Chapter 24
“No!”
Ringo’s bellow is gut wrenching, and I blink my eyes open to see his bare legs shuffling from one direction to another like he’s torn between which way to go.
Me or my baby.
The moment he charges for the bundle of blankets getting dragged into the ocean by the waves, I grin, even though I can hardly breathe.
My lungs don’t want to work, but my eyes still track his movements as he falls to his knees in the water, scooping up the drenched blankets, bringing them to his chest.
“The fuck!” he snaps, and I open my mouth to speak, but still can’t get any air in, the heavy weight on top of me, crushing. “Where the fuck is Bobbi?!”
I inwardly cringe, feeling like I’m about to get told off for the ruse.
In desperation, Ringo abandons the blankets, crawling over to me through the wet sand, and a moment later, the crushing weight disappears and air rushes into my lungs.
“Fuck, Angel.” He scoops my head up off the sand, his freezing wet fingers swiping the hair off my face as his frantic eyes dance between mine.
I blink up at him a few times, trying to breathe, before I finally get some air in and start coughing.
“Ringo,” I scratch out, my voice husky from coughing.
“Angel, where the fuck is Bobbi?”
“She’s okay,” I rasp, my body finally relaxing as oxygen seeps into my blood again. “I left her with Caroline.”
“The nurse?” he barks, disbelief in his tone, and I nod.
“They wanted my baby, so I led them away the only way I knew how.”
“By making everyone think you had Bobbi?” He chokes out like he’s struggling with his emotions.
“Yes, sorry for scaring you.”
He laughs. It’s a weird, unsure laugh, and despite his shaking head, there’s a smile tugging at his lips.
“You could have told me, Angel. I just watched you toss your baby to the ground and get swept into the fucking ocean.”
“There was no time.” I sigh, trying to sit up, which is when Ringo’s sharp gaze darts between me and the dead man.
“That’s his blood, right?” he asks.
“Yes. I managed to pull the trigger when he jumped on me.”
Ringo’s big hands engulf my face again, his forehead pressing to mine as he chokes out. “I thought…”
“I’m okay,” I remind him, pressing my lips to his for a quick kiss.
When I pull back, I glance over his shoulder at the bundle of blankets that were made to look like I was carrying a swaddled baby.
“You went to save her first.”
“I was coming for you next,” he growls, and I grin.
“I know, but the fact that you chose her first means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“Shit, Angel. I’d give my own life to save both of you. In a fucking heartbeat.”
He brushes my hair back, his wild eyes roaming my face, reminding me of not just how precious he makes me feel, but how precious I am to him.
To his heart.
“I love you for that, Cam. Always,” I tell him, and words have never felt more true falling from my lips.
I will love this man for eternity. There’s no two ways about it.
We might come from different walks of life, and there may be a huge gap between our ages, but I’m convinced he was put on this Earth for me. To save me. To show me how to live.
We share another kiss and hug quickly, before standing and running back to the cabin, hand in hand, the heavy rain that was pelting down earlier now a fine misty drizzle.
We approach with caution, noting that things seem quiet compared to a minute ago, and as we move up the sandy path, we see JD, Mex, Murf and Vender step out onto the back porch, looking bloody, but okay.
“We get them all?” Ringo barks as we approach, and the moment JD lays eyes on his best mate, his shoulders visibly relax.
“As far as we can tell,” Vender answers. “Used their night vision goggles to check for anyone else. Outside is all clear, but there are people in the houses peeking out their windows. I doubt it will be long before the cops arrive.”
Raking his hand through his hair, Ringo assesses the scene before turning to me.
“Go check on Bobbi.” Then his eyes shift to Murf and Mex. “There are a couple of bodies on the beach. Go get them and bring them back here. We need to leave ASAP.”
Leaving them to do what they need to do, I rush down the hallway and burst into the room, nearly slipping on some broken glass as I get to the wardrobe.
“Caroline!” I call, tugging it open to find her sitting curled against the back corner.
“Oh shit. Thank God,” I say, shifting to stand over her and finding Bobbi still asleep, her little mouth sucking on the dummy like she’s trying to get milk from it.
“It’s over. But we have to leave before the police get here,” I say, leaning down to scoop up Bobbi from Caroline’s arms.
I’m so focused on my relief and how good it feels to hold Bobbi that it takes me a moment to realise Caroline hasn’t said anything.
“Caroline?” I ask, leaning to the side to get a look at her face.
Then I stiffen, a gasp flying from my lips as I stagger backwards. “Ringo!”
Heavy pounding feet head my way in an instant, and hot tears burst from my eyes as I try to make sense of what I just saw.
Glancing around the room, or what’s left of it, I see more bullet holes in the plaster near the wardrobe… and the wardrobe door.
“Angel. What’s wrong? Is Bobbi…” Ringo trails off as he skids in the doorway, his eyes darting from me to where I now stare at the blood-soaked hole in Caroline’s side.
“Shit… Looks like she caught a stray bullet,” Ringo says, stepping closer and lowering to his haunches to examine the situation. “Bobbi’s okay?” he asks, darting his head over his shoulder, and I nod, but since I really have no idea, I snap out of my daze and run to the bed.
Pulling back the bedsheets, I find a clean spot and lay Bobbi down, unwrapping the blanket, checking over her tiny little body.
“She’s okay,” I sigh in relief, my eyes shifting back to the wardrobe. “Caroline really did protect Bobbi with her life.”
Leaning down, Ringo runs his big fingers down the side of Bobbi’s face before glancing at me.
“I don’t want to sound harsh, but we have to go.”
I nod, knowing he’s right.
“What about all this?” I ask, gesturing to the house around us.
“We’ll burn it with the bodies inside.” He moves to his pile of clothes that he didn’t have time to dress in before, and starts to get dressed. “We’ll take our men back to Fox Pines though.”
For a moment, I wonder what Ringo means, because of course we are going back to the club. They have to sort out the dispute with Smitty and… and… then it hits me.
“Stocky? Trigger?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper as I watch the pain flash across Ringo’s face.
“Yeah, Angel. And Trunk. We have to arrange another funeral.”
My shoulders drop as pain lashes inside my chest, and I suck in my lips, trying to hold back what I’m feeling, because we really don’t have time for a distraught woman right now.
“Hey,” Ringo breathes, his finger hooking under my chin. “Try not to think about it right now. Let’s get you and Bobbi out of here and hit the road.”
Nodding, I swallow thickly, leaning into the kiss he presses to my forehead, before he leads me from the room.
Ringo and his men work seamlessly together, like they’ve burnt down houses before. It turns out this little seaside town is so small it doesn’t have its own police station or anything. Just a group of houses along the shore, the residents just trying to lead simple, quiet lives.
The Landy made it out without a scratch, but the van is a little worse for wear. I can’t stop looking back at it over my shoulder as it follows behind us, knowing the bodies of the dead Sadists are inside.
I feel so sorry for Murf. Stocky was his best mate, and he’s the one driving the van.
JD, Vender and Mex are riding three of the motorcycles, while the fourth is also in the back of the van, crammed up close to the dead bodies.
It’s all just… such a waste.
I feel the weight of their deaths just like I did the others. These guys in particular, having been some of the first club brothers I met.
I’m sitting quietly in the back seat next to Bobbi’s car seat, where she’s still sleeping soundly.
I couldn’t bring myself to sit in the front and be that far away from her, but Ringo didn’t mind.
He’s been busy making calls as he drives, arranging for us to get back over the border, so they don’t search the van and find dead bodies.
I cry for some of the trip, my heart aching over more deaths because of me.
I don’t know who those men were that attacked the house, but they were clearly trained. I’m actually surprised we aren’t all dead.
The drive from the seaside town in South Australia to Fox Pines is nearly an eleven hour trip, but Ringo is determined to get back to the compound today, so we stop when Bobbi needs a feed or nappy change, and then just keep driving.
Even though I try not to, I fall asleep a few times. I’m worried about Ringo and the lack of sleep he’s had over the last few days, but the hum of the Harleys riding alongside us is soothing, and it keeps lulling me to sleep.
When we aren’t far from Fox Pines, the day having turned into night once again, my phone starts ringing, and I hurry to blindly answer it so it doesn’t wake Bobbi.
“Hello?” I say, reaching over to press the dummy back into Bobbi’s mouth when she stirs.
“So you have your daughter back. Congratulations.”
I stiffen at the sound of my mother’s voice, and my eyes meet Ringo’s in the rearview mirror.
How does she know?
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I put the call on speaker and turn up the volume.
“What do you want?” I snap, and she scoffs.
“You have your daughter, now I want mine. Give Tahli back to me.”
“Never,” I scoff back, and she tuts.
“You might as well hand over your daughter while you’re at it.
Once the police trace all those deaths in that sleepy seaside town back to you, you’ll be going to prison.
” She gives an unamused laugh. “Twelve deaths. That’s a long stretch behind bars.
Plenty of time for me to raise your daughter myself. ”
“Twelve?” I ask, keeping my eyes on Ringo’s in the mirror. “You’re so sure. What do you know about what happened?”
“I was against it at first. But your grandfather was insistent. He has a lot of connections, Abigail. Many worshippers that believe in the Script of Symme just as passionately as we do. A lot of very powerful men in high government authoritative roles.”
“So Banes paid men to kill us and tried to kidnap my baby. Again.” I scoff, hoping my voice doesn’t betray my nerves. “How did you even know where we were?”
“I told you last time. A little birdy told me. You really should be careful who you trust,” she snickers. “And that child is not yours, Abigail. She belongs to the church.”
“Oh, really?” I snicker this time. “But don’t I have to marry my cousin first? And then don’t I have to be killed, so Bobbi can replace my life, to be the pure vessel?”
My mother is quiet for a long moment before she responds. “You’ve been doing your research.”
“I have,” I agree. “What a pity Daniel is dead, so now I can’t marry him. And so is every other rapist fuck that could have been the biological father. So, I guess you and your cult bullshit can piss the hell off.”
“You don’t know what you’ve done!” my mum yells, causing the speaker to crackle, and I glance at Bobbi to see if it disturbed her, but she’s still sound asleep.
“Oh, you mean ruining your plans to get your daddy to love you again?” I snap. “You’re pathetic, Priscilla.”
“You act so high and mighty,” she snarls, fury lacing her tone. “But you were never going to be anything special in the outside world, Abigail. But in the church you had a chance to make a difference, and you’ve gone and thrown it all away. But Tahli still has a chance.”
“You’re right, she does,” I snap back with just as much venom. “She has a chance with me. She deserves a chance at a normal life. At not being married off to a relative and used to create fucking incestual babies!”
“You know nothing!” my mother snarls. “There’s a higher purpose in the church. The world is crazy and full of tainted people, but the Script of Symme honours God’s true path.”
A laugh bubbles from my lips at how ludicrous she sounds.
“The Script of Symme is a load of bullshit, Priscilla. It used to be called something else entirely, and the name was changed because the cult got busted by the authorities. When are you going to realise you’re fighting on the wrong side?”
“I’m doing the Lord’s work, Abigail!”
“You’re doing your pedo father’s work, that’s all. You’re a joke!”
“GIVE TAHLI BACK!” she screams, completely unhinged, and I smirk, feeling good about ruffling her feathers.
“No,” I snap. “I’ll never give her back!”
The moment the words leave my lips, I end the call, my breathing rapid as my hand shakes.
“Shit,” I pant, glancing at Ringo.
“You okay?” he asks, and I nod, but then shake my head, finishing on a shrug.
“Someone told them where we’d be,” I breathe, my mind racing. “The only people who knew were you, me, Daniel and Lewy.”
Even though I can’t see Ringo’s whole face, I can tell by the narrowing of his eyes in the mirror that his jaw is ticking right now.
“There’s no way Daniel could have contacted them without us knowing,” Ringo grunts, sounding pissed. “And I can’t for the life of me consider Lewy. But fuck, the only other explanation is that it was one of the men with us. They must have passed on our location once we arrived.”
Shaking my head, I don’t want to believe any of those options.
“There has to be another explanation… right?” I ask, and Ringo shrugs.
“I fucking hope so,” he hisses, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel. “Or we won’t be arranging a funeral for three. We’ll be arranging it for a lot fucking more.”