Chapter Six
Keegan
W hen I pull into the driveway at the Silver Spoon MC, I spot Dillon’s unmarked unit parked off to the side. He’s leaning against a porch railing, watching Tate Grimes and Jason “Cash” Montoya argue over a Ducati pulled up right outside the clubhouse.
Landry is tense and silent in the seat beside me, clearly nervous. I probably should have given her a little more information on the MC, but I wasn’t entirely sure what the fuck to tell her. I doubt anything I would have said would have reassured her anyway. These are men she needs to meet for herself to realize they’re nothing like the pricks who kept her locked up.
Dillon notices my truck bouncing down the driveway first and pushes away from the railing. He says something to Tate and Cash, who stop mid-argument and turn in our direction, matching looks of grim worry on their faces.
They know exactly what it means when someone asks the sheriff to meet them out here. It’s never good news, that’s for damn sure. They’ve been down this road a few times now.
By the time I pull up beside Dillon’s unmarked, they’re waiting off to the side. I ignore them for a moment, turning to Landry. She’s pale, her eyes full of anxiety.
“Everything will be okay,” I murmur, reaching out to cup her cheek. “I swear to you, I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t trust them, all right?”
She stares at me for a long moment before exhaling a slow breath. She nods once, putting her trust in my hands. And fuck, I want to pull her onto my lap and kiss the fear from her eyes. But I can’t do that. Not yet.
She’s been through hell. She needs me to focus on keeping her and Lily safe first. And then we can work out this shit between us. One way or another, though, we will be working it out. She disappeared from my life once. I won’t be letting that happen again.
I pop open my door and hop out, looking right at Tate. “Do you have medical shit here?’ I ask him.
He doesn’t even hesitate before nodding.
“Can you take a look at the baby? Make sure she’s healthy?”
“The baby?” His eyebrows climb, his dark green eyes flickering toward Landry. But he swallows back whatever questions he wants to ask. “Shit. Yeah, I’ll check her out. Come on.”
I circle around to help Landry. She trembles as I lift her out of the truck.
“Breathe, sweetness,” I murmur, pressing my lips against her ear. “Just breathe for me.”
She jerks her head in a nod and takes a deep breath. I watch her face for a moment, awed at how goddamn strong she is, before I turn to grab Lily and her diaper bag.
“Landry baby, this is Tate Grimes, Jason Montoya, who goes by Cash, and Sheriff Dillon Armstrong,” I say, pointing to each of the three men. Tate gives her a little smile, Cash jerks his chin in a nod, his expression soft, and Dillon tips his cowboy hat at her.
“Hi,” she whispers.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Dillon rumbles.
We all head toward the clubhouse in silence, Landry glued to my side like she’s terrified Tate and Cash may grab her at any moment. Or hell, maybe she’s terrified Dillon is going to slap cuffs on her and haul her away.
It fucking killed me to realize she and Lily had been living in that goddamn car for months on end. And hearing her admit that she stole it killed me all over again. I don’t blame her for any of it. Fuck no. How can I? If she hadn’t done what she did, our daughter would have been ripped from her arms months ago and handed over to some other prick. Some motherfucker in the Sons of Loki would have raised her…and I never would have known she existed.
Because of Landry, my daughter is safe. She’s right here with me. I don’t care what I have to do or who I have to pay off to make sure she doesn’t suffer for what she’s done; I’ll do it ten thousand times over if that’s what it takes.
As soon as we step over the threshold, Landry glances all around with wide eyes. I’m not sure what she was expecting, but I’m guessing it wasn’t a clubhouse like this. The Silver Spoon MC’s clubhouse is more like a goddamn family home than anything. Photos of the members and their families hang all over the walls, and baby toys are scattered around the massive living room.
“Is Samara here?” I ask Tate.
“Yeah. She was putting Scout down for a nap.”
“Why don’t you go with Tate, sweetness?” I murmur, handing Lily and her bag to Landry. “He’s a pediatric surgeon. He’s going to take a look at Lily while I talk to Cash and Dillon.”
Landry hesitates, eyeing him curiously. “You’re a surgeon?”
“I am.”
“And in an MC?”
His lips curve up at the corners. “Yeah, sweetheart. Not all of us are like you see on TV.”
“Or in reality,” she mutters under her breath.
Tate catches it and shoots me a questioning look. But it’s too goddamn much to explain. He seems to understand because he turns back to Landry.
“If you’ll let me, I’ll look over your baby girl, make sure she’s healthy,” he says. “My wife can stay in the room with us if it makes you more comfortable.”
Landry hesitates for only a moment before nodding bravely.
I watch as she follows after Tate, disappearing down the hallway.
“I’m guessing that baby girl is yours?” Dillon asks me once they’re out of earshot.
“Yeah.” I swallow, my chest pulsing. “Fuck, yeah, she’s mine.”
He nods like he expected that answer. “And I’m guessing I’m here for a reason. What MC is she running from?”
My eyes widen as I glance at him.
“I’m not stupid, motherfucker. If you’re here, it’s because you need help. And judging by the way she looked at Tate and Cash like she was afraid they would hurt her, it’s because she knows MCs, and not any like this one.”
“Been here, done this shit before,” Cash mutters, leaning back against the wall. “Who are we up against?”
“The Sons of Loki. Her fucking uncle sold her to them to cover his debts.” Fury lances through me at the reminder. “One of them intends to take our daughter and raise her as his own.”
“Jesus Christ,” Cash rumbles, his expression hard.
Dillon whistles, his expression a mirror image of Cash’s.
“I need help protecting her,” I murmur, raking my hands through my hair. “They aren’t getting her or Lily. We’ll leave the country before that shit happens.”
Dillon clamps a hand down on my shoulder. “It won’t come to that, Keegan. You know we protect our own around here. If she’s yours, she’s one of ours.”
I exhale a relieved breath, my knees weak.
They’ll help me keep them safe. Thank God.
“I’m guessing they’re looking for her?” Dillon asks.
“Yeah. Fuck.” I take a breath, trying to get my shit together and think. “She’s been running for two years. We met in Colorado last year. I intended to bring her back here with me, but she disappeared on me while I was sleeping.”
“They found her?” Cash asks.
“Yeah, they found her.” I grit my teeth. “She ran to keep them from finding out she was with me.”
“She’s been with them since?” Dillon asks.
“She escaped five months ago,” I mutter. “Faked going into labor and then ran as soon as they took her to the hospital. Says she gave birth in New Mexico.”
“Is she willing to talk to me?” Dillon asks.
I hesitate for a long moment. “She’s afraid you’ll take her to jail,” I finally admit. “She did some shit…shit she had to do to survive.”
“What kind of shit?”
“Grand theft auto type of shit,” I admit.
“Fuck.”
“I’ve got the car she took. It can be returned. I’m also willing to pay for it and anything else she stole to survive. But she isn’t going to jail.” I meet Dillon’s gaze, mine firm. “We’ll leave the country before I let that shit happen.”
“Jesus Christ. I need to retire,” he sighs. “I’m too old for you assholes to keep falling in love.”
“You’re the same goddamn age I am,” Cash says, laughing quietly.
Dillon scowls at him. “Maybe in civilian years. I live in cop years, motherfucker.”
“Cop years?” Cash laughs at him. “Now, you’re just making shit up.”
“Yeah? You try dealing with this town day in and day out. It’s always some bullshit. I’m getting too fucking old and it’s because of you fuckers falling in love,” Dillon grumbles. He doesn’t sound mad, though. More exasperated and bemused.
“Sucks to be you.”
Dillon glowers at Cash, who doesn’t look the least bit sympathetic, before turning back to me. “Don’t pack your bags yet, Keegan. Your sister will burn this town to the ground if you flee the country. Let me see what I can do to keep her out of jail.”
“Fine, but you need to work it out. She isn’t going to jail for saving her own life and keeping my daughter from being kidnapped.”
“I’ll do everything I can,” he promises.
“In the meantime, what are we going to do about the Sons of Loki?” Cash asks.
It’s a damn good question. One, I’m not entirely sure how to answer.
“If she’ll talk to me, she may have the intel we’ve needed for years,” Dillon says. “Getting anyone to flip has been an uphill battle. They either refuse to talk or…”
“Or what?” I growl.
“Or they disappear,” he says, his voice soft. “The Sons of Loki don’t leave witnesses who can speak out, Keegan.”
“Jesus Christ.” I grasp the wall as a wave of dizziness rips through me, stealing my breath. Cash grabs my arm, as if to help keep me upright. But it doesn’t do a goddamn thing to calm the fear racing through me.
“We’ll protect her, brother,” he murmurs. “Whatever you need, you’ve got. They won’t get her or your baby girl.”
“We have to protect them,” I rasp, staring at him and Dillon with wild eyes. “I can’t fucking lose her again.”
Dillon jerks his chin in a nod. “We’ll keep her safe, Keegan.”
We have to keep her safe. I can’t raise Lily without her. I fucking can’t.