Chapter Sixteen
Sage
Three days. Three days since I last saw my husband.
Three days since Takoda told me to ride away to safety.
Three days of the DRMC and The Keep tearing through backroads, searching barns and abandoned homes.
Three days of Chewy, Wire, Remy, Jay and Theo hacking who knows what to try to find him.
Three day's of Elio holding my hand and telling me it'll be OK. Where the fuck is he?
“Aw, come here, cher.” Damian plops his massive ass on the couch next to me, slings his arm over my shoulder and pulls me in close. Which isn’t as nice as it sounds because it's hot out and he smells all sweaty gross.
“It’s very damp here, Dam,” I murmur, grossed out, but also not wanting to move.
“I know. Been busy.”
I know he has. He's spent the past three days at Ashfall meetings or visiting the members with cakes Loyal has baked. He's managed to become friendly with a few but they're all staying tight lipped. I don’t have time to ask more as Elio waves me over to where he, Jovie, Cove and Judge’s kids are milling around. Pushing myself up I head over to the corner they’ve commandeered for “projects”.
“We’ll be going home soon, and you’re still missing a husband.” Cove says matter of factly. She definitely got Mom’s whole personality.
“I know, Cove. I’ll miss you.”
“Hmm, yeah, anyway, we have drawn up plans. We know The Keep isn’t as tough as the Originals, and you’ll need help when it comes to ‘getting business done’ -” As she says this Jovie uses her fingers as air quotes.
Their baby Thelma and Louise schtick is kinda terrifying.
“So Elio has made some bombs for you, and we’ve drawn up directions on how to use them. ”
“Don’t worry, they had supervision.” Jax says, Annie-Bella nodding. That does not make me feel better. I’m sure Judge’s kids are like, 14 or something.
“Oh, wow, thanks guys,” I reply as convincingly as I can. Make it look like I’m pleasantly surprised.
Annie-Bella helps Elio with a crate of neatly packed mason jars with all sorts of crap floating around in them and I take it, the weight jarring me slightly. Looking over my shoulder I try to gain Damian’s attention, he’ll help me with my siblings’ “gift”.
“Not him,” Elio says in his little robot voice.
“Who? Damian?”
Jovie’s gaze darts over my shoulder, then back to me, “He looks like he’d enjoy those too much. You need ‘em for the baddies.”
My lips twitch, because Damian does look like he’d enjoy them too much. Nodding, I instead call Justice over, “Can you please, ah, put these somewhere safe?”
I hold out the crate and Justice’s brow raises for a moment.
“Need to keep them cool.” Elio murmurs and Justice nods.
“I know a place.” He wanders off with my little brother's sweet little gifts, to put them who knows where, but at least I’ll know they’ll be safe.
The doors to Church bang open and I know by the look on Mom’s face that she’s pissed.
“Baby,” she says, arms open and she comes right at me.
I let her fold me up into her arms, pressing kisses to my cheek. “You gotta go, Mom. The kids have school, you all have businesses that need running.”
“I don’t want to leave you, not while Chef is still out there.”
“Babe, we can be of more use at home. The Computas have all their shit there, they’ll be able to help Theo and Jay better from there,” Tav soothes.
“I don’t give a shit! My baby lost her husband!”
“He’s technically not lost,” Chewy says in a bland voice, ignoring the way Mom slowly turns her head to glare daggers at her.
“Lost would mean he lost his way. He’s more likely been kidnapped.
” Chewy takes a noisy slurp of her Capri Sun and I have to stifle the hysterical laughter that wants to bubble up.
I know if I let that out, I’ll be sobbing in no time.
All emotions must stay locked down until Takoda is safe at home. With me.
“Hey Dayz, check out this giant rat.” Pops points out the window then throws me a wink as Chewy waddles in his direction, saving me from more Chewy truths.
The vibe is extra shitty as my family all start saying their goodbyes.
I know the DRMC are struggling with having to leave.
Takoda was theirs before he belonged to the Keep, so it must feel like they're abandoning him.
Not that anyone is giving up. We've got brothers riding out all hours of the day and night searching.
Nancy is working her grand dame contacts.
Businesses are barely running while we're searching for Takoda.
"We can leave brothers, boost your numbers." Marx offers.
"Brother, your men all have families they need to support. Businesses that need opening," Dex replies, running a hand down his face.
Marx makes a growly noise before conceding. "Status reports 7am and 7pm, until he's found."
"We'll find him, brother."
Marx and Dex do some man back slapping, as do all the men as the Girl Gang all give me hugs, kisses and last minute scraps of advice on how to make a man squeal. I’m not sure if they want me to use some of the moves on Takoda or Nathaniel.
“Psst,” Damian hisses, waving me over to where he, Justice, Joe, and Loyal are standing.
“What are you doing?”
“Keep your voice down!” Joe hisses, making my brows hit my hairline.
“Why are we whispering? And when did you get changed? Why are you in chino’s and polo shirt?” I whisper back, hunching for some reason, because standing upright and whispering feels weird.
“Wanna go get ice cream, cher?” Damian winks.
Standing, I let out a huff, “Dude, what the hell?” I say at normal volume only to have Justice slap his hand over my mouth while Joe and Loyal flap their hands.
I’m stunned into silence for a beat, then I start to thrash a little. When that doesn't work, I poke my tongue out and lick Justice’s palm. He jolts like I’ve electrocuted him, letting me go and taking one large step back.
“She licked me,” he says, hands up in disgust.
“Nice move. Gross, but nice,” Joe nods approvingly.
“Look, can we just like, act normal or something?”
“No. We want to know if you want to get secret ice cream,” Justice says in a bored voice.
“And by secret ice cream, he means, maybe go watch some preachin’ in town?” Joe says in a low voice, her brows wagging.
“Oh. Oh.”
My friends all grin once realization hits me, and I mean, they really could have done this in a much more normal way, but let’s face it, I’m working with two ex Keep members, a spooky Creole woman and a giant fucking chaotic Cajun.
Add a woman with a husband kidnapped by my betrothed and we make one fucked up team.
“So you in?” Damian crooks a brow.
“Oh, I’m so fucking in.” Turning to Justice, I can feel the feral grin growing on my face. “Pack a couple of jars from that crate please.”
Chef
“Do you repent yet, boy?”
That word makes me flinch. It’s the same thing my “father” called me every time he drank to put me in my place, which was the bottom of the pile of bastard children that lived in my momma’s trailer.
“Fuck. You.”
I don’t even brace myself for the sting of the leather across my back. Not anymore. I found after the first twenty or so lashings, the more I tensed, the more it hurt.
“See, the problem with your kind, the sinning kind, is that you think everything in the world belongs to you. That you can just have what you want. That you can contaminate the soft female mind with dreams they could be more than what they actually are,” Nathaniel says from his seat in front of me.
Perched in a big fucking chair, probably feeling like king of the world.
“Oh yeah? And what’s that? Property to be owned by depraved fuckers like you?” I snarl.
He sucks his teeth, staring at the healing wound on his hand from where Sage stabbed him.
He flexes his fingers before his hand fists.
“They’re but little lambs, to be led by the shepherd.
If not for the shepherd the little lamb falls prey to the wolf.
” He gnashes his teeth at me. “Lambs mistake hunger for love and safety. Just like women fall prey to a pretty smile.” He nods his head in my direction.
“That pretty smile leads them into a life of lust, vanity, rebellion.
That's why they need the steady hand of their father, then their husbands.”
“I am Sage’s husband,” I growl, trying to move from my position, kneeled on fucking glass, Nathaniel’s goons holding me down.
“You’re an abomination!” Nathaniel’s mask slips as he screams, spittle flying out of his mouth.
“You are a demon, twisting and turning Sage’s thoughts against us.
She knows where she belongs, and when she returns I will hold you up before her, like a sacrificial lamb.
Spilling your blood will free Sage from your bonds, purifying her for her one, true husband as chosen by God himself.
” A look of peace settles on Nathaniel’s face as he leans back in his chair, fully relaxed, high on the power that he has given himself.
“Men, please recite the scripture to our guest. Start with my favorite Deuteronomy passage.”
Voices echo through the room as they recite “Neither shalt thou make marriages with them… for they will turn away thy son from following me,” in monotone voices.
I draw deep breaths into my lungs, closing my eyes and conjuring up Sage’s face. Her expressions so fucking vivid in my mind that it helps me stay calm as they try to break me. As long as I have a fuckin pulse I will fight tooth and nail to get back to my woman. I just need to bide my time.
Just need to fight a little longer, a little longer…
Damian
I don’t often have second thoughts, but I am damn well havin’ ‘em now. This was meant to be covert, watchin’ that Nathaniel guy, figuring out who’s really runnin’ things and who is just puffing up their chest. I’m doing all that and trying to keep Sage from goin’ postal on all these polo wearing assholes.
I catch Justice’s gaze, tipping my chin in Sage’s direction.
I know that Justice has my back, like I’ve got his.
We may be from different worlds, but we’re brothers now and that’s all that matters.
Justice steps closer to Sage who's been dancing around like she’s got ants in her pants. She ain’t gonna be any help to us all jacked up wanting to spill blood, but I get it. It’s her man that’s gone missing.
“Sage, we got this, babe.” Sorrow crosses her face and I know I fucked up.
“That’s what Takoda calls me,” she whispers, bottom lip starting to poke out and it makes my chest feel all kinds of strange.
We gotta get her man back so she can get back to being my second best friend, not this broken woman.
I open my mouth but cut myself off when the man we been looking for takes to the mic. It’s show time.