Chapter 18
After spending most of the day at my house packing and having a session of intense lovemaking, we returned to Scorpion’s house.
We brought the essentials, as he called them, which would allow Fenrir and me to live there until the rest was brought.
Scorpion refused to live without me.
I was of the same mind, so I didn’t mind.
We found spots for everything.
Fenrir spent time exploring his new home.
It was like he knew we wouldn’t be leaving, so he had to scope it out.
When he was done, he plopped down in his doggie bed, which we placed in the living room. I could’ve put it in one of the empty bedrooms, but he’d want to be where he could watch us.
I teased Scorpion as we put away my things in the master bedroom and bath.
“Look at all this girly stuff taking up space and mixing with your manly things.
Are you sure you want to do this? What if it causes you to have anxiety over all the space I’m commandeering?”
“Blossom, you can take over the whole damn house and pitch my shit in the yard.
As long as I’ve got you, I don’t give a damn.”
“You’re too sweet.
For that, you deserve a kiss,” I informed him.
I was the one to initiate it, but he ended it. I pouted.
“Baby, I’d love to get naked and wild with you, but we need to get all your things put away, eat dinner, and then go tell the club.
I swear, after we do that, I’ll bring you back here, and we’ll tear up the sheets.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Rick.
Alright, get to work,” I ordered.
We worked well together, and in less time than I imagined, everything was organized, and we were in the kitchen.
I wanted to cook, so he and I did it together.
Everything felt so domesticated and right.
By the time we were ready to go to the clubhouse, I was barely able to contain my joy. We walked the short distance holding hands while Fenrir loped along.
When the door opened, the sound of voices rushed to greet us.
It appeared that almost everyone was there.
Had Scorpion asked them to come when I wasn’t paying attention? There were yells, and at the bar, Cowboy and Crash raised their beers.
Without missing a beat, I was absorbed into the midst of them. No one said anything about how I left the other night. I was kind of embarrassed about it.
I was given a soda and sat at one of the tables.
I noticed that Jauhnna and the kids were missing.
I was about to ask where they were when Diablo walked in with them.
Jauhnna’s smile made me relax even more. She came right to us. I stood so I could hug her. Chasin was awake and taking in the sights. I instinctively held out my arms. She popped him in them. His sweet baby smell hit me. I nuzzled his neck.
“And there it is.
I had to fight Tiago for her, and now Chasin.
I can’t win,” Scorpion mock grumbled.
“I chose you over Tiago, but if it’s a choice between you and this little guy, I don’t know.
He might win,” I teased.
“Pres, your son stole my woman,” he partially hollered.
Diablo was over saying something to Butcher across the room.
Jaycee had abandoned her parents and ran to Fenrir.
She was happily signing to him.
“That’s alright.
Her dog stole my daughter,” was Diablo’s response.
Everyone chuckled.
Scorpion swore.
“Damn, that didn’t help,” he muttered.
I walked over and patted his chest.
“It’s okay.
I’ve got to wait for Chasin to grow up.
You can be his stand-in until then.” I winked.
He curled his arm around me and brought me close.
He growled and nibbled on my neck.
When he quit, Scorpion whispered in my ear.
“You keep giving me ideas, Blossom.
The sight of you and that baby is going to have you knocked up.”
“You need to behave,” I admonished him.
“Can’t.”
“Hey, are those two at it again?” Tiago’s voice called out.
Turning around, we saw him coming through the door.
“Yes, we are.
Get used to it,” Scorpion told him.
There was some playful haranguing from the guys.
I sat with Jauhnna and watched them go at it.
We’d been there about ten minutes when Scorpion shouted for silence.
The din died down, and they all stared alertly at us. He came to stand next to me. I knew what he intended, so I handed Chasin back to his mom and rose. Automatically, his arm came around me.
“Obviously, you see that Paige and I have worked out the issue of Bev.
We’re waiting to find out if there is a baby and, if so, if it’s mine.
If it is, we will do whatever we must to ensure we’re a major part of its life, or better yet, that we raise it.
My beautiful woman has a heart big enough to love the baby no matter what.”
There was a round of whistles and claps, but once they died away, Scorpion continued.
I didn’t know why, but I was nervous.
“In addition, she’s agreed to move here to the compound with me immediately.
We brought over the essentials today and worked on packing some of her belongings.
Be prepared to help carry shit when the time comes to bring the rest.” This got him several teasing remarks about being on vacation.
I was watching their faces.
No one seemed upset.
I had to get over always thinking anything pertaining to me would disappoint people.
“Lastly, you all know Mom is coming in a few weeks.
She can’t wait to see everyone.
However, she said that you won’t be getting as much of her time and attention as you usually get.” This caused mutterings and frowns.
“Why not?” Thunder asked.
“She plans to spend time preparing our wedding so it can take place ASAP.”
He said it so casually that it took a moment to hit them.
When it did, they roared their congratulations.
I was engulfed in hugs and kisses.
When that was done, and they stopped shaking Scorpion’s hand, the question about the ring came up. He admitted that he jumped the gun and would be getting it as soon as he could. That earned him several lectures on timing and having all the pieces in place. All Jauhnna and I could do was laugh at him defending himself.
As we settled, Jaycee came over and signed to her mom.
I caught a few words, which I was proud of.
I needed to brush up on my ASL.
“Why is everybody yelling?” She asked.
“Because Uncle Scorpion and Paige are getting married,” Jauhnna explained.
Jaycee’s eyes rounded, and then she clapped her hands.
Her fingers started flying.
Even her mom had a hard time keeping up.
“Does that mean they’ll live here, and I can see Fenrir every day? Will they have babies like you and Daddy? Can I play with them when they get older? When is it?”
“You can see Fenrir as often as your mom and dad say it’s okay.
Yes, they’ll live here with me.
We don’t know yet when the wedding is.
You can play with our babies when they’re older,” Scorpion told her.
Jaycee made that squealing noise she had made before and skipped off to the couch.
After checking me over, Fenrir followed and got up on it so he could lay his head on her lap, and she could rub him.
I caught her signing to him about a wedding.
“She is the cutest thing.
I love how she signs to Fenrir like he can understand,” I chuckled.
“Me too.
We can’t wait until her puppy is old enough to come home.
She’s going to lose it,” Jauhnna said, smiling.
The rest of the evening was one of comfort for me.
For the first time, I was wholly accepted and included in a group.
I was home.
This was what I’d searched for my whole life and feared I’d never find. Thankfully, I’d taken the leap and returned to St. Augustine. Despite the bumps at first, it had been worth it.
***
I was filled with nervous excitement.
It was Friday.
This week, I concentrated on packing up what I could at the house, which was just about everything.
I did it while Scorpion was at the garage. He offered to have the prospects do the work, but I told him I wanted to do it. I was bored since I wasn’t working.
In between, I spent some time with Tiago and cared for his wounds.
When I wasn’t doing those two things, I was back to putting out resumes.
The one place that had wanted to interview me had already filled the position, but I let them know if they had another one that I was open to an interview if they wanted me.
Yesterday, I got a call from a place in town that wanted me to come in today.
It wasn’t in a hospital, but it was a dialysis center.
As part of my time in the ICU, I’d gotten trained to do dialysis using the SLED method.
When I told Scorpion about the interview, he had a bunch of questions.
I found his interest sweet. Recalling our conversation made me smile. I’d just explained the job was for a SLED nurse at night at the dialysis center.
“What the hell does a sled have to do with dialysis?”
I giggled.
“Not a sled as in the kind you ride.
It’s an acronym.
SLED stands for sustained low-efficiency dialysis.
Most patients get their dialysis over three or four hours. However, there are some who are unstable, and they can’t tolerate the fluids in the blood shifting as fast as it does in regular dialysis. If they get it via the SLED method, the blood moves more slowly through the machine at a slower ultrafiltration rate, which is the rate of cleaning the blood. It requires certification to do it this way. I have that, so they’re interested in me.”
“But it would mean you work at night,”
“That is the unfortunate part, but I may not find a job that’s on the day shift.”
“I’m not crazy about nights, but if it turns out that’s the way you have to go, then we’ll deal.
I know you need to work in order to be truly happy.
See what they have to say.
There’s no rush to find a job other than for your mental happiness.”
I never felt as understood and appreciated as I did with him, Tiago, and the other Horsemen.
It was what had me walking into the interview full of confidence, even if I felt some nervous excitement, too.
My interview lasted forty minutes and went off without a hitch.
I liked what they told me. It would be a great job if it weren’t on the night shift. Most patients chose to do it at night so they could sleep through their treatment.
I left with their promise to contact me within a week.
They had a couple more people to interview, but I thought my chances of being offered the job were good.
Scorpion and I needed to discuss it, and I had to have an answer if they offered it to me.
I was almost to my car, which I’d parked in the parking garage attached to the medical building.
I had my keys out, and I was alert despite pondering the possible job.
Suddenly, two men jumped out and grabbed me from behind a van parked a couple of spaces from my car.
A hand was immediately slapped over my mouth. I still tried to scream. I lashed out with my feet. I tried with my arms, but they were trapped at my sides by the man behind me. He had me in a bear hug. The one in front was trying to capture my legs, but I kept kicking them. They both wore ski masks, so all I could see of them was their eyes and mouths. Terror filled me. Who were they? What did they want with me?
“Hurry up and get her legs before someone sees us,” the one holding me hissed to the other.
“I’m fucking trying, but she kicks like a mule.
Just keep her mouth covered and drag her to the side door.
We need to get out of here,” the other one said.
He was scanning the garage.
I prayed for someone to come along and scare them off, but no such luck.
I was dragged to the side of the van.
The door was open.
I tried to resist, but a punch to the stomach knocked the wind out of me. It was enough to make my body go pliant. My captor hauled me into the back, and the other guy slammed the door shut.
It wasn’t until I was inside that I discovered there was a third guy.
He was in the dark.
He came out of the shadows and slapped zip ties around my wrists that they secured in front of me.
After he had those on, he tore a piece of duct tape off a roll and slapped it over my mouth after telling his friend, “Uncover her mouth.”
I tried to scream, but he was super fast.
With me mostly trussed up, they worked together to pin my legs so they could zip-tie them together at the ankles.
The van was already on the move.
The guy who opened the door was behind the wheel.
“Christ, he didn’t say anything about her being an Amazon who could kick your head off.
I say we tell him the debt is clear,” the one who had held me grumbled.
“Tell me about it,” the driver said.
I was situated so I could see the buildings and world outside rushing by.
Tears filled my eyes.
Whoever they were, I wasn’t hopeful that the outcome would be good.
Someone had these men kidnap me based on what little they said. Nothing good ever came from being kidnapped. Ransom wasn’t likely. I had no money and didn’t see Scorpion as having enough to make me a target.
As they sped out of town, I tried to figure out what the motive was and how I would get out of this.
I wasn’t ready to die.
What if they planned something other than kidnapping me? I shivered at the thought.
Scorpion:
I was waiting for Paige to arrive at the garage.
We’d arranged for her to stop by after her interview and tell me how it went, which would allow me to introduce her to my crew.
They were all amazed that I not only had an old lady but also that I was engaged.
They were eager to meet her. After tonight, I’d be truly engaged. I found time this week to find her ring in a jewelry store in town. I had my fingers crossed she’d love it. I did it all on my own, with only a smidge of advice from Mom on how to get Paige’s ring size and what to look for as far as quality. Mom knew her diamonds, even though she’d never been a fancy jewelry kind of woman.
Two hours after Paige’s interview time passed, I couldn’t wait any longer.
I sent her a text to see why she wasn’t there.
I got no answer.
Surely, they weren’t still talking. I waited another fifteen minutes, then I risked calling her. She’d kill me if I interrupted her interview, but I was beginning to worry. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail. This made the hairs on my neck stand up. This was definitely not good. Without hesitation, I headed out to my bike. I rode to work today.
“Where are you going? I thought Paige was stopping by,” Turbo said as he followed me.
“She was, but she’s not answering her phone, and it’s well past the time of her interview.
I’m gonna head over there and see if I can find her.”
“Well, hang on a second, and I’ll come with you.
Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll meet her on the way.
Just let me tell the crew we’re leaving.”
I gave him a chin lift.
Turbo rushed back inside.
I impatiently waited.
I hadn’t thought to tell any of them why I was leaving. All I could think about was her. He was back in record time. Tossing his leg over his bike, he started his engine. Mine was already running. He indicated that I should take the lead.
It was a little busy due to the time of day, but we made decent time to the office building, but it was too slow for me.
I was thankful I’d asked her where it was last night.
Circling the block and not spotting her car, I led the way into the parking structure next to the building.
It was three levels. Taking it slow, I moved from the first to the second floor without seeing her or her car. I was about to give up on the third floor when I spotted what appeared to be her vehicle. As we got closer, I knew it was. Then I saw something else. Lying on the ground was a purse. One I recognized. It was the same one Paige carried.
My heart pounded as I came to a stop and jumped off my bike.
I almost forgot to put down the kickstand before I ran to her purse.
I went to pick it up, but Turbo shouted at me not to touch it.
Listening to him, I went to her car. The doors were locked, and nothing inside seemed disturbed. Since there were no others close to the vehicle, I checked the immediate area around it and discovered no sign of Paige.
Blood was pounding in my head.
My hands were shaking, and I found it hard to suck in enough oxygen.
Chaotic thoughts were racing through my brain.
It was Turbo who helped to settle them. At least enough to start the search process. He was standing next to me with his cell phone in his hand.
“Micro, where are you right now?” he asked.
Hope hit me when I heard him say that name.
Yeah, why didn’t I think of calling Micro? Turbo listened.
“I’m with Scorpion.
I’m gonna send you an address.
We’re in the parking garage next to it.
We need to know if you can hack into their camera footage on the third floor, parking spot sixty-seven. We’re looking at the last three hours. Tell us if you see Paige.”
He paused to listen again, then added.
“We found her car and purse, but no Paige.
We need to know what happened.
Hurry.
Scorpion is about to lose his shit. Send some of the brothers, too. I can’t contain him myself,” he whispered the last part, but I still heard him. And he was right. Blind fury was building, and along with it, the desire to inflict pain and make it rain blood.
I stood there frozen, praying that it wasn’t as bad as it appeared.
Maybe she dropped it on the way in and didn’t know where she lost it.
Or was she still interviewing? I wanted to check to see if she was, but I couldn’t leave the garage.
“Brother, we’ve got Micro looking, and others are on their way.
I need you to breathe deeply and try to keep yourself under control, Scorpion.
If you go crazy, I can’t handle you alone.”
“She’d better be alright.
If she’s okay, then I’ll be fine.
But if she’s not…” I muttered.
“Think positive.
As soon as a few of our brothers get here, I’ll check that office to see if they’ve seen her.
It could be she’s in there and didn’t have her phone on.
That’s not unusual when you’re trying to get a job.”
He was right, but my body was telling me that wasn’t the case.
I paced, and Turbo kept up a stream of soothing chatter.
I did stop and pick up her purse.
I didn’t give a fuck what he said. A search of it showed her wallet, brush, and some makeup were in it, but not her keys or phone. For something to do, I searched the area and looked under her car. Underneath the car, I found her keys, but no phone.
I was about to take off when I heard the roar of bikes.
I waited, and relief filled me when four bikes came into view.
They were all ones I recognized.
It was Diablo, Butcher, Thunder, and Lucky. They parked their bikes in a circle around the car and shut off their engines. Diablo came to me.
“Micro filled us in on what he knew.
Did you find anything? Any clues?”
I told him hoarsely about her keys.
Turbo excused himself to see if the people in the dialysis center would tell him if she was there or had been.
Lucky went with him.
“Diablo, she’s been taken.
That’s the only explanation.
She wouldn’t have left her purse and car.
The keys under it are a sign. She would’ve returned my call if she could. Someone took her, and when I get my hands on them, I’ll make them scream, beg, and bleed. They’ll suffer for touching her,” I snarled.
His hand bit into my shoulder as he gripped it.
He stared hard into my eyes.
“If she’s been taken, then we’ll get her back, and we’ll rain our wrath down on them.
However, we have to be clear-headed and logical.
First, we need proof she was taken, and then we’ll start following the trail.”
“Pres, I need to hear something.
I’m about to lose it.
Just tell me anything,” I pleaded.
I jumped because his phone rang.
He took it out and glanced at the screen before he answered.
“Talk to me,” he grunted.
I moved closer.
Whoever it was, I knew they were calling about Paige.
He was listening intently as he watched me.
After a couple of excruciating minutes, he spoke.
“You know what to do.
Call when you have more.
Get the others on it, too.
We need to know ASAP. Thanks.”
“Who was it? What did they say?” I asked as soon as he disconnected.
“It was Micro.
He said he was able to get into the CCTV in this garage.
He saw Paige park and assumed she was going to the interview.
Then, about an hour later, she came back. She was almost to her car when two men in masks jumped out from behind a van. They grabbed her. She fought but was ultimately overpowered and put in the van. They drove off. He’s working the systems around town to find and follow the vehicle. And checking to see if he can trace her using her cell. If it’s on, he can find her that way.”
I let out a roar of anguish.
I twirled around and slammed my fists onto the trunk lid of her car.
Twin dents appeared.
I was about to do it again when I was grabbed and hauled back. I fought to get away. I wanted to tear things apart. The last time I felt this kind of anger was the night of Tiago’s accident.
“Let me go!” I hollered.
“No.
You need to calm down and think.
If someone sees you acting this way, they’ll call the cops.
As hard as it’ll be, we need to leave. I’ll get one of the prospects to drive her car back to the compound. We can leave no sign she was here. This is a Horsemen matter. We don’t need or want any cops involved. It’s our justice that will be served when we find them,” Butcher said.
I was fighting to do as he said when Lucky and Turbo returned.
“The woman at the desk said Paige had her interview, and it lasted about forty-five minutes or so, then she left.
No one has seen her since,” Lucky stated.
“She was taken.
Micro found it on camera.
We need to head back to the compound.
The prospects will come to get her car. It’s a Horsemen matter. Let’s get our asses out of here,” Thunder explained.
“Are you okay to ride?” Diablo asked me.
“I can do it.
Just get me home.
We’ve got to find her, Diablo.”
“We will.
You can do this, VP.”
We mounted our bikes, and as one, it seemed, they came to life.
I had her purse and keys tucked in my cut.
We left the garage at a leisurely pace.
I knew it was so we wouldn’t raise suspicion. Of course, if anyone watched the tape, they’d see us. Or maybe not, if Micro had access to them.
It took everything in me not to speed like a demon back to the compound.
By the time we got there, I saw the parking lot outside the clubhouse was full.
The others were home.
Liam and Zax were waiting outside in a truck. I passed them the keys, and Turbo told them the address. They promised they’d be back in no time.
Walking into the clubhouse without her made me sick.
I was directed by a hand on my shoulder to the bar.
A whiskey was waiting for me.
I downed it in one gulp. As it burned its way to my toes, the others gathered around us. Their concern and support were coming off them in waves. I sat there mute as the others filled those who hadn’t been to the garage in on what we found.
When they were caught up, I looked at Diablo and said, “We need everyone we can working on this.
Did Micro ask Smoke, Outlaw, and the others to help?”
“He was sending out the SOS to all the clubs’ hackers.
He’s in his office here working on it,” Wolverine piped up.
“Good.
What can we do in the meantime? I can’t sit here and do nothing,” I warned them.
“I need you to sit tight for a short while, Scorpion.
Let me go see what Micro has so far,” Diablo, more or less ordered, which was the only thing to keep me in my seat.
He left me with my brothers surrounding me.
I knew they were there to ensure I didn’t head out the door.
I realized it was useless to ride around hoping to see her, but it was better than sitting there with my thumb up my ass.
It better not take long. The venom inside of me was increasing. The scorpion was looking for someone to sting.