by Wilder, L.
“No, not really. I’m an only child.” She was still focused on the sky above as she continued, “Pretty much just me … my mom, my uncle, and Harper.”
“And your father?”
“My father was great … when he was around. He’s long gone now. I haven’t heard anything from him in years … He and my mother split a few months after my grandparents died in a car accident,” she said, then looked over to me. “You know … I used to think they broke up because Mom couldn’t deal with her parents’ death, but lately, I’ve been thinking it’s something more.”
“Like what?”
“No idea.” She lowered herself down on the table and put her hands under her head like a pillow. “We all have our skeletons in the closet. Secrets, lies, and whatever … I have a feeling that my mother’s secrets are bigger than most.”
“I’m sure she has a reason for those secrets.”
“Hmm, maybe.” I could see the wheels turning in her head before she asked, “Do you have any kids?”
“Nope. Not yet.”
“A wife or girlfriend?”
“Nope. Not yet,”
“Oh, that’s nice.” She closed her eyes and totally missed that Riggs and Shadow had just pulled into the parking lot. She also missed the fact that they had a guest sitting in the back seat. Knowing it wouldn’t do her any fucking good to see her piece-of-shit ex-husband, I decided it was time to get her back to her room. I stood up and quickly lifted her into my arms, cradling her close to my chest. As she rested her head on my shoulder, she asked, “Where are we going now?”
“To bed.”
“Hmmm … okay.” She wound her arms around my neck and melted into me. “I … liii-ke you. You’re sweet.”
“Not sweet, August.”
“Um-hmm. Yes, you are. The big, bad biker is toe-tally sweet. Gunner … Gunner … Gunner is sweeeet.”
“What is it about you?” Shaking my head, I entered the clubhouse and started towards her room. “How can you get to me the way you do?”
She looked up at me with drunken eyes as she asked, “I get to you?”
“Um … yeah, you do.” I kept moving forward then said, “You’re gonna have to stop doing that.”
“Okay, I’ll stop.” Without skipping a beat, she mumbled, “What kind of name is Gunner anyway? You got a thing for guns?”
“Uh … no, not exactly.” Hoping she wouldn’t remember in the morning, I admitted, “I got a thing for getting shot.”
“Someone shot sweet Gunner? That’s just not right.” She laid her head back on my shoulder and said, “Gunner’s not your real name.”
“No, it’s not.” I continued down the hallway. “Gunner is my road name. My real name is Cade.”
“Cade,” she purred. “Ooohhh … I like that even better. You look like Cade.”
“If you say so.”
I opened her door and carried her over to the bed, carefully lowering her down on the mattress. I was about to stand when I realized her arms were still wrapped around my neck. She had that come get me look in her eyes as she pulled me towards her and pressed her mouth against mine. I knew I should pull back, but instead, I found myself leaning in, deepening the kiss. I just couldn’t help myself. Her lips were so warm, so soft, and having her body so close to mine just felt so right. I wanted to relish the sensation for just a brief moment, but that would turn out to be a mistake. Kissing August James ignited a fire inside of me, a fire that burned me to the core, and I feared I may never be able to put it out. The thought caused me to immediately pull back, breaking our embrace. Disappointment flashed through her eyes as I said, “I gotta go.”
“Please don’t go. I want you to stay.”
“You’ve had too much to drink. Get some sleep, August,” I ordered as I stood up and headed for the door. “I’ll check on you in a bit.”
“Cade,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean …”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” I stepped into the hall and before I left, I told her once again, “Get some sleep.”
After closing her door, I went down the hall to Gash’s room and told him to keep an eye on August. Once he was positioned beside her door, I headed out to find Riggs and the others to see if they’d made any leeway with David. I wasn’t surprised to see that they’d taken him to one of Shadow’s rooms—a place no man would want to be.
Shadow was our club’s enforcer, and he had a gift for extracting information from the toughest of men. We’d all seen what he could do, so I had no doubt he’d get David to talk. When I stepped inside the room, Gus and Riggs were standing in the corner watching as Shadow bound David’s hands above his head. Sweat was streaming down David’s face as he tried to pull away from Shadow, but his efforts were in vain. Shadow was simply too strong. Once David was restrained, Shadow secured him to the chains that were hanging from the ceiling. The chains were just a few inches short, making it impossible for David to stand with his feet flat against the floor. As he stood there on his tiptoes, he started shouting, “You assholes are going to regret this!”
“You sure about that?” Shadow slammed his fist into David’s ribs, forcing the air out of his lungs. David started thrashing around, pulling at the chains as he gasped for air. Shadow stepped towards him and growled, “Hate to break it to you, Mayor, but you aren’t going anywhere—not unless you start talking.”
“Just tell me what you want to know!”
Remaining eerily calm, Shadow leaned towards him and growly, “I want to know where your daughter is.”
“My daughter?”
“You heard me,” Shadow barked. “Where is she?”
“She’s been kidnapped or something,” he babbled. “I have no idea where she is.”
“Now, we both know that’s not true, Mr. James.” Shadow slipped on a pair of brass knuckles, then punched him in the ribs once again. Before David had a chance to recover, Shadow slammed his fist into his abdomen, and then the side of his face. If he’d hit him any harder, he would’ve broken his fucking jaw. David was groaning in agony as Shadow growled, “I’m only gonna ask you one more time. Where’s your daughter?”
“I … already … told you … I don’t … know.”
Then Gus stepped forward and asked, “What’s your connection to Sal Carbone?”
“What?” David gasped. “How do you … know about … that?”
“That’s not an answer,” Gus spat.
“He’s just some asshole … he … he donated money to my campaign.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know, asshole. And you better make it good or I’m gonna let my brother pull out his tools. Trust me when I say … you don’t want that to happen.”
“Okay … okay. Sal is Anthony Polito’s right-hand man … Polito is some … kind of mob boss or something. He got wind that I was in need of money, lots of money … to finish … my restoration project downtown, so he offered to help me out.”
“And why would someone like Polito give a shit about your fucking restoration project?”
We all knew why a man like Polito would want a mayor in his pocket, so none of us were surprised when he answered, “Completing that project … was the only way I could win the election … so he offered to help, but he … he expected me to do some favors in return.”
“What kind of favors?” Shadow pushed.
“The kind where I’d make sure … the cops kept their distance from him and his crew. He was looking to expand his business, and he … wanted to do it without any hassle from the police,” he answered, visibly in pain.
“Have you been making good on these favors?”
David lowered his head as he replied, “More often than I should, but this time …”
“This time what?”
“Nothing. I’m handling it,” he lied.
Gus looked over to Shadow, giving the nod, and seconds later, Shadow was plowing into him again—this time really giving it to him. When he stepped away from him, David was barely conscio
us. Gus gave him a moment to recover, then sneered, “I don’t like the runaround, Mr. James. When I ask a question, I expect a fucking answer.”
David managed to lift his head long enough to nod.
“What did Polito want from you this time?”
“They had an exchange or … something go b-bad … really bad. Cops showed up … without any warning. One of … his top guys … got arrested. He wanted me … to … get him … out, b-but it’s not that easy.”
“Why’s that?”
“The guy … killed a fucking cop.” David was bleeding from his mouth and was struggling to maintain consciousness. His eyes fluttered shut as he continued, “I tried telling him … m-my hands are … tied and I needed more time, but he … wouldn’t listen to me. He thought I was reneging on our deal … that’s why he t-took her.”
“Took her? You’re telling me Sal is the one who took Harper?”
“Polito. He’s the one who took her. He th-thought I’d make good on my promise if he held my daughter’s life over my head,” he huffed. “He didn’t get the fact that I can’t just snap my fingers and get this guy off. It took some time, but I got … it sorted.”
“Why does he still have her if you got it sorted?”
“Because he’s waiting until the bail hearing Friday.” Suddenly sounding confident, he explained, “I’ve got it worked out where his guy will be able to get out on bail. Once that happens, Polito will return Harper and this thing will be over.”
“And what happens if this guy is considered some kind of flight risk and doesn’t get bail?”
“He’ll get bail,” he answered adamantly. “I pulled a few strings and got him on Judge Michaels’ docket. He owes me a favor, and we also have a witness that will testify that the cops didn’t give him his Miranda rights. That by itself is enough to get the charges dropped.”
“How will he get Harper back to you?”
“As soon as the hearing is over, we’ll meet up with him somewhere … Probably at the diner where we’ve met before. It’s not a big deal. I swear it.”
“It’s your daughter, asshole,” Gus shouted as he slammed his fist into his gut. “It’s a big fucking deal!”
Gasping for air, David muttered, “That’s not … what I meant. I know it’s a big deal, and I’m telling you … I’ll get her back.”
“You better hope the hell you do, because if you don’t … if so much as one hair is touched on her pretty, little head, I’ll end you with my bare hands.” Gus took a step towards him as he growled, “I have a half a mind to go on and do it right now after the hell you’ve put August through.”
“August?” A look of surprise crossed his face. “Is she h-how I ended up here?”
“She came to us out of concern for her daughter,” Gus barked. “If you were any kind of man at all, you’d get that.”
“I should’ve known she had something to do with this. Dammit! She couldn’t just leave it alone,” he complained. “That fucking … cunt has been a pain in my ass for two and half years now. Always on my ass … Bitching and moaning when I can’t make it to Harper’s goddamn birthday party. Fuck … It’s not like she won’t have another one. I should’ve saved m-myself the hassle and had her dealt with ages ago.”
I wanted to punch him in the fucking mouth for threatening August like that, but Gus beat me to it. He reared back, using every ounce of muscle and anger he could muster, and slammed his fist into David’s jaw. Before David had a chance to recover, Gus hit him again, knocking him out. “Worthless piece of shit.”
When Gus took a step back, Shadow asked, “What do you want me to do with him?”
“Leave him,” he ordered as he turned and walked out of the room.
We followed him into the hall and waited for him to cool off. After several minutes passed, Shadow looked over to him and said, “How do you want to play this?”
“I got no idea.” He ran his hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh. “If we wait and the guy doesn’t get out on bail, they could hurt Harper, but there’s a chance that he’s right and they’ll hand her back over once the guy is released.”
“We need to figure out where she is,” Riggs suggested. “That way, we’ll at least know where to go get her if things go south.”
“Agreed. How do you suggest we do that?”
“Call in a few favors? See if we can find someone who’s heard something?” Shadow recommended.
Riggs thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll do some more digging and find all the properties purchased by this Sal fella or Polito. Then, we can go to each one and check them out … see if they have her hidden in one of them.”
“That might actually work.” Gus turned to him and said, “You get me the list, then I’ll give Viper a call over at the Ruthless Sinners’ clubhouse. He already knows what’s going on. I’ll have him and his boys check out the locations for us and see if they can find any sign of Harper.” He thought for a moment, then said, “First thing, Friday, we’ll go to Nashville with David and August to make sure they get Harper back. If not, we’ll figure things out from there.”
“What about August?” I asked, concerned that she still needed time to sleep off the alcohol. “When you planning on telling her about all this?”
“It’s late. I don’t see any point in waking her up now.” I could see the worry in his eyes as he said, “She’s been through hell. Not sure how she’s gonna feel when she finds out she was right about her ex.”
“That asshole thought he had it rough when we were wailing on him,” Shadow scoffed. “Something tells me he hasn’t seen nothing yet.”
“Whatever she says or does, it won’t be enough. That douche-bag deserves to be six feet under for the shit he’s pulled,” I snarled.
“He’ll get what’s coming to him. You have my word on that,” Gus spat as he turned and started down the hall. “You boys get some rest. We’re gonna have a long one tomorrow.”
I followed Gus and Shadow back inside, then went back to August’s room to make sure she was okay. I relieved Gash, then eased her door open. Just as I expected, she was sleeping soundly. Trying my best not to wake her, I walked over and sat down on the chair, quietly propping my feet up on the desk. As I sat there watching her sleep, I thought about how happy she’d be when Harper was back in her arms. There was just one drawback. After we got her daughter back, I might never see her again. It wasn’t a welcomed realization, especially after the kiss we’d shared earlier tonight. When I thought back to the feeling of her mouth on mine, how fucking incredible it felt, it pained me to think that I’d never experience that feeling again. I didn’t want her to leave. I didn’t want to lose her, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was for the best. August James would never, could never, be mine. End of story. But damn, it would be nice if she could. No … It would be fucking incredible.
CHAPTER 6
August
I was a mess, completely riddled with emotions—anger, anxiety, and heartache—and they were only growing more intense with each mile we drove. I was sitting in the backseat of the SUV with Cade and Riggs in the front, and we were following Gus, Shadow, and David as we drove towards Nashville. We were on our way to hopefully get Harper back from the men who’d taken her, and I was struggling to get a grip on the feelings I had boiling up inside of me. It was like my worst nightmare had come true. When Cade told me everything that David had shared with them, I was stunned. I’d thought of nothing else since I’d heard the news, and I still couldn’t believe that he’d actually put our daughter’s life in danger. I knew he was up to something, but I never dreamed it would be something like this—that he’d actually conspired with the devil himself. There was a time when I actually cared for David, loved him, but at that moment, I hated him with every fiber of my being.
I could barely make out his silhouette in the SUV in front of us, and I couldn’t stop staring at him. When Cade noticed that I was practically burning a hole through the back of David’s h
ead, he asked, “You doing okay back there?”
“I’ve been better,” I answered as I clung to Harper’s favorite stuffed animal, Floppsie. My mother had given it to her years ago, telling her that it had once been mine when I was a little girl. Since that day, Harper always carried it around with her, treasuring it like her own little security blanket. I brought it up to my nose, inhaling my daughter’s scent, and I almost missed it when Cade asked, “You’ve got the plan straight, right?”
Pulling myself from my thoughts, I nodded and said, “Yeah. We’ll wait at the convenience store across the street while David meets with whoever is in the restaurant.”
He nodded. “That’s right. And if something happens and they don’t show up, we have a good idea where they’re keeping her.”
“I’m just ready for this to be over.”
“I know you are. It won’t be long now.”
I was still staring at the back of David’s head when I asked, “Do you think it’s bad that I want to hurt him … like really, really hurt him? Like … I’m thinking honey and bee stings, or some crazy Chinese torture kind of thing where they drive toothpicks under his fingernails.”
“I think you’re being too easy on him.”
“Really?”
“Definitely. This guy deserves something major. You’re gonna have to get creative … like some Games of Thrones or Vikings kind of shit. Something that will leave a lasting impression.”
“You’re right. He really doesn’t deserve to have any more children.” Mischief flashed through her beautiful eyes as she snickered, “I’m thinking an old school castration might be in order, and that’s just to start.”
“There ya go.” He chuckled. “Maybe some peanut butter and a basket full of rats.”
“That would be perfect!”