Chapter Sixteen
Taylor
“He’s regressed,” I tell Reynolds after I mute the phone. “He’s not going to be able to think rationally.”
I’m freaking the fuck out. Who in the hell thought it would be okay to break into my house and threaten my man?
Someone is fuckin’ dying tonight.
Why the hell didn’t we talk about him setting the alarms when he’s home alone?
“I have never seen someone who regresses so deeply,” Renolds says as his phone beeps.
“FUCK,” he shouts. “Tell him not to go to my house. The security alarms detected motion inside before the power was cut.”
“Baby,” I say after I unmute my end.
“Dark,” he pants. “So dark. Escape.”
“Pup, listen to me,” I put as much order into my voice as possible. “Do not go to Reynolds’ house. Someone is there. Hide, Pup. Do you hear me? Hide, and I will find you when it’s safe.”
“What? No, Papa, it’s dark. I’ll get lost. I’ll die in the woods all lost and alone. Reynolds. Birdhouse. Key. Safe.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“You will listen to what I’m saying, Pup,” I say with a voice of steel. “Stop moving and listen to me now. Go into the woods and hide.”
When I hear no movement from his end, I try not to scream in frustration. I know he’s regressed and is scared. But I’m terrified he’s going to get hurt by whoever the fuck is on my land.
“Now,” I growl.
“Hide,” Knox says. “Woods. Escape. Hide.”
“Good boy. Hide, and I will find you. I promise, baby boy.”
“King and Steel are on their way,” Reynolds says. “Blaze is sending the last members home and will be there soon. Ghost is leaving Venom in charge of the ring and Jax in charge of the bar. He’ll be there soon, too. Hayes might beat us to the house and everyone else is working doors at the Cage.”
“You hear that, Pup? We’re all on our way to you now.”
“Hide,” Knox pants. “Ouch. Stupid tree. Oh no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call you stupid. It’s not your fault I can’t see.”
If I wasn’t so damn terrified, I would smile at my boy apologizing to a tree.
“Oh no! My phone is beeping. I think it’s going to die.”
Don’t panic. Don’t fuckin Panic, Taylor.
“That’s okay, Pup,” I say as calmly as I can. “Just hide. Don’t come out unless you hear one of our voices.”
“What if it’s…” his voice drops, which means his fuckin’ phone just died.
“DAMN IT,” I shout, punching the dashboard.
“We’re almost there, brother. Clear your head so that you can focus.”
“Who the fuck would be stupid enough to break into our homes?” I ask.
“Let’s find out,” Reynolds says as he slams on the brakes in my driveway.
Hayes walks out of my house just as we leave the car.
“Ghost and King are going to your house,” Hayes tells Reynolds. “Whoever was here is gone. But from what little I could see with my phone, they trashed the place. And they left you a message.”
I turn towards the woods and hope beyond hope that my boy is safe. Then, ignoring my heart, I turn and head inside my house.
“Where?” I ask.
Hayes grabs a piece of paper from the table and hands it to me. Using my phone’s light, I can see that each letter was cut out from a magazine and glued down.
“Give me back what’s mine before I take what’s yours,” I read out loud.
“Wow,” Reynolds exclaims. “That man is a real idiot. Not only did he try to keep his fingerprints from this note, but he also told us exactly who he is.”
“As if his prints would matter,” I growl. “The second I get my hands on him, he’s fuckin’ dead.”
Sweets. The former president of the Dark Sentinels.
“Why the hell would Sweets follow us?” Hayes asks. “After you ran him off, we all voted to leave Heath, Kentucky. The bastard could have just moved back and started a new club.”
“Which wouldn’t have been a good thing,” Reynolds reminds him. “I’m sure you remember how much of a fucker he was when he was your Pres.”
“I only stayed a member out of loyalty,” he tells me. “We all did. His dad was an amazing President. Sweets is just a dick.”
“His pride is wounded,” I say. “He wants revenge.”
“He’s also not alone,” Reynolds reminds me. “Someone was at my place at the same time someone was here.”
Yeah, I have my theories on that one as well.
“Let’s cut through the woods,” I suggest. “Don’t call out for Knox. I don’t want him to come out of hiding until I know it’s safe.”
Silently, we make our way through the trail. Darkness surrounds us, and the trees are blocking most of the natural light.
“He must be so fuckin’ scared,” Reynolds growls. “He might have been able to handle it better had he stayed Big.”
“I don’t think so,” I respond. “My Pup seems to be very vocal and trusting. He’s only just started to come back out. I hope this doesn’t ruin his progress. I’ll kill Sweets for that alone. Should have done it to begin with.”
I avoid looking around as we make our way to Reynolds’ house.
“There’s a vehicle,” he whispers.
Looking, I see a truck sitting with the door wide open. I can’t tell if it’s a dark red or brown.
Angry voices come from inside the house as we make our way closer.
“Where the hell is he?”
“He has to be here. If he left Taylor’s house, then he left on foot. This is the only other place to go.”
“You’ve watched him for weeks now and told me that he wouldn’t give much fight.”
“Well, the last time I saw the fag, he was scared of his own shadow. There’s no way he ran off into the woods. You must have walked right by him when you searched the house.”
“Then he’s still at the house, hiding. Let’s go. I want to get him and leave before that bastard gets back.”
We simply stand next to the steps as they leave the house. We’re shrouded in darkness, so by the time they notice us, it’s too late. I slam my fist as hard as I can onto Sweets’ face and watch as he falls to the ground.
Then I look over at the struggling man Reynolds has.
“You’ve made a huge fuckin’ mistake, Benny boy,” Reynolds says. “Sweets is most likely just going to get dead. But we figured you were the one who led him here, right? You reached out to your old president because you got butt hurt that Taylor kicked your ass and then booted you from the club.”
“IT WAS MY CLUB FIRST,” he shouts.
“We only kept you as a member for as long as we did so that we could leak false information to Sweets to keep him out of Heath.”
“Yep,” Hayes laughs when Ben’s eye widens in shock. “We knew you were butt buddies the entire time.”
“Then you went and told him about our new friends,” Reynolds says. “But, that wasn’t too bad because those men are scary as fuck. But, and this was your biggest mistake, you led him back to our homes where Knox was tucked away nice and safe.”
“Fuck you,” Ben spits. “I’ve been watching that faggot for weeks. I’ve had many chances to beat him straight, but I wanted to let you get attached a little more first.”
“You talk a big game, Ben,” I say. “But you’re just a coward hiding behind threats. You thought you could mess with us, but you forget who you’re dealing with. Knox is safe now, and you’re about to learn the hard way what happens when you mess with our family. You’ve made your bed, Ben, and now you’ll lie in it.”
“Except I don’t have beds in my chambers,” King walks out from the shadows. “However, I do have a fun section. Have you ever played Death by a Thousand Cuts? It’s rather fun. Want to play with me, Taylor? We could always bring your unconscious friend along with us. I have plenty of room.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
“Tie him up and toss him into that ugly truck,” King says. “I’ll check them in and leave them to think about their life choices for a couple of days.”
Knox’s screams fill the air, and Ben laughs.
“You didn’t think we were the only ones, did you?”
I’m running just as King knocks him unconscious.
“Where are you, Knox?” A familiar voice says. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just want to make sure you’re safe. Taylor sent me.”
“DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM, BABY,” I yell out. “DO NOT COME OUT UNTIL I SAY IT’S SAFE.”
“Fuck,” is whispered as heavy steps run back towards my house.
I don’t think so, fucker.
Reynolds is running right beside me seconds later. I watch the traitor run for his bike as we break free from the trees. He manages to straddle it, but it’s of no use. Titan comes bolting from inside the house, leaps, and knocks him to the ground. Rounding the fallen bike, I press my foot to the side of the man’s head and lean my weight into it while Reynolds straddles the fuckers back, securing his hands.
“What have you done, Sullivan?”
“Get the fuck off of me,” he groans.
“You’ve betrayed me,” I say, the wound of his betrayal stabbing deep. “Why?”
“Because I was promised VP to the new Dark Sentinels.”
“You did this for a fuckin’ badge?”
“I did what I had to do, Taylor,” he says. “Knox knows something about me that I can’t have getting out. Sweets promised me a spot in his club if I helped him enter your place. But I needed to get rid of Knox before starting my new life.”
“If it was something he thought would put our family at risk, he would have said something to me the moment he found out whatever it is you’re hiding,” Ghost says from somewhere. “Whatever your secret is would have always been safe with Knox. You not only betrayed your friends and your club, you also betrayed the trust of a man who doesn’t give it lightly.”
“I’m sorry,” Sullivan cries. “I was so just fucking scared.”
“Normally, if someone betrays the club, we might have let Venom beat them until they’re unrecognizable before running them out of town,” Blaze says. “But we’ve never had this issue before, and now I think we should go a different route.”
“King’s chambers?” Reynolds smiles.
“King’s chambers,” Blaze says cheerfully.
“I’m going to go and find Knox,” I announce. “If someone else has betrayed me, just shoot them in the fuckin’ head.”
With that, I turn and head back into the woods.
“Baby boy,” I call out. “It’s safe now.”
Silence.
Titan is at my side, his nose high, sniffing the air around us. I don’t know what they did to my dog, but I have never seen him as angry as when he tackled Sullivan to the ground.
“Good dog, Titan,” I say, patting his head. “Let’s go find our boy.”
I walk down the path slowly as I call out his name. It isn’t until I can see Reynolds’ house that he responds.
“Over here,” he calls out.
I search the entire area but still can’t find him.
“Again, baby. Call out again.”
Titan sits down and barks at a tree.
Great, whatever they did made my dog nuts.
“Up here, Papa,” Knox calls out.
“How the hell did you get up there?” I ask, looking up at the tree with next to no branches.
“I think I teleported,” he says. “But I can’t get down.”
Using what little light I have, I get in place and brace myself. Knox isn’t big by any means, but he’s still a man and still has some bulk to him.
Which I fuckin’ love.
But having him fall into my arms from that height might cause my knees to buckle if I’m not careful.
“Jump, ba…”
By the time I finished saying, baby, Knox was already safe in my arms.
“Well, hello there, little tree monkey,” I smile. “Very smart hiding place.”
“People never look up,” he says. “Is it safe? Can we go home? Oh, hey, Titan. Where were you?”
“I think he was poisoned,” I admit as I walk us back home. “I’m going to have Reynolds take him to the emergency vet and check him over.”
“Papa, did you know that Sullivan was working with the bad men?” Knox asks. “He tried to stab me. See?”
Knox holds his arm out, and I see a cut about a few inches long running up his right arm. Blood pours from the wound, and I start running.
“It’s fine,” Knox says. “I don’t even need stitches. The blade slid across my arm when I jerked out of his hands and ran away. So technically speaking, I did it to myself.”
“Don’t try and save his ass, Pup,” I growl.
Almost home.
“He didn’t want to, Papa. He’s just scared.”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
I’m way too fuckin’ pissed off to talk about Sullivan right now.
When we reach our house, the lights are back on, and everyone except Ghost, Blaze, Steel, and Reynolds has cleared out.
“Reynolds. I think they poisoned Titan. Take him to the vet for me?”
“Sure thing. Come on, boy. Let’s go for a ride.”
“Is he putting Titan on a motorcycle?” Knox squeaks.
“I have a sidecar that attaches to my motorcycle,” I explain, rushing to the bathroom. “Titan loves it.”
“Crazy man with his crazy car to drive around a crazy dog on a stupid motorcycle.”
He keeps mumbling about how motorcycles are the bane of his existence while I clean and dress his wound.
I don’t mind him not liking motorcycles. I have other ways of driving him places. I won”t force him if he doesn’t ever want to ride on my bike.
“What’s his secret?” Blaze asks when we walk into the living room.
“Whose?” Knox asks cheekily.
His Little is slowly fading, but he’s not gone completely.
The little brat.
“You know who,” Blaze smiles.
Sighing, Knox cuddles into my chest, which is good because I’m not about to let him go.
“It’s not my secret to tell,” he answers. “Just know that Christopher Sullivan isn’t his real name. I made sure to change the name of his parents when I told you all what I knew about him. He didn’t do anything bad. He’s not a bad person. Just a scared one. I don’t blame him for what he did.”
“I do, baby. Hurting you isn’t going to fly.”
“You guys can’t kill him,” Knox rolls his eyes. “Scare him, sure. But he doesn’t deserve to die simply because he was terrified of his past finding him.”
“He hurt you, scared you, and helped two other men try and take you away, and you’re defending him?” Steel growls. “You’re too good for this world, little one. Too fucking good.”
“No, I’m not,” Knox says, sitting up on my lap. “Ben and his old president deserve the worst that King can offer. They’re bad men. They’ve done bad things. But Sullivan hasn’t. Scare him and let him go. Please.”
“King was so happy to have three new toys,” Blaze shakes his head as he texts someone. “Two will have to do, I guess.”
I hate letting that traitor go, but I trust Knox’s judgment.
“Make sure he’s scared enough never to show his face around here again,” Ghost orders. “Everything is in order here. Need us to stay?”
Knox shakes his head, and I nod in agreement.
“We’ll be fine,” I say. “Just going to calm down and get some sleep.”
Everyone leaves, and I lean back against the couch, holding my boy tightly.
“Thank you for saving me, Papa,” he says.
My response is to hold him tighter.
“I love you, Knox,” I admit for the first time. “I think I have since I saw you sit on the floor between Blaze and Steel.”
Knox pulls back, and I loosen my grip just enough to let him.
“I was terrified,” he says.
“You were just lost, baby.”
“You saved me from the tornado,” he tells me. “You saved me from having to see that I was outside afterward. You saved me from the bad men. But, most of all, Taylor, you saved me from my own fear.”
“Does that mean I’m your hero?” I tease.
“In every possible way,” he whispers, unshed tears in his beautiful brown eyes. “I love you, too. And that is far scarier than running into the dark woods.”
“Why?” I ask, wiping the single tear that fell away.
“Because, Taylor, loving you means opening myself up to something I never thought I deserved. It’s terrifying because it means letting go of all the pain and fear that used to define me. But with you, I feel safe. I feel like I can be myself without judgment or shame. You’re not just my hero but my beacon of hope in a world that once seemed so dark. You’re my anchor. I’ll spend the rest of my days proving how much you mean to me.”
“You have nothing to prove, baby boy. All I need you to do is let go and trust that I will always be here to catch you.”
Smiling, Knox cuddles back against my chest where he belongs.
“No more climbing trees.”
“But you said you would always catch me, Papa,” he replies.
“Pup,” I warn.
Knox’s laughter settles into my heart as we relax and fall asleep.