Chapter 45
Charlie
F rom the time I spot the guys on campus until I see my girls are safe only takes about ten minutes. It’s the longest ten minutes of my life. I about freaking lose my mind when they go into the locker room. For obvious reasons, there are no cameras in the locker rooms.
“They’re safe, Charlie,” Bug says, startling me.
I was so focused on watching the scene I’d forgotten he was in Wizard’s room, the command center, with me.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he adds.
“Sorry. I hate to admit this, but I was so engrossed watching the feed I forgot I wasn’t alone in the room.”
“That’s understandable. Four people you love with all your heart lives were in potential danger. I’d have been focused on watching the events, too.”
My body starts to shake, tears stream down my face, as a sense of relief washes over me. My phone rings. I look at it. It’s Ma. Fuck! I forgot to call her and Pops. I answer the phone.
“They’re okay. Wizard has them.”
‘Oh, thank God. I just saw shots fired on the news.”
“Sorry, Ma. It all unfolded so fast.”
A text came in.
School wants to send
the girls to the ED.
??
“Ma, Wizard sent me a text. The school insisted the girls get looked at. They’re taking them to the emergency room. Come to the clubhouse. We can go together.”
“Pops and I are on our way.”
Wizard
HOURS LATER, WE’RE sitting in Gambit's living room with Charlie and her entire family. My family. Papa, Nay, Bug, and Doc are here as well. The prospects just dropped off a ton of pizza, breadsticks and salad. Charlie and Stormy insisted the kids have vegetables.
After we eat, the ladies settle the younger kids in the media room with a movie. Genni and Teagan agreed to monitor the younger kids while the rest of us processed the day.
I take a long pull from my beer while we wait for the kids to become engrossed in their movie.
Crab is propped up on the couch. He has a nasty bump on his head, a mild concussion, and a bullet graze to his left arm. Stormy fluffs the pillows behind him and brings him a soda.
“Mom, I’m alright, stop fussing.”
I watch Stormy’s face light’s up when he calls her ‘mom.’ Crab, Bastian, recently turned eighteen. Stormy and Gambit adopted him and his siblings when he was sixteen. To say the kid had a rough life before would be an understatement. The kids' mother disappeared after the twins were born. Bastian was eleven. His father, a no-good son of a bitch, was completely worthless. Bastian took on the role of mother and father to his four younger siblings at that tender age.
Charlie, the girls, Regina, Pops, and I are all sitting on the sectional in Gambit’s enormous living room.
“Are you girls ready to talk about today?” Gambit asks gently.
They nod their head. Valentina speaks first.
“My sisters have agreed to let me speak. We were out on the lawn on break in between periods. It’s one of our two longer ones that gives us an extra ten minutes to stretch our legs. We walked toward the complex to meet with the rest of the cheer squad. We wanted to go over our newest cheer for next week's game.
“It’s one we’re still working on. Lucia and I were going over the new moves while Franni was teaching us the words. Crab and Flea came running in our direction and told us there were bad guys on campus. The team scatters and then we hear pop, pop, pop.”
My anxiety climbs as she describes what happens next. It’s ten minutes of cat and mouse through the campus as the triplets and the prospects play keep away. The prospects trade off searching the grounds for the Russians while two stay with the girls.
By the time she finishes the story, tears are streaming down all three girls' faces. I start to speak, but Valentina holds up her hands. She swallows back a sob.
“I.. have... something... else to say.” She takes deep breaths between each word, struggling to get them out.
“I’m sorry Ma, for everything. I’ve been an ungrateful brat. I listen to Dad’s words and let him poison my mind. I mean, he was sleeping with other women, and he blamed you. He convinced me to blame you.”
Tears stream down her face.
“You didn’t deserve that.” She hiccups and breaks into tears for a few seconds.
Charlie pulls the teen onto her lap. The girl keeps repeating the words “I’m sorry” repeatedly while she sobs. I can’t stand it anymore and I pull them both on my lap. Sure, it feels a little odd for a second, but when I wrap my arms around both, that feeling disappears.
I hold them while they cry. Lucia and Francesca joined our hug, one from each side.
“It’ll be alright. Together, we can get through anything.”
“Wizard?”
“Yeah, V?”
“V?” she asks.
I look down and see a smile on her face. I nod.
“I like it and I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven. No need to say more. We all make mistakes. I’m just glad you realize your mom is not a bad person. That she loves you and only wants the best for you and your sisters.”
She nods her head. “I realized that today. I was so scared, and I wanted my mom, not my dad. I knew she’d protect me.”
“Oh, baby girl,” Charlie says. “Of course I’ll protect you. I’ll always protect you. If I had more training, you bet your ass I would’ve been there today.”
“I thought I was going to have to tie her to a chair,” Bug says, with a laugh.
“When we build the house, do we each get our own room?” asked Francesca,
“Do you want your own room?” I ask.
I see the girls look at each other for several seconds in silent communication. I’ve seen them do it before.
“No.” They respond in unison.
There’s a knock on the door. Gambit goes to answer it and comes back with Marshal Hayes.
Riley
“GOOD EVENING, FOLKS , I hope I’m not interrupting. I wanted to stop by and give you an update.”
“Not at all,” Gambit says. “We were talking after dinner. Would you like some pizza? There’s plenty.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Maybe after I fill everyone in. I’m not sure how much you want the girls to know, Charlie.”
“Give them the basics for now. Wizard and I can fill them in later,” Charlie says with a smile.
Then adds. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Everyone involved in the incident today is deceased or behind bars,” Riley says.
“Girls, you can join the other kids in the movie room or head to the bedroom Stormy set up for you,” Charlie says.
Regina stood up when the girls did. “I think Pops and I will turn in, too. We’ll see you all in the morning.”
I give everyone a few minutes to settle. Nabbing a slice of cheese pizza. Damn, my hips will pay for these carbs later. Extra workout, here we come. I finish the slice and take the proffered soda. Another thing I rarely consume.
“Once the girls tipped us off, the Bratva was moving on the campus. We deployed all our teams. Caught a lot of fish in our WIDE net. Petrov is in custody, as is the rest of his crew. Well, the ones that are alive. Barnes is dead.”
Stormy gasps. The man was her stepfather. I look at her. She shakes her head. I see it was surprise and not sorrow that caused her to gasp.
“Through leads Bug and Wizard dug up, we’ve been able to identify people all the way to the top in this ring. While we were connecting the dots between Barnes and Petrov, we found another link to Petrov. One Noreen Dawson.”
“Excuse me, Marshal,” Gambit says.
“Riley.”
“Excuse me, Riley. I’d like to call Nitro and put the phone on speaker so he can hear.”
“Of course.”
I wait while Gambit makes his call.
“Brother, there’s something you need to hear. Yeah, let me know when.”
He looks at me. “Okay, he’s alone and can listen. Can you repeat the last part?”
I nod my head. “While we were connecting the dots between Barnes and Petrov, we found another link to Petrov. Noreen Dawson.”
A loud “fuck” comes from the phone.
“In fact, Noreen also knows Barnes. They go way back. Decades of illegal dealings together. I’m not sure who met who first but the three of them were on quite the crime spree when Noreen mysteriously disappeared. We’re not looking too hard, by the way. Or at all. I, for one, say good riddance.”
“Can you send me a copy of what you have on her?” Nitro asks.
“I can’t technically, but Bug has clearance. I can send it to him.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Off the record, Allesandro Grimaldi and his crew are filling in the Bratva gap. It will keep another organization from trying to move in. Grimaldi does not peddle unwilling flesh.”
“What’s that mean?” Charlie asks.
“It means he’s not into sex trafficking or human trafficking, but he does have a stable of high-end escorts run by a Madam friend. While prostitution is illegal, all the information we have is the women are willing, and clean. They can’t use and be in the stable. He also owns a few strip clubs. Same rules. If he finds the girls using, they get a warning. Second time they get the boot.
“I’m not condoning his illegal activity, but the truth is some criminal organization will fill the void the Bratva left. Grimaldi has something many criminals do not, morals. One last piece, Charlie, the dentist who placed the tracker in your tooth, he’s behind bars. Barnes hired him. We have enough evidence without Barnes to nail him.
“Any questions?”
I wait a couple minutes, snagging another slice. After I polish off the second slice, I excuse myself and head back to the hotel.
I have a feeling this is not the last I’ll see of the Kings. A smile curves the corners of my mouth. I look forward to sparring with Doc.