Page 22 of Kraken (Hades Abyss MC #4: Mississippi Chapter)

Kraken

The news wasn’t good. It wasn’t the Sadistic Saints with their eye on Phoebe.

It was worse. Her parents had hired someone to bring her home.

I didn’t know why, but I’d damn sure never let them have her.

They didn’t deserve Phoebe, or Ember. I wasn’t entirely sure they wouldn’t sell them both the first chance they had.

Wizard’s words still rattled around my brain.

The phone call hadn’t gone the way I’d hoped.

Another club would be easier to take on.

But a preacher and his wife? What the fuck was I supposed to do with that?

Ember chewed on the ear of her bear, babbling at me.

I wasn’t sure when she would start talking in a way I could understand, but I had to admit she was just too fucking cute for words.

I hoped one day we had a house full of kids.

Although we’d need more rooms. Right now, I only had two bedrooms other than the one I shared with Phoebe.

I’d always sworn if I had kids, they wouldn’t have to share a room.

Sharing a closet-sized bedroom with two other siblings had been hell.

I heard Phoebe humming softly in the kitchen as she cooked our dinner.

If anyone had ever told me I’d be playing on the floor with my daughter while my wife made dinner, I’d have laughed in their faces.

I’d never thought of myself as the settling down type, but Phoebe had needed me, and just maybe I’d needed her too.

My phone rang and I pulled it from my pocket, answering it while keeping an eye on my daughter. “Kraken.”

I heard a snort and glanced at the screen.

Wizard . “No shit. Listen, I’ve been trying to follow the paper trail from the parents.

Looks like they used part of the money from the Sadistic Saints to hire a P.I.

He either lost her trail, or learned what the parents had done and refused to help.

So where did they turn but to another club. One we’re a little familiar with.”

“Who’d they call?” I asked.

“Reckless Kings. I can promise you Beast doesn’t know a damn thing about how Phoebe came to be here. I’m betting the parents spun some sob story about you snatching the girl. Need to call him and nip this shit before it gets out of hand.”

“I’m on it,” I said, then disconnected the call. Son of a bitch .

I shot off a quick text to Titan to give him a heads up, then dialed the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Reckless Kings. Forge answered on the fifth ring, right before I was about to give up.

“What the fuck do you want?” Forge asked.

“Nice greeting, asshole. Heard your club is watching my woman.”

I heard him shift and something rustle on the other end of the line. “Phoebe Whitlow?”

“Not Whitlow anymore. She’s not just my old lady but my wife. Don’t believe me, check the marriage records.”

“Well, fuck. Why the hell are the parents paying us to find their kid if you have her? They’re claiming she got snatched or some shit. When my guys said they’d seen her drive into your compound earlier, I didn’t believe them.”

“They sold her to the Sadistic Saints. No clue why they’re suddenly so concerned, but I’ll be damned if they’ll get their hands on her or my daughter. I don’t fucking trust them.”

“I’ll call my guys off, but, Kraken, you need to handle this shit. Those people aren’t going to back down. If we won’t do the job, they’ll hire someone else. I can put the word out their money isn’t good, but you know some stupid fuck somewhere will take the job just the same.”

Yeah, I knew it. Didn’t like it one damn bit either. “Thanks, Forge. Next time, instead of lurking around our fucking town, come knock on the damn door. You’ll be lucky if Titan doesn’t bust some heads.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “On it. I’ll call your Pres and my guys. We’ll sort it all out.”

I shook my head and hung up the phone. At least I knew they wouldn’t be taking Phoebe, but he made a good point.

Her parents wanted her back for some reason, and I doubted they’d stop just because the Reckless Kings decided to back out.

No, they’d find someone else. Someone as unscrupulous as the Sadistic Saints had been, and there’d be no reasoning with them.

My woman and kid were in danger every second those sorry sons-of-bitches were breathing.

Preacher, my ass. The man was no better than… Damn .

I pulled up Wizard’s name on my phone and shot off a message. Find me proof the parents sold her to the Sadistic Saints.

They’d either see reason, so they didn’t see the inside of a prison for trafficking their own underage kid, or I’d fucking kill them.

As much as I didn’t want Phoebe to know I’d gotten her parents’ blood on my hands, I’d do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.

I had to wonder just how rotten the preacher was if he could sell his own kid.

What would stop him from doing the same to some other girl, or Phoebe’s sister?

My phone rang again and I saw the Pres’s name light up the screen. “Did the Reckless Kings call you?” I asked.

“Yeah. Spoke with Wizard too. He can’t find any sort of communication between the parents and the Sadistic Saints, and the money deposited was cash. He’s going to keep digging, but there’s a chance they were smart enough not to leave a trail.”

“I can’t let this lie, Titan. She’s not safe.”

“I know,” he said. “Spend some time with your family, Kraken, but later tonight I want you to ride out. Go visit her family. They have another daughter. Younger than Phoebe.”

Right. So if money got tight, they’d find a way to earn some easy cash again.

I didn’t know what the hell to do with Phoebe’s sister.

I really didn’t want her in my house underfoot, but I wouldn’t abandon her either.

If they had other family, it would make sense to send the girl to live with them.

Unless the others were as bad as the preacher.

“I’ll have Grizzly meet you there,” Titan said.

“The Pres for the Devil’s Fury? Why the hell would he do that?”

“Because he takes in strays. Has a thing for giving teen girls a second chance. He’ll raise her right, and he’ll make sure Phoebe can see her whenever she wants.”

“All right. I’ll head out once my girls are in bed.”

I disconnected the call and picked up Ember, carrying her into the kitchen. Phoebe already had our plates on the table and was in the process of getting drinks from the fridge. She froze mid-reach and stared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You have that look.”

“Need to make a run later tonight. I’ll be gone until sometime tomorrow. Possibly longer. But I’m not going anywhere until bedtime. I’m going to spend as much time with my girls tonight as I can.”

Phoebe gave me a tight smile, but I knew she wouldn’t ask questions.

She was the perfect old lady. I put Ember in her high chair, then claimed a seat next to her.

When Phoebe sat down, I noticed her hand trembled.

It was her number one tell when something made her anxious.

I reached out and placed my hand on top of hers, giving it a slight squeeze.

“It’s going to be fine, baby girl. I’ll come home to you. It’s not something that will detain me for long, but I need to make sure you’re safe, and your sister too.”

Her gaze held mine. “My sister?”

I nodded. “I don’t want to risk your family doing the same thing to her. Do you?”

“Of course not.”

“I’m going to make sure she’s safe, baby. And I’ll ensure your parents can’t harm anyone ever again. I just need you to trust me.”

“I do. But if anything happened to you…” Tears filled her eyes.

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong, Phoebe?”

“I don’t know. I’m overly emotional, I guess.”

Emotional? Now that she’d mentioned it, she did seem rather sensitive lately. I’d assumed it was due to her scars, but maybe it was something else. I squeezed her hand once more, then pulled out my phone, shooting off a message to Bones. Need you to come see Phoebe. Bring your kit.

Once the task was finished, I devoured my food. I’d lived off diner food before, but Phoebe was going to fatten me up in no time. For someone who hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to cook, she caught on quick. Dinner was amazing. “Baby girl, you are one wonderful cook. I’ve never eaten so good.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I’m not that great at it, but I want to learn. I’ve been looking up recipes to try. I want to be a good wife and mom.”

“Baby, you’re the best. Never doubt it.”

“Love you, Blake.”

I winked, knowing she liked it when I did that. Her cheeks always flushed and she’d get this little half-smile on her face. “Love you too.”

While she bathed Ember, I packed a small duffle in case I was gone overnight. By the time our daughter was ready for bed, I was able to tuck her in. I placed a kiss on her brow and ran my fingers over her cheek.

“Sleep well, little princess.”

Phoebe lurked in the hall. The worry in her eyes ate at me.

I took her hands in mine and pulled her in close for a kiss.

My lips lingered, and I wished I didn’t have to leave her tonight.

I backed her to the wall, my lips devouring hers until she was breathless. The doorbell rang, making me draw back.

“Be right back, baby.”

I opened the front door and found Bones on the doorstep. He held up his bag. “I came prepared. Now what’s wrong with your woman?”

I let him in and Phoebe wandered into the room. I probably should have warned her I’d asked him to stop by. “She’s overly emotional. I know she’s been through a lot lately, but I wanted to make sure nothing more was going on.”

Bones nodded and started asking questions. “When was your last period?”

Phoebe’s gaze clashed with mine and skittered away. “Before I met Kraken.”

“That means it’s been a month or longer,” Bones said. “I’m going to take some blood and test for pregnancy.”

“There isn’t a faster way to find out?” I asked, knowing at this time of night, there was no way we’d get an answer right away.