Chapter Fourteen
Elise
“This way.”
I walked down the stairs and saw Layla waiting for me.
“These shoot-outs are becoming a regular occurrence,” she murmured, a wry smile playing around her lips.
Rushing down the last of the steps, I winced at the pain in my hip. “Dagger mentioned you were a good shot,” I said, passing her one of the handguns John gave me.
Layla’s huge, grey eyes lit up, and she took the gun from me with a small grin. “Oh, it’s a Glock 19. My favorite.” She slid out the magazine like she was Bonnie Parker and pulled the top backward to check the bullets before clicking the weapon back together again. “Locked and loaded, baby.” Her eyes fell on the other gun I was holding. “Whatever you do, don’t give that to Cara. She’s the worst shot in the world. She’ll shoot someone’s ass off.”
“You know your way around a gun, then?” I asked dryly as we walked toward a thick metal door with a keypad positioned to the side.
She smiled, punching a sequence of numbers into the pad. “Bowie says I have a way with them.” A loud click sounded, and Layla pushed the heavy door open with her shoulder. “Come on.”
The sound of kids crying and the low hum of nervous chatter greeted me the instant I stepped into the dimly lit room.
Glancing around to get my bearings, I saw the Cell was filled with women and kids. Sunny and Kady played over at the far side of the massive room with Kai and a few children I didn’t know. Adele and Freya were speaking to a group of ol’ ladies while keeping an eye on the children.
Adele’s stare caught mine and she shot me a smile, which I returned with a friendly nod.
“There she is,” Kennedy exclaimed.
“Are you okay?” Sophie demanded, rushing toward us, holding Belle. “Where were you?”
“John needed to talk to me,” I explained. “He gave me a couple of guns and some ammo for protection.”
“Excellent,” Cara declared.
Layla shot her a glare. “You’re not having one.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “Fucking killjoy.” Her head whipped left as a loud crash came from the corner of the room. A pile of chairs, which had been stacked on top of each other, clattered to the floor, causing a racket.
One of the other ol’ ladies swooped in and picked up a grinning toddler.
“Wilder,” Cara bit out, tone exasperated. “How did you get over there?” She rushed over and took her son from the woman with an apologetic smile.
“That kid’s the spirit child of Houdini,” Kennedy declared. “He’ll either grow up to be an escape artist or a stuntman, mark my words.”
“I’m just happy the twins and Willow are with Iris and Sera,” Layla murmured thoughtfully. “Do you think they’re safe?”
“I’ll call her,” Kennedy announced, fishing in her jeans pocket for her cell phone. As she pulled it free, it began to ring loudly. She stabbed at it and clicked it onto the loudspeaker before saying a tentative, “Hello?”
Atlas’s booming voice filled the air. “Yo, Ned. Tell Soph the boys are takin’ Tex down to the med wing soon.”
“I can hear you, big man,” my daughter replied. “I’ll head down there now. Is everything okay?”
“Wait until Reno comes for ya,” Atlas ordered. “He’ll keep watch at the door while you work. We’re gettin’ the upper hand. Prez and Arrow are on the roof, and one of ‘em just sniped some asshole dead. The other pricks are startin’ to look nervous.” He paused for a second as a voice in the background said something to him. “Two down now. Won’t be long.”
“Got it,” she replied. “Be careful and keep me posted on injuries.”
Suddenly, a loud boom filled the air. It was so forceful that the room seemed to shake with the strength of it.
“Gotta go,” Atlas barked, and the line went dead.
“What the fuck was that?” Cara asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kennedy’s lips twitched as she looked at Sophie, who looked back at her with an eye roll. After a pause, they both said one word in perfect unison.
“Kit!”
Cara busted out a laugh. “Do you think he’s blown them up?”
“Probably,” Kennedy confirmed, making an ‘eek’ face.
“Are you going to call Iris?” Layla inquired, her tone impatient.
“I’m not your fucking receptionist,” Ned muttered, passing Layla her cell. “You do it.”
Layla snatched the phone from her. “My cell phone’s probably underneath a table somewhere. Sorry to inconvenience you by checking Iris and my kids are safe.”
“They’ll be fine,” Kennedy replied, exasperated. “Iris isn’t stupid. She’d have called if there was a problem. Right now, she’s probably the safest out of all of us.”
“Ned’s right,” Sophie said reassuringly. “But you’re right to give her a call, if only to put your mind at rest.”
Layla shot Kennedy a dark look before turning her back on us, her fingers flying over the cell’s buttons. Iris must have answered immediately because Layla walked away, talking urgently into the phone.
Sophie narrowed her eyes at Kennedy.
Ned huffed. “What?”
“Why do you have to yank her chain?” Sophie demanded. “We’re getting ambushed by a rival club, and instead of working together, you go for Layla’s jugular.”
Ned shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve still not forgiven her for the Freya thing.”
“What Freya thing?” I asked curiously, glancing at her across the room, talking with Adele.
“When everything came out about Freya and Colt, Bowie and Layla took John’s side and turned their backs on them.” Kennedy informed me. “It pissed me off because, from what I’ve been told, it was Freya who had Layla’s back when Bowie fucked her over at the beginning of their relationship. When Freya needed the same loyalty, Layla left her swinging.”
“Ned—” Sophie began, but Kennedy cut her off.
“Don’t defend her. They turned against Freya for falling in love. It was a shitty thing to do, so why should we brush it under the rug?”
“Kennedy,” Sophie interrupted.
Ned slashed an angry hand through the air. “I don’t want to hear it.”
I caught a flash of red-brown hair at Kennedy’s back, and my heart dropped. “Umm, Ned—” I began.
Kennedy cocked a hip and punched a hand to it, continuing her rant. “If I fuck up or Cara fucks up, we’re called out on it, so why shouldn’t she be held accountable, too?”
“I didn’t agree with Bowie,” a soft voice murmured.
Sophie’s eyes bugged out at Kennedy, and she said with gritted teeth, “That’s what I was trying to tell you; Layla’s right there.”
Kennedy spun around to face the other woman and sighed. “I’m sorry you had to hear it like that, but I have a problem with the way you treated Freya.”
“Obviously,” Layla replied sarcastically.
Kennedy popped a hip again. “I can’t help it if the truth hurts.”
“Except it’s not the truth,” Layla retorted. “Just because I support Bowie publicly doesn’t mean I don’t have my say behind closed doors. I understand that you think a certain way, Ned, but I’m not like you.”
“You don’t say,” Ned muttered, cocking an eyebrow.
“You think you’re so strong, Ned,” Layla responded. “And you are, but everything in your life has come easy to you. You were the best student, the best dancer, the best lawyer: the smartest, the bravest, the most ambitious. I’ve always been at the bottom of the barrel. I was the poorest, the most pathetic, the stupidest. I was always the outcast until I met Bowie. Sunny and I had nothing before the Speed Demons welcomed us into the family. I wish I were more like you. I wish I could tell people to go to hell and do what I wanted, but I’m not built that way.”
“But you are,” Kennedy countered gently. “You’re stronger than you know.”
“You’re right, I am,” Layla agreed. “It was Bowie who showed me, along with the men and the ol’ ladies, and Cara too, but mainly Bowie who made me believe I was more. I love Freya like she’s my blood sister, but Bowie’s my man. We don’t always agree. I challenge him all the time, especially over Freya, but I’ll never do that publicly because he deserves my loyalty more than anybody. He’s my husband and the father of my children. He’s my world.”
“I get it, Layla,” Ned acquiesced. “I even respect it, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of Freya’s feelings. She needed you, but you weren’t there.”
“You were,” Layla pointed out. “Cara was, Cash was, Kit, Sophie, everybody was there for her. If you hadn’t been, I would have, and so would Bowie. He didn’t agree with what they did, but he wouldn’t have let her down if she had nobody else. Neither would I, and I don't think it’s fair that you expect Bowie and I to compromise ourselves. I have no issue with Colt and Freya being together, but I did have a huge issue with how they sneaked around and lied. John and the club have been good to me and Sunny. I didn’t like how Freya and Colt went behind their backs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her. I adore Freya, and if she needed me for anything, I’d be there.”
“She was broke,” Ned insisted. “Did you know John froze her credit cards?”
“Bowie told Cash he’d help out financially if she needed it, but Cash said he’d handle it,” Layla threw back.
Kennedy paused briefly before stating, “I don’t agree with what you did.”
“You don’t have to,” Layla replied. “But you can still respect my opinion the same way I respect yours.”
“Hmm,” Ned said thoughtfully, pausing again. “I guess you’ve got a point.”
My mouth gaped, and I twisted toward Kennedy, sucking in a sharp intake of breath when the wound in my hip burned as it pulled.
“You gave in quick,” Cara muttered.
Ned shrugged. “She made a good argument. I may be a shark, but I’m not unreasonable. If you put your point across and it makes sense, I listen. We don’t see eye to eye, but now she’s explained where her head was at, we can agree to disagree and move on.”
“Will you stop making snide comments whenever I say something?” Layla asked. “It’s starting to get me down. It’s a lot to deal with, especially when I’ve just given birth to twins. I’m struggling with my hormones as it is. I mean, jeez, I cry if somebody looks at me the wrong way.”
A look of concern spread across Kennedy’s face. “I didn’t know. To me, it’s just banter. I never realized you were struggling, Layla.”
“I’m not struggling per se, I’m just emotional, and I read into things too much, so when you give me shit, it digs deeper than it would normally.”
“I’ll calm my shit down,” Kennedy promised.
Layla beamed a smile of relief. “Thanks.”
“And that, ladies, is how you deal with your issues,” a voice declared.
My head swiveled right to see Adele watching us with interest, Freya, Sunny, and Kady by her side. I noted her serene expression and how it made her look so much younger. At that moment, I was reminded of what a beauty she was when I first met her; Adele was extremely attractive, with clear, turquoise eyes, smooth skin, and a sheet of long, black, glossy hair that used to skirt her waist. Now, it was cut just past her shoulders, beautifully styled, and no less attractive.
Adele was the polar opposite of me, and I wondered if that had been a subconscious decision on John’s part. He’d already explained how wrecked he was when he went away and met Adele. Maybe he purposely chose someone who would never remind him of the girl who broke his heart.
I couldn’t blame him.
It’s what I would have done.
Adele moved to stand next to me and accidentally brushed my side.
I winced as she caught my injury.
“Are you okay?” she asked, recognizing my discomfort.
“I’m fine,” I assured her. “It’s just a scratch.”
“What’s just a scratch?” Sophie demanded.
“I must have gotten caught with a stray bullet,” I mused. “Typical. Thirty years with an abuser who traffics women and mixes with dangerous MC gangs, and I never got shot. Then, after weeks in my safe place, I catch a bullet.”
Sophie’s eyes widened in shock. “You’ve been shot ?” she shrieked, handing Belle off to Kennedy, and lifting my top.
I waved her off. “It’s just a scrape. I’m fine.”
“Fine?” she muttered incredulously. “Does that look fine to you?”
I glanced down at my hip and froze.
Blood covered nearly all the right hip of my jeans. The bullet had ripped away part of the material, and my flesh gaped open gruesomely.
“Oh my Gods,” Sunny whispered, staring at the open wound. “Duchess has bloods.”
Everybody seemed to move at once.
Adele took my arm and led me over to a chair. “Sit.”
“Why didn’t you say you’d been injured?” Kennedy asked gently.
“I didn’t know,” I breathed, my tone pitchy with shock. “I knew I’d been hit. I thought it was graze. It didn’t seem to hurt that much.” I watched Sophie hurry toward a tall metal filing cabinet. She rummaged inside, pulling out what looked like a bottle of whiskey along with some bandages.
“How did it happen?” Freya murmured, crouching to inspect my wound.
I bit my lip. “The girls were too close to the gunfire. I jumped in front of Sunny.”
“Oh my God,” Layla whispered, her face paling.
“You’re gonna have to take these off,” Freya told me, taking my arm and helping me to my feet. “We need to get to the wound and clean it. It’s not serious, but I’m worried about infection.”
Unbuttoning my fly, I pulled my jeans down over my ass, wincing as the denim caught the open graze.
Sophie came bustling over, her arms full of medical supplies. “Freya, can you clean around the wound while I get these ready?” Her eyes met mine. “You need stitches, but I can’t do it until I get to the medical wing.”
“You need to see to Tex,” I reminded her. “This is a flesh wound. It’ll scar, but it’s not life-threatening. You need to prioritize the men who are badly wounded.”
“You’re like Superwoman,” Adele declared. “Not only do you step in front of my granddaughter to stop her getting shot. You then refuse treatment because it’s just a,” she did speech marks with her fingers, “flesh wound.”
Freya crouched again to clean my wound, her gaze lifting to meet mine. “Now I get what Dad sees in you.”
I winced, and not just from the pain.
“Freya,” Adele scolded.
Cara laughed.
Kennedy snorted.
A soft hand rested on my arm. I craned my neck to see Layla standing at my back.
“Thank you,” she murmured earnestly. “That bullet could have killed my girl.” Tears filled her big, grey eyes. “If you hadn’t jumped in front of her, she may not be here now.”
Adele slid an arm around Layla’s shoulders. “Don’t think like that. Sunny’s fine; that’s what you should focus on.”
Layla gave her a watery smile.
“There,” Freya announced. “You’re all cleaned up.”
I glanced down to see the wound looking better now all the blood had been wiped away. I twisted my hip to test the pain, but it didn’t seem too bad.
“Be careful you don’t hurt yourself,” Sophie told me, taking Freya’s place to stick the bandage on me carefully.
“It burns a little, but it’s okay. I’m good.” I stood to pull my bloodied jeans back up. “Thanks.”
“You must have a high pain threshold,” Freya said, slightly in awe.
Images flicked through my mind of the beatings I’d put up with over the years. In the early days, Robert took his fists to me weekly. Later, the abuse lessened, but it never stopped entirely. Freya was right. I did have a high pain threshold, but the reason behind it wasn’t a good one.
A loud bang came from the door, and the locks clicked loudly as they disengaged.
Reno and the prospect, Billy, appeared at the door.
“Coast is clear,” Reno informed us. “We’ve got Tex ready in the med room for ya.”
“Anybody else hurt?” Sophie asked.
“Scratches and cuts, mostly from the broken glass, but nothin’ life-threatenin’. There are four dead bodies outside, but they’re not ours.”
“Jesus,” Cara breathed.
“Cops are on their way, but so’s Colt. He’ll smooth things over. We’ve got proof we were attacked on the cameras, so the sheriff can’t take any of us in, seein’ as we can prove it was self-defense.”
“I need to come up,” Kennedy stated. “I can deal with the sheriff.”
“Prez suggested the same thing,” Reno replied.
“What was the explosion?” Adele demanded.
Reno grinned. “Breaker. He blew up one of their trucks. One of the dead men out there is courtesy of him.”
Kady’s eyes widened, and she grabbed hold of her mom’s hand.
“Oh my Gods,” Sunny whispered.
A squeak came from Layla’s throat.
Immediately, Kennedy crouched down and took her daughter’s hands in hers. “You know anything Daddy does is to protect us, right?”
Kady nodded.
“Remember the men who took you?”
Kady nodded again.
“You remember how Daddy protected you then?”
Another nod.
“The ones outside are the bad men’s friends,” Kennedy murmured, her voice full of emotion. “Daddy will do everything to protect me, you, and Kai. Everything he does is for us. Do you understand?”
Kady stared at her mom for a few seconds, then a small smile crossed her lips.
“That’s my girl.” Kennedy beamed, before turning to Sunny. “Are you okay? Do you understand what’s going on?”
Sunshine popped a hip and jammed a hand to it. “Yeah, those mens are big meanies and Uncle Kit’s gonna kicks their asses. Hopes he gets ‘em in the nuts like Granddaddy John says.”
“Sunny!” Layla snapped.
Kennedy threw her head back and laughed.
“Errr, this is all just dandy,” Billy interjected. “But we’ve gotta brother bleedin’ out in the med wing. Can we move our asses before he croaks?”
“Shit,” Sophie exclaimed. “Tex.” She made an ‘eek’ face before starting for the door.
“I’ll assist,” Freya murmured, following her.
“Me too,” I added, taking off after them.
Sophie’s steps faltered, and she craned her neck to address me. “You’re not coming, you’re injured.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “It’s a scratch. If you don’t need me, I’ll go upstairs and start patching up the wounded men. If you’ve got the meds, I can inject local anesthetic and stitch up the deeper cuts.”
Sophie shook her head frustratedly. “You’re going to ignore me if I tell you to rest, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “Probably.”
She sighed. “Go upstairs and see to the men. I’ll send Billy up with everything you’ll need, but I don’t want you injecting.”
“I know what I’m doing,” I reiterated. “I’ve injected my own pain meds more times than I can count. I’m experienced with dosages; I studied them over and again.”
Sadness filled her face. “We’ll be talking about that later.” Turning back toward the door, she hurried out, Freya following closely behind.
“I’ll help you,” Adele said, handing Belle over to Layla. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve patched up a lunatic biker.”
“I’m coming too,” Kennedy declared. “It won’t take the sheriff long to stick his nose in. I need to prepare.”
We all made for the door where Billy waited. He swept his arm out with a flourish, signaling for us to pass him.
Adele and I turned left, heading for the stairs, while Sophie and Freya went right toward the med wing.
As I started to ascend, I heard my daughter call, “Mom.”
My steps faltered, and tears filled my eyes as every emotion in existence filled my chest, making my heart swell to double its size.
She called me Mom.
I sucked in a breath and slowly turned to face my incredible girl.
“Be careful,” she pleaded. “As soon as you get a minute, come down and get stitched up, okay? I don’t want your wound to get infected.”
My throat clenched, and I nodded, lost for words.
“Layla was right, Mom. You saved Sunny. She’d have been badly injured if you hadn’t stepped in front of her. I don’t know whether to yell at you or hug you. But what I do know is that you’re one of the bravest people I know.”
My lip wobbled.
“Be careful,” she repeated before turning on her heel and rushing down the corridor, Freya following behind.
I watched Sophie walk away with my heart bursting.
Just a few months ago, my life was empty. I was on the verge of giving up hope because it had been so long since my baby was taken, and throughout all that time, I’d never found a lead worth following up. Of course, I had friends in Colt and Brett and even the other agents on the task force, but going home to Robert every night was destroying me.
Living a lie for so long with the monster who took my daughter had eaten away at me. It would have only been a matter of time before I lost all will to live. Having to look at his smug face while my heart cried out for my girl would have eventually made me snap.
Now, I had Sophie, a son, and a granddaughter and the difference in me was like night and day.
Just being around Sophie and Belle was healing my soul in ways that, a few months ago, I wouldn’t have thought possible. These days, my sun shone brighter, and it was down to having my baby back.
She called me Mom.
I smiled, still watching the corridor where Sophie had disappeared, deep in thought and sending a prayer of thanks up to the heavens just because Sophie was in my life.
“Are you okay?” Adele asked quietly.
I beamed. “She called me Mom.”
“Was that the first time?” Dell inquired.
I turned my head to look at her. “She’s said ‘my mom’ in passing to other people, but yeah, that’s the first time she’s addressed me as such.”
“It’s beautiful,” Adele whispered, her eyes welling up.
Moisture filled my eyes, too. “Yeah. It’s one of the best moments of my life.”
“There could be more, you know—more beautiful moments. I know your heart’s broken, Elise, but it could mend if you let John in.”
“I don’t know if I can,” I admitted.
Adele took my hand. “What’s crazy to me is that you think you’re so broken, when really, you’re full of light. I wish you could see what I see.”
My eyebrows pulled together, and I stared at her curiously.
“I see a woman who protected her daughter so damned fiercely that she lived with a man worse than an animal for years just to find her. I see strength and intelligence, because instead of lying down and taking what he dished out, you stood tall and did something about it. I see a woman who watched the love of her life exist without her, though honestly, between you and me, he never got over you. It breaks my heart even to imagine it.”
“I let him manipulate me,” I protested. “It was so easy for Robert to trap me; it’s embarrassing.”
“You were a young girl, alone, pregnant, and grieving. When I discovered I was pregnant, I came straight to John for help. Does that make me weak?”
“No,” I said, my tone adamant.
“You did the same, but John wasn’t there, so you took help from somebody who made you trust him and then screwed you over. We’re no different from each other, except now, you have to choose whether you continue to let your ex control your life or if you’re going to take a chance on being happy. I’d choose happy all day long—hell, I did when I left to be with Tim. The only thing stopping you from getting everything you always wanted is you.”
“I don’t know how to be what he needs,” I told her, speaking from the heart. “I’m not the girl he knew anymore.”
Adele grinned. “That’s alright. You don’t need to be what he needs because you’re who he wants.”
I bit my lip, grimacing slightly. “John hasn’t been near me in weeks. I’ve turned him down so many times I think he’s given up on me.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s giving you space, but believe me, when John finds out about that,” she nodded toward my wound, “he’ll lose his mind. Make the most of the peace because it’s gonna stop overnight. Mark my words; by this time tomorrow, he’ll be driving you batshit crazy.”
“It’s the wedding tomorrow,” I reminded her.
“I know,” she waggled her eyebrows, “and we all know how romantic weddings are.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Adele was right. Weddings were notoriously romantic. If there were ever a time John would make a move, it would be then.
“I think I need a drink,” I declared.
Adele laughed. “Tomorrow, we’ll get you drunk, and it will be easier for John to get his wicked way with you. Then everyone’s a winner.”
“Oh my God,” I muttered.
She laughed again. “It’s okay, Duchess. We’ll look after you.”
I sent a glare her way. “Yeah, Adele. That, my friend, is exactly what I’m afraid of.”
God help me.