Chapter Nineteen
King looked at hisphone again before glancing at Ayesha”s sleeping form. A month had gone by, and the dead girls had piled up. Finally, they’d gotten a break. He eased out of bed, snatching up his jeans as quietly as possible. His first thought was to wake her to let her know what was going down. After debating it with Duke, they’d decided to let her and Kailani sleep while they took the man out. Less of a chance for them to slip up if questioned later.
He checked on Tiana after he was dressed, making sure she was sleeping.
Frog and Lick were in the front yard of his house, posted by trees, smoking cigarettes. He shut the door, securing the alarm automatically. Traeger’s house couldn’t be seen from his porch, but King knew the other man would be making his way to King’s place. Even though he would prefer not to leave his ole’ lady, they had the property well protected; taking out the bastard was their job. “Soldier on his way?” he asked Lick.
Lick nodded toward the road where the man in question could be seen riding in on his bike. They’d been smart when building their homes, making the walls extra thick and the windows triple-paned. The loud pipes of the bikes rolling in at three a.m. would’ve woken Ayesha up had it not been for that.
Coal and Digger pulled up in two of their cage cars. King looked at the guys he was leaving to guard his girls. “You make sure nothing happens to any of the women here. Feel me?” He looked at each man, letting them know their top priority was keeping them safe. “You think something is off, you know the code, get that shit off immediately. I’d rather have a false alarm than anyone hurt. Got it?”
“Bro, they know the drill.” Duke came walking up, his brother wearing all black, looking pissed as hell.
“You cool, man?” King asked.
“Yep, let’s roll. I’m riding with Coal,” Duke said as he moved to get into the first car, leaving King to ride in the second with Digger.
He pulled his cell out, fingers flying over the keys. The text he shot Ayesha in case she got up would let her know to stay inside and talk to nobody but him. If anyone showed up at the door, she was to take herself and Tiana to his safe room in the basement and ask no questions. The only one to come get them was him or Duke. He thought about the last and added Keys. His final text was to Keys, asking if he had any new information.
‘If I had, you’d have. It”s good to roll out, Prez. I’ll tell you where they’re at. Right now, they’re still at the hotel. They took a girl from your strip club this time.’
King looked over at Duke. His brother had been going to the club Keys mentioned. “Hold up, Duke.”
“What”s up, man?” Duke whipped the shades he had on off. King was getting irritated with the attitude his brother was giving him.
He grabbed his brother’s hand. The one that had been holding the shades, crushing the glasses between their palms. “First of all, it’s fucking dark, motherfucker. There ain’t no need for you to be wearing those.” He let go of Duke’s hand, allowing the bits of plastic and metal to drop between them. “Second, don’t step up to me unless you want to go. Feel me?”
Duke ran his hand over his head, letting out a sigh. “Fuck,” he yelled. “I’m sorry, man. Shit’s fucked right now, okay. What was you gonna say?”
“You level to go with us? Or do you need to stay here?” King asked.
“I’m fine, brother. A friend asked me to look out for his sister, and she was one of the girls they found fucked up. I let him down, man.” Duke kicked the ruined shades away from him.
“Fuck, why didn’t you tell me?”
“She was a prostitute, but he said she was working her way out of that profession. I just hired her on at our club. I...never mind. Let’s just go get this bastard and kill him slowly.” King glanced at Traeger, watching his Sergeant at Arms response to hearing his brother’s words.
“Did you and she have—” King didn’t finish his sentence.
His brother laughed. “Nah, man, she was my friend’s sister.”
With a nod, they loaded up. King sat straighter in the leather seat. The feeling of being boxed in set his nerves on edge. He was in the tricked-out van, sitting in the back on the bench seat facing the opposite wall. Keys sat there with his computers, several monitors up and running. “I got a bad feeling, Keys. Something ain’t right.” King leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. He looked over Keys” shoulder at the monitors.
“Ayesha and I watched a movie the other night where the guy was able to hack into the security feed and make it continuously loop, showing the same image over and over, so it looked like the hallway was empty when, in fact, they had come and gone, taking off with the prisoner. Is that something they could’ve done?” He nodded toward the lot where Keys monitored the cars he’d tagged as Rico and his guys.
Keys tilted his head to the side. His eyes narrowed. He tapped his fingers on the keyboard, more tapping and swearing as he ignored those around him. “Motherfuckingsonofabitch,” Keys swore.
King pounded on the back of Digger’s seat. “Turn around. Turn the fuck around,” he yelled.
He began calling Ayesha. Her phone went straight to voicemail. “Call Traeger and Duke. Get their asses back there.” He was already calling Kailani, praying she picked up. Her phone rang and rang. When she didn’t answer, he went into shutdown. Forgetting his ole’ lady was in danger, thinking of his club. Gator should be there, and if he didn’t answer, shit was fucked.
“Yo, King, what’s up, brother?” his voice was raspy from sleep.
“Get your family to your safe room. Now!” Telling the man to care for his woman and kid instead of rushing to check on Ayesha was one of the hardest things he ever did.
“Who’s on lookout?” Gator’s low voice was clear and resolute. King could hear fabric rustling and a baby’s cry being shut off as Curly’s voice began making the Sssh noise mothers do.
King ended the call. He didn”t have time to explain the situation to the other man. “What’s our ETA, Digger?”
Sitting in the back, he couldn’t see where they were exactly, but a minute felt like an hour.
“Ten minutes, tops.”
“Make it eight,” he told the other man.
Chopper cracked his knuckles beside him while Cross slid the lever on his gun back and forth as if checking to make sure it was loaded.
“What’re we gonna do when we get there, Prez?” Cosmo asked.
King turned to the front at Cosmo’s question.
“Keys, you got eyes on my house?” King asked, his mind finally registering what they should’ve done in the beginning.
“I’ve been trying to do that since I realized you were right about the loop. They’ve got a hacker,” Keys muttered.
King punched the roof of the van at the news. Keys couldn’t get eyes on their property. “Digger, when you get close to our land, I want you to let us out. We’re gonna need to go in on foot since we don’t know where they are or how many they got inside.” His phone rang on the floor where he’d dropped it.
“Fucking, Gator. What’s up? You okay?” He listened as the other man explained what he was seeing.
“Two black SUVs rolled up here like they owned the place, man. Frog is down, but I don’t see Soldier. That could be good. The guys fanned out. Shit, they’re coming to my place. I gotta go to the safe room with my family. It’s concealed, so they won’t find it, but service will be lost. I counted ten, and they are armed, brother. I’d go out there, but...” he didn’t say anymore.
“Get your ass with your family. We’re a few minutes out.” King disconnected the call.
“Ten fuckers are scouring the place, looking for Kailani or Tiana, or fuck, both of them.” He cracked his knuckles, pointing at Chopper. “You’re a bad example.”
“Coal’s right behind us. We’ll get there in time,” Digger reassured them.
The van came to a rocking stop. King shoved the side door open, pointing at Keys. “Get that system up and running or else.” He wanted the video to back up what went down because the bastard wasn’t walking out alive, not if he had anything to say about it. He grabbed a semi-automatic, slung it over his shoulder, and ran into the woods toward his house. These were his woods, his turf. King and the Royal Sons owned over six hundred acres, with traps all over the property for unsuspecting trespassers. He made sure he and his brothers knew where they were, no matter the time of day or night. He made his way toward one goal: getting to Ayesha and Tiana. “You better have your sexy little ass in the safe room.”
He weaved between trees, the damp foliage helping to hide his movements. He and Chopper stopped when they heard a couple men arguing.
“He’s fucking nuts, man. Did you see what he did to that girl? Fuck that. I didn’t sign up for this shit.”
“Shut up and keep your mouth closed. We get our paycheck, and we walk away. Neither of us will ever talk about it. Got it?”
King looked at Chopper, nodding. The two sounded like juveniles, maybe barely eighteen, their voices still cracking. He snuck up behind one while Chopper took the other. Instead of doing as he’d wanted and killing the little shits, he put the kid to sleep, taking the time to zip-tie his hands and feet. King looked at his clothes. He ripped the shirt off the kid and balled up a piece of his T-shirt before stuffing it into his mouth, making a makeshift tie, and securing the fabric with it. They didn”t need the fuckers waking up and alerting their friends to their arrival. Chopper did the same to his guy, tossing him on his side.
“In case they choke, didn’t want to kill the little fucker,” he whispered.
King used his boot to shove the boy lying at his feet to the side. That was as much as he’d do for him.
AYESHA WOKE UP ALONE, her hand automatically reaching for King. She slid her legs over the side of the bed and headed for the bathroom, making quick work of using the facilities. She didn’t bother turning any lights on, knowing her way around King’s home better than her own. The reality of her thoughts hit her mid-step. She was more at home with King than in the little house she’d bought and decorated to her tastes. Not that King’s house wasn’t lovely, but it wasn”t filled with all the special things she and Tiana had picked over time. However, Ayesha still felt like it was home. Her phone lit up on the nightstand.
She hurried around the end of the bed, grabbing it to see where King was. She knew it would be him since he was the only one to text her at three in the morning. The message that popped up chilled her blood. She looked around the room for her discarded clothes from earlier, needing to have clothes on if—no, she wasn’t going to think the bastard would get them.
She hopped into her pants and then hurried down the hall to Tiana’s room. She covered her sister’s mouth before shaking her so she wouldn’t cry. “T, it’s me. Wake up.”
She hated the fear that flashed across her sister’s face when she opened her eyes. Ayesha had hoped that was one thing she”d never see again when it came to Tiana. “Come on, we must go to the safe room.”
Tiana nodded, her arms and legs kicking the blankets away. She always slept with pajama pants and a shirt on, a change from the shorts and shirt she used to prefer.
Her sister tugged on her arm at the doorway. “What about Kailani?”
“I don’t know, T. King said to get to the safe room, so that’s what we’re doing.” Ayesha grabbed her sister’s hand.
Tiana jerked free. “She saved me. What if she’s alone, and Traeger doesn’t have a room like King’s? I can’t go down there and be tucked away like a princess when she could be—I can’t do that to her.” Tiana’s anguish broke her heart, but Ayesha couldn’t allow her sister to be taken. Not again.
“I’ll go get her. You get in the room and stay safe.” She tugged on Tiana’s hand, relief swamping her as she felt her sister come with her. They hurried through the house and into the basement. She breathed a sigh of relief once T was safely enclosed, but she cursed herself a fool for not going in with her. Before heading back up, she went into the bedroom, moved to the side table, and prayed King had a gun tucked inside. The man was always prepared, he said. Whether it be for sex or violence.
The cold metal was heavier than she’d expected, giving her a measure of confidence. She slipped the magazine out, double-checking it was loaded. No sense in carrying around the damn thing if it was just going to click if she needed it. Going back up the stairs, her heart thudded so hard she swore she was going to have a heart attack. She opened the door after checking the security panel, quickly shutting it back and sealing the entrance once she was done. Her back rested against the wall while she took a deep breath, followed by another.
The distinct beep beep echoed around her. King’s alarm, which had been set, was being turned off. If it was King, he would’ve told her all was clear. Whoever was in the house wasn’t supposed to be, and she was on the wrong side of the basement. She looked around the kitchen and toward the doorway to the front of the house, trying to figure out her next step. Although it was somewhat of an open concept with a half wall separating the kitchen and dining area, leading into the great room. The entryway had a foyer with an office to the right, and all the bedrooms were down a hallway on the right side of the house. She could slip back into the basement if they decide to look there first. However, if they knew the code to get in the front door, would they know the code to the basement? She looked across the room. During one of her cleaning and reorganizing sprees, she found that the cabinet next to the dishwasher was empty. The space was large enough to fit inside if she curled up.
She could hear movement as they banged doors open down the hallway, getting closer to her and King’s room.
Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, Ayesha crawled across the floor, avoiding any lights. Luckily, they hadn’t turned any on. She tugged on the cabinet door, wincing at the slight pop the latch made. She looked over her shoulder, holding her breath to make sure they hadn’t heard and were rushing in to grab her. A couple seconds passed. Her head felt light, so she let the air out of her mouth slowly and eased inside, keeping her eyes peeled to the entrance for as long as she could until the last second. It was time to tug the door closed; only on this side was she able to hold the latch back, closing it soundlessly.
She sat with her legs to her chest for long minutes until she thought better of the position. If they were to find her, she’d need to be able to hold the gun in position. The space inside the cabinet allowed her to sit with her legs crisscrossed, her neck slightly bent forward. The gun she placed on her lap, taking measured breaths, in case they could hear her. Finally, a sound she’d been dreading filtered through to her.
“Shit, nobody said anything about this.”
An angry voice rose. Something shattered, making her jump slightly. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
“Sorry, boss, I can only tell you what I know. I was never allowed in here.”
Ayesha thought the voice sounded familiar but couldn’t be for sure.
“How do I get in here? I want what’s mine.” More shattered glass and a groan as if a man was injured.
“What about that other fucker. Call him up. See if he’s a talker. Tell him we got his girl.”
The man whom she was sure she’d heard before laughed. “He’ll never believe you. Besides, he was probably just banging the bitch. Why don’t you get yourself a new plaything, man? What’s so special about this one?”
The silence was almost scarier than the waiting for them to come. Her nerves stretched; fear tasted like acid on Ayesha”s tongue. She strained to hear what was happening.
“You want to know what’s so special about her?” he asked in a low voice.
Ayesha could barely hear, but they’d moved closer to where she was, allowing sound to filter in.
“Nobody takes my things away until I’m done with them. I wasn’t done with either of them. Now make the call, or you die where you stand.”
KING TOOK OUT ANOTHERguard, placing his arms around the man’s neck and twisting it to the right, making quick work of the bastard. Chopper sliced two other throats. His kills were a lot messier, but as he was known for saying, ‘It’s why I wear black,’ so he didn’t bother to look at the pooling blood. He hoped like hell Ayesha had woken up to his text and was able to get her and Tiana to the safe room.
His earpiece came alive, letting him know Keys was back online, along with live footage of their property. Meaning whatever had been blocking them was down. “Groot is helping the fuckers. How the asshole hooked up with them, I’ve no clue, but he’s let them in your house, brother.” Keys words made his blood boil.
“He’s dead. Get the shit figured out ‘cause he’s not leaving this place alive.” He saw movement to his right, almost too late, but he sent a butterfly knife sailing through the air, nailing the man in the throat. The only sound he made was a gurgle that King ignored as he stepped onto his porch. “Keys, you got eyes in my house?” The only rooms where there weren’t cameras were his bedrooms and bathrooms. Of course, he and Ayesha had fucked in every room of his house on every surface, but Keys was smart and knew better than to access them unless told to.
“Affirmative. Three in the kitchen plus Groot. Um, I was rewinding footage for the last ten minutes to see what they’d been doing, and...you ain’t gonna like this—”
“Spit it out.”
“Your ole” lady is hiding in the cabinet next to the dishwasher, brother. She’s basically a sitting duck right under their fucking nose. There”s good news, though. She did get her sister tucked safely away.”
King closed his eyes and counted to five. Duke came up next to him, tapping his ear.
Chopper and Cross walked to the side of his house, both men wiping off huge knives on their pants. They would take the back entrance while he and Duke went through the front.
“Alright, I’ve silenced your system since they reset it. It won’t sound when you go in. They had the code to disarm it. Looks like the asshole is gonna kill Groot for you, though.” King didn’t like the idea of anyone killing in front of Ayesha.
“You see my girl?” he whispered before opening the door.
“Negative. Let”s pray she”s still hiding.”
He and Duke slid through the door, both silent and deadly. King eyed the bastard Groot, knowing if Rico didn’t kill him, he’d die by his hand.
Rico pushed Groot up against the cabinet. His gut twisted thinking about Ayesha hiding inside since Keys said he”d seen her going in there. Groot knocked Rico’s hand away, which only seemed to piss the little shit off more. What happened next seemed to flow in slow motion. Rico lifted his arm, a gun sliding out from the sleeve like magic. Groot’s mouth fell open in surprise. He looked down at his chest, red blooming over his blue button-up shirt. He should’ve stuck with Chopper’s rule when doing a job. Wearing black hid the blood much better.
The force of the shot tossed Groot backward, making him slam into the cabinet. He fell to the side, stumbling while grappling at his chest. However, nobody was paying him attention because the door popped open when he hit the cabinet, exposing what was inside.
“Ayesha,” King barked.
She had her gun up and pointed in front of her. At his shout, the other three men turned toward him. He already had his gun up and fired off several rounds before he dove for the floor. His ears rang as other shots rang out at the same time as his, anger filling him along with fear for Ayesha. He heard two more shots fired from inside the kitchen. He jumped up, uncaring about his safety, launching himself over the bar between the two spaces. His feet hit the floor, skidding to a halt. His boots slipped in blood from the four dead men lying on the tile.
Ayesha held the gun out, her little body quivering from inside the hiding space. “Hey, baby, you’re alright.” He kicked the gun away from Rico’s body as he took the two steps to Ayesha. Squatting down to her level, he held his hand out. “C’mere, love, give me the gun.” He held his hand out. She placed the weapon in his palm. He turned the safety on, putting the gun on the floor away from them. He held his hands out once he had that out of the way. “C’mere,” he said again.
She launched herself out of the tight space with a cry, her sob breaking his heart.
“I was so scared. I sh...shot him. Oh my god. I killed him.” She buried her face against his chest.
King palmed the back of her head and stood up, taking her with him. His other arm went around her waist. “We need the cleaners in here.” He looked over his shoulder as he barked the order. “Keys, wipe this shit. It didn’t happen.”
He walked with her into the bathroom, bloody footprints be dammed. He needed to get her warmed up, and they needed to talk. Her shivers were freaking him out. Fuck, she was in shock. “Duke, call Doc.” His voice was too loud, and he knew it, so he took a deep breath.
Duke knocked on the open door, careful not to look inside. “Yo, King, Keys done did.”
King lifted his chin in acknowledgment, kicking his boots off. He looked at what she had on, figuring he could replace whatever was ruined as he jerked each item off, ripping seams in the process, followed by his outside the shower. “Ayesha, look at me, baby.” He stood her beside the huge glass enclosure, his arms still holding her.
Shakes and shivers assailed her. He lifted her into his arms, took them both inside, and shut the door while the water rained down on them. She gasped and blinked at him as if seeing for the first time. “Oh god, Tiana.” She reached for the door.
“You protected her. You did good,” King praised her. Tomorrow, maybe the next, he’d blister her ass. Right now, he’d take care of her. Get her straight.
She sagged against him. “I’m probably going to go to...to jail.”
King grabbed her hair. God, he loved her fucking hair. “Baby, there’s nothing to go to jail for.”
She opened her mouth to say something, closing it when he placed a finger over it. “Rico and those men won’t be missed, and if they are, they’ll assume they ran into trouble with some business associates. Nobody but you, me, Duke, and Keys know what happened in that kitchen. There ain’t one of us who blames you or wouldn’t have taken that shot. In all honesty, we can’t say who killed who. I fired off several rounds, and Duke did too.” He wouldn’t tell her how they would get rid of them. The less she knew, the better.
“You scared at least ten years off my life tonight,” King said, pulling her in against his body.
She wrapped her arms around him, her little body fitting him like she was made for him. “I suppose you’re thinking of spanking me.”
Oh, he barely contained his chuckle. “Little Dove, I’m not thinking anything.”
Her tense shoulders relaxed until he let his hands trail down her back. “I already know exactly what your punishment is going to be.”
When she opened her mouth, King tugged her head backward and covered her lips with his, silencing her with his. Fuck, he was sure she was going to be the cause of his first grey hair instead of his brother.