Chapter 11
Abort The Mission
Thunder
I tucked Liz under my arm, and we walked as quickly as she could back to the resort. My head was on a swivel, scanning for the man in the suit, but he’d disappeared into the crowd.
El Daga de Plata.
The Silver Dagger.
Alex had sent his nephew. He had to have been the same man who paid the saleswoman to make sure Liz walked out with that necklace.
I didn’t know which part of today made me angrier: that Alex had set her up, or that he’d known her better than I did.
No one would have been the wiser if she hadn’t told me about the out-of-place man in a suit.
We made it back to our room, but before I swiped the keycard to open the door, I held my finger to my lips. There was no way of knowing if someone had bugged our room. Liz seemed to understand, or at least, she was holding up under the pressure.
The door opened, and I quickly scanned the visible parts of the room from the doorway. Nothing seemed out of place, but I still had this instinct that something wasn’t right. Making sure Liz was in the room, I closed the door, letting it latch before I searched.
Bathroom clear.
Bedroom empty.
The sheer curtains covering the glass panes of the French doors billowed in the breeze. Someone had cracked them open, and it hadn’t been us.
I texted Cyph once the room was clear and waited for the next set of instructions.
I wasn’t running this operation blind. Supposedly, Cyph had watched us walk back to the resort through the tourist cameras running a live feed on the boardwalk’s website.
Now that we were here, he was moving us in the system to another floor to await the club’s arrival.
They were going to have to provide an escort. Safety in numbers.
My phone dinged with an incoming text.
Cyph
5th Floor - Room 515
Use the keycard you already have.
Don’t open the door to strangers.
Fucker. I was old enough to be his father.
Me:
Are there trackers on the luggage?
Cyph
How the fuck am I supposed to know?
Leave it, and I’ll take care of it.
I did as instructed, leaving the luggage in the old room as we made our way down three floors to our new location.
Popping the door had been easy, but I’d always lived off my instincts, so when they were firing high, I didn’t dismiss them.
We were being watched, even if the cartel wasn’t directly in the room with us.
Liz sat on the bed, clasping her hands in her lap and crossing her ankles. Her eyes followed me as I searched the new room for any small signs. There were none, but that didn’t stop me from continually checking.
I’d gone from the bedroom to the bathroom, back to the bedroom, to the small balcony that faced the other side of the resort, when she stopped me.
“I’m safe.” She wet her lips. “You’re safe.”
I grabbed the bottle of water off the counter and handed it to her. No one knew we were here, and if they ever figured it out, they could just add it to my bill. I didn’t give a fuck.
She took a gulp before patting the spot next to her and offering the water.
I wanted to pace the length of the room, but when she smiled at me, I sat down next to her and declined the water. I’d grabbed it for her.
“I had…a good”—she coughed, taking another sip of the water—“time,” she finished saying, laying her head against my shoulder. “Tell me.”
“How much do you know about Alex’s family?” The Silver Dagger could have killed me, taken her, and walked away clean.
“He has…broth...brother.” Taking another sip, she shook her head. “Never met.”
“The man you saw is his nephew. Kiki Rodriguez.” I tilted my head up, staring at the ceiling as I rolled my neck from side to side.
“The boardwalk has cameras to entice more tourists. I don’t know how Cyph did it, but he confirmed Rodriguez had been standing there for a while.
We missed him when we walked into the trinket shop. ”
The neck roll hadn’t relieved the tension building, and I hung my head, staring at the tips of my worn boots. Am I getting too old to see the signs?
“Necklace?” Liz prodded. She sat up, grabbed my arm, and then laid her head back down on my chest. There was no other option but to hold her.
I desperately wanted to ask what she was thinking, how she was feeling, but I wasn’t ready for the answers.
I tightened my hold on her, resolving to leave this for another day.
“It had a tracker in it.” I’d been watching the people like a tourist and not like the biker I was.
We’d walked by La Daga de Plata, and I hadn’t even registered something was amiss.
It wasn’t until Liz had said something that I put it all together.
Better late than never, but I couldn’t excuse my stupidity.
She could have gotten hurt, and I’d promised her she wouldn’t be alone.
“Why…track…me?”
I kissed the top of her head. “Probably thought he could steal you.” She said nothing, so I continued. “I had a good day, but I let my guard down. It won’t happen again.”
We sat still as the sun set, darkening the room.
There was a knock on the door.
It wasn’t the signal Cyph had told me to look for, so I stood quickly.
Someone started pounding on the door, and my heart matched the rhythm. I didn’t have a gun on me.
The door sprang open, and Pretty’s head stuck through the gap. “Everyone decent?” He was the first brother to walk through the door. “Some honeymoon.” Pretty hugged Liz. “If it were mine, I wouldn’t have even left the bed.”
“Bad…as the…girls,” she laughed, gripping him tightly. “Friends.”
“Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.” He smirked at her. “Your nieces were in Grace’s SUV with Emily. They lined up, like they thought Sabre was really going to let them come. You’re in so much trouble.”
She shrugged. “Worth it.”
Sabre held out his hand for a fist bump before moving past me. He shoved Pretty out of the way, and the brother jerked dramatically.
“Always trying to kick my ass.” Pretty shook his head, still smiling at the situation.
Sabre ignored him, moving to hug Liz. “I hugged Grace, told her you’d be alright, and the next thing I knew, they were in the SUV.”
Liz smiled, hugging him back. “Under…esti...mate.”
I’d take my rage out in the gym later, but I wasn’t sure how to take this fresh development.
I expected Pretty, Sabre, and even Grizz to hug Liz.
She was a member of their immediate family, but every brother who’d come—How, Zook, Cyph, Op, Grease, and Wreck—all hugged her too, telling her quickly how glad they were she was alright.
I should have known she’d cemented her position in the club.
They would have protected her even if she hadn’t been mine.
If she figured out she didn’t need me, I’d lose my marriage before it even started.
***
Elizabeth
I’d put this off long enough. We’d gotten back to the clubhouse before dinner, but I’d begged off.
I told the girls I was exhausted, hightailing it to my room to hide out.
I wasn’t in the right headspace to play detective with them.
Instead, I played checkers with Thunder, eating snacks and giggling as if nothing had happened.
The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and all I could feel was dread as I held onto the railing and walked up the stairs to Grace’s front door.
They would ask a million questions, and I didn’t want to ruin my vacation.
Honeymoon. Those details were for me, and I wanted to hold them tight to my chest.
I reached for the doorknob, stopping before I twisted it open.
I could run, but the girls would chase me down.
Taking a deep breath, I wanted to release the pressure, but my chest only tightened.
I’d never thought this would be my life, but I was going to have to reckon with the past. I couldn’t keep it buried any longer when it was rearing its ugly head.
If I could go back, I would never have gone to that first dinner with Alex. There had been too much pain to justify the short time he’d been in my life. I turned the knob, pushing the door in before taking off my shoes.
“In the kitchen, Auntie.” It was too late to turn back. They already knew I was here.
Grace appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.
She was pale, her hand at her stomach, but when she saw me, her smile appeared.
Grace had been worried. I wouldn’t let her or the baby hurt, but then a thought passed through my mind.
If she hadn’t taken a chance on Sabre, Thunder would never have been in my life.
No matter what happened, I’d always be grateful for that.
I raised my arms as high as I could, and she came rushing to hug me. She wasn’t showing, but hugging her tight, I could feel the hint of a bump. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?” she whispered back, holding me just as tight.
“This.” It wasn’t enough. “Every…thing.”
“I know. I can’t imagine life without this.” She pulled back a little, searching my face. “How are you?”
“Eh.” I attempted a half-hearted shrug. “You?”
“I’m alright as long as you’re alright.” She hugged me one more time before pulling completely away. “They’re waiting for you in the kitchen. I told them they couldn’t attack before you had coffee.”
I followed her into the kitchen, and no sooner had she moved towards the counter than Meredith came flying at me. Her momentum almost took me down, and I had to take several steps back and hold on to the wall to stay upright.
“Silly.”
“Dad’s going to die, and I can’t lose any more people in my life.”
“Stop,” I told her. “Your…dad…made…choice.”
“I told her the same thing. If Dad’s going to die, it’s because of something he did. We don’t own anyone else’s shit anymore.” Grace’s back was to us. I’d never heard her speak so directly before, especially about her father. I liked it. It was about time.
I hugged Meredith tightly, not wanting her to feel left out. “Who’s…idea?” When the girls looked at me with blank stares, I added, “Car.”
“I told Meredith we should have waited, but she said they wouldn’t care if we lined up. Sabre threatened to cut the wires in my SUV if we didn’t stay.”
I couldn’t hold in my laugh as I moved around the kitchen towards Emily. “Were you…trouble?” I asked her as I hugged her just as tightly as I had my nieces. Emily didn’t have any additional family here, and I always included her as if she were one of my own.
“No, my brother thought it was funny, and Tyler didn’t really say much.
He didn’t have an argument when he would have done the same thing.
He just wanted to make sure I was safe, and I can’t fault him for that.
” I should have been worried when her eyes sparkled.
She pulled back from me but didn’t drop her arms. “So, the honeymoon was wonderful?”
“Yes.” That was all I said. The girls laughed at my quick response, and the three of us took a seat at the kitchen table, waiting for Grace. JR was in his bouncer, completely oblivious, and Pumpkin moved around in the Pack ‘N Play. What if I had missed this?
“I’m sorry.” For scaring them.
“So…” Meredith cupped her cheek, resting her elbow on the table. “Did you get over one man with another?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you just asked that.”
“You were thinking it,” Meredith said to her. She turned back to smile at me, and I couldn’t help but return it with my own.
“I…enjoyed it.” That was all I was going to say to them. I had spent time with my husband in bed, but nothing happened. They didn’t need to know that. Thunder had stayed with me last night, and it was only a matter of time before speculation started.
“You look good. You always look good, but now you have this glow,” Grace said, setting four mugs onto the table.
She leaned back to check on JR in his bouncer before sitting forward, her arms crossed on the table.
Her stance mimicked Sabre’s, and I wanted to say something about it, but I didn’t.
I wasn’t sure who was rubbing off on whom, but it was just another reason I approved.
“Feel…good.” Their eyes searched each other until they cracked up laughing. JR didn’t understand, but his baby chuckles joined theirs.
“I bet.” Emily meant nothing by it, but it started up another wave of laughter.
“Horrible.” I shook my head, a smile on my lips, as I wrapped my hands around the mug. “All you.”
“We were in the clubhouse when Cyph called down over the upstairs balcony to Sabre, so it was obvious something was going down. I grabbed Pebbles to watch the kids, and we waited.” Grace took a sip of her coffee, and all of us looked at her funny. “It’s tea. The rest of you have coffee.”
I told them what had happened from the time I’d seen Alex’s nephew until the brothers had shown up. I broke the story into pieces and took breaks, but it was enough to satisfy their curiosity.
“How do we get rid of them?” Meredith asked, standing up to grab Pumpkin. She held her against her chest, patting her back soothingly. “No one asked the cartel for anything.”
“It’s not like you can send them a cease-and-desist letter.” Emily raised her mug to her lips, hiding her smile behind the rim.
“Does Alex think he’s protecting us?” Grace asked me. “I understand why he thinks he should, but we’re not in danger anymore. He’s now the reason we are.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to contemplate our situation.
“No,” I said. “Control.” For whatever reason, Alex wanted to reign supreme, taking me as his prize.
“Why now?” Meredith asked.
We went silent. No one had an answer for that.