Chapter 18 Cash
Chapter eighteen
Cash
Cece and I spent the night in each other’s arms. I could feel something off with her, but I suppose that’s to be expected.
She was pissed when I told her there was no way in hell I’d be okay with her coming with us, but it didn’t take long for her to see reason.
She was still quiet, though, lost in her thoughts.
I did what I always used to and remained by her side for when she was ready to talk— if she wanted to talk about it.
We get up before dawn. She insisted that she go to the clubhouse with me to see me off. Lucy, Charlie, and Freya are here as well. This is the first time I get to hold my woman like I’ve been wishing I could around everyone.
When Liam walks in, he smiles at me and Cece, nodding his approval.
“Alright, boys, plane’s ready to go when you are. If you’re hungry, I’d suggest getting breakfast now since, unfortunately for you, I don’t offer in-flight service.”
“On it,” Charlie says as she and Freya head to the kitchen.
“You doing okay, Little Bit?” Liam asks when he walks up to where Cece and I are sitting at the bar.
“I’m okay.” She checks the time on her phone. “Just have a lot of stuff to do today. Figured it was a good day to keep busy and all that.”
“Do you have to do some baking for Betsy today?” I ask, knowing the answer is probably yes.
Cece nods. “It’s okay, though. I can be late,” she says, chewing her lip.
“Sweetheart, go back to the house and do what you need to do. We’re going to eat and head out to the airfield in a few minutes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course,” I reply, swiping a kiss across her lips.
“We’ll be back before you know it.” I can feel her anxiety running away with itself, and I’m not sure being here is what’s best for her.
Baking always helps center her, so I’d rather she do that than sit here for five more minutes, watching me eat a fucking breakfast sandwich.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your man returns to you safe and sound,” Liam says, and Cece gives him an appreciative smile.
“I want everyone to come back safe,” she says and stands up from her chair.
“I’ll walk you out to your car,” I say, since I took my bike here.
Cece nods, and we head out the front door into the cool morning. The sun is barely peaking over the horizon as I open her door.
“I love you,” I tell her and wrap her in my arms.
Cece places her head against my chest. I still feel a lot of tension radiating from her, but this is the first time since we’ve been a couple that I’ve had to take off for something like this, so it’s to be expected.
Not that I would know. This is also the first time I’ve done something like this and had someone waiting for me at home. I have to say, it’s a good feeling.
“I love you, Cash. So much.” She lifts her face toward mine, and I lower my mouth to hers, kissing her in a way that I hope conveys everything I’m pouring into it. I love you. I’ll be safe. I’ll come home to you.
We break apart, and Cece gets in her car.
“Save me a couple scones for when I get back. Oh, and that chocolate thing you make, too,” I say with a smile.
She returns the smile, but I can tell it’s forced. Fuck, I hate this so much. I want this to be over so I can see a real smile on her face again.
She starts the car, and I close her door, watching as her taillights disappear from view before heading back to the clubhouse.
“She okay?” Liam asks, and I shake my head.
“No, but she will be. When this is over, she’ll never have to worry about those sons of bitches again.”
Thirty minutes later and we’re in the air.
Liam decided to play pilot again, and we’re all sitting in the back of the huge cargo plane strapped to jump seats.
It’s a tight fit with giant cases upon cases of everything we’ll need.
There’re three side-by-sides and four ATVs.
All electric. All much quieter than the gas-powered alternatives.
“You doing okay over there?” I ask Barrett, who isn’t his normal chipper self.
“I hate flying.”
I bark out a laugh. “But you’re okay with walking into a potential death trap. Or taking trips out to the pig farm with Knox?”
“Totally different, man. We could plummet to the ground from thirty thousand feet in the air. None of us would survive. When I go to the farm, I know I’m not the one being fed to the pigs.
And when we have to handle some shit, I know every brother has my back, so my odds of survival are pretty high.
Planes, though? I’d rather never step foot on one if I don’t have to. ”
“How did I not know this about you?” I ask, shaking my head. “You were fine the first time we came out West.” That was the trip we took to rescue Lucy from that fucking cult. The first time I laid eyes on Cece and my fate was sealed.
“Trust me, brother, I wasn’t. But this ride is a little bumpier than the last,” he says right as we go through a pocket of turbulence that lasts several minutes. The groan that comes from him has me cackling, but I take pity on the fucker and don’t try to talk to him again.
Instead, I rest my head against the shitty padding behind me and close my eyes, thinking about the night ahead.
I picture myself walking into that clubhouse and putting bullets in as many Bone Breakers as I can.
I imagine riding back to the safe house Liam secured for us and getting the information we need out of Red before I slice open the fucker’s throat and watch the life drain from him.
Then I think about getting on this plane and landing at the airstrip back in Shine.
I imagine Cece’s face when I walk through the door and crawl into bed next to her, holding her close and knowing her nightmare has been eliminated.
That the men who hurt her are no longer breathing.
These thoughts carry me through the next several hours as I listen to my brothers chatting around me. All the while, with a smile on my face.
We land six hours later on an airstrip in the middle of the desert. Liam emerges from the cockpit with Hendrix behind him.
“Alright. We’ll pack up the vehicles and unload here. The safe house is about five minutes away. I have a van there in case we’re transporting anyone back,” he informs the group.
“Red’s coming back with us. He has information we need, so I’ll be questioning him,” Ozzy says.
“And I want to make sure his death is slow and painful,” I chime in.
“Fair enough,” Liam says.
I look over at Jude, who is staring at his phone, which he’s just turned back on after the flight.
He presses the screen and brings the phone to his ear. “Lucy, what the hell is going on?” He’s silent as he listens to her. “Okay, love, slow down. What time was that?” Silence again. He looks at me and mouths for me to check my phone. I shoot him a questioning look, but do it regardless.
There are several missed calls from Lucy, and I look back at Jude. “What’s going on?”
“Little Bit is missing. Betsy couldn’t get a hold of her this morning, so she called Lucy. She drove out to the house, and her car wasn’t there, so she drove around and found it parked on the side of the road about a mile from the airstrip.”
Jude puts the phone on speaker.
“Lucy, were there signs of a struggle? Tire marks on the road, or anything like that?” I ask, fear and adrenaline coursing through my blood.
Were the Bone Breakers waiting for us to leave so they could make a move?
Sawyer had some fancy spy shit tracking their phones, but what if it failed? What if they discovered it was there?
“No, nothing. I’m so fucking scared, and no one is here. What do I do? I tried calling her a million times, but she’s not answering.”
“Tell her I’m okay.”
I hear the one voice I should absolutely not be hearing behind me right now.
Slowly, I turn around, and standing behind a crate of weapons is my fucking woman. The woman I kissed goodbye less than seven hours ago. The woman who should be in Shine, not on a fucking plane with us in goddamn Arizona.
“Jude, what’s going on? Who do I hear? Is that Cece?” Lucy screams into the phone.
“Sure is, Lucifer,” Jude replies. “Seems we had a stowaway.”
“I’m going to kill her!” Lucy screams into the phone. “Cece, what the hell are you doing?”
Cece doesn’t answer her sister. Her gaze is firmly locked on my very angry one as Lucy continues to scream into the phone about how, when she’s done murdering her, she’s never going to let her out of her sight again.
“Love, I have to go,” Jude says, taking Lucy off speakerphone.
“Yes, I’ll tell her.” Silence. “Yes, I’ll tell her that too.
” Silence. “No, I’m definitely leaving that one for you.
I really have to go. Cash looks like he’s about to pass out, and that’s the last thing any of us needs right now.
” He disconnects the call, then turns his attention to Cece.
“What is it with you and your sister? She hides in a van to get out of the desert, and you hide in a plane to go back to one? I swear someone needs to put a bell on you.”
I’m staring at Cece. She hasn’t moved, nor does she acknowledge Jude in any way. Just holds my steely gaze. She’s waiting for me to have some sort of reaction. Bracing herself for what she thinks is going to be an explosion.
“What. Are. You. Doing here?” I grit out slowly.
“I told you I wasn’t staying behind,” she replies with her chin lifted.
I scoff. “You told me you…” I shake my head back and forth. “Everyone out!”
Liam quickly heads back into the cockpit, and the ramp of the plane descends, landing on the dusty ground. My brothers and Liam’s men walk out of the plane. I’m certain they can still hear everything, but I don’t care.
All the while, Cece and I don’t take our eyes off each other.
“Listen—”