Page 44

I wish I had time to make a good impression on Frank Dawson, but I don’t.

Someone back at the club will have found the girl’s body by now, they will naturally assume it was me who killed her, and an army of angry Russians is no doubt on their way to the club as we speak.

I have to get Millie and take her somewhere safe until Raze finds a way to fix this.

I swear, when I find out who that murdering cunt is, I’m gonna make him suffer in the worst of fuckin’ ways.

I’m a little surprised when I pull up to the Dawson mansion and see that the gates are open; they’re always shut, and from what I can gather, Frank’s on top of security. Still, I guess it saves me some time convincing him to let me in.

I drive up to the door, frustrated that I can barely give my girl time to pack a bag.

This is not how I envisioned things starting for us.

I guess I never envisioned things starting for us at all.

But now that I’ve let all that go, all I want is the best for her.

I know this ain’t it, but I won’t take any risks.

I’m getting Millie outta Long Beach, then I’m coming back to fight with my brothers and make it a safe place for her to be.

I park up outside the front door, and when I see that it’s already open, I knock before I enter..

“Millie… Mr. Dawson?” I yell through.

“Help…Please help, I’m through here.” I hear the male voice call out and see the blood on the floor, and just the thought that Millie is here and it could be hers, sets me into panic overdrive.

“Millie!” I call through the house frantically, ignoring the cries for help, and I follow the blood trail to a closed door. Pushing it open, I breathe a huge sigh of relief when I see that the bodies at the end of the trail don’t belong to her.

“ Millie! ” I call out to her again. This time, more desperately. There's no way the Russians could have gotten to her this fast. I came straight here.

Taking out my gun, I start heading back to the hall, following that male voice that keeps calling out.

“In here… Please …They’ve taken her. They’ve taken my daughter!” I hear the words and rush through the huge double doors where his cries are coming from.

“You…Oh, you have to help her.” Millie’s dad looks relieved to see me, his face is swollen like he’s taken a beating, and he’s tied to his desk chair.

“Who fuckin’ took her?” I slide my gun back into the holster and take out my knife, slicing the blade through the rope to free his hands.

“Quinnell; he was here. It’s all my fault.” Dawson shakes his head, looking petrified, and it does nothing to calm my fuckin’ nerves.

“Quienll was here?” I repeat, feeling that panic in my chest starting to morph into rage..

“I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t put her in danger the way he wanted me to, and now…” He closes his eyes, gripping his chest like he’s about to have a heart attack.

“Dawson, you need to breathe and tell me what you’re talking about.” I grab hold of him and force him to focus.

“Quinnell. I was…He’s been helping me with funding for my campaign. I expected him to call in some favors, but not one that would put my Millie at risk. I’ve done things I’m ashamed of, but I would never do that. Not to my Millie.” He cries like a helpless child.

“What did they want you to do?” My mind is racing with all the things Quinnell could be doing to her; every second this man wastes is time I could spend getting to her.

“He knew about her relationship with your brother. He wanted me to use her to find out information on the club. I swear to you it never happened. It's why they came here. I didn’t do as he said. I ignored his threats. Now he wants me to find his daughter to save mine. How do I do that?” The man looks like he could die right on this very spot from worry, and as much as I want to snap his neck for the situation he’s got my girl into, I can’t help feeling sorry for him.

It sounds to me as if he’s been trying to protect her.

“I’m gonna find her,” I assure him. “The men that were with him, were they Irish, too?” I check, wondering if Quinnell has the Russians on his side already

“All of them; they said they were gonna—” He drops his head and bursts into tears, and I grip the knife in my hand as I try and hold it together.

“I’ll gut each one of them,” I assure him. “Do you have any idea where they might have taken her?” I ask him. Time is crucial, and Quienll could be anywhere.

“I’ve got no idea. All the meetings Quinnell and I had were at random locations. I couldn’t risk our association with each other becoming public.” He looks ashamed of himself. “You're Corey’s brother, you know how much he loved her. You have to find her.”

I decide not to tell the already broken man that I’m far more to her than that.

Instead, I nod my head and drag him on his feet.

Taking him with me as I rush out the door and head back to the cage.

I have no idea where Millie could be. I need the help of my brothers to find her, and the club will already be in chaos, preparing for a Russian attack.

But the Russians can wait. Quinnell’s got a one-way ticket to Hell, and his ride is leaving first.

“Raze, we got a problem.” The club is exactly as crazy as I expected it to be when I pull up in the yard. All the old ladies are panicking, and it looks as if my brothers are trying to convince them to get in the same cage.

“We’re safe here, we can just up our security.” Peyton is busy arguing with him as I approach.

“Ya don’t say.” He ignores her and looks at me like he’s all out of answers.

“Just get in the cage, Pey. We can all fight better without you here. I need you gone; they could already be on their way.”

“Quinnell’s got Millie!” I yell out, silencing all the commotion, and when I glance around the silent yard, I see a worried look on every one of my brothers’ faces.

“Millie?” Peyton looks straight at me, then at Raze. “Babe, you have to help her, you know what kind of man Quinnell is.” She starts pleading with him.

“I can only do that if you and the other girls leave here and get to safety,” he tells her, holding back his anger and willing her to see sense.

“Come on, girls, you heard him.” She looks toward Freya and Eden, who scowl harshly at Wrath and Ruckus but eventually kiss their men and climb into the back of the cage.

“Dad, you’re going, too.” Raze looks to Vex, who’s standing in the middle of the yard looking like a spare part.

“You think I’m missing out on all the action, you got another thing coming, son.

” He laughs, and when Lettie comes out from the arch, struggling to carry Rory and the huge duffel bag on her shoulder, Tawk rushes to help her.

He looks a little startled when she hands him the baby instead of the bag, but carries him to the cage to join the others, regardless.

“Raze?” I look to our leader for answers.

“I need two men to go with the girls, drive ’em up to Dad’s cabin and keep ’em safe until we’ve negotiated with the Russians,” he calls out, while I start getting impatient.

“I’ll go.” Greaser is the first to volunteer, and despite seeing how shocked it makes the others, I give him a tap on the back and hope it will speed him the hell outta here.

“What ya all lookin’ like that for?” Greaser must notice the same expressions I do. “Raze needs his VP and sergeant by his side, and these women need protection.” He makes a valid point, looking toward Alicia and smiling dutifully.

“I’ll go, too.” Vike stares at him coldly as he steps forward.

“Then it’s settled, get gone.” Raze holds out his hand to help Alicia get in the back with the others, then, kissing Peyton, slides the door shut before any of them can protest.

“Rocco, you get on your bike and you go find that kid who was here earlier. Let’s put those skills, he claims he’s got, to the test.” Raze sends him on his way before looking at me.

“We’re gonna find your girl, Dev; you just keep your head on,” he warns, taking out his cell and pressing it against his ear. “Burlusconi, I need every scrap of information you got on Quinnell,” I hear him say as Saint comes up from behind and squeezes my shoulder to let me know he’s with me.