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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CY

“The tracker I put in Charlotte’s coat just went offline.” I snarl, ready to kill someone. The prospect who was outside with my woman and daughter being in my line of sight for not protecting her. He allowed himself to be caught off guard. His only saving grace was he already felt something was off and was making the call when it happened. He took a hit to the back of his head, and right now, Dagger was stitching the back of his head up.

“Where?” Hammer growls, looking away from the clubwhore that was in on my family’s abduction to meet my gaze.

We had to be smart about this. To get them back without going around our asses to do it. I knew this. He knew this. My brothers knew this. Even Alanna’s brothers knew it. None of us liked it. If it were up to me, I’d have gone after her the instant I knew it, but making sure I got to them before something fucked up happened to either of them was imperative. Meaning I needed to wait until I knew where the fuck they were going.

From the way the tracker moved, they’d been on the move, going in circles. What’s fucking with my head, though, is that her tracker can’t guarantee me that she’s with her mother. I can only hope she is because if not, I’ll lose my mind.

“They’ve stopped at a hotel on the other side of town. That sleaze bag one,” I tell him and look to Alanna’s brothers, not just Davis and Willis, but Dragon and Gadget. Mostly, I look to Gadget, “You know what I need you to do?”

I knew where Gadget’s skills were best, and the grin that he gives me says he knows exactly what I’m asking.

“Yeah, I’ve got you,” he states and turns to leave the room. “Got some on my bike.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Twister growls. “Dragon, thought you were going to keep him from bringing that shit with him.”

“You know we don’t call him Gadget for nothing, Prez.” Dragon shrugs.

“Fuck knows what all he brought.” Rage grunts, speaking for the first time since the Franklin Charter got here.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” I mutter and look to Hammer, then to Burner and Hades. “Ally come with y’all?” I hadn’t seen her, but Burner wouldn’t come down here without her. That woman is rarely away from his side. I don’t blame him for that shit. Hell, I’m surprised Izzy didn’t come with Twister.

“Ally wanted to come, but Lincoln and the baby are sick.” I’d forgotten they just had a little girl some months ago. Swear seems like kids are popping up left and right between all the clubs. I heard Viper’s ol’ lady was also pregnant now.

The thought of Alanna possibly being knocked up right now has several different images running through my head. All of them I like, but with her missing right now, it all freaks me the hell out because I don’t know if she’s okay or not.

“Right.” I nod, look toward the clubwhore, Trix, and finally address her for the first time. “Why the fuck did you do it?”

I know I’ve got to get out of here and find my woman and kid, but I want to know what the fuck this bitch was thinking.

Instead of answering me, she clamps her mouth shut and keeps a passive expression in place. I knew this clubwhore. I had her a handful of times when I needed to get off and she was available. I hadn’t paid attention to any of the clubwhores in the last year, though. Not that they didn’t try to get my attention. I’ve been all about my woman trying to get her ass to finally give in and stop avoiding me.

“You’re dead either way, bitch,” I tell Trix, not giving a damn if she’s a woman or not. When you do what she did, whether you got a pussy or not, it doesn’t matter. You cross the club in any way, you pay the consequences. But if you fuck us over by helping the enemy, you don’t just pay the consequences, you earn a bullet to the head. That’s what this slut is going to get.

“We’ll deal with her later,” Hammer states, clasping me on the shoulder. “Let’s go get your woman and daughter back. Afterward, we’ll handle the rest.”

I nod, knowing he’s right. Who the hell knows how long they’ll be where they are now. I need to get to Alanna and Charlotte before it’s too late. “Let’s go then.”

“Dagger, stay back with the prospect and Bruiser. You two keep an eye on this bitch. We’ll deal with her when we get back,” Hammer orders and starts for the door as Gadget steps in.

“We doing this or what?” Gadget calls, eyes gleaming as he waves one of his toys around. “I’ve got it all ready to go.”

“What the fuck is that?” Davis grunts.

“You don’t want to know,” Dragon mutters gravelly and heads for his brother.

I don’t know how the hell Connors puts up with the two of them, but I know she’s a hell of a woman for doing it.

As much as I want to take my bike, there’s no way to put both my girls on it, plus I don’t know what kind of state I’ll find them in. I move for one of the cages we keep around the clubhouse, wishing it was my damn truck. Once this is over, I’ll be sure to replace it, I’ll need it for my Lottie girl. Maybe I’ll let her help me pick one out. As long as she doesn’t pick some fucked up color like pink or other girlish color.

The ride to the sleazebag hotel doesn’t take long, and I follow the tracker to the back of it. This building is older than dirt. Hotel room doors were on the outside rather than inside the building. Back in the day, it was a decent place to stay when you needed to crash or work out of town. But that was years ago. It’s now a place for drug addicts, prostitutes, and someone that would be on the run.

“Don’t care how you do it, find which room they’re in,” Hammer remarks and starts heading for the building. It has two levels to it, and we’ll have to search both until we find Alanna and Charlotte.

“I’ll take the upper lever with Willis,” Davis states, taking off for the stairs.

“I’ll go this way,” Dragon says, tagging a few of his brothers.

I go straight to the doors in front of me. My gut pulling me toward it. The closer I get, I can hear my little Lottie’s cries for her momma.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I don’t bother waiting or signally to the others. I pull my gun out, step back enough to lift my boot, and kick in the door. The damn thing goes flying off the hinges. My little girl’s screams fill the room. A man that had been sitting near where she was jumps off the bed, lifting a gun in my direction.

“Eyes closed, baby,” I tell her, and she does as ordered, covering her ears as she does it.

I don’t waste time in pulling the trigger and killing the fucker. I don’t have to ask to know what he was doing. He was sitting far too close to my girl, and she was down to her panties and shirt. Four years old, and she shouldn’t have to suffer this type of shit. If I wasn’t enraged, I’d have taken my time with him. But I’ll make sure to do just that with the next one. The one responsible for this shit to begin with.

“Oh fuck,” Malice snarls behind me, “grab me a blanket from the cage.”

I ignore him and move to Charlotte, my legs leaden, and I do my best to contain the rage coursing through my veins. I scoop Charlotte in my arms, her hands coming away from her ears. “Keep your eyes closed, sweetheart. I’m going to take you to Malice. He’s going to take you to a truck and stay with you okay, baby girl?”

Charlotte squeezes her eyes closed tighter, nods her head ruthlessly, and wraps her arms tight around me. “Where’s Momma? I wants Momma.” Tears stream down her face, breaking my heart.

“I’m gonna get her for you, Lots. I promise you. I’ll get her for you.”

Ruger shows at the door, unfolding a blanket and handing it to Malice. His eyes have a murderous look in them as he sets eyes on my girl.

“Here, VP,” I say and press a kiss to the side of Charlotte’s head.

Malice wraps the blanket around Charlotte and engulfs her in his arms. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you in the warm truck while Cy finds your momma.”

“I wants Momma,” Charlotte whimpers, burrowing into Malice.

“We’re gonna find her for you,” he says, walking away.

I step out of the hotel room, knowing that if Charlotte was here, Alanna had to be close. If she’s close, that means the gunfire would have been heard.

Glancing in either direction, I pick the room on one side of the one Charlotte had been in and motion to Ruger to take the one on the other side. Together, on the count of three, we kick the doors in to both rooms.

A gun blast goes off, shards of drywall spraying toward me. Alanna screams, and as much as I want to look at her, I don’t. I focus on the man with the gun.

“Come any closer, and I’ll kill her,” he says, pointing the gun at Alanna.

“Kill her, and I kill you. Either way, you’re gonna die. But your dying all depends on what you do next, asswipe. You can either die painfully . . .” I shrug, narrowing my gaze on the weasel, “or you can die painfully. I’m going to make you beg for mercy, either way you look at it. The only difference is just how painful I make it.”

“Give the girl back, and I’ll exchange her for Alanna.”

“You think I’m stupid or something? You got a gun to my woman’s head, and you want me to give my little girl in exchange? Not fuckin’ happenin’. My woman would have my balls if I did that shit.”

Alanna makes a whimpering sound that I take as her agreeing with me.

“Now, you have two options,” I tell him, stepping deeper into the room. “You put the gun down and move away from my woman, or I start your pain-filled torture here by blowing your hand off.”

“You’re not going to do anything to me while I have this gun on her.” The weaselly bastard cackles and looks downward.

That was his mistake.

Taking his eyes off me. Jumping across the room, I tackle him to the floor, knocking the gun out of his hand.

“Son of a bitc. . .” He doesn’t get the last of that out before I knock him out. I should kill him. Here and now. But I hold off. He’s going to suffer long and hard for what he’s done to both my woman and daughter.

“Damnit, you took all the damn fun,” Gadget grunts, coming into the room.

“I didn’t take all the fun,” I remark, getting to my feet and moving to my woman.

For the first time, I look at her, seeing she’s not moving. Tears stream down her face, but she’s staring up at the ceiling.

“Hey, Short Stuff,” I call, getting to her and leaning over to meet her gaze. “You okay?”

“I knew you would come for us. Is Charlotte okay?” Tears stream faster out of the corners of her eyes, and her breathing hitches.

“She wants her momma,” I tell her, scooping her in my arms. Her whole body goes limp.

“He gave me something. I don’t know what it was, but I can’t move my body.”

“I know what it is,” Dragon growls, coming into the room. “I got a med kit back at the clubhouse. I can reverse the effects when we get her there.”

I nod and carry her to the truck Malice was in with Charlotte. He must’ve seen me coming ‘cause he opens the door and hops out. I place Alanna on the seat next to Charlotte, and no sooner my girl throws herself at her momma. Sobs shaking her entire little body. I want nothing more than to take both of them in my arms and hold them close. But I still have a job to do. I press a kiss to the side of my woman’s head and to the top of Charlotte’s head.

Pulling away, I look to my VP as Dragon moves in close. “Take them to the clubhouse. I’ll be there as soon as we’re done here.” Malice has spent more time with Charlotte than the others along with Rogue. With what she’s been through, she needs to be with someone she’s close to right now since I can’t be. I trust my VP to ensure she has everything she could need or want when she gets there until I can get back to them.

“I got them,” Malice says and moves to the driver’s side while Dragon gets in on the passenger side.

“We finish this here,” I tell my Prez as I turn back to head toward the room I left the asshole who threatened my family.

“Agreed.” Hammer nods, eyes glittering.

“Want me to make the call?” Davis asks, his voice harsh.

“I’ll make the call,” Willis snarls. “Let this shit be done with.”

“You two going to be able to handle what we’re doing?” They knew what we planned at the clubhouse. The plan was going to stay the same, though the scenario was different.

“Got no problem with it. They’re both monsters and deserve each other.” Davis growls.

“Then make the call,” I tell them and head back into the hotel room to find Gadget already setting everything up.

“Room will be ready, and we won’t have to waste time when the time comes,” he grumbles.

I nod and move to where asswipe, I didn’t even care to think up his name, was not sitting upright. His head lulled slightly to the side, and he was groaning. Time for some fun while we wait.

I flex my fingers, reach into my pocket, and pull out my knife while moving closer to the fuckwad. There used to be a time when those who did things they shouldn’t have were labeled, and today, this man is going to carry his label for what he’s done. He’ll carry that label straight to hell with him.

Gripping his hair at the back of his head, I tilt the man’s head back and carve the letters into his forehead. With the first letter, he comes awake, screaming. He tries to fight, but he’s held down by those around, keeping him still enough for me to finish.

Once the words were carved into his head, I stepped back to wait. We had more business to attend to.

Thirty minutes pass, and I’m sick of hearing the empty threats. I don’t know who he thought he was, but I listened to what he shared in those threats noting to look into them later to make sure Charlotte stays safe and no one comes after her again.

Finally, our guest shows up and barely gets in the room before coming to a halt. Davis and Willis move to block her path so she’s not able to leave.

“So, this is how you treat your mother?” she snaps and whirls around to stare at each of us. “What do you think you’re going to do to me? Kill me?”

“Have a seat,” Hammer orders, motioning for her to sit her ass down on the edge of the bed.

“So you can what? Rape me? I don’t think so.”

“No one in this room would want to put their dicks in your withered-up cunt, bitch. We’re not the type who need to force ourselves on women to get pussy. That would be your sick fuck of a husband.” He nods toward where her husband sat, head carved.

She gasps, eyes going wide. “What are you going to do?”

I move into her space, eyes hard, and pull out my knife. “I’m going to end the threat to my woman’s and daughter’s lives,” I tell her. “You fucked her up growing up just like he did. You deserve everything that you’re going to get.”

With that, I move, not giving her a chance to move. I take the blade of my knife and slice it across her throat. Next, I turn toward her husband. “Ready?” I ask the room in general.

I got several yeahs and fuck yeahs in answer. I nod, wipe the blood from my knife, and slide it back into my pocket. I hold the man’s eyes while I pull my gun from its holster, aim in the asshole’s direction, pull the trigger, and keep pulling it until I empty the clip right alongside every other man in the room. I find watching his body jerk and convulse with each bullet hitting him satisfying.

I place my gun back in its holster and leave the room. Gadget gives Davis and Willis the remote for when we clear the room to press when they’re ready. He’s giving them the honor to do this part, and I gotta respect that, ‘cause in their own way, they’ve also suffered at the hands of those two and deserve this.

I don’t look back as I make my way to the cage we came in. My only thoughts are getting out of here and getting to Alanna and Charlotte. I need to make sure they’re good. That they’re safe, those two, mother and daughter, they’re my world. I’ll do what it takes to see that they feel safe after this shit. It might take time, but I’ll put in the work. I’ll also be there for her when she finds out that she’s got family she didn’t even know she had.

Tomorrow’s Alanna’s birthday, and now, with this threat out of the way, I’m gonna make it special just as I promised my little girl I’d make it for her momma. I intend to make sure that with this threat gone, every day, including birthdays, my woman knows just how special she is to not just her daughter but to me as well.