re right.” I plop back down beside him defeated. “How am I going to take care of her? I don't have a home, I have nothing for her, and she's been with them for two years. What if she doesn't want me?" Angry tears well in my eyes.
"Hey." Romeo pulls me into his arms and kisses the crown of my head. "We'll get everything she needs, and time doesn’t matter, Tin. She's your blood; she'll want her mama."
I cling to him desperately. "You promise?"
"I promise." He makes the pledge even though I know it might not be true. "Let's get some rest so we can head out at sunrise." I nod against his chest. He stands and takes my hand in his before walking us to the bedroom.
We strip down before crawling into bed. I love sleeping naked with Romeo, and as the days pass, my obsession for this man grows. I'm fully aware that my heart is in this completely, and I'm in love with him. He says things to me that I so desperately want to believe is real, but I still have those pesky thoughts in the back of my mind, making me think maybe they’re not. Maybe he's just telling me what I want to hear. Maybe I'm just a body to use for sex while we're here, and when we go home, everything will change. That insecurity and fear scare me because of how hard I've fallen. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't feel the same way.
His fingers gently trail up and down my side, causing my flesh to pebble with goosebumps. His arm travels around to my waist, and he pulls my back into his front. My craving for Romeo, my need for him, never ceases, and my body ignites with desire for him as I grow wetter between my thighs. His own thigh pushes between mine so he can lift my leg, and his hand moves down to my center. His finger glides through my pussy. "So fucking wet," He mumbles as he lines himself up with my channel.
"I thought we were supposed to be sleeping?" I question, gasping as he drives into me.
"I can't help myself. I can't get enough of you." He pushes in and out more forcefully. "Never enough." His finger continues moving against my clit like a vibrator.
He peppers kisses along my neck, I throw my hand behind me and grab him to hold his head in place. "You want this, Tin? You want my cock? You want me?" He questions as he thrusts into me harder.
"Yes! God, yes! I want it all!" I scream as my orgasm begins to wash over my body.
"You're close. I can feel it. You're clenching me so fucking good."
He knows my body like he's had me for years instead of mere days, and he knows I love his dirty words. They edge me closer and closer until I'm in earth-shattering bliss and screaming his name.
"That's it!" His finger slows its movements until he pulls his hand away and continues his rough calculated strokes.
He stops moving and sits back, while still inside me. He guides my leg, throwing it over my shoulder as he rises up over me. He’s now between my thighs instead of behind me and has my body in a scissor position. I’m more on my back now rather than my side. He begins right where he left off, but his rough and hard pace has slowed down incredibly as his body rocks against mine. He bends down, pressing his lips against mine, and his tongue invades my mouth for a slow kiss full of intense passion. And it's loving. Is he making love to me? It's the only way I could describe this compared to every other time. My heart swells with hope.
I feel him jerk inside of me, and as he hits my spot, I'm spun into another amazing climax. He pulls back, and his hazy eyes stare into mine as if he’s embedding himself on my soul. With our eyes locked, I watch him bite down on his bottom lip, and I dig my nails into his back as we both quietly come together, but the silence is louder than any sound we could make. I'm so in love with this man. He leans down and kisses me one more time before pulling out of me, and then he walks into the bathroom.
I hear the water turn on, and next, find his statuesque body leaning against the doorframe. "C'mon." He waits there until I'm standing in front of him. "Ready for round two?" He smirks.
My brows arch in surprise. "Really?"
"Yep." He chuckles and adds, "Told you, I can’t get enough." With that, he drags me into the shower for round two.
At sunrise, I straddle Romeo's bike anxiously. I'm ready to meet my daughter, I’m ready for this to be finished, and I’m ready to go home. He starts his Harley, and our destination is the orphanage. We ride through the streets of Phoenix until he pulls over and parks in front of a Catholic Church. I don't know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. Romeo ushers me inside. My eyes widen when they land on the big blood stain at the altar, but I stay quiet as he leads me down a flight of stairs until we're in a basement. It's eerily quiet, but we keep walking. What the hell happened here? What did he do? I have this overwhelming feeling that it’s better I don’t ask. I’m not stupid. I know what the Sinners do and what they are capable of, but seeing remnants of the truth is terrifying. Not in the sense of being terrified of them, just that the reality of what they do is terrifying. It could so easily be one of them that dies, and that’s scary. I don’t want to lose any of them, especially Romeo.
Romeo opens door after door. All of them are empty. "The fuck!" He mumbles. We walk to the end of the hall, and he opens the last door. "Ah!" I scream and cover my mouth as I see the nun sitting in the chair, blood dripping from the sides of her mouth and running down her chin. A knife sticks out of her chest with a piece of paper attached.
"Son of a bitch!" Romeo rushes into the room and looks at a lump of something on th
e desk. "They cut her fucking tongue out." He grabs the note.
"What does it say?" I question quietly. I can’t believe this! Who would do this to a nun?
"It says we'll never find what we're looking for." Romeo rushes out of the room in an angry fury. I follow closely behind, but my own anger is bubbling inside of me. I knew we should have come last night! If he would have just listened to me, I’d have Hope right now. I know it’s not his fault, but I can’t help the resentment I have for him right now.
“If we would—” His furious eyes snap to mine, cutting me off.
“Not now,” He snarls at me. He starts his Harley, and we race back to the compound.
When we’re getting off his bike, Romeo instructs me to go back to our apartment. I want to fight and argue, but I need to be away from him right now to work through what I saw, as well as the fact I still don’t have my daughter. I get inside and begin pacing around the room as questions swirl through my mind. Where are the children? Who killed that poor nun? My heart and head are both overwhelmed with feelings: defeat, anger, sadness, fear, worry, and so many more emotions. Will I ever find her, and why is someone so desperate to keep me away from her?
"We have multiple construction guys starting the rebuild of our clubhouse, and we should be back up and running by Thanksgiving," I tell Bear and Gunner as we sit in the Cobras’ chapel discussing where to go from here.
"That's good." Gunner nods. "I know we're allies with the Cobras, but discussing our club business in their chapel instead of our own, doesn't sit right with me."
"Agreed," Bear grunts. "Snake’s my father-in-law and has been loyal to us, but the thought of being here all the fucking time, knowing this is where Crawler made his plans to kidnap my ol' lady and my son, fucking gets my blood fucking boiling. Not to mention Deuce—" Bear's interrupted by the door flying opening with Drifter carrying a limp body over his shoulder.
"The fuck you doing?" I ask jumping out of my seat with Bear joining me. Gunner stays seated with his crutches next to him.