Chapter Six
A few hours later...
Jep slowly rubbed his face and glanced over at the window.
Darkness was finally giving way to daylight and he sighed heavily.
He slowly got up stretched then looked around the room.
Everyone else was sleeping and he shook his tired head.
Morning was here finally and he knew they had to prepare for the inevitable showdown between them and Ricco Sanchas.
He walked down the hall and opened his door. Arielle was laying on the bed, still asleep. But as he moved closer to the bed she began to toss and turn while caught up in some nightmare.
“Mama,” she called out softly, almost whispering but the tone of her voice was muffled by her sobs. “Mama, come back to me. I need you, please don’t go. Please don’t leave me. Take me with you...I can’t make it without you. Don’t go.”
Jep’s heart was breaking as he gathered her into his arms. “You aren’t alone anymore, Arielle. You got me now.” He felt it the instant she actually woke up. Her sobs had changed just a little and her arms went around his waist as she held onto him tightly.
After a moment, she broke his hold to swipe at her tears. She wouldn’t look at him.
He put a finger under her chin and raised her head, so she would look at him. “Are you okay?”
Arielle nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’s just that sometimes I have bad dreams.”
“You were begging your mom not to leave you behind, that you wouldn’t make it on your own. You begged her to take you with her,” he reminded her gently.
Arielle nodded. “That was what I said the day she died. I was sitting next to her on that street. I had dragged her into my arms and both of us were covered in her blood. I was begging her not to die on me,” she whispered.
“You told us some about this but you actually saw her get shot?”
Arielle nodded. “Ricco just raised his gun and he didn’t even seem to care that she was standing out in the open, he just shot her.
She fell and I screamed. Ricco just looked over at the other man and said, ‘You better be with my men in 24 hours or the same will happen to you.’ Then he walked to his car and drove off.
They left me alone with my mom and just drove off. ”
Jep’s heart broke all over again. “How old were you?”
“I was eight. In fact, I just turned eight the day before.”
Jep’s hands curled into fists. “Well, he’s outside right now and we won’t let him get away, not this time. He’ll pay for it baby girl, he’ll pay.”
Arielle turned her head and saw the daylight just starting to breach the horizon. “It's time isn’t it?” she asked softly.
“It's time,” Jep told her.
Arielle sighed and pushed the covers off. “Then let the games begin.”
He reached for her hand and together, they walked down the hall to the main room.
Heading to his table, he sat down beside his laptop and watched the screens.
He found the men outside all sleeping but they weren’t resting well.
Several of them groaned and tried to get comfortable but the ground beneath them wasn’t giving them much comfort.
Arielle went to the kitchen and made several pots of coffee.
Going on very little sleep, she knew the entire clubhouse would need a shot of caffeine to start their day.
She searched for a large dispenser container and found it in a large cupboard.
She then made even more coffee. This was a huge group so the more, the better.
When she finished making the coffee, she had a pile of cups loaded on a tray and she carried everything out to the main room.
She poured two cups of black coffee and carried them over to where Jep was sitting.
Offering him one, she watched the screens and curled her lip at the sight of Ricco sleeping on the ground.
“Bet he thought he’d never find himself in that position, laying on the ground trying to keep himself warm. Man, he really deserves this too.”
Jep snorted. “This is just the beginning, he will not like prison any better.” He adjusted his screen and saw about a dozen men fidgeting in their sleep too.
Arielle shook her head. “His men probably think they are gonna die soon.”
The others in the room began to open their eyes. As they woke up and got some coffee, they all eventually gathered around Jep and Arielle.
Titus came out of the hall and Reno was with him as they went into the kitchen.
Bouncer and Boomer both had cups of coffee as they joined the growing crowd around Jep’s laptop.
Boomer squinted at the screens. “See, I thought about this last night.” He paused to look at Bouncer.
“When ya’ll thought I was losing it.” He shook his head at him.
“We could sneak up on ‘em when they were sleeping. I mean look at them, they don’t even realize the sun’s coming up.
” Scoffing at the sleeping men he added, “They don’t even have guards posted.
We could just walk out there, take their guns and they wouldn’t have a chance.
” He grinned. “So why don’t we do just that?
Just walk out there and take their guns away from them before they even realize we’re there. ”
Bouncer smiled. “I like it. And what’s more, it might just work. If we can get the drop on them, hell, that’s half the battle, ain’t it?”
Titus came over with a tray of cold cinnamon rolls and set them onto the table.
Reno brought a second tray over. “They’re cold but I made them yesterday, so they should give you all a good sugar burst.”
Boomer nodded. “Sugar burst, then we can kick some ass.”
Titus hummed at the roll and ate his then he gulped down some coffee. He’d heard the suggestion. “I like it, Boomer. Let’s make it happen, boys. Let’s catch them while they are having not so sweet dreams.”
The men all chuckled as they finished their coffee and rolls. One by one, they left to grab their weapons. After they checked their guns, they moved en masse to the front door.
Titus punched the code to open the gate and it slid open noiselessly.
The men left the clubhouse silently and once they got past the front gate they all began disappearing into the woods.
They knew where the men were sleeping and they moved to that area.
They paused to make sure there were no posted guards.
Finally, when they didn’t see anyone awake, they shook their heads and moved in closer, quietly.