Glancing across the room, I see Meredith with her hand on her throat. It’s obvious she wants to say something and looks to be physically holding back the need to protest. I give her credit, sending her son out into this takes a strong woman and she doesn’t balk.
“We’ll be out of here in the next few minutes. Get your gear on, any firepower you have, and meet us outside.”
Together, she and I watch Drew leave.
“He’ll be okay,” I tell her, but I’m wondering if I’m trying to make her feel better, or trying to make me feel better.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Drew
Our vans travel three deep across the Louisville Road bridge, taking a right at the river. We trek a few more miles out into the county and then turn right down one of those old country roads. You know the kind I’m talking about. It has no shoulder, no lines down the middle, and the only people traveling it are those up to no good and the maybe five people who live down it.
Nerves wrack my body from the top of my head to the soles of my booted feet. There’s another storm brewing if the darkness in the sky is any indicator, but there’s also a storm brewing deep inside my gut. I’m ready to take the fear I’ve been living with for the past few hours out of someone’s hide. It’ll feel real good, but when we stop in front of the building, I have to ask Caelin if he’s sure.
“You’re positive this is the building?”
“Yeah, I know it doesn’t look like much, but I’m pretty positive that’s why they picked it. It’s nondescript, doesn’t stand out in anyway. Trust me, I’m positive this is where they are. I’m good at what I do.” Caelin levels me with a glare so much like Tyler’s I have to do a double-take.
“Okay, I trust you, and if this is where you’re telling me they’re holding her, then this is where they’re holding her.”
We quickly start the execution of the plan we formulated on the way here. I’m hoping it’s a little better than the go in, fuck shit up, and get my daughter plan I personally have, but right now that’s all I can think about.
Layne kneels down in front of us, pulling out a large tablet. “Caelin, how do I turn this fucker to the correct thing?”
They mess with it for a few seconds before we’re greeted with the layout of the building. “Okay,” he says, pointing to a spot on the tablet, “in my experience, this is where I think they’ll have her located. It’s the farthest point back from the entrance they can take her, and it’s deep enough most people like us wouldn’t have access to the ground penetrating radar needed to pick up her heat signature.”
One of the changes I made once I became president is I decided to take what every guy was good at and let them do what they’re meant to do. Dad had a hang up with him and Tyler making all the decisions. I’m not that type of person. I know I’m not good at everything, but one thing I do know about myself is I’m a good leader. Good leaders let people do what they’re meant to do. And if Layne is telling us this is where my daughter is, then I believe him with everything I have. “You have point on this,” I tell him. “You tell us what to do and we’ll follow.”
His gaze shows a huge amount of respect as our eyes meet. I appreciate him for what he does, and I can tell he does the same for me.
“On my count.” He holds up his fingers.
One, two, three, and without so much as a sound, we’re breaching the door.
My only thought when we enter is getting to Justice, and I honestly don’t care who I have to run over to get there. I’m in the back, my guys in front of me, clearing a path. I know exactly where I’m going and I know exactly what my part in this mission is. It’s crystal to me.
There aren’t many of my half-brother’s guys, but that doesn’t surprise me considering he decided to go with Steele out of all of mine. When I make my way to the interior, I take a good look around the room, immediately seeing Justice cowering over in a corner. But she’s not alone. Steele is with her, and that fuck face is holding a gun to her head.
My half-brother. He’s in a chair with rope wrapped around him. This is going to be a tricky fucking situation.
“Surprise,” Steele laughs from where he sits in the darkness.
“Why don’t you come out where I can see you.”
“That’s the problem, Andrew,” he yells across the room. “None of you ever saw me. Not really. I was the smart guy who sat in the cave by himself, keeping track of you and all your ladies’ comings and goings. I worked on some holidays because we were under threats, I never got a fucking break because no one wanted to learn what I was doing. But you know what keeping track of all of you taught me?” he snarls.
“Enlighten me.”
“How some of you were living so much better than I am.” He makes a sound, but I truly don’t know if it’s a laugh or a grunt. “You and Charity built that big-ass house a few years ago. Jagger and B, living on all that land. Remy and Tatum, buying up that piece of land next to yours, because you helped them.”
I want to refute what he’s saying but I can’t. Every word is true, but I can’t figure out where the fuck he’s going with it. Maybe I’m too close to be able to tell what the hell is going on, or maybe I just want him to tell me. Have him put into words how he’s been terrorizing all of us for over a year.
“I went to Liam ten years ago,” he continues. “Asked him to front me some cash so I could get a home of my own, build it the way I wanted to. The way the rest of you have been able to do. Do you know what he told me?”
“What? Ten years ago was an entirely different time for all of us, Travis. You know that. Things aren’t always flush, and sometimes sacrifices have to be made.” I try to get him to see the bigger picture that while everything looks hunky dory while viewing it through the window, when you get inside and have a closer glance, you know that it’s all fucked up.
“You didn’t, because it was all handed to you. You made none of the sacrifices the rest of us did.”
“Yes, I did,” I argue. “I had to do shit twice as hard as everyone else because I was always trying to prove myself. Not only to my dad, but to me, to my wife, to my kids.” I look pointedly at Justice. “I had a family to raise, I couldn’t wait on other people to make my life better for me, Travis. Maybe you should think about doing that for yourself once in a while.”
“Maybe you should watch your smart fuckin’ mouth.” He takes the gun from Justice’s head and points it over my shoulder, shooting at something behind me.
I know I’m the only guy in here, the rest are out searching for people who are here to help him. I have this and I have this on my own. “You don’t want her, what you really want is me, so give her up and take me instead.”
A sadistic grin washes over his face as he pushes my daughter toward me. I bend down, my eyes meet hers. She has a piece of tape over her mouth, and I don’t trust her not to make a sound if I rip it off. “You get out of here, you find one of our vans. Wild and Remy are out there, but if for some reason they aren’t, you lock yourself in one until one of us comes. You remember the phrase?”
She nods, her eyes big as saucers. There’s a fear there I’ve never seen before and I pray I never see again.
“I love you Justice, and I’ll see you later.”
She reaches for me with her hands still knotted together in front of her. Her little fingers touch my heart, and I know she’s telling me she loves me too. It takes everything I have not to follow her out of this room, but I know this has to be taken care of - once and for all. If I don’t do it right now, it’s never going to happen.
When I can’t see her anymore, I turn around, facing Travis. “You think you have what it takes to get me out of your way? Go ahead and do it. You want this patch? Try and take it.”
“I can easily shoot you right where you stand, Drew, or have you forgotten I hold the upper hand?”
“No, you don’t.” I nod over to my half-brother. “Looks like the people you thought were on your side, aren’t. You’ve written some chec
ks your ass can’t cash and you’ve burned all your bridges. Throw the gun down and fight me for this patch, Travis. I promise you, you won’t win.”
He shoves the gun to the side. “I want it way more than you’ve ever wanted it. I can promise you that.”
“Then put your money where your mouth is, asshole. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Caelin
I can’t believe what I’m seeing as I stand in the shadows of the doorway, watching Drew and Travis square off against one another. There aren’t many men I’m afraid of, but Drew Walker is one of them. I’ve watched him box in the ring, seen him take on my dad a time or two. He knows what he’s doing, but he’s real easy to underestimate. He’s got long reach and he’s strong as fuck, but he’s not bulky. He’s smart and bides his time. As soon as Travis rushes toward Drew full-force, I know he’s someone who has underestimated him.
Easily, Drew steps to the side, causing Travis to lose his footing, falling flat on his face. I hold back both the laugh and the cheer. Seeing someone so sure of himself fall is one of the best things I think I’ve ever seen.
“It’s not going to be as easy as you thought it was.” Drew grabs hold of the other man’s collar, pulling him up.
He aims for the nearest wall, shoving Travis face-first into the concrete. A loud cry of anguish rents the air, and I’m almost positive I heard his nose crack, or maybe it was his jaw, perhaps some teeth loosening. Turning him around, Drew shoves him up farther, putting his forearm at Travis’ Adam’s apple. He holds him there, not letting him move as he flat-out whales on him. The only sounds I can hear in the room are the thuds of punches connecting with flesh and tissue combined with the grunts and moans of a man who can no longer defend himself. I almost feel sorry for him, but then I think of how we’ve been living the last year, and I can’t.
I want Drew to kill him.
When Drew needs a rest, he moves away, letting Travis slump down to the ground in a crumbled-up heap, like a piece of paper thrown away in the trash. “I thought you had something for me,” he pants. “Thought you were going to take this patch right off my cut.”
The other men in the room are watching, but I can tell by their stances they aren’t going to get involved. They keep eyeing the door like they can’t wait to make an exit.
Travis wheezes something through what has to be a broken nose, spitting blood on the floor as he does so. Drew is no worse for the wear, but I can see a few scratches on his face. It looks like Travis is down for the count when he turns to the group of guys gathered. “You and I” - he points to the one who stands in front - “have never met, but I hear we’re half-brothers.”
To this man’s credit, he walks over, holding his hand out for Drew to shake. When they stand across from one another, the similarities in their appearances are striking.
“Name’s Slick.”
He claps hands with Drew who cocks his head to the side. “That your real name?”
The guy laughs. “Believe it or not, yes. You not only seemed to have gotten the better life away from our asshole dad, but you had a mom who knew how the fuck to name you.”
“I’m Drew, welcome to Bowling Green.”
The current between the two is uneasy, especially given what this guy did over the summer last year.
“Thank you for the welcome. Please accept my apologies for what we did to terrorize your club. We were all deceived.” He points back to where Travis still lies on the floor. “Had I known you weren’t involved with our dad any longer, I never would have been here. But there were some very real looking documents provided to us, along with a long chain of false information given.”
“He was our security guy, so he had access to essentially everything needed to make it appear as if what he was saying was legit.” Drew shakes his head. “But I can assure you, this club has nothing to do with the man who sired us.”
“Then I don’t want it.” Slick puts his hands on his hips. “My plan was to prove I could be just like you, so I could show him.”
“Word has it he died years ago,” Drew says the words with a bit of reverence in his tone. “My mom doesn’t talk about it, and I don’t like to make her. But I don’t think we’re missing anything by not having him in our lives.”
“Again our apologies, we were here under false pretenses.”
“Before I can accept your apologies…” Drew pulls back, clocking him against the jaw. “No hard feelings,” – Drew reaches out his hand - “but you did put my family at risk.”
“None taken.” Slick gets up, rubbing his jaw. “Understandable.”
“Your apologies are now accepted.” Drew slaps Slick on the back. “I’m just sorry it took so long for this to get fuckin’ straightened out.”
My gaze is on them, watching them talk as they don’t pay any attention to Travis, they seem to think he’s down for the count. And while that’s probably true, I’ve been trained my entire life to make sure everything is always what it seems. I wouldn’t be Tyler Blackfoot’s son if I didn’t. Looking around the room, I wince, trying to determine if Travis has moved at all, or if it’s just my imagination.
Picking a focal point on the floor, I come back to it a few minutes later. Frustration rolls through me because I can’t tell if he’s moving or not. There’s a loud noise over by the group, and I see they’ve thrown the door open, leading to another entrance. The rest of the Heaven Hill guys come in, along with Justice. This time, she’s not bound, and she looks extremely happy to see her dad.
Her legs carry her quickly, her feet beating heavily against the concrete as she races for him. The hair on the nape of my neck stands on end, and a feeling I’ve only had in my stomach a few times before makes itself known. It’s like I’m going over the steep rise of a roller coaster, then free-falling into a gravity-defying drop. My eyes immediately cut back to where Travis is lying on the floor. This time I know he’s moved. He’s surpassed the focal point I set on the floor.
Just as I’m about to yell at everyone else to watch out, he proves he’s not as out of it as we think and grabs the gun he threw to the side in the beginning. His hands shake as he aims it, promising he won’t hit his intended target and someone very innocent may get hurt here. At the small of my back, a gun is tucked in my waistband, given to me before we started out by my dad. I know how to use it, I’ve used it with him a million times, but I’ve never shot it at a human being.
There’s a pendulum and it’s swinging between right and wrong. The decision I’m about to make isn’t one I want to. It’s one I’ll be forced to make because of the actions of one man who obviously didn’t think the consequences through.
Time moves in slow motion as my vision goes back and forth between Travis and Drew. Only now, Drew has picked up Justice, holding her on his hip. She’s too old and too heavy to be doing it, but he’s obviously happy to have her safe and accounted for. They celebrate being back with one another, not aware of the danger at their backs. I yell, but no one hears me. When I see Travis take aim with those shaky hands, I know I have to do something, otherwise I’m going to watch two members of my family, maybe more, possibly die right in front of my eyes.
I run a few steps, plant my feet, and take a shot from where I stand. It hits right on the mark – in the side of his neck. Everybody hits the deck before looking over at me.
The shit hits the fan in the next few seconds like I’ve never seen before. People are running to him, they’re running to me, yelling out questions, but there’s only one thing I can get out from between my lips. I ask the question of my dad, who’s never lied to me before. “Is he dead? Did I kill him?”
I ask because even from here I could see the blood pouring out of his wound, dripping down his arm. There was a pool around his feet before he even hit the floor.
Tyler Blackfoot is pale underneath the tan he has year round. I’ve never seen him pale before, this is a first, and tells me the answer to my question before I ask again. “Let’s get
you and Justice out of here.” He holds out hand, palm up. “Give me the gun.”
I give it to him, no questions asked. It burns against my flesh.
“C’mon.” Dad pulls me close as he puts the gun in his waistband this time. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He holds his hand out for Justice.
We leave, and I notice none of us ever look back.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Drew
“Get inside.” I reluctantly let Justice go. “Everybody is excited to see you.” I push her toward the door, needing a moment to get my shit together.
“If you want me to tell her,” - Dad comes to me, putting his hand on my shoulder - “I will. Steele was my hire, he was my responsibility.”
“No.” I shake my head, this is mine. “I took over, and when I took over, that means everything.”
Holding my head up high, I walk into the clubhouse just in time to see the reunion with all the girls. Charity and my mom smother Justice, each holding her tightly. In the corner I see Tatum holding herself back, as well as Christine. Both of them deserve my attention, but I hold off when I see Harley approaching her sister.
“I’m so sorry for being mean to you!” Harley sobs as she grabs hold of her sister. “I love you and I’m so sorry!”
“I love you too,” Justice cries, holding on tightly to her sister. “I knew you’d help me.”
“I did. I told them I didn’t think you were dead, I could still feel you.”
“I could feel you too.”
It’s too much for me to continue to watch them. Walking over to Tatum, I take her in my arms. “I’m sorry. I love you, kiddo.” I kiss her on the forehead. “Forgive me?”
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