Page 20
ALEC
Ever since I put a ring on Bren’s finger and my cut on her back, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. For someone who’d sworn he’d never enter a committed relationship, get married, or have an Old Lady, I found myself strangely sorry for my past self; we’d missed out on so much over the years.
With Bren and Ellie back at work full-time, Lexi was splitting her days between the two of us and her grandmothers. We could put her in the Crow nursery, but so far, none of us seemed inclined to do that. I loved having her in the office with Mum; it meant I could visit and spend time with her whenever I took a break. I wasn’t ashamed to admit I was totally wrapped around my little girl’s fingers and now understood why Cash and, just recently, Maestro would do anything for their daughters.
It was late afternoon when Bren called to warn me that she’d be home late. It couldn’t be helped, and I could hear in her voice that she was down about not being there to put Lexi to bed with me. I knew eventually this was bound to happen; we both ran our own businesses and eventually an emergency would crop up. It just so happened that it was her day for it today.
Even with Christian arrested, I still insisted she let me know when they left so that I knew what time approximately she’d be home. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her; it was a safety thing, and I knew she understood that and would do as I asked.
It was close to seven when I received the text. I’d put Lexi down and brought the monitor down to the kitchen with me and joined Sam, Ben, Beau, Reaper, and a few others sitting at the kitchen table shooting the shit while having a beer and something to eat. Aunt Maggie was out with Dog tonight for their anniversary, so we’d all made do with leftovers.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Taking it out, I read the message with a smile and replied before putting it back in my pocket. Looking up, I caught Reaper watching me.
“Bren,” he asks curiously.
“Yeah, Pres, they’re on their way back.”
“Good.”
We’re chatting for a few more minutes when Reaper’s phone rings, interrupting us. As soon as he answers, we all know that something is wrong. My heart stops a beat when I hear Ellie’s panicked voice on the phone, and across from me, Beau sits up straight. I grip the table so hard my fingers are going white.
The girls go quiet for a bit, and I was just starting to relax when I hear Bren shout to Ellie to brace. Sitting in the kitchen, my heart in my throat as I listen to the woman who’d given me everything shout in panic that has me out of my chair and running into the lounge where Abby, Mum, and Gunny are sitting.
Throwing the baby monitor at Gunny, I shout, “Look after Lexi, something’s happened to Bren and Ellie.” Turning, I hurry out of the lounge and back to the kitchen where Reaper is still on the phone. Ignoring them all, I grab my jacket off the hook and run out the back door. Beau isn’t far behind me, with Sam and Ben and the rest of the Temples following. Starting my bike, I ride like the devil’s after me towards the factory. We’re only a couple of miles down the road when I see Bren’s car crashed into a tree. Jumping off my bike, I let it fall, not caring if I damage it or not, shouting out Bren’s name as I fling open the door, already knowing that she isn’t in the vehicle and neither is Ellie.
Bending over, I grab my hair and pull as panic surges through me. “Come on,” Sam says, slapping my shoulder. “Let’s get back to the Manor and check their trackers.”
Until that moment, I’d forgotten about their trackers, “Fuck,” I shout, going back to my bike and picking it up. She’s a bit scratched and dented, but I don’t care. We hurry back to the Manor and to the clubhouse where Skinny’s set up is, and Beau immediately gets on and logs into the system.
“Fuck it!” he shouts, sweeping the pen holder off the desk and burying his head in his hands, tugging his hair. Going behind him, I see that their trackers haven’t been activated. “Fuck,” I mutter, resting my hand on his shoulder. I’m not sure how we missed it, but there was no doubt that Beau and Ellie obviously had a connection. I wondered if the age gap was what was holding him back.
Reaper walks in with the rest of the brotherhood. “Anything?” he demands.
I shake my head. “Jesus fuck!” he shouts, slamming a fist into the door that houses our electric and gas meters. Sam worriedly watches as his dad falls apart. When his eyes meet mine, he nods.
It’s time for him to start stepping into the position he’s born for, “Okay, we don’t know where the girls are. Draco, get onto Greg and check where Christian is. The girls are smart; they’ll keep themselves as safe as they can. Beau, check on Christian’s dad, see where he is. Dragon, take Dad and get him a whisky.”
Turning to Ben, who is pale, worry showing in his blue eyes. Eyes just like Bren and Ellie’s. They swing to Sam when he calls out Ben’s name. “Ben, if you’re feeling up to it and are safe to ride, then you, Booker, and Brice take your bikes and start getting the word out to the village.”
Ben straightens and agrees, “No problem, Sam. I’m good to ride,” he assures Sam, who nods before continuing, “Onyx, have Rea on standby. Hawk, Navy, let’s go to the abattoir and get any weapons you both think we may need. As soon as we know where my sisters are, we’re riding. Alec, stay with Beau and keep your phone on you.”
Everyone disperses to do as Sam orders. Sam, Navy, and Hawk leave the clubhouse to go and get us weapons. Reaper is silent, staring into a glass of whisky that Dragon poured for him. Dragon, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, it was strange to see my Pres fall apart, but I understood it, especially as I felt like punching a wall myself. Beau and I continue to stare at a screen that isn’t showing shit.
We’re in a holding pattern until we find out information. I hate the waiting, even though I know it’s pointless to be out there when we have no clue on where to look. Just because it’s pointless doesn’t mean that it doesn’t burn my arse. I’m itching to get out there and look. Instead, all I can do is pace up and down. Beau doesn’t look like he’s faring any better; his head is buried in his hands again, and his knee is bouncing. He’d done what he could to track Helmsworth, but he wasn’t as good as Ellie on the internet. From what he’s turned up, it doesn’t look like Helmsworth was behind this.
“They’ll be okay, right?” he lifts his head to look at me, and the look of anguish in his eyes makes me wonder if mine look the same.
“The girls are strong; we’ve trained them and they aren’t helpless. I’m sure the only reason they haven’t alerted us is that they were knocked unconscious in the accident,” I answer. I hope that’s why they haven’t alerted us. I couldn’t bear thinking it was for any other reason. “And,” I continue, “you know as well as I do that Bren will take down mountains to make sure Ellie is okay. She’s always been like that when it comes to her siblings.”
Beau nods; he knows I’m right. Both Bren and Ben are quiet but fierce when it comes to their little sister. I was surprised at how calm Ben had been, although I hadn’t missed the way Brice and Carly had wrapped their arms around him before ushering him out to do what he was best at—speaking to people. He had a way about him that immediately made people trust him.
Slowly, the clubhouse fills back up again. Draco comes in and goes straight to Reaper, who is much calmer and speaks to him. Beau and I have a clear view of the clubhouse from Skinny’s old room. The look on Reaper’s face at whatever Draco told him doesn’t seem to be good news.
Sam, Navy, and Hawk shouldered their way through the door next, black duffle bags in hand and black backpacks that I know from experience would hold explosives.
They put their load down on the pool table and start to unpack.
“Stay here and keep an eye out for their trackers. Hopefully, they’ll switch them on soon. I’ll grab you a weapon,” I tell Beau.
Beau nods and swivels back to the screen. I walk to the table and select a couple of handguns, making sure that they are in working order, although Hawk and Dragon regularly maintain them. We’d been taught to always check our own weapons. Loading them up, I strap on a holster and a bulletproof vest while we wait for Reaper to fill us in on whatever Draco had told him.
“Listen up,” Reaper bellows loudly, getting our attention. “Draco’s found out that Christian’s done a runner after killing two of the guards transporting him. By the looks of it, he had some help. They’ve brought his father in, who doesn’t seem to know shit about what’s going on. We have found out there is another son, and that’s who is helping him. They’re identical twins; his name is Kristoff.”
I want to roll my eyes at the stupidity of the names.
“The worrying thing is that their father says the second one is a psychopath who has been in and out of medical facilities for most of his life. He thinks the police got it wrong and arrested the wrong son.
“Personally, I think they’ve been tag-teaming each other and pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes and that the one helped the other escape. Draco managed to get a list of property that the Helmsworths own from Greg. We’ll start by checking the closest ones.”
Reaper is interrupted by Ben walking in with Carly, Brice, and Booker.
Ben walks up to stand next to me. “Anything?” he whispers quietly. I shake my head negatively, “You?”
He nods, “I may have something.”
Once Reaper stops talking, Ben steps forward, “We may have found something, Pres.”
“Go ahead, Ben.”
“I hit up all my usual people and one of them said that there’s been lots of activity out by the old industrial estate to the west of the village. The one that was bought a few years ago but is now in dispute with the council about building houses as it backs onto the nature reserve.”
We all know the one that Ben’s talking about. Reaper looks at the list that Draco gave him and flicks the paper.
“It’s one of Helmsworth’s properties,” he exclaims. “Grab what you need; we’ll check that one first. Make sure we take at least one cage with us.”
“I’ve got them!” Beau shouts out. “They’ve activated their trackers!” he shouts out again, relief clear in his voice.
“What’s the address?” Reaper barks out.
Beau rattles off an address and Reaper nods, confirming, “It’s the same address.”
Ben’s already moving before Reaper’s finished talking, taking the gun and holster that Brice holds out to him, strapping on his bulletproof vest as he’s walking. None of us are waiting; we’re moving fast.
Beau goes to one of the four-by-fours and I jump in the passenger seat with him, gripping the ‘Oh, shit’ handle so tight my fingers turn white as he careens out of the main gate and onto the road. Bikes fly past us as the brotherhood overtakes us, moving faster than we can in a cage.
We’re about a mile out when Reaper motions for the bikes to pull over. I know they’ll be going in on foot from here on out. Beau cuts the lights on our vehicle and slows right down to a crawl as the brotherhood and Carly disappear into the darkness. We slowly idle down the road. Time seems never-ending in the darkness as we wait for some kind of signal that we can drive in. And I know there will be a signal of some sort. Not ten minutes later, I’m right when we hear the sounds of guns firing. Beau doesn’t waste any time flicking on the headlights and bowling down the pothole-filled road towards the lit-up factory in the distance.
Outside, the brotherhood is picking off a few guys that look no better than thugs for hire; they don’t seem to have a clue on how to fight or defend themselves. Some have even laid down their firearms as if that’s going to save them.
Beau screeches to a halt, throwing open our doors, we run towards the warehouse, ignoring everything else that’s going on around us. Trusting brothers to have our backs. Reaper breaks off and runs after us. Slamming the small pedestrian door open, I immediately see that both the men are down on the ground, blood pooling around both of them.
Bren and Ellie are standing huddled together near one of the large machines at the far end of the factory. Relief fills me when I see that they seem unharmed for the most part.
“Bren,” I shout. Her head swings up at my call, and she drops her knife, stumble-running towards me and throwing herself into my arms, sobbing.
“Thank fuck,” I whisper, swinging her up in my arms, knowing that Beau has Ellie. We only stop long enough for Reaper to check on her and then Ellie.
I ignore the carnage around me as I get in the car, never once letting go of the woman that’s come to mean the world to me. My heart, which felt like it had stopped beating from the moment we realised they were missing, was back to beating evenly now that she was in my arms.
Beau drives us from the scene at a much calmer pace than how we arrived. I’ve never seen him like he’d been tonight, it seems all it took was a Crow woman to make us pull our heads out of our arses.