Page 53 of Property of Stone (Kings of Anarchy MC: Pennsylvania #1)

Chapter Thirty

Taryn ran up the steps looking for Stone. His Harley was parked by the house, but he wasn’t downstairs.

Unfortunately, no one at the school had any damn clue where Sunny went. That discovery made the blood in her veins turn to ice.

Before she left the school, Taryn tried calling Stone to report in but he didn’t answer. So she sent him a quick text telling him she was headed home with Wren and asked if he could send a prospect to sit at the school in case she showed up.

Taryn had a weird feeling that Sheena got out of prison early and took her daughter back. The same scenario as what she feared would happen with Vic and Wren. It was why they never let the kids take the bus to or from school.

She had told Wren to finish reading his comic book in the living room while she searched for Stone.

When she reached the upstairs landing, she called out Stone’s name.

She found his bedroom empty, but before heading back downstairs to check the garage next, she noticed Sunny’s door was slightly ajar but the room was completely dark. Maybe she had gotten home somehow and was taking a nap.

She pushed the door open wider and stepped inside.

She didn’t find Sunny, but almost jumped out of her skin when she spotted a shadowy figure sitting on the bottom bunk.

Holy shit.

Stone had something clutched within his fingers. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw what it was…

A cell phone.

“Stone, why didn’t you answer?—”

“Get out,” he growled.

What? What was going on? “Did you?—”

“Get the fuck out!” he roared, causing her to wince at both the volume and angry tone. “Don’t make me put my hands on you and force you the fuck out.”

Her heart got jammed in her throat and every nerve ending prickled.

While the man could be dangerous, she was damn sure he would never hurt her. Unlike Vic. Good lord , she hoped she wasn’t wrong. “Stone...”

When he surged to his feet, she stumbled backward a step. She quickly recovered and forced herself to hold her ground. Why was he lashing out at her?

“What fuckin’ part of get the fuck out didn’t you hear? Are you goddamn deaf?”

She was so confused about what was going on and, screw him, she wasn’t leaving the room until she knew what that was. If he was angry at her, she deserved to know why. “I only want to know what’s going on. If you haven’t found Sunny, I want to help.”

“Coulda helped by not interferrin’ with what I wanted to do in the first fuckin’ place, Taryn. Now that motherfucker has Sunny.”

Holy shit. What?

“If one fuckin’ hair on my baby girl is out of place…” Stone shook his head. “Don’t fuckin’ matter. He’s gonna get the endin’ he deserves, no matter fuckin’ what.”

She stared at him as that information sank into her brain. Then panic began to rise. She had to find her breath to ask, “Why would Vic take Sunny?”

How would Vic know about Sunny in the first place? And how did he tie Sunny to Taryn and Wren? Did he have someone spying on her, like a private investigator? And if so, why would he take Sunny instead of Wren?

None of this made any sense.

“I never would’ve thought he’d take Sunny instead. How would he know she even existed?”

“The motherfucker’s fuckin’ unhinged. He’s gonna use any tool he fuckin’ can to get to you.” His jaw shifted. “Or get back at me.”

Her already ice-cold blood turned frigid and her pulse began to pound in her ears. “Get back at you for what?” For beating the crap out of him over a year and a half ago?

He shook his head and didn’t answer. Even in the dark room she could see his jaw popping. And if she looked hard enough she was sure he was white-knuckling that cell phone.

“Get back at you for what, Stone? How would Vic know about Sunny? How did he even tie the two of us together?” She wanted answers. And if Vic really had Sunny, they were wasting time hashing this out.

She went over to the drawn curtains and threw them open. He was hiding something and she needed to see his face clearly.

“ You wanted me to spare him so gave him a warnin’, instead,” Stone finally answered, his tone losing some of that grumble.

“What do you mean? When?” Why was this the first she was hearing about this?

He pulled in a deep breath and told her about waiting for Vic out in front of SCI Dallas.

“Oh my God,” she breathed when he was done with his story. She was damn sure he omitted some details, if not most, but she heard enough to know that what Stone did to Vic had poked the nasty bear.

And the bear snapped back.

“Never shoulda left the motherfucker breathin’. Knew it was a mistake. And was proven right.”

“You’re blaming what you did to him on me?”

“You talked me outta doin’ what needed to be done. Shoulda just done it and not told you, then we wouldn’t be in this goddamn mess.”

“Do you have proof he has her?” Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding and all this drama and anger was for nothing.

She could only hope.

“You wanna know how?” he growled, stepping up to her and shoving the cell phone in her face.

The picture on the screen caused her heart to skip a beat and a gasp to slip from her.

Duct tape was wrapped tightly around Sunny’s ankles, securing them to the legs of the chair and her wrists were taped to the chair’s arms. More silver tape covered her mouth. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, her nose and eyes red from crying.

No wonder Stone was pissed. That image would be burned in Taryn’s memory for a long time, if not forever.

She hoped it was Photoshopped but deep down she knew it wasn’t. Taryn found out the hard way that Vic was a vindictive asshole.

If Stone “taught him a lesson,” her ex would want to return it two-fold.

Kidnapping a child would cut any decent parent down at the knees. However, kidnapping the child of your enemy was a deadly mistake.

Stone wouldn’t leave one stone unturned to find his daughter. And when he did find her…

Taryn wouldn’t tell Stone to spare his life again.

Her ex would reap what he sowed.

She prayed that Sunny was found unharmed. The girl would be traumatized, but they could deal with that.

Stone began to pace the short length of the room like a caged tiger.

Taryn could hardly hear her own questions over her pounding heart. “Did he give you a location? Is he demanding anything in exchange for her?”

He paused, stabbed at his phone, then turned it again to show her. The text simply read: My boy for your girl.

Taryn slapped a hand over her mouth. Her temples throbbed and she met Stone’s eyes. Would he sacrifice her son for his daughter?

Stone shook his head and continued to wear a path in the floor. “He ain’t gettin’ Baby Bird. No fuckin’ way. My job’s to protect him. Failed my girl, ain’t failin’ him.”

Taryn closed her eyes in relief for a second, but it was short lived. Vic still had Sunny. She had no idea what lengths her ex would go to get back at her. To get back at Stone. “Did he give you an address for the exchange? Maybe I can go and try to convince him?—”

He spun on her and roared, “The fuck you will!” He closed his eyes and pulled in a breath.

When he opened them again, he said in a more reasonable tone, “Still waitin’ for the fucker to text me where to meet, but you’re not fuckin’ gonna be anywhere near there.

This time we’re gonna handle this shit the right way.

The only heart that’s gonna be bleedin’ this time is gonna be his when I rip it out of his fuckin’ chest.”

Was he calling her a bleeding heart because she asked him to spare Vic’s life? Wait…

We’re?

As if on cue, she heard the loud rumble of Harleys.

She went back over to the window to glance outside.

Of course. That was why Stone wasn’t out there searching.

He was waiting for his army of bikers to show up.

She estimated that almost every member of the Kings filled his driveway. She turned. “The calvary has arrived.”

With a shake of his head, he left the room.

Taryn chewed on her bottom lip and her heart thumped as heavily as his boots rushing down the steps.

This was a disaster. She had no idea how to stop it. Or even if she wanted to.

Vic would end up dead.

Stone might end up in prison.

Sunny could end up without either parent.

Wren would be devastated about losing his father.

All because of her.

No.

Vic started down this careening path by going off the deep end and taking his anger about their custody fight out on her. He was the reason.

What he did to Taryn was wrong.

Kidnapping Stone’s daughter and using her as a pawn was even worse.

It was unforgivable.

Stone was right .

And she’d been wrong to simply try to do the right thing.

That threat needed to be removed from their lives once and for all.

Stone glanced at the dumb motherfucker’s most recent text.

Did Gentry really think Stone would show up with only Wren? Exactly what he was demanding?

The fucking insane part was Gentry thought he was in a position to make demands. He was going to quickly find out he wasn’t.

The Kings were in charge.

Taryn’s ex would soon learn that nobody fucked with the Kings.

He didn’t learn the first time in the Shoppes at Susquehanna’s parking lot.

He didn’t learn the second time from Stone’s face-to-face warning.

The third time would be the last time.

Gentry’s time had run out. No more lessons, no more warnings.

Making sure he stayed out of view, Stone sent a text to his daughter’s phone: Here w/ ur kid. Send out my girl & I’ll send him in.

Stone doubted the asshole would fall for that trap, but it would give his brothers enough time for a sneak attack.

The place Asshole wanted to meet was nowhere near other humans. Great for Stone, stupid on Gentry’s part.

Of course, Stone assumed Sunny’s kidnapper was alone.

Gentry assumed that Stone was alone, too, since that was one of his demands .

While Taryn’s ex was a lone soldier, he would soon find out that Stone had an army at his back. They only needed to get to Sunny before Gentry figured that out and hurt her.

Half of his brothers stayed nearby but out of sight. The other half quietly moved around to the back of the abandoned hunting cabin.

It wouldn’t be hard to get in since all the windows were broken out and the doors hung crookedly on their hinges.

The abandoned cabin wasn’t secure at all.

Again, a benefit for Stone and his brothers, but not for Gentry.

Stand where I can see you , came the next text. You better have my son.

Stone had his son all right, just not with him. Gentry was never getting Baby Bird back. In fact, Stone would make sure he never saw his son again.

Bones worked his way closer and mumbled under his breath, “Gonna go pound on the door. While that fucker’s distracted, Ogre and the rest are gonna rush in from the rear. Gonna do a little shock and fuckin’ awe maneuver. Catch the fucker off guard.”

“Yeah.”

“Ogre told us to send two prospects in the front door to shield us, just in case the motherfucker’s packin’.”

“Good idea.”

“Ogre’s pretty fuckin’ smart sometimes. Other times, not so much.”

Stone wasn’t in the fucking mood to joke. He’d laugh about that shit later. Right now he needed to concentrate on his daughter and the soon-to-be-dead asshole.