Chapter 8 #2
I thought back to our conversation that night, I had confessed to the group that Fable was in town. I had made it sound very vague and as if I barely knew my father.
“Didn’t trust you.”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “Do you now?”
“Not even a little bit.”
Wes laughed; Jameson muttered something about me being an asshole.
“So, Alec took her then, not Fable?” Laura glanced around at the group.
I shook my head. “Alec and Fable are working together.”
That news silenced everyone.
“Fable would likely not have any houses set up over here, right?” Penelope seemed to be thinking out loud while stroking her son’s back.
I stood, needing to move around. I hated this feeling of being so fucking useless.
“It’s hard to tell…he could have had houses set up the whole time he was in hiding, or nothing at all. Just depends on how long he’s been planning this.”
Penelope seemed lost in thought then pursed her lips.
“There was a place…a safe house of theirs. The man my mom started seeing from Sons of Speed…he took us there a few times because he could have it to himself, or not get in trouble for messing around with Chaos Kings property. I left them alone while I ventured to the lake nearby. This was a long time ago, so my information is likely wrong and dated, but I will never forget this because on our way to that house, we passed by a chain of businesses that made me laugh. Wendy’s, Loves, Dicks, Hooters.
They were all lined up one after another, and I would just laugh because it seemed ridiculous. ”
Did Natty enjoy this complete and utter mundane gibberish from her friends?
Penelope waved her hand. “Anyway, there’s a dirt road half a mile or so after Hooters and it goes back quite a ways, there’s a house at the end of the road…It could be something.”
“What town was this in?” I asked, uneasy about how far they could have taken Natty.
Penelope looked hopeful as she said, “Rockland.”
Rockland was hours from Rose Ridge. If I got on my bike now and started, then I could make some decent time. I’d have to do recon, but I could manage. It would be night by the time I really got set up, but it wouldn’t matter. I just had to get to her.
I stood, not listening to what everyone else was saying or discussing. I had enough to go on to follow up on the lead, so I didn’t need to hear anything more, but suddenly Penelope was in front of me again with her baby.
Her blue eyes searched mine as if I owed her something.
“You can’t go right now; you need to make a plan and have back up.”
I tried to move past her when she held her son out. “Open your arms.”
“Excuse me.”
She held her swaddled baby out as if she were about to place him in my arms.
“Palms out, come on.”
I peeked at her husband, and he only sipped from a bottle of water with a smirk on his face.
“I’m not going to leave you alone until you open your hands.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how to—”
But my palms were open like she’d suggested and suddenly her gaze fixated on a tattoo I had on the inside of my palm, near my ring finger. Her eyes narrowed enough that I began dropping my hands once more, but she cleared her throat and stepped closer.
“Like this.” Penelope pushed her son into my arms until he was being cradled against my chest. “Support his head at all times.”
My mouth gaped like a fucking fish. Did she really expect me to stand here and hold her—
Penelope dropped her voice, gesturing at my left hand. “Natty has a tattoo just like that, in that same exact spot.”
I stared at her son and ignored her curious tone. She remained there, arms crossed and staring as if I were about to open up to her about my ink.
She finally let out a sigh and moved away from me, which allowed me the chance to really inspect this tiny human in my arms. Soft dark hair crowned the top of the baby’s head, his soft blue eyes were gentle and his button nose was adorable as fuck.
How did people do this? How did they hold something so precious and perfect and then let it out of their sight to grow up?
I could never do it, never love something so much only to watch it leave me. If I were there when Natty left, there would have been a war. I’d likely have lost my life because there was no world in which I could watch her walk out of mine.
“Who knew that Death itself would actually be good with babies?” Killian joked, passing by while I stood like a statue with Connor in my arms. I knew Jameson was watching me like a hawk from across the room, but for all my faults and as evil as everyone seemed to know I was, hurting children was where I drew the line.
“Pen is right, we need a plan. We can’t go half-cocked, Silas. We need intel, and to get the layout, we want her back safely, not shot in the crossfire, or hurt because we snuck up and didn’t know his security measures. Why don’t you go back into the clubhouse, stay in Natty’s room.”
A quick shot of panic shot through me at the notion of waiting.
I had to play this right because this club had already been searching for her.
They had a map. They were her friends…her family.
It wasn’t like I could just go and not have them chase me.
They could endanger our entire rescue if they showed up without a plan in place.
It was like swallowing nails to agree to stay put, but I knew it was the right thing to do. For Natty.
I didn’t trust myself to walk with Connor in my arms, so I gave a pleading look to Jameson who seemed to understand and left his perch to come grab his son.
Once he was safely in his father’s arms, I took a step back.
“I will give you one day to organize what you need to…just one, and then I’m going in with or without you.”
The eyes around the room remained on me while I turned on my heel and walked out of the house. Within seconds, my phone was up to my ear, my vice president on the line.
“We have a club to visit tonight.”
The only man I ever called a friend hummed in reply, “We leaving a message?”
Gravel crunched under my feet as I made my way over to my bike. I gave the club one last glance, wishing I could bury my face in some of Natty’s clothes, or sheets, just so I could have her scent wrapped around me.
“We’re sending an eviction notice.”
There was a pause, which didn’t happen often with my second. He was level-headed, unlike me, but he was fair and calculated.
“Which club?”
Going to war with a club wasn’t something to take lightly, especially for one as dangerous as ours. Just the same, it had to be done.
I straddled my bike and ignored the blood roaring in my ears as I pictured my brother, and what he might be doing to Natty.
With ice in my tone, I simply replied, “Sons of Speed.”