Chapter 21 Frost
TWENTY-ONE
FROST
“All right,” I said as I eased off my bike, “see, that wasn’t so bad, huh?”
Natty managed to give me a soft smile. “That was kind of fun. I see why you wanted me to hold on tight.”
I nodded. “Now, you ready to go see momma?”
Her eyes lit up and it melted my heart. “Yeah!”
“All right,” I said as I held out my hand and helped her off my bike, “let’s go!”
I sank my bike into the grass just as West pulled up beside me.
I was thankful that we had found the man, however battered and bruised he may have been.
But I still couldn’t look at him. I had charged him with taking care of two of the most important women on the planet right now, and it felt like he had failed me.
Even though, rationally, I understood that he had done his best.
With my daughter’s hand in mind, I jogged toward the front door while she kept pace beside me.
I heard West calling out for me, but I couldn’t speak with him.
Not yet, anyway. Notch and Ruby needed to look him over in order to make sure he was ready for the tongue-lashing I had for him.
Because at the end of the day, I had filled Lexi’s head with trust for him.
A trust that he hadn’t seen through this time around.
Natty’s palm was so small in my hand, and the size of mine dwarfed hers by at least three times.
We got to the front door, and she clung to me, refusing to let me go.
I’d never felt so arrested before. I’d never felt as if I had ever been someone’s captive.
But, as her fingers dug into my skin, still clinging to me, I knew I’d be her captive forever.
And whatever she wanted; she’d get.
“Natty!” Lexi cried out as we made our way through the front door.
“Mommy!”
They ran for one another, and I watched as Lexi scooped the little girl into her arms. She spun her around while Natty clung to her, and I watched while the two of them rejoiced.
They cried with one another while Lexi crouched down, rocking our daughter side to side like she was nothing but a newborn.
And as the guys filtered in behind me, they each patted my shoulder.
Including West, even though I still wasn’t sure how I felt about him just yet.
“Church in a bit. We gotta come up with a plan,” Stone murmured as he walked past me.
I nodded. “Lex?”
She peeked up at me through her teary eyes. “Yeah?”
I pointed to the living room. “Gotta come up with a plan with the guys. I’ll be back in a bit, all right?”
She nodded. “Me and the girls are gonna take smoothies and go watch a movie. Please, come get me if you need me.”
And that’s when Hayley appeared. “I heard someone likes mango pineapple smoothies.”
Natty gasped. “That’s mine!? All right!”
A smile so big that it closed my eyes crossed my face as my daughter released Lexi and reached for the drink.
Hayley tossed me a nod of her head, letting me know that she could take it from there.
Still, I watched them all walk down the hallway, talking and debating on what movie they’d all watch in the media room.
And after they disappeared around the corner, I stepped into the living room.
Just as Stone’s cell phone started ringing out.
“Who the fuck is that?” Texas asked heatedly.
Stone ripped his phone out before his face fell. “It’s restricted.”
We all looked around at one another before I stepped up to Stone’s side. “Pick it up. Put it on speaker.”
And when he did, a deep, resounding voice sounded on the other end of the line.
“No need for talking, because this won’t take but just a second. We have the woman you want. We have demands that we need met. And if you don’t want to meet those demands, she dies.”
“Don’t do it!” I heard someone shriek.
Before a resounding crack echoed through the receiver of the phone.
The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. “What are your demands?”
The man chuckled. “Cat got your tongue, Stone?”
I peeked over at him, and Stone cracked his neck. “What do you want?”
The man didn’t skip a beat. “You’re lucky I’m in a charitable mood, because a life for a life is usually how I operate.”
Stone barked with laughter. “Never gonna happen. So, outline your demands. What the hell is it that you want?”
Diego snapped to get our attention and I turned my concentration in his direction. And when he mouthed the name “Carlos” to us before pointing to the phone, I slowly looked over at Stone.
Before the deep, resonating voice sounded once more. “We want power, that’s what the fuck we want. The Banderas Cartel isn’t to be fucked with, and I won’t be satisfied until you’re all fucking dead. That’s my demand. Those are my terms. Your lives for hers.”
I shook my head before Stone could respond. “Never gonna happen.”
“Then, I suppose it’s on you to find something that will satisfy me, otherwise. Unless you’d like your sweet, precious Chloe to come back to you in pieces.”
“Don’t do it!” she screamed in the background. “Don’t give in—ugh!”
And as yet another resounding smack filtered through the phone, the call went dead.
Before Lexi stormed right into the living room.
“What in the absolute hell is going on right now!?” she shrieked.
I jumped and whipped around to face her, figuring that she had heard the conversation. But instead, she had her own phone in her hand.
“What’s that?” I asked, nodding to her phone.
She tossed it to me. “I just got a text from Chloe, and you’re never going to believe what the hell it is.”
And she was right. As the guys gathered around to watch the video Chloe had somehow found a way to send to Lexi, all of our jaws hit the floor.