Chapter 21
Cage
“Cage, I know why you wanted to take the floor for this meeting, something you haven’t wanted to do since leaving, but it isn’t fucking happening.
You’re not appointing Trick as president, it’s your fucking role, your legacy!
” Dad snaps as soon as I answer the phone, not giving me a chance to grunt anything, and I sigh as commotion echoes down the line in church.
I told Blaze last week, before he left, that I’ll be leading the meeting, that I have a vote to be cast. He looked pissed while Drew just looked confused, not from our world.
Guess I should have seen him running to Dad to make sure I didn’t leave the club.
“I have to, Dad,” I say softly, and he snaps, “No, we’ve already got the fucking Chargers trying to intercept our runs, we have prospects being swayed by them for fucking money, your mother is struggling, your sister cries every fucking night.
I need my fucking son home, to take charge like I know he can and knock those fuckers out.
Right now, they’re getting cocky thinking you’re about to hand in your cut and believe I’m too old to take them on! ”
“Dad,” I begin, but Trick cuts me off and states, “You hand in your cut, I’m handing in mine,” and every brother agrees with Trick except for Blaze, who keeps quiet, the only brother aware of my situation.
“Blaze!” Dad snaps, not liking his silence.
He says, “I won’t be handing in my cut because he will be coming home. He just needs more help in understanding his family will be safe no matter what.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Crash asks with confusion, and I swallow hard.
“I went to see Cage last week, met his girl,” Blaze explains, and Crusher says, “We know, we’re still pissed you and Trick have met her in person, and we haven’t.”
“She’s pregnant,” I announce, shutting them up and I continue, “thirteen weeks, I had found out the day Blaze said he was in town. He brought me down from the brink of hyperventilating.”
“Fuck,” Trick chokes and Dad just sighs.
I swallow, and I admit, “I’ve fucked up a lot over the years, I mean a-fucking-lot, to the point I’m lucky I didn’t get locked up for life.
I’ve hurt Mom, I’ve hurt Whit, and all of you.
I chose my grief, drugs, sex, and my anger over the club.
That isn’t a good leader. I should have stepped up, but instead I fell apart, chucked my leather on the ground, and walked away.
You don’t want me as your leader, and honestly, my sole focus needs to be my girl, it needs to be my baby,” I huff, “After getting the DNA results with Toya, Dad, I was coming to find you to tell you I couldn’t be a brother.
We didn’t know how far the Chargers would go and even now we don’t know how far they will take this shit all because they’re greedy assholes,” I clear my throat, “I already had one foot out of the door for the baby she terminated, why would I stay now when I not only have a baby on the way but a girl who keeps me grounded. She keeps me above the water that always wants to fucking drown me like it downed my baby sister?”
Everyone stays quiet for a few minutes, none of them able to answer my question until Bones says quietly, “Because we're your family. You didn’t know about Toya—none of us did.
She used Angie's knowledge of the termination as an excuse, but we all know that's not why she went after her.
It could've been Whit next—or the rest of our family.”
“He’s right,” Crash says, “I fucked Toya a few months before she went crazy with Crusher, meaning Clark could have been at risk. The woman was attention-seeking, she saw any female giving the brother she wanted attention a potential threat, and what happened wasn’t your fault.
It could have happened to any of us, fuck look what happened with Trick and my sister.
Look at the pain they’ve gone through, all because women want what they want. ”
“Son,” Dad whispers, “this baby, it’s my first grandchild, your mom's, it’s family, you’re family, and so is she. Please, just come home, we’re begging you, don’t hand in your cut, my old heart won’t be able to take the heartbreak.”
“She’s bringing you back, brother,” Blaze joins in, and I drop my head as he states, “I spent time with you both, I saw the old Cage coming out. The Cage who liked to joke and laugh, he was there, and she did that. Why can’t you give her the benefit of the doubt and see that she trusts you enough to keep her and your baby safe?
Why can’t you stop underestimating your skills where your family is concerned?
You were eighteen, brother, fuck, even the old timers didn’t see the crazy Toya was and she’d been around a lot. ”
I sigh and open my mouth to tell them to give me a little more time to appease them, but before anything can come out, the door to my tattoo room slams open, and I scowl as a tearful Elizabeth runs inside.
“What the fuck was that?” Trick demands, but I ignore him and snap at the bitch before me, “Fuck off and get out Elizabeth!”
“Drew's missing,” she sobs like I didn’t speak, and I roll my eyes at her pathetic attempt, but she shakes her head and cries, “I swear, Cage, I’m not lying to try and split you both up, I’m telling you, my sister is missing.
I was walking past her studio when the moms were complaining they couldn’t get a hold of her.
I’ve tried to call her, but she blocked me.
I had Dad try, and it went to voicemail.
He’s trying to find her and told me to come get you, and if you didn’t believe me, to call him yourself. ”
She lets out a pained sob that despite the situation I don’t believe. I completely freeze as Dad chokes, “Son? Is she telling the truth or not?” already aware of Elizabeth's antics, and I rasp, “She’s telling the fucking truth!”
And she is, because if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have told me to call Joel.
“Fuck, right, brothers, ride out, I’ll call Blade and get him to meet us in Rose Hill, Trick, mic up with your helmet and help Cage try and locate her!”
Dad hangs up, and I rush past a sobbing Elizabeth, who cries, “Cage, I was so nasty to her…” and I growl at her word.
Bitch is already acting like my girl won’t be found.
“No, not right now, you can feel bad later,” I snap and storm past the receptionist, who frowns, but I ignore her and leave the shop before sprinting to the studio, where the moms of Drew’s students now look scared for my girl instead of irritated.
I pick up my speed seeing Mary crying as she looks around.
I move past everyone but grip Mary’s hand on the way, and she gasps out a sob as I pull her into the studio, and I look around and demand, “Joel, talk to me,” the leadership ways Dad instilled in me come out and I gently sit Mary on the bench, Elizabeth sitting right beside her mom in support which is fucking weird to see.
I don’t trust her.
“Her bag is hanging up with her phone inside,” he growls, and I take a deep breath, trying my hardest to keep calm, and he says, “I’m going to get rid of the crowd. Have you called the club?”
“Both Carnage and Dark Angels are on their way,” I confirm just as my phone rings, and I answer, “Trick?” just as I storm through my girl's studio and go to her laptop, and I turn it on.
“Alright, brother, we’re on route. I’ve jammed all the speed cameras, so we’ll be with you a lot sooner, on both sides. Now do exactly as I say.”
“Cage, what are you doing on my sister's laptop?!” Elizabeth shouts, and Mary snaps, “Trying to find your sister, so shut up!” but I block them both out and do as Trick says, fucking hoping and praying I find my girl before her or our unborn child is unharmed.
***
“We’re a few minutes out, brother. Talk to me,” Trick says two and a half hours later, and I tremble as I try to follow the cameras.
“The four fuckers have changed their vehicle three fucking times,” I growl, watching as some scrawny guy literally throws my passed-out girl into the back of a pick-up just outside of town, and I try to follow it as Trick explained.
“We’re here!” he states as loud rumbles shake the glass windows, and he says, “So is Blade.”
Everything in me relaxes knowing my brothers are here, that they’ve got my back.
Gratitude fills me before I hear stomping of boots.
I lock eyes with my dad as he rushes my way.
I stand before he takes me into his arms like I’m a kid again and I grip him tightly as I squeeze my eyes shut, the familiar sense of home overwhelming me.
Fuck I’ve missed him.
“We’ll find her, son,” he whispers, “Her and your baby will be okay…”
“She’s pregnant,” I hear Elizabeth gasp while Joel snaps, “Now is not the fucking time, El,” anger lacing his voice.
We hadn’t had the time to tell her parents yet.
Trick pats my shoulder as he goes to my girl's laptop and continues with what I was doing, and I pull back from my dad to find half the fucking brotherhood, including officer brothers, along with the Dark Angels MC filling the studio.
Fucking hell.
“Oh, wow, that is a lot of leather,” Elizabeth whispers, and half the brothers roll their eyes while the other half ignores her, and I take a deep breath. Fuck, I can barely breathe. I’m choking on how much this overwhelms me.
“Brotherhood, son,” dad says seeing my reaction, “we’re always at your back.”
I nod in understanding just as Trick claims, “Found her, the idiots took her to the motel up the road, we should be able to go by foot without tipping them off,” and now I roll my eyes.
“Fucking Chargers,” I mutter and I storm towards the door, the brothers all allowing me access before they fall behind me, Scar right beside me like he always was inside, and my strength pulls through, Joels, “Tell my daughter I want a word when you bring her home about my grandchild she didn’t tell me about.
We both know she won’t be hurt, she has a habit of breaking bones. ”
Some brothers look at me with their brows raised, while others who know exactly what she did to Drake all wince while Elizabeth flinches.
I ignore them all and storm out of the studio before I go into a sprint, and every single brother from both clubs keeps up with me.
I’m coming, baby, hold on…