Page 56 of Brandishing Betrayals (Devil’s Psychos MC #2)

Maya

A fter I finished showering with Nico, where we actually washed up, we had gotten dressed and left my empty bedroom. Jason was missing from the bed and I found him and everyone else in the dining room eating breakfast. “Food’s on the stove,” Marcos said, glancing at us both as we walked in.

I blushed slightly, wondering if Luke had heard anything, but he was talking animatedly about the upcoming game to Jason. Jason was seated at the table with his bad shoulder propped awkwardly on the table and I immediately felt bad. “I’ll be right back.”

Rushing back into my room, I went over to the pile of medical supplies Griffin had left me and pulled out the sling. I grabbed it and headed back out into the dining room. Not giving Jason the option to object, I loosened the strap and slipped it over his head.

He jolted slightly in surprise, but didn’t say anything when I held open the sling part and said, “Put your arm in here.” Gingerly, he followed my direction, only hissing slightly as his shoulder shifted to move into the sling.

Once Jason’s arm was situated comfortably, I tightened up the strap and nodded, mostly to myself, before I walked into the kitchen and started making myself a plate.

Breakfast was a comfortable affair, and I mostly talked with my mom and Nico, while Marcos and Jason talked football with Luke. I knew how much both men loved that Luke was playing their sport.

After breakfast was cleaned up, Luke changed his clothes and got ready for the game.

We all headed over together—Jason too—despite my minor protests.

We had to take two cars, but Nico drove mine so my mother could sit down easily in the lower riding car and I sat in the backseat so she didn’t get carsick.

Marcos drove his truck with Jason, and Luke over to the school.

I couldn’t keep the smile off my face all throughout the game. We all sat together in the front row of the bleachers, with me between my mother and Nico. Marcos and Jason were on his other side, and we all talked easily enough about the game, cheering loudly for Luke.

I felt happy for the first time in a very long time.

Maya

After the game, we watched as the boys cleared the field and headed back into the locker rooms in the school. Luke gave us all a great big smile and wave as he walked by with his friends. I knew he was on cloud nine having us all here, acting like a real family.

The way things should have been all along.

The stands slowly began to clear out as families headed to the parking lot to go home or wait for their player to come out of the school. My family and I stood up and stretched, feeling the ache from trying to sit on the bleachers for two hours. “Let’s go wait by the car,” I suggested.

The guys nodded and my mother moaned about the uncomfortable bleachers, and the five of us ambled off toward the parking lot.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Jason as I fell into step beside him.

He glanced down at me and shrugged his good shoulder. “Tired. Sore. But not horrible, I guess.”

My lips parted slightly in surprise. I was not expecting him to be so open about how he felt. He’d barely talked to me since he apologized for choking me that night weeks ago after Sunday dinner. “That’s uh—good—not good, I mean. I mea—”

Jason chuckled softly at my stammering response and I felt myself blush. “It’s not great, but I’m not dead. I’ll take it, and a nap when we get back to the house.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, glancing away.

The guys talked about the game while we continued to wait.

As the parking lot steadily emptied, a pit of worry began to gnaw at my mind.

Something was wrong. It never took Luke this long after a game to change.

Most of the time he didn’t bother, he just threw his shoulder pads in his duffle bag and wore his cleats and lower body pads home.

“Something’s wrong,” I said, looking around. I immediately began walking toward the school, that pit growing larger inside me. Something was wrong. I knew it.

I took off running for the school doors without looking back to see if anyone was following me. I needed to find Luke now. I ripped open the school door and yelled down the hallway as I ran toward the locker room at the end. “LUCUS! LUKE!”

“LUKE!” Marcos shouted from behind me.

We burst into the locker room, looking around at all the bewildered faces. “Is Luke Candella here?” I asked.

Marcos’s eyes snapped to me; the shock apparent on his face. Guess I never told him that I gave Luke his last name. Now was not the time to discuss it though. I stormed through the locker room to the door in the back.

We went through the door to come out into another hallway, this one dimmer, extra-long, and clearly used for storage, but there at the end was Luke. Someone was dragging him kicking and screaming away from me.

“Luke!” I shouted.

“Mom!” he yelled.

The man dragging him turned and looked our way, grinning wickedly. I would recognize that jagged scar and those dead eyes from anywhere, even from a hundred yards away.

Dax fucking Hillcrest.

“LUKE!” I shouted, sprinting after them.

There was too much shit in the way, and some if it had been turned over, like Hillcrest had knocked it down, knowing someone was likely to follow him.

“MOM! DAD!” Luke cried, tears pouring down his face.

“Watch out,” Marcos said, pushing me gently out of the way. He took off, running faster, climbing and jumping over things, trying to get to Luke.

Hillcrest pulled Luke out of the door and into the bright light of the outside world beyond. “No!” I cried out, trying to keep up.

Marcos was on his ass, but they had a head start.

“Please no,” I whimpered as I climbed over a turned over bookcase, then a desk. Garbage and debris littered the space. Dust was kicked up, coating my skin and lungs.

It felt like an eternity before Marcos stormed through the door. It took me even longer.

Finally, I ran outside to the gravel driveway behind the school. Only there was no one there. No Luke. No Marcos. No Dax fucking Hillcrest.

“Luke!” I screamed out in anguish. I dropped to my knees as broken heart-wrenching sobs tore out of me. My heart shattered in my chest when I realized that even Marcos was gone. Despair tore at me.

Footsteps pounded on the gravel behind me and I whipped my head around to see Jason and Nico running toward me. “What happened?” Jason demanded.

Nico dropped to his knees besides me. “Maya, what happened?”

“Hillcrest!” I sobbed. “Hillcrest took Luke. He took my baby.”

Nico’s face fell as disbelief as his arms came around me.

“Where’s Marcos?” Jason demanded.

I couldn’t breathe, my heart was pounding in my chest and my lungs were constricting with dust and exertion. I tried to calm my breathing so I could explain through my tears. “We followed Luke and Hillcrest out of the door. Marcos got here first. By the time I got out here they were all gone!”

“Motherfucker!” Jason swore, kicking at the gravel drive behind the school.

Nico pulled me up and pushed me at Jason, before he took off running down the gravel drive and around the building in the opposite direction as he’d come.

Jason’s good arm immediately wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest as tightly as he could. “Jason.” I gasped his name as I clung to him. “My baby. He has my baby.”

“I know, Darlin’, I know. We’ll get him back. I promise you, Maya. We will tear the world apart to get him back to you.” Jason’s voice was gravelly and deep, rough around the edges.

I sobbed into his chest, holding him tightly. We stayed that way until footsteps sounded behind me and I pulled away to turn around.

Nico and Marcos were walking back our way, looking complete dejected.

“No,” I cried again, seeing the look of utter despair on both of their faces.

“I got the plate number, but they got away.” Marcos’s voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if he’d been screaming.

Marcos walked right to me and grabbed me by both shoulders to turn me to face him, before both of his large hands came up and cupped the sides of my face.

“Mia Vida, I swear to you, on my fucking life. I will find him. I will bring home our son.”

Tears poured down my face as I whimpered and clung to his leather cut. “Marcos.”

He yanked me into his arms and pressed my face against his chest.

Maya

We eventually went back to the parking lot and found my mother still waiting by her car. Nico had to explain what happened to Elaine, as he got her settled into the passenger seat of my Civic. I couldn’t be parted from Marcos. I clung to him, needing the father of my child close to me.

I rode back to my mother’s house with my hand wrapped tightly around Marcos’s while he drove. Jason had sprawled out in back, taking up the length of the back seat to put his injured leg up. He had stuck his arm through the opening between the front seats to rest his good hand on my shoulder.

As soon as we got home, Marcos started making phone calls while my mother and I settled onto the couch.

Marcos called their entire club to my mother’s house and I listened in as the club convened in the garage.

Deep booming voices that shouted and yelled over one another, angling to be heard.

I had watched as all of my men had argued with their own club members on how to best rescue my son.

When it became too overwhelming, I left the garage quietly—not that anyone had noticed I had been there to begin with—and went to my bedroom.

I pulled my phone out as I sat down and frowned when I saw a new text message notification sitting on my lock screen. Unlocking my phone, I opened the message and covered my mouth to stifle a cry.

There was a picture of my son, his face bruised and bleeding in the message. Below the picture was an address.

Unknown Number:

Come alone. I will let him go free if you turn yourself over.

My heart pounded so hard in my chest, even as it fucking dropped into my stomach. Fear gripped me in a chokehold.

Maya:

How do I know you’re not lying?

Unknown Number:

Only one way to find out. You have until nightfall, then I’ll kill him.

My hand flew to my mouth to stifle my cry dismay. He was going to kill my baby if I didn’t turn myself over to them.

An even trade sounded good, but would he keep his word? I didn’t fucking know, but I knew what was happening out in the garage was not helping get my son back.

I needed to act. Now.

I entered the address into the GPS app on my phone and saw the house was just outside my neighborhood, across the Evermore River and into Creekton.

It was located in The Edges, what the locals called the land between Creekton and Mourningside that no one knew which town it actually belonged to.

The land was mostly owned by the Seratelli family.

It was within walking distance, maybe half an hour away. I wouldn’t be able to take my car, not with the million bikes parked at the end of the driveway, and there was no way my guys were going to let me carry out this plan of trading myself for Luke.

I would have to sneak out of the house and walk, or run, as fast as I could to get to Luke. It was the only way I could save him. I needed to save my baby.

Before I could change my mind, I slid open the window and popped the screen up, crawled over the dresser and snuck outside.

On the way over to the address I was given, I thought out my plan, praying to all that was holy that I was making the right decision.

When I was two blocks away, I called Marcos and he answered on the second ring. I could hear the guys yelling in the background. “Maya, I’m sorry about the yelling. We’ll be done soon.”

“Marcos,” I breathed his name. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean, Mia Vida? This wasn’t your fault. Give me a minute to finish up with the guys and I’ll come in there.”

“I left, Marcos. I’m not there.”

“What the fuck, you mean you left, Maya?” Marcos’s voice shouted over the arguing voices, silencing them.

“I got a text from Hillcrest. He said if I turned myself over to him, he would release Luke. A simple trade,” I explained.

“What the fuck, Maya! It’s a god damn trap! Turn around now!” Marcos screamed through the phone.

I had already thought about that, but I didn’t care. I would either be with Luke, or Hillcrest would keep his word and release my son. Either way, I would save my son. “I’ll text you the address, but I’m already here.”

“Maya—”

I hung up on Marcos before he could yell some more. I forwarded the text message from Dax so Marcos would have his phone number as well, but I knew full well that it was likely a burner cell and nothing traceable.

My phone rang immediately after, and I quickly silenced it.

I didn’t outright shut it off, but I turned off the ringer so I couldn’t be distracted from my mission.

Tucking the phone in my back pocket, I walked the final two blocks to the house and waited on the sidewalk in front of the run-down house that looked more like a shack than a home.

Huge sections of the roof were missing. Clearly it hadn’t been lived in for quite some time. This was a clearly just a meeting place, and that was it. They probably wouldn’t keep me here very long at all. I would likely be moved to a different location.

I would need to stop them from moving me. My life would depend on it. I had called Marcos though. They were maybe five minutes away by motorcycle, they would get to me before I got moved. I was sure of it.

Swallowing hard, I steeled my spine and then walked up to the front door.

It opened just as I stopped on the front step.

Dax Hillcrest stood with my son held in front of him and a gun trained on his head.

“You come alone?” he demanded, his milky white eye catching the light and making him look more deranged.

“Yes,” I muttered, my eyes on my son’s bruised face.

Hillcrest motioned me closer with the gun, but I held my arms out for Luke. Hillcrest pushed my son into my arms and I held him tightly to me, bending down to whisper into his ear. “My phone is in my back pocket. Grab it and run as fast as you can. Call your dad.”

“Mom,” Luke cried.

“You do this, Lucus.” I whispered fiercely into his ear. “Now.” I snapped a little louder and shoved him to the side. I felt my phone get lifted out of my pocket and then heard the pounding of Luke’s feet as he ran as fast as could.

Hillcrest aimed the gun on me and smiled wickedly. “You stupid bitch. You’ll pay for that.”

The gun fired.

And everything went black.

And my body fell to the ground.

To Be Continued…

Maya’s story continues in the Devil’s Psychos book 3: Brandishing Balance!

Coming October 3rd.