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TEN

Rafe

My mind whirls at her comment about what Miguel said to her when he ended things. My instinct says that maybe he was aware of what Mike’s plans were for Issy, even though he isn’t part of the club, and when he found out that the Mojave Devils still had their sights set on Issy, he broke it off. I don’t really know and won’t until I reach out to him.

“I’m not sure, Issy. Will you give me his number so I can give him a call?” I ask, watching her brush out her hair.

Even though I gave her shit about her face mask, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. She usually doesn’t wear a lot of makeup when she’s working with the horses, just when she’s running a race. As I watch her finish up her routine, which is definitely more involved than mine, I flash back to when we were little kids and how she was all knees and elbows. While she’s just a few inches over five feet tall, she carries herself with so much confidence that she appears much taller.

“I can do that, or you can just look in my contacts,” she replies, putting more gunk on her face. After she puts her stuff away, she turns to me with a shooing motion, causing me to chuckle. “I take it you want me to move.”

“Yeah, I’m ready for bed, Rafe. It’s been a long day and I’m ready to crawl between the sheets and relax. Plus, I wanna know what’s happening with Gage.”

“Let me grab a shower, Issy, and I’ll tell you what I’m able, okay?”

“That’s fine. I’ll go get us something to drink since your shower won’t be anywhere near as long as my bath was,” she proposes.

“You don’t normally take long ones either, but I see this afternoon was an exception,” I tease. I can still smell the floral shit she used in the bath while she soaked in Epsom salts which are in the container on the tub rim.

“Well, yeah, I mean, I’m limited on what I’m allowed to do,” she retorts. “So, no riding, no taking care of stuff around here, Constance will not let me cook. What else was I supposed to do? If you hadn’t come home, I probably would’ve read.”

“Go get us drinks, Issy. I’ll be out shortly.”

With Issy nestled against my side, I kiss her temple, knowing I have to be content with this for the time being.

At least she’s in my arms, I muse.

“So, Gage apparently found out he has a teenage sister,” I start, “and as far as all the shit he pulled with regard to you, it was because the Mojave Devils have been jonesing for you for a very long time. Specifically, Mike Lopez, whose road name is Four. Gage was told that they’d sell his sister to the highest bidder if he didn’t help them abduct you.”

“Oh, my God!” she exclaims, her eyes wide and bewildered. “So, he didn’t want to do it? He didn’t suddenly turn into an asshole?”

“Well, he is an asshole for not coming to me when he was contacted. I trusted him with your safety, Issy. He may not be a patched member of the Kings, but we’ve been friends a very long time and he’s more than a hangaround, y’know? He should have come to me when they talked to him. Because you’re involved, we would’ve handled the situation. Now, he’s beat to hell and back…”

She gasps, interrupting me and asks, “Did… did y’all hurt him?”

Not yet, my mind whispers.

“No, we found him, well, Pokey found him when he used his debit card. Not gonna lie, I planned on giving him a beatdown, but he’s definitely not in a position for additional fists to his face or body.” I snicker at the look on her face which is equal parts horrified and gleeful.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have been too angry, Rafe. He did drug me and beat on me then tie me up,” she states, huffing.

“But, sweetheart, you used everything me and the brothers, as well as Paps, taught you to get yourself out of a precarious situation,” I remind her. “ You did that, no one else did it for you.”

“I couldn’t make it all the way home,” she murmurs, lost in thought about that day.

“If your ribs weren’t cracked, I have no doubt you would’ve been able to get back on Starlight,” I say. “Remember how we practiced doing that over and over until it was second nature?”

A small grin pops up on her face and she nods. “What happens now?” she asks.

“Well, we’re still looking for Lopez, the truck, and now Gage’s sister has been added to the mix.”

“Any ideas where they could all be hiding out?” she questions.

“Pokey’s tracking the truck, I’ll reach out to Miguel and see if he knows where his cousin might be, and as for Gage’s sister, well, I’ve got no answers there.”

She’s already asked this, but I know she’s caught in thought due to the fact that she was betrayed by one of her closest friends, so I give her some reprieve. “Can I talk to Gage?” she queries. “Or should I wait?”

“I’d rather you wait because we haven’t told him that you and both the horses are now safely at home,” I reply. “We’re hoping that he might be more forthcoming with information if he believes y’all are still missing.”

“Good point,” she murmurs. “This is such a mess. I can’t believe they’ve been basically stalking me for years. That’s just insane to me, y’know?”

“I don’t think Mike has all his brain cells intact. From what Pokey’s shared, three other brothers, along with him, see themselves as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” I tell her.

“Wait, as in the biblical apocalypse? Based on how they treated me, I can’t see them being religious zealots,” she states.

I burst out laughing because from what Pokey’s shared about the various crimes these pricks have committed, they are so far from churchgoing it’s laughable. “Yeah, you’d be right, babe. Their rap sheets are long and varied, with a lot of crimes against women, especially trafficking, and assault.”

She shudders so I pull her close to try and give her the warmth of my comfort. As much as the whole situation scared the fuck out of me, she endured it. Pride rises once again when I realize that she fought her ass off and never stopped.

“I hate that you and the club are involved in this debacle, Rafe,” she quietly says.

“Babe, even though I hadn’t claimed you yet, you’ve always been mine,” I reply. “Which means you belong to the Kings, and nobody fucks with the Kings.”

She giggles a little and it’s probably because she’s heard it said a time or two over the years. “Okay, I understand, Rafe.”

“Probably not, Issy, but you will in due time,” I promise. “Now, how about we get some sleep. Tomorrow’s another day and we have an abundance of things to take care of.”

Once she falls asleep, I cover her with the blanket, kiss her forehead, then head out to my office so I can mark off one of the things I need to accomplish from my to-do checklist. It’s time to reach out to Miguel Lopez.

“Yo,” the voice on the other end says. “Issy? Is that you?”

“It’s her old man, Rio, from the Kings of Anarchy MC,” I retort. “This Miguel Lopez?”

The deep voice is more cautious when he replies, “Yeah, this is Lopez. I’m assuming that you calling me has something to do with my dickhead cousin?”

“Nailed it in one. Did you try to keep him away from her or what?” I ask, wanting clarification on if my thoughts about him and his role in the entire thing are spot on.

I need to get these pieces of this fucked-up puzzle snapped together so I can ensure that Issy never gets hurt again.

He sighs then says, “So, I’m not gonna blow smoke up your ass. I’m actually gay, which I haven’t come out about, but when I overheard Mike talking about what he planned to do to a girl he knew as Issy, I couldn’t not help. I’m not part of his club, but it’s well-known that they’re into sketchy as fuck shit, you know what I mean? Anyhow, apparently, Mike saw her when she was a kid, and he was a teenager or something and he’s been obsessed when it comes to her ever since. We dated for a few months, I thought it’d give her some protection, but it didn’t work because he kept saying he’d just snatch her when I least expected it. That’s why I stopped the charade of seeing her.”

“Well, he apparently has abducted Gage’s sister, Cherise, and held her freedom over Gage’s head until he agreed to help abduct Issy,” I growl out.

“Shit. Fuck. I know Issy’s a strong independent woman, but Mike has gone through four old ladies. He’s highly abusive to them, pretty much uses them up, then sells them for profit.”

My blood runs cold at hearing his words. To hear that my woman, my Issy, was that close to imminent danger makes me see red even as fear courses through me at what the other women endured and what my Issy was in line for.

“Any chance you know where he might be hiding out?” I inquire. “Because we’ve had no luck tracking him down, although we did find what was left of Gage’s person. Mike still has one of my trucks and a horse trailer and I want them back.”

He hums and I suspect he’s thinking of all the holes a snake like Mike would slither into. “Clubhouse is probably too easy,” he muses as he mulls things over. “Because I feel pretty sure y’all have already checked there. I think the club owns several properties, but I don’t have addresses because I’m not a club member and some of the locations are off the beaten path, so you won’t find them on the maps.”

“It gives us something to look into further,” I reply.

“Rio? Is Issy okay? I did consider her a friend, even though romantically on my end there was nothing there.”

“We did get her home. She’s pretty banged up, but she’s alive and will heal.” Normally, I wouldn’t give that intel out, but I can hear the sincerity in his voice and know that in his own way, he tried to protect her from his cousin and the Devils. “Appreciate your help.”

“Not a problem. If there’s anything else I can help with, please reach out again. Oh, and tell Issy that she was right about Diego.” He chuckles then hangs up the phone.