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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

ALANNA

Cy’s been in gone for a while now. Well, not gone as in gone, more like off limits for the past several hours, ever since this morning. He’d gone into the room with his brothers and none of them have come out, not even when a bunch of other men showed up. Avery and Willow explained they’re from the Franklin Charter.

I couldn’t do anything other than nod because I didn’t understand all of this charter mess. I mean, I knew some things, but not much.

While waiting on him, Charlotte and I spent some time outside under the watchful eyes of the club’s prospects. Charlotte needed to be able to use up her energy. How the child had so much of it, I find remarkable. But she’s four, so there’s that.

“I wants hots cocoa, Momma,” Charlotte announces, bouncing up and down. Her little arms held close to her sides, hands in mittens, balled into tiny fists.

Smiling at her, I stretch a hand out for her to take. “Come on then.”

With her hand in mine, I start to guide my little girl back into the clubhouse only to have our way blocked by one of the scantily clad women, one of the clubwhores as I know these women to be. I hadn’t had any run-ins with any of them since being here. They’ve kept their distance from me, but I’ve heard the stories of what they’ve tried to pull.

“Excuse me,” I murmur, meeting the woman’s gaze head-on.

“You know, you’re nothing to him. Replaceable just like every other woman who thinks they can get him.”

“I’m not going to discuss this with you,” I snap, not wanting to get into it with this woman. I definitely wasn’t about to do it in front of my daughter.

“You think just like those other bitches, your shit don’t stink, but every one of those men could do better than you. Instead, they allow themselves to be trapped by you all. It won’t work. They’ll eventually get tired of y’all and let their eyes wander.”

“Momma,” Charlotte whispers, her voice so soft, still I could hear her nervousness.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I tell her, not taking my eyes off the clubwhore. “Look, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but if you don’t move out of my way, you’re going to know I’m not the type of person to let you speak that way in front of my child. Now, please move so I can get my daughter inside.”

The woman sneers, eyes narrow. She also doesn’t move out of the way. What she does is get farther in my space, directly in my space. I want to tell the woman she needs a damn Tic Tac, but I don’t.

Mostly because I don’t have the chance since everything goes dark on me. The last thing I hear is my daughter crying out my name.

“Momma, I want my momma,” Charlottes screams, demanding for me to steer me awake.

I take only that of a split second to allow myself to register that something is very wrong. What that is, I don’t know for certain. Whatever it is, though, I’m sure it’s bad. Very, very bad.

“Shut up, you little brat.” I knew that voice. It’s haunted my dreams for years and years.

It was my father’s voice. The one who hurt me for so long.

“I want my momma.”

“I don’t give a shit what you want.”

I try to bolt upright, ready to get to my daughter, only to find I couldn’t move. My limbs wouldn’t work.

Why can’t I move? I try to turn my head, only I can’t do that either. What in the world?

“Good, you’re awake.”

A shiver rushes up and down my spine as his face comes into view, his body coming over mine.

“You know I’ve been looking a long time for you, Alanna. Caused me a lot of issues taking my property from me. Lost me quite a bit of money. Lucky enough, I’d been able to find someone willing to wait for a child like her.”

I swallow down the bile that wants to threaten to choke me. I want to scurry away from him, get my daughter, and run, but my limbs refuse to move for me. I try to twist away, to lift my hand, ball a fist, something, and I just can’t do it.

“What did you do to me?” I manage to murmur without my voice trembling.

“Gave you a little bit of something, something that will keep you still long enough for me to deal with business. Once I finish business, I’ll remind you who you belong to,” he growls this last part, his hand coming to grip my jaw tightly.

It hurt, and I knew it was going to leave a bruise.

“Your mother left me, you know. After she found out the truth, she left me.”I didn’t care if she left him. She was a horrible woman. “She wasn’t thrilled with what I did to you, but that isn’t what caused her to leave me. It was the fact she found out that I’m the one who fathered a child with you. I refused to get her pregnant, but I had no problem getting you. She was furious about this. But it was her own doing that I refused to breed with her. She wouldn’t stop fuckin’ that Irish fucker. Gave him two sons and a daughter. Gave him what he already had with two other women. She didn’t care. She loved him when it was me she was married to. I had to put up with his bastards, and then when he died, I wouldn’t touch the bitch when she wanted.”

Nausea coiled in the pit of my stomach. I had to fight the waves ready to lodge themselves in my throat. No way I was going to puke right now. Not without being able to turn my head or roll to my side.

“Momma, I want my momma,” Charlotte cries, and it dawns on me. I can hear her, but she’s not in the room with me.

“Where’s my daughter?” I demand, surprised I was able to keep my voice firm.

“Don’t worry about where the brat is.” He grunts, a grin pulling at his lips. “She did turn out to be a beautiful little girl, definitely going to be able to get more money than what I originally was offered.”

No. No. No.

I’ve got to get out of this mess.

I don’t know how I’m going to do that, though.

With not being able to move, there’s nothing I can do.

“Wanna know how I got you away from those men you seem to prefer fucking?” he asks.

“No, because it doesn’t matter. Cy’s not going to let you get away with taking me and his daughter.” The words passed my lips before I could stop them, and I knew they were true. He wasn’t going to let me or Charlotte be taken from him. By now, I’m sure he knows we’re missing and is coming for us. For all I know, he knew the minute we disappeared and was out there looking for us.

My father lets my jaw go, only to slap me. His hand conforming to the entire side of my face, from hairline to jaw. The pain of it rips through me, making me see stars.

“You won’t be found, and neither will that brat. She’s mine, just as you are to do with as I please. Within the next twenty minutes, she’ll be sold as her buyer is on his way. As for you, once she’s gone, we’ll be leaving, going somewhere no one will find you.”

Pulling away from me, I hear him moving around, but he doesn’t come back into view.

My heart thunders in my head, my mind screaming at me to get myself together. To get to my daughter.

Unfortunately, as much as I tried, I couldn’t move.

A single tear slips down my cheek, knowing I couldn’t do anything and because of me being unable to get to my daughter, I’ll lose her.

That is unless Cy comes.

Deep down, I know he’s coming.

I feel it.

He told me to trust him, that no one and nothing was going to take me from him. That’s what he said. Knowing all this, I’d hate to be one he comes after. They’ll be in the wake of his destruction. I have a feeling that nothing will survive being in Cy’s path.