by Evie Monroe
This was all so close to the dream. It even looked like the dream.
But it was all an illusion.
I finished packing the suitcase, then wheeled it outside. The cab driver put it in the trunk for me. Then I went back to get Ella. She was sound asleep in her toddler bed, with the soft elephant sheets and new pink blanket. She looked so cozy.
I stifled a sob as I lifted her out. It was getting late, and we had to make it to L.A.
Chapter Nineteen
Cullen
“Jesus,” I muttered, shouldering Drake in the ribs. “Take it easy.”
I’d had Drake patch up countless injuries in the past, but I couldn’t remember one hurting quite so much. I sat there, holding my hair out of the way, as he dug the needle into my scalp again. “What, you got ants in your pants? Stop jiggling around like that.”
I let out a hard breath and checked my phone. It was after nine. The fire had burned out fast and the emergency vehicles had been on their way in within the hour. Most of the guys had gotten to Lucky Leaf early, since after the explosion, they were too wired to do anything else. There were rumors flying all over the place. I’d need to settle them down, and quick.
Lucky Leaf was Hart’s father’s place, and where most of the guys in the Cobras worked in some form or another. Hart had never been a mechanic but Nix, Jet, and Drake were. They’d gotten to know each other through the garage before they’d become officers in the club.
The garage was small, with no waiting room, just three bays, two of them occupied by cars up on lifts. We’d all crammed into the third bay for church, by the shithole business office. The place was choked with smoke, but I wasn’t going to open a garage door and risk the chance of a Fury seeing us. With our clubhouse destroyed, there weren’t too many other places to hold our meetings.
“Done?” I asked Drake as he stuck the needle into my skin once again.
He yanked on it, then leaned forward, biting the ends of the suture and freeing the needle. He ran a finger over it. “Aw, that looks pretty.”
I shoved him away, messing a hand through my hair to get it to fall over the stitching. My hair was sticky with blood. I needed a shower almost as much as I needed a drink. I lit another cigarette as Drake sat down next to Nix and Jet, then I boosted myself up onto the workbench. “Okay, guys. Let’s get this party started.”
The room silenced.
“First of all. Is everyone okay?”
There were nods, and Zain and Hart said yes. “What happened?” Nix asked.
“A package arrived at the clubhouse . . .” I looked at Hart. “When?”
Hart shrugged. “This morning, I think. It wasn’t there last night but it was there when I got there after lunch.”
“So, sometime this morning. I went over to the clubhouse to open it. I thought it could be parts but it was unmarked. I lifted it and it started beeping. At that point I told everyone to get the fuck out, and here we are.”
“Fuck,” Nix said. “Do we know it’s Fury?”
I nodded. “A few minutes after the explosion I received a call from the Fury’s leader, Slade, who confirmed that it was their bomb.”
“What are we fuckin’ around here for?” Jet asked. “We should go over there and end this, once and for all!”
Nix put a hand on his shoulder. “Easy.” He looked at me. “But we should do something. Enough playing nice. You have to see that, now?”
The guys studied me, waiting for my next words.
“Yeah. Like I told Slade. He’s declared war.”
Jet pumped his fist, the cowboy. He’d probably take them all on himself if we gave him the chance . . . and get his ass shot off in the process.
I held up a hand, my voice rising. “But we can’t just go in there without our heads on straight just because we’re angry and want revenge. We’ve got to have a plan. I don’t want to put any of you at risk if I don’t got to. You understand?”
I said this specifically to Jet, who slumped in his seat and frowned. “Okay, so let’s make a plan. Let’s do this.”
Nix shoved him and told him to chill out.
“All right. First,” I said, lighting a cigarette and setting it in an ashtray. I clapped my hands together. “What do we got as far as firepower? Did we lose anything in the explosion?”
Nix shook his head. “We haven’t been keeping our weapons there. We each have our own stash.”
I looked around. “Everyone got their weapons? Ammo?”
Around the room, they nodded.
“All right. So we find out where they are and when they’ll be together, and we hit them there.”
“Hey,” Hart said, lifting his laptop off his knees and turning it to us. “We already know when they’ll all be together.”
“There was some chatter on one of the phone lines. Something about a surprise birthday party. It was a girl talking to one of Hell’s Fury.”
“Who and how do you know it was the Fury talking?”
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Hart put his hands out and smiled a cheeky assed grin. “I hacked in to their phones and I know it was Slade’s girl. Roxanne, I think is her name.”
“Yeah, Roxanne’s definitely Slade’s old lady,” Zain said.
“It’s Slade’s birthday,” Hart said. “His girl is having a party for him out at the Fury’s clubhouse. Tonight.”
“Tonight?” I repeated.
“Yeah,” Jet said. “Bitch probably doesn’t even know what they did. We can hit them when they’re drunk and least expecting it.”
I’d normally be all in for this kind of retaliation, but something was holding me back. “Well if it’s a surprise party, won’t their women be there? Innocent people?”
Jet scoffed. “So? We’re not after the innocents. And those bitches are far from innocent.”
Who are these guys? Was I the only one in the club who thought women and children should be spared from the bullshit that went down between our clubs?
From the looks on their faces, I saw that I was. I’d never noticed before. Never had a reason to, up until now. Before, I probably would’ve been right with them, with my bloodthirst.
Then Zain looked at me. “You forget what they did to your ex and that little girl?”
I scowled at him. Like I could forget that for a second. And that was the problem, I couldn’t.
“It’s a good opportunity. When will we get a chance to have them all together like that, where we know where they are?” Ire blazed in my veins as Hart went on, “You know they have church at surprise locations all over the bay. We never know when or where they’re going to have it. This could be our best chance.”
I went back to the bench, and took a last drag of my cigarette, trying to settle my nerves. Something about this just felt wrong. Too dangerous. Could’ve been because I’d seen the look in Grace’s eyes, heard Ella screaming . . . and now I finally felt like I had something big to lose.
Fuck. A president couldn’t feel like this. Once I had something valuable, the whole club was vulnerable. But, I’d almost lost her. And I’d be fucked if I let that happen again. Yeah, I wanted to be careful, safe. But above all, I had to think of my girls.
The men were all looking at me. Eyes thirsty for blood.
And if I didn’t fight now, this could go on and on.
If we retaliated now, we could end it, and Grace and Ella would be safe.
“All right,” I said, stubbing out the cigarette and nodding. “Grab your weapons, and let’s meet here at midnight. And get this done.”
Jet and some of the other guys let out a hoot of excitement. I couldn’t share it. It’d be nice if this war would end the night it started. But I didn’t think that was the case. And these days, I had a lot more to worry about than a few broken windows and a shot-out living room.
As the men filed out, I fisted my hands in my hair but pain sliced through my skull. I wound up tracing my finger over Drake’s handiwork. Nix saw me and said, “You okay?�
�
I nodded, and then frowned. “I don’t know. Something feels wrong about this.”
“What?” he asked, leaning against the wall. “You know we should’ve taken them out while we had the chance.”
“Yeah.” I let out a breath of air and scrubbed my hands over my face. “But you know that once it starts, it ain’t gonna end so easy. There will be back and forth. We might just end up wiping each other out.”
Nix shrugged. “Yeah. But what’s right is right. They started this when they kidnapped an innocent girl.”
“And they won’t stop. You know they don’t play fair. Don’t you worry about them getting their hands on Olivia again?” I asked. “She has a target on her back. Yeah, we protect her, but we can only do so much.”
Nix gave me a surprised look. “When did you start worrying about that, man? You know our protection’s good. And Livvie’s all for it. She asks me every day when I get home whether I ripped any new Fury assholes. She’s more bloodthirsty than I am.”
I let out a low laugh, but it came out broken and uneasy. Grace wasn’t bloodthirsty. And I didn’t want her to be. I wanted her to have everything she wanted: A normal life.
And I fucking couldn’t give it to her.
Chapter Twenty
Grace
I lifted Ella into my arms and carried her out to the cab, waiting at the end of the dark driveway. As I did, I told myself not to cry.
Maybe I’d see Cullen again. Maybe, in another few months, things would calm down, and I could come back. Part of me was also hoping that he’d decide I mattered more than his club, follow after me, and maybe decide to stay with me.
I knew that wouldn’t happen. I wasn’t stupid. His club was his family, and the Fury had shit all over his family. I wanted him to make them pay. They deserved it.
I just knew I couldn’t be around for it.
When I got to the cab at the end of the driveway, I started to open the door. Just then, a car pulled in right behind us, two headlights slashing through the dark, momentarily blinding me. I squinted as the driver’s side door opened.
Cullen jumped out, leaving the door open as he came around toward me. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry, Cullen, I have to leave.”
He moved closer and barred me from the door. “Like hell.”
“Cullen . . .”
I stopped as the driver’s side door of the cab opened and the driver got out. He waved his cell phone. “Miss. Is this man bothering you?” He eyed Cullen like he was a thug or something.
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine.”
He eyed me suspiciously as Cullen got in a fighting stance. “Get back in the car, old man,” he warned, his eyes flashing to mine.
I rolled my eyes. “Do you really have to be a douche to everyone outside your little circle of friends?” The driver didn’t budge, gauging the situation, his finger at the ready to press the emergency button on his phone. “Cullen, please move aside.”
I tried to shove him a little, but that was like moving a mountain. It was no contest. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms.
“No. You’re staying here. I’m not letting you go again.”
I shook my head. “Please Cullen. Let me go. I know you have to stay. I don’t blame you. But I can’t be here. Ella can’t be here. Just . . . be safe, okay? Don’t get killed or something.”
He lifted off the car and threw his arms up. “Why? Didn’t we already go over this? You said you wouldn’t leave again. And here you are, leaving.”
“You know why. It’s too dangerous for Ella.”
He started to move aside, his jaw working, a pissed-off expression on his face, when a voice called in the distance. “Grace! Grace! Is that you? Everything okay?”
Cullen whipped his head in the direction of the sound, and I craned my neck over the bulk of his build to see Barry standing at her mailbox, straining to see us in the light. Now Cullen had fire in his eyes and focused on her. “Jesus. Why the fuck is everyone in our business?”
”Maybe if you didn’t stop fixing everyone you didn’t know with a death-stare, they’d be more friendly?” I asked. Then I called over in a light voice, to show her just how fine everything was. “Everything’s fine, Mrs. Sumter.”
“Oh, Grace. It’s so late. I was worried about you. That poor little baby of yours sure is having a long night. Let us know if you ever need anything!”
“Thank you!” I called over, waving at her. “I’ve got it under control!” Fuck, I figured child protective services would be paying a visit soon.
“Jesus. They all think I’m trying to kidnap you,” he muttered. “In front of my own goddamn house. Come on. Come inside.”
I shook my head and stood firm. If I went back in the house with him, my plans of escape would be all over. “No. I’m sorry, Cullen.”
His eyes flashed to Ella, sound asleep on my shoulder. “I don’t get it. Where do you think you’re going anyway?”
“What can’t you get, Cullen? I need to get away. You know I’m not safe here. This driver is taking me to L.A.”
His eyes narrowed. “L.A.? Where in L.A?”
“I don’t know. I thought I’d just find a hotel.”
He let out a breath that was partly an ironic laugh. “Since when is that safe? And how will I know when you get there?”
“I’ll call you,” I told him. “I promise.”
He stood there, hands on hips, jaw clenching and unclenching. Then his eyes flashed to the driver and he lifted his hands in surrender. “Back in the car, old man. I’m not touching her. See?”
The old man’s eyes volleyed between us, and I nodded. “Tell me when you’re ready,” he said to me as he slowly slipped back into the cab.
“This isn’t right,” Cullen muttered, and I saw what was in his mind, as clear as day. The last time I’d skipped out of his life, he hadn’t been able to find me. What if I disappeared again?
“I don’t have a choice,” I said, looking down at Ella. “Especially where she is concerned. You know L.A. will be safer.”
“No. I don’t know that,” he snapped. “Yeah, someplace out of town is probably a good idea. But I’ll take you. You understand? I’m not letting you go that easily.”
Some where he can keep tabs on me and make sure we don’t disappear. I nodded. “Okay.”
I turned, opened the door, and looked inside at the driver. “Thank you for waiting. I won’t be needing a ride after all.”
The man shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowing in the rearview mirror at Cullen. “Aw, sweetheart. You take care of yourself and that little cutie.”
I smiled. That was the aim, anyway.
Cullen said, “Let me just change my shirt and we can go.”
Cullen took my suitcase out of the cab and put it in the back of the car, an old muscle car from the sixties, a Charger, maybe? It smelled strongly of motor oil, which made me think he must’ve borrowed it from the garage where he used to work. Cullen went inside, changed out of his bloody shirt, got one of the car seats he’d bought, and fit it into the back of the car.
We fit Ella into the seat and buckled her up, but she barely stirred.
I slid into the front, beside him, as he put his hand on the stick shift and threw the car in reverse. As he did, I saw Barry’s form silhouetted in the front door of her house, watching us. She was probably thinking that we were some damn crazy neighbors.
She really only knew the half of it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cullen
I threw Hart’s old Charger into reverse and sped down the hill, noticing how our neighbor was watching us like a hawk. I started to roll down the window before I realized it might be too much air for Ella. I let out a breath and turned up the fan, but foul-smelling, dank air filled the cabin. “Really happy you made best friends with that old bat so that she can keep tabs on us, everywhere we go.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Would
you stop being an asshole every two seconds?”
“As long as you stop being absolutely fucking ridiculous,” I muttered at her. “You know I like my privacy.”
“No. I know you’re pathetically antisocial unless it’s a Cobra or a hot girl.”
I frowned at her as I pulled up to the stoplight near the Circle K, on the road leading out of town.
She bit her lip and studied a sign that said, SANTA BARBARA 30 mi. “How far away is L.A.?”
I shrugged. “Too far.”
L.A. I wasn’t fucking going to L.A. I’d tucked my piece in the back of my jeans, had another one in my boot. I was prepared for war. What I was going to do was get about a half-hour out of town, drop her and Ella at the swankiest place I could find in the nicest neighborhood, and then high-tail it up to Aveline Bay to discuss our little party with the Fury.
She looked at me. It was like she could read my mind, the suspicion in her voice. “Where are you taking me?”
“Like I said. Somewhere safe.”
She tapped on her lips. “Out of town?”
I nodded.
She yawned. “Okay. What happened at church?”
I gave her a look. She knew better than to ask me that. What happened there, stayed there. I didn’t take chances. Though I knew I could probably trust her. “We just have to get you somewhere safe.”
“And then you’re going back to deal with it?” She cocked her head at me.
“I’ve got to.”
“So you’re just going to go back and shoot them all up and get yourself killed in the process?”
I pressed my lips together. “That’s not the plan.”
She sighed and leaned her head against the door. “Yeah, but it could happen. And eventually, one day, it will.”
“All right,” I said, my voice rising. “Maybe it will. But let’s not talk about that, okay?”
I didn’t want to sound on edge, but I knew I wasn’t doing a good job of it. Right now, the Cobras were getting locked and loaded, preparing for an all out war, and I should’ve been leading the charge. But, I was here getting Grace and Ella squared away. I checked the time on my phone. It was after ten. Once I got her settled at the hotel, I’d need to high-tail it back to Aveline Bay to be there by midnight.