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CHAPTER THREE

Violet

After Declan dropped me off at the gym after our lunch date, I finished out my shift before grabbing Carter from school and coming home. My boy teased me as I made him stand by the front door while I checked the apartment. Ever since the night I was stabbed, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling of being watched or having someone in our space.

I haven’t found anyone, of course, and I’ve laid out small cameras in the apartment just in case. Even so, I’ve found nothing. It doesn’t help that these cheap cameras I bought at Walmart are just that—cheap. The recording is grainy, and they don’t catch every angle of the room, but I needed something affordable that could at least ease my mind.

I could’ve asked Declan to install a system, knowing he’d probably do it for free to help me out, but that would be taking advantage of his generosity. I won’t do that. Especially now that I’ve told him we can’t be together.

It hurt to admit it out loud, but he has no idea what my past brings with it. Or who.

It’s five in the morning and I’ve just been woken out of a deep sleep by a sound I haven’t heard in years.

My burner phone is ringing.

Only two people who have that number and they’re the only reason I keep the damn thing charged. It also means someone’s in trouble.

Flipping off my covers, I sit straight up and open the nightstand drawer to grab the phone. When I see it’s Emilia calling, a solid rock forms in my stomach.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, skipping the pleasantries and whispering to keep Carter from hearing me. I walk over to the door and quietly close it, then make my way into the bathroom, closing that door too. There’s no need to alarm my son until I know what’s going on.

“Mili?” She’s not answering me, but I can hear her sobbing into the phone.

After a few deep breaths, she shakily whispers, “I’m sorry, Vi. I’m so sorry.”

“Mili, what’s happened? What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t know who else to call. They came to my office after hours and—they—oh god.” Another sob.

“Mili, are you hurt? Where are you?” My thoughts are a scrambled mess as I fight back the panic that I feel crawling up inside me. “Are you at your new apartment? I can get Carter, and we can be there?—.”

“I-I’m in Baron’s Edge. In my apartment here.”

“What are you doing there? I thought you left the clinic and took the full-time position here in Oakridge.” She was supposed to have moved already.

Why is she not here?

“I was working my last weekend at the clinic. Saying goodbye to patients and helping transition them to their new care provider. I came to clean out my office and finalize everything for the lease before I could fully accept the position at Oakridge General. But when I came out to my car with the last load …” She takes a shaky breath. “They were waiting for me.”

“They, who?”

“Some bikers,” Emilia whispers. “I don’t know who they are exactly.”

“Did you see their colors?” I ask, but then think twice about wanting all the details. This is one of the reasons I can’t be with Declan. I don’t know many bikers, but they all seem to be into some kind of bad shit or have enemies who are and don’t give a fuck about who they hurt. It’s all about their club and their bottom line. I have to think about the cost to myself and Carter.

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” It does, but that’s not my job. My only job right now is getting to Mili and getting her help. “You know what? Stay put. I’m calling Kayce.”

Kayce Eaton is one of the men from Trident Elite, a guardian, who helped me escape my nightmare marriage. Without Emilia’s help in connecting me to Kayce, I wouldn’t have survived. After all that Mili’s done for Kayce and his clients—all the women and children she’s helped save—I know they’ll help Mili too.

“No!” Emilia shouts. Her moment of panic followed by a heavy groan.

“Mili?”

“I’m alright. It just hurts to shout or … breathe.” She chuckles, but it’s cut short by another wince. She’s trying to hide her pain. I know, because it’s what I used to do when I would tell her I was fine. I’d make it sound like it wasn’t as big of a deal as it really was because I didn’t want her to worry and get herself into trouble trying to help me.

“I don’t know if the bikers are watching me, but if they are and Kayce shows up, they’ll kill him.”

“You and I both know Kayce wouldn’t come alone, Mili.”

“And neither will the bikers. As of now, they don’t know who I’m working with. They kept asking me who was helping me. The one thought it was those guys you work with in Oakridge. The other biker gang,” Emilia says.

“What? How would they even know about the Kings?”

“I didn’t get to ask too many questions,” Mili sasses. “But they also wanted me to deliver a message to whoever is helping the women escape their fate—they’re pissed about the women Kayce saved—who’ve gone missing—” She gasps for breath. “And they’re coming for anyone who thinks they can steal from their crew.”

“What women? What did you guys do?” I know the men at Trident help rescue people in shit situations. But I thought it was one person, or family, at a time. This sounds like far more than that.

“Kayce and his men recently saved a group of young women who were brought into the harbor. There were thirteen in total, ranging from teenagers to the oldest, who was twenty-five. They were all meant to be sold and trafficked, but Kayce and his team intercepted the shipment and brought them all back here to me for treatment. They snuck them in one at a time through the clinic under fake names and information. It took us nearly a week to get them all seen. As soon as I was done with the last one, and Kayce’s team had finished gathering intel, the women were loaded up and taken to separate temporary rehab locations.” Mili sniffles. “I guess the bikers weren’t happy their shipment was stolen and returned to safety.”

“Jesus, girl.” I pace my bathroom, trying to think of a way to get to her. When I pass the mirror, an idea clicks. “How the hell did you get home? And why are you just calling me now?” I whisper shout into the phone. She closed the clinic hours ago.

“I drove myself.” Emilia coughs a few times, then takes a deep stuttering breath. “I took a hot shower and dressed my wounds as best I could, then locked myself in the safe room.” She winces.

I’m grateful to Kayce for having the foresight to build safe rooms into the master closets of both our apartments. He even built a hiding place in Carter’s room.

“Guess I should ask Kayce to build one in the new apartment in Oakridge, too. It might come in handy,” she jokes.

“Not funny. But, yes, you should have him build one.” I head back out into my bedroom and begin grabbing my jeans and a t-shirt from the closet, then start changing out of my pajamas into them. “The man is paranoid, but he built a small crawl space in Carter’s room between our two closets. It’s nothing fancy, and only has the two vents at the bottom of the wall for circulation, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

Mili grunts. I hear her shuffling around, noises that sound like moving fabric and a plastic bag being shaken.

“Mili?”

“Hold on,” she sputters. “I’m just getting comfortable and shaking the ice pack to activate it.”

“I’m going to get help. I have to get Carter off to school and find someone to watch him afterward, but I can be in Baron’s Edge within a couple of hours to get you.”

“You gonna ride your broomstick? How can you get here so fast?” Even in pain, she’s a smartass, but I guess it’s better than falling apart.

“I’ll call in a favor.” I don’t bother elaborating because I already know her response, but we have no other choice. “Will you be okay until then? If you need a hospital or you don’t feel you’re safe enough, I’ll make a call to get someone there now.” I’ll call Kayce—bikers be damned. He and his men are all ex-military specialists. They can handle a few bikers.

Declan’s a biker and ex-military.

Shit. This is a bad situation. I don’t know what I’m walking into.

“No. I’m okay. I’ll keep myself locked inside the closet until you call to tell me you’re here. I have everything I need. Kayce stocked the safe room. I have a mini fridge full of water, nonperishable snacks, a couple of portable chargers for my phone, and a loaded Kindle with plenty of reading material to keep me occupied.” She sounds exhausted. “How will you get here in a couple of hours? Do you have a magic carpet I don’t know about?” Her words are slurring slightly.

“Did you take anything?”

“Nuh-uh. Just tired.”

Shit. She could be concussed.

“Turn off your iPhone. Only use the burner if you need it.” I remind her. “Do you have your panic button with you?”

“Not using it. Kayce will come in guns blazing.” Mili huffs.

“Do you have pain meds?”

“Yeah, but I’m only taking over the counter and only half the recommended dose for now. I don’t want to fall asleep until someone can be here with me.”

“Do you remember if you hit your head?”

“One of them punched me, but it’s not too bad. I just have a headache.” She hiccups. “I have Tylenol, but I need to be alert in case they invade my home. I didn’t see anyone following me, but they found the clinic. It wouldn’t be hard to find where I live.”

“Okay. Stay where you are. I’m packing some things now. As soon as I can get Carter up and ready, I’ll get him off to school and be on my way,” I reassure her as I do as I say and start shoving clothes into a duffel bag and a few extra things I think she may need like breakable ice packs and prescription meds. I remember all too well the pain that hits after the adrenaline wears off.

I hurry through the house, gathering my shoes and heading for Carter’s door.

He’s laid out on his belly like a starfish, still sound asleep. I sit down on the edge of his bed and swipe my hand down his cheek. “Wake up, buddy.”

“Mm-mm.” He grumbles, turning his head away from me.

I smile. “Carter, wake up, baby. You’ve got to get ready for school.”

He rolls back toward me and rubs his eyes. “Can we have a hooky day like we used to?” He realizes what he said and sits up quickly, apologizing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean like we used to when we had to hide the bruises. I just meant …”

I cup his face in my hands and look him in the eyes, fighting back the tears the memories try to bring. “I know what you meant. You want a day with just us and no responsibilities.”

He nods. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Mama.”

“You didn’t, sweet boy. I’m worried about a friend. But everything will be all right soon enough.” I kiss his forehead, then stand. “Come on. Get up and get ready for school. I’ll go make us some breakfast. How do pancakes sound?”

“On a school day?” He looks puzzled. “You said it’s too much sugar to have pancakes before school.”

Smart kid.

“Well, I changed my mind. But if you’d rather not have them, I can make oatmeal instead.”

“Pancakes are great!” he says excitedly, shoving me toward the door. “I have to get dressed. No girls allowed.” I laugh as I get shoved into the hallway and his door is slammed shut.

Once in the kitchen, I grab the box of pancake mix, some milk, oil, and an egg and begin mixing everything together. Putting the small griddle iron on the counter and plugging it in, I begin to formulate a plan for what to do with Carter when I leave.

I can’t take him with me. It’s too risky.

Going back to Baron’s Edge is already a huge risk for me and I’m sure when Kayce finds out what I’ve done, he’ll blow a fuse. James shouldn’t be looking for me since everyone in the town believes me and Carter are dead, but if I were to somehow run into him, there’s no way he’d let me go again.

I don’t even want to imagine what he would do if he found Carter.

I pour the batter on the skillet and begin cooking two small pancakes. Carter enters the room. He sets his backpack down and plops down in a chair at the table.

“Could you find me a couple of pieces of paper, baby? I need to write something down.”

He rummages through his backpack and grabs me four pages from his notebook, being careful to rip off the frayed edges, then hands them to me.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” I take the papers and find a pen in the kitchen drawer and an envelope, then begin writing my letter.

“Mama, the pancakes are going to burn,” Carter fusses.

“Shit.” I switch off the griddle.

“You said …”

“I know, I know.” I wave him away. Getting the two pancakes flipped to finish cooking the other side before the griddle cools down and grabbing a plate from the cupboard. “Grab the butter and the syrup please, Carter.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Quickly, I plate the two pancakes for him and grab a butter knife and fork, while he places the butter and syrup on the table.

“Here you go.” I place the plate down in front of him and ruffle his hair. He swats my hand away, groaning at me to stop.

“You’re not going to eat, Mama?” he asks around a huge bite of syrup drenched pancake.

“No. I need to finish this letter and then get ready for my day,” I tell him. “You go ahead and eat.”

He rushes through his breakfast, and I run down the hall and leave the letter on my dresser. Hopefully he won’t be too upset with me for this. But if there’s one thing I can trust, it’s Declan to watch over my son. Hell, he gave him a hoodie with their logo and a cell phone with all their numbers programmed into it.

Carter texts and calls Declan all the time.

We make our way down to the car and get in. Carter gets his seatbelt clicked and we’re on our way. Once we arrive at the front of the school, I pull up to the curb to drop him off. Before he opens the door, I tell him, “Listen, baby. I have something to do today and if I don’t make it back in time, Mister Declan will come and get you. Now, I want you to listen to him until I get back.”

“Okay, Mama.”

“I love you.” I kiss his cheek, and he hugs my neck, giving me a kiss as he lets go.

“I love you too, Mama.” Carter gets out, closes the door and runs straight to his friends who are waiting by the tree for him.

Pulling away from the school, I pull out the cellphone Ethan gave me and dial the one person I know can help me. My only concern is at what cost.

The phone rings twice before he answers.

“Good morning, Violet. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Vincenzo Parisi’s velvety voice comes over the phone. The man is sin personified. If he wasn’t the head of a Mafia family, I might find him more attractive. But I’ve lived a life full of fear and violence and though I know Vincenzo would never harm me or my son, I don’t want to be around violence again…… of any kind.

And he doesn’t wear leather or ride a Harley.

No. Not going there.

“Vincenzo, I need a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” I can hear rustling around on the other end of the phone.

“A private jet, a couple of men, and a doctor.”

“That’s quite a favor?” he says the words as a question, asking for more without actually saying the words.

I let out a long sigh. “I need to get to Baron’s Edge, Vincenzo. I don’t have time to explain everything over the phone.”

“Who’s hurt, sweetheart? Is your son all right?” He asks, with what sounds like the snapping of fingers loudly in the background.

“No. No. We’re fine.” I’m driving as fast as I can without drawing attention to myself. I don’t need to get pulled over on the way to the mob boss’s house.

“My friend, Dr. D’Angelo, has been attacked and I?—”

“Attacked? By whom? Where is she now?” His voice is terse and filled with concern. He moves the phone, but I hear a muffled conversation making out a few curse words in Italian.

“I don’t know exactly. She said they were bikers. She’s not sure. Look …” I say exasperated. “I offered to call Kayce, but Emilia is afraid her place may be being watched and Kayce is the one they were meant to send a message to.”

Vincenzo growls.

“She’s alone in her safe room waiting for me to arrive and bring her here,” I rattle off, driving down the long, windy road toward his large mansion in the mountains on the remote edge of town.

“Will you help me?” I practically beg.

“Of course, sweetheart. How far away are you?”

“About ten minutes.”

“All right. I’ll have the helicopter fueled and ready. It will be faster. We will be in the air within the hour.” He says it so calmly my shoulders sag with relief.

“Thank you. I don’t know what I owe you for this, but I’m grateful for your help, Vincenzo.”

“You’re welcome, Violet,” he says. “We’ll discuss payment at a later date. For now, drive safely and we will go retrieve your friend and bring her here for medical care.”

“She can’t go to the hospital, Vincenzo. Whoever hurt her may still be watching her.”

“Then my men will handle the situation when we arrive. There will be no witnesses if that’s your concern.” I’m pretty sure Vincenzo just told me he would murder anyone on site, and he says this as if it’s a normal day at the office. Nothing for me to worry about.

“No. I mean, they could find where she’s gone through those records.”

“She has a job here at the hospital already. Would they not track her here anyway?” He sounds frustrated, and maybe confused. “It doesn’t matter. She’ll be under my protection from here on out. If they come for her, they’ll find me.”

“I don’t know what she’s going to do about the job. She took time away from Oakridge to settle her affairs in Baron’s Edge.”

“Affairs?” Vincenzo’s tone is low and gravelly.

“Yes. Her old practice. I’ll talk to her about the job. She knows she can’t keep it. Not now.” I take in another deep breath. “I don’t know who these men were, but I know she needs to lie low for a while just in case her f—” I catch myself before I let the word slip. “It’s not my business to tell. Just know she needs to be well hidden for a while until we can figure out who sent those men to hurt her. Just—Please Vincenzo. She helped me when no one else would. I owe her this.”

“Hmm. And now you’ll owe me.”

Ominous much?

“Whatever it is, I’ll work it out.” I sigh, knowing there’s no other way. Hesitantly, I make another request. “I have one more favor to ask.”

“Depending on what it is, I may be able to help.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, gripping the steering wheel. “My son needs to be kept safe. I’m leaving him in the care of Declan O’Malley?—”

“You trust him? The biker? With your son?” Vincenzo cuts me off. He doesn’t sound concerned, more surprised.

“Yes. I do.” It’s the truth. “Declan has been good to both of us. I know he would protect Carter with his life if it came down to it. And my son trusts him. Which means Carter will obey Declan if shit goes sideways. So, here’s where I need the favor.”

Deep breath. It has to be this way.

“I need you to make sure the Kings cannot find any information about me, my son, or my husband. If they connect the dots—if something happens to me and they go digging—it will alert my husband and put Carter’s life at risk.”

“You’re putting yourself at risk by returning to Baron’s Edge. Do you not think your Declan will be angry to discover you went back to the place you ran from? Flaunting your existence like a red flag to a bull?” He sounds angry with me.

Why?

“It doesn’t matter. My safety isn’t the concern. My son is all that matters.”

“I think Mister O’Malley would disagree, as do I.” He huffs. “Your safety is of the utmost importance for many reasons, but your son’s care and peace of mind are the two you should be most concerned with, I should think.”

“I’m not planning on getting caught. Especially if you’re helping me.” I grind out.

Stubborn man.

“Will you help me with this or not?” I’m pulling up to the long, gated driveway. The guard sees it’s me and waves me through, pointing me in the direction of where I should park.

It’s not my first visit here.

Me and Carter stayed here several days after we arrived in Oakridge, while we both recovered from our wounds. I don’t know if I’ll ever heal from the emotional scars James left behind, but my physical body is healthier now than ever before. Carter healed up quickly, as a strong boy should. I don’t know what his emotional scars are, if he even remembers much from the earlier years before we ran. But I know I will do everything in my power, sell my soul to the devil if I must, to keep my son from ever experiencing anything like our past again.

I park my car, but leave it running, waiting for Vincenzo’s answer.

“Do we have a deal, Vincenzo? I need to hear the words.”

He chuckles. “You’ve learned much in your time here, Miss Dupree. I accept your request, and I withhold my right to receive payment until such a time as I desire.”

“Fine.”

Not fine, but what choice do I have?

“I’m coming in.”

“Don’t bother. My guard will escort you to the helipad. I, Matteo, and the doctor, will meet you there. We’ll be leaving straight away.”

I pull out my phone and send a text to Mili.

Me: I’m on my way with reinforcements. Stay where you are until I call.

Mili: Thank you.

Here goes everything.