Chapter 1
One
HITTER
T he minute Hector mother-fucking Reyes admitted to holding our Prez’s woman, Piper’s, dad captive, we rode out. We have been trying to get our hands on this asshole for years. When Piper showed up, and we heard her story, it lit something inside our Prez we had never seen before. Luckily, she’s not one of those small, timid, weepy women. That wouldn’t have worked out or meshed with our club, the Reckless Omens MC. Especially not with our Prez and my best friend, Swift; hell fucking no. Piper is feisty and hell on wheels. I’m not afraid to admit she got the drop on me and knocked my ass out. For someone so small, she sure as hell is tough as nails. Piper might get the bragging rights for my takedown, but anyone else in my shoes wouldn’t be around to retell the story.
She came into the club and fit right in, making it her own. Piper is our Prez’s Ol’ Lady, and we always protect what’s ours. That includes her family, so here we are, storming the gates to kill every last fucker in this ridiculous mansion of terror. Saving a man we’ve all come to respect but have never met is all in a day’s work. The man has earned our loyalty and respect, which is not something we give to just anyone. He went to battle and sacrificed himself to save his daughter. As Piper was growing up, this man also taught her every survival skill he knew, saving her life and leading her to us. Unfortunately, he has been held prisoner in this house because of that sacrifice, enduring god only knows what kind of torture for over two years while Piper thought he was dead. I just hope we don't find him broken beyond repair.
Now, enough story time and back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Time to shoot every fucker in sight as we swarm into the house from all directions. We don't give them time to breathe or even scratch their balls as we shoot, and the fuckers drop like flies.
Damn, I miss this shit.
Our skills never die; my brothers and I can fall into sequence with each other in our sleep. Sweeping the location in formation, we’ve checked every room, and there’s still no sign of the prison. I know we’re missing something. There has to be a basement setup, but the problem is finding it. Before I lose my fucking shit, I grab one of the last remaining cunts and force him to his knees.
It takes the pathetic maggot no time at all to tell me where the basement is, and as Loki reaches the door, I put a bullet in the fucker’s head.
Climbing down the stairs with our guns still at the ready, we reach the bottom and can’t see fucking shit. I feel around on the wall and finally find a light switch. As I flip it on, my heart beats like it’s about to burst from my chest. My senses are on high alert. I know I have adrenaline running through my veins, but this is different. I feel it in my gut. Something is about to happen that will change the course of the rest of my life; I just know it.
On high alert, I scan every inch of the area as I try to calm my racing heart. That's when I take in the scene that will forever be burned into my brain. There are two cells. On one side is an older man in dirty clothes with long, greying hair and a beard. He's holding the hand of someone through the bars of the second cell, where there’s a young woman. The woman has her head down, but as the man murmurs to her, she lifts her head. My heart fucking stops the brutal banging in my chest as my eyes land on her breathtakingly angelic face. Dirt is caked all over, but it hides none of her beauty. I can’t stop staring, and for some fucking reason, I don’t want to.
“It'll be okay, sweetheart,” the older man whispers to the beauty. Heaven must have dropped this angel to earth, and Hector fucking Reyes has been keeping her caged like an animal. Listening to their quiet murmuring, my blood boils, and my mind races. I need to go back and kill these mother fuckers all over again.
“Are you Devin Taylor, Piper’s father?” I ask the man in the cell, trying to shake off the wandering thoughts but not taking my eyes off the woman.
“Yes, that’s me. I’m Devin. Do you know my baby girl? Is she okay?” he asks, looking up at us with hopeful but cautious eyes.
“We have her, and she’s completely safe. We’re here to get you out and take you to her,” I tell him, and he breathes a sigh of relief.
The young woman looks up, and I can see the fear written in her features, but she won’t meet my eyes.
“Wh-What about me? Can you please help me?” she asks quietly, and all I can think about is protecting her. I want to take her far away from here and keep her safe—forever. The following words pop out of my mouth without thinking, but I refuse to take them back.
“You are mine.”
She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. Seeing her in ragged clothes and on a dirty cell floor has me murderous. I swear, that fucker will pay for this if it’s the last thing I fucking do. I don’t want to scare her, but I need to get her the fuck out of this hell and somewhere safe.
“Hey, love, can you tell me your name?” I ask as softly as I can. Honestly, it isn't much different from my regular voice. It still makes her jump, and I feel like complete shit.
“Watch it,” Devin warns, staring me down. While I appreciate him caring for her while they were here, I don't like that he thinks I would hurt her.
“I’m fine,” she whispers to him before turning her head my way. “My name is Isabella, but everyone calls me Izzy.”
“That’s a beautiful name, Angel. Don't be afraid. We are here to get you both to safety. My name is Hitter, and I'm getting you out of here,” I tell them and turn when I hear Comp behind me.
“Here’s the keys. Loki’s dousing this place so we can torch it. We need to leave,” he tells me, handing me the keys but keeping his face in the shadows.
I’d never admit it, but I’m glad he keeps his face down. The fucker is handsome but has a nasty burn scar on the side of his face. It scares most people, which is why he usually stays in his room behind his computer screen. We needed him here today, though. With Prez not leaving his Ol’ Lady’s side at the hospital, we’re a man down and needed all our manpower for this job. I don't want Izzy to be scared of Comp. He’s one of the nicest fuckers I know, but I also don't want her to think he’s handsome. I might have to kill my brother if she did, and I’d hate to do that.
I finally open Devin’s cell door, and he slowly gets to his feet. He’s weak but refuses help from any of us. I go to Izzy’s cell next and get the door open. She reaches her hand out, and I take it instinctively, pulling her out of the cell and making her stumble.
“Careful asshole, she's blind,” Devin growls, trying to take her hand out of mine until I growl back and pull her closer to me. Then what he says hits me. Shit, she’s blind. I instantly have so many questions running through my head, but now is not the time. It doesn't matter to me she’s blind, though now I know I need to be more careful.
“I’m sorry, Angel, I didn’t realize. I’ll be more careful,” I tell her softly.
“I’m blind, not helpless, you brute. I don't need your help,” she says, lifting her chin defiantly. It probably shouldn’t, but her feistiness makes me chuckle. She has spunk, and I fucking love it. My dick was already at a semi from just seeing her, but feeling her fire just made it stone.
“Alright, how about I help you get out of the house at least? There is a lot of…” I don't want to scare her and say dead bodies. “…debris scattered everywhere on the floor above us. Can I carry you outside to the SUV?”
She seems to think it over, but I can tell she’s having a hard time standing. After a moment, my angel finally gives in and nods.
I waste no time bending and picking her up, then carrying her upstairs while Comp tries to help Devin. The man can barely stand, and by the time we reach the top of the stairs, he’s nearly out of breath but still refusing help. Now I know this is most definitely Piper’s dad. He’s a tough old bastard, and it’s funny as hell seeing him give Comp shit.
“I’m slow, not dead, you little shit. Fuck, you gonna try and carry me like that, too?” Devin asks, his tone seems teasing, but I can’t tell.
“Damn, old man, I was just trying to help,” Comp says, and that’s the most he’s talked to someone who wasn’t a brother in a hell of a long time.
“Y’all said you know my baby girl. Is she okay? I know that fucker didn’t get hold of her. He was mad as fuck every time she evaded him. He’d come down and take it out on me. Damn proud of her,” he chuckles. Shit, he’s chuckling about being tortured; this man just became my fucking hero.
“She’s in the hospital, but no worries. She will be fine. We’re taking you to the compound, both of you, to get checked out, and then we can head over to her,” I tell him as we keep moving and make it out the front door.
“Like fuck, you will take me to my baby girl right the fuck now. And I’m taking my other baby girl, the one you got in your arms, with me. I don't know who the fuck you are, so Izzy won’t be leaving my sight. She needs to be checked out by a doctor from what that fucker did to her, anyway,” Devin orders.
I look over my shoulder at him and raise a brow as I feel Izzy giggling into my chest. God, I’ve never loved a feeling more in my life. I’ll let this old man rip me a new asshole anytime if it means I get to hear and feel her happiness.
“You know, we could leave your broken ass here and let you find your own way,” I say, smirking at him.
“Yeah, you could, but let Piper get word of that, and she’ll kick all your asses before breaking out of the hospital to come and pick me up herself,” Devin chuckles with a smirk of his own on his face.
“You know he’s right. Plus, she’s already kicked your ass once… and on camera. You ready to go through all that shit again?” Loki asks, coming out of the house, flipping and playing with his lighter. I swear that motherfucker is bat shit crazy.
Again, I feel my angel laughing into my chest. At that moment, I realize this woman has me fucking whipped already. I don’t care that she’s laughing at me; the fact that she could come out of that god-awful cell after being starved and god knows what else and still be laughing? This woman is a warrior. She is strong as fuck, and I’m keeping her all to myself.
“Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up, psycho. Just burn this fucking place to the ground so we can get the fuck out of here,” I tell Loki, who grins and once again strikes up the lighter.
“Wait, you’re burning down the house?” Izzy asks, wiggling to get free from my hold.
“Angel, calm down. I’ll get you in the car. You’ll be safe,” I try to reassure her.
“No, please don’t. I need to get my stuff out of my room,” she says, and I freeze. What the fuck does she mean by her room?
“What the fuck?” Comp growls and pulls a gun, pointing it at my woman. Before I can respond, Devin has a hold of the gun barrel, does some weird wrist snap, and has it turned around and pointed at Comp’s head.
“What the fuck is with this family? Are you all fucking ninjas or something?” Loki asks as he draws his gun, pointing it at Devin.
For fuck’s sake, enough of this shit. I know I need to calm the situation before someone gets shot. I look down at my angel, letting her presence wash over me and soothe my soul, before letting her legs drop to the ground, still holding her waist.
“What do you mean, your room, angel?” I ask softly, afraid of the answer.
“My room is upstairs. This is my home, too,” she says, lifting her chin.