Page 80 of Silver Spoon Falls, Vol. I

FIFTY-EIGHT

GARRETT

"You're the football coach, Garrett," Dillon reminds me for the third time. "You can't just drag the bastard out of his car and kick the shit out of him in the middle of town, for God's sake."

I'm seriously beginning to question why I went to him instead of Razor and Reid.

They aren't law enforcement. They'd be down to help me kick the shit out of Bellotti for following Todd around town.

Dillon, on the other hand, is trying to be the voice of reason.

And I get that. Really, I do. He's the sheriff.

It's his job. But I don't feel like being reasonable right now.

I feel like finding Leone Bellotti and putting the fear of God into him.

"Just drive faster," I mutter to Dillon, staring out of the window at every car we pass.

"He's not wrong," Cash Montoya says from the back seat.

As soon as I filled him in, he decided he was going with me.

He's got half of the MC out looking for Bellotti, too.

The other half is at the clubhouse, keeping an eye on Todd.

"You've got to keep up appearances. Wait until you get him alone, and then fuck him up. "

Dillon glares at him in the rearview mirror. "Are you helping me here or trying to stress me the fuck out?"

Cash shrugs. "You know how we feel about people who mess with kids. That shit hits too close to home for too many of us."

I'm not sure what he means by that, and I don't ask. Their business is their own. I appreciate the hell out of him for helping me out, but I'm not trying to stick my nose where it isn't needed.

Dillon seems to know what he's talking about, though. He grunts, letting the subject drop.

A few seconds later, my phone buzzes.

I pull it out, figuring it's Ciara texting to let me know she and Carlie are getting ready to head out, but Xavier's name flashes across the display. I sent him to the house to make sure Ciara made it to work safely.

"What's wrong?" I growl, bringing the phone to my ear.

"You need to get here," my brother-in-law says, his voice grim. "I just pulled up and her friend is here. She said the car idling on the curb belongs to one of those fuckers. They're inside with her, man."

"Fuck!" I roar. My heart slams against my ribcage, fear for Ciara overriding everything. That motherfucker is at my house with my girl right now? If he so much as touches her, I'm killing him. I don't fucking care who sees me do it. I will destroy him. "Bellotti is at the house with Ciara."

"Jesus Christ." Dillon flips a switch on the dash and hits the gas, blowing through the red light ahead as the sirens blare.

"We're on the way," I rasp to Xavier. "Don't let them leave with her. No matter what, don't fucking let them leave."

"I won't," he promises. "Until you get here, I've got her. Just get here."

Cash calls the MC on the way. By the time we pull up out front, a line of bikes is hauling balls up the road alongside three squad cars.

As soon as Dillon slows, I jump out. I land on my feet, already running.

"Garrett, goddammit!" Dillon shouts behind me.

I ignore him. There's not a chance in hell he's stopping me from going in after Ciara. I don't care about protocol or back-up or any of that other bullshit. She's the reason I exist. If they hurt her, I won't survive it. I don't want to survive in a world without her.

Xavier meets me at the end of the driveway. Carlie's sitting in his truck, bawling.

"One of the dumb fucks stuck his head out a couple minutes ago. Seemed surprised to see us out here," Xavier says without preamble. "She says it was Enzo Bellotti."

"Is Leone in there, too?"

"Looks like it." Xavier shakes his head in disgust. "Enzo was yelling for him when he slammed the door."

"So, they know they've got company. Son of a bitch," Cormac Carmichael growls, jogging up to us with Dillon and Cash.

"I'm going in," I mutter before anyone can try to come up with some bullshit plan that keeps her in their hands even longer. "I don't care if I have to go alone, but I'm going in after her before they have time to decide their only way out is by doing something they can't take back."

Fuck.

Please, God. Don't let them hurt her.

Cash clamps a hand on my shoulder as if he senses how close to the edge I am right now.

"Let's fucking go," Cormac says, rubbing his hands together like he'd enjoy nothing more than going in with me. From what I know about him, that tracks. He's a one-man wrecking crew.

"Jesus," Dillon growls, lifting his gaze to the sky, and then he sighs heavily. "Fuck my life. If either of you gets shot, I'll shoot you again myself."

"Make that three," Xavier says.

"Four," Cash says.

Dillon mutters a curse. "If any of you get shot, I'm killing you myself. And you," he points at me, his gaze hard, "don't even think about killing either one of the motherfuckers when you get your hands on them. I need them alive."

I make no promises.

Dillon doesn't wait around for one anyway. He waves over his deputies and breaks us into groups. Two deputies take up positions outside in case either of them escapes. The other, Deputy Keller, takes the side door with Cash. Cormac and Xavier take the back door, leaving me and Dillon at the front.

Within five minutes, we're in position.

I wait for the count and then pound my fist on the front door. "Bellotti, I'm unarmed and coming in, you bastard!" I shout. "Don't fucking shoot, you son of a bitch!"

"Stop antagonizing him," Dillon mutters.

I choose to ignore him and push the front door open before stepping inside with my hands in the air.

As soon as I'm over the threshold, I notice the signs of a struggle. Shit is knocked over and broken on the floor. The couch is knocked askew, and the rug is bunched up.

My blood boils when my gaze lands on the zip-ties spilled across the floor. Movement to the right catches my attention. I turn in that direction.

A roar of fury bursts from my lips.

Ciara's on the floor with tape over her mouth and her hands tied behind her back. Her feet are tied together. Her eye is red and swollen. She struggles against her bonds, fighting like hell to get free even though she can't.

I rush toward her, falling to my knees at her side. "Ah, God, Cherry. Ah, Jesus." I scoop her up into my arms, gently prying the tape from her mouth. "I'm here. I'm here."

"G-Garrett," she sobs. "B-back d-d-door."

"Dillon!" I roar. "They ran out the back."

He rushes into the house with his gun drawn. "How long ago?"

"T-t-ten m-minutes," Ciara manages to choke out.

"Fuck!" Dillon charges through the kitchen. A few seconds later, I hear him shouting orders at Cormac and Xavier, and then the three of them take off running.

"We're going to find them," I whisper to Ciara, rising to my feet with her in my arms so we can get the fucking zip-ties off of her.

She lays her head against my shoulder as I carry her into the kitchen. Within moments, the ties are off and she's free. She wraps herself around me like a vine, clinging for all she's worth.

"They hurt you."

"I'm f-f-fine."

She isn't fine, but she will be. I intend to make sure of it. Starting with getting an ambulance out here to check her out.

"I'm pregnant."

I stare at Ciara, certain I'm hearing things. There's no way she just said what I thought she said.

"Garrett?" She eyes me warily from the back of the ambulance. "Did you hear me?"

"I don't think I did," I admit. "I thought you said you're pregnant."

"I did. I mean, I am."

Jesus. My little Cherry is having my baby?

I jump into the back of the ambulance with her, falling to my knees beside the gurney. "Cherry," I choke, pressing my head to her stomach. "Jesus, baby."

She places her hand on the back of my head, sobbing quietly. "Are you happy, Garrett?"

Happy doesn't even come close. The reason I breathe is carrying my baby.

I lift my head as worry shoots through me. "Is the baby okay? Did they hurt the baby?"

"I don't think so," she whispers. "They were rough with me, but they didn't hit me in the stomach or anything. I think the baby will be okay."

I exhale a breath, though I know I won't quit worrying entirely until the baby is in our arms, safe and sound. I have a feeling she won't either, even if she never admits it.

"Todd will be excited."

"You think?" she asks, worrying her bottom lip.

I gently tug it from between her teeth. "I know so. He's going to be a fantastic uncle."

"Yeah, he wi—" She trails off, her eyes growing wide as something outside the ambulance catches her attention.

I turn to see what she's looking at and see Dillon and Cormac coming around the side of the house with Leone Bellotti in handcuffs between them. My field of vision goes red with rage. I leap to my feet, jumping from the ambulance with a furious roar.

"Garrett!" Ciara cries.

"You shady motherfucker!" I rush Leone, tackling him to the ground. He lands on his back, his head smacking the ground with an audible thunk .

"Dammit, Garrett," Dillon growls.

"Nah, let him go," Cormac says. "He earned this."

I drive my fist into Leone's face, roaring in satisfaction when the cartilage of his nose cracks beneath my knuckles.

"You attacked her!" I hit him again. "You hit her!

" Again. "Bruised her!" Again. "Tied her up!

" Blood runs down my knuckles when I hit him again.

"You're fucking lucky you're in handcuffs right now, you piece of shit.

If you weren't, vultures would be eating the pieces of you I’d scatter all over this state. "

I clock him a final time and then drag myself off of him.

It takes all the strength I possess to do it.

I want to kill him. He put his hands on her.

He could have killed our baby. But I won't let him win now.

She needs me. She's had to do too much on her own for too long.

Hell will freeze over before I leave her to raise our baby alone, too.

"Get this piece of shit out of here," I growl at Dillon.

"That's what I was trying to do, Kung Fu Panda," he mutters, grabbing a groaning Leone by the shirt to haul him back to his feet. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Bellotti. There's already an ambulance here to check you out since you decided to pick a fight with Garrett."

"Didn't pick no fight," he says in his bad Brooklyn accent.

"Yeah, you did. It's called fucking around and finding out. You just got to the finding out portion of the program." Dillon drags him away.

"My brothers are still looking for Rocco and Enzo," Cormac says. "We'll have them both rounded up by the end of the night for you. You want them brought here or to the jail when we find them?"

I hesitate for a moment before making my decision. "Take them to the jail."

As much as I'd like to teach them both a lesson, too, I'd rather spend the rest of the night with Ciara.

Enzo and Rocco can rot in jail with their brother.

Besides, I'm not stupid. I know damn well that all of this was Leone's idea.

They'll pay for their role when they're sitting in a prison cell beside him.

"Will do." Cormac grins before jogging off after Dillon.

I turn and walk back to the ambulance, where Ciara and my future await me.