by Wilder, L.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Riggs, Murphy, and I stood and walked out of the conference room. We followed Riggs down to his room, and once he had everything he needed, we got in the SUV and headed to Polito’s home. He lived several miles out of town in one of those gated communities with houses that were three times the size of most with meticulous landscaping and overstated décor. I pulled up to the curb across the street from Polito’s and killed the engine. Other than a couple of cars parked in the drive, there was no one in sight, making it impossible to know if anyone was around. I looked over to them and said, “We’re gonna need a distraction.”
Murphy scanned the area for a moment, then said, “There’s a fire hydrant. We could run it over … fake an accident.”
“Hmm … Yeah, we could do that, but then, we’ll have to deal with not only the fire department but also the cops. I’m thinking that might be too much of a distraction.” I motioned to the house across the street. “You think they’ve got security system?”
“From the looks of it, you would think so.”
“Can’t you do your voodoo and trigger the alarm?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Make it a good one … one that will bring the cops and the fire department.” I looked back over at Polito’s place as I said, “Give our friends something to watch for a while.”
Riggs pulled out his laptop, and within minutes the loud, pulsing sound of a security alarm was going off. Knowing the cops would be there soon, I started the SUV and drove over to the street behind Polito’s. We got out and started to make our way to his backyard. Once the cops showed up, we jumped the fence and rushed over to the hedges. Adrenaline was pulsing through me as we went from window to window, mounting the cameras where we could get a decent view inside the house. We were just finishing up when two fire trucks pulled up across the street, giving us the distraction we needed to get the hell out of there.
Murphy whispered, “It’s time to move!”
My heart was pounding a mile a minute as we got back in the SUV and tried to catch our breaths. With a proud smirk, Riggs announced, “I can’t believe we pulled it off.”
Murphy dashed his excitement when he replied, “We don’t know for sure that we did. We still need to see if the cameras show anything.”
“You’re right. Let me check.” He grabbed his laptop off the dash, and after a few clicks, he looked back over to me and smiled. “We’re golden.”
“Good deal.” Murphy seemed relieved as he said, “Let’s get back and tell them we’re in.”
I started up the SUV and headed towards the Sinners’ clubhouse. I was eager to see August. Even with everything that had been going on, she was on my mind all day. Remembering how upset she was about hearing the news of Gus being her father, I needed to lay my eyes on her and make sure she was okay. When we pulled up to the clubhouse, we all got out of the SUV and headed towards the front door. As we stepped inside, I turned to them and said, “You go ahead. I’ll be there as soon as I check in on August.”
“Will do.”
I was just starting down the hall when I spotted August rushing towards me. Her eyes were filled with panic as she gasped, “Mom’s gone, and I’m afraid that something’s happened to her.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“She left Harper with Jae and went to the house to get Harper’s bunny. She’s been begging for that crazy thing since we got here. I guess all the whining got to Mom, and she decided to go do something about it.” August let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know what she was thinking! Doesn’t she know how stupid it is for her to go back to the house?”
“Maybe she’s okay. Have you tried calling her?”
“About a hundred times, but I never got an answer.” Her eyes were wide with panic as she stammered, “So … so I went to check her room, and that’s when I found her phone on her desk. She’d left it here!”
“Damn.” Knowing she had no means of transportation and she’d have to get through the guard at the gate, I asked, “How the hell did she even leave? She’s got no car.”
“I have no idea,” she huffed. “If I had to guess, I’d bet she called a cab or an Uber.”
“Okay … That’s possible, but how the hell did she get through the gate? There’s always a prospect on guard.”
“Who knows? She’s always been pretty crafty when she puts her mind to it.”
“Damn.” I ran my hand through my hair as I thought about my next move. I knew he wouldn’t like hearing the news, but I had to tell Gus—the sooner the better. I reached for August’s hand, leading her down the hall and said, “Come on. We gotta talk to Gus.”
When we got to the conference room, Gus was sitting at the table with Riggs and the others, watching the surveillance feed, and none of them even noticed when we walked up behind them. I cleared my throat, drawing Gus’s attention over to me as I said, “We’ve got a problem.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Samantha … She’s left the clubhouse.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Samantha left August a note saying she was going to the house to get something for Harper. August’s looked for her, but she’s nowhere to be found.”
“Damn it!” Gus stood up and interrupted me as he roared, “How the hell did she get out the fucking gate?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out!” Viper turned to Hawk and asked, “Who’s monitoring the fucking gate?”
“Bolt’s on duty until midnight.”
Rage washed over Viper, making him look like he was about to explode as he roared, “Get his ass in here, now!”
Hawk stood and quickly walked out of the room. With a hopeful expression, Gus looked over to Riggs and asked, “Can you trace her burner?”
“There’s no point in trying to trace it,” I told him. “She left it on her desk.”
“Well, damn,” Gus grumbled.
“What are we going to do now?” August gasped. “What if they have her? What if they hurt her?”
“I know you’re worried, but we’ll find her, August.” I reached for her, pulling her towards me as I wrapped her in my arms and held her tightly against my chest. “We’ll find her.”
I was still holding her when Hawk returned with their prospect, Bolt. Viper stood and charged towards him as he growled, “Were you watching the gate today?”
“Been standing at my post since two this afternoon,” Bolt answered.
“Did you happen to see Mrs. Rayburn leave the premises?”
“Yes, sir. I did. She left around five or so,” Bolt answered, completely unaware of the wrath that was about to come his way.
Viper grabber the collar of his t-shirt, fisting it in his hand as he jerked Bolt forward and snarled, “And you just let her walk out of here!”
“She told me that she got the okay, Prez.” His voice trembled as he added, “I just assumed that she was telling me the truth.”
“And you didn’t think you should check with me before you just let her waltz out of here!” Viper roared.
“Like I told ya … I-I thought she was telling the truth, sir,” he stammered. “Under the circumstances, I didn’t think she’d make that shit up.”
“Goddamn it! How could you be so fucking stupid!” The vein in Viper’s neck pulsed with rage as he said, “Get your shit and get the fuck out of here. Your days with the Sinners are done.”
“But Prez. It was an honest mistake!” Bolt pleaded.
“I’m no longer Prez to you. Now get your ass out of my clubhouse!” Viper demanded.
Looking completely defeated, Bolt lowered his head and walked out of the room. We were all so busy listening to Viper let loose on Bolt that none of had noticed that Riggs had been steadily working on his computer. He muttered something under his breath, then turned his laptop monitor in our direction. “Umm, Gus … you’re gonna want to see this.”
When I looked down at the screen, Riggs h
ad pulled up the live feed from Polito’s main warehouse. When I saw two men entering a building with a woman in their grasp, I knew immediately it was Samantha. She was blindfolded and struggling to keep up as they thrust her into the center of the room. Seconds later, one of the men grabbed a chair and placed it behind her, then gave her a hard shove, forcing her to sit. I was watching her tug against her restraints when I heard August cry, “Oh my god! Mom!”
Gus quickly turned to me and demanded, “Get her out of here!”
I took a hold of her arm and gave her a gentle tug, leading her out into the hall. Knowing that Harper was likely in August’s room, I took her down to my room. Once we were inside, she wrapped her arms around my neck and tucked her head under my chin, clinging to me tightly. I ran my hand down her back and tried to keep my voice steady and calm as I told her, “August, you gotta know Gus isn’t going to let anything happen to her.”
“This just keeps getting worse and worse! I just want it all to end!”
“It will. You just gotta hang in there a little longer. Can you do that for me?”
“I can try.” She looked up at me with anger-filled eyes as she said, “I know this might make me sound like an awful human being, but I want you to make them pay … Each and every last one of them!”
“We will. You can count on that.” I kissed her on the forehead. “I need to get back in there. Are you going to be okay while I’m gone?”
“I’ll be fine.” She released me from our embrace as she looked up at me and pleaded, “Just … please get her back for me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I kissed her once more, then headed back to the conference room. When I stepped inside, Gus and Viper were hovering over Riggs’ computer, watching as Polito entered the room. Gus clenched his fists and slammed them down on the table as he barked, “We gotta get over there now!”
“We do, and the whole fucking plan goes down the fucking drain,” Viper warned.
“I don’t give a fuck about the goddamn plan!” Gus shouted with frustration. “I’m not going to just sit here while Samantha’s life is in danger!”
“We could move ahead with the plan we already have,” Murphy suggested. “We’ve worked out all the details. We all know what to do and when to do it. We just need to get the job done sooner than later.”
“He’s right,” I added. “We spent hours going over every detail.”
“There’s one thing we didn’t cover,” Blaze announced. “I get that we’re dividing up, going into each property simultaneously, and wiping these motherfuckers out, but after? If we want it to look like Polito dropped off the face of the earth, we can’t leave any remains behind.”
Blaze had a valid concern. We’d worked hard to come up with a plan where we wouldn’t have to worry about any backlash for either of our clubs. The most crucial part of making that happen was to be sure there was no evidence that tied us to Polito’s death. While he didn’t go into detail, Viper looked over to Blaze and replied, “Don’t worry about cleanup. We’ve got that covered.”
“Good,” Blaze said and stood up. “Then, let’s do this thing.”
Gus and Viper both nodded, giving us all the order to move forward. Knowing time wasn’t on our hands, we all rushed out of the conference room and went straight to the Sinners’ garage. We had to load our artillery into the SUVs, along with anything else we might need to forge our attack on Polito. Each of us quickly checked every single weapon, ensuring that they were all in working order, and gathered enough ammo to wipe out an entire army. We were making good time, and everything was just about set to go, when I noticed Gus walking back into the clubhouse. Knowing Gus like I did, I realized exactly where he was headed. I just hoped he’d find the right words to say to help her through these next few hours.
CHAPTER 16
August
I was trying my best not to cry. Hell, I’d spent enough damn time crying over the past week, and I was sick of it. I decided right then and there that I needed another emotion to get me through all of this—anger. It wasn’t exactly difficult to make the transition. I had plenty of things to be angry about: the fact that my ex-husband got in bed with the mafia, that his ties with them caused my daughter to be kidnapped, and now, my own life was in danger. That was plenty, but the fact that now my mother’s life was in jeopardy was enough to send me completely over the edge. I was entering a full-on rage when I heard a knock on my door. I opened it and was surprised to see Gus standing in the hallway. My mind went directly to a horrible place, thinking that something awful had happened to my mother. I tried not to completely lose it as I asked, “Did something happen?”
“No. Not that we are aware of.” He paused for a moment, then said, “I just wanted to let you know that we’re leaving, and if I have anything to say about it, we won’t be coming back without Samantha.”
“Thank you, Gus. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate you all helping us like this.”
“You’re family, August,” he answered emphatically. “There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for either of you.”
“It’s easy to see why my mother cared so much for you, Gus.” Feeling the need to be close to him, I stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. “You really are a good man.”
“Not as good as you might think, but I take care of what’s mine.” He gave me a quick squeeze, then took a step back, releasing me from our embrace. “I better get going. The guys are waiting.”
“Okay.”
He started towards the door, then stopped and turned back to me. “Rev and Link, a couple of the Sinners’ prospects will be out in the hall watching over you and Harper while we’re gone. Just let one of them know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you.” When he started to leave, I called out to him, “Gus?”
He turned to face me. “Yeah?”
“Be careful.”
“Always.”
With that, he walked out of the room and closed the door. I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out my next move when I heard a commotion in the next room. It wasn’t until that moment I remembered that Jae was still watching Harper. Feeling guilty for leaving her for so long, I rushed through the connecting bathroom into my room. When I walked in, I was surprised to see that Jae had already given Harper a bath and had gotten her into her pj’s. They were both sprawled out on the floor playing with a deck of cards. Jae looked up at me with concern as she sat up and asked, “Did you find your mom?”
I didn’t want Harper to worry, so I said, “Gus has gone to get her.”
“Okay. Good.”
When I went over and sat down on the edge, Harper got up and crawled into my lap. “Me and Jae pway go-fish.”
“That’s great, sweetie.” I glanced over at Jae as I told Harper, “She’s very sweet to play with you like that.”
“I enjoyed it. Harper is a special little girl.”
“Yes, she is.” When she stood to leave, I smiled and said, “Thank you for watching her, Jae. I really do appreciate it.”
“Anytime.” Jae ran her hand over Harper’s head as she said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, kiddo. You be good for your momma.”
Harper nodded with a smile.
As she walked out of the room, I said, “Goodnight, Jae.”
“Night!”
As soon as she closed the door, Harper eased over to her spot on the bed and slipped under the covers. When I got up to change, Harper sat up and asked, “Where’s Gammy?”
“She went to run an errand.”
A curious look crossed her face as she lay back on her pillow. “It’s dark out.”
“Yes, it is.” I took off my jeans and t-shirt, then put on the sleep shirt Cade had bought me. As I walked back over to the bed and crawled in next to Harper, I told her, “She’ll be home soon.”
“’Cause Gus go get her?”
“Yeah. He’ll bring her back.” I leaned over and gave her a kiss. �
��Now, try and get some sleep.”
“But I not sweepy.” She gave me her best little pout. “Can we wash a movie?”
“We don’t have a way to watch a movie, sweetheart.” I reached for the remote and turned on the TV. “But I’ll see what’s on.”
I started flipping through the channels, and after several minutes of searching, I found an old children’s movie about a fairy I thought she might like. Seemingly pleased with my choice, she curled up on her pillow with her eyes glued to the television screen. I tried to ignore the anxious feeling that was growing in the pit of my stomach and focus on the quiet moment with my daughter, but it just couldn’t be done—not when I had no idea what was going on with Mom. I had no idea if they had hurt her or even if she was still alive. Every time I thought about one of those men putting their hands on her, my stomach would turn and nausea would wash over me. I lay back on my pillow, and as I stared up at the blank ceiling, I started thinking about all the things my mother had done for me over the years. She’d helped me find my first apartment, supported me without judgement when my marriage fell apart, and was always there whenever I needed a hand with Harper. It had always been that way, even more so when I was a child.
I could still remember how she would come watch me cheer at every football game, attend every single awards program at school, and never missed a single performance when I was in the school play. Denis Rayburn, the man I’d spent my entire life calling Dad, was a different story. He was rarely ever there during those special moments in my life. He was always too busy with work. As I lay there lost in my thoughts, I found myself thinking back to a trip we all took to the beach during my summer break. I was eleven or twelve, and he’d rented us a house right on the water. I was so excited that we were all there together, and I couldn’t wait to swim in the ocean for the first time.
As soon as we were unpacked, I put on my swimsuit and rushed into the living room. Mom was busy in the kitchen putting our groceries away while he was sitting on the sofa reading over some papers. Normally I wouldn’t interrupt him when he was working, but since I was eager to get out on the beach, I went over to him and asked, “Can we go swimming?”