CHAPTER TWENY-TWO
Seraphina
After Ky leaves for church, I clear the table of all the dishes and stack the dishwasher. I go to the sliding doors that lead to the yard and step out onto the pergola. It’s a relief to see the kids are still playing peacefully after that little drama earlier. But now I need them inside.
“Finn, Willow, come on in now. I have to shower and change; I’d like for both of you to be inside, please.”
“Aww, Mommy. Do we have to?” my little sassy pants says, and I have to smile. “We won’t go anywhere, I promise.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I make a decision which will haunt me for the rest of my life.
“Okay, but stay within the yard, and don't go beyond the gate.” I warn them, as they nod their understanding. "I'll be back soon," I announce, shutting the sliding glass door behind me. I sprint up the stairs, two steps at a time, and enter the room I slept in with Ky last night. Our relationship has shifted, and he’s demanded I move my things in here from the guest room, which I have still yet to do. I was so excited about things moving forward between us, I had completely forgotten. I take off my dressing gown, dropping it on the floor, as I walk to the bathroom.
While showering, I replay in my mind the events between Ky and me last night, our first night together since my kidnapping. It was the best night of my life, because for the first time, I felt like we were on the right track.
With a smile on my face, I finish showering, wrap a towel around my still damp body, and pad into the guestroom next door, dressing in white pants and a blue V-neck loose fitting tunic top. Slipping my feet into a pair of blue cork wedges, I run my fingers through my damp, dark brown hair, leaving it to air dry.
Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I return downstairs, but a wave of dread washes over me when the usual cacophony of the children's laughter was absent. Opening the sliding door, I step outside, but to my horror, they’re not where I’d left them. Walking around the side of the house, I check every little nook and cranny, just in case they’re playing hide and seek, calling out their names.
My anxiety ratchets up a notch when I can’t find them, until I notice a plank from the fence that borders our house with the woods beyond has been moved, and my heart pounds in my chest. I think I’m going to be sick. A piece of paper is lying next to the fence paling, and I bend to pick it up.
“Let’s play a game, shall we? Let’s call it find the brats before time runs out.” A
My world suddenly comes crashing down around me, and I feel faint. But I force myself to remain upright, even though I feel everything is spinning out of control. That’s when I run, screaming at the top of my lungs. I need to get to the clubhouse and tell Ky what happened. They couldn’t have gotten too far; it must only be a ten-minute head start.
I must have been making so much noise that everyone came out to see what was happening. I see Ky and run to him, collapsing on the gravel drive at his feet, ignoring the pain in my knees, covering my face as I scream again.
“Sweetness, what’s happened?” Ky demands, dropping to his knees in front of me. He lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him, the pain and devastation I’m sure clearly visible in my eyes.
“He’s taken them both,” I cry out as he holds both my hands in one of his. His touch a life raft to my swirling emotions right now.
“What do you mean, he’s taken them both?” he demands gruffly, his eyes searching mine, abject horror mirroring in his eyes what he sees in mine.
“Finn and Willow.” I can’t help the sob from breaking loose deep within my chest. “They were playing in the backyard, then suddenly they were gone,” I explain.
“What do you mean, they’re gone?” he demands again, as if he can’t believe what I’ve been telling him.
That’s when I show him the piece of paper.
He reads the note, and I see his jaw tighten and tick nervously. “Where did you find this?” he demands.
“Down by the side of the house. A fence paling was removed.” I'm hiccupping from all the crying and wailing I've been doing.
“How the fuck did this asshole take them if you were watching them?” He raises his voice, as Kick takes the note from his hands, balling it up in his fist. I look down, unable to meet his gaze.
“I left them to play outside while I went to have a shower. I was gone for all of ten minutes,” I cry.
There’s a commotion as the others head to our house, disappearing through the side gate.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” he speaks through gritted teeth, letting my hands go as though I’d burned him. “You left them alone to go take a shower?” He was full on yelling now, and I could feel fresh tears blurring my vision.
An arm comes around my shoulders, and I turn my head; through my tears I could see it’s Everleigh with Zoe standing close by.
“Hey,” she calls out, stopping Ky’s tirade. “Stop right now, before you say something you’re going to regret,” she tells him, her eyes narrowed at him. He stands there staring down at me as though I were a complete stranger, before shaking his head and storming across the street to our house to join his brothers.
“Come on, let’s go to my place. They’ll know where to find us if they need to,” Zoe offers, as both women help me off the ground.
The knees of my perfectly pressed white pants were now brown from the dirt, but I didn’t care. With both women’s arms around me, they lead me to the house next door, and I move my legs robotically, following.
Once inside the house, they show me to the couch, and I sit down, but nothing around me was registering. I know I must be in shock.
“I need to go look for them,” I say weakly.
“No, you need to stay where you are. You’ll only be hindering the boys right now,” Everleigh says. The look in her eyes and the sound of her voice brooking no arguments.
“What have I done? I thought they were safe in the backyard.” I sniffle, trying to brush away the tears, but they just keep falling.
“It could’ve happened to any of us,” Zoe replies, holding baby Bella in her arms.
“I told Willow that Ky was her father,” I blurt out, watching the shock on each of their faces. I didn’t bring any of these women into my confidence, even my best friend, Zoe.
But I knew that they already knew the truth, since it all came out while we were in Florida.
“I know you guys already know the truth, and it should have come from me. I’m sorry for not saying anything earlier. But I couldn’t.” I lower my head in shame. I should change the subject. I clear my throat, nervously playing with the hem of my shirt.
“Have you and Chains thought about what happens when Tiny and Sage decide they want to be the ones to raise Bella?” I ask.
Zoe taps the baby’s diapered bottom as she rocks her in her arms, giving me a small smile. “I’ve spoken to Sage,” her eyes cloud over with sadness as she speaks. “They would like to start the bonding process with baby Bella once Tiny is better and out of hospital.”
I’d heard Tiny had woken up, but I haven’t been to see him yet to thank him for saving my life.
And now this happens.
“I’m sorry, I know you’ve already formed a bond with the baby,” I say.
I’m sad my friend has to go through this. I take her hands in mine and give her a small smile.
Zoe shrugs. “It is what it is,” she says, injecting nonchalance in her voice, but I know she must be hurting. “She is his biological child, so I’m happy for them.”
The front door swings open, and Chains walks in, his eyes searching out Zoe, and seeing her holding baby Bella, he walks up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she leans into him, taking his strength.
I stand, pushing down the jealousy I feel at their open display. After what happened today, I don’t think Ky will ever want to have anything to do with me again.
“Any news about the kids?” I ask, twisting my hands nervously together.
“No, nothing yet. Kon has joined the search since he was already here,” Chains replies.
I can’t stop the curious frown. “Kon?” I question.
Chains turns to look at me, a grin lighting up his face. “Yeah, Kon Sokolov. He’s Kick’s biological brother, which makes him Ky’s uncle.”
My eyes go wide as saucers, and I gasp. Kon Sokolov, the notorious leader of the Russian Bratva, is a name that echoes in the underworld. Only if you’ve been living under a rock would you not know who he was. I’ve met Kon a few times, times I’d been forced to attend some function or other with Angelo, and pretend to smile and be happy, otherwise I would get the beating of a lifetime.
Which inevitably happened anyway.
All this time, and I had no idea that Ky was related to Kon. If I had known, maybe I would have gone to Ky sooner, pleaded my case, instead of trying to stay away, afraid I would bring Angelo’s wrath on the club.
Of course, that already seems to have happened.
“Nothing yet, I’m just here to check on you guys. I’ve spoken to Lexie and Sage, they’re both safe, and I’m pretty sure Angelo has no interest in them, but just in case, I’ve ordered them both back to the clubhouse. They should be here within the hour,” he explains, his thumb running soft circles over the apple of Bella’s cheek who’s sleeping soundly, completely unaware of what’s going on around her.
I pace the room, feeling helpless. I should be out there with Ky, helping to look for Willow and Finn. After all, it was my fault they were taken. My conscience screams at me, its accusations sharp and unrelenting, leaving me feeling utterly crushed.
I find it difficult not to break down again, but I force myself not to, pushing those feelings deep down, and locking the box with a key. I need to be strong, my daughter and Finn needed that from me.
The sound of a horde of Harleys turning on at the same time gets Chains to his feet.
“Stay here, do not go anywhere,” he reiterates, before kissing Zoe and walking out of the house. After the motorcycles had ridden away, we sit in complete silence for a while, neither one of us wanting to speak. But when Everleigh finally did, she shocks both me and Zoe with what she admits to us.
“I have breast cancer,” she says, calmly. Almost too calmly for something so horrific.
The silence between us is almost deafening. But then Zoe breaks it, taking Everleigh’s hands in her own. “How long have you known?”
“I had a biopsy done a few weeks ago. The results came back positive. I’ve already had a few sessions of chemo,” she admits, her green eyes swimming with unshed tears. Zoe and I hug the other woman tightly, as the door opens again, and in walks Lexie and who I’m guessing is her sister, Sage. I haven’t met the other woman yet, since she and Tiny weren’t in Briar Creek when I arrived in town.
The women embrace while I stand off to the side. Zoe then does the introductions, and I give the beautiful strawberry blonde woman a warm smile. She has a full, colorful sleeve tattoo running down her arm, the faces of Tiny, and what I’m guessing are her sons, interspersed into a beautiful tattoo of family and belonging. Makes me wonder if she’ll add Bella to it?
Being upset for my best friend makes me realize that my involvement in something that is none of my business was just a projection of my own feelings.
“Nice to meet you,” I say instead, sitting down on the couch, though I’m still nervous as hell.
“You know Lexie, of course.” Zoe gives the woman with a mixture of pink, silver, and black hair a warning. When she turns to me, I expect another terse reply, but am pleasantly surprised when she says instead,
“Sera and I are good now,” Lexie says, surprising me by giving me a tight hug. I return it, and a sudden peaceful feeling comes over me. A confidence I didn’t have earlier that the men will find the children safe and well.
“We have.” I admit. When I turn around to say something to Zoe, I notice she’s not holding the baby any longer, but that Sage is.
The devastation on her face is hard to miss, and I stand, wanting to wrap my arms around the other woman and giving her my support. But she backs away, furiously wiping at her eyes, as she disappears into the kitchen.
“What are we drinking, ladies?” she calls out.
I follow her into the kitchen, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and I pull her close, the silence broken only by her choked sobs.
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you,” I whisper, holding her, her shuddering sobs breaking my heart.
“I’m sorry for putting my problems on you, when it’s you I should be consoling. Not the other way around.” She sniffles.
“What are friends for?” I say with a gentle smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. In the tight squeeze of her hand, and the mirrored grip of mine, we find a language beyond words, a whispered understanding that we are in this together.
After a while, she composes herself, and I help her prepare some fru fru drinks and snacks, bringing it all back into the living room, where the rest of the women are.
For however long we have to wait for the men to return, I try to focus on the women around me, but it’s hard not to think about my kids. Yes, I didn’t know Finn very well, but he was a part of Ky, and thus a part of me as well. So why am I sitting here pretending everything is okay, when it clearly isn’t?
With a plan forming in my head, I excuse myself and go to the bathroom, breathing a sigh of relief when I see the window is open, and the opening is quite large for me to fit through. Putting the strap of my bag over my head, carrying it like a cross body, I hoist myself up onto the vanity and slide through the window, catching the window closure on my jeans and a rip sound throughout the room.
Whatever. They’re just pants. Continuing on, I squeeze through the window, thankful it’s not too far from the ground, my shoes digging into the dirt as I jump from the ledge. I order an Uber, send a message to Ky to which he doesn’t reply, and as a last resort, bring up the app that will show where Ky’s phone is located. I frown when I realize that they're headed to Cullville.
That can’t be right?
Walking to the front gate, I smile brightly over at Styx manning the gate, silently asking him to open it.
“I was told not to let anyone out,” he says.
My stomach churns, sweat beading on my brow and down between my breasts and back.
“It’s okay, I spoke to Ky, and he gave the all clear. I was just headed to get some more snacks. The women have all drunk a little too much,” I reply, hoping he’ll believe my lie.
He looks at me a little longer than I would like, probably debating if he should believe me or not. Finally, he shrugs, turns a knob and the gate slides open.
I smile wide and tip my chin in thanks. Walking to the side of the road, I look around for the Uber, seeing a gray sedan parked off a little way from the gate. I start the short trek, opening the back door as I slide inside. I sit back and close my eyes, confirming the address in Cullville. When the driver doesn’t respond, I open my eyes and they come into contact with a pair of familiar blue eyes. Eyes I’d seen on the daily at Angelo’s compound. He’s the one who brought me food down in the basement. Ricky or Richard, something or other.
The bastard chuckles, and I can hear a click as the locks are activated.
“I was supposed to get you from the compound. Imagine my surprise when you just walked out on your own steam toward my car. The boss wants to see you,” he announces, as I curse my own stupidity. After this, there’s no way Ky will ever forgive me for what happened.
I was completely fucked.