Chapter Twenty-Five
Cash
We heard the baby cry, and there was a collective sigh before we all stomped our boots and yelled in celebration.
“Congratulations, Dec. You’re a grandpa!” I slapped him on the back, and if you looked closely, you would see the glassiness in his eyes.
“Fuck, she did it,” King said beside us. He hugged his brother, and we all waited for someone to come out and tell us how they were.
Thirty minutes later, the door opened, and Blade walked out holding his son. Tears slipped down his face, and not one of us said a goddamn word.
“He’s here.” He looked up and smiled. “Fuck, I never thought I’d see this day.”
Brothers took turns stepping up to see the baby before heading back upstairs. Amber was still missing, and now that we knew Beck and the baby were okay, we had work to do.
The only ones left were me, King and Declan. Dec stared at the bundle in Blade’s arms.
“You wanna hold him, Grandpa?” Blade asked.
“Fuck yeah.”
Blade transferred the baby into Declan’s arms, and the big bad sheriff cried.
“I never got this moment with my daughter,” he whispered.
“Well, this guy you’ll get to watch grow up. Right alongside your own son.” King laughed.
“I want my baby back!” Beck yelled from inside the room. The door opened, and Rose stepped out. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.
“You better take him back in there. Harmony is having a hell of a time keeping her on the bed,” she told Blade.
He retrieved his son from his grandfather and walked back in the room.
“I’ll be down here a while with Beck and the baby. You should go help find Amber.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, looking for any hint that she wasn’t okay.
“I’m sure. Something’s not right. She wouldn’t just leave the SUV at the bar.”
“Alright. I’ll be right upstairs; if you need me, call me. I’ll drop everything for you.” And it was true. If she needed me, fuck everyone else.
“I know,” she said, her hands on my cheeks. “That’s why I love you.” She pulled me down for a kiss, and I went willingly. I didn’t want to leave her, but she was right. Amber was missing. Something had happened after she got to the bar.
I followed King and Declan upstairs. When we got to the main room, we heard shouting. Bane’s voice boomed over everyone.
“WHERE THE FUCK IS MY DAUGHTER?”
“August, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down. She’s missing again!”
“Valhalla, Bane, please join me in church, and we’ll tell you what we know,” King said, holding the church doors open. All the officers, except Blade followed. Along with Sypher and Pippen.
“King, let me know if you need me,” Dec offered.
“Go be with your daughter. We’ve got this.” Dec nodded and went back downstairs.
I took my seat beside King, and Bane paced the back of the room.
“What happened, King?” Valhalla asked.
“Amber overheard Kytten talking with her brother and found out you were her mother. She was pissed, to put it lightly,” King explained.
“Wait, what? Kytten’s brother?” Val launched from her chair. “Where is Kytten?”
“She’s downstairs with one of the old ladies who just gave birth,” I told her.
“I need to talk to her.”
“No,” I clipped.
“Excuse me?” Val said, narrowing her eyes at me.
“I said no.” I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back in my chair. President or not, this bitch wasn’t coming into our club and upsetting my woman.
Val looked at King, expecting him to back her up. When he didn’t, she turned to Sypher. “What the fuck is going on here?”
“Kytten is Cash’s old lady.”
“I am her president.”
King stood, placing his hands on the table in front of him. “And as her president and the mother figure in her life, it was your fucking job to protect her.”
“King, watch your tone,” Bane warned.
The officers and I sat up straight. Ready to move if we had to.
“I am the king of this motherfucking castle, and I fucking outrank both of you. Now, sit your ass down and shut the fuck up.”
Neither of them moved. When Ghost and Jingles both stood, Bane glared at King but grabbed Val and hauled her into a chair. Val opened her mouth to talk, but King silenced her with his hand.
“You are both here as a courtesy. I called you because Amber is your daughter. But make no mistake, you are not in charge.” He sat back down and looked at Jingles. “Please go get Kytten.”
“King—”
“She needs to do this, brother,” King interrupted. “Jingles, grab Torment too.”
“What the fuck is Torment doing here?” Bane asked.
“My old lady needed him.”
“I don’t understand. What happened to Kytten?” Val looked to Sypher, but he kept his mouth shut. Pippen hadn’t acknowledged either newcomer. He simply stared at them without a word.
“Do either of you plan on saying hello to your son?” Dante’s eyes got wide as he looked at me. Val gasped and put a hand over her mouth.
“I didn’t know he knew,” she whispered.
Bane stood from his seat and walked over to Pippen. He pulled his son into his arms and held him. Pippen hugged him back.
Val slowly stood and walked toward them. When Bane released Pippen, Val grabbed his face in her hands. “I never knew. No one told me that the baby I carried out of that place all those years ago was my son.”
“Yeah, Sin’s a bastard like that,” Pippen joked.
I could only imagine what he was feeling. He looked happy, though hesitant to accept what Val was offering. I wondered how I would react if I stood face-to-face with my birth mother after all these years.
Our lives were different, though. Pippen wasn’t given away; he was taken. He didn’t grow up with a mother who loved him. Instead, he grew up with a narcissistic asshole who barely tolerated him. I grew up with loving parents. I wasn’t looking to connect with the woman who gave me away.
I felt for them; I did. And for Amber. But I wouldn’t put their feelings above Rose’s.
“Where’s Danika? Can I meet her?” Val asked.
“She’s with Melissa tonight. She’ll be here tomorrow.”
Val hugged her son; Rose suddenly forgotten. And I was beginning to see why that bitch Syrena was able to do what she did. She preyed on Rose’s vulnerability and feelings of being abandoned.
The door opened, allowing Jingles and Rose to enter. Rose’s eyes went straight to Val, who was still holding her son.
“Come here, baby.” I held out my hand, and she rushed to me. I pulled her against me and whispered, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Kytten, what the hell is going on?” Val moved around the table. She sat in the chair next to us. “You found your brother and didn’t call me?”
Pain laced her voice, and it made me angry. Rationally, I knew it hurt that Rose hadn’t told her something so important about her life. But when it came to Rose, I was irrational. What I saw was a woman manipulating my old lady’s feelings.
Rose looked down at her hands. When Torment cleared his throat, she glanced his way and then said to Val, “You were busy. I didn’t want to burden you.”
I knew it took a lot for Rose to say those words. She thought the world of Val and didn’t want to hurt her. I did though. Call me petty Betty, but this chick needed to understand the damage she had done in not protecting Rose.
“You are not a burden, Kytten. I told you I would drop everything and come home if you needed me.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, causing me to growl.
“Don’t you fucking dare apologize, Rosie.” Val’s gasp at my use of her real name made me grin like the fucking Cheshire cat.
Torment stepped forward. “This is not productive for anyone.”
“Torment’s right. Val, please go sit with Bane. I will tell you what we know about Amber, and then we can talk about Kytten,” King ordered.
Val didn’t move at first; she just stared at Rose. Once she realized she wouldn’t get her way, she let out a heavy sigh and finally moved. I pulled Rose tighter and whispered in her ear, “You can do this.” She nodded and kissed me.
“Yesterday afternoon, Kytten was talking to her brother in the kitchen. Amber overheard Kytten say that Valhalla was her mother. Without talking to anyone, not me, not Haizley. Not even her brother. She took a club vehicle and left.
“We located the car, which had a tracker, at a bar in Sydney. I sent two prospects to bring her home. Only she wasn’t there. The SUV she used was sitting in the parking lot.”
“Have you checked the cameras?” Bane asked, looking at Sypher and Pippen.
“The bar she went to has no cameras,” Nav explained. “It’s a dive bar. I would venture to guess that was why Amber chose it. She didn’t want us to find her.”
“What are you doing to find her?” Val asked.
“Everything we possibly can. Most of the brothers are out looking for her. Sypher and Nav have been at their computers nonstop trying to locate her through facial recognition.”
Bane slammed his fist on the table. “She could be anywhere. Someone could have her.”
“We have contacts in every town surrounding Diamond Creek. We will find her,” King assured them. “There is another matter we need to discuss.” King looked at Ghost and Jingles. “Please go get the Nyght Nymphs and Mimic.”
“No, not Thorne,” Rose cried.
“Baby, he has to know,” I crooned, my hand on the back of her head. I could feel Val’s eyes burning a hole in me.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because he’s your brother. He needs to know what you’ve been through. I won’t leave you.”
Val was quiet while we waited for the others.
Her eyes never left Rose. Concern marred her face, and I wanted to believe she cared.
Even loved her the way a mother should. But for a woman who spent her life being abused, and saving women and children from abusers, she had dropped the fucking ball with Rose.
Rose trembled in my arms. She thought this would break her, but I knew she was fucking strong. I continued whispering in her ear, telling her all the things I admired and loved about her.
When Mimic walked in, the old ladies followed him.
“Ladies,” King began.
“Don’t, King. If Kytten will let us, we would like to support her,” Mellie said. She sat down next to me and took Rose’s hand. “We are here for you.” Rose nodded, and the old ladies sat around us.
God, I loved these women. As hard as this would be for her, she needed these women here. They were her family now.
The Nyght Nymphs entered, followed by Blade. When Rose saw him, she said, “You should be with Beck.”
“Beck sent me up. Ellie told her what was going on, and she wanted to be here with you. I had to have Tank threaten to steal the baby to get her to stay put. She sent me instead.”
Rose looked at Ellie and said, “Thank you. All of you.”
Key stuck his head through the church doors and said to King, “Two more Nymphs are here.”
“Did they give you their names?”
“Magyk and Syrena.”
Rose stiffened in my arms. She must have squeezed Mellie’s hand because she turned to look at Rose, a fierce look on her face.
“Show them in.”
The two women entered the room, and I wondered which one was the bitch that was about to die.
“Val? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Magyk. Amber took off, and King called us. We don’t know where she is.” Magyk placed a hand on Val’s shoulder. The other one looked at Rose, then me.
The moment she saw the rage in my eyes, she knew her time was up. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Blade, Jack, and Ghost all moved as one as they stood in front of the door, blocking the only exit.
Got you, bitch.