by Khloe Wren
Then, a few years back, he’d come gunning for Silk, Eagle’s old lady. Silk’s father had screwed with him, stripping him of money and information before he’d died in the 9/11 attack in New York. Unlucky for Silk, her father’s bag containing the stolen information had missed his flight and it had taken LAX fifteen fucking years to discover it. Despite the time lapse, Sabella still wanted that bag and he’d come gunning for Silk so she could get it for him.
So, yeah, there was some serious fucking history between us, and along with the club, I was more than ready to end the association. Lately, I’d gotten the impression that my contact in L.A., who had been feeding me information about Sabella for years, was about done with sitting back and watching too, so hopefully he’d be ready to help us out with finishing off the fucker.
“Right, let’s make this fast so we can all get back to our families, yeah?”
We all shifted so we sat in seats around the table, making it easier to hear each other. Scout waited for us to all get settled before he spoke again.
“Like when we went after Silk, I want this done on the sly. No colors. We don’t want anyone to know we’re there until we want them to see us. Ideally, I’d like him left dead in California, but if you have to bring him back with you, do it and we’ll deal with it.”
I shifted in my seat, getting everyone’s attention.
“I need to talk to my guy before we go planning too much. I’ll call him in a bit and see what’s going on. Sabella stirred shit with the Ice Riders intentionally, so he’s gotta expect some blow back from us. There’s no point in us just blindly riding into town if we don’t even know where the fucker is. Let me get a read on the situation, then we’ll finalize a plan.”
Scout gave me a nod. “Sounds good. Go check in with your woman, then make your call. We’ll just hang out here till you get back, so don’t take too long, yeah?”
Zara
My heart rate kicked up a notch as each man that wasn’t mine came out of the meeting room. Mac had only just returned from heading up north, and I wanted him by my side already. The club had taken their turn, now it was mine, dammit.
Cleo, my ten month old daughter, whined and tugged at her ear. Again. Which pulled my complete attention away from the door and Mac to her sad, little face. I sighed. Looked like my daughter was coming down with something. Since she’d started crawling, I was normally having to chase her all over the damn place. Especially now she was pulling herself up and trying to walk. I loved my little girl to the moon and back, but she was a spitfire and on the go 24/7. So the fact she was actually wanting to sit in my lap and cling was unusual. Add in the ear rubbing she was doing and I knew something was off. I suspected—hoped—it was just another tooth coming in, and prayed it wouldn’t be bad enough to keep her awake tonight. I had plans for her daddy and me.
Normally we women didn’t get told much at all about the club business that went on, but the fact I’d been with Marie when those bastards had come in with guns out, made it hard to keep us out of the loop this time. Also, the grim expressions on the faces of the men when they’d returned from up north were a fairly good indicator that what they’d had to do hadn’t been pretty. Or legal, no doubt. But I also had complete confidence the club had made it so there wouldn’t be any more Ice Riders coming after us, and all our guys who went out had come home, so as far as I was concerned, it was a good day.
“Wonder what that’s all about?”
As Flick, who was sitting next to me, with her three month old daughter, Lolly, asleep in her arms, spoke, I looked up to see the door close before Mac or Eagle had come through. Flick’s man, Taz, had come out but hadn’t looked happy as he’d stormed off to the bar.
“No clue, but it looks like it’s something that involves Mac and Eagle, but not Taz.”
As I’d spoken, Silk had come and flopped down in a seat next to us. With Bulldog out of church, her one year old son, Raven, was all over Grandpa, giving Silk a moment to relax.
“Try not to stress too much over it. Club shit blows over as fast as it blows up most of the time. And we know our men are good at what they do.”
Silk was not only Eagle’s old lady, she was the niece to the VP, Bulldog. She’d grown up in the club since she came to live with her uncle and aunt as a teen. Flick and I were new to all this club stuff. Neither of us had any idea of what we were getting tangled up in when we’d met and fallen for our men. Well, Flick had been an undercover FBI agent, so she’d known a little. But I’d grown up in Galveston, and down there everyone knew you stayed far away from the Iron Hammers, the local MC that ruled the town.
I’d been on a steep learning curve since hooking up with Mac, but for the most part, club life was great. It was basically this always-growing family that was somewhat dysfunctional, but always had your back. It did get a little dangerous at times, which sucked, but as I’d learned before settling in with the Charons, life could be dangerous. Didn’t matter who you were.
The door to the meeting room opened again and this time Mac was the only one out of the door before it closed again. The fact Cleo stayed clinging to me as he came striding over to us was another indicator she wasn’t well. My girl was definitely one-hundred percent a daddy’s girl, except when she was sick. Then she was all about barfing all over Mommy, not Daddy.
“Hey, bunny. I gotta make a call, then head back in with the others. But after that we can go home.” He stroked his hand over Cleo’s hair with concern in his gaze.
“She’s probably just teething. She’ll be fine, babe. Go do what you gotta do.”
Even if it turned out to not be a new tooth, I was worried enough for both of us, and clearly there was still club business that he needed to handle. If it was anything like the shit that had happened in the past, it would need his full attention. The last thing I wanted was for him to get shot or stabbed, or to come off his bike because he was stressing over Cleo or me. So, I’d be a good old lady and fake that everything was sunshine and fucking rainbows until he was done and came back to me.
After a quick peck on my lips and a kiss to Cleo’s temple, he turned and headed off down the hallway to where the offices were.
Silk bumped her shoulder into mine, which had Cleo tightening her grip as she rubbed her cheek against my chest on a moan.
“Damn. Sorry, Cleo. Didn’t mean to jostle you, baby. Look at those rosy cheeks. You think she’s cutting another tooth?”
“Yeah, I’m hoping that’s all it is. I’m that stressed out already, I really don’t want to add her being sick to the mix.”
I’d taken extra meds this morning to try to stay with it tonight, but I could feel the tiredness of my narcolepsy pulling me down. I hoped Mac didn’t take too long. I’d been counting on getting a little couple time before I passed out on him.
“If you need to head home now, I can give you a ride. Raven can hang out with the men till they come home later.”
My eyes stung with the threat of tears at her kindness. I’d thought Mac had been full of shit when he’d first told me that the MC was like a family, but they continuously proved it. Like now. I knew that Silk would prefer to stay and try to work out what the men were up to, but she knew my issues, knew what stress could do to me, so without a second thought, she was stepping up to help me out.
Hard to stay pissed off about my man needing to leave for a few days here and there for the club when that same club had brought this level of friendship and support to my life.
“Thanks, Silk, but I’m gonna try to wait till Mac finishes up.”
Silk leaned over and ran her palm over my girl’s hair.
“It’s so hard when they’re sick, even when you know it’s nothing more than a new tooth. Like, the cuddles are great, but it’s so hard not seeing them all full of life like they normally are.”
“For sure.”
Considering we normally had to basically crash tackle Cleo for a cuddle, I was enjoying her being so snuggly with me. But like Silk said, it was hard to
see her so lethargic and unhappy.
Chapter 2
Mac
I didn’t care if Cleo was only teething, baby girl was not happy and Zara was stressed out. That was a recipe for disaster and I was going to have to fucking leave them. Dammit. My woman was trying to hide it from me, probably in the hope of not getting me worried. Which was sweet, but I saw straight through it. As I hit Scout’s office and pulled my phone out to call Blade, I decided I’d deal with Sabella as fast as I could and get back home. Sure, the fucker didn’t deserve a quick death, but luckily for him, I rated my family over drawing out his end.
As I sat on the couch, the call connected.
“What’s up, man?”
“Hey, Blade. Need to talk business. You able to speak freely?”
“Give me a sec.”
I’d called him using the secure app Keys had created, but I had no clue where Blade was or who was around him that might overhear our conversation.
“Right. Talk to me.”
“Sabella’s pulled more shit and the Charons are done. I’ve got orders to come take care of him. You know where he’s currently hiding?”
“Let me guess. This has something to do with that MC up in Boston, the Ice Riders?”
“Just got back from taking care of that little problem. That club doesn’t exist anymore.”
“Damn. What the fuck they’d do to earn a complete club wipe-out?”
“Fools came into our town and took a few of the old ladies hostage. Including my woman and the president’s heavily pregnant wife. Held a fucking gun on her unborn baby. Sent her into early labor.”
Not to mention Zara had a cataplexy attack and had injured herself because the fuckers wouldn’t let anyone help her. But Zara didn’t want the world knowing about her issues, and I understood and respected that.
“That’d do it. Okay, well, Sabella is certainly watching his back a little more than usual. But that’s not all you need to consider. Don’t suppose you’ve been online, seen a TV or had the radio on recently?”
“Been a little busy. Why?”
My mind raced with what might have happened big enough to hit mainstream media.
“California’s on fire, my friend. Including a few in and around L.A. It’s bad enough they’ve declared it a national disaster.”
“Fuck. Is Sabella evacuating?”
“Nah, he’s still in town, but he sent his wife and kids away last week. Fucker’s been living it up with them gone. Since he got that fucking ledger and his hands on his money, he’s been building up his human trafficking business. Including setting up a large stable of women and kids that he controls himself.”
Blade’s tone was ice cold, telling me exactly how he felt about things. My own fury ripped through me at his words. We should have fucking killed him instead of handing over that ledger of Silk’s dad’s to the bastard and letting him walk away. Giving him access to his money had hurt how many innocents? And we’d had the power to prevent it. Fuck.
“Not sure why you didn’t tell me any of this sooner.” I paused a moment but when he didn’t give me an answer, I kept going. “We need to end his shit, and him. ASAP. I’ll be heading into town with a crew of five soon. We’ll be riding out first thing in the morning, so we’ll get there Thursday. You got somewhere safe we can land?”
“About fucking time, man. I’ve been praying to hear those words outta your mouth for years. I don’t have the power or the resources to take him out without starting a war, but together? We’ll get this done. And, yeah, I got a place. It’s nothing special but no one knows about it. It’s not far from one of the fires, in Moreno Valley, but ignore the smoke. The fire’s heading in the opposite direction so you and your men will be safe.”
I’d have to be deaf to miss the obvious relief in his tone, and again I wondered why the hell he hadn’t come to me sooner about this human trafficking shit. I’d wait till I saw him to ask the whys because I knew Blade well enough to know there had to be reason, and it would be one he wouldn’t want to talk about over a phone. Or in person, for that matter. But I’d get to the bottom of it.
“Good deal. I need to go make arrangements with the club. We’ll make our plan once we get there and you can talk us through everything you know. And, Blade? I mean everything. Until then, see if you can find out where his stable is. We need to free those women and kids. Gonna need somewhere for them to go, too.”
A growl came over the line that had me jerking back in the seat. What the fuck?
“You don’t think I’ve been trying to do just that? I can’t find them. Trust me, if I’d been able to find the location, I’d have shut it down. Even if it was a suicide mission, I would have gone in.”
“Well, after we grab Sabella, we’ll be sure to ask some questions before we end his miserable life. See if you can set up someone to take care of any the victims we’ll hopefully manage to round up from wherever the fuck he’s got them stashed.”
We ended the call and I went to find Scout and the others, more than ready to get this show on the road. Innocent lives were at risk, more every moment we waited.
I only allowed myself a quick glance at my girls as I plowed my way through the main room back toward the meeting room. I couldn’t focus on them just yet. Not until I vented some of this rage. I wished it wasn’t so late, then I could head to the gym for a session, but that wasn’t in the cards. Hopefully once I finished reporting to the others, they’d be able to bring me down a notch or two so I could go back to my girls with a semi-level head. It was pure insanity to ride out tonight. Arrow and I were tired from the flight back from New York, and Zara and Cleo needed me. Hell, I needed them tonight.
The others were quietly chatting when, after putting my phone back in a locker, I strode in.
“We’re good to go tomorrow. The earlier, the fucking better. Got a place to land in the Moreno Valley. But there’s wildfires all over the damn state so we need to watch ourselves.”
Scout frowned as he watched me.
“What aren’t you telling us?”
I shook my head. “I don’t even know how to process this shit, prez. Just found out Sabella used the resources he got from that deposit box to set himself up in the flesh trade. Thanks to us, that fucker’s been hurting innocents. Trading them like fucking furniture. He’s got a fucking stable full of women and kids that he—” I couldn’t even say it. “We shoulda just killed him when we had the chance.”
Scout’s face had turned grim as I’d spoken.
“Mac, you can’t carry the guilt for his actions, brother. We did what we thought was best in the situation. If we’d taken him out, it would have brought war to our door. Lives would have been lost. It was a no-win situation and we did what we thought was best for all concerned. But, Mac? That’s in the past, no one can turn back that clock. All we can do is go in and stop his shit now.”
“We can’t take him out clean. We need to question him to get details. My contact hasn’t been able to find the location of his stable. But I asked him to find someone we can hand over the victims to once we rescue them.”
Arrow spoke up. “The fires might actually work in our favor. Good for destroying evidence.”
Scout stood up in a rush, clearly as affected as me, despite his calm words. “Right, so you boys will ride out first thing and head to this place you’ve got lined up. Maybe take a cage with you. And, Mac? I think at this point, you owe us the name of this contact of yours. We’re putting a lot behind his intel.”
I nodded, knowing this moment had been coming. “He goes by the name Blade. His real name is Jared Walker. I don’t know exactly what happened to him, but he’s always hated Sabella and only worked for him because Sabella’s got something on him. Knowing what Sabella did to get me under his thumb, I can imagine what Blade was put through, but we’ve never spoken about it.”
He nodded at me. “Thanks. Now go take your family home. I’ll have Donna head over in the morning to stay with Zara. She and Keys will move int
o your spare room till you get back. That way they’ll be close to help with Silk too, if she needs it.”
With that, we were done and I led the others from the room, grabbing my shit out of the locker before going in search of my girls. I stopped short when I entered the main room. Silk was talking to Zara, who still sat with Cleo wrapped around her like a spider monkey. But she looked tired as hell. She was struggling and trying to hide it. Instantly forgetting everything but my girls, I strode over and gently took Cleo from her lap.
“C’mon, bunny, time to go home.”
She gave me a nod and taking my outstretched hand, rose to her feet before releasing her hold on me.
“If you need to stay, I can take them.”
I turned to Silk, who’d stood at the same time as Zara, concern for my wife clear on her face.
“Thanks, babe, but I’ve got it covered tonight.” Especially since tonight could be our last together for a while. I didn’t want to spend it upstairs in one of the rooms here.
Eagle and Taz appeared beside us.
“What do you need, brother?”
“Need to get my woman home—” That was when she dropped. “Fuck.” Thankfully Silk was standing close enough to her so she could grab her and lower her back down onto the seat, since I had my arms full with Cleo. I hated when I couldn’t be what both my wife and daughter needed me to be. I knew Zara always wanted me to put Cleo first, but fuck, it was hard to choose between them. I wanted to fix the world for both of them.
Silk was in my face a moment later, peeling a now crying Cleo from me so my arms were free to deal with Zara. I was torn. Clearly Cleo was not feeling well and wanted her mom or me, but Zara needed me too. It helped that I knew this attack would pass soon enough and Zara would be back with me, but I still needed to get her home.