Page 25

Remi

The trip from Vegas to Denver, Colorado was slow, but it gave me plenty of time to think about everything.

I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew what I wanted to do, but there was no fucking way in hell I was ready to see him. Not until I had my head clearly on my shoulders and the vision of him with that fucking woman out of my head.

Logically I knew nothing happened, but that son of a bitch let those bitches back into my home and around my family. He fucking knew how I felt. I couldn’t have been clearer.

Yet, he did it anyway.

I didn’t give a shit if it was to protect me. What he should have done was tell me what the hell was going on, but that would have been too easy for him.

Oh no. God forbid he did the right thing and talked to his wife.

Instead, his actions broke something in me, and I wasn’t sure it could ever be fixed.

That was on him.

That was what I couldn’t forgive.

He broke us.

“Did you know when you think about him, you snarl?”

Startled out of my head, I looked at Vladmir. “What?”

“When you think of Reaper. You snarl.”

“I do not,” I scoffed, looking out the window.

He chuckled. “Oh yes you do, and I can prove it. Who were you thinking about just now?”

Groaning, I said nothing, tightening my seat belt.

“Where there is anger, there is passion.”

“I want to strangle him.”

“By all means.” Vladmir grinned. “Don’t let me stop you.”

“You don’t like him?”

“No, I do not.”

“What did he do to you?”

“He broke my daughter’s heart, and for that, he will pay.”

Leaning my head against the window, I muttered, “Make it hurt.”

“With pleasure, moi malen’kiy lev .”

“Mom!”

“Auntie Remi!”

Smiling, I dropped to my knees as Jesse and Soleil ran into my arms.

God, I missed them.

Hugging them both, I looked up to see Emma and Jax walking over with a big muscled black biker behind them.

“Auntie Remi, where is my mommy and papa?”

“Oh, sweetie,” I said hugging Soliel once more. “They miss you so much. I know they can’t wait to see you.”

Standing with Soliel in my arms, the biker smiled, extending his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Remi. I’m Red. The VP of the Wraith Warriors.”

Looking around the large building, I frowned. “No Dakota or Arizona?”

The big man grinned.

“No, ma’am, and if they know what’s good for them, they will stay out of sight.”

“Trouble in paradise?”

“Let’s just say, when it comes to Soliel and Jax, I ain’t playing around with their safety, and when these two showed up, they flat out refused to be separated from them. You’ve got yourself some good kids here, Remi. Strong too.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing I couldn’t take care of.”

Red winked, then extended his hand to Vladmir. “I’m Red.”

“Vladmir Ivenok,” my father said, shaking the man’s hand when his cell phone began to ring. Walking off, he answered it.

“Are we going home now?” Emma snarked before I could ask anything more. “I fucking hate it here. I want to go home.”

“Emma,” I sighed, holding Soliel close while she hugged my neck.

God, she was still tiny.

“No,” the stubborn girl firmly said. “I’m done with this crap. I miss my friends and my family. I’m tired of moving from place to place. I want to go home.”

“Honey, I don’t know where home is or where we will be safe.”

“Yes, you do,” Emma snarled. “You just don’t want to fucking admit it.”

Shocked at her anger, I never got the chance to respond as she turned and stormed off. Jax followed closely behind her.

“Mom?” Jesse said tugging on my pants to get my attention.

Kneeling down, I smiled. “Yeah?”

“Uncle Bullseye and Aunt Phantom are home in California.”

Frowning, I looked at Red who looked at my son.

“How do you know that, Jesse?” he asked.

“Because I heard a lady telling Dakota. He told her to keep her mouth shut and not say anything.”

Standing back up, I pinned Red with a questioning stare.

“Let me make a call,” the man said before walking off.

“Remi,” Vladmir sighed. “That was Maxim. We need to talk.”

“Unless it has to deal with Layla, I don’t give a shit.”

“Remi,” Red said walking back over. “Jesse’s right. Just got off the phone with Wraith. The California Chapter of the Golden Skulls has returned to Purgatory. Wraith said they are not alone either. The wives are there, and so are the kids. Apparently, Sandman’s adoptive father and his club, Disturbed, are there also. They have started rebuilding the clubhouse, while they wait for Sandman and Reaper to return.”

“Can we go too?” Jesse shouted happily.

“Me too!” Soliel giggled as she reached out to Red.

Letting him take her, I looked at Vladmir for advice.

“The question you need to ask is, do you trust Bullseye and Phantom with your kids?”

Looking at Jax and Emma, who stood off to the side glaring at me, then at Jesse and Soliel, I nodded. “Yes. I trust Dylan and Lena. They would die before letting anything happen to the kids.”

“I can make the arrangements. I can have you and the kids back home by morning,” Red offered.

“No,” I stood my ground, shaking my head. “I’m not going. Only the kids. You take them. Make sure they get there safely.”

Red said nothing while he nodded and walked off with Soliel and Jesse as Vladmir stood in front of me. Reaching for my shoulders, he asked, “Are you sure about this? I can protect you and the kids.”

“I’m sure. You heard Red. The club is getting ready for Sandman and Reaper to return. Bullseye must know something or he wouldn’t stay. I have to trust he knows what he’s doing.”

“What about you?”

“I will go home when I’m damn good and ready. Right now, I’m not. Anyway, what did you need to talk to me about?”

Taking a deep breath, he replied. “We can talk about that later, once the kids are in the air. Too many ears in this place.”

Nodding, I looked around and saw what he meant.

Standing on the tarmac, I watched the private jet with the kids and Red take off for Northern California. Red assured me that brothers from the Wraith Warriors would be there waiting to help him escort the kids safely to the clubhouse. While some part of me was still scared, not having Jesse or Emma close, I knew they would be safe with the others. They didn’t need me right now. What they needed was stability and I couldn’t give them that. Not with my head all over the place.

Plus, if the club was gearing up and expecting Reaper to return, he could take over their protection. It was time he stepped up and participated in being an active father. Not that he didn’t in the past, because he did. He was a good father. A loving father, and right now, our kids needed him more than they did me.

With my head still a jumbled mess, I wasn’t good to anyone.

I needed clarity and I needed to figure out what it was I wanted.

Until then, I needed my kids safe.

“You ready?”

Nodding, I turned around and walked with Vladmir over to Maxim’s private plane that had arrived earlier.

The second the plane was in the air, I asked, “Where are we going?”

“New York,” Vladmir stated, reaching for a remote and turning on the television. “There is a woman there who needs your help.”

“My help?”

“Hey, Ms. Remi.” Sypher’s smiling face appeared on the screen.

“Sypher?”

“It’s really good to see you.”

Confused, I looked at Vladmir. “I don’t understand. What is going on?”

“Getting you the answers to your questions. Sypher will explain.”

Turning back to the screen, the young man began, “Her name is Delany Campbell, and she’s one of ours. She’s Golden.”