Chapter Ten Whip #2
I turn my head and place my forehead on Peyton’s head and cry.
I don’t understand how any of this could happen.
How anyone would go after a woman and children.
Just because they wanted something that was not theirs to want.
This whole thing is a mess. I hear movement coming from the other couch and I look up. Seeing Bulldog pull away from Thorn.
“We need to tell the little ones. I know some of them won’t understand, but we need to tell them what’s going on. Especially since Dash and Dallas are not here, it is going to be confusing.”
I hear Sophie sob harder than she was before and I watch as Lash rubs circles on her back trying to calm her down, whispering in her ear.
I see her nod her head a few times to what he is saying.
I know she is trying to pull herself together for her kids, she always has to be strong for everyone else.
She lets go of Terror’s hand and begins to stand up, wiping her eyes.
Lash looks so pained by everything and I can’t imagine what is going on in their heads right now.
Mama J died and they have two of their babies missing.
None of this can be easy, especially for them. Terror stands up.
“I’ll go grab the kids.” Once he leaves the room Davis looks at his father, not only is there pain in his eyes, but there is confusion.
“Where are Dash and Dallas?”
I’m guessing that part was not covered before I walked in.
Bulldog looks at Davis and pulls his boy to him.
Placing his forehead to Davis’s and whispering something to him.
You see Davis pull back with pain in his eyes, “They took them too? Are they okay?”
You can hear the panic in his voice and you know that there are a million thoughts running through his mind.
Thoughts that no 15 year old boy should have to worry about.
None of this is something a 15 year old boy should worry about.
“We don’t know buddy. But we are going to find them. That I promise you. They will come home.” Bulldog says.
Lash lets Sophie sit in the chair and he goes and stands beside her.
We hear a bunch of feet running up the stairs.
Declan is the first to the living room, looking around he sees his mama and I don’t even know what he is thinking when he sees her eyes are red.
Dare, Daisy come in next and they take the room in.
All three of those kids walk over to their parents looking at them with confusion written all over their faces.
Noah comes in holding Delaney and Lash walks over and plucks Delaney out of Noah’s arms while pulling the kid in for a hug.
Nash and Natalie come walking in just ahead of Terror.
Terror picks up Natalie and grabs Nash by the hand walking them over to where Declan, Dare and Daisy are standing.
“Noah, why don’t you take that seat next to Davis.” Terror says.
Noah might be Davis’s nephew technically, but those two are close in age and really are best friends.
They look out for each other. So I know what Terror is trying to do.
Noah nods his head and heads over sitting in between Dragon and Davis.
You can tell by the look in his eye after he sees Bulldog’s face he knows something terrible has happened.
Bulldog looks at him and then looks around at the other kids.
“Okay, we’ve got to tell you guys something and I know that some of it is going to be hard to understand, but if you have any questions we are all here, okay?”
I honestly don’t know how Bulldog can keep it together, Missy wasn’t just his ol’ lady, she was his entire world.
They were what you wanted to strive to be.
They were best friends, lovers and everything in between.
I have no idea how he is keeping it together.
He is a leader, a father and a grandfather that is for sure.
The man is stronger than anyone could ever give him credit for.
Losing your wife in your early 50s so suddenly cannot be easy and I know that he is blaming himself for everything that is happening right now.
The man is not going to sleep until Dallas and Dash are home safely either.
After all the kids nod, Bulldog takes a breath.
“MiMi was taken today by some really bad people.”
He starts and he is talking towards the littler kids explaining it in a way that the young ones can understand.
He looks over at Noah and puts his hand on his first grandson’s knee and continues.
“Those bad men did some very bad things and MiMi isn’t coming back home.”
His voice cracks as he says those words and Delaney must notice that her papa is having a hard time because she squirms out of her daddy’s arms and waddles over to her papa.
He picks her up and places her in his lap.
Bringing his head down to the crock of her neck.
“Papa, no cry. It okay.” She wipes at his eyes and then places a kiss on his lips.
Declan has made his way to his dad and Lash has picked him up and put him in his arms.
Daisy has moved to sit with Dragon and Dare is sitting on his mama’s lap.
Dare is still at an age where it is hard to understand being six he doesn’t understand everything that is going on.
He knows something bad is going on, but he is not sure what it means that MiMi won’t be coming home again.
Dragon at this point is holding a distraught Daisy in his arms and has reached over and pulled Noah into him. Terror is on the floor holding both Natalie and Nash. Tanner is standing behind the couch with a hand on both Noah and Davis’s shoulders.
“Do you need anything, baby?” I whisper to Peyton. She shakes her head and grips my shirt tighter. “I’m here, Pey. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” I whisper in her ear and then kiss her temple.
I hear a throat clear and I look up and Bulldog is trying to pull himself together with sweet little Delaney still in his arms.
“There is something else we need to tell you guys. I want you to know that we are going to find out who did this, we are going to handle everything. MiMi would want us to continue to be there for each other and to support each other.
She knows everyone is going to handle this in their own way and that is okay, but she would want you all to know that we are a family and we can lean on each other, no matter what.”
As he says that you can see him looking at Sophie, who is avoiding looking up at him and is staring down at Dare in her lap.
Lash looks down at Sophie too and you can see the pain in his eyes.
I don’t know what happened before they were over here, but I think something was said and Sophie definitely is the person that let everyone have it.
“That being said, I know you guys have noticed that Dash and Dallas are not here.”
As he begins Noah sits up and starts shaking his head.
Thorn squeezes his shoulder. Declan looks up at his dad who gives him a sad look, Declan then looks at Sophie and then at Bulldog waiting for him to continue.
Daisy barely moves from her spot, but turns her head on Dragon’s chest.
“The men that hurt your MiMi took Dash and Dallas.”
Before he can say anything else you can hear more crying, Peyton starts shaking and I know she is crying harder as the kids start sobbing.
I see Hurricane squeeze my woman’s hand tighter.
I use my arm closest to Hurricane and reach around his shoulders and pull him in.
The man is like my little brother. Due to his own stubbornness his wife isn’t here to comfort him.
“We are going to find them, I promise you all that. I am going to find them, I am going to bring them back. No matter what. They are coming home. I swear to you all.” Bulldog promises and the tone of his voice leaves no room for argument.
After that I do not know how long we all sit here before anyone gets up and leaves.
No one says anything and everyone just stands or sits still.
Who knows what to say or due at this moment in time.
Everything is so messy and no one knows how to make any of it right.
You can’t make any of it right. Lash and Sophie are the first ones to gather their kids to go, they have the youngest of the children there and I know that they need to get ready for bed.