Chapter 24
Charlie
S weat dripped from my brow as I worked to stay up with the spin class instructor. He’s extra brutal this morning, or maybe it’s been too long since I’ve been to spin class. Things have been beyond crazy lately.
A week had passed since the incident with the girls. Today is their first full day back to school. Tully drove them to school while three brothers escorted them. One in front and two in back. Wizard hacked the cameras, so he has eyes on them.
We’ve been out a few more times and tonight I agreed to go to a club party with him. All adults.
The kids are in their new mini clubhouse. Jackson and Sons construction just finished the mini replica of their clubhouse. Still, the structure is around ten thousand square feet, with entertainment for all ages. A movie “theater”, complete with a concession area.
Red and Brick are supervising the clubhouse. The club built the couple a townhouse in the new structure. They moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans to help Gambit and Stormy with the orphan children they adopted.
The couple in their early fifties are childless but love children. They also loved sending them home at the end of the evening or morning.
Wizard told me the club hired a few workers for the younger kids and chaperones for the older ones. Lucia has volunteered to help with the younger kids every day since we moved into the guesthouse.
The class finishes, jarring me back to the present. I grab the towel, wiping the sweat off my brow before gulping down water. My phone begins to play The Who’s Pinball Wizard .
“Hello, Damien.”
“Charlie, I’m on my way to school. I got an alert on JR. He’s on his way to the school if he’s not already there. I’m five minutes out, four if I catch all the lights.”
“I’m on my way.”
Fuck me! I’m fifteen minutes away from the school. I shoot off a quick text to my attorneys and run to the lockers. I go through the spin lock’s combo in record time. Grabbing my street clothes and stuffing them in the bag. I don’t have time to change. The school can deal with a sweaty, pissed off mom should my ex contact the girls.
They had new phones, with new numbers. JR’s numbers are blocked. Any unknown numbers are routed to a program Wizard setup. The calls go randomly to one of the following phones: mine, Wizard’s, Gambit’s, Smoke’s. Or Ma’s. If any of us get a random call, it sends a notice to Wizard’s computer.
He made a program that starts a trace on the caller’s location and information immediately.
I keep my mind on all the security measures Wizard put in place to protect the girls. He and Bug are working on connecting JR to Barnes. And Barnes to Brooks, Robillard, DeLuca, Jacobs, and Petrov.
I push the speed limits and the yellow lights, throwing caution to the wind. I park in front of the school and run inside to the office. Grace waits for me outside the office. A serious look on her face.
“JR is in the office. He says he has papers to take the girls out of school. He came in and demanded to see you. Before we could call you, Mr. Morelli and his friends showed up. They’re in the conference room with Mr. Stanley.”
“Thank you, Grace.”
She reaches out and takes my hand, patting the back of it in a reassuring nature.
“Don’t worry. Those girls won’t ever know he showed up.”
I nod and head to the conference room, grateful for Grace Appleton’s protective nature. I hear raised voices.
“I told you I’m not saying anything else or showing you the papers until Charlie arrives.”
Pushing open the door, I take in the scene before me. Principal Stanley sits on one side of the table. JR sits next to him, away from Wizard and Smoke, the club’s enforcer. Wizard looks to the door. He’s up off his feet the moment he sees me. His muscular arms wrap around me, and he drops a kiss on top of my head.
JR remains surprisingly quiet for all of thirty seconds. Then stands up and clears his throat. He draws an envelope out of his inner jacket pocket before thrusting it toward me.
“These papers give me the right to take the girls.”
I grab the papers, but he doesn’t let go. Furious, our eyes meet and I'm shocked beyond reason when he mouths, Help me.