Naomi
She awoke with a start, her heart pounding and every sense on alert. Feeling around, she found Asher fast asleep, twisted sideways, arms flung over his head. Some of her panic eased, then footsteps thumping on the stairs drifted in through the cracked-open window.
The apartment door opened, the hinges creaking. Terror filled her, so she moved with a practiced ease she had hoped never to use again.
On silent feet, she hauled Asher out of bed. When he stirred, groaning, she placed her hand over his mouth and lifted him so he would look in her eyes. “It’s okay, baby,” she said, so softly it was barely audible, but Asher, well used to this, didn’t utter another sound, going limp in her arms.
Her heart broke, and she was so fucking angry she had to do this again.
That she couldn’t bring him to a safe place even once.
Tiptoeing to the closet, she was thankful the thick carpet muffled the sound.
She put Asher at the back of the closet, handed him the stuffed animal, and put her finger to her lip, the signal she had taught him when he was old enough to understand.
Then she eased back and hurried to grab the gun she had hidden under the mattress. Thank fuck there was a silencer on it; it would hopefully keep Asher from being scared if she had to fire it.
With quick efficiency, she checked to make sure it was loaded before she fell to her belly and crawled to the doorway to get the best view down the hallway into the apartment’s open space.
Two of them. There were two men in her apartment—one moving around the kitchen, the other in the living room. Neither of them made their way down the hall, nor even glanced at it. What, did they think she would sleep through them breaking in?
She wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The darkness shielded her, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t spot her. She had to get Asher out of here. Fast.
Images of the apartment ran through her mind, along with the view of the warehouse. The window faced the large open driveway, but there was a fire escape. She could get Asher out and away before they spotted them if she was careful and kept him quiet.
She mapped out the route in her head that would take her into the woods. If she could get there, maybe she could lose them and slip past any security before they could stop her.
The two figures kept moving, searching for something, but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out what it was.
“I’ll go check,” one of them whispered. The voice was deep, but she couldn’t place it. Not that she really wanted to. All she knew was they were coming and her window to get Asher out had closed. She would have to fight.
Her hands grew damp around the gun but stayed steady. Asher. This was all about protecting him. Diego was not getting hold of him. Ever. Whoever these men were, they weren’t expecting her to be ready to take them down. They would think she was being lazy and feeling safe, letting her guard down.
She’d prove them wrong.
She had one chance at this, so she couldn’t be stupid.
She lifted the gun.
“Wait,” the voice said. “Naomi—”
She fired.
The roar of shock and the curses were instant and far louder than the shot itself. Naomi moved fast, using every ounce of power and momentum she possessed to knock the man to the floor.
Maybe it was luck, or maybe the shock of the situation caught the man off guard, but she got him to the floor with a hard grunt and a loud crash.
After more cursing, the lights turned on, but she didn’t care.
Ready to fire again, she brought the gun up, but it was yanked from her hand, and the man beneath her rolled her then pinned her to the wall.
She fought wildly. Her only thought was to protect Asher, so she fought dirty. Like her father taught her when he worried the boys in her high school would try something. Or so he said.
She clawed, kicked, slapped, and bit.
“Fuck!” the man yelped as she sank her teeth into his hand when he tried to grab hold of her hands to stop her. “Naomi, stop. It’s me. Stop, it’s Ink. Motherfucker!” he wheezed, releasing her then falling away when she landed a knee to his balls.
Scrambling away, she was desperate to get to Asher. She didn’t care where the other man was.
She was almost at the closet when arms wrapped around her from behind. The snarl she let out was feral as she twisted, trying to kick and struggle her way free.
“Naomi, that’s enough!” the man barked, so sharply it startled her into stillness. “We are not here to hurt you,” Savage declared, grabbing her hands and tightening his grip when she renewed her struggles. “Naomi, stop.”
She wasn’t going to listen to or trust him. Trusting them wouldn’t happen again. Asher. She had to get to Asher.
“Naomi, it’s okay,” a feminine voice said, and she whipped her head around to see Glitch standing there, calm, like this was just an everyday occurrence for her.
“No one is going to hurt you or Asher, okay? Taz sent us over to make sure you were all right and to collect the SIM card you destroyed to ensure nothing can be tracked back.”
Naomi stilled, but Savage didn’t release her. The tension in the room remained. “Taz sent you?” Naomi gasped out.
“Yes. Karissa and I are members of their team, remember? That means that when you contacted him, he let me know you had reached out to him from the burner phone. I’d have been here sooner, but I didn’t hear my phone.”
“Then why are they here?” Naomi demanded, struggling against Savage’s grip, but he grunted and tightened his arms around her even more. He was like an anaconda; the man was damn strong. “They’re the ones who exposed me in the first place.”
Glitch held her gaze. “We can talk about that, but I need you to calm down, all right? Asher is probably scared of all this yelling and fighting.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Naomi took advantage of Savage’s position and kicked him in the balls, making him release her and fall to the floor with a pained groan. Naomi moved swiftly to the closet, blocking it and glaring at Glitch.
“Don’t fucking touch my son,” she hissed. “I don’t care if you are a mercenary. I know how to kill you. I studied shooting a gun for years for the day I could use them.”
Glitch lifted her hands as Ink limped into the room. He took in the scene, his eyes widening until they fell on her. Naomi didn’t even glance at him, her eyes fixed on the only other woman.
“Naomi,” Glitch tried again.
“You said we would be safe here,” she snapped.
“That no one would be able to identify me. But it’s only been a little over a week, and already, you have a club girl with a vendetta against me, who was publicly smacked down by Rogue.
She’s not going to forgive that. She’s not going to let that slight go, especially since she’s going to be Ink’s Old Lady or whatever you call her.
I know how MCs work. The first chance she has to sell me out, she will.
She’ll make sure I’m gone, and she won’t care what it takes to make it happen.
One wrong word on the street, and we’re dead. ”
“Naomi, I don’t have an Old Lady.” Ink tried to reassure her. “I heard what happened with Kayla, but there’s nothing between us. She’s just a club girl.”
“A club girl with her eyes on you and an eye on the patch that comes with it,” she scolded. She never took her eyes off Glitch. She was the one who would come after her to get to Asher. The men wouldn’t want to hurt her, but Glitch was small, fast, and highly trained. She was their ace.
“Naomi, please, let’s just talk this out,” Ink urged. “I know we fucked up, but we can fix it. And I’m sorry we scared you by coming in.” He gave her a small, teasing smile. “And at least your aim was shit, because you missed me and hit the wall by Savage’s head.”
“It’s like Royal all fucking over again,” Savage groaned, and got to his feet. “I thought I said no fucking guns allowed for the women around here to prevent this shit in the first place.”
“Yeah, well, I gave her mine to make sure she felt safe. Clearly, it was a good idea since she didn’t hesitate.” Glitch smiled. “Nice job, by the way.”
Naomi narrowed her eyes. What, she thought that was going to calm her down?
“All of you get the hell out. I don’t care what you have to say. Taz told me to stay put. When they get here, we’re leaving with them. We are not safe here.”
“You’re perfectly safe here.” Savage huffed, moving to stand beside Ink and Glitch. He scowled at her. “Kayla won’t say shit to anyone. That’s how this works. She’s protected by the club because of her position here, and that means she keeps her mouth shut.”
Naomi let out a humorless laugh. “You really think that’s going to matter to her?
The right amount of money, drugs, or whatever her vice is, she’ll sing like a canary.
Or, worse, if Diego and his men or their allies get hold of her and torture her, she’ll tell them everything because they’ll kill her.
If you’re willing to risk me and my son by bringing those girls here just so you can get your dicks wet, then I am not safe here. ”
Savage didn’t answer, but her words hit their mark.
Glitch turned and glared at Savage. “I told you it was a fucking bad idea.” Then she shifted to Ink. “But you and Ice insisted. You couldn’t just go in town and find your pussy like any other man.”
Wait, it was Ink who wanted the girls there?
Naomi stiffened as the hurt swelled. God, she really was an idiot. The man she was swooning over like a lovesick teenager wasn’t interested in her. He wanted sex, and he saw a way to get it.
Ink’s face flashed with guilt then regret. “Naomi, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. We’ve always had the club girls here for parties. It’s how things work. We … we just wanted to—”
“You wanted to fuck around, and you thought I wouldn’t be there, so you didn’t have to worry.”
Ink flinched.
“You think I didn’t notice no one invited me?
Everyone talked about it around me, but left me out?
I wasn’t even really hurt by that. I was going to stay back at the apartment.
” Her gaze flicked back to Glitch. “You and Karissa insisted. You said the club girls wouldn’t arrive until nine because that was when they were allowed in.
I should have known better. Those girls weren’t going to miss the opportunity to start partying early. ”
“They should never have been allowed on the grounds until nine,” Savage interrupted. “And we’ll address it with the prospects next. We’ve already spoken with Kayla and threatened her, saying she won’t be allowed back on the grounds if—”
“And that was the worst fucking thing you could have done,” Naomi snapped.
“You’ve now cemented in her mind that I am public enemy number one.
She will be looking for me now. She’ll be listening for my name, talking to people about me, and trying to figure out whether I’m new to town and where I might work.
She won’t fucking care that you threatened her.
She’s looking for dirt on me to find out what makes me so special to you all. ”
“She won’t talk if she values her life,” Glitch replied.
“She’s already talking if she’s gone,” Naomi growled, thrusting her hands through her hair.
Her shoulders slumped. She wished the Devil’s Predators could get here a hell of a lot faster than the twenty-four hours they indicated.
“You’ve practically signed our death warrants, being so fucking careless. ”
Before they could respond, she yanked open the closet door. She found Asher sitting in the same spot, face wet with tears, clutching the blanket and toy.
Her heart broke, and her own tears spilled. “I’m so sorry, baby,” she whispered, hurrying to pick him up and settle him in her lap. Pressing against the wall, she held him tight as he sobbed loudly.
His fear was palpable as he let go of the blanket, wrapping his little arms around her and burying his face in her neck. She tried to soothe him, crooning soft words of reassurance she didn’t feel.
She barely lifted her head when she saw Ink in the closet doorway. His brow furrowed and he frowned, but thankfully, he didn’t try to enter the closet. Instead, he slid down and sat just past the opening.
“I’m so sorry, Naomi,” he said, voice heavy. “So fuc—I mean, freaking sorry.”
She continued rocking her son. Guilt ate at her for the fear she’d caused him. He would have nightmares for days after this. It always happened when things like this occurred with Diego.
Glitch poked her head in, her expression tight. “I’m going to sort things out with the SIM and get in contact with the team. Naomi … I’m really sorry. I hope you’ll give us a chance to fix this.” Then she left.
“Stay with her and make sure they’re good,” Savage ordered Ink. Then his heavy steps followed Glitch’s lighter ones out.
The only sounds filling the silence were Asher’s easing cries and her soft humming. She refused to look at Ink, not even when Asher stopped crying and slipped back into sleep.
Moving from this spot tonight wasn’t happening, and no matter what Ink said, he wouldn’t change her mind. She was leaving tomorrow, and she wouldn’t forgive him for what he’d done. For what he’d put her son through.